RTHK: WHO urges power players to end jab inequity

The World Health Organization on Tuesday urged the 20 leaders with the power to overturn the "disgraceful" global imbalance in access to Covid-19 vaccines to reverse the tide before October.

The WHO's Bruce Aylward said the world should be "disgusted"  and asked whether the situation could have been any worse had there been an active effort to block the planet's poor from getting vaccinated.

The UN health agency has been increasingly infuriated by what it sees as the moral outrage of rich countries hogging vaccine supply while developing nations struggle to immunise their most vulnerable populations.

Aylward, the WHO's frontman on accessing the tools to fight the coronavirus pandemic, urged people to tell politicians and business tycoons that it was electorally and financially safe to increase vaccine coverage in poorer nations.

"There's probably 20 people in the world that are crucial to solving this equity problem," he told a WHO social media live interaction.

"They head the big companies that are in charge of this; they head the countries that are contracting most of the world's vaccines, and they head the countries that produce them.

"We need those 20 people to say, 'we're going to solve this problem by the end of September. We're going to make sure that ten percent of every country... is vaccinated'."

Nearly 4.5 billion vaccine doses have been administered around the world.

In high-income countries, as categorised by the World Bank, 104 doses have been injected per 100 people.

In the 29 lowest-income nations, just two doses have been administered per 100 people.

"We should be collectively disgusted with ourselves," said Aylward.

"I can't help but think: if we had tried to withhold vaccines from parts of the world, could we have made it any worse than it is today?

"We need 20 people to lead the world's effort to change what is a disgraceful situation we're in."

The WHO wants every country to have vaccinated at least ten percent of its population by the end of September; at least 40 percent by the end of this year, and 70 percent by the middle of 2022. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-08-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Afghans flee as Taliban sweep through the north

Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Taliban-captured cities in the north, some telling of brutal treatment by the insurgents: bodies left in the streets, girls being kidnapped to become Taliban brides, and young men press-ganged into fighting.

Many have arrived in Kabul just this week, following a five-day Taliban blitz that has seen them seize eight provincial capitals  some with barely a fight.

But where there has been resistance, those who fled described harrowing scenes.

"We saw bodies lying near the prison... there were dogs next to them," said Friba, 36, a widow who fled Kunduz on Sunday with her six children as the Taliban took the city.

The war has gathered pace since early May, when foreign forces began the final stage of a troop withdrawal due to be complete at the end of the month.

During their first stint in power  from 1996 until the September 11, 2001 attacks that prompted the US-led invasion  the Taliban earned notoriety for a strict interpretation of Islamic law that punished even petty crime with public floggings and executions.

But they have also been accused of war crimes on this campaign, targeting government officials and security personnel  particularly in areas where they have met resistance.

"Three days ago the Taliban killed a barber because they thought he was working for the government. But he was just a barber," said Mirwais Khan Amiri, 22, whose car was struck by bullets as he fled Kunduz three days ago.

"They killed people who worked in government even if they had quit four to five years ago."

The Taliban routinely deny committing atrocities and last week announced they had set up a WhatsApp hotline to deal with complaints.

But several humanitarian organisations, including the UN, say possible war crimes have been carried out that need to be investigated.

The UN's International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday that more than 359,000 people have been displaced by fighting this year alone. (AFP)

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RTHK: Afghan leader flies north as Taliban gain ground

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani flew to the besieged northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif on Wednesday to rally his beleaguered forces, with Taliban fighters having now taken more than a quarter of the country's provincial capitals in less than a week.

Ghani arrived in Mazar as the Taliban captured Faizabad overnight, making it the ninth city to be overrun since Friday.

The Afghan leader held talks with Mazar's long-time strongman Atta Mohammad Noor and infamous warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum about the defence of the city, as Taliban fighters inched closer to its outskirts.

The loss of Mazar would be a catastrophic blow to the Kabul government and represent the complete collapse of its control over the north  long a bastion of anti-Taliban militias.

Fighting in Afghanistan's long-running conflict has escalated dramatically since May, when the US-led military coalition began the final stage of a withdrawal set to be completed before the end of the month.

Further to the east of Mazar, in Badakhshan's capital Faizabad, a local lawmaker said security forces had retreated after days of heavy clashes.

Government forces were also battling the hardline Islamists in Kandahar and Helmand, the southern Pashto-speaking provinces from where the Taliban draw their strength.

In Kandahar, fierce clashes erupted between Taliban insurgents and security forces, with heavy fighting being reported near the city's prison, which the militants have been trying to reach for weeks.

But even as the Taliban routed government forces, US President Joe Biden gave no hint of delaying his deadline to withdraw all American troops by August 31, instead urging Afghan leaders to "fight for themselves" on Tuesday.

"I do not regret my decision" to withdraw US troops after two decades of war, he told reporters in Washington.

And as fighting raged, US diplomats were desperately trying to breathe life back into all but dead talks between the Afghan government and Taliban in Doha, where Washington's special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was pushing the hardline Islamists to accept a ceasefire.

Biden has stressed that Washington would continue to support the Afghan security forces with air strikes, food, equipment and money for salaries.

The Taliban have appeared largely indifferent to peace overtures, and seem intent on a military victory to crown a return to power after their ouster 20 years ago in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

After conquering most of the north, the Taliban have now set their sights on region's biggest city, Mazar-i-Sharif  long a linchpin for the government's control of the area  after capturing Sheberghan to its west, and Kunduz and Taloqan to its east.

Mazar saw some of the bloodiest fighting during the Taliban's scorched earth rampage through the country in the 1990s, with rights groups accusing the jihadists of massacring up to 2,000 civilians  mostly Shiite Hazaras  after capturing the city in 1998. (AFP)

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South Africa: Lesufi dismayed at alleged rape of Grade 1 learner

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International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, will participate in the inaugural South Africa-Kenya Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC), which gets underway today in Kenya. The JCC will seek to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two countries. It is also expected that the JCC will provide a platform ... See more
South Africa: DPE welcomes ruling to place Mango under business rescue

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International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, will participate in the inaugural South Africa-Kenya Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC), which gets underway today in Kenya. The JCC will seek to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two countries. It is also expected that the JCC will provide a platform ... See more
RTHK: Greece wildfires 'slowly coming under control': mayor

Hundreds of firefighters were battling to control two massive wildfires in Greece on Wednesday, one raging for nine straight days, that have left hundreds homeless and caused incalculable damage.

With the assistance of a huge multinational force, Greek fire crews were fighting to beat back blazes on the island of Evia and in the Peloponnese peninsula in rugged terrain.

"I think we can say that the fire fronts are slowly coming under control," Yiannis Kontzias, mayor of the Evia town of Istiaia that has been under threat for days, told state TV ERT.

"Yesterday, we saw the light of the sun for the first time in days," he said, referring to giant smoke clouds that have choked residents and obstructed water drops by firefighting aircraft.

The situation was more precarious in the mountainous Peloponnese region of Gortynia, home to dense forests and deep ravines.

Christos Lambropoulos, deputy governor for the broader Arcadia region, said efforts were concentrated on keeping the fire from reaching the thickly forested Mount Mainalo.

"Villages do not seem at risk at the moment... but conditions change by the hour," he told ERT.

Three people have died in the latest fire wave, which came in the midst of Greece's most severe heatwave in decades.

Many here admit that help from abroad has been critical in averting an even greater disaster.

EU states and other countries have so far contributed 21 aircraft, 250 vehicles and more than 1,200 firefighters, some of whom were due to arrive by Friday.

Forces in Gortynia were beefed up on Wednesday to nearly 600 firefighters including crews from the Czech Republic, Britain, France and Germany.

Another 60 firemen were tackling a smaller fire in Laconia, in the southeastern Peloponnese, the fire department said.

In Evia, a presence of nearly 900 firefighters was arrayed against the wildfires including Cypriots, Moldovans, Poles, Serbs, Slovaks, Romanians and Ukrainians. Serbian, Swedish and Swiss planes and helicopters were among a fleet of seven aircraft providing support.

There have been growing calls in Greece for the resignation of top public safety officials who as recently as June had insisted that the country was well-prepared.

"(Our resources were) stronger than ever before. We faced an operationally unique situation with 586 fires in eight days during the worst weather phenomenon in 40 years," civil protection deputy minister Nikos Hardalias insisted on Tuesday. (AFP)

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South Africa: SA welcomes 6th IPCC assessment report

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister, Barbara Creecy, has welcomed the 6th Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment on climate change report.

The assessment report, which was released on Monday, is the first in a series of reports to be adopted under the IPCC 6th assessment cycle.

South Africa welcomes the long-awaited sixth assessment by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change.

This is an important contribution to enhancing scientific understanding on climate change, that must inform international policy at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Changes COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in November, Creecy said.

In 2022, the IPCC will release the next reports on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability, another report dealing with mitigation of climate change, and finally, a synthesis report of the key findings.

The report also highlights and analyses the detail available in terms of climate change in southern Africa, reinforcing existing scientific evidence that the region is likely to become drier, and reductions in precipitation can already be detected.

The report states that droughts will become more frequent at 1.5 C of global warming, and more so as the level of global warming increases.

It has also long been known that the region is warming drastically, at about twice the global rate of warming.

The effects of warming and the limited options for adaptation to new temperatures and rainfall patterns will be assessed in the upcoming Working Group II report to be tabled next year.

Sustaining the global temperature of 1.5 C by the end of the 21st century will require global scale negative emissions in the second half of the century to reduce atmospheric CO2.

In this regard, the work of the Climate Commission to identify pathways for a just transition to a low carbon economy and climate resilient society by mid-century has never been more important.

Climate action remains a national and international priority. And South Africa remains firmly committed to contributing our best effort towards the global cause of addressing climate change. In this regard we will be submitting our revised Nationally Determined Contribution to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions to the UNFCCC ahead of COP26, the Minister said.

South Africa supports the common position of the African Group of Negotiators, ahead of COP26, that ambition and climate action need to be dramatically increased to advance all three of the interconnected global goals in the UNFCCCs Paris Agreement, namely, mitigation, adaptation and means of implementation.

In this regard, it is urgent that developed countries urgently honour their obligation to provide financial support to developing countries that already face the impact of climate change.

In the context of this report, issues of Climate Justice have never been more compelling. As we transition our energy generation and at least seven sectors of our economy, we must ensure that those involved in the vulnerable sections of our society and economy do not carry a disproportionate burden for climate change and its mitigation.

Eskom has already commissioned significant research on the impact of the transition on coal-fired power stations facing decommissioning later this decade.

Significant long-term financial resources, at concessional rates, will be needed to introduce new technologies and open up significant new job creation opportunities so that our country joins others who are benefitting from the green technological transition across the world, Creecy said.

African countries are already struggling to adapt to the reality of a changing climate and they urgently require international support for their mitigation and adaptation efforts.

To avoid the stark future foreshadowed by the IPCCC report, COP26 needs to prioritise securing finance, technology and capacity building support from developed to developing countries.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Suspect nabbed for R50 000 bribe relating to PPE deal

This story has been published on: 2021-08-11. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister, Barbara Creecy, has welcomed the 6th Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment on climate change report. The assessment report, which was released on Monday, is the first in a series of reports to be adopted under the IPCC 6th assessment cycle. South Africa welcomes... See more
RTHK: Thai police crack down on protest with rubber bullets

Thai police used rubber bullets against protesters for a second day in a row on Wednesday as demonstrators rallied against the government and its handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Demonstrators in Bangkok defied a ban on public gatherings as Thailand tries to curb its worst virus outbreak so far  more than 21,000 new cases were announced on Wednesday.

The slow rollout of the kingdom's vaccination programme as well as financial hardship from restrictions are fuelling public anger towards Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's government.

About 150 protesters gathered at the major intersection of Bangkok's Victory Monument on Wednesday afternoon, intending to march to Prayuth's residence.

They quickly dispersed as riot police moved in and arrested at least two demonstrators.

Earlier protesters burnt an effigy of a Thai judge who has denied bail to political detainees.

"Police are not our enemies. Our true enemy is the government," one protester told the rally.

On Tuesday, protesters and police clashed in Bangkok, with 48 demonstrators arrested and nine officers injured including one shot in the leg.

Officers used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets while protesters retaliated with firecrackers and rocks.

Bangkok police, facing accusations of heavy-handedness, insist their approach is in line with the law and urged people not to jeopardise public health and safety.

A youth-led pro-democracy movement began last year and at its peak drew tens of thousands of people to rallies demanding the resignation of Prayuth, the former army chief who came to power in a 2014 coup.

The movement broke long-held taboos by demanding reforms to Thailand's monarchy, and scores of protesters have been hit with multiple royal defamation charges, which carry 15-year jail terms.

But the movement lost momentum as Covid cases surged and its leaders were put in detention. (AFP)

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South Africa: Inequality a threat to social cohesion, says Deputy President

Deputy President David Mabuza says without urgently resolving inequalities in society, South Africa cannot successfully build and grow as a nation.

Without urgently and tangibly addressing inequalities in society, nation-formation becomes a statement of intention rather than a statement of fact, the Deputy President said on Wednesday.

Mabuza was addressing the 4th Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) Summit underway at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand.

The Deputy President addressed the summit in his capacity as Chairperson of the HRDC, a national multi-stakeholder advisory body established with the objective of improving the foundation of human resources in South Africa.

Held under the theme Skills required for the 21st century, the three-day summit aims to facilitate building the foundational knowledge to respond to the dictates of the changing world of work shaped by the realities of technological advancements.

Mabuza said the theme of the summit is relevant in the South African context to ensure that no one is left behind, as we implement measures to rebuild and grow the economy".

The Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, Mabuza said, is premised on reviving the economy devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, through investment in employment creation initiatives, building the relevant skills and training for the economy, industries and jobs for the future.

It is encouraging that the objectives of this 4th HRDC Summit focus mainly on building the foundation and skills for a transformed economy and society, and building a capable and ethical developmental state.

These objectives are significant since the HRDC, as a multi-stakeholder advisory body, is uniquely positioned to ensure that we capacitate the unemployed, those in workplaces and those still in our schooling system, with requisite skills that can respond to new world realities and to make South Africa globally competitive, Mabuza said.

The Deputy President said the HRDC should use the Revised HRD Strategy to address the four broad challenges of poverty and inequality, quality of education, absorptive capacity of the economy, and social cohesion that will cumulatively contribute towards the attainment of the National Development Plans outcomes.

Before deliberating further on this 4th summit, let us reflect briefly on what was agreed to in 2018 at the 3rd HRDC Summit, to ensure that we underline policy and programmatic continuity, and avoid reinventing the wheel. As social partners, we have to ask ourselves the question whether between the period of the last summit and this one, have we sizeably delivered on equipping and capacitating our young people with practical solutions.

If we are to recalibrate our human resources development efforts to be skills-based, innovation-led and entrepreneurial-focused, we must be deliberate in implementing resolutions that we take at each summit. That is why at the end of this summit, we need to emerge with a concrete plan of action that will demonstrate measurable progress by the time we meet for the next summit, he said.

Mabuza welcomed the summits focus on building the foundation for a transformed economy.

We presume there will also be strategic and thematic continuity between this 4th summit and previous summits in areas of implementing pathways and partnerships between training institutions, labour and industry.  SAnews.gov.za

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Hong Kong: Govt to gazette amended flag bill

The Government today said the National Flag & National Emblem (Amendment) Bill 2021 will be gazetted on August 13 and introduced into the Legislative Council for first and second readings on August 18.

The bill aims to make clear the requirements in respect of the use of the national flag and national emblem, including the etiquette to be followed in a flag-raising ceremony and the recovery mechanism.

Its other goal is to clarify the provisions relating to desecration offences and provide for education on and promotion of the national flag and national emblem.

On October 17, 2020, the 13th National Peoples Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) endorsed the amendments to the National Flag Law and National Emblem Law which came into force on January 1 this year.

Through the enactment of the National Flag & National Emblem Ordinance in July 1997, both national laws had been applied locally by legislation.

In light of the recent amendments to the two national laws by the NPCSC, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has the constitutional responsibility to implement the two amended national laws locally.

The Government stated that it proposes to implement both amended national laws in Hong Kong by amending the ordinance instead of by promulgation. Such an approach is consistent with the one country, two systems principle, it explained.

The bills legislative principle is to reflect the provisions, principles and spirit of the amended national flag and emblem laws whilst taking into account the common law system and actual circumstances in Hong Kong.

Other principles include safeguarding the proper use and preserving the dignity of the national flag and national emblem, which are the symbols and signs of the country, so as to promote respect for the national flag and national emblem, enhance a sense of national identity among citizens and promote patriotism.

The Government noted that members of the LegCo Panel on Constitutional Affairs had expressed support for the proposed direction of the amendments to the ordinance during a consultation in February this year.

It added that it will fully complement the councils work in scrutinising the bill to strive for its early passage.

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RTHK: Briton arrested in Germany for 'spying for Russia'

A British man suspected of spying for Russia in exchange for cash has been arrested in Germany, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday, in a stunning case compared to a Cold War thriller.

The suspect identified only as David S., who worked as local staff at the British embassy, "on at least one occasion passed on documents he acquired as part of his professional activities to a representative of Russian intelligence".

"The accused received a cash payment in an unspecified amount in return," the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.

It said David S. was taken into custody on Tuesday in the eastern city of Potsdam on an arrest warrant issued on August 4. His home and place of work were searched.

The suspect was believed to have been spying since November 2020 "at the latest".

His arrest was the result of a joint operation by German and British authorities. The British embassy in Berlin declined to comment.

The Metropolitan Police in London said the suspect was a 57-year-old British national and that the investigation was conducted by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command and German counterparts.

It said his alleged offences were related to being engaged in "Intelligence Agent activity" under German law and that the German authorities would retain primacy over the probe.

David S. was to appear later on Wednesday before an investigating judge who will decide whether he will be remanded in custody.

Germany has arrested a number of people in recent years accused of spying for Russia, but the capture of a citizen of a closely allied country is highly unusual.

German foreign ministry spokesman Christofer Burger told reporters Berlin was taking the case "very seriously", adding that "espionage by a close alliance partner on German soil is unacceptable".

The latest espionage case also comes at a time of highly strained relations between Russia and Germany on a number of fronts, including the ongoing detention of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who received treatment in Berlin after a near-fatal poisoning.

Relations between London and Moscow have been at a low point since the attempted poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in British Salisbury in 2018.

The Kremlin has denied any involvement in either case.

Despite the frictions, Berlin has pressed ahead with plans to finish the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, set to double natural gas supplies from Russia to Germany. (AFP)

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South Africa: Government's efforts to deal with corruption

President Cyril Ramaphosa has outlined several measures undertaken by government to end state capture, rebuild damaged institutions and foster a culture of ethical public service and accountability.

Addressing the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture and Corruption on Wednesday, President Ramaphosa said these measures have aimed at changing the way in which the Cabinet functions, strengthening institutions that had been captured, starting with changes in leadership of some of these institutions.

These measures also included changing the way in which State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) were managed and overseen by government as a shareholder and making necessary policy decisions to address shortcomings and reinforce oversight.

One of the critical projects currently underway to strengthen the state involves the professionalisation of the public service. This aims to ensure that the public service is shorn of political partisanship and that the most qualified individuals enter its ranks, President Ramaphosa said.

Government has prioritized rebuilding and restoring law enforcement agencies that were deliberately weakened to limit their ability to act against those involved in corruption and state capture.

I therefore decided that the appointment of the new National Director of Public Prosecutions should be undertaken through a public and transparent process. This was the first time an National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) was appointed in such a manner, which did much to restore the confidence of South Africans in the institution, the President said.

Government has established the Investigating Directorate in the office of the NDPP to work on high profile complex cases of corruption and fraud.

Its members have unique expertise in this field and it has shown the capacity to speed up investigations and see prosecutions do take place, the President said.

Restoring the confidence of taxpayers

In May 2018, President Ramaphosa established the Nugent Commission of Inquiry to investigate governance failures at the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and to propose ways to restore the confidence of taxpayers.

Its recommendations are now being implemented to redress the wrongs of the past and ensure that SARS never again falls prey to the improper motives of a privileged few. The impact of this work is already evident at SARS, the President said.

Other areas of progress include the work that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Asset Forfeiture Unit has done recovering the proceeds of economic crimes, recapacitating the NPA with more qualified personnel, and changes in leadership of entities such the Public Investment Corporation.

This has been supplemented by the work of the Fusion Centre, where all relevant law enforcement entities share information and support each other in investigating these kinds of corruption. Discussions of how to institutionalise this form of cooperation are now under way, the President said.

In October 2019, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) Tribunal started its work and has shown its value in recouping monies wrongfully taken from state coffers.

State Security Agency

The President has assured the Commission that government is attending to the challenges at the State Security Agency (SSA).

As has been made plain in this Commission, our Intelligence Services are in dire need of attention. To this end, the implementation of the recommendations of the High Level Review Panel chaired by Dr Sydney Mufamadi is at an advanced stage.

I am assured by the leadership of the relevant agencies that illegal operations identified both in the Panel Report and the investigations conducted by the SSA leadership are being identified and terminated, the President said.

Investigations continue on these and other wrongs within the SSA and in collaboration with law enforcement agencies.

The President said covert activities are now subject to scrutiny by the Auditor-General.

Late in December 2019, President Ramaphosa also reconstituted the National Security Council, which he chairs, to ensure better coordination of the intelligence and security-related functions of the State.

Political responsibility for the State Security Agency now resides in the Presidency and deliberations continue on the Panels recommendation to split up the SSA into distinct domestic and foreign intelligence services.

Repositioning SOEs

The President said government envisages a fundamental overhaul of the state-owned enterprises model that addresses not only the deficiencies that permitted widespread corruption, but that also enables these companies to effectively fulfil their social and economic mandates in a sustainable manner.

To this end, Cabinet has established the Presidential State-Owned Enterprises Council to reposition SOEs as effective instruments of economic development through stronger oversight and strategic management.

Government is working towards an SOE ownership model that clearly separates the responsibilities of ownership, policy development and regulation.

Effective ownership will become more centralised to enable greater transparency, accountability and oversight, and subject all strategic SOEs to more rigorous requirements for financial and operational performance, the President said.

Government is implementing standard guidelines on the appointment and remuneration of State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) boards and executives that prioritise the recruitment and retention of appropriate skills, experience and competencies.

This includes a clear delineation of authority and responsibility between elected public officials, non-executive directors and executive leadership.

Efforts to protect public money

In addition, government is working to ensure the rigorous implementation of controls over the use of public money as the best way to protect the abuse of those funds.

The National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which was developed together with representatives from business, trade unions, academia and civil society, including religious organisations, was approved by Cabinet in November 2020.

The Health Sector Anti-Corruption Forum, which was launched in September 2019, is a critical element of our fight against corruption.

Legislative changes have been made, and others are underway, to fight corruption and reduce the likelihood of a recurrence of state capture.

The amendment to the Public Audit Act as a good demonstration of this has granted the Auditor-General significant powers to secure consequence management where public funds are misused, the President said.

He said this was a significant step in the fight against state capture as it targets the perpetrators of fraud and theft.

Another set of powerful measures to prevent corruption and state capture include changes to the way in which the public service is managed. Critical sections of the Public Administration Management Act of 2014 have now commenced.

These include the prohibition on all public service employees conducting business with the state, the development of norms and standards of integrity, ethics and discipline in the public service, and the establishment of the Office of Standards and Compliance. Further sections will be commencing this year, the President said.

Legislation meant to entrench greater checks and balances in public procurement is in the pipeline and will be finalised as soon as possible.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Treasury urges against pre-retirement withdrawals

National Treasury has warned members of retirement funds not to withdraw their funds, unless retiring, resigning or retrenched from work, as the funds are legally not empowered to allow pre-retirement withdrawals, until the law is enacted.

Giving more details on the approach and planned timelines concerning the proposal to allow for greater preservation with limited pre-retirement withdrawals from retirement funds, Treasury said that even before the advent of COVID-19, government recognised that many members may need to access part of their savings in particular unexpected circumstances.

It is for this reason that the Minister of Finance noted in the 2020 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) and 2021 Budget that consideration is being given to allow limited preretirement withdrawals from retirement funds under certain conditions, provided that this is accompanied by mandatory preservation upon resignation from a job, the department said in a statement.

The department said the government has been engaging with trade unions, retirement funds, regulators and other stakeholders to discuss how to increase savings and improve preservation and allow limited withdrawals, without creating liquidity and investment risks.

Any consideration for early access will require legislative and fund-rule amendments because the current law and policy prohibits any pre-retirement access to retirement savings, unless an employee resigns or is retrenched.

It is expected that the earliest that any changes would become effective for a new withdrawal mechanism is 2022. However, the withdrawal process will not cover the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), as it is not regulated under the Pension Fund Act, and hence no COVID-related withdrawals will be allowed, the department said.

Redesigning retirement system requires thorough consultations

Treasury emphasised that retirement funds are primarily designed to encourage individuals to save while working to finance consumption later during retirement.

Government provides generous tax deductions and benefits to encourage all working people to save and preserve more for their retirement.

It also warned that redesigning the retirement system to allow for limited withdrawals with mandatory preservation is complex, and requires thorough consultations.

Government has been working on a more structured two-bucket system that will enable the restructuring of future contributions. One bucket is to be preserved until retirement, and the second bucket will allow for pre-retirement access during emergencies or extraordinary circumstances.

While these measures cover pension and provident funds, the National Treasury said that a harmonised approach on withdrawals is also being considered for retirement annuities.

It also warned that implementing any new system allowing limited withdrawals with preservation will take time because in addition to prior consultation, legislative and fund rule amendments have to be done and fund administrators will also have to change their systems.

Design work and consultation are ongoing, further announcements and the public release of the proposed measures for public comment and consideration will be made shortly, before or at the 2021 MTBPS. It is envisaged that the necessary legislative amendments will be introduced in Parliament thereafter.

It is expected that any changes to the law would only become effective next year at the earliest, and some of the medium-term provisions may take even longer to take effect. The government remains committed to encouraging South Africans to save more, both for their retirement and for shorter periods before retirement, the department explained.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Minister assures workers of government assistance

Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi, has assured workers that government will assist workers that were affected by the recent unrest.

"We are collating all the necessary workers information so they can benefit from both the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and Public Employment Services work-seekers database for reemployment when the Plaza resumes its operations in the near future," the Minister said on Tuesday.

Nxesi was addressing workers at Theku Plaza in KwaZulu-Natal after inspecting and assessing the damage caused during the recent looting and recent unrest in and around Newcastle, particularly at Theku Plaza.

Department of Employment and Labour Deputy Director General for Public Employment Services, Sam Morotoba, encouraged all the affected workers to register with the Public Employment Services of the department so they can be assisted when employers request workers for possible recruiting.

He further urged workers to access employment counselling services provided by the department at the Newcastle labour office.

Acting Commissioner for the Unemployment Insurance Fund, Advocate Yawa, called on workers to apply for unemployment insurance benefits, including Temporary Employers/Employees Relief Scheme.

The Minister's delegation also went to the Madadeni Business Zone.

He encouraged employers to access the South African Special Risk Insurance Association, as recently pronounced by the President. He further urged them to apply for Reduced Work Benefit from Beneficiary Service of the Department so that those affected and working for minimal hours can access relief, the department said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-08-11. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Afghan leader visits forces in besieged northern city

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday visited the besieged northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif to rally his beleaguered forces, with Taliban fighters having now taken more than a quarter of the country's provincial capitals in less than a week.

His visit was overshadowed by the mass surrender of hundreds of Afghan soldiers in nearby Kunduz, along with the overnight capture of another provincial capital  the ninth city to be overrun since Friday.

In Mazar, Ghani held talks with long-time local strongman Atta Mohammad Noor and infamous warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum about the defence of the city, as Taliban fighters inched closer to its outskirts.

Officials gave no indication of the outcome, but later on Wednesday said two of the country's top soldiers had been replaced by General Hibatullah Alizia as armed forces chief and General Sami Sadat leading the elite commandos.

The loss of Mazar would be a catastrophic blow to the Kabul government and represent the complete collapse of its control over the north  long a bastion of anti-Taliban militias.

Hours before Ghani arrived, pictures posted on official government social media accounts showed Dostum boarding a plane in Kabul en route to Mazar, along with a contingent of commandos.

After arriving in the city, Dostum issued a warning to the approaching insurgents. "The Taliban never learn from the past," he told reporters, vowing to kill the jihadists.

"The Taliban have come to the north several times but they were always trapped. It is not easy for them to get out."

Dostum stands accused of massacring hundreds, if not thousands, of Taliban prisoners of war during the US-backed operations in 2001 that toppled the hardline Islamists' rule over the country.

Fighting in Afghanistan's long-running conflict has escalated dramatically since May, when the US-led military coalition began the final stage of a withdrawal set to be completed before the end of the month. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-08-11. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Franciscan Sister Appointed to General Secretariat of Synod of Bishops

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity

Aug. 11, 2021

GREEN BAY, Wisc., Aug. 11, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Cardinal Mario Grech has appointed Sr. Marie Kolbe Zamora, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, to serve as an official for the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. Zamora's appointment commences at the Vatican on Sept. 1, 2021. Zamora will work with Cardinal Grech (General Secretary for the Synod of Bishops), Bishop Luis Marin de San Martin and Sister Nathalie Becquart (Undersecretaries for the General Secretariat), and the other members of the Secretariat team in its preparation for and implementation of Synod Assemblies.

"As a Congregation, we strive to listen, discern and respond to the needs of the Church. Sister Marie Kolbes appointment is a recognition of her God given talents she has developed to serve the needs of others. It is a call to use her scholarship for the Church. The appointment is a humble privilege and honor," said Sr. Natalie Binversie, Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity Community Director.

Zamora earned a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 2015. Hailing from Texas, Zamora graduated from the University of St. Thomas in Houston in 1989 with a BA in Philosophy and Theology. She made her final vows with the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity in 1999. Except for time studying in Rome (2004-2011), she has been teaching Theology at the high school and collegiate levels since 1994.

"It is a profound honor to have been invited by Cardinal Grech to serve the Holy Fathers labor for the Church in and through the Synod of Bishops. I look forward to learning the work of the General Secretariat and to contributing in any way possible to a deepened sense of ecclesial communion," Zamora said.

About the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity

Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity serve in Catholic Health Care, Education, Parishes and Campus Ministry outreach in their home Diocese of Green Bay, WI, and other U.S. Archdioceses and Dioceses. Learn more about our ministries and vocations at https://fscc-calledtobe.org

About the Synod of Bishops

The Synod of Bishops was established by Pope Paul VI in 1965 in response to the desire of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council to keep alive the spirit of collegiality engendered by the conciliar experience. Zamora said. The Synod provides the Bishops with the means to assist the Holy Father in his governance of the Church.

SOURCE Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity

CONTACT: Sister Natalie Binversie, 920-682-7728, snatalie@fscc-calledtobe.org
Health ministry permits Sinopharm vaccine use in HCM City

The Ministry of Health has just allowed Ho Chi Minh City to use the batch of one million doses of Sinopharm's Covid-19 vaccine Vero Cell for its current vaccination campaign.













Ho Chi Minh City aims to vaccinate 70 percent of people aged 18 and above by the end of August.



The permission was given after the ministry conducted tests on the quality of the Chinese vaccine.



The batch was sent to Vietnam on July 31 as part of a deal to acquire five million doses by the state-owned Saigon Pharmaceutical Group in HCM City. They were partially paid for by money donated by a local firm.



After receiving the vaccine, Vice-chairman of HCM City People's Committee Duong Anh Duc submitted an official document to the Ministry of Health, seeking permission to share some with other provinces.



Speaking at a Tuesday meeting, Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam who is head of the National Steering Committee on Covid-19 Prevention and Control said the government would prioritise vaccine supply for some southern localities which are heavily affected by the virus. And Ho Chi Minh City aims to vaccinate 70 percent of its residents aged 18 and above within this month.



HCMC has so far received over 4.1 million Covid-19 vaccine doses out 19 million available in Vietnam, and has administered 3.4 million doses. The city is carrying out vaccination day and night and is predicted to finish the allocated vaccines by August 12.
U.S. struggles to find enough firefighters as wildfires rage across West: media

Xinhua) 08:44, August 11, 2021

A firefighter battles against a wildfire dubbed Dixie Fire in Lassen National Forest, Northern California, the United States, on Aug. 5, 2021. (Photo by Dong Xudong/Xinhua)

The Wall Street Journal pointed out that low wages and tough conditions make the retention of experienced wildland firefighters difficult, potentially hurting teams' effectiveness.

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The United States is struggling to find enough firefighters as wildfires rage across the West in a dangerous fire season, reported The Wall Street Journal, a national daily newspaper, on Tuesday.

The United States Forest Service currently has about 10,000 wildland firefighters on staff, about 3,000 of whom are seasonal employees, combating just over 100 active fires. But low pay and a booming economy leave the federal agency struggling to hire the personnel it needs in this fire season, reported the newspaper.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the U.S. Forest Service, said its current staffing levels match those of the past few years but the agency needs more personnel to deal with the growing wildfire threat, reported the Journal.

"What is different this year is the extended drought across the West, which has resulted in multiple fires occurring simultaneously across the country, inhibiting the movement of resources to support incidents," an agency spokesman was quoted as saying by the Journal.

Wildfire activity continues in 15 states across the country. Currently, 108 large fires or complexes have burned 2,325,263 acres, said the U.S. National Interagency Fire Center in a daily update on Monday.

Firefighters battle against a wildfire dubbed Dixie Fire in Lassen National Forest, Northern California, the United States, on Aug. 5, 2021. (Photo by Dong Xudong/Xinhua)

"The fire outlook continues to reflect warmer and drier conditions leading to the high potential for severe wildfire activity throughout the western United States through the rest of summer and into the fall," added the agency, noting that widespread high temperatures observed across areas in the West and with periods of lightning activity continue to exacerbate the wildfire situation.

The shortage of wildland firefighters reflects a nationwide shortage of workers at nearly every level of the economy. Starting salaries are rising, and incentives like hiring bonuses are being instituted at many private-sector jobs that carry significantly less risk than firefighting, said the report, adding that the Forest Service is working to raise the starting base pay for wildland firefighters to a minimum of 15 U.S. dollars an hour this year and add retention bonuses.

The Wall Street Journal noted another challenge for the agency is that many of its firefighting jobs are only for fire season, typically from late spring to mid-fall, while state and local fire agencies generally pay better and routinely keep firefighters employed year-round.

The U.S. Forest Service said on its official website that its firefighters on the ground and in the air "must be highly trained, skilled, and experienced in order to safely protect lives, property, and valuable natural and cultural resources," but the Wall Street Journal pointed out that low wages and tough conditions make the retention of experienced wildland firefighters difficult, potentially hurting teams' effectiveness, citing people who work in the field.

Firefighters battle against a wildfire dubbed Dixie Fire in Lassen National Forest, Northern California, the United States, on Aug. 5, 2021. (Photo by Dong Xudong/Xinhua)

The starting salary for many federal U.S. Forest Service firefighters in California is 28,078 U.S. dollars, barely 40 percent of the 66,336-dollar entry-level salary the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) pays, wrote Dianne Feinstein, a U.S. senator from California, in an article published on The Los Angeles Times on Monday.

"It's clear why federal agencies have trouble attracting and retaining skilled firefighters," wrote the U.S. senator, adding that it is particularly dangerous considering 58 percent of California's forests are on federal land and urging to raise pay for federal firefighters.

A massive wildfire burning in Northern California, dubbed Dixie Fire, has grown to the largest one so far this year in the country and the second largest one in the state's history. More than 5,100 firefighters are working to contain it.

There is a shortage of first responders and firefighters at every level, including the Forest Service, Tom Wieczorek, director for the Center for Public Safety Management, a research and consulting firm, told the Journal.

In March, California Governor Gavin Newsom approved 80.74 million dollars for 1,399 additional firefighters with the Cal Fire to bolster fuels management and wildfire response efforts in the state, where Climate change impact was increasingly felt. The governor's January 2021 budget proposed 1 billion dollars to support wildfire and forest management.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Xi replies to letter from young foreign participants at Global Young Leaders Dialogue

Xinhua) 14:16, August 11, 2021

BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has hailed representatives of young foreign participants at the Global Young Leaders Dialogue (GYLD) for their active efforts to visit various parts of China and deepen their understanding of the country.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, encouraged them to further exchanges and mutual learning, and contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Xi made the remarks Tuesday in his reply letter to 36 representatives of young foreign participants at the GYLD. These representatives are from 28 countries.

Initiated by Chinese think tanks, GYLD offers a platform for the sharing of ideas and mutual learning among young people from different countries and fields.

"Happiness must be achieved through hard work," Xi wrote in the letter, noting that to achieve national development and revitalization, the most important thing for China, a country with a vast territory and large population, is to follow a development path suiting its local conditions.

"Practice has shown that as the new and uniquely Chinese path to modernization grows even wider, it will bring better development prospects to China and more benefits to the world," read the letter.

Even after completing a 100-year course of struggles, the CPC has remained true to its original aspiration and founding mission, Xi said, vowing that the CPC will work tirelessly to realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation and promote the development and advancement of humankind.

More overseas youths are welcome to China for exchanges, Xi said in the letter, expressing his hope that young people at home and abroad will enhance mutual understanding, develop friendship and achieve mutual success, thus contributing to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

In their letter to Xi, the representatives of young foreign participants at the GYLD extended congratulations to the CPC on its centenary. They talked about their trips across China and expressed their hopes of serving as a bridge to promote exchanges and dialogues between China and the rest of the world.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Vaccine mandates become "sticky issue" as COVID-19 cases top 36 mln in U.S.

Xinhua) 15:30, August 11, 2021

People walk in Times Square, New York, the United States, on July 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

- The White House is ramping up its efforts to get Americans inoculated. This occurs as many Americans refuse the jab, mostly on worries that the side effects could be worse than the disease itself.

- As of Friday, 50 percent of the U.S. population -- about 165.9 million people -- had been fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the CDC.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Vaccine mandates are increasingly a sticky issue in the United States as the country's COVID-19 cases topped 36 million Tuesday, fueled by the unchecked spread of the Delta variant among under-vaccinated areas.

As of 6:21 pm on Tuesday local time (2221 GMT), the U.S. COVID-19 cases totaled 36,039,748, with 618,044 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

The U.S. cases currently account for almost 18 percent of the nearly 204 million global cases, while the country's COVID-19 deaths account for roughly 14 percent of the more than 4.3 million virus-related fatalities worldwide, showed the tally.

Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has warned that U.S. COVID-19 cases may double to 200,000 a day in the fall unless the country could crush the outbreak "to the point of getting the overwhelming proportion of the population vaccinated."

A medical worker prepares a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, the United States, June 18, 2021. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

VACCINE MANDATES

While experts said a federal vaccine mandate is unlikely, states, cities and the nation's biggest firms are moving at a rapid clip to require the vaccine from employees, as the Delta variant spreads quickly across the country.

The Delta variant accounted for an estimated 93.4 percent of all new COVID-19 cases in the country during the last two weeks of July, showed the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Recent weeks have seen the U.S. state of California and New York City announce that public sector employees must get the jab or be required to submit to regular COVID tests.

Starting in mid-August, New York City's mayor will require patrons and customers at restaurants, gyms and bars to provide proof that they've been vaccinated. State employees in the U.S. state of Virginia are required to get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf on Tuesday announced that commonwealth employees in state health care facilities and high-risk congregate care facilities will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 7. Individuals who are not vaccinated will be required to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, according to the governor's website.

"As a leading employer in Pennsylvania, the commonwealth must stand up and provide an example for other businesses to follow," said Wolf.

State of Washington Governor Jay Inslee on Monday announced a vaccine mandate for most state workers, as well as contractors and volunteers. Private health care workers will also have to get the jab, as a condition of employment.

"We have a duty to protect them from the virus," Inslee said.

Companies for months were reluctant to put vaccine mandates in place, on fears of political and legal backlash, but recent days and weeks have seen some of the nation's largest firms require the jab.

Both Walmart and Walt Disney Company have implemented new requirements that some employees get the vaccine -- moves that come on the heels of similar mandates from Uber, Facebook and Google.

The White House is ramping up its efforts to get Americans inoculated. President Joe Biden has announced that federal workers need to get the jab or else be forced to wear masks and maintain social distancing in the workplace.

This occurs as many Americans refuse the jab, mostly on worries that the side effects could be worse than the disease itself.

As of Friday, 50 percent of the U.S. population -- about 165.9 million people -- had been fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the CDC.

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

MOUNTING LAWSUITS

Clay Ramsay, a researcher at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, told Xinhua there is no precedent for a federal vaccine mandate, but added that "this kind of public health power has a long heritage at the state level."

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua: "Individual public and private sector organizations can require vaccinations," but added that a federal vaccine mandate "probably would not be legal."

It remains unknown whether the White House will use federal regulatory power, or threaten to withhold funds to certain entities whose employees are not getting inoculated. But that could backfire politically in the lead-up to next year's midterm Congressional elections.

Christopher Galdieri, assistant professor at Saint Anselm College, told Xinhua that the federal government tends not to do general, nationwide vaccine mandates, "and the Biden administration doesn't seem interested in pushing one."

Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, said Tuesday that he backs local mandates for teachers to get vaccinated.

"I'm going to upset people on this, but I think we should (mandate teacher vaccinations)," he told news outlet MSNBC. "I mean, we are in a critical situation now."

Children made up 15 percent of the reported weekly COVID-19 cases in the United States for the week ending Aug. 5, according to a recent report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

However, vaccine mandates have created a number of sticky legal situations nationwide.

Plaintiffs are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block a vaccine mandate for students at Indiana University, marking the first time the highest court in the nation being asked to rule on the issue.

Students have also filed lawsuits against vaccine mandates in the U.S. states of Indiana, Connecticut, Massachusetts and California, and the lawsuits claim universities are violating students' constitutional rights over their own bodies.

Todd Zywicki, a law professor at George Mason University, in the DC area, has filed a lawsuit against the university over what he calls an "unlawful mandate" that is "unmistakably coercive."

Medical workers wheel a patient into the emergency room at Maimonides Medical Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York, United States, March 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Michael Nagle)

At the same time, firefighters unions, healthcare workers and public employees nationwide have staged protests in recent weeks.

Healthcare workers in the U.S. state of Minnesota recently demonstrated against vaccine mandates. A police union in San Francisco, in the state of California, warned that officers will retire or quit if forced to get inoculated.

On Tuesday, protesters gathered in New York City to rally against the city's upcoming mandate, which requires proof of vaccine for those wishing to dine indoors, attend performances and frequent gyms.

U.S. media reported that demonstrators held placards and chanted "we will not comply."

Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Kevin Cramer earlier this week pushed legislation to forbid vaccine mandates, but passage is seen as a long shot.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose state is now a new COVID-19 epicenter, has announced that the state Board of Education could withhold pay from school leaders who implement mask mandates for students.

However, several school districts are considering mask mandates and a few have said masks will be required, with some opt-out exceptions.

DeSantis traded barbs with Biden last week when the Democratic president criticized him and other Republican governors for banning mask mandates in public schools and other places.

Deborah Coleman, a retired nurse in the state of Delaware, in her 60s, told Xinhua that "health care professionals should only consider mandates after full FDA approval."

Pfizer's vaccine is only authorized for emergency use in the United States, but full approval could come from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within weeks.

Experts and U.S. media surmise that full FDA approval could prompt more Americans to get the jab.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Dutiful life in the middle of nowhere earns man award

China Daily) 15:38, August 11, 2021

Wei Deyou watches the border area in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. (Photo/Xinhua)

Veteran Wei Deyou has watched western border for decades in remote frontier

In 1967, Liu Jinghao, a woman from Eastern China's Shandong province, traveled thousands of kilometers to fulfill an engagement in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, in the country's far west. She was on her way to marry a 27-year-old veteran.

Wei Deyou, the groom-to-be, had served four years in the military until he headed west in 1964. He had grown up in the same village as Liu, and neighbors introduced them to each other.

As Liu arrived in Xinjiang, she felt a sense of regret.

Reluctantly, she was forced to take a donkey wagon to cross the desolate, roadless wilderness that lay between her and her fiance, who was living in Sarbulak, an area west of Urumqi, near the border of Kazakhstan, then part of the Soviet Union. She was shocked by what she saw when she arrived.

The wedding room Wei had prepared for his future wife was a shelter dug underground, and as Liu looked around, she saw that they were alone.

The nearest human to them was a fellow veteran stationed a few dozen kilometers away.

As summer got underway, sandstorms and gadfly infestations the following month proved too much. Liu packed up her stuff and left one afternoon.

It took Wei 40 minutes to catch up to his wife.

"Where are you going?" He shouted as he approached. "There are wolves around here."

Liu stopped. Eventually, Wei was able to persuade her to turn back and the couple went home together.

Although he had promised his wife they would leave after a few years, the couple remained in Sarbulak for the next 57 years, raising four children and helping Wei fulfill the promise he had made the first time he went to Xinjiang.

In 1964, answering the country's call, Wei joined the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and as a veteran who wanted to keep serving, he promised he would go to wherever the corps pointed on a map.

A unique State-owned economic and paramilitary organization, the corps is mostly composed of former soldiers, and after it was deployed in the region in the 1950s, many members retired and began to participate in local economic development.

After arriving in Xinjiang, Wei became a herdsman and was also responsible for border patrols. Thirty more veterans were also dispatched to Sarbulak with him.

Every day, they traveled the 500,000-square-kilometer area with their herds, mostly sheep, searching for any suspicious movement along the border.

"You have to really keep an eye on the animals. Herdsmen from other county would cross the border in search of better grass, unaware this could easily trigger tension on both sides," Wei said.

The daily patrol usually ended before nightfall, but whether on or off duty, the patrolmen suffered countless mosquito bites in summer and had to dig themselves out of a meter or more of snow in winter.

In 1982, when they were dismissed from duty, the community of over 100 households began to dissolve. Most gradually left to rejoin the wider world.

Wei also had the chance to leave, but he decided to stay. The veteran said he had gotten used to life in Sarbulak, and besides, with the frontier guards he'd served alongside, some of whom had even helped him build a decent house for his family, he felt an attachment to the land.

The birth of their children comforted Liu, who finally began to settle in their lonely house on the frontier.

From then on, the family was only left with vast open spaces and their most valuable possession: a flock of about 100 sheep. For Wei, the promise he had made still counted and he continued to patrol the border voluntarily.

In the eyes of his children, he became a real nomad, one who resisted the call of urban society. They remember that their father rarely went into town.

"He was a stubborn man who did not want to leave Sarbulak for a minute," said Wei Peng, Wei's second daughter.

Wei and his wife retired in 2002, but again, they decided to stay. Later, their children bought an apartment in the nearest town in the hopes that their parents would enjoy a better life there. Still, Wei refused and returned to where he felt he belonged.

During 50 years on patrol, Wei traveled more than 200,000 km, and the border area he was responsible for remained safe without any incidents.

In 2017, his perseverance and tales of life on the frontier were the inspiration for a movie. Afterward, Wei received several commendations for long and dutiful service.

This year, on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee chose to recognize the contributions of 29 outstanding Party members, with the new July 1 Medal. Wei was among those selected.

In over 50 years, he only saw his mother once. When his parents died, he was unable to return for either funeral as the road out of Sarbulak was buried in thick snow both times. This has been Wei's greatest regret.

Though he no longer herds sheep, he still walks 8 km to the border every day, to make sure that everything is alright.

"When there is faith in your heart, there is power in your feet," the 81-year-old veteran said.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Liang Jun)
Chinese contractor hands over seaplane terminal to Maldivian authorities

Xinhua) 15:47, August 11, 2021

MALE, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese contractor Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) has officially handed over the seaplane terminal to the operator of the Maldives' Velana International Airport (VIA), the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), according to a statement from BUCG on Tuesday.

"With a total floor area of 28,000 square meters and complete water facilities, the seaplane terminal will improve the Maldives' tourism service quality and reception capacity and further boost the local economy," BUCG Project Director Zhang Fenglin said.

Deputy Chief Officer at MACL Mohamed Solah said that the Chinese contractors have overcome challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and ensured the timely completion and commissioning of the project on Aug. 4.

"We are looking forward to seeing a new development for tourism in the Maldives after the operation of the seaplane terminal," he said.

BUCG has also completed the construction of another Maldivian project, the Madivaru Airport, in February this year. The project is expected to serve as a domestic airport for both the Maldivians and foreign tourists.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Commentary: Lithuania playing with fire on Taiwan

Xinhua) 15:55, August 11, 2021

BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania is playing with fire by violating the one-China principle regarding Taiwan.

Lithuania recently unveiled its decision to allow the Taiwan authorities to open a "representative office" under the name of "Taiwan" in the country, an outright violation of its promise to adhere to the one-China principle when Beijing and Vilnius established diplomatic ties in 1991.

As a firm and resolute countermeasure, China on Tuesday announced that it will recall its ambassador to Lithuania, and has demanded the Lithuanian government recall its ambassador to China.

It does not take rocket science to see through Lithuania's perilous calculations: to show its loyalty to a Washington that is increasingly anti-China.

However, decision-makers in Vilnius should not expect to be rewarded for their provocations. Rather, they will ultimately pay for their recklessness.

First of all, the Taiwan question concerns China's core interests over which there is no room for compromise.

Beijing's recalling of its envoy is just a stark warning. If the Lithuanian government does not correct its wrongdoing, it is forcing China to take further actions.

Secondly, those calculating Lithuanian politicians who are trying to flatter Washington should not take it for granted that their American masters will always stand behind them.

History is crowded with examples that the United States abandoned its faithful servants when seeing the need to fend for its own interests. It is still not too late for those Lithuanian politicians to make up for some missed history lessons.

Thirdly, it is even more clownish for Lithuania to encourage other regional countries to follow its misguided steps on the Taiwan issue.

Lithuania has read the big picture totally wrong. Most European countries have upheld the one-China principle as they have promised to Beijing.

Also, the foundation for mutually-beneficial cooperation between China and Europe remains solid. A country like Lithuania can in no way find any meaningful support for its self-destructive moves.

For the Lithuanian government, revoking its wrong decision and undoing the damage to bilateral ties with China are the only correct and wise way forward.

If the Lithuanian politicians remain reckless and persist in going down the wrong path to harm China's interests, China will not hesitate to take stronger countermeasures. In that case, the Lithuanian side will lose more than it may gain.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Politicizing COVID-19 origin tracing will cost more lives: Chinese ambassador to Nepal

Xinhua) 15:57, August 11, 2021

KATHMANDU, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The move to politicize COVID-19 origin tracing will achieve nothing but jeopardize anti-pandemic cooperation and cost more lives in the face of resurgent and frequent mutations of the virus, cautioned Chinese ambassador to Nepal.

"The irresponsible and unscientific act of politicizing this issue is the most dangerous political virus, which will only severely hinder global cooperation in the study of origins, jeopardize anti-pandemic cooperation, and cost more lives," Hou Yanqi said in a signed article published Monday on the English edition of Onlinekhabar.com, a news portal in Nepal.

"We believe that only if all the parties of the international community unite and cooperate in the spirit of science to find the true origin of the virus which endangers human life, we can effectively deal with and defeat this virus and create enabling conditions for protecting the common safety and health of humankind and promoting economic recovery," Hou said.

China has taken the lead in cooperating with the World Health Organization (WHO) in an "open, transparent and responsible" manner, invited twice the WHO expert group to China for origin study, released the joint WHO-China study report in March and made "important contributions" to international cooperation on origin-tracing, she said.

"This effort should be continued in unity with other actors as it is the only way to defeat the virus," she wrote.

The attempt by some countries and individuals "to scapegoat China in order to shift responsibility for its poor COVID-19 response and achieve the political motive of smearing and suppressing China" has met opposition from people of vision, nearly 70 countries as well as over 300 political parties, organizations and think tanks from over 100 countries and regions, Hou wrote.

"It must be pointed out that the virus origin-tracing is a complex scientific issue and should be studied by scientists in the spirit of science," she said.

"All the countries in the world should also actively participate in global cooperation on origin-tracing with an open-minded attitude and jointly study the source of the coronavirus in order to provide support to the global fight against the pandemic," she wrote.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Experts worldwide oppose politicizing COVID-19 origins, urge impartial scientific research

Xinhua) 16:40, August 11, 2021

BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Experts and officials from various countries have strongly opposed politicizing the COVID-19 origin-tracing, calling for impartial scientific investigations into the origin in multiple territories.

COVID-19 is "the common enemy of the entire humanity regardless of nationality, color or shape," Philippine presidential spokesperson Harry Roque told a televised news conference earlier in August.

"It is important that the world link arms to fight this. The problem is if we politicize this, it becomes a hindrance to our efforts to combat this," Roque said.

At a press conference following the meeting of the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in June, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that politicians "shouldn't strive to score points and increase their popularity by speculating about the COVID-19 situation."

The investigation led by the U.S. intelligence community into COVID-19's origins has a clear end-goal of diverting attention from the country's pandemic response failures and casting blame on China, said Andrey Kortunov, director general of the Russian International Affairs Council.

For his part, Maltese Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo said that any politicization of COVID-19 origin-tracing should be resisted.

"Let's try and find out why it happened and how it happened, but it should be based on evidence. We shouldn't play politics with health," he said.

Meanwhile, researchers and observers have noted that origin-tracing studies should be conducted in multiple countries, as credible reports raised by experts of different countries point to COVID-19 incidences in their territories earlier than the end of 2019.

"Scientists should be allowed to get to the bottom of this, and the net should be cast wider with probes being undertaken in multiple locations," said Eric Biegon, a multimedia journalist with Kenya Broadcasting Corporation.

Herman Laurel, a columnist for social news website Sovereign P.H., said the World Health Organization should probe the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Fort Detrick, Maryland.

He said the facility was ordered to be closed after it disposed of "dangerous materials believed to have caused strange 'vaping sickness' and the 'strange flu' in the U.S. at that time."

An online petition launched in the Philippines last week to investigate the Fort Detrick biolab has obtained nearly 500 signatures.

A number of people, mainly from the United States, have recounted their experiences on social media about novel coronavirus infections in late 2019.

People should be patient, deliberating and consider all the evidence in terms of COVID-19 origin-tracing, said Stephen Winchester, consultant virologist at Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services.

The origin of the virus can only be determined by results of impartial scientific investigations, Winchester noted.

"It is a very important area of study establishing this origin, but it takes time, and needs to really weigh up all the evidence," said the virologist.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
The woman, who was in her 20s, had emergency surgery but died 12 days after receiving the vaccine. According to health officials on Jeju Island on Tuesday, she was given the Moderna vaccine in a clinic there on July 26. Five days later, she showed signs of blood clotting and had surgery in a general hospital.

A young woman who received the Moderna vaccine was rejected three times by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency when she asked it to look into her claims of resulting blood clots before she died.

Jeju health officials were informed of the incident and asked the KDCA three times to check whether her side effects were due to thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) caused by the vaccine.

But the KDCA did not investigate. TTS is usually found among people who received AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, and the agency argued the woman had been given an mRNA vaccine.

Jeju health officials then told the KDCA that there had been a case in the U.S. where TTS occurred in a person who received the Moderna shot, and twice more asked the agency to investigate. But the KDCA said consultation with its board of advisors found the case to be unworthy of investigation.

The woman died in hospital on Aug. 7. "Ordinary blood clotting and clotting caused by vaccine side effects require different treatments," a Jeju health official said. "If the woman's ailment had been determined to have been caused by vaccine side effects, we would have used a different treatment."

The KDCA claimed that it did not launch an investigation because the woman did not show any decrease in blood platelet count, which is a tell-tale sign of TTS.
Actress Han Ye-seul has donated W50 million to help the fight against coronavirus (US$1=W1,151).

The Korea Disaster Relief Association said Tuesday that Han donated the money through her agency.

She hoped the money can be used "to help marginalized and troubled people in this pandemic."
Offline mode of Shanghai QR Code launched for seniors

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-08-10 14:50

For senior citizens, the Shanghai QR Code has launched a new feature, in an effort to eliminate the digital access gap between younger and older generations.

As an official life service code provided by the government, the Shanghai QR Code is designed to better meet residents work, life, travel and other needs. However, some seniors cannot use smart phones and some are still unaware of the codes function when they have to deal with some applications or procedures. To solve those peoples difficulties in using intelligent technology, an offline mode was rolled out for people aged 60 years old and above.

With a validity period of 180 days, the offline code can be applied at a self-service terminal of the Shanghai Unified Online Government Service Platform nearby peoples residences. The code will be printed out on the spot. Once expired, it needs to be revalidated.
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August 11, 2021 'Nationalizing' ayuda distribution bad for people, nat'l gov't Big cities like Manila have the "boots on the ground and the muscle memory" to conduct large scale distribution of aid, whether in cash or in kind, "complex operations which understaffed national agencies may find hard to do on their own," Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said. "The best is still a bayanihan between the local and national governments," Recto said. He added that it is irrational for the central government to "nationalize an activity" which is best done with local government participation. Local governments, he said, have the warm bodies and the command structure to bring aid to as many people as quickly as possible. "Yung big cities and provinces have division size personnel. Tapos papalitan mo ng isang platoon of clueless people who don't know the terrain," Recto said. "Mas kabisado ng city hall people ang mga kasuluk-sulukan ng kanilang lugar, pati mga eskinita saulado, kaysa naman doon sa mga central office bureaucrats," he added. He said the national government actually saves time and money in "pasa loading work to local governments." Maintaining the national government-local government partnership, Recto pointed out, "saves the national government from embarrassment if the job it has assumed to do on its own will end up a flop." "In this current case of Manila, baka sa Malacanang pumila ang mga tao kung may aberya sa pagbibigay ng ayuda," he said. But the biggest disaster, he warns, is that aid that the people should be receiving during the no-work quarantine will be delayed. "The City of Manila has been delivering almost a million boxes of food to homes of their residents for some months. Hindi naman air dropped ito. May organization, may method. Tapos papalitan?" he said. Manila, he added, in "bilis-kilos fashion" built a 344-bed field hospital in seven weeks, "and I do not know of a comparable feat done by DOH." "It was able to build condominiums for the poor in the middle of the pandemic. Mayroon bang ganoong klaseng direct shelter production ang national government na pwedeng ipagmayabang?" he said. "If Manila was able to pull off these big ticket projects, then distributing aid to its own people is just another day in the office for them," Recto said.
Some unidentified gunmen mowed down Tuesday the mayor of Karbala province in Southern Iraq Anadolu news agency reports, citing the governor.

Nassif Jassem al-Khattabi in a statement said Abir al-Khafaji was assassinated while on an inspection campaign against violations in public streets. The victim was working day and night in order to serve the community and the public interest, he added.

No one has claimed responsibility for the crime. Iraq is grappling with insecurity and attacks on state officials. In June, Unidentified gunmen killed Col. Nebras Farman, head of the Financial Audit and Budget Department of the intelligence service.

No one claimed responsibility for the incident. It is the second such incident so far this year. Unidentified gunman in March killed another Colonel working for the Iraqi intelligence service. Lt Col Mahmoud Laith Hussein was assassinated with a silencer in Baghdads western neighborhood of Mansour. The gunman shot Hussein in the head after running up to him from behind and kicking him in the leg; he was wearing a white cap, according to CCTV footage.
The first of five Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft for Norway performed its maiden flight yesterday, Aug. 9. The aircraft took off at 10:03 a.m. Pacific time and flew for 2 hours, 24 minutes, reaching a maximum altitude of 41,000 feet during the flight from Renton Municipal Airport to Boeing Field in Seattle.

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The P-8 is a capability that will help Norway improve anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and search-and-rescue missions (Picture source: Boeing)

The first flight marks the next phase of the production cycle of this aircraft as it is moved to the Installation and Checkout facility, where mission systems will be installed and additional testing will take place before final delivery to the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) later this year.

This inaugural flight is an important milestone for Norway, and the Boeing team remains committed to delivering the P-8 fleet to the NDMA on schedule, said Christian Thomsen, P-8 Europe program manager. The P-8 is a capability that will help Norway improve anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and search-and-rescue missions, in addition to fostering valuable regional collaboration and interoperability with NATO nations.

The five P-8As will eventually replace Norways current fleet of six P-3 Orions and three DA-20 Jet Falcons. The Royal Norwegian Air Force currently operates its P-3s from Andoya Air Station. With the introduction of the P-8s, flight operations will move to new facilities at Evenes Air Station.

To date, Boeing has delivered 136 P-8 aircraft to the U.S. Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Indian Navy and the United Kingdoms Royal Air Force. Norway is one of eight nations that have selected the P-8A as their maritime patrol aircraft, along with the United States, India, Australia, the United Kingdom, Korea, New Zealand and Germany.

The Boeing P-8 Poseidon (formerly the Multimission Maritime Aircraft or MMA) is a military aircraft developed for the United States Navy (USN). The aircraft has been developed by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, modified from the 737-800ERX. The P-8 conducts anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), and shipping interdiction, along with an early warning self-protection (EWSP) ability, otherwise known as electronic support measures (ESM).

This involves carrying torpedoes, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and other weapons. It is able to drop and monitor sonobuoys. It is designed to operate in conjunction with the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton Broad Area Maritime Surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle.
Years of preparation and training were brought to bear on August 3 in Halifax, as The Royal Canadian Navys (RCN) newly commissioned Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), Her Majestys Canadian Ship (HMCS) Harry DeWolf, set sail on its first operational mission to Canadas North.

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Northern lights flare above HMCS HARRY DEWOLF during Cold Weather Trials near Frobisher Bay on February 21, 2021 (Picture source: Canadian Armed Force)

The ship will begin the four-month deployment with participation in Operation Nanook in the Arctic region, and will carry on by sailing through the Northwest Passage, something that hasnt been done by a Canadian warship in more than 60 years. From there, Harry DeWolf will complete the circumnavigation of North America while supporting Operation Caribbe in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea.

This is a mission that fully demonstrates the capabilities of our ship and the new capabilities of the RCN. This goes far beyond just focusing on sovereignty in the North  well be doing all that this class of ship can do, said Rear-Admiral (Radm) Brian Santarpia, Commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic and Joint Task Force Atlantic (JTFA), as he saw the ship and crew off from the jetty in Halifax.

Testing and trials over the past year for Harry DeWolf have demonstrated that the ship can successfully operate year-round, in both the frigid conditions of the arctic and in warmer southern waters, which is a unique feature.

HMCS Harry DeWolf now has thousands of miles on its odometer, and were about to embark on a patrol that hasnt been done in more than 64 years. Its no small feat, said Commander (Cdr) Corey Gleason, the ships Commanding Officer.

Op Nanook is a signature annual exercise focused on preparing Canada to respond to any crisis situation or security issue that may arise in the North, and Harry DeWolf will be conducting surveillance patrols and other activities alongside HMCS Goose Bay as well as US Coast Guard partners. Once the mission transitions to Op Caribbe, the ship will continue working with the US Coast Guard to disrupt the flow of controlled narcotics and other illicit cargo.

Along with the more operational components of the mission, Cdr Gleason said he and his crew are particularly excited to continue highlighting the ships affiliation with the Indigenous communities of the North. Each of the RCNs six Arctic vessels will be affiliated with different regions of the Inuit Nunangat, with HMCS Harry DeWolf tied to the Qikiqtani region, which includes Nunavuts capital city of Iqaluit.

Interacting and building ties with the communities of the region will be a key component of Harry DeWolfs arctic operations, beginning right away on this maiden deployment, building on the official visits and dialogues with local leaders that have already taken place.

Testing and trials over the past year for Harry DeWolf have demonstrated that the ship can successfully operate year-round, in both the frigid conditions of the arctic and in warmer southern waters (Picture source: Canadian Armed Force)

I really look forward to expanding those relationships, and I personally have some very big ambitions when it comes to expanding the range of military programs in the region, Cdr Gleason said, describing a future scenario that could see locals on board RCN ships, providing input as the RCN traverses their territorial waters. The region isnt well surveyed, which can lead to tense situations for navigators.

We like to look at charts with numbers and depths; when we go north, we dont have that. Our Inuit partners know those bodies of water and they can help us operate much more safely, he added.

The ships company of HMCS Harry DeWolf is 100 percent vaccinated against COVID-19, and as always, extensive testing was done prior to the departure from Halifax with help from Canadian Forces Health Services staff. Tests will also be administered ahead of any port and community visits to ensure all interactions are safe.
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Moscow court to continue jury selection in Arashukovs case in September

 RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov

16:11 11/08/2021

MOSCOW, August 11 (RAPSI)  The Moscow City Court will continue jury selection in a case against Raul Arashukov, a former adviser to the head of a Gazprom subsidiary, and his son Rauf Arashukov, on September 13, attorney Vladimir Postanyuk has told RAPSI.

A case against 14 other defendants has been sent to the Preobrazhensky District Court of Moscow for consideration.

A probe into the Arashukovs, according to the Prosecutor Generals Office, revealed that although Raul Arashukovs total salary made only 65.9 million rubles in 2007 through 2017, whereas Rauf Arashukov received 15.6 million rubles in 2009 through 2018, they could purchase properties worth 1.469 billion rubles. Among the real estate the father and son Arashukovs purchased when holding state and local governmental posts are 75 real estate units, including apartments, apartment blocks, a hotel, a restaurant, a bathing facility, plots of land, vehicles, and luxury articles they, as claimed by the prosecutors, registered in the names of their relatives and employees. The Arashukovs together with other defendants in a 31-billion-ruble (about $431 million at the current exchange rate) gas embezzlement criminal case are in detention at this time.

Investigators claim that Raul Arashukov together with other defendants in the case were involved in gas embezzlement from Gazprom company. This April, Raul Arashukov was also charged with abuse of office and presenting a knowingly false denunciation.

Raul Arashukov pleads not guilty and calls the case against him fabricated.

Rauf Arashukov was arrested and detained in late January 2019. The upper house of parliament stripped him of immunity and gave consent to his prosecution upon an application by the Prosecutor General. He stands charged with murder, participation in a gang and witness tampering.

According to investigators, ex-Federation Council member was involved in the murder of a Karachay-Cherkessia public youth movements deputy chairman Aslan Zhukov and the republican presidents advisor Fral Shebzukhov in 2010. Moreover, investigators believe that the former senator is implicated to the natural gas embezzlement from Gazprom company, where his father is among the defendants.
Navalny accused of creating NGO infringing on citizens' personality and rights

 Moskva city news agency, Andrey Lyubimov

17:40 11/08/2021

MOSCOW, August 11 (RAPSI)  The Russian Investigative Committee has charged Alexey Navalny with creating a non-profit organization that infringes upon the personality and rights of citizens, the press service of the body informs.

Investigators allege that Navalny created a non-profit organization acting as a foreign agent, that is the Anti-Corruption Foundation (found by the Moscow City Court to be an extremist organization and liquidated on the territory of the Russian Federation by its decision). Since 2011, Navalny, together with Ivan Zhdanov, Leonid Volkov and other persons, had headed the said organization. The activities of the foundation involved the inducement of citizens to commit illegal acts, the statement reads.

According to the Investigative Committee, Navalny, Volkov, Zhdanov and other persons organized the dissemination of publications containing calls for citizens to participate in unauthorized rallies this January. At the same time, Navalny was well aware that the participants of these rallies were committing an administrative offense.

The charges brought against Navalny carry a sentence up to 3 years in prison, the body said.

This February, Moscows Simonovsky District Court overturned a suspended sentence given to Navalny in the Ives Rocher embezzlement case and ordered him to 3.5 years in jail. On February 20, the Moscow City Court upheld the ruling.

Currently, the blogger is serving sentence in a penal colony in Pokrov, a town in the Vladimir Region.
NEWS PROVIDED BY

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights

Aug. 11, 2021

NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2021 /Standard Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue (photo) comments on media coverage of an Antifa event:

Antifa, the urban terrorists, brutally assaulted Christians who were praying in a Portland park on August 7th, and the media have almost totally ignored it. Dressed in black, with face coverings, the left-wing nihilists destroyed the sound system and assaulted the Evangelicals with pepper spray and projectiles.

Andy Ngo, the reporter who has covered Antifa better than anyone--and has been beaten up for doing so--recorded this savage event. Flash bombs were thrown at kids as young as four months old. "Where is your god now?" asked an Antifa thug.

The police were called to the scene but did nothing. They were acting rationally: The authorities have yielded power to street barbarians, handcuffing the cops. The same passive police presence is now routine in America's largest cities, thanks to no bail, no prosecutions, no insurance protection for cops, and calls to dismantle the police and empty the prisons.

Quite frankly, it is now borderline legal to kill and maim innocent persons in urban America, including those whose crime it is to pray in public, never mind the police. Anarchy reigns. And what do the media do? Nothing.

Not one major newspaper or wire service covered the Antifa assault on Christians. Broadcast TV networks also ignored it, and among the cable channels, only the three conservative outlets, Fox News, Newsmax and OAN profiled the story. Ngo had video footage but had few takers.

By contrast, the recent CNN interview with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) was covered by almost all the mainstream media: print, internet and television gave it wide attention.

She said that on the day of the Capitol riot, January 6, she feared for her life, adding that she also feared she would be raped. Yet unlike the Christians who were attacked, no one laid a hand on her. They couldn't--she was not in the Capitol when the riot occurred (she was safely tucked away in her office).

Unlike the Christian victims of Antifa, AOC's tale of woe is patently contrived. For the media to play up her phony story while dismissing the real-life Antifa riot, smacks of ideological and religious bias. No wonder the public holds the big media in such low esteem. Cub reporters earn more respect these days.
Saudi Arabia has achieved a positive growth in the second quarter of this year with the quarterly revenues reaching SR248 billion ($66.13 billion), a report said.

The total expenditure amounted to SR252.7 billion and the budget deficit narrowed to SR4.6 billion, said the Al-Bilad newspaper report.

According to the Ministry of Finance, Saudi Arabias non-oil revenues rose by 31%, reaching SAR116 billion, while oil revenues by 13%, reaching SAR132 billion. Spending on health rose by 20% in the first half of 2021.

The newspaper said Saudi Arabias economy continues to progress in line with the ambitious goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
Omans Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology has signed a cooperation agreement with the National Energy Centre (NEC) to introduce the experience of smart cities and Internet of Things (IoT) in the sultanate.



The agreement also includes cooperation to promote knowledge transfer between the government and the business and academic sectors, reported Oman News Agency (ONA).



The agreement covers several fields, namely smart public services, smart infrastructure solutions, smart environment solutions such as managing wasted water and smart road lights system, as well as reading electricity and water meters solutions.



The agreement was signed by Dr Ali Amer al-Shidhani, the Ministrys Undersecretary for Communications and Information Technology and Abdullah Rashid al-Badi, CEO of NEC.






Kuwait is planning to establish logistic cities on the land recently recovered through court rulings across the country, reported Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

This will mainly cater to the needs of small, medium and large companies and comes as part of the government's efforts to support local trade and attract global investments, stated the report, citing a senior port official.

"The projects for these lands spanning over 2 million sq m area have already been submitted to leading global architecture and design offices," said Sheikh Yousef Al Abdullah, Director General of the Ports Corporation.

According to him, plans are afoot to establish the first land port in Kuwait to serve the passage of goods and merchandise that pass through the country's land borders, thus reducing the accumulation of trucks on the borders, in coordination with (Customs) and the Ministry of Interior.

The location of the land port will be near the Shuaiba port, he added.

All these initiatives are aimed at making Kuwait a centre for re-export and shipping to some neighbouring countries, stated Abdullah.

In addition, it will provide ample job opportunities for citizens in the areas of warehousing operations, artificial intelligence and logistical warehouses, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Besix, a leading Belgian infrastructure group with a major regional presence, said work is in full swing at Dubai's waste-to-energy project site with the first structural steel elements being put in place of the plant's main building, with the help of a 500TE mobile crane.

On completion, the W-t-E plant, located at the former Warsan landfill site in Dubai, will process 1.9 million tonnes of municipal waste per year and produce approximately 200 MW of renewable electricity.

An international consortium led by Besix is responsible for the design, construction, finance and operation of this giant facility, which is being built in a single phase.

The project was designed in close collaboration with the Dubai Municipality and Hitachi Zosen Inova.

In total, the site will use up to 16 tower cranes, including some of the worlds largest ones in order to install the equipment inside the plant, said the Belgian infrastructure giant.

The consortium of leading international companies will build and operate the AED4 billion ($1.1 billion) project under a 35-year concession period with Dubai Municipality.

This landmark public-private partnership represents one of the most significant renewable energy investments in the UAE.

Once operational, the facility will have the capacity to process up to 45% of Dubais current municipal waste generation, in turn significantly minimising the volume of municipal waste in landfills.

Earlier, TradeArabia had reported that Dubai Waste Management Company (DWMC) secured a project finance worth $900 million from major institutional lenders including Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for the W-t-E plant.

DWMC is a special purpose development vehicle set up by Besix, Tech Group, Hitachi Zosen Inova, Itochu Corporation, Dubal Holding and Dubai Holding Commercial Operations Group for this project.

The other private global financial institutions involved in the funding are Societe Generale Bank, KfW Ipex Bank, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mizuho Bank, Siemens Bank and Credit Agricole Bank.

Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (Nexi) will provide the insurance for a part of the loan being provided by the financial institutions.
Saudi Arabias King Abdullah Port has handled a total of 1,402,200 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) between January and June 2021, an increase of 44.7% compared to the same period last year.

In addition, bulk and general cargo throughput grew by an impressive 77.8% to reach a total of 2,582,153 tonnes, an SPA report said.

Commenting on the figures, Jay New, Chief Executive Officer of King Abdullah Port, said: We are proud of King Abdullah Ports consistently strong performance, which highlights both our growing operational capabilities and the continuing strength of the Saudi economy. The port has played a pivotal role in the supporting kingdoms resurgence as we emerge from the pandemic period despite challenging global conditions.

This success further inspires us on our journey to fulfil the objectives laid out in Vision 2030 and establish Saudi Arabia as a leading global logistics hub connecting three continents.

The announcement of the latest figures continues a positive growth trend for King Abdullah Port. In 2020, the port successfully received three of the worlds largest container ships in the same week thanks to its superior infrastructure and 18-metre-deep berths.

In addition, it was selected as the main logistics terminal on the Red Sea for two of the largest shipping lines, Maersk and MSC, underlining the importance of its location as strategic link between the East and West that supports trade between continents.-- TradeArabia News Service
Oman's Sohar Aluminium (SA), owned 40 per cent by OQ  the sultanates integrated global energy group  said it closed pandemic-impacted 2020 with positive bottom-line results despite a collapse in global aluminium prices on the London Metal Exchange (LME) last year, an Oman Observer report said.

The joint venture, which owns and operates a world-scale smelter in Suhar, described 2020 as an abnormal year that sent aluminium prices on the LME tumbling to below $1500 per tonne in the second quarter of the year.

In spite of difficult market situations, SA concluded the year with positive financial results above Business Plan supported by lower cost of production coupled with an increase in production volume, the company stated in its 2020 Sustainability Report released here on Wednesday.

It cited in this regard measures it had adopted to alleviate pressure on its cash-flow in the wake of the price collapse. The company had urgently taken a number of measures to keep cash-flow positive. Capex budget was reduced by 35 per cent with a proper risk assessment and rescheduling.

Controllable costs had been reviewed deeply and made significant budget cuts that touched all areas carefully without impacting safety and quality. The measures which had been taken have proven their effectiveness on the financial performance. The company had positive bottom-line results and met all financial commitments, the company noted.

Notwithstanding the challenges posed by the constrained global economic environment, Sohar Aluminium reported record aluminium production last year. Hot metal production rose to 396,929 tonnes, up 1.64 per cent from the previous years tally of 390,516 tonnes. Metal purity also reached the highest level in its history at 593.08 ppm of Fe/ tonne of metal.

Commenting on the companys overall performance last year, Eng Said bin Mohammed al Masoudi, CEO, said: Through 2020, and despite the challenges posed by Covid-19 pandemic, both our operational and non-operational performances have witnessed steadily increasing improvements. For instance, in the health and safety pillars, we closed the year with the lowest rate of injury, and the lowest number of Significant Potential Incidents (SPIs) in our history. Also 37 per cent of our 396,929 tonnes of primary aluminium that were produced in 2020 were delivered to our local downstream customers.

Sohar Aluminium, set up in 2004 as a greenfield smelter, is a partnership of OQ (40 per cent), Abu Dhabi National Energy Company  Taqa (40 per cent) and Rio Tinto (20 per cent). Electricity as the principal energy source for the 390,000 tonne-capacity smelter comes from a 1,000 MW captive power plant located at Sohar Port. The project also has its own dedicated waterfront berth at the port for the unloading of alumina and other raw materials.TradeArabia News Service
DP World Financial Services Limited, a DP World company, is to begin facilitating access to trade finance for smaller companies as part of DP Worlds strategy to become a global trade enabler.

According to a company statement, DP World Financial Services Limited has been granted a licence from the Dubai Financial Services Authority to operate as an authorised firm in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The newly licensed firm will connect companies needing trade finance solutions with financial institutions on its DP Worlds Cargoes Finance platform, it added.

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) make up the bulk of economies around the world, including in Dubai. But they struggle to obtain the capital they need because there is limited data available on their trading history. In addition, manual, paper-based processes used to move goods around the world mean there is limited visibility on where goods are in transit making it difficult for financial institutions to finance shipments.

DP Worlds Cargoes Finance Platform intends to bring real-time data on trade passing through its digitalised global ports and logistics network to give financial institutions the information they need to accurately assess credit and compliance risks.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, CEO and Chairman of DP World, said: DP Worlds objective is to enable global trade, including through digital innovation. Access to trade finance is critical to the survival and growth of exporters, importers and logistics companies which are the drivers of the global economy. Cargoes Finance platform provides financial institutions the opportunity to lend with confidence and helps smaller companies to access the capital they need. It will be a lead generator and source of new business for financial institutions, and a window of financing opportunities for traders.

Mike Bhaskaran, Chief Operating Officer, DP World, said: We are excited to work with DIFC to help enterprises get improved access to trade finance. This project is an important part of DP Worlds strategy to be a global trade enabler, creating opportunity and prosperity. Together with DIFC we aim to make Dubai an ever more significant hub for the worlds trade.

Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer of DIFC Authority, said: DIFC is home to over 3,200 firms and we are delighted that DP World is joining them, recognising the opportunities available in the Centre to help diversify their business. DIFC and DP World are helping reaffirm Dubais reputation for being the regions most business friendly destination, shaping the future of finance and as a global hub for trade. Operating from DIFC will give DP World access to the many financial services companies in our ecosystem who provide solutions that facilitate global trade through Dubai. Those firms will be able integrate with the Cargoes platform which provides an innovative approach focused on giving support to small and medium businesses who play an important role in our economy.--TradeArabia News Service
Mulk Holdings International, a UAE-based diversified multinational business conglomerate, has announced that it has joined hands with Park International Investments, a global investment company and Dubai real estate group Silver Heights Real Estate to launch the Alubond brand of metal composites, interior and exterior design and fit-outs and aluminium coatings in the US.

The joint venture will focus on the manufacture and supply of exterior facade materials like Alubond brand of aluminium composite panels (ACPs), glass and aluminium facade elements, solid surface and roofing shingles.

Alubond USA has already secured supply contracts worth over $100 million involving five mega projects in different parts of the country.

Chairman Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk said: "We are very excited to announce this important partnership with Park International Investments and Silver Height Real Estate. Together we are going to explore major project development and construction activities in the US."

"Already, we have secured more than $100 million worth of supply contracts in the US along with our partners," he added.

Mulk Holdings International has production facilities and operations in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East with a sales network of more than 100 countries.

"As the global economy recovers following successful vaccination drive worldwide, we at Mulk Holdings International have launched a major global expansion drive that will see our company expand into new territories and grow business substantially to meet the growing demand worldwide. Alubond USA is part of this global expansion," noted Ul Mulk.

Park Investments, which has operations in the US, South Korea, UAE and Bosnia- Herzegovina, has been investing in real estate projects across all these countries.

"This partnership will help us leverage on our combined strengths and help us build on the core strengths of both the companies and help us expand our businesses and meet the growing demand for quality homes and other assets," observed John Hwan Park.

"Alubonds product range is a perfect fit to the US market and we are very excited with this joint venture partnership which will help us to accelerate our projects in the US and beyond," he added.

John Hwan Park has been an entrepreneur of many successful businesses in US and South Korea for many years. He has over 20 years of experience in retail, wholesale, restaurant, and real estate business.

His company is currently developing a number of hotels under Wyndham chain  that will be supported by the new joint venture entity, Alubond USA.

The groups UAE operations are managed by Park International Investments, which is developing a number of projects.

Samir Munshi, Founder of Silver Heights Real Estate, said as a property management group it supports the holistic range of property transactions, including commercial and residential property sales, acquisitions and leasing, property valuation and management.

"The joint venture Alubond USA gives us a platform to explore new avenues and benefit out of opportunities from the growth in new demand," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Falcons Club is preparing to hold the first-ever edition of the International Falcon Breeders Auction (IFBA), which will take place at the club grounds in Malham, North of Riyadh from August 5to September 5.



The organization of the IFBA, the first of its kind in the region, will be a milestone in the revival of this cultural heritage and renewed legacy, Saudi Falcons Club's official spokesman Walid Al-Taweel was quoted as saying in a Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report.



Moreover, through the IFBA, the Kingdom will become a global destination for Falcon Breeders. The best local and international falcon breeding farms were invited, ultimately bringing together the leading and most premiere falcon breeds in the word, both locally and internationally, including the rarest of all breeds.



Al-Taweel said that the auction will provide a dependable and unique platform for the world's finest and most elite falcons, as well as for rare breeds and international falcon champions. The club will host a competitive auction, which will be held every other day, featuring trustworthy and direct sales, Top-Tier Falcons, leading Falcon Breeding Farms, and falconry enthusiasts from Saudi Arabia and worldwide. The IFBA will also be broadcast live on social media platforms and well-known television stations.

He noted that the IFBA aims to provide the rarest falcon breeds in the Kingdom and the region, as well as to attract the most authentic international experiences in the field of falconry to the Kingdom, making the Kingdom as an international destination for these farms, thereby expanding investment opportunities and creating direct and indirect business opportunities.



Al-Taweel explained that preparations for the auction include providing the right place to host falcons and their breeders, as well as creating the appropriate place inside the auction to welcome Falcon Breeding Farms and Bidders within and outside the Kingdom, in accordance with the precautionary measures against Covid-19 approved by the Ministry of Health to ensure the safety of attendees and organizers.



The International Falcon Breeders Auction has been developed to become a full-service event at the Saudi Falcons Club Grounds in Malham, which includes an area for companies providing veterinary products, tools, and supplies for the breeding and training of falcons.
Registro Italiano Navale (Rina) said it has been awarded a framework contract by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to support initiatives to increase the availability of LNG in the medium term with small scale bunkering and depots and expand the use of this fuel throughout the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas.

A key maritime shipping company based in Italy, Rina said this was a major step towards decarbonisation in the shipping industry.

This important strategic project is aimed at reducing environmental impact by making LNG more widely available for a variety of uses including ferries, cruise ships and tourist activities, as well as promoting LNG road supply chain, said the Italian shipper in its statement.

Rina will provide a flexible selection of services dealing with safety and feasibility to match project needs in different locations, it added.

Angelo Lo Nigro, Energy Engineering Solutions Senior Director at Rina, said: "LNG is an important fuel on our way to decarbonization. The services we will be providing as part of the frame agreement with EMSA will help make LNG storage and bunkering available in port areas and will also bring consistency and guidance for economically developing nations that do not yet have strong experience with small scale LNG."

The services provided by Rina will help port authorities determine which locations are feasible, both in terms of safety and technical and financial viability, to install small scale LNG bunkering or depot facilities, he stated.

Rina is providing a total of eight different services, from which each Port Authority can choose according to its goals.

The activities include gap analysis of regulatory frame and evaluation of applicable standards, feasibility study, definition of risk acceptance criteria, site analysis, nautical analysis, hazard identification, quantitative risk assessment, and ship collision risk study, stated Lo Nigro.

According to him, the framework contract will run for a period of four years and currently covers 22 countries in the regions detailed. EMSA may add other countries during the period of the agreement.

Having a common methodology and framework will give nations, where there is a gap in LNG infrastructure, access to a high standard of qualified guidance, regulatory compliance, and safety, stated the official.

Increasing the numbers of ports with LNG refuelling capability will help support the wider adoption of this more environmentally friendly fuel and to meet MARPOL regulations, noted Lo Nigro.

"This contract will reduce the capacity gap between countries and ensure a coherent, effective and uniform implementation of the international rules for maritime safety, security and prevention of pollution from ships in the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Dana Gas, the Middle Easts largest regional private sector natural gas company delivered one of its strongest half-yearly results with H1 2021 net profit of $139 million (AED511 million). This is compared to a loss of $19 million (AED69 million) in H1 2020.

Excluding the reversal of impairment related to Egypt assets, the company posted an adjusted net profit of $61 million (AED225 million versus an adjusted net profit of $18 million (AED66 million) in H1 2020, an increase of 239% reflecting higher oil prices and improved operational performance.

Revenue for the first six months of 2021 was up by 19% and stood at $216 million (AED792 million) as compared to $181 million (AED664 million) in H1 2020. The increase was due to higher realised prices during the period.

As a result of the increase in net profit, the companys retained earnings turned from accumulated losses of $20 million to positive $142 million, which will underpin its ability to pay dividends in the future.

On April 23, 2021 the company terminated its agreement for the sale of its Egyptian assets and will therefore continue to own and operate them in order to maximise returns for its shareholders.

This will involve carefully monitoring expenditure and ensuring drilling and workover activities are value generative. Dana Gas Egypts operational cash flow increased in H1 2021 by 175% to $80 million reflecting the increase in oil price and higher collections during the period. This reinforces the correctness of the Board decision not to sell the assets.

IPR Wastani Petroleum Limited (IPR) initiated an arbitration disputing DGEs right to terminate the Sale and Purchase Agreement. On 17 July 2021 the Tribunal dismissed IPRs claim in its entirety, and ruled that Dana Gas termination of the SPA was valid.

During the period, the company also sold its interest in EBGDCO, a natural gas liquids extraction plant in Egypt, for $11.4 million (AED42 million). The company owned a 26.4% interest in EBGDCO through Danagaz Bahrain alongside its other partners.

Dr Patrick Allman-Ward, CEO of Dana Gas, commented: The company has delivered a very strong set of results for the first half of 2021 as a result of our robust financial and operational performance supported by the rebound in oil prices. Our revenues grew by 19% in the first six months which, coupled with our low-cost structure, has helped the company increase gross profits by 133% and generate a net profit of $139 million. Our collections in both Egypt and the KRI have significantly improved, adding to our liquidity and overall financial strength.

Our operations remain unaffected by the pandemic, thanks to the stringent safety protocols that we have put in place across all our assets to ensure that production continues uninterrupted. We have even managed to increase production slightly to 64,000 boepd.

We are pleased with the progress we have made in the KRI and are steadily moving ahead with our expansion plan according to schedule. In Egypt, we are going to continue to operate our onshore producing assets in a way to maximise value for the benefit of all our stakeholders and to prepare to drill our material offshore exploration well as soon as practicably possible.

OPERATIONS & PRODUCTION

The companys average production in H1 2021 was 64,000 boepd, slightly higher than 63,250 in H1 2020, driven by increased production in the KRI which helped to offset a decline in Egypt. Production in KRI increased by 8% to 34,300 boepd, while Egypts output declined by 6% to 29,150 boepd as a result of natural field depletion.

LIQUIDITY AND COLLECTIONS

Dana Gass H1 2021 collections from the KRI and Egypt increased 106% year-on-year to $185 million (AED678 million), the highest level in more than five years. The company saw its share of receipts by Pearl Petroleum in the KRI jump 85% to $87 million (AED319 million) in the first half of 2021 as compared to $47 million (AED172 million) in the corresponding period las year. In Egypt, Dana Gas collected $98 million (AED359 million) during H1 2021, compared to $43 million (AED158 million) received in the same period of 2020, representing a 128% increase. The companys cash position was $125 million (AED459 million) as of June 30, 2021, slightly higher than the $108 million (AED396 million) at the end of 2020. The cash balance includes $61 million (Dana Gas 35% share) held by Pearl Petroleum.-- TradeArabia News Service
Fugro has revolutionised a subsea installation programme for Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company (Gupco) with its innovative QuickVision technology.

Used for the first time in Egypt, the contactless positioning solution replaced the conventional survey sensors typically attached to subsea structures during installation.

Under a contract with Dragon Oil (Gupco), Fugro delivered subsea positioning support for the installation of multiple subsea structures off the coast of Egypt. To meet the requirements for improved safety and lower project costs, Fugro deployed their QuickVision solution.

This state-of-the art vision technology uses a smart camera, attached to a remotely operated vehicle, that can determine the heading and attitude of a subsea structure as it is landed. This eliminates the requirement to pre-install a sensor package on the structure, and retrieve it once installation is complete, which reduces the time and costs associated with a dive support vessel.

Noting the benefits that real-time access to the positioning Geo-data brought to the project, Fugros Project Manager, Sherif Abd El Aziz, said: "Introducing the power of augmented reality has had a hugely positive impact on this projects delivery."

Lotfi Ibrahim, Drilling Operation Manager for Dragon Oil (Gupco), added: The conventional sensor method is time-consuming and is not without risk. Fugros QuickVision allowed us to deliver safer and more sustainable operations, and within the desired accuracy. It has revolutionised our subsea installation programmes.-- TradeArabia News Service
Dubais mountain resort, Ja Hatta Fort Hotel, has introduced a range of indoor, outdoor and water activities to beat the heat for adventure seekers and families looking for a cool, fun-filled escape from the city.

Guests can avail the Jasummer special promo offer of up to 40% off their stay at the resort set against the famed Al Hajar Mountains amidst lush greenery.

Summer activities for guests include guided hike, kite flying, family board game sessions, cocktail and mocktail hour at Roumoul Bar and a traditional experience at the Hikaya tent offering shisha and Arabic snacks. A wine and cheese experience is also available at Margham Conference Hall, said the statement from the Dubai resort.

The hotel has 55 contemporary deluxe mountain rooms and villas, five restaurants and bars, two outdoor pools, the Senses Spa and many outdoor adventure sports.

"For the little ones, children-friendly experiences are available including water slides, slip and slide water activity, trampolines, bouncy castles, family movie nights by the pool, and interactive painting sessions," a hotel spokesperson said. "Children can also take part in several animal encounters with rabbits, tortoise and deer, while also enjoying pony rides throughout the day," the spokesperson added.

Ja Hatta Fort Hotel is located approximately 130km, or just over an hours drive from the centre of Dubai.-TradeArabia News Service
Seasoned marketeer Kiran Kumar has been appointed Cluster Director of Marketing & PR for JW Marriott Marquis City Center Doha, Marriott Marquis City Center Doha and the Marriott Executive Apartments City Center Doha, heading marketing and communications for the properties.

Kumar will also oversee the pre-opening of five upcoming hotels as a part of his role: Le Meridien City Center Doha, Delta Hotel City Center Doha, Element City Center Doha, Element West Bay Doha and Autograph Collection Al Samriya.

With more than 20 years of experience at these portfolio of brands, in his new role, Kumar will seek to grow the propertys position within the local, regional and international markets.

Rick Enders, cluster general manager of an upcoming cluster of Marriott hotels in the region, said: A skilled marketer, Kumar is no stranger to Marriott International.

"After more than a decade in key roles within Marriott properties in the UAE, I am confident that Kumar will not only help drive and shape the needs of our three existing hotels, but he will also be instrumental in activating a string of upcoming new properties in Doha.

Expressing his excitement on expanding his career within the Marriott group, Kumar said: I am honoured to take on the role of Cluster Director of Marketing & PR, with the focus on creating truly exceptional hotel experiences, reflective of each brands iconic philosophy.

"I see significant opportunities for each of the hotels further development in the market and I am inspired by the prospect of adding value to an already existing great team.

An MBA in Marketing & Human Resources Development, Kumars initial foray into hospitality arrived when he took up a position with Le Royal Meridien, Chennai, India in 2001. His journey continued to the UK, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.-TradeArabia News Service
Representatives from more than 80 countries have signed up to WTM Londons Buyers Club, ensuring they maximise opportunities and get the best access to like-minded partners as the world begins to open up for travel once again.



All Buyers Club members have the opportunity to expand connections in the dedicated lounges during the WTM London physical show taking place at ExCeL London from November 1-3, 2021.



During the WTM Virtual  taking place on November 8-9, buyers will also have the opportunity to focus on meetings with key suppliers and reconnect with those unable to travel.



The highest number of companies that have signed up so for to the Buyers Club come from the UK, with a wide cross-section of industry sectors, including cruise lines, operators, agencies, bed banks and online players.



Companies already signed to WTM Buyers Club include well-known UK operators Jet2holidays, easyJet Holidays, Saga Holidays and British Airways Holidays; global giants such as dnata and TUI Group; niche travel operators such as Audley Travel; independent travel-trade focused Gold Medal.



From the cruise sector, Azamara Cruise Line has signed up. One of the biggest players in the homeworking travel agency community, Travel Counsellors, is also in the Buyers Club, as are Secret Escapes, American Express and specialist destination marketing company Low Season Traveller.



Online players include booking.com, KAYAK, Priceline, Bedsonline and lastminute.com.



Sergej Tocili, Head of Product at Saga Holidays, said: WTM London is one of the most important trade shows in the calendar, for Saga Holidays it is the place where we exchange ideas with our partners, it is the place where to recognise each others successes and where to commit to further grow our business.



Ged Brown, Founder and CEO of Low Season Traveller, said: WTM London is where I get to meet with new partners from across the world in one location. It is quite simply the most important meeting in my calendar each year.



"WTM London is where the worlds tourism industry meets to decide where we will all travel to in future years. Its my most important calendar event every year. Where else can you have 50-60 meaningful travel industry meetings in such a short space of time than at WTM London?



WTM London & Travel Forward Exhibition Director, Simon Press said: Buyers and decision-makers will be crucial in the recovery of the travel and tourism sector. Travel is starting to bounce back and the potential for new business is huge. The WTM Buyers Club is the perfect way to grow networks, form new partnerships, reaffirm existing agreements and explore new ways of working together in preparation for the travel bounce back.



Weve worked hard to create the ideal environment for key buyers to reconnect with peers with a more open layout at the Buyers Club Lounge this year to allow for social distancing.



WTM London Buyers Club members will also be able to participate in the WTM London Speed Networking events taking place every day during the physical show. The speed networking aims to bring together global buyers and suppliers in a professional and business-driven environment.  TradeArabia News Service
Jazeera Airways has reported a 137.7% increase in the number of passengers flown with a higher load factor of 51.3% and an operating revenue of KD7.4 million for the second quarter of the year.

The operational performance shows positive signs that travel will recover at a fast pace after eased restrictions come to effect by middle of Q3 2020 and the number of vaccinated in Kuwait improve, the airline said.

The airline registered a net loss of KD6.5 million for Q2, driven by lower yields as scheduled operations started to return in comparison to Q2 2020 and higher costs due to increase in operations and higher fuel prices. Yield decreased from Q2 2020 to the average level of KD68.3, it said.

Jazeera Airways Chairman Marwan Boodai said: With vaccinations rolling out at a fast pace in Kuwait and other countries within our network, travel restrictions have eased, and countries started opening their borders ahead of the summer season. Appetite for travel was evident and Jazeera rolled out a series of new destinations by the month of June to cater to the significant demand for popular touristic destinations as well as new places to discover. We acquired milestone traffic rights and operated at a high load factor despite limitations in the number of returning passengers at Kuwait International Airport.

Q2 Financial and operational highlights

 Operating revenue: KD7.4 million

 Operating loss: KD6.0 million

 Net loss: KD6.5 million

 Passengers: 104,100, up 137.7%

 Yield: KD68.3

 Load factor: 51.3%

H1 2021 Highlights:

 Operating revenue: KD15.6 million

 Operating loss: KD11.3 million

 Net loss: KD11.7 million

 Passengers: 208,200

 Yield: KD71.6

 Load factor: 54.7%

Summer schedule and new routes

Rolling out its summer schedule with favourite destinations for tourists, Jazeera resumed its services to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, in addition to other popular summer destinations such as Tbilisi (Georgia), Trabzon and Bodrum (Turkey).

The airline launched a new service to London Heathrow airport, making it the first LCC in the Middle East to operate direct flights to the airport. The airport is the favourite gateway to the UK for the Kuwaiti traveller, and there is high demand from the large segment of tourists who are more than eager to return to London this summer, as well as for students at universities in the city.

Other new services, some never before served by a direct route from Kuwait, comprised destinations that do not require quarantine for vaccinated tourists. These included Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Tashkent (Uzbekistan) and Yerevan (Armenia).

Positive Outlook for Q4 2021

Boodai said: We remain positive that demand for travel will only increase and restrictions lifted. Kuwait has already announced easing its restrictions starting August 1, increasing the number of arriving passengers and opening return flights to non-Kuwaiti residents. Recovery is imminent as vaccinations continue to be administered at high pace.

Jazeera maintains a strong financial position and has completed its capital increase which was oversubscribed by 210%. The airline has historically safeguarded its shareholders rights and ensured a reliable service during crises, and we have our team to thank for their long-term vision, he said. -TradeArabia News Service
Help India!



Following the Dhobi Ghat Pathshala, the women-led Dhobi Ghat Jhuggi Adhikar Manch established the Dhobi Ghat Community Kitchen with the help of the All India Students Association, the All India Central Council of Trade Unions, and the Revolutionary Youth Association. The photo essay portrays the efforts by community towards building hope for the affected displaced people.

Shadab Farooq | TwoCircles.net

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NEW DELHI  Its Wednesday, July 14th, and its pouring fiercely in Delhi. However, despite the rain, the Dhobi Ghat Kitchen begins cooking the days meal.

Following the Dhobi Ghat Pathshala, the women-led Dhobi Ghat Jhuggi Adhikar Manch established the Dhobi Ghat Community Kitchen with the help of the All India Students Association, the All India Central Council of Trade Unions, and the Revolutionary Youth Association.

Due to a lack of space, food for the Dhobi Ghat residents is prepared in a rented location about five minutes away from the Ghat in Okhla, New Delhi.

Every day, while cooking the meals, a long debate about current issues begins, according to Arbab, a student volunteer. We discuss a lot about local concerns and national politics, offering a forum for greater communication, Himanshu, 23, one of the volunteers told TwoCircles.net.

Its the 26th day of the community kitchen, which opened on June 18. Student Volunteers Arbab Ali, 22, and Himanshu, 23, are providing rice in packets, while community volunteers Alisha Parveen, 14, and Taraana Parveen, 18, are distributing Dal in packets.

Alisha Parveen is a seventh-grade student and a dedicated volunteer who helps out in the kitchen on a daily basis. I enjoy coming here and assisting others. Im learning a lot here, Alisha said.

Taraana, a community volunteer, mentioned that Alisha had a fever, but she insisted on coming. We believed the members might need assistance because it was already raining heavily.

Alishas home was one of the many that were demolished last year. On September 24, 2020, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) demolished around 200 Jhuggis in a slum near the Dhobi Ghat, claiming a National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordinance prohibiting construction on river embankments.

Before the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) ordered the demolition of the Jhuggis of these residents, Dhobi Ghat was home to roughly 1,000 people, mostly construction workers, rickshaw-pullers, and domestic labourers.

Irshad, 17, who drives a rented electric rickshaw daily, arrives in the afternoon to transport the food carts with other volunteers to the Dhobi Ghat Community for further distribution. Being a part of this cause makes me joyful. Every day, these folks pay me 100 rupees, Irshad said, adding, Its fantastic that I am earning on the side and also serving on the other.

People had formed a queue to gather for food but as the E-rickshaw arrived at Dhobi Ghat, the children gathered around the food carts. Shabana Begum, 42, and Bibi Akhtari, 45, both founders of Dhobi Ghat Jhuggi Adhikar Manch, are in charge of the distribution process on the ground.

For the residents, for us, these initiatives offer hope to those who have previously lived in awful conditions. Many people in the community had children and elderly to feed, so the kitchens initiative contributed a lot, according to Akhtari.

We have not gotten any assistance from the government, despite several guarantees. Weve also staged a number of protests, but our cries for help have gone unanswered, according to Shabana Begum.

Nine months after the demolition, in early June, Delhi High Court remarked, People in Dhobi Ghat cannot be left on the streets to fend for themselves after being evicted from a home they claim to have lived in for the previous two decades.

The essential arrangements must be made immediately, according to Justice Najmi Waziri, who directed the Delhi government to do so, with the DDA covering the costs.

People in Dhobi Ghat, a primarily Muslim neighbourhood, were the hardest hit by the lockdown and the second wave of Covid-19. When their homes were demolished and their expectations were dashed, they had barely begun to recoup from the financial loss. Most of the displaced families here have lost their livelihood as a result of the continuous lockdowns, Arbab Ali, one of the student volunteers, said.
As we reported previously, the Marine Corps decided to permanently close its only museum devoted solely to aviation on March 28th, 2021  an unfortunate decision which the institutions foundation and volunteers had worked hard to avoid for the past decade. Subsequent to its closing, however, came the thorny issue of where to place the aircraft within its collection. As we noted on August 2nd, their unique Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless found a new home with the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan. And now we report that their FM-2 Wildcat has moved across the country to join the Hickory Aviation Museum in Hickory, North Carolina.

The US Navy accepted this FM-2 (BuNo. 16278) on January 12, 1944. Its first few months of service are unclear presently, but it did appear in the South Pacific during October 1944 with Combat Aircraft Support Unit (Forward)  Twenty (CASU(F)-20) on the island of Roi-Namur, supporting Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 31 during the Battle of Kwajalein. The Wildcat then moved to Majuro, providing island defense for the 4th Marine Air Wing and MAG-13. After significant use in the Pacific Theatre, BuNo.16278 returned to San Diego for reconditioning and then transferred to the Carrier Qualification Training Unit (CQTU) at Naval Reserve Air Base (NRAB) Glenview near Chicago, Illinois. During a training flight on June 26, 1945 the Wildcat ditched in Lake Michigan, presumably lost to time. However, during 1991, a recovery team raised the aircraft from her watery grave, and transported it to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida, who organized its comprehensive restoration back to static display condition. The Naval Aviation Museum loaned the to the Flying Leathernecks Museum at MCAS Miramar, where she had been on display since 1999.

The aircraft is presently painted to represent Wildcat Black 53, the fighter which the legendary Marine ace, Joe Foss flew during the Guadalcanal campaign. Foss ended World War II with 26 confirmed enemy aircraft kills, making him the Marine Corps highest-ranking Ace.

The Hickory Aviation Museum is located at the Hickory Regional Airport (HKY) in Hickory North Carolina and is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit organization. The interior of the Hickory Aviation has artifacts and memorabilia ranging from WWII to the present day. Including an exhibit about famed North Carolinians Bill and George Preddy, provided by the Preddy Foundation. Models are on display which depict how aircraft designs changed over time from the Wright Flyer of 1903 to the present-day F/A-18 Hornet. The Naval Aviation Annex is located in the old baggage claim area. Various artifacts are on display including an F-14 Camera Pod, two 20mm Vulcan cannons, one carried in an F-14, the other in a F/A-18 Hornet. USN and USMC uniforms are on display along with models of a WWII-era aircraft carrier and a modern Nimitz Class Carrier.

The public will have the opportunity to see the newly acquired FM-2 Wildcat tomorrow. The fighter will be unveiled during the August 12th Hickory Crawdads home game, and will be parked outside L.P. Frans Stadium from 5 until 8 p.m. For more information, please visit www.hickoryaviationmuseum.org
One of our goals at WarbirdsNews/Warbird Digest is to share stories of organizations promoting education and inspiration to the next generation of aviators, maintainers, engineers, and aviation professionals in general. We periodically follow the signs of progress of Patrick Mihalek with the KittyHawk Academy/Warbirds of Glory Museum, Cascade Warbirds, NWOCs 20 under 40 and several other initiatives under the Education tag.

The Inspire Aviation Foundation, based in Atlanta, Georgia, is one such up-and-coming organization which has focused its primary mission upon aviation-related education efforts. This 501(c)(3) non-profit organization is the brainchild of a group of civilian and military aviation professionals and enthusiasts dedicated to the goal of bringing a world-class air and space museum and educational center to the Atlanta metro area. They have chosen Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK), Georgias second busiest airport, as their future home, and plans for its development are already in progress. But until this project gets formally under way, they have been involved with creating a number of outreach programs to engage the local community.

The foundations latest initiative is the construction of a Free Mini Library filled with aviation books for kids of all ages. For those who dont know, a Little Free Library is essentially a free-to-anyone take a book, return a book book exchange. Many communities across the country have created their own Little Free Libraries, and they come in many shapes and sizes. The most common version is simply a small, wooden, weatherproof box of books on a post at an easily accessible location. Anyone may take a book, or bring a book to share. These Little Free Library book exchanges have a unique and personal touch, and have proven to be of great value in building community spirit. There is an understanding that real people are sharing their favorite books with their community; indeed, little libraries have been called mini-town squares.

The ideas behind the design for Geors custom library, seen above, arose from the WWII-era hangar at PDK which once housed US Navy F4U Corsairs, TBM Avengers, and training aircraft when the airfield was home to Naval Air Station (NAS) Atlanta. Today this hangar is still in use with EPPS Aviation.

The property where PDK now sits was formerly part of Camp Gordon, a WWI-era Army training base. After the Great War ended, the government disposed of Camp Gordon at public auction. A real estate developer named T.R. Sawtell bought the property, and soon began selling parcels of the land for agricultural uses. In 1940, the U.S. Navy acquired a small tract of this land at the airport, and in March 1941, they officially commissioned it as a U.S. Naval Reserve aviation base. Within a few months, however, as domestic defense efforts began to gain momentum with the pressures of WWII, it became apparent to the Navy that they had to broaden their activities at the nascent training base, so they entered negotiations with Dekalb County for the acquisition of the entire airport property for their exclusive use. They did indeed settle upon a lease agreement for the entire 333 acre property in June 1941, at a rental rate of $18,000 per year plus maintenance of the runways, hangars, lights, and other airport facilities. Eventually named NAS Atlanta, the airfield played a major role in the training of naval aviators during WWII, and also as a logistics way station in the war effort.

But by the 1950s, when the Navy needed facilities more suitable to its modern jet fighter aircraft and large patrol bombers, they realized that a move was in order. As a result, they built new facilities adjoining Dobbins Air Force Base near Marietta, Georgia, establishing the new permanent home for NAS Atlanta at that facility in order to share use of the longer U.S. Air Force runways. Control of what became DeKalb County Airport returned incrementally to the County and, in 1959, the airport became wholly available for civilian use.

Regarding the Inspire Aviation Foundations new Little Free Library, the organizations Education Officer, Latessa Meader, said: As part of our mission of promoting aviation and inspiring kids to reach for space and beyond, we think that the Doc Manget Memorial Aviation Park at the DeKalb-Peachtree Airport is the perfect location to build a Little Free Library filled with aviation books for kids of all ages. By chosing to design the mini library to resemble the WWII hangar we aim to honor the history of our airport and remember the women and men who served here.

While the Inspire Aviation Foundations Little Free Library may be just a small step towards their future positive impact on the local community, it will make a difference and is worthy of our support.

To support this project and place a donation, please visit www.georgiaairandspacemuseum.org
China announced US$ 6 million in funding for development projects. Western governments only provide humanitarian aid. The crackdown by Myanmars military against the resistance continues. The former Burma is the country where Chinese companies commit the highest number of human rights violations.

Yangon (AsiaNews)  China continues to finance the military junta that overthrew Myanmars civilian government of democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi on 1 February.

The Chinese embassy in the former Burma confirmed that the Chinese government will support 21 local development projects, worth US$ 6 million.

Unlike Western countries, which condemned the coup by Myanmars generals and the subsequent repression of the resistance movement, Beijing has maintained open channels of communication with the new regime.

For Chinese leaders, what is happening in Myanmar is an internal matter in a sovereign state. Chinas primary interest is the stability of the neighbouring state, whoever is in charge.

The West only provides humanitarian aid. Yesterday, the US announced US$ 50 million in emergency aid to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar.

Local civil society groups have called for United Nations action to fight the health crisis, aggravated by the rapid spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

In the meantime, the military crackdown against the resistance continues. According to The Irrawaddy, security forces have targeted civilians in Yangon, the Sagaing region, and Kachin state in recent days.

Myanmars parallel national unity government, made up of members of the National League for Democracy (Suu Kyi's party) and representatives of ethnic groups, claims that the military have killed more than 800 civilians since the coup.

About 740 junta soldiers have also died in clashes with ethnic armies and resistance fighters in July.

Opponents of the military junta accuse China of supporting the coup. Thanks largely to cooperation in the energy field, Beijing exerts a significant influence on Myanmar.

The Chinese want to protect the gas and oil pipelines that link Kyaukpyu, on the Bay of Bengal, to Kunming, the capital of Chinas Yunnan province, which are part of the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi Jinping's plan to strengthen Beijing's trade links with the rest of the world.

A study published today by the British NGO Business & Human Rights Resource Centre reveals that Myanmar is the country where Chinese companies commit the highest number of human rights violations: 97 out of 679 between 2013 (year when the Belt and Road was launched) and 2020.

The mining sector is the one where the most abuses occur, with harm inflicted on local communities. The research questions China's efforts to appear as a responsible foreign investor.
by Melanie Manel Perera

After receiving a presidential pardon, the ex-fighters received about US$ 500 each from the army. For Anglican Fr Marimuttu Sathivel, This is not freedom." Displaced people in the north of the country continue to demand the return of land seized by the military during the civil war.

Colombo (AsiaNews)  General Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defence Staff and commander of the Sri Lankan army, has provided financial aid to 15 former members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). They got a presidential pardon on the last day of the Vesak Buddhist festival.

Several commanders and officers attended the event in Jaffna, in the north of the country, on the weekend. After having joined one of the worlds most ruthless terror outfits many moons ago, said the general at the ceremony, you know well the gravity of those dastardly criminal acts, vanity of bloodbaths and associated violent history, for which you were sentenced.

However, we harbour no malice towards you, he said. And it is your turn now, after this exceptional presidential pardon, to show the world that you have shunned violence and are ready to lead peaceful lives as law-abiding and respected citizens of this country.

Financial aid for the former fighters was provided by activist and philanthropist Vamadevan Thyagendran, who was involved in the project in cooperation with General Jagath Kodithuwakku, Commander of the Security Forces.

The convener of the National Movement for the Release of Political Prisoners, Anglican Fr Marimuttu Sathivel, expressed disappointment with the initiative. I don't like it for some reasons. This is not freedom, he said.

Are they given money to become self-employed? In prison they did not receive any kind of training. It is not right for the commander of the army to give 100,000 rupees (US$ 500) to each.

Antony Jesudasan, a human rights activist, agrees. Why did Thyagendran need the army? He could have done this on his own. In reality, it seems they still want to keep them under the control of the Security Forces.

Jesudasan spoke about the difficult political situation in the north of the country. In Jaffna province, there are still camps for internally displaced Tamils. Many families are struggling to get their lands back, which the military took during the war."

Sri Lankas civil war, which broke out in 1983 pitting the government against Tamil separatists, ended in 2009 with the defeat of the rebels.
The identity of detained government officials has not been disclosed. The kingdom's anti-corruption commission has investigated 460 people in all. Since 2017, the purge campaign of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman has netted US$ 106 billion in assets.

Riyadh (AsiaNews/Agencies)  In Saudi Arabia, a new agency established by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MBS) has arrested at least 207 people who worked for different government ministries.

The kingdom's National Anti-Corruption Commission, known as Nazaha, announced the crackdown on Monday.

The detainees have not been named and it is not clear when the arrests took place, but they will stand trial on charges of corruption, abuse of authority, and fraud.

The Commission has been investigating at least 460 people in its latest anti-corruption purge. In April, the Commission said that an additional 176 people had been arrested for corruption.

In late 2017, the Saudi crown prince targeted more than 300 princes, public figures, and business people connected to the al-Saud royal family.

That year, law enforcement arrested some of the country's most influential figures and held them for weeks at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh.

Many were later transferred to prison and reported physical abuse.

The purge campaign has allowed Mohammed bin Salman to consolidate his power and recover US$ 106 billion in assets.
For the pontiff, the law is the pedagogue toward Christ. [. . .] Those who seek life need to look to the promise and to its fulfillment in Christ. Francis saddened by the murder of Fr Olivier Maire in France.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis centred his catechesis in todays General Audience on the Letter to the Galatians. In it, he said that the faithful must go along the path of the commandments but looking toward Jesus.

The meeting gave the Pope the opportunity to express "sorrow" for the murder, in France, of Father Olivier Maire. I send my condolences to the Monfortian religious community in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sevre, Vendee, to his family and to all the Catholics of France. I assure you of my participation and spiritual closeness, he said addressing French-speaking pilgrims.

Previously, the pontiff continued the cycle of catechises before the approximately 4,000 people present in the Paul VI Hall, speaking about the Letter to the Galatians, on the theme: The Law of Moses (Reading: Gal 3:19, 21-22).

The topic stems from the fact that those who nostalgic for times gone by, of the times before Jesus Christ believed that the Galatians should have followed the Mosaic Law in order to be saved.

The Apostle is not at all in agreement. These were not the terms he had agreed on with the other Apostles in Jerusalem. He remembers very well Peters words when he said: Why do you make trial of God by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? (Acts 15:10).

The dispositions that had emerged in that first council  the first ecumenical council was the one that took place in Jerusalem  and the dispositions that emerged were very clear. They said: For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us [the apostles] to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols [that is, idolatry] and from blood and from what is strangled and from unchastity (Acts 15:28-29).

For Francis, the observance of the Law guaranteed to the people the benefits of the Covenant. In fact, In making the Covenant with Israel, God offered them the Torah, the Law, so they could understand his will and live in justice. We have to think that at that time, a Law like this was necessary, it was a tremendous gift that God gave his people. Why? Because at that time paganism was everywhere.

Several times, especially in the prophetic books, it is noted that not observing the precepts of the Law constituted a real betrayal of the Covenant, provoking Gods wrath as a consequence. The connection between the Covenant and the Law was so close that the two realities were inseparable. The Law is the way a person, a people express that they are in covenant with God.

So, in light of all this, it is easy to understand how well those missionaries who had infiltrated the Galatians found such fair game by sustaining that adhering to the Covenant also included observing the Mosaic Law as it was done at that time.

Saint Paul noted that, in reality, the Covenant and the Law are not linked indissolubly  the Covenant with God and the Mosaic Law. The first element he relies on is that the Covenant established by God with Abraham was based on faith in the fulfillment of the promise and not on the observance of the Law that did not yet exist.

Such an argument disqualifies all those who sustain that the Mosaic Law was a constitutive part of the Covenant. No, the Covenant comes first, and the call came to Abraham. The Torah, the Law, in fact, was not included in the promise made to Abraham.

Having said this, one should not think, however, that Saint Paul was opposed to the Mosaic Law. No, he observed it. Several times in his Letters, he defends its divine origin and says that it possesses a well-defined role in the history of salvation. The Law, however, does not give life, it does not offer the fulfillment of the promise because it is not capable of being able to fulfill it.

The Law is a journey, a journey that leads toward an encounter. Paul uses a word, I do not know if it is in the text, a very important word: the law is the pedagogue toward Christ, the pedagogue toward faith in Christ, that is, the teacher that leads you by the hand toward the encounter (cf. Gal 3:24). Those who seek life need to look to the promise and to its fulfillment in Christ.

This word is very important. The people of God, we Christians, we journey through life looking toward a promise, the promise is what attracts us, it attracts us to move forward toward the encounter with the Lord.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

The Buddhist-majority republic of Kalmykia is behind the initiative. Some fear it might spark interreligious animosities, but the Dalai Lamas ideas are basically secular, inspired by common sense.

Moscow (AsiaNews)  The Ministry of Education of Kalmykia, a Buddhist-majority republic of the Russian Federation, plans to add the ethical principles professed by the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, to its school curriculum, a move that might be repeated across Russia.

Telo Tulku Rinpoche (Erdne Ombadikov), the Supreme Lama of Kalmykia and honorary representative of the Dalai Lama in Russia, Mongolia and the ex-Soviet republics of the Commonwealth of Independent States, is behind the initiative.

In an exchange with a team of psychologists and pedagogues, Telo Turku presented a proposal to the Minister for Education and Science of Kalmykia, Erdne Barinov.

The aim is to include in the school curriculum the Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning (SEE Learning) prepared by the Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics at Emory University, United States.

Barinov welcomed the initiative, promising to add it to the ministry's development programmes and to federal projects.

Speaking with NG-Religija, Telo Tulku said that we received very valuable comments and suggestions. Based on the response received, we believe that it is quite realistic to implement this programme.

To the objection that it might be difficult to change the traditional rigidity of Russian school methodological programmes inherited in large part from the Soviet system, the Buddhist leader replied that there are many unofficial, extracurricular programmes in every school. At the same time, We are sure that the Ministry of Education will offer the most appropriate option for the application of this useful programme to help students and professors.

The proposal has sparked a number of reactions, with many wondering about the appropriateness of including content related to a particular religion in official school curriculum.

Starting in the fourth grade, Russian schools already teach a course on the Fundamentals of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics" (FRCSE).

A new subject  Foundations of Spiritual and Moral Cultures of the Peoples of Russia  should be added shortly to enhance the FRCSE, pending its approval at the regional level.

Thus, if in addition of these two programmes, the Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning (SEE Learning) is included, the whole thing might be far too much. Just trying to remember all these acronyms will be a challenge.

The proposal might also rekindle interreligious animosities. For years ethnic and religious minorities, as well as advocates of anti-clerical attitudes, legacy of the Soviet era, have fought to defend their interests in education against the pressures of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Now the Buddhists of Kalmykia seem to be going along the same path as the Orthodox, indirectly backing the latters sense of entitlement.

However, supporters of Buddhist compassionate pedagogy note that the Dalai Lamas ideas are actually secular in nature, or at least not directly religious; based on universal moral principles, such as compassion, tolerance and forgiveness, which are valid for the whole of humanity.

The programmes theories and exercises can be applied using common sense, universally shared experience, and science itself, adapting them to the distinct social and national milieus.

For Lama Tulku, There is no reason for other religious organisations to raise objections to such a wonderful programme if they carefully acquaint themselves with it with openness and impartiality.

Indeed, Its basis is not Buddhism, but an understanding of human nature, which knows no division along racial, religious and gender lines.
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If they go into communities and launch their own businesses and can employ people, its an amplifier effect, she said. Thats the piece that got us in, what the business enables in the lives of others. When Cara and I are going to a company picnic and someone says: Im able to send my kid to school for four years, we can pay the tuition or I just bought my new house. At the end of the day, yes, the products are cool, and the legacy story is cool, but how it makes a difference in the lives of our community, our people, and the organizations we are able to support  thats what makes it all worth it. Or as Hughes phrases it: What we do well, allows us to do good.
His family in Lehi, Utah, has spent much of the past year and a half at home to keep him safe. He and his sister studied at home and went outside only to play with a few trusted friends, wearing masks and staying distanced. In November, Ethans parents tested positive for the virus after his father briefly returned to work in person, but they managed to avoid infecting their children. Since then, both parents have both been working from home.
It all began in summer of 2020, when the Winnetka residents curiosity was piqued after finding out Black people in the U.S. were dying at a disproportionate rate from COVID-19. Hulsizer hypothesized that the sickle cell anemia trait might have something to do with it. When Hulsizer came across a U.S. Army study that found the chance of sudden death in Black people aged 18 to 28 years old with the trait for sickle cell increased eight times over, he started to connect the data and found that the effects of COVID-19 are similar to the potential triggers for sickle cell crisis or crises.
Sign up here to receive the Ask Amy newsletter to get advice e-mailed to your inbox every morning, and for a limited time  get the book "Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from Americas Favorite Advice Columnist" for $5.
The Taliban continued their relentless drive Monday, overrunning Aybak, the capital of Samangan province that sits on the main highway that connects Kabul to Afghanistans northern provinces. Then on Tuesday, insurgents seized three more capitals: Farah city in the western province of the same name; Pul-e-Khumri, the capital of the northern Baghlan province; and Faizabad, the capital of remote and rugged Badakhshan province in the countrys far northeast.
They didnt really have any information about who was going to be staffing it for my daughter, who the learning curve to working with her is very steep. There was no information (about) who would be the district rep for the Virtual Academy. Who would be the special education administrator? Who would be the clinicians? If we had to call an (individualized education program) meeting, who would we meet with?
But we can never allow ourselves to become numb in the face of injustice, no matter how crushingly common it seems, he wrote. We shudder when we hear of the child hit by gunfire, but do we remember her name? We mourn the slain police officer, but do we see beyond the uniform?  We pick sides, even neighborhoods, rally with the likeminded, close ourselves to conversation with those who might disagree, derive meaning from the conflict, and gather ourselves into silos of politics, culture and even religion.
Shots were reported outside a police station at 6:56 a.m. on the 5700 block of West Madison. A 27-year-old man was found lying in the street, hit four times in the lower half of his body, police said;bullets also hit five of the stations windows, but no one inside the building was injured.
As part of the those terms, he cannot have contact with the man for whom he allegedly straw-purchased the gun. Danzy allegedly told investigators he was in a relationship with that man, who is referred to in court documents as Individual A but is known to be Eric Morgan, the brother of Frenchs alleged killer.
For those choices, we can be grateful. But the real credit here doesnt go to the governor for accepting reality or his political foes who finally prevailed over him. It goes to members of his own party who declined to excuse or minimize his transgressions. They were a vivid contrast to the Republicans who stuck with former President Donald Trump despite credible accusations of worse offenses  including rape  by some two dozen women.
After taking office, Kaegi replaced most of Berrios top staffers and implemented multiple changes in the property tax assessment process, but not without criticism. Some in the development community say he is scaring investors away from commercial developments following a round of assessments in 2019 that shifted some tax burden from homes to businesses in the northern portion of the county.
Twenty-one people registered, Flannery said. Another 70 or so expressed interest but missed the registration deadline, he said. The sheriff hopes Tuesdays event in Ford Heights was the first of many throughout the county, he said.
Williams and Hernandez then fell asleep for several hours and when they woke, they discovered that Rendon was not breathing and that her lips were blue, according to prosecutors, and they tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate her. Then, while Hernandez drove around, Williams put clothes back on Rendons body, according to court documents. Finally, Hernandez stopped the car in the alley on the 200 block of North Taylor Avenue in Oak Park, and dragged Rendon out of the car, leaving her on the ground, prosecutors said.
 Flash

Canadian national Michael Spavor was sentenced to 11 years in prison and had 50,000 yuan (about 7,712 U.S. dollars) of his personal property confiscated by a court in northeast China's Liaoning province on Wednesday.

Michael Spavor was found guilty of foreign espionage and the illegal provision of state secrets by the Intermediate People's Court of Dandong City in Liaoning, according to a statement on the court's website. He will also be expelled.
What can we say about the tongue and its power beyond what we can find through observation of the physical? If we are to answer this question as best we can, we must first observe what God Himself says about this organ of our body and its proper usage.

Then we can explore the views of the Dutch philosopher and Christian scholar Erasmus of Rotterdam, who has plenty to say about the matter. Next, we will explore what wicked tongues are like, and finally what wise and good tongues are like.

As you can imagine, in Scripture we find much that is said about tongues and their uses, even about Gods words and attitudes to it. We all know, of course, that God gave the Law to Moses, which He dictated to him verbally before the Law was inscribed on stone. His tongue is described as being like a consuming fire. (Isaiah 30:27).

A lying tongue is repulsive to Him (Proverbs 6:17).

Erasmus of Rotterdam, who wrote his famous work Lingua (The Tongue) in 1525, as I mentioned above, has plenty to say about tongues and their proper usage. He noted that pagans tended to glorify the tongue; his work, however, overflows with its condemnation. Erasmus in The Tongue suggests the tongue can both poison and heal.

Its its destructive power that receives most of his attention. He considered an unbridled tongue to be the worst disease of the mind.

He had plenty to say against the unrestrained bickering of theologians and against the false modesty of monks. He writes, Their belly rumbles from hunger, but their tongue is tipsy. They abstain from consuming flesh, but at the same time do not hesitate to gnaw the flesh of their neighbour.

They restrain their teeth from biting on animals, but they plunge a serpents fang into their neighbour. They spare cows and sheep, and do not spare their brother for whom Christ died.

Erasmus longed for a more classical approach to rhetoric. Pleasant speech, shrewd and serious, flowing when the occasion demands it but brief and concise, when necessary, can win a man great distinction if it is adapted to the subject, circumstances and persons involved.

God gave birth to the Word through speech and created the world through the Word, and God spoke through the prophets and the Son. That is a lot of speaking, but does not speak in an unseemly manner.

Scripture, as mentioned, says much about wicked tongues and their owners.

It explains how and why wicked tongues are the way they are. There are many examples in Proverbs and Psalms, such as: You give your mouth to evil and your tongue frames deceit.

You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mothers son. (Psalm 50: 19 & 20), A lying tongue hates those it wounds and crushes. And a flattering mouth works ruin. (Proverbs 26:28), The sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. (Psalms 57:4), Who have sharpened their tongues like a sword.

They aim venomous words as arrows (Psalm 64:3), His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is mischief and wickedness. (Psalm 10:7), and May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaks great things; who have said, With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord and master over us? (Psalm 12:3&4).

In speaking about his enemies King David said For there is nothing trustworthy or reliable or truthful in what they sayTheir throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. (Psalm 5:9).

Paul, in quoting Scripture, has this to say about humanitys use of their tongues: Their throat is an open grave, they deceive with their tongues The venom of asps is beneath their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. (Romans 3:13-14).

What Scripture says about good and wise tongues is in complete contrast to what it says about wicked tongues. The owner of a wise tongue: Doesnt slanderkeeps his word. (Psalm 15:3-4), Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. (Psalm 34:13), 

I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; I will muzzle my mouth while the wicked are in my presence. (Psalm 39:1), Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21), The tongue of the righteous is like precious silverThe lips of the righteous feed and guide manyThe mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom. (Proverbs 10: 20,21,31), The tongue of the wise brings healing.

Truthful lips will be established forever (Proverbs 12: 18, 19), The tongue of the wise speaks knowledge that is pleasing and acceptableA soothing tongue is a tree of life (Proverbs 15: 2,4), a soft and gentle tongue breaks the bone [of resistance] (Proverbs 25:15,23).

There are many more verses which make mention of the tongue and its power, not least of all is whats found in the book of James. It becomes clear by reading these verses that God expects us, especially those of us who are believers, to hold ourselves to a higher standard than what we hold ourselves to.

Lets all try and raise the bar when it comes to our speech and remember that one day, we will all have to give an account for every word spoken from our mouths.
Core Banking Software Market Growth & Trends

The global core banking software market size is expected to reach USD 17.48 billion by 2028, registering a CAGR of 7.8% from 2021 to 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Core banking software allows customers to get access to banking services through multiple channels, such as web and mobile banking, while also allowing them to carry out their banking activities from any branch location. Increasing customer demand for advanced banking technologies is anticipated to drive the market growth over the forecast period.

The growth of the market can be attributed to the increase in consumer preference for digital channels to meet their banking needs. Core banking software helps reduce business costs, protect data, manage risks, and segregate clients using a targeted and efficient approach. Core banking software allows banks to seamlessly merge back-office data and self-service operations.

The advent of telecommunication and computer technology is allowing businesses to share finance information with bank branches efficiently and quickly. Moreover, banks are focusing on moving to core banking applications to support their investment operations via a Centralized Online Real-time Exchange (CORE) of transaction data. Financial institutions and banks are adopting core banking software as it enables them to facilitate decision making through real-time reporting and analytics.

While the market is expected to witness steady growth in the near future, the COVID-19 pandemic is anticipated to adversely impact the market to a certain extent. However, the increasing demand for managing customer accounts from a single or centralized server is expected to fuel market growth. Increasing investments in core banking system updates to handle a growing volume of product-channel financial transactions is anticipated to propel the market growth over the forecast period.

Request a free sample copy or view report summary: Core Banking Software Market Report

Core Banking Software Market Report Highlights

The enterprise customer solutions segment is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period as these solutions help banks in streamlining current business processes with advanced banking technology

The core banking managed services model provides banks and financial institutions with a competitive edge by ensuring high usability, complete functionality, bug-fixing, and timely upgrades. This, in turn, is expected to drive the growth of the segment over the forecast period

Banks and financial institutions can leverage the power of cloud-based applications. These solutions are deployed and developed as a set of flexible microservices with the help of Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) tools. These solutions help banks and financial institutions in reducing operational costs, boost performance, and accelerate business growth, thereby driving the adoption of cloud-based solutions

The growing need to increase productivity and operational efficiency of banks is expected to drive the adoption of core banking software across banks over the forecast period

The promising rate of development of rural and private banking in developing economies such as China and India is anticipated to create growth opportunities for the Asia Pacific regional market

Access Press Release@ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-core-banking-software-market

Core Banking Software Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global core banking software market based on solution, service, deployment, end use, and region:

Core Banking Software Solution Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Deposits

Loans

Enterprise Customer Solutions

Others

Core Banking Software Service Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Professional Service

Managed Service

Core Banking Software Deployment Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Cloud

On-premise

Core Banking Software End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Banks

Financial Institutions

Others

Core Banking Software Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

North America US. Canada

Europe Germany UK.

Asia Pacific China India Japan

Latin America Brazil

Middle East & Africa

List of Key Players of Core Banking Software Market

Capgemini

Finastra

FIS

Fiserv, Inc.

HCL Technologies Limited

Infosys Limited

Jack Henry & Associates, Inc.

Oracle Corporation

Temenos Group

Unisys

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.
AI in Drug Discovery Market Landscape

One of the years most prominent market stories: Global AI in Drug Discovery Market 2020, illustrates some hopeful signs of repositioning as the investors have dwelled in rising stocks. The stocks of AI in Drug Discovery, after the end of the lockdown period, imposed owing to deadly Coronavirus, wavered with a bang as most of the vendors have started businesses all over the world. On this note, Market Research Future presents a report on the market in which it stated that the global AI in Drug Discovery Market market would make a benchmark with 40.8% growth from 2019 to 2025. At this pace, the global market will generate revenue of USD 2,015.1 Million by the end of the year 2025.

FREE SAMPLE COPY OF AI in Drug Discovery Market Research Report- Global forecast till 2025@ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/ai-drug-discovery-market-9393

AI in Drug Discovery Trends and Opportunities

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is projected to provide productive avenues in the healthcare industry. The implementation of AI has helped with reducing the researches and development gap in the drug manufacturing process and also in the targeted manufacturing of the drugs. Owing to these aspects, biopharmaceutical industries are tending towards AI to enhance market share. This is an influential factor fueling the growth of the global AI for drug discovery market.

The escalating pressure on the drug manufacturer to reduce drug prices is yet another factor expected to boost the AI for drug discovery market. This is all due to Al reduced the failure rate of clinical trials, and eliminated research and development costs in drug discovery. Apart from this, there has been a regular increase in the number of patients suffering from chronic diseases globally, and pharmaceutical companies are investing high in the development of various drugs. Artificial Intelligence has been able to assist manufacturers by offering a solution to complex situations. In the current scenario, AI is providing many novel analytical approaches for the design and development of novel products, which is another reason behind the markets exponential growth.

More factors, such as the flourishing healthcare sector coupled with manufacturers approach towards lowering the manufacturing cost associated with drug development, have also recorded to be reasonable for the markets growth. Besides, escalating investment by significant players in biopharma companies and rising public and private partnerships for R&D activities are more critical factors expected to boost the growth of the target AI in Drug Discovery market in the future.

In the case of point, back in the year 2019, GlaxoSmithKline plc, a multinational pharmaceutical company, invested US$ 300 Mn in 23 and Me, a gene testing company. The deal, in the current time, is expected to facilitate the company to access the database related to DNA related to relations between genes and diseases. This factor will further help in the development of novel products as well as the AI drug discovery market.

On the contrary, the factor of the scarcity of skilled healthcare professionals has been considered as a hindering factor and anticipated to slow down the growth of the global AI for the drug discovery market in the future.

AI in Drug Discovery Market Segment Review

By the segment of product type, the market has included software and services

By the segment of molecule type, the market has included Large Molecule and Small Molecule.

By the segment of technology type, the market has included machine learning, deep learning, and others.

By the segment of indication type, the market has included Immuno-oncology, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Cardiovascular Diseases, Metabolic Diseases, and others.

By the segment of the application, the market has included target identification, candidate screening, drug optimization and repurposing, de novo drug designing, and preclinical testing.

By the segment of End-User, the market has included pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, contract research organizations, research centers, and academic & government institutes.

AI in Drug Discovery Market Regional Landscape

Americas and its Countries such as the US and Canada have been at the vanguard of the healthcare industry over the years. The rising number of big AI platform developers in the region is one of the primary reasons for the express growth of the AI in the drug discovery market in the region. Some top AI platforms such as Google AI, Microsoft Azure, and TensorFlow have adopted the Big Pharma companies for utilization in the drug discovery procedure.

Europe is the second-largest market for AI in drug discovery after the Americas. Rising R&D activities in the pharmacy sector and high demand for AI solutions by Big Pharma companies are other factors expected to boost the augmentation of the regional market. Peak pharma companies have made partnerships with AI service providers to integrate AI technologies into the drug discovery process.

The growth of the Asia-Pacific AI In Drug Discovery Market is attributed to the escalating demand for effective drug discovery solutions. Many startups are working to integrate AI applications in drug discovery. Some of these startups are Adagene, Mozi, Accutar, Xbiome, Elucidata Corporation, Deep Intelligent Pharma, CaroCure, and Interprotein, among others. With the rapidly upward pharmaceutical market in the Asian region, probably, the approval of the AI technologies in the majority drug discovery protocols will take place in the forecast period.

Top Players

The top players are Microsoft Corporation, Google (A Subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.), IBM Corporation, Atomwise, Inc., Cloud Pharmaceuticals, Inc., BenevolentAI, Cyclica, Bioage, Envisagenics, Owkin, Inc., Verge Genomics, and Berg LLC.

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About Market Research Future:

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.
Healthcare IT Market Overview Global Healthcare IT Market size is expected to have a CAGR of approximately 15% during 2018 to 2023.

Healthcare Information Technology (IT) is a vast field that applies IT for creating, designing, using, and maintaining the data systems in the field of healthcare. The market for healthcare IT is anticipated to grow at an immense rate due to the collective demand for improved healthcare facilities along with technological advancements in this field, globally.

also read @ https://www.medgadget.com/2020/08/coronavirus-business-impact-healthcare-it-market-size-2020-technology-developments-industry-growth-rate-carg-status-top-key-players-size-estimation-upcoming-trends.html

Potential and Pitfalls

With the growing need to curtail healthcare costs and manage regulatory compliance through healthcare IT solutions, the global healthcare IT market is considered to expand at a rapid pace. Also, high return on investment for healthcare IT solution and government support for healthcare IT solutions are further anticipated to stimulate the global market. Moreover, the ever-increasing population and urbanization are fueling the demand for automated procedures, thereby driving the global market. A steady rise in prominence of big data analytics in the digital healthcare sector is considered to fuel the market growth in the coming years. With the growing prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular ailments, blood pressure, and kidney disorders, the global market for healthcare IT is likely to flourish.

On the flip side, reluctance among the medical professionals to adopt advanced IT tools related to healthcare and high cost of deployment are some of the major factors considered to impede the market growth in the coming years.

Competitive Dashboard

The major players operating the global market are Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. (U.S.), McKesson Corporation (U.S.), Kronos Incorporated (U.S.), Oracle Corporation (U.S.), United Healthcare Group (U.S.), Cerner Corporation (U.S.), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (The Netherlands), Wolters Kluwer (Netherland), CSI Healthcare IT (U.S.), Infor Inc. (U.S.), Anthelio Healthcare Solutions Inc. (U.S.), GE Healthcare (UK), Dell Technologies (U.S.), Spok Inc. (U.S.), Epic Systems Corporation (U.S.), McKesson Corporation (U.S.), CTS (U.S.), athenahealth Inc. (U.S.), Orion Health (New Zealand), IBM (U.S.), Syntel Inc. (U.S.), Lexmark Healthcare (U.S.), Conifer Health Solutions (U.S.), 3M Health Information Systems (U.S.), and others.

Global Healthcare IT Market: Segmental Analysis

The healthcare IT market has been segmented on the basis of component, products and services, end-users, and region.

By mode of products and services, the global healthcare IT market has been segmented into healthcare payer solutions, healthcare provider solutions, HCIT outsourcing services, and others.

On the basis of component, the healthcare IT market has been segmented into software, services, and hardware.

By mode of end-user, the global healthcare IT market has been segmented into healthcare payers, healthcare providers, third-party administrators, research centers, and government institutions. Among all the regions, hospitals are considered to form the largest end-user segment of the global healthcare IT market. The growth is due to the high demand for various healthcare IT solutions among hospitals to manage the increasing load of patient information generated in the hospitals. Also, the growing need to improve the healthcare quality while improving operational efficiencies within the organizations is likely to fuel the segment growth.

Regional Insights

Geographically, the Healthcare IT Market Size span across regions namely, Europe, America, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific.

Among all the regions, America is considered to hold the largest share in the market and is presumed to maintain its dominance in the coming years. The growth is attributed to the presence of high-quality healthcare systems along with modern medical technology in this region.

Europe registers the second position in the global market as healthcare providers in this region are extensively adopting social media technologies. The Asia Pacific region is considered to register the fastest growth due to the accelerated economic growth of the countries. Also, the growing need to control the soaring healthcare costs are responsible for the emerging trends toward the digitization of patient records.

Industry Updates

November 01, 2018: National Health Service Scotland has recently signed a new agreement with Microsoft in order to deploy Office 365 and migrate all systems to Windows 10 E5. This effort has been made to mitigate any potential threats and boost cyber resilience.

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Market Synopsis of the Global Medical Device Connectivity Market

Global medical device connectivity market is expected to grow at an approximate CAGR of 16.1% during the forecast period, 20182023. Moreover, the increasing penetration of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and health information exchange systems in healthcare organizations, are the factors responsible for the market growth. Major factors responsible for the market growth are penetration of EHRs through the collaboration between IT service providers and healthcare service providers

also read @ https://www.openpr.com/news/1119530/medical-device-connectivity-market-2023-global-key-players-are-qualcomm-cerner-ge-healthcare-koninklijke-philips-n-v-bernoulli-enterprise-medtronic-cisco-systems-nanthealth-infosys-lantronix-true-process-ihealth-lab-and-more.html

Medical Device Connectivity Market Competitive Leaderboard:

Leading players in the global medical device connectivity market include eDevice Inc., Stryker Corporation, Nuvon Inc., iHealth Lab Inc., True Process, Lantronix, Infosys, Nanthealth, Cisco Systems, Medtronic, Bernoulli Enterprise, Koninklijke Philips NV, GE Healthcare, Cerner, and Qualcomm.

In 2016, Allscripts Technologies signed a ten-year strategic agreement with Optumcare to deploy Allscripts TouchWork suite as its exclusive electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PM) solution for physicians. The strategic agreement will provide physicians with the clinical, health plan, and analytical data, which will further enhance the high-quality care they provide to their patients.

Moreover, in 2016, Cerner and Sharp Healthcare came together to extend the formers electronic health record (EHR) system to the Sharp Community Medical Group. Through the expanded relationship with Cerner, Sharp will utilize an integrated platform to create consistencies by streamlining physician workflows and care team communications for transitions of care. All such instances are expected to boost the medical device connectivity market.

Medical Device Connectivity Market Segmentation:

The global medical device connectivity market is segmented on the basis of products and services, technology, end user, and region.

By products and services, the market is segmented into medical device connectivity solutions and medical device connectivity services. Medical device connectivity solutions are further segmented into medical device integration solutions, telemetry systems, connectivity hubs, and interface devices. Whereas, medical device connectivity services are further segmented into support and maintenance services, implementation and integration services, and training services.

Based on technology the market is segmented into wired technologies, wireless technologies, and hybrid technologies. Wireless technologies are likely to grow at a rapid growth rate over the forecast period.

By end user, the market is segmented into hospitals, home healthcare, ambulatory care centers, diagnostic centers, and others. Hospitals account for the largest share in the global medical device connectivity market.

Medical Device Connectivity Market Regional Analysis:

North America accounts for the global Global Medical Device Connectivity Market, followed by Europe. Asia Pacific is also expected to be an important regional market over the forecast period.

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Market Highlights

According to MRFR analysis, the Global Neurodiagnostics Market is expected to register a CAGR of 6.88% from 2019 to 2025 and held a value of USD 4,848.48 Million in 2018.

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Neurodiagnostic tests which are also known as neurodiagnostics. records and monitors electrical activities of patients peripheral nerves, spinal cord, and brain. These tests help physicians to confirm or rule out a neurological disorder or other medical condition. The growth of the global neurodiagnostics market is boosted by factors such as rising number of strategic initiatives by key players such as mergers, joint ventures, acquisitions, partnerships, coupled with the advancements in technology across the globe. Furthermore, many non-profit organizations in various countries are working towards creating awareness regarding neurological diseases. For instance, the World Federation of Neurology (WFN), founded in July 2016, is a membership organization focused on raising awareness about the age and neurological conditions and diseases associated with age.

However, the high cost of neurodiagnostic treatment is likely to restrain the market growth to a certain extent in the coming years.

Market players such as GE Healthcare, Siemens Healthineers, Philips Healthcare, and Hitachi, Ltd., currently dominate the global neurodiagnostics market. The key players are involved in product launches and agreements to strengthen their market positions. For instance, in December 2019, GE Healthcare (US), signed USD 100 million technology partnership agreement with AFFIDEA (Ireland). GE Healthcare will install 200+ new equipment in Affideas network of centers across Europe. The deal includes the provision of 60 new MRIs, 50 ultrasound devices, 40 CT scanners and 30 X-rays machines in the next 3 years. It also includes a six-year service contract.

Regional Analysis

The market has been divided, by region, into the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. The Americas held maximum share in the base year 2018, owing to the high incidence rates of neurological disorders in countries such as US. According to the American Neurological Association, as of 2016, mealy 100 million Americans were affected by at least one of the neurological diseases. The neurodiagnostics market in the Americas has further been branched into North America and Latin America, with the North American market divided into the US and Canada. The European neurodiagnostics market has been categorized as Western Europe and Eastern Europe. The Western European market has further been classified as Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, and the rest of Western Europe. The neurodiagnostics market in Asia-Pacific has been segmented into Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, and the rest of Asia-Pacific. The neurodiagnostics market in this region is anticipated to be the fastest-growing during the assessment period due to the increasing awareness about the diagnostic treatments and favorable reimbursement policies. The neurodiagnostics market in the Middle East & Africa has been divided into the Middle East and Africa.

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Segmentation

The Global Neurodiagnostics Market has been segmented based on Product, Condition, and End User.

The market, based on product type, has been divided into diagnostic imaging systems, clinical diagnostic instruments, and reagents & consumables. The diagnostic imaging systems segment held a major share in 2018 owing to the rising number of diagnostic laboratories an imaging centers in the developing as well as developed countries. The reagents & consumables was the fastest-growing segment in 2018 due to high consumption in various routine techniques. The market, based on diagnostic imaging systems, has been further segment is segmented as, MRI systems, EEG systems, CT scanners, PET scanners, EMG devices, ultrasound imaging systems, MEG devices, angiography systems, and others. The market, based on clinical diagnostic instruments has been further bifurcated into PCR instruments, NGS instruments, sanger sequencers, and others. The market, based on reagents & consumables has been further segmented into media & sera, antibodies, buffers, solvents, enzymes, proteins, & peptides, probes, and other
Chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has asked officials to include the health details of the family members in the form of a QR code on the Aarogyasri card. (Photo: Twitter @AndhraPradeshCM)

VIJAYAWADA: Aarogyasri health cards in Andhra Pradesh would soon turn ultramodern with details in QR code and linking them with the Aadhar card of individuals.

Chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has asked officials to include the health details of the family members in the form of a QR code on the Aarogyasri card.

He said Covid19 vaccine should be given to people between the age of 18 and 44. Give higher priority to employees including teachers and those working in the public field, the CM said while he held a review meeting on the Covid19 situation on Wednesday.

The chief minister asked officials to focus on vaccinating teachers and other staff working in schools as these institutions will be reopening on August 16. Taking village as a unit, it would be possible to vaccinate people in the order of preference without much wastage, he said.

The CM asked officials to focus on vaccinating the 18-44 year-olds and prioritise the employees, officers and staff linked to public relations.

He asked officials to conduct a scientific analysis on the effect of the virus on the vaccinated persons and the way the virus is being transmitted even after vaccination. Officials must study the situation in other states as well, so that AP can take more stringent steps to fight Covid.

The CM asked the authorities to enter the details of family members in the form of QR code in the Aarogyasri card, as it could be easier at the time of availing treatment. Hospitals can access their details as soon as they scan the code. All the details including blood group, sugar and BP levels, time of tests done and other key information will be stored in the QR code, he said.

The CM said data should be registered in the Village Clinics. All those clinics must be equipped with a computer and the staff should also be aware of the list of the Aarogyasri-empanelled hospitals.

Officials must oversee providing Aarogyasri cards to individuals instead of families in the near future, he said, and suggested that the card be linked to Aadhaar. He asked the authorities to focus on pollution-control in villages and said they must examine water, air and soil samples and take appropriate remedial action. Sanitation conditions should also be recorded in detail as this will enable the authorities take appropriate action immediately. Officials must monitor the condition of drinking water tanks in the villages from time to time, the CM said.

Jagan directed the officials to prepare a datasheet on the current status of staff availability right from village clinics to teaching hospitals and suggested that the health department appoint the required number of doctors and staff.

Officials should take up the recruitment work by taking each district as a unit and complete the process within three months. The staff should focus on providing better services to the people, matching with national standards.

Besides these, the CM asked officials to focus on providing better health services in tribal areas. Think of giving incentives to doctors and other medical staff providing services in such places.

He said there should be a compound wall to all government hospitals right from PHC to super-specialty hospitals. In addition to these, he also asked the authorities to pay special attention towards pediatric vaccines and told them to register all the vaccination details in the Aarogyasri cards.
It will be another landmark event in the history of India-Russian defence cooperation. (ANI Photo)

Volgograd: India-Russia joint training Exercise INDRA 2021 is underway at Prudboy Ranges, Volgograd in Russia to enhance interoperability between the two armies, according to an official release on Wednesday.

According to the official release, the exercise INDRA 2021 will enhance interoperability between the Indian and Russian Armies and aims to facilitate joint training between Indian and Russian Armies to jointly plan and conduct counter-terror operations under the United Nations mandate.

The conduct of the exercise will also entail academic discussions between expert groups of both contingents. The exercise will focus on unit-level joint planning and conduct of anti-terrorist operations and will include cordon search operations, intelligence gathering and sharing, perception management, humanitarian laws and hostage rescue in simulated settings, the release said.

Exercise INDRA will strengthen mutual confidence, interoperability and enable sharing of best practices between the armed forces. It will be another landmark event in the history of India-Russian defence cooperation, the release added.
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
A Russian hypersonic secret missile base in Sarov is in danger from wildfires raging close to it, jeopardizing the essential military asset. The base holds Vladimir Putin's weapon of vengeance, the fires that would go uncontrolled would certainly bring severe damages.

A state of emergency makes it imperative to mobilize resources to stop the flames from causing catastrophic damage.

These wildfires have been raging out of control and have scorched the Mordovski Nature Reserve in the past few days. Sources say they are getting dangerously close to the top-secret nuclear research center.

Stopping the wild blaze

In the town of Sarov, where the nature reserve is close by, plan to stop the wildfire from getting any further, reported the SUN UK.

This town is on the western reaches of Russia, and the Russian Federal Nuclear Centre (RFNC) is based, where scientists are creating Putin's deadly arsenal of superfast missiles and his nuclear-tipped rockets.

Raging wildfire near Nuclear research center in Sarov, European Russia.

August 8th. https://t.co/sIJG0dbHwR pic.twitter.com/nul2CUh922  Kirill Bakanov (@WeatherSarov1) August 8, 2021

A week ago, an announcement said that the Satan 2 hypersonic ballistic missile would undergo flight tests, but the fires affected the schedule.

Furthermore, Russia will test the 5th generation long-range missile called the RS-28 Sarmat, code-named Satan 2, in autumn this year. The fires are a setback if not controlled.The Sarov base cannot be lost due to wildfires because it will setback Putin's plans for foiling NATO and the US.

A tremendous effort sent numerous planes and helicopters to douse the creeping inferno getting close to the RFNC by launching water bombs to stop the flames advance.

Read Also: War Fears Heighten as Russian Ballistic Nuclear Submarines Are Seen in the Baltic Sea While NATO Has Drills

To date, about 300 workers based in Sarov, including the Russian National Guard, were sent as an extra workforce to fight the raging inferno. An estimate of 600 hands is actively fighting to keep the fires from advancing, cited 9jaflaver.

Aleksey Safonov, a senior official of Sarov, declared a desperate emergency, allowing more personnel to fight the flames near the Russian hypersonic secret missile base in Sarov.

More villages burned to the ground and other places

It was worse elsewhere with two villages were evacuated in the Siberian wilderness, with 155 raging infernos burning last Sunday. It did get worse with 12 villages in danger in northeastern Siberia as well.

Last Saturday, the inferno burnt 31 houses and eight maintenance buildings in another village. Officials state that Russian authorities took Byas-Kuel village and 400 people to safety.

Rising temperatures have not spared the country from the ravages of climate change, said scientists. Increased hot climates and not following fire safety protocols have spawned these blazing fires expectantly.

Sources say that all the smoke from wildfires in Russia has alarmingly travelled 3,000 kilometers from Yakutia to the Northern poles this week.Pictures from NASA showed smoke stretching and covering the land 2,000 miles from east to west.

If the fires were terrible in Russia, Greece contends with its doomsday inferno that burned up to the sky.

Far more Greek firefighters were fighting a blaze last Sunday on the island of Evia, which left destruction in its wake for islanders and tourists to flee for their lives.

An armada of ferries carried the evacuees as one took a video of flames that licked the night sky. It was so overwhelming that the media called it like an apocalypse, said told the BBC.

Having the Russian hypersonic secret missile base in Sarov threaten by the flames has prompted emergency declarations to keep the wildfire away.

Related Article: Russia Warns US: Deploying Hypersonic Missiles in Europe Will Result to Retaliation and World War III

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A special documentary on Princess Diana reveals that she knew in her "heart of hearts" that there would be an element of "tragedy" in her life before she married Prince Charles.

A former close friend told the PBS special documentary "In Their Own Words: Diana, Princess of Wales" that Princess Diana had a "rude awakening" after her marriage to Prince Charles. Meanwhile, a royal photographer close to Princess Diana claims she informed him after their marriage ended that she still loved Prince Charles.

A friend claims Diana knew the magnitude of marrying Prince Charles

Kent Gavin worked as a royal photographer for the Daily Mirror for over 20 years, and he formed a strong friendship with Princess Diana while photographing her. Besides, Debbie Frank, a close friend of Princess Diana and a professional astrologer, claimed she walked into this job and she recognized the magnitude of it; but the astrologer thinks Diana felt in her heart of hearts that there was a tragedy with it.

On July 29, 1981, Princess Diana married Prince Charles in a highly publicized wedding at St. Paul's Cathedral. While Princess Diana and Prince Charles had an aristocratic upbringing, the pair was 12 years apart in age and had only spent time together 13 times before being engaged.

Princess Diana was just 20 years old at the time of their wedding, as per Express.co. Their wedding was dubbed "the wedding of the century" and was witnessed by an estimated 750 million people worldwide.

Prince William and Prince Harry were born to the royal couple in 1982 and 1984, respectively. However, their marriage began to show gaps from the start, with Princess Diana later claiming the marriage had "gone down the drain" after the birth of their second son. Princess Diana struggled to adjust to royal life and had mental health issues.

Prince Charles eventually reconciled with Camilla Parker-Bowles, a former girlfriend whom he had dated in the 1970s. The Princess of Wales pursued her interests, including a relationship with riding instructor James Hewitt.

Due to the nature of their seemingly miserable marriage, the Prince and Princess of Wales had been a frequent subject of tabloid gossip by the late 1980s. Prime Minister John Major announced their split in the House of Commons in 1992, shortly after Andrew Morton's biography "Diana: Her True Story" was released.

Read Also: Will Princess Eugenie's Public Support to Prince Harry Fix Royal Rift or Spell Devastation for Queen Elizabeth II?

Prince Charles, Princess Diana's marriage was doomed from the start

After Princess Diana's controversial appearance with BBC Panorama in 1995, in which she once again revealed her struggles as a member of the Royal Family, tensions between the royal couple rose. Following the broadcast of the interview, the Queen wrote to Charles and Diana, requesting that they start divorce procedures.

Princess Diana died in a car accident two years later, at the age of 36, in 1997. The paparazzi had been persistent in their pursuit of her and her lover, Dodi Fayed. Her untimely death caused worldwide grief, with an estimated 2.5 billion people tuning in to witness her televised burial.

Per Business Insider, Princess Diana's travel to Pakistan in 1997 would have been the most plausible, given she and Prince Charles divorced in August 1996. As previously revealed by Insider's Mikhaila Friel, details of Prince Charles' romance with Camilla Parker-Bowles, now the Duchess of Cornwall, were leaked to the press in 1992, following which he and Princess Diana made public appearances separately.

Despite her statements to Gavin towards the end of her marriage, Diana was unhappy at the time of her wedding, according to the royal photographer. He was with Charles and Diana at Smith's Lawn the day before the wedding, and he claimed: "she was quite upset and left." Princess Diana later admitted that she had reservations about marrying the prince throughout their engagement.

From the beginning, Princess Diana and Prince Charles had a rocky relationship. Debby Frank claims the Prince and Princess of Wales had personalities that were completely contradictory, resulting in compatibility difficulties.

Princess Diana was "going through a terrible moment in her marriage because her husband was having an affair with Camilla and nobody knew about it," she claimed. Frank added that Princess Diana felt desperate. She went on to say that the two "were very different" as while Charles and Diana were both Cancers, it was their moon signs that made things complicated for them, The News reported.

Related Article: Royal Revelations: Princess Diana Hid a Message for Prince Charles on the Sole of Her Wedding Shoe, Felt Uneasy Seeing Camilla Bowles at The Event

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Crown counsel Robert Frater told a British Columbia Supreme Court judge that the extradition process against Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou could not be fairer, rejecting the defense's request to stop the proceedings.

In the almost 19-month extradition proceedings against the executive of Huawei continued Tuesday with lawyers at the Attorney General of Canada (AGC) on behalf of the United States, it was argued before Associate Justice Heather Holmes that the defense of the Huawei executive is nothing but a concoction of mostly groundless statements, sometimes held loose together by "conspiracy theories."

Canada argues no misconduct in Huawei CFO's extradition proceedings

The legal team of Meng, which includes over half-dozen lawyers, argues that the US bid to bring her to justice on accusations of fraud in the South of the Border since she is the victim of a trial abuse, should be rejected. In the process, Meng's lawyer emphasized, in particular, Trump's December 2018 interview with Reuters, given only days after Meng's detention, in which he claimed that, if it were favorable for US national interests, he would interfere in the case filed against Meng by the Department of Justice.

On Monday, Richard Peck, Chief Legal Representative of Meng, said Trump was willing to "ransom" Meng in exchange for China's surrender in Washington and Beijing trade discussions. Frater disputed Peck's affirmation that the remarks of Trump were not a threat while emphasizing that the Biden administration remained on the extradition path, as per Big News Network.

A Canadian entrepreneur charged with espionage after his government detained a Huawei executive faces a possible verdict on Wednesday, as Beijing increases pressure on Canada ahead of a court decision on whether to hand over the executive to face criminal charges in the United States.

In what was described as "hostage politics" by opponents following the executive detention in 2018 in connection with suspected violations of trade restrictions on Iran, Michael Spavor and another Canadian were arrested in China. On Tuesday, a judge dismissed the appeal of the third Canadian with a sudden rise in the jail sentence in a drug case, after the detention of the executive, Republic World reported.

Read Also: North Korea Says South, US Will Face Security Threats as They Start Preliminary Military Exercises

Canadians verdict further strains Canada-China relations

The arrest has been denounced by China's leadership as part of US efforts to stifle its technological progress. Huawei, a network equipment and smartphone manufacturer is China's first global tech brand and is at the core of technological and security tensions between the US and China.

In a case involving Huawei, a Chinese court sentenced Canadian Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison for spying. Spavor was arrested in 2018 after a Chinese tech executive was jailed by his country.

Per NBC News, another Chinese court on Tuesday dismissed the appeal of a third Canadian, whose sentence in a drug case was unexpectedly raised to death after the executive's arrest. The session took place in Dandong, nearly 210 miles east of Beijing, near the North Korean border. Canadian Ambassador Dominic Barton was there. Former Canadian ambassador Michael Kovrig, who was also jailed in December 2018 and accused of spying, has yet to be granted a trial date.

Meng Wanzhou, Huawei Technologies Ltd.'s chief financial officer and the company's founder's daughter, was arrested in Vancouver on December 1, 2018, on US accusations of lying to the Hong Kong arm of the British bank HSBC about suspected transactions with Iran in violation of trade restrictions. China's government has condemned Meng's detention as part of a US campaign to stifle its technological growth and has urged that she be released immediately.

Related Article: China Court Rejects Canada's Appeal Against Death Sentence of Robert Schellenberg, a String of Judicial Cases Straining Beijing-Ottawa's Relations



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Now that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has resigned following an investigation by the New York attorney general into allegations that he sexually assaulted 11 women, including members of his staff, all eyes are on Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who will succeed him.

When Kathy Hochul, 62, takes office, she will be New York's first female governor. When David Paterson took over as governor of New York after Eliot Spitzer resigned over a prostitution scandal in 2008, the state saw a similar shift in power.

Kathy Hochul: The first female New York Governor

Hochul will become the first woman to govern the state of New York in two weeks when Cuomo's resignation becomes effective and she takes over the office. People who know Hochul, on the other hand, think the former congresswoman is up to the task. Hochul stated on Tuesday that she is prepared to lead New York, which is currently dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and is through a shaky economic recovery.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer met with Hochul on Tuesday and expressed his complete confidence in her ability to lead a professional and skilled administration. Kirsten Gillibrand, New York's junior senator, said Hochul will be an "extraordinary governor."

President Joe Biden has not yet talked with Kathy Hochul, but the administration looks forward to working with her, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki. A senior White House official said that Biden will talk with her in the coming days, CNBC reported.

Hochul has built out a place for herself as a counterbalance to Cuomo since joining the Cuomo administration in 2014. The first female New York governor, who likes to work out of Cuomo's office, has maintained a busy travel schedule around the state for years, making up to five trips each day. During Hochul's term, she visited each of the state's 62 counties once a year.

Read Also: Watch: Good Samaritan Rushes to Save Man in Wheelchair Who Falls Onto New York Subway Train Tracks

Governing New York amid soaring crime, economic struggles

Kathy Hochul will head a state that is grappling with rising crime and a post-COVID economy that is still fighting to recover, as well as a catastrophic rent-relief program and leadership vacancies at critical agencies like the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Massive budgetary difficulties are ahead, and next year's governor's election will just add to the problem.

Worse, she'll have to deal with radicalized legislators whose goal - more anti-cop legislation, higher taxes, more needless state spending, and bankrupting schemes like single-payer health care - would be terrible.

Per NY Post, Hochul's first order of business is to clean the office on the Second Floor of the Capitol, eliminating Cuomo supporters, particularly those related to his multiple scandals. However, she will need to put together her own trusted team from across the state administration.

Paterson led the state through the difficult recovery from the 2008 crisis; Hochul may have an even tougher task ahead of him. New Yorkers should send her their best wishes. The upstate native, who has been in office since 2015, has a lengthy background in state politics in New York.

Is Hochul related to Pelosi?

Hochul's name quickly became famous on social media for more than simply being New York's first female governor. A false story began to emerge that she was the stepsister of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. This rumor is completely false as Hochul and Pelosi are not stepsisters.

Thomas D'Alesandro III, Pelosi's late brother, is her sole sibling. Pelosi is the only female in her family who does not have any sisters or stepsisters. Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. and Annunciata "Nancy" D'Alesandro married in 1928 and stayed together until Thomas died in 1987. Pelosi couldn't have a stepsister since she had never had a stepmother, as per Snopes.

The new NY governor grew up as one of six children to parents Jack and Patricia Courtney, according to a 2011 New York Times profile on Hochul. Hochul, in other words, has no stepsisters since she doesn't have any stepparents.

This isn't the first time a false rumor has been spread to create a familial tie when none existed. Rep. Adam Schiff's sister, for example, is not married to George Soros' son, Chelsea Clinton is not married to Soros' nephew, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is not Soros' niece.

Related Article: NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Top Aide Resigns Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations; Ex-Colleagues Slam Her as "Evil Human Being"



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Two Wyoming Republican leaders last week said they no longer recognize Rep. Liz Cheney, R-WY, as a member of the GOP after she voted in favor of impeaching former President Donald Trump.

In a Thursday letter, Martin Kimmet, the chairman of the Park County Republicans, said he is rescinding recognition of Rep. Cheney over his frustration of her vote to impeach Trump.

The letter read that Cheney was no longer recognized as part of the official Republican Congressional Representative by the Park County Republican Party, as reported by Casper Star-Tribune.

Criticizing Republican Lawmaker

The letter was followed by a formal resolution from Carbon County Republicans, who voted in favor of denouncing the Wyoming lawmaker.

"Park County set up the ball, Carbon County spiked it," Joey Correnti, chairman of the Carbon County Republican Party, told the Star-Tribune. "And now other counties, I say by the end of the week you'll have at least three or four other counties that are having meetings that will pass a similar resolution."

Correnti revealed that at least one Republican from Uinta, Big Horn, Laramie and Weston have requested copies of the formal resolution.

The letter and the formal resolution comes after House Republicans voted to remove Cheney from her leadership position over her condemnation of Trump's false claims of widespread fraud during the 2020 election, according to Axios.

The night before she was removed from the House Republican leadership, Cheney took to the floor to debunk election claims. In her scathing six-minute speech, she blasted Trump for misleading millions of Americans.

She also blasted fellow Republicans for "remaining silent" and "emboldening the liar," noting that she refuses to do the same and watch the former president undermine the American democracy, as reported by USA Today.

Read Also: Cuomo Announces Formal Resignation Amid Sexual Harassment Claims; What Will Happen Next to the New York Governor?

Replacing the Republican

She was replaced by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-NY, who received support from former president Trump, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-CA, and Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-LA.

Rep. Cheney was one of the 10 Republicans who voted in support of impeaching Trump after he incited an insurrection in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The riot left the Capitol's hallways ransacked, with five people dead and about 140 injured.

During the casting of her vote, she accused the former president of causing "death and destruction" at the Capitol.

The other Republicans who voted in favor of impeaching Trump included Rep. John Katko, R-NY; Adam Kinzinger, R-IL; Fred Upton, R-MI; Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-WA; Dan Newhouse, R-WA; Anthony Gonzales, R-OH; Peter Meijer, R-MI; Tom Rice, R-SC; and David Valadao, R-CA.

"None of this would have happened without the president," she said, as reported by The New York Times. "There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution."

Despite the recent censures, Jeremy Adler, Cheney's spokesperson, said that she will still continue fighting for her state's residents, adding that she has not been blinded by loyalty to Trump, according to a statement given to The Hill Tuesday.



Related Article: Biden Administration Pushes Another Sanction on Defiant Belarus Dictator Lukashenko Regime

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Many social media users are sharing videos online that claim the Canadian province of Alberta imposed coronavirus restrictions in the region after it failed to prove the existence of COVID-19.

The rumors have been proven false after the office of the health minister of Alberta released a statement revealing that the lifting of public health measures did not have any relation to the case portrayed in the viral videos. Authorities have reported the continued spread of the coronavirus infection across nations worldwide, including Canada.

Coronavirus Pandemic a Hoax?

One of the uploaded videos showed a Canadian resident who was introduced as Patrick King being interviewed on a show called the "Stew Peters Show." The video was captioned with writing that said, "Patriot Patrick King represented himself in court after being fined $1,200 dollars for protesting against the COVID-Hoax, he slew the beast and emerged VICTORIOUS."

The video caption also noted that the individual issued a subpoena to the Provincial Health Minister as proof that the coronavirus did not exist. King noted they were forced to say that they had no evidence to prove their claims, Reuters reported.

The footage showed King saying he issued the subpoena against Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the chief medical officer of health (CMOH) for Alberta. The issuance allegedly came after the individual was given a ticket for violating COVID-19 restrictions.

Read Also: Cuomo Announces Formal Resignation Amid Sexual Harassment Claims; What Will Happen Next to the New York Governor?

In an analysis, it was found that King did not win the court case the video claims he did; but rather, he had to pay a fine for violating restrictions. Officials reassured that COVID-19 restrictions in Alberta were not lifted because of the case. Medical experts said the reason for the lifting of restrictions was due to high vaccination rates that made severe symptoms less likely.

The claim that COVID-19 is a hoax that the video is spreading is categorized as false and there are already more than 4.3 million people worldwide that have lost their lives to the disease. The lifting of Alberta's coronavirus restrictions is due to the high number of vaccinated individuals, reported to be 66.9% of residents as of August 10, 2021, Snopes reported.

Realizing Their Mistakes

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have doubted the existence of the virus that has already taken millions of lives worldwide. One of them, Alabama resident Curt Carpenter, believed that the coronavirus pandemic was just a hoax made by world governments.

Like him, his mother, Christy Carpenter, had reservations about the truth behind the COVID-19 vaccines. The mother said her son thought COVID-19 was not real and did not take the pandemic seriously. She noted her son's perspective changed when he started having difficulty breathing after contracting the virus.

On the day that Curt was put on ventilation, he told his family, "This is not a hoax, this is real." The 28-year-old son, who had autism, died on May 2 after fighting against the disease for two months in the hospital. Christy said that it took watching her son die to realize the severity and reality of the health crisis, Ledger-Enquirer reported.



Related Article: US Military Officials to Require Vaccination Among Staff by September 15

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A security alert was recently posted, saying that over 36 models of Wi-Fi home routers are under attack by botnet malware! People using any of the identified models are recommended to download their security fix immediately.

A first alert came from a researcher named Evan Grant, who found the flaw in a Buffalo-branded Wi-Fi router. He created a detailed blog post report, explaining that malicious actors can bypass the authentication process in the router and access pages that should have been restricted. The report was submitted to Buffalo, who responded and released a patch fix by April.

However, three unfortunate events happened afterward.

The security flaw, labeled as CVE-2021-20090, was discovered in many other Wi-Fi routers from different brands. Many malicious actors used Evan's report to activate and exploit the security weakness. Not all Wi-Fi routers have updated their firmware to fix the problem.

Botnet Malware Hacks Your Internet Router

The Carnegie Mellon University explained that CVE-2021-20090 is a vulnerability that allows unauthenticated users to access the firmware information and alter router configuration.

In highlight, hackers can steal your internet and plant botnet malware that would infect the routers. Victims might encounter a lot of spam and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) problems during the attack.

Read Also: Kindle Hack Can Delete All Your Books, Control Your Amazon Account: How to Download Update to Fix the Issue

List of WiFi Routers That Could Be Infected

Tom's Guide provided the full list of known Wi-Fi home routers with firmware vulnerabilities. Note that many of these are either bought from popular brands or provided by local internet service providers.

Quickly check if you own any of these Wi-Fi home router devices. The description should be found at the back or the bottom of your router.

ADB: ADSL wireless IAD router

Arcadyan: ARV7519

Arcadyan: VRV9517

Arcadyan: VGV7519

Arcadyan: VRV9518

ASMAX: BBR-4MG / SMC7908 ADSL

ASUS: DSL-AC88U (Arc VRV9517)

ASUS: DSL-AC87VG (Arc VRV9510)

ASUS: DSL-AC3100

ASUS: DSL-AC68VG

Beeline: Smart Box Flash

British Telecom: WE410443-SA

Buffalo: WSR-2533DHPL2

Buffalo: WSR-2533DHP3

Buffalo: BBR-4HG

Buffalo: BBR-4MG 2

Buffalo: WSR-3200AX4S

Buffalo: WSR-1166DHP2

Buffalo: WXR-5700AX7S

Deutsche Telekom: Speedport Smart 3

HughesNet: HT2000W

KPN: ExperiaBox V10A (Arcadyan VRV9517)

KPN: VGV7519

O2: HomeBox 6441

Orange: LiveBox Fibra (PRV3399)

Skinny: Smart Modem (Arcadyan VRV9517)

SparkNZ: Smart Modem (Arcadyan VRV9517)

Telecom (Argentina): Arcadyan VRV9518VAC23-A-OS-AM

TelMex: PRV33AC

TelMex: VRV7006

Telstra: Smart Modem Gen 2 (LH1000)

Telus: WiFi Hub (PRV65B444A-S-TS)

Telus: NH20A 1.00.10

Verizon: Fios G3100

Vodafone: EasyBox 904

Vodafone: EasyBox 903

Vodafone: EasyBox 802

How to Get WiFi Botnet Malware Fix

A modem firmware fix is only available through an update by its specific brand or manufacturer.

As previously mentioned, Buffalo provided a security patch fix for users to download and update their modem. The update should be available on their official website.

Asus notably provided occasionally firmware updates on their support page. It remains uncertain if they have added this latest security fix on the available update software.

Meanwhile, Verizon was recently warned about this security issue. Unfortunately, the technician and support page only provides the generic customer service response.

Users with other modem brands are recommended to contact their corresponding manufacturer to update their firmware against this latest security threat.



Related Article: Facebook Data Leak 2021: 7 Steps to Take If Your FB Account Is Hacked
Dogecoin has surged anew in recent days, reaching a peak of $0.272 on Sunday over a 24-hour period.

Two days after, however, it fell 2.8 percent to $0.254, Coindesk data revealed.

Currently, Dogecoin is pegged at $0.259 as of this time of writing over the last 24 hours. It jumped by 1.58 percent.

What does these figures show? The meme cryptocurrency's inherent characteristic: volatility, which it proved time and again over the year with highs of $0.71 to lows of $0.17.

Despite such radical price changes without any warning, making investments riskier, DOGE fans continue to show their support. Several people are unwilling to sell their favorite coin for the long term, owing to their deepest loyalty, dedication and faith to the "next currency of the Earth."

Read Also: Dogecoin Price Gets Big Boost After Crypto Crash, Thanks to 'Important' Elon Musk Tweet

Apart from having a "Dogefather" like Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Dogecoin is also supported by big name investors such as Dallas Mavericks owner and Shark Tank judge Mark Cuban. Celebrities such as Snoop Dogg and Gene Simmons are also big backers of the cryptocurrency. This gives the community added leverage in keeping their faith in the meme coin despite its rollercoaster price behavior, and in their belief that it could reach the heights of leading cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Dogecoin Shows Hint of Stability Amid Wide Volatility

But as experts note in a Daily Express Online report, it's more than just blind faith. In spite of obvious signs of volatility, Dogecoin has actually shown a measure of stability. According to University of Canada West lecturer Dr. Pooja Lekhi, Dogecoin is "retaining its value and is stable at around $0.20, even with a crushing blow such as China's ban on cryptocurrency mining."

The biggest boost to Dogecoin, Lekhi said, is its abundant supply, offering a much bigger value than Bitcoin--which is designed for limited availability. This showed its advantage over Bitcoin, having "10,000 coins mined every minute with no maximum supply."

It has also led to wider acceptance of the meme cryptocurrency, Lekhi added. Despite its wild ride this year, the once joke coin is a legit digital asset set for even more breakouts in the coming months. For the expert, Dogecoin is "no longer a joke and could be one of the leading cryptos in the upcoming years."

But of course, not all experts share the same view.

Dogecoin, due to this wild volatility, has made many observers think twice about giving the meme coin serious consideration.

Dogecoin Has 'No Real World Value Other Than Speculation'

Nebeus chief operating officer Michael Stroev emphasized that he does not see DOGE "heralding a shift in the cryptocurrency world or becoming a long-term and leading cryptocurrency." Stroev belittled Dogecoin, saying it has "no real world value other than speculation."

Dogecoin, Stroev added, should be treated as "a high-risk crypto option" and advised against investing in DOGE without accepting or understanding that "its value is precariously balanced."

The Motley Fool also underscored key flaws of Dogecoin, notably having lesser use cases, a lack of fundamental catalysts, limited development, and the disadvantage of its unlimited supply, which could lead a dilution of holdings.

Related Article: Dogecoin Price Prediction: Senator Warns Potential Danger of Meme Coin for 'Regular People'




By Kwak Yeon-soo







Actors Shin Hyun-been and Koo Kyo-hwan have joined the cast of the supernatural thriller series, "Monstrous" (working title), local online streaming service Tving said Monday.







Directed by Jang Kun-jae, best known for his film, "A Midsummer's Fantasia" (2014), the "Monstrous" series tells the story of a small village that has been taken over by the power of a mysterious curse, and of an archaeologist who tries to uncover the truth behind this paranormal phenomenon.







It depicts the story of people who are deceived by the curse of "it," which should not have appeared in the world, and an archaeologist who pursues an unprecedented bizarre incident.







In a village swept away by disaster, the chaos of people facing a strange horror and the process of chasing it will create a lot of tension.







Yeon Sang-ho, who crafted the "K-zombie" universe through directing the blockbusters, "Train to Busan" (2016) and "Peninsula" (2020), wrote the script with Ryu Yong-jae, who previously penned Netflix's fantasy romance drama, "My Holo Love" (2020).







Shin, who rose to fame through her role in tvN's drama, "Hospital Playlist," will play genius code-breaker Soo-jin, who experiences strange things after returning to Jinyang County following her daughter's death.







Koo, who has left strong impression on viewers through his roles in "Peninsula" and "Mogadishu" (2021), will play Soo-jin's ex-husband, Ki-hoon, an eccentric archaeologist who studies supernatural events.







In addition, actor Kim Ji-young will star as hard-working, charismatic police officer Seok-hee, while Park Ho-san will appear as Jong-soo, the head of Jinyang County.







Kwak Dong-yeon will take on the role of the village's troublemaker, Yong-joo, while Nam Da-reum will play Do-kyung, the only person who keeps his good faith, despite the unfortunate events that follow.







"Monstrous" will stream exclusively on Tving in the first half of 2022.


Financial Services Commission (FSC) Chairman Eun Sung-soo speaks during a meeting with the Korea Federation of Banks (KFB) held in central Seoul, Wednesday. In cooperation with the KFB, the financial regulator is set to announce a series of measures to alleviate local merchants suffering from worsening credit due to the COVID-10 pandemic. Courtesy of FSC


Trade secret of core tech firms crucial national interest amid US-China IP hegemonic war



By Lee Kyung-min



Amid the continued shortage of memory chips, more countries are rushing to manufacture components vital to electric vehicles (EVs) and COVID-19 vaccines, as these components are being treated as "a matter of national security."



South Korea's competitiveness lies in manufacturing as the country is the home to the world's top two memory chipmakers  Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Also, LG Energy Solution (LGES) is a top-tier EV battery manufacturer, followed by Samsung SDI and SK Innovation (SKI). Plus, President Moon Jae-in is hoping the country will become the global leader in COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing, as Samsung Biologics is set to produce Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine at its plant in Incheon.



The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the government are seeking to legislate a plan prohibiting the sales of semiconductor, vaccine or battery firms without prior government approval, in an effort to prevent the trade secrets of core growth driver industries from falling into the wrong hands.



The moves come after the United States recently passed a bill that includes the establishment of funding that could be as high as $52 billion to back up semiconductor research, design and manufacturing initiatives. The EU has also established funding to expand European semiconductor manufacturing.



A number of attempts by China aimed at recruiting IT experts in these designated areas have failed. The country's intelligence agency is known to keep tabs on experts in specific fields amid an intensifying hegemonic war with the U.S. over intellectual property.







Recent National Intelligence Service (NIS) data showed 111 incidents of attempted industrial technology leaks from January 2016 to June this year, as cited by a local newspaper. This would have translated to over 21 trillion won ($18.1 billion) in losses, with factors including R&D costs and sales losses. Of them, 35 concerned major technologies directly related to national security and the economy.



Of the total 111, 66 incidents occurred at small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs), pointing to their vulnerability due to lax corporate security and workforce management. This was followed by 36 incidents at large companies, eight at universities and research institutes and one at a state-run institution.



"Trade secret leakage methods are advancing rapidly, with an increasing number of Korean companies left vulnerable and the critical national interest being compromised. Measures are needed to prevent leakages at small players," an industry watcher said.



A special committee on semiconductor technology under the DPK is seeking to introduce an amendment to a bill to prohibit those who hold what the government considers "core technology" from selling their firms or technologies without the approval of the trade minister.



Also subject to the minister's approval would be corporate mergers and acquisitions involving foreign firms and investments from overseas.



Behind the rationale is the notion that the government's deep involvement is a plus factor in terms of alleviating some of the supply shortage pressures, because only a few global companies dominate the supply chains. That means South Korea could be well-positioned to enjoy a "competitive edge" to raise prices given its strengths in manufacturing.



Harsh penalties



The government and the DPK plan to establish harsh penalties for violation of contractual non-compete clauses, which are a type of clause that restricts an individual's ability to work in a particular industry for a period of time after ending one engagement. It is to protect employers from departing employees who may unfairly use what they have learned at their previous job to compete against their former employers.



This is to establish a legal basis for penalizing employees in the semiconductor and battery industries, most of whom have thus far been able to nullify such contracts following court decisions that found for them on constitutional grounds that guarantee freedom of employment.



The amendment will include ways to impose harsher penalties on those who leak trade secrets.



Under the law governing industrial technology protection, trade secret leakage is a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison. However, only three cases of convictions leading to a prison term were seen between 2017 and 2019, due to Supreme Court sentencing guidelines, whereby those who have not realized profit and first-time offenders are sentenced to between 10 months and a year and a half in prison, are seen as grounds for a suspended sentence.



The DPK plans to work out the specifics by Aug. 31 before seeking to have the bill passed at a regular session of the National Assembly in September.


The National Museum of Korea's special exhibition, "A Great Cultural Legacy: Masterpieces from the Bequest of the Late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee" / Courtesy of NMK



By Park Han-sol



The late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee's art trove, which recently revealed itself before the eyes of the public at the National Museum of Korea (NMK), will also be livestreamed for remote view via the Naver TV platform, Thursday at 7 p.m. (KST).



Since late last month, the special exhibition, "A Great Cultural Legacy: Masterpieces From the Bequest of the Late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee," has showcased 77 pieces, among which are 28 national or government-designated treasures, spanning from the early Bronze age to the late Joseon era.



The pieces on display  paintings, metal art, earthenware, porcelain, bibliographic materials, calligraphy and wooden furniture  have been carefully selected from the more than 21,600 pieces that Lee amassed over his lifetime and subsequently donated to the museum in April.



But the toughest social distancing measures of Level 4, which are currently in effect in Seoul due to the alarming increase in COVID-19 cases, led the museum to accept only visitors who made advance reservations online through its website. Even those limited slots were booked quickly as early as the opening day, with no tickets currently available until the end of this month.



The livestreamed event on Thursday aims to provide the audience with a chance to witness the collection up close, albeit virtually.



The NMK curator Lee Su-kyung and broadcaster Jin Yang-hye will be the main hosts of the show, and any questions from the audience will be answered in real time by the museum's other curators. The video will also be available for view after the livestream session on the museum's Naver TV channel.



The exhibition runs through Sept. 26 at the National Museum of Korea.




Barricades set up in front of a bridge in the border town of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, which leads to the truce village of Panmunjeom inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, are seen in this photo taken Aug. 11 shows. Yonhap



Pyongyang may opt for military action without US concessions



By Kang Seung-woo



A series of threats by North Korea regarding combined military exercises run by South Korea and the United States could lead to Pyongyang scrapping an inter-Korean military pact and demolishing South Korean facilities at the Mount Geumgang tourist resort, as a means to extract more concessions from Washington, according to diplomatic observers here.



On Wednesday, Kim Yong-chol, head of the United Front Department handling inter-Korean affairs, issued a statement warning that the North will make the South and the U.S. regret their decision to hold the joint drills and they will face a "serious security crisis" due to the "wrong choice."





Kim Yong-chol, head of North Korea's United Front Department / Yonhap
Lee Pil-soo, head of the Korea Medical Association, donates blood in a Korea Red Cross blood donation bus located in front of the association's office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday. The donation campaign aims to tackle the blood shortage in hospitals following a decreasing number of people donating blood amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Yonhap
A statue symbolizing "comfort women" in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul / Korea Times file





A South Korean civic group advocating for Korean victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery hosted an international solidarity meeting in Seoul on Wednesday to mark the 30th anniversary of a local victim's first public testimony about her horrific ordeal at the hands of Japan's imperial troops.







The international meeting doubled as the 1,504th weekly Wednesday rally of former Korean sex slaves, euphemistically called comfort women, and their supporters organized in front of the Japanese Embassy by the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, or Korean Council.







On Aug. 14, 1991, the late Kim Hak-sun, a former comfort woman, publicly testified for the first time about Japan operating an organized military brothel program during World War II. The Asian Solidarity Conference, a global gathering of sex slavery victims, has celebrated Aug. 14 as the International Memorial Day for Comfort Women since 2012.







According to historians, up to 200,000 women, mostly Koreans, were coerced into sexual servitude in front-line Japanese brothels when the Korean Peninsula was a Japanese colony.







Lee Na-young, president of the Korean Council, said at the meeting that this Saturday marks the 30th anniversary of Kim's landmark testimony but the Japanese government still denies responsibility and insults the victims.







"Kim Hak-sun demanded historical truth and victims at home and abroad have responded. As a result, sexual violence has become a universal human rights issue and international legal principles regarding wartime sexual violence have been established," said Lee, vowing to persistently demand repeated apologies from the Japanese government.







Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Kim's testimony, the Korean Council also plans to hold an international symposium on Friday and a talk concert and a cultural festival, both on Saturday. (Yonhap)


Lee Dong-woo, an official from the National Revolutionary Party, a conservative Christian party, speaks during a press conference in central Seoul, Tuesday, announcing plans to hold a rally this Liberation Day, Aug. 15. Yonhap



By Jun Ji-hye



Thirty-eight organizations, including an anti-President Moon Jae-in group led by conservative pastor Jun Kwang-hoon, have reported to police their plans for rallies in Seoul during the upcoming National Liberation Day long weekend, from Aug. 14 to 16, despite mounting concerns over the ongoing fourth wave of COVID-19 infections here.



The Seoul Metropolitan Government and police urged those organizations to cancel their plans, defining them as illegal gatherings banned under the social distancing measures, and warned of stern actions against not only the leaders but also any participants of the rallies.



Concerns over the spread of the virus are intensifying, as the country's daily new caseload reached a new record of 2,223 on Wednesday, the highest number of new cases reported during the pandemic here so far.



The National Revolutionary Party, a conservative Christian party led by Jun, the lead pastor of Sarang Jeil Church, announced its plan to hold a large-scale relay rally, participated in by "10 million people," on the occasion of Liberation Day, "to call for the impeachment of President Moon."



Jun has already become the target of criticism after leading a massive anti-government rally during last year's Aug. 15 holiday. At the time, Jun himself was infected with the virus, and the rally became a catalyst for the second wave of infections here.





Pastor Jun Kwang-hoon / Yonhap
People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok / Yonhap



The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) saw its membership expand by nearly 30 percent over the past two months in the run-up to next year's presidential election.



"During the two months alone since the inauguration of party chief Lee Jun-seok (in the party convention on June 11), over 110,000 supporters newly joined PPP as members," a key party official told Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.



The entry of ex-Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl into the party last month also drove up the expansion, the official said.



According to party sources, 90,000 of the new members joined the party as a "duty member," who has the right to take part in the party's decision-making processes, pushing up the total number of the PPP's duty members by over 30 percent to 370,000.



The sharp increase is widely seen as reflecting the keen public attention the PPP has garnered with its landslide victories in the April Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections, and the sensational election of Lee, the youngest-ever leader of a mainstream political party in South Korea's modern political history.



Many see the demographic change in the party's membership heavily influencing the PPP's ongoing primary race to pick its single candidate to run in the March 9 presidential election. Votes by party members will count for 30 percent of the result of the PPP's second round of the primary election and 50 percent of the final third round.



Winning support from party members is, therefore, expected to be one of the major determinants of the success or failure of leading opposition presidential hopeful Yoon's bid.



"Whether Yoon will be (strong) enough to be able to claim the presidency will determine support from the PPP's party members," a PPP official said on condition of anonymity. (Yonhap)


Justice Minister Park Beom-gye, right, attends an unveiling event for the signboard of the Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) Center at Gimpo International Airport, Wednesday. The justice ministry will launch K-ETA, an entry system for people from countries that are eligible to enter Korea without a visa, in September, following a pilot program that started in May. Yonhap
Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, a presidential hopeful of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday, presenting his housing policy promise to provide a total of 2.8 million homes. Yonhap



By Jung Da-min



Presidential contenders have come up with various ideas to increase the housing supply and prevent further price escalation.



The most sensational among them so far is former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun's plan to build apartments on top of school buildings, a plan which is drawing huge attention  mostly mockery and sarcasm.



Chung, a presidential hopeful of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), announced the plan to redevelop old schools and turn them into residential-school complexes.



"On the sites of public schools, we could erect a building where the first to fifth floors are used as a school and the sixth and above floors as residential spaces so that parents and students can live there while the children attend the school," Chung said during a press conference at the National Assembly, Tuesday.



Through this plan, he pledged to provide 200,000 homes in Seoul alone, as a part of his promise to provide 2.8 million homes nationwide through various projects in both the public and private sectors during his term if he is elected president next March.





A computer image of "an apartment on top of a school," a housing policy idea presented by ruling Democratic Party of Korea presidential hopeful Chung Sye-kyun / Captured from internet
President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with his secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Yonhap



President criticized for passing responsibility to justice minister



By Nam Hyun-woo



Calls are growing for President Moon Jae-in to explain the rationale behind Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong's parole from prison, with civic groups and progressive politicians questioning the fairness of the decision.



Cheong Wa Dae has been keeping silent on the issue, despite reporters' continued requests for comment since Monday when the Ministry of Justice announced it would parole the Samsung chief.



"Cheong Wa Dae has no specific stance on Lee's parole, and we have no comment about the decision-making process between the justice ministry and presidential office," an official said on condition of anonymity.



On Monday, the ministry's nine-member parole commission approved Lee's release, which Justice Minister Park Beom-kye later confirmed. Following this, Lee will be released from prison Friday, after serving slightly over 60 percent of his sentence. It is rare for a convict who fulfills such a portion of their term to be paroled.



Lee, the head of Korea's largest conglomerate, has been in prison since January after a guilty verdict was confirmed on charges of bribery and embezzlement involving impeached and jailed former President Park Geun-hye.



Initially, there was speculation that Moon would grant a presidential pardon for Lee, in response to the domestic business community's calls for his release citing Lee's importance in directing Samsung's future investments, which it claimed would help the country's economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.



However, Cheong Wa Dae pursued an alternative method of releasing him on parole, with officials at the presidential office saying "the issue should be a decision of the ministry's parole commission." This was seen as a highly political decision, distancing Moon and the presidential office from political pressure regarding the issue.



However, criticism has arisen that Cheong Wa Dae is dodging its responsibility over Lee's release, given the decision-making process of the parole commission and the importance of the issue.



Four of the nine members of the commission are ranking justice ministry officials, including a vice justice minister and the Korea Correctional Services commissioner. The others are a high court judge, lawyers and law professors.



Given this structure, the justice ministry is the single largest entity that can influence the commission, thus enabling critics to claim the responsibility goes to the justice minister and the President.





Rep. Sim Sang-jung of the Justice Party stages a rally denouncing Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong's release on parole in front of the Government Complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, where the Ministry of Justice is located, Monday. Joint Press Corps




A woman passes by the British Embassy in Berlin in this 2016 file photo. AFP-Yonhap




Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong will be required to abide by parole conditions after he is released later this week, the justice ministry said Wednesday.







Under the relevant law, he should report to the parole office in advance if he plans to move his residence or leave the country for more than a month, among other things.







The ministry can exempt certain parolees from those conditions, such as severely ill or senior inmates, but Lee is not eligible for the exemptions, the ministry said.







The vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co. was granted parole earlier this week by the ministry's parole committee and is set to be released Friday.







The ministry said it considered "the country's economic situation and the conditions of the global economy amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic" as well as "social sentiment, and (the prisoner's) behavior and attitude" as factors behind the decision.







Samsung's de facto leader has been serving time since he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison on Jan. 18 over a bribery case involving former President Park Geun-hye.







He was convicted of bribing Park and her longtime friend to win government support for a smooth father-to-son transfer of managerial power at the conglomerate. (Yonhap)






By Adam Borowski





The misogynistic attacks on An San totally surprised me. As an outsider who has never been to Korea, I can't understand the absurd logic behind them. Surely An San's hair length is infinitely less important than her Olympic achievements? Could the short hair controversy be just an excuse? Short hair doesn't make her a man. Many men feel emasculated because they don't make enough money. Is it possible that mandatory military service for Korean men is another reason for these misogynistic attacks? After all, Korean women aren't forced to serve in the military. An San is a convenient target for hatred because she is a famous, successful archer. Her stellar accomplishments make her misogynist haters feel inferior and emasculated. Hatred is the coward's revenge for being intimidated.



Misogyny runs rampant across the world, not just in Korea. There's a worrying global trend of women's rights being violated. Case in point, the Polish education minister wants to turn Poland into the land of womanly virtues. Yes, you read that right. What are the womanly virtues? Patience, selflessness, self-giving, tenderness and politeness. When I think of womanly virtues, I immediately imagine Joan of Arc. At first, the Poles thought it's just a joke, yet another absurd idea put forward by the ruling party to test people's reactions. If things get heated, the ruling party can always say the idea has never been seriously considered. Well, not this time. This time, the Polish government isn't backing down.



Starting in September 2021, the womanly virtues will be taught in Polish schools. I'm still hoping it's a bad dream. I'm still hoping Polish parents will intervene and stop this insanity. How long is this social experiment going to last? Will a generation of Polish girls be brainwashed beyond repair? I feel as though I have unknowingly ended up in an absurd alternate reality.



Clearly, the government here in Poland wants a new generation of Polish mothers. Who is a ''Polish mother''? She is the bearer of culture who is supposed to be both a leader and a nurturer. An assertive woman who gets things done and a lady who lets a man kiss her hand. Clearly, the social role of the Polish mother is fraught with contradictions. Poland is no longer a staunchly Catholic country. The Polish Catholic Church has been rocked by scandals. In fact, the power of the Church is eroding globally. Polish pro-choice protests have shown the world how brave and organized Polish women are. Some protesting women enjoyed dropping ''F-bombs,'' much to the dismay of the Catholic Church. As the Polish women say: ''Good girls no more.'' The Polish government needs to tread carefully; Polish women are a force to be reckoned with.



In light of all that's going on in the world these days, complaining about the archer's short hair is entitled, petty and pointless. Climate change. Coronavirus variants. Food shortages. Refugee crises. Terrorism. These are the critical issues facing us today. South Korea is an important player on the world stage, not a theocratic regime. Korea, please don't weaken your impressive international standing. Billions of people admire your economic and cultural success. The ''short hair controversy'' is so absurd that it sounds like the psychological warfare waged by North Korea.



Wait. Am I onto something?





Adam Borowski (adam.borowski1985@gmail.com) is a technical Polish-English translator, a newly minted K-drama fan and international relations enthusiast. He has honed his translation skills at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
By Ricardo Hausmann





CAMBRIDGE  Mark Twain purportedly said that "History never repeats itself, but it rhymes." Typically, however, what rhymes is not the underlying historical facts but the narratives we construct around them. The stories we tell about the world repeat some basic ideas that may not necessarily be true. But we like to believe that they are because they make the world more intelligible and morally certain.







The standard education of economists is a case in point. Beyond individual theories, the profession possesses a long list of rhymes. We recognize their meter and can guess when and how they end, because we know the previous stanzas and also know that the next phrase needs to rhyme with them.







Consider Adam Smith's invisible hand, according to which we get our dinner from the butcher and the brewer because of their self-interest, not their generosity. The market can turn their private vices into public virtue. So, greed may not always be bad.







Conversely, good intentions may sometimes pave the way to hell, which is why many economists argue the world needs the kind of tough love that people dislike in the short run but is good for them in the longer term. Specifically, competition allows the more able to triumph over the less able, thus "freeing resources" that the winners can put to better use. On this view, any attempt to prevent competition from doing its thing  such as a garment industry fighting cheaper Chinese products, farmers opposing food imports, or taxi drivers protesting against Uber  will inevitably make people poorer.







For example, attempting to ensure that everybody has a minimum amount of land to live on would inevitably be inefficient. Not all farmers have the same ability, and the world will be better off if the more successful ones get more land and the less productive find other jobs. Likewise, economists commonly regard the plethora of small businesses in much of the developing world as a consequence of  you guessed it  insufficient competition. If competition was tougher, all these small, inefficient firms would fold, and their owners or employees would get jobs with better, larger companies.







The reason why this does not happen automatically, through the market's invisible hand, is that some people are up to no good. They seek protection instead of competition, rents rather than productivity, and privilege rather than a level playing field. Economists are called on to confront these interest groups for the purpose of protecting the common good. After all, there is nothing like a bit of moral certitude to underpin righteousness and strengthen the ethical spine of tough lovers.







This, in short, is the story told by, among others, the Nobel laureate economist Edward Prescott and Stephen Parente, as well as many of their students. The narratives are repeated so frequently that many economists simply sing along to the rhyme, even though life may be somewhat more complicated.







At the core of many of these narratives is the assumption that people and firms are heterogeneous: Some are more capable than others. But this heterogeneity is taken to be exogenous, or somehow determined outside the story. The invisible hand's task is thus to improve the allocation of resources by putting more of them  including land, labor, and capital  under the control of the more capable. That way, resources will go to those able to generate the biggest return, and the world will be richer as a result.







It is easy to see how a slight change to the story may introduce dissonance and break the rhyme and moral certitude. First, what if heterogeneity was not so exogenous? Maybe some people are more capable today because they have had access to better education, acquired more experience, or benefited from higher-quality infrastructure.







Providing laggards with the same opportunities may improve their performance, too, and make countries better off as a result of higher and broader-based productivity. But this would require investment in backward regions, enough time for people to become more productive through experience, and possibly even assistance in adopting and adapting technology. In short, it would require love that is tender, not tough.







Second, what if capital and labor are not so mobile? Maybe the capital that needs to be reallocated is tied up in land or factories, and cannot be moved. Or maybe people in the area speak a different language, which they value, and are embedded in a complex web of local social relations that makes it difficult for them to move.







Wiping them out of the market through competition, far from improving resource allocation, may actually worsen it. Farmers, for example, would lose their sunk investments and become unemployed, wasting both capital and labor. A better policy would help improve these people's access to technology and markets. But this, too, calls for tenderness, not tough love.







East Asia's successful agrarian reforms did not simply permit resources to flow a priori to more capable people, but instead empowered farmers with land, credit, and infrastructure, as well as access to inputs, markets, and extension services. And as digitization efforts such as Colombia's Fabricas de Productividad have shown, helping firms in other sectors adopt and adapt technology can enhance their prospects.







Tough economic love definitely has a place in today's world. But economists may currently be overusing this default rhyme, attributing to a lack of discipline outcomes that may instead result from insufficient solidarity and concern. If they are not careful, their unconditional love for tough love will often end in useless and avoidable tears.









Ricardo Hausmann, a former minister of planning of Venezuela and former chief economist at the Inter-American Development Bank, is a professor at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government and director of the Harvard Growth Lab. This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (




Complaints over poor 5G network connectivity must be heeded



Korea's three major mobile telecommunications carriers have reported upbeat second-quarter earnings on the back of a continued rise in 5G network subscribers. The good results must have come as welcome news to them, but experts caution they should pay heed to the rising complaints over the poor quality of their 5G services.



In an earnings report Tuesday, KT said that it reaped an operating profit of 475.8 billion won ($413 million) from April to June on a consolidated basis, up 38.5 percent from the previous year. The telecom giant's sales for the period rose 2.6 percent to 6.03 trillion won.



Earlier, LG Uplus said its operating profit rose 12 percent to 268.4 billion won in the second quarter, buoyed by handsome gains in 5G subscriptions. The company's sales increased 2.2 percent to 3.34 trillion won.



Top carrier SK Telecom's second-quarter operating profit is estimated to reach 405 billion won, up 12.6 percent from a year ago, on sales of 4.83 trillion won, up 5 percent.



The three companies deserve praise for their focus on new businesses such as artificial intelligence and smart factories, as well as 5G networks. There is no doubt that increased demand for contactless services, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, has contributed to boosting their quarterly earnings.



However, now is no time for complacency. Consumers, in particular, are asking them to pay attention to corporate social responsibility in maintaining their growth momentum. While it's true that the number of 5G subscribers continues to grow, the three carriers are under fire for being less active in expanding the 5G networks. In fact, hundreds of customers filed a class-action lawsuit against them in June seeking compensation for poor network connectivity.



The Fair Trade Commission is also scrutinizing the carriers over their alleged false and exaggerated 5G advertisements. Customers want them to introduce innovative technologies and upscale services, otherwise, they will be shunned, and their growth not guaranteed. Hopefully, the carriers will inject fresh vigor into our tech industry by continuing to improve their performance.


Bolder global action needed to achieve carbon neutrality



World scientists studying climate change released a report recently, assessing that the Earth's temperature will likely rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius within 20 years compared to the pre-industrialization period (1850-1900). "The global surface temperature will continue to increase under all emissions scenarios considered," according to the sixth assessment report from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Monday.



"Global warming of 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees will be exceeded during the 21st century unless deep reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions occur in the coming decades," said the IPCC report, based on 14,000 papers and journals compiled by 234 scientists from 66 countries.



The report is reliable as a result of the "collective intelligence" of international scientists utilizing state-of-the-art information and technology. The report elaborates numerous statistics about a looming climate crisis, describing consistently "bleak and desperate" situations facing the planet and humankind.



The report says the surface temperature will go up by 1.5 degrees from 2021 to 2040, though it presented this as the 2030-52 period in a 2018 report, which means the climate time has begun ticking away 12 years earlier than previously estimated. The 2015 Paris Agreement called for restricting the temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees to cope with the climate crisis. Scientists have warned that humans may face an irreversible catastrophe unless they can curb the temperature increase to under that level.



According to the report, the likely range of total human-caused global surface temperature increase from 1850-1900 to 2010-2019 is 0.8 degrees to 1.3 degrees, with a best estimate of 1.07 degrees Celsius. It also noted it is likely that well-mixed greenhouse gases contributed a warming of 1 degree to 2 degrees. What matters is that the gases are accumulated in the atmosphere once they are emitted despite efforts to reduce emissions.



All these show that we desperately need to curtail carbon emissions effectively and realize reduction targets at the earliest date possible. Despite such a dire need to tackle the climate crisis, the Moon Jae-in administration and Korean corporations have largely failed to take proper measures.



For instance, the Presidential Committee on Carbon Neutrality came up with three options for reducing carbon emissions. Yet, the panel took flak as the first two options fell short of realizing the net-zero goal by the target year of 2050. And the third option failed to specify the target year for the termination of coal-powered plants.



Seoul is likely to face growing pressure to drastically increase its emissions reduction target in the forthcoming 26th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) scheduled for November. Carbon neutrality is necessary to ensure our sustainability. The Moon administration should take bolder climate action before it is too late.


Samsung Electronics' headquarters in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics



By Baek Byung-yeul



In an apparent move to improve its compliance policy, Samsung Electronics has widened its scope of bidding for in-company food services currently provided by one of its affiliates.



The decision came after its in-company compliance committee recommended the group expand the openness of in-company cafeterias to outside food service providers. In June 2020, the committee advised Samsung Electronics and other affiliates to avoid private contracts when choosing meal service providers and to conduct competitive bidding to improve transparency in operations of the group.



In a statement released Wednesday, Samsung Electronics said it had requested bids for six in-company cafeterias, including in Suwon, Gwangju, Gumi and other locations across the country, following the opening of two in-house cafeterias in the first half of the year.



The bidding process is open to small- and medium-sized food service providers in an effort to achieve mutual growth.



"The primary target in the bidding is small- and medium-sized food service companies in sync with the company's moves toward a balanced growth strategy with our contractors. Additional points will be given to companies in areas where their services will be required," the company said.



In June, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) fined five Samsung affiliates 234.9 billion ($203.2 million) for unfair business practices regarding in-company cafeterias. The fine was the largest imposed for unfair "business support." Samsung Electronics, the crown jewel of the group, was specifically fined 111.2 billion won, the largest ever for a single company here.



At that time, the KFTC said Samsung Electronics and other affiliates unfairly supported Samsung Welstory to allow the group's food service affiliate to report sizable earnings.



Samsung Welstory is a wholly owned affiliate of Samsung C&T, the group's holding company in which Samsung leader Lee Jae-yong has the largest share. The FTC didn't acknowledge the allegation that the unfair business transaction between Samsung Welstory and other Samsung affiliates was directly involved with the management succession for Lee.



Regarding the fine, Samsung Electronics said, "there was no unfair support order and what management said at the time was provide the best meals, improve the quality of the meals and make sure there are no complaints from employees.'"



Since then, Samsung Electronics' two in-company cafeterias in Suwon and Giheung have been run by an outside food services provider that was chosen through a competitive bidding process. The company said it will continue to seek outside companies to run its in-company restaurants.






Telecom firm aims for new investment entity to achieve net worth of 75 trillion won in 2025



By Kim Bo-eun







SK Telecom (SKT) said Wednesday that it executed its first quarterly dividend payouts in the second quarter, on the back of competitive earnings and stable cash flows.



SKT, the country's top mobile carrier, said it will determine the total dividend payouts for the year within a range of 30 percent to 40 percent of its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), minus capital expenditures.



"This is the dividend policy of SKT, the existing entity, following its being split into two entities. The dividend payout policy of the new entity will be decided based on the board's discussions after its launch," SKT said in a statement.



A dividend of 2,500 won per ordinary share (ORDs) was paid to investors holding SKT stocks as of June 30, by Wednesday. The total amount of dividend payouts is 177.9 billion won.



This is the first time that SKT has paid quarterly dividends to shareholders. SKT paid a total of 10,000 won in dividends per ORDs on an annual basis, but this total has been divided into payouts over quarters throughout the year.



"We will continue our growth in new information and communication technology (ICT), as well as in the mobile communication sector, and continue to find growth engines in new sectors," SKT CFO Yoon Poong-young was cited as saying in a press release. "We will prepare thoroughly so that the spin-off serves as a starting point for both the existing and new entity to continue growth."



The new entity, launching in October, will be a firm investing in semiconductors, platforms and innovative technologies. SKT aims for the net worth of the company to reach 75 trillion won by 2025. The firm's current net worth is 26 trillion won.



Meanwhile, SKT as the existing firm will continue to search for new growth engines in subscription services, the metaverse and enterprise sectors, based on its core businesses for 5G and home media.



Following a board decision about the spinoff reached in June, SKT is set to be split into (1) an existing entity that will focus on telecommunications, AI and digital infrastructure, and (2) a new investment firm specializing in the sectors of semiconductors and ICT. The new structure will be finalized at a shareholders' meeting on Oct. 12.



During the most recent quarter, SKT reported 4.82 trillion won in sales and an operating profit of 396.6 billion won, increases of 4.7 percent and 10.8 percent, respectively, year-on-year. It saw sales from new businesses in ICT grow by more than 10 percent year-on-year. The earnings of new businesses in ICT have continued to grow by two digits for five consecutive quarters, since the second quarter of last year.



The revenue created by new businesses in ICT now accounts for 31 percent to 32 percent of SKT's total revenue. New businesses include IPTV and OTT services in media, security, commerce and mobility.


McDonald's Korea employees serve BTS meal sets at a restaurant in Seoul on May 27. Korea Times file



'McDonald's Korea did not use expired buns:' food and drug safety ministry



By Kim Jae-heun





McDonald's Korea's Managing Director Antoni Martinez / Courtesy of McDonald's Korea


Computer: DB Global Technology, Inc. seeks Assistant Vice President, in Cary, NC to coordinate CB Liquidity app migrations from the current hosting platforms to Google cloud platform (incl full apps re-architecting). Reqs a Masters in Comp Info Systs, or rel. field or equiv & 3 yrs of exp creating fully automated release procedures to manage app code builds & lifecycle w/ NPM, Maven, Gradle & helm frameworks. Prior exp must incl 3 yrs of exp dvlping apps infrastructure & architecture diagrams; dvlping a high-functioning data analytics/reporting platform for clients by collaborating w/ bus. managers, analysts, dvlpers, UX/UI engineers; analyzing global governance, compliance & audit reqts to make apps SDLC & release cycle fully compliant; customizing apps to analyze, refine & track reqts in Jira syst.; analyzing corporate strategies & organizational structure, global bus. policies & procedures to perform advanced data mining & conducting high level analysis of the bus. to generate new sales insights & enable informed strategies; &, in executing duties, utilizing Artictory, BitBucket, SVN, Sonar, Confluence, Jira, SDLC Platform, LDAP, WebSSO, EIDP, OpenShift, Kubernetes, TeamCity, Jenkins, Prometheus, Grafana, Geneos, Splunk, Powershell, Unix & Oracle. Apply to https://www.db.com/careers/en/prof/role-search.html & search by profls, keyword RS5584232.

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Description

Residential Coordinator Community Living, Fredericks largest provider of homes throughout the community for persons with developmental disabilities, is seeking a full time Residential Coordinator. This is a supervisory position. B.S. in a human services field preferred, will substitute experience working with the ID/DD population. Understanding of DDA regulations a plus. Applicants should have a valid drivers license with no more than 2 points. Community Living 620B Research Drive Frederick, MD 21703 Phone: (301) 663-8811 Fax: (301) 663-7786 Email: kimd@clifrederick.org EOE M/F/D/V

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Requirements

None






Capital Planning Team Lead Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino) , California , United States Software and Services Summary

Posted: Aug 9, 2021 Role Number: 200274026 Imagine what you could do here! At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there's no telling what you might accomplish! We are searching for an energetic, creative, and hands-on Capital Planning Team Lead to join our team. Do you wish to be challenged to think creatively? Are you ready to be part of a team that makes a difference? This team within Apple's Information Systems & Technology (IS&T) Governance & Planning organization is responsible for leading the annual IS&T Capital Planning cycle, and managing the underlying processes which govern how information systems projects across Apple are defined, scoped, budgeted, proposed, approved, and tracked. Key Qualifications Knowledge of and demonstrated experience in Capital Planning activities related to IT projects

Hands-on experience with IT project management, including definition of, and management of scope / requirements, workplan, timeline, schedule, deliverables, budget, resourcing, issues, and risks

Competence working with software vendors to define and implement improvements to their products

Competence with IT application management, specifically with respect to defining a vision and roadmap for an application, and working with technical and business partners to achieve them

Comfortable analyzing and manipulating large data sets - especially financial - and producing qualitative and quantitative summaries and reports

Basic understanding of IT application technical architecture and application architecture concepts

Experience with system interface and API concepts (i.e., terminology, functional and technical concepts, data modeling, etc.)

Direct the delivery of - and when necessary, create - communication and end-user training materials

Comfortable managing a diverse team

Ability to analyze and seamlessly shuffle a team's workload and deliverables while maintaining focus on quality

Acquire knowledge of, and continually improve, business processes

Effective communicator - both oral and written - to all levels of the organization

Facilitation and negotiation skills in working with application development teams

Strong business acumen, customer focus, and keen attention to minute details Description This team is the functional / business owner of the Capital Planning process and the information system toolset for these activities. In addition, we are a key contributor in IS&T's Procure-to-Pay (P2P) process and Service-based Cost analysis. We work closely with other groups to identify gaps and improvement areas across these processes and supporting information systems and then address them. The highest levels of Apple's executive leadership utilize the information created and managed by our team for key investment and operating decisions. In the Team Lead role, you will have several duties. You will learn our business process, gaining an in-depth understanding of the activities, workflow, and deliverables. As the process expert, you will work with personnel across the business units and within IS&T to both execute and enhance the process. In addition, you will Innovate, discover and create solutions for complex issues - technical, functional, and business process. You will also be the functional owner for the Capital Planning application, which entails mastering the system's capabilities and underlying data. You will collaborate with business partners, development teams, and software vendors on toolset and process enhancements. You will also have responsibility for personnel leadership and management of the Capital Planning Team by managing the work, assignments, and priorities of employee and contractor resources. For employees, you will provide performance feedback and career advice. Education & Experience Bachelor's Degree Additional Requirements 7+ years experience in a combination of process lead / team lead, and project management experience, including hands-on experience with the Software Development Lifecycle

5+ years experience leading and managing direct reports ideally within a technical organization

Experience using and / or configuring Capital Planning and Project Management software

Apple is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We also take affirmative action to offer employment and advancement opportunities to all applicants, including minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities. Apple will not discriminate or retaliate against applicants who inquire about, disclose, or discuss their compensation or that of other applicants.

We at Apple we are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. Learn more.








Assistant Assessor $41.82 hourly Under the direction of the Assessor, the Assistant Assessor has the responsibility to assess the valuation of personal property and/or inventory of commercial and industrial establishments; to inspect real estate and make appraisals of new building and building additions and improvements according to recognized appraisal standards. Assists in maintenance of all records and documents of real estate and personal property value and ownership. Confers with property owners and provides information about laws pertaining to motor vehicle taxation, exemption for elderly citizens, and similar tax liability matters; compiles lists such as Grand List, assessments, properties, elderly homeowners and other assessment information. Searches land records for changes in ownership and in response to requests for information from attorneys, real estate agents and the public. Records changes in assessment administrative documents and files to reflect new construction or ownership of property. Minimum Qualifications High School diploma or equivalency, including or supplemented by courses in office skills, plus three years of responsible administrative experience, including one year in an assessment environment OR , an equivalent combination of education and experience substituting on the basis of two years of education for each year of experience. Must have a Connecticut Municipal Assessor Certification and have a valid drivers license. Must have a valid drivers license and must have a Connecticut Municipal Assessor Certification. Selection Process All appointments shall be made according to merit and fitness for performing the functions of the position, including factors such as education, experience, aptitude, knowledge, character, ethics, or other qualifications that would determine the best candidate for the position. Examinations may include written, oral, physical, or performance tests or any combination of the various types of examinations. Offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory results on a background check, pre-employment physical, drug screening and verification of information on the employment application. Applications Applications may be obtained from the Department of Human Resources, 800 Bloomfield Ave., Bloomfield, CT 06002, or on our website at www.bloomfieldct.org and must be submitted to Human Resources along with a resume, copy of Certification and cover letter no later than Thursday, September 2, 2021. Applications are accepted by mail, in person or via e-mail to kroberts@bloomfieldct.org. Town of Bloomfield is an affirmative action/equal employment opportunity employer. Minorities, women & persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Persons with a disability who may need this information in an alternative format or who may need accommodations during the testing procedure should contact Cindy Coville, ADA Coordinator at 860-769-3538 or at ccoville@bloomfieldct.org.

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Financial Analyst, WW Logistics/Supply Chain Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino) , California , United States Corporate Functions Summary

Posted: May 5, 2021 Role Number: 200233100 Imagine what you could do here. At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there's no telling what you could accomplish. The WW SOS Finance Team is seeking a Financial Analyst for its Business Support Team. This team works closely with the Sales and Operations Support (SOS) organization to facilitate financial analytics and to enable cost effective decisions on strategy and execution. The role is a unique blend of financial analytics and business partnership. You will need to dive deep into the numbers to understand cost levers impacting the business and also drive cross functional discussions with key internal partners to help ensure financially prudent outcomes to existing business challenges. The key business teams you will interact with are Retail Fulfillment Operations (RFO), Logistics & Supply Chain and Business Process Re-engineering (BPR). The role also requires interacting with regional finance teams on a day to day basis. We're looking for a hardworking and passionate person to join this amazing team, if you feel this is you, we'd love to hear from you. Key Qualifications Key skills required: 5+ years focused in financial analytics, data driven decision making, executive presentation skills, dealing with ambiguity, clear and effective communication with finance and business teams across WW and regions, ability to dive into the details to drive action.

Tools: The team uses Excel, Keynote, Tableau and GBI. Advanced knowledge of excel and keynote will be critical for routine work. An increasing amount of the team's analytics is Tableau based, so Tableau / SQL skills are a great benefit but are not an essential requirement for the role. Description THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THIS POSITION INCLUDE: - Driving the WW Ops Capital Planning process from a finance perspective. This involves working closely with the Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) teams to create business cases for key capital asks for each cycle in order to prioritize higher return on investment initiatives for Apple. The candidate will also track project implementation and cost savings from these initiatives on a quarterly basis - Be the voice of finance for the Retail Fulfillment Operations (RFO) team that manages orders for Apple Online Store and Apple Retail Stores. Provide business case support for various RFO promotions and projects to ensure cost effective decisions that help minimize Apple logistics spend while maximizing customer satisfaction - Manage the weekly cost focussed metrics process. This involves analyzing the logistics spend trends on a day-to-day basis and communicating measurable inputs to the WW Finance and Logistics leadership in order to encourage the team to continue adapting best practices that help minimize logistics spend - Communicate cost impacts of ongoing projects to the broader finance team as well as seek out new focus areas for the team. Provide leadership and direction to regional finance teams on initiatives that involve their respective region. Education & Experience Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance preferred.


GDXJ Junior Gold Miners Setup A Double Bottom  Looking For A Rally Off These Unique Low

The Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ), fell to lows near $43.06 recently, which matched the low from the end of March 2021, near $43.24. Although these lows are not exactly the same, the span of time between these unique lows and the very close nature of them makes them a Double Bottom setup.

It is very likely that this support level will prompt a new upside price rally in Junior Miners targeting $50 to $52 or higher if the support level near $43 continues to hold.

GDXJ May Be Starting A Rally To $55 or Higher

This could be a very exciting rally for Junior Miners and Precious Metals. After nearly a year of metals and miners drifting lower and sideways, this Double Bottom pattern may prompt a fairly strong rally leading both Precious Metals and Miners up the next rally phase high.

This GDXJ Weekly chart shows the Double Bottom near $43 and shows an early rally phase that may have already started in GDXJ. If price rallies above $47.50 on strong upward momentum, it will likely attempt to rally above $55 and retest the recent highs from May 2021.

If our research is correct, this move would likely see the US Dollar weaken and Precious Metals attempt to rally. That type of move would push Junior Miners much higher over the next few months.

If GDXJ falls below the $43 Double Bottom level, then we may see even deeper downside price trending for Metals and Miners  possibly targeting previous support near $39.50. Miners have been moving sideways in a defined downward price trend since the peak in August 2020. If Miners were to break below the $43 support level, it would likely happen at a time when the global markets were also under moderate pricing pressure  resulting in a fairly deep broad market pullback.

We certainly live in interesting times as the US Fed continues to attempt to push the markets into uncharted territory. I expect Precious Metals to attempt to find a bottom soon and any breakdown in price over the next few months may be a strong warning that the global markets are disconnecting with risk assets. In other words, something big is taking place that may represent a volatility event taking place

The next few months may be full of volatility and big trends. There will still be endless opportunities for profits from these extended price rotations, but the volatility and leverage factors will increase risk levels for traders that are not prepared or dont have solid strategies. Dont let yourself get caught in these next cycle phases unprepared.

Want to know how our BAN strategy is identifying and ranking various sectors and ETFs for the best possible opportunities for future profits? Please take a minute to learn about my BAN Trader Pro newsletter service and how it can help you identify and trade better sector setups. My team and I have built this strategy to help us identify the strongest and best trade setups in any market sector. Every day, we deliver these setups to our subscribers along with the BAN Trader Pro system trades. You owe it to yourself to see how simple it is to trade 30% to 40% of the time to generate incredible results.

Have a great day!

Chris Vermeulen

www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic



Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better.



His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility.



He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

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 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




Continuing to support education and youth, Canon EMEA, a world leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today of its sponsorship participation for the tenth anniversary edition of Uganda Press Photo Awards 2021. Canon has been collaborating with UPPA in the past for several years with this year being the seventh consecutive year. Building further on the companys corporate philosophy of Kyosei that means living and working together for the common good, Canon first collaborated with UPPA in the year 2015 and has since been working in alliance to promote the spirit of creativity and visual arts amongst the budding talent in Uganda and East Africa.

The Uganda Press Photo Award (UPPA) initially launched in 2012, began as a competition for Ugandan photojournalists and photographers who go all-out to keep the public informed of the daily news, even in dangerous and unsafe situations. Over the course of years, UPPA has evolved into a platform that not only promotes the best of todays photojournalism in Uganda but also supports a broad programme of visual literacy and education for photographers in East Africa, thus creating opportunities for people to connect, learn, and grow..

Speaking on the occasion, Anna Kucma, Director and Curator of UPPA says, Our partnership with Canon not only strengthens our commitment towards promoting talent in the field of visual arts but also provides us with the right expertise needed to guide the talent in the right direction. For years, UPPA has strived to offer a truly supportive platform for photographers in East Africa while creating opportunities for people to connect and share their knowledge. Joining hands with an industry-leader like Canon proves that we are on the right path to cultivate change in the society. The series of activities leading up to the awards is aimed at providing students with different tools that can enhance their skill-set and professional know-how.

Based in Uganda, UPPA will organize and host the awards in collaboration with Canon in Kampala on 30th September, 2021. Canon and UPPA will run several training workshops through rest of the year for visual artists in the Ugandan community. First of the lot will be a storytelling hybrid workshop with Georgina Goodwin from August 16th to August 21st 2021, where students have the opportunity to get their hands on high-end camera gear from Canon for in-person practice and training. This activity will be followed by the Canon & UPPA universities and media house roadshow, a virtual workshop of four days starting on September 13th, 2021. The month of October will witness webinars with prestigious industry panels. The first webinar to be held on October 23rd will involve a panel discussion around the five year mentorship programme in an effort to understand from previous mentors and mentees how the initiative has helped them in their journey. The second webinar to be held on October 26th will give students an opportunity to indulge in a thought-provoking conversation on DSLR vs Mirrorless cameras with Canon Pro Kam John Wambugu. On October 22nd and 23rd, students will receive a chance to get their equipment checked & cleaned by registering online.

We are always delighted to support UPPA in their noble endeavor to make photography and photographic education accessible to everyone in East Africa. Our constant effort at Canon right from the start has been to ensure we engage in giving back to the communities that we operate in, this association with UPPA began with the same vision years ago and we are proud of what it has advanced into. We are excited about the numerous activities designed for the next few months for students to partake in, as it offers them a chance to interact with industry aficionados, try and test professional equipment as well as learn tricks of the trade from the experts themselves. We wish all students the very best for their future ahead, stated Amine Djouhara, Director of Sales and Marketing  Canon Central and North Africa.

The awards celebration ceremony will culminate into visual art workshops in the month of November 2021. The awards include Uganda Press Photo Awards, East African Photography Award, and Young Photographer Award. Each year, the winners of Uganda Press Photo Award as well as the Young Photographer Award take home professional DSLR cameras, as well as the opportunity to showcase her/his work in an annual exhibition.
National

India pulls out 50 citizens from Mazar-e-Sharif as Afghan crisis intensifies

NEW DELHI, AUG 11 (IANS) | Publish Date: 8/11/2021 1:19:12 PM IST

As the situation in Afghanistan continued to turn from bad to worse with intense fighting between Afghan security forces and the Taliban, a total of 50 Indian nationals, including diplomats, left the Mazar-e-Sharif and reached New Delhi on Wednesday.

A Special flight comprising of 50 Indians landed at New Delhi this morning, said a senior government official. The Centre stated that India has temporarily closed its Consulate General office at Mazar-e-Sharif.

On Tuesday, Indian Consulate General in Afghanistans Mazar-e-Sharif had on social media platform said, A special flight is leaving from Mazar-e-Sharif to New Delhi. Any Indian nationals in and around Mazar-e-Sharif are requested to leave for India in the special flight scheduled to depart late today evening.

The consulate also appealed Indian citizens, who are desired to leave for New Delhi by special flight, to share their details and whereabouts.

This was the third security advisory that India has issued in the last three months.

Mazar-e Sharif, or just Mazar, is the fourth-largest city of Afghanistan, with a population estimate of over 5 lakh until a few months back. It has been the capital of Balkh province and is linked by highways with Kunduz in the east, Kabul in the southeast, Herat in the southwest and Termez in Uzbekistan in the north.

The Indian Embassy in Afghanistan had also advised the Indian citizens to keep themselves abreast of the availability of commercial flights and make immediate arrangements to return before the air services were discontinued.

Further, the embassy has directed the Indian companies operating in Afghanistan to immediately withdraw their Indian employees out of undergoing projects in the country. For the Indians, who are working for the foreign firms, the embassy asked them to request their employers to facilitate their travel from project sites to India.

Around 1,500 Indians are engaged in different kinds of work in the war-ravaged Himalayan nation that was rebuilding itself over the last decade before the US troops pull out and Taliban resurgence.

On media persons visiting Afghanistan, the embassy appealed them to get in touch with the Public Affairs and Security Wing of the Embassy for a personalized briefing.

This will help media persons make a better assessment of the risks involved, given the rapid changes in security situation taking place in different parts of the country, the Indian embassy in Afghanistan said.

Last month India pulled out around 50 diplomats and security personnel from its consulate in Kandahar following intense clashes between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters around the city.

Earlier, the US and the UK had also evacuated their citizens.
Rozina Akhter

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit on Wednesday asked all scheduled banks to submit bank account details of Daily Prothom Alo senior reporter Rozina Akhter, known as Rozina Islam in media community.

Rozina, who has written a number of reports on corruption and irregularities in the health sector, was released on bail from jail on May 23 after she had been tortured and harassed by officials and the police at the health ministry and detained from there on May 17.

The BFIU in a letter asked the banks to submit in three days know-your-customer forms and bank transaction details of Rozina if any account was found with any bank.

The banks were also asked to submit account details of any bank accounts if Rozina was found beneficiary of the accounts.

The BFIU move came amid criticisms that Rozina was harassed by health ministry officials and the police for her reports on health sector corruptions.

She was confined for five hours in a room at the health ministry and publicly harassed by sharing partial video clips of her ill treatment by officials and police members on May 17.

She was accused of lifting official documents and handed over to the police in a case filed with the Shahbagh police station under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act and the Penal Code.

Journalists and different rights groups and leaders of political parties condemned the arrest of Rozina and staged demonstrations demanding her release.

New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists on July 7 termed the case against Rozina as one of the 10 most urgent cases of journalists under attack globally.
PROMINENT Bulawayo businessman, Mr Ashton Ashys Mpofu has succumbed to Covid-19 related complications.

He died early yesterday morning at Mater Dei hospital, his family confirmed. Mr Mpofu who owned a chain of businesses under his Ashys brand inclusive of a hardware shop and a garage, was admitted to the hospital last Tuesday after contracting the Covid-19. He was 49 and leaves behind a wife and four children. He will be buried tomorrow in Bulawayo.

His younger brother, Mr Adolf Mpofu confirmed the news saying that as a family they were still in shock.

It is true my brother, we have lost Ashys, this a difficult time for us as a family, said Mr Adolf Mpofu.

Mpofu owned Ashys supermarkets, commuter omnibuses, cross-border buses and a fuel station in Nkulumane 12. He also ran a number of tender projects in Zimbabwe and South Africa. He was also a lawyer by training having graduated at the University of Swaziland.

After law school he practised as a lawyer in Swaziland before moving to South Africa where he worked as a magistrate in the Empumalanga Province. Mpofu later left the bench in South Africa to get into business both in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Before enrolling at the University of Swaziland Mpofu had attended John Tallach High School in Ntabazinduna where he did his Form One to Four between 1986 and 1989. From John Tallach he did his A-levels at Mzingwane High School, which he completed in 1991.

Meanwhile, Bulawayo acting provincial medical director, Dr Welcome Mlilo has called on members of the public not to be complacent with the recent decline in Covid-19 cases that has been experienced in Bulawayo noting that already health facilities were operating close to full hence the figures still remained considerably high.

The cases are indeed coming down of late but it may be a little premature to say that this Covid-19 wave has peaked. We certainly are hopeful that is the case. We are cautiously optimistic. But its certainly not the time to lower our guard down yet. The number of cases remains worryingly high, and so does the number of admissions and indeed Covid-19 related mortality.

The hospitals have been operating at close to full capacity for much of the current Covid-19 wave. We have come across concerning reports of clients not being able to get admitted, but these have been difficult to verify. As of yesterday (Friday), Thorngrove Hospital had a total of 20 admissions, 15 available beds. UBH Arundel Hospital had 43 patients, with a capacity of 60 and Ekusileni Hospital with a current admissions capacity of 15 had 14 admitted patients. In total, these institutions yesterday (Friday) recorded seven deaths, said Dr Mlilo.

According to figures from the Ministry of Health and Child Care as of Friday the country had 115 445 confirmed cases, including 86 526 recoveries and 3 805 deaths. To date, a total of 1 817 598 people have been vaccinated against Covid-19. A total of 956 new cases and 51 deaths were recorded countrywide on Friday. Sunday News
Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - The Council of the Judicial Order in Tunisia has lifted the criminal immunity off a magistrate who was then arrested on Tuesday in possession of a large sum of foreign currency
Washington, DC US (PANA) - The US says it will continue to stand with the people of Chad as they navigate an inclusive national dialogue towards a democratically elected government in 2022
' Clara Burtenshaw joins Proactive London's Katie Pilbeam to talks about their psychedelics focused venture capital fund, the first of its kind in Europe.

Burtenshaw discusses their investment thesis, 'we're on a mission to build world class companies that are going to transform the healthcare sector and improve standards of patient care'.

She explains how they invest across three different pillars: Drug discovery and drug development, clinics and delivery services as well as a host of complimentary digital therapeutics, interventions and platforms.'
A glance at some of the day's highlights from the Proactive Investors newswire

( , ) said testing of its new low carbon alternative to heavy fuel bioMSAR oil has revealed a greater than expected reduction in CO2 emissions.

( ) said it has completed the acquisition of a 1.2 MWe waste-to-energy gasification plant in Belise, Croatia.

( , , ) has proposed a 37.4mln equity fundraise as it moves towards completing its first LIGHT proton therapy system, with a 230MeV beam expected by the end of 2021.

( ) said the latest results from the Hancock iron ore project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia support the projects potential of becoming a standalone direct shipping ore (DSO) producer.

( , ) announced positive drilling results from the Arzu Central area of the Kiziltepe gold-silver mine in western Turkey.

( ) Limited, the alternative asset manager specialising in dispute financing, said the successful conclusion to a court case it backed in Australia would result in a A$4mln profit for the business.

( ) said its financial year had started well, with the med-tech group trading in line with management expectations.

Seeing Machines Limited drew investors' attention to a new bipartisan infrastructure agreement passed by the US Senate relating to driver monitoring systems (DMS). The safety provisions in the agreement would require the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) to carefully research DMS systems and begin the rulemaking process to regulate this technology.

( , , , ) raised 800,000 in a private placement to fund exploration activities on its projects, particularly the Ragged Range gold and nickel prospects in the Pilbara, Western Australia.

Minds + Machines Group Ltd said it has completed a sale of its top-level domains (TLDs) and related assets to an affiliate of US domain registry giant ( ) Inc following the signing of a purchase agreement in early April.

( , ) said it has started a 2,000-metre drilling programme at the Central KKM gold prospect, the central part of its Mikei gold project in Kenya, following the recent receipt of all permits.

( , , ) said it has launched an official pro player jersey that will be worn by all of its pro esports players in fixtures and tournaments.

( , , , ) highlighted the progress made on its La India project in Nicaragua alongside its interim results.

( , , ) has appointed a new group mining engineer with over twenty years' experience in international mining and consulting roles.

( , , ) said that, following the release on 12 August, of its operating and financial results for the quarter and the six months ended June 30, it will host a conference webinar to discuss the results and the outlook for the company.

has continued its recruitment drive by headhunting three more members of staff: a head of branded sales, a quality and technical systems manager and a digital marketing manager. Steve Wilkinson, co-founder, said: "As we approach the next few months of exceptional growth, we want to have the very best team in place possible. Therefore we have gone to great lengths in hiring only the most talented individuals in their field. Im delighted to be able to announce the recruitment of three people of such great quality and ambition. They bring with them a wealth of experience and a hunger that fits into our team ethos."
( ) ( ) ( ) David Minchin joins Proactive's Katie Pilbeam after completing the drilling of its first well, Tai-1A, at the Rukwa helium project in Tanzania.

Minchin says these results are a 'mixed bag' and talks through all of the details, with helium shows in a total of five intervals of the Karoo formation including all three pre-drill targets.

Due to poor and deteriorating hole conditions, including large washouts across much of the Karoo, Minchin explains why they were not able to run wireline tools downhole beyond 882m and have subsequently not been able to log the main Karoo Formation.
"As we approach the next few months of exceptional growth, we want to have the very best team in place possible," said co-founder Steve Wilkinson

has continued its recruitment drive by headhunting another three members of staff.

The maker of the first zero-calorie, zero sugar and 100% natural mixer to have been launched in the UK reported earlier in the summer that it had more than doubled revenues in the first five months of the year, with expansion of its production facilities including the adding of a new processing plant, two canning lines and a new bottling line.

Following on from appointments of a managing director, financial manager and head of marketing earlier in the year, the company today announced a new head of branded sales, a quality and technical systems manager and a digital marketing manager.

Co-founder Steve Wilkinson said: "As we approach the next few months of exceptional growth, we want to have the very best team in place possible. Therefore we have gone to great lengths in hiring only the most talented individuals in their field.

"Im delighted to be able to announce the recruitment of three people of such great quality and ambition. They bring with them a wealth of experience and a hunger that fits into our team ethos."

The new head of branded sales is Pete Fawcett, who joins from SHS Group drinks division and brings 12 years of experience of working with some of the worlds leading drinks brands, from Peroni to Jagermeister.

His role will be pivotal in unlocking new retail and on-trade growth opportunities for the branded portfolio, said Wilkinson.

Elizabeth Hunter, who joins with seven years' experience in the FMCG industry in technical and quality based roles, including hands-on experience with several third-party audits such as BRC Standard, is the new quality and technical systems manager.

Joining from The Hut Group (THG) is Samantha Barnes as digital marketing manager, bringing more than seven years experience in digital marketing, specialising in paid search and social media, and having worked with prestigious brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Apparel Group.

"Sam's strong knowledge of biddable media across all major platforms will provide effective digital solutions to SDG," said Wilkinson.
Following its listing in early July, Charger is moving to implement work programs over three of its projects, with a SkyTEM survey also set to start over the Coates Project.

Charger Metals is focusing on lithium and base metals across projects in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Lithium Australia Ltd welcomes the start of exploration activities by Charger Metals NL at Bynoe Lithium Project southwest of Darwin in the Northern Territory.

The Bynoe Project ownership is 70% Charger and 30% Lithium Australia and is in an area in which both parties believe to have excellent access and nearby infrastructure.

Chargers interest in the Bynoe project was acquired because of its prospectivity for spodumene (a preferred lithium mineral), however, the area is a past producer of cassiterite and is recognised as prospective for tantalite as well, with these minerals hosted in pegmatites.

Programs designed to refine targets

Speaking to the activities, Charger managing director David Crook said: Charger Metals programs of mapping, geochemistry and aero-magnetics now underway at the Bynoe Lithium Project are designed to refine the 5-kilometre-long cluster of lithium targets to a point where a substantial drilling program can be planned.

The Bynoe project is surrounded by Core Lithiums Finniss Project, which has a mineral resource inventory of 14.7 million tonnes at 1.32% lithium oxide and is at an advanced stage of development with a definitive feasibility study completed.

Charger holds 70% of assets

Upon listing in early July, Charger exercised its option to acquire a 70% stake in three of LIT's battery metals assets - the Coates, Bynoe and Lake Johnston projects.

Lithium Australia retains exposure to these battery materials projects by retaining a 30% free carried interest.

The Coates project is a WA-based nickel-copper-cobalt-platinum group elements (PGE) play about 20 kilometres from ( , )s Julimar discovery.

The project comprises one granted exploration licence, one application and one retention licence, covering a combined 48 square kilometres.

Further east in Western Australia lies the Lake Johnston lithium, nickel and gold asset  Chargers most advanced project, with tenements covering around 25 square kilometres.

Coates Nickel-Copper-Cobalt-PGE Project

At the Coates Project near Perth, Charger is planning to undertake a SkyTEM aerial electromagnetic survey.

The survey will test the Coates mafic intrusion and surrounding ground for conductors, including previously defined nickel-copper and PGE geochemical targets.
Construction and practical completion of the Lake Way process plant have been finalised with GR Engineering Services handing over the plant in late June.

Shareholders have given the green light for the directors to participate.

( , , , ) board of directors have demonstrated faith in the companys potash strategy through participation in a placement after receiving shareholder approval.

The company received funds from its recent A$28 million placement, as well as debt funds from the final US$33 million tranche of its US$138 million senior debt facility on June 10.

Salt Lake's A$18 million guarantee facility with Sequoia has also been executed.

Change of director's interests

On August 10, chairman Ian Middlemas acquired 2.5 million shares worth a total of $875,000 in an indirect interest, increasing the number of securities held after the change to 22.5 million.

Managing director and CEO Tony Swiericzuk acquired 250,000 shares worth $87,500, increasing his number of securities held to 5.45 million in direct and indirect interests.

Non-executive director Peter Thomas purchased 55,000 shares in a direct interest valued at $19,250, increasing his number of securities in that interest to 300,000.

Moving towards first SOP delivery

The company has been moving towards its 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.

Its 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.

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 companys exploration has ramped up with the start of diamond drilling, further increasing the rigs in operation at the Malone and Gordons Dam prospects to four.

Yandal has a portfolio of advanced gold exploration projects in a prolific gold producing region.

Yandal Resources Ltd has received encouraging high-grade assay results from drilling at Malone prospect within the Gordons Project, north of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.

Results of up to 3 metres at 8.16 g/t gold from 130 metres, including 1-metre at 22.05 g/t have confirmed the discovery potential at Malone.

Other high-grade results from the companys first pass reconnaissance reverse circulation (RC) program included:

5 metres at 3.59 g/t from 47 metres including, 1-metre at 12.30g/t; and

18 metres at 0.90 g/t from 94 metres, including 2 metres at 4.67g/t.

In addition, reconnaissance aircore drilling continues to expand the area of anomalous gold at Malone and provides additional priority RC targets with intersections including:

34 metres at 384ppb gold from 40 metres to end-of-hole, including 4 metres at 3,426ppb;

6 metres at 243ppb gold from 84 metres to end-of-hole, including 2 metres at 1,009ppb; and

8 metres at 420ppb gold from 36 metres, including 4 metres at 686ppb.

Yandal has ramped up exploration at the project with the start of diamond drilling and increasing the number of rigs in operation at Malone and Gordons Dam prospects to four.

Highest RC grades to date

Yandal Resources managing director Lorry Hughes said: These are the highest RC grades to date from the Malone prospect.

The results, particularly from within the primary zone, give us strong encouragement that further drilling at depth and along strike could significantly extend the mineralisation.

The gold discovered at Malone is interpreted to relate to a well-defined west-dipping geological contact between felsic and mafic volcanic rock units which can be traced for 4.5 kilometres in strike length within Yandals ground.

It is interpreted that the high grades encountered thus far could also be influenced by a cross-cutting east-west oriented structure that can be traced extending in the direction of the Gordons Dam prospect located 500m to the east

In addition, the aircore program continues to intersect significant gold at or near the fresh rock boundary which could represent mineralisation zones sub-parallel to the Malone contact therefore providing further high-priority RC and diamond drilling targets.

Assay results are pending from 54 RC and 142 aircore holes which have been completed along the majority of the 4.5-kilometre Malone contact zone and adjacent prospect areas.

Forward plan

Yandals key exploration activities scheduled during the September and December quarters include:

Receive and interpret RC and AC assays from drilling completed at the Malone, Cleft, Sheperd, Waterline, Star of Gordon, Sims Find, Cash and Flushing Meadows North prospects;

Continue focus on drilling with four rigs at the Gordons Dam and Malone prospects and determine target size potential as soon as possible;

Drill high-impact RC program with potential follow-up diamond drilling at the Mt McClure project.
Provides search engine marketing software solutions and services via automation and machine learning technologies

Targets three key digital advertising market segments - search engine marketing, social media marketing, and shopping

Customers include enterprise companies, and small and medium-sized businesses from Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and North America

What Adcore does:

( ) (OTCQX:ADCOF) (FRA:ADQ) provides search engine marketing software solutions and services via automation and machine learning technologies.

Using proprietary machine-learning artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the US OTC and Canadian-listed, Israeli-based companys cloud-based suite of software-as-a-service (SaaS) products provide digital advertisers with smart algorithm-powered automation tools and reporting and analytics in order to help them improve online advertising effectiveness, maximize their return on advertising investment, and scale-up their digital campaigns.

Adcore has targeted three key digital advertising market segments with its products and technologies: search engine marketing, social media marketing, and shopping.

The companys customers include enterprise companies, and small and medium-sized businesses from Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and North America.

By combining extensive industry knowledge and experience with its proprietary artificial intelligence engine, Adcore offers a unique digital marketing solution that empowers entrepreneurs and advertisers by managing and automating their e-commerce store advertising, and monitoring and analyzing the performance of their advertising budget to ensure maximum

In addition to being named numerous times to Deloittes Fast 50 Technology list, Adcore is a certified Google Premier Partner, Microsoft Partner, Facebook Partner and TikTok Partner.

Established in 2006, the company employs over fifty people in its headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel and satellite offices in Toronto, Canada, Melbourne, Australia, Hong Kong and Shanghai, China.

How is it doing:

Adcore has been making solid progress so far in 2021, inking new contracts, raising new capital and reporting strong revenue and profit growth.

Most importantly, on July 21 Adcore kicked off the launch of Amphy, the world's most diverse, as well as largest round-the-clock live online learning marketplace.

The company said it is committed to supporting the expansion of Amphy through capital investment, technical backing and marketing expertise to ensure its successful launch and ongoing development.

Amphy launched in beta only six months ago and has already screened and onboarded 200+ teachers and is actively offering 800 classes across 70 categories to thousands of students, said the company.

On the contract front, in May Adcore announced that it had entered into an agreement to provide its digital marketing technologies and services to Israels largest department store chain, Hamashbir Lazarchan Department Stores Ltd.

The company will provide digital marketing services to the chains 36 retail locations across Israel and will also support the chains newly launched ecommerce site. The contract is valued at C$1.5 million.

Earlier in the same month, Adcore revealed that it had signed a contract, renewable annually, to provide digital marketing technologies and services to MySale Groups OzSale and NZSale websites. MySale is a leading international online off-price marketplace platform in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia with over 20 million customers. The Group operates 12 websites offering off-price fashion, homewares, and health and beauty.

And in April, Adcore announced that it had renewed its advertising contract with the Israeli Government Advertising Agency (IGAA) for another year at a potential value of C$25 million in ad-spend. The company is currently starting its fourth year of a five-year C$125 million contract with the IGAA to manage, jointly with Maple Team Ltd., a potential budget of C$25 million in online advertising spend per year, subject to the reopening of the Israeli border. The contract is renewable annually without requirement of further government tendering.

With regard to its fundraising, on June 17, Adcore announced it had closed a marketed offering of 3.1 million units at a price of $1.33 per unit, raising gross proceeds of $4.12 million. Each unit consists of one common share of the company and half a warrant. Each warrant is exercisable into one common share for a period of 24 months from the closing of the offering at an exercise price of $1.80 subject to adjustment in certain events. The Warrants are trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ADCO.WT.

Looking at its financials, on August 11 the company said total revenue increased 250% year-over-year to C$7 million in its second quarter that ended on June 30, 2021.

Adcore also said its gross margin saw a significant increase sequentially to 46% from 23% in the 1Q of 2021 and its adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was C$1.5 million compared to C$0.5 million for the same quarter in 2020, an increase of 189%.

As of June 30, 2021, Adcore said its total working capital was C$13.1 million, compared to C$7.8 million as of December 31, 2020.

The company said it continues to see strong growth in its direct channel revenue stream, driven by a high level of e-commerce, digital transformation, and international expansion.

Also in the 2Q, Adcore began trading on the OTCQX Best Market in the US and secured Depository Trust Company (DTC) eligibility.

In the boardroom, on July 27, Adcore announced the appointment of Oded Orgil as an independent director to the companys board, replacing Jason Saltzman, who will continue to act as Adcore's Canadian legal counsel through the law firm Gowling WLG. Orgil is the president of the Canada Israel Chamber of Commerce and was previously a senior vice president with .

Inflection points:

More news on launch of Amphy

Further expansion moves

More customer wins

What the boss says:

"I couldn't be happier with our second-quarter results, which reflect the strong momentum we're seeing in our business as we leverage our capabilities and innovative technology for e-commerce marketing as the online retail industry continues to grow exponentially," said Adcore CEO Omri Brill in a statement.

"Globally, consumers increasingly shifted their shopping activity to embrace online purchasing during the pandemic and even as the worldwide economy reopens, e-commerce activity remains robust. Adcore's technologies enable our retail partners to efficiently reach their target audiences to drive product interest and sales and Adcore's market recognition as a premier MarTech resource for online retailers, both large and small, continues to increase.

Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham
More than 1.5mln travellers passed through Heathrow last month, the highest monthly number since March 2020

Passenger numbers are still down over 80% vs pre-pandemic July 2019

Heathrow Airport reported a 74% jump in passenger numbers in July due to the easing of travel restrictions, but criticised the UK government for not doing enough to lower the cost of mandatory COVID-19 tests.

Government must now capitalise on the vaccine dividend and seize the opportunity to replace expensive PCR tests with more affordable lateral flow tests, said chief operating officer Emma Gilthorpe.

More than 1.5mln travellers passed through Heathrow last month, the highest monthly number since March 2020, compared with almost 867,000 passengers in July 2020. However, 7.5mln passengers travelled in July 2019.

Despite signs of recovery, passenger numbers are still down over 80% on pre-pandemic July 2019 as barriers to travel remain, it said in a statement.

Ministers committed to reducing testing costs over three months ago, however, the UK still stands as an outlier with Europe slashing their prices and, in some cases, subsiding them. Meanwhile, the cost of testing in the UK remains prohibitive for many, as industry calls for VAT to be scrapped, alongside the use of cheaper lateral flow for low-risk destinations.

This will keep people safe and will avoid travel becoming the preserve for the wealthy, it said.

North American passenger numbers surged almost 230% year on year and Heathrow is set to further increase its transatlantic offering, as it welcomes American carrier JetBlue later this week.

Fully vaccinated US visitors can travel to the UK without the need to quarantine and Heathrow is calling for the joint UK/US travel taskforce to reach a reciprocal agreement for fully vaccinated UK travellers.

A-fjord-able flights

Norse Atlantic Airways gave an update yesterday on its plans to launch low-cost long-haul operations. The company said it believes that demand for transatlantic travel will be back by late in the first quarter or early in the second quarter of 2022.

Based on the current situation, we anticipate that all our 15 Dreamliners will be flying customers between Europe and the US next summer, said chief executive Bjrn Tore Larsen.

Like the Norsemen who traveled and explored the world with their state-of-the art longships, Norse Atlantic Airways will give people the opportunity to explore other continents by offering affordable flights on board modern and more environmentally friendly Boeing 787 Dreamliners, he added.
The orders, for dealers and customers in Western Canada, are primarily for its flagship SMART Seeder MAX-S and SMART Seeder MAX-5

In addition, Clean Seed said the SMART Seeder MAX demonstration units are targeting several thousand demonstration acres for fall and winter crop seeding

( ) Ltd. has announced retail sale order commitments for most of the model year 2022 production run.

In a statement, the company said it expects to finalize the orders concurrently with signing up dealers.

The orders are primarily for its flagship SMART Seeder MAX-S (with singulation) and its SMART Seeder MAX-5 (5 product volumetric). All orders are for dealers and customers in Western Canada.

In April 2021 Clean Seed launched a campaign to become a SMART Seeder MAX dealer or agronomy partner in key geographic areas in Western Canada, the US, and in key future export markets. The company said it plans to formally announce dealers and agronomy partners later this summer in conjunction with the Fall 2021 demonstration plans.

As previously announced, Clean Seed will be attending upcoming farm shows in Canada and the US to showcase the SMART Seeder MAX technology and products as follows:

Ag SMART at Olds College in Olds, Alberta on August 10-11, 2021

Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois on August 31-September 2, 2021

Big Iron Farm Show in Fargo, North Dakota on September 14-16, 2021

In addition, Clean Seed said the SMART Seeder MAX demonstration units are targeting several thousand demonstration acres for fall and winter crop seeding. These customer- and technology-focused demonstrations will take place in August and September 2021.

Meanwhile, the company said the Saskatoon assembly facility has started to break ground with the steel for the buildings on-site to be erected shortly. Clean Seed expects to have access to the completed facility by November 1 to begin the assembly of the model year 2022 SMART Seeder MAX order commitments.

Clean Seed said it has entered into a temporary lease for a small facility in Saskatoon for production parts storage, employee training, and operations. As with all manufacturers, there have been concerns about shortages and delays in supply chain parts but the company has not identified any critical production component shortages for its model year 2022 production at this time.

The company expects to begin model year 2022 machine deliveries of the SMART Seeder MAX from its Saskatoon facility at the end of the calendar year. On-site training for setup, pre-delivery, customer operation, and dealer support will be scheduled in January-February 2022.

In other company news, Clean Seed has granted an employee 300,000 stock options at $0.50 per share until February 28, 2025, and has granted two consultants an aggregate of 252,000 stock options at $0.55 per share until December 31, 2023.

Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham
Ayurcann will also become the exclusive Canadian distributor for Innocans Relief and Go topical products and SHIR Beauty skincare line

Ayurcanns B2B processing facility in the Greater Toronto Area provides services for licensed producers

Ayurcann Holdings Corp announced it has agreed to a manufacturing and distribution agreement with Innocan Pharma Corporation, a pharmaceutical technology company that develops drug delivery platforms that contain CBD.

The agreement sees Ayurcann manufacture Innocans Relief and Go topical products and SHIR Beauty skincare line at its facility in Pickering, Ontario.

Toronto-based Ayurcann will also become the exclusive Canadian distributor for the products, according to a statement.

The firm will pay Innocan royalties based on net sales of the products it sells in Canada.

Ayurcanns B2B processing facility in the Greater Toronto Area provides services for Canadian licensed producers  anything from extraction and refinement to bulk oil sales and white label manufacturing.

CEO Igal Sudman said that the company is excited to manufacture and introduce Innocans skin care line as and topical products in Canada.

We believe that Innocan's patent-pending, CBD-integrated products will be some of the highest quality CBD products to enter the market to date. The pharmaceutical expertise of Innocan together with Ayurcanns large extraction capacity and manufacturing capabilities will be combined to bring top of the line products to market at scale and price points that will allow for wide market access.

Sudman told investors that the agreement also positions both companies for CBD deregulation, allowing Ayurcann and Innocan's CBD products to be further scaled through national retailers when possible.

"InnoCan is looking forward to selling its unique line of products in Canada in collaboration with Ayurcann," said Iris Bincovich, InnoCan's CEO and a member of Ayurcanns advisory board. "The market opportunity in Canada is unique as Canada was one of the early adaptors of CBD usage and potential customers in Canada are knowledgeable about the benefits offered by CBD.

The agreement is subject to Health Canada approval.

Contact Angela at angela@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas
As part of these scholarships, QC Copper & Gold will be awarding a $2,000 scholarship to a student leader looking to pursue a career in the mining industry who has demonstrated academic success and a commitment to preserving Indigenous languages and culture

QC Copper & Gold, along with American Eagle Gold, Baselode Energy, Mistango River Resources and Orefinders Resources, are donating a total of $10,000 to students from the Indigenous Community in Canada in partnership with the YMPSF

( , ) said that, in partnership with the Young Mining Professionals Scholarship Fund (YMPSF) and Ore Group, it has created the Ore Group Indigenous Scholarships.

As part of these scholarships, QC Copper & Gold will be awarding a $2,000 scholarship to a student leader looking to pursue a career in the mining industry who has demonstrated academic success and a commitment to preserving Indigenous languages and culture.

In a statement, Stephen Stewart, CEO of QC Copper & Gold and chairman of Young Mining Professionals commented: "Ore Group is very pleased to support initiatives that encourage Canadian students to explore their interests in the natural resource sector. Our industry faces a substantive talent gap, and we are proud to support STEM and earth sciences education. Furthermore, it is critical to engage Canada's Indigenous communities and encourage their involvement within the extractive industries, as it is the largest employer and a primary partner of these communities."

QC Copper & Gold, along with ( ), Baselode Energy, ( ) and Orefinders Resources, are donating a total of $10,000 to students from the Indigenous Community in Canada in partnership with the YMPSF.

YMPSF donates 100% of receipts to students via its scholarship program. It is a registered charity that is eligible to offer tax receipts to its donors. Individuals and corporations who would like to support or create a scholarship are encouraged to contact YMPSF directly at scholarships@youngminingprofessionals.com.

The YMPSF mandate is to attract young Canadians to the resource exploration and mining industry by supporting their academic studies in mining-related post-secondary programs.

The application deadline is August 30, 2021, and YMP Scholarship applications can be made using the following link: http://www.ympscholarships.com/scholarships/scholarship-applications/

QC Copper & Gold is an exploration company focused on its Opemiska Copper project within the Chibougamau district of Quebec. The Opemiska property covers 12,782 hectares and covers the past producing Springer, Perry, Robitaille and Cooke mines, owned and operated by Falconbridge.

Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com
The new stakes are in Newfoundlands only current gold producing region, with two operating mines as well as several past producers in close proximity to the Baie Verte Brompton Line

In addition to Newfoundland, Marvel has property in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia

Marvel Discovery Corp reports it has acquired 1185 claims along the Baie Verte Brompton Line in the Central Newfoundland Belt.

The additional land totaling 29,525 hectares was obtained through staking and via two separate option agreements.

The new stakes are in Newfoundlands only current gold producing region, with two operating mines as well as several past producers in close proximity to the Baie Verte Brompton Line.

According to Marvel, the area houses more than 100 gold prospects and zones, many of which are orogenic-style, related to major splays and second-order structures linked to the Baie Verte Brompton Line.

As the statement points out, the new claims are also 13 kilometers southwest of the Lunch Pond South Extension Deposit on Glover Island owned by Mountain Lake Resources.

The Glover Island Trend hosts 17 gold, base metal, nickel and polymetallic mineral prospects in addition to numerous gold anomalies.

"We are extremely pleased to have acquired such a large land package covering 70kms of strike along a trend of defined deposits, Karim Rayani, Chief Executive Officer at Marvel said in the release.

This adds to our impressive portfolio of holdings getting us nearer our objective of making Marvel one of the predominant holders of lands in Newfoundland along major continental-scale structures. We look forward to performing high resolution magnetic surveys over our entire property position and integrating mineralization trends and historical results to vector exploration efforts to those areas of high merit."

Marvel also disclosed the terms of the two options agreements.

For the Sandy Pond claims Marvel will pay to the vendor $25,000 within 15 days, issue 400,000 common shares in the Company within 15 days, issue 200,000 warrants valued at $0.25 per share exercisable for a period of two years, and pay $25,000 within 60 days.

For the Baie Verte claims Marvel has agreed to pay $30,000 within 15 days and issue 200,000 common shares in the same time frame.

In addition to Newfoundland, Marvel has property in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.

Contact the writer at georgia@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter @MissInformd
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is in the damage control mode as two cabinet ministers, Anand Singh and M.T.B. Nagaraj, have decided to tender their resignations from their posts, sources in the party said.

Anand Singh and Nagaraj have been allotted ministries of Tourism and Municipal Administration respectively, against their wishes. Party insiders said, Anand Singh has already given his resignation letter to Chief Minister Bommai and M.T.B. Nagaraj has made it very clear that he wouldn't continue unless he is allotted a cabinet portfolio of his choice.

Reacting to the development, Chief Minister Bommai stated on Wednesday that Anand Singh has been his friend for three decades and there are no issues with Nagaraj, as he has spoken to him.

"I spoke to Anand Singh on Tuesday. Have called him for a meeting today (Wednesday) or Friday. He can come in his leisure time and discuss issues. after discussions, the decisions will be taken and they will be made public," Bommai maintained.

Bommai said that he has not briefed the BJP high command on the issue.

However, sources said, Anand Singh is demanding Public Works Department (PWD) and Nagaraj is asking for Housing ministry.

Bommai had allocated the PWD portfolio to his friend C.C. Patil. After getting to know about Anand Singh's demand, Patil rushed to New Delhi and met Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi and requested him not to change his portfolio.

Anand Singh, on the other hand, vacated his office at Vijayanagar and said if his demand is not met, he will submit his resignation and would continue just as an MLA.

Party sources say that Anand Singh has switched off his phone and is avoiding calls from Bommai.

Many cabinet ministers are taking up New Delhi trips on the pretext of wishing top leaders after taking charge. Their agenda is likely to retain the cabinet berths they have been allotted, say party sources.

Former minister C.P. Yogeshwar is already camping in Delhi. He will be joined by former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi. Former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa's blue-eyed boy M.P. Renukacharya, who missed cabinet berth, is also in New Delhi, sources said.
With at least 20 new cases of Covid's Delta Plus variant detected, the total number of patients in the state infected by it has shot up to 65, health officials said on Wednesday.

Of the fresh cases, the maximum - seven - are from Mumbai, followed by three from Pune, two each from Palghar, Raigad, Nanded, and Gondia, and one each from Akola and Chandrapur districts.

Among the 65 total cases detected in the state till date, the highest 13 are from Jalgaon, 12 from Ratnagiri, 11 from Mumbai, six each in Thane and Pune, three in Palghar, two each in Raigad, Nanded, and Gondia, and one each from Sindhudurg, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Sangli, Beed, Nandurbar, Akola, and Chandrapur.

The patients include 33 women and 32 men, and a whopping 33 cases - or nearly half - of those infected are in the 19-45 age group, while 17 are 46-60 years and seven in above-60 age group.

As a precaution, the Health Department has started searching for the close contacts of these infectees on a war footing, their travel history, vaccination status, recent medical status and other relevant details to prevent more infections, said the officials.


West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Parliament House in Delhi on Wednesday afternoon, triggering speculation and criticism from the Trinamool Congress, the ruling party in Bengal. However, Dhankar described his meeting as a courtesy call. WB Governor Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar called on the Honble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi at Parliament House office @PMOIndia, Dhankhar tweeted around 8 pm and posted a photograph.




Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of conspiring against the AAP government and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in alleged assault case of former Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash.

The Minister's remark came soon after a special court on Wednesday discharged Kejriwal and nine other AAP leaders, including Sisodia from the alleged assault of CS which had occurred during a meeting at the Kejriwal's residence on February 19, 2018.

"Today is the day of victory for all the people of Delhi because the court has refused to frame charges against Arvind Kejriwal. Today's court judgment proved that it was a well panned conspiracy to defame AAP government. The BJP tried its best to defame Kejriwal, but the court gave the justice," Sisodia said addressing a press conference on Wednesday.

Prakash, the then chief secretary of Delhi, had alleged that he was assaulted during a meeting at the chief minister's residence in 2018.

Prakash had claimed that he was called for a midnight meeting to discuss the release of the party's advertisements related to the government completing three years in office and manhandled and assaulted him during the course of the meeting.

"The court said that all allegations in the matter were false and baseless. The chief minister was acquitted today in that false case," Sisodia added.

He reiterated that the case was just a 'conspiracy' to bring down Kejriwal government. "We had been saying that the allegations were false. It was a conspiracy hatched against the chief minister," he added.

Prakash had then alleged that he was assaulted during a meeting at the chief minister's residence on February 19, 2018. On the basis of his complaint, Delhi had lodged an FIR against Kejriwal, Sisodia and 11 other AAP MLAs.

The incident had sparked huge controversy and bureaucrats in the Delhi government had then launched an unprecedented show of retaliation and they had even stopped attending Cabinet meetings.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, responding on the matter, Delhi unit of the BJP claimed that fixing of charges against two AAP MLAs (Amanuttullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal) in the case of beating and scuffle with Andhu Prakash proved that the CS was beaten that night at Kejriwal's residence.

BJP Spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, "Arvind Kejriwal and MLAs may have been given clean chit due to lack of evidence but fixing of charges against Khan and Jarwal shows that beating took place in CM's presence and thus Chief Minister is morally responsible. Kejriwal should come forward and appologise to Prakash and people of Delhi."
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/17/2021 -- Latest publication on 'Global Corporate Property Insurance Market Insights by Application, Product Type, Competitive Landscape & Regional Forecast 2027' is added in HTF MI research reporsitory provides in-depth analysis, Competitive scenario, and future market trends and strategies. The regional analysis includes countries like USA, Germany, China, France, Japan, South Korea, UK, BeNeLux, Nordic Nations, Middle East & Africa and many other countries along with major players profiled such as Allianz (Germany), AXA (France), Nippon Life Insurance (India), American Intl. Group (United States), Aviva (United Kingdom), Assicurazioni Generali (Italy), Cardinal Health (United States), State Farm Insurance (United States), Dai-ichi Mutual Life Insurance (Japan) and Munich Re Group (Germany). The Market has witnessed continuous growth in the past few years and is projected to see some stability post Q2,2020 and may grow further during forecast year 2021-2026



Access sample report @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/3404867-global-corporate-property-insurance-market-2



Summary

What is Corporate Property Insurance?



A Commercial Property Insurance is a customized corporate insurance policy to cover for damages and losses caused to commercial property and the respective owner. This could include damages and losses in situations such as accidents, collisions, natural calamities, fires, etc.



The market study is broken down by Type (Direct Damage Property Insurance, Building Risk Insurance and Crime Insurance), by Application (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Large-scale Enterprise) and major geographies with country level break-up.



The vendors in this market are majorly focusing on providing innovative solutions & services in order to cater to the market's demands to remain competitive in the global market. For instance, in September 2019, American International Group, Inc. announced that as of January 2020 virtually all of its commercial property and casualty insurance policies would begin affirmatively covering or excluding physical and non-physical cyber exposures. Research Analyst at AMA estimates that Players from United States will contribute to the maximum growth of Global Corporate Property Insurance market throughout the predicted period.



Allianz (Germany), AXA (France), Nippon Life Insurance (India), American Intl. Group (United States), Aviva (United Kingdom), Assicurazioni Generali (Italy), Cardinal Health (United States), State Farm Insurance (United States), Dai-ichi Mutual Life Insurance (Japan) and Munich Re Group (Germany) are some of the key players that are part of study coverage. Additionally, the Players which are also part of the research coverage are Zurich Financial Services, Prudential, Asahi Mutual Life Insurance, Sumitomo Life Insurance, Allstate, Aegon and Prudential Financial.



Segmentation Overview



HTF MI has segmented the market of Global Corporate Property Insurance market by Type, Application and Region.



On the basis of geography, the market of Corporate Property Insurance has been segmented into South America (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America), Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Rest of Asia-Pacific), Europe (Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Rest of Europe), MEA (Middle East, Africa), North America (United States, Canada, Mexico). If we see Market by Pattern, the sub-segment i.e. Compulsory Insurance will boost the Corporate Property Insurance market. Additionally, the rising demand from SMEs and various industry verticals gives enough cushion to market growth. If we see Market by Distribution Channel, the sub-segment i.e. Insurance Agents/Brokers will boost the Corporate Property Insurance market. Additionally, the rising demand from SMEs and various industry verticals gives enough cushion to market growth.



Market Leaders and their expansionary development strategies



In November 2019, Allianz Group announced that it has partnered with Microsoft to digitally transform the insurance industry wherein Microsoft will partner with Syncier, the B2B2X insurtech founded by Allianz, to offer customized insurance platform solutions and related services.



Market Trend



Growing Use Of Blockchain In The Casualty Insurance Sector

Increasing Usage Of Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Sensor Technology & Cloud Technology



Market Drivers



Growing Demand Due To The Increased Number Of Sales Of New Vehicles

Increasing Urbanization And Rising Disposable Income Among The Middle-Income Population



Opportunities



Implementation Of Technologies In Existing Company Lines And Rise In Demand For Third Party Liability Coverage In Emerging Economies



Restraints



Short Term Restraint for the Market Due to Shutting Down of Operations & Process of Different Companies Across Different Parts of the World Due to COVID-19 Pandemic



Challenges



High Threat of New Entrant



Key Target Audience



Corporate Property Insurance Providers, Government Regulatory Bodies, Private Research Organization, Government Research Organization and Others



About Approach



During this study the evaluation and validation of the market size is done through various sources including primary and secondary analysis. AMA Research & Media follows industrial and regulatory standards such as NAICS/SIC/ICB/TRCB, to have the better understanding of the market. The market study is conducted on basis of more than 200 companies dealing in the market regional as well as global areas with purpose to understand company's positioning regarding market value, volume and their market share for regional as well as global.



Further to bring relevance specific to any niche market we set and apply number of criteria like Geographic Footprints, Regional Segments of Revenue, Operational Centres, etc. The next step is to finalize a team (In-House + Data Agencies) who then starts collecting C & D level executives and profiles, Industry experts, Opinion leaders etc. and work towards appointment generation.



The primary research is performed by taking the interviews of executives of various companies dealing in the market as well as using the survey reports, research institute, and latest research reports. Meanwhile, analyst team keeps preparing set of questionnaires and after getting appointee list; the target audience are then tapped and segregated with various mediums and channels that are feasible for making connection that includes email communication, telephonic, skype, LinkedIn Group & InMail, Community Forums, Community Forums, open Survey, SurveyMonkey etc.



Customization available in this Study:



The Study can be customized to meet your requirements. Please connect with our representative, who will ensure you get a report that suits your needs.

Data related to EXIM [Export- Import], production & consumption by country or regional level break-up can be provided based on client request**

** Confirmation on availability of data would be informed prior purchase



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Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Global Corporate Property Insurance Market Insights by Application, Product Type, Competitive Landscape & Regional Forecast 2027 Market:

Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Global Corporate Property Insurance Market Insights by Application, Product Type, Competitive Landscape & Regional Forecast 2027market. (Introduction, Scope of the Report)Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary  the basic information of the Global Corporate Property Insurance Market Insights by Application, Product Type, Competitive Landscape



....Continued



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It's vital you keep your market knowledge up to date. If you have a different set of players/manufacturers according to geography or needs regional or country segmented reports we can provide customization accordingly.



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About HTF Market Report

HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the "Accurate Forecast" in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their "Goals & Objectives".
Page Content

The Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, Omar Ottley hereby extends his heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Sint Maartens 38th COVID-19 victim, who has passed away. Minister Ottley wishes the family much strength and healing.





As of August 10th, there were forty four (44) persons who tested positive for COVID-19; however forty five (45) persons have recovered; bringing the total active cases to two hundred fifty six (256). The total number of confirmed cases is now three thousand forty five (3045).





The Collective Prevention Services (CPS) are monitoring two hundred forty (240) people are in home isolation. Sixteen (16) patients are hospitalized at the St. Maarten Medical Center. The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 has increased to thirty eight (38).





The number of people recovered since the first case surfaced on St. Maarten has increased to two thousand seven hundred fifty one (2751). Two hundred thirty one (231) people are in quarantine based on contact tracing investigations carried out by CPS.





The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (VSA) Airport Health Team in collaboration with Health Care Laboratory Sint Maarten (HCLS) have tested 3, 513 travelers arriving at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA), while CPS tested 37, 841 people throughout the community. As the numbers continue to fluctuate, CPS will continue to actively execute its contact tracing measures.





Minister Ottley would like to remind everyone to remain vigilant as we are in the midst of the fourth wave. Please limit your social contacts and wear your masks.
Page Content

The Netherlands, Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten have reached an agreement on bringing the bill for the Kingdom Act on the Caribbean Body for Reform and Development (COHO) into procedure. In recent months, the parties have had various rounds of discussions about the recommendations of the Council of State and the Caribbean Advisory Councils. These discussions took place in a positive atmosphere and were constructive. In the end, consensus was reached.





State Secretary Raymond Knops: Over the past few months, the countries within our Kingdom have held in-depth discussions and negotiated strongly. I am pleased that we have now reached agreement about the draft bill, which will help to improve the financial and economic resilience of Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten. It will serve as a foundation for the long-term partnership we have agreed with one another.





Prime Minister Jacobs of Sint Maarten, Silveria Jacobs: The government of Sint Maarten is pleased that the much-needed changes have been made to the proposed Kingdom Act. Over the past four months, there has been a lot of discussion and collaboration to get to this point. Sint Maarten is therefore looking forward to further strengthening the relationship between all kingdom partners in the best interest of our people.





Prime Minister of Aruba, Evelyn Wever-Croes: The past period was a difficult and instructive period. As a country, we have sat down at the negotiating table with full conviction to create the best result for our residents. Our institutes have been decisive in this. There is now a bill in which we as countries within the Kingdom can demonstrate that mutual respect, cooperation and durability are the building blocks of our Kingdom.





Prime Minister of Curacao, Gilmar Pisas: I would like to express my thanks to the official teams, who, on the basis of the advice of the Council of State and the Advisory Councils, have adapted the proposal for the Kingdom Act in such a way that the proposal does justice to our autonomy, and better financial and social perspectives to the community. The people are our top priority. We will have the amended bill reviewed again by our Advisory Council and later the parliament will also consider the content. With the continuation of the reforms and the reversal of the shrinking economy, we expect the effects to be visible in the community soon.





The agreements





Following the advice of the Council of State of the Kingdom and the Advisory Councils and the discussions between the parties, a number of changes have been made to the bill.





Authority COHO





The bill gives individual countries a greater say in the reforms. For example, they are now responsible for drawing up and adopting the action plans. COHO will restrict itself to supporting and





supervising the reforms. The countries will also play a role when compiling operational policy for the COHO.





Role of the Ministry BZK





The role of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations focuses on the implementation agenda drawn up by COHO together with the countries. The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations can give instructions to COHO if there are indications that the implementation agenda is going beyond the boundaries of the national package. This authority will be treated with restraint.





Financial supervision and loans





In the amended bill, the tightened financial supervision will be replaced by a budget test that is carried out by the Financial Supervision Board (Aruba). The Municipal Executive will check whether the concrete activities in the implementation agenda have been translated into the budget in a responsible manner. In addition, it is tested whether elements are included in the budget that cross the national package. COHO does not monitor this, the financial supervisors do this by extending the existing budgetary supervision.





Appointment of directors





When it comes to compiling and appointing the COHO board, a compromise has been reached which is to the satisfaction of all countries. Of the three board members, at least two - including the chairman - must have demonstrable affinity with the Kingdoms Caribbean countries. Besides appointment criteria, agreement was also reached about the appointment procedure, with countries deciding to form an appointment advisory committee.





The process





The bill on which the parties have reached agreement will be discussed in the Kingdom Council of Ministers on the 3rd of September. After approval by the Kingdom Council of Ministers, the proposal can be submitted to the House of Representatives and the parliaments of Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten. The bill will then be made public.
Page Content

Sint Maarten will leverage the GridMarket platform to transition away from diesel dependence and create a sustainable, resilient, low cost energy future





New York, August 2021 -- GridMarket, Sint Maarten, and Island Resilience Partnership (IRP) are thrilled to announce a public private partnership dedicated to helping Sint Maarten transition to clean, resilient, and affordable energy generation. Sint Maarten joins the Independent State of Samoa, the Kingdom of Tonga, and other governments around the world that have joined IRP and are leveraging the GridMarket platform to achieve their energy goals.





In the midst of the climate crisis and global pandemic, it is imperative that governments strengthen the resilience of their infrastructure, economies, and public health, said Sint Maarten Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs. Through this partnership, we are accelerating our transition to a distributed, affordable, and clean energy future with a committed and coordinated approach across all government agencies to expedite the successful completion of this initiativedelivering tremendous benefits to all Sint Maarten citizens and businesses. The GridMarket platform offers a streamlined, comprehensive approach to advancing our national targets and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By joining the Island Resilience Partnership, we are creating a better future for everyone who lives on and visits our beautiful island.





As detailed in the executed memorandum of understanding, Sint Maarten will work with GridMarket and IRP to identify, design, procure, and install distributed energy assets and make corresponding infrastructure upgrades. The partnership was created to help the island rapidly reach its key energy goals by deploying an optimized mix of energy solutions for the lowest economic cost. Its inaugural public-private partnership with the Independent State of Samoa originated at the SAMOA Pathway Inter-Regional Summit in 2018. It has since expanded to support energy transformations for other islands and coastal communities around the world.





We are honored that Sint Maarten has joined the Island Resilience Partnership, a demonstration of its climate leadership and commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, said Matt Tranchin, Executive Director of the IRP. In order to accelerate and optimize the global transition to renewable and resilient infrastructure, we must provide governments with risk-free, scalable solutions. But political will is a prerequisite for transformative change. Thats why the IRP is proud to partner with Prime Minister Jacobs and the Council of Ministers who are committed to achieving climate goals, while reducing the cost of energy for the citizens of Sint Maarten.





GridMarket will facilitate and procure a turnkey solution that will provide the national utility, NV GEBE, with a comprehensive grid optimization plan and country-wide transition to renewable, resilient, and distributed energy. Last week, focal points from GridMarket, IRP, GEBE, VROMI, TEATT, and the Ministry of General Affairs convened the first stakeholder meeting which is aggregating data and key information from the utility and government, while outlining goals and metrics to ensure success for the people of Sint Maarten. The transformation will align with the Build-Back-Better principle, allowing Sint Maarten to be resilient in the face of future natural disasters and accelerate its long-term climate mitigation and adaptation goals. All phases of this initiative, including final project bidding and vendor selection, will flow through the GridMarket platform.





GridMarket is honored to be entering into this formal partnership with Sint Maarten as their chosen strategic energy partner, said Peter Schneider, Director of Sales and Project Management at GridMarket. By using sophisticated digital analysis, artificial intelligence, and a granular building-by-building approach, we are able to create energy transformation plans that open up capital markets to leverage economies of scale and give our partners the greatest value from their unique opportunity. We are excited to apply our proven methodology in Sint Maarten as we coordinate the governments procurement process and work with leading independent power producers and financial institutions to bring resilient, low-cost energy to the island.





The model being used in Sint Maarten has been proven in other island nations, across commercial property portfolios, and for targeted, discrete regions around the world. Together with Sint Maarten government officials and the local utility, GridMarkets innovative assessment tool will identify the optimal mix of technologies from the broader market to meet Sint Maartens unique needs. The platform is technology and vendor agnostic, making it a trusted tool for running the governments procurement process and navigating energy decisions to secure the most valuable, cost-effective options. Most island nations have received and reviewed individual renewable energy proposals, but the GridMarket difference lies in the holistic approach, next-generation digital capabilities, and collective dedication to success. As shown in Samoa, relationships transcend traditional business, as all partners are committed to climate action, resiliency, and energy independence.





When the Independent State of Samoa formed its partnership with GridMarket and the Island Resilience Partnership, it was a demonstration of our faith in the process because not only were we committed to achieving our national energy goals, but developing a 'genuine, durable partnership' based on mutual trust, shared responsibility and accountability, said High Commissioner Feturi Elisaia. We knew this partnership could be a model for other island governments around the world to adapt and emulate, which was always our unspoken wish. It is humbling to see our proven partnership in the Pacific being warmly welcomed in its new home in the Caribbean. I congratulate the





government of Sint Maarten for its climate leadership and our innovative partners for building upon Samoa's success."





Sint Maartens official partnership was announced at the SC1.5NCE NOT SILENCE Forum on Friday, July 16th. The forum was organized by the Island Resilience Partnership as an official side event of the United Nations High Level Political Forum.





To join the Island Resilience Partnership, please click here. To learn more about GridMarkets work with island nations, please click here.
Page Content

The late Sir Lester Bryant Bird passed away on Monday, August 9, in Antigua. His political career began in 1971, when he was nominated to the Senate of Antigua and Barbuda. Bird served as the second prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda from 1994 to 2004.





On behalf of the Council of Ministers and the people of St. Maarten, I extend my deepest condolences to the government, the people of Antigua and Barbuda, and especially the family and friends of the former Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Sir Lester Bird. Antigua and the rest of the Caribbean region have lost a dedicated public servant who served for more than 45 years. May he rest in eternal peace," stated Prime Minister Jacobs.




Joining for the first time at the Board of Trustees online Meeting, on 05th August 2021, Sri Lanka Ambassador to Thailand and Permanent Representative to the UNESCAP C.A. Chaminda I. Colonne assured Sri Lankas commitment to furthering relations with the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in the Kingdom of Thailand. Ambassador elaborated on the recent discussions between President of the AIT Dr. Eden Y. Woon and Chairman of the University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka Senior Prof. Sampath Amratunge, where initiatives were taken for early finalization of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions in the field of post-graduate studies.

Sri Lanka has been represented on the AIT Board of Trustees since 1977 and enjoying long-standing partnerships and collaborations between AIT and Higher Education Institutes in Sri Lanka. There have been 1625 Sri Lankan students pursued Masters and PhDs at AIT over the years and there are eminent Sri Lankan academics serving in the AIT Faculties. Ms. DulaniChamikaVithanage, one of the developers of Ravana 1; the first satellite of Sri Lanka was also an alumna of the AIT. Currently, there are 42 Sri Lankan students enrolled for postgraduate degrees at the AIT in Thailand.

Ambassador expressed sincere appreciation to the President and the Management of the AIT for providing excellent health care and protection for students and staff and quarantine facilities for the incoming students, including a Sri Lankan student who tested positive for COVID -19 in March 2021.

The Meeting was chaired by Dr. TongchatHongladaromp, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and attended by Dr. Eden Y. Woon, President of the AIT, other members to the Board, Mr. ChutintornGongsakdi, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Ambassadors of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Lao PDR and representatives from the Diplomatic Missions of Vietnam, Pakistan, France, Cambodia and Canada in Bangkok.

Embassy & Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka- Bangkok, Thailand
I have striven hard to carve out a dignified and private life of myself.

" There are media reports about the ground being prepared for the entrance of a son from a prominent family into the Sri Lankan political arena. I would like to completely disassociate myself from these reports, " Dr. Vimukthi Kumaratunga said in a special statement received by Sri Lanka Guardian.

According to the statement, "For the last twenty-one years, I have been and continue to be, totally committed to my work as a veterinarian and my ongoing specialist training as a veterinary ophthalmologist in the United Kingdom."

"I love my country of birth. I hope to raise awareness and champion, in my personal capacity, the many causes in Sri Lanka that I hold dear. I would like clearly state that I have no intention whatsoever of engaging in Sri Lankan Politics. Therefore, I appeal to everyone to disregard any statement alleging my aspirations to become a Sri Lankan politician," Dr. Vimukthi affirmed.

"I have striven hard to carve out a dignified and private life of myself. I kindly request that the Sri Lankan media and public respect my privacy," he requested.
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Bouvet Island DXpeditions are in planning stages for 2021, 2022, and 2023

The ARRL report that parallel planning is under way by three entities for DXpeditions to Bouvet Island in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The remote volcanic, glacial sub-Antarctic island in the South Atlantic is the second-most-wanted DXCC entity, according to Club Log.

In June, the Intrepid-DX Group canceled its 3Y0J DXpedition, planned for 2023, after the RV Bravehart was put up for sale. Not long after, the Intrepid-DX Group revived its plans and was seeking a suitable vessel.

On August 8, a DXpedition using the 3Y0J call sign announced the signing of a contract with the expedition vessel Marama, a 101-foot sailing ketch with a proven track record and experienced polar crew. Co-leaders for the November 2022 effort are Ken Opskar, LA7GIA; Rune ye, LA7THA, and Erwann Merrien, LB1QI. Opskar, who holds the 3Y0J license, split from the Intrepid-DX Group DXpedition effort he headed with co-leader Paul Ewing, N6PSE.

In a brief announcement on August 3, Ewing had said that a Bouvet DXpedition team under revised leadership had found a suitable/affordable vessel willing to take us to Bouvet, and was negotiating the terms of that charter contract. Ewings co-leaders would be David Jorgensen, WD5COV, and Kevin Rowett, K6TD. The Intrepid-DX Group now must secure a new license and landing permission from the Norwegian Polar Institute.

Meanwhile, Polish radio amateur Dom Grzyb, 3Z9DX, says planning continues for a second expedition on Bouvet Island in late 2021, using the call sign 3Y0I. As you probably know, our first attempt to reach the island of Bouvet in March 2019 failed, Grzyb says on the DXpeditions website. We were so close  just 63 nautical miles off the shore of Bouvet Island!

The reconstituted 3Y0J group under the LA7GIA/LA7THA/LB1QI triumvirate said in its August 8 announcement that it planned to begin fundraising immediately. It would field a team of 12 operators for a 20-day stay around Bouvet. They would set up at Cape Fie at the southeastern part of the island, which is called the only feasible part where a DXpedition can safely set up camp on rocky ground; we will not set [up] camp on the glacier.

The Intrepid-DX Groups Paul Ewing, N6PSE, had no comment regarding the 3Y0J release of August 8.

Source: ARRL

http://www.arrl.org/news/bouvet-island-dxpeditions-are-in-planning-stages-for-2021-2022-and-2023
Foreign powers continue to treat Afghanistan as a battlefield for their regional ambitions.

by Vijay Prashad

As each day goes by, the Talibans forces edge closer to controlling all of Afghanistan. In the first week of August, the Taliban swept through the northern provinces of the countryJawzjan, Kunduz, and Sar-e Pulwhich form an arc alongside the borders of the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The violence has been severe; the pain inflicted upon civilians by the intensity of the fighting has been terrible. Having withdrawn its ground forces, the United States sent in its B-52s to bomb targets in the city of Sheberghan (capital of the province of Jawzjan); reports suggest that at least 200 people were killed in the bombings. It shows the weakness of the government in Kabul that its Ministry of Defenses spokesperson Fawad Aman cheered on the bombing.









Its unlikely that the Afghan government of President Ashraf Ghani will outlast the Talibans lightning strikes. The U.S. bombing will slow the advance, but it will not be able to reverse the tide. That is why regional powers in Asia have deepened contacts with the Talibans leadership, whose governance of the entire country seems inevitable.

Moderate Taliban

The Taliban is not an entity by itself, Heela Najibullah said when I spoke to her during the second week of August. It is made up of groups of extremists and militants who use the rhetoric of jihad to achieve power. Najibullah, author of the important book Reconciliation and Social Healing in Afghanistan (2017), is the daughter of Mohammed Najibullah, the president of Afghanistan from 1987 to 1992. Since the Doha Agreement (2020), Heela Najibullah said, the Taliban has demonstrated in action that it is not moderate but has become even more extreme in the type of violence it is carrying out against the Afghan people and state. The Taliban has rejected every overture of a ceasefire from Afghan peace organizations.

A close look at the Taliban leadership reveals little change since its founding in September 1994. The public face of the TalibanMullah Abdul Ghani Baradarfounded the Taliban and was a close associate of the first emir of the movement, Mullah Omar. After the United States attacked Afghanistan in October 2001, it was Baradar who took Mullah Omar on the back of a motorcycle to their refuge in Pakistan. Baradar, trusted by Pakistani intelligence, puts no daylight between himself the current leader of the TalibanMawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzadaand his two deputiesMullah Yaqoob (son of the late Mullah Omar) and Sirajuddin Haqqani (leader of Pakistans Haqqani network). Akhundzada ran the Talibans judicial system from 1997 to 2001 and was responsible for some of the most heinous of its judgments. When COVID-19 infected most of the leadership, decision-making fell to Baradar.

At the March 2021 international peace conference in Moscow, the entire 10-person Taliban delegationled by Baradarwas male (to be fair, there were only four women among the 200 Afghans in the process). One of the four women at the table was Dr. Habiba Sarabi, who was appointed as minister of Womens Affairs in 2004 and then became the first female governor of an Afghan province in 2005. It is important to note that she was the governor of Bamyan, a province where the Taliban had blown up two sixth-century statues of Buddha in March 2001. In October 2020, Dr. Sarabi pointed out that Afghan women are more mobilized, although Afghanistan now faces a crucial moment in our fight. Reports have already appeared of forced marriages and public floggings of women in Taliban-controlled areas.

National Reconciliation

Women are more mobilized, says Dr. Sarabi, but they are not a powerful social movement. Afghanistans more liberal and left social forces are active underground and are not an organized force, Najibullah tells me. These forces include the educated sections, who do not want extremist groups to drag the country into another proxy war. That proxy war would be between the Taliban, the U.S.-backed government in Kabul, and other militant groups that are no less dangerous than the Taliban or the U.S. government.

Najibullah reaches back to the time when her father proposed the Afghan National Reconciliation Policy. A letter President Najibullah wrote to his family in 1995 could have been written today: Afghanistan has multiple governments now, each created by different regional powers. Even Kabul is divided into little kingdoms unless and until all the actors [regional and global powers] agree to sit at one table, leave their differences aside to reach a genuine consensus on non-interference in Afghanistan and abide to their agreement, the conflict will go on.

Heela Najibullah says that the National Reconciliation Policy would require the political participation of a range of actors in an international and a regional conference. These actors would include those who have used Afghanistan for their own national agendas, such as India and Pakistan. At such a conference, Najibullah suggests, Afghanistan needs to be recognized officially as a neutral state, and this neutral state should be endorsed by the UN Security Council. Once this is achieved, a broad-based government can be in charge until elections are held, reforms are discussed, and mechanisms are drawn for its implementation, Najibullah says.

Proxy Politics

In the 1990s, President Najibullahs policy was hampered by the deepening of proxy politics. Foreign powers acted through their armed emissariespeople such as Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, Burhanuddin Rabbani, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and Sibghatullah Mojaddedito cause mayhem in the country. They opened the door to the Taliban, which swept out of northern Pakistan across Afghanistan. Najibullah took refuge in the UN compound in Kabul, and then was killed mercilessly by the Taliban inside that compound in September 1996. Neither the U.S.-Saudi-Pakistani-backed forces (from Rabbani to Mojaddedi) nor the Taliban were interested in any kind of reconciliation policy.

Nor are they now invested in a genuine peace. The Taliban have shown that they can make significant advances and that they will use their territorial gains for political advantage; nonetheless, pragmatic members of the Taliban say that they just do not have the resources and expertise to govern a modern state. President Ashraf Ghani barely controls his own government, largely defenseless without U.S. air power. Each could bring something to the table in a reconciliation process, but its likelihood is low.

Meanwhile, foreign powers continue to treat Afghanistan as a battlefield for their regional ambitions. Blindness to history governs the attitude of several capitals, who know from previous experience that extremism cannot be contained within Afghanistan; it devastates the region. Heela Najibullahs call to consider her fathers National Reconciliation Policy is not merely a daughters hope. It is perhaps the only viable path for peace in Afghanistan.

This article was produced by Globetrotter.

Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian, editor and journalist. He is a writing fellow and chief correspondent at Globetrotter. He is the chief editor of LeftWord Books and the director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He is a senior non-resident fellow at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. He has written more than 20 books, including The Darker Nations and The Poorer Nations. His latest book is Washington Bullets, with an introduction by Evo Morales Ayma.
Expectations of Bangladesh to ensure Regional Maritime cooperation

by Md Pathik Hasan

Colombo Security Conclave is a greater regional initiative taken by Indi a, Sri Lanka and Maldives simultaneously to tackle the maritime threat in Indian ocean. Then Sri Lankandefence secretary (Now President) Gotabaya Rajapaksa took this significatory initiative. The head quarter is established in 2020 in Sri Lankan capital city Colombo. Maritime threats matter really in this todays modern world. Now Indian ocean is a piece of interest amongst world players. The powers eye shifts towards India ocean.





Analyst says,Maritime security and countering terrorism and other crimes in the Indian Ocean has emerged as a focus area for India as part of its Indo-Pacific strategy and the doctrine of Security and Growth for All in the Region (Sagar).

However, it is known to all Indian ocean gets it strategic significance for various region. It was a great maritime route for both Asian, European and African stated for many years. The Indian ocean has been considered as a hub of maritime connectivity project. Chinas string of Pearl project, Indias International North South Transport Project has been gone though this ocean. It is pertinent. Even the US government has transformed its strategy from Asia Pacific to Indo Pacific to include Indian ocean. Japan and India proposed cotton route is also a big issue in the consideration.

But there are some problems also. Trans national crime such as illegal narcotics, weapons and human trafficking issues, piracy, armed robbery, drug smuggling, illegal fishing, terrorism, environmental degradation issue is some concern issue. The Indian ocean has been used as a safe passage by some evil players. States on the Indian ocean face these serious challenges every day.

Illegal drug trafficking from India and Afghanistan, Iran through Indian Ocean route is known to all. According to some sources, the UNODC has estimated that 54% of the heroin in India is produced domestically, while 45% originates from Afghanistan.India is particularly vulnerable to the southern route due to its western border with Pakistan. Near this border, in the western Indian states of Punjab and Haryana, is where many of the heroin seizures occur. In 2012, 105kg of drugs were seized, which had been trafficked from Pakistan along rail routes.In 2013 alone, the Indian Narcotics Control Bureau reported seizures totalling 4,609kg Data collected through seizures by various authorities has confirmed India as a transit country for Southeast Asia, West Africa and North America.

Bangladesh also faces significant problems due to drug trade through the Indian Ocean and India. The country suffers from illicit drug use among its population, such as in Dhaka where there are an estimated 2.5 million people using drugs. India is a large provider of heroin to the Bangladeshi market, and it is trafficked over the western and eastern borders. However, it is unclear whether the heroin originates from Afghanistan or India, as this data has not been sufficiently collected.Both India and Bangladesh are becoming ever more dependent on maritime trade, with these states importing over US$ 52 million and US$ 447 million respectively.Therefore, to function effectively they require an absence of maritime crime in order for trade to be uninterrupted, and for their economies to thrive.

Bangladesh faces Piracy, illegal fishing, human trafficking in the Bay of Bengal. Although Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard are very active in the region, but the perpetrators are very clever and cunning. Rohingya crisis accelerated to worsen the situation. Various gangs are involved in these human trafficking process. It matters increasingly. Bangladeshi people are trafficked to Malaysia, Thailand, North Africa to Greece and Italy (Europe) through the marine route via Mediterranean Sea.

Many fishermen from Myanmar, India is involved in Illegal fishing in the Jurisdictional area under Bangladesh. So Bangladesh faces economic loss to extract marine resources. Some armed groups kidnap Bangladeshi Fisherman for ransom. Basically, Fishing in the Sundarbans region becomes very dangerous.

Sri Lanka has also faced an increase in heroin use within the country, as well as becoming a transit country for trafficking destined for other places.Much of the heroin entering Sri Lanka arrives on fishing boats or by air, often coming through India or Pakistan.The numbers of seizures which Sri Lankan authorities have conducted remains relatively small, meaning that the data collected is not always reliable.Smugglers in Sri Lanka have come from a variety of countries, including Pakistan, India, Iran and the Maldives.

Environmental degradation in the sea is common now. Climate change, sea level rising are some issue. Trans transnational terrorist threat is seen as a serious threat.

Bangladesh is a rising South Asian Miracle. The country is developing under the leadership of its premier Sheikh Hasina. She focuses on Blue economy. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the third ministerial conference titled Promoting Sustainable Blue Economy -- making the best use of opportunities from the Indian Ocean of IORA at the InterContinental Dhaka in 2019.

Not only Bangladesh, Countries like India, Sri Lakka, Maldives including all states across Indian ocean face the same problem. IN the disaster period, regional cooperation is much needed. In Past, regional countries helped each other through various operation during the disaster moment.

Now Bangladesh got a regional platform to address these problems. To ensure better maritime time security, all regional countries should work collaborately to tackle the problems.

Colombo Security Conclave is a platform. Bangladesh expect cooperation from other stake holders and would like to help others to face the challenge.

Bangladesh with Mauritius and Seychelles are going to become full member of regional maritime security bloc. Media reports, currently serving as the groups observers, Bangladesh, Mauritius and Seychelles joined the first meeting of national security advisers (NSA) of the CSC, hosted virtually by Sri Lanka on August 4.

So, there are some opportunities for Bangladesh also other partners to focus on countering terrorism and extremism, trans-national crimes such as narcotics, weapons and human trafficking, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and protecting the maritime environment.

MD Pathik Hasan, a Dhaka-based NGO worker, is a freelance writer. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of Sri Lanka Guardian.
The hoped-for return of British tourists has still not happened but, despite this, hotel owners on the Costa del Sol have revised their occupany rates - upwards - for August.

The hoteliers association, Aehcos, now believes the month could end with 70 per cent of beds sold, that is about four points more than the last forecast according to the president of Aehcos, Jose Luque.

Miguel Sanchez, of the Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Andalucia (CEA), has also pointed out that as well as reservations from the Spanish, that are concentrated at the weekends, association members have noticed an increase in week-long stays on the coast.

"Booking for August are growing sensationally," he says, forecasting that the British tourists will start arriving en-masse from September. Meanwhile, he said the Scandinavian market stands out.

The president of the CEA was upset by the Idealista property portal report that showed Malaga province of Malaga as the third-paced Spanish destination with hotels up for sale, a total of 54, which represents a 33 per cent than a year before. We soon started receiving calls from investors. Many are interested in knowing more about the establishments for sale. Tourism is picking up. There is a lot of interest for the coast.
Every summer healthcare pressure on the Costa del Sol multiplies due to the arrival of tourists, and it something to which the coronavirus pandemic has only added.

To help remedy the situation the Junta de Andalucia will this Wednesday, 11 August, put out to tender major expansion works, worth around 51.7 million euros, at Marbellas Costa del Sol Hospital after more than 10 years of delays.

The regional governments president Juanma Moreno unveiled the latest plans last May when he visited the hospital together with the Juntas Minister of Health, Jesus Aguirre, and the town mayor, Angeles Munoz. At that meeting, Moreno assured that in a period of a year and a half, we will have this magnificent hospital facility at the service, not only of the residents of Marbella, but also of that floating population we have on the Costa del Sol. A population of half a million inhabitants that has grown at a rate of 3 per cent in the last two years and that doubles during holiday periods.

The total investment is 75 million euros for an extension that will add 34,000 square metres of space, resulting in a total area of 83,000 square metres. The complete project includes both the new building, as well as the reforms to the existing facilities.

Outpatient clinics, day hospitals and diagnostic test departments will move to the new building. The number of beds will be increased by 62 and the intensive care unit will double its capacity. Improvements will be made to the emergency department with six more consultation rooms, two observation rooms and 29 beds. Four more operating rooms will also be added.
Malaga City Council has already awarded two contracts for the installation of another 200 drinking water fountains - mainly in the provincial capital - which can be used by both people and their pets.

These water sources will be added to the 150, which were launched last April but being briefly sealed off because of the coronavirus pandemic health measures.

The installation of the new drinking water fountains will take around five months so they should be in use by January.

Malagas city council has invested 200,000 euros to acquire the pumps, which will have an annual maintenance cost of 600 euros, councillor Gema del Corral, explained to SUR.

When the work is finished Malaga will have a drinking water fountain for every 1,700 residents which will allow the public to save buying bottled water and cut down on plastic waste. Pets will also be able to drink from the fountains through a separate channel that is close to the ground.

The first contract will see the drinking water sources installed in the Centro (36), Ciudad Jardin (2), Bailen-Miraflores (15), Carretera de Cadiz (25), Campanillas district (10) and Churriana district (13); while the second contract will more added in Ciudad Jardin (10), in addition to Cruz del Humilladero (30), Palma-Palmilla (8), Eastern district (23), Puerto de la Torre (10) and Teatinos-Universidad (18).
Global infrastructure major Besix, in a joint venture with Orascom Construction, has achieved a key milestone with the transportation of the King Khufu Solar Boat, the oldest intact ship in the world, from the archaeological site of the Giza pyramids to a dedicated building within the Grand Egyptian Museum.

The Besix-Orascom JV is in charge of the construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum, the worlds largest museum dedicated to a single civilisation and one of the largest constructions in Egypt since the pyramids.

In addition to thousands of objects documenting the greatness of Egyptian civilisation, it will include the treasure of Tutankhamun, whose 5,300 objects will be displayed for the first time since their discovery in 1922.

Inherited from ancient Egypt, the King Khufu Solar Boat is considered to be the oldest intact ship in the world. Presumably built for King Khufu, it was placed around 2500 BC in a pit at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Discovered in 1954 by the Egyptologist Kamal El Mallakh, the boat has been presented to the public since 1985 in the Giza Solar Boat Museum, a few metres from where it was found.

Last week, the King Khufu Solar Boat was relocated from the Solar Boat Museum in Giza to a new dedicated building within the Grand Egyptian Museum complex.

"This extremely delicate transport operation was carried out under the expert supervision of the Besix-Orascom Construction Joint Venture and with the support of their subcontractor Sarens, in perfect cooperation with the Egyptian authorities," said a company spokesman.

Giving a timeline on the successful operation, he said the operation began on August 5 with the careful extraction of the King Khufu Solar Boat. Weighing 45 tonnes, with a length of 43.6 m and a width of 5.9 m, it was lifted and installed to the centimetre in a secure 60-tonne steel cage, made to measure for the operation.

This extraction was carried out by driving a self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT) into the building, in such a way as not to jeopardise the integrity of the ship, which required taking into account multiple parameters, including the relatively strong wind on the Giza plateau and very little room for manoeuvre due to the narrow structure of the existing building and the delicate archeological environment.

The transport itself started the next day. The convoy was fully remote-controlled and reached its destination at a speed of 1 km per hour. It left the pyramid area via a narrow ramp winding between the Giza monuments and then travelled a distance of 8.5 kilometres before reaching its final destination.

The route chosen, which was much longer than the bird's-eye distance between the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, is explained by the stability of the roads used, the size of the convoy and the necessity to navigate safely through an area abounding with archeological heritage.

On August 7, the King Khufu Solar Boat was placed in its new dedicated building within the Grand Egyptian Museum complex. To do this, it was raised by 800-tonne crawler crane to a height of 30 m so that it could enter through the roof of the building and be installed with centimetre accuracy in the exact position where future visitors will be able to admire it.

Besix Deputy CEO Pierre Sironval said: "We are extremely proud of the achievement of this extraordinary and delicate operation and the excellence with which it was carried out. I would like to congratulate all our teams at Besix and Orascom Construction, as well as the experts at Sarens."

"Above all, I would like to thank the Egyptian authorities for their confidence, their professionalism and their remarkably efficient collaboration with the Besix-Orascom JV teams, both for this operation and for our work on the Grand Egyptian Museum. This will be a major museum jewel for the world to which we have just added a fantastic additional piece, the worlds oldest intact ship," he added.

Orascom Construction CEO Osama Bishai said: "It brings Orascom Construction great pride from the outstanding achievement of this meticulous event. Congratulations to the Orascom Construction and Besix teams for their outstanding performance in carrying out such a challenging and delicate task to perfection, which took up to six months in preparations; working around the clock to guarantee excellence in execution."

"Most of all, we are proud that we are part of building a new home for the treasures of Egypt, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Al Baraka Islamic Bank (AIB), has signed an agreement with the Applied Science University to provide education financing for students who wish to enroll at the university.

A signing ceremony was held on July 29, 2021, at Al Baraka headquarters between both entities, which was attended by Tariq Kazim General Manager  Business Group of Al Baraka Islamic Bank, and Professor Waheeb Al Khaja, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Applied Science University, Professor Ghassan Aouad, President of Applied Science University, Abdulla Al Khaja, Director, Administration and Finance at Applied Science University, along with senior officials from both parties including Fatema AlAlawi, Head of Retail Banking and Mohamed Jamali, Section Head - Business Development at Al Baraka Islamic Bank.

This scheme aims to provide promising students with the opportunity to achieve their higher education degree at local institutions that are fully-equipped to prepare the future generation with the necessary skills required to enter the job market and excel in their future careers.

The education financing scheme offers low profit rates over a maximum tenure of 3 years to those wishing to attain a higher education degree at local institutions.

Commenting on this occasion, Kazim said: We are pleased to be partnering with Applied Science University as the third university on board with our newly launched education financing scheme. We are proud to be at the forefront within the banking industry to be offering such schemes which will help prospective students achieve their educational goals in obtaining a higher education degree. This scheme comes as part of our continuous efforts in supporting students by facilitating the process of attaining a higher education degree at top local institutions within Bahrain. We look forward to partnering with more universities within the kingdom.

During the event, Professor Aouad said: We would like to extend our appreciation and gratitude to Al Baraka Islamic Bank for launching such an initiative that will support the future generation of Bahrain in attaining a higher education degree.

The Applied Science University is one of the leading private universities in Bahrain. Since its establishment in 2004, it has been able to occupy an advance rank among universities, and is accredited by the Higher Education Council in Bahrain.

The university continues its quest to be at the forefront of private universities supporting applied education and scientific research within the kingdom and the Gulf, by providing quality academic programmes and creating scientific professional competencies.-- TradeArabia News Service
stc Bahrain, a world-class digital enabler as part of the stc Group, and Nokia have launched the stc AgileWAN service, further evolving the operators ICT services managed portfolio.



Nokias Nuage Networks has deployed its Software Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) to enable this service. A significant contributor to taking Bahrain's digital transformation agenda forward, the stc Bahrain new AgileWAN service can now enable businesses across industries to execute their transformation initiatives, backed by the agility, support, and services required to attract the desired business impact.



With its extensive capabilities tailored to local and global connectivity requirements, businesses can now connect to the data center or cloud resources from anywhere in the world through a centralized and managed IT network setup.



Together with seamless integration and monitoring of the existing and new business operations, the service also offers businesses the flexibility to securely extend their network and the intranet for home teleworking through cost-effective measures.



Moreover, stc Bahrains business customers also stand to benefit from reduced operational costs via automated network functions and gain valuable analytics and insights into their network performance through advanced visibility and control features.



With the end-to-end visibility, power, and security it offers to the businesses, stc AgileWAN service is easy to integrate for companies of all sizes and sectors, including finance, healthcare, food and beverage, retail, to name a few. The service enables optimized network performance, increased business productivity, enhanced user and customer experiences as well as reduced IT operating costs.







Nezar Banabeela, CEO, stc Bahrain, said: We are pleased to take forward our collaboration with Nokia, creating intelligent and purposeful services for our business customers. Working with the company, we continue to explore the next-generation enterprise network connectivity services for our customers while utilizing its digital assets and ecosystems to increase operational effectiveness, improve customer outcomes and minimize potential security risks."



"This is a significant step towards investing in Bahrains digital future and supporting SMEs to focus on their core competencies while empowering them to move forward into the future, he added.



Khalid Hussain, Head of the stc Customer Business Team at Nokia, said: We are proud to have deployed our SD-WAN 2.0 solution to stc Bahrain, especially when enabling new-age digital services for enterprises has gained the utmost importance in the past one year or so. This disruptive technology enables stc Bahrain to better manage the network, enhance the overall performance and significantly bring up the total value and efficiency of the operations in the cloud era.



As a pioneer of bringing next generation technologies to the region, stc Bahrain is now able to leverage innovative features such as automation, network segmentation and cloud connectivity to advance the digital transformation of its enterprise customers.  TradeArabia News Service
The forecasted growth in wood pellet production in Europe will increase competition for wood fibre and require new feedstock sources, says a report.

Europes pellet industry is the largest in the world and is expected to continue to grow strongly, at least until 2025, says WRI Market Insights 2021.

The key factors driving this increase include:

*EU has ambitious and rising targets for renewable energy supply;

*Biomass will play an important role in meeting those targets; and

*Pellets offer several advantages over other forms of biomass in many applications.

Pellet demand is likely to grow by 30-40% over the next five years, and depending on how imports develop, European production might need to increase by up to ten million tonnes.

Europe represents about 75% of global pellet demand and is more diverse in its pellet usage than are other regions. In Europe pellets are used for residential heating (40%), power plants (36%), commercial heating (14%), and combined heat and power plants (10%).

Demand is strong in both the industrial and residential sectors and is likely to continue even beyond 2025. According to a just-released study, European Wood Pellets  Where will the raw-material come from?, the rise in wood pellet consumption will put significant pressure on raw material markets in Europe and require new sources such as forest residues, recovered wood, and energy crops.

Raw material prices and availability vary widely by geography but increased competition for wood fibre, including sawmill byproducts, will impact pulp and wood panel industries throughout Europe.

The most crucial feedstock for the wood pellet sector is currently sawmill residues (85% of the mix), roundwood (13%), and recovered wood (2%). This mix is likely to change in the coming years with the forecasted expansion of the wood pellet industry.

Although wood residues will remain an important feedstock, especially in northern and western Europe, they will not be sufficient to meet the future fibre demand from the growing wood pellet sector. New fibre sources are needed, and the greatest potential for increased supply is forest residues and energy crops.

Experience from North America shows that it is possible to use more forest residues as fibre furnish. Although it yields pellets with higher ash content, it is often a lower-cost raw material than, for example, roundwood and wood chips. This practice is increasingly common in both the US South (mainly for pellets exported to Europe) and Canada (mainly exported to Europe and Asia). In Western Canada, the saw mill residue share of the total feedstock has fallen from 97% in 2010 to 72% in 2020, with the balance being forest residues and roundwood.-- TradeArabia News Service
New Delhi, Aug 10 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and demanded him to urgently provide 25 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and anti-drone gadgets for the Border Security Force (BSF) to tackle security threat from Pakistan-backed terror forces.

According to a statement, Singh cited the recent heavy influx of weapons, hand-grenades and IEDs into the state, with Pakistans ISI also raising the ante ahead of the Independence Day and in the run-up to the Punjab Assembly polls. Singh told Shah that that security situation was grave and needed the Centres immediate intervention.

He also said inputs from central and state agencies showed potential targets include trains, buses and Hindu temples, prominent Kisan leaders with specific inputs about five farmer leaders being on target, RSS offices, RSS, BJP, Shiv Sena leaders based in Punjab, Deras, Nirankari Bhawans and Samagams.

The Punjab Chief Minister sought CAPF deployment for Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali, Patiala, Bathinda, Phagwara and Moga, as well as anti-drone technology for the BSF deployed at the borders. He pointed to the potent threat to the security of vital infrastructure and public events being attended by highly threatened individuals.

He also apprised Shah about the recent efforts by Pakistans ISI and the countrys establishment to push large quantities of weapons, hand-grenades, RDX explosive, detonators, timer devices, sophisticated laboratory made tiffin bombs into Punjab for carrying out terrorist acts.

"With the Punjab Assembly elections scheduled for February-March 2022, many militant and radical operatives are being pressurized by the ISI to carry out terrorist actions. These are very serious and worrisome developments having huge security implications for the border state and its people," he warned.

He reminded the Home Minister about the earlier targeted killings masterminded by the ISI, including that of RSS, Shiv Sena, and Dera leaders and RSS Shakhas, in 2016, ahead of the last Assembly polls. Also, the Maur bomb blast on January 31, 2017 was carried out just three days prior to the polling day on February 4th, 2017, he noted.

The Chief Minister told Shah that between July 4 and August 8, 2021, foreign-based pro-Khalistani entities, working in close collaboration with the ISI, had managed to induct over 30 pistols, one MP4 Rifle, one AK-47 Rifle, around 35 hand-grenades, sophisticated laboratory made tiffin bombs, over 6 KG RDX and assorted hardware for fabrication of IEDs.

He further informed Shah that in the last 35 days, more than 17 deliveries of weapons, hand-grenades, explosives and assorted IED fabrication hardware had come to the notice of the Punjab Police and the central agencies, which meant that consignments of weapons were delivered to Punjab based terror operatives on every 2nd day in July with the trend continuing in August.

The Chief Minister further observed that the fencing at the Indo-Pak border in Punjab had been rendered ineffective as a result of the tremendous capacity and expertise developed by the ISI and Pakistan-based Khalistani terrorist outfits, which allows them to use drones for delivery of terrorist hardware and drugs over the border fence into Punjab with ease. This, he stressed, had emerged as a serious national security concern.

UNI AO GK
New Delhi, Aug 11 (UNI) Responding to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singhs urgent request for more vaccine supplies in view of the forthcoming festival season and the 26 lakh cases of people overdue for second Covishield shot, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday ordered immediate increase in Punjabs allocation by 25 per cent.

During a meeting with the Union Minister, the Chief Minister sought supply of 55 lakh doses of Covid vaccine on priority for his state. Mr Mandaviya assured the Chief Minister of all help in this regard and said that while supplies would ease from next month, he would fulfill the states requirement by Oct 31 and ordered the department to immediately increase Punjabs allocation to meet its urgent requirement.

Capt Amarinder said with sufficient supplies, the state government could arrange to vaccinate 5-7 lakh people daily. He pointed out that allocation of vaccine for Punjab for the month of August currently stood at only 20,47,060 doses of Covishield, while around 26 lakh doses of this were required just for those whose second dose was overdue.

Citing data, the Chief Minister said Punjab has relatively very less allocation of vaccines (and hence very low per capita vaccination) as compared to the other states, and needs to be increase to cover more population and catch up with the others. He urged the Minister to ensure immediate supplies of both Covishield and Covaxin.

As of August 7, 2021, Haryanas per capita vaccination stands at 35.2, Delhis at 39.4, J&Ks at 43.7, Himachal Pradeshs at 62.0 and Rajasthans at 35.1, as against 27.1 for Punjab.

The Chief Minister observed that Punjab has, till August 7, received only 1,00,73,821 doses, as against Haryana (1,27,94,804), Delhi (1,06,79,728), J&K (66,90,063), Himachal Pradesh (55,51,177) and Rajasthan (34,954,868).

He further sought access for the state to the COWIN portal for analytical purposes.

MORE UNI DB SB 1636
UWs Vietti Leads Student Expedition into Four Kemmerer Fossil Fish Quarries

This is a view of a covered fossil fish as seen under oblique light. Fish like these are ideal to collect because the skeleton is still preserved underneath several layers of sediment and careful preparation to expose the skeleton can take place in a controlled preparation lab. The oblique light at night highlights bumps in the rock, making it easier to see the hint of skeletons, especially their backbones and skulls. (Claudia Richbourg Photo)

Laura Vietti recently took some of her students on a trip back in time to Wyomings Green River Formation, where Eocene-era fish once swam; bats and birds flew; and giant mammals and crocodiles roamed.

The fossil lake sediments preserved in the Green River Formation preserve some of the best fossils in the world, says Vietti, museum and collections manager for the University of Wyoming Geological Museum. The unique environment of the fossil lake prevented scavenging and promoted quick burial, which led to fossils preserved in great detail including scales, feathers, insect wings, flowers and more.

During its field trip from July 18-21, the research group, made up of Vietti and a handful of UW students, visited the Green River Stone Co. quarry, Rick Hebdons state fossil quarry, Fossil Safari quarry and American Fossil quarry, which are all located in and around Kemmerer.

One of my primary goals of the field trip was to educate my students on the past Eocene lake environments and how they evolved through time, Vietti says. We went to several outcrops and quarries from different paleo lake depths, as well as a paleo shoreline to see how the fish species, fish preservation and rock type changed with depth. Fish fossils tend to be less intact in the shallower environments and better preserved in the deeper environments.

The most common vertebrate fossils are fish. During its excursion, the group primarily found Knightia, Wyomings state fossil, named after UWs first geologist, Wilbur Knight; and Diplomystus. Both are related to modern-day herring. Although rarer, Wyomings Green River Formation boasts the countrys best-preserved Eocene bats, birds, caimans, crocodiles, dragonflies, ferns, mammals, snakes and turtles.

One quarry owner gave us a once-in-a lifetime experience by taking us on a night excavation where they wait until dark, turn on large floodlights and search for fossils in the rock using oblique light, Vietti explains.

Fossils in the deeper lake layers are best removed if still covered by sediment so that careful preparation can be conducted in the prep lab. Bones of these specimens are not visible to the naked eye. To locate the specimens, the group looks for bumps in the rock.

Quarry operators have found, over the decades, that the best way to find these bumps, which are usually the backbones, is by using oblique lighting at night, Vietti says. Subtle height changes in the rock, usually due to an underlying backbone or skull, become much more apparent under oblique lighting and cast a shadow, which otherwise would be untraceable during the day.

A group of UW students on a UW Geological Museum field trip was recently filmed at several Green River Formation quarries, including Rick Hebdons state fossil quarry (pictured here) for an upcoming Wyoming PBS special, which is estimated to air in 2022. (Laura Vietti Photo)

Viettis group helped discover several large fish, which included Diplomystus, Mioplosus, Priscacara and Phareodus.

The last day of the trip, at the American Fossil quarry, provided the group a rare find -- a swimming trace fossil, which quarry owner Patrick Hogle donated to UWs research collection.

The trace fossil is a curved line in the rock from where the bottom tip of the tail dragged in the sediment as it was swimming, causing a curved line, Vietti explains. They are rare because they are very faint and, often, arent preserved or recognized. We hope to have it on display within the next year.

During the trip, a producer working for Wyoming PBS joined the group and filmed the activities for a documentary called Fossil Country. The documentary, which is estimated to air sometime during 2022, will highlight the synergy of the fossil quarry owners, tourism, research and community, Vietti says.

The discoveries Vietti and her group made will be made available to the public next spring, when the UW Geological Museum holds its Fossil Fish Festival. The collaborative outreach event is free and open to the public, with the target audience being school kids.

The festival highlights the Green River fossil fish by providing each visitor with their very own fossil fish specimen, Vietti says. And we show them how to expose or prep the fish skeleton, collected by the museum in the quarries on our fossil fish field trip, among many other interactive activities.

UW students who participated in the field trip, listed by hometown, are:

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- Alec Wallen, a senior majoring in geology and environmental systems science.

Mantua, Ohio -- Austin Shaffer, a senior majoring in zoology and environmental systems science.

Monticello, Fla. -- Claudia Richbourg, a Ph.D. student in the Program in Ecology.

Prescott, Ariz. -- Lily Jackson, a postdoctoral researcher in geological science.

Stevens Point, Wisc. -- Will Rosenthal, a first-year Ph.D. student in the Program in Ecology.


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At the invitation of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya delivered an online speech at the UPU Ministerial Conference held in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire on 10 August 2021.

During the panel session on the challenges generated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the proposed solutions for a sustainable future, Secretary General Mikuriya explained the WCOs efforts, in close cooperation with the UPU, to ensure the flexibility and adaptability of the postal supply chain, especially in meeting the challenges stemming from the exponential growth of e-commerce.

Referring to the WCO Framework of Standards on cross-Border e-commerce and the associated E-Commerce Package, Dr. Mikuriya highlighted the importance of exchanging electronic advance data to allow Customs to manage risks in an automated, fast and effective manner and thus facilitating the flow of legitimate parcels. He appreciated the UPU cooperation and participation in the WCO's global conferences and regional workshops on e-commerce and called for further cooperation between Customs and Post to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and consumers while protecting health, safety and security of citizens. He also invited the UPU to contribute to the review cycle of the WCO E-Commerce Package.

The theme of the UPU Ministerial Conference was COVID-19 and the postal sector  what has and has not changed, and what needs to change. It brought together ministers in charge of the postal sector, chiefs of regulatory authorities, heads of intergovernmental agencies and other high-level representatives of organizations. The message of the Director General of the UPU, Mr. Bishar A. Hussein was to consider the best policies, investments, regulations and partnerships to enable the postal sector to unleash its full potential in terms of service delivery and profitability. The Prime Minister of Cote dIvoire, Mr. Patrick Achi, shared his views about the economic shock waves that followed the pandemic and the need to bridge the digital divide.
Adkins Named PTHS Interim Assistant Principal

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Ashley Adkins has been named Interim Assistant Principal in charge of Curriculum and Instruction at Paducah Tilghman High School.Paducah Public Schools Communication Coordinator Wayne Walden says Adkins has taught high school U.S. History at Paducah Tilghman for nineteen years and has taught Advanced Placement U.S. History and AP Psychology for fifteen years.She received her National Board Certification in Social Studies-History/Adolescence and Young Adult in 2019. In 2010 she was named as the Gilder Lehrman Preserving American History Teacher of the Year.Additionally, Adkins has been the National History Day teacher at the senior level since 2010 and has been the district lead National History Day teacher since 2014. She was the recipient of the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award Senior Division in 2014 and 2021."I am so proud to have Ashley Adkins join our administration team as Interim Assistant Principal in charge of Curriculum and Instruction," said Paducah Tilghman principal Allison Stieg. "She is highly respected by our faculty and staff as she has taught almost every subject and level in the social studies department. Her almost twenty years of experience at Tilghman will go a long way in making decisions that best meet the needs of our students as we prepare to get them caught up after Covid and continue on the path to being college and career ready."
Beshear Tours Lifeline's New Dormitories

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Governor Andy Beshear visited the campus of Lifeline Ministries on Monday.Beshear was accompanied by his senior advisor, Rocky Adkins, and they were given a tour of a new dormitory by Lifeline leadership.Lifeline's Board Chairman Steve Powless spoke to those who were gathered, saying that helping one person overcome addiction can be far-reaching, impacting entire families now and into multiple generations.Beshear praised the work of Lifeline, saying their treatment services help in the fight against opioid addiction, which he called an epidemic.He said, "We think a lot about our current pandemic, which is deadly, and which we have to defeat. But that doesnt mean that this epidemic isnt going to persist."With the help of the public, Lifeline has dug in deeper in that fight, building two new dormitories that can each house 50 men. They received over $600,000 in contributions toward the construction project.Beshear and Adkins got to visit Hunt Hall, named after Lifeline board member Ken Hunt. He also owns A&K Construction, which built the dorms. Hunt Hall will be used by residents in the final stage of their program, and offers them the option of staying in a transitional area while working, if they don't feel ready to move back home.Beshear said he understands that addiction must be terribly hard to beat, but that Lifeline is, "an incredible place doing God's work," in that fight.
Greenway Trail Fun Run This Thursday

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Paducah Parks & Recreation is hosting a Greenway Trail Fun Run Thursday for runners of all ages.Registration for the free event begins at 5:30 p.m. at Shelter 19 in Noble Park. The run starts at 6 p.m. at the Greenway Trail entrance. Participants will be eligible for prize drawings after the run is completed.This event is for the recreational runner as well as the avid runner.The 2.5-mile course highlighting the Greenway Trail begins in Bob Noble Park, continues toward Stuart Nelson Park, and returns to the starting point.
Mayor Bray Says Masks Inside City Buildings

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Mayor George Bray has declared a state of emergency in Paducah related to COVID-19 that will require everyone to mask up when inside city buildings.The mayor said this is due to the increasing number of COVID cases in McCracken County and the fact that the county has returned to the red zone based on its number of positive daily cases.The state of emergency directs all members of the public and all state and city employees to be masked or wear facial coverings to enter and remain in City of Paducah office buildings, including City Hall.Employees may remove their masks within their workstations when appropriate social distancing from others can be maintained.The state of emergency also strongly encourages all people medically eligible to be vaccinated do so.It also suggests, but does not mandate, that businesses encourage employees and customers to be vaccinated; and if not, require masks and social distancing.
Paducah Offers Remote Worker Relocation Incentives

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - The City of Paducah is hoping to attract remote workers across the country with a new relocation incentive program.The city's "Do What You Do From Paducah" campaign is a package of financial and community partner incentives designed to benefit remote workers financially, while helping them experience Paducahs cultural, educational, and networking experiences.The package of incentives is valued at nearly $6500, assuming an annual salary of $100,000 for the payroll tax waiver.Individuals accepted into Paducahs Remote Workers Incentive Program may be eligible to receive the following:Relocation Reimbursement - Up to $2,500 reimbursement for relocation expenses.Internet Allowance - Up to $70.00 per month reimbursement for 12 months for internet fees.Payroll Tax Waiver - Waiver of City of Paducah 2% payroll tax for 12 months.Cultural and Educational Amenities  With a value of approximately $1150, receive tickets/passes, training, memberships, and/or experiences to a variety of Paducah's cultural and educational institutions.To participate in the program an applicant must be at least 21 years of age, live at least 100 miles outside Paducahs city limit at the time of the application, and work full-time for a company in which all offices are located 100 miles or more outside of Paducah.This incentive program is designed to grab the attention of those increasing numbers of remote workers who are untethered from the traditional office space. As more companies provide opportunities for remote working, Paducah is ready to attract them with a significant incentive package," Mayor George Bray said. "Earlier this year, the Board of Commissioners prioritized this project as one of the 12 Commission Priorities. I am excited that we are now ready to share the program and help these workers make the positive and life-changing decision to move here.Click the link below for more information about the program.On the Net:
Paducah Schools to Require Everyone to Wear Masks

By West Kentucky Star Staff





PADUCAH - When classes start next Wednesday, all students, staff and visitors will be required to wear masks in Paducah Public Schools.The district shared the information on Wednesday afternoon, saying that the rule applies to everyone regardless of vaccination status, and includes all back-to-school and extracurricular events.Superintendent Dr. Donald Shively said district leadership is focused on doing whatever is necessary to keep kids in classrooms five days a week, and he believes that's common ground for everyone invested in the school district."Having our students at school gives them the best opportunity to learn and grow socially and emotionally. The school day structure gives their families the time and space needed to do their work. District leadership is focused on ensuring we take the necessary steps to accomplish the goal of having our students at school and at school activities."Shively stressed that vaccinations continue to be the most effective strategy to keep students in school, since students and staff who are vaccinated do not have to quarantine if they are exposed to COVID-19."While we are all frustrated and disappointed with the current predicament with the pandemic, the best way out of this is for more people to get vaccinated," Shively said. "This will help us keep our students in school."On the Net:
US 45 R-CUT Intersections Now Open

By West Kentucky Star Staff

WESTERN KENTUCKY - Two intersections in Graves and McCracken counties reopened today with a new traffic pattern.The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said two new Restricted Crossing U-Turn installations are now in use on US 45 between Mayfield and Paducah.Construction has progressed at the KY 408 intersection north of Mayfield and the KY 1288 intersection south of Lone Oak to allow traffic to permanently move to the R-Cut alignment at these locations.Drivers on KY 408 and KY 1288 wanting to make a left turn onto US 45 will first turn right, then use the median cross over to change directions after yielding to oncoming traffic.The existing traffic signal at the KY 408 intersection will be placed in flashing mode until it is removed later in the project.Some work will continue at both intersections to reconfigure the medians and complete curb work.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-08 22:53:16|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Health Ministry on Sunday received a new batch of Sinopharm vaccine from China as a mass scale vaccination program against the COVID-19 is underway in the country.

The vaccines arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport, onboard two Sri Lankan Airlines flights that flew in from Beijing.

Sri Lanka is presently in the midst of a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with over 500 deaths reported during the past 10 days alone.

The total COVID-19 active patient count has reached 28,664 while the total death toll has reached 5,017.

According to the Health Ministry, Sri Lanka has administered over 10 million vaccines to date with over 8.7 million Sinopharm doses administered as the first jabs. Out of this, over 1.9 million had been administered with their second jabs as well.

The other vaccines being administered countrywide are Sputnik V, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and the Moderna vaccines.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said recently that the government aims to inoculate all citizens above the age of 30 with the first doses by September. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 10:08:37|Editor: huaxia

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Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa addresses the commemoration ceremony of the Zimbabwe Defense Forces Day at the State House in Harare, Zimbabwe, Aug. 10, 2021. In a speech to mark the 41st anniversary of the Zimbabwe Defense Forces Day on Tuesday, Mnangagwa applauded the men and women of the Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF) for their dedication to the fight against the pandemic. (Photo by Shaun Jusa/Xinhua)

HARARE, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday commended the Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF) for its role in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a speech to mark the 41st anniversary of the Zimbabwe Defense Forces Day on Tuesday, Mnangagwa applauded the men and women of the ZDF for their dedication to the fight against the pandemic.

"The ZDF has joined the fight against the pandemic through enforcement of lockdowns, secondment of health personnel to assist in the management of confirmed cases as well as the national vaccination program," Mnangagwa said, highlighting the ZDF's unwavering willpower, expert contribution and resolve.

He also praised the ZDF for safeguarding the country's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying the forces continue to play their part in the implementation of multi-dimensional policies with regard to a speedy recovery, modernization, industrialization, as well as equitable and sustainable development of Zimbabwe.

"Going forward, we must therefore consolidate the prevailing peace dividend and pull together in one direction as principled compatriots in building the Zimbabwe we all want," Mnangagwa said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 10:11:42|Editor: huaxia

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A batch of COVID-19 vaccines arrives at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Aug. 10, 2021. Bangladesh has received another batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccine doses shipped via the COVAX Facility. This is the first consignment among three scheduled to arrive from China this week, according to local health official. (Xinhua)

DHAKA, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh has received another batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccine doses shipped via the COVAX Facility.

This is the first consignment among three scheduled to arrive from China this week, according to local health official.

Bangladesh's Health Ministry officials delivered the vaccines after an aircraft arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in capital Dhaka at 7:15 p.m. local time Tuesday.

Shahriar Sazzad, a senior Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) official at the airport, told journalists that the next consignment carrying the same amount of Chinese vaccines under the COVAX Facility is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday.

Bangladesh already received millions of doses from China as purchased vaccines. Besides, China also sent 1.1 million Sinopharm doses as a gift to Bangladesh in two consignments in July. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 12:25:32|Editor: huaxia

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Afghan displaced people who fled from their homes during the fights take shelter in a public park in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 11, 2021. In Afghanistan's capital Kabul, thousands of displaced families arrived from northern region, living in open grounds and public parks. (Photo by Sayed Mominzadah/Xinhua)

KABUL, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Taliban militants entered two provincial capitals in northern Afghan region late on Tuesday, the latest in their rapid advances as fighting raged in the Asian country, reported local media on Wednesday.

"Taliban militants overran Pul-e-Khumri city, capital of northern Baghlan province and Faizabad city, capital of neighboring Badakhshan province on Tuesday evening," reported Tolo News TV channel.

The Afghan government has not confirmed or denied the report so far.

With the fall of the two cities, the Taliban militants have taken control over nine provincial capitals, out of 34 provincial centers.

The said cities have been the scene of heavy clashes in recent weeks as government security forces continued heavy fighting to prevent Taliban from advancing.

Earlier on Wednesday, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani travelled to Mazar-i-Sharif, capital of northern Balkh province. A security meeting was underway in the city. Taliban militants have presence around the city, trying to capture Mazar-i-Sharif.

Security situation in the war-torn country has deteriorated as Taliban militants continue heavy fighting against government forces and gain ground since the drawdown of U.S. troops from May 1.

In Afghanistan's capital Kabul, thousands of displaced families arrived from northern region, living in open grounds and public parks.

Since the start of the year, nearly 360,000 people have been forcibly displaced by the conflict, and about 5 million people have been displaced since 2012, according to figures provided by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 12:25:53|Editor: huaxia

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by Matthew Rusling, Yang Shilong

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Vaccine mandates are increasingly a sticky issue in the United States as the country's COVID-19 cases topped 36 million Tuesday, fueled by the unchecked spread of the Delta variant among under-vaccinated areas.

As of 6:21 pm on Tuesday local time (2221 GMT), the U.S. COVID-19 cases totaled 36,039,748, with 618,044 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

The U.S. cases currently account for almost 18 percent of the nearly 204 million global cases, while the country's COVID-19 deaths account for roughly 14 percent of the more than 4.3 million virus-related fatalities worldwide, showed the tally.

Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has warned that U.S. COVID-19 cases may double to 200,000 a day in the fall unless the country could crush the outbreak "to the point of getting the overwhelming proportion of the population vaccinated."

VACCINE MANDATES

While experts said a federal vaccine mandate is unlikely, states, cities and the nation's biggest firms are moving at a rapid clip to require the vaccine from employees, as the Delta variant spreads quickly across the country.

The Delta variant accounted for an estimated 93.4 percent of all new COVID-19 cases in the country during the last two weeks of July, showed the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Recent weeks have seen the U.S. state of California and New York City announce that public sector employees must get the jab or be required to submit to regular COVID tests.

Starting in mid-August, New York City's mayor will require patrons and customers at restaurants, gyms and bars to provide proof that they've been vaccinated. State employees in the U.S. state of Virginia are required to get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf on Tuesday announced that commonwealth employees in state health care facilities and high-risk congregate care facilities will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 7. Individuals who are not vaccinated will be required to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, according to the governor's website.

"As a leading employer in Pennsylvania, the commonwealth must stand up and provide an example for other businesses to follow," said Wolf.

State of Washington Governor Jay Inslee on Monday announced a vaccine mandate for most state workers, as well as contractors and volunteers. Private health care workers will also have to get the jab, as a condition of employment.

"We have a duty to protect them from the virus," Inslee said.

Companies for months were reluctant to put vaccine mandates in place, on fears of political and legal backlash, but recent days and weeks have seen some of the nation's largest firms require the jab.

Both Walmart and Walt Disney Company have implemented new requirements that some employees get the vaccine -- moves that come on the heels of similar mandates from Uber, Facebook and Google.

The White House is ramping up its efforts to get Americans inoculated. President Joe Biden has announced that federal workers need to get the jab or else be forced to wear masks and maintain social distancing in the workplace.

This occurs as many Americans refuse the jab, mostly on worries that the side effects could be worse than the disease itself.

As of Friday, 50 percent of the U.S. population -- about 165.9 million people -- had been fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the CDC.

MOUNTING LAWSUITS

Clay Ramsay, a researcher at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, told Xinhua there is no precedent for a federal vaccine mandate, but added that "this kind of public health power has a long heritage at the state level."

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua: "Individual public and private sector organizations can require vaccinations," but added that a federal vaccine mandate "probably would not be legal."

It remains unknown whether the White House will use federal regulatory power, or threaten to withhold funds to certain entities whose employees are not getting inoculated. But that could backfire politically in the lead-up to next year's midterm Congressional elections.

Christopher Galdieri, assistant professor at Saint Anselm College, told Xinhua that the federal government tends not to do general, nationwide vaccine mandates, "and the Biden administration doesn't seem interested in pushing one."

Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, said Tuesday that he backs local mandates for teachers to get vaccinated.

"I'm going to upset people on this, but I think we should (mandate teacher vaccinations)," he told news outlet MSNBC. "I mean, we are in a critical situation now."

Children made up 15 percent of the reported weekly COVID-19 cases in the United States for the week ending Aug. 5, according to a recent report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

However, vaccine mandates have created a number of sticky legal situations nationwide.

Plaintiffs are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block a vaccine mandate for students at Indiana University, marking the first time the highest court in the nation being asked to rule on the issue.

Students have also filed lawsuits against vaccine mandates in the U.S. states of Indiana, Connecticut, Massachusetts and California, and the lawsuits claim universities are violating students' constitutional rights over their own bodies.

Todd Zywicki, a law professor at George Mason University, in the DC area, has filed a lawsuit against the university over what he calls an "unlawful mandate" that is "unmistakably coercive."

At the same time, firefighters unions, healthcare workers and public employees nationwide have staged protests in recent weeks.

Healthcare workers in the U.S. state of Minnesota recently demonstrated against vaccine mandates. A police union in San Francisco, in the state of California, warned that officers will retire or quit if forced to get inoculated.

On Tuesday, protesters gathered in New York City to rally against the city's upcoming mandate, which requires proof of vaccine for those wishing to dine indoors, attend performances and frequent gyms.

U.S. media reported that demonstrators held placards and chanted "we will not comply."

Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Kevin Cramer earlier this week pushed legislation to forbid vaccine mandates, but passage is seen as a long shot.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose state is now a new COVID-19 epicenter, has announced that the state Board of Education could withhold pay from school leaders who implement mask mandates for students.

However, several school districts are considering mask mandates and a few have said masks will be required, with some opt-out exceptions.

DeSantis traded barbs with Biden last week when the Democratic president criticized him and other Republican governors for banning mask mandates in public schools and other places.

Deborah Coleman, a retired nurse in the state of Delaware, in her 60s, told Xinhua that "health care professionals should only consider mandates after full FDA approval."

Pfizer's vaccine is only authorized for emergency use in the United States, but full approval could come from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within weeks.

Experts and U.S. media surmise that full FDA approval could prompt more Americans to get the jab. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 13:33:51|Editor: huaxia

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People walk in Times Square, New York, the United States, on July 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

- The White House is ramping up its efforts to get Americans inoculated. This occurs as many Americans refuse the jab, mostly on worries that the side effects could be worse than the disease itself.

- As of Friday, 50 percent of the U.S. population -- about 165.9 million people -- had been fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the CDC.

by Matthew Rusling, Yang Shilong

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Vaccine mandates are increasingly a sticky issue in the United States as the country's COVID-19 cases topped 36 million Tuesday, fueled by the unchecked spread of the Delta variant among under-vaccinated areas.

As of 6:21 pm on Tuesday local time (2221 GMT), the U.S. COVID-19 cases totaled 36,039,748, with 618,044 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

The U.S. cases currently account for almost 18 percent of the nearly 204 million global cases, while the country's COVID-19 deaths account for roughly 14 percent of the more than 4.3 million virus-related fatalities worldwide, showed the tally.

Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has warned that U.S. COVID-19 cases may double to 200,000 a day in the fall unless the country could crush the outbreak "to the point of getting the overwhelming proportion of the population vaccinated."

A medical worker prepares a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, the United States, June 18, 2021. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

VACCINE MANDATES

While experts said a federal vaccine mandate is unlikely, states, cities and the nation's biggest firms are moving at a rapid clip to require the vaccine from employees, as the Delta variant spreads quickly across the country.

The Delta variant accounted for an estimated 93.4 percent of all new COVID-19 cases in the country during the last two weeks of July, showed the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Recent weeks have seen the U.S. state of California and New York City announce that public sector employees must get the jab or be required to submit to regular COVID tests.

Starting in mid-August, New York City's mayor will require patrons and customers at restaurants, gyms and bars to provide proof that they've been vaccinated. State employees in the U.S. state of Virginia are required to get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf on Tuesday announced that commonwealth employees in state health care facilities and high-risk congregate care facilities will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 7. Individuals who are not vaccinated will be required to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, according to the governor's website.

"As a leading employer in Pennsylvania, the commonwealth must stand up and provide an example for other businesses to follow," said Wolf.

State of Washington Governor Jay Inslee on Monday announced a vaccine mandate for most state workers, as well as contractors and volunteers. Private health care workers will also have to get the jab, as a condition of employment.

"We have a duty to protect them from the virus," Inslee said.

Companies for months were reluctant to put vaccine mandates in place, on fears of political and legal backlash, but recent days and weeks have seen some of the nation's largest firms require the jab.

Both Walmart and Walt Disney Company have implemented new requirements that some employees get the vaccine -- moves that come on the heels of similar mandates from Uber, Facebook and Google.

The White House is ramping up its efforts to get Americans inoculated. President Joe Biden has announced that federal workers need to get the jab or else be forced to wear masks and maintain social distancing in the workplace.

This occurs as many Americans refuse the jab, mostly on worries that the side effects could be worse than the disease itself.

As of Friday, 50 percent of the U.S. population -- about 165.9 million people -- had been fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the CDC.

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

MOUNTING LAWSUITS

Clay Ramsay, a researcher at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, told Xinhua there is no precedent for a federal vaccine mandate, but added that "this kind of public health power has a long heritage at the state level."

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua: "Individual public and private sector organizations can require vaccinations," but added that a federal vaccine mandate "probably would not be legal."

It remains unknown whether the White House will use federal regulatory power, or threaten to withhold funds to certain entities whose employees are not getting inoculated. But that could backfire politically in the lead-up to next year's midterm Congressional elections.

Christopher Galdieri, assistant professor at Saint Anselm College, told Xinhua that the federal government tends not to do general, nationwide vaccine mandates, "and the Biden administration doesn't seem interested in pushing one."

Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, said Tuesday that he backs local mandates for teachers to get vaccinated.

"I'm going to upset people on this, but I think we should (mandate teacher vaccinations)," he told news outlet MSNBC. "I mean, we are in a critical situation now."

Children made up 15 percent of the reported weekly COVID-19 cases in the United States for the week ending Aug. 5, according to a recent report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

However, vaccine mandates have created a number of sticky legal situations nationwide.

Plaintiffs are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block a vaccine mandate for students at Indiana University, marking the first time the highest court in the nation being asked to rule on the issue.

Students have also filed lawsuits against vaccine mandates in the U.S. states of Indiana, Connecticut, Massachusetts and California, and the lawsuits claim universities are violating students' constitutional rights over their own bodies.

Todd Zywicki, a law professor at George Mason University, in the DC area, has filed a lawsuit against the university over what he calls an "unlawful mandate" that is "unmistakably coercive."

Medical workers wheel a patient into the emergency room at Maimonides Medical Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York, United States, March 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Michael Nagle)

At the same time, firefighters unions, healthcare workers and public employees nationwide have staged protests in recent weeks.

Healthcare workers in the U.S. state of Minnesota recently demonstrated against vaccine mandates. A police union in San Francisco, in the state of California, warned that officers will retire or quit if forced to get inoculated.

On Tuesday, protesters gathered in New York City to rally against the city's upcoming mandate, which requires proof of vaccine for those wishing to dine indoors, attend performances and frequent gyms.

U.S. media reported that demonstrators held placards and chanted "we will not comply."

Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Kevin Cramer earlier this week pushed legislation to forbid vaccine mandates, but passage is seen as a long shot.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose state is now a new COVID-19 epicenter, has announced that the state Board of Education could withhold pay from school leaders who implement mask mandates for students.

However, several school districts are considering mask mandates and a few have said masks will be required, with some opt-out exceptions.

DeSantis traded barbs with Biden last week when the Democratic president criticized him and other Republican governors for banning mask mandates in public schools and other places.

Deborah Coleman, a retired nurse in the state of Delaware, in her 60s, told Xinhua that "health care professionals should only consider mandates after full FDA approval."

Pfizer's vaccine is only authorized for emergency use in the United States, but full approval could come from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within weeks.

Experts and U.S. media surmise that full FDA approval could prompt more Americans to get the jab. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 15:00:40|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported one new imported case of COVID-19 on Wednesday, taking the tally of total confirmed cases to 12,020.

The new imported case involved a patient arriving in Hong Kong from Bangladesh. In the past 14 days, the CHP reported a total of 40 confirmed cases, including one untraceable local infection and the rest were imported.

More than 6.31 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Hong Kong since the launch of the government vaccination program on Feb. 26. More than 3.56 million people, or 52.4 percent of the eligible population, have received their first shot, and more than 2.75 million are fully vaccinated. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 15:03:13|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths in Cambodia is on the gradual decline as more people have been vaccinated against the virus, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said on Wednesday.

The kingdom confirmed 486 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, a decrease from the peak day of 1,130 cases on June 30, the MoH said, adding that 12 more fatalities were reported Wednesday, a dramatic drop from the highest daily death toll of 39 recorded on July 15.

To date, the Southeast Asian nation has recorded a total of 83,384 COVID-19 cases, with 1,614 deaths and 77,754 recoveries, the MoH said.

Authorities attributed the fall in new cases and deaths to the higher COVID-19 vaccination rate.

Cambodia launched a COVID-19 vaccination drive on Feb. 10, aiming to inoculate 12 million people, or 75 percent of its 16-million population by November.

MoH's secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine said that as of Aug. 10, the country has vaccinated 8.39 million people, or 52.48 percent of the total population. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 15:10:56|Editor: huaxia

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MALE, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese contractor Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) has officially handed over the seaplane terminal to the operator of the Maldives' Velana International Airport (VIA), the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), according to a statement from BUCG on Tuesday.

"With a total floor area of 28,000 square meters and complete water facilities, the seaplane terminal will improve the Maldives' tourism service quality and reception capacity and further boost the local economy," BUCG Project Director Zhang Fenglin said.

Deputy Chief Officer at MACL Mohamed Solah said that the Chinese contractors have overcome challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and ensured the timely completion and commissioning of the project on Aug. 4.

"We are looking forward to seeing a new development for tourism in the Maldives after the operation of the seaplane terminal," he said.

BUCG has also completed the construction of another Maldivian project, the Madivaru Airport, in February this year. The project is expected to serve as a domestic airport for both the Maldivians and foreign tourists. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 15:27:21|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The move to politicize COVID-19 origin tracing will achieve nothing but jeopardize anti-pandemic cooperation and cost more lives in the face of resurgent and frequent mutations of the virus, cautioned Chinese ambassador to Nepal.

"The irresponsible and unscientific act of politicizing this issue is the most dangerous political virus, which will only severely hinder global cooperation in the study of origins, jeopardize anti-pandemic cooperation, and cost more lives," Hou Yanqi said in a signed article published Monday on the English edition of Onlinekhabar.com, a news portal in Nepal.

"We believe that only if all the parties of the international community unite and cooperate in the spirit of science to find the true origin of the virus which endangers human life, we can effectively deal with and defeat this virus and create enabling conditions for protecting the common safety and health of humankind and promoting economic recovery," Hou said.

China has taken the lead in cooperating with the World Health Organization (WHO) in an "open, transparent and responsible" manner, invited twice the WHO expert group to China for origin study, released the joint WHO-China study report in March and made "important contributions" to international cooperation on origin-tracing, she said.

"This effort should be continued in unity with other actors as it is the only way to defeat the virus," she wrote.

The attempt by some countries and individuals "to scapegoat China in order to shift responsibility for its poor COVID-19 response and achieve the political motive of smearing and suppressing China" has met opposition from people of vision, nearly 70 countries as well as over 300 political parties, organizations and think tanks from over 100 countries and regions, Hou wrote.

"It must be pointed out that the virus origin-tracing is a complex scientific issue and should be studied by scientists in the spirit of science," she said.

"All the countries in the world should also actively participate in global cooperation on origin-tracing with an open-minded attitude and jointly study the source of the coronavirus in order to provide support to the global fight against the pandemic," she wrote. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 15:36:13|Editor: huaxia

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HANGZHOU, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- A dock staff member at the Port of Ningbo Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Wednesday morning, local authorities said.

Operations at the relevant site have been suspended and the area has been disinfected.

The Ningbo-Zhoushan port ranks first in the world in terms of cargo throughput. During the first seven months of this year, the port recorded a total cargo throughput of 718 million tonnes, up 5.6 percent year on year. Its container throughput increased more than 17 percent to exceed 18.68 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the same period.

On Tuesday, 16 crew members of a ship stranded in the port tested positive for COVID-19, of whom 11 were later diagnosed as confirmed cases, said the municipal government of the province's Zhoushan City.

On Aug. 3, nine crew members of the ship anchored off the coast of Zhoushan reported to local authorities that they were running a fever.

The ship, with 20 Chinese nationals on board, had been docked in Indonesia and the Philippines, and left the Philippines on July 30. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 15:38:06|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The status of Tibetan antelopes in China has been downgraded from "endangered" to "near threatened" amid the country's active anti-poaching and biodiversity protection efforts, said the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The population of the species has grown from less than 70,000 during the 1980s-1990s to around 300,000 at present, the administration added.

The species, mostly found in Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is under first-class state protection in China. It plays a key role in maintaining the ecological balance on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 15:38:37|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania is playing with fire by violating the one-China principle regarding Taiwan.

Lithuania recently unveiled its decision to allow the Taiwan authorities to open a "representative office" under the name of "Taiwan" in the country, an outright violation of its promise to adhere to the one-China principle when Beijing and Vilnius established diplomatic ties in 1991.

As a firm and resolute countermeasure, China on Tuesday announced that it will recall its ambassador to Lithuania, and has demanded the Lithuanian government recall its ambassador to China.

It does not take rocket science to see through Lithuania's perilous calculations: to show its loyalty to a Washington that is increasingly anti-China.

However, decision-makers in Vilnius should not expect to be rewarded for their provocations. Rather, they will ultimately pay for their recklessness.

First of all, the Taiwan question concerns China's core interests over which there is no room for compromise.

Beijing's recalling of its envoy is just a stark warning. If the Lithuanian government does not correct its wrongdoing, it is forcing China to take further actions.

Secondly, those calculating Lithuanian politicians who are trying to flatter Washington should not take it for granted that their American masters will always stand behind them.

History is crowded with examples that the United States abandoned its faithful servants when seeing the need to fend for its own interests. It is still not too late for those Lithuanian politicians to make up for some missed history lessons.

Thirdly, it is even more clownish for Lithuania to encourage other regional countries to follow its misguided steps on the Taiwan issue.

Lithuania has read the big picture totally wrong. Most European countries have upheld the one-China principle as they have promised to Beijing.

Also, the foundation for mutually-beneficial cooperation between China and Europe remains solid. A country like Lithuania can in no way find any meaningful support for its self-destructive moves.

For the Lithuanian government, revoking its wrong decision and undoing the damage to bilateral ties with China are the only correct and wise way forward.

If the Lithuanian politicians remain reckless and persist in going down the wrong path to harm China's interests, China will not hesitate to take stronger countermeasures. In that case, the Lithuanian side will lose more than it may gain. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 15:39:29|Editor: huaxia

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Members of public uprising forces are seen in Shiberghan, capital of Jawzjan Province, Afghanistan, Aug. 6, 2021. (Photo by Mohammad Jan Aria/Xinhua)

The Taliban's territorial takeovers are "a consequence of American misjudgments and failures," says Wesley Clark, former top NATO general.

BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Taliban on Tuesday claimed it has seized Farah city, capital of Afghanistan's western Farah province, which is the seventh provincial capital it has captured over the past four days.

The rapid deterioration in Afghanistan's security is mainly attributed to the "hasty" retreat of U.S. troops, which has only left a mess and violence after a 20-year war, according to analysts.

Photo taken on Aug. 6, 2021 shows smoke rising during gun fights in Shiberghan, capital of Jawzjan Province, Afghanistan. (Photo by Mohammad Jan Aria/Xinhua)

SWIFT DETERIORATION

Apart from Farah city, the Taliban has reportedly seized over the past week Sari Pul, Kunduz, Shiberghan, Aybak and Taluqan cities in the northern region, and Zaranj city in the western part of the country.

In recent days, the United States has carried out airstrikes against the Taliban as the group made rapid military advances across the country.

Many Afghan cities and about half of the country's 34 provinces have seen heavy battles and street fighting between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters.

"What we are doing around the clock is seeking to find a way out of this," U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters in a daily briefing, noting that U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad is in Doha for meetings with representatives from regional countries to press for a reduction in violence and a ceasefire.

Earlier this month, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani blamed the speedy withdrawal of U.S.-led troops for the worsening violence in his country.

Stanislav Zas, secretary general of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, noted that after the United States and its allies withdrew troops from Afghanistan, the situation there has significantly aggravated and the country is being increasingly engulfed by chaos, causing instability in the region, reported the TASS news agency on Monday.

Since 2009 when the United Nations reporting began, the fighting across Afghanistan has claimed over 40,000 lives. In July alone, more than 1,000 people have been killed or injured by attacks in Hilmand, Kandahar and Hirat provinces, said UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths in a statement.

Photo taken on Aug. 6, 2021 shows the site of a bomb explosion in Mazar-i-Sharif, capital of Balkh province, Afghanistan. (Photo by Kawa Basharat/Xinhua)

"ANOTHER SYRIA"

Observers believe that if the conflict between the Taliban and the government forces turns into a long-term military impasse, Afghanistan will become "another Syria."

Wang Shida, deputy director of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told Xinhua that over the past decade, the Taliban has been expanding its influence in Afghanistan's rural areas, especially those near provincial capitals, which is why it can seize large swathes of rural areas quickly and even take provincial capitals.

Meanwhile, Afghan government forces have been long operating in urban areas, especially in capital Kabul and its surroundings. Therefore, whether the Taliban can overthrow the Afghan government in a short term remains unclear, Wang said.

Zhu Yongbiao, director of the Research Center for Afghanistan at China's Lanzhou University, shares a similar view with Wang, saying Afghanistan may follow in the steps of Syria.

Considering the Taliban has lost many mid-level commanders in recent battles and it takes time to train new commanders, the group may slow the pace of fighting. Meanwhile, the government forces are unlikely to be defeated in a short time, Zhu explained.

Leon Panette, former U.S. defense secretary, said: "The most you can hope for now is some kind of stalemate" between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters, who have shown little interest in reaching an accord since the American troop withdrawal was announced, the New York Times reported Sunday.

An Afghan border forces soldier stands guard at a U.S. forces base which has been handed over to Afghan border forces in Dih Bala district of Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan, July 20, 2020. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

WASHINGTON'S DILEMMA

On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden called on the Afghan troops to fend for themselves as well as promised to keep Washington's word.

"We spent over a trillion dollars over 20 years. We trained and equipped with modern equipment over 300,000 Afghan forces. And Afghan leaders have to come together," Biden told reporters at the White House. "They've got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation."

"We are going to continue to keep our commitment," he added, noting he does not regret his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the country.

The U.S. retreat and its spillover have drawn criticism from inside the United States and its allies.

Wesley Clark, former top NATO general, called the Taliban's territorial takeovers "a consequence of American misjudgments and failures."

The impact of the U.S. drawdown "could be tragic for the country and dangerous for the U.S. and the wider world," wrote Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator of the Financial Times, in late July.

"If the United States ceases anti-Taliban operations on Aug. 31, that would send confusing messages and could have a demoralizing impact on the ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces). But if it continues such ops, U.S. is basically continuing its war, even post-withdrawal," tweeted Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program and senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center based in Washington. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 16:15:23|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on July 21, 2019 from Xiangshan Mountain shows the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan. (Xinhua/Zhu Xiang)

The Taiwan question concerns China's core interests over which there is no room for compromise.

BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania is playing with fire by violating the one-China principle regarding Taiwan.

Lithuania recently unveiled its decision to allow the Taiwan authorities to open a "representative office" under the name of "Taiwan" in the country, an outright violation of its promise to adhere to the one-China principle when Beijing and Vilnius established diplomatic ties in 1991.

As a firm and resolute countermeasure, China on Tuesday announced that it will recall its ambassador to Lithuania, and has demanded the Lithuanian government recall its ambassador to China.

It does not take rocket science to see through Lithuania's perilous calculations: to show its loyalty to a Washington that is increasingly anti-China.

However, decision-makers in Vilnius should not expect to be rewarded for their provocations. Rather, they will ultimately pay for their recklessness.

First of all, the Taiwan question concerns China's core interests over which there is no room for compromise.

Beijing's recalling of its envoy is just a stark warning. If the Lithuanian government does not correct its wrongdoing, it is forcing China to take further actions.

Secondly, those calculating Lithuanian politicians who are trying to flatter Washington should not take it for granted that their American masters will always stand behind them.

History is crowded with examples that the United States abandoned its faithful servants when seeing the need to fend for its own interests. It is still not too late for those Lithuanian politicians to make up for some missed history lessons.

Thirdly, it is even more clownish for Lithuania to encourage other regional countries to follow its misguided steps on the Taiwan issue.

Lithuania has read the big picture totally wrong. Most European countries have upheld the one-China principle as they have promised to Beijing.

Also, the foundation for mutually-beneficial cooperation between China and Europe remains solid. A country like Lithuania can in no way find any meaningful support for its self-destructive moves.

For the Lithuanian government, revoking its wrong decision and undoing the damage to bilateral ties with China are the only correct and wise way forward.

If the Lithuanian politicians remain reckless and persist in going down the wrong path to harm China's interests, China will not hesitate to take stronger countermeasures. In that case, the Lithuanian side will lose more than it may gain. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 16:35:04|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- China's new yuan-denominated loans totaled 1.08 trillion yuan (about 166.59 billion U.S. dollars) last month, up 90.5 billion yuan from the same period last year, central bank data showed Wednesday.

The M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, increased 8.3 percent year on year to 230.22 trillion yuan at the end of July, according to the People's Bank of China. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 16:36:26|Editor: huaxia

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People walk on a street in New York, the United States, July 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

"Let's try and find out why it happened and how it happened, but it should be based on evidence. We shouldn't play politics with health," Maltese Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo said.

BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Experts and officials from various countries have strongly opposed politicizing the COVID-19 origin-tracing, calling for impartial scientific investigations into the origin in multiple territories.

COVID-19 is "the common enemy of the entire humanity regardless of nationality, color or shape," Philippine presidential spokesperson Harry Roque told a televised news conference earlier in August.

"It is important that the world link arms to fight this. The problem is if we politicize this, it becomes a hindrance to our efforts to combat this," Roque said.

At a press conference following the meeting of the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in June, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that politicians "shouldn't strive to score points and increase their popularity by speculating about the COVID-19 situation."

Photo taken on Jan. 12, 2019 shows the White House and a stop sign in Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

The investigation led by the U.S. intelligence community into COVID-19's origins has a clear end-goal of diverting attention from the country's pandemic response failures and casting blame on China, said Andrey Kortunov, director general of the Russian International Affairs Council.

For his part, Maltese Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo said that any politicization of COVID-19 origin-tracing should be resisted.

"Let's try and find out why it happened and how it happened, but it should be based on evidence. We shouldn't play politics with health," he said.

Meanwhile, researchers and observers have noted that origin-tracing studies should be conducted in multiple countries, as credible reports raised by experts of different countries point to COVID-19 incidences in their territories earlier than the end of 2019.

"Scientists should be allowed to get to the bottom of this, and the net should be cast wider with probes being undertaken in multiple locations," said Eric Biegon, a multimedia journalist with Kenya Broadcasting Corporation.

A staff member performs random sample check on inactivated COVID-19 vaccine in vials at a packing line of Sinovac Life Sciences Co., Ltd. in Beijing, capital of China, on Dec. 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

Herman Laurel, a columnist for social news website Sovereign P.H., said the World Health Organization should probe the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Fort Detrick, Maryland.

He said the facility was ordered to be closed after it disposed of "dangerous materials believed to have caused strange 'vaping sickness' and the 'strange flu' in the U.S. at that time."

An online petition launched in the Philippines last week to investigate the Fort Detrick biolab has obtained nearly 500 signatures.

A number of people, mainly from the United States, have recounted their experiences on social media about novel coronavirus infections in late 2019.

People should be patient, deliberating and consider all the evidence in terms of COVID-19 origin-tracing, said Stephen Winchester, consultant virologist at Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services.

The origin of the virus can only be determined by results of impartial scientific investigations, Winchester noted.

"It is a very important area of study establishing this origin, but it takes time, and needs to really weigh up all the evidence," said the virologist. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 17:47:40|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Ministry of Health (MoH) announced Wednesday that another 44 new cases of the Delta COVID-19 variant were found, bringing the total number of such cases in the Southeast Asian nation to 429.

Laboratory testing conducted by the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia detected the Delta variant on 31 local people, 12 laborers coming back from Vietnam through land border and one returnee from Malaysia via a connecting flight in Singapore, the MoH said in a statement.

The local infections were spotted in capital Phnom Penh and the provinces of Kampong Speu, Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap, Kampong Thom, Svay Rieng and Koh Kong.

Health Minister Mam Bunheng renewed his call on people across the country to be more cautious as the Delta variant is more transmissible than other previous strains.

"People who are required to undergo a quarantine must strictly comply with the rules in order to prevent large-scale community transmission," he said in the statement.

On Tuesday, the MoH announced that home treatment would not be permitted for the patients infected with the Delta variant, saying that the patients must be hospitalized at least 21 days and after being discharged from hospital, they must go into a self-quarantine at home for another 14 days.

In Cambodia, COVID-19 treatment is free of charge for all local patients. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 18:11:57|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid departed on Wednesday for Morocco, marking the first visit to Morocco by Israel's top diplomat since the two countries normalized ties in 2020.

"Departing for a historic visit in Morocco," Lapid wrote on Twitter, adding the national flags of the two countries.

Lapid's office said that the minister will meet with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, and will inaugurate Israel's diplomatic mission in Rabat. He will also visit Casablanca's Temple Beth-El, a historic Jewish synagogue.

Before leaving, Lapid said in a statement that the two-day visit "is a continuation of the long-standing friendship and deep roots and traditions that the Jewish community in Morocco and the large community of Israelis with origins in Morocco have."

Morocco is still home to a small community of several thousand Jews.

In 1995, following the Oslo Accords, peace agreements between Israel and the Palestinians, Morocco agreed to establish full diplomatic ties with Israel. However, Morocco severed the ties in 2000 after the Second Intifada, a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, broke out.

Even after the ties were severed, the two countries maintained a friendly relationship, with many Israeli tourists traveling each year to Morocco.

The U.S.-brokered deal, first announced in December 2020, renewed official ties between the two countries. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 18:35:45|Editor: huaxia

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A police official inspects during a rehearsal ahead of the 75th Independence Day parade, in Assam Rifles ground at Agartala, the capital city of India's northeastern state of Tripura, Aug. 11, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 19:19:03|Editor: huaxia

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Afghan security force members are seen near the burning drugs in Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, Aug. 11, 2021. Police in Afghanistan burned more than 13 tons of narcotic drugs in eastern Nangarhar province on Wednesday, the latest in the fight against illicit drug and narcotics trafficking, the country's Ministry of Interior said. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

KABUL, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Police in Afghanistan burned more than 13 tons of narcotic drugs in eastern Nangarhar province on Wednesday, the latest in the fight against illicit drug and narcotics trafficking, the country's Ministry of Interior said.

The drugs were seized from separate locations in Nangarhar within the past three years and was set ablaze on the outskirts of provincial capital Jalalabad city, the ministry said in a statement.

The burned drugs included heroin, poppy opium, hashish, henbane and some amounts of chemical agents used in producing heroin, the statement added.

Police have also arrested 220 suspects along with 45 vehicles and 18 weapons in connection with trafficking and hiding the drugs during the cited period, according to the statement.

Much of the world's opium poppy is cultivated in the militancy-hit country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 19:32:25|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief William Burns met Wednesday here to discuss Iran and strengthen intelligence cooperation between the two allies.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that the two discussed "boosting intelligence and security cooperation between Israel and the United States."

Moreover, they discussed regional issues "with an emphasis on Iran, and options for expanding and deepening regional cooperation," the statement read.

The meeting was also attended by chief of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency David Barnea and other senior Israeli security officials.

On Tuesday, Barnea and Burns held a separate meeting to discuss Iran and other "regional challenges in which the two organizations intend to cooperate," according to the statement.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that Burns will also meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian intelligence chief Majed Faraj in Ramallah. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 19:33:26|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- There is no doubt that infrastructure is essential to the economic development of any country.

Having good roads, railways, airports and other essential infrastructure facilities is cardinal in driving a country's economy.

However, many countries, especially developing ones, do not have the required resources to develop their infrastructure, and Zambia is no exception.

Like other developing countries, Zambia does not have the required finances to develop its infrastructure. But thanks to China's assistance, the southern African nation has been able to have its infrastructure developed to the required standards to spur economic development.

In the past few weeks, the country has commissioned three massive infrastructure projects which will no doubt add impetus to the country's development agenda.

Last month, the country launched the Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Station in the southern district on Chikankata financed by the Chinese government.

Once completed, the project will add 750 megawatts of electricity to the country's power grid hence reducing frequent power shortages and make the country an exporter of electricity in the region.

The project has already added impetus to the country's socio-economic prospect through the creation of jobs and other auxiliary businesses.

This month, the country has commissioned two state-of-the-art international airports, with funding from China.

The Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport in Ndola city on the Copperbelt Province is a greenfield project with a capacity to handle over one million passengers per year, a situation that will boost tourism as well as a commercial complex and hotel, among other facilities.

On the other hand, the commissioning of a modern terminal at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, the country's capital, is another milestone in China's assistance to Zambia to develop its infrastructure.

Once completed, the project is expected to increase the number of passengers from the current two million to four million per year. The project also involves a hotel, cargo terminal, air traffic control building, rescue and fire station as well as a shopping mall.

Local residents and government officials are appreciative of China's assistance in the development of the country's infrastructure.

"The infrastructure being funded by China is a sure sign that China means well for Zambia. This support to infrastructure development is a mark of China's true friendship to Zambia," Nelson Musolokoto, a resident of Chipulukusu shanty compound in Ndola said.

His friend Bwalya Mwape agrees and adds that what China is doing is enough evidence to dispel assertions by some critics that China only wants to reap from Africa.

"What more can we ask for? We have never had such an impressive looking airport (in reference to the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe airport) before in this country. We just want to say thank you to China," he said.

Danny Mfune, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure said the ministry is happy that China-funded projects were changing the infrastructure picture in the country.

He said it was gratifying that the government's infrastructure agenda is being realized by the massive infrastructures being done.

For President Edgar Lungu, the infrastructure being commissioned is a realization of his government's infrastructure development agenda.

According to him, infrastructure is key to the economic development of any country and is grateful to China for the support to infrastructure development. China has indeed been a worthy supporter to Zambia's infrastructure development agenda.

From the flagship Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) railway line which connects Zambia to Tanzania, China has constructed two ultra-modern stadia in the southern African nation as well as a hospital in addition to other projects.

And China says it will continue supporting Zambia in its efforts to improve the living standards of its people and social economic progress. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 19:37:13|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Six Iraqi security members were killed and 11 others wounded on Wednesday in a huge explosion in the province of Salahudin, north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, a provincial police source said.

The explosion took place in a truck carrying explosives and weapons found by the security forces in the west of the town of Baiji, some 200 km north of Baghdad, Mohammed al-Bazi told Xinhua.

The blast occurred while a joint force from the Iraqi army, police, and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi, was transporting the explosives and weapons in trucks, al-Bazi said.

The explosion resulted in the killing of six members of the army, police, and Hashd Shaabi, and the wounding of 11 others, al-Bazi said, adding that provincial operations command launched an investigation into the incident.

The Iraqi security forces often search for explosives and weapons caches that were hidden by militants of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group to detonate them and to prevent IS militants from using them in their guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 19:58:46|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday urged for "decisive" measures to deal with the recent surges in the cases and deaths of COVID-19 in the country, according to the leader's official website.

"The loss of more than 500 lives in one day and the grief of their families, as well as the infection of tens of thousands of people with their diseases and their medical problems, are really very painful ... so we have duties to deal with it," said Khamenei in his televised message.

He lauded the Iranian president's one-week deadline to making decisions about the issue of coronavirus resurgence, saying that "necessary action should be decided and acted upon decisively."

Khamenei also stressed the need to expand diagnostic tests and asked the government and insurance companies to make diagnostic tests available to all people free of charge.

Moreover, vaccines, whether imported or domestically-produced, should be provided earnestly and made available to all people, he stressed.

The armed forces also should do their best to help the people in dealing with the disease control, he said, advising people "to follow the (health) directives completely so that their own lives and the health of others are not endangered."

On Wednesday, Iran registered 42,541 COVID-19 cases, taking the country's total infections to 4,281,217.

According to Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, the pandemic has so far claimed 95,647 lives in the country, after 536 new deaths were registered in the past 24 hours.

A total of 3,618,224 people have recovered from the disease or been discharged from hospitals across the country, while 6,932 remain in intensive care units, the ministry said.

By Wednesday, 13,893,310 people have received the first dose of coronavirus vaccine in the country, while 3,401,487 have taken two doses.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to activate measures for the increase in imports of the coronavirus vaccine.

The government and all the institutions of the establishment, including the armed forces, must work with all their capacity to tackle the immediate issue of the COVID-19, said Raisi in the cabinet meeting, according to official IRNA news agency.

The Iranian health authorities have warned of an alarming situation in the country amid the resurgence of a new variant of the disease, if new controlling measures have not been imposed and vaccination does not speed up. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 20:19:49|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign trade maintained an upward momentum in the first seven months of the year, although uncertainties of global economic recovery have put more pressure on the country's exports.

The country's total imports and exports expanded by 24.5 percent year on year to 21.34 trillion yuan (about 3.29 trillion U.S. dollars) from January to July, showed data from the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

The figures showed the resilience of China's foreign trade, as it recorded double-digit growth even compared with the pre-pandemic level during the same period in 2019, said GAC official Li Kuiwen.

In July alone, the country's imports and exports rose by 11.5 percent year on year to 3.27 trillion yuan, representing a yearly increase in China's foreign trade for 14 consecutive months, customs data showed.

However, the figure represented a month-on-month decline of 0.8 percent. It indicates increasing pressure on exports, said Bai Ming, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce.

New rounds of COVID-19 outbreaks have brought uncertainties to world economic recovery, analysts said.

In Southeast Asia, one of the world's major manufacturing bases, countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia have been affected by the pandemic. Lockdown measures in some countries have led to increasing port congestion.

"Our products could not go out, and freight prices are on the rise all the time," said Dong Lili, deputy general manager of the marketing center of Zhejiang Wanma Macromolecule Materials Co., Ltd.

The company's macromolecule materials for cables are mainly sold to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Middle East, and South America. Ninety-five percent of these materials are shipped by sea.

High raw material prices, continuously rising logistics costs, and fluctuations in the RMB exchange rate also posed challenges to foreign trade enterprises, said Bai.

With increasing vaccination rates and gradual restoration of productivity worldwide, foreign countries have become less dependent on China's production capacity, said Bai.

It is also one of the reasons for the decline of exports, Bai said.

But these challenges have not dampened the vitality of China's foreign trade.

In the first seven months, imports and exports of private enterprises rose by 31 percent year on year, accounting for 47.9 percent of the country's total. It is up by 2.4 percentage points year on year.

Positec Technology (China) Co., Ltd., which produces electrical tools, received 30 percent more orders in July compared to June.

The company's major customers in the United States increased by about 32 percent, and those in Europe increased by about 28 percent as foreign customers stocked up in advance for Black Friday and the Christmas season.

Chinese foreign trade enterprises have also embraced changes to seize development opportunities.

While continuing to transport products through sea shipping, Positec Technology (China) Co., Ltd. also sent products to Europe through China-Europe freight train services in April this year. The company has also been actively developing its cross-border e-commerce business.

Facing challenges and uncertainties from the pandemic, Chinese foreign trade companies remained cautiously optimistic.

Dong sees opportunities to introduce cable materials from Zhejiang Wanma Macromolecule Materials Co., Ltd. into the relatively exclusive foreign market and expects these exports to rise slightly throughout the year.

Tu Xinquan, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics, said China's role in maintaining the stability of global industrial and supply chains is irreplaceable.

The risks and challenges currently facing China's foreign trade generally come from outside. It is forcing foreign trade enterprises to accelerate transformation and upgrading, seize the opportunity of the global industrial chain and supply chain reconstruction, and grasp the development trend of new business in foreign trade, said Tu. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 20:21:22|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- A collision between a tractor-trolley and a loader-van killed five people including several passers-by in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province on Wednesday, a rescue official said.

Several others were injured in the accident that occurred after the over-speeding tractor-trolley collided with the loader-van near the Jhang Road bypass area in Faisalabad district of the province, Bashir Ahmed, an official of emergency rescue service Rescue 1122 in Faisalabad told Xinhua.

Three people lost their lives on the spot while two others succumbed to their injuries on the way to hospital, he said, adding that at least 10 sheep which were being transported via the loader-van also got killed in the mishap.

Following the crash, police and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the victims to a nearby hospital. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 20:27:43|Editor: huaxia

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LANZHOU, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Dorgar Tso, a 10-year-old student, returned to campus during summer vacation to meet and play with her schoolmates and teachers one last time. She was sad to bid them farewell, but she will soon go to another school to further her studies.

Dorgar Tso studies at the Hequmachang primary school, a village boarding school for grades one to three, in Maqu County of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northwest China's Gansu Province.

Located on the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with an average elevation of 3,700 meters, the county has a population of about 57,000, about 75 percent of whom are herders.

At the Hequmachang primary school, there are a total of 39 students. Among them, 37 live on campus as most of them are children of herders.

Summer vacation is a little bit lonely for many pupils there, as they have to travel with their families to graze their animals on the vast grassland, and cannot see their friends frequently.

"I prefer to stay at school because I can attend classes, do homework with my classmates, and the meals really taste good," said Dorgar Tso.

"Students here are exempt from the meals, lodging and basic school expenses. We provide comfortable dorms and nutritious meals for them," said Kalrang, headmaster of the primary school.

Kalrang said great changes have taken place since favorable education policies rolled out in the pasturing areas and he saw more and more herders send their children to schools. Local herders now attach greater importance to their children's education.

"But in the past, children of herders seldom attend school. They learned to herd or did household chores from a very early age, and finally became herders like their parents," said Kalrang.

School facilities in the pasturing areas have also seen great improvement in recent years, said Kalrang, who has worked in the fields for over a decade.

"In the chilly winter, teachers used to get up early to burn firewood in the classroom to keep students warm. Nowadays, they study in multi-media classrooms, eat in clean canteens, and play at well-equipped playgrounds," Kalrang said.

Yeshe Lhamo is a teacher at the primary school. To take better care of the students, 13 teachers at the school live on campus as well.

"I'm their teacher in class, and we are good friends after class," said Yeshe Lhamo, who was born into a herding family. Her father sent her and four other siblings to school. She returned to the grassland after graduating from college, hoping to help more children there receive a better education.

"Education truly changed my life and broadened my horizons. I always share my experience with my students' parents," said Yeshe Lhamo.

"The education policies are very helpful, and we now understand the importance of education, which can help our children live better lives," said Gyasto, a local herder.

There are 10 village schools across Maqu County, and all school-age children from herding families are enrolled in schools, according to statistics from the county's education department. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 20:44:40|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said Tuesday that the HKSAR government supports the inclusion of the anti-foreign sanctions law in Annex III to the HKSAR Basic Law.

Lam said at a press briefing that she also endorses the law's implementation in Hong Kong through local legislation, and she has submitted suggestions to the central authorities.

----

BEIRUT -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned on Tuesday that more than half of migrant workers in Lebanon are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance to survive an economic crisis that has plunged most of the population into poverty, a statement released by the UN reported.

"They have lost their jobs. They are hungry, they cannot access medical care and feel unsafe," IOM Lebanon's Head of Office Mathieu Luciano said.

"Many are so desperate that they want to leave the country, but they do not have the means to do so," the official added.

----

NEW DELHI -- The Indian government said on Tuesday the forthcoming census will be held digitally, the first digital census in the country.

The information was given by the federal junior minister for home affairs Nityanand Rai in a written reply to the lower house of the Indian parliament, locally called Lok Sabha.

"The forthcoming census is to be the first digital census and there is a provision for self-enumeration. Mobile App for collection of data and a census portal for management and monitoring of various census related activities have been developed," the minister said.

----

TRIPOLI -- Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah on Tuesday said that he will not "allow the war to erupt again" in the country.

Dbeibah made his remarks during a speech on the 81st anniversary of the establishment of the Libyan army.

"We lost young men and our social ties were torn because of wars, and we will not allow the war to erupt again," Dbeibah said.

----

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the Afghan troops must defend their country themselves as multiple cities have fallen to the Taliban in the past few days.

"We spent over a trillion dollars over 20 years. We trained and equipped with modern equipment over 300,000 Afghan forces. And Afghan leaders have to come together," Biden told reporters at the White House. "They've got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 21:00:26|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo taken on July 13, 2021 shows a container terminal in Jiaxing, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo by Long Wei/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign trade maintained an upward momentum in the first seven months of the year, although uncertainties of global economic recovery have put more pressure on the country's exports.

The country's total imports and exports expanded by 24.5 percent year on year to 21.34 trillion yuan (about 3.29 trillion U.S. dollars) from January to July, showed data from the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

The figures showed the resilience of China's foreign trade, as it recorded double-digit growth even compared with the pre-pandemic level during the same period in 2019, said GAC official Li Kuiwen.

In July alone, the country's imports and exports rose by 11.5 percent year on year to 3.27 trillion yuan, representing a yearly increase in China's foreign trade for 14 consecutive months, customs data showed.

However, the figure represented a month-on-month decline of 0.8 percent. It indicates increasing pressure on exports, said Bai Ming, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce.

New rounds of COVID-19 outbreaks have brought uncertainties to world economic recovery, analysts said.

In Southeast Asia, one of the world's major manufacturing bases, countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia have been affected by the pandemic. Lockdown measures in some countries have led to increasing port congestion.

"Our products could not go out, and freight prices are on the rise all the time," said Dong Lili, deputy general manager of the marketing center of Zhejiang Wanma Macromolecule Materials Co., Ltd.

The company's macromolecule materials for cables are mainly sold to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Middle East, and South America. Ninety-five percent of these materials are shipped by sea.

High raw material prices, continuously rising logistics costs, and fluctuations in the RMB exchange rate also posed challenges to foreign trade enterprises, said Bai.

With increasing vaccination rates and gradual restoration of productivity worldwide, foreign countries have become less dependent on China's production capacity, said Bai.

It is also one of the reasons for the decline of exports, Bai said.

But these challenges have not dampened the vitality of China's foreign trade.

In the first seven months, imports and exports of private enterprises rose by 31 percent year on year, accounting for 47.9 percent of the country's total. It is up by 2.4 percentage points year on year.

Positec Technology (China) Co., Ltd., which produces electrical tools, received 30 percent more orders in July compared to June.

The company's major customers in the United States increased by about 32 percent, and those in Europe increased by about 28 percent as foreign customers stocked up in advance for Black Friday and the Christmas season.

Chinese foreign trade enterprises have also embraced changes to seize development opportunities.

While continuing to transport products through sea shipping, Positec Technology (China) Co., Ltd. also sent products to Europe through China-Europe freight train services in April this year. The company has also been actively developing its cross-border e-commerce business.

Facing challenges and uncertainties from the pandemic, Chinese foreign trade companies remained cautiously optimistic.

Dong sees opportunities to introduce cable materials from Zhejiang Wanma Macromolecule Materials Co., Ltd. into the relatively exclusive foreign market and expects these exports to rise slightly throughout the year.

Tu Xinquan, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics, said China's role in maintaining the stability of global industrial and supply chains is irreplaceable.

The risks and challenges currently facing China's foreign trade generally come from outside. It is forcing foreign trade enterprises to accelerate transformation and upgrading, seize the opportunity of the global industrial chain and supply chain reconstruction, and grasp the development trend of new business in foreign trade, said Tu. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 21:05:34|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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PHNOM PENH -- The number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths in Cambodia is on the gradual decline as more people have been vaccinated against the virus, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said on Wednesday.

The kingdom confirmed 486 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, a decrease from the peak day of 1,130 cases on June 30, the MoH said, adding that 12 more fatalities were reported Wednesday, a dramatic drop from the highest daily death toll of 39 recorded on July 15.

----

SEOUL -- Twenty-two more U.S. soldiers and two relevant civilians in South Korea tested positive for the COVID-19, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday.

The USFK said in a statement that 24 USFK-affiliated individuals were confirmed with the COVID-19 after arriving in South Korea between July 13 and Aug. 8.

----

WELLINGTON -- New Zealand designated Fiji and Indonesia as "very high-risk countries" due to the surging COVID-19 cases in the two countries, which limits travel from them to New Zealand, COVID-19 response minister Chris Hipkins said on Wednesday.

As of 11:59 p.m. New Zealand time (1159 GMT) on Aug. 15, travel to New Zealand from Indonesia and Fiji will be allowed only for New Zealand citizens, their partners and children, and parents of dependent children who are New Zealand citizens (together with any children of those parents who are not New Zealand citizens), Hipkins said in a statement.

----

BANGKOK -- Thailand plans to start human trials on two COVID-19 vaccines via nasal spray by the end of this year after promising results of experiment in mice, a Thai official has said.

The adenovirus vector-based and influenza virus vector-based COVID-19 vaccines were developed by Thailand's National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, said Anan Jongkaewwattana, director of Veterinary Health Innovation and Management Research Group under the center.

----

JAKARTA -- The number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 30,625 within one day to 3,749,446, with the death toll adding by 1,579 to 112,198, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

According to the ministry, 39,931 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of patients recovering from COVID-19 to 3,211,078. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 21:06:36|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- China urges the Lithuanian side to earnestly honor its commitment to the one-China principle, and create conditions for the sound and steady development of China-Lithuania relations, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said Wednesday.

In response to Lithuania and the European Union's comments on China's decision, Hua said the definition of the one-China principle is not to be distorted, adding that the Chinese people will never allow the act of flagrantly engaging in official interactions with the Taiwan authorities and even endorsing those seeking "Taiwan independence" while paying lip service to the one-China principle.

It must be pointed out that, ever since the two countries established diplomatic relations, China has never done anything detrimental to Lithuania's national interests. On the contrary, China has always respected Lithuania's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, Hua noted.

But Lithuania's decision to allow the Taiwan authorities to open a "representative office" under the name of "Taiwan" has seriously infringed upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and severely contravenes the one-China principle, the spokesperson said. "To this, China has the right to and should make legitimate and reasonable responses."

"Once again, we urge the Lithuanian side not to misjudge China's firm resolve and strong will to defend our national sovereignty and territorial integrity, earnestly honor its commitment to the one-China principle, and create conditions for the sound and steady development of China-Lithuania relations," Hua said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 21:08:19|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- On April 24, 1970, a young man in Liangjiahe, a village in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, was excited to get the news that China successfully sent its first satellite Dongfanghong-1 into space.

The young man, Xi Jinping, later became Chinese President. On May 15, 2021, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, extended congratulations on the successful landing of China's first probe on Mars. He called for making new and greater contributions to exploring the mysteries of the universe and promoting the noble cause of peace and the development of humanity.

Stressing the importance of sci-tech innovation in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, Xi once noted that "We must blaze a new trail and rely on innovation to drive growth."

FOR THE PEOPLE

Xi noted that satisfying people's longing for a better life should be the foothold of sci-tech innovation, the goal of which should be to benefit, enrich and improve people's lives.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Xi has put forward new requirements for sci-tech innovation. China clearly stated that people's lives and health should be the top priority in the fight against the virus.

Last March, Xi visited the Academy of Military Medical Sciences and Tsinghua University in Beijing. He said that COVID-19 research must be taken as a major and pressing task, calling for accelerating its progress and overcoming major difficulties in epidemic prevention and control at an early date.

"Science and technology are the most powerful weapons in humanity's battle against diseases," Xi said. "Mankind cannot defeat a major disaster or epidemic without scientific development and technological innovation."

At the call of Xi, experts and professionals from various fields and disciplines in the country worked around the clock to build a tight "safety net" for more than 1.4 billion Chinese people and injected confidence into the global fight against the pandemic.

One year later, China promoted the largest scale of vaccination against COVID-19. China's COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for use in more than 100 countries and regions worldwide.

Chinese people have been benefiting from the sci-tech achievements and innovation initiatives since the country further increased the support of sci-tech in improving people's livelihood.

When visiting a tea farm during his inspection trip to east China's Fujian Province in March, Xi stressed more efforts in implementing the arrangements to dispatch technical professionals to rural areas to help with local development.

Hundreds of thousands of technical professionals had participated in China's poverty alleviation efforts. The country in February declared a "complete victory" in eradicating absolute poverty.

Sci-tech innovations have helped China achieve major progress in fields like improving air quality, protecting land resources, and reclaiming saline land.

FROM THE PEOPLE

Xi wrote back to the elder scientists who participated in the Dongfanghong-1 mission, as the 50th anniversary of the successful launch of the country's first man-made satellite approached last year.

In the letter, Xi said he is deeply moved that the participants of the Dongfanghong-1 mission have devoted their youth to the space cause and still care about the future of China's aerospace industry in their old age.

From older generation scientists to outstanding scientists after the founding of New China, Xi has mentioned many names on many occasions. Sci-tech innovation is inseparable from talents.

China cannot ask for, buy or beg for core technologies in key fields, noted Xi in 2018 while addressing China's academicians.

He called on researchers and engineers to establish a strong sense of responsibility and self-confidence to innovate.

Xi's speech gave Lu Chaoyang greater confidence in exploring deep into quantum science research.

Lu, who became a professor at the University of Science and Technology of China at 28, wishes that China would stand on top of quantum science one day.

While presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee last October, Xi stressed the importance and urgency of advancing quantum science and technology.

He called for strengthening strategic planning and the systematic layout for the development of quantum science and technology, as well as grasping the general trend and playing good first moves.

Last December, Lu and his team built a quantum computing prototype "Jiuzhang," via which up to 76 photons were detected. The achievement marks China's first milestone on the path to full-scale quantum computing.

China has been building its sci-tech team and optimizing its talent structure. A group of leading talents and innovation teams have emerged, and young sci-tech talents have gradually become the main force of scientific research.

When the young generation harbours aspirations, skills and a sense of responsibility, science and technology will have a future and innovation will have hope, noted Xi. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 21:35:23|Editor: huaxia

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Astronauts Nie Haisheng (C), Liu Boming (R) and Tang Hongbo attend a see-off ceremony for Chinese astronauts of the Shenzhou-12 manned space mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, June 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- On April 24, 1970, a young man in Liangjiahe, a village in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, was excited to get the news that China successfully sent its first satellite Dongfanghong-1 into space.

The young man, Xi Jinping, later became Chinese President. On May 15, 2021, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, extended congratulations on the successful landing of China's first probe on Mars. He called for making new and greater contributions to exploring the mysteries of the universe and promoting the noble cause of peace and the development of humanity.

Stressing the importance of sci-tech innovation in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, Xi once noted that "We must blaze a new trail and rely on innovation to drive growth."

FOR THE PEOPLE

Xi noted that satisfying people's longing for a better life should be the foothold of sci-tech innovation, the goal of which should be to benefit, enrich and improve people's lives.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Xi has put forward new requirements for sci-tech innovation. China clearly stated that people's lives and health should be the top priority in the fight against the virus.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with experts during his visit to the School of Medicine at Tsinghua University in Beijing, capital of China, March 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

Last March, Xi visited the Academy of Military Medical Sciences and Tsinghua University in Beijing. He said that COVID-19 research must be taken as a major and pressing task, calling for accelerating its progress and overcoming major difficulties in epidemic prevention and control at an early date.

"Science and technology are the most powerful weapons in humanity's battle against diseases," Xi said. "Mankind cannot defeat a major disaster or epidemic without scientific development and technological innovation."

At the call of Xi, experts and professionals from various fields and disciplines in the country worked around the clock to build a tight "safety net" for more than 1.4 billion Chinese people and injected confidence into the global fight against the pandemic.

One year later, China promoted the largest scale of vaccination against COVID-19. China's COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for use in more than 100 countries and regions worldwide.

Chinese people have been benefiting from the sci-tech achievements and innovation initiatives since the country further increased the support of sci-tech in improving people's livelihood.

When visiting a tea farm during his inspection trip to east China's Fujian Province in March, Xi stressed more efforts in implementing the arrangements to dispatch technical professionals to rural areas to help with local development.

Hundreds of thousands of technical professionals had participated in China's poverty alleviation efforts. The country in February declared a "complete victory" in eradicating absolute poverty.

Sci-tech innovations have helped China achieve major progress in fields like improving air quality, protecting land resources, and reclaiming saline land.

FROM THE PEOPLE

Xi wrote back to the elder scientists who participated in the Dongfanghong-1 mission, as the 50th anniversary of the successful launch of the country's first man-made satellite approached last year.

A staff member shows the special stamps marking the 50th anniversary of the successful launch of Dongfanghong-1, China's first man-made satellite, in Xinle, north China's Hebei Province, April 24, 2020. (Photo by Jia Minjie/Xinhua)

In the letter, Xi said he is deeply moved that the participants of the Dongfanghong-1 mission have devoted their youth to the space cause and still care about the future of China's aerospace industry in their old age.

From older generation scientists to outstanding scientists after the founding of New China, Xi has mentioned many names on many occasions. Sci-tech innovation is inseparable from talents.

China cannot ask for, buy or beg for core technologies in key fields, noted Xi in 2018 while addressing China's academicians.

He called on researchers and engineers to establish a strong sense of responsibility and self-confidence to innovate.

Xi's speech gave Lu Chaoyang greater confidence in exploring deep into quantum science research.

Lu, who became a professor at the University of Science and Technology of China at 28, wishes that China would stand on top of quantum science one day.

While presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee last October, Xi stressed the importance and urgency of advancing quantum science and technology.

He called for strengthening strategic planning and the systematic layout for the development of quantum science and technology, as well as grasping the general trend and playing good first moves.

Last December, Lu and his team built a quantum computing prototype "Jiuzhang," via which up to 76 photons were detected. The achievement marks China's first milestone on the path to full-scale quantum computing.

China has been building its sci-tech team and optimizing its talent structure. A group of leading talents and innovation teams have emerged, and young sci-tech talents have gradually become the main force of scientific research.

When the young generation harbours aspirations, skills and a sense of responsibility, science and technology will have a future and innovation will have hope, noted Xi. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 22:12:52|Editor: huaxia

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JUBA, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's President Salva Kiir is due to mediate peace within splinter groups of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army-In-Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) led by his First Vice President Riek Machar, a government official said Wednesday.

Presidential Advisor on Security Affairs Tut Gatluak disclosed that the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) has formed an ad-hoc committee to resolve the internal conflict between rival SPLM/A-IO groups.

"A committee has been formed with the mandate to resolve the conflict within the SPLA-IO to pave the way for implementation of the security arrangement. We call upon the SPLA-IO factions to stop fighting each other and join hands with us to implement the peace deal," Gatluak told journalists in Juba, capital of South Sudan.

The move follows the deadly fighting last week at Magenis area of Upper Nile state between SPLA-IO forces loyal to Machar and his former chief of staff Simon Gatwech Dual, which left 34 soldiers dead.

The violence erupted a few days after some of Machar's military generals declared that they had deposed him as head of the SPLM/A-IO accusing the First Vice President in the coalition government of nepotism and lack of strong leadership.

The breakaway SPLM/A-IO under Dual also blamed Machar for weakening the former rebel movement's hand in the R-TGoNU formed in February last year, under the 2018 revitalized peace deal to end more than six years of conflict.

Gatluak also denounced the declaration by the renegade SPLA-IO senior officers.

The peace deal signed in Ethiopia to end conflict that erupted in December 2013 only recognizes in name President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar as the two key leaders, which deters any other individuals from usurping their power.

Experts believe the split within SPLM/A-IO, a key partner in the coalition government, affects the ongoing efforts to graduate unified forces that are made up of both former rebel fighters and government troops. Upon graduation, the 83,000 unified forces are supposed to take charge of security during the transitional period. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 22:40:19|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria has recalled its ambassador to Indonesia over a scuffle involving a Nigerian diplomat and immigration officials in Indonesia, the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama told a press conference held Tuesday in Abuja, capital of Nigeria, that the Nigerian government took the step to have full consultations at the highest level on the issues that led to the scuffle in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, Saturday.

"A large number of you may have seen it trending... The video, on social media, where he was being restrained by his neck in a moving car. So, what we have decided to do is to recall for consultations, immediately, our Nigerian ambassador in Indonesia," Onyeama said at the press conference.

The Nigerian government had also requested the Indonesian government to take severe and appropriate sanctions against the immigration officials that were involved in the act, he said.

The Nigerian foreign ministry condemned the incident in an earlier statement Monday, describing it as "unacceptable and unfortunate."

"The Nigerian government has complained strongly to the government of Indonesia, and the ambassador of Indonesia to Nigeria was summoned by the Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs," the statement said.

The foreign ministry also acknowledged that the Nigerian ambassador to Indonesia had confirmed that the immigration officials involved had since gone to the Nigerian Embassy in Jakarta to tender apologies. It added that the Indonesian ambassador to Nigeria also apologized "unreservedly" on behalf of the government after explaining what he understood happened. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 23:38:48|Editor: huaxia

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-- In the past 30 years, China has lost over 80 percent of its coral reefs, and in the South China Sea, the coral coverage on the seabed has plunged from some 60 percent to around 20 percent.



-- 20 years on, Chinese coral biologist Huang Hui together with her team has been making continuous efforts to preserve corals and protect ocean ecosystems.

-- Since 2009, Huang and her team have planted 120,000 to 150,000 corals, covering over 200,000 square meters of seabed of the South China Sea.

by Xinhua writers Hong Zehua, Xu Ruiqing, Li Xiongying

GUANGZHOU, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese coral biologist Huang Hui has devoted half her life to recreating the spectacular scene in her memory: vast stretches of colorful corals thriving on the seabed of the South China Sea.

"It's stunning. The seabed was fully covered with colorful coral bushes, dotted with fishes and shrimps of different colors and shapes," said Huang, recalling her first sight of the scene off China's coastal city of Sanya in 2002.

Photo taken in October 2018 shows Huang Hui examining coral specimen at a laboratory in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua)

Huang started her career in the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology under the Chinese Academy of Science in 1993. In 1996, she joined the team of Zou Renlin, China's pioneer in coral taxonomy, to figure out the distribution of corals in China.

The experience in Sanya was the first and last time Huang saw thickets of corals, as they have become more rare in recent years.

Studies show that China has lost over 80 percent of its coral reefs in the past 30 years. In the South China Sea, the coral coverage on the seabed has plunged from some 60 percent to around 20 percent, and worldwide, the coral coverage has dropped to about 15 percent in recent decades.

"We have kept recording the area of corals in China. Sadly, it was shrinking every year," Huang said.

According to Huang, corals are fragile animals. They prefer clear, warm and good-quality waters. "Tiny fluctuations of temperature, salinity or water quality may result in death of large areas of corals," she said.

Photo taken on March 17, 2021 shows coral and a school of fish in the sea of Yazhou Bay in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

Corals have important geological and ecological values. Coral reefs can help protect the seashore from erosion, and coral bushes serve as habitats for small fishes, shrimps and shellfishes.

To help the coral community recover, Huang decided to plant corals under the sea. In 2009, she organized a team in south China's Hainan Province, which administers Sanya.

Huang and her team first bred "coral seedlings" in a nursery, and then transplanted them to the seabed. Different types of corals were chosen according to the various seabed conditions.

"We use glue and steel frames to tie corals onto the seabed. We need to remove rocks and level the seabed before planting corals," Huang said.

However, growing corals on the seafloor is not an easy job. Weather conditions are one of the most major variables that influence coral planting.

According to Huang, the ideal diving conditions are when the wave height is less than one meter. Wave heights of 2 meters or more can be dangerous, because the divers find moving around underwater difficult and the small diving boat can easily be blown away.

Undated photo shows Huang Hui and her colleague studying coral reef ecosystem in the South China Sea. (Xinhua)

Sea-sickness is another great challenge.

"The journey to a coral plantation area usually takes four days, but it took six days last time because of the strong wind. I just lay in the bed and moved up and down with the boat, which made me feel sick," she said.

Typhoons and tropical cyclones are frequent visitors to the South China Sea. Huang and her team only have a narrow time-slot for underwater work each year.

"If the weather permits, we make the most of the time available," Huang said. A bottle of oxygen allows about 30 minutes of diving, during which time a diver can only plant a few coral bushes.

Despite the challenges, their efforts have paid off. Since 2009, Huang and her team have planted 120,000 to 150,000 corals, covering over 200,000 square meters of seabed of the South China Sea.

Photo taken on March 18, 2021 shows coral in the sea of Yazhou Bay in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

Yet, she considers this result to be only "a drop in the ocean."

"The underwater ecosystem needs time to recover. Planting corals is only the first step in restoring the underwater ecology. We need time to plant more," said Huang. "Hopefully, the corals will gradually become a forest, and the fish and shrimp will come back."

Now in her 50s, Huang is still repairing corals in an experimental area. She said her biggest dream is to see a mass of corals on the seabed of Sanya again.

"Coral planting is our lifelong goal. I feel happy to see seabed ecology is getting better thanks to our work," she said.

(Video reporters: Wang Ruiping, Li Xiongying, Hong Zehua; Video editor: Chen Sihong)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 23:53:03|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- A spokesperson for the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration on Wednesday denied that Iran's border trade with Afghanistan has been suspended, IRAN daily reported.

Iranian trucks continue to enter Afghanistan through Dogharoon and Mahirood border crossings in the eastern provinces of Iran, Ruhollah Latifi said, adding that trade through the land border crossings with Afghanistan is underway.

Latifi commented some reports that border trade with Afghanistan has stopped as "totally false."

He also noted that Iran's export of commodities to Afghanistan resumed on Wednesday from the Milak border crossing in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, which had been suspended in recent days. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 23:55:17|Editor: huaxia

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DHAKA, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi government has approved the purchase of a batch of COVID-19 vaccines from China.

Bangladesh's Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) Affairs at a meeting approved the purchase on Wednesday.

Shamsul Arefin, a senior Cabinet Division official, told journalists after the meeting that Bangladesh will buy the vaccines from China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm).

The Bangladeshi government has recently launched countrywide a mass vaccination drive following the surging COVID-19 positivity rate in parts of Bangladesh since June.

Bangladesh reported 10,420 new COVID-19 cases and 237 more deaths on Wednesday, making the case tally at 13,86,742 and death toll at 23,398, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-12 00:07:04|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo shows terminal of the Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 11, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

QINGDAO, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport, a new airport in east China's Shandong Province, officially went into operation Thursday, the Qingdao Airport Group said.

The airport is ranked as 4F, the highest in China's airport class capable of handling large aircraft, including the Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger airliner, the group said.

Meanwhile, the Qingdao Liuting International Airport was closed as the new airport went into operation.

The completed first phase of the new airport covers 16.25 square km, with a total investment of nearly 36.04 billion yuan (about 5.56 billion U.S. dollars).

According to plan, the airport is expected to be able to handle an annual passenger throughput of 35 million, a cargo throughput of 500,000 tonnes, and 300,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings by 2025.

The airport will connect Qingdao with about 130 domestic destinations, including most major Chinese cities and regions. International and regional air routes will link Qingdao with about 50 major overseas cities, including 17 in Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

As a major comprehensive transportation hub, the airport offers passengers access to the metro and high-speed rail services.

It will be more convenient for business people, especially in the foreign trade sector, to visit their clients from across the world after the airport opens, said Seol Kyu Jong, a ROK businessman based in Qingdao.

The expanded logistics network benefiting from the new airport will also significantly cut transportation costs, according to the ROK businessman.

The airport's second-phase project also kicked off Thursday. Upon completion of the project, Jiaodong airport will be able to handle an annual passenger throughput of 55 million, a cargo throughput of 1 million tonnes, and 452,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings by 2045. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-12 00:39:28|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- China urges the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, properly handle Taiwan-related issues and stop sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces, a spokesperson said Wednesday.

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to a query about the U.S. recently claiming that the country needs to strengthen regional deterrence in the Taiwan Strait.

Ma said that the Taiwan question is China's internal affair that brooks no foreign interference.

The United States' attempts to maintain so-called "deterrence in the Taiwan Strait" will only bring more threats to the peace and stability across the Strait and inflict more harm to the interests and welfare of people across the Strait, said Ma.

"We deplore the U.S. playing the 'Taiwan card,'" said the spokesperson, adding that China urges the United States to abide by the one-China principle and relevant stipulations of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, prudently and properly handle Taiwan-related issues, and stop sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces.

The collusion of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authority and "Taiwan independence" secessionists with external forces in pursuit of "Taiwan independence" is the root cause of the current complex and grim situation across the Strait, Ma said.

The spokesperson said that it is the common responsibility of the Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots, to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He warned that if the "Taiwan independence" forces dare to provoke, "we have the right to take all necessary measures to stop them." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-12 01:22:24|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday strongly condemned the attacks against civilians on Sunday in the Gao region in Mali where at least 50 civilians were reportedly killed and several wounded.

Through a statement attributable to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief "extends his deep condolences to the bereaved families."

"He wishes a speedy recovery to the injured. These deliberate attacks against civilian populations constitute serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law," said the statement.

The UN Multidimensional Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) sent peacekeepers to the area to protect civilians and has increased its day and night patrolling to deter any further attacks and facilitate the delivery of basic services in the affected area, in coordination with the Malian Defense and Security Forces, according to the statement.

"MINUSMA stands ready to assist the Malian authorities in bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to justice," it said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-12 04:13:44|Editor: huaxia

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RABAT, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Morocco and Israel signed Wednesday in Rabat three cooperation agreements, according to a statement by the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita and visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of mechanisms for political consultations, with the aim of strengthening the relations between the two countries.

They also signed an agreement to foster cooperation in culture, youth and sports, as well as an agreement on air services between the two countries.

Bourita said the bilateral tie is becoming more dynamic, with the creation of five working teams covering research and innovation, tourism, aviation, agriculture, energy, environment, trade and investment.

He also called for the resumption of negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis to reach a final, lasting and comprehensive solution based on the two-state solution living side by side in peace and security.

For his part, Yair Lapid said these cooperation agreements will bring mutually beneficial opportunities.

Yair Lapid arrived Wednesday afternoon in Rabat for a two-day visit and will inaugurate Thursday Israel's diplomatic mission in Rabat.

The U.S.-brokered deal, first announced in December 2020, renewed official ties between the two countries. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-12 04:51:58|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The jolts of a 7.1 magnitude quake that hit the Philippines on Thursday were strongly felt in Talaud district of North Sulawesi province in central parts of Indonesia, triggering panic among residents, according to the weather agency and a resident.

The tremors were felt at IV MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) in the district, Priyo Budi, an official in charge at the meteorology and geophysics agency, told Xinhua via phone.

The jolts were also felt at II to III MMI in Kepulauan Sangihe district and Bitung city of the province, the official said.

The agency did not issue a warning for a tsunami as the tremors did not potentially trigger giant waves, according to him.

In Talaud district, the tremors forced many residents to rush outside their houses, said Habel Salombe, a resident in the district.

"The shakes were felt strong here, many people were panic and immediately left their houses for safety," Salombe, who is also a former head of disaster management agency in the district, told Xinhua via phone.

"But, I have not got any information about houses or buildings damaged, or those injured," he said.

The quake struck at 00: 46 a.m. Jakarta time Thursday (1746 GMT Wednesday) with the epicenter at 267 km northeast Melonguane, capital city of Talaud district and the depth at 51 km under the sea bed, the official of the meteorology and geophysics agency said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-12 04:57:46|Editor: huaxia

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RABAT, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Morocco on Wednesday offered assistance to Algeria in its battle to extinguish wildfires ravaging mountain forests and villages in the northern province of Tizi Ouzou.

According to the state official news agency MAP, Moroccan King Mohammed VI instructed his interior and foreign ministers to "express to their Algerian counterparts the readiness of Morocco to help Algeria combat the wildfires."

King Mohammed VI has also "ordered to mobilize two Canadairs planes to take part in this operation, upon agreement with the Algerian authorities."

The fire that broke out on Monday in Tizi Ouzou has so far killed 69, including 20 soldiers, Algerian official news agency APS said Wednesday. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-06 03:25:13|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Aug. 5, 2021 shows the interior of the new Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport in Ndola, Copperbelt Province of Zambia. Zambia on Thursday commissioned a new international airport financed by China, with President Edgar Lungu expressing gratitude to the Chinese side for financing the construction of the airport. (Xinhua/Zhao Yupeng)

NDOLA, Zambia, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Zambia on Thursday commissioned a new international airport financed by China, with President Edgar Lungu expressing gratitude to the Chinese side for financing the construction of the airport.

The Zambian leader said that the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport, financed by the Exim Bank of China and designed and built by the AVIC International Holding Corporation, will be pivotal in facilitating the country's tourism and industrialization agenda as well as key in elevating the development agenda to another level. The project, he said, is a fulfillment of his government's agenda to transform the country through infrastructure development and reposition it as a major aviation hub in Africa.

"My government is fully committed to driving the country's development agenda and harnessing the country's economic potential. Today marks a key milestone in the transportation sector and the aviation sub-sector, in particular, as we continue on our journey to repositioning Zambia as a major aviation hub in Africa," he said during a ceremony for the commissioning of the airport.

According to him, apart from creating jobs during the construction stage, the airport will present various business opportunities for local businesses once it becomes fully operational.

Lei Yingqi, AVIC senior consultant, thanked the Zambian government for the support rendered to the company in the construction.

He said the company worked in partnership with various government agencies and fulfilled the government policy of having 20 percent sub-contracting to local contractors by engaging 60 local sub-contractors.

He further said local businesses benefited from the project through the supply of materials while about 2,700 people were employed during the construction period.

The skills which the local employees and subcontractors learned from the project will support them for their lifetime, he added.

According to him, the company has been able to do its work despite challenges faced such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Construction of the airport started in 2017. Once fully operational, the airport will have a 3.5-kilometer runway, taxiways and apron, a terminal to handle over one million passengers per year, a cargo terminal as well as a commercial complex and hotel, among other amenities. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 16:34:54|Editor: huaxia

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DUNDO, Angola, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Angola's Lulo diamond mine reaped a revenue of 34 million U.S. dollars in the first half of 2021, a local diamond business leader said on Tuesday.

The revenue came from the production and sale of 23,000 carats of diamond, said Domingos Machado, CEO of the Lulo Mining Society, on the sidelines of an assessment meeting of the diamond sector held in Dundo city in the country's eastern province of Lunda Norte.

The mine, located in Lunda Norte province, was expected to produce around 46,000 carats of diamonds this year as its production level had increased to 4,300 carats per month now, he said.

It was expected to raise its diamond production further to 6,000 carats per month in the next few years, he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 17:26:38|Editor: huaxia

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GABORONE, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- There is some relief in Botswana as the country expects to receive more vaccines after a slow down to its vaccination program in the past few weeks due to unavailability of vaccine.

Following the arrival of 38,400 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on August 8, the country expects to receive 108,000 doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine and a further 81,900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on this Thursday and Saturday respectively.

The news on arrival of vaccines comes as a huge relief to the southern African country that is currently going through its worst phase of infections and escalating deaths since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

In the latest case report from the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 given on Monday, the country had recorded 130,771 confirmed cases and 1,832 deaths making it one of the highest deaths per 100,000 population in the world. On the other hand, a slow vaccination programme has seen only 132,466 people being fully vaccinated and 243,894 having received their first dose.

The vaccines expected this week are projected to get the vaccine rollout plan back on track. Back in April President Mokgweetsi Masisi had said the country has secured enough vaccine to vaccinate the eligible adult population, but delays in delivery hugely disrupted the rollout plan. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 19:08:56|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has said its forces killed seven Shabab terrorists and injured several others in a counter-offensive in Lower Shabelle region.

The terrorists were killed after they ambushed Ugandan troops on a routine patrol Tuesday afternoon on the main supply routes between Beldamin-Golweyn forward operating bases in southern Somalia, AMISOM said in a statement.

"AMISOM commends the bravery and fast action of its soldiers in which one peacekeeper sustained injuries," the AU mission said in the statement issued on Tuesday evening.

An assortment of weapons were recovered during the counter-attack by Ugandan troops who engaged and dislodged the Shabab ambush near the mission's military bases in Lower Shabelle, AMISOM said.

Aid agencies say the poor state of main supply routes in south-central Somalia has provided conditions for al-Shabab to continue laying ambushes and use explosive devices against AMISOM convoys and Somali national security forces. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-12 00:01:06|Editor: huaxia

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YAOUNDE, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed and several others injured in fighting between rival ethnic communities in Cameroon's Far North region, local media and officials said on Wednesday.

Jean Lazare Ndongo Ndongo, prefect of Logone and Chari division told local media the feud flared Tuesday night following a land dispute between villagers of Mousgoum and Arabchoas in the small town of Kousseri.

Six Arabchoas villagers and three Mousgoum villagers were killed in the conflict, according to officials.

Calm has returned to the villages following "rapid intervention" by government forces, local journalist Dairou Mohammed told Xinhua on phone.

Land disputes are common in Cameroon's Far North region. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-12 00:35:44|Editor: huaxia

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KHARTOUM, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan on Wednesday reiterated the court's commitment to achieve justice for the victims of the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.

Khan made the remarks after a meeting in Sudan's capital Khartoum with members of the country's Sovereign Council Al-Hadi Idris and Al-Tahir Hajar.

He urged in a statement the Sudanese government to help achieving the court's task.

Earlier, Sudan's Foreign Minister Mariam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi said the Council of Ministers has agreed to hand over the suspects wanted by the ICC to the court, according to official SUNA news agency.

She noted the cabinet would submit the decision to hand over the suspects and a draft law to join the ICC Rome Statute to a joint meeting for the sovereign council and the cabinet (the interim parliament) for approval.

The ICC court demands handing over of the ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and two of his senior aides to appear before the court, accusing them of allegedly committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur region.

On Aug. 3, the Sudanese cabinet approved a draft law to join the ICC Rome Statute, but this law will not be effective until it is approved by the interim parliament.

During 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012, the ICC issued arrest warrants against former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, former defense minister Abdul-Rahim Mohamed Hussein, former interior minister Ahmed Mohamed Haroun and around 21 other government officials for allegedly committing genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Sudan's Darfur region.

The transitional authorities in Sudan, which were established after the ouster of al-Bashir in April 2019, have earlier expressed readiness to cooperate with the ICC regarding the file of the suspects of committing crimes in Darfur.

Khartoum is considering three options to try the suspects of committing crimes in Darfur, including establishing a special court, a hybrid court of the government and the ICC or handing them to the ICC. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-12 01:21:13|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF), a multi-donor country-based pooled mechanism that allocates funding for the most urgent life-saving interventions, has endorsed 26 million U.S. dollars for humanitarian response in the country.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which manages the fund, said Wednesday that the reserve allocation will focus on areas with acute water shortages brought about by prolonged drought, as well as on flood-affected populations in hotspot locations in south-central Somalia.

"The allocation will provide strategic support to selected cluster-specific priorities (17 million dollars) and integrated interventions (9 million dollars)," OCHA said in its latest humanitarian bulletin.

It warned a spike in humanitarian needs is expected in Somalia amid the largest funding shortfall in six years.

Rainfall deficits range up to 100 mm or more in key crop-producing regions, including Lower and Middle Shabelle, Lower and Middle Juba, Bay and Bakool in the southern part of the country.

OCHA said close to two-thirds of the 26 million dollars will back priority activities in food security, health, nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) clusters.

"Prioritized activities will help address food insecurity in Jubaland and Hirshabelle States through supply of agricultural inputs including seeds, farming tools and irrigation support, as well as improve immediate access to food through provision of cash and vouchers," it said.

The UN agency said the combined effect of COVID-19 has led to reduced household access to food and income and populations face major food consumption gaps. And extreme levels of acute food insecurity already persist in many regions and in the absence of humanitarian assistance, it is expected that many pastoralists in worst-affected areas could be forced to sell their remaining livestock to purchase cereals, resulting in higher levels of pastoral destitution.

The release of the funds comes after Somalia on Aug. 1 appealed to the international community to provide urgent live-saving assistance to 5.9 million people who require humanitarian aid in 2021. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-12 01:40:43|Editor: huaxia

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ACCRA, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Ghana is to partner with a German technology company to start piloting its proposed electronic currency from September, the Bank of Ghana said Wednesday.

The Bank of Ghana disclosed in a release that it had signed an agreement with Giesecke + Devrient, a German firm, to implement the pilot Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) project as a precursor to the issuance of a digital form of the national currency.

"The German technology firm will provide the technology and develop the solution adapted to Ghana's requirements, and test this in a trial phase with banks, payment service providers, merchants, consumers, and other relevant stakeholders," said the release.

It added that the digital Cedi would complement and serve as a digital alternative to the physical cash to drive the country's cash-lite agenda through promoting diverse digital payments to ensure a secure and robust payment infrastructure.

The bank said the electronic currency would also facilitate payments without bank accounts, contracts, or smartphones "to boost the use of digital services and financial inclusion among all demographic groups."

"The CBDC presents a great opportunity to build a robust, inclusive, competitive, and sustainable financial sector, led by the Central Bank. From all indications, the concept has a significant role to play in the future of financial service delivery globally," said Ernest Addison, the governor of the Bank of Ghana.

"This project is a significant step toward positioning Ghana to take full advantage of this emerging concept," he added.

The Bank of Ghana and its technology partner will undertake the project in three phases of design, implementation, and pilot, before a nationwide rollout. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 15:19:28|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Taliban on Tuesday claimed it has seized Farah city, capital of Afghanistan's western Farah province, which is the seventh provincial capital it has captured over the past four days.

The rapid deterioration in Afghanistan's security is mainly attributed to the "hasty" retreat of U.S. troops, which has only left a mess and violence after a 20-year war, according to analysts.

SWIFT DETERIORATION

Apart from Farah city, the Taliban has reportedly seized over the past week Sari Pul, Kunduz, Shiberghan, Aybak and Taluqan cities in the northern region, and Zaranj city in the western part of the country.

In recent days, the United States has carried out airstrikes against the Taliban as the group made rapid military advances across the country.

Many Afghan cities and about half of the country's 34 provinces have seen heavy battles and street fighting between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters.

"What we are doing around the clock is seeking to find a way out of this," U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters in a daily briefing, noting that U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad is in Doha for meetings with representatives from regional countries to press for a reduction in violence and a ceasefire.

Earlier this month, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani blamed the speedy withdrawal of U.S.-led troops for the worsening violence in his country.

Stanislav Zas, secretary general of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, noted that after the United States and its allies withdrew troops from Afghanistan, the situation there has significantly aggravated and the country is being increasingly engulfed by chaos, causing instability in the region, reported the TASS news agency on Monday.

Since 2009 when the United Nations reporting began, the fighting across Afghanistan has claimed over 40,000 lives. In July alone, more than 1,000 people have been killed or injured by attacks in Hilmand, Kandahar and Hirat provinces, said UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths in a statement.

"ANOTHER SYRIA"

Observers believe that if the conflict between the Taliban and the government forces turns into a long-term military impasse, Afghanistan will become "another Syria."

Wang Shida, deputy director of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told Xinhua that over the past decade, the Taliban has been expanding its influence in Afghanistan's rural areas, especially those near provincial capitals, which is why it can seize large swathes of rural areas quickly and even take provincial capitals.

Meanwhile, Afghan government forces have been long operating in urban areas, especially in capital Kabul and its surroundings. Therefore, whether the Taliban can overthrow the Afghan government in a short term remains unclear, Wang said.

Zhu Yongbiao, director of the Research Center for Afghanistan at China's Lanzhou University, shares a similar view with Wang, saying Afghanistan may follow in the steps of Syria.

Considering the Taliban has lost many mid-level commanders in recent battles and it takes time to train new commanders, the group may slow the pace of fighting. Meanwhile, the government forces are unlikely to be defeated in a short time, Zhu explained.

Leon Panette, former U.S. defense secretary, said: "The most you can hope for now is some kind of stalemate" between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters, who have shown little interest in reaching an accord since the American troop withdrawal was announced, the New York Times reported Sunday.

WASHINGTON'S DILEMMA

On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden called on the Afghan troops to fend for themselves as well as promised to keep Washington's word.

"We spent over a trillion dollars over 20 years. We trained and equipped with modern equipment over 300,000 Afghan forces. And Afghan leaders have to come together," Biden told reporters at the White House. "They've got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation."

"We are going to continue to keep our commitment," he added, noting he does not regret his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the country.

The U.S. retreat and its spillover have drawn criticism from inside the United States and its allies.

Wesley Clark, former top NATO general, called the Taliban's territorial takeovers "a consequence of American misjudgments and failures."

The impact of the U.S. drawdown "could be tragic for the country and dangerous for the U.S. and the wider world," wrote Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator of the Financial Times, in late July.

"If the United States ceases anti-Taliban operations on Aug. 31, that would send confusing messages and could have a demoralizing impact on the ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces). But if it continues such ops, U.S. is basically continuing its war, even post-withdrawal," tweeted Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program and senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center based in Washington. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 15:54:11|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- A total of 25 wildfires have been reported across Mongolia since the beginning of this year, which have destroyed 122,669 hectares of forest and grassland, the country's National Emergency Management Agency reported on Wednesday.

There are now no on-going wildfires in the territory of Mongolia, the emergency agency said.

However, large parts of Mongolia, including Ulan Bator, the capital of the country, have been covered with smoke from massive wildfires raging in Russia's Siberia, the agency added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 19:25:03|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand designated Fiji and Indonesia as "very high-risk countries" due to the surging COVID-19 cases in the two countries, which limits travel from them to New Zealand, COVID-19 response minister Chris Hipkins said on Wednesday.

As of 11:59 p.m. New Zealand time (1159 GMT) on Aug. 15, travel to New Zealand from Indonesia and Fiji will be allowed only for New Zealand citizens, their partners and children, and parents of dependent children who are New Zealand citizens (together with any children of those parents who are not New Zealand citizens), Hipkins said in a statement.

Other travelers from very high-risk countries, including New Zealand residents, are required to spend 14 days outside a very high-risk country before flying to New Zealand, he said.

The New Zealand government introduced in April the very high-risk category, aiming to reduce the risk of a large number of infected people flying to New Zealand from high-risk locations.

The very high-risk category list initially included India, Brazil, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea, with Fiji and Indonesia now adding to it, Hipkins said.

Currently there are more than 24,000 active cases of COVID-19 in Fiji, with the outbreak which began in April continuing to escalate, statistics showed.

The minister said the move is necessary to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of New Zealanders, despite the disappointment and disruption of travelers' plans caused by the reclassification.

"These stronger measures for specific countries have been enacted to reduce the risk of possible transmission, which is particularly important as countries deal with the Delta variant of COVID-19," he said.

The New Zealand government is continuously reviewing border settings to ensure COVID-19 is kept out of the country and communities, the minister said.

Travelers transiting through New Zealand from Fiji to other countries can continue to do so, provided they stay airside on arrival and spend less than 24 hours in-transit in New Zealand, he added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 20:41:56|Editor: huaxia

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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- At least one Afghan civilian died and 47 civilians, including six children and five women, were wounded during ongoing clashes in Kandahar city, capital of southern Kandahar province, a provincial health official said on Wednesday.

"One civilian has been killed and 47 wounded were admitted to Mirwais Regional Hospital in Kandahar since midday on Tuesday," the source told Xinhua anonymously.

The streets in most part of the Kandahar are deserted as the city has been the scene of street fighting in recent days. Taliban was trying to overrun the city after they took control over many of the suburban districts in the province, according to local residents.

"Sporadic Fighting has been continuing as government security forces continued clashes to prevent Taliban from gaining ground in the city. The enemies lost their morale. They failed to enter the city after intense battles in several Police Districts," Jamal Barakzai from provincial police told Xinhua.

Besides, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Afghanistan announced that hundreds of thousands of civilians are at risk as fighting intensifies in and around cities of Kunduz, Lashkar Gah, Kandahar and other Afghan cities.

"Red Cross-supported health facilities treated over 4,000 people wounded by weapons since August 1," ICRC Afghanistan wrote on Twitter.

"Electricity is out across several contested cities and water supply systems are barely operational in some places. Many families are trying to leave but cannot find transport to escape or simply do not have the financial means," it said.

A number of Afghan cities and about half of the country's 34 provinces have been the scene of heavy battles and street fighting in recent weeks as Taliban militants continued their fighting against security forces. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 22:48:12|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and five others trapped Wednesday after a quartz stone mine collapsed in India's western state of Rajasthan, police said.

The mine collapsed in Asind area of Bhilwara district, about 237 km southwest of Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan.

Officials said the mine was being illegally operated.

"This afternoon a quartz stone mine caved in here at Lachuda village trapping seven people. So far two bodies have been retrieved and search for five trapped is underway," an official at Bhilwara collectorate's office said.

Following the accident police and rescue teams rushed to the spot to carry out rescue efforts.

Rescue efforts were going on until last reports poured in.

"The rescuers are removing the rubble and search operation is still going on," the official said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-09 10:13:27|Editor: huaxia

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LA PAZ, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Bolivian government and experts say the country's economy had a positive performance in the first half of the year, but it is necessary to be cautious in the face of a possible fourth wave of COVID-19.

In a speech delivered to the country on Friday, Bolivian President Luis Arce assured people that growth had resumed, pointing to the reduction of unemployment and the increase in exports.

Jose Gabriel Espinoza, an economist at the Bolivian Catholic University, told Xinhua that although economic indicators have been positive, the pandemic is still active in the country.

"It is true that there are better conditions for the recovery of the economy ... but the situation of vulnerability remains," he said, noting the measures taken "have not yet achieved a real reactivation of the productive apparatus and exports."

Omar Yujra, president of the Commission for Planning, Economic Policy, and Finance of the Lower House, told Xinhua that Bolivia is heading towards the reactivation of the economy.

He said that the government has prioritized public investment to boost the economic growth of the country by funding strategic infrastructure projects and social aid programs, including the Bond against Hunger, which provided assistance to more than 4 million Bolivians affected economically by the pandemic.

Marcelo Arequipa, a political analyst and professor at the Bolivian Catholic University, said that it is difficult to make an economic recovery assessment amid the ongoing pandemic.

However, Arce's government has indeed managed to stabilize the economy through a significant increase in public investment and the launch of strategic projects, he said.

"In these months, this government has had to stabilize the country to get out of the crisis: to start generating resources to boost the internal economy through public investment and foreign investment," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 17:25:05|Editor: huaxia

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WINDHOEK, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Lufthansa Group's new leisure airline, Eurowings Discover, commenced operations connecting Namibia with Germany, with an increased offering to five weekly connections to/from Windhoek.

The airline, which landed at Namibia's Hosea Kutako International Airport Wednesday morning, is the new leisure airline of the Lufthansa Group, operating out of Frankfurt.

"This flight marks an important milestone for our new airline Eurowings Discover: starting from today, we will take over the route between Germany and Namibia, which has been served successfully over the past years by Lufthansa Group already," said Wolfgang Raebiger, CEO of Eurowings Discover, who also doubled as the captain for the inaugural flight to Namibia.

Raebiger said Windhoek has always been a popular holiday destination for travelers from all over the world and they are happy to continue offering the customers the possibility to travel.

Namibia's Ministry of Works and Transport, Executive Director, Esther Kaapanda, said Namibia appreciates the launch of Eurowings Discover on the Frankfurt -- Windhoek route which has come at an opportune time.

"The arrival of Eurowings Discover at our international airport brings renewed hope to revive tourism, generate economic development, business and trade during these challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic," she added.

Namibia Airports Company CEO, Bisey Uirab added that the inaugural flight will offer wider air connectivity to the European market and the rest of the world.

"The continuation and expansion of the direct flight connection from Frankfurt to Windhoek will contribute to making the travel experience more convenient and seamless," he added.

Eurowings Discover will operate five weekly connections from Frankfurt to Windhoek in 2021, with return flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. From summer 2022, the leisure carrier will even increase its service to daily flights with three weekly onward tag flights to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 17:39:17|Editor: huaxia

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SOFIA, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria's largest parliamentary force, There Is Such a People (ITN) party, on Wednesday officially abandoned efforts to form a government, after failing to get a simple majority.

Plamen Nikolov, the ITN prime minister nominee, has asked to withdraw his candidacy, saying that he would not propose a government, speaker of the National Assembly Iva Miteva said.

The move came after the ITN won snap elections on July 11, yet with only 65 seats in the 240-member chamber. It needed to gather support from other parties in the parliament to form a simple majority.

The task of forming a government now goes to the second-largest force in the newly-elected parliament, the coalition of the conservative-populist GERB party and the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), which won 63 seats.

Under the constitution, if the second-largest parliamentary group failed to form a government and a minor group failed also, the president shall schedule new parliamentary elections.

The snap elections were held after the GERB-UDF coalition, which had won the general election in April this year, failed to form a government. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-12 01:07:47|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discussed results of recent bilateral consultations on strategic stability during a phone call on Wednesday.

The officials also exchanged views on issues of global and regional security, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a brief statement.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed at their first summit in Geneva in June to launch a Strategic Stability Dialogue to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures.

The first round of such dialogue was held in Geneva on July 28, when both sides discussed approaches to maintaining strategic stability, the prospects for arms control and measures to reduce risks. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-11 16:04:06|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The White House said Tuesday that it is exploring ways to support schools in Florida that are facing financial retribution as a result of defying the state's ban on mask mandates.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told a daily press conference that the Biden administration was looking to support schools in the southern U.S. state that "do the right thing" when it came to masking, praising Florida school leaders for showing "courage" and "boldness" as they sought "to protect students and keep schools safe and open."

Psaki's remarks followed days of controversy during which Florida Governor Ron DeSantis threatened to withhold the salaries of those school leaders who defied the governor's earlier executive order banning school districts from issuing mask mandates at a time when students in the state are returning to schools for the fall semester.

"We are continuing to look for ways ... for the U.S. government to support districts and schools as they try to follow the science, do the right thing and save lives," Psaki said.

"I would note what is publicly available and knowable is that the American Rescue Plan funds that were distributed to Florida to provide assistance to schools have not yet been distributed from the state level," she said. "They're federal funds and ... they're under federal discretion, so they just need to be distributed to these schools."

Asked about the issue at his own press conference on Tuesday, Biden said he's checking if it is within the presidential power to intervene in the state mask bans. He said the anti-mask efforts by states including Florida and Texas were "totally counterintuitive and, quite frankly, disingenuous."

As of Monday, superintendents of at least two Florida counties, namely Leon and Alachua, have come forward with their plans to enforce mask mandates, directly defying an emergency rule by the Florida Department of Health under DeSantis's direction that school districts must allow parents to decide whether their children will wear masks.

DeSantis's reasoning is that mandating mask-wearing for children infringes on parents' right under Florida law to make decisions about their children's health and education.

In implementing the mask mandates, however, the school leaders cited the latest surge in COVID-19 cases brought about by the Delta variant that not only made Florida the national epicenter of the pandemic in terms of overall infections, but also saw the state leading the country in the number of children hospitalized for contracting the virus.

"If, heaven forbid, we lost a child to this virus, I can't just simply blame the governor of the state of Florida," Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna said when announcing that children from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade will be required to wear masks when classes resume Wednesday in Tallahassee, seat of the county and also capital of the state.

As of Monday, 179 pediatric COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in Florida, which leads the entire nation, and Texas came in second with 161 such cases, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-12 00:37:16|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday held phone talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoygu "to support transparency and risk-reduction efforts."

"The purpose of the call was to support transparency and risk-reduction efforts following the July 28 resumption of the U.S.-Russia Strategic Stability Dialogue in Geneva, Switzerland," the Pentagon said in a short statement, without giving further details.

Senior U.S. and Russian officials discussed strategic stability in Geneva in late July. The two sides agreed to reconvene at the end of September and hold informal consultations in the interim. Enditem




"We are in a race against time, and that involves placing resources correctly and defining clearly what we are going to do to use them rationally and transparently so as to improve our response capacity," it indicated.









Minsa stated that, during the working appointment held on Tuesday at the National Children's Health Institute (INSN) in Lima's San Borja district, Minister Hernando explained that the support for regions is one of the Government's priorities.





Epidemiological situation





Concerning the COVID-19 situation in Peru, the meeting shared valuable information provided by the National Center for Epidemiology, Prevention and Disease Control (CDC)





For example, regarding the Delta strain, a 7% increase has been observed since July, with a prediction that it will continue to increase as the weeks go by.





In this sense, the CDC explains that the Delta variant has been competing strongly with the Gamma strain in the past two months and is already replacing the Lambda variant.





As for the third wave, it is estimated that in the worst-case scenario 80% of detected cases will be asymptomatic, while the remaining 20% will be hospitalized.





Of this percentage, 5% of cases will be identified as very high risk. Consequently, patients will be treated in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of health centers.





(END) NDP/MAO/RMB/MVB

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Likewise, the Cabinet chief stressed that Peru is an important moment of change in terms of political practice and teamwork, which has been developing since July 28, 2021.

Therefore, he emphasized, the Government seeks to combat corruption at every level.

"Just fighting corruption at all levels will be an important step, the change that people have always demanded, but at the same time we are going without any fear towards a true economic and fiscal decentralization," he expressed.

In this regard, the high-ranking official noted that it is necessary to reactivate investment projects nationwide, which are currently trapped due to corruption issues.

Bellido also argued that the economic reactivation is important to face immediate problems such as the lack of jobs, in addition to health-related needs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lastly, he requested Piura region authorities to do an honest and sincere job, always with the people.

?? AHORA en Piura | Titular de la PCM: Estamos en un momento muy importante de cambio en la practica politica y de trabajo en equipo que debemos desarrollar. #GobernandoJuntos pic.twitter.com/1MpXGoEhDo

Titular de la PCM: Estamos en un momento importante para lograr el cambio que el pueblo siempre ha exigido y vamos sin temores hacia una verdadera descentralizacion economica y fiscal. Empezaremos un trabajo profundo, que en muchos anos no se ha querido hacer. #GobernandoJuntos pic.twitter.com/XRPiB35BeC
Presidente @PedroCastilloTe: Somos un Gobierno de puertas abiertas. No hay necesidad que los alcaldes provinciales vayan a Lima. Vamos a impulsar que se haga una verdadera descentralizacion del pais, de manera economica, politica y administrativa. pic.twitter.com/TNoa4HqoqB
El Peru expresa su solidaridad al Gobierno y Pueblo de la Republica Helenica por los graves incendios forestales que vienen ocasionando perdidas humanas y materiales en su territorio. Nuestras condolencias a los familiares de las victimas.@GreeceMFA




"A policy that must remain in place is that of fiscal responsibility. We cannot spend what we do not have; that could lead to a macroeconomic imbalance, and we cannot allow that," he said in remarks to Exitosa radio station.





In this sense, the government official affirmed that a fiscal deficit target will be set again.





"We need to make every effort in education and health, by collecting taxes from those who have not paid, to maintain reasonable fiscal sustainability. That is the fundamental balance," he commented.

According to the minister, basically, the aim is to maintain macroeconomic stability to address social priorities and injustices directly.

"Those are the two key points of the major policy that we must have in place," the Cabinet member emphasized.

Education and health

He went on to say that health and education are two top priorities of this Government. The question is how to get the resources to bridge the gaps.

Francke explained that the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) cannot spend what it does not have.

"Hence our special emphasis on the collection of further resources, such as pending payments to the National Superintendence of Customs and Tax Administration (Sunat)," the head of MEF stated.





(END) SDD/RMB




Ahora | El jefe de Estado, @PedroCastilloTe, junto con el Gabinete de Ministros, preside la reunion de trabajo con el gobernador regional, alcaldes provinciales y distritales de #Piura.

?? En vivo: https://t.co/ah43oYVQlP
STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military attacked Artsakhs Defense Army military positions with combat drones in the morning of August 11.

On August 11, around 08:29 - 08:58, Azerbaijan used strike UAVs in the direction of Defense Army positions. The Armenian side didnt suffer casualties, the Defense Army said, adding that they provided information and facts about the attack to the Russian peacekeeping command.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Legal Center for Justice & Human Rights (ALC) in partnership with the International & Comparative Law Center (ICLaw) has announced the filing of new applications (cases) with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over the executions and killings of Armenian Prisoners of War (POWs) and civilians held in Azeri captivity.

The applications present that 19 Armenian individuals, both civilians who remained in their native settlements and soldiers, were killed in 10 separate incidents while these individuals were held captive by Azerbaijani forces and/or in prison. These applications have been presented with irrefutable evidence in the form of eyewitness testimony, widespread video footage posted on the internet, forensic medical examinations and expert opinions. With insurmountable evidence, ICLaw, with the support of ALC, seeks to hold Azerbaijan accountable for failing to protect the lives of those in captivity under both the European Convention on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.

By failing to protect the lives of those in captivity and by failing to investigate captives who are killed, Azerbaijan defiantly violates human rights law and fails to fulfill its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, stated ALC chairperson Kenneth Hachikian. It is incumbent on the ECHR, and all affiliated European institutions, to unequivocally draw a red line and force Azerbaijans dictatorship to take responsibility.

ALC is committed to pursuing justice for these 19 Armenian individuals and ensuring that all Armenian POWs are released and repatriated without harm. Based on this objective, ALC has partnered with ICLaw based in Yerevan, Armenia, to file cases and advocate before the ECHR on behalf of over 100 individual Armenian POWs. Thus this partnership serves to individually represent more than half of the Armenian POWs currently held in captivity by Azerbaijan. Recently, ICLaw, with the support of ALC, filed additional cases for interim measures and is working constantly to investigate and identify additional POWs held by Azerbaijan. As more information is obtained, ICLaw and ALC will continue to pursue both the freedom and the right to life of all Armenian POWs.

As the greater Armenian nation continues to pursue the release and repatriation of all Armenian POWs, ALC would like to share the names and backgrounds of the individuals on whose behalf ICLaw has filed right to life cases. Readers are advised that the following information may be graphic.

Vahram Lalayan was a 47-year-old civilian who lived in the village of Mets Tagher in the Hadrut region of Artsakh. When the war started, he refused to flee and remained in his home. The corpse of Vahram Lalayan was later found during search operations. The photos of the body and the autopsy protocol indicate that Vahrams body was not found in its integrity, rather his head was separated from the body, and the wrists were cut.

Volodya Aghabekyan was an 83-year-old civilian who lived in the village of Sghnakh in the Askeran region of Artsakh. He chose to remain in his home during the war. On December 17, 2020, his corpse was discovered near his house in the course of search operations. According to the forensic investigations, his death occurred as a result of a gunshot wound in the head, damaging the brain matter. Volodya Aghabekyan was willfully killed by the Azerbaijani soldiers despite his age and being under the full protection of the provisions of international humanitarian law provided to civilians.

Arsen Gharakhanyan was a 45-year-old civilian who lived in the region of Hadrut with his family. Arsen and his father Sasha were captured together on the same day. Sasha was repatriated on December 14, 2020, whereas Arsen was held in captivity for a prolonged period and later executed by his captors. Before killing him, Azeris filmed two videos of Arsen and published them online. His dead body was handed over to the Armenian side and presented as a victim of the war. The photos of the corpse, as well as the results of the post-mortem examination, indicate that he was subjected to torture and inhuman treatment while in captivity.

Yuri Adamyan and Benik Hakobyan were both captured by Azerbaijans Armed Forces and killed in the town center of Hadrut. On October 15, 2020, two video recordings were published on the internet showing how Yuri and Benik were captured (first video) and later, how they were killed by gunshots, wrapped in the flags of Armenia and Artsakh (second video). As of this date, their bodies have not been handed over to the Armenian side. Their families are thus prevented from the possibility of a proper burial.

Mushegh Melkumyan was an 83-year-old civilian who lived in Hadrut since the 1950s. He was taken captive at the beginning of October 2020. He was kept incommunicado for almost 20 days with no opportunity to communicate by any independent mechanisms. Mushegh was subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment. He died in captivity on October 29, 2020. His body was handed over to the Armenian side two days later. His captivity was not duly acknowledged for a long time, as the ICRC gained access to visit Mushegh only on October 26, 2020, three days before his death.

Narek Babayan was involved in the defense of Artsakh during the 2020 war. He was captured by Azeri armed forces, who beheaded him. His captors called Nareks family members and informed them that Narek was in their hands, and that they had cut his throat. A couple of hours later, a photo of a dead and mutilated Narek appeared on his personal Instagram page.

Gennadi Petrosyan was a 69-year-old civilian who lived in the region of Askeran of Artsakh and refused to leave his house during the war. He was captured by Azerbaijans Armed Forces after they entered the village of Madatashen of Askeran. In November 2020, a video circulated in Azerbaijani media of an Azerbaijani soldier cutting Gennadi Petrosyans neck, while two other soldiers are holding him by the arms. Then, another video appeared in the media portraying Gennadis corpse. Azerbaijani soldiers disgraced the corpse by putting Gennadis head on a pig and saying out loud: a pig looks like a pig. The dead body of Gennadi Petrosyan has not been returned as of this date.

Yurik Asriyan was an 80-year-old civilian who lived in the region of Hadrut and refused to leave his home during the war. He was captured by Azerbaijani armed forces after they entered the village of Azokh of Hadrut. A video was circulated in the Azerbaijani media, portraying how an Azeri soldier is cutting Yuris neck. On January 21, 2021, his corpse was handed to the Armenian side from the territory of Azokh. The head of Yuri Asriyan is still missing.

Sargis Manukyan, Lyudvig Avdalyan, Senik Khurshudyan and Husik Hovakimyan all participated in the defense of Artsakh during the 2020 war. On October 23, 2020, a video appeared on the Telegram mobile application, showing a damaged medical transportation vehicle and the dead bodies of Sargis, Lyudvig, Senik and Husik being dragged out of the vehicle and thrown to the ground. The video also showed Azeri soldiers standing next to the fallen soldiers and making derogatory statements about them. A few days later, another video appeared on Telegram, showing how the half-naked bodies of the four servicemen are dragged out of a Kamaz truck with the use of a shovel. The bodies are thrown on the ground, slammed with the shovel and stomped on the face, while the Azeri servicemen laugh and make derogatory statements. The bodies bear signs of medical treatment, making it more than obvious that the killed individuals were not active soldiers taking direct part in hostilities, but hors de combat.

Karen Nersisyan, Hayk Harutyunyan, Albert Stepanyan, Grisha Grigoryan, Sasun Petrosyan and Samvel Smbatov all participated in the defense of Artsakh during the 2020 war. After the signing of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, a six-member group of Armenian servicemen hiding in the forests of Hadrut were found by Russian peacekeeping forces and safely transferred to Armenia. Following that case, realizing that more Armenian servicemen could be hiding in other parts of the forests of Hadrut, the Azerbaijani side conducted search operations without the participation of Russian peacekeeping forces. That is when the Azeris found Karen, Hayk, Albert, Grisha, Sasun and Samvel hiding in the forests and shot them dead.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan is receiving reports from villages in Gegharkunik and Syunik saying that Azerbaijani troops deployed nearby the Armenian villages are firing their weapons while intoxicated.

Moreover, in this case the shootings are made with tracer rounds and are done in a way to be visible for the civilian population with the purpose of terrorizing them. In these cases, during the night the Azeri troops play loud music to disturb the residents and are shouting  meaning they commit acts of hooliganism.

We are receving such reports since 2020 December. I am speaking about the villages where nearby the Azeri troops are deployed in gross violation of international law after the war and especially after the May 12-13 unlawful invasions into the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia, Tatoyan said in a statement, adding that his examinations of the reports show that the Azeri gunfire is stopping after the preventive counteractions of the Armenian Armed Forces.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. Apart from the topical issues of Armenian-Russian defense cooperation, the Armenian side raised a number of key issues during the Armenian-Russian negotiations in Moscow at the level of Defense Ministers on August 11, including the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the ways to overcome it, prevention of border incidents, inadmissibility of ceasefire violation cases in Nagorno Karabakh, and in this context, exclusion of incidents like the one that happened on August 11, when the Azerbaijani armed forces used drones against the military positions of the Defense Army of Artsakh, as well as the speedy solution of the issue of the Armenian POWs, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MoD Armenia.

Armenian Minister of Defense Arshak Karapetyan met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu in Russia. The meeting was held in both narrow and expanded formats, the defense ministry said in a news release.

During the meeting Karapetyan and Shoigu discussed a broad circle of issues related to the Armenian-Russian allied relations and exchanged views over the issues of ensuring regional and international security.

Congratulating Karapetyan on his appointment as defense minister, Shoigu praised the work in the latest period carried out by the defense ministries of the two countries for developing bilateral cooperation and solving existing issues in the region.

Minister of Defense Shoigu emphasized that Russia will continue to make maximum efforts for strengthening peace in Nagorno Karabakh and peaceful resolution of the situation in Armenias bordering regions. He also thanked Armenia for continuing to participate in the humanitarian mission in Syria, despite the existing issues.

At Shoigus request, Karapetyan briefed him on the tactical situation around the borders of Armenia, attaching importance to the mediating efforts carried out by Russia for a peaceful resolution of the situation. Minister of Defense Karapetyan stressed that Armenia continues to be committed to establishing sustainable peace in the region and continuation of negotiations in this direction, but at the same time it wont tolerate occupation of its border regions and will take all necessary actions to restore its territorial integrity.

The Armenian Minister of Defense thanked for the peacekeeping mission in Nagorno Karabakh, noting that peaceful life in Nagorno Karabakh is restored thanks to the Russian peacekeepers efforts, and that the uninterrupted communication with Armenia is ensured. Karapetyan stressed the inadmissibility of the periodical Azerbaijani provocations and ceasefire violations in the zone of responsibility of the peacekeepers, and mentioned the latest Azeri drone attack as an example.

Arshak Karapetyan also addressed the ongoing intensive reforms in the defense sector and thanked his partner for the comprehensive support. The minister emphasized that today the Armenian-Russian military-political relations are in the phase of shifting to an unprecedented high level.

Karapetyan and Shoigu reached several important agreements around upcoming partnership programs.
An international partner has placed a follow-up order with Rheinmetall to supply material kits for the Fuchs/Fox 2 wheeled armoured vehicle. This new order, which also encompasses an initial supply of spare parts, is worth around 250 million. Delivery will take place during the 2021-2023 timeframe, with production to be carried out in the partners country. This major order underscores the long-lasting nature of this successful strategic partnership.



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The armoured forces of numerous nations rely on various versions of the vehicle, which, among other things, can be configured as an armoured personnel carrier, a mobile command post, a field ambulance or for an NBC detection and reconnaissance role (Picture source: Rheinmetall)

The order is particularly important for the Groups Kassel plant, birthplace of the tried-and-tested 6x6 vehicle. Last year marked the fortieth anniversary of the Fuchs armoured transport vehicles entry into service with the German Bundeswehr.

To date, some 1,600 Fuchs vehicles have been built. The armoured forces of numerous nations rely on various versions of the vehicle, which, among other things, can be configured as an armoured personnel carrier, a mobile command post, a field ambulance or for an NBC detection and reconnaissance role. The German Bundeswehr has fielded multiple versions of the Fuchs 1 ever since 1979, deploying over a hundred of these vehicles in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Its successor, the Fuchs 2, is an advanced version of the vehicle, featuring, among other things, a larger fighting compartment, a more powerful engine, an updated chassis, improved protection, and a digital electrical system.

Furthermore, the Bundeswehr is also modernizing part of its Fuchs 1 fleet. The latest version of the vehicle  the Fuchs 1A8  offers substantially better protection against mines and improvised explosive devices compared to earlier models; it also features enhanced protection against ballistic threats. Among the principal modifications found in the 1A8 are structural changes to the hull; new seats and seat suspension systems in the fighting compartment decoupled from floor of the hull; reinforced wheel housings, doors, and window mountings; and additional external storage bins and reinforcement of the vehicle exterior. In total, the Bundeswehr inventory includes around 940 Fuchs vehicles, 272 of which are the current version 1A8.

Furthermore, Rheinmetall now offers an even more advanced version of the vehicle, the 1A8 Plus, which includes a new powerpack, a new transfer case, an improved steering system, and a monitor and camera vision system. This makes the Fuchs 1A8 even more manoeuvrable in off-road terrain and more ergonomic to operate. Legacy vehicles can be upgraded to 1A8 status, while newly built Fuchs 1A8 vehicles are available now as well.
Between 8:29am and 8:58am on Wednesday, Azerbaijan used combat drones in the direction of the positions of the Artsakh Defense Army, the Defense Army said.

August 11, 2021, 10:59 Defense Army: Azerbaijan used combat drones in direction of Artsakh military positions

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 11, ARTSAKHPRESS: The Armenian side didnt suffer casualties.

Information and facts about this incident have been provided to the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Artsakh.
Since the US and NATO forces announced their withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of presence, the Taliban has moved swiftly, capturing a large part of the countrys territory, Aljazeera writes.

August 11, 2021, 11:51 Infographic: Who controls what in Afghanistan

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 11, ARTSAKHPRESS: The armed group, which was removed from power following the 2001 invasion, has in recent days seized key provincial capitals and other districts  about 50 percent of the countrys land.

Battlefield victories

Since Friday, the Taliban has seized at least nine provincial capitals in Afghanistan, in a lightning offensive that appears to have overwhelmed government forces.

On Wednesday, Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan was captured by the group.

Though the government has not publicly acknowledged the falling of any of the provinces, it has announced dispatching commandos and extra forces to the same provinces.

The first provincial capital the Taliban captured in August, Zaranj of Nimruz province, gave them access to yet another border crossing with Iran and another point of access to the Durand Line.

In the following days, the capitals of Jowzjan, Kunduz, Takhar, Sar-e Pol, Samangan, Farah, and Pul-e-Khumri also fell into its hands.

The capture of Kunduz marks the third time in seven years the group has been able to overtake the province, and the Shirkhan Bandar crossing into Tajikistan.

The Talibans territorial gains has seen the Afghan National Security Forces increase their reliance on air raids, a practice that has led to high civilian casualties in many of the provinces they aim to retake from the armed group.

Negotiations

The defence ministry said on Saturday that US B-52 bombers struck several Taliban targets in Sheberghan, the capital of Jowzjan province.

On the same day, the US embassy issued a statement condemning the Talibans inroads into provincial centres in the south and north.

We condemn the Talibans violent new offensive against Afghan cities. This includes the unlawful seizure of Zaranj, the capital of Afghanistans Nimroz province, the attack on Sheberghan, capital of Jowzjan province yesterday and today, and continuing efforts to take over Lashkar Gah in Helmand and provincial capitals elsewhere, the statement read.
Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan is receiving reports from villages in Gegharkunik and Syunik saying that Azerbaijani troops deployed nearby the Armenian villages are firing their weapons while intoxicated.

August 11, 2021, 15:15 Azerbaijani servicemen conduct shootings also when they are intoxicated. Ombudsman regularly receives alarming-calls from Gegharkunik and Syunik

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 11, ARTSAKHPRESS: "We are regularly receiving alarming-calls from Gegharkunik and Syunik villages that the Azerbaijani servicemen conduct shootings also when they are intoxicated (drunk). Moreover, the shootings are with tracer ammunition, are intentionally done in a way that they are visible to the civilian population to intimidate them. During these incidents, the Azerbaijani servicemen turn on loud music at night which causes disturbances to the residents, and scream and shout; that is their actions are hooliganism.

We have been receiving such alarms since December 2020.

This is about the villages in the immediate vicinity of which the Azerbaijani armed forces were deployed after the war with the gross violation of international law requirements, especially 12-13 May 2021 illegal invasions of Armenias sovereign territory.
The Russian Defense Ministry is ready to assist Armenia in modernizing and reforming its armed forces, Russias Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Wednesday, welcoming Arshak Karapetyan in the capacity of the Armenian defense chief in Moscow on Wednesday, Tass informs.

August 11, 2021, 15:22 Russia ready to help Armenia modernize armed forces, says defense chief

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 11, ARTSAKHPRESS: "We attach great importance to developing our military interaction both in the bilateral format and within the framework of the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization]. We are also ready to continue rendering assistance in implementing the program of reforming the armed forces of Armenia. This is an uneasy task but I believe that you will be able to cope with it with your experience," Shoigu pointed out.

The Russian 102nd military base stationed in Armenia is well-equipped and is a guarantor of stability, Russias defense chief said.

"Armenia is an ally and a key partner of Russia in security provision in the South Caucasus and we are extremely interested in maintaining stability in that region," Shoigu stressed.

The Russian defense chief congratulated Karapetyan on his appointment as the Armenian defense minister, adding that this took place "at an uneasy time when the country is facing complex tasks of reforming its defense sphere."

For his part, Karapetyan said he was grateful to Shoigu for the Russian defense ministers readiness to help restore the combat efficiency of the Armenian armed forces, equip and train the republics troops.

Karapetyan stressed that he was paying his first foreign visit as the defense minister to Russia, which was Armenias strategic ally.

"Russia is the sole state that gives a really tangible product of security for the Armenian people and is dealing with security issues not only in Nagorno-Karabakh but also directly on the Armenian borders today," Karapetyan said.

"We are ready for very close and effective cooperation," the Armenian defense chief said.
On August 11, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has issued a statement, considerably distorting the real situation.

August 11, 2021, 16:11 We call on our compatriots not to succumb to the provocations of the enemy. Artsakh FM

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 11, ARTSAKHPRESS: According to the statement, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry accuses Armenia of violating the trilateral ceasefire agreement of November 9, 2020 and concentrating new military forces in Artsakh.

The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan also noted that the Azerbaijani army will take all appropriate measures.

Commenting on this provocative statement by the Azerbaijani side, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh, Davit Babayan, noted that the statement of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan is nothing but a provocative and terrorist act.

"By intimidating the people of Artsakh and forcing them to lose faith in the future of Artsakh, the enemy aims to evict Armenians from Artsakh.

Azerbaijan is trying to cover up its aggressive actions in various directions. It is not ruled out that the enemy, on the advice of Turkey, is also trying to strike a blow at the Armenian-Russian brotherhood, overshadowing the mission of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the region.

We call on our compatriots not to succumb to the provocations of the enemy and to remain calm,said Artsakh Foreign Minister.
The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan continues to misinform its own population and the international community about the situation around Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

August 11, 2021, 16:22 Azerbaijan MOD blackmails Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 11, ARTSAKHPRESS: To this end, the Azerbaijani defense ministry has issued another statement, considerably distorting the real situation, and resorting to personal insults and threats.

As News.am informs, according to a statement disseminated in the Azerbaijani media, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry accuses Armenia of "gross violation of the trilateral statement, dropping its troops on the Azerbaijan territory where the Russian Federation peacekeepers are temporarily stationed near Mkhitarashen, Shosh settlements, as well as establishing new checkpoint in the eastern partswithin the administrative borders of Karvachar and Berdzor districts.

"All this is happening amid the irresponsible and provocative order of the new Minister of Defense of Armenia, Arshak Karapetyan, on the use of force by the Armenian army. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reminds that the former Minister of Defense of Armenia, Davit Tonoyan, also had come up with a provocative military doctrine called New war, new territories. Its disgraceful fate is known to everyone. The Ministry of Defense [of Azerbaijan] notes that the Azerbaijani army will take all appropriate measures.

In accordance with the provisions of the trilateral statement, the Russian Federation shall put an end to the deployment of the Armenian armed forces in the Azerbaijani territory where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed," the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry also said in its statement, the Azerbaijani media reported.

In fact, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense has prepared unique vinaigrette for those unfamiliar with the situation, mixing into a whole the references to the territories of Armenia and the occupied territories Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has once again tried to present as a "provocation" the response of the Armenian side to the invasion of the sovereign territories of Armenia.

At the same time, this is not the first time that Azerbaijan has resorted to blackmailing the Russian side.

The aforesaid statement of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan was preceded by an open provocation of Mondays shelling of Karabakh positions in the area of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers, and the use of combat drones on Wednesday morning.
The Armenian National Committee of Greece sent a letter to the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias complaining about the Greek Ambassadors propaganda tour of occupied Shushi, orchestrated by the government of Azerbaijan. The Foreign Minister responded by making lame excuses for the Ambassadors appalling behavior.

August 11, 2021, 17:53 Harut Sassounian: Greek Foreign Minister makes excuses for Ambassadors propaganda tour of Shushi

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 11, ARTSAKHPRESS: Here is what the ANC of Greece wrote to Foreign Minister Dendias on July 12: We were surprised but also very upset to learn about the participation of the Ambassador of Greece to Azerbaijan, Mr. Nikolaos Piperigkos, in the provocative celebration organized by the Aliyev regime. The Armenian National Committee, as well as the Armenian Community of Greece as a whole, express their strong dissatisfaction with the participation of the representative of our country in this parody. You know very well that Azerbaijan, by faithfully copying its mentor [Turkey], is grossly violating the rules of international law. What is the purpose of the support provided by Greece at this critical time?

Foreign Minister Dendias replied on July 27: Greece maintains long-standing excellent historical and friendly relations with Armenia. In difficult times for Armenia, Greece stood by the country and its people. I myself visited Yerevan on October 16, 2020, when hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region were still ongoing, sending a message of solidarity. Also, responding to the request of the Armenian organizations in our country with the coordination of the International Development Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Greece carried out two humanitarian aid missions (medical supplies and food) on December 12, 2020 and January 8, 2021, displaying practical assistance. At the same time, as is known, Greece has maintained diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan since 1992.

After the crisis in bilateral relations [between Azerbaijan and Greece] in autumn 2020, the Greek Ambassador returned to Baku, where in the framework of his duties, he maintains contacts with the country he is accredited to and follows closely local developments. In addition, considering the circumstance of our countrys membership in the European Union, the Embassy coordinates its activities with our partners. For this reason too, the acceptance of the invitation of the Azeri Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Greek Ambassador, after six negative responses to continuous similar invitations, which were already accepted by other European Embassies, is in no way an endorsement of views or recognition of actions of the host state, much less participating in celebrations. It was carried out with the coordination of [EU] Member States with the purpose of on-site observation and recording what was happening to transfer accurate information to the Foreign Ministry.

Here are the problems with the Foreign Ministers reply:

1) He does not seem to understand that by appeasing a hostile nation the Ambassadors actions are undermining Greeces own interests as well as those of Armenia.

2) Azerbaijan is no friend of Greece. As the Foreign Minister recalled in his letter, last September, during the Greek Ambassadors presentations of his credentials, Pres. Aliyev told him in an inappropriate and undiplomatic manner: I can tell you, and it is no secret, that Turkey is not only our friend and partner, but also a brotherly country for us. Without any hesitation whatsoever, we support Turkey and will support it under any circumstances. We support them [Turkey] in all issues, including the issue in the Eastern Mediterranean.

3) The Foreign Minister stated in his letter that other European countries also accepted the Azeri invitation. He ignored the fact that several other major European countries, including Great Britain, Germany, France, Portugal, Spain and the Czech Republic, in addition to Russia and the United States, refused to participate in the Azeri propaganda tour of Shushi. Greece should have done likewise!

4) The Foreign Ministers excuse that the Greek Ambassadors visit to Shushi was to provide on-site observation is ridiculous. The Greek Ambassador was simply duped into participating in a charade orchestrated by Azerbaijan to boast about the occupation and destruction of a historic Armenian region, its people and religious sites in violation of international law.

The Greek Foreign Minister correctly mentioned the friendship between Greece and Armenia. Such friendship, however, must go beyond empty statements. It has to be shown by concrete actions, not mere words.

As I wrote in my previous article, the Greek Foreign Minister must immediately dispatch his Ambassador in Yerevan to Stepanakert, the Capital of the Republic of Artsakh, to atone for his Baku counterparts offensive visit to Shushi. If not, the ANC of Greece and the local Armenian community must have an immediate meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and demand that he immediately fire the Foreign Minister and recall the Ambassador from Azerbaijan.

By obeying the instructions of Pres. Aliyev, the Greek Ambassador betrayed not only Armenia, but also the interests of Greece. Instead of joining ranks with Armenia and other friendly nations against Azerbaijan and Turkey, Greece is alienating its own allies.

I am still waiting for the Prime Minister of Armenia to organize for the foreign Ambassadors stationed in Yerevan a tour of Stepanakert, the Capital of the Republic of Artsakh, to counter the visit to Shushi arranged by Azerbaijan. To do this, however, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan must first appoint a Foreign Minister.

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

www.thecaliforniacourier.com
British embassy in Berlin (file photo) (AP)

A worker at the British Embassy in Berlin has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia, German prosecutors said.

The man, a 57-year-old British national named only as David S, was detained on Tuesday following a joint investigation by the British and German authorities. In a statement, the German Federal Prosecutors Office said he was suspected of selling documents obtained during his work at the embassy to a representative of a Russian intelligence service.

Mr S was arrested in Potsdam, near Berlin, by officials from the Federal Criminal Police Office in charge of the investigation, it added.

His home and workplace were swiftly searched. The prosecutor said Mr S, who is a locally-employed contractor rather than a diplomat, was suspected of having been working for a foreign secret service since last November.

An investigating judge had issued a warrant for his arrest at the Federal Court of Justice dated August 4, 2021. In a statement, the prosecutor said: In the arrest warrant, the accused is essentially charged with the following facts: Until his arrest, David S worked as a local employee at the British Embassy in Berlin. On at least one occasion he forwarded documents obtained in the course of his professional activities to a representative of a Russian intelligence service.

In return for providing information, the accused received cash in a previously unknown amount. The arrest is the result of joint investigations by German and British authorities.

The Standard understands that officers from the Mets Counter-Terrorism Command flew out to Germany as part of the operation. Mr S is due to appear before an investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice later on Wednesday.

For decades, Berlin has been a spying hotspot and the revelation that the Russians may have had a source inside the British Embassy is deeply embarrassing for the UK authorities.

The intelligence services and the Met will be racing to discover what material Mr S allegedly passed to the Russians and whether any British agents were compromised. Being a local contractor, rather than a diplomat, he is likely to have had less direct access to sensitive documents.

Story continues

The arrest took place in Potsdam, an area steeped in espionage history. Berlin is linked with Potsdam by the Glienicke Bridge across the Havel river and during the Cold War it was used several times for exchanging captured spies and therefore became known as the Bridge of Spies.

The crossing features in Tom Hankss 2015 Oscar-winning movie Bridge of Spies, during the prisoner exchange scene. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: The man was arrested in the Berlin area on suspicion of committing offences relating to being engaged in Intelligence Agent activity (under German law). Primacy for the investigation remains with German authorities. Officers from the Counter Terrorism Command continue to liaise with German counterparts.

The Mets Counter Terrorism Command investigates alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act. A Government spokesman said: An individual who was contracted to work for the Government was arrested yesterday. It would not be appropriate to comment further.

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ONTARIO  A massive, indoor tomato-growing operation in Wayne County is getting even bigger this month, and its receiving additional help from the New York Power Authority, which is providing low-cost hydropower.

Intergrow is close to completing an $8.5 million, 10-acre addition to its Timothy Lane operations off Route 104.

James Williams, Intergrows business development manager, said the expansion was to be completed last week, with tomato plants arriving Aug. 9.

This greenhouse will produce over 3 million pounds of fresh produce, with production throughout the winter months, and we are always looking for individuals to join our team, Williams said.

The expansion is the second of three construction phases for the Ontario location. It will increase Intergrows artificial light production capabilities through the winter months.

Williams said Phase 3, which is planned for 2023, calls for a 25-acre expansion.

After the completion of Phase 2 in Ontario this month, Intergrow will have 105 acres of greenhouses, he said. Completion of Phase 3 in 2023 would put us at 130 acres in total.
The Wednesday Morning Roundtable, a monthly civic forum in Auburn, has announced a new partnership with Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Future editions of the forum will take place at the church, 17 William St., Auburn.

Now in its 12th year, the Wednesday Morning Roundtable will continue Sept. 15 with a program on county, state and federal redistricting. The Oct. 20 forum will feature Auburn City Council candidates. Programs consist of a brief introduction, 35-minute presentation and 15-minute Q&A.

At Westminster, forums will take place in the sanctuary space, which can fit more than 600 people socially distanced. The church's social room will host refreshments and networking. The church is also close to the city of Auburn's downtown parking garage, which offers two hours of covered parking for free.

The Wednesday Morning Roundtable continues to welcome new members, its steering committee said in a news release. Membership includes access to a new private Facebook page where videos of forums will be posted. The membership fee is $85, and the soft deadline to register for participation in 2021-2022 programs is Aug. 31.
Canterbury Fire Chief Michael Gamache said Monday in a news release that there's no evidence to support the assumption that this fire was intentionally set and nowhere enough evidence to consider criminal charges."

Just prior to the time of the fire, the cabin was in the process of being dismantled by a representative of the property owner, as directed by a judge, Gamache said.

The investigation indicates a probability that this fire began as a result of unintentional/accidental means," he said. Gamache said the investigation identified several potential causes of the fire, but the origin and cause are still undetermined.

Lidstone, who is currently staying with friends, said he tried to go back to the site to collect some things, but was told he had to go to police first.

"The main thing I wanted out of the whole thing was my Bible," he said. "Hopefully, Canterbury police took it home. ... I had the keys to camp and the camp's just ashes. So I have the keys to God's heart, and that's all I got."
Chinese lithium battery maker CALB to build 50GWh battery base in Hefei

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- China Lithium Battery Technology Co., Ltd. (CALB), a Chinese lithium-ion battery provider, on Aug. 10 signed an investment agreement with Hefei's government to build a 50GWh power battery and energy storage battery factory in the city's Changfeng County.



CALB, Hefei signing agreement; photo credit: CALB



For the first half of 2021 (H1 2021), China's installed power battery capacity amounted to 52.5GWh, rocketing 200.3% from the year ago, according to China Automotive Power Battery Industry Innovation Alliance (CAPBIIA). Among power battery suppliers in China, CALB ranked fourth with 3.63GWh power battery installed during the H1 2021, posting a 377.6% year-on-year hike. The top 3 companies were CATL (25.76GWh), BYD (7.65GWh), and LG Chem (4.72GWh).

Prior to the signing for the Hefei project, CALB celebrated on July 31 the first spade cut in Wuhan for a power battery base, which involves a total investment of 10 billion yuan ($1.542 billion). Annual capacity of the Wuhan factorys 1st phase is designed to be 20GWh.

Apart from the Wuhan and Hefei facilities, CALB also deploys power battery bases in Changzhou, Luoyang, Xiamen, and Chengdu.

Hefei aims to lift its NEV capacity to 1 million units and generate an output value of NEV industry exceeding 100 billion yuan ($15.45 billion) by 2025, according to a document issued by Hefei municipal government in November 2020. It has attracted attracted a slew of NEV manufacturers including NIO, JAC, Volkswagen (Anhui), and Chery (Chaohu).

The capital of Anhui province is also making major efforts to perfect the supporting industrial chain for NEV manufacturing. On July 20, Hefei Gotion High-Tech Power Energy Co.,Ltd., (Hefei Gotion), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gotion High-Tech, signed an agreement with the management committee of Hefei Xinzhan High-tech Industrial Development Zone, intending to build a 20GWh power battery base dedicated to manufacturing Volkswagen's unified cells. In addition, Hefei BYD Automobile Co.,Ltd. (Hefei BYD) completed earlier this month the registration for the project of NEV-related core components.
Gasgoo Daily: BYD denies to be Teslas battery supplier

With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

BYD denies to be Teslas battery supplier

BYD claimed that it had not said to media outlets that it would supply blade batteries to Tesla.

Joyson Electronics to produce domain controllers for AVs in 2023

Joyson Electronics are expected to start mass production of domain controllers for L2+ or L3 autonomous vehicles from 2023. It may work with an automaker to conduct joint development for certain model.

Changan release pictures of first sedan from UNI family

Changan Auto released some pictures of the first sedan from UNI series. As the third model of the series, the new model will be unveiled later this year.

Photo credit: Changan

PATEO finishes new financing round

Chinas connected car company PATEO announced it has completed a new financing round, led by FAW Group. It has raised a total of RMB1.8 billion with two financing rounds.

Mazda China sales down 23.99% YoY in July

Mazda sold 13,492 new vehicles in China in July, representing a year-on-year decrease of 23.99% and a month-on-month decrease of 20.6%. By the end of July, the automaker sold a total of 110,362 new vehicles this year in China, down 4.1% year on year.

XPeng adds 11 experience centers in July

XPeng added 11 experience centers and 3 service centers in July. Currently, the company has a total of 284 sales and service centers.

XPeng sets up new unit

XPeng set up a new company in Changsha with a registered capital of RMB 5 million. The new companys business includes sales of new energy vehicles and sales of vehicle battery.

GWM transfers part of investment in India

Great Wall Motor will transfer part of the planned 1 billion dollars for India to Brazil, three sources familiar with the matter said.

Evergrande Group plans to sell partial interests in Evergrande Auto

Evergrande Group is in talks with several independent third-party investors about selling its partial assets, including part of its interests in China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group Limited (Evergrande Auto) and Evergrande Property Services Group Limited, the group said in an announcement on Tuesday.



China auto sales down 11.9% in July

Chinas monthly vehicle sales and production volume have decreased for three consecutive months by the end of July, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). But monthly sales and production of new energy vehicles (NEVs) continued to set up new records with the cumulative sales and production of the first seven months surpassing the total volumes of last year.



New XPeng P7 caught in patent images

Patent images of the XPeng P7's refreshed version have been released online by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The automaker has not yet revealed when the new model will hit the market.


Changan Auto July sales up 7.89% YoY

Beijing (Gasgoo)- Changan Automobile sold 177,941 vehicles in July, up 7.89% year on year while its cumulative sales in the first seven months increased by 38.44% to 1,378,788 vehicles, according to the automaker.

Monthly production volume of the company grew by 6.31% from a year ago to 180,275 vehicles. By the end of July, the automaker has produced 1,307,051 vehicles this year, jumping 32.14% year on year.

As of the end of July, Changans self-owned brands has sold more than 1 million vehicles this year, while passenger vehicle sales from self-owned brands surged 58.9% to over 750,000 vehicles.

Last month, Changan Ford, the joint venture with American automaker Ford Motor, saw a year-on-year sales growth of 20% with 26,046 vehicles sold. Monthly sales of its another joint venture, Changan Mazda, decreased 16.07% from a year ago to 10,005 vehicles. Its overseas sales have surpassed 10,000 vehicles for 6 consecutive months.

Changan UNI-T; photo credit: Changan

Sales of models equipped with Blue Core Powertrain technologies exceeded 75,000 vehicles while monthly sales of the CS75 family have surpassed 20,000 for 16 consecutive months with 20,119 sold in July. And the automaker also sold more than 10,000 vehicles from the UNI series. Yesterday, a local media outlet reported that UNI may become an independent brand this year.

In July, Changans new energy vehicle sales totaled 12,398 units.
Gasgoo Daily: Baoneng auto arm cuts jobs sharply

Baoneng auto arm cuts jobs sharply



Baoneng Groups automotive arm started to cut jobs again, a local media outlet reported on Tuesday. From last year, the employee number of the arm were reduced from 23,000 to 8,400 and every week may see the dimission of hundreds of employees.

Huawei publicizes new patent application

Recently, Huawei made public a patent application which is a way and device to control vehicles. The patent-pending technology can be used on intelligent vehicles, connected and autonomous vehicles to improve user experience.

MIIT supports hydrogen engines



The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the Peoples Republic of China will support the development of zero-emission hydrogen engines and will help to formulate the segments development strategy.

Chinas auto export doubles in July

The export of China-made vehicles jumped 102.5% year on year in July, hitting a record high, thanks to the explosive growth in the export of new energy vehicles.

Zeekr sets up new company

Hangzhou Zeekr Automobile Sales Service Co., Ltd. was registered on August 6. With a registered capital of RMB10 million, the new companys business includes sales of new energy vehicles, sales of vehicle parts and sales of charging piles.

Great Wall Motor July sales down 9% MoM

Great Wall Motor (GWM), one of the top SUV and pickup manufacturers in China, sold 91,555 new vehicles in July, up 16.9% year on year but down 9.05% month on month. By the end of July, the groups year-to-date sales totaled 709,766 vehicles, jumping 50% from a year ago.



Evergrande Auto expected to record net loss in H1 2021 mainly due to NEV development

China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group Limited (Evergrande Auto), whose Chinese parent is the property conglomerate Evergrande Group, announced on Monday is expected to record a net loss for the first half of 2021 of roughly 4.8 billion yuan ($740.147 million), versus the net loss of around 2.45 billion yuan ($377.783 million) for the year-ago period.



NIO teams up with Shanghais Lingang Group for NEV tech innovation, smart mobility service

NIO and Shanghai Lingang Economic Development (Group) Co.,Ltd. (Lingang Group), the largest industrial park developer in Shanghai, entered into a strategic partnership on August 9 to co-work on promoting the development of local new energy vehicle (NEV) industry.



NIO, Lingang Group signing agreement; photo credit: Lingang Group

Changan Auto July sales up 7.89% YoY

Changan Automobile sold 177,941 vehicles in July, up 7.89% year on year while its cumulative sales in the first seven months increased by 38.44% to 1,378,788 vehicles, according to the automaker.



China's locally-made PV deliveries fall 6.4% YoY in July 2021

In July 2021, around 1.523 million locally-produced PVs (referring to cars, MPVs, SUVs and minibuses) were handed over to consumers in China, representing a year-on-year drop of 6.4% and a month-on-month decline of 5.2%, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).



Tesla sells 32,968 China-made vehicles in July

Wholesale sales of China-made Tesla vehicles totaled 32,968 vehicles in July, 207 vehicles less than the volume of the previous month, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). By the end of July, the year-to-date wholesale volume of China-made Tesla vehicles amounted to 194,711 units.
Tesla sells 32,968 China-made vehicles in July

Beijing (Gasgoo)- Wholesale sales of China-made Tesla vehicles totaled 32,968 vehicles in July, 207 vehicles less than the volume of the previous month, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). By the end of July, the year-to-date wholesale volume of China-made Tesla vehicles amounted to 194,711 units.

Tesla was a distant second to BYD (50,387 vehicles) in terms of July wholesale volume, followed by SAIC GM Wuling (27,347 vehicles), SAIC Motor (13,454) and GAC Aion (10,506 vehicles).

In July, export volume of China-made Tesla vehicles surpassed 20,000 for the first time, surging 385% month over month to 24,347 vehicles. The Shanghai-made Model 3 achieved best-ever export volume (16,137 vehicles) while the first monthly export volume of the locally-made Model Y reached 8,210 vehicles.

That means Teslas sales in China in July were only 8,621 vehicles, plunging nearly 70% when compared with its June sales in China (28,138 vehicles). In the same month, Chinese new energy vehicle startup Li Auto delivered 8,589 vehicles while XPeng and NIO delivered 8,040 and 7,931 vehicles respectively.

The association said on Tuesday that the wholesale volume of Chinas new energy passenger vehicles (NEPVs) in July reached 246,000 vehicles, up 202.9% year on year and 5.1% month on month. For the first seven months of this year, the total sales of NEPVs soared 227.2% year on year to 1.339 million vehicles.
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Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun.

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(Xinhua) -- The Chinese foreign ministry's spokesperson on Tuesday made remarks concerning China's decision to recall its ambassador to Lithuania and about the demand that the Lithuanian government recall its ambassador to China, noting they are legitimate and reasonable countermeasures to the European nation's move to allow the Taiwan authorities open a "representative office" under the name "Taiwan."

The Lithuanian move is in brazen breach of the spirit of the communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Baltic country.

The spokesperson urged Lithuania to immediately rectify its wrong decision, take concrete measures to undo the damage, and not to move further down the wrong path, according to a statement published on the ministry's website.

Lithuania must realize that the one-China principle brooks no violation, and any attempt to disregard or deny the principle will come at a heavy price.

There is only one China in the world. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The one-China principle is a widely recognized norm in international relations and common consensus of the international community, serving as the political foundation for China to develop friendly bilateral relations with other countries.

Lithuania's wrong move is no different from turning back the wheels of history, which severely undermines China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Taiwan question concerns China's core interests and China cannot make any compromise or concession on this question. China has previously made repeated representations and articulated the potential consequences to Lithuania, but the latter has arbitrarily persisted on its own course in total disregard to China's stance.

Therefore, the responsibility for bilateral relations plunging into a difficult situation lies totally with the Lithuanian side.

The Chinese government and people have unwavering determination to achieve reunification of the country. The red line of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity brooks no violation.

Lithuania must fully understand the extreme importance and sensibility of the Taiwan question, and realize in time the potential serious consequences of "playing with fire." It is better for the Lithuanian side to pull back before it is too late and refrain from moving further down the wrong path.
Sir Walter Raleigh (b. 1552, d. 1618) was a pivotal figure in the history of Elizabethan England. A spy, a soldier and an infamous favourite of the Tudor queen, he is perhaps best known as an explorer who founded colonies in the New World and who supposedly brought back tobacco to England. But Raleigh was also a prolific poet and writer, who collected hundreds of books and manuscripts in his lifetime. We have now digitised one of his prized possessions, a rare finely illuminated mariners handbook, originally made in Portugal in the 16th century.

The manuscript (now Cotton MS Tiberius D IX) is known as the Roteiro do Mar Roxo, literally meaning Rutter of the Red Sea in Portuguese. A rutter is a type of nautical handbook that gives guidance about various aspects of the art of sailing. Navigators from across Europe compiled their own versions of these handbooks throughout the 16th century.

The contents of surviving rutters vary considerably. Many are devoted to collections of maps, naval charts, and astronomical and mathematical tables that were used to plot a course or calculate the relative position of a ship at sea. Others contain information relating to the movement of the tides, instructions on how to use navigational instruments, and how to repair damaged ships, as well as logbooks and itineraries of notable journeys made to the far side of the world. Some even include suggestions on how to avoid dangerous coral reefs, and lists of cures for diseases caught by crewmembers during a voyage. In essence, these books had everything you might have needed to navigate the oceans successfully: an invaluable resource for any sailor or explorer.

The Roteiro do Mar Roxo was made by the Portuguese nobleman Joao de Castro (b. 1500, d. 1548) during his 1541 expedition to Suez under Estevao da Gama (b. c. 1505, d. 1576). By the 16th century, this region had long been established as the site of a major trade route between Europe and the Middle East, which the Portuguese and other European powers sought to control. De Castros work is principally devoted to an account of his voyage, supplemented with a wealth of nautical and geographical information, including observations of the islands and surrounding landscape he and his companions discovered, and notes and descriptions of coastlines, ports, and bays found along the Sinai Peninsula.

One of the highlights of de Castros account is a series of finely painted watercolour illustrations and charts (known as tabuas) that accompany the text, which are thought to have been originally drawn by the Portuguese nobleman while on-board his flagship.

Many of the illustrations are meticulously observed, recording not only the various topographic features of the islands and landscapes the fleet passed but also views of ports and cities on their journey. In the chart below, De Castro includes a depiction of the port of Suakin in Sudan, showing his fleet moored around it.

The Portuguese expedition fleet was comprised of 12 large galleons and carracks and at least 60 galleys, many of which are featured in De Castros illustrations. The ships are painted in minute detail, providing us with an invaluable insight into early modern naval design, with De Castro accounting for everything, from their sails, oars, and rigging, to the banners and heraldry flying from their masts, while tiny figures of sailors are shown clambering over the decks.

De Castro also included depictions of other ships and fleets the company encountered during their voyage, most notably those belonging to the Ottoman Empire, a major rival for Portuguese power in the Mediterranean. Here, the Portuguese fleet is shown encountering the Ottoman forces around the Strait of Suez, with a land battle ensuing soon after.

The Portugueuse company in battle with the army of the Ottoman Empire, from a view of part of the Strait of Suez: Cotton MS Tiberius D IX, f. 76r

The Cotton volume is one of only two manuscripts of the Roteiro to survive from the 16th century (the other is now housed at the James Ford Bell Library, at the University of Minnesota). Its layout, illustrations, and delicately written script all suggest that it served as the presentation copy of the work, gifted by de Castro to the Infante Luis (b. 1506, d. 1555), younger brother of the Portuguese king, to whom he also dedicated the text.

The story of the manuscripts subsequent journey from Portugal to England remains a mystery, though some have speculated that it was seized from a Portuguese ship during a battle with English privateers towards the end of the 16th century. At the very least, we know that by the early 1600s it had come into the possession of Sir Walter Raleigh, who apparently bought it in London for 60, a small fortune at that time.

That Raleigh was willing to spend so much on the volume is unsurprising, as he was an avid collector of manuscripts, printed books, maps, and sea charts. His notebook (now Add MS 57555), written when he was put in the Tower of London by King James I in 1606, contains an alphabetised shelf-list and inventory of the hundreds of volumes that made up his library, many of which accompanied him during his imprisonment. It also includes a series of comprehensive notes and hand-drawn maps that he used to write his History of the World, in Five Books, first published in London in 1614. There is even an annotated sketch of the Red Sea itself, its inclusion perhaps inspired by the Portuguese Roteiro Raleigh had purchased for his collection.

A page from the notebook of Sir Walter Raleigh, showing a map of the Red Sea and the surrounding Sinai Peninsula: Add MS 57555, f. 23v

Raleigh actually makes a reference to his copy of De Castros Roteiro in his History of the World, and this lends us an important clue as what happened to the volume in the years that followed. The explorer states that he had given the rutter to Richard Hackluyt (b. 1553, d. 1616), apparently with an instruction to adapt and publish an English paraphrase of the text. At the time, Hackluyt was an editor, translator, and travel writer, whose works were well-known for promoting the English colonisation of America.

However, Hackluyt did not complete Raleighs project and it seems that the Roteiro never returned to the library of its former owner. After Hackluyt's death in 1616 and Raleighs execution on the order of James I in 1618, Hackluyts son Edmond inherited the manuscript and he subsequently gave it into the keeping of the antiquary Sir Robert Cotton. Unfortunately, the Roteiro suffered the fate of many of the manuscripts in Cottons collection and was heavily burned in the Ashburnham House Fire in 1731, though thankfully much of the text and many of De Castros watercolour illustrations did survive intact. The volume can now be read in full on our Digitised Manuscripts site.

Calum Cockburn

Follow us on Twitter @BLMedieval
Texas senator Ted Cruz energetically opposes vaccine and Covid mandates. He even introduced legislation to ban mandates. On Monday Cruz told Fox News, "That means no mask mandates regardless of your vaccination status. That means no vaccine mandates. That means no vaccine passports. And I've introduced legislation, a bill to ban vaccine passports. This week, I'm introducing a bill to ban vaccine mandates, and this week I'm introducing a bill to end mask mandates."

Oddly enough, Cruz's children don't attend public school. They attend a tony private school in Houston, which requires masks regardless of government rules around Covid, or lack of them.

I won't name the school, but here's a screenshot of its face coverings policy, which states, "Due to the current situation in our community, all persons on campus will be required to have a face covering."

So, Senator Cruz, when are you going to remove your kids from this oppressive private school and place them in a public school where the delta flies free?

[image: Gage Skidmore]
Did George Washington order troops to be vaccinated?

No. Vaccination didn't exist yet, he had them inoculated  which was more dangerous, but still effective and better than dying of smallpox.

Library of Congress:

On the 6th of January 1777, George Washington wrote to Dr. William Shippen Jr., ordering him to inoculate all of the forces that came through Philadelphia. He explained that: "Necessity not only authorizes but seems to require the measure, for should the disorder infect the Army . . . we should have more to dread from it, than from the Sword of the Enemy." The urgency was real. Troops were scarce and encampments had turned into nomadic hospitals of festering disease, deterring further recruitment. Both Benedict Arnold and Benjamin Franklin, after surveying the havoc wreaked by Variola in the Canadian campaign, expressed fears that the virus would be the army's ultimate downfall. (Fenn 2001, 69)

At the time, the practice of infecting the individual with a less-deadly form of the disease was widespread throughout Europe. Most British troops were immune to Variola, giving them an enormous advantage against the vulnerable colonists. (Fenn 2001, 131) Conversely, the history of inoculation in America (beginning with the efforts of the Reverend Cotton Mather in 1720) was pocked by the fear of the contamination potential of the process. Such fears led the Continental Congress to issue a proclamation in 1776 prohibiting Surgeons of the Army to inoculate.

Washington suspected the only available recourse was inoculation, yet contagion risks aside, he knew that a mass inoculation put the entire army in a precarious position should the British hear of his plans. Moreover, Historians estimate that less than a quarter of the Continental Army had ever had the virus; inoculating the remaining three quarters and every new recruit must have seemed daunting. Yet the high prevalence of disease among the army regulars was a significant deterrent to desperately needed recruits, and a dramatic reform was needed to allay their fears.

Weighing the risks, on February 5th of 1777, Washington finally committed to the unpopular policy of mass inoculation by writing to inform Congress of his plan. Throughout February, Washington, with no precedent for the operation he was about to undertake, covertly communicated to his commanding officers orders to oversee mass inoculations of their troops in the model of Morristown and Philadelphia (Dr. Shippen's Hospital). At least eleven hospitals had been constructed by the year's end.
Senator Josh Hawley, who incited the rioters and Republican terrorists who attacked, gassed, and beat cops defending the Capitol on January 6, hoped he could make people forget his contempt for law enforcement when he called for the hiring of 100,000 new police officers yesterday.

But Senator Dick Durbin wasn't having any of Hawley's garbage. As soon as Hawley stopped talking Durbin stood up and said, "This has been an historic day in the Senate. We started by passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill and now the Senator from Missouri is finally coming around to supporting the COPS program that was created by Senator Joe Biden."

The only thing missing from this video is Hawley's reaction shot.

Hawley:Let's put 100k new cops on the streets

Durbin:This has been an historic day in the Senate. We started by passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill and now the Senator from Missouri is finally coming around to supporting the COPS program that was created by Senator Joe Biden pic.twitter.com/qtoGdsMEuA  Acyn (@Acyn) August 11, 2021

[image: The Good Liars]
110821MASIU PRESENTS 150THOUSAND KINA TO KUMUL TELIKOM PNG FOR BUIN SETUP.

NEW DAWN FM NEWS

The member for South Bougainville and Minister for ICT, Honorable TIMOTHY MASIU yesterday presented a cheque totaling ONE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND KINA to KUMUL TELIKOM PNG for the setting up of TELIKOM and B MOBILE Phones in Buin town and surrounding villages in South Bougainville.

In making this presentation in Port Moresby, Minister MASIU said that this service will give our people the opportunity to use both voice and data services to the clients there.

Engineers from Telikom will be travelling to Buin next week to install these much needed service.

New Dawn FM understands under the former member for South Bougainville, the late PIRIKA they built towers both in Buin and Siwai with DISP funds for CITIFONE but all have been destroyed.

In Buin only New Dawn FM and Radio Bougainville are using this Tower at the moment.

Ends
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TORONTO, Aug. 11, 2021 /CNW/ - Halo Collective Inc. ("Halo" or the "Company") (NEO: HALO) (OTCQX: HCANF) (Germany: A9KN) today announced that it will report its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021, on Monday, August 16, 2021. The Company will also host a conference call and audio webcast to review the financial results on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at 4:15 PM Eastern Time.

www.haloco.com (CNW Group/Halo Collective Inc.)

The Company's unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements and management's discussion and analysis for the three months ended June 30, 2021, will be available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.haloco.com/investors.

Earnings Call Participation Details

Live audio webcast: http://www.directeventreg.com/registration/event/9444809

Dial-In Number: 1-800-585-8367 or 1-416-621-4642 (North America Toll Free)

Conference ID: 9444809

Replay Information

A replay of the call will be accessible by telephone until 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, August 24, 2021.

Dial-in Number: 1-800-585-8367 (North America Toll Free)

Replay Password: 9444809

About Halo Collective Inc.

Halo is a leading, vertically integrated cannabis company that cultivates, extracts, manufactures, and distributes quality cannabis flower, oils, and concentrates, and has sold approximately eleven million grams of oils and concentrates since inception. The Company continues to expand its business and scale efficiently, partnering with trustworthy leaders in the industry who value Halo's operational expertise in bringing top-tier products to market.

Halo currently operates in the United States in Oregon and California, Canada, Southern Africa in the Kingdom of Lesotho, and the United Kingdom. The Company sells cannabis products principally to dispensaries in the U.S. under its brands Hush, Mojave, and Exhale, and under license agreements with Papa's Herb, DNA Genetics, Terphogz, and FlowerShop*, a cannabis lifestyle and conceptual wellness brand that includes G-Eazy as a partner and key member.

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As part of continued expansion and vertical integration in the U.S., Halo boasts several grow operations throughout Oregon and two planned in California. In Oregon, the Company has a combined 11 acres of owned and contracted outdoor cultivation, including East Evans Creek, a six-acre grow site in Jackson County with four licenses owned and operated by Halo and two third-party licenses under contract to sell all of their product to Halo; Winberry Farms, a one-acre grow site located 30 miles outside of Eugene in Lane County with a license owned and operated by Halo; and William's Wonder Farms, a three-acre grow site in Applegate Valley, under contract to sell all of its product to Halo pending the closing of Halo's acquisition of its licenses and business assets.

In California, the Company is building out Ukiah Ventures, a planned 30,000 sq. ft. indoor cannabis grow and processing facility, which will include up to an additional five acres of industrial land to expand the site. Recently, Halo partnered with Green Matter Holding in California to purchase a property in Lake County, developing up to 63 acres of cultivation, comprising one of the largest licensed single site grows in California. Halo also plans to expand its operations in California by opening three dispensaries in North Hollywood, Hollywood, and Westwood, one of which may serve as the first FlowerShop* branded dispensary.

In Canada, Halo acquired three KushBar retail cannabis stores located in Alberta as a first in its planned entry into the Canadian market, leveraging its Oregon and California brands. With the KushBar retail stores as a foundation, the Company plans to expand its foothold in Canada.

Halo has also acquired a range of software development assets, including CannPOS, Cannalift, and, more recently, CannaFeels. In addition, Halo owns the discrete sublingual dosing technology, Accudab. The Company intends to spin-off these assets and its intellectual property and patent applications into its subsidiary Halo Tek Inc. and expects to complete a distribution to shareholders on a record date to be determined by Halo.

Halo has recently announced its intention to reorganize its non-U.S. operations into a newly formed entity called Akanda Corp., whose mission will be to provide high-quality and ethically sourced medical cannabis products to patients worldwide. Akanda will seek to deliver on this promise while driving positive change in wellness, empowering individuals in Lesotho, and uplifting the quality of the lives of employees and the local communities where it operates, all while limiting its carbon footprint. Akanda will combine the scaled production capabilities of Bophelo Bioscience & Wellness Pty. Ltd., Halo's Lesotho-based cultivation and processing campus located in the world's first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) containing a cannabis cultivation operation, with distribution and route-to-market efficiency of Canmart Ltd., Halo's UK-based fully approved pharmaceutical importer, and distributor that supplies pharmacies and clinics within the U.K. With a potential maximum licensed canopy area of 200 hectares (495 acres), Bophelo has scalability that is arguably unmatched in the world today.

For further information regarding Halo, see Halo's disclosure documents on SEDAR at www.sedar.com

Connect with Halo Collective: Email | Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only Halo's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Halo's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein may include, but are not limited to, statements in respect of Halo's planned expansion into the Canadian retail market, the expected size and capabilities of the final facility planned at Ukiah Ventures, the size of Halo's planned cultivation facility in Northern California and the ability of Bophelo and Canmart to serve the E.U., U.K. and Australian market.

By identifying such information and statements in this manner, Halo is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, Halo has made certain assumptions. Although Halo believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. Among others, the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information and statements are the following: unexpected costs or delays in the completion of the Company's proposed dispensaries and other operation; negative results experienced by the Company as a result of general economic conditions or the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; delays in the ability of the Company to obtain certain regulatory approvals; unforeseen delays or costs in the completion of the Company's construction projects; adverse changes to demand for cannabis products; ongoing projects by competitors that may impact the relative size of the Company's growing operation; adverse changes in applicable laws; adverse changes in the application or enforcement of current laws, including those related to taxation; increasing costs of compliance with extensive government regulation; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; risks related to licensing, including the ability to obtain the requisite licenses or renew existing licenses for the Company's proposed operations; dependence upon third party service providers, skilled labor and other key inputs; and the other risks disclosed in the Company's annual information form dated April 16, 2020 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Halo does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to Halo or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice.

SOURCE Halo Collective Inc.

Cision

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Throughout our schooling years, weve been taught about the history of India, especially Indian Independence during our History classes.

8 books to read on India's freedom struggle

While we had to mug up everything from Gandhis Quit India Movement to Nehrus Independence Day speech in order to get good marks, we forgot to re-think, question and appreciate everything that our leaders and freedom fighters did during those years to fight against the British rule.

This Independence Day, re-visit those crucial moments of our culture, our past and our historic struggle for freedom with the help of these books.

10 books to read on India's freedom struggle

Freedom at Midnight by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins: This book chronicles the events around Indian independence and partition in 1947-48, beginning with the appointment of Lord Mountbatten of Burma as the last viceroy of British India, and ending with the death and funeral of Mahatma Gandhi.

BUY HERE for 29% discount at Rs. 729/-

10 books to read on India's freedom struggle

The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru: This was written by India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru during his imprisonment in 19421946 at Ahmednagar fort in Maharashtra by the British during the British Raj before the independence of India. Nehru uses his knowledge of the Upanishads, Vedas, and textbooks on ancient history to introduce to the reader the development of India from the Indus Valley Civilization, through the changes in socio-political scenario every foreign invader brought, to the present day conditions.

BUY HERE for a 39% discount at Rs. 423/-

10 books to read on India's freedom struggle

Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh: Published in 1956, this historical novel recounts the events of the partition of India in 1947, through the perspective of Mano Majra, a fictional border village. Train to Pakistan is the story of this isolated village that is plunged into the abyss of religious hate. It is also the story of a Sikh boy and a Muslim girl whose love endured and transcends the ravages of war.

BUY HERE for 38% discount at Rs. 153/-

10 books to read on India's freedom struggle

India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha: Indian historian Ramachandra Guha retells the story of the Indian nation after it gained independence from the British Empire. It was chosen as the Book of the Year by The Economist, The Wall Street Journal and Outlook, among others. The book also won Sahitya Akademi Award (one of the highest literary honours in India) for English in 2011.

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BUY HERE for a 29% discount at Rs. 565/-

10 books to read on India's freedom struggle

The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor: Shashi Tharoor has masterfully recast the two-thousand-year-old epic "The Mahabharata" with fictionalized - but highly recognizable - events and characters from twentieth-century Indian politics. Blending history and myth to chronicle the Indian struggle for freedom and independence, Tharoor directs his hilarious and often outrageous satire as much against Indian foibles and failings as against the bumblings of the British rulers.

BUY HERE for a 25% discount at Rs. 371/-

10 books to read on India's freedom struggle

Remnants of a Separation by Aanchal Malhotra: Remnants of a Separation is a unique attempt to revisit the Partition through objects that refugees carried with them across the border. Written as a crossover between history and anthropology, this book is the product of years of passionate research. It is an alternative history of the Partition - the first and only one told through material memory.

BUY HERE for 18% discount at Rs. 486/-

10 books to read on India's freedom struggle

A Passage to India by E. M. Forster: This novel is set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement. Based on Forster's experiences in India, this book was included in Time magazines "All Time 100 Novels" list.

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Text sources: Wikipedia and Goodreads

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12 best Indian novels that everyone needs to read

8 books to immerse yourself in Hindu mythology

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11)  Fitch Solutions has once again trimmed its growth projection for the Philippines this 2021 as economic output continues to be hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The American research firm said in its recent commentary that it forecasts the Philippine economy will only grow by 4.2% this year down from its previous 5.3% expectation. The latest projection is much farther from the economic team's revised 6-7% growth target band for 2021.

Fitch Solutions also noted that while economic activity surged by 11.8% from April to June, the 1.3% quarter-on-quarter dive reflected "underlying weaknesses" driven by restrictions to mobility during the period.

Key economic hub Metro Manila and neighboring provinces were under tighter quarantine measures in April, but eventually eased to general community quarantine with varying levels of restrictions by June.

"The economy will face continued disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic give its slow pace of vaccinations and difficulties containing outbreaks," Fitch Solutions said.

The research company also scaled down its household spending forecast for the year to 3.5% from 4%, citing weak retail activity even before the current two-week hard lockdown in the capital region began.

Consumer expenditure, a major driver of the national economy, fell by 7.9% in 2020 as quarantine restrictions and pandemic woes dampened business and consumer activity.

The research firm also scaled down its projection for public expenditure to 5% from 7%. It noted current lockdowns may not only hurt government revenues but also delay its spending plans, with budgeted expenses not utilized in full by the end of 2021.

Fitch Solutions joins other institutions who rolled back their growth projections for the Philippines this year such as ING Bank Manila, ANZ Research and Capital Economics that dialed down yesterday its forecast to 5% from 6%.

The Fitch unit likewise trimmed its 2022 growth forecast from 6.9% to 6.8%.

"We temper our outlook on two factors; firstly, we now expect fiscal support to be reigned in more aggressively once the economy is on a more sustained recovery path, so that the government can begin reducing its public debt load," noted Fitch Solutions.

It also added that household consumption "could be tempered by deleveraging and weakened household balance sheets."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11) - The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for the donated Hayat-Vax COVID-19 vaccines, which are essentially Sinopharm shots but were produced in the United Arab Emirates.

FDA chief Eric Domingo confirmed this to CNN Philippines in a text message.

"The FDA issued today an EUA for the vaccines donated by UAE," he said. "The vaccine is identical to the Sinopharm vaccine from China that is included in the WHO EUL (World Health Organization emergency use listing)."

The statement follows the arrival in Manila of 100,000 Hayat-Vax doses donated by the UAE. According to Domingo, the shots will be administered to those 18 years old and above.

He added China's state-owned Sinopharm is still the manufacturer of the vaccines and the doses were just rebranded in the Gulf state.

The UAE government said the "locally-made Hayat-Vax" was developed through "the joint venture of Abu Dhabi-based G42 Healthcare and China's Sinopharm company and produced by the Ras Al Khaimah-based pharma firm Julphar."

Last June, the Philippines granted EUA for Sinopharm vaccines manufactured in China.

The newly arrived 100,000 shots will be distributed in areas experiencing a COVID-19 surge, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Assistant Secretary Wilben Mayor said in a briefing held after the shipment's arrival.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11)  A deal is in the works for businessmen to buy up to a million Pfizer doses, which they want administered to their employees' children in the face of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, Presidential Adviser For Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said.

A CNN Philippines analysis showed a 55% increase in the number of infants and kids aged 1-9 who are getting infected and experiencing serious COVID-19 symptoms.

READ: PGH says pediatric COVID cases 'getting sicker' as hospital nears full capacity

Concepcion said the private sector hopes they can fill the gap by purchasing vaccines for children.

"These are all requests. It will be easier for the government to allot a portion of what they already have for the children... but there's no harm in trying to see how far we can get with this," the GoNegosyo founder told CNN Philippines.

"Delta will hit our children and we have to prepare for it. I don't know if there's any parent out there who wants to see their children in the ICU - the parent will offer his own life for the kid's life," Concepcion added. "I know the (vaccination) priorities are there, but this is a very emotional thing for many parents."

Based on his estimates, private firms can fund anywhere between 500,000 to 1 million Pfizer shots.

Current vaccinations cover health frontliners, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, the workforce, and the poorest families. All must be aged 18 and older.

Meanwhile, only Pfizer vaccines have been approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration for use on minors aged 12-17.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. on Monday set a September-October target to start vaccinating minors against COVID-19, but this proposal has been rejected by health officials.

"Dahil nga kulang ang bakuna, kailangang ibigay muna natin sa mga vulnerable  'yung mga high risk, mga matatanda," Health Secretary Francisco Duque told reporters.

"Sila ang sumasabak sa mga ICU (intensive care units) natin, sila rin ang pumupuno sa ating ma pagamutan," he added.

[Translation: Because vaccines are limited, we should first give the supply to the vulnerable  the high-risk sector, the elderly. They are the ones who occupy ICUs and hospital wards.]

Concepcion admitted that vaccine supply remains the biggest constraint, with the planned Pfizer purchases dependent on the volumes which can be committed by the American drugmaker.

Even the AstraZeneca and Moderna doses bought by big firms for their employees months ago have yet to be fully delivered.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said separately that eight companies are looking to manufacture vaccines for COVID-19 and other diseases locally, but these are unlikely to start production soon.

He added that the proposal to start vaccinations for children has not yet been discussed by the Inter-Agency Task Force.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11)  Metro Manila's medical facilities are currently experiencing the same COVID-19 situation seen in March and April, with the fresh surge in cases overstretching the healthcare system, a hospital group said Wednesday.

Several hospitals in the National Capital Region recently announced they have reached capacity due to the rise in COVID-19 patients, reminiscent of the spikes in hospitalizations early this year.

At the time, social media was flooded with stories of families of COVID-19 patients from Metro Manila going to outlying provinces in search of medical attention. Some, meanwhile, were not able to make it inside health facilities even after hours of waiting in line to be accommodated.

"Our situation now is similar to what we [had] in March and April this year," Philippine Hospital Association President Jaime Almora told CNN Philippines' New Day.

What is more, there are more patients now who are coming to medical facilities with other health problems such as dengue and influenza, he added.

Manpower remains a "major limiting factor" for hospitals, Almora also said. To help address this issue, they continue to hire nursing aides to ease the nurses' workload.

NCR is under enhanced community quarantine until Aug. 20 to prevent cases from swelling further. There were 20,986 active cases in the capital region as of Tuesday, according to data from the Department of Health.
(CNN)  US President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he respects New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's decision to resign after the President called on Cuomo to step down last week following an official report that said Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women.

"I respect the governor's decision," Biden said after delivering remarks on the passage of his infrastructure bill in the East Room, in response to a reporter's question.

Later, when asked by a reporter to assess how he believed Cuomo had performed as governor, Biden -- after asking "in terms of his personal behavior or what he's done as a governor?" -- said that he thought the New Yorker had done "a helluva job" professionally.

"And I mean both on everything from access to voting, to infrastructure, a whole range of things. That's why it's so sad," Biden added.

The President bristled at a follow-up question from CNN's Kaitlan Collins, who asked if he could really say Cuomo has done a "helluva job" if he's been accused of sexually harassing multiple women.

"'Should he remain as governor?' is one question. And women should be believed when they make accusations that are able to, on the face of them, make sense and investigated ... and the judgment was made that what they said was correct. That's one thing," Biden answered.

"The question is, 'Did he do a good job at infrastructure?' That was the question. He did," Biden said.

When asked by Collins if Cuomo's personal behavior and his professional work could be separated, Biden said, "No, I'm not. I was asked a specific question."

The President had said in March that he believed Cuomo should resign if New York Attorney General Letitia James' investigation substantiated the allegations. The New York attorney general's investigation found that Cuomo harassed current and former state employees, as well as a number of women outside of state government, James said, as the office released a lengthy report on the investigation.

James said Tuesday that her investigation found that Cuomo engaged in "unwelcome and nonconsensual touching," and made comments of a "suggestive" sexual nature. James said that the conduct created a "hostile work environment for women."

Cuomo has denied all of the allegations, saying he never touched anyone inappropriately, but acknowledged that some of his behavior made others uncomfortable.

He continued to skirt the line between apology and excuses during his remarks on Tuesday, thanking the women who came forward with "sincere" complaints, but -- as he did earlier this year -- he insisted that he was, politically, the victim of evolving social norms.

"In my mind, I've never crossed the line with anyone. But I didn't realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn," Cuomo said. "There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn't fully appreciate. And I should have -- no excuses."

Biden said he believed the impact of the governor's resignation was "all on Andrew Cuomo and his decision to make that judgment," when asked how it effects the Democratic Party.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Biden says he respects Cuomo's decision to resign, but praises his record on policy."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11)  Farm production declined anew in the second quarter of the year, data published by the Philippine Statistics Authority this week revealed.

National agricultural output shrank by 1.5% from April to June, faring better than the -3.4% pace in the first three months of 2021 but worse than the 0.5% performance in the second quarter last year.

The latest figures yielded a 2.5% plunge in farm output for the first semester of 2021, steeper than the 0.6% fall in the same timeframe a year ago.

Livestock took the biggest blow among the subsectors, logging a double-digit plunge during the period as it continues to reel from the impact of the African Swine Fever. Fishery output also fell during the period, while crops and poultry saw growth.

Still, agricultural production for the quarter was valued at 503.3 billion at current prices  up by 7.2% from last year. The data likewise showed most average farmgate prices went up across the subsectors during the three months compared to the same period in 2020.

Livestock production nosedived by 19.3% during the quarter, primarily driven by decreases of 26.2% for hogs and 6.6% for dairy output. This was partially offset by double-digit growths in cattle, carabao, and goat production.

Output from fisheries eased by 1.1% from April to June. Tambakol (yellowfin tuna), galunggong (roundscad), and bisugo (threadfin bream) registered the largest double-digit drops in production. Blue crabs, tilapia, mudcrabs and milkfish, meanwhile, posted positive double-digit rates.

Crop output went up by 3.1% during the second quarter as sugarcane, potato, onion and cabbage production logged double digit growths. Meanwhile, mongo, calamansi and cassava saw the largest declines in output.

Poultry production also grew by 2.5%, with output expanding among all groups except for chicken which dwindled by 1.6%.

The Agriculture Department earlier projected a 2.5% full-year growth for the sector this year.

The DA assured the vigorous implementation of Bantay ASF sa Barangay and its twin hog repopulation program along with countermeasures for the upcoming closed fishing season in the last quarter of 2021.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said this will be done by investing in aquaculture production, such as nurseries and hatcheries for bangus, tilapia, and shrimps.

He also expressed confidence the country will achieve its targeted palay (unmilled rice) production of over 20 million metric tons for the year, and that the poultry subsector will further rebound in the second semester especially with higher demand during the holidays.
(CNN)  Gabe Moses prefers to work his eight-hour shift for a call center while lying on his stomach, resting on a mattress set out on the floor of his apartment.

Moses uses a wheelchair because of conditions including dysautonomia, which arises from a dysfunctional nervous system and can affect major organs, and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. A connective tissue disorder, EDS can cause chronic pain, muscle weakness and ruptured blood vessels.

Before the pandemic, commuting to work and sitting up for hours at a time left Moses in pain and so fatigued, he sometimes lost his ability to speak. But when he started working remotely while lying down, he discovered his job was easier. He had energy at the end of the day to spend time with his wife, watch movies, read books or even take his dog for a walk by tying her leash to his wheelchair.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Moses said his company made him sign a document that claimed it only offered remote work as an emergency measure, and that it could call him back in person at any time.

Now, as the US continues its uneven reopening and some companies expect employees to return to offices, Moses, who lives in an apartment in New York City, worries the option will be taken away.

"It's really terrifying to think about going back to that life," Moses told CNN. "Coming back (from work), I would just go right to bed."

Accessibility is not one-size-fits-all

In the United States, 26% of adults have some kind of disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For many, remote work has been more accessible as offices often lack situation-specific accommodations.

These can include wheelchair ramps and certain types of accommodating furniture, safety from allergens, and easy access to medications and bathrooms.

The National Organization on Disability supports flexible work policies above all, said Charles Catherine, associate director of special projects for the organization.

"There will be companies where people will have very little choice, and there will be a lot of peer pressure," Catherine said. "And there will be other companies for which work culture is a top priority, where there will be more leeway. And so the question is, do you want to be an employer of choice?"

Catherine, who is blind, said he was frustrated at the pandemic's start because digital accommodations such as closed captioning for online meetings and software that read text out loud were rare. Many companies improved software accessibility over the course of the last year and a half, and Catherine now prefers working from home. But what he went through underscores the varied experiences of workers with disabilities. Working from home may benefit some, but it isn't a one-size-fits-all solution.

Not to mention, there are plenty of jobs that can't be done remotely. Those who couldn't work from home have had to spend the last year and a half battling an impossible choice: risking their life by going into work, or not working at all. Others have seen their jobs eliminated altogether.

In 2020, 17.9% of people with disabilities were employed, down from 19.3% in 2019, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, the rate of unemployed in this vulnerable demographic actively looking for jobs increased by about 5 percentage points.

"It just continues to show how disposable our system thinks disabled people are, because we're not contributing to capitalism in the way that people who have more working capability are. But it doesn't have to be that way," Moses said. "If the government wanted to just take care of people, so that working wasn't something they did out of desperation, then they could.

The community has requested remote work options for years

For many in the community, the sudden availability of remote options has been bittersweet, said Shelby Hintze, a producer for a local news station in Salt Lake City.

Hintze uses a wheelchair because of her spinal muscular atrophy.

"One of the hardest things for me during this whole time has been seeing something that disabled people have been asking for for so long and told it's not possible -- all of a sudden, when everybody else needs it, we move heaven and earth to make it happen," Hintze told CNN.

For people with conditions that affect their immune systems, Hintze said remote work can alleviate their ongoing risk from Covid-19. Hintze has followed a strict lockdown because she's at high risk from respiratory diseases like Covid-19, and her company allowed her to work from home without objection.

Even as Covid-19 vaccines allow some to return to a more normal way of life, people with compromised immune systems may not even be fully protected by the vaccine. Data from the CDC revealed the response to the vaccines might be reduced for several high-risk groups.

"People say, 'There are these immunocompromised people we have to do all these hard things to take care of,' instead of saying, 'Wow, your hard life has now been made harder (by the pandemic),'" Hintze said.

Normalizing remote work could help initiate long-term change

Joanna Hanaka also advocates for disability rights on social media and has multiple conditions that make her highly allergic to fragrances. Working from home makes it easier to control her environment, and she has much more energy from not being exposed to allergens, she said.

Hanaka believes companies have seen the benefits of work-from-home arrangements.

"So many people have now experienced the benefits of remote work, such as the time and money saved since they don't have to commute," Hanaka said. "Since I've begun working from home, I don't feel so drained by the end of the work day."

Working from home has had other unexpected benefits. Catherine said people have more control over disclosing their disabilities to bosses and coworkers.

"Everywhere I go, my cane discloses my disability for me," Catherine said. "But if I met someone on the phone, or on Zoom, I choose to disclose my disability or not and people can't tell. if I were interviewing (for a job), I don't know how it would affect the decision on either side. But certainly, I'd have more cards in my hand."

Moses theorizes the next few months could represent a turning point for accessibility. Or, it could be a missed opportunity. Companies could continue to enforce standards that put people with disabilities at a disadvantage, he said. Or, they could normalize accommodations for these folks that have been previously considered emergency-only measures.

"They've proven for the past year and a half that we can do this just as well from home as we could ever do it from an office," Moses said. "I know there are some people that still go there because they don't have the ability to work at home. I understand the office being there for people that need it. But there's not any reason that people that want to work remotely can't. It would be safer for everyone."

This story was first published on CNN.com Remote work made life easier for many people with disabilities. They want the option to stay
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11)  The Aksyon Demokratiko Party will support its new member Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, should he pursue his presidential bid.

Aksyon Demokratiko Secretary General Ernest Ramel told CNN Philippines' The Source on Wednesday that Moreno will be their priority if he decides to seek the highest post in the land.

"Certainly. He is a party member. If he declares his intention to run and go for it, yeah, we will go for it," Ramel said.

He, however, acknowledged that the local chief executive still has not publicly declared whether he will gun for the presidency or the vice presidency.

Moreno was previously vice chairman for political affairs of the National Unity Party before joining the political party founded by the late senator Raul Roco.

"Our lines of communication are open with other presidential wannabes and we already talked to a couple of them," Ramel said, stressing the importance of a "broader alliance" with other 2022 political contenders.

The party also revealed that it is not "talking to anybody identified with the administration," but it already met with presidential and vice presidential aspirants Sen. Ping Lacson and Senate President Tito Sotto, as well as Vice President Leni Robredo, who is being floated as the standard bearer of the Liberal Party.

The party also intends to meet with Sen. Manny Pacquiao, who is seeking the presidency too.

READ: Pacquiao sure to run for President in 2022, spox says

"Sabi ko nga (As I've said), when and if he decides he'd be the priority of the party, then again a broader alliance is very important and I'm going to say this categorically, we are also not talking to anybody identified with the administration," he said.

But he clarified that this does not equate to being part of the opposition.

Aksyon Demokratiko endorsed the opposition's senatorial slate Otso Diretso in 2019. None of the aspirants in the line-up won the elections.

Robredo previously told The Source that finding a common ground among political contenders is an important "obligation," as good governance plays a crucial role in the middle of a crisis.

"I repeatedly said this: I don't think the country can last another six years with this kind of governance," she said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11)  A lawmaker wants the House of Representatives to conduct an inquiry into the release of special risk allowance or SRA for health workers following alleged discrepancies in their distribution.

Ang Probinsyano Party-list Rep. Alfred delos Santos has filed House Resolution 2102 directing the appropriate House panel to hold the probe which covers the 9 billion fund for SRA released by the Budget Department last June to health workers directly attending to COVID-19 patients.

"There have been many complaints of not just delayed releases of the SRA and other benefits for healthcare workers, but also discrepancies in the actual amounts released to different healthcare workers," the resolution dated August 9 read.

The DBM previously said private and public health workers may get SRA not exceeding 5,000 per month, covering the period December 20, 2020 to June 30, 2021. The fund was released to the Department of Health.

READ: DBM releases 9B for medical workers' risk allowance

Late last year, Duterte also signed Administrative Order No. 36 to grant health workers directly attending to COVID-19 patients risk allowance, covering Sept. 15 to Dec. 19, 2020.

In December, Senator Risa Hontiveros also filed a resolution calling for a Senate probe into delays in the release of SRA for health workers attending to COVID-19 patients since the start of the pandemic in March last year.

Speaking to CNN Philippines' New Day on Wednesday, Philippine Hospital Association President Dr. Jaime Almora said one of the problems hospitals encounter is the classification of health workers who tend to the patients.

"There is a big problem in interpreting who is the direct healthcare provider," Almora said. "If this only refers to the nurses, then the other staff in the hospital (would) complain because they are also directly taking care of the patients like the security guards for example, or (those in) the laundry room."

"They should all be qualified to receive the SRA," he added.

The DBM-DOH Joint Circular No.1 issued June 16 noted that the grant of the SRA "shall be prorated based on the number of days that the public and private health workers physically report for work in a month, as certified by the head of the hospital, laboratory, or medical and quarantine facility, or his/her authorized representative, reckoned from Sept. 15, 2020 until June 30, 2021."

The circular also noted that the allowance should be released "not later than June 30."

In a statement, the Health Department welcomed the proposed congressional inquiry.

The agency said the 9-billion fund for eligible health workers under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2 has already been downloaded to hospitals and Centers for Health Development the same day of the release.

The DOH added that 359,501 public and private workers have already received their allowances.

CNN Philippines' Carolyn Bonquin and Glee Jalea contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11)  The Hong Kong government is refusing to recognize the vaccination certificates of individuals fully inoculated against COVID-19 in the Philippines, but an official said the problem is being fixed.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the government of Hong Kong won't honor the proof of vaccination issued by local government units and the Bureau of Quarantine because it is not "connected to a single source." On Wednesday, he said he will formally ask Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam about the matter.

This obstacle delays the departure of over 3,000 Filipino workers who were scheduled to fly back to their employers in Hong Kong starting Monday.

Philippine Consul General in Hong Kong Raly Tejada said the special administrative region is open to accepting the World Health Organization-recognized International Vaccine Certificate or "yellow card" issued to fully vaccinated OFWs. However, the Bureau of Quarantine needs to include the traveler's passport number, he added.

"Good that Hong Kong is amenable to accepting our WHO International Vaccine Certificate, which our Bureau of Quarantine is currently issuing, provided it includes the passport details of the holder," he said. "We are now consulting with the BOQ to have the passport details of the holder incorporated in the yellow card."

The Philippines is classified by the Hong Kong government as "high risk" for COVID-19. It requires foreign workers from the Philippines with visa to present a "recognized vaccination record" and undergo 21 nights of hotel-based quarantine.

CNN Philippines correspondent Tristan Nodalo contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11) - The Department of Health on Wednesday tallied 12,021 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the nationwide count to 1,688,040.

The last time the country listed over 12,000 new infections was on April 10, when 12,674 cases were recorded.

Of the total count, the DOH said 81,399 are active cases -- the highest after April 24, when the number of ill patients was above 89,000.

Among the active cases, at least 94.8% have mild symptoms, 1.5% are asymptomatic, 1.0% are critical, 1.6% are in severe condition, and 1.15% have moderate symptoms.

Meanwhile, the death toll is now at 29,374 after 154 more patients died of COVID-19, the department said. The recovery count also climbed to 1,577,267 with 9,591 new survivors.

The DOH said 137 duplicates were removed from the total case count, of which, 129 are recoveries.

It added that three cases previously reported as recoveries have been validated to be active cases. Meanwhile, 112 cases previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation.

All laboratories were in operation on August 9, while three laboratories failed to submit their report on time to the COVID-19 Document Repository System. Based on data in the last 14 days, the non-reporting laboratories contribute, on average, 2.0% of samples tested and 1.2% of positive cases.

The daily positivity rate, or percentage of people who tested positive, stood at 21.9% based on 38,479 tests done on August 9. This is the fourth straight day that the rate has been above 20%. The World Health Organization recommends positivity rates of below 5%, as bigger numbers may indicate high transmission.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11)  The country on Wednesday received two more COVID-19 vaccine shipments totaling over 900,000 doses.

The latest delivery, a batch of 813,150 Pfizer shots procured by the national government, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) shortly before 9 p.m.

It came after 100,000 doses of the Hayat-Vax vaccine donated by the United Arab Emirates landed at the NAIA at around 1:55 p.m. The Hayat-Vax is essentially Chinas Sinopharm vaccine, but is produced in the Gulf state.

The government said the doses donated by the UAE will be distributed to areas experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The Pfizer vaccines will also be given to local governments experiencing a spike in infections, but vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said highly urbanized areas, including Metro Manila, will be prioritized.

The country is expecting a total of 22.7 million more vaccine doses this month.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11) - Vice President Leni Robredo received her second dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday.

In a social media post, Robredo said she and some of her staffers, who have comorbidities, have completed their vaccination at Pinyahan Elementary School in Quezon City.

Robredo earlier said she has hypertension.

"Napakabilis lang ng proseso (The process was fast). We were done in about 30 minutes," she said.

Robredo received her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine last May 19.

She virtually attended President Rodrigo Duterte's last State of the Nation Address as only fully vaccinated guests are allowed to physically attend.
(CNN) -- A Chinese court has sentenced Canadian businessman Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison for espionage.

Spavor, a Beijing-based businessman who regularly traveled to North Korea, was sentenced after being found guilty of spying and illegally providing state secrets to foreign countries, the Dandong Intermediate People's Court said in a statement Wednesday.

The court said Spavor would also be deported, without specifying whether it was before or after he served his prison sentence.

Spavor was detained in December 2018 alongside Canadian Michael Kovrig on espionage charges. The two men were detained following the arrest in Vancouver of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei, over allegations the company violated United States sanctions on Iran.

Meng -- whose extradition hearing is ongoing -- has been held under house arrest in Vancouver since 2018.

This is a breaking story, more to follow.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Canadian businessman Michael Spavor sentenced by Chinese court to 11 years in prison for spying"
(CNN)  A British embassy employee suspected of spying for Russia has been arrested in the German city of Potsdam, British and German authorities said on Wednesday.

The British national, identified only as David S., is suspected of having passed documents onto a Russian intelligence service in exchange for cash from November 2020 at the latest, Germany's federal prosecutor said in a statement.

The 57-year-old was arrested in the Berlin area on Tuesday as part of a joint British-German investigation, according to the Counter Terrorism Command of London's Metropolitan Police.

The suspect's alleged offenses are related to "being engaged in 'Intelligence Agent activity' under German law," it added.

His apartment and workplace have been searched and he will be brought before an investigating judge later on Wednesday, according to the German statement.

"Primacy for the investigation remains with German authorities. Officers from the Counter Terrorism Command continue to liaise with German counterparts as the investigation continues," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

This story was first published on CNN.com Germany arrests British embassy worker accused of spying for Russia
(CNN) -- One of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels has threatened a prominent Mexican news anchor in a video message.

In the video posted on Monday, a masked man claiming to be the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), threatens to track down and "get" Milenio TV anchor Azucena Uresti for her coverage of the cartel. Uresti regularly covers cartel violence and self-styled civilian militias formed to defend communities against organized crime in her nightly newscasts.

CNN cannot independently authenticate the video.

In the video, six armed men surround a masked man who claims to be cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho."

"As a leader of Jalisco New Generation Cartel, I'm directly addressing Milenio News," the man reads aloud. "The only thing I say to you is that you need to be balanced, to not lean to one side, don't mess with businesses that aren't yours."

"I assure you that if you continue talking about me, Azucena Uresti, wherever you are, I'll get you, and I will make you eat your words, even if they accuse me of femicide because you don't know me," he also said.

On her prime time show on Milenio TV on Monday, anchor Azucena Uresti said she'd entered into the federal protection program in the wake of the threat, the scope of which isn't clear. She also issued her thanks for all the support she said she'd received in the wake of the video, adding, "Our work will always stick to the truth and to inform on the reality of a country like ours."

Uresti went on to give her support to all journalists threatened for their reporting, saying, "I also express, as has happened on other occasions, my solidarity and support to hundreds of colleagues who remain threatened or have had to leave their places of origin but who continue to show the value of informing and the value of this profession."

Milenio Media group published a statement acknowledging that reporting on the organized crime is a "risk, but that the Milenio group "maintains an unwavering commitment to continue doing so in an impartial way."

It also offered support "to all our colleagues and Azuncena Uresti, honest and excellent journalists, in regards to the threats and slander to which they have been subjected."

The Mexico office of Article 19, an organization that promotes freedom of speech, has recorded 141 murders of journalists in the country since 2000. Mexico also ranks a grim 143rd out of 180 countries in Reporters without Borders' 2021 press freedom ranking.

"Year after year, Mexico continues to be one of the world's most dangerous and deadliest countries for the media. Despite some limited recent progress, it is sinking ever deeper into a spiral of violence and impunity," Reporters without Borders wrote.

"Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Mexico's president since December 2018, still hasn't carried out the reforms needed to rein in this violence and impunity," the organization also said.

Lopez Obrador on Tuesday condemned the threatening video and expressed support for Uresti.

"I want to express my solidarity to the journalist Azucena Uresti for the threat she received from one of the criminal organizations, I want to tell her that she has counted on us since I found out, communication has already been established with her," he said in his daily briefing

Lopez Obrador went on to say that journalists would be protected. "We're going to protect Azucena, and we are to protect all Mexicans; it's our responsibility."

"The authority is no longer in the hands of the mafias, so I reiterate my solidarity with this journalist, Azucena Uresti, and to all journalists guaranteeing that our government will always protect those who carry out this profession," he added.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Mexico drug cartel threatens prominent news anchor"
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Global Technical Realty (GTR), a provider of build-to-suit data centers backed by global investment firm KKR, has announced a new 10.5MW data center in Petah Tikva, Israel.

The data center will be an underground site comprising 4,800 square meters (51,700 sq ft) across two floors, with each floor offering 8MW and 2.5MW of IT capacity respectively.

The location has a connectivity ecosystem made up of seven cloud service providers, the Israeli Internet Exchange (IIX), and multiple carriers.

GTR will be designing the facility with existing construction partner Mercury. The project will be built to an N+1 Tier III Infrastructure rating, offering a power usage effectiveness (PUE) at under 1.17 on full load, said GTR.

The facility will be delivered in two phases and is expected to be fully operational by Q2 2023.

The project marks GTRs second investment in EMEA and first investment in Israel. KKR has made three investments in Israeli tech companies, most recently leading an $80m funding round into digital content platform Artlist in 2020.

Andrew Peisch, Director at KKR, commented: Israel is an entrepreneurial hub for high-tech innovation and an important market for our data center strategy in EMEA. We are pleased to make this investment in a high-quality project to help accelerate the digital transformation that is underway in the region.

GTR, which was launched last year by KKR and Franek Sodzawiczny, focuses on designing, building, and operating bespoke data centers across the EMEA region for large technology clients, meeting the growing demand for third-party data center provision amid ever-increasing growth in data usage and cloud services adoption.
India's Reliance Jio is weighing a bid for Deutsche Telekom AGs Netherlands subsidiary, according to media reports.

Quoting unnamed sources, the report said that billionaire Mukesh Ambanis Indian conglomerate is working with an adviser to evaluate an offer for T-Mobile Netherlands BV. Deutsche Telekom is seeking about 5 billion euros ($5.9 billion) in any sale, the people said.

Deutsche Telekom and Reliance Jios parent company Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) are tight-lipped on the ongoing talks.

RIL is working with an adviser to consider a bid for T-Mobile Netherlands BV, Bloomberg reported quoting unnamed sources. According to some reports, Morgan Stanley is working out with Deutsch Telekom on the details of the deal and evaluating offers.

Reliance is India's largest company by market value with businesses spanning oil refining, petrochemicals, retail, and telecommunications.

Deutsche Telekom entered the Dutch mobile phone market in 2000, buying a stake in an enterprise with Belgacom SA and Tele Danmark. The enterprise was renamed T-Mobile Netherlands in 2003 after the German provider purchased the rest.

If Jio buys T-Mobile Netherlands, it would represent Reliances first operator purchase in Europe and could represent a major shakeup for the saturated Dutch telecoms market.
Global infrastructure operator Telxius said that its new Mistral subsea cable is now ready for service. Running up the western coast of South America, the Mistral cable links Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile.

According to a release from the global digital telecommunications infrastructure operator with an extensive submarine cable portfolio, the Mistral system, which has been designed and built by SubCom, is a next-generation high-capacity fibre optic submarine cable that runs along the Latin American Pacific coast linking Puerto San Jose (Guatemala), with Valparaiso (Chile).

With additional landing points in Salinas (Ecuador), Lurin (Peru), and Arica (Chile), Mistral provides the lowest latency from Guatemala to Chile.

The release noted that with approximately 7,300 km, six fibre pairs, and 132 Tbps of potential capacity, Mistral is the first subsea cable in the last 20 years to connect Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile.

With the rapid rise in cloud adoption and an increasing demand for higher capacity, lower latency, and higher availability, this next generation submarine cable is ready for service at a pivotal time, remarked Mario Martin, Telxius CEO. Mistral means that Telxius effectively contributes with the highest standards of service, reliability, and security in the region, creating opportunities for businesses and communities across Latin America and optimizing digital services for society at large.

The Mistral cable was named after the Latin American poet Lucila Godoy Alcayaga, otherwise known as Gabriela Mistral, who was the first Latin American woman to receive a Nobel prize.

"In combination with Junior, Tannat, and Brusa, Mistral allows Telxius to offer next-generation diverse and robust subsea network routes throughout Latin America and connects the region to the U.S. and beyond. These systems represent essential infrastructure that enables Latin America to meet todays enterprise needs," said the release.
According to local press reports, state-owned operator Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL) has announced a Memorandum of Understanding with AST SpaceMobile.

Uganda Telecom seeks to provide Ugandans with 100 percent coverage across the country with the help of AST SpaceMobiles space-based cellular broadband network, now under construction.

AST SpaceMobile says it is building the first, and only, global broadband cellular network in space to operate directly with mobile devices. AST says that its goal is to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by todays five billion mobile subscribers and bring broadband to approximately half of the world's population, who remain unconnected. It adds that it is working in collaboration with such major names as Vodafone Group, global innovation company Rakuten and wireless communications infrastructure company American Tower.

Ugandan news website Chimpreports.com says that the aim of the MoU is to explore opportunities to offer Uganda Telecom network users access to AST SpaceMobiles planned satellite network using their cell phones and other devices, anytime and anywhere within the country.

If correct, this is an ambitious target for UTL, which has had to deal with a number of financial difficulties since it was put under receivership in 2017.

AST SpaceMobiles plans have already attracted interest from a number of potential partners, although the precise timeline for service availability and launch is not yet clear. The company claims so far to have entered into agreements and understandings with mobile network operators that collectively cover approximately 1.4 billion mobile subscribers.

In fact in early July it announced an MoU to collaborate with Smart Communications, a leading mobile services provider in the Philippines, to explore opportunities to extend SpaceMobile cellular broadband connectivity to the Philippines mainland, islands and surrounding waters after the service is launched.
Statement by Mr Martin Gallagher at Arria Meeting on Counterterrorism and Humanitarian Action

Statement

Thank you Ambassador and Mr. Chair,

Thanks to Kenya for arranging todays Arria meeting on this important subject and to the excellent briefers for their informative presentations.

Mr Chair, as we have heard today, terrorism not only contributes to the creation of humanitarian crises, but it also undermines humanitarian activity and endangers humanitarian actors.

While of course civilians suffer most in these situations, we are all too aware of the attacks, including unlawful killings, perpetrated against humanitarian workers and medical personnel.

While Council-mandated measures to counter terrorism, including sanctions, are therefore crucial to deter and address terrorist threats, they must comply with international law, including international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international refugee law.

Ireland is firmly of the view that counter-terrorism measures should not undermine principled humanitarian activity that is consistent with the principles of independence, impartiality and neutrality that allow humanitarian actors to operate safely and effectively in conflict. Counter-terrorism measures should not impede access to, or delivery of, indiscriminate responses to civilian populations.

However, as we have heard today from our briefers, those counter-terrorism measures that do not properly account for IHL and wider humanitarian concerns, are negatively affecting humanitarian actors.

We need to ensure that humanitarian concerns are, as Helen said, not an afterthought. Here, the Security Council has a crucial role to play, by including designation criteria sanctioning those that misappropriate, obstruct or harm humanitarian assets, activity and actors. We must also provide for appropriate exemptions in counter-terrorism and sanctions regimes that preserve the humanitarian space and allow aid to reach populations that are extremely at risk.

As a Council member, Ireland will continue to push for enhanced humanitarian safeguards within CT resolutions and sanctions regimes. For the most vulnerable, including women, youth, survivors, victims and those living in areas blighted by terrorism, Ireland affirms its continued commitment to preserving humanitarian space, through the adoption of appropriate mitigating measures.

Reena and Helen have both pointed, as have others, to the humanitarian carve-out in the Somalia sanctions regime as an example of best practice. As Chair of the Somalia sanctions committee, Ireland is aware of just how critical this exemption is to facilitating delivery of life-saving aid and protection in Somalia, including through the 2011 famine and prolonged drought of 2017.

Mr Chair,

We have found it extremely useful today to hear of recent regional and national initiatives which seek to address this issue. We welcome that briefers have highlighted the exemption contained in the EUs Directive on Combatting Terrorism, which represents the EUs commitment to dealing with the unintended impacts of counter-terrorism measures.

Additionally, CTED is affording greater attention to this topic and we encourage all UN counter-terrorism bodies to engage systematically with humanitarian actors.

At the national level, domestic action to mitigate the impact of CT measures on principled humanitarian action is lacking, and Council resolutions need to be operationalised through well-framed humanitarian exemptions; dialogue with humanitarian organisations; and engagement with the financial sector.

Mr Chair, allow me to conclude by underlining that humanitarians should never be criminalized for carrying out principled humanitarian action, particularly when they choose to stay and deliver in some of the most dangerous contexts to the worlds most vulnerable people.

Thank you.

1. Thank you Ambassador and Mr. Chair,

2. Thanks to Kenya for arranging todays Arria meeting on this important subject and to the excellent briefers for their informative presentations.

3. Mr Chair, as we have heard today, terrorism not only contributes to the creation of humanitarian crises, but it also undermines humanitarian activity and endangers humanitarian actors.

4. While of course civilians suffer most in these situations, we are all too aware of the attacks, including unlawful killings, perpetrated against humanitarian workers and medical personnel.

5. While Council-mandated measures to counter terrorism, including sanctions, are therefore crucial to deter and address terrorist threats, they must comply with international law, including international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international refugee law.

6. Ireland is firmly of the view that counter-terrorism measures should not undermine principled humanitarian activity that is consistent with the principles of independence, impartiality and neutrality that allow humanitarian actors to operate safely and effectively in conflict. Counter-terrorism measures should not impede access to, or delivery of, indiscriminate responses to civilian populations.

7. However, as we have heard today from our briefers, those counter-terrorism measures that do not properly account for IHL and wider humanitarian concerns, are negatively affecting humanitarian actors.

8. We need to ensure that humanitarian concerns are, as Helen said, not an afterthought. Here, the Security Council has a crucial role to play, by including designation criteria sanctioning those that misappropriate, obstruct or harm humanitarian assets, activity and actors. We must also provide for appropriate exemptions in counter-terrorism and sanctions regimes that preserve the humanitarian space and allow aid to reach populations that are extremely at risk.

9. As a Council member, Ireland will continue to push for enhanced humanitarian safeguards within CT resolutions and sanctions regimes. For the most vulnerable, including women, youth, survivors, victims and those living in areas blighted by terrorism, Ireland affirms its continued commitment to preserving humanitarian space, through the adoption of appropriate mitigating measures.

10.Reena and Helen have both pointed, as have others, to the humanitarian carve-out in the Somalia sanctions regime as an example of best practice. As Chair of the Somalia sanctions committee, Ireland is aware of just how critical this exemption is to facilitating delivery of life-saving aid and protection in Somalia, including through the 2011 famine and prolonged drought of 2017.

11.Mr Chair,

12.We have found it extremely useful today to hear of recent regional and national initiatives which seek to address this issue. We welcome that briefers have highlighted the exemption contained in the EUs Directive on Combatting Terrorism, which represents the EUs commitment to dealing with the unintended impacts of counter-terrorism measures.

13.Additionally, CTED is affording greater attention to this topic and we encourage all UN counter-terrorism bodies to engage systematically with humanitarian actors.

14.At the national level, domestic action to mitigate the impact of CT measures on principled humanitarian action is lacking, and Council resolutions need to be operationalised through well-framed humanitarian exemptions; dialogue with humanitarian organisations; and engagement with the financial sector.

15.Mr Chair, allow me to conclude by underlining that humanitarians should never be criminalized for carrying out principled humanitarian action, particularly when they choose to stay and deliver in some of the most dangerous contexts to the worlds most vulnerable people.

16.Thank you.

 Previous Item | Next Item 
A fisherman gather clams in the central province of Quang Nam on August 9, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Dac Thanh.

Without a stronger effort to remove the E.U. yellow card, Vietnams fishing industry may lose $480 million worth of exports annually.

Since October 2017 when the European Commission gave Vietnam a yellow card for shortcomings in its fight against illegal fishing, the nations fishery exports to the bloc has been falling, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) reports.

The value fell 12 percent between 2017 and 2019, and another 5.7 percent between 2019 and 2020 to $959 million.

The E.U. fell from the second biggest export market to the fourth behind the U.S., Japan and China.

If Vietnam still cannot improve its legal and administrative frameworks to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, it could face a "red card," meaning a trade ban on fishery products, VASEP says.

VASEP estimates Vietnam would directly lose $480 million a year for losing the E.U. market, and another $93 million in indirect impacts.

If the ban lasts two or three years, Vietnams fishery production would fall 30 percent in capacity.

But if Vietnam makes effort to remove the yellow card, the industry could soon recover and reach an export value to the E.U. of $1.2-1.4 billion in upcoming years, 25 percent higher from now, it says.

Fisheries is the fifth largest export category in Vietnam and accounts for 4 percent of total exports. Its value in recent years came to around $8.5-9 billion.
A tiger is held captive in a basement of a house in the central Nghe An Province, August 4, 2021. Photo by VnExpress.

The owner of the house in the central Nghe An Province where 14 tigers were found in the basement last week has been arrested.

Nguyen Van Hien, 39, will be detained for four months pending investigation of violations of rules relating to the management and protection of endangered and rare animals under the Penal Code.

Hien, who resides in Nam Vuc Village, Do Thanh Commune in Yen Thanh District, owns the house where 14 Indochinese tigers were found held captive in the basement.

He has told the police that the tigers were transported from Laos to Vietnam as cubs and his family has kept them for months.

Nghe An police also raided the residence of 50-year-old Nguyen Thi Dinh in the same commune and found another three tigers also kept in the basements.

On average, each captive tiger weighed more than 200 kilos.

The police said Dinh has not been arrested yet because they are still in the process of identifying the specific violations.

All 17 tigers were found alive when the police arrived. The rescue force then gave each tiger an anaesthetic shot before transferring them to the Muong Thanh ecological area in Dien Lam Commune of Dien Chau District.

Eight of the tigers were found dead on arrival.

There has been no official report released so far on the cause of death and Nghe An Police said Monday that relocating the captive tigers was "a humane solution" that also sought to prevent tampering of evidence while investigations were ongoing. They said the death of eight tigers was "unintentional."

Several wildlife experts believe the tigers could have died of anaesthetic effects on animals held captive for too long.

The remaining nine tigers are reportedly being "taken care of carefully" at the ecological zone. Provincial authorities have directed the forestry sector to find solutions and contact qualified agencies for long-term care of the tigers.
Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) presents a model of the new National Assembly House to General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith in Vientiane. Photo by Vietnam News Agency.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has handed over the National Assembly building to Laos during his state visit to the neighboring nation.

The inauguration and awarding ceremony of Lao National Assembly (NA) House took place Tuesday in Lao capital Vientiane under the chairmanship of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Party General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, and Lao National Assembly Speaker Saysomphone Phomvihane.

The event was held within the framework of President Phuc's official friendship visit to Laos, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Speaking at the ceremony, Phuc said the house is a gift from Vietnam to Laos, which has been evaluated by Lao leaders as "the most modern, most harmonious with national identity, most solid and best investment."

The Vietnamese president also expressed his wish that the Lao NA House is fully utilized, operated and maintained to ensure safety and quality to make it a symbol for the "special and unique relations" between Vietnam and Laos.

General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith thanked Vietnam for the gift, calling it "a symbol that will last forever."

Attending the 9th NA of Laos, President Phuc reviewed the milestones in the relationship between the two countries during the struggle for independence and current achievements of cooperation, likening the relationship to that of "two brothers."

He also mentioned the unprecedented rapid changes in the world and the region due to the rise of nations, fierce strategic competition among major countries, and the far-reaching impact of the fourth industrial revolution, climate change, and especially the Covid-19 pandemic.

He suggested both Vietnam and Laos actively integrate into the world, take advantage of external resources, and expand connectivity in transport, energy, and telecommunications to extend development space. He also said the two countries cannot avoid the global digital economy.

"Both countries need to cooperate in transforming to a digital economy, developing e-commerce, digitizing modern education, healthcare, financial and banking services, gradually improving competitiveness, and improving the economy in the industrial revolution 4.0," he said.

During the visit, Phuc and his wife also came to lay a wreath at the Unknown Soldiers Monument.

He then met with Lao NA Speaker Saysomphone Phomvihane, Lao Vice President Pany Yathotou and Vice President Bounthong Chithmany, visited the Vietnamese Embassy, and representatives of Vietnamese communities and businesses in Laos.
The Transport Ministry has rejected a proposal by aviation authorities to suspend all flights between Hanoi and HCMC, instead ordering only one a day.

The ministry also asked the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to reduce the frequency of flights to Noi Bai International Airport as Hanoi imposes strict social distancing measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Last week, the aviation authority proposed freezing all regular flights between localities under social distancing orders, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

However, the ministry said the Hanoi-HCMC route affects socio-economic development and should therefore be kept operational.

Currently, flights from some airports in southern localities where lockdown measures are imposed, including Can Tho, Phu Quoc, Rach Gia and Con Dao are not allowed to land at Noi Bai.

Very few flights have been operating between Hanoi and epicenter HCMC since the capital mandated 14-day centralized quarantine for arrivals from 19 southern localities.

Hanoi authorities have decided to extend its ongoing social distancing order until Aug. 22 as a response to several Covid-19 clusters being detected in the capital.

In the ongoing Covid-19 wave that hit Vietnam in late April, the country has recorded nearly 229,000 infections, including 131,879 in HCMC and 2,143 in Hanoi.
Passengers arrive at JFK International Airport in New York City, U.S., December 21, 2020. Photo by Reuters/Eduardo Munoz.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its travel warnings Tuesday to include Vietnam in the group of high-risk countries due to rising infection numbers.

Sixty-five countries and territories, including Vietnam, India, Japan, Cambodia and the Philippines have been listed as level 3, or those posing high Covid-19 risks in the agency's latest travel advisory.

The agency has warned unvaccinated travelers to limit non-essential travel to Vietnam. Due to the current pandemic situation in the country, all travelers may be at risk of contracting or spreading Covid variants, it said.

If American citizens must travel to Vietnam for essential purposes, they are advised to get fully vaccinated before arrival and follow local recommendations and requirements like wearing a mask and staying two meters away from others.

U.S. citizens returning from Vietnam are required to obtain a negative Covid test result no more than three days before travel or documentation proving recovery from Covid issued in the past three months before boarding a flight to the States.

They should undergo a viral test three to five days after returning from Vietnam and self-monitor for Covid symptoms.

On Aug. 3, the U.S. CDC put Vietnam into a group of countries at level 2 with 'moderate' Covid travel risks.

Vietnam is currently facing its most challenging outbreak so far, triggered by the Delta variant, prompting several countries to ban or impose stricter quarantine measures for travelers from the country.

In the ongoing Covid-19 wave that hit Vietnam in late April, the nation has recorded nearly 229,000 infections.
Corporate America is following the cues of the federal government in introducing tough new vaccination requirements for workers. President Biden recently passed a law requiring all unvaccinated federal employees to submit to extra covid-19 protocols and a growing number of private firms are going one step further.

The likes of Walmart, Google, Facebook, Tyson Foods and United Airlines have recently announced vaccine mandates for workers, in response to the spiralling infection rate. Last Sunday the United States reported a seven-day average of over 108,000 new cases per day, a 36% increase on the week previous.

Employees risk losing their jobs if they do not receive a vaccination, but will they still be entitled to unemployment benefits if they find themselves out of work?

States are able to withhold unemployment support

While the huge companies imposing the new mandates are national entities, workers eligibility for unemployment support if they fall foul of the vaccine mandates depends on the state. As a general rule, private companies are free to set the conditions of employment for workers to adhere to, provided they do not violate existing laws.

There is no federal law prohibiting firms from requiring their employees be vaccinated, against covid-19 or any other infectious disease. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission does not prevent employers introducing such requirements for workers who are physically in the workplace, however they must provide reasonable alternatives for those who cannot get vaccinated for medical or religious reasons.

Jeffrey Hirsch, a law professor at the University of North Carolina, explains: "American employment law is very deferential to employers, which are able to exert a lot of control over workers.

Will unvaccinated workers lose their access to unemployment support?

While the eligibility requirements vary from state to state, individuals would typically have to prove that they are currently unemployed through no fault of their own to collect unemployment support. Without a medical or religious reason to refuse a covid-19 vaccine, many employment law experts believe that most states would rule that the individual would not qualify for unemployment support.

Alana Ackels, employment lawyer at Dallas-based law firm Bell Nunnally, told MarketWatch: Typically, an employee who is terminated for failing to comply with company policies is not eligible for unemployment benefits, which would include refusing to comply with a companys covid-19 prevention policies, masking requirements or vaccine requirements.

It has been compared to refusal to submit to employer-mandated drugs tests or safety training sessions, in that the company has the right to fire someone for refusing to engage in the activity. However lawsuits have already begun to sprout up, challenging the legality of enforcing a mandate on vaccinations that have technically only been granted emergency approval status.
BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The status of Tibetan antelopes in China has been downgraded from "endangered" to "near threatened" amid the country's active anti-poaching and biodiversity protection efforts, said the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The population of the species has grown from less than 70,000 during the 1980s-1990s to around 300,000 at present, the administration added.

The species, mostly found in Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is under first-class state protection in China. It plays a key role in maintaining the ecological balance on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Enditem

Editor: JYZ
Professor Ralph S. Baric. (Screenphoto/MIT Technology Review

Just as some U.S. Republican politicians have gone full swing on the so-called lab-leak theory, slandering the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in a report published on Aug 2, 2021 and claiming theres ample evidence that COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese lab, an online petition requesting that the World Health Organization (WHO) probe Fort Detrick has drawn more than 25 million signatures by Aug. 8.

A probe into Fort Detrick - home to the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) - is warranted, as it stores some of the most deadly and infectious viruses in the world and has a notorious history of life-threatening leak incidents. However, in the international effort to trace the source of COVID-19, the global community also deserves transparency from another highly suspicious laboratory  Professor Ralph S. Barics lab at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill.

Baric 's profile on UNC-Chapel Hill's staff information site. (Screenphoto/UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health)

Shady experiments

Led by virologist Ralph S. Baric, a scientist who specialises in the study of coronaviruses (CoV), the lab is responsible for UNC-Chapel Hills global advances in CoV research.

According to UNC-Chapel Hills staff information site, the Baric Lab uses coronaviruses as models to study the genetics of RNA virus transcription, replication, persistence, pathogenesis, genetics and cross-species transmission. To put it more simply, Professor Baric and his team are capable of modifying a certain virus according to gene segment.

Whats specifically noteworthy is his 20-year ongoing research called gain of function. Baric himself told MIT Review in July that his research focuses on the introduction of a mutation that improves the function or property of a gene, but what makes such experiments suspicious is that they can amplify the contagiousness of a virus, making it easier to infect animals, and even humans. According to Baric, such measures are designed to prepare human beings ahead of epidemics of any kind such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) or the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

The highly suitable scientific conditions Baric and his team possessed even before the COVID-19 pandemic make suspicions over the origin-tracing process inevitable.

With a more mature environment for lab virus synthesis and operations, as well as more virus leak cases historically, the virus was obviously more likely to have leaked from US labs if the lab leak claim is true, Chinese biosecurity specialist Li (pseudonym), who works at a research institute in eastern China, was quoted as saying by the Global Times.

Notorious lab leak record

As the foremost coronavirus biologist in the United States and one of the best in the world, Baric and his lab used to get large amounts of funding from the US government. Due to frequent life-threatening incidents that have occurred over the years, the Obama administration temporarily halted funding in 2014.

However, according to a report by MIT Technology Review on June 29, Barics lab continued its gain-of-function experiment on coronavirus, when the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) included a clause granting exceptions along with the ban, saying if head of funding agency determines research is urgently necessary to protect public health or national security. Not only were Barics studies allowed to move forward, but so were all studies that applied for exemptions. The funding restrictions were lifted in 2017 and replaced with a more lenient system. It is no surprise that Baric and his lab have raised enormous concerns amongst the public.

From Jan. 1, 2015 through June 1, 2020, UNC-Chapel Hill reported 28 lab incidents involving genetically engineered organisms to safety officials at NIH, six of which involved various types of lab-created coronaviruses, according to ProPublica, a New York City-based independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. This report was provided to ProPublica by UNC, and also published in UNCs own annual report.

News coverage on UNC-Chapel Hill's reported lab incidents on Aug 7, 2020. (Screenphoto/ProPublica)

A scary incident recorded on April 2020 noted that a UNC scientist underwent 14 days of self-quarantine at home after a mouse bite caused potential exposure to a strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, that had been adapted for growth in mice.

This incident is only the tip of the iceberg. Among the 107 leak cases that the UNC reported in its own annual reports from 2015 to 2018, six could be directly held accountable for a fatal wave of infections that threatened the entire human race.

UNC declined to answer questions about the incidents and to disclose key details about them to the public, including the names of viruses involved, the nature of the modifications made to them and what risks were posed to the public, contrary to NIH guidelines, ProPublica wrote in their article.

If the WIV needs to conduct a transparent probe for the origin tracing of COVID-19, then UNC-Chapel Hill, Ralph Baric and Barics lab, which WIV cooperated with in 2015 and has not been willing to open up and share its data with the world, should be the first ones to be looked into.

A can of worms

The Insider wrote on June 3 this year that staff in two US government bureaus warned the leaders of US not to keep pursuing an investigation into the origins of COVID-19, because it would "open a can of worms," according to an internal memo viewed by Vanity Fair. The question remains, what do they mean by a can of worms? What worms are they afraid of letting out? Does this imply that they know something the US government wouldnt want people to know if they keep digging?

"With the investigation into Baric's team and their lab, it will be clear whether the coronavirus research will produce the novel coronavirus or not," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian at a media briefing on July 30.

For the public, the ultimate question is as simple as common logic: The WHO international team came twice to China to investigate. The team visited various places, including the WIV. Why should Barics be left out?

Editor: WXY
Chief of the Main Division of the National Police in Kyiv Andriy Kryschenko said that he had submitted a resignation letter, which was upheld on Tuesday.

"I submitted my resignation letter. And it was upheld yesterday," Kryschenko said on Facebook on Wednesday morning.

He said that "I spent more than five and a half years side by side with Kyiv police and it was a difficult time of constant challenges and crisis situations, sometimes tragedies and failures, and often advances."

"We never hid and kept silent, we always honestly and openly told people about our work through the media. This period includes thousands of mass actions, Eurovision and the Champions League Final, solving high-profile and serial crimes as well as improving the professional level of police officers. We moved forward, supported all the innovations and ourselves initiated the implementation of pilot projects, which subsequently extended to all police units," Kryschenko said.

He also added: "I have always believed, and will continue to believe: the most valuable thing in life is people. Therefore, I thank each police officer separately and the entire Kyiv police team for their work, support and willingness to serve, despite the busy schedule and daily workload."

"We did everything as one team to ensure order in the capital. I constantly walk the streets of Kyiv without escort or guards and always communicate with people. I believe in everyone who patrols the streets, detains offenders or investigates crimes. And I am sure that you will continue to work without slowing down the pace and momentum. I was proud and will always be proud of our joint work. I am honored!" he said.

Kryschenko was appointed Chief of the Main Division of the National Police in December 2015. Prior to that, he headed the Department for Combating Organized Crime at the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Donetsk region (since December 2014).

In 2013-2014, he headed a division of Kirovohrad Department for Combating Organized Crime. In the spring of 2014, he became Head of Horlivka City Police Department (Donetsk region).

On April 14, 2014, Kryschenko was one of those who defended the building of Horlivka Police Department during attempts to seize it by pro-Russian separatists. Defending the flag of Ukraine, he was seriously wounded.

From June to December 2014, he was acting Head of Sloviansk District State Administration. In 2018, he was promoted to the general of the police of the third rank.
Since the beginning of 2021, border guards have liquidated the activities of 12 criminal groups involved in smuggling and counterfeiting in eastern Ukraine; 37 criminal proceedings have been launched for criminal activity on the border with the Russian Federation and the demarcation line.

"Thanks to the work of operational-search divisions of the Eastern Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, since the beginning of this year, 23 bases for the accumulation of smuggled and counterfeit goods and 78 points of sale have been identified and liquidated. This mainly concerns excisable goods. In particular, more than 840,000 packs of cigarettes, 43 tonnes of counterfeit alcohol, 1,300 tonnes of counterfeit fuel and equipment for its production were withdrawn from the illegal circulation. The total amount of the seized goods amounted to more than UAH 180 million," the State Border Guard Service reports.

Some 37 criminal proceedings have been launched for committing economic crimes upon motion of border guards of the Eastern Regional Directorate.

"This year, for committing such crimes, four people were convicted and imprisoned for terms of one to three years. Courts also imposed fines in the amount of UAH 119,000," the report said.
Ivan Vyhovsky, Chief of the Main Division of the National Police in Poltava region, will be a new head of Kyiv Police, an informed source has told Interfax-Ukraine.

"Kyiv Police will be headed by Vyhovsky. On Wednesday, he will be introduced to the personnel of the main division," the agency's interlocutor said.

Earlier in the morning, the Chief of the Main Division of the National Police in Kyiv, Andriy Kryschenko, said that he had submitted a resignation letter, which was upheld on Tuesday.

A source told Interfax-Ukraine that the appointment of a new police chief in Kyiv will take place on Wednesday, August 11.

From 2015 to 2016, Ivan Vyhovsky served as head of Ochakiv Police Department in Mykolaiv region. Since 2016, he has held the position of deputy head of the Main Division, head of the Investigation Department of the Main Division of the National Police in Mykolaiv region.
The Cabinet of Ministers will extend the adaptive quarantine and emergency mode in Ukraine until October 1, 2021, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said.

"Today the epidemic situation is completely under control, but experts are beginning to record the first negative trends regarding the increase in the number of hospitalizations of critically ill patients. Taking this situation into account, the government will today adopt a resolution that will extend the emergency mode and adaptive quarantine until October 1, 2021," Shmyhal said at a government session on Wednesday.
Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denys Monastyrsky introduced new Chief of the Main Division of the National Police in Kyiv, Police Colonel Ivan Vyhovsky, who previously headed the police in Poltava region, the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs reports.

As stated in a message posted on the ministry's website on Wednesday, the minister said that he expects from the new chief of Kyiv Police "increased attention to ensuring public safety, especially on the eve of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence."

"This is the first challenge that awaits you and all of us. And now you personally, Ivan Mykhailovych [newly appointed Kyiv Police chief Ivan Vyhovsky], will be responsible for organizing this holiday," the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs quotes Monastyrsky as saying.
Bees Airline launches flights from Kyiv to Samarkand from Aug 30

Bees Airline (Kyiv) is launching regular flights from Kyiv to Samarkand (Uzbekistan) since August 30.

As Director General of the company Yevhen Khainatsky told reporters, announcing this direction, the flight will be operated once a week on Mondays.

According to him, tickets are currently available until the end of the summer navigation  until November.

"Whether the number of frequencies will increase will depend on the dynamics of sales, the desire of our citizens to fly in that direction and the Uzbeks to fly to Ukraine," Khainatsky said.

Currently, no Ukrainian air carrier operates flights to Samarkand.

As reported, the State Aviation Service of Ukraine issued an operator certificate to Bees Airline on March 12, 2021.
The Ministry of Health of Ukraine is negotiating with the U.S. company Moderna regarding the authorization of a vaccine against coronavirus (COVID-19) in Ukraine, the ministry's press service told Interfax-Ukraine.

"In order to register a medicine, a vaccine manufacturer must apply to a government regulator with a relevant application for public authorizaton. Such a norm is valid not only in Ukraine, but also in the EU countries, the United States and during the re-qualification of the medicine by the World Health Organization. The ministry is negotiating with the manufacturer so that this the vaccine has been authorized in Ukraine," the ministry said.

The Health Ministry said that, according to the current legislation, unauthorized medicines can be used in case of an emergency.

"Considering that the vaccine was approved for emergency use by regulators of WHO, the United States and Europe, the ministry decided, if this medicine is received, as humanitarian aid, to allow vaccination against COVID-19 in Ukraine. According to the current legislation, we have the right to use medicines unauthorized in Ukraine in case of an emergency," the ministry said.

In addition, according to the statement, Ukraine has a powerful pharmacovigilance system harmonized with international standards. Pharmacovigilance for the safety of vaccines against COVID-19 in Ukraine is regulated by the pharmacovigilance procedure, the vaccination roadmap and the procedure for prescribing and using medicines for the treatment of COVID-19, approved by Health Ministry decision No. 1482 dated June 30, 2020.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will discuss guarantees for Germany's fulfillment of obligations within the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, presidential press secretary Serhiy Nykyforov has said.

"This visit [Merkel to Ukraine on August 22] is a logical continuation of the contacts of the visit of the President of Ukraine in the quadrangle  Washington, Europe, Brussels, Berlin, Kyiv. Angela Merkel and Volodymyr Zelensky will talk specifically about how exactly Germany will guarantee the implementation of those obligations that matter in case Russia, after the launch of Nord Stream 2, tries to somehow abuse its monopoly position," Nykyforov said during a briefing at the President's Office on Wednesday.

He said that during the talks, security in the east of Ukraine "and how to revive the peace talks" will certainly be discussed.

In addition, according to Nykyforov, issues of bilateral relations between Ukraine and Germany will be discussed. "Germany is our key partner in politics, economy, trade, industry and energy. The potential for strengthening these relations is great," he said.

He also said Merkel's visit "proves that there is not a word about Ukraine without Ukraine, and that the most important modern security issues in Europe cannot be resolved without direct negotiations with the President of Ukraine."

Nykyforov also said the schedule and program of Merkel's visit has not yet been finalized and it is not yet known whether she will take part in the constituent summit of the Crimean Platform on August 23, but she received an invitation.
Today, on Wednesday, August 11, at 12.30, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Decriminalization of Ukraine on eve of Crimean Platform" with the participation of Chairman of the all-Ukrainian movement Public Against Corruption Oleksandr Mulenko (8/5a Reitarska Street). The broadcast will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Due to quarantine restrictions, the number of seats in the press center is limited. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot.
On Thursday, August 12, at 14.30, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Image of Ukrainian cities: Kharkiv changing," where the results of sociological surveys and new urban projects  "tourist magnets," safety, non-standard solutions in the creation of urban spaces and examples of how the perception of the city's image is changing on the example of Kharkiv will be presented. Participants include candidate of Sociological Sciences, deputy head of the Research Laboratory on Combating Crime of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs Oleksiy Serdiuk; architect, urbanist, head of the CO-URBANISM territorial development platform Ihor Lialiuk; political expert, head of the Institute of Public Policy and Consulting Serhiy Bykov (8/5a Reitarska Street). The broadcast will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Due to quarantine restrictions, the number of seats in the press center is limited. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot.
Two delegations of top Russian media representatives arrived at Egypt's Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh cities on Wednesday to inspect the health and safety regulations in the two Red Sea resorts, a statement by Egypt's tourism ministry read.

The Sharm El-Sheikh delegation was welcomed by South Sinai Governor Khaled Fouda and head of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority Ahmed Youssef.

The delegations visited several hotels, talked to hotel employees, and inspected the precautionary measures in tourist facilities, the statement added.

They also spoke with a number of Russian tourists who said they were pleased to return to Egypt, the statement noted.

The delegations visit follows the arrival of four Russian flights in Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada in the past two days after a six-year suspension of direct flights from Russia to Egyptian Red Sea resorts was lifted by Russian authorities last month.

The visit is meant to promote Egypt's tourist and archaeological destinations, the statement said.

"The visit will attract more media attention to Egypt's tourist hotspots and thus increase the influx of Russian tourists," said Maged Abu Sedira, head of the Central Department of Foreign Tourism at the Egyptian Tourism Authority.

In April 2018, Russia resumed flights to Cairo International Airport, ending a 30-month suspension, but the Russian ban on flights to Egypt's Red Sea destinations was only lifted last month, as per Russian President Vladimir Putins decree.

The number of Russian tourists who had visited Egypt in 2014 was more than three million, according to the tourism ministry figures, representing 33 percent of all tourists that year.

On Tuesday, Egypts Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Enany said the resumption of flights from Russia to Red Sea resort cities is a very positive step, affirming that coordination is underway to increase the number of direct weekly flights  currently standing at 12  between the two sides.

With the preventive measures adopted at Egyptian airports, clinics, and hospitals and the rich experience of our colleagues working at the resorts of touristic governorates, the number [of tourists] will increase, the minister said in remarks to Sada El-Balad satellite channel.

The ministry will take legal action against tourist facilities that do not adhere to the coronavirus preventive measures and jeopardise the livelihoods of more than one million people working in the tourism sector, El-Enany asserted.
President of Cairo University Mohamed El-Khosht announced in a statement on Wednesday that the second vaccination campaign against the coronavirus in the university will start on Sunday 15 August.

The campaign, which will last for 3 weeks, will be held at the clinics of the Faculties of Law and Commerce, the statement noted.

According to El-Khosht, the campaign aims to vaccinate faculty members and employees in various university faculties and institutes who had not been vaccinated during the first campaign.

As a result of cooperation with the Ministry of Health, 3,000 doses of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine were provided for the second campaign, the statement said.

Egypt has recently started locally manufacturing the Chinese Sinovac vaccine as per an agreement between the Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) and the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac.

The country's plan is to produce 40 million doses by the end of 2021.

The statement added that AstraZeneca vaccines would also be available starting 26 August at the faculty of engineerings clinic only for those who had received the first shot of the same vaccine during the first campaign, which was held in June.

At the time, Cairo University allocated 5 centres inside and outside the university campus to host the vaccination process of faculty and staff members and vaccinate them with the AstraZeneca jab.

During that first round, the university also provided the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine for the elderly and those suffering from chronic or serious diseases in cooperation with the Directorate of Health and Population in Giza, said the statement.

El-Khosht stated that the campaigns come as part of the universitys societal role and its continuous efforts to provide safety for its members, in addition to its contribution to providing free of charge coronavirus vaccines to eligible groups.

Egypt, which started its mass vaccination campaign earlier this year, has imported millions of doses of the WHO-approved British AstraZeneca vaccine, Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the Chinese Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines. It has also acquired shipments of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, which has not been approved by the WHO.

According to the WHO, as of 5 August, a total of 5.6 million vaccine doses have been administered in Egypt with 1.8 million fully vaccinated individuals and 3.8 million people vaccinated with at least one dose.

Egypt has reported a total number of 284,875 confirmed cases so far, including 233,405 recoveries, and 16,582 deaths.

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Minister of Health Hala Zayed said on Wednesday that shipments of AstraZeneca, Sinovac, and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines will arrive in Egypt in late August.

During the weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the minister briefed the cabinet on the latest development concerning the coronavirus in Egypt and the efforts to import AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Sputnik vaccines.

On Sunday, Egypt received a shipment of 261,600 Johnson & Johnson doses as part of a deal between the African Unions African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) and J&J last March, which was funded by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).

On Monday, Egypt received a shipment of 525,000 AstraZeneca doses provided by Romania as part of a tripartite agreement between the two countries and AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Company.

On oxygen cannisters, the minister said that 29 countries are in need of oxygen due to the rise in COVID-19 infections, pointing out that World Health Organization managed during the past period to provide 117 countries with oxygen equipment.

Minister Zayed affirmed that Egypt has managed during the past period to provide a stock of oxygen cannisters.

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In her first novel, journalist and managing editor of Ahram Online Dina Samak guides us through a journey into the mind.

Ayahuasca, published by Al-Maraya publishing house in 2021, is Dina Samaks first novel, but not her first book. Samak wrote her first self-help book some 20 years ago under the title How to Manage Your Time.

From the opening scene, which starts off with a brilliant fire that effectively sets the stage for the story, Ayahuasca captivates the reader all the way through. The story revolves around a mystery involving a missing woman, and the events eventually lead the main characters to use the psychedelic drug Ayahuasca to delve deeper into their own psyches and to find the missing woman.

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive beverage prepared from the bark of a woody vine and the leaves of a shrubby plant that grows in South America.

The book, although skilfully written, feels more like a script for a movie.

When I started to write this novel, it was supposed to be a treatment for a film, but as I started writing it turned into a mystery novel, Samak explained to Ahram Online.

I wanted a mysterious introduction that would engage the reader from the very beginning. What weve learned in 25 years of journalism is that you really need to start with something catchy, because if you lose the attention of the reader in the first paragraph, you wont be able to grab it again. So, I think it is the journalist in me that wrote the prologue, which some of my friends who read the first draft said needed to be edited because it was too journalistic. However, I insisted on giving the journalist the lede she was looking for, Samak smiles.

The author approaches the topic of psychedelics with the caution of a journalist.

Psychedelics, also known as hallucinogens, are a class of psychoactive substances that produce changes in perception, mood and cognitive processes. They alter a persons thinking, sense of time and emotions. Some psychedelics occur naturally, in trees, vines, seeds, fungi and leaves, while others are made in laboratories.

What is Ayahuasca? How safe is it? Who is desperate to try it and why? These questions are answered in the book as each character reveals their background and how far they have come in their journey of self-exploration.

Samak admits that unlike her characters, she herself has never been courageous enough to embark on such a journey of self-exploration.

Actually, trying psychedelics or some other path to dig into yourself and face your fears and traumas takes courage, it can take people years. Some people quit meditation and therapy simply because they get too close painful truths, which scares people, she added.

What attracted Samak to the topic is that she thinks we live in a traumatised society. With the political turmoil Egypt has seen over the past decade, most people working in this field have seen peers die or imprisoned, have seen people lose loved ones, and have had their own lives threatened. Many of the people Samak knew throughout this journey have fallen into depression, post-traumatic stress, and anxiety. Some had the courage to seek help, while others did not.

What really scared me was how mainstream therapy seems to deal with every case as if it were the same. At the end of the day, patients are getting the same medications at different dosages. I am not against the idea of medication by any means, but I think that mainstream science/medicine and pharmaceuticals cannot provide people with the right medications to very unique traumatic experiences, argued Samak.

This is reflected in the books lead characters. The two main characters have suffered a lot throughout their lives, and it is because of this suffering that they were able to reach a point where they would embark on a self-exploration journey.

When I started writing the novel, I was going to write about psychedelics in general. I thought that this is a subject that should not be taken lightly. We have heroes who have been fighting for it since the 1990s to bring psychedelics back into psychology. And these people are actually opening the door to so many promising solutions, she explained, adding how she started doing her research not only into Ayahuasca, but also LSD, psilocybin mushrooms and other psychedelics.

[These drugs] are a double-edged weapon, however. I mean, when these substances left the lab in the 1960s and became recreational drugs, it not only harmed those who take them, but also others who saw spiritual and psychological potential in these drugs. It can either benefit those who are suffering or add to their suffering. The more I read into it, the more I realised that traditional medicine can actually give us what we are looking for, if we take it seriously, she elaborated.

Unfortunately, the use of traditional paths to self-healing have become more of a trend among the younger generations that feel alienated. Samak explained how with the interconnectivity of todays world, they have been exposed to the brutalities and injustices of the world: the coronavirus, the aftermath of the Arab spring, the world economic crisis, and even the images of death transmitted on the airwaves during the Iraq war.

All of this leads the younger generation to feel alienated, she says. Expectations can traumatise people in their teens and early 20s and cause them to start a journey in search for happiness. And by default, the younger generations have the courage to experiment and do not have the taboos that we were used to.

However, I think that one of the most important messages about facing our fears is knowing that therapy is a journey, and there is no journey without a guide. There is no therapy without a doctor because if we start the journey alone, it will be catastrophic.

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Six more bodies have been found floating down the river separating Ethiopias troubled Tigray region from Sudan, refugees and a physician said on Saturday. They urged Sudanese authorities and the U.N. to help in search efforts.

Around 50 bodies have been discovered over the last two weeks in the Setit River, which flows through some of the most troubled areas of the nine-month conflict in Ethiopias Tigray region, according to Tigray refugees.

Physician Tewodros Tefera said Friday he personally witnessed refugees pull several bodies from the river over the past week. Tefera is a surgeon from the nearby Tigray town of Humera who fled to Sudan at the start of the war.

Ethnic Tigrayans have accused Ethiopian and allied forces of atrocities while battling Tigray forces. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken asserted in March that ethnic cleansing has happened in parts of Tigray.

The latest discovery raised fears that even more bodies could be dumped into the Setit, known in Ethiopia as the Tekeze. The refugees say the corpses found in recent days have been bloated and drained of color. Some had been mutilated, they say, including with severed genitals, gouged eyes and a missing limb. Others were found with their hands bound or had gunshot wounds.

Two bodies were pulled out on Friday and four more on Saturday, according to the Tigray League, a newly created group of Tigrayan refugees in Sudans Kassala and al-Qadarif provinces. It helps other refugees who fled the conflict to Sudan, and has also helped search for and bury the bodies.

The six bodies, like the previous ones, were buried in graves dug by refugees in the border village of Wad el-Hilu on the Sudanese side of the river.

Since the Tigray war began in November, more than 60,000 Tigrayans have fled to Sudan, where thousands remain in makeshift camps a short walk from the river in the hope of hearing news from new arrivals.

Tefera said the group has contacted Sudanese authorities in the area and other aid groups, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, to help with search efforts along the river, identifications of the bodies and the causes of their deaths.

A senior Sudanese official said the military, in cooperation with the local community, would start search missions, possibly next week. The official said he believes more bodies could be found in the river. He didnt provide additional details and spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic and frayed ties between Sudan and Ethiopia.

Erika Tovar, the ICRCs spokeswoman in Sudans capital of Khartoum, said forensic examinations are the work of Sudanese authorities, but the ICRC is ready to support with materials for the proper handling of the bodies. Forensic procedures for investigations and other related activities are the work on Sudanese authorities however, she added.

The U.N. refugee agency visited the village earlier this week and confirmed seeing one of the bodies pulled from the river along with what appear to be several fresh graves. It said it was unable to confirm the identifies of the dead or how they died.

Refugees believe the bodies were Tigrayans who were dumped into the river at Humera, which has seen some of the worst violence since the war began in November.

Doctors who saw the bodies pulled out from the river said some had tattoos or facial markings common among Tigrayans, raising fresh alarm about atrocities in the least-known area of the Tigray war.

Ethiopias government has accused rival Tigray forces of dumping the bodies themselves for propaganda purposes. A fake massacre, the spokeswoman for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Billene Seyoum, told reporters Thursday.

The bodies discovery has added international pressure on the government of Ahmed, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. It faces accusations by the U.N., the United States and the European Union of besieging Tigray and blocking food and other aid to millions of people.

Hundreds of thousands face famine conditions in one of the worlds worst hunger crises in a decade, as the war expands to other regions in Ethiopia, Africas second-most populous country and the anchor of the often-volatile Horn of Africa.

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The war in Ethiopia has expanded beyond Tigray and risks widening further, with a national call to arms threatening to draw in civilians from all corners of the vast country.

Here's what you need to know about the evolving conflict in Africa's second most populous nation:

Where is the fighting?

The war kicked off nine months ago in Tigray, a small but strategically vital and historically powerful region in the north along Ethiopia's border with Eritrea. But it has since spread to other parts of the country.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner, sent the army into Tigray after accusing the region's ruling party of mounting attacks against federal army camps.

Abiy vowed to defeat the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) quickly but pro-government forces became mired in a counterinsurgency campaign that dragged on for months.

In June, TPLF forces mounted a fresh offensive and took control of the regional capital Mekele.

They then pushed beyond Tigray into the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions.

Swathes of northern Ethiopia, including areas previously untouched by the conflict, have become embroiled in active combat as frontlines continue to shift.

Who is involved?

In recent weeks all of Ethiopia's 10 regions and its two administrative areas -- Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa -- have deployed new troops to the conflict zone.

Afar, which borders Djibouti, has marshalled its special forces and militias to confront pro-TPLF forces on its soil.

Amhara, a region located just south of Tigray, has been involved in the war since November, when its forces seized and occupied territory that its leaders accuse the TPLF of illegally annexing three decades ago.

More recently, militia fighters have mobilised and regional officials have rallied Amhara citizens to enlist, warning that their very "survival" is at stake.

What does Abiy want?

Abiy declared a unilateral ceasefire in late June as Tigrayan forces swept into Mekele, saying a pause in fighting was needed to allow farmers to plant crops ahead of the harvest season.

But the government says the rebels, who it calls "terrorists", ignored this and instead dispatched troops to loot and murder in Afar and Amhara. A spokesman for the TPLF has denied allegations of abuses including the use of child soldiers.

On August 10, just days after threatening to deploy Ethiopia's "entire defensive capability" against the rebels, Abiy urged all eligible civilians to enlist and stop the TPLF "once and for all".

"Now is the right time... to show your patriotism", he said. Those unable to fight could contribute in other ways such as providing moral and material support to the army, he added.

The appeal for mass mobilisation suggests a major offensive could be in the offing and that the ceasefire is as good as dead.

What do the rebels want?

The TPLF has stated it does not intend to hold territory outside Tigray and is instead focused on two goals: facilitating humanitarian aid access and preventing pro-government forces from regrouping.

But it has promised to "liberate every square inch of Tigray", including southern and western parts of the region that have been occupied by Amhara forces since the early days of the war.

TPLF leaders have also called for the withdrawal of Eritrean forces, which have backed Abiy's army, from Tigray.

The US has urged the TPLF to withdraw from Afar and Amhara.

But the rebels have refused to budge until restrictions on aid into Tigray are lifted.

Where does the international community stand?

The deadly brinkmanship comes as world leaders ramp up calls for a negotiated ceasefire to allow desperately-needed aid into Tigray.

The United Nations says 400,000 people face famine-like conditions in the region, as aid convoys grapple with security woes and bureaucratic hurdles.

The war has strained ties with historic allies including the US, with the Biden administration openly critical of the war.

Addis Ababa has accused foreign, especially Western, leaders of overlooking crimes by the TPLF and accused aid groups of aiding -- and even arming the rebels.

The conflict has also exacerbated fraught relations within the volatile Horn of Africa region.

Sudan recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia this month, saying Addis Ababa had spurned its efforts to mediate a settlement in Tigray.

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The United States on Wednesday praised Sudan's decision to hand over ex-dictator Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court, saying the move would be a "major step" in the country's democratic transition.

"We welcome" the decision, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters, saying that "doing so would be a major step for Sudan in the fight against decades of impunity."

Sudan will hand longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir to the ICC along with other officials wanted over the Darfur conflict, Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi said on Wednesday.

Bashir, 77, has been wanted by the ICC for more than a decade over charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Sudanese region.



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Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid left for Morocco Wednesday on the first official visit since Rabat joined three other Arab countries in normalising ties last year.

"Taking off for a historic visit to Morocco!" Lapid wrote on Twitter, posting a photograph of the El Al airline departures screen.

Israel and Morocco normalised ties last year after then US president Donald Trump recognised Morocco's contested sovereignty in Western Sahara.

Morocco was the fourth Arab state to establish ties with Israel last year after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.

Lapid is scheduled to open a diplomatic office in Rabat and hold talks with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita.

He is also expected to visit the Beth-El synagogue in Casablanca on his two-day visit, the Israeli foreign ministry said.

The North African country hosts the Arab world's largest Jewish community of some 3,000 people.

They are the remnant of a once much larger community. Some 700,000 Jews of Moroccan descent now live in Israel.

Morocco and Israel maintained liaison offices in the 1990s, before closing them during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, that raged from 2000 to 2005.

Lapid's visit to Rabat follows a June trip to the United Arab Emirates, where he inaugurated the new Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi.

It comes just days before Israel is due to require all travellers returning from Morocco to quarantine following a review of the risks of Covid-19 infection.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Related Egypt extends its condolences to Algeria over wildfire victims

At least 65 people, 28 of them soldiers deployed as relief firefighters, have been killed as dozens of wildfires raged for a second day in Algeria Wednesday, state television reported.

"The death toll from the forest fires has climbed to 65 dead -- 28 soldiers and 37 civilians -- most of them in Tizi Ouzou district" east of the capital, it said.

Another 12 soldiers were "in hospital in a critical condition", the television added, following the latest wildfires to hit the Mediterranean this summer.

The mountainous Kabyle region, 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Algeria's capital of Algiers, is dotted with difficult-to-access villages and with temperatures rising has had limited water. Some villagers were fleeing, while others tried to hold back the flames themselves, using buckets, branches and rudimentary tools. The region has no water-dumping planes.

The deaths and injuries Tuesday occurred mainly around Kabyle's capital of Tizi-Ouzou, which is flanked by mountains, and also in Bejaia, which borders the Mediterranean Sea, the president said.

The prime minister told state television that initial reports from security services showed the fires in Kabyle were ``highly synchronized,'' adding that ``leads one to believe these were criminal acts.'' Earlier, Interior Minister Kamel Beldjoud traveled to Kabyle to assess the situation and also blamed the fires there on arson.

``Thirty fires at the same time in the same region can't be by chance,'' Beldjoud said on national television, although no arrests were announced.

There were no immediate details to explain the high death toll among the military. A photo pictured on the site of the Liberte daily showed a soldier with a shovel dousing sputtering flames with dirt, his automatic weapon slung over his shoulder.

Dozens of blazes sprang up Monday in Kabyle and elsewhere, and Algerian authorities sent in the army to help citizens battle blazes and evacuate. Multiple fires were burning through forests and devouring olive trees, cattle and chickens that provide the livelihoods of families in the Kabyle region.

The Civil Protection authority counted 41 blazes in 18 wilayas, or regions, as of Monday night, with 21 of them burning around Tizi Ouzou.

A 92-year-old woman living in the Kabyle mountain village of Ait Saada said the scene Monday night looked like ``the end of the world.''

``We were afraid,'' Fatima Aoudia told The Associated Press. ``The entire hill was transformed into a giant blaze.''

Aoudia compared the scene to bombings by French troops during Algeria's brutal independence war, which ended in 1962.

``These burned down forests. It's a part of me that is gone,'' Aoudia said. ``It's a drama for humanity, for nature. It's a disaster.''

An opposition party with roots in the Kabyle region, the RCD, denounced authorities' slow response to the rash of blazes as citizens organized local drives to collect bottled water and other supplies. Calls for help, including from Algerians living abroad, went out on social media, one in English trending on Twitter with the hashtag (hash)PrayforAlgeria. Photos and videos posted showed plumes of dark smoke and orange skies rising above hillside villages or soldiers in army fatigues without protective clothing.

Climate scientists say there is little doubt climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms. A worsening drought and heat _ both linked to climate change _ are driving wildfires in the U.S. West and Russia's northern region of Siberia. Extreme heat is also fueling the massive fires in Greece and Turkey.

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Israeli settlers on Wednesday stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque under strict protection by Israeli police.



According to sources, the settlers broke into the mosque from Al-Magharebah Gate and made tours inside the mosque.

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Delegates from war-torn Libya launched a new round of UN-led talks via video conference on Wednesday aiming to reach a compromise ahead of planned elections.

The meeting comes six weeks after the failure of negotiations held in Switzerland between the 75 participants from all sides gathered for the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya was forced to acknowledge the failure of that session after four days, due to a lack of consensus among the delegates.

On Wednesday, the forum will again try to agree on a constitutional framework to govern the crucial parliamentary and presidential elections in December.

Oil-rich Libya was plunged into chaos after dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising.

Two rival administrations later emerged. While Turkey supported an administration in Tripoli, the Libyan National Army's (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar enjoyed backing from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia.

Under a UN-backed ceasefire agreed last October, an interim administration was established in March to prepare for presidential and parliamentary polls on December 24.

The agreement was widely hailed as "historic" at the time.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Foreign Minister Yair Lapid landed in Morocco Wednesday for the first visit by a senior Israeli official since the two sides agreed to normalise ties in 2020, his office said.

"Wheels down," the Israeli foreign ministry said on Twitter, adding that Lapid and his delegation "have arrived in #Morocco".

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Sudan will hand longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court along with other officials wanted over the Darfur conflict, Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi said on Wednesday.

Bashir, 77, has been wanted by the ICC for more than a decade over charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Sudanese region.

The "cabinet decided to hand over wanted officials to the ICC," Mahdi was quoted as saying by state media, without giving a time frame.

The United Nations says 300,000 people were killed and 2.5 million displaced in the Darfur conflict, which erupted in the vast western region in 2003.

Bashir, who ruled Sudan with an iron fist for three decades before being deposed amid popular protests in 2019, is behind bars in Khartoum's high security Kober prison.

The Hague-based ICC issued an arrest warrant for Bashir in 2009 for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

It issued another warrant for him the next year for genocide, but he openly defied the court by repeatedly travelling abroad.

The decision to hand him over came during a visit to Sudan by ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan.

Sudan's attorney general Mubarak Mahmoud said on Tuesday in a meeting with Khan that his office was ready to cooperate "with the ICC in all cases especially the victims of the Darfur war in order to bring justice to them".

Bashir was ousted in April 2009 after four months of mass nationwide protests against his rule after his government tripled the price of bread.

The former strongman was convicted in December 2019 for corruption, and has been on trial in Khartoum since July 2020 for the Islamist-backed 1989 coup which brought him to power.

Amnesty International has previously called for Bashir to be held accountable for "horrific crimes", referring to the genocide in Darfur.

Sudan has been led since August 2019 by a transitional civilian-military administration that has vowed to bring justice to victims of crimes committed under Bashir.

Khartoum signed a peace deal last October with key Darfuri rebel groups, with some of their leaders taking top jobs in government, although violence continues to dog the region.

The Darfur war broke out in 2003 when non-Arab rebels took up arms complaining of systematic discrimination by Bashir's Arab-dominated government.

Khartoum responded by unleashing the notorious Janjaweed militia, recruited from among the region's nomadic peoples.

Human rights groups have long accused Bashir and his former aides of using a scorched earth policy, raping, killing, looting and burning villages.

In July, a peacekeeping force completed its withdrawal from the war-ravaged region.

The vast, arid and impoverished western region awash with guns is still reeling with episodic violence.

Earlier this month, seven fighters from rebel groups that signed a peace deal with the transitional government were killed in clashes.

Last year, alleged senior Janjaweed militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman, also known by the nom de guerre Ali Kushayb, surrendered to the court.

ICC judges said in July he would be the first suspect to be tried over the Darfur conflict, facing 31 counts including murder, rape and torture.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Elections to the 45-seat shura council, as proposed under a 2004 constitution, have been postponed repeatedly and its members have instead been directly named by the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Following the publication of an election law on July 29, the polls are now expected to be held in October although a date has yet to be set.

Only descendants of Qataris who were citizens in 1930 will be eligible to vote and stand, disqualifying members of families naturalised since that year.

The sizable al-Murra tribe is one of those which could be excluded, according to Cinzia Bianco, a research fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

"This is an issue that the Qataris have had since a decade, as they educated their citizens to pursue democracy," she told AFP.

Bianco pointed to significant pushback on social media.

"Undoubtedly there is strong external interference to amplify the dissent for political reasons, but we should not hide behind trolls to delegitimise the organic discontent that exists," she told AFP.

Candidates will have to stand in constituencies linked to where their family or tribe was based in the 1930s, using data compiled by the then British-controlled authorities.

The council, to be made up of 30 elected members and 15 appointed by the emir, can propose legislation, sack ministers and approve the annual budget, but its decisions are subject to veto by the Gulf state's ruler.

Bianco pointed to a possible compromise under which representatives of a family or tribe excluded by the electoral law could instead be appointed directly.

Under electoral campaign rules, political parties are banned as is "stirring up tribal or sectarian strife among citizens in any way".

The election law has sparked a torrent of fake news on social media with the Arabic hashtag #BoycottQatarElections trending on Twitter, despite initially being posted by only one account, indicating manipulation.

Election rules ban candidates receiving financial support from abroad, at the risk of five years imprisonment.

Candidates are subject to campaign spending limits of 2 million riyals ($533,000).

They must be over 30, not a minister or member of the armed forces, and cannot have a seat on Qatar's municipal council, and they will be vetted by the interior ministry.

Members of the ruling Al-Thani family are also be barred from standing but they can vote.

October's vote will be Qatar's first legislative election, although Qataris have cast ballots on constitutional reforms and elected a Central Municipal Council.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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His visit was overshadowed by the mass surrender of hundreds of Afghan soldiers in nearby Kunduz, along with the overnight capture of another provincial capital -- the ninth city to be overrun since Friday.

One army officer who asked not to be identified said they had endured withering mortar fire at Kunduz airport, and were left with no choice but to surrender. "There was no way to fight back," he told AFP.

"My unit, with 20 soldiers, three humvees and four pick-up trucks just surrendered. We are now all waiting to get our pardon letter. There is a big queue."

In Mazar, Ghani held talks with long-time local strongman Atta Mohammad Noor and infamous warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum about the defence of the city, as Taliban fighters inched closer to its outskirts.

Officials gave no indication of the outcome, but later Wednesday said two of the country's top soldiers had been replaced by General Hibatullah Alizia as armed forces chief and General Sami Sadat leading the elite commandos.

The loss of Mazar would be a catastrophic blow to the Kabul government and represent the complete collapse of its control over the north -- long a bastion of anti-Taliban militias.

Hours before Ghani arrived, pictures posted on official government social media accounts showed Dostum boarding a plane in Kabul en route to Mazar, along with a contingent of commandos.

'The Taliban Never Learn'

After arriving in the city, Dostum issued a warning to the approaching insurgents.

"The Taliban never learn from the past," he told reporters, vowing to kill the jihadists.

"The Taliban have come to the north several times but they were always trapped. It is not easy for them to get out."

Dostum stands accused of massacring hundreds, if not thousands, of Taliban prisoners of war during the US-backed operations in 2001 that toppled the hardline Islamists' rule over the country.

Fighting in Afghanistan's long-running conflict has escalated dramatically since May, when the US-led military coalition began the final stage of a withdrawal set to be completed before the end of the month.

Further to the east of Mazar, in Badakhshan province's capital Faizabad, a local lawmaker told AFP that security forces had retreated after days of heavy clashes.

"The Taliban have captured the city," said Zabihullah Attiq.

Kunduz remains the Taliban's biggest prize to date, with the mass surrender at the airport making a potential counterattack to retake the provincial capital unlikely for the time being.

An unknown number of government forces were still holding out at an army barracks outside the city.

The insurgents appeared to be consolidating their hold over captured cities in the north, with rifle-toting militants patrolling the streets of Kunduz on foot and in captured armoured humvees as smoke rose from smouldering shops destroyed during the fight for the city.

Government forces were also battling the hardline Islamists in Kandahar and Helmand, the southern Pashto-speaking provinces from where the Taliban draw their strength.

Indifferent To Peace

In Kandahar, heavy fighting was reported near the city's prison, which the militants have been trying to reach for weeks.

The Taliban frequently target prisons to release incarcerated fighters and replenish their ranks.

But even as the Taliban rout continued, US President Joe Biden gave no suggestion he might delay his deadline to withdraw all American troops by August 31, instead urging Afghan leaders to "fight for themselves".

US diplomats were also desperately trying to breathe life back into all-but-dead talks between the Afghan government and Taliban in Doha, where Washington's special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was pushing the insurgents to accept a ceasefire.

The Taliban have appeared largely indifferent to peace overtures, and seem intent on a military victory to crown a return to power after their ouster 20 years ago in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

After conquering most of the north, the Taliban have now set their sights on Mazar -- long a linchpin for the government's control of the area -- after capturing Sheberghan to its west, and Kunduz and Taloqan to its east.

Mazar saw some of the bloodiest fighting during the Taliban's scorched-earth rampage through the country in the 1990s, with rights groups accusing the jihadists of massacring up to 2,000 civilians -- mostly Shiite Hazaras -- after capturing the city in 1998.

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Senior members of President Joe Biden's administration met with counterparts in Mexico Tuesday for talks on addressing illegal migration to the US, according to the White House.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas led the delegation to meet with senior Mexican government officials about working jointly to slow crossings along the US southern border. Officials also discussed other economic and security issues as well as COVID-19 response.

Mexico's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement after the meetings that the two sides had analyzed recent migration flows and agreed to expand cooperation aimed at achieving orderly and safe migration.

The visit came a day after Vice President Kamala Harris, who was tapped by Biden to lead the administration's efforts to stem the ``root causes'' of migration from Central America, spoke with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to reiterate that addressing the issue was a ``top priority'' for the administration.

US 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 appeared to continue in July, despite soaring temperatures that often deter people from coming.

Last week, the US government began flying Central American migrants expelled from the US deep into Mexico to deter them from trying to reach the border again. Mexican officials were then deporting them.

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Thai police fired water cannon, rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters in Bangkok for a second day on Wednesday as demonstrators rallied against the government and its handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Protesters defied a ban on public gatherings as Thailand tries to curb its worst virus outbreak so far, with more than 21,000 new infections announced Wednesday.

The slow rollout of the kingdom's vaccination programme as well as financial hardship from restrictions are fuelling public anger towards Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha's government.

About 150 demonstrators gathered at a major intersection by Bangkok's Victory Monument on Wednesday afternoon, intending to march to Prayut's residence.

They quickly dispersed when riot police moved in but regrouped in a cat and mouse game with officers throughout the evening.

Earlier protesters burnt an effigy of a Thai judge who had denied bail to leaders of past protests.

"Police are not our enemies. Our true enemy is the government," one protester told the rally.

Authorities then used shipping containers to block the route to Prayut's residence, prompting a separate clash in heavy rain as police fired rubber bullets and tear gas from an elevated road.

Protesters retaliated by flinging projectiles and setting a police tow truck on fire, sending black smoke pluming into the air.

Sporadic clashes continued into the evening, with police deploying water cannon.

Officers Injured

Eight officers were injured, mainly by protesters throwing fireworks, police said, adding that they had made 13 arrests.

"The protesters repeatedly attacked police by throwing firecrackers, ping pong bombs, and (using) slingshots," Royal Thai Police deputy spokesman Kissana Phathanacharoen told reporters.

Demonstrators also clashed with police in Bangkok on Tuesday, with 48 arrested and nine officers injured including one shot in the leg.

Officers used tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets while protesters retaliated with firecrackers and rocks.

Bangkok police, facing accusations of heavy-handedness, have insisted their approach is in line with the law and urged people not to jeopardise public health and safety.

A youth-led pro-democracy movement began in Thailand last year and at its peak drew tens of thousands of people to rallies demanding the resignation of Prayut, the former army chief who came to power in a 2014 coup.

The movement broke long-held taboos by demanding reforms to Thailand's monarchy, and scores of protesters have been hit with multiple royal defamation charges, which carry maximum penalties of 15-year jail terms.

But the movement lost momentum as Covid-19 cases surged and its leaders were detained.

A Bangkok criminal court on Wednesday denied bail to protest leader and human rights lawyer Anon Numpa, citing concerns over the likelihood of further offending and breaching bail conditions.

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Egypt does not intend to liquidate its National Investment Bank (NIB), the banks Vice Chairman and Managing Director Ashraf Negm said in a statement released on Wednesday through the Ministry of Planning and Economic Developments media office.

Negm asserted that work is currently underway to implement a plan to restructure the NIB, which the government announced three years ago.

The plan includes a number of experts and specialists, and is being implemented within the framework of the structural reforms of the Egyptian economy. The plan is also based on scheduling and paying the bank's obligations during the coming period according to a clear and agreed upon timetable.

It also includes the main pillars for resolving financial entanglements between the bank and government institutions, according to Negm.

Part of these entanglements has already been resolved with a number of government institutions, whereby the bank acquired a number of high-value assets, Negm said.

Negm explained that work is being done on developing and maximising the value of the bank's assets so that it can play its pivotal role in the national economy.

He further pointed out that this coincides with the bank's implementation of an administrative restructuring process that matches its role and requirements in the upcoming period.

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The ninth round of the International Forum for Higher Education in Egypt and the Middle East (EDUGATE) was held in Cairo from 9 to 11 August with the participation of Russia.

National and private Egyptian universities, representatives from European, American, and Arab universities, and international donors took part in the forum as well.

The annual EDUGATE is Egypt's higher education fair gathering universities, training institutions, and scholarship and grant providers under one roof. For the past eight years it has been the most acclaimed education forum in Egypt and the Middle East.

Representing Russia at this years summer edition of EDUGATE was a delegation from the Russian University for Friendship Among Peoples (RUFAP) led by Martina Ekaterina, head of the Department for Middle East and North African Countries at RUFAP, and Diana Kuznetsova, the European and American countries affairs specialist.

RUFAP is always keen to attend the annual forum due to the interest of Egyptian youth to study in Russia, said Larisa Efremova, RUFAPs vice president for international activities.

The RUFAP delegation gave a presentation at the forum about education in Russia and the disciplines available, including Russian scholarships for Egyptian students.

Alexey Tevanyan, director of Russian cultural centres in Egypt and counsellor of the Russian Embassy, pointed out that Egypt-Russia cooperation in the field of education has been growing of late.

This is evident in the large number of Egyptians studying in Russia, estimated at about 16,000, which reflects the Egyptian confidence in Russian education," Tevanyan said.

Sherif Gad, president of the Egyptian Association and the Arab Union for Graduates of Russian and Soviet Universities stressed the distinguished relations between the RUFAP and Arab alumni associations.

RUFAP participated in the Arab Forum for Graduates of Russian and Soviet Universities, which was held in Cairo two years ago. In addition, the Egyptian Association for Graduates of Russian and Soviet Universities will ink a cooperation agreement with RUFAP for further joint cooperation, Gad said.

The last round of EDUGATE, winter 2021 edition, received 15,000 visitors and 60 exhibitors from 10 countries over three days.

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On 9 August, the first batch of the US Johnson & Johnsons Janssen (JNJ.N) Covid-19 vaccine arrived in Cairo. The 261,600 doses received will be distributed between 126 vaccination centres, with priority given to people travelling abroad.Khaled Megahed, Ministry of Health spokesman, said the first batch of JNJ.N is the initial shipment of 20 million doses under a contract between Egypt and the African Export-Import Bank. This month Egypt will receive further shipments of the Oxford AstraZeneca, the Russian Sputnik and the Chinese Sinopharm vaccines via COVAX, a global agreement established by the Geneva-based GAVI vaccine alliance and the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the distribution of vaccines. This is in addition to local production of the Covid-19 Sinovac vaccine, said Megahed.The ministry has singled out 126 centres of the countrys 400 centres to vaccinate people who are travelling abroad. These centres will provide travellers with a printed copy of the vaccination certificate with QR codes, said Megahed. He added that travellers can register on the ministrys website http://egcovac.mohp.gov.eg and make an appointment for the vaccination within 72 hours.Five million of the 10 million citizens registered on the ministrys website have already been vaccinated.According to Megahed, Egypt will receive 148.2 million doses of coronavirus vaccines by the end of this month, sufficient to vaccinate 83.7 million people.Production of one million doses of the Sinovac vaccine has already begun at Egypts Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA).VACSERA is scheduled to produce more than 200 million doses of the vaccine by the end of this year, enough to meet the governments target of vaccinating 40 million citizens and exporting the surplus.Health officials are currently examining the possibility of vaccinating children against the highly contagious Delta variant. The Health Ministrys Scientific Committee to Combat Coronavirus has identified children as particularly vulnerable to the Delta Plus virus. Vaccinating children aims to boost their immunity against the mutated specie. Vaccinations will be prioritised after the elderly and those with chronic disease have received their jabs, said Megahed.Taha Abdel-Hamid Awad, professor of chest diseases and allergies at the Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, says vaccines are particularly important for children. Recently there has been a spike in coronavirus infections among children, many of whom are asymptomatic. We need to urgently vaccinate children with chronic diseases such as diabetes, Mediterranean fever, and cancer, said Awad.The immunity system of children responds like adults, forming antibodies when they receive vaccines. The initial target group for vaccination are aged between 12 and 18, said Awad, who adds that a national awareness campaign to inform children and parents about the importance and benefits vaccination is urgently needed.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 August, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adds to growing laboratory evidence that people who had one bout of COVID-19 get a dramatic boost in virus-fighting immune cells  and a bonus of broader protection against new mutants  when theyre vaccinated.

If you have had COVID-19 before, please still get vaccinated, said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. Getting the vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and others around you, especially as the more contagious delta variant spreads around the country.

According to a new Gallup survey, one of the main reasons Americans cite for not planning to get vaccinated is the belief that theyre protected since they already had COVID-19. From the beginning health authorities have urged survivors to get the broader protection vaccination promises. While the shots arent perfect, they are providing strong protection against hospitalization and death even from the delta mutant.

Scientists say infection does generally leave survivors protected against a serious reinfection at least with a similar version of the virus, but blood tests have signaled that protection drops against worrisome variants.

Researchers studied Kentucky residents with a lab-confirmed coronavirus infection in 2020, the vast majority of them between October and December. They compared 246 people who got reinfected in May or June of this year with 492 similar survivors who stayed healthy. The survivors who never got vaccinated had a significantly higher risk of reinfection than those who were fully vaccinated, even though most had their first bout of COVID-19 just six to nine months ago.

A different variant of the coronavirus caused most illnesses in 2020, while the newer alpha version was predominant in Kentucky in May and June, said study lead author Alyson Cavanaugh, a CDC disease detective working with that states health department.

That suggests natural immunity from earlier infection isnt as strong as the boost those people can get from vaccination while the virus evolves, she said.

Theres little information yet on reinfections with the newer delta variant. But U.S. health officials point to early data from Britain that the reinfection risk appears greater with delta than with the once-common alpha variant, once people are six months past their prior infection.

Theres no doubt that vaccinating a COVID-19 survivor enhances both the amount and breadth of immunity so that you cover not only the original (virus) but the variants, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. governments top infectious disease expert, said .

The CDC recommends full vaccination, meaning both doses of two-dose vaccines, for everyone.

But in a separate study published Friday in JAMA Network Open, Rush University researchers reported just one vaccine dose gives the previously infected a dramatic boost in virus-fighting immune cells, more than people who have never been infected get from two shots.

Other recent studies published in Science and Nature show the combination of a prior infection and vaccination also broadens the strength of peoples immunity against a changing virus. Its what virologist Shane Crotty of Californias La Jolla Institute for Immunology calls hybrid immunity.

Vaccinated survivors can make antibodies that can recognize all kinds of variants even if you were never exposed to the variant, Crotty said. Its pretty sweet.

One warning for anyone thinking of skipping vaccination if they had a prior infection: The amount of natural immunity can vary from person to person, possibly depending on how sick they were to begin with. The Rush University study found four of 29 previously infected people had no detectable antibodies before they were vaccinated  and the vaccines worked for them just like they work for people who never had COVID-19.

Why do many of the previously infected have such a robust response to vaccination? It has to do with how the immune system develops multiple layers of protection.

After either vaccination or infection, the body develops antibodies that can fend off the coronavirus the next time it tries to invade. Those naturally wane over time. If an infection sneaks past them, T cells help prevent serious illness by killing virus-infected cells -- and memory B cells jump into action to make lots of new antibodies.

Those memory B cells dont just make copies of the original antibodies. In immune system boot camps called germinal centers, they also mutate antibody-producing genes to test out a range of those virus fighters, explained University of Pennsylvania immunologist John Wherry.

The result is essentially a library of antibody recipes that the body can choose from after future exposures  and that process is stronger when vaccination triggers the immune systems original memory of fighting the actual virus.

With the delta variants super infectiousness, getting vaccinated despite a prior infection is more important now than it was before to be sure, Crotty said. The breadth of your antibodies and potency against variants is going to be far better than what you have right now.

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KYODO NEWS - Aug 11, 2021 - 19:20 | All, Japan

Japan's government and its space agency will join hands with food and tech companies to launch research on developing a sustainable food source on the Moon, in an attempt to encourage the private sector to enter the space business, sources with direct knowledge of the plan said.

The public-private joint study could start by March, spearheaded by Space Foodsphere, a Tokyo-based space food research group comprised of dozens of entities including the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, seasoning maker Ajinomoto Co. and system integrator NTT Data Corp., according to the sources.

Technology startups such as bio-venture Euglena Co. are also among the participants in the project to be funded by the government.

The basic research is designed to meet demand for a supply of food on the Moon for long-term lunar missions involving a large number of crew members, which would make constant food shipments from Earth impractical.

Long-term travel to the Moon is becoming increasingly likely, with lunar exploration projects launched by the United States, China and other countries. Japan is involved in the NASA-led Artemis program, which outlines the exploration and utilization of resources in space including those on the Moon.

The public-private team will begin research at a domestic facility and then may move to a location similar to the lunar environment, such as Antarctica, according to the sources.

Their study aims to help develop technologies to operate a plant factory for indoor crop yields on the Moon where the temperatures are below minus 100 C and there is a lack of water and air necessary for growing crops. The study will also include how to maintain healthy mental and physical conditions in a confined space for long periods of time.

These technologies, if developed, are also expected to solve issues of farming under desertification and climate change on Earth.

In the private sector, Amazon.com Inc. founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos last month flew to space aboard a rocket and capsule developed by his private space company, Blue Origin. Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa is also planning to orbit the Moon on the world's first-ever private space trip, organized by U.S. firm SpaceX for 2023.

The global space industry is estimated to generate revenue of more than $1 trillion in 2040, up from the current $350 billion, according to a Morgan Stanley report.

Related coverage:

Amazon founder Bezos successfully flies to space on own rocket

Japanese astronaut Noguchi expects space tourism to accelerate

Japan researchers' gene preservation in space could be "Noah's Ark"
KYODO NEWS - Aug 11, 2021 - 22:24 | All, Japan

A German frigate plans to make a port call at Tokyo in November after visiting Australia and Guam as part of its mission in the Indo-Pacific region, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has said.

The plan comes as China asserts territorial claims in the East and South China seas, with Germany vowing to reinforce ties with Japan and other regional partners by dispatching the Bayern and upholding freedom of navigation in international waters.

The naval vessel, which left the German port of Wilhelmshaven on Aug. 2, is expected to take part in joint drills with the Maritime Self-Defense Force in an effort to enhance coordination with Japan.

"It is important that Germany shows its presence in the Indo-Pacific region into the future," Kramp-Karrenbauer told Kyodo News in a recent interview.

In April, the defense and foreign ministers of Japan and Germany agreed to work closely toward establishing a rules-based order in the region during the countries' first so-called two-plus-two security dialogue.

France and Britain have also sent naval vessels to the Indo-Pacific, with the three European powers eyeing closer coordination with U.S. President Joe Biden's administration, which has been stepping up pressure on an increasingly assertive China.

In the first deployment of a German naval ship to the Indo-Pacific in nearly 20 years, the Bayern plans to visit South Korea before sailing in disputed areas of the South China Sea, where China has built fortified outposts, according to the minister.

The Bayern is also scheduled to visit Vietnam and other ports in the region during the seven-month mission.

"We would like to send a clear signal for the reinforcement of orders and multilateralism," said Kramp-Karrenbauer, a former leader of the Christian Democratic Union, Germany's ruling party.

She said she has informed her Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe of the Bayern's planned passage in the South China Sea.

Kramp-Karrenbauer said the strategically important waterway is international waters, and that she supports a 2016 international tribunal ruling that dismissed Beijing's claim to much of the South China Sea.

In the South China Sea, numerous sovereign claims to islands, rocks, and reefs overlap, with Beijing claiming the lion's share.

However, Kramp-Karrenbauer pointed out that China is an important economic partner of Germany, suggesting the Bayern is not expected to sail in the Taiwan Strait.

Germany released its comprehensive Indo-Pacific strategy last September, signaling the country's shift away from a China-centered Asia policy.

With Berlin aspiring to play a role in the region's waters, the minister said further deployments of vessels are being discussed as part of efforts for the country's continual engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

Germany is planning joint air force activities with Australia in the region next year as well, according to Kramp-Karrenbauer.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 11, 2021 - 16:46 | World, All

Taliban insurgents say they have captured more provincial capitals in Afghanistan in recent days, bringing the total under their control to nine out of 34 capitals as U.S. troop withdrawals continue.

U.S. President Joe Biden suggested Tuesday his administration does not intend to revisit the decision to withdraw troops from the war-torn country, telling reporters in Washington that Afghan government forces must fight for their own country.

The Taliban have declared their successful captures of provincial capitals for six days in a row until Wednesday, starting with Zaranj, the capital of Nimruz Province in the southwest on Friday.

The situation is continuing to deteriorate as soldiers hit by low morale leave the government forces ahead of the planned completion of the U.S. troop withdrawal by the end of this month.

Most of the provinces whose capitals were overrun by the Taliban in recent days are in the country's north and west.

The insurgents said Tuesday they brought under control Farah, the capital of Farah Province in the west, and Pul-i-Khumri, the capital of Baghlan Province in the north, with local officials confirming the Taliban's victories there.

The insurgents said Wednesday they have newly captured Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan Province in the northeast.

Pul-i-Khumri is a connecting point on an artery that connects the national capital Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif, the largest strategic point in the country's north. Major facilities in the provincial capital were captured as security forces withdrew to a government force base in the suburbs, according a local official.

In Farah, the Taliban occupied the governor's house and a prison, among other locations.

Meanwhile, an international conference on intra-Afghan peace was held in Qatar on Tuesday with representatives from the United States, Russia, China and Pakistan as well as the Afghan government.

Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan government's reconciliation council, called for support from the international community, saying in his speech that the Taliban have broken a promise to accelerate cease-fire talks and caused an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

The Afghan government and the Taliban issued a joint statement in July saying they had agreed to speed up the talks, but no progress has been made.
New Delhi:

Around 128 private schools in Delhi, including some big names, have decided to roll back their arbitrary fee hikes, an official at the chief ministers office said on Thursday.

Also Read | PM Modi, Shah hand urns with Vajpayee's ashes to party chiefs

The decision was taken as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal issued directions to the school authorities to roll back their arbitrary fee hike after receiving complaints.

The parents were satisfied as the government kept its promise of monitoring the private school fees under check and this action will enable the parents to breathe relaxation, according to the official.

In April, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal directed the education department to issue notices to 195 private schools across the city and demanded that the authorities roll back their fee hike. In July, Kejriwal again asked the Directorate of education to submit a compliance report on whether the private schools had rolled back the fee hike as ordered by the government.

Out of 195 private schools, 128 have informed the directorate of education that they are rolling back their hiked fees. The move will benefit 2.03 lakh students studying at these 128 schools. Remaining 67 private schools will soon be served show-cause notices for not complying with the orders, a government spokesperson said.

Also Read | Atal Bihari Vajpayees ashes to be immersed in West Bengal's Gangasagar tomorrow

He said that the co-existence of private and government schools will only benefit the city, but the arbitrary fee hike had caused a grim concern.

In April, after the fee hike was issued, the CMs office was flooded with complaints regarding the issue. This demanded serious attention and hence directions were issued by the government to schools to roll back the fee hike.

Checking the arbitrary hike in school fees is one of the main promises of this government. It has been successful in not letting the schools increase their fees arbitrarily and in the past several schools had to return increased fees to the parents after governments intervention, the government official said.

The official informed that the education minister Manish Sisodia would meet the representative of all the 128 schools who had agreed to the governments orders and discuss how to take the education system forward in Delhi.

Also Read | Amarnath Yatra 2018: Yatra suspended from Jammu base camp due to inclement weather
New Delhi:

Benchmark Sensex shed about 85 points to close at 38,251.80 on Friday after three straight record-setting sessions on emergence of profit-booking amid caution in global markets. However, both the key indices Sensex and Nifty finished with gains for the fifth straight week.

Investors were also cautious after the rupee depreciated further against the US dollar to quote at 70.24 (intra-day).

Also Read | Bigg Boss 11 finalist Hina Khan spends peaceful time after Eid

Sentiment took a hit largely in sync with a weak trend in global markets amid escalating trade tensions between the US and China as talks between the two countries ended without any significant outcome. The BSE 30-share barometer, after a higher start at 38,366.79, advanced to 38,429.50 in morning trade on continued buying by investors.

However, across-the-board profit booking at record levels pulled it down to a low of 38,172.77. It finally settled 84.96 points, or 0.22 per cent lower at 38,251.80. The gauge had gained 673.20 points in the previous four sessions and closed at an all-time high of 38,336.76 yesterday.

Read More | Indian Idol: As reality unfolds, talent suffers under dogmatism

The wider NSE Nifty too slipped from record but managed to close above the crucial 11,550 mark at 11,557.10 points, down 25.65 points or 0.22 per cent. It shuttled between 11,604.60 and 11,532 during the session. Yesterday, it had closed at a new life-time high of 11,582.75.

This was the fifth weekly gain in a row for the benchmarks. During the week, the Sensex gained 303.92 points, or 0.80 per cent, while the Nifty rose 86.35 points, or 0.75 per cent.

Read More | Ed King 'The Southern Rock Pioneer' and the co-writer of 'Sweet Home Alabama' dies at 68

Financials, pharma, FMCG, consumer durables, IT and auto stocks dragged the key indices down from record highs. Meanwhile, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth Rs 142 crore on a net basis, while foreign institutional investors (FIIs) accumulated equities to the tune of Rs 433.21 crore yesterday, provisional data showed.

For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Heavy rainfall have been predicted by the Meteorological Department in many areas of 16 states, including the national capital, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Several parts of the country sufferred monsoon havoc. Kerala suffered its worst floods that left 13 of the 14 districts submerged and over 370 people dead in the deadly deluge.

ALSO READ: Man arrested for sharing sensitive post on Facebook

Rain alert in the next couple of days have been issued in some areas of Uttrakhand, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura, as per the latest forecast by the Meteorological Department on Friday.

ALSO READ: England vs India: Jonny Bairstow set to play as specialist batsman

Meanwhile, the Himachal Pradesh government has ordered the closure of schools and colleges in the Kangra district amid alert of heavy rainfall.

Some areas of Delhi-NCR also received light rainfall on Friday morning. Earlier on Thursday, poring rain lashed the national capital. Daily commuters suffered flooded road and traffic jam.

Meanwhile, Dharamshala has recorded its highest rainfall for a 24-hour period in August in the last 60 years, the MeT said on Friday. It said the place received 292.4 millimetres rainfall in 24 hours ending at 8.30 am. The earlier record for the month was 316.4 mm of rainfall in 24 hours on August 6, 1958, Met centre director Manmohan Singh said.

In view of forecasts of heavy rains, the Kangra district administration has closed all education institutions today as a precautionary measure. In other parts of the state, 127 mm rain was recorded in Jogindernagar in Mandi followed by 98 mm in Pamalmpur and 96 mm in Baijnath (both in Kangra), 81.2 mm in Kheri of Chamba district and 64.8 mm in Nagrota Surian in Kangra district since Thursday.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The Congress president Rahul Gandhi, in a shocking statement, on Saturday claimed that fugitive tycoon Vijay Mallya met several BJP leaders before leaving India, though he did not name any one of them. Addressing the Indian media in London, the Gandhi scion said, "Before Mallya left India, he met senior BJP leaders, that is documented. I won't name them".

Launching a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi government, the Congress chief also criticised them of being lenient to industrialists like Mallya as well as Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, two absconding diamantaires and the key accused in the multi-million-dollar Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam.

Referring to the Vijay Mallya case, Gandhi said that Indian prisons are "difficult places" but fugitives like Vijay Mallya should not be treated differently.

"There is a relationship between Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and the Prime Minister. No action is taken against them," the 48-year-old leader added.

Read | Congress gears up for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, forms three crucial committees

Terming BJP President Amit Shah as a "murder accused" in connection to the Judge Loya death, the Congress president came down heavily on the Modi government and criticised them for creating a coercive environment to prevent institutions like the Supreme Court, Election Commission, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from functioning on their own.

"Earlier people would go to judges for justice, but now judges are coming to the public and expressing that they are not being allowed to work. Supreme Court, EC, RBI are the walls of our country, they're being torn apart now," he claimed.

Accusing the prime minister of insulting Indian citizens, Rahul further said, "When Prime Minister Modi says nothing happened before he became a Prime Minister, he insults every Indian's forefathers who toiled hard to build this country. Today in India, people are discriminated against on the basis of their caste and religion. Marginalised are betrayed while people like Anil Ambani benefit. While China creates 50,000 jobs in a day, India creates only 450 jobs".

Read | Rahul Gandhi says he supports punishment to those involved in 1984 anti-Sikh riots

"You all have come here from all corners of the country and have made India proud. Congress party was powered by Non-Resident Indians (NRI) like you. Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Dr Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru were all NRIs. They travelled the world and helped India with new perspectives," Gandhi went on to claim further.

Rahul Gandhi is currently on a two-day visit to the United Kingdom after completing another in Germany. The Congress chief will leave for India later on Sunday.

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Gandhinagar:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked forensic experts on Thursday to adopt modern techniques like DNA profiling in rape cases to ensure speedy justice.

He said the central government had approved the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2018 in view of the importance of DNA technology in forensic investigation.

I call upon forensic experts to help the judiciary by using DNA profiling as much as possible so that culprits of brutal rape cases are punished immediately and the victims get justice, Modi said while addressing the 4th convocation ceremony of the Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU) here.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi in Gujarat: Cleanliness will ensure disease-free India

During his speech, Modi referred to the capital punishment awarded by a sessions court recently to two men for raping and brutalising a minor girl in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh.

You saw recently that in Mandsaur rape case, the court completed hearing and pronounced the verdict against two demons in a short span of two months. Same thing has happened in some other cases in MP and Rajasthan as well, Modi said.

He said technology should be used to the maximum extent to ensure speedy delivery of justice.

In order to deal with rapidly changing crime scenario, you also have to develop newer techniques to ensure that criminals are not spared, the prime minister said.

He said criminals and their ways of committing crime are constantly changing.

The criminals should fear that they will be caught by law. This fear also acts as a deterrent, the PM said.

Modi also advised the graduating students not to discount human intelligence in cracking crimes.

Citing example of the Pagi community members who live in border areas of Gujarat and Rajasthan, the prime minister said, By looking at the footprints of camels who have crossed over, members of this community can say if anyone was riding the camel or whether it was laden with goods. They are trained from childhood.

Modi said forensic science, the police and the judiciary are three important pillars to ensure criminal justice delivery system, so that citizens feel safe and the crime is kept under check.

He said Gujarat had adopted a holistic approach in developing these three areas.

Read More | Himachal Pradesh: 11 killed in accident as car falls into gorge in Kullu

Establishment of the Raksha Shakti University, the National Law University and the Gujarat Forensic Sciences University are steps taken in this direction, he said.

It is a matter of pride that the GFSU achieved such a benchmark of academic excellence in short time wherein it was awarded A grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, the PM said.

Invoking Swami Vivekananda, Modi said the spiritual leader used to say that each soul is potentially divine. Each one of us has tremendous strength that is waiting to be explored. The first step towards manifesting this strength is to believe in oneself, he said.

Modi said, Believe in yourself. Believe in your abilities. Your education and intelligence has trained you to think out of the box. Ensure that you use these skills not only to keep pace with the changes around us, but also to drive progressive changes that make our world a better place. Generations to come will thank you for it.

The Union Cabinet had last month approved the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill 2018, which is aimed at expanding the application of DNA-based forensic technologies to support and strengthen the justice delivery system of the country.

In view of the importance of DNA technology in forensic investigation, my government has approved this bill. The aim of the bill is to ensure that all DNA tests remain reliable and the data remains safe, Modi said.

On the occasion, the PM congratulated the GFSU for becoming popular at the national and international level in a short span of time.

Read More | Arun Jaitley resumes charge as Finance Minister; Mamata Banerjee sends best wishes

You have trained police forces and forensic experts of many nations, Modi said.

Diplomats of around 20 countries attended the ceremony. GFSU Director General J M Vyas said it was Modi who had mooted the idea of setting up a forensic university in Gujarat.

Modi had inaugurated the varsity when he was chief minister of Gujarat in 2011, he said.

A total of 517 students graduated this year from the GFSU. Some of them received certificates and medals at the hands of the prime minister at the function.

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New Delhi:

Tour operator Thomas Cook on Friday said it was evacuating all 301 of its customers from a hotel in Egypts Red Sea resort of Hurghada as a precautionary measure after two British guests at the hotel died within hours under unclear circumstances on Tuesday.

The move came after John Cooper, 69, and Susan Cooper, 63, from Burnley in northern England, died after a heart attack while staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel.

Their daughter, Kelly Ormerod said that her father John, died in his hotel room while her mother, a Thomas Cook employee, died in the ambulance on the way to hospital, adding her parents were fit and healthy.

Also Read | Nine-year-old boy dies after being battered by Buddhist monk

Prior to going on holiday, Mum and Dad were fit and healthy. They had no health problems at all, Ormerod said.

As a family we are devastated. Mum and Dad meant the world to me and the children, and we are in utter shock over what has happened and what is happening, Ormerod told the Lancashire-based radio station 2BR.

On Thursday, Thomas Cook said in a statement that the circumstances of their deaths were still unclear and it had received further reports of illness among guests at the hotel.

The decision to evacuate 301 holiday makers from the Steigenberger Aqua Magic hotel is a precautionary measure, the company said, adding that the guests will be offered alternative hotels or the option to return home.

We continue to work closely with the hotel and are supporting the authorities with their investigations, it said.

Thomas Cook audited the Steigenberger Aqua Magic in July,2018 and received an overall score of 96 per cent.

Also Read | New book to reveal women in Donald Trumps life

Thomas Cook said that while the company was aware of the speculation, there was no evidence to support this.

An Egyptian official told The Associated Press that an investigation was still underway but that the deaths were likely due to natural causes.

The prosecution on Friday ordered autopsies after the Coopers daughter requested blood analysis to further look into reasons behind their deaths. The Cooper family had spent seven out of their 10-day vacation in the hotel when the deaths occurred, the official said.

Forensic examination of John Cooper, who died on Tuesday, revealed he had suffered acute circulatory collapse and a sudden cardiac arrest, according to an official statement posted by the Red Sea governorate on Facebook on Friday.

The statement dismissed criminal motives as being behind the deaths and said legal procedures would be underway for the transfer of the bodies upon the conclusion of the autopsy.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Bangladesh has received another batch of Chinese Covid -19 vaccine doses shipped through the COVAX facility. Bangladesh's Health Ministry officials delivered the same after an aircraft arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 7.15 pm. on Tuesday, according to international media reports. This is the first consignment among three scheduled to arrive from China this week, the report added.

Sharing details to media, Shahriar Sazzad, a senior Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said that the next consignment carrying the same amount of Chinese vaccines under the COVAX Facility is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, August 11.

Bangladesh has already received millions of doses from China as purchased vaccines. In addition, China also sent 1.1 million Sinopharm doses as a gift to Bangladesh in two consignments in July.

Bangladesh started its mass vaccination campaign in February, using the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and Anglo-Swedish company AstraZeneca. But the programme was subsequently halted after India banned vaccine exports to tackle a growing COVID crisis within its own borders.

U.S diplomats in Delhi meet Dalai Lama representative Ngodup, days after Blinken meet

Covid-19: Britain reports highest daily COVID death toll since March

Afghan forces must fight for themselves as Taliban take most of the country, Says Biden
New Delhi: Sapphire Foods India Limited, which operates KFC and Pizza Hut outlets, has filed a draft paper with capital markets regulator SEBI to raise funds through preliminary public offerings (IPO). According to the Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP), initial share sales will be entirely an offer (OFS) by promoters and existing shareholders for the sale of 17,569,941 equity shares.

As a part of the OFS, QSR Management Trust will sell 8.50 lakh shares, Sapphire Foods Mauritius Ltd will sell 55.69 lakh shares, WWD Ruby Ltd will sell 48.46 lakh shares and Amethyst will sell 39.62 lakh shares. With this, AAJV Investment Trust will sell 80,169 shares, Edelweiss Crossover Opportunities Fund will sell 16.15 lakh shares and Edelweiss Crossover Opportunities Fund-Series will offer 6.46 lakh shares II.

Sapphire Foods is an Omni-Channel restaurant operator supported by marquee investors like Samara Capital, Goldman Sachs, CX Partners, and Edelweiss, the largest franchise of Yum brands in the Indian sub-continent. As of March 31, 2021, Sapphire Foods has owned and operated 204 KFC restaurants in India and Maldives, 231 Pizza Hut restaurants in India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, and two Taco Bell restaurants in Sri Lanka.

Post Varanasi flood, PM Modi speaks to local admn, assures possible help

Yashwant Sinha's Rashtra Manch demands restoration of statehood to J&K

High court orders 16 mosques in Bengaluru to submit an affidavit on loudspeakers
Taliban militants have taken control of Afghanistan's borders with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, quoting Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, heightening security concerns for Moscow. The Taliban, fighting to reimpose strict Islamic law after their 2001 ouster, took control of another city in northern Afghanistan on Wednesday, an official said, the eighth provincial capital to fall to the insurgents in six days.

They control much of the country's northern provinces adjacent to ex-Soviet Central Asia. An EU official said on Tuesday the militants now dominate 65% of Afghanistan. Shoigu said the Taliban has promised not to cross the border, but that Moscow would continue holding joint drills with its allies in the region. Russia operates a military base in Tajikistan and the former Soviet republic is a member of a Moscow-led military bloc, meaning that Moscow would be obliged to protect it in the event of invasion.

Uzbekistan also has close ties with Russia. Russia held drills with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan near the Afghan border this month. Russia has also reinforced its military base in Tajikistan with new armoured vehicles and firearms. The Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989, leaving after 15,000 of its troops were killed and tens of thousands were wounded.

Covid Roundup Bengaluru: 242 kids Tested Positive for Covid in 5 days

Ambulance service is being started by Tamil Nadu Muslim Development Corporation across Tamil Nadu

PM Modi Pays Tributes to Legendary Ayurveda Doctor Balaji Tambe
FCW Insider: August 11, 2021

The Office of Management and Budget directed agencies to comply with software supply chain security measures as set out in the May cybersecurity executive order. The move is just one of in a series of deliverables due 90 days after the Biden administration released the cyber order.

At a recent FCW roundtable, participants noted that re-engineering an agency around zero trust architecture is an expensive undertaking, and one that is not likely to produce clear cost savings the way some modernization efforts can. "The big problem becomes the money," one said.

The good news is that consistent IT policy spanning previous presidential administrations has allowed the federal government to slowly put the necessary building blocks in place for the inevitable zero trust architecture journey.

Quick Hits

*** The U.S. Senate voted 69-30 to pass a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill on Tuesday. The bill includes more than $1 billion in cybersecurity measures, including funding to jumpstart the National Cyber Director's office and money for state and local cybersecurity grants to be administered by the Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency.

*** President Joe Biden nominated Sasha Baker, a special assistant to the president and senior director for strategic planning at the National Security Council, to serve as a deputy undersecretary of defense for policy. Baker was previously deputy chief of staff to Ash Carter when he served as secretary of defense and was national security advisor to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)

*** Peter Gallagher, a retired major general who held a senior post at Army Futures Command is joining contractor CACI as a senior vice president. Washington Technology has more on this story.
(Adds details, political background)

DUBAI, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Wednesday named an ambassador to Saudi Arabia after Riyadh in June reinstated its envoy to Doha, in another sign of improved ties after rival Gulf states agreed this year to end a long-running dispute.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain resolved in January to restore political, trade and travel ties that had been severed in mid-2017 over charges that Qatar supported terrorism, a reference to Islamist groups, which Doha denies.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt have both re-established diplomatic ties with Qatar, but the UAE and Bahrain have yet to do so. All but Bahrain have restored trade and travel links.

Sheikh Tamim's office said in a statement that Bandar Mohammed Al Attiyah was named ambassador to Riyadh. Al Attiyah previously served as Qatar's ambassador to Kuwait, which had mediated in the Gulf conflict.

Qatar had last month appointed an ambassador to Egypt, following a similar move by Cairo in June.

Saudi Arabia has taken the lead among the four in mending ties with small but wealthy, gas-producing Qatar, scoring points with key ally the United States while also standing to benefit economically as it seeks to lure more foreign investment.

In January, heeding outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump's wish to re-establish a united Arab front against Iran, and keen to impress new President Joe Biden, Riyadh declared an end to the boycott and said its three allies were on board.

But a senior UAE official has said it would take time to rebuild trust while Bahrain and Doha have yet to hold bilateral talks aimed at mending ties. (Reporting by Ghaida Ghantous, Editing by Louise Heavens and Tomasz Janowski)
(Bloomberg) -- The head of abrdn Plc said the U.K. asset management giant was stemming the investor exodus thats plagued the company since its creation in a mega-merger more than four years ago.

The firm reported 5.6 billion pounds ($7.8 billion) of net outflows for the first half of this year, compared with about 25 billion pounds a year earlier, according to a statement Tuesday. Still, the latest figure was far higher than the 568 million pound consensus estimate of analysts polled by Bloomberg.

This is the lowest level of outflows since the merger, Chief Executive Officer Stephen Bird said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. In March we promised we would arrest the decline of revenue in this business and we that would restore a profitable growth business, and we have done that.

abrdn swung to a first-half profit after tax of 102 million pounds compared with a 504 million pound loss a year earlier, partly thanks to lower impairment charges. The shares were little changed in early Tuesday trading in London.

The majority of the periods outflows were seen in lower margin products, according to the earnings statement. Assets under management remained flat at 532 billion pounds as positive market movements were offset by the withdrawals.

The results are the first since the companys recent name change from Standard Life Aberdeen. The firm had pitched the rebrand as a chance to refocus after a troubled integration following the 2017 merger of Aberdeen Asset Management and Standard Life. The shares have fallen about 30% since the deal was announced.

Since being hired for the top job in September, Bird has rejigged his senior team and outlined plans to build a stable of passive products. Bird also wants to expand in Asia, invest more in private markets and to leverage a gap in the U.K. advice market.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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As African American Expressions celebrates this remarkable milestone being able to serve our community for 30 years, they are proud to announce the release of 2021 Holiday catalog filled with over 60 NEW items that will continue to bless and empower the black community.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- What an honor it is to see African American Expressions continue to flourish and serve the black community with its culturally authentic, eye-catching designs. Offering over 800 products to customers all over the world that are guaranteed to encourage and inspire you as you go about your daily lives.

"Celebrating 30 years is a huge deal for us and from the bottom of our heart we want to thank YOU for your continual support."  AAE Team

"30 years ago, I started this company in my home with one thing in mind: "Offering the Best line of products for people of color, all at great prices." This has been at the core of who we are today and will continue to be for the future."  Greg Perkins founder and president of AAE

African American Expressions is a minority supplier that is growing and expanding rapidly being the #1 supplier for wholesale buyers. Creating top quality products ranging from calendars, to greeting cards, to handbags, home decor, figurines and so much more. This year they are introducing a new title, to their already rich collection, called "Queendom" which is dedicated to celebrate and empower women all over the world.

And not only are the AAE products available to wholesale buyers, but also to anyone who wants to become an affiliate. For the past 30 years, African-American Expressions, through their fundraising program, has generated millions of dollars for schools, churches and various other organizations all over the world, and benefited countless individuals who have used our program since 1991. The products really speak for themselves and the affiliates get to earn 40% of everything they sell! To receive your FREE 2021 Holiday Fundraising Catalog, please visit www.black-gifts.com.

Story continues

Angela Komendant

African American Expressions

(916) 424-5000 EXT 104

https://www.black-gifts.com/

angela@black-gifts.com

26 years of service

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/americas-largest-black-owned-gift-company-african-american-expressions-celebrates-its-30th-year-anniversary-301353010.html

SOURCE African American Expressions
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Apple might not be able to protect both kids and free speech

Apple (AAPL) has made privacy the cornerstone of its sales and marketing campaigns. But major changes to how it protects children have put the tech giant at odds with security researchers who say authoritarian governments could use Apples new initiative to silence dissidents.

Apples new features have a laudable goal: the detection and reporting of photos of child sexual abuse material, something a 2019 New York Times report shows has exploded in recent years due to the rise of encryption, social media, and smartphones.

Researchers, however, are raising concerns that governments could force Apple to use its image scanning capabilities to search for content ranging from LGBTQ+ photos to items denouncing oppressive regimes.

Apple has vowed to never acquiesce to such demands and only provide verifiable instances of photos of abuse to authorities. But researchers arent entirely sure it can make such promises.

I think Apple miscalculated, Matthew Green, associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute, told Yahoo Finance. I think it would be great if Apple tried it on a limited scale and actually looked at the results of how many people they caught, how many people actually got prosecuted.

The company that prides itself on user privacy and security is now in the delicate position of trying to protect children, while preserving the safety of those imperiled by totalitarian governments.

Apple has built a reputation around privacy

Apple finds itself in its current predicament because it has pushed its stance on privacy to the forefront of its marketing campaigns. It has put up billboards across the country and run TV ads to burnish its reputation as the tech company that cares the most about user privacy.

Story continues

Its not just talk, either. Apple famously fought the Justice Departments attempt to force the company to create a backdoor to gain access to one of the iPhones used by one of the shooters in the 2015 San Bernardino attack. Apples rationale was that by creating such a security hole, it would endanger the security of all iPhones, putting users around the world at risk.

Apple has tussled with the Justice Department in the past to protect the iPhone's security features and user privacy. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

So how does it continue to uphold that reputation while helping to fight the spread of images of abuse? According to Green, the company should have started off on a smaller level than a blanket introduction for all products in the U.S.

If the methods Apple plans to use worked in that instance, Green said, it would be worth the potential privacy problems.

But the tech industry has been woefully behind in dealing with child sexual abuse material. A 2020 Times report found a wild disparity between companies like Facebook (FB), that have been praised for their efforts in rooting out such content, and others, like Apple, Microsoft (MSFT) and Yahoo (which, like Yahoo Finance, is owned by Verizon Media), that dont hunt down nearly as much.

What Apples new features do and what they dont do

How do Apples new features fix that? By creating a multi-step system for identifying images of child abuse. First, instead of using actual images of minors, Apple works with agencies like the Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to create what are essentially numerical representations of those photos called hashes.

Theyre a string of numbers that cant be used to see the photos or reverse engineered to display them, but can be matched up to those existing images.

When Apple sends out its next major software update, your device will receive those hashes that relate to known images depicting abuse. Heres the important part. When you connect to iCloud and begin uploading photos, your phone will automatically search for those matches on your device, meaning Apple doesnt know the results of the search at this point.

If it detects matches, a voucher appears on your device. When you upload your photos to iCloud, Apples servers will scan these vouchers and if it discovers a certain threshold of vouchers that match the known abusive content, Apple will begin a manual review. If positive for illicit images, Apple will share the content with NCMEC.

Essentially Apples technology allows it to find exploitative images without looking at users more innocuous photos. Whats more, Apple doesnt start scanning photos until you connect to iCloud. Without that connection, the scans dont even run on your phone, let alone on Apples servers.

Why security researchers are nervous

If Apple is only dealing with heinous photos, why are security researchers so nervous? According to NYU Tandon School of Engineering professor Justin Cappos, they worry governments like Chinas Communist Party could strong arm Apple into changing the hashes stored on users phones to find images or documents for pro-democracy groups.

Apple is rolling out the new technologies in the U.S. for now, but says it will open it up to other countries in the future. It hasnt commented on China, which is one of its largest sales markets.

The problem is that filtering for child abuse, the technical way of doing that is the same way you filter for images of a revolutionary flag, or images or documents that contain the manifesto of an organization arguing for change, Cappos said.

Chinas Communist Party could prove to be an especially big threat for Apples new system, especially in light of the leverage it can exert over the tech giant.

An iPhone store is seen at nanjing Road Pedestrian Street in Shanghai on June 14, 2021. (Photo credit should read Costfoto/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

The government has a huge amount of control not only of [Apples] infrastructure in China, but also their manufacturing infrastructure, Green said. So there's just this huge amount of pressure that can be applied to Apple to do things that Apple might not be personally comfortable with.

Apple famously complies with the Chinese governments laws even if they appear antithetical to the companys stance on privacy.

A 2017 cybersecurity law forced Apple to store Chinese iCloud user data with a third-party, state-owned company  and the Chinese government held the encryption keys to that data. That same year Apple removed virtual private network apps out of its Chinese App Store, on government orders, because the apps could be used to circumvent Chinas Great Firewall. In other words, researchers concerns arent exactly unfounded.

"I think that the minute you build a technological capability that governments will want to use, and then say, Don't worry, it could be used for this bad purpose. But we promise it won't be. I think that's really dangerous, Green said.

This is not a slippery slope. We're just going to be at the bottom of that slippery slope or somewhere in the middle of that slippery slope, and we'll get there, added Green.

But broader user privacy can also lead to the further spread of exploitative images. Encrypted messaging services allow users to send information, photos, and videos to each other without fear of government snooping. However, the same encryption can be used to hide illicit content.

The only thing I can really think that even remotely could do something like this is if Apple refused to actually collect and give this information to law enforcement, but instead decided to display some warning or something to the user, and the information about it never left the phone, Cappos said.

For now, Apples means of scanning for child abuse may be the only way to stop the spread of such material while preserving privacy. But it might be impossible for Apple to expand the same capabilities to all of its users around the world while assuring the same protections.

Daniel Howley is tech editor at Yahoo Finance.

Got a tip? Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com over via encrypted mail at danielphowley@protonmail.com, and follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.

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Babak Zareiyan PhD to lead team focused on innovation, advanced robotics, and material science for 3D Construction Printing

NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Buffalo 3D Corporation, a leading provider of large-scale 3D printers for construction and member of HN Inc.formerly Hyundai BS&C Co. Ltd.today announced that Dr. Babak Zareiyan has joined the firm as Global Head of Research and Development. Highly experienced in 3D construction among a narrow field of experts, Dr. Zareiyan will play a key role in advancing current and future 3D construction printers sold and serviced by Black Buffalo 3D.

Black Buffalo 3D Construction Printers, Cement Ink and Services,

"Our goal is to gain acceptance of new 3D concrete printing (3DCP) technology among construction industry veterans to showcase what is possible with this impressive new technology," said Michael Woods, CEO/COO of Black Buffalo 3D. "Babak's knowledge and expertise in large-scale 3D printing methods and materials is a welcome addition to our team. He is an industry veteran with hands-on experience and an impressive portfolio of published academic whitepapers about 3D construction printing, robotics, and automation."

During his PhD program at the University of Southern California and after graduation, Dr. Zareiyan worked with and supervised a team of scientists and engineers in developing 3D construction printing technology. His skillset will strengthen the ability of Black Buffalo 3D to innovate and further commercialize Black Buffalo 3D's NexCon printers while supporting the team's development and testing of Black Buffalo 3D structural cement ink.

With over 10 years of experience in large-scale 3D printing, Dr. Zareiyan will apply his knowledge to 3D printer design enhancements and additional pilot projects, as well as continue to research innovative applications for construction-related additive manufacturing.

Large-scale 3D construction printers are poised to improve the way the world approaches challenges related to affordable housing, emergency shelter, and infrastructure. Additive manufacturing offers a faster, more sustainable, and environmentally-friendly approach to building many structures with cement. On-demand and on-site 3D printing of infrastructureprecast, affordable housing, wind turbine bases, bridges, sewer lines, transportation, etc.will significantly reduce material waste, time needed to complete projects, and project costs.

Story continues

Black Buffalo 3D is committed to investing in personnel, technology, and materials science to make its printers part of every builder's portfolio. Currently privately funded, Black Buffalo 3D expects to offer its first minority stake capital raise in the fall of 2021. For up-to-date information, follow us on social media or join our mailing list. Qualified buyers may also contact us to request a visit to our factory for a live demonstration.

About Black Buffalo 3D Corporation

Black Buffalo 3D Corporation (http://www.blackbuffalo.io) is the NY based, US affiliate of HN Inc. co. Ltd.-formerly Hyundai BS&C Co. Ltd.--and subsidiary of Big Sun Holdings Group, Inc. Black Buffalo 3D is poised to revolutionize construction and become the leading global provider of smart 3D construction printers (3DCP) from one to four stories, proprietary construction "ink" and 3D print construction consulting services. Print smart and sustainable infrastructure on-demand with Black Buffalo 3D NexCon printers.

Media contact:

Peter Cooperman

316271@email4pr.com

(646) 491-9860

Babak Zareiyan PhD standing next to Black Buffalo 3D's NexCon 1-1 Printer in Elizabeth, NJ.

Cision

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SOURCE Black Buffalo 3D Corporation
Issues Around Gay Marriage and Ordination Prompted Split

LEWES, Del., August 11, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Historic Groome Church (founded in 1904) formerly Groome United Methodist Church, has announced its disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church (UMC).

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005076/en/

Groome Church, Lewes, DE; founded in 1904. (Photo: Business Wire)

Groomes exit was finalized in a Disaffiliation Agreement (DA) negotiated over a two year period with the Peninsula Delaware (Pen-Del) Conference, the governing body of the UMC Northeastern Jurisdiction including the Wilmington (formerly Dover) District to which Groome belonged.

On July 23, 2020 Groomes congregation voted unanimously to leave the Methodist denomination. This was the second vote taken over a ten month period to register the congregations dissatisfaction with UMCs stance regarding the fundamental rights of the LGBTQ community within the denomination. The votes by the congregation were spurred by actions taken during UMCs 2019 General Conference prohibiting the marriage and ordination of "self-avowed practicing homosexuals."

The decision to disaffiliate from the denomination was affirmed December 2020 in a Letter of Intent from Groome to Pen-Del. Involved parties have been working since then to settle any remaining issues and obligations between them. Those issues are now resolved.

Commenting on the disaffiliation, Groomes Pastor, Rev. Dr. S. Willard Crossan III, said "UMC has wrestled with this issue for 50 years, but has repeatedly failed to come to a meaningful resolution." He added, "the LGBTQ community is an important and vital part of the greater Lewes / Rehoboth community in which we live, its members are part of our daily life; they are our friends, neighbors, family members, the people we worship with, choose to love, to marry, to do business and play sports with. How can we reconcile the posture of the denomination with our conscience, the calling of our congregation, our ministry, and the commandment of love we believe to be the heart of the Gospel? We cant."

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Reflecting further on the significance of the church's exit from the denomination Crossan added, "As the pastor, I see Groome's separation from United Methodism as an extraordinary opportunity to put into practice our congregation's long-held beliefs that diversity and inclusiveness are the hallmarks of God's plan for history."

The greater Lewes / Rehoboth DE area has one of the fastest growing LGBTQ populations in the United States.

U.S. Methodist membership -- 6,671,825 in 2018 -- has been shrinking in recent years and is projected, at the current rate of decline, to fall below 6 million (U.S) members by 2025. Worldwide membership is over 13,000,000 with membership in Africa, the Philippines and Europe now exceeding that of the U.S. The denomination got its start in the U.S. in 1784.

Rev. Dr. Crossan, a native of Wilmington, DE, came to Groome in July 2014. Prior to his appointment to Groome he served as pastor in Cecil County, MD as well as churches in Delmar, Cambridge, and Chestertown. Crossan is a graduate of both the Divinity and Law schools of Vanderbilt University.

To learn more about Groome Church please visit: http://www.groomechurchlewes.org/

NOTE TO MEDIA: For additional information, to arrange an interview with Rev. Dr. S. Willard Crossan III, and / or members of Groomes Board of Trustees, please contact Michael Darling at (302) 644-7116 or by email: mdarlingbox@aol.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005076/en/

Contacts

Michael Darling

(302) 644-7116
OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 11, 2021 /CNW/ - Canadians are already witnessing and experiencing the devastating impacts of climate change. Canada's climate is warming two times faster than the global average, and three times faster in the North. Across the country, climate change is affecting our communities, economy and environment, and poses serious risks to our health and well-being. That is why in December 2020, as part of its strengthened climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, the Government of Canada committed to developing Canada's first National Adaptation Strategy.

Today, as work continues towards the development of the strategy, the Government of Canada released a report entitled Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change in Canada: an update on the National Adaptation Strategy. The report builds on a first round of conversations with provinces and territories, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, Indigenous representatives, and youth organizations to identify the strategy's objectives and principles.

Also, the Government of Canada will be launching adaptation advisory tables led by environmental organizations, adaptation experts, Indigenous Peoples, and other key partners, including youth, from across the country. Those partners will have the mandate to create a framework for concrete adaptation action, with aspirational goals and advice on how to face climate change.

The extreme heatwave and wildfires in Western Canada this summer underscore the urgency of adapting to climate change. In the North, thawing permafrost is challenging traditional ways of life and infrastructure. In other parts of Canada, farmers continue to lose crops to both drought and flooding, and coastal communities are grappling with stronger storm surges and coastal erosion.

As warming continues, these kinds of events will happen more often. They demonstrate clearly the need for an accelerated pace of adaptation action alongside continued mitigation efforts. Canada's first National Adaptation Strategy will identify how best to protect Canadians  including through measures that focus investments to increase the resilience of communities, and protect public health and safety, as well as natural ecosystems and biodiversity.

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Adaptation is needed and will continue while the strategy is being developed. The federal government has taken significant action to date.

In 2021, Canada announced $3.79 billion in new investments related to climate change adaptation and resilience. This included investments in wildfire resilience, flood maps, health adaptation, and standards to support infrastructure resilience, as well as $1.9 billion announced in Budget 2021 to support provincial and territorial disaster response and recovery efforts. Canada also submitted its first Adaptation Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on July 12, 2021, in conjunction with its enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution.

Quotes

"The climate crisis demands bold action for climate resilience and a stronger economy. It is clear that alongside efforts to reduce emissions and limit the effects of climate change, Canada must continue to advance ambitious solutions to anticipate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. I am pleased to provide this update on Canada's National Adaptation Strategy. Further development of this strategy will continue to be guided by the best available science and be informed by diverse views and perspectives, including from those most impacted. This strategy will give us a world-leading and unified path forward."

 The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Quick facts

Canadians are already witnessing and experiencing the devastating impacts of climate change. In Canada's strengthened climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy , the Government of Canada committed to developing a National Adaptation Strategy.

In this report, the Government of Canada provides an update on progress towards the release of Canada's National Adaptation Strategy, including engagement with stakeholders and partners that began in early 2021.

In the coming months, the Government of Canada will continue to engage with stakeholders and partners, as well as the broader public, with a view to releasing the finalized National Adaptation Strategy in fall 2022.

The Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund was allocated an additional $1.4 billion from Budget 2021 to the initial $2 billion to support projects such as wildfire mitigation activities, rehabilitation of storm water systems, and restoration of wetlands and shorelines.

Most recently, $168.5 million was announced through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund for the Springbank off-stream reservoir project near Calgary, which will help protect thousands of Albertans, as well as their homes, schools and local businesses, from floods on the Elbow River.

In 2021, the Government of Canada announced $3.79 billion in new investments related to climate change adaptation and resilience. This includes $1.9 billion in Budget 2021 to support provincial and territorial disaster response and recovery efforts as well as investments in wildfire resilience, flood maps, health adaptation, and standards to support infrastructure resilience.

Associated links

Environment and Climate Change Canada's Twitter page

Environment and Climate Change Canada's Facebook page

SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada

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(Bloomberg) -- Some of the richest U.S. colleges are declining another round of stimulus money that would offset the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on schools.

Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Amherst and Bowdoin are telling the U.S. Department of Education they will not accept a third round of aid allocated by Congress, according to officials at the schools.

Lawmakers set aside billions of dollars in emergency relief to help schools contend with expenses from the coronavirus-induced shutdown and offset the sharp drop in revenue and jump in other costs such as testing. But in April 2020 the aid sparked the ire of President Donald Trump, who attacked Harvard for what it would have been given. Harvard and other universities turned down the funds.

The result: Some schools, especially those with hefty endowments, refused money they were entitled to -- and are continuing to do so. Thats astute public relations, said Brian Galle, a professor of law at Georgetown University and expert on taxation.

Its smart not to take the money because it would look unsympathetic to be rich and taking it, Galle said.

Yale University has declined the $17.4 million allotted to the school under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund.

The university did so with the expectation that the funds would be reallocated to other colleges and universities, ideally among institutions in Connecticut, said Karen Peart, a spokesperson for the school, in New Haven.

Over the three rounds of aid, Yale was eligible to receive $28.9 million. It only accepted $4.7 million, which Yale gave to students with exceptional financial need, including those studying nursing and public health whose training is critical to the health and safety of our communities, said Peart.

Theres another reason schools may be passing on the cash. The wealthiest colleges are expected to report strong results for their fiscal 2021 endowments.

The median return for U.S. college endowments was 27% for the 12 months ended June 30, the highest since 1986, according to data from Wilshire Trust Universe Comparison Service. The largest funds with assets of at least $500 million had a median gain of 34%.

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Schools likely had an eye out for how it would look if it turned out theyd had one of their best years ever and had their hand out, said Galle of Georgetown.

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.
Michael G. Halterman, Vice President of Operations at The Honor Foundation, was interviewed on the Mission Matters Business Podcast by Adam Torres.

Michael G. Halterman was interviewed on the Mission Matters Business Podcast by Adam Torres.

Michael G. Halterman, Vice President of Operations at The Honor Foundation, was interviewed on the Mission Matters Business Podcast by Adam Torres.

Michael G. Halterman, Vice President of Operations at The Honor Foundation, was interviewed on the Mission Matters Business Podcast by Adam Torres.

Beverly Hills , Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Michael G. Halterman's mission is to help service members find fulfillment in a career after transitioning from active duty service. In this podcast, Michael helps listeners understand the transition from Special Operations service member to professional via The Honor Foundation's (THF) program.

Listen to the full interview of Michael G Halterman with Adam Torres on Mission Matters Business Podcast.

A Desire to Serve Others

Michael G. Halterman grew up in a small town in California. From a young age, he wanted to do something big--and he wanted to serve others. After joining the Marine Corp and witnessing a special mission raid in Iraq, he was inspired to join Special Operations.

During Michaels own transition after 20 years of active duty service he utilized THF. As an Alumni of the Program he was ready to go into what he thought was next for him, renewable energy. Michael was given the opportunity to join THF as a Director of Virtual Programs and decided this was a better way to make an impact on humanity.

A Challenging Transition

Transition is the scariest thing that you are ever going to do, Michael says. Leaving the service means leaving a known culture and language behind and re-entering civilian life, which can be overwhelming--especially from a career perspective.

Michael draws on his 11 years of experience in special operations and his own transition when working with partners and program participants at THF . You are well-adapted with the idea of small, closely-knit teams, and now, after the transition, you have to think of becoming an engineer or manufacturer. This is not an easy job," he says.

Story continues

The Honor Foundation

The Honor Foundation is a national 501c(3) nonprofit organization created to help Special Operations Forces veterans make the next move in their careers. THF was founded in 2014.

THF offers a 3-month executive-style education process which features a life-transforming curriculum spread across three phases. With our integrated curriculums, we help individuals be happy in the next job by providing them holistic guidance," Michael says.

The Honor Foundation has grown to over 1,000 Alumni, and Michael is confident the organization will continue to expand. THF will open its fifth campus in Fort Bragg, NC, launching August 2021. It is going to serve the SOF Army community and make a huge difference, Michael says.

About

The Honor Foundation (THF) is a career transition program for U.S. Special Operations Forces that effectively translates their elite military service to the private sector and helps create the next generation of corporate and community leaders. We provide a clear process for professional development and a diverse ecosystem of world class support and technology. Every step is dedicated to preparing these outstanding men and women to continue to realize their maximum potential during and after their service career.

Visit The Honor Foundation here.

Media Communications

Inquiries: adamtorres@missionmatters.com

Publicist for Adam Torres and Mission Matters Media KISS PR Brand Story PressWire

Brand Publicity Partners KissPR.com

For more details, visit Kisspr.com [PR Distribution for Podcasters]. KISS PR Digital PR & Marketing powers the Mission Matters Business podcast with brand storytelling. T: 972.437.8942

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TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Innoviz Technologies (Nasdaq: INVZ), a technology leader of high-performance, solid-state LiDAR sensors and perception software, today reports financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021. Innoviz reaffirms its previously announced long-term guidance, increases its order book potential wins, and provides operational updates on commercial traction, technology leadership and corporate development.

Innoviz Technologies Logo

Commercial Traction

Significant progress and high performance in the company's global business generation strategy with prospects and potential customers, facilitated by its research and development teams.

Realized continued momentum from the shuttle program design win continued and we aim to increase our volume through additional orders in the near future.

Won an advanced development project with a European autonomous truck company, which provides for Innoviz to equip the customer's 2021 fleet with Innoviz technology. Innoviz believes it is well-positioned to pursue multi-year contracts after the testing phase is complete.

Secured four new technical partnerships that expanded the company's presence in Asia:

1. Edom - One of Asia's largest electronics and semiconductor distributors will seek to drive sales and enhance support initiatives for Innoviz's LiDAR solutions in the Greater China region.

2. Whale Dynamic - China based full stack L4 autonomous driving company. Their platform will utilize InnovizOne LIDARs, replacing previous generation Innoviz LiDAR, as its primary sensors with the goal of creating the world's best sensor fusion design.

3. SpringCloud - Korea based B2B Autonomous Mobility as a Service (MaaS) provider, with a platform conducting autonomous driving data analysis and perception validation. SpringCloud will distribute Innoviz products in Korea across multiple sectors.

4. Curium  Singapore based autonomous driving platform provider focused on the calibration and integration of LIDARs and other sensors for autonomous driving that will promote Innoviz LiDAR in the region.

Technology Leadership

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Completed several design cycles and are on the verge of freezing the hardware design for InnovizOne . Innoviz believes it is among the first in the industry to reach this milestone and is seeing strong traction for the product.

Developed early samples of InnovizOne+ , an enhanced version of InnovizOne that features components developed for InnovizTwo extending the range and resolution.

Completed optical design of InnovizTwo , the company's top-of-the-line LIDAR that uses a single laser and detector, advanced packaging and electronic design at a 70% material cost reduction compared to InnovizOne.

Surpassed one million object annotations within Innoviz's automotive perception platform, InnovizAPP. The platform is installed in test vehicles in three continents (Asia, Europe and North America) and is accelerating timelines for consumer autonomous vehicle (AV) programs.

Corporate Development

Increased employee headcount by 29 people in the quarter, bringing the company's total employee headcount to 337 at quarter end. Approximately 70% of the company's talent base consists of the research and development team.

"We are making remarkable progress in global business development in parallel with advancing our technical standards," said Omer Keilaf, CEO & Co-Founder of Innoviz. "I am proud of our research and development teams that are working day and night with our prospects and potential customers on adapting and finetuning the performance, computer vision, safety and comfort features, mechanical and software integrations, as well as quality and design validations of our LiDARs for a variety of use cases."

"We are humbled to have received so much positive feedback from multiple customers and technical partners. Our success is largely attributed to our R&D team as they are the driving force behind these technology advancements. As the world reopens, we are truly looking forward to meeting our customers, prospects, partners and investors in person."

Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Revenues for Q2 2021 were $1.0 million, an increase of 38% compared to Q1 2021. InnovizOne-related revenues in Q2 2021 increased by 29% to $991 thousands, or 98% of revenues, compared to $766 thousands, or 76% of revenues, in Q2 2020. The company continues to see strong demand for its products and expects the positive momentum to continue.

Operating expenses for Q2 2021 were $70.7 million, an increase from $13.5 million in Q2 2020. The $70.7 million of operating expenses included $49.9 million of stock-based compensation as well as $1.8 million of issuance costs. The increase in operating expenses was primarily due to $47.2 million attributable to stock-based compensation granted as part of the SPAC business combination, which closed in Q2 2021. Additionally, the company continued to invest heavily in R&D, with R&D expenses totaling $32.1 million, of which $17.6 million was attributable to stock-based compensation, compared to $11.5 million of R&D expenses incurred in Q2 2020, of which $0.5 million was attributable to stock-based compensation.

As of June 30, 2021 the company had $156.4 million in cash and $195.0 million in short-term deposits, compared to $199.1 million in cash and no short-term deposits as of March 31, 2021. The increase in cash was related to the closing of the company's SPAC business combination transaction and will support the company's capital resource needs in the coming years.

Forward-Looking Guidance

Innoviz management remains confident in its previously announced forward-looking order book guidance of $2.4 billion, representing the cumulative projected future sales of hardware and perception software through 2030 based on current estimates of volumes and pricing.

Innoviz currently has 54 prospective customers in the late stages of technical evaluation, RFIs and RFQs. Of these, eight are in the final commercial negotiations or RFQ stage. These eight prospects represent more than $3.2 billion in future potential order book. Innoviz expects some of these projects to materialize into contractual relationships by the middle of 2022.

Conference Call

Innoviz management will hold a conference call today, August 11, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time (5:00 a.m. Pacific time) to discuss these results. Innoviz CEO Omer Keilaf and CFO Eldar Cegla will host the call, followed by a question-and-answer session.

All are invited to listen to the event by registering for the webinar here.

The webinar can also be accessed by telephone through the following details:

One tap mobile:

+13017158592,87258312215# US (Washington DC)

+13126266799,87258312215# US (Chicago)

+97239786688,87258312215# Israel

Join by phone:

Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

US: +1 301 715 8592, +1 312 626 6799, +1 346 248 7799, +1 646 558 8656, +1 669 900 9128, +1 253 215 8782

Israel: +972 3 978 6688

Webinar ID: 872 5831 2215

International numbers available here.

A replay of the webinar will also be available shortly after the call in the Investors section of Innoviz's website for 90 days.

About Innoviz Technologies

Innoviz is a leading provider of technology that will put autonomous vehicles on roads. Innoviz's LiDAR technology can "see" better than a human driver and meets the automotive industry's strict expectations for performance, safety and price. Selected by BMW for its fully autonomous car program, Innoviz's technology will be deployed in its consumer vehicles. Innoviz is backed by top-tier strategic partners and investors, including SoftBank Ventures Asia, Samsung, Magna International, Aptiv, Magma Venture Partners, and others. For more information visit: www.innoviz.tech.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the services offered by Innoviz, the anticipated technological capability of Innoviz's products, the markets in which Innoviz operates, customer acquisition, Innoviz's forward-looking order book, Innoviz's projected revenue, Innoviz's future potential order book and other future financial and operational results. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this announcement, including but not limited to, the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, the ability to identify and realize additional opportunities, and potential changes and developments in the highly competitive LiDAR technology and related industries. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in Innoviz's annual report on Form 20-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on April 21, 2021 and other documents filed by Innoviz from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Innoviz assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Innoviz gives no assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

Media Contact: Media@innoviz-tech.com

Investor Contact:

Maya Lustig

Innoviz Technologies

+972 54 677 8100

Maya.Lustig@innoviz-tech.com

Gateway Investor Relations

Cody Slach or Matt Glover

(949) 574-3860

Investors@innoviz-tech.com

INNOVIZ TECHNOLOGIES LTD.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

U.S. dollars in thousands (except share and per share data)





Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,



2020

2021

2020

2021



(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

















Revenues $ 1,011 $ 1,008

1,849 $ 1,735 Cost of revenues

(1,678)

(2,078)

(3,779)

(3,536) Gross loss

(667)

(1,070)

(1,930)

(1,801) Operating expenses:















Research and development $ 11,479 $ 32,088 $ 27,217 $ 48,822 Selling and marketing

1,200

15,629

2,698

17,181 General and administrative

836

23,006

1,664

24,427 Total operating expenses

13,515

70,723

31,579

90,430 Operating loss

(14,182)

(71,793)

(33,509)

(92,231) Financial income (expenses), net

462

(709)

90

(907) Loss before taxes on income

(13,720)

(72,502)

(33,419)

(93,138) Taxes on income

(22)

(32)

(92)

(72) Net loss $ (13,742) $ (72,534)

(33,511) $ (93,210) Basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share $ (0.73) $ (0.58)

(1.80) $ (1.30) Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share

18,701,229

125,188,537

18,614,903

71,458,394



















INNOVIZ TECHNOLOGIES LTD.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

U.S. dollars in thousands





December 31,

June 30,





2020

2021









(Unaudited)

ASSETS









CURRENT ASSETS:









Cash and cash equivalents $ 49,950 $ 156,418

Short term deposits

-

195,000

Restricted deposits

8

8

Trade receivables

2,506

604

Inventories

2,164

3,664

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

3,287

9,771

Total current assets

57,915

365,465

LONG-TERM ASSETS:









Restricted deposits

864

852

Other long-term assets

537

163

Property and equipment, net

13,245

14,053

Total long-term assets

14,646

15,068

Total assets $ 72,561 $ 380,533

LIABILITIES, CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED SHARES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT)









CURRENT LIABILITIES:









Trade payables $ 7,751 $ 10,961

Advances from customers and deferred revenues

1,661

1,803

Employees and payroll accruals

5,528

9,690

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

2,854

3,941

Total current liabilities

17,794

26,395

LONG-TERM LIABILITIES:









Loan, net of current maturities

2,224

2,054

Long-term advances from customers and deferred revenues

3,473

3,473

Warrants

-

8,136

Total long-term liabilities

5,697

13,663













Convertible preferred shares

272,815

-

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT):









Ordinary Shares of no-par value

*-

*-

Additional paid-in capital

7,658

665,088

Accumulated deficit

(231,403)

(324,613)

Total shareholders' equity (deficit)

(223,745)

340,475

Total liabilities, convertible preferred shares and shareholders' equity (deficit) $ 72,561 $ 380,533



* Represents amount lower than $1

INNOVIZ TECHNOLOGIES LTD.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOW

U.S. dollars in thousands





Three Months Ended June

30,

Six Months Ended June 30,



2020

2021

2020

2021



(Unaudited)

(Unaudited) Cash flows from operating activities :















Net loss $ (13,742) $ (72,534)

(33,511) $ (93,210) Adjustments required to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:















Depreciation and amortization

1,022

673

1,533

1,325 Revaluation of Private Warrants

-

845

-

845 Share-based compensation

652

49,887

1,585

51,662 Capital gain

-

-

(6)

- Foreign exchange loss

(659)

(244)

(215)

(56) Increase in prepaid expenses and other assets

(1,505)

(5,283)

(734)

(5,748) Decrease (increase) in trade receivable

(1)

813

423

507 Decrease (increase) in inventories

(262)

(552)

554

(1,500) Increase (decrease) in trade payables

(1,065)

6,003

(2,460)

2,770 Increase (decrease) in accrued expenses and other liabilities

(2,025)

298

(1,153)

870 Increase in employees and payroll accruals

466

3,430

1,005

4,162 Increase (decrease) in advances from customers and deferred revenues

(118)

186

(61)

1,537 Net cash used in operating activities

(17,237)

(16,478)

(33,040)

(36,836) Cash flows from investing activities:















Purchase of property and equipment

(629)

(1,417)

(2,206)

(2,133) Investment in bank deposits, net

35,023

(195,000)

34,742

(195,000) Decrease (Increase) in restricted deposits

-

(1)

-

1 Net cash provided (used) in investing activities

34,394

(196,418)

32,536

(197,132) Cash flows from financing activities:















Cash received from reverse capitalization, net of Issuance cost

-

122,728

-

122,728 Issue of Ordinary shares, net of Issuance cost

-

46,843

-

217,343 Proceeds from exercise of options

114

448

178

468 Repayment of loan

(81)

(76)

(121)

(134) Net cash provided by financing activities

33

169,943

57

340,405 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

641

297

207

20 Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

17,831

(42,656)

(240)

106,457 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of the period

55,356

199,879

73,427

50,766 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of the period $ 73,187 $ 157,223

73,187 $ 157,223

INNOVIZ TECHNOLOGIES LTD.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOW

U.S. dollars in thousands





2020

2021

2020

2021



(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)



















Supplementary disclosure of cash flows activities:

















(1) Cash received during the period for:

















Interest $ (79) $ (6)

(1) $ (6)

(2) Cash paid during the period for:

















Interest $ 22 $ 21

45 $ 43

Income taxes $ 19 $ 32

89 $ 69

(3) Non-cash transactions:

















Non-marketable securities in consideration for property and equipment $ 33 $ -

54 $ -

Conversion of preferred shares to ordinary shares

-

272,815

-

272,815

Issuance of shares from Receipts on Ordinary shares account

-

170,500

-

-

Issuance cost paid in Equity

-

47,603

-

77,309

Deferred revenue reclassification





1,395





1,395

Deferred issuance costs $ - $ 26,206

- $ -

(4) Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of the period

















Cash and cash equivalents $ 72,429 $ 156,418

72,429 $ 156,418

Short-term restricted deposits

8

8

8

8

Restricted deposits

750

797

750

797



$ 73,187 $ 157,223

73,187 $ 157,223













































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SOURCE Innoviz Technologies
North America Residential Water Heater Industry is set to surpass the annual installation of 14 million units by 2027 owing to increasing installation of energy-efficient heating appliances regulated by stringent industry policies.

Selbyville, Delaware, Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The North America Residential Water Heater Market is projected to cross USD 2 billion by 2027, as reported in the latest study by Global Market Insights Inc. Rising urban migration, increased consumer demand for spending on efficient & smart appliances, and stringent norms to constraint carbon emissions will influence the product penetration.

Rapid ongoing development of sustainable building projects along with rigorous building efficiency norms and standards is anticipated to augment the industry landscape. Ongoing stipulations by the governing authorities to shift toward energy-efficient appliances for restraining the carbon emissions coupled with the energy consumption will drive the market size.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/5086

Electric units are set to grow on account of the escalating demand for alternative heating solutions in contrary to the conventional energy sources comprising coal, wood, and biofuel. The actual energy savings for water heaters mostly depend on the heater location, size along with family size, and the positioning of water pipes. Ongoing development of the building infrastructure comprising single family and multifamily apartments will propel the product demand.

Some of the major findings in North America residential water heater market report include:

The rising demand for residential water heaters on account of their extensive utilization across domestic applications that include cleaning, cooking, and personal hygiene will propel the market size.

Increasing smart city projects, rapid expansion of the building infrastructure, and increasing customer inclination toward luxury appliances will accelerate the demand for water heaters.

The significant industries are aimed toward building strategic growth ventures with technology providers to bring technical product advancements.

Key players operating across the North America residential water heater market include A.O. Smith, Rheem Manufacturing, Bradford White, Navien, and GE Appliances amongst others.

Browse key industry insights spread across 190 pages with 252 market data tables & 29 figures & charts from the report,  North America Residential Water Heater Market Statistics By Product (Instant [Electric, Gas], Storage [Electric {< 30 Liters, 30 - 100 Liters, 100 - 250 Liters, 250 - 400 Liters, > 400 Liters}, Gas {< 30 Liters, 30 - 100 Liters, 100 - 250 Liters, 250 - 400 Liters, > 400 Liters}]), Capacity (< 30 Liters, 30 - 100 Liters, 100 - 250 Liters, 250 - 400 Liters, > 400 Liters), Energy Source (Electric, Gas [Natural Gas, LPG]), Industry Analysis Report, Country Outlook (U.S., Canada), Application Potential, Price Trend, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2021  2027  in detail along with the table of contents:

Story continues

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/north-america-residential-water-heater-market

The U.S. market is projected to register over 1.5% CAGR between 2021 and 2027. The increasing demand for electric tankless water systems together with the rising installation of space heating systems will augment the business landscape. Shifting focus toward the utilization of energy-efficient equipment coupled with strict regulations toward environment sustainability will continue to entail the product deployment.

Inorganic growth ventures coupled with introducing new technologies for enhanced product development are some of the significant initiatives, which will favour the business potential. The companies are aiming for mergers and acquisitions with technology leaders to gain a competitive advantage in the industry. Shifting focus toward low-cost production in combination with mounting investments in product innovations will support competitive pricing.

The outburst of COVID- 19 pandemic has distressed the global economy, wherein several industries including construction & component manufacturing continue to be impacted. The OEMs face various challenges in recommencing their manufacturing facilities owing to manpower shortages. However, with ongoing development of the healthcare facilities to fight the virus along with the growing demand for HVAC equipment will enhance the North America residential water heater market statistics.

Browse the Toc of this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/north-america-residential-water-heater-market

About Global Market Insights

Global Market Insights Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider, offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology.

CONTACT: Contact Us: Arun Hegde Corporate Sales, USA Global Market Insights Inc. Phone: 1-302-846-7766 Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688 Email: sales@gminsights.com




-Norwegian Encore Makes Its Debut in Alaska with First Call to Icy Strait Point-

-NCL Guests Are the First to Experience the New Wilderness Landing Pier and Gondola System as Part of the Company's Significant Investment in Alaska-

MIAMI, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel with a 54-year history of breaking boundaries, celebrated its highly anticipated return to cruise in the U.S. with Norwegian Encore's inaugural call to Icy Strait Point, Alaska.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8832256-norwegian-cruise-line-great-cruise-comeback-first-us-sailing

Norwegian Cruise Line and Huna Totem Corporation host ceremonial plaque exchange during Norwegian Encore's debut call to Icy Strait Point, Alaska. In attendance were CEO of Huna Totem Corporation Russell Dick, Vice President of Huna Totem Corporation Tyler Hickman, Norwegian Encore Captain Martin Holmqvist and NCL President and CEO Harry Sommer. Photos by Alive Coverage.

The Brand's newest innovative ship Norwegian Encore set sail from Seattle on Aug. 7, 2021 for her first season of voyages to Alaska. Adding to the already momentous milestone, Norwegian Encore is the first in the industry to berth at the new Wilderness Landing pier at Icy Strait Point, which was built in partnership between NCL's parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) and Huna Totem Corporation, the village corporation owned by approximately 1,400 Alaska Native shareholders with aboriginal ties to Hoonah and the Glacier Bay area. Icy Strait Point is a wholly owned and operated subsidiary of Huna Totem Corporation.

On Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021 a double ribbon cutting ceremony took place to officially open the new Wilderness Landing pier and the first of two gondola systems to be completed as part of the joint investment between NCLH and Huna Totem.

"Our return to Alaska is a monumental moment for not only NCL but for the state's communities as well," said Harry Sommer, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. "The absence of cruising last year was detrimental to these communities, which lost approximately $1.5 billion. Our return represents our continued commitment to Alaska and to the well-being of the destinations we visit. Our investment in Icy Strait Point is providing our guests with more opportunities to experience and understand the natural and cultural beauty of the destination and its people."

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A vehicle-free zone, the new Wilderness Landing provides additional forest and beach areas for visitors to explore the natural wonders of the destination. With the opening of the new high-speed Transporter Gondola, guests have easy access to Icy Strait Point's first pier, Adventure Landing, where the Historic Salmon Cannery dating back to 1912 and other local attractions are located. Once completed later this summer, the Mountain Top Gondola will take guests to the top of Hoonah Mountain at 1,600-feet of elevation, where miles of new hiking trails and scenic vistas await.

"Since Icy Strait Point's inception, we've strived to balance the needs of our Alaska Native community with those of Alaska's growing cruise industry and this development was a natural step for us," said Russell Dick, chief executive officer of Huna Totem Corporation. "We are grateful to Norwegian for believing in our vision and we hope our sustainable model can lead the way for positive expansion of the cruise visitor industry in Alaska."

With 23,040 acres of private beach and temperate rain forest to explore, Icy Strait Point offers guests the opportunity to experience authentic Alaska. The island also offers the most accessible coastal brown bear viewing platforms in Southeast Alaska, whale watching, kayaking and the world's largest ZipRider zip line. Located just a mile from the Alaska native community of Hoonah, travelers also have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the local culture when visiting Icy Strait Point with exposure to native traditions and dances, oral histories and cooking classes.

Later this week, Norwegian Encore will make her first calls to Juneau and Ketchikan, Alaska, before returning to Seattle and continuing her season of week-long voyages to Alaska through Oct. 16, 2021.

Norwegian Cruise Line recently restarted its cruise operations on July 25, 2021 following a more than 500-day suspension, with Norwegian Jade launching seven-day itineraries to the Greek Isles. On Aug. 15, 2021 Norwegian Gem will be the first ship in the fleet to resume operations from Miami and set sail from the new Norwegian Cruise Line Terminal at PortMiami. Through October, she will offer a selection of week-long voyages to the Caribbean and four-day cruises to the Bahamas. The fleetwide redeployment will continue in partnership with local governments and are guided by the robust protocols of the Company's SailSAFE health and safety program, which at its cornerstone includes that all crew and guests must be fully vaccinated to embark for voyages through Oct. 31, 2021. Working with the leading experts of the SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness Council, the robust protocols will be regularly evaluated and modified as needed, making science-based decisions to protect guests, crew and the destinations it visits. As protocols evolve and additional information becomes available, updates will be published at www.ncl.com/sail-safe.

Travelers seeking the latest details about NCL's redeployment should click here.

For additional images of Norwegian Encore's first call to Icy Strait Point, 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.

Norwegian Cruise Line guests were welcomed with a ceremonial dance performed by the local native community during Norwegian Encores debut call to Icy Strait Point, Alaska. Photos by Alive Coverage.

NCL President and CEO Harry Sommer and Huna Totem Corporation CEO Russell Dick ceremoniously cut the ribbon for the opening of the new Transporter Gondola system at Icy Strait Point, Alaska on Aug. 10, 2021 during the Cruise Lines first voyage to Alaska after its 500-day pause in operations. Photos by Alive Coverage.

Norwegian Encore's Captain Martin Holmqvist and NCL President and CEO Harry Sommer celebrate the Company's return to Alaska after its 500-day pause in operations. Photos by Alive Coverage.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Aug. 10, 2021 in Icy Strait Point, Alaska to celebrate the opening of the new Wilderness Landing pier built in partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. and Huna Totem Corporation. NCL President and CEO Harry Sommer and Huna Totem Corporation CEO Russell Dick ceremoniously cut the ribbon and open the new pier. Photos by Alive Coverage.

Norwegian Cruise Line makes its Great Cruise Comeback from the U.S. with Norwegian Encore's debut voyage to Alaska, where Icy Strait Point was the first port of call. Pictured here on the new Wilderness Landing pier, which was built in partnership between Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. and Huna Totem Corporation, are Norwegian Encore Captain Martin Holmqvist, NCL President and CEO Harry Sommer, Huna Totem Corporation CEO Russell Dick and Tyler Hickman, Vice President of Huna Totem Corporation. Photos by Alive Coverage.

Norwegian Cruise Line

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SOURCE Norwegian Cruise Line
TORONTO, Aug. 11, 2021 /CNW/ - The global charity World Animal Protection commissioned a public opinion poll to find out where Canadians stand on issues related to our food system, including animal welfare, the environmental impacts of industrial animal agriculture and the overuse of antibiotics. An EKOS research online survey of 2,143 Canadians conducted last month shows that Canadians have many concerns about the harmful effects of industrial animal agriculture.

Pigs sleeping at a high welfare farm in Ontario. Here, they are free to move around and be social. World Animal Protection encourages farms like this where animal welfare is a priority. Unlike at an industrial farm where pigs spend their lives in cages or in overcrowded conditions, making disease easier to spread. Canadians are concerned about industrial farms and want to see assistance for farmers to transition to more sustainable models. Credit: Nina Devries/World Animal Protection (CNW Group/World Animal Protection)

And with a potential election looming, the charity hopes all political party leaders will address such issues on the campaign trail.

When it comes to safeguarding human health, 60 per cent of Canadians agreed with many experts who have identified antibiotic overuse on farm animals as contributing to a rise in antibiotic resistant bacteria (aka "superbugs"). Superbugs make it harder for humans to respond to treatment from antibiotics.

A recent report from the charity even found antibiotic resistance genes (which are the building blocks of superbugs) in waterways near industrial pig farms in Manitoba. This is concerning because once in the environment, superbugs can reach humans in multiple ways.This includes swimming in or eating fish from contaminated waterways. Superbugs can even be transmitted through eating crops that have been watered with contaminated sources.

The routine overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture is also recognized by the World Health Organization and the United Nations (UN) as a significant contributor to the emergence of superbugs. Currently, 700,000 people die each year from untreatable infections. This number is estimated to grow to 10 million by 2050 if action isn't taken to stop antibiotic overuse.

The online survey showed 60 per cent of Canadians support phasing out the prophylactic use of antibiotics in industrial farming. The strongest support for this came from women (65 per cent) and BC residents (68 per cent).

Lynn Kavanagh, Farming Campaign Manager for World Animal Protection says, "Demand for high amounts of animal protein fuels intensification, which in turn fuels the reliance on prophylactic antibiotic use. We need to adopt a healthier farming system which necessitates reducing how much meat and dairy we consume."

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Canadians are making this connection. One out of three Canadians report reducing or eliminating their consumption of animal products over the past 12 months. The two main reasons cited are health (41 per cent) and to reduce the impact on climate change (31 per cent).

Over the course of this summer wildfires have raged across BC  a wake-up call to the dire consequences of climate change. And as the latest UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, released earlier this week shows us, we need to act now.

Industrial animal farming is a major contributor to the climate crisis. It accounts for 70 per cent of all agricultural land use and is responsible for 18 per cent of greenhouse gases. Almost half (47 per cent) of Canadians are concerned about the possible environmental effects of animal consumption, especially young voters under 35 (61 per cent).

To support a healthier, more sustainable food system two thirds of Canadians support providing financial incentives to farmers to transition away from the industrial model of farming to more sustainable systems.

Preventing the next pandemic is also on the minds of Canadians. The poll shows 82 per cent believe preventing future pandemics are very or somewhat important issues when deciding who to vote for.

There is a strong link between industrial animal farming and pandemics. Previous pandemics such as the avian flu and swine flu have come from farms and some scientists predict the next pandemic could come also from a farm. In industrial farms across Canada and around the world animals are kept in overcrowded, stressful and unsanitary conditions, making it easy for diseases to spread.

Furthermore, the United Nations Environment Programme in a recent report, cites 'increased demand for animal protein' and 'unsustainable agriculture intensification' (mostly of animals) as two of the top seven drivers of pandemic risk.

"The time is now for all political parties to show Canadians how they plan to address the impacts of industrial animal farming," says Kavanagh. "Human health and animal health are connected, and the government has an opportunity to promote a food system that protects the environment and public health."

About World Animal Protection

From our offices worldwide, including China, Brazil, Kenya and Canada, we move the world to protect animals. Last year, we gave more than 220 million animals better lives through our campaigns that focus on animals in the wild, animals in disasters, animals in communities and animals in farming. For more information visit www.worldanimalprotection.ca.

SOURCE World Animal Protection

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This week, TikTok became the most downloaded app in the world , so the rumor of its future listing caused a stir. According to sources close to ByteDance , owner of TikTok , the company plans to go public in Hong Kong in 2022, defying increasing pressure from the Chinese government on the country's 'big tech'.

Citing people familiar with the company's projects, The Financial Times reported that ByteDance could debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange later this year or early 2022. This "despite a growing regulatory assault targeting companies Chinese technology , exposes the British media.

It may interest you: We explain why not being on TikTok is a big mistake

The plans of the TikTok owner are revealed as Chinese authorities' scrutiny of tech giants intensifies, as part of a strategy to bolster national security.

The Chinese government has tightened vigilance against big tech companies, emphasizing alleged violations of antitrust laws and data security . In addition, Beijing officials pledged to stricter oversight of their overseas companies' IPOs.

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In fact, ByteDance itself is in the crosshairs of the Chinese government and regulatory authorities, who asked it to give more details on how it collects, stores and uses users' personal data, and is also investigating the group for monopolistic practices.

"We look forward to hearing the final guidance from ByteDance in September. They are submitting all the documents to the Chinese authorities at this time and are going through the review process," an anonymous source told the outlet.

ByteDance was about to go public in New York

In December 2020, in a funding round, ByteDance raised close to $ 5 billion and was valued at $ 180 billion. For its part, Zhang Yiming , creator of TikTok and CEO of the company as of May 2021 , has an estimated fortune of $ 35.8 billion , according to data from Forbes' real-time billionaires ranking, where he is listed at number 34.

Story continues

With this background, the TikTok parent expected to debut on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021, but had to put its plans on hold.

A key to suspending its Initial Public Offering (IPO) was the strong repression that was exercised against Didi Chuxing for going to the market on Wall Street without obtaining the approval of the government. Last June, the transport app continued its listing on the New York Stock Exchange, which earned it $ 4.4 billion, despite the country's internet regulator expressing concern about its data privacy protocols.

Almost as soon as Didi's IPO came out, the Chinese Cybersecurity Administration announced an investigation against the company and ordered the removal of the app from app stores .

After this, ByteDance "decided not to go ahead with an IPO in New York," they explain.

The Chinese regulator released new rules to require any company with more than one million users to undergo a data security review before being approved for listing abroad. The measure would aim to ensure that regulators in other nations cannot obtain confidential information from users.
Dozens of Pakistani religious minority activists rallied in Islamabad on August 11 against the forced conversion of girls, often as a precursor to marriage.

The activists marched from the National Press Club toward the parliament and held banners and chanted slogans seeking government action to stop such conversions to Pakistan's official religion, Islam.

The protest was organized by the Minorities' Alliance Pakistan, a political party established in 2002.

Some of the demonstrators held images of Shahbaz Bhatti, the party's founder, who served as minority affairs minister from 2008 until his assassination in 2011.

Bhatti was shot dead in Islamabad after campaigning against Pakistan's widely criticized blasphemy laws.

Nearly 97 percent of Pakistan's population of around 238 million people are Sunni or Shi'ite Muslim, but there are small Hindu and Christian communities.

Critics cite the routine targeting of young women from Pakistans Hindu minority for simultaneous conversion to Islam and marriage to Muslim men -- often under alleged coercion.

Some have dubbed the most notorious hubs for such processes "conversion factories."

The protest against the forcible conversion follows a mob attack on a Hindu temple in the province of Punjab after an 8-year-old Hindu boy was charged under Pakistan's stringent blasphemy laws, which are often abused and frequently used to target minorities like Hindus and Christians.
FILE - In this May 22, 2019, file photo, Ariel Quiros, left, former owner of Jay Peak Resort, stands outside the federal courthouse in Burlington, Vt., after his arraignment on fraud charges over a failed plan to build a biotechnology plant using foreign investors' money. The Miami businessman, accused of being the mastermind behind a massive fraud case involving foreign investors' money in Vermont developments, is expected to plead guilty in next week in a plea deal in which prosecutors are seeking a sentence of more than eight years in prison.
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I-70 through Glenwood Canyon, which has been closed since July 29 due to a mudslide that dumped tons of debris on the highway, could reopen to one lane in each direction as soon as Saturday, Aug. 14, according to an announcement Wednesday from Gov. Jared Polis.

Polis toured the canyon with officials from the Colorado Department of Transportation, which has hauled out closed to 8,000 truckloads, at 13 tons per truckload, of trees, rocks and mud that cascaded over both the westbound and eastbound lanes of the interstate, across the bike trail and into the Colorado River.

The mudslide also closed the railroad line that carries the California Zephyr Amtrak passenger through the Colorado mountains, but that line reopened last Friday.

The mudslide did the most damage between the Hanging Lake Tunnel and Bair Ranch, at the canyon's eastern end.

Polis has issued two executive orders, including a disaster declaration, that direct state resources to help the state clean up the mess. He also asked the Biden administration Monday for $116 million to pay for repairs. The federal government approved the first payment of $11.6 million on Tuesday.

State officials plan to line the highway with 60 special sand bags they hope will prevent further damage and closures.

Polis received a damage assessment Wednesday morning. A statement following the tour said Polis and CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew "observed the extensive damage and around the clock repair and debris clearing efforts" performed by state crews.

Clearing and ultimately re-opening the I-70 corridor through Glenwood Springs is our top transportation priority," Polis said in a statement. "This corridor plays a vital role in our states economy and for many Coloradans traveling to get to work, school, and homes along the western slope."

The state may need more help to find a permanent solution.

As the state recovers from this incident and reopens this corridor Saturday afternoon, we will continue to need strong federal partners in the Biden administration and our federal delegation, Polis said.

Polis thanked the states Department of Public Safety team; the federal delegation, including Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet; as well as partners at the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration for their efforts.
The Associated Press file Colorado Rep. Tom Sullivan, D-Aurora, left, smiles after getting one of the pens used by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, right, to sign a bill to allow Colorado to become the 15th state to adopt a red-flag law allowing firearms to be taken from people who pose a danger, during a ceremony in the state Capitol on April 12, 2019.
Ernest Luning: "Just as Salazars heritage and background mirrors the ever-evolving relationship of the American Southwest and its centuries-old neighbor to the south, Salazars political rise from the ranch his family has tended for generations in Los Rincones  one of the first spots in Colorado to be settled by Europeans  set the pace for the Colorado Democratic Partys climb from obscurity to near-total control of the state."
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Rain showers this morning with mostly sunny conditions during the afternoon hours. High 84F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 53F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.
Reshi112 wrote:

I've been doing a lot of research on some part time MBA options, specifically a weekend MBA option. I am looking for something that would offer a blend of online and in person curriculum. So far I am really liking the look of UCLA's FEMBA program where I'd only have to fly out every 3 weeks for a weekend. I live and work in Denver and would like to avoid having to fly out every single weekend. On the other hand, I also don't want to do a fully online program.



Are there any other weekend options (high tier schools) out there that are somewhat reasonable in the amount of travel required to attend? So far I have these schools in my list:

1. UCLA

2. Univ Washington (Foster)

3. Tepper

4. Duke

5. Ross (new online program)



Thanks!

You may want to give Berkeley, Kelley, and Kenan Flagler a look-into as well.Feel free to reach out to us using the link below if you wish to discuss how we can position your candidature for these schools.Best,Karthik_________________
Representative image

Kabul [Afghanistan], August 11 (ANI): Ten terrorists were killed and five other suffered injuries as Afghan Air Force's airstrike targeted the Taliban's gathering in Kandahar city on Tuesday night, the country's defense ministry said on Wednesday.

"AAF targeted Taliban's gathering in the outskirts of the Kandahar city last night. 10 terrorists were killed and 5 others wounded as a result of the #airstrike," the defence ministry spokesperson Fawad Aman said.

Fierce fighting between Afghan forces and Taliban is underway in Herat, Lashkar Gah, and Kandahar in the south.

The new wave of deadly clashes by Taliban terrorists started in Afghanistan last month.

With US and NATO forces announcing withdrawal from the country, the Taliban began an assault on major cities and seized control of several cities.

Taliban have also attacked civilians and imposed regressive and barbaric rules in the provinces that fell to them.

In less than a week, the Taliban captured seven out of 34 provincial capitals in the country.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday informed that at least 180 million people have been killed while more than 1,180 have been wounded in four Afghan cities alone since July 9 as Taliban offensives have escalated.

The Afghan government forces and the Taliban must stop fighting "to prevent bloodshed."If they fail to return to the negotiating table and reach an agreement, the situation for the Afghan people will become "even worse," Sputnik reported citing Michelle Bachelet. (ANI)
By Divya Chowdhury

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India, the United States and parts of other emerging markets have seen fund inflows redirected from China as recent regulatory crackdowns in the world's second-biggest economy have spooked markets, according to veteran investor Mark Mobius.

"I would say half the money has just left ... But I think that is temporary, it will not last," Mobius, emerging markets fund manager and founder of Mobius Capital Partners, told the Reuters Global Markets Forum (GMF) on Tuesday.

Mobius said his firm was "heavily concentrated in India", with about a 20% allocation, adding that he was bullish on sectors ranging from medical testing to industrial equipment.

"It's a pretty wide scope that we have in India. Lots of opportunities."

Mobius earlier made his name as an emerging markets guru with U.S. money manager Franklin Templeton, where he managed over $50 billion in EM portfolios.

The effects of China's crackdown will be temporary, and over the long-term, curb monopolistic trends enabling small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) to thrive, said Mobius, whose firm manages over $414 million in assets.

The unpredictability of China's regulatory measures https://reut.rs/3xrDq79 make the country unappealing to foreign investors in the short term but could make it attractive in the long run, global fund managers told GMF last week.

In China, Mobius was upbeat on medical equipment makers, healthcare, higher-level education companies that haven't been impacted by the recent crackdowns, consumer products and fast food.

"We feel that it's good where we are," he said, adding that he would consider buying some stocks, especially in the SME segment, given the recent price corrections.

"There are opportunities now in China as a result of this panic following the government intervention," Mobius said.

Along with India, Mobius said his fund was bullish on Taiwan and Brazil.

(This interview was conducted in the Reuters Global Markets Forum chat room on Refinitiv Messenger. Join GMF: https://refini.tv/33uoFoQ)

(Reporting by Divya Chowdhury in Mumbai and Aaron Saldanha in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.)
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High around 95F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

A clear sky. Low around 75F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
1. Yes. It already exists for Fort Hood campuses. The mask policy should be uniform.

2. Yes. Other districts are defying the ban. KISD should put kids first and follow suit.

3. No. Whether a mask mandate is a good idea doesnt matter. Dont break the law.

4. No. Students shouldnt be forced to wear a mask. The governors order is correct.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say. There could be serious consequences either way.

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Honoring the Revolution in Watts

A Historical reflection of the Watts Rebellion and its impact on todays social change

In honor of the anniversary of the 56-day uprising entitled, the Watts Rebellion, one must revisit the energy that surrounded that time. It was a breaking point. A new vernacular was being introduced to the status quo. As the minds of the collective community began to expand, a new reality took shape with spiraling raw energy. The message was clear and channeled through entities that were beyond control. This moment challenged the unspoken contract of every local abiding citizen and brought a new culture in order.

On August 11, the essence of the uprisings that took place in 1965 is still felt today; National Public Radio (NPR) shared articles describing a not-so-distant past influencing current times. One can still physically see the effects of a boiling point, that overspilled into the streets of Watts and South Los Angeles.

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The moment labeled the Watts Rebellion is marching to a familiar tune of racial injustice. Recounting information reported by History.com, the tip of the iceberg, which had a titanic effect on the local community of Watts and surrounding neighborhoods, generated after two police officers stopped a Black motorist by the name of Marquette Frye. They were under the impression that the motorist was intoxicated. A crowd gathered on Avalon Boulevard and 116th Street, with the air of a fatal outcome surrounding the arrest.

The city was socially fatigued from the lack of political support, which ignited the coals that held a somber flame of hopelessness within the hearts of the collective community. The night grew warm from the buzz of residents taking the reins for change into their own hands. Faces glowed from the ambers of flames, roaring from torched buildings. People were taking anything that could be carried home, savoring the moments raw energy circulating through the Watts, fulfilling a need that has always been there.

Many people took to the streets within a 50-mile radius of South-Central Los Angeles; a police act within an unfortunate tie to racial profiling led to five days of violence, with over 34 dead, 1,032 injured, and nearly 4,000 arrested according to History.com. Over the 56-day period, over 14,000 national guards were assigned to that area.

This was a distinct moment in time because of the range and spread of the social upheaval. A well-known confrontation between police and people of color took many different forms; however, the clearest silhouette is seen at the base of the smoldering ash, which was all that was left from buildings that once stood and supported the communitys infrastructure. According to many reports, there was an estimate of $40 million in property damage.

Interpreted as the war on poverty, during that time, the city was seeing hands reached out with no one on the other side to uplift them and no city investment within these areas of focus, leading to the combustion of civil unrest and social change.

Because there were no resources before the eruption, recovery came in centimeter measurements. Much like the effects of the present COVID-19 trauma in underserved populations, pre-existing conditions became open wounds, bleeding out from the community faster than they can be bandaged.

In todays context, this historical moment is labeled as the costliest urban rebellion of the Civil Rights era, seen in the Civil Rights Digital Library (crdl.usg.edu). It would be easy to say, this is a thing of the past, however, a similar event occurred half a century later in 2020. The name George Floyd rings in the ears of many and resonates with the fight against police brutality that is still been seen today.

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Much like the George Floyd movement, the Watts uprising in 1965 pushed the needle forward. The fires worked metaphorically as a smoke signal for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) under the watchful eye of activist, Martin Luther King, Jr., bringing more attention to the environmental impact on the overall quality of life.

Todays public servants weighed in on the massive impact of such a historical event. Timothy Watkins, President & CEO Watts Labor Community Action Committee stated, Never before have so few been neglected by so many as the People of Watts in the City of Los Angeles.

Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas weighed in on the moment and its aftermath. In reflection of the passing of 50-years to Watts uprising, Ridley-Thomas stated, Despite all the social and economic progress since the events in Watts, and after the civil unrest that followed the Rodney King beating trial verdicts, it seems the more things change, the more they remain the same.

He continued, To some, Ezell Ford, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and Michael Brown are all poignant reminders that something still just isnt right. And yet, sitting on our hands during an election cycle cant be the answer either. The battle for justice requires that we be vigilant in maintaining possession of all the tools at our disposal and that we be strategic in their use. In the struggle for political power and influence, abstention is retreat. Apathy is surrender. Indifference is betrayal.

Assemblymember Mike Gipson reflected on the 56 years of growth from 1965 and stated, On this anniversary, we reflect on things that have changed and how far we have yet to go. Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and California State University Dominguez Hills are just a few of the early changes, but more is needed.

Gibson continued, My current legislation, AB 1425 seeks to bring internet/broadband to housing developments and low-income residents so that students and households can have access to studies and resources, said Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson. I stand on the shoulders of Mervyn Dymally, Lillian Mobley, Ted Watkins, Edna Allewine, Tommy Jacquette, Ozie Gonzaque, Sweet Alice Harris, Larry Aubrey, Harold Hambrick, Pastor Reginald Pope and the many others who gave their all for Watts. I also stand with the Hawkins family whose business Hawkins Burgers is an 80 year institution, pre-dating the Watts Revolt. This is an opportunity to renew our purpose, especially during these challenging times.

Close attention needs to be paid to the repetition of history; it defines the moments where humanity has yet to see a solution. As one revisits the past and reflects on the day South Los Angeles felt the burn of their despair, the work becomes clear for the present.
U.S. land managers have begun efforts to capture about 50 percent more wild horses than originally planned this year because of severe drought across the U.S. West. That means they will capture about 6,000 additional animals, mostly in the western states of Nevada, Oregon and Colorado.

The Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, said the emergency roundups, or mass capture, began Sunday in Oregon and Monday in Nevada. The BLM actions are centered on places where long-term overpopulation of the herds "already has stretched the available food and water to its limits."

Nada Wolff Culver is the bureau's deputy director for policy and programs. She said, "As one of the agencies charged with the responsibility to protect and manage America's wild horses and burros, the BLM is prepared to take emergency action where we can in order to save the lives of these cherished animals."

In announcing the effort Monday, Culver said the agency goal is "continuing our efforts to reduce overpopulation across the West. That means having healthy herd sizes that can live through severe conditions like long periods of drought. She noted that droughts are becoming more frequent due to climate change."



Those who advocate for the wild horses say that the BLM action comes from pressure from cattle ranchers, who want to keep the food and water for their livestock. Horses compete with cattle for the same plants and watering places.

"Blame the horse"

Laura Leigh is president of the nonprofit group Wild Horse Education. She said she is unhappy that the Biden administration is continuing the policies of former President Donald Trump and previous administrations. They removed the protected horses, but did not limit the number of cattle and sheep grazing on the same land. Leigh does not believe the administrations claim to care about the environment and wild animals. While ranchers are harming the land, we blame the horse," she said.

Kaitlynn Glover is executive director of resources for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. She said ranchers have already made voluntary changes to reduce their use of federal lands for feeding their cattle. She noted that the current drought is more severe than in recent years.

Culver said in an email to The Associated Press that the removal of the horses is important to the health of both the horses and the land.

Even in times where resources are plentiful, these overpopulated herds cause serious damage to the landscape," she wrote.

More than the environment can support

The bureau says the estimated 86,000 free-roaming horses and burros on federal lands is three times larger than what the environment can support. Animal advocates disagree.

About 1,400 of the captured animals may be returned to the wild after they receive birth control drugs.

Culver noted that the BLM announced last week that it was taking steps to make certain that any horses taken in by individuals are treated well. In the past, some were sold to be killed for their meat.

Horse advocates welcomed efforts to more strictly control the process, but said the reforms don't go far enough. They fear that horses will still end up being killed as long as the government offers $1,000 cash to people who take the animals.

U.S. Representative Dina Titus is a Nevada Democrat. She said the problems with wild horses show poor management by BLM. She added that she "led an effort to provide funding for safe and humane birth control."

Im Jill Robbins.

Scott Sonner reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

_________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

drought  n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain

herd  n. a group of animals that live or are kept together

deputy  n. an important assistant who helps the leader of a government or organization

burro -n. a small donkey

cherished  adj. greatly loved

advocate - v. argue for or support a cause or policy

cattle  n. cows, bulls, or steers that are kept on a farm or ranch for meat or milk

rancher  n. a person who lives or works on a ranch

What do you think of this management of wild horses? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
New research on national test scores suggests that students learning greatly slowed down last year because of the pandemic. Minority and poorer students suffered the most.

Research published last week by the Center for Reinventing Public Education, or CRPE, argues there is major evidence that student progress in math and reading slowed by several months. The paper collected information from 12 different reports on student test scores during the pandemic. The CRPE study says that the average student is behind academically compared to students from previous years. The study points to school closures and remote learning as the main reasons behind the decline.

Robin Lake is one of the authors of the study. She wrote in a tweet last week that a large number of American students have learned very little in core subjects this year, failed classes at high rates, and been absent or missing from their schools. There is little doubt that, on average, more in-person instruction produced more learning, she wrote.

Another study, released last month by the education research group NWEA, looked at end-of-year success relative to a normal school year. Looking at national test scores, NWEA found that students made progress in math and reading in the 2020-2021 school year, but that progress was much slower than in past years. Students especially struggled in math. NWEA found that students finished the 2020-2021 school year 8 to 12 percentile points lower than students in past years.

The findings come as the delta variant of the coronavirus threatens school reopening plans. Educators and experts agree that in-person schooling should be a top concern. But more children, who are not able to get vaccinated, are getting sick with the highly contagious, and more dangerous, form of the virus. One-third of school districts in the country are not requiring masks this school year and another third have not made any decision on masks, says the publication Education Week.

Miguel Cardona is the head of the U.S. Department of Education. Speaking to reporters last week, he said he was worried about adult actions getting in the way of schools safely reopening. Let our educators educate. Let our school leaders leadLet's not go back to the school system of March 2020.

Exactly who was learning in-person at the beginning of 2021 varied greatly based on race. Federal data found that in January, 27 percent of white fourth graders were learning online. But 58 percent of Black students and 56 percent of Hispanic students were taking online classes.

That difference in in-person learning may have added to the widening of the achievement gap between mostly white and higher-income students, and mostly minority and lower-income students during the last school year.

In math, students in majority Black schools ended the year with six months of unfinished learning, students in low-income schools with seven, said a study of student test scores by McKinsey released in July.

NWEAs research also showed that low-income and minority schools suffered the biggest drops in reading and math test scores. The pandemic exacerbated pre-existing inequities in educational opportunities and outcomes, the study said.

Many of the students who were lower already showed the biggest drops, said Megan Kuhfeld in an interview with Education Week. Kuhfeld is one of the authors of the NWEA study. Thats very alarming to me.

Education experts argue that more assistance is needed for low-income schools that were hurting long before the pandemic.

President Joe Bidens administration had proposed a $100 billion increase to improve school facilities as a part of his infrastructure plan. Little funding for schools, however, remains in the $1 trillion bipartisan bill currently being debated in the U.S. Senate.

The CRPE study argues that the recent research shows the impact of the pandemic is short-term and that student learning can be improved upon. But Lake said a return to what was normal for many low-income schools may not be enough to prevent long-term declines in learning.

The answer to the question, How much will they suffer long term? depends on adult action, Lake said in a tweet. What we do from here matters.

Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

Quiz: Studies: Students Progress Slowed during the Pandemic Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

_______________________________________

Words in This Story

core  n. the most important or basic part of something

absent  adj. not present at a usual or expected place

doubt  n. a feeling of being uncertain or unsure about something

contagious  adj. able to be passed from one person or animal to another by touching

achievement  n. something that has been done or achieved through effort : a result of hard work

income  n. money that is earned from work, investments, business, etc.

exacerbate  v. to make (a bad situation, a problem, etc.) worse

alarming  n. a feeling of fear caused by a sudden sense of danger


An American diplomat has warned the Taliban that its military campaign to control Afghanistan will not result in a government that is recognized internationally.

The diplomat, Zalmay Khalilzad, gave the warning Tuesday to Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar. The Taliban has a political office in Doha.

Khalilzad has led U.S. peace efforts related to Afghanistan for several years. He and others hope to persuade Taliban leaders to return to peace talks with the Afghan government.

But the Taliban has intensified military efforts in recent weeks to take control of wide areas of the country. The groups new campaign followed the U.S. decision last month to end its military activities in Afghanistan by the end of August.

Most recently, Taliban fighters captured six out of 34 provincial capitals in less than one week. They included Kunduz -- one of the countrys largest cities -- in Kunduz province.

The Taliban is now battling the Western-backed Afghan government for control of several other provinces in the south. On Tuesday, Taliban forces entered Farah and were seen in front of the provincial governors office.

The fighting has driven thousands of people to Kabul, where many are living in open areas in the city.

The latest Taliban gains have led to new efforts to restart peace talks aimed at ending the fighting. The goal is to begin a process to create an agreement for a power-sharing government. The Taliban has so far refused to return to peace negotiations.

The new pressure from Khalilzad follows condemnation of the Talibans moves by the international community. The United Nations has also warned the Taliban that any government that takes power by force will not be recognized.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement Khalilzad's mission in Qatar is meant to help formulate a joint international response to the current situation. The diplomat plans to press the Taliban to stop their military offensive and to negotiate a political settlement, the statement said.

The Talibans military chief released an audio message to his fighters on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. The message ordered the fighters not to harm Afghan forces or government officials in territories they seize.

The five-minute message was recorded by Mohammad Yaqoob, son of the late Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. It instructed the rebels to stay out of empty homes belonging to government officials, to leave marketplaces open and to protect places of business, including banks.

It remains unclear, however, whether Taliban fighters would obey the orders. Some civilians who have fled Taliban forces have said they had put repressive restrictions on women and burned down schools.

The office of the U.N. human rights chief said it has received reports of executions, revenge killings and military use and destruction of homes, schools and medical centers.

Many civilians have been killed or injured in the fighting. The U.N. human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, said Tuesday her office had counted at least 183 deaths and hundreds of injured among civilians in several cities in recent weeks.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

___________________________________________________

Words in This Story

province  n. any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into

formulate  v. to develop all details of a plan for doing something

response  n. an answer of reaction to something that has been said or done

revenge  n. something that is done to punish someone who has done something bad to you
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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County proposes tax rate, fixes budget issues, gives deputies raises

Lymbery SANCHES Pitts JOEL ANDREWS/The Lufkin Daily News Paulette Kennedy SELMAN

SMITH

The new proposed Angelina County fiscal year 2022 budget will be published on Friday and will include thousands of dollars in raises for Angelina County Sheriffs Office deputies.

Angelina County Commissioners voted Tuesday to propose the 43 cents per $100 valuation tax rate to manage this years budget. This doesnt mean the tax rate was approved, just that the court is proposing it.

County Judge Don Lymbery and County Auditor Janice Cordray will work the rest of this week to provide an updated budget. The county will then host public hearings regarding the budget before its final approval. Those dates had not been announced by Tuesday evening. Notice of meetings is typically given a few days in advance as is required by state law.

The updated budget accounts for the $1 million unintentionally allocated to Pct. 1 Constable Tom Selmans budget  which Lymbery said was caused by a computation error in the spreadsheet. It also accounts for a miscalculation in the amount of property values being assessed for taxes, Cordray said.

Her staff, after learning of the $1 million issue, combed through the budget again and found that some revenue had been counted twice. This issue also was accounted for and solved within the budget and left the court with $214,035 leftover to be allocated elsewhere.

Sheriff Greg Sanches approached the court about eliminating two positions and splitting up the salaries for those positions to give his employees even higher raises. He also asked that an amount equal to what would have been given in raises to those two positions be added to his budget to split among the other employees.

It took some conversation for all the parties to be clear about what Sanches request was, but his request would ultimately save the county about $20,000, he said. This is because hes not asked for the pay expected to be allocated for taxes or benefits  just the salary.

The proposed raises would give:

 Around $6,000 more to deputies and sergeants;

 Around $7,000 more to detectives; and

 Around $4,000 to lieutenants.

Pct. 3 Commissioner Terry Pitts said he didnt like giving the deputies even more in raises when there are county employees not receiving any raise. And he brought those issues up earlier in the meeting.

Pitts had two issues with county pay he hoped to resolve. The first was the disproportionate raises in Precinct 4 and the second was that no constables received raises.

The Precinct 4 foreman did not receive a raise, while the other employees only received a few extra hundred dollars per year. Pitts did not believe this was acceptable, pointing out that it was not those employees fault theyre paid more than employees in the same positions in other precincts.

Those employees received raises in 2021 and were given less so the county could help the other positions receive parity pay. Under the judges proposal, almost all the road and bridge positions would make the same as their counterparts.

Lymbery wanted to avoid creating a problem when the unit-road system is implemented in which people in essentially the same jobs are earning less than their coworkers for the same work.

Pitts also decried the lack of raises for constables. Lymbery said they did not receive raises because those positions have been given more money in the last few years, and three received parity pay in the 2021 budget.

Through the parity pay:

 The Precinct 2 constable was given an additional $9,631 per year;

 The Precinct 3 constable was given an additional $10,835 per year; and

 The Precinct 4 constable was given an additional $7,224 per year.

Pitts and Lymbery agreed the four constables would likely take these concerns to the Salary Grievance Committee. Precincts 2, 3 and 4 were given the parity pay because of the grievance committee last year.

Pitts said Selman (Precinct 1) had not had a raise in five years  this year would make six. But Lymbery argued Selman had seen raises in other ways, when he was given the funds to hire another employee and to pay for his gear and travel, as well.

Pitts did not believe budget increases should be held against employees when it came to raises.

Pct. 1 Commissioner Rodney Paulette and Pct. 4 Commissioner Steve Smith both believed the pay should be left as it was originally proposed  without raises. Paulette watched the constables ask for raises or budget increases the year before, when the county was struggling to balance a budget and other departments were asked to cut 10%, and said the county should not continue to accommodate them.

Pct. 2 Commissioner Kermit Kennedy said he could see both sides of the issue.

The court finalized a few other things in the budget, including:

 Giving the Sheriffs Office Professional Standards Officer a $2 per hour raise. This position is tasked with internal investigation, conducting background checks and more on the employees at the sheriffs office and jail.

 Giving two part-time employees at the Angelina County Airport raises equal to most county workers  the court originally planned to give them only half the amount in raises that other county employees received.

 Reallocating raises originally given to the countys district judges. The 159th and 217th District Court Judges turned down their proposed raises because of state requirements; their pay was actually cut by an additional $559 a piece.

 Giving emergency management coordinator Ricky Conner an extra $5,000 to cover the cost of a new vehicle.

 Eliminating raises for Lymbery and commissioners Paulette and Smith.

The remaining funds were yet to be fully determined at this point, but Cordray was instructed to allocate that funding to hard top roads.
Babies born prematurely, even just a couple weeks early, may be at increased risk of autism, a large new study suggests.

It's long been known that autism, a developmental brain disorder, is more common among children who were born pretermbefore the 37th week of pregnancy.

Researchers said the new study, of more than 4 million people, gives a clearer breakdown of the risks associated with different degrees of prematurity.

It also points to a slightly higher prevalence of autism among children who were born just a couple weeks before their due datewhat doctors call "early term."

"Most children born preterm do well," stressed lead researcher Dr. Casey Crump, a professor at Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine in New York City.

But this study, he said, strengthens the evidence that early birth is a risk factor for autism.

His team found that among people born full termbetween the 39th and 41st weeks of pregnancy1.4% had been diagnosed with autism.

Among people born earlier, there was a range of risk. Autism prevalence was highest, at 6%, among those born extremely preterm (between weeks 22 and 27 of pregnancy), but was also elevated among those born more moderately preterm or early term.

Crump said babies and children who were born early should have their development tracked, to catch any delays as soon as possible.

Autism is a developmental brain disorder that affects about 1 in 54 children in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disorder is complex, and varies widely from person to person.

Some children have milder problems with socializing and communicating, while others are profoundly affectedspeaking little, if at all, and having repetitive behaviors. Some children have intellectual disabilities, while others have above-average IQs.

The causes of autism are complex and not fully understood, said Dr. Zsakeba Henderson, deputy chief medical and health officer for the nonprofit March of Dimes.

Like Crump, she stressed that most preemies do not develop autism.

But, Henderson said, "these findings do underscore the importance of doing everything we can to prevent babies from being born too early."

That, she added, includes avoiding labor induction before the 39th week unless there is a medical reason.

It's not completely clear why early birth can raise autism risk, Crump said. But studies show that preterm infants can harbor markers of body-wide inflammationa characteristic that may persist into childhood.

Inflammation affecting the brain, Crump said, could be one way preterm birth contributes to autism.

The findingspublished Aug. 11 in the journal Pediatricsare based on health records from more than 4 million people born in Sweden between 1973 and 2013.

Of all those born extremely preterm, 6.1% were diagnosed with autism at some point. That compared with 2.6% among people born more moderately preterm (between weeks 28 and 33 of pregnancy), and 1.9% among those born "late" preterm (between weeks 34 and 36).

Among people born in the 37th or 38th week of pregnancy (early term) autism prevalence was 1.6%.

The huge database allowed the researchers to compare siblingswhich, Crump said, helps account for genetic and family factors that might affect autism risk.

Even then, the researchers found, preterm and early-term birth were tied to a higher autism risk.

"That suggests a causal relationship," Crump said.

Dr. Elisabeth McGowan, of Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island in Providence, wrote an editorial published with the study. "This study gives us a good, definitive accounting of the prevalence of autism across the spectrum of preterm and early-term birth," she said.

McGowan said it's important for parents and pediatricians to be aware early birth is a risk factor for autism.

That might prompt earlier screening when a child shows problems with language or social development, she said.

McGowan agreed the findings should not "alarm" parents. But, she said, if they have any concerns about their child's development, they should not hesitate to talk to their pediatrician.

Henderson said that preventing as many preterm births as possible is key, since those babies have increased risks of other developmental disabilities, health conditions such as asthma, and problems with hearing or vision.

Among the solutions, Henderson said, is improving women's access to prenatal and post-childbirth care, through measures like extending Medicaid coverage.

Explore further Preterm babies may have higher stroke risk as young adults

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
(HealthDay)The average number of first COVID-19 vaccine doses a day in the United States jumped 95% in the past month, new federal government data shows.

The daily number rose from 226,209 on July 5 to about 441,198 on Aug. 5. It bottomed out at around 218,696 on July 7, but has steadily climbed in every state since then, CBS News reported.

Adults aged 25 to 39 accounted for more than 25% of Americans who received their first shots over the past two weeks, which is the largest share by age group, CBS News reported.

Some of the big increases have been in states that were long below the national average for vaccinations.

Alabama has one of the lowest vaccination rates, but the average rate of new vaccinations jumped 100%, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show, CBS News reported.

The next largest increase was in Louisiana, where first shots rose 84%. Alabama and Louisiana are among the states with some of largest recent coronavirus surges. Nebraska and Minnesota were third and fourth in terms of increases in new vaccinations, CBS News reported.

The increase in first vaccinations comes as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths climb nationwide, fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant.

Some of those new first doses may have been driven by a growing list of employers requiring workers to get the shots, CBS News reported. Meanwhile, the share of unvaccinated Americans who said they would get a COVID-19 vaccine "only if required" fell from 6% to 3% last month, according to a recent poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The largest jump in first doses over the past month has been in children. More than 4 in 10 adolescents, aged 12 to 15, now have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccineup 8.5% from a month prior, CBS News reported. The share of older teens who have had at least one shot climbed 6.5 percentage points over the past month, to 50% nationwide.

For older teens headed to college, some 675 campuses now require vaccinations for at least some of their students or staff, according to a tally from The Chronicle of Higher Education.

More information: Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more on Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more on COVID vaccines.

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
In this Feb. 19, 2021, file photo, Grace John, who works at a school in San Lorenzo, gets a COVID-19 shot at a mobile vaccination clinic run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state in Hayward, Calif. California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. The statewide vaccine mandate for K-12 educators comes as schools return from summer break amid growing concerns of the highly contagious delta variant. Credit: AP Photo/Terry Chea, File

California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, as schools return from summer break amid growing concerns about the highly contagious delta variant, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday.

The new policy applies to both public and private schools and will affect more than 800,000 employees, including about 320,000 public school teachers and a host of support staff such as cafeteria workers and cleaners, the state Department of Public Health said. It will also apply to school volunteers.

Newsom announced the new policy at a San Francisco Bay Area school that reopened earlier this week to in-person classes. Many California schools are back in session, with others starting in the coming weeks.

"We think this is the right thing to do, and we think this is a sustainable way to keeping our schools open and to address the number one anxiety that parents like myself have for young children," said Newsom, who is a father of four. "That is knowing that the schools are doing everything in their power to keep our kids safe."

Several large school districts in the state have issued similar requirements in recent days, including San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Long Beach Unified.

California, like the rest of the country, has seen a troubling surge in COVID-19 infections because of the delta variant, which represents the vast majority of new cases. It has affected children more than previous strains of the virus, prompting a growing number of teachers unions to ease earlier opposition to vaccine mandates.

In this March 2, 2021, file photo, a sign is displayed at a COVID-19 vaccination site for employees of the Los Angeles school district in the parking lot of SOFI Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. The statewide vaccine mandate for K-12 educators comes as schools return from summer break amid growing concerns of the highly contagious delta variant. Credit: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File

California's two largest teachers unions, both powerful political allies to the governor, said Wednesday they fully supported Newsom's policy.

The California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers both cited state and national polling that indicates nearly 90% of educators have been vaccinated but said the rising spread of the delta variant, particularly among children, makes the new policy necessary. Children under 12 are not yet eligible to be vaccinated.

"Educators want to be in classrooms with their students, and the best way to make sure that happens is for everyone who is medically eligible to be vaccinated, with robust testing and multi-tiered safety measures," CTA President E. Toby Boyd said in a statement.

While Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced last week that all Department of Education staffers would be required to disclose their vaccination status or face weekly testing, California's order is far more sweeping, applying to all staff who work in both public and private schools in the country's most populous state.

Over the past few weeks, Newsom has mandated that all health care workers must be fully vaccinated and required that all state employees get vaccinated or choose weekly testing. The weekly testing schedule is based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In this March 2, 2021, file photo, Vanessa Guerra, at right, a special education teacher at Grant Elementary School in Hollywood, receives a shot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from nurse Kelly Mendoza at a site for employees of the Los Angeles school district in the parking lot of SOFI Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. The statewide vaccine mandate for K-12 educators comes as schools return from summer break amid growing concerns of the highly contagious delta variant. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the new policy Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021 as he visited a San Francisco Bay Area school that has already reopened after summer break. Credit: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File

For schools, Newsom had already issued a mask mandate that applies to teachers and students. But until Wednesday, he had left the decision of whether to require vaccines up to local districts.

Vaccine mandates are perilous for the Democratic governor, who faces a recall election next month fueled in part by anger over his handling of the pandemic.

California was the first state to order a pandemic lockdown in March 2020, which shuttered businesses and schools statewide. While many private schools maintained in-person classes, most public schools kept students in distance learning for up to a year. Newsom faced intense political pressure to reopen schools from Republican opponents and supporters who urged him to override powerful labor unions. Many public schools finally reopened last spring, lagging much of the country.

Newsom pushed for a full return to in-person learning this fall. But his mask mandate for schools has angered some parents and been criticized by Republican candidates vying to replace him.

Several of the GOP candidates criticized the new plan Wednesday. Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who has encouraged everyone to get vaccinated, said state officials "should not be pushing uniform statewide orders on every school district across the state" but should leave it to local districts.

In this Wednesday, July 21, 2021, file photo, a parent adjusts her son's visor on the first day of school at Enrique S. Camarena Elementary School in Chula Vista, Calif. California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. The statewide vaccine mandate for K-12 educators comes as schools return from summer break amid growing concerns of the highly contagious delta variant. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the new policy Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Denis Poroy, File

In this July 26, 2021, file photo, California Gov. Gavin Newsom appears at a news conference in Oakland, Calif. The Orange County Board of Education in Southern California announced plans to sue Newsom over a state mandate requiring K-12 students to wear masks in classrooms. Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File

Details of how the new policy will be enforced were not announced. Labor unions say those logistics still need to be worked out.

Matthew Hardy, a spokesman for the California Federation of Teachers, said the union supports the plan that allows an option for testing.

"We do not think people should lose their jobs over this," he said.

Schools are required to be in full compliance with the new policy by Oct. 15, giving schools time to verify vaccination status and have in place weekly testing for unvaccinated staff, said Amelia Matier, a spokeswoman in the governor's office.

Newsom did not rule out expanding the requirement to students after a vaccine is approved for children under 12 years old.

"We'll consider all options in the future," he said, in response to a question. "We believe this is a meaningful first step."

Explore further California to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for health workers

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Shutterstock

Scientists are becoming more and more concerned with the emergence of a syndrome termed "long COVID," where a significant percentage of sufferers of COVID-19 experience long-lasting symptoms.

Studies suggest symptoms remain for approximately 5-24% of confirmed COVID cases, at least three to four months after infection.

The risk of long COVID is no longer thought to be directly linked with either age or the initial severity of the COVID illness. So younger people, and people with initially mild COVID, can still develop long-COVID symptoms.

Some long-COVID symptoms begin quickly and persist, whereas others appear well after the initial infection has passed.

Symptoms include extreme fatigue and ongoing breathing complications.

What particularly concerns us as neuroscientists is that many long COVID sufferers report difficulties with attention and planningknown as "brain fog."

So how does COVID affect the brain? Here's what we know so far.

How does the virus get to our brains?

There's evidence connecting respiratory viruses, including influenza, with brain dysfunction. In records of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, reports abound of dementia, cognitive decline, and difficulties with movement and sleep.

Evidence from the SARS outbreak in 2002 and the MERS outbreak in 2012 suggest these infections caused roughly 15-20% of recovered people to experience depression, anxiety, memory difficulties and fatigue.

A flurry of new scientific findings is prompting renewed concern among doctors about the long-term cognitive impacts of COVID-19 in some patients. https://t.co/qN65Oe22No  ABC News (@ABC) August 1, 2021

There's no conclusive evidence the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID, can penetrate the blood brain barrier, which usually protects the brain from large and dangerous blood-borne molecules entering from the bloodstream.

But there's data suggesting it may "hitchhike" into the brain by way of nerves that connect our noses to our brains.

Researchers suspect this because in many infected adults, the genetic material of the virus was found in the part of the nose that initiates the process of smellcoinciding with the loss of smell experienced by people with COVID.

How does COVID damage the brain?

These nasal sensory cells connect to an area of the brain known as the "limbic system," which is involved in emotion, learning and memory.

In a UK-based study released as a pre-print online in June, researchers compared brain images taken of people before and after exposure to COVID. They showed parts of the limbic system had decreased in size compared to people not infected. This could signal a future vulnerability to brain diseases and may play a role in the emergence of long-COVID symptoms.

New evidence suggests that the coronavirus's assault on the brain could be multipronged. https://t.co/pQwyadbftY  nature (@Nature) July 8, 2021

COVID could also indirectly affect the brain. The virus can damage blood vessels and cause either bleeding or blockages resulting in the disruption of blood, oxygen, or nutrient supply to the brain, particularly to areas responsible for problem solving.

The virus also activates the immune system, and in some people, this triggers the production of toxic molecules which can reduce brain function.

Although research on this is still emerging, the effects of COVID on nerves that control gut function should also be considered. This may impact digestion and the health and composition of gut bacteria, which are known to influence the function of the brain.

The virus could also compromise the function of the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland, often known as the "master gland," regulates hormone production. This includes cortisol, which governs our response to stress. When cortisol is deficient, this may contribute to long-term fatigue.

This was a recognized phenomenon in patients who were diagnosed with SARS, and in a disturbing parallel with COVID, people's symptoms continued for up to one year after infection.

Given the already significant contribution of brain disorders to the global burden of disability, the potential impact of long COVID on public health is enormous.

There are major unanswered questions about long COVID which require investigating, including how the disease takes hold, what the risk factors might be and the range of outcomes, as well as the best way to treat it.

It's crucial we begin to understand what causes the wide variation in symptoms. This could be many factors, including the viral strain, severity of the infection, the effect of pre-existing disease, age and vaccination status, or even the physical and psychological supports provided from the start of the disease.

While there are many questions about long COVID, there's certainty about one thing: We need to continue doing everything we can to prevent escalating COVID cases, including getting vaccinated as soon as you're eligible.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, isolated from a patient. Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID

Within the next few years, as the SARS-CoV-2 virus becomes endemic in the global population, COVID-19 may behave like other common-cold coronaviruses, affecting mostly young children who have not yet been vaccinated or exposed to the virus, according to new modeling results. Because COVID-19 severity is generally lower among children, the overall burden from this disease is expected to decline.

"Following infection by SARS-CoV-2, there has been a clear signature of increasingly severe outcomes and fatality with age," said Ottar Bjornstad. "Yet, our modeling results suggest that the risk of infection will likely shift to younger children as the adult community becomes immune either through vaccination or exposure to the virus."

Bjornstad explained that such shifts have been observed in other coronaviruses and influenza viruses as they have emerged and then become endemic.

"Historical records of respiratory diseases indicate that age-incidence patterns during virgin epidemics can be very different from endemic circulation," he said. "For example, ongoing genomic work suggests that the 1889-1890 pandemic, sometimes known as the Asiatic or Russian fluwhich killed one million people, primarily adults over age 70may have been caused by the emergence of HCoV-OC43 virus, which is now an endemic, mild, repeat-infecting cold virus affecting mostly children ages 7-12 months old."

Bjornstad cautioned, however, that if immunity to reinfection by SARS-CoV-2 wanes among adults, disease burden could remain high in that group, although previous exposure to the virus would lessen the severity of disease.

"Empirical evidence from seasonal coronaviruses indicates that prior exposure may only confer short-term immunity to reinfection, allowing recurrent outbreaks, this prior exposure may prime the immune system to provide some protection against severe disease," said Bjornstad. "However, research on COVID-19 shows that vaccination provides stronger protection than exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, so we encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible."

The U.S.-Norwegian team developed what is known as a "realistic age-structured (RAS) mathematical model" that integrates demography, degree of social mixing, and duration of infection-blocking and disease-reducing immunity to examine potential future scenarios for age-incidence and burden of mortality for COVID-19.

Specifically, the researchers examined disease burden over immediate, medium and long terms1, 10 and 20 years, respectively. They also examined disease burden for 11 different countriesincluding China, Japan, South Korea, Europe, Spain, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, United States, Brazil and South Africathat differed widely in their demographics. They used data from the United Nations for each of these countries to parameterize the model.

"Regardless of immunity and mixing, the population-level burden of mortality may differ among countries because of varying demographics," said Ruiyun Li, postdoctoral fellow, University of Oslo. "Our general model framework allows for robust predictions of age-dependent risk in the face of either short or long-term protective immunity, reduction of severity of disease given previous exposure, and consideration of the range of countries with their different demographics and social mixing patterns."

According to Li, social distancing is well documented to affect transmissibility, and many countries implemented interventions, such as "shelter in place," during the build-up of the virgin COVID-19 epidemic. Therefore, the team's model assumes that the reproduction number (R 0 )or the level of transmissibilityon any given day is linked to the amount of mobility on that day. The model also incorporates a variety of scenarios for immunity, including both independence and dependence of disease severity on prior exposure, as well as short- (either three months or one year) and long-term (either 10 years or permanent) immunity.

The team's results appear today (August 11) in the journal Science Advances.

"For many infectious respiratory diseases, prevalence in the population surges during a virgin epidemic but then recedes in a diminishing wave pattern as the spread of the infection unfolds over time toward an endemic equilibrium," said Li. "Depending on immunity and demography, our RAS model supports this observed trajectory; it predicts a strikingly different age-structure at the start of the COVID-19 epidemic compared to the eventual endemic situation. In a scenario of long-lasting immunity, either permanent or at least 10 years, the young are predicted to have the highest rates of infection as older individuals are protected from new infections by prior infection."

Jessica Metcalf, associate professor of ecology, evolutionary biology and public affairs, Princeton University, noted that this prediction is likely to hold only if reinfections produce only mild disease. However, she said, the burden of mortality over time may remain unchanged if primary infections do not prevent reinfections or mitigate severe disease among the elderly.

"In this bleakest scenario, excess deaths due to continual severe reinfections that result from waning immunity will continue until more effective pharmaceutical tools are available," she said.

Interestingly, due to variations in demographics, the model predicts different outcomes for different countries.

"Given the marked increase of the infection-fatality ratio with age, countries with older population structures would be expected to have a larger fraction of deaths than those with relatively younger population structures," said Nils Chr. Stenseth, professor of ecology and evolution, University of Oslo. "Consistent with this, for example, South Africalikely due, in part, to its younger population structurehas a lower number of deaths compared to older populations such as Italy. We found that such 'death disparities' are heavily influenced by demographics. However, regardless of demographics, we predict a consistent shift of the risk to the young."

The researchers said that they designed their model so that health authorities will have a powerful and flexible tool to examine future age-circulation of COVID-19 for use in strengthening preparedness and deployment of interventions.

Bjornstad said, "The mathematical framework we built is flexible and can help in tailoring mitigation strategies for countries worldwide with varying demographics and social mixing patterns, thus providing a critical tool for policy decision making."

More information: A general model for the demographic signatures of the transition from pandemic emergence to endemicity, Science Advances (2021). Journal information: Science Advances A general model for the demographic signatures of the transition from pandemic emergence to endemicity,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf9040
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The recent surge of COVID-19, driven by the Delta variant, has reignited political controversy around mask-wearing in the United States, with some governors opposing all measures to make masks mandatory despite advice from health authorities.

The dispute feels familiar, harkening back to the early days of the pandemic when masks became a symbol of political affiliation in the USthe clash led by then-president Donald Trump, who made it a point of pride to be seen without a face covering.

More than a year later, the subject has again become particularly sensitive as another school year approaches.

"This should be something that a parent is ultimately making the decision on," Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida reiterated on Tuesday, having banned his state's schools from requiring students to wear masks.

"We're going to do whatever we can to vindicate the rights of parents," he said.

Several Florida school districts have announced plans to defy the governor's order and require masks anyway.

In response, DeSantis threatened to cut their funding or even suspend the salaries of school officials.

"That a governor has the authority to say, 'You can't do that'I find that totally counter intuitive and quite frankly disingenuous," President Joe Biden, a Democrat, said Tuesday.

High viral spread

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention told vaccinated Americans in May that their risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19 was low enough that they no longer needed to wear masks.

And in early July, the CDC assured parents that the stance would also apply to vaccinated kids starting the new school year, which usually begins in August or September.

But those recommendations did not account for the highly contagious Delta variant.

Nor did it account for the fact that only about half of all Americans have now been fully vaccinated, and children under 12 aren't eligible yet.

By the end of July, an about-face: mask-wearing was once again recommended in indoor spaces, even for vaccinated people, in areas with high rates of COVID spread. That currently covers about 90 percent of the country.

The health authority is basing their recommendation on data that shows that vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant can spread the virus more easily than those infected with earlier variants.

Now, many businesses have also reverted back to requiring masks.

Walmart, the biggest retailer in the United States, has re-imposed mask mandates on employees, two and a half months after telling vaccinated workers they didn't have to wear them.

'Two countries'

The pandemic is currently especially severe in the southeastern United States, which is also the region with the lowest percentage of vaccinated residents.

"The people that are unvaccinated are much less likely to wear masks," Northwell Health public health expert Eric Cioe-Pena told AFP.

"We don't have the buy-in from the very people that we need the buy-in for."

In Arkansas, Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson imposed a mask mandate during the peak of the pandemic last winter.

But he lifted it as cases fell, and, under pressure from deeply conservative local governments, signed a law banning mandates from being imposed again.

"In hindsight, I wish that had not become law," Hutchinson said earlier this month.

On Twitter Monday, he alerted followers about his state's record number of COVID hospitalizations, warning there were only eight open ICU beds left.

While Republican governors in Texas and Arizona have followed Florida's lead, Democratic-run states like New York and Illinois have imposed mask mandates for all students.

"We're behaving like they're two countries," Nahid Bhadelia, director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research at Boston University, told AFP.

"And the sad part is they're not. Because what happens in the South is going to affect the North."

With unvaccinated children in a classroom "if you take the politics out... the way you make it safer is you vaccinate everybody around them who's eligible," Bhadelia said. "And you require masks."

 2021 AFP
(HealthDay)More than 175 public health experts, scientists and activists on Tuesday called for President Joe Biden to do more to help fight the global spread of the coronavirus, warning that newer, more dangerous variants are likely to emerge if nothing is done.

"We urge you to act now," the experts wrote in a joint letter to senior White House officials Tuesday, the Washington Post reported. "Announcing within the next 30 days an ambitious global vaccine manufacturing program is the only way to control this pandemic, protect the precious gains made to date, and build vaccine infrastructure for the future."

A separate letter was sent directly to Biden that noted the Delta variant is fueling a surge of infections in Africa, Latin America and Asia, where many residents have yet to receive a single dose, the Post reported. Meanwhile, the United States has stockpiled more than 55 million doses of mRNA vaccines but is administering fewer than 900,000 shots per day, the letter said.

"At this rate, it would take over two months to administer just the vaccine doses currently stored," the authors added.

The letters' co-signers include Tom Frieden, who led the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the Obama administration; Linda Fried, the dean of Columbia University's public health school; Paul Farmer, co-founder of Partners in Health, a nonprofit group focused on the developing world; and other leaders in global health and infectious disease. More than 50 organizations also co-signed the letter.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Post.

Several signers said they have personally appealed to senior Biden administration officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci and top pandemic adviser David Kessler, but were now frustrated with the slow pace of movement on global vaccinations. Fewer than 4 percent of Africans and about 30 percent of Asians have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, compared with nearly 60 percent of Americans, according to the University of Oxford's Our World in Data project.

"We've been pushing Fauci and Kessler hard on this for months, and they, in turn, have been pushing those above them. But the world has nothing to show for it," said Peter Staley, a co-founder of PrEP4All Collaboration, an HIV/AIDS advocacy organization that has pivoted to coronavirus activism.

"Pharma took years before letting the rest of the world access their AIDS drugs," he told the Post. "We won't let that happen with COVID vaccines."

The Biden administration has defended its global response, with officials announcing last week that the United States has sent more than 110 million doses of vaccine to dozens of nations. The United States also plans to share 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine with nearly 100 low- and middle-income nations, the Post reported.

But activists say Biden needs to do more. Some of their frustration has been focused on Moderna, a company that they say has received more than $1.3 billion in federal funding for its vaccine but has done too little to share its expertise with others.

"This administration has been playing footsies with Moderna instead of leading on this issue," Staley added. "Do you think Roosevelt asked Henry Ford if he could start building tanks, but only on the company's timetable?"

A spokesperson for Moderna did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The experts demanded that the administration be able to produce 8 billion doses annually of mRNA vaccines by the end of the year, exporting at least 40 million doses per month and helping set up vaccine manufacturing hubs around the globe.

"People are really frantic right now," Yale University public health researcher Gregg Gonsalves, who co-signed the letter, told the Post. "I think you're going to see an escalation from our side over the next few weeks. No one seems to have gotten the message that the world is burningand the status quo is unacceptable."

Members of military must get COVID shots by mid-September

All members of the U.S. military must get a COVID-19 vaccine by mid-September, the Pentagon announced this week.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted that the deadline could be moved up if the vaccine receives final approval sooner from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or if infection rates continue to rise.

"I will seek the president's approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon" full FDA approval, "whichever comes first," Austin said in his memo, which was released on Twitter.

The Pentagon plan gives the FDA time to give final approval to the Pfizer vaccine, which is expected to come early next month. Without that formal approval, Austin needs a waiver from Biden to make the shots mandatory, but Biden has made it clear that he supports the move.

In a statement released on Monday, Biden said he strongly supports Austin's plan to add the COVID vaccine "to the list of required vaccinations for our service members not later than mid-September."

"Being vaccinated will enable our service members to stay healthy, to better protect their families, and to ensure that our force is ready to operate anywhere in the world," Biden added.

Austin's decision mirrors moves made recently by governments and companies around the country, as the highly contagious Delta variant drives new U.S. cases, hospitalizations and deaths to heights not seen since last winter, the Associated Press reported. In the military, where service members live and work closely together in barracks and on ships, concerns about rapid spread of the virus are especially high because any large outbreak in the military could lessen America's ability to defend itself in a security crisis.

Austin stressed that if infection rates rise and threaten military readiness, "I will not hesitate to act sooner or recommend a different course to the President if l feel the need to do so. To defend this Nation, we need a healthy and ready force."

The military services will have the next few weeks to prepare, determine how many vaccines they need, and how this mandate will be implemented, the AP reported.

The decision will add the COVID-19 vaccine to a list of other shots that service members are already required to get. Depending on their location, service members can get as many as 17 different vaccines, the AP said.

Austin's memo also said that in the meantime, the Pentagon will comply with Biden's order for additional restrictions on unvaccinated federal personnel, including masks, social distancing and travel limits.

According to the Pentagon, more than 1 million troops are fully vaccinated and another 237,000 have received one shot, the AP reported. But the different military branches vary widely in their vaccination rates.

The Navy said that more than 74% of all active duty and reserve sailors have been vaccinated with at least one shot. The Air Force reports that more than 65% of its active duty and 60% of reserve forces are at least partially vaccinated, and the number for the Army appears closer to 50%, the AP reported.

Service members can seek an exemption from any vaccineeither temporary or permanentfor a variety of reasons including health issues or religious beliefs. Regulations say, for example, that anyone who had a severe adverse reaction to the vaccine can be exempt, and those who are pregnant or have other conditions can postpone a shot, the AP reported.

More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on COVID-19.

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Graphical abstract. Credit: DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.07.015

The body's immune system can recognize and attack cancer cells, but when those are able to overcome this assault, malignant tumors develop in patients. New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) uncovers some of the key factors that are needed for survival of immune cells in the battle against cancer. The findings, published in Cell, point to potential therapeutic targets to tip the scales so that the immune system can effectively defeat aggressive cancers.

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are the cells that recognize and destroy cancer cells, and they're first activated in tumor-draining lymph nodes. From there, they enter the bloodstream to reach tumors and battle malignant cells. Tumors are very hostile environments for CTLs, however. When researchers used imaging techniques to examine what goes on there, they found that to survive in tumors, CTLs must spend time in regions adjacent to blood vessels in the tissue surrounding cancer cells.

"Within these niches, they are able to interact with a highly activated population of so-called dendritic cells that provide survival signals that CTLs depend on," explains senior author Thorsten Mempel, MD, Ph.D., associate director of the Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases at MGH and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "Such signals, including the cytokine IL-15, enable CTLs to survive long enough to effectively eliminate cancer cells and, under ideal conditions, reject the tumors entirely."

Mempel and his colleagues also wondered how CTLs find their way into these survival niches. They suspected a major role for chemokines, which are chemotactic guidance factors that direct the migration of immune cells and help them find each other within tissues. "We discovered that one chemokine called CXCL16 is highly expressed by those activated dendritic cells that occupy the blood vesselassociated niches, and that the receptor for this chemokine, called CXCR6, helps CTLs to accumulate in the niches and is thereby critical for their survival in tumors," says lead author Mauro Di Pilato, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Immunology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

This detailed understanding may help scientists develop more effective immunotherapies for patients with cancer. In parallel studies, one of the research groups involved has already engineered CTLs to express more CXCR6. This alteration increased the cells' ability to control tumor growth in animal models of cancer.

Explore further Watch immune cells dig tunnels in tissues

More information: Mauro Di Pilato et al, CXCR6 positions cytotoxic T cells to receive critical survival signals in the tumor microenvironment, Cell (2021). Journal information: Cell Mauro Di Pilato et al, CXCR6 positions cytotoxic T cells to receive critical survival signals in the tumor microenvironment,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.07.015
A man receives a third Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from medical staff at a coronavirus vaccination center in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. Israel is grappling with a surge of infections and urging people over age 60 to get a booster shot. Credit: AP Photo/Oded Balilty

Israel's government on Wednesday advanced a raft of new coronavirus restrictions, including sweeping implementation of a digital vaccine passport and tighter restrictions on mass gatherings, as the country struggles with skyrocketing new infections.

The country that had appeared to put the coronavirus pandemic behind it a few months ago after a world-leading vaccine drive is now re-imposing regulations in a bid to clamp back down on infections.

The Cabinet gave its approval for the tighter measuresincluding limitations on people gathering indoors and restricting entry to venues and restaurants to "Green Pass" holdersas new cases of the highly infectious delta variant of the coronavirus surge despite widespread vaccination against COVID-19.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the government would be "giving a booster" to the country's healthcare system as new coronavirus cases continue a precipitous climb. He said Israel had to prepare for a situation of mass hospitalizations, and was allocating 2.5 billion shekels ($774 million) to help boost capacity at hospitals nationwide.

Despite its vaccination campaign, Israel has seen new coronavirus cases rise in recent weeks. The Health Ministry recorded 5,755 new cases on Wednesday, the highest daily figure since February, and serious cases have grown from 19 in mid-June to 400.

At least 6,580 Israelis have died from coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, according to Health Ministry figures.

The government had largely lifted coronavirus restrictions by May following its vaccine drive, but with new infections on the rise, has reinstated limitations on assemblies and indoor mask mandates.

Over 58% of the country's 9.3 million citizens have received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Israel had secured a large supply of the Pfizer vaccines in exchange for trading medical data. Earlier this month Israel starting giving third vaccine doses to immunosuppressed individuals and citizens over the age of 60.

Explore further Israel reimposes more restrictions as virus surges

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
(HealthDay)When a suspicious skin lesion sends you scurrying to a dermatologist, asking for a full-body skin check could save your life.

Dermatologists are twice as likely to find skin cancer with a full-body check, a new study reveals. More than half of the skin cancers discovered were not in the location the patient was concerned about.

"If the dermatologist did not check their entire body, these skin cancers would be missed," said lead author Dr. Murad Alam. He is vice chair of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago.

His team reviewed the medical records of more than 1,000 patients for the study, which is scheduled for publication in September in the International Journal of Women's Dermatology.

The skin cancers discovered during full-body skin exams included basal cell carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas and life-threatening melanomas.

"The bottom line is everyone with a risk of skin cancer or a suspicious skin lesion should have a complete skin exam because this is the best way to find skin cancers," Alam said. "This practice can save many lives."

Skin cancers, the most common cancers in the United States, can be treated successfully if found early. About 5 million people in the United States are diagnosed with skin cancer each year.

Anyone at risk for skin cancer due to fair skin, a history of sun exposure or other risk factors should have routine full-body skin exams, experts say.

"This study shows the importance of a complete skin exam, also called a full-body skin exam, for finding skin cancer," Alam said in a Northwestern news release. "Dermatologists need to take the opportunity to look over the patient's entire body, even when the appointment is just for a suspicious lesion. And patients need to request one in case the doctor doesn't suggest it."

Explore further Many 'high-risk' Americans unconcerned about skin cancer

More information: The American Cancer Society has some The American Cancer Society has some skin cancer facts

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
A man reads a newspaper on the steps of Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. Australia's second-largest city has extended its lockdown in a bid to eliminate COVID-19 while authorities in Sydney flagged restrictions easing for vaccinated residents despite the delta variant continuing to spread. Credit: AAP Image/Daniel Pockett

Australia's second-largest city, Melbourne, extended its lockdown Wednesday in a bid to stamp out an outbreak of COVID-19, while authorities in Sydney said they were considering easing restrictions for vaccinated residents despite the delta variant continuing to spread.

Australian cities have used lockdowns to successfully end coronavirus outbreaks throughout the pandemic. But the highly contagious delta variant poses new challenges in a national population with a relatively low vaccination rate.

Melbourne's sixth lockdown will be extended for a second week until the end of Aug. 19, the Victoria state government said on Wednesday as it reported 20 new infections in the latest 24-hour period.

"This is very challenging, I know, for every single Victorian who would like to be going about their business. They'd like to be open and have a degree of freedom that's simply not possible because of this delta variant," Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said.

"If we were to open, then we would see cases akin to what's happening, tragically, in Sydney right now," he added.

Sydney, Australia's largest city, reported 344 new infections on Wednesday. The only bigger daily infection tally was the 356 reported on Tuesday.

Two COVID-19 patients died overnight, bringing the death toll for New South Wales state, home to Sydney, to 34 since the latest outbreak was detected in mid-June.

Hopes are fading that Sydney's lockdown, which began on June 26, will have contained the spread by Aug. 28, the date targeted for restrictions to be lifted.

But New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said some lockdown restrictions could be eased for vaccinated residents of some parts of the city of 5 million people from September.

She did not say what relaxations of restrictions were being discussed by her government.

Australian authorities agree that at least 70% of the population must be vaccinated before lockdowns will no longer be needed. Only 24% of Australian adults had been fully vaccinated by Wednesday.

"I'm really calling out to everybody to say please get vaccinated because ... there will be opportunities in September and October for us to be able to say to the community if you are vaccinated, you might be able to do a certain level of activity which you can't now," Berejiklian said.

"September and October will be the most challenging months for us in terms of public policy, in terms of how we move forward, because we wouldn't have reached the 70% but yet we would have increased vaccination rates," she added.

A key to Australia's success in containing COVID-19 is the extraordinary restrictions the government places on its citizens traveling internationally.

Most Australians have to request an exemption from an international travel ban to leave the country. Thousands have missed weddings, funerals and opportunities to meet newborn relatives since the widely criticized ban began in March last year.

From Wednesday, Australians who usually reside overseas will also have to apply for permission to leave the country.

Previously they have been allowed to come and go at will.

But the government is attempting to reduce their travel after last month halving the quota of international arrivals allowed nationwide on commercial flights to 3,000 passengers a week.

The numbers were slashed to reduce the risk of delta leaking from hotel quarantine.

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: University of Pennsylvania

If you have ever been to a hospital, either as a patient or a caregiver, you know how hard it can be to get a good night's sleep. The beeps, chatter, code alarms, and clatter that go along with hospital care can be omnipresent, even after sundown.

While the various alarms and check-ins are a part of the necessary patient care when staying overnight at a hospital, health systems are aware of the burdens such noise can cause. Today, top hospitals are tirelessly trying to find unique ways to combat disruptions and improve sleep.

Sleeping for a healthy body, healthy mind

Sleep is important for everyone, but it is especially important for a patient's recovery process.

"Sleep and circadian rhythms likely serve many different, yet vital functions. From helping to regulate inflammation to growing new cells important for recovery to rest for the nervous system. It's not just the brain, but cells everywhere in your body may benefit from sleep," explains Sigrid Veasey, MD, a professor of Sleep Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Every patient in a hospital has a body working to heal itself. They have cells responding to illness, surgery, or chemotherapy. And that healing process requires the perfect balance of inflammatory responses and release of growth hormones to make new cells for healing.

"Growth hormones are released during sleep to generate new cells in the body from your skin to your intestines and muscles. About 90 percent of growth hormones are released when you are sleeping. It's why sleep is so much more important for someone in a hospital who is healing," Veasey says.

Sleep also plays a vital role in managing inflammation to fight infections. Bodies use inflammation to fight off infections or processes that aren't supposed to be there. On the flip side, bodies can also become over-reactive with inflammation and infections, such as with arthritis. Sleep helps to balance out the good from the bad inflammation.

Of course, sleep also serves as a time for rest. "Sleep lowers adrenaline levels. For example, it helps lower blood pressure and allows the heart to restsomething which can be incredibly important for anyone with cardiovascular problems," Veasey explains.

Sleep also can impact mental health conditions; as mental health is equally exacerbated by sleep disorders. Mood, mania, and other factors can be impacted by sleep loss. "A healthy body and healthy mind requires healthy sleep!" Veasey says.

With interrupted or limited sleep, a body might have trouble fully healing, which could lead to potential longer stays in a hospital, negative patient experiences, and poor health outcomes.

A new hospital, built for sleep

At Penn Medicine, the development of the Pavilion at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) created a unique opportunity to take on the challenge of sleep disruption in hospitals.

"Every single design choice for the Pavilion was made with the patient in mind," says Kathryn Gallagher, MS, BSN, who spent most of her 35 years at Penn Medicine as a surgical critical care nurse and nurse manager, before becoming a clinical liaison helping to plan the design and transition to the new building. "When it comes to the patient experience, we know that being able to get enough rest is incredibly important. Noise reduction, especially at night, and patient comfort are paramount in the Pavilion's design."

In addition to sourcing ideas from the PennFIRST design and construction management teamincluding the global healthcare design expertise of HDRthe Pavilion team spoke with Penn physicians, nurses, quality experts, and patients to try to make the patient spaces as comfortable as possible.

"We took feedback from simulations, design expertise, patients, and more to build around decreasing patient challenges, including sleep issues. It's all about minimizing noise, increasing comfort, providing natural light, and a quiet environment to reduce disruptions, and promote sleep" Gallagher shares.

Inspiration from the Magic Kingdom

One of the biggest design elements contributing to improved sleep for patients comes from the design plan for each patient flooreach patient floor is designed with an "on-stage/off-stage" concept. Patient rooms are located around the facility's perimeter while medication rooms, supply rooms, and staff spaces are located at the core of each floor, which reduces cart traffic, noise and interruptions to a minimum near the patient rooms.

"The on-stage and off-stage design was actually inspired by Disney theme parks, as their staff spaces are out of sight to maximize the visitor experience. With this approach at the Pavilion, we'll be able to keep hallways and patient care areas as quiet and clutter-free as possible. For example, limiting the traffic such as delivery of supplies and trash, and providing decentralized staff documentation spaces will help decrease noise and distractions near the patient's rooms," Gallagher explains.

Credit: University of Pennsylvania

Limiting noise, increasing infection control

In addition, design choices were made to limit disruptions from staff in patient rooms themselveswhich now, in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, has extra benefits for infection control.

Workstations outside of rooms and monitoring windows into each patient room will allow nurses to observe their patients without having to constantly walk in to check on a patient if they are resting.

Another sleep-friendly feature called the patient server decreases patient room foot traffic, and potential noise disruptions, through a pass cabinet. These floor-to-ceiling pass-through cabinets will house clinical supplies and medications for patients and they can be loaded from the hallway, without having to interrupt patients.

Patient-first design

Not only do all patient care areas use noise-reducing materials, such as ceiling tiles that help with sound absorption, but each patient room has technology which allows them to personalize their room based on their own needs.

"We tried to design the patient room with hospitality features used in hotels. Patients can personalize elements of their room for their own comfortfrom controls to window shades, to decrease or limit outside light, to the ability to change the room temperature, or obtain privacy through switchable glass, Gallagher explains. Patients can also use their room's 75-inch smart screen on the wall opposite the bed to provide relaxation music or visuals.

The ability to change the temperature in patient rooms is a big game changer, says Veasey, as patients can optimize temperatures based on their preferences for sleep.

"There are sleep activated cells in your brain that are temperature sensitive, and these are different for everyone. Some are activated by cold but others by warmer temperatures," Veasey says. "By providing patients the ability to find what temperature works for them, it can make an enormous difference for sleep quality."

For example, patients with sleep apnea tend to generate a lot of heat, and the ability to select cooler temperatures might help them improve their sleep while at the hospital.

Lighting innovations

Patients will also have the ability to control lighting in their own room, at the bedside, for different areas throughout the space.

Each patient room has multiple zones for lighting, which allows for more personalization, and the ability to limit the lights which need to be turned on for care, decreasing the chance of waking any sleeping patient. Each zone has separate lighting features based on different needs for staff, patients, and family members who might be visiting.

"If a nurse wants to come in at night to check on a patient, they can turn a task light on to quickly check vital signs, without having to turn on all the lights in the room," Gallagher shares. "Or if a family member is staying with a patient, there are light options to make their visit more comfortable, so they can read or do work while a patient is sleeping, without light interrupting the patient's rest."

Access to natural light through the large windows in each room also has benefits for sleep, as natural light helps regulate patients' circadian rhythmsthe biological process that helps calm down a body for sleep and tells a body when to wake up in the morning.

"The goal for any patient is to have optimized sleep and an optimized circadian rhythm. Your circadian rhythm plays a role in the healing process as it helps you consolidate your sleep, and it helps you get the best sleep you possibly can while you sleep," Veasey explains.

On the other hand, some patients might need darker rooms to nap during the day, and patient controls for lighting and shades can help them keep the room darker for optimized rest. For instance, patients with pulmonary problems typically have a hard time sleeping throughout the night, and may need to take naps during the daytime. Or patients traveling from other time zones can try to stay or gradually move over to the Eastern Time Zone in Philadelphia, with the help of the personalized lighting options in each room.

"I think patients and families will love the patient rooms and how we've designed with their care, and sleep, in mind," Gallagher says. "We personalize medicine and care for patients, so why wouldn't we provide patients with the ability to personalize their room? We think about each patient room as someone's bedroom or personal space while they are with us for care, and this only helps them become more comfortable as they try to heal."

Explore further Lighting and noise contribute to kids' sleep deprivation in hospitals
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Some people itching to get their hands on a COVID-19 cure are putting themselves in danger for taking unprescribed doses of ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug used to treat diseases such as river blindness or scabies in people and prevent heartworm disease and other infestations in animals.

The drug has been flying off the shelves of farm supply stores and veterinary offices as people, mostly those who refuse to get vaccinated, search for unconventional ways out of the pandemic.

Yet, several federal and international health agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization, have advised against using ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19 outside of controlled clinical trials.

That's because taking large unprescribed doses intended for animals can seriously harm your health.

"Let's say it was manufactured for a large horse, but a human takes it, it can create low blood pressure, rapid heart rates, seizures; there are even episodes where you can see layers of your skin fall off. It can damage the liver, and there's vision loss that can be associated," Dr. Shane Speights, site dean at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, told KAIT8.

"Data is just not good on ivermectin right now for the treatment of COVID. One of the drug manufacturers even said don't use it," Speights told the outlet. "Right now, the only answer to COVID is to be fully vaccinated."

What do studies reveal about ivermectin and COVID-19?

Misconceptions about the drug's coronavirus healing abilities began to spread when a handful of studies found positive trends in patients after taking the drug, particularly one non-peer reviewed paper that said ivermectin can lower COVID-19 death rates by more than 90%.

That study has since been withdrawn from the research website following reports of plagiarism and data manipulation that "are now under formal investigation."

Separate research published in June last year found that ivermectin reduced the amount of coronavirus in a laboratory dish by 5,000-fold after two days. Some studies showed the drug helped COVID-19 patients recover faster and reduced inflammation, while others showed no benefits or worsening of disease.

But "most of these studies had incomplete information and significant methodological limitations, which make it difficult to exclude common causes of bias," according to the NIH, including small sample sizes, inconsistencies in the reporting of disease severity and conflicting data as patients received multiple medications at once.

"The way that [ivermectin] works is it actually paralyzes the worm by attacking the nerve and muscle cells," Speights told KAIT8. "COVID is [caused by] a virus. COVID doesn't have nerve or muscle cells, so the mechanism in which the drug works wouldn't work for a virus."

A WHO group of experts analyzed 16 randomized controlled trials including a total of 2,407 inpatients and outpatients with COVID-19 and concluded that evidence of the drug's ability to improve disease outcomes is of "very low certainty." The group didn't look into whether ivermectin can prevent COVID-19.

"We have a hospital with dozens and dozens of patients that have taken ivermectin that is in with COVID pneumonia. I see this every day," Dr. Robin Trotman, an infectious disease specialist in Missouri, told FOX2now. "We have things that work. The [monoclonal antibodies] clearly work, if you're in the hospital steroids clearly work. But this one, I wish it worked, but the evidence is pretty clear."

Incorrectly prescribed ivermectin can cause serious side effects

American comedian, podcast host and UFC commentator Joe Rogan recently claimed the public is turning a cold shoulder to ivermectin's potential role in the pandemic during his June 22 episode on "The Joe Rogan Experience."

One of his guests, Dr. Pierre Kory, introduced as an intensive care unit and lung specialist, said his "dream is that every household has ivermectin in their cupboard. And you take it upon development of first symptom of anything approximating a viral symptom ... even if it's not COVID, it's safe to take it and it's probably effective against that virus."

Ivermectin is not an FDA approved antiviral, however. It's an anti-parasitic that is used to treat diseases caused by some worms in pill form; topical formulas exist to treat head lice and skin conditions like rosacea.

There is some evidence the drug has an affect on the viruses that cause dengue fever, Zika, HIV and yellow fever, but these studies were done in petri dishes in laboratories, the NIH says. No clinical trials to date have tested ivermectin in people infected with these viruses.

Kory went on to say all side effects to the drug are "considered minor and transient" and that randomized controlled clinical trialsthe gold standard for scientific researchare "fraught with error," "not appropriate for a pandemic and it's also a tool that's being used as a disinformation tactic."

But side effects are serious, Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, told WKRN.

"Some of the side effects relate to intestinal disturbance, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, but others are a bit more serious; you can lose your sense of balance, which is not very good," Schaffner told the outlet. "And on occasion, it's actually precipitated seizures and coma. And there have been some people who have died."

Because people are getting their hands on versions of the drug intended for large, heavy animals, health officials say they can be "highly toxic." There are also many inactive ingredients in animal products that aren't evaluated for use in people, the FDA says, or they're in much greater quantities than people can handle.

"In some cases, we don't know how those inactive ingredients will affect how ivermectin is absorbed in the human body."

Ivermectin can also interact with other medications like blood thinners in harmful ways; it's possible to overdose on the drug, too.

For these reasons, health officials have determined there is not enough data to recommend the use of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19.

2021 The Charlotte Observer.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A small, early study suggests that people who've already encountered SARS-CoV-2 may gain a big boost against COVID-19 if they get just one dose of the Pfizer vaccineand that protection may extend to new viral variants.

The study "supports the notion that vaccine effectiveness, even against emerging neutralization-resistant [variants], may be improved following an additional vaccine boost," said a team led by Richard Urbanowicz, senior virology research fellow at the University of Nottingham in England. His team published their findings Aug. 10 in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The new study was smalljust 45 health care workers, including 20 who had tested positive previously for SARS-CoV-2 and 25 who had not.

Their COVID-19 antibody status was tracked via blood samples beginning in April 2020, and when the Pfizer vaccine became available everyone received a first dose, followed by a second dose 10 weeks later.

According to a journal news release, getting the second dose of the vaccine was especially important, boosting "both the potency and breadth of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2." What's more, this effect was magnified to an even higher level in people who'd already been infected with the new coronavirus, the researchers said.

There was one more potential benefit. Even though the Pfizer shots that previously infected people received were formulated to fight the original (2019) variant of the virus, blood samples from people who'd had an encounter with COVID-19 were shown to "neutralize" the later Beta form of the virus, as well.

That suggests that each new dose of vaccine given may help even the previously infected fight off emerging COVID-19 variants, the study authors said, although data on the new (and most infectious) Delta variant is lacking.

Two experts unconnected to the study said the data is encouraging, but inconclusive.

The study provides "reasonable evidence that continued immunogenic challenge [vaccine], even in previously infected patients, is beneficial and it suggests that two vaccines is more beneficial than one," said Dr. Theodore Maniatis, medical director at Staten Island University Hospital, in New York City. It also suggests "that this repeated immunogenic challenge may somehow spread to cover new variants."

Still, he cautioned that the study's population was small and it "did not test the antibody level and function against all variants [including Delta]."

It was also largely based on lab tests, Maniatis added, "meaning that there is no definite proof that these findings will decrease infections in humans."

Dr. Teresa Murray Amato is chair of emergency medicine at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills, also in New York City. She said the new study also suggests that "there may be some data to suggest that a 'booster' vaccine for those fully vaccinated may also show a better antibody response," versus simply getting the initial two doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

Maniatis stressed that "this is the type of article that one performs, analyzes, and then creates bigger studies with a greater number of patients and eventual clinical trials."

Amato agreed.

"There are ongoing studies being done to understand the best, most effective and safest way to vaccinate all eligible Americans," she said. In the meantime, "make sure to ask your doctor if you have any questions regarding the COVID vaccine."

More information: Richard A Urbanowicz et al, Two doses of the SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 vaccine enhances antibody responses to variants in individuals with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, Science Translational Medicine (2021). Journal information: Science Translational Medicine Richard A Urbanowicz et al, Two doses of the SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 vaccine enhances antibody responses to variants in individuals with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abj0847

 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Malaria hits Africa hardest. The continent was home to 94% of malaria cases and deaths in 2019, according to the World Health Organization. Credit: Damian Patkowski /Unsplash

Scientists believe they have cracked the question of how the malaria parasite keeps a low profile in infected people during the dry season in Africa in order to avoid immune attention and trigger outbreaks when the rains and mosquitoes return. The knowledge could open up new ways to combat the disease, which killed 409,000 people, mostly children, in 2019 alone.

Malaria is not caused by a bacteria or a virus, but by a single-celled protozoa called Plasmodium that parasitises humans. When a person is bitten by an infected mosquito, a few parasites flow in and journey towards their liver. They multiply there and eventually, in a new guise, the parasite bursts from liver cells and this time seeks out red blood cells.

The parasite squeezes into a blood cell, multiplies and then breaks out to infect more cells. As it multiplies in the blood, a person may suffer symptoms of malaria, which include fever, headache and chills. If a mosquito bites this infected individual, it can suck up the parasite, which reproduces in the insect's gut, and infects whoever gets bitten next by the mosquito. The more people with parasite in their blood, the more mosquitoes will carry and pass on malaria to other people.

The most common and severe form of malaria is caused by the species Plasmodium falciparum. In areas where malaria is endemic, adults usually develop immunity to a level where they can keep parasite numbers down and not suffer symptoms.

"The parasite is tricky," said Dr. Richard Thomson-Luque, a parasitologist at Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany. "You can develop some immunity, but you need several rounds of infection." Children under the age of five, however, have little or no immunity and they account for 67% of all deaths from malaria.

Dry season

Malaria hits Africa hardest. The continent was home to 94% of malaria cases and deaths in 2019, according to the World Health Organization. In some parts of Africa, illness and death from malaria only occur during the six months of the rainy season. There are few, if any, mosquitoes around during the dry season, and no new infections or illnesses. But somehow the parasite lives on.

Dr. Silvia Portugal, a parasitologist at Germany's Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, has been investigating what happens during the dry season by studying blood samples taken from children in a village in Mali. This is part of a five-year research project called DrySeasonPf, looking at the behavior of Plasmodium falciparum in the dry season.

Dr. Thomson-Luque, who had worked in her lab, traveled to Mali during the dry season in March 2018, as part of a related project called NotToKill-NotToDie. This is a time when people do not suffer from malaria symptoms. "People are not sick during the dry season, from January to May," Dr. Thomson-Luque explained. "Only when the rain starts."

Sticky grabber

With no mosquitoes around during the dry season, the parasite must live for up to six months inside people. This should offer the human immune system an opportunity to eliminate this parasitic foe, for example by filtering blood in the spleen to remove any misshapen cells that are infected with the parasite.

To grow inside a person, the parasite usually folds itself into red blood cells and pops out a proteinlike a sticky grabberthat attaches the infected cell to the walls of blood vessels. This allows the parasite to multiply and resist going through the spleen, where it would risk being removed.

Dr. Portugal observed that the parasite drops to low numbers in the blood of infected children during the dry season. This seems like good news, but her lab, including Dr. Thomson-Luque, reported that this might be a strategy used by the parasite to keep a low profile, when no mosquitoes are around to transmit it to new people.

The parasite's trick seems to be to pop out different grabbers during the dry season, that do not stick so well to the walls of blood vessels. This allows more parasite to be filtered out by the spleen, meaning they stay in circulation for a shorter period of time and keep numbers low, which is one way to avoid immune attention. "The immune system seems not to see really low numbers of the parasite. It is just not bothered," Dr. Portugal said.

The Plasmodium parasite has about 5,500 genes, offering it far more options than, say, a virus when choosing proteins to show the body. This includes about 60 genes for the main grabber protein, which means 60 versions of the protein. This makes it harder for the body to recognize and build immunity to its foe.

Deck of cards

Dr. Portugal suspects that the parasite also uses these 60 genes like a deck of cards: it pulls out its stickiest protein first, which helps its numbers shoot up initially, but once the immune system responds and blocks that, it shuffles through dozens of grabber proteins that are less and less sticky. Dr. Thomson-Luque's project focused on these changes in the stickiness of infected blood cells and will report on this in a scientific publication soon.

Eventually, in the dry season, the parasite Plasmodium falciparum uses a card that hits a sweet spota protein sticky enough to adhere to blood vessels and allow the parasite to reproduce, but which allows most progeny to be filtered out in the spleen. That way, numbers are kept low and the immune system mostly ignores the parasite.

Once the rains come, and a mosquito siphons parasites from infected blood, the next person will get a form of the parasite with the deck stacked so that it adheres strongly to blood vessels and multiplies rapidly inside a new host. If this new person is under five, then the child can become severely ill and even die.

For this reason, protective drugs are given to younger children during the transmission season in Africa. This makes sense, as they are the most vulnerable to malaria.

But Dr. Portugal wonders if it might be useful to give prophylactic drugs to older children and adolescents during the dry season, when their parasite numbers are low. "During the dry season, you have a much lower prevalence of infected people15 to 25%," she explained. "Whereas during the transmission season, you can have close to 80% of people infected."

This could be an opportunity to treat children and young adults to try kill off the parasite during the dry season. Then, when the mosquitoes return with the rains, there would be a lower reservoir of parasite to begin with. This strategy is as yet unproven. But it illustrates how, by better understanding the strategies of this ancient human foe, researchers can devise new ways to outwit the parasite and push down the terrible burden of malaria.

Explore further Malaria parasites hide out in humans when it's not mosquito season
THE PHILIPPINES has extended the travel ban on travelers from India and nine other countries until August 15 to prevent the further spread...
All individuals and organizations receiving money from FSM government must show evidence of Covid-19 vaccination
Governor: Delta variant has spread on Guam, testing urged for those linked to new Covid-19 clusters
Sisters Gwen Afaisen and Carmen Aquigui made sure their families were fully vaccinated on Aug. 10 at the Southern Region Community Health Center in Inalahan, Guam. From left, Nik Afaisen, seen on the phone held by his mom Gwen Afaisen; her daughter Giavanni Mendiola; Carmens son Cristian Pinaula; Carmens daughter, Camryn Aguigui; and Carmen Aguigui.
KFC South Africa has announced the launch of Chat Commerce which allows customers to place and pay for an order via WhatsApp.

The platform is automated and leverages natural language processing.

As a consumer-led organisation, we understand the limitations that high data costs can pose in transacting online. WhatsApp, with its lower data use, is the perfect channel to mitigate this, said Nicholas Duminy, digital and ecommerce director at KFC South Africa.

For the first time ever in South Africa, you can discuss what you want for dinner with your friends, and then on the same channel, place your KFC order, said Duminy.

It all happens on WhatsApp and with payment options coming to this channel soon too, provides convenience like never before.

Duminy said that connecting with, and catering to, the youth market in South Africa has always been a top priority for KFC.

WhatsApp chat ordering uses guided prompts, emoji-embedded facilitation, and natural language processing to guide customers through the ordering process.

All you have to do is answer the questions by replying with a number, a word or an emoji:

Add the KFC Chat-Order contact by clicking a link, scanning a QR code, or adding the number 087 153 1074 Send Hi to get started Select your order through texting replies that respond to questions posed Select the KFC restaurant that you want to collect your order from. At this stage WhatsApp ordering is available for click and collect only Pay. While not yet available, consumers will soon also have the option to choose to pay via WhatsApp by inputting their card details but, for now, they pay at their selected store Collect order

While currently the service is only available for Click and Collect, we have future plans to integrate delivery as part of this channel rollout, said Duminy.

Additionally, consumers will soon be able to also pay securely via WhatsApp.
Local

Public Safety

Napa County adds a locally controlled firefighting helicopter

Kevork Djansezian Napa County will pay $1.86 million to have a firefighting Black Hawk, similar to this military model seen fighting a fire in Southern California in 2007, on standby to fight blazes locally rather than rely on shared resources controlled by Cal Fire.

Napa County will spend $1.86 million to have a water-dropping Black Hawk helicopter with a 900-gallon bucket devoted to the county during the heart of this fire season.

The county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved awarding a $1.65 million contract to Blue Sky Helicopters for Aug. 15 through Nov. 13. Additional costs such as insurance boost the overall cost to $1.86 million.

Cal Fire this spring based a retrofitted Chinook water-dropping helicopter at Napa County Airport. But it is controlled by Cal Fire and as of Tuesday had been temporarily reassigned to fight massive fires elsewhere in Northern California.

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County officials decided they want a locally-based helicopter under the control of county Fire Chief Geoff Belyea. The idea is to help prevent a wildfire from growing to massive proportions by quickly dumping water on it.

I think we need to do this, county Supervisor Ryan Gregory said.

A Cal Fire helicopter based in Lake County and air tankers responded to a 10-acre wildfire near Lake Berryessa on Aug. 3. The aircraft reached the fire in remote east Napa County terrain before ground crews, in less than 15 minutes after becoming airborne, Belyea said.

"They made a significant difference," Belyea said.

By contracting with Blue Sky, Napa County seeks to guarantee a water-dropping helicopter will be available to make Napa County fires a priority at all times.

Supervisor Diane Dillon brought up a recent San Francisco Chronicle article on Napa County's self-help firefighting efforts. The story at one point asked if the county could ethically withhold a helicopter from fires burning in other counties, in effect having its own exclusive helicopter.

Belyea said mutual aid is voluntary. Some large metropolitan fire agencies in Southern California said they have reasons not to send resources to Northern Californias current, large fires.

It is voluntary for us to help our neighbors, Belyea said. However, there is a piece of it of being a good neighbor  if our neighbors are truly in need, we need to do the right thing while also maintaining the level of protection for the residents here in Napa."

Napa County has been the recipient of neighbors helping the county with local wildfires. It would be inaccurate to say the Blue Sky helicopter will never leave county borders, he said.

Howell Mountain vintner Randy Dunn has pushed for Napa County to have its own early fire aerial response. He said on Tuesday that Belyea, while county fire chief, is also a Cal Fire employee. He wants to make certain the local helicopter response doesnt get delayed by Cal Fire timing.

Its not the initial call comes in and they think about it, Dunn said by phone to the Napa Valley Register. They need to just go  I sure hope these guys are ready to go when the sun comes up.

Southern California-based Blue Sky Helicopters does firefighting work for Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Washington Department of Natural Resources, according to the company website.

Belyea solicited three bids. Besides Blue Sky, PJ Helicopters bid $1.66 million and Siller Helicopters Inc. bid $4.5 million. The county also received an unsolicited bid for $2.25 million.

Napa County saw about 200,000 acres burn and 1,500 structures destroyed in 2020 in the Hennessey/LNU Lightning Complex fire and the Glass Fire, according to county reports. That prompted calls for the county to do more to prevent future, massive fires.

In April, the Board of Supervisors agreed to spend $6.4 million on vegetative management programs to cut fuel loads. But some residents wanted more done to control wildfires early.

Dunn asked the county to deploy two Fire Boss planes to drop water on fires. The group Growers/Vintners for Responsible Agriculture offered to raise $1.5 million for the effort. The county declined after CalFire raised concerns.

Then Michael Rogerson of the Rogerson Kratos aviation company, who has an Oakville home, offered the county use of two Black Hawk helicopters retrofitted to fight fires. The county decided against taking on the associated costs without going out to bid.

Belyea said the unsolicited $2.25 million bid was from Rogerson. But, Belyea said, these helicopters and pilots have yet to be carded so they are authorized to fight California fires and doing so could take a month or two.

With fire season well underway, that's an unrealistic timeframe, he said.

On the fuel reduction front, Belyea mentioned a project along the Ink Grade road near Angwin and another in Berryessa Estates community in the remote northeast county.
His personal and expressionistic art is influenced by his extensive travels to other countries and exposure their cultures. Prior to the pandemic, Huth and his wife had been volunteering to help street children in Cambodia, India and Thailand where he held childrens workshops.

In 2000 he started going to Asia every year and sketched as he traveled.

Every culture has something to give, he said.

In addition to his travels, Huth has lived for long periods of time in Israel, North Africa, Turkey and Asia. Much of his work involves things that are happening in other cultures as well as the destruction and renewal of civilization.

The role of the artist is to fulfill the human expression of the time in which we live, he said.

My work deals with the human condition and my own life experiences  the birth of my children, the birth of my first grandchild, the death of my parents, 911, the things going on around me.

Huth became involved with collage in 1989 when surgeries made it difficult for him to do his large construction paintings and three-dimensional pieces that combine the effects of painting and sculpture.
Supervisor Diane Dillon brought up a recent San Francisco Chronicle article on Napa County's self-help firefighting efforts. The story at one point asked if the county could ethically withhold a helicopter from fires burning in other counties, in effect having its own exclusive helicopter.

Belyea said mutual aid is voluntary. Some large metropolitan fire agencies in Southern California said they have reasons not to send resources to Northern Californias current, large fires.

It is voluntary for us to help our neighbors, Belyea said. However, there is a piece of it of being a good neighbor  if our neighbors are truly in need, we need to do the right thing while also maintaining the level of protection for the residents here in Napa."

Napa County has been the recipient of neighbors helping the county with local wildfires. It would be inaccurate to say the Blue Sky helicopter will never leave county borders, he said.

Howell Mountain vintner Randy Dunn has pushed for Napa County to have its own early fire aerial response. He said on Tuesday that Belyea, while county fire chief, is also a Cal Fire employee. He wants to make certain the local helicopter response doesnt get delayed by Cal Fire timing.
He reported the incident to the St. Helena Police Department, along with the name of the woman whod complained about the bats. Police took a report and are referring the matter to the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, which enforces regulations involving protected species.

Lieutenant Ed Morton of Fish & Wildlife said that once the agency receives the report the case will be assigned to a warden and placed under investigation.

Police Chief Chris Hartley said theres not much his department can do without proof. However, if the woman returns to the cemetery and complains again, they have the right to refuse service to anybody and ask anybody to leave. They could go as far as getting a restraining order.

Certain species of bats, including big-eared bats, are protected under Californias Endangered Species Act due to threats from loss of habitat and white-nose syndrome, a deadly fungal disease.

Turner said the cemetery bats kept the mosquito population under control. Aside from more mosquitoes, its hard to predict the long-term consequences for the cemetery, which is home to deer, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, owls and other animals.
Yerevan judge wears T-shirt with Artsakh flag during international competition

Yerevan hospital provides clarification on babys death

508 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Russia peacekeepers in Artsakh begin demining 20 hectares of Kolkhozashen village

Armenia premier: We support establishment of Eurasian Association

The Wall Street Journal: Diplomats had warned Blinken of quick fall of Kabul

Russia PM: Eurasian Economic Union countries economy gradually recovering

PM: Armenia considers necessary creating base for natural gas, oil, oil products single markets for EEU development

White House does not have clear information on exactly how many Americans are still in Afghanistan

Newspaper: Armenia Chamber of Advocates is at authorities target

Oman spends $175m to build botanical garden

Nigerias Lagos state bans street begging

Men in Pakistan sexually assault, grope woman who was shooting TikTok video

S.Korea plans to grant legal status to animals

Armenia Ambassador to Ukraine presents credentials to Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Armenia Investigative Committee: Fellow soldier detained on suspicion of murders of 3 servicemen

US Department of State: There are 6,000 people at Kabul airport

France, Germany, UK concerned about Iran's up to 20% uranium enrichment

France's Macron discusses settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Putin

Turkish FM: Turkey maintains ties with Taliban's representatives through different channels

Terrorist blows himself up near national intelligence headquarters in Somalia

G7: Taliban must ensure that Afghanistan does not become host to terrorist threat to international security

Few people killed during Independence Day rally in Afghanistan's Asadabad

Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of 3 more Armenian servicemen found in Jrakan region

Son of ex-mayor of Armenia's Gyumri detained

Armenian soldier who was found dead last night was a veteran of 44-day Karabakh war (PHOTO)

Armenia Labor and Social Affairs Ministry: No data on number of Artsakh-Armenians who temporarily settled after war

Karabakh State Minister receives Union of Banks of Armenia delegation

Armenia finance minister has new deputy

Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker receives China Ambassador

Zakharova: Russia is ready to support Armenia and Azerbaijan with demarcation of border

Russian MFA: Russia calls on Baku and Yerevan to exchange POWs via "all for all" formula and for mine maps

Armenia territorial administration and infrastructure minister introduces acting head of town hall of Talin

Zakharova comments on Aliyev's statement, says supplying weapons is Russia's sovereign right

8-month-old girl dies at medical center in Yerevan, forensic medicine expert examination designated

Lavrov: Russia supports pan-national dialogue in Afghanistan amid battles in Panjshir

Azerbaijan troops withdrew from area they occupied on border with Artsakhs Yeghtsahogh village, mayor says

Desperate Afghans are trying to invade airport and seize empty buildings of embassies

Turkey evacuates top officials of defeated government of Afghanistan

Zakharova: Russia, Hungary FMs will discuss situation in Karabakh

Opposition vice-speaker of Armenia parliament: Issue of enclaves, Meghri corridor being discussed?

Dollar continues losing value in Armenia

Armenia government transfers about $1,163,600 to National Security Service

Armenia PM attends Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting in narrow format (PHOTOS)

Missing soldiers families on meeting with Armenia Security Service chief: We cant be satisfied until there are results

Armenia defense minister briefs ombudsman on situation related to finding 3 soldiers dead

14 million people in Afghanistan face severe hunger

Karabakh FM: Azerbaijan is attempting to rewrite history of Shushi

Armenia, Kyrgyzstan to intensify economic ties (PHOTOS)

Relative of Armenian missing soldier: Ask relatives which official has asked about their condition

Armenia PM paying working visit to Kyrgyzstan (PHOTOS)

Missing soldiers relatives meeting with Armenia National Security Service director

Armenia MOD asks not to disseminate false information about causes of incident of killed soldiers

559 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

12 killed at Kabul airport since Sunday

Russia peacekeepers in Artsakh provide drinking water to more than 200 families

Missing servicemens families protesting outside Armenia National Security Service building

Armenia MOD on reports about sabotage at military outpost: What happened has nothing to do with adversary

Shots fired in Yerevan, one injured (PHOTOS)

Armenia 1st deputy FM is appointed Security Council chief

Armenia parliament ex-speaker is appointed FM

Armenia MOD: 3 soldiers found dead at military outpost

Biden says chaos was inevitable in Kabul

Newspaper: There is mess within Armenia authorities

Deserter Afghanistan president's daughter enjoys bohemian lifestyle in New York

Yerevan police carry out intensified control nearby Constitutional Court

Singapore court sentences UK man to prison for refusing to wear face mask in public

Myanmar security forces kill more than 1,000 people

Russia's Putin discusses situation in Afghanistan with his Iranian counterpart

Afghan videotapes himself and other men clinging from US air force plane

Erdogan says Turkey is open for cooperation with the Taliban

Israel PM to visit White House

EU says Turkey will "play a very important role" in dealing with wave of Afghans fleeing country

US, EU, other countries say they are "deeply worried" about women in Afghanistan

Deputy Mayor of Armenia's Goris Irina Yolyan released

Biden, Merkel discuss Afghanistan situation

Advisor to Karabakh President: Defense Army units are in Shushi's Yeghtsahogh village and ensuring security

Ashraf Ghani promises to return to Afghanistan soon, assures that he didn't take money with him

Armenian opposition MP: We are still concerned about situations in Karabakh and Armenia

Armenia and Russia healthcare ministers discuss supply of Russian coronavirus vaccines

Employee of municipality of Armenia's Goris Armine Chopchunts to not be arrested

Deputy mayor of Armenia's Goris to be arrested

Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of 6 more Armenian servicemen found after searches in Jrakan

Armenia Digitalization Council holds session chaired by PM

Arayik Harutyunyan: Situation in Artsakh is normal

Armenia deputy parliamentary speaker hosts China Ambassador

Hulusi Akar: Turkey will continue to support Azerbaijan in its "right work"

Russian and Turkish FMs discuss situation in Afghanistan

European Parliament President: EU must receive Afghan refugees

Armenia premier: About $142.5m worth programs already implemented in Artsakh

Armenia PM: Ruling political forces position will be important in changing system of government

Armenias Pashinyan to pay working visit to Kyrgyzstan

Armenia PM Pashinyan: We shall eradicate extreme poverty

Armenia minimum average annual GDP growth rate shall be 7%, as per government plan

Armenia premier: We will have different quality railway by 2024

PM: Foreign intelligence service to be established in Armenia in next 5 years

Armenia parliament ruling faction meeting with visiting Artsakh President

Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker: Closed discussion on border situation to be held today at 4 p.m.

Armenia government holding Cabinet meeting

At least 2 people killed during rally in support of Afghanistan flag
YEREVAN.  As of Wednesday morning, 391 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of these cases has reached 233,001 in the country, the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Also, six more deaths from COVID-19 were registered, making the respective total 4,664 cases.

One more case of coronavirus patients dying from some other illnesses was recorded in Armenia in the past one day, and the corresponding overall death toll in the country is 1,129 now.

The number of people who have recovered over the past one day is 139, the total respective number so far is 221,729, and the number of people currently being treated is 5,479.

And 6,425 COVID-19 tests were conducted in Armenia over the past one day, while 1,409,091 such tests have been performed to date.
The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan continues to misinform its own population and the international community about the situation around Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

To this end, the Azerbaijani defense ministry has issued another statement, considerably distorting the real situation, and resorting to personal insults and threats.

According to a statement disseminated in the Azerbaijani media, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry accuses Armenia of "gross violation of the trilateral statement, dropping its troops on the Azerbaijan territory where the Russian Federation peacekeepers are temporarily stationed near Mukhtarkend, Shushakend settlements, as well as establishing new checkpoint in the eastern partswithin the administrative borders of Kelbajar and Lachin districts.

"All this is happening amid the irresponsible and provocative order of the new Minister of Defense of Armenia, Arshak Karapetyan, on the use of force by the Armenian army. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reminds that the former Minister of Defense of Armenia, Davit Tonoyan, also had come up with a provocative military doctrine called New war, new territories. Its disgraceful fate is known to everyone. The Ministry of Defense [of Azerbaijan] notes that the Azerbaijani army will take all appropriate measures.

In accordance with the provisions of the trilateral statement, the Russian Federation shall put an end to the deployment of the Armenian armed forces in the Azerbaijani territory where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed," the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry also said in its statement, the Azerbaijani media reported.

In fact, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense has prepared unique vinaigrette for those unfamiliar with the situation, mixing into a whole the references to the territories of Armenia and the occupied territories Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has once again tried to present as a "provocation" the response of the Armenian side to the invasion of the sovereign territories of Armenia.

At the same time, this is not the first time that Azerbaijan has resorted to blackmailing the Russian side.

The aforesaid statement of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan was preceded by an open provocation of Mondays shelling of Karabakh positions in the area of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers, and the use of combat drones on Wednesday morning.
The claims of the Azerbaijani side that the trilateral statement of November 9 lays down the pullout of Armenian troops from Nagorno-Karabakh is a blatant lie. This is stated in the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

Over the past few days, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have intensified their provocative actions against the Armed Forces of Armenia and the Defense Army of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). The settlements of Armenia and Artsakh have also been targeted. Azerbaijan is trying to conceal its aggressive actions by blaming the Armenian side for violations of the trilateral statement of November 9 on the one hand, and by blatantly distorting the statement of November 9 on the other hand.

We deem it necessary to mention that point 1 of the statement of November 9 states that the sides shall stand at the positions that they held. However, a month after the signing of the statement, Azerbaijani troops attacked the Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd villages of the Hadrut region of Artsakh, after which they seized those settlements, killed and captured Armenian servicemen. Currently, the Azerbaijani side is trying to occupy new positions in different sectors of the line of contact with different types of weapons.

The latest incident took place today in the vicinity of the Mkhitarashen and Shosh villages.

In this situation, the Defense Army of Artsakh, which was formed by the people of Artsakh in the 1990s and has been the key factor for security over the past 30 years, continues to ensure the security of the people of Artsakh and their right to life along with Russian peacekeepers. Without the Defense Army, the people of Artsakh cant survive in their historic homeland, and the scenario for pulling out the Defense Army of Artsakh is a scenario for emptying Artsakh of Armenians.

The statement of November 9 only envisages the pullout of Armenian troops from the regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, and this is clearly stated in the statement. The Armenian side has completely fulfilled these points of the statement, but Azerbaijan has responded to this with infiltration into the sovereign territory of Armenia and illegal deployment.

These encroachments against Armenia, which began on May 12, have caused deaths and have seriously put regional security at risk.

We are certain that the resumption of the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the auspices of the Co-Chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group, full implementation of the trilateral statements of November 9 and January 11 and elimination of the consequences of the recorded violations, including unconditional maintenance of the ceasefire, the pullout of Azerbaijani troops from the sovereign territories of Armenia and the immediate repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages may create preconditions for strengthening of peace and security in the region, the statement by the Armenian MFA reads.
This summer the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS) welcomed a new cohort of promising grantees from around the United States to take part in its prestigious Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Training Program (MHRT), a grant program of the National Institutes of Healths National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). The five-year grant, renewed to the school in 2019, is intended to improve representation of research scientists from health disparity populations (racial and ethnic minorities, socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, and rural areas) in the biomedical, clinical, or social sciences.

Selected participants work with the schools global research partners to advance human understanding of a range of important health issues, from deadly arboviruses to cannabis use and chronic disease. MHRT is crucial because of the current shortage of Hispanic, Black, and Native American researchers in the health professions, explains Johis Ortega, associate dean for Hemispheric and Global Initiatives at SONHS and Principal Investigator on the MHRT grant.

Meet the SONHS MHRT 2020-2021 grantees.

Each year, Ortega and his team select a handful of new trainees ranging from undergraduate to postdoctoral levels. Those chosen participate in an intensive Global Health Disparities Summer Research Institute, a seminar on research dissemination and preparing for a career in health disparities research, and a writing workshop. The centerpiece of their experience is 10 weeks spent conducting research with mentors from partner institutions in Miami, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Our participants are some of tomorrows most promising health disparities scientists, says Ortega. This experience gives them hands-on opportunities to work with noted international researchers and in the process, it opens their eyes to new cultures, populations, and career possibilities.

COVID-19-related travel restrictions required all of last summers placements to be virtual, but this year the majority of trainees were face-to-face. Two students, for example, traveled to the University of Miami from out of state to conduct research in UM labs, while four more were cleared to complete their MHRT research plan activities on site at Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR) and Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia.

Jennifer Francisco was one of the MHRT participants who traveled abroad. A first-year Doctor in Dental Medicine student at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, she spent the summer at UCRs Center for Research in Tropical Diseases, assisting her MHRT research mentor, Eugenia Corrales Aguilar, study antibody neutralization profiles in human and wildlife sera against arthropod-borne viruses, or arboviruses, like Zika.

It is very important how programs like MHRT allow minorities to participate in high-quality research, but most importantly to work alongside members of other underrepresented communities, says Francisco. This aspect will allow us to feel empowered through science and promote the development of knowledge that will put us one step closer to equity.

MHRTs purpose is to ensure that students like Francisco go on to pursue careers in biomedical and/or behavioral health research by exposing them to collaborative research training, domestic and international health issues, and health disparities research initiatives taking place both in the U.S. and in low and middle income locations that provide significant numbers of immigrants to the U.S. After their official participation in MHRT ends, grantees continue collaborating with their mentors on scientific presentations and publications, as well as graduate school applications and career opportunities in health disparities research.

So far, the experience has only solidified Franciscos view of research as a tool for helping others, and disadvantaged communities in particular, find better health opportunities. For me health equity means not only that everyone has access to high-quality health services, says Francisco, but that people from disadvantaged backgrounds can receive the necessary and specific treatment that will benefit them the most.

For information about the School of Nursing and Health Studies MHRT program, visit https://mhrt.sonhs.miami.edu or email mhirt@miami.edu.
Simon Institute will host champion of Illinois Asian American history law

CARBONDALE, Ill.  A co-sponsor of an Illinois law that made the state the first to require that Asian American history be taught in public schools will join Southern Illinois University Carbondales Paul Simon Public Policy Institute for a virtual event next week.

State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, will speak with John Shaw, institute director, in a virtual conversation at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 17. Gong-Gershowitz and Shaw will discuss the representatives work on human rights, immigration reform and mental health protections, as well as her nationally recognized effort to include Asian American history in public school curricula.

The event is free and open to the public and will be held over Zoom. Registration is required to receive the link to the event. Register at paulsimoninstitute.org/event-information.

Gong-Gershowitz has served in the states General Assembly since 2019. Before working in the Statehouse, her career as a lawyer focused on advocacy for immigrants, including victims of child trafficking and forced marriage. She served on the Illinois Unaccompanied Childrens Task Force, where she encouraged the use of pro bono social workers to serve as guardians ad litem for children going through the immigration system.

Rep. Gong-Gershowitz is one of the most energetic and creative members of the Illinois General Assembly, Shaw said. She recently spearheaded passage of a new law to expand teaching of Asian American history that has attracted national attention. We are eager to learn about the history and the expected impact of this new law.

Attendees are encouraged to submit a question for Gong-Gershowitz with their registration, or send questions by email to paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu.

The event is part of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institutes Understanding Our New World virtual conversation series with government and private sector leaders, policy experts, political analysts, authors and journalists.
SIUs Small Business Development Center offers help to businesses hurt by pandemic

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Southern Illinois University Carbondales Illinois Small Business Development Center is offering workshops and other assistance to help businesses severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, connecting them to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunitys (DCEO) new Back to Business grant program.

SIU is hosting a series of four free introductory workshops in the next week via Zoom, including sessions Thursday and Friday, Aug. 12-13, to introduce interested businesses to the Back to Business program.

We have seen many businesses that havent previously gotten to apply for many of the COVID-related business grant and loan funds due to the complexity of the programs, said Greg Bouhl, director of Entrepreneurship and Business Development at SIU. This additional funding and the Back to Business program will focus on helping those businesses that havent received funding and that are still struggling.

All can apply

Bouhl said any business in the state is eligible and may apply for this new Back to Business grant funding but preference will go to applications from businesses that did not previously receive state COVID-relief funds, as well as those that fall within specified industries including:

Hotels.

Restaurants and bars.

Arts organizations.

Clothing and electronics retail establishments.

Home health providers.

Child care providers.

Barbershops and salon services.

Indoor recreation facilities.

Gyms and fitness centers.

Tourism and group transportation organizations.

Spectator and social event support services.

Applications will open on Wednesday, Aug. 18, and grants of up to $150,000 are available. Statewide, $250 million is available to assist small businesses.

SIU will help local businesses

SIUs Illinois Small Business Development Center has received a Community Navigator Program grant from the DCEO to help Southern Illinois businesses better access COVID-related funding programs.

The funding enabled SIU to hire additional advisers to focus exclusively on helping businesses by going into communities to deliver workshops and advise business owners which programs and grants they are eligible for and to assist in submitting applications at no cost.

The four introductory workshops, with links to access each session are:

Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Corporation is serving as the hub for the DCEO grant funding, with other SBDCs as recipients as well.

To learn more

For more information about how SIUs Small Business Development Center and how its Community Navigator Program grant can assist with the Back to Business grant program or the other SBDC services and programs, visit https://sbdc.siu.edu/, call 618-536-2424 or email gbouhl@biz.siu.edu.
As President Joe Bidens administration steps up the pressure on cities and states to distribute billions of dollars in rental assistance, aid for those who need it most has been stuck in a messy tangle of local government systems, often making it too complicated to access.

With a national ban on evictions gone and a more targeted moratorium on evictions in legal limbo, governments at all levels are injecting more urgency into getting federal rental assistance to struggling Americans.

The amount is significant: $46.5 billion, a sum that nearly matches the entire annual budget of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

States, counties and cities with populations of at least 200,000 were eligible for the money, which offers up to 15 months of rental assistance to low-income individuals (12 months of past-due payments and three months for the future).

But that money has been incredibly slow in getting to the people who need it the most. Through June, only 15 states and the District of Columbia had spent 10% or more of their Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds, which were initially approved by Congress in December.

And in roughly 40 states, counties and cities, not a single cent from ERAP made it out the door during that time, according to an analysis of Treasury Department data by HuffPost. Some of those places were smaller counties, but others were states (New York at $801 million) or territories (Puerto Rico at $325 million) sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars.

The problems stem partly from the fact that Congress has never thrown so much money at an anti-eviction program, so officials at lower levels of government have struggled to find their footing.

In most cases they couldnt scale up an already-existing program, or if they could scale up an existing program, that program was tiny compared to the funding available now, said Ann Oliva, a housing policy expert at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. That explains some of the lag.

Story continues

HuffPost reached out to every area that hadnt handed out any ERAP money through June. The ones who responded cited the difficulty of getting a new program off the ground, inter-governmental coordination struggles, burdensome requirements and even trouble attracting applicants. Many of them also stressed that they have been sending out other housing assistance funds, and others have managed to get their programs up and running in July and August.

HuffPost readers: Facing eviction and struggling to get emergency rental assistance? Tell us about it  email arthur@huffpost.com. Please include your phone number if youre willing to be interviewed.

But plenty of governments were able to do it. Advocates say that some who couldnt were trying to conduct business as usual instead of recognizing the emergency of the moment. And in many cases the culprit has been too much paperwork.

The fact that some places are doing a really good job of spending down their resources shows that really any city and state can be doing this and that theres no excuse for not getting this money out the door, said Sarah Saadian, vice president of public policy at the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

The New York Mess

Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York has been very slow in giving out federal rental assistance. Cuomo announced Tuesday that is resigning while he faces a number of sexual harassment allegations. (Photo: Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Among the most galling instances of a slow ERAP response is the state of New York. According to the Treasury Departments data, New York was the only state that sent out no federal rental assistance through the month of June  even though it has the most renters in the country.

The state didnt open the application process until June 1. Payments werent issued until more than a month later, on July 19.In the last couple of weeks, the state has begun to ramp up the program, disbursing tens of millions of dollars in a matter of days.

But the system was a mess. The initial application process was lengthy and full of technical glitches. It was unclear what documentation applicants needed to be eligible, and the website would time out before they were able to properly submit their forms, forcing them to start over again.

The main the reason is that the application was fucking impossible, said Bill Neidhardt, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasios spokesperson. I think its strategic incompetence. Thats why they delayed it, and thats why they rolled out a mind-bogglingly unusable interface. Both those things show they didnt want people to get the money.

The state rejects those characterizations. Jim Urso, a spokesperson for Gov. Andrew Cuomos office, said it was simply not true that the funding was being held hostage by the state. The state gave priority to low-income or unemployed individuals for the first month  100,000 people applied in the state in June. Cuomo  who said Tuesday that he is resigning, under a cloud of sexual harassment allegations  announced a more streamlined application process in mid-July.

More than 830,000 households are behind on rent in the state, with a total debt of more than $3.2 billion, according to an analysis by the National Equity Atlas, a research group associated with the University of Southern California.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has been calling out his state. He held a news conference in Hells Kitchen in New York City late last month, and for two days in a row on the Senate floor last week, Schumer again criticized New York, saying he was sending a letter to state officials asking them to start doing a better job.

Federal Pressure Steps Up

President Joe Biden's administration has been leaning on areas that have been slow in giving out federal rental assistance. (Photo: Al Drago, Pool/Getty Images)

The Biden administration decided not to extend the nationwide moratorium that expired at the end of July, worried it would not survive legal challenge. After pressure from many of his Democratic allies, he announced a more limited 60-day ban in counties with elevated rates of COVID-19.

As the White House and congressional Democrats blamed each other for letting the moratorium lapse, federal leaders all seem to agree that local governments dropped the ball on dishing out the money.

The problem has been with state governments who have been pathetically slow to get the money out, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said last week.

The Treasury Department, which runs the program, sent a letter to all the states, counties and cities that hadnt disbursed any ERAP money through the end of June, according to a department official. It has also been trying to get the word out about the money through urban and Spanish-language radio, and by providing more information to religious and community organizations. And it has been underscoring an effort to reduce documentation burdens to make it easier to apply for assistance.

Awareness of the program has been lagging. A May poll from the Urban Institute found that more than half of renters and 40% of landlords were unaware of the federal rental aid.

Chicago hadnt distributed any of its $80 million in ERAP funds through the end of June, although the city had been distributing other assistance. Eugenia Orr, spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Housing, said that the citys ERAP application process opened at the end of May but her office had to wait for the City Council to allocate the funds before the agency could start spending them.

Bureaucratic bungling is unacceptable, said Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), who represents the city. I am astounded and heartbroken that my constituents, who are suffering from horrendous economic woes in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, have not received the full financial relief that I voted for. Chicago should be the beacon light that others follow  not a bench warmer.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) also gave a speech on the Senate floor, talking about a constituent named Patricia Vasquez, who received an email on July 23, telling her she qualified for ERAP funds. But if the money had come earlier, he said, some of her hardship could have been averted.

[T]he gas to her apartment had already been cut off because of a $1,400 unpaid bill. She had sold some of her clothes and jewelry to pay the electric bill and keep the lights on, and she was six months behind in rent. The emergency assistance will help her pay rent and utility bills, Durbin said.

I think there are a lot of members of Congress who maybe didnt realize just how slow its been to get emergency rental assistance out, because weve seen a lot of members voice a lot of frustration at how slow things have been, Saadian said. Some of them have reached out to us about finding ways  how can they be communicating with our program to encourage them to adopt these best practice.

Challenges At The Local Level

The federal government gave states, cities and counties billions of dollars to assist renters affected by the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Many of the places that have been slow to get the program off the ground cited challenges in dealing with technological issues, training staff to administer the program, finding partners to work with on this project and trying to navigate federal rules.

But paperwork has been a major impediment.

The Treasury Department has tried to ease the documentation burdens in order to get money to people as quickly as possible, a move that was widely praised by housing advocates. Last week, the department published examples of simplified eligibility forms that areas could use.

But not every place has gone along with that model, and officials say theyre just doing their due diligence. Dori Henry, deputy chief of staff for the Baltimore County executive, said that, despite the Biden administrations efforts to make the process easier, the county must still be a good steward of taxpayer dollars and ensure that it is providing assistance to those households who are actually eligible.

A lot of the times what weve seen is that state and local governments arent using all of the flexibility that Treasurys given them, Saadian said. And instead theyre putting in place their own documentation requirements or very lengthy application processes, which are getting in their own way of distributing aid.

Combining resources at the state, city and county level has worked well in many places. Houston and Harris County, Texas, have become a model, with the city and county pooling resources and pulling together grassroots groups to help people fill out applications.

Barbara Canales, county judge in Nueces County, Texas, said its delay was rooted in the fact that the countys administrative allotment of funds was rather small ($1.1 million), and the county eventually realized that by partnering with the county seat, Corpus Christi, it would be able to get going. It launched the program on July 22.

Many places that have opened applications for ERAP money have been flooded with requests. Los Angeles, Phoenix and the state of North Carolina were all overwhelmed with requests when they opened their programs.

But others say its been a challenge to get people to apply.

This has been really slow, said Jaime Longoria, director of the Hidalgo County, Texas, Community Service Agency. Its surprisingly slow is how I would characterize it.

Longoria said his county launched its ERAP application process in April, yet by the end of June, it still hadnt given out any money (although it had been assisting families with other funds since the start of the pandemic). He worried that people werent applying for aid in part because they were nervous about how it would affect their immigration status down the road.

Tom Arnone, a county commissioner in Monmouth County, New Jersey, also cited landlord-tenant cooperation as one of the biggest frustrations.

One of the most challenging and time-consuming aspects of administering this type of federally funded, tenant-focused grant program is the coordination of both tenants and landlords during the application process, he said.

Philadelphia, listed on the Treasury Departments chart as having distributed zero dollars, said it had actually doled out $40 million worth of ERAP funds, but the sum is omitted from the departments total because the money came to the city circuitously, though a state appropriation. The city says it has actually disbursed $128 million in rent and utility assistance.

Please note that we will run out of federal money long before we run out of tenants who need it, Philadelphia Department of Housing and Community Development spokesperson Jamila Davis said in an email.

Philadelphias approach has been a relative success thanks in large part to an April court order requiring landlords to apply for rental assistance before they file for eviction. The U.S. Department of Justice has urged other state and local courts to follow Philadelphias example.

States and localities are also running up against a deadline. If they dont use at least 65% of their allocated funds by the end of September, the federal government has the authority to take them back.

That urgency, Saadian hopes, will push governments to get the money out.

The people who are most likely to be harmed by these evictions are people of color because of preexisting racial inequities in the housing market and because of the impact of the pandemic and the economic fallout, she said. And thats going to have really long-term impacts on individual households stability, but also racial inequity community-wide.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
The Wrap

Larry David recently ran into former Trump attorney Alan Dershowitz at the grocery store, and he didnt hold back from criticizing the Harvard Law professor. In a heated exchange that was witnessed by a Page Six source, Dershowitz and David bumped into each other at Chilmark General Store in Marthas Vineyard. Dershowitz confirmed the exchange he had with David to Page Six and said it started when he saw David and tried to say hi, but the comedian walked away from him. Dershowitz then said, We
People have been sleeping on the streets in Kabul and in makeshift camps after fleeing their homes

Afghanistan has replaced its army chief, as Taliban militants continue to make rapid advances.

Insurgents have taken control of 10 of the country's 34 provincial capitals.

On Thursday the Taliban said they had taken the strategically important Ghazni city, which is on the road to the national capital Kabul.

President Ashraf Ghani earlier flew to the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif - traditionally an anti-Taliban bastion - to try to rally pro-government forces.

The removal of the country's army chief, General Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai, was confirmed to the BBC on Wednesday. He had only been in the post since June.

His successor will have to deal with escalating violence across the country, as the Taliban continue their offensive. US and other foreign troops have all but withdrawn following 20 years of military operations.

More than 1,000 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan in the past month, according to the UN.

Also on Wednesday, President Ghani held crisis talks in Mazar-i-Sharif with ethnic Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum and prominent ethnic Tajik leader Atta Mohammad Noor about defending the city.

Mr Dostum, a veteran commander, was quoted as saying: "The Taliban have come to the north several times but they were always trapped."

For years, Mr Ghani tried to sideline the warlords in an attempt to boost the Afghan National Army, and now he is turning to them in his hour of need, the BBC's Ethirajan Anbarasan says. Earlier this week, the president also agreed to arm pro-government militia.

President Ashraf Ghani (centre) has tried to sideline powerful Afghan warlords to strengthen the Afghan National Army

Mazar-i-Sharif lies close to the borders with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and its loss would mark the complete collapse of the government's control over the north of Afghanistan.

In Kunduz, another northern provincial capital, hundreds of government soldiers - who had earlier retreated to the airport after the Taliban overran the city - have now surrendered.

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According to local media reports, the Taliban have now taken over Kunduz airport and the army corps stationed there have surrendered.

Local sources told the BBC that fighting was also raging in eastern Afghanistan's Ghazni on Wednesday, after Taliban insurgents entered the city centre.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) humanitarian group later said intense "street-by-street" fighting was taking place in Afghanistan's second-largest city Kandahar.

The Taliban claimed to have taken over the city's prison, though this has not been confirmed.

According to one US official speaking to CBS News, Afghanistan's capital could fall to the Taliban in as soon as 90 days.

However, the official told news agency Reuters that it was possible for the Afghan security forces to halt the Taliban's momentum by putting up more resistance, adding that the fall of Kabul was not a "foregone conclusion".

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was reportedly citing US intelligence.

Map shows who's in control of Afghanistan

In the city of Lashkar Gah, in Helmand province, ICRC director-general Robert Mardini said hospitals were "struggling to deal with the dead bodies".

In addition to fighting on the ground, US and Afghan planes have been carrying out air strikes against Taliban positions in the country.

The Washington Post newspaper on Wednesday cited unnamed officials as saying the capital Kabul could fall to the Taliban within 90 days, based on US military assessments.

A senior adviser to Mr Ghani, Waheed Omer, dismissed this prediction. "It's hard times for us but we know that we will prevail," he told the BBC.

"They have managed to gain some territory but it's not about territory. It's about the people. The people don't want them and they will soon find that it was a mistake to actually attack our people," he said.

Psychological blow could be huge

Analysis by Inayatulhaq Yasini, BBC Kabul bureau editor

Mazar-i-Sharif, now a major economic centre, has historically been the supply gateway from the former Soviet Union to the country.

The government in Kabul recognises the importance of the city, and that is why the Afghan president visited it to hold talks with local leaders and former warlords.

The last time the Taliban took the city was in the 1990s. This happened without any heavy resistance after a deal was done with a rival of Abdul Rashid Dostum.

But now he is one of the key leaders fighting the militant group.

With violence surging, thousands of people have been fleeing in search of safety.

"We have no money to buy bread, or get some medicine for my child," a 35-year-old street vendor who fled Kunduz province after the Taliban set fire to his home told the BBC.

"We had a good life, but because of the bomb blasts we lost our home", a woman who fled the city of Pul-e-Khumri said.

Afghan politician Shukria Barakzai said the Taliban gains were "a red signal for the entire globe".
(Bloomberg) -- Few paid much attention when she first turned up at the center of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.s packed cafeteria on Friday, a stack of leaflets in one hand and a megaphone in the other.

It had been more than a week since she accused her boss of sexual assault, and she was losing patience.

An Alibaba executive raped his female employee, but the company has taken no action! she screamed, handing out the leaflets to stunned colleagues until security guards forcibly removed her. No one is taking responsibility!

The allegations she printed on those pages, and in a lengthy post over the weekend that went viral on Chinas tightly controlled internet, are now reverberating across the upper echelons of Alibaba and in C-suites across much of the country. The accused Alibaba manager has been fired, two senior executives at the e-commerce giant have resigned and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Zhang has issued a remarkable mea culpa, calling the companys handling of the incident a humiliation.

In a nation thats been slow to absorb lessons from the global #MeToo movement, the episode has triggered what many say is a long overdue examination of the ways Chinese women are too often treated at work: overlooked, objectified, forced to take part in male-dominated rituals like drinking with clients, and brushed aside when reporting abuse. It comes at a time when much of Chinas corporate world, particularly the tech industry, is under intense government scrutiny on issues ranging from anti-monopoly violations to the treatment of low-wage workers.

This weekend will remain in our memories forever, Zhang wrote in a pre-dawn memo on Monday to employees of Alibaba, Chinas second-largest company by market value. Behind everyones deep concern about the incident was not just sympathy and care for the traumatized colleague but also tremendous sadness for the challenges in Alibabas culture.

The scene in Alibabas cafeteria, captured on video and corroborated by employees who asked to remain anonymous, is just one part of the accusers harrowing story. Much of the account below comes from descriptions of events she posted on Alibabas internal employee forum on Saturday. Known publicly only by the nickname she -- like most other Alibaba employees -- adopted after joining the company, Xinyue couldnt be reached for comment. Nor could the manager she accused.Representatives for Alibaba, which hasnt addressed many of the specifics of Xinyues allegations, echoed many of Zhangs conclusions in a statement provided to Bloomberg News. Zhang has said the accused manager confessed to intimate acts with Xinyue while she was inebriated and that the company is cooperating with local police. A police official in Jinan, the eastern Chinese city where the assault is alleged to have happened, said they couldnt comment on the investigation when contacted by Bloomberg.

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We are incredibly disappointed with the shortcomings in action by the relevant team leaders who were first notified about this incident, the company said in a statement. They did not make timely decisions nor took appropriate actions such as escalation. Their lack of empathy, care and sense of responsibility is unacceptable.

The following account of the alleged assault is largely based on Xinyues post. Alibaba has corroborated several key points and elaborated on others.

Read more: Alibaba Scandal Gives Chinas #MeToo Another Chance to Take Hold

Xinyue was reluctant when her boss broached the idea of a trip to see a client in Jinan. She repeatedly tried to beg off, citing a typhoon raging through Hangzhou and how she could stay in email contact with the customer. But her boss insisted.

After a day of meetings on July 27, Xinyues manager -- as is customary in China - invited the clients they were visiting to dinner. Her boss told the guests she was good at drinking and offered her alcohol. As a junior employee, she felt compelled to accept. She became drunk and at one point during the dinner was groped by a client who has since been fired by his employer.

The next morning, Xinyue said, she woke with a hangover in her hotel room and grew alarmed when she noticed signs of rape, including an opened condom package. She called her boss but he wasnt forthcoming. She then called her husband and the police.

According to Xinyue, she watched hotel CCTV footage with the police that showed her boss entering her hotel room four times during the night after getting a key card made at the front desk. The manager was summoned to the local police station that afternoon and briefly detained. He denied wrongdoing.

Xinyue said she spent the next few days on the verge of an emotional breakdown. She tried to cut her wrist with a piece of broken glass but her husband -- who had joined her by this time in Jinan -- stopped her. All the while, her supervisor continued to work as usual.

On Aug. 2, Xinyue said, the couple returned to Alibabas hometown of Hangzhou and she reported the case to other managers. She contacted two executives and a human resources manager within her business unit via group chat, but none of them responded in the chat. She then direct messaged them separately.

Eventually, her bosss manager offered to talk. During the conversation, he stressed several points: what happened was business-related, this job is easier for men than women, and you cant secure clients if you dont drink.

That evening, she met with the HR leader and the manager again, demanding her boss be fired. She also requested a long paid leave. They told her to wait three days.

(According to Alibaba, the company set up a task force around this time to handle the matter. The task force decided to refrain from taking action until the police investigation could be completed and allowed Xinyues boss to continue working. It was a major misjudgment that displayed a lack of empathy, Jiang Fang, the female Alibaba partner who was later appointed to head up an investigation, wrote on the companys internal forum.)On Aug. 5, according to Xinyue, she and her husband met again with the HR leader and her bosss manager. They told the couple Alibaba had decided not to terminate her boss, for the sake of her reputation. She again insisted her boss should be fired. The Alibaba managers agreed to do so within a day, according to her account.

The next day, the HR leader and the manager informed Xinyue they couldnt fire her boss after all. Instead, they asked the couple to provide video evidence of excessive drinking.

Read more: China Anti-Graft Watchdog Calls for Business Drinking Curbs

Xinyue decided to escalate the matter to Li Yonghe, the newly appointed head of the high-profile local services division where she worked, and Xu Kun, the overseer of HR within the group. Xu called her and delivered two messages during a subsequent 19-minute chat: stay calm, and we cant fire your manager. Li read Xinyues messages but didnt respond (Alibabas CEO Zhang confirmed this point in his subsequent memo to employees).

Later that day, Xinyue printed out her pamphlets and brought a megaphone to the staff canteen. I had my back to the wall, she wrote later on the forum. If civilized manners solve nothing, then I can only deal with it like this. (According to Jiang, the female Alibaba partner, Xinyues appearance in the cafeteria was what first alerted the companys senior management to her allegations.)

On Saturday, Xinyue posted her 8,000-character account of the entire ordeal to Alibabas internal forum. Her post leaked to social media, where it quickly went viral.

Local media began asking questions and picking up the story as the topic started trending on Weibo, Chinas equivalent of Twitter. Xinyues post was replicated on scores of websites and reposted on dozens of social media platforms, with views soaring rapidly into the hundreds of millions.

That triggered a chain of events in the executive suite. On Sunday, Alibabas CEO Zhang issued a memo saying he was shocked, furious and ashamed. And a day later, before dawn, he announced Xinyues manager had been dismissed and that Li and Xu had resigned. Li and Xu couldnt be reached for comment.

As for our colleague Xinyue, this incident has caused tremendous harm to her, Zhang wrote. We will do everything we can to take care of her.

As Xinyue and Alibaba await results of the police investigation, one question looming over all of China Inc. is how far this episode will spread the #MeToo-like reckoning.

There are some tentative signs of broader change afoot. The Peoples Daily, a mouthpiece for Chinas ruling Communist Party, has highlighted the incident as an example of why companies must pay more attention to culture the larger they grow. The Partys anti-graft watchdog called for curbs on under the table rules like forced drinking and workplace bullying in a Tuesday commentary on the Alibaba incident.

What we have seen from the #MeToo movement is that this comes in waves, said Pocket Sun, co-founder of SoGal Ventures, which invests in female entrepreneurs. More brave women stand up for themselves for what happened in the past that they didnt have an opportunity to expose. I hope this is a beginning of more women to stand up against this.

On Monday, one of the top trending items on Alibaba-backed Weibo, with more than 800 million views, was an online declaration from about 6,000 Alibaba staffers that they were banding together to protest and overhaul systemic inadequacies and a lack of protection for female employees.

Representatives from the group have joined the companys task force handling the incident, and have promised to keep everyone posted on their progress, according to several employees who asked to remain anonymous. They named their support group Brave Calf, a nod to the cartoon cow Xinyue adopted as her avatar on Alibabas DingTalk work app.Ill fight till the end! Xinyue wrote in her post on Saturday. Never surrender!

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A teacher working with a fourth-grade student in Pennsylvania. Ben Hasty/Getty Images

Anti-mask parents harassed and threatened other parents outside a school board meeting on Tuesday.

The Williamson County board had approved a temporary mask mandate for elementary-school students and staff.

"We know who you are," one man yelled at a masked parent, adding, "We will find you."

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Anti-mask parents in Franklin, Tennessee, harassed and threatened parents wearing masks outside a Williamson County school board meeting on Tuesday night after it approved a temporary mask mandate for elementary-school students and staff.

A video showed a crowd of parents outside the building chanting "will not comply" and "no more masks" as pro-mask parents, some of whom were doctors and nurses, exited the building.

"We know who you are," one man yelled at a parent trying to drive out of the parking lot. "You can leave freely, but we will find you."

Another man repeatedly yelled at the same man, "You better watch out." Another held his middle finger up to the car window and screamed, "Fuck you."

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A few protesters urged the group to be peaceful and insisted that the police officers attempting to control the crowd were "on our side."

"The news is trying to capture you angry," one man said. "We're going to do it the right way. We're not going to give the news what they want ... and show the people in power here how flimsy that power really is."

The man added, "We'll show them that by behaving like parents tonight."

At the crowded meeting, a diverse array of parents in one of the state's wealthiest enclaves spoke for and against the mask mandate. The parents included many physicians and other health providers who urged the board to mandate masks in order to slow the coronavirus' spread in schools and prevent closures because of outbreaks. Anti-mask parents regularly interrupted the meeting.

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"There is only one enemy amongst us, and that is COVID," one parent, a pediatrician, said. "And in order to prevent its spread, we need to mask up."

In deep-red Tennessee, local school boards are empowered to make decisions about whether to require masks in schools. Williamson County's temporary mask mandate is set to expire on September 21. The state's Republican governor, Bill Lee, has so far resisted calls from the right flank of his party to prohibit schools from deciding mask policies. Tennessee has never had a statewide mask mandate.

Many Republican leaders in Tennessee have fanned the flames of the political debate over COVID-19 mitigation efforts. In one extreme example, the state government fired its top immunization official, Dr. Michelle Fiscus, last month after the health department urged teenagers to get vaccinated. Under the state's Mature Minor Doctrine, established in 1987, caregivers aren't required to have parental consent to vaccinate minors over the age of 14.

After criticism from conservative state lawmakers, the department ended its digital vaccination outreach to teenagers.

The state has one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country: 40% of the population is fully vaccinated, behind the national average of 50%. And it has had a surge in infections and hospitalizations as the hypercontagious Delta variant spreads.

But Tennessee is not an outlier in its politicization of the pandemic. Public-health officials across the country have been targeted, harassed, and threatened over their efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Apple has settled its 2019 lawsuit with Corellium, a company that build virtual iOS devices used security researchers to find bugs in iPhones and other iOS devices, the Washington Post has reported. The terms of the settlement weren't disclosed, but the agreement comes after Apple suffered a major court loss in the dispute in late 2020.

Corelliums software allows users to run virtual iPhones on a computer browser, giving them deep access to iOS without the need for a physical device. In addition to accusing Corellium of infringing on its copyright, Apple said the company was selling its product indiscriminately, thereby compromising the platforms security.

Specifically, Apple accused the company of selling its products to governments that could have probed its products for flaws. When he was employed by another company, Corellium co-founder David Wang helped the FBI unlock an iPhone used by a terrorist responsible for the San Bernardino attacks.

However, a judge dismissed the copyright claims, calling them "puzzling, if not disingenuous." He wrote in his ruling that the Court finds that Corellium has met its burden of establishing fair use," adding that its use of iOS in that context was permissible.

Corellium started offering its platform to individual subscribers earlier this year, after previously only making it available to enterprise users. Each request for access is vetted individually so that it won't fall into the wrong hands for malicious purposes, according to the company.
Schwarzenegger has a love/hate relationship with freedom (YouTube / Arnold Schwarzenegger )

Former Republican governor and action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger told Americans who refuse to get the Covid vaccine or wear a mask to "screw your freedom", because with great freedom comes great responsibility.

The treatise against individual rights in favour of the collective good came moments after the Austrian-born actor warned of rising fascism in America by comparing the pro-Trump mob that stormed the US Capitol to Adolf Hitlers Brownshirts before World War II.

"There is a virus here, it kills people, and the only way we prevent it is get vaccinated, get masks, do social distancing, washing your hands all the time, and not just to think about well my freedom is being kind of disturbed here. No, screw your freedom," Mr Schwarzenegger said.

He went on to explain that people cannot just say they have the right to do whatever they want when their actions affect other people. Rather, wearing masks and taking vaccines is no different than obeying the rules of the road while driving. If people dont wear a mask they are responsible for killing anyone who catches Covid from them and dies, he said.

"We put the traffic light at the intersection so someone doesnt kill someone else by accident you cannot say, no one is going tell me that Im going to stop here at this traffic light here, Im going to go right through it, yeah, then you kill someone else and then it is your doing," he said.

"Yeah you have the freedom to wear no mask, but you know something, youre a schmuck for not wearing a mask because youre supposed to protect your fellow members around you, its just that simple," he added.

Mr Schwarzenegger was speaking to promote the new book Here, Right Matters by Alexander Vindman, the retired army lieutenant colonel who served as a key witness in former president Donald Trumps first impeachment proceedings..

The two shared an affinity of sorts after Mr Vindman saw Mr Schwarzeneggers video response, holding the sword from Conan the Barbarian, to denounce the US Capitol riot on 6 January.

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Mr Schwarzenegger said he was compelled to make the video after seeing the similarities and potential dangers to the rise of fascism in Europe. He was born and raised in post-war Austria before immigrating to the United States in 1968.

"And Im talking now about before the Second World War how my father and people in Austria and Germany and all over Europe were actually lied to by a regime that was very evil," he said.

"And when you start lying to people and the nation experiences these kinds of lies and deceits and cheating and corruption, and all this sort of thing, it goes down a dangerous road and it has to be stopped at all costs."

Read More

Biden's complicated new task: keeping Democrats together

Tennessee governor says American exceptionalism will be unapologetically taught in schools

Senate Democrats unfazed by GOP police funding proposal
Aug. 11Displays of ship carvings and furnishings by craftsmen of the past. Paintings by local artists of the present. Live music, painters creating en plein air, tours of historic buildings, blacksmiths at work, and vintage cars on display.

That is all part of this weekend's "Art in Waterford: Past+Present+Future." The third annual event is held by the Waterford Historical Society on Jordan Green and in the surrounding historic buildings.

"Masters of wood craftsmanship" are featured as part of the "past" artists. Works by Waterford furniture maker Harold Hayes (1915-2008) and ship carver Willard Odell Shepard (1914-1988) will be on view.

When it comes to the present, ten artists selected via a jury will exhibit pieces reflecting the area, including images of various beaches, coves and gardens.

In addition, folks can see art by area middle and high school students. The Waterford Public Library will sponsor colonial arts and crafts activities for kids.

And for when anyone gets hungry, food trucks will be on site.

"Art in Waterford: Past+Present+Future," 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. and Sun., Jordan Green, 49 Rope Ferry Road, Waterford; free admission, but visitors can buy a program and donate to Waterford Historical Society; www.waterfordcthistoricalsociety.org.
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Belarus has told the United States to reduce its embassy staff in Minsk and revoked its consent to the appointment of Julie Fisher as the ambassador in response to the latest sanctions by Washington, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

In a coordinated move with Britain and Canada, Washington on Monday slapped new sanctions on several Belarusian individuals and entities with the aim of punishing hardline president Alexander Lukashenko.

A foreign ministry spokesperson said in a comment posted on the ministry website that Minsk had informed the United States it wanted embassy staff reduced to five people by Sept. 1, describing this as "our reaction to their unfriendly and even aggressive actions."

Sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to Minsk last December, Fisher has not yet been able to enter Belarus, which initially dragged its feet on issuing her a visa.

"Against the background of Washington's actions to reduce cooperation in all spheres and the economic strangling of our country, we objectively do not see a reason for the American diplomatic mission to keep high staff numbers in Belarus," the ministry said.

The ministry also reiterated Lukashenko's recent statement that Belarus was ready for talks with the West instead of a sanctions war.

Western governments have sought to put pressure on Lukashenko, who is accused of rigging elections in August 2020 and of imprisoning or driving out all significant opposition leaders to prolong his now 27 years in power. He says he won the vote fairly, and that others were calling for a coup.

(Writing by Andrei Khalip;Editing by Alison Williams and Jane Merriman)
President Biden announced Wednesday that he will convene world leaders for a virtual "Summit for Democracy" in December, where participants will make commitments to defend democracy and human rights at home and abroad.

Why it matters: The summit would fulfill a foreign policy promise Biden made on the campaign trail, where he vowed to "once more place America at the head of the table" in the international effort to fight corruption, defense against authoritarianism, and advance human rights.

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Biden had been unable to host the summit until now due to challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic.

Details: The first of two summits will be held virtually on Dec. 9 and 10, and will feature heads of state and representatives from civil society, philanthropy, and the private sector, according to the White House.

A second summit will then be held after a "year of consultation, coordination, and action" on the group's commitments.

In addition to addressing challenges facing democracy, the summit's participants will discuss collaboration on "the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and growing inequality," according to the State Department.

The White House did not disclose specific countries that will be participating.

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Noah Swanger, 9, was surprised by police escort to honor his late father, who died of Covid-19 (Screengrab/ LVMPD)

CNNs anchors were stunned into silence this week when they interviewed a nine-year-old boy in Las Vegas whose father, a police officer, recently died of Covid.

Noah Swanger was speaking about the moment a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police guard of honour escorted him into school on his first day of fourth grade on Monday.

Noahs father Jason Swanger, 41, died on 24 June of Covid-19 complications after seven years of service to the force.

During John Berman and Brianna Keilars weekend New Day segment on CNN, the hosts talked to Noah and his mother Christa Swanger about the kind gesture of the police escort to honour Jason.

Ms Swanger choked up with emotion while talking about her husband, but the youngest family member Noah looked composed as he described being nervous for his first day of school.

It was overwhelming and since I had a lot of nerves, it calmed my nerves down, said Noah.

The video footage shared by LVMP and played on the CNN programme shows Noah arriving at his school to a squad of officers waiting for him. He was seen wearing a white shirt along with a tie.

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I wore a tie to school because Im the man of the house now, Noah said on the CNN show.

The hosts were briefly struck dumb by the answer, before Berman said: You look great Noah! And Im sure your mother feels blessed and lucky to have you there as the man of the house. And you wore the tie well, and I know how proud your father would be that chose to wear the tie.

The police department lauded their late colleague Jason, saying he went the extra mile to help people.

He was known as a devoted father and husband who went the extra mile for people in need and dedicated himself to policing to make a difference in other peoples lives, the departments press release read.
Brazil's lower house of Congress voted Wednesday to strip a prominent Evangelical lawmaker of her seat after she was charged with having her husband murdered.

Famed Gospel singer and pastor turned congresswoman Flordelis dos Santos was ousted by a vote of 437 to seven.

"There is no doubt Ms. Flordelis participated in the murder," said the rapporteur for the case, Congressman Alexandre Leite, who recommended she be stripped of her seat -- and with it, her congressional immunity -- for violating "parliamentary decorum."

Famous for adopting dozens of street children from Rio de Janeiro's slums, Dos Santos, 60, and her husband, pastor Anderson do Carmo, were a power couple in Brazil's burgeoning Evangelical Christian movement until he was killed in a hail of bullets at their home in the Rio suburb of Niteroi in June 2019.

Rio de Janeiro state prosecutors charged Dos Santos in August last year with "orchestrating the homicide, enlisting (several of her grown children) to take part in the crime and attempting to disguise it as an armed robbery."

Investigators said Flavio dos Santos Rodrigues, Dos Santos's biological son, fired the shots that killed his stepfather, with a gun purchased by Lucas Cesar dos Santos, one of the couple's dozens of adopted children.

Five of the couple's other children and a granddaughter were also accused.

Prosecutors said the suspected motive was to gain power over the couple's revenues, which Do Carmo, 42, managed with "rigorous control."

Dos Santos, who was present for the session, told her colleagues she is innocent.

"When the court absolves me, you will regret condemning a person who has not yet been tried," she said.

Dos Santos was elected to Congress for the conservative Social Democratic Party (PSD) in 2018.

Born in the Rio favela, or slum, of Jacarezinho, she met Do Carmo in 1994.

Together, they founded what they called the Community of the Evangelical Ministry Flordelis.

Dos Santos has not been arrested because of her congressional immunity, but is required to wear an electronic ankle monitoring bracelet.

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Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch

A British embassy staffer has been detained in Germany after allegedly being caught selling documents to Russian intelligence agents.

The man, who has only been identified as David S, was arrested Tuesday after being trailed by both British and German authorities. German federal prosecutors described the man as a 57-year-old employee at the British Embassy in Germanys capital, Berlin, and alleged that he received an unspecified amount of money to hand papers to Russia.

On at least one occasion he forwarded documents obtained in the course of his professional activities to a representative of a Russian intelligence service, German federal prosecutors said in a statement Wednesday. In return for providing information, the accused received cash.

Londons Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrest in its own statement, saying the 57-year-old had been detained in Potsdam, near Berlin, and was hit with charges related to Intelligence Agent activity.

The man is expected in court in Germany later Wednesday. German authorities said his home and workplace have been searched.

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A California man who reportedly operates a surfing school in Santa Barbara was taken into custody at the U.S.-Mexico border this week, accused of having brutally stabbed his two young children to death with a wooden stake in Mexico.

The children, a boy and girl, both between ages 1 and 3, were each found with multiple stab wounds  the boy stabbed 17 times and the girl stabbed 12 times, according to Border Report.

The suspect, identified as Matthew Taylor Coleman, 40, of Santa Barbara, was driving a Mercedes-Benz vehicle when was stopped by border agents around 7 a.m. Monday as he returned to the U.S. via the San Ysidro Point of Entry in California, the report said.

Coleman had traveled with the children to Rosarito, Mexico, a Pacific coast town about 60 miles south of San Diego, and checked into a hotel room on Saturday, the news outlet reported.

BARRY MORPHEW TEXTED WIFE ABOUT SUICIDE DAYS BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED: GOING TO SEE MY SAVIOR

Some news accounts referred to him as "Matthew Taylor" because Mexican authorities dont disclose the last names of suspects, reports said.

The childrens mother reported her husband and the children missing Sunday, after they had been gone for 24 hours, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Investigators believe the suspect took the children to a ranch in Mexico early Monday, then returned to the hotel without them a few hours later, the Union-Tribune reported, citing information from Hiram Sanchez Zamora, a prosecutor in the Mexican state of Baja California.

Authorities say a farmhand found the childrens bloody bodies on the property on Monday, according to Border Report.

The farmhand said he saw splattered blood on the ground when he came out of his home, and his dogs led him to the bodies, the report said.

At least one of the children was dressed in diapers, the report said.

The children had apparently been stabbed with a wooden stake, the Union-Tribune reported.

"To be honest, I teared up. And I immediately notified my manager to call the police to come investigate," the farmhand said, according to Border Report. "I was scared and sad because these are tiny children who dont know any better. Hopefully, they find whoever is responsible because this is a terrible thing."

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Coleman was reportedly the operator of Lovewater, a surfing school in Santa Barbara. The schools website late Tuesday still included photos of Coleman and his smiling family.

The suspect was being held in the U.S., awaiting likely extradition to Mexico to face murder charges, FOX 5 of San Diego reported.

Law enforcement agencies involved in the case included the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Santa Barbara Police Department and Mexican authorities, FOX 5 reported.
Far-right extremist Jeff Grace reacts to being pepper sprayed by anti-fascists on August 8, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. Anti-fascists and far-right extremists clashed near a religious gathering in downtown Portland for the second day in a row without a police response. Nathan Howard/Getty Images

A Capitol rioter traveled to Portland with weapons to provide "perimeter security" for an anti-mask and anti-LGBTQ pastor, US prosecutors say.

Jeffrey Grace was charged in January weeks after he breached the US Capitol.

Prosecutors are petitioning the court to modify Grace's conditions of release to prohibit him from having weapons.

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US prosecutors are trying to prohibit a Capitol rioter from possessing firearms after he traveled to Portland with a gun, baton, and pepper spray and fought with "Antifa" protestors.

Jeffrey Grace was charged with four counts from the January 6 riots: entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

Grace told investigators when he was first charged in January 2021 that he had no affiliation with the Proud Boys or any other violent organized group at the Capitol riots. After a deeper investigation, US prosecutors now allege that Grace lied in January and that he was actually "an active member of the Proud Boys."

Court documents and Grace's social media shows that he traveled from Washington to Oregon to provide "perimeter security" for Pastor Artur Pawlowski, a Christian leader who's espoused anti-LGBT and anti-masking rhetoric.

Images taken of Grace on August 7 show him with a holstered pistol at various points as well as pepper spray and a baton. The DOJ also linked to a video screenshot of Grace shoving a counter-protester to the ground.

Department of Justice

To further solidify their case to limit Grace from having any weapons, prosecutors pointed to an incident in El Paso, Texas where Grace and a group tried to record migrants crossing the Mexico-US border. He and the group were stopped by police at one point during the trip, which he recorded and posted on his Youtube channel. During the police encounter, he admitted he had a weapon with him along with a concealed carry license.

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Prosecutors requested the court on Tuesday to modify Grace's conditions of release to include an order that he cannot "possess a firearm, destructive device, or other weapon" due to "troubling escalation" shown in El Paso and Portland.

US District Judge Randolph D. Moss has yet to respond to the plaintiff's request. Grace's next status conference is set for September 17.

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The Charlotte Ballet announced on Wednesday that Christopher Stuart will serve as interim artistic director, following the departure of current director Hope Muir.

Muir, the ballets first female artistic director, said last month she would be stepping down and taking a job as artistic director of The National Ballet of Canada in Toronto starting in January.

Stuart graduated from University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2002. He performed as a principal dancer with the Nashville Ballet for 16 years before being named that companys resident choreographer.

Muir later hired Stuart as program director of Charlotte Ballet II and the main companys rehearsal director. She and Stuart will work together to ensure a smooth transition as the search for a new artistic director begins.

I am confident that Chris will not only be an advocate for the incredible artists of the company, but that his calm and assured approach will benefit the organization through this transition, Muir said in a news release.

Stuart will make his transition to interim artistic director later this year as the ballet prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
CHICAGO  With the Saturday shooting death of Chicago police Officer Ella French and wounding of her partner continuing to reverberate across the city this week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot addressed the emotion of the moment Wednesday by praising French, criticizing the media and speaking to her relationship with rank-and-file officers.

Lightfoot, speaking at a news conference on the city budget, called French an incredible person who was extraordinarily hardworking, committed and dedicated to service over self.

Her mother said that she loved the job, Lightfoot said. French was killed Saturday night during a traffic stop in the West Englewood neighborhood, a shooting that left her partner critically injured.

Lightfoot criticized the media for reporting on an incident where a group of officers turned their back on her while she visited the hospital where the two officers were taken after they were shot.

Asked about the incident at the University of Chicago Medical Center, Lightfoot said feelings there ranged from despair to anger and rage, which is to be expected. But Lightfoot did not specifically address the question.

Asked generally if officers should ever turn their back on the mayor of Chicago, Lightfoot lamented the state of civic discourse in America and said its a larger question than what may have happened with 10 or 15 officers.

Its, why do we think it is OK for people to engage in such nasty, vicious talk orally or worse on social media? Lightfoot said.

The mayor also was asked about reports including in the Chicago Sun-Times that First Deputy police Superintendent Eric Carter on Saturday night ordered Frenchs body taken directly to the morgue instead of stopping for a ceremonial bagpipe procession.

Lightfoot said there was a well-meaning but not well-organized group that wanted to hijack the procession, which would have meant that the family would have been delayed exponentially in getting to the morgue.

The procession did take place. Carter was focusing on the familys needs, Lightfoot said, calling him an incredible public servant and a dedicated veteran who takes his job very seriously.

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Lightfoots comments came a day after the mother of two brothers charged in connection with the French shooting was arrested after she tried to enter the hospital room of one son wounded in an exchange of gunfire during the fatal confrontation. According to Oak Lawn police, the woman approached the room, which was under police guard.

Police in the suburb said they responded to a disturbance call at Advocate Christ Medical Center at about 8:30 a.m. Evalena Flores, identified as the mother of the brothers, allegedly tried to enter the room of Emonte Morgan, 21, who is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and weapons offenses in the killing of French.

Two Chicago police officers outside Morgans room and one of the hospitals officers stopped her, but in doing so, she allegedly kicked the hospital officer in the groin, according to authorities.

Flores continued to resist while demanding to see her son, police said.

Flores was charged with misdemeanor offenses that include battery, resisting a peace officer and criminal trespassing, police said. Flores is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 15 at the Bridgeview Courthouse.

A Facebook live video posted to an account under the name Marsia Outofthebox Braidy about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday shows a woman filming her perspective of entering what appears to be a hospital. Oak Lawn Police Division Chief Gerald Vetter said the video is of interest to our investigation.

Im trying to see my son, the woman can be heard saying in the video. Emonte Morgan. My son. I want to see my son.

Monte! Monte! she screams as she appears to rush down a hallway. As uniformed officers approach her, she can be heard yelling, Dont touch me! Get away from me! ... Please let me see my son!

Someone else is then heard saying, Put your hands behind you. Youre under arrest.

Monte, I love you! the woman can be heard crying out as she appears to be ushered away.

On Saturday night, French and her partner had their service weapons holstered when Emonte Morgan allegedly shot them both at close range during a struggle during a traffic stop in West Englewood. He is accused of then exchanging fire with a third officer before running and giving the weapon to his brother Eric, 22.

Emonte eventually collapsed with two gunshot wounds, Cook County prosecutors said Tuesday. He was taken to the hospital in Oak Lawn.

Eric Morgan faces weapons charges as well as a count of obstruction of justice. Both men were ordered held without bond in separate hearings Tuesday.

French died of a single gunshot wound to the head. Her wounded partner was still in critical condition Tuesday, with a bullet lodged in his brain as well as gunshot wounds to the eye and shoulder, prosecutors said.

In another video made under the same Facebook account that the Oak Lawn police were investigating, a woman who identifies herself as the mother of the Monte brothers says, There is another side and my boys side is not being told right now. I cannot speak too much on it, but I will say this: Dont believe everything you hear and see. Its fictitious. And there is another side. My boys are not monsters.

The woman continues and says that she does not believe the Chicago police narrative of the shooting and that her sons were probably afraid to be pulled over by police because theyre young Black men.

We fear our police here, unfortunately, she said. We fear them. We dont believe in them. We dont trust them. They get behind us, our hearts drop, we scared. Thats just the reality of it.

Also Wednesday, the law office representing Anjanette Young, a Chicago woman who is suing the city after she was forced to stand handcuffed and unclothed in her home after Chicago police officers raided the wrong residence in 2019, sent out a statement Wednesday that Young is mourning the loss of French.

French was called to Youngs home after the raid and allowed Young to get dressed in the privacy of her bedroom, the statement said.

Officer French was the only officer who showed Ms. Young any dignity or respect on the night of the raid, the statement said. Ms. Young is praying for Officer Frenchs family and offers her sincerest condolences to them and all of Officer Frenchs friends and colleagues.
An office building of Alibaba Group is pictured on August 10, 2021 in Zhengzhou, Henan Province of China. Li Qingsheng/VCG via Getty Images

China's anti-corruption agency said Tuesday that a "vile drinking culture" was partly to blame in its recent Alibaba sexual assault case.

It said unhealthy workplace dynamics, coupled with a lack of transparency, exposed "unspoken rules."

Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang said Monday that regardless of gender, employees should not be coerced into drinking.

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China's top anti-graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), said Tuesday that a vile drinking culture and a toxic work environment were partly to blame for the Alibaba sexual assault that made headlines over the weekend.

In a commentary published online, the CCDI took aim at how "unspoken rules" were exposed and perpetuated in the Alibaba sexual assault case.

"During the incident, problems such as a toxic workplace environment, vile drinking culture, and lack of transparency exposed unspoken rules that have taken root. It may seem non-existent, but they stubbornly exist," wrote the CCDI.

On Saturday, a female Alibaba employee took to the company's intranet, where she shared an 11-page PDF in which she alleged she was sexually assaulted by her supervisor and a client while on a work trip in July. In her complaint, she said her managers downplayed her complaint.

Her story was later posted to Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform, by a user named Zhao Hongming, where it was reposted more than 85,000 times as of the time of writing.

On Monday, Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang, in a memo seen by Reuters, took aim at the "ugly culture of forced drinking" in the company, adding that "regardless of gender, whether it is a request made by a customer or supervisor, our employees are empowered to reject it."

In his memo, Zhang said the male supervisor, who was accused of sexually assaulting his subordinate, had been "fired and will never be rehired," while the two managers who did not take her complaints seriously had also resigned.

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"Alibaba Group has a zero-tolerance policy against sexual misconduct, and ensuring a safe workplace for all our employees is Alibaba's top priority," a company spokesperson told Reuters on Monday. Alibaba did not immediately reply to Insider's request for comment for this story.

Drinking plays a big role in business dealings in China, where "guanxi" - personal relationship - is key in securing deals. Building this rapport usually involves drinking alcohol, which in turn results in a drinking culture where it's considered rude to refuse a drink, as highlighted in the commentary by CCDI.

The anti-graft watchdog called for "the underlying issues of bullying culture and drinking culture" to be eradicated and replaced with "correct values," while also calling for harsh punishments for offenders.

China is not alone among Asian countries in having a professional culture that's tied closely to its drinking culture. In South Korea, as Matthew Loh recently wrote for Insider, the term "gapjil" is used to describe workplace traditions of forced drinking sessions, long hours, and weekend work. In Japan, too, drinking with colleagues and one's boss is a traditional part of workplace culture, though some reports indicate the country is experiencing a slow shift away from required workplace drinking sessions.

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JERUSALEM (Reuters) -U.S. Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns held talks in Israel on Wednesday with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, with Iran high on their agenda, an Israeli statement said.

Regional tensions have risen over an attack on July 29 on an Israeli-managed tanker off the coast of Oman that Israel, the United States and Britain blamed on Tehran.

Iran has denied any involvement in the suspected drone strike in which two crew members - a Briton and a Romanian - were killed.

A statement issued by Bennett's office said the Israeli leader held talks with Burns in Tel Aviv, where "they discussed the situation in the Middle East, with emphasis on Iran, and possibilities for expanding and deepening regional cooperation".

Announcing Burns's visit, the statement said he met on Tuesday with David Barnea, the new head of Israel's Mossad intelligency agency, to discuss Iran's nuclear programme "and other regional challenges".

Burns, who was sworn in as CIA director in March, was expected to meet Palestinian officials, including President Mahmoud Abbas, in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

(Reporting by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Watch: How to save money on a low income
Brian Stelter attends the 12th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at American Museum of Natural History on December 9, 2018 in New York City. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for CNN

Brian Stelter told Stephen Colbert that the situation with Chris Cuomo is "really complicated."

There's "no page for this" scenario in the "journalism ethics book," Stelter said.

Cuomo has faced criticism for advising his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on a sexual harassment scandal.

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CNN's Brian Stelter appeared on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Tuesday, addressing the ongoing criticism the cable network is facing over host Chris Cuomo in relation to the scandal surrounding his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

"Some people are mad at him," Stelter told Colbert of how people at CNN feel about Cuomo in relation to interactions with his brother. Stelter described the situation as "really complicated" and "definitely awkward."

There's "no page for this" scenario in the "journalism ethics book," Stelter said.

Cuomo in May apologized after it came to light that he'd advised his brother on how to handle sexual harassment allegations. The New York Times on Tuesday reported that Cuomo regularly spoke with the New York governor over the past week and urged him to resign. The governor announced his resignation, effective in two weeks, on Tuesday.

Stelter told Colbert that he also confirmed with a source that Cuomo has been in contact with his brother. When Colbert asked if Cuomo was the source Stelter said no, adding, "You've got to have boundaries. You've got to draw a line."

"Why? He doesn't!" Colbert replied.

"I think he does actually," Stelter said.

Stelter said CNN had barred Cuomo from speaking about his brother on air as the scandal has escalated.

"Then why didn't they rule that way when his brother was on pretty much every night during the COVID crisis?" Colbert asked. "That seems like an odd conflict of rules."

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The governor regularly appeared on Cuomo's CNN show throughout the pandemic, particularly at a time when New York was considered the epicenter of the crisis.

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Cuomo is not on air this week, taking a break for what he said was a pre-planned vacation for his birthday.

Last week, the New York attorney general's office released a 165-page report that said the governor "sexually harassed a number of current and former New York State employees by, among other things, engaging in unwelcome and nonconsensual touching, as well as making numerous offensive comments of a suggestive and sexual nature that created a hostile work environment for women."

The governor has consistently pushed against the allegations, and continued this trend as he announced his plans to resign. "In my mind I've never crossed the line with anyone," he said.

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Aug. 11LIMA  A jury trial for Melvin Boothe, the Lima man charged with charged with aggravated murder, tampering with evidence, gross abuse of a corpse and possessing criminal tools in the death last summer of 25-year-old McKenzie Butler, will not take place next month as scheduled.

Boothe's lawyer feels the mental competency of his client is in question. Defense Attorney Zachary Maisch last week filed a motion requesting the court require Boothe to undergo psychiatric evaluation to determine his competency to stand trial.

Maisch in his motion expresses a belief "that the defendant may have a mental illness or defect that makes him unable to fully comprehend the proceedings in the court at this time, unable to effectively communicate with counsel and unable to assist in the preparation and defense of his case."

Judge Terri Kohlrieser ordered Boothe to undergo an examination on Sept. 14 at the Forensic Psychiatry Center for Western Ohio in Dayton. Psychologists at the center are required to prepare and submit to the court within 30 days of that examination a report detailing their findings.

A jury trial scheduled for Sept. 13 will be continued to a later date.

Butler's body was found June 13, 2020, at Martin Luther King Park, a short distance from the Eighth Street residence where prosecutors say Boothe and Butler lived together. Police discovered Butler's body buried in the woods on the south side of the park.

Police obtained a warrant and searched the Eighth Street residence. Butler was not located but her belongings were found there.

Other items found inside the residence included muddy boots and shoes, receipts for shovels and a pick, and cleaning supplies.
A fired-up Sen. Cory Booker praised GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville for forcing a vote Tuesday in the Senate on defunding the police, saying he wanted to "hug" his GOP colleague for putting to rest "scurrilous" accusations that Senate Democrats want to strip law enforcement of money.

Tuberville, R-Ala., authored an amendment to Democrats' $3.5 trillion budget resolution that would decrease federal funds to localities that defund the police. In teeing up the politically charged vote, Tuberville said in a floor speech that "opposing my amendment is a vote in support of defunding the police and against the men and women in blue."

If the intent was to get Democrats to vote against the measure to make a point that liberals want to defund the police, Booker said he was "excited" to squash that opportunity.

INFRASTRUCTURE BILL FACES TOUGH HURDLES IN HOUSE AS DEMS DEMAND MASSIVE $3.5T LIBERAL WISHLIST

"This senator has given us the gift that finally, once and for all, we can put to bed this scurrilous accusation that somebody in this great esteemed body would want to defund the police," an overly animated Booker, D-N.J., said Tuesday night from the Senate floor.

Booker encouraged all of his colleagues to not walk, but "sashay" down to the well of the Senate to vote in favor of Tuberville's amendment to "put to rest the lies" that Senate Democrats want to defund law enforcement.

"This is a gift," Booker said. "If it wasn't complete abdication of Senate procedures and esteem I would walk over there and hug my colleague from Alabama!"

In the end, all Democrats voted in favor of Tuberville's effort, which passed unanimously Tuesday night in a 99-0 vote. The amendment was among 47 votes the Senate took overnight as part of a so-called "vote-a-rama" to the $3.5 trillion budget package. The overall budget plan passed with Democrat-only support early Wednesday morning and now heads to the House for consideration.

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Heading into the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans believe pro-law-and-order messaging will resonate with voters amid rising crime rates in certain cities and far-left calls to defund the police. Fox News polling in April found that defunding the police is unpopular. By a nearly 2-1 margin, 62-33%, registered voters disagree with reducing police funding and moving it to other areas, the poll found.

MANCHIN HAS 'SERIOUS CONCERNS' ABOUT DEMS' $3.5T SPENDING PLAN, SIGNALING TROUBLE FOR BIDEN AGENDA

While President Biden and many mainstream Democrats have advocated for more police funding  not less  there's a progressive wing of the Democratic Party that has embraced the defund the police movement as a way to combat police brutality against people of color.

Rep. Cori Bush, a Black Lives Matter activist prior to being elected to Congress in November, created headaches for mainstream Democrats when she admitted in an interview earlier this month that she pays for private security for herself but wants police departments that protect the broader public to be defunded.

"I'm going to make sure I have security because I know I have had attempts on my life and I have too much work to do," Bush, D-Mo., told CBS News when asked about the $70,000 she pays for private security. "There are too many people that need help right now for me to allow that."

The new Squad member added: "So suck it up and defunding the police has to happen. We need to defund the police and put that money into social safety nets because we're trying to save lives."
New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul laid out her plans for her upcoming term as governor on Wednesday in her first public appearance since Gov. Andrew Cuomos resignation, which occurred a week after an investigation concluded he had sexually harassed 11 women.

While Cuomo, who stepped down on Tuesday, will remain governor for 13 days until his resignation becomes effective, Hochul made it clear that she is looking to make big changes to the office.

No one will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment, Hochul said at the press conference, when asked if there will be turnover in the executive office. No one who was named doing anything unethical in the report will remain in my administration.

My administration will be fully transparent when Im governor, she said.

Hochul also emphasized her distance from Cuomo. I think its been clear the governor and I have not been close  physically or otherwise, she said. Hochul, a Buffalo native and former Democratic congresswoman, has served as Cuomos lieutenant governor since 2014 but was never a part of his inner circle.

New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul at a press conference on Wednesday. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

After allegations of sexual assault against Cuomo emerged earlier this year, she stopped mentioning him by name. In Cuomos 300-page memoir, which highlights members of his administration who helped him respond to the COVID-19 crisis, Hochuls name is conspicuously absent.

Hochul said Wednesday that she had no knowledge of any of the allegations detailed in the report released last week by New York state Attorney General Letitia James. The report concluded that Cuomo had sexually harassed current and former state employees in violation of both federal and state laws.

Hochul did, however, align herself with the policies of the Cuomo administration, identifying her role in fighting for initiatives including minimum wage increases and paid family leave.

Many people have supported the policies of the Cuomo administration. There is a strong legacy of accomplishment, she said. I know the job, Ive fought for the same policies, thats why Im more prepared than anyone could possibly be for this position.

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces his resignation amid sexual harassment allegations on Tuesday. (Office of the Governor via Reuters TV)

On the coronavirus pandemic, Hochul said the key to getting through it is for more people to get vaccinated, a point that stayed true to the Cuomo administrations push for an increased vaccination rate.

Hochul said she expects to announce her lieutenant governor in the next two weeks. She said she will be naming someone who she believes the state will be familiar with.

So far, Hochul has spoken with New York's two senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and with Hillary Clinton. She expects to speak with President Biden in the coming days.

During Wednesday's White House briefing, press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden is looking forward to working with Hochul to continue to get the pandemic under control, to put the people of New York back to work and to move forward as federal and state partners.

I will fight like hell for you every single day, Hochul said during her press conference, addressing her constituents. I want people to know that Im ready.

____

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David Cameron outside his London home, 13 May 2021

David Cameron has denied commercially lobbying the government on behalf of a genetics company he worked for.

It comes after it emerged he encouraged Health Secretary Matt Hancock to speak at a conference co-hosted by the firm, Illumina, shortly before it won a 123m government contract.

According to the Times newspaper, Mr Cameron wrote to Mr Hancock personally to recommend he attend the conference.

Mr Cameron's spokesman confirmed both men had attended the conference.

The former Prime Minister also mentioned his attendance at the conference on his Twitter account.

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The conference was co-hosted by Illumina and Genomics England.

In the letter, seen by the Times, Mr Cameron wrote to Mr Hancock: "I understand Jay [Flatley, then executive chairman of Illumina] has sent this direct to your office, but I wanted to i) ensure that you had seen it personally; and ii) strongly endorse their invitation to this significant conference."

The BBC understands that Mr Cameron did forward a copy of a letter of invitation to the conference to Mr Hancock, after a previous one had been sent directly.

The Times reported that a week after the conference at the Four Seasons Hotel, in Hampshire, in September 2019, the company was given a multi-million-pound contract for genetic sequencing without competition. The contract is with Genomics England, a company wholly owned by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The DHSC said that the contract was "was awarded in the correct way, through the proper process".

Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner said: "There is rampant cronyism, sleaze and dodgy lobbying that is polluting our democracy under Boris Johnson and the Conservatives. They hand public money to their mates without a second thought."

Mr Hancock said that he "had no involvement in the awarding of these contracts and all normal processes were followed".

David Cameron

Mr Cameron's spokesman said: "David Cameron's work for Illumina has never involved any discussion of commercial contracts.

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"It has predominantly involved promoting the benefits of genomic sequencing and the world-leading example of Genomics England to other countries around the world. He has done this in Australia, the US, the Gulf, India and more recently in online calls with interested parties in Japan and Holland.

He said the former Prime Minister had made clear that promoting the science of genomics would occasionally bring him into contact with UK Government Ministers, officials and others, including at international gatherings.

"For instance, he and the former Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, both spoke at an international genomics conference in September 2019 and this was publicised at the time, including on David Cameron's own Twitter account.

"As has been made clear on numerous occasions, David Cameron has never lobbied the Government on behalf of Illumina or been involved in any contract or commercial discussions," he added.

The Department for Health and Social Care said it carried out "extensive due diligence".

"This contract, signed to help save lives through better diagnosis, was awarded in the correct way, through the proper process and any suggestion of undue ministerial involvement in the decision making is completely wrong.

"Extensive due diligence was carried out and as set out in the transparency notice the contact was directly awarded because Illumina was the only company considered to have the technical capability to deliver this crucial work.

It said that the 2019 contract "was a follow-on contract to the original sequencing contract with Illumina in 2014."
A South Florida school district is digging in its heels after Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to defund school boards that implement mask mandates for students, arguing that the spread of the delta variant necessitates strict protocols.

The Broward County School Board did not back down on its position that masks will be mandatory for students, voting 8-1 on Tuesday to retain its mandate when school begins later this month. DeSantis signed an executive order on July 30 making face masks optional across the state in a bid to prevent enforced requirements.

"I have a moral responsibility to be my brother and sisters keepers, even if it means that my salary is taken away," Broward School Board Chairwoman Rosalind Osgood said. "Even if it means I'm no longer in this seat, my conscience will be at peace because I can sleep at night knowing that I didn't put parochial self-interest before people."

FLORIDA SCHOOL OFFICIALS COULD LOSE SALARIES OVER MASK MANDATES

Richard Corcoran, the commissioner of the Department of Education for Florida, wrote a letter to school board officials, issuing an investigation into the matter and demanding a written response from school officials by Friday at 5 p.m. before "the maximum accountability measures provided for under the law will be imposed."

"The action taken today at the Broward County School Board meeting makes it clear that you have no current intentions of complying with this order," Corcoran wrote Tuesday. "There is no room for error or leniency when it comes to ensuring compliance with policies that allow parents and guardians to make health and educational choices for their children."

On Tuesday, the Republican governor of Florida dismissed concerns that the coronavirus pandemic is a serious threat to children.

"Now there's an attempt to say the delta variant has changed a lot with respect to kids," DeSantis said during a press conference in Surfside. "Here's what I can tell you: If you look throughout the entire pandemic, between 1.1-1.4% of COVID-positive patients in Florida hospitals have been pediatrics. And right now, it's 1.3%, so you have not seen a change in the proportion of the young people who end up being admitted."

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More Florida children were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Aug. 3 than any state other than Texas, according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services. There are 135 children among the 15,000 coronavirus patients now in state hospitals, the department added.

Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio expressed concern about those numbers Tuesday.

"Unlike the first wave of COVID, we are seeing children in hospitals and even in intensive care. And thats something we didnt see the first time around. Now look, those are facts based on what we know about COVID right now," he said. "In America, you are free to decide what you want to do with that information. I personally think it makes sense to get vaccinated."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Washington Examiner contacted representatives for DeSantis and Broward County Public Schools but did not immediately receive responses.

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Tags: News, Florida, Ron DeSantis, Face masks, Coronavirus, Education, Health

Original Author: Kaelan Deese

Original Location: DeSantis's anti-mask mandate met with defiance in South Florida school district
By Joan Faus and Nacho Doce

BARCELONA (Reuters) - By the door to their humble apartment, a Spanish family beset by disabilities keeps a few bags with essential belongings in case the threat of eviction turns real.

Since May, Noemi Oset, her daughters aged 9 and 23, and her partner have avoided being dislodged from the two-bedroom Barcelona apartment three times. They have squatted there since 2019, unable to afford the rising rent of their old house.

The last time, a crowd of neighbours and activists gathered round to drive away the eviction officials.

But the family fears they will try again in September, even though there is a ban on evictions of vulnerable families in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of other families risk being kicked out before the end of the year.

"For me, this is a 21st century torture," said Oset, 45.

Oset has a visual disability and immune-system illness that bars her from work. She receives a 357-euro ($423) monthly subsidy.

But the pandemic had made her more concerned about her health - and dented her partner's salary as Spain's economy fell a record 11% in 2020.

The partner Oriol, 43, lost his job as a carpenter at a hardware store that had to shut temporarily due to coronavirus lockdowns. He is working there again now but his salary is seized because of debts, Oset said.

Their apartment, crammed with dusty boxes and with chipped and peeling walls, is inside an unsightly two-storey building in a small street near Barcelona's Camp Nou soccer stadium.

In March 2020, the government banned home evictions of certain vulnerable groups. But Oset's family is excluded despite meeting most conditions, showing the policy's limitations in a country with one of Europe's smallest social housing pools and where rents have risen in the past decade.

The eviction ban was extended last week until Oct. 31, as well as a compensation package for landlords.

Despite the ban, around 11,000 evictions took place in the first quarter, legal data showed - and Catalonia had the highest regional figures.

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In 2020 more than 29,000 evictions took place across Spain, well below 2019's 54,000. There are few official estimates on the moratorium's impact but Barcelona city hall said in March 80% of evictions had ceased.

Housing organisation PAH estimated the end of the ban would lead to 79,000 new evictions, above the levels seen in 2012-2013 after Spain's financial crisis.

Echoing Spain's landlord association ASVAL, it said the extension does not address an underlying housing crisis and called for an increase in social housing and subsidised rents.

The government said in February it would dedicate 1 billion euros to social housing, but a reform remains stalled.

KEY CONDITIONS

Other countries approved pandemic-related eviction bans. The United States last Tuesday extended it for 60 days, but in England tenants can be evicted since June when a residential ban was partly lifted.

In Spain, evictions are prohibited if tenants have been declared economically vulnerable by social services.

But for squatter dwellings like Oset's there are additional requirements, such as hosting a minor, a disabled person or a victim of domestic violence, plus the landlord owning over 10 properties.

Oset's youngest daughter has a 42% visual and hearing disability and an attention disorder, while the older one has a 36% visual disability although she has a part-time job to pay for university.

But Oset is excluded from the ban because her landlord owns just one other house, said a source at Catalonia's top court.

A lawyer representing the landlord declined to comment.

"There should never be an eviction of vulnerable people whether there is a COVID-19 ban or not," said Ursula Garrido, spokesperson of housing union Sindicat de Llogateres, which is assisting Oset.

The first eviction attempt was suspended in May after the judge received Oset's vulnerability report, then in June it was halted because the family promised to leave by July 27.

As they did not leave, a third attempt on that day was only suspended due to the protest outside the building, the court source said.

Oset said she offered the owner to pay a discounted rent of around 250 euros, from the 1,000-euro monthly family income, but it was rejected.

Sindicat de Llogateres made numerous attempts to contact the owner to no avail, Garrido said. A company which the union said belongs to the landlord did not respond to requests for comment.

Local authorities have approved relocating the family into a subsidised apartment, but that will take time and require a provisional dwelling, a source said.

With social housing accounting for less than 2% of all homes, according to the OECD, Spain lags behind Britain, France or Italy, where it represents 17%, 14% and 4%.

Spain's private rental market ranks among the OECD's most expensive. Prices rose by almost 50% in 2013-2019, while salaries lost nearly 8% of their buying power in 2010-2019, the Bank of Spain said.

Oset feels she is running out of time.

"An apartment or the money for it will not suddenly pop up for me," she said.

($1 = 0.8475 euros)

(Reporting by Joan Faus and Nacho Doce in Barcelona, additional reporting by Clara-Laeila Laudette in Madrid and David Milliken in London; Writing by Joan Faus, Editing by Andrei Khalip and Angus MacSwan)
Early experiences were formative for two L.A.-based academics and activists. (Diana Nguyen / For The Times)

Renee Tajima-Pena and Melina Abdullah hadnt met before they gathered in Crenshaw to have a candid conversation about Asian and Black solidarity for the L.A. Times.

Tajima-Pena is an Asian American history professor and the filmmaker behind the Peabody-winning 2020 PBS series Asian Americans. She and Jeff Chang recently produced the May 19 Project, a series of videos highlighting moments of solidarity between Asian Americans and other communities of color. May 19 references the shared birthday of Malcolm X and Yuri Kochiyama.

Abdullah is the co-founder of Black Lives Matter's Los Angeles chapter and a professor of Pan-African Studies at Cal State Los Angeles. She grew up in Oakland, where her school was half Black and half Chinese.

I think the world tries to frame it as conflict, said Abdullah, of the relationship between Black and Asian communities in America. But it hasnt always been like that. Theres conflict and cooperation and solidarity. Thats always been a part of our relationship.

What follows are lightly edited excerpts from their conversation.

On sharing spaces

Abdullah: Space means a lot. When you talk about Black and Asian interactions in places like the Bay Area, well, of course, there's a lot of interaction. Some of it is, you know, problematic. And some of it is really, really beautiful, because Black folks and Asian, specifically Chinese, folks occupy the same space.

My Oakland elementary school was 50/50, Black and Chinese.  And two houses over from where we lived, there was a very old Chinese woman who I loved and called grandma. I would spend at least once a week with her, we'd sit and drink tea and eat cookies, and she would tell me stories. So there were these beautiful interactions.

And then growing up in the 80s, there were all of the martial arts movies. So the neighborhood kids would have little fake fights. [laughs] Which were problematic. But thats what kids did, you know?

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Tajima-Pena: My grandfather actually used to live here in Crenshaw. It was a Black and Japanese neighborhood because of red-lining. ... And during the 1965 Watts uprising, Japanese American businesses were protected by African Americans because they were neighbors. So the community had a different kind of relationship.

I think its because the Japanese Americans were actually living there too. Its not like they just had businesses there. They were living there.

Now sometimes conflicts are elevated because you have folks, particularly Asian folks, after the lifting of things like restrictive covenants, who can do business in neighborhoods where Black folks provide a customer base of financial support. But then they leave, so it's not the same investment in the neighborhood in which they live.

So I think thats the difference between the 1965 Watts uprising and the 1992 Los Angeles uprising after the beating of Rodney King, right? It's a different relationship. So it's important to recognize what it means to occupy space as co-residents, as neighbors, as opposed to occupying space where one group owns businesses and the other group is only seen as a customer base.

On Asian and Black communities being pitted against each other

Abdullah: Its complicated. But I think its a narrative thats mediated by white mainstream media that deliberately pits us against each other.

Tajima-Pena: That's one reason Jeff Chang and I did this whole solidarity video series, because we started seeing all these viral videos of Black and brown assailants attacking Asians, particularly elders. ... And then we thought, what's really going on? People were even trying to figure out who's posting all of this.

Because in a study, they found 75% of the assailants were white men.

Asian Americans are always the wedge. I mean, that's been going on since the 1800s.

Abdullah: I think that in each of these flashpoints, there have been genuine connections. There have been genuine relationships that include cooperation and solidarity and also very real tensions. But I think that outside forces try to amplify the tension and minimize the solidarity.

There's the casting of Asian Americans as the model minority, and there's the casting of Black folks as scary, uncivilized, the assailant. So even when we think about certain examples like in 1992, Latasha Harlins, this little girl who goes into an Asian-owned store to buy some orange juice, she winds up being followed and murdered by the Asian storekeeper. Even now, when we think about how that story is written, it's written in such a way that Latasha 

Tajima-Pena: ... is the assailant in this scene. Yeah.

Abdullah: And, you know, as we talk about what's happening now, we absolutely have to talk about hate crimes perpetrated on Asian Americans. I love that you're amplifying this research that shows that the primary perpetrators are white men, as they are with all hate crimes.

But also, when we look at places like Los Angeles, the No. 1 victims of hate crimes continue to be African Americans. We saw an 87% increase in hate crimes against Black people in Los Angeles in the last year.

So I think it's important to have these kinds of community conversations that aren't mediated by those who benefit from the tensions. A lot of these narratives are being intentionally and deliberately crafted in order to fuel a system that doesn't benefit either of us. And when I think about the current narrative around crimes against Asians and Asian Americans, they're being used to really fuel over-policing and often in Black neighborhoods. I'm really grateful to Asian comrades who've said, you know, we do have to get to how crimes are perpetrated. And the answer is community, not police.

On how ethnic studies saved them

Abdulla: I'm always very proud to say that I teach Pan-African studies. I'm a student of Pan-African studies. I was fortunate enough to be at Berkeley High School, the only high school in the country that had a Black studies department.

If I get into it, I'll become emotional, but Black studies saved my life. We are the only set of disciplines that comes from community struggle. The ivory tower didn't hand you Asian and Asian American studies. It didn't hand me pan-African studies, Black studies. It was our people who, in alliance with one another, fought for it and birthed it.

Tajima-Pena: I grew up in Altadena and went to John Muir High School in Pasadena. This was the 1970s, so there was no ethnic studies, of course, so we used to get the syllabus from SF State and UCLA and mimeograph it. And after school, we would do courses with each other.

But, you know, when you talk about saving your life  Im Japanese American, and my family was incarcerated during World War II. And when I was in sixth grade, 10 years old, I was giving a report based on an interview with my mother and my grandmother, and my teacher screamed from the back of the classroom, You're lying. That can never happen in America.

Have you seen the "Angry Little Girls" comics by Lela Lee? I was like that, just flipping the bird. I read The Autobiography of Malcolm X when I was 10. I was so pissed off, you know? You're telling me my mother is lying?

She said, Oh, yeah, they fabricated the whole thing. And I said, No, I know this is my truth because my family always talked about the camps.

So I think that's when I decided, you know, this history is dangerous. So if it's dangerous, I want to be there.

Abdullah: Well, we're kindred spirits. Because wherever there's a fight, that's where I want to be.

Tajima-Pena: My husband, who's Mexican American and grew up on the border in Texas, says he was one of the original boycotters in 1968-69 when he was only like 11 or something, very young. He said ethnic studies also saved his life. Just that knowledge  because you know that its not that there's something wrong with you, but that structurally, theres something off.

On where society is now

Tajima-Pena: In the early 80s with the Vincent Chin case, [the activism] was for hate crime protection and enhanced penalties. And it's true that federal protections were really important. But I think today, a new generation is saying: no enhanced penalties.

Abdullah: Especially younger Asian folks, right? To be willing to say, you know, if we're talking about liberation, we have to begin with Black liberation. And so we see early on in the Black Lives Matter movement, Asians4BlackLives forms in the Bay Area. We have Third World Power here in Los Angeles.

Tajima-Pena: For Asian Americans, I think a lot of things have been happening. It's not only the surge of anti-immigrant hate, but also people getting involved with the Black Lives Matter protests as allies. Also, people are looking at our own history. And once you understand that ecosystem of systemic racism, it changes your perspective.

Abdullah: I think that we have to be willing to transform systems, and I think we have to resist the lure of being favorited by an existing system. I think that white supremacy does try to say to Asian Americans, you're the good ones, right? We'll protect you. But Asian and Asian American folks are witnessing what's happening. And standing in solidarity means saying, "No, you know, that's not what we want. What we want is this world where everybody can be free, beginning with Black people." And I think that's the moment that we're in.

And then I think for Black people, we have to be willing to forge relationships again that are not mediated by white supremacy and see Asian and Asian American folks as potential comrades in the struggle, rather than being on the side of systems that have always kept us oppressed.

Tajima-Pena: Asian Americans have been much more honest about the history of that racial hierarchy. Understanding where we've had privilege and also understanding that we still bear the marker of race. It's alluring to be able to take advantage of the model minority. You get treated better. People think you're smart or whatever. Maybe it's easier to get a job.  But there are plenty of Asian American communities who are really subject to over-policing and deportations. For particularly young Asian Americans, when they think about their community, they're not just thinking about Asian Americans.

Abdullah: I always say the murder of George Floyd cracked the world wide open  but we have to remember that that portal won't always be open. We have to operate in a way that the solidarity is one that is more permanent  that it's not just a moment of solidarity, but it's a practice and ongoing practice of solidarity.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
When Alexandra Spiliakos has a question, she turns to YouTube for the answer. Its like having your own personal tutor at your fingertips, she says.

During her MBA at Boston College Carroll School of Management, Spiliakos used YouTube as a resource to help her better understand business concepts and strategies. Expecting to find lots of videos that connected business teachings with real-life cases, instead she encountered a lack of bite-sized, easily digestible content. So she decided to do something about it.

Spiliakos began building a bank of video examples that answered her own questions. Then, the pandemic hit, and things got really interesting.

A YOUTUBE SENSATION IS BORN

Alexandra Spiliakos

When coronavirus locked down all of higher education, Spiliakos MBA classes went virtual. Many of her classmates were nervous about transitioning to an online format, but since shed spent the two years prior to her MBA as a content developer and marketing liaison for Harvard Business School Online, Spiliakos felt confident about online learning. To help make her classmates transition to the virtual learning environment easier, she got them to send her their questions  and that made her realize the depth of their, and others, concerns. So she decided to share her knowledge with a wider audience through her first YouTube video.

With an influx of positive feedback, Spiliakos confidence grew. Plenty of content ideas already in mind, she launched her own YouTube channel to provide students with what shed originally been looking for: videos that taught business in an approachable way through everyday examples. In April 2020, The Business Caselette was born.

The goal of the channel is to unveil the strategy behind what consumers see in business in only five to 10 minutes, Spiliakos says.

THE POWER OF CASE STUDIES

Whether shes showing how an athleisure company inspires brand loyalty, diving into data analytics through analyzing The Bachelor, or demonstrating different leadership styles through Harry Potter, Spiliakos teaching style blends business with elements of pop culture through a caselette, or a small version of a case study. Our secret sauce is that The Business Caselette is the first of its kind: a female-led, weekly presentation of a business case thats short and sweet with clear learning objectives, she says.

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Its no wonder that Spiliakos is well-versed in translating case studies into an online format; during her time with Harvard Business School online, she was involved in designing the schools case study method. I joined HBS online at a point where they were determining who they wanted to be in the marketplace, she says. I was involved in so many conversations about the purpose and design of the case study method, including what its supposed to evoke for a student and what theyre supposed to feel at every learning objective check-in. I became obsessed with understanding how to translate case studies into an online format, and developed a passion for creating that learning experience for people. I think my industry experience in course content development and marketing is at the core of what Im doing today.

Spiliakos says her videos target people like her: business students who want to digest information quickly and learn through examples. Im often asked what my audience is. Truthfully, I am my own target audience. Im reaching business enthusiasts who are searching for resources to better understand the landscape, she says. I just want to show everyday customers what theyre actually seeing behind a brand, and what levers are being pulled to get them to take action or feel a certain way. Using case studies helps to teach this.

Her channel is meant to help ease the transition between someones career and MBA program and teach those who either dont have the means to go to business school, dont feel that business school is the right choice, or want to dabble in business before committing to an MBA.

So far, feedback about her channel has been positive. The majority of the feedback has been about the production and value in bite-sized learning objectives. People think the videos are well laid-out with a clear agenda, and they know exactly what theyre signing up for in those five to 10 minutes. This has really validated my content and application, she says.

Spiliakos says that her MBA curriculum has been much of the inspiration behind creating content for her channel. My marketing and branding classes, as well as the network Ive created throughout the program, has helped me get The Business Caselette to where it is today, she explains.

LEARNING YOUTUBE

Spiliakos believes that video is the best medium in which to learn. I would much rather see something and hear it spoken to me at the same time than to just read it or interact with it in a static manner. I like the interactivity that video offers as well as the ability to see equations or structures come together.

According to Spiliakos, Facebook and Instagram are low-hanging fruits and can be approached similarly. YouTube, however, requires a different strategy. YouTube takes a lot of planning, structural considerations, and thinking ahead of how each video directs back to the bigger picture and value proposition, she says. When creating YouTube content, you have to think: How are your viewers going to be directed back to the bigger picture? How will they understand your value proposition? How is it part of a greater whole?

For the first year, she ran The Business Caselette solo. In July 2021 she hired her first team member, Matt Caminiti. Caminiti was a peer from Boston College and has a background in film and production. He also offers a wealth of business knowledge to the channel. The pair is committed to posting one new video each week since YouTube prioritizes consistent contributors. Weve been creating scripts together and working on animation ideas. Hes been a great support and invaluable team member who is helping me drive this forward, she says.

While at first it was intimidating speaking into the camera, Spiliakos says that her confidence and skills have increased over time.

WHY AN MBA?

From an early age, Spiliakos wanted to pursue an MBA. She says that each step in her career has been targeted towards getting this degree. Im part of an industrial commodities family business. Throughout my whole life, my parents have been very entrepreneurial and encouraging of my passion for business.

Spiliakos did her undergraduate degree in economics and anthropology at Wellesley College. During her undergrad, she interned with a wealth management firm for four years. Following graduation, she joined the firm full-time for another two years. During my time there, my firm went through two mergers. I had a great mentor who walked me through all of the business decisions. From that point on, my interest in getting an MBA grew even more.

With the belief that you need to understand each stage of business to be successful, Spiliakos wanted to hone in her problem solving and business strategy skills. After six years with the wealth management firm and two years with HBS online, she chose Boston College for her MBA. Im a Boston local and everyone in my family is an eagle. It was a direct line for me, she says.

From her first video to the development and launch of her channel, Spiliakos says that Boston College peers, advisors, administrators, and professors have been supportive of her venture. Many new admits ask the administrative office for resources or methods that they can use to prepare for the MBA program, she says. Now, the office is sharing The Business Caselette as one of those resources, which has been such a validating piece of feedback.

FUTURE GOALS

Following graduation from Boston College in May 2021, Spiliakos landed a role in Raytheon Technologies supply chain and operations leadership development program. When shes not working at her day job, shes continuing to pursue her creativity via YouTube. In every spare moment of my time, Im developing The Business Caselette, she says. My hope is to increase learning accessibility for those interested in business.

Long term, Spiliakos wants to continue to develop The Business Caselettes learning tracks. I would love to bring in other team members and really try to scale The Business Caselette into a larger resource. There are many possibilities on the table, she says.

DONT MISS THE OTHER STORIES IN OUR SERIES ON DISRUPTORS IN THE MBA SPACE:

JOLT, HOME OF THE NAMBA  NOT AN MBA

THE POWERMBA  A NEW B-SCHOOL OUT OF SPAIN

QUANTIC  THE FREE MBA

AN ENTIRE MBA IN 1 COURSE  AND MORE

UNIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE

MIYA MIYA, TEACHING REFUGEES IN A WAR-TORN REGION

The post The Disruptors: The Business Caselette appeared first on Poets&Quants.
Aug. 11An Easterseals NH employee has been arrested on sexual assault charges in connection with an "inappropriate relationship" she was allegedly having with one of her students, Manchester police said.

On July 21, Manchester police were told an Easterseals NH staff member, identified by police as Lisa Tanguay, 45, of Manchester, had sexual contact with a 17-year-old juvenile, officials said in a statement.

The victim was a residential student, and told police the contact happened more than once, over the course of several months, police said.

According to police, an investigation revealed Tanguay allegedly began giving the victim "special treatment and gifts" at first, then allegedly began sexually assaulting the youth as time went on.

Tanguay was arrested on multiple charges including aggravated felonious sexual assault, felonious sexual assault, and prostitution and related offenses, all felonies.

Tanguay was also charged with sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and intentional contribution to the delinquency of a minor.

For 85 years, Easterseals NH has served young people with both general and special educational needs, as well as behavioral challenges.

The group's 12 core programs include child development centers and family resource center, autism services, residential and educational services, transportation, camping and recreation, workforce development, military and veterans services, senior services, community-based services and substance use treatment services.

"The safety and health of the individuals in our care is a top priority for us," Easterseals NH said in a statement. "Easterseals has been cooperating with law enforcement and cannot comment as this is an ongoing investigation at this time."
Eminems ex-wife Kim Scott was rushed to a Michigan hospital late last month following a suicide attempta day after she had just laid her mother to rest, The Daily Beast has learned.

Scott was distraught when police showed up at her home on July 30, with paramedics unable to take her vitals because she was so violent, leading officials to restrain her, TMZ reported. The 46-year-old was found with cuts on the back of her leg and blood on the floor.

Scott, who shares biological daughter Hailie Jade with the rapper, was taken to the hospital for medical and psychological evaluation but is reported to be recovering back at home.

A few days before Scotts attempt, her mother, Kathleen Sluck, died at the age of 65 on July 23, according to her obituary. Kathleen was an exceptional mom to her two daughters; Kim and Dawn; and was overjoyed to become a grandmother to her grandchildren; Alaina, Adam, Hailie, Stevie, P.J., and Parker, the statement read, noting her funeral would be held on July 29.

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Kathleen adored the holidays with her family, where she would make one of her many fantastic homemade meals. Kathleen will be forever remembered for being a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and friend to all who loved her.

The Daily Beast confirmed that a funeral took place for Sluck at Lee-Ellena Funeral Home on July 29.

Its unclear if Slucks death was sudden, but according to photos posted by family members in recent months, Sluck was using a wheelchair and seen with what appears to be a hospital ID bracelet on her wrist.

Scott married her teenage sweetheart Eminem, born Marshall Mathers III, in 1999 after meeting the Detroit-area 15-year-old rapper when she was around the age of 13. However, after a long, tumultuous relationship, the two divorced in 2001. They briefly reconciled and remarried in January 2006 but split for good that April.

Throughout the years, Scott has struggled with addiction, being arrested a handful of times for possession of illegal substances. In 2007, she told Dr. Keith Ablow on his talk show that she previously tried to take her life in 2000 after hearing Eminem perform his song Kim about his hate for her and beating up a blowup doll that looked like her in front of a crowd.

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Seeing the crowds response and everybody cheering, singing the words and laughing and it just felt like everyone was staring at me, Scott said. I knew that it was about me and that night I went home and I tried to commit suicide.

In 2015, she claimed she intentionally rammed her car into a telephone pole after consuming alcohol and taking prescription pills. I sat at the end of a road where I knew that no one else but myself would get hurt, she told a radio show. I never expected to make it out of that alive. I apologized immensely. I did not even expect to make it through that, and I told [police] that I tried to do this on purpose.

So far, none of Scotts family members have directly addressed her hospitalization or Slucks recent passing. Her niece Alaina, whose mother is Scotts late sister Dawn, only referenced having a long stressful week on Aug. 1.

Dawn died at age 40 from a reported drug overdose in 2016, with Scott writing a tribute to her twin, saying, Half of me is goneI kept a light lit for her, hoping shed find her way back to me.

If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

Watch: 5 top tips to boost your mental health

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Amanda Peri, an inspector with Cal Fire Shasta Trinity Unit, searches through debris in the Northern California town of Greenville. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

A former college instructor linked to a rash of arson fires has been arrested and charged with igniting a blaze on federal forest land, not far from the site of the massive Dixie fire in Northern California.

Gary Stephen Maynard, 47, has been charged with willfully starting the Ranch fire, which sparked Aug. 7 in Lassen National Forest and burned about an acre, according to documents filed in federal court this week.

Maynard is also suspected in at least six other fires that ignited in the Lassen and Shasta-Trinity National Forests in the last month.

"It appeared that Maynard was in the midst of an arson-setting spree," the documents say.

Investigators first encountered Maynard at the scene of the Cascade fire, a July 20 blaze in a remote part of Shasta-Trinity, according to an affidavit from U.S. Forest Service special agent Tyler Bolem supporting the arrest warrant.

A witness said Maynard arrived in the area that morning and appeared mentally unstable, at one point threatening the witness with a knife. He recalled Maynard "walking away in the same direction that the Cascade Fire soon ignited" before returning about ten minutes later, the affidavit said.

Maynard was still at the scene when a fire investigator arrived because his car was stuck in a rut. The investigator said he was agitated and uncooperative when questioned.

A search of the site led to burned areas on the ground consisting of sticks, newspaper material and a wooden match.

"After visiting the scene and reviewing the facts in the case, I concurred that the ignition of this fire was not only suspicious, but consistent with arson," Bolem said.

When a second fire erupted early the next morning near the Everitt Memorial Highway on Mt. Shasta, tire tracks at the scene matched those of Maynard's car.

In the weeks that followed, investigators used tire tracks, location data, EBT card activity and vehicle records to link Maynard to the sites of several other fires at the time of their ignition. Charges have not been filed in those cases.

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He was arrested Saturday in a restricted area near the scene of the Conard fire, which was sparked the same day as the Ranch fire about three miles away. Tracking device data showed he had stopped at the location for about 30 minutes.

The arrest comes as firefighters struggle to contain the monstrous Dixie fire, which swelled to more than a half-million acres Wednesday. It is one of 11 major wildfires burning across the drought-ravaged state, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

Officials have long warned that even a single spark can grow into a massive fire amid the region's bone-dry vegetation and record-breaking heat.

While most of the fires allegedly linked to Maynard remained small, at least one  the Bradley fire of July 11  destroyed more than 300 acres of forestland.

The investigation into that fire is ongoing, documents said, and arson has not been ruled out. Tire impressions at the remote site appear to match Maynard's car.

Maynard denied setting any fires, court documents say. He told investigators he was a university professor.

A spokeswoman for Sonoma State confirmed that he worked as a part-time lecturer last fall, teaching two seminars in criminology and criminal justice studies.

He had been contracted to fill in for a faculty member on leave and was not reappointed this spring, the spokeswoman said.

He also worked as an adjunct faculty member at Santa Clara University from September 2019 to December 2020, a university spokeswoman confirmed.

According to the affidavit, a colleague at Santa Clara University contacted the San Jose Police Department in October with concerns about Maynard's mental state and wellbeing.

Maynard is in federal custody in Sacramento, records show. A detention hearing is set for Wednesday.

In a detention memo, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Anderson asked that he not be released on the basis that he is a "significant danger to the public."

"The area in which Maynard chose to set his fires is near the ongoing Dixie fire, a fire which is still not contained despite the deployment and efforts of over 5,000 personnel," Anderson said.

He noted that many of the fires linked to Maynard had been set behind fire lines and in evacuation zones.

"In addition to the danger of enlarging the Dixie fire and threatening more lives and property," he said, "this increased the danger to the first responders."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A federal judge has ruled that former President Donald Trumps accountants must turn over two years worth of his tax and financial records to a House committee investigating whether Trump and his businesses profited from his service in the White House.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta on Wednesday approved a House Oversight Committee subpoena for Trumps records covering 2017 and 2018, but turned down most of the panels request for similar information dating back to 2011.

An aide to Trump said he plans to appeal the decision, which could also be challenged by the House panel.

While the House committee was deemed entitled to some of the records they sought from the accounting firm Mazars, the ruling could be seen as a setback for lawmakers since Mehta's 53-page ruling delved in detail into their need for the information ruled that the subpoena was not adequately tailored to serve those purposes.

Mehta said the committee's effort to get information on Trump's finances back to 2011 seemed to exceed its legitimate needs and threatened to intrude on presidential powers. The judge specifically discounted the panel's claims that it needed that data to determine whether Trump complied with a financial disclosure statute and whether that law should be changed.

"Due to its broad, invasive nature, the subpoena poses an appreciable risk to the separation of powers," wrote the judge, who was appointed by President Barack Obama. "In the current polarized political climate, it is not difficult to imagine the incentives a Congress would have to threaten or influence a sitting President with a similarly robust subpoena, issued after he leaves office, in order to 'aggrandize itself at the Presidents expense....' In the courts view, this not-insignificant risk to the institution of the presidency outweighs the Committees incremental legislative need for the material subpoenaed from Mazars."

Mehta was more receptive to the committee's claims that it needed access to Trump's financial data in order to assess whether he violated the Constitution's emoluments clauses by accepting payments from state or foreign governments and that the panel needed to audit the lease the General Services Administration granted to one of Trump's businesses in 2013 to build and operate the Trump International Hotel at the Old Post Office building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington.

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The judge said the dealings related to the hotel were more akin to ordinary business transactions and he was hard pressed to see why Trump's ties to that deal should be off limits to investigation solely because he formerly served as president.

"By freely contracting with GSA for his own private economic gain, and by not divesting upon taking office, President Trump opened himself up to potential scrutiny from the very Committee whose jurisdiction includes the 'management of government operations and activities, including Federal procurement," Mehta wrote. "That he happened to occupy the presidency for some portion of his still-in-effect lease does nothing to change that fact."

House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney recognized the mixed nature of the judge's ruling and suggested the panel may appeal.

"Todays district court opinion recognized that the Oversight Committee is entitled to a broad set of President Trumps financial records as part of our critical investigation aimed at preventing presidential conflicts of interest, self-dealing, and constitutional violations," Maloney said in a statement. "While it is disappointing that the Court, despite finding that the entire subpoena served valid legislative purposes, narrowed the subpoena in some respects, the Committee is actively considering next steps.

An aide to Trump vowed to keep up the the court battle. "We will be appealing, like we have been for about six years," the aide said.

The legal fight Mehta ruled on Wednesday has already made one trip to the Supreme Court. Last year, the justices rejected arguments from Trump's lawyers and the Justice Department that the courts cannot rule on subpoena battles between the legislative and executive branches. However, the ruling instructed lower courts to scrutinize Congress' need for the information and whether the subpoena fit those objectives.

The congressional demand has diminished in significance in recent months, due to Trump's loss and a parallel grand jury subpoena obtained by prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney's office. The Supreme Court also upheld the enforcement of that subpoena, leading to eight years of tax information being turned over to that office in February. That information fueled an indictment last month, charging the Trump Organization and its longtime Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg with a variety of tax and fraud offenses.

Both have entered not guilty pleas.

While what the House panel would receive under Mehta's decision is just a subset of what the New York prosecutors already have, the committee has one option the prosecutors lack: Lawmakers would face few strictures on making the information public. The records turned over in New York are covered by grand jury secrecy, which limits public disclosure, but Congress isn't bound by those rules.

In a separate case before the court, Judge Trevor McFadden is weighing arguments over whether House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal should have access to six years worth of Trumps returns. Neal says that he needs them so the committee can determine whether the IRS is doing an adequate job auditing presidents, something it has long done as a matter of policy.

Neal is citing an obscure law that allows the heads of Congress tax committee to examine anyones confidential tax information. Trumps attorneys argue that Neal needs a legitimate legislative reason to get the returns, that he doesnt have one and that Democrats simply want to hurt Trump politically.

The case has been moving through the court at a glacial pace, with preliminary legal wrangling now scheduled to drag into November.
By Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A New Jersey woman on Monday became the first person associated with the "Three Percenters" militia to agree to plead guilty to a charge related to the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.

A plea hearing for Rasha Abual-Ragheb, a Lebanese-born resident of Fairfield, New Jersey, was scheduled for Aug. 23, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols told prosecutor Michael Liebman and defense lawyer Elita Amato during a brief hearing on Wednesday.

The charge to which Abual-Ragheb will plead guilty was not specified but she faces four misdemeanor charges related to the riot.

An FBI agent said in an affidavit that in November 2020, a Facebook account under the name Rasha Abu participated in online chats "involving the New Jersey chapter of the American Patriot 3%." The FBI said that in chats Rasha Abu said "civil war is coming and they need to show support, and rise up and fight for our Constitution."

The FBI said that on Jan. 6, a confidential source told its Philadelphia office about meeting a woman outside a Washington hotel who called herself "Rasha" and "said she was in the U.S. Capitol and saw a woman get shot."

More than 570 people have faced charges arising from the riot in which Trump supporters sought to block Congress from certifying Democratic President Joe Biden's election victory. At least 36 have pleaded guilty to riot-related charges.

Investigators have linked seven defendants still facing riot-related charges to the "Three Percenters," a group which takes its name from the erroneous idea that only 3% of American colonists took up arms against the British during the American Revolution.

(Reporting By Mark Hosenball; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Six members of a Florida church died from COVID-19 within 10 days.

Now, Impact Church in Jacksonville has vaccinated more than 1,000 people in the community and is looking to calm congregants fears about coronavirus vaccines.

George Davis, a senior pastor at the nondenominal church, confirmed to USA TODAY that the church lost the six members over a 10-day span and that four of those who died were under 35.

Davis said another male member of the church died from COVID-19 just days ago. Everyone who died was unvaccinated.

The senior pastor noted that even though the church has about 6,000 members, "it's just been ripping our hearts apart.

Even those who didn't know them, just to know that they're part of the church community, has made it tough for all of us, Davis said.

The church held a vaccine event Sunday in partnership with Duval County health officials and University of Florida Health to vaccinate 269 people. Impact Church noted in a Facebook post that 35% of those vaccinated were teenagers.

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Davis told USA TODAY the church had experts from University of Florida Health come to the event to answer questions from people who had concerns about the vaccines.

But Davis noted that the church has taken on encouraging congregants to get vaccinated against COVID-19 because some community members are just more comfortable with their church than they are with government entities, or even some medical entities.

Weve been just encouraging people to be vaccinated. Not pushing it on people, not trying to shame those who are not vaccinated, but really just encouraging people that you can trust the shot. My family and I are all vaccinated, Davis said.

This isnt the first vaccination event Impact Church has held. The church vaccinated about 800 people in March at a similar event as COVID-19 vaccines became widely available in the U.S. To date, more than 1,000 people have been vaccinated at the churchs events.

Pandemic: Study showing antibody levels protecting against COVID-19 could speed creation of new vaccines, boosters

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Fact check: CDC didn't say COVID-19 vaccinated are 'superspreaders', vaccines failing

Florida has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks amid the spread of the delta variant.

As of Friday, over 12.1 million Floridians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, about 63% of the state's population ages 12 and older.

Davis told USA TODAY that as the virus spreads in Florida and across the country, the church has focused on making sure "that we get to a place where we stop fighting" COVID-19 vaccines.

I think we so politicized it and made it such a polarizing subject that we're not getting much progress," he said. "My position is, within a religious community, I actually believe the vaccination is a part of the work of God.

That's the reason why I feel very comfortable encouraging our people, 'Hey, follow the science.'

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19: Church holds vaccine event after 6 members die in 10 days
Florida Gov Ron DeSantis speaks during an event to give out bonuses to first responders held at the Grand Beach Hotel Surfside on 10 August 2021 in Surfside, Florida (Getty Images)

Floridas governor has said school leaders salaries could be withheld if they implement mask-wearing mandates in their schools.

Last month, Mr DeSantis signed an executive order banning the use of mask mandates in schools, saying all parents have a right to make healthcare decisions for their children.

This week, the governors office said that the state board of education could move to withhold the salary of the district superintendent or school board members who refuse to comply.

The Florida Department of Health issued an emergency ruling that districts must allow parents to decide whether their children should wear a mask or not by order of the governor.

Certain districts have pushed back against the governors orders, with the superintendent of the school district in Floridas capital saying on Monday that he will require students to wear masks.

The governors office said in a statement that the Leon County districts new policy blatantly violates the spirit of the executive order and the rules.

Two Florida school districts first announced last week that they would follow recommendations from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prompting four others to follow suit.

However, most have clarified that parents can choose to opt out of the policies such as in Orange County, home to Orlando.

In response to Mr Desantiss office announcing of the possibility of withholding salaries, one Florida school board member told the governor to bring it.

Standing up for our students and our families is part of our job, Nora Rupert said. Being afraid that were going to lose our job, be removed from office, fined, lose our salary, bring it.

The tension comes amid a surge of coronavirus infections in the state as a result of the more transmissible Delta variant with the new wave set to coincide with the new school year.

Mr DeSantis, a Republican, has taken a hard-line stance on pandemic mitigation efforts like lockdowns and face mask mandates amid the pandemic.

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In May, the governor issued an executive order ending all local Covid-19 restrictions, mandates and emergency orders implemented amid the health crisis.

Certain local officials have criticised the state leader for his position on coronavirus mitigation measures, but the governor has maintained that mandates do not work to stop Covid-19.

Mr DeSantis has maintained that he believes the best way to protect against the virus is vaccination. Only just over 50 per cent of people in Florida are fully vaccinated.

The CDC recommends universal indoor masking by all students above the age of two staff, teachers, and visitors due to the Delta variant.

Children are significantly less likely to become severely ill from coronavirus infection and are likely to experience mild symptoms. But they are not immune to the virus or guarantueed to only have a mild case if they do get infected  in Florida alone, there are more than 170 children in hospital with coronavirus.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press
PARIS (Reuters) - France will strengthen lockdown rules in the overseas territory of Guadeloupe to rein in the spread of COVID-19, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday, as spikes in infections in its Caribbean islands overwhelm hospitals.

The French overseas territory of Martinique on Tuesday entered a tougher lockdown for three weeks to tackle the pandemic with the closure of beaches and shops selling non-essential items and restrictions on people's movements.

Authorities in Martinique have also advised tourists to leave the island.

President Emmanuel Macron, who on Wednesday held a virtual meeting with his senior cabinet ministers to discuss the pandemic, said the COVID-19 situation in Caribbean islands was "dramatic".

According to the independent COVIDTracker website, only 21% of the populations of Guadeloupe and Martinique have received a first dose of a vaccine.

That compares with 67.05% of all French people having received one vaccine dose and 56.04% being fully vaccinated.

Health Minister Olivier Veran on Sunday appealed for volunteer doctors and nurses to travel to the territories to reinforce local health staff.

Attal also said that there were no signs of new COVID-19 infections receding in France globally.

"The level of virus circulation is high," he told a news conference.

Attal said that France would stop reimbursing COVID-19 tests from mid-October as the country aims to get more people to be vaccinated.

(Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten and Matthieu Protard; Editing by Alison Williams and Steve Orlofsky)
BERLIN (Reuters) -German police have arrested a British man who worked at the British embassy in Berlin on suspicion of passing documents to the Russian intelligence service in exchange for cash, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

German prosecutors said the apartment and workplace of the man, identified only as David S., had been searched and he would be brought before an investigating judge later on Wednesday.

British police said the man was 57.

"On at least one occasion, he passed on documents he had obtained in the course of his professional activities to a representative of a Russian intelligence service," Germany's chief federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.

"The accused received cash in an as yet unknown amount in return for his transmission of information," it added.

An investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice later approved the arrest warrant "on suspicion of secret service agent activity", meaning the man can be held in custody and the investigation can go ahead, the prosecutor's office said.

A Western security source said the motivation of the British man was likely money. As a locally engaged staffer, he did not have access to highly classified material, the source said, adding Britain's MI5 counter-intelligence service was involved in catching him.

German online magazine Focus Online reported that he provided the Russians with documents containing information on counterterrorism.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) did not immediately reply to requests for comment. The Russian Embassy in Germany declined to comment on reports about the case to the Interfax news agency.

The British embassy in Berlin is just around the corner from the iconic Brandenburg Gate and a short, 250-metre (273 yard) walk from the Russian embassy, which is on the famous Unter den Linden boulevard.

In May, Britain set out plans to crack down on hostile activity by foreign states, introducing a proposed law to give security services and law enforcement new powers to tackle growing threats.

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The man was arrested on Tuesday in Potsdam, just outside Berlin. He was employed as a local staff member at the embassy until his arrest, which was the result of a joint investigation by German and British authorities, the prosecutors said.

British police said in a statement the man was arrested on suspicion of committing offences relating to being engaged in "Intelligence Agent activity".

British spy chiefs say both China and Russia have sought to steal commercially sensitive data and intellectual property as well as to interfere in politics, while Russian agents are also accused of carrying out an attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal on British soil in 2018.

Beijing and Moscow say the West is gripped with a paranoia about plots. Both Russia and China deny they meddle abroad, seek to steal technology, carry out cyberattacks or sow discord.

The Berlin case has echoes of the shadowy world of espionage practised during the Cold War, when double agent Kim Philby and others in a ring of British spies known as the "Cambridge Five" passed information to the Soviet Union.

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson and Paul Carrel in Berlin, by Ekaterina Golubkova and Anton Kolodyazhnyy in Moscow, and by Guy Faulconbridge in London;Editing by Kirsti Knolle, Kirsten Donovan and Mark Potter)
Sen. Cory Booker was "so excited" about a police funding amendment from Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Tuesday night that he wanted to hug him on the Senate floor.

After Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, introduced amendment 3113, saying, "Opposing my amendment is a vote in support of defunding the police and against the men and women in blue," Booker called the proposal "a gift."

"I am so excited!" Booker exclaimed. "This is perhaps the highlight of this long and painful and torturous night. This is a gift. If it wasn't [a] complete abdication of Senate procedures and esteem, I would walk over there and hug my colleague from Alabama."

HOW THE 'DEFUND THE POLICE' DEBATE IS PLAYING OUT IN OAKLAND

Booker urged "all of [the Senators], 100 people," to "sashay down there and vote for this amendment" to "put to rest the lies" that there are members of the Senate who want to defund the police.

"There's some people who have said that there are members of this deliberative body that want to defund the police, to my horror, and now, this senator has given us the gift that finally, once and for all, we can put to bed this scurrilous accusation that somebody in this great, esteemed body would want to defund the police," he said, adding he is "sure [he] will see no political ads attacking anybody here over 'defund the police.'"

The New Jersey Democrat then asked unanimous consent to add another change to the "obvious bill," proposing the new amendment reflect senators' support for "God, country, and apple pie."

Amendment 3113, which would "establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to decreasing Federal funding for local jurisdictions that defund the police," passed the Senate 99-0 on Tuesday. Senate Concurrent Resolution 14, with the Tuberville amendment attached, then passed the upper chamber 50-49.

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Some on the Left, such as members of the liberal "Squad" in the House, have supported calls to "defund the police" by reallocating funding for police departments to other local initiatives.

"There are too many people that need help right now for me to allow that. So, if I end up spending $200,000, if I spend $10 more on [security], you know that I get to be here to do the work," Rep. Cori Bush, a Squad member, said last week. "So, suck it up. Defunding the police has to happen. We need to defund the police and put that money into a social safety net."

Democrats have charged the GOP with attempting to defund the police, saying Republicans' uniform opposition to President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan amounted to stripping local police departments of funding.

"Let's talk about who defunded the police," said Biden senior adviser Cedric Richmond. "When we were in Congress last year trying to pass a rescue plan  Im sorry, not the rescue plan but an emergency relief plan for cities that were cash-strapped and laying off police and firefighters  it was the Republicans who objected to it. And in fact, they didn't get funding until the American Rescue Plan, which our plan allowed state and local governments to replenish their police departments and do the other things that are needed."

Republicans bristled at the charge, with Sen. Ted Cruz saying it's "like an arsonist showing up at a fire and blaming the firemen, its like the Chinese blaming Americans for the Wuhan virus, and its like O.J. saying he's going to help find the real killer."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Several Democratic strongholds throughout the country have moved to reform police departments, often restricting funding in the aftermath of high-profile deaths connected to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Some of these localities have since reversed course, with Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington, D.C., announcing last month she would send an $11 million supplemental budget for the purpose of training and hiring additional officers following the city's June 2020 vote to slash $15 million from its police budget.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Cory Booker, Tommy Tuberville, Police, Law Enforcement, Senate, Congress

Original Author: Carly Roman

Original Location: 'This is a gift': Cory Booker enthusiastically endorses GOP amendment opposing 'defund the police'
Northampton, MA --News Direct-- Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced a more than $200 million endowment to the Gilead Foundation to further the company's vision of creating a healthier world for all people. The Gilead Foundation, established in 2005, builds on the companys longstanding commitment to supporting underserved communities around the world. It aims to create impact in the community and society by encouraging a culture of giving, engaging in local communities and exploring innovative approaches to complex social issues.

Giving back to charitable organizations in the communities in which we live and work has helped define Gilead as a company, said Keeley Wettan, Senior Vice President, Legal, Gilead Sciences and Gilead Foundation Board Chair. Gileads employees work hard every day to bring new possibilities to millions of people around the world, and we are proud that the Gilead Foundation will be able to create new possibilities for organizations that are doing the same.

The Gilead Foundation has three core programs: the Creating Possible Fund, charitable donations to local community organizations and the donation matching program for employees.

A new pillar of the Gilead Foundation is the Creating Possible Fund, which will award grants to organizations that aim to build a more just society with a focus on health justice. Funding will support innovative approaches to complex social issues, especially those affecting the most underserved members of society, including people of color and LGBTQ+ youth. Additional details about the fund, including information on how to apply, will be announced later this year.

The charitable donations program contributes to local communities where Gilead employees live and work, with an emphasis on programs that support social service programs, including responding to disaster and humanitarian relief efforts. Similar to Gileads other philanthropic efforts, the Gilead Foundation will partner with internal and external stakeholders to inform programmatic priorities and strategies. The application process for these grants also will be announced later this year.

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The donation matching program for employees, Giving Together, will increase the annual match for donations made by Gilead employees to eligible nonprofit organizations to $15,000. A special campaign will match donations to Room to Read, The NEA Foundation and the Oakland Public Education Funds #OaklandUndivided campaign during the month of August.

The Gilead Foundation programs broaden the philanthropic reach of the company, whose giving focuses on improving access to healthcare, reducing health barriers for underserved populations and advancing disease education in Gileads therapeutic areas of focus. In 2020, Gilead provided $409 million globally in cash donations to organizations addressing community need in areas such as COVID-19, co-pay assistance, racial equity, wildfire relief and LGBTQ+ support.

For more information on the Gilead Foundation, visit: https://www.gilead.com/purpose/giving/gilead-foundation.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis and cancer. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.

Gilead has promoted equity, particularly healthcare equity, since the company brought its first therapies to the market. Through global partnerships, Gileads medicines today reach millions of people in low- and middle-income countries around the world. In the United States, Gilead has committed more than $100 million over 10 years through the COMPASS Initiative to community organizations that are working to combat HIV in the U.S. South. In 2020, Gilead launched the Racial Equity Community Impact Fund to support organizations tackling racial inequities affecting Black communities across the United States.

For more information about Gilead, please visit the companys website at www.gilead.com, follow Gilead on Twitter (@Gilead Sciences) or call Gilead Public Affairs at 1-800-GILEAD-5 or 1-650-574-3000.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Gilead Sciences on 3blmedia.com

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/gilead-sciences-endows-its-foundation-with-more-than-200-million-to-support-health-justice-community-giving-and-employee-match-program-394808608
Aug. 11BEVERLY  The state's largest hospital systems  which include hospitals in Gloucester, Salem, Beverly, Peabody, and Newburyport  have set October deadlines for their employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Beth Israel Lahey Health and Mass. General Brigham both announced the deadlines in messages to their employees on Tuesday, saying there is increased urgency for doctors, nurses and all hospital staff to get vaccinated due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts and across the country.

"It's clear we're at another critical inflection point . . . a fork in the road," wrote Dr. Kevin Tabb, president and CEO of Beth Israel Lahey Health. "We can either prolong the pandemic by giving in and giving up to our exhaustion and our frustration . . . Or, we can commit to doing everything we can to right it."

Beth Israel Lahey Health  which includes Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester, Beverly Hospital, Lahey Medical Center in Peabody, and Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport  set the date at Oct. 31. Mass. General Brigham, which includes Salem Hospital, set a deadline for Oct. 15 for employees to get the vaccine.The organizations had previously said they would require vaccines but had not set a deadline.

Tabb said about 85% of staff members at Beth Israel Lahey Health are already fully vaccinated. He said the company had planned to wait until one or more of the COVID vaccines were fully licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before requiring them as a condition of employment. But the recent surge in cases due to the "growing threat" of the delta variant prompted the organization to move up the deadline, he said.

The number of COVID-positive cases in Massachusetts has increased 10-fold since the beginning of July, the biggest increase since Thanksgiving, according to Tabb. He said people who are vaccinated are eight times less likely to be infected, and vaccinated people who get a rare "breakthrough" infection are 25 times less likely to need hospitalization, get severely ill or die.

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Beth Israel Lahey Health is also reinstating its universal masking requirement, effective immediately, Tabb announced. He said all clinicians and staff must wear a mask while on-site except when eating or drinking in a designated space. Masks are required regardless of vaccination status and whether an employee is interacting with patients.

The company is also delaying its remote work policy that was scheduled to go into effect on Sept. 7. Instead, staff who are working remotely will continue to do so at least until mid-January, Tabb said. Employees are also required to get flu shots.

Dr. Anne Klibanski, the Mass. General Brigham president and CEO, said in a message to employees that requiring a COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment is consistent with the company's flu vaccine requirement that was implemented in 2018.

In order to meet the Oct. 15 deadline, employees must receive their first dose of Pfizer no later than Sept. 23 or Moderna no later than Sept. 16, she said. The one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine must be received by Oct. 15.

A spokesman for the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents more than 23,000 nurses and health professionals in the state, said the union had no comment on the vaccine requirements.

Staff writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, pleighton@gloucestertimes.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.
Texas' largest school district plans on imposing a mask mandate for students, joining other big cities in the state that have already issued such orders.

Millard House II, the superintendent for the Houston Independent School District, told NBC affiliate KPRC 2 that the requirement could go into effect before the Aug. 23 start date.

A district spokesperson told NBC News on Wednesday that a mask mandate was not yet in effect for the district's 276 schools, but the Board of Education "will show its support for the measure" during a meeting Thursday.

The board did not immediately return a request for comment.

Dallas and Austin school districts announced this week that masks would be required for all students, staff and visitors regardless of their vaccination status. The same mandate was also imposed in San Antonio after a directive issued by the city and the Bexar County Health Authority.

"As the superintendent of the second-largest district in Texas, I'm responsible for everything. Most importantly, the safety of our students and staff and families," Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said.

Austin Superintendent Stephanie S. Elizalde expressed similar sentiments.

"I am responsible for the safety, health and welfare of each and every one of our students and our staff," she said in a statement. "If I err, I must err on the side of ensuring that weve been overly cautious, not that we have fallen short."

The order went into effect Tuesday in Dallas and Wednesday for Austin Independent School District, the fifth largest in the state.

Both leaders said in separate announcements that the mask order will help slow the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus. Vaccines are not yet available for children younger than 12.

The mask requirements are in defiance of an executive order that Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, issued in May barring school districts, as well other government entities, from requiring masks. His office criticized the school districts, saying in a statement that they violated not only his orders but the rights of parents.

"Governor Abbott has been clear that the time for mask mandates is over; now is the time for personal responsibility. Parents and guardians have the right to decide whether their child will wear a mask or not, just as with any other decision in their childs life," Abbott's press secretary said via email.

"Governor Abbott has spent his entire time in office fighting for the rights and freedoms of all Texans, and our office continues working with the Office of the Attorney General to do just that. The best defense against this virus is the Covid vaccines, and we continue to strongly encourage all eligible Texans to get vaccinated.
Aug. 11SOUTH PARIS  The man charged with killing a couple at a 24 Market Square apartment New Year's night two years ago doesn't plan to present an alternative suspect at his upcoming trial.

Through his attorneys at a hearing Monday, Mark Penley, 51, of Peru responded to a motion filed by prosecutors to exclude alternative suspects from Penley's trial, which is expected to be held in October in Oxford County Superior Court.

Justice Thomas Warren wrote in court papers that the "defense does not intend to offer specific alternate suspect evidence."

Warren heard arguments this week on several other motions filed by both prosecutors and the defense in lead-up to Penley's trial.

He's charged with two counts of intentional or knowing murder.

Prosecutors expected to call witnesses to which the defense objected, saying their testimony would be hearsay. But Warren said he would allow them to testify as to what they saw or heard, but not repeat hearsay.

Penley filed a motion seeking to keep from trial testimony about "alleged domestic assaults."

Any allegations of domestic abuse raised at trial would "be devoid of probative value" in the murder case and would "unfairly prejudice the defendant and confuse the issues for the jury," according to a motion filed by Maurice Porter, one of Penley's defense attorneys.

Warren wrote that he couldn't rule on the general issue of "domestic violence" or "domestic abuse" in advance of the trial and would have to "consider the issue in the context of specific items of evidence or testimony."

In response to a defense motion to exclude at trial any testimony or reference to Penley's mental health records, Justice Warren noted that prosecutors didn't intend to offer any mental health records at trial.

The defense also is seeking to prevent prosecutors from presenting Facebook audio-clips that "purportedly" were located on Penley's Facebook account.

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Warren told prosecutors to list which clips they intended to introduce at trial by Sept. 13 and told the defense to file any objections to those clips by Sept. 20.

Most of the motions filed were hashed out in court Monday and agreed to by the parties.

Penley is accused of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend, 31-year-old Heather Bickford of Canton, and Dana Hill, 31, at Hill's apartment in Paris on New Year's night in 2019.

He wrote to the judge in December 2020 to waive his constitutional right to a speedy trial due to his desire to have any hearings in the case take place in court without face coverings.

Two days after calling 911 to report the two deaths at Hill's apartment at 24 market Square, authorities charged Penley with two counts of murder.

Heather Bickford's two daughters  one 8 years old and the other 2 months old  were at the apartment, but were uninjured, police wrote in an affidavit.

Penley had told a dispatcher he had gone to the apartment to see his children when he discovered Bickford and Hill were dead, according to a transcript of the 911 call obtained by the Advertiser Democrat.

He said there was "blood everywhere," and that Bickford had "a gun in her hand."

According to the affidavit, a Maine State Police detective said she found both bodies on the floor and a .22-caliber Ruger SR22 in Bickford's right hand.

While speaking with Penley outside the apartment that night, a Maine State Police trooper said he saw, in plain view, loose cartridges and a box of .22-caliber ammunition inside Penley's vehicle.

Another detective at the scene checked Penley's vehicle and found a 50-round ammunition box that had eight rounds missing. That detective also found a pair of blue latex gloves on the front passenger floor of the vehicle, according to the affidavit.

An autopsy revealed Bickford was shot five times and Hill three times.

Penley is charged with killing the couple with a Ruger SR22p handgun.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is being held at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset pending trial.
Kenyan civil servants have until late August to get vaccinated against Covid-19 or risk disciplinary action, according to a government document made public this week.

The order comes as parliament is due to consider a motion to bar unvaccinated people or those without negative Covid certificates from certain public and private spaces.

Kenya is witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases but the vaccine rollout remains slow, with less than three percent of the 47 million population having had shots.

"Some public servants have deliberately avoided getting vaccinated so that they can stay away from work under the guise of working from home," public service head Joseph Kinyua said in a memo to government ministries.

"This is against a background of access to vaccines having greatly improved."

He said there had been a low uptake of vaccines among public servants particularly in the security sector, teachers and core civil service workers -- designated as essential workers by the government.

Those who have not had a first jab by August 23 will be "treated as discipline cases and appropriate action taken against them", Kinyua said, without elaborating on what the penalties may be.

The country aims to have inoculated at least 26 million people by the end of next year.

MPs are also due to debate on Thursday a motion to deny people access to private and public spaces if they are not fully vaccinated or do not possess a negative Covid-19 certificate.

It was not immediately clear where the proposed restrictions would apply.

At the end of last month the government extended until further notice a nighttime curfew across the country and banned public gatherings, warning that hospitals were becoming overwhelmed.

In total the East African country has registered more than 213,000 coronavirus infections of which 4,211 have been fatal, and recently the daily caseload has often topped 1,000.

Weekly positivity rates have risen from averages of seven percent in early June to nearly 15 percent now.

ho/txw
The defense team for Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz wants a judge to hold every single future pretrial court hearing in secret, arguing that more publicity will taint future jurors. One problem: the defenses own expert, a consultant who studies the effect of publicity on jurors, admits he doesnt think that such a drastic step is necessary.

I didnt recommend full closure, consultant Bryan Edelman told a Broward judge during a hearing Tuesday.

The Miami Herald and a host of media outlets are objecting to the defenses request, arguing that such an unusual step is overly broad and imperils the publics right to monitor the criminal justice system, especially in such a high-profile case.

Their own expert supports our position that the motion must be denied under Florida law, attorney Dana McElroy, who is representing the Herald, told the judge.

The Broward State Attorneys Office also objected, saying the defense can always ask for certain evidence in future hearings to be withheld from the public by using general language that wont reveal too much, and by asking the judge to review the evidence in private. This is an open-and-shut issue, Broward Assistant State Attorney Steven Klinger said.

Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer, who appeared skeptical of the defenses request, didnt rule Tuesday, but said she will make a decision next week.

The 22-year-old Cruz is awaiting trial for the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High that killed 17 people, and wounded 17 others. He is facing the death penalty if convicted in what remains the states worst-ever school shooting.

In the past, the Broward Public Defenders Office has said Cruz would immediately plead guilty in exchange for life in prison. The Broward State Attorneys Office, under longtime top prosecutor Mike Satz, has pressed ahead in seeking death, as has Harold Pryor, who was elected to the post last year.

As they have been across the state, legal proceedings in Cruzs case have been complicated and delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. No trial date has been set.

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The Parkland massacre sparked a wave of activism among MSD students and scrutiny on American gun culture and laws. In response to the shooting, the Florida Legislature passed a law restricting the sale of certain firearms to people under the age of 21.

Coverage of the Cruz case has generally been more muted over the past two years, eclipsed by a wide array of international stories, like the presidential election, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Surfside condo collapse that killed 98 people.

Still, last month, the Public Defenders Office asked the judge to close all future pretrial hearings, arguing the press will continue to be active and aggressive in the coverage of all events and proceedings in this case.

Defense lawyers argued that coverage of key hearings  like whether the court should allow Cruzs confession to be seen by jurors, or over the constitutionality of the death penalty  could taint a future jury pool in Broward County and harm his ability to get a fair and impartial trial.

Included in these discussions of the evidence will be Mr. Cruzs statements to the police, certain confidential health and education records regarding Mr. Cruz, photographs exempt from public records release, and the medical examiners findings, the Public Defenders Office wrote in its request.

Florida courts are known for transparency  under long-standing case law, hearings are rarely closed to the public, especially in the criminal division. The public is also entitled to a wide array of evidence in the case, once its been made available to the defense. In the Parkland case, thats included witness statements, 911 calls, police reports and limited portions of Cruzs interviews with homicide detectives.

Judge Scherer previously restricted the substance of Cruzs confession, under Florida law, and it largely remains secret.

The Broward State Attorneys Office said Cruzs legal team totally failed  to demonstrate all future hearings must be closed. Lawyers representing the news media  including the Miami Herald, the New York Times, the Associated Press and TV news groups such as ABC, CBS and NBC  also objected.

The defense hired Edelman, a California trial consultant who runs a company called Trial Innovations. He admitted, in a deposition on Friday, that he did not think closing all proceedings was the right move, but instead called for a targeted approach for just the most sensitive hearings.

During Tuesdays hearing, defense lawyer David Wheeler seemed to agree with Edelman, saying the defense chiefly wants hearings such as a motion to suppress Cruzs confession closed. Still, he pressed ahead with the request to close all future pretrial hearings.

Edelman said that he examined hundreds of articles published in the Sun-Sentinel between 2018 and 2021, and many included details about Cruz that will never be introduced to a jury. Among them: that Cruz was known for killing animals, espousing racist and hateful language, and had been the subject of numerous warnings before the massacre.

Edelman pointed to studies over decades that contend that pretrial publicity has a negative impact on perception. Overwhelmingly against the defendant, he testified.

He also claimed that jurors will often say they will be impartial because it is a socially desirable response, but that voir dire, the practice of grilling candidates at length, doesnt work. Its not a reliable tool to ferreting out bias, Edelman said.

Lawyers for the media pointed out that Edelman has not surveyed actual Broward County residents  and future potential jurors  to gauge the effect of pretrial publicity.

His testimony made clear that closure would not be effective in protecting the rights of the accused Mr. Cruz without being broader than necessary because much of the information sought to be shielded has already been made public, McElroy said.

Attorney Deanna Shullman, who represents several TV networks such as ABC and CNN, also noted that the media is crucial to ensuring the public knows that lawyers are doing their jobs.

Everybody thinks that access is about our ability to look at what the defendant did or a right to look at the evidence of his crimes, Shullman said. This is not at all what this is about. It is about the publics right to oversee all the players in this process.
PARIS (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that France's overseas territories, in particular the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, were being hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic.

"The situation is dramatic," Macron said as he opened a virtual meeting with his senior cabinet ministers to discuss the epidemic.

(Reporting by GV De Clercq; Editing by Richard Lough)
Two House Democrats are demanding answers from the Biden administration after a recent report accused Border patrol agents in Michigan of targeting state residents of Latin American origin from 2012 to 2019.

The two representatives, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, have asked Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to address the serious allegations of discrimination by Michigan Customs and Border Patrol agents spanning across multiple administrations. The ACLU report was published in March.

CBPs statewide activity produces few tangible results related to its officially mandated mission in Michigan," the lawmakers' Aug. 4 letter stated, adding the report " found that agents routinely spend their time and resources targeting people of Latin American origin who are long-term Michigan residents.

While only 5.3 of the states overall population identify as Hispanic, over 96 percent of individuals apprehended by CBP across the entire stateeven in encounters unrelated to illegal border crossingwere described as non-white. Yet data from more than 13,000 daily apprehension logs obtained by the report's authors show that more than 70 percent of those who were apprehended in the process of entering the U.S. from Canada  or who entered without inspection  were either Canadian or European.

Video: Border Patrol makes 210,000 apprehensions in July

Speaking Spanish should not be arrestable offense

According to the report, in 19.2 percent of roving patrol and transit check arrests, the fact that a person is speaking Spanish or some other foreign language is used as the basis for establishing reasonable suspicion, which is what border patrol agents need to justify their intervention.

There are also lots of cases in which neighbors are reporting neighbors for speaking Spanish in public, Boyce said.

Speaking Spanish in public is not, and should never be, a suspicious thing to do or an arrestable offense. But yet thats what you see actually initiating these enforcement accounts, Geoffrey Alan Boyce, an academic director at Earlham Colleges border studies program and one of the reports main authors, told NBC News. I think its just really a dangerous set of practices for the border patrol to be responding to.

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The ACLU also found that the border patrol agents engage in racial profiling and the overpolicing of Michigans communities of color by using complexion codes to describe those who have been apprehended. According to the report, more than 96 percent of those apprehended are reported as being Black, Dark Brown, Dark, Light Brown, Medium Brown, Medium or Yellow.

Kris Grogan, a spokesperson for the Customs and Border Protection agency, said via email that agency policy prohibits the consideration of race or ethnicity in law enforcement, investigation, and screening activities, in all but the most exceptional circumstances, adding that they are fully committed to the fair, impartial and respectful treatment of all members of the trade and traveling public.

Border patrol stops based on peoples reactions

Border patrol agents detained more people (nearly 64 percent) for routine traffic stops and reasons other than for border violations, according to the report. In an overwhelming majority of these cases, agents cited a persons alleged reaction to seeing a marked border patrol agent or vehicle as a basis for suspicion, a practice Boyce described as shockingly arbitrary and contradictory.

An evaluation of narratives included in certain records shows that no matter how drivers of color reacted  whether they looked and acknowledged an agent or whether they didnt, and whether they speeded up or slowed down  the action was recorded as suspicious and was used to justify an investigatory vehicle stop, according to the reports conclusions.

Border patrol agents justify their interventions outside the immediate U.S.-Canada border through their broad interpretation of the 100-mile zone, which they claim gives them the authority to conduct warrantless vehicle searches within 100 miles of any international border or waterway. Based on this, the immigration agency claims that the entire state of Michigan falls within this 100-mile zone.

CBP's Grogan stated that border patrol agents in Michigan conduct "enforcement actions away from the immediate border in direct support of border enforcement efforts and as a means of preventing trafficking, smuggling and other criminal organizations from exploiting our public and private transportation infrastructure to travel to the interior of the United States."

"These operations serve as a vital component of the U.S. Border Patrols national security efforts," the spokesperson said.

While the central mission of Michigan Customs and Border Protection is to apprehend people trying to cross into the U.S. from Canada without authorization, data shows that the vast majority of their encounters were unrelated to illegal crossings from Canada.

If you were not born in the United States, that by definition, means you crossed a border at some point in the past. But that doesnt mean you crossed in Michigan, that doesnt mean you crossed unlawfully, Boyce said. Lots of people naturalize; their immigration status changes as theyre just going about their lives.

Thousands of daily apprehension logs also show that 33 percent of the people arrested by border patrol agents in Michigan were U.S. citizens. Additionally, nearly 13 percent of all noncitizens apprehended were found to have some kind of lawful immigration status allowing them to live in the U.S.

Boyce said that a combination of practices allow agents to operate through widespread and routine racial profiling, targeting people of Latin American origin or appearance and who are overheard speaking Spanish.

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Police in Wyoming, Michigan argue that the handcuffing of a Black real estate agent and his clients captured on body camera and dash camera video was not racially motivated, as officers responded with their guns drawn because a home invasion happened at the same property a week earlier.

"After a thorough internal review of the actions of each of our public safety officers who responded to this incident, we have concluded race played no role in our officers treatment of the individuals who were briefly detained, and our officers responded appropriately," Wyoming Police Department, which serves the suburb outside of Grand Rapids, said in a statement. "While it is unfortunate that innocent individuals were placed in handcuffs, our officers responded reasonably and according to department policy based on the information available to them at the time."

Dash camera footage released by the department showed police arrive outside the home, and an officer is heard announcing himself as police and demanding anyone inside come out with their hands up. Roy Thorne, a potential buyer touring the home, walks out of the house.

"You in the grey shirt, walk toward me with your hands up," an officer off-camera says.

DC MAYOR SUPPORTS CRIMINAL CHARGES FOR ARMED SUSPECT WITH GHOST GUN PUNCHED BY POLICE IN VIRAL VIDEO

He follows commands to turn around and put his hands behind his back.

Eric Brown, a real estate agent later determined to have had access to a lock box to take clients on a tour of the home, as well as Thorne's 15-year-old son, then appear on the porch also with their hands up. Two of the five officers at the scene had their guns drawn.

Body camera footage shows a handcuffed Brown calmly explain to officers that he is a real estate agent who confirmed a house tour that Aug. 1 day online and was given electronic access through his cellphone to open the lock box at the front door. After walking from the street back to the front door to verify that information, an officer removes Browns handcuffs and apologizes for the inconvenience.

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"You gotta do what you gotta do," Brown says. "I guess I understand the neighbors' concerns if the home had been broken into"

As Brown chats with police, an officer explains that another person was arrested by a different officer for allegedly breaking into the home a few days earlier. The three were handcuffed for about five minutes total and were briefly detained, never arrested.

The department said Wyoming Police Chief Kimberly Koster reached out to the three offering to meet with them and any other family. Handcuffing is within protocol for an emergency incident, police said.

Later speaking to WOOD-TV for an on-camera interview, Brown said the incident "threw me back."

"I feel pretty anxious, or nervous or maybe even a little bit scared about what do I do to protect myself if Im going to show a home and the authorities just get called on a whim like that," Brown said. "Am I just automatically the criminal? Because thats pretty much how we were treated in that situation."

Thorne described the "traumatizing" incident for him and his son, admitting that the officers did apologize "but at the same time, the damage is done."

"My son was a little disturbed, he hasnt seen anything like that," Thorne said. "Hes not going to forget this."

The footage also shows police put Thorne in the backseat of a squad car with the door open after handcuffing him. His son was put in the backseat of another squad car briefly before the officer accompanying him was told to remove the handcuffs from the teenager.

"Definitely not buying this place," Thorne is heard telling officers on the video, after explaining that he was visiting the home with his real estate agent.

The department said in its statement that a suspect, also a Black man, who arrived in a similar car to the real estate agent's vehicle was arrested after he went into the house without permission on July 24. That person also told police that he was interested in purchasing the house  but was not with a real estate agent and didnt have the homeowners permission to go inside.

A neighbor saw Brown's car parked in front of the house on Aug. 1 and called police, wrongly reporting the intruder had returned, the statement said. She also incorrectly described the car parked out front as a black Mercedes, when Brown arrived to show the home in a black Hyundai Genesis.

In a 911 call also released by police, a neighbor is heard telling a dispatcher, "Last week Saturday, the police came out. There was a young Black man that was squatting in a home that was for sale. I know they came and took him away and towed his car away. Well, hes back there again."

While the police rejected the notion that race played a role in their response, critics still disagreed.

"While, thankfully, neither Brown nor his clients were physically harmed in the incident, racial profiling  and the humiliation, indignity and trauma that comes with it  has no place in our country," Charlie Oppler, president of the National Association of Realtors, said in a statement to MLive.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Minnesota on Wednesday joined a growing list of U.S. states mandating COVID-19 vaccines or testing for state employees in an effort to fight the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant.

What they're saying: "Vaccination is the best way to keep employees and the people we serve safe and ensure the Delta variant does not derail our economic recovery," Gov. Tim Walz (D) said in a statement announcing the mandate.

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"With this action, were joining businesses and colleges across the state who have taken this important step, and I urge other employers to do the same."

State agency employees who are not vaccinated will need to test negative for the virus weekly in order to work in the office, Walz said.

Other states that have announced mandates:

California has required vaccines or regular testing for state employees, including teachers and other school staff.

"We think this is the right thing to do," Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said at a press conference.

Washington is instituting a vaccine mandate for most state employees and healthcare workers.

"We have a duty to protect them from the virus, they have the right to be protected, and the communities they serve and live in deserve protection as well," Gov. Jay Inslee (D).

New York is mandating vaccines or regular testing for state workers starting on Labor Day.

"Its smart, its fair and its in everyones interest," Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said, per the Independent.

Illinois is requiring state workers in high-contact settings to get vaccinated by Oct. 4. This would apply to employees who work in state prisons, veterans' homes and care facilities, among others.

"We must all take immediate and urgent action to slow the spread of the Delta variant," Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) said, per NBC Chicago. "People are dying who don't have to die."

North Carolina requires unvaccinated state staff wear a mask and be tested at least once a week. "There is only one way out of this pandemic and that is vaccination," said Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen after Gov. Roy Cooper (D) announced the measure on July 29.

Our trends are accelerating at an alarmingly fast rate and the highest rates of viral spread are happening in areas with low vaccination rates and among those who are not fully vaccinated," Cohen added.

The big picture: President Biden has also mandated vaccines or regular testing for federal employees and military members.

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A growing list of corporate players is implementing similar policies.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect Minnesota's testing option for nonvaccinated state workers and with details of N.C.'s measures.

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The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a request from the city of Minneapolis for an emergency review of a judge's order requiring at least 730 police officers to be hired by next summer in order to comply with the city charter's requirement for the force based on the population of residents.

Without providing an explanation, Chief Justice Lorie Gildea denied the city of Minneapolis request for an "accelerated review," which would have bypassed the Minnesota Court of Appeals, Fox 9 Minneapolis reported. The city sought the review of the order issued by Hennepin County Judge Jamie Anderson last month in order to provide more clarification before the November election.

Anderson ordered city council and Mayor Jacob Frey to "immediately take any and all necessary action to ensure they fund a police force," requiring at least 730 sworn officers to be employed by June 30, 2022.

MINNESOTA CAMPAIGN TO REPLACE POLICE DEPARTMENT GETS $1M IN NATIONAL, LOCAL DONATIONS

While "disappointed" over the decision, the city attorneys office is "reviewing how best to proceed as we continue to pursue the appeal in the Court of Appeals," city spokesperson Casper Hill said Tuesday, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Residents in northern Minneapolis, which has been plagued by violence since widespread demonstrations calling to "defund the police" broke out after George Floyds death, had filed a lawsuit against Frey and city council arguing they were in violation of the city charter that mandates the police department maintain a certain number of officers based on population.

Separately, voters will decide a ballot measure to replace the police department altogether.

Nearly $1 million in national and local campaign funding has flooded into Minneapolis to support the group Yes 4 Minneapolis, which brought forward the ballot measure proposing the police department be scrapped and a new public safety agency be created in its place.

Critics have argued the concerns of local residents are being drowned out by outside dollars.
By Eloisa Lopez and Jay Ereno

MANILA (Reuters) - Vaccination centres across the Philippine capital Manila are trying to speed up inoculation rates, including by staying open 24 hours, to help combat a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections linked to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

With just over 10% of the country's 110 million people fully vaccinated, millions remain vulnerable to infection amid efforts to fully immunise up to 70 million before the year ends.

Movement in metro Manila, an urban sprawl of 16 cities home to 13 million people, has been restricted to try to contain the Delta variant, which was first detected in India.

Salvador Camacho, 71, got over his initial worry about side effects and decided to get his jab when a slot opened for a night appointment at one of the 24-hour hubs.

"I do not really want to be inoculated because I have a lot of sickness, but lately I see a lot of people older than me getting vaccinations, and my child and wife told me to take my jab since we never know when I might get infected," he said.

Joan Carbonell, who works as a supervisor in a Manila vaccination hub, said the decision by some hubs to open at night was also to limit crowds in the morning as people scramble to get a shot.

Last week, thousands queued outside Manila vaccination centres after rumours spread that people would not be able to leave their homes if they did not get their shots.

The Philippines has reported more than 1.67 million infections and 29,000 deaths so far during the pandemic, but the number of positive tests has been rising, driving a surge in cases and hospitalisations.

The positivity rate rose for a sixth straight day on Tuesday to 21.9%, up from around 15% at the start of August, data from the health ministry showed. The World Health Organization (WHO) says the positivity rate should stay below 5% for a two-week period for a outbreak to be considered under control.

Meanwhile, more hospitals have reported that their intensive care units, isolation beds and wards are nearing full capacity, and some have had to refuse new patients because of a lack of beds and ventilators.

Philippine hospitals with occupancy at critical levels rose to 289 on Tuesday from 236 on Sunday, reaching more than a fifth of the country's 1,290 hospitals, government data showed.

(Reporting by Eloisa Lopez and Jay Ereno; Additional reporting by Peter Blaza, Adrian Portugal and Neil Jerome Morales; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Tom Hogue)
The Wrap

CNNs Clarissa Ward and her crew were rushed at by Taliban fighters in a new video released Thursday. One fighter moved to strike a crew member, but backed off after being told that the CNN journalists had permission to report from the scene. You can see that some of these Taliban fighters  theyre just hopped up on adrenaline or I-dont-know-what, she said as she and her crew walked behind a fighter who, she said, had removed the safety from his AK-47 before running into the crowd. Its a v
Vanessa Harper, left, manager with Behavioral Health Serves and neurologist and chief of staff Dr. Brian Boyd, right, seen in the emergency department at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Feb. 2021 in Orange, CA. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

The rate at which coronavirus tests are coming back positive has fallen in the last week in Los Angeles County but is expected to rise further in Orange County.

In Los Angeles County, the so-called positivity rate is 4.4%, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said, a decrease from the previous week, when the positive test rate was 6.6%.

But in Orange County, the test positivity rate was 8.3%, said Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, Orange County deputy health officer. And in a sign of potential trouble, the positivity rate is rising in the neediest areas of the county, and was 8.9% on Wednesday, up from 8.6% the day before.

Because the test positivity rate is rising in lower income areas, "my concern is that we're going to continue to see the adjusted case rate increase," Chinsio-Kwong said. "Usually, when you have more positivity, there's more spread of the illness to others in the community.

"We do expect and anticipate that positivity [rates] will continue to rise," she said. "Really, everybody in our community ... every ZIP Code, needs to take precaution."

Chinsio-Kwong said she hoped the latest data would cause more residents to wear masks. There is a sizable anti-mask sentiment in Orange County, and a controversy over a local order to wear masks last year resulted in the resignation of the Orange County health officer. Los Angeles County, on the other hand, is one of the few counties in Southern California this summer to require masks in indoor public settings.

"We are hoping that this information is informing people to make the decision to really protect themselves and their loved ones and to mask up, especially in public areas indoors," Chinsio-Kwong said. "And if you're in crowded areas outdoors ... you should consider wearing a mask."

Both counties have comparable vaccination rates: 64.2% of residents of all ages in Orange County have received at least one shot, while 63.1% of L.A. County residents have also received at least one dose.

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Still, improvements are especially needed in certain areas. In Orange County, "San Clemente, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Newport [Beach] all need to work on their vaccination rates," Chinsio-Kwong said.

Officials in Orange County expressed continued concern about the trajectory of COVID-19 hospitalizations in California's third most populous county.

There continue to be increases in the amount of time ambulances are waiting to drop off patients at emergency departments, as well as the number of hospitals requesting that ambulances be diverted to neighboring emergency rooms because they're already crowded, said Dr. Carl Schultz, medical director for the Orange County Emergency Medical Services Division.

The requests to divert ambulance patients from hospitals was equivalent to 25% of Orange County's hospitals being closed over a 24-hour period, Schultz said.

Nine Orange County hospitals recently reported that it was taking more than an hour for many patients to be offloaded from ambulances to emergency rooms, Schultz said.

"So the trend is ... not good. It's continuing to slowly get worse," Schultz said. "It's a steady increase, and we're starting to make plans for what we will do if this doesn't abate.

"We now really have to start thinking about what are we going to do if it doesn't get any better."

For now, however, the level of overcrowding means that people with minor injuries and illnesses must wait longer to receive care. But so far, Schultz said, Orange Countys hospitals are still able to provide critically ill people prompt attention.

Hospital crowding is still not as bad as it was last winter, Schultz said. And Orange County is not in a position where officials are urging hospitals to cancel elective, or scheduled, surgeries, something that is either being done or urged by officials in harder hit states such as Florida and Texas.

"We are a long ways from that," Schultz said. "One of the things that might more likely happen if things got worse is that hospitals might reduce the number of elective surgeries that they do."

The issue with Orange County's hospitals isn't beds or space but medical staff, Schultz said. "By slightly reducing elective surgeries, it would perhaps free up some staff to be used elsewhere in the hospital," he said.

Most hospitals in Orange County are functioning close to standard capacity, Schultz said. "Some of them are starting to open up tents to help offload some of the burden on emergency departments."

As of Tuesday, 495 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized in Orange County, the highest number in nearly six months, as the winter surge was fading, and five times the number from a month ago, when 102 COVID-19 patients were in hospitals on July 10. Still, the recent number is far below the peak of the winter surge, when 2,259 people were hospitalized in Orange County's hospitals.

The hospitals that are hardest hit by crowding tend to be near the county's borders. In general, the hospitals in southern Orange County can get crowded as there's a relative scarcity of hospitals in that area, and hospitals near the county border in northern Orange County are sometimes crowded with patients coming in from L.A. County.

About 90% of COVID-19 patients in Orange County's hospitals are not vaccinated, Supervisor Katrina Foley said. In July, all children hospitalized for COVID-19 in Orange County were not vaccinated, Chinsio-Kwong said.

There were 27 children hospitalized in July at Children's Hospital of Orange County who had COVID-19, Dr. Matthew Zahn, medical director of the county's Communicable Disease Control Division, said Monday.

The best way to protect children under 12, who are too young to be immunized, is to get everyone in the family vaccinated as soon as possible, Chinsio-Kwong said. And for children returning to school, she said, they will be required to wear a mask in indoor settings.

"Everybody needs to universally mask indoors" at schools, she said.

Foley this week also expressed concern over a recent diagnosis of COVID-19 psychosis in an Orange County teenager who had been diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, as reported earlier this week by KCBS-TV. A report published in the journal JAMA Neurology earlier this year said that in a study of 1,695 patients age 21 or younger who were hospitalized for MIS-C, 365 had neurological problems. Of them, 43 developed life-threatening disorders, and 11 died.

The syndrome is a rare condition associated with COVID-19 that can develop in children and cause different parts of the body to become inflamed, such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With COVID-19-induced psychosis, the child behaves unusually, Chinsio-Kwong said. "They may see things, hear things, just act very different," she said, likely related to an inflammation of the brain. "They may be saying awkward things; they don't know who they are; they don't know who you are.

"It can be actually very scary for parents," Chinsio-Kwong said, and requires immediate, specialized health treatment.

Although MIS-C is rare, the fact that 22% of young people who did get MIS-C had neurological problems in this study was concerning, Chinsio-Kwong said. The child could have lasting health problems, she said. The study, however, did point out that neurological problems in hospitalized children and adolescents were mostly transient.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and Japan's foreign ministers discussed plans for joint economic activity on the Russian-held southern Kuril islands that Japans lays claim to, Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in July said Moscow planned to set up a special economic zone with no customs duties and a reduced set of taxes on the island chain, during a visit to the islands that elicited a diplomatic protest from Tokyo.

(Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Jon Boyle)
The New York Times

NEW YORK  David Lat, a writer and lawyer, was one of the first New Yorkers to grow critically ill with COVID-19 in March 2020. He was in the hospital for 17 days, including six days on a ventilator. I was one of 12 people they admitted, said Lat, now 46. By the time I left, there were seven or eight floors of people sick with COVID. Lats struggle gripped much of the city, as he and his loved ones updated his condition on Twitter in the early days of the coronavirus, when knowledge was scan
The U.S. Senate passed a $3.5 trillion budget resolution overnight, paving the way for committees to begin writing major legislation that would push historic levels of funding into early-childhood education, school construction and tax credits for families.

The vote came the day after the Senate passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which now goes to the House. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she wont introduce the infrastructure package for a vote until shes assured all 50 Democrats in the Senate are on board with the rest of the partys agenda regarding social, immigration and climate policies. But to get there shell have to balance competing agendas within her own party.

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The House will continue to work with the Senate to ensure that our priorities for the people are included in the final infrastructure and reconciliation packages, in a way that is resilient and will build back better, Pelosi said in a statement Tuesday.

Moderate Democrats, however, are pressuring her to take action on the infrastructure bill now and not wait until later this fall when committee leaders in the Senate work out the details of the $3.5 trillion bill. Observers say it could be late fall before the plan passes the Senate.

After years of waiting, we cannot afford unnecessary delays to finally deliver on a physical infrastructure package, moderates said in a letter. As we continue to recover from the pandemic, the American people are counting on us to drive real results for them in every single Congressional district.

Related: State Pre-Ks Face Huge Setbacks Because of the Pandemic, But Leaders Pin Hopes on Future Federal Revenue to Increase Access

Senate Democrats are using a process called reconciliation that allows them to pass the spending package without any Republican votes.

Sen. Krysten Simena of Arizona, who took the lead on negotiating with Republicans over the infrastructure bill, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, another moderate Democrat, have suggested the $3.5 trillion figure is too high.

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But Rick Hess, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, said he doesnt think most Democrats will be treating the fiscal implications of budgetary rules with much seriousness.

Manchin crossed the aisle in a long vote session last night to approve an amendment to the budget resolution that opposes allowing federal funds to support the teaching of critical race theory in K-12 schools, such as hiring consultants for teacher training. Sponsored by Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton, the legislation would add to several state laws banning educators from teaching that racism is embedded in U.S. systems to advantage white people.

Its the larger $3.5 trillion package that concerns most education advocates. In a letter to Congress Monday, 17 leading organizations urged lawmakers to include at least $130 billion in the reconciliation bill for school facilities  a concern that was left out of the infrastructure bill.

Related: Parents Want Better School Ventilation This Fall. But the Devil is in the Details  and the Expense

The longstanding neglect of school facilities disproportionately impacts low-income school districts and those districts with particularly aging facilities, the letter said. These districts often lack a local tax base that can be leveraged for new school construction, major capital improvements, or building renovations and modernizations.

School nutrition advocates want to see permanent funding for free school meals beyond the 2021-22 school year. Over 400 organizations have signed a letter saying such a policy eliminates the cost barrier for families who do not qualify [for free or reduced-price meals], but who still struggle to make ends meet.

Related: Expanded Child Tax Credit Enshrined in Relief Bill Could Substantially Cut Poverty  and Lift Academic Performance

Its unclear, however, whether Democrats can stretch the $3.5 trillion to cover everything theyd like to deliver, including $200 billion for pre-K, $109 billion for two years of free community college and several teacher education and higher education initiatives. The presidents agenda would also extend an increase in the Child Tax Credit for four more years and include paid family leave.

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BEIRUT (Reuters) - Several Lebanese parties said on Wednesday they would boycott a parliamentary session called to discuss a proposal that critics say would effectively derail judicial efforts to question senior officials over the Beirut port blast.

More than a year since the Aug. 4 blast, many Lebanese are furious that no senior official has been brought to account for more than 200 lives lost and thousands of injuries.

With leading Christian and Druze groups planning to boycott, it was not clear if there would be enough MPs for quorum at the session called on Thursday by Shi'ite Speaker Nabih Berri.

The only item on the agenda is the petition from a group of MPs asking that the senior officials including the caretaker prime minister be referred to a special council that hears cases against former presidents and ministers.

The Christian Lebanese Forces said the petition was an attempt to obstruct the judicial probe. MPs aligned with Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said it would "obstruct reaching the truth".

If approved, the petition would first lead to a parliamentary inquiry, said Nizar Saghieh, head of The Legal Agenda, a research and advocacy organisation.

The process could lead to a trial by the special council if two-thirds of MPs voted for one, he said, adding that the inquiry could go on indefinitely.

"The aim of the petition is to create a parallel parliamentary inquiry and consequently to confuse the judicial inquiry," he said.

The petition was lodged after investigating judge Tarek Bitar requested immunity be lifted from former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, former Public Works Minister Ghazi Zeaiter and former Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk, all of whom are MPs.

It seeks permission for those three, in addition to caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and Youssef Finianos, another former public works minister, to be referred to the special council.

All deny wrongdoing.

Khalil and Zeitar are both senior members of Berri's Amal Movement and allies of the Iran-backed, Shi'ite group Hezbollah. Finianos belongs to a Christian faction that is allied to Hezbollah.

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Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday accused Bitar on Saturday of playing politics, calling the investigation politicized.

Bitar has not commented on the accusation.

(Writing by Tom Perry; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Taliban militants have taken control of Afghanistan's borders with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Russia's Kommersant daily reported on Wednesday, citing Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, heightening security concerns for Moscow.

The Taliban, fighting to reimpose strict Islamic law after their 2001 ouster, took control of another city in northern Afghanistan on Wednesday, an official said, the eighth provincial capital to fall to the insurgents in six days.

They control much of the country's northern provinces adjacent to ex-Soviet Central Asia. An EU official said on Tuesday the militants now control 65% of Afghanistan.

Shoigu said the Taliban has promised not to cross the border, but that Moscow would continue holding joint drills with its allies in the region.

Russia operates a military base in Tajikistan and the former Soviet republic is a member of a Moscow-led military bloc, meaning that Moscow would be obliged to protect it in the event of invasion. Uzbekistan also has close ties with Russia.

Russia held drills with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan near the Afghan border this month. Russia has also reinforced its military base in Tajikistan with new armoured vehicles and firearms.

The Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989, leaving after 15,000 of its troops were killed and tens of thousands were wounded.

(Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Nick Macfie)
(Reuters) - The Taliban on Wednesday denied targeting and killing civilians during an offensive against Afghan government troops, calling for an independent investigation and seeking to assure Afghans that "no home or family shall face any threat from our side."

The Islamist militants issued a statement after the United Nations said more than 1,000 civilians had been killed in the past month and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that since Aug. 1 some 4,042 wounded people had been treated at 15 health facilities.

Taliban fighters have stepped up their campaign to defeat the U.S.-backed government since April as foreign forces started to withdraw after 20 years of war. The group has seized eight provincial capitals in the past week, raising fears of a return to power of the hardline group.

Taliban spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, said in a statement that the group "has not targeted any civilians or their homes in any locality, rather the operations have been undertaken with great precision and caution." He instead blamed Afghan government troops and foreign forces for any civilian deaths.

The United States refuted the Taliban's denial of responsibility.

"There is, everywhere you look, compelling data points, evidence, imagery of the violence, the bloodshed, the potential atrocities that the Taliban are committing," U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters. "We have see it with our own eyes, from some of the footage that's emerging."

The Taliban proposed that a team made up of the United Nations, ICRC and other aid groups accompany their representatives "to conduct an impartial and independent investigation into the latest events."

A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Afghanistan's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Since the start of the year nearly 390,000 people have been newly displaced by the Afghan conflict with a "huge spike" since May, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Wednesday.

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"Between July 1 and August 5, 2021, the humanitarian community verified that 5,800 internally displaced persons and arrived in Kabul," Dujarric said.

Foreign forces aim to be completely out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11. U.S.-backed Afghan forces ousted the Taliban from power in 2001 for refusing to hand over al Qaeda's Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols, Simon Lewis in Washington and Kabul bureau, Ediitng by Sonya Hepinstall)
A woman identifying as teacher Laura Morris quit in front of the school board because of its highly-politicized agendas. (WUSA9)

The Loudoun County Public School Board in northern Virginia heard hundreds of speakers on Tuesday as it prepared to vote on its new transgender policy following the passage of new state laws.

The board postponed its vote until Wednesday evening after listening to more than 150 members of the public for more than four hours on Tuesday.

One of the speakers, Laura Morris, said she had been a teacher for 10 years, five of those in Loudoun County, and quit her job in front of the school board ahead of the vote on the new transgender policy.

The policy states that transgender students should be allowed to use their chosen name and gender pronouns that reflect their consistently asserted gender identity and that staff should use those names and pronouns as well.

Staff or students who intentionally and persistently refuse to respect a students gender identity by using the wrong name and gender pronoun are in violation of this policy, the new guidelines state.

Students should also be allowed to take part in interscholastic, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities  in a manner consistent with the students gender identity.

Under the policy, students will also be allowed to use bathrooms and changing rooms that correspond to their consistently asserted gender identity and staff should take steps to designate gender-inclusive or single-user restrooms commensurate with the size of the school.

All school mental health professionals shall complete training on topics relating to LGBTQ+ students, including procedures for preventing and responding to bullying, harassment and discrimination based on gender identity/expression.

The Superintendent is authorised to develop implementing regulations and school procedures to ensure consistency in practices, the policy adds.

Other counties are adopting similar measures as state law is providing little in terms of leeway to propose alternative solutions.

Ms Morris told the board that she had struggled with the idea of returning to school because she knew she would be working yet again with the school division that despite its shiny tech and flashy salary, promotes political ideologies that do not square with who I am as a believer in Christ.

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She said that within the last year, I was told in one of my so-called equity trainings that white Christian able-bodied females currently have the power in our schools, and that quote, this has to change.

Becoming emotional, she added: Youve made your point. You no longer value me, or many other teachers youve employed in this county. So since my contract outlines the power that you have over my employment in Loudon County Public Schools, I thought it necessary to resign in front of you.

School board, I quit. I quit your policies, I quit your trainings, and I quit being a cog in a machine that tells me to push highly politicised agendas on our most vulnerable constituents  the children. I will find employment elsewhere. I encourage all parents and staff in this county to flood the private schools, she said.

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The parking lot outside the school board on Tuesday looked like a political rally, NBC4 reported.

To get inside to speak, you would have to wait for an employee to call your name through a megaphone and go through security to wait inside before being called to the podium.

The school board announced on 3 August that the new meeting procedures were in direct response to the increase in threats and the unruly and unsafe behaviour at the June 22 board meeting.

Outraged at the transgender policy and how they thought issues about race were being taught, some parents held signs and sang the national anthem, garnering national media attention. One man was arrested. Parents also shouted shame on you and gave board members the finger.

School Board Chair Brenda Sheridan said on 22 June: We will not back down from fighting for the rights of our students and continuing our focus on equity.

She called for an end to politically motivated antics and added that loud voices aiming to make our schools a political battleground will not silence the work for our students.

Substitute teacher Emily Hart said on Tuesday that the proposed equality policy was a violation of her religious rights: [It] would force teachers to act against their sincerely held religious beliefs.

Im a Christian mom, and I believe what God ... created us male and female," mother of three Rene Camp said, according to WUSA9. We respect everyone just as we should respect everybody, she said but added: Now that boys and girls are allowed to mix bathrooms, my daughter might not be safe in any of those bathrooms.

Parents of transgender students have praised moves on equality that allow their children the same access to education that everyone else enjoys. One, speaking at the meeting, said his transgender son had not been supported during his time at school and woukld have greatly benefitted from policies like these.

One parent who identified themselves as transgender at the meeting, said: I'm encouraging you all to support policies that are inclusive of transgender students and to show your support for transgender students and transgender faculty. This isnt pseudoscience, this isnt some sort of ideology. This is peoples lives. This is civil rights.

Read More

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Virginia school board meeting descends into violence over new transgender policies

Im gonna f**k you up: Entire California school board resigns after being caught disparaging parents on Zoom
Thousands in Germany are set to be revaccinated after it was discovered that a nurse had injected patients with a saline solution in place of a COVID vaccine, the Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: The nurse, who has not been identified, admitted to injecting a few patients with saline but antibody testing showed a much wider group of people may have been impacted. About 8,600 people may have received the salt solution instead of the genuine vaccine, leaving them at risk.

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A lawyer representing the nurse told the German news service DPA that she had switched a single vial, per the New York Times.

The big picture: Many of the people who got vaccinated when the suspected switch took place were elderly people at high risk of catching the virus, per Reuters.

The nurse had previously shared vaccine-skeptical posts on social media, per the Post.

What they're saying: "I am totally shocked by this episode," Sven Ambrosy, a local councilor, said on Tuesday, per Reuters.

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Some countries survive economically on the back of tourism: southern Europe; Caribbean islands; countries with a rich cultural legacy and exotic fauna (Getty/iStock)

For much of the summer, the news has been led by reports of changes in the traffic lights governing foreign travel. With increasingly optimistic news of how we are progressing to a normal state of affairs, we can claim our God-given right to enjoy summer holidays by the Mediterranean. And we are reassured that we are not going for selfish reasons to improve our suntan but to save thousands of jobs in the beleaguered travel industry. Doing good by doing well.

Then, on Monday I woke up to be told that, thanks to our collective short-sighted behaviour  including unnecessary travel by greenhouse gas emitting vehicles and aircraft  the planet will be totally uninhabitable by the time my latest grandson reaches my age at the end of the century. Talk about mixed messaging.

Perhaps it is time to take a dispassionate look at the costs and benefits of our foreign travel. There is (or was until Covid) a lot of it about and it is economically important. Before the pandemic Britain had almost 40 million foreign visitors a year, many of them tourists, supporting  we are told  more than 2.5 million jobs. There were 73 million overseas trips by Britons supporting the British travel industry and millions of jobs overseas often in poor countries, without alternative employment.

Let us look at the benefits. The old slogan was that travel broadens the mind That has however become a jaded cliche. The beach resorts in Croatia or Ibiza arent much different to those in Barbados or Mauritius. Fish and chips taste the same in Benidorm as they do in Blackpool.

But that is perhaps too cynical. A lot of people, especially those going through independent tour operators, or back-packing, are genuinely interested in the customs and cuisine of the places they visit and return better informed and (often) more open-minded. The same is true for inward tourism. The fact that more than 100 million Chinese travelled abroad every year, at least until the pandemic, was a major factor inhibiting the fall of a new iron curtain.

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The economic impacts are also massive. Estimates vary but there is a consensus that tourism (widely defined) accounts for around 10 per cent of global GDP and of employment. Some countries survive economically on the back of it: southern Europe; Caribbean islands; countries with a rich cultural legacy and exotic fauna. In the pandemic, some of them have been driven into extreme poverty or indebtedness and have seen the collapse of conservation or a descent into lawlessness which will keep tourists away for good.

But the economics are ambiguous. Tourist spending could be on other things and employment could be in other jobs. There isnt a fixed supply of either. And for countries like the UK where almost twice as many people travel overseas as come here, we could argue that the net effect is negative. If we dig a little deeper into the jobs  bed-making in hotels; selling ice cream on hot days; serving or cooking in cafes and restaurants  we may be talking about poor pay, seasonal employment. If such positions are fewer and farther between, demand may grow for better life-long education so that people can retrain in other fields.

To set against the economic benefits of tourism are the environmental costs. Many of us are trying to relate the environment to our personal lifestyles and are getting confused as to what is right and wrong. My wife and I decided this summer to staycation in the UK (to avoid all the hassle of going abroad): good. We drove from the south of England to the north of Scotland: bad. But the car is a hybrid: sort of good. When we checked the carbon footprint we discovered with some relief that we had generated one-fifth the carbon of going off to Majorca and sitting on the beach; but a great deal more than going to Bournemouth with our bucket and spades.

What we do know is that it is unreasonable and absurd to subcontract environmental policy to individuals. A handful of people conscientiously following the advice of Allegra Stratton to freeze their left-over bread or foreswear meat will not have the impact we all hope for. To make a difference governments have to cut collective demand for environmentally damaging activities. If we are to avoid draconian and authoritarian bans that means we have to penalise those activities financially. This can be done honestly and transparently by taxing the carbon people generate, or stealthily through carbon trading or regulatory change.

It certainly means substantially higher taxation of aviation  taxing the fuel or the travel ticket  and of the use of petrol and diesel. Simple really. But it is remarkable how many self-appointed green spokespeople shy away from the truth about necessary pain. They concentrate instead on demonising the western companies who extract the hydrocarbons from the ground. Those big beasts are an easier target than the general public but unfortunately cutting supply without cutting demand will simply lead to a switch to other suppliers  Saudi Aramco or Gazprom. Another dodge for avoiding pain is the use of carbon offsets; maybe I lack the intellectual subtlety to understand what seems, at first sight, like the modern equivalent of mediaeval indulgences to pay for ones sins.

It is better to be straightforward and to spell out the fact that much travel will become more expensive and there will, as a consequence, be less of it. Some will opt to keep travelling and do less of other things. Some are sufficiently well off that they will be unaffected, which will create a sense of unfairness that has to be tackled in other ways (taxing income and wealth). Countries and companies that depend on travel will have to treat Covid as a rehearsal for a bigger, long term, adjustment. The golden age of global travel may well be at an end.

It is, of course, possible  indeed likely  that the public will reject this environmental puritanism. They may feel that this is another fad of the global elite and want the government to concentrate on practical problems like sorting out the confusing Covid restrictions that are screwing up their annual holidays to the sun. In the short term, new, heavily discounted fares on transatlantic routes to get to Disneyland or the Big Apple will be more appealing than Code Red warnings on the climate.

Around the world, governments will have to lead not follow if my grandson (and everyone elses) is to avoid seeing heatwaves, forest fires and flooding as a grim but inevitable norm.

Vince Cable is the former leader of the Liberal Democrat party

Read More

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Former U.S. President Donald Trump makes an entrance at the Rally To Protect Our Elections conference on July 24, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Phoenix-based political organization Turning Point Action hosted former President Donald Trump alongside GOP Arizona candidates who have begun candidacy for government elected roles. (P (Getty Images)

Former president Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he spoke with the mother and husband of Ashli Babbitt, whom police killed during the 6 January riot that, and said he knew the identity of the officer who fatally shot Ms Babbitt as she was trying to enter a restricted area of the Capitol.

Ms Babbit was killed by an officer during the insurrection led by Mr Trumps supporters.

We know who he is, he said. If that happened to the other side, there would be riots all over America and yet, there are far more people represented by Ashli, who truly loved America, than there are on the other side. The Radical Left haters cannot be allowed to get away with this. There must be justice!

The former presidents words come as Ms Babbitts family plans to seek a $10m wrongful death lawsuit against the officer who killed her. The lawyer for the family, Terry Roberts, said she was ambushed by the officer, who warned her to stay back.

Similarly, Ms Babbitts husband has called on the officer to be named.

Mr Trump has frequently begun invoking Ms Babbitts name. He has falsely said the officer who shot her was the head of security for a top Democrat, and said he regretted not lowering the flag half-staff for Ms Babbitt.
My visit to Victoria Street. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

I visited Victoria Street in Edinburgh, thought to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley.

The alley in the "Harry Potter" franchise is where witches and wizards buy their Hogwarts supplies.

In real life, the colorful winding street looks like it was plucked straight out of a fairytale.

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Diagon Alley is featured in the "Harry Potter" books and movies.

The street, which is hidden from the Muggle world, is where Hogwarts students go to purchase their school supplies before the start of term.

The street is first introduced in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," as Hagrid takes Harry there to shop ahead of his first year at Hogwarts.

Diagon Alley is located in London. But the real-life inspiration for the street is thought to be Victoria Street in Edinburgh, Scotland's capital city.

Victoria Street in Edinburgh. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

BuzzFeed and Forever Edinburgh report that the street is rumored to be the inspiration behind Diagon Alley and recommend it to "Harry Potter" fans visiting the city.

I visited Victoria Street, located in the city's Old Town neighborhood, during a public holiday last week.

The street was filled with people during a public holiday. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

Just like Diagon Alley, this street has cobblestones and a cluster of quirky and charming buildings.

There were sadly no cauldron or wand stores to be found on this street, which instead contained tourist shops, clothes stores, and cafes.

The buildings looked magical. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

Despite this, the array of colorful windows gave it a fairytale-like feel.

Before it was named Victoria Street, this part of Edinburgh was home to Major Weir, a man who was executed for witchcraft in 1670.

The street has a dark history. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

Some parts of the house are thought to still exist, hidden in the Quaker Meeting House on the upper terrace, according to Edinburgh World Heritage.

I soon discovered The Enchanted Galaxy, a "Harry Potter" inspired gift shop.

The "Harry Potter" themed store. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

It seemed to sell everything, from Gryffindor scarfs, Hogwarts notebooks, to snow globes.

I spoke to one of the sales advisors, who said she believed Victoria Street was the inspiration behind Diagon Alley.

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The store interior. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

When I asked if the owners knew this before they opened the store, she said she believed they did  but if not, the location was a "happy accident."

This street may be meant for muggles instead of wizards, but it still felt magical.

My visit to Victoria Street felt magical. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

With its fascinating history and vibrant buildings, Victoria Street felt far more alluring to me than anything from a book or movie.

Read the original article on Insider
By Anushree Fadnavis

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Every weekday four buses head into the New Delhi slums to give the children of migrants, labourers, ragpickers and scavengers a chance at an education they might not get otherwise.

Each bus goes to two locations a day, setting up an onboard classroom to give about 50 children at a time basic lessons in math, body parts, English and Hindi, along with daily meals. Ages range from 3-13, and some activity-based lessons are held outside.

These "Hope Buses" of non-profit group TejasAsia are one of several grassroots initiatives in India helping to fill the education gap caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Another such initiative delivers lessons by loudspeaker to children in rural areas.

TejasAsia has been operating the mobile schools a few years now, said Ebna Edwin, a project co-ordinator for the group, but they have become more critical since the pandemic struck.

Schools across the country have shut and moved classes online amid repeated lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19 over the past year, impacting nearly 247 million Indian children from 1.5 million schools, according to UNICEF.

Even for children in the slums who went to regular schools pre-pandemic, their families are often too poor to afford the phones or other devices needed to study online.

For others, the two hours on the bus are time away from manual labour or scavenging the landfills with their families.

Data from India's latest Annual Status of Education Report show that the national dropout rate has risen to 5.5% from 4% over the last year.

"It is very hard to get the kids to understand the value of education so we have got to work with the families first, create a lot of awareness in all these places," said Marlo Philip, the founder of TejasAsia.

"It takes about six months to establish our programme in one location," he said.

The NGO wants to expand its reach to ten more locations in different states but has put these plans on hold as funds and resources have been redirected during the pandemic.

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The Hope buses are reaching nearly 400 children across Delhi and neighbouring areas.

Mumtaz Begum, who lives in a neighbourhood of huts in northern Delhi, said her two daughters had improved a lot after they started attending school on one of the buses.

We want our kids to learn and grow, she said.

Ten-year-old Azmira, who has been studying on one of the mobile schools for four years and sat in a bus with a mask on, said: "We all really like coming here and studying. The teachers are very good."

(Reporting by Anushree Fadnavis; Writing by Nupur Anand; Editing by Tom Hogue)
The White House on Wednesday morning moved to address higher gas prices by directing the Federal Trade Commission to investigate any "illegal conduct" and "anti-competitive practices" involving gasoline prices, and leaning on OPEC+ members to boost production.

Flashback: In July, OPEC+ agreed to boost production by 400,000 barrels per day on a monthly basis starting this month and lasting into 2022.

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What they're saying: In a statement released Wednesday morning, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan stated that unchecked higher gasoline costs risk harming the economic recovery.

"While OPEC+ recently agreed to production increases, these increases will not fully offset previous production cuts that OPEC+ imposed during the pandemic until well into 2022," Sullivan wrote. "At a critical moment in the global recovery, this is simply not enough."

Sullivan said the Biden administration is "engaging with relevant OPEC+ members" to discuss "the importance of competitive markets in setting prices."

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White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki holds the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, June 28, 2021. Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Jen Psaki on Wednesday called out Gov. Ron DeSantis over his handling of COVID-19 in Florida.

"Our war is not on DeSantis - it's on the virus, which we're trying to kneecap," she said.

DeSantis has signed an order banning mask mandates from being implemented in Florida's schools.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday called out GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida for his handling of COVID-19 in the Sunshine State, saying that he "does not seem to want to participate" in the fight against the virus.

During a press briefing, Psaki was questioned about a recent New York Post opinion article titled "Team Biden's war on DeSantis is all about kneecapping a successful GOP governor," which credited DeSantis for rejecting COVID-driven lockdowns and restrictive measures taken in other states during the pandemic last year.

The press secretary was firm in the administration's view of DeSantis, who just weeks ago was working closely with the president in the recovery efforts of the Surfside condo collapse in South Florida.

"Our war is not on DeSantis - it's on the virus, which we're trying to kneecap, and he does not seem to want to participate in that effort to kneecap the virus, hence our concern," she said.

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DeSantis, a former congressman and potential 2024 GOP presidential candidate, has pursued COVID-19 policies that have endeared him to conservatives, opening up the Florida economy earlier than many other states last year, reopening schools when many districts around the country opted for full remote learning, and rejecting any sort of lockdown that could possibly come from the Democratic-led Biden administration.

Read more: How Jen Psaki can cash in on her White House experience

In recent weeks, DeSantis has clashed with the Biden White House.

Earlier this month, Biden called out Florida and Texas for not doing enough to combat the elevated wave of infections caused by the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

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"Some governors aren't willing to do the right things to make this happen," Biden said at the time. "I say to these governors, please help. If you aren't going to help, at least get out of the way of the people who are trying to do the right thing. Use your power to save lives."

When asked about DeSantis and Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas that day, the president said that "their decisions are not good for their constituents."

In late July, DeSantis signed an executive order blocking schools from mandating masks, and Abbott signed an order that prevents local governments and state agencies from making vaccines mandatory.

DeSantis blasted Biden's comments, accusing the president of trying to "single out Florida over COVID."

Just this week, DeSantis pledged to withhold the salaries of school board members who flouted his ban on mask mandates, with a Broward County school official even telling the governor to "bring it" over his threat.

In a Tuesday interview on "CBS This Morning," former US Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who served under former President Donald Trump, criticized the push to ban school mask mandates.

"As a father, I quite frankly think it's unconscionable," Adams said. "You can't tie the hands of school and public health officials based on what you perceive to be the reality, when your public health officials are telling you they need these tools."

Read more: 11 problematic people and issues that could torpedo Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' rise toward a 2024 presidential run

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Taliban fighters and Afghans gather Wednesday around the body of a member of Afghan security forces who was killed in the southwest city of Farah. (Mohammad Asif Khan / Associated Press)

Its been a punishing few days for Afghanistans U.S.-created and supported army.

Since Friday, the Taliban has overrun bastions of government control, snatching more than a quarter of Afghanistans 34 provincial capitals on its way to controlling an estimated 65% of the country. On Wednesday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani raced to the north to rally a defense of besieged Mazar-i-Sharif, the countrys fourth-largest city.

With U.S. forces set to complete their pullout in less than three weeks, the Talibans breakneck advance has many observers asking: After two decades and billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and its partners to create effective Afghan fighting forces, what happened? And can they stop the Taliban from taking over the entire country?

Here's a look at the situation.

'Ghost' fighters

On paper, the Taliban should be no match for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, known as the ANDSF. According to the latest report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, a U.S. government watchdog, the ANDSF comprises 300,699 security personnel, including army, police and air force members. Around one-fifth of them are highly trained special forces operatives, then there are undisclosed figures for CIA-trained paramilitary groups as well as militias associated with the countrys warlords.

The Taliban, the SIGAR report estimates, has around 75,000 fighters.

But those figures should be treated with skepticism. Corruption, which pervades the Afghan security forces just as much as it does the government, means there are ghost soldiers and police  personnel who either never show up or never existed but are on the books so that officials can pocket their salaries.

Its difficult to gauge the scale of the problem, but in 2019, a new payroll system purged more than 10% from the rolls. A year later, another SIGAR report found a gap of 58,478 personnel between recorded and actual strength levels.

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The problem is worse among the Afghan police, especially in the country's south. SIGAR reported in 2020 that, in the southern provinces  areas with pro-Taliban sentiment  50% to 70% of police positions were for personnel who didnt exist. (That report also found that half of them use drugs.)

For a long time, people in the U.S. and the NATO advisory mission have known that the Afghan police are notoriously corrupt , said Andrew Watkins, senior analyst for Afghanistan at the International Crisis Group. He added that although the new payroll system had gone some way toward improving the situation, commanders were now skimming off their subordinates' salaries.

Whatever solution there has been for corruption, corruption has found a way, he said.

Uneven abilities

When asked last month whether he trusted the Taliban, President Biden brushed off the question, saying instead that he trusted "the capacity of the Afghan military, who is better-trained, better-equipped and  more competent in terms of conducting war.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, left, and President Biden meet in the Oval Office in June. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press)

But only a portion of the military would meet that criteria, chief among them the special forces, which are estimated to include some 56,000 operatives. The performance of other sections of the military has been less encouraging, with many observers complaining of a lack of motivation to fight or of personnel acting as little more than placeholders.

Theyre meant to sit in checkpoints and act as a static representation of government presence, Watkins said. Its understood that they dont fight effectively  theyre certainly not advancing  and that theyre not an offensive force.

That has led to an all-too-frequent routine on the battlefield: Special forces dislodge the Taliban from an area, only for it to be lost again a short time later when other security personnel  whether army, police or local militias  come in to secure those gains and flee before a Taliban counterattack.

Overreliance on air power

When these less-trained troops do fight, theyve often looked to air support for cover. But much of that air power has come from the U.S. and its NATO allies, meaning that, as the U.S. draws down, local troops are having to rely more on the Afghan air force for close support, reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering.

The July SIGAR report says all aircraft types in the Afghan air force are flying at least 25% over their recommended scheduled maintenance. Crews, it says, remain overtaxed by an increasingly untenable operations tempo.

Just like U.S. and NATO troops, Western contractors who are meant to service the aircraft and repair battle damage are also going to zero, meaning they are set to depart the country by Aug. 31, with still no concrete plans as to how the air force will be maintained. Thats especially detrimental to the UH-60 Black Hawks, helicopters that are used for missions including repulsing Taliban onslaught, evacuating casualties and resupplying Afghan forces.

Logistical hurdles

Perhaps the biggest problem facing the ANDSF isnt training or equipment but logistics. With its takeover of rural areas, the Taliban also gains control over more than 80% of the countrys highways. That figure has only increased in recent days as the group has taken additional territory, such that any attempt to resupply the thousands of army and police bases and checkpoints must be done almost exclusively by air.

In other words, every bullet, every mortar shell, every gallon of fuel and often every carton of eggs has to be brought in by already overstretched air force crews. And the greater the distance from Kabul or primary bases in Kandahar and elsewhere, the more likely the outpost will fall.

Thats why, for several Afghan officials, including one former high-ranking security head who spoke on condition of anonymity, the recent losses have come as no surprise.

The ANDSF is very scattered, and it cant choose its own battlefield," he said. "The Taliban chooses the battlefield. That meant the ANDSF had to shrink its presence.

Can the government turn things around?

It depends. This month, Ghani, the president, presented a security plan that he vowed would bring the country back under government control within six months. The general outline of the plan has the army defending strategic targets while the Afghan police provide security in major urban areas.

But another, less-discussed aspect of the plan includes empowering former warlords, including figures with a dark record in Afghans conflict-filled history. Ghani's visit to Mazar-i-Sharif on Wednesday was an effort to organize a defense of the city with warlord Atta Mohammad Noor and notorious militia leader Abdul Rashid Dostum. There have been reports that Ghani has promised the two leaders air support as well as assistance from the special forces corps to claw back northern territories.

Could the U.S. get involved again?

Biden has poured cold water on that idea, despite the Afghan army's staggering pace of losses.

We trained and equipped with modern equipment over 300,000 Afghan forces.  Ill insist we continue to keep the commitments we made, providing close air support, making sure that their air force functions and is operable, resupplying their forces with food and equipment and paying all their salaries," Biden said in a White House briefing Tuesday. "They've got to want to fight.

As for withdrawing U.S. troops within the space of just a few months, I do not regret my decision, he said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
By Praveen Menon

WELLINGTON (Reuters) -New Zealand plans to allow quarantine-free entry to vaccinated travellers from low-risk countries from early 2022, as it looks to open its borders again after nearly 18 months of pandemic-induced isolation.

Tight border controls and its geographic advantage helped New Zealand stamp out COVID-19 much faster than almost all other countries, but this left the Pacific island nation of 5 million almost entirely cut off from the rest of the world.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday that the country is still not ready to open up entirely, but will open in phases from early next year.

"Were simply not in a position to fully reopen just yet," the 41-year-old leader said in a speech outlining plans to reconnect New Zealand with the world.

"When we move we will be careful and deliberate, because we want to move with confidence and with as much certainty as possible," she said.

Ardern said the government will look at opening quarantine-free travel to vaccinated travellers from low-risk countries from the first quarter of next year.

Those travelling from medium-risk countries will undertake self-isolation or a shorter stay at a quarantine hotel. Those coming from high-risk countries or are unvaccinated will still have to spend 14 days in quarantine.

Some vaccinated travellers will be able to participate in a pilot from October through December this year, wherein they can travel and self-isolate at home.

Ardern has won global plaudits for containing local transmission of COVID-19 through a strict elimination strategy. The country has recorded just 2,500 cases and 26 deaths.

But pressure has been mounting to reopen https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/virus-free-new-zealand-plans-border-reopening-amid-labour-shortage-2021-08-09 borders as private businesses and the public sector grapples with worker shortages and reduced incomes.

Despite the phased reopening, the government will stay on its elimination strategy to maintain its hard won gains as one of the few virus-free countries, Ardern said.

Story continues

"That is not to say that the settings we have today, will be the settings we have forever. Nobody wants that," she said.

SPEEDING VACCINES

Ardern said the country will also speed up its vaccination rollout with all eligible ages able to book their vaccine by Sept. 1 and also move to a six-week gap between doses to ensure more New Zealanders are at least partially vaccinated.

New Zealand's vaccination process has been slower than most other peers, with just over 21% of the population fully vaccinated so far.

Critics slammed delayed vaccination and said the government will have to move faster to protect people before opening borders.

"While vaccination numbers are finally rising, we are still the slowest in the OECD and 120th in the world," said opposition National Party leader Judith Collins.

"This is not the front of the queue we were promised and is simply not good enough considering the heightened risk from new variants."

Delta-fuelled outbreaks across Australia led Ardern to last month suspend the so-called "travel bubble" that allowed quarantine-free travel between the two countries.

(Reporting by Praveen Menon in WellingtonEditing by Leslie Adler, Matthew Lewis and Michael Perry)
Sky News host Peter Gleeson says reports Japan's Defence Minister has urged Australia to "step up on China" to ensure Beijing's dominance is "not inevitable".

One of the Nine papers reports Japan's Defence Minister said "China is trying to change the status quo in the region by force and called on Australia and other allies to step up to ensure Beijing's dominance is not inevitable".

"It now seems that Japan is equally concerned about the rise of the Chinese," Mr Gleeson said.

Mr Gleeson also spoke with The Daily Telegraph's National Political Reporter Clare Armstrong on the matter. - Sky News Australia
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Schools are preparing to reopen, bringing back millions of K-12 students after a year of disrupted learning.

But with the Delta variant of the coronavirus driving a surge in hospitalizations, in addition to mask bans in some states with relatively low local vaccination rates, the safe return to class for unvaccinated children is becoming increasingly complex.

"It is really unfortunate, both for school districts and for parents as well, because we put school districts in tough positions," Dr. Sara Moran Bode, council chairperson-elect for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on School Health, told Yahoo Finance Live (video above).

Bode added that "this Delta variant is just more infectious, meaning it's easier to pass from child to child or child to parents and adult. And so it's concerning to us that we're having kids back in school without any of those other protections [such as masking] in place."

As of August 5, states that had moved to prevent school districts from mandating masks included Texas, Florida, South Carolina, Iowa, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Arizona and Utah. None of those states currently boast a fully vaccinated population of more than 50% amid the latest surge of cases.

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"Everyone [going to a school] should be wearing a mask  that's just the expectation when they get on the bus, when they get into the classroom," Dr. Bode advised. "We'll go a long way towards not only getting kids back to school, but keeping them so that they're not having another outbreak."

Some school districts  from Dallas to North Central Florida to Phoenix  are defying state bans on masking, imposing mandates for students returning to in-person learning.

We know things can change quickly, Mark Lane, superintendent of Decorah Community School District in Iowa, who is recommending masking in schools amid a state ban on masks, told Yahoo Finance. And so its been really key for us to just stay abreast of the best information at the time... [and in] making sure our learning environments are as safe as possible.

Story continues

Bode echoed that sentiment, explaining that measures like social distancing and mask mandates worked last year for schools.

"Students went to school," she said. "They wore their mask. We had good compliance with this, and we know that it was effective."

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

'Protecting our kids until they can get vaccinated.'

As the school year approaches, the U.S. is now averaging more than 100,000 new confirmed COVID-19 cases a day for the first time since February, and the CDC is now recommending that everyone in areas with high transmission  regardless of vaccination status  wear masks indoors.

There were nearly 94,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in children between July 29 and August 5, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), comprising about 15% of the total confirmed U.S. cases during that time period. (Previous versions of the coronavirus were less contagious among children.)

Consequently, Bode added, the lack of masking in some parts of the country "is a concerning trend [that] we want to watch and make sure we're protecting our kids until they can get vaccinated."

A mother walks her daughter on the first day of school, amid the coronavirus pandemic, at West Tampa Elementary School in Tampa, Florida, August 10, 2021. (REUTERS/Octavio Jones)

According to Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, the odds are high that a vaccine for all children under the age of 12 will be approved by the FDA within the upcoming school year.

Its tough, Dr. Payal Patel, an infectious diseases physician at the University of Michigan, told Yahoo Finance. Weve had over a year to learn about the spread of the virus, what can help to reduce that. And Im really looking forward to those vaccines coming out for the younger population.

In the meantime, for parents with children returning to school this fall, Patel highlighted key things to ask.

What I would say is if youre a parent and your child is starting, you want to see: What is your school doing? Are they helping with ventilation? Are they talking about masks in school? she said. We know those things really do reduce spread and until we get more kids vaccinated, were going to have to rely on the things we know have worked in that last year.

Correction: This post previously stated that Decorah Community School District Superindendent Mark Lane imposed a mask mandate in defiance of a state order. This is incorrect. Lane is encouraging masking in schools, citing CDC guidelines, despite a state ban on mask mandates. We've clarified the post to reflect this.



Aarthi is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. She can be reached at aarthi@yahoofinance.com. Follow her on Twitter @aarthiswami.

Adriana Belmonte is a reporter and editor for Yahoo Finance. You can follow her on Twitter @adrianambells.

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SeAnna Graddys first experience as an Auburn student was not quite like the experience of many students before her.

Last summer, the Fayetteville, Georgia, native attended Auburns freshman orientation, Camp War Eagle, or CWE, just like incoming freshmen had done for numerous years, except hers was completely virtual. The formerly two-day event, which included seeing all the sights on Auburns campus and meeting plenty of her new classmates, now consisted of Zoom sessions from her bedroom.

Graddy, an industrial and systems engineering major in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, also is a member of the Army ROTC, or Reserve Officer Training Corps.

Not only is Graddy an ROTC cadet and a CWE counselor, but she also serves as mental health officer for her sorority, Delta Delta Delta. In this position, she is responsible for spreading awareness about mental health and making sure that fellow sorority members are equipped to handle the stress and pressure of college life.

From camper to counselor

It is not extremely common for a rising sophomore to be selected as a CWE counselor, but that doesnt mean it is impossible.

Honestly, I tell my freshmen that Im a freshman with them, said Graddy. Im experiencing this because I wanted to go through it in person, and it was hard, honestly, because everyone else is older than me.

In the summer of 2021, Camp War Eagle was held in-person for the first time since going virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With no experience of an in-person CWE, Graddy was entering uncharted waters.

The other counselors were like, Oh, when we went to camp, it was two days and we did this, this, this and this, said Graddy. Well, I was behind a computer screen, and it was challenging because I was leading something that I had never experienced before. But Ive enjoyed it. It has literally been the best summer, and I could not have planned it any better.

Becoming a CWE counselor was not always a part of Graddys plan. It was more a spur-of-the-moment decision thanks to Auburns persistent messaging.

I lived in the Village [residence hall] this past year, and over by Aubie Hall, there was a big banner that said Apply for Camp War Eagle, and it had the due date on it, said Graddy. I would walk past it every single day, and one day, I thought, I should apply. The day before it was due, I filled out the application.

I love Auburn. I want to tell people how much I love Auburn, so I just applied for it.

Graddy ended up making it through the first round of interviews, and it was during the second round that she found an opportunity to stand out.

The second-round interview is an individual one, she said. You either dress up like something crazy, or you bring an object that represents something to you.

She decided to bring a bungie cord.

The story that I had behind it was that bungee cords are strong, Graddy said. But theyre also able to attach to so many different things and be durable, yet flexible at the same time. And I explained about coming into college in the middle of a pandemic and diving headfirst into college and doing ROTC. Also, just applying for CWE and everything else Im involved in, I just thought that I was very multifaceted, strong and durable.

Graddy had obviously done well enough in her interview to get the position, but it came to her as a surprise.

I had no clue that callouts were happening, she said of the process where students are invited to join organizations. I was in the library studying for a chemistry test, and my phone started blowing up with congratulations. Callouts were on Facebook Live, and I went back and watched them and called my mom. I told her, I just I got the position! and she was super excited. When I went back, I did not get much studying done.

Finding her home

Like CWE, Graddy didnt initially plan on joining Army ROTC. While trying to decide her next steps after high school, her favorite high school teacher gave her the nudge that she needed.

Her husband was retired Army, and her son was in the Army ROTC program in Tennessee, Graddy said. I was having a crisis one day during my junior year of high school and I was like, I have no clue what I want to do with my life. Im too smart to not know what Im going to do.

She told me, Well if you want to do military, you could do ROTC. They have a scholarship too. It sparked something in my brain, and I went home and did so much research on it. I looked up like every ROTC program at any school Id ever be interested in. I have no connection to the military, so I did all this research on my own, and I went to my parents, and I told them that Im going to apply for this scholarship. If I get it, Im going to join the Army.

With her scholarship secured, Graddys original plan was to attend the University of Tennessee, but her mother, Lori, wanted her to visit Auburn due to its close proximity to Fayetteville.

I didnt even go on a tour, Graddy said. I just randomly showed up. It was fall break, actually. My mom told me, Were just going to go see the campus. Were just going to walk around and see what Auburn is like.

While on the way to Auburn, Graddy still wasnt sure if it was the right choice for her.

We visited, and the whole way down here, I couldnt see myself going to Auburn, Graddy said. I already had my mind made up, and I came here and absolutely fell in love with it. I could not imagine being anywhere else in the whole world.

We saw so many people hanging out on Samford Lawn, and so many people came up to us and said things like, Oh, my gosh! Youre visiting? Welcome to Auburn! Everyone came up to us and said stuff like that, and it was so friendly.

Graddys decision was made, and she contacted Auburns ROTC program and quickly chose to attend Auburn on her ROTC scholarship.

Life as a cadet

Being an ROTC cadet while attending Auburn is no easy task. There is a lot of hard work and dedication that goes into it, but Graddy is handling it just fine.

We have physical training three days a week: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, Graddy said. Depending on what the workout is and what the day is, we usually have to get there anywhere from 4:30 to 5:45 in the morning.

After PT, the cadets attend classes in the Nichols Center, where they learn things such as Army basics and different battle techniques. Its on Wednesday afternoons that the cadets can get out and get some real-world training.

I say its like playing Army in the woods, Graddy said. We wear a uniform, and we have our helmets and stuff. We bring all of our tactical gear, and we go out and actually execute different things that weve learned about in the classroom.

Graddy is already geared up for excellence, being highly ranked among her class, and she hopes she will hold a team leader position in the coming spring. She is also prepared to help out the Army ROTC program as much as she can. She is often asked to talk to new and potential recruits to help them make their decisions.

Im always willing to go help, Graddy said. Ive been called in to talk to several people who have gone through the scholarship process or are just coming and are interested in the program. Ive talked to several girls, and they usually get me to talk to the girls because I can give them a girls perspective of how everything is.

Assistant Professor of Military Science for Auburns Army ROTC program, Maj. Morrecus Foster, is quite proud of her and the things she has accomplished for the program in such a short time.

SeAnna Graddy epitomizes servant leadership, Foster said. She is always willing to be a steward of Auburns Army ROTC program by giving any assistance to current ROTC cadets and future ones.

There is so much more that ROTC cadets do on a daily basis, but Graddy feels like she has gotten into the swing of things as she looks toward her future.

I have realized that I could do so many things, she said. Theres so many different options. I could be an engineer. I could be a chaplain. I could go into Combat Arms and fly helicopters. Who knows?
Worker Engulfment in Soybean Silo Leads to Citations of Central Illinois Grain Cooperative

Topflight Grain Cooperative faces fines and citations for safety violations.

A grain-handling cooperative in central Illinois exposed workers to serious engulfment hazards when soybeans collapsed and surrounded an employee up to his/her waist. An OSHA investigation at Topflight Grain Cooperative Inc. found that two workers were cleaning the bin of crops and debris when the February 19, 2021 incident occurred. OSHA proposed $303,510 in penalties once identifying three willful, one serious and one other-than-serious safety citations.

OSHA found the farmer-owned cooperative violated grain-handling safety standards. According to a press release, the agency issued willful citations for allowing workers to enter the bin without locking it out or de-energizing hazardous equipment, without an attendant outside the bin to respond in case of emergency and allowing employees to enter a grain bin when there was 10-15 feet of grain build-up on the sides of the bin. OSHA issued a serious citation for directing employees to work on top of railcars without fall protection and one other-than-serious citation for failing to test oxygen levels in a grain bin before directing employees to work inside the bin, as well.

Six in 10 grain engulfments result in the death of a worker but, like the incident at Topflight Grain Cooperative, they are entirely avoidable, said OSHA Area Director Barry Salerno in Peoria, Illinois. OSHA works diligently with the grain and feed industry to enhance education and safety, but employers must follow industry recognized standards to protect their workers.

Topflight Grain Cooperative Inc. operates 19 facilities that process 40 million bushels of grain annually in seven central Illinois counties. OSHAs Grain Handling Safety Standard focuses on the grain and feed industrys six major hazards: engulfment, falls, auger entanglement, struck by objects, combustible dust explosions and electrocution hazard.

Collaboration between OSHA, the Grain-Handling Safety Coalition, the Grain Elevator and Processing Society and the National Grain and Feed Association continues to grow as the organizations combine their resources to develop more training, create partnerships with other industry organizations and expand across the entire grain industry spectrum. 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 OSHRC. Learn more about agricultural industry safety resources here.
While solar and wind are the dominant segments in the transition to renewables, a number of emerging markets are looking to geothermal sources as a way to meet future energy needs. Geothermal energy  which is generated when pipes drilled into the earths surface supply steam to power electricity turbines  lags behind other forms of renewables in terms of installed capacity; however, it is an effective solution for many countries.

Geothermal on the rise in Kenya

One of the countries leveraging its significant geothermal potential is Kenya. Located on the Great Rift Valley  where tectonic plates meet and bring magma closer to the earths surface  Kenya derives almost half of its electricity from geothermal sources, according to Fitch Solutions, with its contribution set to expand to nearly three-fifths by 2030.

As part of plans to boost geothermal capacity, in July the state-owned Kenya Electricity Generating Company, also known as KenGen, announced its intention to invest $2bn over the next five years on new plants and modernisation. These efforts are expected to double installed geothermal capacity to around 1600 MW.

The company aims to bring the 83.8-MW Olkaria I Unit 6 plant, which is currently under construction, on-line later this year, while the Geothermal Development Company, another state-owned body, has plans to complete the construction of three geothermal plants in Menengai with a combined capacity of 105 MW in 2023.

The benefits of Kenyas geothermal expansion extend beyond generating electricity; the country has begun to export its expertise to some of its East African neighbours.

Related: Analysts See Oil Trading Closer To $70 Through Year-End In February KenGen won a $6.6m contract to drill geothermal wells in Djibouti, and in late May the company began drilling works as part of a $69.7m deal in Ethiopia. KenGen has also said it is in talks to undertake projects in both Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as the region increasingly looks to tap its geothermal resources.

South-east Asias main players

While the US is the worlds leading producer of geothermal energy, a number of other emerging markets play key roles on the international scene, with Indonesia and the Philippines alone accounting for around 25% of the worlds geothermal energy production.

With installed capacity of around 2100 MW, Indonesia is the worlds second-largest producer, and is on track to overtake the US by the end of the decade: the countrys geothermal development roadmap foresees a rapid of expansion of geothermal capacity to 8000 MW by 2030.

To achieve this, the government implemented a series of incentives to encourage development. These include a November 2020 law that streamlined the approval process for geothermal projects and removed a production fee for using geothermal resources; a number of fiscal incentives  such as tax allowances or exemptions  have also been introduced.

Related: Shell Reports $5.5 Billion Net Profit And Hikes Dividends

Meanwhile, in the Philippines around three-quarters of energy is produced from fossil fuels, compared to 12% from geothermal sources. However, the segment is expected to remain the largest renewable energy source through to 2030, and the country has plans to double capacity by 2040, up from just under 2000 MW at present.

Challenges and opportunities

Despite encouraging recent developments, geothermal energy has yet to realise its full global potential.

Worldwide geothermal electricity generation stood at 92 TWh in 2019, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), far below comparable statistics for hydropower (4333 TWh), onshore and offshore wind (1390 TWh), and solar (720 TWh).

Furthermore, the IEA says that worldwide geothermal capacity is not on track to meet the UNs Sustainable Development Goal targets of 162 TWh and 282 TWh by 2025 and 2030, respectively.

While natural and technological factors have undoubtedly contributed to this, there have been some other key issues hindering the widespread rollout of geothermal projects.

Chief among these is the cost of the initial investment. For example, in Kenya it is estimated that a single well can cost up to $6m to drill. While geothermal energy is generally considered to be a more reliable form of baseload power than solar, wind or hydropower  sources that rely on more variable elements such as sunshine, wind or water flow  the cost of bringing geothermal projects on-line can be prohibitive.

In late 2018 it was announced that Malaysias first geothermal project, a 37-MW plant in the state of Sabah, had been abandoned amid concerns over the cost of drilling.

In many cases, as in Malaysia, other forms of renewable energy have been favoured as part of their renewable energy transitions.

In Mexico  which, with 950 MW of installed power, is one of the top-10 geothermal energy-producing countries in the world  investment has stalled in recent years, with successive administrations prioritising other energy sources.

Although improvements in technology are bringing down the cost of drilling, and there has been an increase in support for developers in countries like Indonesia, some in the industry have called for additional incentives to encourage development.

Geothermal holds enormous potential for countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, where there is the possibility for advanced technology to produce endless power from a heat source deep inside of the earth, K K Ralhan, group chairman of Singapore-headquartered company Kaltimex Group, told OBG.

To realise this potential, governments need to step up reforms and provide sufficient incentives, whether this be in terms of feed-in tariffs or tax breaks, to ensure that this is economically viable for entrepreneurs.

By Oxford Business Group

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Some Asian refiners have nominated lower than usual volumes of crude oil from Saudi Arabia in September as authorities in China and the rest of Asia have re-imposed restrictions to fight the Delta variant surge, officials at four refineries told Bloomberg.

Aramco has notified those four refineriesone in Southeast Asia and three in Northeast Asiathat it would ship the crude they had asked for, the officials told Bloomberg.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, or Sinopec, is expected to reduce refinery run rates by up to 10 percent at some of its facilities amid renewed travel restrictions in China to fight a COVID wave, a commodity research analyst told Bloomberg in an interview on Tuesday.

According to Jean Zou, an analyst at Shanghai-based commodities researcher ICIS-China, Chinas largest refiner Sinopec is likely to reduce run rates at some refineries by between 5 percent and 10 percent in August, compared to previous plans for this months throughput.

China imposed in the past two weeks widespread restrictions on travel in major cities, including Beijing, to contain a resurgence in COVID cases of the Delta variant. As with the previous outbreak, which China stifled with a complete lockdown, the rise in infections is affecting movement and, consequently, fuel use.

The 20 biggest airports in China saw in the past week the number of flight departures falling to just 40 percent of the levels from 2019, BloombergNEF said earlier this week.

The wide decline in traffic will take a heavy toll on road fuel consumption, which will force producers like Sinopec and PetroChina to reduce refining run rates, Luxi Hong, a Beijing-based analyst with BNEF, said in a note carried by Bloomberg.

Refiners in Asia are also struggling with below-average margins, especially after Saudi Aramco raised last week its official selling prices for crude oil loading for Asia in September to the highest premiums to benchmarks since February 2020.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Coal prices in Europe have soared to a nine-year high due to a combination of increasing demand and supply constraints.



Prices for front-year coal futures on ICE Futures Europe breached the $101 per ton mark, hitting levels not seen since 2012, according to Bloomberg.

This summer, demand for coal power generation has surged amid record heat waves across Europe and natural gas prices surging. Coal has become a much cheaper form of power generation since Russia has tighten gas markets and caused a supply storage crunch.

Supplies of coal are dwindling as power companies are building stockpiles ahead of Europe's winter heating season. At the same time, coal supplies from some emerging market countries have been disrupted due to social unrest and logistical issues.

Coal prices worldwide have surged this year. Prices for coal exported from Australia are at decade highs, while costs of coal imported into Europe from China have also risen.

The latest International Energy Agency report shows coal-fired electricity production will increase 3% in 2021 and 3% next year after declining by 4.6% last year. Not so ESG-friendly considering the continent is trying to decarbonize.

"Normally you have enough supply elasticity in the coal market that whatever happens in the gas market doesn't affect coal that much," said James Waddell, head of European gas at Energy Aspects Ltd. "But because stocks are so low in Europe, and you don't have any mechanism to bring more supplies quickly, gas is having a reciprocal effect on the coal market."

Related: Shell Reports $5.5 Billion Net Profit And Hikes Dividends

European front-month and front-quarter coal contracts have been trading above $100 per ton since mid-June. The continued supply issues are elevating prices for next year.

"Markets may have enjoyed decent demand but frequent supply disruptions also continued, reducing the ability to replenish depleted storage," said Andy Sommer, head of fundamental analysis and modeling at Swiss trader Axpo Solutions AG, in a report on Monday. "On the coal side, this was caused by social unrest and railway issues in Colombia and South Africa."

Suppose power generation companies are paying near-decade highs for coal and natgas. In that case, this means higher electricity prices will be passed down to European households, raising concerns that financially stretched households may feel the burn from higher electricity costs.

By Zerohedge.com

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ExxonMobil has started marketing gas assets in the Fayetteville Shale in Arkansas, the US supermajors spokeswoman Julie King told Reuters on Wednesday.

Since before the pandemic, Exxon has been marketing and divesting assets, focusing on key strategic operations such as the Permian Basin, Guyana, and Brazil.

90 percent of our upstream investments in resource additions, including in Guyana, Brazil, and the U.S. Permian Basin, generate a 10 percent return at $35 per barrel or less, Exxons chairman and chief executive Darren Woods said on the investor day in March 2021.

While focusing on these areas, Exxon is looking to divest assets elsewhere, and the shale gas assets in Arkansas are now up for sale.

We are providing information to third parties that may have an interest in the assets, Exxons spokeswoman King told Reuters. The company declined to comment which could be the potential bidders.

Exxons subsidiary XTO Energy operates more than 662,000 acres in 16 counties in Arkansas, with production at 271 million cubic feet of gas per day, according to XTO Energy.

Privately owned Merit Energywhich had acquired acreage in the area from BHP in 2018is assessing the assets that Exxon has put up for sale, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.



Related: Oil Prices Rebound From Three-Week Lows

In February this year, ExxonMobil said it would sell most of its non-operated assets in the UKs central and northern North Sea to private equity fund HitecVision for more than $1 billion.

We continue to high-grade our portfolio by divesting assets that are less strategic and focusing our investments on our advantaged projects that are among the best in the industry, Neil Chapman, senior vice president of ExxonMobil, said in February.

On the Q2 earnings call at the end of July, CEO Woods said:

To strengthen the earnings and cash flow potential of our assets, our plans will continue to advance high-return, advantaged projects and high-grade our existing assets through accretive divestments.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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An explosion on an oil tanker moored at the Syrian port of Latakia caused a fire that has injured two people in an incident on what was identified as a tanker previously used for transporting Iranian oil to Syria.

The tanker, identified by TankerTrackers.com as WISDOM, caught fire on Tuesday while undergoing maintenance at the Syrian port, Syria's state news agency SANA reported. The vessel was empty, the Syrian agency added.

According to TankerTrackers, WISDOM entered the port of Latakia at the end of June, docking on the north end of the port. It relocated later to the south to make room for the Iranian tanker SAM 121.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion on WISDOM.

This is not the first incident with the tanker, which caught fire in April this year, in what Syrian state media said was a drone attack.

The incident comes amid strained relations between Iran and Israel after recent attacks or attempted attacks on oil tankers in the Middle East.

The tensions between Israel and Iran have escalated in the past weeks after the drone attack on the oil tanker Mercer Street, which killed two crew members. Israel, the United States, and the UK blamed Iran for the attack.

"Upon review of the available information, we are confident that Iran conducted this attack, which killed two innocent people, using one-way explosive UAVs, a lethal capability it is increasingly employing throughout the region," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The Middle East tensions further escalated last week, when a tanker carrying bitumen was the target of a hijacking attempt in the Gulf of Oman in which it was ordered to travel to Iran.

Israel is prepared to attack Iran, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz was quoted as saying last Thursday, a week after the Israeli-linked oil tanker was attacked in the Gulf of Oman.

"Yes," Gantz said when asked in an interview broadcast by an Israeli media website if Israel was ready to attack Iran.

In response to the Israeli defense minister's words that Israel was prepared to attack Iran, the spokesman of Iran's Foreign Ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh, tweeted on Thursday:

"In another brazen violation of Int'l law, Israeli regime now blatantly threatens #Iran with military action. Such malign behavior stems from blind Western support. We state this clearly: ANY foolish act against Iran will be met with a DECISIVE response. Don't test us."

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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The ravaging impact of the pandemic affected a vast number of small businesses that also struggled to keep up with their recurring monthly expenditure. Whilst focusing on cutting the budget and operating efficiently, businesses became critical of every amount spent.



One remarkable initiative, which has seemingly brought relief to small businesses during this pandemic, is the zero charges on mobile money transfers from Vodafone Cash. With this arrangement, businesses are able to transfer any amount of money from their Vodafone Cash accounts to any other mobile money account without charges.



In essence, businesses that use Vodafone Cash to pay wages and salaries, suppliers, and other monthly transactions have been saving the transfer charges they would have incurred. One could for instance, save as much as Ghc 100 if they needed to send Ghc 1,000 or more to 10 different mobile money accounts.



Reminiscing over what many have described as bold and purpose-first decision, some SMEs have praised the Telco for the relief they say it has brought them. According to them, through this show of goodwill, they are able to save the charges on money transfers to solve other pressing needs.



Thanks to the free mobile money transfers on Vodafone Cash, my cost of doing business has reduced and this has enhanced my profit base. If I am able to save even a hundred cedis per month as a result of the non-payment of charges on money transfers, that is a crumb of comfort, especially in these hard times, said Dr Eunice Quansah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nkunim Seafood Enterprise in Cape Coast.



On his part, Kenneth Sackey, an event organizer based in Accra, is even happier with the service. Unless I am required to produce physical cash, I do not need to go to the bank to deposit or send money to my partners and clients. I am able to do these anywhere and anytime especially knowing that I will not be charged. Moreover, I get to purge myself of all the risks associated with carrying huge sums of money to the bank to either deposit in my account or send to someone. Vodafone Cash offers me a viable alternative with its unfettered free transfer, he said.



For Gifty Pino of Agee Ventures, her upbeat about Vodafone Cash is especially based on what she describes as trading made simple and special. According to her, she now has the peace of mind to concentrate on the things that matter the most without caring at all about how much to pay for transferring money from her phone to her business partners or loved ones.



I sell bags, shoes, and dresses. Vodafone Cash has made trading specially for me. I mean, because of Vodafone Cash, I am not charged a pesewa for sending any amount of money to anyone, regardless of their network. The complete removal of charges on Vodafone Cash has given us traders peace of mind. Indeed, Vodafone Cash has really helped us, she said.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of 21st Clinic, Dr. Blessed Foster, has won a coveted Healthcare delivery award.



Dr Foster, who has successfully positioned 21st Clinic into a solid and trustworthy health facility, has been presented with an "outstanding medical excellence award quality health delivery in Ghana".



The prestigious award was presented to him by the United Clergy International Association (UCIA).



UCIA said it settled on Dr Foster for the award because of his "distinguished years of outstanding performance, tireless dedication, consummate professionalism and unparalleled loyalty to your work and the health needs of Ghanaians."



The award was presented to Dr. Foster on Friday, August 6, 2021.



UCIA also presented 21st Clinic with the "Mos-Result Oriented Herbal and Alternative Health Facility of The Year" award.



Under Dr. Foster as CEO, 21st Clinic has been able to among other things, assembled a team of highly trained health professionals, dedicated to healing and restoring hope to sick.



21st Clinic international partners in Cuba, Canada and India, give it access to 21st century technologies and techniques that cant be found locally.



No doubt, 21st Clinic is the number go to place for treating sciatica in Ghana and has received endorsements from high profile personalities including former Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Elizabeth Agyemang.



Other people that were awarded included, Energy Minister, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, Dr Osei Adutwum, Collins Ntim and some MCEs. The only Health category was for 21st Clinic.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Minister for Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye has said that the revamping of the Rent Control Department is high on the agenda of the government.



The Minister made this disclosure when he paid a working visit to the Rent Control Department in Accra, one of the nations foremost institutions operating under the Ministry.



In his address to the press after the visit, he announced that the Ministry of Works and Housing is currently engaging the Ministry of Communication and Digitisation to digitalise the operations of the Rent Control Department. The digitalisation will ensure that the Department speeds up its operations, communicate with its clients digitally, and provide a sustainable income flow for the operations of the Department, he said.



Additionally, Mr. Asenso-Boakye announced that government is in the process of reviewing the existing Rent Act, 1963 (Act 220), to sanitize rent administration regulation in the housing sector, and commercial properties. This will include the restructuring of the administrative set-up of the Rent Control Department to position the Department and efficiently perform its mandate.



The new Act is intended to safeguard the rights of vulnerable tenants who have been out priced by the uncontrollable hikes in the cost of rental accommodation, and also promote the development of rent-to-own housing schemes that is being piloted by this Government, Hon. Asenso asserted.



He commended the management and staff of the organisation for holding the fort over the years amidst the difficulties, and urged them to continue to put up their best since the issue of rent and its attendant effect is very topical and sensitive within our socio-economic setup as a country.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Accra High Court (Commercial Division) has awarded GH326,456 in damages against the Sam-J Specialist Hospital in Accra for medical negligence that led to a baby suffering paralysis in the right arm.

The amount includes general damages of GH200,000 and costs of GH20,000 against the hospital and its owner, Dr Amoo Mensah, who the court said negligently failed to live up to professional medical standards in providing antenatal care for the babys mother.



Plaintiffs case



The case of the plaintiffs, Kofi Duffour and Joyce Akyaah Barnes, who are parents of the baby, was that in March 2017, they sought antenatal care from the Sam-J Specialist Hospital, where Dr Mensah, an obstetrician gynaecologist, was assigned to care for the pregnant woman.



According to the woman, on one occasion when she attended the clinic, a scan taken of her unborn baby showed that it was too big and when she expressed concern about delivering a baby of that size, the doctor asked her not to be worried.



The plaintiffs said the baby weighed 4.0 kilogrammes at birth, making the delivery process stressful.



It was also the case of the woman that at one time during consultation, the doctor prescribed medication for her without telling her what it was meant to address, only to find out from the pharmacy that it was meant for diabetes.



Plaintiffs said they subsequently found out that the gestational diabetes was the cause of the increase in the weight of their baby.



They further averred that on the birth of their son, he was diagnosed with a condition called Erbs Palsy by the hospital and later referred to the 37 Military Hospital, where he was rather diagnosed with a condition known as klumpkys Palsy  a paralysis of the arm due to an injury of the network of spinal nerves resulting from a difficult delivery.



According to the plaintiffs, from what they were told by health providers and the literature they read, the injury was as a result of the big size of the baby and the mode of delivery.



They said when the doctor took the scan of the unborn baby and realised that it was big, he failed to advise them on the possible dangers of having a baby of that size for them to make an informed decision.



Again, the plaintiffs said, as a result of the injury to their son, they incurred substantial cost in seeking medical remedy in Ghana and India.



Defendants case



The case of the defendants was that when the woman started antenatal clinic with them, adequate and professional care was given to her.



According to the doctor, he was not negligent in his treatment of the woman before, during and after delivery.



Decision



The court, presided over by Justice Doreen G. Boakye-Agyei, held that although the plaintiffs sought the services of the private health facility and its owner for the best medical treatment to deliver a healthy baby, their expectations were dashed due to the defendants not adhering to their own ethical and professional standards, which left the child handicapped for life.









Source: graphiconline.com









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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reaffirmed the governments commitment to improving the well-being of the people in the Bono East Region and the country at large.



He said on assumption of office, he assured the people of Ghana he would focus on their welfare and would, thus, not relent in pursuing such a laudable agenda to ensure its success.



President Akufo-Addo gave the assurance when he addressed the chiefs and people of the Kintampo North Municipality to mark the start of his two-day working visit to the Bono East Region.



Second term



The visit was to commend the people for trusting him with a second term in governance and to have a first-hand information about their welfare, he said.



The President also wanted to know the progress being made regarding the implementation of socio-economic development projects in the region.



Cashew cultivation



He said the municipality was noted for its high cashew cultivation and pledged to continue to support farmers with inputs and materials to boost their business.



The Paramount Chief of Mo Traditional Area, Nana Adjei Adinkra, on behalf of the chiefs in the municipality, commended President Akufo-Addo for his high sense of creativity, initiative and introduction of pragmatic policies and programmes that had positively impacted the livelihoods of the people.







Source: graphiconline.com









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The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) has been removing tree stumps from inland waterways on Volta Lake. So far, the authority has removed 21,000 of these tree stumps from various routes mostly on the Volta Lake, Director General, Thomas Kofi Alonsi has disclosed.



He said since the removal of the stumps on these waterways, transport services have greatly improved, yielding huge economic and social dividends to the people who live around these communities.



He was speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, August 11, 2021.



He said: apart from the human element, the main causes of accident on the Volta Lake include the absence of safe navigational channels. The Authority has therefore embarked on the removal of submerged tree stumps that constitutes hazards to navigation. The main reason for removing these tree stumps is to create navigational channels in order to enhance the safety of navigation.



The Authority has therefore selected some routes along the Volta Lake and undertaken this exercise of ensuring that we remove these tree stumps which in all, 21,000 from various routes on the Volta Lake have been removed, he added.



This he said includes the removal of 2,200 tree stumps on 2.5 kilometers of waterways from Dambai to Dodoikope, 3,550 tree stumps on 8 kilometers of waterways from Yeji to Makango, 4,800 tree stumps on 11 kilometers of waterways from Yeji to Awujakope, and 10,490 tree stumps on 30 kilometers of waterways from Tumpunjah to Kodorkope to Dambai TO Njare all along the Volta Lake.



He said previously, ferries and boats could not operate in these waterways after 5pm due to poor visibility, often leaving commuters stranded and desperate but that has now changed noting that ferries and boats are now able to navigate safely on the lake up to 8 pm.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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A 10-year old boy has allegedly committed suicide by hanging at Atonsu S-Line in Kumasi.

The boy (name withheld) was found dead in his room with his neck in a noose which was tied to a ceiling fan with his legs resting on a mattress.



A kitchen stool and a ladder were also seen in the room.



The lifeless body of the boy has since been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) morgue in Kumasi, for preservation and autopsy.



Confirmation



Confirming the incident to the Daily Graphic, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr Godwin Ahiayo, the Public Relations Officer of the Ashanti Regional Police Command said on Monday, August 9, 2021, one Yaw Akuoko Sarpong (33), an elder brother of the deceased came to the station to lodge a complaint about his brothers death.



He said the complainant informed the police that on his return from work on Monday around 3pm, he found the lifeless body of his brother, hanging on a ceiling fan in one of the rooms in their house at Atonsu S-Line.



ASP Ahiayo seized the opportunity to appeal to residents who have any information about the death of the boy to relay it to the Police to help in ongoing investigations.









Source: graphiconline.com









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STC Managing Director, Nana Akomea, has shared his view on the calls for Health Minister, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu to resign as a result of his involvement in the Sputnik V vaccine shady deal.



There are incessant calls on the Minister to vacate his office after entering into a contract for the Sputnik V without Parliamentary and Cabinet approval.



During a Parliamentary Committee probe, the Minister said, I was in a desperate and helpless situation with the management of the covid numbers. In February, we had 78 deaths; by March, we had 56 deaths, and these were the numbers that pushed me to actif you were the Health Minister, I think you might have taken certain decisions that in hindsight you may not have done those things. The country was not in normal times . . . this was the environment I found myself in and out of desperation, frustration, and so many things".



"I was seriously in a situation that could not make me think properly. I dealt with the Sheikh before the frantic efforts to get the vaccines from the right source. I made efforts, but I did not juxtapose the timing with the efforts that I made. I made that error and in hindsight, it wont happen again.



Pressure group ''OccupyGhana'' and other Ghanaians want Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu to resign or be fired over the controversial deal through a middlemen, Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum and S. L. Global.



"It is clear to us from the above that the Health Minister entered into an international business transaction and paid or supervised the payment of monies under the transaction without parliamentary approval, without cabinet approval, without Public Procurement Authority approval or ratification and without the endorsing advice of the Attorney-General.



" . . we demand that the Health Minister resigns from office. Even if he meant well under emergency circumstances, those did not justify bypassing our constitutional and statutory processes. If the Health Minister does not resign of his own accord, then we call on the President to relieve him of his post," the group said.



When asked by broadcaster Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'' about his position on the matter, Nana Akomea left the decision in the hands of the President, who is his appointing authority.



According to him, Mr. Agyeman-Manu has apologized for his actions, therefore the final decision doesn't lie with him (Nana Akomea) to suggest whether or not he must resign or be fired.



''Now, it's up to the appointing authority. The man has admitted his fault and apologized; it's the appointing authority who will decide whether to accept his apology or not," he said.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has jumped to the defence of the Health Minister, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu over his controversial procurement of Sputnik V vaccine.



During a Parliamentary Committee probe, the Minister said, I was in a desperate and helpless situation with the management of the covid numbers. In February, we had 78 deaths; by March, we had 56 deaths, and these were the numbers that pushed me to actif you were the Health Minister, I think you might have taken certain decisions that in hindsight you may not have done those things. The country was not in normal times...this was the environment I found myself in and out of desperation, frustration, and so many things.



I was seriously in a situation that could not make me think properly. I dealt with the Sheikh before the frantic efforts to get the vaccines from the right source. I made efforts, but I did not juxtapose the timing with the efforts that I made. I made that error and in hindsight, it wont happen again.



Pressure Group, OccupyGhana, and some Ghanaians say the Minister should resign or be fired.



''It is clear to us from the above that the Health Minister entered into an international business transaction and paid or supervised the payment of monies under the transaction without parliamentary approval, without cabinet approval, without Public Procurement Authority approval or ratification and without the endorsing advice of the Attorney-General.



" . . we demand that the Health Minister resigns from office. Even if he meant well under emergency circumstances, those did not justify bypassing our constitutional and statutory processes. If the Health Minister does not resign of his own accord, then we call on the President to relieve him of his post," the group said.



But Kwesi Pratt has objected to the resignation or dismissal calls stressing the Minister is somehow being used as a scapegoat.



"What's the main problem? Will his resignation or dismissal solve the problem? If we say resignation is the solution, what is the problem? Dismissal is the solution, what's the problem? It's a simple problem of major systemic failure," he said.



"Mr. Agyeman-Manu is not an ordinary person. Firstly, I saw him as Chairman of Public Accounts Committee and the work he did there. If you saw the work he did as Chairman of Public Accounts Committee and think he's ordinary person, then it's up to you. This is his fifth term in Parliament. He's been a Deputy Minister before he became a Minister of Health," he added.



''What really occurred for him to make these many mistakes?'', he questioned.





He believed there is a powerful hand behind the Minister's action, adding it cannot be that it's the Minister alone who engaged in the shady deal."It appears we are covering up the truth because this Minister has made terrible mistakes, but I don't believe he's bereft or lack of knowledge about the work that has brought us to this stage. There's a major systemic failure and with this major systemic failure, when you look at all the things that have happened, the resignation of one person does not solve the problem. I'm even not recommending resignations. I'm not even recommending prosecutions. We need to find out properly why all these breaches are there," he told Kwami Sefa Kayi on''Kokrokoo''.

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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Deputy Director of the Legal Affairs of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Baba Jamal says the work of his party will be easy and simple going into the 2024 general elections.



He explained that Ghanaians are already living testimonies of the economic hardship inflicted on the nation by the Akufo-Addo administration, hence, the opposition NDC will not argue with the ruling NPP government over which government has performed better.



Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, the former Member of Parliament(MP) for Akwatia Constituency in the Eastern Region maintained that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) will not bother to tell Ghanaians which of the two main political parties (NPP and NDC) is good or not as Ghanaians are better judges to give a correct verdict.



This is not a matter of arguing with anyone as to whether the NPP is the best manager of the economy. Ghanaians are living testimonies of the hardship under this government. We dont need to tell any Ghanaian that NDC is good and NPP is not good; they are all experiencing whatever is going on in this country, he noted.



He reiterated that, we dont bother too much to campaign to people. We dont make noise anymore because everyone is going through a phase of hardship in the country. We know what is going on in our workplaces, schools and families and so take your own decision.



We are not going to go in the direction of trumpeting that NDC did this or that because Ghanaians know which government builds a lot of hospitals, secondary schools, universities, airports and other infrastructures, he stressed.



He further indicated that Ghanaians are aware of the rise in armed robbery cases and the stagnation of salaries of workers against the sky-rocket cost of living, and therefore cannot agree with the claim of the NPP that it is the best thing that has happened to the country.



He posited that the educational system has collapsed under President Akufo-Addos administration to the extent that the children are left confused at home without knowing what is happening around them.



"For the first time, all government workers want to embark on an industrial strike and yet Nana Obiri Boahen and the NPP say that this government is the best. Ghanaians are listening to them; those who today are struggling to pay lorry fares to work and finding it difficult to feed their families and pay school fees and even pay rents are listening to them if this government is the best, he argued.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









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Former Acting CPP General Secretary, James Kwabena Bomfeh, popularly known as Kabila, has asked the Health Minister Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu not to return to office after his two-weeks break.



The Health Minister has taken an annual leave to rest following the public backlash against him regarding the controversial Sputnik V deal.



The Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dormaa Central in the Bono Region, made a request to the Presidency to go on a two-week leave.



The leave was granted by the Chief of Staff, Mrs Akosua Frema Osei-Opare.



Making his submissions on the Minister's leave during Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Kabila prayed Mr. Agyeman-Manu must use the opportunity to draw his exit plan.



"My prayer for him is that he should ask God to guide him and give him wisdom on how he will do his exit plan . . . sometimes, when you are becoming the weakest link to a government and you step aside, it brings honour to you," he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The ruling NPP Ashanti Regional Secretary, Sam Pyne, has slammed UTAG over their defiance against the injunction by an Accra High Court to compel them to cancel their strike.



The National Labour Commission has secured an injunction to stop UTAG from continuing their industrial action but the Teachers Association has refused to comply with the injunction.



According to UTAG President, Charles Marfo, the Association has instructed its lawyers to take up the matter.



"We were almost reaching a consensus until the government's court issue arose. Now, a whole new ballgame has started because we're also asking our lawyers to go to court . . . We were getting there. We were pushing; now this argument I'm making is lost," he said.



To Sam Pyne, UTAG, not obeying the court ruling, is setting a bad example.



According to him, "every legal defiance isn't positive. We must respect the rulings and verdicts of courts".



"If those who are intellectuals do something like this, what example are they leaving for those who resort to violence?'', he questioned.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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" " Indonesian Muslims hold an electric torch march while celebrating Islamic New Year's Eve in Jakarta Aug. 31, 2019. They were welcoming in the year 1441. Fachrul Reza/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Much of the world today follows the Gregorian solar calendar, which has its origins in medieval Western Christianity. Conversely, the Islamic calendar or Hijri, is a lunar calendar. There are 12 months in the Hijri calendar, with each month being 29 or 30 days long.

It would be over 32 to 33 years that the lunar calendar will completely cycle the solar calendar. That's why the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan can fall in October one year, and a few years later it would be in July. It also means that the Islamic New Year is never on the same date and would also depend on the sighting of the moon.

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Year one of the Hijri calendar is based on the emigration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in the year A.D. 622 to establish the first Muslim community. Despite Muhammad being from Mecca, his new faith and followers were persecuted for their beliefs. The Islamic calendar marks that beginning in Medina.

Additionally, the Islamic New Year is associated with the prophets of the Christian faith as well: This is the day when Noah's ark is believed to have come to rest on land, the day on which God forgave Adam, the day of Joseph's release from prison, the day of the births of Jesus, Abraham and Adam, throughout the ages. It is also believed to be the day of the Prophet Muhammad's conception in the year 570.

Currently, while much of the world sees this as 2021, it is the Islamic year 1443, starting on Aug. 10 A.H. In Latin, A.H. means Anno Hegirae  the year of the hijra, or emigration.

Unlike many traditions that celebrate the new year as a joyous occasion, the Islamic New Year is typically a somber affair. The first Islamic month is Muharram, a sacred time for prayer and reflection for both Sunni and Shiite Muslims.

" " Javanese people carry an offering of a goat during Islamic New Year celebrations Sept. 21, 2017. They bring offerings in the form of vegetables, rice, fruits and livestock that will be thrown into the sea. Local people believe that the rituals will bring them a better life. Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images

Why the Islamic New Year Matters

The 10th day of Muharram, known as Ashura, is particularly significant to Shiite Muslims. In the year 680, the Prophet Mohammad's grandson Husayn was killed along with most of his family and supporters in the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq. Yazid, the caliph of the Ummayad dynasty, which ruled an area spanning from Spain to Persia from 661 to 750, saw Husayn as a political threat and brutally suppressed him and his movement. The battle was a turning point for the Shiites, who saw indifference by the majority in the massacre of the rightful heirs of Muhammad as final proof of a fundamental irreconcilability with Sunni Islam. It solidified the Sunni-Shiaschism in Islam.

For the Shiites, Husayn represents someone who stood against the forces of injustice and evil. They commemorate the battle during the first two Islamic months of Muharram and Safar.

In many countries like India and Iran, the Islamic New Year and Ashura are public holidays. Life events, such as birthdays and marriages, historically were not celebrated for the first 10 days of the month. Sunnis also observe Ashura. Many observe fasts as a way to atone for their sins and perform acts of charity.

Iqbal Akhtar is an associate professor of religious studies at Florida International University.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. You can find the original article here.
The role of foreigners in Singapore's economy has been scrutinised amid the pandemic, yet class anxieties may be the country's bigger pressure point. (PHOTO: Getty Editorial)

By Daniel Moss

(Bloomberg Opinion)  Singapore has declared its intent to begin putting the pandemic behind it and rebrand as what the health minister calls a Covid-resilient nation. Dismounting from the carousel of closures and reopenings is going to be tough  the city state has had a few false dawns. Even harder will be papering over the social and economic divisions that have deepened because of the disease.

Lockdown-like restrictions began easing Tuesday, with dine-in allowed for groups of up to five, provided they are vaccinated. Work-from-home rules will be relaxed next week. Travel, vital to the republics standing as a hub, could become less gnarled by bureaucracy. In many activities, the fully inoculated will enjoy more freedoms, though the hawker centers and mom-and-pop coffee shops beloved by Singaporeans can seat groups of two regardless of shot status.

As welcome as lighter curbs are, Singapore is miles from being fully up and running. The new normal that politicians have been talking about for the better part of a year will require the country to strip out some of its old DNA. Long a haven for trade, finance and foreign talent, the government says its still keen on the first two, though appears ambivalent about the third. Discourse is becoming more sensitive to themes of equality and opportunities for the average citizen. Immigration is a particularly tender point.

While varying degrees of disquiet over the role of foreigners has long existed, the rhetoric has become sharper in the past decade. The number of permanent residency visas granted  roughly equivalent to green cards in the U.S.  has fallen dramatically since the global financial crisis of 2007-2009. Last years recession, the worst in the republics history, and an election that left a few bruises on the ruling party, made tightening criteria for work papers inevitable. Surveys this year by the Institute of Policy Studies, a Singapore think tank, showed people fretting about job security and opportunities for their children, while favouring strict limits on immigration. The government has responded to the political climate, raising salary thresholds and requiring that dependents who wish to work obtain their own company-sponsored visas.

Story continues

Even if Singapores total foreign workforce fell to about 1.2 million last year from 1.4 million in 2019, it still represents more than 20% of the population. Employment passes, issued for professional roles that pay at least S$4,500 ($3,323) per month, fell 8.6% from the previous year. The decline is being felt across industries from manufacturing to finance, white- and blue-collar alike. Banks, frequently in the political cross hairs on hiring, are keen to emphasise promotions for locals.

In an Aug. 8 address, on the eve of National Day, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong foreshadowed policy changes that aim to balance the interests of locals and foreign workers. We have to adjust our policies to manage the quality, numbers and concentrations of foreigners in Singapore, Lee said. If we do this well, we can continue to welcome foreign workers and new immigrants, as we must. Lee also urged citizens not to take social cohesion for granted. A series of race-related incidents and violence have featured prominently in domestic media in recent months.

Expatriate professionals often complain about being watched and subjected to more scrutiny than local residents. But beneath the growing unease with foreigners is a sentiment that gets far less attention: class anxieties. In that light, there may be more common ground between expats and well-to-do locals than the prevailing narrative suggests. I know plenty of Singaporeans who are as frustrated with stop-go pandemic responses and disappointed by apprehensions about reopening as any European or American. They are also just as keen to travel abroad and feel equally targeted by Covid-fighting measures.

Class divisions also need to be seen in the context of Singapores long-term economic slowdown. The population is aging, while people are marrying later and having fewer children. The country has one of the highest levels of gross domestic product per capita in the world, but income inequality remains a persistent worry. Most citizens consider themselves working class or lower-middle class. Concerns about social stratification have also arisen amid booming property prices and the towering costs of education.

How the fourth generation of leaders, the cadre of lawmakers vying to succeed Lee in a few years, handles this mix of sentiments will determine whether Singapore continues its ascent as a magnet for business or succumbs to populist-tinged currents. Does the state, already a huge influence on the economy by determining land use, housing and shares in some of the biggest companies, become more redistributive? The head of the central bank last month gently floated the merits of a wealth tax and minimum wage.(1)

While the pandemic didnt create economic and social anxieties, it no doubt brought them to the surface. When the government banned dining-in and restricted social gatherings a few weeks ago, business owners felt they were scapegoated for lapses that allowed clusters to develop at seedy karaoke lounges and a fish market frequented by local seniors. While Singapore once considered tony restaurants a badge of sophistication, their owners describe a more complicated landscape. Some have observed the high level of scrutiny cosmopolitan spots downtown receive relative to the hawker centers and food halls that dot housing estates and suburbs. Safe distancing ambassadors  civilians with red shirts and ID lanyards known as SDAs  have become a constant presence in well-heeled parts of the city, peering through cafe windows and aiming their smart phones at patrons huddling too closely around their cappuccinos.

On the afternoon before the latest clampdown, which began July 22, I enjoyed a late lunch at a food center in Kallang nestled among industrial warehouses and near apartment towers erected by the Housing & Development Board. I saw no SDAs. Nobody asked for my temperature or checked I had signed in using TraceTogether, Singapore's contact tracing app. I struggled to even locate the barcode on a nondescript girder somewhere in the vicinity of the front of the hall. The only person taking photos as I tucked into a delicious nasi padang plate was me. (The government has since made TraceTogether sign-in mandatory at hawker centers, which makes one wonder why it took so long.)

Leaders concede the economic pressures faced by many Singaporeans. Lees speech acknowledged lower-wage workers are finding it tougher to make ends meet. Ministers warn almost daily of the risks of becoming too inward-looking and shutting off from the world. There is no easy solution at hand. In the meantime, officials are trying to provide a decent quality of life as best they can while living with a pandemic that is far from defeated  the high vaccination rates notwithstanding.

Few places will look the same as they did in January 2020, and Singapore wont be an exception. Core assumptions about its perch as an avatar of capitalism have been challenged. The fissures revealed the past 18 months wont close so easily.

(1) Ravi Menon, managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, gave a series of lectures in his capacity as a visiting scholar at the Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Menon said the content reflects his personal views, not those of the MAS or the government.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Daniel Moss is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asian economies. Previously he was executive editor of Bloomberg News for global economics, and has led teams in Asia, Europe and North America.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
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A study conducted in Hungarian schools showed that seating students next to each other boosted their tendency to become friendsboth for pairs of similar students and pairs of students who differed in their educational achievement, gender, or ethnicity. Julia Rohrer of University of Leipzig, Germany, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on August 11, 2021.

According to earlier research, proximity between people can promote friendships. However, people also tend to become friends with those who have similar characteristics, such as gender, age, and ethnicity. It is unclear how these two phenomena interact; specifically, whether similarity between individuals influences the effects of proximity on friendship.

To explore this question, Rohrer and colleagues conducted an experiment in which they created randomized classroom seating charts for 2,966 students in grades 3 through 8 across 40 schools in rural Hungary. The students remained in their assigned seats for one semester, at the end of which they reported their friendships in a survey.

Statistical analysis of the students' demographics and reported friendships showed that sitting next to each other increased the probability of their becoming mutual friends from 15 to 22 percent (an increase of 7 percent). The propensity toward friendship increased for all pairs of students, including those who differed in their educational achievement, gender, or ethnicity (Roma or non-Roma ethnic identity).

However, the researchers found, the number of friendships increased more for similar versus dissimilar pairs of students. This was because the baseline propensity toward friendship started out higher for similar students, so seating them next to each other pushed more of them past a threshold into actual friendship than did seating dissimilar students together. Gender was the main driver of this pattern.

The researchers noted that the effect of sitting together for students of Roma and non-Roma ethnicities was less certain than for pairs of students who were dissimilar in other ways, especially given the small numbers of Roma students in their sample. However, overall their findings suggest that seating assignments could be effective tools in promoting diverse friendships, which could help foster social skills and improve attitudes about those in other demographic groups.

Senior author Felix Elwert adds: "Friendships matter, for better or worse. Having friends improves happiness and health; but friendship networks also divide people, because humans mostly befriend others that are just like them. Importantly, we found that sitting next to each other increased friendship potential for all children, regardless of their gender, class, or ethnic background. This demonstrates that simple ('light-touch") interventions can effectively diversify friendship networks."

Co-author Tamas Keller adds: "Although teachers have a full control over arranging the classroom seating chart, inducing friendship by seating chart arrangement is an overlooked policy lever. Our research has highlighted two specific boundaries: gender and ethnic differences. Students in early adolescence make friendships with the same sex peersa feature that is difficult to change with light-touch seating chart interventions. Similarly, the goal to establish inter-ethnic friendship ties might require more intensive interventions."

Explore further Why it's good for kids to have friends from different socioeconomic backgrounds

More information: Rohrer JM, Keller T, Elwert F (2021) Proximity can induce diverse friendships: A large randomized classroom experiment. PLoS ONE 16(8): e0255097. Journal information: PLoS ONE Rohrer JM, Keller T, Elwert F (2021) Proximity can induce diverse friendships: A large randomized classroom experiment.16(8): e0255097. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255097
This image, captured by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, shows clouds casting their shadows on the Philippine Sea on June 25, 2016. Credit: ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center

Every evening, small fish and microscopic animals called zooplankton journey to the ocean surface, where they feast on microscopic plants under the moonlight before returning to the depths at dawn. With data collected during the EXport Processes in the Ocean from Remote Sensing (EXPORTS) field campaign in 2018 to the Northeastern Pacific Ocean, scientists have now shown that some zooplankton living in the twilight zone of the ocean at depths of greater than 300 meters swim up and down also in response to shifts in light due to cloud cover.

The nightly trek from the ocean depths to the surface has been called the largest migration on Earth, because of both the number of animals who make the nightly trek and how far these tiny creatures travel roundtrip. NASA has observed this global migration with a space-based laser on the CALIPSO satellite. Scientists have also documented these migrations during events such as eclipses, full moons and storms.

"The amount that they swim is pretty remarkable given their body length, said Melissa Omand, an associate professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. "It's like me in Rhode Island going to Boston and back every day," she said, roughly 80 miles.

Throughout the day, when clouds pass overhead, zooplankton make "mini-migrations" of about 50 feet on average. These add up to 30% of the average nightly migration distance, the team reported in a study published August 2 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The findings could have implications for scientists' knowledge of the metabolic requirements of zooplankton, which are key players in the marine food web and the transfer of carbon in the ocean.

The discovery comes from data collected during NASA's EXPORTS mission, which seeks to better understand the export and fate of carbon from the upper ocean to the deep using satellite observations and state of the art ocean technologies. Omand was one of the more than 100 scientists from nearly 30 research institutions that participated in the science campaign. During the expedition, they used an instrument called an acoustic doppler current profiler, or ADCP, to measure ocean currents. The instrument sends out pings of sound that bounce off suspended material in the water column, like particles or zooplankton. Some of those pings are reflected to the instrument, while others are scattered.

When Omand went below deck to analyze the ADCP data on her computer, she noticed something intriguing. There were unusual "wiggles" in the data, signifying that something was moving up and down in the water column. Based on the frequency of the sound waves, 150 kHz, and the marine animals captured in nets of other concurrent EXPORTs experiments, that something was most likely zooplankton. She also noticed that those wiggles lined up with the changes in sunlight measured by the radiometera device that measures the intensity of sunlightmounted on the ship.

To Omand, this implied that the zooplankton were swimming up and down as the light changed due to clouds passing overhead. She made a simple computer model that confirmed her suspicions: The zooplankton were following isolumes, or areas in the ocean with the same amount of light throughout. For example, when cloud cover prevented sunlight from reaching as deep in the ocean, the zooplankton would swim toward the surface to stay in water with their preferred brightness. When the clouds passed, they would swim back down. According to the model, the zooplankton were responding to changes in brightness of only 10% or 20%  an imperceptible difference to Omand and the rest of the crew standing on the ship deck.

"This finding poses some really good questions about whether there's an evolutionary or ecological advantage to this daytime behavior," said Omand. She notes, however, that this is just one series of observations in one spot in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. In addition, the ADCP data cannot pinpoint specific zooplankton species. These new results show that some twilight zone animals are considerably more active than previously thought. More information is needed to fully understand why zooplankton exert energy swimming up and down all day in response to small changes in light, and if this behavior is common among different zooplankton species and throughout oceans worldwide.

"But it's such a cool thing to have a window into the daytime lives of these little animals," Omand said, "and hopefuly this sheds light on the cues these animals are using and why they do what they do."

Explore further Fear of the light may help tiny ocean creatures survive a brighter future

More information: Melissa M. Omand et al, Cloud shadows drive vertical migrations of deep-dwelling marine life, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Melissa M. Omand et al, Cloud shadows drive vertical migrations of deep-dwelling marine life,(2021). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2022977118
Fig. 1. Marginal probability of intra-individual ethnicity change among different age cohorts and educational groups. Credit: DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2021.102694

Ethnicity often plays a prominent role in debates at every level of Dutch society. But what exactly is ethnicity, and is it as set in stone as we believe? Research conducted by Radboud University's Robbert Rademakers and Andre van Hoorn has shown that, during their lifetime, millions of people across the world will assume a different ethnicity. Their research will now be featured in the Journal of Development Economics. "Ethnicity is not a fixed biological fact, but a concept that is interpreted differently by everyone."

The study shows that ethnicity is not nearly as unmalleable as has long been thought. For their research, Rademakers and Van Hoorn used datasets from millions of Indonesian, Indian and the American inhabitants. These people were asked about their ethnicity at various points in their lives. Seven percent of the Indonesians from the dataset self-reported different ethnicities during the measurement period, while the percentage in the US was slightly lower.

Debate

This is significant because ethnic background is not only frequently used in scientific studies, but it is also used in public debate to indicate trends in society. "Government agencies, for example, collect data on income, education and health and ask survey participants to state their own ethnicity. But if people suddenly start to identify with a different ethnicity during the course of their lives, this will have an impact on the way in which we need to interpret this data," explains Rademakers.

Ethnicity is interpreted in different ways by people from different countries. Rademakers: "It's a feeling of shared ancestry, a common past. The way in which ethnicity is expressed differs from country to country. In America, ethnicity is primarily about skin color, while in other countries it may be about language, nationality, region of birth, and so on."

Interethnic marriage

The article mentions various reasons for the change in ethnicity: for instance, people may adopt the ethnicity of their partner after they get married, or adopt a different ethnicity when they move to another region. Rademakers: "Consider a second or third generation Chinese-American woman who marries a white person. This person may become increasingly distant from the identity that derives from their original ethnicity, and at some point they may subsequently identify as white. This, in turn, will affect the figures for interethnic marriages. Officially speaking, the percentage of interethnic marriages in the United States is only 5 percent, but if you look at the actual figures, the percentage is closer to 10 percent."

Although the researchers did not have access to Dutch datasets, they expect that other assumptions about ethnicity will need to be made here as well. Andre van Hoorn: "If someone's grandparents or great-grandparents came from Turkey, we still refer to them as a Turkish Dutchman, but that doesn't say anything about the extent to which this person has integrated into Dutch society. It's vital that we continue to question the information content of the data on ethnicity: it may be able to provide insight into discrimination in the job market, for example, but we shouldn't use it too rigidly. If we fail to understand that ethnic identity is fluid, it will create a massive blind spot in the way in which we perceive society."

Explore further Yellow emojis not neutral symbols of identity

More information: Robbert Rademakers et al, Ethnic switching: Longitudinal evidence on prevalence, correlates, and implications for measuring ethnic segregation, Journal of Development Economics (2021). Robbert Rademakers et al, Ethnic switching: Longitudinal evidence on prevalence, correlates, and implications for measuring ethnic segregation,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2021.102694
An alpinist stands on the balcony of the Boccalatte Hut on the Planpincieux Glacier in Courmayeur, north-western Italy.

Scientists on Italy's side of the Mont Blanc massif are constantly monitoring a melting glacier, where the risk of collapse due to rising temperatures threatens the valley below.

The Planpincieux glacier, at an altitude of about 2,700 metres (8,860 feet), hangs over the hamlet of Planpincieux, underneath the south face of the Grandes Jorasses within the Mont Blanc massif in Italy's picturesque northwest corner.

Known as a "temperate" glacier, it is already at a melting point, as opposed to polar glaciers that are still frozen to bedrock.

That means the Planpincieux glacier can slide faster, via water just under its surface, making it more unpredictable and dangerous for the Val Ferret valley below, experts say.

"We've got a significant temperature rise and this causes a more rapid formation of the sub-glacial water flow, an important underground circulation of water," Valerio Segor, the Aosta Valley region's director of natural risk management, told AFP.

In years past, the Planpincieux glacier was lodged in a more stable position on the rock, and was thicker with fewer fractures, said Paolo Perret, a glacier expert at the Courmayeur-based Safe Mountains Foundation.

But due to rising temperatures caused by climate change, "the glacier withdrew to a smooth and steep surface which causes it to be in an unstable position," Perret said.

Rising temperatures caused by climate change threatens the collapse of the Planpincieux Glacier into the valley below.

Hikers walk near the Brenva Glacier in Courmayeur, north-western Italy.

An hiker walks on a path near the Planpicieux (L) and Grand Jorasses Glaciers (2L) in Courmayeur.

The movements are not insignificant, with the glacier in extreme cases slipping as much as 150 centimetres (4 feet 9 inches) in a day, he said.

By contrast, the Whymper serac, a polar glacier above it looming nearly 4,000 metres above sea level, can slide between two and 20 centimetres per day, said Perret, resulting in "imminent collapses".

A massive block of ice from the Whymper serac measuring 15,000 square metres tumbled to the ground last October, a day after authorities had prohibited access to paths underneath.

Movements of the Planpincieux glacierand those above itare closely monitored via radar, and the region's safety plan anticipates a variety of potential scenarios.

The "extreme scenario" would be the fall of an 800,000 metre cube of ice to the village and road below, said Segor.

"But there are no absolute guarantees that it will really behave in that way."

Explore further Italian resort evacuated over risk of falling Mont Blanc ice

 2021 AFP
Elderly people take shelter for the night on board a ferry at Pefki, on Evia.

Nearly 100,000 hectares of forestry and farmland have burned in less than two weeks in Greece in the worst wave of wildfires since 2007, the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) said Wednesday.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mistotakis described the 586 fires that ravaged several regions of Greece in just a few days as "a natural disaster of exceptional magnitude".

More than 93,600 hectares (231,000 acres) went up in smoke in just 14 days, fuelled by an extraordinary heatwave that struck at the beginning of August, according to AFP calculations based on EFFIS data from July 29 to August 11.

The average burn over the same period between 2008-2020 was 2,330 hectares.

"They are still very destructive today everywhere, and have a rare high level of intensity," according to Mark Parrington of Copernicus, the European Climate Change service, which includes EFFIS.

The symbolic threshold of 100,000 hectares burned in Greece is expected to be reached on Thursday or Friday, as fires continued to rage Wednesday in the Peloponnese in the west and the island of Evia in the east.

Evia, Greece's second biggest island, has borne the brunt of the fires, home to more than half the total area burned.

Its thick pine forests, still ablaze on Wednesday, have been largely reduced to ash in the northern part of the island.

A wildfire blazes in the village of Gouves on Evia island.

While fires were to be expected given the very dry conditions, nothing suggested their dreadful scale, said Charalampos Kontoes, director of the National Observatory in Athens.

"To some extent, fires were expected because of the very dry season," Kontoes told AFP. "But I can tell you that in Greece we never had such big fires. We have fires during hot seasons but not at that size."

Deadly 2007 fires

In all, a total of around 110,000 hectares have gone up in flames this year as of August 11, with over 90 percent of the damage coming in the last two weeks alone. That's compared to an average of just over 9,000 hectares over the previous 12 years, according to the latest EFFIS figures.

"Our data shows that we didn't have such intense fires since August 2007," said Parrington.

More than 250,000 hectares of forests and olive groves were burnt in August 2007 in wildfires that killed 77 people.

Children pour water on a smouldering fire near the village of Kastri on Evia.

This year's fires came as Greece suffered its worst heatwave in three decades. For a week, temperatures reached 45 degrees Celsius in several parts of the country, and flirted with a stifling 43 degrees Celsius in the capital Athens.

Experts say there is a clear link between the heatwave and climate change. A draft UN assessment seen by AFP described the Mediterranean as a "climate change hotspot", saying increasing temperatures had lengthened fire seasons.

'Blisteringly clear' climate change links

"The links between climate and wildfire are blisteringly clear in Mediterranean Europe," said Matthew Jones, an expert in climate change at the University of East Anglia in eastern England.

"Since the 1980s, the annual number of days with extreme fire weather conditions has roughly doubled, dramatically increasing the risk of wildfires."

"A lot of agricultural area has also been destroyed," said the National Observatory's Kontoes, adding that this would have a devastating effect on the economy of communities impacted by the fires.

Map of Greece showing the major fires on the island of Evia.

The land will take "years to regenerate", he said.

The weather offers no immediate respite, according to Thomas Smith, Professor of Geography at the London School of Economics.

"Unfortunately, EFFIS forecasts suggest that forest fires will persist in Greece until there is significant rainfallat least until August 17," Smith said.

"The wildfires will persist until there is some significant rainfall, and it is likely that the situation might worsen before it gets better."

Explore further Forest fires in Bolivia consume vast area: official

 2021 AFP
In this satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows from left, overview of Greenville, Calif., before the wildfires on Oct. 31, 2018 and overview of Greenville, during the Dixie Wildfires on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021. California's largest single wildfire in recorded history is running through forestlands as fire crews try to protect rural communities from flames that have destroyed hundreds of homes. Credit: Satellite image 2021 Maxar Technologies via AP

California's largest single wildfire in recorded history continued to grow Wednesday after destroying more than 1,000 buildings, nearly half of them homes, while authorities in Montana ordered evacuations as a wind-driven blaze roared toward several remote communities.

The dangerous fires were among some 100 large blazes burning across 15 states, mostly in the West, where historic drought conditions have left lands parched and ripe for ignition.

Burning through bone-dry trees, brush and grass, the Dixie Fire has destroyed at least 1,045 buildings, including 550 homes, in the northern Sierra Nevada. Newly released satellite imagery showed the scale of the destruction in the small community of Greenville that was incinerated last week during an explosive run of flames.

The Dixie Fire, named after the road where it started on July 14, by Wednesday morning covered 783 square miles (2,027 square kilometers) and was 30% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. At least 14,000 remote homes were still threatened.

The Dixie Fire is the largest single fire in California history and the largest currently burning in the U.S. It is about half the size of the August Complex, a series of lightning-caused 2020 fires across seven counties that were fought together and that state officials consider California's largest wildfire overall.

The melted metal from a pickup truck's rims ran down the driveway of this Chicago Park home after the River Fire burned through here Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. About a two-hour drive south from the Dixie Fire, crews had surrounded nearly half of the River Fire that broke out Wednesday near the town of Colfax and destroyed 68 homes and other buildings. Evacuation orders for thousands of people in Nevada and Placer counties were lifted Friday. Credit: Elias Funez/The Union via AP

The fire's cause was under investigation. Pacific Gas & Electric has said it may have been sparked when a tree fell on one of its power lines.

California authorities arrested a man last weekend who is suspected in an arson fire in remote forested areas near the Dixie Fire.

The 47-year-old suspect was charged with setting a small blaze in Lassen County, which is among the counties where the larger blaze is burning, around July 20.

In southeastern Montana, the uncontrolled Richard Spring Fire continued to advance Wednesday toward inhabited areas in and around the sparsely-populated Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, after several thousand people were ordered to evacuate the previous night.

Two homes caught fire Tuesday but were saved, authorities said.

The fire began Sunday and powerful gusts caused it to explode across more than 230 square miles (600 square kilometers).

In this satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies the Dixie Fire burns in Northern California on Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021. Credit: Satellite image 2021 Maxar Technologies via AP

A few miles from the evacuated town of Lame Deer, Krystal Two Bulls and some friends stuck around to clear brush from her yard in hopes of protecting it from the flames. Thick plumes of smoke rose from behind a tree-covered ridgeline just above the house.

"We're packed and we're loaded so if we have to go, we will," Two Bull said. "I'm not fearful; I'm prepared. Here you don't just run from fire or abandon your house."

Some of the people who fled the fire Tuesday initially sought shelter in Lame Deer, only to be displaced again when the fire got within several miles.

The town of about 2,000 people is home to the tribal headquarters and several subdivisions and is surrounded by rugged, forested terrain. By late Wednesday a second fire was closing in on Lame Deer from the west, while the Richard Spring fire raged to the east.

Also ordered to leave were about 600 people in and around Ashland, a small town just outside the reservation with a knot of businesses along its main street and surrounded by grasslands and patchy forest.

This Aug. 7, 2021 photo shows a classic Chevrolet El Camino that was lost along with the home of "Pete" Reyna Wednesday evening in Chicago Park. About a two-hour drive south from the Dixie Fire, crews had surrounded nearly half of the River Fire that broke out Wednesday near the town of Colfax and destroyed 68 homes and other buildings. Evacuation orders for thousands of people in Nevada and Placer counties were lifted Friday. Credit: Elias Funez/The Union via AP

The flames were within several miles of town and came right up to a subdivision outside it.

Local, state and federal firefighters were joined by ranchers using their own heavy equipment to carve out fire lines around houses.

Heat waves and historic drought tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West.

Scientists have said climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. The fires across the West come as parts of Europe are also enduring large blazes spurred by tinder-dry conditions.

Explore further Nearly 900 buildings destroyed by massive California fire

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Observations of gravitational waves in space have sparked public interest in space technology and an interactive exhibit modeled on a real-life gravitational-wave detector is helping to explain this new field of science.

An exhibit is currently on display at the Gravity Discovery Centre in Gingin, and showcases how astronomy researchers at The University of Western Australia detect gravitational waves in space.

An international team, including researchers from the OzGrav ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav), also created a model in the UK to communicate the new and unfamiliar field of gravitational-wave research to general audiences.

Researchers measured the exhibit's audience impact at a science festival, published in American Journal of Physics, and found that attendees were more knowledgeable and interested in physics after interacting with the exhibit, particularly girls and children aged 11 to 16 years.

The researchers also provided instructions online for others to construct their own versions.

The core element of the exhibit is a working Michelson interferometer: a scaled-down version of the key technology used in gravitational-wave detectors, which allows for user interaction and simulated gravitational-wave observations.

In a Michelson interferometer, laser light is split into two perpendicular beams by a beam-splitter; the beams of laser light traveling down the detector arms reflect off mirrors back to the beam-splitter where they recombine and produce an interference pattern.

If the relative length of the arms changes, the interference pattern will change.

Co-author and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Aaron Jones from the OzGrav UWA Instrumentation group said the exhibit allowed users to interact with the interferometer to input a simulated gravitational wave, providing a unique learning experience.

"It is fantastic to see young people from diverse backgrounds engaged and enthusiastic about STEM using the exhibit," Dr. Jones said.

Gravity Discovery Centre manager Jan Devlin, said the Centre's hands-on interactive Interferometer display was amongst the first exhibits installed at the Gravity Discovery Centre.

"It plays an important role in inspiring and educating students and the public about the detection of gravitational waves, black holes and spacetime," Ms Devlin said.

National Science Week, Australia's annual celebration of science and technology, runs from August 14 to 22, and aims to inspire students to pursue a career in science.

Explore further Gravitational wave search no hum drum hunt

More information: S. J. Cooper et al, An Interactive Gravitational-Wave Detector Model for Museums and Fairs. arXiv:2004.03052v2 [physics.ed-ph] Journal information: American Journal of Physics S. J. Cooper et al, An Interactive Gravitational-Wave Detector Model for Museums and Fairs. arXiv:2004.03052v2 [physics.ed-ph] arxiv.org/abs/2004.03052
Italian firefighters, "Vigili del Fuoco," battle a blaze raging around Palermo, Sicily, that has forced people from their homes.

Regional authorities in Sicily recorded temperatures of 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.8 Fahrenheit) Wednesday as an anticyclone dubbed "Lucifer" swept in, which if confirmed would be a new Italian and European record.

The blistering temperature was recorded near Syracuse, beating Italy's all-time record of 48.5 degrees, set in Sicily in 1999, and the 1977 record of 48 degrees at Eleusis in Greece.

A spokesman for Italy's national meteorological service said the result still had to be validated, while the World Meteorological Organization, which lists the Greece record as Europe's highest, did not respond to requests for comment.

Elsewhere in southern Italy, the anticyclone was forecast to send the mercury rising to 39-42 degrees before sweeping northwards, with weekend temperatures of up to 40 degrees in the central regions of Tuscany and Lazio, which includes Rome.

As the capital warmed up on Wednesday, tourists sought out shade and water.

"I kinda like it, it's the goal of summer to be hot and sweat and just enjoy it!" said Nora Vert, a 20-year-old from France.

The heat has raised fears for the fires that have blighted Sicily and the region of Calabria all summer, many caused by arson but fuelled by warm winds and dry soil and plants.

Firefighters said earlier Wednesday they had recorded 300 interventions in the past 12 hours, while a 77-year-old man died from burns received while trying to shelter his herd in the countryside near Reggio Calabria.

Elsewhere in Calabria, fires threatened the Aspromonte mountain range, designated as a UNESCO area of international geological significance.

The deputy head of environmental NGO WWF Italy, Dante Caserta, called for more resources, such as air support, to quell the flames "or it will be too late, and we will lose forever a priceless heritage".

The Madonie mountain range, near the Sicilian capital Palermo, has also for several days been besieged by flames that have destroyed crops, animals, homes and industrial buildings.

Sicily's governor, Nello Musumeci, called for a state of emergency to be declared for the mountains, while Agriculture Minister Stefano Patuanelli visited Wednesday to meet local mayors around Palermo.

"The fires are an emergency that need immediate responses, first and foremost with the relief that must be given to those who have lost everything," Patuanelli said.

Blazes have also devastated Sardinia, with 13 fires recorded during the day on Tuesday. Over 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) burned last month in the west of the island during the worst fires seen in decades.

Southern Europe has experienced intense heatwaves and wildfires this summer as experts warn climate change increases the intensity and frequency of such extreme weather events.

Explore further Fires rage across southern Europe, forcing hundreds to evacuate

 2021 AFP
A volunteer helps controlling fire in Fuscaldo, near Cosenza, Calabria, Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021, as many wildfires continue plaguing the southern regions of Italy. Sicily, Sardinia, Calabria and also central Italy, where temperatures are expected to reach record hight, were badly hit by wildfires. Climate scientists say there is little doubt that climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms. Credit: Luigi Salsini/LaPresse via AP

Italy baked in sweltering temperatures that continued to drive deadly wildfires Wednesday, with Spain and Portugal bracing for the arrival of a dangerous heat wave that has grilled southeastern Europe and is starting to push west toward the Iberian peninsula.

A heat wave fed by hot air from North Africa has engulfed large parts of the Mediterranean region in recent days, contributing to massive wildfires and killing dozens of people in Italy, Turkey and Algeria. In Greece, huge wildfires have ravaged forests for a week, destroying homes and forcing evacuations.

Sicily recorded Wednesday what may be a new European temperature record, though weather experts cautioned that the measurement still must be confirmed.

The Sicily region's agriculture-meteorological information service, SIAS, reported that a temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.84 degrees Fahrenheit) was reached at the island's Syracuse station. The agency said on its Facebook page it is the highest temperature registered in the entire network since its installation in 2002.

The highest temperature ever recorded on the European continent is 48 degrees Celsius (118.40 degrees Fahrenheit) in 1977 in Athens.

The Sicily temperature could not be independently confirmed, however, and Italy's air force meteorological service said it had not recorded temperatures approaching that high on Wednesday but that its stations are in other locations so variations are to be expected.

A man and his dog refresh in a fountain of Catania, Sicily, Southern Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021 where the temperature reached 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). The ongoing heatwave will last up until the weekend with temperatures expected to reach over 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of Italy. Credit: AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli

The World Meteorological Organization said it would examine the reading but Randy Cerveny, the agency's rapporteur for weather records, called it "suspicious, so we're not going to make any immediate determination."

"It doesn't sound terribly plausible," Cerveny said. "But we're not going to dismiss it."

WMO spokeswoman Sylvie Castonguay counseled caution: "Extreme weather and climate events are often sensationalized and mischaracterized as 'records' before they have been thoroughly investigated and properly validated."

However, the high-pressure system of near-record strength currently centered over the Mediterranean is the type that can produce unprecedented heat somewhere, meteorologist Jeff Masters of Yale Climate Connections said.

North Africa is also flirting with all-time high temperatures, he said.

People refresh in the sea in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. The ongoing heatwave will last up until the weekend with temperatures expected to reach well over 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of Italy. Credit: Alberto Lo Bianco/LaPresse via AP

Spain and Portugal could see what was heading their way, as temperatures on the Iberian peninsula were forecast to start building from Thursday.

Portugal's prime minister warned that the hot weather increases the threat of wildfires, which in 2017 killed more than 100 people in his country.

Spain's weather service forecast a heat wave through Monday and said temperatures could surpass 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.

"The maximum and minimum temperatures will reach levels far above the normal for this time of the year," Spain's weather service, AEMET, said in a "special weather warning."

Such peaks of temperature are not unheard of in Spain and Portugal during the summer months. Even so, climate scientists say there is little doubt climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms.

A woman sits near a fountain in a street of Catania, Sicily, Southern Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021 where the temperature reached 45 degrees Celsius ( (113 degrees Fahrenheit). The ongoing heatwave will last up until the weekend with temperatures expected to reach over 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of Italy. Credit: AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli

Researchers can directly link a single event to climate change only through intensive data analysis, but they say such calamities are expected to happen more frequently on our warming planet.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa urged people to take special care amid the scorching weather and wildfire danger, adding that many wildfires start with careless behavior.

Costa said "the terrible images" from Greece and Turkey in recent days brought back Portuguese memories of 2017.

"We don't want to see that scenario here again," Costa said in a videotaped message at his official residence.

Portuguese authorities say they can deploy more than 12,000 firefighters, some 2,700 vehicles and 60 aircraft during the summer season.

Costa said that over the past three years Portugal has reduced by half the number of wildfires compared with the average of the previous 10 years and cut the charred area by 64%.

Firefighters controlling a fire in Fuscaldo, near Cosenza, Calabria, Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021, as many wildfires continue plaguing the southern regions of Italy. Sicily, Sardinia, Calabria and also central Italy, where temperatures are expected to reach record hight, were badly hit by wildfires. Climate scientists say there is little doubt that climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms. Credit: Luigi Salsini/LaPresse via AP

A man looks at a forest fire near the village of Larbaa Nath Irathen, neat Tizi Ouzou, in the mountainous Kabyle region, 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Algeria's capital of Algiers, Wednesday, Aug.11, 2021. At least 25 soldiers died saving residents from wildfires ravaging mountain forests and villages east of Algeria's capital, the president announced Tuesday night as the civilian toll rose to at least 17. Credit: AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum

Authorities enacted a broad range of measures after 2017. They included better forest management, including woodland clearance projects and technical support for people living in rural areas, opening thousands of kilometers (miles) of firebreaks and reacting more rapidly to outbreaks with special firefighting units.

Nobody has died in forest blazes in Portugal since 2017.

In Spain, the hot weather was widely blamed for a record high in domestic energy prices, as the use of air-conditioning units climbed and wind turbines stood still in balmy weather. Other factors, such as rising prices for natural gas and for carbon credits under the European Union's emissions trading scheme, were also behind the increase.

Explore further Spain, Portugal brace for wildfire threat as temps soar

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Murrumbidgee River, near Yass. Credit: Nick Pitsas, CSIRO/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

The Murray-Darling Basin is Australia's biggest agricultural region, producing almost 40% of the national food supply during the growing season from April to September. It's filled with criss-crossing rivers, wetlands and lakes farmers rely on for crops, and it's home to a range of freshwater wildlife, many of which are under threat.

But our new research found climate change since the 1990s has drastically reduced the amount of water available in the southern part of the basin.

The height of the Murrumbidgee Riverthe third longest in Australia and highly valued for irrigation and hydro-electricityhas dropped by about 30% during the growing season. This is a loss of approximately 300 million liters per day that would normally flow past Wagga Wagga, New South Walesthe same as six days of water use in the City of Melbourne.

The findings follow a major report the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released on Monday, which found much of Australia will become more arid as the world warms. This will bring reduced river flows, mass tree deaths, more droughts and drier soils.

The viability of the basin is at stake. Continued drying and warming in Australia will cause water availability to decline even further, deepening the hurt for communities, businesses, animals and the environment. Any decisions about the competing interests of agriculture and the environment must keep these global warming impacts front of mind.

What we found

The southern Murray-Darling Basin occupies the southern half of NSW and northern Victoria. It receives most of its water from rain in the cooler months that fills dams, with any overflow spilling into the floodplains.

But our research shows rainfall in April to May has significantly decreased which, in turn, has caused the net inflows to the Murrumbidgee River catchment in the southern basin to decrease. This includes in the main dams of Burrinjuck and Blowering in the upper part of the catchment, and downstream river heights.

The Murrumbidgee River catchment is approximately 84,000 square kilometers, or about 8% of the basin. It encompasses a complex series of wetlands and floodplains, and supplies water for homes in many communities, including Wagga Wagga, Griffith and Leeton.

Using statistical analysis and machine learning, we found the Murrumbidgee River dropped from 3.5 meters in 1990 to 2.5 meters in 2019 during the cooler months. When you multiply this by the the length and breadth of the river, which stretches more than 1,400km, this is an enormous volume of water lost.

Given this drop is associated with the wettest months from April to September, the outlook for the warmer months between October and March is dismal. The number of days when the river ceases to flow will certainly increase.

Murrumbidgee River catchment makes up 8% of the Murray-Darling Basin. Credit: Conquimbo/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Long, difficult droughts

Dam building and excessive irrigation are often behind decreased river flows across the Murray-Darling Basin. But in this case, we can point to decreased rainfall from climate change as the reason the Murrumbidgee River catchment is losing water.

The Burrinjuck Dam was completed in 1928 and the Blowering Dam was completed in the 1960s. Until the early 1990s, the Murrumbidgee River used to regularly spill over the banks at Wagga Wagga and also further downstream at Hay, during the cool seasons.

Likewise, we didn't identify irrigation as a major contributor, because more than 80% of irrigation occurs downstream of Wagga Wagga.

Global warming has accelerated in the latter half of last century, and particularly since the 1990s in Australia.

To see its effect in Australia, we need only look to the extended drought conditions since the mid-1990s in the basin, comprising the Millennium Drought (1997-2009) and the 2017-2019 drought. They were extreme, even compared to the historical Federation Drought between 1895 and 1903.

In 2006, the Australian newspaper reported that inflows to the nearby River Murray system between June and November were 610 gigalitres, "just 56 percent of the previously recorded low in 1902" when the Federation Drought was at its worst.

Climate change exacerbates dry years

But climate change doesn't tell the whole story, there are also other factors at play driving the low rainfall trend in the basin. Namely, natural climate phenomena form over the ocean and bring wetter or drier weather to various parts of Australia.

One of these climate phenomena is the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which brings wetter weather than normal from June to October when in its "negative" phase (in fact, the Bureau of Meteorology recently declared another negative IOD for Australia this year, the first in five years).

The Murrumbidgee River is over 1,400 kilometres long, and flows past Wagga Wagga. Credit: Shutterstock

But in the last two decades there have been only two strongly negative-phase Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events affecting Australia. The current IOD phase is only moderately negative.

Climate drivers like this are entirely natural and have been occurring for thousands of years, but human-caused climate change exacerbates their influence. Generally, it makes dry seasons drier, and wet seasons wetter.

In April this year, devastating floods engulfed western Sydney. This resulted in the dams reaching nearly 100% capacity last month. However, the river height at Wagga Wagga is currently around 5.3m and this is still 2m below the minor flood level of 7.3mtoo low to overflow into the surrounding floodplain.

And after years of little rain or snowmelt, evaporation accentuates the lack off run-off into dams and streams, because water needs to soak into dry catchments before significant run-off can occur.

Profoundly disturbing implications

The implications of our research are profoundly disturbing, because it means the economic, social and ecological sustainability of the Murrumbidgee River catchment is at stake.

Under climate change, we can expect further drying of wetlands and major losses of wildlife habitat. For example, the mid-Murrumbidgee and the Lowbidgee wetlands are listed as nationally significant, providing critical habitat for threatened frogs, such as the vulnerable southern bell frog.

For farmers and communities, we can expect huge reductions in the amount of water allocated for irrigation. The ability for communities to survive these severe decreases in agricultural productivity will be tested.

The efficiency of farm practices is improving. But because of the continuing threat of drought conditions in a warming climate, there's an urgent need to plan for further decreases in rainfall, and further unreliability of water supply.

Australia needs a new review of water availability and sustainability in the Murrumbidgee and other river systems in the southern Murray-Darling Basin.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Physics researchers at the University of North Florida's Atomic LEGO Lab discovered a new electronic phenomenon they call "asymmetric ferroelectricity." The research led by Dr. Maitri Warusawithana, UNF physics assistant professor, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Illinois and the Arizona State University, demonstrated this phenomenon for the first time in engineered two-dimensional crystals.

This discovery of asymmetric ferroelectricity in engineered crystals comes exactly 100 years following the discovery of ferroelectricity in certain naturally occurring crystals. Ferroelectric crystalscrystals that show two equal bistable polarization statesare now used in many high-tech applications including solid-state memory, RFID cards, sensors and precision actuators.

Utilizing atomic-scale materials design, the team of researchers has demonstrated a qualitatively new phenomenon, asymmetric ferroelectricity, for the first time. These engineered crystals lead to an asymmetric bi-stability with two unequal stable polarization states in contrast to a natural ferroelectric.

Warusawithana hopes this first observation of asymmetric ferroelectricity achieved through materials-by-design will further research on tailored electronic properties and may find its way into interesting technological applications.

Explore further Researchers discover ferroelectricity at the atomic scale

More information: Maitri P. Warusawithana et al, Asymmetric ferroelectricity by design in atomic-layer superlattices with broken inversion symmetry, Physical Review B (2021). Journal information: Physical Review B Maitri P. Warusawithana et al, Asymmetric ferroelectricity by design in atomic-layer superlattices with broken inversion symmetry,(2021). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.104.085103
Russia's Black Sea coastline is home to some of the country's best beaches and is popular with tourists.

Russian scientists sounded the alarm on Wednesday over a huge oil slick in the Black Sea, with the World Wildlife Fund saying at least 100 tonnes of oil have leaked off the city of Novorossiysk.

After it emerged that the slick was much larger than initially reported, investigators launched a pollution probe and the General Prosecutor's Office said officials were studying the coast between the resort town of Anapa and Novorossiysk.

The area is home to some of the country's best beaches popular with Russian tourists.

A leak occurred at a sea terminal near the southern port city at the weekend as the Greek-flagged Minerva Symphony was loading oil.

On Monday, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which controls the terminal, said the spill was contained, estimating that oil had spread over 200 square metres (2,150 square feet) and involved around 12 cubic metres (423 cubic feet) of oil.

By early Sunday, "the situation was back to normal" and posed no threat to either the local population or wildlife, said the consortium.

CPC's shareholders include Russia's Rosneft, US oil giant Chevron and Italy's Eni.

The WWF and Russian scientists said the oil slick was much more serious than initially reported and could harm the environment.

The conservation group said it had launched its own surveillance and found the slick had covered an area of 94 square kilometres by Sunday.

Greenpeace, which said it was asking for more information from officials, claimed the polluted area could be 400,000 bigger than initially reported.

Dolphinarium sounds alarm

The WWF estimated that at least 100 tonnes of oil"and most likely even more"had been released into the Black Sea.

"Despite the prompt involvement of rescue teams, the oil spread over a colossal area," the WWF said on Facebook, adding that marine wildlife could be affected.

Map of the Black Sea.

Aleksei Knizhnikov, head of the responsible industry programme at WWF Russia, said the slick was drifting north, having already reached Abrau-Dyursofamed for its wine-making industryand might later reach the Utrish Nature Reserve.

"We can say that there is no objective information about the scale of the spill on the part of regulatory authorities," he told AFP.

The Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences said it was also monitoring the pollution and citing data from satellite images said that the oil had spread over an area of nearly 80 square kilometres.

"On August 8, the oil slick spread from the shore into the open sea over a distance of 19 kilometres," the institute said in a statement.

Victoria Glushchenko of Greenpeace Russia said in a statement that if the estimates of the space research institute were correct, "this spill will threaten fish, birds and marine ecosystems in the area".

"In addition, the health of people, including tourists, who will find themselves in the pollution zone, is at risk," she added.

Staff at a dolphinarium outside the resort town of Anapa said they had seen oil slicks on the surface and were working to protect their marine mammals.

"As soon as you put your hand in the water, the skin gets covered in a greasy film," the dolphinarium said on Instagram.

On Wednesday afternoon, Russian authorities said they were looking into the situation.

The head of the environment watchdog Rosprirodnadzor Svetlana Radionova said she was personally in charge of the case.

The general director of the consortium, Nikolai Gorban, reported to Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov about the spill clean-up and containment work.

"The minister stressed the need to verify information on the volume of the oil spill," the energy ministry said.

In January, jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny released an investigation alleging that oligarchs had built an opulent Black Sea palace for President Vladimir Putin. Putin has denied owning the mansion, which is south of Novorossiysk.

Explore further Russia battles to contain Black Sea oil spill

 2021 AFP
Workers on a construction site stop to have a drink in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. Spain and Portugal are bracing for temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in coming days, as a mass of hot, dry air from Africa moves north into the Iberian peninsula. Credit: AP Photo/Paul White

Spain and Portugal are bracing for temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in coming days, as a mass of hot, dry air from Africa pushes north into the Iberian peninsula.

Portugal's prime minister warned Wednesday that the hot weather increases the threat of wildfires, which in 2017 killed more than 100 people in his country. Spain's weather service forecast a heat wave through Monday and said temperatures could surpass 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.

A recent heat wave across southern Europe that was fed by hot air from North Africa contributed to massive wildfires breaking out in Turkey, Greece, Algeria and elsewhere in the Mediterranean region.

"The maximum and minimum temperatures will reach levels far above the normal for this time of the year," Spain's weather service, AEMET, said in a "special weather warning."

Such peaks of temperature are not unheard of in Spain and Portugal during the summer months. Even so, climate scientists say there is little doubt climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms.

Researchers can directly link a single event to climate change only through intensive data analysis, but they say such calamities are expected to happen more frequently on our warming planet.

A woman fans herself in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. Temperatures are beginning to rise at the start of an oncoming heatwave in Spain which will last up until the weekend with temperatures expected to reach over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees fahrenheit) in Madrid and southern Spain. Credit: AP Photo/Paul White

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa urged people to take special care amid the scorching weather and wildfire danger, adding that many wildfires start with careless behavior.

Costa said "the terrible images" from Greece and Turkey in recent days brought back Portuguese memories of 2017.

"We don't want to see that scenario here again," Costa said in a videotaped message at his official residence.

Portuguese authorities say they can deploy more than 12,000 firefighters, some 2,700 vehicles and 60 aircraft during the summer season.

Costa said that over the past three years Portugal has reduced by half the number of wildfires compared with the average of the previous 10 years and cut the charred area by 64%.

Portugal has in recent years reduced by more than half the number of wildfires and amount of charred acreage compared with the average of the previous 10 years, according to the Agency for Integrated Wildfire Management, a government body.

A man walks past electricity pylons at an electricity sub station in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. Electricity prices have hit historic records, according to Spain's Central Bank, just as the country gears up for an extended heatwave that will require more energy-intensive air conditioning and cooling in homes. Credit: AP Photo/Paul White

Authorities enacted a broad range of measures after 2017. They included better forest management, including woodland clearance projects and technical support for people living in rural areas, opening thousands of kilometers (miles) of firebreaks and reacting more rapidly to outbreaks with special firefighting units.

Nobody has died in forest blazes in Portugal since 2017.

In Spain, the hot weather was widely blamed for a record high in domestic energy prices, as the use of air-conditioning units climbed and wind turbines stood still in balmy weather. Other factors, such as rising prices for natural gas and for carbon credits under the European Union's emissions trading scheme, were also behind the increase.

Explore further Deadly summer of extreme weather as climate change bites

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London, in collaboration with the Karolinska Institute and Orebro University, has found that 'young relative age'being young in a school classputs a child at a long-term disadvantage compared to their older peers. Researchers are now calling for greater flexibility about school starting age.

The study, published today in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), looked at data from 300,000 individuals from the Swedish National Registers. The researchers found those youngest in a class were more likely to experience low educational achievement, substance misuse disorder, and depression in later life. However, younger children with ADHD appeared less at risk of depression.

Previous studies have pointed to evidence that immaturity relative to peers can contribute to an increased likelihood of being diagnosed with ADHD. Typically, a comparison is made as to whether a child shows ADHD symptoms to a significantly greater degree than to others in their year group, but this doesn't always take in to account the potentially significant age gap between the youngest and oldest members of an age group.

Senior author Professor Jonna Kuntsi from King's IoPPN said "The difference between the youngest and oldest member of a class can be up to 11 months. In the early stages of childhood, this is a significant difference in terms of maturity, behavior and cognitive abilities.

"Behavioral characteristics that are normal in younger children are in some cases being compared to much older individuals, and we can see from the data that there are very real and long-term consequences to being the youngest in a class year."

The investigators note that the negative effects of young relative age is much less common in countries like Denmark, possibly due to the more flexible approach to school starting age there. Young children that might not be ready to start school have the opportunity to start school later, and as such are at less risk of experiencing negative side effects seen in other countries. It is a practice that the researchers say could be emulated elsewhere.

Professor Kuntsi has previously called for greater focus to be placed on the relative age of students in relation to difficulties with reading, spelling or arithmetic skills which aren't as a result of low cognitive ability. A recent large register study in Finland found that the relative age effect emerges also for specific learning disorders which Professor Kuntsi says is likely due to the same referral bias as those referred for ADHD assessment.

She cites a need for a cross-country review into approaches that best ensure children's future outcomes are fully independent of their relative age at the start of school: "Being the youngest child in a classroom can have complex developmental consequences, and can place them at a disadvantage at the earliest stages of their academic life. If we are to overcome this, there needs to be a greater understanding from decision makers, teachers, and clinicians so that all children have an equal chance to succeed later in life."

King's IoPPN, in partnership with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the Maudsley Charity, are in the process of opening a world leading center for children and young people mental health. The Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People is expected to open in 2023 and will bring together researchers and clinicians to help find solutions that will transform the landscape for children's mental health.

Explore further Youngest children in class are more likely to be diagnosed with a learning disability

More information: Jonna Kuntsi et al, The Combined Effects of Young Relative Age and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder on Negative Long-Term Outcomes, Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (2021). Journal information: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Jonna Kuntsi et al, The Combined Effects of Young Relative Age and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder on Negative Long-Term Outcomes,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2021.07.002
Local chambers of commerce continue to rally behind resident businesses to stimulate their town's microeconomy, which have each suffered a financial blow since the onset of COVID-19.
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 Earned time credits set up by FIRST STEP Act subject to notable litigation | Main | Democratic Senators praise AG Garland's capital moratorium and urge additional steps 

A few months ago, I blogged here about an NPR story regrading so-called "old law" federal prisoners, persons who committed federal crimes before November 1987 and who are not currently able to apply to a judge for compassionate release under the FIRST STEP Act. NPR returned to this story recently with this new piece headlined "Some Older Prisoners Aren't Eligible For Compassionate Release. Lawmakers Want Change." Here are excerpts:

COVID-19 has exacted a terrible toll inside America's prisons, spreading there at six times the rate as among the general population. The coronavirus pandemic motivated tens of thousands of incarcerated people to request early release on the grounds that their old age and health troubles made them especially vulnerable.

But the Federal Bureau of Prisons told lawmakers that of the nearly 31,000 prisoners to request compassionate release, the BOP approved just 36. Thanks to Congress, many had another option. The First Step Act gave them the opportunity to go to court and persuade a judge they should win compassionate release. More than 3,000 people have won their freedom that way during the pandemic.

But that law overlooks a small group of people in federal prison who were convicted of crimes before November 1987. One of them is Kent Clark. NPR focused on Clark and other "old law" prisoners in a story this year. Clark's cousin said Clark had lost his memory during his 31 years in prison. After the story ran, public defender Rahul Sharma finally got Clark's medical records.

"They showed he has moderate to severe dementia, borderline blindness, tooth loss, severe depressive disorder, gout, cardiac arrhythmia and honestly just severe pain throughout his body," Sharma said. He said Clark had been wandering into other people's prison cells and kept a list of things he needed to remember to do every day, like going to the bathroom and wearing a mask. "It was found by the facility, by the prison, that he was a real danger to himself, given the severity of his dementia," Sharma said.

Clark has now been moved to a hospital in Florida where he's guarded by corrections officers, with one arm chained to the hospital bed and irons on his legs. The warden has denied Clark's request for compassionate release. Sharma said Clark, now 66, is deteriorating rapidly.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is leading efforts to make "old law" prisoners eligible to petition a judge for compassionate release. A bill moving through Congress would change the law to make "old law" prisoners eligible to petition a judge for compassionate release. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the measure by a bipartisan vote of 14-8 in May.

Democrats hope to bring it to the full Senate this fall, saying the bill would fix a glaring injustice. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is leading the charge. "'Old-law' offenders are some of the most vulnerable and deserving of relief in federal prisons," Durbin said in a written statement. "There is no logical or moral reason to exclude these offenders from the opportunity to petition the court for compassionate release." Durbin called it a "modest, but necessary" reform and pointed out that the top Republican on the committee, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, is on board.

But some Republican senators, like Arkansas' Tom Cotton, are resisting. "Most of this bill is just an expansion of criminal leniency policies for serious offenders under the guise of protecting inmates," Cotton said at a committee meeting this summer.

Mary Price, the general counsel of FAMM, a group that advocates for incarcerated people and their families, said that giving people in prison the option of petitioning a judge for release is not a "get-out-of-jail-free card." Indeed, Price said, only about 20% of people in prison who sought compassionate release during the pandemic have been approved by judges.
 Another reminder that "old law" federal prisoners are still awaiting compassionate equal treatment | Main | Notable accounting of rarity of released juvenile lifers getting in trouble again in Michigan 

August 10, 2021

Democratic Senators praise AG Garland's capital moratorium and urge additional steps

As reported in this Hill article, a group of 17 Democratic Senators sent a notable letter to AG Garland this week in which they "voiced their approval of Garland's decision to issue a moratorium on federal executions while the Department of Justice reviews policies and procedures." This letter is available at this link, and it begins this way:

We commend you for your recent decisions to impose a moratorium on federal executions pending a review of death penalty policies and procedures and to withdraw several notices of intent to seek the death penalty that the Justice Department filed during the Trump Administration. These are important steps toward ending the injustice of the death penalty. We urge you to take the additional steps of withdrawing all pending death notices, and authorizing no new death notices, while your review proceeds. As your memorandum announcing the moratorium recognizes, there are serious concerns about arbitrariness in the application of the death penalty, its disparate impact on people of color, and the alarming number of exonerations in capital cases. These concerns justify not only a review of the procedures for carrying out the death penalty, but also support halting its use  including prohibiting federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty  during the review process.

August 10, 2021 at 11:16 PM | Permalink

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 Democratic Senators praise AG Garland's capital moratorium and urge additional steps | Main | New Minnesota law provides for prison alternatives for veterans involved in lower-level offenses 

This local story from Michigan, headlined "Crime by juvenile lifers after prison very rare, state says," provides an interesting overview of how juve lifers have been faring after release in the Wolverine State. Here are the details:

When a shotgun-toting convicted murderer held police at bay for seven hours in Barry County, it prompted Target 8 to check into the records of other juvenile lifers released from prison.

Timothy Riddle was 15 years old when he killed an elderly Wayne County woman in 1988 while robbing her home. Riddle served 28 years in a Michigan prison before he was released in 2017, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled mandatory life sentences for juveniles unconstitutional. His parole ended in early November 2019 and records show his run-ins with police began less than two months later. Since then, hes been arrested eight times for crimes ranging from shoplifting to larceny and assault.

Riddle was wanted for a series of break-ins Wednesday when Hastings police spotted him and chased him through Barry County. The 48-year-old ultimately barricaded himself for seven hours inside a gas station in the small town of Woodland. He fired a shot inside the store, but police said it appeared he was not trying to hit anyone. No one was injured and Riddle was arrested.

According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, 142 juvenile lifers have been released from prison following resentencing per the U.S. Supreme Court decision. Riddle is the only known arrest. This is a very rare case, wrote Chris Gautz, an MDOC spokesperson, in an email exchange with Target 8.

In Michigan, former prisoners are considered recidivists  or repeat offenders  if they end up back in prison within three years of their release. Most of the (juvenile lifer) releases are too current to be tracked for recidivism, (but) overall, this population appears to do well on supervision before discharging from our jurisdiction, Gautz said.

While MDOC may deem it too early to assess recidivism rates among former juvenile lifers, attorney Deborah Labelle noted the rate would be less than 1%. Thats compared to a 26% recidivism rate among the general prison population.

Mr. Riddle is the only juvenile lifer that I am aware has even been arrested, Labelle wrote in an email to Target 8. (Juvenile lifers recidivism) is extraordinarily low, Labelle said. There are many who are having spectacular achievements and many more who have reentered and are working and raising families, helping nieces, nephews and siblings, while they build their lives.

Labelle is an Ann Arbor attorney who fought the state on behalf of hundreds of juvenile lifers in Michigan prisons. So far, the state says 258 people have been resentenced, 142 of whom have since been released from prison.

Labelle spoke of one former juvenile lifer who recently completed college in Arizona and works as a counselor. She said another is working for a prosecutors office and applying to law school after getting his masters in social work....

Even with the many successes, advocates said more resources are needed to help former juvenile lifers make the transition back into society. What we see time and time again is that people do need one-on-one support, said Marilena David-Martin of the State Appellate Defender Office. Its not easy to come home from prison after serving 40 years and then figure out how to be.
A Chinese court on Wednesday jailed Canadian businessman Michael Spavor for 11 years for spying, a sentence swiftly condemned by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "unacceptable and unjust" -- and which Ottawa says it plans to appeal.

Spavor was detained in 2018 along with compatriot Michael Kovrig on what Ottawa has said are politically orchestrated charges after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on a US extradition warrant.

Relations between the two countries have hit rock bottom, with China also accusing Canada of politicising legal cases.

Spavor "was convicted of espionage and illegally providing state secrets", Dandong city's Intermediate People's Court said in a statement.

"He was sentenced to 11 years in prison."

Trudeau called the conviction and sentencing "absolutely unacceptable and unjust".

"The verdict for Mr Spavor comes after more than two-and-a-half years of arbitrary detention, a lack of transparency in the legal process, and a trial that did not satisfy even the minimum standards required by international law," he said in a statement.

Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said Ottawa plans to appeal the sentence.

He slammed the Chinese proceedings as a "sham trial with absolutely no transparency whatsoever and a verdict that is completely unjustified, or not acceptable in terms of international rules-based law".

- 'I want to get home' -

In a message relayed in a consular visit after the sentencing, Spavor said: "Thank you for all your support. I am in good spirits. I want to get home."

Canada's ambassador to China, who was present in the courtroom, linked the verdict to Meng's ongoing hearings in Vancouver.

"I don't take it as a coincidence that we have heard the verdicts of these two cases while that trial is going on," Dominic Barton told reporters.

The United States condemned the jailing of Spavor and demanded he and Kovrig be released "immediately and unconditionally".

Story continues

"The practice of arbitrarily detaining individuals to exercise leverage over foreign governments is completely unacceptable," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

"People should never be used as bargaining chips."

The European Union also hit out at the verdict, accusing China in a statement of failing to guarantee Spavor a "fair trial and due process".

France expressed dismay, describing the ruling as "arbitrary".

- Cut off from the world -

The Spavor verdict comes a day after a Chinese court upheld the death sentence of another Canadian citizen on a drug smuggling conviction.

Spavor and Kovrig -- a former diplomat -- were formally charged with spying in June last year, and their separate trials took place in March.

The pair have had almost no contact with the outside world since their detention.

Virtual consular visits resumed in October after a nine-month hiatus, which authorities said was due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Spavor's family has maintained he is innocent of the accusations against him, saying he had done much as a businessman to "build constructive ties" between Canada, China and North Korea.

Spavor organised cultural visits to Pyongyang, where he met Kim Jong Un and helped foster the unlikely friendship between the North Korean leader and former NBA star Dennis Rodman.

Before his detention, Spavor was mainly based in Dandong, a Chinese city bordering North Korea.

- Meng hearings -

While Beijing has insisted the detention of the two Canadians is lawful, it calls Meng's case "a purely political incident".

Meng's extradition hearings began last week, after nearly three years of court battles and diplomatic sparring. Final arguments began on Wednesday.

The 49-year-old is the daughter of Chinese tech giant Huawei's founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei.

She is fighting extradition to the United States where she is accused of defrauding banking giant HSBC by misrepresenting Huawei's relationship with Skycom, a subsidiary that sold telecom gear to Iran.

That deal put HSBC in jeopardy as it risked breaching US sanctions targeting Tehran.

Meng, whose legal team deny the allegations and say the US case is flawed, lives in a mansion in Vancouver, but has to wear an ankle bracelet to monitor her movements at all times.

Her hearings are due to end on August 20 but no decision on her extradition is expected for several months.

China's judicial system convicts most people who stand trial.

bys-lxc/ser/sw/sst
Oh, the things you can do with a parking spot.

Last spring, New York City decided to allow restaurants to claim sidewalk and curb space in front of their businesses for outdoor dining. Nearly 12,000 restaurants have seized the opportunity, with more than 7,000 operating in what was once the roadway.

What seemed like a dicey customer experience at firsteating between the trash bags and the speeding trafficquickly became an indispensable attraction of New York life (as in every city that was wise enough to redistribute the parking spots drivers didnt need during the crisis to the eateries that did). Thats in no small part thanks to the creative architecture of the citys hospitality sector, which turned leftover curb space into valuable, eye-catching real estate.

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Figuring out how restaurants should pay for that land will be a challenge for New York Citys presumed next mayor, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who runs on the Democratic Party line in the November election. In the meantime, the Regional Plan Association, a local think tank, selected a jury to pick some inaugural winners of the Alfresco Awards, to celebrate one silver lining of a difficult year.

Below are some of the restaurants selected by the jury. Many of them are not among the most sophisticated, expensive outbuildings to come out of the Open Restaurants experiment. You dont have to go far on the streets of New York to find sidewalk sheds whose high design suggests more forethought, investment, and permanence than the original buildings themselves, which, after all, were probably erected by a band of immigrant tradesmen with a form book.

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Instead, the selections emphasize openness. Curbside dining, in this view, cant just amount to walled-off, air-conditioned (some of them, yes) rooms that, at Manhattan price points, offer little more to the general public than the German-made crossovers whose place they took. Instead, a good shed embraces its place in the public right of way, offering a taste of the city to diners and a dose of priceless people watching to all.

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Think!Chinatown, A+A+A Studio, and Chaos Built created Assembly Chinatown, constructing structures for local businesses in need.

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Several upper-story restaurants in Manhattans Koreatown collaborated on Maiden Korea, which uses part of a vacant lot on the corner.

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Bed-Stuys Peaches Kitchen and Bar used reclaimed plastic bottles to build translucent seating cabins alongside more open tables.
The only surprise about the swift collapse of the Afghan army is that anyone should be surprised about it. Once U.S. and NATO troops pulled out entirely, the collapse was inevitable.

Still, many are startled, and not without reason. They assumed that, after 20 years of being armed and trained by U.S. troops and contractors, Afghan soldiers would have learned enough to stave off Taliban militias on their own, or at least slow them down. But the Talibans onslaught has been fierce, whole provinces are rapidly changing hands (three in one day earlier this week), and Kabul is all but certain to fall soon. When the Talibans assaults first began in late June, U.S. intelligence analysts worried that the Taliban might take over in six to 12 months; now theyre saying it could happen in 90 days. That estimate too may prove overly optimistic.

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The problem is not the Afghan soldiers, many of whom are fighting valiantly. The problem is that the complete U.S. withdrawal has made it impossible for them to fight coherently. It has meant not just the disappearance of American troops, who, in any case, hadnt engaged in direct combat for quite a while. (No U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan since early February 2020.) More crucially, it has meant the disappearance of close air support, logistics, intelligence and surveillance, repair and maintenance of weapons and vehicles, medevac units for the wounded, and rapid helicopter transport from one part of the country to another.

Several senior U.S. military officers (active duty and retired) have told me that American ground troops couldnt fight effectively without these enablers. It is no wonder that Afghan ground troops cant either.

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True, the Taliban dont have this sort of support network, but insurgents have less need for it. Their advantage is that they can attack at places and times of their choosing. The disadvantage of the Afghan national security forcesor any army waging a counterinsurgency campaignis that they have to defeat the insurgency wherever it attacks. This is a difficult but feasible task with integrated intelligence networks, close air support, helicopter transport, and all the rest. Its nearly impossible without those things.

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And so the Taliban have almost effortlessly exploited their natural advantage, capturing remote provinces, then building on their successesand recruiting more militiamento advance closer to larger cities. In turn, the regular Afghan troops, hearing of these routs and knowing that theyre on their own, have become increasingly demoralized. Its likely that many of themsensing which way the wind is blowinghave deserted or flipped. Taliban militias have been seen parading Afghan army vehicles and U.S.-supplied weapons in the wake of the American withdrawal. In fact, theyve been capturing our weapons, sometimes provided for cash by our allies, throughout this war.

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This leads to another factor: The Taliban are more passionate and determined about fighting for their cause. Many Afghans, including many Afghan soldiers, hate and fear the Taliban, but they dont feel much love or loyalty toward their government. Back in 2010, when President Barack Obama escalated involvement in the war, top U.S. military officers publicly warned that more troops would have little effect if the Afghan government didnt clean up its corruption. The cleanup never really took place. The Taliban exploited that fact as well, preying on the Afghan peoples resentment of their leaders.

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Did Biden make a mistake in pulling out the troops so completely and so suddenly? When he announced the move in April, he reasoned that weve been there long enough; that the original missionto kill Osama bin Laden and defeat al-Qaidahad been accomplished long ago; that other goals, such as nation building, were pipe dreams; that if the Afghan army wasnt ready to fight on its own, it never would be, so lets leave now rather than stay there forever.

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He was right on all those points, but he left out one consideration. Obama too became flustered over Afghanistan. Eighteen months after ordering a troop surge and adopting a counterinsurgency strategy, he realized it wasnt working, reversed his decisions, and pulled out some more troops as well. But he stopped short of withdrawing all of themhe kept in 5,500for a couple of quite separate reasons. The then-new Afghan president, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, had just signed a bilateral security agreement giving U.S. forces legal protection (something his predecessor, Hamid Karzai, had never done).* Meanwhile, terrorist groups still flourished across the Pakistan border; there were plenty of reasons to keep a close eye on nuclear-armed Pakistan in any case, and here was Ghani, offering three military bases to do so for as long as we wanted. So Obama maintained a limited presence of troops, ratcheting down their involvement in combat considerably.

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The mere presence of these troopsand their continued involvement in training and assisting the Afghan armykept the Taliban at bay and preserved womens rights and other wisps of a civil society. (The flow of American dollars also preserved the corruption of the power cliques, which has been a problem from the beginning, but thats another story.)

Biden could have done the same, with far fewer troops and still less involvement in fighting. President Donald Trump restricted the Biden teams options by signing a peace accord with the Taliban, pledging to withdraw all U.S. troops by May 2021. The Taliban warned that if the U.S. reneged on the deal, they would resume attacking American troops. So if Biden had kept in a few thousand troops, they might have wound up fighting and dying again after alland that would have been unsustainable.

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It was clear, though, that Biden welcomed Trumps treaty as another rationale for getting out, which he had long wanted to do. But he didnt put his decision in those terms. Instead, he pledged to prevent the reemergence of terrorists, guarantee the Afghan governments security, and protect Afghan womens rights. He said we would do all this from over the horizoni.e., from sensors and fighter aircraft on nearby military bases. This was wishful thinking or perhaps the product of a misinformed briefing. The closest U.S. military bases, in and around Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, are more than 1,000 miles from Afghanistantoo far to monitor whats going on, much less respond to events in full force or quickly.

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At a news conference just this past Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki kept up the fiction. Our view, she said, is that the Afghan National Security Defense Forces has the equipment, numbers, and training to fight back, which will strengthen their position at the negotiating table.

The optimism here is Panglossian. As any military officer could have told her, the Afghan armys equipment, numbers, and training are irrelevant in any measure of its strength, given the absence of combat support. In any case, there is no negotiating table; to the extent peace talks with the Taliban were ever serious, they havent been for a while.

It would have been more honest for Biden to say that Afghanistans fate is no longer a vital interest, so were leaving. It damages our interests to say, as he did in April, that we will still secure the government, protect womens rights, hold the Taliban accountable, and all the restknowing that, after the withdrawal, we would have no ability to do so. And if Biden didnt know that, he should fire whoever assured him that we could.
Mark Joseph Stern, a staff writer at Slate who covers courts and the law, has been taking a close look at the lawyers who tried to make overturning an election seem reasonable. These arguments proliferate all over conservative mediaeven though the election has long been overand are not going away. Over the past few weeks, the people behind these legal theories have gradually come into sharper focus. One key figure is a former Department of Justice insider, who, Stern says, laid out a legal scheme for overturning the electionand came frighteningly close to implementing it. Did the United States narrowly avoid a DOJ-facilitated coup? On Wednesdays episode of What Next, I spoke with Stern about how we may have come way closer to a successful coup for Donald Trump than we ever realizeddue to a government lawyer, no less. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Mary Harris: We should go back in time to December 2020. Joe Biden had won the election. Donald Trump refused to concede. There were active court cases all around the country looking to invalidate ballots. And while the individual details of each case varied, many rested on the same basic principle: that state legislators could flip the outcome of an election, if they chose to.

Mark Joseph Stern: At the same time, youve got Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani claiming theres mass voter fraud. Youve got state attorneys general in 18 different states, as well as a lot of conservative intellectuals and Republican politicians, claiming that the election was conducted in an unconstitutional way.

What does that mean?

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So these folks talked about voter fraud, but they focused on this idea that only state legislatures get to decide the rules for a presidential election. And here, you had a lot of other playersgovernors, state courts, election boardstweaking these rules in part because legislatures cant foresee every possible election regulation, and sometimes state courts or secretaries of state or governors will have to step in and clarify things. But also, because of the COVID-19 crisis, you had a lot of states trying new things for the first time. And you also had a lot of states that refused to try new things, whose restrictive voting laws were going to force people to potentially wait in line indoors for a very long time and expose themselves to COVID. But all the modifications certain states made were modest.

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The neatness of making this argument that somehow the election was unconstitutional is that it potentially allows state legislatures to step in and override the vote, right?

Thats exactly right. Thats the endgame here. Its not as if these folks were flailing and screaming and accusing the election results of being illegitimate. They had a purpose, which was to throw the procedure of the election into sufficient legal doubt so state legislatures would have an excuse to reconvene, step in, essentially ignore the results of the actual vote, and appoint their states electors in the Electoral College to Donald Trump.

The main advocate for this approach at the Department of Justice seemed to be Jeffrey Bossert Clark, former acting head of the DOJs Civil Division. His scheme worked like this: persuade Republican state legislatures to nominate their own electors, and direct them to vote for Trump, instead of appointing electors based on the outcome of a democratic vote.

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Clark brought this strategy up for discussion in December of 2020, after Attorney General Bill Barr had just unexpectedly resigned. The acting attorney general was a guy named Jeffrey Rosen. But when Trump found out about Clarks idea, he seems to have thought, What if I put that guy in charge?

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It looks like most Justice Department officials balked at this idea, but Jeffrey Bossert Clark was all for it. And what weve seen in the release of documents that the House Oversight Committee has provided, and also from other reporting, is that he eagerly wanted to have the Justice Department step in in several different ways, specifically in Georgia, to push the state legislature to call its own special session, overturn the actual results, and declare Trump the real winner.

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Weve actually seen the drafts of the letters and lawsuits that Clark was typing up furiously and trying to issue on behalf of the entire Justice Departmentand that would have potentially nudged Georgia and its legislature toward overthrowing its own election results.

Can we talk about all of the evidence? Its pretty stunning because you have contemporaneous notes of a phone call that took place between Rosen and Trump on Dec. 27 where Trump is raising Clarks name. Hes basically like, I hear that guys great. Maybe I should put him in. What does that mean?

There are a number of reports from high-level Justice Department officials that are somewhat corroborated by other emails weve seen about various meetings that were taking place at this time. They show that at this point, Clark had decided that Rosen didnt have the backbone to steal the election or to intervene on Trumps behalf. So Clark apparently held unauthorized conversations behind the backs of his superiors with the president himself, and seems to have floated this idea of using the Justice Department to make these state legislatures reconvene and reassign their electoral votes. Trump seems to have really liked this idea and even said to Rosen, Why am I having to deal with you and these state suits when I could be dealing with Clark, who would do everything I say? All I need to do is fire you and make Clark the new acting attorney general, and then hell do whatever I want.

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All of the senior lawyers at the DOJ started talking to each other about what they were going to do if that happened. What did they decide?

That they would all resign. Basically, the senior lawyers at DOJ who were not Jeffrey Bossert Clark were against almost everything weve talked about so far. I guess this is to their creditI mean, they were complicit in a lot of other evil, but youve got these officials saying theyre drawing the line here. I think there was also an implicit assertion that they would talk about whats going on. That seems to be the thing that kept Trump from firing Rosen and that kept Clark from setting all of his plans into motion.

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Im not convinced that there arent people with Clarks point of view still inside an institution that has thousands of lawyers working for it. Is there any evidence that Attorney General Merrick Garland has set about trying to establish a consensus about what the rules of the road are for the people who work under him?

I think your intuition is right. First of all, weve actually seen some whistleblowers come forward and say that Clark successfully burrowed in some superpartisan political folks at the Justice Department right before he left. So he basically manipulated the rules of hiring to bring in some superpartisan Republicans into positions where they are treated like and considered to be career staff. That is kind of frightening, and it strongly suggests that this was going on more broadly across the Justice Department and we only know about a little bit of it. Theres not a ton that Garland can do about the presence of these people. The whole point of burrowing inwhich Trump and his and his allies really excelled atis that by deeming these people career appointees and apolitical, they get these job protections and its hard to sniff them out. So I dont thin Garland is going to be able to clean house, but I do think he will be able to prevent these crazy people from putting their plans into motion. We may still have some insurrectionists at DOJ, but they now answer to different bosses. So Im fairly confident that we wont be seeing a lot of craziness coming out of these offices.

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But what I think about is how many of these decisions hinge on individuals. The only reason Clark did not become the acting attorney general is because a number of other attorneys said they would resign en masse, and they wrote it down. It does leave you with this feeling that were a little bit of a breath away from someone else being promoted and making a different choice.

Yes, and thats another reason to be terrified about future elections. Our republic itself rested on the shoulders of a few partisan Republicans who just happened to have enough of a conscience to draw the line somewhere. That might not happen in the future. You can go from Mike Pence all the way down to these attorneys at the Justice Department and see that each of them made a handful of decisionsusually at the last minute, sometimes begrudginglythat staved off disaster. If we replay this with a slightly different set of variables, we just dont know if that outcome will happen again.

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Is the war on terrorism over? Some days it can feel that way. The 2020 presidential election was the first since the 9/11 attacks in which jihadi terror wasnt a major issue. During the election, polls showed only about a quarter of Americans view terrorism as a very big problem. Donald Trump made Barack Obamas supposed failure to defeat ISIS a centerpiece of his 2016 campaign; in 2020, Trump hardly mentioned the fact that he had presided over the destruction of the groups territory and the killing of its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

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There has been only one deadly foreign jihadi attack on U.S. soil in the past three years, killing three people, while violence by the far right, white supremacists, incels, and other closer-to-home extremists have emerged as a much more pressing threat. True, President Joe Biden has launched airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, prompting a debate over war powers in Congress, but thats a far cry from the Obama era when hundreds of drone strikes were carried out.

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On the other hand, as the journalist Spencer Ackerman would argue, were still very much living in a country shaped by the response to the attacks 20 years ago. Even as Biden winds down the forever wars, he retains the 9/11-era legal authorities that went along with them to pursue threats, as he put it, in places in Africa and the Middle East and beyond. Bidens director of national intelligence is a veteran of the Obama-era drone program.

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Ackerman, a contributing editor at the Daily Beast and Substack newsletter writer, has written about the forever war for the past two decades as an investigative journalist and pugnacious blogger. In his new book Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump, he makes the case that the fight against terrorism has shaped our politics and society even more than is commonly acknowledged, and led directly to the rise of Donald Trump.

Ackerman covers the familiar main points of this period, from the attacks themselves to the buildup to Iraq, to Abu Ghraib and torture, to the drone program, to surveillance, WikiLeaks, and Snowden. But his project seems to be less to recount these events than to recount how we thought about themhow at the time of 9/11, American exceptionalism left Americans poorly equipped to understand that the sort of geopolitical, economic, and cultural impact [the country] has on the world would at some point provoke a violent hostile response and yet equipped the nation very well to turn the trauma of that response outward onto the world.

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He writes: For the 9/11 generation, the first generation to be extremely online, the War on Terror was an early red pill, releasing an omnidirectional, violent nihilism that viewed itself as the only rational, sophisticated, honorable, and even civilized option. I mean it as a compliment when I say that this is clearly the work of an author who was himself extremely online for much of this period and has a gift for conveying the overcaffeinated, manic energy of online political discourse.

Reign of Terror is at its strongest when Ackerman recalls some of the outrages-of-the-week of the past 20 years, which may have faded from memory but feel portentous in retrospect. Recall, for instance, the 2010 ground zero mosque affair, in which the likes of Islamophobic conspiracy blogger Pamela Geller and the far-right political provocateur Geert Wilders pushed a story into the mainstream to the point that it became a major issue in that years midterm election. Future Trump administration figures including John Bolton, Rudy Giuliani, and the Donald himself all played prominent roles in what now appears like a dress rehearsal for how the distinction between the internet fever swamps and mainstream politics fell away during the Trump years.

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I had completely forgotten a few of the episodes Ackerman recounts, though they were major stories at the time. For instance: the uproar over the planned sale of the management of six major U.S. ports to the Emirati company Dubai Ports World in 2006. As Ackerman recalls, the campaign against the sale on dubious national security grounds was led by Democrats, who, adrift and out of power, found a way to make Islamophobia work for them.

Ackerman savages Republican leaders for embracing bigotry and violence during the war on terrors apex years, but he saves some of his most scathing contempt for Democrats who were themselves often willing to embrace the security state uncritically if it allowed them to look tougher than Republicans. This is how Robert Mueller, who as FBI director had constructed and presided over an apparatus of domestic infiltration of Muslim communities throughout the country, went on to become a folk hero of #Resistance liberals during the Trump years. As for the Obama administration, he gives former adviser Ben Rhodes significant space to defend its record. But the author seems mostly disappointed with a president who came into office vowing to end dumb wars yet governed as someone more concerned with reforming the habits and optics of counterterrorism, rather than its machinery, its authorities, or its material impact on human beings.

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Given that entire server farms dotting the Great Plains are probably set aside to store the mass of content purportedly explaining Trumps political rise, Ackerman deserves credit for bringing some new ideas to the topic. In his view, Americas response to 9/11 unleashed a dark torrent of nationalist anger, directed first and foremost against Muslimsperceived as terrorists or terrorist sympathizers.

The political and military leaders who oversaw the war on terrorism in its early years didnt talk about it this way. Bush took pains to emphasize that the U.S. was not at war with Islam and famously visited a mosque shortly after 9/11. (Theres something quaint, after the Trump years, about recalling the White House going into damage control mode over Bush using the word crusade in a statement.) These leaders emphasized national security, stamping out extremism, and spreading democracy. But the darker undercurrent was always there.

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Ackerman revisits the famous incident during the 2008 election in which Republican candidate John McCain was lauded across the political spectrum for shutting down a questioner who called Obama an Arab, prompting the candidate to grab the mic and describe his opponent as a decent family man and citizen. Ackerman writes: McCain meant to include Obama within the American fabric, but his formulation, however inadvertent, excluded Arabs, by which the woman meant Muslims, from it.  It appeared never to have occurred to McCain that the open-ended war he helped build, against an amorphous enemy, would lead her and other Americans to unleash racist fanaticism.

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While Muslims and those perceived to be Muslims may have borne the brunt of such anger, the war on terror also unleashed anger against the decadent left, which conservative journalist Andrew Sullivan warned in 2001 could mount a fifth column from its enclaves on the coasts.

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When Trump burst onto the scene, he was perfectly positioned to capitalize on this dynamic. Trump, Ackerman believes, understood something about the War on Terror that [those who launched it] did not. He recognized that the 9/11 eras grotesque subtextthe perception of nonwhites as alien marauders, even as conquerors, from a hostile foreign civilizationwas its engine.

Because of his skepticism about the wars in Afghanistan and (belatedly) Iraq, Trump was sometimes mistakenly thought of as anti-war (Donald the Dove, Hillary the Hawk, ran the headline of one 2016 Maureen Dowd column). Rather, Ackerman observes, Trump was able to make the war on terror an instrument of his will, harnessing the antipathy to foreigners, minorities, and politically correct liberals that the post-9/11 era had unleashed while jettisoning all the talk of democracy promotion, global security, and international alliances. The distinction created one of the main tensions of his administration. Trump consistently stocked his national security team with generals like James Mattis (because he liked Mattis nickname Mad Dog) or Fox News uber-hawks like John Bolton because he thought they were killers. But much to his frustration, these men turned out to be steeped in the old internationalist logic of the war on terror; they didnt much care for the dictators he praised or the things he said about immigrants and did care about projects he considered pointless, like keeping troops in Afghanistan and Syria.

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Trump promised to bomb the shit out of terrorists on the campaign trail, and followed through, not only against ISIS in Syria but on new battlefields as well. More disconcerting, under Trump, the logic of the war on terror came to be applied to new targets. Ackerman sees a throughline from the abuse of terrorism suspects at black sites under Bush to the confinement of migrants in freezing hieleras under Trump. In the Bush administrations politicization of intelligence in the buildup to the war in Iraq, Ackerman sees a precursor to Trumpworlds clashes with the deep state. In the troubled summer of 2020, the Trump administration and its Republican allies in Congress hyped the terrorist threat of antifa to justify using military force and tactics on the streets of American cities.

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The book compellingly argues that, the protestations of neoconservative Never Trumpers notwithstanding, Trumps America First doctrine was not a break from Bushs freedom agenda; it was its inevitable conclusion. Less convincing is the suggestion that, as the subtitle suggests, the war on terror produced Trump. For that to be true, the dark energies unleashed during the war on terror would have to be a unique occurrence in American history. But from the Alien and Sedition Acts at the end of the 18th century through the internment of Japanese Americans and the Red Scares of the 20th, many Americans from a wide range of political positions have taken international tension as an opportunity to demonize minorities, foreigners, and their perceived sympathizers. As Ackerman himself writes, the reign of terror launched after 9/11 was familiar to nonwhites across four hundred years of American history. And yet none of these historical periods produced a leader as anomalous as the 45th president. He seems to want to have it both ways: to suggest that this period was fundamentally American, and also a radicalizing exception.

Reign of Terror was seemingly finished shortly after the events of Jan. 6, which led many Democrats to once again seek to demonstrate their hawkish bona fides by calling for new surveillance and new legal authority to pursue domestic rather than international extremists. Ackerman is probably a bit too cynical in predicting that nothing much would change once liberals and their security state allies returned to power. For better or worse, the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, despite the Talibans rapid advance and what appears to be the inevitable collapse of the countrys internationally backed government, shows a basic rejection of the security states arguments.

But the larger point that shooting wars inevitably become culture wars, and that the most vulnerable members of society bear the brunt of both, is worth remembering, no matter who the enemy may be.
During a conference call in May 2018, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions told five U.S. Attorneys we need to take away [the] children of asylum-seekers and other migrants caught illegally entering the United States. The unprecedented policy of taking children away from parents to deter migration was cruel, illegal, and wrong; yet, the U.S. Attorneys on the call implemented it without moral objections, according to a recent report by the Justice Departments Office of the Inspector General.

If our country is to undo the moral and national shame of family separation, as President Joe Biden has promised, we must ensure accountability for the lawyers who devised and carried out the policy, and who still occupy prestigious roles in the legal profession as if nothing happened.

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While U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has received the brunt of public ire for family separation, federal prosecutors have faced far less scrutiny. Yet it was these prosecutors, who enforce criminal rather than civil immigration laws, who actually caused the separation of more than 3,000 children from their migrant parents and guardians. They did so by carrying out Sessions zero tolerance policy, which instructed them to criminally charge all adults caught illegally crossing the U.S-Mexico border, even if that required separating them from their minor children.

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The OIG report shows that when given the unambiguously immoral task of separating children, top federal prosecutors along the border raised mostly practical implementation questions. For example, during the policys rollout, Adam Braverman, then-U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, emailed a Justice Department official and his fellow border U.S. attorneys about implementation issues ranging from the lack of detention space to medical screening, but omitted any substantive concern with the policy itself of separating children.

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When Sessions first publicly announced that his zero tolerance policy would cause child separation, the U.S. attorneys contacted Justice Department leadershipnot to oppose the policy, but rather to request media talking points. According to an email summarizing the call, one BIG CONCERN raised by the U.S. attorneys was: What is happening with these children when they are being separated from the parent?; What are the safeguards to the children[?]; and  How are they getting the child back to the parent? The email is smoking gun evidence that the U.S. attorneys did not know of any plan in place to reunite the families Sessions was asking them to separate. This means that when the prosecutors decided to separate them anyway, they at best recklessly disregarded the welfare of hundreds of children, and at worst were knowing participants in taking children illegally from their families, potentially forever.

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In the following weeks, prosecutors continued separating families even as public defenders and judges raised alarm over the unknown whereabouts of separated children as young as three years old. While the U.S. attorneys had the opportunity to resist or morally object to the policy during weekly calls with then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the report does not mention a single instance in which they did so.

One striking example of moral acquiescence is when John Bash, then-U.S. Attorney from the Western District of Texas, emailed his subordinates conveying Rosensteins instructions to separate children no matter how young they were. Bash told his subordinates that, according to Rosenstein, his office should not have declined to prosecute two cases the day before just because the children were younger than five years old. (Rosenstein told the Inspector General investigators that he did not recall anyone asking him whether they were required to prosecute parents of infants and near infants.)

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Bash admits that he and the other U.S. attorneys never really received an accurate and full summary of what happens to children, how theyre cared for, and so forth. Turns out there was no real plan, and the parents of hundreds of separated children have yet to be located.

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Meanwhile, many of the lawyers named in the OIG report continue to enjoy positions of power and prestige. Rosenstein is a partner at King & Spalding and was named a member of the extremely exclusive and influential American Law Institute. President Donald Trump nominated Braverman to the federal bench in San Diego (he did not receive confirmation before Democrats took over the Senate), and the local paper of record describes him as a non-controversial potential nominee for President Biden. Bash is now a partner at the prominent liberal-leaning law firm Quinn Emanuel, which holds itself out as a defender of immigrants. Ryan Patrick, then-U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas who carried out the family separation orders in his jurisdiction, kept the position until February 2021 and was named partner at the law firm Haynes and Boone the following month. John Anderson, then-U.S. Attorney in New Mexico who also implemented family separation, is a partner at Holland & Hart.

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This lack of accountability creates little incentive for government lawyers to do the right thing the next time an administration devises a policy to violate human rights, as one inevitably will, and demands further inquiry, not just into what these attorneys knew, and when they knew it, but what to make of their complicity in defending the indefensible.

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The Biden administration should conduct a thorough investigation into family separation and identify all those responsible for devising and carrying out the policy. At a minimum, lawyers who designed the policy and supervised its implementation should be named and explicitly barred from judgeships and leadership roles in the Justice Department, including in U.S. attorneys offices. Private firms and professional associations should be publicly discouraged from elevating these attorneys.

These accountability measures would provide deterrence, albeit a more humane and proportional version than what Trump officials envisioned with family separation. In contrast with psychologically torturing children to deter migration, we are merely asking to take power and prestige away from lawyers behind the heinous policy, to deter similar abuses in the future.
Republicans in Texas are increasing pressure on Democratic lawmakers to return to the states Legislature, threatening they may be arrested if they fail to go back to the GOP-led chamber. State lawmakers voted 8012 to give law enforcement the authority to track down and force absent Democrats to return to the House of Representatives. Shortly thereafter, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan signed civil arrest warrants for 52 Democrats. The warrants will be delivered to the House sergeant at arms Wednesday morning for service. The lawmakers wouldnt face criminal charges and could just be taken to the House chamber. People arent going to jail, but they got to come back to work, Republican state Rep. Mayes Middleton said.

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The decision to issue the arrest warrants came hours after the Texas Supreme Court reversed a lower court ruling that protected Democrats from being arrested. The ruling followed by the arrest warrants marked a sharp escalation of efforts by Republican state representatives to end the protest over a controversial voting bill. Fifty-seven Democratic lawmakers fled to Washington in mid-July to block passage of the measure and to talk about the need for federal voting rights protections. But since then many of them have returned, although its unclear how many are back in Texas.

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Some Democratic lawmakers dont seem all that worried about the arrest warrants. I think theyre bluffing. Do they really want to arrest a woman of color? state Rep. Celia Israel told the Washington Post. Theyre just thumping their chests. State Rep. Evelina Lina Ortega told the Texas Tribune it would be a big mistake if Republicans decide to go through with the arrest. Well see what happens, she added. State Rep. Chris Turner, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, said it is fully within our rights as legislators to break quorum to protect our constituents. There have been some breaks among Democrats as a few did decide to return to the House this week, leading to criticism from their colleagues. But they still fell short of the 100 representatives needed to vote on the controversial bill. Some Republican lawmakers say they are optimistic the threat of an arrest would persuade Democrats to return. I hope this kind of wakes them up and allows them to say, All right, its time to get back to work,  state Rep. Matt Krause said.
Donald Trump and his allies spent much of the 2020 campaign fomenting Republican fear of cancel culture to whip up votes against Joe Biden. He decried the alleged crisis in many speeches, accusing Democrats of wielding cancel culture as a political weapon against their enemiesa tactic he described as the very definition of totalitarianism. This gambit did not carry Trump to a second term, but his followers have carried on the crusade in the halls of Congress, on Fox News, and wherever else Trumpism remains alive and well. One bastion of Trumpism today, of course, is the federal judiciary, which is dominated by the 234 judges the former president installed on the bench (including one-third of the current Supreme Court). Some of these judges have taken up the mantle of Trumps campaign against cancel culture, transforming judicial opinions into Tucker Carlsonstyle rants against political correctness. The nations federal courts are declaring war on wokeness.

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The most recent skirmish in this battle arrived on Tuesday, in a decision partially upholding Iowas ag-gag law. Like half of all states, Iowa has tried to prevent undercover investigations into factory farmswhere animal cruelty is rampantby prohibiting journalists, whistleblowers, and activists from entering these facilities. Iowas law outlaws access to farms under false pretenses and criminalizes false statements made to secure employment, since investigators frequently pose as job applicants. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the access ban but struck down the employment provision as a violation of the First Amendment.

One member of the three-judge panel was Steven Grasz, a Trump nominee rated Not Qualified by the American Bar Association due in part to his passionately-held social agenda that appeared to overwhelm and obscure the ability to exercise dispassionate and unbiased judgment. Grasz wrote separately to express his reluctance to uphold the access ban, criticizing the Supreme Courts limited and sometimes hazy precedent regarding false speech. This concern is fair, even commendable. But Grasz then veered off course. At a time in history when a cloud of censorship appears to be descending, he wrote, along with palpable public fear of being cancelled for holding incorrect views, it concerns me to see a new category of speech which the government can punish through criminal prosecution.

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Leaving aside, for a moment, the propriety of whining about cancel culture in a legal opinion, what, exactly, does Iowas law have to do with being canceled? This case does not involve anyone facing repercussions for expressing unpopular views; it is about lying in the service of undercover investigations. You could say that animal rights activists are being canceled (i.e., imprisoned) for holding incorrect views (i.e., lying for journalistic purposes). But that would be a very strange way to talk about an ag-gag law. Perhaps Grasz has grown so alarmed by cancel culture that it is the only lens through which he can view all First Amendment disputes. Or maybe he simply sought to shoehorn his own anxiety around wokeness into a two-page concurrence about something else. Either way, Graszs fixation infects his legal analysis, muddying his legitimate apprehension about Iowas attack on newsgathering.

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Compared with Stuart Kyle Duncans anti-woke screed, though, Graszs analysis constitutes fine judicial craftsmanship. Duncan, who serves on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, is one of Trumps most noxious nominees; he gained notoriety last year for a nasty opinion that disparaged and willfully misgendered a trans litigant. In June, Duncan dissented from a 5th Circuit decision allowing a student to sue her former teacher for an alleged First Amendment violation. The Supreme Court ruled long ago that public schools cannot force students to recite the pledge of allegiance. In this case, the teacher seems to have been infuriated by a students refusal to recite the pledge, and attempted to retaliate by forcing her to write down the pledge instead. (He also engaged in extended diatribes accusing the student of anti-American sentiment and forced her to listen to Christian music in class.) The student sued, and the teacher asked the 5th Circuit to throw out the case.

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By a 21 vote, the 5th Circuit refused to do so, allowing the dispute to go to trial. Duncan penned a furious dissent charging the majority of, in short, appeasing liberal snowflakes. We live in an easily offended age. Even Dr. Seuss is controversial, he wrote, citing the Seuss estates decision to stop publishing certain titles featuring racial stereotypes. Duncan speculated that, under the majoritys view, a student could sue her teacher over an assignment requiring her to write the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence.

The words teem with occasions for offense: they are arguably sexist (Men) and religious (Creator), and were written by a notorious slaveholder, the judge wrote. He added that a teacher might be sued for requiring his students to transcribe Martin Luther Kings most famous speechspecifically, the passage that states: I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. (In reality, King did not endorse colorblindness as a remedy to racism, and this particular quote has been ripped out of context to warp its true meaning.)

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Today, this aspiration of colorblindness has come under fire, Duncan continued, citing Ibram X. Kendis How to be an Antiracist, a popular target of the moral panic over critical race theory. Then, for good measure, Duncan pointed to the conservative activist Christopher F. Rufos work reviling critical race theory. While forcing a student to transcribe the pledge poses no constitutional problem, the judge declared, provisions of Californias ethnic studies curriculum flagged by Rufo may violate students religious liberty.

Duncan pointed to the conservative activist Christopher F. Rufos work reviling critical race theory.

This opinion marked the first of at least two occasions on which Trump nominees to the 5th Circuit have bashed critical race theory. In July, James Hoan overt partisan who often pens Fox Newsstyle commentary thinly veiled as legal opinionsvilified Kendi, as well as the entire field of critical race theory, in similar terms. That same month, Ho also charged Don Willett, a fellow Trump nominee, with supporting a woke Constitution by questioning legal impunity for violent police officers.

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Its not just Trump judges who rail against whatever Laura Ingraham hates most at the moment. The trend extends to judges nominated by previous Republican presidents, too. When the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals prohibited a website designer from discriminating against same-sex couples, the dissenting Judge Timothy Tymkovich compared the decision to George Orwells 1984. He denounced Colorados LGBTQ anti-discrimination law as an Orwellian diktat and bemoaned that it seems we have moved from live and let live to you cant say that.  A George W. Bush nominee who appeared on Trumps SCOTUS shortlist, Tymkovich does not have a reputation as a bomb-thrower. But he now seems eager to join the ranks of jurists who deem wokeness a threat to the republic.

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Moreover, conservative grievances over the woke wars arent limited to querulous concurring opinions in lower courts; theyre also seeping into the law. Last term, the Supreme Court heard Americans for Prosperity v. Bonta, a challenge to a California law that required the disclosure of high-dollar charitable donors to the state attorney general. During oral arguments, the courts Trumpiest justicesNeil Gorsuch, Sam Alito, and Clarence Thomasfretted over the impact of this disclosure rule. Gorsuch asked whether California bureaucrats might force private associations to turn over their Christmas card lists to the state. Alito complained that anti-gay activists faced not just physical violence but economic reprisals, citing the well-known case of Brendan Eich, who resigned as Mozillas CEO due to his donations in support of Proposition 8. (In November, Alito delivered a speech to the Federalist Society warning that anti-gay Christians were being canceled.)

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Thomas outdid them both. In this era, there seems to be quite a bit of loose accusations about organizations, he said, for example, an organization that had certain views might be accused of being a white supremacist organization or racist or homophobic, something like that, and, as a result, become quite controversial.

All six Republican-appointed justices ultimately voted to invalidate Californias law. Although it doesnt use the words cancel culture, the 63 decision bristles with agitation over our allegedly censorious political climate. The majority was so appalled by the prospect of wealthy donors facing public criticism that they rewrote the First Amendment.

Just 11 years ago, Justice Antonin Scalia scorned the very concept of a constitutional right to anonymous association: Requiring people to stand up in public for their political acts fosters civic courage, he wrote, without which democracy is doomed. Todays conservative judges see things differently. Many seem to have gone all in on Trumps anti-woke mania, littering their opinions with ominous warnings about the silencing of unpopular views. These polemics create the impression that their legal analysis has been corrupted by political grudges against perceived progressive excesses. When judges start to sound like obsessive cranks yelling at the TV, its reasonable for Americans to ask whether they still deserve the presumption of legitimacy.
When Americans think of the Internal Revenue Service, they think taxes. Yet, given that the IRS is the nations largest administrator of anti-poverty benefits for workers and families with children, its time they start thinking benefits as well.

This year, a very-low-income family with three children could easily receive more than $20,000 from the IRS, more than six times what they would have received in recent years. With so much money on the line, it is time for the IRS and for Congress to embrace the expanded role the agency now serves. That means identifying where the IRS falls short as a provider of benefits and implementing both systemic and technological solutions to better serve families most in need. This should include creating a new, government-run, simplified tax-filing option to bring marginalized families into the tax system, as well as greater recognition and commitment to the dual mission of benefits access and tax enforcement. This reform is all the more urgent given the recent announcement by Intuit that it will no longer participate in Free File, a program that was supposed to provide free tax filing to low- and moderate-income American families.

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The IRSs role as a benefits administrator is not new. Over the past three decades, as welfare programs have shrunk, the federal tax system has taken their place. In the United States, the earned income tax credit, or EITC (a tax credit that is calculated based on wages and household size), became the countrys largest anti-poverty program for workers with children over a series of expansions in the 1980s and 1990s. With the child and dependent care tax credit, the adoption tax credit, the American opportunity credit, the lifetime learning credit, and more, the federal government subsidizes workers, children, child care, education, and health care premiums through the tax code.

The American Rescue Plan in 2021 expanded the IRSs benefits portfolio even further, increasing the EITC for childless workers, establishing a new round of relief payments, and overhauling the child tax creditwhich can now be worth up to $3,600 per child. The value of these credits is immense: In 2021, the IRS will pay more than $700 billion in EITCs, child tax credits, and relief payments combined. For reference, federal expenditures on traditional welfare (officially known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) are $16.5 billion per year. As a benefits provider, the IRS is surpassed only by the Social Security Administration, which pays out more than $1 trillion annually, largely to seniors.

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Administering benefits through the tax code has real advantages. While traditional benefit programs force families to complete onerous applications with documentation requirementswhich can take months or even years to finalizefamilies who file taxes get their tax benefits nearly automatically, frequently within days of applying (that is, filing a return).

But there is a huge gap in this tax-centric safety net: Many of the most vulnerable do not file taxes. This represents up to 5 million EITC-eligible families annually, at least 9 million adults eligible for COVID relief checks in 2020, and up to 5 million child tax crediteligible children this year. The most disadvantaged families largely dont file because they dont need to; single people earning under $12,400 and married couples earning under $24,800 are not required to file their taxes. Unfortunately, many who are not required to file either believe they are prohibited from doing so or that it doesnt matter if they do, since they dont think they are entitled to benefits.

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As all Americans know well, doing your taxes is an unreasonably difficult process. Tax forms are not user-friendly, and the IRS has historically outsourced the job of making them accessible to private tax preparation companies. These companies may charge hefty fees (low-income families pay on average $400 to file a return) and have little incentive to seek out the poorest families. The Free File program, which was supposed to provide free tax filing options to low- and middle-income families, never functioned well (70 percent of Americans were eligible, but only 2.4 percent of Americans used it), and with the recent announcement that Intuit will be withdrawing from the alliance, it seems even that meager resource will become unavailable.

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There is, however, a way forward. In 2020 the IRS launched a simplified tool to help families access their relief payments even if they were not required to file their taxes. This year, the IRS revamped the tool to accommodate the new child tax credit expansion. The tool has some weaknessesits hard to use, isnt hosted on a government website, and doesnt accommodate the EITCbut it does provide a solid foundation to build upon. If this tool were repurposed as a government-run, simplified tax-filing system that requests just enough information to issue IRS anti-poverty benefits, it would create the easy access to benefits low-income families need. Over time, this tool could be expanded to generate pre-filled tax returns, like those available to taxpayers in most European nations (and as proposed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren). That in itself would be a benefit for all Americans.

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Some may disagree with the notion that the IRS is the future of efficient access to anti-poverty benefits. For example, the Social Security Administration was considered potentially the most appropriate infrastructure and mandate to take on additional benefits distribution, specifically the expanded child tax credit. However, this view obscures the reality: that the IRS has already assumed this responsibility and is equipped to improve delivery of benefits further. Additionally, by packaging benefits as tax credits administered by the IRS, they are more likely to avoid the conservative opposition to welfare programs.

By focusing not only on enforcement but also on benefits delivery, the IRS could take significant steps to ensure people are better served and that government programs are more effective. A government-run tax option would not only improve the safety net but also make the IRS work better for all Americans.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Covid jab as a political statement. How do politicians' opinions matter to people?

Vaccination is an emotionally charged topic, thats why many politicians cannot resist it.

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When former PM Peter Pellegrini tried to address the protesting crowd in front of the parliament in late July, they did not give him a chance to speak. Protesters who gathered to express their disagreement with vaccination and anti-pandemic rules booed and whistled until Pellegrini disappeared inside the parliament building again.

Some of his fellow parliamentarians were luckier. MPs Marian Kotleba of the far-right Peoples Party Our Slovakia and Lubos Blaha of Smer succeeded in addressing the crowd.

Protests against all things pandemic-related are not special to Slovakia, since large protests have occurred in countries like Germany, Italy, France or the US. But observers agree that in Slovakia, Covid vaccination has been largely politicised and getting the jab has been used by some as a show of their political preferences.

Both the coalition and opposition use this issue to strengthen their positions, Barbara Lasticova, a social psychologist of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV), told The Slovak Spectator.

Observers of Slovakia's society agree that the opinions of many voters are in accordance with the party they prefer. Supporters of the opposition are less vaccinated in general.

Yet politicians' opinions on vaccination only matter to about one fifth of the population. Politicians are more likely to confirm someones opinion than change it completely.

Less vaccinated opposition

The results of the July edition of the regularly conducted How Are You, Slovakia? poll by SAV, Seesame and MNFORCE communication agency, show that the vaccination rate is significantly lower among voters of opposition parties  Smer, Peoples Party Our Slovakia (LSNS), renegades from Smer (Hlas) and renegades from LSNS (Republika). Hlas voters are an exception, Lasticova noted.

11. Aug 2021 at 19:40 | Nina Hrabovska Francelova
Slovak actress who gained fame abroad is unrecognised at home

Actress Maria Barkany was born into a Jewish family in Kosice. Her father wanted her to be an accountant. Her plans changed in Vienna.

The Jewish actress Maria Barkany often returned to her hometown of Kosice. (Source: Archive of the Jewish religious community in Presov)

She was an internationally acclaimed actress, and she also appeared on the front pages of major magazines. She was admired by both women and men.

Born and raised in Kosice, actress Maria Barkany became famous mainly in Germany, but with her characters she travelled the world from St Petersburg to New York. Like her contemporary and French diva, Sarah Bernhardt.

11. Aug 2021 at 20:12 | Jana Alexova
Representatives of municipalities welcome the new tier system. Health care reform introduced. More in today's digest.

Good evening. Catch up on the main news of the day in less than five minutes with the Wednesday, August 11, 2021 edition of Today in Slovakia. We wish you a pleasant read.

Cabinet approves new alert system

The situation within each district and vaccination rates will be among the main considerations of the new Covid automat alert system. (Source: SME)

The third pandemic wave will probably not bring the same national lockdown Slovakia witnessed during the second pandemic wave.

The cabinet approved several changes to the Covid automat alert system at its August 10 evening session, effective from next Monday, August 16. One of the biggest ones is that the measures will not be adopted on a national level. Instead, every district will follow different measures, based on the tier they are currently in.

Another big change relates to the vaccination rate among people aged 50 and over. This means that if more than 65 percent of people aged 50+ are vaccinated in a respective district, it will graduate to a better tier, and thus less strict measures will apply. If the vaccination rate of people aged 50+ is more than 75 percent, the district may improve by two tiers in the Covid automat.

Moreover, the owners of facilities and the organisers of mass events will be able to choose from different sets of entry requirements. They can choose to let only fully vaccinated people in; or require proof of either vaccination, a negative Covid test result or proof of recovery from the disease; or let everybody in, without requiring a negative test or proof of vaccination. The entry regime will set limits for the number of people allowed to enter the premises or attend events.

Schools should follow their own traffic light system. The Education Ministry will introduce the respective measures on August 17.

Here are some answers to questions concerning the new alert system.

Municipalities welcome the changes

Some representatives of municipalities appreciated the fact that the new Covid automat follows the regional principle and takes the vaccination rate among older people into account. This includes Bratislava Mayor Matus Vallo.

Thanks to the changes, it is possible that the city and its districts will not have to switch to the black tier, as the vaccination rate in the capital is higher than 70 percent.

Bratislava is the most vaccinated city in Slovakia, among seniors too, and there is no risk that it will be switched to the black tier, which would mean a complete closure of facilities, Vallo wrote on Facebook. To reward vaccinated people and motivate people who have not been inoculated yet, he is giving people in the city a chance to win an annual public transport ticket worth 199.

The Union of Towns in Slovakia (UMS) also welcomed the changes to the Covid automat. As its chair and Trencin Mayor Richard Rybnicek explained, the previous measures passed on the national level led to some paradoxes when districts with a good epidemiological situation had to close some facilities because of the worsening situation in other districts, as reported by the TASR newswire.

Meanwhile, the Slovak Association of Hotels and Restaurants wants the new Covid automat to become effective on September 1, rather than August 16. One of the reasons is that operators of facilities lack information on how to choose the entry regime, and tourists who have already paid for their stay also need to be informed about the new conditions.

Moreover, the IT support necessary for checking the digital Covid passes is also missing, said its chair Marek Harbulak.

If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you.

Coronavirus and vaccination news

Trnava Region plans to vaccinate people only on Saturday. (Source: TASR)

68 out of 5,739 PCR tests completed on August 10 were positive, and so were 22 out of 5,185 new antigen tests. One more person died of Covid.

out of 5,739 PCR tests completed on August 10 were positive, and so were out of 5,185 new antigen tests. died of Covid. 16.4 percent of respondents would not recommend their friends to get vaccinated against Covid, the July edition of How are you, Slovakia? survey suggests.

would not recommend their friends to get vaccinated against Covid, the July edition of How are you, Slovakia? survey suggests. During the upcoming weekend, the Trnava Self-Governing Region will administer the vaccine against Covid only on Saturday (August 14). There will be three vaccination points at shopping centres and a large-capacity centre in Piestany.

Picture of the Day

The reconstruction of the walls of the Turna Castle near Kosice, managed by the Castrum Thorna association, is continuing throughout the summer. Four unemployed people are helping with the project, which has also received a subsidy from the Culture Ministry.

The works on Turna Castle. (Source: TASR)

Feature story for today

It's hard to shake the mystical imagery of the alpine meadows, waterfalls, deep blue lakes bordered by the jagged peaks spanning the High Tatras, writes Mins Lukas Savela, a team member at 10Adventures Tours. Despite holding the title as the smallest alpine range on Earth, it remains one of his favourite hiking destinations on the continent. Read his blog summing up his three-day hike in the mountains.

Blog: Epic hikes in the High Tatras Read more

In other news

The trial of ex-special prosecutor Dusan Kovacik , who faces corruption-related and other charges, continued on August 11, with former general prosecutor Jaromir Ciznar and former police officer Norbert Paksi taking the witness stand. While the formers testimony was in Kovaciks favour, the latter confirmed some claims made by Ludovit Mako during his mid-July testimony, the Dennik N daily reported. The court proceeding will continue on Thursday and Friday.

, who faces corruption-related and other charges, continued on August 11, with former general prosecutor and former police officer taking the witness stand. While the formers testimony was in Kovaciks favour, the latter confirmed some claims made by Ludovit Mako during his mid-July testimony, the Dennik N daily reported. The court proceeding will continue on Thursday and Friday. The trial with convicted mobster Marian Kocner , who faces charges related to the secret instruction notes he allegedly sent from prison, continued on August 11. The notes and other evidence were read aloud. An expert opinion confirmed that the notes provided by former journalist-turned-spy Peter Toth were written by Kocner. The trial was adjourned until October .

, who faces charges related to the secret instruction notes he allegedly sent from prison, The notes and other evidence were read aloud. An confirmed that the notes provided by former journalist-turned-spy Peter Toth were written by Kocner. The trial was adjourned until . The cabinet allocated 5.4 million and the deployment of up to 1,300 soldiers a day for the mid-September visit of Pope Francis.

and the a day for the mid-September visit of Pope Francis. The Health Ministry introduced its health care reform that will now be submitted for interdepartmental review. It contains a plan to increase the number of general practitioners, the reform of hospitals and the regulation of health insurers profit.

that will now be submitted for interdepartmental review. It contains a plan to increase the number of general practitioners, the reform of hospitals and the regulation of health insurers profit. Bratislava Region has the highest share of employees with a university degree  nearly 68 percent of all people working in the region. On the other hand, the share of employees with at least a bachelor's degree is the lowest in the remaining three regions in western Slovakia (Trencin, Trnava and Nitra) at about 45 percent, according to the Platy.sk website.

 nearly 68 percent of all people working in the region. On the other hand, the share of employees with at least a bachelor's degree is in the remaining (Trencin, Trnava and Nitra) at about 45 percent, according to the Platy.sk website. Bauer Media, the owner of the private Radio Expres, which tops the ranking of radio stations with the most listenership, reportedly agreed on purchasing two more private radio stations, Jemne and Europa 2, whose owner is close to the J&T financial group. The transaction, whose value has not been revealed yet, needs to be approved by the licensing council first. (Omediach.com)

More on Spectator.sk today:

Slovakia grew the most among its fellow EU members  in beer production Read more

Filming of American TV series closes highway to Poland Read more

If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.

11. Aug 2021 at 18:01 | Radka Minarechova
The featured event on the Tuesday night (August 10) harness racing program at Running Aces was the $13,800 Open Handicap Pace, which drew a field of seven.

Last weeks winner Parklane Jet (S. Bernard Demars) was sent off as the 2-1 favourite while Castle Flight (Nick Roland) was given a 3-1 chance by the betting public and Whatchyastarinat (Jacob Cutting) was sent off at 7-2.

Roland sent Castle Flight right to the lead from post seven and controlled the tempo, while Swagasaurusrex (Brady Jenson) secured the pocket and Intrigued Again (Tony Kerwood) got away in third.

The early fractions were moderate (:28 and :57.2) and Parklane Jet was first to challenge the front-runners, sweeping from last to third as they raced down the back lane, but could not sustain the bid into the far turn.

Castle Flight picked up the pace in the third panel (:27.3) and was never in doubt in the homestretch to post a 1-1/4 length tally in 1:53.2 over Swagasaurusrex, who was clearly second-best while Whatchyastarinat checked in third.

Castle Flight ($8.80) now shows five wins in 12 starts this year and has now won 37 career races and $375,196. The winning owner is Bill Dessert and Roland is also the winning trainer.

Vickies Vacation (Nick Roland, $6.20) posted her third career win with a career-best mile in 2:00 to take the first division of the $8,100 two year-old Open Trot by a neck over stablemate Scroll On By. The pair traded the lead early and were one-two throughout the mile. Both fillies are by Banker Volo and both are trained by Dan Roland. The winning filly is owned by Jeralene Roland and Vickie Rush. Triggered (Mooney Svendsen) was home in third.

The second $8,100 division went to Poko Loki (Luke Plano), who dominated in 2:02.4 for two wins in a row. The gelded son of Tamarind battled early with Chip Talks (Brady Jenson) before taking control through very soft fractions. Once on the lead, Poko Loki ($3.40) was never in doubt posted a final quarter in :28.4 to draw away and win by seven lengths. Chip Talks held second and Cnnothinbutailites (Gerald Longo) picked up third. The winner is owned by Susan Holm-Johansen and also owned and trained by Ulf Holm-Johansen.

Nick Roland led the Tuesday program with three driving wins and a training double, while Luke Plano also posted a driving double.

Live racing returns to Running Aces on Thursday (August 12) with first post at 6:05 p.m. (CDT) and will feature a carryover of $17,108.34 in the 20-cent Pick-5 Jackpot wager, and a carryover of $1,694.05 in the 50-cent Hi-5.

(Running Aces)
The weekly overview highlighting Grand Circuit action includes an upcoming historic Canadian race.

This Week: Dan Patch Invitational, Harrahs Hoosier Park, Anderson, Ind.; Carl Milstein Memorial, MGM Northfield Park, Northfield, Ohio; Fox Stake, the Ralph Wilfong, the Horseman Stakes and the Hoosier Stakes, Indiana State Fair, Indianapolis, Ind.; and Gold Cup and Saucer trials, Red Shores Racetrack & Casino, Charlottetown, PEI.

Schedule Of Events: An extremely busy week of Grand Circuit action kicks off this Wednesday (Aug. 11) as The Indiana State Fair will host one day of Grand Circuit racing with the feature being the $60,631 Fox Stake for two-year-old colt pacers. The co-featured event is the $42,492 Ralph Wilfong for two-year-old colt trotters. The Hoosier Stakes for two-year-olds will see two divisions each in the $26,498 two-year-old filly pace and $24,848 two-year-old filly trot and single divisions in the $22,991 two-year-old colt pace and $22,936 two-year-old colt trot. The Horseman Stakes for three-year-olds features single divisions in the $34,283 three-year-old colt pace, the $31,560 three-year-old colt trot, the $27,086 three-year-old filly trot, and the $26,811 three-year-old filly pace.

Friday night (Aug. 13) at Hoosier Park will feature the $325,000 Dan Patch Invitational for older pacing horses.

On Saturday (Aug. 14), Northfield Park will host the $300,000 Carl Milstein Memorial for three-year-old pacers. Also on Saturday, Red Shores Racetrack & Casino will host two of three trials for the Gold Cup and Saucer for older pacers. The third trial will be held on Monday (Aug. 16).

Complete entries for the U.S. races are available at this link. Entries for the Red Shores Racetrack & Casino races are available at this link.

Last Time: Captain Corey dictated the fractions under intense pressure and pulled clear in the lane to win Saturdays (Aug. 7) $1 million Hambletonian at the Meadowlands Racetrack.

Captain Corey beat Spy Booth by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:51 despite trotting through a :26 opening quarter, the fastest opening fraction in the stakes 96-year history.

It gave trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt his second win in the classic for three-year-old trotters. This time, there was no doubt about the outcome. No asterisk. No intervention by the judges.

Svanstedt got his first Hambletonian trophy in 2017 when Perfect Spirit was elevated to victory after What The Hill was disqualified for interference.

This time, Captain Corey took care of business with a determined effort. Svanstedt fired Captain Corey into the battle right from the start and soon had company in the form of Cuatro De Julio.

Driver Lucas Wallin looked to drop Cuatro De Julio into a pocket trip behind the leader, only to have Yannick Gingras, piloting Delayed Hanover for Svanstedt, close the hole.

Wallin had no choice but to continue the attack.

Hes a good horse who will fight, but he was a strong horse today, Svanstedt said.

That was an understatement.

Cuatro De Julio pressed on, ensuring Captain Corey never had a breather around the second turn. After dispatching Cuatro De Julio at the top of the stretch, Captain Corey pulled clear and enjoyed open daylight in the march to the finish line.

I was worried they were going to come from behind, Svanstedt said.

Svanstedt looked over his shoulder several times in the lane, only to see nobody in range. Captain Corey was on his way.

Just as in last weeks elimination, Captain Corey was the boss right from the start. The win was his eighth in 12 career starts for the son of Googoo Gaagaa-Luv U All who earned $500,000 for the ownership team of Svanstedt, S R F Stable, Knutsson Trotting and Midnight Sun Partners.

Earlier in the year, Svanstedt was concerned when Captain Corey went through a growth spurt that compromised his gait. Since then, the boy developed into a man, and a Hambletonian champion at that!

And the good news didnt end there for the 62-year-old horseman from Sweden who is making his mark on North American trotting as Ambassador Hanover rallied from last to get third, giving Svanstedt a 1-3 finish. Since arriving in the U.S. in 2014, Svanstedts stable has earned more than $30 million in purses.

Complete recaps of all the Hambo Day races are available here.

Grand Circuit Standings: In 2021, the Grand Circuit leaders in three categories (driver, trainer and owner) will once again be tracked on a points system (20-10-5 for the top three finishers in divisions/finals and 10-5-2 for the top three finishers in eliminations/legs). Winbak Farms is the sponsor for the 2021 Grand Circuit awards.

Here are the leaders (through the races on 8-7-21):

Drivers: 1. Dexter Dunn  528; 2. Yannick Gingras  495; 3. Tim Tetrick  407; 4. Andrew McCarthy  369.5; 5. David Miller  355.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke  673; 2. Nancy Takter  326; 3. Tony Alagna  303.5; 4. Marcus Melander  256; 5. Ake Svanstedt  222.

Owners: 1. Burke Racing Stable  130.8; 2. Weaver Bruscemi  119.6; 3. Courant Inc.  117; 4. Black Horse Racing  108.4; 5. Brad Grant  100.2.

Looking Ahead: Grand Circuit action will be taking place next week at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono and Red Shores Racetrack & Casino. Pocono will host four events for three-year-olds  the Earl Beal Memorial (colt and gelding trot), the Max C. Hempt Memorial (colt and gelding pace), the James Lynch Memorial (filly pace) and the Delmonica Hanover (filly trot). Red Shores has the Gold Cup and Saucer final for older pacers.

(With files from Grand Circuit)
South Korean tech giant Samsung recently announced the Exynos W920, a new processor designed for smartwatches and other wearables.

As per The Verge, the company stated that it's the world's first wearable-specific chip to be built on a 5nm process, helping improve performance and efficiency.

The Exynos 920 has two Cortex-A55 cores and a Mali-G68 GPU. For context, Qualcomm's high-end Snapdragon 888 has four Cortex-A55 cores that are used for low-power tasks.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here.

Samsung is claiming 20 per cent better CPU performance and ten times better GPU performance than its previous wearable chip. The W920 also includes a Cortex-M55 processor that's dedicated to driving an always-on display, further reducing power consumption.

People likely will not have to wait too long to see this chip used in a commercial device. Samsung said that the Exynos W920 "supports a new unified wearable platform Samsung built jointly with Google and will be first applied to the upcoming Galaxy Watch model."

The model is almost certainly the extensively leaked Galaxy Watch 4 series, which we are expecting to see break official cover at Samsung's Unpacked event on Wednesday.

As Samsung mentions, the company has been working with Google on new smartwatch software that combines Tizen and Wear OS, and now we know that it will be running on new hardware as well. That should be good news since performance has long been a problem on Wear OS watches.
There hasn't been much news of the iQOO 8 series, but details have begun trickling in. Some of the info can be found on the brand's Weibo page too. The company plans to host the launch on 17 August 2021, and now we have some news on the cameras too.

iQOO has posted pictures taken on the iQOO 8 Pro and reveal a few details about the model. The Pro model comes with a 50MP main camera and a 48MP ultra-wide camera at the back. There's also a third camera, which is suggested to be a 16MP lens with a 14 to 60mm zoom length. The main camera is also supposed to have VIS 5-axis optical image stabilisation.

A sample photo that was taken with the iQOO 8 Pro

Previously, it's already confirmed that the iQOO 8 series will come with the Snapdragon 888 chipset. It will also have an OLED display from Samsung with up to a 120Hz refresh rate. Not much else is known so far, but we do know that there will be a sleek BMW edition that comes with red-black-blue stripes.

iQOO Malaysia hasn't mentioned anything about the iQOO 8 series, so we don't know if it will be launched here. But what do you think of it so far, especially its camera specs? Let us know in the comments, and stay tuned to TechNave for more news like this.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

In the June 2021 issue of Case Studies on Transport Policy, Ben Clark and Anne Brown of the University of Oregon published an article titled, "What Does Ride-hailing Mean For Parking? Associations Between On-street Parking Occupancy And Ride-hail Trips In Seattle." The paper draws on findings from their NITC research Investigating Effects of TNCs on Parking Demand and Revenues.

Ride-hailing companies, including Uber and Lyft, upset the traditional nexus between driving and parking. As cities consider parking policy reforms amidst a wave of app-based transportation systems, including ride-hailing, the associations between parking occupancy and ride-hailing remain unclear. Examining this association is critical as it may help understand the connections between ride-hailing and the built environment and help cities plan for a future of new transportation technologies that may alter the role of or need for on-street parking. This article examines associations between ride-hail trips and on-street parking occupancy in Seattle, Washington.

The researchers predict that on-street parking occupancy will start to decline if or when ride-hail trips are about 2.24 times greater than the average number of trips taken in 2016. Flexible and adaptable parking policies that can more quickly respond (or better yet, be proactive) to changing ride-hail demand will better manage the changes that may affect on-street parking.

More information: Benjamin Y. Clark et al, What does ride-hailing mean for parking? Associations between on-street parking occupancy and ride-hail trips in Seattle, Case Studies on Transport Policy (2021). Benjamin Y. Clark et al, What does ride-hailing mean for parking? Associations between on-street parking occupancy and ride-hail trips in Seattle,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.cstp.2021.03.014
A person demonstrates folding the Samsung Galaxy Fold 3 on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021 at Samsung KX in London. Samsung is hoping cheaper but more durable versions of its foldable phones will broaden the appeal of a high-concept design that's so far fizzled with consumers. Credit: AP Photo/Tristan Werkmeister

Samsung is hoping cheaper but more durable versions of its foldable phones will broaden the appeal of a high-concept design that's so far fizzled with consumers.

The electronics giant on Wednesday launched its effort to turn things around with two new products designed to function as both a phone and, when unfolded outward on a hinge, a tablet.

The larger Galaxy Fold3 boasts a 7.6-inch display when unfolded and will sell for $1,800, a 10% drop from last year's model. The other device, the Galaxy Flip3, looks more like a flip phone, but can still be opened from its clamshell position into a 6.7-inch display. It will sell for $1,000, more than 25% below the price for last year's original model.

Besides the new phones, Samsung also unveiled its first smartwatches powered by software designed in tandem with Google as both companies try to catch up with Apple in that part of the wearable tech market.

Since releasing its first foldable phones in 2019, Samsung has been hyping the technology as a breakthrough that will spur more consumers to splurge on new phones instead of holding on to older devices until they wear out or upgrading to new models that have most of the same features.

A person takes a selfie with the Samsung Galaxy Flip 3 on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, at Samsung KX in London. Samsung is hoping cheaper but more durable versions of its foldable phones will broaden the appeal of a high-concept design that's so far fizzled with consumers. Credit: AP Photo/Tristan Werkmeister

But foldable phones have barely made a ripple in the smartphone market, with roughly 2 million of the devices shipped last year, according to the research firm International Data Corp. That's a tiny fraction of the nearly 1.3 billion smartphones shipped worldwide last year, IDC said.

"What has really been holding back the mass consumption of these foldable devices is the high price," IDC analyst Nabila Popal said. "Most people really don't see the need for it. At least nothing that justifies forking out an additional thousand dollars."

Popal believes Samsung's lower prices for its latest foldable phones are still too far above what most consumers are willing to pay for phones. That's one reason IDC projects only a modest uptick in foldable phone shipments this year, to an estimated 6 million to 7 million devices.

A person demonstrates the compatibility of the S Pen Pro with the Samsung Galaxy Fold 3, on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021 at Samsung KX in London. Samsung is hoping cheaper but more durable versions of its foldable phones will broaden the appeal of a high-concept design that's so far fizzled with consumers. Credit: AP Photo/Tristan Werkmeister

Besides high prices, sales have been held back by doubts about whether the foldable devices can withstand the wear and tear that traditional smartphones typically endure. Those worries have shadowed Samsung's foldable line-up since it delayed the release of first models in 2019 to fix problems with bulging screens and flickering displays.

Samsung has equipped its newest foldable phones with more durable glass and water resistance to reduce the chances of the devices being damaged. It has made the foldable phones compatible with its popular S Pen stylus for the first time to woo customers accustomed to using the digital writing tool on Samsung's traditional Note and Galaxy phones.

In another sign of foldable phones' progress, nearly 50 of the top 100 mobile apps, are now available for its unique format, said Drew Blackard, the South Korean company's vice president of product management.

From left, Samsung Galaxy Flip 3 and Fold 3 are displayed on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021 at Samsung KX in London. Samsung is hoping cheaper but more durable versions of its foldable phones will broaden the appeal of a high-concept design that's so far fizzled with consumers.Credit: AP Photo/Tristan Werkmeister

Samsung Galaxy Flip 3 is displayed on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021 at Samsung KX in London. Samsung is hoping cheaper but more durable versions of its foldable phones will broaden the appeal of a high-concept design that's so far fizzled with consumers. Credit: AP Photo/Tristan Werkmeister

A person demonstrates the ability of the Samsung Galaxy Fold 3 to display two apps at once, on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021 at Samsung KX in London. Samsung is hoping cheaper but more durable versions of its foldable phones will broaden the appeal of a high-concept design that's so far fizzled with consumers. Credit: AP Photo/Tristan Werkmeister

A person demonstrates the Samsung Galaxy Flip 3 on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021 at Samsung KX in London. Samsung is hoping cheaper but more durable versions of its foldable phones will broaden the appeal of a high-concept design that's so far fizzled with consumers. Credit: AP Photo/Tristan Werkmeister

Samsung Galaxy Fold 3 is on display on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021 at Samsung KX in London. Samsung is hoping cheaper but more durable versions of its foldable phones will broaden the appeal of a high-concept design that's so far fizzled with consumers. Credit: AP Photo/Tristan Werkmeister

Those improvements have emboldened Samsung to make the foldable phones its marquee products during the second half of the year, backed by a marketing campaign that will hail their advantages.

Blackard likened the third generation of Samsung's foldable phones to the third generation of the company's Note phones that came out in 2013 and changed the perceptions of a product line-up that was initially mocked for introducing smartphones with five-inch screens. Within the next year, Apple released the first model of its trendsetting iPhones with bigger screens that have now become a standard feature.

But Apple still hasn't felt compelled to make an iPhone with a foldable screen yet.

Explore further Samsung may soon 'unfold' plans for new foldable and flip smartphones

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Southwest Airlines warned that it has seen a hit to travel bookings due to the Delta variant of Covid-19, a shift from its outlook last month.

Southwest Airlines said Wednesday that it no longer expects to turn a profit in the third quarter as a surge in COVID-19 infections fueled by the highly contagious delta variant darkens the outlook for travel.

The disclosure comes just three weeks after Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said the airline had passed a milestone by earning a profit in June.

The airline said Wednesday that it was profitable again in July, even excluding government pandemic relief, but it believes that the pandemic's shadow makes it less likely that the airline can repeat the feat in the third quarter.

Southwest is the second U.S. airline to lower expectations because of the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19. Last week, Frontier Airlines, a smaller discount carrier, blamed the virus for causing bookings to weaken more than the usual decline that occurs each year as summer winds down.

Savanthi Syth, an airline analyst for Raymond James, predicted that other airlines will lower their revenue projections but probably not until early September.

In another sign of the impact that the surge in virus cases is having on travel, United Airlines announced last week that it will require workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Hawaiian Airlines followed with a similar announcement Monday, and Frontier will require workers who don't get vaccinated to undergo "regular" testing for the virus.

United CEO Scott Kirby took part in an online meeting Wednesday with President Joe Biden, who encouraged Kirby and two other CEOs to talk to industry peers about vaccinating their workers. Kirby told CNN there was no discussion of requiring passengers to be vaccinated.

Southwest, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have stuck to their strategy of encouraging workers to get the shots but not requiring it.

Southwest said Wednesday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that last-minute bookings have dropped while cancellations have increased in recent weeks, and it tied both trends to the rise in COVID-19 cases.

The airline expects to see airplane cabins go from 87% full in July, when they were packed with summer vacationers, to between 75% and 80% in September.

Southwest made a $463 million profit in the first six months of this year thanks to nearly $2 billion in federal relief to help cover payroll costs. That's on top of $3.4 billion in taxpayer help last year, part of the $54 billion in relief that U.S. airlines have received since March 2020. The aid is scheduled to end Sept. 30, but it has been extended twice before.

Despite rising infections, the U.S. continued to set new marks for air travel during the pandemic, with more than 2.2 million people going through airport checkpoints on Aug. 1, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

Since then, however, crowds have thinned slightly. The seven-day moving average of U.S. flyers dropped for a ninth straight day on Tuesday, when TSA screened slightly more than 1.7 million travelers. It was the lightest day since July 4 and a 25% decline from the comparable Tuesday in 2019. International travel is suffering more.

Despite the warning from Southwest, shares of the Dallas-based carrier rose 1% in afternoon trading and other U.S. airlines also gained slightly.

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Paris, TX (75460)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low around 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Concord, NH - This morning, Protect Our Cares Care Force One arrived in Concord to demonstrate the need for lowering Granite Staters health costs, expanding coverage, and reducing racial disparities in care. Headlined by the event highlighted how Democrats are leading the charge to advance American health care and held Republicans accountable for continuing to reject measures to improve care and lower costs for New Hampshire Residents.

Read Protect Our Cares new report: Lower Costs, Better Care for Granite Staters here.

Throughout the nationwide Lower Cost, Better Care bus tour, Protect Our Care is fighting to ensure critical health care measures supported by President Biden remain in upcoming budget reconciliation legislation. These priorities include giving Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices for all Americans, getting more Americans covered by closing the Medicaid gap, expanding Medicare benefits to include hearing, dental, and vision, and further reducing health care premiums for millions of Americans who purchase coverage on their own.

You Can Watch the Event Here.

"Throughout my time in Congress, I have been proud to advocate for and defend the Affordable Care Act," said Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH-2). "The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how critical it is to reduce health care costs and expand access to coverage. That's why I was proud to vote for the historic American Rescue Plan which takes steps to bolster our nation's health care system and ensure nearly everyone who buys their own individual or family health insurance through the Marketplace can receive a tax credit to reduce their premiums. I look forward to bringing the stories of Granite Staters shared today back to Washington, and will continue my efforts to bring lawmakers on both sides of the aisle together to improve lives."

We all need to prioritize the diversity, equity and inclusion in our country, said Sandra Pratt, M.Ed. Everyone has a great skill to contribute to our Countrys economy, health, education, housing, etc.

Medicare helps New Hampshires most vulnerable population afford medications. It is designed to help people with different abilities and older adults. Governments ability to negotiate prices with big pharma will help save billions of tax-payer dollars and has the potential to impact every Medicare beneficiary," said Jay Gupta, the Director of Pharmacy and Integrative Health of Harbor Care in Nashua. "Some of the immediate benefits could be lower insurance premiums, lower deductibles and most importantly, no donut hole also known as the coverage gap. Veterans Affairs negotiates drug prices. Medicaid has a Mandatory Drug Rebate Program in place. But Medicare doesnt have any safeguard from price gouging by pharmaceutical and insurance companies. Drugs have to be affordable, particularly lifesaving drugs. If we cant afford a lifesaving drug, its not going to save our life.

In recent years, I have been unable to fill prescriptions that could improve my quality of life, due to astronomical costs. Several of the medications that my doctors have prescribed would have cost $500 or more per month, which isnt sustainable for me, as my monthly health care costs are already high," said Leah Stagnone, a local community organizer. "Other potential treatments that could help to reverse my painful nerve damage are off the table because they would cost thousands, even with insurance. Due to my health, Im only able to work part-time, although with adequate access to care, I am hopeful that my wellness could improve to a degree that working full-time becomes possible. In the meantime, short-sighted elected officials who threaten to cut federal funding and programs for healthcare often leave me worried about my future access to affordable health insurance.







New Hampshire should be leading in New England in the percentage of fully vaccinated people, public health funding and health outcomes but we rank last. Why?" asked Arnie Arnesen. "Leaders matter especially when confronted with a pandemic, we are the weak link in New England.

When I was fighting stage 4 cancer, I had to forgo medication that would boost my immune system because the price tag was simply too high, said Laura Packard. I wound up in the hospital, and nearly died. Sadly, stories like these are all too common in our country. Patients should be able to focus on getting well, not struggling to pay for medications. That's why we need Congress to act now to lower the cost of prescription drugs, including allowing Medicare to negotiate prices on behalf of all Americans.

Granite Staters have the right to know whether their elected officials stand by President Bidens agenda to improve health care for millions or if they side with Big Pharma and other special interests, said Protect Our Care New Hampshire State Director Jayme Simoes. When Congress returns this fall, we have a once in a generation opportunity to transform health care for the American people, including lowering prescription drug prices, closing the Medicaid coverage gap, and further reducing health costs for people purchasing coverage on their own. Care Force One is crisscrossing the country this summer making the case for getting this critical job done.

Tomorrow, Care Force One will head to New Jersey. For more information, please visit protectourcare.org/bus-tour/.

The Protect Our Care Lower Costs, Better Care Bus Tour is making stops in:

Bangor, Maine on Monday, August 9, 2021

Portland, Maine on Monday, August 9, 2021

Burlington, Vermont on Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Concord, New Hampshire on Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Teaneck, New Jersey on Friday, August 13, 2021

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Thursday, August 12, 2021

New York, New York on Friday, August 13, 2021

New Brunswick, New Jersey on Monday, August 16, 2021

Scranton, Pennsylvania on Monday, August 16, 2021

Burlington County, New Jersey on Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Wilmington, Delaware on Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Dover, Delaware on Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Morgantown, West Virginia on Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Youngstown, Ohio on Thursday, August 19, 2021

Columbus, Ohio on Thursday, August 19, 2021

Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Friday, August 20, 2021

Madison, Wisconsin on Friday, August 20, 2021

Parkersburg, West Virginia on Monday, August 23, 2021

Charleston, West Virginia on Monday, August 23, 2021

Raleigh, North Carolina on Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Columbia, South Carolina on Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Atlanta, Georgia on Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Savannah, Georgia on Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Orlando, Florida on Thursday, August 26, 2021

Tampa, Florida on Thursday, August 26, 2021

Denver, Colorado on Monday, August 30, 2021

Flagstaff, Arizona on Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Tucson, Arizona on Wednesday, September 1, 2021

San Diego, California on Thursday, September 2, 2021

Anaheim, California on Thursday, September 2, 2021

Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, September 3, 2021






One hundred and thirty-one people have died of Covid-19 for August to date.

The figure includes eight more deaths announced by the Health Ministry yesterday
Bidding farewell to her dream jobs after more than ten years working in the banking and community welfare service sectors, Chau Ngoc Diu gambled her savings and efforts on developing her hometowns hallmark palm nectar industry, which has struck a chord at home and abroad.

The 39-year-old woman, of Khmer ethnic minority in Tri Ton District in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, feels deeply that she has to leverage her communitys long-standing trade of making palmyra palm (thnot, Borassus) sugar and help lift local farmers out of poverty.

The mild sweetness of palm sugar from the good old days lingers in my mind till now, Diu shared, adding the abuse of additives to cut processing time and boost volume has made the sugar much harder to come by in Vietnam.

It then occurred to her to produce palmyra nectar by capitalizing on the plants that grow in abundance in her hometown.

The daring woman stood her ground firmly as her family members and friends frowned on her plans to quit well-paid jobs for a risky business.

Diu founded Palmania JSC in June 2017 with an aim to develop traditional palmyra nectar production of Khmer ethnic people and turn a local specialty into an international standard product.

Now, her nectar is found in supermarkets and convenience stores all over Vietnam and possibly in other Asian countries and Europe in the time to come.

Dius granulated palmyra nectar, branded Palmania, is the worlds third of its kind to win a two-star accolade at Great Taste Awards 2020 held in the U.K..

At the competition, considered the world's largest and most trusted food and drink awards in the fine cuisine world, her product was put to the test with a panel of over 500 experts and earned the highly respected seals of approval.

Sweet success

Diu still remembers growing up beneath the shades of the palm trees and seeing members of her community make palm sugar in the traditional way.

Upset that the nutritious, pleasantly sweet products failed to make their way to supermarkets and convenience stores as they were marred by unattractive packaging and uncontrolled quality, the innovation-minded budding entrepreneur felt compelled to do something to help.

I want to churn out items which bear our hallmarks and make nice, readily accessible gifts, Diu shared.

With that in mind, she began experimenting with sugars.

Almost four years later and one trial after another, the woman finally caught on to her work: she was cooking up a wholly natural, pure, and healthier sweetener.

Though her first steps were met with immediate failures, she finally came up in 2017 with Palmania, a pure, unrefined, and tasty palmyra nectar that sets itself apart from its rivals.

According to Diu, Palmania is the combination of pal,' which means palm tree in the Khmer dialect and mania,' or passion.

Our brand name tells everything. We want our health products to reach far beyond our impoverished neighborhood, Diu revealed, adding she is really personal about the items she makes.

The nectar is free of preservatives and additives and rich in healthy minerals as the nectar components are not removed.

With a low content of sugar and being alkaloid, our products are considered a nutrient-rich, healthful sweetener, Diu noted, adding she believes it is something her clientele appreciates.

The entrepreneur added her workers stick to a stringent production process, including extracting the nectar in the wee hours to keep it from going sour and using sen (mukulungu) wood to minimize fermentation of palm flower juices within eight hours.

No chemicals or additives are used in any phases to retain natural flavor and ensure perfect safety for consumer health.

This supplied photo shows chips of sen (mukulungu) wood, used to minimize fermentation of palmyra flower juices in the traditional sugar production method.

No regrets

Developing nectar from the abundant supply of palmyra trees in her hometown seemed a natural move, but getting her business off the ground was not easy.

Before quitting her job as the department head at a community welfare organization, the daring woman, who had also worked for 10 years in the banking sector, spent two years monitoring her nectar business remotely from Ho Chi Minh City, where she was working her day job.

With her gaze fixed on developing the healthy products and seeing that the items were becoming popular, Diu quit her job in the southern metropolis altogether in 2019 and focused solely on her business.

After meticulously weighing the pros and cons of such a career move, she bravely entered the business world, ready for the challenges it would bring.

I was at a crossroads then, but if I didnt leave my day job, I wouldnt be able to keep an eye on the production phases and wouldnt have time for new products, Diu recalled.

Its worth it as for how far Ive gone."

A major hurdle, Diu shared, is talking local farmers into doing away with their low-tech, unclean production.

To encourage the farming households, the entrepreneur provided them with tools and offered high prices for their finished products.

The challenge is getting local farmers to see the benefits of clean production, Diu said, adding it took one whole year to perfect the procedures including ingredient procurement, transport, and processing.

Among the households is Nguyen Van Luom, from Tinh Bien District in the same province, who owns around 50 palm trees aged 25 years and above.

His daily routines now are sterilizing, collecting, and processing nectar in compliance with Dius standards.

It is really tough producing sugar in the method formulated by Diu. I have to steer clear from additives in all phases, Luom said.

I also have to refrain from using cleansers and granulated sugar, so it takes much longer to get the nectar.

Luom said he was on the verge of giving up after some time but has stuck to the method since thanks to Dius encouragement and the much higher prices she offered compared to current market rates.

Another disadvantage, according to Diu, is that hers is a process that could prove difficult to scale.

The costs are high too, something Diu said is unavoidable, as one cannot provide healthy treats without additional costs.

Going the traditional way, it takes only four to five hours to get 100 kilograms of sugar as a finished product.

With Dius method, an eight-hour production yields only 20-30 kilograms.

My products boast a really different taste and high nutritional value while retaining the very essence of nectar, she proudly said.

Dius currently two main product lines, soft palmyra nectar and granulated palmyra nectar, have hit shelves at supermarkets and convenience stores across the country.

She is working to export her fine quality products to Japan and Europe, hoping to meet the benchmarks of these choosy markets.

These days, Diu is translating readings from foreign sources to make modifications to her machinery and production procedures.

Regarding her future plans, she said she will work hard to come up with new product lines from palmyra nectar.

National recognition Chau Ngoc Dius products have won numerous prizes at provincial and national competitions. In 2020, her soft palmyra nectar was recognized with four-star OCOP (One Commune One Product) by the An Giang Peoples Committee to encourage entrepreneurs efforts in tapping into local specialties. Her two mainstay better-for-you products both received Tri Ton Districts recognition conferred on agricultural products the same year. The enterprising woman has also pocketed numerous prizes at business idea and startup competitions across the Mekong Delta.

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Hanoi chairman Chu Ngoc Anh on Tuesday approved a plan to carry out a massive COVID-19 testing drive until August 17 with a target to collect 1.3 million samples.

Although authorities have enforced social distancing measures since July 24, Anh said, the pandemic situation in the capital has remained complicated as the number of daily new cases averages from 60 to 80, with the sources of infection at many clusters staying unknown.

Anh requested functional forces to take advantage of all resources to conduct a large-scale COVID-19 testing program during the extended social distancing period, in combination with testing cases discovered by contact tracing, to completely isolate infections from the community.

[We must] mobilize all resources to implement this large-scale testing plan throughout the city, ensuring the correct test assignment in areas at risk and to the right target groups, along with expanding the testing drive to representatives of households, Anh said.

The chairman requested the units to ensure absolute safety and appropriate distance during the implementation to avoid cross infections.

The authorities will assess the risk in each area by categorizing them into three types.

The red type includes areas in very high-risk and high-risk communes and wards, high-risk cases with high mobility and high exposure such as workers in supply chains and markets and pandemic prevention workers, as well as other areas according to epidemiological expertise.

The orange type consists of factories, enterprises, production facilities, agencies, markets, supermarkets, hospitals, medical examination and treatment establishments, areas located in at-risk zones as prescribed by the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, and other areas according to epidemiological expertise.

The green type covers cases with little movement in infection-free areas.

Regarding testing representatives of households in high-risk districts, a representative sample will be taken from the most at-risk member.

At the same time, the organization of testing for COVID-19 patients, their direct contacts, arrivals and returnees from virus-hit areas, and other subjects must be carried out regularly according to regulations.

Medical forces will use both real-time RT-PCR testing and rapid test kits.

The Ministry of Health on Wednesday morning confirmed 4,802 new COVID-19 infections, including 2,128 cases in Ho Chi Minh City, taking the national tally to 232,937 patients, with 80,348 recoveries and 4,145 deaths.

Since April 27, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have accounted for 131,879 and 2,143 infections, respectively, out of the countrys total of 228,990 cases.

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Ho Chi Minh City started using 19,000 doses of Vero Cell COVID-19 vaccine developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) to inoculate people on Tuesday.

The vaccination has been carried out as per the request of local tech giant FPT Group, Nguyen Hoai Nam, director of the municipal Department of Health, told a press conference on the same day.

The 19,000 Vero Cell COVID-19 vaccine shots were allocated to Ho Chi Minh City by the Ministry of Health on July 6.

Nam added that the citys related agencies are waiting for instructions from the health ministry to handle another one million doses of Vero Cell vaccine that the municipal authorities have received from a company's sponsorship.

Hai Phong already sent a request to borrow 500,000 shots of this batch from the southern metropolis.

When the instructions are provided, they will be announced to the press, the director said.

The city has received a total of 4,111,040 vaccine doses from the Ministry of Health, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health.

It organized four vaccination phases from March 8 to June 30, administering a combination of 923,050 doses.

City authorities have continued to conduct the fifth and sixth rounds of vaccination from July 20 to the present, using 3,187,990 doses allocated.

As of 12:00 pm on Monday, 2,439,118 injections out of the 3,187,990 vaccine doses have been given out.

The vaccination speed has increased rapidly in recent days, averaging out at more than 200,000 jabs per day, and is expected to accelerate to 250,000-300,000 shots daily.

It is estimated that the city will use up the remaining 913,204 doses by the end of Thursday.

The municipal Peoples Committee has requested the Ministry of Health to provide about 5.5 million additional doses of vaccine this month to achieve the goal of immunizing over 70 percent of city dwellers.

Nationwide, more than 11.3 million vaccine doses have been administered, of which over one million are second jabs.

The Ministry of Health on Wednesday morning confirmed 4,802 new COVID-19 infections, including 2,128 cases in Ho Chi Minh City, taking the national tally to 232,937 patients, with 80,348 recoveries and 4,145 deaths.

Since April 27, Ho Chi Minh City has accounted for 131,879 infections out of the countrys total of 228,990 cases.

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The Ministry of Health recorded 8,752 domestic COVID-19 infections in Vietnam on Wednesday, together with more than 4,800 recoveries and 340 fatalities.

The new infections were reported in 33 provinces and cities while 14 separate cases were imported from abroad, the health ministry said.

The ministry had confirmed 8,385 locally-infected patients in 39 provinces and cities on Tuesday.

A total of 1,786 cases out of the 8,752 patients were found in the community whereas the remainder were detected in isolated areas or centralized quarantine facilities.

Ho Chi Minh City registered 3,416 of the latest local infections, down by 540 cases from yesterday, Binh Duong Province 1,897, Dong Nai Province 979, Long An Province 963, Tay Ninh Province 263, Dong Thap Province 191, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province 181, Tien Giang Province 177, Can Tho City 103, Khanh Hoa Province 102, Da Nang 56, and Hanoi 40.

Since the fourth COVID-19 wave began in Vietnam on April 27, the country has documented 232,950 community transmissions in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities.

Ho Chi Minh City is on top with 133,167 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 33,748, Long An Province with 12,255, Dong Nai Province with 10,168, Dong Thap Province with 4,337, Khanh Hoa Province with 3,501, Tien Giang Province 3,414, Tay Ninh Province 3,077, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 2,425, Hanoi with 2,180, and Can Tho City with 2,059.

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 ministry announced 4,806 recoveries on Wednesday, taking the total to 85,154 recovered patients.

The death toll has climbed to 4,487 after the health ministry reported 342 fatalities the same day, including 261 registered in Ho Chi Minh City, 24 in Can Tho City, and 22 in Binh Duong Province.

The Southeast Asian country has detected an accumulation of 234,520 domestic and 2,381 imported cases since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it on January 23, 2020.

Health workers gave a new high of 1,408,453 vaccine doses today.

Over 11.3 million COVID-19 vaccine shots have been administered in Vietnam since the country rolled out vaccination on March 8, with more than one million people having 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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Police in the northern Vietnamese province of Bac Giang have captured a man who allegedly stabbed to death his elderly neighbor and seriously injured the victims wife over a noise conflict.

A police official in Yen Dung District, Bac Giang Province confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Wednesday morning that officers had arrested 53-year-old Nguyen Huu Phu.

Phu is the prime suspect in the murder of his neighbor  74-year-old Nguyen Viet Chung.

Preliminary information showed that Phu broke into the yard of Chungs house at 1:15 am on Monday and started shouting.

As Chung opened the door, Phu attacked him with a knife, killing the victim on the spot.

The man then headed into the house and assaulted Chungs wife  70-year-old Phan Thi Sau  with the same weapon.

Sau was severely injured and was later admitted to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Phu ran away after the incident and was arrested at 9:40 pm on Tuesday when he was hiding at a location about three kilometers from the murder scene.

The suspect did not resist when he was captured by officers.

At the police station, Phu admitted to committing the crime over a conflict with the victims.

Phu said he got irritated by the noise that Chung often made when he opened or closed the gate of his house.

Further investigation is ongoing.

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After not being held in 2020 the Logie Awards are next scheduled for November 28 on the Gold Coast.

But with the current COVID-19 crisis on the East Coast, its too soon to know if they can safely proceed.

Everything pretty much hinges on NSW.

Yesterday Premier Gladys Berejiklian said by the end of October much of the population should be vaccinated, meaning people will be able to live more freely beyond that point, while the federal government hopes most of the nation will have had one jab by Christmas.

Then there is the risk of travelling over state borders only to discover getting home may be problematic. If the Logies were held in Sydney, like the AACTAs, their odds might be a little improved, but the event is underwritten by Tourism Queensland plus TV Week.

A year ago Victoria had some 700 cases and still got back to zero. But that was before the Delta variant.

Yesterday the Emmys just announced an outdoor event and cut down on nominees who can attend. It may soon be time to get creative here too

If organisers find they have to push the event into 2022 the list of nominees will be very long indeed. It already includes most of the 2019 shows, all the 2020 and 2021 shows. Yikes.

Id suggest this compromise: a virtual event in November (just as Emmys, BAFTAs, Golden Globes and every other awards have staged) with nominees from 2019 and 2020.

Then stage a physical event on the Gold Coast in May 2022 (the month they were traditionally held) with nominees from 2021. By juggling the eligibility period, the Logies would only be pushing back its physical event by 6 months and still have a full year of candidates.

Decisions will probably have to be made by September, if not sooner, on a way forward.
My Life is Murder Season 2 has its Australian Premiere on Acorn TV on August 30.

There have been some notable changes between seasons, relocated to NZ by Greenstone TV (NZ production house owned by original producers CJZ). The series is now produced for TVNZ, Acorn TV and DCD Rights in association with Network 10.

I am in love with the city of my birth and Im thrilled to be showing her off to the world as the stunning backdrop to our stories. We are joined by some of NZs finest acting talent, headed by Rawiri Jobe and Joe Naufahu, says Lucy Lawless.

In an upcoming episode Alexa (Lawless) investigates the death of a self-help guru and finds herself in a cat-and-mouse game with the victims mysterious wife played by former Xena castmate, Renee OConnor.

The series will screen at a later date on 10.



Season two will reunite Lucy with several former castmates from her most iconic series, including Anna Hutchison (Spartacus), Graham Vincent (Spartacus), Jay Ryan (Beauty and The Beast, It Chapter Two, Mary Kills People) and Bruce Hopkins (Lord of the Rings, Xena: Warrior Princess), as well as an array of previously announced guest stars including William Shatner (Star Trek, Haven), Martin Henderson (Greys Anatomy, The Gloaming), Michelle Ang (Fear The Walking Dead, Triple 9), Sara Wiseman (A Place to Call Home, Rake), Bill Bailey (Black Books, Ralph Spaced), Matt Whelan (Narcos: Mexico, The Sounds) and popular drag performers Kita Mean and Amanduh La Whore.

Alexa finds herself back in her home country of New Zealand for the first time in years and cant help herself when she is asked to look into a bizarre unsolved murder. Joined again by her partner-in-crime-solving, Madison Feliciano (Ebony Vagulans), as well as series newcomers including the charismatic detective Harry (Rawiri Jobe) and cafe owner Reuben (Joe Naufahu), she quickly finds herself investigating other murder mysteries in surprising, glamorous worlds filled with intriguing characters who are hiding dangerous and deadly secrets.

Series executive producers are Rachel Antony, Claire Tonkin, Tim Pye, Lucy Lawless, Nicky Davies Williams, Pilar Perez and Don Klees. Producer is Mark Beesley. A Greenstone TV Production for TVNZ and Acorn TV and DCD Rights Ltd., in association with Network 10.

Monday August 30 on Acorn TV.
The UH College of Medicine is working to address the primary care physician shortage. The main lobby of UHs new medical school building, currently under construction on campus, will be named after Bank of America.

The University of Houston College of Medicine, founded last year on a distinct social mission to be accountable to society for improving the overall health and health care of Greater Houston, Texas and beyond, has received a $1 million grant from Bank of America to support the medical schools commitment to increase primary care access in underserved urban and rural communities.

Texas faces a critical primary care physician shortage, especially in low-income and minority communities which often lack access to a regular source of care and have gaps in preventative care, which leads to higher rates of sickness, hospitalization and death. The COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified these longstanding health disparities.

Bank of Americas leadership grant strengthens the medical schools ability to train more primary care doctors from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to practice in those underserved areas by enhancing academic programs and community outreach. The UH College of Medicine aims for at least half of its graduates to choose to practice primary care in Texas  only about 20% of medical students nationwide choose primary care.

Building equity and inclusion in our community is a strategic goal of the University, and we are grateful that Bank of America shares our vision for a more equitable health care system and society. Their generous support will help strengthen community health by educating future physicians to care for those who are underserved, said Renu Khator, University of Houston president.

Bolstering the diversity of the physician workforce to mirror the communities they serve is also essential to achieving culturally competent health care. Of the 60 students in the medical schools first two classes, 65% are underrepresented minorities in medicine and half come from a low socioeconomic background. In contrast, only 13% of all students accepted to U.S. medical school are Black or Hispanic/Latino.

Bank of America recognizes the immediate need for increased access to health care, especially among underserved and minority populations across the country. This effort is particularly important in Houston, home to one of the nations most diverse populations and most well-renowned medical centers in the world, said Hong Ogle, Bank of America Houston president. We are aligned with the University of Houston and UH College of Medicine in their mission to advance racial equity in our community and truly value the opportunity to both support their work to serve residents in every corner of our city and build a robust, diverse pipeline of physicians and health care providers to address this critical need.

In recognition of Bank of Americas leadership commitment, the main lobby of UHs new three-story, 130,000-square-foot College of Medicine building, currently under construction on the UH campus, will be named after the company. The medical school building is scheduled to be completed next summer.

Bank of America is taking action to address critical issues affecting our nation and we are incredibly thankful for their support in the area of health equity, said Dr. Stephen Spann, founding dean of the UH College of Medicine. By educating more primary care physicians, we can improve the overall health of communities and lower the economic burden of health care on our state and country.

To fulfill its mission, the UH College of Medicine formed community working groups in Houstons Third Ward and East End, both minority-majority communities near the UH campus. Medical school faculty and staff meet regularly with community leaders and residents to stay engaged and to identify areas of concern or need.

The University of Houston is proud to ignite meaningful change in our city, state and beyond, especially with partners like Bank of America who are resolute in advancing equality and opportunity across the country, said Eloise Brice, vice president for university advancement. Their significant support strengthens the College of Medicines ability to train doctors who will serve those same communities for generations to come.

Bank of America is focused on advancing racial equality and economic opportunity and supports nonprofit organizations working to improve health, jobs and re-skilling, and affordable housing, as well as providing support for minority-owned small businesses in local communities. Since last June, the company has committed more than $350 million in various investments in these areas of focus.
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile on Wednesday began administering booster shots to those already inoculated with Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine in a bid to lock in early success following one of the world's fastest mass vaccination drives.

Lines of elderly citizens eager to participate in the campaign began forming at vaccination centers in neighborhoods across the capital Santiago on a cool winter morning in the Southern Hemisphere.

"They arrived very early, like on an election day, very well dressed, very happy," said Rodolfo Carter, mayor of La Florida on the outskirts of the city. "I think it is a great sign of hope."

Chile's blistering campaign has seen upwards of 67% of its population fully vaccinated, predominantly with Sinovac's CoronaVac. But authorities last week said studies had shown a booster was necessary to shore up immunity.

"Studies have shown that precisely at approximately 6 months there is a decrease (of antibodies) and that is why we have decided ...to give this booster dose," Health minister Enrique Paris told reporters.

The South American nation on Wednesday began offering a dose of Oxford's Astrazeneca vaccine to citizens aged 86 and older who received their initial shots before March 31.

Chile joins the United States, Germany, France and Israel in giving the booster shots, despite a plea by the World Health Organization to hold off until more people around the world can get their first shot.

Dr. Fernando Leanes, a WHO representative in Chile, told Reuters that there was not yet sufficient data to support the use of booster shots.

"With limited supply, you have to consider the global perspective," Leanes said. "There are countries that have not been able to complete the vaccination of their health workers and that is a danger for all countries."

Leanes said the WHO was nonetheless in regular contact with Chilean health authorities and otherwise praised Chile's efforts in research and in donating vaccines to neighboring countries.

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Chilean Omar Salazar, 90, was happy to wait in line for his third shot early on Wednesday. He said every little bit counts at his age.

"I think it will help me live a little longer. We will continue the same with the mask and [handwashing] anyway."

(Reporting by Reuters TV; additional reporting by Aislinn Laing; writing by Dave Sherwood; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Displaced Afghans flee to Kabul as the Taliban coonitnue to make gains In Northern Provinces (Getty Images)

Joe Biden said he had no regrets about pulling US troops out of Afghanistan as the Taliban seized its ninth provincial capital in six days.

The US president urged Afghanistans leaders to unite and fight for their nation, saying theyve got to fight for themselves.

Recriminations have grown over the withdrawal of western troops amid the Talibans rapid advance.

The capitals of Badakhshan, Baghlan and Farah provinces were the latest to fall putting nine out of the countrys 34 regions in the hands of the insurgents.

Despite a 20-year military mission by allied forces and billions of dollars spent training and shoring up Afghan troops, regular forces have collapsed amid the Taliban onslaught.

Joe Biden has ordered all US troops out ofAfghanistan by the end of the month. (Getty Images)

Biden has ordered all US troops out of the country by the end of the month.

Speaking from the White House on Tuesday, he said the US was keeping the commitments it had made to Afghanistan, such as providing close air support, paying military salaries and supplying Afghan forces with food and equipment.

The Washington Post has cited unnamed officials as saying the capital Kabul could fall to the Taliban within 90 days, based on US military assessments.

More than 1,000 civilians have been killed amid fierce fighting between the Taliban and government forces in the past month, according to the UN.

Its childrens agency Unicef warned this week that atrocities being committed against children were growing higher by the day.

Former foreign secretary David Miliband, now CEO of the International Rescue Committee, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme on Wednesday morning: I think our great fear at the moment is that once the military decision has been taken, thats obviously no longer for discussion, but that there will be a humanitarian and diplomatic withdrawal as well which will compound the agony for Afghan civilians.

He said it was a regional crisis not just a national trauma for civilians who are being caught in terrible crossfire.

Asked about European countries keen to deport Afghan refugees, he replied: Well I shake my head, because were talking about one of the worlds most significant conflict zones at the moment.

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Returning refugees to a situation in which they have no safety or security is completely contrary to international law.

Pressed on whether those countries  including Germany, Greece and the Netherlands  should reconsider, he added: This is certainly not the time for deporting people back to Afghanistan.

Read More

Evening Standard Comment: The West cannot give up on Afghanistan

Government advises all UK nationals to leave Afghanistan immediately

We urgently need a strategy in Afghanistan
MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Australia's Lake Resources said on Wednesday that the UK's export credit agency had expressed strong interest in covering 70% of the funding needed for the lithium developer's flagship Kachi project in Argentina.

UK Export Finance also indicated it could increase funding to boost lithium output at the project, the company said, adding that the agency's interest will encourage a UK-led sourcing strategy.

Amid rising demand for the metal used in electric vehicle batteries, developers of critical minerals such as rare earths and lithium have tapped export agencies for early project financing as big banks are still wary of lending to the sector.

The trade agency was attracted to Lake's production method, which has a much smaller environmental footprint than other types, such as evaporation from brine, as well as a lower carbon output than lithium produced from hard rock spodumene, managing director Stephen Promnitz said.

"They really liked the ESG benefit that was attached to this process of producing lithium," he told Reuters.

Lake Resources said the funding is not binding yet and subject to offtake contracts, due diligence and the completion of a project feasibility study in the Catamarca province of Argentina.

The export agency is expected to offer financing after feasibility and environmental studies are finished following the first quarter of next year, with construction expected to start in mid-2022.

Lake Resources is in no rush to ink any supply deals despite a flurry of interest in the past two months as it is looking for particular terms including a minimum floorprice and some forward payment, Promnitz said.

"The field of active offtakers has increased significantly in the past eight weeks. That tells us the shortfall that industry commentators said was coming in 2024 is coming earlier - maybe as soon as next calendar year."

Australia's Core Lithium said this week that China's Ganfeng Lithium would buy spodumene concentrate from its Finniss project in the Northern Territory while Vulcan Energy Resources signed a supply deal with Renault SA at the start of the month.

(Reporting by Melanie Burton in Melbourne and Nikhil Kurian Nainan in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M and Edwina Gibbs.)
The standard Galaxy Watch4 lacks the rotating bezel found on the Watch4 Classic. (Image: Samsung)

Samsung is coming for Apples (AAPL) smartwatch throne with its newest timepieces that bring high-end health tracking features and an interface developed in collaboration with Google (GOOG, GOOGL).

The South Korean tech giant has been trying to catch up to Apple Watch sales for years. At the same time, Google has been flailing in its efforts to get its own smartwatch operating system onto consumers wrists. Now, the two might just have a shot at taking on their biggest rival.

The Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic, which are available for pre-order Aug. 11 and on sale Aug. 29 for $249 and $349, respectively, sport similar designs to Samsungs prior generation watches, but bring along big hardware upgrades and the new WearOS, built by Samsung and Google.

The star of the show, though, is the Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classics new 3-in-1 fitness sensor. That sensor, which Samsung calls its BioActive sensor, includes an optical heart rate reader, electrical heart reader, and bioelectrical impedance analysis reader. Samsung says that using the sensors the Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic can monitor your blood pressure, detect an AFib irregular heartbeat, measure your blood oxygen level, and calculate your body composition.

There is one caveat here though: the blood pressure detection feature isnt available in the U.S. As for the irregular heart beat and blood oxygen measurements, Apples Apple Watch already does that. What it doesnt do, though, is calculate your body composition.

The new 3-in-1 sensor on the Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic promises to scan everything from your heart rate to your skeletal muscle. (Image: Samsung)

According to Samsung, the feature will be able to provide measurements like skeletal muscle mass, basal metabolic rate, body water, and body fat percentage. I have an Apple Watch Series 6 with a blood oxygen sensor, and I have no clue what to make of its readings, or what it means for my health, so what exactly Ill do with my skeletal muscle mass or metabolic rate are beyond me, but hopefully that becomes clear when I get my hands on the Galaxy Watch4.

Story continues

Samsung is also trying to catch the Apple Watchs built-in fitness features, by adding the ability to track in-home workouts on your Samsung TV. The feature will allow you to select a workout from your watch, which will then be displayed on your TV along with your calories burned and heart rate. Apple Fitness+ provides an incredibly similar experience that Im already a fan of. So itll be interesting to see how Samsungs version comes to life.

The health tracking doesnt stop there, though. Samsung has also added sleep tracking features that, when combined with a compatible Samsung smartphone, listen to whether youre snoring and measure your blood oxygen level during your sleep. The snore-tracking feature uses your smartphones microphone to pick up on the freight train-like sound of your snoring, while your watch measures your blood oxygen.

The Galaxy Watch4 Classic includes a rotating bezel for navigating between apps. (Image: Samsung)

Samsung says this will provide a better picture of your sleep patterns to help you get a better night of sleep. Of course, snoring can mean youre dealing with other underlying sleep issues like sleep apnea that the watch wont be able to help with. Still, it could point you in the direction of why youre not getting a restful sleep.

Google and Samsung teaming up to fight Apple

So whats the deal with this new WearOS? Its an effort by Samsung and Google to bring the best of their respective smartwatch capabilities to their showdown with Apple.

First, theres Samsungs new One UI Watch, which allows compatible apps you use on your Galaxy phone to automatically appear on your Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic, along with your important settings like do not disturb hours.

WearOS, meanwhile, powers everything else, from the interface to the apps you can use. The point is to enable the Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic to use more powerful processors, while also getting access to Googles massive library of compatible apps.

The Galaxy Watch4 will be available in two sizes 40mm and 44mm. (Image: Samsung)

It also means that built-in Samsung features will work with Google apps. For instance, the compass on the Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic will now work with Google Maps, to help you better navigate when walking around a busy city.

Inside, both watches get CPUs that are 20% faster and 50% more RAM. Theyre also expected to get up to 40 hours of battery life, which is about on a par with the Apple Watch.

As for sizes, the Galaxy Watch4 features a more understated, bezel-less design and is available in 40mm and 44mm sizes. The Watch4 Classic offers Samsungs unique rotating bezel, which allows you to navigate the watchs various menus, and is available in 42mm and 46mm sizes.

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Andras Nemeth Stages Epic Comeback to Win First Super MILLION$ Title

August 11 2021 Matthew Pitt

Hungarian superstar Andras Nemeth reeled in his first GGPoker Super MILLION$ title on August 10 after sitting down at the star-studded nine-handed final table with the second-shortest stack. Nemeth eventually found himself heads-up against former Super MILLION$ champion Artur Martirosian, and he finished his Russian opponent to scoop a cool $325,957 prize.

Super MILLION$ Season 2 Episode 7 Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize 1 Andras Nemeth Hungary $325,957 2 Artur Martirosian Russia $254,559 3 Marius Gierse Austria $198,800 4 Dan "oiltrader" Shak Canada $155,254 5 Thomas Muehloecker Austria $121,247 6 niNohR Austria $94,689 7 Daniel Smiljkovic Austria $73,948 8 Nator Mexico $57,750 9 Daniel Dvoress Canada $45,100

Daniel Dvoress, who won this tournament on May 9, was the first superstar out of the door. Dvoress crashed out during the 20,000/40,000/5,000a level when Nemeth raised to 84,000 from the cutoff. Dvoress responded with a three-bet all-in for 536,134 in total with ace-jack, and Nemeth snap-called with pocket kings.

Unlimited Attempts at WSOP Main Event Seats for $49.99 at ClubGG

Mexicos "Nator" was the next player out of the door. Nator pushed all-in for 530,936 8.8 big blinds) with jack-ten from middle position. Start-of-the-day chip leader Marius Gierse called with ace-queen from Nators immediate left, only for Daniel Smiljkovic to squeeze all-in for 1,102,982 from the small blind with pocket jacks. Gierse called to put both Smiljkovic and Nator at risk of busting. The risk was realized when the door card was an ace. A queen on the river improved Gierse to an unnecessary two pair, and busted two opponents simultaneously.

The last five-figure score of the evening went to Austrias "niNohR," who lost a coinflip against Nemeth. The Hungarian made it 126,000 to go from under the gun with pocket sevens. Everyone folded to niNohR on the button, and they three-bet to 646,530 with suited ace-king before calling off the 366,834 they had behind when Nemeth set them all in. The sevens held to bust niNohR and Nemeth now held twice as many chips as anyone else at the final table.

Thomas Muehloecker

Thomas Muehloeckers run ended in fifth-place, a finish worth $121,247. Nemeth opened the preflop betting with a raise to 147,000 from the button at the 35,000/70,000/8,500a level. Muehloecker three-bet all-in for 935,689 with king-jack, and Nemeth called with suited ace-nine. Both players flopped a pair, but Nemeths pair was aces. Game over for Muehloecker.

Daniel Smiljkovic Leads Final Nine in WSOP Online Event #8: $5,000 6-Max Championship

Fourth-place and $155,254 went to Dan "oiltrader" Shak who busted at the hands of Gierse. Shak open-shoved for 19.5 big blinds with king-jack, and Martirosian called with pocket tens. Martirosians hand remained best despite Shak being able to hit any jack, king, or spade on the river.

Gierse crashed and burned during the 40,000/80,000/10,000a level to send the tournament into the heads-up stage. Gierse initially limped in from the small blind with pocket queen, and Nemeth raised to 320,000, Gierse four-bet to 960,000 before calling off the 2,751,324 he had behind when Nemeth ripped it in with ace-king. An ace on the flop gifted Nemeth the hand and a 10,469,107 to 3,530,893 chip lead over Martirosian going into heads-up.

The writing was on the wall for Martirosian with him trailing so far behind but, to the Russians credit, he never gave up. The final hand of this weeks Super MILLION$ was a relative cooler for Martirosian.

Martirosian limped in for 100,000 with jack-eight, and Nemeth checked with trey-deuce offsuit. An eight-high flop with two deuces spelled the end for Nemeths opponent. Nemeth checked before check-raising Martirosians 100,000 continuation bet to 200,000, which the Russian raised to 350,000; Nemeth called. Nemeth checked the arrival of a ten on the turn before quickly calling when Martirosian jammed 777,423 into the 925,000 pot. A six on the river brought the Super MILLON$ to a conclusion and left Nemeth with all the chips in play.
Following the withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan, Washington is allegedly trying to reestablish a military presence in Central Asia, similar to what it did in the early 2000s. The Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies reports that the quartet of China, Russia, Pakistan, and Iran stands to benefit the most from the US withdrawal. The area to accrue the least benefit is Central Asia, whose five states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan), together with Afghanistan, represent one continuous geographical space.

Separation would be geopolitically harmful to the Central Asian states, as security spillover from Afghanistan has a direct impact on Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan because of their long border. From a long-term perspective, the American exit signals a shift in US foreign policy away from the Middle East and South Central Asia and toward the Indo-Pacific. America is essentially internalizing the limits of its military potential: it sees that out-competing China in the heart of Eurasia is a self-defeating geopolitical goal. What the US has managed to accomplish so far in the region is exceptional for a sea power. It penetrated deep into Eurasiainto hostile lands that rarely, if ever, were tamed, even by continental powers in antiquity or the Middle Ages. The American expansion into Afghanistan thus represented a historical anomaly. It could not continue for long without expanded cooperation with the neighboring states, which did not occur. Americas withdrawal frees up the space, offering China, Russia, and other Eurasian powers the opportunity to fill the gapand in the process, divert resources and attention away from other critical theaters where the US is facing stiff resistance. In that light, there is suspicion in Beijing that the American exit might be a ploy. Greater Chinese involvement in Afghanistan might prove to be a trap.

A Chinese move to fill the power vacuum in Afghanistan would indeed be a bold geopolitical move, as history shows that no sole power has ever been able to control the space all the way from China to the Mediterranean for any significant length of time. Even the Mongols, who managed to unify this expanse, saw their empire divide into four warring parts and eventually fade away. It is by no means clear that the Chinese would be able to succeed where others have failed. Beijing has greater resources than any other power in Eurasia but would still face myriad problems, from terrorism to nationalism to competition from other powers. In the end, its fate is likely to resemble that of previous unsuccessful attempts to influence and control the depths of Eurasia from a single center.

If the withdrawal from Afghanistan is in fact an American ploy, it is similar to what sea powers have done in the past to prevent continental powers from dominating entire continents. Great Britain stopped Napoleons France by essentially cutting the country off from the sea and pushing it into the depths of the European continent. In the 20th century, the US managed to stop the Soviet Union by navigating Soviet expansionism into tricky placeslike Afghanistan.

The US withdrawal could serve, somewhat surprisingly, as a basis for potential improvement in bilateral ties with Russia. When the Russian and American presidents met in June in Geneva, the media was flush with details of the summit. But because neither leader touched upon the question of Afghanistan at their segregated press conferences, world attention was drawn to other issues.

It has become increasingly clear that Afghanistan was in fact a top issue during the summit. The Russian daily Kommersant reported on July 17th that Putin offered Biden the use of Russian military bases in Central Asia for information-gathering from Afghanistan. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan host a number of Russian military bases and other installations, some of which are close to the Afghan border. There have also been several high-profile meetings in Washington recently between US and Central Asian diplomats about letting in at-risk Afghan citizens. For the moment, it seems that potential cooperation would involve the exchange of information gathered via drone.

There are reports that the US is allegedly trying to establish military bases in Central Asia. This was possible 20 years ago, because Moscow was willing to help the US build anti-terrorism momentum. This time around, it is unlikely that the US will be allowed into Central Asia. America established a military presence in Central Asia following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, but todays geopolitical configuration is strikingly different both in the region and across Eurasia. Conditions are not as conducive as they once were to a US presence. This is not only because the Central Asian states are now better prepared to militarily withstand the Taliban threat. Russia too has strengthened its military presence in the region, and will be unwilling to allow external powers inespecially in the age of Moscows exclusion policy.

Ultimately, while Russian approval for the stationing of military bases still matters (as shown by one of Sergei Lavrovs statements), it is not the only factor guiding the establishment of a new US presence in Central Asia. Another playerChinawill be strongly opposed to any kind of American presence. In the early 2000s, concern about Taliban support for Xinjiang-based separatist and extremist groups pushed China to view the US efforts as fitting its own security interests. Since then, however, China-US ties have deteriorated sharply, with Beijing coming to see the US presence in Afghanistan as deviating from its initial anti-terrorism mission and focusing instead on containing Chinas regional ambitions. Beijing will therefore be a staunch opponent of Americas military expansion to Central Asiaa critical region for Beijings westward push.

Moreover, China would not be happy with a Western presence in Central Asia because the region borders on the restive Xinjiang province. China has been expanding both militarily and in terms of security in Central Asia. It has opened a military base in Tajikistan and over the past several years has increased the number of military exercises it conducts with Central Asia states. An external competitor risks disturbing the regional balance of power China has been carefully building. The diplomacy around the Afghan conundrum shows that Russia and the US, despite being in tense competition over vast swathes of Eurasian territory, can sometimes cooperate. Russias alleged decision to allow the US military to use its facilities in Central Asia fits into Moscows great power model. In this type of international relations, cooperation and competition coexist.

But whereas in the early 2000s Moscow supported Americas offensive against terrorism in Afghanistan, its thinking has evolved since then. A potential American presence is now viewed in a negative light. Moreover, the issue is increasingly not only about Russia in Central Asia. The US now has to heed Chinese concerns as well, which will be extremely difficult.

Beijing would prefer to work closely with Moscow than with Washington. China and Russia share similar concerns, and both oppose a Western military presence. But Russia could cooperate with the US for the purpose of showing China that it is Moscow, not Beijing, that is in charge in the region, and that it will decide whether to permit or prevent the military presence of non-regional powers in Central Asia.
Iran wants to finish soon the construction of the last section of the North-South project. When will the new trade route from Russia to India be implemented, and what economic and political bonuses can it bring to our country?

The other day Iranian ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali announced that the Islamic Republic will soon complete the construction of the remaining section of the North-South transport corridor. "The last section of Rasht-Astara. We hope that the remaining section of the North-South corridor will be completed as soon as possible," he said at an event organized by the. Gorchakov.

Considering that the first stone in the foundation of the North-South building was laid back in 2000 by an intergovernmental agreement between Russia, Iran and India, and the project still cannot be completed, the news of the imminent final can be considered almost a sensation. But first, let's figure out why Russia needs the North-South transport corridor

So, North-South is an international transport corridor. It goes from Russia to Iran through Azerbaijan and connects by sea with India. Asian markets have grown sharply in recent decades, for example, India's GDP has increased fivefold over the past 20 years. The GDP of Iran and Pakistan is four times (despite the fact that the Iranians have been strangled by economic sanctions for many years). The rise of Asia creates an opportunity for both exports and imports. For the sale and purchase of goods, logistics are needed, and nowadays the most important thing for carriers is saving time.

The North-South project offers countries the shortest route for trade between Europe, India and the Gulf countries. The length of the corridor from St. Petersburg to the Indian port of Mumbai is 7.2 thousand km. This route is 30-40% shorter than through the Suez Canal, and, therefore, is as much more economical. It must be said that the project is not limited only to Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran and India. It can be joined by the European Union, which has established rail links with Russia. For the EU, this is an additional opportunity for the sale and purchase of goods, given that it is the largest trading power in the world.

"North-South" can also cover the countries of Central Asia, because the second route of the road runs along the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. A complete list of interested countries can be found on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Oman, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Syria, Bulgaria, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Ukraine. All of them joined the intergovernmental agreement on the North-South international transport corridor signed by Russia, India and Iran in St. Petersburg in 2000.

It is extremely beneficial for Russia that a considerable part of the trade flow between South Asia, the Persian Gulf countries and the EU, and this is hundreds of billions of dollars, will go in transit through its territory, which will bring significant revenues to Moscow. Of course, it will take time to connect other players to the "North-South", but before that it is necessary at least to complete the best option that Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan are working on. To date, the section from Russia to the Azerbaijani-Iranian border is ready. Back in February 2018, the first freight train from Russia arrived on this section to the Iranian city of Astara. On the Iranian border in the direction of India, everything is also ready. In 2019, the construction of a section of the railway from Qazvin to Rasht was completed. India, for its part, invested more than $ 2 billion in Iran's railways and built the port of Chabahar for $ 500 million on the shores of the Gulf of Oman. It is from here that cargo will go by sea from Europe to India and back.

To complete the "North-South", only a little remained - to complete the construction of a 200-kilometer railway from the Iranian Rasht to the border Astara in order to connect it with the infrastructure of Azerbaijan. To speed up the process, Azerbaijan allocated a $ 500 million loan to Iran, but the road is still not ready.

Farhad Ibragimov, an expert at the Valdai International Discussion Club, an Iranian scholar, believes that it is not the Iranians who are to blame for the delay in the construction of the Iranian section, but the West. Indeed, the Iranians have been pulling the construction of their section from Astara to the city of Rasht for several years. into the life of even profitable, important, life-supporting transport projects, "he said in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza.

The expert believes that the new President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, is serious, but it will still take more than one year to complete the project.

"The imminent completion of the project, which the Iranian ambassador to the Russian Federation is talking about, by the standards of the Persians may be in about 2-3 years. I believe that by the end of the first term of Ebrahim Raisi, which is 2025, the North-South project is already in full Moreover, negotiations between Moscow and Tehran are expected soon. I dont undertake to say at what level these negotiations will take place, but there are already active discussions on how Russian-Iranian relations will develop under the new Iranian president. Within the framework of this discussion, the question of completing the construction of this section of the project will be raised, "Ibragimov added.

Time will show whether Russia and Iran will be able to implement one of the most ambitious projects of our time. It is clear that ill-wishers will continue to put a spoke in the wheels, and this will be done, first of all, by the United States, which wants to close all world trade on the sea routes, where the strongest and most ubiquitous American fleet reigns. But if Russia and the countries of Eurasia still manage to put the "North-South" on their feet, then it will make these states not only richer, but also more independent in the face of endless Western sanctions.
Turkish archaeologists claim they have found what they believe are pieces of the Trojan Horse. According to a report by newsit.gr, Turkish archaeologists excavating the site of the historical city of Troy on the hills of Hisarlik have unearthed a large wooden structure. Historians and archaeologists think what they have discovered are remains of the legendary Trojan Horse.

Greek Reporter states that the excavations brought to light dozens of fir planks and beams up to 15 meters (49 feet) long. The remnants were assembled in a strange form, that led the experts to suspect they belong to the Trojan Horse. The wooden structure was inside the walls of the ancient city of Troy.

The Trojan Horse is considered by most to have been a mythical structure. The horse is commonly associated with Homers epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey. The classic epic poems tell the story of the Trojan War and Odysseus long journey back to Ithaca, but curiously enough, they do not feature the iconic wooden horse. In fact, the Iliad closes out right before the war is over.

The story of the Trojan Horse comes in at the very end of the war, as it is used as a strategy to seize Troy and win the war completely. The story of the Trojan Horse is featured most prominently in the Aeneid by Virgil, a Latin text from the time of Augustus rule in Rome. Historians suggest that the ancient writer was using the image of the horse as an analogy for a war machine, or even perhaps a natural disaster.

The structure found fits the description by Virgil, Augustus and Quintus Smyrnaeus. So archaeologists have started to consider that the discovery is indeed the remains of the subterfuge Greeks used to conquer ancient Troy.

Another discovery that supports the archaeologists claims is a damaged bronze plate with the inscription For their return home, the Greeks dedicate this offering to Athena. Quintus Smyrnaeus refers to the particular plate in his epic poem Posthomerica. The plate was also found on the site.

Can the pieces of the Trojan Horse be scientifically verified?

The two archaeologists leading the excavation, Boston University professors Christine Morris and Chris Wilson, say that they have a high level of confidence that the structure is indeed linked to the legendary horse. They say that all the tests performed up to now have only confirmed their theory.

The carbon dating tests and other analysis have all suggested that the wooden pieces and other artifacts date from the 12th or 11th centuries B.C., says Professor Morris. This matches the dates cited for the Trojan War, by many ancient historians like Eratosthenes or Proclus. The assembly of the work also matches the description made by many sources. I dont want to sound overconfident, but Im pretty certain that we found the real thing!
AS a soldier runs from the battlefield, he's spotted by a suicide drone loitering in the sky overhead. The killing machine dives down on its target and explodes in a kamikaze attack  without anyone telling it to. It might sound like the stuff of science fiction but killer robots, sometimes called "slaughterbots", are already a reality, The Sun reports. Last year, STM Kargu-2 drones hunted down targets in what might be the first instance of artificial intelligence killing on its own initiative. The revelation came after years of experts warning about the dangers of letting machines decide who lives and dies in combat.

Now a UN conference on so-called Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) is taking place in Geneva to create new international regulations to stop killer robots being allowed to make their own decisions. The Russian delegate argued no new rules are needed, but others disagree, saying machines shouldn't be given the power to choose targets themselves. Humans must apply the rules of international humanitarian law in carrying out attacks so weapons that function in this way complicate that, Dr Neil Davison of the International Committee of the Red Cross told BBC Radio's Today programme. Our view is that an algorithm shouldn't decide who lives or dies.

Smart sentry guns

Used by: South Korea, Israel

Deadliest feature: 1,000 rounds of machine gun fire per minute

Machine guns capable of identifying and killing their own targets have existed for at least a decade. Samsung's arms division developed a sentry gun, the SGR-A1, which uses image recognition to identify humans and shoot at them. They're now deployed along the Korean Demilitarised Zone, with similar sentry guns installed by the Israeli Defence Force on Israel's border with the Gaza Strip since 2008. Although both weapons systems are capable of operating on their own, the governments of both Israel and South Korea say the guns are controlled by humans.

Suicide drones

Used by: At least 14 countries including the US, China, and Germany

Deadliest feature: Built-in explosive warheads

Suicide drones are like extremely sophisticated  and extremely scary  missiles. Instead of going straight to a specific target after being fired, these so-called "loitering munitions" stalk the skies over a specific area. While loitering, which could go on for hours, they scan the ground in search of a target. Once found, they attack by speeding to the ground and exploding, hence why they're also sometimes called "kamikaze" drones. While even the likes of ISIS use rudimentary suicide drones by strapping explosives to remote-control quadcopters, the most advanced loitering munitions are now capable of operating without a human controller. While it's possible they request authorisation to attack when a target is identified, many loitering munitions are capable of choosing to kill on their own. It's not certain if robots were making decisions themselves when drones decimated the Armenian army during conflict with Azerbaijan last year. Over 40 per cent of Armenia's tanks and armoured vehicles were obliterated by suicide drones, which included the Israeli-made Harop. The Harop, with a max speed of 259mph, can either be guided to targets by a human controller or home in on enemy radar signals on its own. Azerbaijani officials praised the kamikaze robots as being very effective in the conflict, which ended in a matter of weeks as Azerbaijan gained large tracts of territory.

Drone 'swarms'

Used by: UK, Israel, US

Deadliest feature: Thousands of killing machines working in unison

When thousands of drones use AI to work together, they can pull off spectacularly complex formations without the need for thousands of pilots. A swarm of 1,800 drones flying in unison was used to make a mind-blowing illuminated globe at the Olympic opening ceremony in Tokyo in July. But in the same month, drone swarms were also thought to have been used in battle for the first time. Israel is believed to have used the technology to hunt down Hamas fighters launching rockets in Gaza. The idea of drone swarms is to have uncrewed weapons working together to make their attacks more efficient. Armed forces in Russia, Britain and the US are also developing their own versions of the lethal tech.

Royal Marines undertook battle drills alongside drone swarms for the first time last month, in which autonomous machines in the air, on the sea and underwater helped soldiers during simulated raids. The robots were given tasks like resupplying ammunition to troops and bringing blood to medics  as well as finding and identifying targets. Eventually, fighter jets and battleships might also form part of a swarm connected to other killer robots using AI. Russia's newly unveiled jet, dubbed Checkmate, already has elements of artificial intelligence, according to its designer. Mikhail Strelets of the Sukhoi Design Bureau hinted to TASS that the 1,500mph plane could have an unmanned version. He revealed Checkmate is capable of operating in a network-centric combat system, that is, working as part of a group of manned and unmanned aircraft.

'Awful vision of the future'

While some see developing AI-based weapons as a necessary step for a modern military, some critics are deeply concerned by the technology. AI is already used in lots of beneficial ways, from Tesla's development of self-driving cars to making breakthroughs in cancer treatment. But it's also being used for sinister purposes, including twisted apps that digitally "strip" clothes off women. Deploying AI in weapons systems to allow them to choose who lives and dies is arguably the most controversial of all. At the ongoing UN conference on killer robots, Russia's delegate argued autonomous weapons are able to use an appropriate level of selectivity and precision which allows them to remain compliant with existing international law. But many other states including Brazil, Australia and Mexico have called for an outright ban on killer robots. Even the Vatican waded into the debate at the UN conference, blasting LAWS for lacking humanity and public conscience. We're concerned that the systems of meaningful human control over who, where and when to kill are being eroded, Elizabeth Minor of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots previously told The Sun. Its a real challenge to human dignity and people's rights  its an awful vision of the future where killing is done by machines without human control. Minor added: We're not worried about the terminator just yet  but we're creeping towards a dehumanised future where AI is allowed to make life or death decisions.
Azerbaijans Defense Ministry has accused Armenia of illegally deploying a contingent of the Armenian Armed Forces in the zone of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh.

"In recent days, the instances have been observed of Armenia deploying its armed forces to Azerbaijani territories where the peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation are temporarily located, establishing new Armenian military posts near the populated localities of Mukhtarkend, Shushakend, as well as on the territories in the eastern direction of the administrative borders of the Kalbajar and Lachin districts in violation of the trilateral agreement (concluded on November 9, 2020)," a ministry statement that was made public on Wednesday said.

The statement noted that the Azerbaijani army "undertakes adequate measures and prevents such incidents." According to Azerbaijans Defense Ministry, the Armenian side "is persistently using such provocations in order to escalate tensions."

"All of this is happening against the background of an irresponsible and inciting order by Armenias new defense minister Arshak Karapetyan to the Armenian army on the use of force by all available means," the statement said.

The statement emphasized that the Azerbaijani army "will ensure all adequate measures are undertaken." "The peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation in accordance with the provisions of the trilateral agreement should put an end to the instances of deploying the Armenian Armed Forces on Azerbaijani territories where they are temporarily located," Azerbaijans Defense Ministry said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday held separate phone calls with the presidents of Georgia, Senegal, Djibouti, and Nigeria, discussing regional issues and bilateral ties with each.

In his call with his Georgian counterpart Salome Zourabichvili, Erdogan told him that the two countries could work on joint energy and transportation projects, taking advantage of new opportunities that emerged in the region, said Turkey's Directorate of Communications.

In later phone calls, Erdogan also spoke to Senegalese President Macky Sall, Dijbouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh, and President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, Daily Sabah reported.

He also expressed to all four leaders his thanks for their countries' solidarity with Turkey in its battle against forest fires burning in the country's southern regions, the directorate added.
Jordanian airline company Fly Jordan will resume flights to Georgia starting August 12, according to the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency.

Fly Jordan will connect the Jordanian capital of Amman to Georgia's Black Sea resort town of Batumi.

The flights will be carried out until September 30 once a week, on Thursdays.

Fly Jordan entered the Georgian aviation market in 2017.

The Georgian Civil Aviation Agency warns passengers to be careful when planning a trip, and read carefully the border and sanitary regulations imposed by the destination country, which might be changed depending on the epidemiological situation.
Georgia has reported 5,352 new cases of coronavirus, 2,635 recoveries and 48 deaths in the past 24 hours.

45,832 remain infected with Covid-19 in Georgia.

The Georgian Health Ministry has plans to send new recommendations to the government by the end of the week to curb the spread of the virus.

50,430 tests were conducted around the country in the past 24 hours. 30,564 of the 50,430 tests were rapid tests, while the remaining 19,866 were PCR tests.

The country has had 461,198 cases of coronavirus since February 26, 2020. 9.33% of tested individuals had Covid-19 in the past 14 days. 409,110 of the 461,198 patients have recovered, while 6,230 have died from the virus.

6,578 patients are undergoing treatment in hospitals as of today. 1,322 of the 6,578 patients are in critical condition. 302 of the 1,322 critical patients are on artificial ventilation. 36,016 individuals are undergoing treatment at home. 39, 087 individuals are in self isolation.

More than 7,198,000 tests have been conducted in the country so far. 688,940 individuals have been vaccinated in the country so far. 210,776 of the 688, 940 individuals have received their both doses of a vaccine, Agenda.ge reported.
The Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus is effective against all known new strains, Alexander Gintsburg, Director of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology that developed the jab, reported.

"As the civilian circulation experience shows, the vaccine is completely safe and highly effective. It is effective not only immediately against those strains it was developed for but also against those numerous strains that emerged recently and are constantly attacking us," TASS cited him as saying.

On Wednesday, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko told journalists that the efficacy of the Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus Delta strain amounts to approximately 83%.

"Today the Sputnik V vaccine demonstrates the most effective results on prevention, on fighting the Delta strain. The latest results indicate that the efficacy is about 83%, this is already the Russian data, provided to us by courtesy of our clinical colleagues," he said.

The health minister added that the efficacy of the Sputnik V vaccine against a severe course of the novel coronavirus infection surpasses 95%. "The vaccine prevents the severe course of the novel coronavirus infection by more than 95%, and, whats important, it prevents those serious diseases that require hospitalization. That is, this pharmaceutical is effective now and continues to work," he added.
Iran's new President Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday submitted the list of proposed ministers to the Iranian parliament, official IRNA news agency reported.

Among the introduced cabinet members, Hossein Amir Abdollahian has been picked for the minister of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Amir Abdollahian was former deputy foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former special aide to the speaker of the Iranian Parliament on international affairs.

Raisi has also picked Javad Owji as the potential minister of petroleum. Owji was former head of Iran's National Gas Company, Xinhua reported.

After introducing the cabinet members, the parliament will have one week for evaluation and vote of confidence.

Raisi was sworn in on Aug. 5 as the new president of Iran in the parliament.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed the appointment of Amos Hochstein as the Department of States Senior Advisor for Energy Security, the US top diplomat said in a statement on Tuesday.

"I am appointing Amos Hochstein to serve as the Departments Senior Advisor for Energy Security, underscoring the Administrations commitment to promote energy security for the United States and our allies and partners," Blinken said in a statement. "His immediate focus will be implementation of measures to reduce the risks posed by the Nord Stream 2 pipeline."

"This appointment demonstrates the Administrations resolve to utilize energy diplomacy to ensure the security of supply during this critical time of energy transition, push back against the Kremlins use of energy as a geopolitical weapon, and to advance a more secure and sustainable energy future for Ukraine and frontline NATO and EU countries," the statement says.

On Monday, the news portal Axios quoted sources as saying U.S. President Joe Biden had appointed Amos Hochstein, a firm opponent of the gas pipeline project Nord Stream 2 as the Department of State's special energy envoy. According to the portal, Germany will appoint its own envoy to work with Hochstein.
The main oxygen supply line was restored late on Tuesday at a hospital in Russias North Caucasus republic of North Ossetia, which experienced oxygen supply problems earlier this week, the regions acting Health Minister Soslan Tebiyev said.

"Work to repair the main supply line has been completed. The work of the entire system is now being tested," TASS cited him as saying.

In his words, normal oxygen supply will be restored to all hospital units within the next 30 minutes.

At present, slight loss of pressure is reported in the hospitals oxygen supply system. However, all emergency units have enough oxygen cylinders. The necessary amount of liquid oxygen is expected to be delivered to the hospital soon.

On Monday, a breakdown of the oxygen system in the Vladikavkaz Republican Clinical Center left nine people dead, eight women and one man. They were all aged between 47 and 85 and were in ICU in a serious condition. Overall, there were 71 patients in the ICU when the accident happened. Two more male patients died on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll to 11. According to acting head of the region Sergei Menyailo, a pipe burst underneath the hospital which led to the oxygen system accident.
The Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) has taken control of the border with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Its leaders promise not to attack the neighboring countries, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.

"It is important for us that the border with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan has been taken under control by the Taliban," he said at the Territory of Senses youth forum.

He recalled that the Taliban had recently seized the city of Kunduz. "If you know geography, Kunduz is a quite large center," Shoigu said, adding that the Taliban leaders promise not to seek to cross the borders or attack neighboring nations.
The United Nations is extremely concerned by the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, spokesman for the Secretary General Stephane Dujarric told a briefing on Tuesday.

"We continue to be in touch with all the parties, whether in Afghanistan or the regional parties, in an effort to find a political solution. I mean, the facts on the ground as we report them, as you see them in the media, are extremely worrying, extremely concerning," he said.

Since April, the security situation in Afghanistan has seriously degraded, with the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) expanding its offensive. In early July, the Taliban established control over areas along the borders with Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The Taliban claims it has taken control over the administrative centers of six Afghan provinces.
Several wind power projects currently under development in the Mekong River Delta area are rushing to complete and start operating on a commercial basis before the November deadline,

which would allow them to enjoy the preferential policies accorded under Decision No. 39/2018/ Decision-TTg of the Prime Minister.

Illustrative photo. (Source: SGGP)

However, due to the complicated situations created by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, many of these projects are facing setbacks and difficulties and may not be able to meet the scheduled deadline of 1 November this year.

Construction problems

The Vien An wind power plant will have a capacity of 50 MW, which is an investment project of the Vien An Energy One Member Limited Liability Company, with capital of around VND 2,411 bn, to be built in the Ngoc Hien District of Ca Mau Region. Currently, out of 49 required wind power poles, the construction unit has only completed just half of the foundation, while there is an urgent rush to complete the remaining. However, piers T27, T35, T36, T38 T42, T46, and T47 are having difficulty in construction due to problems of land accessibility.

The reason is that many households that will be affected by the Vien An wind power plant have not yet agreed to hand over the site to the construction unit, because many still believe that the compensation price for their land is not reasonable enough. Besides, many wind power poles are being deployed on the forest land of Dat Mui Protection Forest Management Board and the Kien Vang Protection Forest Management Board, so it will take a long time to change the usage of forest land for purposes of building a wind power plant, which will certainly affect the overall rate of progress in completing the construction works.

Mr. Nguyen Dang Hien, Deputy Director of Legal Affairs of the Vien An Energy Company Limited, said that currently the project site clearance work which is being handled by the local authorities, related departments, and provincial leaders is facing many obstacles. The company wants the authorities to speed up site clearance, implement legal procedures for land allocation in a timely manner, and help the contractor execute the wind power project on schedule.

In Bac Lieu Province, there are nine wind power projects with a total capacity of 562 MW. Over the last few years, wind power projects in the area have encountered many difficulties, especially in the transportation of super long and super heavy equipment. According to the Department of Transport of Bac Lieu Province, the coastal traffic routes in the area can only bear a maximum load of 16 tons and a maximum capacity of 25 tons over bridges. However, the super long and super heavy equipment weighs around hundreds of tons. Therefore, the department is cooperating with related units and the owner to find different options to bring super long and super heavy equipment to the construction site of the wind power project.

Similarly, in Soc Trang Province, there are also nine wind power projects, with six projects with turbines on land, with a total capacity of 262 MW. For wind power projects with turbine poles on the sea, the transportation of equipment is somewhat more convenient than placing turbines on land because the road infrastructure cannot meet the demand for transporting super long and super heavy equipment.

Among some other difficulties there are also worries that many wind power investors in the Mekong Delta region have a problem of synchronous investment in the transmission line system connecting with wind power plants to release capacity. In Ca Mau region, the Southern Electricity Project Management Board said that the project of Nam Can 220kV transformer station and Nam Can-Ca Mau 2 220kV transmission line, has just finished valuation of its assets.

This unit now proposes that Ca Mau Province must now accelerate site clearance to deploy the work soon to complete wind power projects in the province to release capacity, and increase the transmission capacity of the power system. Similarly, many other wind power investors in the coastal provinces of the Mekong Delta are also worried that the transmission lines will not be in sync with the wind power plants.

Projects need support

According to Decision No. 39/2018/QD-TTG dated 10 September 2018 of the Prime Minister, which has amended and supplemented a number of articles of the Prime Minister's Decision No. 37/2011/QD-TTG dated 29 June 2011, on the development of wind power projects in Vietnam, so as to enjoy the preferential electricity price of 8.5 cents/kWh of value VND 1,928 for onshore wind power projects, and 9.8 cents/kWh of value VND 2,223 for offshore wind power projects. Wind power projects must operate commercially before 1 November 2021 to be able to benefit from the preferential policies.

The time from now until early November is not too much, and the Covid-19 pandemic is becoming even more complicated with so many localities having to implement social distancing measures which have affected the transportation of equipment, especially wind turbines. It is also difficult for foreign experts to enter Vietnam with more limitations in travel and even more scarce human resources. Faced with these obstacles, many investors in wind power projects in the Mekong Delta region are worried about not being able to complete the projects on time.

According to a leader at the Vien An Energy Co., Ltd., with each passing day, the project is losing time and being delayed even further. Therefore, the company has approached the authorities in Ca Mau province with a call for urgent help and support to resolve these problems and issues. The investor has also suggested that Ca Mau Province send a police force to support and protect construction work in case any incident may occur and promptly intervene if required.

Mr. Nguyen Dang Hien, Deputy Director in charge of legal affairs of Vien An Energy Co., Ltd., is determined to tackle the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the current weather in the rainy and storm season, to implement and complete the project. All items of work must also be implemented simultaneously, to as to be able to be on the grid by the end of October 2021.

Mr. Dao Hai Linh, General Director of the Hoa Binh 1 Wind Power Company in Bac Lieu Province believes that the project has faced many difficulties in the past, but due to timely support by the province, there has been progress in implementing the project and there is hope that the goal of putting the plant into commercial operations before 1 November will be met.

However, Mr. Linh also informed that one wind power project fell into stalemate and failed to keep up with the schedule. One of the most difficult problems is not being able to solve the problem of human resources, especially of foreign experts. Currently, there are very few high-quality human resources serving in wind power projects in the Mekong Delta region, mainly in Ho Chi Minh City, and experts need be hired from abroad on an urgent basis.

Source: SGGP

Bac Lieu prioritises renewable energy The Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu has chosen renewable energy as one of its top priorities, aiming to restructure the economy towards green growth and sustainable development.
Social distancing due to COVID-19 has created more local stock investors in Vietnam, especially among internet-savvy young people.

Being locked at home due to COVID-19, more young people are investing in the local stock market. A 58 per cent increase in new accounts in the first half of 2021 has been recorded.  Photo cafef.vn

According to data, there were 619,911 new accounts opened in the first six months of the year, an increase of 58 per cent compared to the first six months of 2020, which also registered a record number of new accounts.

As a freelance photographer, Nguyen Quang Anh, 24, in Lieu Giai Street, Hanoi did not have a lot of work even before the social distancing orders were put in place.

Anh said the boredom of having to stay at home because of the social distancing order and fewer working opportunities led him to invest in the stock market with some investment-friendly and user-friendly applications.

Anh told Viet Nam News: "Being hit by the fourth wave of COVID-19 and with everything digitised, it is a good time to focus on investing. It is one of the few activities we can do when we must stay at home.

With more money, Le Tuan Phong, 28, in Lang Ha Street chooses to invest in stocks and ETFs listed on the HCM City Stock Exchange (HoSE) via a prestige open fund.

Phong said a good fund would help him make bigger profits, however, he also wanted to invest by himself.

Phong told Viet Nam News: "It is not difficult to find information on social networks through financial investment groups and securities and digital currencies," adding the majority of investors were his age.

There are groups with hundreds of thousands of people, who update content and operate live streaming investment channels, sharing financial knowledge, and attracting a lot of followers.

Since last year, the number of investors on mobile apps has increased sharply. Local investment apps specializing in investments and stocks like Finhay and Infina are attractive to young investors.

Recently, Infina, announced an oversubscribed US$2 million seed round from Saison Capital, Venturra Discovery, 1982 Ventures, 500 Startups, Nextrans, and angel investors like executives at Google and Netflix.

Launched in January 2021, the app serves the investment demands of users between the ages of 25 and 40 with a minimum contribution of $25. Those investors can choose from assets including savings accounts, term deposits, fractionalized real estate and mutual funds.

At the launch of the app, the firm said only about 3.2 per cent of people in Vietnam had invested in stocks. That rate had increased thanks to a high internet penetration rate of more than 70 per cent.

Experts in the market said that the growth was largely contributed to the technology which allows investors to open an account online.

According to Dragon Capital Vietnam, a number of open-ended fund investors under the age of 35 on digital channels account for approximately 60 per cent of the total number of investors in Viet Nam.

The fund calculated that their average investment amount was surprisingly high compared to the average income in Vietnam, at VND18 million ($782) per month.

They said the trend of investing through mobile technology will play a more dominant role in the market moving forward.

As a long-standing fund management company in Vietnam with more than $5 billion in assets under its management, Dragon Capital Vietnam sees the future for investors in technology platforms.

On July 26 it introduced the DragonX investment application to the market, which is seen as a breakthrough for investment fund management in Vietnam. Together with the launch of DragonX, the fund also adjusted the minimum investment required to only VND100,000 while completely waiving the purchase fee to attract more investors.

DragonX provides users with investment knowledge in an easy to understand way through posts, daily newsletters and investment videos from the firms team of experts.

Tran Thanh Tan, vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dragon Capital Vietnam told local media: "I believe that a country's financial market can only develop strongly if there are a large number of local investors. DragonX is our way to bring people closer to good investment opportunities in the Vietnamese financial market.

Beware of tricks

Nguyen The Truyen, director of Thien Thanh Law Partnership, the City Bar Association, Hanoi said with the internet environment, people can transact easily and some of them were too eager to pour their money into apps with the dream of "becoming a billionaire".

In April more than 1,800 people in HCM City were cheated of millions of US dollars by an investment platform app called Coolcat, which announced itself as an insurance investment firm with more than five years of experience headquartered in the UK. It then vanished taking with it all of the money of the app users in the city.

Truyen said being at home for long periods of time, people often find new things to try however investment is not easy. A 'quick money' mindset could lead them to be drawn into using fraudulent apps.

In early July, the leader of the State Securities Commission of Vietnam (SSC) announced despite COVID-19's complicated development, the local indexes continued to set new records, helping the stock market enjoy the second fastest growth rate in the world.

Source: Vietnam News

VN stock market in 10 hard days: moment of concern and doubts The stock market fell in 10 consecutive sessions (July 5-15), raising fears and doubts about its stability and prospects.
PM Pham Minh Chinh expressed determination to build an innovative, transparent, action-oriented and effective Government in service of the people during the first meeting of the 15th Government that was held virtually nationwide on August 11.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the event (Photo: VNA)

Attending the event were Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and other leaders.

PM Chinh stressed that the Government is resolved to not achieve economic growth at the expense of social progress and justice, and environment. It will keep improving material and spiritual lives of the people, consistently and resolutely fight corruption and negative behaviours, consolidate national defence-security; firmly safeguard independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity; ensure social safety and order, enhance external relations and global integration, and improve the countrys role, position and prestige on international arena.

During the 2021-2025 period, the Government targets rapid and sustainable economic growth which is higher than the 2016-2020 average growth. By 2025, Vietnam is expected to be a modern-oriented industrialised nation, take synchronous measures to effectively cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, ensure peace and well-being of the people in the spirit of leaving no one behind.

The Government set 23 targets for 2021-2025, including about 6.5-7 percent economic growth. The rate of manufacturing and processing sector will account for 25 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), digital economy around 20 percent and State budget deficit 3.7 percent. The rate of poor households under multidimensional poverty standards will be reduced by 1-1.5 percent annually, 95 percent of the population will be covered by health insurance while the rate of forest coverage will not be lower than 42 percent.

To such end, the Government outlined 13 key tasks and measures for the period.

Speaking at the event, Party General Secretary Trong gave orientations and directions to the Government for the 2021-2026 tenure and the next period.

As Vietnam is building a socialist-oriented market economy, he suggested the Government, its agencies and all-level administrations pay special attention to apparatus building and personnel work, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of decentralisation and collaboration among agencies./.

Source: VNA
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse will pay an official friendly visit to Laos from August 9-10 at the invitation of General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith,

Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang announced at an online press conference on August 5.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

During the visit, President Phuc is scheduled to hold talks with Party General Secretary and President Thongloun; meet with Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh and National Assembly Chairman Saysomphone Phomvihane; receive several senior leaders; and visit some former senior leaders of Laos.

He will deliver a speech at the first extraordinary session of the 9th NA of Laos, and attend and address the inaugural and handover ceremony of the Lao NA House, and join other activities.

Hang said that during these talks and meetings, the two sides will discuss measures to deepen the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, thus bringing practical benefits to the people of both countries./.

Source: VNA
With the appearance of Industry 4.0 and the huge impact of the global health crisis, the world is in the breakthrough stage of digital transformation. This is the opportunity for Vietnam to realise its aspiration of prosperity.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung.

The 13th Party Congress ignites this aspiration and sets out the target of making Vietnam a developed country with high income by 2045, and directing the way to achieve the target by developing sci-tech and innovation, digital technology, and a digital economy.

This transformation is based on three pillars: digital government, economy, and society. Over past years, the party and government have paid attention to application of IT and development of digital government in order to increase operational efficiency of state agencies, and improve service quality to better serve people and businesses.

As of December 2020, all 22 ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and 63 cities and provinces have built an integrated platform and database sharing at the ministerial and provincial level and connected with national integrated platform and database sharing. The total number of transactions via these means have reached over 21 million to date, and there are about 40,000 transactions via platforms every day.

Some nationwide databases have proven effective in providing online public services at high levels such as database on business registration, insurance, and electronic civil status. A national database on population launched in February and officially applied on a nationwide scale from July will help significantly reduce paperwork.

IT systems serving internal affairs of state organs have also been built and prove effective, helping innovate their ways of working. For instance, all ministries, agencies, and localities built management software and over 90 per cent of e-documents are exchanged among state organs. A national database connection is built to enable ministries, agencies, cities, and provinces can exchange e-documents. Moreover, the e-cabinet system, National Reporting Platform, and the Centre for Information and Directions from the government were also launched.

Vietnams e-government development index according to the UN from 2014 to 2020 increased 13 notches, improving from 99th to 86th among the 193 countries.

The countrys digital economy development, according to international organisations, made quick steps with much growth potential. Despite having insufficient data, preliminary gatherings from domestic and international reports estimated that Vietnams digital economy hit $163 billion in 2020, making up 8.2 per cent of national GDP, of which ICT/telecoms contributed an estimated $126 billion, or 5.5 per cent of GDP; internet/platforms $14 billion, or 1 per cent of GDP; and those from industries/sectors about $23 billion, or 1.7 per cent of GDP.

According to a report from the Global System for Mobile Communications Association, Vietnam is among the countries with the fastest development, with the digital society index continuously quickly improving. However, Vietnam is still behind Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia in Southeast Asia.

While the nation sets orientation of developing e-government towards developing digital government, the results do not yet meet the expectations. Resolution No.52-NQ/TW from 2019 pointed out that the national digital transformation remains slow, and lack a sense of initiative due to limited infrastructure.

According to a survey carried out by Vietnam Report in June 2020, 47.4 per cent of technology firms said that the government needs to upgrade national technology infrastructure. In order to successfully develop a digital government, it is necessary to build infrastructure including devices, communications, databases, applications, and research and development infrastructure.

Besides tech infrastructure, regulations and legal framework are some of the key challenges to Vietnams digital economy development.

Related skills and manpower quality do not meet development demands. Meanwhile, digital transformation among businesses remains weak. In spite of having a big number of digital platform businesses, they are not strong enough. And the Make-in-Vietnam digital platforms remain in the early stage of development, facing strong competition from outside.

To complete regulations, it firstly needs to soon check, revise, and supplement legal documents to complete a legal framework. They include revising the e-transaction law; building decrees on the management of the platform economy and e-business; completing and submitting to the government for approval a decree on the protection of individual data; and promulgating legal documents on the rules of behaviour in the digital environment.

With all this, Vietnam can match the world in Industry 4.0 success. We have opportunities to advance if we have new ways of thinking. Both state organs and the legal system need a breakthrough in policy approach to develop Vietnam into a mighty and prosperous digital nation on par with others worldwide.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung

Source: VIR
The daily life of Vietnamese families in the Czech Republic is featured at an exhibition in Plzen City that is located nearly 80km from Prague.

Photographer Jindrich Streit (left) is pictured with visitors at the exhibition Vietnam Stories. VNA/VNS Photos Hong Ky

Vietnam Stories, the name of the exhibition, showcases 50 photos by Czech photographer and teacher Jindrich Streit, who is considered one of the most important exponents of Czech documentary photography.

It is jointly organised by the City Council in collaboration with the Vietnamese association in Plzen.

Vietnam Stories also features traditional Vietnamese customs and habits that are still preserved and practised in the Czech Republic, such as national holidays, birthdays, weddings and death anniversaries.

Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, Streit said that he had researched and integrated into the Vietnamese community to capture the most authentic angles of their life for the photo collection.

I personally have a very good relationship with the Vietnamese community in North Morava and they themselves, especially young people, have enthusiastically helped me to make this meaningful series of photos, the 75-year-old photographer said.

According to Eliska Bartakova, Deputy Mayor of Plzen City, the Vietnamese community has been in the Czech Republic for three generations and is integrating very well into Czech society.

Vietnamese people obey the law, study hard, run businesses and make many positive contributions to society. It is perfectly fine and normal for two peoples of the Czech Republic and Vietnam to harmoniously live and develop together in the country.

Dr Nguyen Duy Nhien, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic, said the association greatly appreciates the photos capturing the life of the Vietnamese community by photographer Streit.

He added that Vietnam Stories would help to enhance the friendship and relations between the two nations.

A visitor to the exhibition and photography enthusiast, Vojtech Stajek, recalled that the number of Vietnamese people coming to the Czech Republic has increased significantly since the 1990s.

There used to be many differences in lifestyle and perception between the Czech and Vietnamese communities. At first, Czech people were amazed at the Vietnamese unyielding struggle and hard-working manner, he said.

However, over time, it was that strong will of the Vietnamese people and their positive contributions to society that have convinced the Czech people, so today the Vietnamese community has truly integrated and lives in harmony with all other ethnic groups in the Czech Republic.

We really consider the Vietnamese as our people. The photos displayed at this exhibition have accurately reflected their life that I witness every day, he added.

Vietnam Stories is expected to help Czech people better understand the customs and habits of Vietnamese people.

According to Nguyen Hoai Thanh, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Plzen, the community of over 6,000 Vietnamese living in this city wholeheartedly supports the exhibition, expecting that Vietnam Stories will help Czech people better understand the customs and habits of Vietnamese people.

Vietnam Stories will last until August 27.

Jindrich Streit, born September 5, 1946 in Vsetin, is a Czech photographer and teacher known for his documentary photography. He concentrates on documenting the rural life and people of Czech villages.

The photographer began taking photographs in 1964, during his studies at the Pedagogical Faculty of Palacky University in Olomouc.

Source: Vietnam News

Online exhibition features Vietnamese, foreign artists An online exhibition featuring 20 paintings by Vietnamese and foreign artists is on display at artspaces.kunstmatrix.com.
From: Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets

About 475 first-year cadets will arrive on campus on Saturday, Aug. 14, to begin their first week of training with the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets.

New Cadet Week training will begin at 6:45 a.m. daily with formation on the Upper Quad and will continue into the evening throughout campus. Cadets may be seen with parade rifles, which do not have a firing pin.

On Friday, Aug. 20, cadets will participate in a regimental run around the Drillfield at 6:10 a.m. Early-morning drivers should use caution when navigating the area.

The week will culminate with a parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, on the Drillfield, the final piece of the cadets instruction in military drill. During the parade, the Highty-Tighties, the regimental band, will play, and Skipper, the Corps of Cadets cannon, will be fired.

For more information, contact Shay Barnhart.
Conservative broadcaster Steve Bannon criticized MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell on Wednesday on his show Real America's Voice for failing to prove the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.

After spending a reasonable amount of time pushing Trump's "big lie" that the 2020 election was stolen, Steve Bannon went on his show Real America's Voice (also called The War Room) and did a 180-degree turn. Bannon insisted that the MyPillow CEO had not provided his followers with "receipts" proving the election was fraudulent after the first day of Lindell's much-hyped cyber symposium. Bannon admitted Real America's Voice co-host Raheem Kassam 

"Yesterday was kind of a good way to set the stage, a lot of interesting analysis, but we understand people want to see what's going on."

Kassam suggested that viewers of Bannon's program had become impatient and were using "colorful language" to express their desire for election fraud evidence. Kassam went on to say

"This is a very engaged audience, and we understand people are engaged. People have said, 'Hey, Mike's been out there for a long time doing this, and it's time now to get to the details."

Bannon admitted.

"I would have done it differently; Mike is his own guy. I understand. It's his show. I would have come out and overwhelmed immediately with packet captures and data and show, hey, here's what I got, pull the camera back and then frame it and then continue on."

The conservative broadcaster Bannon also complained about Lindell for repeatedly airing the same 15-minute propaganda movie about the election over and over. Admitting it's a propaganda video is a major swipe at the entire cyber symposium

"I think this is a mistake. "I don't think they should play this movie again. I want to be brutally frank."

"You've laid a theory of the case out here that's very powerful, but in laying that case out, you've got to bring the receipts."

Bannon is substituting the word "receipts" for the accurate word needed to describe the lack of "evidence."

Bannon made no mention of Mike Lindell's urging the world to tune into his cyber symposium at 7 PM Central Time for earth-shattering evidence that proves that the election was stolen. Bannon's ignoring that promise was likely a result that it turned out to be more bullshit that could never be described in a court of law as genuine evidence.

Bannon may be hedging his "big lie" narrative after filing a $1.7 Billion lawsuit against TV Networks Newsmax and OAN by Dominion Voting systems. He may not want to be added to the list of defendants for lending his voice to the "big lie," which alleges that votes were changed by Chinese hackers of Dominion's voting machines.

Another issue that has risen this morning may be concerned about is Home Land Security's warning that there's violent rhetoric on social media and other indications that some people buying into the "big lie" may resort to violence. The last thing Bannon, who President Trump pardoned for a scam that defrauded the former president's supporters for building a wall on the southern border; most of the millions raised went into his and his organizing partner's pockets.

It would seem by the lack of any credible evidence that Lindell's own flip flop repeatedly insisting that former President Trump would be reinstated on the morning of August 13, 2021, repeatedly is now - not going to happen. Even more, confounding Lindell as he was preparing to host his cyber symposium, which was expressly set up to prove that the November election was stolen denied on Tuesday to a Vice News reporter

"Nobody said that; nobody said that; nobody said that; nobody said as he walked into the South Dakota venue that is hosting his three-day symposium that, nobody said that, nobody said that, OK? I think this interview is over (that he ever made that August 13, 2021 claim)."

Lindell is on video repeatedly insisting that Biden would resign from the presidency on the morning of August 13, 2021.

Vice News has reported that

"Lindell's Cyber Symposium has been widely hyped in right-wing and extremist circles as the moment of reckoning for those who dismiss election fraud conspiracies."

Lindell's backtracking on his claims is likely to be a significant disappointment to QAnon followers and die-hard Trump sycophants, who adopted Lindell's Trump reinstatement theory and are hearing from Bannon and others. That the cyber symposium that he has no proof and Lindell's claim that

"dozens of 'cyber guys' to verify his claims the election data he has in his possession doesn't reveal fraud in all 50 states."

. amounts to nothing but more horse shit.

All Lindell, to this point, has proven is the claims being made by Dominion Voting Systems in their lawsuits against him and his fellow defendants are 100% on point. His offer of $5 million to anyone proving his evidence isn't legitimate should be awarded to CNN's Drew Griffin. He calmly explained the results of his investigation of the evidence last week

"We gave the evidence to an expert to examine, and he said what you gave us isn't evidence of anything. It was just routine meta-data."

Griffin has shown the evidence to 9 experts, all holding Ph.D. degrees, and traveled to voting counties to ask election officials if Lindell's evidence was, in fact, evidence of election fraud. In every case, Griffin was told by Republican election officials  there was no fraud.

While Lindell is not likely to pay the $5 million, he should be distraught the lawsuits filed against him may end with him being forced to file for bankruptcy. Such is the turbulent life of this former crack addict. One can only wonder if he's back on the crack pipe and, as a result, delusional.

Steve Bannon slams Mike Lindell's 'cyber symposium.'
Sign of maturity: Applied Insight adds large business chops with its new CEO

Companies grow and mature, and peoples careers grow and mature as well. We can see those phenomenon converge with the leadership changes occurring at both cloud and mission IT services provider Applied Insight and its private equity owner in the Acacia Group.

Dede Dascalu, CEO of Applied Insight, is shifting to the Acacia Group to serve as lead technology partner. Hell bring a technology focus to Acacias new investments and lend expertise to the private equity firms platforms as they develop new intellectual property and solutions and look to make more acquisitions.

Taking his place at Applied Insight is Amanda Brownfield, an Army veteran and former executive at larger businesses such as Science Applications International Corp., Engility Corp. and TASC. Brownfield joins Applied Insight from Geospark Analytics, the commercial geospatial technology firm she most recently led as CEO.

For both Dascalu and Brownfield, they see the new positions as opportunities to apply what theyve learned during their careers in a new setting.

We wanted a consistent product development and technology development approach at Acacia and Dede will do that for us, said Gavin Long, co-founder and partner at Acacia. Hell run those types of initiatives.

Amanda Brownfield, CEO, Applied Insight

Dascalu said the exciting part for him is taking the practices he has used at Applied Insight and bringing them to the broader portfolio at Acacia.

Acacia also owns MajorKey, a commercial IT and digital solutions company; and ID Technologies, an IT product and services company. Acacia bought what was formerly Intelligent Decisions in 2018 and subsequently split it into ID Technologies and Applied Insight.

Weve driven the technical edge and discriminators at Applied Insight, Dascalu said. As the portfolio gets larger and larger theres more of need for that technical capability."

His departure from the CEO role from Applied Insight also is an indication of the companys maturity as a mid-tier company built on several acquisitions. The back-end integration of those various deals is complete, including the latest in February when it bought Bridges.

Dascalu said theyve been working to establish common culture across the company. Applied Insight has over $200 million in annual revenue to put it solidly in the middle tier.

The leadership team has done a ton to bring it all together, Brownfield said. Its not just integrating the back office but also unifying and telling the story to your workforce and the market.

Brownfield said one of her jobs is to take her experience and help scale what Dascalus team has done.

I believe that our mission is to build a company with long-term enduring value, she said.

Organic growth is a key to that long-term value, so Brownfield said shed be looking to optimize Applied Insights growth organizations. That means taking those parts and pieces and moving them forward.

I give Dede and his team a lot of credit. They began to make that transition in the 2020-2021 timeframe when you look at the size of the deals theyve pursued, she said.

Brownfield and I spoke just a few hours before she was to meet the Applied Insight employees at an all-hands town hall meeting on Aug. 10. More specific goals and plans will develop after that meeting.

But I know they are taking some big swings and that is what attracted me to a company this size, Brownfield said. We have the size, scope and capabilities to take those swings but we are still small enough to nurture that collaborative and entrepreneurial culture.

That was one of the reasons why Brownfield said she made the shift from large businesses to smaller ones. She joined Geospark as president in Spring 2020 and then became CEO in the fall.

Her career also includes stints as a senior vice president at TASC and then Engility, the latter of which she left after it was acquired by SAIC in January 2019. She spent 14 years at SAIC earlier in career after leaving the Army.

It was a very deliberative choice on my part to be in the middle market," Brownfield said. I can reach out and touch customers. When you are in a larger business you get farther from the impact on the customer.
War stories



It was also the latest chapter in what has been a remarkable life for Levine, including the harrowing few months that ended his WWII service.

On June 10, 1944, four days after D-Day, Levine's Army battalion landed on Utah Beach in Normandy, France. Raised in the New York City borough of the Bronx, Levine was only 19. The beach had been secured by then, but as the soldiers moved inland in the coming days and weeks, they began to encounter heavy German resistance.

A few weeks later, as the Allies pushed into France, Levine was in a foxhole when a German grenade exploded nearby, injuring him in the thigh.

"I was on the ground, and I looked up, and there was this (German) guy with a gun, and my buddy is over here, Levine said in a 2017 oral history interview for the U.S. Holocaust Museum. He got up and started to run. You don't do that, and the Germans turned and shot him, so I put my hands up."

German troops took him prisoner and brought him to a holding area nearby, but he was not out of the battle zone. Levine was further injured the next day after U.S. artillery hit his position.

"When the shell hit, we all went up in the air ... and that's when my leg was shattered, he said in the oral history interview.

He was brought to a German field hospital in France, where the amputation was performed. He awoke from the surgery without his dog tags, which listed the letter H (Hebrew) for his religion. Levine believes they were removed by the doctor who performed the surgery, who had asked about the letter on the tag shortly before Levine lost consciousness.

Levine then was sent to a German POW hospital in Rennes, France, where Allied troops liberated him about two months later.

'A lucky, lucky person'

After he left the Army and returned to the U.S., he went to college and eventually opened three Arby's restaurant franchises before retiring. Last December, both Levine and his wife contracted COVID-19. Levine recovered, but his wife of 70 years did not. He now lives in Ithaca, N.Y., near his daughter, Jane.

Levine called having a family his proudest accomplishment.

"Just make every effort you can to make sure your family is happy and content, he said. To me, that is what life is all about, and if you have a family, you're a lucky, lucky person."
Burnt Ends Tiki Bar

En espanol | Rum always brings the party. Whether enjoyed neat, on the rocks, chilled or mixed, this smooth liquor is a classic behind the bar.

But you don't have to stick to a mojito or rum punch to get the most out of the sweet-flavored alcohol  on National Rum Day, Aug. 16, or on any day,

Spice up your standard cocktail routine with these four creative rum drinks that make it easy to think outside of the standard rum box and surprise your guests.

Jamaican rum mai tai

It's worth building out your liquor cabinet with the heady rums required for this magical take on the mai tai from Burnt Ends Tiki Bar in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The original drink was said to have been so popular in the 1940s and 50s that it depleted world rum supplies. And it's still going strong on tiki bar menus everywhere.

"The mai tai has a punch with full flavor and a kick with high alcohol, says Burnt Ends Tiki Bar beverage director Dean Hurst. Fresh lime juice is a must."

Don't overlook the Orgeat  a sweet syrup essential to a classic mai tai, made from almonds and orange flower water. You can find it in most liquor stores (and online).

Remember the golden rule when mixing, Hurst says The better the rum, the better the drink.

Mai Tai

1 ounce Coruba Dark Rum

1/2 ounce Appleton Estate Extra 12 YO rum

1/2 ounce Smith & Cross rum

1/2 ounce Pierre-Ferrand Dry Curacao

1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

1/2 ounce Orgeat (almond and orange flower water)

Instructions:

1. Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker.

2. Add a medium-sized scoop of crushed ice.

3. Empty unstrained into a mai tai glass.

4. Garnish with a lime shell and mint sprigs.
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Malibu, CA, Aug 11, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - In this segment of The Ellis Martin Report, Ellis speaks with Jonathan Wiesblatt, CEO of Rockridge Resources ( CVE:ROCK )( OTCMKTS:RRRLF ) as the company prepares to commence it's summer/fall drill program at the Knife Lake Copper Project in Saskatchewan, Canada.To view the interview, please visit:About Rockridge Resources Ltd

Rockridge Resources (CVE:ROCK) is a publicly traded mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral resource properties in Canada and other mining-friendly jurisdictions. The Company's Raney Gold Project is a high-grade gold exploration project located in the same greenstone belt that hosts the world-class Timmins and Kirkland Lake lode gold mining camps. The Company's Knife Lake Project is in Saskatchewan, which is ranked as the #3 mining jurisdiction in the world by the Fraser Institute. The project hosts the Knife Lake deposit, which is a VMS, near-surface copper-cobalt-gold-silver-zinc deposit open along strike and at depth. Rockridge's goal is to maximize shareholder value through new mineral discoveries, committed long-term partnerships, and the advancement of exploration projects in geopolitically favourable jurisdictions.
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PHOENIX  Repairing storm damage to U.S. 60 in east-central Arizona will require an extended closure of a 17.5-mile (28-kilometer) stretch of the highway between Superior and Miami, authorities said Wednesday.

The Arizona Department of Transportation didnt provide an estimate on when it will be able to reopen the highway, a major route between metro Phoenix and eastern Arizonas high country.

However, the department said the needed work will be done around the clock and require an estimated 300 truckloads of boulders to shore up the highway so it can safely reopen to traffic.

The 70-mile (112.6-kilometer) detour around the closure that occurred early Wednesday morning takes traffic on State Routes 77 and 177 through Winkelman, involves a 10% grade and will significantly increase travel time, the department said.

Numerous storm cells paraded across the region early Wednesday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue flood advisories in areas near Casa Grande, Fountain Hills, Maricopa, Apache Junction and Coolidge.

Be aware that areas of flooding may cause significant inconvenience. Use extreme caution on roads. Do not walk or drive through flooded streets or around barricades, one advisory stated.

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ATLANTA  The wife of potential U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker voted in Georgia in November, although she doesnt identify her Atlanta house as her primary residence for property tax purposes.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Julie Blanchard requested a ballot be sent to her in Westlake, Texas, for the presidential election and returned it. Blanchard also owns a home in Atlanta.

Walker is considering a run for U.S. Senate in Georgia as a Republican. A longtime friend of former President Donald Trump, Walker has joined in Trumps unproven assertions that the 2020 election was stolen by fraudulent votes.

Play by the rules..the American people demand ONLY LEGAL BALLOTS be counted. Anyone manipulating this election should be prosecuted, Walker wrote on Twitter in November.

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Questions about whether his wife voted properly in Georgia could turn those claims back on Walker.

The former University of Georgia and Dallas Cowboys running back is being encouraged by Trump to run for a U.S. Senate seat in 2022 now held by Democrat Raphael Warnock. A number of other Republicans are already running, including state Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, former banking executive and Navy veteran Latham Saddler and contractor Kelvin King.

If were residents in both places, is that legally wrong? Blanchard told the newspaper on Monday. If you have multiple homes, you cant vote where you have a home?

Blanchard and Walker married in Texas in May, according to public records.

Blanchard on Tuesday told the newspaper that she considers herself a resident of Georgia, where she has a drivers license, owns a car and does business. She didnt answer a question about whether she spends more time in Georgia or Texas.

Before 2020, Blanchard hadnt voted in Georgia since 2008. Her Georgia voter registration was canceled in 2017 because of inactivity, and she re-registered in 2019. Its unclear if she was re-registered when she renewed her Georgia drivers license. Drivers are automatically registered to vote in Georgia unless they specifically decline. The newspaper reports Blanchard isnt registered to vote in Texas.

Blanchard and Walker purchased their Texas property in 2011, deed records show, and Tarrant County, Texas, grants a homestead exemption  a property tax break given to homeowners on their primary residence  according to public records. However, only Walker, and not Blanchard, is listed on the current tax bill.

One of the 15 rules used in Georgia law to determine where a voter lives for residency purposes is where they claim a homestead exemption. In general, Georgia law says that a voters residency is where the person intends to live permanently or where their habitation is fixed.

Georgia records show Blanchard doesnt currently claim a homestead exemption on her Fulton County property.
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DANDONG, China  A Canadian entrepreneur was sentenced to 11 years in prison in a spying case linked to Beijings effort to push his country to release an executive of tech giant Huawei, prompting an unusual show of support for Canada by the United States and 24 other governments.

China is stepping up pressure as a Canadian judge hears final arguments about whether to send the Huawei executive to the United States to face charges related to possible violations of trade sanctions on Iran. Earlier this week, a court rejected another Canadians appeal of his sentence in a drug case that was abruptly increased to death after the executives arrest.

Entrepreneur Michael Spavor and a former Canadian diplomat were detained in what critics labeled hostage politics after Huaweis Meng Wanzhou was arrested Dec. 1, 2018, at the Vancouver airport.

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Spavor was sentenced by a court in Dandong, about 210 miles (340 kilometers) east of Beijing on the North Korean border. The government has released few details other than to accuse Spavor of passing along sensitive information to the former diplomat, Michael Kovrig, beginning in 2017. Both have been held in isolation and have had little contact with Canadian diplomats.

The Canadian government condemned Spavors sentence. It said he and Kovrig are detained arbitrarily and called for their immediate release.

The legal process in Spavors case lacked both fairness and transparency, said Ambassador Dominic Barton outside the detention center where the sentence was announced Wednesday.

The trial did not satisfy even the minimum standards required by international law, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

Chinas foreign ministry denied Spavor and Kovrig were arbitrarily detained and said their rights were fully protected.

Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying accused Trudeaus government of making irresponsible statements that violate Chinese judicial sovereignty.

China strongly condemns this, Hua said in a written statement. She called on Canada to stop making irresponsible remarks.

Spavor has two weeks to decide whether to appeal, according to Barton.

While we disagree with the charges, we realize that this is the next step in the process to bring Michael home, and we will continue to support him through this challenging time, Spavors family said in a statement.

Michaels life passion has been to bring different cultures together through tourism and events shared between the Korean peninsula and other countries including China and Canada, his family said. This situation has not dampened, but strengthened his passion.

Diplomats from the United States, Japan, Britain, Australia, Germany and other European countries plus the European Union gathered at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing in a show of support. They also have issued separate appeals for Spavor and Kovrig to receive fair trials or to be released.

The practice of arbitrarily detaining individuals to exercise leverage over foreign governments is completely unacceptable, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. People should never be used as bargaining chips.

Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said his country was moved by the demonstration by solidarity from our international partners.

Meng, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Ltd. and daughter of the companys founder, was arrested on U.S. charges of lying to the Hong Kong arm of the British bank HSBC about possible dealings with Iran in violation of trade sanctions.

Mengs lawyers argue the case is politically motivated and what she is accused of isnt a crime in Canada.

Chinas government has criticized the arrest as part of U.S. efforts to hamper its technology development. Huawei, a maker of network equipment and smartphones, is Chinas first global tech brand and is at the center of U.S.-Chinese tension over technology and the security of information systems.

Beijing denies there is a connection between Mengs case and the arrests of Spavor and Kovrig, but Chinese officials and state media frequently mention the two men in relation to whether or not Meng is allowed to return to China.

Earlier, Barton said he didnt think it was a coincidence the cases in China were happening while Mengs case was advancing in Vancouver.

Asked whether Canada was negotiating over possibly sending Meng home in exchange for the release of detained Canadians, Barton said, there are intensive efforts and discussions. I dont want to talk in any detail about that. But that will continue.

Diplomats from the United States and Germany went to the detention center in Dandong but werent allowed in, according to Barton.

Our collective presence and voice send a strong message to China and the Chinese government that the eyes of the world are watching, the ambassador said.

Barton said Chinese authorities cited photos taken by Spavor at airports that included military aircraft.

A lot of it was around the photo evidence, the ambassador said. He obviously had a different view on that.

Spavor worked in China but had extensive links with North Korea in tourism and other commercial ventures that brought him into contact with the isolated communist states leadership. The Canadian Embassy noted Spavor had been held for 975 days as of Wednesday.

Barton met with Spavor after the sentencing and said he sent three messages: Thank you for all your support, it means a lot to me. Two, I am in good spirits. And three, I want to get home.

Hes strong, resilient, focused on whats happening, Barton said. We had a very good conversation.

Kovrig, who also was detained in December 2018, stood trial in March. There has been no word on when a verdict might be announced.

On Tuesday, a Chinese court rejected the appeal of Robert Schellenberg, whose 15-year prison term for drug smuggling was abruptly increased to death in January 2019 following Mengs arrest. The case was sent to Chinas supreme court for a mandatory review before it can be carried out.

Canada and other countries, including Australia and the Philippines, face trade boycotts and other Chinese pressure in disputes with Beijing over human rights, the coronavirus and control of the South China Sea. The United States has warned American travelers face a heightened risk of arbitrary detention in China for reasons other than to enforce laws.

China has tried to pressure Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government by imposing restrictions on imports of canola seed oil and other products from Canada.

Meanwhile, Beijing is blocking imports of Australian wheat, wine and other products after its government called for an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus pandemic.

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McDonald reported from Beijing. Associated Press video producer Olivia Zhang in Dandong, China, and Associated Press Writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed.
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GREENVILLE, Calif.  Californias largest single wildfire in recorded history continued to grow Wednesday after destroying more than 1,000 buildings, nearly half of them homes, while authorities in Montana ordered evacuations as a wind-driven blaze roared toward several remote communities.

The dangerous fires were among some 100 large blazes burning across 15 states, mostly in the West, where historic drought conditions have left lands parched and ripe for ignition.

Burning through bone-dry trees, brush and grass, the Dixie Fire has destroyed at least 1,045 buildings, including 550 homes, in the northern Sierra Nevada. Newly released satellite imagery showed the scale of the destruction in the small community of Greenville that was incinerated last week during an explosive run of flames.

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The Dixie Fire, named after the road where it started on July 14, by Wednesday morning covered 783 square miles (2,027 square kilometers) and was 30% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. At least 14,000 remote homes were still threatened.

The Dixie Fire is the largest single fire in California history and the largest currently burning in the U.S. It is about half the size of the August Complex, a series of lightning-caused 2020 fires across seven counties that were fought together and that state officials consider Californias largest wildfire overall.

The fires cause was under investigation. Pacific Gas & Electric has said it may have been sparked when a tree fell on one of its power lines.

California authorities arrested a man last weekend who is suspected in an arson fire in remote forested areas near the Dixie Fire.

The 47-year-old suspect was charged with setting a small blaze in Lassen County, which is among the counties where the larger blaze is burning, around July 20.

In southeastern Montana, the uncontrolled Richard Spring Fire continued to advance Wednesday toward inhabited areas in and around the sparsely-populated Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, after several thousand people were ordered to evacuate the previous night.

Two homes caught fire Tuesday but were saved, authorities said.

The fire began Sunday and powerful gusts caused it to explode across more than 230 square miles (600 square kilometers).

A few miles from the evacuated town of Lame Deer, Krystal Two Bulls and some friends stuck around to clear brush from her yard in hopes of protecting it from the flames. Thick plumes of smoke rose from behind a tree-covered ridgeline just above the house.

Were packed and were loaded so if we have to go, we will, Two Bull said. Im not fearful; Im prepared. Here you dont just run from fire or abandon your house.

Some of the people who fled the fire Tuesday initially sought shelter in Lame Deer, only to be displaced again when the fire got within several miles.

The town of about 2,000 people is home to the tribal headquarters and several subdivisions and is surrounded by rugged, forested terrain. By late Wednesday a second fire was closing in on Lame Deer from the west, while the Richard Spring fire raged to the east.

Also ordered to leave were about 600 people in and around Ashland, a small town just outside the reservation with a knot of businesses along its main street and surrounded by grasslands and patchy forest.

The flames were within several miles of town and came right up to a subdivision outside it.

Local, state and federal firefighters were joined by ranchers using their own heavy equipment to carve out fire lines around houses.

Heat waves and historic drought tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West.

Scientists have said climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. The fires across the West come as parts of Europe are also enduring large blazes spurred by tinder-dry conditions.
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DURANGO, Colo.  A COVID-19 outbreak associated with a Durango car dealership has led to three deaths and infected another 12 people, local health authorities say.

San Juan Basin Public Health issued a statement on the outbreak related to the Nissan of Durango dealership on Tuesday, The Durango Herald reports. Five of the cases stem from the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus, and two are so-called breakthrough cases involving fully vaccinated people, the agency said.

The first case related with the outbreak was identified on June 19.

The health agency told the Herald that the addition of new cases to its outbreak report doesnt mean that staff or contractors at the business are currently ill. It said mitigation measures have been implemented at the dealership.

The recent COVID-19 fatalities are a tragic loss for our community and a reminder that the pandemic is not over, said the agencys executive director, Liane Jollon.

Rob Celedonia, a co-owner of the dealership, told the Herald that his employees are healthy.

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Colorful cupcakes sparkling with glitter sit on trays and doughnuts are pinned to the wall, but these treats arent meant for your stomach  theyre meant for the bathtub.

Bask Bath Bar, at the corner of Unser and McMahon, serves as a one-stop-shop for self-care items that will dazzle your visual and olfactory senses.

It opens Friday, Aug. 13.

The new West Side retailer is the brainchild of Vince Ontiveros and Ryley Thompson, longtime friends who have been dreaming of opening their own body care store since visiting Nectar Bath Treats in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Ontiveros and Thompson said they were inspired by the colorful handmade products and wanted to bring the bath treats back to Albuquerque to sell.

But it wasnt until recently that selling products from Nectar became a reality.

Now, Bask Bath Bar is the only retailer of Nectar products in the state and the only non-company-owned seller of the bath and body products.

Customers will be able to pick from a wide selection of sugar scrubs, bath bombs, ice-cream look-a-like bubble bath and more. Prices range from $6 to $40 for most items.

Bask will even have a create-your-own-body butter station where customers can make their own custom-scented lotion.

The thing were trying to do is create an experience for somebody when theyre wanting to wind down, Ontiveros said.

While items from Nectar occupy half of the store, Thompson said that all of the products at Bask are hand-made using natural ingredients and cruelty-free.

Other items hail from retailers like the Canadian clean beauty brand Bathorium, Finchberry and Old Factory.

Bask also carries bath items geared specifically for children and a mens section complete with razors and specialty shaving creams. Ontiveros said the West Side location was important since there are few retailers on that side of town.

The big reason we picked this area of town is because theres literally nothing like this, Ontiveros. Our only competition is Lush and theyre in Uptown 35 minutes away.

Bask Bath Bar is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information, look up Bask Bath Bar on Facebook or Instagram.
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SAN FRANCISCO  California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, as schools return from summer break amid growing concerns about the highly contagious delta variant, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday.

The new policy applies to both public and private schools and will affect more than 800,000 employees, including about 320,000 public school teachers and a host of support staff such as cafeteria workers and cleaners, the state Department of Public Health said. It will also apply to school volunteers.

Newsom announced the new policy at a San Francisco Bay Area school that reopened earlier this week to in-person classes. Many California schools are back in session, with others starting in the coming weeks.

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We think this is the right thing to do, and we think this is a sustainable way to keeping our schools open and to address the number one anxiety that parents like myself have for young children, said Newsom, who is a father of four. That is knowing that the schools are doing everything in their power to keep our kids safe.

Several large school districts in the state have issued similar requirements in recent days, including San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Long Beach Unified.

California, like the rest of the country, has seen a troubling surge in COVID-19 infections because of the delta variant, which represents the vast majority of new cases. It has affected children more than previous strains of the virus, prompting a growing number of teachers unions to ease earlier opposition to vaccine mandates.

Californias two largest teachers unions, both powerful political allies to the governor, said Wednesday they fully supported Newsoms policy.

The California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers both cited state and national polling that indicates nearly 90% of educators have been vaccinated but said the rising spread of the delta variant, particularly among children, makes the new policy necessary. Children under 12 are not yet eligible to be vaccinated.

Educators want to be in classrooms with their students, and the best way to make sure that happens is for everyone who is medically eligible to be vaccinated, with robust testing and multi-tiered safety measures, CTA President E. Toby Boyd said in a statement.

While Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced last week that all Department of Education staffers would be required to disclose their vaccination status or face weekly testing, Californias order is far more sweeping, applying to all staff who work in both public and private schools in the countrys most populous state.

Over the past few weeks, Newsom has mandated that all health care workers must be fully vaccinated and required that all state employees get vaccinated or choose weekly testing. The weekly testing schedule is based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For schools, Newsom had already issued a mask mandate that applies to teachers and students. But until Wednesday, he had left the decision of whether to require vaccines up to local districts.

Vaccine mandates are perilous for the Democratic governor, who faces a recall election next month fueled in part by anger over his handling of the pandemic.

California was the first state to order a pandemic lockdown in March 2020, which shuttered businesses and schools statewide. While many private schools maintained in-person classes, most public schools kept students in distance learning for up to a year. Newsom faced intense political pressure to reopen schools from Republican opponents and supporters who urged him to override powerful labor unions. Many public schools finally reopened last spring, lagging much of the country.

Newsom pushed for a full return to in-person learning this fall. But his mask mandate for schools has angered some parents and been criticized by Republican candidates vying to replace him.

Several of the GOP candidates criticized the new plan Wednesday. Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who has encouraged everyone to get vaccinated, said state officials should not be pushing uniform statewide orders on every school district across the state but should leave it to local districts.

Details of how the new policy will be enforced were not announced. Labor unions say those logistics still need to be worked out.

Matthew Hardy, a spokesman for the California Federation of Teachers, said the union supports the plan that allows an option for testing.

We do not think people should lose their jobs over this, he said.

Schools are required to be in full compliance with the new policy by Oct. 15, giving schools time to verify vaccination status and have in place weekly testing for unvaccinated staff, said Amelia Matier, a spokeswoman in the governors office.

Newsom did not rule out expanding the requirement to students after a vaccine is approved for children under 12 years old.

Well consider all options in the future, he said, in response to a question. We believe this is a meaningful first step.

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Ronayne reported from Sacramento, California.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  New Mexico customers are sounding the alarm over a proposed multibillion-dollar merger of the states largest electric utility provider with a U.S. subsidiary of Spanish energy giant Iberdrola, citing a sordid track record of reliability and customer service.

They voiced their concerns during a virtual hearing Monday as state regulators prepare to hear from attorneys and experts representing Public Service Co. of New Mexico, Connecticut-based Avangrid and other groups that have intervened in a case that has the potential to change the way electricity is generated and distributed in the state.

The companies have been running television, radio and newspaper ads in an effort to win more support.

Some politicians, environmental groups and labor union bosses have signed on, but others say regulators need to consider Avangrid and Iberdrolas histories when it comes to providing reliable service in other states and parts of Latin America where they operate.

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Critics also pointed to Avangrids efforts to rollback provisions of a rooftop solar program in Maine.

We feel past performance is a better indicator of future performance than ads and promises, said Paul Gibson, co-founder of the statewide advocacy group Retake Our Democracy.

Gibson and others listed poor rankings for Avangrids utility in Maine and noted that the company has been hit with millions of dollars in penalties and regulatory enforcement actions.

Even a member of Maines legislature has warned New Mexico regulators about approving the merger.

Spanish officials also announced in June that Iberdrola executives would be investigated over alleged bribery, breach of privacy and fraud. The company has maintained that the executives did nothing wrong.

A hearing examiner for the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission had blasted Avangrid and Iberdrola earlier this year for failing to disclose information about the problems elsewhere.

Avangrid has dismissed the criticisms, saying PNM will remain a New Mexico-based utility with strong ties and responsiveness to the communities and people it serves.

Supporters, including statewide business groups, say Avangrid and Iberdrola could drive more renewable energy development in the state.

Experts have suggested that New Mexico could serve as a platform for producing power that could be exported to larger markets, but critics worry the states customers would be reduced to a secondary consideration for Avangrid and Iberdrola as they look to expand their renewable energy holdings.

When asked how it would work to ensure that New Mexico customers are protected, Attorney General Hector Balderas office said in a statement Monday that it will enforce the law and demand improved customer service. Balderas, a Democrat, has come under fire for his connections to one of the New Mexico-based attorneys hired by Iberdrola and for dropping his opposition to the deal.

Balderas has argued that recent concessions by the companies will result in more economic benefits for Indigenous communities and workers. On Monday, he said the state cant afford to miss a historic opportunity to modernize our energy infrastructure for both production and distribution.

Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has voiced her support, saying the merger would help New Mexico meet its mandate for having carbon-free electricity generation in the next two decades.

Nora Meyers Sackett, the governors spokeswoman, said in an email Monday that anything that contributes to generating renewable energy to combat climate change and establishing meaningful economic opportunities in affected communities is welcome.

However, she added that anything that would harm New Mexicans now or in the future or result in residents being anything less than a first priority would be problematic.

The governors expectation is that the PRC, as an independent body, will rigorously and thoroughly vet the proposal as to the prospective benefits and/or drawbacks New Mexicans could expect, she said. Like all interested New Mexicans, she will continue to follow the course of the application as well as constructive professional and public feedback.

The hearing will wrap up later this month, but it could be early fall before regulators make a final decision.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  New Mexicos latest COVID-19 surge could lead to more than 1,000 new virus cases a day by the end of this month  the highest level since January and more than 10 times higher than in early July, top state health officials said Wednesday.

The explosive virus spread, primarily among unvaccinated individuals, could strain a state hospital system already dealing with high occupancy rates and staffing shortages, while also renewing questions about large public events, Human Services Secretary David Scrase said.

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He said the recent increase in new cases and hospitalizations is primarily due to the contagious delta variant, adding that vaccinated residents can still contract and spread the virus even though they typically have milder symptoms than unvaccinated individuals.

Were just assuming that every case now, for the most part, is delta, Scrase said during an online news briefing Wednesday.

With new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rising again after steadily declining for much of the first six months of 2021, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said this week that everything is on the table when it comes to New Mexicos efforts to slow the spread of the virus.

But the Democratic governor said its unlikely business capacity restrictions would be reimposed by her administration. She said the state instead will continue to push for workplace vaccine policies.

Everything has to be always on the table, or youre not taking seriously that were in the middle of a worldwide, deadly virus, Lujan Grisham said in a news conference Tuesday at the Governors Office.

New Mexico was one of the last states to eliminate business restrictions when the Lujan Grisham administration did away with a color-coded statewide system on July 1, although the state recommends that masks to be worn in accordance with current guidelines issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC recently released new guidelines that fully vaccinated individuals in parts of the country with substantial or high transmission of COVID-19 should resume wearing masks in indoor public settings, in addition to other circumstances.

All but two counties in New Mexico  Harding and Taos  currently meet that definition.

The federal agency had previously released relaxed mask guidelines for vaccinated individuals, though it still recommends that unvaccinated individuals wear masks in all indoor public settings.

65.6% vaccinated

Driven in part by an aggressive outreach campaign and financial incentives, New Mexico has one of the nations highest COVID-19 vaccine administration rates.

As of Wednesday, a total of 74.3% state residents ages 18 and older had received at least one shot of the vaccine, while 65.6% were fully vaccinated, according to state Department of Health data.

However, the vaccination rate is much lower in some parts of the state.

For instance, southeastern New Mexico has a fully vaccinated rate of under 40% and could be hit particularly hard by the current surge in new cases and hospitalizations, said Scrase, who is also acting secretary of the state Department of Health.

He also said some patients are already being transferred from Roswell to Albuquerque for treatment.

New Mexico State Epidemiologist Christine Ross, who also took part in Wednesdays briefing, said that the COVID-19 vaccine will eventually help end the pandemic but that current vaccination rates are too low for that to happen.

If we can stop transmission, we can stop opportunities for this virus to continue to mutate, Ross said.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths related to COVID-19 in New Mexico has remained far below a mid-December peak, with 11 virus-related fatalities reported by state health officials in a recent 14-day period.

But Scrase, who said he is quarantining at his home for 10 days after being near a friend who later tested positive for COVID-19, has warned the death rate could tick up in the coming weeks  particularly among the unvaccinated.

And modeling released this week by Los Alamos National Laboratory statisticians said the state could average from two to six virus-related deaths per day for the rest of this month and early September.

7 deaths reported

State health officials reported seven additional deaths due to COVID-19 on Wednesday, although three of the deaths occurred previously and were only recently determined to be related to the virus.

Most of the seven were elderly residents with underlying health conditions, although two were men in their 40s  one in Bernalillo County and one in Dona Ana County.

In addition, 258 people were hospitalized statewide due to COVID-19  up from 77 one month ago.

Of those hospitalized since the pandemic hit New Mexico in March 2020, 21% have died, according to state Department of Health data.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

When authorities stopped an SUV in the heart of Mexico in June, they found several assault-style rifles hidden in the trunk. Authorities say the guns were bought at gun stores across southern New Mexico and destined for a cartel embroiled in a turf war 1,000 miles south of the border.

Court records show that many of the guns bought by the alleged smuggling ring have not been recovered.

Jesus Barron, 33; his wife, Ana Barron, 30; Mayra Madrid; Madrids boyfriend, Jose Orona; and Victor Fierro-Caro are charged in an alleged plot to export the legally bought guns to members of Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion who, according to court records, are disputing territory in Zacatecas, Mexico.

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All four are in custody on charges including conspiracy to export firearms from the U.S. to Mexico, false statements in the acquisition of firearms, unlawful dealing in firearms and possession of firearms by a felon.

Monroe Roberts, owner of MR Arms in Las Cruces, where four of the guns were bought, said his store follows the law when it comes to gun sales.

We dont just sell guns to anybody.  We check them out, and they get approved, then we sell them a gun, Roberts said.  Nobody likes to see this stuff happen. Thats not right by any stroke of the imagination.

Roberts said he couldnt comment on the purchases, adding that he gets inquiries by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives all the time but is never told anything specific by the agents.

Unfortunately, being as close to the border as we are, Im sure these things happen, he said. Roberts later added, How much it happens, we dont know.

At least 12 guns reportedly bought by the group from 2018 to 2021 had not been recovered by authorities.

According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court:

On June 7, Mexican National Guard officers stopped a woman, a Mexican national, driving an SUV in Fresnillo, Mexico, and a dog found seven assault-style rifles and gun parts hidden inside.

The womans daughter was recorded driving the SUV into the U.S. through Columbus on June 4 and returning to Mexico the same day. When she was stopped in Fresnillo  900 miles south of Columbus  the woman had with her in the SUV her 13-year-old, who lived in Deming.

The Mexican National Guard told the ATF the guns were destined for CJNG cartel members. ATF agents found that all the guns had been bought by Ana Barron, Mayra Madrid or Victor Fierro-Caro  often on the same day  and that all but one rifle was bought in a seven-day period in late May.

Agents said that there was a strong indication the guns were bought to be trafficked to Mexico and that the type of rifles are constantly being demanded by cartels.

The owner of MR Arms told agents Madrid and Fierro-Caro came in hours apart on May 22 and bought two rifles each.

A confidential source told agents that in a six-month period, he had bought five guns  including two AK-47s  from MR Arms, DK Guns and Pawn in Silver City and Larrys Pawn in Deming for Jesus Barron, also known as the Italian. The man, who ATF alleges is a prohibited possessor of firearms, said he met Barron through high school friend Jose Orona, also known as Pepe, who lived in Palomas, Mexico.

The man said that in one incident he had a few beers with Jesus Barron and Orona in Palomas before Barron drove Orona, Madrid and him to MR Arms. He told agents that Jesus Barron gave him money to buy two rifles and that afterward, Madrid went in and bought two rifles.

The man said they were paid $100 extra for each gun and he knew the guns ended up farther down in Mexico but didnt know who took them there. Orona told agents Jesus Barron paid him $1,000 to drive two rifles across the border from Columbus into Palomas.

Agents found videos on the confidential sources phone of himself, Orona and Jesus Barron drinking beer in a home. Agents also found that photos of the smuggled guns and the flooring and walls matched those seen in a photo Ana Barron posted on Facebook.

The man told agents he didnt believe Ana Barron was involved in the gun smuggling.

Agents learned that between October 2018 and July 2019, Ana Barron bought nine assault-style rifles and one pistol from D.A.M. Ammo and Las Cruces Motorsports in Las Cruces. It is unclear what became of those guns or two AK-47 rifles bought by Fierro-Caro in July 2021.

Agents searched the Barrons home in Deming and found no guns but seized five phones, a DVR, a laptop and a flash drive.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A college professor is facing arson charges with connections to setting several fires near the Dixie Fire.

Federal court documents filed in Lassen County outline the investigation of U.S. Forest Service agents.

47-year-old Gary Maynard, who taught at Sonoma State in the fall of 2020, is facing arson charges.

Investigators began tracking him on the day of the Cascade Fire after a witness told law enforcement they saw Maynard come from the area where the fire sparked.

Since then, investigators began building their cases.

"They really went quickly to get warrants on his phone, tracker for his vehicle and they kept this person as a big suspect right away," said Attorney Mark Reichel. "They are going to try to put a map up and say this is somebody who had a goal and the goal was to set a lot of fires, hoping there would be just one big one."

Court documents show Maynard worked at Santa Clara University for some time.

Maynard faces charges for purposefully setting the Ranch Fire in Lassen County.

He is also suspected of starting the Conrad Fire and several others.

Maynard is not accused of having any part in the Dixie Fire.
PARADISE, Calif. - The Paradise Town Council took a step toward extending its urgency ordinance which allowed Camp Fire survivors to live on their properties in RVs.

The current ordinance is set to expire on Sept. 30.

No vote was taken on Tuesday about whether to extend it.

If extended, the urgency ordinance would last another 20 months until Apr. 30, 2023.

This will give property owners more time to learn how much money they'll receive in PG&E settlement money, and any other grants.

The new ordinance would also create a committee to consider exceptions for individual residents.

Action News Now spoke with members of council and those living in Paradise about the proposed ordinance.

I think some of them flipped on previous opinions about how they felt about things and how they voted, Tammy Spirlock, resident of Paradise, shared. They really came together for the people and understanding that this isnt something that can be resolved in even three years. I mean, the town isnt even back together yet so you cant expect the people to be together yet. So, I think it was a great night.

Rose Tryon, a town councilmember said, I think that this is a council that really tries to work towards a consensus, and we had two members tonight that really came a long way to work towards a consensus and I just have a great deal of respect and admiration for them for coming along and working through for the rest of us.

288 temporary permits have been issued to RV owners in Paradise.

The new ordinance would also require those not following the current guidelines, such as having no PG&E hookups or keeping their property clean, to become compliant by the current September 30 deadline.

It would also increase enforcement of those guidelines and revoke the temporary use permits of any resident who receives two or more violation citations.

Staff will present the newly drafted ordinance to the council and will vote at their next meeting on Sept. 14.
Adfactors PR, Indias largest public relations consulting firm, today announced the launch of Social Impact Practice, a specialist offering aimed at the evolving sustainable development ecosystem, encompassing businesses, charitable trusts and foundations, along with NGOs and Governments.

The Social Impact Practice will address societal expectations for responsible corporate conduct that is reflected in the growing demand for ESG compliance. Rising investor, employee and consumer expectations, combined with emerging policy frameworks, are driving the need to align business goals to meet the countrys sustainable developmental needs.

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The value proposition of the Social Impact Practice is based on a multidisciplinary team, a pan-India presence for programme execution and digital integration for delivering high impact campaigns. To begin with, the Practice will have five key service offerings  ESG & CSR Advisory, Development Ecosystem Audit, Advocacy for Development, Communication for Development and NGO capacity building in crucial areas.

The Social Impact Practice, led by Nikhil Dey, includes seasoned professionals from the development sector such as Amit Pandey, Satabdi Sengupta, Pooja Jethwani, Smita Pendharkar and Naman Khanijou. The consulting team brings together vast experience and expertise in social impact communication and advocacy, ESG and public policy consulting as well as support for amplifying government and public sector programmes.

On the launch, Madan Bahal, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Adfactors PR, said, There is a growing need for counsel for strengthening corporate actions, behaviour and narratives and align those to societal expectations in the post-pandemic world. Our Social Impact Practice is designed to provide market-leading competence in these critical areas of work. With this Practice, we shall serve the entire ecosystem  comprising businesses, non-governmental and governmental institutions.

About the relevance of a Social Impact Practice in a PR firms offering, Nikhil Dey, Executive Director, Adfactors PR, said, In a post-Covid world, there is a renewed commitment amongst stakeholders to drive purpose-led work. Businesses also realise their growth is increasingly linked to responsible and sustainable behaviour. Public relations has always been about doing good and then getting credit for it. We are very confident that this Practice will add immense value to our clients in particular, and the development sector at large.

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ALTBalaji, the OTT platform from Balaji Telefilms, saw its total subscriptions go up by 1.8 million for the first quarter ended June 30, 2021, compared to 0.9 million in Q1 FY2021, while direct subscription revenues in Q1 FY 2022 stood at Rs 17 crore, as against Rs 13 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. ALTBalajis current active subscriber base stands at 2.4 million. The platform has over 86 Original shows and some of the hits launched this quarter included Punchh Beat Season 2 and Broken but Beautiful 3.

Balaji Telefilms Group revenues for Q1 FY2022 were reported at Rs 65 crore, of which ALTBalaji contributed Rs 21 crore.

However, the Group EBITDA reported a loss at Rs 30 crore in Q1 FY2022, while loss after tax for the quarter stood at Rs 34 crore.

TV business has continued at normal levels as daily show production was ensured with pandemic restrictions. During the quarter, the company produced 174.5 hours of content across 6 shows for 4 broadcasters. Five new additional shows, including one regional show in Marathi, have been signed and should commence shortly.

The movie business resumed production and the company made good progress with film shooting. The company continues to wait for availability for theatrical launch windows and looking at deals across direct to digital as well. As part of its strategy, the company continues to control investments in movies and pursue pre-sales and co-production deals where feasible. The current pipeline for movies includes 5 new projects.

Commenting on the groups performance, Shobha Kapoor, Managing Director, Balaji Telefilms Ltd, said, ALTBalaji continues to drive subscription growth and we added 1.8 million subscriptions during the quarter. We added 6 shows in the quarter and now have a very strong line-up for the rest of the year. Our strategic content sharing deals will ensure we maintain control on the cash spend while driving overall profitability. Our TV business has shown good recovery in terms of production hours and we hope to improve this momentum as 5 new shows commence. In the movie business, production for some of the exciting projects are at various stages of completion and we are closely monitoring the availability for theatrical releases as well and direct to digital launches. Overall, the year has started well and we will build on this momentum through the year.
Public Relations and Social Media Agency Crosshairs Communication has included another brand in the list and bagged Tressmart: Your One-Stop Destination For Revolutionary Hair Care & Styling Products. The brand will further foster the bedrock of Crosshairs Communication in the beauty space. Tressmart offers international luxury hair and beauty products to a global clientele. They believe in their services and products, and stand firm in their mission to aid the audience by delivering whats best for them.

Founder of Crosshairs Communication, Stuti Jalan who is elated about joining forces with the brand Tressmart, further adds, As an agency, Crosshairs Communication perpetually thrives to live up to the expectations of the brands on board. At Crosshairs Communication, we explosively believe in addressing the communication goals, press coverage opportunities and image building expectations of the brand and some more, and avidly await the challenges and imperative duties and responsibilities that tag along.

The brand offers an online retail experience through both its e-commerce platforms ( Tressmart.com) and Glow by Tressmart ( glowmartindia.com) which were launched in June and July 2020 respectively. Creating a strong community and being a trusted source of new and innovative products is at the heart of Tressmart. It went on to purchase Paul Penders, a Netherlands based clean beauty brand that's all-natural, cruelty-free and Vegan. It has an extensive inventory of skincare, haircare, baby products and make-up. Paul Penders compliments Sargam Dhawan Bhayana, the Director of Tressmart as it epitomizes her passion for the environment, her social consciousness and her drive for a zero-waste policy and Crosshairs Communication as an agency is all for it. This collaboration, therefore, has the potential to revolutionize the beauty sector and the world could not have asked for more.
2021 is turning out to be a great year for the Indian capital markets. The secondary market indices are frequently testing new highs, while the primary market is buzzing with unprecedented interest in IPOs. First-time investors are flocking in large numbers to invest in the stock markets and brokerages are opening demat and trading accounts at a rate never seen before.

HDFC Securities, one of Indias leading brokerages, is looking to leverage these opportunities. And it is betting big on digital.

To that end, it has onboarded Mumbai-based digital marketing firm, Puretech Digital, to manage its content and social media mandate. HDFC Securities will work closely with Puretech Digital to create compelling investor awareness campaigns across multiple digital platforms. Puretech will create and manage a wide variety and format of content across its various social media platforms. A large part of this content strategy will pivot around video and vernacular.

The goal behind the mandate is to use digital platforms to drive greater engagement with users and create financial awareness at a time when more Indians than ever before are investing in financial assets.

The number of demat accounts in the country has increased sharply since the start of FY20, from 4 crores to about 7 crores. The boom in equities, along with the COVID-19 lockdown, has incentivized people to learn about the stock market.

The rise in interest in the stock market presents an opportunity for and puts the responsibility on the financial-services industry to educate investors, especially as more youngsters try to navigate the world of equities in the hopes of achieving their financial goals, said Gagan Singla, CMO & CDO, HDFC Securities, adding that social media, video and vernacular are great ways to reach both first-time and seasoned investors. We are working with Puretech Digital on optimizing and driving excellence throughout a customers financial decision journey, while assisting them to leverage from our more than two decades of capital markets expertise and experience. We are sure that our leadership in research translating into digital content will provide ease of stock market picking for our customers and a wider audience.

Puretech Digital will drive the execution of this ambition, led by its team of seasoned growth marketing professionals, content creators and digital marketers.

Digital platforms offer an incredible opportunity to create greater investor awareness through knowledge-based content, said Prashant Deorah, President, Quantent, and CEO and MD, Puretech Digital. Puretech and HDFC Securities are working collaboratively to drive better outcomes across the marketing funnel, be it through content, search, or social media. 

Deorah added that Puretech Digital aims to bring a fresh approach to social media and YouTube, by combining high-quality insights with a unique approach to creating customer-focused content developed though its years of experience.
After a successful initiative- #Talkpositive, Indias foremost stand-up comedian Amit Tandon will be seen supporting the We For India fundraiser for post-COVID relief by GiveIndia. The three-hour virtual fundraiser will be live-streamed on Facebook, August 15th, at 7:30 pm. The Fundraiser event aims to raise more than $3.5 million, to provide oxygen concentrators, cylinders, ventilators, and essential medicines as well as ICU units for GiveIndia. Earlier Amit hosted the #TalkPositive session for people who had tested positive for COVID and were quarantined alone.

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"The pandemic has been challenging for most of us and it was difficult to manage the crisis. I am happy to be a part of the Post-COVID Relief Fundraiser to support people during these trying times and contribute for the best." said Amit Tandon.

GiveIndia is the largest and the most trusted giving platform in India. Celebrities such as A R Rahman, Ajay Devgn, Vidya Balan, Karan Johar, Farhan Akhtar and Saif Ali Khan and international Musicians Ed Sheeran, Annie Lennox, and Mick Jagger, musical group Sister Sledge ft. Sledgendary, Grammy-winning composer Nile Rodgers, Lebanese singer and UNICEF goodwill ambassador Nancy Ajram, actor Ini Dima-Okojie, storyteller Jay Shetty are going to support the initiative.
Zee Zest, Indias premier lifestyle channel, brings to you the much-awaited and applauded third season of Junior Masterchef Australia. A spin-off of the wildly popular cooking reality-show MasterChef Australia, the third season features contestants aged 9-14 years creating culinary wonders and dreaming bigger than ever as they battle it out to achieve their dream of becoming champion!

The show, with 14 contestants who beat almost 2,000 aspiring and inspiring young cooks, will now air on Zee Zest starting August 16th every Monday and Tuesday at 11 am. Furthermore, fresh from their rather successful previous season on the franchise, Melissa Leong, Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen are back as judges to motivate these young stars as they work towards putting their best food forward.

With children raising the bar and reaching never seen beforeculinary milestones, Junior Masterchef Australia is a delectable blend of suspenseful tension, camaraderie and above all, food thatll make you wish you had something more exciting from your kitchen. Talented little chefs achieve unimaginable targets with the ultimate goal of materialising their big dream  all while leaving viewers, especially adults awestruck with their cooking abilities. Contestants aspire to inspire as they showcase the best of food to judging talent from across the globe.

Commenting on the launch of this globally renowned show, Amit Nair - Business Head, Zee Zest said, We are elated to air Junior Masterchef Australia - a show that is an adequate representation of age is just a number. The dishes and meticulous plating by the kids will leave viewers awestruck and wanting for more! With contestants from diverse backgrounds and skill sets that match up to established culinary legends, the show is set to keep viewers on their toes as one winner emerges as the champion.

Junior Masterchef Australia will raise the bar even further, with exhilarating tasks, challenges and young home cooks that make Gourmet look like childs play. The show will bring to you their small size yet tall talent that will be enhanced under the guidance and mentorship of some of the world's most iconic culinary experts.

Tune in to Junior Masterchef Australia Season 3 every Monday and Tuesday at 11 am only on Zee Zest
The Federal Council

Bern, 11.08.2021 - The Federal Council's European policy agenda includes approving the second Swiss contribution to selected EU member states with a view to continuing the bilateral approach. At its meeting on 11 August, the Federal Council adopted a dispatch to this effect to be brought before Parliament as soon as possible.

On 3 December 2019, Parliament adopted two federal decrees (cohesion and migration framework credits) authorising the second Swiss contribution to selected EU member states. The authorisation was however subject to the condition that no commitments would be made as long as the EU adopted discriminatory measures against Switzerland. Parliament's condition has so far prevented the contribution from being implemented.

The European policy decisions taken by the Federal Council on 26 May 2021 also addressed the second Swiss contribution. In a letter of the same date, the Federal Council informed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that it would seek parliamentary approval of the second contribution as soon as possible, issuing instructions for the relevant dispatch to be drafted on 4 June 2021.

Today, the Federal Council adopted the dispatch on amending the federal decrees on the second Swiss contribution to selected EU member states, requesting the removal of the parliamentary condition imposed in December 2019 to enable the contribution to be released. The Federal Council also requested that the dispatch be brought before Parliament at the earliest opportunity.

With a swift implementation of the contribution, the Federal Council seeks to inject fresh momentum into Swiss-EU relations following the termination of negotiations on the institutional agreement. It hopes to initiate a process that will facilitate the continuation of the bilateral approach and progress on other EU dossiers. Ultimately, approval of the contribution will also underline Switzerland's commitment to continuing to work with the EU as reliable partner. The Federal Council also remains committed to ensuring that in assessing equivalence the EU does not discriminate against Switzerland or treat it differently from other non-EU countries.

Swift approval of the contribution is also important because the funds of the cohesion framework credit must be pledged within five years, i.e. by 3 December 2024, and because the legal basis for the framework credit will only be in effect until the end of 2024 (Federal Act on Cooperation with the States of Eastern Europe). Experience with Switzerland's first contribution, the enlargement contribution, demonstrated that it takes at least three years to commit funds. The longer it takes for the contribution to be approved, the less time remains to fully commit the funds. A delay would make it much more difficult to implement the contribution in accordance with the proposed benchmarks.

The Federal Council also seeks to enter into a non-legally binding memorandum of understanding with the EU regarding the second Swiss contribution in order to facilitate implementation. The MoU aims to provide a substantive basis for the conclusion of bilateral implementation agreements with the partner states, in which, among other things, the country-specific priorities for the implementation of the contribution are agreed.

The second Swiss contribution aims to leverage Swiss expertise to reduce economic and social disparities and to manage migration better in selected EU member states.

The cohesion framework credit in the amount of CHF 1.047 billion helps to reduce economic and social disparities in the 13 countries that have joined the EU since 2004 (EU-13). The migration framework credit totalling CHF 190 million is earmarked for measures in the area of migration, including in EU countries other than the EU-13. The second Swiss contribution of CHF 1.32 billion over 10 years is comprised of the federal government's own expenditure of CHF 65 million (5%) and the framework credits.

As with the enlargement contribution, this contribution will be channelled into selected projects and programmes in the partner countries and will not be transferred directly into their budgets or to the EU.

Address for enquiries

For further information:

FDFA Communication

Tel. +41 58 462 31 53

Tel. Press service +41 460 55 55

kommunikation@eda.admin.ch

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The Federal Council

https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html



Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

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The Federal Council

Bern, 11.08.2021 - During its meeting on 11 August 2021, the Federal Council adopted the dispatch on the new frontier workers agreement between Switzerland and Italy. The agreement significantly improves the current regulation on the taxation of frontier workers and contributes to maintaining the good bilateral relations between the two countries.

The new agreement was signed in December 2020. After year-long negotiations, it was possible to find a solution that was satisfactory for both sides.

With the new agreement, Switzerland retains 80% of the regular withholding tax on the income of frontier workers who start working in Switzerland for the first time. New frontier workers will also be taxed normally in Italy, whereby double taxation will be eliminated. "New" frontier workers are individuals who enter the labour market on or after the date on which the agreement enters into force.

A transitional provision applies to persons who work or have worked in the cantons of Graubunden, Ticino or Valais between 31 December 2018 and the date of entry into force of the new agreement. These frontier workers will continue to be taxed exclusively in Switzerland, with Switzerland paying the Italian border communes financial compensation in the amount of 40% of the withholding tax levied in Switzerland. This will be paid until the end of fiscal year 2033.

Address for enquiries

Communications

State Secretariat for International Finance SIF

Tel. +41 58 462 46 16, info@sif.admin.ch

Publisher

The Federal Council

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State Secretariat for International Financial Matters

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The Federal Council

Bern, 11.08.2021 - At its meeting on 11 August, the Federal Council decided to maintain the measures that are still in place. However, this is designed to safeguard hospital capacity rather than protect the unvaccinated. A return to normality requires a massive increase in the number of people getting vaccinated. The current testing strategy, which is considered a key element of the response to the pandemic, is to be continued. From 1 October, tests for people without symptoms will no longer be free of charge. The Federal Council is launching a consultation on these proposals and will announce its decision on 25 August.

Almost half of the population in Switzerland is now fully vaccinated. However, the pace of first vaccinations has stagnated since 11 July even though the cantons now have sufficient vaccine supplies. The Federal Council considers that all those who wish to be vaccinated have had the opportunity to do so. In line with its three-phase model (protection, stabilisation, normalisation), it has decided to proceed to the normalisation phase, which was scheduled to begin once all those who wished to be vaccinated had done so.

Given the uncertain evolution of the epidemiological situation (rising case numbers, holiday returns, Delta variant) and the fact that a saturation of hospital facilities cannot be ruled out, the Federal Council has decided to retain the limited, generally accepted measures still in place (e.g. masks indoors and on public transport, COVID certificates for large-scale events and nightclubs). It will reassess the situation and possibly adjust the measures at its meeting on 1 September, when the impact of the return from the summer holidays will be more apparent.

The priority for the Federal Council is now to safeguard hospital capacity rather than protect the unvaccinated. It will only introduce new measures if the country faces a risk to hospital capacity. In this phase of fighting the pandemic[fro1] , unlike the preceding two phases, a package of strict measures is no longer deemed appropriate as this would unduly restrict the social and economic activities of those who have been vaccinated or have recovered. This also means that any new measures would most likely have a slower and less marked effect in relieving hospital capacity. The Federal Council reminds the cantons of their obligation under the Epidemics Act to take action in the event of a regional increase in infections or any overburdening of their hospital facilities.

Call to assume personal responsibility

For the Federal Council this new phase is about reinforcing personal responsibility. Given that everyone living in Switzerland will at some point come into contact with COVID-19, the Federal Council believes that an increase in infections, hospitalisations and deaths is inevitable. Vaccination remains the most effective way for the population to protect themselves against COVID-19 infection and serious complications. The Federal Council therefore encourages anyone who has not yet been vaccinated to do so without delay. The cantons must therefore ensure that the population continues to have easy access to the vaccine. The Confederation will launch a new information campaign on 16 August.

Testing strategy to be adapted

Testing remains a critical measure to keep the pandemic under control, interrupt transmission chains and prevent an overload of hospital capacity. It allows for early detection of infections so that measures can be taken in a local, targeted manner rather than imposing more widescale restrictions.

The federal government's current testing strategy is based on routine testing in schools and companies as well as preventative testing. Since spring 2021, the cost of all such tests has been covered by the Confederation. Regular testing in schools, companies and healthcare facilities will continue to be financed by the Confederation. The Federal Council calls on the cantons to organise regular testing in schools as a means of protecting younger children. It also calls on the cantons to make regular testing of unvaccinated staff in care homes and nursing homes mandatory in order to protect those who are particularly vulnerable.

However, the federal government is proposing to cease covering the cost of tests for people without symptoms (convenience tests) and of the five self-tests per month for people who have not been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19, with the exception of children up to the age of 12 and people who are unable to be vaccinated. People who are not vaccinated or who have not recovered from COVID-19 wishing to attend an event where a COVID certificate is required will from 1 October have to pay for the test themselves or get vaccinated in the meantime.

The Federal Council is also proposing that people without symptoms will now be able to participate individually in pooled saliva-based PCR tests at their own cost, for example in pharmacies, and in that way obtain a more reliable diagnosis, yet less expensive test. If the test is negative, the person will be issued with a COVID certificate. The Federal Council will consult the cantons and parliamentary committees on these proposed changes and announce its decision on 25 August.

Extension of higher vaccination fee for medical practices

The increase in the standard fee payable to medical practices for each vaccination, which was temporarily set at CHF 24.50 until 30 June, has been extended until 30 September 2021. At its meeting, the Federal Council approved the adjustment of the agreement negotiated by the tariff partners for payment of the COVID-19 vaccination.

Address for enquiries

Federal Office of Public Health

COVID-19 infoline +41 58 463 00 00

COVID-19 vaccination infoline +41 58 377 88 92



Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA)

Publisher

The Federal Council

https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html



Federal Office of Public Health

http://www.bag.admin.ch



Federal Department of Home Affairs

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The Federal Council

Bern, 11.08.2021 - The Federal Council today announced further economic sanctions against Belarus. These include controls on trade in certain goods as well as restrictions in the financial sector. The new measures take effect on Wednesday 11 August 2021 at 6pm, Swiss time.

The new package of economic sanctions on Belarus follows similar decisions taken by the European Union in June. In addition to the existing embargo on arms and equipment that may be used for internal repression, the Federal Council is now imposing sanctions on goods that could be used to monitor or intercept the internet and telephone communications. The new sanctions also restrict trade in dual-use goods and technologies, various petroleum and potassium chloride (potash) products, and goods used for the production or processing of tobacco products.

In the financial sector, the Federal Council imposed restrictions on the issuance of and trading in certain financial instruments and also the provision of loans and insurance or reinsurance services to the Belarusian government and other public bodies and agencies. Lastly, the Federal Council decided to impose financial sanctions on Belaeronavigatsia, the state-owned provider of air navigation services.

The Federal Council had previously adopted sanctions against Belarus on 28 June 2006 along the lines of those imposed by the EU. The Ordinance on Measures against Belarus (SR 946.231.116.9) and the list of individuals, companies and organisations subject to sanctions have been amended several times since then, in step with EU developments. The latest measures have been adopted via a complete revision of the ordinance.

Switzerland is deeply concerned about the steadily deteriorating human rights situation in Belarus and the absence of dialogue between the government and civil society. It continues to call on Belarus to adhere to its international human rights obligations, which include respect for the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, the release of all persons arbitrarily detained, and the investigation of allegations of torture or ill-treatment by security forces.

Address for enquiries

EAER Communications

+41 58 462 20 07

info@gs-wbf.admin.ch

Publisher

The Federal Council

https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html



Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research

http://www.wbf.admin.ch




The outcry has begun to impeach Joe Biden. He should be. Dan Bongino is noteworthy in making the call, following the lead of Mark Levin. And not for light and transient causes, to borrow from the Declaration of Independence. Not to stage show trials, like Pelosi, Schumer, and other Democrats did to Donald Trump.

If the United States had a recall referendum provision  as otherwise dysfunctional California does -- canvassers would secure signatures to hold a Biden recall vote in record time, no doubt.

In just about seven months in office, Biden is surpassing what it took James Buchanan and Jimmy Carter  two of the most wretched presidents in U.S. history  to achieve in four years. Fecklessness (Buchanan) and bumbling cluelessness (Carter) arent grounds for impeachment.

Alas, neither is ongoing deterioration due to dementia. Thats the 25th Amendments turf. Bidens policies are grounds, though; theyre rife with calculated malice and, in one instance, as Biden inadvertently confessed, unconstitutional. His actions violate his oath of office.

From Bongino, per Yahoo! News, August 6:

Bongino argued Biden has invited an "invasion" at the U.S.-Mexico border, as the number of migrants attempting to cross the barrier illegally breaks records, and health concerns are raised as some illegal immigrants have tested positive for COVID-19 as they are dumped into communities by federal officials to await immigration proceedings.

Two million illegals are anticipated to cross into the U.S. this year alone. Thats like moving an entire states population (New Mexico  2,059,179) into the country in 12 months.

The illegals onslaught this year is just a preview. What will the White House-backed invasion look like in out-years 22, 23, and 24?

A couple of million new illegals in 2021 alone will impose enormous burdens and costs on states and localities -- on healthcare, schools, and law enforcement. Welfare and housing will take big hits, too.

If youre unconvinced, go ask the good people of McAllen, Texas, which is a beachhead in the Biden-prompted invasion.

Biden is dissolving our southern border. Isnt that grounds for impeachment? Isnt it a presidents duty to protect and defend the nation by preventing hordes of illegals from entering the country? But dereliction is Bidens lesser offense. His southern border policy flouts his duty as chief executive.

Bidens defiance isnt the result of misplaced compassion or incompetence.

Very naive Americans persist in characterizing the border crisis as due to the Biden administrations bungling mismanagement.

Thats simply not true. As Tucker Carlson repeatedly points out, the southern border breakdown is premeditated. The White House and congressional Democrats know what theyre doing and why.

The Heritage Foundations Tim Murtaugh wrote on July 30:

The fact is that Biden campaigned for president promising an array of enticements for people to break our laws to enter this country. He promised amnesty for those already here, taxpayer --provided health care, work permits, support for sanctuary cities, and a cessation of deportations. Since becoming president, he also paused construction of the border wall and reversed the Remain in Mexico policy, which delayed entry for those seeking asylum.

The de facto dissolution of the nations southern border is being undertaken to achieve a longstanding Democrat aim: to flood the nation with illegals, thereby creating an ever-expanding government-dependent class whose votes can be harvested. Holding underclass blacks in generational poverty and welfare bondage is insufficient, politically.

As the fraudulently named For the People Act attests, Democrats seek to permanently undermine honest elections. Adding successive waves of illegals to the U.S. radically changes the nations dynamics, culturally and politically.

While Democrats see crass political advantages in overturning the culture and corrupting elections, their hard-left allies are delighted to see the country deconstructed, i.e., ruined by illegal throngs. Destruction of the existing order is foundational to Marxist doctrine; the Communist Manifesto is explicit on this account.

Meanwhile, bloodless big business titans have long pimped for open-ended migration to satisfy their cheap labor appetites. Its a key reason why big business has fallen in with Democrats.

Bidens undeclared, though very deliberate, open border policy is a win-win for his partys chief factions.

While most talk centers on COVID-infected illegals crossing into the U.S., thats just Step One in the White Houses scheme.

At the White Houses direction, illegals are being disperse across the nation, including the COVID sick. Bidens White House is knowingly and willfully spreading disease.

Concurrently, in an act of unbridled hypocrisy, Biden and his allies -- in and out of government -- are beating the drums for a reimposition of mask mandates, compulsory COVID vaccinations, and lockdowns. Stop the spread is now a grim parody.

Among the illegals are an assortment of hardened criminals -- many are gang members involved in the illicit drug trade.

Fentanyl is big business for cartels -- and Xis China, too. Fentanyl is a less conspicuous drug to smuggle; its easier to conceal and transport than marijuana, heroin, or cocaine. A little of it packs a big, lethal punch. Hence, smuggling fentanyl is less risky while promising outsized profits to cartel cutthroats and Chinas producers.

Are we to believe that Biden and his bright, sophisticated White House cadres are unaware of the bad hombres among the hordes trekking across the Mexican-American border? Are we gullible enough to believe that theyre insensible to the untold damage that will be inflicted throughout the country by opening the gates to drug thugs?

Biden, his cabinet, and White House staffers damn well know whats happening. Theyve made a cold calculation that their party benefits outweigh the injuries done to citizens. Biden granting entry to criminals alone is impeachable.

Another article of impeachment suggested by Bongino: Bidens eviction moratorium (or, alternatively, the Lets Keep Screwing Landlords Initiative).

This may seem like small change compared to erasing the southern border, but the eviction moratorium amounts to an insidious attack on property rights.

Again, from Yahoo! News:

He [Bongino] also invoked the Biden administration's eviction moratorium, which came this week despite the Supreme Court signaling in June that an earlier moratorium expiring at the end of last month could only be extended by Congress. The Justice Department argued in federal court the new, more limited moratorium is meant to protect U.S. citizens from going homeless as the delta variant of COVID-19 rages across the country.

The hard left, which drives much of the Democrats agenda, is mobilizing in support of Bidens decision to extend the moratorium.

From Rair Foundation USA, August 7:

The Party for Socialism & Liberation is using their front groups Cancel the Rents and the ANSWER Coalition to advertise the protest [conducted this past Saturday], which is being held along with the Housing Justice League, a socialist organization that sprang up from the Occupy Wall Street movement and works closely with the Atlanta chapter of Americas largest Marxist organization, the Democratic Socialists of America.

At a news conference last week, Biden practically admitted to the unconstitutionality of extending the moratorium but is doing so boldly anyway.

Impeach Biden? You bet. Of course, a Democrat-controlled House and Senate wont act to impeach and remove Biden from office. Impeachment will be up to Republicans should they take the U.S. House in November 2022. That is, should elections chicanery not deny them a majority. With a majority, presumptive speaker Kevin McCarthy will have to keep the GOPs surrender faction in line to achieve impeachment.

For Capitol Hill conservatives, the imperative is to build the case for Bidens impeachment and educate voters as a run-up to next years midterms. The starting gun has been fired.

J. Robert Smith can be found on Parler @JRobertSmith and more so at Gab, again @JRobertSmith. He also blogs at Flyover.

Image: Gage Skidmore

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Along with Islamic doctrine and history, one can now add science -- DNA itself -- to the list of things that demonstrate Islamic aggression.

Ancestry.com, a company that operates a network of genealogical and historical records, and provides DNA ancestry kits, recently asserted what history already teaches: most of the denizens of Turkey are not Turks but rather the descendants of Christian peoples, mostly Greeks, who lived in Anatolia well over a millennium before the Turks invaded.

As might be expected, many Turks, who tend to be zealous over their heritage, are outraged at finding that their ancestors were not conquering Turks but conquered infidels. This finding also underscores a vicious cycle Ive discussed before: most of those Muslims who today persecute the indigenous Christians in their midst -- and Turks rank among them -- are themselves the descendants of Christians who converted to Islam to end their own persecution.

One wonders how long before DNA studies reveal another, even more unflattering fact: the bloodline of conquering Muslims -- Turks chief among them -- is further adulterated with the blood of European concubines, sex-slaves, many millions of which were imported over the centuries by Turks, Tatars, Barbary corsairs, and various other Muslim peoples. The historical record is clear on this.

As one example, in 1438, Bartolomeo de Giano, an Italian Franciscan, witnessed the Turks slave raids throughout the Balkans. From Hungary, 300,000 were enslaved and carried off in just a few days, he wrote; from Serbia and Transylvania 100,000 were hauled off. He saw them led away in iron fetters tied to the backs of horses [and] women and children were herded by dogs without any mercy or piety. If one of them slowed down, unable to walk further because of thirst or pain, O Good Jesus! she immediately ended her life there in torment, cut in half.

As one historian observes, The massive enslavement of slavic populations during this period gave rise, in fact, to our word slave: in Bartolomeos time, to be a slave was to be a Slav.

Similarly, the Greek historian, Doukas (1400-1462), writes the following about the palace of Ottoman sultan Bayezid:

[T]here one could find carefully selected boys and girls, with beautiful faces, sweet young boys and girls who shone more brightly than the sun. To what nations did they belong? They were Byzantines [Greeks], Serbs, Wallachians, Albanians, Hungarians, Saxons, Bulgarians, and Latins. He himself [Sultan Bayezid] unceasingly gave himself over to pleasure, to the point of exhaustion, by indulging in debauchery with these boys and girls.

Nor, as some of these passages suggest, were European slaves used only for pleasure; Muslims regularly procreated with them as well. Even that one Turk most celebrated by Erdogans Turkey -- Bayezids great-grandson, Muhammad II al-Fatih, the conqueror of Constantinople -- was born of a Christian slave mother. This did not change the fact that he became an avowed enemy of Christendom -- the forerunner of antichrist as he was described.

Moreover, as Dario Fernandez-Morera, author of The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise, explains:

Such was the impact of Christian slaves on Islamic lands, that many of the Umayyad rulers of Islamic Spain, as the sons of sexual slaves, were blue-eyed and blond or red-haired; and the founder of the Arabic Nasrid dynasty of Granada was called al-Hamar, the Red One, because of his reddish hair and beard Arabist Celia del Moral observes that in Umayyad al-Andalus the most coveted and therefore expensive sexual slaves were blond and red-haired females from the Northern Christian regions.

In fact, according to the calculations of Spanish Arabist Julian Ribera, due to the constant sexual intercourse with European slave women, the genetic Arab component of each generation of Umayyad rulers was reduced by half, so that the last Umayyad, Hisham II (976-1013), was approximately only 0.09 percent Arab.

Nor was this phenomenon limited to Muslim elites -- caliphs, sultans, emirs, and the like -- because they could afford well-staffed harems. Naturally, it is they whose doings are recorded, because it is they -- the rulers, not the lay Muslim -- that chroniclers recorded. Even so, history makes clear that European sex slaves were, depending on time and place, abundantly available to the average Muslim.

Thus we learn that the slave markets of Adrianople (Edirne), formerly the Ottoman capital, were so inundated with European flesh that children sold for pennies, a very beautiful slave woman was exchanged for a pair of boots, and four Serbian slaves were traded for a horse.

Similarly, considering that sixteenth-century Algiers teemed with Christian captives, and it became a common saying that a Christian slave was scarce a fair barter for an onion, little wonder by the late eighteenth century, European observers noted how the inhabitants of Algiers have a rather white complexion.

Will Ancestry.com or similar organizations ever demonstrate this other unflattering fact concerning Muslim bloodlines through DNA? Probably not.

Quoted material in the above article was excerpted from and is documented in the authors book, 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: Pixabay

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We are a democratic republic. Have been since 1789. What should be more important  the freedom to put forward your point of view or someone deciding if that opinion is true or not? That is the crossroads where we find ourselves today. For anyone who claims to be a conservative, this should not be a tough choice. Any way you slice it, freedom beats the truth police every time.

To be sure, it would be great if what we absorbed from the multitude of available platforms  mainstream media, avowed opinionated media, social media, etc.  were able to be determined, in advance, to be truthful and accurate. The problem is as simple as this: as the famous saying goes, truth is often in the eye of the beholder. To allow one set of "beholders" to be the arbiter of what you and I are allowed to see is contrary to every fiber of what has defined our nation from its outset.

It is not as easy as those who would block us from seeing disinformation or misinformation claim. For these information police, it is as though, at every point in time, there are three categories of information  truth, untruth, and lies. It is true that there are such things as facts, items that can actually be measured. However, the conclusions to be drawn from these facts do not neatly divide themselves into those three categories.

For our benevolent betters, the truth is what is factually accurate and correct. They would have us believe, on matters great and small, that ascertaining the truth is not so hard. In addition, people should be protected from information that does not meet their test of accuracy and correctness. Last year, virtually every mainstream media outlet proclaimed the idea that the COVID virus originated from a laboratory in China had been "debunked." The social media giants took pains to take down anyone arguing it might be the case. Now there is a consensus that it is entirely possible this is where the virus started.

An untruth is something that fails to meet the truth police's definition of "factually accurate" and "correct." Under the umbrella of Critical Race Theory (CRT), someone arguing that "I treat everyone the same," intentionally or not, is guilty of not understanding that race defines the relationship, so his opinion is guilty of not being anti-racist. An untruth is not something where one is automatically being accused of deliberately not advancing the truth  just falling short of it.

A lie in this world of being exposed only to things that are true is when someone addresses and attempts to rebut the truth with disinformation and misinformation. If those urging the blocking of disinformation and misinformation had their way, you would have access only to what is deemed truthful and accurate.

What liberals refuse to do is look in the mirror to see what their vision would mean in real life. Last year, Dr. Anthony Fauci and the surgeon general said, at one point, that masks do little good. Under the structure the Biden administration is encouraging, if one of us had posted a view that we believed to be true, such as that face masks seem to be a good idea, that post could be blocked from being seen, since it contradicted the experts and science as we knew it at it that time. Never mind that at a later point in time, Dr. Fauci thought two masks was a good idea. It is fine to argue science changes. It is not acceptable to me to argue that only the science of the moment that liberals embrace is allowed to be seen.

Most frustrating to conservatives is the constant use of circular logic and loud voices to silence, even cancel, our point of view. The latest example is the January 6 Commission. Speaker Pelosi is allowing only Republicans who have already made known that they hold President Trump responsible to participate, and that is only two. Even if one were to agree that what President Trump said that day "caused" the events at the Capitol, that does not mean that Speaker Pelosi and Democrats should not be forced to answer questions concerning why they were not better prepared in light of all the information that had come to them. Allowing only information that is in agreement with your conclusions is many things, but it hardly qualifies as defending the truth.

The answer to lies is the truth. The answer to bad information is more information. Democracy dies in the darkness, and the discussion must never put the premium on having anyone being the police to decide what is labeled truth, untruth, and lies, nor on allowing anyone to decide what it is that we see and discuss. After all, there is a long history where what we believed to be true one day, we decide is not on another day, based on the free flow of information.

Tell me what you believe, as well as the facts and information you are utilizing to form that conclusion. I will do the same for you. Do not ever tell me your point of view will be the only one that is seen and heard. I will insist, even if you are right, that freedom is more important than what you have determined to be the truth. It boggles the mind that those who so loudly celebrate the differences between us are so unwilling to embrace differences of opinion.

Jessica Curtis is the executive director of GOPAC.

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In this month's edition of "let's kill the Constitution," we have the CDC's eviction moratorium as the next demonstration that no one in our government feels compelled to comply with the Constitution anymore.

In Alabama Association of Realtors v. Department of Health and Human Services, the Supreme Court upheld the CDC eviction moratorium and did so in a manner that vastly expanded the Court's power and authority. The moratorium required that property owners allow others to squat on their property, without compensation, for over a year. It was clearly a violation of constitutionally protected property rights. It restricted what property-owners could and could not do with their own property, without compensation or due process.

A minority comprising Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Barrett held that the CDC does not have the authority to impose an eviction moratorium  even during a time of pandemic. Justice Kavanaugh agreed with this minority but then voted with Justices Roberts, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan to allow the moratorium to stand.

Justice Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion. His rationalization was that the CDC did not have the authority to impose the eviction moratorium, but that the Court would allow it to stand, given that it was going to expire in 30 days anyway. He gave the Executive Branch permission to violate the Constitution for another month.

In effect, Justice Kavanaugh issued a waiver to the Constitution. He explicitly stated that the CDC had been violating the law and said it could continue to do so for another month. Who gave the Supreme Court the authority to waive the Constitution or any duly enacted laws? There's no such permission in the Constitution. Article III, which establishes the Judicial Branch, grants the Supreme Court the authority to interpret laws and the Constitution, not the authority to decide if it's okay to break them.

This all raises the question: if it didn't come from Article III, where did the Court get the authority to grant waivers? The justices gave it to themselves  just as they gave themselves permission to rewrite the Constitution 50-plus years ago. The Court has treated us to an endless stream of creative interpretations that have found everything from a right to abortion to a right to same-sex "marriage" in the Constitution. Why would it surprise us that they've now given themselves the power to grant waivers also?

This has always been the problem with creative interpretation of the Constitution. When justices are allowed to use penumbras and emanations to discover things in the Constitution that aren't actually written in it, anything becomes possible. In 1965, when Justice William O. Douglas used penumbral reasoning in the court's Griswold v. Connecticut decision, he should have been impeached for doing so. It was an open acknowledgment that the court was giving itself the power to find things in the Constitution that weren't actually written in it. Unfortunately, the citizenry didn't see the long slide into absurdity that would result.

After the justices gave themselves the power to rewrite the Constitution, why should we be surprised that they've now given themselves the power to waive it as well? That was the next inevitable step on the continuum of "evolving" the Constitution.

But the Executive Branch was not to be outdone by the Judicial Branch. Just after the Supreme Court issued a 30-day waiver to the law, President Asterisk announced that he was going to continue breaking the law for another 120 days. He extended the eviction moratorium for another three months. And why shouldn't he? His administration is a co-equal branch of the government. If the defenders of the Constitution can waive it, so can he. Kavanaugh made compliance conditional. Lunch Bucket Joe just extended the conditions  easy-peasy. A few Republicans are demanding that Joe Biden be impeached for knowingly violating the Constitution. We should really be having that discussion about Brett Kavanaugh for originating this massive overreach.

But what about the Legislative Branch? It's a co-equal branch also. Does anyone doubt that our leaders in Congress will enthusiastically violate the Constitution now that they know it's okay to do so under certain circumstances? I'll bet San Fran Nan and Little Chucky Schumer would have happily waived the constitutional impeachment requirements during The Donald's impeachment if they'd known they could. After all, we were in the middle of an insurrection. Surely, we didn't really need two-thirds for conviction when we faced the greatest crisis since the civil war  or was it 9/11? I forget.

If adherence to the Constitution is conditional, under what conditions can it be waived? The Supremes have ruled that property rights can be waived during a pandemic. Can freedom of speech be waived during racial strife? Can our Second Amendment rights be waived during a declared health crisis of gun violence? Can our rights of free assembly be waived during times of civil unrest?

Unfortunately, if the Constitution can mean anything our robed masters want it to mean, it in fact means nothing. The court has ruled that under certain circumstances, it's okay to violate the Constitution  for a little while. That "a little while" has just gone from 30 days to 120 days. What's to stop "a little while" from becoming a year  or more? Our mutual pact of civilized behavior has been breached.

Historically, all dictators have retained for themselves the power to change the law at their own discretion. By granting themselves the power to change and apply the Constitution at their discretion, the Supreme Court justices have made themselves a council of kings. George Washington famously declined the offer to be the first king of the United States. It's too bad the Supreme Court justices lack similar wisdom, honor, and humility.

John Green is a political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho. He currently writes at the American Free News Network (americanfreenewsnetwork.org). He can be followed on Facebook or reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.

Image via Max Pixel.

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The Navy and Marine Corps have kicked off their two-week Large Scale Exercise 2021, a massive effort that spans 17 time zones, to test their vision of how to conduct war on a global scale against peer competitors. Such an operation is reminiscent of the Cold War, but then we are in another Cold War facing a coalition of powers who want to dominate the international order. That coalition is lead by the Peoples Republic of China with the strong support of a Russia seeking to recover from its defeat in the first Cold War. Both powers have been strengthening their ties with Iran at the intersection of Europe and the Indo-Pacific. In response, the U.S. has reenergized its alliances and expanded them, most importantly in partnership with India. The Trump administration recognized the danger of renewed Great Power competition, and the Biden administration is continuing many of its policies because the change in the White House has not changed what is going on in the outside world.

The most prominent flashpoint is the South China Sea, where China has created artificial island bases backed by a naval buildup to support its claim to imperial sovereignty over this vital maritime realm in defiance of international law. China and a U.S.-led coalition are both conducting rival air and naval exercises in this sea demonstrating their ability to defeat the other. Beijing has complained to the UN that The US has been stirring up trouble out of nothing, arbitrarily sending advanced military vessels and aircraft into the South China Sea as provocations." Washington is not acting unilaterally. Great Britain has sent its new Carrier Strike Group to the region. Dutch and German frigates are there, along with a French task force to show NATO unity. Beijings state media outlet Global Times made a direct threat We advise US allies to be particularly cautiousThey must be bluntly told that if their warships rampantly behave as the U.S. military does in the South China Sea, they will more likely become an example of China defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity -- just as a popular Chinese phrase indicates: To execute one as a warning to a hundred.

India has sent a task force into the South China Sea as part of the Quad, which includes Japan and Australia along with the U.S. China claims to have the largest fleet of warships in the world. Beijings full spectrum military buildup and militant rhetoric have been the real provocations that has brought forth a powerful response.

Yet, in the midst of this very evident confrontation that actually goes back to the Obama administration's pivot to Asia which saw the escalation of naval exercises during 2010, corporate lobbyists in Washington are still pushing for closer commercial ties with the Beijing regime. On August 5, nearly three dozen business groups, including the Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, the National Retail Federation, the American Farm Bureau Federation, and the Semiconductor Industry Association sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, claiming Beijing had met "important benchmarks and commitments" in the so-called Phase One agreement negotiated by President Trump, including opening markets to U.S. financial institutions and reducing some regulatory barriers to U.S. agricultural exports to China. The aim of the letter was to cut tariffs and expand trade with China while ignoring its aggressive behavior in the larger context of world affairs.

The letter purposely missed the real point about the trade war with China, which is to correct past public policy choices which President Biden has accurately blamed for allowing American firms to create fragile supply chains across a range of sectors and products. Unfair trade practices by competitor nations and private sector and public policy prioritization of low-cost labor, just-in-time production, consolidation, and private sector focus on short-term returns over long-term investment have hollowed out the U.S. industrial base, siphoned innovation from the United States, and stifled wage and productivity growth. President Trump explicitly imposed tariffs on national security grounds to stem technology transfers (legal and illegal) that have fueled Chinese economic growth which the regime has transformed into military strength. Indeed, Beijing has a program of Military-Civil Fusion which is an aggressive, national strategy of the Chinese Communist Party to enable the PRC to develop the most technologically advanced military in the world. To a large extent, the current China Threat was made in America-- not in factories here, but in boardrooms.

Big Business wants tariffs and other restrictions removed to lower the costs of continuing these foolhardy commercial ties rather than adjust their behavior to conform to the international environment. They must not be listened to by policymakers whose first duty is to national security in a dangerous world. And corporate managers might ponder why public respect for them has fallen so low.

In classic tales of the Wild West, outlaws rustled cattle and robbed banks. The worst villains, however, were the merchants who sold guns to renegades who massacred homesteaders. They usually met their fate when their customers turned on them in the same brutal fashion. The audience shed no tears for their nasty demise as it was no more than justice demanded. Beijing is openly devising programs to drive American firms out of China. They will be replaced by national champion firms that have benefitted from the knowledge and market the greedy but unwary, gunrunners provided. Beijing will never allow foreign interests to carve out any substantial part of its domain.

Nor will trade tame the communist regime. This was never a credible scenario despite the brief popularity of fanciful academic theories and wishful thinking about a new kind of world. It was the great economic reformer Deng Xiaoping who ordered the troops into Tiananmen Square to crush students calling for democracy. Increased wealth and capabilities only give the regime more resources to advance its hostile ambitions. The business leaders who sent their letter to Bidens officials calling for the appeasement of Beijing cannot claim they do not really know what is going on. They just do not care next to even dim prospects of making money and covering their butts for past errors in judgment that have them mired in China. But the real bottom line is that trading with the enemy is always wrong and cannot be tolerated.

William R. Hawkins is a former economics professor who served on the professional staff of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. He has written widely on international economics and national security issues for both professional and popular publications

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Back in the day, I was a partner in a printing company. For the first ten years, we used only one type of press  a model that had been in production for decades. There were so many of these presses in circulation that we could buy used ones that had been completely refurbished for a lot less than a new one would cost.

Then one day, at a local trade fair, I first saw a new kind of press that was made in Hiroshima, Japan. It did what we needed done, but a lot more efficiently. And it cost more than ten times what we usually paid for a press. But we bought one anyhow  because we had been trying to improve our efficiency ever since we started the company. This new press was so much more efficient that we could afford to start providing a full package of benefits to our employees  and still pocket a lot more profit. It's a real-world example of going from labor-intensive to capital-intensive.

It then occurred to me that campaigns to "buy American" may be missing the point. The manufacturer of this new press got paid only once for the machine, but the users of the press received financial benefits from its improved productivity every day, for years and years to come.

The obvious defense of globalism is based on the mutuality of business relationships. When different nations rely on each other for commercial success, threats of war are suppressed and, perhaps, ultimately abandoned. A particular facilitator of this planetary web of commerce is the modular sea-going container. Before its invention, ocean-going freight was man-handled into the holds of ships and extracted in the same labor-intensive fashion. This was known as "break-bulk." Ironically, the San Francisco longshoreman's union voted to prohibit containerized freight at its port. So they were all put out of work  unless they moved across the Bay to Oakland.

Sea-going containers have increased the efficiency of shipping freight to such a degree that they are commonly used to bypass the Panama Canal, mostly by ships too wide to fit in the "ditch." Ships come into Oakland, Long Beach, Tacoma and off-load onto trains that cross over the continent to the Atlantic ports, and vice versa. The containers are bar-coded to maintain tracking accuracy and moved by cranes designed to handle only one kind of thing. New cranes are getting taller and taller, just so they can pile up containers ever higher on the new super-freighters. When the Ever Given recently blocked the Suez Canal, this whole process and the consequences of its interruption, for once, were exposed to public scrutiny.

Critics of globalism emphasize the forfeiture of sovereignty. Buyers and sellers usually each yield, at most, a little sovereignty to complete a transaction. But what the critics are complaining about is really cheating. Expropriation of intellectual property is not a free-market process. Nor is currency manipulation. For the sake of comparison, I refer you to the diamond market in Antwerp, Belgium. Legend has it that the deals are done on nothing more than a handshake  but if you cheat someone, they will no longer let you through the front door. Milton Friedman would be proud.

In commerce, there is the expression "sharp practices." It refers to using deception and coercion to take improper advantage of a party in a transaction. This happens on small and large scales. When Chinese interests require foreign companies to disclose trade secrets or agree to waive patent enforcement in order to do business, that is a sharp practice. More than twenty years ago, a friend who taught at the University of Wisconsin complained vociferously about Chinese foreign students making inquiries into matters not relevant to the subject matter  but to our national security.

Many critics of globalism have an ulterior motive: protectionism. Artificially high labor costs require legal barriers to prevent off-shoring the work. Go figure. Who's responsible for these artificially high labor costs? Gee, let me think.

There are, however, legitimate critics of "globalism," who are concerned about a push toward global government. Again, sovereignty is the issue, and the existence of "tax havens" is the target of the pseudo-globalists. Currently floating around are concepts for multi-national tax policies. I consider this phony globalism  a facade concealing the forces opposed to sovereignty. Having many sovereign nation-states doing business with each other is a stabilizing quality, supporting beneficial competition that keeps the various governments honest. Such has always been the case within the federation of several states we call the USA.

Image via Needpix.

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In 1832, after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling he vehemently disagreed with, President Andrew Jackson uttered this infamous phrase, "John Marshall has made his decision. Now let him enforce it."

In 2021, after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that the federal government's eviction moratorium was unconstitutional, President Joe Biden channeled his inner Andrew Jackson in disavowing the Supreme Court's ruling.

On June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s eviction moratorium, which was implemented during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, is unconstitutional.

Specifically, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote, "I agree with the District Court and the applicants that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeded its existing statutory authority by issuing a nationwide eviction moratorium."

Kavanaugh added, "In my view, clear and specific congressional authorization (via new legislation) would be necessary for the CDC to extend the moratorium past July 31."

That did not stop President Biden from openly defying the nation's highest court.

Even more disconcerting is that Biden appeared to admit that the Supreme Court's decision was correct and that he didn't have the power to overrule a co-equal branch of government.

Here was Biden's initial response after the Supreme Court's recent ruling: "I've sought out constitutional scholars to determine what is the best possibility that would come from executive action, or the CDC's judgment, what could they do that was most likely to pass muster, constitutionally. The bulk of the constitutional scholarship says that it's not likely to pass constitutional muster."

In other words, Biden admitted that the vast majority of his constitutional experts told him that the CDC's eviction moratorium was unconstitutional.

Yet Biden's stance did not sit well with the Squad.

Almost immediately after Biden admitted that his hands were tied and that it was up to Congress to extend the eviction ban, the Squad went into full-on attack mode.

Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) camped out on the steps of the Capitol, calling for the Biden administration to extend the eviction moratorium, regardless of the Supreme Court ruling.

Bush put it succinctly: "I have absolute hope, and the thing is, the hope is in the people putting the pressure, saying, 'No, we won't allow this.'"

So a member of the House of Representatives, who took an oath to uphold the Constitution, has such disdain for the nation's highest court that she vociferously advocated for the Court's ruling to be ignored.

That, in and of itself, is reason to worry.

But what is arguably much more worrisome is that Bush's pressure campaign (she was joined by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rep Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) worked.

As the calls from leftists for the Biden administration to overrule the Supreme Court gained momentum, Biden kowtowed.

On August 3, Biden's CDC director, Rochelle Walensky, declared, "Where we are right now with such high disease rates, we felt a new, tailored order [was needed] to make sure that ... working Americans who were at risk of eviction could be stably housed during this really tenuous, challenging period of time."

Put another way, Walensky and Biden basically told the Supreme Court, a la Andrew Jackson, "Brett Kavanaugh has made his decision, now let him enforce it."

This development should send shivers down the spines of all Americans.

It is antithetical to the system of checks and balances that lies at the core of our governing system. It also is a shot aimed directly at our cherished separation of powers.

If the Executive Branch can arbitrarily defy Supreme Court rulings, what is the point of the Supreme Court? Moreover, what is the point of Congress if the Executive Branch, using the CDC, of all departments, can now make laws?

This turn of events is also a direct blow to private property rights, a sacred element of the American experiment. Since when does the CDC have the power to tell landlords they cannot collect rent?

Although most Americans are probably sympathetic to the notion that renters who were struggling to make ends meet during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic should be given some help, we are long past the depths of the pandemic.

The Biden administration has made it crystal-clear: the Supreme Court can issue rulings, but we will not abide by those decisions. For those who believe in freedom and constitutional government, that is a chilling state of affairs.

Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland.org) is senior editor at The Heartland Institute.

Image: Picryl.

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It seems the Chicago police department's officers have more than one reason to turn their backs on Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the wokester freaks running that crime-plagued city.

This Chicago Sun-Times story here is beyond appalling:

Chicago police officers upset with Mayor Lori Lightfoot over her reform policies are also directing their anger at the Chicago Police Department's second-in-command. First Deputy Police Supt. Eric Carter infuriated officers gathered Saturday night at the Cook County medical examiner's office to give their slain colleague, Ella French, a final send-off. Ignoring a sacred ritual, Carter impatiently declared: "We don't have 20 minutes for this s---." He demanded the Chicago Fire Department ambulance bearing French's body be taken directly into the medical examiner's office, skipping the Emerald Society's traditional playing of bagpipes. "We're not waiting on the bagpipes. Go ahead and get the vehicle inside," Carter is heard saying on a recording. "Take it all the way inside. Do not stop."

Did I just hear the word "s---" used in conjunction with honoring a fallen police officer? A very fine fallen police officer, a new mother, an officer who had just saved a baby wounded by gunfire, a 29-year-old woman gunned down in the prime of life? Someone who gave her life to the city? "S---"?

I'm nauseous. This kind of crap would be news even if the most hardened Antifa leftist uttered it, but to hear it coming from one of the perfumed princes running that wretched city, supposedly in charge of the police, and a political appointee, no doubt, is unbelievable. The clown thought those 20 minutes to honor a fallen officer, same as all fallen officers are honored, with a sorrowful playing of bagpipes, was time that could be better spent someplace else. And she was just some kind of garbage to haul out?

My mind boggles.

It goes to show what a band of freaks are surrounding Lightfoot, given that this sorry substitute for a man has such a high position of authority in the Chicago Police Department. When police speak of city officials not "having their backs," this one went and proved it. I find it a little suspicious that the Chicago P.D.'s website has nothing at all on the murder of one of their finest, someone who's a walking ad for police officers being friends of the people, not the Antifa claim that they are enemies. Nothing. Zip. Nada. Go see for yourself.

As for Carter, he sounds like a case for instant termination, a loud public firing, given that presumably, the police sure couldn't respect someone who could say or even think such a vile thing. No one could respect such a person, actually. But is he fired? Not at all. His boss is actually defending him:

CPD spokesman Don Terry was asked whether Supt. David Brown agrees with the way his top deputy handled situation at the medical examiner's office. "No comment beyond reminding you of what an emotionally difficult and painful night that was  and continues to be  for everyone involved," Terry wrote in an email to the Sun-Times.

And Lightfoot herself, who ought to be axing this ogre for sheer callousness and unfitness of office?

The mayor's office declined to comment.

It's unbelievable. When cops say they have a beef with leadership in Chicago, they aren't exaggerating. What's stunning even to normal people out here is how deep the rot goes. If this wretch doesn't get thrown out from his sinecure very soon, the cops need to cease protecting him, maybe going on strike, or else make the whole thing an election issue. They're out there, and they've got to go.

Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.

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Nobody likes the war in Afghanistan, but Joe Biden's solution -- a sudden U.S. pullout, complete with a 9/11-anniversary courtesy schedule for the Taliban's convenience, is shaping up to be a U.S. disaster.

According to the Washington Post:

The Biden administration is preparing for Afghanistans capital to fall far sooner than feared only weeks ago, as a rapid disintegration of security has prompted the revision of an already stark intelligence assessment predicting Kabul could be overrun within six to 12 months of the U.S. military departing, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with the matter. One official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the issues sensitivity, said Tuesday that the U.S. military now assesses a collapse could occur within 90 days. Others said it could happen within a month. Some officials said that although they were not authorized to discuss the assessment, they see the situation in Afghanistan as more dire than it was in June, when intelligence officials assessed a fall could come as soon as six months after the withdrawal of the U.S. military. Everything is moving in the wrong direction, said one person familiar with the militarys new intelligence assessment.

The first five words of that lede are wrong.

Biden isn't preparing for anything. He's rigidly continuing on track toward the disaster with no modification in plans. The Pentagon is crossing its fingers and saying that yeah, they know the trainwreck is coming, but "no particular outcome is inevitable."

A passive policy of 'watch and see.'

Yet Biden isn't changing course, and he says he has 'no regrets' about his sudden pullout decision. Here's his response to the oncoming Armageddon:

Look, Biden told reporters at the White House, we spent over a trillion dollars over 20 years. We trained and equipped, with modern equipment, over 300,000 Afghan forces. And Afghan leaders have to come together.

Afghan leaders have to come together? That's the plan? It sounds like "Can't we all just get along?" to paraphrase Rodney King, as the new U.S. superpower foreign policy. Biden always did like plagiarizing more eloquent people.

Translation: They're being abandoned, and the U.S. is going to leave that hellhole the same way it left Saigon.

This isn't the only idiocy coming from the Biden administration about this pending disaster, either. Get a load of this one:

If the Taliban takes Afghanistan's capital by force it will make them global pariahs, U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad warned on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.

Ah, a loss of social status with the global superpowers, and no more cocktail party invitations at the United Nations. That ought to scare the Taliban straight.

There's also this:

Khalilzad's mission in Qatar is to "help formulate a joint international response to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan," according to the U.S. State Department. He plans to "press the Taliban to stop their military offensive and to negotiate a political settlement, which is the only path to stability and development in Afghanistan," the State Department said.

Does the Taliban care about stability and development? Cripes, they're the Taliban! Stability and development is the last thing they've ever wanted. The more chaos and destruction, the better.

Here's what they're doing right this minute:

Some civilians who have fled Taliban advances have reported that the insurgents imposed repressive restrictions on women and burned down schools. There have also been reports of revenge killings in areas where the Taliban have gained control. The insurgents have claimed responsibility for killing a comedian in southern Kandahar, assassinating the government's media chief Kabul and a bombing that targeted acting Defense Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, killing eight and wounding more. The minister was not harmed in the attack. The intensifying war has driven thousands of people to Kabul, and many are living in parks without adequate access to water and other necessities in the summer heat. The fighting has also increased the number of civilian casualties.

Yep, but rest assured the Taliban is all in for not being a pariah on the global stage and all about stability and development. The maniacs are ignoring the claimed commands to cease from their 'commander' and the U.S. is pitifully bombing the place from another country to add to the chaos and misery.

Does this sound like Biden knows what he's doing? It sounds like things are going to get bad, very bad, and very soon, thanks to his 'leadership.'

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's disgraceful resignation, one step ahead of impeachment, following his disgusting, pervy, behavior with women, ought to have triggered a standard-issue condemnation from Joe Biden's office, given that he's supposedly president.

Not so with old Joe. Asked about Cuomo's legacy, Biden replied:

Well, hes done a hell of a job. Hes done a hell of a job. And I mean, both on  everything from access to voting to infrastructure to a whole range of things. Thats why its so sad, Biden said.

Which is remarkably tin-eared, given the facts of the matter about how Cuomo spent his taxpayer-paid time as governor (see the New York Post's collection of front page covers) and the disgraceful circumstances of Cuomo's exit.

Any sympathy for the women? Not a bit.

Joe's been there himself, after all, having been accused by Tara Reade of full-blown sexual assault, and so have a lot of his buddy Democrats. It's the essence of their political culture.

In a piece I wrote about the gropey behavior of New Mexico's Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan, here's a small list of them and what they were up to:

There's Andrew Cuomo, who's been accused by nine women of groping and grabbing and kissing them while on the job, making creepy sausage talk, and asking them to play strip poker. He called at least one to his mansion and reached under her blouse and under her bra to cop a feel. He ogled the aides and had a thing for putting his hands on the small of their backs. Creepy, creepy, creepy. Nobody does that. While we are on it, let's take a look at old Joe. He's been accused of swimming naked in front of female Secret Service agents, seemingly expressly to make them uncomfortable, like a flasher. He likes to show himself. He's also done handsy, grabby things on unwilling females in public. He also been accused of bona fide sexual assault by Tara Reade, a charge that has yet to be adjudicated. He's not known as "Creepy Joe" for nothing. And Kamala Harris is well part of this culture, too. Sleeping with Willie Brown to bite and claw her way to top was one thing, but she also tolerated creepy behavior in others and then pretended she didn't know. Recall that in 2017, just four years ago, her office as thenattorney general of California was forced to make a $400,000 payout to a victim of a top staffer of hers, Larry Wallace, for sexual harassment. As I wrote when the news of that broke: And all the reported stories of what a pervert this guy was, about him making his female assistant act as a personal servant girl for errands, and worse, crawl under his desk to fix the printer, again and again, so he could get a gander at her butt, ignoring her when she asked to move the thing, and then tossing her to an unimportant division when she complained, Harris knew literally nothing? Despite being the state's top lawwoman with him her deputy? Further upstream, there were Ted Kennedy and Chris Dodd, who "taught" us all a new phrase: "Waitress Sandwich." The pair of them were close allies of old Joe back when he was bothering Tara Reade. There was also New York governor Eliot Spitzer, who was awfully fond of hookers. And Bill Clinton, who got it on with the interns  and "finished the job in the sink," as the Starr report noted.

Had enough? And sure enough, Joe isn't appalled or disgusted by Cuomo, he just thinks it's sad. He's all praise for the supposed non-personal acts of Cuomo on the job, but he ignores that Cuomo, in his job, on the taxpayer dime, was out playing pervert and predator -- on Democrat women as it happens, which is a betrayal of his high office right there.

Biden said he "respects" Cuomo's decision to resign, not mentioning that it was one step ahead of impeachment.

Respects? Who respects that? And respect for women? Not so much.

Meanwhile, speaking of that Biden praise for Cuomo's supposed non-pervy parts of his job performance, where's the nursing home investigation? Joe apparently told his Justice Department to drop the investigation into Cuomo's coverup of 15,000 nursing home deaths in New York after Cuomo ordered these same nursing homes to accept COVID patients returning from hospitals whether they liked it or not, effectively handing the most vulnerable people in America, the elderly people who should have been shielded from COVID before anyone else, a COVID death sentence. Hell of a job is quite literal as a description for Cuomo's job in that case, but not quite the way Joe thinks it is.

It just goes to show that Biden is as compromised as Cuomo on the pervert front. Tara Reade, who has accused Biden of actually sexually attacking her, has a few choice words about this, according to Fox News:

"My heart is with the brave Cuomo survivors who endured attempts to discredit them like I did coming forward about Joe Biden with the help of non-profits that were supposed to help women like Time's Up," Reade told Fox News. "May there be some measure of justice for the survivors. Now, let's call for a real investigation into Joe Biden and expose the corruption protecting powerful predators."" Reade torched Time's Up, the organization that purportedly was meant to assist women who were subjected to sexual harassment and assault. However, it was swept up in the Cuomo scandal after revelations that co-chair Roberta Kaplan assisted Cuomo in discrediting one of his accusers.

What a disgusting sump of corruption. Biden's tin-eared statements are predictable things, given that he's part of this whole pattern of behavior. If this Biden statement doesn't prompt disgust from female voters, then they'll deserve what they get. Biden is as bad as Cuomo is.

Image: Screen shot from CBS Evening News video, via shareable YouTube

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Prosecutors in the cases against the January 6 demonstrators are starting to run into some judicial pushback: Questions about exculpatory evidence in their possession not turned over as the law demands, lower courts assessing the defendant as more dangerous than the evidence warranted, and most significantly, whether the prosecution is overcharging defendants with the federal crime of obstruction.

Most of the defendants are charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted area -- a fancy way of saying trespassing. Defendants are entitled to see before pleading to the charges any materially exculpatory evidence in the governments possession. Defense counsel have complained that the government has not been meeting this obligation, and the prosecution has been responding that it is unable to quickly assess all the evidence it has to meet this burden. As to those charged with trespassing, some are claiming they were invited in and, therefore, could not be guilty of the charges. The prosecution got one extension and the question is whether they should get another, a question complicated by the defendants right to a speedy trial. Sixteen of the defendants facing the most serious charges will not have their cases heard until next January.

This week, the Department of Justice seems to have conceded the very point of the inapplicability of some trespass charges.

In its pleading, it states: we possess some information that the defense may view as supportive of arguments that law enforcement authorized defendants (including Defendant) to enter the restricted grounds'. e.g., images of officers hugging or fist-bumping rioters, posing for photos with rioters, and moving bike racks, we are not in a position to state whether we have identified all such information.

To my knowledge, two appellate courts have now held that the trial courts have erred in assessing the appellants dangerousness. The first such case was decided in March.

In a 21 decision, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit ordered a lower court judge to reconsider his decision to keep Eric Munchel and his mother, Lisa Eisenhart, in jail while their cases go forward. US District Judge Royce Lamberth had ruled in February that Munchel -- who was photographed inside the Capitol wearing tactical gear and holding plastic zip-tie handcuffs -- and Eisenhart presented a clear danger to our republic and that there were no release conditions that would reasonably ensure the safety of the community. But DC Circuit Judge Robert Wilkins wrote Friday that Lamberths 17-page opinion failed to articulate how the two posed a danger when they hadnt actually been charged with committing specific violent acts at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Lamberth wrote that the allegations against Munchel showed that he was willing to use force to promote his political ends, but the appeals court found that the judge didnt explain how he reached that conclusion when there was no evidence Munchel hurt anyone or broke anything. In our view, those who actually assaulted police officers and broke through windows, doors, and barricades, and those who aided, conspired with, planned, or coordinated such actions, are in a different category of dangerousness than those who cheered on the violence or entered the Capitol after others cleared the way, Wilkins, joined by Judge Judith Rogers, wrote. Munchel and Eisenhart will remain in jail as the case goes back to Lamberth for another round of arguments. [Judge Lamberth released them pending trial] Fridays opinion marks the first time the appeals court has weighed in with a specific framework for how lower court judges should think about pretrial detention in the Capitol riot cases. The decision sets precedent that is now binding on all the district court judges in DC and moves the bar higher for the government to successfully argue for pretrial detention for other defendants who, like Munchel and Eisenhart, arent charged with assaulting police, property destruction, or conspiracy and have minimal or no previous criminal record.

This week, another appellate court came to a like decision.

A three-judge appeals court panel has ordered the release of West Virginia sandwich shop owner George Tanios pending trial in the Jan. 6 chemical-spray assault on three police officers including Brian D. Sicknick, who died the following day after suffering two strokes. A lower court clearly erred in its individualized assessment of appellants dangerousness, the judges from the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said in an order filed Monday night. The record reflects that Tanios has no past felony convictions, no ties to any extremist organizations, and no post-January 6 criminal behavior that would otherwise show him to pose a danger to the community within the meaning of the Bail Reform Act, the order said.

The most serious hurdle to date was also raised this week when U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss questioned whether it was appropriate to pursue obstruction charges against 235 defendants. The governments claim is that the actions of these defendants constituted a violation of the federal obstruction statutes because their conduct disrupted the congressional certification of the presidential election. Judge Moss is no babe in the wood, he headed the Department of Justices Office of Legal Counsel and now chairs the Federal Judiciarys Committee on Criminal Law. (In my view the federal crimes of conspiracy and obstruction are overly broad and misused by prosecutors. It is what was used to destroy the Arthur Anderson accounting firm and it was no compensation that the Supreme Court unanimously held that the firms conduct did not constitute obstruction. It had recommended destruction of records in the ordinary course of events, and if that made the governments case more difficult it was not done for that purpose. Arthur Andersen LLP v. United States, 543 U.S. 1042 (2005).)

In any event, Judge Moss questioned whether the charges arent unconstitutionally vague and asked the parties to brief how the Justice Department distinguished felony conduct under the statute, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, from misdemeanor offenses, such as shouting to interrupt a congressional hearing.

Unless we can tell the public where that line is, theres a problem. You bet there is. Criminal statutes should be clear and consistent to provide guidance to all, and its hard to see how they can be when prosecutors have charged people who aren't accused of violence or destruction. Is sitting in the vice-presidents chair really obstruction of Congress, to take one example?

This hurdle will certainly slow down the impetus to plead guilty -- its one thing to face a misdemeanor charge and quite another to risk a 20-year sentence. If the prosecution believes this conduct had been seditious or an insurrection, they would have charged it. Obviously, they lack the evidence to sustain such serious claims. Will they now re-charge for lesser offenses? Well see. I think Judge Moss might have, as I did, recalled the recent Kavanaugh hearings and their disruption when he asked the government whether it could cite any other cases in which the government charged comparable conduct. The department could not.

Image: Tyler Merbler

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On Monday morning, leaked photos showed former president and apparent ruling monarch Barack Obama partying without a mask, indoors (yes, a tent outdoors is still indoors) with about 200 of his closest friends. Appearing on CNN, the New York Times White House correspondent, Annie Karni, was kind enough to say the quiet part out loud.

In relaying what she was told from neighbors and the elites who attended the event, Karni stated that the concern for the event was "overblown" and that the Obamas had only invited a "sophisticated, vaccinated crowd." I want to be clear, as Karni herself stated, that this was not her personal opinion, but, rather, a recitation of the opinions of those she spoke with in Martha's Vineyard regarding the party.

Regardless of whether it was Karni's personal opinion or not is frankly irrelevant. The main point was made loud and clear. When it comes to COVID, the delta variant, any of those pesky "safety precautions" such as mask mandates for even the vaccinated, or avoiding large gatherings, there's a certain group of people who don't have to follow the directions that we serfs, plebeians, and peasants must follow.

Now, being the scientifically minded, analytical individual that I am, I was eager to measure myself up against the people deemed "sophisticated" enough to be invited to the king's court for this glorious event. It's always important to measure oneself against the world from time to time to see if you're effectively keeping up with the Joneses. What confused me was that, when I looked at the list, the qualifications for what is "sophisticated" seem to be all over the place.

I originally thought the standard must be education. After all, sophistication is most likely to come from a strong academic background, right? So, looking through the list, Valerie Jarrett and Eric Holder have Juris Doctors and seem to be at the high end of the spectrum. Given that I hold only an MBA myself, I don't know if I can meet this standard. But wait a minute. Gabrielle Union, Oprah Winfrey, and Gayle King have only Bachelor's degrees, and Dwyane Wade and Alicia Keys didn't even finish college. Trap Beckham didn't even finish high school. So clearly education is not the barometer for sophistication. Must be something else.

Maybe it's connections to the former president's administration and campaigns? Valerie Jarrett and Eric Holder would again seem to support that stance, but then why leave David Axelrod off the list? What about all the other Obama administration officials who were left off the list, not to mention Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi? Clearly, political connections were not the barometer, either. I must keep searching.

Maybe it's net worth? Some very wealthy individuals came through the party this weekend  guests like George Clooney, Jay-Z, and Beyonce. Steven Spielberg would certainly give credence to this line of thinking. But then how did relative paupers, by comparison, people like Michelle Obama's former chief of staff, Melissa Winter, get invited? (Though from the New York Times article, it seems her job was to inform her other administration colleagues they had been removed from the list. Price of admission, it would seem.)

It would appear we have a conundrum. We have an assertion that this was a "sophisticated and vaccinated crowd," according to a Martha's Vineyard resident, an opinion that Annie Karni hilariously relayed on national television but without clarifying what that "sophistication" metric could possibly have been. It couldn't possibly be that those who frequent locations like Martha's Vineyard were just pulling a word out that they thought the rubes would take at face value, could it?

I wonder how many of these "sophisticated" folks own motorcycles or even (gasp), God forbid, Harley Davidsons, such as the many riders heading to Sturgis South Dakota on August 15th. Sturgis, as many will remember, was touted as a "super-spreader" event last year, with a since debunked study claiming that the event caused 260,000 cases of COVID-19 and cost $12.2 billion in medical costs.

After all the dust had settled, the total number of deaths from COVID in relation to the Sturgis event? One. Of course, this hasn't stopped Saint Anthony Fauci from prognosticating that Sturgis will again be a "super-spreader" event.

It's a shame that the good people attending the Sturgis rally can't lock down the "sophistication" traits of the attendees of Obama's birthday party. Then they wouldn't have anything to worry about COVID-wise. I mean, it's not as if the term was used arbitrarily in a blatantly hypocritical attempt to justify one gathering of rich Democrats and Democrat donors while vilifying a gathering of those dirty peasants, would it?

Nah.

Gregory McCants is a pseudonym.

Image: D.J.'s since-deleted photo of Obamas b-day party.

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Whether in Lebanon, where Hezb'allah operates, or in Afghanistan, where the Taliban is brutally regaining territory, they have the same operating methods and the same devastating plans for the world.

It is hard to believe, but a year has passed since the massive explosion at Beirut's port caused by a rusting chemical container destroyed parts of Beirut. It was a metaphor for the perilous state of the Lebanese economy.

The maintenance of Lebanon, like the maintenance of the port, has been ruined by mismanagement and malfeasance. The collapse of the government and the selection of a billionaire to be the new president at a time when Lebanese do not know how to put food on their table or when they will have electricity speaks to the problem of a country in ruin.

Hovering malevolently over it all is Hezb'allah, the Iranian terror proxy. Its not so covert hand controls Lebanon.

The Lebanese economy is officially bankrupt, but Hezb'allah bank accounts, at home and abroad, are in good shape, for this organization has its own sources of income that it refuses to share with the Lebanese people, except in salaries to the young men who join its military ranks. Not the Lebanese army  the ranks of Sheikh Nasrallah's terror militia.

The international drug trade is one of Hezb'allah's prime sources of income.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) established a Counter-Narcoterrorism Operations Center and designated twenty-five terror organizations that were active in international drug trafficking. Hezb'allah was top on the list, as was the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The DEA puts special emphasis on Hezb'allah for several reasons. Before 9/11, Hezb'allah had killed more Americans than any other terror organization. But in the last few years, it has shown a higher degree of sophistication than other terror groups. It has a unique hierarchical, compartmentalized structure. It also has widespread political, military, criminal, and social interactions with other countries and terror groups.

Apart from its financial, intelligence, and military support from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hezb'allah relies on the criminal revenue streams from sources in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, South America, and even the United States.

Two main sources of income, apart from donations from worldwide supporters, are money-laundering and drugs. Today, this criminal terror organization is controlling the country of Lebanon.

Within days of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban rapidly seized five provincial capitals. At the time of writing, they are massacring anyone who served or assisted with the American presence in that country. It will, inevitably, capture and control the capital, Kabul.

One of the first things the Taliban will do will be to spread the red carpet of poppy fields throughout Afghanistan because from this pretty flower, it will finance its own covert economy.

You can be sure that the Taliban and Hezb'allah will not be contracting pharmaceutical companies into a shared partnership for medical opium and morphine needs that would economically benefit the people of Afghanistan and Lebanon. The Taliban and Hezb'allah already have a lucrative partnership operating the criminal industry and marketing of heroin, the end-product of the Afghan poppy.

In August 2020, the Washington Post ran an article headed "Hezbollah operatives seen behind spike in drug trafficking." This article details how Hezb'allah operates drug-manufacturing plants in Syria, giving Assad his payment for hosting the criminal operation.

It is certain that, with U.S. forces out of Afghanistan, and with the Taliban playing a similar role to Hezb'allah in Lebanon, the two malevolent forces will partner, and we will see the growth of criminal drug factories on a massive scale sprouting up throughout abandoned Afghanistan, richly rewarding and empowering these two major terror organizations.

Despite the fact that Hezb'allah is hard-line Shia and the Taliban represents a hard-line Sunni faith, they will put their differences aside in their shared goal of destroying the West and their need to expand their financial lifelines in order to expand their operations.

Just as Hezb'allah prefers to play a hybrid role behind a weak government in Beirut, so will the Taliban effectively set up a dummy government rather than be front and center in Kabul. Both have played a devious role by appearing to represent the people while expanding their military capabilities outside the national armies of their countries.

This is how many in the international diplomatic community, particularly the Europeans, mistakenly differentiate between "the military wing" of Hezb'allah and its "political movement." This confusion has hampered the war on terrorism for decades. They will do the same with the Taliban after they take Kabul.

This confused diplomatic groupthink has held back the war against terrorism for decades. It is not only the poor people of Lebanon and Afghanistan who will be negatively impacted by this lethal partnership in drugs, crime, and terrorism. It will also be much of the Western world as well.

Barry Shaw is the senior associate at the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies.

Image: Hezbollah parading in Beirut and Taliban fighters' post-American offensive (cropped).

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Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday that he's resigning as governor of New York because he loves the state and it's clear that he's in the way. Since I think very little of the man, both as a person and a politician, the fact that he's leaving seems like good news. However, it's very likely that, by pulling out now, he's sparing himself and his minions a criminal investigation into the 15,000 old people who died last year when he insistently warehoused COVID patients in retirement communities. Also, considering who's already lining up to take his place, New York may find itself going from the corrupt Democrat frying pan into the equally corrupt communist fire.

Here's Cuomo's full statement. It's clear that, in his own mind, he's doing New Yorkers a great favor because of this sacrifice:

It's rather striking that, just as Michael Avenatti went from being America's savior to a fallen man, exactly the same thing has happened to Cuomo. It's apparent that leftists are elevating really bad human beings in their rush to destroy conservatism in America and gain permanent power.

The entire Democrat establishment drooled over Cuomo last year, so much so that Hollywood gave him an Emmy for his performance as a governor on television (ignoring the people his intentional policies killed). I'm not holding my breath for any of those same people to have a "come to Jesus" moment. At some point, you'd think they'd start to wonder why their idols all have feet of clay, but introspection isn't a leftist trait.

While there's a certain satisfaction in seeing Cuomo resign in disgrace, the fact that he's doing so because it finally became expedient for his party to dump him over behavior they've known about for years (and even decades) takes some of the bloom off that rose. In other words, Cuomo's resigning not because he did a bad thing. He's resigning because his party is moving on and moving left (more on that in a minute).

The clever thing is that by ousting Cuomo over sex charges, a charge that has become the left's go-to play since the #MeToo movement started, Democrats won't have to address his abysmal policy decisions during the COVID epidemic. Considering that Cuomo was sending sick people to vulnerable nursing homes, despite knowing what would happen, leaves one wondering what reasons drove him.

Did he send COVID viruses to nursing homes so there would be lots of deaths on Trump's watch, destroying his chance at re-election? Or did he seed nursing homes with COVID because old people are expensive, requiring government funds even though they're no longer generating taxable income? I wouldn't put either motive past Cuomo, but now we'll never know.

And then there's the question of what comes after Cuomo. I've said for some time now that New York attorney general Letitia James is gunning for his job. She's the same woman who has been relentlessly trying to find evidence of some crime against Trump. This isn't because she had any reason to believe he'd engaged in criminal acts. This is because, like Stalin's Lavrentiy Beria, she operates on the "show me the man, and I'll show you the crime" principle.

James, who used to joke that "A.G." stands for "almost governor," isn't the only hard-leftist-to-the-point-of-being-Stalinist who has her eye on the top seat. Bill de Blasio, the hard leftist who's returned New York City to its 1970s-era misery, has also said he's interested in running.

And there's Al Sharpton, who also has his eye on the governor's office. Sharpton has remade himself into a sort of respectable political commentator, but for me, he'll always remain the corrupt race-hustler who destroyed several men's lives over the fake Tawana Brawley story.

In addition to his generic race-hustling, let's just say I don't take seriously Sharpton's belated apology for his utterly disgraceful anti-Semitic role in stirring up the Crown Heights pogrom of 1991. Thanks to his diligent efforts to inflame the mob, including telling them to "kill the Jews," he ignited three days of violence against Jews in Crown Heights, as well as the murder of one Jewish man and one Italian-American man who was mistaken for a Jew.

Andrew Cuomo is a bully, a hustler, a fondler, and a killer of old people. He deserves a life of shame and ignominy. However, with his departure, the way is paved for a Stalinist attorney general, a communist mayor, and an anti-Semitic race-hustler to fight for the New York state governor's office. Let's hope New York is able to do better than one of those three. If not, though, the state will get everything it deserves  and Florida will add tens of thousands more citizens as the smart folks leave New York state behind for good.

Image: Andrew Cuomo resignation. YouTube screen grab.

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Google last week launched a new line of Nest-branded home security cameras and a video doorbell. The new products are controlled by the Google Home app. Ahead of their market release later this month, Google is updating the app to support setting up those devices and also introducing legacy features and functionality from the old companion client.

Google Home prepares for the arrival of the new Nest Cam line and Doorbell

The latest, version 2.42 update for the Google Home app brings a slew of new functionality related to the new products. The blue-colored Cameras shortcut at the top of the screen still lets you see video feeds from your cameras. But with the latest update, you can now also control all device settings from the Home client.

The app is also adding the ability to set up Activity Zones while a new battery screen lets you select between three different usage modes that vary in power consumption. A new History button at the bottom of the screen when viewing live stream from your camera will let you see clips and recordings through the new Sightline 2.0 UI. Last but not least, Google Home 2.42 adds notifications for the camera, doorbell press, and the presence-sensing feature.

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There are more new features in tow

An APK teardown of the Google Home 2.42 reveals that Google is also preparing a couple more features for the app. The folks over at 9to5Google have been able to turn on a new feature that lets you set per-Device DNS. Once it goes live for users, the option will be available under Settings >> Device information for a smart display or speaker. Currently, network preferences under this menu only include the ability to forget a Wi-Fi and see the IP/MAC address.

According to the report, the new feature lets you select between the Google Public DNS and your Router-provided DNS. Google promises a faster, more reliable experience if you select its DNS. It could help users who have trouble reaching Assistant and other Google services, the report notes.

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Additionally, this APK teardown also revealed references to Googles upcoming partnership with renowned home security company ADT. Announced in August last year, this strategic partnership is apparently codenamed Aruba and Google Home 2.42 contains strings related to it. The app is seemingly preparing for what comes out of this partnership.

<string name=help_category_aruba>ADT | Google</string>

Its unclear when these two upcoming features will go live in the Google Home app. We will be keeping a close eye on it. Meanwhile, if youre planning to get the new Nest Cam line and Doorbell, the devices will go on sale starting on August 24th. They will be available through both the Google Store as well as other retailers.
NAPLES - Coast guard scuba divers have brought to light in the waters of the island of Ischia so-called "ghost gear", two abandoned fishing nets, a 20-meter-long one weighing some 30 kilos on the rocky seabed at some 35 meters of depth and a 100-meter-long net weighing about 250 kilos. "Ghost gear", fishing equipment that is lost or abandoned at sea, constitutes a major threat for marine ecosystems and can continue killing marine life for decades.



On the seabed, there are many abandoned or lost fishing nets that are among the most dangerous types of marine waste because they are able to trap with great ease fauna that can die very quickly. Their plastic material can decompose into very small particles, known as microplastics, which eaten by sea life alter the ecosystem, even affecting the bacterial biodiversity of water. In the Mediterranean, recent research conducted in several areas showed that fishing gear can even represent the majority of marine waste, up to 89%.



The campaign '2021 ghost gear' was part of coordinated initiatives for the environment. The activity took part in the protected marine area "Regno di Nettuno", with the participation of coast guard scuba divers in Portici, supported by personnel of the maritime directorate of Campania and the Ufficio circondariale marittimo in Ischia.
TEL AVIV - Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid left this morning with a direct flight operated by El Al for Rabat, where his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita was waiting for him. "It is an historic trip", said Lapid, referring to the fact that this is the first visit by an Israeli minister to Morocco since, in December last year, the two countries resumed diplomatic relations, in the context of the so-called 'Abraham Accords'. The last visit to Morocco by an Israeli foreign minister dates back to 2003.



Lapid will inaugurate in Rabat the offices of the Israeli diplomatic delegation and will also visit Casablanca, where he will meet with the local Jewish community. "This visit - added Lapid - is part of the continuation of a long friendship and in the context of the deep ties of Israelis of Moroccan origin with the country of origin".
An employee at the British embassy in Berlin has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia, German prosecutors have said.

The man, a 57-year-old British national named only as David S, was detained on Tuesday following a joint investigation by the British and German authorities.

In a statement, the German Federal Prosecutors Office said he is suspected of selling documents obtained during his work at the embassy to a representative of a Russian intelligence service.

He is due to appear before an investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice later on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: The man was arrested in the Berlin area on suspicion of committing offences relating to being engaged in intelligence agent activity (under German law).

Primacy for the investigation remains with German authorities. Officers from the Counter Terrorism Command continue to liaise with German counterparts as the investigation continues.

The Mets Counter Terrorism Command is responsible for investigating alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act.

According to the prosecutors statement, the suspect  who worked as a local employee at the embassy  was arrested in the German town of Potsdam.

Police subsequently carried out searches at his home and at his workplace.

He is said to be suspected of having worked for a a foreign secret service since at least November last year.

On at least one occasion he forwarded documents obtained in the course of his professional activities to a representative of a Russian intelligence service, the statement said.

In return for providing information, the accused received cash in a previously unknown amount.

In a statement, a UK Government spokesman said: An individual who was contracted to work for the Government was arrested yesterday by the German authorities.

It would not be appropriate to comment further as there is an ongoing police investigation.
A convicted terrorist who acted as a linchpin for a group of friends who travelled to Syria to fight for so-called Islamic State has been refused parole following behavioural concerns.

Abdullahi Jama Farah, 25, from Fallowfield, Manchester, created a hub of communication for his Mandem group of like-minded extremists while studying for his A-levels.

Jama Farah, who is Danish and of Somali origin, was convicted of preparing for terrorism acts between 2013 and 2014 when he assisted Nur Hassan, from Moss Side, Manchester, by facilitating his travel to Syria and communication with others.

He was also in contact with close friends Raphael Hostey, 22  reportedly an associate of Manchester Arena suicide bomber Salman Abedi  Mohammed Javeed, 24, and Khalil Raoufi, 20, who left north-west England to Syria in October 2013. They all later died.

Raphael Hostey, Ahmed Halane and Khalil Raoufi in a study group held by Halane in Manchester (GMP/PA)

Jama Farah is the cousin of Zahra and Salma Halane  dubbed the terror twins  who at the age of 16 left their home in Chorlton, Manchester, in June 2014 for Syria and went on to marry IS fighters.

Their elder brother Ahmed Halane went to Somalia in September 2013, where he is suspected to have joined the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.

Last week the Parole Board held its first review of his case since he was sentenced in August 2016 to seven years in detention with an extended licence period of three years.

The panel considered a dossier prepared by officials for the Secretary of State for Justice regarding his progress and conduct in custody.

Khalil Raoufi who was killed in combat in Syria in February 2014 (GMP/PA)

It noted he had taken part in an intervention addressing the underlying causes of extremist offending and ways of disengaging, and had also worked with the prison imam to help develop his understanding of his faith.

But the panel report added: Reports of this work had been positive, however, prior to the listed oral hearing behavioural concerns had emerged in the prison. Reports within the dossier did not support Mr Jama-Farahs release.

The panel went on to examine the release plan provided by his probation officer and was not persuaded there would be effective risk management overseas if, as expected, he was deported.

It ruled an alternative plan to remain in the UK with residence conditions and strict limitations on his contacts, movements and activities was not robust enough due to the concerns raised about his behaviour in custody.

Ahmed Halane is last reported to be living in Denmark (GMP/PA)

In conclusion, the panel stated: After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented in the dossier, the panel was not satisfied that Mr Jama-Farah was suitable for release.

Jama Farah is due to be automatically released in July 2022 unless a future parole board review deems him suitable for parole before then.

Jurors at his Old Bailey trial were told it was clear Jama Farah supported IS from what was found on his computers, as well as messages on WhatsApp and social media.

He denied wrongdoing and was cast by his defence as an over-excited teenager sitting in his bedroom at home on his computer in contact with his friends and passing on phone numbers, concerned for their welfare.

Following his conviction, police said Jama Farah was a key part of the communication between his group of friends who had gone abroad and regularly provided them with new contact details and updates on each others to help them evade the authorities.

Last August, it was reported the Halane twins were being held in a high-security detention centre in Syria after trying to escape a refugee camp. The sisters told ITV News they wanted to be repatriated to Denmark, the country of their birth, while their mother told The Daily Telegraph her daughters had been banned from returning to the UK.

Their elder brother Ahmed was last reported to be in Denmark and is subject to an exclusion order from Britain.
A gang member who drew childish doodles of a brutal and random killing he planned to carry out has been jailed along with three others in his crew.

David Gomoh, a 24-year-old NHS worker, was stabbed to death as part of a meaningless feud that sparked a petty but fatal game of one-upmanship played out on the streets of London, the Old Bailey has heard.

The marketing graduate, who worked in NHS procurement, was repeatedly stabbed in the street on April 26 last year as he spoke to his girlfriend on the phone.

He staggered back to his home in east London and bled to death in front of his horrified family.

David Gomoh was on the phone to his girlfriend when he was attacked (Met Police/PA)

Jurors heard the victim had nothing to do with gangs but was nonetheless targeted in the ongoing rivalry.

Investigators later uncovered sketches by one of his killers which revealed a chilling picturebook story of the events leading up to the murder.

David Ture, 19, of no fixed address; Vagnei Colubali, 22, of Cambridge; Muhammad Jalloh, 19, of no fixed address; and a 17 year-old boy from Telford, Shropshire, were found guilty of Mr Gomohs murder on Wednesday.

The defendants were also convicted of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent to another man who got away and has never been identified.

Jurors deliberated for almost 15 hours before returning the verdicts of guilty on all counts.

One of a series of drawings from David Tures bedroom showing a number of young men carrying out a stabbing (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Members of Mr Gomohs family attended court in person on Wednesday and gasped as the verdicts were read out.

Speaking outside court afterwards, Mr Gomohs sister Lizzie said: Davids murder is without a doubt the hardest thing my family and I have been through. It is something that no family should ever go through.

Nothing will bring back a life that was so full of promise and hope, a life that was brutally taken away from us, but we are grateful now that we can begin to mourn.

The trial had heard how Mr Gomoh was picked at random by the Northside Newham Gang to send a message to rival Custom House and Beckton gangs.

The defendants armed themselves with knives, changed clothes and got a stolen car with false number plates before setting off to south Newham to find someone to attack.

A stolen silver Dodge Caliber was found abandoned minutes after the murder of NHS worker David Gomoh (Met Police/PA)

They first chased an unidentified man who managed to run away. Less than an hour later, Mr Gomoh left his home address in Custom House to go to the local supermarket.

He was chatting to his girlfriend on a mobile phone who heard someone demand where are you from and sounds of a struggle.

After inflicting multiple stab wounds, the attackers fled in a stolen car driven by Colubali. A pair of sunglasses left at the murder scene were found to have the 17-year-old defendants DNA on them.

A second pair of glasses inside the discarded getaway car had Jallohs DNA on them.

Police uncovered a series of drawings from Tures bedroom showing a number of young men carrying out a stabbing in order to attack one of their rivals.

The sketches not only showed the location of Mr Gomohs murder in Freemasons Road but the clothes the defendants had worn.

Another drawing from David Tures bedroom (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Detectives said the sketches were a picturebook story of the events leading up to the murder, and included detail only the killers would have known.

Senior Crown prosecutor Lousie Attrill said the case highlighted the tragedy of postcode killings and gang rivalries.

Speaking after the verdicts were delivered, she added: These individuals had planned to kill anyone they came into contact with who they believed to be from opposing gangs.

David was tragically caught in the middle of a meaningless feud. Despite having no connections to gangs he was killed without hesitation.

The prosecutions case included CCTV, forensic evidence and drawings made by Ture which were found in his bedroom.

We were able to show these childish doodles to the jury and the jury convicted the defendants today.

Mark Lucraft QC, recorder of London, set a sentencing date for September 17.
Julian Assanges partner has made a plea for this nightmare to come to an end once and for all as the US Government won the latest round in its High Court bid to extradite the WikiLeaks founder on espionage charges.

Stella Moris, who has two children with Assange, spoke outside the Royal Courts of Justice after a preliminary hearing as part of the US Governments challenge to a decision by a British judge in January not to extradite him.

At Wednesdays hearing, Lord Justice Holroyde ruled in favour of the US authorities and allowed them to expand their arguments for the main appeal, which will take place over two days in October.

After the ruling, Ms Moris said the court had not discussed why she fears for my safety and the safety of our children and Julians life.

She said: The constant threats and intimidation that we have endured for years which has been terrorising us and has been terrorising Julian for over 10 years.

Threats against me, threats against our children, death threats against Julians eldest son.

Threats on Julians life, threats of 175-year prison sentence and the actual ongoing imprisonment for a journalist for doing his job.

Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Julian Assange appearing by video link at the High Court in London (Elizabeth Cook/PA)

These are sustained threats to his life for the past 10 years. These are not just items of law, this is our lives.

We have the right to exist. We have a right to live. We have a right for this nightmare to come to an end once and for all.

Ahead of the hearing, Ms Moris accused the US Government of exploiting the inherently unfair extradition arrangements with this country in order to arbitrarily prolong his imprisonment.

She added: The imprisonment of an innocent man accused of practising journalism.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also joined protesters in front of the High Court ahead of the preliminary hearing.

A demonstrator outside the High Court in London (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

He said: The United States seems to have a sort of obsession with people who uncover the truths about US military presence around the world.

I think they should wind their necks in and let Julian Assange go.

I hope the court today gives a very clear signal that they will not allow the appeal by the United States and that Julian Assange will be allowed to go free.

He was applauded by protesters who later shouted free Julian Assange and jail the war criminals to the sound of a beating drum as uniformed police looked on.

The US Governments full appeal against the decision not to extradite Assange will now be heard at the High Court in October.
Step aside hard seltzer  Boston Beer Company (SAM) is partnering with Pepsi to add another drink to its portfolio, a spiked version of Mountain Dew.

On Tuesday, the company announced its partnership with PepsiCo (PEP) to deliver HARD MTN DEW, with 5 percent alcohol. The boozy beverage will come in three flavors: original, black cherry and watermelon, and is expected to hit shelves in early 2022.

The worlds of beer, spirits, wine, and even non-alc beverages are all starting to converge as consumers seek new drinking experiences," Dave Burwick, Boston Beer Company President & CEO told Yahoo Finance in an email.

He continued, "this alliance unites two teams with tremendous expertise in beverages and building beloved, iconic brands. Itll allow both companies to get a glimpse of the future and ensure we get more than our fair share of growth as the industry evolves. The best brands will undoubtedly win, and thats why were bringing together the companies that have created Truly Hard Seltzer, Twisted Tea, and Mountain Dew.

Meanwhile, Pepsico, taking a chance with Mountain Dew's 80-year history, appears to be banking on the new spin paying off.

"The Boston Beer Company partnership combines two recognized leaders in our respective industries to address the changing tastes of drinkers and we are thrilled at the opportunity to create HARD MTN DEW that maintains the bold, citrus flavor fans know and expect," Kirk Tanner, PepsiCo Beverages North America CEO, said in the release.

The beverage giant said it will market the drink to "adults of legal age and merchandized consistently with other alcohol beverages," in addition it plans to set up a "new entity to sell, deliver, and merchandise the product."

The Boston Beer Company and PepsiCo today announced plans to enter a business collaboration to produce HARD MTN DEW alcoholic beverages.

The Boston Beer Company has been dabbling in other markets with other brands. This summer, its DogFish Head Brewery introduced Hazy-O IPA Ice Cream with artisanal ice cream maker Tipsy Scoop, based in New York City. The ice cream includes the Dogfish Head Hazy-O IPA, and contains 5% alcohol.

Year-to-date, shares of the Boston Beer Company are down more than 33 percent following a missed earnings reporter last quarter. Meanwhile, shares of PepsiCo are up 4 percent this year after the company sold off its juice brands like Tropicana, Naked, among others.

Brooke DiPalma is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@yahoofinance.com. Check out her latest:

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An Arizona lawmaker has resigned after he was accused of having sexual contact with a minor in 2019.

Republican Senate President Karen Fann and Democratic Leader Rebecca Rios issued a joint statement accepting the resignation of state Sen. Otoniel Tony Navarrete on Tuesday.

"Moments ago, Senator Tony Navarrete tendered his resignation, effectively immediately," they said in the statement. "This was the right thing to do considering the serious allegations. We know that the Arizona Judicial Branch will deliver justice and pray for healing and support for all victims."

Image: Tony Navarrete. (Arizona State Legislature)

The resignation comes after the Phoenix Democrat was booked Thursday on multiple counts of sexual conduct with a minor and other charges.

Navarrete, who could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday, told The Associated Press that he "adamantly" denies "all allegations that have been made and will pursue all avenues in an effort to prove my innocence. In doing so, I will be focusing the vast majority of my time and energy on my defense.

He added: While I would love nothing more than to continue to serve the families of Arizonas 30th District, I worry it will be impossible to give my constituents the full attention they deserve. Therefore, I must resign my post as Arizona State Senator today."

Phoenix police started looking at allegations against Navarrete last Wednesday, Sgt. Andrew Williams said. After "detectives interviewed a juvenile victim and witnesses," they had "probable cause to arrest the suspect, Otoniel Navarrete," according to police.

In a recorded phone call with the accuser Thursday, authorities said Navarrete admitted that he regretted touching the boy, saying, "I'm sorry, mijo," according to a probable cause statement obtained by NBC News.

When the accuser asked the lawmaker why he touched him, Navarrete allegedly apologized, acknowledged his mistakes and repeatedly told the victim none of it was the boy's fault, the document stated.

Later that same day, Navarrete was taken into custody at his home in Phoenix, according to the statement.

He was released Saturday on a $50,000 bond and ordered to wear an electronic monitor, according to The Arizona Republic.

A status conference in his case is scheduled for Thursday morning. He is expected to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Monday.
KABUL (Reuters) -Taliban fighters took control of another city in northern Afghanistan on Wednesday, an official said, the eighth provincial capital to fall to the insurgents in six days as U.S.-led foreign forces complete their withdrawal.

The Taliban capture of Faizabad, capital of the northeastern province of Badakhshan, came as President Ashraf Ghani landed in Mazar-i-Sharif to rally its defenders as Taliban forces closed in on the biggest city in the north.

Jawad Mujadidi, a provincial council member from Badakhshan, said the Taliban had laid siege to Faizabad before launching an offensive on Tuesday.

"Unfortunately, after hours of heavy fighting the ANDSF retreated," Mujadidi told Reuters, referring to national security forces.

"With the fall of Faizabad the whole of the northeast has come under Taliban control."

Badakhshan borders Tajikistan, Pakistan and China.

Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani arrives in Mazar-i-Sharif to check the security situation of the northern provinces , Afghanistan A

The loss of the city is the latest setback for the beleaguered government, which has been struggling to stem the momentum of Taliban assaults in the last .

The Taliban are battling to defeat the U.S-backed government and reimpose strict Islamic law. The speed of their advance has shocked the government and its allies.

Taliban forces now control 65% of Afghanistan, have taken or threaten to take 11 provincial capitals and seek to deprive Kabul of its traditional support from national forces in the north, a senior European Union official said on Tuesday.

U.S. President Joe Biden urged Afghan leaders to fight for their homeland, saying on Tuesday he did not regret his decision to withdraw, noting that the United States had spent more than $1 trillion over 20 years and lost thousands of troops.

The United States was providing significant air support, food, equipment and salaries to Afghan forces, he said.

The north was for years Afghanistan's most peaceful region, with only a minimal Taliban presence.

During their 1996 to 2001 rule, the Taliban were never completely in control of the north but this time, they seem intent on securing it before closing in on the capital.

The Taliban had also taken control of borders with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Russia's Kommersant daily reported, citing Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, heightening security concerns for Moscow.

Shoigu said the Taliban had promised not to cross the border but Russia would continue holding drills with its allies in the region.

Video grab of people believed to be militants on a pickup truck with a gun in Afghanistan

REGIONAL APPEAL

Afghan officials have appealed for pressure on Pakistan to stop Taliban reinforcements and supplies flowing over the border. Pakistan denies backing the Taliban.

The government has withdrawn its forces from some hard-to-defend rural districts to focus on holding population centres. In some places, government forces have given up without a fight.

Ghani is now appealing for help from the old regional powerbrokers he spent years sidelining as he attempted to project the authority of his central government over traditionally wayward provinces.

He was due to meet regional leaders in Mazar-i-Sharif to work out coordination between the security forces and militias and operations to take back areas the Taliban captured, Tolo News reported.

In the south, government forces government forces are battling Taliban fighters trying to reach Kandahar province's main prison to release detained comrades, officials there said.

Thousands of civilians from outlying areas had taken refuge in Kandahar city, a resident said.

Fighting was also taking place in city of Farah in the west, near the Iranian border, while the Ministry of Defence said in a statement security forces had also battled Taliban in Laghman, Logar, Paktia, Uruzgan, Zabul, Ghor, Balkh, Helmand, Kapisa and Baghlan provinces and 431 Taliban had been killed.

It gave no figure for casualties on the government side and a Taliban spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

In Geneva on Tuesday, U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said reports of violations that could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity were emerging, including "deeply disturbing reports" of the summary execution of surrendering government troops.

Six EU member states warned the bloc's executive against halting deportations of rejected Afghan asylum seekers arriving in Europe, fearing a possible replay of a 2015-16 crisis over the arrival of more than a million migrants, mainly from the Middle East.

The United States will complete the withdrawal of its forces this month in exchange for Taliban promises to prevent Afghanistan being used for international terrorism. The Taliban promised not to attack foreign forces as they withdraw but did not agree to a ceasefire with the government.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Minister of Defense Arshak Karapetyan met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu in Russia. The meeting was held in both narrow and expanded formats, the defense ministry said in a news release.

During the meeting Karapetyan and Shoigu discussed a broad circle of issues related to the Armenian-Russian allied relations and exchanged views over the issues of ensuring regional and international security.

Congratulating Karapetyan on his appointment as defense minister, Shoigu praised the work in the latest period carried out by the defense ministries of the two countries for developing bilateral cooperation and solving existing issues in the region.

Minister of Defense Shoigu emphasized that Russia will continue to make maximum efforts for strengthening peace in Nagorno Karabakh and peaceful resolution of the situation in Armenias bordering regions. He also thanked Armenia for continuing to participate in the humanitarian mission in Syria, despite the existing issues.

At Shoigus request, Karapetyan briefed him on the tactical situation around the borders of Armenia, attaching importance to the mediating efforts carried out by Russia for a peaceful resolution of the situation. Minister of Defense Karapetyan stressed that Armenia continues to be committed to establishing sustainable peace in the region and continuation of negotiations in this direction, but at the same time it wont tolerate occupation of its border regions and will take all necessary actions to restore its territorial integrity.

The Armenian Minister of Defense thanked for the peacekeeping mission in Nagorno Karabakh, noting that peaceful life in Nagorno Karabakh is restored thanks to the Russian peacekeepers efforts, and that the uninterrupted communication with Armenia is ensured. Karapetyan stressed the inadmissibility of the periodical Azerbaijani provocations and ceasefire violations in the zone of responsibility of the peacekeepers, and mentioned the latest Azeri drone attack as an example.

Arshak Karapetyan also addressed the ongoing intensive reforms in the defense sector and thanked his partner for the comprehensive support. The minister emphasized that today the Armenian-Russian military-political relations are in the phase of shifting to an unprecedented high level.

Karapetyan and Shoigu reached several important agreements around upcoming partnership programs.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani claims that the trilateral declaration of November 9 provides for the withdrawal of Armenian units from Nagorno Karabakh is an explicit lie, ARMENPRESS reports reads the statement issued by the MFA Armenia, noting that the Azerbaijani armed forces have intensified their provocative measures during the last days against both the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia and the Defense Army of Artsakh. Civilian settlements of both Armenia and Artsakh have also been targeted.

The Azerbaijani side is trying to hide its aggressive actions, accusing the Armenian side of violating the November 9 trilateral declaration, but on the other hand, openly distorts the same November 9 declaration.

We find it necessary to note that the first point of the November 9 declaration clearly defines  the sides stop in their existing positions. But the Azerbaijani units attacked Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd villages of Artsakhs Hadrut region a month after the signing of the declaration, occupying those areas, killing and taking hostage Armenian servicemen. At the moment, the Azerbaijani side is again trying to occupy new positions in various parts of the contact line, targeting the Armenian border guards from different weapons, including drones, reads the statement.

Underlining that the latest drone incident happened on August 11 nearby Mkhitarashen and Shosh villages, the Armenian MFA emphasized, The Azerbaijani claims that the trilateral declaration of November 9 provides for the withdrawal of Armenian units from Nagorno Karabakh is an explicit lie. In the existing situation the Defense Army of Artsakh, which was established in 90s by the people of Artsakh and had been a key security factor during the last 30 years, today also ensures the security and right to life of the people of Artsakh together with the Russian peacekeepers. The people of Artsakh cannot survive in its historical motherland without the Defense Army, and the scenario of withdrawing the Defense Army from Artsakh is the scenario of evicting Armenians from Artsakh.

The Foreign Ministry of Armenia notes that the November 9 declaration provides for the withdrawal of the Armenian forces only from the regions surrounding Nagorno Karabakh, which is clearly mentioned in the declaration.

The Armenian side has fully implemented this point, while Azerbaijan responded to this act by infiltrating into the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia from those same territories and illegally establishing positions there.

These encroachments on the Republic of Armenia since May 12 have resulted in human casualties and seriously endangered regional security, reads the statement of the MFA Armenia, adding that the resumption of Nagorno Karabakh peace process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs, the full implementation of November 9 and January 11 statements, the elimination of the consequences of the recorded violations, including the unconditional preservation of the ceasefire, the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani forces from the sovereign territory of Armenia, immediate repatriation of Armenian POWs and civilian hostages can create conditions for strengthening regional peace and security.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS/ARTSAKHPRESS. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry issued a statement on August 11 that allegedly in the previous days Armenia violated the November 9, 2020 trilateral declaration of ceasefire and deployed new military forces in Artsakh, adding that the Azerbaijani army will take all necessary measures.

Commenting on these provocative announcements of the Azerbaijani side, Foreign Minister of Artsakh Davit Babayan said in an interview with ARTSAKHPRESS that the announcement of the defense ministry of Azerbaijan is nothing but a provocative and terroristic step.

"By intimidating the people of Artsakh and forcing them to lose faith in the future of Artsakh, the enemy aims to evict Armenians from Artsakh. Azerbaijan is trying to cover up its aggressive actions in various directions by spreading similar false announcements. It is not ruled out that the enemy, on the advice of Turkey, is also trying to strike a blow at the Armenian-Russian brotherhood, overshadowing the mission of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the region. We call on our compatriots not to succumb to the provocations of the enemy and to remain calm, ARMENPRESS reports Babayan as saying.
Security agencies silent on sensational claim by state legislator

Guwahati: In what has created a sensation in the security circle, former Congress MP and present MLA from Pasighat Ninong Ering claimed that China was trying to recruit youths from Arunachal Pradesh in the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA).

In a video message posted on social media, Mr Ering said, According to the information we have received so far, the Chinese PLA is trying to recruit youths from Tibet as well as Arunachal Pradesh. It is a matter of grave concern.

Asking the union ministry of defence and home to take up the matter seriously, Mr Ering said that the people belonging to Nishi, Adi, Mishimi, Idu communities living along the China border have some affinities with the people of the Lhoba community of China.

There is a similarity between the language spoken by the people of Lhoba community and the people of Arunachal Pradesh living along the border areas. But this does not necessarily mean that they would like to join the Chinese PLA, he said while pointing out that he was confident that Indian Army was competent to foil such a design of China.

He argued that the way China was constructing houses at Bisa and building roads in Gehling and Anini, one cannot rule out that the border residents of Arunachal Pradesh would not be influenced by the development across the border in China.

Mr Ering who advocated the necessity of counter-steps by India to foil such designs of China, asked the defence ministry to start recruiting Arunachal Pradesh youths in different forces to guard the international border with China.

Veteran leader of the frontier state also appealed to Chinese counterpart to refrain from indulging in such misdemeanours as Arunachal Pradesh is an indivisible part of India and will remain so in future too.

Pointing out that Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,126 km border with China, Mr Ering said that he was also going to write a letter to the external affairs ministry to draw their attention to the issue.

When contacted the security agencies were tight-lipped about the issue and refused to make any comment on Mr Erings remark.
There were ugly scenes in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday as opposition MPs climbed on the officials' table, waved black cloth and threw files

New Delhi: Expressing deep anguish over some opposition MPs climbing on the table in the House, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said he couldn't sleep because of the sacrilege in the "temple of democracy".

Referring to Tuesday's events, Naidu said he struggled to find a provocation or reason for the low in the "august House".

Parliament, the apex legislature of the country is regarded as the "temple of democracy", he said.

The table area where the officers and reporters of the House, the secretary general and the presiding officer are seated is considered the holy sanctum sanctorum of the House, an emotional Naidu said as the Rajya Sabha assembled for the day.

"I rise in deep anguish to place on record the way this august House is being subjected to sacrilege and that too propelled by a sense of competition among some sections of the House since the commencement of this monsoon session," the Rajya Sabha chairman said.

There were ugly scenes in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday as opposition MPs climbed on the officials' table, waved black cloth and threw files when the House began a discussion on the farmers' protest against new reform laws.

Several MPs stood on the table where the parliamentary staff sits right below the chair, while others crowded around it shouting anti-government slogans.

A few members squatted on the table for over one-and-half hours during which proceedings were adjourned multiple times.

No sooner was a discussion on the farmers' issues called, MPs belonging to opposition parties including the Congress and the TMC trooped into the Well shouting slogans seeking withdrawal of the controversial farm reform legislations.

According to Naidu, a certain degree of sacredness is attached to the place. In temples, devotees are allowed only up to the sanctum sanctorum and not beyond, he said, adding that entering the area is itself an act of sacrilege.

"I am distressed by the way this sacredness has been destroyed yesterday."

While some members sat on the table, others climbed on it, perhaps to be more visible, he said.

"I have no words to convey my anguish and to condemn such acts. As I spent a sleepless night last night, I struggled to find the provocation or reason for forcing this august House to hit such a low yesterday," he said.

Naidu said a discussion on agricultural problems and solutions' was listed for discussion on Tuesday, further to a broad agreement in the House to discuss the plight of farmers.

While the Chairman was making the remarks, several opposition members entered the Well to raise slogans on different issues.

However, Naidu continued making his observations amid the uproar.

Over the years, when Notices of Motions' of different kind are admitted by the Chair, the language to be used in the List of Business' is drafted in such a way that it is acceptable to all sections of the House without denting the thrust of the issue to be discussed. It happened yesterday too, he said.

"I find it difficult to understand as to how the way the subject was listed in the List of Business for yesterday would have prevented any member to raise any issue concerning the farm sector, including the three farm Bills that some members were keen to raise in the House and even demanding their withdrawal," Naidu said.

Tuesday, he added, was a golden opportunity for members to have gone on record with their positions on all issues relating to the plight of the famers. But it was not to be as the sole intention seemed to be to not allow the House to function.

On Tuesday, when the Chair announced a discussion on farmers' issues, Congress chief whip Jairam Ramesh cited a ruling by the Chair in 2015 and said his notice for calling attention motion was converted into a short duration discussion without taking the sense of the House. This, he said, was a unilateral decision.

Naidu also expressed his concern at some MPs shooting the "sad moments of sacrilege" in the House and posting them on social media.

While doing so, they only ended up showing to the people the extent to which the House could degenerate to due to the new found competitive and aggressive disruption by some sections, he said.

"It was very sad indeed. I am deeply anguished and so must be the nation and well wishers of our parliamentary democracy," Naidu observed. As chairman of the House, he said he was "scared to visualise the implications and consequences of such competitive acts of sacrilege in our temple of democracy".

Naidu asked the members to seriously reflect on what happened on Tuesday and explore remedies if any.

Failure to do so would certainly render our parliamentary democracy irrelevant.

"I would like to remind all of you that we begin to celebrate the 75th year of our independence in a few days from now. The choice before each one of you is very clear. It is either to be the best parliamentarian or the worst disruptor," he added.

Naidu also said that "some people" had complained that Rajya Sabha TV did not broadcast what happened in the House on Tuesday.

"I don't know why Rajya Sabha TV not showing. This also can be shown. I have no problem," he said.

As opposition members kept raising slogans, the proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, center, viewed ongoing Interstate 70 cleanup efforts Wednesday morning alongside Colorado Department of Transportation and U.S. Forest Service officials. I-70 through Glenwood Canyon is expected to reopen Saturday afternoon to one-lane traffic eastbound and westbound following a closure since July 29 due to damages caused by mudslides and rockfalls.
Seriously, its like winter caused an overload of Mercedes-Benz happiness, as far as the G-Class 4x4 Squared is concerned. If we recall correctly, there were no less than four instances of prototypes enjoying the frightful season . It was only logical since the G-Class 4x4 Squared is renowned for its toughness  and God forbid if anyone discovers a fault at freezing temperatures.Then a white example sporting a quirky roof rack  perhaps in anticipation of some great summer road trip adventures  was caught looking decidedly out of place on the Nurburgring Nordschleife. An eerie silence has befallen the development testing of the cool rock-crawling/dune-bashing version ever since. But the G-Class 4x4 is alive and well, thank you for asking.Only that it seems that its up for some (perhaps secretive) military duties. The latest batch of spy shots depicts the all-new G-Class 4x4 Squared in a parking lot, right before people tucked it away under a thin sheet for what looks like a power nap. Perhaps it needed the R&R (rest and relaxation) since its now dressed up in a very dark green, military-like color. Who knows, maybe it was training for the armed forces for a differnet kind of summer road trips before that...It's everyones guess, of course. For now, all we know is that paintjob may or may not reach the moment of its official introduction  although it does have some patina-inducing vibes that might appeal to affluent veterans. And said time of its worldwide launch has now been postponed by the rumor mill further up this year  perhaps for a glorious Munich Motor Show (IAA) reveal in just a few weeks from now.
Why are we recalling a little automotive cameo from the days when Paul Walker's character Brian O'Conner was still earning his place in the family? Well, its our way of paying tribute to the regretted actor and serves as a reminder for that crimson pickup truck the crew over at Hoonigan finished a few weeks ago.So, while Ken Block (the HHIC  Head Hoonigan in Charge) was busy playing around his brand-new Baja 1000 Trophy Truck, the crew over at Hoonigan Industries was also tinkering with their cool project. Naturally, they documented everything around the build, but they probably still felt something was missing. So, after the initial video conclusion (embedded below), now its time for a professional photoshoot.This way, its easy to showcase the assets... as well as pay all due respects. Obviously, the entire build is a Fast tribute. But Ken Blocks crew has also learned from the master: you need to pay all the dues, so the marketing gurus wont have anything to scoff at. But, first, a little technical reminder.While on the outside this red Ford F-150 SVT Lightning doesnt stray too far away from its roots, theres something amiss under the crimson metal. Aside from the small-wheel setup, that is. A peek under the hood would reveal that instead of the usual V8 engine theres a 514-horsepower and 472 lb-ft (639 Nm) of torque representative of the JDM breed.Yep, the Lightning isnt electric, but equally outrageous thanks to a Toyota 2JZ swap . And thats the biggest highlight, of course. Just in case you want to know about the names that contributed to the build, the photoshoot serves as a great canvas for putting them under the spotlight...
But that is not all, as the four-wheel steer, as General Motors calls the system, will also bring improved handling for the all-electric Silverado, as well as increased high-speed stability. At this point, it is important to note that the all-wheel-steering system for the electric Silverado will be available as an option, so not all versions of the model will get it.It is worth noting that GM offered four-wheel steering in the Silverado range back in 2002, when it was called Quadrasteer.The other news about the all-electric Silverado is the possibility of ordering 24-inch wheels for the electric pickup truck from Chevy. Unfortunately, the American brand has not specified when the electric Silverado will reach the market , but it may be launched as MY2024 vehicle. Regardless, interested consumers are invited to sign up to a mailing list to get news about the model. Production will be handled by GM's Factory Zero , the place where the reborn Hummer will be manufactured.All-wheel steering is not a recent technology in the automotive world, and you can thank Honda for that feat. Back in 1987, the Honda Prelude Si 4WS came out with a mechanical four-wheel steering system. Japanese automakers like Mazda, Mitsubishi, Toyota, and Nissan introduced similar systems at the time. The last iteration of 4WS from Honda came with an electric motor to operate the rear-wheel steering function. Other automakers refrained from employing similar systems for several years.However, premium German marques joined in on the fun in the last decade with electrically operated and electronically controlled systems. The French at Renault also introduced a four-wheel-steering system on their Laguna mid-sized model, which was called 4Control. Just like its equivalents from premium German brands, it was also electrically operated. Chevrolet's system for the all-electric Silverado's
It is thanks to this hunger for beautiful photographs that weve been able to see these past few months incredible stills of Air Force hardware and personnel in action. And the one we have here, released last week, sure is at the top of that list, and a perfect fit for our Photo of the Day section.The image was captured at the beginning of July and it shows a portion of the sky over Tacoma, Washington. In the background we see the snowy slopes of a mountain, with its peak somewhat distorted, as if melted, by the heat generated by an aircraft engine.That would be a Pratt & Whitney engine, attached to the rear of a USAF F-35A Lighting II deployed with the planes demonstration team. The crew was at the beginning of July a star appearance at the Gig Harbor Wings-and-Wheels and the Tacoma Freedom Fair, and the target of many cameras, including that of Airman 1st Class Jake Welty, who captured this particular still.After having little to do for most of 2020 on account of the many closures caused by the health crisis, the F-35A Lighting II demo team has been back in action for some time now, trekking shows across America and having tons of fun. Deployed with the 388th Fighter Wing out of Hill Air Force Base in Utah, the team comprises nine pilots flying one of the most modern aircraft fielded by the Air Force Capable of reaching speeds of Mach 1.6 and altitudes of 50,000 ft (15,000 m), the plane is described by its maker, Lockheed Martin, as the most advanced fighter jet in the world. It can travel for as much as 1,700 miles (2,800 km) on a single load of fuel, ready to deliver a wide range of missiles and bombs on target.
It was with that previous promise that Cearas Economic Development Secretary, Maia Junior, worked to try to sell the factory. Three Brazilian groups and even some foreign automakers would have gotten interested in the deal. It would be similar to what Ford did when it sold Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, and Aston Martin. Considered as the Brazilian Bronco, the T4 was reputed as a capable off-roader in a market that does not have many options for that and none produced locally. In other words, a successful niche product with the potential to sell a lot more.It was no surprise that the deal had the most people interested. With Fords refusal to sell the brand and the T4 project, all companies that were interested in the factory immediately gave up. Developing a new car vehicle from the ground up would demand too much money. Apart from that, it would lack the reputation Troller managed to build to itself.According to Diario do Nordeste, Maia Junior now considers that Ford did not honor the promise it made, which will leave 470 workers unemployed and all the T4 fans pretty disappointed. Troller was created in 1997 as a legitimate Brazilian brand and Ford bought it in 2007 to seize tax incentives a factory in Ceara could offer. Allowing it to live would surely show some gratitude for the benefits it brought. Troller was conceived to cope with dust, not to bite it.
EV

The difference between them is that Ford has just opened its program. It will offer six months of wages and six months of health care for the workers who accept joining it. In Hondas case, the program was opened in April and closed in July. These 2,000 workers would represent 5% of Hondas full-time staff in Japan.Apart from receiving their retirement pay, these workers aged between 55 and 63 will also receive three years of salaries. According to Nikkei Asia, it is the first time in ten years that Honda offers an early retirement package to its workers in Japan. The goal is to restructure the workforce to produce more EVs.The fact that both stories became public close to each other shows that theshift will intensify. Other automakers should follow suit soon. Apart from reducing their workforces, these companies may also try to relocate them to other jobs to ease the impact that electric car production may cause.What most automakers are investing in is IT hirings. They want to changeas Luca de Meo said when he presented the Renaulution strategic plan for Renault. Ironically, that means people from Silicon Valley are more likely to land a job in a carmaker than someone who lives in Michigan, for example. If that is your goal, you know the path to follow. Nikkei Asia and Automotive News
ATV

Hot Wheels teamed up with e-bike manufacturer Super73 to release a Hot Wheels motorbike based on the company's flagship Super73-RX . The packaging screams Hot Wheels: from the orange, blue and black color scheme that wraps up the big toy to the yellow-tinted headlight and the brand's logos.Speaking of the logos, there's one on the custom embroidered seat and one on the handlebar pad by Saddlemen as well. Among other notable customizations, there are RuffianLock-on grips by ODI, and Stamp 1 Large pedals by Crankbrothers. A stainless steel panel, black chain, black battery tank pads, and BDGR tires with bronze rims were also custom-made for this build.To ride on this toy, you don't need a license or registration, as it performs just as the Super73-RX does. It features Super73's drive system with multi-class ride modes and is powered by a state-of-the-art 960 watt-hour battery.This provides an estimated 40 miles (64 km) of range at 20 mph (32 kph) under throttle-only operation and an estimated 75 miles (121 km) of range using the ECO pedal assist mode.The Hot Wheels bike is also equipped with Super73's brand-new connected electronics suite and is compatible with iOS and Android mobile devices via the Super73 app.Available in a strictly limited edition of just 24 bikes, this model will set you back $5,000. That's a $1,500 jump from the company's flagship Super73-RX. But, to be fair, you do get a special Ford Bronco die-cast that matches your new bike for that price.The Hot Wheels Super73-RX is only available in the continental U.S. That means that those from abroad, even Alaska or Hawaii, won't be able to order one. It will also be built to order, and the shipping process will take between 12 to 16 weeks.
Regulatory issues aside (they vary wildly by country, state, and municipality), the Munrojoy lineup of electric bikes are capable of scooter-like speeds.This bike has a 500W, 48V motor which produces a maximum peak torque of 800W, a DC high output magnetic motor and is said to be capable of reaching speeds up to 31 mph (50 kph).Basically the size of a conventional bike, the Munrojoy Retro Classic Electric Bicycle is sure to be convenient, simple to store, cheap to operate and a snap to park.The Munrojoy Retro Classic Electric Bicycle is available in the U.S. - its named in honor of motorcycle speed hero Burt Munro of The Worlds Fastest Indian fame - and this e-bike design evokes the classic styling of Indian motorcycles from the start of the machine age.The Munrojoy Retro Classic Electric is DOT certified to comply with U.S. regulations and quality standards. Despite a lightweight aluminum frame, the entire bike weighs in at a slightly portly 99 pounds.On the plus side, the Retro Classic also features LED headlights, a pair of 23.2AH two-group Samsung lithium batteries which are expected to produce a service life of 5 years, and a V-shaped double cylinder, chrome-plated battery box.Munrojoy says the Retro Classic is capable of a 62-mile round trip between charges and is brought to a halt via a pair of four-piston disc brakes which cut off the power immediately upon braking.On the downside? The price: You can now find the Munrojoy Retro Classic Electric on Amazon for $3,999 USD and lower on Chinese sites at around $1,899 USD before shipping for a slightly less capable model. That aint exactly a bargain-basement price, but you get a ton of style for your money.
While the whole thing could obviously be just pure fiction, driver Samuel Afolabi turned to social media to ask the netizens for advice on whether he should return the iPhone to the Ghana policewoman who previously stopped him for not wearing a seatbelt.She said she is going to size my drivers license and impound the car to their office, the driver has been quoted as saying After negotiations that lasted for over three hours (this sounds like a huge stretch and a red flag, to be honest, because what police officer spends three hours on the side of the road with an offending driver in the first place?), the policewoman eventually agreed to let the man go in exchange for 200 Ghanian Cedi (this is approximately $33).I gave her the money, sadly, and went my way, the driver explains.A few minutes later, however, he heard a phone ringing from the passenger seat. It was the iPhone 12 Pro Max belonging to the policewoman, who somehow left the device on the seat when they were discussing the terms of the deal.Now shes begging me to return the phone to her, he says.If the story is indeed real, the policewoman certainly made the worst trade ever. An iPhone 12 Pro Max starts at $1,099 in the United States, so agreeing with a $33 payment but leaving the smartphone behind is a deal the driver probably is happy to make.Needless to say, the big question right now is whether the man should return the phone or not. Unfortunately, he hasnt posted an update to share his decision with the WWW, but for now, just keep in mind that you shouldnt take anything for granted, as the story could very well be fabricated for the lulz, especially given the original Facebook post has already been removed.
EV

Following Jay Leno's quarter-mile record of 9.24 seconds, a private attempt revealed that the Model S Plaid can be even quicker at 9.08 clicks. That's a really impressive benchmark for a production model, but it's nowhere near as fast as the Rimac Nevera, which is officially rated at 8.6 seconds.And the Croatian company isn't just whistling Dixie. A recent test by Carwow saw the Nevera cover the quarter-mile in 8.7 seconds. Granted, it's a tenth-second slower than Rimac's own claim, but that's almost four-tenths quicker than the fastest Model S Plaid to date. And the thing is that the Nevera could be much quicker.This new footage by DragTimes reveals why. In a rather short video released as a preview of the crew's Nevera, the electric supercar is shown testing at the drag strip. And while it takes off the starting line amazingly fast, its tires are squealing a few good seconds into the sprint.With no less than 1,914 horsepower and 1,740 pound-feet (2,360 Nm) of torque traveling to the wheels courtesy of four motors, the Nevera is basically struggling for grip. A set of grippier tires would solve that problem and shave maybe a couple of tenths off its already impressive quarter-mile time. I'm guessing it could bring it down to 8.5 seconds or less.Yes, I know, drag radial tires aren't exactly road legal and would alter the streetable nature of the stock Nevera, but I'd definitely like to see thishit the track with proper rubber. But until that happens, check out how quickly this thing launches off the line. It's ridiculous, to say the least!
The short video released by Rivian does not state who these customers are nor what impression they got after driving the R1T. It just shows their reactions at the steering wheel, and that is probably enough to understand they do not regret ordering one. Considering some of the faces, they may even be anxious to get their units.RJ Scaringe even took a customer for a spin in the companys off-road track around the factory. The companys CEO said it was his first test drive with a client. Considering he showed up just at the beginning of the video, it may have been the first and last time he did that on that day.RIvian instructors were in the cars with the reservation holders to tell them all about the R1T. They also incentivized them to put the pedal to the metal to try the acceleration of the electric pickup truck. A carefully selected comment from a little girl stated the R1T was even better than the red rollercoaster.An intriguing comment came from a customer that said he would freak out to take the R1T uphill. The reason was that having been in different vehicles in the military, he would never do any of that. We wonder why, considering how capable vehicles in the military are supposed to be in the same situations.With its buyers seemingly so satisfied with the R1T, Rivian just failed to confirm if it would really deliver the first units in September. Thats less than a month from now. Perhaps the good news is no news about another delay.
The city would have a 2,000-acre terrain in Walsh Ranch, 12 miles southwest of downtown Fort Worth. Rivian wanted 10,000 acres, but the Arizona government already said it was doubtful that the company would find a piece of land that big in that state. Apparently, Texasalso does not have a property that big to offer Rivian.The size of the land is not all that matters for the final decision. Although Rivian was very keen on Arizona, some concerns about the available infrastructure were brought up, and things got a little harder for that state. Lucid already has two factories there, more precisely in Casa Grande: AMP-1 and LMP-1.Texas would offer advantages thanks to ports, the proximity to Mexican suppliers, and a booming tech economy. Tesla chose Austin to create its new factory, apparently for more than just being close to SpaceX.Fort Worth wants to make sure it did all it could to attract Rivian. The citys Economic Development Department told the City Council they could offer grants and county tax reduction of up to $440 million.Whatever city Rivian chooses for its new factory, it should get 7,500 new jobs by 2027. According to the Project Tera documents Bloomberg obtained, Rivian will ensure minimum average annual salaries of $56,000, which only tells us that the company will spend a minimum of $420 million only paying wages in 2027. Rivian may fund that payroll with Fort Worths incentives and still have $20 million to spare. Well learn soon if that made any difference.
But first, some context. Back in 2019, after the SpaceX Crew Dragon successfully reached space, Boeing tested its own capsule, the Starliner. Because of a software glitch, it failed to reach its intended target in orbit and came back down, tail between its legs.After more than a year of hard work fixing the issue, the Starliner attempted another flight at the beginning of this month. Only this time it didnt even leave the pad , as systems signaled yet another problem and the launch was postponed.Well, postponed, and then scrapped altogether, at least for the foreseeable future, as NASA and Boeing will take whatever time is necessary to ensure Starliner is ready.Secondly, historically speaking, even when they were Cold War adversaries, America and Russia did work together from time to time when it came to space exploration. So the announcement made this week by the Moscow-based Keldysh Research Center, the leading organization in the rocket and space industry in the field of rocket propulsion, that it wants to lend a helping hand in fixing the Starliner does not come as a surprise.What is a bit disturbing is the way the Center announced its willingness to help. According to general director Vladimir Koshlakov, speaking for the Tass news agency, Russia is well aware of the level of development of American engine building, we are well aware of all their developments, therefore, if we apply, we will be ready to help.And that from the guys who just caused one of the largest incidents involving the ISS in space.
On August 10th, a Cygnus resupply spacecraft aboard Northrop Grumman's Antares rocket has lifted off at 6:01 p.m. EDT from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia's Eastern Shore. Approximately three hours after takeoff, Cygnus' solar arrays successfully deployed, collecting sunlight to power the spacecraft on its route to the ISS.On Thursday, August 12th, around 6:10 a.m., the spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the space station. NASA astronaut Megan McArthur will use the ISS robotic arm Canadarm2 to grab Cygnus. European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet will monitor telemetry during the rendezvous, capture, and installation on the Earth-facing port of the Unity module.The NG-16 mission is carrying dozens of scientific investigations. The crew will receive a material that simulates moon dust, which will be used to create items using the space station's 3D printer.Astronauts will also study slime mold for a French educational experiment called Blob, and they will also receive a new technology that demonstrates carbon dioxide removal from a spacecraft and an infrared-detecting device that will be used as a prototype for future tracking satellites.According to the Associated Press , astronauts on the space station will also get a special delivery, which includes "fresh apples, tomatoes, and kiwi, along with a pizza kit and cheese smorgasbord."For its 16th resupply flight, Northrop Grumman chose to name its Cygnus ship after the late astronaut Ellison Onizuka . He was the first Asian-American astronaut to fly to space and was a member of NASA's Astronaut Class of 1978. Only a year after flew on his first space mission, Onizuka lost his life in 1986 when Space Shuttle Challenger exploded after launch.You can watch the spacecraft's approach and arrival beginning at 4:45 a.m. ET live on the space agency's website, the NASA app, and NASA TV. After its arrival, Cygnus will remain at the space station until November, when it will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and dump thousands of pounds of debris in a fiery return.
Meet the Drezina, a scooter thats part scooter, part bicycle , and all fun. Currently crowdfunding on IndieGoGo (hat tip to New Atlas ), it is the creation of Bulgarian entrepreneur Angel Stoyanov, based on Karl Dreis design. The name Drezina is a tribute to its inspiration, Stoyanov explains in the campaign description.The Drezina looks somewhat like a kickscooter and, to a certain extent, can be used as one. For instance, on inclines steeper than 7 degrees, you have to push it (and yourself) with your foot just like you would a kickscooter. Otherwise, you sit on the curved deck, which can be oak or beech veneered, and balance back and forth to pedal the thing into moving.The central part of the deck is attached to the scooter with a pivot, while the front end is connected to a chain drive mechanism, which spins the front wheels. You can stand with one foot on either end of the curved deck, shifting your weight as it moves up and down, or you can stand at the center, using your calves to get it balancing.The drive mechanism is entirely hidden from view in the front vertical part of the scooter. This offers protection from the elements and makes the Drezina a suitable solution for riding even in wet weather. You still have to make sure the chain is oiled and perform regular maintenance checks, but its considerably a cleaner alternative to owning a bike.The Drezina turns and, according to Stoyanov, is stable enough when it does so to avoid you toppling over. You simply lean into turns, like you would on a skateboard or snowboard. Meanwhile braking is done by a lever on the handlebar, activating a drum brake on the rear wheels. Wheels is used in plural correctly: you have two wheels in the front and two smaller ones in the back.The advantage to that is, first and foremost, in terms of stability. According to the designer, the Drezina is as sturdy as a bicycle, being able to carry two people at once, but in a smaller form factor . Total rider weight is rated at 100 kg (220 pounds) so, technically, you could use it with a child or even two adults, if theyre of supermodel constitution.The scooter itself weighs just 8 kg (17.6 pounds) and its foldable, too, which means its perfect as a carry-on on public transport , when and if you still need to use it on your daily commute. You can take it with you wherever you go, the designer says, which is something not every other two-wheeler owner out there can say with ease.As regards speed, its almost entirely rider-dependent. If youre looking to put an exact number on it, though, the designer says that, with a rider in good physical shape, on asphalt, the Drezina can reach a top speed of 25-27 kph (15.5-16.7 mph). This might not seem like a lot, but its good for kickscooter. And you can do tricks on it, too, so it seems that, at least on paper, Drezina does live up to the promise that its a fun product The Drezina frame is made of aviation-grade aluminum, and the handlebar height is adjustable, so its a one-size-fits-all-type of product. Stoyanov still offers two models for it, because someone has to think of the kids, too. Who said adults should be having all the fun, right?As noted above, the Drezina scooter is now available for pre-order on IndieGoGo. Early birds can get one unit, either for adults or kids, for $399, with estimated MRSP set at $629. Shipping is scheduled for January 2022, so if reading about it got you pumped up, brace yourself for the wait. Itll be another while until you get to enjoy it.
DOHC

Auctioning websites like Bring A Trailer became increasingly alluring over the years, but the recent events happening worldwide have boosted their popularity to astronomical proportions. Nowadays, theres never any shortage of live auctions taking place on the web, so anyone whos searching for a new mechanical companion should spend some time scouting these platforms.Without further ado, let us introduce you to a 1976 Honda CB500T that looks as if it just crawled off the assembly line. Not a single blemish can be seen on the Japanese showstopper , which is quite remarkable for a bike thats nearly half a century old! This spotless artifact is going under the hammer at no reserve on the BaT site, with a current bid of just $2,550.The auction will only be open until tomorrow evening (August 12), so be sure to place your bids while theres still time. Before you wander off, we think a short inspection of CB500Ts specs and features is in order, wouldn't you agree? A 76 MY creature from Honda s range is put in motion thanks to a four-strokeparallel-twin mill, with a displacement of 498cc and two valves per cylinder head.It is mated to a five-speed transmission, which spins the bikes rear 18-inch wheel through a chain final drive. When the tachometer shows 8,000 revs per minute, the air-cooled powerplant will summon up to 42 horses, along with a modest 22 pound-feet (30 Nm) of twist at approximately 7,000 rpm. Ultimately, the end result is a top speed of 100 mph (160 kph).Suspension duties are handled by telescopic forks and dual shock absorbers, while stopping power comes from a single brake rotor up front and a drum module at the rear. With a curb weight of 463 pounds (210 kg), the CB500T isnt the lightest in its class, but it still has the potential to bring about an exhilarating ride.
Automotive technology pioneers UVeye have recently attracted $60 million in funding from major investors ranging from CarMax, W.R. Berkley, F.I.T. Ventures and a group of institutional investors to support their global expansion plans. The company was co-founded by Amir and Ohad Hever in 2016.The UVeye Artemis system sets is aimed at streamlining vehicle inspections ranging from matching the correct tire specifications to a vehicle and ensuring that air pressure is within tolerances and detecting defects and wear and tear,While its not a complicated matter for an individual auto owner to check a vehicle for tire condition, a vehicle's safety and efficiency are dependent on detecting any issues.But for fleet managers and those with large collections of race vehicles or dealerships, early detection of issues is crucial to determining whether a tire needs replacement. UVeye says they can meet those challenges for large organizations such as public transportation truck fleets and dealerships with their Artemis system.UVeye helps to level the field making tire inspections and predictive maintenance more manageable with simple scanning and reporting to detect and alert on any tire concerns. The Artemis system utilizes two tire level scanners to capture high-quality images and provide safety data such as tire pressure, condition, abrasions, scratches and tire technical data which includes measurement type and seasonality.In 2021, UVeye secured its Series C round from strategic investors like CarMax who joined Hyundai Motors as early investors during that year bringing UVeye to a grand total of over $90M in investment capital.UVeyes systems have been installed at more than 100 sites including vehicle manufacturers, dealerships, rental companies, logistical centers and other sensitive security facilities.
kWh

EV

The C-1000 was supposed to be a revolutionary step van that would become a clean, but equally performant alternative to the standard models used for last-mile deliveries. And it did look promising. One of its most innovative characteristics was the 100% composite monocoque body that made it significantly lightweight, by cutting 4,000 lbs (1,814 kg) of the chassis and bodyweight. The key advantage was that even though much lighter than a conventional vehicle, it would still offer the same payload and cargo volume.Ironically, it was precisely the payload capacity that seemed to get negative feedback from the initial customers. In the recently released statement, CEO Rick Dauch (who was recently appointed himself) stated that the payload capacity of the Workhorse vehicles needs to be further increased, which inevitably means a redesign of the C-1000. It seems that 133 C-Series vehicles have been built so far, with 14 delivered to customers in the second quarter of the year.Not all is lost, with Workhorse planning to keep a limited production of their current electric vans , for the customers who were satisfied with the cargo capacity and those who are interested in road testing the vans. Meanwhile, the C-1000 will be redesigned, to increase its 1,000 cubic feet of cargo space and 6,000 lbs (2,721 kg) payload capacity. At least, the electric powertrain wont have to go through any modifications. The C-1000 is powered by a modular battery pack system that delivers 70in the four-pack configuration, with a 100-mile range.Workhorse has had a complicated history since the beginning, when it was making GM platform-based vans. After recent legal and financial struggles, the unsuccessful debut of the C-1000 hits even heavier. Dauch hopes to come up with a strategic roadmap by the end of this year. Whether themanufacturer will make it through this or not is up for debate at this point.
So many questions. But luckily, folks attending the Hot August Nights festival in the Reno/Sparks, Nevada area just needed to check out the AMSOIL booth for a little one-on-one with the creative team. Speaking of the latter, this is another one of the crazy contraptions devised by Gordon Tronson and his Double Trouble Hot Rod crew.If the name Tronson doesnt ring a bell, dont worry  he just occupies a very special tuning niche. But the Double Trouble Hot Rod moniker should give out a massive hint towards the level of madness achieved with his (dual- and quad-engine) custom projects. For his latest, this was once a 2001 Chevrolet Corvette of the C5 variety . Now its... something else. Or the worlds first Super Super Car, as it has been dubbed. One may only recognize the Vette donor via the cockpit shell because it looks like everything else was chopped up to fit, side-by-side, a couple of LS motors. Thats right. This has not one, but two Chevy LT4 engines, and the V8s are also supercharged for good measure. According to estimates, they will each churn out 650 horsepower and 640 lb-ft (868 Nm) of twisting torque.That means this oddity should be capable of outputting a total of 1,300 hp and some 1,280 lb-ft (1,735 Nm). Dont laugh because theres more. The projected top speed puts this in the same league as Bugattis record-breaking Chiron (and the like) for some 290 to 300 mph (467 to 483 kph) achievements!If I were them, I would have gone for the absolute blast, calling out the 500+ kph (311 mph) threshold to silence everyone...
Anti-mask and anti-vaccine protests aren't a strictly American phenomenon: Demonstrations have broken out around the world  from Australia to France and Israel to Bulgaria.

Why it matters: As the Delta variant surges, governments are increasingly mandating masks and vaccines for many activities . Vaccines have shown to be incredibly effective in preventing severe illness and death.

More than 100,000 people protested across France last month against the government's push to get residents vaccinated against the virus, per PBS.

Banging metal spoons on saucepans, protesters yelled, "freedom" and "Macron, clear off!" near the Louvre Museum. I will never get vaccinated, one 53-year-old protester said, per PBS.

A few tens of thousands of people have lost their minds to such an extent that they are capable of saying we live in a dictatorship, President Emmanuel Macron said.

Thousands of people flocked to the streets of Sydney and other Australian cities last month to protest lockdown restrictions, bearing signs that called for "freedom" and "the truth," per NPR.

Police arrested several of the Australian protesters, some of whom threw plastic bottles and potted plants at the police officers.

Sydney isnt immune from morons, New South Wales Police Minister David Elliott said bluntly.

Several hundred Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv against new coronavirus restrictions as cases have risen to troubling levels, the Guardian reports.

As many as 2,000 protesters gathered in a park in The Hague in the Netherlands, objecting to lock-down measures in March  prompting police intervention using a water cannon, per the BBC.

"There might be a virus, but the shutdown of the total society is not proportional," one protester, Michel Koot, 68, said, per the BBC.

In Bulgaria, at least eight protesters were arrested in May 2020 after a demonstration broke out in Sofia, where some protesters said the coronavirus was "fake news" and "an international conspiracy," per Barrons.

And of course, in the U.S., anti-vaccine protesters have shut down vaccination sites, gathered at state capitols and staked out at Disneyland  donning assorted Marvel superhero costumes.

Between the lines: Gabriel Scally, a visiting professor of public health at the University of Bristol, told Al Jazeera that protests against pandemic measures are not necessarily surprising.
We attach great importance to developing our cooperation in the military sphere both in a bilateral format and within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Shoigu said at the start of their talks held in Moscow. We are ready to continue to assist in the implementation of the program of reforming Armenias armed forces.

Its not an easy task, but I think that it can be accomplished with your experience, he said, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Armenia is an ally and key partner of Russia in ensuring security in the South Caucasus and we are extremely interested in maintaining security in that region, added Shoigu. He described the Russian military base in Armenia as a guarantor of regional security.

Karapetian was reported to reaffirm the Armenian governments strong interest in further deepening military ties with Moscow.

Russia is the only state that gives the Armenian people really tangible output for security and now deals with security issues not only in Nagorno-Karabakh but also along Armenias borders, he told Shoigu.

In a statement on the talks, the Armenian Defense Ministry said the two sides reached a number of important agreements regarding forthcoming cooperation programs. It did not elaborate.

Yerevan moved to step up Russian-Armenian military cooperation shortly after the six-week war in Nagorno-Karabakh stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire last November. Moscow has since deployed troops in Armenias Syunik province bordering districts southwest of Karabakh retaken by Azerbaijan during and after the hostilities.

Yerevan requested additional Russian troop deployments along Armenias border with Azerbaijan after Azerbaijani forces reportedly crossed some of its sections in May.

The lingering tensions along contested sections of the frontier were high on the agenda of Karapetians talks with Shoigu. The Armenian minister was reported to brief him on the latest developments there.

The Defense Ministry statement cited Karapetian as saying that while Armenia stands for a peaceful settlement of the border dispute it will take all necessary measures to restore its territorial integrity.

The two ministers met on Wednesday for the second time in two weeks.

Karapetian flew to the Russian capital on Tuesday about one month after high-ranking Russian and Armenian military officials concluded another round of staff negotiations in Yerevan.

The first such negotiations were held in January. Then Armenian Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutiunian said they were aimed at assisting us in the reform and modernization of Armenias armed forces. Harutiunian and the chief of the Russian General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, again discussed the reform in a July 8 phone call.

According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, Karapetian, who replaced Harutiunian in late July, thanked Shoigu for the Russian assistance to the ongoing intensive reforms.

The minister emphasized that Russian-Armenian military-political relations are now in the process of reaching an unprecedentedly high level, the ministry said.
The turmoil began after Anna Mkrtchian, an outspoken deputy from the opposition Pativ Unem bloc, again launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

The author of this state of lawlessness is Nikol the capitulator who has ruined Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), she charged on the parliament floor.

Mkrtchian was already reprimanded by speaker Alen Simonian last week for referring to Pashinian by his first name and branding him as a capitulator responsible for Armenias defeat in last years war with Azerbaijan

Simonian, who is a senior member of the ruling Civil Contract party, not only interrupted and banned Mkrtchian from speaking for the rest of the day but also ordered her to leave the chamber this time around.

Or else, security workers will force you out, he told the 26-year-old lawmaker. The latter obeyed the order.

Ishkhan Saghatelian, a deputy speaker of the parliament representing the opposition Hayastan bloc, defended Mkrtchian, saying that her statements were a political evaluation, not a personal insult.

Mr. Simonian, I understand that you got clear instructions from your boss to make sure that phrases like capitulator and land giver are not uttered in the National Assembly and this was probably one of the conditions for electing you chairman of the National Assembly, said Saghatelian.

Simonian hit back before other pro-government deputies raged at the opposition leader, triggering a shouting match with their colleagues representing Hayastan, the second largest parliamentary force. With the two sides nearly coming to blows, Simonian ordered uniformed officers of an Armenian state security agency to enter the parliament floor and separate them. The session was interrupted as a result.

Simonian also ordered a halt to live televised and online broadcasts of the session. Moments later security personnel entered the press gallery overlooking the chamber and ordered journalists present there to stop filming or taking pictures of the dramatic proceedings.

Some of the journalists protested against the unprecedented order, arguing that the parliaments statutes do not provide for such restrictions.

Tensions remained high on the parliament floor after the break. Hayk Konjorian, the leader of Civil Contracts parliamentary group, took the floor to lambaste Saghatelian and other opposition leaders.

Dont you dare to think any thought expressed in this chamber will go unanswered, said Konjorian.

Simonian sounded a more conciliatory note, urging the rival camps to nullify the earlier incident. Lets end this rhetoric once and for all, he said, appealing to the opposition minority.

Artur Vanetsian, an erstwhile friend of Simonians leading Pativ Unem, countered that the speaker should first stop sanctioning opposition lawmakers voicing harsh criticism of Pashinian.

Pativ Unem and Hayastan on one side and the ruling party on the other have been trading serious recriminations since the current parliament began its work on August 2.
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Sunny skies. High near 95F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A mostly clear sky. Low 71F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
Wednesday will be the first day of school unlike any other for tens of thousands of students in Bakersfield. Many of those students haven't st
HOUSTON (AP)  Houston city workers are being told they must resume wearing masks while on the job, a requirement that could go against Gov. Greg Abbotts most recent executive order banning such mandates.

Mayor Sylvester Turner issued the mask mandate on Monday due to a recent uptick in positive COVID-19 cases in our community and in our workplace linked to the new delta variant.

It is so very important that we remain vigilant in doing our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19, Turner wrote in memo to all city employees. The new order was first reported on by the Houston Chronicle.

The new order requires all employees to wear a mask while on city premises and when they cant be socially distant from others. In Dallas County, an administrative court judge has ordered that anyone entering a county courthouse must be wearing a mask to be admitted.

Last month, Abbott repeated his executive order banning mask mandates by any state, county or local government entity.

Abbott has previously said that local governments attempting to impose mask mandates could be fined up to $1,000.

Similar local mask mandates that appeared to be in conflict with state orders have faced legal action by the Texas Attorney Generals Office.

A spokeswoman for Abbotts office and a spokesperson for the attorney generals office didnt immediately reply to emails seeking comment Tuesday.

The mask mandate in Houston comes as hospitalizations across the state continue to rise due in part to the highly contagious delta variant.

On Monday, there were 6,853 people in Texas hospitals with COVID-19, which was the most since Feb. 22.

The resurgence of COVID-19 in Texas has put some cities health systems in dire circumstances, as intensive care unit beds fill up, officials say.

In South Texas, Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales this week said hospitals in Corpus Christi, Victoria, Kingsville and Beeville were limited in their ability to handle the latest COVID-19 surge of patients due to a shortage of nurses. San Antonio is also facing a similar nursing shortage amid a spike in patients.

Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said during a news conference Tuesday he worried the return this month of Texas children to classrooms could make the situation worse in the state. Hotez asked officials to help students get through the school year safely with the help of social distancing, masks and vaccines.

If we dont do that, its really hard to imagine how things go well, he said. Youve got delta accelerating, low vaccination rates among adolescents, young adults, no ability to enforce mask mandates. What makes people think this is going to go well?

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
DANDONG, China (AP)  A Canadian entrepreneur was sentenced to 11 years in prison in a spying case linked to Beijings effort to push his country to release an executive of tech giant Huawei, prompting an unusual show of support for Canada by the United States and 24 other governments.

China is stepping up pressure as a Canadian judge hears final arguments about whether to send the Huawei executive to the United States to face charges related to possible violations of trade sanctions on Iran. Earlier this week, a court rejected another Canadian's appeal of his sentence in a drug case that was abruptly increased to death after the executive's arrest.

Entrepreneur Michael Spavor and a former Canadian diplomat were detained in what critics labeled hostage politics after Huawei's Meng Wanzhou was arrested Dec. 1, 2018, at the Vancouver airport.

Spavor was sentenced by a court in Dandong, about 210 miles (340 kilometers) east of Beijing on the North Korean border. The government has released few details other than to accuse Spavor of passing along sensitive information to the former diplomat, Michael Kovrig, beginning in 2017. Both have been held in isolation and have had little contact with Canadian diplomats.

The Canadian government condemned Spavor's sentence. It said he and Kovrig are detained arbitrarily" and called for their immediate release.

The legal process in Spavor's case "lacked both fairness and transparency, said Ambassador Dominic Barton outside the detention center where the sentence was announced Wednesday.

The trial did not satisfy even the minimum standards required by international law," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

China's foreign ministry denied Spavor and Kovrig were arbitrarily detained and said their rights were fully protected.

Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying accused Trudeau's government of making irresponsible statements that violate Chinese judicial sovereignty."

China strongly condemns this, Hua said in a written statement. She called on Canada to stop making irresponsible remarks."

Spavor has two weeks to decide whether to appeal, according to Barton.

While we disagree with the charges, we realize that this is the next step in the process to bring Michael home, and we will continue to support him through this challenging time, Spavor's family said in a statement.

Michaels life passion has been to bring different cultures together through tourism and events shared between the Korean peninsula and other countries including China and Canada, his family said. This situation has not dampened, but strengthened his passion.

Diplomats from the United States, Japan, Britain, Australia, Germany and other European countries plus the European Union gathered at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing in a show of support. They also have issued separate appeals for Spavor and Kovrig to receive fair trials or to be released.

The practice of arbitrarily detaining individuals to exercise leverage over foreign governments is completely unacceptable, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. People should never be used as bargaining chips.

Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said his country was moved by the demonstration by solidarity from our international partners.

Meng, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Ltd. and daughter of the companys founder, was arrested on U.S. charges of lying to the Hong Kong arm of the British bank HSBC about possible dealings with Iran in violation of trade sanctions.

Mengs lawyers argue the case is politically motivated and what she is accused of isnt a crime in Canada.

Chinas government has criticized the arrest as part of U.S. efforts to hamper its technology development. Huawei, a maker of network equipment and smartphones, is Chinas first global tech brand and is at the center of U.S.-Chinese tension over technology and the security of information systems.

Beijing denies there is a connection between Mengs case and the arrests of Spavor and Kovrig, but Chinese officials and state media frequently mention the two men in relation to whether or not Meng is allowed to return to China.

Earlier, Barton said he didnt think it was a coincidence the cases in China were happening while Mengs case was advancing in Vancouver.

Asked whether Canada was negotiating over possibly sending Meng home in exchange for the release of detained Canadians, Barton said, there are intensive efforts and discussions. I dont want to talk in any detail about that. But that will continue.

Diplomats from the United States and Germany went to the detention center in Dandong but werent allowed in, according to Barton.

Our collective presence and voice send a strong message to China and the Chinese government that the eyes of the world are watching, the ambassador said.

Barton said Chinese authorities cited photos taken by Spavor at airports that included military aircraft.

A lot of it was around the photo evidence, the ambassador said. He obviously had a different view on that.

Spavor worked in China but had extensive links with North Korea in tourism and other commercial ventures that brought him into contact with the isolated communist states leadership. The Canadian Embassy noted Spavor had been held for 975 days as of Wednesday.

Barton met with Spavor after the sentencing and said he sent three messages: Thank you for all your support, it means a lot to me. Two, I am in good spirits. And three, I want to get home.

He's strong, resilient, focused on what's happening," Barton said. "We had a very good conversation.

Kovrig, who also was detained in December 2018, stood trial in March. There has been no word on when a verdict might be announced.

On Tuesday, a Chinese court rejected the appeal of Robert Schellenberg, whose 15-year prison term for drug smuggling was abruptly increased to death in January 2019 following Meng's arrest. The case was sent to China's supreme court for a mandatory review before it can be carried out.

Canada and other countries, including Australia and the Philippines, face trade boycotts and other Chinese pressure in disputes with Beijing over human rights, the coronavirus and control of the South China Sea. The United States has warned American travelers face a heightened risk of arbitrary detention in China for reasons other than to enforce laws.

China has tried to pressure Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government by imposing restrictions on imports of canola seed oil and other products from Canada.

Meanwhile, Beijing is blocking imports of Australian wheat, wine and other products after its government called for an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus pandemic.

___

McDonald reported from Beijing. Associated Press video producer Olivia Zhang in Dandong, China, and Associated Press Writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed.
Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime officers stand with three suspected Neo-JMB militants arrested in Dhaka, Aug. 11, 2021.

Bangladesh counter-terror police said they stopped a planned drone attack on government installations with the arrest on Wednesday of three suspected Neo-JMB militants, two of whom were bomb-makers.

Security analysts said it could be easy to improvise drones and use them for attacks, but this was the first time they had heard from police about militants allegedly planning such strikes.

Asaduzzaman, chief of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of the Bangladeshi police, identified the suspects as Md Zahid Hasan (alias Raju, Ismail Hasan and Forkan), Saiful Islam Maruf (alias Basira), and Rumman Hossain Fahad (alias Abdullah). Neo-JMB has been blamed for carrying out an overnight siege and massacre at the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe in Dhaka five years ago  the countrys worst ever terrorist attack.

All of them belonged to the Neo-JMB. Zahid is chief trainer of the military wing of Neo-JMB and has a graduate degree in chemistry from Jahangirnagar University, Asaduzzaman said.

Zahid allegedly used his knowledge of chemistry to make grenades, bombs and innovative improvised explosive devices, the police leader said.

In his latest move, he [Zahid] planned to make drones. Attaching explosives with the drones, he planned to carry out attacks on some installations, Asaduzzaman said without specifying the militants targets.

He also said Zahid confessed to being involved in planting a bomb on May 16 at a police booth in Narayanganj.

Asaduzzaman said police filed a case against the suspects under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Md. Faruk Hossain, Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman, told BenarNews the three suspects were produced in court on Wednesday afternoon and remanded to police custody for four days.

Since July, police arrested other Neo-JMB suspects. On July 11, police arrested a Neo-JMB military wing suspect with explosives. On Aug. 3, the CTTC announced the arrest of two Neo-JMB suspects, including a bomb maker.

Ishfaq Ilahi Choudhury, a security analyst and retired air commodore, said local militants have not attempted such drone attacks.

It is very much possible to attach explosives to drones and cause detonation in a specific place. The Islamic State militants in the Middle East used drones to carry out such drone attacks, he told BenarNews.

But in Bangladesh, to date we have not seen any attempt by the militants to carry out attacks using drones. I would say the militants attempt to carry out attacks with drones is a new dimension, Choudhury said, adding drones are easy to get in Bangladesh.

Making or improvising drones has almost become a cottage industry. The students and even a low-level technician can make a drone or increase its weight-carrying capacity, he said.

Law targets drones

Lt. Col. Abdullah Ibn Zayed, director of Inter-Services Public Relations and spokesman for the defense ministry, said the government has a strict policy on the import and use of drones.

According to the new policy, no one can fly drones without the permission of the civil aviation authority. Even importers must explain the purposes of importing drones, he told BenarNews.

He was referring to a 2020 law banning the use of drones for commercial purposes without permission from the government. However, many people imported drones before that draft law was approved, analysts said.

A security analyst, retired Maj. Gen. Abdur Rashid, said the alleged militants intention was to create fear among the countrys citizens.

The matter of concern is that the militants are innovative, and they can improvise the drones and enhance their capacity. This is easy for any educated militant to improvise a drone for carrying out attacks on any government installations, Rashid told BenarNews.

The militants intention is to create panic among people, and draw the attention of the authorities. Even a small drone attack on government installations would create huge panic in the country.
A screen grab from a video dated Aug. 9 and posted on Nigerias Channels Television YouTube account shows three Indonesian immigration officers grabbing a Nigerian diplomat inside a vehicle.

Indonesia has denied that immigration officers mistreated a Nigerian diplomat last week, alleging he had provoked the altercation by striking an official, but Jakartas ambassador in Abuja expressed regret about the incident to the Nigerian foreign ministry.

The Nigerian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned the Aug. 7 incident saying it had recalled its ambassador to Jakarta, Usman Ogah, for consultations and was reviewing relations with Indonesia. A video of the incident went viral on social media, sparking an outcry in Nigeria.

Ibnu Chuldun, the head of the law and human rights department in Jakarta, said immigration officers were trying to restrain the diplomat after he struck one of them while being taken to an immigration office.

It was the Nigerian who beat up our officer while on their way to the immigration office, Ibnu said in a written statement released late Tuesday. What is shown in the video is our officers trying to prevent him from committing further violence.

A video posted on the YouTube channel of Nigerias Channels Television shows three immigration officials pushing the diplomats head against a car seat, as he screams, I cant breathe  my neck, my neck  I cant breathe.

Ibnu said officers on Saturday conducted a raid in a Jakarta apartment building against people believed to have overstayed their visas when they encountered Ibrahim in the lobby.

When the officials asked for his identification, he resisted and became angry, Ibnu said.

He was taken to the immigration office for being uncooperative and scolding the officers when they asked for his identification, even going so far as taunting them by asking to be arrested, he said.

The Abuja-based International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) identified the diplomat involved in the incident as Abdul Rahman Ibrahim.

Ambassador expressed his regret

The Nigerian foreign ministry demanded appropriate sanctions against the Indonesian officers involved in the incident with the diplomat.

[T]he Nigerian government condemns in the strongest terms what is in effect an egregious act of international delinquency by Indonesian state actors against an accredited representative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with absolutely no justification and against international law, it said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Indonesian Ambassador there to confirm the incident and to strongly protest.

Teuku Faizasyah, spokesman for the Indonesian foreign ministry, confirmed that Ambassador Usra Hendra Harahap had been summoned and expressed his regret for the incident that caused an uncomfortable situation between the two parties, Faizasyah told BenarNews.

We hope that there will be complete information from immigration authorities about what actually happened on the ground, he said, adding foreign ministry officials met Nigerian embassy staff in Jakarta on Wednesday.

As two friendly countries, the governments of Indonesia and Nigeria are in intensive communication to resolve the issue surrounding the incident that involved a Nigerian diplomat and Indonesian immigration officers, he said.

Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama told local media that the Indonesian ambassador had apologized.

The ambassador explained what he understood happened and apologized unreservedly on behalf of the Government of Indonesia, Onyeama said.

He also said the Indonesian officials action was a clear breach of the Vienna Convention, Nigerian newspaper The Guardian reported.

Ibnu, meanwhile, said the Nigerian diplomat and Indonesia immigration officials later agreed to resolve the matter amicably.

Both parties acknowledged that there was a misunderstanding and agreed to make peace, witnessed by the head of the South Jakarta Immigration Office and the Nigerian ambassador," Ibnu said without specifying when this meeting took place.

Now he is the evidence

Onyeama said a large community of Nigerians reside in Indonesia.

We have been having complaints about some Nigerians and it is something we have been engaging robustly with the Indonesian government about, he told Indonesian media.

ICIR said in an article on its website this was not the first time Nigerians had been harassed by immigration officials in Indonesia.

Ebubedike McDowell, a Nigerian residing in Indonesia, told ICIR that the Nigerian embassy often turned a blind eye to the way his compatriots were treated in the Southeast Asian country.

When ordinary citizens here are complaining to them how immigration officials are treating us, they will ignore us and say we should bring proof, McDowell was quoted as saying.

Another Nigerian, Daniel Uboh, told ICIR that he had met with the Abdul Rahman Ibrahim, the diplomat apparently involved in the incident.

I have met Mr. Ibrahim and told him what Indonesia immigration is doing to Nigerians, Uboh told ICIR.
Rescue workers assist a person who was injured when a bomb exploded at a market in Trang province, Thailand, Aug. 11, 2016.

Five years after bombings killed four people and injured more than 30 in tourist hotspots in southern Thailand, authorities have arrested only three of 11 suspects from the insurgency-stricken Deep South in connection with the attacks, and convicted only one, sources told BenarNews.

A lawyer representing the suspects said one of the three men arrested had served his sentence, another was acquitted in May and a third is scheduled to return to court in September.

[T]he spread of COVID-19 caused postponements beginning last year, Sitthipong Chantawiroj, a lawyer with the Muslim Attorney Center Foundation, told BenarNews on Wednesday.

Normally any security-related cases go at a fast pace with clear hearing dates.

Eleven suspects allegedly coordinated bombings in seven provinces in upper southern Thailand on Aug. 11 and 12 in 2016, included two in Hua Hin, home to the summer palace of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

One day earlier, police defused two bombs found at markets in Phuket.

In September 2016, a member of Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN)  the largest armed separatist group in the southern border region  claimed to BenarNews that his combat unit had carried out the attacks on Aug. 11 and 12 outside the confines of the Deep South.

The BRN has been involved in peace talks with the Thai government since early 2020.

Officials, meanwhile, said the bombs  which were hidden in plant pots and detonated by mobile phones  were similar to ones found in the Deep South, which comprises Pattani, Narathiwat, and Yala provinces, and four districts of neighboring Songkhla.

Authorities also tracked suspects through surveillance cameras before determining that all involved were from the Deep South.

Since the decades-old separatist insurgency reignited in January 2004, more than 7,000 people have been killed in the border region, according to Deep South Watch, a Pattani think-tank.

We had some hope so we fought

Lawyer Sitthipong said three suspects were arrested and faced trial in a military court in 2016 but saw those cases transferred to civilian court in July 2019.

Muhammad Muhi, a native of Pattani, confessed to planting two bombs in Phuket and has completed his sentence, the lawyer said.

A second suspect, Abdulkadir Salae, a native of Pattani who was charged with possessing a weapon of war, causing an explosion and arson, was acquitted by a criminal court in Trang in May, but prosecutors are likely to appeal the case, Sitthipong said.

Abdulkadirs wife, who asked not to be named over privacy concerns, said her husband had earlier struggled to convince a military court of his innocence.

We presented evidence showing he was innocent, but the court still indicted him, were not sure if they looked at the evidence at all, she told BenarNews.

We had some hope so we fought.

The third suspect, Abdulstopa Sulong, who is being held in a jail in Phuket, is scheduled to return to court in September when the prosecution presents its case following delays linked to the pandemic, Sitthipong said.

A Thai police officer stands guard near the site of a bomb explosion in Hua Hin, Aug. 12, 2016. [AFP]

A rights group leader said the court proceedings have taken too long, causing hardships for the suspects families.

The case went to military courts during the early days while in fact civilians should not be tried there, Anchana Heemmina, president of the Hearty Support Group, told BenarNews.

The defendants families had trouble traveling to the court, so there was no easy access to justice.

Anchana was sued by the military in May 2016 over allegations she accused soldiers of torturing suspected Deep South insurgents during an interrogation at a compound in Pattani. The military dropped that case in March 2017.
Thailands prime minister on Tuesday walked back an order to crack down on news and social media posts, as tensions on Bangkoks streets escalated through violent clashes between hundreds of pro-democracy protesters and police.

The revocation of the decree by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha came after a civil court, in a rare move last Friday, blocked it based on a petition by 12 Thai media portals. The decree had come into force July 30.

Because the civil court filed the injunction until further notice  the prime minister issued another order to revoke the decree, according to an announcement published in the Royal Gazette on Tuesday. The revocation went into effect the previous day.

Norasate Nanongtoom, a lawyer who represents the media portals, praised the consequence of the injunction.

The goal was the revocation of the order. This is a triumph of the freedom of expression, Norasate told Benar News on Tuesday.

In its injunction, the court noted that the government decree would deprive the plaintiffs of their rights and freedoms as protected under the constitution.

Prayuth, a former army chief and junta leader, signed the order, he had said, to prevent people from presenting news or information that would make the public fearful or confused, and undermining the states security and public morality during the coronavirus pandemic.

The civil court will now likely dismiss the case because Prayuths order no longer exists, Norsate said. The PM became the defendant during the injunction hearing, but the court had not set a date for a hearing because of a spike in COVID-19 infections.

Govt only sees interests of elite

Meanwhile, hundreds of pro-democracy activists in Bangkok demonstrated throughout the day on motorcycles and in cars to protest what they said was the governments mishandling of the viral outbreak that has left the country short of COVID-vaccines during a time of unparalleled new infections.

A group of Thammasat University students coordinated the protests, which involved honking horns and calling for Prayuths resignation.

The activists also defaced the logo on a Sino-Thai company building associated with Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

The government lacks the ability to manage the country, and only sees the interests of the elite, Benja Apan, a student activist, said in a statement that she read out during the protest, Reuters news agency reported.

If the situation remains like this then we can expect the country to face an unsurvivable disaster.

A motorcyclist passes a police detention truck that was put on fire during an anti-government protest in Bangkok, Aug. 7, 2021. [AP]

The protests  carried out in defiance of a pandemic-related ban on public gatherings  turned violent on Tuesday as riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the demonstrators. Police said six of their colleagues were injured and two police booths were set on fire.

Violence by protesters was also reported during a major anti-government demonstration in Bangkok over the weekend. At least one police truck was reportedly set on fire during protests on Saturday.

Before Tuesdays protest, police had warned demonstrators not to violate coronavirus restrictions.

In addition, a Thai civil court on the same day dismissed a petition from human rights lawyers urging a ban on the use of rubber bullets by police.

Six demonstrators were arrested and 100 motorcycles were confiscated, said Pol. Maj. Gen. Piya Tawichai, a deputy commander for the Metropolitan Police Bureau.

The protesters used violence and weapons such rocks, firework and giant fire crackers against the police, Piya told a press conference.

Initially, six policemen were injured and hospitalized. One of the six policeman was shot at with a homemade gun in his left thigh.

BenarNews could not verify the shooting.

Prayuth has been under siege since pro-democracy protests began in July 2020. Demonstrators have called on the PM to step down, the constitution to be updated and the monarchy to be reformed.

In the past weeks, they have also protested against the COVID-19 vaccine policy, and many different parties have joined this years demonstrations on the issue of the pandemic, said Sunai Phasuk, senior researcher for Human Rights Watch.

The government has not seemed to be open to compromise, especially when the protests are tied to the monarchy. The solution would be for the government to listen to the peoples demands, Sunai told BenarNews.

These include parliamentary mechanisms such as amending the constitution and the royal defamation law, and taking action to ensure a fair distribution of vaccines, Sunai said.

These are things the government should consider. But what is happening is that those who disagree with the government are suppressed, he said.

Protest leaders jailed

Since the weekend, meanwhile, at least 11 anti-government protest leaders have been detained, according to lawyers and the police.

They included four key anti-government leaders who were previously released on bail for allegedly defaming the monarch, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, an NGO, confirmed Tuesday.

Parit Penguin Chaiwarak, Panupong Mike Jadnok, Jatupat Pai Boonpattararaksa and Arnon Nampa were sent back to jail on Monday after being summoned for recent alleged offenses at protest rallies.

Parit, a key leader of the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, had his previous bail in a royal defamation case revoked because he allegedly broke a condition of his bail to not take part in protests, the lawyers group said.

Arnon was detained on Monday for alleged royal defamation committed on Aug. 3, the lawyers group said, adding that the police would seek additional jail time for him from a court on Wednesday.

Krisadang Nutcharus, a lawyer from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, alleged the police intentionally detained Arnon to prevent him from joining Tuesdays protests.

Police has the authority to detain him for 48 hours but there is no reason to keep him under custody that long because he had finished finger printing and so on, Krisadang told reporters.
Adam Samrov is the sports editor and part-time news reporter for the Bennington Banner. He has been at the Banner since 2008 and sports editor since 2010. He can be reached at asamrov@benningtonbanner.com
Magdalena Usategui arrived in the U.S. at the age of 17, earned a doctorate from Louisiana State University and served as the vice president and director of research and development at Roche Diagnostics. She lives in Shaftsbury. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of the Bennington Banner.
Polands parliament has voted in favor of a bill that would force Discovery Inc., the U.S. owner of Polands largest private television network, to sell its Polish holdings
An assessment or critique of a service, product, or creative endeavor such as art, literature or a performance.
The Details: Fried chicken is easy to make, but not easy to get right. The Village Fryer, in Adams, does just that. The take-out restaurant, l
The Massachusetts Public Health Council has decided to table until September a vote that would formally repeal state masking regulations. Those rules had been lifted in June, but only on a temporary basis.
Investigations editor

Larry Parnass joined The Eagle in 2016 from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, where he was editor in chief. His freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant, CommonWealth Magazine and with the Reuters news service.
Sen. Diana DiZoglio, right, who filed legislation to increase State House employee pay and remove a waiting period legislative staffers face to access health insurance benefits, said the delayed health coverage new hires faced during the pandemic was "simply unacceptable."
With a new school year quickly approaching and U.S. COVID cases surging, schools across the commonwealth will have to deal with another year affected by pandemic.
Letter: We must all have access to COVID vaccines to be safe
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, the states vs. the president.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
These compounds target the SARS-CoV-2 main protease and are active against other coronaviruses

Currently, the only treatment for COVID-19 approved by the US FDA is Remdesivir, but it has to be administered via intravenous infusion, and can therefore only be used in a hospital setting.

A much more ideal drug for COVID-19 and other pandemics should be in the form of a widely available pill, which a doctor can prescribe for patients to take orally at home.

The Experimental Drug Development Centre (EDDC), a national platform in Singapore hosted by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), is making headway in the endeavour to develop such a drug. It has recently discovered several small molecules that have shown to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 and other coronavirus strains.

Known as protease inhibitors, EDDCs novel small molecule drug candidates target SARS-CoV-2 directly. Specifically, the compounds target the viruss main protease (also known as 3CL protease or 3CLpro for short).

EDDC is collaborating with Singapores DSO National Laboratories to validate these 3CLpro inhibitors with live virus experiments in DSOs BioSafety Level 3 facility. Results have shown that the compounds are highly potent and selective. They are also active against a panel of other coronaviruses. In these studies, EDDCs 3CLpro inhibitors also compared favourably against other competing drug candidates under development for the same target.

EDDCs compounds are currently in the preclinical phase and clinical studies in humans have not yet started. The Centre hopes to out-license or co-develop its lead series of proprietary 3CLpro inhibitors with a partner that can expedite development of these compounds and bring them to patients. By doing so, it hopes to make effective, orally available COVID-19 treatments a reality as soon as possible.
The mPTX molecule is proposed to be a better pharmacological agent for assisted reproductive technology than the existing drugs

Dr Rajakumara Eerappas group from the Department of Biotechnology, IIT Hyderabad, Dr Jagadeesh Prasad Dasappas group from the Mangalore University, and Prof Guruprasad Kalthurs group from the Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, have designed a small organic molecule mPTX which improves the sperm functional competence required for in vitro fertilization (IVF).

The studies have demonstrated that mPTX, a pentoxifylline derivative, was able to increase sperm motility, prolong in vitro sperm survival, improve sperm fertilisation potential, without adversely affecting the development of the embryos at a much lower concentration compared to the widely used pharmacological agent - pentoxifylline in IVF technology.

mPTX can be a potential drug candidate for aiding viable sperm selection in patients having immotile or poor motile spermatozoa in the ejaculate or from the testicular biopsy, and for increasing sperm motility before IVF.

Recently this work has been published in the reputed peer-reviewed journal, Nature Scientific Reports.

Citing the importance of solutions in given circumstances, Dr Rajakumara Eerappa, Associate Professor, Department of Biotechnology, said, Our multi-institutional collaborative team is coming up with a formulation, using the combination of this mPTX and other molecules, that could be more effective than the existing formulation for the IVF procedure.
Google has released the most searched topics on the search engine over the past 15 years.

Top searched questions

Top searched sports and tournaments

Top searched South Africans

Top current affairs searches

Top job searches

Top searched government services

Top searched educational services

Top searched international celebrities

Top searched lyrics

Top food-related searches

Top health-related searches

A look at the list reveals that, among other things, South Africans use the internet to find the answer to pressing questions, stay informed on topical issues, connect to government services, keep up with their favourite public figures and look for work, food, entertainment and health-related information.As Google celebrates the 15th anniversary of Google Trends, here is a look at some of the top Google searches in South Africa over the past 15 years:Where to stay?How to make money fast?How to make love?What is love?What is my IP?How to make pancakes?How to download from Youtube?How to kiss?How to lose weight?How to lose belly fat?La LigaChampions LeagueEnglish Premier LeaguePSL standingsRugby World CupSerie AFA CupEngland ChampionshipEuropa LeagueNedbank CupCassper NyovestCyril RamaphosaJulius MalemaJacob ZumaBonang MathebaZodwa WabantuBlack CoffeeBabes WodumoSenzo MeyiwaPearl ThusiLoad sheddingCoronavirus South AfricaNational treasuryElection ResultsHeritage DayBoko HaramHoerskool DriehoekCurfew South AfricaRamaphosas WifeChesterville DurbanDPSA vacanciesCareer JunctionJob mailGumtree jobsEskom vacanciesGovernment vacanciesTransnet vacanciesJobs in PretoriaBest jobsDPSA circularHome affairsDepartment of labourDepartment of EducationE-filingDepartment of Home AffairsPost officeCity of JohannesburgCity of TshwaneCity PowerDepartment of JusticeMy UnisaGoogle ScholarUP portalPuff and passUniversity of PretoriaGoogle ClassroomDepartment of EducationUJ UlinkTUT ITSRosebank CollegeKim KardashianChris BrownJustin BieberLil WayneChristiano RonaldoDonald TrumpAriana GrandeTaylor SwiftLady GagaOne DirectionAll of me lyricsHallelujah lyricsHello by Adele lyricsDespacito lyricsThinking out loud lyricsAmazing grace lyricsPanda lyricsDrunk in love lyricsSay something lyricsWAP lyricsRomans PizzaKFC menuNandos menuDebonairs pizzaOcean basketChicken licken menuFood lovers marketPizza perfectUber EatsBurger King menuBanting dietPregnancy signsApple cider vinegarNHLS loginSymptoms of coronavirusChicken poxCystic FibrosisLower back painCitro sodaBlood in urineSearch trends information is gleaned from data collated by Google based on what South Africans have been searching for. Google processes more than 40,000 search queries every second. This translates to more than a billion searches per day and 1.2tn searches per year worldwide. Top searches indicate searches that topped Googles charts while most searched queries are the most popular terms for the past 15 years, ranked in order by volume of searches. Live Google search trends data is available here
Following the announcement that applications were open for the paid dentsu SA (South Africa) internship programme in May 2021, dentsu SA is proud to announce a total of 19 interns have joined the team in July and August 2021. The internship opportunities span across all media specialisations as well as finance, HR and IT.

Applications are now open for the 2021 Dentsu SA Paid Internship Programme If you have recently graduated from college or university and are looking to gain experience with an industry leader, please submit your application for the 2021 Dentsu Internship Programme...

The full-time dentsu internship programme is designed to provide a variety of development opportunities through experiential learning on the job, self-development, and guidance through mentorship. Our application process attracted many graduates from universities and colleges across Cape Town and Johannesburg.After a six-month evaluation of performance and capability, dentsu SA seeks to retain their successful interns by appointing them into permanent roles where there is a suitable job match and opportunity across the region.A key focus at dentsu SA is attracting top talent at early stages of their careers. To date, a total of 87 interns have been onboarded into the programme with an impressive 82% having been absorbed into permanent employment. 74% were offered permanent positions within the dentsu SA business and 8% into other businesses within the industry.Dentsu SA pride themselves on offering practical and comprehensive skills to their interns and they are committed to building future leaders which is evident in the growth and development of the previous interns who currently hold permanent positions within the agency.Yevenia Naidoo, HR director at Dentsu SA says:
Pro-surfer Bianca Buitendag recently made history as one of the two women, and only SA athletes, to bring home medals for South Africa from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. As this was the first time surfing has been included as an official sport in the Olympics, it was quite an achievement that Team South Africa could stamp their name in this new Olympic arena.
Digital Content Producer

Remuneration: market-related Location: Cape Town Job level: Junior/Mid Job policy: Employment Equity position Type: Permanent Reference: #ConProd21 Company: ninety9cents

Work closely with Client Service and Production Departments to effectively integrate into the day-to-day campaign and always-on work.

Build trust through ongoing thought leadership

Create and manage creative briefs, client feedback, and delivery of content

Timelines, cost estimates, billing, and budgeting.

Manage permits, licensing, negotiating, casting, etc.

Manage and maintain studio equipment

Work closely with the Creative Department and Production Suppliers to take full opportunity of clients active production jobs

Translate the brief and the strategic requirements into a compelling creative solution

Together with the Art Director, direct and produce effective, impactful, and compelling advertising that reflects insight into the task, the brand, and the target market

Ensure all work is proofed and is 100% accurate against channel specifications - prepped for delivery and activation. Resolve any activation issues that might occur in real time.

Work closely with the Social Media Department to pro-actively identify creative digital trends and opportunities for our clients via trend sourcing, outreach & tactical response

Be able to put proposals together in a very short amount of time in order to meet trend targets effectively

Ensure work is effectively scheduled & deactivated across channels  and then listen for any additional content marketing requirements for a response.

Ensure effective tags/tracking, etc. implemented across content.

Collaborate with brands' creative teams to manage clients' creative content bibles, the creative identity of channels, templates, and spec sheets.

Work closely with the influencer department for effective influencer reviewing, sourcing, outreach, and day-to-day management on any content marketing jobs.

Work closely with the paid media house and any other suppliers/teams that you produce content for and ensure your department always has the most up-to-date information for online channels.

Work closely with the Strategy Department to deliver accurate benchmarks and reports of your content marketing efforts

Ad Hoc: Channel, Content, Campaign, and Health Audits/Reporting

Ad Hoc: Performance checks and recommendations

3-5 years experience in copywriting and client service and/or social media management

Portfolio displaying your own conceptual and strategic copywriting online

Experience in writing is ideally in branded content for online platforms including social, email, website, app, and/or paid media

Experience working on all current & emerging social platforms.

A positive attitude towards tight deadlines.

Excellent attention to detail.

Enjoys a fast-paced agency environment with rapidly changing priorities.

Self-motivated, hard-working, and always eager to grow-and-learn attitude.

Excellent critical-thinking and problem-solving skills are a must

Ability to think creatively and out of the box.

Exceptional writing, communication, and confident presentation skills.

Excellent command of English, both written and verbal.

Valid, drivers licence, and own transport.

Responsible and trustworthy.

Ideally a degree/diploma in Copywriting or Journalism

Design Platforms: Basic knowledge in Adobe Creative Cloud & Figma.

Social Platforms: Hands-on experience with social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, WhatsApp, Snap chat, etc.

Experience using Microsoft Office programs (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.)

Social Media content management platforms (HootSuite, Falcon Social, or similar)

Social Media monitoring platforms (Brandseye, Simply Measured, Meltwater, or similar)

Reporting platforms (Google Analytics, Data Studio, Tag Manager, etc.)

We are looking for someone who is passionate about innovation in Social Media, Influencer, and Content Marketing. Its an exciting time to join our close-knit team and become a part of launching and delivering high-quality and exceptional online content for some of the biggest brands in Africa.Do you have excellent organizational, communication, and leadership skills? Are you self-motivated, focussed, and enjoy multi-tasking? Would you describe yourself as a highly adaptable human who is excited about constant change? Consider yourself a strategic, innovative, and creative thinker? Do you reckon a challenge is just an opportunity yet to be explored?Say no more!We need someone who gets bored easily, dips their finger into every pie, clicks on everything with curiosity, takes charge, and obsesses over the details because they MUST! Why? Because we want someone who will be as passionate about our content department as we are AND see opportunities that others wont.Your day-to-day will require you to understand our clients' needs and integrating with their existing client service and social media teams' content calendars to prepare and execute online content at current events and shoots etc.Your focus, however, will be largely centered around tactical proposals and executions for social media. Ideally, this would require you to participate in the social department and make use of current online listening tools, search for trends, define insights, and source brand opportunities.The ideal candidate has a marketing/agency background and has enthusiasm for the retail industry. They would need to have superior presentation and communication skills and proven hands-on experience copywriting, conceptualizing, organizing, budgeting, and managing online content for brands. A strategic copywriter who has experience working in both creative teams and client service/production teams.Client service and project managementInterested candidates must please submit a concise CV and salary expectation. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Should you not hear from us within three weeks after submitting your application, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful. We remain committed to the principles of employment equity. Posted on 11 Aug 11:05
Junior Graphic Designer

Remuneration: cost-to-company Location: Johannesburg, Sandton Education level: Degree Job level: Junior Own transport required: Yes Type: Permanent Reference: #SAJGD21 Company: Step Advisory

Executing high quality design work (print & digital)

Interpreting a brief and executing it from start to finish

Assisting with presentation templates

Assisting with content creation for various web and social media platforms for the brands within our company.

Adhering to brand guidelines while still displaying creativity and innovation

Design and supply accurate and high-quality artwork in correct useable format

1-2 years creative graphic design experience

Excellent communication skills: written, presentation and verbal

Relevant qualification (tertiary qualification at a design school is preferable)

Mac & Windows proficient

Must be good with Microsoft Office Suite

Experience with PowerPoint presentations would be beneficial

Proficient in Adobe CC (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Premier Pro*, After Effects*

Wordpress

Video Editing*

Animation*

Writing

A natural sense of aesthetics and a strong passion for design

An openness to feedback from colleagues and high levels of self-motivation

Calm under pressure

Good work ethic: strong sense of accountability and responsibility

An ability to work around tight deadlines

Flair for strategic thinking and innovation

Confident and decisive

Must be able to work as a part of a team and independently

Independent thinker and problem solver

Creative thinker with a curious mind  willing to learn

If youre interested in altering the status quo, growing businesses, and impacting the world, then we have a space for you. We are an advisory firm with a keen interest in design. We help leaders grow their businesses by informing choices, catalysing strategy and accelerating growth. We are looking for a dynamic and creative junior graphic designer to join our team; someone who is efficient and methodical, obsessive about accuracy and gets a kick out of knowing their design helps businesses across the country communicate their message clearly. Our potential candidate would preferably be Johannesburg based.Working on multiple projects simultaneously and jumping between projects and tasks is the nature of how we work, and you will need to take this in your stride while you support the wider team with communicating critically important, and often complex, information in a succinct, visually appealing way. This would include assisting in PowerPoint presentations, infographics, illustrations and animations*. Your role would also be assisting the Design and Marketing team, learning from them, and collaborating with them on other projects as needed. The position requires knowledge of graphic design, design styles and layout techniques.Candidates will be assessed based on their portfolios, passion for design, relevant skillset, conceptual and technical skill and fit with the team. If you feel you meet the above requirements, please fill out the form on our website. There will be a space for you to upload your CV and provide your portfolio on the form. Applications without a portfolio will not be considered. Posted on 11 Aug 10:58
The Senate on Tuesday passed a major $1 trillion infrastructure spending bill in a significant show of bipartisan force that marked a big step forward for President Biden's domestic agenda.

The vote was 69-30, with 19 Republicans  including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell  joining all Democrats to approve major investments to the nation's roads, bridges, railways and more. To mark the achievement, Vice President Kamala Harris came to the Capitol to preside over the Senate and announced the successful vote.

"Big news, folks," Biden tweeted immediately after the victory. "The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal has officially passed the Senate. I hope Congress will send it to my desk as soon as possible so we can continue our work of building back better."

The final passage vote was a culmination of a months-long rocky effort between a group of bipartisan senators and the White House intent on showing the country that Republicans and Democrats can still work together to fix the nation's crumbling infrastructure.

Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman, one of the lead negotiators, celebrated the vote as a historic investment in infrastructure that will serve the American people for decades to come.

"What we're doing here today also demonstrates to the American people that we can get our act together on a bipartisan basis and get something done," Portman said. "We can do big things on a bipartisan basis if we put our minds to it."

But the rare showing of bipartisanship was short-lived Tuesday, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., quickly pivoted to advancing a massive $3.5 trillion budget bill. Minutes after the infrastructure bill success, Schumer immediately called a procedural vote to begin debate on the Democrats' budget plan, which passed along party lines: 50-49.
Journalist Richard Medhurst claims that he initially didnt recognize Julian Assange, who looked awful and ill, as the WikiLeaks founder appeared in Londons High Court while the United States pushes to have him extradited.

Medhurst told RT said that he literally did a double take upon seeing Assange during the High Court preliminary hearing on Wednesday, which he was connected to remotely.

I couldnt recognize that it was Assange, he looked extremely old, Medhurst declared, adding that the WikiLeaks founder looked so awful and ill that it took him a minute to realize it was Assange as medical witnesses testified that his health has deteriorated and hes been tortured while in detention.

Assanges voice also did not sound very well, according to Medhurst, who noted that this is absolutely normal given the fact that hes locked up in solitary confinement and has been in arbitrary detention now for seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy, two years in Belmarsh Prison.

This is a journalist whos not serving a sentence, hes not a criminal, and hes in a maximum-security prison in Britains Guantanamo Bay, Medhurst protested, calling Assanges imprisonment completely unjust, a crime against press freedoms, and an affront against his personal health.

Because of this, these charges are no longer being debated in court and the discussion has pivoted purely to Assanges health and whether it is safe enough to extradite him to the US.On the process of the preliminary hearing, Medhurst explained that the United States already won in January when Judge Baraitser ruled in their favor and said that she agreed with all of the US governments political charges against Assange, including charges under the Espionage Act and conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.

Theres nothing about press freedoms here, even though there are dozens of lawyers, historians, journalists who testified at the extradition hearing, Medhurst said, pointing out that some of the biggest intellectuals and experts in their respective fields have all said in court that this is an affront on press freedoms.

Assanges prospects are looking even worse now because the United States was granted three out of five grounds to appeal regarding Julian Assange at the High Court and today whats happened is that this decision has been overturned, so its not three out of five, its all five, Medhurst explained. So now they can go into the High Court in October and they can question the validity of these psychiatric evaluations.

They can say, Well we dont think hes depressed, we dont think theres a heightened risk of suicide, even though the judgeblocked his extradition in January precisely because there is a high risk of suicide if hes extradited to the United States given the horrendous prison conditions, given the steadfast guarantee hell be convicted and found guilty unfairly.

Medhurst concluded by emphasizing that the case is ultimately about press freedoms and being able to do your job as a journalist and publish evidence of government crimes and human rights violations.

Hes not allowed to do that job. Theyre trying to make an example out of him, the journalist warned. And it doesnt necessarily have to result in a conviction in the end. The whole process is the punishment.

The fact that hes been in arbitrary detention for seven years and two years in Belmarsh, this could be dragged out for decades, and this is what they want. They want to torture Assange and make an example out of him.
YouTube suspended Rand Paul for questioning the efficacy of face masks despite the fact that the Senators comments were virtually identical to those made by Bidens former COVID adviser Dr. Michael Osterholm on CNN just a week ago.

Yes, really.

As we highlighted earlier, Paul has been blocked from uploading to YouTube for a week and his entire channel faces possible deletion after the Google-owned company claimed the Senator had again violated its COVID misinformation policy.

The Senators speech crime was to cite two scientific studies that prove cloth masks have no substantial effect on halting the spread of coronaviruses.

Saying cloth masks work, when they dont, actually risks lives, as someone may choose to care for a loved one with COVID while only wearing a cloth mask. This is not only bad advice but also potentially deadly misinformation, Paul said in the video removed by YouTube.

However, as journalist Glenn Greenwald points out today, Joe Bidens former COVID adviser, the epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, told CNN virtually the same thing just last week.

Speaking about cloth masks, Osterholm said, They actually only have very little impact in reducing the amount of virus that you inhale or exhale out.

Here's Dr. Osterholm on CNN saying exactly the same thing that @RandPaul just got suspended from YouTube for saying: that cloth masks, as opposed to N95s, provide very, very little protection. Why can yo say this on CNN or PBS but not YouTube????pic.twitter.com/gHJodnERL7  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 11, 2021

Osterholm went on to express his disappointment at public health officials improperly informing the American public about the efficacy of masks.

Heres Dr. Osterholm on CNN saying exactly the same thing that @RandPaul just got suspended from YouTube for saying: that cloth masks, as opposed to N95s, provide very, very little protection. Why can you say this on CNN or PBS but not YouTube???? asked Greenwald.

Greenwald noted how the deplatforming of Alex Jones back in 2018 has now led to a situation where almost no dissent is allowed.

Just look at the number of liberals cheering and justifying YouTube's suspension of Rand Paul for his comments on masks  ones echoed by Biden's own former COVID adviser  and you'll see why this faction is completely authoritarian. They crave corporate speech policing.  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 11, 2021

Just look at the number of liberals cheering and justifying YouTubes suspension of Rand Paul for his comments on masks  ones echoed by Bidens own former COVID adviser  and youll see why this faction is completely authoritarian, said Greenwald. They crave corporate speech policing.

Numerous top public health officials have also pointed out that face masks are largely useless, including Dr. Anthony Fauci himself.

In a February 2020 email, Fauci wrote that a typical store-bought face mask is not really effective in keeping out virus, which is small enough to pass through material.

As previously highlighted, Dr Colin Axon, a SAGE advisor for the UK government, dismissed face masks as comfort blankets that do virtually nothing, noting that the COVID-19 virus particle is up to 5,000 times smaller than the holes in the mask.

The small sizes are not easily understood but an imperfect analogy would be to imagine marbles fired at builders scaffolding, some might hit a pole and rebound, but obviously most will fly through, Axon said.

A peer reviewed study involving 6,000 participants in Denmark revealed that there was no statistically significant difference between those who wore masks and those who did not when it came to being infected by Covid-19, the Spectator reported.

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Nothing changes for Doctors Manitobas call for caution to avoid the fourth wave of COVID-19, despite Premier Brian Pallisters announcement Tuesday that he wouldnt run in the next provincial election.

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Nothing changes for Doctors Manitobas call for caution to avoid the fourth wave of COVID-19, despite Premier Brian Pallisters announcement Tuesday that he wouldnt run in the next provincial election.

"The pandemic restrictions, we understand, are cabinet decisions," said a spokesperson for the organization. "It really doesnt change the disappointment physicians have in the lifting of so many restrictions so quickly, and the concern they have about what should happen now and at the first sign of a fourth wave."

Dr. Kristjan Thompson

On Tuesday, Doctors Manitoba called on the province for continued mask use, expanded immunization cards and a commitment to reinstate restrictions at the first sign of the fourth wave in

the province.

Dr. Nichelle Desilets is a full-scope family physician working in Neepawa at both the Beautiful Plains community medical clinic and the local hospital. She recognizes the stress and fatigue living with the pandemic has created for people.

"I think we know everyone is feeling kind of fatigued in all the ways weve had to change our lives," she told The Sun.

"A lot of people are looking forward to getting back to normal."

However, she was a bit surprised at the recommendations last weekend.

"I expected masking to remain in place a bit longer."

While residents in the province are glad to see the number of COVID-19 cases go down, everyone is afraid to go back into lockdown, she said.

"No one wants to go backwards."

One of her concerns is the surgery backlogs and testing and how a fourth wave could impact them in the province even further.

"I think everyone is very tired of hearing the same story over and over again," she said.

"The thing we dont want to forget about is theres a lot of people waiting for their tests to be done that have been delayed over and over again," she said.

"Its prudent to continue wearing masks. As physicians, we have seen a lot of reduced numbers of respiratory illnesses presumably from mask wearing and hand washing," she explained.

She would like to see people continue wearing masks.

"We can enjoy opening up with masks. One thing about the pandemic, we still have to be mindful. We still have a lot to lose."

Doctors Manitoba president Dr. Kristjan Thompson recognizes that Manitobans have earned the opportunity to reconnect with family and friends.

"But while we get out there, please be cautious. Wear a mask in public indoor spaces, stay home if you are sick, wash your hands, and get vaccinated. We dont want Manitoba to experience the fourth wave like were seeing in other jurisdictions, with a more contagious Delta variant leading to serious illness and in some cases record hospitalizations among children and youth," Thompson said.

In a survey conducted over the last week, 79 per cent of physicians polled were concerned too many pandemic restrictions are being loosened too quickly, a press release from Doctors Manitoba said. Their top concerns included the removal of the mask mandate and the decision to eliminate the use of the vaccine passport in some public settings.

In their call to the government to avoid or contain a fourth wave, they requested that everyone continue wearing masks in public indoor settings, especially when the location is not limited to vaccinated people only. They asked that businesses continuing to require masks and taking other precautions be applauded, not criticized for their commitment to protecting their employees and customers. The group also asked that immunization cards be used more widely in the short term, to create more low-risk opportunities for fully vaccinated Manitobans to gather.

And finally, they asked the government, at the first sign of a potential fourth wave, that the mask mandate and other restrictions be reintroduced without delay, using either a regional or provincial approach as deemed necessary by public health officials, the release said.

Thompsons concern is that while the risk of COVID-19 has decreased, "it is not zero, and a fourth wave could hit Manitoba very soon."

 kkielley@brandonsun.com
OTTAWA - The Canadian military has been roiled by allegations of misconduct and questions about due process. Here are the key players in the scandal:

Chief of Defence Staff Jonathan Vance sits in the front row during a news conference Friday, June 26, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - The Canadian military has been roiled by allegations of misconduct and questions about due process. Here are the key players in the scandal:

Gen. Jonathan Vance: Former chief of the defence staff who stepped down on Jan. 14. A subordinate at the heart of the sexual misconduct allegations, Maj. Kellie Brennan, told a parliamentary committee that Vance fathered two children with her but has taken no responsibility for them during a relationship that allegedly began in 2001 and continued after Vance became top commander in 2015. Global News has also reported that the retired 35-year veteran allegedly sent a lewd email to a much more junior soldier in 2012. Vance has not responded to requests for comment from The Canadian Press but Global has reported he denies any wrongdoing. Vance was charged in July with obstruction of justice related to an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service said the criminal charge will be pursued in civilian court, given the details of the case and the limits of the military justice system.

Admiral Art McDonald: Vance's successor who stepped aside six weeks after taking the top job. A former commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, McDonald voluntarily gave up his new post when the defence minister announced on Feb. 24 that military police were looking into an allegation, which hasn't been detailed publicly. The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service announced the end of the probe into McDonald's conduct late Friday, saying they had decided there was not enough evidence to charge McDonald under either the Criminal Code or the military's disciplinary code. In a statement released Wednesday, McDonald's legal team said the naval officer would be returning to the position after the nearly six-month investigation "exonerated'' him. However, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said he expects McDonald to remain on leave while the government reviews the situation.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan: Sajjan has come under fire from opposition MPs and the one-time Canadian Armed Forces ombudsman over his handling of misconduct allegations. A former army lieutenant-colonel and Vancouver police detective, Sajjan has argued he was right to pass off responsibility for a report of misconduct against Vance in March 2018 to the Privy Council Office, the bureaucratic operation that supports the Prime Minister's Office. He told the House defence committee earlier this year that drawing an elected official into a probe would be "wrong and dangerous, politicizing any investigation.''

Gary Walbourne: Former military ombudsman who first raised misconduct allegations against Vance to Sajjan in a meeting on March 1, 2018. Walbourne has expressed frustration over the defence minister's referring him to the Privy Council, but the government has said senior civil servants were stymied in launching an investigation after the ombudsman refused to provide them with more information. Global News has reported the allegation Walbourne raised involved a lewd email sent to a female corporal in 2012, three years before Vance became defence chief.

Vice-Admiral Haydn Edmundson: A top-ranking military officer who temporarily left his job following media reports of an allegation of sexual assault. The head of military personnel in Ottawa stepped aside last month as he faces a military police investigation. He has denied the allegations.

Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin: The former head of Canada's COVID-19 vaccine rollout who was abruptly replaced in May, five days before the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service referred a sexual misconduct investigation to the Quebec prosecution service to determine whether charges should be laid. Through his lawyers, Fortin has denied any wrongdoing and said the allegation dates back more than 30 years. Heis currently fighting the government in Federal Court for reinstatement in the position, alleging the decision to replace him was politically motivated and denied him due process.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2021.
Dr Forrest said the 138-page takeover document did not mention environment or animal husbandry once. I would have thought those were the top priorities of any organisation ... who supply food to every Australian, he said. The billionaire also wants to see salmon farming operations in Tasmanias Macquarie Harbour  where Tassals, Huon, and Petuna operate offshore salmon facilities  moved to deeper waters. The harbour has an average depth of 15 metres and suffered more than one million salmon deaths in a six-month period in 2017-18 mostly due to an outbreak of pilchard orthomyxovirus. Huon had raised concerns with other producers before the deaths about the then practice of mixing of old and young fish which could raise the risk of disease spread.

Dr Forrest also wants no fish going into the fishmeal fed to the salmon. Tasmanian Greens leader Cassy OConnor said the potential sale to JBS was a concern for the state and its marine environment. JBS internationally is a terrible global citizen, with an appalling environmental record. They have been responsible for mass deforestation in the Amazon, and found guilty of poisoning rivers across the USA, she said. JBS Australia chief executive Brent Eastwood defended the companys environmental record with its goal to have net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its value chain from 2040. We will provide further detail as appropriate regarding our commitment to best practice standards in animal welfare and environmental sustainability for all Huon shareholders to consider when the scheme materials are released in due course, he said.

Huon managing director and chief executive Peter Bender said it agreed business operations should not compromise the environment, but his company already had the commitment to the highest standards of animal husbandry and sustainable farming practices including no pain, no fear principles. Huon does not believe there is any higher animal husbandry goal to achieve than RSPCA certification, and we call upon Mr Forrest to outline which program he believes is better than RSPCA certification, he said. If Mr Forrest had bothered to check with me, he would know that our stocking density of maximum 1 per cent fish to 99 per cent water is the best in the world across the global salmon farming industry. Takeover vote not until October Dr Forrest has not given any indication if he will launch a takeover bid or look to increase his Huon stake before the vote on the JBS offer.

Houns founders and major shareholders, Peter and Frances Bender, support selling the company to JBS. The Benders sold a 40 per cent stake of Huon earlier this week to JBS, which is offering a 38 per cent premium on the salmon farmers share price at Fridays close of $3.85. Global demand for Atlantic salmon is growing. Credit:Ben Rushton A successful takeover would mark the first foray into aquaculture by JBS. Huon shareholders are not expected to vote on the acquisition until mid to late October.

Peter Bender said in a statement last week the sale would have an excellent outcome for shareholders and staff. Dr Forrest said he would now wait on the reaction of Huon and JBS as the vote draws closer to see how the situation would turn. Tattarangs growing aquaculture portfolio For the past five years, Tattarang has been increasing its aquaculture interests and has a seafood arm to the Harvest Road Group called Leeuwin Coast. Tattarang has oyster interests in the West Australian towns of Albany, in the states Great Southern, and Carnarvon in the Gascoyne.

The company has also proposed to the WA government to develop a land-based yellowtail kingfish aquaculture precinct, but the latter has decided to open up the proposal to a wider expression of interest call-out. Huon also has a kingfish project in WA. Loading Dr Forrest said he wanted to see Harvest Road become a large independent Australian producer in a country where the biggest player was the foreign-owned JBS. He said he became interested in sustainable aquaculture as an alternative to industrial wild catch practices, drawing him to Huon, which was moving in the right direction. I believe a much more sustainable and humane way of putting fish onto the plate is through sustainable environmentally fishing, Dr Forrest said.
Controversial plans by supermarket giant Woolworths to build two apartment towers and a grocery store at the ABCs former studios in Melbournes south-east have been thrown out for a second time.

Glen Eira City councillors blocked the plans on Tuesday night, against the advice of council officers, after a long-running dispute that has already been through the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and sparked protests.

The amended plans that have again been knocked back by Glen Eira. Credit:Woolworths

Woolworths has not ruled out appealing the decision again. The design for the building on Selwyn Street, in a heritage corner of Elsternwick, has already been amended to increase setbacks and the maximum height has been reduced from 14 storeys down to 10.

The proposal includes four storeys of underground parking and retains the heritage-listed former Elsternwick Fire Station.
Heavily-armed Special Operations Group officers have stormed a room at Acacia Prison after prisoners barricaded themselves inside at the Wooroloo facility on Wednesday.

Officers were on site at the Serco-run facility about 2.25pm, with a Nine News Perth news helicopter showing prisoners waving and twirling clothes through windows that had been smashed from inside.

Special Operations Group officers storm the building at Acacia Prison on Wednesday afternoon. Credit:Nine News Perth

At least two dozen SOG officers in riot gear, some with rope and cable ties and another carrying a large angle grinder, were prepared to enter a large facility at the prison site just before 3pm, while a fire crew and three ambulances waited nearby.

An officer was seen talking to one of the prisoners to no avail, with riot-clad SOGs storming the building just after 3pm. A fridge door and other broken items could be seen on the ground before two prisoners were handcuffed and escorted from the building.
In 2030  the year our planet is on track to tip over the crucial 1.5-degree global warming threshold  I will be 26.

This is a time in my life when I dream of building my career and starting a family.

Climate campaigner Eva Rodgers, 17 (left).

But this week Ive been thinking about what a 1.5-degree warmer world will be like.

Hundreds of the worlds foremost climate scientists, who released the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report this week, have painted a stark picture. Nearly 1 billion people worldwide will swelter in life-threatening heatwaves. Hundreds of millions will suffer through droughts and floods. Reefs will die.
We should have known. This was a story involving Sydney and Byron Bay, so it had to be about real estate. Sure, here in Byron Shire, many of us had feared the latest strain of the coronavirus would come our way. I dont think many of us predicted it would be carried here by an infected man whod left locked-down Sydney, reportedly with the excuse that he was in search of a property.

Im certainly surprised to find that, while hes been charged with breaching COVID restrictions, the law in fact allowed him to leave locked-down Sydney for that purpose  to go in search of a home to rent or buy.

Ghostly quiet, Byron Bay is partway through a seven-day lockdown as a result of the mans travel. Credit:

Wed been appreciating our relative freedom. Then, after weeks of COVID-19 hotspots creeping closer, Byron, Ballina, Lismore and Richmond Valley went into lockdown at 6pm on Monday.

Its ironic because the region has been struggling with locals who dont believe in COVID-19. On the understanding of Byron Shires Mayor, nor did this man bringing the virus, who he says declined to engage in the QR-code shuffle were becoming accustomed to.
Labor has announced that it would conduct an inquiry into the intelligence operation to bug the East Timor government which led to the prosecution of a former spy and his lawyer.

The federal opposition has also called for former attorney-general Christian Porter to provide an explanation as to why he authorised the prosecution of the former intelligence official known as Witness K and his lawyer Bernard Collaery.

Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate Katy Gallagher announced Labors position. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Witness K was in June handed a three-month suspended sentence for conspiring to reveal classified information about intelligence agency ASISs bugging of East Timors cabinet rooms during sensitive oil and gas treaty negotiations.

The actions of the ASIS official and Mr Collaery helped the East Timor government build a case against Australia at The Hague, which led to Canberra renegotiating the deal.
Two suburban commuter car parks promised at the 2019 federal election may not be delivered until 2024 after a local council raised concerns the tainted money was offered for projects that were never their priority.

In a decision that raises further questions about the $660 million Commuter Car Park fund, the Glen Eira council in south-east Melbourne will start a new round of public consultations around proposed car parks at the Bentleigh and Elsternwick railway stations.

A council in the seat of Liberal MP Tim Wilson has delayed possible construction of two railway station car parks until at least 2024. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Both stations, which sit in the electorate of Liberal MP Tim Wilson, were pledged $9 million each to build more than 500 car park spaces in the run-up to the federal campaign.

A scathing Auditor-Generals report into the scheme revealed the fund was overwhelmingly allocated to Coalition-held or targeted seats in the lead-up to the federal poll. It has also revealed a spreadsheet entitled top marginal electorates was used to identify possible seats for car parks.
Japans Defence Minister has warned China is trying to change the status quo in the region by force and has called on Australia and other allies to step up to ensure Beijings dominance is not inevitable.

In some of his strongest comments on the deteriorating security situation across the Indo-Pacific, Nobuo Kishi said the shifting power balance between the US and China has become very conspicuous while a military battle over Taiwan had skewed greatly in favour of China.

Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi. Credit:Viola Kam

Japans defence policy is not targeted at any specific nation. But given that the security environment surrounding Japan is getting even harsher, we must build a structure where we can protect ourselves, Kishi told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in an interview in his office at the Defence Ministry in Tokyo.

[China] is trying to change the status quo unilaterally backed by force and coercion. And theyre trying to make it into a fait accompli.
Under the name Wilson Edwards, a Facebook user on July 24 penned a post critical of the US position on the World Health Organisations investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus. Claiming to be a Swiss biologist, Edwards argued that the probe had been politicised. The Biden administration had spared no efforts in rebuilding U.S. influence in the organisation, he wrote.

He was wading into hot water: China has rejected new efforts to learn more about how the coronavirus spread to humans, for which the United States and WHO have pushed. Few Western scientists have taken up Beijings cause.

It was the United States, not China, that was seeking to influence the investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, Wilson argued, citing sources at the WHO that he claimed had told him: The US is so obsessed with attacking China on the origin-tracing issue that it is reluctant to open its eyes to the data and findings.

The Biden administrations report into the Wuhan lab theory is due out at the end of August. Credit:AP

The post drew wide attention from Chinese state media, which used it to vindicate Chinas stance on the investigation. CGTN, Chinas state broadcaster, wrote that the post indicated intimidation on the part of a WHO advisory group tracing the origins of the coronavirus.
London: The US government has won the right to appeal against key evidence that had successfully claimed Julian Assange should not be extradited to the US because he was a very high suicide risk.

The written evidence was given by Professor Michael Kopelman, who appeared for Assange during an extradition hearing last year which the WikiLeaks founder won.

A sketch of Julian Assange, left, as he appeared via video link at the High Court in London. Credit:Elizabeth Cook/PA

A judge ruled in January that Assange should not be extradited to the US to face criminal charges including breaking a spying law, accepting testimony that his mental health combined with Aspergers syndrome made him a suicide risk.

The US had already been given permission to appeal against the January ruling on three grounds, but on Wednesday asked that the scope of it be expanded to include a reassessment of Kopelmans expert evidence used to evaluate Assanges risk of suicide.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced a phased three-speed plan to re-open New Zealand to international travel from the start of 2022 that will allow fully vaccinated travellers from low-risk countries to skip quarantine.

However, 14 days of hotel quarantine will still be required for all unvaccinated travellers and anyone from countries deemed high-risk, while vaccinated travellers from medium-risk nations - those with widespread COVID but high vaccination rates - may be able to quarantine in private homes.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces plans to reopen borders to the world from early next year. Credit:AP

Ardern said the government planned to follow the advice of its experts and maintain its elimination strategy.

While the pandemic continues to rage overseas, and the virus continues to change and mutate, the best thing we can do is lock in the gains achieved to date while keeping our options open, she said.
In one of the biggest land deals in the country in the last couple of years, Canada's is set to buy a 30-acre land parcel in Navi Mumbai, a satellite town of Mumbai, for Rs 600 crore from K Raheja Corp, sources said.

plans to build a data centre on the plot. Raheja, which bought the land parcel in Ghansoli of from US chemicals company Cabot Corporation in 2015 for Rs 210 crore, will get a three-time return from the sale.

Real estate experts said the price paid by is in line with the market.
In a major move in the renewable energy space, Larsen & Toubro announced its 99 MW power plant in Rudraprayag in to ReNew Power, marking the entry of Sumant Sinha-led company into hydropower space. The two announced signing of binding agreements for the acquisition.

Simultaneously, ReNew also announced signing of agreements for 260 MW/330MWp solar projects in Telangana. The combined enterprise value of the acquisitions is around Rs 2,850 crore ($384 million). The company that is also on its way to be merged with an American blank cheque company or special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) said these deals would bring Rs 380  400 crore ($50.7  53.4 million) of EBITDA on a full-year basis.

Uttaranchal Hydropower Ltd., which owns the Singoli Bhatwari Hydroelectric Project (SBHEP), would be taken over by ReNew from Power Development Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the engineering and construction company. As a part of the transaction, ReNew would add the project operations team of SBHEP to its team.

Hydropower meets the crucial balancing electricity requirement to tackle the intermittent nature of renewable power. The company would be looking at more hydropower purchases.

Besides the project, ReNew has won bids for peak power project as well as round-the-clock (RTC) power project for which ReNew signed a power purchase agreement last week.

The addition of SBHEP, which has a significant pondage capacity of two to three hours, adds 200  300 MWhr of low-cost hydro storage to ReNews portfolio, said the company in a statement.

The transaction is subject to completion of customary closing conditions and closing is expected to take place before September 30, 2021. The sale consideration is Rs 985 crore. This development is a significant step in our effort to unlock the value of some of our power development assets to streamline and allocate capital to create long term value for our shareholders, said D K Sen, whole-time director, L&T, describing the sale of the asset. It represents our strategic effort to increase focus on our core strengths and exit others to move towards becoming a more asset-light organization.

Speaking about the acquisition, Sumant Sinha, founder, chairman, and CEO of ReNew Power, said, Given that the asset is already operational, the acquisition is not only value accretive for us but also presents a lower level of risk. It strengthens our ability to provide firm and round the clock power to the grid and compliments our solar and wind assets, filling up an important position in our portfolio.
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Software giant Oracles Mumbai and Hyderabad cloud regions have now been certified for use by the Indian government and the public sector, said the company. With this the company is gearing up to expand its presence in the public sectors adoption of cloud platforms.

The company said that MeitY has given approval, after a rigorous audit process, that lasted a few months, for empanelment of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure as an approved cloud service provider (CSP) for governments and public sector firms bound by strict regulatory guidelines.

What this means is that it provides an easy and a compliant path to the cloud for more than 29 states and Union Territories already using Oracle solutions. Oracle solutions is already a preferred tech partner to governments and public sector firms in India  either on-premise database or other technologies and Oracle on-premise applications, said Debapriya Nanda, head, Public Sector Business,

Some of the initiatives or immediate opportunities that Oracle sees include the national health mission platform that the health ministry is planning to build and the education ministry, where they are planning to build an online training platform for K-12 students. Including other projects.

Oracle has been an existing vendor in most of these departments and are in constant discussions, including presenting our Oracle Cloud infrastructure, and the various tools we offer. These also include various open standard platforms that we provide for fast, agile development, deployment and hundred percent secured databases, said Nanda.

Governments of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Orissa, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and many more are already using Oracle solutions for their various departments like commercial taxes, power (meter data management), social justice (courts), urban local bodies, health, locomotive works etc.

Many government ministries eg. Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Finance, etc also use Oracle (on-premise) solutions.

Recently, Oracle along with NIC and IEEE under the aegis of MeitY, invited technologists including students and working professionals, to participate in a 36-hour virtual hackathon, GovTechThon2020. The hackathon aimed to incubate new ideas and display use of technology in prime sectors like education, transport, agriculture  to address grassroots problems India is facing. Majority of the winning solutions were cloud native applications developed using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
PNB Housing Finance is now looking to raise Rs 35,000 crore debt, after facing legal hurdles in the Carlyle group deal, days after SAT gave a split verdict in the matter.

The company will seek shareholders' nod in its annual general meeting (AGM) on September 3, 2021, PNB Housing Finance said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday.

The company said it will seek shareholders' approval for further by way of debt issue.

"Shareholders' approval is being sought in the 33rd AGM for further by way of debt issue and the shareholders are being requested to authorise the board of directors to offer, from time to time, the subscription of redeemable, secured/unsecured non-convertible debentures aggregating to Rs 35,000 crore in one or more tranches," it said in the filing.

On Monday, Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) gave a split verdict in the company's appeal to the court in the matter related to Rs 4,000 crore equity fund infusion led by its existing investor Carlyle group, and others through preferential allotment of shares and warrants.

Had the deal not stuck into regulatory and legal hurdles, the company would have been successful in raising the equity capital.

The Carlyle-led deal was announced on May 31, in which a clutch of investors including former HDFC Bank MD&CEO Aditya Puri's family investment vehicle Salisbury Investments, were to infuse equity capital in PNB Housing. Puri is also a senior advisor for Carlyle in Asia.

However, the deal soon got into a controversy after a proxy advisory firm raised issues and said it would hurt the interest of the minority shareholders as well the promoter. It said the issue price of Rs 390 apiece was too low vis-a-vis the prevailing stock price.

Subsequently, Sebi asked the company to get the valuation of the issue price done from an independent registered valuer, while the company approached the SAT in June, citing it followed the Sebi guidelines on deciding on the price.

SAT in its order, by the two-member bench of Justice Tarun Agarwala and Justice M T Joshi said:"In view of the difference of opinion between the members of the bench "we direct the interim order dated 21st June, 2021 to continue till further order."



Prevalence of interim order means the company can't disclose the results of the shareholders' voting that happened on June 22, to know if they cleared the proposal with requisite majority or not.

The company has been looking to raise funds for the past few years. Also, the Reserve Bank of India earlier this year had barred PNB from infusing capital into its subsidiary.

The Carlyle matter is likely to reach the Supreme Court since the tribunal did not provide a clear verdict on the way forward for the deal.

PNB Housing Finance stock closed flat at Rs 688 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.)
New Delhi [India], August 11 (ANI): At least four people have been killed and over 50 people were feared trapped under the debris of a massive that hit Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur on Wednesday, officials said.

According to Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), four bodies have been retrieved from the debris of the that occurred on Reckong Peo-Shimla Highway in Nigulsari area of Kinnaur district on Wednesday afternoon.

Chief Minister Jairam Thakur said that operations are underway to rescue those trapped under the debris of falling boulders. Rescue operations by teams of the ITBP, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Army and local police are hindered by the falling boulders.

The State Emergency Operation Centre said that a total of 10 people have been rescued safely.

A 30-seater Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus, a truck and four cars were among the vehicles that came under the rubble as the hit around 12 noon. The bus, which was moving from Murang to Haridwar, could not be traced so far and it seems that it may have fallen into the Sutlej river. Over 30 people were said to be traveling in the bus.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have called upon Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and assured all possible help from the Centre in the rescue operations. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had also tweeted about the incident.

ITBP spokesperson Vivek Pandey told ANI that they got a call at 12.15 pm and rescue teams had to wait for over an hour for shooting stones to stop. There are 300 jawans of three battalions including 17th battalion, 19th battalion and 43rd battalion of ITBP at the spot. "The area is currently very dangerous," he said.

Pandey also said the body of one dead person retrieved from the spot has been identified as a as labourer, and that a bus of HRTC is still untraceable and it seems that it might have fallen in the Sutlej river down 300 feet.

"It is believed that around 40 people are trapped," the spokesperson added.

Chief Minister Thakur had earlier said that 50-60 people are feared to be trapped under the debris and the driver along with the conductor of the bus have been rescued.

"50-60 people could be trapped in the debris following a landslide on a road in Nigulsari area of Kinnaur district. Four people including driver and conductor of the bus trapped in the debris have been rescued," he said.

Kinnaur MLA Jagat Singh Negi told ANI that rescue operations are being hindered due to falling rubble.

"The landslide incident has taken place near Nigulsari. A bus is buried under the rubble there. Few cars and a truck are suspected to be trapped. The bus driver and one more person rescued. ITBP rescue teams at the spot, operation hindered due to falling boulders," he said.

Chief Minister thanked Narendra Modi and said that Prime Minister took detailed information of the incident.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to Jairam Thakur and the Director General of ITBP over the incident.

"Regarding the accident caused by landslide in Himachal's Kinnaur, I spoke to Chief Minister @jairamthakurbjp and DG ITBP. @ITBP_official teams are actively engaged in relief and rescue work. It is the priority of ITBP and local administration to save lives and provide prompt treatment to the injured," Shah tweeted.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party National President JP Nadda appealed party workers to extend all possible during ongoing rescue operations.

Former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu said that he is hopeful of rescue operations by Army and NDRF will "yield results."

"Sad to hear about the #landslide on Reckong Peo-Shimla Highway in #Kinnaur District #HimachalPradesh due to which 40 people are feared buried under debris. I am hopeful that rescue operations by Army & NDRF will yield its results," he tweeted.

#WATCH | ITBP personnel rescue a man trapped in the debris of a landslide on Reckong Peo-Shimla Highway in Nugulsari area of Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh



As per the state govt's latest information, nine people have been rescued & one person has died. Search operation is underway pic.twitter.com/NZ46tpg1Se  ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2021

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"I am worried about his future," Bajrang Saini said of his 12 year-old son, Dheeraj Saini, who attends a private school about 40 km from Jaipur city under the Right to Education Act. "I just want my son to be independent when he grows up." With his father using the only smartphone at home, Dheeraj is unable to access online lessons.

Across India, most children from pre-primary to grade VIII have not attended school since India went under lockdown on March 24, 2020, to curb the spread of Covid-19. Some states have reopened schools more recently--Madhya Pradesh for grades IX to XII since July 26, with 50% attendance; Punjab since August 2 for all grades; and Uttar Pradesh for grades IX to XII from August 16, operating at 50% capacity.

Children from poor families and vulnerable social groups have been the worst affected by this pandemic-led disruption--they have been the least able to access online education or get parental help in learning, parents and teachers across government and small private schools in one Rajasthan district told IndiaSpend. Nearly 15% of Rajasthan's population or 10 million people live below the poverty line, data from 2011-12 show.

The long separation from schools and regular lessons will worsen an already dire situation: In 2019, 16% of grade I students in rural schools could read a grade I-level text, and only 74% could even recognise numbers. In addition, children now have underdeveloped social skills and few friendships outside their homes, teachers and families said. This could have long-term impacts for the majority of India's 264 million and its demographic dividend--the growth opportunity from its large working population in the future.

This story is the first in our new series, 'Education Disrupted', which will focus on the pandemic's impact on children, the effect of school closures, and whether, how and when schools should reopen.

'She doesn't understand what she is doing'

Classrooms and grounds lie empty in Jaipur district's schools, urban and rural. Many private schools are almost completely shut but government schools remain open until 1 p.m. and their teachers come to school to file away the assignments submitted by students. Once a week teachers also visit children who are unable to access online classes, they said. Some days, children--usually the older ones--come to school to collect books, clarify doubts about lessons or submit homework.

Online tools are either out of the children's reach and those who have digital gadgets often struggle to comprehend the videos and documents sent over the phone, we found.

"I am struggling to teach her at home. I have studied until grade VIII in a Hindi-medium school and the 'hi-fi' English in her school is difficult to keep up with," said Manju Harijan, the mother of Radhika Harijan, a grade V student in a private school near Harota village. Radhika gets assignments on a smartphone and her mother dutifully sits with her and ensures that she completes them. "But I do not think she can understand much of what she is doing," the mother said.

Parents who have not studied in school find it hard to teach their children. One third of Rajasthan's population is illiterate, data from Census 2011 show.

The state administration sends videos and pdf documents every day and these are forwarded to students by teachers over WhatsApp. Every Friday, there is a quiz on that week's work sent to students and it is mandatory to finish this. Teachers in a government primary and upper primary school in urban Jaipur often call the children to school one-by-one, show them the quiz on their phones and get it completed, they said.

"The work that is happening online, neither the children nor we are happy with it. The best way to teach children is in school," said Khemchand Tanwer, the principal of a government school in Govindgarh. "Children who come from very poor families either do not have smartphones or it is with the father or an older brother who take it with them when they go out to work."

Across schools in rural India, 61.8% of families owned a smartphone, found a 2020 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) by the education nonprofit Pratham. The proportion was much higher in private schools where nearly three-quarters had a phone, compared to 56% of government school students. Several surveys show that children were unable to access learning digitally and teachers were frustrated with the medium.

Limited physical, social growth

"When children would come to school, they would also run and play around in the yard. They would meet one another, learn from one another," said Kripa Gupta, a primary school teacher in a government school in urban Jaipur. This disruption means that children not only miss classes but also physical activity and the development of social skills, teachers said. "When we visit, we find that some of the students are looking thinner--at least in the school they got a hot nutritious meal," Kripa added.

Children also miss the camaraderie in schools. Anita Yadav, 15, a private school student, in Jaitpura village, said she missed her three best friends Rashmi, Geetika and Zoya, whom she had not met in months. The four of them stay in touch over the phone and discuss what they study, cook and eat.

A study in Bihar showed that 87% of adolescent girls needed mental health counselling and felt the need to talk to somebody, said Poonam Muttreja, executive director of the Population Foundation of India, in an IndiaSpend interview published on July 30.

Government schools still connected to students

Government school teachers in Rajasthan have been instructed to visit children, especially those who have trouble with digital learning, as we said. This connection will be key to ensuring that students return to schools when they re-open, experts have said.

"We visit Khushi and her brother Kartik every Monday," said Saroj Meena, Khushi Harijan's grade II class teacher in Harota village in Jaipur district. Khushi, who belongs to the scheduled castes, is unable to cope up with work on her father's mobile phone and her mother is unequipped to teach her as she dropped out of school in grade I. "I sit with her and try to explain as much as I can," Meena said. "It is not the same as in school but we are at least connected with the children and their families."

Other than teacher visits, schools also stay in touch with students when they distribute food rations in lieu of midday meals to families of enrolled children, we found.

Unlike government schools, private schools--especially those that charge a low fee--have been largely out of touch with younger students. Older ones in some schools follow online lessons while others still visit school to seek answers to queries because they do not have personal gadgets, our reporting showed.

Red Fort International School, a low-cost private institution in Renwal, which has children from semi-urban and rural families, has been unable to retain its teachers because parents stopped paying fees once schools shut, said owner and manager Ravi Saini. "We do not have online education for primary school children," he said. The school charges between Rs 5,000 and Rs 13,000 a year depending on the grade. "If a parent has a problem affording the fee, we sometimes lower it or give them more time to get the fee money together," Saini said.

About 37% of India's school students study in the country's 337,499 private schools, show 2019-20 government data. In private schools unaided by the government, households spend an average of Rs 10,623 per student per year at the primary level in rural areas, and Rs 19,315 in urban areas, per a 2018 report on consumption by the government's National Sample Survey Organisation, we reported in December 2020.

Fewer new enrollments

A larger proportion of children were not enrolled in school in 2020 when compared to the survey in 2018, found the ASER 2020 survey.

"I have not yet admitted my younger child to school because we do not even know when schools will start. I do not think any private school is even enrolling students currently," said Kaju Yadav, who has a six year-old son, Daksh Yadav. "When I last called the school, they said they were completely shut." Most students between the ages of six and 10 years who had not enrolled in school were still waiting for admission, the ASER survey found.

Experts predict a drop in private school enrollments next school year and a rise in demand for government school seats because family incomes have been impacted by the pandemic-led economic crisis, we reported in December 2020.

For instance, the New Shine International School in Harota has had about 55-60 admissions this year compared to the over 100 it reports in a normal year, said the private school's principal, Satya Narayan Sharma.

Fear of a third wave

Vijayshree Saini loves going to school. "She does not want to stay at home," said her mother Suman. Even though schools are shut for students, she is at the school on July 28 in her school uniform to pick up new books for grade V. She enrolled at a government school, after leaving a private school in March 2020.

We also found that rural-urban and economic factors decide how willing parents are to send their children to school. In villages, every parent we interviewed is keen for schools to reopen but teachers in cities complained that attendance was as low as 50% when schools briefly opened grades IX and above in January-February. "With talk that the third wave will impact children more, parents are worried," said teachers at the government school in urban Jaipur.

Parents who want schools to reopen at the earliest possible are mostly those who need to go to work and cannot teach or look after their children during working hours, said teachers. The reluctance to send children to school comes from parents who can teach them at home.

School administrators argued that the continued closure of schools makes no sense given the removal of restrictions elsewhere. "Are markets not crowded? Why does the government not trust us? Can we not make arrangements for the safety of children?" asked Ravi Saini, who runs the private school in Renwal.

School principals and teachers suggested running schools in shifts with fewer students and calling every grade only twice a week apart from ensuring adherence to usual Covid-19 protocols on hygiene and social behaviour. But in many situations this is easier said than done, we found. Take for instance, one of the primary schools in Govindgarh which does not have running water. Children who study here have to fetch it from the tank in the school compound. "Sometimes even before you notice it, they would have shared their water bottle," said Sunita (she gave us only one name), a teacher in an urban government school.
Technology has now developed in a way that makes it possible for us to keep growing and not necessarily increase emissions, renowned economist and former Planning Commission deputy chairman told Business Standard in an exclusive interview.

Ahluwalia has authored a forthcoming research study outlining India's possible decarbonisation strategy for the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), along with CSEP Associate Fellow Utkarsh Patel. The findings of this study were unveiled and discussed at a seminar on August 6, 2021.

The economist pointed out in the interview that the approach to containing growth of emissions had traditionally been to increase the energy efficiency of gross domestic product (GDP). However, that alone would not prove to be enough under the present circumstances.

With that in mind, he outlined the strategy that could be adopted going forward. "You get the energy you need for growth through electricity. That, first of all, requires massive electrification. Wherever you are using fossil fuels, you switch to electricity," he explained. "And that has to be combined with a switch to green sources of electricity." The last part is critical. Ahluwalia explained that mere electrification did not reduce emissions. "If the electricity is produced by coal, the emission is taking place elsewhere."



However, the present state of technology opens up avenues that make switching away from coal possible. "The big technological breakthrough now is that renewable energy has become cost-competitive with coal. Looking ahead, costs are falling and they are likely to fall further," he said. "As a result, you can meet an expanding need of energy from electricity and you can turn to green sources of electricity so the expanded electricity production doesn't lead to emissions," he added.

The study for CSEP comes at a time when it is clear that we are not on track to meet the Paris target of limiting global warming to ideally 1.5 degrees Celcius. In fact, current policies imply more than 3 degrees Celcius of warming by the end of the century. This will be disastrous, and India will be among the countries most affected. Therefore, concerted and credible action is required by the world at large, including India.

In the interview, Ahluwalia also answered key questions on what India's emissions reduction target should be, and the scope for electrification across sectors.

He also addressed the problems of structural change that phasing out of coal and oil would present. Most importantly, he also suggested what could be Indias strategy for COP26. The United Nations-backed COP26 climate talks are scheduled to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, in November.




India's drug regulator has given approval for a study to be conducted by the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore on mixing of COVID-19 vaccines Covaxin and Covishield, official sources said on Wednesday.

An expert panel of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on July 29 had recommended granting permission for conducting the study.

The trial will involve 300 healthy volunteers.

"The aim of the study is to assess the feasibility on whether a person can be given two different vaccine shots -- one each of Covishield and Covaxin -- to complete the inoculation course," a source said.

Separately, a recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) involving 98 people, 18 of whom had inadvertently received Covishield as the first dose and Covaxin as the second in Uttar Pradesh, showed that combining these two COVID-19 vaccines elicited better immunogenicity than two doses of the same vaccine.

The study also found that immunisation with combination of Covishield and Covaxin was safe and the adverse effects were also found to be similar when compared to the same dose regimen.

(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 Central Government informed the High Court on Wednesday that the has provided the state with 60 per cent more vaccine doses than the proposed allocation.

The statement was filed after the High Court sought a reply from the Union Government in a plea, filed by petitioners KP Aravindan and Dr Praveen G Pai, challenging the Liberalized Pricing and Accelerated National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy.

The said, "It supplied adequate doses of COVID vaccines to under the National COVID-19 Vaccination programme. Vaccines were supplied to States and Union Territories on a proportional basis of the eligible population, the progress of vaccination, and vaccine wastage."

Assistant Solicitor General P Vijayakumar, appearing for the Union Government, said in the submission, "As per the vaccine allocation for July 2021, the State was entitled to the allocation of 39,02,580 vaccines doses. However, it was supplied with 61,36,720 doses last month according to the report. This is 60% more than the proposed allocation for the State."

The Assistant Solicitor General said, "The has provided enhanced supplies to the state in terms of vaccine distribution, citing that has vaccinated 55 per cent of its eligible population with the 1st dose compared with the national average of 42 per cent. The State has vaccinated 22 per cent of its population against 12 pc of the national average. So, Kerala has been supplied adequate doses of the vaccines under the National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme. The State would continue to be supplied adequate doses as per the availability of vaccines."

Petitioner Aravindan is a member of the COVID-19 expert panel constituted by the State and Pai is a public health specialist.

(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 Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has proposed that US drugmaker start joint trials with Sputnik Light as a booster COVID-19 vaccine shot, the RDIF said on Wednesday.

"Delta cases surge in US & Israel shows mRNA vaccines need a heterogeneous booster to strengthen & prolong immune response. #SputnikV pioneered mix & match approach, combo trials & showed 83.1% efficacy vs Delta. Today RDIF offers to start trial with Sputnik Light as booster," it said in a Tweet.

It further said that Sputnik V is the first in the world to offer combo trial to AstraZeneca in November 2020, co-sponsored mix & match trials with AstraZeneca, Moderna and Sinopharm.

"Sputnik V was the 1st in the world to offer combo trial to AstraZeneca in Nov 2020, co-sponsored mix & match trials with AstraZeneca, Moderna & Sinopharm. Since then heterogeneous boosting pioneered by Sputnik proved to be effective vs mutations," it added further.

According to an official statement, the data collected by the health ministry confirms that Sputnik V remains protective against newly detected variants and retains one of the best safety and efficacy parameters.

The Russian Ministry of Health has also published data on Sputnik V's efficacy against the Delta variant. The vaccine is 83.1 per cent effective and shows 6x reduction of infection risk. Sputnik V is also 94.4 per cent effective against hospitalizations with 18x reduction in hospitalisation risk," the RDIF statement said.

Furthermore, real-world data obtained during mass vaccinations in Argentina, Bahrain, Hungary, Mexico, Russia, Serbia, the Philippines and UAE demonstrate lack of serious adverse events (such as CVTs or myocarditis). In several countries where multiple vaccines are used, the Russian vaccine has demonstrate done of the best safety and efficacy parameters.

At present, Sputnik V has been approved in 69 countries with total population exceeding 3.7 billion people - nearly half of the global population.

RDIF has concluded production partnerships with more than 20 companies in 14 countries, including the leading manufacturers in India, China, South Korea, Argentina, Mexico and other countries.

The RDIF statement also said that the two-dose Sputnik V vaccine, the single dose Sputnik Light vaccine is also demonstrating high safety and efficacy results in Argentina. Sputnik Light is the first component of Sputnik V (recombinant human adenovirus serotype number 26 (rAd26)).

In particular, data from the Ministry of Health of the province of Buenos Aires showed that Sputnik Light had helped to elicit antibodies in 94 per cent of those vaccinated and provided for a strong immune response.

(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.)
Union Road Transport and Highways minister on Wednesday pitched for formulating a policy for using the Reserve Bank of India's rising foreign exchange reserves for funding road projects, saying the country needs low cost finance for such infrastructure projects.

Addressing a virtual event organised by industry body CII, Gadkari further said that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) should also have a financial arm like the Power Ministry's Power Finance Corporation (PFC).

"We have a surplus of dollar reserves in the country. I have decided to talk with the RBI Governor, about how we can formulate a policy by which we can use this foreign exchange reserves for development of infrastructure in the country," he said.

The country's foreign exchange reserves surged by USD 9.427 billion to a record high of USD 620.576 billion in the week ended July 30, according to the latest RBI data.

Recently, a Parliamentary panel has also suggested that India's foreign exchange reserves have risen substantially in the recent past, and the RBI, with due consideration to the sufficiency of the foreign reserves, may consider the possibility of utilisation of surplus funds to finance long-term road infrastructure projects.

"RBI may also look into the feasibility of utilization of the surplus reserves for the creation of a sovereign wealth fund to finance long-term infrastructural assets," it had said.

Gadkari pointed out that he is talking to the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the New Development Bank NDB) for infrastructure funding in India, but he is not satisfied by their response.

"So, we need some financial institutions, those who can reduce interest cost for infrastructure," he said, adding that the Indian Railways has got Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC), the Power Ministry has got Power Finance Corporation but NHAI does not have any financial arm.

"We need one institution, where NHAI stakes are there and financial institution stakes are there. With a joint venture we can formulate the policy," Gadkari suggested.

The minister also suggested that in place of a 2 per cent bank performance guarantee, the entire project can be insured and the road ministry's proposal is pending with the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and the finance ministry.

"So, somewhere there is a problem with financial institutions... Getting cooperation from banks for road projects is not so easily available, because of previous track record, banks are not in a position to support contractors," he noted.

Gadkari said the road ministry is planning to raise Rs 1 lakh crore through monetisation of highways projects.

"If there are some foreign investors, who are ready to invest in road construction, and ready to give me loans in dollars but hedging will be their responsibility, I am ready to make some new system... to use foreign investment for that (road infrastructure projects)," he said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government is expecting a "very, very robust" in the current fiscal on the back of better-than-expected corporate sector performance, Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj said on Wednesday.

Acknowledging that high GST rates are impacting the automotive sector, Bajaj said the GST Council would look at solutions to bring down rates which are very high, take out certain items from the tax-exempt category and correct the inverted duty structure.

"When I look at the current first quarter, the results have started coming and (tax) revenues have also started coming. The first advance tax is over, the TDS date is coming and going, I see a very, very robust that is coming.

"It is not that we have increased the taxes, or we have become more intrusive and we are coming to you asking to pay more taxes... the happy thing behind this is, perhaps the corporate sector is doing better than what we had anticipated it to. So, it is a very good thing for the economy," Bajaj said at a CII annual session here.

The net direct tax collection in the April-June quarter of the current fiscal stood at over Rs 2.46 lakh crore, as against over Rs 1.17 lakh crore collected during the same period last fiscal (2020-21).

Net Indirect Tax (GST and Non-GST) revenue collection in the June quarter of current fiscal was at Rs 3.11 lakh crore.

Net GST collection during the quarter was over Rs 1.67 lakh crore, which is 26.6 per cent of the budget estimate of Rs 6.30 lakh crore for full 2021-22 fiscal. The net GST collection includes Central GST + Integrated GST + Compensation cess.

With regard to Goods and Services Tax (GST), Bajaj said there are a lot of items on which tinkering of tax rates might be needed, but there is a need to first stabilise the regime.

"On tax rates, I quite agree when you talk of the automotive sector. You are talking about two-wheelers, but I would say on the four-wheelers we not only charge 28 per cent, but also charge cess which is much more and as I see it, it will continue for a few more years.

"All that has a negative impact on the industry. I acknowledge that, but I don't know how to solve that issue," Bajaj said.

He further said that although GST rates have come down at macro level, there was a need to look at solutions to bring down rates which are very high.

"Rates have come down at macro level, yes, in a few sectors they may have gone up. But we have to look at solutions to bring down rates which are very high and take out certain items which are under exempted items, inverted duty structures, we need to do that and I'm sure, in the coming GST council meeting when we give this agenda, I am sure we will be able to get those things," the Secretary added.

Asking private companies to invest more, Bajaj said animal spirit is missing from the corporate sector.

"I don't see private investment happening that much... for a sustained and long-term growth of the economy we want you people to come forward to invest, manufacture, start services and please tell us what is it that you require from us," Bajaj said at the CII annual session.

He further added that, "one message that I have given to my officers here is don't look at every penny. I'm okay to lose a pound if the economy gives me 10 pounds. That is the attitude that I would say the revenue department would be working and should be working on that."



Last week, the government brought in a bill, which seeks to nullify retrospective tax demands raised on companies. The bill proposes to scrap the tax rule that gave the tax department power to go 50 years back and slap capital gains levies wherever ownership had changed hands overseas but business assets were in India.

The 2012 legislation was used to levy a cumulative of Rs 1.10 lakh crore of tax on 17 entities, including UK telecom giant Vodafone, but substantial punitive action was taken only in the case of Cairn.

The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 seeks to withdraw tax demands made using a 2012 retrospective legislation to tax the indirect transfer of Indian assets and also refund the amount paid in these cases without any interest.

On raising tax to GDP ratio, Bajaj said hiking rates to increase tax collection is not a solution and instead the tax-base has to be expanded to bring more people under the tax net.

He said in India, unfortunately, there are only certain segments of people that are in the tax net and I think that is one of reasons why most of the taxes are coming from certain classes or categories of taxpayers.

"The increase in tax buoyancy in current year is also as a result of certain quiet steps taken by I-T department," he said adding that the government is trying to rope in a large part of informal sector, or non-corporate and non-salaried sector by bringing in some of their transaction or businesses into focus and trying to capture that.

"The very fact that now we are matching the GST return with ITR is making a lot of them pay taxes. That is the reason I was saying that without raising tax rates, tax buoyancy is up.

"I am actually looking forward to expanding that effort. I don't want to tax the corporate sector which already pays taxes in the country, and contributes a major part of taxes in the country," he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India will fastrack free trade agreements (FTA) with at least half a dozen nations, including UAE, UK, Australia, Canada, EU, over the next few months, in line with its revamped foreign trade strategy, commerce and industry secretary BVR Subrahmanyam said on Wednesday.

We have actually revamped our FTA strategy. India has to engage with the rest of the world. Without that India will be shut out from global markets...World has moved into bilateral or local/regional arrangements, he said, adding that such trade deals assume more significance now as India is not a part of any local or regional regional arrangement.

India walked away from the China-backed Asian trade bloc Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that signed an agreement last year to create the world's biggest free trade bloc. India had then said that its concerns related to the issue of market access were not adequately addressed.

Speaking at the (CII) annual session, the commerce secretary said that currently, about 20 FTAs are under negotiation. We are fastracking six of them and putting the rest slightly on the backburner. Earliest FTA that we will probably strike will be with the UAE. These are economies with complete complementarities. they cannot threaten you with, Subramanyam said.

India is likely to kick start formal negotiations for FTAs with the UK and EU by the end of 2021, soon after the preparatory work is completed.

Unlike Indias past experience, all FTAs will be looked at carefully so that there are adequate gains for the country. If India wants to be a global trading power, it needs to have FTAs and do it in a balanced manner, which allows us to be a player. The gains have to be balanced, he added.
Abolition of retro tax to strengthen investors' confidence: PM at CII event



At the special plenary session of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Annual Meeting 2021, Prime Minister on Wednesday said that the country is witnessing strengthening of cooperation between government and industry.

During the pandemic industry has stepped forward to help in every way, from masks to oxygen, he said. Industry has played an important role in India's growth, Modi added. Read more



Ten people were killed, 13 rescued and several others feared buried under debris after a landslide trapped a bus and other vehicles in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district on Wednesday, officials said.

Ten bodies have been recovered so far, while 13 injured have been pulled out of the rubble, Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur, Abid Hussain Sadiq said. Read more



VIL's position to remain tough till meaningful capital infusion: Report



Vodafone Idea's cash flow analysis indicates that its situation may remain challenging even after any relief measures, and the telco needs "meaningful capital infusion" with a long gestation period to become competitive, a report by Credit Suisse said on Wednesday.

The report expects Airtel to be "well placed" in either of the scenarios, of two-private-operator sector, or three private operators post an industry repair. Read more



passes constitutional amendment bill on OBC list



A constitutional amendment bill to restore the powers of the states to make their own OBC lists was passed by on Wednesday.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed by the Rajya Sabha as 187 members voted in its favour. The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha a day before. Read more
Jaipur-based private lender Bank is looking to morph into a universal banking entity in two or three years to enhance capacity for more business and offer additional services.

The bank has already finished four years as a small bank. It needs to be functional for five years to be eligible for becoming a universal banking entity. It will complete five years as an SFB next April, the lender's managing director and chief executive Sanjay Agarwal said.

Asked if the transition to a universal bank could happen in two-three years, Agarwal said "it should be". Its stock closed 1.2 per cent lower at Rs 1,288.2 per share on BSE.

R V Verma, its chairman, in a communication to shareholders as part of annual report for FY21, had said, We are looking far beyond the current status of the bank in the SFB space. It was propelling the Banks journey to the next important milestone in the bigger banking space with an aspiration to serve all sectors and segments of the economy for national development and growth, Verma said.

Meanwhile, the lender launched its brand campaign BADLAAV Humse Hai with Amir Khan and Kiara Advani as brand ambassadors as part of effort to enhance visibility for franchise. The system is coming out of challenging times and want to re-energise the environment around.

The bank has also rolled out digital banking platform, 'AU 0101', to provid customers with a full-suite of digital banking services, including face-to-face interaction with a banker over a video call. Alongside, the bank unveiled its range of credit cards to serve the entire spectrum of customers.

The platform is a sort of superapp with deposits, loans, payments and lifestyle management etc features. The app launch and brand campaign were not timed. They just came together, Agarwal said.
Private sector lender is looking to set up its own asset reconstruction company (ARC) and has invited an expression of interest (EoI) from prospective investors who could partner with it in setting up this entity.

Through its process advisor, Ernst & Young, has called for EoIs from investors with strong financial capability and possessing substantial experience in the distressed asset space.

In a newspaper advertisement, the bank said, The prospective partners will be the lead partner/ sponsor of the ARC, with the bank as the other significant partner/sponsor, for conducting the business of the asset reconstruction in adherence with existing guidelines governing identification, sourcing, and resolution of stressed financial assets.

Further, the advertisement said, the prospective investor should have minimum assets under management and funds deployed globally to the tune of $5 billion in the immediately preceding financial year. Also, the investor should have the ability to commit funds for investment or deployment in Indian companies or Indian assets or approximately $0.5 billion.

Apart from that, the investor has to satisfy the (RBIs) fit and proper criteria, and demonstrate global experience in dealing with distressed assets and have a track record of resolution of distressed assets.

In the past too, the private lender had attempted to set up an ARC so that it could transfer some of its bad assets to that ARC, in an attempt to clean up the balance sheet. But, had reservations about the structure of the ARC that the bank was looking to set up, with itself as the majority owner. This time, the bank is looking to be a minority partner.

Moreover, in April, the formed a six-member panel headed by Sudarshan Sen, former executive director, to carry out a comprehensive review of the working of ARCs in the financial sector ecosystem. The panel is tasked with recommending suitable measures for enabling such entities to meet the growing requirements of the financial sector.
As the situation in continued to turn from bad to worse with intense fighting between Afghan security forces and the Taliban, a total of 50 Indian nationals, including diplomats, left the Mazar-e-Sharif and reached New Delhi on Wednesday.

"A Special flight comprising of 50 Indians landed at New Delhi this morning," said a senior government official.

The Centre stated that India has temporarily closed its Consulate General office at Mazar-e-Sharif.

On Tuesday, Indian Consulate General in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif had on social media platform said, "A special flight is leaving from Mazar-e-Sharif to New Delhi. Any Indian nationals in and around Mazar-e-Sharif are requested to leave for India in the special flight scheduled to depart late today evening."

The consulate also appealed Indian citizens, who are desired to leave for New Delhi by special flight, to share their details and whereabouts.

This was the third security advisory that India has issued in the last three months.

Mazar-e Sharif, or just Mazar, is the fourth-largest city of Afghanistan, with a population estimate of over 5 lakh until a few months back. It has been the capital of Balkh province and is linked by highways with Kunduz in the east, Kabul in the southeast, Herat in the southwest and Termez in Uzbekistan in the north.

The Indian Embassy in had also advised the Indian citizens to keep themselves abreast of the availability of commercial flights and make immediate arrangements to return before the air services were discontinued.

Further, the embassy has directed the Indian companies operating in to immediately withdraw their Indian employees out of undergoing projects in the country.

For the Indians, who are working for the foreign firms, the embassy asked them to request their employers to facilitate their travel from project sites to India.

Around 1,500 Indians are engaged in different kinds of work in the war-ravaged Himalayan nation that was rebuilding itself over the last decade before the US troops pull out and Taliban resurgence.

On media persons visiting Afghanistan, the embassy appealed them to get in touch with the Public Affairs and Security Wing of the Embassy for a personalized briefing.

"This will help media persons make a better assessment of the risks involved, given the rapid changes in security situation taking place in different parts of the country," the Indian embassy in Afghanistan said.

Last month India pulled out around 50 diplomats and security personnel from its consulate in Kandahar following intense clashes between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters around the city.

Earlier, the US and the UK had also evacuated their citizens.

--IANS

sk/in

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Afghanistans acting finance minister Khalid Payenda has resigned and left the country after the captured key customs posts bleeding the administration of revenue, reinforcing the governments isolation as the militants make swift gains.

Payenda has resigned and left the country because is grappling with declining revenues after the takeover of the custom posts, Finance Ministry spokesman Mohammad Rafi Tabe said in a phone interview Wednesday. The deteriorating security situation and travelling to be with his ailing wife abroad, were the other reasons Tabe gave.

It wasnt immediately clear where Payenda was going to.

The former minister tweeted Tuesday to say he was quitting his post but gave no reasons for it. The deputy minister for customs and revenues, Alem Shah Ibrahimi, will be in charge until a new appointment is announced. Payenda wasnt immediately available for comment.

ALSO READ: Taliban could take Afghanistan capital in 90 days: US intelligence

With US and NATO troops slated for a complete exit by Aug. 31, a resurgent have overrun several provincial capitals in recent days. The militants have also seized several crucial custom posts causing President Ashraf Ghanis government to lose as much as $30 million in import duties last month alone. The taxes account for about half of Afghanistans total domestic revenues, estimated to be about 216.5 billion Afghanis this year.

fighters took control of another city in northern on Wednesday, an official said, the eighth provincial capital to fall to the insurgents in six days as US-led foreign forces complete their withdrawal. The Taliban capture of Faizabad, capital of the northeastern province of Badakhshan, came as President Ashraf Ghani flew in to Mazar-i-Sharif to rally old warlords to the defence of the biggest city in the north as Taliban forces close in. Jawad Mujadidi, a provincial council member from Badakhshan, said the Taliban had laid siege to Faizabad before launching an offensive on Tuesday.

Unfortunately, after hours of heavy fighting the ANDSF retreated," Mujadidi told Reuters, referring to national security forces. "With the fall of Faizabad the whole of the northeast has come under Taliban control. Badakhshan borders Tajikistan, Pakistan and China.
The seized three more provincial capitals in and a local army headquarters in a blitz across the country's northeast, officials said Wednesday, with the insurgents now controlling some two-thirds of the nation as the US and NATO finalise their withdrawal after its decades-long war there.

The fall of the capitals of Badakhshan and Baghlan provinces to the northeast and Farah province to the west put increasing pressure on the country's central government to stem the tide of the advance, even as its lost a major base in Kunduz.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani rushed to Balkh province, already surrounded by Taliban-held territory, to seek help pushing back the insurgents from warlords linked to allegations of atrocities and corruption.

While Kabul itself has not been directly threatened in the advance, its stunning speed raises questions of how long the Afghan government can maintain control of its countryside.

The multiple fronts of the battle have stretched the government's special operations forces while regular troops have often fled the battlefield and the violence has pushed thousands of civilians to seek safety in the capital.

The US military, which plans to complete its withdrawal by the end of the month, has conducted some airstrikes but largely has avoided involving itself in the ground campaign.

The Afghan government and military did not respond to repeated requests for comment about the losses.

Humayoon Shahidzada, a lawmaker from the western province of Farah, confirmed Wednesday to The Associated Press his province's capital of the same name fell. Neighboring Nimroz province was overrun in recent days after a weeklong campaign by the

In Farah, fighters dragged the shoeless, bloody corpse of one Afghan security force member through the street, shouting: God is great! Taliban fighters carrying M-16 rifles and driving Humvees and Ford pickup trucks donated by the Americans rolled through the streets of the capital.

The situation is under control in the city, our mujahedeen are patrolling in the city," one Taliban fighter who did not give his name said, referring to his fellow insurgents as holy warriors.

The crackle of automatic weapon fire continued throughout the day in Farah.

Hujatullah Kheradmand, a lawmaker from Badakhshan, said the Taliban had seized his province's capital, Faizabad. An Afghan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak about an unacknowledged loss, said Baghlan's capital, Poli-Khumri, also fell.

The insurgents earlier captured six other provincial capitals in the country in less than a week, including Kunduz in Kunduz province a significant gain and one of the country's largest cities.

On Wednesday, the headquarters of the Afghan National Army's 217th Corps at Kunduz airport fell to the Taliban, according to Ghulam Rabani Rabani, a provincial council member in Kunduz, and lawmaker Shah Khan Sherzad.

The insurgents posted video online they said showed surrendering troops. The corps is one of seven across the army and its loss represents a major setback. It wasn't immediately clear what equipment was left behind for the insurgents.

Some civilians who have fled Taliban advances have said that the insurgents imposed repressive restrictions on women and burned down schools. There have also been reports of revenge killings in areas where the Taliban have gained control.

Speaking to journalists Tuesday, a senior EU official said the insurgents held some 230 districts of the over 400 in The official described another 65 in government control while the rest were contested. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal figures.

(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 federal judge dismissed com Incs lawsuit challenging New Yorks authority to investigate the companys pandemic procedures at a fulfillment center on Staten Island, the latest setback for the online retailer in its ongoing clash with the state.

The suit was dismissed Tuesday by US District Judge Brian M Cogan in Brooklyn, reaffirming the validity of New York Attorney General Letitia Jamess underlying lawsuit against already proceeding in state court in Manhattan.

The Seattle-based company had argued in the federal suit that James was investigating in bad faith and that her state powers to probe such health matters were preempted by federal law.

Amazon does not explain why the Attorney Generals action  even if brought in bad faith  entirely lacks a legitimate purpose, the judge wrote. The state has a legitimate interest in ensuring that employers are complying with state labour laws, are enforcing important health safety measures, and are sanctioned for illegal conduct that occurs within the state.

Amazon sued James in February, seeking to block New York from pursuing claims that the company failed to protect employees from the virus in its New York facilities. But the judge on Tuesday ruled James state lawsuit was proper.
A platform has lost an estimated $600 million in digital tokens after one of the sector's biggest ever attacks, according to details of the heist which emerged on Wednesday.

Poly Network, a decentralised finance platform (DeFi), announced the hack on Twitter and posted details of digital wallets to which it said the money was transferred, urging people to blacklist tokens from those addresses.

The value of the tokens in the wallets cited by Poly was just over $600 million at the time of the announcement, according to crypto trade publication The Block.

The heist appears to be one of the biggest ever in markets, and compares with the $530 million in stolen from Tokyo-based bitcoin exchange Coincheck in 2018.

Crypto exchange Mt. Gox, also based in Tokyo, collapsed in 2014 after losing half a billion dollars in bitcoin.

The latest attack comes as losses from theft, hacks and fraud related to decentralised finance hit an all-time high, raising the risk of both investing in the sector and of regulators looking to shake it down.

DeFi https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currencies-lending-insight-idUSKBN25M0GP refers to peer-to-peer cryptocurrency platforms that allow transactions without traditional gatekeepers such as banks or exchanges. Poly Network allows users to swap tokens across different blockchains.

"It is a massive hack ... as large as Mt. Gox," said Bobby Ong, co-founder of crypto analytics website CoinGecko, although he noted the fallout had not yet hurt major crypto prices.

"This project is finished in my opinion. (It is) going to take a lot to regain confidence," Ong said.

Poly did not immediately respond to a request on Wednesday for more detail about the incident. It was not immediately clear where the platform is based, or whether any law enforcement agency was investigating the heist.

STOLEN TOKENS

Poly tweeted it planned to take legal action and urged the hackers to return the assets, a move analysts said underscored how hard it is to recover stolen tokens.

"It is not like an ordinary bank heist where the money is stolen from the bank who remains the victim," said Jake Moore, cybersecurity specialist at cybersecurity firm ESET and former head of digital forensics at Britain's Dorset Police.

"Money stolen which is stored in digital ledgers is taken from individual accounts and this is what worries those choosing to store their money in these locations," Moore added.

The stolen funds amount to more than the criminal losses registered by the entire DeFi sector from January to July of a record $474 million, according to a report from crypto intelligence company CipherTrace.

Proponents of DeFi say the technology will allow more people and businesses to access financial services. Yet it is mostly unregulated, with tech flaws and weaknesses in the code many platforms use leaving it vulnerable to hacks and heists.

Still, a message embedded in transactions from one of the wallets controlling the missing funds said: "I need a secured multisig wallet from you," possibly in an attempt to try and return the loot.

"It's already a legend to win so much fortune," read a subsequent message.

The chief technology officer of Tether, a stablecoin, also said on Twitter the company had frozen $33 million connected with the hack, and top management at large crypto exchanges responded to Poly on Twitter saying they would try to help.

(Reporting by Alun John in Hong Kong, Tom Wilson in London and Tom Westbrook in Singapore; Editing by Jane Wardell and David Holmes)

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Airport, the world's busiest airport for travel, handled some 40% less passenger traffic in the first half of 2021, compared to the same period last year, its chief executive said Wednesday.

The decline came as more contagious coronavirus variants cut off the hub's biggest source markets and continued to clobber the global aviation industry.

However, CEO Paul Griffiths remains optimistic for the crucial east-west transit point as authorities gradually re-open Dubai's key routes to the Indian subcontinent and Britain.

The 10.6 million passengers that passed through the airport over the past six months is still very positive," Griffiths told The Associated Press. I think coupled with the restrictions easing that we're now seeing, (it) will bode very well for a satisfactory end to the year.

The airport, which saw 86.4 million people squeeze through before the pandemic hit in 2019, has held the title of the world's busiest since it beat out London's Heathrow seven years ago. It even kept the crown as the virus turned the world's biggest airports into massive voids. But the once-teeming terminals still have a long way to go before seeing pre-pandemic passenger levels.

The hopes stoked by the United Arab Emirates' speedy vaccination campaign took a hit as the delta variant emerged, prompting familiar border closures and capacity cuts, and hurting the mammoth airport, hub of long-haul carrier Emirates. World Central, the Gulf city's second airport that went out of use for commercial flights during the pandemic, appears to be a parking lot for Emirates' iconic fleet of double-decker Airbus A380s.

Although the UAE recently lifted an entry ban on India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, which are home to most of the vast foreign workforce in the federation, stringent vaccination requirements still bar many from boarding flights to the country.

All of those South Asian markets are incredibly important to Dubai, they're a very important transit opportunity, of course, as people go to all parts of northern Europe," said Griffiths. It's very important we get those traffic flows back.

There are reasons to expect a rebound, Griffiths added. One of the airport's two main terminals, mothballed amid the pandemic, returned to use last month to prepare for an influx of holiday-makers escaping wintry weather and attending the World Expo in October.

And after months of frustration and confusion, the U.K. last week removed the UAE from its red list that ordered all travelers to quarantine for 10 days in costly, government-approved hotels. The upgrade to amber elicited a strong sigh of relief throughout the federation of seven sheikhdoms, home to some 120,000 British expats. London was ranked as the top destination city for Dubai's airport in 2020, with 1.15 million customers.

Griffiths declined to put a number on the financial hit, but said the loss of traffic (to the U.K.) has had a very, very significant impact on the economy of both countries.

So thrilled was Emirates about the flight resumption that the airline plopped a woman on the pinnacle of the tallest tower on the planet, Burj Khalifa, and filmed her raising placards that implored Brits to fly Emirates.

The stakes are indeed high for Dubai, where the economy thrives not on oil, like in other Gulf Arab sheikhdoms, but on travel and tourism. Emirates remains the linchpin of the wider empire known as Inc., an interlocking series of businesses owned by the city-state.

There are signs of looming uncertainty, with the airport yet to to hire back any of the 5,000 employees it furloughed during the devastation of the pandemic last year. But when asked whether would hold onto its title one of many prized superlatives in the extravagant emirate home to the world's tallest building and biggest mall Griffiths didn't miss a beat.

I have no doubt in my mind, he said. We're gearing up to expect a huge surge in volume.
German prosecutors said Wednesday they have detained a British citizen who is accused of spying for while working at the British Embassy in Berlin.

Federal prosecutors said in a statement that the man was detained on Tuesday in Potsdam based on cooperative investigations by German and British authorities. In keeping with German privacy laws, he was only identified as Davis S.

Prosecutors said he is suspected of having spied for the Russian intelligence service at least since November. Before his arrest, he worked as a local hire at the British Embassy in the German capital and allegedly passed on documents he received at work to the Russians, the prosecutors' statement said.

He received an unknown amount of cash in return, the prosecutor's statement said. Investigators have searched his home and office, the statement said.

During the Cold War, Berlin was often dubbed as the capital of spies because the city was on the frontlines of the confrontation between the Soviets in the East and the Americans and their western allies in the West. Intelligence agents were active on both sides of the divided city and sometimes after some espionage agents were caught there were infamous cloak-and-dagger exchanges of captured spies on the Glienicker Bridge.

However, since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the unification of a year later, and the end of the Cold War, espionage activities in Berlin have supposedly abated.
By Tom Wilson, Tom Westbrook and Alun John

LONDON/SINGAPORE/HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hackers behind one of the biggest ever heists have returned more than a third of about $600 million in digital coins they stole, researchers said on Wednesday.

Poly Network, a decentralised platform that facilitates peer-to-peer transactions, announced the hack on Twitter https://twitter.com/PolyNetwork2/status/1425073987164381196, posting details of digital wallets to which the tokens were sent.

The value of the coins in the wallets was just over $600 million at the time of the announcement, according to analysts.

Poly Network, which allows users to swap tokens across different blockchains, later urged the hackers to return the stolen funds to several of its digital addresses, saying it planned to take legal action.

Roughly $260 million worth of has been returned to Poly Network in a range of coins, according to separate analyses by forensics company Chainalysis and crypto tracking firm Elliptic.

The hackers exploited a vulnerability in the digital contracts Poly Network uses to move assets between different blockchains, according to Chainalysis.

A person claiming to have perpetrated the hack said they did it "for fun" and wanted to "expose the vulnerability" before others could exploit it, according to digital messages shared by Elliptic and Chainalysis.

It was "always the plan" to return the tokens, the purported hacker wrote, adding: "I am not very interested in money."

The hackers or hacker have not been identified, and Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the messages.

Tom Robinson, Elliptic's co-founder, said the decision to return the money could have been prompted by the headaches of laundering stolen crypto on such a scale.

An executive from firm Tether said on Twitter the company had frozen $33 million connected with the hack, and executives at other crypto exchanges told Poly Network they would also try to help.

"Even if you can steal cryptoassets, laundering them and cashing out is extremely difficult, due to the transparency of the blockchain and the broad use of blockchain analytics by financial institutions," said Robinson.

Poly Network did not respond to requests for more details. It was not immediately clear where the platform is based, or whether any law enforcement agency was investigating the heist.

Spokespeople for the Department of Justice and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The size of the theft was comparable to the $530 million in digital coins stolen from Tokyo-based exchange Coincheck in 2018. The Mt. Gox exchange, also based in Tokyo, collapsed in 2014 after losing half a billion dollars in bitcoin.

The Poly Network attack comes as losses from theft, hacks and fraud related to decentralised (DeFi) hit an all-time high, according to crypto intelligence company CipherTrace.

At $600 million, however, the Poly Network theft far outstripped the $474 million in criminal losses CipherTrace said were registered by the entire DeFi sector from January to July. The thefts illustrated risks of the mostly unregulated sector and may attract the attention of regulators.

DeFi https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currencies-lending-insight-idUSKBN25M0GP platforms allow parties to conduct transactions, usually in cryptocurrency, directly without traditional gatekeepers such as banks or exchanges. The sector has boomed. over the last year, with platforms now handling more than $80 billion worth of digital coins.

Proponents of DeFi say it offers people and businesses free access to financial services, arguing that the technology will cut costs and boost economic activity. But technical flaws and weaknesses in their computer code can make them vulnerable to hacks.

(Reporting by Alun John in Hong Kong, Tom Wilson in London and Tom Westbrook in SingaporeEditing by Michelle Price and Cynthia Osterman)

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Britain's said that passenger numbers surged in July as the government eased travel restrictions and a recovery was underway, but warned that overall numbers were still down 80 per cent on pre-pandemic levels as many barriers remain.

Heathrow said that in July over 1.5 million travellers passed through the airport, making it the busiest month since March 2020, just before Covid-19 lockdowns began in Europe and travel was essentially stopped. The airport, the busiest in Britain, and before Covid-19 the busiest in Europe, said that the government needed to do more to help travel return to even close to 2019 levels.

Heathrow and airlines like British Airways have criticised for not easing travel restrictions quickly enough despite its fast vaccine roll-out, and for complicated rules which continue to include expensive coronavirus tests. They want to see the cost of testing reduced and more countries added to the government's list of low risk countries.

Heathrow also called on and the US to reach an agreement to allow Britons to travel to the US. Last month, the government allowed fully vaccinated Britons to travel to medium risk countries without needing to quarantine on return, boosting passenger numbers by 74 per cent compared to July last year.

has since early August opened its borders to fully-vaccinated people from the US and European Union. Heathrow added that US carrier JetBlue was due to start flying between London and New York later this week, in a sign of growing confidence in travel.

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fighters could isolate Afghanistan's capital in 30 days and possibly take it over in 90, a U.S. defence official told Reuters on Wednesday citing U.S. intelligence, as militants took control of an eighth provincial Afghan capital.



The now control 65% of and have taken or threaten to take 11 provincial capitals, a senior EU official said on Tuesday.



The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the new assessment of how long Kabul could stand was a result of the rapid gains the had been making around the country as U.S.-led foreign forces leave.



"But this is not a foregone conclusion," the official added, saying that the Afghan security forces could reverse the momentum by putting up more resistance.



Wednesday's loss of Faizabad, capital of the northeastern province of Badakhshan, was the latest setback for the Afghan government, which has been struggling to stem the momentum of Taliban assaults. It came as President Ashraf Ghani flew in to Mazar-i-Sharif to rally old warlords to the defence of the biggest city in the north as Taliban forces close in.



Jawad Mujadidi, a provincial council member from Badakhshan, said the Taliban had laid siege to Faizabad before launching an offensive on Tuesday.



"Unfortunately, after hours of heavy fighting the ANDSF retreated," Mujadidi told Reuters, referring to national security forces. "With the fall of Faizabad the whole of the northeast has come under Taliban control." Badakhshan borders Tajikistan, Pakistan and China.



The Taliban are battling to defeat the U.S-backed government and reimpose strict Islamic law. The speed of their advance has shocked the government and its allies.



U.S. President Joe Biden urged Afghan leaders to fight for their homeland, saying on Tuesday he did not regret his decision to withdraw, noting that the United States had spent more than $1 trillion over 20 years and lost thousands of troops.



The United States was providing significant air support, food, equipment and salaries to Afghan forces, he said.



The United States will complete the withdrawal of its forces this month in exchange for Taliban promises to prevent being used for terrorism.



The Taliban promised not to attack foreign forces as they withdraw but did not agree to a ceasefire with the government. A commitment by the Taliban to talk peace with the government side has come to nothing as they eye military victory.



Some Afghans feel abandoned as the United States and other Western powers withdraw, leaving the Taliban to make their move.

"The U.S. did not provide support ... now we see the result," Dawlat Waziri, a retired general and military analyst, told Reuters.



REGIONAL APPEAL



The Taliban advances have raised fears of the return to power of the hardline militants who emerged in the early 1990s from the chaos of civil war and controlled most of the country from 1996 to 2001, when they were ousted by a U.S.-led campaign for harbouring al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.



A new generation of Afghans, who have come of age since 2001, fears that the progress made in areas such as women's rights and media freedom will be squandered.



U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday reports of violations that could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity were emerging, including "deeply disturbing reports" of the summary execution of surrendering government troops.



Afghan officials have appealed for pressure on Pakistan to stop Taliban reinforcements and supplies flowing over the border. Pakistan denies backing the Taliban.



The government has withdrawn its forces from some hard-to-defend rural districts to focus on holding population centres. In some places, government forces have given up without a fight.



During their 1996-2001 rule, the Taliban were never completely in control of the north but this time, they seem intent on securing it before closing in on the capital.



Ghani is now appealing for help from the old regional war lords he spent years sidelining as he attempted to project the authority of his central government over wayward provinces.

He was due to meet powerbrokers in Mazar-i-Sharif to work out coordination between the security forces and militias and operations to take back areas the Taliban captured, the president's office said.



In the south, government forces were battling Taliban fighters around the city of Kandahar and thousands of civilians from outlying areas had taken refuge there, a resident said.



Fighting was also taking place in city of Farah in the west, near the Iranian border, while the Ministry of Defence said in a statement security forces had also battled Taliban in Laghman, Logar, Paktia, Uruzgan, Zabul, Ghor, Balkh, Helmand, Kapisa and Baghlan provinces and 431 Taliban had been killed.



It gave no figure for casualties on the government side and a Taliban spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

The Taliban have captured districts bordering Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Pakistan and China, heightening regional security concerns.

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Canadian Prime Minister on Wednesday condemned China's conviction and sentencing of its citizen Michael Spavor.

Canada's Spavor, who was detained by China in 2018, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison by a Chinese court on charges of espionage.

"China's conviction and sentencing of Michael Spavor is absolutely unacceptable and unjust. The verdict for Mr. Spavor comes after more than two and a half years of arbitrary detention, a lack of transparency in the legal process, and a trial that did not satisfy even the minimum standards required by law," Trudeau said in a statement.

Separately, Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said that the detention of Michael Spavor is completely arbitrary.

"This decision is rendered after a legal process that lacked both fairness and transparency, including a trial that did not satisfy the minimum standards required by law," Canadian FM added.

Canadian Michael Spavor, detained by China in 2018, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison by a Chinese court in Liaoning Province on charges of espionage.

Spavor will be deported, but it was not clear when. The local court also said 50,000 yuan of Spavor's personal assets will be confiscated.

China detained Spavor in December 2018, a few days after Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver. Along with Spavor, another Canadian national Michael Kovrig was detained. Kovrig is also awaiting a verdict following his trial, which ended in March.

"For Mr. Spavor, as well as for Michael Kovrig who has also been arbitrarily detained, our top priority remains securing their immediate release. We will continue working around the clock to bring them home as soon as possible," Trudeau added.

Canadian nationals - former diplomat Kovrig and businessman Spavor - have been in Chinese detention on espionage charges. Ottawa, however, maintains that these are retaliatory measures for Canada's detention of Meng Wanzhou, who was detained in Vancouver in 2018 at the request of the

This decision on Michael Spavor comes a day after a Chinese court on Tuesday upheld the death penalty for another Canadian Robert Schellenberg for drug smuggling, local media reported. had strongly condemned Beijing's decision to uphold the death sentence against Schellenberg.

Sino-Canadian relations soured after the arrest of Meng and two Canadian nationals in China.

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The U.S. Senate approved a $3.5 trillion spending blueprint for President Joe Biden's top priorities early on Wednesday morning in a 50-49 vote along party lines, after lawmakers sparred over the need for huge spending to fight climate change and poverty.

After months of haggling, the Senate on Tuesday passed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill https://www.reuters.com/world/us/whats-us-senates-bipartisan-1-trillion-infrastructure-bill-2021-08-03 in a bipartisan 69-30 vote, proposing to make the nation's biggest investment in decades in roads, bridges, airports and waterways. The measure faces an uncertain future in the House.

Democrats in the Senate then turned to a budget resolution containing spending instructions for the multi-trillion-dollar follow-up package https://www.reuters.com/world/us/paid-leave-clean-energy-preschool-democrats-35-trln-plan-2021-08-09, which includes provisions to create universal preschool, affordable housing and climate-friendly technologies.

The bills have been a top priority for Biden, who has sought to enact sweeping changes during a time when Democrats hold slim majorities in both congressional chambers and where they fear loss of legislative control in the looming 2022 elections.

The Democrats plan to push the package through over the next few months, using a process called "budget reconciliation https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senates-reconciliation-process-its-not-way-it-sounds-2021-08-10," which allows them to pass legislation with a simple majority vote.

On Tuesday, the Senate began a "vote-a-rama," a procedure that gave senators the opportunity to propose amendments to the non-binding budget resolution. It continued early on Wednesday. Debate can run for days unless party leaders agree to a shorter period.

In the freewheeling process, senators cast votes on nearly 50 amendments, including ones that would have prevented tax increases on people making less than $400,000 a year and barred taxpayer funding of abortions. Both of those votes were approved by the chamber.

Republicans have railed against the $3.5 trillion spending plan. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who voted for the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, called the larger proposal "radical."

Dozens of Republican senators also signed a pledge not to vote to raise the nation's borrowing capability when it is exhausted in the autumn in a bid to curtail Democrats' spending plans.

"They (Democrats) shouldn't be expecting Republicans to raise the debt ceiling to accommodate their deficit spending," Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican who circulated the pledge, told the Wall Street Journal.

Failure to increase or suspend the statutory debt limit - now at $28.5 trillion - could trigger a federal government shutdown or a debt default.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen this week urged Congress to raise the debt limit in a bipartisan vote. On Tuesday, Yellen also endorsed moving forward with the larger spending package, saying the $1 trillion infrastructure plan should have a sequel.

UNCERTAIN FUTURE

On Tuesday, Biden lauded the 19 Republicans who voted for the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure measure. "Here on this bill, we've proven that we can still come together to do big things - important things - for the American people," he said.

But it's unclear how soon the House of Representatives will take up the measure.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly said her chamber will not take up the infrastructure bill or the larger spending package until both are delivered, which will require the Democratic leadership to hold its narrow majorities in Congress together to get the legislation to Biden's desk.

Leading House progressive Democrats declared Tuesday that most progressives will not vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill until the Senate also passes a "robust" second spending measure. That was in contrast to more moderate House Democrats, who want a quick vote on the infrastructure bill.

Polls show the drive to upgrade America's infrastructure, hammered out over months by senators from both parties, is broadly popular with the public. The bill includes $550 billion in new spending, as well as $450 billion in previously approved infrastructure investment.

Democrats will begin crafting the reconciliation package for a vote on passage after they return from their summer break in September.

Following the budget resolution vote, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer filed a cloture petition on a compromise voting bill for the chamber to vote on upon its return in September. A previous attempt to overhaul electoral laws with sweeping legislation known as the "For the People Act" was blocked in June.

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell and Makini Brice; Editing by Mary Milliken, Shri Navaratnam and Kim Coghill)

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Britain's High Court on Wednesday granted U.S. authorities permission to expand their grounds for appealing an earlier U.K. court decision to block the extradition of founder Julian Assange, where he is wanted on espionage charges.

District Court Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled in January that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions. The U.S. government is appealing.

Clair Dobbin, a lawyer who represented U.S. authorities during a High Court hearing on Wednesday, said Assange who she said orchestrated one of the largest thefts of data in history" does not meet the threshold of being so ill that he cannot resist harming himself.

She said a decision not to prosecute or extradite an individual would require a mental illness of a type that the ability to resist suicide has been lost. Assange's condition did not come close to being of that nature, and he has not made serious attempts on his life before, she argued.

Dobbin also sought to discredit evidence from Assange's psychiatric expert, a key witness, arguing that he misled Baraitser by concealing the fact that the 50-year-old Australian had fathered two children during his time hiding in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Two judges agreed Wednesday to grant the U.S. authorities permission to expand their grounds of appealing Baraitser's decision to block the extradition. A full appeal hearing is expected in October.

Assange, wearing a dark face mask, listened in by video link from London's high-security Belmarsh prison, where he has been held since 2019.

Outside the court, Assange's partner, Stella Moris, described him as an innocent man accused of practicing journalism.

For every day that this colossal injustice is allowed to continue, Julian's situation grows increasingly desperate, Moris, who has two young children with Assange, told his supporters and reporters.

Julian has been denied the love and affection of his family for so long. Julian and the kids will never get this time back. This shouldn't be happening," she added.

A group of protesters, including Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, held placards reading Journalism is not a crime and shouted Free Julian Assange! to the beat of a drum as police looked on.

U.S. prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks' publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

In January, Baraitser, the district judge, accepted evidence from expert witnesses that Assange had a depressive disorder and an autism spectrum disorder. She agreed that U.S. prison conditions would be oppressive, saying there was a real risk he would be sent to the Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, the highest security prison in the U.S.

But she rejected defense arguments that Assange faces a politically motivated American prosecution that would override free-speech protections. She said the U.S. judicial system would give him a fair trial.

Supporters and lawyers for Assange argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech for publishing documents that exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lawyers for the U.S. government, however, have said the case is largely based on "his unlawful involvement in the theft of the diplomatic cables and military files by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.

Assange was arrested in London in 2010 at the request of Sweden, which wanted to question him about allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two women. In 2012, Assange jumped bail and sought refuge inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he remained holed up for the next seven years.

Ecuador withdrew the asylum it had granted him in 2019 and he was then immediately arrested for breaching bail. Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed.

Dobbin, representing the U.S. government, said Wednesday that the need to scrutinize January's ruling was substantially increased given the extraordinary lengths Assange had already gone to in order to avoid extradition.

He was willing to break the law and no cost was too great, both in terms of the cost of policing his being in the embassy and of course the cost to himself, she said.

The case continues and a full appeal hearing was scheduled for October 27.

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Shares of Hinduja Global Solutions were locked in the upper circuit of 5 per cent at Rs 3,397.60, also its new record high on the BSE on Wednesday, rising 10 per cent in the past two trading days in an otherwise weak market after the company announced divestment of its healthcare services business to funds affiliated with Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) for an enterprise value of US$ 1,200 million.

In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 0.45 per cent or 244 points at 54,311 at 10:38 am. A combined 88,173 equity shares had changed hands on the counter and there were pending buy orders for 68,944 shares on the NSE and BSE. Currently, the stock is trading under the T group on the BSE. In the T2T segment, each trade has to result in delivery and no intra-day netting of positions is allowed.

The Hinduja Groups business process management entity, Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS), announced on Monday, August 9, that it has entered into definitive agreements to divest its Healthcare Services business to funds affiliated with Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA), one of the largest private alternative investment firms in Asia.

The transaction is based on an enterprise value of US$ 1,200 million, subject to closing adjustments, and is expected to complete within 90 days, subject to shareholder and other regulatory approvals, HGS said in a press release.

HGS healthcare services business supports payers, providers, laboratories, durable medical equipment firms and pharmaceutical companies with solutions that augment clients healthcare teams to deliver better patient, member, business and financial outcomes. Post completion of the transaction, HGS will transfer all client contracts, employees, and assets, including infrastructure related to the Healthcare Services business, the company said.

HGS will focus on strengthening its Consumer Engagement Solutions (CES), HGS Digital and HRO/ Payroll businesses that support several top global brands across its nine verticals. Services to healthcare clients delivered by the HGS Digital and HRO/ Payroll businesses will continue to be part of HGS portfolio, it said.

In the past three months, the stock of HGS has outperformed the market by surging 105 per cent, as compared to a 10.5 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. In the last one year, it has zoomed 410 per cent, as against a 41.5 per cent gain in the benchmark index.
Shares of recently listed healthcare facilities company Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) surged over 10 per cent to Rs 1,300 on the BSE in the intra-day trade on Wednesday after the company reported a strong 57 per cent growth in consolidated profit after tax (PAT) at Rs 92.0 crore for the quarter ended June 2021 (Q1FY22) on a sequential basis.

Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) was up 41 per cent quarter on quarter (QoQ) at Rs 147.9 crore, while margins improved 200 basis points (bps) to 31.0 per cent in Q1FY22 from 29.0 per cent in Q4FY21.Consolidated revenue grew 31.6 per cent QoQ at Rs 477.50 crore from Rs 362.70 crore in previous quarter.

The company said growth during Q1FY22 was on account of contribution from ECMO and Heart & Lung Transplant program, which has doubled compared to previous quarter, and on higher occupancy of Covid patients. In addition, Vaccination revenue, RTPCR tests, Covid home care and Covid hotel packages also contributed significantly, it said.

While critical surgeries like transplants, trauma etc continued elective surgeries were impacted. However, the company have now seen the OP footfalls coming back to near normal and IP numbers are picking up too significantly. With strong push on Vaccinations by the Government, the management is confident that this should come back to near normal soon notwithstanding the sporadic spikes being reported in few parts of the country.

KIMS is one of the largest corporate healthcare groups in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in terms of the number of patients treated and treatments offered. It operates nine multi-specialty hospitals under the 'KIMS Hospitals' brand, with an aggregate bed capacity of 3,064, including over 2,500 operational beds as of March 31, 2021.

At 11:23 am, the stock was trading at Rs 1,290, up 10 per cent on the BSE, as compared to a 0.53 per cent decline in the S&P BSE Sensex. Trading volumes on the counter rose over 20-fold with a combined 2.37 million equity shares having changed hands on the NSE and BSE.
On a consolidated basis, the drug major posted a 29% rise in net profit to Rs 587 crore on 15% rise in revenue from operations to Rs 4025 crore in Q1 FY22 over Q1 FY21.

Cadila Healthcare said year on year growth in revenue was driven by strong growth in India geography partially offset by US geography. The company's India business which comprises human formulations and consumer wellness business which contributed to 50% of consolidated revenues during the quarter, witnessed a very strong growth of 43% on a YoY basis, posting sales of Rs 1943 crore during the quarter. The company's business in the US posted sales of Rs 1451 crore. The company's rest of the world business grew by 17% during the quarter on a YoY basis and posted sales of Rs 277 crore.

The drug company's profit before tax increased by 32% to Rs 755 crore in Q1 FY22 over Q1 FY21. Earnings before interest, depreciation and tax for the quarter came at Rs 933 crore, up by 18% year on year. EBITDA margin improved to 23.2% in Q1 FY22 as against 22.5% in Q1 FY21.

Research & Development (R&D) spend stood at Rs 295 crore (representing 7.3% of revenue). Net debt as of 30 June 2021 stood at Rs 3,112 crores as compared to Rs 3,496 crore posted on 31 March 2021. Capex for Q1'22 stood at Rs 265 crore.

Shares of Cadila Healthcare were down 2.3% at Rs 564.5 on BSE. Cadila Healthcare is an innovative, global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets a broad range of healthcare therapies.

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The benchmark indices came of day's low in early afternoon trade. The Nifty regained 16,200 mark. NSE VIX hovered above 13 mark.

At 12:20 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, dropped 219.20 points or 0.40% at 54,335.46. The Nifty 50 index shed 52.75 points or 0.32% at 16,227.35.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 1.26% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index lost 2%.

The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 555 shares rose and 2,547 shares fell. A total of 105 shares were unchanged.

Small and mid-cap counters continued to see selling pressure after the BSE on Monday said it was capping the rise in share price of stocks exclusively listed on its platform. BSE said that the move to cap the rise in share price was part of additional surveillance measures. BSE said its new cap on price rise will be in addition to the existing measures and circuit filers. The exchange has spelled out several such caps with regard to stocks that attract circuit filters between 2% and 20%.

Derivatives:

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of market's expectation of volatility over the near term, jumped 4.40% to 13.265. The Nifty 26 August 2021 futures were trading at 16,214.80, at a discount of 12.55 points as compared with the spot at 16,227.35.

The Nifty option chain for 26 August 2021 expiry showed maximum Call OI of 21.7 lakh contracts at the 16,500 strike price. Maximum Put OI of 46.9 lakh contracts was seen at 15,000 strike price.

Economy:

The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance has released 5th monthly installment of Post Devolution Revenue Deficit (PDRD) Grant of Rs 9,871 crore to the States on 9th August, 2021. With the release of this installment, a total amount of Rs 49,355 crore has been released to eligible States as Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant (PDRD) in the current financial year.

Politics:

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Constitution (127th) Amendment Bill to restore the states' power to make their own OBC lists. The bill was passed in Lok Sabha with 385 members voting in support and no opposition to it. The opposition parties decided to "cooperate" with the government in passing the bill and suspend their protest in the House. It was moved by social justice and empowerment minister Virendra Kumar, who termed it as historic legislation that 671 castes in the country would benefit from it.

Coronavirus Update:

Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 20,40,27,000 with 43,14,598 deaths. India reported 3,86,351 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 4,29,179 deaths while 3,12,20,981 patients have been discharged, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

India reported 38,353 new cases in last 24 hours. India has administered 51.90 crore vaccine doses so far under nationwide vaccination drive. India's active caseload currently 3,86,351, which is lowest in 140 days. Active cases constitute 1.21% of total cases, lowest since Mar 2020. Current recovery rate is 97.45%.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Auto index fell 1.21% to 10,036.05. The index lost 2.08% in three days.

Tube Investments of India (down 3.12%), Bajaj Auto (down 2.22%), Mahindra & Mahindra ( M&M) (down 1.95%), Balkrishna Industries (down 1.55%) and Bosch (down 1.55%) were the major losers in the Auto segment.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Rattanindia Enterprises advanced 3.95% after the company said that it has decided to make a strategic investment in US based Matternet, the world's most extensive urban drone logistics platform.

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) lost 0.93%. On Wednesday, the company announced the divestment of 100% stake in the 3x33 MW (99 MW) run of the river hydroelectric power plant owned by its subsidiary L&T Uttaranchal Hydropower to Renew Power Services.

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Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Wednesday announced the divestment of 100% stake in the 3x33 MW (99 MW) run of the river hydroelectric power plant owned by its subsidiary L&T Uttaranchal Hydropower to Renew Power Services.

The EPC major said that the divestment is in line with the declared focus of divesting non-core assets and improving shareholder value.

The sale consideration amount is Rs 985 crore. The transaction is subject to completion of customary closing conditions and is expected to take place before 30 September 2021.

D K Sen, whole-time director of Larsen & Toubro said, "This development is a significant step in our effort to unlock the value of some of our power development assets to streamline and allocate capital to create long term value for our shareholders. It represents our strategic effort to increase focus on our core strengths and exit others to move towards becoming a more asset-light organization."

L&T is an Indian multinational engaged in EPC Projects, hi-tech manufacturing and services.

The engineering and construction major's consolidated net profit soared 141.2% to Rs 1,556.18 crore on a 38% jump in revenue from operations to Rs 29,334.73 crore in Q1 June 2021 (Q1 FY22) over Q1 June 2020 (Q1 FY21).

Shares of L&T were down 1.14% at Rs 1,569 on BSE.

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Gearing up for the Assembly polls next year, the on Wednesday constituted the election committee for Uttar Pradesh, which includes state unit chief Ajay Kumar Lallu and former Union ministers Salman Khurshid, Rajeev Shukla and R P N Singh.

president Sonia Gandhi has approved the proposal of the constitution of the Pradesh Election Committee of the Committee (UPCC), said a statement issued by K C Venugopal, AICC general secretary in-charge organisation.

Apart from 38 members named in the panel, national president/chairperson of AICC organisations/departments from Uttar Pradesh, state heads of frontal organisations, vice-presidents and general secretaries of the UPCC will be its ex-officio members.

The election committee includes state party chief Lallu, CLP leader Aradhana Mona Misra, senior leaders Khurshid, Shukla, Nirmal Khatri, Pramod Tiwari, P L Punia, R P N Singh and Vivek Bansal.

Former MPs Rajesh Mishra, Rajaram Pal, Rakesh Sachan, Begum Noor Bano, Zafar Ali Naqvi, Harendra Malik, Rashid Alvi, Mohd Muqeem, Naseemuddin Siddique and the party's 2019 Lok Sabha candidate from Lucknow Acharya Pramod Krishnam are also part of the panel.

AICC secretaries Imran Masood, Brijlal Khabri, Sudhanshu Tripathi, B P Singh and Jitendra Baghel are also among those included.

UP Congress chief Lallu has said that the Congress would fight the polls in next year under Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's "dekh-rekh (supervision)" and would make a comeback in the state after over three decades.

Congress functionaries have said that the party is prioritising organisation building and carrying on the struggle against the government on the streets in the run-up to the crucial Assembly polls.

The Congress in organised a statewide "BJP gaddi chhodo" marches this week on the occasion of August Kranti Diwas.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With a Delhi court discharging them in the chief secretary assault case, Chief Minister and Deputy CM on Wednesday said the truth has won.

Sisodia also accused the BJP-led Central government of hatching a conspiracy against Kejriwal.

A Delhi court on Wednesday discharged Kejriwal, his deputy Sisodia and nine other AAP MLAs in the case related to the alleged assault on the then chief secretary Anshu Prakash in 2018.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sachin Gupta, however, ordered framing of charges against two AAP MLAs - Amantullah and Prakash Jarwal - in the case.

Kejirwal took to Twitter saying "Satyamev jayate " (truth has won) following the court decision.

"It is a day of victory of justice and truth. The court said that all allegations were false and baseless. CM has been acquitted today in that false case. We had been saying from day one that allegations re false," Sisodia said at an online press conference.

"It was a conspiracy hatched by PM Modi and Centre government led by BJP and the fake case was lodged on their instructions," he charged.

"This is the first incident when an elected PM has tried to derail the government of an elected chief minister in this manner. Public has elected both governments, you should not be busy in conspiracies and spying on opposition governments. PM and BJP should apologise to the countrymen for this," he added.

The criminal case relates to the alleged assault on Prakash during a meeting at Kejriwal's official residence on February 19, 2018 and besides the chief minister and his deputy, 11 AAP MLAs were also made accused in the case.

Kejriwal, Sisodia and nine other AAP MLAs were granted bail in October 2018. Khan and Jarwal were granted bail earlier by the high court.

The alleged assault had triggered a bitter tussle between the Delhi government and its bureaucrats.

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on Wednesday unveiled its third-gen foldable devices, the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3, at the Galaxy Unpacked event. Alongside, the South Korean electronics maker announced couple of in the Galaxy Watch4 series and a pair of true wireless stereo earbuds named the Galaxy Buds2.

Starting with the upgrades the new bring, both the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3 get the new aluminium armor construction with IPX8 rating for water resistance. recently announced that there will be no Galaxy Note device this time around and Note-centric features will be available in other Galaxy devices.

On that note, the Galaxy Z Fold3 becomes the companys first foldable device with support for its digital stylus SPen.

As for the wearables, the Galaxy Watch4 series debuts the unified platform jointly built by and Google. Powered by the companys in-house chip built on 5nm process, the Galaxy Watch4 series boasts enhanced performance, efficient battery, and class-leading display. Coming on to the Galaxy Buds2, the wireless earbuds feature active noise cancellation, ambient sound mode, and compact and comfortable design.

Lets look at the global pricing and technical details of the products unveiled at the Galaxy Unpacked event:

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3: Specifications and price

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3: Specifications and price

Samsung Galaxy Watch4: Specifications and price

Samsung Galaxy Buds2: Specifications and price
Tech giant on Wednesday unveiled two premium smartphones - Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, pricing them lower than the last year's lineup as it looks to provide more consumers access to the "unique foldable experience".

The company, which competes with brands like Apple in the global market, has also launched new smartwatches and earbuds at its 'Galaxy Unpacked' event.

While has not announced the launch date of these products in the Indian market, sources said these devices are expected to be available in India from the second week of September.

"With Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3, is once again redefining the possibilities with foldable smartphones that empower users with the flexibility and versatility needed for today's fast-paced world, Samsung Electronics President and Head of Mobile Communications Business TM Roh said.

As a pioneer and industry leader in the foldable category, Samsung has further built on its legacy of innovation, he added.

In a statement, Samsung said it is "committed to giving more consumers access to the unique foldable experience".

"That's why we're offering both Galaxy Z devices at the best prices yet. We're offering Galaxy Z Fold3 at the lower price of USD 1,799.99, and Galaxy Z Flip3 for USD 999.99.

Galaxy Bud2 will retail for USD 149.99, allowing more consumers to experience an immersive sound, with a comfortable all-day design, seamless connectivity and powerful features," it said.

The Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 will be available for pre-order beginning August 11 and will launch on August 27 starting with select markets, including the US, Europe, and Korea.

The Z Fold3 features a 7.6-inch Infinity Flex display and includes the first-ever S Pen support on a foldable device.

Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic are the first smartwatches to feature the new 'Wear OS' powered by Samsung, built jointly with Google.

The smartwatches - which are equipped with One UI Watch (Samsung's intuitive user interface) - have been completely redesigned to provide consumers with the best tools to manage their wellness.

We have seen an incredible amount of growth for the Galaxy Watch series as consumers have discovered the health benefits and convenience of wearables. We understand the path to wellness is different for everyone, so we built a robust suite of health and wellness features to give people a deeper and more helpful understanding of their overall fitness, Roh said.

The company said Galaxy Watch4 is equipped with a new 3-in-1 BioActive Sensor that uses a single chip to precisely run three powerful health sensors - Optical Heart Rate, Electrical Heart and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis - so that users can monitor their blood pressure, detect an AFib irregular heartbeat, measure their blood oxygen level, and calculate their body composition.

Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic are available for pre-order in select markets starting on August 11, with retail availability starting August 27. Galaxy Watch4 will come in 40mm and 44mm sizes, starting at USD 249.99 for Bluetooth versions and USD 299.99 for LTE models.

Messaging platform WhatsApp is also introducing the ability to move the entire WhatsApp chat history - including voice notes, photos and conversations - in a seamless and secure way if users choose to switch mobile operating systems. The feature will be available to users of both Android and iOS systems - which means that people will be able to switch from both Android to iOS, and from iOS to Android.

The feature will start to roll out on Android initially, and on Samsung's newest Galaxy phones to start with.

In a separate statement, smartphone chipmaker Qualcomm Technologies, Inc said its flagship Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platform is powering Samsung's Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3 smartphones.

The Snapdragon 888, which powers both devices globally, packs industry-leading innovations in connectivity, AI, gaming, and photography to enable premium Android experiences for users, it added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi [India], August 11 (ANI/BusinessWire India): New-age Technology has swept the Education sphere into the future in a sparkling Award Ceremony, where Change Maker awards were presented to fifty-four School Principals in India by Tech Avant-Garde (Microsoft's Global Partner), Knowledge L'avenir in association with Microsoft and Rotary Club.

Amidst a spirit of elation, the Principals were acknowledged, celebrated and applauded for their selfless and sincere service to the fruition of the dream of Digitalization of Formal Education. Each Principal articulated their school's transforming digital journey to make 'Connected Learning Community' into a palpable reality.

They set a shining example and imparted true inspiration to other Principals of Educational Institutions across the length and breadth of the nation, by guiding and handholding teachers and students alike to administer critical knowledge and wisdom, paving the way ahead into a brightly lit exciting future. The organizers were convinced that with Principals plunging into the fray, others will readily follow and put India on the map, at par with global education, especially now more than ever with the Pandemic looming large over our heads.

Certain select Principals were from schools that were honored with Carte Blanche Digital School graduation at a special function held in November 2020. These schools have subscribed towards the Digital Transformation and Holistic Learning Program (DTHL); where the school teachers have been trained in Digital Teaching; where the school is conducting online classes daily for all grades; where teachers are MIE (Microsoft Innovator Educator) certified and where teachers have trained the participants in the Knowledge L'avenir Conclave Webinars. The DTHL Coordinators are awarded with Digital Catalyst Certification; Knowledge L'avenir Conclave presenters are awarded with Adroit Mentor Certification; Teachers with digital skills are presented with Empowered Educator Certification; Students are presented with Connected Learner Certification and Parents are presented with Participative Parent Certification. Schools are also eligible to become Microsoft Showcase Schools. And in addition, teachers who have given presentations in Knowledge L'avenir Conclaves are trained to become MIE Trainers.

111 teachers were certified as MIE (Microsoft Innovator Educator) Trainers at the Knowledge L'avenir Platform conducted by Tech Avant-Garde (TAG), Global Training Partner of Microsoft, in association with Microsoft and supported by Rotary and Knowledge Key Foundation.

Ali Sait, CEO, Tech Avant-Garde, says, "India is the first nation in the world where educational institutions have fulfilled the requirement of Knowledge Age by becoming part a 'Connected Learning Community'. In history any Nation or Society, which adopts modern Educational practices, becomes the most progressive society of the world. India has had the head start and we hope it maintains the lead."

Christine Thoresen, Director Worldwide Education Strategy, Microsoft Corporation, said, "I heard about 111 MIE Trainer are getting graduated I am so excited, it's so important and accomplishment is tremendous."

Olga Svyrydenko, Business Strategy Lead Manager, Global Training Partner Program at Microsoft, added, "Global Training Partner is going to give teachers an opportunity to share their experiences on various forums. MIE certified teachers are going have a responsibility to train their colleagues."

The Change Maker Awardees are as follows: Maharashtra/ Goa: Balvinder Kaur Kooner, Arya Gurukul, Ambernath, Kalyan; Radhamani Iyer, Arya Gurukul, Nandivali, Kalyan; Sapna Uppal, Little Aryan's, Pre K, Kalyan; Shobhana Jha, St. Mary's High School, Kalyan; Farha Asif Daruwala, Crescent High School & Junior College, Pune; Asha Srinivas Reddy, Priyadarshani School, Moshi, Pune; Arpita Dixit, Priyadarshani School & Jr. College, SSC Board, Pune; Dr. GaitriSuhas Jadav, Priyadarshini School & Jr. College, CBSE, Indrayaninagar, Pune; Nalini Samuel, The Orbis School, Keshav Nagar, Pune; Gunjan Srivastava, The Orbis School, Mundhwa, Pune; and Sindu Hemanth, Sunshine Worldwide School, Goa.

Karnataka: Wng. Cdr. Ranjit Kumar Mandal and Chabbi Mandal, BGS World School, Chikkaballapura, Bangalore; Judith Singh, Cambridge Public School, HSR Extension, Bangalore; Geetha Mohan, Carmel School, Padmanabhanagar, Bangalore; Sribala Srinivasan, Carmel School, Padmanabhanagar, Bangalore; Nimmy George, Clarence Public School, Bangalore; SobhaVenkateswar, Embassy Public School, Bangalore; Abida, Florence Public School, Bangalore; Bridgette Mc Gavin, Florence Public School, Bangalore; Aruna Iyer, Greenfield Public School, Bangalore; KV Vincent, Huddard High School; Kavitha B V, Jubilee International Public School, Bangalore; Sujatha Nagaraj N, Lawrence High School, HSR, Bangalore; Umadevi N, Lawrence High School, Koramangala, Bangalore; Reetu Thapa, NPS Utrahalli, Bangalore; Thomas P J, Royal Public School, Electronic City, Bangalore; Deepthy Madhu, Samsidh MLZS, Electronic City, Bangalore; Rekha Sinha, Samsidh MLZS, Horamavu, Bangalore; Sangeetha Shenoy, Samsidh MLZS, HSR Layout, Bangalore; Mamta Chandra, Samsidh MLZS, Vidyaranyapura, Bangalore; Joice Lobo, Samsidh Mother Teresa International School, Kanakpura, Bangalore; Meenu Bhattacharya, TCIS, Sarjapur, Bangalore; Roopa Arun, TCIS, Sarjapur, Bangalore; Priya Anand, TCIS, Whitefield, Bangalore; Usha Iyer, The Green School, Bangalore; Usha Ravi, The Regency Public School, Bangalore; Y Padma Sagar, Vagdevi Vilas School, Marathahalli, Bangalore; and Devika Nagaraju, VLS International School, Bangalore.

Other South: Lakshmi Vindala International School Shaikpet, Hyderabad; Fahmidha, Oxford Grammar High School, Hyderabad; Fatima Kim Hussain, Oxford Grammar High School, Hyderabad; Ramanjula G, Oxford Grammar High School, Hyderabad; Dr. A Chhalamayi Reddy, Sri Aurobindo International School, Hyderabad; Kajol Chatterjee, Samsidh International School, Visakhapatnam; C Bhuvaneswari, Litera Valley Zee School, Hosur, Tamil Nadu; M D Ganga Devi, Samsidh MLZS, Vellore, Tamil Nadu; and Santosh Kanavalli, Subbiah Central School, (CBSE) Tirupur, Tamil Nadu.

North: Dr. Seema Dutt D.A.V Public School, Ambala, Cantt; Vijayshree Pandey, Dr. Virendra Swarup Education Centre, Shyam Nagar, Kanpur; Neelam Ohri, Mind Tree School, Ambala; Sudha Mathur, Mind Tree School, Ambala; Brinda Sam, St. Thomas' School, Gopiganj, Uttar Pradesh; and Saman Sherwani, The Blossoms School, Aligarh.

The Change Maker Event included five critically informative Sessions. A large audience across India got a wonderful opportunity to hear a potpourri of words spilling with knowledge, experience and wisdom, describing their digital journey along with the victory over the uncertainties due to the pandemic. They also described their determination to keep Formal Education alive and furthermore, fulfilling the aspiration of every child by imparting better education on a digital platform and protecting the Human Capital of the country. Their narrative was convincing, where they urged other schools to accept digitalization as the new normal of the times. The list of luminaries who spoke runs as follows:

Precognition Session: Sr. Sadhaya SND, Manager, Notre Dame School Vasai, Maharashtra, Mrs. Princess Franklyn, Dean of Studies, National School of Journalism, Bangalore, Mr. Vineet Kshirsagar, Director Sales, Hitachi Vartara, India and Ms. Roshini Kumar, President, Lycee Corp.

Solutionist Session: Mr. K V Vincent, Principal, Huddard High School, Kanpur, Mrs. Priya Anand, Head of School, TCIS, Whitefield, Bangalore and Mrs. Radhamani Iyer, Principal, Arya Gurukul, Nandivali, Kalyan.

First Transformist Session: Mr. Chandrashekhar R, Chairman, Litera Valley Zee School, Mr. Bharat Malik, Chairperson, Education Today Foundation, Mrs. Neelam Malik, Academic Director, Education Today Foundation, M.K. Sherwani, Chairman, The Blossoms School and Waseefullah Khan Sherwani, Chief Administrator, The Blossoms School.

Second Transformist Session: Mr. K.Harish, Chairman, Vagdevi Vilas Group of Institutions and Wg. Cdr. Ranjit Kumar Mandal, Principal, BGS School, Chickkaballapura .

Visionary Session: Major Harish Kumar, Secretary, NCERT, Mr. Rahul Tandon, Design Head Product Development and Compliances, Bharat Bill Pay and Rtn. Ramesh Kumar RDDRFC, Rotary.

The Change Makers were profusely thanked for being the guiding light and an important catalyst to one and all in the darkest time in our current history. Their spectacular endeavors are taking Digital Education right at the doorstep of schools from the remote Indian villages to the lofty classrooms in global arenas, revolutionizing the system.

This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India)

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Photo: The Canadian Press Mounties say a man is in hot water for landing a helicopter to pick up a cool treat in a Saskatchewan town. A helicopter, which landed in a parking lot, is seen in Tisdale, Sask., in a July 31, 2021, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-RCMP, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Mounties say a man is in hot water for landing a helicopter to pick up a cool treat in a Saskatchewan town.

RCMP say they received a complaint on July 31 that a helicopter had landed in a high-traffic parking lot in Tisdale, which is about 215 kilometres east of Saskatoon.

They say the helicopter blew up dust and debris through the area that includes schools and an aquatic centre.

Police say an investigation determined the landing was not an emergency.

They say a passenger left the helicopter and went into a nearby restaurant to buy an ice cream cake.

Officers say the pilot, who is a 34-year-old man from Leroy, Sask., had a licence to fly the helicopter but landed in an illegal spot.

The man, who has not been named, has been charged with dangerous operation of an aircraft and is to appear in court next month.
Photo: The Canadian Press Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino, left, is joined by Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence hold a press conference in Ottawa on Friday, July 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino says fully vaccinated Canadians will soon be able to get a government document that will certify their COVID-19 vaccine history for the purpose of international travel.

The document, expected to be ready by the fall, will be digital, with an option for those who can't or don't want a digital certificate.

Mendicino says it will include data on the type of vaccines received, the dates, and the location.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the program has to be done in co-operation with provinces and territories because they have the data that is needed.

He says if provinces want to use the same passport within their province that could be an option.

Quebec is introducing a provincial passport next month that will be required for people who want to attend public events, go to the gym, or frequent a restaurant or bar.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is seeking fields to lease for the upcoming 2021 dove season. The first segment of dove season opens at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 1.



Landowners can earn up to $3,600 for providing a dove field for public hunting. These fields must be available for a minimum of three priority hunt dates in September.



Mourning doves are a popular game bird and one of the most widely distributed and abundant birds in North America. More mourning doves are harvested than all other migratory bird species combined in 39 of the continental states. In Tennessee, an estimated 17,000 hunters harvest approximately 250,000 mourning doves each year.



TWRA began its leased dove field program in the late 1980s and the program has been very successful in providing quality hunting opportunities for hunters. In addition to leased fields, many public dove fields are provided on wildlife management areas in each TWRA region. The TWRA website currently has specific information about WMAs and information about leased dove fields in each region that will be added as the fields are enrolled in the program.



The standard fall leased field is a harvested grain field to which TWRA leases the hunting rights for three priority dates. The hunting access rate paid to landowners for fall leased fields may be up to $75 per acre for a maximum of 40 acres. Fields that are top sown with wheat are eligible for an additional $15 per acre. Interested landowners must sign up their fields in August.



Anyone interested in leasing a dove field to TWRA should contact their TWRA regional office. TWRA has four regional offices across the state that interested landowners can contact: Region I (West Tennessee) 731-423-5725 or toll free 800-372-3928; Region II (Middle Tennessee) 615-781-6622 or toll free 800-624-7406; Region III (Upper Cumberland) 931-484-9571 or toll free 833-402-4698; Region IV (East Tennessee) 423-587-7037 or 800-332-0900. Offices are open 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (local time).
A woman approached an officer on East 8th Street and said a man was yelling, "Ma'am, ma'am, can you help me ma'am", while she was trying to carry things into her apartment. When she came from her apartment, she said that he was still asking for assistance, and she wanted police to check on him. The officer found the man speaking on the phone with his caseworker, who as it turns out, was a female, and that was who the man kept calling out to, and not the woman who stopped the officer. The officer asked the man if he needed any assistance, to which he replied that he did not need police assistance, then the officer left the area.

* * *

A woman on Fulton Street said she and her girlfriend were breaking up and they were arguing over their dog Loui. The woman said they bought the dog together, and that it was her dog just as much as it was her now ex-girlfriend's dog. The girlfriend lied about her last name when officers asked her, saying her last name was Payne. Police do not know why she lied about her last name as she had no warrants. Police spoke with both women and both agreed that the girlfriend would take the dog for now but that the first woman could take the other to court if she felt the need. The woman also mentioned that the girlfriend had received a business loan from the federal government but did not own a small business or meet the required requirements and that she lied to get the money. Police are going to further investigate the accusation on the fraud.

* * *

An officer stopped to assist a man on Wilson Street struggling to carry a box. Police assisted the man carry the box to his friend's car.

* * *

A woman and her husband on Bailey Avenue were arguing. Both told police neither were in fear of one another and both of them would remain on scene after police left. The woman said she and her husband were fixing to be legally separated. Police were later called back because of a verbal argument and they said were fighting over a car key. The woman said she was going to work to separate from the husband.

* * *

A woman on Sharp Street said she was in a verbal disorder with a man. The man said he was sleeping and the woman woke him up drunk. Currently the woman is not on the lease. Initially, the man wanted her to leave and trespassed but changed his mind, and informed the officer she could stay. Both parties agreed to separate and this call was closed with no further police action taken.

* * *

Police were called to Grubb Road on a call of a disorder. When the officer arrived, there was no active disorder. A man said it was his residence and let a woman move in months back. The woman said she moved in at the beginning of the year and has her own bedroom. The man said the woman was keeping him up all night listening to music in the living room. The man has his own separate room at the residence and was trying to sleep on the couch in the living room where the woman was. The man said he will be selling the residence very soon and moving out himself. The woman said she would be moving in approximately a week.

* * *

A man on South Germantown Road said he had been to three different locations and in the process somehow lost his wallet and its contents. He said he had been to Kanku's, the liquor store and the laundry mat on the apartment premises. He backtracked where he had been and was unable to find his wallet.

* * *

A woman on Wilder Street said early that morning a strange man came by her house and rang the doorbell, but she did not open the door. She said she was inside the house and saw the man in the surveillance camera but she did not recognize him. The man was described as a slim build, short haircut, approximately six feet tall and was wearing a dark blue shirt and tan cargo pants. The man was carrying a gun (concealed). Police searched the area but did not find anyone that could match the description.

* * *

A woman on Shallowford Road said someone took her 2012 Lincoln from the parking lot in front of her apartment. She also said that she believes the keys were in the car. The vehicle was entered into NCIC and a BOLO was issued.

* * *

A man on Gunbarrel Road said someone broke into his 2015 Honda Civic. He found no damage to the car and thinks it may have been unlocked. Someone stole his wallet and the contents of it. He was able to get the debit and credit cards canceled except for the Regions Bank card which was used at two locations. He said the suspect used his debit card at a Speedway for $25.23 and at a McDonald's for $45.42. He didn't know the addresses of either store.

* * *

A man on Rossville Boulevard said a man and woman were causing a disorder. He told police they were apparently upset with work done on their vehicle. The man said he is not sure who that were and they left the scene prior to police arrival. The man wanted it documented in the event they returned.

* * *

A woman on Arlington Avenue said she saw some questionable charges on her Social Security express card account. Her card had been used for $135 and she needed documentation to help with her claim in the Social Security office.

* * *

A woman on North Runyan Drive said she was driving home when she ran over a man-hole cover that was misaligned and damaged and it caused damage to the fog light, ground effects, rocker panel, and front left tire and wheel of her vehicle. Her father provided a photo to police of the misaligned and broken man-hole cover. Police drove to the area of the man-hole cover where a city vehicle was parked beside with lights on and the cover realigned and level. No injuries were reported and the woman was able to drive from the incident on her spare tire.

* * *

A woman on Greendale Way called police to say she was supposed to receive a package from FedEx containing a "zero gravity" chair. She received a notification from FedEx that said the package was delivered but she never found it. She called FedEx and the driver said that he had left the package with the office manager. She contacted the office and the officer manager denied holding a package for her. She believes that the office manager is maliciously lying to her in an effort to keep the chair for himself. No video footage or other security is available to confirm who actually took the package or if it was ever delivered.
James Brent Walker has been named to the District 9 seat on the Hamilton County School Board.

He received five votes by the County Commission on Wednesday morning, while Gary Kuehn got three.

Voting for Mr. Walker were Randy Fairbanks, Chip Baker, Greg Martin, Tim Boyd and Steve Highlander.

In favor of Mr. Kuehn were Warren Mackey, Katherlyn Geter and David Sharpe.

Sabrena Smedley was absent.

Mr. Walker was sworn in immediately by County Clerk Bill Knowles.

The vacancy arose when Commissioner Chester Bankston moved to Florida and board member Highlander was named to his seat.

The District 9 school board member is expected to have a key vote on naming a new school superintendent.

A life-long resident of District 9, Mr. Walker had four daughters graduate from Central. At a recent candidate forum, he said he was excited to see eight people want to put their hat in the ring for this position. He commented, This school board seat is an extension of the community, to speak for the students and parents.

A co-founder of the Ooltewah/Harrison Education Association, Mr. Walker said he has a love for fund raising and giving scholarships to students. His concern is that, I dont think parents feel they can have a say with the school board.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Wednesday announced that the United States Department of Agriculture is investing $167 million in 12 states to deploy broadband infrastructure in rural areas without sufficient access to high-speed internet.

Generations ago, the federal government recognized that without affordable access to electricity, Americans couldnt fully participate in modern society and the modern economy," Secretary Vilsack said. "Broadband internet is the new electricity. It is necessary for Americans to do their jobs, to participate equally in school learning and health care, and to stay connected. This is why President Bidens American Jobs Plan prioritizes building future-proof broadband infrastructure  like the investments were announcing today  in areas without sufficient access to broadband, so that we finally reach 100 percent high-speed broadband coverage.

These investments will benefit rural people in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia.

In Tennessee:

United Communications Inc. will use a $1.7 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network in rural Tennessee. The funded service area includes 711 households, 1,890 people, 10 farms and four businesses spread over four square miles.

In Georgia:



Altamaha Electric Membership Corporation, headquartered in Lyons, Ga., will use a $10.6 million loan and a $10.6 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network in rural Georgia. The funded service area includes 6,665 households, 18,789 people, 25 educational facilities, 17 essential community facilities, 10 health care facilities, 573 businesses and 207 farms spread over 246 square miles.



The investments being announced Wednesday are part of the $550 million Congress allocated to the second round of the ReConnect Program as well as other funds made available for the program since 2018. USDA expects to begin inviting applications for a third round of program funds in the coming weeks.

USDAs ReConnect Program provides loans and grants to construct, improve or acquire facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas. To learn more about ReConnect Program eligibility, technical assistance and recent announcements, visit www.usda.gov/reconnect.
Becky Barnes, who led Hamilton County's response to two waves of the deadly coronavirus and who led a countywide vaccination drive, is retiring as executive director of the county Health Department. She appeared along with County Mayor Jim Coppinger at many somber press conferences about the virus.

Her retirement is effective Sept. 10.

Ms.

Barnes had been named to the post in 2000, replacing Sam Rose, who was retiring.

At the time she was director of clinical services.

County Executive Claude Ramsey, who made the choice, said at the time that Ms. Barnes was highly recommended by Mr. Rose and by Dr. Valerie Boaz, county medical director.

He said, "She has a lot of experience and I have always enjoyed working with her."

Asked at the time if she was the first female administrator of the health department, Mr. Ramsey said, "Within memory, she certainly is."

Ms. Barnes was awarded the 2011 R.H. Hutcheson, Sr., M.D. Award at the annual Tennessee Public Health Association conference held in Franklin, Tn.



The R.H. Hutcheson, Sr., M.D. Award is the highest honor bestowed by TPHA. It recognizes a career (minimum 20 years) commitment to and significant achievements in public health. The nominee must also have demonstrated active commitment to TPHA through service to the organization.



During her more than 30 years of service, Ms. Barnes has consistently pursued the Health Departments mission of doing all we can to assure a healthy community,. officials said at the time.



Since joining the Health Department in 1980, Ms. Barnes has been instrumental in developing several programs, including Step ONE (Optimize with Nutrition and Exercise). She is a strong supporter of tobacco prevention initiatives and the Health Departments initiative to reduce infant mortality.

Ms. Barnes was also at the helm as Hamilton County developed its emergency response plans and she continues to ensure Hamilton County is prepared in the event of a public health emergency.



"Becky is well respected among her peers. She is personable, approachable, and a team player. She is a champion and advocate for public health, whether it is in her official capacity or on the street as a good friend and neighbor, said Dr. Boaz.



Workforce development is also a priority for Ms. Barnes and she has shown by example the importance of personal and professional growth, it was stated. She created a Healthy Health Department committee which offers programs to employees to encourage healthy eating and exercise.



Ms. Barnes earned a BS in Nursing from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1977. She joined the Health Department in 1980 as a public health nurse. In 1984 she was promoted to supervisor of home care and became chairman of the home health department in 1987. She was named director of clinical services in 1988.



Ms. Barnes has been an active member of TPHA for 26 years, serving in a variety of capacities. She has chaired TPHA committees, participated on boards, served as president from 1995-1996, and received the Tennessee Public Health Association Distinguished Service Award in 1998.
The Unity Group of Chattanooga strongly agrees with the assessment that has been given by groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the ProtectMyCare doctors from across this state. The use of masks in schools should not only be a required prerequisite, but it should be just the first of many necessary mitigation strategies employed as we deal with the recent spike of the Delta-variant strain of COVID-19. It is paramount that our primary concern should be to place the safety, health and welfare of school staff and students first above all other priorities.

Dr. Vidya Bansal, a pediatrician associated with ProtectMyCare, gave this frank assessment to the Williamson County School Board, Kids dont die from wearing masks; kids are dying from COVID in Tennessee as recently as last week. Your choice is to pick one: masks in schools, or widespread COVID in schools. A similar WZTV report also indicated that the most recent data from the Tennessee Department of Health shows that over 25 percent (more than 6,500 children) of the new COVID cases in the last two weeks are school-aged children 20 and under.

This rapid surge also alludes to other public health measures that should be enhanced as well. The community would greatly be served by being better informed on the overall strategies and protocols which will be used for both mitigation and in those instances where COVID-19 should be identified within schools. Many of the common measures that have been adopted across the nation include: (1) the use of masks; (2) smaller class sizes; (3) social distancing; (4) upgraded ventilations system; (5) sanitation and deep cleansing; and if necessary, contact tracing followed by a period of quarantining after exposure. Likewise, we agree with many of the safe school reopening strategies that have been advocated by the American Federation of Teachers, such as vaccine priorities for school staff, forming local safety committees, establishing situation rooms and periodic building walk-throughs. In addition, appropriate accommodations should be afforded to school staff and students who have compromising medical conditions and ailments that would prevent the wearing of facial coverings.

It is also incumbent on all of us to come together in a cooperative spirit in order to mitigate this health crisis. The safety, health and welfare of children and schools should not be weaponized, nor politicized, through acts of malice or intimidation such as the stripping of school funding or calling for a special session of the legislature for making a conscientious decision that is based on credible medical facts, data, or on-the-ground conditions. While we can all concur that as citizens of this nation we enjoy many of the individual freedoms which derive from the Constitution, those liberties are superseded when our actions may cause irreparable harm or has the potential to endanger the welfare of others. During rare occurrences such as public health emergencies, we must do what is in the best interest of maintaining the public welfare and act in the interest of the good of the whole.

It is also worth noting, this very principle has been embellished in the law. The Supreme Court affirmed in Jacobson vs. Massachusetts that, a community has the right to protect itself against an epidemic of disease which threatens the safety of its members." As long as it is not unreasonable, abstract or arbitrary in nature, public health mitigation strategies should only be conducted as temporary measures to help avert and alleviate impending crisis or emergencies.

COVID-19 is recognized as a communicable ailment. The key indicators such as the new rate of infections and hospitalizations suggest that the delta-variant is a grave and imminent threat all, which includes school-aged children. Conjointly, the American Academy of Pediatrics is detailing that there were nearly 94,000 new child COVID-19 cases throughout the nation on last week alone. The medical community is universally in agreement on the use of mask in schools as a safe mitigation strategy. Similarly, a recent Kaiser Family Foundation report also notes that over 60 percent of parents polled favor the use of mask for school staff and children. By virtue, this is a policy we should readily adopt without further delay. Where the safety, health and welfare of children are concerned, it is far better to err on the side of caution than to offer future regrets on failing to act on the impending threats for which we are now forewarned.

Unity Group of Chattanooga,

Pastor Charlotte S.N.N. Williams

Eric Atkins

* * *

Hamilton county school leadership should have defaulted to this famous quote, when making their mask announcement (intended to protect children?) today:

I know you think you understand what you thought I said but Im not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant

Try opting out of that.

Michael Mallen

Health, safety and environmental attorney

* * *

"Masks Don't Work - Review of science relevant COVID-19 social policy", a June 25, 2020 report details the physics and biology of viral respiratory diseases and the why masks don't work. In a nutshell, viruses are very, very tiny and the number of viruses needed to make you sick is very, very small.

The excerpt below is taken from the report noted above.

"Unknown Aspects of Mask Wearing"

1. Do used and loaded masks become sources of enhanced transmission, for the wearer and others?

2. Do masks become collectors and retainers of pathogens that the mask wearer would otherwise avoid when breathing without a mask?

3. Are large droplets captured by a mask atomized or aerolized into breathable components?

4. Can virions escape an evaporating droplet stuck to a mask fiber?

5. What are the dangers of bacterial growth on a used and loaded mask?

6. How do pathogen-laden droplets interact with environmental dust and aerosols captured on the mask?

7. What are long-term health effects on mask users, such as headaches, arising from impeded breathing?

8. Are there negative social consequences to a masked society?

9. Are there negative psychological consequences to wearing a mask, as a fear-based behavioral modification?

10. What are the environmental consequences of mask manufacturing and disposal?

11. Do the masks shed fibers or substances that are harmful when inhaled?

Dr. Fauci said in February, 2020 masks were not effective protection against the virus.

Excerpt from Townhall article dated May 2, 2021, "Fauci knew masks didn't work and told people not to wear them." Townhall also reported on the communications with individuals and media outlets in which Fauci advised against mask wearing for travel, told a medical school dean not to mandate masks, and stated the flimsy masks most Americans were forced to wear were ineffective at stopping the spread of Wuhan coronavirus."

Phil Snider



* * *

Could anyone explain how the Obamas held a huge bash in the playground of the rich and famous, Marthas Vineyard with zero condemnations from the enlightened progressives?

Oh wait! Will we get a rehashing of the dis-inviting some to keep the numbers down story and how they verified vaccinations? Those tales seem a little disingenuous if we are expected to believe CDC accounts of fully vaccinated people spreading the virus.

There were other problems. The Vineyard Gazette described airport chaos from the number of private jets as celebs popped in. The manager was quoted as being fearful they would run out of fuel. Neighboring Nantucket ran out recently and the Green New Deal hasnt even kicked in.

This gala is reminiscent of the elaborate revels for the Romans or French aristocracy. At the Obama shindig, the progressive elites gleefully danced the night away in maskless indifference. Then they winged their way back to their mansions in those private jets.

Meanwhile we are in conflict struggling about sending our children to school in masks or not and what to do with rising numbers of infected in hospitals. The elites dont bother with that, they do as they please. Their answer to our conflict would be, let them wear masks!

Ralph Miller



* * *

I simply cannot understand the mindset of parents who are militantly opposed to their children being asked to wear masks in school.

Do they think the media is fabricating the numbers of patients in hospitals fighting for their lives?

Or are they just opposed to being asked to send their children to school with masks in principle.

Whether you believe there actually is a pandemic and masks do or do not help prevent the spread of COVID is irrelevant- saving lives is the only issue here and unless you are qualified to become the surgeon general of the United States, please defer to the experts and most importantly, the school board who is desperately trying to prevent another total shut down of schools.

If you feel so strongly that masks are not necessary please home-school your children and know I have the right to expect my children will not be at risk sitting next to a non-masked student.

Dawn Devine

* * *

Ms. Devine,

Unfortunately, we parents who dont want our children to wear a mask to school, it is our right. You are wanting segregation based on a medical choice. That same mentality was used over 60 years ago in schools to separate the races.

How dare you say that just because we have our own reasons why our family chooses not to send our child to school in a mask we should homeschool? I pay the same county/city/state taxes you do, therefore we have the same legal right for public school as you do.

Let me ask, during flu season do you send your child to school in a mask? Our children have been going to school for how many years with all the crazy viruses and we never sent them in a mask before.

Dianna Bender

Hamilton County Parent






House Speaker Cameron Sexton has called on Governor Bill Lee to call a Special Session to address "misdirected and mandated responses to COVID-19 by local entities and officials. It is of the utmost urgency to move quickly due to the potential of significant harm to Tennesseans."

Speaker Sexton said he also wanted to address the denial of certain people from buildings based on their vaccination status.

The letter is also signed by a number of other top Republican leaders in the General Assembly.

The letter also says, "The General Assembly of the State of Tennessee has a constitutional duty to enact general law to shape the options, decisions, and priorities of our local governments, including local boards and other local entities."

It states, "We believe there is a need to curtail the overreach by independent health boards and officials, confirm a parent's right to make decisions that impact the mental and physical health of their children, provide support and direction to schools to ensure educators are properly compensated for COVID-19 leave, and protect all Tennesseans from misdirected mandates designed to limit their ability to make their own decisions.

"The six independent health boards, along with unelected officials, have made and will continue to make decisions that stifle access to educational opportunities for our children and infringe on their freedoms and liberty. Some of these mandates have been accompanied by threats of reckless endangerment, school closure, and segregating students based on vaccination status.

"We believe there is much debate and action needed around the appropriate balance of parents' right to make healthcare decisions for their children and the government's ability to mandate healthcare decisions upon them.

"Finally, in addition to the debate needed around continued COVID-19 mandates, the General Assembly needs to evaluate the ongoing discrimination of Tennesseans by prohibiting their access to buildings due only to their vaccination status.

"Therefore, we request that you, by virtue of the power and authority vested in your office pursuant to Article III, Section 9 of the Tennessee Constitution, call the One Hundred and Twelfth General Assembly of the State of Tennessee to convene in extraordinary session for the purposes stated above as well as addressing other issues related to COVID-19. We look forward to working with you to pass meaningful legislation so that-Tennessee children, families, and businesses can continue to thrive."

Speaker Cameron Sexton



Deputy Speaker Curtis Johnson



Chairman Jeremy Faison



Majority Whip Johnny Garrett



Floor Leader Paul Sherrell



Freshman Leader Scotty Campbell



Speaker Pro Tempore Pat Marsh



Leader William Lamberth



Assistant Majority Leader Ron Gant



Caucus Vice Chair Brandon Ogles



Treasurer Mark Cochran



Secretary Michele Carringer
Chef Mathew Shea revealed exactly why he was so overwhelmed when he was told hed have to prepare lunch for the Below Deck Mediterranean crew. Shea shared that producers originally told him he would not have to prepare crew meals in between charters so he was stunned when Captain Sandy Yawn told him he would have to return to the kitchen to continue cooking for the crew.

Chef Mathew said he had just made brunch for the Below Deck Med crew

Shea reacted strongly when Yawn requested that he make the crew lunch after the first charter. He complained in a confessional, sharing that he thought hed have time to prep and rest. Then the crew ribbed him for being angry. Bosun Malia White reminded him that cooking was his job, but said she would help him.

Chef Mathew Shea from Below Deck Mediterranean prepares dessert | Laurent Basset/Bravo

White and the crew werent the only ones who gave Shea a hard time about his reaction. He shared that fans also dogged him too. Been getting a lot of crap for getting upset about crew lunch on drop-off day, he recently shared in his Instagram story. I got an email from production before filming saying I dont cook lunch on drop-off days and because of this, I made crew Eggs Benedict at 10:30 this day. Theres way more that happens than what you see!

Below Deck Med boat Lady Michelle usually has a sous chef

He also offered additional insight into what the Below Deck Mediterranean yacht chef hustle is like. I cook lunch and dinner for 12 crew, he remarked. In addition to breakfast pastries, breakfast, lunch, lunch desserts, hors doeuvres, [and] coursed out dinner for 8 guests.

Shea also said his job on the show is very different than what its like when he works in yachting without cameras following him around. Provisions arrived three hours [ahead of the guests arrival], he explained. Leaving no time to prep in advance and barely enough time to put stuff away from guests arrival  THATS NOT NORMAL!!!

Laughing to keep from crying is our MO, too. #BelowDeckMed pic.twitter.com/b4pfFmwCYX  Bravo (@BravoTV) August 4, 2021

RELATED: Below Decks Kate Chastain Says Katie Flood Should Rally Around Chef Mathew (so He Stops Quitting)

I didnt take breaks or sit down from the time I got up each morning to make breakfast pastries, he added. He also shared that Lady Michelle typically has a sous chef, whereas he was a one-man department on the show.

Chef Mathew reveals what happened with Athena Lucenes cakes

Shea then addressed the controversial cakes he made for charter guest Athena Lucene. I do all my own prep and dishes and ordering for the next charter, he continued. And I only had one oven. The primary also asked for baked Alaska which they dont show. The cake requests were ridiculous, logos, lots of words she wanted. I should have ordered them out. He then admitted, They looked like sht. I didnt have time.

RELATED: Below Deck Producer Mark Cronin Told Cast Members They Have 2 Jobs on the Show, Chef Ben Recalls

Indeed, Shea struggled to meet Lucenes request. And while she was concerned with the cake design, the guests said the cakes were delicious and loved the taste.

RELATED: Below Deck Mediterranean: Athena Lucene Defends Her $15,000 Tip  the Lowest so Far This Season
Bethenny Frankels $7 million apartment that she listed with Ryan Serhant from Million Dollar Listing New York is still on the market. So could viewers see Serthant handling the sale on the series? The listing itself is controversial because Frankel previously worked with Fredrik Eklund. They even had the short-lived real estate series Bethenny and Fredrik on Bravo. But when it came time to list her apartment, Frankel went with Serhant instead of Eklund and the drama could be explosive if cameras follow the sale.

Could Ryan Serhant and Fredrik Eklund have a spicy exchange over Bethenny Frankels listing?

The pandemic and Eklunds move to California quickly became an issue. Million Dollar Listing New York previews show that he is worried the New York-based brokers are stealing his business. While Frankel wasnt his client, listing her apartment with Serhant could make for a seriously drama-fueled encounter between the brokers.

Fredrik Eklund from Million Dollar Listing New York Bethenny Frankel chat over a real estate deal |Greg Endries/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank

There were a lot of competitors  lets just say that and generalize it a little bit  that [were] trying to steal or take over my business because Fredrik left, which I did, but not fully, and it wasnt my fault that I couldnt get back fully, Eklund told The New York Post. So that is going to get heated and a little dramatic.

Living in Los Angeles put him at a disadvantage early in the pandemic. Being very determined  and a bit of a control freak, as I am with my business  it was very hard to get that phone call from my assistant where he said All the airports are closing, Eklund recalled. The city kind of shut down where I just couldnt travel. It was very frustrating.

Bethenny Frankel recently featured her Million Dollar Listing on Instagram

And while Eklund faced travel woes during the spring of 2020, Frankel didnt list her apartment until April 2021. She still went with Serhant. Frankel and Serhant have not publicly commented about the listing. But Frankel recently posted a short video featuring the apartment on Instagram. Bethenny Renovation Project in NYC, she captioned the slideshow and also tagged the designers.

Whats everyone up to in NYC today? pic.twitter.com/9hWlorVa4w  Ryan Serhant (@RyanSerhant) April 24, 2021

RELATED: Million Dollar Listing New York: Ryan Serhants Penthouse Hits the Rental Market for $16,000 a Month

Frankels apartment has now been listed for 118 days, as previously bountiful listings have started to quickly decline. CNBC reports price increases and shrinking inventory indicates an extremely healthy sales market. As the city continues to reopen, penthouses have proven to have the perfect formula of generous square footage and private outdoor space, plus the all the luxury amenities that can only be found in a full-service building, Pamela Liebman, president and CEO of Corcoran said.

Bethenny Frankel recently sold her Greenwich, Connecticut home

While Frankel and her daughter were comfortable living in the spacious apartment, shes put the Soho loft (and other properties she owns) on the market. After recently getting engaged to Boston-based businessman Paul Bernon, she began to unload some of her New York and Connecticut properties. She recently sold her Greenwich, Connecticut home for $2,125,000, after originally listing it for $3,375,000.

She also previously told Architectural Digest that the Soho loft was somewhat of a passion project. I wasnt even looking to move but this was an opportunity I couldnt pass up, she recalled about buying the home for $4.2 million in 2018. All of a sudden I was in it.

While the renovation resulted in a complete transformation, Frankel said she didnt have to totally gut it either. People think it was a gut job, but the bones of the kitchen, the bathrooms, the plumbingits all intact, she remarked. Its like taking plain hummus and adding lemon zest and herbs. Now its yours. Frankel did end up adding two full fireplaces to the 4,000 square foot abode.

RELATED: Million Dollar Listing New York: Steve Gold and Ryan Serhant Duke It Out as Season 9 Has a Climactic Ending (Exclusive)
Many Love Island fans were shocked by Charlie Lynch this season. Thats because he chose someone else instead of Cashay Proudfoot. She revealed why she knew he wasnt going to pick her and more.

We'll miss you, Cash! Thank you for teaching us that "ewwwww!" is a good thing. #LoveIslandUSA pic.twitter.com/ery8CXUQAx  Love Island USA (@loveislandusa) August 7, 2021

RELATED: Love Island: Alana Says Charlie Shouldve Picked Cash

Cash had a strong connection with Melvin Cinco Holland Jr. and was coupled up with him. But he later chose to try to be with Trina Njoroge. Cash tried to move on with Charlie after Casa Amor, but she still had feelings for Cinco. Cinco decided to end things with Trina and try to fight for Cash.

Cash still picked Charlie, but it didnt take long for her to regret it. Charlie started to hit it off with Alana Paolucci and it looked like he was considering leaving Cash for her. Charlie told Cash he didnt think they would work and she immediately got upset. Later she claimed everything was fine as long as hes honest with her.

Charlie ended up picking Alana and no one picked Cash. She was sent home which shocked many fans who were rooting for her.

Cash says she knew Charlie wasnt going to pick her

Cashay Proudfoot of Love Island | Sara Mally/CBS via Getty Images

RELATED: Some Love Island Fans Think Cash Should Go Find Cinco

Cash went on Instagram Live on Aug 10 with Love Islands official account. She claimed that she wasnt surprised when Charlie didnt pick her.

She said her last big conversation with Charlie actually lasted 45 minutes. In the middle of that, she realized she was fighting for something she didnt want. Cash mentioned that she didnt feel comfortable with the idea of Charlie meeting her parents, so she wanted to go home sooner rather than later.

When host Arielle Vandenberg revealed Cash will be going home Andre Brunelli awkwardly started clapping. Cash said she didnt realize he clapped until she watched it back. She said he shouldve read the room. Trina was sitting next to Andre since he picked her for this moment and she looked emotionless.

Tina and Cash wore matching dashikis for Cashs last episode. Cash explained that they came from Trinas grandmother who got them on a trip to Kenya. They previously planned on wearing them but they ended up wearing them for her last moment instead.

Cash and Cinco reunited after Love Island

RELATED: Love Island: Americas Votes Show a Couple Might Not Win Season 3

At the end of Cashs last episode, she talked about hoping to see Cinco again. She got what she wished for because the show reunited them with a video chat.

They talked about meeting up soon because of her layover. They did meet and Cash has spent time with Cinco and his father. It looks like theyre giving things another shot after the show as she hoped.

Charlie is still coupled up with Alana. The first day without Cash he revealed to Trina that he missed her, which upset Alana. Only time will tell if theyll make it to the end.
Former President Barack Obama turned 60 on Aug. 4. A few days later, he celebrated the milestone with a star-studded party on Marthas Vineyard for 475 people.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex did not attend the party. According to a royal expert, she did not receive an invitation, though she desperately wanted one.

Meghan Markle | Ben Birchall/PA Wire

Does Meghan Markle know the Obamas?

Meghans husband, Prince Harry, has known Barack and Michelle Obama for years. For example, the Obamas have supported Harrys Invictus Games for military veterans. Additionally, Harry and the Obamas all had dinner together at Kensington Palace in 2016 with Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

When Meghan guest-edited the September 2019 issue of British Vogue, she highlighted several women who are forces for change, including Michelle. Meghan and Michelle had an interview where Michelle shared some parenting advice for the then-new mom.

Although Meghan and Harry are now living in the United States, there have not been signs that they are currently close with the former presidential couple. In fact, Michelle even appeared to take a swipe at Meghan and Harry after they shared complaints about the royal family to Oprah Winfrey.

Public service, its a bright, sharp, hot spotlight, and most people dont understand it, and nor should they, Michelle told Today. The thing that I always keep in mind is that none of this is about us in public service. Its about the people that we serve. I always try to push the light back out and focus it on the folks that we are actually here to serve.

Meghan Markle desperately wanted an invitation to Barack Obamas party, royal expert says

RELATED: Meghan Markle Has a Stubborn Method to Make Things Go Her Way, Childhood Friend Says

Royal author Angela Levin claimed Meghan and Harry were not invited to Obamas birthday bash, despite really wanting to go.

I am told that despite claiming she was unable to attend, Meghan desperately wanted to be the special guest at the Obamas amazing party on Saturday at their seven-bedroom, 8million holiday home set in 30 acres of Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts, Levin wrote for The Sun.

Levin added, Because of Covid rules, the Obamas were forced to reduce the original number of invitees, which was 475. But the fact is, Harry and Meghan were never even on the original list. Although the Obamas know Harry well and have a lot of time for him, I believe it was a carefully thought-out decision not to invite the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. While I dont think they wont have anything to do with Harry and Meghan in the future, I feel they want to step back.

According to Levin, the Obamas disagree with the way Meghan and Harry have been publicly criticizing their family members.

Meghan Markle started a similar birthday initiative as Barack Obama

RELATED: Meghan Markle Did This 1 Thing as a High Schooler to Solve Her Problem of Not Fitting In

Meghan did not attend Obamas birthday party, but she did start a birthday initiative that is similar to his.

In honor of his 60th birthday, Obama started an initiative called 60 for 60. According to the Obama Foundation website, the initiative asks people to donate $6, $60, or $600 to help bring the Obama Presidential Center to life on the South Side of Chicago and fuel our work to support emerging leaders around the world. It also encourages others to share stories of how they have spent 60 minutes helping their community.

Meanwhile, Meghan started a campaign called 4040 for her 40th birthday recently. Its aim is to encourage people to volunteer 40 minutes of their time to mentoring women who are getting back into the workforce. Famous faces such as Hillary Clinton, Adele, and Princess Eugenie have signed on to work on the initiative.

Levin believes the Obamas might find it irritating that the Sussexes are copying their moves. However, neither the Obamas nor the Sussexes have commented on this situation.
The complexity of large industrial production plants is hardly manageable for a single person. In order to maintain, monitor and service an industrial production line, it therefore makes sense to rely on artificial intelligence (AI).

There are different strategies for this. The most obvious would be to equip machines with sensors and to infer the condition of the plant from the sensor data. However, a large part of the information about machines and production plants is not available in the form of digital measurement data, but in the form of texts written by humans - from machine inspection reports to shift logs pointing out problems. If an artificial intelligence could use all this data, it would be a huge step forward. This is exactly what scientists are working on now at TU Wien (Vienna), in the research field of "text mining" and "maintenance 4.0".

The algorithm that can read

"We are probably all familiar with this - you write something, save it somewhere and then forget about it," says Dr. Fazel Ansari from the Institute of Management Sciences at TU Wien. "An audit report might be flicked through briefly, then it disappears in the drawer. To draw the right conclusions from it and initiate the necessary measures, you need a lot of experience."

Human experience is extremely valuable in the industry, and it will probably remain irreplaceable in the future. Fazel Ansari's vision is to make the collaboration between humans and machines more efficient. When humans and machines communicate with each other - what language should they use? The language of machines - for example in the form of long tables with numerical codes, or in human language?

"If we succeed in making natural human language understandable for artificial intelligence in industry, then a huge amount of additional information opens up to us," says Fazel Ansari. "Imagine how much knowledge you can extract and use about a manufacturing plant, from written records of the last ten years - from shift books, logs or final quality control reports." Much more comprehensively and precisely than any human, an artificial intelligence could automatically recognise patterns from large amounts of data - for example, typical problems that are reported again and again before major damage then occurs. In this case, the artificial intelligence could suggest countermeasures.

Tailor-made solutions for every type of plant

However, it is not easy to prepare human texts for artificial intelligence. "You cannot develop a perfect AI that can then be used for any type of manufacturing plant," says Fazel Ansari. "You have to develop customised solutions for each type of plant." Sometimes data are available in the form of handwritten texts - in which case they first have to be digitised. Depending on the type of plant and industry, different technical terms are important, and the AI must first be trained for this.

In order for an artificial intelligence to actually "understand" what the texts are about, it needs to know the overall situation: It needs an understanding of the machine, the processes and even knowledge about the role of the people involved.

Only when the AI has this understanding can texts be correctly classified. This is not only done with statistical analysis, such as detecting the changing frequency with whicht certain terms occur. Algorithms can also distinguish between positive and negative evaluations - this is called "sentiment analysis". It is possible to examine how subjective evaluations have changed over time; associations between different words are also detected and quantified.

"A lot of research has already been done in this area. To some extent, we can use existing AI solutions and adapt them to our requirements. But a lot of research is still needed to apply these text mining algorithms in an industrial environment," says Fazel Ansari. "In the Smart and Knowledge-Based Maintenance research group, we have a lot of experience in the field of industrial maintenance; we currently have several research projects running in this topic area. This expertise is very important to be able to apply and optimise the algorithms."

TU Wien's text mining approaches could have particularly disruptive potential in the insurance industry: "For a company that offers insurance for expensive equipment, optimal maintenance is of course very important," says Fazel Ansari. "In this area, you can save a lot of money if you find better methods to detect problems in time."
Paul Elias is dying.

The mass growing inside his head is beyond the ability of his doctor to treat, and he will be dead sometime between anytime and three weeks. Its a burden he chooses to carry alone, not revealing it to anyone. In addition to his terminal diagnosis, he is faced with the unsettling fact that when he is gone, there will be no one to care for his flighty 11-year-old granddaughter, Pearl, for whom he is the sole guardian. Even more unsettling is the fact that shes been disappearing while reporting strange visits from a silver-haired woman no one else can see, who asks for help finding something shes lost.

Until now, Paul has successfully fled and barricaded himself from his painful past. But confronting his mortality and Pearls need for a guardian forces him to return with her to Nysa, the town where he grew up, and where Mary, his wife and Pearls grandmother, drowned in a lake 40 years prior. What will they find there? Will someone from Pauls past be able to care for Pearl when hes gone? Will painful memories resurface, awakened by a familiar place? And will he finally find the peace thats eluded him since his wife died?

The Weight of Memory is the third novel Shawn Smucker has written for an adult audience, following Light from Distant Stars (winner of the 2020 CT Book Award for Fiction) and These Nameless Things. In these books, as well as two young adult novels, Smucker seamlessly weaves together elements of suspense and magical realism to explore the psychological baggage of his characters. The past is a prison for so many of them, a parade of Jacob Marleys burdened by chains of regret. Much of the suspense arises from the winding paths they take to release those chains. Smuckers stories are grounded in the realities of pain and healing, guilt and forgiveness, which give the light touches of fantasy their poignancy.

Heavy secrets

As Paul and Pearl are drawn inexorably to Nysa, a shriveled, dying town that the world has long passed by, they discover that Pauls wife, Mary, was not the last one to drown in Nysas lake. In fact, a rash of drownings had sent most of the population packing, leaving an aura of death hanging about the town. Smuckers lush descriptions bring Nysa and its world-weary characters to life. The town has a familiar, lived-in quality reminiscent of the forgotten coal communities that pepper the Appalachian corridor near where Smucker lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The settings of the novel are almost living, breathing characters unto themselves, a testament to Smuckers gift for creating a mood. Take water, for example, in its various forms. At first it presents a placid face, both as Paul and Pearl cross the long bridge to Nysa and as they come upon the glassy surface of the lake. But then it reveals its capricious nature with threatening rain and entombing depths that become more ominous against the backdrop of the drownings.

The concept of drowning itself becomes a kind of metaphysical conceit in The Weight of Memory. At one point, one character cautions another, Secrets are heavy things. Theyll drag you under if you dont let them go. Like slipping deeper beneath the waves, its the secrets we keep that pull us away from one another and deeper into isolation. As Paul tries to hide his terminal diagnosis from more and more people, including Pearl, he can feel the mass in his head growing larger and his isolation and fear of death growing deeper.

Just as there is an oppressive heaviness in keeping secrets, there is also healing in bringing things to light. A common theme in Smuckers writing is that his characters create more pain for themselves by holding things in, for fear of being found out, than they would by coming clean. When the truth comes to light, there is often, though not always, a holy grief that lifts the attendant burdens away. At one point, a character says, Grief is hard and good. It is the disease and the medicine, all at once. Whether that grief will heal or consume is a pivotal matter in many of Smuckers novels.

Article continues below

Throughout The Weight of Memory, interspersed flashbacks show the events that led to Marys drowning. They ebb and flow within the unfolding story like tides coming in and out, slowly uncovering essential elements of backstory. In addition to lifting unresolved weights from characters shoulders, they also offer the reader a kind of unburdening, slowly relieving the delicious tension of being held in suspense.

Rays of hope

Though heavy themes of psychological and spiritual distress run through Smuckers novels, there is always a ray of hope that pierces the darkness. In The Weight of Memory, that ray of hope is Pauls granddaughter, Pearl. At the risk of being too on the nose, her character is evocative of her mollusk-born namesakea thing of beauty forged from past sorrow and adversity. She is a complex character, in some ways emotionally regressing, with a wild and vivid imagination that has not yet been corralled by the weight of reality that burdens Paul. In other ways she is wise beyond her years and aware of things she has no reason to know.

The power of the bond between Paul and Pearl drives the story forward. Dynamics between the two are constantly shifting, and Paul is sometimes exasperated and at other times mystified by her. The intimacy of the setting heightens the unexplored tensions in their relationship. In some ways, Pearl is still the same little girl that Paul has been raising, but in other ways she is metamorphosing into someone Paul doesnt fully recognize. He is not sure how worried he should be about her visions of the silver-haired lady and her tendency to disappear at the drop of a hat.

But there is also no question about the depth of their love and care for one another. They are both willing to make sacrifices for one another, and Pearl is often the only thing keeping Paul from spiraling into despair. As the story unfolds, they both make difficult decisions about how far they are willing to go to heal the wounds of the past.

At its heart, The Weight of Memory is a story about the power of sacrificial love to overcome even the deepest fissures in the human soul and the heaviest psychological burdens we carry. There is a vein of lightness and whimsy that runs through the narrative, carrying the reader through the heavier themes of loss and regret. This sets it apart from rank-and-file suspense novels, which often mistake dour heaviness for emotional and spiritual depth. The book has a slow-release poignancy that sneaks up on you in a quiet, unhurried sort of way. The intrigue of unlocking the various mysteries will bring you to the table, but the heart will make you stay.

Jonathan Sprowl is a writer and editor based in Colorado Springs.
By Jeff Banman

What is the most evangelistic thing a Christian could do? Suppose a certain Christian desired all people to know Jesus and they gave themselves wholeheartedly to that task, what might it look like? As evangelicals we might imagine that person holding a crusade in a football stadium or maybe just telling everyone they meet about Jesus, whether its on a bus or at the office. We have many predetermined categories of what evangelism looks like. But what if that certain Christian was in one of Pauls churches in the first century? Then what might evangelism look like?

Surprisingly, evangelism in Pauls churches looked almost nothing like evangelism in our churches. To begin, when it comes to the motivation or reason for evangelism, modern evangelicals always point to the Great Commission at the end of Matthews gospel: Go and make disciples of all nations. . . All our evangelistic efforts are built on this commission, yet amazingly Paul never mentions it once in any of his letters. Paul certainly understood his own life as a fulfillment of the Great Commission, but he never passes that commission on to any of his congregations.

In fact, Paul almost never tells his churches to do evangelism (as we would understand it) at all. There are a couple debated passages in Pauls letters, but surprisingly there is not one single clear call to evangelize! How can this be? How can Paul, whose life was centered on evangelizing the gentiles, not tell his churches that they should also be evangelizing? What gives?

What gives is that Paul has a very different notion of evangelism than we modern evangelicals do. Paul is not interested in training his churches on how to initiate gospel conversations with their friends and family, nor is he concerned with teaching them how to present the four spiritual laws to a passerby on the street. Pauls vision of evangelism does not look like ours. Instead of gospel tracts handed out on the street corner, Paul envisages his churches living out the gospel in such a powerful way that their lives and the life of the local church becomes the gospel tract itself!

To that end, Pauls letters are filled with hundreds of commands on how Christians are to build gospel-centered communities that reflect Jesus to the world. They are simple commands like loving, forgiving and submitting to one another. Paul doesnt appeal to the Great Commission because he doesnt need to. If these new Christian communities would simply give their lives wholeheartedly to living out the gospel, they would become like a city shining on a hill where people see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matt 5:16).

You see, this was Jesus idea from the beginning. Some, like the twelve, and later Paul and other evangelists would be sent out on mission, but the ordinary followers would be tasked with creating transformative Jesus-centered communities that would in and of themselves draw people to the Father. This is why most of what Jesus says to the crowds is not about evangelism, but about how to live in his kingdom. And when his followers do this well it results in many more people being drawn into the kingdom.

Of course, this doesnt mean that all our modern notions of evangelism are misguided or off the table  we still may be called to verbally share the gospel  but the emphasis in the gospels and Pauls letters is on living out the gospel in such a way that it attracts unbelievers to the Reason behind our ways. Pauls words to Titus concisely portray his vision of evangelism. As followers of Jesus, we will live our lives in such a way that we will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive (Titus 2:10).

Thats our job as Christians. Make the gospel attractive. Thats what Paul has in mind for ordinary Christians like you and me and how we advance Gods kingdom. It may not look evangelistic by our standards, but this is the way of Paul and the way of Jesus and most importantly this the way that works! Any student of the early church will notice that these first Christians also hardly ever mention evangelism. Instead, the church of the first couple centuries focused its efforts on helping the vulnerable, being charitable and generous and generally just living out the gospel. The result of this kind of living was that the early church grew by as much as 40% per decade  unprecedented growth! (Imagine 40% growth in the North American church today!) And it came not by Christians trying to evangelize more, but by faithfully living out the gospel, becoming a shining city on a hill that made the good news of Jesus attractive to millions of people.

So it may be that the most evangelistic thing a Christian could do today would be to give themselves wholeheartedly to life of a local church, loving and forgiving and submitting along with many other committed Christians. We underestimate the power that such a community would have on an unbelieving world. The words of Bryan Stone in Evangelism after Christendom say it perfectly, The most evangelistic thing the church can do today is to be the church. Thus, the most evangelistic thing a Christian can do today is to live out the gospel in a local church, radically embodying the teachings of Jesus in every area of their life, letting their light shine and adding that small light to many others, creating a shining city on a hill that attracts many to the Father and to the kingdom of His Son.
Over 100 members of Congress urge DOJ to investigate OnlyFans over child abuse content

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More than 100 Republican and Democrat members of Congress have urged the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate OnlyFans over its content involving the sexual abuse of children.

In a letter sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday, the members of Congress accused OnlyFans of being a major marketplace for buying and selling Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) in the United States, as well as soliciting sexual activity with minors.

We request the U.S. Department of Justice investigate the content sold on OnlyFans.com, as well as the policies, or lack thereof, that OnlyFans employs to report instances of CSAM or child exploitation on their platform, the letter reads in part.

With more than 220 million monthly visitors on OnlyFans, the pervasiveness of CSAM on this website, as well as any business practices used to shield such content from scrutiny, must be investigated.

The letter cited research by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which found a continuously increasing amount of CSAM and child exploitation on OnlyFans.

In 2019, NCMEC indicated it was aware of 10 cases involving missing children associated with content sold on OnlyFans. In 2021, NCMEC has identified at least 80 cases in which missing children were linked with OnlyFans content, the letter adds.

As part of an effort led by Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., signatories of the letter included Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Chris H. Smith of New Jersey, Dan Crenshaw of Texas, Burgess Owens of Utah, and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia.

Founded in 2016 and based in London, England, OnlyFans is a social media platform that allows "artists" to produce monetized content while forging relationships with fans of their work.

Unlike other social platforms, OnlyFans is welcoming of all creator genres and their content. The platform is designed to optimize creator engagement, OnlyFans states on its website.

Over 100 creators have earned over $1 million since monetizing their content on OnlyFans. The platform continues to grow as more creators are using content as a way to connect with their fans.

In February, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation added OnlyFans to its annual Dirty Dozen list, which is comprised of 12 businesses and entities that the organization says profit off sexual exploitation.

Stephany Powell, director of Law Enforcement Training and Survivor Services at NCOSE, explained at the virtual unveiling of the list earlier this year that sexual exploitation on OnlyFans has become normalized.

There is a strong indication of underage sexual exploitation, said Powell during the February event on Zoom. Traffickers are recruiting off of this as well and they, too, will use the opportunity to meet the creator in order to make more money.
Louisiana's Democrat governor calls for prayer and fasting amid rise in COVID-19 cases

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Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a call for prayer and fasting for those in the state, amid a time when COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the state.

On Wednesday, the state reported 6,088 new infections among its more than 4.6 million residents. Since nationwide COVID-19 infections first began being tallied in March 2020, the state has had some 597,000 reported infections and 11,353 deaths attributed to complications from COVID-19.

In a statement released last week, the Democrat elected official called on Louisianans to forgo eating lunch Monday to Wednesday of this week, while also praying for healthcare workers and those who are COVID-19 positive.

According to Edwards, he first made this request for fasting from a midday meal before hundreds of clergy last Thursday and then decided to expand the invitation to all Louisianans.

I believe very strongly in the power of prayer, and there are thousands of people right now in Louisiana who need to be lifted up in prayer. So I hope you will join your prayers to mine for healing and protection, stated Edwards.

I will be praying that our sick may fight this illness, that the medical professionals caring for them can remain strong and safe, that our children, teachers and school support staff can safely begin the school year and that our people will do everything they can to help us slow the spread of this terrible virus.

Days earlier, Edwards announced that he had temporarily reinstated a statewide indoor facemask mandate for anyone aged 5 and older, due to a rise in coronavirus-related hospitalizations.

The state government justified this decision by pointing to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which indicated that fully vaccinated people who contract the Delta variant of the virus can spread it to others.

Driven largely by Louisianas insufficient vaccination rate and the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant, COVID-19 cases in the state have grown exponentially. Louisiana remains No. 1 nationwide for number of new COVID-19 cases per capita, stated the Office of the Governor on Aug. 2.

The temporary indoor statewide mask mandate will help slow the spread of COVID-19 and limit suffering and death in Louisiana until we are through this fourth surge, the state government contended.

Edwards is not the first governor to issue a call for prayer and fasting in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, for example, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt declared Dec. 3 a day of fasting and prayer in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases among state residents at that time.

Oklahomans have always turned to prayer to guide us through trials and seasons of uncertainty, and I am asking Oklahomans of all faiths and religious backgrounds to join together with me, said Stitt at the time.

I believe we must continue to ask God to heal those who are sick, comfort those who are hurting, and provide renewed strength and wisdom to all who are managing the effects of COVID-19.
Pastor Spencer covered my steps with prayer: Rep. Val Demings honors pastor who died from COVID

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A member of Congress has honored a Florida pastor who died from COVID-19 after being hospitalized with complications from the virus on the same day that she had been scheduled to get her first vaccination.

Pastor Sheila J. Spencer of the Time of Refreshing Christian Worship Center in Orlando passed away at age 63 after a battle with COVID-19 that lasted around two weeks.

Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., took to Twitter on Tuesday to confirm Spencer's passing. She described the late pastor as a dynamic woman of God who preached and followed Gods word with precision.

From the beginning of my time as chief of police and as a member of Congress, Pastor Spencer covered my steps with prayer, tweeted Demings.

May her beautiful and powerful presence and the fruits of her labor comfort her family, congregation, and all of us who knew and loved her.

Omeal Reid, senior pastor at Kingdom Prophetic Church of Kissimmee, Florida, offered his condolences in a statement posted to Facebook on Sunday.

I was 16 years old when I met her. She prophesied into my life and told me that God was going to send me to the nations and that the prophetic anointing will be great on my life, said Reid.

She told me I would travel the world and preach, every word she has spoken into my life has come to pass. She was God's Prophetess indeed and a woman after God's own heart. Rest in heaven.

Initially, Spencer had been reportedly hesitant to get the vaccine, but eventually decided to get vaccinated. She contracted COVID-19 days before she was scheduled to get her first shot.

On the day she was supposed to be vaccinated, Spencer was instead rushed to the hospital with severe symptoms, and was put on a ventilator for several days.

Late last month, while Spencer was still at Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, family and members of her church held a vigil outside, with prayers and music.

Meka Davis, Spencers daughter, told Fox 35 Orlando at the vigil that the situation did hit really hard at home with us, but added that we do know shes a fighter.

Were all here to pray. Were just better together. I believe she knows were out here praying for her and were just waiting on that call to know shes awake, said Davis last month.
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On Friday, May 14, Rev. Patrick Mahoney, a Christian activist who has been on the front lines of the pro-life movement for more than 40 years, felt prompted to leave his home in Virginia and drive into Washington, D.C. This was unusual for him, since he normally avoided being in D.C. on Fridays due to the heavy traffic jams.

But on this day, he felt a divine stirring to go to D.C. and spend time praying about a case that had been submitted to the Supreme Court in June 2020 but had received no response to date. Then, to his shock, on Monday, May 17, he learned that the court had decided to hear this very case, quite out of the blue.

As the New York Timesexplains, The law at issue in the case, Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, No. 19-1392, was enacted in 2018 by the Republican-dominated Mississippi Legislature. It banned abortions if the probable gestational age of the unborn human was determined to be more than 15 weeks. The statute included narrow exceptions for medical emergencies or a severe fetal abnormality.

This case, then, would serve as a direct challenge to the 1992 Casey ruling that upheld Roe v. Wade, as well as a direct challenge to Roe itself. Thats why pro-abortion critics of Dobbs raised this very concern, indicating that they recognized the real threat that his bill posed.

But, so as to remove all doubt, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch actually stated this explicitly in a detailed filing to the court last month. There, she argued that nothing in constitutional text, structure, history, or tradition supports a right to abortion (p. 12).

And, holding nothing back, she wrote, Roe and Casey are thus at odds with the straight-forward, constitutionally grounded answer to the question presented. So the question becomes whether this Court should overrule those decisions. It should. The stare decisis case for overruling Roe and Casey is overwhelming.

Roe and Casey are egregiously wrong. The conclusion that abortion is a constitutional right has no basis in text, structure, history, or tradition (pp. 12-13).

Naturally, this has made the protests of pro-abortion activists all the more shrill. As NPR reported, Abortion-rights defenders promptly seized on the state's brief, noting that until now Mississippi had portrayed its appeal as far more limited.

Mississippi has said the quiet part out loud. The purpose of its blatantly unconstitutional abortion ban is to have the Supreme Court overrule 50 years of precedent and allow states to ban abortions, said Alexis McGill Johnson, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

The stakes could hardly be higher, as both sides of the abortion debate fully recognize. What will the outcome be?

Rev. Mahoney pointed out to me during an interview on the "Line of Fire" that, if the court simply intended to deny Mississippis request, there would have been little reason to agree to hear the case. Thats because, to cite NPR again, The lower courts struck down this law, like ones in a dozen other states, because it conflicts with the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade and subsequent high court decisions over the years.

This would suggest that some of the justices are considering overruling the lower courts, deciding to let the law stand. And they could do this without addressing Roe v. Wade. In that case, it would reopen the door to a flood of statewide, pro-life bills that have been passed in recent months. If Dobbs can stand, then perhaps these bills can stand too.

This would include the many heartbeat bills that are passing, banning abortions as soon as the embryonic or fetal heartbeat can be detected. (According to Wikipedia, Eleven states have proposed heartbeat bills since 2018; since 2019, such bills have passed including bills in Ohio, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Texas. None of these bills, however, have gone into effect, being held up in the courts.)

This, then, would fundamentally chip away at Roe without directly addressing it. On the other hand, the court could actually use this bill to challenge Roe directly, which would be absolutely momentous.

Thats why, on July 29, a dozen Republican governors signed an amicus brief ... asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision (in conjunction with Dobbs).

They have been joined by 44 senators and 184 House members [who] 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. Even more state senators and representatives have signed on as well.

This truly is a watershed moment.

As for public opinion, something that the court also considers, Gallup reported in June 2018 that, Six in 10 U.S. adults think abortion should generally be legal in the first three months of pregnancy. However, support drops by about half, to 28%, for abortions conducted in the second three months, and by half again, to 13%, in the final three months.

That means that less than three in 10 Americans support abortion after 15 weeks, which is the very issue addressed by Dobbs. (For the record, America is an outlier in terms of allowing elective abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. See here for details.)

Interestingly (and tragically), Rev. Mahoney told my listeners that when the court did a private, test vote of the 1992 Casey ruling, the vote was 5-4 against, with the swing vote being that of Anthony Kennedy.

But, as confirmed by the release of Justice Harry Blackmuns private papers in 2004 (Blackmun was the author of Roe), the Supreme Court in 1992 was ready to effectively overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion, but Justice Anthony M. Kennedy got cold feet, and the vote went the other way.

This means that, had Kennedy held his ground, Roe would have been overturned almost 30 years ago. (How many tens of millions of babies have been killed in the womb since then?)

This also means that it has taken 30 years for a case of this magnitude to reach the court, and it would be beyond disastrous if the justices got things wrong again.

Thats why a massive, non-political, prayer rally is being planned for October 2 in D.C. in front of the Supreme Court building, shortly before their next session begins (see here for details).

May God hear the cries of His people. May God hear the silent screams of the unborn.
Awaken the Dawn revivalist talks new book, if prophetic dreams still happen

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In October 2017, tens of thousands of people gathered at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to participate in a weekend-long, 24-hour praise and worship event.

Known as Awaken the Dawn, the revival gathering featured praise bands from across the United States meeting in 58 tents set up in the nation's capital.

It also led to multiple follow-up events in D.C. and elsewhere, and the creation of an organization of the same name that champions 24/7 worship experiences across the country.

David Bradshaw, a Virginia pastor who helped organize the event and founded the ministry created in response, has written a book about the event and his ongoing efforts to spread revival, titled Awaken the Dawn: An Adventure in Hosting Jesus Presence and Discovering Your Part in the Story.

A movement of day-and-night worship, prayer, creativity, and mission is impacting America and the nations by bringing the presence of God into our cities and campuses, wrote Bradshaw in the book's introduction.

Jesus is leading a procession of great awakening, which in the coming days, months, and years will fill stadiums, impact campuses, reach nations, and create an environment for miracles.

The Christian Post talked with David Bradshaw about his new book and the overall Awaken the Dawn movement. Below are excerpts from that interview.

CP: What led you to write this book?

Bradshaw: Specifically, I felt a burden for this next generation to really be equipped to host the presence of God and to interact with Him as a central focus of their life.

I felt like thats been a message thats been carried over many years by many mothers and fathers, but that there needed to be a fresh invitation to the next generation to take up that calling, to take up that focus, and really root it in the belief that Jesus personal presence is the key to transformation.

Then secondly, theres just been an amazing story over the past number of years that weve experienced and seen and to share that testimony, I believe, inspires faith for individuals to walk into what God has for them.

CP: In Chapter 1, you wrote, "God is inviting us to break free from our spiritual hamster wheels of systemic religious activities that can cause us to mistakenly think God is present when we're really just hearing a lot of noise." What do you believe are some specific examples of "spiritual hamster wheels" that are common in American Christianity?

Bradshaw: I think one is living independent from our life of prayer and intimacy with God, meaning lots of religious activity and not a lot of interaction with God directly. And not just as individuals, but also as groups and churches and communities, and as organizations.

I think in America, weve been blessed with a lot of resources, and because we have so many resources, we have large organizations with large infrastructures in ministries, and I think theres a subtle but profound temptation to lean on that, to rely on that, and to focus primarily on that instead of a primary focus on knowing, experiencing, and walking intimately with Jesus as communities. And I think thats the culture of the book of Acts and I think the Lord is desiring to restore that and to really invite us to return to that.

I believe that the hamster wheel in many ways is reflected by that self-effort and that focus on our external organizational, programmatic elements as a primary focus in an all-consuming way that actually causes us to spin our wheels in human strength and not produce real, lasting change.

CP: You discussed the planning that went into Awaken the Dawn 2017, which involved 58 tents for around-the-clock worship at the National Mall and brought tens of thousands of people to D.C. What would you say were some of the biggest challenges that you had in organizing this event?

Bradshaw: Honestly, I think unbelief in my own heart was a challenge. Aside from all of the obvious logistical challenges, I think the real struggle was that we believed the Lord had led us to do this, that He had spoken to us, and that He was a part of that process, and that was a very clear element of why we were doing what we were doing.

But, quite frankly, nothing like that had ever been done before. We were gathering tens of thousands of people and thousands of musicians that needed to come on their own dime to fill these tents 24/7. This had never been done; there really wasnt a prototype for that kind of gathering. And so it required a real trust and a real faith in the process of mobilizing and facilitating what transpired there.

So we really do give credit to the Lord for His faithfulness in that. Because God really did come through. So I think the biggest challenge for me was walking out that journey of believing God and what we felt He had led us to do very clearly. And of course, working hard and building it organizationally was challenging; logistically it was challenging. But I think the core challenge was to stay in that place of faith, looking at apparent impossibilities.

Thats part of what the book is about: encouraging people to follow what God is leading them to, even in spite of apparent impossibilities or obstacles.

CP: In Chapter 9, you spoke about Christians needing to have a "wilderness" place for which they could develop spiritually. How do you make that wilderness space possible in a busy, constantly demanding and distracting world like the modern United States?

Bradshaw: I think it takes a constant, daily recommitment. Not in a striving posture or in a condemning way, but in a faith-filled way. Its that posture of saying, Im going to keep my conversation with God a top priority in my life. And thats what I see in Jesus teaching in John 15 where He said, abide in me, and you will bear much fruit.

That abiding, from my perspective, involves staying in that conversation with Him as a primary focus of your life.

And so in my opinion, it's making the commitment every day without condemnation how you have not done it well. I think you could do both of those. Stay connected, but dont condemn yourself when you struggle, because everyone else is struggling too.

CP: How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact the Awaken the Dawn mission?

Bradshaw: It did impact us quite a bit.

One of the advantages we had was that one of our primary strategies is tents, which happens to be outdoors and most of the gatherings are medium-sized or small gatherings spread out across the whole nation. And so because of that, it was easier to facilitate in the context of a pandemic than other kinds of gatherings. For example, indoors or potentially a mass gathering. And so that was a real blessing for our movement to be able to continue to function that way.

And then secondly, we did pursue quite a few online options. In fact, we had a 24/7 prayer initiative via Zoom from groups across the nation that we facilitated during that time, and so there were a number of other steps that we took.

Even though it was a profound struggle, we also felt encouraged through the pandemic that God is giving strategies and wisdom that are moving us forward even amid the crisis.

CP: In many places in the book, you spoke of yourself and others being guided by God through prophetic dreams and visions. How do you respond to fellow Christians who might be skeptical that God still speaks to people through dreams in the modern era?

Bradshaw: Number one, I would point to the Scriptures because, from my perspective, its evident there that God continues to speak through dreams and visions.

I would also say, I dont see that as a primary source of guidance in our life. I see it as a secondary source. Primarily, it would be the scriptures, and then wisdom, from wise counsel, would be very significant, but I believe the scriptures just indicate that and history of the church has testified to profound dimensions of dreams and visions being part of the outworking of Gods plan.
One verse to eliminate reparations as a biblically just option

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The discussion about reparations has grown increasingly divisive as both proponents and opponents of reparations make their case. Political hopefuls campaign on the idea that if elected they will see to it that reparations are paid. Newly elected politicians seeking to make a name for themselves sound a rally cry for reparations.

Ive been writing often about the subject, my last article can be found here. What Ive been most surprised about is the Christians who genuinely believe this is the right thing to do. Granted, its not a majority, far from it in fact. Its a small number of Christians (of all racial backgrounds) that genuinely believe paying reparations to descendants of slaves would be proper, biblically.

Unfortunately, many of these well-meaning believers have not thought deeply about the topic (as evidenced by the comments on some of my previous articles). For example, how would the federal government, if they imposed reparations, prove that every individual black person is in fact the descendent of a slave? It is reasonable to believe that not every black person in America is descended from a slave, so what will the criteria be? Also, are we only going to pay reparations to black people (that seems to generally be the attitude in this discussion)? What about the Native Americans forced into reservations after having their land and wealth stripped by the American government? Do they get reparations?

The list of questions can go on and on:

Do blacks that owned slaves get reparations, or do they have to pay reparations?

Do whites enslaved by blacks get reparations?

You get the point. The nuance of the issue is more than complex, and few answers have been offered by anyone. But more important is the biblical aspect to this discussion. While Ive seen Christians take Zacchaeus out of context to twist the meaning into a justification for reparations, Ive not seen a solid theological case supporting reparations made up to this point. Mostly what Ive seen is a confusion between reparations and restitution when using Scripture.

I have, however, seen a solid theological case made for why reparations are not biblically just, using two simple verses:

Yet you say, Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father? When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. Ezekiel 18:19-20

(See also Jer. 31:29-30)

In these verses we have God making it clear that future generations are not to be held accountable for the sins of past generations. The biblical principles of restitution are clear and strong; but they only apply to the person that actually did the wrong (as in the case of Zacchaeus). To seek restitution (or reparations) from people that did not commit a crime or defraud another person is to apply guilt to an innocent person. But these verses in Ezekiel make it clear that applying guilt to the innocent is a violation of biblical justice.

But, and this is important, the modern push for reparations completely misses the foundation of the Gospel: forgiveness. Modern reparations make financial restitution of an entire class of people the basis for their true repentance and obtaining the Gospel. In other words, if white people want to really prove they are saved, they will pay reparations. This is an entirely false position that perverts the clear message of the Gospel: salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, without any works.

One distinction we have to make is the difference between what God does and what human government does. If God chooses to punish people generations later, He may do so, He is God. But that is a far cry different from a human government imposing reparations. God may do as He determines in the perfection of His will. But human governments are still bound to laws of justice. And, as made clear in Ezekiel, imposing guilt and punishment on the innocent is biblically unjust.

Finally, we have to ask: where does it end? Many of the doctrines espousing reparations see no end to the white guilt that needs to be atoned for. But havent all sins been atoned for by the blood of Christ? As one forgiven of all my sins, am I not commanded to forgive others for their sins? (Matthew 6:9-14) The doctrine of reparations advocated in our culture lacks the finality of atonement as found in biblical forgiveness. This is another reason Christians should reject any such doctrine.

I am thoroughly unconvinced that a theologically faithful argument for reparations exists. At this point the issue seems better used as a political weapon to divide. And some may be using it to maintain a base of voters that have veered too close to the other political side in recent years. Even high-ranking members of Congress have called imposing reparations a logistical nightmare; largely because of determining who would be eligible and who would not. And yet the issue continues to rear up during election cycles. One has to wonder if it's more a siren song than anything else.

For Christians, our sins, past, present, and future, have been atoned for and forgiven. We are now instructed to forgive the sins of others just as Christ forgave our sins (Matt. 18:21-35). Attaching a financial act to forgiveness distorts the biblical picture Christ gave and replaces it with a disfigured image unrecognizable to the biblical principle. We will do better to faithfully forgive others as instructed and release the hate and bitterness in our hearts, than to get silver and gold from the federal government.
Former Texas pastor sentenced to 17 years in prison for child molestation

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A former Texas pastor of a Southern Baptist congregation has been sentenced to 17 years in prison after confessing to the crime of molesting a young teenage girl.

Stephen Bratton, a 46-year-old former pastor of The Grace Family Baptist Church, was sentenced to 17 years by District Judge Hazel Jones, according to an announcement on Tuesday by the Harris County District Attorneys Office.

Bratton, who first confessed his actions to church leaders, had pleaded guilty back in February of aggravated sexual assault of a child younger than 14, noted the District Attorneys Office.

Several other pastors came forward to tell authorities what was going on after this man confessed to them, and we applaud those people of conscience, stated Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, as quoted in the announcement.

This man, who had risen to a position of authority in the church, turned a child into a victim and violated his communitys trust. The victim and his community deserved, and got, justice.

In 2019, Bratton was charged with repeated sexual abuse of a child, beginning when the unnamed victim was 13 and continuing until she turned 18 in 2018.

The victim reported to authorities that Bratton had sexual intercourse with her anywhere from multiple times a week to numerous times a day, Click2Houston previously reported.

In a statement given to Click2Houston in 2019, The Grace Family Baptist Church said Bratton had stepped down from his position as pastor after confessing his actions to fellow pastors Erin Frye and Aaron Wright on May 16. The pastors immediately reported Bratton to authorities.

This is the first time this had been brought to the attention of the pastors. This activity is wrong according to biblical and civil law and the church condemns the behavior as abhorrent, stated the church.

Once the case began, we continued to cooperate fully throughout the investigation. Stephen is no longer in a position of leadership at the church and is no longer receiving a salary. Stephen Bratton was also excommunicated by the church the following Sunday, May 19. Therefore, he is no longer a member of the church.

The church added that they are working to meet the needs of the family and the victim. We have deep grief for the victim and have sought to respect the privacy and identity of the victim throughout this process.
Texas mayor pleads for help as migrant COVID cases surge: 'A crisis the city did not create'

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The mayor of a Texas border town is pleading for help in responding to the immigration surge as an influx of positive COVID-19 cases flow across the border, leaving the town of McAllen overwhelmed.

We finally need help, Mayor Javier Villalobos of McAllen, Texas, shared on Fox News The Ingraham Angle" last week, adding that politicians in Washington could change this with the stroke of a pen.

People blame us sometimes here in the municipality and we tell them its outside of our jurisdiction, he shared. If you want to place blame, we know exactly where to do it and thats in Washington. And whether its the president, Congress, the Senate, whatever it is, theyre the ones who can take care of it.

McAllen is a town of over 144,000 people located at the southern tip of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley.

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

The lack of support from the White House and U.S. Congress places a heavy burden on local governments to contain the immigration surge, which puts a strain on their resources and workforce.

At the very end, this is not our responsibility. We dont do this. We dont deal with immigration, the mayor of McAllen said.

Villalobos also said the city is running out of money, and shared how the overflow of immigrants has led the city to set up emergency tents and issue an emergency disaster declaration. The declaration warned that U.S. Customs and Border Protection "is releasing an alarmingly substantial number of immigrants into the City, including individuals that are positive for COVID-19."

The city of McAllen announced over 7,000 COVID-positive migrants had been released by CBP since mid-February, including over 1,500 COVID-positive immigrants released in the past week, Fox News reported.

Immigrants released by CBP are sent to be tested by Catholic Charities, a third-party, and are asked to quarantine in a room if they test positive, according to Fox News.

In its declaration, the city warned that nonprofits, including Catholic Charities' Humanitarian Respite Center, are "overwhelmed with the unanticipated influx of individuals and can no longer adequately feed, house, provide medical attention or otherwise accommodate the individuals being released into the City."

The city said the "rapidly escalating" surge in immigration is developing a crisis bigger than the city can handle.

"Despite the City of McAllen and its community partners best efforts, the sheer number of immigrants being released into the city has become a crisis: a crisis the City of McAllen did not create and has proactively tried to avoid for seven years," the city said in a statement.

"This significant change increases the threat of COVID spread or other lawlessness within the city."

Fox News Laura Ingraham asked the mayor if he had noticed a difference in the handling of immigration between the transition from former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden.

Without trying to be political, the mayor said that six, seven, eight months ago, we did not have the issues we have now."

"Its totally different, the mayor stressed.

Biden has reversed many Trump-era immigration policies on the first day in office, including halting construction on the border wall. Many Republicans blame the new administration's border policies for the uptick in immigrants crossing the southern border in 2021.

According to numbers released by the CBP, over 188,000 border enforcement encounters took place in June. In June 2019, the last year before the pandemic, there were over 104,000 border enforcement encounters. The year 2021 has seen the highest number of unlawful border crossings in over 20 years.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who was tapped to be the border czar, has been criticized by Republicans for not being proactive in response to the border, instead focusing her efforts on the root causes in the countries of origin.

Fears of COVID-19 surging because of an increase in immigrants testing positive and the introduction of the delta variant has sparked an order restricting some immigrants from crossing the border.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended an order last week restricting the introduction of certain immigrants coming from Canada and Mexico to protect public health and the spread of COVID-19 through Title 42 public health protections.

In effect, the order means that the Biden administration will continue the Trump-era policy of quickly expelling migrants and asylum seekers from the U.S. to Mexico, CBS News reports. The order also includes an exemption for unaccompanied minors.

"As part of the United States mitigation efforts in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases due to the delta variant, the Department of Homeland Security has begun to transport individuals expelled under Title 42 by plane to the Mexican interior," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News on Friday.
Hindu leader issues call for anti-Christian violence: Let us drag people from the church

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Weeks after all police stations in a district in eastern India were ordered to keep surveillance on Christians and report on any conversion activities, Hindu nationalist leaders held an anti-Christian rally there, advocating for violence against the Christian community, according to a report.

The rally, attended by less than 500 people including prominent leaders of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, was held in the Bastar District of Chhattisgarh state on Tuesday, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern said in a report.

Let us drag people from the church and stop conversions at any cost, Amit Sahu, president of the state unit of the BJP, told the crowd, challenging them to make the Bastar region a conversion free zone.

We will frighten Christians who are involved in conversion work in the region, Roop Singh Mandavi, another state BJP leader, told the gathering. We will not allow the missionary work to be carried on in Bastar and will protect the Hindu religion by stopping the conversions.

Although it attracted a thinner crowd than had been portrayed prior to it, the rally has spread fear among local Christians.

We took a long breath after seeing the poor show in attendance, a Christian leader from Chhattisgarh was quoted as saying. It was expected that 10,000 to 12,000 people would turn up for the rally. This was very concerning, but less than 500 people attended.

A pastor from the Jagdalpur area added: Though the rally was not successful in terms of numbers, the (Hindu nationalist) activists will be more aggressive. It is their plan to do reconversion programs, particularly in the villages and interior places. We wont know about these incidents of persecution because of the remoteness of these areas. Only God can save His people.

The superintendent of police of the Sukma district in the same state and part of the Bastar region recently issued a circular to all police stations directing officers to surveil the districts Christian community and be on the lookout for fraudulent religious conversions and to act against Christians where these activities are found, ICC previously reported, adding that several incidents of intimidation, threats and assaults against the Christians of Sukma had been reported since the circular was sent.

Christians make up about 2.5% of Indias population, while Hindus comprise 79.5%.

India ranks as the 10th worst country globally when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USA's 2021 World Watch List. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has urged the U.S. State Department to label India as a country of particular concern for engaging in or tolerating severe religious freedom violations.

The Evangelical Fellowship of India says in a report that it documented 145 cases of atrocities against Christians  three murders, 22 attacks on churches and 20 cases of ostracization or social boycott in rural areas  in the first half of 2021.

The violence, detailed in the report, itself was vicious, widespread and ranged from murder to attacks on churches, false cases, police immunity and connivance, and the now normalized social exclusion or boycott which is becoming viral, the report says.

Since the current ruling party (Bharatiya Janata Party) took power in 2014, incidents against Christians have increased, and Hindu radicals often attack Christians with little to no consequences, noted Open Doors World Watch List last year.

The view of the Hindu nationalists is that to be Indian is to be Hindu, so any other faith  including Christianity  is viewed as non-Indian. Also, converts to Christianity from Hindu backgrounds or tribal religions are often extremely persecuted by their family members and communities, Open Doors said at the time.

Several Indian states have anti-conversion laws, which presume that Christian workers force or give financial benefits to Hindus to convert them to Christianity.

While the anti-conversion laws have been in place for decades in some states, no Christian has been convicted of forcibly converting anyone to Christianity. These laws, however, allow Hindu nationalist groups to make false charges against Christians and launch attacks on them under the pretext of the alleged forced conversion.

Some of these laws state that no one is allowed to use the threat of divine displeasure, meaning Christians cannot talk about Heaven or Hell, as that would be seen as forcing someone to convert. And if snacks or meals are served to Hindus after an evangelistic meeting, that could be seen as inducement.
US pastor pledges $50K to rebuild orphanage torched by Fulani terrorists

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A New York pastor has pledged to give $50,000 to rebuild an orphanage in the conflict-devastated Plateau State of Nigeria, which housed about 150 children, many of whom were orphaned by previous Boko Haram and Fulani attacks until the building was burned down by Fulani herdsmen.

Thank God the  children were evacuated prior to the destruction by these demonic terrorists," says the Facebook page of Pastor Bill Devlin, who has committed to donating $50,000 to rebuild the orphanage. Devlin, co-pastor of Infinity Bible Church in South Bronx, New York, identifies himself as an international humanitarian in the war zones.

The Binta orphanage in Plateau States Jos area, the only orphanage supported by a U.S. nonprofit, the Religious Freedom Coalition, was destroyed on Monday, The Epoch Times reported.

The staff and children are safe, the coalitions founder, the Rev. William Murray, was quoted as saying. The 147 kids were evacuated to Jos, he said.

The attackers came when the place was becoming dark around 7 p.m., a civilian neighborhood watchman was quoted as saying. The Fulani got support from the Nigerian army. They were escorted by the army on three army vans. We saw them from afar coming in numbers, the watchman said. The soldiers did not help us. They allowed Fulani to burn down our houses.

The U.S.-based persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern designates Fulani radicals as the fourth-deadliest terror group globally, which has surpassed the Boko Haram terrorist group as the greatest threat to Nigerian Christians.

Many believe that the attacks are motivated by jihadist Fulanis' desire to take over farmland and impose Islam on the population and are frustrated with the Muslim-dominated government that is believed to be enabling such atrocities, ICC warned in May.

The Anambra-based International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law estimated in May that as many as 1,470 Christians were killed in Nigeria during the first four months of 2021, the highest estimate in the first four months of any year since 2014. The number also surpasses the estimated number of Christians killed in 2019. The report estimated that as many as 300 people had been killed in Kaduna in the first four months of 2021.

In the first four months of this year, the organization estimates that at least 2,200 Christians were abducted. Kaduna state recorded the highest number of abductions at 800.

The Global Terrorism Index ranked Nigeria as the third-most affected country by terrorism and reported over 22,000 deaths by acts of terror from 2001 to 2019.

Advocates, including U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Commissioner Gay Bauer, have warned that Nigeria will move relentlessly toward a Christian genocide if action is not taken. The U.S. State Department recognizes Nigeria as a "country of particular concern" for tolerating or engaging in severe violations of religious freedom.

Islamic extremism, notably carried out by groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province in northeast Nigeria, has led to thousands of deaths and millions displaced in recent years.
The owner and founder of a surfing school in Santa Barbara, Calif., was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of stabbing to death his two young children in Mexico, authorities said in a press conference.

Santa Barbara native Matthew Taylor Coleman, 40, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents while crossing into California from Tijuana, Mexico, at the San Ysidro checkpoint and remained in federal custody, Mexican authorities said.

The arrest came after the bodies of a 3-year-old and an 11-month-old, one boy and one girl, were discovered Monday morning by a farmworker in the brush near the entrance of the Rancho El Descanso community, near Rosarito in Baja California, Hiram Sanchez, Baja Californias attorney general, said.

The girl's wounds indicated that she was stabbed 12 times, and the boy appeared to be stabbed 17 times, he said.

A blood-stained wooden stake was also found, authorities said.

Coleman and the children had checked into the City Express Hotel in Rosarito on Saturday, and video footage showed them leaving before dawn on Monday, authorities said.

The man returned alone later that morning, and then left the hotel for good, authorities said.

The FBI's Los Angeles field office said in a statement that it was working with police in Santa Barbara following a report they received about three missing persons  one adult male and his two children who were believed to have crossed the southern border into Mexico.

"A joint investigation is underway among the Santa Barbara Police Department, the FBI in Los Angeles and San Diego, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Mexican authorities, the FBI said.

Coleman founded the Lovewater Surf School in Santa Barbara, a coastal town 95 miles northwest of Los Angeles. He attended Point Loma University in San Diego where he competed on the surf team before getting master's degree in Spanish at UC Santa Barbara in 2009, according to his biography posted on the Lovewater Surf site. He taught high school for four years before founding the surf school that he ran with his wife, Abby.

Coleman's Instagram account shows photographs of surf trips and his family and friends.

Police in Santa Barbara said Coleman's wife had reported them missing and said she was concerned for their well-being.

Coleman could face charges of aggravated murder in Mexico.

It wasn't immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

SFGATE reached out to Lovewater Surf School for this story but didn't hear back before publishing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP)  California's largest single wildfire in recorded history kept pushing through forestlands on Tuesday as fire crews tried to protect rural communities from flames that have destroyed hundreds of homes.

Clear skies over parts of the month-old Dixie Fire have allowed aircraft to rejoin nearly 6,000 firefighters in the attack this week.

Whether or not we can fly depends very much on where the smoke is. There's still some areas where it's just too smoky, fire spokesman Edwin Zuniga said.

Heavy smoke reduced visibility on the fire's west end while the east end saw renewed action as afternoon winds took hold, fire officials said.

Burning through bone-dry trees, brush and grass, the fire by Tuesday had destroyed more than 1,000 buildings, including nearly 550 homes. Much of the small community of Greenville was incinerated during an explosive run of flames last week.

But the reports are definitely subject to change because assessment teams still cant get into many areas to count what burned, Zuniga said.

The Dixie Fire, named for the road where it started, also threatened 14,000 buildings in more than a dozen small mountain and rural communities in the northern Sierra Nevada.

Crews have cut thousands of acres of new fire lines aimed at preventing the fire from spreading. Officials believe the fire lines created on the blaze's southern side will hold the fire at bay there, but the fire's future is unknown, authorities said.

We don't know where this fire is going to end and where it's going to land. It continues to challenge us," said Chris Carlton, supervisor for Plumas National Forest.

Temperatures are expected to rise and the humidity is expected to fall over the next few days, with triple-digit high temperatures possible later in the week along with a return of strong afternoon winds, fire meteorologist Rich Thompson warned Monday evening.

The fire that broke out July 14 grew slightly on Tuesday to an area of 766 square miles (1,984 square kilometers) but containment increased to 27%, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Dixie Fire is about half the size of the August Complex, a series of lightning-caused 2020 fires across seven counties that were fought together and that state officials consider Californias largest wildfire overall.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for northern Shasta, Trinity and Tehama counties. The declaration frees up state resources to help fight fires in those counties and give assistance to residents affected by he blazes.

Californias raging wildfires are among some 100 large blazes burning across 15 states, mostly in the West, where historic drought conditions have left lands parched and ripe for ignition.

The Dixie Fire is the largest single fire in California history and the largest currently burning in the U.S. Nearly a quarter of all firefighters assigned to Western fires are fighting California blazes, said Rocky Oplinger, an incident commander.

Heat waves and historic drought tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West. Scientists have said climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. The fires across the West come as parts of Europe are also fighting large blazes spurred by tinder-dry conditions.

In southeastern Montana, the small towns of Ashland and Lame Deer were ordered evacuated Tuesday as a wildfire threatened hundreds of homes outside the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Rosebud County Sheriff Allen Fulton said flames were being driven by strong, erratic winds.

Were actually pretty worried about it, Fulton said. Its jumping highways, its jumping streams. A paved road is about a good a fire line as we could ask for, and its going over that in spots."

Northwest of the Dixie Fire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, hundreds of homes remained threatened by two fires. However, nearly 50% of the McFarland Fire was contained. New evacuation orders were issued Monday for residents near the Monument Fire, which was only about 3% contained.

South of the Dixie Fire, firefighters prevented further growth of the River Fire, which broke out last Wednesday near the community of Colfax and destroyed 68 homes. It was nearly 80% contained.
ODESSA -- In an emergency meeting Tuesday, the Ector County Hospital District approved the purchase of 40 ventilators for Medical Center Hospital as the number of COVID-19 patients continues to rise.

The $1.5 million purchase includes 34 adult ventilators and six NICU ventilators that can also be converted for adults, officials said. MCH Chief Nursing Officer Christin Abbott-Timmons said the hospital had only six ventilators remaining on Tuesday. The new ventilators will arrive in about two to five days, she said.

MCH officials reported Tuesday that there were 65 COVID-19 patients in the hospital, and 22 of those patients were on ventilators. Of those 65, 54 patients are unvaccinated, 10 are vaccinated, and one is unknown.

The Ector County Hospital District board also approved up to $1.5 million in incentive pay for critical care nurses who commit to staying at MCH for at least two years. Nurses will receive between $15,000 and $20,000, depending on work experience, in additional pay that will be divided up quarterly over the next two years.

Officials said the incentive pay will be temporary and will not continue at the end of the two years. The bonus is intended to keep current ICU nurses and incentivize new hires, Abbott-Timmons said. She said five nurses had left the hospital in the last week to take higher paying positions.

MCHs Chief Financial Officer Steve Ewing told the board he was hesitant about the incentive pay proposition.

We are doing everything we can, from a management perspective, to try to retain as many nurses as possible, he said. But we can't just keep adding money. We're faced with a problem that is industry wide and throwing more money at it at some point will be self-defeating.

However, the board unanimously approved the incentive pay for ICU nurses and the purchase of 40 ventilators.

MCH CEO and President Russell Tippin said the expenses may be covered by funds Ector County received from the American Rescue Plan Act. He said he will ask the Commissioners Court, which received $32 million in coronavirus relief funds, on Aug. 23 to reimburse the hospital.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  Alaska law enforcement agencies failed to collect DNA samples from more than 21,000 people arrested for or convicted of certain crimes over the past 25 years, in part because of confusion caused by changes to state law, officials said.

The state Department of Public Safety identified 21,577 individuals who were required to have a DNA sample on file but did not. Of those, 1,555 are dead, the report states.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Tuesday announced plans for the state to pursue samples in the remaining cases. It's not clear, though, how long that process might take or how many might successfully be gathered.

The state plans to begin with those convicted of a class of felonies that includes violent crimes and sex crimes, a group that is smaller than 600 people, KTOO Public Media reported.

A 1995 law first required the collection of DNA samples from people convicted of these felonies. The law has been changed eight times, expanding those covered.

Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore said the revisions have contributed to the failures.

Skidmore said there had been confusion over who should be involved in the DNA collection. And changes to the law added challenges in terms of trying to figure out whats supposed to be collected when, he said.

Several state agencies are working on the issue, along with local law enforcement agencies.

Plans call for the Department of Corrections to collect DNA from those already in prison or jail, and for state probation and parole officers to collect samples from those on supervision.

Dunleavys office said the Department of Corrections has collected tens of thousands of DNA samples over the years, primarily when a court order was in place. But it says with the new initiative, it will collect samples from all offenders who fall under the statutes.

State Public Safety Commissioner Jim Cockrell also said law enforcement now collects DNA from nearly everyone arrested for the crimes covered by the law. He said his department has begun working to find people whose samples werent collected previously.

Government has an obligation to follow the law, he said. And regardless of the many reasons that these DNA collections were missed, we are focused on making our  state a safer place to live.

Its a crime to refuse to provide DNA that is required under the law. The law allows for those who have samples taken to request that their DNA be removed from the system under certain circumstances, like if they're released without being charged or found not guilty, or if their case is dismissed.

State officials also said the state is building a website intended to allow sexual assault victims to track the status of kits collected from their assaults. That announcement was praised by advocates for sexual assault survivors.

The state estimates initiatives announced Tuesday will cost $2 million. Of that, $900,000 will come from the recently passed budget. Dunleavy also plans to ask lawmakers to approve spending $1.1 million from federal pandemic recovery funding for the work.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  A judge ordered Tuesday that jurors should remain anonymous for the case against a former suburban Minneapolis police officer charged in Daunte Wright's death.

Former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter, who is white, fatally shot Wright, a 20-year-old Black motorist, on April 11. She's scheduled to go on trial Nov. 30 on a charge of second-degree manslaughter. The citys former police chief said he believed Potter meant to use her Taser instead of her handgun.

Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu ruled Tuesday that court personnel and attorneys involved in the case shall not divulge the names or other identifying information about the jurors and alternates except to a very limited number of people. She said the court won't release the jurors' names and contact information until sometime after the trial. Jurors will be referred to in court only by their numbers.

Under Chu's order, deputies will keep people away from the jury during the trial during the day, and they'll be fully sequestered during deliberations.

Leita Walker, an attorney for a coalition of news media organizations, which includes The Associated Press, said the anonymity restrictions are similar to those imposed by Judge Peter Cahill during this year's murder trial of ex-Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted in the death of George Floyd. Judge Kathryn Quaintance also imposed them in the 2019 murder trial of ex-Minneapolis Officer Mohamed Noor, who was convicted in the death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond.

The media coalition last week asked Cahill to release the names of the Chauvin jurors, saying there's no known safety threat to warrant keeping the names sealed.

It seems that Hennepin County judges are of the view that any time were prosecuting a former police officer theres reason to have an anonymous jury," Walker said in an interview. "That's a troubling trend. I dont think it's consistent with the transparency requirements of our criminal justice system, and I think the media here will be evaluating its options to ensure that both the press and the public can thoroughly monitor the administration of justice.

Chu last week denied media requests to broadcast, livestream and record the proceedings in Potter's trial, saying the public and media will have ample space to view the trial in the courtroom or in designated overflow rooms.

Under Minnesota court rules, audio and video coverage of a criminal trial is normally barred unless all parties consent. Potter did not.

Chauvin's trial, Minnesotas first criminal case in which gavel-to-gavel coverage was allowed, was broadcast and livestreamed. But Chu said Potters case does not present the same extraordinary circumstances, including the unknowns of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to maintain social distancing in the courtroom at the time, the intense public and media interest, and security concerns.

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Find APs full coverage of the death of Daunte Wright: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-daunte-wright

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This story has been corrected to reflect that Potter is charged with second-degree manslaughter, not second-degree murder.
PHOENIX (AP)  Stark differences in approaches to surging Arizona coronavirus cases continued to appear Wednesday as more medical providers and education institutions announced new measures to stop COVID-19 from spreading and Republican state lawmakers urged the governor to punish local school districts that require students to wear masks.

The developments come as the number of daily cases has risen in the past two months to levels not seen since the state's winter peak began to ebb in February. Hospitals are warning they may again face patient surges that stress their systems.

Twenty-six of the 47 Republicans in the Legislature want GOP Gov. Doug Ducey to initiate legal action and withhold federal education funds from school districts imposing mask mandates in violation of a provision in the state budget that does not take effect until Sept. 29. They also want Ducey to award temporary private school vouchers to parents of students attending schools requiring masks.

The GOP lawmakers, led by Rep. Jake Hoffman of Queen Creek, released a statement saying the districts' refusal to follow the newly enacted law must not be allowed to stand.

It borders on anarchy and destabilizes the very foundation of our society to have local governments effectively refusing to comply with the law, the statement said.

The budget bans K-12 schools from requiring students to wear masks and will be retroactive to July 1 once the law takes effect. But at least 10 public school districts are openly defying that law, with school boards saying they are acting to protect children. Outbreaks of the virus have forced multiple school districts to either close classrooms or order children to quarantine.

Ducey spokesman C.J. Karamargin said the governor's office has not yet reviewed the GOP lawmakers' request but has been discussing how to address school districts that require masks, which he opposes. He has called the school actions unenforceable.

The governor is anti-mandate, but pro-vaccine and pro-parental decision on masks and other measures, Karamargin said. Parents should decide whats best for their kids, and those are the kind of policies he will be supporting.

Also Wednesday, officials at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona both announced the schools will require masks in classrooms and other settings like labs regardless of vaccination status to combat the spread of COVID-19. The governor and ASU had a public spat in June prompted by the university's decision to require unvaccinated students to be regularly tested for the virus and wear masks.

Ducey barred the ASU policy in an executive order, and the Legislature added it to the budget. But unlike K-12 schools, the budget does not ban universities from imposing universal mask mandates.

An ASU policy statement posted Wednesday said other settings where masks will be required include close-quarter environments where physical distancing may not be possible," such as facilities that serve the general public, meeting rooms, workshops, production and design studios and any indoor areas designated by posted signage.

Additionally, consistent with CDC guidance, face covers may be required in some crowded outdoor settings or activities that involve sustained close contact with other people," the policy statement said.

The three Democrats who represent Tempe and the ASU area, Reps. Athena Salmon and Melody Hernandez and Sen. Juan Mendez, praised the action. They said in a statement that with tens of thousands of students returning for the fall semester, university administrators must do all they can to limit the spread of the virus.

They criticized Ducey and Republicans who control the legislature, saying they continue to block and oppose sensible public health efforts in order to score cheap political points with their partys base with dangerous and deadly consequences for thousands of Arizonans.

On the hospital front, Valleywise Health joined other hospital systems in mandating all employees be vaccinated. The public hospital system that primarily serves Maricopa County will exempt workers with specific religious and medical reasons. But more than 4,000 employees, volunteers and on-site vendors will need to show they are inoculated by Nov. 1.

We care for populations hardest hit by the pandemic and we have a responsibility to take every measure possible to ensure the safest care environment, Steve Purves, president and CEO, said in a statement Wednesday.

The decision mirrors ones made by Banner Health and HonorHealth, both Arizona-based hospital chains that are requiring employees to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1 as a condition of employment. The Mayo Clinic is requiring all employees to be vaccinated by Sept. 17 or complete an opt-out process and wear masks at all times.

Wednesday's developments on multiple fronts come as the highly contagious delta variant is driving COVID-19 surges across the nation.

Arizona reported 1,970 additional COVID-19 cases on Wednesday and six additional deaths. There were 1,513 hospitalized COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday, the most since last February, according to the state's pandemic website. University of Arizona researcher Dr. Joe Gerald says the new surge is likely to exceed last summer's and could approach last winter's major peak.

According to Johns Hopkins University data, Arizonas seven-day rolling average of daily new cases has risen from 487 on July 8 to 2,495 on Aug. 9. Deaths are also rising, although not as rapidly. On July 8, the rolling average of daily deaths in Arizona was 9.7 and on Aug. 9 it was at 16.86 per day.
CARO, Mich. (AP)  Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said two former state Corrections sites allegedly were being assessed by a white supremacist group called The Base as potential training areas for hate camps.

Three men, including one arrested last year after an Ann Arbor-area family was intimidated, have been charged in connection with a state police and FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation.

The vacant properties  Camp Tuscola Annex and Tuscola Residential ReEntry Program  are in Tuscola Countys Caro, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Detroit. Each is owned by the Michigan State Land Bank.

State-issued clothing taken from one of the locations last October, according to Nessel who said Wednesday in a release that hate camps are what The Base calls paramilitary firearms training exercises.

The Anti-Defamation League says The Base is a small, militant neo-Nazi organization that was formed in 2018 and in which members portray themselves as vigilante soldiers defending the European race. The group is preparing for an impending race war, according to the ADL.

Justen Watkins, 25, Thomas Denton, 32, and Tristan Webb, 19, are charged with gang membership, conspiracy to commit teaching use of firearms for a civil disorder, larceny in a building and using a firearm during a felony.

Denton and Webb were arraigned Wednesday in Tuscola County District Court and ordered held on $250,000 cash bonds. Watkins was expected to be arraigned via video from the Washtenaw County Jail.

He and Alfred Gorman were arrested in October and accused of intimidating a family in Dexter, near Ann Arbor. Watkins, of Bad Axe, and Gorman, of Taylor, were charged with gang membership, unlawful posting of a message and using computers to commit a crime.

The charges followed a December 2019 incident in which the Dexter family saw men in dark clothing shining a light and taking photos on the front porch of their home. The photos were uploaded onto The Bases social media platform channel along with a caption that alluded to a person involved with an antifa podcast, according to authorities.

Nessels office said then that the group was targeting that person, but that he had never lived at the home, which is about 52 miles (83 kilometers) west of Detroit.

Antifa is an umbrella description for far-left-leaning militant groups that resist white supremacists at demonstrations and other events.

Watkins had professed to be the appointed leader of The Base, Nessels office said.

The Caro properties were illegally entered prior to the arrests of Watkins and Gorman. They are due for preliminary examinations in the Dexter case on Aug. 24 in Washtenaw County District Court. Gorman currently is out on bond.
Susan Walsh/AP

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden will host a virtual summit for democracy" in December, the White House said Wednesday, as he aims to assemble government, civil society and private sector leaders in what he has cast as a global faceoff against rising autocratic forces.

About a year after the Dec. 9-10 event, the president plans an in-person gathering that would bring together leaders of democratic nations and other officials. The White House said this December's summit would galvanize commitments and initiatives across three principal themes: defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights."
It will be months before Connecticuts share of the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure legislation makes its way to Connecticuts roads, bridges and train lines following the historic, bipartisan 69-30 vote Tuesday in the United States Senate.

Its an investment that will more than pay for itself, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who along with Sen. Chris Murphy, also D-Conn., and state Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti spoke with reporters minutes after the Tuesday morning Senate vote. When this bill passed there was a lump in my throat. It was bipartisan in the best sense of the word. This bill is one of the main reasons I came to Washington, D.C., to do this job.

Its the biggest one-time-ever investment in American infrastructure, Murphy said. Thats a big deal. Its a big deal for the country because it allows us to be competitive with emerging nations like China, which is making massive investments in infrastructure. Its a big deal for American citizens who have been hamstrung by ailing and aging roads and bridges and rail lines that snarl up their commutes and take time away from loved ones.

While Connecticut stands to get about $5.4 billion for roads, bridges, electric vehicle charging stations and the expansion of broadband internet access, there will be about $30 billion for regional rail programs coming, which all three officials predicted will be a game-changer, until even more money is invested in high-speed rail. There are also major investments in renewable energy and cleaner transportation, as well as $106 million to clean up both the New York and Connecticut sides of Long Island Sound.

Murphy said that $75 billion to improve electric transmission lines throughout the nation will include regional improvements to assist Connecticuts renewable-energy programs.

But before the House takes final action on the infrastructure bill, the Senate will have to have complete the even larger $3.5 trillion budget resolution bill, which Democrats can pass with their slim majority, over the coming weeks, meaning that money will not flow into Connecticut until at least the fall.

Giulietti said another $100 billion in transit grants will be available on a competitive basis.

Its an exciting moment for Connecticut, he told reporters, stressing that as many as 1.7 million new jobs may be generated. I built my career on rail, and we havent seen a federal investment in passenger rail like this since the creation of Amtrak, he said, stressing that aging bridges will be fixed, along with major bottlenecks on interstate highways.

Blumenthal said that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi wants to pass both pieces of legislation in tandem this fall, so by the end of the year and the beginning of 2022, the billions will start flowing into Connecticut.

Therere some new programs in here that may take some time for the administration to set up, but much of this funding flows into existing grant programs, Murphy said.

Its not just about getting the infrastructure up there, Giulietti said. Its also about looking at how do we improve that infrastructure, which goes along with what the governor wants to see: faster speeds and a safer, better system all the way through.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  A board voted Wednesday to move ahead with preliminary work on a multibillion-dollar plan to ease choking traffic by replacing the aging American Legion Bridge linking Maryland and Virginia and create toll lanes for Interstate 270 and parts of the beltway ringing the nations capital.

Maryland's three-member Board of Public Works, which includes Gov. Larry Hogan, Comptroller Peter Franchot and Treasurer Nancy Kopp, approved a predevelopment agreement for a public-private partnership on a 2-1 vote.

Hogan, who voted for the roughly $6 billion estimated plan with Franchot, described it as a historic and transformative traffic-relief plan.

A final construction contract would still need to come before the board for final approval.

The agreement approved Wednesday includes up to $50 million that the state would pay companies for work that is completed, if the project does not advance. The Maryland Department of Transportation could use what gets done, including design, in a future solicitation for the bridge, which must be replaced or significantly upgraded within the next decade.

This traffic relief plan is a win for families, commuters and small businesses, and it will finally begin to solve the soul-crushing, worst-in-the-nation traffic that people have failed to address for 50 years, Hogan, a Republican, said at the start of the board meeting.

The proposal would create four toll lanes  two in each direction  on both Interstate 270 and the western part of the beltway. It would be done in two phases along I-270, first to Interstate 370 and then from I-370 to Interstate 70 in Frederick, Maryland.

Transportation Secretary Greg Slater noted that the plan is a scaled-back effort. Four years ago, he said, the state was considering four express toll lanes on all of the beltway and I-270. The scope has been modified to focus on about 37 miles in state's populous suburbs of the nation's capital.

Its about trying to provide some relief to congestion with another option to choose, and its about finding alternative ways to deliver the infrastructure, because our needs far outweigh the resources that we have," Slater said.

Franchot, a Democrat, said he voted for the preliminary work after state transportation officials confirmed that no construction award contract would be presented to the board next year until the completion of all federal, state and local environmental impact studies and permits required.

As a Montgomery County resident of more than 40 years, I know firsthand how the traffic congestion in the D.C. Metro area impacts the quality of life of our residents," Franchot said in a statement after the vote. We may not all agree on the solutions, but we all agree this is a significant problem that must be addressed.

Kopp, a Democrat, said she recognized action was needed to address the terrible traffic congestion. However, she opposed moving ahead with the plan, because there was not enough information about environmental impacts and why the state needed to use a public-private partnership instead of traditional financing.

Two Australian companies, Transurban and Macquarie, will develop the toll lanes while a contract is negotiated with the companies to build the lanes and pay for them in exchange for most of the revenue raised from tolls.

State Sen. Cheryl Kagan, a Montgomery County Democrat who spoke against the plan, noted that the board was moving ahead with a public-private partnership, just as the U.S. Senate this week approved a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

We know that this is a historic opportunity to get federal funding, so why would we want to engage with a private partnership with someone else getting the profits, soaking our constituents, when we could get a piece of that for roads, bridges and mass transit from the bill that passed 69 to 30 last night? Kagan said.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Real estate heir Robert Durst testified Wednesday that he has changed his mind many times about whether he actually saw his wife step onto a commuter train for Manhattan on the night she disappeared in 1982, and said he lied to police when he told them he later spoke to her on the phone.

Everyone has asked me that question and I have changed my mind maybe a dozen times, Durst said under questioning from his attorney Dick DeGuerin at his Los Angeles murder trial. Did I actually see Kathie walk through the doors and onto the train? The answer is no. But there is no place else to go.

Durst, on trial for the 2000 killing of his best friend Susan Berman, has never been charged in the disappearance of Kathie Durst, who was later declared legally dead. But prosecutors have been allowed to present evidence that Durst killed his wife and then killed Berman when she was about to tell authorities what she knew.

He testified that he never saw or heard from his wife again after watching her step onto the train platform in the New York hamlet of Katonah near their home on Jan. 31, 1982. But days later he told a detective investigating her disappearance that he had called her and spoken to her at their apartment in Manhattan, where she had gone because she had medical school in the Bronx the following morning.

That was a lie, said Durst. I wanted to convince him that Kathie had gotten back.

Durst, 78, spoke slowly in a strained, raspy voice, sitting in a wheelchair instead of the witness chair, and reading his lawyers questions on a tablet giving live transcriptions because he struggles with hearing.

He said he was not worried after not hearing from her for several days. He said she often worked very long shifts in her internship and slept in the dorm rooms of friends.

Durst testified that even when he heard answering machine messages from her school saying she hadnt been showing up, he assumed it was because of her out-of-control cocaine use, which had been taxing their relationship.

I was imagining that she was out someplace having fun, Durst said. It hadnt occurred to me that anything had happened to her. It was more like, what had Kathie done to Kathie?

Durst said Kathie fabricated and exaggerated stories about his abusing her, including a pair of incidents that were dramatized in the film All Good Things starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst and shown to jurors earlier in the trial.

In one of them, Kathie climbed out the window of their apartment, onto a terrace, and into the apartment of a neighbor, who she told Durst was beating her.

Durst said he hadn't even been interacting with his wife, and had thought she was in the study the whole time.

He testified that someone had convinced Kathie that if she could show I was physically abusing her, she would get a bigger part of the settlement if we got divorced.

He also disputed an account from the film that was given in the testimony of Kathie's brother Jim McCormack, who recalled Durst pulling her out of a gathering with her family by the hair.

I did grab Kathies hat, put it on Kathies head, grab Kathies coat and push her towards the door, Durst said.

DeGuerin, Durst's attorney, made the rare and risky move of calling a defendant in a murder trial to the stand on Monday.

His first questions to Durst were: Did you kill Susan Berman? and Do you know who did? with Durst answering no to both. DeGuerin then guided Durst on a step-by-step telling of his biography that is likely to continue for several more days.

Durst was arrested on a warrant in Bermans killing in New Orleans in 2015 on the eve of the airing of the final episode of the HBO documentary series The Jinx" on his life and the deaths he's been connected to. He told many of the same stories in the series that he repeated from the stand.

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Follow Dalton on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  A militant leader in Ethiopia says his group has struck a military alliance with the Tigray forces now pressing toward the country's capital, as the conflict that erupted in the Tigray region last year spreads into other parts of Africas second-most populous country.

The only solution now is overthrowing this government militarily, speaking the language they want to be spoken to, Oromo Liberation Army leader Kumsa Diriba, also known as Jaal Marroo, told The Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday.

The alliance is a further sign of the broadening of the Tigray conflict that began in November after a political fallout between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Tigray leaders who had dominated Ethiopia's government for nearly three decades. Thousands have been killed in the nine-month war that has been marked by widespread allegations by ethnic Tigrayans of gang-rapes, man-made famine and mass expulsions by Ethiopian and allied forces.

The OLA leader said the agreement was reached a few weeks ago after the Tigray forces proposed it. We have agreed on a level of understanding to cooperate against the same enemy, especially in military cooperation, Diriba said. It is underway. They share battlefield information and fight in parallel, he said, and while theyre not fighting side by side, there is a possibility it might happen.

Talks are underway on a political alliance as well, he said, and asserted that other groups in Ethiopia are involved in similar discussions: Theres going to be a grand coalition against (Abiys) regime.

The alliance brings together the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, who had been front and center in Ethiopias repressive government but were sidelined when Abiy took office in 2018, and the OLA, which last year broke away from the opposition party Oromo Liberation Front and seeks self-determination for the Oromo people. The Oromo are Ethiopias largest ethnic group.

Ethiopias government earlier this year declared both the TPLF and OLA terrorist organizations.

Tigray forces spokesman Getachew Reda told the AP last week that yes, we're working with some people in pursuit of a political arrangement but didn't give details. We want to work with anyone not implicated in the genocidal campaign Abiy Ahmed has waged," he said.

There was no comment from the spokeswoman for Abiys office.

The OLA leader spoke a day after the prime minister called on all capable Ethiopians to join the military and stop the Tigray forces once and for all after they retook much of the Tigray region in recent weeks and crossed into the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions. The Tigray forces spokesman has told the AP they are fighting to secure their long-blockaded region but if Abiy's government topples, that's icing on the cake.

With access to parts of Ethiopia increasingly restricted and journalists often harassed, it is difficult to tell how citizens will respond to the prime ministers call, or whether they will join the fight against him. The government has supported large military recruiting rallies in recent weeks.

The Tigray leaders embittered many Ethiopians during their nearly three decades in power by putting in place a system of ethnic federalism that led to ethnic tensions that continue to simmer in the country of 110 million people.

Diriba acknowledged that agreeing to the Tigray forces' proposal for an alliance took some thought. There were so many atrocities committed against the Oromo people during the TPLFs time in power, he said, and the problems it created have never been resolved.

But the OLA decided it was possible to work together, he said, though some doubts remain. I hope the TPLF has learned a lesson, he said. I dont think the TPLF will commit the same mistakes unless theyre out of their mind. If they do, there will be chaos in Ethiopia and it could collapse as a state, he said.

It was not clear how many fighters the OLA would bring to the alliance. This, madam, is a military secret, its leader said.

He said he hoped the TPLFs talks with other groups would become public in the near future. He also warned the international community, which led by the United Nations and the United States has urged a halt to the Tigray conflict and negotiations, that the crisis has to be handled carefully if Ethiopia is to continue together.
Mandi Wright/AP

DETROIT (AP)  The former president of the Detroit City Council has been granted parole about five years after his conviction for having sex with a teenage boy when he previously worked as a TV journalist.

Charles Pugh is expected to be released from prison sometime in December, according to Michigans Department of Corrections.
ANGOLA, La. (AP)  Fire early Tuesday destroyed a woodshop work area and damaged a dormitory at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola.

The fire started about 1 a.m. in the workshop next to Camp D Eagle 4 dorm, the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections said in a news release.

The prison's Volunteer Fire Department and West Feliciana Fire Department battled the blaze for 40 minutes before extinguishing it. The department said inmate fire safety training and staff response are being credited for the safe evacuation of all 94 prisoners in the dorm and 194 inmates from nearby dorms.

Because the prison is so far out in the country, if it were not for them this fire could have been much worse, Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc said. "Id like to also thank the inmates for participating in monthly fire drills, this proves why it is so important to be prepared.

There were no injuries to inmates or staff.

The camp's seven other dorms and two cellblocks were not impacted by the fire.

The displaced inmates have been relocated to the chapel at Camp D.

The Louisiana State Fire Marshals Office is investigating to determine the cause of the blaze.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  A former public school administrator was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay more than $300,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to fraud, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Walter James III, who was an assistant principal at Jeff Davis High School in Montgomery at the time of the crime, also will spend three years on probation after he is released, authorities said in a statement.
DALTON, Ga. (AP)  Sheriff's deputies killed an armed man who fired at authorities during a standoff in northwest Georgia, investigators said.

The shooting happened late Monday night in the unincorporated community of Rocky Face, in Whitfield County near Dalton, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Tuesday in a news release.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany and the Netherlands have suspended any deportations of migrants to Afghanistan due to the tense security situation as Taliban insurgents make sweeping gains in the Central Asian country.

Almost 30,000 Afghans in Germany, many of them failed asylum-seekers, are currently required to leave the country.

Germany's interior minister said the decision was taken due to concerns for the safety of those involved in the deportation. A deportation of six Afghan citizens to Kabul planned for Aug. 3 was canceled at short notice due to a bomb attack in the Afghan capital.

The security situation on the ground is changing so quickly at the moment that we can't fulfill (our responsibility for the safety) of the deportees, the staff accompanying them or the flight crews, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said.

But he defended the deportations in general as an important part of migration policy, adding that the expulsion of convicted criminals and people considered a security threat would resume as soon as the situation allows.

The decision was welcomed by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who noted that the government of Afghanistan had previously asked Germany to suspend flights until the end of October.

Were doing so now now, he told reporters in Berlin. "I think thats right, too.

In the Netherlands, Justice State Secretary Ankie Broekers-Knol wrote to parliament that changes in Afghanistan were so unpredictable that a decision was taken to impose a departure moratorium.

She said the decision was justified by the worsening situation and the possibility to wait for a decision until there is a more stable assessment of the situation.

Germanys Foreign Ministry is updating its new asylum evaluation report, which usually provides the main criteria for deciding whether rejected asylum-seekers can be deported. Since 2016, more than 1,000 Afghan migrants who unsuccessfully applied for asylum in Germany have been sent back to their home country, according to dpa.

Last week, six other European Union member countries argued that the forced deportation of migrants back to Afghanistan must continue despite the government in Kabul suspending such non-voluntary returns for three months.

In a letter dated Aug. 5, the interior ministers of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands urged the EUs executive branch to intensify talks with the Afghan government to ensure that the deportations of refugees would continue.

Stopping returns sends the wrong signal and is likely to motivate even more Afghan citizens to leave their home for the EU, the ministers wrote to the European Commission.

The commission confirmed Tuesday that it had received the letter and would reply when ready. Asked whether Afghanistan was a safe place to forcibly send people, spokesman Adalbert Jahnz said: It is up to each (EU) member state to make an individual assessment of whether a return is possible.

Emboldened by the Biden administrations decision to pull American troops out of Afghanistan and end NATOs troop training mission in Afghanistan, Taliban insurgents have captured five out of the countrys 34 provincial capitals in less than a week.

Afghan security forces, which have been backed, trained and financed with billions of dollars in a 20-year-long Western military effort that included many EU countries, appear unable to cope with the Taliban offensive.

More than 1 million migrants came to Germany in 2015 looking for asylum, most of them from countries ravaged by civil wars such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Raf Casert contributed from Brussels.
Former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Tuesday she will not run for Michigan governor in 2022, putting an end to speculation about the onetime Trump administration Cabinet member and partner in one of the state's most influential Republican couples.

I am not running for governor, DeVos told The Detroit News, which reported the announcement first. It's not going to be me. I appreciate that some folks are interested in that, but I think the rumor and interest really only serves to highlight how desperate Michiganders are for new leadership."

Advisers to DeVos, 63, said she never weighed a campaign to challenge Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, despite weeks of chatter in Michigans political class.

Though a billionaire able to finance a campaign and former state party chairwoman with key connections, DeVos would have faced complications in a Republican primary and the general election.

Despite four years on former President Donald Trump's Cabinet, DeVos quit her post a day after the deadly U.S. Capitol siege in January, blaming the defeated president's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen for inflaming tensions as Congress prepared to certify the 2020 presidential election.

There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me," she said in her letter of resignation.

In the meantime, some Trump loyalists who backed the former president's claims and organized Michigan supporters' travel to Washington to protest the outcome have taken a seat in the state party's inner circle.

In a general election, DeVos would carry the Trump baggage, who won the state in 2016, but lost it narrowly in 2020.

DeVos would also be the face of her husband Dick's decade-long effort to curb union power in the longtime manufacturing state.

Dick DeVos, Michigan's losing candidate for governor in 2006, successfully lobbied Republican Gov. Rick Snyder in 2012 to sign legislation prohibiting unions from requiring employees to pay dues as a condition of employment. The DeVoses later focused their political fundraising group, Michigan Freedom Fund, to defend Republican legislators who backed the bill.

Still, DeVos remains respected in the party, and sparked talk of a gubernatorial bid after speaking to the Midland County Republican Party committee meeting last month, not a typical venue for a former Cabinet secretary.

DeVos spoke at the meeting at the invitation of U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, aides said, an appearance aides said she only more recently had time to accept since leaving Washington.

Democrats, with whom DeVos remains unpopular, sought to capitalize on the rumors.

Chiefly, Whitmer, a Democrat expected to seek a second term, used it to raise money.

DeVos is a threat to public education and the future of our state, and we need to be ready to counter her billionaire-funded campaign," Whitmer was quoted as saying in a campaign fundraising email last week.

Republican James Craig, the recently retired Detroit police chief, has announced his candidacy for governor in 2022.
VATICAN CITY (AP)  Maybe heaven can wait, but a phone call for the pope could not.

In a decidedly unusual break from protocol, Pope Francis took a cellphone from an aide while standing at center stage in a Vatican auditorium for his weekly Wednesday audience with the public. Francis, who had blessed the attendees near the event's end, chatted animatedly for a couple of minutes with whomever was on the other end.

The pope gestured with his free hand as if the caller could see him - a common impulse for many people when talking on the phone - while he held the device to his left ear with his other hand. Francis seemed to be explaining something and did most of the talking.

He twice moved his right hand as if he were signing something.

The Vatican declined to comment about the nature of the very public call.

After blessing the members of his audience, the pope typically wades into the crowd to greet many of them affectionately. But in another departure from the routine, Francis on Wednesday abruptly changed direction while chatting with another aide as he was about to descend the stage steps. Instead of greeting the faithful, he headed toward a closed exit door on the stage.

First the aide, then the pope, gestured to the participants that they should wait. The aide opened the door, and the pope walked briskly off the stage. After a few minutes, Francis returned and went down the marble steps to the audience section to mingle with people who wanted to shake his hand or take selfies with him.
ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP)  A small historically Black college in South Carolina is offering all full-time students free tuition for the upcoming 2021-22 academic year.

Clinton College President Lester McCorn made the announcement last week for qualifying full-time students at the school in Rock Hill. The school had already made the commitment to slash fall tuition by 50% for its students, and offer every student a new tablet, news outlets reported.

But now the college is making tuition free as the school hopes to ensure their students get a college education despite financial hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each full-time student will also get a free Microsoft Surface laptop, McCorn said.

We want to make sure you can perform with excellence without excuse, he said.

The schools website lists the cost of tuition for full-time students at $4,960 per semester, while a full year costs $9,920.

Students who are vaccinated can live on campus and will still be responsible for paying room and board. Those who attend full-time and live off campus can continue their courses online free of charge.

It has been taxing for each and everyone of us, McCorn said of the pandemic. At Clinton College, we have done our best to keep the school moving forward and providing a quality education, even in a virtual environment.

Clinton College was one of many schools established by the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church during Reconstruction years, to help eradicate illiteracy among freedmen. It has operated continuously for 120 years.

The school is among a wave of smaller schools around the state offering free tuition to students during the pandemic, The Herald reported. Spartanburg Community College is currently offering students a similar deal to anyone taking a minimum of six credits  or two courses  while Denmark Technical College recently offered to waive the costs for the first 500 applicants for the fall semester.
On Thursday, Trevor Noah's Daily Show identified something interesting about Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

The team took the liberty of combing through various clips of the Texas Republican rabble rouser, and revealed on-air just how comically fond Cruz is of the Yiddish word for gumption, "chutzpah." A clip shows Cruz using the word in a variety of speeches on different occasions at least six times.

For the unfamiliar, you may use the word to say something to the effect of: Ted Cruz sure has a lot of "chutzpah" for flying to Cancun during the big February freeze and abandoning Texas like that.

MEGA/GC Images

Despite the verbal eccentricity, to public knowledge, Cruz himself has no Jewish heritage.

The Daily Show clip concludes with famous Jewish comedian Larry David shouting "shut the f*** up" cut in a way where the sentiments appear directed at the alleged Republican philo-semite.

While unable to respond, it's fair to imagine what Cruz might say David (and the folks at the Daily Show) have a lot of.
GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP)  Californias largest single wildfire in recorded history continued to grow Wednesday after destroying more than 1,000 buildings, nearly half of them homes, while authorities in Montana ordered evacuations as a wind-driven blaze roared toward several remote communities.

The dangerous fires were among some 100 large blazes burning across 15 states, mostly in the West, where historic drought conditions have left lands parched and ripe for ignition.

Burning through bone-dry trees, brush and grass, the Dixie Fire has destroyed at least 1,045 buildings, including 550 homes, in the northern Sierra Nevada. Newly released satellite imagery showed the scale of the destruction in the small community of Greenville that was incinerated last week during an explosive run of flames.

The Dixie Fire, named after the road where it started on July 14, by Wednesday morning covered 783 square miles (2,027 square kilometers) and was 30% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. At least 14,000 remote homes were still threatened.

The Dixie Fire is the largest single fire in California history and the largest currently burning in the U.S. It is about half the size of the August Complex, a series of lightning-caused 2020 fires across seven counties that were fought together and that state officials consider Californias largest wildfire overall.

The fires cause was under investigation. Pacific Gas & Electric has said it may have been sparked when a tree fell on one of its power lines.

California authorities arrested a man last weekend who is suspected in an arson fire in remote forested areas near the Dixie Fire.

The 47-year-old suspect was charged with setting a small blaze in Lassen County, which is among the counties where the larger blaze is burning, around July 20.

In southeastern Montana, the uncontrolled Richard Spring Fire continued to advance Wednesday toward inhabited areas in and around the sparsely-populated Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, after several thousand people were ordered to evacuate the previous night.

Two homes caught fire Tuesday but were saved, authorities said.

The fire began Sunday and powerful gusts caused it to explode across more than 230 square miles (600 square kilometers).

A few miles from the evacuated town of Lame Deer, Krystal Two Bulls and some friends stuck around to clear brush from her yard in hopes of protecting it from the flames. Thick plumes of smoke rose from behind a tree-covered ridgeline just above the house.

Were packed and were loaded so if we have to go, we will, Two Bull said. Im not fearful; Im prepared. Here you dont just run from fire or abandon your house.

Some of the people who fled the fire Tuesday initially sought shelter in Lame Deer, only to be displaced again when the fire got within several miles.

The town of about 2,000 people is home to the tribal headquarters and several subdivisions and is surrounded by rugged, forested terrain. By late Wednesday a second fire was closing in on Lame Deer from the west, while the Richard Spring fire raged to the east.

Also ordered to leave were about 600 people in and around Ashland, a small town just outside the reservation with a knot of businesses along its main street and surrounded by grasslands and patchy forest.

The flames were within several miles of town and came right up to a subdivision outside it.

Local, state and federal firefighters were joined by ranchers using their own heavy equipment to carve out fire lines around houses.

Heat waves and historic drought tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West.

Scientists have said climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. The fires across the West come as parts of Europe are also enduring large blazes spurred by tinder-dry conditions.
PHOENIX (AP)  Arizona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has faced unrelenting tension with activists in her party over her insistence that bipartisan deal-making is still the way to do big things during a hyper-partisan era in Washington.

She got a measure of tentative vindication Tuesday when the Senate passed a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill for which she was a lead negotiator.

For months people have been saying, Oh bipartisanship is dead and you can only do things when one party does it alone,  Sinema told The Associated Press in a brief interview. I have never believed that, and I refuse to accept it, and what weve shown today is that that talking point is false.

Progressive Democrats have grown increasingly frustrated with Sinema, who started her political career as an antiwar activist and has transformed into one of the most prominent moderates in Congress. They see her ironclad commitment to preserving the filibuster, which prevents Democrats from passing most legislation without Republican support, as a barrier to voting rights legislation.

Two weeks ago, the Rev. Jesse Jackson was among 39 people arrested for staging a sit-in outside her Phoenix office demanding she soften her ironclad commitment to preserving the filibuster. It was the latest in an ongoing series of protests.

Sinema has long maintained that the filibuster forces Republicans and Democrats to work together and pass less ambitious but more enduring legislation.

President Joe Biden called to congratulate Sinema shortly after the vote on the infrastructure bill, which garnered 19 Republican votes in addition to all 50 Democrats.

Sinemas office has spent weeks promoting the infrastructure bills benefits for Arizona, including billions of dollars for roads and bridges, airports, water infrastructure, wildfire prevention and broadband internet. It still requires approval in the House.

The bill is filled of game-changing provisions that serve our country, Sinema said.

The pressure from the left will only intensify as Senate Democrats turn their attention to a budget resolution envisioning a massive $3.5 trillion, 10-year cascade of federal resources, aiming historic sums at family support, health and education programs and an aggressive drive to heal the climate. That plan is likely to include elements that were stripped from Biden's original infrastructure proposal in pursuit of bipartisan support.

Her work on the infrastructure bill is a huge accomplishment in terms of getting bipartisan agreement on really significant legislation. But I think Arizona children and families still need so much more, said David Lujan, president and CEO of the Childrens Action Alliance, a Phoenix-based advocacy group.

Sinema said she supports some of the goals of the plan, but the $3.5 trillion price tag is too big. She has been vague about what she wants to see but pledged to work with Biden and Congress.

Democrats are using budget procedures that allow them to bypass Republican filibusters, but they will need support from all 50 Democrats, including Sinema and other moderates including Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana.

I hope she will get behind other Democrats and support the measure through the reconciliation process, said Lujan, who worked closely with Sinema in the Legislature more than a decade ago, when he was leader of the Arizona House Democrats and she was the assistant leader.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Irans new president presented a Cabinet dominated by hard-liners on Wednesday, state TV reported, providing one of the first glimpses into the policies he might pursue over the next four years.

The conservative cleric and former judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raisi, nominated hard-line career diplomat Hossein Amirabollahian to the crucial post of foreign minister as Iran and the U.S. seek to resuscitate Tehrans landmark nuclear deal with world powers.

The Cabinet list included no women, few surprises and several officials from Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The nominees must still be confirmed by Irans parliament, which is expected to convene Saturday. The supreme leader also typically weighs in on picking officials for the most sensitive positions, such as foreign minister.

Amirabollahian, 56, has served in a range of administrations over the decades. He was deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs under former populist hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, known in the West for his Holocaust denial and disputed re-election in 2009.

When relative moderate Hassan Rouhani, who struck the nuclear deal that granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, entered office in 2013, Amirabollahian kept his job before leaving to become an international affairs advisor to the former parliament speaker.

The parties to the nuclear accord have met in Vienna for months to try to revive the deal. The last round of talks ended in June with no date set for their resumption. Raisi has promised his administration will focus on lifting sanctions that have clobbered Iran's already ailing economy.

Raisi also appointed Gen. Ahmad Vahidi as his interior minister. He is a former defense minister blacklisted by the U.S. in 2010 and wanted by Interpol over his alleged role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires. The attack killed 85 people and wounded hundreds. Vahidi also served as commander of Iran's expeditionary Quds Force in the late 1980s, responsible for Tehrans proxies across the Mideast.

Javad Owji, 54, a career technocrat and long-time official in the country's vital oil and gas sector, was nominated as oil minister. Raisi picked Rostam Ghasemi, formerly the oil minister under Ahmadinejad and a senior official in the Revolutionary Guard, as the minister for roads and urbanization. The list named Gen. Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, a former deputy chief of staff of the armed forces, as defense minister.
SEATTLE (AP)  A Kent, Washington man was sentenced to two years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm during demonstrations in downtown Seattle last year.

Al Talaga, 33, was arrested in September 2020 after an investigation linked him to firearms that were found in a car that was involved in looting at the Sneaker City store during the civil unrest in June 2020.
ALSEA, Ore. (AP)  On a cool Monday morning in the Coast Range an excavator lodged in what seemed an impossible spot deftly set down massive Douglas fir logs into a creek bed to preserve fish habitat.

It was a pretty impressive show.

Grahm Trask of Corvallis was at the controls of the excavator, which had crunched a half-mile or so up a trail from the parking lot at Clemens Park southwest of Corvallis near Alsea.

The best viewing point was from a nearby bridge over Seeley Creek. Trask was working with a pile of logs donated to the project by Oregon State Universitys research forests, Weyerhaeuser, Benton County and Lincoln County.

Circling and pivoting and ducking the streamside alders with his bucket, Trask looked like he was playing a game of pick-up sticks. He started the pile with a log going straight across the bed, aligned others with an adroitly placed stump, tucked other logs underneath previously placed ones and produced a pile that looked like chaos.

You made a mess. Good job, man, said Paul Olmsted, an assistant fish biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Chaos, it turns out, is what you want for the coho salmon and other fish that use this tributary of the Alsea River.

Were trying to improve stream complexity, Olmsted told the Corvallis Gazette-Times. Its a good coho stream already. Its got good gravel, but there is a lack of large wood. Well be better off once the wood goes in. We want to force the water to move around, scour and make ponds, undercut a bank and add complexity.

We want to create side channels and produce a lot more places for fish to rear and feed and hang out.

Its a fun little puzzle that you are trying to put together, said Trask once he had exited the cab. Every structure is a little bit different. You are trying to make it stable so the logs wont move  you dont want it to blow the bridge out.

The drop Monday was the first of what will be more than 20 such placements of logs on Seeley Creek. More than 200 Doug fir logs will be placed along about a mile of streambed.

Some of the logs were charred and blackened in last falls Echo Mountain Fire in Lincoln County, but Olmsted said they will still serve well for this work.

In addition to the stream drops, the project also will include riparian plantings on the creek banks of cedar, hemlock, willow and big leaf maple. More than 400 of the trees will be planted in January and February, Olmsted said, so they can get established by spring.

The project uses Douglas firs for the stream drops, said Adam Stebbins, national resources coordinator for Benton County Parks, because they naturally degrade over about a 25- to 30-year period.

Thats how long it has been, Olmsted said of the need for the restoration. So we go back in and re-treat. The more wood were leaving the better.
GUATEMALA CITY (AP)  Central American migrants being expelled by the United States and flown deep into Mexico for deportation to their homelands drew concerns from U.N. agencies Wednesday about the treatment of vulnerable migrants needing humanitarian protection.

Details of the highly unusual bilateral effort also began trickling out, with a Guatemalan official saying that Mexico is busing Guatemalans, Hondurans and Salvadorans to remote border crossings with Guatemala after they arrive on U.S. government flights. Mexican immigration agency buses are unloading migrants from those flights at international crossings in El Carmen and El Ceibo. The latter is a particularly remote outpost where there is a small shelter, but little else.

The migrants were expelled by the U.S. after being denied a chance to seek asylum under a pandemic-related ban.

Guatemala is not participating in the joint campaign, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

A spokesperson for Mexicos immigration agency said they had no information.

Guatemalas immigration agency confirmed in a statement later that groups of migrants had arrived at the border posts of El Ceibo and El Carmen. The agency said it always tries to maintain a process of migratory control and emphasized the need to follow such controls as well as pandemic-related health requirements. It did not mention the U.S. flights to southern Mexico.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department confirmed last week that it had begun expelling migrants by air to Mexico under a pandemic-related authority that prevents migrants from seeking asylum at the border. Officials speaking on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press the flights include Central American families who are to be deported by Mexico to their homelands after landing.

Matthew Reynolds, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative to the United States and Caribbean, said returning asylum-seekers to their countries without proper screening for the dangers they are fleeing would violate international law.

Individuals or families aboard those flights who may have urgent protection needs risk being sent back to the very dangers they have fled in their countries of origin in Central America without any opportunity to have those needs assessed and addressed, Reynolds said in a statement.

The flights to southern Mexico also strain limited humanitarian resources there and raise the risk of coronavirus infection, he said.

The refugee agency was one of five U.N. agencies, including UNICEF, its human rights office, women's agency and the International Organization for Migration, that expressed concern for the U.S. government's continued use of the public health justification for not allowing the normal asylum process.

Natalia Lorenzo, from Guatemalas Human Rights ombudsman office in Peten, said that on Wednesday the migrant shelter in El Ceibo was packed and she saw at least 15 Hondurans walking after being dropped off by Mexican officials at the border.

The people are walking along the highway because they say they dont have money to return to their country by bus, Lorenzo said. Its abusive how they are just leaving them at the border.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department, which has not responded to questions about the flights since the first one last Thursday, said the frequency of repeat crossers and transmissibility of the delta variant of the coronavirus necessitated resumption of flights to Mexico.

Daniel Berlin, deputy director of the nongovernmental organization Asylum Access, said that his organization is the largest legal services provider for asylum-seekers in Mexico, yet they have not been given any access to the people being flown into southern Mexico, despite having an office in Villahermosa where U.S. flights have landed this week.

Flying asylum-seekers to Mexico where Mexican authorities then deport them to Guatemala is unlawful, Berlin said.

If Mexico is going to forcibly return anybody from Mexico to Guatemala, it has international obligations to ensure that the people who they are returning do not need international protection, dont need refugee status, Berlin said. As far as we understand, that is not happening at all.

For years, the U.S. government has intermittently flown deported Mexican migrants back home to make it more difficult to try to cross the border again, but this appears to be the first time it has flown Central Americans to Mexico instead of their home countries.

The move comes after President Joe Biden jettisoned many of his predecessor's hardline immigration policies, describing them as cruel or unwise, including one that made asylum-seekers wait in Mexican border cities for hearings in U.S. immigration court.

Biden also scrapped agreements with Central American countries for asylum-seekers to be sent there to have their claims heard, denying any prospect of settling in the United States.

Berlin said what is happening now is worse than those Trump administration agreements.

All theyre doing is dropping people off in Peten, I mean in the jungle, at the border," he said. "So theres not even a pretense of process. Its just a forcible return to the poorest part of a country that in general is ill equipped to deal with these kind of protection needs.

Repeated efforts by Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and other top U.S. officials to discourage Central Americans from making the journey to the U.S. border have fallen flat.

July will likely mark the highest monthly count of unaccompanied children picked up by U.S. agents at the border with Mexico and the second-highest number of people arriving in families, David Shahoulian, Homeland Security assistant secretary for border and immigration policy, said in a court filing last week.

___

Associated Press writer Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed to this report.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigans Board of Education approved a resolution that supports allowing local school districts to make scientifically informed decisions about whether to mandate COVID-19 masks for all students, teachers and visitors.

Following a tense, daylong meeting, the Democratic-majority board signed off on the resolution in a 5-2 vote Tuesday that members stressed supports the right of local control to mask and not to mask.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said she will not require masks in school, like she did last academic year, instead letting each district, charter academy and private school decide.

The resolution comes after Whitmers administration last week endorsed a recommendation from the state health department for universal masking in K-12 school buildings, saying it will help increase the amount of in-person learning.

The measure approved Tuesday by the Board of Education replaced an initial resolution offered by the eight-member boards two Republican members, Tom McMillin of Oakland Township and Nikki Snyder of Dexter, opposing mandatory masking and medical testing for K-12 students.

Both Snyder and McMillin cast the only two no votes against the revised resolution, The Detroit News reported.

McMillin argued that forcing students to wear masks is a form of child abuse.

The parents arent going to just sit by and let this happen, he said.

McMillin also noted that unlike most of last school year theres a vaccine out there. The vaccine has not yet been approved for children younger than 12, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and school visitors amid the surging delta variant of the coronavirus.

Pamela Pugh, D-Saginaw, proposed the revision to the initial resolution. She accused Snyder and McMillin of spreading propaganda and putting lives in jeopardy.

We need to get the facts straight. We need to put accurate information out or shut our mouths. We need to go up against the enemy that is the enemy and thats COVID, Pugh said.
As the U.S. House of Representatives begins its August recess, several funding bills were passed at the end of July that could benefit mid-Michigan. According to Tony Stamas, president and CEO of the Midland Business Alliance (MBA), some of this funding for fiscal year 2022 could support local projects.

Thanks to the efforts of Congressman John Moolenaar and his staff  as well as the City of Midland, the County of Midland and the MBA staff  our area is potentially on track to benefit from several initiatives in the current House bills, stated Stamas in a legislative update the MBA issued this week. Congressman Moolenaar has worked to include language in bills that would help with flood recovery, sanitary sewer improvements, flood mitigation and more.

Stamas cautioned there are many legislative steps ahead  including U.S. Senate approval and final House-Senate negotiations  before mid-Michigan may see the funding.

The MBA Advisory Committee on Infrastructure provided an overview of the types of requests that local entities have made through Moolenaars office. For those with specific funding requests, that funding may be available to mid-Michigan in 2022, if legislators approve these and other pending appropriations bills.

Requested legislative language

The MBA requested legislative report language in five individual fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills, urging coordination among five separate federal agencies  the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)  on environment-based flood mitigation measures.

Each agency has played an important role in the federal response following last years major disaster declaration, said Stamas. This report language is important to communicate to these agencies the congressional interest and intent on specific policy  in this case, the importance of environment-based mitigation measures to lessen the impact of future floods in our region. The report language we requested is now included in five separate funding bills in the House of Representatives.

Those bills are: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (with oversight of the USDA); Subcommittee on Energy & Water Development and Related Agencies (with oversight of the USACE); Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (with oversight of NOAA); Subcommittee on Homeland Security (with oversight of FEMA); and Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies (with oversight of the EPA).

Three funding requests

First, on behalf of the City of Midland, City Manager Brad Kaye submitted a Community Project Funding request to Congressman Moolenaar for $750,000 in grant funding under the EPA State and Tribal Assistance Grant (STAG) program. This funding would support Midlands storm and sanitary sewer improvements project. The funds would be specifically targeted to the planned sanitary sewer lining and manhole rehabilitation project, which is a key step toward improving the sewer system to build resiliency for future flooding and rain events. The $750,000 in EPA funding for the City of Midland is included in the Interior & Environment Appropriations bill that passed the full House of Representatives on July 29.

Second, Midland Center for the Arts (MCFTA) President and CEO Terri Trotter submitted a Community Project Funding request to Congressman Moolenaar for $500,000 for Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Economic Development Initiative grant funding to support the revitalization of the MCFTA as a cultural, educational, and economic cornerstone of Midland. This federal funding would allow the execution of a critical stage of MCFTAs revitalization following the 2020 flooding. The $500,000 for the MCFTA is included in the Transportation & HUD Appropriations bill, which also passed the full House of Representatives on July 29.

Third, on behalf of the County of Midland, County Administrator Bridgette Gransden submitted a Community Project Funding request to Congressman Moolenaar for $400,000 in NOAA funding. These funds would secure data collection tools necessary to improve the understanding of flood risks within the Tittabawassee River Watershed. According to the request, these tools are critical to improving flood forecasting, assessing the threat of future flood events, and informing City and County emergency management personnel. This data would also inform local and regional emergency response efforts and support public education and early warning activities prior to a storm event.

While NOAA funding could not be earmarked for this specific purpose, the House Appropriations Committee included additional funding under the National Weather Service (NWS) account to address this critical need. Report language has been included in the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations funding bill, which has been approved by the full House Appropriations Committee. The report language reads: The Committee is concerned about the limitations of NEXRAD due to its ineffectiveness in calculating low altitude rainfall, below 7,000 feet, in low lying areas on the edges of the radars scannable range, lack of river gauges and lack of ground truth stations. The Committee, therefore, encourages NWS to install additional small data collection devices to better assess rainfall, water levels, and related climate data. The Committee encourages the NWS to install additional small data collection devices to better assess rainfall, water levels, and related climate data. The NWS is urged to focus on watersheds where underestimates of local rainfall has led to damage of water infrastructure.

Because of this report language, we feel confident that Midland Countys needs for data collection tools can be addressed, said Stamas.

Additional pending legislation

Over the last month, we have submitted the same funding requests to U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenows office, and she has submitted all three of our local funding requests to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration, Stamas stated.

There is also pending House legislation that addresses two major FEMA-related challenges that affect mid-Michigan.

Weve worked closely with Congressman Moolenaar and his team on the development of federal legislation to mitigate the financial burden that FEMA requirements are placing on the Midland area, said Stamas.

Moolenaar introduced the Rural Disaster Support and Relief Act on May 19, the one-year anniversary of the dam breaches and flood event. The legislation addresses a FEMA cost-share issue and includes a provision eliminating a FEMA flood insurance penalty affecting the Midland Center for the Arts.

More recently, the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee adopted an amendment in full committee to adjust the cost-share for major disaster declarations in the calendar year 2020 to no less than 90% federal and 10% local. The House Homeland Security Appropriations bill was approved by the committee but has not yet been considered by the full House of Representatives. This legislation is separate and distinct from Moolenaars bill.

The legislative process on appropriations and budget approval is expected to continue throughout 2021.

Congressman Moolenaar, Sen. Stabenow, Sen. Gary Peters and their teams have been very supportive and deserve credit and thanks for their tremendous support of the mid-Michigan areas needs, Stamas stated.
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP)  With the new school year approaching, districts are setting mask policies to reduce the spread of the coronavirus as cases surge in Montana.

The Missoula County school board on Tuesday voted 6-3 to require students, staff and visitors to wear face coverings for at least the first six weeks of classes, based on the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Masks will be required on buses, but can be removed while outside or while eating or drinking.

About 100 people gathered near the school district office to protest the proposed mask requirement, the Missoulian reported. The board meeting was held virtually.

Under the new policy, teachers will be able to allow mask breaks, where students can remove facial coverings, if there is adequate space for social distancing. Teachers also can remove their own masks while working alone.

In Helena, the school board voted 7-1 on Tuesday to give the superintendent the discretion to require masks at elementary and middle schools on a week-to-week basis, based on the rate of spread of the coronavirus in the community.

Superintendent Rex Weltz can require masks if the COVID-19 transmission level in Lewis and Clark County is considered substantial" or high," the Independent Record reported. The county was listed on Tuesday as having substantial community transmission.

Masks will not be required at Helena's high schools because those students are eligible for vaccines.

Weltz said the goal is for students to have a school year that is as "normal as possible.

Some districts, including Billings, have made masks optional, while others are still deciding on a policy. Classes start during the last full week of August in many areas.

Montana reported 376 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, a day after reporting 493  the highest single day number since January. There were 164 people reported hospitalized Wednesday, up 10 from a day earlier, according to the state. In June, the daily average for hospitalizations was 54.

The Missoula City-County Health Department on Wednesday announced the recent death of a male age 19 or younger who had tested positive for COVID-19.

The county initially said the person died of COVID-19, but said the hospital later reported there were extenuating circumstances, and COVID-19 has not been confirmed as the cause of death. Further investigation is needed, officials said.

____

This story has been corrected to say Missoula County has not yet confirmed the cause of death of a male age 19 or under who had tested positive for COVID-19.
CHICAGO (AP)  More than 90,000 Chicago-area homes and businesses remained without power Wednesday morning following severe overnight thunderstorms that came one day after at least seven tornadoes touched down in parts of northern Illinois.

As of 7 a.m. CDT, about 96,000 Commonwealth Edison customers remained without power, with most of those in Cook, Lake, McHenry and Kane counties after a Tuesday storm raked the area with wind gusts of up to 70 mph (113 kilometers per hour), according to the utility.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP)  NASA is blaming unusually soft rock for last weeks sampling fiasco on Mars.

The Perseverance rover came up empty after attempting to collect its first core sample on the red planet for eventual return to Earth. Data beamed back last Friday showed that the rover drilled to the proper depth of nearly 3 inches (8 centimeters), and pictures of the borehole looked good. But it quickly became clear the sample tube was empty.

Since then, engineers have determined the rock was not strong enough to produce a core sample, and the small, powdery fragments remained in the hole or ended up in the cuttings pile  or both. So the rover is moving on to the next sampling site in its quest for signs of ancient Martian life; it should arrive there by early next month.

Imaging by the rover and its companion helicopter, Ingenuity, show the sedimentary rock should be much better for sampling there, Louise Jandura, chief engineer for Perseverance's sampling campaign, said Wednesday.

The hardware performed as commanded but the rock did not cooperate this time," Jandura wrote in an online update.

It reminds me yet again of the nature of exploration, she said. "A specific result is never guaranteed no matter how much you prepare.

NASA is looking to collect about 35 samples that would be returned via future spacecraft in a decade.

Its not the first time that a Mars lander has run into ground resistance. A German digger on NASAs InSight lander failed to burrow more than a couple feet, far short of its target. The clumping soil didnt provide enough friction for the heat-measuring device, and experimenters gave up in January.

The little helicopter, Ingenuity, meanwhile, is still wowing its team. It's completed 11 test flights, the latest one lasting more than two minutes, and even conducted aerial surveys of Jezero Crater. That's the ancient river delta where Perseverance and its hitchhiking chopper landed in February, following a nearly seven-month flight from Earth. Scientists believe the area would have been prime for microscopic life billions of years ago, if it existed.

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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.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  An effort to raise the minimum age to get married in North Carolina from 14 to 16 neared final legislative approval on Wednesday.

The House voted unanimously for the measure, which also would require a 16- or 17-year-old to obtain formal legal permission to marry. And the spouses of these youths could be no more than four years older than them.
JUNIATA, Neb. (AP)  A state trooper was wounded and a suspect killed in a shootout with patrol troopers Wednesday morning in south-central Nebraska, authorities said.

Brooks Hacker, 35, died after a lengthy standoff with law enforcement. He had recently moved from Omaha to Juniata, a village of about 800 people in Adams County, patrol officials said.

Neighbors around the home were either evacuated or told to stay in place as the suspect fired several shots inside and outside the home over several hours, patrol Col. John Bolduc said.

Let me begin by saying any loss of life is tragic, but in this case I have no doubt that the quick and professional actions of patrol troopers, Adams County deputies and Hastings police officers may very well have saved lives in Juniata, Bolduc said.

Hacker's girlfriend called 911 Tuesday night to report that the couple had a verbal confrontation that turned physical and he had fired at her, Patrol Capt. Jeff Roby said at a news conference.

As law enforcement officers surrounded the home, the woman fled into the backyard and hid before she was able to eventually reach law enforcement officers, Roby said.

The suspect fired dozens of shots inside and outside the home during the standoff, hitting a patrol car and two armored vehicles, Roby said.

One trooper, a 19-year patrol veteran who is on the SWAT team, was hit in the arm. He was treated and released at a hospital.

Hacker continued firing at officers before coming out when tear gas canisters were fired into the home, Roby said.

He was holding a gun when he came out of the house and was shot by a patrol SWAT team member, Roby said. He died at the scene in Juniata, about 97 miles (156 kilometers) west of Lincoln.

Adams County authorities said they had no prior contact with Hacker. Preliminary information indicated Hacker was drunk during the confrontation, Roby said.

The trooper who shot Hacker was placed on leave while the incident is investigated, as is normal procedure.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  The state of Nevada has awarded nearly $2 million to an 83-year-old man ruled by a court to have been twice wrongfully convicted in the 1974 robbery and killing of a casino magnate's wife.

The state Board of Examiners awarded the compensation to Frank LaPena, who was given a certificate of innocence by a state District Court judge, the state attorney general's office said Tuesday in a statement.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP)  Nigeria plans to soon lift its ban on Twitter, the country's information minister said Wednesday, two months after authorities blocked the social network when a tweet by the president was deleted.

Information Minister Lai Mohammed told journalists that an amicable resolution is very much in sight, but did not specify how soon the ban could be lifted in Africa's most populous nation.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  Only 35 of the more than 70,000 people who attended Garth Brooks' concert in Kansas City on Saturday took advantage of a chance to get a COVID-19 vaccine, the Kansas City Health Department said.

The mobile vaccination clinic operated for four hours in the Arrowhead parking lot before the concert, and fans were offered a chance to get upgraded floor seats to the concert if they were vaccinated.
JEFFERSON, La. (AP)  Before the latest surge of the coronavirus, Louisiana neurologist Robin Davis focused on her specialty: treating patients with epilepsy. These days, as virus patients flood her hospital in record numbers, she has taken on the additional duties of nurse, janitor and orderly.

I was giving bed baths on Sunday, emptying trash cans, changing sheets, rolling patients to MRI, said Davis, who has been coming in on her days off to provide some relief to overworked nurses at Ochsner Medical Center in the New Orleans suburb of Jefferson.

The rapidly escalating surge in COVID-19 infections across the U.S. is once again overwhelming hospitals, especially in hot spots such as Louisiana, which hit a record number of coronavirus hospitalizations last week. Nearly 2,900 virus patients are currently hospitalized  and state health officials say the number of cases may not peak for several more weeks. Louisiana has the country's fourth-lowest vaccination rate, with just a little more than 37% of residents fully inoculated.

On a recent day at Ochsner, health care providers rushed up and down halls, throwing on and taking off protective clothing every time they entered a new area of the building. In dozens of ICU rooms, patients lay pallid and motionless, tubes down their throats, as beeping machines pumped drugs into their system and ventilators forced air into their weakened lungs. Health care contractors brought in from other hospitals quickly familiarized themselves with a new environment as they rushed to ease the load of the overtaxed staff.

Were trying to provide the most consistent care we can, but to do that we need more hands, Davis said. One of the biggest issues for our nurses is, the volume of patients is such that were having to create beds that didnt previously exist. Were having to find providers that werent previously put in place.

AN OVERWHELMING CASELOAD

Ochsner Health is the largest health care provider in Louisiana, with 40 medical facilities across the state. More than 1,000 people  nearly 40% of the states currently hospitalized coronavirus patients  are being treated at Ochsners facilities. Roughly 200 of those are at the main campus in Jefferson, where three floors in the hospitals West Tower have been built out as care units for coronavirus patients.

Resources have been strained to the limit across the state with hospitals starting to turn away people with other life-threatening emergencies such as heart attacks or strokes. Elective surgeries and other nonurgent care have been suspended.

Davis said theres no greater need for her help than in Ochsners thinly stretched nursing department. She noted that her many recent duties have included fetching medication for nurses and pushing patients in wheelchairs.

If it took pressure off a nurse, if it gave her time to do what she needed to do, thats what we did, she said. Sunday was supposed to be my day off with my kids, but we need help here, and one day I want to be able to tell those two little boys I did the thing that was needed at the time it was needed.

NURSES HELPING NURSES

In Ochsner Medical Center's intensive care unit, nurses Joan Blizzard and Arthur Bienvenu try to care for each other along with their coronavirus patients.

They tie each other's gowns, prep medicines and machines together with barely a word, shuffle in and out of patients' rooms, their eyes the only part of their faces visible through their protective gear.

For the past year and a half, Bienvenu said, working 50 to 60 hours a week caring for patients and being surrounded by fellow staff has helped him cope with the loss of his father to the virus last year.

He said he shares his fathers story with other grieving families, including how his dad was on a ventilator for more than 20 days in the spring and how his family had to make the difficult decision to take him off it.

The outcome wouldnt be what he wanted, Bienvenu said. He wouldnt want to live with the trach and PEG (feeding tube) and the severity of the situation, so we decided to transition to comfort from progressive measures, and the little bit of dignity and respect my dad had left, we preserved that.

Bienvenu said working with other families experiencing loss has helped give him purpose during the most tragic time of his life.

People would ask me, Why are you still coming in?" he said. "Because these people need us, you know? We have to put a stop to this. Everybody has a different path through this. Im blessed to be around the people Im around. Thats the only way Im here.

Critical care nurse Mary Lubrano has watched her colleagues running up and down the intensive care unit hallway at Ochsner Medical Center while she lies in a hospital bed with the virus. She has been hospitalized for two weeks and counting, her breathing labored as she suffers from low oxygen.

That was me," she said of the other nurses, her voice choking with emotion. And I wanted to be able to help them.

Lubrano works in the critical care unit at St. Bernard Parish Hospital, an Ochsner-run facility near her home in Chalmette, where she was initially hospitalized before being transferred to the Jefferson campus.

She said she still checks her emails as often as possible to see how her fellow nurses in Chalmette are holding up.

They are busting their butts there, and they are full of COVID patients, and its the same nurses on the schedule every day. They just go and go, she said. As a nurse, its all about giving back, so I cant wait to get back out there.

IT'S WORSE THIS TIME

The magnitude of this most recent coronavirus surge  largely spurred by the highly contagious delta variant  is profound, Blizzard said.

People are getting sick so quickly this time, she said. They will be talking to you, and within hours, were having multiple people at the bedside" performing emergency procedures. "It is so scary.

If they survive, many will live with years of impairment, she said.

Bienvenu wants people to understand the severity of the current situation.

It hits all of us different, he said. Yes, one individual can have coughs or sneezes, but another individual can be on a ventilator."

WISHING THEY HAD BEEN VACCINATED

Jerome Batiste, a 26-year-old New Orleans resident, said he so rarely got sick he didnt think he needed the coronavirus vaccine. He assumed he had a strong immune system, having gone the entire pandemic without getting infected, he said.

As he sat by a window in a recovery room in one of Ochsners COVID units, taking in some sunshine from the bench near his hospital bed, he said hes not only wishing hed gotten the vaccine but wants everyone he knows to get it, and Ill go if they need somebody to go with them.

Batiste isnt sure where he contracted the virus but said he had been on a family trip to Disney World and had also visited friends in the weeks before falling ill.

It just happened, he said. It just came out of the blue. I started coughing a lot.

He said he took over-the-counter cough medicine, hoping it would pass, but it just got worse and worse, and I started throwing up a lot, and I couldnt keep anything down.

Since he was admitted to the hospital last week, hes been given vitamins, steroids, breathing treatments and shots to prevent blood clots. Hes also developed a rare condition in which his bodys muscle tissue has begun to break down, requiring a kidney flush to prevent further illness.

Batiste said hes telling family and friends to not get comfortable when it comes to the virus and to protect themselves with the shot.

I just didnt take it as serious as most young people should, he said, a port with tubes for his medicine sticking out of his right forearm. Youre never too safe to go and get vaccinated.

Mary Lubrano, the critical care nurse now ill with COVID-19, said she had never been hospitalized until this year. She said she had intended to get vaccinated, but a breast cancer diagnosis in February, followed by surgery and radiation to eradicate it, caused her to put off the shot.

She said she was also nervous about jeopardizing her health after a relative suffered a stroke shortly after receiving the vaccine. She knows most people have mild side effects, if any, but she was still hesitant. The vaccines have been proven to be safe in studies and in use in more than half the U.S. population and are far less risky than the virus itself.

I had my follow-up, getting brave to do my vaccine, and I got COVID instead, said Lubrano, who called it the scariest time in her life. You take breathing for granted.  When you sit down and cant get air in your lungs ... that is so fearful, and I dont want anyone to ever have to feel that way.

Lubrano said her husband fell ill first and was hospitalized while she quarantined at home. He has since been released and is recovering at home, still on oxygen, she said.

Since her hospitalization, Lubrano's entire family  her daughters, sisters and their spouses  have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

I made it my mission to make sure nobody has to suffer this way, she said, an oxygen tube attached to her nose. Everyone needs to be vaccinated. Well never beat this any other way.

Davis, the neurologist who has been forced to take on added duties during the most recent coronavirus surge, says she cant stress enough the importance of getting vaccinated. She recalls how a year ago  before vaccines were available  she watched helplessly as friends and neighbors died.

They were people that didnt have a chance, she said. There was nothing we could do to stop this for them. Youve got a chance now. You have something that gives you the opportunity to have a fate that isnt like theirs. Please dont squander it.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP)  A Palestinian man succumbed Wednesday to a gunshot wound suffered during clashes with Israeli forces last week in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said.

Dia al-Din Sabarini, 25, was shot in the stomach Aug. 3 during a raid by Israeli security forces in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, citing the health ministry.

Sabarini was hospitalized in critical condition and died of his wounds Wednesday. Five other Palestinians were shot by Israeli troops during the incident.

In a statement, the Israeli army said troops operating in Jenin came under attack from gunfire, explosives, firebombs and rocks before soldiers returned fire at the attackers. The military reported that no soldiers were injured, but that their armored vehicles were damaged by gunfire.

Last month, Israeli troops opened fire on a car in the southern West Bank town of Beit Ummar, killing a 12-year-old as he and his family were driving. The killing sparked two days of protests in which another Palestinian was killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers.

Two other Palestinians were shot and killed in recent weeks near the West Bank town of Beita, which has seen repeated clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian protesters over the establishment of a nearby settlement outpost.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and has established dozens of settlements where nearly 500,000 settlers reside. The Palestinians want the West Bank as part of their future state and view the settlements as a major obstacle to resolving the conflict.
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP)  The trial against a Big Island woman charged with murder in the 2017 death of a foster child she was caring for is being postponed for three weeks.

Chasity Alcosiba-McKenzie opted to go to trial before a judge instead of a jury. She has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder for the death of 3-year-old Fabian Garett-Garcia.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  Postal workers thrilled at the prospect of making deliveries in modern, comfortable and environmentally friendly vehicles are soldiering on in their aging, spartan trucks.

The primary fleet of vehicles  dating to 1987  was due to be replaced under a new contract but the winning bid for the new trucks is being challenged. That means the delivery of new trucks set for 2023 could be delayed.

The longer this drags on, the more lives are at risk, said John Graham, a postal carrier who operates one of the old vehicles in Portland, Maine.

Most workers dont care which model they get. They just want something thats safe.

More than 150 of the current vehicles have caught fire. They lack adequate heating and cooling, they deliver poor fuel economy and theyre becoming difficult to maintain.

The Grumman Long Life Vehicle delivered on its name. They went into service from 1987 to 1994 with a promise of a 24-year service life. The oldest of them have survived about 34 years of grueling use on the daily mail routes from snowy Maine to sunny California.

Most postal carriers will tell you they weren't so great even in their prime.

They're built on a General Motors chassis with a body provided by Grumman and they're powered by a four-cylinder engine that was supposed to deliver fuel economy  but in reality provides about 9 miles per gallon (4 kilometers per liter) on stop-and-go routes. Missing are modern safety features like airbags and anti-lock brakes.

A glaring fault in Maine's cold winters is inadequate heating.

Even worse is the lack of air conditioning that allows temperatures to soar to dangerous levels inside the vehicles on hot summer days. A postal worker died from a heat stroke earlier this summer during a heat wave in California.

Fires have become a frequent hazard. The Postal Times keeps a running tally along with photos on its website. There were 19 of them so far this year, including five in July.

In Florida, Kathleen Shunstrom witnessed one of them going up in flames. She opened her blinds to see her local carriers postal truck ablaze in her neighbors driveway in Niceville, on the Florida Panhandle.

The carrier noticed her vehicle was smoking after delivering a package. By the time someone dialed 911, it had burst into flames. No one was hurt.

It was scary to see, said Shunstrom, who captured video of the flames on July 24 on her cellphone. It went up so fast.

The U.S. Postal Service has more than 230,000 vehicles. That includes 190,000 local delivery vehicles, and more than 141,000 of those are Grumman LLVs, said USPS spokesperson Kim Frum.

The current delivery fleet has reached a critical point where it is no longer cost-effective to maintain the fleet in order to provide reliable and efficient delivery service for citizens while meeting the needs of carriers, Frum said.

A competitive bid process was supposed to mark a turning point.

Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense won the bid in February for the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle with the first deliveries set for late 2023.

It's a greener vehicle with modern amenities like climate control and safety features like air bags, backup cameras and collision avoidance. The trucks are also taller to make it easier for postal carriers to grab packages and parcels that have been making up a far greater portion of their deliveries, even before the pandemic.

But a losing bidder, an Ohio company called Workhorse Group, challenged the fairness of the decision in June.

There's no deadline for protest decisions, but research suggests that contract challenges generally take about four to five months from filing to decision, according to David Ralston and Frank Murray, Washington-based attorneys from Foley & Lardner LLP.

The initial contract for Oshkosh Defense was for $482 million for completing and testing the final design, and retooling and building out its factory to produce gas and electric versions. But the value could stretch into billions of dollars if Oshkosh delivers 165,000 vehicles over the next decade. Workhorse Group put the total contract value at up to $3.1 billion in its contract challenge.

With so much money at stake, it's possible that any decision could go to the Court of Appeals, which would extend the timetable even further out. For now, Oshkosh is continuing to get started even as the challenge plays out.

Oshkosh Defense, which proposed a mix of gas and electric trucks, and Workhorse, which proposed an all-electric fleet, declined comment.

In Portland, Graham knows his vehicle fairly well. The rear-wheel drive vehicles spin around in icy conditions, so he knows to be careful. They reek of exhaust fumes. The transmission sometimes slips out of gear.

But the big complaint now, in the summer, is the heat. There's a fan on the dashboard but that doesn't cool things down much.

Graham said that during the summer he throws his lunch on the dashboard at mid-morning. It'll be steaming hot by lunchtime, he said.

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This story has been updated to correct the brand of chassis used in the Grumman LLV. It is a General Motors chassis, not a Ford chassis.

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Follow David Sharp on Twitter at https://twitter.com/David_Sharp_AP
ALBERTVILLE, Ala. (AP)  A man who broke into a home early Wednesday took an 11-month-old child who was later found unharmed, authorities said.

Albertville police said a man entered a home around 4:30 a.m. and assaulted a woman before taking the tot. The man and the woman have another child together, news outlets reported.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  The top health official in Utah's most populous county said Tuesday that she will seek a mask mandate in schools for kids under the age of 12, who are unable to get vaccinated.

Salt Lake County Health Director Angela Dunn said that she issued an order of constraint requiring children under 12 to wear masks in school, which will officially be issued Wednesday.
BRUSSELS - The summer started on a hopeful note. Coronavirus cases were falling, and inoculation rates were rising on both sides of the Atlantic. The European Union moved to lift its restrictions on travel from the United States, and newly vaccinated tourists eagerly embarked on their first "post-pandemic" trips.

But now three months later, the United States still hasn't lifted the Trump-era rules banning most European travelers, the State Department is telling citizens to avoid 10 of the continent's countries, and the European Union is considering shutting its doors once again to Americans, as U.S. cases soar.

The European Union's official recommendations stipulate that countries on its "safe list" should have recorded no more than 75 new covid-19 cases per 100,000 residents over the last 14 days. But the U.S. rates are far higher. The most recent data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control lists the United States at nearly 270 cases per 100,000 people. Those numbers, though, are out of date - last updated Aug. 1. They obscure the worst of the most recent surge. The current number is closer to 400, or more than five times the E.U. threshold, according to a Washington Post tally.

On Monday, after rumors circulated that the European Union would reimpose restrictions on U.S. travelers, the bloc decided against it, for now, allowing Americans to continue flocking to European cities and beaches, which have been desperate to revive tourism-starved economies.

But the 27-member club also signaled that policy could soon change. The Council of the European Union, the body through which member states coordinate policy, said it would continue monitoring the countries, including the United States, where "the covid situation has deteriorated," an official told The Post.

If the picture does not improve in the next two weeks, the council may remove the United States from the safe list, said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

That could mean a ban on unvaccinated travelers. E.U. members could also impose what they have called an "emergency break," which would halt travel regardless of vaccination status.

The possibility of a review looms as U.S. authorities are urging Americans to avoid much of western Europe. On Monday, the State Department issued "Do Not Travel" advisories for France and Iceland, citing the virus levels in those countries, which are similar to U.S. rates. Officials had already attached that highest-level warning to Britain, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

And, despite an E.U. vaccination campaign that has surpassed America's, the United States has maintained its rules barring entry to most European travelers. President Donald Trump first imposed the ban at the beginning of the pandemic. It applies to residents of Britain, Ireland and Europe's 26-country, border-free Schengen zone.

The White House has directed questions on the ban to its public health experts. Spokesmen at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which maintains the list of banned countries, did not respond to a request for comment on the restrictions or when they would be lifted.

"I certainly understand there's a desire to do that by many people in the United States, many people around the world," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing last week. "We understand that. I just don't have an update on it and when that will happen."

The persistent restrictions have exasperated many in Europe. Critics of the U.S. policy say it's hurting businesses, dividing families and makes little epidemiological sense, as infection levels in the United States are far higher than in most E.U. countries.

"We insist that there are comparable rules for travelers in both directions," Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said in an interview with the German outlet RND last week. "We have to solve the problem as soon as possible, and we are in contact with our American friends. This must not drag on for weeks longer."

European Commission spokesman Adalbert Jahnz said at a Tuesday news conference that talks with the United States were ongoing.

"We consider there is a good case for the U.S. to remove their travel restrictions, or at least adapt them, given the improving health situation in the E.U. overall," he said.

A recent column in the conservative German newspaper Die Welt compared the U.S. policy to a "humiliation." As a result, the paper's correspondent wrote, many Europeans would probably embrace new restrictions on Americans, but "unfortunately nobody would benefit from it." European countries, especially those around the Mediterranean, need the tourism dollars to survive, he argued.

In France, for instance, tourism accounted for more than 7% of the country's gross domestic product before the pandemic. The economies of Italy and Greece are even more dependent on the sector, with tourism accounting for 13 and over 20% of their GDPs, respectively.

The return of U.S. tourists to Greece excited the sector this year, when nationals from many other countries were still restricted from traveling there. The U.S. ambassador to Greece, Geoffrey Pyatt, called 2021 "the year of American tourism in Greece."

The E.U. official said the council's decision this week not to reinstate restrictions on the United States was based on consultation with public health officials and the European Commission, the bloc's executive branch.

The rules are not legally binding. If southern European countries wanted to preserve their longer summer tourism season, they could, just as Greece opened to U.S. tourists earlier than its neighbors did. But the E.U. guidance sets an important precedent because borders are open between member states, and there's an interest in maintaining a united stance.

Representatives of the tourism industry said the European Union's hesitancy to reimpose travel restrictions on Americans now may reflect a growing awareness of the potential economic fallout from such measures.

"Traveling and mobility is fundamental for the European Union economy," said Luis Araujo, the president of the European Travel Commission, an organization that seeks to promote travel to the European Union.

According to the organization, U.S. arrivals to Europe declined by more than 80% last year, compared with 2019. Italy, France and Spain are among the European countries that are most dependent on U.S. travelers, but other nations were seeing a rising interest before the pandemic.

Any sudden change in regulations negatively affects trust in the tourism sector, Araujo said, and the European Union may be increasingly wary of taking action that could damage the industry.

"It's crucial," Araujo said, "to give some confidence back to the sector."

- - -

Noack reported from Paris.
A third dose of Modernas COVID-19 vaccine substantially improved protection for organ transplant recipients whose weak immune systems don't always rev up enough with the standard two shots, Canadian researchers reported Wednesday.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was small but its the most rigorous type of third-dose testing so far for this vulnerable group.

Moderna and similar vaccines provide robust protection for most people, even as the highly contagious delta variant is surging. But millions with suppressed immune systems because of transplants, cancer or other disorders don't always get that benefit. Theres limited evidence that an extra dose helps some of them, something France and Israel already recommend and the U.S. is considering.

Researchers at Torontos University Health Network enrolled 120 transplant recipients, and two months after their second Moderna shot, gave half a real third dose and the rest a dummy shot.

Soon after, 55% of the third-dose recipients had a high level of virus-fighting antibodies in their blood, compared to 18% who only got two doses plus a placebo. Antibodies are only one of the bodys defenses; third-dose recipients also had more T cells that help prevent severe disease. Side effects were mild.

The findings offer yet more evidence that many transplant recipients could benefit from an extra dose, said Dr. Dorry Segev, a Johns Hopkins University transplant surgeon who wasnt involved with the new research. But it's important to check patients' antibody levels before offering another shot, as some study participants had pretty good immune responses to regular vaccination, added Segev, who is leading a U.S. study of extra shots in unprotected transplant recipients.

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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.
GENEVA (AP)  Several Chinese newspaper websites have removed comments about the coronavirus pandemic that were wrongly presented as coming from a Swiss biologist who does not appear to exist, Switzerlands foreign ministry said Wednesday.

The press and social media comments attributed to a biologist identified as Wilson Edwards took aim at alleged U.S. pressure on researchers amid the pandemic. Chinese authorities and state media outlets have led an aggressive pushback against criticism abroad of Chinas handling of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Swiss Embassy in Beijing highlighted its suspicions about the quoted scientist on Tuesday with a Twitter post: Looking for Wilson Edwards, alleged (Swiss) biologist, cited in press and social media in China over the last several days.

If you exist, we would like to meet you! the embassy tweeted.

A message inserted with the post, written in English and Chinese, said no Swiss citizen named Wilson Edwards appeared on registries or academic articles from the biology field. It said the Facebook account where comments attributed to Wilson were published was opened on July 24.

The embassy said that while it appreciated Switzerland receiving attention, it must unfortunately inform the Chinese public that this news is false.

While we assume that the spreading of this story was done in good faith by the media and netizens, we kindly ask that anyone having published this story take it down and publish a corrigendum," the embassy post said.

Pierre-Alain Eltschinger, a spokesman for the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs, said the comments were wrongly presented as coming from a Swiss biologist."

Several Chinese newspapers have since pulled down those comments, he said in an e-mail, without specifying.

An authenticated Facebook account of the Peoples Daily, China newspaper still had an English language reference to an article from CGTN, the international arm of the Chinese state broadcaster, quoting Wilson.

In the CGTN article, Wilson was quoted as saying he and fellow researchers had faced pressure and intimidation from the United States and some media outlets for supporting conclusions in a joint study by China and the Geneva-based World Health Organization on the origins of COVID- 19.

The study, released publicly in March, presented several hypotheses about how the pandemic started but no firm conclusions.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Madhav Joshi, University of Notre Dame and David Cortright, University of Notre Dame

(THE CONVERSATION) The Taliban continue to gain territory in their bloody insurgency to seize control of Afghanistan. Recently, Taliban leaders said Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis removal is a condition for ending the conflict.

If a mutually acceptable candidate were named to replace Ghani, a Taliban spokesman told The Associated Press in late July 2021, the insurgents would be willing to lay down their weapons.

It was the Islamic militant groups second call for Ghanis resignation since peace negotiations began with the government in September 2020. In January 2021 a leading Taliban negotiator said Ghani was the only hurdle to a successful accord because the Taliban believe his 2019 election win was fraudulent.

Ghani has historically had strong support from the international community, including the United States. But in a leaked March 2021 letter, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Ghani to agree to a peace process with the Taliban that would dissolve the Afghan government and even lead to his removal from power, citing concerns that the security situation [would]\ worsen after the U.S. withdrew its troops.

The U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan is now nearly complete.

Ghanis resignation could be Afghanistans best chance at a lasting peace, according to our academic research in conflict zones  though not necessarily under the conditions the Taliban demands.

How peace is built

In research that compares different peace processes, political power-sharing  which entails warring parties jointly sharing responsibilities in a countrys government during a transitional period  is associated with a sustainable postwar peace.

In 31 countries in which the armed groups reached comprehensive peace agreements since 1989, 16 cases  including in Cambodia, South Africa and Sudan  included a power-sharing arrangement.

In conflicts like Afghanistans, in which armed fighters sought to overthrow the government, three-quarters of those that ended successfully featured power-sharing arrangements. As part of Colombias 2016 accord with the FARC guerrillas, for example, the FARC were allocated five seats in the 108-member Senate and five in the 178-member House of Representatives.

There are few historical precedents, however, for the Talibans demand to remove a sitting president as a precondition of peace. The only examples we found were in Liberia, Nepal and Burundi.

Comparative examples

At the end of Liberias four-year-long second civil war, in 2003, President Charles Taylor resigned under pressure from Liberian protesters and demands from the U.S. and West African countries.

However, angry protesters are not armed insurgents, and Afghanistans Ghani is not comparable to Taylor.

Taylor is a convicted war criminal who tortured, killed and mutilated thousands of Liberian civilians. In Afghanistans war, the Taliban  not the president  have caused the bulk of the suffering. Since 2001 they have targeted and killed civilians, destroyed schools and hospitals and curtailed womens rights in territories they control.

Nepals 2006 peace negotiations between the democratic government of Nepal and Maoist rebels resulted in an agreement to create an elected assembly that would write a new constitution and decide the future of the 230-year-old monarchy, which the Maoists called repressive and anti-democratic.

The assembly decided to dethrone the king and become a republic. The king accepted its decision and left the palace in 2008.

In Burundi, the Arusha Accords of 2000 constituted a power-sharing deal reached between rebel groups and political parties representing the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups. They led to the sitting presidents resigning office in April 2003 and an end to the Tutsis minority rule while safeguarding their access to power under the new, Hutu-led government.

Recipe for peace

The above examples of a leader in a war-torn nation resigning to secure peace share a few common features.

First, the leaders removal came toward the end of the negotiations. It came after cease-fire had been signed, rebels had surrendered their weapons and new constitutional arrangements had been made for the countrys governance.

The Taliban want the opposite order: They are predicating a cease-fire and the creation of a transitional power-sharing government on Ghanis removal.

Second, in other cases in which a sitting leader resigned as part of a peace process, the leader had lost the support of the people. Ghani is weak, but there is no demand for his removal from Afghan civilians or political parties.

Nor do Afghan political parties, civil society groups and international mediators perceive the Taliban as trustworthy negotiators or leaders. Since peace talks began in 2020 in Qatar, Taliban fighters have increased their military offenses in Afghanistan, captured territories and targeted and displaced civilians.

Building relationships across political divides is foundational in any successful peace negotiation, and particularly so in a power-sharing government. The Taliban have not provided evidence that they can compromise without resorting to violence, including against the very people they seek to govern.

No clarity, little trust

Taliban negotiators are also silent on the concessions they would be willing to make for peace.

The Afghan government and international mediators involved in the peace process want to understand the Talibans position on constitutional rule, human rights and womens rights, among other critical issues. The Taliban previously ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and imposed a harsh, extreme version of Islamic rule on the country.

Taliban negotiators have stated only that women have rights in a genuine Islamic system. They promise to release their own peace plans, which may clarify their positions on gender and other issues.

If Ghanis removal is so critical for the Taliban, his departure could be used as leverage to gain necessary commitments from the Taliban. Ghani could agree to step down as president  but only if the Taliban conveyed their seriousness about reaching a power-sharing settlement with reasonable guarantees of human rights and constitutional rule.

If Afghanistans negotiations with the Taliban advance in the coming weeks and months, Ghanis resignation, offered at the right moment, could be decisive to reaching a political settlement.

[The Conversations Politics + Society editors pick need-to-know stories. Sign up for Politics Weekly.]

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/to-end-war-in-afghanistan-taliban-demand-afghan-presidents-removal-165585.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Virginia health officials renewed their recommendations for mask wearing in schools and indoors on Tuesday as a more contagious variant of the coronavirus continues to spread.

The delta variant is fueling a rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations just as schools begin or prepare to launch their academic year. One school system has already reported a few dozen cases.

Schools in Hopewell, south of Richmond, started the academic year on July 26. As of Tuesday, the school system of about 4,000 students reported 40 cases.

Most are among students. And most are attributed to community spread, although a small number of cases can be traced to school transmission.

The situation illustrates the challenges schools face in providing much-needed, in-school instruction, while trying to stop the spread of a potentially dangerous virus.

What were trying to do is find the best balance of serving the community and serving the children of Hopewell, said Byron Davis, a district spokesman.

Hopewell is the first full district in Virginia to open its doors this academic year, although some individual schools were already teaching, Davis said.

There are a lot of eyes on us trying to see how this is working out, he added.

Students and staff are continuing to wear masks. And the district is re-employing a variety of safety measures that had been relaxed, Davis said. Those include increasing distances between students or putting up plexiglass.

Dr. Laurie Forlano, deputy director for the states office of epidemiology, acknowledged on Tuesday at a news conference by the Virginia Department of Health that school re-openings are on the forefront of parents' minds.

We strongly feel that children should return to full-time, in-person learning in the fall with those layered prevention strategies in place, Forlano said.

She reiterated the states most recent recommendation that children wear masks in school and said they should get vaccinated if theyre old enough.

Gov. Ralph Northam's administration has offered shifting guidance on the subject in recent weeks, prompting some school districts to rethink their plans for the fall.

A statewide public health order that had mandated masking in schools came to an end in July. Northam opted not to issue a new one, saying school divisions would have the ability to implement local policies based on community level conditions and public health recommendations."

But last week at a news conference, Northam highlighted a law passed by the General Assembly earlier in the year mandating in-person instruction that also requires school districts to follow mitigation strategies from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the maximum extent practicable.

CDC guidelines - which had been tightened since Northam weighed in on the issue in July - now recommend indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools nationwide, regardless of vaccination status.

The governor suggested school districts could face legal action if they did not comply.

At the General Assembly on Tuesday, Republican Sen. Steve Newman said the governor's messaging has left some local school officials confused and frustrated.

David Marsden and Jennifer McClellan, Democratic state senators, defended the administration, saying the change in guidance was necessary because of the surge in COVID-19 cases.

Virginia's statewide mask mandate was lifted in May.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A GOP-led effort to force two county election clerks to turn over ballots and voting machines is running into resistance among Republicans as well as legal hurdles, with attorneys for the Legislature saying subpoenas issued so far are not valid.

Rep. Janel Brandtjen, the Republican chairwoman of the Assembly Elections Committee, is pursuing an investigation into the 2020 election results that have already withstood multiple lawsuits and recounts in the state's two most populous counties.

Brandtjen is among supporters of former President Donald Trump who are questioning the election's outcome, despite no evidence of widespread fraud. To date, only two people out of more than 3.3 million voters have been charged with election fraud in Wisconsin.

There are already two other election investigations underway in Wisconsin. One, ordered by Republicans, is being led by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau. The other, ordered by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, is being spearheaded by former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman.

Brandtjen issued subpoenas last week to election clerks in Brown and Milwaukee counties as part of a third probe.

Brandtjen has cited two separate state laws as granting authority to issue the subpoenas for ballots, machines and other election-related material. But attorneys for the nonpartisan Wisconsin Legislative Council said last week, and again Tuesday, that only Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Chief Clerk Ted Blazel can authorize the subpoenas Brandtjen has sought.

Brandtjen, of Menomonee Falls, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. She insisted in a statement Monday that legislative committees had the power to issue the subpoenas. The opinion from the Legislature's attorneys that legislative committees did not have the power to issue subpoenas came at the request of Democratic Rep. Mark Spreitzer, of Beloit.

Leaders in Brown and Milwaukee counties have not yet said whether they will comply with the subpoenas.

Milwaukee County's attorney was reviewing the subpoena with regard to its validity and the extensive request for materials," County Clerk George Christenson said. "Once we have completed our review we will be able to respond in full.

Brown County Deputy Executive Jeff Flynt said the matter was still being reviewed and he did not expect an update this week.

When asked Tuesday whether the counties should comply, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said hell no. Brandtjen responded by saying "if Governor Evers is so confident there were no issues, he would be more than willing to show it. What are they hiding?

Vos, who has not commented since she issued the subpoenas last week, did not immediately respond to questions Wednesday about whether he would sign the subpoenas. But he has previously said he didn't think a third election investigation was necessary given the two other ongoing ones.

Vos has designated Gableman as a special counsel with powers to hire his own investigators after two hired by Vos quit last month. As of Tuesday, no contracts had been signed for any new investigators, according to Blazel.

Meanwhile, the Republican chairwoman of the Senate elections committee, Sen. Kathy Bernier, told CBS58 in Milwaukee t hat she didn't support a third investigation.

Having another separate investigation ... I dont think would be fruitful, Bernier said. Right now, I have full confidence in the forensic audit that the Legislative Audit Bureau is doing.

Bernier, who previously served as the Chippewa County Clerk before joining the Legislature, said she hoped the Audit Bureau report would restore confidence in the electoral system.

That audit is expected to be complete later this fall.
Jordan Flores has been running hurdles since he was in 7th grade.

A coach made him try it and to Flores own surprise, he was a natural.

Now, the new high school junior is turning his focus to track with the goal of continuing his track career after high school.

After a successful end to his track season in April, Flores spent the summer traveling to track competitions around the state with a regional league  the Lubbock Olympians. Flores was one of two Plainview athletes to advance to regional track

Hes done really well, said Lori Chaparro, Flores mother.

She realized he was serious about track when he approached her about joining the summer league. Chaparro spoke with her son about what it means to be dedicated to something like this and started making plans to raise money and to usher him to Lubbock for practices, Odessa for meets and then later to Corpus Christi for competition. And he did it while also balancing a job here in Plainview.

We really enjoyed that this summer, she said. It was a good experience for Jordan.

Flores met dedicated tracksters from all over the state and soaked up as much of the experience as he could.

After the experience, he said hes looking forward to what his junior year has in store. Hes dedicating his time and talents to track this year.

My goals for my junior year is to make it to state because I did do it my sophomore year, he said. I want to make it even further my junior year.

There are several months before track season begins and Flores wants to use that time to get stronger and to get faster.

This summer, his work on the track led him to compete at the summer leagues state contest in Corpus Christi where he ran the 110-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles. The 16-year-old ran with athletes in a higher age bracket and managed to place in the top 10 in the 110-meter hurdles and 11th in the 300-meter hurdles.

That competition is no joke, he said.

The experience reaffirmed something for him. Flores aims to work to land a track scholarship and Chaparro cant express just how proud she is of her son.

He tells me, Mom, I know you struggled and it was hard to put my oldest son through college, she said. Flores tells her he wants to work hard so she doesnt have to worry about that.

Chaparro describes her son as humble with a good heart. Hes smart and active with his church. She tells him academics come first and she has no doubt hell reach his goals.
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ANALYSIS: Political leaders urge Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau not to call an election, but polls suggest he is in the lead.

Will Canada have an election in the coming months? ANALYSIS: Political leaders urge Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau not to call an election, but polls suggest he is in the lead.

Will Canada have an election in the coming months? ANALYSIS: Political leaders urge Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau not to call an election, but polls suggest he is in the lead.

Will Canada have an election in the coming months? ANALYSIS: Political leaders urge Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau not to call an election, but polls suggest he is in the lead. Shelby Thevenot Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Canadian law requires that the government in power will have to call an election by October 16, 2023, but it could be much sooner.

It seems Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is gearing up for a snap election. Media reports suggest Trudeau may call the election within the next one or two weeks and Canadians could head to the polls as soon as September. COVID-19 cases are down, vaccination rates are up, and the prime minister has been handing out funding to various groups across the country. Polls suggest support is on the rise for Trudeau and his Liberal Party.

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Trudeau won a majority government in 2015. Since the previous election in 2019, the Liberal Party has led the country as a minority government, meaning they did not secure more than 50 per cent of the seats. There are 338 seats in the House of Commons where elected representatives from all over Canada form government. Liberals have 157 seats. Although there are more Liberals in power compared to any other party, all the other parties together out number them. Its opposite is a majority government where the party that is leading the country is also the most represented in the House of Commons.

This is likely why the Liberal Party is gearing up for an election now, in hopes of securing a majority government. Even though leaders of opposition parties have called on Trudeau not to hold an election, the Liberal Party leader is ahead in the polls, especially for his pandemic management. From the Liberal standpoint, it could be advantageous to open up an election while they are ahead.

At the moment, the House is in recess, meaning there are no activities going on. If Trudeau calls an election, Governor General Mary Simon will dissolve Parliament, and election season will begin.

Political parties, leaders, and immigration

Here is an overview of federal party leaders, their platforms, and followers. Public opinion data come from a recent Angus Reid poll.

Liberal Party

Lead by Justin Trudeau, the Liberal Party is generally situated centre to centre-left on the political spectrum.

Since winning a minority government in 2019, the Liberals have increased immigration levels, introduced new immigration streams for essential workers and international graduates, Hongkongers, and refugees, and made immigration policy more flexible among the coronavirus pandemic. For example, at the outset of the pandemic, they announced a number of exceptional measures so that temporary residents can remain in Canada and so that immigration candidates have more time to submit their applications. However, they have yet to make good on their promises to get rid of citizenship fees, and create a Municipal Nominee Program.

Supporters of this party are most likely to believe current immigration targets are the right amount, which makes sense since it was the Liberal party that set them.

Conservative Party

The leading opposition party generally sits centre-right on the political spectrum.

The Conservatives are the only other federal party to govern Canada, most recently between 2006 and 2015. It is the biggest opposition party to the Liberal government. When last in power, Conservatives also increased immigration, focusing more on economic class immigration. For instance, they introduced the Express Entry system.

Conservative party leader Erin OToole has called immigration critical to (Canadas) success. Also, he has repeatedly won elections in immigrant-dense ridings.

One quarter of past Conservative Party voters agree the current immigration targets are good. These voters are the most likely to say the Liberal partys targets are far too high and the least likely to say targets are far too low.

NDP

On the political spectrum, the NDP generally sit further left than the Liberals.

The NDP has only ever led provincial levels of government. The partys leader Jagmeet Singh is popular among immigrants, visible minorities, and young people. Singhs popularity is said to be making the NDP a strong contender to become the official opposition.

In the 2019 election, Singh campaigned to prioritized family reunification, tackle immigration backlogs, and support the resettlement of refugees.

The majority of past NDP voters agree that the Liberals immigration targets are just right.

How might an election impact Canadian immigration?

Should an election be called, there will likely be little immediate impact on Canadas immigration system. The Liberal Party will continue to govern during the election campaign, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will continue to implement the Liberals policies including the Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023.

Once an election has been decided, these policies will continue to be pursued until the new government has been formed and the new cabinet has been unveiled. Following the 2015 and 2019 elections, a new cabinet was introduced before Christmas, and then the new government began to implement its immigration mandate shortly after.

Canadian immigration should remain fairly stable for the rest of the 2021. The immigration policy priorities that the Canadian government will pursue in 2022 and beyond will be determined by the outcome of a potential upcoming election.

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Sandie Matthews Sandie Matthews, CIO, New South Wales Department of Education

The former CIO for the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC), Sandie Matthews, has replaced Stephen Loquet as CIO for the NSW Department of Education.

Matthews was appointed in August 2021 and had been leading the IT directorate in the department on an acting basis since April 2021. As part of the NSW Government Sector Employment Act, which provides mobility for senior executives across the public sector, Matthews was temporarily assigned to NSW Department of Education before being formally transferred on 9 August 2021.

A NSW Education spokesperson told CIO Australia that Matthews has extensive experience leading digital and technology teams in big and complex public sector environments across different jurisdictions.

Matthews had been with the DPC for 12 months prior to her recent appointment. Before that, shed been COO for the City of Darwin, and she is also known for her time as CIO for the Northern Territory Office of Digital Government. Wendy Bryant from Transport for NSW was temporarily assigned to the DPC CIO role in June and and spokesperson for the DPC said the department will confirm ongoing arrangements for the role shortly.

In July 2021, the department suffered a cyberattack as NSW schools were readying for online teaching as a state lockdown was placed on 26 June. At the time of the cyberattack, NSW Education had no CIO, with Loquet having left in April. An organisational chart dated 26 July 2021 lists no CIO, with Matthews as an acting CTO in charge of cybersecurityand lists Scott Thomson as the acting executive director for cybersecurity.

Stephen Loquet Stephen Loquet, former CIO, New South Wales Department of Education

The departed Loquet joined the NSW Education Department in January 2011, replacing Stephen Wilson. Loquet spent just over a decade at NSW Education. It was an enormous honour and privilege to work for the department for the past 10 wonderful years and to lead the Information Technology Directorate. I am very grateful, Loquet told CIO Australia.

Loquet has worked across many projects in the past decade and was key in the transformation of the departments IT services and systems, ensuring that IT worked while teachers stood in front of the classroom in all the 66,000 learning spaces. He was also responsible for securing a contract with Telstra to provide 5Mbps of school bandwidth per student across the state in all schools.

More recently, in our response to the COVID pandemic, we ensured that we were able to provide IT services to scale up learning from home and working from home so we had the continuity of education, Loquet said.

And lastly, I have to mention developing a Schools Digital Strategy which has led [the state] government to invest $367 million in rural schools via the Rural Access Gap program. The Rural Access Gap program in an Department of Education program to ensure students living in rural areas have the same access to technology as their city counterparts.

The department has recently invested in solid state storage, awarding a $1.1 million contract to iQ3 in April, Zoom licences to the value of $715,000 in March, and $1.4 million for the renewal of Infoblox software subscription, hardware, and services awarded to Fujitsu Australia in January.
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Yesterday morning, Rita Glavinan attorney for Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, who has vigorously defended her client (including in a fifty-one-minute live interview on CNN) since a state report concluded that he sexually harassed eleven womencame out swinging again in a virtual briefing. Her targets included the media: the press, she charged, had parroted the reports findings without interrogating them or presenting Cuomos side of the story. I believe in the rule of law, she said, not mob mentality and not media mentality. A short while later, Cuomo himself appeared on camera and defended himself at length against the most damning parts of the report. Then, he resigned as governor. I am a fighter, and my instinct is to fight through this controversy, because I truly believe it is politically motivated, he said. But, he continued, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing. Cuomo spoke from his briefing room, where reporters seats were occupied by Cuomo staffers. Some of them were in tears.

Online, reporters whirred into gear to relay the bombshell news. (The Twitter account that tracks all-caps headlines in the New York Times was quickly pressed into service, as were punsters who like to predict New York Post headlines; the paper went, in the end, with AT THE END OF HIS GROPE.) Cuomos announcement took many journalists by surprisea reflection of Glavins defiant remarks, Cuomos infamous combativeness, and a broader political climate that has accustomed us to powerful people getting away with their misdeeds. If you have covered Cuomo even for a short time, it is stunning that hes stepping down instead of fighting something out, Maggie Haberman, of the Times, tweeted. Hes going down claiming innocence but he is not going down fighting. New York politicos were surprised, too, and their reactions trickled down through news coverage. Ryan Teague Beckwith, a politics reporter at Bloomberg, noted that when he started reporting Cuomos political obituary several months ago, every single source told me that it would never run. Some pundits seemed not to believe their eyes. On his Cafe Insider podcast, Preet Bharara, a former federal prosecutor who once investigated Cuomo, said that while he does expect Cuomo to step down (as he has promised) in fourteen days, the delay strikes him as too long a period, and that he hopes theres nothing nefarious at work. It may be overly cynical, he said, but I believe that Andrew Cuomo was a person of mischief.

Related: As Andrew Cuomo teeters, the Albany Times Union has a moment

Cuomos resignation was certainly shocking. But it wasnt entirely surprising. With the vast majority of his political allies having abandoned him and the State Assembly preparing his impeachment, Cuomo seemed to simply run out of road, an impression supported by early insider accounts of the build-up to his decision. Haberman, who shared a byline on one such account, said on CNN that Cuomo quitting was both surprising and unsurprising, in that, ultimately, I dont think he had a choice. The surprise, Haberman suggested, came in Cuomos decision not to fight to the bitter end, a framing that was widespread yesterday; her colleague Matt Flegenheimer tweeted their joint story with the summary: A relentless man, relenting: how Cuomo decided to give up. There was also a widespread air of finality in coverage, at least at the topline level, as words like downfall and undoing recurred in headlines. Various outlets from across the ideological spectrum assessed Cuomos legacy. As of early this morning, the top headline on the Timess homepage read: Cuomo to Resign, Ending a Political Dynasty.

Much commentary on Cuomos resignation situated it within the dramatic sweep of his character arc as traced by the mediasections of which, as recently as early last year, were lionizing him for his authoritative-sounding, reassuring briefings about the pandemic. (Its the most precipitous collapse in the history of gubernatorial politics, Ritchie Torres, a US Congressman from New York, told the Times. And as with all Greek tragedies, at the heart of it all is hubris.) When discussing character arcs, it can be tempting to resort to teleology and passive language; as the media critic Dan Froomkin noted yesterday, a story in the Times, for example, said that Cuomo had succumbed to scandal. But rise-and-fall stories have active driversnot least the journalists who tell them. As Ive written before, the national political press played an enormous part in burnishing Cuomos reputation last year. Its tempting to conclude that journalism played as great a part in his reputational decline, and its true that excellent reportingparticularly at the local levelheld him to account. But national discussion of Cuomos scandals was often driven by actors outside of the press: the New York State Attorney Generals office that damned him (not once but twice); the Democratic politicians who turned on him; and, most crucially, the women who spoke out against him. On the whole, many critics say, the media industry does not come out of the Cuomo story in credit. Im sorry I needlessly inflated Cuomos reputation, said no politician, pundit, or member of the media, Ross Barkan, a journalist who has written a book about Cuomo (and, last year, a CJR article against the grain of his lionization), tweeted yesterday. Atonement for thee, not for me.

Media self-reflection is clearly warranted at this juncture. But thats not to say Cuomos arc is finished, necessarily. Despite the tone of finality in the toplines, some coverage of Cuomos resignation acknowledged that it could be the course of action that gives him the best shot at a comeback; by putting an end to his story now, Cuomo has drained pressureboth politically and in terms of media attentionfrom the impeachment push against him, which could easily have resulted in his disqualification from seeking statewide office in future. (Some state lawmakers want to push ahead with impeachment regardless; as of now, its unclear if theyll get their wish.) Cuomos career was either permanently over or almost permanently over, and he chose the path of almost permanently over, Chuck Todd said on MSNBC. We know the way our world works. Its amazing the people weve seen make political comebacks He wants to live to fight another day.

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This isnt to peer into Cuomos head, or to say that a comeback is likely. Nor should we reduce the story of his resignation to horse-race politics; we should keep the focus on his misconduct. Nonetheless, the possibility is important to keep in mind. It matters for the accuracy of our framing; while its true that Cuomo isnt being dragged out of office kicking and screaming, fighting can involve more subtle maneuvers, like a tactical retreat. It matters, too, for accountabilityboth in terms of our analysis and definition of the term, and the ongoing need to administer it. Its tempting to see Cuomos resignation as the logical end of his character arc, and thus his story, but real life is messier. Accountability doesnt begin and end at the gates of the governors mansion; indeed, Cuomo continues to face a range of legal threats. And theres no guarantee that this man with a history of manipulating the press wont one day retake the political stage and exploit the political medias tendency toward amnesia to do so again. Local reporters will doubtless keep an eagle eye on Cuomo. The national press is a different matter.

Below, more on Andrew Cuomo:

Farrow-weeds: Yesterday, shortly before Cuomo resigned, Ronan Farrow, of the New Yorker, reported that in 2014, when Bharara was investigating Cuomo, the governor called the Obama White House to complain about the scrutiny. The outreach was highly inappropriate and potentially illegal, a former prosecutor in Bhararas office told Farrow. Last night, Farrow appeared on cable news to discuss his reporting. Everyone I talked to in this story was terrified of talking about Andrew Cuomo, he told Joy Reid, on MSNBC. The fact that everyone went on the record ultimately I think iscertainly, I hope isa sign of change, and something that we should all encourage, because we wouldnt get these stories and we wouldnt get that shot of accountability otherwise.

Yesterday, shortly before Cuomo resigned, Ronan Farrow, of the New Yorker, reported that in 2014, when Bharara was investigating Cuomo, the governor called the Obama White House to complain about the scrutiny. The outreach was highly inappropriate and potentially illegal, a former prosecutor in Bhararas office told Farrow. Last night, Farrow appeared on cable news to discuss his reporting. Everyone I talked to in this story was terrified of talking about Andrew Cuomo, he told Joy Reid, on MSNBC. The fact that everyone went on the record ultimately I think iscertainly, I hope isa sign of change, and something that we should all encourage, because we wouldnt get these stories and we wouldnt get that shot of accountability otherwise. Banned of brothers?: Earlier this year, Chris Cuomo, Andrews brother and an anchor on CNN, attracted scrutiny and outrage after the Washington Post reported that he advised Andrew on his response to the sexual-harassment allegations; CNN banned Chris from taking part in strategy calls with Andrews aides, but did not prohibit him from discussing the scandal with his brother or otherwise punish him. According to Michael M. Grynbaum, of the Times, Chris (who is on vacation from CNN) has continued to speak regularly with Andrew since the report came out last week, and advised him to resign.

Earlier this year, Chris Cuomo, Andrews brother and an anchor on CNN, attracted scrutiny and outrage after the Washington Post reported that he advised Andrew on his response to the sexual-harassment allegations; CNN banned Chris from taking part in strategy calls with Andrews aides, but did not prohibit him from discussing the scandal with his brother or otherwise punish him. According to Michael M. Grynbaum, of the Times, Chris (who is on vacation from CNN) has continued to speak regularly with Andrew since the report came out last week, and advised him to resign. Uneasy lies the head that goes with Crown: Last year, when Andrew Cuomos reputational stock was high, Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House, agreed to pay him more than five million dollars for a memoir about the pandemic, even though it wasnt over yet. As Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth A. Harris write for the Times, the gamble backfired spectacularly: Cuomos book sold poorly, and Crown stopped promoting it after Cuomo became embroiled in scandal. Its like a publishers worst nightmare, Matt Latimer, a leading literary agent, said. It can sometimes be very risky to work on a book that responds to whats in the zeitgeist at the moment. But I cant imagine any publisher would have foreseen such a catastrophic ending.

Last year, when Andrew Cuomos reputational stock was high, Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House, agreed to pay him more than five million dollars for a memoir about the pandemic, even though it wasnt over yet. As Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth A. Harris write for the Times, the gamble backfired spectacularly: Cuomos book sold poorly, and Crown stopped promoting it after Cuomo became embroiled in scandal. Its like a publishers worst nightmare, Matt Latimer, a leading literary agent, said. It can sometimes be very risky to work on a book that responds to whats in the zeitgeist at the moment. But I cant imagine any publisher would have foreseen such a catastrophic ending. No more dogs of war: When Cuomo leaves office, Kathy Hochul, New Yorks lieutenant governor, will succeed him. She will become the first woman to lead the statean achievement that was relegated to an afterthought in much of yesterdays coverage. Hochul is expected to hold a media availability today. CNNs Oliver Darcy asked Casey Seiler, the editor of the Albany Times Union, how he expects Hochul to handle her relations with the press. A lot of her political style has been somewhat hidden behind Cuomos outsized personality, Seiler said. But she hires good people for her press office (and by good people I mean civil professionals, not attack dogs).



Other notable stories:

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Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
(CNN)  The UK government has been warned to stop a massive North Sea oil project or see its hopes of becoming a climate leader dashed as the country prepares to host a crucial environmental summit later this year.

In the coming weeks, Britain's oil regulator could decide whether to green-light the Cambo development near the Shetland Islands, which co-owners Shell and Blackstone-backed Siccar Point Energy expect to produce 164 million barrels of crude during the first phase of development.

But environmental groups and other activists are furious. They claim that approving the development would damage the environment and undermine claims by the UK government that it's taking bold action ahead of November's 26th UN Climate Change Conference, or COP26, in Glasgow.

"We will know if politicians are listening if the UK government, as hosts of COP who aspire to lead on climate, call time and put a stop to Cambo," said Tessa Khan, a climate lawyer who leads the advocacy group Uplift.

The political fight underscores the challenges facing governments and businesses as they strive to meet net-zero emissions goals aimed at limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which is essential to maintaining a livable planet.

On Monday, the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned the world has rapidly warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial era levels, and is now careening toward 1.5 degrees.

Yet the world remains reliant on oil and gas, and companies like Shell are working to provide it. To reach net-zero emissions by 2050, however, no new oil or gas fields can be approved for development, the International Energy Agency warned earlier this year.

"If we reduce the consumption of oil in line with what is needed to reach [the 2050] targets, we will not need to invest in new oil or gas exploration or new coal mining. Very clear," Fatih Birol, the IEA's executive director, said in a recent interview on Cambo with the UK's Channel 4. The UK government, he added, should choose to be an "inspiration for the rest of the world."

The Cambo oilfield

The Cambo oilfield is a key project for Shell, which holds a 30% stake, and Siccar Point, which controls 70% of the venture.

"It'll be important for both of them because there are so few developments now [in the North Sea]," said Alexander Kemp, a professor of petroleum economics at the University of Aberdeen.

Discovered in 2002, the field could contain over 800 million barrels of heavy crude. Deepwater drilling is expected to start in 2022, with oil production kicking off in 2025 and running until 2050.

"It's a significant size field by today's standards," said Kemp, noting that a more typical development would yield about 20 million barrels, not 164 million.

But the project has stoked the ire of a coalition of environmental advocates, who are ramping up political pressure by highlighting the optics of approving the development so close to COP26. The oil produced will have the same climate footprint as running about 18 coal-fired power stations for a year, Uplift has calculated.

"The proposed new Cambo oilfield is a clear climate contradiction," Jamie Livingstone, head of Oxfam Scotland, said in a statement this month. "If the UK government is to be a credible broker for a deal that can stop the planet overheating when it hosts the COP26 climate talks in November it must intervene in the Cambo case."

The IEA's net-zero roadmap published in May is another flash point. The report plainly states that as of 2021, no new oil and gas fields can be developed in order to reach climate targets. Uplift's Khan said this is "the first major test" since the warning was issued.

A looming decision

The UK Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) is expected to imminently decide whether to allow the development to proceed.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told local media late last week that the choice is up to the regulator and "no contracts should be ripped up." Greenpeace has said if the OGA moves ahead, it could sue.

The activist group takes particular issue with the government's announcement that it will require new "climate compatibility checkpoints" on future oil and gas licensing rounds to make sure they're in line with the United Kingdom's pledge to reach net zero emissions by 2050. That doesn't apply to Cambo, since a license was already issued in 2001 when exploration of the area began. Greenpeace has called this a deliberate "loophole."

Alok Sharma, the lawmaker appointed by the UK government to lead COP26, did not directly address whether North Sea oil production contradicts UK climate goals when asked by reporters Monday, saying that the government was "going to be very rigorously applying a climate compatibility check" for "future" oil and gas licenses.

There's reason to believe the OGA will push forward with the project, even if it generates backlash.

The agency has emphasized that even under net-zero plans, oil and gas will remain crucial sources of energy for the country, and that it's closely monitoring emissions for all projects to make sure they align with the 2050 goal.

"Oil and gas still make up around three quarters of the UK's energy consumption," Chairman Tim Eggar wrote in the agency's latest annual report. "They are forecast to be needed now and into the future; not just for heating, transport and power generation, but also as a feedstock for manufacturing other materials such as chemicals, medicines and more."

Shell and Siccar Point's role

This position is echoed by those in the oil industry who believe that based on the United Kingdom's ongoing energy requirements, the focus on Cambo is overdone.

"Fields like Cambo meet the UK's energy needs, and producing it here means we can reduce emissions associated with production as much as possible," said Deirdre Michie, CEO of industry group Oil & Gas UK. "A premature ending of domestic production would mean we simply need to import more of it from other countries, at great expense, while losing all control of the environmental standards for how it was produced."

In response to questions from CNN Business, Siccar Point Energy CEO Jonathan Roger said that Cambo would directly create 1,000 jobs in the United Kingdom, and that the oilfield will be built using "modern, low-emission equipment and manufacturing processes and be electrification ready, with the potential to be powered by renewable energy when that's feasible."

Shell emphasized that its oil production peaked in 2019 and is expected to continue to decline until 2030.

"We're already investing billions of dollars in low-carbon energy," a company spokesperson said. "But the world will still need oil and gas for decades to come in sectors that can't be easily decarbonized. Targeted investment in oil and gas will ensure we can supply the energy people will still rely on, while funding the rapid growth of our low-carbon businesses."

But like the UK government, industry players are walking a tightrope.

There are, of course, business considerations at play. The United Kingdom is one of nine core markets that Shell has identified for energy exploration and production. In a report to investors, the Anglo-Dutch company estimated average investment returns of 20% to 25% for similar projects across its portfolio.

Siccar Point said investment in the Cambo project will total about 1.9 billion ($2.6 billion) and 140 million ($194 million) has already been put up. It declined to comment on expected returns.

Meanwhile, investors are asking more from oil companies as they increasingly weigh environmental and social concerns  as are the courts.

In May, a Dutch judge ordered Shell to slash its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2019 levels in a landmark climate decision. That would require the company, which is currently targeting a 45% reduction in carbon intensity by 2035, to speed up its transition plan.

Shell is appealing the ruling, which it says risks shifting demand to suppliers that are less concerned about reducing their emissions impact. But the Cambo debate reveals the firm's tough road ahead.

On one hand, Shell wants to drum up confidence in plans to make its business greener. And yet, at its core, it's still a corporation that produces oil and gas. That's not going to change anytime soon.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Big Oil wants to keep drilling in the North Sea. The backlash is growing."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11) State auditors have flagged "deficiencies" in the Department of Health's management of pandemic funds worth over 67 billion, noting that these contributed to the challenges faced by the agency in responding to the COVID-19 crisis.

"Various deficiencies involving some 67,323,186,570.57 worth of public funds and intended for national efforts of combating the unprecedented scale of the COVID-19 crisis were noted," the Commission on Audit (COA) said in its 2020 audit report made public on Wednesday.

Of this number, COA said deficiencies worth around 66.28 billion can be attributed to non-compliance with pertinent laws and regulations.

Among the issues highlighted by state auditors were irregularities in the procurement process and lack of documentation in various contracts entered into by the DOH.

COA also pointed out that some medical equipment and supplies purchased for the pandemic response were either unused or not immediately used due to lack of planning.

The fresh findings "casted doubt" on the regularity of related transactions, according to COA.

"Most importantly, the billions of pesos in the coffers of the DOH that have remained not obligated and disbursed at year-end is counter-beneficial to the department's continuing efforts towards controlling the spread of COVID-19 through provision of quality health services," the commission said.

"It can, thus, be said that these funds that remained idle as at year-end were not translated to much-needed health supplies, equipment and services that could have benefited both the health workers and the general public during the critical times of the pandemic," it added.

COA recommendations

COA said it has submitted a list of recommendations for the agency, particularly Health Secretary Francisco Duque, to help address the matter.

These include the following:

- Reminding the chiefs of operating units to "act with urgency and efficiency" in the utilization of COVID-19 funds;

- Directing concerned officials to address the challenges and roadblocks impending the efficient use of the funds, and for them to come up with proper courses of action;

- Instructing administration and financial management teams and program directors to closely coordinate, and to conduct regular assessment on the utilization of funds to prevent delays in project implementation; and

- Ordering program directors to extend guidance and assistance to operating units with regards to the proper implementation of programs and utilization of funds

Duque was also urged to conduct a thorough probe on the irregularities on the fund utilization.

The DOH was likewise requested to submit a status report on COA's recommendations.

'Funds accounted for'

Meanwhile, the DOH claimed the funds flagged by COA are "accounted for," and the amounts were all spent for the purchase of necessary medical supplies and payment for healthcare workers, among others.

"The DOH acknowledges the findings concerning these funds, and is currently addressing the said compliance issues and deficiencies," the DOH said in a statement.

The department added that it has remained transparent with its spending.

"We take our COA findings very seriously and have been working to further improve our processes and controls so that we can serve the public most effectively," the DOH said.

The agency at the forefront of the pandemic earlier faced investigations from Congress and the Ombudsman amid issues and alleged anomalies on the COVID-19 response.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11)  In light of the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, the Department of Health on Wednesday advised people who go out for work and other essential tasks to wear masks even when they are back at home.

The DOH made the same recommendation during the huge spike in cases in March.

As infections started to rise again, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said wearing a mask inside the house is a "little sacrifice" to protect family members, especially children, who are not yet eligible to receive COVID-19 shots.

"Pagdating po natin sa bahay, kailangan (once we are at home,) we (must) implement the safety protocols," Vergeire said in an online briefing.

"Lahat po ng ating kababayan na lumalabas araw-araw para magtrabaho o di kaya ay pumupunta sa public places to buy essentials, please wear your mask inside your house," she added.

[Translation: To all our countrymen who go outdoors to work or buy essentials in public places, please wear your mask inside your house.]

She also urged them to sanitize the personal items they bring with them when they go out and immediately take a bath once they get home.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11) - The local government of Muntinlupa said a list of cash aid recipients having the same last name in one page is legitimate and validated.

The clarification came after Facebook users noticed similar surnames in the list of recipients living in Barangay Cupang, one page of which has a number of recipients with Alipit as their listed last name.

Netizens quickly commented on the post, which has received at least 100,000 Facebook reactions as of publishing time.

Muntinlupa Public Information Officer Tez Navarro told CNN Philippines that the list they posted online in the citys Facebook page has been crosschecked and validated by local and national authorities.

Ito pong listahan na ito ay ginamit po sa nakaraang SAP (Social Amelioration Program) distribution, meaning na-verify lahat ito ng DSWD national at ng local, pati ng barangay. Kami po ay confident dito at wala naman po kaming nilabag na batas or whatever, Navarro said.

[Translation: This list was used in the last SAP distribution, meaning it has been verified by the local and national offices of the DSWD, as well as the barangay. We are confident that we did not violate any laws or whatever.]

Navarro explains that similarities in surnames among Muntinlupa residents is nothing new, noting that each of the citys nine barangays have residents who are part of clans due to inter-marriages between residents.

Noong unang panahon po, ang mga tao dito ay inter-marriages ang nangyayari, kaya dumami ang mga angkan. Nasa history po yan na may certain barangays na puro ganito ang apleyido, Navarro said, explaining that in areas such as Barangay Buli and Cupang, residents with surnames like Alipit, Rongavilla, Moldez and Protacio are common.

[Translation: In the early days, there were inter-marriages here, the reason why clans have sprouted. Historically, certain barangays have many residents with common surnames.]

The local government also said its cash aid payouts will primarily be done through an online payment service, but says it will explore a manual payout scheme by appointment to avoid crowding in distribution centers.

Muntinlupa residents whose head of households are deceased but are still part of the cash aid distribution list, as well as previous beneficiaries not part of the list, may register online for validation.

Local governments in Metro Manila started distributing cash aid today to residents affected by hard lockdown measures put in place by the government in a bid to contain the spread of the more infectious Delta coronavirus variant. Each individual in a low-income family may get 1,000, with each family receiving a maximum of 4,000.
Republican Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters isnt responding to an order issued by Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold to turn over election equipment, video footage and documents after a password to county election equipment surfaced online.

She may not be speaking to Griswold or responding to requests for comment, but that doesnt mean Peters has been silent.

The Mesa County clerk on Tuesday evening aired her grievances during an appearance in South Dakota at a symposium hosted by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a fervent supporter of former President Donald Trump who has pushed election conspiracy theories that have been disproven in countless courts.

Ahead of Peters' appearance, Griswold had issued a press release indicating her office began inspecting voting equipment and documents while accompanied at all times by officials from Mesa County. The release also indicated Griswolds office was in contact with Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubinstein, who is conducting a separate and independent investigation.

9News Kyle Clark on Tuesday tweeted Rubinstein, a Republican, told him that his office has opened a criminal investigation into the voting system password breach. The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported a man who is not an employee of the Mesa County clerks office allegedly leaked the passwords to conspiracy theorist Ron Watkins before they were posted on the right-wing blog Gateway Pundit.

At Lindells symposium, Peters labeled Griswolds inspection a raid and put forward allegations of nefarious behavior, including coordination with Dominion Voting Systems, the provider of the countys election equipment and a frequent target for election conspiracy theories.

We dont know what they were doing in there because for several hours they wouldnt even let my chief deputy, who is the acting clerk for Mesa County when Im absent, they wouldnt let her observe what the Secretary of State and Dominion were doing in my office, Peters said at the event.

The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported no one from Dominion were known to be present during Tuesdays investigation of Peters office.

Griswolds office has indicated the results of the investigation could lead to decertification of some of the countys voting equipment, and the Daily Sentinel reported that could come as soon as Thursday if Peters doesnt fully comply with Griswolds order.

That could present a problem as Peters is scheduled to remain at Lindells South Dakota event through Thursday. She hinted during her Tuesday night appearance she planned to release more information on the Mesa County voting systems on Thursday.
This year our dine and drink business locations throughout the Gorge have suffered with closures. You can help support your favorites by purchasing take out and gift cards. Many of these business will offer curb-side delivery and some will deliver to your home. Lets keep the Gorge going strong!
Columbia, MO (65201)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 72F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Everyone knows that business travel nearly stopped during the pandemic. But not everyone agrees about what happens next.

Hotels and airlines are optimistic, saying it's only a matter of time before the sector comes roaring back to its former glory. Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates splits the difference, saying business travel will come back but stay at only 50% of its former strength.

Sorry, hospitality industry: Gates is right. The Golden Age of wasteful spending on business travel is over.

Business travel in the post-pandemic world

During the pandemic, business travel crashed. Between April and June of this year, companies only spent between 10% and 15% of what they used to spend on business travel before the pandemic, according to Deloitte.

And even with widespread vaccination taking place (albeit unevenly) and studies that show flying is relatively Covid-safe, it's not recovering the way leisure travel is. This is a catastrophe for the airline industry: Only 12% percent of airlines' passengers are business fliers, but they used to provide 75% of the airlines profits.

So while the reduction in business travel a year ago was caused directly by the pandemic, the lack of a strong recovery points to something else: During the pandemic, organizations learned some important lessons.

What enterprises learned

A year ago, we assumed that companies like Pfizer would develop a covid vaccine, which would end the pandemic and bring back some semblance of normal life  including business travel at pre-pandemic levels.

Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and other drug companies did create a vaccine. And the pandemic is winding down in fits and starts. But Pfizer itself is among a large number of global enterprises having second thoughts about business travel in the post-pandemic world.

During the pandemic, companies learned three important lessons:

1. Technology can replace face-to-face for many kinds of meetings.

Videoconferencing and collaboration tools have come a long way. The pandemic forced companies to really try them at scale for the first time. And what everyone discovered is that tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, BigBlueButton, BlueJeans, Whereby, GoToMeeting, Cisco WebEx, Google Meet and others can enable professionals to skip the trip and still reap the benefits of face-to-face meetings.

2. Business travel used to be absurdly wasteful.

Companies like Pfizer realized that pre-pandemic business travel was wasteful in the extreme  especially the old norms of booking last minute, not caring about price, paying for upgrades to business class, taking junkets to fun conferences  and doesn't make sense when wasteful spending is being cut for other parts of the business. The incentive structure for business travel was prone to abuse: 1) travelers were making travel choices without the accountability of having to personally pay for those choices; and 2) managers and leaders and everyone else were "in on it" because everybody enjoys costly travel perks.

3. Cutting business travel is a powerful way to reduce carbon footprint.

Many large organizations are increasingly looking for ways to help the environment  greener fleet vehicles, greener office parks, using recyclable materials and others. It turns out that taking fewer business trips makes a huge difference in a company's carbon footprint.

As a result of these three realizations, Pfizer and other companies are returning to the practice of business travel with an entirely new mindset.

In the future, more business travel will have to be justified. The concept of justifying ROI for every trip may become the standard practice  and will have to be booked in advance to lower cost. (The idea is being called purposeful travel by the travel and meeting management company Festive Road.)

Business travel ROI, "purposeful travel"  whatever you call it, the end result will be fewer trips per company and lower spending per trip.

New kinds of business trips

While the pre-pandemic reasons for business travel will re-examined, the post-pandemic world will offer up new reasons for travel.

With a newfound acceptance of remote work, many employees have or will become digital nomads, living far away from headquarters. Theyll be asked to come to the office from time to time, flying from wherever they are.

We've also slipped into a new acceptance of "bleisure travel" (combining business and leisure on a single trip) and "workations" (continuing to work full time, but temporarily from a vacation-like location).

Organizations will pay for some of this as part of new incentive structures.

The technology trends changing business travel

So while business trips in the post-pandemic world will feel more consequential, the experience of traveling will be transformed this year by new technology.

If you travel internationally right now (as I have done recently to both Europe and Latin America), you'll face a Byzantine new world of Covid-19-related rules, vaccine passports, and digital health passes. Spain, for example, won't let you into the country without first downloading its mobile app and completing the requirements therein. Various airlines each support different third-party apps for communicating vaccination status and other health information (for example, American Airlines supports an app called VeriFLY). As the pandemic wanes in some countries and flares in others, health passes confirming non-contagiousness to a variety of illnesses is likely to become a permanent fixture of international travel.

Both Apple and Google are enabling users to verify vaccination status for travel using their respective wallets. This is in place for Australians now, and other countries later.

Business travelers will also eventually get what is essentially a version of their passport carried on smartphones. The DTC, or digital travel credential, is taking shape at the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization, the body that sets global passport standards. Once youve got the DTC on your phone youll be able to skip customs and enter countries with a phone and face scan. The DTC uses blockchain and biometrics to authenticate travelers.

Starting in May 2023, every person flying domestically in the United States will be required to carry a REAL ID-compliant drivers license or state-issued ID.

And there's another big change for business travelers that should cause you to revisit your organization's security polices for mobile devices. A US appeals court ruled late last year that US Customs and Border Protection agents are allowed by law to search phones and laptops on the spot without a warrant and without any specific reason to do so. This includes so-called advanced searches in which the contents of a mobile device are searched, downloaded or copied. This is a big reduction in the right to privacy and security at the airport.

All this adds up to a new reality for business travel: Policies, practices, constraints, assumptions, reasons, technologies, and requirements for traveling on business have all been transformed during  but not directly because of  the pandemic.

The new business travel will be more efficient, more justified and more facilitated by advanced technologies. And less frequent.

Old-fashioned business travel is dead.
A new Bloomberg report takes aim at benzophenone and octocrylene content in sunscreens, highlighting two studies published in March 2021 that found benzophenone content in commercial products.

The study authors, including Craig Downs, executive director of the nonprofit Haereticus Environmental Laboratory, argue that benzophenone, a degradation product of octocrylene, is a potential carcinogen and could behave as an estrogen disruptor. The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) has pushed back, affirming the safety of products on the market.



The Research

Downs, et al., published their research in Chemical Research in Toxicology; Belgian research, published in Contact Dermatitis, found similar results. In the Downs paper, benzophenone concentrations were initially measured in nine commercial sunscreens from the European Union and eight from the United States; all but one product contained octocrylene. The products were then subjected to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) accelerated stability aging protocol for six weeks and measured again.

Sixteen of the 17 products initially registered an average 39 mg/kg benzophenone. After accelerated aging, the 16 octocrylene-containing products averaged 75 mg/kg; benzophenone was not detected in the product not containing octocrylene. As a result, the authors are petitioning the FDA for any product containing octocrylene to be removed from store shelves.

PCPC Response

The PCPC issued a statement responding to Down's, et al.'s, study:

"...The recently published research paper, Benzophenone Accumulates Over Time from the Degradation of Octocrylene in Commercial Sunscreen Products perpetuates misinformation and needlessly misleads and scares consumers about the safety of sunscreen products, potentially discouraging sunscreen use and putting consumers health at risk.

The study claims the sunscreen ingredient octocrylene can naturally degrade into the chemical benzophenone and increase in concentration as sunscreen products age, suggesting a potential risk to human health. However, global regulatory agencies have concluded that octocrylene is safe as a UV filter in products such as sunscreen cream and lotion, sunscreen pump spray, face creams, hand cream and lip products."

The PCPC cited that the European Union (EU) includes octocrylene in Annex VI of the Cosmetic Products Regulation (No. 1223/2009) as an approved UV sunscreen filter. The EUs Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) also concluded octocrylene is safe in sunscreen products as recently as March 31, 2021.

The council added, "It is important to note that the reports authors concluded that additional research should be conducted."

Keep up with the latest regulatory alerts here.
From little lies like claiming to have received his doctorate at Oxford to disturbing delusions about family suicide, death, and terminal illness, author Dan Mallory sure seems to have made a career out of bolstering about his own brilliance and playing the ever-suffering victim, all in the name of getting ahead. This is the guy who penned the New York Best Seller-turned-Netflix movie The Woman in the Window (under the pseudonym A.J. Finn) because people thought his story about a confused The Girl on the Train-type woman and a serial killer character that would make actual psychiatrists roll their eyes was somehow good and worthy.

If you listen closely, youll hear a thousand excellent writers spontaneously combust.

At first, many who crossed his path thought that the talkative Mallory was absolutely charming (ding ding ding!) and sympathized with his incredible suffering in losing his entire family to either cancer or suicide. Little did his colleagues and professional acquaintances know that his family was very much alive. For years, Mallory got promotions and peoples time of day by pretending to have been poached by other companies, having just the worst of childhoods, and oh, also having a tumor every other day of the week.

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Yeah, the guy told his colleagues at Little, Brown in London that he had cancer (again, because he started using this kind of lie back in his college days) and that, according to his doctors, wouldnt live to see 40. And boy, did he milk it. At one point, after moving from the UK to the US, he stopped going to the office and allegedly pretended to be his brother Jake just so he could keep his inner circle updated on his supposed brave struggle in fighting yet another tumor.

These emails from brother Jake went on for months  with Jake telling those who didnt take his illness seriously just how extremely disappointing it was and how Dan deserves better given the terrible childhood he had. When an acquaintance asked him how it was going with his brother Jake long after Dans pretend recovery, he told them Jake committed suicide. (Spoiler: Jake is not dead, and Dan claims not to have authored those emails.)
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You've probably heard about the first dog to go to spacethe Soviet dog Laika, who died up there. But the first and only cat to go to space has been largely forgotten, even though her trip was a total success, ending with her safe return. Perhaps it was because she was French. Many of us don't remember that France was part of the space race at all, as it was neither America nor the country aiming missiles at America.

France's space program began with rockets right after World War II. By 1961, they'd graduated to sending rats in those rockets, and the logical successor to space rats was of course space cats. In 1964, France settled on sending a 5.5-pound tuxedo cat, whom they referred to as "C 341." They didn't want to name her, for fear that astronauts would get too attached. But when the media dubbed the cat "Felix," after the cartoon character, the French space agency stepped in and clarified that she was female, and so C 341 became Felicette.

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On October 18, 1963, they nestled Felicette in a rocket and shot it up from a launch site in Algeria. You know how Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson went "to space" this year, but they really just reached the edge of space? Felicette reached an altitude about twice as high as those guys' ships went. She experienced weightlessness as scientists remotely monitored her vitals, then her capsule separated from the rocket and parachuted back to the ground.

The cat came back, unharmed by the journey. Two months later, though, French scientists put her down so they could study her brain. This was why France had wanted no one getting attached to her, you see.

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It's possible this necropsy cursed the cat space program. Felicette was one of 14 cats training for spaceflight, but none of the others ended up going through with it. One got as far into the rocket, but the rocket launched at the wrong angle and never made it to space. Another cat got surgery to implant monitoring electrodes, but the operation left her unfit for space travel, so they retired her and turned her into a mascot.

Anyway, Felicette had proven spaceflight was safe for animals as high up in the hierarchy as cats, so it was time to move on. France shifted to sending monkeys to space because French monkeys are hilarious.

For more space animals, see also:

5 Real Horror Movies That Actually Happened Thanks To NASA

5 Soviet Space Programs That Prove Russia Was Insane

5 Real Space Experiments That Are Clearly Horror Movie Plots

Follow Ryan Menezes on Twitter for more stuff no one should see.

Top image: Ron Frazier
Do you need hope? Hope that God has more for you? Hope that better days are coming? Hope that your current circumstance is not your final circumstance?

The story of Lazarus offers that hope. Lazarus, Jesus' best friend, was very sick. When Jesus got the news, he waited three days to go to the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. During those three days, Lazarus died. And then Jesus shows up. When Jesus arrived at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, things were a mess. Lazarus was dead and buried. Mary and Martha were angry and grieving. And Jesus was moved to the point of tears. In those days, it was the custom to bury the dead in tombs; caves were carved out of the rocky hills and then covered with a large stone. And then we read what happens when Jesus goes to the tomb.

Jesus cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth!' And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Loose him, and let him go' (John 11:43-44, NKJV). And Lazarus comes forth! I want to see that movie when I get to Heaven, don't you? There is so much to unpack in this passage. But there is one truth that resonates in my heart and mind. When Jesus leads us, he leads us out of something old and into something new. Something current has to die and go away before something ahead can come to be. Jesus calls us to leave something behind and move forward to what lies ahead. Here is the problem. We must turn loose of the old for God to bring us into the new. That is a problem for most of us.

I taught elementary school for several years while my husband attended seminary. My favorite time of the day was recess. I know. I haven't grown up much, have I? I enjoyed watching the kids play, but my attention was usually captured the longest by what was happening on the monkey bars. I have watched every Tarzan movie made. My favorite part? The way Tarzan glides from place to place in the forest by way of vines  mesmerizing  and the perfect picture to illustrate the truth that when Jesus leads us out of something old and into something new.

But we want to hang onto our old self-image and have the new self-image God has for us. We want to be identified by our old successes as well as have new achievements. We want to keep our old habits and character and lifestyle and embrace what God has for us next.

When Jesus told Lazarus to "Come forth," he called him out of something old and into something new. Jesus is calling us to take that same step.

Come out of death and into life.

Lazarus is dead, but Jesus is calling him back to life  to a new resurrected life. We have to die to the old life before embracing the new life Jesus has for us. That is why 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that old things must "pass away." The old life must die. It must be finished and buried. We must choose to die to our old ways and embrace a life of radical obedience.

Hudson is our nine-year-old grandson and a constant generator of illustrations for my writing. Our daughter Danna calls me at least once every day and nearly always has a new Hudson story. Today was no exception. Hudson had a bad day. When bedtime rolled around, the struggle continued. Danna did their nightly devotion, they prayed together, and she turned off the lights. Before she even made it through the door, Hudson had scrambled out of bed and turned the lights back on. This routine happened three more times  three!

Danna finally had enough. "Hudson, if you do that one more time, your Switch game is going in the lake," she declared. Of course, since they live on a lake, this was no idle threat. Still, Hudson looked Danna square in the eyes and flipped the lights back on. Game over! Done! Strike three! Danna calmly walked out of Hudson's room, the Switch game in her hands. Once she reached the water, Danna threw that expensive, partly paid for with the boys' own money Switch game in the lake. Hudson was speechless until he wasn't and promptly lost it. Once he calmed down, he and Danna had a serious conversation about obedience and making the right choices. Hudson got it. "Mama, I don't know why I do these things. I need help! Pleeease help me do the right thing." And isn't that the cry of every human heart who struggles with their frail humanity? Jesus, please help me do the right thing!

What do we have to die to? Anything that is God to us.

The first commandment is that we will have no other Gods before the Almighty God. But most of us do. So how do you know what is God to you? Well, what do you think about most? What do you want the most? Where do you spend most of your money?

It could be your career or your house and standard of living. Maybe it is your looks or a closet full of expensive clothes. It could even be your spouse or your kids. All of those have the potential to be good things, but they all make sorry Gods. Jesus calls us to come out of death into life. Are you willing to die to your old way of living? Jesus says, "come forth  come out of death into life."

Come out of bondage into freedom.

Jesus cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth!' And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Loose him, and let him go' (John 11:43-44, NKJV).

A bit of Bible history here will help this passage come to life. For 400 years, the Hebrews lived in slavery in Egypt. During that time, they learned many things from the Egyptians. As the Hebrew slaves constructed Egypt's great pyramids and palaces, they learned to be great builders. But, working seven days a week, they experienced the pain of bondage and slavery. When they took on the Egyptians' practice of wrapping a dead body with cloths, they learned the process of embalming.

Back to the story.

Lazarus was buried Egyptian style, wrapped head to toe with an extra cloth around his face. So, when Jesus commanded him to come forth, he must have come hopping blindly out of the tomb. He was wrapped in grave clothes with an extra cloth around his face. That is why Jesus said, "Loose him, and let him go."

Do not miss this perspective. Lazarus has been brought from death to life, but he was not loosed  not released. He was still wrapped up in grave clothes. The same is true in our lives. When we come to Christ, we are new in Christ. But we still have the grave clothes of our old life wrapped around us. We are still bound  still in bondage. We must be loosed and let go. Coming to Christ sets our souls free. Walking with Christ sets our lives free.

Many of us grew up with a "salvation as the end game" gospel. Get saved  and everything will be fine. Give your life to Christ  and it's all done. That is not true. Giving my life to Christ changes my eternal destination. Walking with Christ changes my current journey. Jesus did not live, die, and rise from the dead to change your future. He lived, died, and was raised from the dead to change your life here and now. He wants to free us all from bondage  just like the Children of Israel.

I love to share their story because it is so much like mine.

The Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. Then God chose Moses to lead them out of Egypt towards the promised land. But they had to cross the Red Sea to get there. And when they came to the Red Sea, they decided they wanted to go back to Egypt. I'm not kidding you! The children of Israel told Moses, "Take us back." Seriously? After everything Moses had done for them. After all they had been through and survived.

We do the same thing. We come to Christ and experience the new life he offers. We do well until a crisis hits, and suddenly, the old life looks pretty good. The old bondage was awful, but we were used to it. And we tend to go back. We all have baggage. We all have things that we must continually surrender to Christ. We need to quit carrying our baggage on the plane of life and check it at the cross. Let Jesus handle it.

Surrender is not a one-time event. Freedom is not a one-time deliverance.

We will have to surrender our anger constantly. We will have to nail our hurt to the cross again and again. We must relentlessly die to self.

In Romans 12, Paul shares an exciting truth. Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1, NKJV). A "living" sacrifice can crawl off of the altar. If we want to rise up and experience all God has for us, we must come forth - out of death into life, out of bondage into freedom.

Come out of confusion into identity.

Here is what we know about Lazarus before his resurrection. He was Jesus' best friend, a quiet man overshadowed by his vocal sisters Mary and Martha. Martha was known for her gift of hospitality, while Mary was known for her gift of giving. Lazarus is unknown. Lazarus was from the small town of Bethany, near Jerusalem. Bethany was referred to as "the town of Mary and Martha" in the gospels. Lazarus was just sort of there in the background. But all of that changed. Lazarus was raised from the dead the week before the Passover, the most important Jewish holiday of the year when the whole country came to Jerusalem. The word about Lazarus spread. So much so that the Jewish leaders began to plot the death of Jesus. They crucified him one week after he raised Lazarus from the dead.

Lazarus' identity changed. He had to come out of his old identity and embrace his new one. And so must we! When we come to Christ, we have a new identity. My whole life changed the minute I surrendered it to Jesus Christ. I am the daughter of the living God! That is who I am because that is how God sees me.

Every time I play The Bam-Bam game, I am reminded of a spiritual truth that many have so wrong. We believe God plays a spiritual version of The Bam-Bam Game with our lives. I've done it. I've had this perspective, thinking God sits in Heaven, holding a spiritual bat, just waiting for me to make a mistake. When I do, He laughs in delight and promptly smashes me back into a dark pit. That perception is a lie. First, we must understand who our Father truly is and how He sees us. God does not see any of the identities you see. He sees you as His child - loved, planned, and chosen by God Himself.

I think there is something in this Lazarus story for all of us. If you want all God has for you, if you want to rise up and live, if you want the rest of your life to be the best part of your life, then it is time to take action. Remember that His plan for you is to rise up and live!

Photo credit:  Getty Images/jchizhe

Mary Southerland is also the Co-founder of Girlfriends in God, a conference and devotion ministry for women. Marys books include, Hope in the Midst of Depression, Sandpaper People, Escaping the Stress Trap, Experiencing Gods Power in Your Ministry, Fit for Life, and 10-Day Trust Adventure, You Make Me So Angry, How to Study the Bible, Fit for Life, Joy for the Journey, and Life Is So Daily. Mary relishes her ministry as a wife, a mother to their two children, Jered and Danna, and Mimi to her six grandchildren  Jaydan, Lelia, Justus, Hudson, Mo, and Nori.
Veronica Schmitt started to wear an implantable cardiac device when she was 19. A few years ago, although the small defibrillator appeared to be working properly, she felt sick. "I kept passing out, and I went to a hospital, and once they had to resuscitate me," she says. "That was not supposed to happen."

Her doctor pulled out the data the device was logging and said that everything was alright. She shouldn't worrymaybe it's just stress.

Schmitt, who is now in her early 30s, has always been passionate about technology, so she didn't buy into this. Instead, she looked at her other device that logged health data, her smartwatch, pulling out XMLs and doing data analysis. She proved that the two gadgets showed contradictory information and asked her doctor to prescribe her additional medical tests.

Those tests proved that she was indeed sick, and that her implantable cardiac device was malfunctioning. Schmitt went into surgery to extract the device and get a new one, which changed her life. "My hands were warm; my cheeks were red. I wasn't gray in the face anymore," she says. "If I didn't know how to look at logs and data, I'd probably be dead."

After she recovered, Schmitt became obsessed with logs. She analyzed different devices and tried to understand how she could improve log keeping. She is now the leading voice of a movement that aims to help everyone build better logs focused not only on performance but also on security. "We don't do monitoring the way we should," she says.

Building better logs

Schmitt took inspiration from two books she read by Gene Kim, The Unicorn Project, and The Phoenix Project. She realized that poorly designed logs are "a byproduct of how dysfunctional organizations are in terms of security, development, and operations or having silos."

Since large entities move slowly and are reluctant to change, Schmitt focuses on developers, trying to influence how they work. "I'm trying to speak in the language that makes developers excited, but also makes logs cool, cause logs suck," she says.

Most developers admitted that they were not trained in designing logs. They simply recorded information that was relevant to them, focusing on performance. Few thought about security and logged data that would be needed in the event of a breach.

To help them, Schmitt designed a benchmark spreadsheet that took inspiration from the NIST security standards. Developers can take their application logs and score them to see if they are doing a good job when it comes to integrity, performance, and security. Better logs make it easier to distinguish between critical data and noise, and if they update theirs according to the recommendations, they will be more prepared when dealing with a security incident.

Schmitt also created a list of five philosophies for designing logs.

1. Logs should be simple, structured, and detailed enough

First, logs should be simple and should retain the minimum amount of data that does the job, Schmitt says. Anyone briefly looking over them should be able to understand what they contain. "The logs should not be seen as a cache of information," she wrote on her blog. They should rather be seen as "a source of information that is simplified to only contain that which is necessary."

She also calls for consistency when designing logs. Some developers, for instance, prefer to use local time when logging date and timestamps, while others go with UTC. This can break a forensic researcher's timeline. "The larger the team, often, the more disconnected the logs," she says.

To address this issue, organizations can plan the structure and the format of the logs. They can start by asking a couple of questions: "Are these logs going to be used for enrichment purposes within a SIEM solution?" Or, "What is the purpose of the events you choose to monitor? Are they more related to debugging, error handling, security events, or future forensic incidents?"

Asking these kinds of questions is relevant not just to developers, but also to companies that want to catch potential threats, says Nick Carstensen, product manager for security and integrations at log management solution Graylog. "Our key philosophy is to know what you are trying to accomplish and ensure you are collecting the logs to meet your goal," he says.

2. Create metadata

Some data developers work with can be sensitive and should not be logged. "There are many things to consider, including whether you should have the information at all or perhaps simply reconsidering how you print your log statements to deal with these types of data," Schmitt wrote.

One way to make the process more streamlined is to tag data as public or private, having specific definitions within the organization of what these words mean. "When you know a variable contains potentially sensitive user information, mark it as secret explicitly," Schmitt wrote. "Building in the controls required to identify what type of information your variables may contain gives you the power to set the rules about when they are, or can be, disclosed."

When logs are stored on a device thats outside the organization's control, they should only include public information. If they have sensitive information, the organization might face serious consequences in the event of a breach.

3. Keep logs clean and focused

Logs are mostly analyzed when things go wrong. The rest of the time, they tend to be ignored. The volume of store information expands, and sometimes minor design flaws propagate. Logs "grow with the application," Schmitt says. "[Y]ou will accumulate useless logs or logging debt."

When logs include too much worthless data, they don't have a lot of value for researchers. Schmitt suggests looking at logs as applications grow. Developers who aim to produce clean code should also want to have clean logs, she says. She recommends testing logs regularly using a benchmark to prevent them from getting too bulky.

4. Prepare for being breached

Almost every application or organization will be compromised at some point and it should log accordingly, trying to help future investigative teams analyze those incidents. Schmitt examined many logs during the past few years and found that they often include information with little value, such as uneventful status checks or system checks, which clutter the relevant data. She tells developers to avoid logging normal behavior and instead focus on changes and exceptions. "You should be far more concerned with logging when things go wrong," she wrote.

Logs should also focus on vulnerable areas. If, for instance, an application could potentially suffer injection attacks, developers should build extra logging controls to detect those faster.

Companies, too, should think ahead and plan for the worst-case scenario. "Getting the logs off the system in real-time will allow for the reconstruction of what happened in the breach and the extent of spread after an initial attack," Carstensen says. "Incident responders will start at the known data point of a breach (IP, host, file name) and then try to understand what happened prior to it."

Good logs help investigators see if the malicious file was downloaded via the web or spread from another host on the network. Then, they can search in the past to see if there were similar issues.

In the event of an attack, the worst thing that could happen is to discover that crucial information is missing. "Not having the logs required to uncover how they did it is frustrating," said Grant Ongers, co-founder of application security consulting company Secure Delivery, who works with Schmitt. "When digital forensics are asked to look into a potential breach, if there are no logs that focus on the security events that may have occurred, then there are no answers to give the CISO," he says. "And the CISO has no answers to give to the board or the relevant data protection or regulatory authority."

According to Ongers, there's even something worse than that: "If you have no security-related logs, or the ones you have are unreliable or otherwise unusable, then even discovering that a potential breach happened is impossible," he says.

5. Store logs for secure access

Designing good logs is one thing. Storing and securely accessing them is another. While investigating breaches, Schmitt learned that there is often "an unreasonable amount of trust" people put in the technology they use. Her advice is to "trust no device, no system, and no method of transmission."

Often, if the device that stores logs is a user's mobile device or laptop, the organization that developed the app has little control, and its best if it plays it safe. "There should never be any information in the logs that can be used to derive additional information about how the application functions, authenticates, or endpoints it communicates with," she says.

Logs should contain just enough information for the debugging process to work and should not include the elements that could be considered sensitive, because they might fall in the wrong hands. "Many breaches occur because we assign a high level of trust to internal services and members of the organizations," she wrote. "Many breaches occur from within, not necessarily from outside. Logs contain valuable information that any attacker might want to have access to."

Carstensen agrees that organizations need to be wise when deciding who can access the logs and how. They should limit access to a minimal number of people and take measures to prevent log manipulation. Specifically, he recommends "removing the ability to delete logs unless approved by two separate people." He also pointed out that companies should meet all the compliance regulations that apply to them. In addition, he advocates for encrypting archived logs because they might have sensitive data.

Why we need to pay more attention to logs

Theres an old saying that governs forensics, the Locard's exchange principle: When a criminal operates somewhere, they will do two things: bring something into the crime scene and take something from it. Both should be seen in logs and should be used as evidence.

This is why keeping good logging should be a part of any organization's security strategy, Schmitt says. Ongers seconds that, saying that often developers are a key part of the solution. "Security needs to be built in by design, during development," he says.

Schmitt plans to continue teaching computer experts to see logs from the incident responder's perspective, telling them to log fewer things, but to make the process more efficient. "The biggest thing is just simplifying logs," she says. "It's taking these complex amounts of information and reducing them."
Security researchers warn that multiple groups are compromising Windows web servers and are deploying malware programs that are designed to function as extensions for Internet Information Services (IIS). Such malware was deployed this year by hackers exploiting Microsoft Exchange zero-day vulnerabilities, but a total of 14 groups have been observed using native IIS backdoors and information stealers in recent years.

"IIS malware is a diverse class of threats used for cybercrime, cyberespionage, and SEO fraud  but in all cases, its main purpose is to intercept HTTP requests incoming to the compromised IIS server and affect how the server responds to (some of) these requests," researchers from security vendor ESET said in a recent report.

In total, the company has observed over 80 samples of malicious IIS extensions that belong to 14 distinct malware families, ten of which were previously undocumented.

The many uses of IIS malware

Microsoft's web server, known as IIS, supports modules that are either implemented as DLLs (native) or are written in .NET (managed). Since native modules are loaded by the IIS Worker Process, which starts automatically, there is no need for attackers to implement any other persistence mechanisms for their malware. The modules have unrestricted access to all resources available to the worker process, so they are very powerful.

The ESET researchers have seen malicious IIS extensions that function as:

Backdoors, giving attackers control over the compromised server

Infostealers, intercepting regular web traffic between users and the server to steal login credentials, payment information and other sensitive data

Traffic injectors, modifying HTTP responses to redirect visitors to malicious content

Proxies, to turn the compromised servers into traffic relays between other malware programs and their real command-and-control servers

SEO fraud bots, modifying content served to search engine in order to artificially boost the SERP ranking of other websites

Server-side exploits and social engineering

Installing and configuring native IIS modules requires administrative privileges, so to deploy such malware attackers exploit vulnerabilities in servers that provide them with this level of access. "Between March and June 2021, we detected a wave of IIS backdoors spread via the Microsoft Exchange pre-authentication RCE vulnerability chain (CVE-2021-26855, CVE-2021-26857, CVE-2021-26858, and CVE-2021-27065), aka ProxyLogon," the ESET researchers said. "Targeted specifically were Exchange servers that have Outlook on the web (aka OWA) enabled  as IIS is used to implement OWA, these were a particularly interesting target for espionage."

The antivirus firm detected IIS backdoors that were deployed in this campaign on servers belonging to government institutions from three countries in Southeast Asia, a major telecommunications company in Cambodia, a research institution in Vietnam and dozens of private companies from the US, Canada, Vietnam, India, New Zealand, South Korea and other countries.

The same Exchange vulnerabilities were used by cyberespionage group Hafnium, which the US government linked to China's Ministry of State Security (MSS), to compromise servers belonging to thousands of organizations and infect them with web shell. The attacks were so severe and widespread that the FBI obtained a rare search and seizure warrant that allowed it to actively access the hacked servers and clean the infections.

In addition to deployment through server exploitation, IIS malware is also distributed through social engineering by hiding it as Trojanized versions of legitimate IIS modules and relying on unwitting administrators to install them, the researchers said.

Detecting IIS malware

Unlike other malware programs that actively reach out to command-and-control servers to receive instructions, IIS malware has a passive communication channel enabled by the web server itself. Since they hook into the worker process, attackers can control them by sending specifically crafted HTTP requests to the web server.

Researchers observed attackers sending commands to IIS backdoors by generating specific URLs or request bodies that matched hardcoded regular expressions, sending requests with custom HTTP headers or specific tokens embedded in the URL, request body or headers. That said, IIS malware that redirects visitors to malicious websites or serves malicious content does usually reach out to remote servers in real time in order to obtain configurations.

To prevent and detect IIS malware the ESET researchers make the following recommendations:

Use dedicated accounts with strong, unique passwords for the administration of the IIS server. Require multifactor authentication (MFA) for these accounts. Monitor the usage of these accounts.

Regularly patch your OS and carefully consider which services are exposed to the internet to reduce the risk of server exploitation.

Consider using a web application firewall or endpoint security solution on your IIS server.

Native IIS modules have unrestricted access to any resource available to the server worker process, so install only native IIS modules from trusted sources to avoid downloading their Trojanized versions. Be especially aware of modules promising too-good-to-be-true features such as magically improving SEO.

Regularly check the IIS server configuration to verify that all the installed native modules are legitimate (signed by a trusted provider or installed on purpose).

Some IIS malware can be transient, leaving few traces behind. Researchers from security firm Sygnia recently reported that a state-sponsored threat actor dubbed Praying Mantis relies on a malware framework developed for IIS and uses reflective loading techniques to load the malware directly in the memory of the IIS worker process. Such infections live only in RAM and would normally disappear if the server process is restarted, but web servers are rarely restarted because they're designed to have stable uptimes. Praying Mantis deploys its malware by exploiting deserialization flaws in ASP.NET applications.
Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

On Aug. 5, Gov. Ned Lamont signed an executive order allowing each Connecticut municipality to decide on their own whether whey would institute mask mandates inside their borders.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker was the first to announce a mask mandate for all indoor public establishments in the city. Since then others have followed.
The next step for COVID-19 vaccinations may be doctors offices, experts say, though there are significant challenges that have so far prevented it from becoming reality.

For Tom Balcezak, Yale New Haven Healths chief medical officer, the question is: How do we lower the barriers to vaccination?

I think the next phase is going to have to be in physician offices, he said.

The state announced Tuesday that 11 more patients had been hospitalized for a COVID infection, with 275 additional cases identified in the previous 24 hours and 2.85 percent of COVID tests coming back positive.

The increasing number of cases have prompted more Connecticut cities to enact mask mandates in indoor public places. Norwalk, Bridgeport, Stamford, New Haven and Hartford will now all require masks indoors.

The rate of COVID vaccinations in Connecticut has stalled over the last month. The week of April 10, there were more than 315,000 COVID vaccinations, compared with the month of July when there were an average of 35,236 vaccinations per week, according to state data.

The need is real, Balcezak said. With the delta variant spreading through the population, vaccines continue to be our best tool for fighting the virus, he said.

The vaccine is incredibly useful, especially at preventing severe disease and death, Balcezak said. The unvaccinated are at much, much higher risk.

One solution to that stagnation, experts say, is getting COVID-19 vaccinations into the hands of local doctors.

Its something that we would love to have happen, said Michael Parry, chair of infectious diseases at Stamford Health.

Parry said Stamford Health is taking an initial step with a pilot program, which will offer COVID vaccines at a pediatricians office. Parry said vaccines are best administered by the physician that knows the patient.

On the pediatric side, that relationship is going to be very important in getting the kids vaccinated, he said.

Last month, the Fairfield region of Hartford HealthCare began offering COVID-19 vaccination at five urgent care clinics, in Monroe, Trumbull, Shelton, Stratford and Fairfield.

This offers more accessibility than the mega-sites that were the primary location for vaccines when they first became available, said Dr. Syed Z. Hussain, medical director of urgent care, occupational medicine and employee health for Hartford HealthCares Fairfield region.

Its easy access, he said. This is in your neighborhood. All you have to do is call and come and get the vaccine.

David Emmel, an ophthalmologist and legislative chairman for the Connecticut State Medical Society, said in addition to easing access, people have a stronger trust in their own physicians.

A big impediment to increasing the vaccination rate for COVID-19 has been the misinformation out there, he said. Theres a lot of evidence that patients do trust their physicians.

The purchase of a few refrigerators would be small change and a good investment if it went toward strengthening the medical home and the trust that underpins the patient-physician relationship, Emmel said. That is the only force that can truly overcome the fear and misinformation that keeps so many vaccine hesitant.

There are, however, technical and logistical challenges to that goal, most notably the cold temperatures at which the vaccines must be stored.

Most physician offices dont have freezers, Parry said. The Pfizer vaccine has required ultra-cold freezing, which only hospitals have.

The vaccines are delivered in large amounts, 500 doses to a tray, which a smaller doctors office couldnt possibly use.

Then there are the tracking requirements.

The other thing that has limited flexibility is that the tracking system is very complicated, Parry said. Providers are required to report every vaccination administered to the state.

Every vaccine must be tracked and reported, the sites that administer them must be accredited and the temperatures of the freezers storing the vaccines must be checked, requirements that local, family doctors could not meet, experts said.

Emmel said larger practices might better manage those issues.

Small practices are being consolidated every day, he said. The logistics could be solved if the state were willing to give it a try.

The vaccines are still being administered under an emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Parry said many of those challenges will be resolved if and when the vaccines are fully authorized.

The conditions of EUA include the tracking, the monitoring of the storage, etcetera, etcetera, he said. Once you've got a vaccine that is FDA approved, the monitoring is much less stringent.

That full authorization may arrive sooner rather than later. The FDA expects Pfizers vaccine will be approved by Labor Day, The New York Times reported this month.

Were looking forward to the approval. That would allow the manufacturer to give more flexibility in packaging, Parry said. What we really need in doctors offices are single-dose vials.

Hussain said the issues we are seeing right now is that the younger population, such as 18- to 25-year-olds, is being hit hard by the delta variant. However, Parry saidthat age group does not often go to a doctor and might need a separate strategy.

Coming down the pike will be the 5 to 12 (year old) group, Parry said. Thats why our focus has been setting up the pediatricians office as the pilot program.

Eventually, Parry said COVID vaccines will be administered along with other childhood immunizations, like the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTAP) vaccines.

I think were all going to get a flu shot and a COVID shot every fall, he said.

Hearst Connecticut Media Group reporter Amanda Cuda contributed to this report.
LONDON (AP)  Britains Prince Andrew is likely to do anything he can to avoid giving evidence in a U.S. lawsuit filed by an American woman who alleges that he sexually assaulted her when she was 17, lawyers on both sides of the Atlantic say.

Andrew may contest the U.S. courts jurisdiction, or ignore the civil lawsuit altogether, taking a chance the court might find him in default and order him to pay damages.

No matter which way he goes, though, he will face the constant drumbeat of unsavory media coverage.

Theres no good option, said Albert DAquino, a New York attorney who has defended clients in similar cases. The prince has repeatedly denied the allegations in the lawsuit, brought by one of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epsteins longtime accusers, Virginia Giuffre.

I dont think he will submit to the courts authority to order him to give a deposition, or to answer questions on which he wishes to demur, said DAquino, a partner at Goldberg Segalla in Buffalo, New York.

He runs too much risk of self-incrimination, which could then spawn a criminal action against him, DAquino said.

However he decides to respond, the lawsuit filed Monday is another unwanted story for Queen Elizabeth II, reminding people of Andrews links to Epstein two years after the convicted sex offender's death. Britains royal family is also still recovering from allegations of racism and insensitivity leveled at them by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, earlier this year.

Buckingham Palace tried to move past the story two years ago, forcing Andrew to step away from royal duties after he gave a disastrous TV interview in which he failed to express regret over his relationship with Epstein or offer sympathy for Epstein's victims.

Its another big scandal for them, said Pauline MacLaran, a royal expert and author of Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture."

You just have to feel very sorry for the queen. You know, just as Meghan and Harry had sort of started to quiet down  then this comes back again. And, of course, the whole seediness of it is dragged through the media yet again.

Lawyers for Giuffre filed the suit Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging that Epstein forced her to have sex with Andrew in 2001, when she was 17. The suit says she had sexual encounters with Andrew in London, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and that the prince knew she had been trafficked by Epstein.

Giuffre, now 37, has made similar allegations in the past, but the lawsuit is the first time she has directly confronted Andrew in court.

Andrews representatives declined to comment on the lawsuit. In a 2019 interview with the BBC, he denied ever meeting Giuffre.

It didnt happen, he said. I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.

David Boies, Giuffre's attorney, said his team tried to open settlement talks with Andrew's lawyers but they were ignored. Because of this, he said, Giuffre was forced to file the lawsuit before the deadline set by New York state law.

He can ignore me and he can ignore Virginia, which is what hes been doing for the last five years. ... But he cant ignore judicial process, Boies told Britain's Channel 4 television. This is now a matter for the courts to decide."

There is only a small chance Giuffres lawsuit will ever be presented to a judge or jury because most civil cases in the U.S., especially high profile ones, are settled out of court, said Arick Fudali, a lawyer at The Bloom Firm, which has represented some of Epsteins victims.

The lawsuit does, however, increase pressure to settle the case.

It certainly puts his name back in the news, back in the international news, back in American news and back associated with Jeffery Epstein, Fudali told the BBC.

But DAquino said a settlement is unlikely at this point.

If Andrew had wanted to settle the case, he would have done so before the lawsuit was filed when it could have been handled privately and kept out of the press, he said.

Mark Stephens, a specialist in international law at Howard Kennedy in London, said Andrews lawyers could pursue another strategy, opting to delay the suit as long as possible.

First, he said, the ongoing criminal investigation surrounding Epstein in the U.S. could delay the case because international law requires criminal issues to be resolved before civil matters. In addition, Andrews team is likely to wage a protracted battle over the U.S. courts jurisdiction while arguing that their client is entitled to immunity as a member of the royal family.

So I think its almost a racing certainty that this case, filed by Virginia Giuffre to preserve her rights, will actually be stayed until the outcome of the law enforcement investigations in the United States," Stephens said.

And only then will it have an opportunity to go forward."
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Two employees have died in separate accidents at coal mines in West Virginia this month, Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday.

Timothy Keith Collins, 53, of Mill Creek, died in an accident Wednesday in Randolph County. He was an independent coal truck driver, Justice said at a news conference.

According to an incident report, the accident was reported shortly after 5 a.m. at Carter-Roag Coal's Morgan Camp Mine. Collins had pulled his loaded coal truck off to the side of a haul road located between the mines and a cleaning plant. Collins was walking around the side when a truck ran over him.

On Aug. 4, Jeffrey Allen Hudnall, 60, died in an accident at Marfork Coal in the Raleigh County community of Packsville, Justice said.

A caller to 911 reported that Hudnall was working on top of a loader, lost his balance and fell to the ground, knocking him unconscious, according to an incident report.

The state Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training will have a clearer and accurate understanding of what happened in each incident through its pending investigations, said Lawrence Messina, a spokesperson for the state Department of Homeland Security.

The deaths brings the number of fatal incidents at West Virginia coal mines to five this year. There have been three other such deaths nationally, in Pennsylvania, Utah and Wyoming.

Justice, who also is a coal operator, said that the mining industry is dangerous and that safety must continue to be stressed.

Weve got to salute these great, great men and women that absolutely power this nation and produce the greatest coal on the planet for making steel and power the nation in so many ways. And theyve done so forever, Justice said. What theyve given us is so important.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  The number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations across Nebraska has significantly increased in recent weeks as the highly contagious delta variant spreads.

Dr. James Lawler, who is one of the leaders of the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, said Nebraska is following the pattern of states like Florida, Louisiana and Texas, where relatively low vaccination rates have allowed cases to surge. Lawler said Nebraska is about three or four weeks behind those other states.

Unless something changes, well probably follow directly on that path, Lawler said.

A little over half of Nebraska's population is fully vaccinated  in line with the national rate  but the percentages are believed to be much lower in rural areas.

Nebraska said Wednesday that 2,575 new virus cases were reported in the past week, which is up from 1,976 the week before and more than 10 times higher than the 253 cases a week the state was reporting in late June when officials lifted the last of Nebraskas remaining virus-related restrictions.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Nebraska has more than quadrupled over the past two weeks from 76 new cases per day on July 26 to 353.29 new cases per day on Monday.

When Gov. Pete Ricketts allowed Nebraskas state of emergency related to the virus to end on June 30, a total of 28 people were hospitalized with the virus. The state said Wednesday that 217 people were now hospitalized with the virus, up from 158 the week before.

The number of hospitalizations in the state declined steadily throughout the spring, but it has been increasing since late June. It is now more than 20% of the peak of 987 hospitalizations the state saw last November. Lawler said that in the Omaha area, the number of hospitalizations doubled over the past two weeks, and he expects that trend to continue.

Im not sure where we are going to put all these patients because our hospitals are all full, Lawler said.

Over the past year, Ricketts relied on the number of hospitalizations to determine when to impose more restrictions to limit the virus' spread, but he hasn't said whether he will consider reinstating some of the social distancing restrictions he imposed last year to limit the spread of the virus.

Ricketts has repeatedly encouraged Nebraskans to get vaccinated against the virus, but he has said he believes everyone needs to take personal responsibility for their own health and government shouldn't be telling people how to live their lives. So he doesn't expect the state to impose mask or vaccination requirements.

Also Wednesday, the state released new details about the number of virus cases among people who were fully vaccinated. State health officials said 17 people who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have died since January. The number of breakthrough deaths and cases remains a relatively small number of the total cases that have been reported in the state.

Nebraska health officials didn't immediately provide many additional details about the 1,616 virus cases among people who had been vaccinated. Health officials said 79 people who had been fully vaccinated against the virus had been hospitalized between the start of the year and the end of July.

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.

Lawler said he thinks the number of breakthrough virus cases in Nebraska is similar to what has been reported elsewhere.
Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

BRIDGEPORT  A person was assaulted by three individuals who stole his vehicle early Wednesday, according to police.

An individuals four-door, blue 2015 Kia Optima was taken in a carjacking on Carleton Avenue around 2:30 a.m., police said.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  With the highly contagious delta variant fueling a surge in coronavirus cases just as students return to classrooms, major school districts in Arizona, Florida, Texas and beyond are increasingly defying Republican leaders who banned school mask mandates in several states.

The showdowns have drawn in the White House and landed in courtrooms where judges have so far allowed school mask requirements in two states.

Schools across the U.S. have a patchwork of different rules as they try to keep classrooms open during the coronavirus pandemic, but in several states GOP leaders banned districts from requiring all kids to wear masks.

But with infections and hospitalizations on the rise and vaccinations out of reach for young children, districts in blue-leaning urban areas especially are rebelling against the laws and requiring masks in schools  even if it means facing consequences from governors and courts. Districts in Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Broward County, Florida, are among those defying the mask laws.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to withhold the salaries of school leaders who enact mask requirements.

At no point shall I allow my decision to be influenced by a threat to my paycheck; a small price to pay considering the gravity of this issue and the potential impact to the health and well-being of our students and dedicated employees, said Alberto Carvalho, the superintendent of the states largest school district who is still deciding on a mandate ahead of the start of school later this month.

Masks are a key coronavirus-prevention tool that doesn't pose health risks for kids older than toddler age and are most effective when worn by a larger number of people, public health experts say. The Centers for Disease Control has again recommended them for schools.

But mask rules have nevertheless drawn fierce protest, including takeovers of school board meetings, from activists who worry about side effects, question the need and say parents should decide.

The DeSantis threat to withhold salaries drew in the White House on Tuesday as press secretary Jen Psaki weighed paying out of federal funds to school officials who do the right thing to protect students and keep schools safe and open.

Though children are less likely to suffer serious health effects as compared with the elderly, the latest COVID wave hammering Florida is also fueling an enormous increase in cases among children, many of whom are sicker than doctors have seen previously, the chief medical officer at one of the states top childrens hospitals said Wednesday. Leaders of other medical systems in virus hotspots like Louisiana say a similar situation is occurring in their pediatric hospitals.

DeSantis, for his part, said the numbers of hospitalized kids are on the rise because total coronavirus cases are up. Theres been no change in the proportion of pediatric patients who are COVID positive, he said.

At least three Florida school districts appear to be defying DeSantiss executive order forbidding masks, including the second-most-populous county in the state and another around the state capital.

In Texas, where COVID-19 hospitalizations have spiked to their highest level in six months, a judge sided with San Antonio and temporarily allowed the city, county and public schools to require masks. Another hearing is set for next week. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott banned mandates in July and is showing no sign of backing down, even as other school districts in major cities like Dallas, Houston and Austin issue mandates in defiance of his ban.

A state ban on mask mandates isnt faring well in the courts in Arkansas either. It was temporarily blocked last week by a state judge who said the prohibition violated the states constitution. One plaintiff was an Arkansas school district where more than 1,000 staff and students had to quarantine because of a coronavirus outbreak.

Since the decision, at least three dozen school districts and charter schools have implemented mask requirements for teachers and students.

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas now says he regrets signing the ban, but lawmakers decided against reversing course during a special session last week.

In Utah, meanwhile, the health director over the states biggest county is trying to buck a state law with a new mandate for kids under 12. Angela Dunn, who previously became a target for anti-mask ire as the state epidemiologist, has said shes deeply concerned about infections sickening kids and disrupting schools.

Theres far less drama in a school where all kids are wearing masks than a spread of COVID within that school and kids being sent home to address illness, or to be put into quarantine or isolation, said Democratic mayor Jenny Wilson, whos backing the move that may yet be tanked by the Republican-controlled county council.

In South Carolina, a showdown is heating up between the Republican governor and the capital city over a school mask mandate that local leaders approved last week. The attorney general threatened to take Columbia to court if leaders try to enforce the rule aimed at protecting elementary and middle school kids too young to get vaccinated. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster said Monday it should be up to parents whether to mask kids.

Dozens of doctors in Arizona have begged GOP Gov. Doug Ducey to mandate face coverings in public schools, but hes held fast to a prohibition in the state budget. Still, about 10 districts in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff, representing more than 130,000 students and 200 schools, have defied that prohibition and a high school biology teacher has filed a lawsuit challenging it. A hearing is set for Friday.

There is no mask prohibition in Arizona, gubernatorial spokeswoman C.J. Karamargin said last week. The legislation passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor is clear: Arizona is anti-mask-mandate.

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Associated Press writers around the country contributed to this report.
TULSA, Okla. (AP)  Two siblings who survived the Tulsa Race Massacre are going to visit Africa for the first time, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

Viola Fletcher, 107, and her 100-year-old brother Hughes Van Ellis are scheduled to fly to Ghana on Friday and return Aug. 21. They will be accompanied by family members and others.

The all-expenses-paid trip to Accra is being co-sponsored by Our Black Truth, a Virginia-based social media platform, and the Diaspora Africa Forum in Ghana, the Tulsa World reports.

We are sending out our treasures to, just for a moment, share them with the motherland, said state Rep. Regina Goodwin, a Tulsa Democrat.

Organizers have arranged for the siblings to meet President Nana Akufo-Addo, as well as Ghanaian tribal chiefs and other government officials. They also plan to visit the Diaspora Africa Forum embassy and will take part in a traditional naming ceremony, during which Fletcher will be honored as a Queen Mother and Van Ellis as a Chief.

From the moment they touch down in Ghana they are going to be treated like celebrities, like royalty, said Michael Thompson, who will accompany them on the trip. They are really rolling out the red carpet for us.

The siblings are two of three known survivors of the 1921 massacre. The other, Lessie Randle of Tulsa, 106, declined an invitation to go on the trip but said she would be there in spirit.

The 1921 Tulsa Massacre was a two-day assault by armed white men on Tulsas prosperous Black community of Greenwood, also known as Black Wall Street. In the deadly rampage, they burned more than 1,000 homes, looted hundreds of others and destroyed a thriving business district. Estimates of the death toll range from dozens to 300.

Its a momentous occasion, Thompson said of the trip. Our goal is to replace some of these horrific memories of Black Wall Street with some great memories.

Taking into account the siblings advanced ages, safety will be paramount. Thompson said everyone on the trip will have 24-hour security, medical care available and will follow strict protocols to protect against COVID-19.

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For AP coverage of the Tulsa Race Massacre anniversary, go to: https://apnews.com/hub/tulsa-race-massacre.
LISBON, Portugal (AP)  Italy baked in sweltering temperatures that continued to drive deadly wildfires Wednesday, with Spain and Portugal bracing for the arrival of a dangerous heat wave that has grilled southeastern Europe and is starting to push west toward the Iberian peninsula.

A heat wave fed by hot air from North Africa has engulfed large parts of the Mediterranean region in recent days, contributing to massive wildfires and killing dozens of people in Italy, Turkey and Algeria. In Greece, huge wildfires have ravaged forests for a week, destroying homes and forcing evacuations.

Sicily recorded Wednesday what may be a new European temperature record, though weather experts cautioned that the measurement still must be confirmed.

The Sicily regions agriculture-meteorological information service, SIAS, reported that a temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.84 degrees Fahrenheit) was reached at the islands Syracuse station. The agency said on its Facebook page it is the highest temperature registered in the entire network since its installation in 2002.

The highest temperature ever recorded on the European continent is 48 degrees Celsius (118.40 degrees Fahrenheit) in 1977 in Athens.

The Sicily temperature could not be independently confirmed, however, and Italys air force meteorological service said it had not recorded temperatures approaching that high on Wednesday but that its stations are in other locations so variations are to be expected.

The World Meteorological Organization said it would examine the reading but Randy Cerveny, the agencys rapporteur for weather records, called it suspicious, so were not going to make any immediate determination.

It doesnt sound terribly plausible, Cerveny said. But were not going to dismiss it.

WMO spokeswoman Sylvie Castonguay counseled caution: Extreme weather and climate events are often sensationalized and mischaracterized as records before they have been thoroughly investigated and properly validated.

However, the high-pressure system of near-record strength currently centered over the Mediterranean is the type that can produce unprecedented heat somewhere, meteorologist Jeff Masters of Yale Climate Connections said.

North Africa is also flirting with all-time high temperatures, he said.

Spain and Portugal could see what was heading their way, as temperatures on the Iberian peninsula were forecast to start building from Thursday.

Portugals prime minister warned that the hot weather increases the threat of wildfires, which in 2017 killed more than 100 people in his country.

Spains weather service forecast a heat wave through Monday and said temperatures could surpass 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.

The maximum and minimum temperatures will reach levels far above the normal for this time of the year, Spains weather service, AEMET, said in a special weather warning.

Such peaks of temperature are not unheard of in Spain and Portugal during the summer months. Even so, climate scientists say there is little doubt climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms.

Researchers can directly link a single event to climate change only through intensive data analysis, but they say such calamities are expected to happen more frequently on our warming planet.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa urged people to take special care amid the scorching weather and wildfire danger, adding that many wildfires start with careless behavior.

Costa said the terrible images from Greece and Turkey in recent days brought back Portuguese memories of 2017.

We dont want to see that scenario here again, Costa said in a videotaped message at his official residence.

Portuguese authorities say they can deploy more than 12,000 firefighters, some 2,700 vehicles and 60 aircraft during the summer season.

Costa said that over the past three years Portugal has reduced by half the number of wildfires compared with the average of the previous 10 years and cut the charred area by 64%.

Authorities enacted a broad range of measures after 2017. They included better forest management, including woodland clearance projects and technical support for people living in rural areas, opening thousands of kilometers (miles) of firebreaks and reacting more rapidly to outbreaks with special firefighting units.

Nobody has died in forest blazes in Portugal since 2017.

In Spain, the hot weather was widely blamed for a record high in domestic energy prices, as the use of air-conditioning units climbed and wind turbines stood still in balmy weather. Other factors, such as rising prices for natural gas and for carbon credits under the European Unions emissions trading scheme, were also behind the increase.

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AP reporters Seth Borenstein in Washington DC, Colleen Barry in Milan and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed.

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Follow all AP stories about climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate.
As the mayors of Connecticuts largest cities use the authority granted to them by Gov. Ned Lamont to institute mask mandates, their suburban counterparts in the greater Bridgeport area and the Naugatuck Valley will not be following suit.

At least, not yet.

Im not going to mandate in my city, them to wear a mask, especially in restaurants, said Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti. Its not for me to say, even though the governor has given the authority to the cities and the municipal leaders, Im not going to enforce that. And Im not going to ask for that, at this time.

Cassetti, a Republican, acknowledged that vaccination numbers in Ansonia  currently roughly 53 percent of people have at least one dose  lagged the state.

Bridgeport, New Haven and Stamford, meanwhile, have all instituted some form of citywide vaccine mandates for businesses and public places. This has meant crossing borders will now lead to different mask requirements  even for businesses with multiple locations in the state.

Bridgeport reports just over 50 percent of its eligible population with at least one dose and roughly 45 percent fully vaccinated. Many Bridgeport businesses have said they will have no problem complying with the mandate.

Charlie Yu, owner of JB Beauty Supply, said Wednesday the day the Bridgeport mandate went into effect  he and his employees will continue wear masks in their downtown wig and beauty accessory store and will ask that customers do the same following the citys new executive order.

In Trumbull, which is at the opposite end of the scale with vaccination rates around 70 percent, the town has not instituted a mask mandate.

First Selectwoman Vicki Tesoro said she based her decision on the towns low positivity and high vaccination rates. She reiterated, though, that Lamonts executive orders were still in effect. Unvaccinated people must wear masks indoors in public settings and everyone  regardless of vaccination status  must wear masks in certain places including health care facilities, facilities housing vulnerable populations, public and private transit, correctional facilities, schools, and child care locations.

We continue to monitor the situation daily, Tesoro, a Democrat, said.

Municipal leaders in other area towns had a similar take, reminding residents to abide by the state rules and restating that private businesses have the right to mandate masks in their establishments, while stopping short of issuing a mask mandate in their community.

Stratford Mayor Laura Hoydick, a Republican, has urged residents who have not gotten vaccinated to do so and recommended that those who are unvaccinated wear a mask indoors when attending social gatherings.

Derby Mayor Rich Dziekan, also a Republican, said he is waiting on guidance from the health department. As it is right now, we're basically standing still as we are, he said.

He said if cases continue to rise he would consider a mask mandate, but he wont make that decision without input from local health officials.

That's why were working with the health department, using them, he said. That's what we pay them for, for their advice and with the science.

But such a sporadic approach, with mask rules changing by town or from one street to the next along a municipal border, can put business owners in a tough spot.

Martin McCarthy operates the Fire Engine Pizza Co. in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport. Its location near the Fairfield line means his restaurant must require masks, while other eateries a one-minute drive south on Fairfield Avenue do not.

How are you going to have it here in Bridgeport and not in Fairfield? Theres no continuity, McCarthy said. I will follow the rules. But now I have to play COVID cop again or pay another person to stand at the front door at all times and risk the ridicule.

McCarthy also has a Shelton location of Fire Engine Pizza Co., and while the staff and patrons at the Bridgeport location are wearing masks, in Shelton they arent.

He would like to see an across-the-board state mandate which, he said, would ease the burden of enforcement on businesses. Informing customers that they must wear a mask has the potential to quickly escalate into a hostile confrontation, he said.

Ive been swung at, he said. I make good food and beverages. Im not a police officer.

Wayne Pesce, president of the Connecticut Food Association, shares McCarthys concerns. Last year, just days into the pandemic, the association helped craft agreed-upon state regulations for supermarkets to avoid just such a confusing patchwork of rules.

He said a statewide mandate would be much easier for his members, particularly chains with stores in multiple towns, to manage. Still, the association so far has not implemented its own mask rule.

We will comply with local ordinances and where we dont (have those), will work with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control guidelines, he said. Thats the bottom line for us.

The Connecticut Restaurant Association, with members in 169 state towns, similarly is not recommending its members adopt a uniform mask rule. Scott Dolch, the groups executive director, said he was worried about how mask mandates would change the perception of people who wanted to go out for dinner.

Does a consumer go, I dont want to go into Bridgeport tonight. Id rather stay in the suburbs, Dolch said. Does it strike a sense of, Bridgeport must be worse if the mayors putting in a mandate? I might need to stay out in the suburbs. Why is Bridgeport having a mandate and not Westport? Is there something I dont know about?

Dolchs message to diners is that, while cases and hospitalizations may be on the rise in Connecticut, the state still has a relatively low infection rate and a relatively high vaccination rate.

Were not Florida. Were not Louisiana. Were not Georgia, he said.

McCarthy anticipated eventually the state would simply re-institute a mask mandate.

Im sure at some point it will all change and be across-the-board, he said. But at what point?

Staff writers Brian Lockhart, Ethan Fry, Eddy Martinez and Brian Gioiele contributed to this report.


Ranker

July 7, 2017



RankerJuly 7, 2017

The German Grail Movement began prior to WWII. Its founder and self-proclaimed Messiah, Oskar Ernst Bernhardt, lived in Austria and purchased a large piece of land that he planned to turn into a compound for his followers. He called his religion the Grail Movement and published a book titled In The Light of Truth, which explained all of their beliefs.



The Grail Movement cult beliefs are a mix of Christianity and New Age, with a dash of violence. Even though the cult isn't extremely widespread, its followers have made headlines for things like treating women as slaves and cannibalizing one of their own children. That particular act of Grail Movement cannibalism took place in 2008  proof that the cult is still around, and its leaders are still quite powerful. Really, it's only a matter of time before more Grail Movement abuse ends up in the news. After all, it's a cult that's still active today.





Some Of The Cult's Followers Skinned And Ate Their Own Child In 2008, members of the Grail Cult partially skinned and ate their own son. Acting on instructions from a Grail Cult member, a man they called "Doctor," Klara Mauerova, her sister Katerina, and a friend named Barbora Skrlova kept Klara's sons Ondrej, 8, and Jakub, 10, locked in the cellar of their shared house in Czechia. Both boys were kept in cages, gagged, whipped, tortured, and sexually abused. By sheer accident, a neighbor picked up footage of the abuse on a baby monitor; he witnessed one of the children being beaten while naked and chained to a table. When the boys were freed, courts heard testimony that Mauerova has skinned Ondrej, and the other women in the house ate his raw flesh.



A Leader Of One Sect Of The Cult Forced Women To Work As Slaves Jiri Adam, leader of a Grail Movement sect in Brno, Czechia, was arrested in 2008 for treating some of his female followers like slaves. The women were forced to build a house out of bricks and pave a road on the cult's property. They were treated poorly and punished with increasingly tiny food rations for acting out. One of the women even died while working, and she was buried in a corner of the compound. The workers believed that Adam had healing powers. Unfortunately, by the time the women were freed, Adam couldn't answer any questions, as he had suffered a stroke and was on life support.



Adolf Hitler Banned The Grail Movement When Germany Annexed Austria Prior To WWII In 1938, Adolf Hitler, who had gained enough power in Germany to take over other countries, annexed Austria, taking away land that was owned by Bernhardt and used for Grail Movement purposes. Hitler also banned all literature supporting the cult, including its main book, In The Light Of Truth. Bernhardt was arrested by the Nazis and exiled in the Saxony mountains. He was forbidden to write anything else, or even speak of the religion that he founded. He died in exile before the end of WWII.





Most Of Its Members Live Outside Of The United States

Most of the followers of the Grail Movement are located in Europe. There are also sects in Africa, most notably, Nigeria. Germany, France, and the Czech Republic (where the most violent actions have taken place in the name of the Grail Movement), as well as Great Britain, claim to have plenty of Grail Crossbearers. There are also a few thousand in the United States.





The Cult Is Based On A Book Written By Oskar Ernst Bernhardt, Who Called Himself 'Servant Of The Light'



Oskar Ernst Bernhardt, who called himself Abd-ru-shin (Servant of the Light) was the founder of the Grail Movement cult. The idea came to him while he was imprisoned on the Isle of Man for four years, simply for being a German citizen traveling to New York City during WWI. After his release, he wrote the first book of the cult's canon, which describes his new belief system  centered around the idea of reincarnation, or, as he put it "living multiple earth lives." He also claimed to have had visions of himself as Moses in a past life.





Their Worship Services Use Music From Classical Composers  And They Take Place Behind Closed Doors

Most religious services use music to emphasize an idea, augment a feeling, or make a point. The Grail Movement chose something unexpected for their musical accompaniment  classical works by composers like Beethoven, Mozart, and Handel. Not much else is known about the worship service, other than the fact that it involves a public lecture, and members aren't expected to donate money to the religion; instead, they must give the gift of their time. In fact, a reporter noted that the main service takes place behind closed doors in their Iju Temple in Lagos, Nigeria, and most members of the cult are not allowed to witness it.





The Grail Movement Is A Blend Of Christianity And New Age Beliefs  And Gnomes The Grail Movement's beliefs are an interesting blend of New Age ideas and basic, run-of-the-mill Christianity. Adherents worship a standard Christian God, and their belief system begins with a creation tale. God, in this belief system, is nothing but "eternal Light" that "radiates." Their theory of creation also contains various subdivisions of "matter," which branch out from the divine center of Light (God). These include, for example, the Spheres of Ethereal Matter (thoughts) and the Spheres of Gross Matter (earth). Humanity consists of what they call "spirit germs" and exists on the level of Spiritual Substantiality. Followers also believe in gnomes, sprites, and other similar creatures, as well as the idea of reincarnation.





Members Undergo A Sealing Ritual To Prove Their Commitment In order to officially join the Grail Movement cult, a person has to undergo a sealing ritual. The actions involved in this ritual are secret, and they bind that person in a new covenant with their version of God. However, people who are "sealed" to the cult are supposedly not tied to the Grail Movement or any of their fellow members. They remain somewhat independent. Once members are sealed, they officially become "Crossbearers" (sometimes spelled "Cross Bearers").





There Were Plans To Build A Castle On The Grail Settlement's Land Ernst Bernhardt and his followers were pretty pleased with the land they found to build their settlement upon in Austria; after all, they believed it to be the site of where the Biblical Abraham saw the "Mountain of Salvation." Before Bernhardt's land was seized by Hitler and his men, they planned to create a Grail Settlement, or compound, there. And they accomplished some of this, constructing houses, temples, and festival grounds. The settlement was also supposed to house a giant stone and white marble castle that they dubbed the Grail Castle. The castle was intended to be large enough to hold 22,000 worshippers, and it would be surrounded by temples and other religious structures. However, the Nazis seized the grounds before Bernhardt and his followers had the chance to bring the castle to fruition.



The Movement Split Into Multiple Sects Due To Internal Disputes In 1990, a schism occurred that led to the Grail Movement breaking into two smaller groups. This started in 1985, when Irmingard Bernhardt, Oskar's daughter, created a will that left the rights to the Grail writings to the International Grail Foundation. Other members of the Bernhardt family weren't happy with that decision, and they took the religion in an entirely different direction in 1999, after years of internal disputes. This splintering left the religion with the many independent sects (and diverse sets of worship practices) that it has today.





The Movement Claims To Not Be A Cult

Although the Grail Movement is based on Bernhardt's writings, each splintered sect is considered independent. The modern Grail Movement was developed by the people who follow it. This allows them to interpret Bernhardt's ideas as needed, which has taken some of them in a violent direction. It is also why they insist that they are not a cult. Instead, they take on cult forms due to their unusual beliefs and insular ways. Each segment, or "Grail Circle," tends to communicate with the others.





The Grail Message Contains Three Basic Laws Members of the Grail Movement believe in the Grail Message. There are three main parts to this message, which is supposed to contain what they call the Primordial Laws of Creation. These are: the Law of Gravitation, which effects a person's inner life, weighing down their thoughts; the Law of Reciprocal Action in which everything is connected, kind of like the idea of karma; and the Law of Attraction of Homogenous Species, which states that things that are alike will stick together, even on a molecular level.





They Don't Believe That The Holy Grail Is A Physical Item Found On Earth

Despite their name, Crossbearers in the Grail Movement cult don't think that the Holy Grail is the same as the one described in the Bible. Rather than being a physical, earthly chalice, the Grail is instead some sort of means to transfer power from one being to another. It exists on some plane of high consciousness that only the divine can access.
Just imagine if Boris Johnson's pitch to voters at the last election had included the stark reality of his Net Zero by 2050 agenda.

GREEN PLEDGE 1: 'Er, well, you're going to have to get rid of your gas boiler  but don't worry the replacement heat pump or hydrogen boiler (which probably won't work very well) will only set you back something like 12,000.'

GREEN PLEDGE 2: 'Oh, and if you want a new car, you're going to have to upgrade to an expensive electric model, even though we don't have anywhere near enough places to actually charge the damn thing at the moment.'

GREEN PLEDGE 3: 'And we're doing all of this even though China is going to keep destroying the environment with unrestrained zeal, but let's just not talk about that.'

Just imagine if Boris Johnson's pitch to voters at the last election had included the stark reality of his Net Zero by 2050 agenda

We're doing all of this even though China is going to keep destroying the environment with unrestrained zeal, but let's just not talk about that. Pictured: Smoke and steam rise from a coal processing plant in Hejin, China

Brits are an environmentally friendly bunch  the vast majority believe that climate change poses a threat that the government should be dealing with over time.

We're happy to be leading the way internationally on a number of sensible initiatives to reduce our emissions.

But it's a matter of degree.

I've been an environmentalist my entire life and have learned that doomsday predictions like the forecast destruction of the ozone layer can be reversed with human ingenuity and moderate policy changes.

But I fear that Boris' zealotry on the issue is so out of step with his Tory base that it could end up his undoing.

Ordinary Brits are worried about keeping a roof over their head, feeding their family, being treated by the NHS and getting their children properly educated after a devastating 18 months that has caused brutal economic devastation to many.

And that includes the government books, which haven't been in this bad shape in the modern era.

So where is all this money coming from?

Who will be paying for Net Zero? Is it you and me?And how is it fair that we're having to shoulder this overwhelming toll when other major emitters like Germany, Canada, Australia, the US and  yes  China continue to drag their feet to say the least?

Boris prides himself on having a common touch but his messaging is so out of touch it's like he's the ventriloquist dummy for his campaigning wife Carrie.

In all seriousness, I don't think our predicament is helped by the fact the PM is surrounded every day by privileged eco campaigners who think of little else.

Carrie is employed as a senior adviser to the ocean conservation charity Oceana.

And even Boris' affable dad Stanley has been known to support the lunatic extremist fringe group Extinction Rebellion, which is currently intending to pursue a miserable strategy of never-ending civil disobedience to make life even more difficult for ordinary Brits.

We're happy to be leading the way internationally on a number of sensible initiatives to reduce our emissions. Pictured: Heat pumps outside a house

Boris prides himself on having a common touch but his messaging is so out of touch it's like he's the ventriloquist dummy for his campaigning wife Carrie

I'm also sick to death of being lectured by privileged leaders who aren't prepared to make the changes they're attempting to enforce on the rest of us.

Cop26 boss Alok Sharma and his gaffe prone spokeswoman Allegra Stratton have both been forced to admit they drive diesel cars, even though they're enforcing all of us to go electric.

And Sharma has been on a whistle-stop tour of the globe, burning up more carbon emissions than other celebrity eco hypocrites like Prince Harry and Leonardo DiCaprio, even though the government has insisted none of us should be flying anywhere for the past 18 months.

It's in this context that Conservative MPs are rightly staging a fightback.

They're well aware that it's completely delusional to think this sort of eco extremism will be electorally popular.

This week Red Wall Tories have been privately seething about polling that shows their voters are much more likely to be petrol drivers rather than own hybrid or electric cars.

A leaked transcript of a WhatsApp conversation hammering minister Anne Marie Trevelyn was leaked to The Sun and shows just how worried the MPs are that the green policies could cost the party the next election.

Former minister Jackie Doyle-Price raged: 'The reason we have won Red Wall seats is because Labour lost working class voters over decades as the party has become increasingly metropolitan. We won't keep those voters if they see us behaving in the same way. We do need to get our approach to net zero right.'

Lincoln MP Karl McCartney added: 'All the builders, mechanics, petrol-heads and even EV lovers across the country will be rolling their eyes at this 'idealism'. Maybe the SpAds/advisers in No10 and certain departments should leave their protective bubble over recess and head 'north'.'

Bassetlaw MP Brendan Clarke-Smith wrote: 'It's a hard sell asking people to make sacrifices when the rest of the world, China/Russia etc, are carrying on as usual. It can't happen overnight  and others need to pull their weight, rather than us doing all the legwork.'

Perhaps this sort of pressure is starting to get to Boris.

The Times reported today that he is considering reversing a ban on the installation of new gas boilers from 2035, instead making the measure advisory.

There also needs to be a reversal of the over ambitious plan to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars from 2040.

The problem is that every time Boris tries to implement a common sense change like this I have no doubt Carrie will insist on sleeping in the spare bedroom for a week.

But the PM's domestic bliss should have nothing to do with him enforcing completely unrealistic and financially devastating policies on his people.

This quagmire is also one of the worries of having a failed opposition.

The Leader of No Opposition, as I've christened Keir Starmer, this week ridiculously branded Boris a 'climate delayer'.

Yup, despite moving faster than virtually any other developed country, the bloke with the quiff wants us to do even more.

I'm not sure what he means exactly, but presumably enforcing veganism and banning all international flights for anyone other than MPs on 'important business' would be a good start for Keir.

And at the same time both Boris and Keir fail to utter the C-word  and when it comes to climate change it's the only word that actually matters: CHINA!

Cop26 boss Alok Sharma and his gaffe prone spokeswoman Allegra Stratton have both been forced to admit they drive diesel cars, even though they're enforcing all of us to go electric

You know the country responsible for 27 per cent (and growing) of all global emissions, when the UK emits less than one per cent.

It's about time this government banishes the authoritarian streak it has developed over the Covid crisis and starts letting citizens make common sense decisions.

Educate us, sure. Give us the choice, absolutely.

But do not put us through such financially devastating measures until you ensure China will stop opening new coal plants by the month.

As Boris loves to point out, the UK has already halved our emissions in the last three decades.

Given our incredible progress, a big bang approach is unnecessary and, if he's not careful, it could end up costing Boris his job.
Along Unter den Linden  the grand boulevard that runs up to Berlin's Brandenburg Gate  Britain's gleaming new embassy lies just 250 yards from its Russian equivalent, a Stalinist-era monstrosity.

Berlin during the 1960s and 1970s was always regarded as the playground of international espionage  and Unter den Linden played its part in many a spy drama.

So there is something all too reminiscent of the novels of John le Carre and Len Deighton about the revelation that David Smith, a British security guard attached to our embassy in the German capital, has been arrested on suspicion of selling secrets to Russian handlers.

It may seem like a bizarre throwback to the Cold War, but this extraordinary story illustrates how the threat to the West from Vladimir Putin's Russia remains real.

Mr Smith, 57, is said to have passed documents to Russian intelligence 'at least once' in exchange for an 'unknown amount' of money.

He was yesterday charged with 'activity as an agent for a foreign secret service' and remanded in custody.

The German foreign ministry says that Berlin is taking the case 'very seriously', adding that spying by 'a close alliance partner on German soil is unacceptable'. In diplomatic terms, such language is unusually strong.

Whatever the nature of the secrets Mr Smith allegedly sold, should it be true, I fear the damage from this scandal would turn out to be grave.

There is something all too reminiscent of the novels of John le Carre and Len Deighton about the revelation that David Smith, a British security guard attached to our embassy in the German capital, has been arrested on suspicion of selling secrets to Russian handlers. Pictured: The British Embassy in Berlin

Berlin during the 1960s and 1970s was always regarded as the playground of international espionage  and Unter den Linden played its part in many a spy drama. Pictured: Jungfernbruecke bridge over Spree canal in Berlin in 1970

It would be a terrible humiliation for a leading member of the Five Eyes Anglosphere intelligence network to have sprung a leak inside its most important European embassy.

Britain's key intelligence allies  America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand  would be furious.

To make matters worse, Germany is easily Britain's most important European ally. The British Government has only just finished putting away the red carpet that was rolled out for outgoing chancellor Angela Merkel last month, following her meetings with the Queen and Boris Johnson.

A couple of details about the case raise flags. Assuming he really is 57 years old, Mr Smith would have come of age steeped in the imagery and propaganda of the Cold War.

His apartment  since raided by German police  is in Potsdam: once in the Communist sector of Berlin.

His engagement by the embassy seems on the face of it unusual. Our embassies all recruit staff locally, often to help organise social events or process routine visa applications. Their local knowledge and language skills are helpful to the diplomats.

From the monstrous Salisbury poisonings and the attempted assassination of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny (pictured seated)  not to mention unquestioning support of the repellent Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko  Vladimir Putin has become ever more brazen in his conduct

But it is unusual to hire expatriate Britons locally, not least because they may have acquired different loyalties through their own lives and relationships.

Reports are ambiguous in suggesting how long Mr Smith is suspected of being 'active', but last night, Germany's most senior prosecutor said he was 'strongly suspected' of having worked for the Russians since at least last November.

Now the onus is on the investigators, whoever they are, to urgently establish where Mr Smith has travelled in recent years  and where he was employed before joining the British embassy.

WiFi codes and email address templates will have had to be changed immediately as damage limitation measures.

Trust with our German partners will have to be swiftly restored.

Our current ambassador, Jill Gallard (pictured), has been in post only nine months, so she will not carry any direct blame for Mr Smith's appointment. But I do feel that it would be better to have a more heavyweight German specialist as our representative in Berlin

Our current ambassador, Jill Gallard, has been in post only nine months, so she will not carry any direct blame for Mr Smith's appointment.

But I do feel that it would be better to have a more heavyweight German specialist as our representative in Berlin, rather than a former Foreign Office head of human resources who takes time to tweet about climate change and women's success at the Olympics.

Over the many years that I have taught students about the world and international relations, I have always insisted we should not regard the Cold War as an historic episode.

From the monstrous Salisbury poisonings and the attempted assassination of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny  not to mention unquestioning support of the repellent Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko  Vladimir Putin has become ever more brazen in his conduct.

The Communist party  faithfully supported by the Russian president when he was a KGB agent  might have died when the Berlin Wall was torn down, and the Soviet Union imploded.

But totalitarianism lives on in the Russian mind.

Should any good come of these allegations, we may hope that it alerts our complacent leaders to the true threat we face from Russia  and trust that our security services will never rest in protecting us from it.

Professor Anthony Glees is a security and intelligence expert at the University of Buckingham
As Home Secretary, keeping the public safe is my number one priority. A key part of that mission is removing people who come to this country, abuse our hospitality, and commit crimes.

That is what the British people expect  and this Government will always act in the interests of the law-abiding majority.

So I make absolutely no apology for taking action to remove foreign offenders.

And that's what happened yesterday when seven criminals  all Jamaican nationals  were returned home on a charter flight.

Between them, their prison sentences totalled over 46 years.

They had been convicted of a variety of violent, obscene and abhorrent crimes including rape, sexual offences against children, assault and possession of offensive weapons.

As Home Secretary, keeping the public safe is my number one priority. A key part of that mission is removing people who come to this country, abuse our hospitality, and commit crimes, writes Priti Patel

Their criminal acts will have had a devastating impact on their victims.

What sort of message would it send to them  and to the public more widely  if we simply allowed these people back onto our streets?

Quite simply, foreign nationals convicted of such offences must expect to be removed from the UK after serving their time.

Allowing them to remain should be a stain on the consciousness of our nation.

It is fact, that UK laws rightly allow us to deport foreign nationals convicted of an offence in the UK and sentenced to 12 months or more imprisonment where no exceptions stop it.

But it is also a fact that yesterday we should have removed 50 foreign national offenders to Jamaica, not seven.

I make absolutely no apology for taking action to remove foreign offenders. And that's what happened yesterday when seven criminals  all Jamaican nationals  were returned home on a charter flight (stock photo)

This is because the current system and laws allowed an influx of legal claims  litigation to stop the removal of 43 offenders whose prison sentences shockingly ran to a combined total of 245 years.

These are offenders whose crimes included murder, attempted murder, rape and sexual offences against children, as well as drugs and firearms offences.

To add insult to the victims of these appalling crimes, many of these legal claims were made a matter of hours before the flight was due to take off, and supported by a chorus of Labour MPs and campaigners  some of whom contrived to claim that their deportation was somehow 'racist' and 'disproportionate'.

Quite simply, foreign nationals convicted of such offences must expect to be removed from the UK after serving their time. Allowing them to remain should be a stain on the consciousness of our nation (stock photo)

I know Daily Mail readers will share my deep anger and frustration that these offenders were able to dodge their return to Jamaica.

This system is wrong and broken, which is why I am more deter-mined than ever to deliver the reforms that are so badly needed to fix our broken system.

Through my New Plan for Immigration, we will instil a fair but firm approach that cracks down on abuse of the system and expedites the removal of those who have no right to be here.

It's not a problem we can solve overnight as it will require new laws to be passed in Parliament, and the Nationality and Borders Bill is pivotal to this change.

The British people have had enough  they want to see change.

And I am determined to reform our laws to deliver that change so that foreign criminals who break our laws can no longer abuse our system and laugh in the face of the British people.
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If you have children of school age and tried homeschooling recently, you'll know that it's not always a good thing when kids go quiet in front of a tablet or laptop.

You might think that they've finally decided to do some work after hours of protesting, only to get closer to their screen to see that they're watching YouTube or scrolling through social media.

It happens to us all, but if you don't have time to stand over your kids and police their activities, you may be interested to hear about Circle parental control products, which will allow you to be in control of what websites your children can access when they're meant to be working.

Parents across the US are using Circle parental controls to monitor their kids' screen-time

More than half a million households have used Circle parental controls in the past year and its installed on about 3.5 million devices.

Parents love the app's Focus Time feature, which allows them to set designated school time slots in which anything that the child doesn't require for school is blocked.

The control is completely flexible so Focus Time can be set for those working at home to access Zoom and Slack, for example, but not videos.

Another key feature is the ability to Pause the Internet to help kids wind down before bed or join in at mealtimes and chore times. This allows you to turn the internet off for specific family members so you can still use it for work even if the kids' connection has been turned off.

You only need one app for all your devices, so whether they're on their smartphone or tablet at home or using it out and about, you can keep them safe online.

Parents love the app's Focus Time feature, which allows them to set designated school time slots in which anything that the child doesn't require for school is blocked

You're also able to choose your level of commitment. For the Circle app, there's a free 14-day free trial, after which it costs $9.99 a month or $89.99 for the year.

You can also invest in Circle Home Plus, which includes the in-home device and app subscription with a three-month subscription costing $69 or a 12-month subscription costing $129.

Choosing the 12-month subscription works out at around the same price as an Amazon Prime or Netflix subscription.

But instead of sucking up your time tempting you to binge on boxsets all night, Circle parental controls will give you back hours in your day as you can get on with what you need to do safe in the knowledge that your kids are being productive.

Plus, you don't need any technical knowledge to set it all up as there are step by step instructions on the Circle website.
Social media users have slammed a landlord for renting a property for 950-per-month after noticing discrepancies between the online description and photographs taken of the 'furnished two-bed flat.'

Cameron Hastings, from Glasgow, took to Twitter after spotting shocking snaps of the property, located in the trendy Finnieston area, on online letting agency Open Rent, which is listed for 950 - excluding bills.

Two photos of the kitchen, which have gone viral, show a dreary space with drawers appearing to be missing from the cabinets, what seemed to be 'damp' on one wall and a bin balanced on top of the fridge.

Another snap shows one of the bedrooms with no bed or storage space - despite the property being advertised as having new furniture. Instead, one corner of the room is filled with clutter, including two uninstalled sinks and boxes.

Cameron Hastings, from Glasgow, Scotland, took to Twitter after spotting shocking snaps of the property, located in Glasgow, on online letting agency Open Rent , which is listed for 950 - excluding bills

The social media user called for the landlord to be 'stopped' from renting a 'furnished two bedroom flat' for 950 per month (pictured)

Photographs of the kitchen (pictured) shows the absence of a kettle, toaster and a microwave

An outraged Cameron brought the property to the attention of others by tweeting: 'This flat is 950 a month and this is the kitchen. Landlords need to be stopped.'

The post has since garnered over 400 comments and 14,000 likes, with many social media users blasting both its appearance and the asking price.

'There are minimum standards,' wrote one. 'It just needs to be reported. There should be hard wired smoke alarms in main areas and heat detector in the kitchen.

'Gas safety cert, modern electricals and wirings. Decor isn't covered in things but should be no dampness leading to mould etc.'

A second commented: 'At 950/ month I seriously doubt it. Just another greedy landlord in a country with not enough homes.'

The landlord shared a photograph of a narrow corridor and steps the tenants appear to have to climb to reach their top-floor flat

A photograph of one of the bedrooms suggests the landlord isn't providing a bed or storage equipment for tenants, while sinks and boxes can be seen pushed into a corner

A flood of tweets agreed there needs to be stricter rules on the prices and standard of living offered by landlords (pictured)

A third added: 'That in a picture, is why we need strict rent controls, price caps and stricter regulations on landlords.'

In stark contrast to the snaps, the description of the property online reads: 'A traditional top floor flat comprising of a large hall with fantastic storage facilities, two double sized bedrooms, lounge, kitchen and a spacious bathroom!

'HMO application in progress and once granted (12 months), then the property will comprise of four bedrooms, kitchen/dining area, bathroom.

'If tenants still occupy flat during HMO application then a rent increase notice will be served to reflect the change in status of the property.'

The information confirms in such an instance, the tenant will be given three month's notice of the landlord's plan to raise the rent to 1850 - 1900 per month.

A photograph of the bathroom shows a modern space, however it's unclear if it has a sink or bathroom cabinet

The landlord informed the future tenant that their rent is likely to double once their HMO application is approved. Pictured, one of the empty bedrooms

The landlord, who is located in Charing Cross, also boasts online that the property is in a safe and quiet residential area with a variety of shops and transport links within walking distance.

It also has a communal outdoor space and street parking which tenants can pay for.

According to the description, it has a recently installed kitchen, new furniture and has been redecorated throughout.

New tenants are required to hand over a deposit of 1500 and the first month's rent of 950 before moving in.

Elsewhere, further photographs reveal the entrance to the property is via a narrow staircase, suggesting that there isn't a lift despite it being on the top floor.

The snaps of the bathroom show no sign of a sink or storage cabinet, while a photo of the bedroom shows a small space without any furniture and a few unknown marks on the walls.
Bringing nature indoors may seem like a natural way to brighten up your home but experts warn it could have deadly consequences for your pets.

Five of the most popular indoor plants including the peace lily and fiddle leaf fig are highly toxic for cats and dogs.

In fact the consequences of your pet having a nibble on your favourite pot plant can, in many cases, be nothing short of devastating.

Five of the most popular indoor plants including the peace lily (pictured) and fiddle leaf fig are highly toxic for cats and dogs

The fiddle leaf fig, pictured, is the most popular houseplant in Australia and also one of the most deadly

The experts at The Good Plant Co revealed to Daily Mail Australia the five deadliest popular houseplants and what pet lovers could buy instead.

The peace lily was number one on the experts' list.

'While it might seem like itll bring peace to your home, this plant is actually incredibly toxic for both cats and dogs,' they explained.

When dogs and cats eat the leaves, flowers or stalks of a peace lily chemicals in the plant burn their mouth and throat.

What plants are deadly for animals? 1 - Peace lily 2 - Giant bird of paradise 3 - Fiddle leaf fig 4 - Elephant ears 5 - Burgundy rubber tree Advertisement

What plants are safe for your pets? 1 - Ficus alii 2 - Cowboy cactus (however thorns can cause irritation) 3 - Aloe aristata 4 - Spider plant 5 - Chinese money plant Advertisement

This can lead to excessive drooling, vomiting and difficulty breathing.

The second plant on the list is the giant bird of paradise and while the plant itself isn't hugely toxic the flowers are.

'Although the plant rarely blooms flowers, it could still pose a risk to people who get one and are unaware of how dangerous these flowers are,' they said.

The fiddle leaf fig, which is the most popular houseplant in Australia, will also cause vomiting and difficulty breathing for your pets.

Elephant ears, another popular plant known for its long, attractive leaves, is another deadly pot plant which will make pets very uncomfortable - or worse.

Elephant ears, which are know for their impressive leaves, are also deadly for pets

The aloe aristata and cowboy cactus are also safe for pets and easy to grow

The ficus alii is a small, but attractive, fig tree which is completely safe for pets

The burgundy rubber tree is the last of the popular trees that could pose a threat to animals - although it is only considered mildly toxic.

These plants are popular because they are one of the easiest indoor plants to look after.

'It depends on how much of the plant was eaten, but in most cases it does not result in fatality,' they said.

The experts offered up other examples of attractive indoor plants pet lovers could look at instead.

The giant bird of paradise, pictured, is also deadly with the rare flowers being the most dangerous

The burgundy rubber tree is an easy plant to care for but can also be harmful to plants - though not usually deadly

These include the ficus alii which they describe as 'a cute little fig that will guarantee those tropical Hawaiian vibes without the hassle of a long haul flight.'

The aloe arista is another favourite among the experts for people with pets and it is also hard to kill so perfect for people who are new to caring for plants.

Another easy-care, pet-friendly plant is the cowboy cactus described as being perfect for lazy plant lovers.

The Good Plant Co source their information on dangerous plants from the ASPCA database which lists every type of plant, its toxicity level and clinical symptoms.
Queen Letizia of Spain was a vision in pink as she joined her family on an outing in Mallorca last night.

The mother-of-two, 48, joined her husband King Felipe, 52, and their daughters, Princess Leonor, 15, and Infanta Sofia, 14, for an evening out during their summer holidays in the Balearic Islands.

Letizia opted for the stylish pink maxi dress paired with a black espadrilles as she enjoyed some quality time with her family at a restaurant in Palma, Mallorca.

Meanwhile Princess Leonor, 15, and Infanta Sofia, 14, coordinated their outfits in white and denim ensembles.

Queen Letizia of Spain, 48, was a vision in pink as she joined her family on an outing in Mallorca last night

Letizia opted for the stylish pink maxi dress paired with a black espadrilles as she enjoyed some quality time with her family in the restaurant in Palma, Mallorca

The family looked relaxed as they set out to enjoy the Mediterranean cuisine at the fine-dining restaurant.

Letizia and her family likely dined on fresh fish from the Balearic coast and the various types of rice and stews in which the restaurant specialises.

Putting safety first, the group all donned face coverings as they left the restaurant, but appeared to be chatting happily to one another as they walked.

Queen Letizia kept her make-up relatively natural, with a lick of mascara to bring out her eyes, and accessorised with a pair of gold hoop earrings.

Meanwhile Princess Leonor, 15, and Infanta Sofia, 14, co-ordinated their outfits in white and denim ensembles

Princess Sofia donned a pair of relaxed denim dungarees (left) while Leonor stepped out in a white off-the-shoulder top and a denim skirt with a pair of white statement earrings (right)

Princess Leonor stepped out in a white off-the-shoulder top and a denim skirt with a pair of white statement earrings.

The young royal wore her hair in a relaxed side parting and wore a pair of beige sandals.

Meanwhile, Infanta Sofia opted for the same hairstyle as her older sister as she wore a simple white t-shirt and a pair of relaxed denim dungarees.

It comes days after the family were spotted dining out with King Felipe's mother Queen Sofia of Spain and her sister Irene of Greece.

The family looked relaxed as they set out to enjoy the Mediterranean cuisine at the fine-dining restaurant

Meanwhile King Felipe opted for a pale blue shirt with a relaxed pair of jeans for the outing in Mallorca last night

And earlier this week, they met with Mallorcan sailor Joan Cardona in Palma to congratulate him on his Olympic bronze medal.

They chatted to the athlete and commended his achievement during the 39th Copa del Rey (King's Cup) regatta at Real Club Nautico de Palma.

The family have been enjoying spending their summer holidays in the Balearic Islands; earlier this month they had a day out in Escorca.

They visited the Interpretation Center of 'Sierra De Tramuntana' and the Lluc Sanctuary.

The young royal wore her hair in a relaxed side parting and wore a pair of beige sandals (pictured)

Escorca is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Serra de Tramuntana, which has the highest mountains on the island of Mallorca, and the royals enjoyed views of the whole island from the mountain top.

Letizia met Felipe VI at a dinner party in 2002, and the pair enjoyed an instant connection, leading to their royal wedding in May 2004.

The former newsreader is the granddaughter of a taxi driver and the eldest daughter of Jesus Jose Ortiz Alvarez, a journalist, and first wife Maria de la Paloma Rocasolano Rodriguez, a nurse and hospital union representative.

She attended public high school and did a degree at the Complutense University of Madrid. She later gained an MA in Audiovisual Journalism at the Institute for Studies in Audiovisual Journalism.ing Juan Carlos abdicated in 2014 in favour of his son, now King Felipe VI.
An Indian teenager with vitiligo has told how his skin changed color to nearly completely white leaving him unrecognizable from childhood photos - and he's been accused of 'cultural appropriation' for celebrating Hindu holidays with his family.

Aviral Chauhan, 19, was born in India before moving to America and had no idea he had the rare condition until he spotted a white patch on his eyelid aged 11.

It soon spread to elbows and knees, and then turned almost all of the skin on his face and body white by the time he was aged 13.

Aviral, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, admitted he struggled growing up as people would make comments asking if he was adopted or albino.

Aviral Chauhan, 19, told how his skin changed color to nearly completely white leaving him unrecognizable from childhood photos (pictured before)

Aviral's vitiligo soon spread to his elbows and knees, and then turned almost all of the skin on his face and body white by the time he was aged 13 (pictured now)

However he has since learned to ignore 'trolls' accusing him of cultural appropriation - where a person from a different culture adopts a certain culture's practices as their own - after he realized he 'doesn't have to prove his identity to anyone'.

The business student said: 'It started with a few small white spots when I was 11, but suddenly the vitiligo went crazy and I would barely recognize myself in pictures from just a few months earlier.

'There was a time when I didn't look the same for any two days - my skin would change dramatically overnight.

'Classmates in high school would ask questions when I didn't really understand it myself, and I often heard other adults asking my parents about me when they thought I couldn't hear.

The teen, pictured with his parents, has since learned to ignore 'trolls' accusing him of cultural appropriation - where a person from a different culture adopts a certain culture's practices as their own - after he realized he 'doesn't have to prove his identity to anyone'

Aviral, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, pictured with his mother Mohini, admitted he struggled growing up as people would make comments asking if he was adopted or albino

Aviral started to develop vitiligo aged 11. The long-term condition causes pale white patches to develop on the skin due to the lack of a pigment called melanin

'I might look white, but my family and culture are still Indian and I try my best to stay true to my identity.'

Aviral was born in Kanpur and moved to America in 2008 with his brother Advyay, 11, mother Mohini, 39, and father Jitendra, 44.

The autoimmune skin disease that affects one in 200 people Vitiligo is one of the most common autoimmune skin diseases and is caused by a lack of melanin, the pigment that gives skin its colour. Canadian fashion model Winnie Harlow is a known sufferer. The body's immune system attacks the pigment cells, mistaking them for foreign invaders. This causes painless white patches on exposed areas such as the face and fingers, although they can also appear on the wrists, around the eyes, groin, armpits and inside the mouth. The disease affects around one in 200 people, and about 50 per cent develop their first symptoms before the age of 20, though it's not clear why. However, 'stressful' events, such as childbirth, hormone changes or even cuts to the skin, may trigger it  there is also a genetic link. There is no cure, but some treatments can reverse pigment loss if used early enough. Advertisement

He started to develop vitiligo aged 11.

The long-term condition causes pale white patches to develop on the skin due to the lack of a pigment called melanin.

Until the age of 11, Aviral looked similar to his brother - but soon after, his skin changed dramatically due to the hereditary condition.

He said over that period of around 18 months, he would develop white patches almost overnight.

He said: 'At first, it was quite hard to understand what was going on, and I was pretty self-conscious.

'Middle school was not a fun experience.

'I would look at photos from just a few months earlier and look like a completely different person.'

Despite occasional comments and questions from peers, he told how the hardest thing to deal with as he grew up was comments from adults to his parents.

He said: 'It would be questions like, "Is he adopted?" or "is he albino?" That was pretty tough to hear as a teenager.

'Or people would say to my parents "You're so lucky he's white" thinking they were complimenting me, because it was seen as desirable to have a child with a lighter skin tone in Indian culture.

'But my family didn't see it that way - all it did was disconnect me further from my identity.'

When he entered high school aged around 16, Aviral said he began to embrace his much-changed appearance.

He said his supportive friendship group would 'have his back' when he faced comments from peers.

Aviral said his family practice a 'good blend of Indian and American cultures' - and although they don't worship every day, they celebrate Hindu holidays such as Diwali.

But he said he was recently accused of 'cultural appropriation' when he posted photos of himself in traditional Indian clothes on social media.

He explained: 'It was annoying that people were questioning me and making accusations - it's literally my own culture.

Despite occasional comments and questions from peers, Aviral told how the hardest thing to deal with as he grew up was comments from adults to his parents (pictured)

Aviral said his family practice a 'good blend of Indian and American cultures' - and although they don't worship every day, they celebrate Hindu holidays such as Diwali, which recently saw him accused of cultural appropriation on social media

Aviral said despite comments from others, he feels confident in his own skin thanks to the support of friends and family

'I don't necessarily go out of my way to tell people I'm Indian, but I would never pretend I'm not, because it's who I am.'

Aviral said despite comments from others, he feels confident in his own skin thanks to the support of friends and family.

He said: 'I might look a little different, but I can't name a time where anyone I care about has made me feel bad about my appearance.

'My family and friends have always been supportive of me and helped me get to a place where I truly feel happy in my own skin.'
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Rowing fans attending the first day of the Henley Royal Regatta this year showed that they've fully embraced the prestigious fixture's newly modernised dress code.

Many of the ladies arriving on the Oxfordshire town's riverbanks this morning for the high society fixture were wearing trousers and shorter skirts and dresses, after it was revealed this week that the 182-year-old dress code was being scrapped for a more 21st century approach.

The long-standing sartorial rules - which asked for over-the-knee skirts and no trousers, and a blazer or smart jacket - have crumbled under pressure from campaigners who branded the former dress code 'symbolic of an era when women couldn't compete and were just there to look pretty.'

Judging by those queuing to get through the gates this morning, the key change appears long overdue; there seemed to be little hesitation in ditching formal wear in favour of more fashionable garments.

Day one Henley Royal Regatta attendees proved they've most definitely got the memo after the high society fixture updated its 182-year-old dress code to allow trousers and shorter skirts for women. Pictured: Two women arrive at the Oxfordshire regatta on Wednesday wearing trainers and shorter dresses

Regatta chairman Sir Steve Redgrave announced the historic update to the dress code this week, saying 'times have changed' and it is the 'right time' to shake up the rules. Pictured, as the first day of the rowing gets underway, three spectators arrive in Henley

Not just trousers, but jeans! Two attendees opted for skinny denim to see off the restrictive dress code with casual panache

Shops in the riverside town have already reported a boom in sales of shorter dresses and skirts ahead of the meet beginning.

Among the looks on display today were the traditional colourful, striped blazers matched with casual brands including Birkenstocks and Converse, with two attendees also opting to stretch the trouser rule to its limits - by donning skinny jeans.

Many of the gents also adopted a more casual look, with shorts and colourful trousers, teamed with sneakers and boat shoes a popular look.

The regatta, which was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, will see national clubs from up and down the country vying for glory on the emerald Thames in races scheduled until Sunday.

The Regatta has ruled it will hold the event as safely as possible, in line with Government and Public Health and those queuing to get in this morning had to prove they were 'Covid safe'.

Blazer and Birkenstocks: One racegoer arrived in casual sandals and floaty wide-legged trousers at the rowing spectacle

Rowing crews look on from the river bank as other crews compete on the opening day of the 2021 Henley Royal Regatta

The Henley Royal Regatta will take place in Henley-on-Thames, from today until Sunday 15th August. The event was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. Pictured: A couple arrive at the riverside this morning

There were some glamorous looks on display in the pretty Thames-side town as the first races began this morning

Earlier this week, Regatta chairman Sir Steve Redgrave announced the historic update to the dress code, saying 'times have changed' and it is the 'right time' to shake up the rules.

He said: 'We have been asked for a number of years if we could look at the ladies' dress code because times have changed.

'Even though we see ourselves very much as a traditional event with a traditional way of dressing, with the introduction of more women's events in recent years, we felt that it was the right time to make the change.

The officials keep it formal - and an eye on the first crews racing on the Thames today as the regatta got under way

This year sees a new enclosure for friends and family of the competitors, pictured above, which is called The Supporters' Lawn

Well, we do love a queue. Those attending today's races pictured arriving at the regatta - each must prove they're 'Covid safe' before going through to the riverside

Many of the gents also adopted a more casual look, with shorts and colourful trousers, teamed with sneakers and boat shoes a popular look

'It is not a major change by any stretch of the imagination but we still see the regatta as an excuse to dress up like you would for any other celebration.

'If you see the regatta as a social occasion, as I do, people like to dress up and that is what Henley is all about - colour and celebration.'

The move has given a boost to women's clothes shops in the town. Ailsa Meredith, a style advisor at Whistles in Bell Street, said: 'Some women don't want to be typically dressed.

'Going in something unexpected is nice and a way to show your bold personality.'

Georgina Grant, the Oxford student and member of the University Women's Boat Club rower who last year launched a petition calling for the rule change, said: 'The petition led to a lot of attention being paid to the dress code and got people talking.

Colourful blazers, often showing the club the spectator rows for, were a common sight in the town this morning

Call us old fashioned: Many stuck to the original dress code, opting for trousers, blazers and smarter shoes

'I'm really pleased Henley has taken a step into the present on this. The trouser ban is symbolic of an era when women couldn't compete and were just there to look pretty.'

In her online petition, which got more than 1,680 signatures, she declared 'On the water, men and women dress the same. Why are things any different off the water?

'To promote equality for competitors at this event, an equal dress code for spectators is the first place to start.

'This dress is oppressive and serves no purpose. A smart and formal atmosphere can be maintained without the shackles of lengthy hemlines.'

The Henley Royal Regatta attracts thousands of visitors over the course of the five-day event. Teams compete in over 300 races of an international standard on the Thames, which can include Olympic rowers as well as crews new to the event.

It was first staged in 1839 and has been held annually every year since, except during the two World Wars and 2020 due to Covid-19.

Bring out the waistcoat: But with a warm day ahead forecast in Henley, those wearing more traditional clothes may disrobe later on

There were still plenty of racegoers respecting the dress code that was relaxed earlier this week, with longer dresses and boaters among the attire on display

Glamour: A regatta-goer dons a striking pink jacket over a floral cream dress with platform espadrilles. Right: This lady matches her blazer with a dress in the same shade of racing green

Traditional: Racing green and a shade of cream were the order of the day for these two smart attendees

The five days of rowing will take place almost two months later than normal following the lifting of restrictions on large gatherings.

The number of spectators will still be hugely down and the infrastructure has been changed so there will be no grandstand in the stewards' enclosure and no regatta enclosure while the boat tent has been moved to the opposite bank to usual.

Spectators will be encouraged to wear masks in all indoor spaces, such as the on-site shops and restaurants.

A total of 481 crews - 41 from overseas - will take part in the regatta, which will begin on Wednesday and end with 26 finals, including three new ones for women on the Sunday.

Sir Steve said it was 'tremendous' to be able to hold the event, which is one of key dates in the social and sporting calendar.

'It was traumatic last year to have to pull it and it has been a hard 12 months to get to where we are.

'Public health has absolutely been high on the agenda for the whole world, not just us at Henley, but we wanted to stage a regatta for the rowers if we possibly could.

'With the way that things have opened up in the last few weeks, it seems that we have made a good decision to stage it.'

In the pink: Two gents arrive in their finery, including a very loud pair of trousers and some beautiful brogues

The Regatta has ruled it will hold the event as safely as possible, in line with Government and Public Health. Pictured: attendees at the event on Wednesday

The dress code has been updated for the first time to permit women to wear trousers with a blazer or jacket. Previously women were required to wear a dress or skirt with a hemline below the knee

Sir Steve said the smaller number of visitors to the enclosures would impact the regatta's finances but it was important that it went ahead.

'We were prepared to run it behind closed doors with no spectators, which made the planning and structure very different.

'We knew we wanted to put in the full course but this is expensive and to cover our costs we need members and guests to come along. If we don't get those numbers then we are going to have a financial hit.

'August is holiday season so we know we are not going to get full enclosures but, in some ways, it is about getting back to normal. At this stage we don't know how many people will come along.'
A woman has revealed how she found out she was five months pregnant after taking a test as a joke when a sandwich left her size four physique feeling bloated.

Jasmin Miller, 24, from San Diego, California, bought a home pregnancy test kit for a laugh when a snack left her feeling full - and mother Erica joked she could be expecting.

But shockingly the test was positive and it was later confirmed that the then 22-year-old was five months pregnant - despite staying a svelte size four over that period of time.

Just three months later, at 32 weeks, social media manager Jasmin gave birth to her first child Leighton Skye Miller.

Jasmin Miller, 24, from San Diego, California, bought a home pregnancy test kit for a laugh when a snack left her feeling full - and mother Erica joked she could be expecting. Pictured left to right: Jasmin when six months pregnant, and with daughter Leighton

Shockingly the test was positive and it was later confirmed that the then 22-year-old (pictured when three months pregnant) was five months pregnant - despite staying a svelte size four over that period of time

Jasmin said: 'The reason I tested was the week prior, I was going to a concert, ate a sandwich and then blew up with bloat. I broke down immediately on seeing the tests and started bawling my eyes out.'

Jasmin didn't have a period throughout her pregnancy since she was on birth control, and while she was starting to need the bathroom more frequently, she put this down to having a urinary tract infection (UTI) and didn't think anything of it.

The new graduate also had severe cramping but was suffering from a stomach illness which she just associated her symptoms with.

Jasmin, who studied Communications at UCLA, said: 'I had a boyfriend that was not super serious and 100 per cent neither of us were ready to start a family.

Just three months later, at 32 weeks, social media manager Jasmin (pictured at her baby shower) gave birth to her first child Leighton Skye Miller

Jasmin didn't have a period throughout her pregnancy since she was on birth control, and while she was starting to need the bathroom more frequently, she put this down to having a urinary tract infection (UTI) and didn't think anything of it. Pictured, baby Leighton in hospital

The new graduate also had severe cramping but was suffering from a stomach illness which she just associated her symptoms with. Pictured, baby Leighton in hospital

'I remember one time he asked me if we could get a dog, and at the time my exact response was "A dog? That's like a 15 year commitment, what are we going to do? Ship it back and forth if we aren't together?"'

Normally a size six, the week she found out she was pregnant, Jasmin had actually lost weight and was down to a size four.

At the end of July 2019, Jasmin went to a Billie Eilish concert where she ate a tomato sandwich as a snack and quickly became extremely bloated.

She said: 'It was so abnormal, that I sent a picture to my mother and said something is wrong look how bloated I am. She jokingly said I looked pregnant based on where the bloat was. She was joking but said I should take a test just in case.'

At the end of July 2019, Jasmin went to a Billie Eilish concert where she ate a tomato sandwich as a snack and quickly became extremely bloated (pictured)

Jasmin (pictured at five months pregnant) and a friend went to a pharmacy and picked up two pregnancy tests to take as a joke

Jasmin and a friend went to a pharmacy and picked up two pregnancy tests to take as a joke and to ease her mother Erica's mind.

When the first one came up positive, she frantically took a second one, and then bought a third and fourth, only to get the same result.

Jasmin said: 'I was freaking out, had no clue what to do.'

She drove over to see her mother and told her in person, who also teared up at the news.

'She told me she was sad because she knew how hard it would be for me as she was a young single mom at 24 too,' said Jasmin.

Four days later, she visited the doctor for the first time for an ultrasound - and found out she was 19 weeks and five days along.

When the first one came up positive, she frantically took a second one, and then bought a third and fourth, only to get the same result. Pictured, Jasmin with Leighton

Four days later, the mother-of-one (pictured with her daughter) visited the doctor for the first time for an ultrasound - and found out she was 19 weeks and five days along

She said: 'I started laughing and bawling in the ultrasound room with the tech. I was completely by myself and was so scared. I was in complete shock, tons of disbelief, lots of denial.'

When she tried to tell the father - her ex-boyfriend who she had broken up with just two weeks prior - she claims he accused her of lying and that she hadn't been taking birth control.

Jasmin recalled: 'In the middle of me talking, he gets up, walks out of the car slams the door and doesn't look back. That's the last time I saw him while I was pregnant.'

The next 12 weeks were a whirlwind of preparations for her new arrival, but the expecting mother wanted to keep her pregnancy as much of a secret as she could.

She said: 'I hid my entire pregnancy from the world, because I was scared of being judged by the people I knew in high school. It's so embarrassing when I look back that I let those people prevent me from fully celebrating such a special time in life.'

On October 23 2019, Jasmin went into labour at 32 weeks pregnant - and just three days after her baby shower. Pictured left, Jasmin's mother Erica with Leighton (pictured right)

Leighton Skye Miller was born weighing 3lb 14.6oz and was rushed to NICU and remained there for two months until she was 6lbs. Pictured, a baby scan of Leighton

On October 23 2019, Jasmin went into labour at 32 weeks pregnant - and just three days after her baby shower.

Leighton Skye Miller was born weighing 3lb 14.6oz and was rushed to NICU and remained there for two months until she was 6lbs.

Jasmin said: 'After spending two months in the NICU and being with the nurses 12 hours of the day every day, I learned so much that I felt more ready when I left.

'They were able to teach me how to do diapers and bottles, what to do with choking, fainting, etc.

'Before having her, I felt ready and adjusted, but after having her, I felt so confused. It took forever for saying "my daughter" to feel semi-normal.'

Life for the little family is a lot easier now, and Jasmin chose to share her journey on her TikTok, @jasminandleighton, to help provide support to other young mothers.

The video of her explaining how she didn't know she was pregnant has over 800,000 views.

She said: 'It's crazy to imagine my life without her, and where I would be had she not come along. She makes me strive to be a better person every day.

'I think it's important to share your story with others when it can help other people going through a similar situation. I think sharing is such a powerful tool, and to see that life isn't perfect but its about what you make of it.'
The CEO of one of UK's largest car dealership groups said there's been 'a lot of change' at his company since appearing on Undercover Big Boss.

Robert Forrester, chief executive of Bristol Street Motors, one of the largest car dealership groups in the UK, decided to secretly watch his employees after expanding his business during the pandemic.

He posed as a history lecturer in search of a new career to film the global hit series, which has been rebooted for ITV after originally being aired on Channel 4.

Appearing on This Morning today, Robert said that after working among his employees he decided to enhance maternity pay, and introduce programmes to stop lack of 'confidence' blocking career progression.

Robert Forrester, chief executive of Bristol Street Motors, one of the largest car dealership groups in the UK, will appear on Undercover Big Boss tomorrow evening

Robert adopted the persona of history lecturer called Tom Gough, who was supposedly making a documentary about looking for a career change, post pandemic

'One thing weve done is enhanced maternity pay, that was something I dont think we got completely right,' said Robert.

'The big finding for me was there was a lot of talented people, but they didn't have the confidence to progress their careers.'

Robert has since put in place leadership schemes to help employees advance in their career, but said that he wasn't 'majorly shocked' with any of his workers or company policies.

'We ended up at the end of the programme having a meeting seeing what was good, bad what we needed to sort out. Nothing majorly shocked me to be honest,' he said.

Appearing on This Morning today, Robert said that after working among his employees he decided to enhance maternity pay

He told hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford (left) he has put in place leadership schemes to help employees advance in their career, but said that he wasn't 'majorly shocked' with any of his workers or company policies

The four-part series will see bosses from across the UK roll up their sleeves and join workers on the bottom rung of the ladder, with the second episode airing tomorrow at 9pm.

With 149 dealerships across the UK and over 6,000 employees, Robert's company was selling one car every four minutes. When the pandemic hit, he was forced to close his dealerships and furlough the workforce.

But with other businesses downsizing, Robert took a gamble and purchased 30 new dealerships, investing millions of pounds of shareholders money.

To ensure his staff were working to the best of their ability, Robert adopted the persona of history lecturer called Tom Gough, who was making a documentary about looking for a career change, post-lockdown.

He revealed that while nobody questioned his appearance, his voice did give him away to a few employees while filming.

As a self-confessed data geek who graduated from Oxford, Robert had never actually worked on the shop floor or sold a car in his life

At one point in the show, Robert was faced with employee Gervan who teared up over the difficulty to achieve his sales targets, revealing that 'nobody asked if he was okay' after not selling a car for nine months

As a self-confessed data geek who graduated from Oxford, Robert had never actually worked on the shop floor or sold a car in his life.

At one point in the show, Robert is faced with an employee who tears up while opening up about the difficulty to achieve his sales targets, revealing that 'nobody asked if he was okay' after not selling a car for nine days.

'That was probably the trickiest moment of the programme', said Robert. 'Because he was upset. Hes actually a very talented sales guy, so we had to decide how to handle that.

When asked whether he was shocked to see the day-today of employees at his company, he replied: 'Not really.

'Im used to travelling around the dealerships and with the lockdown I hadnt been able to, so I jumped at the chance I thought it was a fantastic opportunity.'
A gluten-free cook has revealed she's not had a friend for 12 years and insists it's not as uncommon as you might think.

Becky Excell, who lives in Essex, made the admission in a recent Q&A session on her Instagram page, explaining she didn't keep in touch with anyone from school and failed to get close to anyone at university.

She said it 'almost feels humiliating' to not have any friends, but since opening up publicly she's been inundated with messages from people who are in the same boat.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Naga Munchetty, the author of How To Make Anything Gluten-free said she is keen to address the 'taboo' subject and talk about it openly so that people feel less embarrassed.

Becky Excell, who lives in Essex, has revealed she's not had a friend for 12 years and insists it's not as uncommon as you might think

Becky added that she would like to make some pals but is happy and content having dog Peggy and her partner Mark as her 'best mate' and focusing on her career and upcoming new cookbook.

'I've done all the things that people say so often like, join a club, if you've got a hobby go and join a club for that, and I've done that, and people think "oh, it's easy, that will just result in having friends" but it's really not like that, you don't go to a club and suddenly everyone is there wanting to be your friend,' she told Naga.

'You might enjoy the thing that you're doing but you know, other people come all together and there's already a clicky group there.'

She went on: 'I've always felt, with everything I've done, that I've always been on the outside of a circle trying to sort of push my way in, but never quite getting in to that circle.

'And that's happened time and time again, so it's not a case of not wanting friends - I'd love some friends and I've really tried, throughout my whole adult life, university, work, in offices - but it's just never quite worked for me.'

Becky made the admission in a recent Q&A session on her Instagram page, explaining she didn't keep in touch with anyone from school and failed to get close to anyone at university

During her Instagram Q&A, Becky told how she went to three different universities and had several jobs in different cities which meant she never grew close to anyone - something she said was 'her own fault'.

'In all honesty my last friends I had were in 2009. I haven't had any since. I've had loads of opportunities to so I'd say it's my own fault really!' she said.

'My last friends I remember were when I was at uni in Manchester... I quit early and I never spoke to them again. I then went to two different unis and made absolutely no friends (my eating disorder played a huge part in this).

'I've had jobs in London, Manchester and here in Colchester and never made friends through work either.

'I've not kept in touch with friends from school or sixth form either. I do wonder what everyone is up to sometimes in life!'

Asked by Naga whether she feels there is some form of social code that she hasn't fathomed, Becky mused: 'Possibly. I feel like I'm very socially aware of everything, I kind of get stuff, but I don't know what it is, and I guess if I did know then I would have friends, if it was that easy.

Speaking on Instagram, Becky said she believes it's 'ok' not to have any friends and that people in her situation should 'embrace it' and not feel uncomfortable talking about it

'I think it's probably just a case of loads of little things going together that have just made me be this "Billy no mates", but I've realised that so many other people are in exactly that same position as me.

'I put myself out there on the internet a lot talking about food and recipes and I get a lot of response from that, but I got even more, like the most response I've ever had in my entire life just saying I've got no friends.

'The amount of people who said "me too", or, for instance, "[during] lockdown I suddenly realised that I thought I had friends but now with lockdown I've come to realise that maybe I don't, maybe they weren't as close friends as they thought".

'So it seems like, it's something that we don't like to talk about and it's a bit of a taboo subject to say I don't have any friends, but if we all spoke about it a bit more and made it less embarrassing and less strange to talk about and less that we feel weird, maybe... it's not as strange as you think.'

Speaking on Instagram, Becky said she believes it's 'ok' not to have any friends and that people in her situation should 'embrace it' and not feel uncomfortable talking about it.

She added that social media doesn't help because 'all we see is people being really positive and having happy experiences like going out with friends'.

Becky added that she would like to make some pals but is happy and content having dog Peggy and her partner Mark as her 'best mate' and focusing on her career and upcoming new cookbook

'If you're not doing that you don't tend to share anything quite as much as you feel like you don't have much to share, but we still have lots to share really,' she said.

According to a report by the Office for National Statistics, the number of people reporting feelings of loneliness since the pandemic has skyrocketed from 2.6million in spring 2020 to 3.7million in winter 2020.

Gen Zers are five times more likely to report feeling more lonely, compared with millennials which are three times, and all have reported that this has negatively affected their mental health.

Since the pandemic, a quarter (26 per cent) of Gen Z reported that they had fewer close friends than before the pandemic. Two in five (39 per cent) also reported having less casual friends, such as old work colleagues, school friends or extended family, than pre-pandemic.

Searches for 'how to socialise' peaked in May according to social planning app Howbout, as people were eager to begin meeting friends again but wanted some guidance.
Michelin-starred chef Mike Robinson has revealed that he will no longer be offering weekday lunch service at his restaurants in a bid to save his staff from exhaustion.

The UK-based restauranteur, whose establishments include London's Michelin-starred pub The Harwood Arms, The Elder in Bath and The Woodsman in Stratford-Upon-Avon, expressed concerns that people often leave the industry because they are left feeling extremely worn down from the long working hours.

'The most important thing we have in our restaurants is our staff,' he said, speaking on the Biting Talk podcast. 'If you're working lunch and dinner, five days a week you're exhausted on your two days off.'

The restauranteur went on to say how he thought it was about time he implemented a positive change.

Michelin-starred chef Mike Robinson (pictured, in 2009) has revealed that he will no longer be offering weekday lunch service at his restaurants in a bid to save his staff from exhaustion

'By necessity there's a tradition of people working crazy hours in restaurants,' he explained. 'And I think it's time this changed.'

In the hope of making improvements to the wellbeing of his hardworking staff, Robinson has offered his employees the opportunity to work between 45 and 55 hours a week.

It's a much more appealing working day in comparison to the average 70 hours others in the industry endure.

'I want the talent pool we have to stay with us,' he said. 'They can get the hours they want to work and get the right work/life balance.'

The restauranteur's establishments include London's Michelin-starred pub The Harwood Arms (pictured), The Elder in Bath and The Woodsman in Stratford-Upon-Avon

Robinson went on to explain that he decided to call time on weekday lunch service at his restaurants two weeks ago.

He added that he is now able to 'put the focus on quality and effort in the evening and have longer evening services.'

And according to the chef, the positive reaction has been well received by all.

'Customer satisfaction is higher, our staff are so happy and you're only ever as good as the people you work with,' he explained.

'If we want to get the restaurant industry booming again the one thing we have to do is look after our staff.'
The Obamas didn't invite Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Barack's 60th birthday party because 'they will go towards William' amid the family's rift, Prince Harry's biographer has claimed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not attend the lavish do thrown by the former US president at his seven-bedroom 8million holiday home in Martha's Vineyard on Saturday. It included John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Meghan's friend CBS This Morning host Gayle King, George Clooney and Jay-Z and Beyonce.

And according to royal expert and author Angela Levin, who wrote Harry: Biography of a Prince, it is thought that Barack and Michelle, 57, wanted to take a 'step back' from the couple out of respect for the Queen.

'I'm sure that if they say we can only deal with one brother and his wife  you cannot have both because they are so far apart now  they will go towards William,' said Angela, speaking to The Sun. 'The Obamas clearly always regarded Harry highly, but I am sure they can see through Meghan.

They may stay around, but they won't be as pally as they once were.'

The Obamas didn't invite Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Barack's 60th birthday party because 'they will go towards William' amid the family's rift, Prince Harry's biographer has claimed. Pictured, Prince Harry, US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Prince William, Kate Middleton pose as they attend a dinner at Kensington Palace on April 22, 2016 in London

Prince Harry and US First Lady Michelle Obama laugh as they listen to a music presentation by wounded warriors at the USO Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, October 28, 2015

Oprah Winfrey interviewing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on A CBS Primetime Special premiering on CBS on March 7, 2021

The royal expert went on to say that the Duchess of Sussex 'desperately wanted' to be among those in attendance.

'I am told that despite claiming she was unable to attend, Meghan desperately wanted to be the special guest at the Obama's amazing party,' she said. 'But the fact is, Harry and Meghan were never even on the original list.'

The Obamas first met Her Majesty back in 2009 at the G20 summit, and in 2011 the monarch hosted them on a three-day State visit.

When the Duke of Edinburgh passed away in April, aged 99, Obama posted a glowing tribute on Twitter, writing: 'Through his extraordinary example, His Royal Highness Prince Philip proved that true partnership has room for both ambition and selflessness  all in service of something greater.'

His wife also tweeted: 'Our thoughts are with Her Majesty the Queen, the Royal family, and the British people.'

Speaking about the Queen during her 2019 book tour, Michelle described her as 'wonderfully warm, funny, elegant and kind and considerate in really interesting ways'.

Despite both Meghan and Harry currently being on parental leave after welcoming their daughter Lilibet in June, the Duchess used her 40th birthday as an opportunity to launch her new 40x40 initiative, designed to encourage women back into work post-pandemic

In 2016, they attended a dinner with Prince William and Kate Middleton at their home, where they were photographed meeting Prince George, then three, who was in his dressing gown ready for bed, before having dinner with the Cambridges and Harry.

Obama publicly threw his support behind Prince William's Earthshot Prize in October, writing on Twitter: 'It's going to take a lot of big-thinking and innovation to save the one planet we've got  and that's why @KensingtonRoyal's leadership on climate change can make a real difference.'

The Obamas also have a long-standing relationship with Harry, having bonded with him over his Invictus Games - for which they starred in a video with the prince and the Queen to help promote it in 2016.

The following year Harry interviewed Barack in Toronto for his guest edit of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, during which they discussed the risks of social media and the corrosion of civil discourse.

Meghan also made a point of attending Michelle's talk at the London Southbank Centre in December 2018, with the two women reportedly getting together backstage afterwards for a 'power meeting' to discuss their shared passion for girls' education.

When the Obamas returned to the UK in 2016, they made a point of visiting Kensington Palace where they met Prince George, then three, who was in his dressing gown ready for bed, before having dinner with the Cambridges and Harry

Despite both Meghan and Harry currently being on parental leave after welcoming their daughter Lilibet in June, the Duchess last week used her 40th birthday as an opportunity to launch her new 40x40 initiative, designed to encourage women back into work post-pandemic.

But while a host of celebrities - including Hillary Clinton - were asked to support the project, which asks people to donate 40 minutes of their time to mentoring, the Obamas were seemingly not invited to participate.

And Angela notes that 'it must be irritating for the Obamas' that the concept is similar to Barack's 60x60 birthday appeal, where people were asked to donate 60 dollars, or even six dollars, to a charitable cause.

The comments come after royal expert Camilla Tominey claimed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 'conspicuous' absence from Barack Obama's 60th birthday party could be a sign their 'special relationship' is over.

Despite Obama insisting the event had been scaled back from a guestlist of 500 because of the spread of the Indian Delta variant of Covid, a staff member told DailyMail.com that 300 to 400 people were in attendance.

Page Six, which broke the news of Harry's multi-million pound book deal, reported Harry and Meghan were 'not planning to attend' and suggested the Duke might whisk his wife away for her own birthday celebrations, as she turned 40 on August 4.

Camilla Tominey suggested that ordinarily, you would have expected Harry and Meghan to be 'front and centre' of the Obamas' guest list, however some people within Democrat circles have suggested the Sussexes' attempts to 'ape everything the Obamas have done' since they quit the Royal Family may have 'jeopardised their once special relationship'.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, she said: 'Despite the Obamas not attending the Sussexes' wedding that year, it was thought that the newly California-based couple would be shoo-ins at Obama's 60th, as prominent 'progressives' and new-found members of the US metropolitan liberal elite.'

She claimed a source revealed the Obamas 'didn't like Harry attacking his family' during his and Meghan's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in March.

'They value family and certainly aren't the type of people who would want their children talking to the press,' the insider added.

Meghan made a point of attending Michelle's talk at the London Southbank Centre in December 2018, with the two women reportedly getting together backstage afterwards for a 'power meeting' to discuss their shared passion for girls' education

Former First Lady Michelle Obama also shed light on her and her husband's feelings on the public outpouring - during which they accused the monarchy of not supporting them and suggested Prince Charles and Prince William are 'trapped' in the system - in an interview with Access Hollywood.

'My hope is that, when I think about what they're going through, I think about the importance of family and I just pray that there is forgiveness and there is clarity and love and resolve at some point in time. Because there's nothing more important than family,' she said.

The Sussexes have followed a similar trajectory to the Obamas since quitting royal life, having signed a multi-million dollar deal with Netflix to produce their own documentary series.

Harry has also signed a lucrative four-book deal with Penguin Random House - the same publishers used by Obama for his memoir A Promised Land in November last year. In 2018 Michelle published her life story, Becoming.

Tominey suggested the Obamas may be fearful that an association with the Sussexes risks attracting negative publicity.

She added that Harry and Meghan bad-mouthing the royals during their Oprah interview 'arguably will not have gone down particularly well with a couple that have always put 'family first.''

Following the Oprah interview and Harry's book news, some royal commentators have criticised the Sussexes for dishing yet more royal dirt.

There is concern within the Firm that the release of one of the books is reportedly due to come after the death of the Queen - though Harry's lawyers have said the claim that he is waiting for his grandmother to pass away before releasing one of them is 'false and defamatory'.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark looked in good spirits as she joined her husband Crown Prince Frederick to move their eldest son Prince Christian into his new high school.

The 15-year-old, who is second in line to the throne, is starting at Denmark's oldest boarding school Herlufsholm, today.

He was joined by his parents Princess Mary, 49, and Prince Frederick, 53, yesterday as he adjusted to his new surroundings and met his classmates at the private day and boarding school by the River Susa in Nstved, located south of Copenhagen.

The three royal family members posed for a collection of photographs to celebrate the occasion, which were then shared to the Danish household's social media accounts.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark looked in good spirits as she joined her husband Crown Prince Frederick to move their eldest son Prince Christian into his new boarding school (pictured together)

The 15-year-old (pictured), who is second in line to the throne, is starting at Denmark's oldest boarding school Herlufsholm, today

In one image, Prince Christian was captured standing with his parents in front of the school's picturesque building.

Princess Mary was the epitome of elegance in a floral button-up frock, teamed with silver hoop earrings and a dainty necklace.

Looking effortlessly stylish, she opted for a smattering of glamorous makeup while keeping her hair straight.

Appearing equally as smart, her husband Prince Frederik sported a checked suit jacket with a white shirt.

In another photograph, Prince Christian, looking dapper in his school uniform, was snapped solo in front of the main school building.

The prince (pictured) was joined by his parents Princess Mary, 49, and Prince Frederick, 53, yesterday as he adjusted to his new surroundings and met his classmates at the private day and boarding school by the River Susa in Nstved, located south of Copenhagen

A third showed him in one of the corridors of the school, which was founded in 1565 for Danish nobility, with a number of statues and several pieces of artwork behind him.

'His Royal Highness Prince Christian today moved into Herlufsholm's in Nstved,' read the post's caption online.

'Tomorrow the Prince starts in high school, and today has been spent adjusting to the new surroundings and meeting the new schoolmates.' 

Prince Christians cousin Prince Nikolai of Denmark attended Herlufsholm from 2015 to 2018 - but this is the first time a future monarch has enrolled at the educational establishment.

One of four, Prince Christains siblings are Princess Isabella, 14, and ten-year-old twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.
A Massachusetts sleepaway camp wanted to reassure parents that their children were having a great time this summer  even after three campers found a decomposing dead body in the woods.

Campers at Camp Lenox in the Berkshires in Massachusetts had been participating in a color war when a small group went into the words in search of wood and found a corpse instead.

But according to a very upbeat letter sent home to parents detailing the 'strange but true story,' the campers had already moved on from the troubling discover and were simply 'excited to be in color war.'

Three teenage campers and a counselor at Camp Lenox in the Berkshires in Massachusetts were collecting firewood for a camp competition when they discovered a corpse

Camp Lenox is a co-ed camp for children and teens age seven to 16.

On Thursday, August 5, at around 3:30 p.m., three older campers and a counselor were gathering wood for an event called a Rope Burn in a camp-wide color war.

Color war is a popular summer camp activity, wherein children are divided into two color-coded teams and compete in outdoor events like sports, archery, tug-of-war, relay races, and capture the flag.

For the Rope Burn event, the teams race to see who can build a fire and burn a rope the fastest.

The campers were looking for firewood when they unexpectedly came across human remains.

Following the incident, camp directors Richard and Stephanie Moss letter to parents, which has since been shared on Twitter.

Camp directors Richard and Stephanie Moss sent a letter home to parents which said that they'd evaluated the campers and deemed them 'emotionally stable and excited to be in color war'

'Dear Friends,' the letter began. 'Color War broke last night and the camp is buzzing with excitement for the greatest of all camp events.

'As we head into the last week of camp, I wanted to share with you a strange but true event that occurred today.

'A counselor and 3 of our oldest campers were in the woods at the border of camp and private property collecting wood for a big event called "Rope Burn." As they were collecting wood, they accidentally came upon the remains of a human body that appeared to have died quite a while ago.

'The boys and staff member came to us, reported what they saw, and we contacted to the local police to investigate this matter,' the letter continued.

'Our leadership team, [redacted], and I have counseled and talked with the individuals who were directly involved with this situation and we will continue to monitor them.

'At this point, they seem emotionally stable and excited to be in color war. We really have no other information at this time and will keep you informed if there is any news that is relevant to camp,' it concluded, signing off with 'best wishes.'

One of the camp directors said that the body was not found on camp property

The campers were prepping for a color war activity when they found the body

Following the incident, Massachusetts State Police spokesman Dave Procopio told the Berkshire Eagle that the body was 'in a state of decomposition' and they are still investigating the cause of death.

They believe it to be a 35-year-old man who died by suicide.

Meanwhile, co-director Stephanie Moss told The New York Post that the body was 'not on camp property.'

But on Twitter, many people are more captivated by the camp's cheerful letter home than anything else.

'"Sorry your kids found a dead body in the woods but don't worry, theyre emotionally stable enough for Color War,"' joked Bex Schwartz.

'"Strange but true might not have been the language I would have chosen to introduce this subject,' wrote another commenter.

Social media users have dubbed the camp 'Camp Stand By Me' and joked about the 'positivity sandwich' in the letter

One creative Twitter user reimagined the lyrics to the 1963 novelty song 'Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp)' by by Allan Sherman

'Excellent use of the positivity sandwich. Camp is buzzing for color war! --> We did find a horribly decomposed dead body --> Get excited for color war!' said Paige Ferrari

One Twitter user dubbed the camp 'Camp Stand By Me' after the 1986 film based on the Stephen King story The Body.

'I am now officially obsessed with Camp Dead Guy!! I costs 13000$ for a full summer. It costs a decent used car for camp,' someone else wrote.

'Sounds like they found a casualty of a Color War long since past, a grim reminder of why they must fight,' joked yet another Twitter user.

'This absolutely tracks with my memory of being a camper. Trauma is available all the time but chaotic camp-wide games come just once a year,' one more chimed in.

One creative Twitter user reimagined the lyrics to the 1963 novelty song 'Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp)' by by Allan Sherman.

They wrote: 'Hello Muddah, hello Faddah, Here I am at Camp Grenada. You remember Jeffery Hardy, Accidentally he came upon a body.'
A man believes his decision to leave town to adopt a dog may have saved his life after he returned home with his new pet to find that his entire property was burned to the ground by a wildfire.

Reinhart Auf Dem Venne, 67, from Colfax, California, traveled to the San Francisco Bay Area after receiving a call from a friend who found a stray and thought he should adopt her. He was meeting his new dog, Zoe, when the River Fire ravaged his neighborhood.

'That dog possibly saved my life, I dont know,' he told CBS affiliate KOVR.

Scroll down for video

Saved: Reinhart Auf Dem Venne, 67, from Colfax, California, was adopting his new dog, Zoe, in the San Francisco Bay Area when his home was ravaged by the River Fire

Man's best friend: Reinhart believes his decision to adopt Zoe (pictured) may have inadvertently saved his life

Loss: When Reinhart returned home, he learned that he had lost almost everything after the blaze burned his home on Wildwood Lane to the ground

The River Fire started last Wednesday near Colfax on the border of Placer and Nevada Counties, burning 1,000 acres within the first two hours, Reuters reported.

Reinhart was in the Bay Area with Zoe, whom he said he 'bonded' with, when the River Fire made its way up the mountain.

'We are on the ridge, so the wind starts in the valley and drives up the flames,' he explained.

While some of his neighbor's homes were spared, his property on Wildwood Lane was burned to the ground.

Blaze: The River Fire started last Wednesday near Colfax on the border of Placer and Nevada Counties, burning 1,000 acres within the first two hours

Gone: While some of his neighbor's homes were spared, his property was destroyed

Fate? Reinhart said he doesn't know what would have happened if he had his phone off and missed his friend's call about adopting Zoe

'I lost pretty much everything,' said Reinhart, who moved to Colfax years ago for a simpler life.

The semi-retired dog owner feels grateful to be alive, and he thinks Zoe may be to thank for his safety.

'If I had turned my phone off, I dont know what would have happened because the fire eventually reached the house,' he said. 'Maybe thats fate, I dont know.'

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported the River Fire to be 78 percent contained on Tuesday after it destroyed 88 structures, most of which were homes.
Now that nightclubs are fully open and Covid restrictions relaxed, Britain's youth can get out and enjoy themselves once more.

However for one party-loving Essex girl, Megan Field, it all went horribly wrong after she suffered a bad fall whilst trying to slide down a banister inside a nightclub.

The incident happened at Unit 7 in Basildon last night and was captured by Layla Gray (@laylagrayxx).

Layla filmed the moment her friend tried to slide down a banister but lost her balance causing her to go head over heels landing awkwardly on her back.

Layla Gray (pictured), from Essex, filmed the incident of her friend Megan falling on her back in a night club in Basildon

A woman in a night club attempts to slide down a banister (pictured) during a night out at Unit 7 night club last night in Basildon, Essex

However, the party-goer ends up going head over heels and takes a nasty slam to her back in a viral video filmed in (pictured, left and right)

At the beginning of the clip, Megan, who can be seen wearing a bodycon dress, perches her bottom on the metal railings inside the club.

However, seconds later, she grips on for dear life as she starts falling backwards towards the concrete stairs.

The clip ends with Megan sprawled out on the steps, with her arms above her head.

Unfortunately for Megan she's in a lot of pain this morning and will be making a trip to A&E today.

Layla (pictured) filmed the moment her friend tried to slide down a banister but lost her balance causing her to go head over heels landing awkwardly on her back

Following the accident, Megan (pictured, left and right) was left in a lot of pain and is due to make a trip to A&E today

The woman, named as Megan, clutches her back in clear discomfort. It's now been reported that she will attend A&E today

The video is now going viral after it was reposted by social-media page @imjustbait, with commentors highly amused at the unfortunate incident.

'Her neck, her back, paracetamol and that,' wrote one.

A second penned: 'What even possessed her to do something so stupid lmao. Hope her back is ok tho.'

Elsewhere, another added: 'Her back is mashup.'
IKEA is giving superfans the chance to set the mood with the tantalizing fragrance of its Swedish meatballs.

The Swedish retail chain has designed a limited-edition meatball-scented candle, which customers can vin as part of its IKEA Family 10th Anniversary Sweepstakes.

The HUVUDROLL candle is just one of several items that some lucky winners will receive in their 'IKEA Store in a Box.'

IKEA is giving superfans the chance to set the mood with the tantalizing fragrance of its Swedish meatballs

The Swedish retail chain has designed a limited-edition meatball-scented candle, which customers can vin as part of its IKEA Family 10th Anniversary Sweepstakes

IKEA is running the contest through August 22.

US hopefuls age 18 and up who are registered members in good standing of the IKEA Family Program can enter online, with 986 winning the whole prize box and 1,925 runners up getting just a candle.

The company hasn't shared what else comes in the 'IKEA Store in a Box' set, with a spokesperson telling Food & Wine that it will be 'a surprise and a delight.'

Twitter users have had mixed reactions to the news, with some people horrified by the idea.

'IKEA now has a meatball scented candle and can they justnot? Like the last two years have been hard enough,' wrote one.

'That will be a hard no,' said another.

Meanwhile, others joked that it would be 'perfect for date nights' and said: 'I WILL buy the ikea meatball candle and Im not ashamed.'

In the midst of the pandemic in April of 2020, IKEA released its Swedish meatball recipe for the first time ever so fans could make it at home during lockdown

'Staying at home can be hard, but we want to help make everyone's lives that little bit easier and more enjoyable. Bon appetit or, smaklig maltid, as we say in Sweden!' read a press release

In the midst of the pandemic in April of 2020, IKEA released its Swedish meatball recipe for the first time ever so fans could make it at home during lockdown.

'We know that some people might be missing our meatballs, which is why we've released an at-home alternative which, using easily accessible ingredients, will help those looking for some inspiration in the kitchen,' Lorena Lourido, country food manager at IKEA, said in a press release.

'Staying at home can be hard, but we want to help make everyone's lives that little bit easier and more enjoyable. Bon appetit or, smaklig maltid, as we say in Sweden!'

The recipe calls for ground beef, ground pork, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, milk, and salt and pepper for the meat, and butter, flour, vegetable and beef stock, heavy cream, soy sauce, and mustard for the sauce.

In September of 2020, Panda Express celebrated the return of its Honey Sesame Chicken Breast with a new merchandise collection  including a sesame chicken-scented candle

Smell that? McDonald's sold a pack of six scented candles that each smell like a different Quarter Pounder ingredient

The HUVUDROLL is hardly the first unusual food-scented candle that a company has created in recent years.

In September of 2020, Panda Express celebrated the return of its Honey Sesame Chicken Breast with a new merchandise collection  including a sesame chicken-scented candle.

The $28 candle was 'inspired by the flavorful aromas of wok-tossed crispy chicken, fresh string beans and yellow peppers, and Pandas signature mouthwatering sesame sauce with organic honey.'

Earlier in 2020, McDonald's launched the Quarter Pounder Fan Club with a whole line of merch including a pack of six scented candles that smelled like Quarter Pounder ingredients.

Each one had a difference scent, including bun, ketchup, pickle, cheese, onion, and '100% Fresh Beef'  which might smell like a Quarter Pounder when all burned at once.

Cheesy! In December of 2019, Mexican food chain Qdoba debuted the cheesiest gift of the holiday season, selling a scented candle that smelled like it's beloved queso

Yum! Chili's created a scented candle that smelled like BBQ ribs in November 2019

Savory: KFC UK made this limited-edition gravy-scented candle in early 2019

Beefing up: A.1. released limited-edition meat-scented candles in 2018

In December of 2019, Mexican food chain Qdoba debuted the cheesiest gift of the holiday season, selling a scented candle that smelled like it's beloved queso.

The $10 Queso Candle, which was only available online , was 8 oz. and came in a queso-like orange hue with Qdoba's original three-cheese queso scent.

In November 2019, Chili's held a contest in which winners scored a gift pack including a scented candle that smelled like a steaming plate of ribs.

KFC in the UK also released a candle that smelled like its signature gravy, though only 230 were made.

And finally, in 2018, steak sauce brand A.1. sold a line of limited-edition meat-scented candles.

For $14.99 each, the candles came in three scents: original meat, backyard barbecue, and classic burger.
Asda has become the first supermarket to announce its Christmas range for 2021 - with the luxurious festive menu including more than 200 vegan and free from items.

The budget grocer say their range is set to offer something for everyone and every occasion from the first taste of Christmas and those cosy nights in dressing the tree, right through to the main event and the New Year's Eve party.

This includes more Extra Special products than ever before, with 240 premium quality products across all categories in the store from showstopping desserts and centrepiece meats for the Christmas dinner, to innovative party food and festive snacks.

Highlights of the range, which will be released over the coming months and include a giant candy cane sausage roll and a vegan chocolate parcel.

Asda are yet to announce their prices, but they are expected to reflect the low prices of the budget supermarket.

Asda has become the first supermarket to announce its Christmas range for 2021 - with the luxurious festive menu including more than 200 vegan and free from item. Pictured are the pigs in blankets

Highlights include a candy cane sausage roll (left) and vegan crab cakes (right)

Also in the luxurious range is the Extra Special Duck Liver Pate with Clementine Armagnac jelly ingot

The products taking centre stage include Extra Special Vegan 'Crab' Croquettes with Red Pepper and Roasted Garlic Dip, and Free From Extra Special Chocolate Orange Shimmer Brownies.

Key flavours which come to life throughout Asda's Christmas range are Blood Orange, Salted Honey and Truffle.

The floral, tart flavours of Blood Orange is found in the new Extra Special Blood Orange and Venison pate for those after a tasty appetiser.

While, those with a sweet tooth can indulge in an Extra Special Blood Orange Belgian Chocolate Bauble.

Salted Honey also takes centre stage this year, with delicious treats such as the Extra Special Salted Honey and Caramel Meringue Stack bringing salt and sweet together for a unique experience.

Key flavourrs which come too life throughout Asda's Christmas range are Blood Orange, Salted Honey and Truffle. Pictured is the dark chocolate and blood orange roulade

Teasingly tender and succulent, impress your guests with this 21 day-aged British beef rib joint. Making the dish the perfect centrepiece to a Christmas dinner by bringing the meat to life with the rich garlic & herb paste and truffle, parmesan & herb crumb (Left). RIght: Extra special chicken joint with porcini & truffle stuffing and maderia sauce

Vegans's won't miss out with a cheese platter available to pick up this year

WHAT'S IN ASDA'S CHRISTMAS RANGE? Highlights of the range include: Extra Special 3 Bone Rib Joint with Parmesan & Truffle Crust Teasingly tender and succulent, impress your guests with this 21 day-aged British beef rib joint. Making the dish the perfect centrepiece to a Christmas dinner by bringing the meat to life with the rich garlic & herb paste and truffle, parmesan & herb crumb. Extra Special Blood Orange Chocolate Bauble Decorations so cute you can eat - Asda's Extra Special Orange Chocolate Bauble is the ultimate novelty dessert. Hand-moulded with Belgian Dark Chocolate Shell with Gold lustre, filled with layers of Fresh Orange Curd, Chocolate sponge, blood orange caramel, chocolate mousse, Chocolate coated honeycomb and chocolate orange truffle. Extra Special Salted Honey and Caramel Meringue Stack No Christmas would be complete without a decadent dessert, and this Caramel Meringue stack is the ideal treat. With layers of honeycomb cream and salted honey sauce, this is the perfect end to any festive meal, hand finished with Chocolate shards and a festive golden shimmer. Extra Special Truffle Brie Wow guests at the end of the evening with a showstopping cheese. Produced in Ile de France at the Renard Gillard creamery. Asda's Extra Special Truffle Brie is a specialty layered Brie with double cream and Saint-Jean truffle pieces which gives a delicate aromatic profile. Extra Special Blood Orange and Venison Pate Rich, coarse textured pork and venison pate infused with Bourbon whiskey, enriched with cream and topped with blood orange. The pates are cooked in traditional 'Kilner' style jars. Extra Special Mince Pie with Orange Zest Pastry Mouthwatering three-month matured mincemeat all encased within fruitful and flavourful orange zest butter pastry - this mince pie is the ultimate festive bite. Served best with a dollop of cream, this is Asda's best ever mince pie. Advertisement

While the unique taste of truffle features in the range; bringing an intoxicating musk to the Extra Special Three Bone Rib Joint which is artfully encased in a Parmesan and truffle crust.

Asda is bringing some great novelty products to the range to make its customers smile this Christmas, with Bruce the Brussel Sprout taking centre stage for the second year.

Bruce will be available in his classic cake incarnation, a chocolate sponge filled with chocolate flavour frosting and covered in soft green icing, as well as ten different products available from across the store including a giant shareable cookie with delicious chocolate chips and covered in sugar paste.

This year customers can even meet Mrs Bruce, Betty a delicious chocolate sponge cake with chocolate flavour frosting covered in soft, green icing!

Asda is bringing some great novelty products to the range to make its customers smile this Christmas, with Bruce the Brussel Sprout taking centre stage for the second year.

Cinnamon tear and share bread is the perfect festive starter this year

Vegans can also enjoy a beefless Wellington (pictured) a meat-free alternative to the classic Christmas treat

Sam Dickson, Vice President, Asda Own Brand at Asda told FEMAIL: 'This Christmas we know our customers are looking to create something truly magical for their loved ones.

'Our insight has told us that for many, this Christmas will be two Christmases in one, with customers seizing every moment and starting the celebrations as early as possible.

'So, it's our job at Asda to make all of those moments as magical as possible, and we really do believe we have something for everyone and every occasion this Christmas. We can't wait for our customers to sample the range and be blown away by the quality.

Jamaican ginger cake is also on the menu this year as a delicious alternative to Christmas pudding

For those looking for an alternative can pick up prawns in blankets for a festive treat

Linsey Taylor, Senior Director of New Product Development at Asda added: 'This Christmas will be all about getting family and friends together to create long-lasting memories over delicious dishes. Customers will see lots of sharing dishes on offer this year, as well as showstopping products which can just be popped in the oven so they can enjoy more time with loved ones.

'Each season brings new inspiration and my favourite food trend for this Christmas has to be blood orange, which is at its very best in December.

'We're introducing our customers to a zesty kick to traditional Christmas dishes with products like our Extra Blood Orange Snowflakes, Extra Special Blood Orange and Gin Smoked Salmon and a Nut Roast with Blood Orange Glaze.

'We're proud of every product in this year's range and think there really is something special for everyone to enjoy with their nearest and dearest this Christmas at Asda.'
A cafe has launched the UK's biggest English breakfast challenge which contain a whopping 17,000 calories.

The 150-item meal, served at Shepherds Place Farm in Doncaster, has been named the 'Terminator Armageddon' by owner Ted Phillips.

It includes 15 jumbo Lincolnshire sausages - which is the equivalent to 30 regular sausages - 15 rashers of bacon, 15 hash brows, 15 fried eggs, 15 slices of black pudding, 15 slices of toast and fried bread with butter, 15 portions of mushrooms, 15 portions of baked beans and 15 portions of tinned tomatoes.

Ted says the mammoth meal weighs about 20lbs.

A cafe has launched the UK's biggest English breakfast challenge which contain a whopping 17,000 calories

Customers are challenged to eat the breakfast within an hour to get the meal for free, otherwise it will set them back 50.

'The Terminator Armageddon is officially the biggest breakfast in the UK.

What's in the UK's biggest English breakfast? 15 jumbo Lincolnshire sausages (the equivalent of 30 regular sausages ) 15 rashers of bacon 15 hash browns 15 fried eggs 15 slices of black pudding 15 slices of toast 15 fried bread with butter 15 portions of mushrooms 15 portions of baked beans 15 portions of tinned tomatoes Total items: 150 Total calories: 17,000 Advertisement

'I have already had messages from competitive eaters in the US who are desperate to get over and give the challenge their best shot,' Ted said.

'We just progressed our breakfast challenges until we got to where we are today.

'We are renowned for our breakfasts and we are proud to now be the home of the largest breakfast in the UK.

'I'd seen a few food challenges in the US and on programs such as Man VS Food but I thought that I hadn't seen many happening in this country so I started doing them.

The 150-item meal, served at Shepherds Place Farm in Doncaster, has been named the 'Terminator Armageddon' by owner Ted Phillips

'They are so popular with our customers and we have had people travel from all over the country to give our breakfast challenges ago, so I look forward to welcoming even more people to try out the new Terminator Armageddon challenge.

'It is absolutely massive and it was even hard for me to carry the tray over to the table as it was so heavy.

'It easily weighs between 15 to 20lbs.

It includes 15 jumbo Lincolnshire sausages - which is the equivalent to 30 regular sausages - 15 rashers of bacon, 15 hash brows, 15 fried eggs, 15 slices of black pudding, 15 slices of toast and fried bread with butter, 15 portions of mushrooms, 15 portions of baked beans and 15 portions of tinned tomatoes. Owner Ted is pictured with the meal

Ted added that the food is sourced from high quality ingredients and that is takes around 20 minutes to cook.

'We use great quality ingredients in the challenges which I think also makes them such a huge success because people are genuinely enjoying what they are eating.

'In this new challenge, we use huge sausages which are double the size of the regular sausages that we use so it is the equivalent of 30 sausages.

'Along with 15 portions of each of the other breakfast items. It takes us about 20 minutes to cook because it is so big.

Customers are challenged to eat the breakfast within an hour to get the meal for free, otherwise it will set them back 50.

Ted added that the food is sourced from high quality ingredients and that is takes around 20 minutes to cook.

'To be honest I don't know how anyone will be able to finish this just for the sheer amount of sausages.'

'I really enjoy hosting the challenges because I love seeing customers having a great time.

'And I think it is amazing that people travel from around the country to come and try it.

'It's great fun and a good laugh for everyone involved.'
Health authorities in Guinea are monitoring 155 people they fear may have caught a deadly Ebola-like disease.

One man has already died from Marburg virus, prompting a desperate scramble to find everyone he came into contact with.

All of the people he met have now been traced and told to self-isolate. They are also being kept under observation for three weeks.

The case, detected last week in Gueckedou, marked the first time the virus has been spotted in West Africa.

No other cases have been detected yet  but the World Health Organization warned the affected village is near the country's border with Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Marburg is one of the deadliest pathogens known to exist, killing between half and 90 per cent of everyone who gets infected.

The virus is carried by fruit bats but can be spread between humans through blood and bodily fluids, as well as touching contaminated surfaces.

Infected patients can resemble ghosts, with deep-set eyes and expressionless faces, according to the WHO. Other symptoms include headache, diarrhoea, stomach pain and vomiting.

After five days, many patients start to bleed under the skin, in internal organs or from openings such as the mouth, eyes and ears. Patients often die from nervous system failure, not blood loss.

The map shows the location of previous Marburg virus outbreaks (marked with stars) and countries that have experienced Marburg haemorrhagic fever outbreaks. It also displays countries with imported cases of the virus in humans (in light orange), including North America and South Africa, and countries that have experienced outbreaks after infected monkeys have been imported (orange), such as in Germany. The purple dotted line shows where the bats that can transmit the virus are found, including parts of Africa, Australia and China

What is Marburg virus? Marburg virus causes a severe and highly fatal haemorrhagic fever that often kills whoever catches it. Initial symptoms include a severe headache, a high fever, diarrhoea, stomach pain and vomiting and become increasingly severe. In the early stages of the disease, it is very difficult to distinguish from other tropical illnesses that cause fevers, such as Ebola and malaria. After five days, many patients start to bleed under the skin, in internal organs or from body opening such as the mouth, eyes and ears. There is currently no cure for the disease, so patients are monitored and treated with fluids. Studies are currently trialling antibody treatments and antivirals, but these can only be given as part of the trials, according to WHO. Patients then die from nervous system failure and the fatality rate is 50 per cent, according to World Health Organization estimates. Marburg fatality rates in past outbreaks have varied from 24 per cent to 88 per cent of those infected. It is initially transmitted to humans through exposure to mines or caves inhabited by Rousettus bats and it is then spread through direct contact with infected people's bodily fluids or surfaces and materials contaminated with these fluids. Source: World Health Organization Advertisement

The WHO announced yesterday that Guinea's Ministry of Health informed it of a suspected case on August 6.

The man started experiencing symptoms on July 25 and went to a local health facility near his village on August 1 with a headache, tiredness, stomach pain and bleeding gums.

He was treated with rehydration and antibiotics but died on August 2.

A team of WHO and local experts were deployed on August 3 and confirmed through a test that the man had Marburg virus disease.

Two labs subsequently confirmed the positive test result.

Experts are now working to identify the source of the outbreak and searching for more possible contacts.

Dr Georges Ki-Zerbo, the WHO's country head in Guinea, said Marburg had been circulating in animals, particularly bats, in southern Guinea and neighbouring Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Pathogens have tended to cross from animals to humans in the region because of their close interaction, notably in the hunting and eating of 'bushmeat' from the wild.

Dr Ki-Zerbo said: 'There is no known secondary case. The contacts have been traced, and 155 people are under observation for three weeks.

'It is active surveillance. The contacts are kept at home, isolated from other members of the family. They are visited every day to check on potential symptoms.'

Marburg and Ebola are closely related.

Guinea was declared free of Ebola two months ago, following an outbreak that killed 12 people.

Gueckedou was the origin of the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest in history, and saw a brief resurgence of Ebola this year.

Dr Ki-Zerbo said Guinea was better prepared to handle an outbreak than it had been when Ebola struck in 2014. The discovery of the Marburg case also indicated improved ability to detect such infections.

He said Guinea has built a 'robust health security system' since the last Ebola outbreak, including the use of rapid response teams, disease detectives, epidemiologists and social anthropologists, and better coordination with neighbouring countries.

He added: 'Globally, the approach to combating Marburg would not be different from Ebola.

'The only difference is that there is no vaccine or drug specifically directed to the virus. Only supportive care is available.'

The WHO warned the country has a 'fragile healthcare system', which is exacerbated by disease outbreaks and the Covid pandemic.
A baby boy has been left with brain damage following a routine NHS procedure to check he was healthy, his family said.

Carson Murgatroyd, of Leeds, had an electrode clip fitted to his head during labour so doctors could measure his heart rate.

But his parents, Tiffany and Jordan, claim the procedure left him with a small mark on his forehead after he was born on May 13.

The lesion eventually turned green and the veins in his forehead became prominent, prompting his concerned family to take him to the GP.

Mr Murgatroyd, 29, said: 'We took him to the doctor and they referred us to a neurology unit straight away. We were admitted on July 9 and we have been here ever since.'

Doctors found Carson, now three-months-old had an abscess on his brain, leaving the family fearing their son might die.

The build-up of pus caused his head to swell, jumping 1.6in (4cm) in circumference at one point.

He has had four rounds of brain surgery to help drain the liquid building in his skull because of the infection.

The family believe the electrode clip  which can penetrate the babys scalp while in the womb  was to blame.

But medics are still unaware how the infection was caused and have been unable to tell his parents if and when he will recover.

Baby Carson Murgatroyd has been left with brain damage after doctors stuck an electrode clip on his head while in the womb to check he was healthy, his family claim

Doctors fixed an electrode clip to his head during labour to measure his heart rate and left a small mark on his forehead after he was born

Carson's father Jordan (pictured) says doctors found an infectious cyst on the baby's brain

Mr Murgatroyd said: 'We were told that he had an abscess on his brain. His head swelled and we didn't know if he was going to live or die.

'He has been on antibiotics for five weeks to try and treat it. But then we found out that he now has an infectious cyst on his brain that is causing him brain damage.

'We have no idea how bad it is or how it is going to affect his development going forward.

'We have complained to the hospital and they say that they are looking into it and the possible causes.

'Carson has now had to have four rounds of brain surgery to try and relieve some of the pressure in his head.'

The operations have included Carson having fluid and pus from the abscess being drained away. However, it keeps coming back.

Tiffany and Jordan Murgatroyd (pictured together) had their son Carson on May 13 at Leeds General Infirmary hospital

WHAT ARE ELECTRODE CLIPS USED IN PREGNANCY? Occasionally a foetal scalp electrode (sometimes called a scalp clip) may be applied to a babys head. It is a measure used to continually monitor a babys heartbeat throughout the entire labour process. The electrode picks up the babys heartbeat directly. It is attached to the babys scalp, during a vaginal examination, and the leads are then connected to the monitor. Being attached to the monitor will limit a mother's ability to move around. However, small movements from sitting to standing may be possible and are encouraged. Source: NHS Advertisement

Mr Murgatroyd said: 'At one point his head swelled from 42cm to 46cm which doesn't sound like a lot but it's a big change for his head circumference.

'You can really see the change when you look back at photos.

'But no matter how many times they drain it, it keeps coming back. But now there's the cyst as well but they're waiting a week at a time to scan him.

'And a lot can change in the space of a week.

'We just have no idea how severe his brain damage could be or any conditions that he could have to suffer from going forward.'

Carson's parents have now set up a Go Fund Me page to try and raise money for specialist help for him before any further damage is done.

It could cost anything up to 25,000 for the family.

Mr Murgatroyd added: 'We are now at the stage where the neurosurgeons are just wanting to see what will happen if they keep an eye on the cyst and abscess.

'So we now feel we have no other option but to try and explore other avenues on specialist care to help us with Carson before any further damage is done to our baby boy.

'We know that the specialist care can cost from 10,000 to 25,000 but we are just going to take it day by day and see what we can achieve.

'We want Carson to be in the best hands possible. We want a boy who can be as healthy as he possibly can from this point, we already feel like we have lost a massive part of Carson.

'We know we won't ever get this time back as a family and we know the road is long and tough.

'We hope we can reach out to get enough help to bring our boy back home and avoid him having more pain or just waiting around not knowing what's going to happen.

'It's the hardest thing for a parent to have to go through.'

Lisa Grant, chief nurse at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: 'We are sorry to hear that Carson's family are unhappy with the care provided during his birth.

'We would welcome a discussion about their experience and ask that they contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) team so that we can respond to them directly.'
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has quietly updated Florida's COVID-19 figures after accusations of overcounting earlier this week.

On Monday, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) accused the CDC of misreporting the state's weekend COVID-19 numbers.

The federal health agency had posted that 28,317 new Covid cases were recorded in The Sunshine State on Sunday, a record-high that was reported by multiple media outlets.

However, the DOH stated that is true total was 15,319 cases, indicating an overcount of more than 13,000.

On Wednesday, the CDC updated Florida's new cases to 23,958 for Friday, 21,487 on Saturday and 19,584 on Sunday - quietly admitting that the state DOH was right - but did not offer an explanation as to why.

Interestingly, the revised CDC numbers are still higher than totals the DOH published to its Twitter account on Monday.

CDC revised Florida's COVID-19 figures after the state Department of Health accused the agency of overcounting Sunday's totals with updated figures showing 19,584 new cases (left). CDC previously reported an inaccurate new record of more than 28,000 cases (right)

Florida's DOH said the true number of cases on Sunday is 15,000, making the CDC's original number an overreport of 13,000 cases and not a record-high

The DOH official Twitter account took aim at local news outlets who published stories about the state setting a new record of daily COVID-19 cases on Monday, citing the CDC data.

'This is not accurate,' the agency tweeted on Monday evening, in response to an article by WSVN 7 News in Miami.

'Florida follows CDC guidelines reporting cases Monday through Friday, other than holidays.

'Consequently, each Monday or Tuesday, there will be two or three days of data reported at a time. When data is published, it is attributed evenly to the previous days.'

According to the Florida DOH, a total of 56,386 cases over three days over the weekend - 21,500 on Friday, 19,567 on Saturday and 15,319 on Sunday.

Revised CDC data included 2,000 additional cases on Friday and Saturday, and nearly 4,000 additional cases on Sunday.

The reason for these different figures is unknown, and the CDC did not immediately respond to a request from the DailyMail.com for explanation.

Originally, the CDC reported the data over two days instead of three, causing a high of more than 28,000 cases to be reported.

The DOH then gave a potential reason for the error in a subsequent tweet.

'They combined MULTIPLE days into one. We anticipate CDC will correct the record,' the agency said in a tweet.

Florida does not report daily COVID-19 cases to the public.

Instead, starting in June 2021, the state decided to gather a week's worth of cases and report the total on Friday afternoon.

State health officials cited the falling case and test positivity rate as reason for the change two months ago.

In the time since, Florida has suffered the nation's largest outbreak of the virus, accounting for 20 percent of active cases.

Other states have followed Florida is the halting of daily case reporting, including Iowa and South Dakota.

Nebraska has stopped reporting on any county-level data at all, with only some individual counties throughout the state still making numbers public.

The Cornhusker State's COVID-19 dashboard is also no longer available to the public.

This is the first time daily numbers from Florida have been directly reported to the public since early June.

Florida has been embroiled in controversy regarding their reporting of Covid numbers in the past as well.

Last year, Rebekah Jones was fired from her job at the DOH after claiming that she was pressured by supervisors to adjust case data to make reopening the state for politically viable.

Rebekah Jones (left) was fired from her job at the DoH in May, and subsequently set up her own version of the state's COVID-19 dashboard. Her house was raided in December on allegations that she hacked state computer systems. Gov Ron DeSantis (right) refuted claims from Jones that the state was misreporting virus data, saying 'obviously, she's got issues.'

She also reported that the way Florida reported test positivity rate could be misleading because the state counted total tests rather than individuals tested, meaning one negative person could test multiple times and drive down positivity rates.

Jones launched her own version of a state Covid dashboard, using data leaked to her by her sources within the organization.

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis refuted Jones's claims.

'She was fired because she wasn't doing a good job,' DeSantis said in a news conference in December.

'None of the stuff that she's said was ever proven. You'd think that would be the end of it. Obviously, she's got issues.'

In December, state police raided her home.

The Department of Law Enforcement reported that allegations that she had hacked DOH computer systems were reason for the raid.

Exact numbers from the state can not be deciphered, but it is clear the Covid situation in Florida is dire.

Cases have increase more than eight-fold over the past month, from an average of over 3,000 cases a day in mid-July to now over 27,000 a day in mid-August.

The CDC considers every county in the state to be of 'high' COVID-19 transmission.

Cases across the United States are still rising due to an Indian 'Delta' variant fueled outbreak.

Over the past two weeks, average daily cases have grown from 63,361 on July 27 to 124,470 on August 9 - a 96 percent increase in cases.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve the use of COVID-19 vaccines in children younger than age 12.

Cases among America's youth are increasing with a 31 percent increase in kids testing positive last week over the week before.

With schools across the country starting to enter a new year, the AAP says authorizing vaccines is vital to prevent outbreaks in classrooms.

Currently, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is available to children aged 12 and older, although the companies plan to submit their vaccine for approval for children aged five years or older in the coming months.

The FDA has told Pfizer to expand its trials for the vaccine in young children before they can receive approval.

Dr Lee Savio Beers (pictured), president of the AAP, is urging the FDA to approve the COVID-19 vaccines for children under the age of 12

Currently, children under the age of 12 are not eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines. Pictured: A young girl receives the COVID-19 vaccine in Longwood, Florida

Nearly 94,000 American children tested positive for COVID-19 last week, up 31% from the nearly 72,000 the previous week (above)

"We should do those things that we need to do to help prevent the spread and help keep our kids and our whole communities safe," @AmerAcadPeds @AAPPres Dr. Lee Savio Beers says about delta variant and significant increase in new COVID-19 cases among kids. https://t.co/Wxy8SAEoVU pic.twitter.com/34kzj8T2SJ  ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) August 9, 2021

'We need to be approaching the trials and authorization of the Covid vaccine for children with the same urgency that we did with adults,' Dr Lee Savio Beers, president of the AAP, told ABC.

'Just as it's a serious disease in adults, it can be a very serious disease in children.'

Beers also published an open letter to Acing FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock last week, urging her agency to fast-track the vaccine for younger children.

'I write to urge the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue working aggressively towards authorizing safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for children under age 12 as soon as possible,' she wrote.

'Pediatricians and the families they care for have been anxiously awaiting a vaccine that can be used in children 11 years of age and younger, and especially so now given the rise of the hyper infectious Delta variant.

'The Delta variant is surging at extremely alarming rates in every region of America. This surge is seriously impacting all populations, including children.'

Cases across the U.S. have grown by 214 percent over the past three weeks in an Indian 'Delta' variant fueled surge of cases - from 37,056 to 116,722 on Tuesday.

The country eclipsed the 100,000 daily case average for the first time since February earlier this month.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top leading infectious disease expert, said that figure could hit 200,000 in the near future.

Last week, children accounted for 15 percent of new COVID-19 cases, and there was a 31 percent increase in cases among the youth with nearly 94,000 testing positive last week.

Schools are also set to soon return amid this Covid surge, opening the potential for cases to rise among the countries youth.

While children are unlikely to die from the virus, or suffer from a severe case, there is potential for them to suffer some conditions long term like 'long haul Covid', myocarditis - heart inflammation - anosmia or more.

Children infected with the virus can also spread the virus to parents, teachers, staff and others.

The vaccine could prevent children from potentially suffering from these conditions, though, and Beers believes the FDA delaying vaccine approval could hurt some kids.

'In addition, as FDA continues to evaluate clinical trial requirements for children under 5 years, we similarly urge FDA to carefully consider the impact of its regulatory decisions on further delays in the availability of vaccines for this age group,' she wrote.

'...Waiting on a 6-month follow-up will significantly hinder the ability to reduce the spread of the hyper infectious COVID-19 Delta variant among this age group, since it would add 4 additional months before an authorization decision can be considered.'

The AAP's push for vaccines for children come as controversy surrounds the return to school this fall.

After studies found that virtual schooling had damaging effects on children's mental health, school districts across the country are making sure in-person learning occurs this time around.

How to do so safely, and realistically, has been a point of controversy, though.

Fauci said earlier this week that he supports school districts mandating teachers and other staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine in order to return to the classroom.

'I'm going to upset people on this but I think we should [mandate vaccines for teachers],' Fauci told MSNBC.

'I mean, we are in a critical situation now. We have had 615,000 deaths and we are in a major surge now as we're going into the fall, into the school season. This is very serious business.'

Some states are going the opposite direction, though.

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis has threatened to withhold funding from schools that implement mask mandates.

Texas Gov Greg Abbot also banned the use of mask mandates in schools.

Both governors are receiving legal pushback, with counties and individual schools threatening to defy the governors' orders.

Currently, 59 percent of Americans have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and half of the population is fully vaccinated.
The current crop of COVID-19 vaccines may not be as effective against the Indian 'Delta' variant compared to the original strain of the virus, a new study suggests.

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, found that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - the most commonly used shot in the U.S. - was only 42 percent effective against infection in July.

Meanwhile, the Moderna vaccine was only 76 percent effective.

The highly contagious Delta variant is the dominant strain in the U.S., and there are fears that it has a unique ability to cause breakthrough cases among those who are fully vaccinated.

There is also growing conversation about booster shots being made available for Americans in the near future to continue immunity against virus variants.

Effectiveness of the Moderna (yellow) and Pfizer (blue) COVID-19 vaccines began to drop in June and July as the 'Delta' variant became more prevalent. Moderna had an effectiveness of 76%, while Pfizer's vaccine was 42% effective.

For the study, published on pre-printer server medRxiv.org - meaning it has not yet been peer review - the team gathered data on more than 25,000 Minnesotans from January to July.

While the vaccines remained about as effective as advertised, around 90 percent, for the first six months of the year, their effectiveness began to dip in June.

However, the efficacy largely dropped in July as the variant took hold in the United States.

The change in vaccine effectiveness corresponds with a massive surge in the prevalence of the Delta variant in Minnesota, growing from 0.7 percent prevalence in May to more than 70 percent in July.

Meanwhile, the Kent 'Alpha' variant, the previous dominant strain in the U.S., decreased in prevalence from 85 percent to 13 percent over the same time period.

Even despite a rise in breakthrough infections, the vaccines were still effective in preventing hospitalizations and severe cases from the virus, with both having a hospitalization rate of under 25 percent.

While breakthrough cases became more common in July, the rate of hospitalization remained low, with both being more than 75 percent effective

The rise of Delta variant prevalence in Minnesota, from 0.7% prevalence in May to more than 70% in July, correlates with the drop in effectiveness of the vaccines (above)

Unvaccinated people also still made up a vast majority of cases.

Still, vaccinated people being able to contract the virus is a worrying prospect for health officials.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that vaccinated people who contract the Delta variant release similar viral loads to unvaccinated people, meaning they may be just as able to spread the virus.

While the risk is minimal, some vaccinated people still may be hospitalized, suffer long term negative effects, or even die, from COVID-19.

The Delta variant being able to bypass the existing vaccines also confirms what many feared, that the virus could potentially mutate to a point where it can bypass vaccines.

Last month, Pfizer published data showing its vaccine's efficacy drops to 86 percent after six months.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, warned last week that he feared a vaccine-resistant variant could form in the near future if the virus continued to spread.

But booster shots could soon rollout for Americans to enhance immunity to the virus and protect against these more resistant variants.

NBC News reported on Wednesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) planned to approve third doses for immunocompromised Americans.

It is a change of tone from other health officials in recent weeks, including National Institute of Health Director Dr Francis Collins, who said last week booster shots were not necessary.

Currently, there are three available Covid vaccines in the United States.

The Pfizer vaccine is the most popular, having been used 197 million times since it received FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) in December 2020.

The Moderna vaccine, which was also given EUA in December, has been used more than 140 million times.

Only one single dose vaccine is available in the U.S. - the Johnson & Johnson vaccine - which has been used 13.7 million times.
In Place des Vosges, Paris, wearing a dress by Victoria Beckham, which I hunted down in the summer sale. The bag was bought at the Paris boutique Noe Vannes

So I finally made it to Paris. And, post-lockdown, the chicest city in the world was bursting with life again through the usual haze of cigarette smoke, fuelled by copious verres de vin and strong black coffee.

And, from the cobblestone boulevards to the jazz musicians down by the Seine, Pariss live-and-let-live attitude became a little bit contagious. Burning the candle at both ends  up early for croissants at a pavement cafe, out late for dinner, cocktails and bad dancing  I got to experience it more this time than on my normal fleeting Eurostar trips.

Through sometimes bleary eyes, I lived among the Parisians natural and effortless look  achieved, of course, with great effort. Style-wise, the majority of Parisian women of all ages dress in a subtle neutral palette: black, grey, navy and white. Despite the sweltering weather, they stride around the city in perfectly fitted denims and chic ankle-length black trousers.

The effortless look is achieved, of course, with great effort

Leather jackets and stomper boots are worn with fierce attitude, while the bourgeois blazer and white shirt is very much alive and kicking. Flashy labels are a non, non, non. (This subconsciously rubbed off on me as I bought two pairs of Frame jeans in blue and grey.) Do French women not feel the heat like the rest of us? None of them looked the sticky mess I had become by the end of the day.

Deciding what to wear to go out for dinner was especially tricky because, while everyone gets dressed up and looks immaculate, nobody looks dressed up. According to some locals, you are made to feel guilty if you are seen to care too much about your appearance. Make too much of an effort and you might as well wear a neon sign around your neck  tourist.

Bright colour was a rare sight. One day I was missing our British summer dress culture and decided to throw caution to the wind and wear this red dress (above). I couldnt be certain what the reaction I received at a local cafe was because sometimes French womens faces are inscrutable.

My Paris tips? Have a lazy day down by the Seine reading on a deckchair and eating at a riverside cafe. Id recommend Boulevard Beaumarchais for a good scattering of independent shops  including Merci  and vintage stores. Check out Noe Vannes boutique nearby on Rue Saint Gilles for clothes, baskets and jewellery. Find divine perfume at Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, people-watch and enjoy a late lunch at La Palette (an old haunt of Picasso and Hemingway). And dance your heart out at Serpent a Plume.

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The John Lewis Partnership has announced it will create another 500 jobs to help fulfil the increasing growth in digital sales to its customers.

It has agreed a deal with Tesco to lease a one million square foot distribution centre at Fenny Lock in Milton Keynes for 11 years, from which it plans to start operating in two years' time.

Located just four miles from its largest warehouse in Magna Park, which is double the size, the site will stock fashion, small home furnishing and technology items.

The news follows the company declaring around 4,000 job cuts in the face of the coronavirus downturn, including 1,000 jobs last month as part of a shake-up of its store management, as it shuts several stores and cancelled its famous bonus.

Job creation: The John Lewis Partnership will create another 500 jobs at a new warehouse

John Lewis has also confirmed another deal to lease a 300,000 sq ft logistics site in the Leicestershire village of Bardon, which will be operated by Clipper Logistics and be operational in time for the Black Friday shopping holiday later this year.

When the two become operational, it will mean the Waitrose owner has a total of 12 distribution centres across England, with half of them located in Milton Keynes and the remainder situated throughout the Midlands.

Andrew Murphy, the executive director of operations at the retailer, said the new Milton Keynes site 'represents a fantastic opportunity to power the continued growth of Johnlewis.com, ensuring that we can keep pace with customer demand - both for our products and for our wide range of fulfilment and delivery options.'

He added that the site's closeness to its Magna Park location would help it cut the number of packages it creates by one million per year, reduce lorry usage, and bring it closer to hitting its target of reaching net zero carbon by 2035.

The group intends to invest 50million this year in its website, app, and virtual events and services and 100million in total over five years towards its online platform.

Store closures have meant online orders at John Lewis have expanded from 40 per cent to more than 60 per cent since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Pandemic boost: In comparison to John Lewis's department store chain, its Waitrose division accelerated to record levels last year thanks to a surge in grocery sales

But this has come nowhere to making up for the massive loss in store purchases and high losses, including a 517million annual loss last year, the first yearly loss in its history.

British department store chains have been some of the worst casualties since the pandemic began. Debenhams fell into administration before being forced to closed all its remaining outlets.

By contrast, profits at Waitrose accelerated to record levels last year thanks to a surge in grocery sales and the decision by the supermarket not to hand back 85million in business rates relief and pay a bonus to staff.

To try and recover trade, John Lewis has launched an 'affordable' range called Anyday, which aims to attract a younger demographic, such as university freshers, first-time home buyers and renters.

It additionally introduced its first ever 'buy now, pay later' offer in response to the rise in interest free credit. Chairman Sharon White has said the partnership aims to have 40 per cent of its earnings derive from 'non-retail' by the end of the decade.
Cyber security firm Avast has been sold to American rival Norton in a 6.2billion deal.

The London-listed company, which is based in Prague, revealed it was in merger talks last month.

A deal has now been done with Norton, which intends to pay with cash and shares. The merger will create a cyber security giant with annual revenues of 2.5billion and more than 500m customers.

Tech merger: Avast has been sold to American rival Norton in a 6.2bn deal which will create a cyber security giant with annual revenues of 2.5bn and more than 500m customers

Vincent Pilette, chief executive of Norton, said his company was strong in identity theft protection whereas Avast was strong in privacy. He added: 'We both have the vision of a common platform.'

Avast shares rose 3.1 per cent, or 17.6p, to 586p. Founded in the Czech Republic, its 'freemium' software, offers basic services for free, and sophisticated ones for a price.

It had 435m active users at the end of 2020, of whom 16.5m were paying. Norton, previously known as Symantec, has a larger premium business which sells software to combat viruses, spyware, malware and other attacks.

After the merger, likely to complete in 12 months, Avast shareholders are expected to hold 14 to 26 per cent of the company.

This will depend on whether they choose to be paid in cash or shares.

The companies plan to slash shared costs, notably by cutting staff from 5,000 to 4,000, and will also aim to wring out 202million of other savings. There will be two HQs  in Prague and, Arizona.

Analysts at Jefferies said the deal 'looks strategically sensible but investors are unlikely to feel the offer is particularly generous'.

Shareholders who choose to be paid mainly in cash will see their Avast shares valued at about 608.4p.

Those who choose mostly Norton stock will see their Avast shares valued at about 551p.
Phoenix is on the acquisitions hunt again after its successful 3.2billion takeover of Standard Life.

The company is a specialist in buying up the books of life insurance business that were closed to new customers, and then squeezing out cost savings.

But after buying Standard Life in February from Abrdn (formerly Standard Life Aberdeen), Phoenix could now develop open books as well.

Acquisitions hunt: Phoenix Group is a specialist in buying up the books of life insurance business that were closed to new customers, and then squeezing out cost savings

Chief executive Andy Briggs said it will consider larger or smaller businesses  and has 1.4billion available for deals.

Phoenix has decided to keep the Standard Life International brand, which has operations in Germany and Ireland, and could use this to expand in Europe.

First-half profits rose 46 per cent to 527million, below the 539million analysts expected.

But it said it was on track to hit the upper end of its target to generate 1.5billion to 1.6billion in cash in 2021, after generating 872million in the first half.

It plans an interim dividend of 24.1p per share. The shares fell 2.2 per cent, or 15.4p, to 684.6p.
An American aerospace company has launched an audacious attempt to gatecrash the 6.3billion takeover of British group Meggitt.

Transdigm has proposed buying the FTSE 250 defence contractor for 900p per share.

This values Meggitt at a whopping 7billion and far outweighs an 800p bid from another American company,  Parker Hannifin  that Meggitt's board agreed to last week.

Target acquired: US aerospace firm Transdigm has proposed buying Meggitt for 900p per share which values the FTSE 250 defence contractor at a whopping 7bn

Meggitt's shares rose 16.1 per cent, or 115p, to 830p last night, indicating that shareholders believe Transdigm could successfully hijack the deal.

Transdigm has not yet put in a formal offer, so Meggitt's board are still backing Parker. But even if it wins the company's support, Transdigm could still face an uphill battle to convince ministers a sale would not put Britain's national security at risk.

Parker's approach triggered outcry among MPs and military figures, such as former head of the Royal Navy Admiral Lord West, who said there was a 'real risk' it could compromise security. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng was already monitoring Meggitt's talks with Parker.

The issue has been compounded by a takeover frenzy that has seen private equity firms and foreign companies swoop on British companies.

This includes another FTSE 250 firm, Ultra Electronics, whose sale has also raised alarm.

Coventry-based Meggitt traces its origins back to the 1850s and now has a 9,000 staff, including more than 2,000 in the UK, and makes parts for planes and military aircraft.

This includes making 'black boxes' for the RAF's Typhoon jets and the wheel and brake systems for American F-35s.

Transdigm, which is worth 25billion, was founded in 1993 and has risen to become a member of New York's S&P 500 index.

It has been a serial dealmaker, buying up around 60 businesses in its first 25 years, and is split into around 46 companies.

These make everything from parachutes to pumps and valves. In January it bought the aerospace and connectivity arm of former FTSE 250 group Cobham for 696million.

Both Parker and Transdigm are based in Cleveland, Ohio, where the Wright Brothers worked on the world's first aeroplanes.

Parker's offer was 70.5 per cent higher than Meggitt's share price before the deal was announced  a huge premium by City standards.

But Transdigm's is a jaw-dropping 92 per cent higher.

Parker has undertaken to keep Meggitt's HQ in the UK and invest in research and development.

The offers, which were also an attempt to assuage ministers' doubts, have been heavily criticised as most are only valid for one year.

Meggitt yesterday said: 'The board will continue to consider carefully not only the financial terms of any offer but also Transdigm's plans for the company and the potential impact across all its stakeholders.'

These include Meggitt's staff, pension schemes and the Ministry of Defence.

Transdigm faces being treated warily as it has also pitched itself as having a 'private equity-like capital structure and culture'.

It aims to provide big returns and says it can create value, which, for private equity firms, often means it will buy a business but then break it up and sell many or all of the parts to the highest bidder.
Insurance giant Prudential is poised to complete the separation of its US business next month.

Jackson will be spun off following a shareholder vote this month, with investors getting one share in the company for every 40 Pru shares they hold.

The business is then expected to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker JXN.

Prudential is to spin-off its US arm Jackson following a shareholder vote this month, with investors getting one share in the company for every 40 Pru shares they hold

This will leave the Pru focused on Asia and Africa, with headquarters in London. Yesterday, it said it planned to fortify its balance sheet  and its war chest for expansion by raising up to 2.2billion.

Chief executive Mike Wells said offerings in London and Hong Kong would aim to increase the number of Asian shareholders.

He added: We are continuing to move toward the proposed demerger of Jackson, subject to shareholder approval.

The demerger will complete our strategic transformation to focus exclusively on our higher-growth businesses in Asia and Africa.

To enhance financial flexibility and de-lever the balance sheet, we continue to consider raising new equity.

'We believe there are clear benefits from increasing our Asian shareholder base and the liquidity of our shares in Hong Kong.

The Pru posted a paper loss of 3.3billion for the six months to June 30, compared to a 385million profit a year ago.

This was down to complex accounting rules, which say Jackson must be valued differently because it is being spun off, with its fair value cut by 5.4billion to 2.2billion.

Nicholas Hyett, an equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said that shareholders had been left no poorer by the accounting change and that the Pru was otherwise thriving.

It provides life and health insurance, as well as savings products, to 17m people in Asia and Africa, and is listed on the London, New York, Hong Kong and Singapore exchanges.

When excluding the Jackson revaluation, it reported a 772million half-year profit, up from 449million the previous year.

That was after new business jumped 29 per cent to 848million.

The Pru's chief exec Mike Wells (pictured), said offerings in London and Hong Kong would aim to increase the number of Asian shareholders

Hyett said: Clearly, Prus business model is pedalling along nicely, and we think that bodes well for the long term.

The immediate future is less certain, with lockdowns returning across many Asian economies in the face of spiking Delta variant cases, disrupting what is still a very analogue distribution system in many markets  reliant on banks and insurance brokers that cant open.

Abid Hussain, analyst at Shore Capital, added: Overall, the equity story and pivot to Asia remains attractive.

Asian insurance remains underpenetrated with growing populations of middle-class requiring products across the health and protection, savings and wealth spectrum.

The Pru was founded in London, 173 years ago and listed in the London in 1978. Recently, it has undergone a radical overhaul.

Its former UK and European operations  now known as M&G  were successfully spun off and listed in 2019, with the Jackson separation revealed this year.

Its head office staff are in Hong Kong, but Wells said the company had no intention of closing its London base.

He said: Weve got a tremendously talented staff in London, and they face off with key stakeholders there . Were not looking to get everybody in one building.

Yesterday, the stock rose 2.6 per cent, or 38p, to 1489.5p.
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There were tales that were once on the tip of everyone's tongues. Legends like John L. Burns, a veteran deemed too old to enlist in the Union Army who nonetheless fought at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863.

Realizing that there was fighting close to his home, Burns joined the fray. Wounded in his arm and leg, he convinced Confederate soldiers he was an innocent bystander and crawled to safety.

'He became a folk hero in America,' author Laura DeMarco explained to DailyMail.com.

Poems were written and pictures were taken. In one photograph not long after the battle, the 'Old Patriot' sits shoeless in a rocking chair, his gun to the right and his crutches to the left. And while the Battle of Gettysburg and President Abraham Lincoln's speech at the Pennsylvania site  the Union victory there marked a turning point in the Civil War  are still well known, DeMarco pointed out that Burns once famous story has since faded.

This is one of the reasons the journalist wrote her new book, Lost Civil War: The Disappearing Legacy of America's Greatest Conflict. It features rarely seen as well as some colorized images of the conflict's battlefields, prisons, forts, ships, encampments and soldiers. Neglected, paved over or built on, many places that once marked the war are now gone.

'The goal is to tell these lost stories,' she said.

The Civil War erupted on April 12, 1861 when the Confederacy attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina. But friction between the North and the South over slavery had been brewing long before. The conflict was one of the first to be extensively photographed. A new book, Lost Civil War: The Disappearing Legacy of America's Greatest Conflict, by journalist Laura DeMarco shows through images its encampments, forts, buildings, prisons and battlefields - much of which has been lost to development, interstates or neglect. Above, the Union officers who ran the penitentiary that was part of the Washington Arsenal in Washington, D.C. in a 1865 photo. General John F. Hartranft is seated center

By the time the war ended on April 9, 1865, the country had paid a steep price: It is estimated that conflict's death toll was 750,000. More than 2 million fought for the Union with almost a million for the Confederacy, according to the new book, Lost Civil War. While most battles were on land, DeMarco told DailyMail.com: 'There was a war fought at sea.' John Ericsson, a Swedish-American inventor, designed the USS Monitor. It was built by the 'Continental Ironworks in Greenpoint, Brooklyn' and 'was the first iron-hulled, steampowered warship commissioned by the U.S. Navy,' DeMarco wrote. It sank in 1862 but its innovative design influenced ship design for decades, she said. Above, the Monitor's crew in 1862

Harpers Ferry was 'such a seminal location in the war,' DeMarco explained, adding that it changed hands between the Union and the Confederacy 14 times. 'It was hard to maintain and protect.' By the end of the war, the area was devastated. Above, an image of the 22nd New York Infantry on Maryland Heights above Harpers Ferry from earlier in the war in 1862. It was taken by one of the war's most famous photographers, Mathew Brady. 'It illustrates his vital role in the war,' DeMarco said

Above, 'General Robert Ogden Tyler, standing second right, and the staff of the Artillery Reserve, photographed in Culpeper, Virginia, August-November 1863 by Timothy O'Sullivan,' according to Lost Civil War. 'Tyler's artillery batteries were active for the Army of the Potomac during the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. General Tyler was severely wounded at the Battle of Cold Harbor in 1864, injuries from which he never fully recovered. He died in 1872 at the age of 42.' DeMarco said this O'Sullivan image 'captured the humanity of their faces'

In addition to the loss of life, cities were shattered. Above, 'the ruins of the Richmond & Danville Railroad depot. Confederate President Jefferson Davis escaped on the last train to Danville, around 11 p.m. on April 2. He had received the telegram from Robert E. Lee, advising him to abandon the city, during Sunday morning church service. It wasn't until 4 p.m. in the afternoon that the citizens of Richmond were informed of their government's flight,' according to a new book, Lost Civil War. The Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia fell on April 2, 1865. DeMarco told DailyMail.com that it was the Confederacy that destroyed the depot so it wouldn't fall into the Union hands. It caused 'massive destruction,' she said, with many businesses and anywhere from 600 to 800 homes were wrecked

Above, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman. DeMarco said he was controversial. 'The war wouldn't have been won without him.' After Atlanta fell on September 2, 1864, Sherman took 60,000 soldiers on a 285-mile march from the city to Savannah from November 15 to December 21, 1864. This became known as his March to the Sea. According to History.com, the Union was '"not only fighting hostile armies, but a hostile people" Sherman explained; as a result, they needed to "make old and young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand of war"'

While the Civil War started on April 12, 1861 when the Confederacy attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina, the foundation of the conflict was laid long before. The friction between the North and the South over slavery continued to grow as the United States expanded. The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, which allowed slavery in the two territories spurred abolitionists like John Brown to escalate their opposition.

In October 1859, Brown raided Harpers Ferry, which was then part of Virginia, because the armory stored thousands of weapons. The abolitionist hoped to use the firearms and spark a slave rebellion. Instead, he was captured, tried and hanged that December.

DeMarco noted that during the war, Harpers Ferry changed hands between the Union and Confederacy 14 times. It was 'such a seminal location in the war,' she explained. 'It was a transportation hub.'

But it was hard to protect and by the end of the war, the area was devastated, DeMarco said. One black-and-white photograph evokes the desolation as two men - one sitting, one standing - are seen amid the destruction.

Another image from DeMarco's new book, Lost Civil War, shows the 22nd New York Infantry above the arsenal earlier in the conflict in 1862. She noted it was taken by one of the Civil War's most important photographers, Mathew Brady. 'It illustrates his vital role in the war,' DeMarco said.

Born in 1822, Brady was raised in upstate New York and eventually moved to New York City. He opened a portrait studio on Broadway in Lower Manhattan in 1844 that would become prominent. '"Brady of Broadway" became the most widely recognized and admired photographic trademark of the antebellum era,' according to History.com.

By the 1850s, Brady had opened another studio in Washington, D.C. and took a now famous picture of a beardless Abraham Lincoln when he ran for president in 1860. Lincoln was the candidate for the then relatively new Republican Party and he reportedly quipped he wouldn't have been elected without Brady's portrait. Not long after Lincoln won the White House, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Texas and Florida seceded from the United States.

Brady hired photographers and assistants to chronicle the conflict. Photography had been around since the 1820s but it took until 1839 for the daguerreotype  named after its inventor Louis Daguerre  for it to become available to the public.

'Though early photographic techniques were used in the Mexican-American War (1846-'48) and the Crimean War of 1853, it wasn't until the Civil War that the horrible toll of battle was documented so vividly and widely. Instead of glorious paintings of stoic generals and heroic troops, Civil War documentarians captured stark reality: broken bodies, scorched earth, maimed horses, skeletal prisoners of war and young faces drained of life,' DeMarco wrote in Lost Civil War.

'These were the first war photographs seen by a mainstream audiencedisplayed across the country, printed in newspapers and viewed on 3D stereo cardsand the first to represent reality, not romance.'

John L. Burns, above, fought in the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War (April 1846-February 1848), but was deemed too old for the Union Army to enlist. 'Instead,' DeMarco wrote in Lost Civil War, 'he was given the title of Constable and sent to Gettysburg. Even before the fighting broke out, Burns was jailed for resisting the Confederate occupation.' On July 1, 1863, aware there was fighting in Gettysburg, he joined the fray. Wounded in the leg and the arm, he convinced the Confederate soldiers he was an innocent bystander and crawled to safety. 'He became a folk hero in America,' DeMarco said. Writer Bret Harte (1836-1902) wrote a poem titled John Burns of Gettysburg

Mathew Brady was already a prominent photographer when the Civil War began in 1861 and had galleries in New York City and Washington, D.C. Two other well-known war photographers - Timothy O'Sullivan and Alexander Gardner - worked for Brady. O'Sullivan started as an apprentice but by the time the war began, the 21-year-old was part of Brady's crew of photographers to document the conflict, according to the Smithsonian American Art Museum's website. 'O'Sullivan built his reputation on images that conveyed the destructive power of modern warfare,' according to the site. DeMarco explained that O'Sullivan was also a a lieutenant in the Union Army. After word spread about Burns' feat, O'Sullivan took several photographs of the hero, who was dubbed 'Old Patriot,' including the two above images. Burns died in 1872

'The Civil War was the first war Americans saw with their own eyeswhether they were in a city or on farms hundreds of miles from the battlefields. Images of the war were seared into the American consciousness thanks to the power of photography,' DeMarco wrote in her new book, Lost Civil War. Above, Brady, far right by the tree, liked to be his photos that he set up for his assistants, DeMarco said. 'Here, these people posed because they knew the picture was being taken.' Due to the cumbersome process of making a photograph, she explained, they had to be posed. Also seen above is Union General R. B. Potter, fourth from left, 'who fought in many of the key battles of the war,' according to the book

During the war, both sides used the same system of flags and towers, which had been developed before the conflict, to communicate at a distance. DeMarco told DailyMail.com: 'Communication was so rudimentary at that time.' The most intelligent officers, who had to be literate, were chosen for the work, she explained. 'Manned by the 2,500 men of the U.S. Signal Corps, the Federal towers featured signalers using elaborate systems of colored flags, lights, rockets and kerosene torches to convey their messages to far-away troops,' she wrote in her new book, Lost Civil War. Above, signal officers at the Bermuda Hundred towers in Virginia

The above image of the Bermuda Hundred signal tower was thought to have been taken by Brady, but Andrew Joseph Russell was the photographer. DeMarco wrote that the tower was 125 feet tall 'and had views of Confederate forts, the Petersburg and Richmond Railroad, and much of the James and Appomattox rivers.' She also noted the 'cloth-draped darkroom and developing chemicals in bottles' on the right. DeMarco told DailyMail.com that she focused on conflict's lesser-known battles and details, like the signal towers, and emphasized that much has vanished. She said: 'The goal is to tell these lost stories'

Images of the Twin Houses in Fair Oaks, Virginia, above, during the war were well known. In what was supposed to be a larger home, two wings were built but the structure was never completed. The Battle of Seven Pines took place there with a casualty toll of 11,000 men, according to Lost Civil War. 'But this two-day battle in Henrico County, Va., on May 31 and June 1, 1862, is one of the better remembered due to a factor that had little to do with the fighting: the evocative pictures of the Twin Houses,' DeMarco wrote. There is now a historical marker in a parking lot where they once stood, DeMarco said

In addition to the role photography played revealing the conflict's brutal toll, it also afforded families and loved ones to have keepsake portraits of the husbands, fathers, sons, brothers and betrothed who went off to fight. This was due to new and easier to mass produce photographic processes, the ambrotype, which was printed on glass, and the tintype, printed on metal.

DeMarco noted in her book it is always difficult to take a photograph in a war zone, but during the Civil War it was a cumbersome process. Because of this, photographers had to 'travel with their own wagons and assistants, and makeshift darkrooms were set up quickly wherever space permitted,' she wrote in Lost Civil War.

'Many Civil War images are of the aftermath of battle or of generals or troops in repose (or posed) in camps. Many of the best-preserved images are from Brady's studio; he sold more than 10,000 images to the United States government for $25,000 in 1875, to cover debt he had taken on to set up his roving team.'

Other photographers, like George Barnard and Timothy O'Sullivan, also made their mark during the conflict. Barnard's image of the Twin Houses in Fair Oaks, Virginia, was a popular image. 'It almost looks surreal,' DeMarco told DailyMail.com.

'My love of history probably started with my parents,' author Laura DeMarco told DailyMail.com. Growing up in Cleveland, her family would 'pile into a station wagon and go to a Civil War battlefield.' Always interested in local history, the longtime journalist wrote her first book about Cleveland. Other books followed and Lost Civil War: The Disappearing Legacy of America's Greatest Conflict is her fourth

In what was supposed to be a larger home, two wings were built but the structure was never completed.

The Battle of Seven Pines took place there with a casualty toll of 11,000 men, according to Lost Civil War. 'But this two-day battle in Henrico County, Va., on May 31 and June 1, 1862, is one of the better remembered due to a factor that had little to do with the fighting: the evocative pictures of the Twin Houses,' DeMarco wrote.

'These buildings memorialized by George Barnard and other war photographers capture the bleak absurdity of war, as the two mirror-image houses loom over a decimated wasteland.'

Barnard accompanied General William Tecumseh Sherman on his March to the Sea. The Union general led 60,000 soldiers on a 285-mile march from Atlanta to Savannah from November 15 to December 21, 1864. According to History.com, the government was '"not only fighting hostile armies, but a hostile people," Sherman explained; as a result, they needed to "make old and young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand of war."'

Sherman made his March to the Sea after Atlanta fell on September 2, 1864. In her new book, DeMarco noted battles that took place in the Georgia city and others places like Nashville. Those battlefields and others have since been lost to development. 'Photo records are the only place many of these places still exist,' she wrote.

'Preserving Civil War heritage is essential not just because of important events, however. It's important because the Civil War is still shaping American life to this day. It takes place amid a debate over what remnants and reminders of the past should be preserved or taken down.'

Another of the war's famous photographers was George Barnard, who took the above 1862 image of the Twin Houses in Fair Oaks, Virginia. 'It almost looks surreal,' DeMarco told DailyMail.com. Soldiers are seen above with a 32-pound howitzer with the twin houses in the back. 'These buildings memorialized by George Barnard and other war photographers capture the bleak absurdity of war, as the two mirror-image houses loom over a decimated wasteland,' DeMarco wrote in Lost Civil War

According to Lost Civil War, almost 10 percent of deaths occurred at prison camps - over 30,000 Union and 26,000 Confederate soldiers. 'The number of prisoners was also staggering: 215,000 Confederate soldiers (a number that ballooned in the last days of the war) and 211,000 Federal troops,' DeMarco wrote. Castle Pinckney in Charleston, South Carolina was a 'famous prison fort' that 'wasn't too restrictive,' she said. Above, 'federal prisoners captured at the Battle of Bull Run in 1861, housed in Casemate No. 2' at the castle, according to the book

While Castle Pinckney gave prisoners a little latitude, Virginia's Libby Prison was one of the war's worst. It is seen above on April 6, 1865, four days after the Confederate capital of Richmond fell. DeMarco said prisoners were like 'walking skeletons.' Conditions were so bad at the prison, Union soldiers made a break for it. She wrote in Lost Civil War: 'After 17 days of digging, 109 men tunneled through an abandoned area of the prison's first floor, called "Rat Hell," on the night of February 9, 1864. Twenty-four hours later, the alarm was finally sounded. By then, the men had a big start towards Federal lines.' Fifty-nine men made it to freedom

Conditions at the camps were poor during the Civil War and there was a lack of food, supplies and proper sanitation. They were also 'hotspots for the spread of disease, the biggest killer in the four years of hostilities,' DeMarco noted in Lost Civil War. Above, Union soldiers at Fort Burnham in Virginia. The Union renamed the encampment after they took it over from the Confederacy, which called it Fort Harrison. DeMarco explained that since it was ten miles from Richmond, it was part of the Confederate capital's defenses. At one point, she said, there were 2,000 Confederate troops stationed at Fort Harrison

The Battle of Nashville took place during two days in December 1864 and was an important Union victory. DeMarco points out in her book that it pitted 55,000 Union soldiers against 30,000 Confederates, and was 'the last major battle of Confederate General John Bell Hood's Army of the Tennessee. And yet, it is one of the least well known battles of the war...' DeMarco told DailyMail.com that much of the huge battlefield has given way to development and an interstate. 'The pictures are very evocative  especially when you think about what Nashville looks like today.' Above, Union soldiers before the battle in December 1864
A webcam dubbed 'GMTV' has been installed at Geronimo the alpaca's enclosure to help supporters keep a constant vigil - as lawyers representing his owner offered the Government a chance to 'save face'.

Helen Macdonald's condemned pet must be slaughtered after twice testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB).

Devastated Ms Macdonald, 50, is expecting a visit from Defra to put down Geronimo, but she has now installed a webcam at her farm in Wickwar in Gloucestershire, which shows the stricken pet in his pen as he awaits his fate.

It also ensures that any armed official who arrives to shoot the animal would have to do so on a live feed.

Lawyers have written to Environment Secretary George Eustice to suggest under the Animal Health Act he has the power to commute the destruction order and the animal is instead studied for research.

Jan Mugerwa, who represents Geronimo's owner Helen Macdonald, said if the Government accepted his proposal it would prevent the animal's destruction, but also aid scientific research into bovine TB in alpacas.

The scene from Geronimo the alpaca's webcam feed

Geronimo with his owner, Helen Macdonald. Devastated Ms Macdonald, 50, is expecting a visit from Defra to put down Geronimo

Demonstrators in Westminster, central London, during a protest march against the decision to put down Geronimo

'Under the Animal Health Act 1981 the minister can set aside a destruction order and order instead that the animal be kept instead for observational treatment for research purposes,' Mr Mugerwa, of Olephant Solicitors, said.

'We are saying there are problems with this test. There are nine other alpacas who tested positive were killed and during post-mortem examination  no sign of TB.

'We are saying this is an opportunity to research this properly. The Government has said its top three priorities for its tuberculosis strategy was improving diagnostic testing.

'This is the perfect opportunity to do that.'

Mr Mugerwa said Geronimo could be allowed to stay in isolation at Ms Macdonald's farm in Wickwar, South Gloucestershire, and be available to research or could move to a specialist facility.

'Alternatively, there are other research facilities that may be willing to have him. We are still waiting for confirmation and further details on that,' he said.

'Or he could be at a Government facility. There is one at Weybridge, which, ironically, if he was slaughtered, is where his body would be taken.

'They have a facility to keep him in isolation and observe him for research.

'That's what we have suggested as a potential way through this. He (the minister) does not have to lose face by agreeing to a re-test and Geronimo survives.

Pictured: Protest to save Geronimo the alpaca from being killed outside the department of environment, food and rural affairs. August 9

Helen Macdonald with her alpaca Geronimo, who has been sentenced to death

'If one of their priorities is to improve diagnostic testing, this is a golden opportunity to do that.'

Asked if he thought the Government would take up the offer, Mr Mugerwa said: 'After four years of not getting anywhere I will of course be sceptical, but the dynamic has changed now because of all the pressure from the media and the public generally.

'Hopefully that will cause a change of attitude. It's not really a legal question because the minister has the power to do it.

'Is he going to take this opportunity to get out a corner that, frankly, they have backed themselves into?

'The concern is that when people do that, they get so invested in that decision they don't really question what the right thing to do is.'

Defra confirmed receipt of the letter, but did not comment on its contents.

Chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: 'As a veterinary professional for over 20 years, I know the devastation that TB can cause farmers, their communities and their animals.

'While I sympathise with Ms Macdonald's situation, we need to follow the scientific evidence and cull animals that have tested positive for TB, to minimise spread of this insidious disease, and ultimately to eradicate the biggest threat to animal health in this country.

'The tests used on Geronimo were developed for use on alpacas and are highly specific  the chances of a false positive are significantly less than one percent and we have tested him twice.

'Not just for the benefit of our farming industry but to avoid more TB cases in humans, our disease control measures must be applied.'
Two county Republican parties Wyoming have announced they will no longer recognize Liz Cheney as a GOP member because of her vote to impeach Donald Trump.

'In the immortal words of the 45th President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump ..."You're Fired!''' read recent letters to Cheney from GOP officials in Park and Carbon counties.

Wyoming has 23 mainly rural counties and the officials in Park and Carbon counties voted unanimously over the last week in favor of the latest form of censure against Cheney.

In February, the state GOP voted overwhelmingly to censure Cheney for her vote to impeach Trump for his role in the January 6 US Capitol riot.

In May, Republicans in Washington, DC, voted to remove Cheney from her No. 3 House GOP leadership position after she maintained criticism of Trump for the riot and for his assertions that voter fraud deprived him of re-election.

Some local Republican Party officials in Wyoming have announced they will no longer recognize Liz Cheney (above) as a party member because of her vote to impeach Donald Trump

She was the most high profile of 10 House Republicans who voted in January to impeach Trump (seen above in Phoenix on July 24)

The Wyoming votes are largely symbolic. The Republican Party can withdraw or withhold support from GOP officeholders and candidates in a variety of ways but cant oust anybody from the party.

Cheney has described her vote to impeach and criticism of Trump as putting principle and the US Constitution above the former president.

'Liz will continue to fight for all the people of Wyoming,' Cheney spokesman Jeremy Adler told the Casper Star-Tribune.

'She knows that she and all elected officials are bound by their duty under the US Constitution, not by blind loyalty to one man.'

Republicans in other Wyoming counties have requested copies of the Carbon County GOP resolution and 'at least three or four' are likely to pass similar resolutions soon, Carbon County Republican Party Chairman Joey Correnti predicted.

At least seven Republicans are running against Cheney in next year's GOP primary.

Trump has said he plans to endorse one of Cheney's opponents within the next few months.

Cheney nonetheless has reported record fundraising, far exceeding of any of her competitors so far.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named Cheney as the only Republican on the newly created select committee to investigate the January 6 attack on the Capitol

Last month, Cheney announced that her campaign raised almost $1.9million in the second quarter of 2021, hundreds of thousands of dollars more than Rep. Elise Stefanik, the Republican from New York.

Stefanik replaced Cheney as the House GOP No. 3 after Cheney voted to impeach President Trump.

Her campaign said the $1.88million raised from April to June was a record for the Wyoming Republican.

The dueling totals will be seen as a measure of pro and anti-Trump sentiment in the Republican Party as it wrestles with the former president's legacy while preparing for next year's midterms and a chance to take back the House.

Cheney supporters will see it as vindication for daring to speak out against Trump's unfounded claims that he won the 2020 election.

She was the most high profile of 10 House Republicans who voted in January to impeach Trump.

But it came at a cost. Since then she has been ousted as chair of the House Republican Conference, the third-highest position in the House Republican leadership, and replaced by Stefanik.

And she faces pro-Trump primary challengers next year. State Senators Chuck Gray and Anthony Bouchard have already announced they will run against her.

Liz Cheney vs. Donald Trump Voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 riots

Said the president 'summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack'

Her outspoken opposition to Trump's 'big lie' lost her a party chairmanship and led to a censure from her state party

'He's unfit,' she said of the former president after she was removed from party leadership. 'He never again can be anywhere close to the Oval Office.'

Defended Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and former Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, two witnesses in Trump's first impeachment, after he attacked them

Criticized Trump's proposal to draw down troops in Germany

Rebuked him for dismissing reports that Russia had offered Afghan militants a bounty to kill U.S. troops

Backed infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci for how he dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic

Mocked Trump's cavalier attitude on face coverings by tweeting out a photo of her father wearing a mask with the caption, 'Dick Cheney says WEAR A MASK.' Advertisement

Kevin Seifert, her political adviser, said it was encouraging to see so many back Cheney's stance on the constitution, conservative values and the rule of law.

'As these fundraising numbers make clear, she has robust support in this fight,' he said.

'Liz is demonstrating the type of effective, principled leadership that Wyoming deserves from its Representative.

'She will continue to fight the Biden Administrations overreach and articulate how Republicans can offer a better way forward for the nation.'

Stefanik's campaign also claimed a new record, saying its total of $1.467 million was a new high for the second quarter of a year without an election.

It said Elise for Congress now has more than $2.1 million on hand - ten times more than all her opponents combined.

'I continue to be humbled, grateful, and blown away by the unprecedented small-dollar financial support for Team Elise and our mission,' she said.

'Its clear that grassroots patriots across America are fired up, energized, and donating in historic numbers.'

Although she lost her leadership to Stefanik, Cheney has made clear she does not regret her criticism of Trump.

'It became very clear that staying in leadership would require me to perpetuate the lie about the last election, perpetuate the big lie, perpetuate things that are dangerous,' she told The Wall Street Journal in a recent interview.

'Im not willing to do that. Elise is willing to do that.'

And she attracted fresh anger when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named her as the only Republican on the newly created select committee to investigate the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

'Congress is obligated to conduct a full investigation of the most serious attack on our Capitol since 1814,' she said.

'That day saw the most sacred space in our Republic overrun by an angry and violent mob attempting to stop the counting of electoral votes and threatening the peaceful transfer of power.'

Cheney supported Pelosi's decision to block two Republicans - Congressmen Jim Banks and Jim Jordan, both strong allies of Trump - from serving on the panel after House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy named them as their picks.

Trump made his feelings clear when she was ousted from the leadership post.

'Liz Cheney is a bitter, horrible human being,' he said in a statement.

'I watched her yesterday and realized how bad she is for the Republican Party.

'She has no personality or anything good having to do with politics or our country.'
A former high-powered Long Island prosecutor and his top aide were sentenced to five years each in prison on Tuesday for helping cover up the beating of a shackled prisoner suspected of stealing sex toys and pornography from a Suffolk police chief's car.

Four-term Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota and veteran anti-corruption prosecutor Christopher McPartland were convicted in December 2019 on counts of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and civil rights violations.

'I hope not to die in prison alone,' the 79-year-old Spota told US District Judge Joan Azrack before hearing his sentence, which also includes a $100,000 fine, Newsday reported.

The once-respected law enforcement official also called his conviction 'the lowest point' in his life and said he feared and expected it would be his legacy.

Disgraced Suffolk County DA Thomas Spota, 79 (pictured) and Christopher McPartland, former chief of an anti-corruption bureau, were sentenced on Tuesday to five years in prison

In sentencing McPartland, 55, Azrack said: 'this was not a momentary moral lapse but years of criminal coverup.'

In a statement, acting US Attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis said the defendants had undermined the public's faith in the criminal justice system.

'Instead of serving the people of Suffolk County, these defendants brazenly abused their exceptional positions of power and public trust to protect their friends and hurt their enemies,' Kasulis said.

Prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence the disgraced prosecutors to eight years for doing 'the exact opposite' of their jobs in the face of a scandal that eventually engulfed the county's law enforcement power structure.

Lawyers for Spota and McPartland had argued that home confinement and community service were more appropriate punishments than time in prison.

Spota asked the judge to take into account the heavy toll this case has taken on him and his family, including his wife of 51 years, their three grown children and grandchildren. He was disbarred and relegated to working as a liquor store clerk to make ends meet, and was said to be in declining health.

Lawyers for both defendants argued that they were 'fundamentally good' and decent men.

Judge Azrack, herself a former prosecutor, rejected the defendants' pleas for leniency.

'During a years long conspiracy, the sitting district attorney  let me repeat, the sitting district attorney  conspired to tamper with witnesses in order to thwart a federal investigation into an assault committed by the head  the head  of the Suffolk County police department,' she said.

Prosecutors said Spota and his aide helped cover up the beating of a shackled prison by then-Suffolk Police Chief James Burke (pictured) in 2012. Burke pleaded guilty in 2016 and was sentenced to nearly four years in prison

Azrack spoke of the need to send a 'clear message that no one is above the law.'

Christopher Loeb, the prisoner who was beaten by then-Suffolk Police Chief James Burke while in shackles nearly a decade ago, also spoke in court, arguing that Spota deserved to spend the rest of his life in prison.

According to prosecutors, Burke assaulted Loeb who was under arrest and being held in an interrogation room in 2012 at precinct in Hauppauge, New York.

Loeb, a heroin addict, 'had broken into Burke's official police vehicle and stolen his gun belt and ammunition, and a duffel bag containing cigars, sex toys, prescription Viagra and pornography,' the prosecutors said. One of the items was said to be a DVD that showed a masked man torturing a sex worker, according to Loeb.

After the assault, the chief ordered high-ranking commanders to make sure 'officers who had witnessed the assault would never reveal what they had observed,' prosecutors said.

Burke beat up Christopher Loeb (pictured), a heroin addict who had taken his gun belt, ammunition, a box of cigars and a bag containing sex toys and pornography

He also recruited Spota, a 'long-time mentor' and McPartland, a personal friend who was chief of investigations and of an anti-corruption bureau, to join the scheme, they added. According to court testimony, the participants of the conspiracy called themselves 'The Inner Circle.'

They concocted a story that Burke was an innocent bystander who never entered the interrogation room where Loeb was being held, pressured witnesses not to cooperate and asked some to give false information, prosecutors said. One detective was charged with perjury for lying under oath.

For more than a year, federal investigators found themselves unable to get anyone beside Loeb to say what happened. Then, a who was in the room broke ranks, accepted immunity offer and led them not only to the truth about the assault, but the cover up as well.

At trial, retired Suffolk police lieutenant James Hickey testifying as a key government witness linked Spota and McPartland directly to the conspiracy describing a 2015 meeting in Spota's office that came after federal officials relaunched a probe into the beating.

Spota demanded the officer find out if anyone in their sphere had 'flipped,' he testified.

'Somebody's talking. You better find out fast, if its not too late,' Spota said, according to the testimony.

Burke, 56, pleaded guilty in 2016 and was sentenced to nearly four years in prison. He was released to home confinement in April 2019 after serving most of his sentence.

Spota and Burke had a kinship that dated to the ex-chief's teenage years in the late 1970s, when he was a star witness in a murder case that Spota was prosecuting.

Spota later hired Burke to work in his office as an investigator, promoted him to chief investigator and vouched for him when he was appointed chief of the police department, one of the largest suburban forces in the country with 2,500 officers.

Even before his public fall from grace, Burke had come under scrutiny for his handling of the Gilgo Beach serial killings. Multiple people who were interviewed for the Discovery+ documentary Unraveled, which aired earlier this year, and its eponymous companion podcast, claimed that the former top cop is 'shrouded in accusations of being tied to the Gilgo Beach murders.'

Between 2010 and 2011, 11 sets of human remains were uncovered by the beach, located in Suffolk County, Long Island, an hour east of New York City. Many of the the victims were sex workers.

Prior to becoming Suffolk County Police Chief in 2011, Burke had been busted for 'having sex in his patrol car while in uniform with a prostitute who used crack cocaine', according to The New York Times.

According to Unraveled, 'just weeks after entering office, Burke shut the FBI out of the investigation into the Gilgo Beach serial killer.'

Speaking to the producers of Unraveled last winter, Loeb sensationally claimed that Burke may have beaten him because he found an incriminating item inside the duffel bag.

Burke has never been charged, or named a suspect, in connection with the serial killings, which remain unsolved to this day.
A 56-year-old Philadelphia man who spent 23 years on death row for the murder of a four-year-old girl has spoken out for the first time since his conviction was quashed, and alleged that cops forced him to confess to the killing.

Walter Ogrod has insisted he was wrongfully convicted of the 1988 murder of Barbara Jean Horn in Philadelphia since his capital murder conviction in 1996.

Ogrod was cleared after the District Attorney's Office and defense attorneys agreed his conviction was tainted by misconduct in the criminal justice system.

He won his freedom and was released from prison in June of last year after spending a total of 28 years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit.

Speaking to Dateline in his first network television interview since being released, Ogrod recalled his first interrogation at the precinct.

He had been awake for 30 hours after doing an overnight shift, but still agreed to go to the precinct for an interview with police. He was then interrogated for hours, and handcuffed to a chair to prevent him leaving.

He said: 'They said, "We believe that you killed her, but you've blocked it from your mind and we're going to help you get it out from your memories. And we don't care if it takes all night and into the next day".'

Walter Ogrod, now 56, has insisted he was wrongfully convicted of the 1988 murder of Barbara Jean Horn since his capital murder conviction in 1996. He won his freedom and was released from prison in June of last year after spending a total of 28 years behind bars

Walter Ogrod (left in his mug shot), was convicted in 1996 of murdering Barbara Jean Horn, 4 (right), in Philadelphia in 1988 and sentenced to death

He detailed how he 'tried to get out - many times,' telling NBC's Lester Holt that he even 'tried to lock the door'.

'Sometimes they would handcuff me to the chair,' he added.

When Ogrod asked if he could get a lawyer the police said: 'We'll get one when we're done.'

Even though Ogrod signed a confession admitting he killed Barbara Jean with a weight bar - which the DA's office now says is not how the girl died - he recanted and has maintained his innocence ever since.

The 30-year-old murder case made headlines in 2017, when New Orleans-based journalist and author Thomas Lowenstein wrote a true-crime book, The Trials of Walter Ogrod, which raised troubling questions about the man's conviction and highlighted some of the inconsistencies in the investigation.

In July 1988, Ogrod was living across the street from the home of Barbara Jean Horn and her parents in northeast Philadelphia.

At 3pm on July 12, the toddler went outside to play in the front yard while her mother was at work and disappeared.

Following his arrest in 1992, Ogrod made a confession to the toddler's murder, which the Philadelphia DA's Office said was coerced

When her father went outside to check on his daughter and found her missing, he went looking for her, then called the police. Following a two-hour search, Barbara Jean's body was found inside a TV box next to some trash cans two blocks from her home.

For years, it was thought that the toddler was beaten to death with a weight bar, but according to the latest court filing from Krasner's office, the child likely died from asphyxiation.

But police and prosecutors suppressed the real cause and manner of death.

Ogrod was arrested in 1992 after being interviewed by police and giving conflicting information. He then signed a 16-page, detailed confession, which was written by Detective Marty Devlin.

Walter poses with his brother Greg after he was released from prison. Five days later Judge Tucker, the homicide calendar judge, agreed to let prosecutors formally withdraw all charges. As of June 10, 2020 Ogrod was officially exonerated

Ogrod was released on a $50,000 bail on June 5 and reunited with family - including his brother Greg (left) - in the parking lot of a Wawa near State Correctional Institution (SCI) Phoenix in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Ogrod was tried for the first time in 1993 and was on the verge of being acquitted when one juror had a change of heart as the verdict was being read, resulting in a mistrial.

His second trial in 1996 focused on jailhouse informants, John Hall and Jay Wolchansky.

Wolchansky testified at trial that Ogrod had confessed to them to killing the girl.

Hall, nicknamed 'Monsignor,' was notorious for getting inmates to confess. He told officials that Ogrod admitted to the murder and allegedly told him of his plans to kill the young girl.

Hall's credibility was later called into question after he admitted to lying about another murder case.

Wolchansky testified that Ogrod had told him he beat Barbara with the weight, which, the DA's office now says is 'demonstrably false.'

According to prosecutors, the two jailhouse snitched had 'colluded' against Ogrod, and that during his second trial it was never disclosed to the jury that Wolchansky had severe mental health problems.

During a virtual hearing that took place on Zoom in June 2020 Assistant District Attorney Carrie Wood apologized to Ogrod and to Barbara Jeans family through tears, calling the case a 'failure' for them and for the city after Judge Shelley Robins New vacated Ogrod's conviction and death sentence.

Wood said to Ogrod: 'We not only stole 28 years of your life but we threatened to execute you based on falsehoods.'

Ogrod was released on a $50,000 bail on June 5 and reunited with family in the parking lot of a Wawa near State Correctional Institution (SCI) Phoenix in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

The office of DA Larry Krasner (left) filed paperwork back in March 2020 asking a judge to vacate Ogrod's conviction and release him. Ogrod was the 13th of 22 wrongfully convicted people to be exonerated with the help of Krasner

Judge Robins New denied having the jurisdiction to dismiss all charges against Ogrod and instead reduced his conviction from capital murder to third-degree homicide so that he would be eligible for bail.

Five days later Judge Tucker, the homicide calendar judge, agreed to let prosecutors formally withdraw all charges. As of June 10, 2020 Ogrod was officially exonerated.

Ogrod was the 169th death row prisoner to be exonerated in the modern death penalty era. Now people are wondering, 'If Ogrod didn't kill Barbara Jean, who did?'

Ogrod was the 169th death row prisoner to be exonerated in the modern death penalty era, according to the American Bar Association.

Four months prior, the Office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner filed documents asking a judge to release Ogrod from prison, slamming the prosecution as a 'gross miscarriage of justice'.

He also detailed 'a perfect storm' of factors that landed the man on death row in the first place, including unreliable scientific evidence, prosecutorial misconduct, false testimony, procedural violations and - for the first time - a coerced confession.

But now people are wondering, 'If Ogrod didn't kill Barbara Jean, who did?' including Ogrod himself. 'The person is out there and has to be caught,' he told News 10 Philadelphia.

'What else are they doing to children out there?' he added.

Since returning to life in Northeast Philly, Ogrod told the news station that he has struggled to get back on his feet - figuratively and literally.

He had a hip replacement in February and still limps with pain as he walks, blaming the thin foam mattress he's slept on in prison all these years for taking a toll on his body.

'You're touching the metal... It's very painful,' he said.

Ogrod is collecting unemployment and has applied for disability payments. He has no other income or savings.

He said of his financial status: 'It's like the state says, "Oh, you proved us wrong. The hell with you. You ain't get nothing for that."'

Pennsylvania is one of 14 states that doesn't compensate people who are wrongfully convicted. Ogrod would have to sue the government for any monetary relief.

Ogrod told News 10 Philadelphia he hopes to get back to work in trucking, which he did before his arrest.
Hunter Biden claimed Russians stole another one of his laptops for blackmail while he was close to overdosing in a Las Vegas hotel room, DailyMail.com can reveal.

The alleged incident would mean Hunter lost a total of three computers - the first abandoned at a Delaware computer store and the second seized by federal agents - each likely to hold sensitive information on President Joe Biden and the embarrassing pictures, videos and communications of his son.

The third laptop still appears to be missing  and was taken by Russian drug dealers after they partied with Hunter in Vegas, he told a prostitute in a conversation caught on camera.

After filming himself having sex with the woman using his laptop in January 2019, Hunter left the camera rolling as he recounted a Vegas bender in which he spent '18 days going round from penthouse suite to penthouse suite,' sometimes costing $10,000 a night.

'I spent f***ing crazy amounts of money,' Hunter said. 'I was with these guys. The one guy was, not like you anyway each night he'd be like 'there's going to be so many people here, crazy f***ing party' and each night it's nobody.'

Hunter Biden claims Russian drug dealers stole another one of his laptops for blackmail while he was close to overdosing in a Vegas hotel room in 2018. Video obtained by DailyMail.com shows Hunter with a naked hooker in 2019, explaining how he believed his laptop was stolen

After filming himself having sex with the woman using his laptop in January 2019, Hunter left the camera rolling as he recounted a Vegas bender in which he spent '18 days going round from penthouse suite to penthouse suite,' sometimes costing $10,000 a night

Throughout the video Hunter and the unidentified hooker appear to be doing drugs off the bedside table

Hunter said it was after that debauched night he realized his computer was missing. 'I think he's the one that stole my computer,' he said

The alleged incident would mean Hunter lost a total of three computers, each likely to hold sensitive information on President Joe Biden

Hunter's claims raise the possibility that he was targeted as a vulnerable conduit to Joe Biden as part of a foreign intelligence operation.

His 2015 Macbook Pro became infamous after he abandoned it at a Delaware computer store two years ago.

DailyMail.com obtained a copy of its hard drive, commissioned experts who verified its authenticity, and exposed evidence of shocking corruption and illegal activity in its contents.

Hunter's claims raise the possibility that he was targeted as a vulnerable conduit to Joe Biden as part of a foreign intelligence operation

A second laptop belonging to the president's son was reportedly seized by federal agents when they raided the office of his friend, disgraced psychiatrist Keith Ablow, last year.

Two sources told NBC that the DEA found the device when executing a search warrant on Ablow's Massachusetts office after he was accused of professional misconduct and had his medical license suspended.

Ablow has not been charged with a crime and the laptop was returned to Hunter's lawyer.

Hunter described how his third laptop was 'stolen' one night during the summer 2018 bender when he almost overdosed on drugs.

'I went out to the hot tub by myself, which hangs over the edge of the f***ing top floor, with glass, it's ridiculous.

'And so I'm sitting there and that's the last I remember. And I don't ever pass out, ever.

'I wake up and the only people that are there are Miguel, the guy frantically running round gathering things up, ok  and Miguel, and Pierce, this guy, his friend.

'They had kicked everybody out. And they had cleaned up the entire place, everything ok? And they were getting ready to leave, and I woke up. And there was this Russian 35-year-old, really nice, pure brunette.

'She refused to leave and they wouldn't call an ambulance. And they didn't know whether I was dead or not, at first.'

Hunter said it was after that debauched night he realized his computer was missing.

'I think he's the one that stole my computer. I think the three of them, the three guys that were like a little group. The dealer and his two guys, I took them everywhere. F***ing everywhere, crazy out of your mind sh**.'

The laptops contain embarrassing pictures, videos and communications of the president's son. 'They have videos of me doing this,' he said, referring to the filmed sex he just finished. 'They have videos of me doing crazy f***ing sex f***ing, you know'

The president's son told the prostitute that the allegedly stolen laptop was also full of compromising sex videos.

'They have videos of me doing this,' he said, referring to the filmed sex he just finished. 'They have videos of me doing crazy f***ing sex f***ing, you know.

'My computer, I had taken tons of like, just left like that cam on. And he would always put in a passcode and all that, you know what I mean? It was f***ing crazy sh**. And somebody stole it during that period of time. He did all this kind of like pretend search and sh**.

The prostitute asked Hunter if he was worried the Russian alleged thieves would try to 'blackmail' him.

Hunter replied: 'Yeah in some way yeah.'

'My dad [inaudible] running for president,' he told her in a hushed voice. 'He is. I talk about it all the time.

'If they do, he also knows I make like a gazillion dollars.'

Hunter appeared to be dismayed that if the video was sold by the alleged thieves to porn or news companies he would be unable to cash in on the explicit videos himself.

In the video Hunter, seen Sunday with his wife Melissa Cohen and their one-year-old son Beau Jr., appeared dismayed that if the video was sold by the alleged thieves to porn or news companies he would be unable to cash in on the explicit videos himself

'I'm worried he gets the money up front and maybe it doesn't do a million dollars, maybe it does three. Maybe nobody wants to see me naked,' he said.

'Maybe it's 'news interest' and because my dad's a public figure they say 'we don't have to pay you anything because you're of interest in regular news.'

'I think you should just beat him to the punch,' the prostitute replied. 'I think you should release your own video.'

Photos on the laptop hard drive obtained by DailyMail.com include pictures of a woman's Russian passport, and photos of Hunter topless pulling the woman's brunette hair while she kneels on a bed.

Other photos show the woman and three young men driving to Hunter's former Hollywood Hills rented home, drinking and partying by the pool, and two women naked with Hunter by the pool.

It is unclear whether the Russian woman and the three men are the same people Hunter accused of stealing his laptop.
Terrifying video captured the moment a young woman fought off an attacker who tried to rob her at an Alabama gas station in broad daylight early on Sunday evening.

Police released surveillance video of the incident at the Chevron station in Mobile and identified Brandon Young, 28, as the alleged assailant.

The footage shows Young wandering around the parking lot as a car pulled up to one of the pumps.

A 28-year-old woman - who has not been named - got out of the vehicle as she began making her way towards the gas station store.

Young then slowly began approaching her and caught the woman by surprise after he grabbed her.

The woman can be seen trying to break free from Young with her shoe falling off as she dangled above the ground.

She appears to slap him across the face before he throws her to the ground and snatches her keys off the pavement.

Brandon Young, 28, has been accused of attacking and attempting to rob a young woman after a Chevron gas station in Mobile captured the footage in a surveillance video

Young grabbed the woman by the waist as she tried to make her way inside the gas station store

Young faces a felony third-degree robbery charge and is due to appear in court this week

The woman ran after him as she saw him making his way towards the car with the keys in his hand.

One of the more confusing aspects of this crime was that the attacker stopped short before entering the vehicle.

Instead, he walks towards her in a threatening manner as she backs away in fear.

Young attempts to grab the woman one more time before she finally ran in the direction of the store.

The woman retaliated by slapping Young in the side of the face as he then threw her on the ground

Young grabbed the woman's car keys from the ground and ran towards her vehicle parked at the gas pump

The woman ran after him as he then stopped and walked towards her while she ran towards the store

He grabbed his bag from the side of the gas bump and walked away.

Police arrested Young the day after the incident and charged him with felony third-degree robbery.

He is due to appear in court at some point this week.

Young has been known to frequent the gas station, according to the owner, and has also had a series of attempted robberies in the past.

Nazmul Hasan, the gas station owner, said that Young was seen hanging around the area multiple times on Saturday and was even alerted by police when they stopped in.

He told Fox10: 'They do what they want to do. People like us, you know innocent people get hurt every time. All we need is protection.'

Patrons of the gas station were also interviewed, saying that they will be more aware of their surroundings and try to protect their loved ones.

'It made me scared for my daughter and my wife', said Larry Knight. 'They come here too.'

The video of the incident was posted on social media by the victim's stepmother which has reached 10,000 views.

The victim's family is glad she is safe and are using the video to warn other women to be more careful.
For the first time in U.S history, the number of white people in the nation is expected to show a decline when racial breakdowns of the 2020 Census are reported this week.

The data, set to be released on August 12, will reveal just how much the ethnic and racial make up of the nation has shifted over the past decade, according to preliminary data seen by The Washington Post.

'Twenty years ago if you told people this was going to be the case, they wouldn't have believed you,' said William Frey, demographer at the Brookings Institution. 'The country is changing dramatically.'

For five years now, updates from the U.S. Census Bureau have estimated that the white population was shirking and that all population growth has been from minorities, the Post reports.

Demographics continue to change in the U.S. as the white population saw a decline for the first time in the nation's history. Hispanic and Asian populations continue to rise

White people accounted for about 60% of the population in 2019, but Frey said that the opioid epidemic and lower-than-anticipated birthrates among millennials after the Great Recession has accelerated the white population's decline.

The largest and most steady gains were seen among Hispanics, who have doubled their share of the population over the last 30 years to almost 20%.

They are believed to be responsible for half of the nations growth since 20110.

The Black population stayed steady at around 12.5%, and the Asian population is expected to be around 6%, about double what it was in the 1990s.

For the first time ever, the portion of White people living in the U.S. could dip below 60%, while the majority of the under-18 population is likely to be made up of people of color.

Frey added that while the white population will continue to dip below 50% in 2045 and the Hispanic and Asian population will continues to rise, there will lo longer be a racial majority in the country by then.

A snapshot of Census data before the 2020 count comes in reveals that white people alone accounted for about 60% of the population

The U.S.'s population growth has become stagnate in the past 100 years

The rate of population growth in the United States was just 0.4 per cent - the smallest since the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, according to a study by Oxford Economics

The new data also revealed a continuing diversification of the suburbs, which was once predominantly white. Frey said that there are now more minorities living in the suburbs than in the cities.

Some civil right advocates worry that there continues to be an undercount in the number of people of color, who have been historically not been counted accurately by the Census Bureau.

Marc Morial, president and chief executive of the National Urban League, said that Hispanics living in the U.S. may have avoided the census following President Donald Trump's immigration policies and failed mandate to include a citizenship question in the 2020 census.

'I fear an undercount of people of color because of the way the census was conducted,' said Morial, whose organization sued the government over its decision to end the count earlier than planned. 'It was politicized from the very beginning by the Trump administration, notwithstanding the valiant efforts by the Census Bureau to push back on that politicization.'

Overall, The U.S. population's rate of grow saw it's smallest growth last year, with only 1.2 million new people reported in 2020.

This year, the population is set to only increase by 0.2%, according to a study by Oxford Economics

The last time that the US population grew at such a slow pace was more than a century ago, when an estimated 675,000 Americans died of Spanish flu.

That year, the population of the country shrank by 0.1 per cent.

Oxford Economics researchers expect population growth in the US to pick up the pace beginning in 2022 and beyond.

Southern and western states have made up the bulk of the increase in population, with northern states seeing significant declines.

The change in population also leads to a change in a state's representation in the House of Representatives.

The changing population sizes also affect state's representation in congress

The Census Bureau announced in April that New York and California are among seven states who will each lose a congressional district under the new count.

New York, long a powerhouse in congressional politics, will drop to just 26 seats in its congressional delegation. California is losing a seat for the first time in its history, and will drop to 52.

Texas, on the other hand, will pick up two congressional districts  having been on track to win either one or two more. So will Florida, one of several states in the Sun Belt to gain.

Montana, which for decades has had a single at-large seat, goes to two congressional districts.

Texas gained more population than any other state with a gain of nearly 4 million people.

In the case of California, officials said births have exceeded deaths, and there has been inward international migration. But the state had 'negative net domestic migration'  meaning more people were leaving the Golden State than moved there over the last decade.
A Muslim leader in the worst-hit area of Sydney's coronavirus outbreak says the local community's flouting of public health orders and resistance to government stay-at-home directions was always going to happen due to cultural traditions.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said that people of 'other backgrounds' failing to follow health orders were responsible for the continued high case numbers in western and southwest Sydney, and that there was no way to legislate against their 'stupidity, arrogance and entitlement'.

Sheik Azzam Mesto from the Rahma Mosque in Old Guildford in Sydney's west, said getting close-knit families from ethnic communities to stay away from each other, end visits and stop socialising was always going to be a major obstacle.

Sydney's ethnic communities must change their ways to comply with lockdown rules, the government says. Pictured are Sydneysiders at a vaccination clinic at the Lebanese Muslim Association in Lakemba

'We are a close culture, with people who visit and care for one another and visit the sick, visit the needy, visit families. We do have large families, obviously. So making the adjustment has been difficult on the collective,' Sheik Mesto told The Australian.

The sheik is leading community efforts to urge residents to change their ways in the coming weeks to help drive down case numbers which are heavily based in the western suburbs.

The mosque is giving sermons that encourage people to socially distance and to not visit family and friends unless for compassionate reasons.

'But it's very hard to change your ways overnight. So you know, there could be less co-operation, generally speaking, because we're generally people who have a stronger custom,' Sheik Mesto said.

'And that's just a little bit harder to break. And it takes time to make those adjustments.'

Sheik Azzam Mesto from the Rahma Mosque is leading efforts to increase public cooperation

He says the message is gradually getting across, with growing numbers eager to get the Covid vaccine.

Sheik Mesto's mosque is in the Cumberland Council LGA, which has recorded almost 700 cases since the outbreak began on June 16.

Meanwhile, another mosque in Lakemba in Sydney's south-west, has been transformed into a pop-up vaccination clinic.

The Canterbury-Bankstown LGA remains the epicentre of the outbreak with 1242 cases as a police crackdown on community compliance ramps up.

Multicultural communities in Covid-19 ravaged hotspots in the city's west and south-west have been accused of not complying and cooperating with lockdown. Pictured is a vaccination clinic at a mosque in Lakemba

Of the 356 cases recorded on Tuesday, almost two-thirds were found in Sydney's west and south-west.

Mr Hazzard claimed on Tuesday that people from 'other backgrounds' were not obeying health orders and spreading Covid in Sydney.

'There are other communities and people from other backgrounds who don't seem to think that it is necessary to comply with the law and who don't really give great consideration to what they do in terms of its impact on the rest of the community,' the minister said.

'I do say to them, you need to because otherwise the forces of the law are coming after you.'
Pictured: Afshar's 5-year-old granddaughter Zipporah, left, and 8-year-old grandson, Darius, right

A Pennsylvania grandfather is accused of killing himself, his son and two young children by setting their home ablaze in what investigators believe was a horrific murder-suicide.

PennLive reports that 67-year-old Jafar Afshar torched the family's Steelton apartment on fire Friday morning, killing himself and his son Saeed, 36, as well as his 5-year-old granddaughter Zipporah, and 8-year-old grandson, Darius, Dauphin County Coroner Graham Hetrick said Tuesday.

Afshar and his alleged victims all died from burns and smoke inhalation, subsequent autopsies revealed.

Hetrick did not reveal the motive behind Friday's fatal case of arson at the family home in the 400 block of South Front Street. But he did state that the grandfather had been acting strangely in days prior.

'There had been indications of abnormal behavior' by Afshar, Hetrick said during a press conference on Friday.

'What was in his mind when he decided to eliminate his family, I dont know,' Hetrick said.

The two grandchildren along with their father were victims of a murder-suicide at the hands of their grandfather, authorities say

The bodies of Afshar's son and grandchildren were found in the same room, and appeared to have been sleeping at the time the fire was lit

Hetrick did not elaborate on specifics relating to Afshar's recent unusual behavior.

Authorities were able to able to determine from the position of the bodies that Afshar used an accelerant to start the fatal blaze, which he doused throughout the family's second-story apartment, which sits above the Raja's Quick Pick Mart.

The bodies of Afshar's son and grandchildren were found in the same room, and appeared to have been sleeping at the time the fire was lit.

Hetrick, who ruled the deaths a murder-suicide, added that Afshar's body was discovered in the same bedroom as the others, however in a different location within the room.

All four died from burns and smoke inhalation, according to the coroner.

Hetrick stated that he believed Saeed and the two children likely died quickly from smoke inhalation before they were even aware the apartment was ablaze.

'I think this (the deaths) happened quickly. I think there was a large amount of smoke,' Hetrick said.

Authorities were able to able to determine from the position of the bodies that Afshar used an accelerant to start the fatal blaze

Pictured: the family's second-story apartment, which sits above the Raja's Quick Pick Mart in Steelton, Pennsylvania

Authorities say that all of the windows at the apartment were closed by the time of their arrival, which would have likely slowed the fire down due to lack of oxygen.

It didn't appear as though any of the victims attempted to escape the burning home, Hetrick added while calling the crime 'horrific.'

'We dont know what they could have been,' he said, before adding, 'Its sad.'

'Its horrible,' he said. I helped carry out one of the dead children.'

A GoFundMe for the children's mother has raised nearly $4,000 out of a goal of $10,000 as of Tuesday.
A school board member was filmed pleading for a compulsory mask rule after claiming elementary school children could commit murder without them.

Linda Sexton furiously called for Norman Public School board to defy the Republican governor's no mask mandate and pursue legal action to protect the children at a school board meeting later uploaded online.

Sexton said: 'If there's any way that we could get this changed, I hope we can because it's just not okay for kids to commit murder by coming to school without a mask, and when it comes down to it, it's possible that they will cause a death of another child because they come to school without a mask.

Linda Sexton (second from left) is calling on Norman Public School board to pursue legal avenues against Republican governor Kevin Stitt's ban of compulsory face masks in schools. She claims school children 'could murder' another student by coming to school mask-less

Sexton (above) said the school district, as well as surrounding superintendents, need to stand up to protect 'our little kids'

'That's not okay. I don't know what we can do about it, but I hope it's something. We got to work hard and we got to think fast.'

In May, Governor Kevin Stitt passed a law prohibiting school districts from forcing mask mandates unless there was another state of emergency.

Oklahoma schools cannot require their students to wear masks unless there's a state of emergency in their locality.

About 65 per cent of school districts in Oklahoma had implemented some sort of mask mandate.

Governor Stitt has joined other states, like Florida, against compulsory facemasks in schools.

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has since threatened to use taxpayers' money to send kids with anti-mask parents to private schools, and even withhold salaries of staff from school districts with compulsory masking rules.

Cases are currently rising in the state with 6328 new cases as of August 9

Sexton is also calling for surrounding school districts to stand against the Governor to protect 'our little kids' from a virus that is five times more contagious than 'the one we masked everyone for last year.'



'I would like to find a way to stand up as a district and get our surroundings superintendents to stand up with us to protect our little kids,' she said.

'It's insane to send five and six and seven and eight all the way through eleven-year-olds, who don't have a choice about the vaccine to sit in a classroom where people can spread a deadly disease and not even know they're sick, and not even know in three days that they're going to be sick, but they are spreading it today because that's the way it works with this disease.'

She is also calling to pursue legal action against the governor in hopes of being able to implement a mask mandate before school starts.

'I want to pursue the legal avenues we have to defy Governor Stitt - and that's not how I like to pronounce his name, by the way.'

Sexton continued to say that she believes the mask-less should be the ones fleeing to virtual school. She said: 'I don't think any parent with an asthmatic six-year-old, eight-year-old or 12-year-old should have to make that choice that their child can't go to school because some other kid is going to spread a germ that could kill them.'

In a press conference, Stitt said: 'The difference is we're not going to mandate that somebody else has to send their 4-year-old to school with a mask.'

Governor Stitt (above) has joined the ranks of Florida in banning compulsory face masks in schools and said in a press conference that he wasn't going to mandate someone to 'send their 4-year-old to school with a mask'

Oklahoma is currently experiencing a surge in new COVID cases with 6,328 new cases reported on August 9 and a seven-day average of over two thousand new cases.

Sixty-four per cent of Covid cases in the state were caused by the Delta variant, according to the Oklahoman.

Half of Oklahomans have had at least one dose of their Covid vaccine, but just 40 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Unlike public schools, universities in the state can require their students to wear masks as long as all students have to. Stitt's law prohibits universities from only requiring unvaccinated students to wear masks.

Stitt's law also prohibits schools from requiring students from being vaccinated, as well as, their vaccination status impeding on their attendance or admittance to class and campus, according to the Oklahoman.
A judge ruled on Tuesday that jurors in the upcoming trial of a former suburban Minneapolis police officer charged with killing Daunte Wright should remain anonymous, after previously banning television cameras from the courtroom.

Kim Potter, who is white, fatally shot Wright, a 20-year-old black motorist, on April 11. She is scheduled to go on trial on November 30 on a charge of second-degree manslaughter.

The city's former police chief said he believed Potter meant to use her Taser instead of her handgun.

Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu barred court personnel and attorneys involved in the case from revealing the names or other identifying information about the jurors and alternates except to a very limited number of people.

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The judge overseeing the trial of Kim Potter, a former Brooklyn Center cop who is charged in the death of Daunte Wright, on Tuesday ruled that jurors should remain anonymous

She said the court won't release the jurors' names and contact information until sometime after the trial. Jurors will be referred to in court only by their numbers.

Under Chu's order, deputies will keep people away from the jury during the trial during the day, and they'll be fully sequestered during deliberations.

Leita Walker, an attorney for a coalition of news media organizations, said the anonymity restrictions are similar to those imposed by Judge Peter Cahill during this year's murder trial of ex-Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted in the death of George Floyd.

Judge Kathryn Quaintance also imposed them in the 2019 murder trial of ex-Minneapolis Officer Mohamed Noor, who was convicted in the death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond.

The media coalition last week asked Cahill to release the names of the Chauvin jurors, saying there's no known safety threat to warrant keeping the names sealed.

Police body cam footage shows three officers approaching Wright's car in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, on April 11 after he had been pulled over for the traffic stop

In the video, Potter is seen firing her handgun at Wright after shouting 'Taser'

'It seems that Hennepin County judges are of the view that any time we're prosecuting a former police officer theres reason to have an anonymous jury,' Walker said in an interview. 'That's a troubling trend. I don't think it's consistent with the transparency requirements of our criminal justice system, and I think the media here will be evaluating its options to ensure that both the press and the public can thoroughly monitor the administration of justice.'

Chu last week denied media requests to broadcast, livestream and record the proceedings in Potter's trial, saying the public and media will have ample space to view the trial in the courtroom or in designated overflow rooms.

Wright (pictured in his booking photo) was arrested on attempted aggravated robbery charges after allegedly holding a woman at gunpoint for $820 in December 2019

Under Minnesota court rules, audio and video coverage of a criminal trial is normally barred unless all parties consent. Potter did not.

Chauvin's trial, Minnesota's first criminal case in which gavel-to-gavel coverage was allowed, was broadcast and livestreamed. But Chu said Potter's case does not present the same extraordinary circumstances, including the unknowns of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to maintain social distancing in the courtroom at the time, the intense public and media interest, and security concerns.

Wright was shot and killed by Potter, a 26-year veteran, after police pulled him over for expired license place tags.

A struggle ensued when officers tried to arrest Wright after running his name and learning that he had an outstanding warrant.

Bodycam footage of the incident showed Potter and two other officers approaching Wright's car after he had been pulled over.

The footage showed one officer trying to handcuff Wright as a second officer told him he was being arrested on a warrant. Wright immediately jumped back into his car in an apparent attempt to flee.

Potter could be heard shouting 'Taser!' several times in the moments before she fired her gun. Immediately after, Potter could be heard saying: 'Holy sh*t. I shot him'.

Wright managed to drive several blocks before coming to a stop when he hit another car. He was pronounced dead at the scene and his girlfriend, who was a passenger in the car, sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

His death has sparked several days of violent protests and unrest in Minneapolis

Details of Wright's criminal history emerged in the days after his death, including that he had a warrant out for his arrest after he missed a court appearance on separate firearms charges at the time he was killed.

Wright was due to face trial on a charge of attempted aggravated robbery related to a December 2019 incident.

His death has sparked several days of violent protests and unrest in the city that was already on edge because of the trial of Derek Chauvin.

In June, allegations surfaced in two separate lawsuits filed against Wright's estate, claiming that he had been involved in the shooting of two men, one of whom was left permanently disabled, and another that took place just weeks before Wright's death.

Wright was not charged in either shooting incident and police have not confirmed if he was a suspect in either case.
Alec Baldwin has been condemned for branding New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's resignation a 'tragic day' and blaming his departure on cancel culture.

The Boss Baby actor voiced his support for Cuomo, who is stepping down after an intense week of being pressured to resign due to sexual harassment allegations, on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.

Baldwin - a well-known Democrat whose biggest recent role was sending Donald Trump up on Saturday Night Live wrote: 'Regardless of what you think of Cuomo, this is a tragic day.

'Party politics in this country draw ambitious but ultimately isolated, even socially maladjusted men and women who, given the current cancel culture, will likely have their shortcomings exposed and magnified,' he continued.

Alec Baldwin's tweet came minutes after Cuomo announced plans to resign following the release of a report from New York Attorney General Letitia James's office that found him guilty for sexually harassed 11 women and violating state and federal laws

Baldwin, who has publicly hinted the idea of running for office himself, partnered with Cuomo's office last year for a public service announcement urging New Yorkers to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic.

However, many fans were disappointed with Baldwin's tweet, as well as former White House Press secretary under the Trump administration Sean Spicer, who said 'cancel culture is out of culture - but what [New York Governor Andrew Cuomo] did was not a result of cancel culture or any culture - it was inappropriate and the idea you are defending says a lot'.

Other twitter users also responded to Baldwin's clear defense of Cuomo.

The 63-year-old actor did not comment on the allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo, who is facing at least one criminal complaint after Brittany Commisso, an executive assistant who accused Cuomo of groping her breast at the governor's mansion in Albany, gave a report to the county sheriff on Friday.

New York's Attorney General Letitia James said she believed claims Cuomo had pestered 11 women, with two others coming forward since James' report was published last week.

It all led to Cuomo announcing earlier Tuesday that he is stepping down from his position as governor of New York, which will be in effect in two weeks.

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will replace Cuomo, becoming the first woman to serve as governor of New York, as she's scheduled to start running the state on August 24.

However, it's not the first time Baldwin has attacked cancel culture, previously saying that it was 'creating more problems than it solves,' according to the Hill.

'It's like trolling,' he said in an Instagram video shared back in March. 'It's like a giant, mile-long net and you're catching a lot of people, more than a few who deserve it, and more than a few who don't. Or they don't deserve to have their careers and their lives destroyed.'

The Beetlejuice star also defended Woody Allen and New York governor Andrew Cuomo in a lengthy 14-minute video on Instagram in March.

In the 14-minute video, Baldwin said he has experienced 'a few people going at me for defending people who have been accused of crimes' to which he said: 'Well, I'm not defending someone who is guilty of something. I'm choosing to defend someone who has not been proven guilty of something.'



Regarding Cuomo, he added: 'The Attorney General is going to investigate accusations against a Governor. Then, and only then, can we talk about people resigning.'

Hilaria's heritage fell under question when a social media thread pointed out inconsistencies in stories she had told the media about her upbringing

In December of last year, Alec Baldwins wife, Hilaria, was subject to cancel culture, after being accused of cultural appropriation, and putting on a fake Spanish accent when speaking in English.

She was seen in a 2015 Today show clip seemingly forgetting the world 'cucumber' in a cooking segment, which became a social media focal point as the scandal contained to make headlines.

She told The New York Times of the scandal, 'There is not something I'm doing wrong, and I think there is a difference between hiding and creating a boundary.'

She eventually admitted that she grew up in Boston but spent time in Spain.

Her husband took to Twitter to call out social media users who want to 'destroy the undeserving and deserving alike.'

In a heated message, he wrote: 'Cancel culture is like a forest fire in constant need of fuel. Functioning objectively. No prejudice. No code.

'Just destroy. The deserving and the undeserving alike.'
Damian Williams (pictured) was tabbed to take over the high-profile US Attorney of Manhattan office, making him the first black man to do so

President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated veteran prosecutor Damian Williams to be the US attorney for Manhattan, which would put him in charge of one of the most high-profile federal prosecutor offices in the country.

If confirmed by the US Senate, Williams, 40, would become the first black man to oversee the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. He currently serves as chief of a securities task force in that office.

Biden also announced seven other US attorney nominations, including the Eastern District of New York as well as the Eastern and Western districts of Virginia.

'The President has launched a comprehensive effort to take on the uptick in gun crime that has been taking place the last 18 months  putting more cops on the beat, supporting community prevention programs, and cracking down on illegal gun trafficking,' the White House's statement said.

'Confirming US Attorneys as the chief federal law enforcement officers in their district is important for these efforts.'

Sia Sanneh (left), Terry McAuliffe (center) and Damien Williams (right) attend Thomas Dunne Books-St. Martin's Press Party

Biden on Tuesday nominated the veteran prosecutor to be the US attorney for Manhattan, which would put him in charge of one of the most high-profile prosecutor offices in the US

The US Attorney's Office in Manhattan handles many of the country's most complex prosecutions of Wall Street executives.

Its cases range from insider trading and securities fraud, to corruption and terrorism cases.

It is currently investigating former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who headed the office in the 1980's, and more recently became known for representing then-President Donald Trump.

The office is also prosecuting British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, charged with helping financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein groom teenage girls for sex.

She has pleaded not guilty.

Before Williams' current post, he prosecuted former New York state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for bribery and extortion and also prosecuted the case against former U.S. Representative Christopher Collins for insider trading and lying to the FBI.

For U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, headquartered in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, Biden nominated Breon Peace, a former federal prosecutor who is now a partner with the law firm Cleary Gottlieb.

Biden also announced seven other US attorney nominations, including the Eastern District of New York as well as the Eastern and Western districts of Virginia

The seal of the United States Department of Justice is seen on the building exterior of the United States Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York in Manhattan

Williams is pictured at a 2007 book launch

That office is handling a high-profile criminal case against Trump's billionaire ally Thomas Barrack, who faces charges of illegally lobbying on behalf of the United Arab Emirates. Barrack has pleaded not guilty.

For the Eastern District of Virginia, an office best known for handling many of the country's high-profile terrorism and national security-related prosecutions, Biden nominated veteran federal prosecutor Jessica Aber.

He also is tapping Christopher Kavanaugh, an assistant U.S. attorney who helped prosecute self-professed neo-Nazi James Fields for killing a counterprotester at a 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, as US attorney for the Western District of Virginia.

The other nominees were Carla Freedman for the Northern District of New York, William Ihlenfeld for the Northern District of West Virginia, Darcie McElwee for the District of Maine, and William Thompson for the Southern District of West Virginia.

Williams would be replacing Acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss, who herself replaced Phreet Bharara and Geoffrey Berman after then-President Trump fired the two.in 2017 and 2020, respectively.
A man who refused to wear a face mask at his local post office then interrogated a police officer who was sent to follow up outside his house.

Peter Reynolds told the officer he was recording him 'for court purposes' and questioned why he had to show him identification.

The anti-masker said he believed mask mandates were 'encroaching on his constitutional rights' but didn't reply when asked which particular rights.

Face masks are required when in indoor public spaces across NSW and when outside across Victoria (pictured, residents in Double Bay)

As the officer wrote down his details, Mr Reynolds explained why he wasn't wearing a mask in an indoor public space.

'About this post office incident, four or five days ago I received an email asking me to pick up a parcel,' Mr Reynolds explained in the video he posted online.

'I went there and the parcel was small - I was advised by the woman working that small packages could be delivered, which is good cause I don't like wearing masks.'

He explained the next day he received a green letter telling him he had another parcel to collect.

'This was a 6cm long turkey basting brush and was smaller than previous package,' he continued.

The police officer (pictured) asks the man about not wearing a mask and he claims he was 'set-up' by staff at the post office

He then claimed the post officer worker 'set him up' by getting him to come in knowing he wouldn't wear a mask after she told him small parcels could be delivered to his letterbox.

'I've already told my lawyer and he said she infringed on my personal rights,' he claimed.

Under the NSW public health order people in NSW must wear a mask whenever they are in an indoor public space.

Outdoors a mask is not required unless you are in some areas of Sydney - hence why the police officer is not wearing a mask.

Mr Reynolds was given a warning that he must wear a mask whenever he is in an indoor public space in NSW.

Fines were recently increased to $500 for refusing to follow the rule unless you have a valid exemption that is proven in writing.
A black Atlanta mom condemned her daughter's elementary school for segregating students by race, with black and white children taught in separate classrooms.

Kila Posey, who filed a federal complaint against Mary Lin Elementary School, claims principal Sharyn Briscoe - who is also black - told her that she put the practice in place because she thought it was in the best interest of the students.

Recalling her conversation with Briscoe, Posey said: '(Briscoe) said thats not one of the Black classes, and I immediately said, "What does that mean?" I was confused.

'I asked for more clarification. I was like, "We have those in the school?" And she proceeded to say, "Yes. I have decided that Im going to place all of the black students in two classes."'

Posey then secretly recorded a phone call with an unnamed school administrator, who was captured saying: 'I just wish we had more black kids, and then some of them are in a class because of the services that they need.'

No further information on what 'services' the administrator was referring to have been shared.

Mary Lin Elementary School allegedly put black students in two separate classes with two separate teachers. The white students were reportedly placed in six classes with six different teachers.

Atlanta Public Schools told WSB-TV the district has concluded it's investigation into the allegations and has taken action. It did not deny the claims made by Posey.

Mother Kila Posey has filed a federal discrimination complaint against her daughter's elementary school after the principal allegedly segregated classes by race

Posey claims Principal Sharyn Briscoe (pictured) put the practice in place because she thought it was in the best interest of the students

'Atlanta public schools does not condone the assigning of students to classrooms based on race. The district conducted a review of the allegations. Appropriate actions were taken to address the issue and the matter was closed,' a district spokesperson said.

They did not specify what those actions were.

Meanwhile, Posey is still in disbelief.

'We've lost sleep like trying to figure out why would a person do this,' Posey told the news outlet. 'First, it was just disbelief that I was having this conversation in 2020 with a person that looks just like me  a black woman. It's segregating classrooms. You cannot segregate classrooms. You can't do it.'

According to Posey, she learned about the segregation when she requested her child be placed in a specific teacher's classroom, which only had white students.

She claims principal Sharyn Briscoe said her child would be isolated in the class.

'I explained to her she shouldn't be isolated or punished because I'm unwilling to go along with your illegal and unethical practice,' Posey said.

Mary Lin Elementary School (pictured) allegedly put Black students in two separate classes with two separate teachers. The white students were reportedly placed in six classes with six different teachers

Posey contacted the assistant principal who allegedly defended the situation.

Posey has filed a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, arguing that the situation is a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

'Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 says that you cannot treat one group of people differently based upon race, and that is what is going on at Mary Lin,' said Sharese Shields, Posey's attorney.

The Department of Education is currently investigation the allegations.

Mary Lin's student body is 73 per cent white, 10 per cent black, with the remainder of its students coming from bi-racial backgrounds.

The school has a strong academic reputation and is ranked the 29th best elementary school in the state of Georgia, with 1,205 other schools behind it.

Test scores at the school are also high, with the average standard score 96.93 per cent in 2019, according to SchoolDigger data.
Like many of us, I spent a great deal of the past year dreaming of the time when it would be possible to travel abroad.

In my case, it was a particularly powerful yearning, something to offset a wretched few months during which the long shadow of Covid had been compounded by the shock of a cancer diagnosis.

After a prolonged period in which life was dominated by a gruelling chemotherapy schedule, my husband John and I were both delighted when we were finally able to book a trip to our favourite sunflower-strewn corner of France.

Sarah Standing, pictured her her husband John, travelled to France having recently completing a course of chemotherapy

We knew that we would have to jump through some bureaucratic hoops to get there  but we could little have envisaged the stress and monumental expense we would face.

From mountains of paperwork to the spiralling cost of Covid tests pre-departure and on return, it is no exaggeration to say that our longed-for holiday was hijacked both by ludicrous red tape and the naked profiteering of the private companies making merry on the back of our indecisive, hamstrung Government.

Sadly, my experience is one shared by millions of British holidaymakers this summer, many of whom have faced crippling costs in order to take their family on a longed-for foreign break.

As the Daily Mail has admirably highlighted, for a family of four the various required tests on departure and re-entry to the UK can reach a staggering 1,000  with reports yesterday that tests can cost up to five times the price of a return flight to Europe.

In all, this additional cost may not be far off the entire budget for a familys holiday  for some, this could put foreign travel out of reach altogether.

As the Daily Mail has admirably highlighted, for a family of four the various required tests on departure and re-entry to the UK can reach a staggering 1,000  with reports yesterday that tests can cost up to five times the price of a return flight to Europe

And those who do stump up must navigate a Wild West marketplace with hundreds of government-approved test providers charging anything from 50 to an eye-watering 475 for a single test (on average, holidaymakers are paying 93 for a post-return PCR).

While, yesterday, Professor Stephen Bustin, an expert on PCR testing at Anglia Ruskin University, said that a fair price would be closer to 20.

If this naked profiteering sounds familiar, that is because just over a year ago the provision of PPE to our frontline health workers was also outsourced to a bewildering array of private-sector companies awarded lucrative contracts to fulfil this vital service.

You might think the Government would have learned its lesson after the ensuing outcry, particularly given that foreign travel was the carrot they dangled at the start of the vaccine roll-out.

They could have made the process as simple as possible, with a centralised system providing access to free  or at least cheap  tests, and a straightforward traffic- light system in which only the unvaccinated or those returning from high-risk countries, would need to worry about quarantine and multiple Covid tests.

That is what travel industry leaders  and a swathe of the general public  repeatedly requested of ministers.

But instead, the Government sat back as the British public has been ripped off and exploited by a system which has rapidly descended into a farce.

The Government sat back as the British public has been ripped off and exploited by a system which has rapidly descended into a farce

Thats certainly the word that springs to mind given the pictures in the Mail yesterday of the overflowing PCR test drop-off box of one of the government-approved providers  making a mockery of travellers desperate and expensive endeavours to do the right thing.

Of course, there are some who believe that those of us who booked a trip abroad this year are hoist by our own petard. Why not wait a few more months, they cry.

The answer is that after more than a year of on-and-off lockdown, with its social isolation and the hell of home-schooling for many, a holiday is the one thing people could look forward to, an enticing slice of freedom which beckons for the double-vaccinated. Or so we were promised.

My husband John and I both count ourselves among that number. Following five months of chemotherapy for the non- Hodgkins lymphoma with which I was diagnosed at the start of the first lockdown, our spirits were lifted by the prospect of a trip across the Channel for some much-needed recuperation.

Given that my immune system remains compromised, we had deliberately chosen somewhere remote.

But, in common with every other holidaymaker this summer, our plans nonetheless unfolded against a backdrop of endless form-filling, as well as a compulsory PCR test prior to departure (as was the rule for France, despite both of us being double-jabbed), for which we paid 210.

While fairly confident of the result, I was keenly aware that whatever our vaccine status, a positive test result would scupper our entire trip at a stroke, and I couldnt help thinking about the horribly magnified stress for those who are travelling in larger groups or with children.

Thankfully, our tests came back negative, and the following day we boarded our flight to Toulouse, greeted with nonchalance by the French authorities on our arrival.

So far so good. But ten days into our break I awoke early to learn that the UKs Covid rules had changed overnight.

France was now deemed an Amber Plus country, and unless John and I could get home within 72 hours, we would be required to isolate for ten days on our return.

What followed next was little short of a nightmare, our precious last days spent huddled over a computer with sporadic wifi (this was rural France, after all), desperately trying to change our flight on a website that crashed within hours of the Governments announcement.

Realising we couldnt get back before the deadline, there was nothing else for it but to download more passenger locator forms and liaise with our local chemist back home in Pimlico, London, getting it to deliver two testing kits  one for day two, the other (to test and release from isolation) for day five  to await our return.

The cost? An eye-watering 500.

Two days before our departure, meanwhile  our holiday well-being now more or less evaporated  we had to make a 90-minute round trip to the nearest town for more tests to be deemed fit-to-fly.

Despite this flurry of costly negative tests, we still had to then plunge ourselves into isolation at home on return, dutifully sending off our day two and day five tests, only to receive no notification on the results of the latter. What on earth was the point?

The whole thing left me furious. As a nation we are a largely obedient bunch, dutifully following the rules that have been given to us in these uncertain times.

We have done the same with our holiday plans, only to find ourselves treated with what feels like little less than contempt.

The Government is, at least, finally taking some notice. This week the competition watchdog announced it had launched an investigation into these rip-off coronavirus tests for holidaymakers.

Its certainly a step in the right direction, but one which comes much too late for the majority of us who have already paid an extortionate price for our small slice of summer.
Extreme weather conditions have played into the fire propagation across Butte, Tehama and Lassen counties Even as far as 1,100 miles to the east of California, in Denver, Colorado, Dixie has created a pall of smoke

Over 27 days, the fire has destroyed close to 900 structures and threatened 16,000 homes, leaving 12,000 people to be evacuated

Dixie might have originated when a tree fell on one of the power lines of the Pacific Gas & Electric Company

Gov. Gavin Newsom called the fire 'insurmountable' and said 'we'll be there to help you rebuild' to Greenville

The fire started on July 13 and is 25 per cent contained. Firefighters hope to extinguish it by August 30

Dixie wildfire has torn through more than 487,764 acres of California, obliterating the historic town of Greenville

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Astonishing satellite photos show how the Dixie Fire - the largest wild blaze ever recorded in California - wiped the historic town of Greenville off the map.

Satellite photos of Greenville show the historic town before the blaze on October 31, 2018. The image shows the town surrounded by lush green forest and many buildings.

After Dixie ripped through the town, new satellite images from August 9 show a barren land with smoldering cars and buildings wiped out from the blaze.

The lush forest surrounding the homes can now be seen burnt down and a smoky haze is heavy over the remains of the town.

Dixie destroyed 75 per cent of Greenville, including family homes, small businesses and schools.

 Slide me  The Dixie wildfire is has spread to 487,764 acres as of Tuesday evening and is not expected to be contained until August 30

California is to experience 90-degree heat this week with no chance of rain or wind. Dixie has been burning across California for nearly a month. Wildfires are up 200 per cent since last year in the state

The fire has torn through more than 487,764 acres - roughly a 5,000-acre increase since Monday evening - in Butte, Plumas, Tehama and Lassen counties and has been ongoing for more than 27 days. More than 14,000 acres have been burned in the last 24 hours.

Close to 6,000 personnel have been assigned to fight off the devastating fire, but only 25 per cent of the blaze has been contained, officials have said.

At least 893 structures have been damaged and an estimated 16,000 homes are threatened by the blaze and 12,000 people have been evacuated. Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported.

Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for counties affected by the Dixie Fire, as well as those affected by the McFarland and Monument Fires, which has collectively burned another 85,000 acres.

Governor Newsom tweeted: 'Our hearts ache for this town.

'Greenville  though this moment may seem insurmountable, we'll be there to help you rebuild.'

Firefighters have been trying to contain the fire for nearly a month after it started on July 13. Only 25 per cent of the fire has been contained

Crews are trying to protect rural communities from the blaze that has already destroyed hundreds of homes for over a month

Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for the counties affected by Dixie and promises to help Greenville rebuild

Governor Newsom has also declared a state of emergency for the counties affected by the McFarland and Monument Fires

The McFarland and Monument fires have destroyed another 85,000 acres, in addition to Dixie's destruction of 487,764 acres

Wildfires have burned more than 917,000 acres of California this year, which is more than a 200 per cent increase from last year.

California will be experiencing 90-degree heat this coming week with no chance of rain, however, wind is not expected to spread the fire.

Dixie isn't expected to be contained for weeks. Cal Fire estimated the containment to be around August 30, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A before and after series shows a community center in flames in Greenville, California (above) and the damaged structure after the fire was put out (below)

A two store house burning (above) and the remaining ashes after the fire (below). Thousands have been evacuated and close to 900 structures have been destroyed

The devastating blaze continues as 6,000 personnel are working to fight it off

Four firefighters were injured when a tree branch fell on them while they battled with inclement weather conditions

A station market in Greensville, California burned by the Dixie Fire, which has spread across Butte, Plumas, Tehama and Lassen counties

An American flag lies on the incinerated remains of a completely destroyed structure

A house burning (above) on July 24 and its remains two days later on July 26 (below)

Fortunately, the blaze has not claimed human lives

Last year's August Complex Fire scorched 1 million acres, twice as Dixie has so far, but it is considered a 'Complex Fire' because it was made up of multiple different lightning-sparked blazes.

Dixie might have originated when a tree fell on one of the power lines of the Pacific Gas & Electric Company on July 13. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection were called to put out the initially small fire but poor roads and an unauthorized drone prevented the department from successfully mitigating the fire before darkness fell.

On July 22, Dixie merged with the Fly Fire, while firefighters battled inclement weather conditions. Four firefighters were hurt when they were struck by a fallen branch.

Firefighters have had to deal with people reluctant to leave - some of whom pulled guns on them - even as the wildfire continues to spread. Their refusals meant that firefighters spent precious time loading people into cars to ferry them out, said Jake Cagle, an incident management operations section chief.

'We have firefighters that are getting guns pulled out on them, because people don't want to evacuate,' he said.

The Dixie Fire progressed through July and was briefly contained, before major wind exacerbated the blaze.

The Dixie Fire is now California's largest ever, propagating through four counties

Firefighters have faced a challenge of proportions as they dealt with arid weather and major winds

The face of a horse toy left behind, disfigured by the flames of the Dixie Fire

Thousands were evacuated, leaving behind their homes and belongings

Don Crail, whose home burned down, is rushed into an ambulance for a medical issue in Greenville, California

Two partially burned chairs sit among destroyed structures caused by the Dixie Fire. The fire burned down 75percent of the town of Greenville

A firefighter from Huntington Beach looks up a mountainside after cutting a large tree

At least 163 water tenders have been employed in attempts to contain Dixie

Flames emerge from a house in Greenville (above), as the house burns to the ground (below)

The Pacific Gas & Electric Company was ordered to provide details on the circumstances around the fire to a federal judge by August 16.

More land has burned in the Dixie Fire than in the Creek Fire, in which 379,895 acres had scorched by the time it was 100% contained on Christmas Eve.

At least 163 water tenders have been employed in attempts to contain Dixie, but the unforgiving blaze has incinerated 75percent of the structures in the town of Greenville.

The fire, fueled by bone-dry vegetation and 40 mph gusts, raged through the community of Greenville, leveling most of its historic downtown and leaving blocks of homes in ashes.

The town's historical museum, church, hotel, a bar and 100-year-old wooden buildings were destroyed.

Assessment teams can not access many areas that have been affected, but preliminary reports account for 14,000 buildings being threatened in the northern Sierra Nevada, according to FOX.

Firefighters from Huntington Beach talk about the days plans

Firefighters from Huntington Beach survey a mountainside before extinguishing a small blaze

During and after the flames: A gas station market and a house burn down to ashes

California's wildfire season hit its worst recorded to date in 2020. More acres have been torched in 2021 than in 2020 in the period to date

A car, and the Pioneer Cafe in Greenville were destroyed as a result of the Dixie Fire decimating the town

Unforgiving flames come out of a vehicle in Greenville (above). The frame of the car is all that's left after the fire has been put out (below), while the car next to it seems not to have been affected

The fire now convers an area larger than Los Angeles

The Way Station Bar in Greensville before and after it burned during the Dixie Fire

The consequences to the environment are being felt across state lines. Even as far as 1,100 miles to the east of California, in Denver, Dixie has created a pall of smoke.

The California fires have produced overwhelming levels of pollution and heat during what already was a summer with record-breaking temperatures. The New York Times reported that the air in Denver and Salt Lake City is now more harmful than Delhi's and Beijing's.

This year California has faced an unparalleled fire season, set to surpass 2020's, which is the worst recorded to date. By mid-July, 103,588 more acres had been scorched compared to the same period last year, according to Cal Fire.
Channel migrants ran from a boat and disappeared into a Ministry of Defence firing range during an active shooting exercise.

Firing was abruptly halted as an emergency search for the missing migrants by Border Force and the Ministry of Defence went on for two hours.

When shooting began again after some were caught, four more migrants were seen hidden in undergrowth on the range in Kent, halting the military exercise for a third hour. It is not known if all the migrants were found, a source told the Mail.

The migrants, who were trying to escape Border Force officers on arrival from France, entered the three-mile long coastal range between Dymchurch and Hythe during active firing times  advertised publicly online  from 8.30am to 11pm on Wednesday last week.

Firing was abruptly halted as an emergency search for the missing migrants by Border Force and the Ministry of Defence went on for two hours (stock image)

It is thought they ignored or could not read the numerous warning signs surrounded by red flares and bright lights which warn the public not to go into the range during firing hours.

A local who watched the event unfold said: Any of the migrants could have been killed. They were clearly unaware of the dangers of being on MoD land when firing practice was ongoing.

On the same day, a record 482 migrants crossed the Channel in 21 boats, according to an official Border Force headcount.

A Home Office spokesman said: In the rare event where beach landings do occur, we use aerial surveillance to guide the rapid deployment of officers.

The MoD firing range is run under strict security regulations to stop accidents.

A Home Office spokesman said: In the rare event where beach landings do occur, we use aerial surveillance to guide the rapid deployment of officers (stock image)

One of the oldest military firing ranges in the country, it is 200 years old and used regularly for training exercises.

The firing range emergency happened on a record day for migrant landings.

At least 482 succeeded in crossing the Channel in 21 boats that day, according to an official Border Force headcount of those apprehended at sea or, later, on land.

It is not known how many other migrants arrived on the Kent coast and ran from beaches without being found

The official Border Force tally brought Channel migrant arrivals to more than 10,000 so far this year.
Experts are working to free a whale caught in a shark net off the Gold Coast, reigniting calls to remove the devices during the migration season.

It's the first entanglement so far this year as whales head north to warmer waters.

But Queensland typically sees a number of such incidents each migration season, and conservation groups have long demanded shark control nets be removed while whales are passing through.

A humpback whale has gotten caught on shark nets off Coolangatta on the Gold Coast Wednesday morning

The government's animal release team is working to free the animal from the net off Coolangatta, with the help of Sea World experts.

Sea Shepherd Australia said shark nets have taken a heavy toll on whales over the past decade.

'Since 2011, at least 49 whales have been caught in these shark nets and on drumlines,' the group's shark campaigner Jonathan Clark said on Wednesday.

Sea Shepherd is advocating for less destructive forms of shark control, such as drones.

NSW already removes shark nets to protect whales during their migration, and Sea Shephed says Queensland must immediately do the same.

Queensland government's animal release team and Sea World rescuers have been working to free the animal
Civil service union chiefs blasted a Cabinet minister last night for suggesting staff should have their pay cut if they refuse to return to Whitehall.

They accused ministers of dreaming up a rufty-tufty strategy that was devoid of any basis in reality to force civil servants back into their offices.

Mandarins are also said to have considered stripping civil servants of their London weighting  a salary boost worth around 4,000.

But Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA  the union representing senior civil servants, accused ministers of making reckless and cowardly attacks.

Civil service union chiefs blasted a Cabinet minister last night for suggesting staff should have their pay cut if they refuse to return to Whitehall (stock image)

He said it would be a legal minefield to withdraw London weighting and said those proposing it had no idea how this works in reality.

The PCS, the union for those in government departments, has warned of potential strike action if the Government tries to dock civil servants pay.

A Government spokesman said yesterday there were no plans to change terms and conditions around London-based pay.

Ministers have also been told they could face a legal backlash if they slash pay for staff who refuse to return to the office.

Employment lawyer Max Winthrop, a senior partner of Short Richardson and Forth Solicitors, told the Mail: Removing benefits as a threat to get people back into the office seems to me to be certainly difficult, if not unlawful, and a recipe for litigation in tribunals.

But senior Conservative backbencher Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said civil servants certainly shouldnt be getting London weighting if they arent coming into the office.

But Dave Penman (pictured), general secretary of the FDA  the union representing senior civil servants, accused ministers of making reckless and cowardly attacks

He said he suspected a lot of people are not as productive at home, and that while he was not opposed to flexible working, staff should be encouraged to spend some days each week in the office.

He added: I would have thought that if you have got a civil servants job, you should be expected to come back a few days a week.

And I would certainly think that that should be linked in some way to bonuses, because I dont think that you are as productive at home as you are in the office.

But Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on coronavirus, said: The Government should be careful not to penalise people simply for being cautious and continuing to work from home where possible.

At a time when cases remain high, we should be focusing on keeping transmission down, not demanding that employees rush back to the office.
Disgraced socialite Ghislaine Maxwell is prepared to give evidence to help Prince Andrew fight a sex abuse lawsuit, friends have reportedly said.

On Sunday, Virginia Roberts Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit against Andrew in the United States, alleging that he sexually assaulted her when she 17 and was aware that she was a victim of sex trafficking.

Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing and friends of Maxwell say she will support the prince's assertions, The Telegraph reported. Maxwell has always supported Andrew's claims of innocence.

Roberts, now 38, claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three separate occasions and was 'lent out for sexual purposes' by convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Friends of Maxwell, who is currently in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, said she will testify on Andrew's behalf should the case reach a court, according to The Telegraph.

However, for her evidence to be considered credible, she would have to first be cleared of wrongdoing in her own trial.

'Ghislaine will be prepared to give evidence on the Duke's behalf,' the paper reported an unnamed friend as saying.

'By the time the case against the Duke gets to court, Ghislaine will either be convicted and serving up to 85 years in jail [or if] cleared of course she would help Prince Andrew. They have been friends for a very long time. It is highly likely Ghislaine will offer to assist him.'

Disgraced socialite Ghislaine Maxwell (pictured) is prepared to give evidence to help Prince Andrew fight a sex abuse lawsuit, friends have reportedly said

On Sunday, Virginia Roberts Giuffre (centre, aged 17) filed a civil lawsuit against Andrew (left) in the United States, alleging that he sexually assaulted her when she 17 and was aware that she was a victim of sex trafficking. Pictured right: Maxwell

Maxwell is witness to several alleged incidents including one purported to have taken place in 2011 in which Roberts claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew at Maxwell's London home.

Robert's civil suit was filed at the Southern District of New York on Sunday, just days before the Child Victims Act expired.

The state legislation helps victims of historical sexual abuse to seek legal redress.

Legal experts said the civil case could drag on for years. A US lawyer warned that it could be devastating for the prince's reputation and could force him to answer questions about his own sexual history, as well as his relationship with Epstein.

Roberts' legal team could interrogate Andrew over whether he had faced any allegation of sexual misconduct or impropriety in the past, a US lawyer told the Daily Mail.

They would also be entitled to demand access to any communications between him, Epstein and the convicted sex offender's alleged accomplice, Maxwell, who Miss Roberts claimed groomed her to carry out Epstein's desires.

The lawyer, who asked not to be named, said: 'It will be a train wreck for him. This case is a grenade waiting to go off.'

Andrew has 21 days to respond to Roberts' claim and if he fails to do so, she could ask the court to find in her favour without the need for a trial, which would be potentially disastrous for his reputation.

It would raise the prospect of the ninth in line to the throne being branded a sex offender, and facing a demand for damages which could run into millions of pounds.

Neither Andrew nor Buckingham Palace have commented publicly on the lawsuit against Andrew.

Miss Robert's lawyer, David Boise, claimed on Tuesday that Andrew's lawyers had 'totally stonewalled.

'He can ignore me. And he can ignore Virginia  but he can't ignore judicial process,' Boise told Channel 4.

In the legal claim, lawyers said Epstein, Maxwell and the prince had all forced Roberts to have sex with Andrew against her will after she was trafficked to London.

They alleged Andrew also sexually abused the teenager at Epstein's mansion in New York and at his private island in the US Virgin Islands, Little Saint James.

The legal document, filed to a court in New York, said Roberts had suffered 'severe and lasting' damage.

The lawsuit went on: 'In this country no person, whether president or prince, is above the law, and no person, no matter how powerless or vulnerable, can be deprived of the law's protection.

'Twenty years ago Prince Andrew's wealth, power, position, and connections enabled him to abuse a frightened, vulnerable child with no one there to protect her. It is long past the time for him to be held to account.'
A retired Met Police detective superintendent who was locked in a dispute with neighbours died in a car fire, an inquest heard.

Fire fighters who arrived in the village of Cavendish in Suffolk on March 6 described a car 'fully involved in fire', with the blaze starting to spread to two nearby cars.

Mark Hill, watch manager of Clare fire station, said in a statement that a man at the scene told him: 'That's my neighbour's car', and suggested there was an occupant.

Retired Met detective Edwin Williams, pictured, took his own life outside his neighbour's home in Cavendish in Suffolk on March 6

Firefighters discovered Edwin Williams' body inside the badly burnt wreckage of his car in Cavendish in Suffolk on March 6

PC Emma Stacey told the inquest a friend who had been staying with Mr Williams in the days before his death said that he was involved in an 'ongoing neighbour dispute which had been going on for 11 years and was due to be heard in court'

The fire was extinguished and it was identified that a body was in the driver's seat of the vehicle, whose registered keeper was 74-year-old Edwin Williams.

The body was formally identified as Mr Williams by dental records.

Pc Emma Stacey said a friend who had been staying with Mr Williams in the days before his death said that he was involved in an 'ongoing neighbour dispute which had been going on for 11 years and was due to be heard in court'.

Mr Williams had received a letter from solicitors stating he could have four further weeks to prepare for the trial but not the eight weeks he had sought, the friend said.

Suffolk's senior coroner, Nigel Parsley, said the dispute concerned water ingress, guttering and roofing.

He said that Mr Williams had started the legal proceedings with his previous neighbours and then with the new owners of the house.

Mr Williams's wife Jean Williams, who was separated from him, said she thought that leaving the police force had a 'considerable effect on Ed'.

'I believe he found it quite hard to adjust to the outside world,' she said.

She said he had a distinguished career, working on high profile cases before retiring from the Met in 1995 after 30 years of service, then working as a teacher.

His GP notes said he had a history of depression.

Coroner Mr Parsley, recording that Mr Williams died by suicide, said that fire investigation officers 'believe the most likely cause of the fire was it was started deliberately from inside the vehicle'.

The fire service report said there was no indication Mr Williams had been trapped.
The lawyer representing Prince Andrew's accuser has said the case is now a matter for the courts to decide as he claimed the royal's legal team 'stonewalled' any appeals for information.

David Boies, who represents Virginia Roberts, said it would be 'ill-advised' for the Duke of York 'to thumb his nose at a federal court' after Ms Roberts sued the 61-year-old in New York federal court on Monday.

Ms Roberts, now 38, is seeking 'significant' damages from Prince Andrew claiming she was sexually assaulted by him in New York, the Caribbean and London in 2001 - when she was 17 and he was 41.

She claims she was forced to have sex with him and was 'lent out for sexual purposes' by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Mr Boies said his client ultimately wanted 'vindication' from her civil suit for damages.

David Boies, who represents Virginia Roberts, said the case is now a matter for the courts to decide

The lawyer claimed the Duke of York's legal team had 'stonewalled' any appeals for information

Andrew has vehemently denied the allegations in the past, and a spokesman for the duke said there was 'no comment' when she was asked to respond to Ms Roberts' legal action.

Mr Boies told Channel 4 News: 'He can ignore me and he can ignore Virginia, which is what he's been doing for the last five years.

'We've made every effort to reach out to him to hear his side of the story to understand whether he has anything that he can say that would put his actions in context. And he has simply ignored us, and he can do that, but he can't ignore judicial process.

'This is now a matter for the courts to decide. And it would be very ill advised I think for anyone to sort of thumb their nose at a federal court. If he did, obviously there would be a default judgment entered against him, which I think no one really wants to have happen.'

Mr Boies went on to say that the duke's legal team had 'totally stonewalled' any appeals for information.

He continued: 'They just have totally stonewalled, they have refused to provide any explanation, they refuse to engage in any discussions, they refuse to provide any facts.

'They've even refused to respond to any of the allegations that been made in any reasonable way.

'They have basically simply ignored every letter, every phone call, every outreach that we've made in an attempt to let him provide us with whatever facts he thinks we ought to consider and to try to see whether this can be resolved without the necessity of litigation.

Ms Roberts claims she was sexually assaulted by Prince Andrew in New York, the Caribbean and London in 2001 - when she was 17 and he was 41. The Duke of York has always vehemently denied all charges made by Virginia Roberts

The accuser claims she was forced to have sex with the Duke of York and was 'lent out for sexual purposes' by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein

Speaking about his client Mr Boies added: 'I think she expects to get vindication and vindication for her and vindication for all the other young women that have been guilty of sex trafficking around the world by various rich and powerful men. This is a case and a cause to which she's dedicated herself over the last few years.

'She has donated a significant amount of the money that she has recovered from Jeffrey Epstein's estate and from Ghislaine Maxwell to a charitable foundation, designed to help other young girls.

Lawyers representing Ms Roberts (pictured) filed the civil suit in New York on Monday

'Her hope is that calling rich and powerful abusers to account will have some effect on reducing the chance that other young girls will suffer which she suffered. So I think what she hopes to get out of this is vindication. And hopefully a better world for other young girls.'

The duke does not have to attend or give evidence in the civil proceedings in New York, but the legal action will be a further blow to his reputation and the standing of the monarchy, according to Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine.

He said about the Epstein scandal: 'It's damaging not only for Andrew but for the institution of the monarchy itself because all sorts of allegations have been thrown at the institution since all this came to light - and the perception is, most likely incorrectly, they are not taking it seriously.'

Andrew stepped back from public duties after the backlash from his 2019 Newsnight interview, dubbed a 'car crash', which had attempted to draw a line under his relationship with Epstein - but instead saw him heavily criticised for showing little empathy with the sex offender's victims.

'I can't think of any kind of rehabilitation that will bring him back into the royal fold as a working member of the family,' added Mr Little.

Lawyers for Ms Roberts filed the civil suit seeking unspecified damages at a federal court in New York, where the court documents claim she was 'lent out for sexual purposes' by Epstein including while she was still a minor under US law.

Andrew is named as the only defendant in the 15-page suit, brought under New York state's Child Victims Act, although Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell are mentioned frequently throughout.

It is alleged in the documents Ms Roberts was sexually abused while aged under 18 by the Queen's second son at Maxwell's home in London, at Epstein's New York mansion and at other locations including Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands.

British socialite Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to sex-trafficking charges in Manhattan federal court, where she faces trial in November, while Epstein took his own life in a US federal jail in August 2019, a month after he was arrested on the same charges.

The documents claim Ms Roberts 'was compelled by express or implied threats by Epstein, Maxwell, and/or Prince Andrew to engage in sexual acts with Prince Andrew, and feared death or physical injury to herself or another and other repercussions for disobeying Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince Andrew due to their powerful connections, wealth and authority'.

The duke allegedly engaged in the sexual acts without Ms Roberts' consent, while aware of her age and while 'knowing that she was a sex-trafficking victim', the documents claim, adding the alleged assaults 'have caused, and continue to cause her, significant emotional and psychological distress and harm'.

Mr Boies told Channel 4 News: 'The evidence in terms of what he (Andrew) knew about Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking operation is something that obviously will be for the jury to decide. I think that everybody who was closely associated with Jeffrey Epstein knew that he had these young girls, these young women who he was trafficking.'

Solicitor advocate Nick Goldstone, head of dispute resolution at international law firm Ince, said: 'I don't think Prince Andrew will be compelled to attend the New York court and give evidence to defend himself.

'I don't think he will be compelled to put in any defence in writing because he can maintain his right to silence.

'And under the American terminology, 'take the fifth' - the Fifth Amendment, everybody has a right to silence for fear of self-incrimination.'

If the duke and his legal team do not engage in the civil proceedings, they are expected to continue without their input - with the court making its judgment in due course.

Andrew does not face the prospect of an extradition hearing as this only applies to criminal charges and not civil cases.

In his Newsnight interview with the BBC's Emily Maitlis, Andrew denied claims that he slept with Ms Roberts on three separate occasions, saying: 'I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.'

The duke also said he has no memory of a well-known photograph of him with his arm around Ms Roberts' waist at Maxwell's house, and has questioned whether it was his own hand in the image.
A man in his 30s has died from Covid-19 in New South Wales as the virus continues to spread from its epicentre in western and south-west Sydney with another 344 cases recorded overnight.

Health officials said the man from Sydney's north, who was not vaccinated against the virus, died at Northern Beaches Hospital on Tuesday.

Another man in his 90s from south-west Sydney died at Concord Hospital. The death toll from the city's Delta outbreak now stands at 34.

Of the newly-acquired cases, 101 were out in the community for either part or all of their entire infectious period - while the isolation status of 100 cases is still under investigation. That means as many as 201 cases were not self-isolating when they were contagious.

NSW Health said 112 of the new cases were found in south-west Sydney, along with 110 infections in the city's west and 43 in the Nepean Blue Mountains region.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the Sydney outbreak is threatening to spread out of the city's south-west and western suburbs after higher levels of the virus were detected in the south and inner-west.

She threatened to implement tougher lockdown restrictions in the Bayside and Inner-West local government areas if the outbreaks there fail to stabilise.

'We are starting to see cases decline in the Fairfield local government and Canterbury-Bankstown, which is a positive sign,' she said.

'However, local adjoining government areas and suburbs in Bayside and the Inner West are seeing an increase in cases. They aren't at high levels yet but we do not want them to get higher.

'We don't want to include you in those local governments of concern but we may have to do if case numbers don't at least stabilise or start going down.'

Ms Berejiklian also confirmed earlier reports Dubbo will go into a snap week-long lockdown from 1pm Wednesday after two cases were found in the regional town.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the cases were a young child and a woman in her 40s.

A Sydneysiders is pictured at Bondi Beach on Tuesday. New South Wales' outbreak of the highly-contagious Delta variant has grown by another 344 cases

WHERE THE DELTA COVID STRAIN IS SPREADING IN NEW SOUTH WALES Of the 344 cases reported overnight: 112 are from the South Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD) 110 Western Sydney 43 Nepean Blue Mtns 29 Sydney LHD 23 South-eastern Sydney 14 Hunter/New England 7 Northern Sydney 2 Central Coast. 1 Northern NSW 1 Illawarra Shoalhaven. 2 Western NSW Advertisement

The 344 new locally-acquired cases came as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned more LGAs in Sydney's south and inner-west could face tighter lockdown measures

'It is critical that the lockdown is complied with in Dubbo, and even though it comes in to place at 1pm today, we are asking people to make those decisions and act in a way as if it is in place at the moment,' Dr Chant said.

Health officials also found 14 new cases in the Hunter-New England area, with Ms Berejiklian warning the continuing spread of cases meant it was unlikely eight LGAs in the region would be released from lockdown on time later this week.

'The Hunter doesn't look like it will come out of lockdown later this week - however we will wait on health advice,' she said.

No new cases though were found in the Armidale, Tamworth or Northern Rivers areas of northern NSW - sparking hope those LGAs could soon be released from lockdown.

Ms Berejiklian meanwhile repeated her intention to consider ease social distancing restrictions as soon as September in Sydney suburbs where case numbers are low but vaccination rates are high.

'Please note that they are two different things - lockdown now, plus opportunities to live life differently in September and October, is very different to what life looks like at 70 percent,' she said.

The NSW premier said restrictions would remain but that once a 'low risk' community reached 80 percent double vaccination, the focus of the rules would change and Covid could be treated more like the flu rather than a 'sinister virus'.

Medical staff are seen arriving at work at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown on Wednesday as Sydney enters its seventh week of a stay-at-home lockdown

'That means that we no longer focus on the number of cases, we focus on the number of hospitalisations,' she said.

'When you have such high rates of vaccination, people can live more freely and we can focus on keeping people out of hospital rather than counting cases.

'It's a bit premature now but in a few weeks we'll have a better idea of what September and October looks like because we will be able to see what a consistent rate of vaccination looks like.'

Ms Berejiklian used the exchange to urge people in Greater Sydney to more widely embrace vaccination.

'Please get vaccinated because there could be opportunities in September and October for us to say to the community, if you are vaccinated you might be able to do a certain level of activity which you can't now.

Pictured are residents in the Canterbury-Bankstown LGA in Sydney's south-west on Tuesday. Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the city's Delta outbreak is threatening to move back eastwards after an increase in cases in the Bayside and Inner-West areas

'They are conversations we are starting to have.

'They will be based on health advice.'

The announcement came after it emerged a Covid-19 loophole allowed an infected Sydney father-of-two to travel 750km to Byron Bay, forcing more than 300,000 people into a week-long lockdown.

Zoran Radovanovic, 52, from Rose Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs, has been identified as the man who travelled from the city last month to inspect a property in the northern NSW town.

NSW public health orders allow locked-down Sydney residents an exemption to travel if they are 'inspecting a potential new place of residence'.

In a heated interview with NSW Police Minister David Elliott, Today host Karl Stefanovic said the state's health orders had 'more loopholes than a sieve'.

'It's become a running joke in the eastern suburbs, minister, about people from Sydney going, "I will go to Byron and look at real estate". Are you going to close that loophole?' Stefanovic asked.

'That is a matter for the Health Minister,' Mr Elliott responded.

'If that is a loophole in the public health order, the Health Minister has to take advice and make a legal decision as to whether or not that loophole is closed.'

Mr Elliott said NSW Police were experiencing 'great frustration' at getting people to comply with lockdown orders when such loopholes existed.

Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Lismore, and Ballina Shire were placed into a snap seven-day lockdown on Monday, which is due to lift on August 17. Pictured is a queue for Covid-19 testing at Byron Bay Hospital on August 9

'We have a democratically elected government that has processes under the Health Act and the police don't dictate what the health orders are,' he said.

'The police just receive the orders and we make sure there's compliance.'

Co-host Ally Langdon also suggested to Mr Elliott he was 'fed up' with his own party as the minister confessed NSW's 'gold standard' management of the Covid pandemic had been tarnished.

'It's been the case since I joined 35 years ago,' Mr Elliott said.

'Some of the golden standards that we set ourselves a few months ago have slipped,' he said.

'But I've got to say we are doing a lot better than other countries.

'We don't have the body bags being piled up the way they have in other countries.'

The revelation Mr Radovanovic had reportedly left Sydney to inspect real estate, despite having Covid symptoms, has outraged Byron Bay locals.

'I am dumbfounded by this if correct,' wrote one Byron Bay resident on the Facebook page of the town's mayor, Michael Lyon.

'If this is a loophole for people, goodness, close it please.'

Today Show host Karl Stefanovic said the exemption in NSW public health orders allowing locked-down Sydney residents to travel to inspect property were 'a running joke'

'Outrageous, and it does indeed exist,' responded Councillor Lyon.

Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Lismore, and Ballina Shire were placed into a snap seven-day lockdown on Monday night.

It is alleged Mr Radovanovic's was circulating in the community while symptomatic and refused to use the QR check in at venues.

Reports suggest his wife may have transmitted the virus to him.

Police speak to a group of beachgoers as they patrol Bondi Beach to enforce Covid-19 restrictions on Tuesday

Mr Lyon also claimed yesterday that the man's two children had since tested positive to Covid and were now in isolation.

At yesterday's daily Covid update, Health Minister Brad Hazzard said all he was prepared to say about the traveller was that police were looking 'extremely closely' at what he was doing in the region.

'I trust the police will be able to take appropriate action in due course,' Mr Hazzard said on Tuesday.

The residents of Byron Bay tried to lift spirits with positive vibes (pictured, a sign in the town on Tuesday)

'I'm not going to prejudice part of the police investigations or the police actions.'

No matter what health orders were in place some people chose to ignore them, he said.

'What worries me is no matter what legal orders or requirements are in place, you can't legislate against stupidity, arrogance and entitlement,' he said.

One Byron local tried to deal with the hippie town's emerging Covid crisis using meditation

The streets of the usually busy tourist town emptied as the snap lockdown took place
An anti-vaxxer has dropped a 'vile' letter in a Sydney woman's mailbox comparing the lockdown and vaccine restrictions with the horrors of Nazi Germany.

The letter, which was shared in a Neutral Bay Facebook page on Monday, compares rules for the Jewish community in 1942 to the lockdown restrictions.

It lists a number of public places including restaurants and cafes, cinemas, beaches, sporting events and parks that the Jewish community were forbidden from attending in the lead-up to World War II.

Between 1941 and 1945, millions of Jewish people were deported to concentration camps where they were gassed, starved or worked to death.

The other side of the letter, titled 'World Wide Medical Apartheid', contains what appears to be a number of news headlines from around the globe promoting against the Covid vaccine and the restrictions that will be in place for those who don't get it.

One side of the letter (pictured) contains rules for the Jewish community in 1942, banning them from public places

A number of people commented on the offensive nature of the letter and the 'disgusting' comparison of Jewish genocide to lockdown restrictions.

'Such a self-centred lack of perspective and distorted sense of reality. We are privileged to live in a time where we can vaccinated and for free, and not die in (more) masses as so many did after WWI with the Spanish flu,' wrote one local.

'It is a self-obsessed, self-pitying and vile person who would compare themselves getting a vaccine to being a Jewish person in Germany prior to or during WWII (or to living through racial or religious apartheid regimes),' she continued.

'I am Jewish and I am appalled. For real?! Go back underground where you came from,' added another member of the community Facebook page.

Others simply commented: 'This is absolutely disgusting.'

The Facebook group is a community group used to: 'share information, ask for recommendations, and keep up to date with local events.'
ABC reporter Louise Milligan has cost taxpayers $130,000 for wrongly accusing Liberal MP Andrew Laming of up-skirting in a series of Tweets.

The broadcaster has agreed to pay Dr Laming $79,000 for damages and $50,000 for legal fees in a settlement reached on Wednesday after he sued Milligan for defamation.

The case related to a police complaint made in March by Brisbane woman Crystal White who claimed Dr Laming photographed her underwear showing at the top of her denim shorts as she stacked a bar fridge for a landscaping supplies company in 2019.

ABC reporter Louise Milligan (pictured) has cost taxpayers $130,000 for wrongly accusing Liberal MP Andrew Laming of up-skirting in a series of Tweets

Dr Laming, the MP for Bowman in Brisbane, insisted the photo was 'dignified' and simply showed 'someone trying to fit an impossible amount of stock into a fridge' - and was cleared by police who found 'no evidence to indicate a criminal offence'.

He launched legal action in June against Milligan after he said she failed to apologise for wrongly accusing him of upskirting and linking of him to an investigation into Canberra's workplace culture.

The ABC released a statement explaining it had chosen to pay Milligan's costs for her.

'As previously stated, the ABC decided to pay Ms Milligan's costs in this matter, a decision arising from particular and exceptional circumstances,' a spokeswoman for the broadcaster said.

Milligan published four tweets on March 28, beginning with a statement that Dr Laming was one of the names 'volunteered to me in off the record conversation with women staffers & politicians' when she was researching for Inside the Canberra Bubble.

The November 2020 Four Corners episode purported to unveil a negative culture towards women in Parliament House.

Federal MP Andrew Laming

Milligan's tweet thread also included comments purportedly from an unnamed, female Liberal staffer saying Dr Laming would be sacked immediately if he was in the corporate world.

A tweet on April 15 listed 'Laming upskirts' along with references to Brittany Higgins, Christine Holgate and a dance troupe that twerked at a navy event.

The tweets have since been deleted. Milligan posted a statement saying she hadn't included Dr Laming's denials in a 'broader Twitter discussion about gender and politics'.

'Twitter is a truncated and imperfect medium,' she said on June 17, urging readers to read a linked news article.

But Dr Laming claimed the statement was 'self-serving', had a 'sensational, accusatory and spiteful tone' and aggravated his hurt.

In a defamation claim filed in the Federal Court, the MP said Milligan's tweets carried meanings that he was such a danger to women he should leave parliament immediately.

After the reports into the photograph and allegations he harassed two other women, Dr Laming went on a month of paid medical leave for counselling and empathy training.

The ophthalmologist has since sought numerous apologies and retractions over the claims he 'upskirted' a woman.

The ABC said resolving the claim avoids a potentially protracted and costly legal action.

Milligan's original posts were 'in good faith' but one contained an honest error that had been widely reported by other outlets and politicians, it said.

Her deletion of the tweets in June was followed by a 'substantial statement correcting the record'.

Evan Mulholland, communications director at right-wing think-tank Institute of Public Affairs, said it was 'absolutely crackers' that taxpayers were footing the bill due to 'particular and exceptional circumstances'.

'She wasn't working on a story about Andrew Laming. Would the ABC do the same for a cadet reporter at ABC Southbank? One would think not,' he tweeted.

Crystal White (pictured) made a formal police report about MP Andrew Laming - but he was cleared of any crimes

Dr Laming previously insisted the photo was not sexual, saying: 'The purpose of the photograph was to show sometimes at work you have these Herculean tasks put to you and she was playing a game of Tetris trying to get every possible can in the fridge.

'All I can do is apologise unreservedly because taking a photo of someone without asking first is a fundamental principle that an MP should be able to adhere to.'

In a statement about the settlement, he said: 'I'm grateful for the efficient conduct of the matter by the Federal Court and my lawyers resulting in a prompt resolution of the dispute,' he said in an issued statement.

'My case is an example of how a false allegation can be quickly and widely disseminated over social media by persons who have no direct/personal knowledge of what actually happened.

'No one should be subjected to this type of harassment and character assassination without recourse and the defamation laws are important to achieve that end.'
Donald Trump asked former Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen for advice on a possible strategy to use the Supreme Court to overturn Joe Biden's election win.

Details of the December 2020 phone call reportedly emerged during a two-hour interview Rosen had with the US Department Office of the Inspector General on Friday. He also gave closed-door testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Saturday on the call.

Rosen is said to have been aware of the document Trump was using to formulate his strategy before the call, and was sufficiently well-prepared to shoot down then then--president's request, it was claimed.

Trumped reportedly put pressure on the DOJ to overturn the 2020 election results in his last few weeks in office.

The former president Donald Trump leaving Trump Tower today after details from former AG Jeffrey Rosen's DOJ interview dropped

Jeffrey Rosen (above) revealed an unreported phone call between him and Trump. The former president had asked Rosen about a conspiratorial draft complaint aimed at overturning the 2020 election results

The former president called Rosen in late December to discuss the 54-page document, weeks after losing the election to Joe Biden. He asked Rosen why the DOJ wasn't doing more about the election, according to Politico.

The complaint was modeled on a Texas lawsuit compiled by pro-Trump attorney Kurt Olsen.

It urged the Supreme Court to declare that the Electoral College votes from six key swing states that ultimately cost Trump a second term should not be counted because their results were fraudulent.

Olsen's plan also encouraged justices to order a 'special election' in those states.

Rosen denied Trump's request because he had already been in contact with Olsen, asking him to come up with Supreme Court precedents to back his claim.

That meant he was well-versed in the details of the same claims when they were made by Trump, and that he was able to use his legal knowledge to advise the president that there was zero change of such a strategy keeping him in office.

House investigators had previously released the emails between Rosen and Olsen.

Trump wanted Rosen to send a letter to Georgia that Jeffrey Clark wrote that falsely stated that the DOJ was investigating voter fraud in the state to overturn Joe Biden's win. Rosen denied Trump the request (pictured: Joe Biden)

Rosen testified that Trump pressured him to claim that continuing election fraud investigations would cast doubts of Joe Biden's presidential win, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin told CNN's 'State of the Union.'

The ongoing investigations were organized after a New York Times article detailed the efforts of Jeffrey Clark, acting head of the Justice Departments civil division during the Trump administration, to push top leaders to help subvert the election results.

Clark reportedly drafted a letter he wanted Rosen to send to Georgia state legislators that falsely stated the DOJ was investigating voter fraud in the state. Rosen denied the proposal.

Rosen told investigators that he persuaded the former president to agree with him. The DOJ did not sign the complaint.

Trump did not fire Rosen, although he did consider replacing him with Clark, according to the New York Times.

Rosen stated that the Justice Department did not find to affect the election.
A heckler has sparked chaos at a media conference by Daniel Andrews as he announced Melbourne's lockdown would be extended by another week.

The Victorian Premier and health officials were doing their daily Covid-19 briefing in Melbourne on Wednesday when they were interrupted by a loud commotion from the level above them.

A man claiming he had a letter for the state leader was heard screaming 'Premier Daniel Andrews' from the floor above.

He was then heard repeatedly moaning and yelling over the top of the Premier for the next 30 minutes during the briefing.

A second man was also heard screaming about health minister Martin Foley, journalists attending the briefing reported.

The Premier struggled to hear reporters' questions during the frequent interruptions as he provided an update about the latest outbreak.

A protester is seen laying on the ground surrounded by police after Premier Daniel Andrews' press conference was interrupted in Melbourne on Thursday

'No else can hear me, it's an amazing contribution you're making up there,' Mr Andrews said.

'We'll keep you safe too.'

Parliament security staff were forced to intervene as the man was eventually tackled to the ground by police and arrested.

Photos from the scene showing a man on the ground being spoken to and surrounded by police.

It's understood the man had been in vicinity for hours and had been asking police to pass on notes to Mr Andrews, the Herald Sun reported.

He later claimed to have suffered a broken leg while being tackled to the ground and was later pictured being treated by paramedics and stretchered into an ambulance.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Victoria Police for further details.

Premier Daniel Andrews reacts to the commotion from protesters during his briefing

When asked about the commotion, the Premier told reporters the man had 'wanted to speak to me for some time'.

But he wasn't sure whether or not it was regarding about Covid-19 or lockdown.

'Whether you support me or not I will do everything I can to protect you from this virus,' Mr Andrews said.

'Shouting doesn't work against this virus. Like I said the other day, if frustration and anger was effective against coronavirus, we'd all be double dosed vaccinated by now.

'People are entitled to their views, that's fine.'

A man is is seen laying on the ground after approaching the Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews press conference

Paramedics treat a protester who claimed to have suffered a broken leg while being tackled to the ground

The injured protester was placed onto a stretcher and put into an ambulance

Melburnians will endure another week of lockdown, which has been extended until 11.59pm August 19 after 20 new cases were recorded on Wednesday.

Mr Andrews vowed to do everything he could to protect the state from the virus, regardless of what frustrated Victorians think of lockdown.

'Screaming and shouting does not work. Being frustrated, I understand that. As I said before, if it works, we would be long vaccinated, but it does not,' he said.

'This thing has changed on us. It is Delta - it is not what it was last year. It is a different thing.'
A serial criminal's deportation was halted after a far-left activist emailed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to say the criminal should stay with his family.

Tania Mattos' June 7 email demanding that Marvin Jerezano-Pena be allowed to remain in the US made it all the way to the inbox of ICE acting director Tae Johnson, and Pena's deportation was halted shortly afterwards.

The 26 year-old - who has been accused of beating his girlfriend - was saved from being booted out of the US by the Biden Administration appointee despite being convicted of multiple felonies for drugs and stolen property offenses.

Emails obtained by Tucker Carlson's team on Fox News showed Mattos appealing for a stay of deportation, arguing his case as a former DACA recipient married to a U.S. citizen, with a two-year-old son.

DACA recipients are people who were brought to the US illegally by their parents, who have been allowed to stay in the country - provided they do not commit any crimes.

But Mattos said his case served as 'an example of how many immigrants who interact with the criminal justice system are separated from their families unfairly.'

Pena was due to be deported on June 8, and activists held a vigil outside Bergen County Jail in protest, with 14 arrested.

On June 7 Tania Mattos, a policy director at Freedom for Immigrants, wrote to Angela Kelley, a senior immigration counselor at the Department of Homeland Security.

Marvin Jerezano Pena was due to be deported on June 8, but his deportation was delayed thanks to the efforts of activist. He remains in custody in New York

Tania Mattos, a policy director with Freedom For Immigrants, wrote to ICE officials on June 7 pleading Jerezano Pena's case

Kelley forwarded the email as a 'time sensitive matter' to ICE chief of staff Timothy Perry, who requested a report on the subject. Hours later, officials sent back the report, which included his arrests and convictions in New Jersey.

Tae Johnson, the acting director of ICE, agreed to Mattos's request to delay the deportation

'Jerezano Pena is a former DACA recipient, but was denied renewal of this program in 2015 due to his previous criminal conviction history,' the agency reported.

'His criminal history includes numerous convictions for drugs, DUI and traffic offenses, dating to 2012, including in December 2017 for drugs and stolen property.'

The chief of staff then emailed the record to Tae Johnson, the acting ICE director, and said in the email that he had 'mentioned this on our call earlier.'

Later that same day, Johnson emailed a number of officials asking: 'Can we grant a 14 day stay of removal on this case to provide time to gather additional details.'

'Will do,' responded Acting Executive Associate Director of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Corey Price.

Carlson said it was evidence that 'the Abolish ICE movement now has control over ICE.'

He said it was an embarrassing use of ICE's time and resources.

'This is what they are doing as the border has descended into total chaos,' he said.

'A hellish scene of human suffering, our country is being invaded by the rest of the world, not just Latin America, not just Mexico, the whole world and they are worried about how they can keep a felon in our country without you knowing about it.

'They're doing it based on a single email from an activist.'

He added: 'Can this be real?'

An ICE spokesman told Fox News that officers 'conduct custody reviews of noncitizens in detention in accordance with U.S. law and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) civil immigration enforcement priorities.'

A spokesperson continued: 'As a professional law enforcement agency, ICE has always considered requests, views and opinions from all stakeholders.

Carlson on Tuesday night said it was outrageous that ICE were responding to activist requests

'ICE routinely works alongside local law enforcement agencies, community organizations, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders to carry out its mission of safety and security.'

Mattos's group has not responded to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

Jerezano Pena remains in detention in New York, pending deportation.

Pena was brought to the U.S. as a child by his parents, and was registered under DACA - protecting him from deportation, provided he did not commit a crime.

Yet in 2015, he was arrested for 'robbery and simple assault' by police in New Jersey, before being convicted the following year of knowingly receiving stolen property.

In 2019, he was arrested for violation of parole and a failure to report. Other arrests were for marijuana possession - although it is now legal in his home state of New Jersey.

His ex-partner, Gaby, accused him of verbal and physical abuse, according to a report.

A judge ordered his deportation to Mexico in 2020, and an appeal was unsuccessful, according to the report.

Mattos' group states that it 'is devoted to abolishing immigration detention, while ending the isolation of people currently suffering in this profit-driven system.'

In their five point plan, they state: 'We know that the immigration detention system is built upon a long history of white supremacy, capitalism, and imperialism. It intentionally functions to dispossess marginalized communities and peoples of their homes and their histories.'
A leading journalist has called on Americans to get a grip and learn to live with COVID-19, rather than attempting to win an 'illusory' victory over the virus.

Speaking to Anderson Cooper on CNN Monday night, Andrew Sullivan said it was time to lift lockdown measures, encourage people to take vaccines, and stop letting federal and state governments continue to impose lockdown rules on Americans' lives.

Explaining his philosophy on the virus, Sullivan said: 'Government isn't there to hold your hand every day. The government has a responsibility to give you the means to protect you and your family from this. Once they've done that, as a free country. You get to live.'

Sullivan lives in Provincetown, Massachusetts, which saw one of the biggest outbreaks of COVID among fully-vaccinated people last month.

Earlier this month, he wrote on his blog The Dish that seeing how mild the symptoms were among his vaccinated friends convinced him that it was time to shrug off the fear of the virus.

Sullivan told Cooper: 'The goal is not to pursue an illusory victory over the virus, but to learn how to live with it, and actually live fully alongside it,' he said.

While the Delta variant remains on the rise, Sullivan argues that COVID has become 'less of a plague and more of a disease you live with'.

During a Tuesday interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, author Andrew Sullivan argued that it's time for Americans to stop being in denial and accept the role COVID-19 plays in our lives

'In a free society, once everyone has access to a vaccine that overwhelmingly prevents serious sickness and death, there's no reason to enforce lockdowns again or mask mandates or social distancing any longer. In fact, there's every reason not to,' he said.

Sullivan, who was born in the UK and has enjoyed an illustrious career as a journalist in the US added: 'There are costs to not living. There are costs to having a year of your life taken away from learning and developing as a child. There are costs of not being with your family. There are costs of not being with your fellow workers,' he explained.

'We are a social animal. We cannot live isolated like this. We've never done this before. You can't wrap yourself up in cotton wool for the rest of your life and you mustn't let children not live.'

He argues that while communities around the nation are experiencing case surges, citizens need to resume normal life.

Grilled by Cooper about the risks to children because under 12s cannot yet have COVID vaccines, Sullivan said that under fives were in more danger each time they went for a swim.

He claimed that while communities around the nation are experiencing COVID case surges, citizens need to resume normal life

The writer, who is strongly pro-vaccine, explained: 'If you're 18 times more likely to drown if you're aged one to five than to die of COVID.

'I think putting it in some sort of perspective for children, which is it's not that serious a disease at all. It's like a bad cold.

'The immunocompromised are going to be unfortunately vulnerable for a long time. This now, we now know, is a virus that transmits from vaccinated people. So we're going to have to live with this thing. We're going to have to be vaccinated consistently against it.;

Sullivan also compared the coronavirus pandemic to his own health battles after he was diagnosed as HIV positive during the 1990s.

He said: 'I've lived for 28 years with HIV. It is in my bone marrow. I've learned not to defeat it. I can't declare victory but I can get on with my life and make sure I don't die from it or get sick with it,' he said.

He also argued: 'The most potent incentive for vaccination is to be brutally frank, a sharp rise in mortality rates. The more people know someone who has suffered and died, the more they are likely to take measures...In other words, call their bluff...Let it rip.'

The writer's most recent gig - a column at New York magazine - came to a close after the magazine's left wing staff took exception to his libertarian views.

Sullivan, whose fans include former President Barack Obama, has now returned to writing his successful subscription blog that saw him lauded as an internet pioneer in the 2000s.

His comments came as the Delta variant has reignited the mask mandate debate in the United States.

Sullivan's comments came as COVID cases continue to surge and the Delta variant has reignited the mask mandate debate in the United States

Some governors have outright expressed opposition to all measures to make masks mandatory despite advice from health authorities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told vaccinated Americans in May that their risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19 was low enough that they no longer needed to wear masks.

However, those recommendations did not account for the highly contagious Delta variant or the fact that only about half of all Americans have now been fully vaccinated, and children under 12 aren't eligible yet.

By the end of July, an about-face: mask-wearing was once again recommended in indoor spaces, even for vaccinated people, in areas with high rates of COVID spread. That currently covers about 90 percent of the country.

The health authority is basing their recommendation on data that shows that vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant can spread the virus more easily than those infected with earlier variants.

But vaccinated people are at much lower risk of serious illness or death if they do catch COVID, with some statistics showing that close to 99.7% of people hospitalized with the virus were unvaccinated.

About 715,000 vaccine doses are being administered every day, the highest rate since July 7

Meanwhile, as the U.S. faces a case surge driven by the Indian 'Delta' variant, vaccine demand is rising.

On August 10, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 618,000 new doses were administered in the past day.

That's 36 percent higher than the previous Tuesday, when 453,000 new doses were administered.

The U.S. is now averaging 715,000 doses a day, which is the the highest rate seen since July 7.

Americans getting their first shots make up the majority of that 715,000. The daily average for first doses is 503,000 - the highest number in over two months.

More than 195 million Americans have now received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, representing just over half of the population.
An American comedian joked Australians 'like lockdowns' because they're 'perpetually lazy, descendants of criminals' who don't want to work.

Tim Dillon, 36, targeted Australians in his latest podcast when talking about the pandemic and mocking lockdowns in force across the country.

'Australia has like 12 cases and they're literally chaining people,' the stand-up comic from New York said.

'But Australians like that, they like the government, they trust the government. The government has been good to Australia.

'People asking why Australians aren't angry, they're perpetually lazy, descendants of criminals.'

Tim Dillon joked Australians 'like lockdowns' because they're 'perpetually lazy, descendants of criminals' who don't want to work

Dillon, who says he visited Australia and has a lot of Aussie friends, laughed that the lockdown isn't really preventing the normal way of life.

'Australians are simple people, all they want to do is get drunk and grill,' he said, referring to barbecuing.

'All they want to do is get hammered in their backyards and put meat on a grill.'

The comedian said Australians are happy not working because 'all they care about is drinking and eating'.

'When you tell them not to work they go "all right". Do you think Australia is demanding to work?' he said.

'No one cares, they just want to get bombed on their couch and put a shish kabob on the grill.'

'All they care about is drinking and eating.'

'Australians are simple people, all they want to do is get drunk and grill,' he said, referring to barbecuing

He said Australians only 'recently' learned to use knives and forks and that ongoing lockdowns were met with universal support.

'This is the best case scenario for them, they don't have to work, they're descendants of criminals.'

Dillon has a point as opinion polls consistently show overwhelming support for lockdown-happy premiers like Western Australia's Mark McGowan.

Even Daniel Andrews at the height of Victoria's five-month outbreak last year approved of his ultra-harsh stage four lockdown.

NSW Police also remark every day that most people they bust for breaking lockdown are dobbed in by friends and neighbours calling in breaches.
Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has issued arrest warrants for 52 Democratic lawmakers who broke quorum for the third time over voting rights.

The decision was approved after the Texas House voted 80-12 to move forward with the arrests for absent members, which enabled Phelan to issue the warrants. It's the second time that such a vote has been taking during ongoing quorum-bust.

The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday also overturned a trial court judge's ruling that would have prevented absent Democrats from being arrested.

It all comes in an effort to achieve the quorum - a minimum number of members present in the chamber - needed to advance legislation, in this case, specifically on voting rights in Texas.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelon, serving the 21st District of the State, signed 52 civil arrests warrants on Tuesday for missing Democrats who have denied Republicans a quorum for more than three weeks

The warrants for the 52 absent Democrats will be delivered to the House Sergeant-at-Arms on Wednesday morning

Democrats were hoping that their flit would deny the state house the minimum number of lawmakers required to conduct official business  by fleeing the state to stop Republicans' agenda to potentially ban drive-thru and 24-hour voting, among other sweeping restrictions.

The warrants, first reported by the Dallas Morning News, will be delivered to the House Sergeant-at-arms 'for service' on Wednesday morning, according to Marquez.

They were signed after Democrats failed to show up during the fifth day of the House's second special session, leaving the chamber eight members short of a quorum.

Texas Rep. Vikki Godwin (forefront) shared a photo on her Facebook account on July 13 of her and her colleagues after a press conference on the topic of voting rights

In the first special session, Phelan signed a warrant for only one democrat  Rep. Phil Cortez  who fled to Washington with other Democrats, returned to Austin so that he could check in at the Texas Capitol before returning to D.C. yet again.

While Texas representatives would not face jail time if arrested, they may be brought to the state's Capitol by law enforcement once the House Sergeant-at-Arms puts the warrants in motion to be served.

The number of House Democrats who have returned to Texas is still unknown since 57 of a total of 67 of them fled to Washington in July.

That earlier exodus forced the house to wait on new voting restrictions while allowing Democrats to advocate for federal voting rights protections in the U.S. Senate.

It also saw an outbreak of COVID among unmasked Democrats who gleefully filmed themselves posing maskless on a plane as they jetted off from Austin.

While voting and ethics legislation passed in D.C.'s capitol on Wednesday, 26 Texas Democrats vowed to remain in D.C. 'for as long as Congress is working and making progress' on the issue of voting rights, enabling themselves to be within the reach of Texas law enforcement.

Texas State Rep. Chris Turner (District 101), Chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, was joined by fellow Democratic Texas state representatives in a speech during a news conference about voting right outside the U.S. Capitol on August 6

Texas State Rep. Senfronia Thompson (District 141) was many of Texas Democrats to continue to lobby for voting right reform in D.C. after leaving Texas to block a voting restrictions bill by denying a Republican quorum

Rep. Celia Israel, who serves the 50th district of Texas, returned to her home in the outskirts of Austin but hasn't been to the State Capitol, where the House meets.

She said told the Washington Post on Tuesday night that she isn't afraid of getting arrested but admitted the House is in unfamiliar territory.

'I think they're bluffing. Do they really want to arrest a woman of color?' Israel said in a phone interview. 'They're just thumping their chests.'

When Israel was asked if she could make an appearance in the House's chamber on Wednesday before the warrants are potentially put into place, Israel responded, 'hell no.'

Texas rep. Celia Israel (center) shared this photo on her twitter account. She wrote: 'On Capitol Hill to mark sine die - the end of the suppression session; the battle for voting right continues as we take the right to congress.'

She added that there is a legal team working on the House Democrats case, with 'punching and counter-punching happening by the hour,' according to the Washington Post.

In another on-going saga that can last up to 30 days, Israel said, 'every day that we dont have to deal with these far-right policies is a good day.'

It is unusual that quorum has been broken for song even though it has happened in Texas before, but never have Texan lawmakers had to be search and brought to the House or Senate chambers by law enforcement, Israel added.

'Weve never been down this road before,' she said.

Texas rep. Mary Gonzalez was one of the rare Democrats who returned to the State's Capitol on Monday. She hopes that Republicans won't proceed to carry out the arrest warrants for her colleagues.

State Rep. Mary Gonzalez, a Democrat who serves District 75 in the Lone Star State, an area that includes parts of El Paso, returned to the House floor on Monday, saying she hoped Republicans do not move forward with attempts to arrest her colleagues.

'In recent times, the Texas House has had some difficulties,' she said in an interview with the Washington Post on Tuesday. 'Im hoping that we dont get to a place where we do arrest warrants, because I think thats another step in changing the culture of the Texas House.

'Im not sure thats a direction that would be most helpful in this moment in time.'
CNN staffers are angry at prime time star Chris Cuomo for advising his brother on how to beat back allegations of sexual harassment, according to the network's media reporter.

Brian Stelter made the revelation while defending his network's coverage of the scandal, saying that it was management's decision to bar Chris from talking about NY Governor brother Andrew's alleged sexual harassment of at least 11 women.

He insisted that CNN had devoted plenty of airtime to the scandal - although the network sparked fury after insisting it was reasonable not to mention the sexual harassment on its most watched show - Cuomo Prime Time.

The network was also condemned after its most popular hosts ignored a report published in March which eviscerated his handling of the COVID crisis in nursing homes.

That shunned report also highlighted Andrew Cuomo's attempts to obfuscate a probe into why he forced the facilities to accept infected residents from hospitals, with 15,000 elderly people dying of the virus as a result.

Behind closed doors, are people mad at him? talk show host Stephen Colbert asked Stelter on his show Tuesday.

Is he in trouble?

To which Stelter replied: 'Some people are mad at him.'

He also confirmed a New York Times report which claimed that Chris Cuomo advised his brother to resign.

'I also have a source who says that Chris was on the phone with his brother this week,' Stelter said.

'Is your source Chris Cuomo?' Colbert asked.

'He is not,' Stelter replied. 'Youve got to have boundaries. You've got to draw a line.'

To which Colbert replied: 'Why? He doesn't!'

'I think he does actually,' Stelter said as the live audience reacted.

I dont know about the governor. I think Chris does.

Colbert then pressed Stelter even further.

Really? he asked. What are the boundaries?

Stelter responded that CNN management told Chris Cuomo in May that he was not to speak to his brothers aides about strategy, though it was understood that the brothers would speak to each other directly.

The media journalist added that CNN management also barred Chris Cuomo from talking about his brother on the air.

Colber then pointed out that CNN had an odd conflict of rules in that it didnt allow Chris Cuomo to discuss his brother when he was embroiled in scandal but did allow him to have the governor on the air during the pandemic.

Stelter defended his network, saying that they were in uncharted waters.

If we open up the journalism ethics book, theres no page for this, Stelter said.

The pandemic, he said, presented the craziest set of circumstances you could imagine - a governor and a brother in these high profile jobs.

This was definitely awkward for CNN, though.

Stelter added that other CNN talent were not deterred from covering the governors scandal.

We covered the story on air as we would any other story. Ultimately, isnt that what matters? he said.

Stelter, CNNs in-house media reporter, appeared on Colberts The Late Show on CBS on Tuesday - just hours after Andrew Cuomo announced that he was resigning.

Colbert asked Stelter how the resignation would impact the governors brother, Cuomo Prime Time host Chris Cuomo.

The network is facing calls to fire him after it was learned he helped his brother, the governor, strategize against the women who accused him of sexual harassment.

A report by New York State Attorney General Letitia James found that Chris Cuomo was part of his brothers inner circle at the same time he was barred by his network from talking about the scandals linked to Andrew Cuomo.

Stephen Colbert on Tuesday grilled CNNs Brian Stelter (above) on why his network allowed Chris Cuomo to interview his brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, during the COVID crisis but not during the sex pest scandal that forced him to resign

Colbert asked Stelter how the resignation would impact the governors brother, Cuomo Prime Time host Chris Cuomo (right). The network is facing calls to fire him after it was learned he helped his brother, the governor, strategize against the women who accused him of sexual harassment. Governor Andrew Cuomo (left) and Chris Cuomo (right) are pictured in 2018

CNN star Chris Cuomo (left) on Tuesday refused to answer questions about whether he advised his brother to resign even though a report claimed he did, in fact, defy his network ban and encouraged the scandal-plagued Governor Andrew Cuomo (right) to quit

The embattled host of Cuomo Prime Time, who is on vacation this week, was spotted by a Fox News.com reporter at Sag Harbor Yacht Yard on the eastern end of Long Island on the same day that the governor announced his resignation

In Sag Harbor on Tuesday, Chris Cuomo, who was seen wearing a visor hat and sunglasses while looking relaxed in a blue t-shirt and shorts, stepped off his speedboat, Heartstrong

Chris Cuomo got into his pickup truck and drove off. He reportedly spent up to five hours on his boat

The AG's report named Chris, who makes $5million-a-year-at CNN, as one of his brother's advisers and told how he'd helped Andrew write statements in response to the allegations of 11 women.

He wanted to make sure he sounded 'contrite' enough, according to the report.

Media pundits claim his conduct has been unprofessional and that his generally inappropriate working relationship with his brother needs to come to an end.

Some have pointed to the fact that CNN VP of Communications, Allison Gollust, used to work for Governor Cuomo as his communications director.

She joined his team in 2013 after working with CNN President Jeff Zucker at NBC for 15 years.

Gollust only spent four months on the Governor's team then went to CNN to reunite professionally with Zucker.

In February, the network banned Chris from interviewing his brother on the air after Andrew's administration was accused of covering up the true number of deaths in nursing homes caused by COVID-19.

The network is said to have offered Chris temporary leave to help advise his brother on the crisis that has now destroyed Andrew's career, although he turned down their suggestion, the Times reported.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo walks with his daughter Michaela, 23, to a helicopter at the heliport in Lower Manhattan shortly after announcing his resignation on Tuesday, a week after being dubbed a serial sexual harasser by Attorney General Letitia James

Michaela placed her hand on her father's back as they made their way to the helicopter, moments after his resignation

Last year, the governor appeared on his brothers show at least 10 times during which the CNN host heaped lavish praise on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

In May, Chris apologized on the air after it was reported that he had offered his brother advice on how to respond to sexual harassment allegations.

CNN did not discipline its star host, though the network acknowledged his actions were 'inappropriate.'

Stelter is the host of CNN's Reliable Sources, a weekly Sunday morning program devoted to media criticism.

On the most recent broadcast, he admitted the 'optics' of banning Chris Cuomo from talking about sex pest claims made against his brother are a 'problem' and says Chris's show could be canceled if viewers turn off over the scandal.

Cuomo was joined by his daughters Michaela, 23, and Mariah, 26 (center). His other 26-year-old daughter Cara was not there. Melissa DeRosa, his fiercest aide who quit on Sunday, was also with him (far left)

Cuomo was joined by his two top aides, Melissa DeRosa - who resigned on Sunday - and Stephanie Benton, who was pictured inside the Executive Mansion with him earlier this week

Stephanie Benton, another of Cuomo's aides, was with him on Tuesday too. She is shown in red, with Michaela (far left), Melissa DeRosa (far right) and Mariah, one of his other daughters (center in black floral dress)

Speaking in a six minute monologue Sunday, Stelter confirmed that Chris has been banned from discussing his brother on his nightly Prime Time show, and that CNN staff were divided at over the scandal, which saw Chris advise Andrew on how to response to claims made against him by 11 women.

That number has now jumped to 13.

'Management has been clear about its position: he is not covering the governor on TV, period,' Stelter said. 'He is not talking about it at all.'

Stelter also defended the decision not to suspend Chris - who he insisted is taking a long-planned vacation from Monday, in a bid to shoot down rumors that his colleague has been 'canceled' when he disappears from screens.

'Some critics say he should have been suspended or even fired. But I'm going to level with you. Telling a well off host to hang out by the pool for a couple of weeks is not a real punishment,' he explained.

'It's BS when Fox sends a host off on vacation during a scandal. Scolding a host in public, saying what they did was inappropriate. That is an actual punishment.'

The 51 year-old host of Cuomo Prime Time was spotted in Sag Harbor on Tuesday.

Chris was approached by a Fox News.com reporter and hit with a flurry of questions as he disembarked his boat and prepared to head home.

Cuomo spoke from New York City. He has been hiding out in Albany since last week, when the Attorney General's report was released

After docking the boat at the slip, the CNN host walked toward his pickup truck. A Fox News reporter waited nearby and asked him if he spoke to his brother.

Of course I have, Chris replied.

Did you advise him to step down? Fox News asked the CNN host. Chris did not reply.

In response to another question, Chris told the reporter that his brother would be at the Sag Harbor Yacht Yard in five minutes, if you wait around.

Off camera, Chris is reported to have told the Fox News reporter that he could have him arrested.

I think you have a job, and Im gonna let you do it, Chris said as he walked toward his truck.

The reporter continued to ask Chris several questions, including whether he was continuing to advise Andrew, and whether that constituted an ethical conflict.

CNN said that the host is on a pre-planned vacation this week celebrating his birthday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Andrew announced his resignation over a barrage of sexual harassment allegations in a fall from grace a year after he was widely hailed nationally for his detailed daily briefings and leadership during some of the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of Afghan security forces keep watch at the site of yesterday's night-time car bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan August 4

US Intelligence officials are warning that the Afghan capital of Kabul could fall to taliban forces in as little as a month, despite a huge security force that far outnumbers the rogue group previously triggering claims that the city would be able to defend itself for at least a year.

As stability in the region continues to erode, the Washington Post reports that the White House is currently bracing for the fall of Kabul, with an accelerated decline of security in the city taking it's toll over the last several weeks.

Initial intelligence estimates had pegged the fall of Kabul to Taliban forces at six to 12 months following the departure of the US military.

'Look, we spent over a trillion dollars over 20 years. We trained and equipped, with modern equipment, over 300,000 Afghan forces. And Afghan leaders have to come together,' Joe Biden told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

The outlet reports that one anonymous State Department official says internal discussions have predicted the fall of Kabul in as little as one month - or in around three months in a best-case scenario.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Monday, Aug. 9

Taliban fighters are seen in the Farah province southwest of Kabul on August 10, amid fears Kabul itself could fall to them within the next month

The militants have ramped up their push across much of Afghanistan in recent weeks, turning their guns on provincial capitals after taking district after district and large swaths of land in the mostly rural countryside

'Obviously it is a challenging security environment,' State Department spokesman Ned Price acknowledged Tuesday.

'We are evaluating the threat environment on a daily basis.'

'Everything is moving in the wrong direction,' another person close to the militarys recent intelligence assessment, who wished to remain anonymous, told the outlet.

The Taliban has boldly began to overrun and capture large swaths of the war-torn country since US forces began being pulled from the region in late May.

They are set to be fully removed by the end of this month.

The situation has deteriorated to the point where the US Embassy in Kabul is questioning the White House to see how long it should remain open.

A Pentagon official told the Post that military advisors are already bracing themselves for an evacuation of US ambassadors and diplomats upon the inevitable fall of Kabul, which they place at 30 to 90 days.

For now, the State Department is keeping things the way they are.

Afghan security personnel patrol after they took back control of parts of the city of Herat following fighting between Taliban and Afghan security forces, on the outskirts of Hera

Refugees are pictured in Afghanistan's northern provinces on January 10 after fleeing the Taliban

'We are mindful of deteriorating security conditions in parts of the country, but no particular outcome is inevitable,' John Kirby, the Pentagons chief spokesman, said Tuesday.

'We will continue to coordinate airstrikes with  and in support of  Afghan forces when and where feasible. But as the president made clear, Afghan leaders have to come together.'

As the August 31 end date nears for the full US forces removal, White House press secretary Jen Psaki says that the responsibility to defend the capital and country is now on Afghan defense forces and leaders.

'The president continues to believe that it is not inevitable that the Taliban takes over Kabul or the country, and that they need to show political will at this point to push back, and obviously theres a political process that we continue to support,' Psaki said.

'He asked for a clear assessment for review from his team on what the possible implications could be,' she said.

'He asked them not to sugarcoat that, he asked them to lay out specifically and clearly what the consequences could be.'
A Virginia teacher has dramatically resigned during a meeting of her scandal-hit school board after blasting its obsession with lessons on critical race theory.

Laura Morris spoke before Loudoun County School Board in an emotional address, explaining why the 'equity trainings' and political dogma forced her to resign.

She said she could no longer be part of an organization that told her 'white, Christian, able-bodied females' needed to be reined in.

Morris, who has taught at Lucketts Elementary School in Leesburg, Virginia, for five years - half of her career - told the board: 'I quit being a cog in a machine that tells me to push highly-politicized agendas on our most vulnerable constituents  the children.'

Her voice breaking with emotion, she said she no longer felt able to teach within the district, despite it being affluent and well-resourced.

'This summer I have struggled with the idea of returning to school, knowing that I'll be working yet again with a school division that, despite its shiny tech and flashy salary, promotes political ideologies that do not square with who I am as a believer in Christ,' she said.

Morris said that she was dismayed by the 'lack of consideration for the growing population of concerned citizens in this division', pointing out that Tuesday's meeting was in an empty hall.

Loudoun recently adopted rules for the public comment section of board meetings that prohibit a general audience and allow only 10 scheduled speakers to enter the building at a time.

She said she was angered by 'emails sent by the superintendent last year reminding me that a dissenting opinion is not allowed, even to be spoken in my personal life.'

Laura Morris has been a teacher for ten years, and for the past five has taught within Loudoun County Public Schools. On Tuesday night she quit, saying she could no longer teach their 'highly-politicized agendas' and objecting at being asked to report colleagues to the authorities

Morris taught at Lucketts Elementary School (pictured) as a fifth grade teacher

A map shows Loudoun County in Virginia - which is known to be America's wealthiest suburb

And she said that she had been sent a form which she and her colleagues were told to fill out if they heard others within the school system criticizing 'the controversial policies being promoted by this school board'.

Morris continued: 'Not only that, but within the last year I was told in our so-called equity trainings that white, Christian, able-bodied females currently have the power in our schools and, quote, 'this has to change'.

'Clearly you have made your point.

'You no longer value me, or many other teachers you have employed in this county.

'So since my contract outlines the power that you have over my employment in Loudoun County Public Schools, I thought it necessary to resign in front of you.

'School board, I quit.

'I quit your policies, I quit your training, and I quit being a cog in a machine that tells me to push highly-politicized agendas on our most vulnerable constituents  the children.

'I will find employment elsewhere. I encourage all parents and staff in this county to flood the private schools.'

Morris spoke before the Loudoun County School Board, in a virtually empty hall. Following a series of heated meetings, the general public is no longer permitted to attend

A man is detained after a fight broke out during a Loudoun County School Board meeting on June 22

Parents attended a packed Loudoun County School board meeting in June which descended into chaos

Loudoun County, asked about her resignation, said: 'LCPS does not comment on personnel matters.'

Loudon County, which borders Washington DC, has become the epicenter for arguments about the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in schools.

School board meetings have become contentious with parents yelling and being arrested, furious at the idea of teaching what they see as divisive and unpatriotic approaches. Defenders of CRT say that it is simply a reframing of traditional narratives, to deal with some uncomfortable truths about America's racial history.

The school board is no stranger to controversy.

On May 25, physical education teacher Byron 'Tanner' Cross was suspended after refusing to 'affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa.'

He had taught at Leesburg Elementary School for eight years, but said that his Christian faith would not allow him to use a student's preferred pronouns - although he said he was happy to use whichever name they chose.

On June 8 a court ordered that Cross be reinstated, but LCPS said they will appeal.

On Tuesday night the school board discussed whether to grant transgender children access to sex-specific facilities and school activities that match their gender identities.

A vote was postponed until Wednesday, after public comment stretched on for more than four hours.
President Joe Biden is facing criticism after he allegedly praised Governor Andrew Cuomo for his work on New York's infrastructure and election law reform.

Fox News host Sean Hannity called the president out on his show Tuesday night for declaring that the governor had done a 'helluva job'.

'Helluva job?' Hannity said before questioning how the governor handled COVID-19 in the peak of the pandemic.

'What about the thousands of seniors who are now dead because of Cuomo's insane decision to put COVID patients in nursing homes? What about the ensuing cover-up, when Cuomo allegedly tried to hide the true number of nursing home deaths? What about the fact that New York State is home to the second-highest COVID-19 death rate in the country?'

Fox News host Sean Hannity criticized President Joe Biden after he allegedly praised Governor Andrew Cuomo for his work on New York's infrastructure and election law reform

He also cited the state's 'crushing taxes' and 'rampant public corruption' as evidence of Cuomo's poor leadership.

'Despite calling on him to resign just last week, today, Joe Biden complained that this was all so sad: because Cuomo had done a helluva job,' Hannity said.

'Apparently, it's just the allegations of sexual misconduct that trouble Joe Biden.'

Hannity pointed out that Cuomo, who resigned from his role as governor this week after the New York Attorney General released a bombshell sex pest report outlining allegations made against him, has been 'almost completely abandoned' by his political allies and friends.

'With Trump out of office, and allegations swirling, Cuomo's value to the Democratic party has been diminished  he is no longer the savior of the left,' Hannity said.

He also referred to the governor as a 'party pariah' and 'is no longer useful to his party'.

Hannity concluded by noting that Cuomo's departure amid scandal mirrors that of the state's last three Democratic governors.

Cuomo, who is facing possible impeachment over sexual harassment claims from 11 women and mounting pressure to quit from fellow Democrats, announced his resignation on Tuesday.

He had been under mounting pressure to resign in recent days with Biden, two Democratic senators from New York and multiple state lawmakers calling on him to step down.

Hannity said: 'Despite calling on him to resign just last week, today, Joe Biden complained that this was all so sad: because Cuomo had done a helluva job'

'I think that given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to government,' Cuomo said in a live televised address on Tuesday.

'My resignation will be effective in 14 days.'

Cuomo, who will hand over the reins to Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, a fellow Democrat, denied the accusations of sexual harassment outlined in a report released last week by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James.

'The report said I sexually harassed 11 women,' Cuomo said. 'That was the headline people heard and saw. The reaction was outrage. It should have been. However, it was also false.'

But he said he wanted to 'deeply, deeply' apologize to any women who may have been offended by his actions.

'I have been too familiar with people,' said Cuomo, who was once touted as a potential Democratic presidential candidate. 'I do hug and kiss people casually, women and men. I have done it all my life.'

'In my mind I've never crossed the line with anyone,' he said. 'But I didn't realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn.

'There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn't fully appreciate. And I should have. No excuses.'

Hannity pointed out that Cuomo (pictured) has been 'almost completely abandoned' by his political allies and friends

'I thought a hug and putting my arm around a staff person while taking a picture was friendly, but she found it to be too forward,' Cuomo said.

'I kissed a woman on the cheek at a wedding and thought I was being nice, but she felt that it was too aggressive.'

Cuomo was elected governor in 2010 and easily won reelection in the heavily Democratic state in 2014 and 2018.

He described himself as a 'New Yorker, born and bred' and a 'fighter' and said his 'instinct is to fight through this controversy because I truly believe it is politically motivated.'

But he said he had decided instead to step aside because an impeachment fight would 'consume government,' cost taxpayers millions of dollars and 'brutalize people.'

'Government really needs to function today,' he said. 'Government needs to perform. And wasting energy on distractions is the last thing that state government should be doing.'

Cuomo described Hochul, who will become the first ever female governor of New York, as 'smart and competent' and promised a 'seamless' transition.
Senate Democrats passed the framework of a $3.5trillion infrastructure bill early Wednesday morning without any Republican votes and in a second victory for Joe Biden after approving his $1.2trillion infrastructure agreement.

The chamber voted 50-49 along party lines to send the massive spending proposal to committees so they can draft a bill that includes huge investments in amnesty for migrants, community college, climate initiatives and healthcare.

Democrats in the House and Senate will need to pass identical budget resolutions before committees can create specific details within the overall legislation.

Furious Republicans accused the Democrats of letting Bernie Sanders dictate their policy and have called the package a 'reckless tax and spending spree'.

The bill is a patchwork of wish list items expressed by Democrats in the past that would enact Biden's vision for reshaping federal priorities.

Notably it includes funds for universal pre-kindergarten, tuition-free community college, paid family leave and clean energy source development.

It also allocates billions toward helping immigrant workers onto a pathway to citizenship.

Republicans argued that Democrats proposals would waste money, raise economy-wounding taxes, fuel inflation and codify far-left dictates that would harm Americans. They were happy to use Sanders, a self-avowed democratic socialist, to try tarring all Democrats backing the measure.

If Biden and Senate Democrats want to 'outsource domestic policy to Chairman Sanders' with a 'historically reckless taxing and spending spree,' Republicans lack the votes to stop them, conceded Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. 'But we will debate. We will vote.'

Donald Trump issued a statement late Wednesday morning, 'Good morning, America! While you were all sleeping, the Radical Democrats advanced a plan that will be known as the $3.5 trillion Communist Plan to Destroy America.'

'It destroys our Borders and the rule of law by granting dangerous amnesty that will flood Americas beautiful cities. It will overwhelm our schools, and make our Nation less safe. It raises taxes like we have never seen, while also making many things you buy everyday more expensive (gas, groceries, and much more). And dont forget the crazy Green New Deal. America, you are being robbed in the dark of night. Its time to wake up!'

GOP Senators Ted Cruz and Marsha Blackburn blasted the legislation as 'Bernie's budget' on Twitter. Cruz called the bill one of Biden's 'biggest mistakes' in the White House.

The Senate passed the fiscal blueprint of Biden's $3.5trillion infrastructure wish list around 4 a.m. on Wednesday

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, once a far-left outsider, lauded the $3.5trillion legislation (pictured arriving on August 10 as the Senate moves from passage of the infrastructure bill to focus on the massive budget resolution)

Mitch McConnell called the bill a 'reckless taxing and spending spree'

Democrats' budget framework allocates billions of dollars to Senate committees to begin drafting proposals for final bill Agriculture: $135 billion for conservation, drought, and forestry programs to reduce carbon emissions and prevent wildfires; clean energy investments; agricultural climate research; Civilian Climate Corps funding, child nutrition and debt relief Banking: $332 billion for housing programs, including down payment and rental assistance and community investment Commerce: $83 billion for technology and transportation; coastal resilience and oceans; funding for the National Science Foundation. Energy: $198 billion for clean electricity; rebates to weatherize and electrify homes; financing for domestic manufacturing of clean energy and auto supply chain technologies; federal procurement of energy efficient materials; climate research Environment and Public Works: $67 billion for low-income solar and climate-friendly technologies; clean water affordability and access; EPA climate and research programs; federal investments in energy efficient buildings and green materials Finance: At least $1 billion in deficit reduction. 'This will provide the Committee with flexibility to make investment, revenue and offset decisions consistent with the policy recommendations,' the instructions state. Offsets to include: Corporate and international tax reform; taxing high-income individuals; IRS tax enforcement Health, Education, Labor and Pensions: $726 billion for universal pre-K for 3 and 4-year olds; child care; tuition-free community college; investments in HBCUs, MSIs, HSIs, TCUs, and ANNHIs; increase the maximum Pell grant award; School infrastructure, student success grants, and educator investments; Investments in primary care; pandemic preparedness Homeland Security: $37 billion for electrifying the federal vehicle fleet; electrifying federal buildings; improving cybersecurity infrastructure; border management investments; investments in green materials and resilience Judiciary: $107 billion for lawful permanent status for qualified immigrants and border security Indian Affairs: $20.5 billion for native health, education, housing, energy and climate programs and facilities Small Business: $25 billion for small business access to credit, investment, and markets Veterans Affairs: $18 billion for upgrades to VA facilities Advertisement

'By passing the Bernie Budget tonight, Democrats fully embraced the radical left as they ram through trillions in crushing taxes and wasteful spending. Biden Inflation is burying middle-class Americans, and is especially painful for seniors on a fixed income. We will look back on this as one of the biggest mistakes in this administration,' Cruz wrote in a statement after the bill's passage.

Senator John Barrasso said the bill is a 'freight train to socialism' on Twitter.

Indiana Senator Todd Young blasted the bill in his own statement, claiming that the final version would exceed $4trillion.

'From the first moment this reckless budget was unveiled, I was against it. Theres a difference between smart, targeted investments that have long-term positive results and the out-of-control spending Democrats want for their socialist agenda,' Young wrote.

Ron Johnson of Wisconsin also chimed in after voting 'no,' claiming 'a more honest score shows a price tag of at least $5 trillion.'

'This madness has to stop. In addition to massively increasing the debt burden our children must bear, they will make more Americans dependent on government and firmly put us on the path of a socialist future,' he wrote in a statement.

Meanwhile Democratic socialist Senator Sanders lauded the pricey bill.

'It will also, I hope, restore the faith of the American people in the belief that we can have a government that works for all of us, and not just the few,' he said.

Manchin, whose late night 'Yes' vote was his first public indication of support for the bill, explained his affirmation on Twitter in a lengthy statement cautioning his colleagues against 'continuing to spend at irresponsible levels.'

'I urge my colleagues to seriously consider this reality as this budget process unfolds in the coming weeks and months,' he wrote.

In a rebuke of the Biden administration's border policies senators also voted to block the release and transport of migrants at the southern border if they do not have a negative COVID test.

An avalanche of Republican amendments intended to pry control of Congress away from Democrats came down during the 15-hour voting session.

T he Senate held more than 40 roll calls by the time it approved the measure at around 4 a.m. ET, more than 14 hours after the procedural wretchedness began.

Republicans crowed after Democrats opposed GOP amendments calling for the full-time reopening of pandemic-shuttered schools and boosting the Pentagon's budget and retaining limits on federal income tax deductions for state and local levies.

They were also happy when Democrats showed support for Biden's now suspended ban on oil and gas leasing on federal lands, which Republicans said would prompt gasoline price increases.

GOP Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama proposed curbing federal funding for any municipalities that defund the police.

Republicans have persistently accused Democrats of backing the idea, but their attempt to show it failed when the Senate voted 99-0 in favor of the measure.

Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey called Tuberville's amendment 'a gift' that would let Democrats 'put to bed this scurrilous accusation that somebody in this great esteemed body would want to defund the police.'

Trump issued a statement condemning Democrats 'communist plan' late Wednesday morning

Manchin cautioned his fellow Senators against 'irresponsible levels' of spending after voting 'yes' for the $3.5trillion infrastructure bill

He said he wanted to 'walk over there and hug my colleague,' and encouraged every Senator to show they want 'to fund the police, believes in God, country, and apple pie.'

Republicans claimed two narrow victories with potential implications for future votes, with Manchin joining them on nonbinding amendments taking on abortion and critical race theory.

House leaders announced their chamber will return from summer recess in two weeks to vote on the fiscal blueprint, with final congressional approval near certain.

Final approval would protect a subsequent bill actually enacting the outlines detailed spending and tax changes from a Republican filibuster in the 50-50 Senate, delays that would otherwise kill it.

If passed the bill would disburse the $3.5trillion over the next 10 years.

Some friction between moderate Democrats and progressives is expected, while solid GOP opposition seems guaranteed.

Passage of the landmark bill also comes after new federal data showed inflation remaining at a 13-year high of 5.4 percent in July.

Food costs are up nearly 4 percent and new car prices have increased 6.4 percent - the highest annual increase since 1982.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices jumped 0.5 percent from June to July, down from the previous monthly increase of 0.9 percent.

Manchin's 'yes' vote appears to be his first public statement of support for the bill. He is seen walking through the Capitol during the marathon voting session

Ted Cruz was among the Republican senators blasting the infrastructure bill (seen here leaving the Capitol at dawn on Wednesday after the 15-hour session)

Inflation REMAINS at a 13-year high at 5.4% - despite Biden insisting soaring prices are temporary Inflation data on Wednesday showed consumer prices were up 5.4% in July

It is the same annual increase recorded in June, and the highest since 2008

However there were signs that prices are beginning to peak in some categories

Used car prices are up 42% from a year ago, but increasing at a much slower rate

New car prices are up 6.4%, the highest annual increase since 1982

Food is up 3.8% and shelter rose 2.8%, hitting the nation's poor the hardest Advertisement

The new numbers were announced after the Senate passed Biden's $1.2trillion bipartisan infrastructure compromise.

The Senate approved the $1.2trillion bundle of transportation, water, broadband and other infrastructure projects late Tuesday morning. That measure, passed 69-30 with McConnell among the 19 Republicans backing it, also needs House approval.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer assured progressives who worry the compromise bill doesn't go far enough that Congress will pursue sweeping initiatives going beyond that infrastructure package.

'To my colleagues who are concerned that this does not do enough on climate, for families, and making corporations and the rich pay their fair share: We are moving on to a second track, which will make a generational transformation in these areas,' Schumer said.

Senator Mike Rounds, a Republican from South Dakota, missed the budget votes to be with his ailing wife.

The budget blueprint also outlines paid family leave, and a Civilian Climate Corps whose workers would tackle environmental projects.

Millions of immigrants in the US illegally would have a new chance for citizenship, and there would be financial incentives for states to adopt more labor-friendly laws.

Other Republicans also blasted the bill, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

He tied the bill to self-described Democratic socialists Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

A vote yes is a vote for Socialism Now. Fidel Castro would be proud,' Gingrich wrote on Twitter.

Gringrich said 'Fidel Castro would be proud' of Democrats' infrastructure bill

Democrats can use Senate rules to pass their budget without Republican support, but will have to balance progressive and moderate demands to hold together their wafer-thin majority

Medicare would add dental, hearing and vision benefits, and tax credits and grants would prod utilities and industries to embrace clean energy. Child tax credits beefed up for the pandemic would be extended, along with federal subsidies for health insurance.

Besides higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations, Democrats envision savings by letting the government negotiate prices for pharmaceuticals it buys, slapping taxes on imported carbon fuels and strengthening IRS tax collections. Democrats have said their policies will be fully paid for, but they'll make no final decisions until this fall's follow-up bill.
Fruit and vegetable company SPC has lashed out at the workers union for trying to 'create fear and confusion' around their decision to mandate the Covid-19 vaccine for staff.

The business recently gave all 450 of its on-site employees until September 15 to schedule their first dose and November to get the jab.

This makes them the first Australian firm to mandate the vaccination for workers.

Food company SPC (pictured) has lashed out at the worker's union for creating fear and confusion around their decision to mandate vaccinations for their on-site workers

CEO of SPC Robert Giles stated on Wednesday that the accusations from the union aimed to 'maintain the union's relevancy rather than servicing its members'.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union claimed that the company hadn't properly explained whether the November deadline was flexible or not due to supply issues of the Covid vaccinations.

It also commented that it should be up to the government health officials to determine whether the vaccine should be compulsory, not businesses.

Mr Giles stated: 'We firmly reject the AMWU's assertion that they were not properly consulted in our vaccine mandate.

'This mandate is a business decision to ensure the safety of our staff as well as the broader community.'

He commented that it is the responsibility of businesses to provide a safe working environment for their staff and that members of staff who have genuine medical grounds that prevent them from having the vaccine will be treated with empathy and understanding.

Last week Prime Minister Scott Morrison said National Cabinet discussed the topic about businesses mandating vaccinations in the workplace.

CEO of SPC Robert Giles stated that their decision was to create a safe working environment for their staff members (stock image)

He stated as as long as the decision aligns with the current workplace and anti-discrimination laws, employers have the ability to decide whether to mandate or not.

No government would create laws to make vaccinations mandatory, he claimed.

According to the Fair Work Commission employers are able to tell workers to get the vaccine in lawful and reasonable circumstances.

Because of its decision to mandate vaccinations anti-vaxxers have been calling for a boycott of SPC across social media.

Enraged anti-vaxxers responded by campaigning for a boycott of the company's products, which include Ardmona, Goulburn Valley, ProVital, Kuisine, and PomLife.

Some Australians are not happy with this decision, saying it should be up to personal choice

Anti-vaxxers have taken to social media using the hashtag #BoycottSPC (pictured) to try to bring down the company

Who do SPC think they are, trying to mandate vaccines for all onsite staff and visitors?



Are they going to assume financial liability for workers who are injured or die from the jab?



Are they going to illegally discriminate against & fire those who don't get it.#BoycottSPC pic.twitter.com/BhonTrjepv  Backyardjob (@Backyardjob) August 5, 2021

SPC follows numerous companies overseas, like Disney, Netflix, Facebook and Google in the US, that made it mandatory for on-site workers to get a Covid vaccine.

Australian governments are contemplating restrictions on unvaccinated residents and greater freedoms for those who are double-jabbed.

'If you get vaccinated, there will be special rules that apply to you. Why? Because if you're vaccinated, you present less of a public health risk,' Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in late July.

'You are less likely to get the virus. You are less likely to transmit it.'

Though many anti-vaxxers expressed their outrage at SPC's vaccine mandate on social media, more were supportive and hoped more businesses would follow its lead.

'#BoycottSPC you mean #SupportSPC surely. They're only trying to protect their workers and other members of the community,' one wrote.

I will be buying extra SPC canned goods because of their fantastic idea, and to make up for the anti-vaxxer clowns #BoycottSPC #auspol #COVID19Aus   Rat's Bollocks  (@jackbollocks) August 5, 2021

Many have come out in support of the company on social media (pictured)

'Would you prefer to buy your baked beans and tinned fruit from a third-world country that pay their workers poverty wages and sack their workers if they're not vaxxed?'

Another wrote: 'So let me get this straight, galaxy brains. SPC is making the vax a requirement for their workers and you're so outraged on behalf of those workers you're going to #BoycottSPC and put them out of work?

'Hmm, it's almost like the welfare of these folks is not actually what you care about,' wrote another supporter.

Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie praised SPC for 'having the guts' to make vaccinations mandatory for its staff.

Canned fruit and vegetable processor SPC announced on Thursday it had given all of its 450 on-site employees until September 15 to schedule their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Pictured is the SPC factory in Shepparton in central Victoria

Poll Should Australia companies be allowed to mandate Covid-19 vaccines for their workers? Yes No Should Australia companies be allowed to mandate Covid-19 vaccines for their workers? Yes 596 votes

No 865 votes Now share your opinion





'The last thing we need is for food suppliers, which are so crucial, to be shutting down,' she told the Today show.

'I applaud them, [for] having the guts to come out and do that.'

Chairman Hussein Rifai said the emergence of the highly contagious Indian Delta variant prompted the move.

'Lockdowns are not a sustainable solution and the Australian economy needs to open up again,' he said.

'The Delta variant poses a significant threat to our people, our customers and the communities we serve.

'The only path forward for our country is through vaccination.'

All SPC workers will be offered paid time off to get their vaccinations.

'It's not a matter of opinion. This is science. Vaccines work,' he told The Australian.

All staff and contractors at the company's factory in Shepparton in regional Victoria must be fully vaccinated by the end of November

SPC Chairman Hussein Rifai said the emergence of the highly-contagious Delta variant had prompted the move - which is a first in Australia for non-health-related businesses

Staff will also get special paid leave of up to two days if they become unwell after the vaccination.

SPC noted there might be some workers with a pre-existing condition who are unable to be vaccinated and their circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

SPC chief executive Robert Giles said the company was setting an example for others.

'Australian companies must go further by rapidly vaccinating their staff,' he said.

'By taking proactive steps now, we are shoring up our company for the future.

'We firmly believe that it will be manufacturers and innovators like SPC who will help drive Australia's post-Covid economic recovery.'
A brewing company was banned from advertising and promoting one of its beers after a child mistakenly drank the product believe it was Milo.

Howler Brewing Company's Choc Milk Stout, brewed in South Gippsland, Victoria, carries a logo that bears a striking resemblance to a tin of the popular chocolate powder.

A parent whose child drank the beer thinking it was chocolate milk complained to the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code.

As a result Howler was banned by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation from advertising and promotion of Choc Milk Stout in its current form.

Howler Brewing Company was banned from advertising or promoting its Choc Milk Stout after a child mistakenly drank the product, thinking it was Milo

Howler Brewing released the Choc Milk Stout in 2019, describing it as 'big, rich and creamy'

The commission found the product breached rules relating to the advertising of alcohol, including that the communication not have a strong or evident appeal to minors.

The commission's ruling also directed the company to withdraw the lookalike packaging.

Howler released the beer in 2019, describing it as 'big, rich and creamy'.

The brewer's playful approach is reflected in its creative names for the product line

The craft brewer's playful approach is reflected in some of its other products, including The Social Influencer Pale Ale, Love Me Long Time Session Pilsner, She'll Be Apples cider and the Covid-friendly drop, The Social Distancer pink lemonade sour seltzer.

'Those under 18 are at the highest risk in relation to alcohol-related injuries, including road trauma and violence,' Commission chairman Ross Kennedy told news.com.au.

'We will do all we can in our power to ensure alcoholic products that are for sale, are advertised or promoted within the law and do not encourage interest by minors.'

Daily Mail Australia approached Howler Brewing for comment.
Rabbitohs star Braidon Burns has brought a touch of romance to the NRL bubble in Queensland after proposing to his girlfriend of two years on a beach.

As the sun set on Coolangatta beach on Tuesday night Mr Burns dropped down on one knee and asked Tiannan Pennini to marry him.

According to the South Sydney player Ms Pennini didn't say yes straight away after becoming overwhelmed with emotion.

Rabbitohs star Braidon Burns has proposed to his girlfriend of two years Tiannan Pennini on Tuesday night while in Queensland's NRL bubble

Burns worked with jewellery designer Sam Rahme from Sydney's Affinity Diamonds, to create the one of a kind two carat ring

'I am a pretty emotional guy so it is easy to get me. She didn't actually say yes straight away, she jumped around and got a bit emotional and then came in and kissed me so I took that as a yes,' Mr Burns told The Daily Telegraph.

The 25-year-old had secretly planned the proposal over several months, working with jewellery designer Sam Rahme from Sydney's Affinity Diamonds, to create the one-of-a-kind two carat ring.

Fiancee Tiannan Pennini had spent the past two weeks in hotel quarantine so she could be with Mr Burns in the NRL training bubble.

Pennini has shared more photos of her celebrating her post proposal joy

One year off from finishing her studies to become a nurse, Ms Pennini revealed how she first met her husband-to-be.

'We have been together for two years and four or five months but met two years before that,' Ms Pennini told the news outlet.

'My aunty got us together. We went on a date and that was the end of it.'

The pair have relayed their joy on social media, with Ms Pennini sharing photos of the proposal captioned: 'Man of my dreams, yes a thousand times over.'

Ms Pennini also shared photos and videos captured by friends as she continued to celebrate her post-proposal joy.

The pair reportedly celebrated their engagement news afterwards at Baskk Italian restaurant which overlooks the water.

Pennini and Burns were initially setup by the woman's Aunty 'We went on a date and that was the end of it' she said

Mr Burns and Ms Pennini are currently holding off setting the wedding date just yet due to Covid-19.

But Mr Burns has hinted it will most likely be a low-key celebration saying they're both quiet people who enjoy sticking to themselves adding, 'But I guess I will see what she wants because that is the most important thing'.

Since Queensland's hard lockdown lifted NRL players are able to go to cafes and restaurants again with bubble restrictions to be eased.

Staff and players in club hubs will go back to enjoying the initial privileges they briefly had after exiting quarantine last month.

They can now visit cafes and restaurants with members of their bubble under the level-three hybrid rules.

Families are now also allowed to enter a hard lockdown inside team hubs after they completed two weeks of quarantine.
Two teenage boys have been arrested after a father-of-three was stabbed to death on his doorstep while defending his teenage daughter from a group of thugs.

Jamie Markham, 45, was knifed in Chingford, east London, on Monday night by one of the boys who were reportedly swinging metal poles and shouting abuse at his daughter Chloe, 17, according to neighbours.

His heartbroken wife, Candice, was apparently heard screaming when she found the 'kind family man' fatally wounded outside their home.

On Wednesday, a 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of his murder and a second boy, also 14, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.

Both are now in custody at an east London police station.

Detective Inspector John Marriott, of the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: 'We believe that James confronted a group of youths causing a disturbance and was stabbed as a result.

'The brutality of this response is beyond shocking and our thoughts are with James' family who have been left devastated by their loss.

'The arrests of these two individuals is a significant development but we still need the public's help to build a full picture of exactly what happened on Monday evening.

'I know that there were a number of people present at the time of the murder. I want them to come forward.

Jamie Markham, 45, (middle) was knifed in Chingford, east London, by thugs who were reportedly swinging metal poles and shouting abuse at his daughter Chloe, 17

Despite the efforts of London Ambulance Service, the father-of-three was pronounced dead at the scene in Chingford Mount

A murder investigation is underway after a man was stabbed to death at the mount in Chingford on Monday evening

'I also believe there will be parents who know that their child was there, or was involved. I am appealing for them to do the sensible thing and get in touch with us.

'A dedicated team of officers is working to piece together the tragic circumstances that led to this murder and to bring those responsible to justice.'

Today, Mr Markham's wife, Candice, told the Mirror: 'The boys were walking around with metal poles. They were swinging them and shouting at my daughter.

'It's just disgusting. It's not the first time - you see them walking around and smashing bottles in the street.'

Despite the efforts of London Ambulance Service, Mr Markham was pronounced dead at the scene in Chingford Mount.

The area has now been cordoned off by police and detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Specialist Crime Command have launched a murder inquiry.

It came as bouquets of flowers were today left in tribute to the father, whose death has left the local community in shock.

Neighbours say they spotted a teenage girl, around 14 years old, who was wearing a grey vest top and leggings, being 'annoyed' by a group of boys she was with as it started raining heavily on Monday evening.

One said she appeared to 'pull a face' and went to fetch her dad who had just finished walking the famiy's pet dog.

A neighbour said 'the entire street could hear the screams' of Mr Markham's partner when he died.

A man, who was sat in his car at the time, said he saw a group of eight or nine teenage boys 'run up and down' the street, but did not see the stabbing.

He said: 'I saw hooligans running up and down this way and that way.

'The police have got my dash cam because I was sitting in the car at the time.

'It was hammering down so you couldn't hear much of anything.

'I was shocked, especially seeing police doing CPR on him. I didn't realise who it even was until later.'

His partner, who also declined to be named, said: 'He was a family guy.

'He never bothered us, he just got on, and kept himself to himself and walked the dogs.

'He would come out of his place and be peacefully on his own. A day or two ago I saw him with his son chatting away.

'Yesterday everyone was just shell-shocked.'

Mr Markham's wife Candice (left with daughter Chloe) said she found the 'kind family man' fatally wounded outside their home

Neighbours have claimed Jamie Markham came out of his flat to defend his daughter

She added: 'It's just heartbreaking when you think of it. His life is gone. Whoever done it, they've ruined the partner's life, the kids' life.

'He was the breadwinner of the family. It gets me that people think this is acceptable. People think that it's normal. I just think what do their family think they do when they get out and about?'

Alice McGill, 78, said she had spoken to neighbours about what happened.

She said: 'All I know is that this girl was hanging out with these boys, one of them said something silly.

'She then went to go and get her father and her father came out and he died.

'It's a tragedy because this young girl is going to have to live with that for the rest of her life.

'It's not her fault. This girl was a proper daddy's girl - the poor, poor girl.'

Kerrie-Ann Lambert, 32, a mum of three, said: 'I was on my way back from the shops when I saw a large group of teenage boys and one girl wearing leggings and a grey vest top.

'It started really chucking it down and I was looking at the girl and I thought, 'wow you're going to get pneumonia'.

'There were loads of boys. There was one girl. It looked like a herd.

'I thought, should I offer her a jacket? I wish I had intervened.

'I thought it was a bit weird because it was one girl with a bunch of boys. I kept an eye on her for 10 minutes because I thought is she happy, is she safe with them? Is she being picked on by them?

'She seemed fine to me at first, but then I think one of the boys said something to her and she pulled a face. She looked like she'd been annoyed and she wanted to go home or something, but I'm not too sure.'

'I went home because it started chucking it down and I had to get dinner on.

'Later I just heard those screams. We all felt distraught and knew someone must have passed away.

'One of the police officers said that people can't come out this way because they're operating on him now.'

The area has now been cordoned off by police and detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Specialist Crime Command have launched a murder inquiry

Ms Lambert added: 'I'm very upset about it. All he was doing was protecting his daughter.

'These boys thought they were big people and decided to play God.

'I've moved here to get away from all of this, it's ridiculous. I let my kids play where there's a swing.

'I'm worried they might see something. It's traumatic. I know no one is going to stab a nine year old or a 10-year-old.

'But it's disgusting. I feel really sorry for that lady and that family. Someone woke up with no dad yesterday.'

'I hope that person feels sorry for what they've done.

'One day you're going to have a daughter and someone is going to say something crap to her, and you're going to know what it's like to want to defend her. It's horrible. I really do hope the police find this person because they deserve to be put away.'

The Met Police said officers were called at 6.20pm on Monday night to reports of a disturbance in Churchill Terrace, Chingford.

They found Mr Markham there suffering with stab wounds but paramedics were unable to save him. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers.

Detective Inspector John Marriott, said: 'A dedicated team of officers are working to piece together the tragic circumstances that led to this man losing his life.

'The thoughts of all of us are with his family and friends as they come to terms with their loss.

'We have already spoken to a number of key witnesses and recovered CCTV from the area, although I would like to hear from anyone else who witnessed the attack, or a disturbance beforehand.'

Chief Superintendent Richard Tucker, responsible for local policing in Waltham Forest, said: 'The Met remains committed to tackling violence across London and I would like to reassure the community that we will do everything we can to track down those responsible for this attack.

'I understand the concern this incident will cause and I would like to reassure residents that you will continue to see additional officers in the area over the coming days.

'I would urge you to speak with them about any concerns you have.'
Mark McGowan has accused NSW of risking the lives of all Australians by 'recklessly' choosing to vaccinate its way out of Sydney's Covid outbreak.

The WA premier - who advocates a 'zero Covid' approach to outbreaks - launched the scathing attack on his NSW counterpart, Gladys Berejiklian, after she flagged easing parts of the city's lockdown once the vaccination rate reaches 50 per cent.

'By allowing the virus to run rampant throughout NSW, they're risking the lives of their citizens and they're risking everyone else,' he said in a press conference on Wednesday.

'I do not understand why they're not prepared [for the outbreak] and they don't have the backbone to do what is required.'

The Doherty Institute has recommended using large-scale lockdowns to suppress the virus until at least 70 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated.

A vaccination is administered at a pop-up vaccination clinic in Lakemba in Sydney's south-west on August 7. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has flagged easing parts of the city's lockdown once Covid-19 vaccination rates reach 50 per cent

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan launched a scathing attack on his NSW counterpart and accused her of not having 'the backbone to do what is required' to suppress her state's outbreak

But Ms Berejiklian plans to slightly ease restrictions after August 28, when at least six million doses of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca have been administered.

Sydney won't be completely lockdown, but areas with fewer cases and higher vaccination rates are likely to be granted more freedoms.

Mr McGowan rejected this idea, instead demanding NSW tighten the lockdown to 'crush and kill' the virus before it even starts thinking about opening up again.

He labelled the state's strategy to end the outbreak as 'gold standard rubbish' - referencing claims by NSW officials about the superiority of their contact tracing system.

'The NSW Government can't just go out on its own and do something different to what is agreed nationally,' he said.

'We have to wait until 70 per cent vaccination before we make any changes. NSW just needs to crush and kill the virus, that's what every other state has done.'

Mr McGowan, one of the strongest zero-Covid zealots in Australia who kept WA's hard border in place for eight months last year, is a frequent critic of NSW's Covid strategies.

Every time NSW had a single Covid case he demanded a snap lockdown, only to be proved wrong each time until Delta overwhelmed the state's contact tracing in June.

His attacks on NSW, aimed to appeal to WA's famously parochial voters, have since increased to be almost daily.

Pictured are Sydney residents walking in the city's eastern suburbs. The Doherty Institute has recommended using large-scale lockdowns to suppress the virus until at least 70 per cent of the national population is fully vaccinated

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Monday also hit out at the state for taking a 'nuanced' approach in locking down some of the Harbour City's suburbs more than others.

Mr McGowan threatened to introduce even tougher restrictions on travel from NSW if the state's Delta outbreak was not brought under control.

Those entering WA from NSW must apply for an entry pass and then self-isolate for 14 days.

'Defence officers, government officials, members of parliament  it's very few people coming in at the moment from New South Wales,' Mr McGowan said.

'We're looking at what else can be done to toughen even further as we speak.'

Mr McGowan's comments represent a dramatic escalation in the war of words between authorities in WA and NSW.

In July, Mr McGowan insisted the NSW premier admit her 'mistakes' and expand the tough restrictions on western Sydney across the city and expand mask rules.

'Obviously the NSW government has made some terrible mistakes,' he said.

A pedestrian wearing a Sydney Swans guernsey walks through the city's eastern suburbs on Wednesday amid a strict stay-at-home lockdown in the NSW capital

He claimed locking down specific local council areas was pointless as residents just moved between them anyway and spread the virus.

'We just want them to put in place measures that work and actually take this more seriously. They've got to lockdown properly,' he said.

'They can't have borders between local government areas within Sydney people cross borders... they close one LGA and then they move to another and they close that... it's not working.'

Ms Berejiklian on Wednesday explained that some restrictions in low-transmission areas of the state could be eased from the end of August.

She said though most lockdown measures will remain in place until vaccine rates reach 70 and then 80 per cent of adults.

'This will give us opportunities to think about how we can ease restrictions that we currently have for people who live in communities with low case numbers but high vaccination rates,' she said.

'We are currently in lockdown and if during September and October we have higher rates of vaccination and certain communities indicate, there are opportunities for us to see what additional freedoms we give people.

'No, no, I'm not sure if people aren't listening to what I'm saying?' a frustrated Ms Berejiklian said in response to the question about when Sydney might emerge from lockdown

'Seventy percent means more confidence that more people will be out of hospital, we can ease strict restrictions in place.

'Please note that they are two different things - lockdown now, plus opportunities to live life differently in September and October, is very different to what life looks like at 70 percent.'

NSW recorded another 344 cases recorded overnight, with 65 of the new cases in the community while infectious.

The NSW premier said that once a 'low risk' community reached 80 per cent double vaccination, the focus of the rules would change and Covid could be treated more like the flu rather than a 'sinister virus'.

'That means that we no longer focus on the number of cases, we focus on the number of hospitalisations,' she said.

'When you have such high rates of vaccination, people can live more freely and we can focus on keeping people out of hospital rather than counting cases.

'It's a bit premature now but in a few weeks we'll have a better idea of what September and October looks like because we will be able to see what a consistent rate of vaccination looks like.'

Residents are seen exercising in Sydney's Rushcutters Bay this morning. The NSW Premier said restrictions in some sections of Sydney might ease in September and October once vaccination rates reached 70 percent

New South Wales police officers question men on the beach as part of compliance patrols at Bondi Beach

Ms Berejiklian used her press conference to urge people in Sydney to more widely embrace vaccination.

'Please get vaccinated because there could be opportunities in September and October for us to say to the community, if you are vaccinated you might be able to do a certain level of activity which you can't now,' she said.

'They are conversations we are starting to have.'

Two deaths were reported in NSW on Wednesday - a man in his 30s with major underlying health problems, and another man in his 90s.

Neither were vaccinated.

The death toll from the city's Indian delta outbreak now stands at 34.
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Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman yelled 'Allahu Akbar' as he stabbed two innocent people during a 62-second rampage in South London before he was shot dead by armed police, an undercover surveillance who chased the Islamist fanatic told jurors today.

The officer, referred to only as BX87 and who cannot be identified for legal reasons, became choked with emotion as he described how Amman, 20, came to a stop outside a Boots store in Streatham High Road after stealing an 8in carving knife and turned on his pursuer.

'I saw Mr Amman take a number of paces towards me, closing the gap. It really dawned on me at this point that I was actually going to get stabbed. I aimed my weapon at his central body mass,' he said.

Amman, raised in Coventry and Birmingham before moving to Harrow in North-West London, had grabbed a knife from the display in the Low Price hardware store while wearing a fake suicide belt before stabbing two passersby - both of whom survived - in the attack on February 2 last year.

He had been released from Belmarsh jail just 10 days before he committed the atrocity after serving half of a 40-month sentence for a string of terror offences, and was put under surveillance amid police and MI5 upon his release amid fears that he was preparing an attack.

On the day of the rampage, Amman was being watched by nine officers from the Metropolitan Police MO3 surveillance branch. BX87 had abandoned his car to follow Amman on foot as he approached Streatham High Road when he heard over the radio that Amman had entered a shop.

His colleague, BX89, described the Low Price Store as a 'hardware store that sells everything' and added: 'It will definitely sell knives. I immediately started walking back towards Streatham High Road. I realised my team leader would request that someone went into the shop with Mr Amman and he did exactly that.'

The officer got within 20m of the store when he heard what he called a 'commotion'. Amman was then seen running out the store with 'a really large knife' in his right hand before plunging the blade into a female passerby while shouting 'Allahu Akbar' [God is Great].

'It was at that point it dawned on me this was a terrorist attack and he was looking to attack as many people [as he could],' he told the inquest. 'It was my impression that he was stabbing everyone he was close enough to, as he ran.'

The officer described how he chased Amman down the road, shouting 'armed police' and closing the gap to around five metres before drawing his Glock handgun from his hip. The terrorist then turned on BX87 and appeared 'intent on attacking me'.

'I saw Mr Amman take a number of paces towards me, closing the gap. It really dawned on me at this point that I was actually going to get stabbed. I aimed my weapon at his central body mass,' he said. The officer's voice was choked with emotion and the hearing was suspended for a break.

Jurors at the Royal Courts of Justice were previously shown CCTV footage depicting the dramatic final seconds of Amman's life, including the moment he suddenly charged at armed police before being shot and writhing wildly on the ground where he later died.

Image taken from handout body worn camera footage dated February 2, 2020 issued by the Metropolitan Police of police approaching the prone body of Sudesh Amman, who has been shot

Handout CCTV image dated February 2, 2020 issued by police of Amman running walking into Low Price Store before stealing a knife. He emerges and an undercover police officer on the street (outside the pharmacy next door) gives chase

Handout CCTV image dated February 2, 2020 issued by the Metropolitan Police of Amman leaving his room in his probation hostel, locking his door, and then chatting to a member of staff at the approved premises

The inquest previously heard how Amman was deemed to be 'one of the most dangerous individuals' that police and MI5 teams had investigated

These photographs, taken from a classified police intelligence report into Sudesh Amman (pictured left and right) when he was under surveillance, were shown to the jury in the inquest into his death today

A photograh from a classified police intelligence report into Sudesh Amman (pictured) when he was under surveillance, which has been shown to the jury in the inquest into his death

When the hearing restarted today, BX87 told the inquiry he thought he was on his own and had not realised his colleague, BX75 was standing to his left with his handgun drawn.

Describing the confrontation with Amman, BX87 said: 'I thought he was going to stab me, attack me, try to kill me. I fired a shot aimed at his main torso. Nothing changed. I was shouting, 'Drop the knife drop the knife' constantly. I fired a further number of rounds, still aimed at the central body mass. I thought I was still on my own at this point.'

The hearing was told that BX87 fired three shots, as did BX75, but only two hit Amman.

'At this stage Mr Amman fell to the ground. He fell with his feet facing the shop, I now know is Boots. He was partly on his side, partly on his back, his hand was outstretched and the knife was still in his hand,' he said.

'I immediately moved forwards. I kept shouting, 'Drop the knife, drop the knife' and I could see daylight between the knife and I immediately stepped in and kicked the knife away.'

He said he intended to give Amman first aid, as he was trained to do, but added: 'As I stepped in and kicked the knife away, at the same time I heard who I now know was BX75, shout, 'The device, the device.'

Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman

'I saw Mr Amman had a device strapped to his chest. His jacket was now open, underneath the jacket I saw two or three gold coloured cylinder shaped objects, strapped in with some sort of black strapping

'I saw it just for a split second, I thought it was an explosive device. I immediately reacted, I thought potentially I was going to get blown up by whatever it was.'

The officer backed off, put a mask and police cap on, and started to get the members of the public in shop fronts and cars to move away, before he was relieved by uniformed armed officers.

The inquest saw video compiled from CCTV cameras and public transport, police body-worn footage, and evidence from members of the public showing the terrorist's journey from his probation hostel in Streatham to the spot where he would be shot dead 30 minutes later.

Jonathan Hough QC, for the coroner, took the jury through CCTV that showed Amman leaving his probation hostel at 1.22pm on February 2, smiling and talking to a member of staff before walking across the back yard.

Members of the public could be seen scrambling for safety in shops as Amman sprinted along the busy street, before swiftly turning 180 degrees to face the officers with his knife raised at them.

He closed the short distance between them - reckoned to be around 3ft - within half a second, just as he was shot.

Footage then showed Amman spending around 10 seconds lying on his back and flailing his arms and legs wildly before he stopped moving. He was declared dead 90 minutes later.

One witness who filmed the incident from a 201 bus travelling south, muttered: 'This ain't real, this ain't real,' as Amman was shot in front of him. A police officer scrambled to the scene could be heard shouting: 'He's got a vest - move away.'

Council-operated CCTV directly above Boots, where Amman was fatally shot, showed the moment a bomb disposal expert arrived on scene around 40 minutes later, patting down Amman's body and carefully removing his hoax suicide belt.

One of the undercover officers described arriving on the scene and seeing Amman lying prone on the ground after being shot.

The officer, known only as BX114 to protect his identity, said: 'He turned towards me, his eyes were rolled to the back into the head, his arms were stretched out. His body was convulsing. He had what seemed to me an IED (improvised explosive device). I saw three cylinders wrapped in tape and wires.'

Armed police shot dead Amman after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman in Streatham

Amman lies dead on the pavement on Streatham High Road after being shot dead

Undated Metropolitan Police handout CCTV image of Sudesh Amman at his approved premises on January 31, 2020

Timeline: Streatham 2020 terror attack January 23, 2020 Sudesh Amman, a 20-year-old from Harrow in north-west London, is automatically released from prison having been handed a 40-month sentence for 13 counts of obtaining and distributing material used for terrorist purposes. He is released to a probation hostel in Streatham, south London. January 24 Amman, who is originally from Coventry, is under day-time surveillance by plain clothes officers. January 29 A decision is made to allow those surveillance officers to carry firearms. January 30 Amman's covert surveillance is relaxed slightly, meaning there would be no coverage between 6am and 10am due to intelligence about Amman's lack of movement at this time of the day. January 31 Amman is seen looking at knives in a shop and buying items that could be used to create a hoax suicide belt. These items include a roll of tape, aluminium foil and four bottles of Irn Bru soft drink. It is then decided to put Amman under 24-hour surveillance. February 1 Amman is placed on 'round-the-clock' - i.e. 24-hour - surveillance. This includes armed covert police, as well as uniformed officers nearby. February 2 1.22pm - Amman leaves his approved premises, the probation hostel, at Leigham Court Road. 1.50pm - Amman is seen on Streatham High Road. He is said to be walking 'very slowly'. 1.57pm - The 20-year-old enters a shop called Low Price Store. He is inside for barely a minute, and emerges with a knife which he has stolen. He is pursued by undercover police. Amman stabs two people - a man and a woman - before being shot at by an armed officer. 1.58pm - Amman, reaching the Boots shop, turns to face the police. Police shoot at him five times, with two shots hitting him. A total of 62 seconds after running from the shop, Amman falls to the ground. 2.40pm - A police explosives expert arrives on the scene to check the device around Amman's waist, which was identified as a hoax. 3.24pm - Sudesh Amman is pronounced dead by a paramedic. Advertisement

The inquest previously heard how Amman was deemed to be 'one of the most dangerous individuals' that police and MI5 teams had investigated.

There was also intelligence that he maintained an extremist mindset, wanted to carry out a knife attack in the future, and pledged allegiance to the leader of so-called Islamic State.

Amman spent his short time after being released from custody living in a bail hostel in Streatham, during which time undercover police teams monitoring him remarked on his 'concerning' behaviour.

He was seen buying four small bottles of Irn Bru, some parcel tape and kitchen foil from a nearby Poundland on January 31, prompting police to call an emergency meeting at which it was decided to ramp up security rather than arrest him amid concerns he might use the materials to fashion a suicide belt.

Amman struck two days later and was found wearing a 'crude' explosive device replica, made out of the items he bought at Poundland.

On the day of the attack he was being watched by nine members of team three from the Metropolitan Police MO3 surveillance branch, one of them carrying what appeared to be a Waitrose bag.

The surveillance officer, referred to only as BX69, described a briefing at Mitcham Police Station on the morning of the attack in which he was shown photographs of Iron Bru bottles, parcel tape and foil similar to those that Amman had bought two days earlier.

At around 1.25pm on February 2, the officer saw Amman leave his probation hostel on Leigham Court Road and go to a bus stop, before walking back past the hostel and up towards Streatham High Road.

BX69 walked behind him on Valleyfield Road, then got into a car with one of his colleagues, BX75, and then picked up following Amman on Sunnyhill Road.

'He was walking and appeared to have a limp,' he told the inquest. 'I saw him look over his right shoulder. I handed over the eyeball to a colleague,' BX89.

BX69 went into the small newsagents on Sunninghill Road and then continued on the same route, emerging onto Streatham High Road, from Pinfold Road.

Amman was moving very slowly away from him and he followed, before turning into the Low Price hardware store as BX75 took over the 'eyeball'.

Amman walked up to Lidl and then turned around and walked back towards the hardware store, looking in the window of the White Lion pub to see if he was being followed.

The officer was in a charity shop on the opposite side of the road when he heard over the radio that Amman had gone into the same hardware store, watched by BX89.

'I heard BX89 saying Mr Amman had entered the Low Price Store. I said that this shop sold knives and other dangerous items.

'I exited the store that I was in. I started going towards the Low Price Store. One of my colleagues, BX87, said they would enter the shop.'

As he passed the shop, he saw Amman 'halfway into the store facing towards the entrance' but could not see what he was looking at.

'I heard a shouted radio message that he's stabbing people,' he told the inquest. 'I immediately turned back towards the hardware store. I could see Mr Amman runing from the store having turned left from it.'

He could see BX87 chasing him but it was a 'busy shopping area and there were a large number of people.'

'I started running in the same direction towards my colleague and Mr Amman. I believe I was initially on the pavement an then in the road. While I was running I heard gunshots and people screaming.'

BX114, a former firearms officer who was also an operational commander, was deployed on a motorcycle.

He was equipped with a Glock 17 handgun, a Taser, CS spray and handcuffs and based himself at Cavendish Road police station in Clapham, about 2 miles away.

He started to move when there was sighting of Amman leaving the hostel at around 1pm, but Mr Hough said it 'looked like him but proved not to be and the sighting was discounted.'

The officer was parked near the former Streatham Police station when he heard over the radio that Amman had gone into the Low Price Store.

'I was aware it was somewhere he had been before and thought it might be a significant part of the operation in terms of him buying something,' he told the inquest.

Over the radio, the team leader asked one of the other officers to follow Amman in.

'I heard something on the transmission, something to the effect, he's stabbing people and then 'shots fired.' I knew it was north on Streatham High Road and I headed on the bike to somewhere I potentially thought it could be

'I then saw two colleagues with a man on the floor and I pulled up alongside them. They were both pointing guns at the man on the floor. As I got off the bike, I saw him roll towards me, his eyes in the back of his head, arms stretched out to me.

'He was incapacitated, he was convulsing. It looked to me like he had an improvised explosive device wrapped around his waist - three cylinders wrapped in tape and wires.

'I had initially thought of the briefing and the mention of fake suicide vest but very quickly I realised through my training there was no way I could establish if it was fake and we need to create distance until we establish otherwise.'

The inquest continues.
Teen mum Kayla Dawson did not apply for bail and it was formally refused at court on Monday

A boy who was allegedly beaten to death by a gang of teenagers over a stolen pair of Airpods and 'postcode wars' has saved five lives through organ donation.

The 16-year-old's grieving mother opted to donate his organs after his life support was switched off on Saturday morning.

Police will allege the boy was set upon by six teens aged between 13 and 19 on Wednesday, August 4.

He was allegedly lured to a home in Doonside in Sydney' west by 19-year-old Kayla Dawson under the pretense of attending a party.

The boy's aunt said he was 'amazing' as she revealed how the tragedy of his death had helped five other people on Tuesday afternoon.

'After this difficult decision that (the boy's) mum had to make, she has just heard that through his organ donation, (he) has been able to save 5 lives.

'What an amazing boy!'

His family are said to be 'overwhelmed' by support from the local community, who have come together to raise $44,000 for his funeral at time of publication.

But they're also pleading with the community to avoid disturbing footage of the alleged assault which has been shared on social media.

The 16-year-old boy from Sydney's southeast was allegedly lured to a home in Doonside in the west on August 2 under the pretense of a 'huge party'

The group of teenagers, who are all facing murder charges, allegedly recorded the brutal attack and distributed it widely via Instagram and TikTok.

His great-aunt Gae Maidment lashed out at those involved in sharing the footage.

'How dare [anyone] be so cruel to post a video... I can't imagine the terror he was facing,' she said.

Ms Maidment, whose brother is the victim's grandfather, said she hopes she never has to watch the graphic video.

She is calling on those found guilty of a crime to be 'locked up and throw away the key'.

Police will allege in court that the boy was left lifeless on the floor, not breathing. Paramedics managed to restart his heart with a shot of adrenalin but he died in hospital three days later

The woman also responded to allegations made publicly by Dawson, a teen mum and the only adult charged so far for her alleged involvement.

Just one day after the boy was found unresponsive and brain dead inside her home, Dawson told waiting media that he was 'a good guy... just brought up the wrong way'.

Ms Maidment rubbished those allegations.

'He certainly was not ''brought up wrong'',' she said, adding that the family were struggling to cope with his death.

'They're completely shattered... My brother is devastated.'

The teenagers allegedly took turns stomping and jumping on the boy with someone eventually yelling 'finish him' at 4.39pm on August 4, police claim.

The boy, 16 (on left), died in hospital on Saturday after doctors turned off his life support. Kayla Dawson, 19, the resident of the house, allegedly called 000 about an hour after most of the teenagers left the home

When paramedics were called to the home more than an hour later, they performed CPR for 'a long time' and managed to restart the teenager's heart with a shot of adrenalin.

A neighbour is understood to have helped try to save the boy's life. However, despite their best efforts, the boy was placed in an induced coma upon arrival at Westmead Hospital.

He was brain dead and had suffered blunt force trauma injuries to his face and body, as well as two collapsed lungs.

Doctors switched off the teenager's life support at 10.02am on Saturday.

Sporting a Lonsdale jumper and black cap, Dawson agreed to be interviewed by 7News at the scene the day after the boy was found and rushed to hospital

Ms Maidment said the family will likely not be able to mourn together given current Covid and border restrictions.

'With me in Brisbane and not being able to travel down due to all the hotspots... It's very difficult,' she said.

The family have also been informed that due to the current Covid outbreak, just five people can attend a funeral in person.

'It makes me feel helpless,' she said.

All six teenagers remain before the courts charged with a series of serious offences - including murder.

They are yet to enter pleas.

Harley Robinson was cornered at Blacktown train station in western Sydney near the local courthouse as his girlfriend made her first appearance since she was charged with murder
The best friend of a mother who tragically took her own life after relentless bullying has reopened the cafe her beloved mate used to own in her honour.

Karlie Cassidy, 32, who ran the Teaspoons and Aprons cafe in the Beaudesert Fair shopping centre, south of Brisbane, died in July.

Loved ones have banded together to support Ms Cassidy's three sons, all aged under ten, with her best mate Shinade Harper deciding to reopen the cafe as a tribute a month after her death.

Teaspoons and Aprons welcomed back customers last Monday and on Wednesday began a memorial week to remember Ms Cassidy with all the proceeds going towards her children.

Karlie Cassidy, 32, who ran the Teaspoons and Aprons cafe in the Beaudesert Fair shopping centre, south of Brisbane, passed away in early July

Ms Harper told the Courier Mail she didn't think twice about pausing her own life to reopen the business.

'We miss her dearly and hope we can make her proud,' she said.

The new owner said the response from the community was overwhelming, with locals happy to see the cafe had opened its doors again.

Ms Cassidy's best friend Shinade Harper (pictured) has since reopened the cafe in her honour

Ms Harper said she wanted to get the message across about the dangers of cyberbullying, something Ms Cassidy's parents claimed she was a victim of for years.

'You don't know what someone is going through. So when you're relentlessly calling and messaging and putting someone down, you just don't know all of the other factors in their life or what you're feeding into,' she said.

'It's really hard being in here every day without her. But she'd want us to keep it going so we will.'

Ms Cassidy had opened Teaspoons and Aprons on Father's Day in August 2019.

Her parents Sharene and Dave Cassidy earlier paid tribute to their daughter with a moving statement.

'It brings Dave and I so much sorrow and our hearts have been broken to announce that our beautiful daughter Karlie has quietly passed away,' she wrote.

'She was and always will be a light in our hearts and memories. Her beautiful children are being well cared for and are safe with the family.

'Our love for our wonderful daughter will never fade.'

Ms Harper also launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for her three young sons.

The fundraiser has so far garnered more than $9,000.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing mental health issues contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Australia administered a record 255,964 Covid-19 jabs in the past 24 hours as the nation's jab rollout finally gets up to speed.

The proportion of Australian adults fully vaccinated has now hit 23.73 per cent and 45.36 per cent have had at least one dose.

The Covid-19 lockdowns in Melbourne and Sydney have prompted thousands of under 40s to get the AstraZeneca vaccine which is only recommended for young people during an outbreak.

A nurse takes a man's information before administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a drive through vaccination centre in Melton, Melbourne on Monday

NSW has mandated vaccinations for construction workers from hotspot suburbs and Victoria has set up drive-through vaccination clinics to make it easy for residents to get jabbed.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the record daily tally was equivalent to the ninth best day of the UK's vaccination rollout.

'Today we get the news of a further record day of doses delivered. Of over 250,000 doses on one single day and over the past week averaging at more than 200,000 doses a day,' he told Parliament.

'We are continuing to move forward with the national plan with clear vaccination targets that take us to the next step and the step beyond that and where the country needs to get to.'

It comes after Australia's medical regulator approved the American Moderna vaccine, adding an extra 10million doses to the nation's vaccine supply this year.

One million doses of the 93 per cent effective jab will arrive in September and three million in each of October, November and December.

Residents lining up at a pop-up Covid vaccine hub at the Lebanese Muslim Association in Lakemba, western Sydney on Tuesday

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia can start living with the virus when 70 per cent of adults have had two doses of a vaccine.

He released a four-phase plan which sees the nation move from the current 'phase A' which suppresses the disease with lockdowns to 'phase B' which makes shutdowns much less likely.

A state or territory can move to phase B when the national vaccination rate hits 70 per cent and the rate in that state also hits 70 per cent.

Mr Morrison said he hopes this phase will be achieved before the end of the year but warned the timing 'is entirely up to how the nation responds to this challenge we're setting for ourselves.'

This phase will make lockdowns 'less likely' and will give doubled-vaccinated people 'special rules' to allow them more freedom than Aussies who refuse a jab.

The Prime Minister warned that some localised lockdowns may be required in phase B but 'broad-based metropolitan-wide lockdowns' shutdowns will not be needed.

Thousands of Year 12 HSC students got their Pfizer vaccinations at the Mass Vaccination hub at Qudos Arena in Sydney on Monday

Mr Morrison said 'track, trace, isolate and quarantine remain very important parts of the program' in phase B.

The phase will increase the cap for vaccinated Australians arriving from overseas and allow 'reduced' quarantine requirements such as home quarantine - as well as capped entry for students and economic visa holders.

Phase C begins when 80 per cent of adults are double-jabbed, allowing vaccinated Australians to travel overseas for any reason.

Travel bubbles will be set up with safer countries such as Singapore to allow vaccinated travellers to fly in without quarantine.

Mr Morrison said a country would be deemed safe if it has 'the same sort of vaccination levels as Australia'.

Phase C will remove all domestic restrictions on double-jabbed Aussies and abolish caps on returning vaccinated Australians.

There is no vaccination rate set for phase D, which will remove almost all rules except for testing of unvaccinated arrivals and quarantine for arrivals from 'high risk' places.

Phase C of opening up begins when 80 per cent of adults are double-jabbed, allowing vaccinated Australians to travel overseas for any reason. Pictured: Sydney Airport before lockdown

'It is too hard to say what the situation will be down the track,' Mr Morrison said.

'It will depend on the booster program, which we have ample vaccines for.

'But the durability and the proof of those vaccines over time, there are too many unknowns before we can understand life as normal, but that's certainly where we are heading.'

The Prime Minister warned the plan is based on the Delta variant and is 'subject to change' if a new, more contagious variant comes along.
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Chilling TikTok videos of an 'evil' killer mother who danced with her three-year-old daughter just weeks before 'ferociously' beating her to death have been uncovered.

Nicola Priest, 23, was jailed for 15 years for manslaughter last week after little Kaylee-Jayde was tragically found dead with chest and abdominal injuries at the flat where they lived in Birmingham on August 9 last year. Experts likened Kaylee-Jayde's wounds to those of a child hit by a car at 40mph, or from falling three floors on to a concrete floor.

Her boyfriend Callum Redfern, 22, was also jailed for 14 years for manslaughter and was handed a concurrent sentence of three years for a child cruelty charge after Birmingham Crown Court heard the couple killed Kaylee-Jayde after she interrupted them while they had sex.

In the months before the child's death, she was used as a prop in multiple disturbing videos alongside her mother - with one clip showing Priest holding up both of her daughter's arms and moving her around the room like a puppet, forcing her to dance to music.

Kaylee-Jayde's body rocks back and forth at Priest's command as she squeezed out a smile for the camera.

In a second TikTok video posted a month before Kaylee-Jayde's death, Priest grabs her daughter's head and bops it left and right before the child tries to copy her mother and follow her lead. The video then shows Kaylee-Jayde nodding her head by Priest's direction while her mother dances in the background while wearing a pair of shorts.

In a third video posted in January 2020, a pregnant Priest can be seen lifting up her daughter, who smiles back at her, as she is shaken back and forth.

Just one day before Kaylee-Jayde was beaten to death at home, Priest flaunted her body while dancing in shorts and a crop top on the app. And in another TikTok video posted a month after Kaylee-Jayde was killed, Priest hangs her head and appears to wipe tears from her eyes.

She then mouths the words to the song playing in the background: 'I'm sorry mum and dad. I know I messed up bad. I should've done, should've done better.'

One clip showing Nicola Priest holding up both of her daughter's arms and moving her around the room like a puppet, forcing her to dance to music

In a second TikTok video posted a month before Kaylee-Jayde's death, Priest grabs her daughter's head and bops it left and right before the child tries to copy her mother and follow her lead. The video then shows Kaylee-Jayde nodding her head by Priest's direction while her mother dances in the background while wearing a pair of shorts

In a third video posted in January 2020, a pregnant Priest can be seen lifting up her daughter, who smiles back at her, as she is shaken back and forth

Three-year-old Kaylee-Jayde Priest was found dead on August 9, 2020 at the flat where she lived with her mother in Birmingham after a court heard her mother and boyfriend thought she got in the way of them having sex

Pictured: Priest (left) and lover Callum Redfern (right) were both were unanimously cleared of murder but convicted of the child's manslaughter on Thursday. Priest was sentenced to 15 years and Redfern has been jailed for 14 years

Priest and Redfern were convicted of manslaughter after a jury heard Priest rang 999 only after the youngster was dead. The mother was sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter and a three year concurrent sentence for child cruelty.

Sentencing Priest and Redfern last week, Mr Justice Foxton QC said: 'On the evening of August 8 you Redfern went to Priest's flat. The two of you went to have sex. Kaylee wanted to stay up and play. There is no direct evidence of what happened next.

'Kaylee was sick more than once during the night as a result of the severe beating. You lost your tempers and it is clear you were joint participants in that assault. You both knew you had seriously injured Kaylee.

'You, Priest did nothing to seek medical help. A prompt call could have saved Kaylee's life. You both lied repeatedly during interviews.

'From the severity of the injuries caused by the assault it is clear there was an intention to cause serious harm. The injuries were caused by a ferocious assault.

'You and Redfern were equally responsible. You had ample opportunity to raise any concerns. Kaylee was very vulnerable and you were in a position of trust. You did nothing to summon help.'

After the sentencing, Redfern's father Andrew branded Priest an 'evil mother' and said 'she doesn't deserve kids'. He said his son was misled by Priest and 'got caught up in it', describing him as a 'kid' incapable of manipulating his ex-girlfriend.

He also claimed Priest would refuse to change Kaylee's nappy, telling her daughter 'you can just stay in it' while smoking outside the house.

The final moments leading up to the death of Kaylee-Jayde Priest were revealed in chilling CCTV footage.

In the footage played to court, Kaylee-Jayde and her mother were seen together just hours before the youngster's fatal collapse, using a lift at the block of flats where they lived in Kingshurst House, Solihull.

The footage showed Priest's total disinterest in her daughter; repeatedly checking her reflection in the mirror and scrolling through her phone, while the youngster periodically gazed up at her mother's face.

In one sick video, Priest hangs her head in shame and seems to wipe tears from her eyes as a song plays in the background. She then mouths the words to the song: 'I'm sorry mum and dad. I know I messed up bad. I should've done, should've done better'

Priest and Redfern denied murdering the little girl but were both convicted of manslaughter

Pictured: A screen grab from CCTV footage issued by West Midlands Police of Kaylee-Jade and her mother by the lift in their apartment building, hours before the young girl was killed on August 9 last year

At no point in the footage was there any physical contact between the pair, with Priest neglecting even to reach out to hold her daughter's hand.

Hours later, the youngster described in court as a 'happy child', died from serious chest and abdominal injuries.

Medical examinations later showed she had also suffered historical injuries including broken ribs, lower leg fractures and a broken sternum, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

Priest and her 22-year-old lover Callum Redfern pointed the finger of blame at each other during their trial, but were at the time in a 'close sexual relationship'.

Both were unanimously cleared of murder but convicted of the child's manslaughter on Thursday.

Jurors had heard how Priest would hit Kaylee around the head and refer to her as a 'f****** brat', while the youngster was also heard crying 'in a fearful tone'.

On one occasion, neighbours in a flat below at Kingshurst House, Solihull, recalled hearing a bang above and then Kaylee crying, before allegedly hearing Priest say: 'I'll just say she fell off the bed.'

The same residents claimed they noticed that 'when Kaylee cried, the response appeared to be to drown out her crying with music'.

In a text message exchange on July 24 2020, days before Kaylee's death, Priest told Redfern: 'I'm gonna kill her... because she keeps leaving the living room or going in the kitchen, so I've paled (hit) her one and smacked her for s**tting in her nappy.'

Redfern said: 'Good - give her one from me.'

Priest replied: 'I will, babe.'

Three days later, Redfern messaged Priest saying: 'I'm going to keep the little brat away from me... sick of your spunking daughter.'

Pictured: A screen grab from CCTV footage of Kaylee-Jade (left) and her mother (right) outside their Kingshurst House, Solihull apartment building, hours before the young girl was killed on August 9 last year

The CCTV footage (pictured) showed Priest's (left) total disinterest in her daughter; repeatedly checking her reflection in the mirror and scrolling through her phone, while the youngster (right) periodically gazed up at her mother's face

Prosecutors said the messages painted a vivid picture of the 'uncaring attitude from Priest and Redfern towards Kaylee'.

Andrew Redfern told the Sun: 'Nikki is an evil mother - she doesn't deserve kids.

'She was stood outside this house smoking and Kaylee's nappy needed changing. She said 'you can just stay in it' - that was her attitude. She wouldn't come in the house to take her to the toilet.'

Of his son, Andrew said he 'got caught up in it' and that 'he was only there so he could have sex at the end of the day'.

'He's too much like a kid himself to be manipulating her', he added.

Opening the case at the start of the trial, prosecution barrister Andrew Smith QC said: 'The prosecution case is that her death was caused by her having received serious injuries to her chest and abdomen in a sustained assault on August 8 of last year.

'That intentional assault occurred when both of the defendants were alone with Kaylee-Jayde.'

Floral tributes to the young girl were left outside the flat after families learned of her death last year

From the time Priest moved in to the flat in mid-2019, neighbours heard her 'shouting with real regularity' at Kaylee, including comments like 'Shut up', 'Go away' or 'Leave me alone' - and 'never anything positive or kind'.

Priest was also found guilty of cruelty to a child, relating to the youngster's historical injuries, but Redfern was cleared of that charge.

In a statement released through police after the verdicts, Kaylee's grandmother Debbie Windmill said the impact of her death would live with her for the rest of her life.

She said: 'I could never stop staring at the smile on her beautiful face. I loved every moment watching her develop to nearly school age; preparing to buy my first grandchild her pre-school uniform was something that filled me with such happiness.

'I couldn't wait to see her in it, but this opportunity was stolen from me in the most brutal of ways.

'Everybody deserves the gift of life. Kaylee-Jayde deserved to show the world who she could have been and what greatness she could have brought to this world. Nanny will forever hold you in her heart.'

Speaking afterwards, Detective Inspector Adam Jobson, said: 'This is a really horrific set of circumstances and I cannot imagine for one second what Kaylee-Jayde's family must be going through, they've lost their three-year-old family member at the hands of her own mother and Nicky Priest's boyfriend, Callum.

'It is a grim picture.

'I don't think, sadly, we will ever fully know what has happened, we'll never get that full picture, both have not admitted their own responsibility.

'One thing is clear, Nicky Priest has failed her daughter, she's failed to protect her and she should be - being a mother to that little girl - the one person who should have been able to protect her.'
The anti-lockdown protester who shocked Australia after being pictured allegedly punching a police horse has given his side of the story in court.

Kristian Pulkownik, 33, allegedly struck New South Wales Police horse Tobruk in the nose as his rider was managing hundreds of protesters who marched in Sydney's CBD on July 24 as part of the 'Rally 4 Freedom' march.

Mr Pulkownik appeared in court via video link on Wednesday after failing to appear in late July due to refusing a Covid swab.

His lawyers claimed that the protester was acting in self-defence, while magistrate Clare Farnan said a number of character witnesses for Mr Pulkownik 'painted a different picture of him as a caring animal lover'.

The prosecution played two videos for the court - one from a Nine News helicopter and the other from Snapchat - and argued that they showed Mr Pulkownik had intent to injure Tobruk.

Kristian Pulkownik, 33, allegedly struck New South Wales Police horse Tobruk in the nose as his rider was managing protesters who marched in the city's CBD on July 24

Tobruk and his trooper Senior Constable Patrick Condon on Monday. Kristian Pulkownik, 33, allegedly struck Tobruk in the nose

Images of Mr Pulkownik were broadcast and widely condemned throughout Australia after he was photographed wearing a yellow singlet with 'FREE SPEECH' emblazoned on the front while allegedly striking Tobruk.

He was arrested at his Surry Hills home the night after the protest, and hit with a string of charges including affray, committing an act of cruelty upon an animal, and breaching a Covid-19 restriction.

Mr Pulkownik has entered not guilty pleas for all of the charges except breaching a Covid-19 restriction, of which he is yet to issue a plea.

His defence lawyer Chris O'Donnell told the court that Mr Pulkownik was in fact diverting the horse away from him and that he had no ambition of hurting the animal.

'You can see in the video, in my respectful submission, there is a live issue as to whether the accused was punching a horse,' Mr O'Donnell said.

'On the contrary, he was fending off the horse as it was moving towards him at the time in question.'

The defence argued Tobruk was being 'ridden towards' Mr Pulkownik and that he acted to protect his own safety.

Images of Mr Pulkownik were widely condemned throughout Australia showing the man in a yellow singlet with 'FREE SPEECH' emblazoned on the front allegedly hitting the horse

'Just before what appears to be the accused coming in contact with the horse,

the horse turns towards him and is in effect ridden towards him,' Mr O'Donnell said.

'Rather than punching the horse, he was fending it off in self-defence.'

Mr Pulkownik was put in isolation for two weeks after he refused to have a Covid test with his lawyer arguing that his asthma put him at risk of having 'adverse' reactions to the nasal swab.

Magistrate Farnan granted him bail on the condition the 33-year-old live with his mother, comply with all current orders and not enter the city of Sydney.

'It's a difficult time in Sydney for everybody since this has happened, and it hasn't really got any better, and I urge you to understand the health orders, complying with them is in everyone's interest, they're in your interest,' she said.

'Yes your honour,' Mr Pulkownik said.'

'I have no intention of breaching anything.'

Mr Pulkownik will return to court in September.
An off-the-grid New Hampshire man's days living as a hermit appear to be over.

'River Dave,' whose cabin in the woods burned down after nearly three decades on property where he had been squatting, says he doesn't think he can return to his solitary lifestyle.

'I don't see how I can go back to being a hermit because society is not going to allow it,' David Lidstone said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Lidstone, 81, said even if he could rebuild his cabin, which burned down last week, 'I would have people coming every weekend, so I just can't get out of society anymore. I've hidden too many years and I've built relationships, and those relationships have continued to expand.'

David Lidstone, 81, seen without his hat says it would be impossible for him to go back to his previous lifestyle after his shack was burnt to the ground

This undated photo provided by Jodie Gedeon shows the shack that David Lidstone, 81, has built and lived in for nearly three decades in the woods of Canterbury, N.H.

This undated photo provided by Jodie Gedeon shows the side of the shack that David Lidstone, 81, had built and lived in for nearly three decades in the woods near Canterbury, N.H.

This undated photo provided by Jodie Gedeon shows the shack that David Lidstone, 81, in detail as he lived comfortably by the Merrimack River for nearly three decades

But Lidstone, a logger by trade who chopped his firewood and grew his food in the woods along the Merrimack River in the town of Canterbury, said he's not grieving the loss of his life in isolation.

'Maybe the things I've been trying to avoid are the things that I really need in life,' said Lidstone, who drifted apart from his family. 'I grew up never being hugged or kissed, or any close contact.

'I had somebody ask me once, about my wife: `Did you really love her? And the question kind of shocked me for a second. I... Ive never loved anybody in my life. And I shocked myself because I hadnt realized that. And thats why I was a hermit. Now I can see love being expressed that I never had before.'

His hopeful words are in marked contrast to the fears of Lidstone's friends, who worried the loss of the elderly man's property and solitude could send him to the grave.

David Lidstone, 81, sits ear the Merrimack River, in Boscawen, New Hampshire, where he had been living in a cabin in the woods for nearly three decades

He was jailed on July 15 on a civil contempt sanction and was told he'd be released if he would agree to leave the cabin following a five-year property dispute that started in 2016.

The landowner, 86-year-old Leonard Giles, of South Burlington, Vermont, wanted Lidstone off the property.

The property, undeveloped and mostly used for timber harvests, has been owned by the same family since 1963.

Jodie Gedeon (left) hugs David Lidstone (right) on Thursday, August 5, after Lidstone was released from Merrimack County Jail in Boscawen for refusing to leave the property he was squatting on for the last 27 years

Lidstone had said a prior owner in the family gave his word years ago that he could live there, but had nothing in writing. A hearing to settle the matter is scheduled for 8.30am on Wednesday.

A fire destroyed the cabin on August 4, hours after Lidstone defended himself during a court hearing. He was released from jail the next day after a judge ruled that he would have less incentive to return to 'this particular place in the woods,' now that the cabin had burned down.

Canterbury Fire Chief Michael Gamache said that while the investigation isn't over and arson is not being ruled out as a potential cause, the fire was more likely caused by accident.

Smoke rises from the burnt remains of a cabin in Canterbury, N.H., inhabited by 81-year-old David Lidstone. The picture was provided by the Canterbury Fire Department

He said a representative of Giles, who was starting to demolish the cabin on August 4 disabled solar panels, which still had electrical charge in them. He also used a power saw to cut into metal supports that held the panels onto the roof. Either action could have created sparks to start making things smoke.

'He finished his day at about a quarter of three, and a fire is noticed at about 3:15,' Gamache said.

He also said it's also possible the results could be inconclusive. 'Right now, there's nothing left to go on at the site.'

Jodie Gedeon, who met Lidstone 20 years ago while she was kayaking along the Merrimack River, referred to Lidstone as a 'really good soul.

'We consider him part of the family.' she added

An off-the-grid New Hampshire hermit known to locals as 'River Dave,' had been living in a cabin in the woods in Canterbury, N.H., where he would fish and grow food along the Merrimack River

Dave could now be housed in a vacant property belonging to a Quaker group in Concord, New Hampshire

In the meantime, many people across the country and beyond have offered to help Lidstone, either through fundraising or offering him a place to live. Lidstone said he is thankful for all the support. He's still trying to figure out where he would go next, although he wouldn't mind staying in New Hampshire, where he's developed some strong connections.

One proposal under consideration is for him to live on property belonging to the Concord Friends Meeting, a Quaker meeting in Canterbury that's not far from the cabin site. Lidstone worked on the meetinghouse as it was being constructed in 2010. The congregation would have to agree on the matter.

The property overlooks the Merrimack River.

'It has certainly occurred to us that here is a neighbor in need,' said Richard Kleinschmidt, co-clerk of the Quaker meeting, 'and how can we help him?'
Locked-down Australians on the east coast have lapped up some much-needed sunshine during the warmest winter day of the year with temperatures reaching a high of 25C in most Sydney suburbs.

However meteorologists say the temperatures won't last as a cold front sweeps over the south-east, reminding residents spring is not yet sprung.

Sydney was hit with temperatures of 25C on Wednesday, 7C above the usual August maximum and reminiscent of a summer day in December.

Crowds flocked to locked down Bondi Beach for their essential exercise on Wednesday (pictured)

BOM Meteorologist Stephen Stefanac told Daily Mail Australia the above average temperatures for this time of the year were felt across the entire state.

He said temperatures hit a high in Wilcannia in the north west of NSW at a whopping 28C, while those out west experienced temperatures in the mid to high 20s.

Mr Stefanac said temperatures along the NSW coast were recorded at low to mid 20s while milder weather was experienced across the ranges in the north.

He said the unusual balmy weather was associated with sweeping northerly winds but warned temperatures could drop in the north east as early as Thursday.

The meteorologist said a cold front was moving in to the state's west on Wednesday evening and would hit the rest of north east on Friday.

Sydney was set to hit a staggering 25 degrees on Wednesday, 7C above the usual August maximum and reminiscent of a Summer day in December (pictured, sunbakers on Bondi Beach enjoy the lockdown sun)

BOM Meteorologist Stephen Stefanac said a cold front was moving in to the state's west on Wednesday evening and would hit the rest of the north east on Friday

Further south, the same northerly winds have prompted a severe weather warning in Victoria, with damaging winds to affect people living in East Gippsland, North Central, North East and West and South Gippsland.

The damaging gusts are forecast to reach 110km/h over elevated peaks with isolated thunderstorms hitting both the south west and north east of the state.

Residents in Victoria, including Melbourne, will miss out on the sunshine and instead experience a top of 17C and forecasted showers for the rest of the week.

In NSW, the cold front is set to affect the majority of the south east bringing 10-15mm of rain across inland areas along with it.

Sunseekers skipped working from home to head to Sydney's beaches (pictured, Bondi) on Wednesday

Northerly winds have prompted a severe weather warning in Victoria, with damaging winds due to affect people living in East Gippsland, North Central, North East and West and South Gippsland

Sydney's unusual high of 25C on Wednesday is forecast to fall to 21C on Thursday and drop even further to 19C with lows of 9C for the weekend.

The city's average maximum temperatures this winter have lingered at 12.9C in June, 11.9C in July and 13.5C in August.

Residents in Canberra will experience highs of 15-16C and a low of -2Cm due on Friday morning, with rain forecasted for Wednesday and Thursday.

Hobart was hit with rain on Wednesday with showers to remain until Friday with the mercury to top out between 13-15C with a low of 7C.

Victorians, including Melbourne (pictured on Wednesday), will miss out on the sunshine and instead experience a top of 17C with forecasted showers for the rest of the week

Adelaide was hit with even heavier rainfall of up to 10mm on Wednesday with scattered showers to last until Friday but ease on the weekend.

The capital city of Australia's south will experience highs of 16C for the rest of the week with temperatures to rise to 19C on Sunday with lows of 9C.

Queenslanders will also get a chance to soak up some sun with Brisbane to hit a high of 25C on Thursday with temperatures to fall to 23C on the weekend.

In Western Australia, Perth will see temperatures reach a high of 20C on Friday but otherwise experience maximums of 17-18C with a sprinkle of showers on Thursday.

Those in the Top End will continue to experience warm and sunny temperatures, with maximums of 33C and lows of 23C.
The NSW teachers union has slammed Gladys Berejiklian's decision to send year 12 students in Greater Sydney back to school next week.

Teachers' Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos told a parliamentary inquiry on Wednesday into the state government's response to the pandemic that teachers were not consulted about the plan.

Some Year 12 students will return to school from Monday, while all school assessments and trial HSC exams will take place remotely.

No student from the nine council Covid hotspot areas, regardless of whether they have received the Pfizer vaccine, will be permitted to attend classes as was earlier indicated.

Ms Berejiklian first formally announced face-to-face learning would resume on August 16 during a press conference on July 28.

Teachers' Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos (pictured) has slammed the decision to send year 12 students in Greater Sydney back to classrooms next week

But Mr Gavrielatos said the government did not contact the NSW Teachers' Federation to discuss their intention, which he described as 'premature' and 'ill conceived'.

Instead, he claimed the union learned of the plan through media reports the night before Ms Berejiklian unveiled her decision to the public.

'I need to put on record how shocked we were to learn through the media, in the evening of the 27th of July, the governments decision to announce what is now clearly the premature, ill-conceived return of year 12 from the 16th of August as had been intended by the government,' Mr Gavrielatos said.

'It defied logic, it defied the health advice, it defied science and I repeat: that decision was taken without any prior consultation with the profession.

'We learnt about it in the media at about 6.30, 7pm that evening. It was followed by a phone call at approximately 8pm that evening. We were shocked because only a few days earlier, the Premier had announced a state of emergency on the back of rising case numbers.'

Mr Gavrielatos fiery comments came after the NSW's education minister earlier told the inquiry all education stakeholders were notified of the decision prior to the July 28 press conference.

Year 12 students- except those from Sydney's nine LGAs of concern - will return to school from Monday. Pictured: HSC students get Pfizer doses at the mass vaccination hub at Qudos Arena earlier this week

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell and Education Department Secretary Georgina Harrisson fronted the inquiry on Wednesday to face questions about their involvement in the return-to-school policy.

Ms Harrisson said she alerted the NSW Teachers Federation, Secondary Principals Council, Association of Independent Schools and Catholic Schools NSW either 'the evening before of the morning of' July 28.

However, in response, Mr Gavrielatos told board members Greens MP David Shoebridge and Labor MP John Graham it should be noted the measure was leaked to the media before stakeholders were notified.

Ms Mitchell also told the inquiry she could not give a date for when most of the state's students can return to classrooms.

Ms Berejiklian indicated on Wednesday that she hoped high vaccination rates would mean a return for more students by October, but said it was still premature to say for certain.

'Is it going to be another month? Is it going to be until October? Is it going to be until the end of the year? Surely you can give (parents) more indication than ''wait until the 28 August'' and ''we're having conversations,'''Labor's Courtney Houssos asked.

'We will be in a position to tell parents what to expect within the coming weeks,' Ms Mitchell said.

Mr Gavrielatos said the NSW Teachers' Federation found out about the decision to resume face-to-face learning in media reports before Gladys Berejiklian's formal announcement on July 28

'We are working on that with our stakeholders ... we know that we're learning from home until the 28th of August, that is still two-and-a-half weeks away.'

The education minister stressed she had been advocating for students to return to classrooms as soon as safely possible.

'Of course we are working with Health in terms of designing what a COVID-safe HSC exam period looks like,' Ms Mitchell said.

'It's absolutely our intention for those exams to go ahead unless we've already pushed those exams back a week which is what we did last year.'

However, she said the government intends for senior students to sit their HSC exams in October despite the disruptions.

'Of course we are working with health in terms of designing what a COVID-safe HSC exam period looks like,' Ms Mitchell said.

Despite learning disruptions, NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the government intends to proceed with HSC exams in October. Pictured: Senior Sydney students at a mass vaccination hub

'It is absolutely our intention for exams to go ahead. NESA has already pushed those exams back for a week, which is what we did last year  that work has begun and will continue.'

Mr Shoebridge said there had been a great deal of anxiety and stress among students and teachers following the premier's backtrack on a return to school for all of year 12.

But Ms Mitchell disputed the suggestion that education officials had been blindsided by Ms Berejiklian's earlier announcement about the partial return to classrooms, saying key stakeholders were informed before the press conference.

Department Secretary Georgina Harrisson confirmed they were unable to track vaccination rates of teachers, while Ms Mitchell said about 51 per cent of the state's teachers were aged 40 and over and had been eligible for the jab for some time.
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The taliban has captured two more cities in Afghanistan bringing the total captured to nine, as US intelligence warns the capital Kabul could fall within a month.

Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Baghlan province, and Faizabad, capital of Badakhshan, fell to the Islamists overnight while a unit of commandos holding out at the airport in the city of Kunduz - captured by the Taliban several days ago - also surrendered as the fanatics cemented their control on the north of the country.

Mazar-i-Sharif, the north's largest city and a traditional stronghold of anti-Taliban warlords, is now preparing for an all-out assault with President Ghani flying there along with reinforcements today in a desperate attempt to shore up the defences and prevent a rout.

But assessments of the security situation are increasingly grim, with US intelligence sources warning the heavily-defended capital of Kabul - one of the few cities not currently under attack by the Taliban - could fall in as little as a month, handing control of the country back to the Islamists.

The Taliban has captured nine of Afghanistan's 35 regional capitals in less than a week, with the cities of Pul-e Khumri and Faizabad in the country's north falling into the Islamist's hands overnight

The Afghan air force has been uploading videos showing attacks on Taliban fighters in an attempt to bolster morale and turn the tide of the war, with few battlefield victories to report

Footage taken by the beleaguered Afghan air force has been posted online, showing Taliban fighters being blown to bits in an attempt to boost morale among government troops

The flaming wreckage of a Taliban vehicle is seen in footage taken by the Afghan air force and posted online in an attempt to rally government forces that are otherwise being pushed back on all fronts

The Taliban flag is raised over the main square in Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Baghlan province, after the Islamists seized it from government forces late on Tuesday

A Taliban fighter poses with locals in Pul-e-Khumri after it became one of nine cities seized by the group so far

Taliban fighters and Afghans gather around the body of a member of the security forces who was killed, in the city of Farah

Fresh refugee crisis looms as people flee the Taliban The Taliban is sweeping across Afghanistan, seizing territory and cities from the government - some of which have been given up with barely a fight. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled as the militants closed in, with the UN estimating that 400,000 were displaced in the first few months of this year including 244,000 who have fled their homes since May when fighting began ramping up. Most have remained within the country, heading into government-controlled areas in the hopes of finding safety there, with many ending up in the capital Kabul. Some 200 crossed the border into Iran at the weekend, the UN says, joining millions of other Afghan refugees who have fled to the country starting four decades ago with the Soviet invasion. Others have headed south towards the border with Pakistan, but with the Taliban in control of the main crossing and Pakistan saying it will not accept more refugees, it is unclear how many have crossed. Pakistan is already home to at least 2.5million displaced Afghans, though the true toll is thought to be much higher once undocumented refugees are included. Advertisement

American officials had previously said Kabul could hold out for between six months to a year after US forces withdrew, but have now dramatically downgraded that assessment after a series of victories for the Taliban.

Those involved in providing security for American diplomats in Kabul told the Washington Post that they are now contingency planning for how to get their staff out in the event that security collapses within 90 days.

Others put the time-frame even shorter, saying a collapse is possible within just 30 days.

India has already withdrawn its diplomatic staff from Mazar-i-Sharif, flying them out on Tuesday after fighting broke out on the city's outskirts.

In an attempt to halt the Taliban advance, Ghani flew to the city Wednesday and met with Atta Mohammad Noor, Mazar's strongman leader, and Abdul Rashid Dostum, a notorious anti-Taliban warlord who served in Soviet ranks.

Earlier in the day, Dostum had been pictured loading on to an aircraft in capital Kabul along with hundreds of his loyal commandos before flying into Mazar where he will join the fighting.

The warlord returned to Afghanistan from his base in Turkey last week to help appraise the security situation, and his flight to Mazar comes just two days after Taliban fighters captured one of his sprawling mansions in Jawzjan province - uploading videos of themselves walking around inside.

Even as the government's focus shifted to the north, battles continued to rage in the west and south of Afghanistan - with clashes underway in the major cities of Herat, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar.

In Kandahar, fierce clashes erupted between Taliban insurgents and security forces, with heavy fighting being reported near the city's prison, which the militants have been trying to reach for weeks.

Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province, after capturing the city earlier this week

Afghans stand near a burnt car inside the city of Farah after it was destroyed in fighting with government forces

Burnt cars are left after fighting between Taliban and security personnel inside the city of Farah

Taliban fighters calmly patrolled the streets of Farah on Wednesday, but those who have fled fighting in these cities have reported reprisal attacks and beheadings carried out by the militants

Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Farah having captured it from government forces two days ago

While the Taliban have portrayed themselves on the international stage as reformed moderates, those on the ground say fighters (pictured) are brutal extremists

A fighter loyal to warlord Ata Mohammad Noor, the strongman leader of Mazar, poses with a heavy machine gun ahead of an expected Taliban assault on the city

President Ashraf Ghani flew into the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, the largest in Afghanistan's north, to help rally his troops ahead of what is expected to be a major assault on the city after opening skirmishes on the outskirts on Tuesday

President Ghani (centre) is pictured meeting with Noor (right) and another feared anti-Taliban warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum (left) as they prepare to defend Mazar-i-Sharif from the Taliban

The Taliban frequently target prisons to release incarcerated fighters and replenish their ranks.

Fighting in Afghanistan's long-running conflict has escalated dramatically since May, when the US-led military coalition began the final stage of a withdrawal set to be completed before the end of the month.

But even as the Taliban routed government forces, US President Joe Biden gave no hint of delaying his deadline to withdraw all American troops by August 31, instead urging Afghan leaders to 'fight for themselves' on Tuesday.

'I do not regret my decision' to withdraw US troops after two decades of war, he told reporters in Washington.

And as fighting raged, US diplomats were desperately trying to breathe life back into all but dead talks between the Afghan government and Taliban in Doha, where Washington's special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was pushing the hardline Islamists to accept a ceasefire.

Biden has stressed that Washington would continue to support the Afghan security forces with air strikes, food, equipment and money for salaries.

'They have got to want to fight. They have outnumbered the Taliban,' he said.

The Taliban have appeared largely indifferent to peace overtures, and seem intent on a military victory to crown a return to power after their ouster 20 years ago in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

The insurgents appeared to be consolidating their hold over captured cities in the north, with rifle-toting militants patrolling the streets of Kunduz on foot and in armored humvees as smoke rose from smoldering shops destroyed during the fight for the city.

After conquering most of the north, the Taliban have now set their sights on region's biggest city, Mazar-i-Sharif - long a linchpin for the government's control of the area - after capturing Sheberghan to its west, and Kunduz and Taloqan to its east.

Mazar saw some of the bloodiest fighting during the Taliban's scorched earth rampage through the country in the 1990s, with rights groups accusing the jihadists of massacring up to 2,000 civilians - mostly Shiite Hazaras - after capturing the city in 1998.

An Afghan man is treated at a hospital in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif after being wounded in clashes with the Taliban

Hundreds of Afghanis gather at the border crossing with Pakistan in Spin Boldak - a key trading route - which remains closed after Pakistan began enforcing strict visa restrictions on Afghanis

Both the Taliban and Pakistan have said the border crossing will reopen on August 12, but until then thousands of people looking to cross have been forced to sit and wait

The fighting has sparked an internal refugee crisis, with many civilians fleeing Afghanistan's regions to the capital Kabul (pictured) in the hopes of being protected from the Taliban

Displaced Afghans reach out for aid from a local Muslim organization at a makeshift IDP camp in Kabul,

Displaced Afghans head into Kabul from the northern provinces after leaving their homes behind

Hundreds of thousands of Afghanis have been displaced from their homes in recent weeks by fighting, with fears that could swell to millions if entire country falls (pictured)

A child is pictured sleeping on its mother's shoulder at a refugee camp in the Afghan capital of Kabul

The Afghan government has been distributing aid to refugees arriving in the capital Kabul (pictured) from Afghanistan's regions after they were captured by the Taliban

People stranded at the Pakistani-Afghan border wait for its reopening after it was closed by the Taliban

People stranded at the Pakistani-Afghan border wait for its reopening after it was closed by the Taliban

Some 400,000 Afghans have fled their homes since the start of the year, with thousands sheltering in Kabul

Afghan displaced children who fled from their homes during the fighting take shelter in a public park in Kabul
An 'outraged' Australian regional mayor has fallen victim to a global Facebook hack that has spammed his mayoral page with images of young Asian women, violent movies and online games.

Andy Ireland, who is Mayor of Livingstone Shire Council near Rockhampton, Queensland, was told by the council's IT team he is is one of 300 million people hacked, with the perpetrators in Vietnam.

Mr Ireland's profile picture was swapped out for an image of a young black-haired woman gaining him 36 likes, while he got 39 for the cover image posted by the hackers of a brunette.

The mayoral Facebook account of Livingstone Shire Council Mayor Andy Ireland has been hacked, his photos changed and his timeline flooded, as part of a global scam he has been told is being run from Vietnam

This is definitely not what Livingstone Shire Council Mayor Andy Ireland looks like, but it is his Facebook profile photo after he was hacked

Mr Ireland's wife, who administers the account, discovered the hack a week ago after her own hospitality business page was spammed in the same way.

'I certainly havent gone into Chinese martial arts film production or putting up photos of young women,' Mr Ireland told Daily Mail Australia.

'You can't print what I said when I saw it,' he said.

Helen Ireland managed to post what looks like one of the last genuine comments on his account: 'This Facebook page has been hacked by a lowlife. Would be nice if Facebook would actually do something about it. Disgusting.'

Also not Andy Ireland, but it is the cover photo currently on his mayoral Facebook page

The real Andy Ireland, who says he is not embarrassed by the hack of his Facebook account, which was discovered by his wife

Mr Ireland went straight to the council's IT team to report the strange posts.

The computer experts came back and told him '300 million people have been done over'.

In the meantime he has lost any control of his own account and is unable to remove the content or post anything.

So his timeline remains filled with Vietnamese martial arts movie and game clips, and his account is hosting action movie screenings, which appear to be popular with Vietnamese followers.

One of the posts now appearing on the Facebook account of Livingstone Shire Council mayor Any Ireland, uploaded to his page by hackers

Dozens of Vietnamese language movie clips and screening invites have been posted to Mr Ireland's Facebook page

The fraudulent updates are still appearing, with the latest screening invite posted on Wednesday evening.

Mr Ireland's account name remains unchanged, but has been amended to include Mai inh, the name of a commune in north-eastern Vietnam.

His page category has been amended to read 'Video gaming creator' and a German phone number has been added.

Most of of Mr Ireland's new likes appear to have come from Vietnamese accounts, some of whom have gone to the trouble of liking his real profile photo too

Most of of Mr Ireland's new likes appear to have come from Vietnamese accounts, some of whom have gone to the trouble of liking his real profile photo too.

Mr Ireland says he isn't embarrassed 'as I haven't done anything wrong', but he is very unhappy with Facebook - which he says has so far refused to return the account to his control.

'I'm pretty outraged by that,' he said.

'Ultimately you commit yourself to a social media platform and you expect if these things happen there will be some redress and action taken by the host.'

'But Facebook have said they won't intervene, so far they're saying its not contravening their policies as long as it not putting up pornographic images.'

He isn't sure how the hack happened, but admits he's 'gun shy' about starting another Facebook page after this is over.

Mr Ireland said he did not post any of the recent images and movie clips and denied having gone into martial arts movie production recently

Mr Ireland says he is reluctant to use Facebook again and warned Facebook users to change their passwords regularly and keep them safe

Mr Ireland warned Facebook users to change their passwords regularly and keep them safe.

In July Facebook sued four Vietnamese nationals over a hack which manipulated a fake ad manager app, using it to take over millions of Facebook accounts and post $49million worth of unauthorised advertisements.
Good morning. Let me begin by thanking Rita Glavin for that powerful presentation. Id like to address several issues today. First, Ive always started by telling New Yorkers the facts before my opinion. So lets start New York tough with the truth. The attorney general did a report on complaints made against me by certain women for my conduct. The report said I sexually harassed 11 women. That was the headline people heard and saw and reacted to. The reaction was outrage. It should have been. However, it was also false. My lawyers, as you just heard from Rita Glavin, have reviewed the report over the past several days and have already raised serious issues and flaws that should concern all New Yorkers because when there is a bias or a lack of fairness in the justice system, it is a concern for everyone, not just those immediately affected.

The most serious allegations made against me had no credible factual basis in the report. And there is a difference between alleged improper conduct and concluding sexual harassment. Now, dont get me wrong, this is not to say that there are not 11 women who I truly offended. There are. And for that I deeply, deeply apologize.

I thought a hug and putting my arm around a staff person while taking a picture was friendly, but she found it to be too forward. I kissed a woman on the cheek at a wedding and I thought I was being nice, but she felt that it was too aggressive. I have slipped and called people honey, sweetheart and darling. I meant it to be endearing, but women found it dated and offensive. I said on national TV to a doctor wearing PPE and giving me a Covid nasal swab, You make that gown look good. I was joking, obviously, otherwise I wouldnt have said it on national TV. But she found it disrespectful. I take full responsibility for my actions.

I have been too familiar with people. My sense of humor can be insensitive and off-putting. I do hug and kiss people casually, women and men. I have done it all my life. Its who Ive been since I can remember. In my mind, Ive never crossed the line with anyone, but I didnt realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didnt fully appreciate, and I should have. No excuses.

The report did bring to light a matter that I was not aware of and that I would like to address. A female trooper relayed a concern that she found disturbing, and so do I. Please let me provide some context. The governors trooper detail had about 65 troopers on it, but of the 65 only six women and nine Black troopers. Im very proud of the diversity of my administration. Its more diverse than any administration in history. And Im very proud of the fact that I have more women in senior positions than any governor before me.

The lack of diversity on the state police detail was an ongoing disappointment for me. In many ways, the governors detail is the face of state government that people see. When I attend an event, people see the detail thats with me. I was continuously trying to recruit more to diversify. On one occasion, I met two female troopers who were on duty at an event. Both seemed competent and impressive, and I asked the state police to see if they were interested in joining. I often meet people, men and women, and if they show promise, I refer them to be interviewed. The state police handled the interviewing and the hiring, and one of the two troopers eventually joined the detail. I got to know her over time, and shes a great professional, and I would sometimes banter with her when we were in the car. We spent a lot of time driving around the state. This female trooper was getting married, and I made some jokes about the negative consequences of married life. I meant it to be humorous. She was offended, and she was right.

The trooper also said that in an elevator I touched her back and when I was walking past her in a doorway I touched her stomach. Now I dont recall doing it, but if she said I did it, I believe her. At public events, troopers will often hold doors open or guard the doorways. When I walk past them, I often will give them a grip of the arm, a pat on face, a touch on the stomach, a slap on the back. Its my way of saying, I see you. I appreciate you, and I thank you. Im not comfortable just walking past and ignoring them. Of course, usually they are male troopers. In this case, I dont remember doing it at all. I didnt do it consciously with the female trooper. I did not mean any sexual connotation. I did not mean any intimacy by it. I just wasnt thinking. It was totally thoughtless in the literal sense of the word, but it was also insensitive. It was embarrassing to her, and it was disrespectful. It was a mistake, plain and simple. I have no other words to explain it. I want to personally apologize to her and her family. I have the greatest respect for her and for the New York State Police.

Now, obviously, in a highly political matter like this, there are many agendas and there are many motivations at play. If anyone thought otherwise, they would be naive, and New Yorkers are not naive. But I want to thank the women who came forward with sincere complaints. Its not easy to step forward, but you did an important service, and you taught me and you taught others an important lesson: personal boundaries must be expanded and must be protected. I accept full responsibility.

Part of being New York tough is being New York smart. New York smart tells us that this situation and moment are not about the facts. Its not about the truth. Its not about thoughtful analysis. Its not about how do we make the system better. This is about politics, and our political system today is too often driven by the extremes. Rashness has replaced reasonableness. Loudness has replaced soundness. Twitter has become the public square for policy debate. There is an intelligent discussion to be had on gender-based actions on generational and cultural behavioral differences on setting higher standards and finding reasonable resolutions. But the political environment is too hot and it is too reactionary for that now, and it is unfortunate.

Now, you know me. Im a New Yorker, born and bred. I am a fighter, and my instinct is to fight through this controversy because I truly believe it is politically motivated. I believe it is unfair and it is untruthful, and I believe that it demonizes behavior that is unsustainable for society. If I could communicate the facts through the frenzy, New Yorkers would understand. I believe that, but when I took my oath as governor, then it changed. I became a fighter, but I became a fighter for you, and it is your best interests that I must serve. This situation by its current trajectory will generate months of political and legal controversy. That is what is going to happen. That is how the political wind is blowing. It will consume government. It will cost taxpayers millions of dollars. It will brutalize people.

The State Assembly yesterday outlined weeks of process that will then lead to months of litigation, time and money that government should spend managing Covid, guarding against the Delta variant, reopening upstate, fighting gun violence and saving New York City. All that time would be wasted. This is one of the most challenging times for government in a generation. Government really needs to function today. Government needs to perform. It is a matter of life and death  government operations, and wasting energy on distractions is the last thing that state government should be doing. And I can not be the cause of that.

New York tough means New York loving, and I love New York, and I love you. And everything I have ever done has been motivated by that love. And I would never want to be unhelpful in any way. And I think that given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing. And, therefore, thats what Ill do because I work for you, and doing the right thing is doing the right thing for you. Because as we say, Its not about me. Its about we.

Kathy Hochul, my lieutenant governor, is smart and competent. This transition must be seamless. We have a lot going on. Im very worried about the Delta variant, and so should you be. But she can come up to speed quickly. And my resignation will be effective in 14 days.

To my team: Melissa DeRosa, Robert Mujica, Beth Garvey, Stephanie Benton, Dana Carotenuto, Kelly Cummings, Rich Azzopardi, Howard Zucker, Rick Cotton, Janno Lieber, Jack Davies and the hundreds of dedicated administration officials. I want to say this: Thank you. Thank you. And be proud. We made New York state the progressive capital of the nation. No other state government accomplished more to help people. And that is what its all about.

Just think about what we did. We passed marriage equality, creating a new civil right. Legalized love for the L.G.B.T.Q. community and we generated a force for change that swept the nation. We passed the SAFE Act years ago, the smartest gun safety law in the United States of America, and it banned the madness of assault weapons. Weve saved countless lives with that law. Fifteen dollar minimum wage, the highest minimum wage in the nation, lifting millions of families standard of living, putting more food on the table and clothes on their backs. And we led the nation in economic justice with that reform. We have managed every emergency mother nature could throw at us: fires, floods, hurricanes, super storms and pandemics.

We balanced the state budget and we got it done on time, more than any other administration because government should work and perform. Free college tuition for struggling families. Nobody in the state will be denied their college dreams because of their income. We have built new airports, rail, transit, roads, all across this state, faster and better than ever before, and more than any state in the nation. The most effective green economy program in the nation. We did more for Black and Latino families than any other administration. We did more for working families. We did more for our union brothers and sisters. We did more to battle racism and anti-Semitism.

Today so much of the politics is just noise, just static, and thats why people tune it out. What matters is actually improving peoples lives, and thats what you did. You made this state a better state for the generations that follow, and that is undeniable, inarguable and true, even in these ugly, crazy times.

I thank Speaker Carl Heastie and Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins for their leadership. And let me say this on a personal note. In many ways, I see the world through the eyes of my daughters, Cara, Mariah and Michaela. They are 26 and 26, twins, and 23. And I have lived this experience with and through them. I have sat on the couch with them, hearing the ugly accusations for weeks. Ive seen the look in their eyes, and the expression on their faces, and it hurt. I want my three jewels to know this. My greatest goal is for them to have a better future than the generations of women before them.

It is still in many ways a mans world. It always has been. We have sexism that is culturalized and institutionalized. My daughters have more talent and natural gifts than I ever had. I want to make sure that society allows them to fly as high as their wings will carry them. There should be no assumptions, no stereotypes, no limitations. I want them to know from the bottom of my heart that I never did and I never would intentionally disrespect a woman or treat any woman differently than I would want them treated. And that is the Gods honest truth. Your dad made mistakes, and he apologized, and he learned from it. And thats what life is all about.

And I know the political process is flawed. And I understand their cynicism and distrust and disappointment now. But dont give it up. Because government is still the best vehicle for making positive social change.

Lastly, I want to remind all New Yorkers of an important lesson and one that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and thats what you New Yorkers did in battling Covid. The enemy landed in New York State. Covid launched the attack here. It came on planes from Europe, and we had no idea. It was an ambush. And it was up to New Yorkers to fight back. We were on our own, and it was war.

Nurses, doctors, essential workers became our front line heroes. Hospitals became the battlegrounds. Streets were still, and sirens filled the citys silence. Trailers carried the bodies of our fallen brothers and sisters. But you refused to give up, and you fought back, and you won, going from the highest infection rate in the nation to one of the lowest. No one thought we could do it. But you did it. You led the nation, and you showed the way forward. And how you did it is whats most important. You did it together, not as Black New Yorkers or white New Yorkers, not as L.G.B.T.Q. New Yorkers or straight New Yorkers, or Democrats or Republicans, or upstate or downtstate, or Jewish, Muslim, Protestant or Catholic New Yorkers, but as one community, one family, the family of New York. You overcame the naysayers and the haters and the fear and the division. And you unified, and you rose and you overcame.

And you saved lives. And that was powerful in its effect. It was beautiful to see. And it was an honor to lead. Please remember that lesson. Hold it dear and hold it up high for this nation to see because it is New York State at her finest, creating her legacy, fulfilling her destiny, giving life an animation to the lady in the harbor, saying excelsior we can be better. We can reach higher. And proclaiming, E Pluribus Unum. Out of many one. unity, community, love. That is our founding premise, and our enduring promise. And that is the salvation of this nation that it so desperately needs to hear. Thank you for the honor of serving you. It has been the honor of my lifetime. God bless you.
Police are today carrying out a forensic search for clues at the site where British hiker Esther Dingley's remains were found by her boyfriend.

French detectives were led there by her boyfriend, Dan Colegate, on Monday as investigators look for clues as to how the experienced hiker died in the Pyrenees.

Colegate, 38, discovered Esther's corpse on Monday afternoon after scouring the route the 37-year-old took before she vanished last November during a solo hike.

Crime investigators are still at the scene, said a source involved in the hunt for more evidence on Wednesday.

They have set up a survey area in the spot where the missing persons body was recovered. Some of her equipment was found, but not all of it, including her tent.

The team are made of Criminal Investigation Technicians from Toulouse, supported by high mountain police from nearby Luchon, and military personnel.

The 'skeletal remains' were close to where a portion of Esthers skull was discovered two weeks ago.

There was no immediate information as to how police managed to miss the human remains for so long, but the source said it was in a natural hideway, such as a gully or cave.

The grim discovery came hours after French investigators admitted for the first time that Esther's death may have been a murder and they 'are not closing the door to any hypothesis'.

Esther went missing on November 22 while solo hiking in the Pyrenees. She was reported missing by Colegate on November 24, just a day before her trip was due to end, sparking a massive manhunt.

The search was suspended in December due to deteriorating weather but resumed in the Spring and human remains, later confirmed to be a piece of Esther's skull, were found a fortnight ago.

The rest of the body of Esther Dingley, (pictured with boyfriend Dan Colegate) the British hiker who went missing in the Pyrenees late last year, has been found

Esther's remains and equipment were found by boyfriend Dan Colegate on Monday as he scoured the routes the 37-year-old took

A team of forensic specialists and mountain rescue personnel were sent yesterday to the site where her remains were found to 'catalogue the scene and recover Esther' said an investigating source.

They have set up a survey area in the spot where the missing persons body was recovered, and are gathering as much new evidence as possible.

Some of her equipment was recovered, but the yellow tent is not among the articles found.

Missing equipment including Esthers Lanshun  Ultralight tent have always been considered crucial to solving the mystery, because of the forensic clues they are likely to yield.

The tent is made of nylon, silicon and aluminium, and so would last in the wilds of the Pyrenees for days, despite exposure to the elements.

Colegate announced Esther's remains had been found in a statement yesterday, adding an accident was 'the most likely hypothesis, given the location and other early indications.

'A full investigation is underway to confirm the details surrounding this tragedy.

'The family remain incredibly grateful for the efforts of the police units involved and their commitment to understanding the exact circumstances of Esther's death', the statement added.

Police on Monday night said publicly for the first time that police are not ruling out that her death may not have been accidental.

Christophe Amunzateguy, the French prosecutor leading the probe told The Sun: 'The aim is to put forward a scenario to explain the disappearance of Esther Dingley,

'To find out what may have happened  whether it was an accidental thesis, or a criminal thesis, because we are not closing the door to any hypothesis.'

Privately, French and Spanish police are known to have put murder low down on their list of theories and believe the Oxford graduate suffered a mountain accident.

Esther went missing on 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.

She had numerous pieces of kit with her at the time of her disappearance, including a bright red and grey rucksack and a distinctive yellow tent.

The discovery of a fragment of Esther's skull by Spanish hikers on a mountain pass on France's border with Spain last month sparked a renewed hunt for the rest of her remains and equipment.

Investigators suggested that Esther's remains may have been moved to the well-trodden trail where the intial bone fragment was discovered, after the hiker perhaps died in a fall.

French police chief Jean-Marc Bordinaro suggested animals could have dragged the remains to the spot where they were discovered.

'Everything suggests that these bones were recently moved by animals. They would not have been there a few days earlier', he said.

Brown bears and wolves are among the creatures roaming freely in the mountain range, where birds of prey such as vultures are also a common sight.

'When this clothing and kit does turn up, it is likely to answer a lot of questions  or pose some more', The Sun reported a spokesman for Esther's family as saying.

'Finding out what happened remains a priority'.

The camper van used by Esther Dingley and her boyfriend on the European tour remains in a compond belonging to the Spanish Civil Guard, in Besanquein, The Pyrenees.

Last month, human remains later confirmed to be Esther's were found by Spanish hikers at 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

The hotel, near the Spanish town of Besanque in The Pyrenees from where Esther set off on her hiking expedition last November before she disappeared.

The 37-year-old Oxford graduate had numerous pieces of kit with her at the time of her disappearance, including a bright red and grey rucksack and a distinctive yellow tent which are yet to be found

Oxford graduate Esther Dingley disappeared while on a solo-hike in the Pyrenees in November

Dingley had planned a solo hike from the Spanish town of Benasque to Pic de Sauvegarde, a mountaintop in the Pyrenees - which she reached on November 22, sending Colegate a picture via WhatsApp, which was their last contact.

She was seen by several witnesses including an Olympic Spanish skier asking for some fruit hiking on the path leading up to the summit.

From there she planned to walk between Port de la Glere and Port de Venasque - a route of some eight miles - before hiking back down from the mountains.

But after two days without contact, Colegate reported Esther missing on November 24, just a day before her trip was due to end, sparking a massive manhunt.

Dan Colegate and Esther's mother Ria Bryant, 74, are assisting with the investigation.

Colegate has expressed disbelief at the theory that Esther may have died after becoming injured during her solo hike as she was an experienced hiker who should have had no problem with the route she is believed to have taken.

In her last known message, sent to Colegate on November 22, Esther wrote: 'Might dip into France. Hoping Refuge Venasque has a winter room. Keep you posted when can. Love you xxx'

Colegate wrote a 23-page report about Esther's plans to do a circular hike between Spain and France which involved sleeping at a mountain refuge.

He said in his dossier: 'An individual that Esther met on November 19 came forward to say he had specifically suggested this route through France, between Port de Venasque and Port de la Glere, to Esther when he met her. There is no reason to think that Esther did not stick to this plan.'

Esther went missing on November 22 while out hiking in the Pyrenees, and last month, human remains were found by Spanish hikers at Port de la Glere, a mountain pass on France 's border with Spain

The 37-year-old from Durham was on a month-long solo trip and was supposed to return on November 24

The pass where Esther Dingley went missing was part of an area described as an 'easy' walk for the British hiker by her boyfriend

In a section titled 'Esther's Planned Onward Route', he suggested she reached the mountain refuge in France and slept there overnight before continuing a hike to return to her initial starting point in Spain.

He said: 'Her onward route would have involved a descent northwards towards the Hospice de France, a flat traverse westwards around the Imperatrice Way, and a climb southwards to the border at Port de la Glere. From the border the route descends back towards Hospital de Benasque.

'This route would have been well within Esther's capabilities for a day hike, in addition to the fact she had a tent, camping equipment and significant experience using it.

'Distance was 16km with 1100 metres of ascent, five to seven hours of hiking time. The weather remained excellent that Monday. The route is very obvious on the ground and also from the terrain when starting from Refuge de Venasque.

'It's basically impossible to get lost in good visibility here. The entire route is a well-made and easy to follow path. Although Esther believed and had warned family that there was poor signal in the area, in fact the signal is very good on the French side.

'Within half an hour of leaving the refuge, Esther should have been able to use her phone for most of the rest of the day.'

The couple, both Oxford graduates, had been travelling around Europe in a camper van for years after quitting their careers and Durham home.

Dingley's boyfriend Dan Colegate (left) has expressed disbelief at the theory that Esther may have died after becoming injured during her solo hike as she was an experienced hiker who should have had no problem with the route she is believed to have taken

Esther's partner of 20 years Dan Colegate (pictured together) claimed in a recent BBC interview he 'could no longer agree' with the idea she had suffered an accident
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Google is planning to slash the salaries of staff who refuse to return to the office with those who live further away hit harder.

The move is part of a Silicon Valley experiment and will see employees who work from home paid less because of the savings they make on commuting and costs like food.

Though the plans are being considered in the US for the moment, it is thought that Google could later apply them to its London office.

The tech giant is preparing for UK staff to return to the office from October - though it expects about a fifth of staff to continue working from home.

And, according to research from CV Library and Reed, the number of working from home positions available are continuing to rise.

CV library carried nearly 70,000 postings which allowed remote working between March and July 2021  four times the number of the year before. On Reed, just 1% of jobs offered remote working in 2019, with the number now at 5%

However, Paul Williams, chief executive of property firm Derwent London, says he expects businesses to return to the office from September, with demand rising for offices with amenities such as gyms, bars and running tracks.

A running track at a site owned by property firm Derwent London. The firm's CEO said demand is rising for offices with appealing amenities

Google headquarters in London. Google is planning to pay employees who work from home less because of the savings they make on commuting and costs like food

The cost of commuting: Mail Online analysis on the thousands of pounds and hundreds of hours people living outside London spend commuting to and from work in the capital. Hours calculated through average journey time multiplied by number of days average UK worker works

It comes after it was revealed that Whitehall officials are considering stripping civil servants of their London weighting if they continue working from home  a salary boost worth around 4,000.

Downing Street refused to condemn civil servants resisting a return to Whitehall, however, amid the calls for them to face a pay cut if they want to continue to work from home.

Property firm chief Mr Williams told BBC Radio 4 Today that his clients are eager to return to offices from September.

He said: 'The demand is being driven by a war for talent. There's a fight for good, green buildings that are zero carbon.

'An adaptable place, a place for people to go for amenities, a building that's got a running track and all the things. A place to go and develop and have creativity.

'Talking to our customers over the last 6 to 18 months there's a strong desire to get back. We are seeing a desire to get back and lots more people planning to get back from September.

'People want to go back to the office. Whether it's to learn or see their colleagues. We've got a lot of roof terraces, bars, gyms. If you keep creating great buildings, more people will come back.'

MailOnline analysis suggests workers could save thousands of pounds and hundreds of hours by working from home instead of commuting into an office in London.

Property firm chief Mr Williams told BBC Radio 4 Today that his clients are eager to return to offices from September

Mr Williams says he expects businesses to return to the office from September, with demand rising for offices with amenities such as gyms, bars and running tracks

Mr Williams added: 'People want to go back to the office. Whether it's to learn or see their colleagues. We've got a lot of roof terraces, bars, gyms. If you keep creating great buildings, more people will come back'

Some of the available amenities in an office building developed by property developer Derwent London

Congestion on UK streets is still comfortably less than the same time in 2020 and 2019 as people gradually return to the office

From Sevenoaks, an annual season ticket costs 3,804, while the journey would see you spend around four hours travelling per week. Annually, this adds up to 166 hours.

From Windsor to London, an annual season ticket costs 3,468, with commuters spending 10 hours a week travelling and 454 hours a year.

Travel times are the same for Oxford to London - though a season ticket costs 5,544.

Those areas are among some of the most popular destinations for Londoners who left the capital during the pandemic.

Workers returning to offices are 'struggling to cope with noise' Many workers returning to offices are struggling to cope with noise or problems with facilities such as video conferencing, a new study suggests. Research among 2,000 adults indicated that most of those who worked from home during the pandemic have now gone back to offices at least once. The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management said only one in four of those it questioned noticed any changes to their office layout on their return. Seven in 10 home workers in the West Midlands, Northern Ireland and London have returned at least temporarily to the office, compared to half in the South West, Wales and North West, said the report. Scottish workers were said to be the least likely to have tried to return. Half of respondents believed they are more productive working from home, especially among younger workers. Linda Hausmanis, chief executive of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management, said: 'We are now at a tipping point, where the majority of us have had the chance to sample working from the office once again. 'For far too many this has been a disappointing and frustrating experience. Employers must invest to allow workplaces to reflect new working realities, or risk a calamitous decline in productivity. 'As we move into new modes of working, businesses must adapt physical spaces, working culture and supporting technologies.' Seven out of 10 returning workers said they struggled to identify any changes to their offices since before the pandemic, and half felt their office needed modernisation. Almost one in three said they no longer felt comfortable sharing a desk with a colleague. Advertisement

Now, Google is appearing to crackdown on those working from home with its new policy.

The plan suggests the firm will deduct salaries based on money saved by commuters.

'Our compensation packages have always been determined by location, and we always pay at the top of the local market based on where an employee works from,' a Google spokesperson said, adding that pay will differ from city to city.

In the US, one Google employee, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation, typically commutes to the Seattle office from a nearby county and would see their pay cut by about 10% by working from home full-time, according estimates by the company's Work Location Tool launched in June.

The employee was considering remote work but decided to keep going to the office - despite the two-hour commute. 'It's as high of a pay cut as I got for my most recent promotion. I didn't do all that hard work to get promoted to then take a pay cut,' they said.

Jake Rosenfeld, a sociology professor at Washington University in St. Louis who researches pay determination, said Google's pay structure raises alarms about who will feel the impacts most acutely, including families.

'What's clear is that Google doesn't have to do this,' Rosenfeld said. 'Google has paid these workers at 100% of their prior wage, by definition. So it's not like they can't afford to pay their workers who choose to work remotely the same that they are used to receiving.'

Screenshots of Google's internal salary calculator show that an employee living in Stamford, Connecticut - an hour from New York City by train - would be paid 15% less if she worked from home, while a colleague from the same office living in New York City would see no cut from working from home.

Interviews with Google employees indicate pay cuts as high as 25% for remote work.

News of Google's plan comes as Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV Library, says he believes working from home is here to stay.

He told MailOnline: 'Contractual obligations, weighting allowances and individual circumstances will be unique to each business. What is apparent is that flexible working is here to stay and we're in a candidate led market with job postings at a record high.

'If businesses choose to cut salaries and benefits for those working from home, there will be plenty opportunities from companies who will be prepared to meet the needs of top job seekers.'

In a recent survey, CV Library asked 2,000 candidates the most important factors in choosing a new job.

More than 50% said a competitive salary - while 43% said reasonable hours and 38.2% said flexible working.

Marcus Storm, of the United Tech and Allied Workers union, said that Google would set a 'dangerous precedent' if it tried to also cut salaries for home workers in the UK.

He told the Times: 'You are discriminating based on where a worker lives not on their ability or even their ability to come into the office.'

Joseph Lappin, head of employment at Stewarts, a law firm, said that British workers had 'greater protections' than their counterparts in the US. 'Employers cannot unilaterally change a key term of the employment contract. Pay will always be a key term,' he said.

Paul Nowak, the TUC's deputy general secretary, said: 'After working hard at home during the pandemic, many workers will want to retain the option of hybrid working into the future. Employers need to negotiate their approach with their staff and unions  without threatening cuts to their pay.'

Civil service union chiefs blasted a Cabinet minister last night for suggesting staff should have their pay cut if they refuse to return to Whitehall (stock image)

Meanwhile, civil service union chiefs blasted a Cabinet minister last night for suggesting staff should have their pay cut if they refuse to return to Whitehall.

They accused ministers of 'dreaming up a rufty-tufty strategy' that was 'devoid of any basis in reality' to force civil servants back into their offices.

Mandarins are also said to have considered stripping civil servants of their London weighting  a salary boost worth around 4,000.

But Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA  the union representing senior civil servants, accused ministers of making 'reckless' and 'cowardly' attacks.

He said it would be a 'legal minefield' to withdraw London weighting and said those proposing it had 'no idea how this works in reality'.

The PCS, the union for those in government departments, has warned of potential strike action if the Government tries to dock civil servants' pay.

A Government spokesman said yesterday there were 'no plans to change terms and conditions around London-based pay'.
Former prime minister David Cameron was at the centre of a fresh lobbying row today after it was revealed a firm he advised won a 123million contract after he contacted the then health secretary Matt Hancock personally.

The ex-Tory leader, who has been criticised for his work with finance house Greensill Capital, is facing further questions over his post-power business activities with a second firm.

Mr Cameron was a paid adviser for US biotech gene-sequencing company Illumina, and wrote to Mr Hancock in April 2019 to invite him to a conference attended by the firm.

Despite ignoring an invite from the firm's executive chairman Jay Flatley weeks earlier, Mr Hancock agreed to go after receiving Mr Cameron's letter, written from his taxpayer-funded post-prime ministerial office, The Times reported.

The event was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hampshire in September 2019. A week later the company was awarded a multimillion-pound contract for genetic sequencing without competition with Genomics England - a company owned by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Mr Cameron had written to Mr Hancock saying: 'I understand Jay [Flatley, the executive chairman of Illumina at the time] has sent this direct to your office, but I wanted to i) ensure that you had seen it personally; and ii) strongly endorse their invitation to this significant conference.'

Mr Cameron denied lobbying on any contracts for the company. He said his role was solely to promote the benefits of genome sequencing.

A government spokesperson told MailOnline: 'This contract, signed to help save lives through better diagnosis, was awarded in the correct way, through the proper process and any suggestion of undue ministerial involvement in the decision making is completely wrong.

Pictured: David Cameron, Matt Hancock, and Jay Flatley at a genomics summit in 2019

'Extensive due diligence was carried out and as set out in the transparency notice the contract was directly awarded because Illumina was the only company considered to have the technical capability to deliver this crucial work.

'The 2019 contract was a follow-on contract to the original sequencing contract with Illumina in 2014 and the company's expertise is being used to help the government roll out the world's first whole genome sequencing programme to better diagnose patients with rare disease and certain cancers.'

A spokesperson for Matt Hancock said: 'The UK's genomic sequencing capacity is one of the biggest in the world and has saved countless lives. Mr Hancock had no involvement in the awarding of these contracts and all normal processes were followed.'

But Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said: 'There is rampant cronyism, sleaze and dodgy lobbying that is polluting our democracy under Boris Johnson and the Conservatives. They hand public money to their mates without a second thought.

'With NHS staff suggesting that it hasn't been possible to make full use of the capacity the contract provided, the Government must answer questions about why it awarded such a huge sum of money without competition in the first place.'

An Illumina spokesman told MailOnline: 'Illumina always follows the correct and necessary process in its negotiations with customers. We have worked with Genomics England since 2013 when we won a competitive tender process for the 78M contract for the 100,000 Genomes Project.

'Our ISO-accredited facilities in Cambridge were chosen by Genomics England as being the most appropriate in the UK in terms of being able to deliver this advanced genomics programme. For the 123M award, Genomics England again did their due diligence and issued a Voluntary ex ante transparency (VEAT) notice which sets out their reasoning for choosing a provider, and invites responses from competitors.

'The 2020 agreement included the sequencing of Covid samples as ''Research Samples'' within the framework of the 2019 agreement.

'The UK is acknowledged to be a world-leader in genomics. The vast majority of David Cameron's work with Illumina is outside the UK, representing the best practices of the UK in genomics to other countries.'

Jay Flatley joined Illumina as a CEO in 1999 and served in that role until 2016, when he took up the role of Executive Chair through 2019, eventually becoming Chair of the Board.

He stepped down from the Board of Directors earlier this year.

A presentation slide found on the company's website outlines how under his leadership, the firm went from having 30 employees in 1999 to more than 4,800 in 2015. Revenue growth also rose from $500,000 in 1999 to $2.2 billion in 2015.

It comes as Mr Cameron faces pressure to reveal how much money he made from finance firm Greensill Capital after denying claims he cashed in more than 7million.

He was earlier this week accused of bringing in a seven-figure sum from his 25-days-per-year role at the company which later collapsed, putting thousands of public sector jobs in jeopardy.

The BBC's Panorama programme claimed to have discovered documents revealing he made 3.25 million after cashing in shares from the company in 2019, and a salary of roughly 700,000 a year for work as a part-time adviser.

David Cameron, left, and Lex Greensill, founder of Greensill Capital, in Saudi Arabia in January 2020

Mr Cameron - who has never revealed how much he was paid - told the programme his remuneration was a private matter.

After the story broke his spokesman said: 'David Cameron did not receive anything like the figures quoted by Panorama.'

But he declined to give an alternative figure in defence of the former premier, who worked for Greensill after quitting No10.

Mr Cameron had also met vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi in March to discuss genetic sequencing, and Illumina was given further contracts with Public Health England worth up to 870,000, the Times reports.

The government denied that contracts had been discussed.

Mr Cameron had visited Illumina's San Diego headquarters after leaving office in 2016, and became a consultant and chairman of the company's international advisory board the following year.

He had listed Illumina as a 'commercial interest' in a statement issued following revelations of his lobbying of ministers on behalf of Lex Greensill.

A spokesman for Mr Cameron said: 'He has never lobbied the government on behalf of the company or been involved in any contract or commercial discussions.'

A source close to Mr Hancock told The Times that he had replied to Illumina's invitation when his schedule was clearer.

Freedom of information disclosures have also reportedly revealed that health ministers Nadine Dorries, Helen Whately and Jo Churchill received lobbying letters from Illumina.
A toddler was mauled to death by his family's Rottweiler in their New York City home last night.

The attack on the 19-month-old happened around 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday at the family's Flatbush home in Brooklyn.

The toddler was being watched by his older siblings while their parents were out, according to the NYPD.

Sources told the New York Daily News that the child's father had left the boy with his two older brothers - aged 11 and nine - in the family's ground floor apartment at E. 17th St. at Cortelyou Road when he went to work.

A toddler was mauled to death by his family's Rottweiler in their New York City home last night

The attack on the 19-month-old happened around 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday at the family's Flatbush home in Brooklyn

A toddler has been mauled to death by his family's Rottweiler in their New York City home last night. He had reportedly been left by his father with his two brothers - aged 11 and 9 - in the family's ground floor apartment at E. 17th St. at Cortelyou Road (pictured)

When the dog attacked the toddler, his terrified siblings are said to have run out into the street to flag a passerby down to help. The person pulled the injured baby out of the apartment, the news outlet reported.

Police officers responding to the scene found the baby 'bleeding heavily' from bite wounds to his neck and shoulder, according to officials.

The youngster died at Maimonides Hospital - a roughly 15-minute drive away - and the dog was taken away by Animal Care and Control, officials said.

When the dog attacked the toddler, his terrified sibling are said to have run out into the street to flag a passerby down to help. The person pulled the injured baby out of the apartment, the news outlet reported. Pictured: File photo of a rottweiler

Sources said the 11-year-old boy told the police the dog had previously attacked him as well.

Upon their return to the family home, the parents were being interrogated by detectives who were working to determine whether anyone broke the law.

As of Wednesday morning, no arrests had been made in connection with the vicious attack, the New York Post reported, citing police sources.
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Britain has bought another 35million doses of Pfizer's Covid vaccine for next autumn's booster jab drive, it was claimed today.

Whitehall sources say the deal will cost in the region of 1billion, after the drug giant hiked its prices by a fifth in response to demand.

Ministers already ordered an extra 60million doses for this year's campaign to give out third doses, which would be enough to give top-ups to all 54million British adults and fully vaccinate the 1.4million 16- and 17-year-olds who are now eligible.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid yesterday confirmed preparations were in place for the booster campaign to start next month.

But experts have repeatedly questioned whether they are even necessary. One of No10's top scientific advisers today claimed top-ups may only be needed for anyone with a weak immune system, such as cancer patients, the elderly and transplant recipients.

Professor Adam Finn, who sits on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)  which advises the Government on vaccine policy, said the evidence on whether all over-50s need them remains unclear.

Pfizer has insisted a third dose of its vaccine is necessary and BioNTech  the German firm which produces the vaccine alongside the drug giant  has said double-jabbed people need another dose for a 'robust neutralization response'.

Vaccine equity campaigners have slammed Pfizer for profiteering during the pandemic, calling the company's move to increase the price of its jabs 'shamefully unsurprising'.

It comes after a study claimed Moderna's jab is better than Pfizer's at stopping people getting infected with the Delta variant. One expert behind the research said Moderna's jab would be better for top-ups.

Britain has bought another 35million doses of Pfizer's Covid vaccine (shaded on graph) for next autumn's boost jab drive but the deal will cost nearly 800million after the pharmaceutical company hiked prices by a fifth

Professor Adam Finn (left), who sits on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)  which advises the Government on vaccine policy  says people who have a weak immune system are likely to need a booster jab but it is still unclear whether it will be needed for all over-50s. Danny Altmann (right), professor of immunology at Imperial College London, says 'any boosting is better than none'

Moderna's Covid jab should be given as booster doses this autumn because it's better than Pfizer's in stopping Delta, firm's boss claims People who received a Covid jab from Moderna or Pfizer for their first two doses should have a booster shot from the former because of its superior protection against the Delta variant, an expert has claimed. Two reports published in medRxiv suggested Moderna's vaccine could be more effective against the Delta variant than Pfizer's. In a study of more than 50,000 patients in the Mayo Clinic Health System, researchers found the effectiveness of Moderna's vaccine against infection had dropped to 76 per cent in July  when the Delta variant was predominant  from 86 per cent in early 2021. Over the same period, the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine had fallen to 42 per cent from 76 per cent, researchers said. While both vaccines remain effective at preventing Covid hospitalisation, a Moderna booster shot may be necessary soon for anyone who got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines earlier this year, according to Dr Venky Soundararajan of Massachusetts data analytics company nference, who led the Mayo study. In a separate study, elderly nursing home residents in Ontario produced stronger immune responses  especially to worrisome variants  after the Moderna vaccine than after the Pfizer vaccine. The elderly may need higher vaccine doses, boosters, and other preventative measures, said Anne-Claude Gingras of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute in Toronto, who led the Canadian study. When asked to comment on both research reports, a Pfizer spokesperson said: 'We continue to believe a third dose booster may be needed within six to 12 months after full vaccination to maintain the highest levels of protection.' Advertisement

Pfizer previously priced its jabs at around 18, according to The Times, which means the UK's current outlay on this year's booster jabs would be in the region of 1.1billion.

Other reports suggested the price was slightly lower, at around 14 per dose, which would have cost Downing Street approximately 840million for the 60million doses.

But the company has increased prices by a fifth to 22 each, meaning Britain's order for next year would cost around 770million.

The Times claimed the deal  which sources told the newspaper would be announced later this week  could be as high as 1billion.

Europe also ordered another 900million doses  but it is said to be paying slightly less at 16.50 per dose, according to contracts seen by the Financial Times.

Campaigners Global Justice Now criticised Pfizer for 'jacking up prices' despite billions of people around the world remaining unvaccinated.

The group's director Nick Dearden said: 'Not content with profiting 10 billion from their vaccine this year, it's shamefully unsurprising that Pfizer is jacking up its prices for the NHS in the middle of a pandemic.

'But billions of people remain unvaccinated in countries with health systems that can ill-afford this kind of profiteering.

'Once again, low and middle-income countries will be sent to the back of the queue while the UK splashes out on overpriced booster jabs.

'The 35million doses we have ordered for 2022 could provide two doses for everyone in a country like Haiti, where just 340 people are currently vaccinated.'

And experts have already suggested Britain's order this year may have been a waste, with a broad third dose programme to all adults 'unlikely' to be necessary.

Even the boss of AstraZeneca, which is selling doses at cost and is not making profit from its jabs, has claimed booster doses may not be needed.

Discussing the plans today, Professor Finn told BBC Breakfast: 'We've been asked to advise as to who may receive a booster if it proves necessary to give boosters.

'I think it's becoming quite clear there are a small group of people whose immune responses to the first two doses are likely to be inadequate  people who've got immunosuppression of one kind or another, perhaps because they've got immunodeficiency or they've been receiving treatment for cancer or bone marrow transplants or organ transplants, that kind of thing.

'I think it's quite likely we'll be advising on a third dose for some of those groups.

'A broader booster programme is still uncertain, we've laid out potential plans so that the logistics of that can be put together, alongside the flu vaccine programme.

'We need to review evidence as to whether people who receive vaccines early on in the programme are in any serious risk of getting serious disease and whether the protection they've got from those first two doses is still strong  we clearly don't want to be giving vaccines to people that don't need them.'

Yesterday, JCVI chair Sir Andrew Pollard told MPs booster jabs would only be needed for most of the population if there was an increase in hospitalisations and death among people already doubled-jabbed, which 'is not something we're seeing at the moment'.

Older teenagers seriously ill with Covid-19 'led to jabs rollout extension' The number of 16 and 17-year-olds becoming 'seriously ill' with coronavirus informed the extension of the vaccination rollout to that age group, a member of the committee advising on jabs said. Professor Adam Finn, who sits on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and is a professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol, said there had been 'a couple' of 17-year-olds in that area who needed intensive care in hospital in recent weeks. He said while most young people will only have the virus in a mild form, the vaccines will be effective at preventing serious cases. He told BBC Breakfast: 'We're going cautiously down through the ages now into childhood and it was clear that the number of cases and the number of young people in the age group  16, 17  that were getting seriously ill merited going forward with giving them just a first dose.' He said the JCVI would advise 'when and what' the second dose for that age group would be after assessing more data. He added: 'Most young people who get this virus get it mildly or even without any symptoms at all. 'But we are seeing cases in hospital even into this age group  we've had a couple of 17-year-olds here in Bristol admitted and needing intensive care over the course of the last four to six weeks  and so we are beginning to see a small number of serious cases. 'What we know for sure is that these vaccines are very effective at preventing those kind of serious cases from occurring.' NHS England said nearly 16,000 people in the 16 to 17-year-old age group have already received their vaccine over the weekend, just days after JVCI guidance was updated. Extending the jabs rollout further down to the 12 to 15-year-old age group has not been ruled out. Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, said he thinks doing so would be 'a good thing'. He told Times Radio the more unvaccinated people there are, the more lungs there are 'for virus to percolate in, therefore it's got to be a good thing to be vaccinating more children down through the age range'. He said children who have the virus but do not have symptoms are 'as dangerous to the spread as anybody else'. He said: 'From a medical scientific point of view, I'd say there's nothing special about the virus in their lungs that can't transmit through to their families, through to their schoolteachers, through to their colleagues.' Advertisement

The Oxford professor told the all-party parliamentary group on coronavirus: 'The decision to boost or not should be scientifically driven.

'The time which we would need to boost is if we saw evidence that there was an increase in hospitalisation or people dying amongst those who are vaccinated. That is not something that we're seeing at the moment.

'But we have to also have an understanding scientifically about how the vaccines work and they are providing very high levels of protection against that severe end of the spectrum.

'But also, even as the levels of immunity start to drop that we can measure in the blood, our immune system still remembers that we were vaccinated and we'll be remembering decades from now that we have those two doses of vaccine. So there isn't any reason at this moment to panic.'

Meanwhile, Professor Danny Altmann, an immunologist at Imperial College London, this morning told Times Radio: 'For a vulnerable person whose immunity is suboptimal, any boosting is better than none, and some of the data is quite promising on getting people back up into that protective zone.'

And Professor Jonathan Ball, a virologist at Nottingham University, said a study he led showing people who had been infected with Covid and later received two jabs have stronger immunity against variants of concern offers the 'best evidence yet' for the booster programme.

Natural infection and two doses of Pfizer's jab increase antibody response against Delta and Lambda to 'a similar virus-killing level to that youd see in fully vaccinated individuals for the original [Wuhan] lineage', the study claimed.

Professor Ball said the evidence gave a 'pretty compelling' justification for offering third jabs to healthcare workers.

But truth on how long immunity lasts from the vaccine and natural infection remain a mystery. The study also only looked at antibodies, which form only a small part of the body's overall immune response.

The Pfizer order marks a shift away from the UK's previous preference for AstraZeneca's vaccine, which was given to most over-40s in the early stages of the rollout.

Ministers prefer Pfizer for third doses because early studies suggest a 'mix and match' approach to vaccinating produces a better response.

And Pfizer's jab appears to better at the Delta variant than AstraZeneca's, according to real-world data.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said: 'We have secured access to more than 500million doses of Covid vaccines and we are confident our supply will support potential booster programmes in the future.'

The statement came as BioNTech announced it had earned 13.5billion ($18.6billion) in revenue from the vaccine this year, up from an earlier estimate of 10.5billion 12.4 billion euros ($14.5billion).

Its partner Pfizer last month announced earnings of revealed it had made 5.6billion ($7.8billion) from jab sales during the second quarter of this year.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca  which is selling jabs at cost  only made 644million ($900million) during the same period.

It came as Professor Finn said the JCVI advised the Government that children aged 16 and 17 would need the jab after seeing a small number of serious cases in the age group.

He said: 'We're going cautiously down through the ages now into childhood and it was clear that the number of cases and the number of young people in the age group  16, 17  that were getting seriously ill merited going forward with giving them just a first dose.

'Most young people who get this virus get it mildly or even without any symptoms at all.

'But we are seeing cases in hospital even into this age group  we've had a couple of 17-year-olds here in Bristol admitted and needing intensive care over the course of the last four to six weeks  and so we are beginning to see a small number of serious cases.

'What we know for sure is that these vaccines are very effective at preventing those kind of serious cases from occurring.'

He said the group would advise 'when and what' the second dose for 16 and 17-year-olds would be after assessing more data.

Professor Finn said that even though 16-year-olds do not need parental consent to get the vaccine, in practice most are guided by parents, who he hoped would advise their children to take up the vaccine when offered.
Janos Sztojka (pictured), from Braunstone in Leicestershire, 'lived like a king'

A human trafficking boss has been jailed for six years after using a man as a slave, disciplining him with a stun gun and making him sleep next to his dogs.

Janos Sztojka, 33, from Braunstone in Leicestershire, 'lived like a king' while keeping a 31-year-old man with learning difficulties as a virtual prisoner over the course of two years, a judge heard.

Video footage captured the moment Sztojka was arrested and his home was raided by police before a stun gun and wads of cash were found.

Sztojka forced his victim to carry out household chores and spent the majority of the money the man earned at a Derby food production factory - including buying a lavish 180 birthday cake for his wife and flights for four other men he trafficked into the UK from Hungary.

Leicester Crown Court heard Sztojka, who used a number of aliases including Johnny Boss, controlled the finances of all five men and made sure they were escorted to and from the factory where he arranged for them to work.

He also forged utility bills to open bank accounts in each of their names - which he then sold via the black market to other crooks who used the accounts to launder around 150,000.

Sztojka also admitted possessing a prohibited item, a Taser-like stun gun, that was seized from his home, which his slavery victim claimed was used to discipline him.

The defendant, who has previous convictions for burglary and money laundering, was deported from the UK in May 2017 but returned soon afterwards.

He then arranged for the Hungarian males, who were between 19 and 56 years old and spoke little English, to come to Leicestershire under the guise of providing them with well-paid jobs.

But the victims' salaries were paid into Onepay card accounts, which were controlled by Sztojka, and they were given only 'a fraction of what they earned'.

The domestic slave victim later told the police Szoska 'took me for an idiot.'

Rufus D'Cruz, prosecuting, said: 'He had no access to cash and was paid in food and cigarettes and sometimes not even that.

Sztojka forced his victim to carry out household chores and spent the majority of the money the man earned at a Derby food production factory. Pictured, a police raid on the house

The defendant, who has previous convictions for burglary and money laundering, was deported from the UK in May 2017. Pictured, during Szojka's arrest

'He wasn't allowed to leave the house, the defendant would lock the door and not let him out and he felt like he was in prison, being monitored by CCTV cameras.

'If he refused to do something he would be shouted at and slapped on the face, leaving him scared, stressed and nervous.

'His sleeping accommodation was shared with three dogs and he described himself as "the fourth dog in the household". He wasn't allowed to eat what, or when, he wanted.'

Footage taken by police of the operation shows dozens of police officers raiding Szojka's home.

One clip shows Sztojka being led away by officers as he was arrested alongside several others.

Another shows a stun gun and police handling wads of cash that was earned by the victims.

Sztojka used a stun gun on his victim on three occasions, pressing the weapon onto his leg over his trousers and once causing him to fall on the floor, leaving him feeling 'hurt and humiliated', the court heard.

The 30,500-volt weapon was recovered by the police and the defendant claimed it was left at his home by 'someone else.'

Between October 2018 and December 2020 neighbours noticed the victim regularly cleaning up outside the house while Sztojka did nothing other than 'strutting around like he was a king.'

They said the victim was often seen 'rushing out to unload the shopping' from the car.

Another witness said the victim was treated 'like a b***h boy', was constantly being shouted at and appeared 'visibly scared'.

His salary payment card was used by the defendant or his partner for purchases in shops such as Boots and at petrol stations in Leicester, often while the victim was busy working.

The offences were discovered when the victims' employment agency and the factory's management reported their concerns about the five Hungarian workers to the government's Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, resulting in an investigation.

Four of the victims, who were living at the home of the defendant's relative in Wigston, were only in the UK for about four months before their 'dark situation' was discovered.

Sztojka was said to come from a 'Romany gypsy background' with no relatives remaining in Hungary. Pictured, money found during a raid on the house

Sztojka also admitted possessing a prohibited item, a Taser-like stun gun (pictured), that was seized from his home, which his slavery victim claimed was used to discipline him

What are the signs of modern slavery? Someone in slavery might: Appear to be under the control of someone else and reluctant to interact with others;

Not have personal identification on them have few personal belongings;

Wear the same clothes every day or wear unsuitable clothes for work;

Not be able to move around freely;

Be reluctant to talk to strangers or the authorities;

Appear frightened, withdrawn, or show signs of physical or psychological abuse;

Dropped off and collected for work always in the same way, especially at unusual times, i.e. very early or late at night Source: Antislavery.org Advertisement

More than 17,000, including 8,000 from the man who was kept as a slave, was stolen from all five men.

Judge Robert Brown told Sztojka: 'The treatment of your victims, in particular one of them, was deplorable.

'He was particularly vulnerable, with learning difficulties, and you had him captive in your household for two years. When he wasn't working in a factory he was performing chores in your home at your behest.

'There was a high degree of deceitfulness towards all five victims as you controlled their pay cards and they were economically trapped.'

He said Sztojka, who has a partner and a small child from a different relationship, would be deported to Hungary at the end of his sentence - for a second time.

Henry James, mitigating, said four of the victims were given a portion of their wages and had not complained about the food or accommodation they were given - and one left the situation of his own free will. He added they were not kept in squalor.

He claimed the defendant fraudulently opened bank accounts in the victims' names to sell on under the instructions of someone else, which he said was the main reason for bringing the men into the country on a short-term basis.

Sztojka was said to come from a 'Romany gypsy background' with no relatives remaining in Hungary.

He was jailed for six years after admitting five counts of facilitating travel of a person with a view to exploitation, one count of requiring someone to perform forced or compulsory labour, one count of making or supplying articles [bogus utility bills] for use in fraud and one count of being concerned in money laundering.

He was also made the subject of a 10-year Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Order.

The defendant will face a proceeds of crime confiscation hearing later in the year, with a view to seizing any assets and compensating the victims.
A family has paid tribute to a boy killed on his 10th birthday alongside his four-year-old sister in a horror crash on the M1.

Relatives posted on social media in memory of Smaller and Lilly McCann who died near Milton Keynes after their car crashed with a lorry on Monday night.

Their mother's Facebook page showed a photograph of Smaller next to a birthday cake and 10th birthday balloon from earlier in the day.

The heartbreaking news comes as a woman was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and drink-driving.

The 35-year-old from Derby was remanded in custody over the deaths of the brother and sister.

Devastated family members paid heartbreaking tributes to the children (left, Smaller, right, Lilly) on social media

Their mother's Facebook page showed an image of smaller next to a birthday cake and 10th birthday balloon from earlier on Monday

There was also a post of a birthday cake showing it was Smaller's 10th birthday on the day he died

Smaller and Lilly were passengers in a white Vauxhall Astra which collided with a Scania lorry between junctions 14 and 15 of the motorway, near Milton Keynes

Smaller and Lilly were passengers in a white Vauxhall Astra which collided with a Scania lorry between junctions 14 and 15 of the motorway, near Milton Keynes.

Another child passenger and the driver of the Astra were injured and taken to hospital but have since been discharged.

The HGV driver was not injured in the incident, which happened at about 11.10pm on Monday.

It is not known what relation the arrested women is to the children. She remains in custody.

Investigating officer Sergeant Dominic Mahon, of the serious collision investigation unit at Bicester, Oxfordshire, said: 'My thoughts remain with the family of the two children who sadly died at this extremely difficult time.

'We are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed this collision or anyone who may have dashcam footage that may have captured what happened, or either of the vehicles prior to the collision, to please get in touch.'

Devastated family members paid heartbreaking tributes to the children on social media.

One wrote: 'Life is cruel to take them away from my lovely brother. Best old father in the world, he put them first no matter how hard he hit they were his life please god give him the strength.'

The HGV driver was not injured in the incident, which happened at about 11.10pm on Monday (file photo)

The children's aunt said: 'RIP my perfect little niece and nephew. Aunt Elizabeth's old pet Smaller and me little frilly Lilly.

'Love you always and forever and never in this lifetime will you ever be forgotten, always loved.'

A family friend put: 'Mortal divine RIP beautiful angels. So sorry for your loss, their poor mommy and daddy.'

A cousin wrote: 'Can't believe I'm even writing this but rest in peace to my two beautiful little cousins Smaller and Lilly.

'I love you with all my heart. I love you so much this don't even feel real. What has this world come to, hearts in bits. RIP my babies.'
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Takeaway giants Deliveroo and Just Eat have seen a huge rise in sales despite the end of lockdown, new figures show.

The Covid pandemic resulted in a fast food spending boom with some 15 billion in sales registered last year compared to 2019.

The spend is largely down to the regularity of orders, with 38% of homes tucking into a takeaway at least once a week, according to the British Takeaway Campaign.

In new figures released today, Deliveroo said it took 71.4 million orders in the first six months of 2021 in the UK, double the figure of 34.7 million recorded in the same period last year. It also reported a doubling of gross transaction value, to nearly 3.4 billion.

Rivals Just Eat, meanwhile, have also experienced a substantial sales hike, having received 135 million orders in the first half of this year, up from 76.8 million in 2020 - a rise of 76%.

The firms have been boosted by more than a year of on-and-off lockdowns in the UK, with customers unable to visit restaurants, and so ordering their food online instead.

At the start of lockdown, takeaway companies were hailed for their importance by ministers, with the Government reportedly asking pizza giant Domino's to keep stores open 'and provide local communities freshly made pizza to help boost morale and keep people safe at home'.

Despite restrictions easing, Deliveroo said today that so far it has proven fairly immune to the end of lockdown, with 'no material impact' from the UK reopening during the second quarter of the year.

In accounting, anything with a less than 1% effect on turnover can be considered as having no material impact.

In new figures released today, Deliveroo said it took 148.8 million orders in the first six months of 2021, double the figure of 74.5 million recorded in the same period last year

Chief executive Will Shu said: 'We are seeing strong growth and engagement across our marketplace as lockdowns continue to ease.

'Demand has been high amongst consumers. We have widened our consumer base, seen people continuing to order frequently, and we now work with more food merchants than any other platform in the UK.'

But Deliveroo said it will not last forever and the lockdown bounce is likely to ease off in the second half of the year.

The company said it expects gross transaction value to grow between 50% and 60% this year, sticking to guidance it provided in July.

'As reflected in our guidance, whilst we expect that consumer behaviour may moderate later in the year, we remain excited about the opportunity ahead and our ability to capitalise on it,' Mr Shu said.

The business is still loss-making but cut pre-tax loss from 128.4 million to 104.8 million over the period, on revenue of 922.5 million - up 82%.

A report by the British Takeaway Campaign included research on families' habits when placing orders, which included evidence that consumers are now relying on apps and websites more than the phone.

Some 39% say that mobile apps are their preferred method of ordering takeaways, while 24% place orders through a website.

Furthermore, those who order via apps or websites also spend more per order than those who order in person or over the phone, according to the campaign, with half of 2020's total spend on takeaways made via apps.

The report adds: 'App users are also almost twice as likely to have ordered from new restaurants since the outbreak of the pandemic. These findings illustrate how vital technology is, allowing business owners to find new customers and in some cases increase revenue compared to prepandemic.'

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It comes as takeaway delivery app, Foodhub has revealed that Birmingham ordered more lockdown takeaways than anywhere else in the UK - taking the title of the UK's takeaway capital

Earlier this year, fellow takeaway Just Eat revealed which was the most popular takeaway meal in each region

Ibrahim Dogus, the campaign's chair, said: 'For a long time, takeaway was seen as the ugly duckling of the hospitality industry, easily dismissed as not having the polish or skill of restaurant food.

'The innovation and ability to adapt that we have seen during the pandemic has shown how far from the truth that perception was. Michelin-starred restaurants now provide meal kits to eat at home  this is simply takeaway by another name.

'If there is one thing silver lining I can take from this pandemic, it is that it has shown that to draw a dividing line between takeaways and restaurants no longer makes business sense.

'The strongest, most resilient hospitality businesses are those which have adapted and built their takeaway capability as part of their wider offering to customers.'

It is less than five months since Deliveroo came to market with a problematic float which saw its share price collapse.

The London-based firm had hoped to sell shares for 390p each when it listed, but the market had other ideas.

Within just a couple of weeks the share price hit a low of 225p. Since then it has recovered much of that ground, but still lags behind the initial optimism.

Uber Eats has been contacted for comment and new figures.
The Greek woman who was pictured fleeing her burning home in anguish has revealed she lost sight of her husband moments before the iconic image, which has become the new face of global warming, was taken.

Panayiota Noumidi, 81, explained she could not find her husband as flames engulfed their home on the island of Evia because he was helping battle the wildfires, causing her to cry out for help.

She was later reunited with her husband and taken to a hospital for treatment but said she wants to return to Gouves, her home for 34 years, and continue life as normal.

Noumidi said she was not bothered by the image, which has been likened to Edvard Munch's The Scream, but said she hoped to one day wake up and 'see everything as I knew it'.

Greece has for over a week been ravaged by wildfires which, fanned by strong winds, have torn through forest dried out in a blistering heatwave.

Hardest-hit has been the island of Evia, where flames have now raged for nine days - racing from one side of the island to the other, reducing everything in their path to ash, and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate.

Panayiota Noumidi, 81, who was pictured fleeing her burning home in anguish on August 8, has revealed she lost sight of her husband moments before the iconic image

Noumidi told Star.Gr she hoped to return to her home in Gouves, Evia, one day wake up and 'see everything as I knew it'

Noumidi explained she could not find her husband as flames engulfed their home on the island of Evia because he was helping battle the wildfires - the pair (pictured) were later reunited

The iconic image which has made Noumidi the new face of global warming appeared on the front page of the Daily Mail on Tuesday August 10

Noumidi, who is originally from Athens, lives with her husband in Gouves, a village in northern Evia.

She explained she lost sight of her husband as the flames came towards the house because he 'was running with a bucket of water to try to put it out'.

'The police, the people, everyone gathered... everyone came and helped', she told Star.Gr.

Noumidi added: 'I was shouting and screaming helplessly. And as I suffer from hypertension, I collapsed falling to the ground. The police came and found me, gathered me and took me to the local health clinic.'

'My mind blurred and I didn't know what to do. That's why I screamed.

She explained police took her to a hospital for treatment following the ordeal, and that she was given injections and oxygen by medics.

She was told by doctors she should not leave the hospital, but admitted she 'did not want to sit', describing the hours of waiting as 'nightmarish'.

'I wanted to come back to my house... I want to get up one day and see everything as I knew it...

'I love this place and its people.'

Noumidi said she was not bothered by the images, which were likened to Edvard Munch's The Scream, but said she hoped to one day wake up and 'see everything as I knew it'

Noumidi said she was told by doctors she should not leave the health centre, but admitted she 'did not want to sit' and instead wanted to return home

Noumidi said at least three houses near her own were at risk from the fire, but that nurses at the hospital reassured her the homes had not been burned.

She thanked local youths for helping prevent widespread damage to homes Gouves, saying, 'it was the young people, who rallied together with water supplies that saved the homes here.'

She went on: 'We always hope but we can't be smiling all the time. When you see this tragedy unfolding before you, how can you crack a smile? You keep the hope though', she told a local broadcaster, Antenna television.

But Noumidi was visibly upset during the interview with Star.Gr, telling the reporter 'why should the forest be burned? Isn't it a sin?' in an impassioned speech.

She said she was 'not interested' in the viral image, but rather wanted to 'get up one day and see everything as I knew it'.

'I'm interested in showing interested in Evia', she added. 'All of Evia has burned down.'

The Evia fire is one of more than 500 blazes that have broken out in just a few days across Greece, which is in the midst of its worst heatwave in 30 years, but is by far the most widespread and severe.

Greek villagers have refused to evacuate and are working around the clock to save their homes as wildfires continued to ravage the island of Evia for the eighth consecutive day

The Evia fire (pictured near Asmini village) is one of around a dozen currently burning in Greece, which is in the midst of its worst heatwave in 30 years, but is by far the most widespread and severe

A local resident helps firefighters as they try to extinguish flames raging on the island of Evia, with locals in some areas saying they have been abandoned to battle the blazes without help

The fire brigade was bracing for a pick up in winds from Tuesday afternoon which could cause more flare ups on Greece's second largest island, amid fears other fronts on the Peloponnese could also be reignited

The Evia fire is one of more than 500 blazes that have broken out in just a few days across Greece, which is in the midst of its worst heatwave in 30 years, but is by far the most widespread and severe

Firefighter helicopters are filled with water off the beach of the village of Pefki as emergency services continue to tackle wildfires in Greece

On Evia alone, almost half a million acres of tinder-dry forest has been torched while at least 1,000 homes have been burned to the ground in the village of Mantoudi.

Images coming from Evia have at-time seemed hopeless as residents battled to save their homes using tree branches - hitting out flames due to water shortages.

Some were refusing to evacuate on Tuesday, mounting a desperate defence of their livelihoods using whatever they could lay their hands on with no sign of fire crews.

The fires prompted Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to declare on Monday 'a natural disaster of unprecedented proportions'.

Giving an address to the nation, Mitsotakis pointed to climate change as the cause of the disaster but said it is 'not an excuse' for the government's response, which has been widely slammed as inadequate.

'We did what was humanly possible, but in many cases it was not enough,' he said, while apologising for 'any shortcomings' on the part of the state.

'Because of the unprecedented heatwave and prolonged drought, (the fires) are hard to extinguish'.

Damage on the island of Evia 'blackens everyone's hearts', Mitsotakis said, while promising compensation for victims, a reforesting campaign, and millions of Euros to bolstering the country's defences against natural disasters.

It comes after the UN on Monday published a damning report warning the world is already experiencing the effects of climate changes - and that they are set to get rapidly worse.

It highlighted how scientists are quantifying the extent to which human-induced warming increases the intensity and/or likelihood of a specific extreme weather event, such as a heatwave, drought, or a wildfire.

Scientists had expected temperatures to rise by 1.5C above pre-industrial levels between 2030 and 2052 but now believe it will happen between this year and 2040 - the bombshell report dubbed a 'code red for humanity' warned.

The world's largest ever report into climate change also said it was 'unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, oceans and land'.

'It's just guaranteed that it's going to get worse,' said report co-author Linda Mearns, a senior climate scientist at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research. 'I don't see any area that is safe Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.'
Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump has been slammed for hailing the removal of 'master bedroom' from real estate listings because of its 'association with slavery.'

Crump, who represented George Floyd's family, tweeted: 'Words MATTER! Good to see Minnesota phasing out the use of 'master bedroom' in real estate listings. Many associate it with slavery, a repetitive reminder of plantation life. Together, we can create more inclusive, aware communities!'

He was sharing an article from the Star Tribune on Monday which reported that 'master' was gradually being phased by Minnesota realtors for 'primary' or 'main' when referring to the largest bedroom in a house because of a 'racial reckoning'.

The 51-year-old lawyer was widely ridiculed for the etymological leap in taking issue with 'master', derived from the Latin 'magister' (chief, leader, teacher), the word has been used for centuries in English to refer to a man with authority over something or someone.

Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who represented the George Floyd family, outside the federal courthouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota last summer

Crump was sharing an article from the Star Tribune on Monday which reported that 'master' was gradually being phased out for 'primary' or 'main' when referring to the largest bedroom in a house because of a 'racial reckoning'

The 51-year-old lawyer was widely ridiculed for the etymological leap in taking issue with 'master', derived from the Latin 'magister' (chief, leader, teacher), the word has been used for centuries in English to refer to a man with authority over something or someone

'Master' and its widespread applications in English Master, and similar European derivations of its Latin root 'magister' (chief, leader, teacher) such as 'maitre' (French), 'maestro' (Italian), 'meister' (German), have been around for centuries - long before the first slave ships landed in America. As well as the term 'slave master,' there are countless other applications of 'master' which have no links whatsoever to slavery. Some examples include: bandmaster, headmaster, housemaster, ironmaster, paymaster, postmaster, ringmaster, spymaster, and whoremaster. The first usage of 'master bedroom' was in a Sears catalogue from 1926, which offered a kit for building your own home. An architectural historian told The New York Times last year that Sears may have introduced the term 'as a way to attract aspirational suburban home buyers who aimed to be viewed as part of the expanding middle class after WWI.' Advertisement

One person tweeted: 'Does this mean my student loans for my master's degree are being refunded?'

Another replied mockingly: 'I had lost the master key I use to unlock the closet where I keep all the master tapes from my recording studio, but unfortunately, because I never mastered the art of lock picking, I can't get to them. I'll bet a criminal mastermind would have no problem, though!'

An ironic comment said: 'Nearly all slave owners had fingers. Fingers are a stark reminder of the evils of slavery. Its time we remove all human fingers to create a more inclusive, aware world.'

The first usage of 'master bedroom' was in a Sears catalogue from 1926, which offered a kit for building your own home.

An architectural historian told The New York Times last year that Sears may have introduced the term 'as a way to attract aspirational suburban home buyers who aimed to be viewed as part of the expanding middle class after World War I.'

The Houston Association of Realtors stopped using the term last June as the Black Lives Matter protests swept America in the wake of George Floyd's death.

The Real Estate Board of New York has also said it will review usage of the term in its residential listings.

In Minnesota, there has been no such ruling but individual realtors are now reportedly less inclined to use 'master bedroom.'

Jackie Berry, a listing agent for Edina Realty, told the Star Tribune: 'There's a hidden discriminatory piece that falls when you say "master" bedroom.

A stock image of a house for sale

'I'm a person of color and every time the term "master bedroom" was used, I kept saying to myself, "I don't like how it sounds." Now as I'm walking through a property, I'll just say it's the owners' or primary suite.'

It is part of a broader sensitivity in real estate which has seen a shift away from gendered language, such as 'man cave', and substituting it for gender neutral words like 'den.'

Terms such as 'guesthouse' have replaced names which are believed to be more antiquated, such as 'mother-in-law suite.'

And instead of 'his-and-hers,' 'dual closet' or 'dual-entry bathroom' are considered more appropriate.
PepsiCo Inc will launch a Mountain Dew-branded alcoholic beverage in the United States early next year, months after Coca-Cola Co launched its first alcoholic drink in the country.

Truly hard seltzer and Sam Adams maker Boston Beer Co will develop and make the flavored malt beverage, which will be called 'Hard Mtn Dew'.

The drink will come in three flavors, including an 'original' citrus flavor, as well as black cherry and watermelon variations.

Truly hard seltzer and Sam Adams maker Boston Beer Co will develop and make the flavored malt beverage, which will be called 'Hard Mtn Dew'. The drink will come in three flavors (pictured), including an 'original' citrus flavor, black cherry and watermelon

'Hard Mtn Dew' will have an alcohol by volume of 5%, the companies said, and is expected to hit the shelves some time in early 2022.

'We know that adult drinkers' tastes are evolving, and they are looking for new and exciting flavorful beverages,' Boston Beer Chief Executive Officer Dave Burwick said.

In a press release, the companies said they joined forces because they 'understand the importance of delivering new, breakthrough innovations to address the changing tastes of drinkers'.

The announcement comes at a time when demand for hard seltzer has slowed, something that Boston Beer CEO Dave Burwick acknowledged last month.

Burwick said that the boozy seltzer fad was fading, and that new brands entering the market was confusing customers.

This sent shares in the company spiraling by 30 per cent, and its stock hasn't fully recovered since, with it still being down 2 percent as on Tuesday.

Burwick said at the time the company had 'overestimated the growth of the hard seltzer category in the second quarter and the demand for Truly, which negatively impacted our volume and earnings for the quarter and our estimates for the remainder of the year.'

The announcement comes at a time when demand for hard seltzer has slowed, something that Boston Beer CEO Dave Burwick (pictured right) acknowledged last month. This sent shares in the company spiraling by 30 percent, and its stock hasn't fully recovered since, with it still being down 2 percent as on Tuesday

But Boston Beer Co will be hoping that partnering with known-brand Mountain Dew with PepsiCo's backing will help the company.

Despite the slow-down in growth, the hard Seltzer industry is still up nearly 200 percent when compared with 2019.

Earlier this year, PepsiCo introduced an energy drink called Mountain Dew Rise, with the company investing heavily into the category, having last year spent $3.85 billion to purchase energy-drink company Rockstar.

Last week the beverage giant announced that it would be selling Tropicana and other juice brands to private equity firm PAI Partners, which sees an end to its ownership of one of its most famous and recognizable holdings.
A senior manager at an NHS trust was sacked after telling white colleagues all northerners are racist, asking a colleague if he could kiss her and undermining his boss, a tribunal has heard.

Olufemi Obileye, who describes himself as black African, unjustly accused a white colleague of racism and said he made the comment because 'everybody who came from the north of Watford is racist'.

Mr Obileye was later fired from his role as a senior contracts and performance manager at Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust - a north London based specialist mental health trust which includes a controversial gender identity development service.

The tribunal heard Mr Obileye was sacked after he undermined his boss, hugged her against her wishes, was rude about another colleague, exacerbated the anxiety suffered by another worker, and made someone else uncomfortable by asking whether he could kiss her.

But Mr Obileye sued the NHS trust for racial discrimination, a claim that was later dismissed by an employment tribunal.

Olufemi Obileye, who describes himself as black African, unjustly accused a white colleague of racism and said he made the comment because 'everybody who came from the north of Watford is racist'. Pictured, NHS Tavistock

The tribunal heard Mr Obileye worked in a small and racially diverse team that was responsible for managing contracts for the trust.

However, he upset white colleague Drew Davies by accusing him of being racist 'simply because he was from the North', it was said.

Mr Davies objected to being called racist and one of the senior bosses arranged a meeting with the two men.

The tribunal said: 'At the meeting Mr Obileye accepted that he had made the comment on the basis that "everybody who came from north of Watford was racist".'

He then apologised to Mr Davies who in turn accepted the apology.

The tribunal heard Mr Obileye went on to make comments to Mr Davies about his weight, his wife and his seniority.

Mr Davies said Mr Obileye referred to him as the office junior and said things like 'I think you're confused', or 'do as I say'.

The tribunal heard Mr Obileye also claimed his boss Amy Le Good had behaved in a racist manner by telling him in a meeting that he wrote in 'high level English'.

Mr Obileye said this comment made it clear to him he was 'dealing with racism, a stereotype that a black man should not be in certain way, appear smart, knowledgeable and able to relate at very senior level'.

But his own secret recordings of this conversation revealed he was the one who said 'high level English', not his boss.

The tribunal was told on another occasion he made Ms Le Good uncomfortable by hugging her on his birthday after she had made it clear she did not want the hug.

And Mr Obileye repeatedly made comments about how beautiful Ms Le Good's hair looked which made her feel uncomfortable and she asked him to stop making comments about her appearance.

The tribunal heard Mr Obileye also claimed his boss Amy Le Good (pictured) had behaved in a racist manner by telling him in a meeting that he wrote in 'high level English'

Another female colleague, Pia Pedersen, was also made to feel uncomfortable by Mr Obileye when he kept asking if he should kiss her.

The London Central Employment Tribunal heard: 'There was an incident when Mr Obileye was coming down with a cold and Ms Pedersen said that she did not want to catch it and he had come and stood over her repeatedly saying "shall I kiss you?"'

After being fired for his behaviour in October 2019, Mr Obileye tried to sue the NHS trust where he had worked since August 2018.

But Employment Judge Harjit Grewal dismissed his claim of race discrimination.

She said: 'Mr Obileye's case in essence was that Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust went through all these processes because it wanted to get rid of him because of race. All the evidence before us pointed in the other direction.

'Ms Le Good, who started the capability process and made some of the complaints that led to the disciplinary action, was the person who interviewed Mr Obileye and selected him for the role because she thought he was the best candidate.

'It made no sense that, having recruited a black African into the role, Ms Le Good would try and get rid of him a few months later because he was black African.

'Ms Le Good managed a diverse team and none of them suggested that she had treated them less favourably because of race.'
Vigilantes are suspected of laying poison for magpies in a local park where a baby girl died in a tragic swooping incident.

Five-month-old Mia died from a head injury in Queensland's Children Hospital after her mum Simone dropped her while being attacked by a notoriously aggressive magpie in Glindemann Park at Holland Park West in Brisbane on Sunday.

Daily Mail Australia has seen a council memo recording details of a call from a member of the public, saying locals are trying to kill the park's aggressive birds by giving them poisoned food.

Council officers were also seen carrying away what looked like pieces of meat from the park after inspecting nests, with the food taken as evidence in plastic bags.

Testing of the meat is underway, although it has not been confirmed whether it was poisoned.

Vigilante residents are understood to be laying poison for magpies in a local park where a baby girl died in a tragic swooping incident. A woman living near Glindemann Park, Brisbane, where toddler Mia died after her mum was swooped by a magpie, reported people laying contaminated food in the park. Pictured is a council investigator with a bag containing food found in the park

Five-month-old Mia (pictured) suffered a serious head injury and died in hospital after she and her mother Simone were swooped by an aggressive magpie

Family and friends laid flowers and gathered in Glindemann Park at Holland Park West in Brisbane, comforting each other as they remembered baby Mia, who died after a freak magpie swooping incident there on Sunday

The park was also visited by little Mia's devastated family, who laid flowers and soft toys in tribute to the infant.

The suspected poisoning comes despite public statements by Brisbane's Lord Mayor that the magpie believed to be responsible - which had previously attacked many locals and left some bleeding - had already been removed.

The memo detailed that a member of the public, living in a unit overlooking the park, called in to report she believed people were laying poisoned baits on the grass as a reprisal.

'Caller has noticed some people throwing some food around on the grounds of the park,' the memo reads.

'Caller feels these people may be placing contaminated food for the magpies to possibly kill them.

Council investigators were spotted on the scene assessing the aggressive magpies' nests on Wednesday

Brisbane City Council investigators were visible in Glindemann Park where magpies were reported harassing park users many times before the freak swooping incident that led to the death of baby Mia

'A number of people walk their dogs in the park and this could possibly cause further incidents to others.'

The memo was noted as 'urgent/emergency' and had not been resolved internally.

Council investigators were spotted on the scene assessing the aggressive magpies' nests on Wednesday.

One carried a plastic bag containing what could have been food laced with poison.

Questions remained about why Brisbane City Council had not sought to relocate the dangerous birds away from the 70,000-square-metre park earlier despite receiving at least five complaints about them in July and August.

Bunches of flowers, soft toys, candles and crib hangings were laid on a eucalypt in the park as relatives gathered around to grieve baby Mia (pictured on Wednesday)

Her father Jacob said Mia had an infectious smile and laugh and brought joy to everyone

One council worker carried a plastic bag containing what could have been food laced with poison that the caller to council referred to

The tragic events brought back painful memories for a Queensland woman whose brother, Ivan Sthrowski-Wood, died at 12 years of age when he ran into an oncoming car while fleeing a magpie in 2010.

'I dont think well ever recover from burying a little one,' Susie Sthrowski-Wood told the Courier Mail, admitting she cried when she heard of Mia's death.

'My heart goes out to them, I feel for the mother and father,' Ms Sthrowski-Wood said.

Meanwhile, Mia's family and friends laid flowers and gathered in the park, comforting each other as they remembered baby Mia.

Bunches of flowers, soft toys, candles and crib hangings were laid on a eucalypt in the park as relatives gathered around to grieve.

Mia's father, Jacob, described the agony of losing his only child in the freak accident to Daily Mail Australia.

'Our whole world has been taken from us and the pain we are experiencing is unimaginable,' he said.

'We are so grateful for the most precious little gift we ever received.

'Mia brought joy to everyone's lives with her infectious smile, her pure innocence and her adorable laugh, she will be forever in all our hearts.'

A Brisbane council worker with a bird's nest and a memo reporting people coming into Glindemann Park and laying contaminated food for the magpies

Council workers busy at work on Wednesday trying to reduce the threat of magpie attacks in the 70,000 square metres Glindemann Park, Holland Park West in Brisbane

Family members pay their respects on Tuesday at the park where baby Mia tragically died after a magpie swooping incident at Glindemann Park in Holland Park West

Jacob said Mia was the most precious gift that he and Simone 'ever received' and that her 'adorable laugh' and 'infectious smile' brought joy to everyone's lives.

The doting father thanked family, friends and members of the public who have expressed their condolences, and reminded people to 'love and embrace your loved ones'.

'We live in such an incredible and thoughtful community,' he said.

'Your well wishes have touched our hearts and we appreciate all the support you have provided. We are sorry we cannot thank everyone individually but we are reading every loving message we receive.'

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said on Tuesday the magpie has been moved 'a long way away'.

'The bird has been moved well outside of the urban area and into a place where it can't come back to Holland Park. That is an option we have available to us and one we use from time to time,' he said.

Council workers scoured the treetops in search of aggressive birds that have pestered park users without being removed by authorities

Council workers were busy in the park where the freak magpie incident happened - and where locals had long complained about aggressive birds

Magpies are a protected species in Australia and it is an offence to hurt or kill them.

If they are moved more than 50km away from their nest, they are unlikely to return.

Mr Schrinner said the council will look into ways to prevent the situation from happening again, despite a number of people complaining about the aggressive bird.

Earlier in the week a Queensland Ambulance Services spokesperson confirmed the mother had been ducking to avoid a magpie when she tripped over with the baby in her arms on Sunday.

Paramedics were called just after midday on Sunday.

Earlier it emerged a week before the tragedy a man sternly advised residents to avoid Glindemann Park after he was attacked multiple times, with others saying they too had been attacked and left bloodied by the wild bird.

Pictured: Grieving loved ones are are seen with an arrangement of flowers at Glindemann Park

It was one of many stories shared online in the wake of the infant's death, with dozens of locals coming forward to share stories of being chased by the territorial magpie.

'It is magpie season again [and] there's a particularly aggressive one who nests every year in the large gum tree at the end of Glindemann Park,' a man wrote in a local Facebook group on July 31.

'[I] suggest [using] an alternative route or if you have to [use it] keep an eye out, and don't turn your back on him - just walk calmly through, waving your hands above your head if you have to.

Many locals said they had experienced similar run-ins with the feathered creature, which left some with bloody wounds.

A couple who were in the park and witnessed the tragedy paid their respects as floral tributes to the five-month-old baby grew

One mother said her children were attacked by the same bird, and were wounded on their cheeks, very close to their eyes, despite wearing helmets.

'That one has nipped my left ear the past two years and drew blood, right where the earlobe joins my face,' another woman said.

'I've spoken to others who have also been nipped on their left ear by this same bird.'

'He got me too. Luckily only got my sunnies,' another replied.

One woman said the 'very aggressive' bird relentlessly swooped her as she walked 500 metres, while another said her father-in-law, who is on blood thinners, bled profusely after it cut his head.

Some claim they had previously reported it to the council, but no action was taken to relocate the animal until the little girl's death.
Professor Andrew Hayward, who sits on the NERVTAG group advising the Government on respiratory viruses, said future curbs should just target the more vulnerable

Blanket lockdowns can no longer be justified as a way to control Covid as Britain moves towards living with the virus, one of the Government's top scientific advisers said today.

Professor Andrew Hayward, a University College London epidemiologist and SAGE member, said future restrictions to control outbreaks should 'target the most vulnerable', rather than involving disruptive restrictions imposed on everyone.

Covid restrictions came to an end in England last month and were eased in Scotland and Wales in the last few days, bringing an end social distancing laws and other rules.

Since Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared last month that it was time to learn to live with Covid, experts have hinted at what that may look like.

Yesterday, one of the country's top coronavirus experts Sir Andrew Pollard said Brits who do not have symptoms should no longer take routine tests.

Sir Andrew, chairman of the UKs Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, told MPs swabs should only be offered if people are unwell to reduce the enormous disruption to daily life from mass testing, tracing and isolation.

And today, Professor Hayward said resorting to population-wide measures to control outbreaks will no longer be acceptable.

Daily Covid infections recorded in the UK yesterday rose by 8.4 per cent compared to the same day last week, with 23.510 people testing positive. But deaths and hospitalisations are still a fraction of the numbers seen in previous waves, suggesting curbs to control the spread will not be imposed in the near future

Covid herd immunity not possible due to 'nature of the virus', says SAGE expert Population immunity against the coronavirus cannot be achieved due to the 'nature of the virus', a SAGE expert said. But Professor Andrew Hayward said if scientists came up with a vaccine more effective and stopping the spread of the virus, it could be eradicated. It comes after Sir Andrew Pollard, a top coronavirus expert, said achieving herd immunity is 'not a possibility' because it still infects vaccinated people. Herd immunity is when enough of the population is immune to a virus that stops it spreading to others. Asked about these comments, Professor Hayward said immunity could not be achieved due to the 'nature of the virus'. He said: 'The herd immunity threshold is a very changeable thing. 'It changes according to if you've got more social mixing - the herd immunity threshold will be higher. 'For more infectious variants, such as the Delta variant, the herd immunity threshold will be higher. 'But also of course the completeness of our immunity is important to consider here. 'Whilst the vaccines are absolutely excellent at preventing severe disease and hospitalisation - probably like 95 per cent effective - they are only around maybe 60 per cent effective at preventing infection. 'And for some of the other variants, maybe less than that. 'And so we think a herd immunity threshold to stop transmission of Covid would be somewhere in the high 80s, maybe even 90 per cent. 'And if you've got a vaccine that only prevents infection in about say 60 per cent, even if you've got everybody vaccinated, it's not feasible to reach that herd immunity threshold whereby the disease would be eradicated.' He added: 'If someone could come up with a vaccine that was not only 95 per cent protective against severe disease, but 95 per cent protective against infection, then yes we would stand a chance of eradicating it. 'Viruses change over time and so the vaccines would have to change over time. So I think it's a pretty distant prospect. 'And we need to get used to the concept that this will become what we call an endemic disease, rather than pandemic disease. 'So it's a disease that is with us all the time, probably transmits seasonally, a bit like influenza where we see winter epidemics.' Advertisement

Asked about whether the UK could follow Germany's move to abolish free tests for asymptomatic people, Professor Hayward told BBC Radio 4's Today: 'I think as we generally move into an endemic rather than pandemic situation the potential harm that a virus can cause at a population level is much less.

'So you can't really justify such broad population-wide control measures and we tend to target the control measures more to those who are most vulnerable.

'And so I think, not only in testing but in all sorts of forms of control, as we move into a situation where we're coming to live with this virus forever, then we target the measures to the most vulnerable rather than having the more disruptive measures.'

It comes as Covid infections begin to rise across Britain once again, after cases fell for more than a fortnight.

Yesterday the UK's daily case load was 8.4 per cent up on the previous week, with 23,510 people testing positive.

But deaths and hospitalisations are still a fraction of the numbers seen in previous waves because of the success of the vaccines.

Professor Hayward's comments chime with a petition signed by more than 12,000 scientists and 115,000 members of the public in October, which called for an end to blanket lockdown restrictions.

The Great Barrington Declaration said young people should be allowed to return to life as normal while the elderly and most vulnerable are given 'focused protection'.

The declaration was written by Dr Martin Kulldorff from Harvard University, Dr Sunetra Gupta at Oxford University and Dr Jay Bhattacharya at Stanford University.

But No10 resisted the calls at the time, which came before life-savings jabs were available.

Ministers said they could not rely on the assumption that the virus would only 'rip' through younger age groups without putting more vulnerable people at risk.

Meanwhile, Sir Andrew, who helped develop the AstraZeneca jab, yesterday told the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus there should be a change to the testing regime.

He insisted herd immunity is 'not a possibility' because fully vaccinated people can still get infected and instead Britain must establish a strategy for 'living with Covid'.

Sir Andrew said: 'Over time we need to be moving to clinically-driven testing... where its people who are unwell who get tested and treated and managed, rather than lots of community testing in people who have very mild disease.'

'I think this next six months is a really important consolidation phase and in that shift from the epidemic to the endemic, which is the "living with Covid".'

He added: 'What does that mean in terms of the surveillance that we're doing, the testing that we're doing, and also how we should manage patients in hospital or even before hospital in their treatment to try and stop them getting into hospital?

'I think this next six months is a really important consolidation phase and in that shift from the epidemic to the endemic, which is the 'living with Covid'.

'That doesn't mean that we live with it and put up with it, we still have to manage those cases of patients who become unwell with it.'

Meanwhile, it was claimed today that Britain has bought another 35million doses of Pfizer's Covid vaccine for next autumn's booster jab drive.

Whitehall sources told The Times the deal will cost in the region of 1billion, after the drug giant hiked its prices by a fifth in response to demand.

Ministers already ordered an extra 60million doses for this year's campaign to give out third doses, which would be enough to give top-ups to all 54million British adults and fully vaccinate the 1.4million 16- and 17-year-olds who are now eligible.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid yesterday confirmed preparations were in place for the booster campaign to start next month.

But experts have repeatedly questioned whether they are even necessary.

One of No10's top scientific advisers today claimed top-ups may only be needed for anyone with a weak immune system, such as cancer patients, the elderly and transplant recipients.

Professor Adam Finn, who sits on the JCVI, said the evidence on whether all over-50s need them remains unclear.

Pfizer has insisted a third dose is necessary and BioNTech  the German firm which produces the vaccine  has said double-jabbed people need a top-up for a 'robust neutralization response'.

It comes after a study claimed Moderna's vaccine is better than Pfizer's at stopping people getting infected with the Delta variant.

One expert behind the research, by the US-based Mayo Clinic, argued Moderna's jab would be better for top-ups.
The ex-boyfriend and colleague of a prominent Bank of America executive who was found dead last week has been charged with her murder.

Anthony Duwayne Turner, 52, of Westchester, made his first court appearance on Monday after his ex-girlfriend, 48-year-old Michelle Annette Avan, was found dead in her home on Covello Street, in Van Nuys, Los Angeles.

Police believe Turner entered Ms Avan's home on August 3 and beat her to death, before leaving the home on August 4, the L.A. County District Attorney's Office reported, according to CBS Los Angeles.

Avan's body was found by her son on the morning of August 5, after her family became concerned that she had become unresponsive.

Turner was taken into custody on August 6. Officials have not released any information regarding a motive or exactly how Ms Avan was killed.

Annette Avan, 48, was found dead in her home on Covello Street, in Van Nuys, Los Angeles on August 5 by her son. Police believe she was beaten to death by her ex-boyfriend Anthony Duwayne Turner in her home on August 3. Turner has been charged over her death

Turner pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Van Nuys to one count of murder and first-degree residential burglary on Monday.

Ms Avan was a senior vice president with Bank of America, for whom she worked to recruit women and under-represented employees around the world.

In 2017, she was profiled by Essence magazine, which described how she worked her way up from being a receptionist to being a director for Merrill Lynch, 'overseeing multimillion-dollar accounts,' before then joining Bank of America.

In the interview, she said her mantra was: 'To whom much is given, much is required.'

Anthony Duwayne Turner (pictured) was taken into custody on August 6. Officials have not released any information regarding a motive or exactly how Ms Avan was killed

'Ms. Avan was a leader in our community and this senseless act of violence has resulted in a significant loss to us all,' Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement.

Speaking during a news conference outside the courthouse, her son Trevor Avan said: 'My mom was such a beautiful person, just so loving, if there was anything that you needed from her, she would be there.

'She didn't even get a chance to see her granddaughter's second birthday because she was taken from us.'

Bank of America said it was 'devastated' by the news of Ms Avan's death.

'Michelle was a valued member of our company for more than 20 years and will be greatly missed. We extend our deepest sympathies to her family,' the company said in a statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Turner remains in custody with his bail set at $2 million. His next hearing is set for August 16.

Neighbors said they were in shock over the murder, with some telling ABC7 that they had known Ms Avan for decades.

'I leave early morning and she usually says hi to me and I wave back. Simple, but it's a nice gesture,' neighbor Russell Gutierrez said.
Travellers returning to UK from green or amber countries must take a PCR swab

Ministers could ban companies which mislead customers by promising cheap Covid PCR tests, it was claimed today.

Holidaymakers buying travel tests from the cheapest firms on No10's official website face paying up to five times the amount advertised. Research shows the real cost of single-test kits advertised for just 20 on the list can be as much as 99.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has already asked financial watchdogs to investigate if travellers are being ripped off or misled.

Whitehall sources they expect health chiefs to begin 'culling' firms that quote 'wildly different prices to the ones they are offering on the government website'.

A source told The Times: 'The Competition and Markets Authority will be looking at that and that's expected to be part of their findings and recommendations.'

The Government is facing increasing pressure to end the 'Wild West' of test costs for travellers.

MailOnline yesterday revealed the most expensive PCR test listed on the catalogue of approved providers costs 400. On average, British travellers have to fork out 92 per test.

But customers are paying far more than what is 'fair', according to Professor Stephen Bustin, a world-renowned expert on PCR tests at Anglia Ruskin University. He said a price in the region of 20 would be reasonable.

Most of the cut-price offers are either out of stock or only offered in actual centres  meaning many customers would have to travel hundreds of miles.

Tourists travelling to green list countries and fully vaccinated holidaymakers going to amber list destinations are required to book one PCR test in Britain for when they re-enter the country.

Non-vaccinated travellers need two after returning from amber list countries and red list destinations require two regardless of inoculation status.

Ministers insist travellers take PCR tests  which can take three days to give results  because they are more accurate than cheaper lateral flows, which offer answers in as little as 20 minutes.

Ministers could ban companies offering PCR tests for travel at five times their advertised price of 20. Pictured: Ed Cockroft receives a test in Cabot Circus car park, Bristol

Health Secretary Sajid Javid (left) has asked the Competition and Markets Authority to investigate whether travellers are being ripped off or misled. A price in the region of 20 would be reasonable for the swabs according to Professor Stephen Bustin (right), a world-renowned expert on PCR at Anglia Ruskin University

WHAT COMPANIES ARE ADVERTISING 20 TESTS? Test For Now claims to offer a self-swab Covid test for 21 on the Government website but the cheapest available on its website is for travelers to take on their second day back in the UK and costs 89 for a self-swab version, while it costs 97 for the same test at its clinic. Meanwhile, Everything Genetic's 20 offer is only available to NHS staff, with others charged 60. Pillhub-Feltham Pharmacy and 0-100 Travel 19's 20 tests are currently sold-out and their other PCR tests cost 80. ArrivingUK advertising 'self swab at home' day two kits for 20 on the Government portal. But on the firm's website this was only available to people who could collect them from Wembley in north London. The real cost was 89 plus 10 postage. Abicare Health was listed at the same low price but its website says this is only available if you can travel to Manchester  and not until November. The real cost for a posted kit is 75. Advertisement

Of the 12 cheapest firms listed yesterday which offered 20 single-test 'self swab at home' kits, none were willing to post them out at that price.

The research, by the Daily Mail, found testing firm ArrivingUK advertising 'self swab at home' day two kits for 20 on the Government portal.

But on the firm's website this was only available to people who could collect them from Wembley in north London. The real cost was 89 plus 10 postage.

Abicare Health was listed at the same low price but its website says this is only available if you can travel to Manchester  and not until November. The real cost for a posted kit is 75.

Everything Genetic Ltd also offered single-test packages for 20 but its website says this price is only available for NHS workers. Otherwise it's 60.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: 'The Government list is not really fit for purpose. Many of the cheapest advertised don't exist or the advertised prices are impossible or unrealistic to obtain.

'Many also fail to provide tests and results on time. It's unacceptable and ridiculous.'

Avi Lasarow, boss of testing firm Project Screen by Prenetics, said a 'small minority of rogue traders' were bamboozling travellers. He added: 'Ministers must really act to end this Wild West of prices.'

The 399 PCR test listed on the UK Government's approved list of providers is offered by the Mayfair GP, a small private practice based in London.

The Department of Health says the tests  which can be performed in a matter of minutes  are carried out by people in their own home. But they are supervised by medical staff, meaning the firm may factor in some travel and labour costs.

The Mayfair GP uses Oncologica's laboratory to carry out the testing, suggesting the provider likely has to pay to get samples analysed.

Labs use a machine and array of chemicals to decipher whether a sample contains Covid.

Research by the Mail shows the real cost of single-test kits advertised for just 20 on the list can be as much as 99. Graphic shows: The step-by-step process of a PCR test

Research by airline consultancy Skytrax shows airport PCR tests were available for as little as $8 (5.70) in Mumbai, India, in April. The cost in Britain was nearly 100

The average price among all the 425 Government-approved provider for a single swab is just over 90  a cost which pricing many families out of going abroad this summer.

Virginia Messina, of the World Travel & Tourism Council, called on ministers to subsidise PCR tests if they keep insisting on them, or let travellers take cheaper rapid tests.

Everything Genetic agreed 'many companies are manipulating their price' but denied it was one of them, saying it had 'provided quality services to the NHS, private sector and public for nearly five years now'.

A Government spokesman said: 'The Health and Social Care Secretary has requested advice from the CMA to stamp out any exploitative behaviour.

'We are also working with the travel industry and private testing providers to further reduce testing costs.'
Stars of The Project have slammed Sydney's Covid lockdown after it was revealed the virus has now spread into vulnerable communities across the New South Wales' far west.

A snap seven-day lockdown was ordered at 7pm on Wednesday for the Walgett Shire and seven other Local Government Areas including Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine, and Warren.

The stay-at-home restrictions were imposed on the far-flung outback communities after a local man, who also visited Dubbo and Bathurst, tested positive to Covid.

Hosts of the Channel Ten show described the situation as 'terrifying' as there are low vaccination rates in the remote regions, a lack of health services and a significant population of vulnerable Indigenous Australians.

A snap seven-day lockdown was ordered at 7pm on Wednesday for the Walgett Shire and seven other Local Government Areas including Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine, and Warren

Stars of The Project have slammed Sydney's inept Covid lockdown after it was revealed the virus has now spread into vulnerable communities across the New South Wales' far west (pictured, Covid testing clinic in Sydney's Yagoona)

'It has gone up into Dubbo and now into the remote communities,' commentator Steve Price said, as NSW recorded two more deaths and a further 344 locally-acquired infections on Wednesday.

'They don't have the health services out there that can cope with an outbreak of Covid.

'So, the idea that you could put a ring of steel around Sydney and keep it there, that's gone.

'It is now loose in the whole state.

'And guess what? Out there, not many are vaccinated in far western NSW.'

Host Waleed Aly pointed out the region has a 'significant Indigenous population' who are especially vulnerable to the devastating respiratory illness.

'We have been talking about the dangers that this poses to Indigenous Australians because they are at higher risk,' Aly said.

'And people around the state in those remote areas are now expressing anger at the way the NSW government hasn't protected them.'

'The idea that you could put a ring of steel around Sydney and keep it there, that's gone. It is now loose in the whole state,' Steve Price said

The man, who is believed to have been infectious since August 5, was tested for the virus on Saturday, August August 7 before returning a positive result on Wednesday, August 11

Hosts of the Channel Ten show described the situation as 'terrifying' as there are low vaccination rates in the remote regions, a lack of health services and a significant population of vulnerable Indigenous Australians

TV presenter Rachel Corbett said the alarming development has left many people across the state very worried, as she slammed the length of time it's taking NSW Health to return the results of Covid tests.

'I think everybody in NSW is so frustrated because we're all doing the right thing and it's still getting out,' she said.

'For a lot of people going for a test and waiting, it is not just an inconvenience. We see a lot of the disease spreading because people have to put food on the table. They can't take time off.

'For some people, it's stressful and now that it's getting out into the regions there is not the support out there. It is terrifying.'

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan launched a scathing attack on his NSW counterpart and accused her of not having 'the backbone to do what is required' to suppress her state's outbreak

The 344 new locally-acquired cases came as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned more LGAs in Sydney's south and inner-west could face tighter lockdown measures

The lockdown restrictions will apply to residents in the eight LGAs of Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine, Walgett and Warren

The Project wasn't the only one to take a swipe at the NSW's government's handling of the latest coronavirus outbreak with Mark McGowan calling the state's leadership spineless.

The Western Australian Premier accused NSW of risking the lives of all Australians by 'recklessly' choosing to vaccinate its way out of Sydney's Covid outbreak.

Mr McGowan - who advocates a 'zero Covid' approach to outbreaks - launched the scathing attack on his NSW counterpart, Gladys Berejiklian, after she flagged easing parts of the city's lockdown once the vaccination rate reaches 50 per cent.

'By allowing the virus to run rampant throughout NSW, they're risking the lives of their citizens and they're risking everyone else,' he said in a press conference on Wednesday.

'I do not understand why they're not prepared [for the outbreak] and they don't have the backbone to do what is required.'
A 29-year-old man has today appeared in court charged with the murder of a HR advisor whose body was found dumped in hedgerow two days after she went missing.

Ross McCullam is accused of killing 23-year-old vicar's grandaughter Megan Newborough, whose body was discovered on a country road near Woodhouse Eaves, Leicestershire, in the early hours of Sunday.

Ms Newborough, from Nuneaton, who worked at Leicester-based building materials company Ibstock PLC, was initially reported missing to Warwickshire Police and an investigation by their officers led them to Leicestershire.

Wearing a grey sweatshirt and grey jogging bottoms at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, McCullam spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address during a brief hearing.

Megans parents, Anthony, 53, an accounts manager and Elaine, 50, attended the hearing along with their older daughter Claire.

Megan Newborough (pictured), from Nuneaton, who worked as a HR Advisor at Leicester-based building materials company Ibstock PLC, was initially reported missing to Warwickshire Police and an investigation by their officers led them to Leicestershire

It is understood they raised the alarm on Saturday afternoon after they were unable to contact Megan.

Locals near the former mining village of Whitwick, Leicestershire say the family from Nuneaton, 25 miles away, used software technology to trace Megans phone to a hedgerow.

Her body was discovered in the early hours of Sunday morning in a rural lane outside the village of Woodhouse Eaves, six miles from where her mobile was found.

Megan was killed six days before she would have celebrated her 24th birthday.

The defendant, from Coalville, Leicestershire, was not required to enter any pleas and was remanded into custody to appear at the city's crown court on Wednesday afternoon.

After her death, Ms Newborough's family said: 'There are no words to describe how much we as a family are completely heartbroken and devastated.

'Megan was the most generous, loving and caring person and we have been robbed of our treasured daughter.'

Stuart Noss, headteacher of Megan's sixth form school King Edward College Nuneaton, told MailOnline: 'The college community is devastated to hear the news of Megan and our thoughts are with her family and friends.

Ross McCullam is accused of killing 23-year-old Ms Newborough, whose body was discovered on a country road (pictured) near Woodhouse Eaves, Leicestershire, in the early hours of Sunday

'Megan was a well-respected, conscientious student whilst studying for her A Levels and had gone on to do incredibly well in her career.

'It is truly a tragedy that Megan has been taken before her time. We respectfully ask that the local community and those who knew Megan are given the time and space to grieve in private.'

A spokesman for Megan's former employer, Triton Showers, said: 'We remember Megan as a confident, kind, sincere, and gentle person.

'Her infectious smile lit up the room and she always made time for everybody no matter what, age, race, gender, or social background and will be sorely missed by all at Triton. Our thoughts go out to Megans family at this difficult time.'

Phil Kelly, headteacher at Megan's secondary school Higham Lane School said the community was 'deeply saddened' by the death of a 'kind and warm student'.

He added: 'The Higham Lane School community is deeply shocked and saddened by the news of Megans tragic death.

'Megan was such a kind and warm student, just a pleasure to have in the school, highly-regarded by staff and her fellow students alike.

'She was one of those special people who had this innate ability to exude warmth and positivity.

'She was extremely conscientious and achieved very well in her GCSEs, enabling her to go on to study A levels at a local sixth form college. Megan also had a real passion for dance and drama.

'Megans family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers at this very sad time.'
Trevor Roper was a Green Party councillor

A Green Party councillor has been forced to quit after it emerged that he moved to France - but still attended council meetings on Zoom for a year and claimed attendance allowances of around 5,000.

Trevor Roper, 70, even claimed in a letter to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps that he lived in Minster, near Ramsgate, Kent  even though he'd sold the house more than a year earlier.

Another Green Party colleague, former councillor-turned-blogger Ian Driver, claimed that Mr Roper had misled the voters and may have broken the members' code of conduct by not updating his address details for more than a year.

This week, former grammar school teacher Mr Roper resigned his seat on Thanet District Council, saying he had become 'stuck in France' due to the pandemic, but admitted the 'novice-councillor mistake' of failing to update his home address on the council's members' interests site.

In May 2020 Mr Roper sold his grade-II listed home in the picturesque Kent village of Minster-in-Thanet for 595,000.

After a short stay elsewhere in Kent, he and his wife then moved to western France where they bought a retirement home in 2020, believed to be near the sleepy commune of Fontenille-Saint Martin-D'Entraigues, near Cognac, about 500 miles, or nine hours' drive from Minster.

In May 2020 Mr Roper sold his grade-II listed home (above) in the picturesque Kent village of Minster-in-Thanet for 595,000 and moved 500 miles away to west France

Mr Roper, pictured above with Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, failed to update his address on Thanet Council's website as is required until July 9 this year, resulting in his resignation

But instead of updating his details on Thanet Council's website, as required, Mr Roper allowed his Kent address to remain on the public record until 9th July 2021.

Mr Driver said Mr Roper had failed to respond to requests from the council to update his address details on the website, but more seriously, had made false statements over his address in a letter to Mr Shapps objecting to the reopening of a former Battle of Britain base at Manston airport, near Minster.

The letter, dated July 8 2021, as part of a consultation, stated: 'I live in a Grade II listed property around 500 meters south of the runway', and he signed off as a '(local resident)'. In fact, Land Registry records show he sold the property more than a year earlier.

Mr Driver said: 'I have emails which show that Roper was reminded in 2020 and 2021 to update his councillor's register of interest and despite promising to do so he continued to retain his previous Minster address.

'I also wonder why in December 2020 Roper registered with the Council as an overseas voter, yet failed to update his public details on the council's website to show that he was living in France.'

A statement released by the Green Party to local media said: 'After selling their house in Minster last year, Cllr Roper and his wife Karen rented in Ramsgate for a few months and then stayed with relatives in Maidstone.

A map shows where Mr Roper lived in Kent and to where he moved to in the south of France

'During this time, he continued his advisory duties as usual, including attending numerous parish council meetings in his Thanet Villages neighborhood, for which he has recorded almost 100% attendance since his election in 2019.

'When travel was allowed again, the Ropers went to France to fulfil their retirement dream of buying French property  only to find themselves stuck there by increasingly restrictive Covid rules and struggling to get vaccinated.

'Cllr Roper continued to attend online meetings and perform other tasks remotely, but was unable to return from France  so when physical meetings resumed in May, he was unable to attend.

'Mr Driver's blog claims that Cllr Roper behaved 'in a deceptive manner'  but his colleagues insist he didn't cheat on anyone, and his only mistake was forgetting to update the Thanet District Council Member Interest Register to show that he had sold his Minster property.

'Cllr Roper had considered resigning as a city councilor when he was first stranded in France, but was persuaded by colleagues to wait and see if things improved so he could return. Unfortunately, concerns about the new variant and increasingly stringent quarantine rules prevented this. '

A Thanet District Council spokeswoman said: 'There is no requirement for a local councillor to continue to live in the district once he or she has been elected.

'Councillor Roper continued to fulfil his duties as a councillor and attended council meetings. Apart from correspondence from one local resident regarding Cllr Ropers address, the council has not received any complaints regarding Cllr Ropers performance as a councillor. He recently updated his address details on the register of interests and has subsequently chosen to resign. The council has no further comment to make and considers the matter closed.'

MailOnline contacted Mr Roper and the Green Party seeking their response about the letter to Grant Shapps, but received no reply.
An anti-vaxxer nurse in Germany has allegedly injected up to 8,600 people with saline solution instead of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The Red Cross nurse may have given thousands of elderly patients in northern Germany a fake jab in the early Spring, a police investigation found.

Authorities on Tuesday urged thousands of people who received their first jab at a vaccination centre in Friesland - a rural district near the North Sea coast - to get another shot of the Covid-19 vaccine after making the discovery.

Police said the unnamed suspect had aired sceptical views about vaccines in social media posts but that their motive was unclear.



An anti-vaxxer nurse (not pictured) in Germany has allegedly injected up to 8,600 people with saline solution instead of a Covid-19 vaccine, a police investigation found (file photo)

'I am totally shocked by this episode,' Sven Ambrosy, a local councillor, said on Facebook as local authorities issued the call to around 8,600 residents who may have been affected.

While saline solution is harmless, most people who got vaccinated in Germany in March and April - when the suspected switch took place - are elderly people at high risk of catching the potentially fatal viral disease.

Police investigator Peter Beer, speaking earlier at a news conference covered by German media, said that based on witness statements there was 'a reasonable suspicion of danger'.

It was not immediately clear whether the suspect had been arrested or charged in the case, which according to broadcaster NDR has been handed to a special unit that investigates politically motivated crimes.

Local police declined to comment outside of normal working hours.

It comes as German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the state would stop paying for Covid-19 tests for unvaccinated residents by October in an effort to encourage more people to get the jab.

Merkel said free testing will end on October 11 because all citizens are now eligible for the vaccine.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the state would stop paying for Covid-19 tests for unvaccinated residents by October in an effort to encourage more people to get the jab (file photo)

Around 55 per cent of Germans are fully vaccinated, but the pace of inoculations has slowed and Merkel has said she wants to see at least 75 per cent of the population jabbed.

Germany had made the tests free for all in March to help make a gradual return to normal life possible after months of lockdown.

From October, unvaccinated residents will have to pay for their own tests but teenagers, children, and people who cannot get the jab for medical reasons will be exempt.

The government will also require people to be either vaccinated, test negative or have a recovery certificate to enter indoor restaurants, participate in religious ceremonies and do indoor sport.
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Wally the Walrus appeared to be 'steering' a luxury motorboat after clambering aboard off the coast of West Cork in Ireland in the latest sighting of the gallivanting sea beast.

The marauding mammal, who has been on a 4,000km solo trip for months and recently spent more than six weeks off Cornwall, was filmed by passersby appearing to drive a boat along the Irish coast.

Wally is believed to be from Svalbard, north of Norway, and to have travelled by himself between Wales, England and France. But the wandering walrus is has now made a home for himself off the Irish coast.

And recent footage shows Wally seemingly cruising along the coast on a luxury motorboat, belonging to Clonakilty Distillery in West Cork. Posting the video online, the distillery said: 'One of our team had an unexpected Arctic visitor on their boat this evening.

'Wally the walrus spotted in Clonakilty today... We reckon he must have stopped by on his travels for a refreshing Minke G&T.'

Wally the Walrus appeared to be 'steering' a luxury motorboat after clambering aboard off the coast of West Cork in Ireland in the latest sighting of the gallivanting sea beast

The lonely walrus, who has been on a 4,000km solo trip for months and recently spent more than six weeks off Cornwall, was filmed by passersby appearing to drive a boat along the Irish coast

Wally is believed to be from Svalbard, north of Norway, and to have travelled by himself between Wales, England and France. But the wandering walrus is has now made a home for himself off the Irish coast

The boat is ordinarily used to forage for rock samphire, a botanical used in gin production.

The large sea mammal, thought to be around four years old, has reportedly sunk one small boat and damaged several others on his visit to Cork.

Animal welfare groups believe it initially came across the North Atlantic ocean from Greenland on an ice floe. It was first seen in Ireland before taking up residence in Tenby, Pembrokeshire in March.

Seal Rescue Ireland has now launched an appeal for a pontoon or other floating platform for Wally to use as a 'safe, designated haul-out site' for him to rest on undisturbed.

The charity said: 'We are looking for a pontoon/floating platform as a safe haul-out site for the Walrus, so that he can be effectively monitored, protected from disturbance, and damage to property prevented.

The large sea mammal, thought to be around four years old, has reportedly sunk one small boat and damaged several others on his visit to Cork

Recent footage shows Wally seemingly cruising along the coast on a luxury motorboat, belonging to Clonakilty Distillery in West Cork

'As a Pinniped (like seals and sea lions), Walruses are semi-aquatic, which means they must come up on land (or a floating object) to rest. This also means that they are more vulnerable to human disturbances.

'If you are lucky enough to spot the walrus, we ask that you please avoid approaching him within 100m (this includes boats, kayaks, swimming or on foot). This is a sensitive species that is easily disturbed and he must be able to rest.

'Please resist the urge to share his exact location publicly until there is a system in place for him to be monitored throughout the day, with a safe, designated haul-out site for him to rest on undisturbed.'

Such a pontoon would be similar to one built for the walrus during his time on the Isles of Scilly.

The BDMLR and St Mary's Harbour Authority constructed a specific customised pontoon replicating his apparent need for physical contact.
A man posing as an authorised officer checking on a woman quarantining in Melbourne illegally entered her house and tried to coerce her into having sex.

Victorian Covid-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar said police were investigating the reports.

'I'm aware of a police investigation of someone impersonating an authorised officer seeking to access into the home,' he told reporters on Wednesday.

Covid-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar (pictured) said police were investigating the report and described the woman's experience as 'incredibly distressing'

'That must be incredibly distressing. Home officers will always be in uniform, always have appropriate identification and they will never under any circumstances seek entry into your home.

'Please, if you are being visited as part of the home visit program, by one of the authorised offers, ask for ID, check their uniform and if they ask to get into your home, shut the door.'

The woman, named only as Phoebe, has told the Nine Network she was up to day four of home quarantine after returning from Sydney.

She says she received a call on the evening of July 14, from a man claiming to be an authorised officer doing a random check.

Half an hour later, he arrived at her house with a document containing her personal details, tricking his way into her bedroom, where he became aggressive.

'He said "if you make me happy I will lie for you and no one needs to know",' Phoebe told Nine, saying she then kicked him out of her house.

The man is believed to be aged in his twenties.
A manager at a supermarket in California has been hailed a hero after he protected customers from an aggressive mask-less man last week.

Video footage shot by a customer shows the man trying to confront other shoppers telling him to leave the H Mart KoreanAmerican supermarket in Arcadia, California, because he is not wearing a mask.

The one-minute video the manager continually blocking the maskless man as he moves towards one of the women in the shop telling him to 'get out'.

A manager at a supermarket in California (pictured wearing the blue and orange jacket) has been hailed a hero after he protected customers from an aggressive mask-less man (pictured wearing a black t-shirt) last week

Reports suggest the man refused to leave the store when asked to do so for not wearing a mask, with the video claiming the man rammed his cart into the manager although this is not captured.

Currently in Los Angeles County there is a mask-mandate, meaning everyone over the age of two years old must wear a mask in all indoor public setting, as well as on public transport and other enclosed settings - regardless of vaccination status.

The store manager, who is of Asian origin himself, is shown bravely standing his ground with his hands in the air as the mask-less man continues to walk towards him, his face a matter of inches away.

In the video, the aggressive man - who is white - is repeatedly told to leave the store, but refuses to do so, and continues to advance on the manager and other customers who can be heard shouting 'get the hell out of here, no one wants you here'.

The store manager is heard telling the man not to touch him and to leave his customers alone, as he puts himself between the man and a group of women.

'Get out, get out. My customers don't want you here,' he is heard telling the man.

Customers are also heard shouting at the man when a third man in security uniform appears at the scene. The man tells the manager 'you're breaking the law,' and claims the manager 'assaulted me', but the other bystanders tell the security officer 'no he didn't, I saw the whole thing'.

'You're the one who doesn't want to wear a mask right now. We're all wearing masks. We're all complying,' another customer is heard saying.

Emilie Tan (@emilieeetan), who posted the video, told NextShark news outlet that she and other customers first found the man arguing with the manager, and that he was 'already visibly aggravated,' refusing to leave the store.

The unnamed man was seen in the viral video squaring up to the store's manager, who bravely put himself between the man and a group of three women who were shopping at the time

She explains that the man had the manager in a corner as security personnel called 911, but that the incident escalated when the man shoved a cart at the manager 'in an attempt to ram him'.

'I started filming when I noticed an immediate change in the man's expression and body language. He began directing his hostility toward the women,' she said.

In a text overlay on the video, Tan explained what happened before the footage began. She was reportedly in the H Mart shopping with her boyfriend at the time.

'This man refused to leave after being asked, then proceeded to yell and argue with the manager, threatened to sue, got in his face, intimidated him, and rammed the shopping cart into him,' Tan wrote.

'Until these Korean ladies stepped in and started yelling at him to get the f out. He then tried to intimidate the woman and went right up to them, but the manager stepped in and protected them.'

Another caption added: 'Mr. Manager did such a great job deescalating and making sure the ladies were behind him.' In a third caption, she wrote: 'Man tried to bully the wrong people!! Fool definitely didn't expect all these ajummas to stand up to him.'

The store manager is heard telling the man not to touch him and to leave his customers alone, as he puts himself between the man and a group of women, pictured behind the manager left. One of the video captions read: 'Man tried to bully the wrong people!! Fool definitely didn't expect all these ajummas to stand up to him'

Ajumma is a Korean word for a married or middle-aged woman, and comes from the Korean world Ajumeoni. While it is sometimes translated to 'aunt,' it does not actually refer to a family relationship.

The video does not show the aftermath of the incident, but the man reportedly left the store once he was told the police were on their way.

Officers are said to have told the customers that there was nothing they could do, and they left the store without arresting the man while the manager waiting outside of the store to ensure he did not come back.

Speaking to news outlet Next Shark, Tan called the incident an ''eye-opening' experience, adding that the H Mart - where she regularly shops - has always been proactive when it comes to Covid-19 prevention methods.

'I would say they have been the most diligent about enforcing sanitary/safety guidelines, even to this day. So to see someone outright refuse [wearing a mask] is surprising,' she told the outlet.

She said the manager 'left the biggest impact on me personally, as he never even took a step back or faltered from the man's attempts at intimidation. I've seen so much media coverage on public attacks towards members of the Asian community since the pandemic began, and not much coverage on if others stopped to help.'

When he entered the store, reports suggest that the man walked straight past the hand sanitizer station where employees would request a person to wear a mask.

Pictured: The H Mart KoreanAmerican supermarket in Arcadia, California where the incident took place on August 6 last week

Upon seeing the video, Twitter users were quick to praise both the manager and the group of women for standing up for each other, while others suggested the man went into the store looking for trouble.

'This is my H Mart, which I love and shop at all the time, and I'm both ashamed this would happen near where I live and also proud to live near these brave ladies who won't take his BS. Good for them and good for the store employees for not backing down,' one local wrote under the video.

Another said: 'To walk into an HMart without a mask on during a pandemic is asking to get beaten by a large root vegetable. You know the ones I mean.'

A third person said: 'What a dummy. Every time I go to my local Korean market, everyone is wearing a mask. From like the first week of lockdown in LA. He had to know going into H Mart without a mask was gonna cause trouble.'

Another person commented that they have always felt safe in H Marts, writing: 'Since the beginning of pandemic H Mart is one of the only places I've felt safe shopping. EVERYONE is wearing a mask there.'

Since the start of the pandemic, the US has seen a wave of anti-Asian hate crimes, with 32 percent of Asian adults say they have feared someone might threaten or physically attack them, research shows.
It also moved attention from their personal behaviour and government 'failures'

UK and US leaders used illness to say 'strength' and 'courage' would defeat Covid

Professor Professor Rodney Jones, a linguistics expert at Reading University, found the UK and US leaders used their Covid illnesses to portray themselves as 'strong leaders' and draw attention from their 'failures' during the pandemic

Boris Johnson and Donald Trump used their bouts with Covid to portray themselves as 'strong leaders', an academic has claimed.

The Prime Minister tested positive for coronavirus just days after he plunged Britain into its first lockdown last March.

He spent six nights in hospital and was admitted to intensive care, forcing doctors to make contingency plans in case he died.

Meanwhile, former US President Donald Trump tested positive in October and had a three-day stint fighting the disease in hospital.

Professor Rodney Jones, a linguistics expert at Reading University, said both created a narrative to 'promote a masculinist discourse' centred around messages of 'strength', 'swagger' and 'courage'.

This subtext was 'designed to depict them as 'strong leaders'', he wrote in the journal Discourse, Context and Media.

It also was used to 'detract attention from their reckless personal behaviour leading up to their infections and the failures of their government to formulate coherent plans to control the pandemic'.

Boris Johnson (left) and Donald Trump (right) shared a message that defeating Covid was about 'strength' and 'courage' rather than 'sensible public health measures', a study found. Professor Rodney Jones (inset), a linguistics expert at Reading University, said both created narrative to 'promote a masculinist discourse'

Johnson and Trump's 'hyper-masculine' language affected their response to Covid pandemic, study says Boris Johnson and Donald Trump used masculine language to emphasise their strength and courage in overcoming Covid, a linguistics expert at Reading University said. Professor Rodney Jones found their 'hyper-masculine' language impacted their response to the pandemic. For example, Mr Johnson's suggesting that the UK should 'take it on the chin' and Mr Trump 'undermining the efforts of (particularly female) state governors to control the pandemic', he said. Speaking about his illness, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the Sun on Sunday: The bloody indicators kept going in the wrong direction and I thought, Theres no medicine for this thing and theres no cure [] That was the stage when I was thinking, How am I going to get out of this? Professor Jones said the Prime Minister's language transformed 'his illness narrative into a story of the heroic deeds of the doctors and nurses who care for him and of the bravery and resilience of Johnson himself'. Meanwhile, Donald Trump told a radio interview: How bad was I?: They said, You could have been very bad. You were going into a very bad phase. And so it wasnt like it was just going to, like with the kids where they get it and it get sniffles and theyre better two days later, right? This looks like it was going to be a big deal. And you know what that means, right? That means bad.' The former president's account enhanced his status as someone who overcame the virus, Professor Jones added. He said some scholars have noted that toxic masculinity more generally contributed to the spread of the virus as well as to the spread of disinformation about it. Advertisement

Professor Jones trawled through all the public statements, social media posts and interviews the leaders made about their experience getting infected, being treated and recovering.

The main differences in their communications was Mr Trump talked about his illness 'much more' than Mr Johnson, who seemed to be practising 'social distancing' with reporters and the public, he said.

In the month when Mr Johnson was unwell, he sent out 26 tweets, 16 of which were about Covid and eight about his own illness.

He also spoke publicly just once about his illness  at a Covid briefing on April 30  and once in an interview with the Sun on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump  a prolific tweeter at the time  sent out 1,424 tweets in the month around his illness, 83 of which were about Covid and 27 about being unwell.

He spoke about his illness at three campaign rallies and in three media interviews.

Professor Jones found that both leaders were sharing 'essentially the same' message that 'defeating' the virus was a matter of 'strength', 'courage' and innovation, rather than 'sensible public health measures or evidence-based government policies'.

'Masculinity was a central theme in the illness narratives of the two leaders, with each endeavouring to portray themselves as strong, resilient leaders whose illnesses made them even more qualified to lead,' he said.

Mr Johnson said he got better due to the 'courage', 'devotion' and 'love' or 'brilliant' doctors, while Mr Trump credited 'miraculous' drugs and 'amazing' doctors.

The leaders referenced their strength, with the Prime Minister saying in an interview that his 'terrible buoyancy' helped him get better.

And the former US President said at a rally his 'youth' and 'good health' helped him pull through.

Framing disease in this 'masculinist' way can harm public health by implying that those who do no survive 'lack fortitude', Professor Jones said.

It also ignores the importance of adequately funding health services, he added.

The language the leaders used also impacts governance because it makes it difficult for them to hand over power to others when unwell, the study claimed.

Both leaders used 'business as usual language' when revealing their positive Covid tests that downplayed the importance of the announcement.

This included Mr Johnson using the phrase 'I want to bring you up to speed' in a video on Twitter revealing he had Covid and Mr Trump using direct language in his tweet.

Both leaders put on 'regular displays' of 'working' and remaining 'in charge', in line with traditional concepts of masculinity in which men's social worth is defined by work', Professor Jones said.

For example, after testing positive, Mr Johnson shared a video saying he was continuing to 'lead the national fightback against coronavirus' and tweeted a video of him chairing a Zoom meeting.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump and his 'spokespeople' shared videos showing him working throughout his illness, including a tweet saying 'nothing can stop him working for the American people'.

They also used a narrative of 'masculine swagger' which was 'counterproductive as a public health message', Professor Jones said.

The Prime Minister did this by using understatement when speaking, such as saying he felt 'pretty groggy' or that he was not in 'particularly brilliant shape', he found.

Meanwhile, the former US President through over overstatement by emphasising his 'perfect' condition, the 'miraculous' drugs he took and describing the hospital as 'incredible' and 'amazing', Professor Jones added.
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taliban fighters are going door-to-door and forcibly marrying girls as young as 12 and forcing them into sex slavery as they seize vast swathes of the Afghanistan from government forces.

Jihadist commanders have ordered imams in areas they have captured to bring them lists of unmarried women aged from 12 to 45 for their soldiers to marry because they view them as 'qhanimat' or 'spoils of war' - to be divided up among the victors.

Fighters have then been going door-to-door to claim their 'prizes', even looking through the wardrobes of families to establish the ages of girls before forcing them into a life of sexual servitude.

The women and girls' brutal treatment is just the latest sign of Afghanistan's military collapse, which has prompted the Afghan president to sack his top commander.

One female journalist described fleeing a city in northern Afghanistan - which she did not name - and going into hiding with her uncle for fear the Islamists would hunt her down and execute her.

The 22-year-old said she fled under the noses of Taliban gunmen while disguised beneath a burqa and went with her unclear to a nearby village - but was forced to flee again after informants told the militants of her presence.

Now holed up in a remote location somewhere in the country's north, she said she fears for her life and the safety of her family - 'Will I ever go home? Will I see my parents again? Where will I go? How will I survive,' she said.

Meanwhile terrified locals who fled the city of Kunduz - captured by the Taliban last week - have told of reprisal attacks carried out by jihadist fighters who hunted down anyone linked to the government and beheaded or executed them.

The Taliban has now captured nine of Afghanistan's 34 provincial capitals and placed most of the country's largest cities under siege in a lighting-fast assault that has seen government forces largely capitulate.

Hundreds of thousands of Afghanis have been displaced from their homes in recent weeks by fighting, with fears that could swell to millions if entire country falls (pictured)

Displaced Afghans head into Kabul from the northern provinces after leaving their homes behind

Women and their children are seen near the Spin Boldak border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan

The fighting has sparked an internal refugee crisis, with many civilians fleeing Afghanistan's regions to the capital Kabul (pictured) in the hopes of being protected from the Taliban

Displaced Afghans reach out for aid from a local Muslim organization at a makeshift IDP camp in Kabul,

Women who have fled fighting in Afghanistan wait to receive food aid in the capital of Kabul, one of the few major cities in Afghanistan that is not under Taliban attack

A child is pictured sleeping on its mother's shoulder at a refugee camp in the Afghan capital of Kabul

Girls as young as 12 are being taken from their homes and forcibly married to Taliban fighters in areas of Afghanistan they now control as part of the 'spoils of war' (file image)

The Taliban has captured nine of Afghanistan's 35 regional capitals in less than a week, with the cities of Pul-e Khumri and Faizabad in the country's north falling into the Islamist's hands overnight

'Sometimes I have to pick up a gun', says female Afghan governor Salima Mazari is one of only three female governors in Afghanistan, having been appointed to lead the northern Charkint district - close to the city of Mazar-i-Sharif - in 2019. Born and raised in Tehran after her parents fled Soviet invasion in 1979, she was schooled at the University of Tehran and held a post at the the International Organization for Migration before returning home. There, she helped to establish fighting units in her mostly-rural district after requests for reinforcements to the central government were ignored. So far she has recruited 600 locals to fight, many of them farmers who had not previously taken up arms. Many of them, including Mazari, are from the Hazara community - most of whom are Shia Muslims, who the Sunni Taliban consider a heretical sect. That, plus the fact that she is a woman, has made the district a target - meaning Mazari herself has taken up arms and joined the frontlines. Aged in her 40s, Mazari has already survived several Taliban ambushes and attempts to affix explosive mines to her car. But they have not deterred her. Of the three Afghan districts run by women, hers is the only one that the Taliban has never fully captured - though half of it is currently in the hands of the militants, and attacks are becoming more common. That is despite the fact that it is located in the country's north - traditionally an anti-Taliban stronghold but that has been rapidly overrun by the militants in recent days. Mazari vowed: 'If we don't fight now against the extremist ideologies and the groups that force them on us, we will lose our chance to defeat them. 'They will succeed. They will brainwash society into accepting their agenda.' Advertisement

The journalist, who spoke anonymously for fear the Taliban will find her, told The Guardian that her life was upturned in two days as fighters approached her home in the north of the country last week.

She described fleeing under the noses of Taliban fighters attacking the city with rockets and rifles, hiding underneath a chadari or full Afghan burqa.

Accompanied by her uncle, she fled to a nearby village but was soon informed that locals had tipped off the Taliban about her arrival - and that everybody would be slaughtered if fighters arrived and found her there.

The pair fled again, this time walking two hours on foot to an even-more remote location where she is now holed up. She has had no contact with her parents since she fled, after all telephone lines in the city were cut.

Having seized a handful of regional capitals, most in the north of the country, the Taliban now have the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in their sights - with President Ghani flying there today to rally troops and confer with local warlords in the hopes of preventing a rout.

Ghani met with Atta Mohammad Noor, Mazar's strongman leader, and Abdul Rashid Dostum, a notorious anti-Taliban warlord who served in Soviet ranks, to plan the city's defence after skirmishes on its outskirts on Tuesday.

The Afghan president also sacked his top commander, Gen. Wali Ahmadzai, and replaced him with Gen. Hibatullah Alizai after a series of battlefield defeats that has left the army stunned and bloodied.

While Ghani attempts to mount a defence against the Taliban, the war is already consumed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Afghanis forced to flee Taliban guns, bombs, and persecution.

The Taliban has rapidly captured territory in Afghanistan, starting in April when Joe Biden said he would keep an promise made by Donald Trump to have all US forces out of the country by September 11.

With US forces now all-but gone, the jihadists have made rapid gains - sweeping through rural areas and overrunning poorly-defended government outposts.

President Ashraf Ghani initially played down the threat, saying he had deliberately withdrawn troops into cities which would be easier to defend.

But that tactic appears to have backfired, with nine regional capitals having fallen to the Islamists in less than a week and most large cities within the country besieged.

In areas that the Islamists have captured, women have been barred from going to school, working, or leaving their homes without a permit, activists have warned.

Last month, reports emerged that fighters had ordered imams and tribal elders to prepare lists of all women aged 15 to 45 who were unmarried or widowed so they could be married to their fighters.

But, writing for Bloomberg, columnist Ruth Pollard said that has now extended down to girls as young as 12.

'Now the Taliban are going door-to-door in some areas, compiling lists of women and girls aged between 12 and 45 years for their fighters to forcibly marry,' she wrote.

Taliban fighters are permitted to do this under their strict interpretation of Islam which views women as 'kaniz' or 'commodities', according Omar Sadr, professor of politics at the American University of Afghanistan.

Taliban fighters are pictured in the city of Farah, one of nine they have seized in less than a week as they push to retake the country

While the Taliban have portrayed themselves on the international stage as reformed moderates, those on the ground say fighters (pictured) are brutal extremists

Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Farah having captured it from government forces two days ago

Taliban fighters calmly patrolled the streets of Farah on Wednesday, but those who have fled fighting in these cities have reported reprisal attacks and beheadings carried out by the militants

Farah is just one of nine provincial capitals the Taliban now controls, having seized them in just six days

Two Taliban fighters stand guard in the city of Farah, the capital of Farah province, after seizing it two days ago

Fresh refugee crisis looms as people flee in the face of the Taliban The Taliban is sweeping across Afghanistan, seizing territory and cities from the government - some of which have been given up with barely a fight. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled as the militants closed in, with the UN estimating that 400,000 were displaced in the first few months of this year including 244,000 who have fled their homes since May when fighting began ramping up. Most have remained within the country, heading into government-controlled areas in the hopes of finding safety there, with many ending up in the capital Kabul. Some 200 crossed the border into Iran at the weekend, the UN says, joining millions of other Afghan refugees who have fled to the country starting four decades ago with the Soviet invasion. Others have headed south towards the border with Pakistan, but with the Taliban in control of the main crossing and Pakistan saying it will not accept more refugees, it is unclear how many have crossed. Pakistan is already home to at least 2.5million displaced Afghans, though the true toll is thought to be much higher once undocumented refugees are included. Amid warnings from US intelligence that Kabul could fall within a month, it is feared millions more Afghans could head to the border if the Taliban retake full control. While 90 per cent of refugees end up in Iran and Pakistan, significant numbers also head through Iran to Turkey - leaving them on the doorstep of Europe. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of Turkey's main opposition party, warned last month that up to a million could arrive as fighting gets worse and said Brussels plans to 'bribe' them to keep them out of Europe - a move that his party opposes. Notis Mitarachi, Greek migration minister, warned today that Europe 'is not ready' for another migrant crisis on the scale of 2015 when millions arrived in just a few months, saying the continent 'does not have the capacity' to absorb more people. 'We are concerned about the implications of the deterioration in Afghanistan and that's why it is very critical and very important for the European Union to be proactive in preventing such a crisis,' Mitarachi said. But as he spoke, Germany and the Netherlands said they were suspending the deportation of Afghan migrants back to their home country - something Mitarachi warned could encourage more people to come. Advertisement

That means, following a battle, women are treated as 'qhanimat' or 'spoils of war' to be divided up among the victors.

'They don't even have to marry them, it is a form of sex slavery,' he said, adding that it also constitutes a form of 'ethnic cleansing' as other cultures are forcibly assimilated into the Taliban's Pashtun group.

Assessments of the security situation are increasingly grim, with US intelligence sources warning the heavily-defended capital of Kabul - one of the few cities not currently under attack by the Taliban - could fall in as little as a month, handing control of the country back to the Islamists.

American officials had previously said Kabul could hold out for between six months to a year after US forces withdrew, but have now dramatically downgraded that assessment after a series of victories for the Taliban.

Those involved in providing security for American diplomats in Kabul told the Washington Post that they are now contingency planning for how to get their staff out in the event that security collapses within 90 days.

Others put the time-frame even shorter, saying a collapse is possible within just 30 days.

India has already withdrawn its diplomatic staff from Mazar-i-Sharif, flying them out on Tuesday after fighting broke out on the city's outskirts.

In an attempt to halt the Taliban advance, Ghani flew to the city Wednesday and met with Atta Mohammad Noor, Mazar's strongman leader, and Abdul Rashid Dostum.

Earlier in the day, Dostum had been pictured loading on to an aircraft in capital Kabul along with hundreds of his loyal commandos before flying into Mazar where he will join the fighting.

The warlord returned to Afghanistan from his base in Turkey last week to help appraise the security situation, and his flight to Mazar comes just two days after Taliban fighters captured one of his sprawling mansions in Jawzjan province - uploading videos of themselves walking around inside.

Even as the government's focus shifted to the north, battles continued to rage in the west and south of Afghanistan - with clashes underway in the major cities of Herat, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar.

In Kandahar, fierce clashes erupted between Taliban insurgents and security forces, with heavy fighting being reported near the city's prison, which the militants have been trying to reach for weeks.

Prisons are prime targets for Taliban attacks, because they typically house members of the group who can be freed and bolster the ranks.

Some 220 Taliban fighters are thought to have been freed from prisons in Kunduz and Zaranj alone, TOLO News estimated.

While the Taliban has been keen to present itself on the international stage as a legitimate government-in-waiting, claiming to have abandoned the radical practices of its past, those on the ground tell a very different story.

But even as the Taliban routed government forces, US President Joe Biden gave no hint of delaying his deadline to withdraw all American troops by August 31, instead urging Afghan leaders to 'fight for themselves' on Tuesday.

'I do not regret my decision' to withdraw US troops after two decades of war, he told reporters in Washington.

The Afghan air force has been uploading videos showing attacks on Taliban fighters in an attempt to bolster morale and turn the tide of the war, with few battlefield victories to report

Footage taken by the beleaguered Afghan air force has been posted online, showing Taliban fighters being blown to bits in an attempt to boost morale among government troops

The flaming wreckage of a Taliban vehicle is seen in footage taken by the Afghan air force and posted online in an attempt to rally government forces that are otherwise being pushed back on all fronts

Afghan displaced people who fled from their homes during the fighting carry their belongings in a public park in Kabul

Afghan displaced children who fled from their homes during the fighting take shelter in a public park in Kabul

Some 400,000 Afghans have fled their homes since the start of the year, with thousands sheltering in Kabul

And as fighting raged, US diplomats were desperately trying to breathe life back into all but dead talks between the Afghan government and Taliban in Doha, where Washington's special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was pushing the hardline Islamists to accept a ceasefire.

Biden has stressed that Washington would continue to support the Afghan security forces with air strikes, food, equipment and money for salaries.

'They have got to want to fight. They have outnumbered the Taliban,' he said.

The Taliban have appeared largely indifferent to peace overtures, and seem intent on a military victory to crown a return to power after their ouster 20 years ago in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

The insurgents appeared to be consolidating their hold over captured cities in the north, with rifle-toting militants patrolling the streets of Kunduz on foot and in armored humvees as smoke rose from smoldering shops destroyed during the fight for the city.

After conquering most of the north, the Taliban have now set their sights on region's biggest city, Mazar-i-Sharif - long a linchpin for the government's control of the area - after capturing Sheberghan to its west, and Kunduz and Taloqan to its east.

Mazar saw some of the bloodiest fighting during the Taliban's scorched earth rampage through the country in the 1990s, with rights groups accusing the jihadists of massacring up to 2,000 civilians - mostly Shiite Hazaras - after capturing the city in 1998.

The Taliban flag is raised over the main square in Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Baghlan province, after the Islamists seized it from government forces late on Tuesday

A Taliban fighter poses with locals in Pul-e-Khumri after it became one of nine cities seized by the group so far

Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province, after capturing the city earlier this week

Afghanis stand near a burnt car inside the city of Farah after it was destroyed in fighting with government forces

Hundreds of people gather at the border crossing of Spin Boldak, which connects Afghanistan with Pakistan and has been closed since last week

Men wait with their cars at the Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan, amid reports that it will reopen on Thursday
Martin Stone (pictured), 62, recorded a woman while standing behind her

A pervert spotted upskirting a woman in a Tube station was caught and jailed within 24 hours, police have revealed.

Martin Stone, 62, recorded a woman while standing behind her on an escalator at Bank Underground station in central London.

Stone, who was visiting the UK from Israel, was arrested outside the station by an officer who followed him and found him watching footage of the woman's legs and skirt on his phone.

During a search a spy camera pen, two mobile phones, two oyster cards, and a camera was found.

CCTV footage from Bank station also showed Stone following the victim around.

In a police interview, he admitted he covered the flash on his phone with Sellotape to avoid detection while he was recording the victim unknowingly.

He declined to answer when asked if he received any sexual gratification from his behaviour.

Stone, who was visiting the UK from Israel, was arrested outside Bank Underground Station in London by an officer who followed him and found him watching footage of the woman's legs and skirt on his phone (stock image)

Stone, who was caught on August 4, was jailed the following day for 10 days after pleading guilty to one count of voyeurism at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court.

He had been visiting family in the UK and was due to return to Israel next week.

The court also ordered for all SIM and memory cards from his phones and cameras to be destroyed.

Stone, who was caught on August 4, was jailed the following day for 10 days after pleading guilty to one count of voyeurism at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court (pictured)

Detective Chief Inspector Sarah White said: 'Stone's vile predatory behaviour is evident from his targeted actions and specialist equipment.

'Upskirting is a sickening invasion of privacy and this result sends a clear message on how quickly we will act against this disgusting form of sexual offending.

'We have plain clothes officers conducting patrols like this every day across network. Our officers are on the network looking out for you, whether you see them or not, and we will take action.'
Professor Adam Finn, who sits on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)  the Government on Covid vaccine policy, says the number of serious cases among young people has been increasing in recent weeks

The panel advising the Government on Covid vaccine policy U-turned to allow over-16s to have a jab because of a rise in the number of infected children getting seriously ill, one of the experts claimed today.

Ministers announced the rollout would be extended to 16- and 17-year-olds last week, after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) changed its tune on the policy.

Previously, health chiefs were against inoculating teenagers amid fears over myocarditis  a rare heart condition being linked to Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines.

But Professor Adam Finn, who sits on the JCVI, said the number of serious cases among young people in recent weeks merited a change in approach.

NHS data shows around 20 Covid-infected children aged between six and 17 are being admitted to hospital every day currently.

For comparison, the rate was in single figures until the start of July, when the third wave began to spiral rapidly. There were two days in May where no youngsters were hospitalised.

The tiny numbers of children who become seriously ill is the main argument used by critics of No10's decision to expand the roll-out to youngsters.

Data also suggests around one in 15,000 teenage boys given Pfizer's jab will develop myocarditis  which can lead to heart failure.

It has raised concerns about the risk-benefit ratio for children, especially boys, who may be up to 14 times more likely to be struck down with the complication.

But other scientists agree with the UK's move to vaccinate children, saying cases of the condition appear to usually be mild.

Any increase in prevalence tips the risk-benefit balance in favour of jabs because the dangers posed by Covid are skewed higher.

Professor Finn, a paediatrician at Bristol University, said while most young people will only have the virus in a mild form, the vaccines will be effective at preventing serious cases.

NHS data shows around 20 Covid-infected children aged between six and 17 are being admitted to hospital every day currently

Since May, men aged 16 to 29 have made up 5.5 per cent of all male hospitalisations, while women in the age group have made up six per cent, according to data from the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC)

Teenage boys are 14 TIMES more likely to suffer rare heart complication from Pfizer's Covid jab, study warns amid growing calls for No10 to rethink plan to inoculate 16 and 17 year olds Pfizer's Covid vaccine may pose more of a risk to boys, a study claimed today amid growing calls for No10 to rethink plans to dish out jabs to children. New research has suggested boys are 14 times more likely to be struck down with a rare heart complication called myocarditis. The data, from the US, will likely fuel an already fierce debate over Britain's decision to press ahead with inoculating all 16 and 17-year-olds. Last week, the Government's advisory panel ruled older teenagers should be given their first dose. Ministers plan to invite them before they head back to schools and colleges in September. But health officials have yet to make concrete plans for children to get top-ups. They want to wait for more safety data about myocarditis before pressing ahead. Real-world data from the US, which has been vaccinating children for months, have shown teenage boys to be at a higher risk. It prompted one member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which green-lighted the move to jab children, to admit different advice for boys was 'theoretically on the cards'. There is already precedent for just giving vaccinating just one gender, with the HPV jab offered only to girls until 2018. Advertisement

Professor Finn told BBC Breakfast: 'We're going cautiously down through the ages now into childhood and it was clear that the number of cases and the number of young people in the age group  16, 17  that were getting seriously ill merited going forward with giving them just a first dose.'

He said the JCVI would advise 'when and what' the second dose for that age group would be after assessing more data.

He added: 'Most young people who get this virus get it mildly or even without any symptoms at all.

'But we are seeing cases in hospital even into this age group  we've had a couple of 17-year-olds here in Bristol admitted and needing intensive care over the course of the last four to six weeks  and so we are beginning to see a small number of serious cases.

'What we know for sure is that these vaccines are very effective at preventing those kind of serious cases from occurring.'

NHS England said nearly 16,000 people in the 16- to 17-year-old age group have already received their vaccine over the weekend, just days after JCVI guidance was updated.

Extending the jabs rollout further down to the 12- to 15-year-old age group has not been ruled out.

Professor Danny Altmann, an Imperial College London immunologist, said he thinks doing so would be 'a good thing'.

He told Times Radio the more unvaccinated people there are, the more lungs there are 'for virus to percolate in, therefore it's got to be a good thing to be vaccinating more children down through the age range'.

He said children who have the virus but do not have symptoms are 'as dangerous to the spread as anybody else'.

He said: 'From a medical scientific point of view, I'd say there's nothing special about the virus in their lungs that can't transmit through to their families, through to their schoolteachers, through to their colleagues.'

Research yesterday, published in JAMA Cardiology, suggested boys are 14 times more likely to be struck down with the heart complication after Pfizer's jab  which will be given to British children.

The study was based on an analysis of just 15 children. Only one was a girl.

The findings echoed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, which suggests the risk is up to nine times higher among teenage boys.

All 15 experienced chest pain, which started a couple of days after being vaccinated and lasted for up to nine days.

None were struck down with a serious bout of myocarditis or required intensive care. All were discharged within five days.

It comes after Sir Andrew Pollard, the JCVI's chair, said pupils who are not unwell should not have to isolate after being in contact with a Covid case in the classroom.

Sir Andrew, who helped to create the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and is a professor of paediatric infection at the University of Oxford, said that as long as children who are contacts are not ill, they should continue to be in school getting their education.

He told the All Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus on Tuesday: 'Given that children have relatively mild infection compared to adults, apart from the exceptions who are largely going to be vaccinated in the current programme anyway, we probably should be moving to a situation where we're clinically-driven.

'If someone is unwell, they should be tested, but for those contacts in the classroom, if they're not unwell then it makes sense for them to be in school and being educated.'

The latest schools infection survey from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that 0.27 per cent of primary school pupils, 0.42 per cent of secondary school pupils, and 0.27 per cent of secondary school staff tested positive for coronavirus on the day of testing in June.

Statisticians said the survey of 141 schools in England showed prevalence of infection among pupils sampled in school was consistently lower than prevalence among children in the wider community.

The patients arrived at the hospital with elevated troponin levels, an indicator of heart injury - but their hearts recovered significantly during short hospital stays

Public Health England (PHE), which co-leads the study, said the latest results confirm 'schools are not hubs on infection'.

Dr Shamez Ladhani, consultant paediatrician at PHE and study lead, said: 'The latest results show that infection and antibody positivity rates of children in school did not exceed those of the community.

'This is reassuring and confirms that schools are not hubs of infection.

'Keeping community infection rates low remains critical for keeping children safe and schools open safely.'

Professor Mark Woolhouse, an epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh, said there is now a 'wealth of evidence from around the world that schools are not the main driver of Covid epidemics'.

He said the latest ONS survey 'does not raise any immediate concerns about the re-opening of schools after the summer holidays' and added that the future inquiry into coronavirus should consider whether there was ever any need to close schools, saying he believes the epidemiological evidence suggests the answer may be no.

From August 16, children under the age of 18 will no longer be required to self-isolate if they are contacted by NHS Test and Trace as a close contact of a positive Covid case.

Instead they will be informed they have been in close contact with a positive case and advised to take a PCR test.

Guidance issued at the end of term states that schools no longer need to perform contact tracing after being notified of a positive case.

Close contacts will now be identified through the Test and Trace programme.

Previously, children were required to isolate for 10 days if another pupil in their bubble  which could be an entire year group  tested positive for Covid.
Four gang members who stabbed an innocent NHS worker to death just for where he lived are facing life sentences after being convicted of murder.

David Gomoh, 24, was chased and knifed at least nine times as he chatted to his girlfriend on the phone near his home in Canning Town, east London, on April 26 last year.

He was chosen by members of the Northside Newham gang to send a message to their Custom House and Beckton rivals after they challenged him 'Where are you from?'

He was not a gang member and was a completely innocent victim, picked because they thought he was from a rival gang's 'patch'.

Terrifying footage showed them try to target another innocent man minutes earlier, but he managed to run away.

The killers drove to the scene in a stolen silver Dodge Caliber to ambush Mr Gomoh near the NHS Nightingale hospital at the ExCel centre.

Mr Gomoh, who worked at St Bart's Hospital distributing PPE, managed to get to his feet and stumble the short distance home where he bled to death in front of his horrified family.

He died days before he was due to attend the funeral for his father, Ken Gomoh, who died after contracting coronavirus.

Members of Mr Gomoh's family attended court in person on Wednesday and gasped as the verdicts were read out.

Speaking outside court afterwards, Mr Gomoh's sister Lizzie said: 'David's murder is without a doubt the hardest thing my family and I have been through. It is something that no family should ever go through.

'Nothing will bring back a life that was so full of promise and hope, a life that was brutally taken away from us, but we are grateful now that we can begin to mourn.'

Drawings from David Ture's bedroom showing a number of young men carrying out a stabbing

The cartoon storyboard was described as a 'frightening depiction of the violence' in court

David Gomoh, 24, was chased and knifed at least nine times as he phoned his girlfriend

Murderer Mohammad Jalloh, 19, had denied carrying out the killing but was convicted at court

David Ture and Vagnei Colubali were also convicted today of murdering innocent David

After the killing one of the killers made a 'storyboard' cartoon strip glorifying the murder, the court heard.

Mr Gomoh, a marketing graduate from South Bank University in London, lived with his mother and sister, who also worked for the NHS.

David Ture, 19, Mohammad Jalloh, 19, Vagnei Colubali, 23, and a 17-year-old, denied but were convicted of murder and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm after a six and a half week trial.

The jury of seven women and five men deliberated for 14 hours and 51 minutes before reaching unanimous verdicts on all charges.

Dock officers had to stop the 17-year-old storming from the dock as the verdicts were announced.

He was pushed back into his chair and told to 'simmer down' by a burly security guard as relatives of Mr Gomoh sat quietly in the courtroom.

The Recorder of London, Judge Mark Lucraft will sentence the four killers on a date to be fixed but told them: 'The four of you have been convicted of really serious offences.

'The sentence will be one of life imprisonment.'

He reminded the defendants that the murder had been described as 'a brutal attack.'

David's killers stole a silver Dodge Caliber found abandoned minutes after the stabbing

The scene on Freemasons road in Newham, London, after murder investigation was launched

Murderers made cartoon storyboard on how they would carry out the killing Jurors heard a a detailed 'storyboard cartoon' depicting Mr Gomoh's brutal murder was later found at Ture's home. 'The evidence is a frightening depiction of the violence that took place in April last year,' said Mr Glasgow. 'It could only have been drawn by someone who was present at the attack. 'You'll see how four individuals have been identified. 'Script has been provided by some of the characters.' Each image illustrated a different stage of the attack beginning with four figures deciding to head to the 'opp block' - the south Newham gang's territory. Mr Glasgow read out a number of phrases written next to the 'childish' drawings. 'Let's go opp block. 'Let's jump in the ride, K is our driver. 'Let me razz dis spliff. 'Let's hop out on these pagans.' Clothing can be identified by make and style in the drawing and is similar to that worn by Jalloh, Ture, Colubali and the 17-year-old in CCTV footage from the night of the attack. In the penultimate image, a drawing of a figure can be seen lying on the ground in what is supposed to be a pool of blood. 'Where his eyes would be there are Xs,' Mr Glasgow said. Advertisement

Mr Gomoh was on the phone to his girlfriend when the killers pulled up next to him in the Dodge, said prosecutor Oliver Glasgow.

She could hear someone ask Mr Gomoh 'Where are you from?' and then heard a struggle break out.

CCTV footage showed the moment the car stopped beside Mr Gomoh and he began to run for his life.

'The Dodge Caliber can be seen to be driving along behind him without its headlights on,' said Mr Glasgow.

'The reason for switching them off must have been to enable the car and the three knife-carrying defendants to sneak up on a potential target.

'This is the moment David Gomoh was confronted by the occupants of the Dodge Caliber.

'That must have been all it took for David Gomoh to appreciate that he was in very real danger.

'The chase was clearly on at this point.

'Despite the number of injuries and their severity, the attack was the work of seconds.'

Mr Gomoh struggled back to his house following the attack and collapsed outside after he was stabbed at least nine times.

'He was, in effect a dead-man walking,' Mr Glasgow said.

Paramedics tried to save Mr Gomoh, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The gang had already made one attempt to attack an unidentified man prior to coming across Mr Gomoh but he got away.

'The consequence of having a number of gangs who operate in a relatively confined area are not difficult to divine,' said Mr Glasgow.

'Rivalry, hatred, violence and death have all played their part in the ongoing dispute between these groups.

'And it was this ongoing feud that ultimately led to the brutal murder of David Gomoh.

'A young man who had nothing to do with this petty but fatal game of one-upmanship that is played out so often on the streets of London.

'He had no bad blood with anyone and... was ambitious to make something of himself,' said Mr Glasgow.

After the attack, the killers attempted to make a getaway in the Dodge Caliber but one of the wheels came off and they had to walk back to the north side of Newham.

Jurors heard a a detailed 'storyboard cartoon' depicting Mr Gomoh's brutal murder was later found at Ture's home.

Mr Glasgow added: 'That sequence of drawings - childish though they may be - do not tell a childish story.

'They went to Freemason's Road.

'They found someone they thought was involved, but they did not bother to check who he was.

'They stabbed him, and they left him in a pool of blood.

'Whoever drew this was boasting of their gang affiliation and their pride in what they had done.

'A group of young men who have such low regard for the lives of others that they will attack a stranger in the street simply because they assume he is a rival given the area where he lives.'

Mr Gomoh suffered catastrophic injuries, including severed carotid and brachial arteries and his liver had been cut through.

Some of the wounds were as deep as 12.5cm and sliced into the bone.

The 17-year-old's DNA was found on sunglasses dropped near to where Mr Gomoh was attacked.

Jalloh's DNA was found on two earpieces found on the back seat of the Dodge.

Jalloh, of North View, Pinner, north London, Colubali of Kendal Way, Cambridge, Ture, of no fixed address, and the 17-year-old, all denied murder and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.
Outraged Australian women have slammed an 'offensive' census question that has brought back painful memories for some mothers, including those who had not been able to conceive children naturally and others who suffered miscarriages.

Every five years, Australians are tasked with filling out the form which takes a snapshot of the country's population containing questions about age, race, religion, marital status and more.

This year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics included a question specifically for women, asking 'how many babies they had given birth to?'.

Adopted, fostered and step children were not permitted in the count, with the instructions noting the answer was being recorded for fertility statistics.

But the question struck a nerve with many women from different walks of life who felt marginalised by its narrow scope, including adopted mothers, same-sex parents, and those whose children have passed away.

Australian women have been left outraged by a question in the 2021 census asking 'how many children have you given birth to?' (stock image)

Molli Sarafov lost her son to a stillbirth seven weeks ago.

When she read the question, she broke down in tears.

'It made me question if my son counted,' Ms Sarafov told Daily Mail Australia.

'There was no clarity as to what constituted as a "birth". My son was "birthed" but didn't live.

'It was a horrible feeling. I was extremely sad at first, then I became angry and frustrated that there was no clarification.'

Ms Sarafov said she wants to know why the inquiry was necessary and was only put to women if it was about fertility.

She said the 'tough and insensitive question' was equally distressing for mothers who did not give birth to their children.

There were no questions for mothers of adopted, foster, step children, or whose children were birthed via a surrogate.

Many Aussies flocked online to blast the question, which was only geared towards women

Same-sex parents have also reported feeling discriminated by the question in instances where only one mother has given birth to the couple's children.

'My husband was adopted and has two siblings,' Ms Sarafov said.

'My mother-in-law thought it was a stupid, because she wasn't able to feel validated having three children.'

Many people have flocked to social media to condemn the targeted question.

'Thanks to census, for two days Ive been reminded society views me as a woman without children!' one woman tweeted.

'Wheres the question asking how many babies have men created? Also what about women who have lost children during pregnancy?'

Another wrote: 'As someone who has had recurrent pregnancy loss, including late ones, can we please talk about the wording of this question?.'

'[That question] threw me. I have a 13-year-old and an 11-year-old. If all had worked, I should also have a 15-year-old..... but life doesn't always work that way. Was this question necessary?' a third said.

It is not the only aspect of the 2021 census that has sparked fury among the public.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics questionnaire sparked outrage over both included and absent topics

Another troubling asked a question about people's sex, but not their gender, and even if someone selected 'non-binary' they were still designated a sex, either male or female.

'There is plenty of time to get the Census right!' one person Tweeted.

'No sexuality question, sex question poorly worded, gender absent, women asked about births but men not asked about fertility, queer parents misgendered and prevented from registering as two mothers or fathers, why?!'

The census is used to allocate funding. If gender and sexuality questions aren't included, a significant portion of the community becomes virtually invisible, and gets no support, no funding, nothing,' another added.

'Anyone else annoyed at the census limit of two ancestry options, as well as the lack of LGBT+ representation? Ive seen a lot of talk about not having sexuality or gender properly included, which yeah that also sucked, but I found the ancestry limit particularly disappointing,' someone else said.

Census night was Tuesday, but households are given plenty of time afterwards to submit the form before they are chased up by officials and eventually fined.

Anyone who doesn't fill out their form could be getting a doorstep visit from Australian Bureau of Statistics officials and a possible $222 a fine. Seen here are census collectors in Sydney

The five-yearly snapshot of the nation has to be completed by everyone in Australia, regardless of where there were on census night or where they came from.

The government data grab is used to decide future policy decisions, including population growth, city planning, immigration and education.

Census questions cover family set up, housing, income, education, occupation, and ancestral heritage information.

The ABS insist the data is not shared with any other government departments with the threat of two years in jail or fines of $26,000 for any bureaucrat who does.

Up to 75 per cent of the census forms were expected to completed online this year, with many of the surveys done in advance while half the country is in lockdown.

Anyone who has not completed their survey online or returned their paper form will initially be sent a reminder by the ABS or visited by census collectors.

Anyone who does not complete the census can then expect to be fined at the rate of $222 a day until they respond.

A $2,200 penalty also applies to those who are found to have given false information.
A top US disease expert who was among the first to sound the alarm when the Covid pandemic first appeared in Wuhan has painted a bleak picture for millions of Australians hoping to be released from stay-at-home orders.

Harvard-trained epidemiologist Dr Eric Feigl-Ding warned that even with 90 per cent of Australia's population vaccinated - 10 per cent higher than the federal government's reopening target of 80 per cent - it still won't be enough to fend off the relentless cycles of lockdowns.

Dr Feigl-Ding said in order to live with the highly infectious Indian Delta variant, life will need to remain in a perpetual state of restrictions including a ban on indoor dining and a move to premium face masks.

A top US disease expert who was among the first to sound the alarm when the Covid pandemic first appeared in Wuhan has painted a bleak picture for millions of Australians hoping to be released from stay-at-home orders

Dr Eric Feigl-Ding says in order to contain the Delta variant strain of Covid Australia will need a a ban on indoor dining

But despite the grim outlook, he's still urging everyone to get the potentially life-saving jab as its proven to reduce hospitalisation rates by about 90 per cent.

'Even for highly vaccinated countries, relying on vaccines alone is not a panacea to stop Delta,' he told A Current Affair.

'What that means is just relying on that single vaccine approach is very, very narrow minded.

'We must do other layers in addition to waiting around for vaccines.'

He says life returning to normal is still a long way off and suggests a public health strategy 'in between' being locked down or fully opened is needed.

This would include bans on indoor dining and cloth-made masks, improved ventilation standards and a nationwide vaccine passport system.

'No one wants lockdowns but if you don't have these in place I guarantee you, you will be headed towards a lockdown because the cases will be surging so quickly and the hospital beds will be filling up,' Dr Feigl-Ding said.

'Without these measures you're headed for disaster.'

Some of the new measures Australia may need to introduce includes cloth-made masks, improved ventilation standards and a nationwide vaccine passport system

Harvard-trained epidemiologist Dr Eric Feigl-Ding warned that even with 90 per cent of Australia's population vaccinated, it still won't be enough to fend off the relentless cycles of lockdowns (pictured, residents in locked down Sydney suburb of Cabramatta on Wednesday)

Although most Australians have become accustomed to cloth-made masks, he said they 'only work if everyone wears them' because they are best at catching your aerosols and droplets but not as good at filtering what you inhale.

His comments come in stark contrast to the rhetoric of the NSW and federal governments who are pinning Australia's ticket to freedom on high vaccination rates.

Scott Morrison said that once the nation reached an 80 per cent vaccination rate, Covid would be treated 'like the flu' and other infectious diseases.

Dr Feigl-Ding said in order to live with the highly infectious Indian Delta variant, life will need to remain in a perpetual state of restrictions (pictured, the Pfizer vaccine is administered at the Lebanese Muslim Association in Sydney's Lakemba)

The magic number of 80 per cent, outlined in the Doherty Institute's modelling projection, is also the maker to which Australia's international borders are set to re-open.

Meanwhile, embattled Premier Gladys Berejiklian has suggested NSW may partially ease lockdown restrictions if 50 per cent of adults get the jab - a target it hopes to reach by September.

But according to Dr Feigl-Ding re-opening at 50 per cent would be a 'dangerous gamble'.

Dr Feigl-Ding (pictured) said re-opening is going to be a 'dangerous gamble'

In fact, he says even a 90 per cent jab rate won't be enough, as vaccinations are proven to vastly reduce the risk of hospitalisation but not stop the spread entirely.

'The Delta variant is probably the most contagious virus we'll see in our lifetime,' he said.

'We have seen the Delta variant surge even in places with 50 per cent vaccination rates, even with 60 per cent vaccinations.

'Iceland has over 75 per cent vaccinated and guess what, Iceland is still seeing a surge.'

One of the major concerns of the Indian Delta variant is that more and more children too young to be vaccinated are filling up intensive care units throughout the world.

That's why he says vaccines should be approved for kids as young as two and hopefully in the future for babies aged just six months - with jabs for school teachers made mandatory.

He pointed out that one of the barriers to getting more people vaccinated is the wave of online conspiracy theorists who do not believe in Covid and falsely assert falsehoods about inoculations.

'In this age of social media, misinformation, disinformation I think it is very, very difficult to fight some of these issues,' Dr Feigl-Ding said.

He said a more appropriate message to spread is 'protect the children'.

'I hope people will listen to it because there are thousands of children in the hospital in the ICUs in America and around the world, who  did not listen.'
YouTube suspended Republican Senator Rand Paul for seven days on Tuesday night for posting a video disputing whether masks stop the spread of COVID.

'Most of the masks you get over the counter dont work. They dont prevent infection,' Paul of Kentucky said in the video which has been taken down.

'Trying to shape human behavior isn't the same as following the actual science, which tells us that cloth masks dont work,' he added.

A YouTube spokesperson said Paul's claims in the three-minute clip violated their policy on COVID medical misinformation.

The company, owned by Google, states that videos will be taken if they claim that 'masks do not play a role in preventing the contraction of transmission of COVID-19'.

Paul responded with outrage on Twitter after YouTube announced the ban and called it a 'badge of honor'.

He also included a link to watch the video on a different platform, Liberty Tree.

'Leftwing cretins at Youtube banning me for 7 days for a video that quotes 2 peer reviewed articles saying cloth masks dont work, he lamented.

Senator Rand Paul was suspended from YouTube for a week after his second offense violating their policy on spreading misinformation about coronavirus

The video was removed by YouTube. The site says videos will be taken down if they state 'masks do not play a role in preventing the contraction of transmission of COVID-19'

Paul called his suspension 'a badge of honor' and doubled-down on claiming 'cloth masks don't work'

This was Paul's first of three strikes, according to YouTube. The punishments start with a one week ban and get worse for each infraction.

YouTube removed last week an eight-minute Newsmax interview on Pauls channel where he said theres no value in wearing masks. For this, he received a warning and the subsequent violation this week was part of the first strike response to a second offense.

Paul, who was a practicing ophthalmology before becoming a U.S. senator, has engaged in multiple public skirmishes with Dr. Anthony Fauci over the origins of coronavirus and whether the U.S. helped fund the Wuhan lab where it leaked from.

The Kentucky Republican was removed from YouTube hours after Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was issued a week-long suspension from Twitter for saying vaccines were 'failing' because Americans were still getting infected.

A Twitter spokesperson told DailyMail.com that Greene's account 'will be in read-only mode for a week due to repeated violations of the Twitter Rules.'

One of Paul's videos was removed last week for COVID misinformation. He released a response video lamenting of the removal. On the first offense, YouTube issues a warning and upon a second infraction issues a 'first strike' one-week suspension

Paul lamented of tech censorship and posted a link to a video response to his video's removal last week

The Georgia Republican tweeted Monday night that the 'The FDA should not approve the covid vaccines. There are too many reports of infection & spread of #COVID19 among vaccinated people.'

'These vaccines are failing & do not reduce the spread of the virus & neither do masks,' she wrote.

'Vaccine mandates & passports violate individual freedoms,' the congresswoman added.

Fully vaccinated people are still contracting COVID-19, but data shows they're being protected against severe disease, hospitalization and death.

As of July 26, the latest date for which data is available, there were at least 6,587 so-called 'breakthrough' cases reported among 163 million fully vaccinated individuals.

Of those cases, 6,239 resulted in hospitalization and 1,263 peopled died.

Twitter flagged the tweet saying it contained misleading information. It also blocked users from retweeting or liking the message.

'The Tweet you referenced was labeled in line with our COVID-19 misleading information policy. The account will be in read-only mode for a week due to repeated violations of the Twitter Rules,' a Twitter spokesperson told DailyMail.com.

Twitter has a five-strike rule for users who spread COVID-19 misinformation.

CNN first reported her suspension.

Greene sent a statement to The Washington Examiner that continued to complain theres a double standard over vaccinations and mask wearing between Democrats and Republicans.

She also complained about conservatives being targeted by double standards.

'Why does Dr. Fauci only harshly criticize bikers at Sturgis riding in open air with no masks but is silent on Obama's "sophisticated" birthday party super-spreader event for Hollywood and Democrat elites? Why is it right and moral to allow tens of thousands of COVID positive "migrants" into our country and ship them all over to every state in the taxpayers dime yet force our children to mask up for school?' she mused.

Greene tweeted Monday night that the FDA should not approve the COVID vaccines because there were 'too many reports' of breakthrough cases. Twitter marked the tweet misleading and blocked users from interacting with it

'But if MTG dare says the truth, Twitter suspends me because the truth is so offensive to the fragile hypocrites all over Twitter!' she said, referring to herself in the third-person.

'They will allow porn on Twitter. They will allow posts about parents transitioning their children and changing their gender on Twitter. But Twitter wont allow any real discussion of the truth from an elected congresswoman because Twitter only cares about the Democrats communist agenda for America,' she continued.

'Good thing my voters could care less about Twitter,' the Georgia Republican added.

CNN estimated that Greene only had one strike to go before she was permanently banned from the platform.

In July, Greene was banned from Twitter for 12 hours after two of her tweets on COVID-19 were labeled misleading.

The Georgia congresswoman has also refused to wear a mask in Congress despite the Capitol Physician issuing a mandate after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidelines last month that vaccinated people should return to wearing masks indoors.

The House issues fines for those who do noy comply with compulsory mask wearing.

The first fine is $500 and $2,500 each time afterwards.

Greene got suspended from Twitter for 12 hours in July after Twitter said she violated their COVID misinformation policy with two tweets

Her second said that COVID is 'not dangerous for non-obese people and those under 65'
New York's new governor Kathy Hochul's first conflict of interest could present itself in her family, which includes a husband who works for a food services and casino management company that has $50million in open contracts with the state.

Hochul, a married mother-of-two from Buffalo, takes over from Governor Andrew Cuomo in two weeks. He resigned suddenly on Tuesday after fighting sexual harassment allegations for a week since the release of Attorney General Letitia James' damning report.

Hochul's husband, William J. Hochul Jr. or Bill, as she calls him, is the general counsel and senior vice president of Delaware North, a gaming giant which has massive stakes in New York's gambling laws.

The company has two casinos in upstate New York - Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack and Hamburg Gaming.

The New York Gaming Commission must sign off on any deals done in the casino industry like the sale or acquisition of a site. Hochul is now in charge of it.

Delaware North manages casinos around the country including one in the Finger Lakes and Hamburg Gaming, a casino in Buffalo.

Hochul's husband, William J. Hochul Jr. or Bill, as she calls him, is the general counsel and senior vice president of Delaware North, a gaming giant which has massive stakes in New York's gambling laws

Delaware North manages casinos around the country including one in the Finger Lakes and Hamburg Gaming, a casino in Buffalo

Records from the New York State Comptroller's Office shows Delaware North has $50million in contracts that are up for renewal with the state

One of Delaware North's casinos is the Finger Lakes Gambling and Race Track casino

It also has $50million in open contracts on the food services it operates including a $39million contract with the New York Thruway Authority to manage all of its food and drink services at service area stops.

That contract, as first reported by The Daily Beast, began in 2006 and will expire in 2022 - a month after the Kathy's first potential election. She'll still be in office even if she doesn't win.

Delaware North also has a $10million contract with the Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation that expires at the end of this year.

It includes all of the food, beverage and gift shop concession at Niagara Falls

Hochul's daughter-in-law Christina works for a DC pharmaceuticals firm. She is the Director of Federal Policy there

Delaware North also manages food and drink stands at The Rink at the Rockefeller Center, event catering at The Plaza hotel, and food stands at at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey, the Gideon Putnam Resort and Spa in Saratoga Springs, Syracuse Hancock International Airport, Buffalo Niagara International Airport, Niagara Falls State Park, the Keybank Center.

Hochul's daughter-in-law Christina works for DC pharmaceuticals company Biogen and her daughter, Caitlin, is a communications director at a Washington DC PR firm that is regularly hired by the federal government to improve how inclusive it is of disabled staff.

Concepts, the firm Caitlin works for, has been hired in the past by the Department of Justice and the State Exchange on Employment & Disabilit, the Department of Defense, the Department of Housing & Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Her daughter-in-law, Christina, is the Director of Federal Policy at Biogen, a $50billion pharmaceuticals company which recently received FDA approval for an Alzheimer's drug.

Hochul's son, William Hochul III, is a lawyer at the DC firm Sidley Austin. His past cases have included working pro-bono for migrant families separated at the border.

The family has been suddenly thrust into public glare by Cuomo's resignation and now faces

Hochul's daughter Caitlin is a director at a PR firm which has been hired in the past by multiple government agencies to help them improve how inclusive they are of disabled staff. Her son, William Hochul III, is an attorney in Washington DC

Hochul said on Tuesday that she was 'prepared to lead'. She will give her first press conference at 2pm on Wednesday

Hochul's husband Bill is a former prosecutor who served in the Western District of New York for 23 years. He helped prosecute al-Qaeda terrorists including the Lackwanna Six, the first known Americans to travel to train with the group.

Hochul previously served as Eerie County Clerk. She was endorsed by the NRA in Buffalo in 2007 and 2012 but she since she started working in Albany, she has taken a firm anti-gun stance.

She has begun making phone calls, including one to Reverend Al Sharpton, about how she will govern, but is yet to speak publicly about it aside from tweeting on Tuesday: 'I agree with Governor Cuomo's decision to step down. It is the right thing to do and in the best interest of New Yorkers.

'As someone who has served at all levels of government and is next in the line of succession, I am prepared to lead as New York States 57th Governor.'

She will give her first press conference at 2pm on Wednesday.
The mother of two brothers who have been charged with shooting a police officer dead has been arrested herself at a hospital after trying to force her way into the room where one of her sons is being treated for a gunshot wound.

Evalena Flores, 41, allegedly kicked a hospital security guard in the groin and wrestled with police officers at Advocate Christ Medical Center.

Alleged gunman Emonte Morgan - who is charged with first-degree murder over the death of cop Ella French - is being treated there after being shot in the abdomen during the shootout.

Flores' attempt to get in to his hospital room appears to have been streamed on Facebook live - posted under the username 'Marsia Outofthebox Braidy'.

The woman in the video is presumably Flores - and her outfit and appearance in the videos match the mugshots. Police said the videos are 'of interest to our investigation.'

Flores can be heard telling nurses, 'I want to see my son. Emonte Morgan.'

She is then seen running by nurses and yelling, 'Monty! Monty!' and then yells, 'Don't touch me' when confronted by police and hospital security in the hallway.

Both of her sons - Emonte, 21, and Eric Morgan, 22 - are charged with crimes connected to the fatal shooting of Chicago cop French, 29, on Saturday.

Emonte is the alleged triggerman and is charged murder of a peace officer, among others, and is currently being treated in Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn for injuries sustained during the shootout.

Flores said in a two-minute monologue video from her car that her boys' side of the story isn't being told but said she couldn't speak too much about it.

'My boys are not monsters,' Flores said. 'I don't believe a damn thing CPD (Chicago Police Department) says, and I can guarantee you this. My boys were afraid. I'm afraid ... We fear our police here. We don't trust them.'

Scroll down for video

'My boys are not monsters,' Evelana Flores, 41, said in a Facebook live video from her car about her sons Emonte and Eric Morgan, who are facing charges connected to the fatal shooting of Chicago police officer Ella French, 29. 'I don't believe a damn thing CPD (Chicago Police Department) says, and I can guarantee you this. My boys were afraid. I'm afraid ... We fear our police hear. We don't trust them'

Emonte Morgan, left, and his brother Eric were arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Chicago Police Officer Ella French on Saturday. Emonte is the alleged triggerman and is facing a top charge of murder of a peace officer

The new footage shows the moments before Emonte Morgan allegedly fired at the officers

A second Facebook live video - which was less than a minute long - shows Flores going up the elevator.

The third Facebook Live video - spanning four minutes - shows Flores's hospital alleged break-in attempt and ensuing struggle with police and arrest.

Police and hospital security are heard in the video telling Flores over and over, 'Stop. Please, stop.'

She yells, 'Let me see my son.'

The video goes dark for nearly a minute, but Flores is heard yelling, 'Let me see my son' and 'Monty, I love you.'

When the video returns, the camera catches a glimpse of Flores in cuffs and records the conversation between the officers and Flores as they head out of the hospital, where she admits to having mace.

'Floress attempt was thwarted by the actions of two Chicago Police Officers and Christ Hospital Public Safety Officers who were on scene,' police said in a statement.

'As Flores attempted to push her way past the officers, she kicked a Christ Hospital Public Safety Officer in the groin. Flores continued to resist efforts to take her into custody while demanding to her son.'

She was charged with misdemeanor battery, resisting a peace officer and criminal trespass on Tuesday.

During her attempted break-in of a hospital where her son Emonte is being treated, she's confronted by police and hospital security, who ultimately cuff following a struggle. This was taken from Flores's first-person Facebook live video

Flores is temporarily seen in the Facebook live video being led out of the hospital in cuffs

This is the view of the first-person Facebook live video Flores recorded of her attempted hospital break-in

Flores' Facebook live videos were uploaded on Tuesday, the same day body camera footage and still images of Saturday's fatal shootout were released.

An image from the body camera footage shows the moments before Emonte allegedly opened fire on Chicago police during a traffic stop, killing French and critically wounding her partner.

Her partner, whose name hasn't been released, remains in the hospital in intensive care.

The haunting still from the bodycam footage shows Eric sitting in the driver's seat as a cop looks into the car through the driver's side window moments before his younger brother Emonte allegedly fires at the officers.

Emonte is said to have confessed to shooting at the cops in a recorded court statement.

Separate surveillance footage shows police pulling over the Morgan brothers, along with an unnamed female passenger who was in the car, during a routine traffic stop on Saturday night.

After Emonte allegedly shot at the officers, one of the suspects was seen on video running from the scene as local residents chased them down.

Chicago Police Officer Ella French, 29, was killed when Emonte Morgan allegedly opened fire during a routine traffic stop on Saturday, police said

The bodycam video footage revelations were made as French's heartbreaking final radio call to dispatchers was also published by Irish Angel - a nonprofit group founded to support law enforcement officers and their families.

During the radio call, an unidentified voice tells the dispatcher: 'Officer down.'

This dispatcher then tells others to stay off the radio air while announcing that French had been shot at the intersection of 63rd Street and Bell Avenue.

A dispatcher informs police that the suspect was wearing a blue Chicago Cubs shirt - and the unidentified voice tells her to call for two ambulances.

A bond hearing was held for the Morgan brothers on Tuesday before Cook County Judge Arthur Willis - though Emonte did not attend because he remains hospitalized.

Prosecutors said Emonte admitted to investigators that he pulled his handgun out of his waistband and opened fire.

Willis ordered Emonte held without bond on charges of first-degree murder of a peace officer, attempted murder of two other officers, unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

'They didn't have their weapons drawn, they weren't firing on him, and callously (Emonte) shoots and kills one, and the other is in critical condition,' the judge said.

Separate surveillance footage shows police pull over the Morgan brothers, and a female passenger

The SUV was pulled over during a routine traffic stop on Saturday night

Cook County Assistant State's Attorney James Murphy said cops had stopped the SUV because of expired plates.

The brothers initially followed officers' instructions, handing over the vehicle's keys and getting out of the SUV.

But the situation escalated after Emonte refused to put down a drink and cellphone that he was holding, Murphy said.

'He began physically jerking his arms away from the officers,' Murphy said.

Footage from police body cameras shows Emonte had a handgun tucked into his waistband, according to Cook County prosecutor.

As he struggled with police, he began firing several shots, striking French once in the head and a 39-year-old officer in the right eye, right shoulder and in his brain.

One of the suspects was seen on video running from the scene as local residents chased them down

Police are seen after the shooting death of officer Ella French

Chicago Police Supt. David Brown gives an update and answers questions during a press conference at the Chicago Police Headquarters on Sunday

Cops are seen mourning the shooting death of Ella French in images posted to Twitter

Both officers fell to the ground face up, their body cameras still recording, Murphy said. At one point, Emonte could be seen stepping over the 39-year-old wounded officer before stepping out of view.

In the meantime, Eric had run off during the struggle, and the third officer chased after him down, Murphy said.

When that officer heard gunshots, he ran back the scene of the traffic stop and exchanged gunfire with Monty before falling to the ground.

French is pictured before her death with her fellow officers

Eric also ran back, and his brother handed the gun to him, according to court documents. The third officer got back up and shot at Monty again, hitting him in the abdomen.

Murphy said Monty gave a statement on video in which he admitted to drinking, having a gun and open firing on two officers.

An initial court appearance is set for Aug. 16.

At a separate bond hearing Tuesday afternoon, a judge ordered Eric to be held without bond.

Eric, who authorities say was captured in a yard where he ran to dump his brother's gun, is charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and obstruction of justice.

A third man, Jamel Danzy, 29, of Indiana, is charged with supplying the semiautomatic handgun used in the shooting.

Danzy is accused of buying the weapon from a licensed gun dealer in Hammond, Indiana, in March and provided it to an Illinois resident who he knew could neither buy nor possess guns because of a felony conviction.

French was the first Chicago police officer to die from a gunshot in the line of duty in nearly three years.
A New York University security guard stabbed his boss with a 'machete' six times after being ordered to leave campus for refusing to comply with Covid-19 rules, prosecutors say.

Frantz Arestyl, 38, has been charged with attempted murder for the attack on his supervisor at the Broome Street dormitory at 1am on July 24. He was previously the recipient of NYU's Service Award for his 15 years as a Public Safety employee.

'The defendant chased and repeatedly stabbed his supervisor with a large knife resembling a machete after refusing to complete the COVID screening process required by his employer, NYU,' Assistant District Attorney Candace White said at Arestyl's arraignment on Monday, according to Washington Square News.

'The attack occurred after the defendant refused to complete the screening process on prior occasions, having been sent home earlier in the week,' the lawyer added.

The screening process is a daily set of questions on a smartphone app which must be completed to enter NYU buildings. The Daily Screener is only available to vaccinated people or those who have provided proof a negative Covid test.

Frantz Arestyl, 38, has been charged with attempted murder for the attack on his supervisor at the Broome Street dormitory (pictured) at 1am on July 24

According to NYU it is 'a key part of the protocols NYU uses to combat the spread of COVID-19.'

CCTV footage from the lobby of the dorm shows the victim, a 48-year-old who has not been named, trying to flee the Lower Manhattan building as Arestyl stabs him.

The victim remains in hospital and will require extensive surgery for the six stab wounds which left him with broken ribs and a collapsed lung.

There were no students present in the lobby when the assault took place, said the NYPD.

Arestyl has no previous convictions and last year received an award for his years of service at NYU.

The university says the award 'recognizes and honors faculty and employees who have reached important service milestones in their distinguished career with NYU New York.'

Arestyl is facing charges of attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon.

He was released on $300,000 bail ahead of his next court appearance.

He was immediately suspended as an NYU employee pending termination of his contract.

NYU has required students to get vaccinated before the start of term like many other universities.
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Travellers from across the UK saddled up traditional horse and bow top carts as they head to Appleby Horse Fair being held from tomorrow after last year's festival was suspended due to Covid restrictions.

Visitors from the Gypsy, Roma and Travelling community are arriving through Brough, Cumbria with their horses and caravans for the 250-year-old fair which has only been cancelled twice - last year amid the pandemic, and in 2001 due to the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

The fair, which is billed as the biggest traditional Gypsy Fair in Europe, is usually held in early June outside the town of Appleby and attracts around 10,000 Gypsies and Travellers, 1,000 caravans, hundreds of horse-drawn vehicles, and around 30,000 visitors.

It is believed that the fair originated in the late 18th century as horse dealers and sheep and cattle drovers sold their stock on Gallows Hill, not far from Long Marton Road near where the Appleby Fair is held - and that by the 20th century it had morphed into a Gypsy event.

Over the years, the mass gathering has generated allegations of violent crime, animal cruelty and mess left in the town. However the RSPCA, which patrols the fair, has said just a small minority of visitors have ever shown scant regard for animal welfare.

Already travellers have clashed with locals in neighbouring market towns when they decided to set up an overnight camp at the Upper Eden Rugby Club when their camp was sprayed with cow manure and sectioned off with boulders.

This year an agreement was reached that the organisers - the Appleby Horse Fair Multi-Agency Strategic Co-ordinating Group - would host the event subject to any potential changes in Covid regulations and guidance around large gatherings.

Travellers in Brough, Cumbria, make their way to Appleby, for the annual Horse Fair

Travellers in Brough, Cumbria, make their way to Appleby, for the annual Horse Fair

Travellers from across the UK saddled up traditional horse and bow top carts as they head to Appleby Horse Fair being held from tomorrow after last year's festival was suspended due to Covid restrictions

The fair, which is billed as the biggest traditional Gypsy Fair in Europe, is usually held in early June outside the town of Appleby and attracts around 10,000 Gypsies and Travellers, 1,000 caravans, hundreds of horse-drawn vehicles, and around 30,000 visitors

Members of the Gypsy, Roma and Travelling (GRT) community begin to arrive for the Appleby Horse Fair in Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria

Travellers decided to set up camp at the nearby Upper Eden Rugby Club when one of their established overnight camps was sprayed with cow manure and sectioned off with boulders

A man rides a horse in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, ahead of the annual Horse Fair which starts on Thursday

Travellers arrive in Cumbria for the Appleby Horse Fair, which begins tomorrow. The fair, which was cancelled last year due to the coronavirus outbreak, is the biggest gathering of gypsies and travellers in Europe, attracting tens of thousands of travellers and visitors to Cumbria each year

A man rides a horse in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, ahead of the annual Horse Fair which starts on Thursday

Les Clark, Chair of the Appleby Horse Fair MASCG and Deputy Chief Executive of Eden District Council, said: 'In reaching this decision the Multi-Agency Strategic Co-ordinating Group has had to weigh many factors.

'It is preferable for everyone involved - local settled people, Gypsies and Travellers and the local authorities - for Appleby Horse Fair to happen on a set date. Had no date been set, there would be an increased likelihood of ad hoc gatherings which nobody would be prepared for.

'Whilst the Government roadmap currently states that large events can take place from 21 June, it was the preference of the MASCG that a new date for Appleby Horse Fair be selected later into the summer to allow the vaccination programme valuable extra weeks to roll out.

'Selecting a date has been a difficult process. As the traditional date is not viable, there has had to be compromise on all sides. As Chair of the MASCG I would like to thank everyone for their patience and for their willingness to find common ground during what is a difficult time for everyone.'

Billy Welch, Gypsy and Traveller representative on the MASCG, said: 'Whilst the Gypsy and Traveller community would have been happier for the Fair to be held earlier in the summer, we are happy with the compromise date identified by the MASCG.

'Everyone will have the opportunity to plan a summer break in the UK so it is important that the Gypsies and Travellers who wish to do so have the same opportunity.'

Pauline Foster (pictured) said she and the other travellers 'were doing no harm' and had pitched up at the rugby club because their established site had been sprayed with cow manure

Members of the traveller community said they were being victimised and forced off the site for no reason. Pictured: Visitors from the Gypsy, Roma and Travelling (GRT) community at the nearby Upper Eden Rugby Club

Travellers began to arrive in Kirkby Stephen at the weekend ahead of the fair, which attracts around 10,000 gypsies and 30,000 visitors

Locals in Kirkby Stephen claimed threats were made against them as travellers blocked the road during a 'stand-off.' They also said there were left furious when police told them they could not close the gate to prevent more travellers coming through - in case those already trespassing on the site needed to leave in an emergency.

The gypsies said they were being victimised and forced off the site for no reason, questioning why the remote spot where they had planned to stay had been covered in manure.

One local said: 'It was a frightening and intimidating situation to have a camp suddenly set up right in the middle of the community. And to make it worse the rugby club was told it couldn't lock the gate in case any of them wanted to leave. It's madness.'

Some pubs and businesses in the town chose to close their doors until after the horse fair is over. But one traveller, Pauline Foster, who was a part of the group, said they 'were doing no harm' and the only reason they had pitched up at the rugby club was because the site they had stayed at for years was soiled with cow manure.

The 69-year-old said: 'There were four or five police vans called and we warned we'd be kicked off double quick. They took pictures of all our caravans and vehicles and said if we didn't move we'd be charged and if we didn't pay it they's follow us to Appleby to get it from us.

Police arrive to the scene at Upper Eden Rugby Club after locals clash with members of the traveller community

'We were doing no harm at all. The fair begins on Thursday so we'd quickly have moved on into Appleby. The only reason that we came here is because the site we've stayed at for years and years was soiled with cow manure and sectioned off with boulders by some farmer.

'It's outside the village of Nateby in the middle of nowhere and the travelling people do no harm there. The discrimination and harassment we suffer is getting worse and if this was any other race or culture there would be an outcry, but because it's our community people let it happen.'

Police were there to make sure the travellers moved on without any further disruption as the eviction notice demanded. One officer told MailOnline: 'They're moving without incident and we've found them somewhere else to stay.'

Although Appleby itself remained quiet, an influx of travellers arrived in Kirkby Stephen at the weekend ahead of the fair, which attracts around 10,000 gypsies and 30,000 visitors.

Scores of caravans and mobile homes were parked on roadsides leading into the town and horses were tethered to graze on verges as lorries rumbled by inches away on the main road between the A66 trans-Pennine route and the M6 motorway.

Long lines of traffic snaked off into the distance as youngsters driving carriages pulled by ponies raced up and down the A685.

A local businessman said: 'It feels as though we've had one year of peace before it all starts again with a vengeance. While Appleby gets all the visitors and the income that brings, we get nothing but disruption and so many problems that some businesses choose to close down.'

The travellers denied anyone had been intimidating.
Democratic Sen. Cory Booker gave an impassioned speech on the Senate floor Tuesday night thanking his Alabama Republican colleague for introducing an amendment that would punish localities that defunded the police.

'I am so excited. This is perhaps the highlight of this long and painful and tortuous night. This is a gift. If it wasn't a complete abdication of Senate procedures and esteem I would walk over there and hug my colleague from Alabama,' Booker began.

Booker then explained that Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville 'has given us the gift that finally once and for all we can put to bed this scurrilous accusation that somebody in this great, esteemed body would want to defund the police.'

Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey thanked Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville for introducing an amendment to the $3.5 trillion budget bill that could get Democrats on record against defunding the police

Sen. Tommy Tuberville hoped his amendment would have the opposite effect and have Senate Democrats show that they supported defunding the police. Democrats voted in lockstep with Republicans 99-0 on Tuberville's action

During the vote, Sen. Cory Booker walked over to Sen. Tommy Tuberville and gave him a hug on the Senate floor. 'This is a gift. If it wasn't a complete abdication of Senate procedures and esteem I would walk over there and hug my colleague from Alabama,' Booker said earlier

Tuberville, a Republican, had hoped to get Democrats on record showing support for the 'defund the police' movement.

He offered a non-binding amendment to the $3.5 trillion budget bill that would curb federal funds to municipalities that took money away from police departments.

The Senate was in session overnight participating in what's called a vote-a-rama - the rapid voting on amendments to get them closer to a final vote.

'I call on my colleagues to support our law enforcement by voting yes on this amendment. Opposing my amendment is a vote in support of defunding the police and against the men and women in blue,' Tuberville said in advance of the vote on his amendment.

Booker then piped up.

'So let all of us, 100 people, not walk but sashay down there and vote for this amendment and put to rest the lies - I'm sure I will see no political ads attacking anybody here over defund the police,' Booker said.

He then cheekily asked for permission to use unanimous consent to add to Tuberville's amendment that every senator wants to fund the poice and also 'believes in God, country and apple pie.'

While progressive activists may have embraced calls to 'defund the police,' most D.C. Democrats have distanced themselves from the idea, fearing it could be politically toxic, especially going into next year's midterm elections.

President Joe Biden has said he doesn't support it.

Booker and South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott have been working together on a police reform bill, but Biden's bipartisan infrastructure deal and the budget bill senators were voting on all through the night have stalled action on that piece of legislation.

Tuberville's amendment got the support of every Democrat and every Republican, with a vote of 99-0.

During the vote, Booker made good on his comments, walked across the Senate floor and hugged Tuberville.
A grizzly bear that fatally attacked a Yellowstone National Park guide may have been guarding a moose carcas and was aggressive after a fight with another bear while protecting the kill, investigators say.

Montana man Carl Mock, 40, was attacked by the 411-pound animal while he was fishing alone along the Madison River in West Yellowstone on April 15. He managed to call 911 after the attack and pinpoint his location.

As rescuers tried to get to him, the grizzly stalked and charged at them several times. Mock, who had suffered a severe head injury, was eventually rescued and taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls where he died two days later after suffering a massive stroke.

The 20-year-old bear was shot dead by a team of wildlife investigators who returned to the area the next day, according to CBS.

At the time, investigators said the bear was defending the carcass of a moose, which was found about 50 yards from the site of the attack.

A study of the bear's stomach found it contained moose cartilage, hair and muscle tissue. Investigators said tissue from another grizzly bear found in its lower stomach provided further context for the bear's aggression.

Montana man Carl Mock, 40, was attacked by the 411-pound animal while he was fishing alone along the Madison River in West Yellowstone on April 15. He managed to call 911 after the attack and pinpoint his location. He died in hospital two days later

Officers from the sheriff's office and West Yellowstone Police Department in the area after the attack. The 20-year-old bear was shot dead by a team of wildlife investigators who returned to the area the next day

The backcountry guide lived in the park gateway community of West Yellowstone and was fishing alone when he was attacked

'[The bear] had possibly been in a very recent fight with another grizzly bear defending the moose carcass or fought taking the moose carcass from another grizzly bear,' a report issued by investigators stated.

'If this were the case, those interactions could have contributed to [the bear's] overall aggressive defense of the moose carcass.'

It is unclear why Mock was alone in the area, or whether he knew the bear was in the area.

Wildlife officers killed the bear the next day after it 'began charging the group with its 'head down, ears back and running full-out', investigators said in the report.

Mock was attacked while he was fishing alone along the Madison River in West Yellowstone on April 15. He managed to call 911 after the attack and pinpoint his location

Mock suffered a massive stroke and died Saturday, two days after he was attacked while fishing alone in a forested area along the Madison River

When attacked, Mock had bear spray - a Mace-like deterrent meant to protect against attacks. Bear spray residue was found on Mock's clothing, but officials could not determine to what extent he was able to use it against the bear.

'He was the only one who was there and we were never able to talk to him,' Jacobsen said.

He stayed on the phone with emergency services for 49 minutes after he managed to dial 911, investigators said.

When he was found, he was transported via toboggan and snowmobile to an ambulance, then flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for emergency treatment.

Although his two surgeries went well, according to the organizer of a GoFundMe initially established for Mock's funeral expenses, the guide died on the morning of April 17.

'This comes as a terrible shock and is heartbreaking to everyone,' wrote organizer Keith Johnson. 'We appreciate the continued support from this community to help ease these financial burdens for Carl's family.

Mock was a guide at Backcountry Adventure, which provides snowmobile rentals and tours in Yellowstone National Park and surrounding areas of national forest, according to the company's Facebook page.

When he was attacked Mock had bear spray - a Mace-like deterrent meant to protect against attacks

The Yellowstone region of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming has more than 700 bears. Fatal attacks on humans are relatively rare but increased in recent decades as the grizzly population grew and more people moved into rural areas near bear habitat

The GoFundMe said that Mock was passionate about the outdoors and a beloved guide for Yellowstone visitors.

'He is a hard-working guy with an infectious smile,' read the body of the fundraiser, which ultimately amassed just over $38,000. 'He is a loyal friend that would help any of us however he could.'

Officials said they are confident the bear that was killed is the one that attacked Mock.

The Yellowstone region of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming has more than 700 bears. Fatal attacks on humans are relatively rare but increased in recent decades as the grizzly population grew and more people moved into rural areas near bear habitat. Since 2010, grizzlies in the Yellowstone region killed eight people including Mock. Three died inside the park.

The most recent death was in 2018, when a hunting guide and his client were attacked in Wyoming and the guide was killed.

Grizzlies bears have been federally protected as a threatened species outside Alaska since 1975 after being widely exterminated by trappers and hunters early last century.

Hunting grizzlies is not allowed. But lawmakers from Idaho, Montana and Wyoming are trying to force wildlife officials to lift protections so the bears can be hunted.

Mock's friend, Scott Riley, said he was 'an extremely experienced' guide who knew the risks of living and working in proximity to grizzly bears.

Mock, who was single and originally from Pocatello, Idaho, had been fishing in the same area all week without incident, Riley said. His friend said he spent ample time outdoors with Mock, who also kayaked, hunted and rode his motorcycle, and theyd seen lots of bears but never had any problem.

'He was the best guide around,' Riley said. 'He had sight like an eagle and hearing like an owl. ... Carl was a great guy.'
A North Carolina father was killed on Sunday after his 2-year-old son accidentally shot him while he was eating dinner.

Markovia Durham, 29, and his son were visiting the apartment of the boy's grandmother in the city of Gastonia, near Charlotte, when the accident happened at around 8.45pm.

The boy - who has not been named by officials - picked the gun up thinking it was a toy, and shot him in the back, the grandmother Phyllis Holland told Fox 46.

North Carolina father Markovia Durham, 29, (above) was visiting the home of the boy's grandmother Phyllis Holland at her Gastonia apartment when the shooting happened

Durham was eating dinner on the couch when his son grabbed a gun from behind and shot him in the back after he thought it was a toy

Holland added that Durham recently purchased the gun.

Se said the terrified boy ran out of the apartment after it went off.

Durham was pronounced dead after emergency services arrived at Holland's apartment complex at around 9.30pm.

The Gastonia Police Department says it is unclear if charges will be made as the investigation surrounding the boy's involvement is still pending.

Family members have also been questioned by the Department of Social Services about the incident.

Police arrived at the apartment shortly after the shooting only to discover that Durham was dead

The Gastonia Police Department are investigating the boy's involvement and no charges have been made as of yet

Holland said that the boy still does not fully understand the circumstances of the shooting as he continues to ask for his father.

She said: 'He want his Dada. Hes only a 2-year-old. He doesnt understand.'

Neighbors were left heartbroken by the event as they could not imagine what the family or the little boy were going through.

'That little boy is gonna go through something for the rest of his life,' neighbor Tasha Phillips said, 'and it just hurts because I have grandkids of my own.'

Jennifer Fredell-Saucier, owner and instructor at Southern Belle Firearms Training, said that it's up to gun owners to keep their weapons away from children as they may be too young to understand the difference between a toy and a real gun.

Saucier told WSOC-TV: 'A lot of people look at the situation and they think that the child knows thats a gun. Thats dangerous and thats not always the case.'

DailyMail.com reached out to the Gastonia Police Department for a statement.
China's state media allegedly invented a Swiss biologist and quoted him claiming the US had pressured the World Health Organisation into investigating the theory Covid-19 was leaked from a lab in Wuhan.

The People's Daily, China Daily, and CGTN television channel all quoted so-called biologist Wilson Edwards but removed the content yesterday after the Swiss Embassy said it had no record of him as a citizen.

Beijing has repeatedly pushed claims the US pressured the WHO to investigate the possibility Covid-19 was leaked from a lab in Wuhan, where the virus was first found in December 2019.

China has insisted a leak would have been 'extremely unlikely' citing the conclusion reached by a joint WHO-Chinese mission to Wuhan in January.

Edwards was quoted by state media terming the WHO investigation a 'political tool' and saying the 'international scientific community' was 'disappointed' in the US.

China's state media allegedly invented Swiss biologist Wilson Edwards and quoted him claiming the US had pressured the World Health Organisation into investigation theories Covid-19 was leaked from a lab in Wuhan

The People's Daily, China Daily, and CGTN television channel all quoted Wilson Edwards but removed the content yesterday

Beijing has repeatedly insisted that a leak from Wuhan Institute of Virology (researchers at the Institute pictured in 2017) would have been 'extremely unlikely', citing the conclusion reached by January's joint WHO-Chinese mission to Wuhan

The People's Daily reported Edwards told them: 'Unfortunately, Washington's re-entry has brought geopolitical competition to the science-spearheaded world body'

China Daily reported Edwards' Facebook post, quoting him as saying 'as a biologist, I've witnessed in consternation over the past months how the origin-tracing of Covid-19 was politicized'.

The article added Edwards branded the WHO's probe was 'largely politically motivated', without elaborating.

While state-run television channel CGTN reported Edwards said he was worried about the 'WHO's independence' and claimed the group of investigators probing the origin of Covid-19 would become a 'political tool'.

CGTN said Edwards claimed he and fellow researchers were under 'enormous pressure' and 'intimidation' from the US and some media outlets after voicing support for the joint WHO-Chinese investigation which in January concluded a lab leak was extremely unlikely.

The state-run television outlet also reported Edwards quoted an unnamed WHO sources as saying 'the US is so obsessed with attacking China on the origin-tracing issue that it is reluctant to open its eyes to the data and findings'.

State-run television channel CGTN reported Edwards said he was worried about the 'WHO's independence' and claimed the group of investigators probing the origin of Covid-19 would become a 'political tool'

China has insisted a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology would have been 'extremely unlikely' citing the conclusion reached by a joint WHO-Chinese mission to Wuhan in January

Edwards had Facebook and Twitter accounts - both of which have since been deleted - which peddled claims the US pressured the WHO.

His Facebook page was created on July 24, boasted three friends, and had only one post which said President Joe Biden would 'spare no efforts' to rebuild US influence over the WHO.

The page indicated Edwards was from the Swiss capital Bern and included a picture of Oxford University's Radcliffe Camera, but provided no further details about the so-called biologist.

Both pages were deleted after the Swiss Embassy's statement yesterday which said they were 'looking for Wilson Edwards'.

'If you exist, we would like to meet you!', the embassy wrote on Twitter.

The Embassy said it could not find any academic articles authored by Edwards, pointed out his Facebook page was created only days before he was quoted in Chinese state media, and said there was no registry of a citizen with the name.

'It is more likely that this is fake news, and we call on the Chinese press and netizens to take down the posts,' it added.

Both of Wilson Edwards' social media pages were deleted after the Swiss Embassy's statement yesterday which said there was no registry of a Swiss citizen with the name

Beijing last month refused to cooperate with the WHO investigation, accusing the health body of showing 'disrespect' and 'arrogance towards science' after it said it would audit Wuhan labs as part of the probe.

The WHO said a second stage of the probe should include audits of Chinese research centres amid increasing speculation about the lab leak theory and pressure from the US.

The proposal outlined by the health body chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus included 'audits of relevant laboratories and research institutions operating in the area of the initial human cases identified in December 2019' - referring to Wuhan.

But China's vice health minister Zeng Yixin told reporters he was 'extremely surprised' by the plan, which he said showed 'disrespect for common sense and arrogance towards science'.

He claimed no workers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology ever became ill with the virus and said they did not carry out gain-of-function tests at the lab.

He hit back at what he called 'rumours' about the lab, insisting Covid-19 was not a 'manmade virus' and rejecting the WHO's origin tracing study.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus's proposals include 'audits of relevant laboratories and research institutions operating in the area of the initial human cases identified in December 2019'

The institute in Wuhan has come under increasing pressure amid the pandemic after claims emerged that the virus may have been manufactured in China

China's vice health minister Zeng Yixin (pictured) told reporters last month that he was 'extremely surprised' by the plan

First derided by many as a right-wing conspiracy theory and vehemently rejected by Beijing, the idea that Covid may have emerged from a lab leak has been gaining traction.

Donald Trump peddled the theory early after the pandemic started but he was criticised by many in the mainstream media who believed it originated naturally in the Wuhan wet market.

In recent months, the theory has gained momentum after US intelligence reports claimed three workers at the lab were hospitalised with a flu-like illness in November 2019, just as the first cases were identified.

At the same time, Chinese officials and state media have pushed an alternate theory that the virus could have escaped from the US military research lab at Fort Detrick, Maryland.

Nationalist tabloid Global Times said it had collected five million signatures from Chinese web users on a petition to investigate the US lab.

Top officials have also amplified theories that the virus may have been imported with frozen food.

The UN health agency has been under intensifying pressure for a new, more in-depth investigation of how the disease that has killed more than four million people around the world first emerged.

The WHO was only able to send a team of independent, international experts to Wuhan in January, more than a year after Covid-19 first surfaced there, to help Chinese counterparts probe the pandemic's origins.

The investigators concluded it was 'possible' the virus was leaked from a lab, but said it was 'extremely unlikely' and did not warrant further study.
Security guard Gregory Livingston, 58, had served as a police officer with the City of Horn Lake from August 1998 until he resigned April 2001

A black, disabled man has been shot dead by an white unlicensed security guard at a Memphis gas station after an argument over loud music.

Alvin Motley, 48, was at the Kroger gas station with his girlfriend Pia Foster, when 58-year-old guard Gregory Livingston - a former cop - complained about the noise coming from their car.

Foster told the Memphis Police Department that Motley got out of his vehicle and walked towards Livingston and told him 'let's talk like men,' a police report said.

Surveillance footage of the confrontation, which has not been released to the public because it is considered evidence, shows Livingston draw his gun and shoot Motley in the chest.

Morley, who was nearly blind due to Marfan syndrome, was holding a beer can and a lit cigarette. Family members said he was unarmed and not a threat.

Livingston had served as a police officer with the City of Horn Lake from August 1998 until he resigned April 2001, a commander at the Horn Lake Police Department told WREG.com

He was working for third-party security firm Allied Universal Security, but was not currently a licensed security guard, according to officials.

His license was expired and he was in the process of renewing it, according to WLNS.

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Alvin Motley, 48, (pictured) was allegedly shot and killed by Gregory Livingston, 58, at a Kroger fuel station in Memphis after an argument over Motley's loud music

Family members said Motley, (pictured) who was nearly blind due to Marfan syndrome, was unarmed and not a threat

Police said surveillance footage - which has not been released to the public - shows Livingston draw his gun and shoot Motley, who was holding a beer can and a lit cigarette, in the chest

Kevin Walters, a spokesman for the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance said Livingston was unlicensed.

'Mr. Livingston was not and is not licensed as a security guard,' he said in a statement.

He added that nobody is allowed to work as an armed guard without proper registration.

WREG.com reported that state records show Livingston recently submitted an application to be an armed security guard and in his application he stated he completed a training course just two weeks before Saturday's shooting.

Police have charged Livingston with second-degree murder and he is currently being held on $1.8 million bond.

Motley's family are now being represented by famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has taken on civil rights casesinvolving the shooting of black individuals including Trayvon Martin, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Crump drew comparisons between Motley's death and the 2012 murder of Jordan Davis, a black teen who was killed at a Florida gas station in 2012 by a white man over loud music.

'I don't care how loud you think it is, you do not have a right to kill a young black man for playing music,' Crump said Tuesday as he stood beside Motley's grieving family members. '

The alleged shooting went down at a Kroger fuel station in Memphis where Livingston worked as a third-party security guard

Memphis police respond to the scene of the shooting on Saturday that took the life of 48-year-old Alvin Motley

Jordan was one too many. Alvin is by far too many.'

On Tuesday Motley's father, Alvin Motley Sr. described his son as a family man who was in town from Chicago to visit his niece and nephew at the time of his death.

He said he wants Livingston to face justice for his alleged crime.

'I forgive the man, but I want him punished to the fullest extent,' his dad said of Livingston. 'I want him to live as long as I live so he can think about what I have to think about forever.'

'I want justice for my son,' he added.

NAACP President Van Turner said that Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich should push for a speedy trial, ABC News reported.

'This was cold-blooded murder,' Turner said on Tuesday. 'We will never forget the senseless murder that has taken place in this community.'

District Attorney Weirich said in a statement: 'Within hours of Mr. Motley being killed, our office authorized the arrest of the defendant for 2nd degree murder.

'This morning I met Mr. Motleys family and lawyer and listened as they described their son, brother, nephew. I introduced them to the prosecutors and victim witness coordinator assigned to this case and assured them they would be able to see the video soon.

'Mr. Motley and his family deserve justice and we are here for them.'

Crump said Kroger should take some responsibility for the incident.

'Hire security companies that won't profile Black people and respect Black customers,' he said. 'Use your influence to make this right. Don't try to sweep it under the rug.'

In a statement Kroger expressed their condolences to the Motley family and confirmed that Livingston was a third-party contractor.

'We are deeply saddened, extremely angry and horrified by this senseless violence. Our hearts are with the Motley family,' the statement said.

'We ask all third-party contractors to respect and honor our core values which include respect, diversity, and inclusion. We want to thank the Memphis Police Department for their swift action. The only outcome we seek is justice.'
A California surfing school owner and father of two has been arrested for stabbing his two young children to death with a wooden stake in Mexico.

Matthew Taylor Coleman, 40, of Santa Barbara, was detained on Monday by US Customs and Border Protection agents tying to cross the US-Mexico border after the toddlers' bodies were found on a farm on Monday morning.

Coleman had traveled with his son Kaleo, three, and daughter Roxy, 10 months, to Rosarito, Mexico, a coastal town about 60 miles south of San Diego, and checked into a City Express hotel room on Saturday, according to local news reports.

The childrens mother Abby Coleman reported her husband and children missing on Sunday, after they had been gone for more than 24 hours, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

She said she was concerned for their well-being, according to police.

Matthew Taylor Coleman (pictured left with wife Abby, three-year-old son Kaleo and 10-month-old daughter Roxy), 40, of Santa Barbara, was detained by US Customs and Border Protection agents while crossing the US-Mexico border after his two young children were found bloodied in some brush on Monday morning

Video footage showed Coleman (left), Kaleo (right) and Roxy (not seen in the picture) checking into the City Express Hotel in Rosarito on Saturday

CCTV footage shows Coleman leaving the hotel on Monday morning at 2.54am with his two children, Kaleo and Roxy

Coleman returned alone later Monday morning and then left the hotel for good in a Mercedes-Benz vehicle, authorities said. Investigators in Mexico believe that Coleman took his children to a ranch near to his hotel. It is not known why the surf instructor could have murdered his children

Investigators in Mexico believe that Coleman took his children to a farm near to his hotel on Monday morning and CCTV footage shows him returning later on Monday without them, said Hiram Sanchez Zamora with the Baja California AG's office.

Zamora said that a farmhand discovered the bodies when he saw splattered blood on the ground while walking the property near El Descanso ranch.

The boy had been stabbed 17 times, and the girl was stabbed 12 times, Zamora said.

Coleman is expected to be extradited to Mexico to face murder charges and the bodies of the dead are expected to be transported back to the US soon.

Coleman could be extradited to Mexico to face charges of aggravated murder for slaying his son Kaleo (left), three, and daughter Roxy (right), 10 months

The children's mother Abby Coleman (pictured) reported her husband, son and daughter missing on Sunday after they had been gone for 24 hours. She said she was concerned for their well-being, according to police

It is not known why the surf instructor could have murdered his children and his wife has not spoken to local media to give any indication about his state of mind.

Pictures posted to his social media show images of a loving family and he was posting videos online of his surf tutorials up until three weeks ago.

Prior to the deaths, Coleman posted frequently about his wife, children and Christian faith online.

In a November 2020 Facebook post he wondered whether 'there is a type of Great American Renaissance following the years of Covid, censorship, and political divisiveness... that will empower each person's heart to come alive and explode with innovative ideas, new business models, new music sounds and never seen ways to build an amazing community?'

A farmhand found the bodies when he saw splattered blood on the ground while walking the property near El Descanso ranch. 'I immediately notified my manager to call the police to come investigate,' he said. The Baja California police received a 911 call about the discovery at 7.27am

The worker, who wished to remain anonymous, told Border Report that he 'teared up' when he saw the bodies. 'I was scared and sad because these are tiny children who don't know any better' he said

And in October Coleman celebrated the birth of his youngest child, Roxy Rain, with his wife Abby Coleman in a gushing Instagram post.

The caption read: 'While waiting for her to come, I kept feeling this sense that she was going to be born at a very pivotal time in history and that she would represent a dawn, or even awakening, to years of great blessing for our family and nation.

'Another picture that came to me was of God reaching down into a river bed and picking up a small stone (rock), examining it intently. Just as David had done before slaying Goliath, God examined the stone and was confident that it was just the perfect one for the battle. Although it was small, smooth and somewhat harmless looking, he knew that it would become great when placed into the palm of a skilled hand.

'My declaration over Roxy Rain is that she has been hand picked by God to slay the giants in the land.'

Coleman lives in Santa Barbara, California with his wife and two kids. He left on Saturday and checked into the City Express Hotel in Rosarito, Mexico. Two days later he was arrested after trying to get back in the US at the San Ysidro Point of Entry for the murder of his two children

Coleman and his two children were staying at the City Express Hotel (pictured) in Rosarito, Mexico

The farmworker who found the dead children said one of them was in diapers, according to Border Report.

The worker, who wished to remain anonymous, told Border Report: 'To be honest I teared up. And I immediately notified my manager to call the police to come investigate.

'I was scared and sad because these are tiny children who don't know any better. Hopefully they find whoever is responsible because this is a terrible thing.'

Baja California prosecutor Hiram Sanchez Zamora gave a press conference on Tuesday about Coleman's arrest. The FBI, US Customs and Border Protection, the Santa Barbara Police Department and the Mexican authorities are working to return the children's bodies to California

Coleman was heading back into the US on Monday when he was stopped at the at the San Ysidro Point of Entry in California after officials released an alert searching for him. He was immediately taken into custody.

US Customs and Border Protection did not respond to The San Diego Union-Tribune's request for further information about the arrest.

It wasn't clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Coleman co-founded the surfing school Lovewater Surf Co in Santa Barbara, California - where he was born - with his wife. The site is still live with pictures of Coleman and his smiling family

Coleman had not been formally charged as of Tuesday evening but if found guilty, he could face up to 120 years in prison, as reported by El Debate.

The FBI, US Customs and Border Protection, the Santa Barbara Police Department and the Mexican authorities are working to return the children's bodies to California.

Coleman co-founded the surfing school Lovewater Surf Co in Santa Barbara, California - where he was born - with his wife.

According to the surf school's website, 'Matt and Abby enjoy finding ways to better lives through surfing, experiential education and community-based projects'.

The site is still live with pictures of Coleman and his smiling family.

Coleman was heading back into the US on Monday when he was stopped at the at the San Ysidro Point of Entry in California after officials released an alert searching for him. He was immediately taken into custody and had not been formally charged as of Tuesday evening. If found guilty, he could face up to 120 years in prison

The unexplained murder is all the more baffling considering Coleman's very public love for Abby, Kaleo and Roxy.

He often fawned over his wife on birthdays, anniversaries or just because and the two appeared very happily married for the past four years.

Coleman captioned Instagram photos of her saying he's 'deeply in love' and 'so proud' of her for giving birth to his two children.

He also shared photos of father-son days spent with Kaleo, to which he said: 'When I'm with him, things that Ive experienced a thousand times start to feel new and awe-inspiring.

'He has this special gift in being able to recognize the glory all around him, and then bringing other people into it.'

'You could say I enjoy being a dad,' he wrote in an earlier post with his only son.
The Covid-positive teenager who triggered a snap lockdown in regional NSW has revealed how she unknowingly brought the virus to her hometown - saying she had visited for a legal holiday and had no idea she was infected.

Shannon Dockerty has previously apologised for making the nearly 300km journey from Newcastle to Tamworth on August 4 while she was infected with the virus.

The teenager visited several Tamworth venues, including a cafe, restaurant and a vape store on August 5 before the Hunter lockdown took effect.

Following the announcement, Ms Dockerty returned to Newcastle, where she is at university, and got a precautionary Covid-19 test, only to receive a shock positive result the following night.

Ms Dockerty (pictured) has been forced to make an impassioned plea to her online abusers to stop sending her hate, after Tamworth entered a week-long lockdown on Monday

The teen made the nearly 300km journey from Newcastle to Tamworth on August 4 while she was unknowingly infectious (pictured, locked down Tamworth)

The teenager has been forced to make an impassioned plea to her online abusers to stop sending her hate messages, after Tamworth entered a week-long lockdown on Monday.

The venues she visited in the regional city have since been declared exposure sites, however no new Covid cases were recorded in the area on Wednesday.

Ms Dockerty, who is now isolating in accommodation away from her on-campus unit, has taken to TikTok to remind online trolls she didn't break any rules.

'Just a reminder that were all human and that person you're abusing has received many nasty messages and has feelings,' she captioned the video.

'Ayo, that Newcastle girl who tested positive after travelling out of Newcastle while following the rules and is now getting hate speech,' the teen says in the TikTok.

The TikTok, which has over 200,000 views, garnered a mixed response from other users who took to the comments to share their thoughts.

The teenager has previously apologised for making the nearly 300km journey from Newcastle to Tamworth on August 4 while she was unknowingly infectious

The teenager visited several Tamworth venues, including a cafe, restaurant and a vape store on August 5 before the Hunter lockdown took effect (pictured, the Golden Guitar in Tamworth)

Newcastle teenager Shannon Dockerty (pictured) has hit back at online trolls who have falsely accused her of leaving Newcastle after the snap seven-day lockdown was announced

'People are losing their jobs over lockdowns! I lost $300 of my pay this week due to it,' one woman wrote.

'In all seriousness, you can get a crisis payment,' Ms Dockerty responded.

'She obviously wants attention! She let the whole of Tamworth know it was her and now she's on here telling everyone. Don't give her the satisfaction,' another said.

'Actually I was silent before people started dragging my name through the dust so now we're just owning it,' the teenager responded.

Others falsely accused the teenager of leaving Newcastle during stay-at-home orders and questioned if she had isolated between getting tested and receiving her result.

Other users were more forgiving of the teenager and thanked her for getting tested.

The teen was sitting in the Tudor Hotel in Tamworth (pictured), now considered a close contact site, last Thursday when she heard the news that Newcastle would enter lockdown at 5pm

Following the announcement, Ms Dockerty returned to Newcastle that afternoon and got tested for Covid-19, only to receive a positive test the following night

'She went on a legal holiday to visit her family and left the minute she knew Newcastle was going into lockdown,' one woman wrote.

Tamworth exposure sites list Anyone who visited the below venues has been urged to get Covid-19 tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of results: - Inland Cafe, 407 Peel Street, between 9.15am to 10am, August 5. - Tudor Hotel, 327 Peel Street, between 11am to 11.40am, August 5. Residents who have visited the below venues must get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result: - Gloria Jeans Coffee, 1/369 Peel Street, 9.15am to 9.20am, August 5 - Super Vape Store, 2/411 Peel Street, 10.55am to 11.05am, August 5 - Ampol Roadhouse Tamworth, 502 Goonoo Goonoo Road, 12.25pm to 12.30pm, August 5 Source: NSW Health Advertisement

'I am sorry you are dealing with all these bullies. Stay strong and get better soon,' another commented.

Ms Dockerty uploaded a post to Facebook on Tuesday which detailed her every move from when she left Newcastle last Wednesday to the moment she received her positive result on Friday evening.

'THE REAL STORY. If one more person comes for me saying I did the wrong thing after reading this, I will be lead to believe that you are truly stupid,' she wrote.

The teenager explained that when she had left Newcastle there had been talk of Covid fragments in sewerage but no government directive to enter lockdown.

She said it was only when she was sitting at the Tudor Hotel in Tamworth, now considered a close contact site, that she heard the news in the 11am presser.

In her Covid update on Monday, Ms Berejiklian announced Newcastle would enter a week-long lockdown from 5pm, after new cases were recorded in the area.

The premier added that interstate travel would remain restricted until Greater Sydney had got the Indian Delta outbreak under control.

'We knew the three of us visiting were going to have to cut our trip short and go home to lockdown,' she wrote.

'I suggest we get tested  just for the peace of mind. We could never have imagined that Id already been exposed and had caught Covid.'

A woman who claimed to be Ms Dockerty's aunt defended her niece in the comments and questioned if her online trolls 'could have done better'.

NSW recorded a further 344 locally-acquired cases on Wednesday and the deaths of two men aged in their 30s and 90s (pictured, a testing facility in Merrylands)

Premier Gladys Berejiklian ordered Dubbo into a snap week-long lockdown from 1pm on Wednesday after two cases were found in the region (pictured, testing clinic in western Sydney)

'If you have read this and you believe she could possibly have done better with the knowledge she had, or that you yourself would have done better, you are seriously deficient in grey matter,' she wrote.

'Reading some of the comments here I'm so glad I live a very long way from a few of you, I'd hate to bump into you in the street.'

NSW recorded a further 344 locally-acquired cases on Wednesday and the deaths of two men aged in their 30s and 90s.

Ms Berejiklian has also ordered Dubbo into a snap week-long lockdown from 1pm on Wednesday after two cases were found in the regional town.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the cases were a young child and a woman in her 40s.

It comes as the outback town of Walgett was also plunged into a snap seven-day lockdown from 7pm on Wednesday night after a local man tested positive to coronavirus.

The outback town of Walgett was also plunged into a snap seven-day lockdown from 7pm on Wednesday night after a local man tested positive to coronavirus

Residents in the Walgett Shire will be subject to the same restrictions as those in Greater Sydney, Dubbo, Tamworth, and other parts of the state (pictured, a shopper in Tamworth)

The remote community in the state's northwest, 230km east of Bourke, will join large swathes of the state already under strict stay-at-home orders.

A local man who recently spent time in Dubbo and Bathurst during his infectious period returned a positive test result to Covid-19 on Wednesday.

The restrictions will apply to residents in the eight LGAs of Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine, Walgett and Warren.

Residents of the eight affected LGAs will be subject to the same restrictions as those in Greater Sydney, Dubbo, Tamworth, and other parts of the state.

Health officials found 14 new cases in the Hunter-New England area, with Ms Berejiklian warning the continuing spread of cases meant it was unlikely eight LGAs in the region would be released from lockdown on time later this week.

'The Hunter doesn't look like it will come out of lockdown later this week - however we will wait on health advice,' she said.

No new cases though were found in the Armidale, Tamworth or Northern Rivers areas of northern NSW - sparking hope those LGAs could soon be released from lockdown.

Health officials found 14 new cases in the Hunter-New England area, with Ms Berejiklian warning the continuing spread of cases meant it was unlikely eight LGAs in the region would be released from lockdown on time later this week (pictured, shoppers in Tamworth)

No new cases though were found in the Armidale, Tamworth or Northern Rivers areas of northern NSW - sparking hope those LGAs could soon be released from lockdown (pictured, patrons checking-in at a restaurant in Newcastle)

The announcement came after it emerged a Covid-19 loophole allowed an infected Sydney father-of-two to travel 750km to Byron Bay, forcing more than 300,000 people into a week-long lockdown.

Zoran Radovanovic, 52, from Rose Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs, has been identified as the man who travelled from the city last month to inspect a property in the northern NSW town.

NSW public health orders allow locked-down Sydney residents an exemption to travel if they are 'inspecting a potential new place of residence'.

The Rose Bay man allegedly repeatedly refused to cooperate with the state's contact tracers and was charged with breaching public health orders.

With major concerns the man, who later checked himself into Lismore Base Hospital may have spread the virus undetected across the region, the Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Lismore and Ballina Shire Local Government Areas were all sent into lockdown from 6pm August 9 until August 17.
A teenage girl has tried to coax an unsuspecting quokka to inhale an e-cigarette in a heartbreaking act of animal cruelty.

Video of the shocking incident, which was filmed on Rottnest Island, emerged on social media, prompting the Western Australian RSPCA to call for the teen responsible to come forward.

In the clip, a young girl forces her vape in the inquisitive quokka's mouth and keeps it there for several seconds.

A teenage girl tried to coax an unsuspecting quokka to inhale an e-cigarette in an act of animal cruelty filmed on Rottnest Island

The marsupial seems to think it is being given food in the clip, released by 9News.

The video was posted online with the title 'vape sesh'.

'It is completely and utterly irresponsible and unacceptable for this poor defenceless, vulnerable animal to be subjected to that kind of cruelty,' said Hannah Dreaver of RSPCA Western Australia.

'These animals are really very vulnerable. They've become used to human interaction  they aren't running away from us; they aren't avoiding interaction.'

The RSPCA is investigating the incident, and can seek maximum fines of up to $50,000 possible in some animal cruelty cases.

Cruelty towards quokkas is sadly not uncommon.

In 2017, Harrison Angus McPherson, 20, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty after footage of him kicking a quokka on Rottnest Island was posted on social media.

That year a New Zealand man was charged with animal cruelty after throwing a quokka off a jetty on Rottnest.

In the clip, the young girl forces her vape in the inquisitive quokka's mouth and keeps it there for several seconds

Hannah Dreaver (pictured) of RSPCA Western Australia slammed the teen girl's behaviour in the video and said the act of animal cruelty will be investigated

In other incidents, young men were reported for giving quokkas alcohol and in one incident, setting fire to one.

To try and protect the marsupials, even taking selfies with quokkas is discouraged these days.

Instagram has warned tourists taking quokka selfies in Western Australia may be a form of animal cruelty.

Social media users who click on the #quokkaselfie hashtag are warned that searching for the images on Instagram may 'encourage harmful behaviour to animals.'

'Animal abuse and the sale of endangered animals or their parts is not allowed on Instagram,' the warning reads.
Caroline Shollaert, 27, had served in the U.S. Coast Guard for eight years. She was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, with the HITRON unit

A suspected serial car thief was charged Tuesday in the heinous murder of a 27-year-old U.S. Coast Guard member who was trying to stop him outside her Florida home.

Tyree Parker, 22, allegedly used the gun he stole from an unlocked vehicle to fatally shoot Caroline Schollaert in the early morning hours of Aug. 3, cops in Jacksonville said.

Parker is suspected of having committed eight auto burglaries in the city's Riverside neighborhood that day, with one of the homes' surveillance cameras catching him prowling the driveways.

Schollaert spotted Parker trying to break into her car and pulled out a weapon to confront him, cops said.

The two engaged in an armed standoff as she kept ordering him to stay still and wait for police, officials said.

Parker pulled the trigger, striking Schollaert several times and killing her, said Jacksonville Sherriff's Office Chief of Investigations T.K. Waters.

Waters said the firearm Parker used to allegedly kill Schollaert had been stolen from an unlocked vehicle in the neighborhood 11 days before the incident.

Tyree Parker, 22, was arrested for the murder of Caroline Shollaert. Police believe he had burglarized eight cars in the Riverside neighborhood in Jacksonville.

'So what was originally a crime of opportunity, in the burglary of a vehicle, escalated in seconds, resulted in the violent killing of a woman who dedicated her life to serving her country as a petty officer in the United States Coast Guard,' Waters said during a press conference.

Following a weeklong search, police acquired an arrest warrant and said Parker surrendered himself into police custody.

He was charged with second-degree murder and is being held in the Duval County jail without bond.

His first appearance is set for Aug. 11.

Schollaert served in the U.S. Coast Guard for eight years and was stationed at the HITRON unit in Jacksonville, a specialized helicopter squadron dedicated to drug interdictions, NEWS 4 Jax reports.

She maintained those fast helicopters that chase those drug-running boats that go real fast, her father, Patrick Schollaert told NBC 12. Theyve got better toys and better choppers that go even faster. She made sure they were in tip-top shape.

Schollaert family described her as a kind and caring person who served her country

Schollaert's unit is in charge of chasing down and apprehending drug-smuggling boats

Parker was caught on surveillance on the day of Schollaert's murder

Parker allegedly tried to steal from Schollaert's car outside her home when she called police

He added that she had also begun a support group for women in the Coast Guard.

A memorial for Schollaert was held at Cecil Airport on Tuesday, with more than 100 Coast Guard members gathering to honor the slain member before her body was sent home to Powhatan County, Virginia.

'Maybe it will be a little ease on her family to come here, to take their daughter back home,' said neighbor Kenneth Reed.

Shollaert joined the U.S. Coast Guard right out of high school. Police say she was armed when she confronted Parker, who was also carrying a handgun

Schollaert, second from the right, is pictured with her helicopter squadron
An MS-13 gang member was sentenced to life in prison for hacking to death 19-year-old man to death in a New York park.

Antonio Cullal, 26, pleaded guilty to second degree murder and second degree conspiracy before Judge Helene Gugerty of the Nassau County Court on June 15. He was sentenced on Tuesday.

According to Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith, Cullal and three other MS-13 gang members lured Julio Cesar Espantzay-Gonzalez to the Massapequa Park Reserve in Massapequa on January 28, 2017.

Investigators said that Espantzay-Gonzalez was invited to the park under the promise of sex and marijuana before the gang killed him.

Antonio Cullal was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years to life in prison for his role in the January 2017 murder of Julio Cesar Espantzay-Gonzalez. He and other MS-13 gang members lured the 19-year-old to a park in Massapequa, New York, where they hacked him with machetes

High-ranking members of the MS-13 ordered the January 28, 2017 murder of Julio Cesar Espantzay-Gonzalez because they viewed him as the gang's enemy, according to Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith

Cullal, Kevin Granados-Coreas, Raul Ponce and Gerson Stanley each took turns hacking Espantzay-Gonzalez to death.

At the time, Nassau County Police Lieutenant Stephen Fitzpatrick said that Granados-Coreas had 'befriended the victim in late 2016 around the holidays.'

The killing was carried out under the orders of high-ranking members, Carlos Portillo and Roberto Abrego-Reyes, because they considered Espantzay-Gonzalez an enemy of the MS-13.

Nassau County Police Department sketch of Julio Cesar Espantzay-Gonzalez, who was killed by members of the MS-13 after he was lured to a park with the promise of sex and marijuana

A missing persons report for Espantzay-Gonzalez was filed January 31, 2017. An individual walking their dog discovered his body in the woods March 23.

His body was found under a pile of tree branches, leaves and brush.

Cullal fled New York and was arrested in Maryland on October 4, 2017.

'Antonio Cullal and other MS-13 gang members followed the orders they were given by the gang hierarchy and killed Julio Cesar Espantzay-Gonzalez simply because they gang believed he was their 'enemy,' Smith said in a statement.

'They lured the unassuming 19-year-old to the Massapequa Park Reserve, viciously hacked him to death with a machete, and abandoned his body in the brush.'

The Nassau County District Attorney said that the cases against Granados-Coreas, Ponce, Portillo and Abrego-Reyes are still pending.
The Senate voted in the early hours of Wednesday morning to include in the $3.5 trillion budget resolution an amendment banning the release of migrants arriving at the southern border who do not have a negative coronavirus test.

The provision was proposed by Kansas Senator Roger Marshall and was adopted as part of the sweeping Democratic legislation, which passed the Senate overnight.

'This Administration's policies of an open border and mass amnesty have created a humanitarian crisis, a national security crisis, and health crisis,' Marshall said from the Senate floor upon the amendment being accepted.

In an 88-11 vote senators agreed with Marshall that the language should be included in the bill to prevent illegal immigrants from being transported from the border and released into local communities if they do not obtain a negative COVID-19 test.

The language encourages more resources for testing at the border and imposes a quarantine on migrants who have not yet received a negative result.

Senate Majority Leader Dick Durban and Majority Whip were able to get 10 Democrats to switch their votes to supporting the amendment, which Marshall says just was to 'create the illusion of a united front on the issue of public health at our southern border within the Democrat Party.'

Senator Roger Marshall's amendment blocking immigration enforcement from releasing migrants without a negative COVID-19 test was adopted in an 88-11 vote overnight as part of the $3.5 trillion budget resolution

The provision encourages testing resources at the border and imposes a quarantine on those who have not received a negative result as thousands of COVID-positive migrants are being released into local communities. Asylum-seeking migrants wait to be processed after crossing the Rio Grande River into Roma, Texas on July 30

The addition to the budget legislation, which will go to the House when it reconvenes later this month, comes as some areas in the U.S., like all of New York City, are now requiring proof of vaccination for people to be able to go to indoor public spaces like restaurants, gyms and theaters.

'At a time when politicians and bureaucrats are reinstating mask mandates and forcing vaccines on many Americans, their hypocrisy is on full display at the southern border where they are encouraging illegal migrants to enter our country unchecked for COVID,' Marshall said in his early Wednesday morning remarks. 'Enough is enough.'

'The passage of this amendment proves that Republicans and Democrats must stand together and follow through to hold the Biden Administration accountable and ensure illegal migrants are not able to be scattered into the interior of this nation without testing negative for COVID.'

A Washington Examiner report last week revealed that more than 1,500 migrants released into the border town of McAllen, Texas in the last week of July tested positive for coronavirus over a seven-day period.

The case rate in the U.S. has been massively spiking with the surge of the Delta variant and increase in breakthrough cases in vaccinated Americans

COVID-positive migrants are told to quarantine for two days, but they are released into the community nonetheless.

The city said in a statement that the 'shockingly large number of immigrants' released by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an unprecedented 7,000 at one time, overwhelmed humanitarian programs for migrants in McAllen.

'This significant change increases the threat of COVID spread or other lawlessness within the city,' the city said.

McAllen ultimately declared a local disaster as it struggles to quell the spike in COVID-19 cases among migrants.

Republicans pointed to this report and other similar ones as evidence of the need for a change.

Record numbers of migrants are illegally crossing the border under Joe Biden's administration, pleading for asylum. Thousands of these individuals are released into the local communities in Texas and other states every day where they remain in Alternative to Detention Programs while awaiting rulings on their case.

Many localities have claimed they are widely contributing to the surge in COVID-19 cases as the Delta variant and breakthrough cases in vaccinated individuals continue to spike.

In June, CBP revealed it encountered more than 188,000 migrants at the southern border and several reports reveal the number for July tops 210,000, although the official figures have not yet been released.

The latest pushes the number of illegal immigrants who crossed into the U.S. in Biden's first six months in office over the 1 million mark.
The ex-girlfriend of Kristin Smart's accused killer Paul Flores has claimed he told her to 'get away' from the backyard of his father's home where cops now believe the college student's remains were buried.

The woman, identified only as Angie Doe, told San Luis Obispo Superior Court in California Tuesday about an incident where Paul and his father Ruben Flores ordered her out of the yard of the home in Arroyo Grande sometime in the early 2000s.

Prosecutors allege that, at the time, Smart's body was buried in the backyard before the father-and-son team recently moved her remains to an unknown location.

Smart, 19, was last seen alive at around 2am on May 25 1996 when she headed back to her dorm at the California Polytechnic State University University campus with Paul after attending an off-campus party.

For 25 years, her disappearance remained a mystery while Paul was long regarded as the prime suspect.

In April, Paul and Ruben were finally arrested on suspicion of her murder.

Paul, who was also a 19-year-old Cal Poly student at the time and is now 44, is accused of killing Smart during an attempted rape in his dorm room and has been charged with first-degree murder.

Ruben, now 80, allegedly helped his son hide his victim's body and was charged with accessory to murder after the fact. Both have pleaded not guilty to their charges.

Smart's body has never been found.

The ex-girlfriend of Kristin Smart's accused killer Paul Flores (in court on August 3) has claimed he told her to 'get away' from the backyard of his father's home where cops now believe the college student's remains were buried

Kristin Smart (pictured) was last seen on May 25, 1996, with Paul Flores while returning to her dorm at Cal Poly University

Paul's ex-girlfriend testified on day six of the preliminary hearing for the two suspects where a judge will rule whether there is probable cause to take the case to trial, reported the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

She said she dated Paul for about two years from 2003 after meeting in a bar.

The woman, who said she was 21 and he was 28 when they met, recalled a time she went with her boyfriend for a two-day visit at his mother's home in Arroyo Grande.

During the visit, she said she and Paul also visited his father at his home at 710 White Court in Arroyo Grande.

She testified that she went for a stroll in the backyard 'just to look around' and was standing a couple of feet from the avocado trees in the yard.

She said there were about five golden retrievers under the deck at the time.

At that point, she claimed both Paul and Ruben abruptly told her to get away from the area by the trees and out of the yard.

'I don't remember if it was Mr. Flores or Ruben, but they redirected me away from the avocado trees,' she told the court.

The woman - Angie Doe - told San Luis Obispo Superior Court in California Tuesday about an incident where Paul and his father Ruben Flores ordered her out of the yard of the home (seen above) in Arroyo Grande sometime in the early 2000s

Investigators search under the deck of the property in March. Prosecutors allege that Smart's body was buried in the backyard before the father-and-son team recently moved her remains

'They told me to come around [the house] and get away from that area.'

She added that Paul 'just wanted me to get away from the [avocado] trees.'

Prosecutors have alleged in court documents that 'damning' biological evidence proves Smart's body was once buried in the backyard of the home.

One month before Paul and Ruben's arrests in April, investigators searched the property and the grounds around it using ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs.

Following their arrests, investigators were seen searching the home again and dismantling a deck that leads underneath the house.

Prosecutors say Smart's body was recently moved and that the two men know where her remains are.

Paul (left) and Ruben Flores (right) have both pleaded not guilty to the charges in connection to Smart's murder

Paul Flores, 44, is seen being arrested in April for Smart's murder 25 years after she vanished

Paul's ex-girlfriend told the court Tuesday she did not know about Smart's disappearance while they were dating and that she was first interviewed by cops in February.

She testified under cross-examination that she contacted the Son of Susan - a website for the Smart case - after she split from Paul and had also spoken to Chris Lambert, the host of popular Spotify podcast Your Own Backyard.

Chris Lambert, the host of popular Spotify podcast Your Own Backyard, was also served a subpoena as a witness by the defense Tuesday

The judge on Monday ruled that other information she told investigators would not be heard in the preliminary hearing because it only speaks to Pal's character.

She allegedly told cops about a time when her then-boyfriend 'snapped' and held a butter knife to her throat.

A former friend of Paul's also took the stand Tuesday testifying that he noticed Paul with a black eye one day after Smart vanished.

Jeromy Moon, who says he knew Paul when he was a senior at Arroyo Grande High School, told the court Paul had the visible mark on May 26 1996 and had claimed 'he woke up with it.'

Podcast host Lambert was also served a subpoena as a witness by the defense and was excluded from sitting in on the hearing until he testifies in the hearing.

Paul and Kristin were both freshmen at Cal Poly in 1996 when she vanished. He was staying in Santa Maria Hall and she was in Muir Hall, which are 0.2miles apart - a four minute walk

The podcast helped revive the investigation and ultimately lead to the arrest of the two suspects.

Last week, the case took a bizarre turn when lawyers for the Flores called for convicted murderer Scott Peterson to testify.

They claim Peterson may have known Smart while they were both in college at Cal Poly University.

The defense has not provided any evidence the two were acquainted.

Peterson was convicted in 2005 for the murder of his wife Laci and their unborn child.
New York state has opened a criminal investigation into former US president Donald Trump (pictured November 2020)

A Democratic prosecutor nearing the end of his term, a loyal lieutenant of the Trump family and a lawyer determined to sink his former boss: AFP details some of the players in New York's criminal probe into Donald Trump.

Cyrus Vance

The 66-year-old Democrat has been Manhattan District Attorney since 2010. He was the first to launch a criminal investigation into the Republican ex-president.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance (pictured May 2020) has doggedly pursued Donald Trump, winning a years-long battle to obtain his tax records and deploying significant human and financial resources to the politically sensitive investigation

Vance, whose father was US Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter, has sometimes been accused of a reluctance to prosecute the rich and powerful.

He delayed filing charges against disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein before securing a landmark conviction last year.

Vance has doggedly pursued Trump, though, first by winning a years-long battle to obtain his tax records and secondly by deploying significant human and financial resources to the politically sensitive investigation.

He has announced that he will not run for a fourth term when his current one expires in December, and many observers expect him to go out with a bang by filing what would be the first indictment against a former US president.

Letitia James

The Democrat became the first Black woman to become New York state attorney general in 2018.

Since then, the 62-year-old has forged a reputation as a combative and independent prosecutor, filing countless civil actions against large companies, particularly tech giants, and the National Rifle Association (NRA).

In addition to Donald Trump, Letitia James (pictured August 2020) is also investigating New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo, over sexual harassment allegations and his response to the coronavirus pandemic

When Trump was in the White House, James launched dozens of civil actions against his government.

She is also investigating New York's powerful Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, over sexual harassment allegations and his response to the coronavirus pandemic.

James has been cited as a possible successor to Cuomo, particularly if her investigation forces him to resign.

Allen Weisselberg: Trump Organization CFO

The 73-year-old is the Trump Organization's long-serving chief financial officer and one of the family's most loyal servants.

He began as an accountant for Trump's father's company before joining the Trump Organization as financial controller in the 1980s when Donald established himself as a Manhattan real estate mogul.

Allen Weisselberg, pictured standing behind former president Donald Trump and his son Donald Jr. in January 2017, has served as the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization since the 1980s

Weisselberg has been around for all of Trump's entrepreneurial adventures, including when his Atlantic City casinos went bust.

According to Barbara Res, a former executive vice president at the Trump Organization, Weisselberg 'thought Trump was a god,' she told the Daily News.

Investigators believe Weisselberg knows all of the Trump family secrets and have been putting pressure on him for months to cooperate with their investigation.

Observers are closely watching whether Weisselberg will turn against his former boss.

Jennifer Weisselberg: Ex-daughter in law of Allen Weisselberg

Earlier this year, investigators from the Manhattan District Attorney's office were seen carrying boxes of documents and laptops from Weisselberg's Manhattan apartment.

She was married ton Allen Weisselberg's son Barry from 2004 to 2018.

In an interview with DailyMail.com in June, she said the former president is a 'sweet' and 'generous' man who helped pay for her children's private schooling out of kindness and good-will, rather than to dodge taxes.

If there was any unlawful activity within the Trump Organization it would be thanks to her former in-laws who still work for the company.

Up until 2018, the mother-of-two was married to Barry Weisselberg, who manages Trump's Central Park ice rinks, and her father-in-law was Allen Weisselberg, who became the chief financial officer when Trump became president.

'Allen orchestrated the finances, and Donald is just sort of naive,' Jennifer said.

'It's provable that his trusted CFO is putting [Trump] and his children in a bad legal position.'

She is also set to testify to the grand jury.

Earlier this year, investigators from the Manhattan District Attorney's office were seen carrying boxes of documents and laptops from Weisselberg's Manhattan apartment. She was married ton Allen Weisselberg's son Barry (right) from 2004 to 2018

Jeff McConney: Trump Organization Senior Vice President

McConney was known as the man in the Trump Organization who would hand over key documents to Trump and CFO Allen Weisselberg before meetings and would be responsible for cutting checks for big payments.

He was the first high-profile member of Trump's business empire known to have testified in front of the New York Grand Jury deciding whether to indict Trump.

Trump's fixer Michael Cohen told The Daily Beast: 'Think of The Trump Organization as a small, one-teller bank.

'Donald [Trump] would be the president. Allen [Weisselberg] would be the branch manager. Jeff [McConney] would be the teller. Every single transaction was booked through McConney.

Concerns for prosecutors is that McConney is seen as a Trump loyalist and, as The Daily Beast reported, someone who hates left-wing politics.

Michael Cohen

Trump's ex-personal lawyer was sentenced to three years in prison in 2018 for tax evasion and violating campaign finance laws relating to Trump's 2016 vote win.

Cohen was one of Trump's closest henchmen for a decade, once proudly boasting that he was prepared to 'take a bullet' for the real estate mogul-turned-president.

Michael Cohen, pictured March 2021, openly rejoices in former boss Donald Trump's legal troubles on Twitter and through his podcast

He turned against his former boss, though, deciding to collaborate with federal investigators in Manhattan.

During a Congressional hearing in February 2019, Cohen alleged -- among other things -- that Trump regularly undervalued or overvalued his assets, both with banks and insurance companies.

Cohen openly rejoices in Trump's legal troubles on Twitter and through his podcast 'Mea Culpa.'

Source: AFP
Chicken factory worker Haroldas Bugaila (pictured) shook 11-week-old Martinas Bugaila to death on March 27, 2019

A man who murdered his baby son and inflicted life-changing injuries on the infant's twin brother by 'deliberately and violently' shaking them has been jailed for life and will serve a minimum of 23 years.

Chicken factory worker Haroldas Bugaila shook 11-week-old Martinas Bugaila to death on March 27, 2019.

The youngster was discovered with a face as 'white as paper' after being left with the defendant.

A trial at Lincoln Crown Court heard the 29-year-old had warned the children's mother on more than one occasion he would 'make the boys cry' before injuring the twins.

The prosecution told the court Bugaila, from Boston, made the threats to his partner Aliona because she was speaking to him 'in a way to which he objected'.

The High Court judge presiding over the case told Bugaila he was 'anything but a good father' to his sons.

He added: 'Whilst they were in your joint care, you deliberately and violently shook each of those babies on at least two occasions.'

After a six-week trial, jurors convicted the defendant of murder and three charges of causing grievous bodily harm.

After a six-week trial, jurors convicted the defendant of murder and three charges of causing grievous bodily harm

Sentencing Bugaila on Wednesday, Mr Justice Jeremy Baker told him: 'In the course of your evidence at trial, you told the jury that when you discovered that your partner was pregnant with twins, it made you extremely happy as you had always wanted to be a dad and, because you had never seen your own father, you wanted to be a good father to your own children.

'Sadly, after the twins were born... you were anything but a good father to them, as it is clear from the jury's verdicts.

'Whilst they were in your joint care, you deliberately and violently shook each of those babies on at least two occasions, causing fatal injuries to one of them.'

On the day of the murder, Bugaila was left alone with Martinas for five minutes before starting to shout: 'Come here, there's something wrong.'

Aliona, 22, and her sister Violeta ran upstairs to find the youngster lying on his back 'completely white' and not breathing, the court heard.

The boy died after suffering a 'catastrophic brain injury' akin to those seen after a 'high-speed motor vehicle accident'.

On the day of the murder, Bugaila was left alone with Martinas for five minutes before starting to shout: 'Come here, there's something wrong'

The prosecution said Martinas was 'turning blue' as his mother made resuscitation attempts.

The judge continued: 'It is apparent from the expert clinical evidence that whilst you were upstairs with Martinas, you took the opportunity to shake him with such violence that he was caused the injuries which subsequently led to his death.

'Unfortunately, by the time the police arrived at your house at about 6pm, it is again clear from the expert clinical evidence that you had taken the opportunity of shaking your other child with such violence that he too required intensive lifesaving procedures to be carried out upon him.

'During the course of the trial you sought to deflect responsibility for having caused these injuries by suggesting that they may have been inflicted by others living with you at the property, including your partner, her sister and even your own brother.'

Making submissions on his behalf, Allison Summers QC told the court: 'Whatever he did, on any assessment, when he saw the lifeless body of Martinas... this has been a profoundly sad time for Mr Bugaila.'
Amy Cooper sued Franklin Templeton Investments in May 25, one year after she was caught on video calling the cops on birdwatcher Christian Cooper in Central Park

The financial firm where the 'Central Park Karen' worked wants a federal court to throw out her wrongful termination lawsuit in a filing that includes more 100 news articles of the white woman's now-infamous May 2020 encounter with a black birdwatcher.

Franklin Templeton Investments asked the Southern District of New York to dismiss Amy Cooper's May 25 lawsuit, in which she alleged that the company 'legitimatized' the Karen narrative by failing to properly investigate the incident.

Last year, Amy Cooper was walking her dog when she was filmed telling Christian Cooper that she was going to call the cops and 'tell them there's an African-American man threatening my life' in New York City's Central Park.

Christian Cooper, who is not related to the woman, had repeatedly asked her to leash her dog in an area of the park where pets are not supposed to roam freely.

The video, shot by Christian Cooper's sister Melody, spread quickly, and Franklin Templeton fired Amy Cooper the next day.

In her lawsuit, Amy called Christian Cooper an 'overzealous' birdwatcher engaged in ongoing feud between birdwatchers and dog owners

Amy Cooper previously managed Franklin Templeton's insurance portfolio

She previously managed the investment firm's insurance portfolio.

Amy Cooper was charged with one count of falsifying an incident report - a Class A misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of 1 year in prison and a $1,000 fine.

Her charges were dropped after she completed five 'psychoeducation and therapy' courses, according to Business Insider.

In her federal lawsuit, Amy Cooper alleged her company furthered the narrative that made her 'international news as a racial flashpoint.'

But Franklin Cooper CEO Jenny Johnson says they investigated the incident thoroughly.

'I've been in a couple of situations where social media got it wrong. And it's difficult as a CEO, and as a firm, when social media doesn't have it right and you need to stand by people,' Johnson told Yahoo News last month.

'In the case of that situation [of Amy Cooper], we stand by our decision

'We felt and we feel confident in the due diligence we did in the end  the process to make our evaluations.'

Franklin Templeton, with offices at 280 Park Avenue, employs about 11,000 people worldwide

Franklin Templeton CEO Jenny Johnson said she was confident in the 'due diligence' her company did before it fired Amy Cooper a day after the Central Park incident went viral

Along with a motion for dismissal, the company appended the viral video of the encounter along with 110 links to news coverage from outlets that included the Daily Mail, The New York Times and Agence France-Presse.

The firm manages up to $1.5 trillion in assets and employs more than 11,000 people.

In an August 3 interview with Bari Weiss's Honestly podcast, Amy Cooper claimed she's had to flee the country and go into hiding after the incident.

She told Weiss the avid bird-watcher told her: 'If you're going to do what you want, I'm going to do what I want, but you're not going to like it.'

She continued: 'I look up and he's holding these dog treats in one hand and a bike helmet in his other hand and I'm thinking, 'Oh my god, is this guy going to lure my dog over and try to hit him with his bike helmet?'

'And if I end up over there am I going to get hit by this bike helmet?'

Christian Cooper has said that he carried dog treats with him when going birdwatching to avoid getting bitten by other people's pooches.

In her wrongful termination lawsuit, she alleged she was 'frightened to death' of Cooper, who she called an 'overzealous birdwatcher engaged in Central Park's ongoing feud between birdwatchers and dog owners.'
The founder of Black Lives Matter Utah and President of the Utah Black History Museum has announced she is stepping down and has moved out of state after receiving an influx of death threats a month after calling the American Flag a symbol of hate.

Lex Scott posted her farewell message on the official Black Lives Matter Utah Chapter Facebook page explaining that while she had been training successor Rae Duckworth to take over.

Her move came after a backlash over a July 4 post on the group's page where she wrote: 'When we Black Americans see this flag we know the person flying it is not safe to be around. When we see this flag we know the person flying it is a racist.'

The civil rights activist explained that while death threats were an unfortunate common occurrence in her position, they escalated in the last month after her controversial comments on the flag.

She said the increase of death threats had worn her down to the extent that she was 'so prepared to die that I welcomed death.

Lex Scott, founder of BLM Utah, announced on the Black Lives Matter Utah Chapter Facebook page that she has stepped down as president of BLM Utah and the Utah Black History Museum and has moved out of the state due to death threats

The Utah chapter of BLM sparked anger on social media during the Fourth of July weekend after it posted a message on Facebook calling the American flag a symbol of hate'

In the post, she explained that in the last month she began receiving an overwhelming amount of death threats that left her so prepared to die that I welcomed death after calling the flag a symbol of hate

She posted: The only new thing was when someone attempted to climb over my fence and instead of defending myself, I relaxed my body and told myself that I wished they would hurry and get it over with.

I did not even want to fight back. The exhaustion of being on defense had worn on me. So prepared to die that I welcomed death and that is not living.

She went on to explain how the death threats also began to affect her family: I also was not prepared to have someone hurt my family. They are amazing. They do not deserve this life.

'This life of staying in hotels all the time when a death threat comes in. The massive security procedures that became a part of daily life.

'Moving my daughters bedroom to avoid a pipe bomb being thrown through her window.

This is not life. And my family should not have to live that.

Scott says she has been posting videos to TikTok for a year, trying to get recruiters in other states to hire me so I could relocate.

The BLM advocate does not say where she and her family moved but says that she moved to a city which is all Black and says that she can sleep peacefully.

She explained the heartbreak that came with a quick move where her family left Utah only with the clothes on their backs saying: I had to keep moving my stuff and we had to beat the Klan and white supremacists. It was hard. So hard. So lonely. So painful.

Scott goes on to congratulate her haters but warns that her BLM Utah successor is younger and has more fire.

Rae Duckworth is now the President of Black Lives Matter Utah and Mario Mathis is now the President of the Utah Black History Museum.

Scott told The Salt Lake Tribune that the post was intended to provoke a reaction, 'The point of the post was to make everyone uncomfortable'

Scott is seen above at a BLM rally in Salt Lake City in October 2017 after the police killing of Patrick Harmon

Scotts death threats increased after she made statements posted to BLM Utah- which she ran-calling the American flag a symbol of hate saying 'When we see this flag we know the person flying it is a racist.

The post was shared on the Fourth of July in response to a white supremacist march that took place in Philadelphia on Saturday.

'When we Black Americans see this flag we know the person flying it is not safe to be around,' the statement read.

'When we see this flag we know the person flying it is a racist.

'When we see this flag we know that the person flying it lives in a different America than we do.

'When we see this flag, we question your intelligence. We know to avoid you.

It is a symbol of hatred.'

The post upset many people and received a wave of backlash online.

BLM Utah then shut off comments to its original July 4th post and said it would donate $1 to the re-election campaign of House Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for every Facebook user it blocked.

Welcome racists, the account belonging to BLM Utah wrote in response to the backlash generated by its July 4th post. We know you are big mad about the racist flag post. You will not be heard here. You will be blocked and your comments will be deleted.

Scott said she was outraged by images from Philadelphia, where some 200 members of a group called the Patriot Front, which has been labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, staged a march on July 3

Patriot Front members carried shields and smoke bombs and waved banners that read Reclaim America as they held a procession down Benjamin Franklin Parkway toward Penns Landing

According to the SPLC, which monitors extremist groups in the United States, the Patriot Front is a Texas-based organization that promotes an explicitly fascist agenda

BLM Utah then thanked the commenters for contributing to the re-election of AOC.

In another Facebook message, BLM Utah referred to its critics as Karen.

Listen Karen, BLM Utah wrote. Confronting you and this country about your racism isnt hatred. Addressing racism isnt racist.

We will not bow down to you. We will not beg you to stop being racist. We will proactively destroy the systems that continue to give you the power to marginalize people of color. Period.

The group added: You are the ones denying jobs and housing to us. You spew microaggressions upon us in the workplace.

You profile us in stores. You repeat negative stereotypes about us. Then you bring up your token Black friend and say Im not racist my best friend is Black to excuse your ignorance.

Just stop talking. We dont teach hatred, we spread reality and that reality is bitter on your forked tongue. Swallow it. Internalize it. And realize that you are the problem.

The July 4th post went viral, generating hundreds of likes and shares as well as dozens of comments.

Scott told The Salt Lake Tribune that the post was intended to provoke a reaction. 'The point of the post was to make everyone uncomfortable,' Scott said.

'The American flag is taught to us from birth to represent freedom, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'

The post generated angry reaction on social media: BLM is a phony organization that thrives in division, commented one Twitter user

Another commenter wrote: I love this flag and love this country!! I fly it proudly regardless of what you want to call me!!

Another Twitter user wrote: 'Based on this tweet I think BLM Utah should transition to BLM Cuba and lets see if they like this flag next July 4th. 'Respecting the flag and our ancestors who gave their lives for it, both black and white, is nonnegotiable.'

Another Twitter user accused BLM of declaring war on the US. They wrote: Fly your flag proudly! If you dont have one, please get one or even print one for your window. And prepare for the worst because it is coming!

Scott said she was outraged by images from Philadelphia, where some 200 members of a group called the Patriot Front, which has been labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, staged a march on July 3.

She explained her outrage to ABC 4, I watched a bunch of white supremacist march through Philadelphia with American flags and then I waited for outrage. No outrage came which made me angry. Then I realized the Ku Klux Klan marches with that flag, patriot front, proud boys, oath keepers, the three percenters, and Ive never heard outrage about them using the flag for hate so I said what a lot of us are thinking.

The posts and comments on the American flag didnt just spark outrage online but were condemned by Governor Spencer Cox and the NAACP.

Gov. Cox called the comments about the flag despicable and wrong, adding, I think our flag stands against racism. I said I refuse to let white supremacists take away what that flag stands for and I refuse to let Lex Scott take away what that flag stands for.

President of the NAACP Utah State Conference, Jeanetta Williams disagreed with BLM Utahs remarks: The flag stands for all the people who have lived and served to bring about the best of the American Experience, that all people are created equal.

Real American Patriots have stood for equality and justice for all. While we recognize that the history of our nation is marked with both failures and successes in the treatment of minorities, we know the way forward starts with respect and togetherness for all Americans.

She continued: the highest aspirations expressed from the founding of the Union, through the Emancipation Declaration, the 13th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution, the Enactment of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, to the millions of Americans who support their fellow citizens of all races, national origin, and color.
Metal detectorist Kris Rodgers with the lost pendant

Taggart and Holby City star John Michie has thanked a metal detectorist who found a precious memento of his late daughter on a beach.

The Scottish actor had lost a pendant featuring an image of daughter Louella's face while swimming in the sea at Mermaid beach in Folkestone, Kent.

Model and yoga instructor Louella was found dead aged 25 in woodland at the Bestival music festival at Lulworth Castle in Dorset, in 2017.

Mr Michie, 64, was left devastated by the loss of the pendant earlier this year but it was later discovered by metal detectorist Kris Rodgers, a YouTube star who goes by the name Addicted to Bleeps.

Mr Rodgers often scours beaches in the south of England for lost treasures and contacted Michie online after making his discovery.

He wrote on Twitter: 'Hi, John. I'm a Metal Detectorist from Folkestone and have found a pendant with Louella's picture on it and birthday/death on the back. Thought it responsible to reach out to you, and tell you I have it if you need it back.'

The actor replied: 'Bless you that's fantastic news - was so upset to have lost it. I'll be in touch thank you.'

In a further tweet, he added: 'Thanks a million *@AddictedToBleep for tracking me down after finding my precious Louella pendant on Mermaid Beach which I lost swimming in the sea. Bless you for your kindness and bleeps!'

Actor John Michie with daughter Louella Fletcher-Michie, who was tragically found dead aged 25 in woodland at the Bestival music festival at Lulworth Castle in Dorset in 2017

Mr Michie said: 'Bless you that's fantastic news - was so upset to have lost it. I'll be in touch thank you'

Louella died after boyfriend Ceon Broughton gave her a 'bumped up' dose of the hallucinogenic class A drug 2-CP at the Bestival music festival in September 2017.

He was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter and jailed for eight-and-a-half years following a trial at Winchester Crown Court.

During his trial, the court heard how Broughton, 32, filmed Louella as she lay dying rather than seeking help from a nearby medical tent.

However his conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal last year after his lawyers successfully argued that the jury could not be sure Louella would have survived if she had received medical attention.

Following the decision, Michie posted a photo online of his daughter holding a rose alongside the caption: 'Truth stands / When The Law falls / Love is eternal.'

Actor Mr Michie and his wife Carol Fletcher-Michie at Winchester Crown Court on February 27, 2019, for the trial of dealer Ceon Broughton, 31

Broughton (left, pictured in February 2019) had his conviction overturned for the manslaughter of Miss Fletcher-Michie (right), who died after taking the drug 2C-P at Bestival

Louella was a keen festival goer and was at Bestival when she overdosed. Her boyfriend shot harrowing footage of his younger girlfriend overdosing on his mobile phone for six hours, as she screamed 'this ain't acid. I was not expecting this'

Jurors at the 2019 Winchester Crown Court trial had sobbed as they viewed footage of Louella's distress as the effects of the drug showed her at one point trying to eat thorns.

Clips showed musician Broughton turn his iPhone on himself at one point to show him smiling and playing with a fidget spinner toy and also plugging his hoodie brand.

During one 50-minute video Louella had yelled: 'Make sure you're filming this. Put a camera on me now. You better be f****** recording Ceon. Don't f****** put this on YouTube.'

She had also repeatedly shouted for him to call her mum and when they were phoned the sound of their daughter overdosing was so harrowing they jumped in their car to carry out the 130-mile drive from London to the festival site in Lulworth Castle in Dorset. They tragically arrived too late to find her alive.

By 10.41pm that night footage showed Broughton holding Louella's severely scratched hand, with a still image taken by him at 11.24pm appearing to show her lifeless at his feet.

But Broughton's conviction was overturned after his barrister said prosecutors had 'failed to prove' that she would have survived had she received treatment by a certain point - the key point of the original case against him.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell praised President Joe Biden Wednesday for getting the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill across the line, while brushing off criticism from former President Donald Trump.

'There's nothing to back you up like the promise of a presidential signatory, if you're in the same party as the president,' McConnell told The Wall Street Journal. 'And so I think the president deserves a lot of credit for getting the Democrats open to reaching a bipartisan agreement on this bill.'

When Trump's name was brought up, McConnell refused to talk about the Republican ex-president, telling the Journal he was focused on the future.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell praised President Joe Biden Wednesday for getting the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill across the line in an interview with The Wall Street Journal

Former President Donald Trump has hammered McConnell in recent statements over the Kentucky Republican's willingness to let Biden have a win on infrastructure

Part of that future is the 2022 midterm races that could flip the House and Senate back to the Republicans if they play their cards right.

Trump blasted McConnell for allowing the infrastructure deal to go through because he believed it would help the Democrats in those races.

'This will be a big victory for the Democrats and will be used against Republicans in the upcoming elections,' Trump said in a statement sent out Sunday.

McConnell disagreed with this assessment, arguing that Republicans are now able to take credit for well-liked policy.

'Infrastructure is popular with both Republicans and Democrats,' McConnell said. 'The American people, divided, sent us a 50-50 Senate and a narrowly divided House. I don't think the message from that was, "Do absolutely nothing." And if you're going to find an area of potential agreement, I can't think of a better one than infrastructure, which is desperately needed.'

Trump also pushed that McConnell had opened the door for the Democrats to pass the larger, $3.5 trillion budget bill, which they want to use to help tackle broader problems like poverty and climate change.

'Nobody will ever understand why Mitch McConnell allowed this non-infrastructure bill to be passed. He has given up all of his leverage for the big whopper of a bill that will follow,' Trump argued Tuesday in the run-up to the infrastructure vote.

'I have quietly said for years that Mitch McConnell is the most overrated man in politics - now I dont have to be quiet anymore,' the ex-president also offered.

Biden complimented McConnell when delivering remarks about the Senate's passage of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill Tuesday at the White House

To the Journal, McConnell argued that Republicans can run on the fact that they got behind infrastructure, but didn't support taxpayer dollars flowing to more liberal priorities.

'I think it makes it harder, because infrastructure is popular, and what theyre about to do starting today is not popular,' he said of Democrats' ability to pass the $3.5 trillon budget bill - which won't need Republican votes because they plan to pass it in the Senate using reconciliation.

'So it extricates from the reckless tax and spending spree that one issue that could have appealed to the public,' McConnell said.

The White House has made it clear that Biden wants to see both bills passed.

In remarks Tuesday, Biden was also complimentary of McConnell, who he served with in the U.S. Senate before becoming vice president.

'This is transformational. I know compromise is hard for both sides, but it's important - it's important, it's necessary - for a democracy to be able to function,' the president said.

'So, I want to thank everyone on both sides of the aisle for supporting this bill ... I want to thank the Republican - Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell for supporting the bill,' Biden said.
Sydney's Covid crisis is now a reality for 80 per cent of people living across New South Wales, with 6.6 million in the state under lockdown.

Coronavirus spot fires have flared up from Byron Bay and the Northern Rivers to the Hunter Valley region and even in vulnerable outback communities in the north-west.

In a desperate bid to stop the spread, sweeping changes are coming to Sydney's leaking lockdown as police are handed extraordinary powers to enforce restrictions after falling out with health officials who 'sympathise' with some rule breakers.

Police Commissioner Mick Fuller will take over the response to the Harbour City's outbreak from Health Minister Brad Hazzard, as frustration grows over the current rules which have seen Sydneysiders flee to second homes and others spending hours sunbaking.

With the virus having already taken hold in Sydney's south-west and west, Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the city's outbreak is threatening to move back eastwards after an increase in cases in Bayside and the inner-west - as well as areas hundreds of kilometres from the state capital.

80 per cent of people in New South Wales live in the locked down regions highlighted in red

Police have been given greater powers to crack down on Covid rule-breakers amid fears people are unknowingly spreading the virus while abusing loopholes in the law (pictured, police at a sun-drenched Bondi Beach on Wednesday)

Police Commissioner Mick Fuller will take over the response to the Harbour City's outbreak as frustration grows over the current rules, which have seen Sydneysiders flee to second homes and others spending hours sunbaking (pictured, women at Bondi on Tuesday)

EVERYWHERE IN NSW LIVING UNDER COVID LOCKDOWNS There are about 6.6 million NSW residents now living under stay-at-home orders, which represents about 80 per cent of the state. These regions include: - All of Greater Sydney including the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour - Dubbo LGA including the suburbs of Dubbo, Wellington, Wongarbon, Geurie, Brocklehurst, Stuart Town, Mumbil and Eumungerie - The Central West region including Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine, Walgett and Warren LGAs - Hunter and Upper Hunter including Newcastle, Cessnock, Dungog, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Muswellbrook, Port Stephens and Singleton LGAs - Armidale LGA (including Guyra) - Tamworth LGA - The Northern Rivers region including Ballina, Byron, City of Lismore and Richmond Valley LGAs Advertisement

Commissioner Fuller and Police Minister David Elliott told a crisis cabinet meeting on Wednesday afternoon the current health orders are proving difficult to enforce, due to a 'virtually unworkable' standoff between cops and health officials.

It was revealed that some health workers have refused to hand over details of compliance breaches because they felt sorry for some Covid rule-breakers.

Increasingly frustrated by the split, Commissioner Fuller demanded greater powers to tackle Sydney's climbing case numbers - a move which infuriated Mr Hazzard as tempers boiled over at the meeting.

NSW Police and their own in-house legal team are now discussing amendments that will enable them to crack down on rule-breakers and breaches in virus hotspots to coincide with the rollout of vaccines in pharmacies.

The remote community of Walgett in the state's northwest, 230km east of Bourke, will enter a snap seven-day lockdown after a local man tested positive to the virus on Wednesday

Commissioner Fuller and Police Minister David Elliott told a crisis cabinet meeting on Wednesday the orders are proving difficult to enforce, due to a 'virtually unworkable' standoff between cops and health officials (pictured, police at Bondi on Wednesday)

The revisions are expected to include a ban on residents travelling to their second properties, such as beach houses, a bigger ADF presence, and heavier policing of singles bubbles to ensure only two people are coming into contact.

In one specific incident that outraged police, information regarding a super-spreader event was not passed on to investigators, with health officials feeling uncomfortable about getting the group fined.

'We still haven't got the details of the 50 people who went to the Pendle Hill funeral,' an official who was briefed on the matter told The Australian.

The illegal gathering in July in southwestern Sydney saw the majority of those in attendance infected with the virus - with one family member later dying of Covid.

The Mayor of Newcastle also laid the blame for her city's lockdown squarely at the feet of the capital, saying: 'Sydney should have fully locked down, and we could have avoided this.'

Her comments come amid claims the Hunter Region's outbreak, which now stands at 53 cases, began when someone left Sydney 'who knew they should not be travelling'.

In one specific incident that outraged police, information regarding a super-spreader event was not passed on to investigators, with health officials feeling uncomfortable about getting the group fined (pictured, a swimmer on Bondi Beach on Wednesday)

Police are said to have found Sydney's lockdown 'impossible' to manage, prompting sweeping changes to their powers (pictured, Bondi on Wednesday)

THE CHANGES COMING TO SYDNEY'S LOCKDOWN A ban on Sydneysiders travelling to second residences intrastate

Greater policing powers to ensure compliance within singles bubbles

More ADF troops deployed across the city to help police the public health orders Advertisement

Police hope changing a rule that permits locked-down Sydneysiders to move between residences will stem the spread of Covid into regional areas.

Meanwhile, modifications to single bubbles - which allow two who both live alone to visit each others' houses - will make it easier for police to check compliance.

The NSW Government is also expected to request more ADF troops to help oversee the orders.

The announcement came a day after Ms Berejiklian insisted she would not introduce harsher lockdown measures unless they have a proven impact on virus transmission.

There have been mounting calls for tougher measures as infection numbers in NSW have remained stubbornly high despite an increasingly tight lockdown, particularly in Sydney's west and southwest.

NSW reported 344 new local cases of Covid on Wednesday - the second highest daily tally on record - as Sydney's contagion shows no signs of slowing down.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the city's Delta outbreak is threatening to move back eastwards after an increase in cases in the Bayside and inner-west areas (pictured, a drive-through testing centre in Ashfield on Wednesday)

Police are said to be frustrated by the difficulties in enforcing the health orders (pictured, sunbakers are watched by a police officer on Bondi Beach on Wednesday as temperatures hit 25C in locked down Sydney)

The state also recorded four deaths - a man in his 70s, a man in his 80s and a woman in her 80s, as well as a returned traveller in his 80s unlinked to the current outbreak. All were unvaccinated.

Sydney and surrounds are in lockdown until at least August 28, while the Hunter, Byron Bay, Armidale and Tamworth are enduring snap lockdowns.

The outback town of Walgett was also plunged into a snap seven-day lockdown from 7pm on Wednesday night after a local man who had recently travelled to Dubbo and Bathurst tested positive.

The restrictions will apply to residents in the eight LGAs of Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine, Walgett and Warren.

Residents of the eight affected LGAs will be subject to the same restrictions as those in Greater Sydney, Dubbo, Tamworth, and other parts of the state.

Sydney's inner-west suburb of Burwood is seen on Wednesday, with the area being hit by a new spate of Covid cases moving in from the city's west

An infected man is believed to have also travelled through Bathurst during his infectious period (pictured, downtown in the city of Bathurst) - plunging the area into lockdown

People in the eight LGAs are permitted to leave home for only four main reasons, shopping for essential goods, medical care, exercise or essential work or education.

The new case is the fourth to be recorded by Western NSW Local Health District during the most recent outbreak.

Walgett Shire Mayor Ian Woodcock said authorities were scrambling to ascertain all of the exposure spots after the person visited Dubbo and Bathurst.

'The police are talking to him now to find out the route he took from where he was to get home' Mr Woodcock said.

'I am frustrated a little bit but what can you do, these things happen.'

Local state MP Roy Butler described the newest case of the virus as 'the news I have feared the most'.

Mr Butler announced the case in a post on Facebook on Wednesday evening and said the man had travelled through the region not knowing he was infected.

Dubbo Regional Council has also been plunged into lockdown after two people tested positive to the virus (pictured, Church Street in Dubbo)

Dubbo, in the state's northwest, entered a snap lockdown from 1pm Wednesday as residents are urged to get tested after a case emerged at Dubbo West Public School (pictured)

'The contact tracers have interviewed him and that information will be made public shortly,' the Facebook post read.

I hope a second test will show negative, but we must act for now as if this is confirmed. Walgett has good community leadership and I know this town will pull together to overcome this.'

A serious Indian Delta outbreak in the far-flung outback town could spell disaster with a lack of health services in the area, low vaccination rates and vulnerable Indigenous population that represents one third of the community.

Health experts have long warned that First Nations People are at greater risk of the virus due to the prevalence of underlying health conditions.

The alert came just hours after Dubbo Regional Council were ordered into lockdown after two people also tested positive to the virus.

Police Commissioner Mick Fuller (pictured) is set to take over the response to Sydney's spiralling Covid crisis

The amendments will give police greater powers to crack down on rule-breakers (pictured, police officers speak to a man during patrols in Bondi)

Dubbo, in the state's northwest, entered a snap lockdown from 1pm Wednesday as residents are urged to get tested after a case emerged at a local school.

A second case in the region has since tested positive.

Dubbo West Public School has been closed after the Department of Education was advised by NSW Health of the infection late Tuesday night.

Ms Berejiklian said her government would be glad to consider further measures to limit movement and interaction, but few remained that were proven to reduce virus transmission.

Curfews were listed among this category.

She said that, given the virulence of the Indian Delta variant and its prevalence among essential workers obliged to leave home, a focus on the rapid vaccination of locked-down communities was preferable.

With 80 per cent of people in New South Wales living in lockdown, panic buying has resumed in some areas (pictured, a supermarket in Byron Bay on Wednesday)

However, compliance with health orders remains crucial.

It comes after a virus-positive Sydney man travelled to Byron Bay reportedly to view a property and is accused of refusing to use QR code check-ins. The incident sent the Northern Rivers region into its lockdown.

'Policy positions that may have worked in the past aren't going to have effect with Delta, it's something we need to accept,' the premier said on Tuesday.

'Short of not having authorised workers do what's necessary, it's really difficult to get to lower cases without that targeted vaccine strategy.

'We need to treat (Delta) differently, and NSW doesn't have any intention of putting in strategies that aren't going to work.'

The death toll from the current outbreak now sits at 32. There are 60 Covid patients in intensive care, with 28 ventilated.

Byron Bay is one of many areas of New South Wales now in lockdown (pictured on Wednesday)

The 344 new locally-acquired cases came as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned more LGAs in Sydney's south and inner-west could face tighter lockdown measures

Ms Berejiklian reiterated her government's aspiration remained 'Covid zero', as per national cabinet, but also that NSW would consider partially easing restrictions once it reaches six million vaccinations.

About 4.6 million jabs have been administered so far, with 23.59 per cent of eligible NSW residents fully vaccinated.

While locked-down Armidale and Tamworth have not recorded new virus cases, Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said new infections were uncovered in the Hunter. A case unlinked to the travelling Sydney man was also found in Byron Bay.

Dr Chant later told Tuesday's parliamentary inquiry a West Hoxton party in which almost every unvaccinated guest caught Covid-19 was a root cause of the virus' western Sydney prevalence.

'It was thought that cluster had been identified very early but there were issues around containment that weren't appreciated,' Dr Chant said.

Police hope changing a rule that permits locked-down Sydneysiders to move between residences will stem the spread of Covid into regional areas (pictured, officers patrol Fairfield on Wednesday)
An alarming 91 new venues from across NSW have been added to the state's skyrocketing exposure sites list, including more than a dozen busy supermarkets across Sydney.

Twenty two grocery stores extending from the Hunter Region to the Illawarra have been placed on alert as fears grow the highly infectious Delta outbreak will continue to spread its tentacles into regional towns.

More than 25 of the new sites are outside of the state's capital city, including 16 venues in Byron Bay where an infected Sydney traveller is feared to have spread the virus.

There were also five new venue alerts in Dubbo, in the state's west, as NSW recorded a further 344 locally-acquired cases on Wednesday and the deaths of two men aged in their 30s and 90s.

A worrying 91 new venues have been added to NSW's exposure sites list as Sydney's outbreak seeps into the regions (pictured, a masked woman ventures out in Sydney's locked-down southwest suburbs)

The venues include more than a dozen supermarket stores across Sydney, with the Bankstown Woolworths (pictured) being listed with 17 exposure times

Tim Koerstz Pharmacy (pictured) is one of the five new venue of concern in Dubbo - which is now also in lockdown

The new Dubbo sites are believed to be linked to a man from the outback town of Walgett in the state's north-west, whose unexpected infection will plunge the area into lockdown from 7pm on Wednesday.

In the Hunter region, a popular cafe and a vape shop have been placed on alert, while further south hundreds of passengers who travelled on nine buses across Sydney have also been declared close contacts.

In total, 17 public transport routes stretching across all corners of the city have been affected after a bus driver worked multiple trips over several days while infectious.

While Sydney's Covid-ravaged west and southwestern suburbs remain the major cause for concern for contact tracers, spot fires of transmission are worryingly developing in many parts of regional NSW.

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 since they were there, regardless of the result: Lambton: Planet Fitness Lambton - Turton Road Tuesday 3 August 3.05pm to 5.00pm Byron Bay: Byron Massage Clinic - 6/4 Bay Lane Monday 2 August 10.00am to 11.00am. Wednesday 4 August 10.45am to 12.00pm Byron Bay: Westpac ATM - 73 Johnson Street Tuesday 3 August 1.30pm to 1.45pm Bryon Bay: Success Thai Food - 3/31 Lawson Street Tuesday 3 August 1.15pm to 1.45pm. Friday 6 August 4.45pm to 5.15pm Byron Bay: Byron Bay General Store - 26 Bangalow Road Wednesday 4 August 7.45am to 8.15am Bangalow: Butcher Baker Cafe - 13 Byron Street Thursday 5 August 11.15am to 11.45am Bangalow: Sparrow Coffee - 1A/32-34 Byron Street Thursday 5 August 6.45am to 7.15am Byron Bay: Woolworths - 106 Johnson Street Saturday 7 August 12.45pm to 1.45pm Bryon Bay: Zaza Kebabs - 8/4 Johnson Street Saturday 7 August 12.00pm to 12.30pm Byron Bay: Ampol Service Station - 76/78 Shirley Street Saturday 7 August 11.45am to 12.15pm Byron Bay: Ozi Go Car Wash- Ewingsdale Road & Bayshore Drive Saturday 7 August 11.30am to 12.00pm Byron Bay: Japonaise Kitchen - 2/25-27 Lawson Street Saturday 7 August 4.30pm to 5pm Newrybar: Harvest Cafe Village - 18, 22 Old Pacific Highway, Sunday 1 August 7.30am to 7.45am and Saturday 7 August 9.15am to 10.15am Byron Bay: Izakaya Gallery KURA- 8/4 Bay Lane FRiday 6 August 5.30pm to 6pm Bangalow: Pharmacy - 23 Byron Street Thursday 5 August 11am to 11.30am Bangalow: Foodworks - Shop 2/2 Byron Street Monday 2 August 9.45am to 11.15am Glendale: Boho Black Cafe, 387 Lake Road, Tuesday 3 August 9am to 9.30pm Lidcombe: Toohey's Brewery - 29 Nyrang Street, Tuesday 3 August 1.55pm to 4pm Charlestown: Super Vape Store - 260 Charlestown Road, Thursday 5 August 3pm to 3.30pm Dubbo: Tim Koertz Pharmacy - 98 Tamworth Street, Monday 9 August 1pm to 1.15pm Dubbo: Covid Safe Clinic - 77 Myall Street, Tuesday 10 August 7.45am to 8.35am Anyone who travelled on the following bus routes at the listed times in a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result: Bus 941: From Bankstown Station, Stand E to Hillcrest Ave, Greenacre, Sunday 1 August 1.13pm to 1.24pm Bus 941: From Hillcrest Ave, Gosling Park, to Bankstown Station, Stand C, Monday 2 August 6.05am to 6.15am Bus 913: From Bankstown Central, The Mall, to Gosling Park, Hillcrest Ave, Greenacre, Monday 2 August 4.55pm to 5.03pm Bus 320: From Mascot Post Office to Pacific Highway opposite Gore Hill Oval, Friday 6 August 10.19am to 11.26am, 2.34pm to 3.41pm, and 5.43pm to 7.03pm, and Sunday 8 August 10.32am to 11.33am and 12.52pm to 1.53pm Bus 320: From Gore Hill Technology Park to Botany Road before King Street, Friday 6 August 11.35am to 12.45pm, 4.10pm to 5.29pm, and 7.12pm to 8.13pm, and Sunday 8 August 11.44am to 12.37pm and 2.04pm to 2.57pm Bus 422: From Kogarah Station, Railway Parade, Stand C, to Pitt Street before Hay Street, Friday August 8 4.28pm to 5.04pm Bus 422: From Pitt Street opposite Barlow Street to Kogarah Station, Regent St, Stand D, Friday 8 August 5.17pm to 6.05pm Bus 348: From Wolli Creek Station, Discovery Point Place, to Bondi Junction Station, Stand P, Friday 8 August 7pm to 7.47pm Bus 348: From Bondi Junction Station, Stand H to Wolli Creek Station, Discovery Point Place, August 8 7.56pm to 8.41pm Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is urged to immediately get tested and isolate for until receiving further advice from NSW Health: Dubbo Don Crosby Veterinary Surgery 327 Darling Street Saturday 7 August 8.55am to 9.45am Dubbo The Harvest Cafe 64 Palmer Street Saturday 7 August 9.50am to 10.10am Dubbo Ashcrofts IGA 95 Tamworth Street Sunday 8 August 12.35pm to 12.55pm For the list of casual contact sites from NSW Health, click here. Advertisement

Among the long list of exposure sites flagged in the Northern NSW town of Byron Bay was the iconic General Store, with anyone who attended on August 4 between 7.45am to 8.15am considered a close contact and urged to immediately get tested and self isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.

Shoppers who visited Byron Bay Woolworths on August 7 from 12.45pm to 1.45pm are also close contacts, along with diners at a host of local cafes in Byron Bay and the nearby Bangalow area.

The flood of alerts in the region are linked to Zoran Radovanovic, 52, who drove to the popular beachside community from Sydney's eastern suburbs with his two teenage daughters at the end of July to look at a real estate property - a loophole which is allowed despite Greater Sydney's strict lockdown.

The Rose Bay man allegedly repeatedly refused to cooperate with the state's contact tracers and was charged with breaching public health orders.

An eerily quiet Sydney Opera House is seen on Wednesday (pictured) with 80 per cent of people across NSW now living under lockdown

The majority of casual exposure sites are still in Sydney's west and south-west (pictured, Cabramatta on Wednesday)

With major concerns the man who later checked himself into Lismore Base Hospital may have spread the virus undetected across the region, the Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Lismore and Ballina Shire Local Government Areas were all sent into lockdown from 6pm August 9 until August 17.

The development comes as Premier Gladys Berejiklian also ordered Dubbo into a snap week-long lockdown from 1pm Wednesday after two cases were found in the regional town.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the cases were a young child and a woman in her 40s.

WHERE THE DELTA COVID STRAIN IS SPREADING IN NEW SOUTH WALES Of the 344 cases reported overnight: 112 are from the South Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD) 110 Western Sydney 43 Nepean Blue Mtns 29 Sydney LHD 23 South-eastern Sydney 14 Hunter/New England 7 Northern Sydney 2 Central Coast. 1 Northern NSW 1 Illawarra Shoalhaven. 2 Western NSW Advertisement

'It is critical that the lockdown is complied with in Dubbo, and even though it comes in to place at 1pm today, we are asking people to make those decisions and act in a way as if it is in place at the moment,' Dr Chant said.

The five new Covid exposure sites in Dubbo include the Don Crosby Veterinary Surgery, the Harvest Cafe, Ashcrofts IGA supermarket, Tim Koerstz Pharmacy and the Covid Safe Clinic.

Health officials also found 14 new cases in the Hunter-New England area, with Ms Berejiklian warning the continuing spread of cases meant it was unlikely eight LGAs in the region would be released from lockdown on time later this week.

The Harvest Cafe in Dubbo (pictured) was flagged as Covid exposure site after two cases were recorded in the regional town with another man testing positive in Walgett

Health authorities also sent out a public health alert for Don Crosby Vets in Dubbo (pictured)

'The Hunter doesn't look like it will come out of lockdown later this week - however we will wait on health advice,' she said.

As cases in the Hunter region continue to climb, two Newcastle venues - Charlestown Super Vape store and Boho Black Cafe - have been identified as close contact sites after they were visited by positive cases last week.

No new cases though were found in the Armidale, Tamworth or Northern Rivers areas of northern NSW - sparking hope those LGAs could soon be released from lockdown.

In a worrying development, Wollongong, Kiama, and Shellharbour venues, including a Coles and Dan Murphy's, were among the dozens of new casual contact sites added on Wednesday, igniting fears Sydney's outbreak may also be seeping south.

However, the majority of sites were located in Sydney's southwest and western Covid hotspots, and comprised of several supermarkets and chemists.

They include Woolworths stores in Punchbowl, Revesby, Winston Hills, Minto, Lidcombe, Lakemba, and Fairfield, as well as Coles in Casula, Mount Druitt, Revesby and Rhodes.

Branches of the supermarket giants were also impacted in Newcastle, the Central Coast, Shellharbour, and Kiama.

Highlighting the concentration of cases in the Cantebury-Bankstown LGA, a Woolworths store in Bankstown has 17 different exposure time listings across 12 days.

The 344 new locally-acquired cases came as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned more LGAs in Sydney's south and inner-west could face tighter lockdown measures

Ms Berejiklian meanwhile repeated her intention to consider ease social distancing restrictions as soon as September in Sydney suburbs where case numbers are low but vaccination rates are high.

'Please note that they are two different things - lockdown now, plus opportunities to live life differently in September and October, is very different to what life looks like at 70 percent,' she said.

The NSW premier said restrictions would remain but that once a 'low risk' community reached 80 percent double vaccination, the focus of the rules would change and Covid could be treated more like the flu rather than a 'sinister virus'.

Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Lismore, and Ballina Shire were placed into a snap seven-day lockdown on Monday, which is due to lift on August 17 (pictured, a queue for Covid-19 testing at Byron Bay Hospital)

Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the city's Delta outbreak is threatening to move back eastwards after an increase in cases in the Bayside and Inner-West areas (pictured, a drive-through testing centre in Ashfield on Wednesday)

'That means that we no longer focus on the number of cases, we focus on the number of hospitalisations,' she said.

'When you have such high rates of vaccination, people can live more freely and we can focus on keeping people out of hospital rather than counting cases.

'It's a bit premature now but in a few weeks we'll have a better idea of what September and October looks like because we will be able to see what a consistent rate of vaccination looks like.'

Ms Berejiklian used the exchange to urge people in Greater Sydney to more widely embrace vaccination.

'Please get vaccinated because there could be opportunities in September and October for us to say to the community, if you are vaccinated you might be able to do a certain level of activity which you can't now.

'They are conversations we are starting to have. They will be based on health advice.'
Julian Assange's fiancee made an emotional plea to 'end this nightmare' after the US government was today authorised to expand its appeal against a judge's decision not to extradite the Wikileads founder to America.

The US's legal team told senior British judges that Assange, 50, who was watching from HMP Belmarsh, is not 'so ill' that he would be unable to resist killing himself if he was extradited to America for trial over the leaking of thousands of classified US intelligence documents.

Assange had two children with Stella Moris, who was at the High Court today backed by dozens of supporters, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who told the crowd that the US government should 'wind their necks in'.

Stella and Julian had Gabriel, 3, and Max, one, while he was holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, keeping their relationship and family a secret from the outside world until last September.

A tearful Ms Morris, speaking after the ruling, pleaded for an 'end to this nightmare' and explained the fears she has for her and her family.

She said: 'What has not been discussed today, is why I feared for my safety and the safety of our children and Julian's life.

'The constant threats and intimidation we endured for years, which has been terrorising us and has been terrorising Julian for 10 years.'

Julian Assange (left) appearing by video link at the High Court in London where the US Government won the right to widen its appeal against the decision to extradite him

A tearful Stella Moris, the mother of Assange's two secret children, speaks to the media and supporters at the High Court in London today after the US' appeal against his extradition moved forward

Stella and Julian had Gabriel, 3, and Max, one, while he was holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, keeping their relationship and family a secret from the outside world until last September

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joins Assange supporters outside as the High Court before addressing the crowd

Supporters of Julian Assange protest outside the Royal Courts of Justice as the preliminary hearing on the United States government's appeal began

Ms Morris continued: 'We have a right to live, we have a right to exist and we have a right for this nightmare to come to an end once and for all.'

At the heart of the row is London-based psychiatric expert Professor Michael Kopelman, whose evidence was central to the judge's finding that Assange would be at risk of suicide in an American prison.

But today the US argued that Professor Kopelman's assessment should have been 'excluded or given little weight' because he allegedly knew of Assange's two secret children when he made his first mental health assessment - but withheld the information.

Clair Dobbin QC said today: 'Experts aren't allowed to mislead the court for any reason, let alone apparently... to protect the privacy of Mr Assange's family.

'We say that ought to have been of real concern to the court and it ought to have come to a much more exacting analysis of Professor Kopelman's evidence.'

The US prosecution team insists he 'misled' Judge Vanessa Baraitser who then relied on it in her judgment where in January not to extradite the WikiLeaks founder to face espionage charges.

At the heart of the row is London-based psychiatric expert Professor Michael Kopelman, whose evidence was central to the judge's finding that Assange would be at risk of suicide in an American prison

And this afternoon Lord Justice Holroyde, sitting with Mrs Justice Farbey, granted the US permission to challenge Judge Varaitser's decision. The full appeal will be heard in October.

He said it was 'very unusual' for an appeal court to have to consider evidence of an expert, which has been accepted by a lower court, who has been found to have misled the court.

The judge said it is 'at least arguable' that the judge erred in basing her conclusions on the professor's evidence in those circumstances.

He added: 'Given the importance to the administration of justice of a court being able to reply on the impartiality of an expert witness, it is in my view arguable that more detailed and critical consideration should have been given to why (the professor's) 'understandable human response' gave rise to a misleading report.'

Both sides will now prepare for the full appeal, which will be heard in person on October 27 and 28.

If Assange is extradited, the US has said it would consent to him being transferred to Australia to serve any prison sentence he may be given.

Outside the court, Assange's partner, Stella Moris, described him as an "innocent man accused of practicing journalism."

"For every day that this colossal injustice is allowed to continue, Julian's situation grows increasingly desperate," Moris, who has two young children with Assange, told his supporters and reporters.

"Julian has been denied the love and affection of his family for so long. Julian and the kids will never get this time back. This shouldn't be happening," she added.

Assange, 50, is wanted in America on allegations of a conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information following WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

However, after a multi-week extradition hearing last year, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that Assange should not be sent to the US, citing a real risk of suicide.

Outside protesters pressed on with their demonstration in support of Assange. By the afternoon a crowd, who had begun their protest at 9am, was still outside the High Court shouting its support and calling for Assange to be freed.

They held banners which read 'journalism is not a crime' and 'no extradition'. They had also tied yellow ribbons and a torn union flag with the words 'truth on trial' written on it to the railings at the front of the court building.

The US government was previously allowed to appeal against her decision on certain grounds, which Assange's legal team described as 'narrow' and 'technical'.

Assange, 49, faced an 18-count indictment, alleging a plot to hack computers and a conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information

Stella Moris, the mother of Julian Assange's secret children, Max and Gabriel (pictured left and right) this weekend said Britain 'would no longer be a haven for free speech' if he was extradited

On Wednesday, the US made a bid at the High Court to expand the basis that can be used for its main appeal against the district judge's decision.

Dozens of Assange supporters, including his partner Stella Moris, gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice ahead of the hearing, chanting and waving signs.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was also seen outside the central London building, telling supporters that the US government should 'wind their necks in' and allow Assange to go free.

Julian Assange will NOT be held in a supermax jail if he's extradited, US assures UK Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will not be held in supermax prison conditions if he is allowed to be extradited to the United States, American officials have assured British authorities. American officials have made the compromise in the hopes of finally ending the lengthy battle to put Assange, 50, on trial for espionage charges in the United States, the Wall Street Journal reported last month. If Assange is convicted in an American court, U.S. officials have also said the Australian would be allowed to serve jail time in his home country, the outlet reported. The revelations were made in a court ruling provided by the U.K. Crown Prosecution Service obtained by the outlet. Assange has been in London's high-security Belmarsh Prison since he was arrested in April 2019 for skipping bail seven years earlier during a separate legal battle. He had spent seven years holed up inside Ecuador's London embassy, where he fled in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault. Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed. U.S. prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison. The prosecutors say Assange unlawfully helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published. Advertisement

Assange appeared at the hearing via video-link from Belmarsh Prison, wearing a dark face covering and a white shirt, with what appeared to be an untied burgundy tie draped around his neck.

In her ruling, Judge Baraitser found that 'the procedures described by the US will not prevent Mr Assange from finding a way to commit suicide' if he was extradited.

Clair Dobbin QC, for the US, argued there is a 'need for anxious scrutiny' of Assange's reported mental health.

The barrister said part of the US government's appeal will focus on the requirement in law that an individual must be 'so ill' that they are unable to resist suicide for a decision to be taken not to prosecute - or in Assange's case, extradite - them.

She told the court: 'It really requires a mental illness of a type that the ability to resist suicide has been lost.

'Part of the appeal will be that Mr Assange did not have a mental illness that came close to being of that nature and degree.'

In the US government's written argument, she continued: 'He has not made the sort of serious attempt on his life or have the history of serious self-harm seen in other cases.

'He has never previously suffered from the sort of mental health condition that deprived him of the ability to make rational choices.'

Ms Dobbin also told the court that the need for scrutiny is 'substantially increased' given the background - including the 'extraordinary lengths' Assange has already gone to in order to avoid extradition.

'He was willing to break the law and no cost was too great, both in terms of the cost of policing his being in the embassy and of course the cost to himself,' she said.

In the US government's written case, Ms Dobbin said that 16 million of taxpayers' money had been spent to 'ensure that, when Mr Assange did leave the embassy, he was brought to justice'.

The US authorities have also claimed that evidence from Assange's psychiatric expert, Professor Michael Kopelman, should have been dismissed or had less weight attributed to it.

Ms Dobbin argued that the expert misled Judge Baraitser during the original extradition proceedings by 'concealing' the fact that Assange had fathered two children during his time in the embassy until March 2020, when he 'chose to deploy that information in support of his bail application'.

In her ruling, Judge Baraitser also said there was a 'real risk' Assange would be locked up at the Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Florence, Colorado, if convicted, which would lead to his mental health deteriorating.

Huge crowds gather in London to support Assange. At previous there have been arrests as crowds became agitated and clashed with police

Supporters of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice during the U.S. government appeal

Supporters encouraged drivers to beep their horns in support of the WikiLeaks founder

However, the US has said it would consent to Assange being transferred to Australia to serve any prison sentence he may be given.

Edward Fitzgerald QC, representing Assange, told the court that Judge Baraitser, having heard all of the evidence in the case, was in the best position to assess it and reach her decision.

He said Professor Kopelman's report, in which he did not reveal the true nature of Assange's relationship with Ms Moris, was given long before any court hearing and against a background of concern for the 'human predicament' in which Ms Moris found herself at the time.

The barrister said this included fears for her safety and that of the couple's two children, after a surveillance organisation had taken DNA from their baby's nappy, then turned its attention to Ms Moris and plotted to kidnap or poison Assange.

Mr Fitzgerald said: 'The district judge was right to find that she had not in fact been misled, and that it was an understandable response to Ms Moris's predicament.

'The court had become aware of the true position in April 2020.'
Pope Francis interrupted his weekly audience with the public today - to take a phone call in an unusual break from protocol.

The 84-year-old pontiff took a mobile phone from an aide while standing on the centre stage of Paul VI Hall in the Vatican and chatted animatedly for a couple of minutes with whomever was on the other end.

Francis, who had blessed the attendees near the event's end on Wednesday, gestured with his free hand while he held the device to his left ear with his other hand.

He seemed to be explaining something and did most of the talking - but the nature of the very public call will remain a mystery as the Vatican declined to comment.

Pope Francis today interrupted his weekly audience with the public to take a phone call in a decidedly unusual break from protocol

The 84-year-old pontiff took a mobile phone from an aide while standing on the centre stage of Paul VI Hall in the Vatican

Francis chatted animatedly for a couple of minutes with whomever was on the other end

Pope Francis greets the faithful at the end of his weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican on Wednesday

During his sermon, Francis said that he was greatly pained by the killing of a Roman Catholic priest, allegedly by a Rwandan immigrant already under investigation for setting the Nantes cathedral on fire last year.

Father Olivier Maire, 60, head of the Montfortain Missionary Order at Saint-Laurent-sur-Sevre, was found dead in a room of the abbey.

Rwandan refugee Emmanel Abayisenga, 40, reportedly confessed to killing Olivier on Monday.

Abayisenga had been awaiting trail for setting fire to Nantes Cathedral last year, and had been taken in my Father Maire's community while on bail and under judicial control.

'It was with great pain that I learned of the murder', Francis told French tourists and pilgrims at his weekly general audience.

He expressed his condolences to the members of the order, to the priest's family and to all French Catholics.

'I assure you of my participation (in the mourning) and my spiritual closeness,' he said.

Pictured: Father Olivier, the 60-year-old priest who was allegedly murdered on Monday

Pictured: French gendarmerie vehicles parked where the catholic priest, Father Olivier Maire, was murdered in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sevres, Western France, on August 9, 2021

French prosecutors said Abayisenga was arrested on suspicion of murder.

La Roche-sur-Yon prosecutor Yannick Le Goater told reporters police had found Maire's body in a room to which the suspect had given them the key.

Following the cathedral fire in July 2020, the suspect was held in detention until late May when he was then released under judicial supervision and placed in the abbey, the prosecutor said.

After talking about wanting to leave, he was transferred to a psychiatric hospital where he stayed until the end of July.

Wednesday's weekly audience was the second Francis has held since undergoing bowel surgery a little more than a month ago.

After blessing the members of his audience, the pope typically wades into the crowd to greet many of them affectionately.

But in another departure from the routine, Francis on Wednesday abruptly changed direction while chatting with another aide as he was about to descend the stage steps. Instead of greeting the faithful, he headed toward a closed exit door on the stage.

First the aide, then the pope, gestured to the participants that they should wait. The aide opened the door, and the pope walked briskly off the stage.

After a few minutes, Francis returned and went down the marble steps to the audience section to mingle with people who wanted to shake his hand or take selfies with him.

Wednesday's weekly audience was the second Francis has held since undergoing bowel surgery a little more than a month ago

Francis returned and went down the marble steps to the audience section to mingle with people who wanted to shake his hand or take selfies with him

He held his first weekly audience since the surgery on August 4 where he walked unaided to the centre of the stage, offering his prayers and condolences to Lebanon on the anniversary of the Beirut port blast. Pictured: Pope Francis on Wednesday during the general audience

He held his first weekly audience since the surgery on August 4 where he walked unaided to the centre of the stage, offering his prayers and condolences to Lebanon on the anniversary of the Beirut port blast.

The pontiff had been admitted to hospital in Rome on July 4 for an operation to remove a section of his colon. The Vatican said the surgery was necessitated by diverticular stenosis, or a narrowing of the bowel.

Unlike previous pontiffs, who spent summers at the Vatican's holiday retreat in the cooler hills near Rome, or, in the case of John Paul II, who liked to vacation in the Italian Alps, Francis stays at the Vatican each summer.

But during his papacy, the Wednesday audiences have been suspended in July to give Francis some extra rest time during Rome's hot summers. His hospitalization therefore didn't interfere with his regular general audience schedule.

While recovering at the hospital, Francis stepped onto a 10-floor balcony to greet well-wishers. He still looks somewhat wan, but Francis has been in good spirits and adlibbed at times during his traditional Sunday window appearances to the crowd in St. Peter's Square.
Attorney General Letitia James is being eyed as a key contender in next year's Gubernatorial race after clearing her own path by taking down Cuomo last week with her damning sexual harassment report in scenes that were reminiscent of Cuomo helping to take down Governor Eliot Spitzer in 2007.

James announced in February this year that she was investigating Cuomo's handling of nursing home COVID-19 deaths.

In March, she launched a sexual harassment investigation which produced a damning report, triggered impeachment proceedings, three criminal investigations, one lawsuit and eventually prompted the Governor's resignation yesterday.

He insists he is innocent and has fallen victim to James' political ambitions, claiming the report lacks evidence and he was never given the chance to rebut it.

In Albany, where he is disliked by other lawmakers, there has been a stampede to impeach him.

James has not yet indicated if she'll run for Governor but she hasn't yet spent any of her fundraising dollars for next year's AG campaign on polling for it - which is a clear indicator she may be stalling.

She hasn't shied away from the fact others think she is keen on Cuomo's job and now many, including Cuomo, are asking if the entire report was an effort to bring him down to empty his office and clear the way for her.

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Attorney General Letitia James is among the most likely to run. She has referred to herself in the past as 'Aspiring Governor'

James twisted the knife on Tuesday by thanking Cuomo for his 'contributions' after he resigned as a result of her damning report, that he and others say was driven by her own political motivation and not because he harassed anyone

'Others say attorney general stands for "aspiring governor". We have been putting our heads down, not focusing on the politics but focusing on the law,' she said during an interview with The New York Times in February.

In a recent Slingshot Strategies poll of 600 New Yorkers - conducted before Cuomo resigned but after the AG report emerged - she got nine percent of the vote among New York Democrats.

Cuomo had by far the highest rating, with 26 percent of Democrats saying they would vote for him again in the primaries.

Tucker Carlson, on his FOX show on Tuesday night, said it was clear that James was plotting her gubernatorial campaign.

'The state of New York has a long history of palace coups, and many of them originating in the Attorney General's Office.

'Even before she was elected to her current office, which she has misused from day one, James vowed to start a political investigation into Donald Trump's businesses in New York.

'Not because she had specific evidence they had broken the law.

'She didnt. She didnt even claim she did. She didnt like him, and she has since followed through on that promise. Is that the kind of justice you want?

'So, there are reasons to question Letitia James' motives.

'To put it mildly. And those doubts become more pronounced if you become one of the three living Americans who has actually read the 165-page report that Letitia James just produced on Andrew Cuomo  the one that led to his resignation.

Cuomo took office as NY Attorney General in January 2007. He is shown with his father, former Governor of New York Mario Cuomo

A year after Cuomo took office as AG, Eliot Spitzer resigned after being linked to a federal investigation into prostitution. Cuomo had investigated him earlier for misuse of state troopers. In 2010, Cuomo became Governor of New York after Spitzer's successor, David Paterson, dropped out of the race

'The closer you read the report, the more you notice that large portions of it are absurd. They don't make sense.'

James initially planned to run for Mayor of New York City in 2018 but she dropped out and instead set her sights on the AG's office. In the Democratic primary, she won more than 40 percent of the vote.

Her pursuit of Cuomo is similar to how he pursued Elliot Spitzer in 2007, when he was AG and Spitzer was the Governor.

Ultimately, Spitzer resigned not because of what Cuomo did, but because he'd been caught up in a federal investigation into a prostitution ring.

But before that, Cuomo had investigated him for misuse of State Troopers.

WHO ELSE MIGH THROW THEIR HAT IN THE RING?

AOC

AOC has repeatedly refused to lay out her political ambitions. This week she refused to rule out challenging Chuck Schumer. That was before Cuomo's resignation

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez hasn't been shy since taking her seat in the House of Representatives in 2019.

She hasn't made any public indications that she intends to run for Governor of New York but she called for Cuomo's resignation after the AG report last week, and there is widespread speculation she may challenge Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's seat.

The Slingshot Strategies poll gave her eight percent of the Gubernatorial Democratic Primary vote, third after James.

In a recent interview with CNN, she was deliberately vague when asked about her political ambitions.

'Here's the thing, is that - I know it drives everybody nuts, but the way that I really feel about this and the way that I really approach my politics and my political career is that I do not look at things and I do not set my course positionally.

'I know there's a lot of people who do not believe that, but I can't operate the way that I operate and do the things that I do in politics while trying to be aspiring to other things.

'I make decisions based on what I think our people need and my community needs. And so, I'm not commenting on that,' she said.

Bill de Blasio

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio can't run for re-election because of New York City term limits and he has not yet indicated what his next step may be.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio can't run for re-election because of New York City term limits and he has not yet indicated what his next step may be.

He launched a brief bid for the White House in May 2019 but he withdrew in September that year after failing to gain any kind of encouragement ahead of the Democratic primary.

He also celebrated Cuomo's resignation.

The pair have a tense working relationship that often involved Cuomo overruling de Blasio and reminding the public and the press of how much more authority he had during the pandemic.

They differ on key points; de Blasio was pro BLM and sanctioned the defunding of the NYPD by $1billion last summer.

Cuomo, in a round about way, routinely criticized him for it with his constant reminders at his COVID press conferences that crime is through the roof, and more cops are needed on subways.

De Blasio has never worked on behalf of the state and instead has spent all of his political career in New York City.

It's unclear how he'd fare representing more conservative, agricultural parts of the state.

Kathy Hochul

Hochul may well make a run in November 2022 to keep her place but if she does, it will be the first time she has campaigned statewide without Cuomo

Hochul may well make a run in November 2022 to keep her place but if she does, it will be the first time she has campaigned statewide without Cuomo.

She was cherry picked by Cuomo in 2014 as his running mate and has always taken a back-foot.

She is well-liked in Albany, where she is described as 'down to earth', and her political past is more conservative than Cuomo's.

She was endorsed by the NRA in 2007 and 2012 in upstate local elections, and she once campaigned against giving undocumented immigrants driver's licenses.

She has since changed her position to become more liberal, campaigning regularly against gun violence and on behalf of LGBTQ rights.

Cuomo can seek re-election if he isn't impeached

Cuomo, on Tuesday, can return to office if he is not impeached and he insists he has done nothing wrong.

Cuomo can return to office if he is not impeached and he insists he has done nothing wrong.

The Slingshot Strategies poll gave him the highest number of votes among Democrats last week with 26 percent, despite the AG's report.

Republicans are determined to stop that from happening and on Wednesday, six of the 20-person members of the Judiciary Committee investigating whether or not to impeach him indicated that they will push the proceedings forward.

It isn't just Republicans who want to impeach Cuomo; Assembly member Yuh-Line Niou on Tuesday led calls for the impeachment proceedings to continue.

'We must remember that the governor's misuse of office extends far beyond the women he victimized. It extends to the millions he made using our tax dollars on a book deal in total mockery of state ethics laws. It extends to the victims of COVID-19 whose deaths he concealed from state lawmakers. This is a pattern of his abuse of power and impeachment is an appropriate and necessary step.

'Impeachment means New York will not be paying Andrew Cuomo's pension for the rest of his life after disgusting abuses of power. Impeachment means Governor Cuomo will not be able to run for office again by claiming to be the victim and gaslighting the true victims.

'Resignation is not the solution, it is a long overdue first step,' she said on Wednesday.

Cuomo hasn't indicated if he will run again. His attorneys seem determined to fight impeachment proceedings.

Cynthia Nixon

Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon took on Cuomo in 2018 but failed in the Democratic primary

Nixon challenged Cuomo in 2018, losing out on the primary in 2018, winning 60 percent of the vote to Nixon's 35 percent.

In a 2020 interview with Variety, she indicated she had no intentions on running again, saying whoever takes Cuomo down should be a person of color.

'I know we will have a great challenger. I will be supporting whoever that challenger is.

'But I also think it would be really, really helpful to have a person of color challenge Andrew Cuomo,' she said.

In the days since Cuomo's resignation, Nixon has started plugging political causes on Twitter again.

She also reminded her followers of one of her 2018 tweets where she called Cuomo out for promoting someone who had been accused of sexual harassment.

Public Advocate for New York City Jumaane Williams ran against Cuomo in 2018. He replaced Letitia James last year when she become NY AG

Jumaane Williams

Williams took on Hochul for Lt. Governor in the 2018 election but lost out.

He and Nixon later endorsed each other.

When James became Attorney General in 2019, he was elected in a special election to replace her as New York City Public Advocate.

He welcomed Cuomo's resignation earlier this week and hinted at trouble ahead for his Hochul, with whom he said he has disagreed in the past.

Williams hasn't yet indicated if he'll run again for Governor.

Kristen Gillibrand

Gillibrand is the junior Senator for New York. In the Slingshot Strategies poll, she got six percent of Democrats' votes in the primary

Gillibrand is the junior Senator for New York.

In the Slingshot Strategies poll, she got six percent of Democrats' votes in the primary.

Gillibrand had ruled out running for Governor before the AG's report.

She said in a July interview that while she would consider running for President again, she isn't interested in the Governorship first.

'If I do run again, I would like to be successful,' she said.

Gillibrand is an Albany native.

She ran a failed presidential campaign in 2019.
Former MI6 chief Sir Alex Younger has joined Goldman Sachs as a paid adviser less than a year after leaving the secret intelligence service.

The ex-spy is a regional adviser and will provide strategic advice to the banking giant using his expertise.

The 58-year-old said he will assist the firm in geopolitics, international risk and cyber security.

Sir Alex led the MI6 from October 2014 to September 2020 and was the longest serving 'C' in 50 years.

In that time he oversaw the response to the Salisbury poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Goldman Sachs today confirmed to MailOnline it had hired him as a 'Regional Adviser'.

A spokesman said that those given the role 'provide strategic advice to Goldman Sachs'.

They added: 'Drawing on their experience, they provide independent advice on matters pertaining to their respective country, industry or area of expertise.'

The ex-spy (pictured) is a regional adviser and will provide strategic advice to the banking giant using his expertise

The 58-year-old said he will assist the firm (pictured, its London HQ) in geopolitics, international risk and cyber security

Sir Alex had submitted a business appointment application to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments over taking the job.

The decision was released by the group today allowing him to take the post but with some caveats to prevent any sensitive information unfairly benefiting the US firm.

The conditions included him 'not drawing on any privileged information available to him from his time in Crown service'.

It said: 'For two years from his last day in Crown service, he should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK government on behalf of The Goldman Sachs International.

'Nor should he make use, directly or indirectly, of his contacts in the government and/or Crown service contacts to influence policy, secure business/funding or otherwise unfairly advantage Goldman Sachs International.'

It continued: 'For two years from his last day in Crown service, he should not provide advice to Goldman Sachs International on the terms of, or with regard to the subject matter of, a bid with, or contract relating directly to the work of the UK government.'

Sir Alex had submitted a business appointment application to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments over taking the job (pictured)

Sir Alex, who was chief of MI6 (pictured, its London HQ) had submitted a business appointment application to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments over the job

And it added: 'For two years from his last day in Crown service, he should not advise Goldman Sachs International or its clients on work with regard to any policy or any operational matter he had specific involvement or responsibility for as Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service.'

Sir Alex is also restricted from lobbying, with the Business Appointment Rules saying he should not contact government to try to influence policy to help Goldman Sachs.

The former spy is also still bound by the Official Secrets Act. In his application, he said his new role would not involve working with the government.

He added he had not been a part of any relevant policy development or decisions that would have affected Goldman Sachs and did not meet with its competitors.

Sir Alex was the longest serving 'C' - the initial used within Whitehall to denote the head of MI6 - for a generation.

Sir Alex played the real life version of 'M' in the James Bond films. Left: Ralph Fiennes took on the role from Dame Judi Dench (right)

It is unusual for someone in the role to stay on for more than five years, with Sir John Sawers, Sir John Scarlett and Sir Richard Dearlove all leaving within that period.

But Sir Alex was asked to continue in his job - rather than retire as planned in November 2019 - because No 10 wanted to maintain stability amid Brexit turmoil.

PM Theresa May said he would continue in his position on the recommendation of her National Security Advisor and the then Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill.

But it did not mean Sir Alex was the longest serving in history due to Sir Dick White, who was head of MI6 for 12 years between 1956-1968 at the height of the Cold War.

Sir Alex left the Secret Intelligence Service in September 2020 after six years in charge.

The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments approved Sir Alex to join Goldman Sachs.

It said: 'The SIS, FCDO and the Cabinet Office all confirmed the details provided by Sir Alex.

'The SIS and FCDO confirmed by definition Sir Alex has in the past had access to privileged information relating to issues across the world.

'However, it confirmed Sir Alex remains bound by the Official Secrets Act. All departments confirmed they had no concerns with this appointment and recommended the standard conditions apply.'

Sir Alex took over from Sir John Sawers as 'C' of the Secret Intelligence Service - otherwise known as MI6.

The former army officer had for the two years before been overseeing MI6's global spy network.

Sir Alex was born in Westminster and read economics at St Andrews. He is married to Sarah Hopkins and they have three children.

But in 2019 his son Sam Younger, 22, a student at the University of Edinburgh, died in a car accident on a private estate in Scotland.

Sam Younger (pictured), a student at Edinburgh University and the son of MI6 chief Alex Younger, died in a car crash on a Scottish estate in 2019

The accident happened on a private estate in Stirlingshire, Scotland. He was studying international relations at the Edinburgh University.

He was also a reservist with the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry, which is paired with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

Although he was educated in London at Dulwich College his family have deep Scottish roots.

Meanwhile Sir Alex has had overseas postings in Europe and the Middle East and was the senior MI6 officer in Afghanistan.

He has filled a range of operational roles in London, including leading the Service's work on counter terrorism in the three years running up to the Olympic Games.
A 11-year-old American Airlines passenger with autism was duct taped to his seat by flight attendants after suffering a meltdown midflight.

The end of the chaotic scene aboard Tuesday's flight from Maui to LAX was caught on video, which shows passengers helping flight attendants restrain the 11-year-old boy.

The flight crew took action and restrained the boy 'for the safety of the other passengers,' a source with knowledge of the incident told DailyMail.com.

He had been fighting with his mom, who is disabled and had a difficult time getting her son to calm down, the source told DailyMail.com.

The chaotic scene stressed out the autistic boy's brother, whose age is unknown, and he panicked and tried to break the plane window while the they were in the air, according to the source.

The flight diverted to Honolulu, where the family and other customers were 're-accommodated on other flights or provided hotel accommodations,' an American Airlines spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

'Safety and security is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this caused,' the spokesperson said.

Flight attendants used duct tape to restrain the 13-year-old boy with Autism who had a medical meltdown midflight and couldn't be consoled

Passengers had to help restrain the 11-year-old boy. His mom is disabled and has only one arm, a source said, and couldn't console her son who has Autism

While this particular incident was not an example of the recent phenomenon of air rage, the number of out-of-control passengers on planes have skyrocketed this year.

In June, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that airlines have reported more than 3,000 incidents involving unruly passengers since January 1, with about 76 percent of the nearly 3,300 reports involving passengers who refused to wear masks on board their flights.

It has collected $682,000 in penalties since the new regulations went into effect.

While the FAA agency did not track such reports in prior years, a spokesman said it was safe to assume this year's numbers are the highest ever.

Many of these air-rage incidents have been captured on video, which have gone viral on social media.

Most recently, a July 31 video of 'model' college frat boy Maxwell Boy, 22, launching into a drunken tirade about how rich his parents were went viral.

During that episode, he was seen in videos punching a male flight attendant after he allegedly groped two other female flight attendants on Frontier Airlines and then was seen being duct taped to his seat.

Berry was ultimately arrested on three misdemeanor charges of batter when the plane landed in Miami-Dade. The FBI has said they aren't pursuing felony federal charges.

Scroll down for video.

On a July 31 Frontier Airlines flight, a drunk passenger was accused of groping two flight attendants and punching a third on a flight from Philadelphia to Miami

Maxwell Berry, 22, was then duct-taped to his seat and arrested on three counts of battery after the incident

About a week before Berry's incident, two women were seen brawling on a Spirit Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta.

The video, tweeted by Las Vegas Scoop, shows a woman in the aisle of the plane pointing at another woman in her seat, as people yell: 'It's not even worth it, it's not even worth it.'

The woman in the seat then starts pointing back at the woman in the aisle, who starts slapping at her and points again, while the two argue.

At that point, the woman in the seat grabs the woman in the aisle and starts pushing her down and punching her, grabbing her by the hair to keep her down.

The FAA said that airlines have reported more than 3,000 incidents involving unruly passengers since January 1

A man in the background could be heard yelling 'It's lit, it's lit.' They are seen brawling in the aisle, as a group of passengers surrounds them.

It remains unclear what led to the brawl or whether either of the women faced any repercussions for their actions.

These types of unruly passenger behavior has become a common problem for flight attendants in 2021, according to a study released by the flight attendants union on July 29.

It included nearly 5,000 responses from flight attendants across 30 airlines between June 25 to July 14.

The online study said 85 percent of flight attendants have dealt with unruly passengers; nearly 1 in 5 have experienced physical incidents in 2021; and 71 percent of flight attendants who filed incident reports to management received no follow up.

Sara Nelson, president of the union, said in a statement that 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.'

'This is not a "new normal" we are willing to accept,' Nelson said.

When asked what is believed to be the cause or escalating reasons for the unruly behavior, the union said flight attendants cited a mixture of mask compliance, alcohol, routine safety reminders, flight delays and cancellations.

She is pushing the FAA to implement a zero tolerance policy and the Department of Justice to utilize existing laws to pursue criminal prosecution.

'We know the government, airlines, airports and all stakeholders can take actions together to keep us safe and flying friendly,' Nelson said.

The Federal Aviation Administration is urging airports to monitor sales of alcohol in terminal bars and wants to ban 'to-go' drinks to try and curb the surge in unruly passengers on flights

In early August, the FAA urged airports to monitor alcohol sales in terminal bars and wants to ban 'to-go' drinks to slow the surge in unruly passengers on flights.

The FAA has initiated a crackdown with airlines encountering a rising number of violent and disruptive passengers as more Americans start flying again.

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in a previous statement: 'Our investigations show that alcohol often contributes to this unsafe behavior.'
Heathrow recorded its highest monthly passenger total of the coronavirus pandemic in July - thought the numbers are still 80% less than they were before Covid.

Some 1.5 million passengers travelled through the west London airport in July after restrictions on international travel were eased.

This represents a 74% increase compared with the same month last year, but is still more than 80% below the figure for July 2019.

The airport called for the cost of coronavirus tests to be reduced to enable more people to travel.

Fourteen new countries and territories were added to the Government's quarantine-free green list on June 30, including Spain's Balearic islands, Malta, Madeira and a number of Caribbean destinations.

Demand for travel was also boosted after it was announced that fully-vaccinated arrivals from countries in the amber tier would be exempt from the 10-day quarantine requirement from July 19.

Heathrow saw 1.5 million passengers in July after restrictions on international travel were eased

Brits can fly to German from as little as 21 from mid August as airlines slash their fares in a bid to encourage more passengers to head abroad this summer. Pictured: Frankfurt in Germany

Heathrow chief operating officer Emma Gilthorpe said: 'Finally, some blue skies are on the horizon as travel and trade routes slowly reopen. The job, though, is far from complete.

'Government must now capitalise on the vaccine dividend and seize the opportunity to replace expensive PCR tests with more affordable lateral flow tests.

'This will ensure travel remains attainable for hard-working Brits desperate for well-earned getaways and keen to reunite with loved ones before the summer travel window closes.'

But concerns about the cost of testing remain.

All UK arrivals must take at least one PCR test, typically costing around 50.

Airlines are slashing their prices to popular holiday destinations in a boost for lockdown-weary Brits hoping to snap up last-minute getaways.

Countries that have moved up the Government's traffic light system have seen their fares drop in a bid to encourage holiday-seekers to head abroad this summer.

Seven new destinations were added to the UK's green list as of 4am on Sunday - Germany, Austria, Latvia, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania - and all have seen a drop in price for flights.

However, it should be noted that Austria requires tourists to quarantine for 10 days while Norway is not currently permitting tourists to enter the country.

According to price comparison site Skyscanner, tickets direct to Frankfurt, in Germany, can be bought for as little as 21 from next Monday while you can head to Cologne from 33.

Seven countries were added to the Government's green list as of 4am Sunday morning including Germany, Romania, Latvia, Austria and Norway. Pictured: The city of Cluj Napoca in Romania

From mid August, holidaymakers can pick up fares from 27 and head to Latvian capital Riga

Countries already on the green list have seen fares drop including Croatia. Pictured: Dubrovnik

Holidaymakers can fly to the Austrian capital Vienna from 27 or head to Riga, in Latvia, from 26.

Meanwhile, Cluj-Napoca, in Romania, which is considered the unofficial capital of the Transylvanian region, will only set you back 18 for a flight there from mid August.

But it's not just the new arrivals to the green list that have seen a drop in price. Popular tourist destinations including Croatia and Malta, which were both already green listed, have also seen fares slashed.

Skyscanner is showing flights from 93 for a one-way ticket to Split or 143 to Dubrovnik while flights to Malta are going from as little as 55.

Destinations on the amber list - where unvaccinated travellers must self-isolate while double jabbed Brits must provide a negative test - have also seen fares drop as airlines try and boost passenger numbers.

This was especially true of countries that had been rumoured to move to the amber plus list but have remained amber including Portugal and Greece.

Passengers can pick up flights to Faro in Portugal from 9 from mid August or to Porto from 24.

You can also find fares from as little as 22 to Greece's Santorini or 13 to Santander in Spain.

And those looking to take advantage of the relaxed rules regarding travel to amber-listed France could head to popular spots from as little as 9.
Facebook's own oversight board has overturned the platform's decision to remove a 'racist' post in Myanmar which was critical of the country's coup and ties to Beijing.

The post was removed for being anti-Chinese, but the Oversight Board, Mark Zuckerberg's 'Supreme Court' which upheld the ban on Donald Trump, has decided that its language was acceptable because it was critical of the government in Beijing and not Chinese people in general.

The Silicon Valley giant's all-powerful algorithm had 'automatically selected' the widely-shared post in April and sent it to moderators, with a crude literal translation of the original Burmese, despite no complaints from human users.

'Hong Kong people, because the f***ing Chinese tortured them, changed their banking to UK, and now (the Chinese) they cannot touch them,' the translation of the post said.

Moderators found it guilty of 'Tier 2 hate speech' but the user appealed the ban, claiming that it needed to be reviewed by someone who understands Burmese instead of a computer.

After review, the translation of the word was found to be inaccurate.

Myanmar has been rocked by violent political protests since the military overthrew the government in February

The thumbs up 'Like' logo is shown on a sign at Facebook headquarters in Silicon Valley, California

The Oversight Board said: 'As the same word is used in Burmese to refer to a state and people from that state, context is key to understanding the intended meaning.

'A number of factors convinced the Board that the user was not targeting Chinese people, but the Chinese state.

'The part of the post which supposedly violated Facebook's rules refers to China's financial policies in Hong Kong as 'torture' or 'persecution,' and not the actions of individuals or Chinese people in Myanmar.

'Both of the Board's translators indicated that, in this case, the word 'ta-yote' referred to a state. When questioned on whether there could be any possible ambiguity in this reference, the translators did not indicate any doubt.'

As a result, the Oversight Board said it was recommending that the post be reinstated by Facebook.

A military coup in Myanmar overthrew the government on February 1, leading to massive protests and a deadly crackdown which saw officials briefly banning Facebook as they blacked-out the internet and social media to stem unrest.

The Silicon Valley behemoth later instituted its own 'emergency moderation measures' to prevent 'misinformation and content that could incite further tensions at this time'.

Facebook vowed to protect posts which were critical of the country's military junta.

The Oversight Board has been widely criticised for not being truly independent of Facebook and acting as the judge, jury and executioner for political speech on the internet.

It was the Oversight Board which decided to uphold a ban on President Trump after he was booted off Facebook platforms, which include Instagram and WhatsApp, following the January 6 riot at the Capitol (pictured: Trump with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the White House)

It was the Oversight Board which decided to uphold a ban on President Trump after he was booted off Facebook platforms, which include Instagram and WhatsApp, following the January 6 riot at the Capitol.

Its review in June cited the 'gravity' of the conduct that got Trump bumped in the first place, after flagging his repeated claims of election fraud and other issues.

The statement also referenced 'acts of incitement' in reference to his comments around the time of the riot, when Congress met to certify the electoral votes.

The Oversight Board had upheld Facebook's decision to ban Trump but said it could not leave it as an indefinite one. Facebook then said it would review the decision after two years and re-instate the former President's account but only if there was no risk to public safety.

In response, the former president called the tech giant 'a total disgrace and embarrassment to our country' and said the Oversight Board was filled with 'radical left lunatics'.
A 26-year-old man battling depression and chronic headaches was found dead with multiple stab wounds in his bathtub after a massive explosion blew the roof off his Queens apartment building on Tuesday, in what police are now investigating as an elaborate suicide.

The blast rocked a seven-story building on 41st Avenue and 74th Street in Elmhurst at around 10.25am on Tuesday, sending a column of flames and smoke pouring from a gaping hole in the side of the structure and displacing more than 40 residents.

When first responders entered the penthouse apartment, they discovered Anesti Bulgaretsi, 26, dead in the bathtub.

Police believe a man's elaborate suicide is to blame for a massive explosion that damaged this apartment building on 41st Avenue in Queens on Tuesday

This photo shows extensive damage to the building in Queens where police found the body of 26-year-old Anesti Bulgaretsi

The blast and resulting fire severely damaged the seven-story building. More than 40 residents have been left homeless

When first responders entered the seventh-floor penthouse, they found 26-year-old Anesti Bulgaretsi dead in the bathtub with multiple stab wounds to his body

The man had been stabbed multiple times, but it was unclear how he died. A knife was said to have been recovered from the bathroom. The medical examiner will determine Bulgaretsi's cause and manner of death.

Investigators said they believe the explosion was intentionally set off using an unspecified device, suggesting that it may have been part of Bulgaretsi's suicide plot.

The New York Daily News reported, citing unnamed sources, that Bulgaretsi was depressed and suffering from head pain, and had been out of work for two months. In the leadup to his violent death, the 26-year-old allegedly had been telling people he wanted to return to his native Greece.

The explosion was said to be so powerful that some people thought a plane had crashed into the building, reported ABC 7 NY.

Four firefighters sustained minor injuries while battling the blaze in Queens

The explosion was so powerful that some residents thought a plane had crashed into the building

'I heard boom, and then the building, like, shook, so all I could think was, "What the hell just happened,' Brenda Meira told CBS2.

FDNY Chief Thomas Currao told NBC New York that the impact caused a collapse and severely destabilized the building. Four firefighters were hospitalized with minor injuries.

The explosion and resulting fire have left more than 40 residents homeless. The American Red Cross was assisting the displaced neighbors.

For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255
Labour was branded 'laughable' today after the party tried to trigger a political row over the arrest of a British embassy worker in Germany for allegedly selling secrets to Russia.

The opposition party went on the offensive after police in Potsdam, west of Berlin, revealed they were holding a man named as David S, 57, on suspicion of spying for Vladimir Putin's authoritarian regime.

Shadow security minister Conor McGinn blasted Boris Johnson for failing to appoint a Security Minister since James Brokenshire stood down on health grounds last month.

He said the Government 'cant be trusted with national security', adding: 'Following today's events, it raises questions about who in Government is overseeing the most serious task of keeping the British public safe and secure.'

But his comments triggered a furious accusation of hypocrisy from the Home Office, with a source pointing to the behaviour of Labour's former hard-left leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Corbyn's equivocation over who was to blame for Russia's nerve agent attack in Salisbury in 2018 which left a local woman dead is seen as having badly damaged the party's image ahead of its 2019 election mauling.

Ahead of that election he also accused ministers of planning to sell out the NHS to US businesses, based on a leaked dossier later linked to Russian hackers.

A source said: 'The Home Secretary is responsible for matters of security. For the party that tried to make Jeremy Corbyn prime minister to suggest we are lax on security matters is laughable'.

The suspect identified only as David S., is suspected of being a secret service agent and spying for the Russian intelligence service since at least November. Pictured: The British embassy in Berlin

Mr Corbyn's (pictured front, today) initial refusal to blame Moscow for the nerve agent attack in Salisbury in 2018 which left a local woman dead is seen as having badly damaged the party's image ahead of its 2019 election mauling.

Shadow security minister Conor McGinn blasted Boris Johnson for failing to appoint a Security Minister since James Brokenshire stood down on health grounds last month.

German prosecutors said the Briton arrested yesterday is suspected of being a secret service agent and spying for the Russian intelligence service since at least November.

Reports suggested he was being monitored by MI5 before his arrest. He had been working as a local staff member at the British Embassy in Berlin and allegedly passed on documents he received at work to the Russians, the prosecutors said.

The suspect 'on at least one occasion passed on documents he acquired as part of his professional activities to a representative of Russian intelligence,' the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The Briton then received an unknown amount of cash in return, the statement said, adding that investigators have searched his home and office.

David S. was reportedly being monitored by MI5 as his alleged activities 'had been known about for some time' and it was not a 'snap arrest', according to Sky News.

The suspect worked as a 'local hire' at the embassy, which is a scheme available for UK citizens who want to work in Germany. It means that he was not a diplomat and therefore he does not have diplomatic immunity.

A Western security source said the motivation of the British man was likely money. As a locally engaged staffer, he did not have access to highly classified material, the source said, adding Britain's MI5 counter-intelligence service was involved in catching him.

German online magazine Focus Online reported that he provided the Russians with documents containing information on counterterrorism.

David S. is to appear later Wednesday before an investigating judge at the federal court, who will read out the arrest warrant and decide whether to keep him remanded in custody.

Germany's Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said the German government took the spying allegations 'very seriously' and would follow the case closely, adding that spying on allied states on German soil is unacceptable.

Russia's embassy in Berlin said today: 'The Russian Embassy in Germany to date does not have any official information received from the German side on this issue.

'The embassy does not comment on press reports.'

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

The Briton's arrest is the result of a joint investigation by the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command and their German counterparts. The investigation was 'intelligence-led', which means that investigators would have taken their time to gather evidence.

Foreign embassies in most countries rely in part on these 'local hires' to fill a variety of roles.

The positions are often advertised on generic job search websites in the host country - and the identity of the employer is kept vague until applicants pass an initial screening process.

Local hire positions in embassies are usually in fields such as media affairs, maintenance or visa processing which do not usually give access to classified information - or if they were, it would be limited.

But David S., depending on his role, could have been able to provide valuable information to Russia such as profiles of diplomats and MI6 officers stationed in Berlin as well as the security protocols and Wi-Fi network details at the embassy, reports Sky News.

The British embassy in Berlin is just around the corner from the iconic Brandenburg Gate and a short, 250-metre (273 yard) walk from the Russian embassy, which is on the famous Unter den Linden boulevard.

Before his arrest, he worked as a local hire at the British Embassy in Berlin and allegedly passed on documents he received at work to the Russians, the prosecutors said. Pictured: File image of the British Embassy in Berlin

The Met Police said in a statement: 'A 57-year old British national was arrested by German authorities on Tuesday, 10 August, as part of a joint investigation between the Met's Counter Terrorism Command and German counterparts.

'The man was arrested in the Berlin area on suspicion of committing offences relating to being engaged in 'Intelligence Agent activity' (under German law).

'Primacy for the investigation remains with German authorities. Officers from the Counter Terrorism Command continue to liaise with German counterparts as the investigation continues.

The Met's Counter Terrorism Command is responsible for investigating allegations and matters relating to alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act.

A UK Government spokesperson told MailOnline: 'An individual who was contracted to work for the government was arrested yesterday by the German authorities.

'It would not be appropriate to comment further as there is an ongoing police investigation.'

In May, Britain set out plans to crack down on hostile activity by foreign states, introducing a proposed law to give security services and law enforcement new powers to tackle growing threats.

Security specialist Edward Lucas likened the arrest to an early spy novel by the British writer John le Carre.

Security specialist Edward Lucas (pictured) likened the arrest to an early spy novel by the British writer John le Carre

'The fact that the arrest has been made in Berlin suggests it's a non-diplomatic member of the embassy, that's why the German judicial system has been brought to bear on it,' he told Times Radio.

If the suspect was a diplomat, the British authorities would have been more involved, he added.

Lucas, a former foreign correspondent with The Economist covering eastern and central European affairs, said the arrest was 'a reminder of how much effort the Russians put in to trying to find out what Western alliances are up to'.

Germany has arrested a number of people in recent years accused of spying for Russia, but the capture of a suspect from a close ally is highly unusual.

In June, a Russian man who worked at a German university was arrested on suspicion of espionage for allegedly passing information to Russian intelligence, German prosecutors said.

The suspect, identified only as Ilnur N., was arrested and his home and workplace were searched.

Federal prosecutors said he worked as a research assistant for a science and technology professorship at a German university. They didn't identify the university or specify where in the country he was arrested.

The man is accused of meeting at least three times with a member of a Russian intelligence service, which prosecutors didn't identify, between October of last year and June. In two of those meetings, he is alleged to have handed over information on the university in exchange for an unspecified amount of cash.

And German prosecutors in February filed espionage charges against a German man suspected of having passed the floor plans of parliament to Russian secret services in 2017.

Moscow is at loggerheads with a number of Western capitals after a Russian troop build-up on Ukraine's borders and a series of espionage scandals that have resulted in diplomatic expulsions.

In June, Italy said it had created a national cybersecurity agency following warnings by Prime Minister Mario Draghi that Europe needs to protect itself from Russian 'interference'.

The move came after an Italian navy captain was caught red-handed by police selling confidential military documents from his computer to a Russian embassy official.

The leaders of nine eastern European nations in May condemned what they termed Russian 'aggressive acts', citing operations in Ukraine and 'sabotage' allegedly targeted at the Czech Republic.

Several central and eastern European countries expelled Russian diplomats in solidarity with Prague, but Russia has branded accusations of its involvement as 'absurd' and responded with tit-for-tat expulsions.

British spy chiefs say both China and Russia have sought to steal commercially sensitive data and intellectual property as well as to interfere in politics, while Russian agents are also accused of carrying out an attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal on British soil in 2018.

The Scripals were poisoned after two Russian agents smeared the deadly nerve agent on the door handle of Mr Skripal's home. Pictured: Russian agents Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov in Salisbury

Yulia Skripal (left) and her double agent father Sergei Skripal, 68, (right) were poisoned with novichok on March 4 2019

Beijing and Moscow say the West is gripped with a paranoia about plots. Both Russia and China deny they meddle abroad, seek to steal technology, carry out cyberattacks or sow discord.

The Berlin case has echoes of the shadowy world of espionage practised during the Cold War, when double agent Kim Philby and others in a ring of British spies known as the 'Cambridge Five' passed information to the Soviet Union.

The latest espionage case also comes at a time of highly strained relations between Russia and Germany on a number of fronts, including the ongoing detention of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who received treatment in Berlin after a near-fatal poisoning.

Relations between London and Moscow have been at a low point since the attempted poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in British Salisbury in 2018.

The Kremlin has denied any involvement in either case.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government has moreover worked to maintain a sanctions regime over Moscow's annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

And Germany has repeatedly accused Russia of cyberattacks and cyberespionage on its soil.

Despite the frictions, Berlin has pressed ahead with plans to finish the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, set to double natural gas supplies from Russia to Germany.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow...
Arizona State Senator Tony Navarrete, 35, was arrested on charges of sexual conduct with a minor related to a 2019 incident

A prominent Arizona state senator who was arrested after he apologized to one of his alleged sexual assault victims in a recorded conversation resigned Tuesday - but not before denying the accusations.

Democrat Otoniel 'Tony' Navarrete, 35, was caught on a wiretap by Phoenix Police seemingly admitting to sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy.

'I'm sorry, mijo,' he reportedly said to the victim in the call. He went on to tell him he 'wasn't well,' according to the arrest report.

Cops set up the sting after the teenager told them Navarrete had been abusing him since he was 12 or 13 and continued to do so until he was 15.

Another 13-year-old told cops Navarrete had tried to touch his genitals.

Navarrete, who represented Maricopa County, was arrested August 5 and faces seven felony charges.

He posted a $50,000 bail and was released on Saturday amid unanimous bipartisan calls for his resignation.

Navarrete posted a $50,000 bail and was released on Saturday. He appeared in court for a hearing yesterday. Pictured in 2018 during a mandatory sexual harassment training

Navarrete has represented Phoenix in the State Senate since 2018 after previously serving in the state House for one term

'I adamantly deny all allegations that have been made and will pursue all avenues in an effort to prove my innocence. In doing so, I will be focusing the vast majority of my time and energy on my defense,'

'While I would love nothing more than to continue to serve the families of Arizona's 30th District, I worry it will be impossible to give my constituents the full attention they deserve. Therefore, I must resign my post as Arizona State Senator today,' Navarrete wrote in the email.

A native Arizonan, Navarrete was a rising star in Democratic circles. He was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2016 when he was just 30, and served one term before being elected to the state Senate in 2018. He also served as deputy director of Promise Arizona, a non-profit organization.

Navarrete faces seven felony charges and if found guilty could be jailed for up to 49 years

Navarrete's next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday this week. Pictured in 2017 at the Arizona Capitol

The former State Senator resigned from office yesterday, in a one-sentence email that read 'I am officially resigning my post as Arizona State Senator for District 30'

Arizona Capitol Times reported that Navarrete had been considered a rising star in the Democratic Party and was expected to run for state treasurer.

Little is known about Navarrete's personal life beyond the fact that he is openly gay. In 2020, he opposed a bill that sought to ban sex education in elementary and middle schools, saying that he might have been able to come out sooner had his teachers been able to answer his questions about homosexuality, according to the Times.

Navarrete, who was born in Phoenix, was raised by a single mother who was an undocumented immigrant, according to radio station WBUR. He earned a bachelor's degree in Urban and Metropolitan Studies from Arizona State University.

According to the Arizona State Legislature website, he became involved with social justice projects from an early age, and worked at the nonprofit Neighborhood Ministries.

Navarrete then moved to New York to work on housing and job issues but returned to Arizona when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

He has sponsored bills on educational, medical and immigration issues.

Navarrete is set to appear in court on Thursday for a hearing. Prosecutors said he could face up to 49 years in prison if found guilty on all seven counts he faces.

He faces a Class 2 felony for molestation of a child, three Class 2 felonies for sexual conduct with a minor, one Class 3 felony for attempted sexual conduct with a minor and two Class 6 felonies for sexual conduct with a minor.
ana Balobanova, 24, is believed to have been killed by wild brown bears in the Sverdlovsk region of Russia

A Russian woman is feared to have been killed by wild brown bears after she reportedly vanished during a forest wedding celebration where she had argued with a guest.

Yana Balobanova, 24, made desperate emergency calls from her mobile to say she was lost in a remote forest in Sverdlovsk region.

But rescuers were unable to find her. They used trained sniffer dogs to track her trail, but the search animals became agitated when her path crossed with the smell of multiple bears, said reports.

The beasts' footprints were also seen, leading to reports that she was attacked by the bears.

Yana had left a friend's small wedding party held in the forest near Severouralsk town.

She reportedly had a row with another guest and went alone to find her way out of the thick trees.

Yana Balobanova, 24, made desperate emergency calls from her mobile to say she was lost in remote taiga in Sverdlovsk region

But rescuers were unable to track her. They used trained sniffer dogs to track her trail, but the search animals became agitated when her path crossed with the smell of multiple bears, said reports

Searches have continued for more than a month but with no trace of her or her remains.

Wildlife inspector Andrei Sakulin: said: 'It is no longer possible to hope that the woman will be found alive.'

There were footprints of a mother bear and cubs which meant the spot was 'very dangerous for humans', he said.

'If a person accidentally finds themselves between a bear and her cubs, the predator can attack immediately and harshly, without growls and warnings.

'Bears attack with lightning speed, up to 60kph (37mph) - so it is impossible to run away. At this time of year male bears also behave aggressively.'

Her remains may have been buried by bears, it was reported.

Balobanova is feared to have been killed by wild brown bears (file photo) after she reportedly vanished during a forest wedding celebration where she had argued with a guest

Yana had left a friend's small wedding party held in the forest near Severouralsk town

Her distraught father Yakov Balobanov told E1: 'The dogs reached a certain place in the forest and came very close to the handler's feet.' They were fearful of bears nearby, he said.

At this spot 'there are bear footprints everywhere, adults and cubs. So it is possible a bear got her.'

Yana had no experience of surviving alone in the forest, he said.

She called the emergency services once in the evening, and a second time early next morning, but then her calls ceased and there was no trace of her.

A video shows rescuers searching for the woman and calling her name.

Natalia Volkova, head of Proryv volunteer search squad, said: 'We came across an old man who was picking berries in the forest

'He remembered her because he was surprised to see a young woman there all alone.

'Search dogs picked up her smell but it has not led to anything yet..'
Ron DeSantis said he will 'fight back' against President Joe Biden if he tries to undo his COVID-related rules imposed in Florida regarding banning masks in schools.

'Obviously we believe that the parent rather than the government should ultimately be able to make that decision,' DeSantis said during a Wednesday press conference when asked about government mandating children wear masks in public schools.

'They're also talking about imposing a potential nationwide mask mandate on kindergarteners, first graders  you know, who knows  regardless of what the parents believe is in the best interest of their kids,' he said.

'If you're talking about the federal government coming in and overruling parents in our communities, you know, that would be something that we would fight back vociferously against,' the Florida governor added.

DeSantis also told ABC News Local 10 affiliate on Tuesday that is unaware of the state requesting additional ventilators and highly 'doubts' reports the White House sent hundreds to the state to help in the midst of a case surge.

'I have not heard about that, so I have to check to see if that's true or not,' DeSantis told the network.

'I would honestly doubt that that's true, but I'll look,' he added. 'We have a lot of stuff that we stockpiled over the last year and a half through the department of emergency management.'

'I have not had any requests across my desk. I haven't been notified of that.'

The ABC report claims Health and Human Services documents show Florida requested on Friday that the federal government send 300 ventilators to the state 'to replace expended state stores.'

The ventilators were expected to be delivered Monday.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that he will fight back against Joe Biden if he tries to issue federal orders that override his state-wide order banning mask mandates in schools

The document revelation comes as some Florida doctors and media reports claim hospitals in the Sunshine State have become 'overwhelmed' with COVID cases  marked surprisingly by an increase in childhood cases.

HHS hospital capacity data, however, shows numbers to the contrary.

According to the tracker, a total of 177 pediatric patients were admitted to Florida hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 cases as of this Tuesday.

Florida has the second highest number of children who were admitted to the hospital with COVID, falling behind Texas, which recorded a total of 202 total confirmed cases as of Tuesday.

Children dying from COVID-19 is still extremely rare  even with the Delta variant surge.

Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando saw its first hospital death of the pandemic when a boy with pre-existing lung disease died there a few weeks ago, the hospital's Division Chief of Infectious Disease Dr. Kenneth Alexander revealed.

The latest in the war of words between DeSantis and the administration comes as the case surge in Florida has forced ambulances to wait outside of hospitals until beds freed up so COVID-19 patients can be admitted for treatment.

Some patients have had to wait up to an hour inside an emergency services vehicle until they can be transferred into a facility.

The wait is due to hospitals operating at near-max capacity in the state after rates of hospitalization have tripled in recent weeks.

While the ambulances are waiting to unload a patient, they are unable to take another call and help other patients in need.

Florida is one of the nation's biggest COVID hotspots. At one point last month the state accounted for a fifth of active cases across the country.

Hospitalizations in Florida rose by more than 1,100 on Tuesday to 14,787 patients with COVID-19, according to HHS. That is the highest figure recorded since the start of the pandemic.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki insisted on Wednesday that the administration's beef is not with DeSantis, but rather coroanvirus.

'Our war is not on DeSantis, it's on the virus, which we are trying to kneecap,' Psaki said during her daily briefing at the White House.

'And he does not seem to want to participate in that effort to kneecap the virus, hence our concern,' she continued of the Florida governor.

DeSantis threatened on Monday to withhold salaries from school superintendents and board members who ignored his executive order banning compulsory mask wearing.

Florida set an all-time record for COVID hospitalizations on Friday, with 12,864 hospitalized in a single day

The Florida Hospital Association reported 22,783 new cases Friday - another record high from 21,683 reported on June 30

His administration is also promising to issue private school tuition vouchers for parents who fear they and their children will be shamed or 'harassed' for refusing to mask up in school.

'With respect to enforcing any financial consequences for noncompliance of state law regarding these rules and ultimately the rights of parents to make decisions about their children's education and health care decisions, it would be the goal of the State Board of Education to narrowly tailor any financial consequences to the offense committed,' his statement on the new action read.

'Education funding is intended to benefit students first and foremost, not systems. The Governor's priorities are protecting parents' rights and ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality education that meets their unique needs,' he added.

Biden said during a press conference on Tuesday that he is looking into whether he is able to intervene in states like Florida and Texas as they ban mask mandates.

The administration could also move to provide federal funds to replace superintendent and school board paychecks if Governor DeSantis withholds them for imposing mask mandates on students.

'My concerns are deep and  I'm very concerned. And we all know why,' Biden said when asked during a press conference about some red state governors preventing compulsory mask wearing.

Biden said he 'doesn't believe' he has the power to intervene in Florida and Texas.

'We are checking that. But federal workforce, I can,' he added.

The president has already imposed a requirement that all federal workers get vaccinated or they will be subject to daily testing. The administration has also reimposed a federal workforce-wide mask mandate regardless of vaccination status.

The new rules come as the Delta variant and breakthrough cases in vaccinated Americans surge.

DeSantis and Texas Governor Greg Abbott have both gone to war with the White House as they push back against the latest guidelines.

President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he is 'checking' if he has the power to intervene in states that are banning mask mandates in schools

DeSantis barred schools for compulsory mask wearing. He also threatened to withhold pay from school officials who require students wear face coverings and offered vouchers for parents to send their kids to private school if they are 'harassed' for not masking their kids

'Look, I understand that there are millions of people decided  adults who decided not to get vaccinated,' Biden said during his Tuesday press conference celebrating the Senate passage of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package.

'I understand that to badger those folks is not likely to get them to move and get vaccinated,' he added. 'But I also understand that the reason children are becoming infected is because, in most cases, they live in low vaccination rate states and communities and they're getting it from unvaccinated adults. That's what's happening.'

'And so my plea is that for those who are not vaccinated, think about it,' Biden said. 'God willing, the FDA's going to be coming out in a reasonable time frame to say this vaccine is totally safe.'

None of the three vaccines administered in the U.S.  Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson  are fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Rather, they are all under emergency use authorization, a partial and expedited approval process reserved for rare, unusual circumstances  like a global pandemic.

Biden said on Tuesday that he finds it 'disingenuous' when governors claim the government doesn't have the power to impose mask mandates, but then threaten to use their power to punish entities that decide to issue their own mandates.

'When I suggest that people in zones where there's a high rate wear the masks like you all are doing, I'm told that government should get out of the way and not do that  'They don't have the authority to do that.' And I find it interesting that some of the very people are saying that who hold government positions are people who are threatening that if a school teacher asks a student if they've been vaccinated or if a principal says that 'everyone in my school should wear a mask' or the school board votes for it, that governor will nullify it. That governor has the authority to say 'you can't do that,' he posed.

'I find that totally counterintuitive and, quite frankly, disingenuous,'Biden added.

Psaki said Tuesday that Biden will help Florida schools after DeSantis threatened to withhold salaries of those who don't follow his order banning compulsory face masks for students.

That option could include paying the salaries with federal funds.

'We're looking into what's possible,' Psaki said as she praised 'the courage and the boldness of a number of leaders in Florida, including in Miami Dade County people, who are stepping up to do the right thing to protect students and keep schools safe and open.'

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden will help pay staff in Florida schools if funds are withheld from the governor

She claimed one option the administration is considering is using the federal funds allocated to Florida as part of the American Rescue Plan to cover the salaries.

Psaki noted the money that was 'distributed to Florida to provide assistance to schools have not yet been distributed from the state level. So the question is, why not, and those can be used to cover expenses that come up in this period of time. They're federal funds and they're under federal discretion.'

DeSantis said in mid-July he wanted to use the money to give $1,000 bonuses to teachers and principals with the money. But the Department of Education told him at the time that may not be a legal way for him to use the federal funds.

She ruled out withholding any federal funds as part of the White House response.

'We don't want to hurt the people of Florida. We want the people of Florida to continue to do what they've done, which is go out and get vaccinated,' she said.

Florida received approximately $10.23 billion under the American Rescue Plan, which was passed by Democrats in Congress to help those hurt financially by the COVID pandemic. Under the plan, counties in the state will get $4.17 billion, metropolitan cities will receive $1.47 billion, and other local governments will receive $1.4 billion.

And Psaki had strong words for Gov. DeSantis, who has been harshly criticized by the president and his administration for signing an executive order that bans mandatory face masks for students after the CDC recommended all kids in classrooms wear them when they return school this fall.

'If you're not interested in following the public health guidelines to protect the lives of people in your state, to give parents some comfort as they're sending their kids to school - schools are opening in Florida this week, I know, in many parts of Florida - then get out of the way,' she said.

DeSantis wrote in his statement on the new rules that 'the State Board of Education could move to withhold the salary of the district superintendent or school board members, as a narrowly tailored means to address the decision-makers who led to the violation of law.'

The statement was released in the midst of an ongoing battle over mandating masks in schools, a topic that has caused division in school districts across the state as the Delta variant continues to spread before the start of the new school year.

At least one Florida superintendent offered an immediate and defiant response to DeSantis' salary threat.

Leon County School Superintendent Rocky Hanna told school officials on Monday that 'you can't put a price tag on someone's life including my salary.'

He added: 'We want to make sure that children also have access to a high quality education but they can't if they're sick and in the hospital.'

Anti-mask protesters rally outside the Hillsborough County Schools Board meeting at the district office on July 27

Protesters in favor of a mask mandate hold protest signs at the Pinellas County Schools Administration Building in Largo, Florida

His response came hours before he announced in the state's capital, Tallahassee, will be required to wear masks as the upcoming school year begins.





Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who runs the fourth largest school district in the nation, took a similar stance to Hanna's and criticized DeSantis for trying to influence superintendent's decisions by threatening their paychecks.





Carvalho said: 'We have established a process that requires consultation with experts in the areas of public health and medicine. We will follow this process, which has served us well, and then make a final decision.





'At no point shall I allow my decision to be influenced by a threat to my paycheck; a small price to pay considering the gravity of this issue and the potential impact to the health and well-being of our students and dedicated employees.'





'I want to thank the Governor for recognizing that students should not be penalized.'

Late last month, DeSantis issued an executive order that prohibits county school boards from imposing masking requirements on students.

And just last week, the Department of Health and Department of Education released emergency rules to allow parents to make the decision for their children to wear masks.

COVID-19 cases are surging across the Sunshine State with officials recording 12,864 hospitalizations related to the pandemic.

Since last Tuesday, record breaking surges have been recorded when there were 10,389 patients - soaring past the previous peak of 10,170 hospitalizations on July 23 2020.

The Florida Hospital Association reported 22,783 new cases Friday - another record high from 21,683 reported on June 30. A fifth of all news cases have been attributed to children.

The state releases its data just once a week on a Friday and is expected to show an increase in cases for the seventh week in a row.

The White House has been attacking DeSantis and Abbott for pushing back on CDC recommendations on mask wearing as COVID cases rise in their state.

DeSantis is seeking a second term as Florida governor and is being mentioned as a contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.

Biden got in his own hit on DeSantis last Thursday, joking 'governor who' when asked about the Florida Republican.

The two men have gotten into a tit-for-tat over COVID guidelines with Biden criticizing DeSantis for telling Florida schools not to follow CDC guidelines on having students wear face masks.

Biden asked DeSantis to 'get out of the way' of restrictions as COVID cases are on the rise. And DeSantis snapped back: 'Why don't you do your job?'

Texas ranks second behind Florida for the highest daily average COVID-19 cases.

CDC admits it DID overcount Florida's COVID cases: Agency revises down state's weekend numbers from 28,000 to 19,000 but offers no explanation after falsely claiming 'record' infections

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has quietly updated Florida's COVID-19 figures after accusations of overcounting earlier this week.

On Monday, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) accused the CDC of misreporting the state's weekend COVID-19 numbers.

The federal health agency had posted that 28,317 new Covid cases were recorded in The Sunshine State on Sunday, a record-high that was reported by multiple media outlets.

However, the DOH stated that is true total was 15,319 cases, indicating an overcount of more than 13,000.

On Wednesday, the CDC updated Florida's new cases to 23,958 for Friday, 21,487 on Saturday and 19,584 on Sunday - quietly admitting that the state DOH was right - but did not offer an explanation as to why.

Interestingly, the revised CDC numbers are still higher than totals the DOH published to its Twitter account on Monday.

CDC revised Florida COVID-19 figures after state Department of Health accused agency of overcounting numbers and reporting 28,317 new Covid cases. Updates figures show 19,584 on Sunday

INCORRECT: CDC reported a new record of more than 28,000 cases on Sunday. Florida's DOH accused the CDC of combining multiple days' worth of data into one

Florida's DOH claims the CDC combined multiple days' worth of data into one, leading to an overreport of 13,000 cases

The DOH official Twitter account took aim at local news outlets who published stories about the state setting a new record of daily COVID-19 cases on Monday, citing the CDC data.

'This is not accurate,' the agency tweeted on Monday evening, in response to an article by WSVN 7 News in Miami.

'Florida follows CDC guidelines reporting cases Monday through Friday, other than holidays.

'Consequently, each Monday or Tuesday, there will be two or three days of data reported at a time. When data is published, it is attributed evenly to the previous days.'

According to the Florida DOH, a total of 56,386 cases over three days over the weekend - 21,500 on Friday, 19,567 on Saturday and 15,319 on Sunday.

Revised CDC data included 2,000 additional cases on Friday and Saturday, and nearly 4,000 additional cases on Sunday.

The reason for these different figures is unknown, and the CDC did not immediately respond to a request from the DailyMail.com for explanation.

Originally, the CDC reported the data over two days instead of three, causing a high of more than 28,000 cases to be reported.

The DOH then gave a potential reason for the error in a subsequent tweet.

'They combined MULTIPLE days into one. We anticipate CDC will correct the record,' the agency said in a tweet.

Florida does not report daily COVID-19 cases to the public.

Instead, starting in June 2021, the state decided to gather a week's worth of cases and report the total on Friday afternoon.

State health officials cited the falling case and test positivity rate as reason for the change two months ago.

In the time since, Florida has suffered the nation's largest outbreak of the virus, accounting for 20 percent of active cases.

Other states have followed Florida is the halting of daily case reporting, including Iowa and South Dakota.

Nebraska has stopped reporting on any county-level data at all, with only some individual counties throughout the state still making numbers public.

The Cornhusker State's COVID-19 dashboard is also no longer available to the public.

This is the first time daily numbers from Florida have been directly reported to the public since early June.

Florida has been embroiled in controversy regarding their reporting of Covid numbers in the past as well.

Last year, Rebekah Jones was fired from her job at the DOH after claiming that she was pressured by supervisors to adjust case data to make reopening the state for politically viable.

Rebekah Jones (left) was fired from her job at the DoH in May, and subsequently set up her own version of the state's COVID-19 dashboard. Her house was raided in December on allegations that she hacked state computer systems. Gov Ron DeSantis (right) refuted claims from Jones that the state was misreporting virus data, saying 'obviously, she's got issues.'

She also reported that the way Florida reported test positivity rate could be misleading because the state counted total tests rather than individuals tested, meaning one negative person could test multiple times and drive down positivity rates.

Jones launched her own version of a state Covid dashboard, using data leaked to her by her sources within the organization.

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis refuted Jones's claims.

'She was fired because she wasn't doing a good job,' DeSantis said in a news conference in December.

'None of the stuff that she's said was ever proven. You'd think that would be the end of it. Obviously, she's got issues.'

In December, state police raided her home.

The Department of Law Enforcement reported that allegations that she had hacked DOH computer systems were reason for the raid.

Exact numbers from the state can not be deciphered, but it is clear the Covid situation in Florida is dire.

Cases have increase more than eight-fold over the past month, from an average of over 3,000 cases a day in mid-July to now over 27,000 a day in mid-August.

The CDC considers every county in the state to be of 'high' COVID-19 transmission.

Cases across the United States are still rising due to an Indian 'Delta' variant fueled outbreak.

Over the past two weeks, average daily cases have grown from 63,361 on July 27 to 124,470 on August 9 - a 96 percent increase in cases.
Nearly 1.2million NHS patients have faced waits of at least six months for treatment due to the Covid backlog, analysis has revealed.

The figure, reflecting the English health service's position in May, is five times higher than pre-pandemic levels.

It highlights just how badly the virus has hit hospitals, which cancelled thousands of operations during the darkest days of the crisis to make room for the infected.

Joint replacements, eye treatment and brain surgery are among the procedures that have been hit by delays.

Under the NHS's own rulebook, all patients are supposed to start treatment within 18 weeks of being referred.

Updated figures on the NHS waiting list  which hit a record-high 5.3million in May  are due to be published tomorrow.

Ahead of the release, Chris Hopson, the boss of NHS Providers  which represents trusts  warned some hospitals are the 'busiest they have ever been'.

Figures released by NHS England last month show that the number of people waiting for hospital treatment hit another record high of 5.3million. This is 3.5 per cent higher than the 5.12million waiting at the end of May, which was the previous all time high

The pandemic forced hospitals to cancel thousands of operations during the darkest days of the crisis to make room for the infected, with 4,583 patients with Covid admitted in the peak of the second wave in June. The latest daily figures show 712 Covid-infected patients were admitted to hospital in the UK

NHS England waiting list could soar to FOURTEEN MILLION by autumn 2022 and keep growing, says think tank The NHS waiting list in England could soar to 14 million by the autumn of next year and keep growing, an influential think tank has warned. If millions of patients who missed out on care during the pandemic seek medical attention, then the number joining the waiting list could outstrip the number being treated, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said in a new report. Last month, Health Secretary Sajid Javid warned that NHS waiting lists in England could rocket to 13 million. The IFS warned the number could top this figure if most of the near seven million so-called missing patients return to the health service in the next year. It said: Under this scenario, waiting lists would soar to 14 million by the autumn of 2022 and then continue to climb, as the number joining the waiting list exceeds the number being treated. The IFS said it was unlikely all patients will return as some will have died and others might have had private treatment or chosen to live with their illnesses. Advertisement

NHS data, analysed by the Guardian, revealed 210,000 patients waiting six months required trauma and orthopaedic services, such as hip and knee replacements.

And more than 130,000 were waiting for eye treatment, ear, nose and throat services and general surgery.

Nearly 90,000 people were waiting for gynaecological services  nearly double the figure for the same month last year and five times higher than May 2019.

The Nuffield Trust warned the backlog will take 'years' to clear.

Its deputy director of research, Dr Sarah Scobie, told the newspaper: 'We havent yet seen the peak of pent-up demand or the full impact of the multiple waves of this pandemic.

'Despite staff working flat out, overturning a backlog of this scale will take years.

'This will leave many people struggling with the day-to-day challenges of managing health conditions while waiting for essential treatment, risking storing up more urgent care needs for the near future.'



Mr Hopson said: 'Tomorrow's NHS performance statistics are expected to show that every part of the health service is under huge pressure, despite the lower levels of Covid hospital cases compared to predictions a month ago.

'Trust leaders are clear that, to measure the full extent of current pressure on the NHS, it's vital to look at the full range of demand and staffing pressures, not just the Covid caseload.'

The pressures include recovering care backlogs 'at full pelt', lower bed capacity due to infection control measures, staff self-isolating and more workers on holiday than normal due to the build-up of leave cancelled in the pandemic.

Mr Hopson said the demand for urgent and emergency care is now exceeding pre-pandemic levels in some trusts, especially those in 'holiday hotspots'.

He added that while recent hospital admissions due to Covid have been lower than predicted, it is still a 'significant pressure, particularly in hospitals with high bed occupancy for other reasons'.

Mr Hopson said the pressure on ambulance services is 'a particular concern'.

He said: 'What's particularly striking is how busy all parts of the NHS are  hospitals, community and mental health services, GPs and primary care.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies revealed modelled how long the waiting list for NHS care in England would be under different scenarios. Even in the best care scenario, the waiting list peaked at nine million in 2022 and did not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2025. This scenario would involve just 70 per cent of patients who missed treatment during the pandemic coming forward and NHS capacity being 5 per cent higher in 2021 and 2020 compared to 2019 and 10 per cent higher from 2023 to 2025

'There is a particular concern about the unprecedented pressure on ambulance services, the fact that this has lasted for a number of weeks, and the impact this is having on both staff and patients.

'We now have some trust chief executives, particularly in the ambulance sector, telling us that this is now the busiest it has ever been.'

NHS data published last month revealed the overall number of people in England waiting to start routine hospital treatment had risen to a record high.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid revealed he was 'shocked' when told waiting lists could even go as high as 13million.

But a report released on Sunday revealed figures could top that number and rise to 14million by next autumn and then continue rising.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) calculated the number of people coming forward for care could overtake the number being treated, if the millions of patients who put off seeking treatment during the pandemic come forward.

Its most optimistic modelling shows the number of people waiting for treatment in England would peak at nine million in 2022 and only return to pre-pandemic levels in 2025.

And under its most concerning scenario  if NHS capacity does not return to pre-pandemic levels by 2025  the waiting list would hit 15million by 2025.
An experienced detective accused of forging a signature on a witness statement during a probe into the brutal killing of a mother-of-five has denied taking a 'shortcut' during the investigation.

Detective Constable Robert Ferrow, 50, of Hampshire Police, is accused of faking a witness' signature while assisting with the investigation into the death of Lucy-Anne Rushton, who was murdered by her estranged husband Shaun Dyson in 2019.

Ferrow, who has 18 years' experience as an officer, is standing trial at Winchester Crown Court charged with forgery, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

Today he denied taking a 'shortcut' and denied forging signatures as he faced questions from the prosecutor.

The detective of Hampshire police, is accused of faking a witness' signature while assisting with the investigation into the death of Lucy-Anne Rushton, who was killed by her estranged husband Shaun Dyson (pictured together) in 2019

Detective Constable Robert Ferrow, 50, is accused of forging a signature on a witness statement during the probe into the killing of the mother-of-five. Pictured: Ferrow leaving court

This week prosecutor Robert Bryan told jurors that the case concerned a witness statement given by Ashley Grace-O'Neill, a friend of Dyson, to Ferrow on June 23 2019, the day Ms Rushton was found at her home in Andover, Hampshire.

Mr Bryan said Mr Grace-O'Neill was at Andover police station giving his witness statement on June 23 2019.

After speaking to the detective for up to two hours, Mr Grace-O'Neill asked if he could return the next day.

Ferrow said he needed to copy various text messages that Mr Grace-O'Neill had provided screenshots of into the statement before it could be submitted, the jury was told.

According to Mr Grace-O'Neill, the court heard Ferrow said: 'Because I am only copying it out and you will be able to read it at a later date, do you want to sort of sign a couple of pages and I will write it out?'

The witness agreed but told Ferrow he still wanted to return and read the statement to check it was accurate, and the detective agreed.

However Mr Grace-O'Neill returned the following day asking to read his statement but no-one was able to help, the court heard.

When he eventually saw the statement he said that some pages that had been completed had not been signed by him, the prosecution alleges.

'Those not made by him had been forged,' prosecutor Robert Bryan told jurors.

Ferrow has argued that Mr Grace-O'Neill signed more than enough pages and that two spares were left over.

Shaun Dyson was jailed for life to serve a minimum of 17 years at Winchester Crown Court in December 2019 for the murder of his estranged wife Ms Rushton at the family home in Andover, Hampshire, while children were at the property

Ferrow, who has 18 years' experience as an officer, is standing trial at Winchester Crown Court charged with forgery

But Mr Bryan suggested that Ferrow's conduct 'strikes right at the heart of justice'.

He added: 'The fact is Mr Ferrow you simply got yourself into a position which you should not have got yourself into by using blank sheets of paper and you miscalculated and you signed them yourself.'

Ferrow denied this was the case, repeating that there had been enough signed blank pages for all the text messages.

The officer was charged with making a false instrument with intent for it to be accepted as genuine, under the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, following an investigation between August 2019 and July 2020 by the IOPC.

Ferrow denies forging Mr Grace-O'Neill's signature.

The trial continues.
Getting a third dose of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine is likely to pose even less of a risk than either the first or second, experts say.

The jab's ultra-rare link to blood clots prompted British health chiefs to recommend under-40s get Pfizer or Moderna instead.

But the risk of the complication  which occurs alongside low blood platelet levels  is greatest after the first dose, according to real-world evidence.

Researchers at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust who investigated the link say the third dose likely poses little threat.

The team have now set out a guidance for clinicians to help diagnose what they call vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT).

Thrombocytopenia is a condition where the patient has a low count of cells that help the blood clot, known as platelets.

Thrombosis occurs when blood clots block veins or arteries, and is a major cause of strokes and heart attacks.

Discussing the guidance, consultant haematologist Dr Sue Pavord said a third dose would probably carry a tiny risk of clots.

This is because the risk on a second inoculation  given eight to 12 weeks after the first  is already significantly lower.

Britain has bought another 35million doses of Pfizer's Covid vaccine (shaded on graph) for next autumn's boost jab drive but the deal will cost nearly 800million after the pharmaceutical company hiked prices by a fifth

UK regulators saw 411 cases of vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis after AstraZeneca's jab up to July 28. Forty-three cases occurred after a second dose

Dr Pavord said: 'If people have had their first doses and not developed VITT, their risk of getting it on their third dose would probably be very small.

'It can be devastating: it often affects young, otherwise healthy vaccine recipients and has high mortality.

'It is particularly dangerous when the patient has a low platelet count and bleeding in the brain.'

She added: 'Vitt is a very new syndrome, and we are still working out what the most effective treatment is.'

Britain will buy another 35MILLION doses of Pfizer's Covid vaccine for next autumn's booster jab drive Britain has bought another 35million doses of Pfizer's Covid vaccine for next autumn's booster jab drive, it was claimed today. Whitehall sources say the deal will cost in the region of 1billion, after the drug giant hiked its prices by a fifth in response to demand. Ministers already ordered an extra 60million doses for this year's campaign to give out third doses, which would be enough to give top-ups to all 54million British adults and fully vaccinate the 1.4million 16- and 17-year-olds who are now eligible. Health Secretary Sajid Javid yesterday confirmed preparations were in place for the booster campaign to start next month. But experts have repeatedly questioned whether they are even necessary. One of No10's top scientific advisers today claimed top-ups may only be needed for anyone with a weak immune system, such as cancer patients, the elderly and transplant recipients. Professor Adam Finn, who sits on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)  which advises the Government on vaccine policy, said the evidence on whether all over-50s need them remains unclear. Pfizer has insisted a third dose of its vaccine is necessary and BioNTech  the German firm which produces the vaccine alongside the drug giant  has said double-jabbed people need another dose for a 'robust neutralization response'. Vaccine equity campaigners have slammed Pfizer for profiteering during the pandemic, calling the company's move to increase the price of its jabs 'shamefully unsurprising'. It comes after a study claimed Moderna's jab is better than Pfizer's at stopping people getting infected with the Delta variant. One expert behind the research said Moderna's jab would be better for top-ups. Advertisement

UK regulators saw 411 instances of vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis after AstraZeneca's jab up to July 28. Forty-three cases occurred after a second dose.

At that time, 24.8million Britons had received their first AstraZeneca jab and 23.6m had already been fully-vaccinated.

Dr Pavord told a press briefing for health journalists: 'It's important to stress that this kind of reaction to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is very rare.

'In those aged under 50, incidence is around one in 50,000 among people who have received the vaccine.'

She also medics had not seen any cases of Vitt in the last four weeks, which she said was 'a tremendous relief'.

Their findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed the overall mortality rate was around 23 per cent.

The researchers evaluated 294 patients aged between 18 and 79. All the patients had received the first dose of AstraZeneca's vaccine.

They said treating VITT may involve administering immunoglobulins intravenously to increase platelet count, steroids to dampen the immune system and blood thinners to prevent further blood clots.

And treatments such as plasma exchange, which involves removing straw-coloured liquid known as plasma from the blood and replacing it with new plasma fluid, can dramatically increase survival chances for those with severe disease.

Professor Michael Makris, a thrombosis expert at University of Sheffield, who is one of the study authors, said the team were all 'strong pro-vaccination advocates'.

Professor Makris, who himself was vaccinated using AstraZeneca, said: 'I believe the whole world should be vaccinated against Covid.

'We are not here to say anything bad about AstraZeneca, it is a matter of targeting it.'

It comes after it was claimed Britain has already bought another 35million doses of Pfizer's Covid vaccine for next autumn's booster jab drive.

Whitehall sources say the deal will cost in the region of 1billion, after the drug giant hiked its prices by a fifth in response to demand.

Ministers ordered an extra 60million doses for this year's campaign to give out third doses, which would be enough to give top-ups to all 54million British adults and fully vaccinate the 1.4million 16- and 17-year-olds who are now eligible.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid yesterday confirmed preparations were in place for the booster campaign to start next month.
A 24-year-old man was shot dead by masked gunman who barged into his home in Puerto Rico while he was streaming live on Facebook.

Julio Cesar Castillo was singing and drinking from a bottle in the living room of his residence in the Carolina housing development Eduardo J. Saldana in Puerto Rico on Monday at 7:13pm when the assailant fired at him five times

The Dominic Republican native got up from his couch and ran to another side of the apartment before he tripped and fell.

The shooter subsequently came into the view of the camera and let off a flurry of shots before he ran out of ammunition and reloaded.

Dominican Republic native Julio Cesar Castillo died at a hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday morning after he was shot inside his home in the city of Carolina, an incident that was streamed live on Facebook on Monday night. A 17-year-old boy was also wounded during the shooting. The suspect remained at-large as of Wednesday afternoon

Julio Cesar Castillo was recording himself live on Facebook as he sang and drank inside his home in Carolina, Puerto Rico, on Monday night when a masked man entered his home and opened fire. The 24-year-old was shot multiple times and was declared dead Tuesday morning

Julio Cesar Castillo was going through his cellphone before he was shot, an incident that was captured live on Facebook

Authorities in Puerto Rico are searching for the individual who broke into a home in Carolina on Monday night and shot Julio Cesar Castillo. The 24-year-old died from his wounds at a hospital in San Juan on Tuesday

A 17-year-old who was in the apartment at the time was seen running towards a room and at one point was shot.

Footage shows Castillo, apparently wounded from the gun fire, crawling on the ground when the killer walked over and continued to fire at him before fleeing.

Castillo was rushed to the Puerto Rico Medical Center in San Juan, where he was pronounced dead at 7:05am Tuesday.

Julio Cesar Castillo was seen on the video crawling, apparently after he was already wounded, before the killer walked over and continued to shoot at him before escaping

Juan Cesar Castillo tried to protect himself from the gunfire at his home in Carolina, Puerto Rico

According to Dominican Republic digital news out La Colonia El Cedro Miches, Julio Cesar Castillo had reportedly had fled to Puerto Rico on a raft several months ago after allegedly killing a young woman in the Miches neighborhood, La Boca del Rio. DailyMail.com reached out to the Dominican Republic National Police for comment

A homicide detective with the Puerto Rico Police's Criminal Investigations Corps told DailyMail.com that the teenage boy was recovering from a single gunshot wound at a hospital in Rio Piedras.

The agent was unable to confirm if the teen was related to Castillo.

The killer remained on-the-run as of Wednesday afternoon.

According to Dominican Republic digital news out La Colonia El Cedro Miches, Castillo had reportedly had fled to Puerto Rico on a raft several months ago after allegedly killing a young woman in the Miches neighborhood, La Boca del Rio.

Miches, a city in the province of El Seibo, is located 109 miles northeast of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Caribbean nation.

The detective could not confirm if Castillo was wanted for murder.

DailyMail.com reached out to the Dominican Republic National Police for comment.
President Biden must commit the U.S. to providing air support for Afghan forces, step up defense assistance to Kabul and appoint a new peace envoy to prevent catastrophe in Afghanistan, according to five retired ambassadors who served in the country.

They say it is not too late to prevent Kabul falling to the Taliban, but warn that Biden's rapid withdrawal appears 'increasingly questionable.'

'While its not certain the Afghan resistance to the Taliban will crumble, a catastrophic outcome is still possible,' they say in a paper published by the Atlantic Council.

'Abandoning a courageous people as they attempt to fight back could leave millions of Afghans vulnerable to Taliban repression.

'Thats why we recommend a course correction involving redoubled efforts to support the Afghan security forcesparticularly through airpower, which is immediately criticalas well as the vigorous implementation of US promises of continued security, economic, humanitarian, and diplomatic support.'

President Biden is under intense pressure to rethink his decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of August. Five former ambassadors have urged him to follow the Iraq model - maintaining a smaller engagement to prevent state collapse

The Taliban's rapid advance has seen them take control of almost two thirds of the country since President Biden announced the withdrawal of all remaining U.S. troops

The Afghan air force has been uploading videos showing attacks on Taliban fighters in an attempt to bolster morale and turn the tide of the war, with few battlefield victories to report

The Taliban flag is raised over the main square in Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Baghlan province, after the Islamists seized it from government forces late on Tuesday

Taliban commanders took control of three more provincial capitals, officials said on Wednesday.

Their fighters hold as much as two thirds of the country after an advance that accelerated after Biden said all U.S. troops would leave the country by the end of August.

Latest U.S. intelligence assessments suggest the Taliban could surround the capital in 30 days and take it over within 90.

Against that bleak backdrop, the Biden administration has attempted to shift the blame to a withdrawal deal struck between the Trump administration and the Taliban, while Biden himself on Tuesday called on Afghan to 'fight for themselves, fight for their nation.'

But the five former ambassadors - James Cunningham, Hugo Llorens, Ronald Neumann, Richard Olson, and Earl Anthony Wayne - say it is not too late for a course correction.

They recommend that instead of a full withdrawal, U.S. forces take on a more limited role as they have in Iraq, to prevent state collapse.

They draw on their experience in the country to urge the administration to reconsider ending close air support on August 31.

'A pivotal element to holding Herat, as well as avoiding the loss of other key cities, effective air support not only boosts the morale of Afghan officials and security forces but also supports intelligence and logistics operations,' they say.

'For the Afghan state, it buys time to recover its balance; for the United States and its allies, it provides space to consider what might still be salvaged after twenty years of development work.'

U.S. warplanes have pounded targets in recent weeks but that sort of air support is due to end on Aug 31, replaced by a more limited counterterrorism role.

At the same time, said the ambassadors, a senior Department of Defense official should be put in charge of defense-assistance efforts to ensure the Afghan air force has the maintenance and training it needs to keep flying.

A new diplomatic push is also needed, they say, with talks stalled in Qatar between the Taliban and Kabul.

'With the Doha agreement on the withdrawal of American forces failing to deliver serious Afghan-to-Afghan negotiations, Biden should appoint and support a new US envoy for Afghanistan and the region to reinvigorate diplomacy,' they say.

State Department envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad traveled to Qatar this week to tell the Taliban they risked being a pariah state if they took Afghanistan through violence.

But a host of commentators has said the process is discredited and Taliban negotiators have no interest in talking while their fighters advance rapidly.

The ambassadors say a different envoy is needed, complemented by the U.N., in bringing in together regional players - including Iran, which the U.S. cannot manage.

'It is late in the day, but the United States can, and must, act forcefully in Afghanistan with air and defense support along with robust diplomacy,' they conclude. 'The countrys future - as well as Washingtons global credibility - is at stake.'

Biden reportedly ignored his generals reservations about a complete withdrawal from the country.

And officials have been clear that he stands by his decision.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has warned the Taliban they risk isolation if they take Afghanistan through violence. 'The Taliban also has to make an assessment about what they want their role to be in the international community,' she said on Wednesday

'Ultimately, our view is that the Afghan National Security Defense Forces have the equipment, numbers, and training to fight back, which will strengthen their position at the negotiating table,' said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday.

'We believe there's a political process -- that's the only process that will successfully bring peace and stability to Afghanistan.'

Some allies disagree.

Sir Nicholas Kay, former British ambassador to Afghanistan, described the pullout as 'premature.'

'This was a defence, training and advice and assistance mission and they're struggling now, we can see that,' he told the BBC.

'It is important that the support continues. NATO is still there, civilian presence, providing training advice and channelling funding to the Afghan forces, that's vital.'

At the same time, Biden officials have said the president had no option but to withdraw forces after the previous administration struck a deal with the Taliban.

'This was an agreement that was concluded in early 2020, a year before this administration came in,' State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters as he defended the withdrawal.

'It was an agreement that  as President Biden said when he announced the military withdrawal, its a deal that this administration probably would not have made, certainly not in all the detail.

'But its a deal that we inherited.'
The body of a climber who fell to his death in the world's deepest cave in Georgia will be recovered after it was found nine months after he disappeared.

A team of up to 100 climbers are preparing to attempt the complex recovery from the Veryovkina Cave in the disputed Abkhazia region.

The climber was named by local media as Sochi resident Sergei Kozeev, who went missing in November last year.

Russian cavers notified Abkhazia's Ministry of Emergency Situations after discovering Kozeev's body on August 3.

They had first noticed rope at the entrance to the cave then discovered Kozeev's belongings before coming across his body, which was hanging from a rope about 1,100 metres into the 1.3mile cave.

The climber (pictured) was named by local media as Sochi resident Sergei Kozeev, who went missing in November last year

A team of up to 100 climbers are preparing to attempt the complex recovery from the Veryovkina Cave in the disputed Abkhazia region

The Union of Cavers asked missing person's organisation Lisa Alert to help establish the identity of the deceased using photographs found on a phone discovered by the body.

Evgeny Snetkov, a member of the Board of the Union of Cavers told Radio Sputnik that he believed Kozeev was a tourist who had not adequately prepared for the challenges of the cave.

He also stressed that descending into such a cave alone is a gross violation of safety regulations.

'The deceased was a so-called multitourist, who are involved in different sports. So he decided to take up speleology, but, unfortunately, he chose a difficult cave, which ruined him,' Snetkov was reported as saying.

A Russian caver speculated that Kozeev might have died after falling, others have suggested his cause of death might have been hypothermia due to the cold 3-4 degrees Celsius temperatures in the cave [Stock image]

Snetkov speculated that Kozeev might have died after falling, others have suggested his cause of death might have been hypothermia due to the cold 3-4 degrees Celsius temperatures in the cave.

Snetkov said the operation to retrieve Kozeev's body would be technically difficult but that the cavers are prepared to tackle it if granted permission by the Russian prosecutor's office.

The team has already received permission for the evacuation from Abkhaz authorities after Kozeev's wife asked that his body be retrieved.

Abkhazia, where the cave is located, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus. Georgia considers Abkhazia, along with South Ossetia, to be under military occupation by Russia, which considers both to be independent states.

The Veryovkina Cave, located on the Gagra ridge in Abkhazia, is considered the deepest in the world.

In 2018, during a regular expedition, Russian cavers descended to the level of 2,212 meters.
A building management company has sued the City of Los Angeles for $100 million claiming they have lost $20 million in unpaid rent due to the eviction moratorium and predict their losses will triple before the ban ends.

The suit was filed by GHP Management Corp, which is owned by real estate developer Geoffrey Palmer.

GHP claimed that the 12 buildings under its management have experienced a combined loss of $20million in unpaid rental income as a result of the COVID-19 eviction moratorium, which stops landlords kicking out tenants.

GHP Associates owns more than 15,000 apartments in Los Angeles.

The suit is in reference to the city's moratorium, which is in effect until further notice and is tied to Mayor Eric Garcetti's emergency proclamation from March 2020.

A separate temporary eviction moratorium for the wider Los Angeles County is set to expire September 30.

Biden Administration last week extended a federal eviction moratorium until October 3 under political pressure from House Democrats and activists.

Los Angeles' moratorium is still in effect until further notice and is tied to Mayor Eric Garcetti's emergency proclamation from March 2020

The moratorium states that residents who are not able to pay rent due to the pandemic cannot be evicted for at least 12 months after the local emergency period expires

GHP Management Corp., owned by real estate developer Geoffrey Palmer, (pictured) said that they are expecting the losses to triple before the moratorium expires

The moratoriums are meant to protect renters during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The LA City moratorium states that residents who are not able to pay rent due to the pandemic cannot be evicted for at least 12 months after the local emergency period expires.

The suit argues that the moratorium, which was approved as an ordinance by the City Council, violated the 'takings clause' established in the 5th Amendment, which says private property shall not be taken for public use without 'just compensation,' the Los Angeles Times reported.

'While the eviction moratorium ostensibly protects tenants who are unable to pay rent due to circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, it arbitrarily shifts the financial burden onto property owners, many of whom were already suffering financial hardship as a result of the pandemic and have no equivalent remedy at law,' the lawsuit stated.

City Attorney Mike Feuer defended the moratorium, telling the LA Times that his office wrote a 'lawful ordinance' that has kept tenants from becoming homeless during the pandemic.

'We defeated a previous attack on these crucial protections and will vigorously defend the ordinance again,' he said.

Landlords in Los Angeles are eligible to receive rent relief for back rent owed by tenants who couldn't pay due to the pandemic, Fox 11 News reported.

The city has already received 113,000 applications and has about $235 million to distribute, with another $260 million expected, but at the current pace, the program is not expected to complete payments for 18 months, Fox 11 reported.

Protestors in Los Angeles have marched in support of eviction moratoriums to protect renters

A protestor in favor of renters rights hold a sign that reads 'housing justice is racial justice'

Last week, groups representing landlords filed suit in federal court Wednesday  claiming the latest extension of the Biden administration's eviction moratorium is 'unlawful.'

The landlord groups asked a U.S. judge in Washington to immediately lift the new eviction moratorium that was put in place last Tuesday by the CDC, saying the new order was 'unlawful.'

The suspension of evictions was first imposed by the Trump administration at the start of the coronavirus pandemic and was set to end July 31, but then it was extended another 60 days by the Biden administration.

The new 60-day ban protects millions of renters from eviction and covers counties with substantial or high COVID-19 transmission rates.

This comes as many landlords across the country are reaching their breaking point after claiming they have not been getting income for months due to moratoriums.

Property owners have criticized the moratorium, saying it penalizes those who must pay mortgages whether or not their tenants pay them.

Last week North Carolina landlord Buddy Shoup said he was out $24,000 in unpaid rent from his tenants, including one who splurged on three boats and requested a $4,500 heat pump during the pandemic.

'The guy didnt pay me rent and was evidently getting money from somewhere and he had three boats.

'Well, lo and behold, the middle of the summer their air conditioner went out. So I had to put about a $4,500 heat pump on that house to make sure that they stayed cool and I didnt receive any rent or anything so it goes way beyond the loss of rental income. Were still bound by county laws and rules, and we need to maintain the property, he said In an interview with Fox and Friends.

Tensions have risen so much that on Tuesday a Las Vegas landlord allegedly shot two of this tenants dead and left another in a critical condition with nine gunshot wounds after arguing with them over unpaid rent, police said.

The suspect, a man in his late 70s, then had a standoff with police before he was arrested on Tuesday.

Lt. Ray Spencer, of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said the dispute began over unpaid rent.

'We dont know the specifics, but information from witnesses is that its all over money not paid for their portion of the rent,' Spencer told The Associated Press.
The Senate on Tuesday voted 50-49 to pass an amendment to its $3.5trillion budget blueprint that would ban federal funds from being used to teach critical race theory in schools.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., joined all of his Republican colleagues in voting to pass the amendment.

The amendment passed around 3:30 a.m. as part of a 15-hour 'vote-a-rama' that led to the passing of the blueprint. The resolution is non-binding and cannot be legally enforced.

'In America, our rights have no color, our law and society should be color blind, and, as Dr. Martin Luther King said, we should not be judged by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character,' the Arkansas Republican said on the Senate floor.

Cotton, who's been an ardent warrior against critical race theory (CRT), called the ideology 'un-American.'

Cotton, who's been an ardent warrior against critical race theory (CRT), called the ideology 'un-American'

Manchin joined all Republicans in voting for the amendment

'They want to teach our children that America is not a good nation, but a racist nation,' he said. 'Those teachings are wrong and our tax dollars should not support them.'

CRT curriculum shot up in popularity the past spring in light of last year's racial injustice protests. Supporters say it teaches children the issue of the systemic racism ingrained in America's history, law and culture, while opponents say it traumatizes and divides children by teaching them that white people are inherently racist.

Cotton has been at the forefront of the contentious fight against the teaching, also introducing a bill to ban the US military from promoting CRT. He and Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, launched a whistleblower webpage where services members shared their experience with CRT in the service.

'My amendment will make sure that federal funds are not used to indoctrinate kids as young as Pre-K to hate America. Our future depends on the next generation of kids loving America and loving each other as fellow citizens, no matter their race,' the senator said.
Rayshard Brooks, who was shot dead outside of a Wendy's by an Atlanta cop in June 2020, was allegedly a Bloods gang member and his death sparked the gang's takeover of a section of the city's downtown, according to an arrest warrant

The gang operated the area around the burnt-out restaurant under the guise of 'peaceful protestors' in an 'autonomous zone' and set up illegal barriers.

They wouldn't let police or anyone else in, officials say.

About a month later - on July 4, 2020 - rising third-grader Secoriea Turner, 8, was shot dead when her mom drove up to a barricade at the edge of the gang-run area and was shot at multiple times.

Julian Conley, 19, and Jerrion McKinney, 23, were allegedly guarding the zone at the time, and police said Conley opened fire with an AR-15, striking the young girl in the head.

The details of Brooks' alleged gang affiliation was revealed in an arrest warrant for McKinney, which was obtained by The Atlantic Journal-Constitution (AJC).

This new information comes to light more than a year after Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe, 27, fatally shot Brooks, 27, twice in the back as he ran from police during an arrest outside the Wendy's on June 12, 2020.

The white cop's shooting of a black man in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder sparked outrage and protests in the community.

Bloods members seized the opportunity to take control of the area around the Wendy's by 'brandishing, pointing and discharging of firearms at citizens and civilians to ensure compliance with their authority in a highly visible manner,' the warrant says.

Rayshard Brooks, pictured here five months before his June 2020 death at the hands of an Atlanta police officer, is alleged to be a Bloods gang members. His family's lawyers have denied this

After Brooks' death, the Bloods gang set up illegal barriers to mark the Rayshard Brooks autonomous zone

A man armed with a rifle stands guard at the memorial that grew around the Wendy's restaurant that was set on fire after Rayshard Brooks was killed, on June 16, 2020

Turner, 8, was a rising third grader in Atlanta before she was killed

Conley turned himself in just weeks after Turner's death.

The Georgia Bureau Investigation joined the investigation on June 11 of this year, secured an arrest warrant for McKinney.

He was arrested on Wednesday and charged with murder, four counts of aggravated assault, pointing a gun or pistol at another, and 12 gang-related offenses.

DailyMail.com filed a Freedom of Information request for the Fulton County warrant.

The Brooks family's lawyers Chris Stewart and Justin Miller said in a statement that the family has 'no knowledge or information regarding any alleged gang affiliation of Rayshard Brooks.'

'Our goal from the beginning was to ensure that Mr. Brooks' family got the answers they deserved as it relates to why he was shot in the back and killed by an Atlanta police officer when he was nearly 20 feet away and running in the opposite direction,' the attorneys said in a statement.

'We will continue to pursue justice for Mr. Brooks with the goal that no other family suffer a similar tragedy. Our prayers are also with the family of Secoriea Turner as they continue to grieve and seek justice for their precious child.'

Jerrion McKinney, 23, (left) and Julian Conley, 19, are charged in connection with the gang-related shooting death of eight-year Secoriera Turner in Atlanta on July 4, 2020

Secoriea Turner, 8, (pictured) was fatally shot in Atlanta on July 4, 2020. Police say she was killed by a gang memberafter they set up an 'autonomous zone' following Rayshard Brooks' death at the hands of a white Atlanta cop in June 2020

Atlanta Police Officer Rolfe was originally called to the Wendy's last June when Brooks fell asleep at the wheel in the drive thru.

Bodycam and dashcam footage shows the officers arriving on the scene to find the black father-of-four asleep.

The cops and Brooks are seen in the footage having a calm conversation for more than 40 minutes with Brooks initially cooperating with officers.

When Brooks failed a sobriety test and the officers tried to arrest him, a scuffle broke out and Brooks grabbed one of the officer's Tasers and ran off.

He was shot twice by Rolfe, with the officer claiming Brooks turned to fire the Taser in his direction.

Brooks was pronounced dead in a nearby hospital soon after.

An autopsy found he was shot twice in the back.

Bodycam footage of Rolfe left and Brooks right above. The Atlanta Civil Service Board announced its decision to reverse the termination of Rofle's employment with the force in May

A man holds a gun as protesters block the road next to a burned Wendy's restaurant on the fourth day following Rayshard Brooks' shooting death by police in the restaurant parking lot, June 16, 2020

Rolfe was fired five days later, but The Atlanta Civil Service Board reversed the decision in May, saying the Atlanta cop was 'not afforded his right to due process'.

Instead, Rolfe was put on administrative leave because the terms of his bond mean he is banned from possessing a firearm or being around other police officers.

Rolfe, a six-year police veteran, was hit with 11 charges in connection with Brooks' death, including murder.

Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe, 27, fatally shot Brooks, 27, twice in the back as he ran from police during an arrest outside a Wendy's on June 12, 2020

Rolfe and his legal team have repeatedly challenged the investigation into Brooks' death, including lodging the appeal over his firing, filing a lawsuit against the mayor and police chief and calling for the first district attorney who was prosecuting his case to be removed.

No date has yet been given for Rolfe's murder trial, as the case is currently embroiled in a legal limbo.

Then-Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard brought the charges against the officers less than five days after the killing.

Fani Willis then took office as DA in January and sought to recuse her office from the case, citing her predecessor's mishandling of the investigation.

But her recusal was denied by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, leaving the case up in the air with no prosecutor and awaiting a judge's decision to decide on the next steps.

Brooks' death came less than a month after George Floyd was murdered. The result of mostly peaceful protests that were overshadowed by violent protestors, who torched the Wendy's to the ground.

Following the Atlanta cop's fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks outside of a Wendy's, there were peaceful protests overshadowed by violent riots, including the torching of the Wendy's where Brooks was killed

When Turner was shot, her mom and her friend drove the family SUV towards the road block by the burnt out Wendy's.

Atlanta police Lt. Pete Malecki told reporters at the time of the shooting that investigators believe the shots were fired intentionally as the vehicle crossed a barricade manned by a group of armed individuals.

The SUV was struck by at least eight rounds, according to police, and Turner was rushed to Atlanta Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.

The Atlanta police lieutenant also said at the time that there was no evidence to suggest that the gunmen opened fire on SUV in self-defense.

'She was only 8 years old. She would have been on TikTok dancing on her phone, just got done eating,' her heartbroken mother said at the time.

'We understand the frustration of Rayshard Brooks. We didnt have anything to do with that. Were innocent. My baby didnt mean no harm.'

'The girl just wanted to get home to see her cousins,' said her father, Secoriya Williamson. 'They say black lives matter. You killed your own.'
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Turkish rescuers evacuated a regional hospital on Wednesday and plucked stranded villagers off rooftops as flash floods and mudslides swept across the Black Sea coast.

Officials said one person died of a heart attack in the mayhem and an elderly women was swept away by the rushing water and remained unaccounted for.

The health ministry said eight people were also rushed to hospital when a bridge collapsed.

Emergency services in Turkey have been struggling to cope with flash floods following earlier devastating wild fires

Drone footage shows the scenes around the Bozkurt district of Kastamonu in Turkey which has seen major flash floods

'From a meteorological point of view, we are perhaps facing a disaster that we had not seen in 50 or 100 years,' Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said of the flooding and heavy rains.

The downpours along Turkey's northern coast came as firefighters had just about got under control wildfires in the south that have killed eight people since late July.

Turkey has been grappling with drought and a rapid succession of natural disasters that world scientists believe are becoming more frequent and violent because of climate change.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that a hospital holding 45 patients - four of them in intensive care - had been evacuated in the northern Sinop region because of flooding.

The local authority tweeted images of rescuers pulling dinghies carrying patients away from the hospital along flooded streets.

Images aired by the DHA news agency showed water covering the hospital's ground floor.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said water levels had reached three to four metres (10 to 13 feet) in some regions along the Black Sea coast.

Images on television and social media showed water level rising to the level of street signs in some towns.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said water levels had reached three to four metres (10 to 13 feet) in some regions along the Black Sea coast

The worst-hit flood area appeared to be in Kastamonu, where the town of Bozkurt was inundated and dozens of cars were swept away by raging waters. The Kastamanu governor's office denied reports the flooding was caused by a burst dam nearby

One showed about a dozens cars and a van being swept along a road that had turned into a rushing river in the northern city of Kastamonu.

The evacuations came less than a month after six people died in floods caused by heavy rains in the northeast Rize province.

Officials said that all but three of the nearly 300 fires that had been ravaging Turkey's Mediterranean and Aegean coasts since July 28 have been brought under control.

The worst-hit flood area appeared to be in Kastamonu, where the town of Bozkurt was inundated and dozens of cars were swept away by raging waters. The Kastamanu governor's office denied reports the flooding was caused by a burst dam nearby.

'Within 10 minutes, everywhere was flooded,' restaurant owner Nuri Ersoz told Halk TV television by telephone. He said he feared for his cousin's life since he believed she may have been trapped in her home.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties in Kastamonu.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu who was traveling to Kastamonu said waters have surged 'three or four meters (yards) high' in some of the flood-hit areas and that many people were waiting to be rescued from rooftops

Emergency workers rescued at least 15 people trapped in their homes or vehicles, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. But they were searching for an 80-year-old woman in the village of Akorensokuler who was swept away by floodwaters after her house collapsed, the Interior Ministry said

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu who was traveling to Kastamonu said waters have surged 'three or four meters high' in some of the flood-hit areas and that many people were waiting to be rescued from rooftops.

'Evacuations and search-and-rescue efforts are continuing,' he said. 'The gendarmerie, the (army) are trying to deploy all of their helicopters to the region.'

In Bartin, the flash floods demolished several houses and at least two bridges and caused the partial collapse of a road leading to the neighboring province of Karabuk, the private Turkish news agency DHA reported. At least 13 people were injured when part of a bridge caved in, the country's disaster and emergency management agency said.

Emergency workers rescued at least 15 people trapped in their homes or vehicles, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. But they were searching for an 80-year-old woman in the village of Akorensokuler who was swept away by floodwaters after her house collapsed, the Interior Ministry said.

In the town of Ayancik, in Sinop, where a stream burst its banks and at least one house was demolished by gushing waters, helicopters lifted residents to safety from rooftops. The town's hospital was evacuated as a precaution, Anadolu reported. Landslides caused the closure of a section of a road between Ayancik and the province's main city, which is also called Sinop.

Many of the affected areas were left without power.

Turkey's Black Sea region is frequently struck by deadly torrential rains and flash flooding.

Climate scientists say there is little doubt that climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving more extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms. Such calamities are expected to happen more frequently on our warming planet.
Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had spoken to the family of Ashli Babbitt, the Trump supporter killed by a Capitol Police officer as a mob rushed the Speaker's Lobby during the January 6 Capitol riot.

'I spoke to the wonderful mother and devoted husband of Ashli Babbitt, who was murdered at the hands of someone who should never have pulled the trigger of his gun,' Trump said in a statement, adding, 'We know who it is.'

The ex-president went on saying, 'If this happened on the "other side," there would be riots all over America and yet, there are far more people represented by Ashli, who truly loved America, than there are are on the other side.'

Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had spoken to the mother and husband of Ashli Babbitt, the January 6 rioter who was shot and killed by a member of the Capitol Police

A Capitol Police officer shot Ashli Babbitt on January 6 as she tried to climb through an interior window into the Speaker's Lobby. She later died from the gunshot wound

Trump was likely alluding to his false claims that he won more votes in 2020 than President Joe Biden, who beat him in the popular vote by more than 7 million.

'The Radical Left haters cannot be allowed to get away with this,' Trump continued. 'There must be justice!'

Trump's statement echoes a number of calls from those on the political right to have the identity of the officer who shot Babbitt released publicly.

In right-wing circles, Babbitt has turned into a martyr of January 6, with the ex-president's allies turning the rioter into a victim and shifting some blame from Trump - who was impeached in the House for inciting an insurrection - to the unnamed Capitol Police officer.

In the past, Trump has stoked Babbitt-centered conspiracy theories by suggesting that officer remained anonymous because he or she guarded a high-profile Democratic lawmaker.

'I will tell you they know who shot Ashli Babbitt. They're protecting that person,' Trump told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo last month. 'I've heard also that it was the head of security for a certain high official - a Democrat - and we'll see, because it's going to come out. It's going to come out.'

The Department of Justice announced in April it would not pursue criminal charges against the police officer, identified only as a member of the U.S. Capitol Police.

Former President Donald Trump sent out a statement Wednesday afternoon saying he had spoken to family members of Ashli Babbitt

Police officers fight with the MAGA mob outside the U.S. Capitol during the riot on January 6

Other law enforcement agencies, including D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, had responded to the January 6 riot.

The investigation found that Babbitt was among a group of rioters trying to get into the Speaker's Lobby as members of Congress were being evacuated from the House chamber.

'Members of the mob attempted to break through the doors by striking them and breaking the glass with their hands, flagpoles, helmets, and other objects,' a DOJ release said.

Three U.S. Capitol Police officers had positioned themselves between the doors and the mob, but the rioters' behavior forced them to pull back.

'As members of the mob continued to strike the glass doors, Ms. Babbitt attempted to climb through one of the doors where glass was broken out,' the release continued.

'An officer inside the Speaker's Lobby fired one round from his service pistol, striking Ms. Babbitt in the left shoulder, causing her to fall back from the doorway and onto the floor,' it said.

Babbitt was treated by an emergency response team at the Capitol and later died at the Washington Hospital Center.

A House select committee and several Senate committees are looking into the January 6 riot, but plans for a bipartisan 9/11-style commission to probe it went out the window when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told Senate Republicans not to support it.
A House committee investigating former President Trump's finances is entitled to some but not all of his tax records, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday, delivering a blow to his efforts to keep them private.

It represents the latest twist in a complex web of court cases in a years long battle to force Trump to release his tax returns.

U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta approved a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee subpoena obliging Trump's accountants Mazars to hand over documents from 2017 to 2018.

But he turned down most of the panels request for information dating back to 2011.

Former President Trump was spotted leaving Trump Tower on Wednesday through a discreet side exit with a minimal Secret Service presence

Trump suffered a setback in his legal battle to prevent the release of years of tax documents on Wednesday, when a judge ruled a House committee was entitled to some - but not all - of his financial records

The ruling took account of fresh directives from the Supreme Court on how to handle such cases.

As a result, Mehta ruled that the subpoena of Mazars should be treated in much the same way as any other subpoena.

He dismissed arguments by Trump's lawyers that the committee had no right to ask for financial information around his Washington D.C. hotel and his lease with the federal government.

'The committee has presented "detailed and substantial" evidence that President Trump, at least through his business interests, likely received foreign payments during the term of his presidency,' wrote Mehta in discussion of the Emoluments Clause, which bans gifts from foreign nations without congressional approval.

He went on to point out that the Trump Organization passed on more than $400,000 to the Treasury, 'validating' the committee's claim that Trump's businesses received foreign payments.

'The Committee therefore is not engaged in a baseless fishing expedition,' wrote Mehta.

The committee initially issued a subpoena in 2019, seeking to force Trump's accountants Mazars to release eight years of financial records.

But Trump appealed and the issued ended up before the Supreme Court which last year said lower courts were too quick to side with House committees seeking financial records.

It offered fresh criteria for handling congressional subpoenas involving the former president.

Wednesday's ruling applies those new standards.

'This court previously allowed the committees demand for President Trumps financial records to proceed without qualification,' wrote Mehta as he laid out his ruling.

'But, applying the greater scrutiny required by [the Supreme Court ruling], the court cannot now go so far.'

Mehta said the committee's attempts to obtain information on Trump's finances dating back to 2011 seemed to exceed its legitimate needs and posed a risk to the separation of powers.

'In the current polarized political climate, it is not difficult to imagine the incentives a Congress would have to threaten or influence a sitting President with a similarly robust subpoena, issued after he leaves office, in order to 'aggrandize itself at the Presidents expense,' he wrote.

Both sides can appeal.

Trump has long fought requests by the Democratic-controlled congressional committee to gain access to his financial information.

But he suffered a recent setback in a separate case recently when the Justice Department dropped its Trump-era opposition to the requests, and said the Treasury Department was legally obliged to hand over documents to the panel.

In a filing in federal court in the District of Columbia, Trump's lawyers said the House Ways and Committee lacked a legal basis for seeking his tax returns and that it was seeking to reveal his tax information for political gain.

'The requests single out President Trump because he is a Republican and a political opponent,' it says.

'They were made to retaliate against President Trump because of his policy positions, his political beliefs, and his protected speech, including the positions he took during the 2016 and 2020 campaigns.'
A convicted terrorist who acted as a 'linchpin' for a group of friends who travelled to Syria to fight for so-called Islamic State has been refused parole following 'behavioural concerns'.

Abdullahi Jama Farah, 25, from Fallowfield, Manchester, created a 'hub of communication' for his 'Mandem' group of like-minded extremists while studying for his A-levels.

Jama Farah, who is Danish and of Somali origin, was convicted of preparing for terrorism acts between 2013 and 2014 when he assisted Nur Hassan, from Moss Side, Manchester, by facilitating his travel to Syria and communication with others.

He was also in contact with close friends Raphael Hostey, 22 - reportedly an associate of Manchester Arena suicide bomber Salman Abedi - Mohammed Javeed, 24, and Khalil Raoufi, 20, who left north-west England to Syria in October 2013. They all later died.

Convicted terrorist Abdullahi Jama Farah, 25, (pictured) who acted as a 'linchpin' for a group of friends who travelled to Syria to fight for so-called Islamic State, has been refused parole following 'behavioural concerns'

Jama Farah is the cousin of Zahra and Salma Halane - dubbed the 'terror twins' - who at the age of 16 left their home in Chorlton, Manchester, in June 2014 for Syria and went on to marry IS fighters.

Their elder brother Ahmed Halane went to Somalia in September 2013, where he is suspected to have joined the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.

Last week the Parole Board held its first review of his case since he was sentenced in August 2016 to seven years in detention with an extended licence period of three years.

The panel considered a dossier prepared by officials for the Secretary of State for Justice regarding his progress and conduct in custody.

It noted he had taken part in an intervention addressing the underlying causes of extremist offending and ways of disengaging, and had also worked with the prison imam to help develop his understanding of his faith.

But the panel report added: 'Reports of this work had been positive, however, prior to the listed oral hearing behavioural concerns had emerged in the prison. Reports within the dossier did not support Mr Jama-Farah's release.'

The panel went on to examine the release plan provided by his probation officer and was not persuaded there would be effective risk management overseas if, as expected, he was deported.

It ruled an alternative plan to remain in the UK with residence conditions and strict limitations on his contacts, movements and activities was 'not robust enough' due to the concerns raised about his behaviour in custody.

Jurors at his Old Bailey trial were told it was clear Jama Farah supported IS from what was found on his computers, as well as messages on WhatsApp and social media (stock image)

In conclusion, the panel stated: 'After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented in the dossier, the panel was not satisfied that Mr Jama-Farah was suitable for release.'

Jama Farah is due to be automatically released in July 2022 unless a future parole board review deems him suitable for parole before then.

Jurors at his Old Bailey trial were told it was clear Jama Farah supported IS from what was found on his computers, as well as messages on WhatsApp and social media.

He denied wrongdoing and was cast by his defence as an over-excited teenager sitting in his bedroom at home on his computer in contact with his friends and passing on phone numbers, concerned for their welfare.

Following his conviction, police said Jama Farah was a 'key part' of the communication between his group of friends who had gone abroad and regularly provided them with new contact details and updates on each others to help them evade the authorities.

Last August, it was reported the Halane twins were being held in a high-security detention centre in Syria after trying to escape a refugee camp. The sisters told ITV News they wanted to be repatriated to Denmark, the country of their birth, while their mother told The Daily Telegraph her daughters had been banned from returning to the UK.

Their elder brother Ahmed was last reported to be in Denmark and is subject to an exclusion order from Britain.
The sister of a British backpacker murdered in Thailand died in a 'double tragedy' while nine weeks pregnant, an inquest has heard.

'No one knows' what caused the death of Laura Daniels, 30, of Norfolk, despite extensive investigations, her family was told at a hearing in Winchester, Hampshire on Wednesday.

She died at Southampton General Hospital on September 16, 2019 - five years after her sister Hannah Witheridge, then 23, was found beaten to death on a Thailand beach.

A post-mortem examination was unable to determine a cause of death for Mrs Daniels, a paediatric nurse who lived in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Her death while pregnant was a 'double tragedy', area coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp said as she recorded an open conclusion.

Laura Daniels, 30, of Norfolk, died in Southampton General Hospital on September 16, 2019 - five years after her sister Hannah Witheridge, then 23, was found beaten to death in Thailand

Laura pictured with her husband, Lewis Daniels. An inquest heard that Mrs Daniels had surgery in 2011 for the rare condition trigeminal neuralgia

Speaking at the inquest, she said: 'Given the post-mortem findings it is very difficult indeed to come to any conclusion other than open and that is because no one knows quite why Laura died when she did.

'No one knows, and that must be one of the hardest things for families and friends - for a young person to die and for despite all the investigation, all the inquest process we end up simply not knowing.'

The inquest, which began last month and finished on Wednesday, heard that Mrs Daniels had a complex medical history and had undergone numerous surgeries and treatments at various hospitals over the years.

On September 16, 2019 she was found unresponsive in hospital shortly after speaking to staff and was pronounced dead.

Laura's sister, Hannah Witheridge, was killed in a brutal double murder in a tourist hotspot in Thailand seven years ago while she was just 23-years-old

The bodies of Miss Witheridge and 24-year-old David Miller, from Jersey, were found on the resort island of Koh Tao in 2014

In a heartfelt statement read out by the coroner, her husband Lewis Daniels said: 'Laura was an incredible young lady who had so much desire to continue making the most of her life whilst having to deal with adversity very few people across the world will ever have to experience.'

He described the impact the tragic murder of Miss Witheridge had on the family, and how Mrs Daniels 'spearheaded the fight for justice for her sister'.

He added: 'Life was never going to be easy or the same again, we shared difficult times but we found happiness together.'

Mrs Daniels went on to qualify as a paediatric nurse and the pair were married in 2018.

Her mother, Mrs Witheridge previously wept at one point in the hearing and said: 'You lose one daughter, you don't expect to lose another.'

Her other daughter, Hannah Witheridge, was killed in a brutal double murder in a tourist hotspot in Thailand seven years ago.

The bodies of Miss Witheridge and 24-year-old David Miller, from Jersey, were found on the resort island of Koh Tao in 2014.

They had arrived in Thailand separately and met at the hotel where they were staying.

Two Burmese migrants who were convicted over the killings had their death sentences reduced to life imprisonment in 2020.

Wai Phyo and Zaw Lin had denied killing Mr Miller and raping and killing Miss Witheridge.

Lawyers for the two men had claimed evidence used in the case against them was mishandled and they made confessions under duress that they later retracted, raising questions about police competence and the judicial system in Thailand.

Human Rights Watch at the time called the verdict 'profoundly disturbing', citing the defendants' accusations of police torture that were never investigated and questionable DNA evidence linking them to the crime.

But Thailand's Supreme Court upheld the convictions.
Employees at American, Delta and Southwest Airlines will not be required to show proof they are vaccinated against COVID-19 to work, in contrast to Amtrak and United Airlines, who've recently joined a slew of companies issuing companywide mandates.

On Wednesday, Amtrak announced they will require more than 18,000 of their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing.

'Because vaccines are the best way to protect ourselves, our families, and our customers, we have made some important decisions regarding Amtrak vaccination requirements,' Amtrak's Chief Executive, William Flynn, wrote in a memo.

On Wednesday, Amtrak announced they will require more than 18,000 of their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing

Despite issuing a mandate for new employees, Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian said that did not apply to all staff and that they have no vaccine mandate

While Southwest will 'continue to strongly encourage' employees to get vaccinated, their stance on requiring employees to get the jab has not changed, CEO Gary Kelly said in an internal memo obtained by CNN

'Many employees have shared reasons why they are apprehensive about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. We understand these concerns and encourage everyone to consult with a medical professional and seek out facts from reputable sources.'

While Southwest will 'continue to strongly encourage' employees to get vaccinated, their stance on requiring employees to get the jab has not changed, CEO Gary Kelly said in an internal memo obtained by CNN.

'Obviously, I am very concerned about the latest Delta variant, and the effect on the health and Safety of our Employees and our operation, but nothing has changed,' Kelly said.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told Good Day New York on Tuesday that 75% of its workforce is vaccinated even without a companywide mandate.

In a similar case, American Airlines will not require employees to show proof of vaccination, but will offer workers who get vaccinated by the end of August one extra day of vacation in 2022 as incentive.

The carrier did require all new hires to get vaccinated in May, with United Airlines following behind shortly after in June.

In a similar case, American Airlines will not require employees to show proof of vaccination, but will offer workers who get vaccinated by the end of August one extra day of vacation in 2022 as incentive.

'We certainly encourage it everywhere we can, encourage it for our customers and our employees, but we're not putting mandates in place,' American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said in a New York Times podcast interview.

In addition to Amtrak, companies such as Google, Netflix and Facebook all issued companywide mandates to curb the spread of COVID-19.
French detectives have blamed 'terrible weather' for their failure to find the body of British hiker Esther Dingley, which was eventually discovered by her own boyfriend in an area already searched by police.

Dan Colegate, 38, uncovered 37-year-old Esther's body on Monday after she vanished last November during a solo hike in the Pyrenees mountains.

Her remains were surrounded by some of her hiking kit, including brightly coloured clothes and a yellow sleeping mat.

Yet specialist French teams made up of mountain police and soldiers supported by aircraft and sniffer dogs had completely failed to locate any of it.

This was despite a bone from Esther's skull being found close to her last known route on the Porte de la Glere mountain pass between Spain and France.

An investigating source in France said: 'Yes, this failure has raised questions but terrible weather including high winds and rain over the past couple of weeks hampered the search.

'It was impossible to get a drone up, and some of the higher areas were extremely [difficult] to get to as the weather deteriorated.'

The source added: 'The bad weather set in soon after the skull bone was found at the side of the path.'

French detectives have blamed 'terrible weather' for their failure to find the body of British hiker Esther Dingley (right), which was eventually discovered by her own boyfriend Dan Colegate (left) in an area already searched by police

Dan Colegate, 38, uncovered 37-year-old Esther's body on Monday after she vanished last November during a solo hike in the Pyrenees mountains

The French teams included soldiers from the High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon from nearby Luchon, and also a company of gendarmes from Saint-Gaudens.

It is common for the military to be tasked with search operations in France because of their specialist training.

Christophe Amunzateguy, the public prosecutor in Saint-Gaudens, is coordinating the investigation into Esther's death, and he too has blamed wind and rain for hampering French efforts to gather evidence.

Investigations have been 'complicated by the wind and the weather of recent weeks in the mountains,' said Amunzateguy.

He added that the spot where Esther's body was found was 'not the kind of place you just come across. It is high in the mountains and difficult to access.'

Amunzateguy confirmed that a drone with a remote pilot in Saint-Gaudens had been allocated to search teams, but that it had trouble flying in poor conditions.

In December, French police even claimed to have 'fully searched' 17.4 square miles of the Pyrenees for Esther  including the point where her body was eventually found.

Gendarmerie Captain Jean-Marc Bordinaro said at the time: 'We have searched a very large area  28 square kilometres in all  with specialist mountain teams, with dogs, with helicopters all along the route she said she was taking, and there is nothing.

'It's not a particularly difficult route and at the time she was on the mountain the weather was good,' he added.

This led to Captain Jean Marc Bordinaro concluding that 'there was no evidence at all that the missing hiker was ever even in France.'

Colegate, who is believed to have been searching alone, alerted officers to his find on Monday morning.

He said he was concentrating his search efforts on the area where Esther's skull bone was found, around Port de Glere in particular.

Despite the apparent failures in the French police and military searches, Amunzateguy was relying on them for vital information from the scene.

On Wednesday, a team of Criminal Investigation Technicians (ICTs in French) from Toulouse was still up in the mountains, examining the place where Colegate found Esther's 'skeletal remains'.

They were said to be in a 'natural hideaway', such as a gully or cave, said another investigating source.

The breakthrough came soon after French investigators admitted for the first time that Esther's death may have been the result of foul play.

While 'prioritising a tragic accident,' Amunzateguy said: 'The aim is to put forward a scenario to explain the disappearance of Esther Dingley,

'To find out what may have happened  whether it was an accidental thesis, or a criminal thesis, because we are not closing the door to any hypothesis.'

Missing equipment includes Esther's missing yellow Lanshun  Ultralight tent, which has always been considered crucial to solving the mystery, because of forensic clues it is likely to yield.

The tent is made of nylon, silicon and aluminium, and so would last in the wilds of the Pyrenees for days, despite exposure to the elements.

A spokesman for Esther's family said before the latest find: 'When this clothing and kit does turn up, it is likely to answer a lot of questions  or pose some more'.

The camper van used by Dingley and Colegate on their European tour remains in a compound belonging to the Spanish Civil Guard, in Besanquein in the Pyrenees

Last month, human remains later confirmed to be Esther's were found by Spanish hikers at 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

Amunzateguy said he had given his team 'a month to investigate, so that they could work in peace and try to find out what happened.'

As public prosecutor of St-Gaudens, Amunzateguy has been tasked with investigating Esther's death, and is being supported by judicial police and other agencies.

He has the power to escalate the case into a full-blown criminal enquiry if compelling evidence of foul play emerges.

Esther went missing on November 22 while solo hiking in the Pyrenees. She was reported missing by Colegate on November 24, just a day before her trip was due to end, sparking a massive manhunt.

The search was suspended in December due to deteriorating weather but resumed in the Spring and human remains, later confirmed to be a piece of Esther's skull, were found a fortnight ago.

Colegate announced Esther's remains had been found in a statement yesterday, adding an accident was 'the most likely hypothesis, given the location and other early indications.

'A full investigation is underway to confirm the details surrounding this tragedy.

'The family remain incredibly grateful for the efforts of the police units involved and their commitment to understanding the exact circumstances of Esther's death', the statement added.

Privately, French and Spanish police are known to have put murder low down on their list of theories and believe the Oxford graduate suffered a mountain accident.

Esther went missing on 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.

The hotel, near the Spanish town of Besanque in The Pyrenees from where Esther set off on her hiking expedition last November before she disappeared

The 37-year-old Oxford graduate had numerous pieces of kit with her at the time of her disappearance, including a bright red and grey rucksack and a distinctive yellow tent which are yet to be found

Oxford graduate Esther Dingley disappeared while on a solo-hike in the Pyrenees in November

The discovery of a fragment of Esther's skull by Spanish hikers on a mountain pass on France's border with Spain last month sparked a renewed hunt for the rest of her remains and equipment.

Investigators suggested that Esther's remains may have been moved by animals to the well-trodden trail where the initial bone fragment was discovered, after the hiker perhaps died in a fall. 'Everything suggests that these bones were recently moved by animals. They would not have been there a few days earlier', Bordinaro said.

Brown bears and wolves are among the creatures roaming freely in the mountain range, where birds of prey such as vultures are also a common sight.

Dingley had planned a solo hike from the Spanish town of Benasque to Pic de Sauvegarde, a mountaintop in the Pyrenees - which she reached on November 22, sending Colegate a picture via WhatsApp, which was their last contact.

She was seen by several witnesses including an Olympic Spanish skier asking for some fruit hiking on the path leading up to the summit.

From there she planned to walk between Port de la Glere and Port de Venasque - a route of some eight miles - before hiking back down from the mountains.

The couple, both Oxford graduates, had been travelling around Europe in a camper van for years after quitting their careers and Durham home.

Esther went missing on November 22 while out hiking in the Pyrenees, and last month, human remains were found by Spanish hikers at Port de la Glere, a mountain pass on France 's border with Spain

The 37-year-old from Durham was on a month-long solo trip and was supposed to return on November 24

The pass where Esther Dingley went missing was part of an area described as an 'easy' walk for the British hiker by her boyfriend

Dingley's boyfriend Dan Colegate (left) has expressed disbelief at the theory that Esther may have died after becoming injured during her solo hike as she was an experienced hiker who should have had no problem with the route she is believed to have taken

Esther's partner of 20 years Dan Colegate (pictured together) claimed in a recent BBC interview he 'could no longer agree' with the idea she had suffered an accident
Sicily recorded Europe's highest ever temperature today as it sweltered in a 119F 'heat dome' as hot air from the Sahara continued to engulf large parts of the Mediterranean region.

The region's agriculture-meteorological information service (SIAS) said a record-breaking 119.8F was recorded in the city of Syracuse, which lies on the southeast coast of the island, after an anticyclone, dubbed 'Lucifer', swept across the country.

The previous highest temperature ever recorded on the European continent was 118F in Athens in 1977.

The temperature in Sicily is yet to be independently confirmed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The blistering mercury levels came an anticyclone - nicknamed Lucifer - moved up from Africa and continued to head north across mainland Italy - increasing fears of more life-threatening wildfires across the country.

As Lucifer continued to sweep across the nation, Syracuse's mayor, Francesco Italia, told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that Sicily's heatwave 'worries us'.

He said: 'We are devastated by the fires and our ecosystem - one of the richest and most precious in Europe - is at risk. We are in full emergency.'

Meanwhile Italy's health ministry issued 'red' alerts for extreme heat for several regions as large parts of the Mediterranean region continue to battle the extreme weather.

It comes after a damning UN report on Monday warned the world is already experiencing the effects of climate changes and that they are set to get rapidly worse.

Europe is set to swelter in a 114F 'heat dome' as the scorching weather, which has contributed to huge wildfires in Italy, Turkey, Algeria and Greece in recent days, continues to sweep across the region. Pictured: Sun-seekers on a beach in Palermo, Sicily, today

Sicily's agriculture-meteorological information service reported a temperature of 119.8F was reached at the island's Syracuse station today while Spain's weather service said temperatures could surpass 111F in some areas. It comes as hot air from the Sahara engulfs large parts of the Mediterranean region

It comes after firefighters in Italy said they had been involved in more than 3,000 fire-fighting operations in Sicily and Calabria in the last 12 hours as mercury levels continued to rise and bring severe changes in atmospheric pressure.

Last week Italy's fire service was also battling blazes in the southern town of Gravina in Puglia and San Giacomo degli Schiavoni, further to the north, after infernos in Sicily and Pescara at the weekend.

Warnings were also issued in southern France, where forecasters warned of a 'very severe risk' of fires due to the combination of dry and windy weather.

Today, Spain's weather service recorded a temperature of 116F in the Costa Del Sol and said mercury levels could also surpass 111F in other areas.

And Greek authorities warned the public to avoid unnecessary journeys as temperatures rose to 113F in some parts.

As the temperatures across Europe continue to rise, lead forecaster at Severe Weather EU, Marko Korosec, said a 'more intense heatwave is expected to develop for Spain and Portugal' later this week.

He said: 'Towards the weekend, the heat dome and the upper ridge is expected to expand also across the Iberian peninsula.'

He added: 'Coming into Friday, the heatwave significantly ramps up as much warmer air mass advects farther north and west across the Iberian peninsula.'

Today, Portugal's prime minister Antonio Costa warned that the hot weather would increase the threat of wildfires, which in 2017 killed more than 100 people in the country.

Mr Costa urged people to take special care amid the scorching weather and wildfire danger, adding that many wildfires start with 'careless behaviour'.

He also said said 'the terrible images' from Greece and Turkey in recent days had brought back memories of the disaster in 2017.

'We don't want to see that scenario here again,' Mr Costa said in a videotaped message at his official residence.

Meanwhile Spain weather service, AEMET, said 'the maximum and minimum temperatures will reach levels far above the normal for this time of the year'.

Issuing a heat warning, a spokesperson for Spain's weather service AEMET said: 'Mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands are facing a probable heatwave.

'This could lead to adverse effects on people's health and to a significant risk of forest fires.'

While peaks in temperature are not unheard of in Spain and Portugal during the summer months, climate scientists say there is little doubt climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms.

People enjoy the sea during a hot summer day in Messina, Sicily, as the continent braces a heatwave

A man and his dog refresh in a fountain of Catania, Sicily, Southern Italy, today as mercury levels continue to rise

A woman fans herself in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, as temperatures begin to rise at the start of an oncoming heatwave

Workers on a construction site stop to have a drink in Madrid, Spain, as Europe roasts in a hear dome

A woman sits near a fountain in a street of Catania, Sicily, Southern Italy, as the country faces a heatwave

Hundreds of tourists flood a beach in Barcelona as the country braces itself for a severe heatwave

Researchers can directly link a single event to climate change only through intensive data analysis, but they say such calamities are expected to happen more frequently on our warming planet.

WHAT IS A METEOTSUNAMI? Meteotsunamis are similar to tsunamis but are not triggered by seismic activity on the ocean floor. Instead, meteotsunamis are driven by air-pressure disturbances linked with fast-moving weather events, like severe thunderstorms. The storm front generates the wave, which moves towards the coast, where it is amplified by a shallow continental shelf, inlet or bay. Scientists are only just starting to understand meteotsunamis but waves of 6ft (1.8m) or more have already been observed. Meteotsunamis occur in a number of places around the world, including the Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Coast, Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas. Identifying a meteotsunami presents a unique set of challenges to scientists, since the characteristics of these waves are so similar to other meteorological phenomenon, including tsunamis. It can also easily be confused with wind-driven storm surges or a seiche, which is a standing wave in an enclosed or partially enclosed body of water. These uncertainties make it difficult to predict a meteotsunami and warn the public of a potential event. Scientists are working to pinpoint the exact conditions which are most likely to generate a meteotsunami in an effort to improve advance warnings. Advertisement

The surge in heat comes after the holiday resort of Alicante was hit by a meteotsunami which flooded streets and beaches and damaged cars after the severe changes in atmospheric pressure.

Santa Pola was hit overnight on Wednesday by the freak weather incident, called a rissaga in Catalan Spanish.

These are large, tsunami-like waves are triggered by severe changes in atmospheric pressure caused by fast-moving weather events, such as a heatwave.

Pictures showed the beach covered with white wash and water lapping over the promenade and around cars on nearby streets.

Santa Pola police said the rare weather damaged the town's fishing fleet and left several boats adrift on Wednesday morning.

The Department of Climatology of the University of Alicante said the rare phenomenon was more common around the Balearic Islands, but had happened in Alicante before - though this was much stronger than usual.

Guardamar del Segura, south of Santa Pola, was also hit by the meteotsunami and saw water levels rise at least 80cm by Wednesday morning.

The UN report, which as been dubbed a 'code red for humanity', said the Earth is likely to warm by 1.5C within the next 20 years  a decade earlier than previously expected  and heatwaves, flooding and droughts will become more frequent and intense.

Scientists had expected temperatures to rise by 1.5C above pre-industrial levels between 2030 and 2052 but now believe it will happen between this year and 2040.

Since 1970, global surface temperatures have risen faster than in any other 50-year period over the past 2,000 years, the authors said, while the past five years have been the hottest on record since 1850.

'It's just guaranteed that it's going to get worse,' said report co-author Linda Mearns, a senior climate scientist at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research. 'I don't see any area that is safe Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.'

However, some experts say there is still hope that cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases could stabilise rising temperatures.

Scientists involved in the report said the 1.5C or 2C thresholds are not cliff edges the world will fall off, but that every bit of warming makes a difference, so it is important to curb temperature rises as much as possible.

Professor Richard Betts, from the Met Office Hadley Centre and a contributing author to the report, said: 'Like the speed limit on a motorway, staying below it is not perfectly safe and exceeding it does not immediately lead to calamity, but the risks do increase if the limit is passed.

'Limiting warming to 1.5C clearly needs much more urgent emissions cuts than is currently happening, but if the target is still breached we should not assume all is lost and give up  it will still be worth continuing action on emissions reductions to avoid even more warming.'

Alicante resort Santa Pola was hit by a meteotsunami which flooded streets and beaches and damaged cars after severe changes in atmospheric pressure

Santa Pola was hit overnight on Wednesday by the freak weather incident, called a rissaga in Catalan Spanish

Italian firefighters race to a wildfire near Petralia Soprana, near Palermo, Sicily, as mercury levels rise

The report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was produced by 200 scientists from 60 countries.

Drawing on more than 14,000 scientific papers, the review included the latest knowledge on past and potential future warming, how humans are changing the climate and how that is increasing extreme weather events and driving sea-level rises.

The authors said it was 'virtually certain' that heatwaves 'have become more frequent and more intense across most land regions'.

They also said a rise in sea levels approaching two metres by the end of this century 'cannot be ruled out', while the Arctic is likely to be 'practically sea ice-free' in September at least once before 2050.

Following the report, Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it 'sobering reading' and said it was clear the next decade was going to be pivotal to securing the future of the planet.

'We know what must be done to limit global warming  consign coal to history and shift to clean energy sources, protect nature and provide climate finance for countries on the frontline,' he added.

And US President Joe Biden urged the country and world nations to swiftly limit greenhouses gasses.

He said in a statement: 'We can't wait to tackle the climate crisis. The signs are unmistakable. The science is undeniable. And the cost of inaction keeps mounting.'

Meanwhile UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the new report a 'code red for humanity'.

If temperatures continue to rise, there could be devastating effects here on Earth, including a dramatic loss of sea-life, an ice-free Arctic and more regular 'extreme' weather

He warned: 'The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable: greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk.'

And Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State, said in a statement: 'Today, the United States joined nearly 200 IPCC member governments in approving the Working Group I contribution to the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report.

'The report finds we are already edging closer to a 1.5 degrees Celsius [2.7F] warmer world, and every day emissions rise the prospects for averting the worst impacts of climate change become dimmer.

'This is why it is essential that all countries  in particular the major economies do their part during this critical decade of the 2020s to put the world on a trajectory to keep a 1.5 degrees Celsius [2.7F] limit on warming within reach.

'This is why the United States has committed to a 50-52 percent reduction in emissions from 2005 levels in 2030 and is marshaling the entire federal government to tackle the climate crisis. We cannot delay ambitious climate action any longer.'
Police have issued an image of a man they want to speak to in connection with a hate crime

Police have released a picture in the hunt for a jet skier who hurled homophobic abuse at a swimmer at an exclusive Dorset beach.

The woman in her 40s was swimming in the sea at the Mudeford sandspit, which is home to Britain's most expensive beach huts.

She then challenged a group of people riding jet skis dangerously close to swimmers.

A man from the group hurled verbal abuse at the swimmer, including homophobic comments, and splashed her with water.

The incident happened on July 18 at Mudeford, close to the beach huts.

Police have issued an image of a man they want to speak to in connection with a hate crime.

He is bearded and is wearing a hat, sunglasses and shorts in the photo. He appears to be riding a jet ski with a child.

PC Erica Weldon of Dorset Police said:

'Dorset Police takes hate crime very seriously and we have been carrying out a number of enquiries into this incident.

'I am now in a position to release an image of a man we would like to speak to.

'I would urge anyone who recognises him to please come forward.

'I am also keen to hear from any witnesses to the incident who have not already spoken to police.'

A hut at Mudeford sandspit set a new record in July last year when it sold for 330,000.

Another has recently gone on the market for 350,000.
A prominent horse racing trainer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to involvement in what US prosecutors have called a global scheme to systematically drug horses and cheat the betting public.

Jorge Navarro admitted in federal court in Manhattan to involvement in a conspiracy to administer performance-enhancing drugs to horses, in order to win more prize money at racetracks.

He could face five years in prison at his December 17 sentencing and agreed to pay $25.9 million in restitution, reflecting winnings tied to doping. US District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil accepted Navarro's plea.

A prominent horse racing trainer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to involvement in what US prosecutors have called a global scheme to systematically drug horses and cheat the betting public. Jorge Navarro (right) admitted in federal court in Manhattan to involvement in a conspiracy to administer performance-enhancing drugs to horses, in order to win more prize money at racetracks. Navarro's career winnings total $34.9 million, led by $3 million for the gelding X Y Jet (pictured), according to racing industry database provider Equibase

Prosecutors said Navarro regularly drugged X Y Jet (pictured), including with a substance he called 'monkey,' in March 2019 before it won the Dubai Golden Shaheen, collecting $1.5 million. X Y Jet died of an apparent heart attack in January 2020

'As he admitted today, Navarro, a licensed trainer and the purported ''winner'' of major races across the world, was in fact a reckless fraudster whose veneer of success relied on the systematic abuse of the animals under his control,' US Attorney Audrey Strauss in Manhattan said in a statement.

Jason Kreiss, Navarro's lawyer, said in an email the trainer accepted responsibility for his actions.

At last 31 trainers, veterinarians, drug distributors and others have been charged since March 2020 over alleged doping affecting races in New York, Kentucky, Florida, New Jersey, Ohio and the United Arab Emirates.

Seven defendants have pleaded guilty and one entered a deferred prosecution agreement, court records show.

Other defendants include Jason Servis, the trainer of Maximum Security, which appeared to win the 2019 Kentucky Derby before being disqualified for interference

Country House #20, ridden by jockey Flavien Prat, War of Will #1, ridden by jockey Tyler Gaffalione , Maximum Security #7, ridden by jockey Luis Saez and Code of Honor #13, ridden by jockey John Velazquez fight for position in the final turn during the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 04, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. Country House #20 was declared the winner after a stewards review disqualified Maximum Security

Other defendants include Jason Servis, the trainer of Maximum Security, which appeared to win the 2019 Kentucky Derby before being disqualified for interference.

That horse also won the $20 million Saudi Cup, the world's richest horse race, before Servis was charged.

Servis is seeking to suppress a variety of wiretap evidence, including from Navarro's phone. Rita Glavin, a lawyer for Servis, declined to comment.

Navarro's career winnings total $34.9 million, led by $3 million for the gelding X Y Jet, according to racing industry database provider Equibase.

Prosecutors said Navarro regularly drugged that horse, including with a substance he called 'monkey,' in March 2019 before it won the Dubai Golden Shaheen, collecting $1.5 million.

X Y Jet died of an apparent heart attack in January 2020.
Dupree Kenneth Hornsby of Stockton, 24, was charged with eight felonies, including sex crimes against a child under 10, kidnapping and burglary, after the incident on August 6

A California man has been arrested after he allegedly broke into a San Jose home where he locked an eight-year-old girl in a room before raping her, police said.

Dupree Kenneth Hornsby of Stockton, 24, was charged with eight felonies, including sex crimes against a child under 10, kidnapping and burglary, after the incident on August 6.

'The child was playing in her own home when she was grabbed by a stranger,' the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office said in a statement.

The statement said that the child ran to her grandfather for help after the assault and police were called at approximately 7:35 am.

The girl's grandfather chased the man out of their home, according to The Mercury News.

Police apprehended Hornsby a mile away from the scene an hour later based on a description given by the victim.

The crime took place in the 100 block of Damsen Drive in San Jose (pictured)

Police said that there is no known connection between Hornsby and his victim, and are calling the crime a 'stranger assault.'

The District Attorney's office commended the girl for her bravery in a statement - although she was shaken from the attack, she was able to provide police with the information that led to Hornsby's arrest immediately after the assault took place.

'This nightmare of a crime has shaken all of us,' said District Attorney Jeff Rosen.

'The alert police officer who saw and arrested this predator just hours later, and before anyone else was hurt, is a credit to the badge and our community.'

Hornsby is currently being held at the Elmswood men's jail in Milpitas without bail. He will next appear in court on October 12, according to The Mercury News.
Alexei Navalny has been hit with a new criminal charge that could add as much as three years to his prison term.

On Wednesday, the Kremlin critic was charged with creating an organisation that 'infringes on the personality and rights of citizens' - a crime punishable by up to three years in jail - according to a statement from the Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes.

A jail term of that length could keep Navalny in custody past the next presidential election in 2024 when President Vladimir Putin's current six-year term is due to end.

Navalny, Putin's fiercest domestic critic, is already serving a 2-1/2-year sentence for parole violations he calls trumped up.

He was arrested after flying back from Germany where he had recovered from poisoning with a nerve agent.

The new charges come amid a crackdown on dissent ahead of September's parliamentary election.

The Investigative Committee said that Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation had incited Russians to break the law and take part in unauthorised protests demanding his release in January that authorities said were illegal.

On Wednesday, Alexei Navalny (pictured) was charged with creating an organisation that 'infringes on the personality and rights of citizens' - a crime punishable by up to three years in jail - according to a statement from the Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes [File photo]

Navalny and his allies have faced pressure for years, but his political network was outlawed in June after a court formally labelled his anti-corruption foundation and regional campaign groups as extremist.

Several of his closest allies have left Russia for fear of prosecution, and his team has also disbanded their regional groups to protect activists.

Allies who post on social media under the name Team Navalny described the new accusation as 'the latest meaningless charge'.

'No one infringes on the personality and rights of citizens like Putin himself and all his henchmen, including the Investigative Committee,' they said on Telegram messenger.

The charge comes a day after the Investigative Committee on Tuesday announced a new criminal investigation into two close Navalny allies, who are based abroad, for raising funds for his political network.

On Sunday, Russian media outlets reported that Lyubov Sobol, a close Navalny associate, had left Russia and flown to Turkey. She has not commented on her whereabouts and her allies have declined to comment.
Chief Master Sgt. Jason Morehouse was rehired to serve as a squadron superintendent after he was fired from his role in 2019 for making a series of racist and sexually-inappropriate remarks

A senior Air Force sergeant who was fired from his leadership position in 2019 for making lewd and racist remarks to his subordinates has been rehired as a squadron superintendent at another base.

Chief Master Sgt. Jason Morehouse is now serving as the squadron superintendent for the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, the Air Force confirmed to Military.com on Wednesday.

A squadron superintendent position is given to senior noncommissioned officers. The role involves helping to organize and run the squadron, as well as mentoring other airmen.

But Morehouse had been fired from his role as command chief at the 20th Fighter Wing at the Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina in October 2019, after just four months on the job.

An investigation found he made a series of sexual and racist remarks to those under his command including his black executive assistant.

The 20th Fighter Wing and its Falcons are in charge of taking out enemy surface-based air defenses before they can strike U.S. or allied aircrafts in a major conflict.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, Major Docleia Gibson, of the 15th Air Force, which encompasses both bases, said a thorough investigation was conducted into the allegations against Morehouse.

'As a result of the investigation, appropriate administrative actions were taken by the command to include removal of CMSgt. Morehouse from his role of command chief at the 20th Fighter Wing,' she said.

'Administrative actions are a rehabilitative tool that are designed to allow airmen to learn from their mistakes and grow,' she noted. 'However, details of those administrative actions are covered by the Privacy Act, and cannot be released.'

The 20th Fighter Wing and its Falcons are in charge of taking out enemy surface-based air defenses before they can strike U.S. or allied aircrafts in a major conflict

As part of the Air Force's internal investigation into Morehouse's conduct, officials interviewed 11 witnesses and found they all had credible claims that Morehouse sexually harassed women, made racist remarks and discriminated against his black executive assistant.

Morehouse first entered active duty in 1997 and rose the ranks to become a chief master sergeant - the highest rank in the Air Force.

But witnesses told the investigators how he made some women so uncomfortable that they tried to hide from him, with one woman saying his behavior made her feel 'creeped out', describing him as 'predatory'.

He would reportedly make hand gestures mimicking him masturbating and repeatedly making 'That's what she said' jokes, turning every-day utterances into sexual innuendoes, according to Military.com, which obtained a copy of the investigation report.

One witness allegedly recounted how Morehouse said he would not be a good physical training leader 'because he would stare at the test-taker's butts the whole time,' and at least one whistleblower said some of these remarks were made in the presence of junior airmen.

Others recounted how at an August 2019 memorial for a fellow airman, some of the soldiers started hugging to comfort themselves, when Morehouse said: 'I don't hug with clothes on.'

And during a discussion about hiring a new executive assistant, witnesses said Morehouse said he thought it would be better if he had a male executive assistant 'because he was a "dirty old man."'

They also noted that Morehouse would frequently call things stupid, sometimes using the derogatory word 'retarded,' and would make hand gestures that appeared to mock people with disabilities - reportedly upsetting one airman who had a brother with severe disabilities.

Morehouse has now been reassigned to work as a squadron superintendent for the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, seen here

The investigation report also detailed how Morehouse reportedly treated his executive assistant.

In the investigation, she said Morehouse told her at a September 2019 debrief: 'You don't act like a black girl.'

When she asked how black girls are supposed to act, the female airman reported, Morehouse relented.

'Those remarks, coupled with additional indications of disparate treatment of [other airmen] show more likely than not, CMSgt. Morehouse discriminated against [his executive assistant] based upon her race,' the report concludes, according to Military.com.

Other airman also said she was treated differently than her predecessor, with her given fewer opportunities to advance her career.

She allegedly wasn't invited to awards presentations, welcome breakfasts or other events, nor was she allowed to attend enlisted briefings that would have been an opportunity for Morehouse to mentor her.

One person alleged her exclusion was racially-motivated, with an investigator writing in the report: 'While some of that difference can be attributed to personality differences, I do not believe all the disparate treatment can be dismissed that simply.'

The investigators note that the witnesses said Morehouse twice made jokes about Morehouse College, a historically-black school in Georgia, saying: 'You know those are my people, my middle name is Tyrone.'

He reportedly changed his voice to imitate a stereotypical black accent as he made the joke in June 2019, Military.com reports.

Morehouse reportedly declined to be interviewed for the investigation, but provided the investigators with written remarks saying he was either joking or does not remember making the comments he is accused of.

As a result, the investigation concluded that Morehouse was 'willfully derelict' in his duties by failing to act professionally and be a role model for his airmen, according to Military.com.

Following his removal in 2019, Morehouse was replaced by Chief Master Sgt. Scott Cooley to head the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base

He was relieved from his position as the head of the 20th Fighter Wing on October 2, 2019 by Col. Derek O'Malley, the wing commander, and was replaced by Chief Master Sgt. Scott Cooley, according to the Air Force Times.

In a November 2019 interview on the Air Force website, entitled 'Creating the culture we're proud of,' O'Malley and Cooley emphasized the need for leaders to treat people with respect and compassion.

'My entire command focus has been about building a culture at Shaw where we are truly listening to our airmen, taking care of one another and treating each other with professionalism, kindness and respect,' O'Malley said.

'I have made a commitment to my airmen and their families that I will do everything in my power to lead a wing that stands by our values at all times,' he said. 'This means I will never walk by a problem when it is brought to my attention.

'When individuals on our team, particularly those in leadership positions, vail to treat people with professionalism, kindness and respect - I have a responsibility to take action, and in some cases to remove them.'

'On my watch, I will absolutely hold people accountable for their actions, and the higher in rank we climb, the more accountable we become.

'And while I hold people accountable,' he added, 'I will also protect their privacy as best I can so they have the opportunity to learn and grow from their mistakes without additional scrutiny and hardship.'
A man who used 80 pounds of explosives in a gender reveal party that damaged property in two states has been fined just $620 - and he might not even have to pay that full amount.

Anthony Spinelli, a 28-year-old Kingston, New Hampshire man, pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge stemming from an April explosion that was heard by nearby residents in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Residents had complained that the foundations to their homes were damaged after the shockwaves rattled properties within a 20-mile radius of the Torromeo quarry.

Others complained that the 'earthquake' blast had damaged their water pipes and turned their drinking water brown.

As part of a plea deal reached Tuesday, Spinelli was fined $620, but $500 will be suspended for 12 months as long as he stays out out of trouble, according to court records.

Police in Kingston, a town not far from the Massachusetts state line, received reports in April of a loud explosion.

Video footage from a smart doorbell showed the visible shaking as a result of the blast.

The blast was felt for 25 miles in every direction after it was detonated

They responded to a quarry, where people acknowledged holding a gender reveal party with explosives, which was 80 pounds of Tannerite, police said.

The family thought the quarry would be the safest spot to detonate the explosive, which is typically sold over the counter as a target for firearms practice, police said.

Some nearby residents reported their homes were shaken by the explosion. No injuries were reported, police said.

Anthony Spinelli was charged on Monday with disorderly conduct following the gender reveal party for a baby boy at a quarry in Kingston, New Hampshire on April 20

'Based on the facts, at the conclusion of the investigation, we feel that the charge and the disposition were appropriate,' Kingston police said in a statement.

'We are very thankful no one was injured during the gender reveal incident and sympathetic to the fact it startled the community.'

The blast could be heard up to 20 miles away from the quarry.

'We heard this god-awful blast,' Sara Taglieri, who lives in a home that abuts the quarry, told NBC News at the time.

'It knocked pictures off our walls  I'm all up for silliness and whatnot, but that was extreme.'

Taglieri's husband, Matt, told outlet that neighbors reported cracks in the foundation of their homes.

It wasn't immediately known if Spinelli had a lawyer to speak for him. A message sent to him on social media seeking comment was not immediately returned.

The force of the explosion, which was felt in towns as far off as Massachusetts, led some to speculate that the rumblings had been caused by an earthquake. Video footage from a smart doorbell (above) showed the visible shaking as a result of the blast

Tara Taglieri, who lives in a home that is near the quarry, told NBC News at the time: 'We heard this god-awful blast'
McDonald's customers craving a McFlurry often see an out-of-service sign on the machines because the manufacturer created them with faulty software in order to boost profits from the cost of repairing them, a rival software company's lawsuit claims.

The machines, made by Illinois-based kitchen equipment company Taylor, have a lot of moving parts that get cold for ice cream but hot for cleaning.

Taylor's exclusive repair agreement could explain why the machines are down for so long, powering a never-ending stream of grievances about missed McFlurries.

Taylor charges McDonald's $18,000 per machine and forces franchisees to use its own network of repair services, according to Wired.

Fixing them can take months. A website called McBroken tracks the number of broken McDonald's ice cream machines across the country.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 10 percent of them were offline.

Frustrated McDonald's workers began using 'jumpers,' or small metal or plastic brackets that can be installed on the electric pins in the back of the unit to bypass software that makes them inoperable unless they've been cleaned, according to Motherboard.

McDonald's ice cream machines, made by Illinois-based company Taylor, are often broken down. Ten percent of them are offline across the US as of Wednesday afternoon

Kytch, a California-based tech firm, alleges that the machines' software contains 'flawed code that caused the machines to malfunction' and created a patch that quickly fixed the problem.

Once the device, about the size of a small book, is installed on the machine, workers can make simple repairs through an app without having to wait around for a Taylor-approved technician.

That, however, did not sit well with Taylor executives, who told McDonald's and its franchisees that the Kytch device is dangerous,' the software maker claimed.

'These guys did a really effective job at frightening off all of our customers and investors so we're hoping the public will support our case in the name of justice, right to repair and humanity,' Kytch co-founder Jeremy O'Sullivan told Motherboard.

Taylor built its own version of the patch to keep making money off repairs.

Taylor charges McDonald's $18,000 per machine and forces them to use their own repairmen

Kytch accused Taylor of getting its devices from a McDonald's franchisee, according to Motherboard.

But the company's chief operating officer said it sought the Kytch device 'in order to evaluate and assess its potential technology-related impacts upon our Soft Serve Machine.'

'Such as whether the radio frequency of the Kytch device would interfere with our software signal, or whether the Kytch device would drain the power source of our software and/or cause it malfunction,' according to court documents.

That brought the ice cream vending war to a head as Kytch took Taylor to court for copying its device. A California judge issued a restraining order against Taylor on July 30.

Taylor was ordered to turn in all of its Kytch devices within 24 hours of the restraining order.

Broken down McFlurry machines are the butt of multiple jokes and complaints online

Kytch claims loss off business from Taylor copying its product.

'We still have some diehard customers sticking with us. Though few in comparison to what we once had before McDonald's and Taylor called our product dangerous.'

McDonald's did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com
Real estate heir Robert Durst testified on Wednesday at his Los Angeles trial for the murder of his best friend Susan Berman that he and wife Kathie enjoyed a 'happy' life before her mysterious disappearance, except for her worsening cocaine habit and dealings with a divorce attorney.

The jury was shown a 1980 photo of Durst in his late 30s, smiling, with one arm around Kathie and another around Berman. It was taken at a party he threw for the release of Berman's memoir about her life as a mobster's daughter in Las Vegas.

A frail-looking Durst, now 78, told the jury that the trio had gotten along famously in the 1970s, at a time when Durst was trying to accept his role in his family's New York business, his wife was a medical student and Berman was a journalist and fledgling author. But the night of the party didn't end well.

'It was the first time I'd ever seen Kathie drink so much that she lost control of herself. She fell down and bashed her head,' said Durst, who strained to speak as he sat in a wheelchair instead of the witness chair.

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New York real estate scion Robert Durst, 78, answers questions from defense attorney Dick DeGuerin, left, while testifying in his murder trial at the Inglewood Courthouse on Monday. On Day 2 of his testimony, Durst said he and missing wife Kathie had a 'happy' life

Durst claimed troubles with Kathie (left and right) began emerging a few years into the marriage, though he was still happy in the relationship. He said his wife began using cocaine excessively and that he learned she had been paying a 'matrimonial lawyer'

Durst took her to a hospital to get stitches.

'She wanted to go back to the party, with her head half-shaven,' Durst said. "I took her home, and I went back to the party.'

Two years later, Kathie Durst would disappear and later be declared dead, though her body was never found.

THE DARK TRAIL OF ROBERT DURST: HAS A HIT TV SHOW CAUGHT OUT THE REAL-ESTATE HEIR? 1982: Robert Durst's estranged wife, Kathleen McCormack, vanishes from their home in South Salem, New York after they meet. She is never heard from again. 2000: The Westchester County New York district attorney reopens the investigation into the disappearance of Kathleen McCormack December 2000: Durst's friend, Susan Berman, is shot in the back of the head at her LA home. He is questioned but not charged. 2001: Durst moves to Galveston, Texas and lives as a mute woman named Dorothy Ciner. October 9, 2001: Durst arrested after body parts of his neighbor, Morris Black, found in Galveston bay. October 10, 2001: Durst released on $300,000 bail. 2003: Real estate heir found not guilty of Black's murder after claiming the killing was in self-defense. 2010: Movie about Durst, All Good Things, made by director Andrew Jarecki. Soon afterwards, Durst contacts the director about being interviewed. 2010-2013: Documentary made and interviews take place with Durst. The bathroom 'confession' is reportedly recorded after a final interview towards the end of this three-year period. Early 2013: Jarecki had spoken to LAPD investigators,The New York Times reported. This was after the film crew received a letter, written by Durst which appeared to have similar handwriting and a misspelling of 'Beverley' Hills - like an anonymous note the LAPD received alerting them to Berman's body the day after she was killed. August 2013: Durst arrested for violating a 2012 restraining order by turning up at his brother Douglas's Manhattan home. June 2014: A member of Jarecki's editing team reportedly stumbles across Durst's 'confession' audio recording, The Times reported. December 2014: Durst pleads guilty to misdemeanor criminal mischief after urinating on candy at a CVS drug store in Houston, Texas. February 8, 2015: Six-part series, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, premieres on HBO. Saturday, March 14, 2015: Durst is arrested for first-degree murder at a New Orleans hotel where he has was staying with false ID. Sunday, March 15: The final episode of The Jinx airs on HBO. Advertisement

Prosecutors allege Robert Durst fatally shot Berman in the back of the head in her Beverly Hills home in 2000 because she was about to tell authorities what she knew about his wife's disappearance.

Durst has never been charged in connection with his wife's disappearance and has denied having any role in it, but the judge at his trial is allowing prosecutors to present evidence that he killed her as they try to establish his motive in Berman's slaying.

Durst's attorney, Dick DeGuerin, made the rare and risky move of calling a defendant in a murder trial to the stand on Monday.

His first questions to Durst were: 'Did you kill Susan Berman?' and 'Do you know who did?' with Durst answering 'no' to both.

DeGuerin then took Durst on a long, slow journey through his life story that continued into a second day of testimony Wednesday after a day off Tuesday.

Durst said his marriage was happy in the 1970s except for his firm refusal to become a father.

'I was very, very much against having children,' Durst said. 'I did not want to be a daddy. My childhood had been a disaster. I did not want the same thing to happen to my child.'

He said bigger troubles began emerging a few years into the marriage, though he was still happy in the relationship. He said Kathie Durst began using cocaine excessively and that he learned she had been paying a 'matrimonial lawyer' from their joint checking account, though they had not talked about divorce.

On the first day of testimony, Durst went into detail about his traumatic childhood, revealing that at the age of seven he saw his 'mommy on the roof' of the family's home and then found her motionless body after she committed suicide.

Durst also testified that he blamed his father for his mother's death even though he was just a child.

'I kept begging my father to move,' Durst said, 'but he never sold the house where his wife died.'

Asked if her ran away from camp and ran away from school, Durst answered,

'I ran away from everywhere,' Durst answered.

He said he ran away from his home because he 'hated the house.'

Durst also said that he had psychiatric problems that precluded him from getting drafted to serve during the Vietnam War.

Durst was arrested on a warrant in Berman's killing in New Orleans in 2015 on the eve before the final episode of the HBO documentary series The Jinx aired. In the series about Durst, he made several seemingly damning statements.

Prosecutors also have been allowed to present evidence from a 2003 Texas case, where DeGuerin first put Durst on the stand.

Durst had testified that his Galveston neighbor Morris Black was killed in a struggle after entering his home with a gun.

In that trial, Durst described chopping up and disposing of Black's body, and the jury acquitted him of murder.

In the Berman killing, prosecutors allege that she was about to talk to police about Dursts involvement in his wifes disappearance.

Durst is on trial for the 2000 murder of his best friend, Susan Berman. Prosecutors allege Durst killed Berman to prevent her from speaking to the police about Kathie's disappearance

Dursts attorneys have said that he found her body, panicked, and fled to Texas, sending a letter to police that read 'CADAVER' with Bermans address.

His lawyers have sought delays and a mistrial over his many health troubles, including two bouts with cancer, pulmonary disease and urinary tract infection, but the judge has rejected them all, expressing sympathy for Durst's state but emphasizing that jail doctors have declared him fit for trial.

In late June, Durst's estranged brother reluctantly testified that the two never got along and he feared his oldest sibling would kill him.

'He'd like to murder me,' Douglas Durst bluntly told jurors in Los Angeles County Superior Court on June 28.

Douglas Durst, head of one of New Yorks largest commercial real estate firms, said his brother was angry and bitter over an acrimonious inheritance settlement for tens of millions of dollars.

He had not seen his brother in 20 years but worries because of threats he has made.

The chairman of the Durst Organization, which owns some of Manhattans premier skyscrapers and 2,500 apartments, said he and his brother have fought since childhood.

Kathie Durst had told Douglas Durst she planned to seek a divorce from his brother, he testified.

Douglas said his brother told him Kathie vanished three days after he put her on a train to New York City from their lakeside house in Westchester County. Robert said that was the last time he saw his wife.

Durst testified Monday that he did not kill his Berman and did not know who did

The image above shows the promotional movie poster for the HBO documentary The Jinx

During the documentary, Durst was caught on a hot mic appearing to confess to the killings

'His tone was very neutral,' Douglas said. 'There was no great anxiety in his tone. It seemed a little strange.'

On cross-examination, he said his brother seemed distraught but added he would have been more upset if his wife was missing.

'There is almost no emotion that Bob shows that is genuine,' he said.

He said his brother told him the disappearance might be related to a drug dealer who had come by the couples apartment.
New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul has delivered her first remarks since Andrew Cuomo's resignation announcement, distancing herself from the disgraced governor and his 'toxic' workplace.

Hochul's press conference on Wednesday was her first real introduction to many New Yorkers, and she presented a tough, professional persona as she squared off with the press.

'While it was not expected, it is a day for which I am prepared,' said Hochul, a western New York Democrat who has held multiple offices but is unfamiliar to many voters in the state.

Hochul was quick to disavow her fellow Democrat Cuomo, who was forced to resign over sexual harassment allegations, saying she was not 'close' with him.

She said there would be no place in her administration for any Cuomo aides who were implicated in unethical behavior by the state attorney general's investigation of his behavior toward women.

'No one will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment,' said Hochul, who will move into the governorship when Cuomo leaves office in 13 days.

She also said she would fire any Cuomo staffer involved in the 'unethical' retaliation against the multiple women who accused the disgraced Democratic governor of sexual harassment.

New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul has delivered her first remarks since Andrew Cuomo's resignation announcement, vowing that she is ready to lead the state

Governor Andrew Cuomo (center) was spotted today saying goodbye to some of his workers in his back yard. Stephanie Benton the aid to the Governor was spotted leaving the Mansion

Cuomo is seen on Tuesday preparing to depart by helicopter after announcing his resignation

Asked if she was considering a statewide mask mandate as the state experiences a surge of new coronavirus cases, Hochul replied: 'All options are on the table.'

Hochul's presser marked a stark departure in style from Cuomo, who seemed to relish presiding over a shouting press corps, mocking them at times before selecting one of the screamed questions to answer.

Instead, Hochul proceeded down an orderly list of reporters to call on, starting out with a representative of her hometown newspaper in Buffalo.

At one point, she put her hands up to quiet the ballyhoo of shouted questions, saying 'this isn't going to work' before calling on the next reporter on her list.

Hochul's friends and prior colleagues have described her as hands-on, open-minded and professional, with a special passion for environmental issues and combating domestic violence.

With just 16 months left in the term, Hochul will soon face the decision of whether to run in the November 2022 election to secure a four more years at the helm of New York, the fourth most populous U.S. state.

Hochul, 62, is set to become the state's first female governor in two weeks, following a remarkable transition period in which Cuomo has said he will work to ease her into a job that he dominated over his three terms in office.

Hochul's presser marked a stark departure in style from Cuomo, who preferred the chaos of a shouting press corps, and she proceeded orderly down a list of reporters to take questions

At one point, she put her hands up to quiet the ballyhoo of shouted questions, saying 'this isn't going to work' before calling on the next reporter on her list

Cuomo, 63, announced Tuesday that he would quit down rather than face a likely impeachment trial after state Attorney General Letitia James released a report concluding he sexually harassed 11 women, including one who accused him of groping her breast.

Cuomo denies that he touched anyone inappropriately and said his instinct was to fight back against claims he felt were unfair or fabricated.

But he said that with the state still in a pandemic crisis, it was best for him to step aside so the states leaders could 'get back to governing.'

That job will fall to Hochul, who served briefly in Congress representing a Buffalo-area district, but purposely kept a modest profile as lieutenant governor in a state where Cuomo commanded - and demanded - the spotlight.

A seasoned veteran of retail politics, Hochul shares some of Cuomo's centrist politics, but is a stylistic contrast with a governor famous for his love of steamrolling opponents and holding grudges.

She's well-liked by colleagues, who say voters shouldn't confuse her quiet approach under Cuomo with a lack of confidence or competence.

Hochul's press conference on Wednesday was the her first introduction to many New Yorkers, and she presented a tough, professional persona

Democratic New York Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer (together above last week) have both expressed confidence in Hochul's abilities to lead

'Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will be an extraordinary governor,' Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, another upstate political veteran, told reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. 'She understands the complexities and needs of our state.'

It remains to be seen how involved Cuomo will be in state government over the next two weeks, or how he'll manage handing over authority - something he rarely ceded during his time in office.

His circle of advisers has shrunk, but his closest aide and policymaking partner Melissa DeRosa - who was a familiar face at Cuomo's side during his televised briefings on New Yorks fight against the coronavirus pandemic - made a surprise return after having announced her resignation from the administration Sunday.

The governor's office said she will remain in her job as secretary to the governor until Cuomo departs.

For days after James' report came out last week, Cuomo insisted to those close to him that he could weather the storm, but even his closest outside advisers told him it would be impossible.

Cuomo was privately frustrated that few people were willing to say anything to defend him publicly and pressed his attorney and his remaining advisers to question the credibility of his accusers, a person with direct knowledge of the governor's final days in office told the AP.

A plane flies over Albany on Wednesday mocking Cuomo with a banner reading 'Goodbye governor bad touch! Your friend Brian'

Cuomo decided he would resign after DeRosa quit and began drafting remarks for a resignation address, the person said.

By late Monday night, Cuomo told a small number of his closest advisers that he was planning to resign, the person said. But Cuomo had kept the announcement very close, opting to not even tell other senior Democrats in New York.

The governor personally crafted messaging to hit back at the attorney generals report and had a hand in shaping some of the wording that his attorney, Rita Glavin, delivered in a virtual press briefing before he resigned, the person said.

Leaders in the state legislature have yet to say whether they plan on dropping an impeachment investigation that has been ongoing since March, and which had been expected to conclude in the coming weeks.

In addition to examining his conduct with women, lawyers hired by the state Assembly had been investigating whether the administration' manipulated data on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes and whether Cuomo improperly got help from his staff writing a book about the pandemic.

Republicans have urged the Democratic-controlled legislature to go ahead with impeachment, to prevent Cuomo from running for office again and strip him of his pension.
A former Loudoun County student was cut off after telling Loudoun County's woke public school board that he was the victim of sexual abuse as a child and didn't want his brothers to go through the same while protesting against a controversial transgender policy that the board will vote on tonight.

The policy would force staff at all of Loudoun County's public schools to call students from elementary school upwards by their preferred pronouns, and let them use the bathrooms and locker rooms of the gender they assign with.

It has been fiercely opposed by teachers and staff who say it goes against their religion, but the mostly progressive school board is determined to vote it in.

On Tuesday night, the final meeting for parents and staff to plead their case happened. The vote was scheduled for then but so many people turned up that it turned to chaos and it will now happen at 5.30pm on Wednesday.

One person who spoke was teacher Laura Morris who quit her job on the spot after complaining that she was being forced to teach a 'highly politicized' curriculum.

'As a 13-year-old-boy I was molested. I don't want sexual predators to slip through the cracks.

The unidentified male former student sobbed at the microphone about how he'd been abused as a 13-year-old and he didn't want his brothers to go through it. Before he could finish, the chairwoman cut him off and told him to yield the microphone

The man walked off still crying after having the microphone feed cut

This is the controversial policy that the school board will vote on tonight. It is not the first of its kind but it is being widely protested by parents in Virginia

'The policies here today are tying the hands of teachers and parents,' the unidentified former student said.

The Loudoun County School Board Chair Brenda Sheridan is who is thought to have cut him off

'I would never want what happened to me happen to somebody else. I look at my little brothers and am remin

'ded of the things I've gone through.'

Before he could finish, his microphone was cut off.

A woman - identified as Brenda Sheridan - said: 'We need you to yield the mic.'

A spokesman for the school board told DailyMail.com on Wednesday night: 'The microphone cuts off automatically at two minutes, which is the amount of time speakers were told they would have prior to the meeting.'

Virginia's woke Loudoun County school board will vote tonight on its controversial transgender policy that would enforce pronouns and let kids use the bathroom they want to, after months of protests form parents and teachers.

Laura Morris has been a teacher for ten years, and for the past five has taught within Loudoun County Public Schools. On Tuesday night she quit, saying she could no longer teach their 'highly-politicized agendas' and objecting at being asked to report colleagues to the authorities

Earlier this year, teacher Bryan Tanner Cross was suspended after protesting against the same policy because he said it went against his religion

The county, one of the richest in America, has become a microcosm of the cultural battle that is going in most parts of the country.

Its school board has pushed Critical Race Theory (CRT) on teachers and enforced it to such an extent that one quit, saying on Tuesday night that the promise of a new school year with 'shiny new tech' didn't absolve the guilt she felt having to teach CRT.

Loudoun would not be the first in the country to adopt such a policy if it does.

New York City's is in effect already. It tells students and staff they must allow kids to go by the pronouns they identify with, including 'ze'.

The situation in Loudoun County is significant because the county is not a progressive, Democratic city like New York, and is instead an indicator of middle America.

On Tuesday night, more than 200 people showed up to protest the vote.

They included teachers, former parents and students who don't want the policy to be voted in, and LGBTQ activists who do.

The policy would force teachers to use the pronouns transgender children say they prefer.

It would also allow transgender children to use the bathrooms and locker rooms of the gender they identify with.

Parents attended a packed Loudoun County School board meeting in June which descended into chaos. They have long protested the policy

Another teacher who protested against the policy, saying it would 'defile children' was suspended.

Tanner Cross, a gym teacher, lost his job after speaking out against it.

He said at a different meeting: 'My name is Tanner Cross and I am speaking out of love for those who are suffering from gender dysphoria.

'60 Minutes' this past Sunday interviewed over 30 young people who transitioned but they felt led astray because of lack of pushback or how easy it was to make physical changes to their bodies They are now de-transitioning.

'It's not my intention to hurt anyone, but there are certain truths that we must face when ready.

'We condemn school policies [that] would damage children, defile the holy image of God.

'I love all of my students but I will never lie to them regardless of the consequences.

'I'm a teacher but I serve God first and I will not affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa because it's against my religion.

'It's lying to a child, it's abuse to a child, and it's sinning against our God,' he said.

Shortly after the meeting, Shawn Lacey, principal of Leesburg Elementary, sent an email to parents saying Cross had been put on leave.

The vote will begin tonight at 5.30pm.
A new Jeffery Epstein victim accused the dead pedophile of luring her to New York when she was in high school and sexually abused her for 15 years, according to a bombshell lawsuit filed Tuesday.

According to the lawsuit, filed anonymously in Manhattan Supreme Court, Epstein had targeted the 15-year-old, given the alias of Alice Poe in the suit, and abused her from 2003 to 2018.

The court papers go on to say that the victim was subjected to 'strangulation, slapping, beating, tormenting, abuse, insult, coercion, gaslighting and physical injuries,' which resulted in 'confusion, trauma bonding' and other emotional and physical injuries.

Epstein had been arrested for sex trafficking and sexually abusing more than 200 women around the world, including minors. Dozens of women filed civil lawsuits following the billionaire financier's death

A new victim of Epstein filed a lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court on Aug. 10. The victim, known only as Alice Poe, says Epstein abused her for 15 years

'Consistent with Epstein's modus operandi,' while the woman was under age, Epstein trafficked her to the Big Apple 'under the guise of being recruited to work,' the court papers said.

When she arrived in New York, Epstein repeatedly abused and raped her 'on a continuously and systematic basis from 2003 through 2010,' the lawsuit claims.

It adds that that he continued to torment the woman with less frequency through 2018 before his arrest the following year.

The victim also claims that she has had to seek medical care for her 'permanent and lasting' emotional and physical injuries.

The victim brought the lawsuit under New York State's Child Victims Act, which ends on Saturday, separate from the Epstein Victims Compensation Fund, the New York Post reports.

The compensation fund set up for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein had wrapped up with more than $121million being paid out to abuse survivors, from the billionaire pedophile's estate.

But DailyMail.com has learned that nearly one in ten eligible women rejected the money as they apparently thought they could get higher awards from pursuing their own lawsuits.

According to the administrators of the fund, 225 women from around the world filed applications for compensation.

That number is more than double the 100 that were expected to file claims and gives an idea of the scale of Epstein's abuse.

The Epstein Victims Compensation Fund (EVCF) has wrapped up operations after shelling out more than $121million to abuse survivors. Pictured: Attorney David Boies arriving at court with victims Annie Farmer (right) and Virginia Giuffre (left) in 2019

Around 150 women were deemed eligible for monetary awards with roughly 92 percent, or 138, accepting the money.

However, a dozen victims turned down the cash after getting approved.

The compensation fund was proposed by Epstein's estate in late 2019 after he hanged himself in prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

More than 30 women had filed civil lawsuits against the estate, which was worth around $570million when Epstein died, and the fund was a way to wrap up all lawsuits in one go as the women had to give up their claims in court.

The fund began accepting applicants last summer and was operated independently from Epstein's estate.

The fund was administered by Jordana Feldman (pictured) an attorney who previously served as an administrator of the September 11th Victims' Compensation Fund

It was administered by Jordana Feldman, an attorney who previously served as a special master of the September 11th Victims' Compensation Fund.

She said claims were generally processed and paid within 60 to 90 days following a review of each victim's application and a meeting with her.

DailyMail.com has contacted the fund administrators asking to clarify how many women were refused.

From the numbers which have been provided, it appears that 75 were not deemed eligible, or one in three women who applied.

By comparison, around half of the claimants to the 9/11 compensation fund were denied.

'This important, independent program allowed victims/survivors who were sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein to resolve their claims outside of court through a voluntary, confidential, fair, empathetic and expeditious process  beyond the glare of public proceedings and without the costs and confrontation of litigation,' Feldman said.

'I am proud of what we were able to accomplish with this program, but also recognize that no amount of money will erase the years of pain these victims have endured because of Jeffrey Epstein,' she added.

The fund administrators previously revealed there was no limit on the amount of money that some of Epstein's victims were able to receive.

They were more likely to get a payout if they were able to provide documents, corroboration, or other evidence to back up their claims.

According to administrators, 225 women from around the world filed compensation claims - more than double the projected amount. Pictured: A group of protesters hold up Epstein's photo outside a New York courthouse in 2019

Chauntae Davies, an alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein, speaks to members of the media outside of federal court in New York in August 2019

Other factors included the length of the abuse, the frequency and the age of the victim at the time.

Lawyers for Epstein's victims welcomed the completion of the fund's awards.

Brad Edwards, a Florida lawyer who guided more than 50 of his clients through the claims process, told ABC News: 'Had all of those cases been litigated, clearly it would have exhausted significant funds from the estate, leaving less for victims.

'For the most part, I think that it was successful. It was definitely worthwhile for everybody to participate, even those that ultimately rejected the determination.'

David Boies, chairman of Boies, Schiller, Flexner, which represented several victims, said: 'I think the number of certified victims of Epstein's sex trafficking is unspeakable. There really aren't words to describe the enormity of his crimes'.

But not everyone felt the same, and over the past year, a number of women have sued Epstein's estate.

It is not clear if they were rejected from the compensation scheme or never applied.

Earlier this month three lawsuits were filed in the New York Supreme Court by women identifying themselves as Jane Doe XIII, XV and XVIII.

Jane Doe XIII said she was just 11 when Epstein abused her while Doe VIII said Epstein abused her in Palm Springs, California, in 2003, when she was 13.

In March a woman claimed in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Florida that Epstein raped her around 2007 then threatened to feed her to a lake full of alligators if she contacted the police.

Epstein told the woman she would be 'devoured as had happened to other girls in the past' if she tried to report him, it is alleged.

The woman felt terrified and obeyed because of Epstein's 'extensive network of powerful allies.'
Joe Biden held a virtual meeting on Wednesday with the CEOs of United Airlines and Kaiser Permanente as well as the president of Howard University and the owner of a South Carolina-based small business called DESA, Inc. after they each mandated COVID vaccines for their workforces.

Biden expressed his appreciation for the eclectic group's initiative and 'stepping up to protect the lives of their employees and communities,' according to a White House memo sent afterwards.

'During the meeting, the leaders shared how they arrived at their decision to require vaccinations and how they are working to implement their own requirements,' the memo read.

Biden also encouraged them each to try and influence others within their industries to follow suit and share how they made it work.

Biden praised the industry leaders for the vaccine mandates in a virtual meeting Wednesday

He urged the four leaders to convince industry peers to follow suit and mandate vaccines for their employees as well

He promised that the federal government would stand behind private sector businesses that mandated COVID vaccines as the White House continues to try and ramp up vaccination rates that have fallen in recent months.

The public show of support comes two weeks after Biden required all federal workers - about 4 million people - to sign forms attesting they've been vaccinated.

Who was at Biden's COVID vaccine meeting Wednesday? Greg A. Adams, chairman and CEO of health care company Kaiser Permanente Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, Howard University president Diane E. Sumpter, president and CEO of South Carolina-based professional services firm DESA, Inc. Advertisement

Those who haven't will have to submit to weekly testing and comply with mask mandates and social distancing.

'Right now, too many people are dying or watching someone they love die and say, ''If I'd just got the vaccine,'' Biden said in a somber address announcing the measure. 'This is an American tragedy. People are dying who don't have to die.'

The Department of Veterans Affairs is the first federal agency to require vaccines, mandating them for health care workers. The Pentagon later announced its intent to require vaccines for service members.

United Airlines became the first major US airline to implement a vaccine mandate with a deadline of October for employees to prove their status.

Employees who refuse to show proof of vaccination will be fired unless they have a medical or religious exemption.

The three major airline unions also signaled support for the measure, CNN reports.

In an email to staff obtained by the outlet, the airline says it expects some to disagree.

'But we have no greater responsibility to you and your colleagues than to ensure your safety when you're at work, and the facts are crystal clear: everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated,' it states.

US COVID infections have risen in recent months, primarily fueled by the highly infectious Delta variant

The surge of cases coupled with a slowdown in vaccination rates threaten to throw the country back on the defense against the pandemic

In early May Biden set a goal to have 70 percent of American adults with at least one shot by July 4th, promising a 'summer of freedom.'

Those hopes quickly fell along with the US vaccination rate, but the threshold was finally passed in early August.

Currently just over 71 percent of American adults have at least one shot. Just over 60 percent are fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile COVID cases have surged to levels not seen since early 2021. So far the US has seen more than 36 million infections and over 618,000 deaths.
Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that California will become the first U.S. state to require that its teachers and other school staff be vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19.

Newsom called the move 'a responsible step' to ensure the safety of children.

The governor announced the new policy at a San Francisco Bay Area school that reopened earlier this week to in-person classes. Many California schools are back in session, with others starting in the coming weeks.

'We think this is the right thing to do and we think this is a sustainable way to keeping our schools open and to address the number one anxiety that parents like myself have for young children,' said Newsom, who is a father of four.

San Francisco became one of the United States biggest flashpoints over reopening plans, after many teachers refused to reopen classrooms for the entire 2020-2021 academic year.

That infuriated parents, with teachers claiming it still wasn't safe to return to in person-learning despite vaccines becoming widely available at the start of the year.

Several large school districts in the state have issued similar requirements in recent days, including San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and the Long Beach Unified.

The new requirement affects California's 320,000 public school teachers and tens of thousands of others - from cafeteria employees to cleaners and even school volunteers.

California, like the rest of the country, has seen a troubling surge in COVID-19 infections because of the Delta variant, which represents the vast majority of new cases. It has affected children more than previous strains of the virus.

California, which has a total population of 39.51 million people, has recorded 4,077,916 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 64,880 deaths.

New U.S. cases have increased more than five-fold over the past month with the seven-day average hitting 118,000 on Tuesday.

Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that California will become the first U.S. state to require that its teachers and other school staff be vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19

The governor announced the new policy at a San Francisco Bay Area school that reopened earlier this week to in-person classes. Above, Newsom observed a full classroom after his announcement

The new requirement affects California's 320,000 public school teachers and tens of thousands of others - from cafeteria employees to cleaners and even school volunteers

The state has had one of the nation's lowest rates of in-person schooling during the pandemic, with some schools in San Francisco opting last spring to open for just one day of instruction in a bid to qualify for $12m in state funding that was offered to districts that reopened by May 15.

As schools prepared to reopen, however, new anxieties have surfaced after the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health disclosed last week that a surge in Covid-19 cases in July were tied to youth settings like summer camps and sports. Most were due to relaxed safety protocols like inconsistent mask wearing, lack of physical distancing and failing to isolate sick individuals and their close contacts, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Districts across the state, however, recently reached out to parents to ensure that their schools will still be starting on schedule. This includes seven of California's largest districts, such as Los Angeles Unified, San Diego Unified and Fresno Unified.

Politico reported that they issued a joint statement Tuesday, which read, 'Schools will offer full-day instruction, five days a week, along with meals and supports for students to accelerate learning, sports, arts and social activities . . . After a year and a half being mostly housebound because of the pandemic, this is what our students deserve.'

Newsom had already issued a mask mandate that applies to teachers and students, but until Wednesday had left the decision of whether to require vaccines up to local districts.

In California, vaccine mandates are perilous for the Democratic governor, who faces a recall election next month fueled in part by anger over his handling of the pandemic. Newsom's mask mandate for schools has angered some parents and been criticized by Republican candidates vying to replace him.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Board of Education voted last week to sue Newsom over his state of emergency rule-making.

The board unsuccessfully sued Gov. Gavin Newsom to reopen schools for in-person instruction last year, but has pushed again to challenge him after he enacted a state mandate requiring K-12 students to wear masks in classrooms and other indoor campus facilities.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the board called the governors and executive agencies use of emergency decrees a violation of constitutional and statutory law, referring to the latest student mask rule as a burden that compounds the harm to Californias children previously caused by prior school closures and unwarranted masking requirements.

But Newsom has persisted with his rule-making despite pressure from groups like the Orange County Board of Education. He said during his announcement Wednesday, 'Not everybody will be overwhelmed by this but we think it will be well received because it is the right thing to do to keep our most precious resource healthy and safe, our children here in this state.'

As the virus has surged, particularly among children who are too young to be vaccinated, a growing number of teachers unions have eased their opposition to vaccine mandates.

Californias two largest teachers unions - the California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers - said they fully supported Newsoms policy.

Both unions cited state and national polling that indicates nearly 90% of educators have been vaccinated but said the rising spread of the delta variant, particularly among children, makes the new policy necessary.

'Educators want to be in classrooms with their students, and the best way to make sure that happens is for everyone who is medically eligible to be vaccinated, with robust testing and multi-tiered safety measures,' CTA President E. Toby Boyd said in a statement.

Details of how the new policy will be enforced were not announced, and labor unions say those logistics still need to be worked out.

Matthew Hardy, a spokesman for the California Federation of Teachers, said the union supports the plan that allows an option for testing.

'We do not think people should lose their jobs over this,' he said.

Schools are required to be in full compliance with the new policy by Oct. 15, giving schools time to verify vaccination status and have in place weekly testing for unvaccinated staff, said Amelia Matier, a spokeswoman in the governors office.

Newsom did not rule out expanding the requirement to students after a vaccine is approved for children under 12 years old.

'Well consider all options in the future,' he said, in response to a question. 'We believe this is a meaningful first step.'

Newsom did not rule out expanding the requirement to students after a vaccine is approved for children under 12 years old

Masks have become a divisive issue, often splitting the country along political lines, despite near universal agreement among health experts that they can limit the spread of the virus, Reuters reported.

In contrast, more conservatives states have rejected mask mandates.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a statewide ban on mask mandates, which was temporarily blocked by a judge in Dallas County from being enforced amid a nationwide rise in coronavirus cases.

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida stirred controversy last week when he threatened to financial penalize schools that require masks to be worn. DeSantis issued a statement announcing his order, which read, 'With respect to enforcing any financial consequences for noncompliance of state law regarding these rules and ultimately the rights of parents to make decisions about their children's education and health care decisions, it would be the goal of the State Board of Education to narrowly tailor any financial consequences to the offense committed.'

'For example, the State Board of Education could move to withhold the salary of the district superintendent or school board members, as a narrowly tailored means to address the decision-makers who led to the violation of law.'

'Education funding is intended to benefit students first and foremost, not systems. The Governor's priorities are protecting parents' rights and ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality education that meets their unique needs.'

At least one superintendent offered an immediate and defiant response to DeSantis's salary threat. Leon County School Superintendent Rocky Hanna told school officials on Monday that 'you can't put a price tag on someone's life including my salary.'

He added: 'We want to make sure that children also have access to a high quality education but they can't if they're sick and in the hospital.'

His response came hours before he announced that children in the state's capital, Tallahassee, will be required to wear masks as the upcoming school year begins.

Broward County Public Schools  the second-largest in the state  also spoke out against the governor. 'At this time, the District's face covering policy, which requires the use of masks in District schools and facilities, remains in place,' the district said in a statement sent to the Washington Post. The announcement came after the school district reversed its mask requirement Monday, saying it wanted to comply with the governor's order.

Ronald DeSantis faces backlash in Florida after threatening to cut school officials' salaries if they put mask wearing mandates in place

The influx of defiance against DeSantis prompted the Biden administration to say it was considering supporting the school districts financially if DeSantis retaliates against them by withholding funds from officials' salaries.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that the administration is 'continuing to look for ways' for 'the U.S. government to support districts and schools as they try to follow the science.' According to the Washington Post, the administration would pay the school officials' salaries using coronavirus relief money designated for Florida schools that has remained unspent.

Meanwhile, in Tennessee, over a hundred anti-mask protesters heckled masked people, including doctors and nurses, on Tuesday in Williamson County where the school board voted earlier to require masks for elementary students.

A video with nearly 1 million views on Twitter shows the crowd surrounding a masked man as he walked to his car. Protesters yelled: 'We will find you' and 'We know who you are. No more masks.'

The vaccination requirement in California schools follows similar orders that applied to state employees and healthcare workers. Over the past few weeks, Newsom has mandated that all health care workers must be fully vaccinated and required that all state employees get vaccinated or choose weekly testing.

Teachers and all school employees, including custodians, aides and bus drivers, will be required to show proof of their vaccination status to their school district and employees who are not vaccinated must submit to weekly testing, USA Today reported.

'We think this is a sustainable way to keeping our schools open, and to address the No. 1 anxiety that parents like myself have for young children,' Newsom said at a briefing where he was flanked by state teachers' union officials who support the move.

Newsom is currently facing a recall election on September 14 after he faced fierce criticism from Republicans relating to the state's response to COVID-19, crime rates and homelessness.

Two unions representing more than 550,000 California teachers and school employees expressed support for the requirement, CNN reported.

School districts in San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, and Long Beach have already implemented a similar measure and Los Angeles Unified, the state's largest school district, has required weekly COVID testing, but stopped short of mandating educators be vaccinated, According to CNN.

California contains more than 1,000 school districts that employ more than 300,000 teachers who teach about 6.1 million students.

The White House said last week that almost 90% of U.S. educators and school staff are vaccinated.

The U.S. government and several states, along with some hospitals, universities and a growing number of private employers, have said they require employees to get inoculated.

New York City last week become the first major U.S. city to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination at restaurants, gyms and other businesses, starting next month.

In Texas, the temporary order in Dallas issued late on Tuesday by Judge Tonya Parker allows officials in the state's second-most populous county to require masks indoors, despite Abbott's July order against such mandates. A hearing on Aug. 24 will determine whether to extend the temporary order.

The top elected official in Dallas County, Judge Clay Jenkins, who sought the court order issued late Tuesday, said preventative steps such as mask-wearing are needed to combat a spike in new cases of COVID-19.

'Models predict ongoing dramatic increases in cases and hospitalizations over the coming weeks that will exceed the peak earlier this year unless behavior change takes place,' he said Tuesday on Twitter.

The latest coronavirus wave is still the worst in Southern states, based on new cases and hospitalizations per capita in recent weeks.

Arkansas, Florida and Louisiana are all reporting record COVID-19 hospitalizations in recent days.
The New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday joined the list of corporations mandating that their employees be vaccinated against COVID-19.

According to an internal memo obtained by Reuters, the company is requiring anyone accessing its Wall Street trading floor to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus as of Sept. 13.

This comes as several major corporations are adopting vaccination policies as a result of the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the United States due to the Delta variant.

In recent weeks, major companies including Alphabet Inc's Google, Uber Technologies Inc and Facebook Inc said all their U.S. employees must get vaccinated to step into offices after new guidance from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that requires fully vaccinated individuals to wear masks.

The New York Stock Exchange is requiring employees accessing its Wall Street trading floor to get vaccinated against the coronavirus

The stock exchange will grant exemptions for medical or religious reasons, CNBC reported.

The company is also expanding random onsite COVID testing to include vaccinated individuals.

The NYSE had previously required visitors and people coming in for IPOs to show proof of vaccination.

As of Wednesday, that requirement has been extended to include those who work on the 16,000 square-foot trading floor, which hosts a few hundred traders on an average day.

The NYSE's new vaccine requirement is effective as of Sept. 13.

NBCUniversal and McDonald's Corp. also announced Wednesday that they will be requiring vaccinations.

The stock exchange will grant exemptions for medical or religious reasons and is also expanding random onsite COVID testing to include vaccinated individuals

McDonald's also announced a vaccination requirement on Wednesday. The company said U.S.-based office workers need to get the coronavirus shot, however the policy will not apply to restaurant employees

McDonald's said U.S.-based office workers need to get the coronavirus shot, however the policy will not apply to restaurant employees, whether corporate-owned and franchised.

McDonald's Corp is also delaying the return of employees to its offices until at least Oct. 11 to allow employees time to get vaccinated.

The company said the vaccination requirement does not apply to employees of McDonald's restaurants, whether corporate-owned and franchised.

NBCUniversal will require U.S. based-employees returning to its office to be fully vaccinated, the Comcast Corp-owned media company said, adding that the company will require employees to provide vaccination status details.

This comes as COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise across the country and hospitals in several states say they are reaching their breaking points.

On Tuesday, the U.S. recorded 106,871 new cases of the virus with a seven-day rolling average of 116,722, which is the highest figure recorded since February 6.

It's also a 214 percent increase from the average of 37,056 reported three weeks ago, according to a DailyMail.com analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.

Deaths, which are a lagging indicator, have also been rising after holding steady for several weeks.

On Tuesday, the U.S. recorded 106,871 new cases of the virus with a seven-day rolling average of 116,722, which is the highest figure recorded since February 6

Deaths have also risen with 819 recorded on Tuesday with an average of 520, an 89% increase from the 274 average seen 21 days prior

There were 819 COVID-19 deaths recorded on Tuesday with an average of 520, an 89 percent increase from the 274 average seen 21 days prior.

However, fatality levels still remain far below previous peaks with half as many deaths as the 1,200 average being recorded during the November 2020 surge before COVID-19 vaccines were made available.

The rapidly escalating surge, caused by the Indian 'Delta' variant has caused a shortage of nurses and other front-line staff in virus hot spots that can no longer keep up with the flood of unvaccinated patients and are losing workers to burnout and lucrative out-of-state temporary gigs.

At least four states - Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana and Oregon - all have more people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 than during any other surge, and nursing staffs are badly strained.

About 715,000 vaccine doses are being administered every day, the highest rate since July 7

Meanwhile, the U.S. vaccination rollout has picked up the pace with the country now averaging more than 700,000 vaccinations a day - the highest rate in over a month.

The daily average for Americans getting their first doses is more 500,000, the highest in over two months, according to the White House COVID-19 data director.

More than 195 million Americans have now received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, representing just over half of the population.
Arnoldo Lozano-Sanchez, 78, is being accused of opening fire with a gun to three of his tenants in a small house near downtown Las Vegas

A landlord accused of shooting three tenants and killing two of them during an argument over unpaid rent told a witness that 'he didnt want to go through the eviction process,' a prosecutor said today.

Arnoldo Lozano-Sanchez, 78, allegedly slayed two women and wounded a man by shooting him nine times at his Las Vegas home.

Lozano-Sanchez was arrested and ordered held without bail pending his arraignment on murder and attempted murder charges.

He had 'made statements about the victims not paying rent and that he was certainly upset about it' but he wanted to handle it 'his way,' Chief Deputy District Attorney Tim Fattig told a judge.

Police arrived at Lozano-Sanchez's small home early Tuesday, to find one woman dead outside, the wounded man stumbling out the front door and another woman dead in a bedroom.

The unnamed victim who remained alive was hospitalized in critical condition but is expected to survive, police said.

Las Vegas police remove crime scene tape in front of the where authorities say Lozano-Sanchez argued with three tenants over unpaid rent before shooting them early Tuesday, August 10

The shooting, apparently involving a landlord-tenant dispute, left two renters dead, one critically wounded with nine gunshot wounds and their landlord in custody as the suspect

Lozano-Sanchez refused to speak with police after his arrest.

A police report obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal said he told a witness, Adria Ortega, several days ago that he was angry about his tenants not paying rent.

'Ortega suggested Lozano go to court to evict the people living inside his home. Lozano Sanchez told the witness he would `handle it his way,' the report said.

Fattig revealed that another tenant, a man identified in the police report as Carlos Lopez, was in the house during the shooting but was not shot.

Lopez told police that he saw Lozano-Sanchez go into a bedroom where a woman pleaded for her life, multiple gunshots were fired and the wounded man ran out.

'The surviving roommate heard and saw the defendant enter into another bedroom in the house, and he heard cries for help from the occupants and thereafter heard the defendant shoot them,' Fattig told the judge. 'He also saw the defendant exit that bedroom, smiling.'

Lozano Sanchez was advised to take the tenants to court but reportedly said that he would 'handle it his way' instead

The unnamed victims were in their 50's. a fourth tenant was in the home at the moment of the attack but was not injured

The names of the victims, all in their 50s, have not been released.

Sarah Hawkins, a deputy public defender representing Lozano-Sanchez, protested that reading a police arrest statement in court did not amount to evidence.

She lost a bid to have him freed on $10,000 bail and house arrest.

Lozano-Sanchez allegedly asked a neighbor to help him dispose of the gun, but police found it in a nearby bush.

Police say they had no immediate information linking the rent dispute with a nationwide eviction moratorium that expired last week but was reinstated for areas with high transmission of COVID-19, including Nevada.

The modified ban from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention faces legal challenges and lasts until Oct 3.
A private bidder has made a $120 million offer to purchase the beachfront land where the ill-fated Champlain Towers South building stood before the deadly destruction on June 24 which killed 98 people.

The new mysterious bid was revealed Wednesday morning during the latest court hearing regarding the onslaught of lawsuits over deadly building collapse.

Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman, who is overseeing dozens of lawsuits regarding the deadly devastation, has been pushing for the sale of the property to compensate victims of the tragedy.

He authorized the negotiation of an agreement with the undisclosed bidder to happen as 'quickly as possible' to begin a 'short auction process', according to the Miami Herald.

Michael Faye, the appointed real-estate broker, informed Hanzman that he had a received a 'letter of interest' from an unnamed bidder offering $110 million for the site saying that 'They're willing to go to a $120 million.'

During Wednesday's court hearing, the real-estate broker appointed to sell the Champlain Towers property revealed that an unnamed bidder has offered to purchase the land for $120 million

Judge Michael Hanzman approved the broker to continue negotiations with the private bidder which would begin the bidding allowing other companies to join in the auction

The city of Miami currently has 2,439 buildings on its unsafe structure list

Court records show that the property could be worth $100 million to $110 million.

'That's the best news I've heard so far today,' Hanzman exclaimed. 'They're a viable company that has the wherewithal to close on a transaction of this magnitude?'

'We do believe that to be true,' Faye confirmed.

The court has been searching for a stalking-horse bidder meaning the undisclosed bidder would not automatically get the property but will begin the process for an auction in which other developers could bid for the land.

Hanzman made it clear, 'I want to compensate these victims as soon as possible.'

The land where the Champlain Towers once stood is technically owned by the condo's Home Owners Association.

After the devastation at 8777 Collins Avenue, the court created a receivership to take over control of the Champlain Towers HOA. The receiver is 'placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights.'

All of the assets accumulated between the victims or owners will be divested from the HOA and goes into a trust which the receiver will work to collect and then dispense between the owners or beneficiaries of the 136 units.

A timeline of the tragic Surfside building collapse that left nearly 100 people dead, including Miami-Dade fireman Enrique Arango's 7-year-old daughter Estella

The money earned from the sell of the property will be added to a trust which will be dispensed to the victims or owners of the collapsed beachfront condos

'The losses here are staggering. Loss of life. Loss of property. The losses add up quickly to establish the financial toll' of the devastation, Brad Sohn one of the plaintiffs' court appointed attorneys told DailyMail.com.

Regarding what to do with the property, Sohn said, 'Everybody in the case has recognized the deeply personal loss involved and that there will be opinions in different directions.' But recognized that it is up to the court to decide.

What will become of the seaside Collins Avenue property has been a point of contention between the government, lawyers, survivors, and loved ones of those 98 who perished.

During a news briefing last month, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava said that stakeholders wanted to do 'something different' to commemorate the lives lost. 'I think for most of us, we don't want to have it be business as usual...and certainly discussions have begun how that could happen,' the mayor said.

But Manny Kadre, a lawyer who is serving as a liaison between the court and elected officials including Levine-Cava, told the Herald that it appears 'very highly unlikely' that any government agency would buy the land.

Kadre stated that there is a valid possibility that the government could step in to help forgive mortgages, create a victims compensation fund, or help with creating a memorial on the site or nearby but says that 'The property being monetized by government is a very, very unlikely scenario.'

Rescue and recovery workers had spent nearly four weeks combing through and removing the rubble of the building. It is pictured on June 24 the day of its collapse

Construction lights surround the area of land where the partially collapsed Champlain Towers South building stood in Surfside, Florida

Survivors have been divided on what to do with the land. Several condo owners have asked Hanzman to allow a developer to rebuild homes on the land because they want to keep living there, others want the site to become a memorial to the tragedy that happened on June 24, and some want both. Last month survivors began to express their opinions on what should become of the land in court.

Oren Cytrynbaum, who bought a condo unit at Champlain Towers South years ago said 'It's an opportunity to live in an area like that that doesn't come around very often and to replace it now for a lot of these owners will be almost mission impossible, considering where home prices are, especially beachfront property,' according to the Miami New Times.

He elaborated, 'I mean, that was taken away from a lot of people and that's why a lot of people feel they would like their home back.'

But another resident speaking in court had a differing opinion saying, 'That is a gravesite. I left that in my mind that evening saying that is a gravesite,' she said. 'I saw with my two eyes the pancake. I opened the stairwell door and I heard a woman crying for help that I couldn't help in pitch darkness.'

While several dozens of individual lawsuits have been brought forward regarding the building's collapse, Judge Hanzman has begun by pooling together the cases and appointing 12 law firms to run litigation proceedings to first discern fault and culpability of the disaster and establish the receivership.

Once these first steps have been completed, individual lawsuits will be heard.

Two months since the Champlain Towers South partially collapsed, the site shown above is mostly cleared and debris has been relocated to a different site

Twisted pieces of metal bars protrude from the remains of walls in the area of land block stood

As the courts work to decipher who will be held responsible for one the deadliest building collapses in the country's history, several other buildings in Miami have been evacuated after being deemed 'unsafe structures.'

Miami Dade County officials are inspecting 501 buildings - every one in their jurisdiction that is 40 years or older- to make sure none are compromised like the Champlain Towers. There is currently no state law in Florida that requires high rise buildings to be inspected regularly.

On Monday, hundreds of residents of an eight-story unit were told to evacuate by 8 am the next morning. The building was first placed on the unsafe structure list back in May and was ordered to undergo repairs.

Karla Fortuny, Chief of Staff and Communication for Miami's City Commissioner, told WSVN that the city will provide housing for the families until the issues are fixed although it remains unknown how long that will be. But shifted the blame from the city of Miami saying, 'The city had been working with the engineer for this building for weeks now, and they had given specific instructions on what to do in the building. Unfortunately, those instructions were not followed.'

The city of Miami currently has 2,439 buildings on its unsafe structure list, according to city data. While the Champlain Towers site is part of Miami-Dade County it is not part of the city of Miami.

The cause of the Champlain Tower South collapse has not yet been determined.

There is no evidence to suggest that as the original architect for the Champlain Towers South, Friedman's design, completed in 1980, had anything to do with its collapse.

However, the background information could provide a useful element for investigators still attempting to discover what led to the fall of the tower block.

So far, that has been one indicator of a 'major error' that was discovered in the original plans for the building which were prepared by Friedman and the project engineer.

A 2018 engineering report on the 12-story condo suggests a concrete slab in one part of the building had not been placed at a slope to allow water to drain.

'The question comes down to: Was it a design error or deferred maintenance that was the approximate cause for the collapse?' said Frank Schnidman, retired urban planning professor at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.
Details of the man at the centre of an international espionage scandal are beginning to emerge, with neighbours' descriptions suggesting he's no James Bond.

David Smith, a security guard at the British Embassy in Berlin, is accused of passing on classified terrorism documents to a Russian spy, it emerged last night.

In echoes of Cold War espionage, Smith received a bundle of cash in return for providing highly sensitive reports to a Kremlin agent, it is alleged.

Smith, 57, was charged in Germany yesterday for handing over information obtained from the British embassy in Berlin.

The purported spy worked as a security guard inside the building and would have had access to the counter-terrorism tactics which would be deployed in the event of an attack.

Such details would be invaluable to enemy agents looking for weaknesses at an embassy in a city where Russian espionage is rife.

Smith was monitored by MI5, Scotland Yard and German intelligence for months before he was arrested at his apartment in Potsdam, a city near to Berlin, on Tuesday afternoon.

Smith's neighbours told Germany's Bild newspaper that he was a bald, stocky man of about 5ft 7 who left home early and returned late each day. He drives a Ford Fiesta, which was also searched by police.

They said that he had lived with a woman in the Potsdam apartment for some years, but they had not seen her recently.

There are fears Smith may have been susceptible to being blackmailed by agents working for Putin due to his alleged 'extreme right-wing views', The Sun reported.

A British embassy official is accused of passing on classified terrorism documents to a Russian spy, it emerged last night. Pictured: A still from Steven Spielberg's 2015 Cold War thriller Bridge of Spies

Prosecutors and intelligence services have evidence that David Smith was passing secrets to the Kremlin from November last year  but suspect this could have been happening for months before this date. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) during a meeting

Following his arrest, Smith was charged with 'activity as an agent for a foreign secret service' yesterday and appeared before a judge at the Federal Court of Justice in the south-western city of Karlsruhe. He was remanded in custody last night.

In a statement, the federal prosecutor's office said: 'On at least one occasion he conveyed documents that he had obtained in the course of his professional activities to a representative of a Russian intelligence service. In return for this information the suspect received a currently unknown quantity of cash.'

Prosecutors and intelligence services have evidence that Smith was passing secrets to the Kremlin from November last year  but suspect this could have been happening for months before this date.

Smith's alleged spying took place during a period of heightened tension between Russia and the West, which was inflamed by the poisoning of Vladimir Putin critic Alexei Navalny last August.

Navalny was treated in a hospital in Berlin after he was poisoned with Novichok  the same nerve agent used during the Salisbury poisonings in 2018.

Last night British security sources played down the possibility of finding any direct link between Smith's alleged activities and the poisoning of Navalny.

But the spying case is seen as part of a growing attempt by Russian spies to infiltrate Western intelligence operations in recent months.

Stung by the criticism over their treatment of Navalny  as well as the ongoing row over Ukraine  the Kremlin is known to have diverted intelligence resources to undermining Nato members.

Smith was monitored by MI5, Scotland Yard and German intelligence for months before he was arrested at his apartment in Potsdam, a city near to Berlin, on Tuesday afternoon. Pictured: Smith's apartment block

Thomas Haldenwang head of Germany's domestic intelligence service, said Russian espionage is now as active as it had been during the Cold War.

He added: 'Methods are becoming rougher and the means more brutal.' Questions will undoubtedly be raised about the vetting procedures at the British embassy in Berlin, which is still seen by Moscow as a prime intelligence target.

Smith, who was referred to as 'David S' by German officials, was understood to have been hired directly by the embassy  rather than through the Foreign Office in London.

The suspect was understood to have a permanent role inside the building  which sits just 500 yards from the Russian embassy in Berlin.

So why haven't we filled the post of security minister?, asks Labour By David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent Labour has said the case in Berlin raises 'questions' about the Prime Minister's failure to appoint a new security minister. The post has been vacant for more than a month after James Brokenshire stepped down to focus on his cancer recovery. Labour's security spokesman Conor McGinn said it 'beggars belief' that the role has yet to be filled five weeks on. But his criticisms were dismissed as 'laughable' by a Home Office source. Mr McGinn said: 'Britain's national security is under threat 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but the UK has not had a security minister in position for over a month. 'Following today's events, it raises questions about who in Government is overseeing the most serious task of keeping the British public safe and secure. It beggars belief that the Prime Minister has failed to appoint a replacement for James Brokenshire. 'He's either forgotten or doesn't think it's important. This is just the latest security lapse from a Prime Minister and Government that can't be trusted with national security.' A Home Office source said: 'The Home Secretary is responsible for matters of security. 'For the party that tried to make Jeremy Corbyn prime minister to suggest we are lax on security matters is laughable.' Mr Brokenshire was first diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer in December 2017 when he was Northern Ireland Secretary. The politician  who has never smoked  said he went public with his diagnosis in a bid to end the stigma of lung cancer sufferers. As security minister in January this year he took a leave of absence to prepare for further cancer treatment, but resigned the post on July 7, telling Boris Johnson his recovery was taking 'longer than anticipated'. Advertisement

His role would have allowed him to obtain the shift patterns of senior diplomats and logs showing him who was inside the embassy at any given time.

As a security guard, he had information about the physical security of the building and measures taken to protect staff.

He would have been able to get hold of detailed plans of the building's layout and its emergency exits.

Smith may also have been able to provide profiles of senior diplomats and their families, and possibly even names of MI6 officers stationed in the city.

Even seemingly mundane information can help a foreign intelligence service build a picture of an adversary and provide a way in to sensitive data.

After being monitored for months by security services, a warrant for Smith's arrest was secretly issued on Wednesday last week. Following his arrest, agents have started searching his home in a post-war apartment block near Sanssouci, the old Prussian royal palace.

His office inside the embassy is also being examined.

The Potsdam area where Smith lives is home to politicians and millionaires, as well as former Stasi generals.

The Germans have evidence of what the documents Smith allegedly sold, but the extent of it will not be clear until forensic searches are complete.

He does not have diplomatic immunity and because of this he is expected to face trial in Germany.

Yesterday, Smith appeared at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe, Germany.

It came as officials in Britain suggested Smith would be 'better off staying in Germany' than being extradited to the UK due to the outdated terms of the Official Secrets Act.

A source told The Times: 'It is extremely difficult to get prosecutions over the line in the UK. He might be better off staying in Germany.

'They have strong powers there to keep suspects remanded in custody much longer.'

Last year then head of MI5 Sir Andrew Parker also said the 1911 Official Secrets Act was 'dusty and largely ineffective' amid calls for the act to be reformed, and Dame Cressida Dick said the Official Secrets Act should be 'firmed up'.

According to the act, secret material must be a 'sketch, plan, model, note or secret official password and code word' rather than a document. This means Smith may not meet the criteria for prosecution if extradited to the UK.

At yesterday's pre-trial hearing, which was conducted in private, a judge ordered Smith into 'pre-trial detention'.

This is used in Germany when a suspect is accused of committing a serious criminal offence. It can last up to a maximum of six months before it is automatically reviewed by judges. A source told the Daily Mail last night: 'It is really hard to say how much time the investigation will take because we need to get enough evidence for a trial.

'But given the nature of the case, there is a real need to move quickly.'

Speaking about the allegations in Berlin yesterday, Germany's foreign minister Heiko Maas said: 'We take the information that the detained person's intelligence activity was carried out on behalf of a Russian intelligence agency extremely seriously.

'Spying on a close ally on German soil is absolutely unacceptable and we are in full solidarity with our British friends.'

The spying case is seen as part of a growing attempt by Russian spies to infiltrate Western intelligence operations in recent months. Pictured: Jill Gallard, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Germany

Labour MP Chris Bryant, the chairman of the all-party parliamentary Russia group, told the Daily Telegraph the British Government 'must review the security of all contractors at UK embassies as a matter of urgency'.

The British embassy 'spy' could have done a 'lot of damage', says intelligence expert It has been revealed that the British man arrested in Germany on suspicion of spying for Russia and handing over documents for cash while working at the British Embassy in Berlin was a security guard. The 57-year-old suspect, identified as David Smith, was arrested on Tuesday in Potsdam, west of Berlin, based on cooperative investigations by German and British authorities. As a security guard at the British embassy, Smith would have more access than other members of staff, Dr Victor Madeira, author of Britannia and the Bear: the Anglo-Russian intelligence wars, told MailOnline. For instance, Smith could have access to security patrol schedules, how to arm and disarm alarm systems as well as emergency contact numbers for all staff, Dr Madeira said. 'He could potentially even have access to classified areas, depending on his own security clearance,' Dr Madeira, a Contributing Author at The Cambridge Security Initiative, told MailOnline. German online magazine Focus Online reported that he provided the Russians with documents containing information on counterterrorism. Dr Madeira, speaking about those reports, said: 'The reports that Smith passed on counter-terrorism documents suggests that Moscow could be trying see how much the UK is helping Germany tackle Russian assassinations on their soil. 'Russia could also be trying to find out what the UK and Germany may be discussing about counter-terrorism more generally, like the impact on Europe of the unrest in Afghanistan.' He explained: 'The information doesn't have to be specific to Russian activities in Germany to be of great interest to Moscow - information can be weaponised for influence operations of every kind.' Before his arrest, Smith worked as a local staff member, otherwise known as a 'local hire' at the embassy, which is a scheme available for UK citizens who want to work in Germany. It means that he was not a diplomat and therefore he does not have diplomatic immunity. Foreign embassies in most countries rely in part on these 'local hires' to fill a variety of roles. The positions are often advertised on generic job search websites in the host country - and the identity of the employer is kept vague until applicants pass an initial screening process. Local hire positions in embassies are usually in fields such as media affairs, maintenance or visa processing which do not usually give access to classified information - or if they were, it would be limited. But Smith could have been able to provide valuable information to Russia, such as WiFi passwords and staff lists including their addresses and mobile phones, Dr Madeira said. He could also have been able to form profiles of diplomats and MI6 officers stationed in Berlin. Dr Madeira said 'one of the biggest problems we have in the West is that we confuse seniority with access'. He said: 'Just because someone is 'just' a driver, 'just' a messenger, is utterly irrelevant. Just because someone is a local hire and therefore not formally a foreign service officer or a diplomat, that doesn't mean that the person couldn't have done a lot of damage. 'Anything - especially with cyber being so critical nowadays - from WiFi passwords, any sort of administrative lists like staff lists, addresses, mobile phones could be accessible. That would make it easier for the Russian intelligence services to track those mobile phones. 'They would be able to identify who is a genuine diplomat and who is not.' Dr Madeira warned: 'There's a real range of damage that a person like this could do. Let's not confuse seniority, title or status with access. It's incredible what someone who is teed up to look for certain things can pick up. 'It's a well-established, tried and tested method. Pretty much everyone does it. Every country will try and recruit someone working in a hostile embassy.' Advertisement

He described the arrest as potentially 'one of the most serious security breaches at a UK embassy for many years'.

In a statement, the UK Home Office said: 'An individual who was contracted to work for the Government was arrested yesterday by the German authorities. It would not be appropriate to comment further as there is an ongoing police investigation.'

Meanwhile, Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, said the allegations potentially amounted to a 'serious breach of UK national security'.

He added: 'All measures must now be taken  urgently  to establish exactly what information has been passed to Russian intelligence and the impact this has on the UK, as well as that of our allies.'

And Conservative Chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, Tom Tugendhat, told the BBC: 'We're not talking about some Kim Philby-type story; we're talking about somebody relatively low down who has ... possibly betrayed their country  we don't know.'

Germany has arrested a number of people in recent years accused of spying for Russia, but the capture of a suspect from a close ally is highly unusual.

In June, a Russian man who worked at a German university was arrested on suspicion of espionage for allegedly passing information to Russian intelligence, German prosecutors said.

The suspect, identified only as Ilnur N., was arrested and his home and workplace were searched.

Federal prosecutors said he worked as a research assistant for a science and technology professorship at a German university. They didn't identify the university or specify where in the country he was arrested.

The man is accused of meeting at least three times with a member of a Russian intelligence service, which prosecutors didn't identify, between October of last year and June. In two of those meetings, he is alleged to have handed over information on the university in exchange for an unspecified amount of cash.

And German prosecutors in February filed espionage charges against a German man suspected of having passed the floor plans of parliament to Russian secret services in 2017.

Moscow is at loggerheads with a number of Western capitals after a Russian troop build-up on Ukraine's borders and a series of espionage scandals that have resulted in diplomatic expulsions.

In June, Italy said it had created a national cybersecurity agency following warnings by Prime Minister Mario Draghi that Europe needs to protect itself from Russian 'interference'.

The move came after an Italian navy captain was caught red-handed by police selling confidential military documents from his computer to a Russian embassy official.

The leaders of nine eastern European nations in May condemned what they termed Russian 'aggressive acts', citing operations in Ukraine and 'sabotage' allegedly targeted at the Czech Republic.

Several central and eastern European countries expelled Russian diplomats in solidarity with Prague, but Russia has branded accusations of its involvement as 'absurd' and responded with tit-for-tat expulsions.

British spy chiefs say both China and Russia have sought to steal commercially sensitive data and intellectual property as well as to interfere in politics, while Russian agents are also accused of carrying out an attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal on British soil in 2018.

Beijing and Moscow say the West is gripped with a paranoia about plots. Both Russia and China deny they meddle abroad, seek to steal technology, carry out cyberattacks or sow discord.

The Berlin case has echoes of the shadowy world of espionage practised during the Cold War, when double agent Kim Philby and others in a ring of British spies known as the 'Cambridge Five' passed information to the Soviet Union.

Relations between London and Moscow have been at a low point since the attempted poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in British Salisbury in 2018.

The Kremlin has denied any involvement in either case.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government has moreover worked to maintain a sanctions regime over Moscow's annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

And Germany has repeatedly accused Russia of cyberattacks and cyberespionage on its soil.

Despite the frictions, Berlin has pressed ahead with plans to finish the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, set to double natural gas supplies from Russia to Germany.

The Scripals were poisoned after two Russian agents smeared the deadly nerve agent on the door handle of Mr Skripal's home. Pictured: Russian agents Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov in Salisbury

Yulia Skripal (left) and her double agent father Sergei Skripal, 68, (right) were poisoned with novichok on March 4 2019

Our leaders MUST not forget the Cold War is never over

By Professor Anthony Glees

Along Unter den Linden  the grand boulevard that runs up to Berlin's Brandenburg Gate  Britain's gleaming new embassy lies just 250 yards from its Russian equivalent, a Stalinist-era monstrosity.

Berlin during the 1960s and 1970s was always regarded as the playground of international espionage  and Unter den Linden played its part in many a spy drama.

So there is something all too reminiscent of the novels of John le Carre and Len Deighton about the revelation that David Smith, a British security guard attached to our embassy in the German capital, has been arrested on suspicion of selling secrets to Russian handlers.

It may seem like a bizarre throwback to the Cold War, but this extraordinary story illustrates how the threat to the West from Vladimir Putin's Russia remains real.

Mr Smith, 57, is said to have passed documents to Russian intelligence 'at least once' in exchange for an 'unknown amount' of money.

He was yesterday charged with 'activity as an agent for a foreign secret service' and remanded in custody.

The German foreign ministry says that Berlin is taking the case 'very seriously', adding that spying by 'a close alliance partner on German soil is unacceptable'. In diplomatic terms, such language is unusually strong.

Whatever the nature of the secrets Mr Smith allegedly sold, should it be true, I fear the damage from this scandal would turn out to be grave.

It would be a terrible humiliation for a leading member of the Five Eyes Anglosphere intelligence network to have sprung a leak inside its most important European embassy.

Britain's key intelligence allies  America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand  would be furious.

Along Unter den Linden  the grand boulevard that runs up to Berlin's Brandenburg Gate  Britain's gleaming new embassy (pictured) lies just 250 yards from its Russian equivalent, a Stalinist-era monstrosity

Our current ambassador, Jill Gallard (pictured), has been in post only nine months, so she will not carry any direct blame for Mr Smith's appointment. But I do feel that it would be better to have a more heavyweight German specialist as our representative in Berlin

To make matters worse, Germany is easily Britain's most important European ally. The British Government has only just finished putting away the red carpet that was rolled out for outgoing chancellor Angela Merkel last month, following her meetings with the Queen and Boris Johnson.

A couple of details about the case raise flags. Assuming he really is 57 years old, Mr Smith would have come of age steeped in the imagery and propaganda of the Cold War.

His apartment  since raided by German police  is in Potsdam: once in the Communist sector of Berlin.

Spy case sparks concerns over private sector embassy involvement The British embassy in Berlin was the first to be built under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) partnership, which meant the building would be owned and run by private companies. In the wake of the espionage allegations, concerns have been raised over potential security implications of such a partnership. The Telegraph reported that there are as many people employed by contractors as there are diplomats in the Berlin embassy under the PFI deal. Just how much access these non-diplomatic staff members might have to sensitive material is now being questioned. The case has echoes of the scandal which forced former UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock to resign. Hancock's affair with an aide was revealed after a private contractor leaked security footage to the press. In February, German prosecutors filed espionage charges against a German man suspected of having passed the floor plans of parliament to Russian secret services in 2017. The man was an electrical engineer carrying out routine inspections on the building when he came into contact with the floor plans. Advertisement

His engagement by the embassy seems on the face of it unusual. Our embassies all recruit staff locally, often to help organise social events or process routine visa applications. Their local knowledge and language skills are helpful to the diplomats.

But it is unusual to hire expatriate Britons locally, not least because they may have acquired different loyalties through their own lives and relationships.

Reports are ambiguous in suggesting how long Mr Smith is suspected of being 'active', but last night, Germany's most senior prosecutor said he was 'strongly suspected' of having worked for the Russians since at least last November.

Now the onus is on the investigators, whoever they are, to urgently establish where Mr Smith has travelled in recent years  and where he was employed before joining the British embassy.

WiFi codes and email address templates will have had to be changed immediately as damage limitation measures.

Trust with our German partners will have to be swiftly restored.

Our current ambassador, Jill Gallard, has been in post only nine months, so she will not carry any direct blame for Mr Smith's appointment.

But I do feel that it would be better to have a more heavyweight German specialist as our representative in Berlin, rather than a former Foreign Office head of human resources who takes time to tweet about climate change and women's success at the Olympics.

Over the many years that I have taught students about the world and international relations, I have always insisted we should not regard the Cold War as an historic episode.

From the monstrous Salisbury poisonings and the attempted assassination of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny  not to mention unquestioning support of the repellent Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko  Vladimir Putin has become ever more brazen in his conduct.

The Communist party  faithfully supported by the Russian president when he was a KGB agent  might have died when the Berlin Wall was torn down, and the Soviet Union imploded.

But totalitarianism lives on in the Russian mind.

Should any good come of these allegations, we may hope that it alerts our complacent leaders to the true threat we face from Russia  and trust that our security services will never rest in protecting us from it.

Professor Anthony Glees is a security and intelligence expert at the University of Buckingham.
Nearly a third of Republicans believe there's a chance former President Donald Trump will be 'reinstated' to the presidency at some point this year, according to a Morning Consult/Politico Poll published Wednesday.

The poll comes two days before some of Trump's most active conspiracy theorists predicted he'd be back: August 13.

The survey, which was conducted between June 4 and 7, found 29 per cent of Republicans believed Trump could be reinstated in 2021 - with 17 per cent saying it's very likely and another 12 per cent saying it's somewhat likely.

Nearly a third of Republicans believe there's a chance former President Donald Trump will be 'reinstated' to the presidency at some point this year

New polling from Morning Consult/Politico found that nearly 30 per cent of Republicans believed there was some change former President Donald Trump could be reinstated in 2021

Slightly more GOP women believed Trump could be back than GOP men.

While 17 per cent of both Republican men and women agreed that it was very likely Trump could be reinstated, 14 per cent of Republican women thought it was somewhat likely versus 10 per cent of Republican men.

By comparison, 7 per cent of Democrats called it very likely Trump could return, while another 6 per cent called it somewhat likely.

Overall, 77 per cent of Democrats said a Trump reinstatement wasn't likely at all compared to 39 per cent of Republicans.

In a tweet, The New York Times' Maggie Haberman was first to report that Trump was telling people he believed he'd be reinstated to the White House sometime in August.

'Trump has been telling a number of people hes in contact with that he expects he will get reinstated by August (no that isnt how it works but simply sharing the information),' Haberman said in early June.

Her reporting was later confirmed by other news outlets.

It was My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell - who has been spouting election fraud conspiracy theories for months - that fingered August 13 as the date.

Sidney Powell, at one point one of Trump's election lawyers, also told an audience there was a way Trump could be reinstated - which is false.

Speaking to Vice News on Monday, Lindell, however, backtracked.

'Nobody said that, nobody said that, nobody said that, nobody said that, nobody said that, nobody said that, OK? I think this interview is over,' Lindell said.

My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell previously said he believed former President Donald Trump would be 'reinstated' to the presidency on August 13

Trump's former attorney Sidney Powell has also floated that she believed the ex-president could be reinstated

There's no way for Trump to be reinstated and there was no widespread evidence of election fraud.

Biden won more than 7 million votes than Trump and won the Electoral College 306 to 232.

Biden became president on January 20, 2021.

Trump does have an avenue back to the White House - he could win the 2024 presidential race.

He has kept the door open to do that and said he'd make an announcement after the 2022 midterm elections.

Trump nearly lost his chance to become president again.

Had the U.S. Senate convicted him on impeachment charges of inciting an insurrection they could have also barred him from entering a future presidential race.
Texas Democrat State Rep. Gene Wu, one of the notorious group who fled their home state to deny Republicans the quorum to pass elections legislatoin, temporarily avoided arrest on Wednesday.

State District Judge Chris Morton granted Wu's filing of a writ of habeas corpus, determining that his arrest was unlawful. The arrest would have compelled Wu to return to Austin so the legislature could conduct business.

Morton said he was concerned that Attorney General Ken Paxton hadn't been notified about the arrest warrant, according to ABC 13.

The writ of habeas corpus trumps the civil warrant and hands the criminal court control until Wu appears in court again next Thursday. Wu will be free until then.

Asked if he has any plans to return to work, Wu replied, 'Hell no,' as reported the Houston Chronicle.

Morton noted that this was an unusual case for him, concerning the legality of a civil arrest warrant. He questioned whether he has jurisdiction in criminal court.

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, representing her office at the hearing, said no.

'We don't believe that the courts, the criminal courts, should be a place where political differences are litigated,' she said.

'This is a reminder to Gov. Abbott that we still live in a democracy,' Wu said after his court appearance.

'This is a reminder to Gov. Abbott that we still live in a democracy,' Wu, above, said after he avoided arrest

Texas Democrats fled their state for Washington, D.C. on two private jets chartered at $100,000 to both deny Republicans quorum - the minimum number of members needed present to conduct business - and to draw attention to the effort to expand voting rights

Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has issued arrest warrants for 52 Democratic lawmakers who broke quorum for the third time over voting rights.

The decision was approved after the Texas House voted 80-12 to move forward with the arrests for absent members, which enabled Phelan to issue the warrants. It's the second time that such a vote has been taking during ongoing quorum-bust.

The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday also overturned a trial court judge's ruling that would have prevented absent Democrats from being arrested.

Texas Democrats fled their state for Washington, D.C. on two private jets chartered at $100,000 to both deny Republicans quorum - the minimum number of members needed present to conduct business - and to draw attention to the effort to expand voting rights.

Meanwhile, Republicans promised they would be arrested upon their return to Texas and compelled to come to the legislature to move forward with their election security measures in special session.

The warrants were signed after Democrats failed to show up during the fifth day of the House's second special session, leaving the chamber eight members short of a quorum.

Republicans are seeking to pass two new 'election integrity' bills, whereby voting would be allowed on election days from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., drive-thru voting would be banned and mail voters would also be asked to verify their identities with a state ID number or the last four digits of their Social Security number.

Democrats have filed suit, naming Abbott and Phelan as defendants, said they had been 'deprived of liberty for substantial periods of time, [and] suffered much anxiety and distress over the separation from their families.'

They also said they had suffered 'much discomfort and embarrassment' because their reputations have been 'impaired'.

In the suit, the Democrats further allege that they 'have lost much time from their homes and the companionship and care of their families and have been required to spend substantial sums of money'.

The fleeing lawmakers received a warm welcome from members of their party in Washington, and met with high-powered lawmakers to discuss voting rights legislation and even Vice President Kamala Harris herself. At least three of them tested positive for Covid-19 after jet-setting maskless to the nation's capital, and Harris subsequently tested negative.
Just seven criminals out of a group of 50 were actually deported back to Jamaica yesterday morning - after the Home Office was hit by a series of last-minute legal challenges.

A charter flight to take the offenders from Stansted airport at 1am on Wednesday was almost empty after dozens of appeals with lodged by human rights lawyers within 24 hours of take-off.

The 43 who evaded removal had collectively been sentenced to 245 years' imprisonment for an appalling range of crimes.

They include two murderers and one man who had been handed 15 years in jail for raping a child.

It has been alleged that two of the offenders had attempted suicide shortly before the flight.

Just seven criminals out of a group of 50 were actually deported back to Jamaica yesterday morning - after the Home Office was hit by a series of last-minute legal challenges (stock photo)

The charter plane is believed to have cost around 300,000, meaning the seven criminals removed cost the British taxpayer more than 40,000 each.

Priti Patel expressed her fury over the debacle, saying the farce allows foreign offenders to 'laugh in the face of the British people'.

Writing for the Daily Mail, the Home Secretary said allowing the criminals to remain in Britain 'should be a stain on the consciousness of our nation'.

The Home Office said 'specialist legal firms' were behind a surge of applications which led to 43 criminals avoiding deportation.

The Home Office said 'specialist legal firms' were behind a surge of applications which led to 43 criminals avoiding being boarded onto a deportation flight to Jamaica (stock photo)

Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, has voiced her 'deep anger and frustration' after murderers, rapists and paedophiles dodged deportation to Jamaica by lodging last-minute legal challenges

The seven who were successfully deported had been sentenced to a total of 46 years in jail for offences including rape, sexual offences against children, assault and possession of offensive weapons.

One had been handed a minimum tariff of 20 years for murder, while another served a long jail term for four counts of rape. His victim was a girl aged under 16.

Labour MPs had campaigned in support of all 50 criminals, with former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott describing the Home Office's efforts to deport them as a 'racist dragnet'.

None of the 50 was born in Britain, although some came to this country as children. The Home Office insisted it had carried out 'extensive checks' to ensure none of them had a claim to UK citizenship after the Windrush scandal, which saw legitimate migrants unfairly targeted.

One of the offenders believed to have been aboard yesterday's flight was Akeem Finlay, who was jailed for six years for glassing a man with a broken bottle in 2011.

Wounds inflicted by Finlay scarred his 20-year-old victim for life. Finlay  now 31, who lived in Croydon, south London, at the time of the offence  came to the UK aged 10.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Ostin Elkins said at the time of Finlay's sentencing for GBH at Blackfriars Crown Court: 'Finlay failed to admit any responsibility for his actions.'

The exact cost of yesterday's charter plane has not been revealed but previous flights have cost around 300,000. It means the seven criminals who were removed yesterday cost the taxpayer more than 40,000 each for the flight (stock photo)

Anti-deportation campaign group Movement for Justice said it believed Finlay was among a group taken from Colnbrook immigration removal centre, near Heathrow airport, for deportation.

Matt Vickers, the Tory MP for Stockton South, condemned Labour MPs for campaigning to stop the deportations.

'I am completely baffled as to why Labour politicians are so eager to keep murderers and child rapists in Britain,' he said. 'The majority of people in this country fully stand by the Home Office's decision to remove criminals who pose a danger to people in this country.'

All the offenders will have been handed at least 12 months in jail to qualify for deportation.

Ministers are required to enforce such deportations under laws passed by Labour in 2007. A charter flight to Jamaica in December saw 23 offenders including murderers and rapists pulled off the plane at the last moment. On that occasion 13 were deported.

Miss Patel writes of the criminals who were due to be deported yesterday: 'Allowing them to remain should be a stain on the consciousness of our nation.'

She adds: 'I am determined to reform our laws... so that foreign criminals who break our laws can no longer abuse our system and laugh in the face of the British people.'

PRITI PATEL: We HAVE to stop these criminals laughing in our face

As Home Secretary, keeping the public safe is my number one priority. A key part of that mission is removing people who come to this country, abuse our hospitality, and commit crimes.

That is what the British people expect  and this Government will always act in the interests of the law-abiding majority.

So I make absolutely no apology for taking action to remove foreign offenders.

And that's what happened yesterday when seven criminals  all Jamaican nationals  were returned home on a charter flight.

Between them, their prison sentences totalled over 46 years.

As Home Secretary, keeping the public safe is my number one priority. A key part of that mission is removing people who come to this country, abuse our hospitality, and commit crimes, writes Priti Patel

They had been convicted of a variety of violent, obscene and abhorrent crimes including rape, sexual offences against children, assault and possession of offensive weapons.

Their criminal acts will have had a devastating impact on their victims.

What sort of message would it send to them  and to the public more widely  if we simply allowed these people back onto our streets?

Quite simply, foreign nationals convicted of such offences must expect to be removed from the UK after serving their time.

Allowing them to remain should be a stain on the consciousness of our nation.

It is fact, that UK laws rightly allow us to deport foreign nationals convicted of an offence in the UK and sentenced to 12 months or more imprisonment where no exceptions stop it.

But it is also a fact that yesterday we should have removed 50 foreign national offenders to Jamaica, not seven.

This is because the current system and laws allowed an influx of legal claims  litigation to stop the removal of 43 offenders whose prison sentences shockingly ran to a combined total of 245 years.

These are offenders whose crimes included murder, attempted murder, rape and sexual offences against children, as well as drugs and firearms offences.

To add insult to the victims of these appalling crimes, many of these legal claims were made a matter of hours before the flight was due to take off, and supported by a chorus of Labour MPs and campaigners  some of whom contrived to claim that their deportation was somehow 'racist' and 'disproportionate'.

I know Daily Mail readers will share my deep anger and frustration that these offenders were able to dodge their return to Jamaica. This system is wrong and broken, which is why I am more deter-mined than ever to deliver the reforms that are so badly needed to fix our broken system.

Through my New Plan for Immigration, we will instil a fair but firm approach that cracks down on abuse of the system and expedites the removal of those who have no right to be here.

It's not a problem we can solve overnight as it will require new laws to be passed in Parliament, and the Nationality and Borders Bill is pivotal to this change.

The British people have had enough  they want to see change.

And I am determined to reform our laws to deliver that change so that foreign criminals who break our laws can no longer abuse our system and laugh in the face of the British people.
Double-jabbed adults and all children will be set free from isolation rules on Monday as ministers finally end the pingdemic.

More than 33million people in England who have received both coronavirus vaccine doses will no longer have to quarantine if someone they have been in contact with tests positive.

The restrictions will also be lifted for everyone aged under 18 as school bubbles are scrapped.

But ministers last night said the double-jabbed should remain cautious if they get pinged and think about wearing a face covering in enclosed spaces and avoiding others, particularly the elderly and those with health conditions.

Instead of having to isolate for up to ten days, those contacted by NHS Test and Trace or through the Covid-19 app will be advised to get a PCR test as soon as possible. They will not have to isolate while waiting for the result.

More than 33million people in England who have received both coronavirus vaccine doses will no longer have to quarantine if someone they have been in contact with tests positive

The much-anticipated rule change comes after weeks of chaos that have seen millions of workers forced to stay at home and children kept away from school even if they are not infected.

Crippling staff shortages have led to empty supermarket shelves and forced businesses including restaurants and pubs to shut their doors.

Figures a fortnight ago showed that a record 1.2million were told to quarantine in just one week including nearly 700,000 who were pinged by the Covid-19 app.

The new isolation rules for England come after similar changes were made in Wales last Saturday and in Scotland on Monday.

Double-jabbed adults will have to wait until 14 days after their second dose before they are exempted from the isolation rules for close contacts.

Anyone who tests positive following a PCR test will still be legally required to isolate irrespective of their vaccination status or age.

Figures a fortnight ago showed that a record 1.2million were told to quarantine in just one week including nearly 700,000 who were pinged by the Covid-19 app. [File image]

Quarantine requirements for travellers returning from abroad will remain the same.

The removal of the isolation requirements for under-18s comes ahead of millions of pupils and students returning to school and college for the autumn term.

The bubbles system that has seen whole classes or year groups sent home will be axed.

'Stop mass testing and learn to live with virus' Only the sick should be tested for coronavirus and all but the most vulnerable should be freed from blanket control measures, a Government expert has said. Several leading scientists are setting out how Britain can shift towards living with Covid, calling for an end to disruptive measures such as mass testing and self-isolation. Professor Andrew Hayward, a member of the Governments New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), and others yesterday backed calls to scrap routine testing of asymptomatic people. He added that blanket lockdowns can no longer be justified as a way to control Covid and instead restrictions should only apply to the most vulnerable. Professor Hayward, a University College London epidemiologist, said: As we move into a sort of endemic rather than a pandemic situation then the potential harm that the virus can cause at the population level is much less. So you cant really justify such broad population-wide control measures and we tend to target the control measures more to those who are most vulnerable. Meanwhile, as another 29,612 cases and 104 deaths were reported yesterday, Professor Hayward warned that herd immunity was a mythical goal. He said: I think it is a pretty distant prospect and we need to get used to the concept that this will become ... a disease that is with us all the time and probably transmits seasonally, like influenza. Advertisement

Secondary school and college students will instead be required to take two on-site tests at the start of the new term, followed by twice weekly lateral flow tests at home.

Ministers have promised to review the testing requirements by the end of next month.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said last night: Asking the close contacts of people with Covid-19 to self-isolate has played a critical role in helping us get this virus under control, and millions of people across the UK have made enormous sacrifices by doing this.

Every single one of these sacrifices has helped us protect the NHS and save lives.

He added: Getting two doses of a vaccine has tipped the odds in our favour and allowed us to safely reclaim our lost freedoms, and from Monday we can take another huge step back towards our normal lives by removing self-isolation requirements for double-jabbed people who are contacts of people with Covid-19.

'Double-jabbed people who test positive will still need to self-isolate.

Mr Javid continued: Vaccines are what will bring this pandemic to an end  the wall of defence provided by the rollout is allowing us to get even closer to normal life.

If you havent already, please make sure you come forward for your jab at the earliest opportunity.

Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said: Thanks to the huge success of the vaccine programme, we are able to ease self-isolation requirements for double-jabbed people and under-18s.

It is important that close contacts continue to come forward for a PCR test, in order to detect the virus and variants of concern.

Although two doses of vaccine will greatly reduce your own risk of becoming unwell with Covid-19, it is still possible to contract the virus and pass it to others.

Dr Harries added: So if you develop symptoms at any time  vaccinated or not  you should get a test and be very careful in your contact with others until you have received a negative test result.
Cressida Dicks hopes of securing a contract extension as Britains top police officer are fading, with key Government figures questioning her suitability to stay in post, the Mail can reveal.

Last month it emerged that the disaster-prone head of Scotland Yard wants to continue as Met Commissioner beyond her initial five-year contract, which expires in April.

The revelation prompted a backlash from a number of victims of Met incompetence who demanded she step down  not be given up to four more years in charge.

Dame Cressida Dick, pictured, is understood to be willing to continue as Metropolitan Police Commissioner if the government gives her a contract extension

Radio DJ Paul Gambaccini, who was arrested during the Operation Yewtree sex abuse inquiry in 2013 and spent a year on bail before the case was dropped, described Dame Cressida as an officer who shames the Met. He added: She is unworthy of any position from commissioner down to dog catcher'

Dame Cressida faced criticism for trying to thwart an inquiry into the unsolved murder of private eye Daniel Morgan, pictured

Now informed sources have told this newspaper that there are mounting concerns in Government about Dame Cressidas continued leadership of the force.

The Met chief has been caught up in a string of controversies including her handling of the Operation Midland scandal, her forces woeful security operation at the Euro 2020 final and allegations of a cover-up culture at Scotland Yard. In June, an official report branded the Met institutionally corrupt and accused Dame Cressida of trying to thwart an inquiry into the unsolved murder of private eye Daniel Morgan. She has rejected the key findings.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson side-stepped questions on Dame Cressidas job prospects during a recent radio interview.

But a distinguished former chief constable told the Mail: She would be mad to seek an extension.

She has become the story and that is when its time to step down.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, side-stepped questions on Dame Cressidas job prospects during a recent radio interview

Another former top chief constable  previously a vocal supporter of the embattled Yard boss  said: Cress has been administrating the Met, not leading it. Its time for fresh blood.

The Mail has learned that a significant number of serving senior officers are deeply unhappy with Dame Cressidas hands off leadership style and her head in the sand response to criticism of her and her inner circle.

Dame Cressidas apparent determination to secure a contract extension poses a potentially tricky political problem for Mr Johnson, who may not want to be seen to be ousting Scotland Yards first female chief. He was criticised in October 2008 when, in one of his first acts as London mayor, he fired gaffe-prone Met commissioner Sir Ian Blair  one of Dame Cressidas remaining cheerleaders.

Former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, who lost his home and job over the Mets disastrous Operation Midland probe into spurious child sex abuse allegations, said last month: She is a disgrace and should have resigned long ago. It is time for her to go because of Operation Midland, not to be seeking any extension to her employment at the Met.

Former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, who lost his home and job over the Mets disastrous Operation Midland probe into spurious child sex abuse allegations, said last month: She is a disgrace and should have resigned long ago. It is time for her to go because of Operation Midland, not to be seeking any extension to her employment at the Met

Mr Proctor, who received 900,000 from the Met in compensation and legal costs over the fiasco, added: I hold her culpable for her role in a severe waste of public funds which severely impacted a number of lives, including mine.

Radio DJ Paul Gambaccini, who was arrested during the Operation Yewtree sex abuse inquiry in 2013 and spent a year on bail before the case was dropped, described Dame Cressida as an officer who shames the Met. He added: She is unworthy of any position from commissioner down to dog catcher.

The disastrous mistakes made during Operation Midland and beyond it would have been enough to have ended her predecessor Bernard Hogan-Howes career and should have been more than enough to end hers.

The commissioner, 60, who was formally made a dame commander by Prince Charles last month, has indicated she was happy to remain in the top job.

Speaking after the ceremony at St Jamess Palace, she said: Im very focused on my job, I love my job, its a huge honour.

Downing Street has refused to be drawn on whether the Prime Minister supported her being given another term but said she retains his full confidence.
South Australia has been slammed as 'cruel and uncaring' after forcing Olympic heroes to complete four weeks of quarantine.

Sixteen athletes currently undergoing two weeks of mandatory quarantine in Sydney will be ordered to do another 14 days when they return home to South Australia.

The second stint quarantine can be done a hotel or at their homes, pending government approval.

Australian Olympic Committee boss Matt Carroll is furious about the mental health risks for the athletes, who have all been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and lived and competed under strict bio-security conditions since before leaving for Japan.

Rower Alexander Hill, who won gold for Australia in the men's coxless four, is one of the 16 athletes forced to quarantine twice, despite being fully vaccinated.

'It's going to be tough for a lot of us' he told Sunrise on Thursday.

'I tried to do everything right. I guess we are a bit confused about it all.

Molly Goodman, who finished fifth in the final of the women's eight rowing in Tokyo, said she had only just found out she would need to do two stints of quarantine.

Gold medal rower Alexander Hill (second left) is among the 16 Olympians who will have to do two stints of quarantine

'It's been pretty long journey in the last five years. I think everyone is pretty keen to get home and see families and get back into the community and spend time at home. Just got to hold out for that,' she told the Today show.

The 28-year-old said it was frustrating South Australia was the only state forcing Olympians to quarantine twice, despite all the athletes being fully vaccinated and testing negative for Covid multiple times.

'We're applying to get it to be home quarantine so I guess that's definitely a step in the right direction,

'We had a lot of tests going into the Olympics. We got tested every day at the Olympics. We've had a few tests since we've been back.'

She's trying to keep occupied in Sydney quarantine doing 1000 piece puzzles, joking it's been more stressful than she thought it would be.

Molly Goodman (pictured) is frustrated her home state is the only one forcing Olympians to quarantine twice

Aussie Olympic BMX rider Anthony Dean (pictured) said he had tested negative for Covid 15 times in the last three weeks, but was still being made to quarantine twice

Goodman issued a passionate plea to South Australian Premier Steven Marshall.

'I think our state is doing a good job in communicating how they and we all feel about this situation,' she said.

'I'm just hoping he might reconsider the decision based on - there are 16 I think of us in Sydney that need to go back to Adelaide. So hopefully he'll change his mind.'

BMX rider Anthony Dean is also caught up in the quarantine fiasco as he took to Instagram to express his frustrations about the zero care about mental health.

'The thanks you get for going to the Olympics and representing Australia,' Dean posted.

'I am fully vaccinated. Does that matter? NO.'

'I have been tested 15 times in the last three weeks. And I'm not lying one little bit. Not one positive test. Does that matter? NO.'

'I cannot believe how the South Australian government is treating us after what we've done to be at the Olympics and go through all the protocols.

South Australian Olympians quarantining at Howard Springs in the Northern Territory don't need to do another stint when they return home.

Dean told Hit Network breakfast radio hosts Bec, Cosi & Lehmo on Thursday athletes were given no choice of where they would spend quarantine.

BMX racer Anthony Dean (pictured) says doing 28 days of quarantine has been a hard pill to swallow

Some of Australia's Olympic heroes will be forced to do two stints of quarantine due to South Australia's strict quarantine rules. Pictured are Aussie Olympians at the closing ceremony

'It's been a hard pill to swallow,' Dean said.

'Some went to Sydney and some went to Howard Springs. I just wish there could have been a better job done to recognise the Adelaide people on the Sydney flight and move them to Howard Springs.'

Dean has had no contact with fellow South Australians going through the same ordeal.

'There's been no remorse as far as trying to work things out. It's 14 days, no questions asked.'

"it's difficult, especially those in every other country and state being able to enjoy it with their family. We're an athlete at the end of the day and we want to move.'

The AOC has taken aim at the South Australian government over the conditions.

'While other countries are celebrating the return of their athletes, we are subjecting ours to the most cruel and uncaring treatment,' Carroll said in a statement

'They are being punished for proudly representing their country with distinction at the Olympic Games.'

Carroll told the Today show on Thursday numerous attempts to contact the Premier, health minister have fallen on deaf ears while chief health officer professor Nicola Spurrier told him she was 'too busy' and that the decision had already been made.

South Australia's health chief Nicola Spurrier (pictured) told Australian Olympic committee chief executive Matt Carroll she was too busy and that the decision had been made

'Yesterday I tried to call the health minister, I tried to call the Premier, I got to their Chief of Staff, that's far as I got and they wouldn't allow us to have a conversation with the Premier,' Carrol told said.

'The same thing I asked to speak to the Chief Health Officer, she sent me a message saying, 'The decision is made. I'm too busy.'

Today show Karl Stefanovic replied: 'You're joking!'

Professor Spurrier said the AOC had known of the requirement since July 30.

'Due to the high risk of the Delta strain of COVID-19 in NSW, anyone travelling from New South Wales must undertake 14 days quarantine upon entry into South Australia,' she said in a statement.
A Chinese billionaire who has spent the last five years buying up 140,000 acres of rural Texas has been thwarted in his plan to build a massive wind farm, amid fears that it could be used by Beijing to hack into the Texas grid.

Sun Guangxin, 59, spent an estimated $110 million on the land in Val Verde, close to the border with Mexico. He wanted to build a 15,000 acre wind farm that included 46 turbines.

But his efforts were scotched after the land grab panicked Texas state politicians, who've now signed a bill into law banning foreigners like Sun from gaining access to 'critical infrastructure.'

Some Texas politicians even raised fears that the land, near Laughlin air force base, could house spy systems interfering with the military installations.

On June 7, Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, signed the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act - a bill which prevents business entities from 'hostile nations' from accessing the Texas grid and other pieces of 'critical infrastructure'.

Texas, unlike almost every other state, has its own electric grid, rather than relying on the national network - and in February the grid went down amid unusually heavy snowstorms.

The bill determined that China, Russia, Iran and North Korea were all 'hostile nations', and was sponsored by the state's legislature in response to

Sun 59, said through a spokesman that he intends to lease the land to other companies, so they can operate the wind farm.

Sun Guangxin, a Chinese real estate tycoon with a $2.1 billion fortune, has since 2016 bought up 140,000 acres of rural Texas, near the town of Del Rio. Now alarm is being raised at his plans for the land

Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, is seen on June 8 signing a series of bills to reform Texas's electric grid. The previous day he signed an infrastructure bill, designed to stop Sun's plans

Politicians in Texas argue that that would violate the June 7 bill.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which investigates and decides on the national security implications of foreign investments, approved Sun's Blue Hills Wind Development in December 2020, but the new bill - authored by Donna Campbell, a Texas state senator - is designed to override that.

'I mean, CFIUS and the Department of Defense, they need to watch what they're approving,' Campbell told Forbes.

'There needs to be an in-depth look at what really these foreign countries are wanting to do.'

The alarm about Sun's plans were first raised by environmentalists with the Devils River Conservancy.

Donna Campbell, a Texas state senator, authored the bill that has blocked Sun's wind farm

The Devils River, pictured, is considered a vital ecosystem - which activists say is threatened by the planned wind farms

Devils River is spring-fed, and described as 'one of the last wild and pristine rivers in Texas'

Wind power facilities are seen under a blue sky and white clouds in Urumqi, China - where Sun's business empire is based

They say the land which Sun now owns flanks a precious ecosystem, surrounding the Devils River - 'considered one of the last wild and pristine rivers in Texas,' they state.

Sun's initial purchase of parcels of land in the area, in 2016, went unnoticed. But in late 2017 a French company, Akuo Energy, built Rocksprings wind farm on an area leased from Sun.

Sun has faced a series of complaints about his planned wind farm in Texas

They then began campaigning against his plans, with the slogan: 'Don't blow it, Texas'.

When people failed to pay attention, they began highlighting Sun's connections to the Chinese Communist Party; the potential national security implications; his $2.1 billion fortune; and his headquarters in the city of Urumqi, where the persecution of the Uighur minority has sparked international outrage.

'Initially, we tried to take the environmental angle, because we had these endangered species and because the Devils River Conservancy has largely been focused on the ecological components of the region,' said Julie Lewey, executive director of the Conservancy.

She told Forbes: 'Unfortunately, that angle didn't get a lot of traction.

'We started to roll out the narrative and really just spread awareness and understanding that this company from China was planning to connect to our critical infrastructure.

'We're not xenophobic, but we are concerned for our national security, as every red-blooded American is.' Lewey's decision to highlight Sun's political allies proved a roaring success, with leading political figures including Senator Ted Cruz sounding the alarm over his buyup of the Texan land at around 10 per cent above marked value through an intermediary.

Another vocal critic has been Kyle Bass, founder of Dallas-based hedge fund Hayman Capital Management, who has frequently raised concern about the influence of the Chinese Communist Party.

Kyle Bass, a hedge fund manager based in Dallas, has been one of the most strident opponents of Sun's wind farm

'What is a former PLA [official] doing in the middle of nowhere Texas, next to our Air Force base and our border, trying to plug directly into our electric grid?' he said.

'Given the fragility of our grid that we've just seen, after the ice-pocalypse, I can't find any single person in the Texas legislature that thinks it's a good idea for a former Chinese [army captain] to plug directly into our power grid.'

But Sun's team insist that the response is an over-reaction.

Stephen Lindsey, a spokesman for GH America, Sun's company involved in the wind farms, said it received federal approval because GH America is committed to transparency and 'over-comply[ing] with the regulatory structure.'

He said national security concerns have been sufficiently addressed through the federal regulatory channels.

'It's being spun up as a national security deal, but really what it is is a way to say: 'not in my backyard.'
The mayor of a town in New Jersey where Ben & Jerry's owner Unilever is headquartered has blasted the ice cream firm for its vow to stop selling ice cream in the West Bank to boycott Israeli settlements.

Ben & Jerry's has been embroiled in an ongoing saga of boycotts and criticism after the company released a statement on July 19 that selling ice cream in 'Occupied Palestinian Territory' was 'inconsistent with our values.'

British consumer goods conglomerate Unilever, which has its U.S. headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, was sent a letter about the ice cream maker's decision on Monday by Mayor Mario M. Kranjac, obtained by DailyMail.com.

'Not only is this move disturbing, but it is also a violation of New Jersey's anti-BDS laws,' Kranjac wrote in the Monday letter.

He added: 'I strongly encourage you to reevaluate your company's position and to treat everyone fairly without the virtue signaling that ultimately creates unfair treatment.'

The mayor wrote that Englewood Cliffs remains 'grateful' for Unilever making its headquarters in the community, he called Ben & Jerry's actions 'discrimination' and said the company has 'gone too far.'

Mayor Mario M. Kranjac, the town's mayor pictured, sent a letter to Unilever on Monday about Ben & Jerry's decision to stop ice cream sales in the West Bank

'Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated,' Kranjac wrote. 'Englewood Cliffs is a wonderful place to work and live, and we welcome all lawful businesses big and small, and all residents.'

Kranjac called Israel 'one of the most democratic and free countries in the world.'

'It is a beacon of freedom in the Middle East, and one of America's greatest allies,' the mayor said.

'It concerns me that your company is so quick to chastise Israel, while continuing to support and profit from other countries and movements that daily commit substantial human rights violations, genocide, unlawful imprisonment, forced 're-education', and race-based classifications.'

He added that Englewood Cliffs 'stands with Israel' and 'will not remain silent.'

'In fact, we will stand with anyone that is wrongly targeted. I strongly encourage you to reconsider your decision on this matter and to add vitality to all lives,' the mayor wrote, while referencing the company's corporate mission.

Kranjac called Ben & Jerry's decision 'virtue signaling' and questioned why it still sells ice cream to other countries with appalling human rights records.

Ben & Jerrys stills sells ice cream in China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Syria, whose governments have all been condemned for appalling human rights abuses.

A spokesperson for the mayor further described the letter to DailyMail.com as 'threatening legal recourse' against Unilever and said that town officials would be introducing a resolution regarding the company on Wednesday evening.

Ben & Jerry's is owned by British consumer goods conglomerate Unilever, which has its U.S. headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, pictured

Ben & Jerry's has been embroiled in an ongoing saga of boycotts and criticism after the company released a statement on July 19 that selling ice cream in 'Occupied Palestinian Territory' was 'inconsistent with our values'

It was not immediately clear what legal action the town could take against the company. DailyMail.com has reached out to Unilever for more information and additional comment.

Unilever CEO Alan Jope sent a reply to Kranjac on Tuesday, which was obtained by DailyMail.com.

'I recognize that Ben & Jerry's statement was met with concern and disappointment so I also wanted to take the opportunity to explain the matter further,' Jope wrote in his response.

Jope said that the company has had a 'strong and longstanding commitment' to its business in Israel - where it employs nearly 2,000 people in the country across four factories and a head office.

The mayor of Englewood Cliffs, were Unilever is based in the United States, sent a letter to the company on Monday, obtained by DailyMail.com

Unilever CEO Alan Jope sent a reply to Kranjac on Tuesday, which was obtained by DailyMail.com

A worker handles tubs of Ben & Jerry's ice cream at a factory in Beer Tuvia, southern Israel, on July 20

In the last decade, Unilever has invested about $294 million in the Israeli market i - where around 85% of the products sold are made in Israel, Jope said.

'From a Unilever perspective, this is a complex matter because since we acquired Ben & Jerry's in 2000, as part of the acquisition agreement, we have always recognized the right of the brand and its independent Board to take decisions in accordance with its social mission,' Jope said.

He added that Ben & Jerry's has also 'made it clear' that the company will continue to sell ice cream in the rest of Israel - reiterating the company's original July statement.

'We have welcomed this decision to stay in Israel emphatically, and have been seeking to handle this matter in as respectful and sensitive way as possible,' Jope wrote.

'I would also like to make it exceptionally clear that Unilever rejects completely and repudiates unequivocally any form of discrimination or intolerance. Antisemitism has no place in any society.'

Ben & Jerry's cofounders Bennett Cohen (left) and Jerry Greenfield (right) penned an op-ed to say that they 'unequivocally support' the company's decision to stop selling ice cream in the West Bank to boycott Israeli settlements

Jope reiterated that the company has 'never expressed any support for the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement' and has 'no intention' of doing so.

'I hope that this letter goes some way to reassuring you that we recognise the concerns you have raised,' Jope wrote.

Kranjac responded to Jope's letter in an emailed statement to DailyMail.com.

'The new letter from Mr. Jope is more corporate drivel from Unilever,' Kranjac said. 'They know they've made a mistake by discriminating against parts of Israel.'

Kranjac added: 'Unilever should hold its subsidiary Ben & Jerry's accountable for its actions and reiterate that discrimination has no place at Unilever.'

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 Unilever in 2000, endorsed the decision in an op-ed for the The New York Times in July.

'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.'
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Alec Baldwin was seen grabbing an iced coffee in the Hamptons just a day after he drew the ire of Twitter for supporting New York Governor Andrew Cuomo after his resignation over sex pest claims.

The normally well-dressed actor, 63, sported a scruffy silver beard, and appeared somewhat tired during an outing in the elite Long Island enclave on Wednesday.

Alec kept his look casual in a black t-shirt and light blue shorts. Baldwin was seen carrying a tray of drinks with grabs and what appears to be the remains of their breakfast. He was spotted with wife Hilaria, 37, who was seen wearing a gray flowing dress with her hair down.

Alec Baldwin was seen grabbing coffee and a bite to eat with his wife Hilaria the morning after defending disgraced New York Governor Andrew Cuomo

The usual sleek actor was looking a bit disheveled and in need of a caffeine fix. After claiming cancel culture was exposing the shortcomings of politicians, Baldwin experienced loads of Twitter users bashing his support for Cuomo

Baldwin grabbed a coffee with his wife the morning after controversially tweeting support for Cuomo. Baldwin claimed cancel culture and party politics were what took the governor down.

The Boss Baby actor voiced his support for Cuomo, who is stepping down after an intense week of being pressured to resign due to sexual harassment allegations, on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.

He claimed that cancel culture was exposing, isolating, and magnifying the shortcomings of politicians, despite Cuomo's 'shortcomings' being sexual harassment.

The Boss Baby actor, pictured with wife Hilaria, supported Cuomo despite investigations finding Cuomo guilty of sexual harassment and abusing his power

The disheveled actor was seen in a toned down, comfortable outfit. He wore a black t-shirt and shorts and had messy hair

Baldwin looked tired with bags under his eyes and a scruffy, unshaven beard while he carried a tray of food and drinks

Baldwin, who is a Democrat, has previously teased the idea of running for office himself

Baldwin - a well-known Democrat whose biggest recent role was impersonating Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live wrote: 'Regardless of what you think of Cuomo, this is a tragic day.

'Party politics in this country draw ambitious but ultimately isolated, even socially maladjusted men and women who, given the current cancel culture, will likely have their shortcomings exposed and magnified,' he continued.

The 'sex pest' NY governor resigned on August 10 after an investigation found him guilty of sexual harassment

Alec Baldwin's tweet came minutes after Cuomo announced plans to resign following the release of a report from New York Attorney General Letitia James's office that found him guilty for sexually harassed 11 women and violating state and federal laws

Baldwin, who has publicly hinted at the idea of running for office himself, partnered with Cuomo's office last year for a public service announcement urging New Yorkers to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic.

However, many fans were disappointed with Baldwin's tweet, as well as former White House Press secretary under the Trump administration Sean Spicer, who said 'cancel culture is out of culture - but what [New York Governor Andrew Cuomo] did was not a result of cancel culture or any culture - it was inappropriate and the idea you are defending says a lot'.

Other twitter users also responded to Baldwin's clear defense of Cuomo.

The 63-year-old actor did not comment on the allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo, who is facing at least one criminal complaint after Brittany Commisso, an executive assistant who accused Cuomo of groping her breast at the governor's mansion in Albany, gave a report to the county sheriff on Friday.

New York's Attorney General Letitia James said she believed claims Cuomo had pestered 11 women, with two others coming forward since James' report was published last week.

It all led to Cuomo announcing earlier Tuesday that he is stepping down from his position as governor of New York, which will be in effect in two weeks.

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will replace Cuomo, becoming the first woman to serve as governor of New York, as she's scheduled to start running the state on August 24.

However, it's not the first time Baldwin has attacked cancel culture, previously saying that it was 'creating more problems than it solves,' according to the Hill.

'It's like trolling,' he said in an Instagram video shared back in March. 'It's like a giant, mile-long net and you're catching a lot of people, more than a few who deserve it, and more than a few who don't. Or they don't deserve to have their careers and their lives destroyed.'

The Beetlejuice star also defended Woody Allen and New York governor Andrew Cuomo in a lengthy 14-minute video on Instagram in March.

In the 14-minute video, Baldwin said he has experienced 'a few people going at me for defending people who have been accused of crimes' to which he said: 'Well, I'm not defending someone who is guilty of something. I'm choosing to defend someone who has not been proven guilty of something.'



Regarding Cuomo, he added: 'The Attorney General is going to investigate accusations against a Governor. Then, and only then, can we talk about people resigning.'

Hilaria's heritage fell under question when a social media thread pointed out inconsistencies in stories she had told the media about her upbringing

In December of last year, Alec Baldwins wife, Hilaria, was subject to cancel culture, after being accused of cultural appropriation, and putting on a fake Spanish accent when speaking in English.

She was seen in a 2015 Today show clip seemingly forgetting the world 'cucumber' in a cooking segment, which became a social media focal point as the scandal contained to make headlines.

She told The New York Times of the scandal, 'There is not something I'm doing wrong, and I think there is a difference between hiding and creating a boundary.'

She eventually admitted that she grew up in Boston but spent time in Spain.

Her husband took to Twitter to call out social media users who want to 'destroy the undeserving and deserving alike.'

In a heated message, he wrote: 'Cancel culture is like a forest fire in constant need of fuel. Functioning objectively. No prejudice. No code.

'Just destroy. The deserving and the undeserving alike.'
Ministers were last night branded 'hypocrites' over the cost of Covid travel tests as it emerged they have failed to reduce their own prices for summer.

The Health Department is now charging more than four times what the cheapest private provider is advertising on the Government's website.

A Mail analysis found this ratio has increased from earlier this summer when it was charging double what the cheapest private firm did for a single PCR swab.

Critics last night branded the fiasco 'a national scandal' and said it suggested ministers have no intention of ending 'Wild West' testing costs facing travellers.

It came as Commons transport committee chairman Huw Merriman wrote to Health Secretary Sajid Javid demanding answers about the testing system.

He questioned ministers' justification for forcing holidaymakers into shelling out for pricier PCR tests when only 5 per cent of positive cases are being sequenced for virus variants of concern.

It also emerged that health ministers have not assessed the potential benefits to hard-working families of capping test costs despite pledges to drive down prices.

The disclosure came in the answer to a written parliamentary question from former Tory minister David Davis, who asked health minister Jo Churchill if her department had assessed 'the potential benefits' to British holidaymakers of capping costs.

Ministers were last night branded 'hypocrites' over the cost of Covid travel tests as it emerged they have failed to reduce their own prices for summer [File photo]

She replied: 'The department has not made a specific assessment.' She also insisted testing costs 'have fallen significantly' in recent months. But the Mail's analysis found the Government is continuing to demand 88 for a post-arrival PCR test  the same as it was charging in June.

This is more than four times the 20 being advertised by the cheapest private firms on the Government's list of approved providers.

In June the amount was double what the cheapest private firm was advertised as charging, then 44. It means the Government's prices could add more than 350 to the cost of a foreign break for a family of four to a green or amber list country, as even the double-jabbed are required to take a PCR swab by day two of their return.

And its price for a two-test package, required for non-fully vaccinated people arriving from amber countries, remains 170.

This could add nearly 700 to the cost of a family getaway.

Boris Johnson previously pledged to make it 'as easy as possible' for families to travel abroad this summer. But critics last night said ministers' failure to reduce their prices meant this promise had been broken.

Labour MP and former minister Ben Bradshaw said: 'It is quite clear that despite Boris Johnson's promises, the Government has no intention of doing anything to bring down the cost of tests.

'While separated families can't afford to travel to see one another and thousands of jobs in the travel industry are being needlessly sacrificed, mates of ministers are raking it in with these outrageous prices.'

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy the PC Agency, said: 'Ministers are absolutely hypocrites. Actions speak louder than words and sadly, as this demonstrates, there have been very few actions by ministers. The PCR testing regime is not only a national embarrassment, but a national scandal.'

Boris Johnson previously pledged to make it 'as easy as possible' for families to travel abroad this summer. But critics last night said ministers' failure to reduce their prices meant this promise had been broken [Stock image]

There is no obligation to choose the Government's post-arrival testing package instead of a private provider's.

Although some private providers are advertised on the Government website as offering single-swab packages for 20, the Mail yesterday revealed how these rates are often not realistically obtainable for many, as when clicking through to each firm's website they are mostly out of stock or only offered in centres, meaning many would have to travel hundreds of miles.

Mr Merriman demanded to know why returning travellers can't take cheaper rapid tests when so few positive cases are being sequenced. He pointed to NHS figures showing sequenced cases fell from 49 per cent during late February to early March.

For the first three weeks of July, there were 6,977 cases with 354 sequenced  just 5 per cent. He also asked why more than 90 per cent of Government-approved private testing companies are yet to be accredited as competent operators.

Only around 38 of the more than 400 firms on the list have been fully approved by the UK Accreditation Service, responsible for vetting the firms.

A Health Department spokesman said: 'Companies that fail to meet the high standards required will be removed from our list of approved suppliers without hesitation.'
A life-extending treatment for thousands of women with incurable breast cancer has been approved after a U-turn by health officials.

The treatment  a combination of cancer drugs  can give some patients an extra nine months to live.

It can also help delay them needing chemotherapy and improve their quality of life during the extra months the treatment can give them.

Earlier this year the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence decided not to recommend the combination of the drugs abemaciclib and fulvestrant for routine use in England  saying the treatment was not cost effective.

A life-extending treatment for thousands of women with incurable breast cancer has been approved after a U-turn by health officials (stock image)

But after a deal was struck with the manufacturer Eli Lilly to discount one of the drugs  Nice has now given it the go-ahead.

Draft guidance recommends the drugs for hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer which has spread to other parts of the body following hormone therapy.

The drugs work by blocking proteins in cancer cells and preventing them from growing.

Abemaciclib  a twice-daily pill also known by the brand name Verzenios  is usually priced at 2,950 for a packet of 56 tablets. But Nice said it had agreed to a confidential NHS discount.

Meanwhile fulvestrant  a hormone therapy drug  costs around 1,000 for the first 28-day cycle and 522 for subsequent cycles.

The regulator heard from charities including Breast Cancer Now in a consultation about the treatment while more than 60 women shared their experience of the drugs.

Between April and December 2019, 876 patients received the treatment through the NHSs interim drug approval process.

But now more patients will be able to receive the drugs before their cancer gets worse.

The treatment  a combination of cancer drugs  can give some patients an extra nine months to live. It can also help delay them needing chemotherapy and improve their quality of life during the extra months the treatment can give them (stock image)

Meindert Boysen, director of the centre for health and technology evaluation at Nice, said he was very pleased the NHS could now offer the drug combination adding that such treatments are welcomed by patients with incurable advanced breast cancer because they can delay the time before their cancer gets worse and so delay or avoid the need for chemotherapy.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, head of charity Breast Cancer Now, described the approval as fantastic news.

She said: This decision brings hope to women who could see this combination treatment offer them precious extra months before their disease progresses. It could even help extend their lives and can also delay the need to start chemotherapy.

The decision applies to England and Wales and Nice said its final guidance on the drug will be given in September.
Dozens of Afghans who taught English and promoted UK values to thousands across the country fear being abandoned to the taliban.

More than 100 former employees of the British Council have seen their requests for sanctuary rejected.

And many more fear they too will be left behind to face the revenge of the Taliban after being branded spies and the voice of the English. One rejected teacher told how his home has twice been attacked by gunmen in the last month.

Another  who had worked for the British in rural Afghanistan for 13 years  described how a leader at his local mosque had pointed at him warning that anyone supporting British Council [BC] and teaching its language is an infidel.

Dozens of Afghans who taught English and promoted UK values to thousands across the country fear being abandoned to the Taliban. Pictured: File image of an Union Jack being carried from Camp Bastion in Afghanistan as the last British troops left the base

A 29-year-old female teacher in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif sobbed as she said: I am the local face of Britain, everyone knows me as I promote them in 50 schools with hundreds of pupils so I will be pointed out to the Taliban.

Their fighters are close to the city and when they find me, they will kill me, [my] three year-old daughter and husband too  he will be punished first for allowing his wife to leave home and to work as a traitor to the Taliban. It is a crime for any woman to work.

She added: I do not understand why Britain thinks it is right to leave us behind when we have been teaching its language, virtues and values.

The Afghan teachers, trainers and managers say they applied for sanctuary under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy but were rejected because they were contracted and not directly employed by the Government  although they were paid by the BC, the UKs international organisation for promoting culture and education.

Concerned teachers and former BC staff contacted the Daily Mail appealing for their case to be highlighted as part of our Betrayal of the Brave campaign. But they asked not to be named for security reasons. One British former senior BC official said teachers and trainers felt frustrated and abandoned.

He added: What is harder to fathom is why those positioned to act to resolve the situation are dragging their heels so much, as the situation is becoming more critical by the day.

More than 100 former employees of the British Council have seen their requests for sanctuary rejected. And many more fear they too will be left behind to face the revenge of the Taliban after being branded spies and the voice of the English. File image of a British Army soldier in Afghanistan

It begs the question, How many former BC teachers and trainers need to die before the UK Government wakes up to their plight, and to their own responsibility to act?

A Government spokesman said: We have significantly expanded and accelerated the relocation scheme and carefully assess each applicant... Those who were dismissed for serious offences, including those that constitute a crime in the UK or threatened the safety and security of British troops, will continue to be excluded.
Scotland now has more than 1,000 wild beavers, according to a new report, which found their numbers and the number of territories have doubled since 2017.

Beavers living in Scotland today are descended from a handful of animals released from private collections in Perthshire, in an illegal rewilding project 20 years ago.

NatureScot carried out an extensive survey of beaver populations and territories in 2020, finding the population was about 1,000 living in 251 different territories.

The range of where these territories are has grown too, from Glen Isla to Dundee and Stirling, Forfar to Crianlarich  and is likely to expand into Loch Lomond in the future.

Robbie Kernahan, NatureScot director of sustainable growth, said with wildlife declining in Scotland, the increasing beaver population is great news.

The report also revealed that 87 beavers were culled over the past three years by trained specialists working to reduce the impact on agriculture.

Scotland now has more than 1,000 wild beavers, according to a new report, which found their numbers and the number of territories have doubled since 2017

The range of where these territories are has grown too, from Glen Isla to Dundee and Stirling, Forfar to Crianlarich  and likely to expand into Loch Lomond in the future

BEAVERS IN SCOTLAND: STARTED WITH AN ILLEGAL REWILDING PROJECT Beavers went extinct in the UK in the 16th Century due to over hunting. For 400 years they were absent from the islands, but an illegal rewilding project in the early 21st Century saw them return for the first time. It started with a handful of individuals being released from a private collection in Perthshire, Scotland. A later project in 2009 by the Scottish Wildlife Trust saw further individuals released across the Highlands. By 2020 there were 1,000 individuals in Scotland with a handful transported to England and Wales. The Scottish population were living in 251 territories across the country. Advertisement

Beavers play a vital role in creating and restoring wetlands where other species can thrive, reducing downstream flooding and improving water quality.

Eurasian beavers are a native species in the UK but they were hunted to extinction in the 16th Century.

A growing rewilding movement throughout the 20th Century resulted in proposals to reintroduce the species.

The reintroduction was supposed to happen through a gradual official rollout organised by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

But over fears it might not happen, groups of campaigners illegally released the animals from private collections held in Perthshire around 2000.

There was a further introduction of more animals in 2009 through an official Scottish Wildlife Trust scheme.

The new survey by NatureScot found that most of the 1,000 in Scotland today came from the illegal release, rather than the later official rollout.

'Beavers are nature's supreme water engineers, but we know they may cause severe problems in some areas, particularly for crops on prime agricultural land and for important infrastructure like road drains or railway lines,' said Mr Kernahan.

As well as looking at the overall population and changes, the NatureScot report revealed 87 beavers had been shot by trained controllers since 2017.

NatureScot carried out an extensive survey of beaver populations and territories in 2020, finding the population was about 1,000 living in 251 different territories

Beavers living in Scotland today are descended from a handful of animals released from private collections in Perthshire, in an illegal rewilding project 20 years ago

This was part of a series of mitigation measures that also included dam removal, to protect farmland and other species living in the same area as the beavers.

Under species control licences reported to NatureScot in 2020, 31 beavers were trapped and moved to licensed, enclosed reintroduction projects in England; 56 beaver dams were removed; and 115 beavers were culled.

Figures indicated that between May and December 2019, 15 beavers were trapped and moved to Knapdale, Argyll, or trial reintroduction projects in England.

The survey was carried out last winter and is said to be the most comprehensive and authoritative survey of beaver numbers and their range ever conducted in Britain.

Experienced surveyors searched for signs of beavers on foot and by canoe, finding 13,204 confirmed signs such as burrows, dams, lodges, scent mounds, canal digging, and tree and crop feeding.

As well as looking at the overall population and changes, the NatureScot report revealed 87 beavers had been shot by trained controllers since 2017

Experienced surveyors searched for signs of beavers on foot and by canoe, finding 13,204 confirmed signs such as burrows, dams, lodges, scent mounds, canal digging, and tree and crop feeding

BEAVERS: 'FRIENDS' OR 'FOES'? There is some contention as to whether Beavers should have been released into the wild. This is why the illegal rewilding happened in Scotland, over concerns the government wouldn't back an official project. The points on either side of the argument include the following: FOR REINTRODUCTION The UK's wetland fauna and flora evolved alongside beavers. They reduce siltation, which can pollute waterways with silt and clay. Their dam-like habitats help to reduce downstream flooding after heavy rain. Beavers make ponds, which are needed by two-thirds of UK wildlife. The public is in favour of restoring the animals to the wild. AGAINST REINTRODUCTION UK rivers have changed dramatically since beavers went extinct. British waterways are in poor health, potentially putting beavers at risk. Beavers can spread a foreign tapeworm to both humans and dogs. They can damage both infrastructure and local forests. Dams can sometimes exacerbate, rather than prevent, flooding. Advertisement

NatureScot worked with Scotland's 'foremost beaver specialist', Dr Roisin Campbell-Palmer, and experts at the University of Exeter to conduct the survey.

'Beavers are recognised as ecosystem engineers with important biodiversity benefits, though some impacts can be challenging alongside certain land-use practices,' said Dr Campbell-Palmer.

'This survey will hopefully provide valuable information to land managers and policy makers seeking to maximise the benefits and minimise the conflicts associated with the return of beavers to our rivers.'

Scottish Greens environment spokesman Mark Ruskell said this is an endangered and protected species in Scotland and so population growth is encouraging.

'However, this population growth does not excuse the killing or exporting of more than a tenth of the population last year,' Mr Ruskell said.

'It's clear that much more can be done to manage and resolve cases where conflict arises, especially through relocating animals in Scotland to areas where they can thrive, creating eco-tourism opportunities and helping restore wetlands.'

The Scottish Wildlife Trust's conservation director, Sarah Robinson, said lethal control measures were concerning, adding they should be a 'true last resort'.

'We would like to see greater support for non-lethal measures including flow devices and water gates, alongside continued trials of new techniques.'

Trees for Life, a rewilding charity, accused NatureScot of suppressing the data about culling until the final population figures were released.

They have taken the agency to court over its policy on lethal control, saying it should be harder to get a licence to kill beavers.

The National Farmers Union Scotland says they believe the current approach is proportionate with culling as a last resort, with NatureScot saying they can cause severe problems in some areas.

As well as Scotland, there is also a population of beavers living on the River Otter, given permanent right to remain, in 2020 by Defra.

The full 2020-21 survey can be found on the NatureScot website.

Beavers are found throughout the UK. The animals live as far north as Bamff, Scotland and as south as Nankilly Water in Cornwall
Curry with plenty of fenugreek in it can help spice things up in the bedroom, a new study shows.

Fenugreek  a plant commonly used in Indian cuisine  improves libido by reducing issues like vaginal dryness in healthy women, researchers in India report.

The experts gave an organic fenugreek extract, called FenuSMART (FHE), to 24 menstruating women aged between 20 to 48.

Compared to those who didn't receive the extract, the women had increased libido, lower irritability and enhanced estradiol, the major female sex hormone.

Estradiol, an estrogen, 'modulates sexual desire in women' and is involved in the regulation of the menstrual reproductive cycle.

In the case of menopausal women, fenugreek can reduce various discomforts like vaginal dryness, sexual dysfunction, hot flushes, sweating, sleep disturbance, mood swings and depression.

Fenugreek contains bioactive compounds called saponins that are likely involved in the production of a number of sex hormones, including estrogens and androgens.

Fenugreek seeds are tiny, bitter, dicotyledonous seeds of the herb fenugreek. Toasted gently, they exhibit a strongly aromatic and pungent flavour

WHAT IS FENUGREEK? Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a plant commonly used in Indian cuisine Fenugreek seeds are tiny, bitter, dicotyledonous seeds of the plant fenugreek. Toasted gently, they exhibit a strongly aromatic and pungent flavour. The leaves of the plant are also used in Indian cuisine, in dishes including aloo methi. The herb contains phytoestrogens, which are plant chemicals similar to the female sex hormone estrogen. Advertisement

Fenugreek 'may be considered as a natural alternative for sexual issues in women', report the research team, led by experts at 'spiceutical' company Akay based in Cochin, India.

The leaves and seeds of the fenugreek plant are both used in Indian cookery, as a herb and a spice, respectively.

However, women should try to avoid fenugreek during a pregnancy, as it can start contractions prematurely, leading to miscarriage. This is why curry is a popular choice for pregnant women with a baby overdue.

'Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) seed is a popular kitchen spice and medicinal herb with wide applications in Indian folklore,' the study authors say.

'The present study showed that FHE helps to maintain normal hormonal balance and offered a significant reduction in sexual problems and irritability scores among the participants.'

Hormone analysis also indicated enhanced levels of testosterone, the primary sex hormone in males that is also found in women, produced by the ovaries.

In women, relatively small quantities of testosterone are released into the bloodstream by the ovaries and adrenal glands.

Testosterone and other androgens 'play an important role in healthy female sexual function, especially in stimulating sexual interest and maintaining desire', according to the authors.

'Testosterone initiates sexual activities and proliferates sexual desire and behaviour,' they say in the paper.

'In addition, testosterone is essential in modulating clitoral and vaginal physiology to facilitate genital lubrication, sensation, and engorgement.'

Curry with plenty of fenugreek in it can help spice things up in the bedroom, the new study suggests

The experts recruited 48 women in total for the study  24 of whom were given 500mg of the extract a day, and 24 a placebo of the same amount, for a total of 42 days.

Those who took FHE had a 41.6 per cent improvement in sexual problems and a 40 per cent improvement in irritability.

This compared with only an 18.2 per cent improvement in sexual problems and a 20.2 per cent improvement in irritability for the placebo group.

Those who took FHE had a 41.6 per cent improvement in sexual problems and a 40 per cent improvement in irritability

What's more, FHE did not produce any side effects or adverse events, the team point out in their paper, published in Clinical Phytoscience.

If you're at your local Indian takeaway, you may want to ask the chefs to add an extra helping of fenugreek to your favourite dish.

Some of the delicacies already high in fenugreek include aloo methi, a sauteed potato (aloo) side dish, which uses the plant's leaves.

When ground into a powder, fenugreek seeds are used in spice blends such as garam masala.
Children born in the summer who are the youngest in their class are more likely to develop depression and substance misuse disorder as adults, a study reveals.

The London authors claim so-called 'summer babies' are also more likely to have low educational achievement, such as poorer grades, by the time they leave school.

This is not just because they're missing out on extra learning time, but because there's something about being less mature behaviourally, cognitively and socially that 'places a child at risk for many later outcomes'.

For example, being young in a school class could make kids less accepted by their peers, leading to mental health issues later.

Summer-born children can be almost 12 months younger than some of their fellow classmates, and have therefore had less time to develop.

Based on the findings, the team is calling for greater flexibility about school starting age, so that summer born children don't miss out on nearly a whole calendar year of extra learning.

Summer-born children are more at risk of depression and substance misuse later in life, the study reveals (stock image)

WHAT IS ADHD? Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a behavioural condition defined by inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. It affects around five per cent of children in the US. Some 3.6 per cent of boys and 0.85 per cent of girls suffer in the UK. Symptoms typically appear at an early age and become more noticeable as a child grows. These can also include: Constant fidgeting

Poor concentration

Excessive movement or talking

Acting without thinking

Little or no sense of danger

Careless mistakes

Forgetfulness

Difficulty organising tasks

Inability to listen or carry out instructions Advertisement

Currently, the UK school year runs from September 1 to August 31, so children born towards the end of this period are at an unfortunate disadvantage.

Being young in a school class  known as having a 'young relative age'  also increases the risk of being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the experts warn.

The new research has been conducted at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London, in collaboration with the Karolinska Institute and Orebro University.

'In the early stages of childhood, this is a significant difference in terms of maturity, behaviour and cognitive abilities,' said study author Professor Jonna Kuntsi.

'Behavioural characteristics that are normal in younger children are in some cases being compared to much older individuals, and we can see from the data that there are very real and long-term consequences to being the youngest in a class year.

'We show that simply a child's month of birth can place them at a disadvantage.

'This is of course a problem, because children's future outcomes should be fully independent of their relative age at the start of school.'

For their study, the researchers wanted to look at the combined effects of young relative age and ADHD on several negative long-term outcomes.

The study looked at data from 300,000 Swedish individuals from the Swedish National Registers, all born between 1990 and 1997.

As the Swedish cut-off date for school entrance is January 1, those with a 'young relative age'  being young in a school class  are born nearer the end of the calendar year.

In the study, those with a young relative age were born in November and December, and those with an old relative age were born between January and February.

All individuals were followed from their 15th birthday to their birthday in 2013, and were between 16 to 23 years of age by the end of follow-up.

Researchers looked at whether or not they'd had a criminal conviction and took data from the National Patient Register for the occurrence of substance misuse and depression.

In the individuals without ADHD, young relative age was associated with a 14 per cent increased risk of depression, as well as a 14 per cent increased risk of substance misuse, and a 17 per cent increased risk of low educational achievement.

However, there was no increased risk of criminality detected for this group.

In the individuals with ADHD, meanwhile, young relative age was associated with a 23 per cent increased risk of substance misuse and 12 per cent increased risk of low educational achievement, but not depression or criminality.

Being young in a school class (known as having a 'young relative age' ) also increases the risk of being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - a behavioural condition defined by inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness (stock image)

THE RESULTS Children without ADHD - 14% increased risk of substance misuse - 17% increased risk of low educational achievement - 14% increased risk of depression - No increased risk of criminality Children with ADHD - 23% increased risk of substance misuse - 12% increased risk of low educational achievement - No increased risk of depression or criminality Advertisement

So although the youngest in a class overall were more likely to experience low educational achievement, substance misuse disorder, and depression in later life, younger children with ADHD appeared less at risk of depression.

Overall, the prevalence of ADHD was higher in children with young relative age (2.8 per cent of the sample) compared to those with old relative age (1.7 per cent).

Professor Kuntsi said the results don't necessarily show having young relative age causes negative outcomes.

'What our data shows is a longitudinal association  being young-for-class increases the risk for these outcomes later on,' she told MailOnline.

The academics note that the negative effects of young relative age is much less common in countries like Denmark, possibly due to the more flexible approach to school starting age there.

Young children that might not be ready to start school have the opportunity to start school later, and as such are less at risk of experiencing negative side effects seen in other countries.

It is a practice that the researchers say could be emulated elsewhere, such as in the UK.

'Being the youngest child in a classroom can have complex developmental consequences, and can place them at a disadvantage at the earliest stages of their academic life,' Professor Kuntsi said.

'If we are to overcome this, there needs to be a greater understanding from decision makers, teachers, and clinicians so that all children have an equal chance to succeed later in life.'

The study has been published today in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medication (stock image)

Earlier this year, Dr Tammy Campbell, a researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Science, said summer-born primary school kids are disproportionately given the 'special educational needs or disabilities' (SEND) label.

Summer-born children, particularly boys, are much more likely to be given the SEND label by the end of their primary school career, she found.

Nearly half of summer-born boys are categorised as having SEND by primary schools, according to her research paper.

'The crux of the problem as I see it is not quite that they have had less time to learn,' she told MailOnline at the time.

'It is more that they are simply younger and less developed  and so of course shouldn't be expected to have learned and developed as much  because they are up to 12 months younger.

'Expectations of what is 'normal' for very young children should be flexible, and emphasise individual progress and growth rather than static thresholds.'
The joint European-Japanese BepiColombo mission released its first image of Venus as the craft made its closest approach to the planet known as 'Earth's evil twin.'

BepiColombo, a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), snapped a black and white image of Earth's twin when it was 977 miles away.

The image shows just a small section of Venus, capturing the detailed curve of the planet, and a few of BepiColomob's components.

The Mercury-bound craft swung by Venus Tuesday after snapping the image and making its closets approach of just 340 miles from the surface of the planet.

Shortly after the flyby, data showed that BepiColombo's solar panels went from -148F to 50F, a sharp rise of 200 degrees, which was due to sunlight reflecting off of Venus.

Dr James O'Donoghue, a planetary scientist at JAXA, commented on the event via Twitter: 'Venus will find a way to be inhospitable to you, even when you fly by it from 550 km [341 miles] away.

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BepiColombo, a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), snapped a black and white image of Earth's twin when it was 977 miles away

BepiColombo arrived at Venus for its gravity assist as it travels to Mercury - and did so 33 hours after fellow ESA probe, the Solar Orbiter, made its close approach to Venus - marking a double flyby.

They were both using the gravitational pull of Venus to help them drop a little bit of orbital energy to reach their destinations at the center of the solar system.

The Mercury-bound BepiColombo is on a seven-year mission to study the structure and atmosphere of the innermost planet in the solar system and learn more about how it interacts with the sun.

JAXA tweeted: '[It] will not begin orbiting Mercury until the end of 2025, the spacecraft will make the first swing-by of Mercury this October. Stay tuned!'

The Mercury-bound BepiColombo spacecraft swung by Venus Tuesday after snapping the image and making its closets approach of just 340 miles from the surface of the planet

BepiColombo arrived at Venus for its gravity assist as it travels to Mercury - and did so just 33 hours after fellow ESA probe, the Solar Orbiter, made its close approach to Venus - marking a double flyby

The double flyby offers ESA astronomers a chance to study Venus from different locations at the same time, and places rarely visited by probes.

VENUS: THE BASICS Venus, the second planet from the sun, is a rocky planet about the same size and mass of the Earth. However, its atmosphere is radically different to ours - being 96 per cent carbon dioxide and having a surface temperature of 867F (464C) and pressure 92 times that of on the Earth. The inhospitable planet is swaddled in clouds of sulphuric acid that make the surface impossible to glimpse via the visible light spectrum. In the past, Venus likely had oceans similar to Earth's - but these would have vaporized as it underwent a runaway greenhouse effect. The surface of Venus is a dry desertscape, which is periodically changed by volcanic activity. The planet has no moons and orbits the Sun every 224.7 Earth days. Advertisement

The first image of BepiColomob's flyby was take at 9:57 am ET by the Mercury Transfer Modules Monitoring Camera 3.

The cameras provide black-and-white snapshots in 1024 x 1024 pixel resolution.

'The image has been lightly processed to enhance contrast and use the full dynamic range,' ESA shared in a statement.

'A small amount of optical vignetting is seen in the bottom left of the image.

The image also shows the high-gain antenna of the Mercury Planetary Orbiter and part of the body of the spacecraft.

It was being tracked by Malargue station in Argentina during its flyby.

'From 187,672,259.248 km away, signals from the spacecraft take over 10 minutes to get to the station,' said ESA.

As it passed into the dayside of the planet, ESA tweeted: 'BepiColombo is feeling the heat as it swoops past the Venus dayside.

'Sunlight reflected from Venus is heating the spacecraft by up to 50 degrees!

'And the reaction wheels used to keep Bepi pointing straight are feeling the pull of the planets mighty gravity.'

Solar Orbiter is on its way to study the polar regions of the sun in a bid to better understand its 11-year cycle, and made its approach at 12:42am ET, ESA said, coming within 4,967 of the planet.

That was 33 hours prior to the BepiColombo fly-by of Venus.

Solar Orbiter is a partnership between ESA and NASA to study the polar regions of our host star.

This isn't the first time the sun-observing satellite has visited Venus.

It is scheduled to make repeated gravity assist flybys of the planet throughout its mission in its bid to get close to the star at the heart of the solar system.

The double flyby offers ESA astronomers a chance to study Earth's sister-planet Venus from different locations at the same time, and places rarely visited by probes

During the Venus flybys, it is changing its orbital inclination.

While doing this, it is acting to boost itself out of the ecliptic plane, to get the best  and first  views of the sun's poles.

BepiColombo is a partnership between ESA and JAXA and is on its way to the mysterious innermost planet of the solar system.

To get there, it has required flybys of Earth, Venus and even Mercury itself to get close enough and build up momentum.

BepiColombo, a partnership between ESA and the Japanese space agency JAXA, flew by Venus at 15:48 BST on August 10, coming just 340 miles from the surface of the planet

These flybys, coupled with the spacecraft's solar electric propulsion system, is what is required to steer into Mercury's orbit against the gravitational pull of the sun.

It is not possible to take high-resolution imagery of Venus with the science cameras onboard either mission, so there won't be new pictures of Earth's 'evil twin.'

HOW WILL BEPICOLOMBO GET TO MERCURY? BepiColombo's two orbiters, Japan's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter and the ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter, will be carried together. The carrier will use electric propulsion and gravity-assists at Earth, Venus and Mercury in its 7.2 year journey. Once at Mercury, they will separate and move into their own orbits to make complementary measurements of Mercury's interior, surface, exosphere and magnetosphere. The information will tell us more about the origin and evolution of a planet close to its parent star, providing a better understanding of the overall evolution of our own Solar System. BepiColombo features three components that will separate: Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) for propulsion, built by the European Space Agency (ESA) Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) built by ESA Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) or MIO built by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Advertisement

Solar Orbiter must remain facing the sun, and the main camera onboard BepiColombo is shielded by the transfer module that will deliver the two planetary orbiters to Mercury, according to ESA officials.

However, two of BepiColombo's three monitoring cameras took photos around the time of close approach and in the days after as the planet fades.

The cameras provide black-and-white snapshots in 1024 x 1024 pixel resolution, and are positioned on the Mercury Transfer Module such that they also capture the spacecraft's solar arrays and antennas.

During the approach, Venus filled the entire field of view, but as the spacecraft changes its orientation the planet will be seen passing behind the panels.

The images will be downloaded in batches, one by one, with the first image expected to be available this evening, and the majority tomorrow.

Even though both spacecraft flew within a few thousand miles of Venus and just a day apart, they were separated by over 350,000 miles of open space.

Solar Orbiter has been acquiring data near-constantly since launch in February 2020 with its four instruments that measure the environment around the spacecraft itself.

Both Solar Orbiter and BepiColombo's Mercury Planetary Orbiter and Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter collected data on the magnetic and plasma environment of Venus from different locations around the planet.

JAXA's Akatsuki spacecraft is already in orbit around Venus, creating a unique constellation of datapoints on the mysterious hot world.

It will take many months to collate the coordinated flyby measurements and analyse them in a meaningful way, so information won't be available straight away, ESA explained.

The data collected during the flybys will also provide useful inputs to ESA's future Venus orbiter, EnVision, which will launch to the planet in the 2030s.

Solar Orbiter, a partnership between ESA and NASA, flew by Venus on August 9, coming about 5,000 miles from the planet at 05:42 BST that morning

Solar Orbiter and BepiColombo both have one more flyby of Venus this year.

BepiColombo will see Mercury for the first time overnight on October 1, making its first of six flybys of Mercury  with this one from just just over 100 miles.

The two planetary orbiters will be delivered into Mercury orbit in late 2025, tasked with studying all aspects of this mysterious inner planet.

This includes its core to surface processes, magnetic field, and exosphere, to better understand the origin and evolution of a planet close to its parent star.

On November 27, Solar Orbiter will make a final flyby of Earth, coming just under 300 miles from the surface, kicking off the start of its main mission.

Even though both spacecraft were flying within a few thousand miles of Venus and just a day apart, they were separated by over 350,000 miles of open space

Both NASA and the European Space Agency are sending spacecraft to study Venus in more detail in the 2030s, where they will explore how it became so different to the Earth, despite having a similar origin

It will continue to make regular flybys of Venus to progressively increase its orbit inclination to best observe the sun's uncharted polar regions.

Solar scientists say understanding and imaging the polar regions of our star is key to understanding its 11 year activity cycle.

Both NASA and the European Space Agency are sending spacecraft to study Venus in more detail in the 2030s, where they will explore how it became so different to the Earth, despite having a similar origin.
A website that uses machine-learning to quickly turn innocuous photos of famous and everyday women into realistic deepfake nudes is racking up howls of outrageand millions of page views.

The year-old site has garnered more than 38 million hits since the start of 2021, The Huffington Post reported, with five million in June alone, according to BBC News.

HuffPo declined to name the website, but the BBC identified it as Deepsukebe, with both outlets referring to language on the site claiming its mission is to 'make all men's dreams come true.'

On its now-suspended Twitter page, Deepsukebe referred to itself as an 'AI-leveraged nudifier.'

It claims it doesn't save the fake photos it generates, but an 'incentive program' rewards posters who share links of their deepfakes.

Users who get enough people to click on them can 'nudify' more pictures faster. (Users can also pay a monthly fee in cryptocurrency to bypass the limit of one picture every two hours.)

'It's unknown who is behind the site, which is riddled with spelling and syntax errors, just as it's unclear where they are based,' wrote HuffPost tech reporter Jesselyn Cook.

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DeepSukebe invites users to post photos to be 'nudified,' with a realistic depiction of the subject wearing no clothes. Media reports indicate the site garnered more than 5 million hits in one month

'Last month, the U.S. was by far the site's leading source of traffic, followed by Thailand, Taiwan, Germany and China. Now-deleted Medium posts demonstrating how to use the site featured before-and-after pictures of Asian women exclusively.'

After HuffPost contacted its host provider, IP Volume Inc., the DeepSukebe site went down briefly on Monday.

Scamalytics, an anti-cyberfraud company used by many online dating sites, ranked IP Volume Inc. 'a potentially high fraud risk ISP.'

'They operate 14,643 IP addresses, almost all of which are running servers, anonymizing VPNs, and public proxies, the report stated.

While critics worry about deepfakes impact on celebrities and politicians, more than 90 percent of deefakes are of women being co-opted into pornographic imagery



'We apply a risk score of 43/100 to IP Volume inc, meaning that of the web traffic where we have visibility, approximately 43% is suspected to be potentially fraudulent.'

In less than 24 hours, Deepsukebe was back online with a new ISP provider.

The company's logo is a star with an eye in the middle, with the slogan, "We seek truth, we strip fakes, we deny lies."

A statement on the Deepsukebe website claims the nudifier is a 'state of the art AI model' developed with millions of data points and years of research, including months of AI model training.

'DeepSukebe was born by burning huge time & money,' it reads in halting English.

But Roy Azoulay, founder and CEO of Serelay, which verifies video and photo assets, told DailyMail.com the tech used to nudify images the way Deepsukene does is readily available in 'published papers and open-source libraries.'

It's because of that easy availability, that 'there's very little that can be done in the way of protection or keeping this technology out of the hands of malicious users,' Azoulay said.

He said solutions would have to come from lawmakers or moderation by sites like Google, Facebook, Twitter and Telegram.

Facebook blocked the site's URL from its platform after being made aware of its nature, HuffPost reported, and Twitter has suspended its account.

After Huffington Post reported on the site, Deepsukebe's URL was blocked from Facebook and its Twitter page was suspended

Initially, deepfake porn videos primarily focused on female celebrities, as there would have to be a significant amount of available footage of the person to insert them seamlessly into a scene.

But now, deepfake porn stills can be made with just a single image of any female. (Pictures of men are just given female sex organs.)

While fake celebrity nudes are common, 'the vast majority of people using these [tools] want to target people they know,' Deepfake expert Henry Ajde told HuffPo.

And the crisis is growing exponentially: Deepfake research firm Sensity AI reports the number of deepfake videos has doubled every six months since 2018.

Significant attention has been given to deepfakes of politicians and celebrities, but the vast majority target women, according to Sensity AI: Since December 2018, between 90 and 95 percent of deepfakes are fake nudes of women.

'This is a violence-against-women issue,' Adam Dodge, the founder of EndTAB, a nonprofit that educates people about technology-enabled abuse, told Technology Review in February.

'What a perfect tool for somebody seeking to exert power and control over a victim.'

As is often the case, the law is trailing technology: legislators in the US and Great Britain are working to ban non-consensual deepfake porn, but many of their colleagues don't understand the technology or argue proposed regulations are overly broad or unenforceable.

'Black Widow' star Scarlett Johansson says going after perpetrators of deepfake porn is a 'useless pursuit'

'The UK currently has no laws specifically targeting deepfakes and there is no 'deepfake intellectual property right' that could be invoked in a dispute,'according to an opinion piece in the March edition of The National Law Review.

'Similarly, the UK does not have a specific law protecting a person's 'image' or 'personality'. This means that the subject of a deepfake needs to rely on a hotchpotch of rights that are neither sufficient nor adequate to protect the individual in this situation.'

In the US, the 2019 Deepfakes Accountability Act, which addressed both political deepfakes and nonconsensual porn, failed to make it out of committee.

Actress Scarlett Johansson, the target of deepfake porn watched millions of times, argues there's little point going after perpetrators.

'I think it's a useless pursuit, legally, mostly because the internet is a vast wormhole of darkness that eats itself,' she told The Washington Post in 2018.

'Obviously, if a person has more resources, they may employ various forces to build a bigger wall around their digital identity,' she added.

'But nothing can stop someone from cutting and pasting my image or anyone else's onto a different body and making it look as eerily realistic as desired. There are basically no rules on the internet because it is an abyss that remains virtually lawless.'
Asteroid Bennu, which is about a third of a mile wide, has a slightly greater chance of hitting Earth than previously thought, NASA has revealed.

The US space agency has increased the odds of the space rock colliding with our planet from a 1-in-2,700 chance to 1-in-1,750.

The statement, shared by NASA on Wednesday, stems from data collected by the OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft that is brining samples of the asteroid back to Earth.

Along with rocks and dust, the craft captured precision data to better predict the near-Earth object's orbit around the sun, which shows a 1-in-1,750 chance of a future collision with the planet over the next 300 years.

It also has a 1-in-2,700 chance of hitting Earth on the afternoon of September 24, 2184, according to the NASA study.

Even if the asteroid were to collide with our planet, it is nowhere near the size of the dino-killing, six-mile across space rock that hit the Yucatan peninsula 66 million years ago, as Bennu is less than a third of a mile wide.

Nonetheless, if Bennu were to impact Earth, it would be similar to an explosion of more than 1.1 billion tons of TNT.

Kelly Fast, program manager for the Near-Earth Object Observations Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a statement: 'NASA's Planetary Defense mission is to find and monitor asteroids and comets that can come near Earth and may pose a hazard to our planet.

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Asteroid Bennu, which is about a third of a mile wide, has a 1-in-2,700 chance of hitting Earth on the afternoon of September 24, 2184 (pictured). The statement was share by NASA on Wednesday and stems from data collected by the OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft that is brining samples of the asteroid back to Earth

'We carry out this endeavor through continuing astronomical surveys that collect data to discover previously unknown objects and refine our orbital models for them.

'The OSIRIS-REx mission has provided an extraordinary opportunity to refine and test these models, helping us better predict where Bennu will be when it makes its close approach to Earth more than a century from now.'

NASA released its Bennu study, titled 'Ephemeris and hazard assessment for near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu based on OSIRIS-REx data,' on Wednesday, which was published in the journal Icarus.

Although there is a slight chance Bennu will smash into Earth over the next three centuries, NASA notes there is more than a 99.9 percent probability it will not.

Along with rocks and dust, the craft captured precision data to better predict the near-Earth object's orbit around the Sun, which shows a 1-in-1,750 chance of a future collision over the next 300 years

Before fear sets in nearly 120 years from now, NASA found that the asteroid will make a close approach to Earth in 2135.

This will help scientists better understand Bennu's exact trajectory during that encounter and help them predict how Earth's gravity will alter the asteroid's path around the sun.

'Although the chances of it hitting Earth are very low, Bennu remains one of the two most hazardous known asteroids in our solar system, along with another asteroid called 1950 DA,' NASA shared in the statement.

The precision measurements captured by OSIRIS-REx will help scientists determine how the asteroid's orbit will evolve over time and whether it will pass through a 'gravitational keyhole' during its 2135 close approach - according to AFP this will be half the distance of the Earth to the Moon.

'These keyholes are areas in space that would set Bennu on a path toward a future impact with Earth if the asteroid were to pass through them at certain times, due to the effect of Earth's gravitational pull,' NASA explained.

Although there is a slight chance Bennu will smash into Earth over the next three centuries, NASA notes there is more than a 99.9 percent probability it will not

The precision measurements captured by OSIRIS-REx will help scientists determine how the asteroid's orbit will evolve over time and whether it will pass through a 'gravitational keyhole' during its 2135 close approach

To calculate exactly where the asteroid will be during its 2135 close approach  and whether it might pass through a gravitational keyhole  study lead Davide Farnocchia, of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), and his team evaluated various types of small forces that may affect the asteroid as it orbits the sun.

The team has to look at all possibilities and incidents that could happen, as even the smallest force can significantly deflect Bennu's orbital path over time, causing it to pass through or completely miss a keyhole.

Such forces include the sun's heat: one side of the asteroid heats up during the day as it travels around the sun, but then cools as it enters night.

As it cools, the surface releases infrared energy, which generates a small amount of thrust on the asteroid  a phenomenon known as the Yarkovsky effect.

Over short timeframes, this thrust is minuscule, but over long periods, the effect on the asteroid's position builds up and can play a significant role in changing an asteroid's path.

Steve Chesley, senior research scientist at JPL and study co-investigator, said in a statement: 'The Yarkovsky effect will act on all asteroids of all sizes, and while it has been measured for a small fraction of the asteroid population from afar, OSIRIS-REx gave us the first opportunity to measure it in detail as Bennu traveled around the Sun.

'The effect on Bennu is equivalent to the weight of three grapes constantly acting on the asteroid  tiny, yes, but significant when determining Bennu's future impact chances over the decades and centuries to come.'

The team considered many other perturbing forces as well, including the gravity of the sun, the planets, their moons, and more than 300 other asteroids, the drag caused by interplanetary dust, the pressure of the solar wind, and Bennu's particle-ejection events.

Although a 0.057 percent impact probability through the year 2300 and an impact probability of 0.037 percent on Sept. 24, 2182, are low, this study highlights the crucial role that OSIRIS-REx operations played in precisely characterizing Bennu's orbit

The force OSIRIS-REx exerted when performing its Touch-And-Go (TAG) sample collection event October 20, 2020 also factors in as a disturbance that could throw the asteroid off orbit.

Although a 0.057 percent impact probability through the year 2300 and an impact probability of 0.037 percent on Sept. 24, 2182, are low, this study highlights the crucial role that OSIRIS-REx operations played in precisely characterizing Bennu's orbit, according to NASA.

Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator and professor at the University of Arizona, said in a statement: 'The orbital data from this mission helped us better appreciate Bennu's impact chances over the next couple of centuries and our overall understanding of potentially hazardous asteroids  an incredible result.

'The spacecraft is now returning home, carrying a precious sample from this fascinating ancient object that will help us better understand not only the history of the solar system but also the role of sunlight in altering Bennu's orbit since we will measure the asteroid's thermal properties at unprecedented scales in laboratories on Earth.'
Molly-Mae Hague hit back at speculation she had split from boyfriend Tommy Fury after fans claimed they've 'been quiet' on social media.

The Love Island, 22, took to Instagram on Tuesday for a Q&A when a fan asked: 'Are you and Tommy okay? Been quiet on here lately.'

Her fans' concerns come after her boxer beau left their holiday in Santorini to prepare for the Jake Paul fight in the USA.

Rumour has it: Molly-Mae Hague has squashed rumours that her and Tommy Fury have split after fans claimed they've 'been quiet'

Reassuring all was well between the couple, who have been dating since the 2019 series of Love Island, Molly-Mae told her worried follower: 'Of course we are OK!'

'Just because we don't post a selfie together on stories for a few weeks doesn't mean things are bad.'

She revealed: 'We are both soooo busy. He's in training camp currently also which is super serious stuff.'

Taking down rumours: The influencer took down rumours on Instagram, responding with: 'Of course we are OK!'

Close: On Wednesday Molly-Mae also took to her Instagram to share a picture of her beau holding her teddy bear Ellie Belly

'No date nights and messing around.' We have really early nights and a very set routine that I also try and follow in order to support him,' she clarified.

Molly-Mae, who has just returned from work trips in Ibiza and Greece, added: 'I love him so much. So proud of him.'

Tommy is billed to make his US debut on the Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley event on 29th August - although he won't be fighting the ex-Disney Channel star.

Instead, the boxer, 24, will be the undercard of the Paul vs Woodley fight.

The event comes as the YouTuber shared an alleged private Instagram DM from Tommy's partner Molly-Mae.

The 'screenshot', from October 2018, read: 'Might be coming to America later this year and have always been a fan of your videos. Maybe you can show me around?'

But former Islander Molly snapped back, insisting the screenshot was fake.

Busy: 'We are both soooo busy. He's in training camp currently also which is super serious stuff' she told her fans.

She tweeted in May: 'Times must be hard when youre having to fake a DM. Photoshop is scary.'

Tommy responded, and plans to exact his revenge. He told Sky Sports: 'I'm thick-skinned. I'm a professional athlete. These boys ain't. These boys play games on the internet and run around for a living.'

'I fight hard for a living. I will let my fists do the talking. For every bad thing he has said, he will get a swift right hand for it.

'I will break every bone in his face. You don't bring people's loved ones into it. It's a fight. It's nothing to do with them, leave them out of it.'
The Hundred, hosted by Andy Lee, premiered on Channel Nine on Tuesday night.

And it seems there has been a mixed reaction to the show among viewers.

While the program received some positive reviews, one fan tweeted that it was too similar to Channel 10's Have You Been Paying Attention?

Feedback: The Hundred with Andy Lee premiered on Channel Nine on Tuesday to mixed reviews. Pictured: host Andy (centre) with Sophie Monk, Sam Campbell and Mike Goldstein

'The Hundred with Andy Lee is a poor man's version of HYBPA. Awful,' they wrote.

Another added: 'Oh god, five minutes in and this is awful.'

Viewers were also divided on the show's panel, which included Sophie Monk, comedian Sam Campbell and Mike Goldstein.

'Awful': While the show received some positive reviews, one fan tweeted that it was too similar to Channel 10's Have You Been Paying Attention?

'Sam should be on all panel shows from herein please,' one person tweeted in a positive review.

But another said the program 'would be so much better' without Sam because he's not 'funny'.

Despite the criticism, some fans had glowing praise for the show and host Andy Lee.

Lucky! Despite the criticism, some fans had glowing praise for the show and host Andy Lee

'I'm enjoying The Hundred with Andy Lee. It's an interesting show with a few laughs plus a great host,' one fan tweeted.

Another wrote: 'Love the show!'

'So anything involving Andy or Hamish piques my interest, and I really enjoyed this,' a third added.

Good start: 'I'm enjoying The Hundred with Andy Lee it's an interesting show with a few laughs plus a great host,' one fan tweeted

Melbourne-based Andy, 40, has been in Sydney in recent weeks to film the show.

Earlier this week, shortly before the premiere, Andy revealed the show wouldn't shy away from serious issues.

He told TV Tonight that lockdowns and anti-vaxxers would be on the menu.

He's ready: Earlier this week, shortly before the premiere, Andy revealed the show wouldn't shy away from serious issues

'We'll cover off how people feel about the Olympics or lockdowns, so there's an opportunity to grab a topic and then immediately see how Australia feels about it,' he said.

'That can sound divisive, but the show is not meant to be that. It's actually more inclusive.

'We asked, "Who is anti-vaxxer?" and there were a few in our hundred, but it didn't cause any rifts. They're in the community and [we can] try to understand that a bit better. It's certainly not my opinion.'

He added that fun topics would be covered, too.

'So the show recognises big topics, but also smaller ones: do you sleep in the nude, do you check the toilet before you flush? All the other important things!' he said.

The premise of the show will see 100 Australians weighing in on different topics.
Lauren Goodger has shared heartwarming family snaps of herself alongside her daughter Larose and beau Charles Drury.

The reality star, 34, welcomed 8lb 9oz Larose on July 20 with beau Charles Drury, 24, and only used gas and air during her seven-hour labour.

Lauren was every inch the glowing mother in one photo taken hours after the tot's birth and another four days later.

Family: Lauren Goodger has shared heartwarming family snaps of herself alongside her daughter Larose and beau Charles Drury

In both snaps, she posed in bed while cradling her daughter in her arms with Charles lying beside her.

Lauren looked radiant in one photo taken on July 24 as she donned a white crop top with her brunette locks falling loose down her shoulders.

In the photo taken on the day Larose was born, Lauren cradled the baby while Charles leaned in to give her a kiss.

It comes after Lauren shared more details about her homebirth, revealing her waters broke just 10 minutes after a reflexology session

Heartwarming: In the photo taken on the day Larose was born, Lauren cradled the baby while Charles leaned in to give her a kiss

Answering fans' questions in a Q&A session on Instagram on Monday, the new mum told how she used a birthing pool but 'actually gave birth standing up' and 'got into the zone' to deal with the pain of contractions.

Sharing details about her labour, Lauren revealed: 'My waters broke 10 mins after this reflexology session with @lrussreflex. She is amazing and I highly recommend her!'

Reflexology is a type of massage that involves applying pressure to the feet or hands. It is used to try and aid relaxation and reduce anxiety, pain, nausea.

Lauren later told another fan that she went into labour 'four days early' and Larose was born 'three days early'.

And when asked what Larose was like being born in water, Lauren explained: 'I actually gave birth standing up so the last part I pushed her out standing up'.

New mum: It comes after Lauren shared more details about her homebirth, revealing her waters broke just 10 minutes after a reflexology session and she 'got into the zone' while in labour

Mother and daughter: The reality star welcomed 8lb 9oz Larose on July 20 with Charles and only used gas and air during her seven-hour labour

Details: Lauren revealed her waters broke very quickly after having reflexology (left) and explained (right) that she actually gave birth to her adorable little girl while standing up

Lauren also chatted about how she and Charles are adapting to life as a family-of-three, saying that they're 'a team' alongside an adorable picture of Larose's face.

Other followers of the former TOWIE star asked what the biggest lesson she's learnt since becoming a mum is, with Lauren telling them that she's just soaking up time with her daughter at the moment.

While another fan asked how Lauren 'stayed positive and strong', with the doting mum saying she just stayed focused on meeting her little girl.

She replied: 'I just got into my zone and took each contraction as it came and each one brought me closer to my daughter'.

Timing: The new mum told her fans that Larose arrived three days ahead of schedule

'I just got into my zone': The reality star also spoke about dealing with the pain (left) as it got her 'closer' to meeting Larose and trying different positions (right) to see if that helped at all

She replied: 'None as of yet. I just love every single minute with her she is my life'.

Elsewhere in her Q&A, Lauren discussed moving around during labour and how she got 'in and out as she was getting uncomfortable and wanted to try other positions'.

She added: 'The pain was the same in or out the water but I preferred being in the water'.

Candid: Lauren also revealed she 'couldn't of cared less' about being naked during the delivery and moved around by getting in and out of the birthing pool while in labour

Adorable: As well as answering questions about her labour, Lauren shared a few beautiful snaps of her little girl laying in a bed

Open: Lauren also told one fan that she was 'scared' but 'knew it's what I had chosen to do'

Lauren was also asked if she'd 'do it all again' and have another child, with the star admitting that as 'each day goes by and I am healing, yes I prob will do it all again'.

The new mum also chatted about doing a hypnobirthing course to help her prepare and said next time she'll 'take more time' for herself as she was busy with work before Larose's arrival.

As well as answering fans' questions, Lauren also shared a selection of new snaps alongside her answers, including one of herself in the birthing pool.

Taking to Instagram on Monday, the new mum posted a naked snap of herself during the home birth which was adorned with a selection of appropriately chosen emojis.

Future plans? The new mum also admitted she's not completely against the idea of having another baby and going through the pain of labour again

Changes: However she added that for another pregnancy she'd 'take more time for myself' as she was busy towards the end of her first

Lauren added an emoji with a pained expression over her face as well as including a bra containing watermelons and a small baby's face to further protect her modesty.

The star also shared the same snap of herself inside the inflatable pool but covered it with white writing as she discussed her labour and positive waterbirth experience.

She penned: 'This was my home birth and I used @birthpoolinabox. It arrived such fast delivery with the whole kit needed - including the pump to blow the pool up!

'My baby girl Larose was born in 7 hours in my living room - gas and air only. I had my amazing midwife with me and another midwife arrived towards the end.

'No complications. Look into your birth plan and choose the best option for you.'

Special moments: The new mum posted a naked snap of herself during the home birth which was adorned with a selection of appropriately chosen emojis

Q&A: Lauren also praised her 'amazing' midwife as she reflected on her seven hour labour and only using gas and air to help with the pain

It comes after Lauren revealed her placenta resembled a stingray as she continued to detail her drug-free home birth.

Speaking to New! Magazine, Lauren said she now realised why her bump was 'so big' due to the size of her placenta.

She said: 'My placenta was bigger than the baby so no wonder I had such a big bump! It came out like an animal, it looked like a stingray.

'Then they checked me and I didn't need any stitches and I didn't tear. Now I'm just letting my body heal. I'm still bleeding and my bump is going down.'

The couple are happily enjoying life with their newborn and say they are excited about having Larose there on their wedding day.

Charles said: 'Some people say you should be married before you have children but everyone goes at their own pace and I'm actually quite happy now that we're going to be able to share that day with Larose and that's going to be a magical moment.'

Lauren told fans her 'life is complete' in a gushing Instagram post last month, in which she also thanked her followers for their well-wishes.

Happy: Lauren revealed her 'life is complete' as she gushed over her newborn daughter in an Instagram post last Thursday, in which she also thanked her fans for their well-wishes

The new mum wrote on her stories that she was 'so happy' and told how she and her partner are enjoying spending special time with their 'precious baby girl'.

Lauren announced she was expecting her first child with Charles on January 19, three months after confirming their relationship.

At the beginning of the year Lauren confirmed she was three months pregnant in her new magazine column, and revealed that she would welcome the baby in July.

Lauren found fame on The Only Way Is Essex while in a relationship with ex-fiance Mark Wright, with whom she was in a relationship for over 10 years, before going on to date jailbirds Jake McLean and Joey Morrison.
Daytime Emmy-nominated host Giuliana Rancic glammed up to promote her skincare line Fountain of Truth during day two of MAGIC Fashion Events in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

The Italian-born, Maryland-raised journalist - turning 47 on August 17 - donned a $61.25 G by Giuliana 'One-Shoulder Drama Jumpsuit' in pink banana leaf print with nude heels.

Giuliana - a self-described 'ultimate passionista' - founded her Home Shopping Network clothing company nine years ago.

On the mic again! Daytime Emmy-nominated host Giuliana Rancic glammed up to promote her skincare line Fountain of Truth during day two of MAGIC Fashion Events in Las Vegas on Tuesday

'Hey guys, if you are in Vegas at Magic, come see me. I'm heading over right now to the Fountain of Truth booth in the area called Project in Central Hall,' Rancic - who boasts 7.1M social media followers - Instastoried.

'I will be there and I'll be onstage at 2pm. So come see us. Magic is major. Look at this. There's still all day today and tomorrow left so if you're in Vegas you've gotta come check this out. It's incredible!'

The trade show runs through Wednesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center's West Hall.

Speaking of Las Vegas, the breast cancer survivor and her husband Bill Rancic will open a RPM Italian franchise at the Forum Shops at Caesars sometime in January 2022.

Turning 47 on August 17! The Italian-born, Maryland-raised journalist donned a $61.25 G by Giuliana 'One-Shoulder Drama Jumpsuit' in pink banana leaf print with nude heels

Self-described 'ultimate passionista': Giuliana founded her Home Shopping Network clothing company nine years ago

Rancic - who boasts 7.1M social media followers - Instastoried: 'Hey guys, if you are in Vegas at Magic, come see me. I'm heading over right now to the Fountain of Truth booth in the area called Project in Central Hall'

The breast cancer survivor continued: 'I will be there and I'll be onstage at 2pm. So come see us. Magic is major. Look at this. There's still all day today and tomorrow left so if you're in Vegas you've gotta come check this out. It's incredible!'

It will mark the RPM restaurant partners' sixth restaurant after opening franchises in Chicago and Washington, D.C.

Giuliana and the 46-year-old former Trump staffer celebrate their son Edward Duke's ninth birthday on August 29 followed by their 14th wedding anniversary on September 1.

Rancic (born DePandi) originally met Bill when she interviewed him on the E! Network in 2005 after he won NBC's The Apprentice in 2004.

'Vegas, baby!' Speaking of Las Vegas, Giuliana and her husband Bill Rancic will open a RPM Italian restaurant franchise at the Forum Shops at Caesars sometime in January 2022

July 4 family portrait: Rancic and the 46-year-old former Trump staffer celebrate their son Edward Duke's ninth birthday on August 29 followed by their 14th wedding anniversary on September 1

That was quick! The Giuliana Prosecco wine owner's sighting came three months after E! News replaced her with transgender trailblazer Laverne Cox (R) just three days after she resigned from the cable network

The Giuliana Prosecco wine owner's sighting came three months after E! News replaced her with transgender trailblazer Laverne Cox just three days after she resigned from the cable network.

Giuliana inked a new development deal with E!'s parent company NBCUniversal where she will 'produce and bring stories to life.'

Rancic famously got into trouble on the job in 2015 when she made racist comments about Emmy winner Zendaya's dreadlocks, for which she apologized.

Little guy! Also attending the MAGIC conference was The McCord List CEO Rachel McCord, who brought along her cute 14-month-old son Richard 'Jude' Schirmer

Werrrk! The 31-year-old sister of AnnaLynn McCord flaunted her midriff in a white bra-top and colorful-striped metallic harem pants

Glam: Make-up artist Dylan Knox made sure Rachel was ready for her close-up at the event

Outfit change! McCord (pictured Tuesday) hosted panels with Giuliana, Streamline founder Josh Orr, and her own husband Rick Schirmer

Also attending the MAGIC conference was The McCord List CEO Rachel McCord, who brought along her cute 14-month-old son Richard 'Jude' Schirmer.

The 31-year-old sister of AnnaLynn McCord flaunted her midriff in a white bra-top and colorful-striped metallic harem pants.

Make-up artist Dylan Knox made sure Rachel was ready for her close-up at the event.

McCord hosted panels with Giuliana, Streamline founder Josh Orr, and her own husband Rick Schirmer.
Russell Crowe has started shooting his new film Poker Face on the NSW South Coast.

The New Zealand-born Australian actor, who is directing and starring in the psychological thriller, was spotted on-set at a sprawling beachside mansion in Kiama on Tuesday.

The Gladiator star, 57, appeared very jolly as he joined the rest of the cast and crew and even called in a chopper for the day of filming.

Hard at work: Russell Crowe has started shooting his new film Poker Face on the NSW South Coast. The New Zealand-born Australian actor, who is directing and starring in the psychological thriller, was spotted on-set at a beachside mansion in Kiama on Tuesday

Russell, affectionately called Rusty by his fans and friends, wore a pair of dark jeans and a black polo shirt for his busy day of work.

He appeared in high spirits and very hands-on as a director, walking around the property and scoping out the best angles to film.

Crew members made sure to keep Covid-safe by wearing face masks.

Casual: Russell, affectionately called Rusty by his fans and friends, wore a pair of dark jeans and a black polo shirt for his busy day of work

Safety first: Crew members made sure to keep Covid-safe by wearing face masks

Excited: The Gladiator star appeared very jolly as he joined the rest of the cast and crew and even called in a chopper for the day of filming

Director: It was reported at the end of last month that Russell had been upgraded to director of the film. He was previously listed as an actor on IMBD, but will now take over from Gary Fleder as director

Earlier this week, Russell shared a photo from the set on Twitter, and captioned it: 'Shooting in Kiama. What a beautiful place.'

It was reported at the end of last month that Russell had been upgraded to director of the film.

He was previously listed as an actor on IMBD, but will now take over from Gary Fleder as director.

It's believed that the change was made due to Australia's coronavirus restrictions, which would make it difficult for American Fleder to arrive Down Under.

Poker Face will also film on location in Sydney's Fox Studios under strict Covid-safe guidelines.

Hands-on: He appeared in high spirits and very hands-on as a director, walking around the property and scoping out the best angles to film

Border control: It's believed that the change was made due to Australia's coronavirus restrictions, which would make it difficult for American Fleder to arrive Down Under. Poker Face will also film on location in Sydney's Fox Studios under strict Covid-safe guidelines

Russell, who is close friends with Aussie A-lister Chris Hemsworth, has casted his wife Elsa Pataky and his younger brother Liam Hemsworth in the film.

According to Confidential, 'both the youngest Hemsworth and Pataky have quietly been added to the cast of the flick with Crowe'.

Russell has already picked out several iconic locations for the film's set pieces, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Star-studded: Russell, who is close friends with Aussie A-lister Chris Hemsworth, has casted his wife Elsa Pataky and his younger brother Liam Hemsworth in the film

At the time, the publication reported that one of the movie's sequences will feature a high speed car chase inside the Harbour Tunnel.

Also being showcased in the film will be the $140 million penthouse atop of James Packer's Crown Residences and 'a sprawling Point Piper mansion overlooking Sydney Harbour'.

While the movie was originally set in Miami, Florida, Russell has reportedly demanded the film be filmed and set in Sydney.

The New Zealand-born star wants 'to show people just how stunning and world-class Sydney is,' according to the newspaper's sources.

Showing Australia to the rest of the world: While the movie was originally set in Miami, Florida, Russell has reportedly demanded the film be filmed and set in Sydney. The New Zealand-born star wants 'to show people just how stunning and world-class Sydney is'

Storyline: Poker Face tells the tale of a tech billionaire called Jake (played by Russell) who gathers his childhood friends to his estate for what turns into a high stakes game of poker

According to Deadline, Poker Face tells the tale of a tech billionaire called Jake (played by Russell) who gathers his childhood friends to his estate for what turns into a high stakes game of poker.

'Those friends have a love hate relationship with the host, a master game-player/planner, and he has concocted an elaborate scheme designed to bring a certain justice to all of them,' the publication reports.

'However, Jake finds himself re-thinking his strategy when his mansion is overtaken by a dangerous home invader whose previous jobs have all ended in murder and arson.'

Co-stars: Joining Russell in the cast will be Wu-Tang Clan frontman RZA, while his fellow Oscar winner Natalie Portman is 'circling a role'

Joining Russell, Liam and Elsa in the cast will be Wu-Tang Clan frontman RZA, while his fellow Oscar winner Natalie Portman is 'circling a role'.

Russell recently worked with Portman while filming a small part in her film Thor: Love and Thunder.

Poker Face will mark the first time Russell has stepped behind the camera since his 2014 directorial debut The Water Diviner.
The Block: Fans vs Faves twins Josh and Luke Packham have already faced a 'cheating' scandal this season, after using their builders to help paint their house.

And it appears there's more drama set for Wednesday night, as Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie teased a showdown between the foursome during an interview on the Today show.

Speaking to Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon, Mitch, 58, and Mark, 59, said the twins will accuse them of 'copying' their ideas during the action-packed episode - something they both vehemently deny.

Tensions flare on site: Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie teased a huge showdown on Wednesday night's episode of The Block, during an interview on the Today show

'They're trying to prove themselves, and then they come out with this whole thing like, "Oh you're copying us," because of something to do with the floor plan,' Mark said.

Mark says he and Mitch were 'in shock' after the accusation, and said they would 'never get rid of the double garage'.

While he didn't reveal how the showdown would take place, Mitch said things do get heated between themselves and the twins, 27.

'It's a little bit like the old dog and the young pups, so the old dog has to bite the young pups occasionally to keep them in line,' he said.

'It's a little bit like the old dog and the young pups': Mark and Mitch explain the twins were a bit 'edgy' and 'trying to prove themselves' early on in the show

'So every now then and Mitch was like the old dog that would be there quietly and just go slap,' Mark added.

The twins were the talking point of Sunday's premiere, after Kirsty Lee Akers accused them of breaking the rules when she heard they'd hired a builder to paint their home.

'Rule number one on The Block is that only contestants can paint,' Kirsty said.

'That's the one job that we have to do - unfortunately because painting sucks - and I hate painting,' she added, before making her way over to the Packhams.

Standing in the doorway, she said: 'So unfortunately, I've got to be the bearer of bad news. You know the rule is that only contestants can paint?'

Rule breakers: It comes as the Love Island Australia twins were caught cheating after getting a builder to help paint their house

'That's the number-one rule on the show,' she added, leaving the twins' builder no choice but to put his paint roller down.

Josh explained he was not impressed that Kirsty went out of her way to dob them in.

'It's not something that Luke and I would usually go and do, go and pull someone up if they're doing the wrong thing,' he said.

And it appears there's more drama on the horizon for Josh and Luke, with the brothers reportedly abandoning their worksite to go out for a wild night in Melbourne in an upcoming episode, according to New Idea.

'There was definitely a feeling that they were perhaps not taking the work seriously, especially in the first week of the competition,' a source claimed.

The move apparently left all-stars Ronnie and Georgia Caceres 'furious', and caused 'quite the headache' for producers.
Roughly five weeks later, Gwen Stefani is still glowing from her and husband Blake Shelton's glorious wedding day.

And the Rocksteady hitmaker, 51, had a little help reminiscing on Tuesday, when she received some lovely parcels from her wedding gown designer Vera Wang.

She took to her Instagram Stories to post visuals of the stunning bouquet she received from Wang, as well as what appeared to be her dueling wedding gowns preserved in boxes.

Still a blushing bride: Newlywed Gwen Stefani had a little help reminiscing about her wedding on Tuesday, when she received some lovely parcels from her gown designer Vera Wang

Gwen started things off with an amusing passage in which Blake, 45, told her he was 'standing here like an idiot' with flowers he got for the vase for dinner, only to find the huge and sprawling bouquet of white matrimonial roses awaiting him upon his return.

Stefani then shared a sweet note from fashion icon Wang, which came along with the flowers and gowns:

'Dearest Gwen, what a pleasure to have shared in your happiness by choosing us to dress you, not once, but twice,' the note read. 'As an enormous fan, on behalf of me and my team, again thank you. Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness! XVERA.'

Wow: The Rocksteady hitmaker, 51, took to her Instagram Stories to post visuals of the flowers she received from Wang

Bride box: She also filmed a video of the boxes containing her gowns, which displayed the words 'My Wedding Gown' at the top and 'Fragile. Handle with Care.' further down

Then, in response, a joyful and overwhelmed Gwen filmed a response to Vera, exclaiming, 'Wow Vera! Thank you so much for the gorgeous flowers, but the dress... like, it was literally a dream come true to be able to work with you and get married to Blake in your gown.

'I love you so much,' she added effusively. 'Thank you!'

She also filmed a video of the boxes containing her gowns, which displayed the words 'My Wedding Gown' at the top and 'Fragile. Handle with Care.' further down.

Sweet: Stefani then shared a sweet note from fashion icon Wang: 'Dearest Gwen, what a pleasure to have shared in your happiness by choosing us to dress you, not once, but twice'

Oops: Gwen started things off with an amusing passage in which Blake, 45, told her he was 'standing here like an idiot' with flowers he got, only to find the huge bouquet of white matrimonial roses awaiting him upon his return

Additionally, Stefani shared a screenshot of a conversation with Vera, in which Wang thanked her for sending flowers after her nuptials.

'Love my flowers. As did my team !' Wang wrote in the message. 'Wishing you both everlasting happiness and joy and kindness. You have everything else.....'

'Thank you for the perfect dress for the perfect day,' the No Doubt bandleader replied. 'It was magic!! Feeling so blessed.'

Lovely: Gwen shared multiple shots of the flowers Blake gifted her, as well

Stefani and Shelton got hitched on July 3rd, in a backyard chapel on Blake's ranch in Oklahoma.

There were only about 40 people in all at the wedding, most likely due to concerns surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Carson Daly, who works with the couple on The Voice, was one of the few celebrity friends invited.

Thankful: 'Wow Vera! Thank you so much for the gorgeous flowers, but the dress... like, it was literally a dream come true to be able to work with you and get married to Blake in your gown,' Gwen gushed in response to Vera's gifts

Additionally: Stefani shared a screenshot of a conversation with Vera, in which Wang thanked her for sending flowers after her nuptials

The TV host served as officiant, he shared during the Today show.

'The best way to describe it is it was perfectly them  the whole weekend and the marriage itself,' the TRL star said. 'It was as elegant and refined and cool as Gwen is, and it was as country and down-home and fun as Blake is.'

Daly added it was a 'perfect blend of country and glamour.'

And for those who don't understand how a punky pop star like Gwen and a country cat like Blake can be into each other, Carson said it was like 'delicious fried chicken with a glass of champagne.'

Seen on Instagram on Tuesday: Stefani and Shelton got hitched on July 3rd, in a backyard chapel on Blake's ranch in Oklahoma

The Hollywood veteran then said: 'On paper and on the menu it doesnt seem to work, but it works,' he said. 'Its comfort food with class. And everybody roots for that.'

He also shared that he urged Gwen and Blake to pen their own vows.

'I went to them months ago and said, "I think you guys should write your own vows. We shouldn't just do the repeat after me,"' Carson shared. 'They were really reluctant to do that, but ... it's two of the best songwriters in the world, we want to hear your words.'
Real Housewives of New York star Leah McSweeney has shared a chilling conspiracy theory about the late Princess Diana's death.

Speaking to the Unpopular podcast, the 38-year-old fashion designer said she'd been told that Diana had 'been killed' by somebody she met years ago at a 9/11 memorial in New York.

'I used to go to ground zero when there was no Freedom Tower, because I've been living down here for a long time,' she explained.

Outspoken: Real Housewives of New York star Leah McSweeney has shared a chilling conspiracy theory about the late Princess Diana's death

During one visit to the site, Leah overheard a group of people discussing conspiracy theories about the September 11 attacks and Diana's death.

'I start talking to them, and the burly guy's like, "Well, I think that it could've been an inside job." He's like, "Well, they killed Princess Diana."

'I was like, "What?" He's like, "Yeah, my sister was dating a doctor who was the head of xyz hospital in New Jersey. They were on a trip in Paris, standing on a bridge, looking at the Eiffel Tower and all of a sudden they heard a crash in the tunnel below them."

'"They went running down, and he was the first person who got to Princess Di's car and she was alive. And the police then showed up and were like, "Get out of here!"'

Conspiracy: Speaking to the Unpopular podcast , the 38-year-old fashion designer said she'd been told that Diana had 'been killed' by somebody she met years ago at a 9/11 memorial

Leah added: 'I'm not repeating it properly. I had the chills when this man told me this. I exchanged numbers with him and wanted him to come to my daughter's baptism.'

'I was shook, I will never forget this man ever again... I would like to know what really happened.'

Diana was with her companion Dodi al-Fayed and their driver Henri Paul when their car crashed in the Pont D'Alma tunnel on that fatal night in Paris, August 31, 1997.

It wasn't until seven years later that Sir John Stevens, the commissioner of the Metropolitan police, was asked to investigate several questions.

'I was shook': The 38-year-old fashion designer revealed was told that Diana was still alive after her fatal accident

These included - was Diana pregnant at the time of her death? Did the blood sample attributed to Henri Paul actually come from him? And was there any valid justification for the elimination of a white Fiat Uno car from involvement in the collision?

Her son, Prince Harry, is currently penning a $20million memoir that is rumoured to be focused on Diana's death and who he personally blames for it.

Royal expert and author Angela Levin, who wrote Harry: Biography of a Prince, tweeted in July: 'I've been told by a well-informed source that Harry's memoir will focus heavily on the death of his mother Princess Diana, and who he blames.'

Conspiracies surrounding Diana's death have been swirling around for years, with some believing that there was a plot to murder her, while many others believe that her death was simply a tragic accident.

Tragedy: Diana was with her companion Dodi al-Fayed and their driver Henri Paul when their car crashed in the Pont D'Alma tunnel on that fatal night in Paris, August 31, 1997

In January 2004, while still boss at Scotland Yard, Stevens had been asked by then Royal Coroner Michael Burgess to head an investigation which would become known as Operation Paget.

Stevenss remit was to examine more than 100 allegations of a murderous Establishment conspiracy; allegations which had been made by Egyptian tycoon Mohamed Al Fayed in relation to the death of his son Dodi and Diana on August 31, 1997.

Pagets findings  which included 300 witness statements and a deep delve into the files of MI5 and MI6  would then be used as evidence for a London inquest into both their deaths.

Pensive: Diana's son, Prince Harry, is currently penning a $20million memoir that is rumoured to be focused on Diana's death and who he personally blames for it

A major catalyst in setting up Paget was a note Diana had written to her butler Paul Burrell in 1995, expressing fears that her estranged husband Prince Charles was plotting to harm or kill her by sabotaging her car.

In the wake of her death, these allegations were championed by Al Fayed. He believed Establishment opposition to Dianas relationship with Dodi was driven by a deep-rooted racism  a scenario which has echoes in the rift between Harry and Meghan and the Palace today  and Islamophobia.

Al Fayed was not alone in believing there had been a plot. It was an international concern, said Stevens. I think something like 65 or 70 per cent of the country thought there had been a conspiracy and that the death of someone like Diana, who was an icon... couldnt be explained away, other than that... foul play [took] place.
She said in a magazine interview in June that she is 'okay' with the fact that she is 'never going to have abs'.

But Lili Reinhart nevertheless has a stunning bikini body as she proved with an Instagram post on Tuesday.

The Riverdale star, 24, shared a photo in which she's seen posing in a 'Shrek-colored' two-piece on a narrow balcony with scenic views.

Beach babe: Riverdale star Lili Reinhart, 24, showed off her bikini body on Instagram Tuesday, posting a photo of herself posing in a 'Shrek-colored' two-piece on a balcony with scenic views

The actress styled her blonde hair away from her face and was made up with black eye-liner and mascara and matte lip color.

Back in June, Reinhart spoke to DuJour magazine about her ongoing struggles with body image.

'Abs are made in the kitchen, and I had Dairy Queen and chicken parm last night. And that's okay. I'm learning to accept that in myself,' she told the publication.

'I'm not a fitness model. I'm never going to be able to maintain that. I'm not going to not eat the ice cream.'

Young star: In June, Reinhart had spoken to DuJour magazine about her ongoing struggles with body image, sharing that she is 'okay' with the fact that she is 'never going to have abs'

Brave: The actress said: 'It's not amazing to see someone on Instagram calling me fat, but people are never going to stop body-shaming. 'It's a matter of what I can do to make myself feel better about that. My body is a journey that I have with myself'

She added: 'It's not amazing to see someone on Instagram calling me fat, but people are never going to stop body-shaming.

'It's a matter of what I can do to make myself feel better about that. My body is a journey that I have with myself.'

Reinhart had previously revealed that she has battled depression and panic attacks since the age of 13, and also suffers from OCD.

In May she told her Instagram followers: 'You don't need to justify your mental health to anyone. Prioritize yourself when needed, take time to rest. Surround yourself with good people and high vibrations.

'But remember you are always worth fighting for. And tomorrow could be such a beautiful day.'
She coupled up with Aaron Francis on week one of Love Island but split after he dubbed her 'too fiery'.

Yet Sharon Gaffka reunited with her former flame as they headed for a dinner date at White City House in London on Tuesday night.

The 25-year-old civil servant seemed in great spirits as she headed out with Aaron, 24, shortly after revealing that ITV bosses cut out discussions about being bisexual.

Former flame: Love Island's Sharon Gaffka reunited with Aaron Francis on a dinner date in London on Wednesday... after revealing show cut discussions about her bisexuality

Sharon looked sensational on the outing as she slipped into a hot pink trouser suit that ensured all eyes would be firmly on her.

She teamed the garment with a skimpy white crop top that put her enviably toned midriff on display.

Aaron also looked stylish on the outing as he layered a taupe shirt over a grey top and black skinny jeans.

After Sharon revealed she was out on the town with Aaron, fans were quick to ask if they were out on a date, which she quickly shut down with an abrupt, 'no.'

Pretty in pink: Sharon looked sensational on the outing as she slipped into a hot pink trouser suit that ensured all eyes would be firmly on her

Candid: The 25-year-old civil servant seemed in great spirits as she headed out with Aaron, 24, shortly after revealing that ITV bosses cut out discussions about being bisexual

Sharon and Aaron coupled up on Love Island but their romance proved to be short-lived after the luxury events manager dumped Sharon following a row she had with fellow contestant Hugo Hammond about 'fake girls'.

While Sharon later tried to forge a relationship with Hugo, he wasn't interested and she ultimately ended up being dumped from the island on day 19.

Meanwhile, Aaron struck up a romance with Lucinda Strafford, but they were dumped on day 28, and broke up within 48 hours of leaving the villa.

Looking good: Aaron also looked stylish on the outing as he layered a taupe shirt over a grey top and black skinny jeans

Just friends: After Sharon revealed she was out on the town with Aaron, fans were quick to ask if they were out on a date, which she quickly shut down with an abrupt, 'no'

The pair's outing came after Sharon revealed her shock that candid discussions she had about her race and sexuality were cut from the show.

The Young Women's Trust ambassador told Metro Online last week that Faye Winter, 26, had asked her if she was bisexual.

To which she replied: 'It's something that I've explored but I've never been in a relationship with a woman.'

During her time on the show, it was made known in a game that she had previously had a threesome involving another woman.

Sharon, said that the aired scenes only scratched the surface of the discussion of modern dating and her sexual experiences on the show, and it is now apparent that the rest of the scenes from the conversation were left out.

'A lot of the conversations I had about modern dating on the show were never aired, but I was very open about sexuality and being a mixed-race woman in modern dating.'
Natalie Portman hit the headlines after dropping out of her new film Days of Abandonment just a day before filming was set to begin.

And the 40-year-old actress looked calm and collected on Wednesday when she was spotted at a florist in the upscale suburb of Vaucluse, Sydney.

The Israeli-born actress masked up as she scanned the bunches of flowers before strolling away with two bouquets.

Saying sorry? Natalie Portman, 40, (pictured) was all covered up at a Sydney florist after dropping out of new film Days of Abandonment for 'unforeseen personal reasons' last month

The casually dressed actress showed no signs of upset as as she carried the bouquets away before heading for a walk.

Natalie kept her cool style credentials about her wearing a black and white striped t-shirt along with a pair of baggy jeans.

She finished the ensemble with white cap which was emblazoned with an animal.

Bouquet: The 40-year-old actress looked calm and collected on Wednesday when she was spotted at a florist in the upscale suburb of Vaucluse, Sydney

Floral: The Israeli-born actress masked up as she scanned the bunches of flowers before strolling away with two bouquets

The actress was solo for the outing with her husband Benjamin Millepied and their two children Amalia and Aleph not seen.

Natalie may now return to the US after she announced she had resigned from her new movie, Days of Abandonment.

The project was set to start filming at Fox Studios on July 26.

Solo: The actress was solo for the outing with her husband Benjamin Millepied and their two children Amalia and Aleph not seen

Casual cool: The casually dressed actress showed no signs of upset as as she carried the bouquets away before heading for a walk

Stylish: Natalie kept her cool style credentials about her wearing a black and white striped t-shirt along with a pair of baggy jeans

She pulled out just a day before filming was set to commence, effectively putting a stop to production, The Daily Telegraph reported.

'Due to unforeseen personal reasons, Natalie Portman has stepped down from HBO Films' Days of Abandonment prior to the start of filming,' HBO said in a statement.

'Unfortunately, the production will not move forward. We are very sorry we won't be able to bring this beautiful story to the screen with our talented writer/director and cast.

Commitments: Natalie may now return to the US after she announced she had resigned from her new movie, Days of Abandonment

'We send our sincere thanks to our cast, producers, and crew for all their passion and hard work.'

Natalie was also set to executive produce the film, based on the best-selling novel by Elena Ferrante.

The film had been in pre-production, and centred around a woman named Tess, who abandoned her own dreams in favour of maintaining a stable home life, only for her husband to walk out on her.

Halted: She pulled out just a day before filming was set to commence, effectively putting a stop to production, The Daily Telegraph reported

Stroll: Natalie was later seen out strolling in the sunshine in the ritzy harbourside suburb

The Federal Government had committed $3.4million to the project as part of its location incentive program, while Communication Minister Paul Fletcher had said he expected the production to generate more than $25million for the local economy.

While it's not known what 'personal reasons' prevented her from going ahead with the film, Natalie has deleted the majority of posts from her Instagram account.

The only post which remains is from June 1, and was uploaded ahead of her 40th birthday on June 9.
Kim Kardashian famously caused a storm when she showed off North West's impressive art skills earlier this year - with critics claiming the eight-year-old couldn't possibly have painted it herself.

Yet it seems artistic flair runs in the family as Kylie Jenner also proved to be a dab hand with a paintbrush at her 24th birthday party on Tuesday.

The beauty mogul opted for a wholesome start to her day of celebrations as he joined friends for a relaxing group painting session, hosted by Timree Gold of Paint Club.

Let's celebrate! Kylie Jenner proved artistic flair runs in the family as she hosted a painting party for her 24th birthday on Tuesday... after scandal surrounding THAT North West picture

Artistic: Kim Kardashian famously caused a storm when she showed off North West's impressive art skills earlier this year - with critics claiming the eight-year-old didn't paint it

Each participant had their very own miniature easel, as well as brushes, a plate to dispense their paint on to, and water glasses to wash their brushes off in.

Though she didn't show off her final product, Kylie was eager to showcase some of her friends' impressive paintings via Instagram Story video.

Several of Kylie's closest pals, including former assistant Victoria Villarroel and BFF Stassie Karanikolaou, shared snaps and videos from the painting party to their own Instagram Stories.

Victoria and Stassie each unveiled their finished products to their respective followings, while Yris Palmer captured a brief clip of her daughter honing her artistry skills.

Artsy: Kylie and her birthday crew honed their art skills as they headed outdoors to partake in a relaxing group painting session

Impressive: Though she has yet to show off her final product, Kylie was eager to showcase some of her friends' impressive paintings via Instagram Story video

Kylie's painting party was not attended by her niece North, despite being known for her impressive art skills.

Back in February, Kim spoke out to defend her daughter, after fans didn't believe North had painted the artwork that Kim shared online.

The artistic landscape was compared by some to an artwork that famed TV artist Bob Ross would have created.

Making memories: Several of Kylie's closest pals, including former assistant Victoria Villarroel and BFF Stassie Karanikolaou, shared snaps and videos from the painting party to their own Instagram Stories

Done! Kylie's best friend Stassie proudly showed off her finished product

Nice! Victoria snapped a photo of another party attendee showcasing their artistry

Kim was quick to hit back at critics, posting on her Instagram Stories: 'My daughter and her best friend have been taking a serious oil painting class where their talents and creativity are being encouraged and nurtured.'

The reality star had shared a photo of the painting to her Instagram stories earlier with the caption: 'My little artist North'.

Yet it seems North had the last laugh, as according to reports from TMZ, the tot ended up being given an invitation to visit the Bob Ross Experience in Muncie, Indiana.

Smile! Later in the night, Kylie's half-sisters Khloe (L) and Kourtney (R) Kardashian got the party started and were the first members of the clan to show off their looks for the bash

Following her painting party, Kylie hosted an intimate sushi dinner at her $36.5M Holmby Hills mansion.

The Calabasas socialite's half-sisters Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian got the party started and were the first members of the clan to show off their looks for the bash.

Kylie's festivities kicked off with two kinds of cocktails and a celebratory toast alongside Khloe, Kourtney, Kim, and their momager Kris Jenner.

Cheers! Kylie's festivities kicked off with two kinds of cocktails and a celebratory toast alongside Khloe, Kourtney, Kim Kardashian, and their momager Kris Jenner
Patricia 'Pat' Hitchcock has died at the age of 93.

The actress was director Alfred Hitchcock's only child and had roles in his movies including Strangers on a Train, Stage Fright and Psycho.

She passed away at home in Thousand Oaks, California, on Monday, her youngest daughter Katie Fiala told The Hollywood Reporter.

Screen legend: Patricia 'Pat' Hitchcock, who had roles in several of her director father Alfred's hit films, has died at the age of 93 (pictured in 2001)

Pat's biggest role in her father's films was in 1951's Strangers On A Train where she played Barbara Morton, the younger sister of Ruth Roman's character Anne Morton, who watches Bruno Antony (Robert Walker) strangle a woman at a party.

She'd previously played a classmate of Jane Wyman's character in 1950 movie Stage Fright and later briefly appeared in Psycho in 1960 as an office worker.

Pat, who studied at RADA in England and performed on Broadway as a teenager, also appeared in 10 episodes of CBS' Alfred Hitchcock Presents from 1955-60.

Roles: The actress starred as Barbara Morton in 1951 film Strangers On A Train (pictured on set of the movie with her father in 1951)

The late actress went on to appear on TV movies including The Life of Riley, My Little Margie and The Case of Thomas Pyke. While in the 70s she had roles in several shows such as Skateboard, and Ladies of the Corridor, according to Variety.

As well as starring in movies, Pat also worked on Broadway and starred in play Solitaire in 1942 and Violet in 1944. She also appeared in The Higher Ground in 1951.

Speaking about appearing in her father's films in 1984, she told The Washington Post that she'd be called in 'whenever they needed a maid with an English accent'.

She continued: 'I was brought up rather as an English child, so I knew what was expected, and I pretty much always did it. You didn't speak unless spoken to, but it didn't bother me or have any repercussions. I didn't know anything else.'

On camera: Her character Barbara, the younger sister of Ruth Roman's character Anne Morton, watched Bruno Antony (Robert Walker) strangle a woman at a party (pictured the scene)

Family: Pat and her parents - Alfred and Alma - had moved to the US in 1939, when she was 11, and she had spent two years at boarding school from the ages of eight to 10 (pictured in 1942)

Treading the boards: The actress also had several roles in theatre productions, including a part in Violet when she was a teenager (pictured in rehearsals for the comedy with dad Alfred)

Pat also revealed a little about how her father worked, adding that she wished her father had 'believed in nepotism. Id have worked a lot more.'

She continued during the interview: 'But he never had anyone in his pictures unless he believed they were right for the part.'

Pat also discussed working with her famous father in 2004, saying that there wasn't anything 'unusual' about it.

According to THR, she told the TV Academy website The Interviews: An Oral History of Television: 'There wasnt anything unusual about it. Just like with [any other actor], we would discuss the scene and do it. We didnt try out stuff.'

Parts: Pat also briefly appeared in Psycho in 1960 as an office worker (pictured in the movie)

Working together: Pat discussed working with her famous father in 2004, saying that there wasn't anything 'unusual' about it (pictured together in an undated photograph)

Pat and her family had moved to the US in 1939, when she was 11, and she had spent two years at boarding school from the ages of eight to 10.

She went on to marry businessman Joseph O'Connell Jr in 1952 at St Patrick's Cathedral in New York and they had three children - daughters Mary, Tere and Katie.

After her marriage, Pat was an executive producer on documentary The Man on Lincoln's Nose, which was directed by Daniel Raim. This was released in 2000 and about late production designer Robert F. Boyle, who had worked with her father.

Professional: Pat, who studied at RADA in England, also appeared in 10 episodes of CBS' Alfred Hitchcock Presents from 1955-60 (pictured on the Strangers On A Train set in 1951)

Personal life: Pat married Joseph O'Connell Jr in 1952 and they had three children - daughters Mary, Tere and Katie (pictured with her family including Alfred and Alma in 1959)

Pat also co-wrote a book about her mother Alma Reville in the early 2000s called Alma Hitchcock: The Woman Behind the Man.

Alma, who died in 1982, worked as a film editor and screenwriter and was married to Alfred for 54 years.

In 2012, British screenwriter Sacha Gervasi directed biopic Hitchcock about the couple with Anthony Hopkins playing Alfred and Helen Mirren portraying Alma.
They've been happily married since 2012.

And, Victoria Coren Mitchell, 48, and David Mitchell, 47, sweetly held hands at the press night for The Windsors: Endgame at The Prince Of Wales theatre in London's West End, on Tuesday.

The writer stunned in a red frock as she stepped out with her Peep Show comedian husband to watch the new production, which is based on the hit Channel Four sitcom The Windsors.

Cute: Victoria Coren Mitchell, 48, and David Mitchell, 47, sweetly held hands at the press night for The Windsors: Endgame at The Prince Of Wales theatre in London's West End, on Tuesday

Victoria looked sensational in the sleeveless red A-line gown, which featured a faux wrap-over neckline.

She boosted her height with a pair of textured black pointed stilettos and accessorised with a delicate gold necklace.

Victoria wore her golden tresses in a sleek, straight style and used a natural palette of make-up to highlight her pretty features.

David, meanwhile, looked sharp as he teamed an open-collared light blue polka dot shirt with navy trousers.

Gorgeous: The writer stunned in a red frock as she stepped out with her comedian husband to watch the new production, which is based on the hit Channel Four sitcom The Windsors

The Windsors: Endgame sees comedian Harry Enfield star as Prince Charles and follows 'the imagined escapades of the royal family'.

In the play, Prince William challenges his father for the crown, however his efforts are quickly obstructed by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

Meanwhile, Victoria and David welcomed their only child, daughter Barbara, in May 2015 - with the comedian previously describing her as 'the best human being that has ever been born'.

He said of her, in a chat on The Jonathan Ross Show in 2018: 'Unfortunately, there is nothing like having a tiny child who's safety you are responsible for to make you worry.

'You really don't want the world to spin into the sun and explode. You thought you didn't want it before but you really don't want it [after having a child.]

'That is the real downside of parenthood, and I suppose any form of love, is it makes you fear more I would say love is not a stress reduction exercise is it?

'What you want is a long period of bland contentment I'm a family man. I've made bad choices and I am constantly worried.'
Kerry Katona has revealed she's been forced to pull her daughter Heidi out of school after the teen suffered cruel bullying at the hands of 'horrible' boys.

Speaking in her OK! column this week, the Atomic Kitten star, 40, told how she's had to take action after Heidi Croft, 14, was badly picked on.

It comes amid the inquest of Kerry's late ex-husband George Kay on Tuesday, where it was confirmed that he had a drug-related death aged 39 following a cocaine binge at a budget hotel in July 2019.

Oh no: Kerry Katona has revealed she's been forced to pull her daughter Heidi out of school after the teen suffered cruel bullying at the hands of 'horrible' boys

Speaking of her daughter, who she shares with another ex-husband Mark Croft, Kerry told how the youngster had 'got loads more s**t at school from some horrible boys.'

Opting to take action, she explained: 'Ive decided Im definitely taking her out of that school. Your schooldays are so important and its about investing in your future.'

Kerry then went on to say that she cheered her girl up by treating her to a pamper session, adding: 'Me and Heidi went to get our nails done. It was so lovely to spend some quality time together.'

Bullying hell: Speaking in her OK! column this week, the Atomic Kitten star, 40, told how she's had to take action after Heidi Croft, 14, was badly picked on (pictured on Loose Women in 2020)

In her column, Kerry also revealed woes for another of her daughters as she revealed second eldest Lilly-Sue has been struck down with coronavirus.

The TV star told how Lilly, 18, who she shares with first husband Brian McFadden had 'tested positive' and is 'not feeling very well at all', with Kerry then wishing her girl a speedy recovery.

Amid dramas with her girls, it was told how Kerry's ex-husband George died after a drugs binge at a budget hotel where he crushed a ball of cocaine inside a sock and 'ate' the contents, an inquest heard.

Decision: Opting to take action, she explained: 'Ive decided Im definitely taking her out of that school. Your schooldays are so important and its about investing in your future'

Illness: In her column, Kerry also revealed woes for another of her daughters as she revealed second eldest Lilly-Sue (pictured) has been struck down with coronavirus

The former rugby league player, 39, collapsed with a seizure was rushed to hospital on July 5, 2019, but died later due to the excess effects of the toxic Class A substance.

Just 12 hours before the tragedy police had been called to the Holiday Inn in Sutton Weaver, Cheshire after Mr Kay was seen wandering around the corridors 'asking for someone to be his friend.'

Mr Kay, who was married to Kerry between 2014 and 2017, was also found erratically shouting and knocking on other guests doors, with hotel staff attempting to return him to his room at one point after he claimed there were 'wasps' inside.

Officers said Mr Kay was hallucinating while under the effects of the drug but let him stay in his room despite noticing traces of cocaine by his bathroom sink.

Verdict: Amid dramas with her girls, it was told how Kerry's ex-husband George died after a drugs binge at a budget hotel where he crushed a ball of cocaine inside a sock and 'ate' the contents, an inquest heard

A policewoman was later disciplined for not searching Mr Kay or arresting him for possessing cocaine. Staff called police and officers attended at 9.54pm but left when Mr Kay agreed to return to his room.

Coroner Peter Sigee today recorded a verdict of drug-related death at an inquest.

Craig Pondsford, the hotel's operations manager, described his behaviour as 'paranoid and irrational' and Mr Kay had urged him to share a line of cocaine.

Mr Pondsford described how he'd spoken to Mr Kay and tried to get him to return to his room.

Collapse: The former rugby league player (pictured in 2018) collapsed with a seizure was rushed to hospital in July 2019

He initially refused before going back inside and sitting on the end of bed and 'staring at the mirror', he said.

Mr Pondsford became so concerned he contacted police and two officers attended the hotel and spoke to Mr Kay, who'd become 'calm' by this point.

The former rugby player's drugs use also got 'significantly worse' after he was prevented from seeing the couple's seven-year-old daughter Dylan-Jorge, it's claimed.

The couple separated in 2015 and reportedly divorced two years later after a tumultuous period together in which Mr Kay was accused of being abusive and violent towards his ex-wife.

Tragic: Just 12 hours before the tragedy, police had been called to the Holiday Inn in Sutton Weaver, Cheshire after Mr Kay was seen wandering around the corridors 'asking for someone to be his friend [Stock image]

Speaking at the inquest, Caroline Garcia, a hotel worker, told the hearing that at around 7pm a colleague rang her to say there was a guest in the corridor making noise.

She went to see what was going on and found a 'strong, tall man speaking with another lady outside one of the rooms'.

Mr Garcia said: 'I thought he was drunk or high and I dealt with the situation. He was not making any sense and said he was looking for someone to be his friend.

'I asked him for ID in order to find his room but he kept constantly saying he was looking for a friend. He was not rude but was not following instructions.

'I got him into a lift and we were there for around an hour. Another colleague of mine got him some water but he was having difficulty drinking the water.

'He asked if I would prepare cocaine for him, but I said I wouldn't do that... He said there was a man in his room but we went to his room and we confirmed there was no one else there. He was refusing to go into the room and was saying it was not his.'

Barman Michael Hulme said: 'Mr Kay was behaving in an erratic manner and the manager was present encouraging him to go back to his room. He was not a threat but he was unpredictable. He asked for cocaine and was told he couldn't have it.

Daughter: Mr Kay's drugs use also got 'significantly worse' after he was prevented from seeing the couple's daughter Dylan-Jorge, who is now seven, it's claimed. George is pictured with 'DJ' in a Facebook picture he described as one of his favourite photographs

Former couple: The inquest heard Mr Kay had been behaving in a 'paranoid and erratic manner'

'We got him to his room and he appeared to be making no sense. He said he had family at the hotel, which we knew wasn't the case and I saw some type of white powder in the bathroom which I thought might be cocaine.'

Luke Smith, a food and beverage supervisor at the hotel, said Mr Kay had been 'agitated and annoyed with himself', wanting to enter the room but 'it was as if something was stopping him'.

'I was concerned about how he might have mental health issues,' Mr Smith said.

'Whilst I was standing in the door, I saw white powder in the bathroom. The following morning he needed house keeping to let him back into his room.

'He pulled out a sock with a large ball and was sat in a chair. He caused the ball to crumble by crushing it and I believed it was drugs.

'He became very unwell, so we put him in the recovery position and called an ambulance.'

Manager Craig Ponsford said Mr Kay had been knocking on another guest's door, behaving in a 'paranoid and erratic way'.

Mr Ponsford added: 'He said he was at the hotel for a family function, but we knew was wasn't true. He kept saying he wanted someone to be his friend.

'We got him to his room and there was around 1/2 teaspoon of white powder in the bathroom. He had calmed down by now and seemed okay and asked for a pizza.

Ex-husband: Kerry Katona and George Kay at The National Reality TV Awards 2015

'I was asking police about on what grounds we could get him removed as I was concerned about his mental health. They said there was no grounds to get him removed.'

Cheshire Police said cocaine worth 100 with a high purity was found in the room.

PC Declan Corcoran said: 'The hotel staff were concerned about a male wandering around and banging on doors refusing to go back to his room.

'When we got there, he was quite calm. He understood that he had been taking drugs. He said he had taken the substance in the bathroom about one hour ago. He said he had been seeing shadows and that he saw wasps in his room.

'He realised he had been hallucinating. He said he was struggling with his mental health because of issues in his personal life. He admitted to taking cocaine that evening.'

The policewoman, who cannot be named, said: 'It looked like he had sniffed a line of cocaine off the side of the sink. If there was half a teaspoon of cocaine, I would have taken it as analysis but there wasn't much there at all.

'I did not believe it was enough to arrest him for possession of drugs. The remnants of cocaine were left in the bathroom. I was mainly concerned about his welfare.'

The hearing was told Mr Kay played rugby for Warrington U21's and went on to play for Sale, Lancashire and Widnes.

His mother Hilary said: 'He had taken recreational drugs from a young age and I was aware of his drug taking in May 2019.

'He had a social life which involves various celebrity friends and they would provide money and there was talk about helping him set up a business abroad. He took a trip to Australia to watch a Rugby tournament.

'He had a lovely time and was not taking any drugs or alcohol at that time. There has been occasions in the past where he had become agitated from his drug usage.

'He knew he had problems but he was a lovely lad who made friends easily. He was kind and would do anything to help anyone. He had personal difficulties which may have increased his drug taking.'

Recording a verdict of drug related death, coroner Peter Sigee said: 'Police officers were called to attend because Mr Kay was behaving in an effective manner.

Rest in peace: Family member said Mr Kay had taken 'recreational drugs' since a young age and were aware of his drug use. Above: Mr Kay, pictured in 2018

'He admitted to taking drugs, he was calm and police did not consider it lawful to arrest or search him. They did not think he required an urgent medical assessment and they left.

'On the morning of 6 July, he was seen to eat a quantity of cocaine and then collapse. It is not possible to say now he came into possession of the cocaine he took on that morning but I am satisfied the death was drug related.'

Mr Kay met Kerry when they were at school together but started dating in 2012 after bumping into each other in Warrington.

They married in September 2014, five months after she had their daughter Dylan-Jorge, now aged seven but split in 2015 and divorced two years later.

Earlier this year Kerry, 40, told of her 'anger' over George's 'selfish' addiction that has left Dylan-Jorge without a father.
He's currently expecting a baby with contestant Hayley Love, who he controversially dated and dumped after splitting with his winning contestant Jaimee.

And Farmer Wants a Wife finally addressed Farmer Will's baby bombshell in Wednesday night's reunion special.

The 39-year-old Longwood, Victoria farmer appeared in an awkward interview with paediatric nurse Jaimee, before host Natalie Gruzlewski briefly announced Hayley was expecting 'a bundle of joy' in a postscript.

On the rocks: Farmer Wants a Wife finally addressed Farmer Will's baby bombshell in Wednesday night's reunion special. Seen here with now-ex Jaimee

Will and Jaimee, 32, alleged they were still together on Wednesday's finale, however strain was already apparent in their relationship.

When Jaimee joined Will onstage, the pair avoided kissing, instead sharing an awkward hug, before sitting apart on the couch.

When Gruzlewski asked Jaimee what she saw in Will, she mentioned his 'big blue eyes' and 'infectious personality'.

'Anything else?' pressed the host. 'Apart from being handsome and farmer-y looking?'

Hugging it out: The 39-year-old Longwood, Victoia farmer appeared in an awkward interview with the paediatric nurse

No kiss: Will and Jaimee alleged they were still together on Wednesday's finale, however strain was already apparent in their relationship

However, Jaimee appeared lost for words, leading Farmer Rob to quip, 'No, that's it.'

Speaking about his own affection for Jaimee, Will damned the medical professional with very faint praise indeed.

'It's nice to have someone without four legs around the farm to talk with,' he said.

Baby bombshell: Will is currently expecting a baby with contestant Hayley Love (pictured), who he controversially dated and dumped after splitting with his winning contestant

During a statement at the end of the reunion, Gruzlewski said she had 'some exciting news'.

'Since we recorded the reunion, I've found out that one of Farmer Matt's ladies, Hayley, is pregnant.'

However, she neglected to tell viewers the shock paternity news behind the pregnancy.

Not in love: Speaking about his own affection for Jaimee, Will damned the medical professional with very faint praise indeed

Hayley revealed she was 22 weeks along in her pregnancy in a statement last month, but confirmed she and Will were no longer together.

She was originally matched with farmer Matt Trewin on the Channel Seven show, but he broke up with her shortly before the finale.

She went on to briefly date Will and became pregnant with his child, but they broke up after she told him she was expecting.

Case of the ex: Hayley was originally matched with farmer Matt Trewin on the Channel Seven show, but he broke up with her shortly before the finale

Hayley and Will had a short-lived romance after the FWAW finale was filmed in December - and after he'd split from Jaimee.

But they ended things around April.

Will recently released a statement finally addressing Hayley's pregnancy news.

In it, he vowed to be 'the best dad I can be... when the time comes'.

Struck out: Farmer Rob (pictured) left the show without meeting the lady of his dreams

Meanwhile, Will and Jaimee aren't the only couple not still together, with Farmer Matt and his winning lady Tara admitting they had broken up just one week prior to filming the reunion.

Matt blamed the emotional toll of recently losing both his father and grandfather for the separation, rather than any incompatibility with Tara.

It wasn't all bad news for the farmers, with Sam revealing he had 'met someone' since finishing up on the show.

Winner: It wasn't all bad news for the farmers, with Sam (pictured) revealing he had 'met someone' since finishing up on the show

Wedding bells? And Farmer Andrew's (pictured) relationship with his lady Jess was going from strength to strength, with the couple revealing they're moving in together

The Canowindra, NSW had sparked up a romance with a mate's sister, a woman named Rihannon.

And Farmer Andrew's relationship with Jess was going from strength to strength, with the couple revealing they're moving in together.

Hopeful host Natalie told them, 'I'm calling wedding number ten,' with Jess admitting, 'I'd be very lucky to be Mrs. Farmer Andrew.'
Sophie Anderton has finally married her beau Count Kaz Balinski-Jundzill after having to postpone their wedding three times during the pandemic.

The former It-Girl and model, 44, who first shot to fame as the face of Gossard bras in the 1990s, tied the knot with the Polish aristocrat, 52, in Ireland.

Speaking with The Daily Mail's Richard Eden last Friday, Sophie said: 'Yesterday, I married my best friend, soulmate and lifetime partner in crime.

Congratulations! Sophie Anderton has finally married her beau Count Kaz Balinski-Jundzill (pictured together) after having to postpone their wedding three times during the pandemic

'I cannot believe after so many obstacles and date changes, I am officially Mrs Kaz Balinksi.'

Kaz, who works in the oil business, owns a 1,500-acre estate, Glendalough House, in County Wicklow.

Sophie and Kaz had to postpone their nuptials twice last year due to Covid  and then again at the end of July when one of Kaz's four children fell ill.

One of Kaz's children is actress Ella Balinska, 24, who he shares with TV chef ex-wife, Lorraine Pascale. Ella starred in the 2019 Charlie's Angels film.

Newlyweds: The model, 44, tied the knot with the Polish aristocrat, 52, in Ireland, where he owns a 1,500-acre estate Glendalough House in County Wicklow (pictured in 2020)

Throwback: Sophie shot to fame as the face of Gossard bras and was often seen out in the 90s and 00s (pictured at the Top Of The Pops Awards in Manchester in 2002)

The happy newlyweds have been together for more than four years, with Sophie often gushing about their relationship.

In 2018 she shared her excitement about the future and told blog Beautiful Thinking: 'I'm really looking forward to getting married and having children. I've been waiting for someone to be an amazing father to my children, and it was so worth the wait'.

While in February 2020, before having to push her nuptials back to 2021, Sophie also shared some of her plans with The Daily Mail's Sebastian Shakespeare

Family: Count Kaz has four children, including actress Ella Balinska, 24, who he shares with TV chef ex-wife, Lorraine Pascale (pictured together in an undated snap)

Budding actress: Ella starred in the 2019 Charlie's Angels film (pictured in July 2021)

She said: 'We feel our life together is moving forwards after the standstill of the past eight months. It will only be a civil wedding in February  a very small affair.

'But we'll have a big blessing ceremony in the summer that Kaz's children can attend and all my family and friends who are all around the world.'

And speaking about relocating to Ireland, Sophie added: 'The best thing I ever did was get out of London  much as I love London. I've now got the mountains.'

Since being in the spotlight Sophie has transformed her lifestyle and now prioritises her health and wellness following her highly publicised battle with drink and drugs.

Loved-up: Sophie and Kaz have been together for more than four years, with Sophie often gushing about their relationship (pictured in February, when they had hoped to get married)

Changes: Sophie now prioritises her health and wellness following her highly publicised battle with drink and drugs (pictured left in 1998 and right in 1997 in London)

Speaking to The Daily Mail in 2015, the media personality dismissed her past as 'light years from where I am now.'

She explained: 'I was very unhappy [in my 20s]. I had no control over who I was or how I looked.

'I was a model but at some point modelling became only one part of what was required of us, and suddenly to be successful we had to be celebrities.

'Its not something that came naturally. I was terrible at being famous.'
Kate Garraway has admitted she feels like she 'failed' her children as she struggled to juggle homeschooling and looking after her husband Derek Draper as he recovered from Covid.

The presenter, 54, - who shares children Darcey, 15, and Billy, 12, with Derek, 53, - said she found it 'very challenging' due to dealing with her 'very specific set of circumstances' at the time.

During a chat about the recent A-Level results on Wednesday's Good Morning Britain, she said: 'We all know that it's been almost impossible for youngsters to deal with this.

Hard: Kate Garraway has admitted she feels like she 'failed' her children as she struggled to juggle homeschooling and looking after husband Derek Draper as he recovered from Covid

'I know that I have frankly failed my children in supporting them in their homeschooling.

'I know I had very specific set of circumstances going on for the bulk of the time, but I found it very difficult to get online and help them to work their way through the system.

'And, you know, it was very, very challenging.'

Family: The presenter, 54, - who shares children Darcey, 15, and Billy, 12, (pictured) with Derek-, said she found it 'very challenging' due to dealing with her 'very specific set of circumstances' at the time

Honest: During a chat about the recent A-Level results on Wednesday's Good Morning Britain, she said: 'We all know that it's been almost impossible for youngsters to deal with this'

Kate has been by her husband Derek's side during his recovery from coronavirus after he contracted the illness last March which left him hospitalised.

Last week it was revealed that she has found his return from hospital this year 'bittersweet', according to close friend and television presenter Clare Nasir, 51.

She said that Kate 'can never switch off from what's happening' and has a lot on her plate being a presenter, mother, carer and wife.

Tough: Last week it was revealed that Kate (pictured) has found Derek's return from hospital this year 'bittersweet', according to close friend and television presenter Clare Nasir, 51

Kate recently enjoyed her first night out since Derek became seriously unwell as she attended the West End opening of Wonderville at the Palace Theatre.

Clare told Closer: 'Kate has been incredible throughout this - even more so since Derek has been home. She now basically does four jobs - presenter, mum, wife and carer.

'She's on the go all the time, and has been physically and mentally pushed to the extreme this last year and a half. So a chance to go out to the theatre - something she and the kids love - was wonderful for her.

'However, it was bittersweet, as Kate can never switch off from what's happening. I know she would have had a hotline to the house at all times and her focus would have been on Derek.'

Illness: Derek was released from the hospital in March this year after being first diagnosed in March 2020 and he is considered to be the longest surviving Covid-19 patient in the country

Difficult: Speaking recently at the West End event, Kate said of Derek: 'It was very strange leaving him tonight to come out' (pictured in 2019)

A representative for Kate has been contacted by MailOnline for a comment.

Speaking recently at the West End event, Kate said: 'It's our first time out since February 2020 so we are really excited, and this is a date that has sprung up because it was going to happen a few weeks ago and then it didn't happen and then we just thought, 'Let's go for it'  so very exciting.

'It was very strange leaving him tonight to come out because he is a big fan of magic, but it is not possible at the moment so we just said next time and see him when we get back.'

It comes after on Monday Kate warned 'there are MORE long Covid symptoms emerging.'

Clare told Closer: 'Kate has been incredible throughout this - even more so since Derek has been home' (Clare and Kate are pictured together in 2014)

Oh no! It comes after last Monday Kate warned 'there are MORE long Covid symptoms emerging'

She gave GMB viewers an update on her husband Derek's road to recovery, admitting: 'All the time there are more issues!'

Derek, 53, is still recovering at home from his lengthy battle with the illness which previously proved near-fatal and his left his body ravaged, and Kate has now revealed that 'more symptoms are presenting'.

What is Long Covid? Long Covid - also known as post-Covid-19 syndrome - is when Covid symptoms continue beyond the period of infection. Among the long list of symptoms are fatigue, chest tightness, dizziness, heart palpitations and problems with memory or concentration. Research published by the Department of Health last month suggested that up to two-million people in the UK may have had Long Covid. According to the NHS, the chances of having long-term symptoms does not seem to be linked to how ill you are when you first get COVID-19. However, the study last month showed that prevalence of Long Covid increased with age and was higher among women. Advertisement

Kate's co-host Ben Shephard, 46, asserted: 'Long Covid is a very real issue for a lot of people who have caught the virus.'

And Dr Amir Khan agreed, confirming: 'It is very real. It's estimated two million people across the UK are suffering from Long Covid.

'And symptoms can include extreme fatigue, brain fog, problems with vision problems with pain, difficulty breathing, palpitations, chest pain, all sorts of things.'

Kate added: 'And that's only the ones we know, isn't it Dr Khan? Because more and more are emerging of different bits of the body that have damage.

'I know Derek is an extreme example, but there are more Long Covid symptoms emerging. All the time there are more issues. Initially it was exhaustion but more are presenting.'

Dr Khan agreed: 'Yes that's absolutely right and the symptoms can be mild in some people and severe in others.

'It's thought it is caused by this over immune response to the virus that create these antibodies long after the virus is cleared, these antibodies then star attacking normal tissue which gives you these symptoms.

'Treatment options are still being discovered ... and while we're waiting there isn't much we can do because we don't really know what the treatments are yet so it's really really tough.'

He added: 'Lewis Hamilton, I'm really sorry he is suffering from Long covid but someone so prominent talking about it does show how even the healthiest of people can get Covid and suffer these long Covid symptoms.'

Meanwhile, Kate's husband Derek was released from the hospital in March this year after being first diagnosed in March 2020.

Awful: Dr Amir Khan explained of long Covid: 'It is very real. It's estimated two million people across the UK are suffering from Long Covid'

The virus wreaked havoc throughout his entire body, resulting in kidney failure, liver and pancreatic damage.

On more than one occasion his heart stopped beating, he battled bacterial pneumonia and fought multiple infections which punctured holes in his lungs.

He is considered to be the longest surviving Covid-19 patient in the country. The former lobbyist continues to recover from the illness at their London home.
Married At First Sight is being investigated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) after receiving a high volume of complaints.

According to a report by The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, the media watchdog received 67 complaints from viewers amid claims of mental abuse, gaslighting and domestic conflict during this year's season.

'The ACMA has commenced an investigation into episodes of the 2021 season of Married At First Sight,' an ACMA spokesperson told the publication.

Under investigation: Married At First Sight is being investigated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) after receiving a high volume of complaints. Pictured, Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson

'A significant proportion of the complaints alleged the program included personally abusive interchanges between participants through gaslighting, social, verbal and mental abuse, and that the program perpetuated and promoted the theme of domestic and emotional conflict.'

Channel Nine - the network behind MAFS - sent out an apology letter back in April after a Change.org petition garnered over 15,000 signatures.

The petition claimed that Channel Nine and production company Endemol Shine had failed in their duty of care to the show's participants, with viewers describing some scenes as 'distressing'.

Problematic: According to a report by The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, the media watchdog received 67 complaints from viewers amid claims of mental abuse, gaslighting and domestic conflict during this year's season

'Nine takes seriously the concerns raised by its viewers and makes every effort to ensure that the material it presents is consistent with community standards and complies with Nine's regulatory obligations,' the network said in a letter.

The majority of the complaints were levelled against Bryce Ruthven, who was paired with Melissa Rawson, with the couple now engaged and expecting twins.

Throughout the show, Bryce repeatedly told Melissa, both 32, that she wasn't his type because she didn't have blue eyes.

'The ACMA has commenced an investigation into episodes of the 2021 season of Married At First Sight,' an ACMA spokesperson told The Daily Telegraph

He also voted her the 'fourth hottest' out of this year's brides, flirted with co-star Beck Zemek at the gym and later lied about their conversation.

In addition to getting into a series of altercations with the show's other participants, Bryce was accused of emotional manipulation and gaslighting.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Channel Nine for comment.
Nick Grimshaw has credited his Radio 1 listeners for making him 'feel accepted' ahead of his final show this week.

The BBC has confirmed that there will be 'some very special goodbye messages' for the DJ, 36, for the last-ever broadcast, and Nick has reflected on his 14 years at the station.

He said: 'My childhood dream was to work on Radio 1 and I have been lucky enough to make that dream come true. It has been everything Id imagined and even more.

The end is nigh: Nick Grimshaw will be joined by a host of celebrities for his final Radio 1 show

'I grew up wanting to connect with people and to feel accepted and the Radio 1 listeners gave me that and let me be part of their daily life, for which I will be eternally grateful.

'I'd like to thank the listeners as without them none of this could have been possible and the Radio 1 family, who have been such a huge part of my life. Thank you thank you thank you.'

For his last week at the station, Nick has been joined by some of his celebrity friends and guests including Beth Ditto and Rita Ora, and is expected to receive messages from the likes of Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Charli XCX, The 1975's Matty Healy, Haim, Alan Carr and Sara Cox for his last broadcast on Thursday.

Additionally, his close pal Harry Styles is due to call in from Los Angeles for Nick's second last show.

He said: 'My childhood dream was to work on Radio 1 and I have been lucky enough to make that dream come true. It has been everything Id imagined and even more'

A source told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column: 'As well as being one of the most recognisable voices on British radio, Nick has gained a reputation for having loads of A-list mates thanks to his years of partying.

'This final week of shows has been really special to him, but for his last few hours on air Nick wanted something extra special.

'He will have Katy and Orlando chatting with him. Matty and Charli are also going to be calling.

'Nick has already found this week emotional, but he wants to keep the last show light and fun, with loads of outrageous stories. It'll be a good laugh to celebrate the time he has spent at Radio 1.'

Exit strategy: The 36-year-old star is leaving BBC Radio after 14 years at the station and he will be joined by stars including Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom

Exeunt, flourish: Additionally, his close pal Harry Styles is due to call in from Los Angeles for Nick's second last show

Nick announced in June that he will be leaving the BBC after 14 years.

He said: 'I have some news guys, some big news. It's big news for me to announce. I want to do it at the start of the show otherwise I'll be weird for the next two hours.

'I've been thinking about it for a little while, after 14 years of working here I've made a big decision.

'It a huge decision, an exciting one and a happy one. It's something I've given a lot of thought. Radio 1 is home to me. It's the only station I've wanted to work.

'I was thinking the past 18 months have been the most surreal moments ever. A lot of you guys, you take stock in times like this and look at your life. I looked at mine and I wanted to make that change.

On to the next: Nick announced in June that he will be leaving the BBC after 14 years

In with the new: Nick's Drivetime show will be taken over by Vick Hope and Jordan North

'My childhood dream was to work on Radio 1 and I have been lucky enough to make that dream come true.

'It has been everything I'd imagined and even more. I grew up wanting to connect with people and to feel accepted and the Radio 1 listeners gave me that and let me be part of their daily life, for which I will be eternally grateful.

'But over the last few months I've been doing a lot of thinking about my future and after 14 years, I've made the decision that it's time for me to move on - I'd like to thank the listeners as without them none of this could have been possible and the Radio 1 family, who have been such a huge part of my life. Thank you thank you thank you.'

Nick's Drivetime show will be taken over by Vick Hope and Jordan North.
She's recently jumped from Italy to the French resort town of Saint-Tropez during her jaunt around Europe.

And Rebel Wilson certainly proved she knows how to holiday in style while heading out sailing on Wednesday.

Taking to Instagram, Rebel looked incredible while draping her slimmed down figure in a green, hooded resort dress.

Lap of luxury: Hollywood actress Rebel Wilson oozed glamour in Saint-Tropez as she relaxed on a yacht and practiced her French while on vacation on Wednesday

The Pitch Perfect star looked to be in high spirits as she relaxed on a lounge looking to get some sun during the trip.

Rebel paired the look with a white wide brim hat along with a pair of sunglasses, proving herself to be sun smart.

Rebel was later seen in a video practising her limited French skills.

Chilling out: The Pitch Perfect looked to be in high spirits as she relaxed on a lounge

Rebel has shed more than 30 kilograms over the last year thanks to an impressive workout regimen and lifestyle overhaul.

She looked sensational on Tuesday as she showed off her svelte figure in a little black dress in France.

The Pitch Perfect actress, 41, beamed as she sipped on champagne in the chic plunging dress that was flatteringly belted at the waist.

Tres chic: Rebel was later seen in a video practising her limited French skills, with her saying a couple of words in the language

Rebel looked stunning as she posed with her friend Lisa Reuben who also donned an LBD.

The star swept up her blonde tresses into a cute top knot and let her fringe hang naturally over her forehead.

She opted for an all-black ensemble and styled the ruffle-shouldered midi with a pair of simple black stilettos.

Rebel looked picture perfect as she contoured with a sweep of bronzer for the selection of holiday snaps.

The star showcased her toned legs as she strode candidly towards the camera with her glass of fizz in hand.

Gorgeous: Rebel Wilson looked sensational on Tuesday as she showed off her svelte figure in a little black dress in France (L) the actress has shed 65lbs over the last year (R pictured in 2012)

It comes after Rebel recently revealed she lost weight to boost her chances of getting pregnant.

The comedienne was initially 'offended' that her doctors suggested her fertility would improve if she was slimmer and 'healthier'. However, the comments gave her the motivation to tackle her eating habits.

Speaking on Instagram Live, she said: 'When I was going through and looking into fertility stuff, the doctor was like, 'Well, you'd have a much better chance if you were healthier'.

'I was actually a bit offended. I thought that even though I was bigger, I was pretty healthy.

'So that's what started it  that if I lost some excess weight, it would give me a better chance of freezing eggs and having better quality eggs.

'At first it wasn't even for myself, it was thinking of a future mini-me and their quality. That's what kick-started it.'

Stunning: Rebel looked stunning as she posed with her friend Lisa Reuben

However, in May, Rebel told her Instagram followers she'd been given some 'bad news' about her fertility.

She wrote: 'I got some bad news today and didn't have anyone to share it with ... but I guess I gotta tell someone.

To all the women out there struggling with fertility, I feel ya. The universe works in mysterious ways and sometimes it all doesn't make sense ... but I hope there's light about to shine through all the dark clouds.'
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She has been working as a model for 25 years but still looks to be on the A list, and Alessandra Ambrosio reminded her Instagram followers of that this week.

The Vogue cover girl shared several images where she looked toned and tanned in a skimpy deep ruby red string bikini that had a triangle top and small briefs.

The suit was designed by her GAL Floripa team which has a mission to try to help women feel better about themselves. The supermodel said on her website: 'We learned early on the power of cultivating women's bonds to encourage each other in gaining the confidence to reach our true selves.'

Still haute stuff: She has been working as a model for 25 years but still looks to be on the A list, and Alessandra Ambrosio reminded her Instagram followers of that this week. The Vogue cover girl shared several images where she looked toned and tanned in a skimpy deep ruby red string bikini that had a triangle top and small briefs

The single mother to two children has been in Brazil all month with her new beau, model Richard Lee.

Before she met Lee, the pinup was in a long-term relationship with Italian businessman and designer Nicolo Oddi. And before that she lived with partner Jamie Mazur with whom she has two children: Anja, 12, and Noah, nine.

In one shot Alessandra is looking at the camera as she walks in a back yard area that has lush fauna. Her highlighted hair is worn over her shoulders and she has on layers of gold jewelry.

She also shared a half dozen more photos that were all shared on her GAL Floripa Instagram page.

A good gal: The suit was designed by her GAL Floripa team which has a mission to try to help women feel better about themselves. The supermodel said on her website: 'We learned early on the power of cultivating women's bonds to encourage each other in gaining the confidence to reach our true selves\

On Wednesday the leggy wonder - who has worked for Victoria's Secret and now plugs her very own GAL Floripa swimwear line - shared a new image in the red bikini where she was stretching by a swimming pool.

'AXE: the positive energy that allows all things to be,' she said in her caption.

Ambrosio, with Gisele Coria and Aline Ambrosio, created the 'lifestyle brand' of GAL Floripa with the purpose to 'inspire women to embrace their femininity with a holistic approach,' it says on the company website.

Named 'GAL Floripa', symbolizing the synergy between Gisele + Alessandra + Aline and the location where it was created and inspired by, Floripa.

She sure loves her home country: The single mother to two children has been in Brazil all month with her new beau, model Richard Lee

Happy outdoors: On Wednesday the leggy wonder - who has worked for Victoria's Secret and now plugs her very own GAL Floripa swimwear line - shared a new image in the red bikini where she was stretching by a swimming pool

'Growing up in Brazil, Gisele, Aline and I spent most of our summers together by the beach, immersed in the natural beauty of Florianopolis, known as The Magic Island, and spending almost every moment of the day in our swimwear,' said Alessandra. 'It makes sense that swimwear became like a second skin.

The siren has been in Trancoso, Brazil with Lee as they have been soaking up the sun on the shore.

She did her best to show off her toned fame as she paraded down the beach with her female friends then hopped on a boat.

The land is lush: The siren has been in Trancoso, Brazil with Lee as they have been soaking up the sun on the shore. She did her best to show off her toned fame

With her gals by the pool: In this image Alessandra has on her red bikini as she poses with two leggy friends

Trancoso is a district in the municipality of Porto Seguro in the state of Bahia, Brazil.

Once a small fishing village, the town is now known for its beaches and has increased in popularity since gaining international attention around 2000. Alessandra often vacations in this location.

Alessandra is a native of Brazil and often visits her home country though she lives in Los Angeles with her two kids.

This comes after Ambrosio said she tries to keep her beauty routine 'as simple as possible'.

The model has revealed that in spite of her hectic schedule, she always makes time each day to 'take care of [herself]'.

So much here: Trancoso is a district in the municipality of Porto Seguro in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Once a small fishing village, the town is now known for its beaches and has increased in popularity since gaining international attention around 2000. Alessandra often vacations in this location

She shared: 'I've always tried to keep my beauty routine as simple as possible and that didn't change when I had my kids. What I've focused on since having kids is creating time to take care of myself.

'Even if it's just 15 minutes in the morning for meditation, stretching or yoga - it helps me get centered and ready to conquer whatever the day is bringing my way.'

Alessandra is determined to ensure her kids learn the value of taking care of themselves, too.

The model told Vogue India magazine: 'I make sure that I teach my kids the importance of taking care of themselves, so every morning we make delicious juices together and try to do some kind of outdoor activity.'

With her beau: Alessandra has been enjoying time with her boyfriend; here they are seen this spring in Caracao

Alessandra previously admitted that her children are her 'number-one priority'.

The brunette beauty has therefore taken it upon herself to arrange her schedule around her kids. She said: 'My children are always going to be my number-one priority, so I work hard on arranging my schedule to spend as much time as possible with them.'

Alessandra also revealed she would happily support her children if they wanted to follow in her footsteps and become models themselves.

She shared: 'I want my children to do what they love, and if that's modelling, then I would be there every step of the way to support them.

'Right now they're enjoying being kids, learning about the world, and exploring.'
Longer-haired Rowan Atkinson was on location on Wednesday filming his new Netflix comedy Man Vs Bee.

Seen out and about in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, the former Mr Bean actor, 66, wore a checked shirt, grey jeans and brown loafers as he took instructions from crew members as they stood in the street.

The new show was co-created by Rowan and Will Davies, who previously worked on the Johnny English film franchise, which featured Rowan as the title character.

Who needs a salon? Mr Bean's Rowan Atkinson was on location in Aylesbury on Wednesday filming his new Netflix comedy Man Vs Bee

Described as a 'physical comedy series', Man Vs Bee follows Rowan's character battling the flying pest.

10 episodes of 10 minutes are being shot for the streaming platform.

'Renowned actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson plays a new character in this riotous comedy,' Netflix said when they announced the commission last winter. 'A man finds himself at war with a bee while housesitting a luxurious mansion.

'Who will win, and what irreparable damage will be done in the process?'

On location: Seen out and about in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, the former Mr Bean actor, 66, wore a checked shirt, grey jeans and brown loafers as he took instructions from crew members as they stood in the street

Icon: Rowan cemented his place as one of the UK's best physical comics, having played Mr Bean from 1990-2007

Rowan cemented his place as one of the UK's best physical comics, having played Mr Bean from 1990-2007.

His final turn as the hapless loner was in the movie Mr Bean's Holiday, although he did make a one-off appearance in 2012, for a live performance as part of the London Olympics Opening Ceremony.

He also voices the character for an animated spin-off series.

Physical comedy: Man Vs Bee follows Rowan's character battling the flying pest

Commissioned: 10 episodes of 10 minutes are being shot for the streaming platform

Mr Bean could be set to make a comeback as show co-writer Richard Curtis is reportedly working on a new version of the comedy hit.

According to The Sun, the funnyman viewers are used to seeing will have become grumpier in his old age in Richard's new version.

Richard, 64,said: 'Old Bean is what we're now thinking of doing.'

Rowan is developing an animated movie of the popular character, but said he finds 'the weight of responsibility not pleasant'.

More to come? Mr Bean could be set to make a comeback as show co-writer Richard Curtis is reportedly working on a new version of the comedy hit

Success: The character first appeared on screen more than 30 years ago in the 1990 sitcom and was an instant hit [pictured in character at London 2012 Olympics]

He said: 'I don't much enjoy playing him. The weight of responsibility is not pleasant. I find it stressful and exhausting, and I look forward to the end of it.'

Speaking with Radio Times, Rowan said: 'Having made an animated TV series, we're now in the foothills of developing an animated movie for Mr Bean  it's easier for me to perform the character vocally than visually.

'I don't much enjoy playing him. The weight of responsibility is not pleasant. I find it stressful and exhausting, and I look forward to the end of it.

'I don't actually like the process of making anything  with the possible exception of Blackadder, because the responsibility for making that series funny was on many shoulders, not just mine.'
He has played the role of Reggie Jackson in Call The Midwife since 2017.

And trailblazing Down's Syndrome star Daniel Laurie comes from an acting family, as his late father has been revealed as Leslie Grantham who played 'Dirty Den' Watts in EastEnders.

Actor Daniel, 25, has also starred in popular shows such as Vera, Stella and Finding Alice.

Family: Call the Midwife star Daniel Laurie's famous father has been revealed as Leslie Grantham who played 'Dirty Den' Watts in EastEnders (Daniel is pictured)

All together: Leslie married Jane Laurie in 1981 and had three sons - Daniel (centre), Spike (right) and Jake (left)- before they divorced in 2013, with Daniel choosing to use his mother's surname

Leslie married Jane Laurie in 1981 and had three sons - Daniel, Spike and Jake - before they divorced in 2013, with Daniel choosing to use his mother's surname.

Talking about when she found out she was pregnant with him, Jane explained: 'I told him [Leslie] I was expecting another baby - and that I was sure it had Down's Syndrome.

'He was shocked, because a third child had simply never been on the agenda, but when I suggested perhaps we should have a test to find out about the Down's Syndrome, Leslie shook his head and said firmly: 'Whatever we get, it's our baby'.'

In a 2006 interview with the Daily Mail, Jane praised Leslie as a 'fantastic' dad, saying: 'When he was just a few days old, Leslie looked down at the baby and said 'you know, there are some hard things in life, but this isn't one of them'.'

Although Leslie himself was notoriously private when it came to his family life, the late actor did speak about his son occasionally.

Speaking about Daniel having Down's syndrome during an interview with The Guardian in 2003, Leslie hailed his son as 'fantastic', saying: 'We didn't know [he had Down's syndrome] before he was born, but it wouldn't have made a difference. He's fantastic.'

Seven years earlier during an interview with The Mirror, he said he is 'proud and very lucky to have been given Daniel'.

Leslie added: 'He's obviously got some problems, but they're negligible compared with other people's. My philosophy is that even a blind man knows when the sun's shining. Measured by that, Danny's got no problems at all.'

He continued: 'I have three of the best kids around. They drive me mad, but I'm also lucky to have a wife who is a superb mother.'

After Danny was born, Leslie became a fund-raiser for the Down's Syndrome Association.

'It's adults who need to realise how special these children are,' the EastEnders star said. 'His brothers are fantastic with him - a lot better than most adults.'

Tragic: Leslie (pictured) sadly passed away in 2018 after a battle with lung cancer at the age of 71

During Call the Midwife's sixth season, Daniel joined playing the part of Reggie who goes to live with his uncle Fred Buckle after his mother's death.

His time on the show explored the taboos and stigma attached to the arrival of a child with Down's syndrome in the 1960s, with fans praising the 'powerful' and 'sensitive' story line.

During a 2014 interview, Daniel spoke about having Down's syndrome, saying: 'Basically having Down's syndrome is kinda cool. To me it's absolutely cool. I so yeah, that's how I've got Down's syndrome and you absolutely crack me up.'

Leslie sadly passed away in 2018 after a battle with lung cancer at the age of 71.

The TV star had just before his death returned to the UK for treatment after living for some time in Bulgaria.

Marriage: Leslie and Jane are pictured together in 1989 eight years after tying the knot

Unit: Jane is pictured with her three sons L-R Spike, Daniel and Jake in 2007 who she shares with Leslie

A statement from his representative announcing his death said: 'We formally announce the loss of Leslie Grantham, who passed away at 10.20am on the morning of Friday 15th June 2018.'

Grantham had been visited by close friends from TV in the weeks before his death and he told some he had terminal cancer.

Grantham became famous playing Watts in EastEnders, originally from 1985 to 1989.

A 1986 Christmas Day episode drew an audience of more than 30 million viewers, who watched as Watts handed over divorce papers to on-screen wife Angie.

Love: Leslie is seen off by his wife Jane as he leaves his home in Wimbledon in 2004 before their divorce

Role: Grantham became famous playing Watts in EastEnders, originally from 1985 to 1989 (pictured with on-screen wife Angie)

Smile: Jane is pictured with two of her three sons Daniel and Spike on a family holiday in 2018

His character was apparently killed off in 1989 but made a shock return to Albert Square in 2003.

Grantham had originally been a soldier, having enlisted in the British Army in 1965 and being sent to West Germany with the Royal Fusiliers.

In 1966, however, he was involved in a struggle with a taxi driver he was attempting to rob in Osnabruck, Lower Saxony.

The driver, Felix Reese, was shot in the head and died and, in 1967, Grantham was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

It was during his time behind bars - he spent ten years in British jails - that he first took to acting.

Speaking about his past in 2016, Grantham said: 'Life isn't a straight line. It's like travelling the motorway. Every now and then, you have to take a diversion. Unfortunately, some of my diversions have been quite catastrophic. But I'm safe in the knowledge that what I do now is good.

Story: Grantham had originally been a soldier, having enlisted in the British Army in 1965 and being sent to West Germany with the Royal Fusiliers (pictured in 2016)

'Of course I have regrets, but you can't go round wearing a hair shirt all your life, otherwise you'll never get out of bed in the morning. I f***** up, now I'm going to move on.'

In 2004, Grantham was exposed by a Sunday newspaper after he took part in webcam chats while performing a sex act.

He apologised to his family for the embarrassment but later said he was 'set up'.

Grantham said he was so devastated after the scandal that he attempted suicide.

Success: Daniel (centre) has played the role of Reggie Jackson in Call the Midwife since 2017
Irina Shayk soaked up the last minutes of fun during her child-free summer holiday in Ibiza.

The Russian supermodel sported a skimpy neon bikini and some thigh high leather boots in a series of new Instagram photos celebrating the end to her vacation, which she shared on Wednesday.

Her daughter, Lea de Siene, whom she shares with ex Bradley Cooper, didn't attend Irina's adults-only trip and instead spent time with her dad at home in the U.S..

Model vibes: Irina Shayk sported a skimpy neon bikini and some thigh high leather boots in a series of new Instagram photos celebrating the end to her vacation, which she shared on Wednesday

'Ibiza 21,' the catwalker simply captioned her latest Instagram post.

Irina put her runway figure on full display in a tiny lime bikini while she struck a sultry pose in an archway by a glittering pool.

Shayk tossed her pretty face back towards the sunshine with her eyes closed as she stood in thigh high leather Burberry boots that came up almost high enough to tough her skimpy bikini bottoms.

The beauty wore a delicate belly chain around her flat tummy and looked serene as she held on to the built in handles on her boots.

Glam: Shayk tossed her pretty face back towards the sunshine with her eyes closed as she stood in thigh high leather Burberry boots that came up almost high enough to tough her skimpy bikini bottoms

A black and white snap in the same ensemble gave her poolside shoot a more editorial look as she stood against a plain wall holding a martini glass.

Other snaps from her curated collection of photos included moments from one of her last nights out with friends.

Keeping with her go-to boots of the moment, Irina slipped into a slinky black silk tank and a black mini skirt.

She lounged artfully on a banquette at a bar with a tray of drinks positioned next to her long legs.

Fun times! Other snaps from her curated collection of photos included moments from one of her last nights out with friends in Ibiza

Costume change! Keeping with her go-to boots of the moment, Irina slipped into a slinky black silk tank and a black mini skirt

Meanwhile, back home, Irina's toddler had quite the weekend getaway of her own with her actor father Bradley Cooper.

Cooper and Lea were seen arriving on the island of Marthas Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts, on Saturday.

The father-daughter duo are attending festivities relating to Barack Obamas 60th birthday celebration, along with a slew of other A-list attendees.

The birthday bash at the Obamas Marthas Vineyard mansion on Saturday was preceded by a smaller and more exclusive affair on Friday night at a nearby resort, with guests including Beyonce, Jay Z, Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Tom Hanks and George Clooney.

Mom's day off: Her daughter, Lea de Siene, whom she shares with ex Bradley Cooper, didn't attend Irina's adults-only trip and instead spent time with her dad at home in the U.S.

The cocktail party lasted for three hours, according to locals, and also included a 30-minute speech dedicated to Obama.

The larger event on Saturday was initially supposed to welcome somewhere in the vicinity of 500 guests, but that plan has been scaled back due to concerns related to COVID-19 and the highly contagious Delta variant.

Meanwhile, it's been reported that Irina is now 'very much still dating' Kanye West, 44, who himself has recently split with his ex Kim Kardashian.

Irina's budding relationship with the musician, was called into question just a few weeks ago, as a Page Six insider said they were 'cooling off' and that she had turned down an invitation to go to France with him.

Fun times: Lea and dad Bradley Cooper and Lea attending festivities relating to Barack Obamas 60th birthday celebration on Martha's Vineyard over the weekend (Irina Shayk, Lea Cooper and Bradley Cooper seen in June)

'She likes him as a friend, but doesn't want a relationship with him,' the source said of Irina.

'She doesn't want the association that they are dating, which is what would have run in the press if she showed up [in Paris with him]. It would have been another month of news saying that they are dating.'

The model was said to be very 'upset,' by the 'lies' according to People. 'Irina is so upset at the lies about her and Kanye,' an insider said, adding that she was 'moved to take legal action to set the record straight.'

However, 'they are very much still dating,' the source maintained, even though Irina was not photographed in attendance at Kanye's July 22nd listening event for new album Donda, or at the second one this last Thursday.
Kylie Jenner is known for her famous curves, and it appears that her striking shape is rubbing off on those around her.

The KUWTK star's beloved makeup artist Ariel Tejada announced last month that he has had a 'custom body' that bares an uncanny resemblance to his 24-year-old boss.

However, Ariel's appearance looks very different from just a few years back, where his hips were noticeably smaller, suggesting the makeup artist has undergone a surgical transformation.

Curves like Kylie! Jenner's beloved makeup artist Ariel Tejada, 25, has boasted about his 'custom body' after surgical transformation (Pictured left, last month, right, in 2017)

The celebrity makeup artist - who has cultivated 'the Kylie Jenner look' with his expert skills over the years - has been showing off his new shapely figure more recently to his 2.4million followers on Instagram.

It appears that Ariel, 25, has had quite the transformation, and in one post described his 'custom' body as being 'crazy, curvy, wavy.'

In a post from last month, Ariel hinted that he needed a new wardrobe to fit his made-to-order body, that is similar to Kylie's, as he captioned a photo of himself, 'I got a custom body, so I need custom fits.'

Just like her: It appears that Ariel has had quite the transformation, and in one post described his 'custom' body as being 'crazy, curvy, wavy'

BFFs: The celebrity makeup artist has helped cultivated 'the Kylie Jenner look' with his expert skills over the years, working almost exclusively with the KUWTK star and her family

The Kylie effect: He has previously described Kylie has his 'muse' saying in a post from December 2019, that he 'couldn't ask for a better client, friend, sister, bad b****'

Ariel has made no secret of the fact he has sought out help from a plastic surgeon in the past, having given a shout-out to Dr. Hovsepian, a Beverly Hills surgeon known as Dr. Raffi to his famous clients.

'Paid a visit to @dr.raffi. Needed a quick tune up before my trip to NY, and as always @rhmdplasticsurgery worked his magic. I look and feel better after my visit,' Ariel wrote in one post.

He added: 'I can't wait to go back!! I need to stay looking young forever. Check him out for all of your aesthetic needs!'

Like his boss: Ariel now has accentuated hips that resemble Kylie Jenner's famous frame

Now and then: Ariel has unveiled his new 'custom' body to fans (left) which looks different from how he appeared on his public Instagram page a few years back (right)

Matching: Ariel announced last month that he has had a 'custom body' which bares an uncanny resemblance to his 24-year-old boss

Getting her poses down: Having spent so much time together in a professional capacity, it seems Kylie's style has rubbed off on Ariel

That looks familiar! The makeup artist even has Kylie's signature poses down

Striking her poses: Kylie is known for showing off her voluptuous figure

He has previously described Kylie has his 'muse' saying in a post from December 2019, that he 'couldn't ask for a better client, friend, sister, bad b****.'

Ariel is not only the go-to person to his friend Kylie, but has also done makeup for Kim Kardashian, after meeting at New York Fashion Week.

He has also worked with the rest of the famous family - even grandma Mary Jo - and is now regularly booked by Kylie's siblings when he is free.

Switching things up: Ariel appears to be dressing more and more like his star client

Pals: Ariel and Kylie have been working together for years

Kylie and Ariel are often posing with one another on social media and appear to be extremely close friends as well as working together.

In one friendly Instagram Story, Kylie affectionately referred to Ariel as 'daddy' when posing together.

They most recently worked together on Kylie's 24th birthday collection for Kylie Cosmetics.

Part of the family: Ariel is not only the go-to person to his friend Kylie, but has also done makeup for Kim Kardashian, after meeting at New York Fashion Week (Pictured, 2017)
They welcomed their first child, a baby boy called Brody, in May.

And TOWIE's Georgia Kousoulou, 29, and her beau Tommy Mallet, 29, are now set to share their pregnancy and first weeks as parents with fans in a spin-off show.

In a first look trailer for the upcoming two-part special, called Georgia & Tommy Baby Steps, the couple are seen preparing to welcome their son in hospital and sweetly joking that the little one takes after his dad.

From baby bump to baby Brody! Georgia Kousoulou and her millionaire beau Tommy Mallet are seen adjusting to their first weeks as parents in the first trailer for their new spin-off show

In the teaser, the couple are seen sitting on their sofa while Georgia is still pregnant with the clip then showing them with beloved dog Monkey and their baby son.

Millionaire shoe entrepreneur Tommy opens the trailer by introducing himself, which makes his girlfriend laugh, before announcing 'and then there was four' once they're joined by the smaller members of their family.

The new dad is later seen opening two huge boxes of baby items and admitting that 'this is pretty daunting' as Georgia's due date approaches.

He is later heard saying 'it's an emotional rollercoaster' at the end of the trailer.

New mama: The TOWIE star, 29, is seen pregnant with her little boy and doting on the adorable tot in the short teaser video

Other clips show Georgia in a hospital gown ahead of Brody's delivery and declaring that welcoming her little boy was the 'most amazing experience of my life'.

Fans are also set to see the couples first few weeks with Brody at home as in another funny moment the tot is seen 'shouting his head off' in his carseat with doting dad Tommy asking: 'Who do you take after?'

Georgia then quickly replies to her boyfriend, as she jokes: 'You!'

Sharing the trailer to Instagram on Wednesday, Georgia penned: 'GEORGIA & TOMMY BABY STEPS.. out next month over 2 nights.

Getting ready: Georgia appeared to be in good spirits as she danced around in a hospital gown

Labour: Another clip saw her declare that having Brody was the 'most amazing experience'

Adjusting to parenthood: The happy couple also joked that Brody took after his dad when he was 'shouting his head off' in his carseat

Newborn: Brody was born in May, with Georgia and Tommy sharing regular updates with fans

'Exact date coming soon.. AGHHHH can't wait for you to see it! It's so raw & honest & everything in between! Tag me in your videos when you see the advert woohoooo!!'

Georgia has been regularly posting updates with her 1.4m followers and recently shared an empowering message about her post-baby body.

The 29-year-old shared candid photos of herself in a white crop top and grey sweatpants, referencing her stretch marks and c-section scar in the post's caption.

Georgia admitted that while she 'cried' upon seeing her stretch marks after the birth, she now feels 'proud' at having grown a beauty healthy baby', and encouraged other mothers to not feel pressure in 'bouncing back' quickly.

Exciting: Georgia shared the clip to her Instagram, gushing that the show is 'so raw & honest'

Not long to go! The star revealed the spin-off show will air over two nights in September

Honest: Tommy is heard admitting 'this is pretty daunting' and that this 'it's an emotional rollercoaster' in the trailer

'THE REALITY.. all I heard when I was pregnant was 'you'll bounce back, you're young" etc. It got in my head and I probably did think I would to an extent,' Georgia began.

'So you can imagine the first time I looked in the mirror eight weeks ago, I'm not going to lie.. I freaked out, my body wasn't my body I was used to no more. I had big stretch marks, I am wider and obviously a c-section scar, I remember just crying.'

Georgia went on to reveal how she's now feeling 'proud' at what her body has achieved, nearly two months after giving birth.

'NOW eight weeks on this is me, I've done no exercise and ate what I want, when I can. I now look at my body and I'm proud. I'm proud I have grown a beautiful healthy baby, I'm proud I have got through the first eight weeks,' she said.

Candid post: It comes after Georgia admitted that she 'cried' upon seeing her stretch marks and c-section scar - but is now 'proud at having grown a beautiful baby'

Raw: The first-time mum went on to reveal she's feeling 'proud' at what her body has achieved

Georgia went on to say that while she would love to fit into her size 10 Zara clothing, she's giving herself 'minimum a year' to drop the pounds as she's focusing on herself and her baby.

The reality star urged society to 'stop using these phrases' of bounce back for women, and encouraged other mothers to not feel any additional pressure.

'It's taken us nine months to grow a baby, why are we expecting our bumps to go straight away? Let's just encourage mum to look after themselves, their mental health and their babies.

'Let's stop adding more pressure on women, it's hard enough!' she continued.

Georgia welcomed son Brody on May 5 with boyfriend Tommy and announced his arrival with a series of adorable Instagram posts.

Georgia looked radiant as she cradled her little boy, who was wrapped in a soft white blanket, while laying in a hospital bed alongside her beaming beau.

Clearly proud of his new baby boy, Tommy penned at the time: 'Now my life is full! Welcome to the world young.'

Doting new mother Georgia replied to the comment, and said: 'The best thing that's ever happened to us.'
Eleanor Tomlinson has been seen for the first time filming season two of The Offenders on Tuesday.

The actress was seen on location in Bristol with co-stars Christopher Walken and Stephen Merchant.

The former-Poldark starlet, 29, looked pretty in a floral blouse, tied in at the waist with a sash.

On location: Eleanor Tomlinson has been seen for the first time filming season two of The Offenders on Tuesday

She donned a sweeping black skirt which fell to her ankles, and added wedge peep-toe heels to the look tied with a red ribbon.

Eleanor wore her russet mane in gentle waves around her features and her costume was decorated with various items of statement jewelery.

She added porcelain make-up to complete the ensemble, with deft brushes of bronzer.

She was seen chatting to cast and crew on the set in the bright sunshine, sharing a laugh with her colleagues.

Getting to work: The former-Poldark starlet, 29, looked pretty in a floral blouse, tied in at the waist with a sash

New scenes: The actress was seen on location in Bristol with co-stars Christopher Walken [L] and Stephen Merchant [R]

Looking good: The star let her flame-haired locks fall loose down her shoulders

Chic: She donned a sweeping black skirt which fell to her ankles, and added wedge peep-toe heels to the look tied with a red ribbon

Into character: Eleanor wore her russet mane in gentle waves around her features and her costume was decorated with various items of statement jewelery

The cast were seen at a funfair, with bright bunting strewn around above them.

Stephen was seen with a painted face, sporting a snout and red lips.

78-year-old Hollywood star Christopher, who plays Frank - 'an inveterate scoundrel trying to reconnect with his family' - in the series, was seen being led to the set by a member of the crew.

Also on set was former EastEnder Claire Perkins who plays one of the seven offenders.

Beauty: She added porcelain make-up to complete the ensemble, with deft brushes of bronzer

In good company: She was seen chatting to cast and crew on the set in the bright sunshine, sharing a laugh with her colleagues

Setting: The cast were seen at a funfair, with bright bunting strewn around above them

On set: Actor Christophe was spotted filming scenes with the others

The show focuses on seven strangers forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol.

The show is new to the BBC and Amazon Prime, with season one yet to air this year, and season two already being shot.

The Office co-creator Stephen wrote the show, with absent Eleanor playing Gabby, an 'aristocratic celebutante whose glamour and life of leisure masks deep-rooted problems'.

In a recent interview, she said of her character: 'Gabby is a social-media influencer with a drink and drug problem.

All made up: Stephen was seen with a painted face, sporting a snout and red lips

New show: The show is new to the BBC and Amazon Prime, with season one yet to air this year, and season two already being shot

Back-to-back: The show is new to the BBC and Amazon Prime, with season one yet to air this year, and season two already being shot

'She is wild and uncontrollable and, without being unkind, blissfully unaware of the lives of others around her, which makes her outrageously funny to play.'

Filming began last year but was postponed because of Covid.

Discussing his forthcoming series, Merchant - who comes from Bristol, where the show is based - admitted production was initially hampered by the spread of coronavirus in 2020.

He told The Sun: 'Like so many other productions, we'd just begun filming when COVID-19 struck and we had to shut-down.

Scribe: The Office co-creator Stephen wrote the show

Newcomer: Also on set was former EastEnder Claire Perkins who plays one of the seven offenders

'I'm delighted that we're now finally able to resume filming with this incredible cast and finish this long-standing passion project.

'This is the first series I've made in my hometown of Bristol and I'm so excited to showcase the city and utilise the amazing local talent.'

Filming ground to a halt after just 12 days due to health concerns, but work has since continued in earnest as Britain's third national lockdown starts to ease.

Reflecting on the BBC's unorthodox decision to commission a second series before gauging the popularity of the first, producer Kenton Allen told Deadline: 'We said, 'We'll write Season 2 if you commission Season 2'. We were able to rewrite Season 1 to reflect what we know is going to happen to the characters in Season 2. We were able to deepen it and layer it.'
Heidi Montag slammed her former friend and costar Lauren Conrad during an appearance on the popular Call Her Daddy podcast with Alexandra Cooper on Wednesday.

Montag, 34, took Lauren, 35, to task for treating her like a 'dog' over her relationship with husband Spencer Pratt - of which Conrad was infamously against during The Hills.

The MTV star also made barbed comments about Conrad's success (or lack-there-of, according to Heidi) and declared Kristin Cavallari to be the most successful of the bunch.

Over it: Heidi Montag slammed her former friend and costar Lauren Conrad during an appearance on the popular Call Her Daddy podcast, taking Lauren to task for treating her like a 'dog' and not being 'successful' enough

'[Lauren's] like, 'If you date Spencer, you're off the show,' Montag told Alex.

Conrad was vehemently against Heidi's relationship with Spencer Pratt during The Hills. Montag, of course, ignored her former friend's opinions and would go on to marry Spencer in 2009.

'How dare you?' Heidi recalled, incredulous. 'I'm not your dog. Yeah, I appreciate you getting me on this show, but that doesn't mean you own me and you can tell me what to do in my life. I just don't appreciate that.'

'It didn't have to go that way,' Heidi continued. 'She chose and wanted it to go that way, and then kept following up with that, and then kept blaming things on me and blaming her [rumored] sex tape on me.'

'[Lauren's] like, 'If you date Spencer, you're off the show,' Montag told Alex. 'How dare you? I'm not your dog. Yeah, I appreciate you getting me on this show, but that doesn't mean you own me and you can tell me what to do in my life. I just don't appreciate that.'

During her champagne-filled podcast interview, host Alex Cooper revealed that she felt like Lauren had done the right thing by taking on successful business ventures and not trying to stay reality TV famous.

Heidi disagreed.

'Kristin lets be honest, is the more successful,' Montag said, point blank. 'Lauren didn't make it like she should have. She should be Kylie [Jenner]. She was so good at makeup, she should have done the tutorials.'

Expanding on her point she added: 'If she had a good team, she'd be a billionaire. She'd be a hundred-millionaire. She is not where she should have been at all.'

'It didn't have to go that way,' Heidi continued. 'She chose and wanted it to go that way, and then kept following up with that, and then kept blaming things on me and blaming her [rumored] sex tape on me.'

'She has a Kohl's line  great, whatever,' Heidi continued. 'But she should be a hundred-millionaire  are you kidding me? Who gets that big promotion, that big fame, that big engine behind her, the loved one, the this-and-that. The narrator  no one even gets the narrator show. Kylie didn't get a narrator show.'

Lauren served as the narrator for The Hills and Laguna Beach - as did Kristin.

'She should be so rich,' Heidi concluded.

Montag and her husband Spencer certainly can speak from experience when it comes to the importance of having a solid team handling your careers and finances.

'She has a Kohl's line  great, whatever,' Heidi continued. 'But she should be a hundred-millionaire  are you kidding me? Who gets that big promotion, that big fame, that big engine behind her, the loved one, the this-and-that.'

They famously struggled to maintain their wealth throughout their decades long careers as television personalities.

At one point the couple was pocketing around $2 million a year by appearing on the MTV reality series The Hills (the original) and showing up at fancy Hollywood events.

But after years of overspending on frivolous things like $3,000 bottles of wine, $15,000 Hermes purses and $10,000 crystals the pair whittled away their fortune.

The couple once told People: 'We were keeping up with the Joneses, but we were going against Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. We should have stayed in our reality TV lane.'

'Kristin [Cavallari] lets be honest, is the more successful,' Montag said, point blank. 'Lauren didn't make it like she should have. She should be Kylie [Jenner]. She was so good at makeup, she should have done the tutorials.' (Kristin and Heidi pictured in 2021)

'We had business managers who told us to stop spending but we acted like we knew what we were doing,' Heidi said at the time.

Montag also opens up about her 'body dysmorphia' in the podcast and her regrets about the thousands of dollars plastic surgery she's had over the years to completely transform her appearance.

'There was a form of body dysmorphia,' she admitted.

Alex played a clip from The Hills of a tense moment between a young Heidi - fresh from her surgeries - and her mom Darlene judging her appearance.

Liquid courage: Fueled by bottles of Veuve Clicquot, which Heidi pops in the interview, the reality star lets her opinions fly

Regretfully Heidi said of her plastic surgery: 'I wish I could just see my reality if I hadn't done that.'

In 2010, at the age of 23, Heidi famously underwent ten plastic sugary procedures in one day, which included getting F-cup breasts which she later had reduced to C-cup.

She underwent a mini brow lift, Botox in her brow and frown line area; a nose job; fat injections in her cheeks, nasolabial folds and lips; chin reduction; neck liposuction; had her ears pinned back; a breast augmentation revision; liposuction on her waist, hips and inner and outer thighs; and a buttock augmentation.

Love wins: Conrad was vehemently against Heidi's relationship with Spencer Pratt during The Hills; Montag, of course, ignored her former friend's opinions and would go on to marry Spencer in 2009 (Heidi, Spencer and son Gunner in 2019)

Over the years Heidi has expressed regret several times at over-doing all of the surgery.

'I was just really self-involved at the time - like so many young people - but I was also on TV where every perceived flaw is amplified. I think I looked in the mirror a little too much,' Heidi told Cosmopolitan in 2019.

Heidi and her husband Spencer Pratt returned to their roots in the revival of The Hills on MTV which wrapped up season two earlier this month.
He is already one of the most talked about names in music.

And Lil Nas X revealed that he could have starred in one of the most talked about shows on television.

The 22-year-old rapper revealed that he had turned down the opportunity to have a role opposite Zendaya in Euphoria as he was one of the artists featured on the cover of Variety's Power Of Young Hollywood issue.

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Shining star: Lil Nas X revealed that he had turned down the opportunity to have a role opposite Zendaya in Euphoria as he was one of the artists featured on the cover of Variety's Power Of Young Hollywood issue

Nas - who was highlighted along with Olivia Rodrigo and Thomas Doherty - said he considered starring on the HBO drama but did not feel ready as he was focusing on his music.

The Montero (Call Me By Your Name) hitmaker explained: 'I was actually going to do Euphoria, but I didnt want to take time away from finishing my album.

'I definitely want to get into acting, but I feel I have to give it my all, and I want to focus on music for right now. I want my first movie to be amazing.'

'I was actually going to do Euphoria, but I didnt want to take time away from finishing my album': The 22-year-old rapper said he considered starring on the HBO drama but did not feel ready as he was focusing on his music

Talented: Euphoria has been a success critically as the program has earned three Primetime Emmy Awards including an outstanding lead actress win for Zendaya

Euphoria has been a success critically as the program has earned three Primetime Emmy Awards including an outstanding lead actress win for Zendaya.

The rapper - born Montero Lamar Hill - also got personal as he said that his current boyfriend could be 'the one.'

Nas said: 'Ive had some good boyfriends and some bad ones. A lot of them were emotionally unavailable or had a lot of insecurity and whatnot.

'I've found someone special now. I think this is the one. I cant explain it  its just a feeling': The rapper - born Montero Lamar Hill - also got personal as he said that his current boyfriend could be 'the one'

Interesting: The Old Town Road hitmaker has kept his dating life private but it has been rumored that he is dating dancer Yai Ariza who he famously kissed at the end of his BET Awards performance last month

'[But] I've found someone special now. I think this is the one. I cant explain it  its just a feeling.'

The Old Town Road hitmaker has kept his dating life private but it has been rumored that he is dating dancer Yai Ariza who he famously kissed at the end of his BET Awards performance last month.

As a result of that performance , Nas was at the center of plenty of homophobic comments including some from fellow rappers.

He was asked about comments made by other artists and declined to talk about them directly but said: 'The honest truth is, I dont want to speak on a lot of the homophobia within rap because I feel like this is a very dangerous playing field. Its more for my own safety rather than anything else.'

'Shes super outspoken, shes a boss and she goes after what she wants': Nas also talked about his fandom of fellow rapper Nicki Minaj and explained why the artist means so much to him

'It's helping me a lot': Last year he admitted to running a fan Twitter account for the 38-year-old Trinidadian-born rapper (seen in February 2020) which had a six-figure following and explained the experience helped him see challenges that artists go through

Nas was then asked if he had ever felt unsafe as a result of being an openly gay man in a genre that has been historically homophobic.

He said: 'Yeah, a lot of times, absolutely. Especially after [Montero]. There was literally someone who chased my car a few days after that video came out, yelling, "F*** you!" or something. And thats when I actually started getting security.'

He explained that he was not completely sure what compelled the stranger to pursue him but added: 'I feel like it couldnt be a coincidence'.'

Nas also talked about his fandom of fellow rapper Nicki Minaj and explained why the artist means so much to him.

The cover story also included a fashion photoshoot in which the artist put together his best poses in couture pieces; as he is seen wearing Burberry

He explained: 'I felt like [Minaj] was unique to the rap industry  somebody who is super talented but didnt get all the credit because of her being a woman. Shes super outspoken, shes a boss and she goes after what she wants. I love all those attributes.'

Last year he admitted to running a fan Twitter account for the 38-year-old Trinidadian-born rapper which had a six-figure following and explained the experience helped him see challenges that artists go through.

Nas said: 'Being on stan Twitter as a whole, I learned a lot about the things that artists have to go through and also a lot of music industry history. Its helping me a lot.'

The cover story also included a fashion photoshoot in which the artist put together his best poses in couture pieces from Chrome Hearts, Burberry, and Dsquared2.
Todd Chrisley revealed that he has not spoken to his daughter Lindsie Chrisley since she announced her divorce from Will Campbell in late July.

And the TV star, 52, also said he will not be picking up the phone anytime soon either to chat with his child.

'I'm not reaching out and I'm not commenting on the divorce,' the Chrisley Knows Best standout told E! News.

Dad is staying mum: Todd Chrisley has declared that he will not be directly contacting his daughter Lindsie Chrisley about her divorce; seen on Chrisley Knows Best

After news broke of the split late last month Todd addressed the matter in public both on Instagram and his podcast Chrisley Confessions.

'I spoke about what I woke up to one morning. I talked about it on Chrisley Confessions and I made a commitment that I was not going to talk about that anymore,' Todd told E! of his previous remarks.

'It's not my business, I was not a party to it, I don't know what happened, so anything that I would say, I would be hypothetically speaking and based on all of the lies that have been told to the press when it comes to mine and Lindsie's relationship or the lack thereof, I just have made the decision to refrain from commenting on it.'

Todd's latest broadside comes a week after Lindsie responded to his emotional Instagram post about her divorce.

Glowing: Lindsie is pictured attending an event in Atlanta in 2019

A couple of weeks ago after news broke that Lindsie's marriage was ending her father uploaded a gushing message in which he told her: 'I love you so much!'

However Lindsie, 31, asserted on her Coffee Convos podcast last week that she is blocked from Todd's Instagram and therefore unable to even see his post.

She told her co-host Kail Lowry of Teen Mom fame, 'I truly was shocked when I saw something so personal shared as we do have each others numbers, and even though we are not in contact with each other we do have each other's personal phone numbers and our attorneys are in contact with each other.'

Public statement: After news broke that Lindsie's marriage was ending her father uploaded a gushing message in which he told her: 'I love you so much!'

Retort: Lindsie revealed she is blocked from her father's page and expressed her bafflement that he would air out 'something so personal' in public

Lindsie added: 'So I have reached out privately and I feel certain that our legal teams will be in communication with each other over the coming weeks.'

It emerged two weeks ago that Lindsie and her husband Will have decided to end their marriage after nine years.

And days later on his podcast Chrisley Confessions her father said it was 'a very sad day' when he heard his daughter and son-in-law were splitting up.

Reality star: Todd broke his silence on his podcast and Instagram about 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.

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 '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 last month 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.
The Real Husbands of Hollywood is back and looks as absurd as ever.

Kevin Hart was recently spotted shooting a scene for the show in Los Angeles. The comedian, 42, hits a bear cub with his car in the scene then gets attacked by the bear while filming the incident on his cell phone.

BET announced on July 29 that the show, which was cancelled in 2016, would receive a limited series comprised of six episodes. The show will air on the channel's streaming service, BET+.

The reboot is on: Kevin Hart filmed a scene for the six-episode reboot of The Real Husbands of Hollywood, a satire of the Real Housewives franchise

The show's star wore a light blue t-shirt, blue socks, sandals and tan shorts for the scene.

The Real Husbands of Hollywood is a reality show satire that pokes fun at The Real Housewives franchise.

The show ran for five seasons during its initial release from 2013 to 2016. Nick Cannon, Robin Thicke, Nelly and J.B. Smoove played fictionalized versions of themselves in the series alongside the Ride Along actor.

Numerous guests stars also appeared in the series' original run including Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Rock, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige and many more.

Guest stars galore: The original series featured a number of guest stars, and the new season will almost certainly bring in more

Still close: For the comedian's birthday, friend and Real Husbands of Hollywood co-star Nick Cannon sent his buddy a llama

Hart's return to the show is a bit surprising given how in-demand he is. The Central Intelligence actor has three movies coming out next year, including a voice acting role in DC League of Super-Pets which is currently in production.

Additionally, the father of four finished shooting Borderlands, a science-fiction action comedy, in June.

The film will star Cate Blanchett as an infamous outlaw who returns to her home planet to find a client's daughter. Hart will star opposite Blanchett as Roland, a mercenary looking for redemption.

The movie star also took some time to provide commentary for some Olympic events alongside Soul Plane co-star Snoop Dogg. Pictures of the two went viral because the Secret Life of Pets actor's feet didn't touch the ground.
Olivia Rodrigo addressed her spat with Courtney Love in a new interview.

Courtney, 57, insinuated earlier this year that Olivia, 18, had ripped off her Hole cover with the covert art for her virtual concert Sour Prom.

'I mean, to be honest Im flattered that Courtney Love knows who I am,' Olivia told Variety in her cover interview.

Teen star: Olivia Rodrigo addressed her spat with Courtney Love in a new interview as she covered the latest issue of Variety

When the Sour Prom art was released the internet abounded with comparisons to the album cover of Live Through This, a 1994 record by Courtney's band Hole.

Both images show a girl wearing a crown and holding flowers - either a beauty queen or a prom queen - with mascara running down her face from crying.

Internet commentators were split between those who thought Olivia was swiping from Courtney and those who felt they were both taking from the film Carrie.

Olivia told Variety of catching Courtney's eye: 'Shes from a totally different generation, so I thought that was cool, but I think were both obviously really inspired by the film Carrie. I dont know - I didnt really give it too much thought.'

'Totally different generation': 'I mean, to be honest Im flattered that Courtney Love knows who I am,' Olivia told Variety in her cover interview; Courtney is pictured in February 2020

The controversy took off after Courtney posted the Sour Prom art to her Instagram and writing: 'spot the difference! #twinning!'

Olivia assumed she was getting a compliment and wrote: 'love u and live through this sooooo much' in the comments of Courtney's post.

Courtney politely replied: 'Olivia - you're welcome. My favorite florist is in Notting Hill, London! Dm me for deets! I look forward to reading your note!'

However she was also evidently miffed as when a fan asked if she was 'mad or nah' she remarked that Olivia 'didn't ask. So bit of both. I dig manners.'

There's Olivia: Courtney, 57, insinuated a couple months ago that Olivia, 18, had been ripping her off with the covert art for her virtual concert Sour Prom

Remember when: When the Sour Prom art was released the internet abounded with comparisons to the album cover of Live Through This, a 1994 record by Courtney's band Hole

Meanwhile other older singing acts are big fans of Olivia including Avril Lavigne who expressed her admiration in the new Variety profile.

'I think its important for people like Olivia to give an honest voice to so many young women who are still discovering themselves,' Avril argued.

'Her songs are her truth, and you can really feel that. You can tell its real by the way all of her fans grab onto every single word she says.'

Taylor Swift, whom Olivia looked up to immensely when she was a child, sent the teen pop act a note providing her with advice.

'Her songs are her truth': Meanwhile other older singing acts are big fans of Olivia including Avril Lavigne (pictured in 2019) who expressed her admiration in the new Variety profile

'She wrote me a letter a while ago, and she wrote something about how you make your own luck in the world, and how you treat other people always comes back to you,' Olivia recalled to Variety.

Olivia, who acts on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, became a star earlier this year when her song Driver's License became a smash hit.

Becoming an overnight sensation 'was the craziest time of my life,' she dished to Variety in her latest interview.

She also spoke about the unconfirmed rumors that the song was about a love triangle involving Olivia, her High School Musical: The Musical: The Show co-star Joshua Bassett and fellow Disney+ actress Sabrina Carpenter.

Superstar: Taylor Swift (pictured at this year's Grammys), whom Olivia looked up to immensely when she was a child, sent the teen pop act a note providing her with advice

Olivia said of the song: 'I put it out not knowing that it would get that reaction, so it was really strange [when] it did. I just remember [everyone being] so weird and speculative about stuff they had no idea about.'

She noted: 'I dont really subscribe to hating other women because of boys. I think thats so stupid, and I really resent that narrative that was being tossed around.'

In a new GQ profile Joshua said that 'it's kind of like a lost cause trying to talk about any of that stuff, and I refuse to feed into any of the bullshit, so I just dont.'

He argued: 'Why don't we focus on these women for who they are? Let's focus on the art that they're making and how great they are instead of their relationship to a boy.'

Rose to fame: Olivia became a star earlier this year when her song Driver's License became a smash hit; she is pictured in the music video for the number
Elsa Hosk is heating up the streets of New York City. The model was spotted Wednesday wearing an oversized denim Prada shirt as a dress.

The blonde fashionista took the look up a notch with a lime green handbag and matching high heels.

This comes after the Swedish star - who welcomed her first child, daughter Tuulikki Joan, six months ago - was seen in bright pink bikini while eating a mango on social media.

Denim dream: Elsa Hosk was spotted Wednesday wearing an oversized denim Prada shirt as a dress

The former Victoria's Secret angel looked effortlessly chic in a pair of large, tortoiseshell shades when in Manhattan.

Her blonde locks were worn with a middle part and fell in loose, natural waves.

Minimalism was key for this look  the mom-of-one's only jewelry choices were a few gold rings and a bracelet.

Supermodel touch: The hot, blonde fashionista took the look up a notch with a lime green handbag and matching high heels

The supermodel beauty wasn't just walking around The Big Apple looking hot.

She also took a moment to share a seemingly old post taken in LA with her 6.7 million followers on Instagram.

Although her six-month-old daughter wasn't along for the walk in NYC, the new mom gave her a birthday shout out.

Easy summer vibes: This comes after the Swedish star was seen in bright bathing suits

Fruit is good for the body: The siren said her favorite fruit was mango as she ate one

Incredible body: It has been only six months since she welcomed her child but she is already thin with a small waistline

At play in the country: The catwalk queen was on a lounge chair on the grass by a pool

'Tuuli is 6 months today,' she wrote in a caption with several accompanying emoji.

In the four-photo-slide she's wearing a multi-colored jacket and carrying a matching Chanel bag.

Her eyes are hidden behind black shades, and she wears baggy jeans while posing alongside a black stroller.

Last week Elsa showed she has already achieved a stunningly svelte post-baby body and proudly showed it off on her Insta Stories.

The Stockholm native announced her pregnancy on Instagram at the end of September 2020 by posting an elegant nude maternity photo-shoot.

Colorful: She took a moment to share a seemingly old post taken in LA with her 6.7 million followers on Instagram

Birthday love: 'Tuuli is 6 months today,' she wrote in a caption with several accompanying emoji

Cool mom: In the four-photo-slide she's wearing a multi-colored jacket and carrying a matching Chanel bag

Then this February she welcomed her baby daughter Tuulikki Joan, whom she shares with the Danish sunglasses entrepreneur Tom Daly.

Tom and Elsa, who have been an item since 2015, relocated from New York City to California during her pregnancy.

They spent $4.3 million on a swanky home in South Pasadena designed by the Viennese-born architect Richard Neutra, Variety reports.

While she was expecting her baby she revealed on social media that she had been experiencing an 'easy pregnancy' to her surprise.
Cardi B does not appear to be a fan of celebrities who refuse to keep things clean - when it comes to their showering habits.

A growing list of celebrities including Jake Gyllenhaal, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have all spoken recently about why they are lax with their washing routine.

But the X-Rated rapper seemed as mystified as everyone on Tuesday, when she tweeted 'Wassup with people saying they dont shower?' alongside a emoji with a raised eyebrow, adding: 'It's giving itchy.'

Keeping it clean for once: Cardi B admits she's baffled by the trend of celebrities who say they don't shower often

Confused: The X-Rated rapper took to Twitter to join in on the debate about washing habits

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis kicked off the public conversation about celebrity hygiene during a podcast appearance last month, with Ashton telling Armchair Expert host Dax Shephard: 'I wash my armpits and crotch daily and nothing else ever.'

Mila said she washes her 'slits and t**s' and also revealed that she did not bathe her children Wyatt, six, and Dimitri, four, 'everyday' when they were infants.

Meanwhile Jake, 40, shocked fans last week when told Vanity Fair: 'More and more I find bathing to be less necessary.'

Not impressed: Cardi appears to be a fan of showering regularly after taking to Twitter to share her concern for her peers that have been speaking out against daily washing

He noted: 'I do also think that there's a whole world of not bathing that is also really helpful for skin maintenance, and we naturally clean ourselves.'

Dax's wife Kristen also said she doesn't shower often for environmental reasons, explaining: 'California has been in a drought forever. It's just like, responsibility for your environment.'

'We don't have a ton of water, so when I shower, I'll grab the girls and push them in there with me so we all use the same shower water.'

'Slits and t**s': Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis kicked off the public conversation about celebrity hygiene during a podcast appearance last month

Meanwhile: Dax and his wife Kristen Bell then went on The View where she revealed she would 'wait for the stink' before bathing their daughters Lincoln, eight, and Delta, six

'We naturally clean ourselves': Jake Gyllenhaal joined the choir in a recent Vanity Fair interview saying: 'More and more I find bathing to be less necessary, at times'

Joining Cardi in her thoughts about the situation was Game of Thrones star Jason Momoa.

The actor told Access Hollywood earlier this week that he is not part of the club, saying: 'I'm not starting any trends. I shower, trust me,.'

He added: 'I'm Aquaman. I'm in the f****** water. Dont worry about it. I'm Hawaiian. We got saltwater on me. We good.'

Dwayne Johnson has also assured his fans he is not in the same category.

Details: When a Twitter user brought up the subject Dwayne, 49, wrote: 'Nope, Im the opposite of a "not washing themselves" celeb'

When a Twitter user brought up the subject this week, Dwayne, 49, wrote: 'Nope, Im the opposite of a "not washing themselves" celeb.'

In fact the fighter turned movie star, who goes by the nickname The Rock, revealed that he showers three times a day.

'Shower (cold) when I roll outta bed to get my day rollin. Shower (warm) after my workout before work. Shower (hot) after I get home from work. Face wash, body wash, exfoliate and I sing (off key) in the shower,' he shared.
He has one of the most impressive physiques in Hollywood.

And Michael B. Jordan was not too shy to show off his bulging muscles again in his latest project.

The 34-year-old actor certainly steamed up screens as he went shirtless in the trailer for A Journal For Jordan released on Wednesday.

Wow factor: Micahel B. Jordan certainly steamed up screens as he went shirtless in the trailer for A Journal For Jordan released on Wednesday

Dynamic duo: Michael looked in incredible shape as he has plenty of amorous scenes with co-star Chante Adams in the minute-and-a-half long teaser for the film directed by Denzel Washington

Michael looked in incredible shape as he has plenty of amorous scenes with co-star Chante Adams in the minute-and-a-half long teaser for the film directed by Denzel Washington.

The film is centered around the relationship between First Sergeant Charles Monroe King (Jordan) and journalist Dana Canedy (Adams), whose 2008 Pulitzer Prize winning memoir provides material for the movie.

King had kept journals of his deployment in the Iraq War - in which he perished in 2006 - with messages for his son Jordan, who was seven months old when his father died.

Bond: The film is centered around the relationship between First Sergeant Charles Monroe King (Jordan) and journalist Dana Canedy (Adams)

Stunning: Dana's 2008 Pulitzer Prize winning memoir provides material for the movie

Loving gesture: King had kept journals of his deployment in the Iraq War - in which he perished in 2006 - with messages for his son Jordan, who was seven months old when his father died

Sweet: The trailer featured several scenes of their life together including romantic dates to the museum

Milestone moment: They even showed when the couple welcomed their baby son

The trailer featured several scenes of their life together including romantic dates to the museum as well when they welcomed their baby son.

There were also a few scenes of First Sergeant King deployed in the Middle East as he wrote the letters.

The end of the clip ends with a voiceover from Denzel Washington as he said: 'See it exclusively in movie theaters this Christmas.'

Sweet: There were plenty of romantic scenes sprinkled throughout the clip

Tough: There were also a few scenes of First Sergeant King deployed in the Middle East

Tragic: He was shown writing the letters

While Denzel won't be seen in front of the camera for this project, the dramatic film marks Washington's fourth directorial effort, following the Oscar-winning Fences in 2016.

Both Jordan and Washington are producers on the movie, and Jordan said he was 'a sponge right now' working with the Hollywood icon.

There he is: The end of the clip ends with a voiceover from Denzel Washington as he said: 'See it exclusively in movie theaters this Christmas'

At the helm: While Denzel won't be seen in front of the camera for this project, the dramatic film marks Washington's fourth directorial effort, following the Oscar-winning Fences in 2016, he is seen on set of A Journal For Jordan in New York back in March

'Being directed by the GOAT - Denzel, himself - and being able to work with a very talented cast and actress in Chante Adams, it's something that I've been looking forward to,' he told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year.

Jordan added, 'We're having a blast and Im getting a masterclass and a crazy education on character development, directing, and producing from Todd Black and Denzel Washington. It's a great thing.'

A Journal For Jordan will have a limited release in the US on December 10 before a wide release on December 22. The UK release will follow on 28 January 2022.
Selma Blair is showing her support for her friend Christina Applegate, who yesterday went public with her multiple sclerosis battle.

Replying to Christina's tweet about her diagnosis on Wednesday, Selma wrote: 'Loving you always. Always here. As are our kids. Beating us up with love.'

Selma also suffers from multiple sclerosis, having gone public with her health struggle back in October 2018.

'Loving you always': Selma Blair, who also battles multiple sclerosis, shows support for her friend Christina Applegate after revealing diagnosis (the pair pictured together in 2002)

Christina, 49, later responded with a sweet message back about their respective children, writing: 'I love our two weirdos. They are so fun.'

The Dead to Me actress and Selma, also 49, starred together in the comedy The Sweetest Thing alongside Cameron Diaz in 2002.

Last February, Selma gave a heartbreaking update on her own battle, telling fans that she continues to be consumed with pain and fear.

Loving message: Yesterday, Christina revealed on Twitter that she found out 'a few months ago' that she suffers from the autoimmune disease, and Selma responded today

Struggles: Last February, Selma gave a heartbreaking update on her own battle, telling fans that she continues to be consumed with pain and fear (Pictured above in March)

Brave: Christina revealed on Tuesday that she has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (pictured September 2019)

'It is long nights. Almost all nights. My muscles in my face and neck are in spasm. Or so tight I cant even find a way to stretch,' she wrote.

'And I have been trying for three hours. On the ground stretching. I have had the stomach flu. ... And I am even more sideways now.'

Yesterday, Christina revealed on Twitter that she found out 'a few months ago' that she suffers from the autoimmune disease, which affects the central nervous system, explaining that it has been 'a tough road' since she got the news.

She wrote: 'Hi friends. A few months ago I was diagnosed with MS. Its been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition. 'Its been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some a****** blocks it.'

She continued: 'As one of my friends that has MS said, "we wake up and take the indicated action. And thats what I do. So now I ask for privacy. As I go through this thing. Thank you xo.'

According to the National MS Society the disease is an 'unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.'

Christina Applegate's 'tough road ahead': What is multiple sclerosis (MS) and what are the symptoms? MS is a condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance. The immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. It's a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause serious disability, although it can occasionally be mild. A study of the incidence of MS, developed in conjunction with Public Health England (PHE), estimates that 18% of total MS diagnoses in the UK are in people age 30 or under. This is compared to the previous estimate of only 12%. There are 130,000 people living with MS in the UK and, in the last year alone, the charity estimates more than 1,250 people under 30 have been diagnosed. It is the most common progressive neurological condition in young people today. When diagnosed with MS, no one can predict how the condition will affect you, how disabled you will become, or how quickly, and tens of thousands of people still have no treatment to help as their MS advances. Advertisement

The condition can cause problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation and balance.

It is treatable in most cases, though life expectancy is slightly reduced. It is twice or three times more common in women than men.

Although Applegate did not reveal the identity of the friend and fellow MS sufferer she spoke to, the mother-of-one is known to be very close with fellow actress Selma Blair, who also struggles with the illness.

Blair has since openly documented the ups and downs of her condition on social media and in interviews.

Applegate, who shares a daughter Sadie, ten, with her second husband, Dutch musician Martyn LeNoble, has previously been very candid about her health battles over the years.

Friends: Christina and Selma, also 49, starred together in the comedy The Sweetest Thing alongside Cameron Diaz in 2002 (pictured above the same year)

In 2008, she revealed that she had undergone a double mastectomy to treat breast cancer, explaining that she made the decision to have the surgery because she wanted to ensure that she wouldn't have to deal with the risk of the disease spreading in the future.

'It came on really fast. It was one of those things that I woke up and it felt so right,' Applegate told CNN of her decision to have a mastectomy.

'It just seemed like, "I don't want to have to deal with this again. I don't want to keep putting that stuff in my body. I just want to be done with this," and I was just going to let them go.'

Then, in 2018, she revealed that she'd had both of her ovaries and her fallopian tubes removed in order to 'take control' of her health and reduce the risk of another cancer diagnosis.
August 11 marked the seventh anniversary of the shocking death of beloved comedian and respected actor Robin Williams, who was 63.

Leading the tributes and remembrances to the legendary star was his oldest son Zak Williams, who took to Twitter on Wednesday to pay tribute to his father.

He praised the Oscar winner for his efforts to 'bring laughter and to help others.'

Never forget: Zak Williams, 38, the oldest son of Robin Williams, paid tribute to his late father on Wednesday for the seventh anniversary of his death; seen together in 2012 in NYC

'Dad, seven years ago today you passed on. The joy and inspiration you brought to the world carries on in your legacy and in your family, friends, and fans you so loved,' he wrote.

'You lived to bring laughter and to help others. I will be celebrating your memory today. Love you forever.'

He shared a photo of Williams looking youthful and sporting a thick beard.

Zak, 38, most recently spoke about his father in July on what would have been his 70th birthday.

During an appearance on The Genius Life podcast with Max Lugavere, he spoke about his father's 'frustration' after he was misdiagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

It would only be revealed after his death by suicide that he had been suffering from Lewy body dementia, which is the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer's.

Touching: The joy and inspiration you brought to the world carries on in your legacy and in your family, friends, and fans you so loved,' he wrote. 'You lived to bring laughter and to help others. I will be celebrating your memory today. Love you forever'

Tough time: Last month, Zak shared that his father dealt with incredible 'frustration' after he was misdiagnosed with Parkinson's disease while suffering from Lewy body dementia; seen in character from Mork & Mindy in 1978

'What I saw was frustration,' Zak shared. 'What he was going through didn't match one to one [with what] many Parkinson's patients experience. So, I think that was hard for him.'

He continued: 'There was a focus issue that frustrated him, there were issues associated with how he felt and also from a neurological perspective he didn't feel great. He was very uncomfortable,' he added.

The mental health advocate also wondered if the drugs his father took to combat the wrong condition might have sped up his deterioration.

'Those drugs are no joke. They're also really hard on the mind and the body,' he explained.

'I couldn't help but feel beyond empathy. I couldn't help but feel frustrated for him,' Zak continued. 'It can be really isolating even when you're with family and loved ones.'

Growing family: Zak, who previously said he abused alcohol after his father's death, shared the joyous news that he'd welcomed a second child, a daughter named Zola, in June

Zak had previously opened up about how he struggled with alcohol abuse in the immediate aftermath of his father's death.

He got some happier news in June, though, when he and his wife Olivia June announced the birth of their daughter Zola.

The couple, who married in October of 2020, also share a two-year-old son named McLaurin 'Mickey' Clement.

Zak is Robin's only child with his first wife Valerie Velardi, but the entertainer also shared daughter Zelda, 32, and son Cody, 29, with his second wife Marsha Garces.

Difficult day: Zelda Williams, 32, Robin's daughter from his second marriage to Marsha Garces, had a tougher time on the anniversary after a fan brought up her father's suicide; Zelda and Robin seen in 2009

Not their business: She asked for others to 'let people who've lost loved ones mourn and verbalize their loss how they feel comfortable'

Moving on: Last month, she thank her followers for their tributes to her father for what would have been his 70th birthday. 'It's gotten a little less strange over the years'

Zelda had a harder time on the anniversary of her father's death after she quoted a tweet from a user calling out Zak for not mentioning that their father had died by suicide.

'How about we let people whove lost loved ones mourn and verbalize their loss how they feel comfortable?' she wrote. 'Hes my brother, and his son, and a father in his own right. Were people too, not just advocates. Please dont forget that on this often dehumanizing app. Have compassion.'

Minutes later she sent out another message in sympathy with those who were 'navigating loss.'

'Sending love out there today to all the folks navigating loss. New, old, the connective tissue of that deeply human pain can be hard to bear, but I find it easier sometimes knowing how many others have felt the same sting. Were not alone,' she tweeted.

She also marked her father's birthday weeks earlier.

'Thanks to everyone who sent thoughtful things on Poppos bday,' she tweeted. 'Celebrated him in my own way yesterday, grateful for the space to do so. Its gotten a little less strange over the years, and Ive gotten a bit less scared of being me in the face of it. All things in time I guess'

Inspired: Among the fans who celebrated Williams' life on the seventh anniversary of his death was Josh Gad, who shared an illustration of the many iconic characters he had played throughout this career; seen in 1998

Words of wisdom: The image include a quotation attributed to the actor: 'You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it'

Among the fans who celebrated Williams' life on the seventh anniversary of his death was Josh Gad, who shared an illustration of the many iconic characters he had played throughout this career.

'still miss #RobinWilliams more than ever. Love this pic found on Twitter. Beautiful tribute. What a legacy.'

The image include a quotation attributed to the actor: 'You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.'

The actor Jon Donahue also paid tribute to the legendary comedian with a somber black-and-white photo.

'It's been seven years since we lost the great #RobinWilliams. It's still crazy to think we live in a world without his genius.'
Sophia Bush shared another troubling story about shamed One Tree Hill creator Mark Schwahn as she claimed that he had hung photos of the female cast members in their underwear in his office.

The 39-year-old actress appeared on Michael Rosenbaum's Inside Of You podcast on Tuesday as she shared a horrifying allegation regarding the 55-year-old former screenwriter, director, and producer.

Back in 2017, Schwahn was fired as showrunner from E! drama The Royals following allegations of sexual misconduct from multiple women.

Revealing: Sophia Bush (seen in January 2020) shared another troubling story about shamed One Tree Hill creator Mark Schwahn

The 39-year-old actress claimed that the 55-year-old former screenwriter, director, and producer had hung photos of the female cast members in their underwear in his office, as they are seen together in January 2011

At the time 43 women came out against Schwahn including Sophia's castmate and friend Hilarie Burton. She alleged he forcibly kissed her twice during her time working with him on One Tree Hill.

Eighteen women from that show, as well as 25 women from The Royals, starring Elizabeth Hurley, accused Schwahn of varying degrees of sexual misconduct.

Podcast host and Rosenbaum, 49, said that the showrunner 'was basically a monster' during the series' nine seasons which Bush agreed with.

Enlightening: The actress appeared on Michael Rosenbaum's Inside Of You podcast on Tuesday

'We found out from a writer that he kept a board of the fitting photos of each girl in underwear up in his office,' Bush (seen in March 2020) claimed

She explained: '18 women on our show signed a collective letter. That was 18 people willing to be public about their experiences of the cast and on the crew, and 25 women on the cast and crew of his subsequent show signed a letter in response about his behavior.'

The contents of the letter consisted of inappropriate behavior Schwahn was accused of on set of One Tree Hill before those working on The Royals made similar claims. To this day Schwahn has still not made a statement regarding those allegations.

Bush explained: 'He was very open. I think the worst of what he did was hidden. But, yeah, he was not embarrassed to be handsy, to make inappropriate commentary, to pull people into side rooms for conversations.'

Trouble: Back in 2017, Schwahn was fired as showrunner from E! drama The Royals following allegations of sexual misconduct from multiple women

Sad: At the time 43 women came out against Schwahn including Sophia's castmate and friend Hilarie Burton. She alleged he forcibly kissed her twice during her time working with him on One Tree Hill (pictured 2019)

Troubling: Eighteen women from that show, as well as 25 women from The Royals accused Schwahn of varying degrees of sexual misconduct (Bush and Burton are pictured with co-stars Bethany Joy Lenz, Chad, Sophia Bush, and James Lafferty)

She then gave her troubling account of claims a writer made regarding photos of the cast in their underwear allegedly put up on display in Schwahn's office.

Bush said: 'It's funny when you think about the things men write. We would have these scenes written for us, being with our intimate partners on the show, scenes written where we'd be in our underwear, whatever.

'We found out from a writer that he kept a board of the fitting photos of each girl in underwear up in his office. Pictures of us that were taken by the wardrobe supervisor, who was a woman, of us in different versions of underwear and/or lingerie that then had to be approved, picked and one would wind up in the show.

'He just would keep a board of all these photos. We were like, "Wow, that's super violating."'

Keeping mum: The contents of the letter consisted of inappropriate behavior Schwahn (seen in March 2015) was accused of on set of One Tree Hill before those working on The Royals made similar claims. To this day Schwahn has still not made a statement regarding those allegations

Rosenbaum asked if Bush would be able to keep her 'composure' if she was in the same room as the shamed creator.

The actress replied: 'I could do a conversation like this, but even as you ask me to imagine it, the sensation of white, hot rage in my chest is not small.

'Because not only was it the really overt just abuse and manipulation that he put so many women through, it was also the more insidious s***.'

One Tree Hill aired on The CW (previously The WB) throughout all nine seasons of the show from 2003 to 2012.

Back in the day: One Tree Hill aired on The CW (previously The WB) throughout all nine seasons of the show from 2003 to 2012

Bush along with Burton and fellow castmate Bethany Joy Lenz have recently joined forces for their own podcast, titled Drama Queens, as they take a deep dive on the show one episode at the time.

Of the podcast, Bush told Rosenbaum that she is happy to be 'healing old wounds' each week. She said: 'If it irks [Schwahn] that we have the power. I'm thrilled.'

Episodes of the Drama Queens podcast are uploaded each Monday.
Russell Crowe began shooting his new thriller Poker Face at a sprawling mansion on the NSW South Coast last week.

But a local politician has refused to roll out the red carpet.

Kiama MP Gareth Ward slammed Russel's star-studded production on Wednesday, accusing the Hollywood star of 'mocking public health orders' by continuing with filming during the state's Covid crisis.

'Mockery': Russell Crowe (left) was criticised by Kiama MP Gareth Ward (right) on Wednesday for continuing to film his thriller Poker Face in rural NSW despite the state's Covid crisis

'This makes a total mockery of the Public Health Orders. People can't see family and friends, funerals limited to 10, no cases in Shellharbour but still locked down, but apparently "A-listers" producing movies is essential?' Mr Ward ranted on Twitter.

While Mr Ward's tweet may have been well-intentioned, Russell's production does in fact comply with health orders.

The cast and crew are filming in the Kiama and Berry region, where there are no lockdown restrictions that would prevent production from going ahead.

'"A-listers" producing movies is essential?' Mr Ward slammed Russel's production on Twitter, accusing the Hollywood star of 'mocking public health orders' by continuing with filming

By the books: While Mr Ward's tweet may have been well-intentioned, Russell's production does in fact comply with health orders

Shellharbour, a city located 16km from Russell's film set, is in lockdown, however.

Russell's production is also operating under strict Covid-19 protocols, and will inject millions of dollars into the local economy through tourism, employment and box-office sales.

The New Zealand-born Australian actor, who is directing and starring in the psychological thriller, was seen on set at a beachside mansion in Kiama on Tuesday.

On location: The cast and crew are filming in the Kiama and Berry region, where there are no lockdown restrictions that would prevent production from going ahead

Earlier this week, Russell shared a photo from the set on Twitter, and captioned it: 'Shooting in Kiama. What a beautiful place.'

It was reported at the end of last month that Russell had been upgraded to director of the film.

He was previously listed as an actor on IMBD, but will now take over from Gary Fleder as director.

Stunning: Earlier this week, Russell shared a photo from the set on Twitter, and captioned it: 'Shooting in Kiama. What a beautiful place'

It's believed the change was made due to Australia's coronavirus restrictions, which would make it difficult for American Fleder to travel Down Under.

Poker Face will also film on location in Sydney's Fox Studios under strict Covid-safe guidelines.

Russel, who is close friends with Chris Hemsworth, has kept his casting choices close to home, adding Chris' wife Elsa Pataky and his younger brother Liam Hemsworth to the film's cast.

Pals: Russell has reportedly added Liam Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky (left, with husband Chris) to the cast of the thriller

According to Confidential, 'both the youngest Hemsworth and Pataky have quietly been added to the cast of the flick with Crowe.'

Russell has already has picked out several iconic locations for the film's set pieces, according to The Daily Telegraph.

At the time, the publication reported that one of the movie's sequences will feature a high-speed car chase inside the Harbour Tunnel.

Cast: According to Confidential, 'both the youngest Hemsworth and Pataky have quietly been added to the cast of the flick with Crowe.' Liam Hemsworth is pictured

Glorious: Among the locations being showcased in the film will be the $140 million penthouse atop James Packer's Crown Residences (left)

Also being showcased in the film will be the $140 million penthouse atop James Packer's Crown Residences and 'a sprawling Point Piper mansion overlooking Sydney Harbour'.

The rest of the film will likely be shot at Moore Park's Fox Studios.

While the movie was originally set in Miami, Florida, Crowe has reportedly demanded the film be filmed and set in Sydney.

Set piece: One of the movie's sequences will feature a high speed car chase inside the Harbour Tunnel (pictured)

The New Zealand born star wants 'to show people just how stunning and world-class Sydney is,' according to the newspaper's sources.

According to Deadline, Poker Face tells the tale of a tech billionaire called Jake (played by Russell) who gathers his childhood friends to his estate for what turns into a high stakes game of poker.

'Those friends have a love hate relationship with the host, a master game-player/planner, and he has concocted an elaborate scheme designed to bring a certain justice to all of them,' Deadline reports.

Point Piper: 'A sprawling Point Piper mansion overlooking Sydney Harbour' will also feature

'However, Jake finds himself re-thinking his strategy when his mansion is overtaken by a dangerous home invader whose previous jobs have all ended in murder and arson.'

Joining Crowe in the cast will be Wu-Tang Clan frontman RZA, while his fellow Oscar winner Natalie Portman is 'circling a role'.

Russell recently worked with Portman while filming a small part in her film Thor: Love and Thunder.

Poker Face will mark the first time Crowe has stepped behind the camera since his 2014 directorial debut The Water Diviner.
Alan Carr's husband Paul Drayton has broken his silence after sharing a photo of himself with a black eye following a drinking binge.

Paul, 46 - who has been married to comedian Alan since 2018 - removed the photo from Instagram within an hour on Wednesday after telling a fan 'We had a bad row' and took to Instagram the next day to insist the comedian, 45, 'has never hit me.'

Paul, who has a history of alcoholism, wrote: 'I'm feeling very fragile at the minute and would like to say that Alan would not and has never hit me.

Shocking: Alan Carr's husband Paul Drayton has broken his silence after sharing a photo of himself with a black eye following a drinking binge

'And I'm devastated that he has to deal with this today.'

Alan confirmed in a statement shortly after his husband posted the black eye image the injury was a result of him 'being back on the wagon' and he had not been involved in the incident.

He told The Sun: 'While I was away filming on location the past few weeks, Paul fell off the wagon and started drinking again.

Never: Paul, 46 - who has been married to comedian Alan since 2018 - removed the photo from Instagram within an hour on Wednesday after telling a fan 'We had a bad row' and took to Instagram the next day to insist the comedian, 45, 'has never hit me'

'When I arrived back home from Wales, Paul was covered in scratches and bruises from a drinking binge.'

The Chatty Man host added: 'We are now working together to get the help he needs to get better which is our number one priority right now.'

After a concerned fan commented on Paul's photo asking: 'What the hell happened? Sending my love,' he replied: 'We had a bad row', and added a crying face emoji.

Statement: Alan confirmed in a statement shortly after his husband posted the black eye image that the injury was a result of him 'being back on the wagon' (pictured in 2020)

Married: Paul and Alan are pictured on their wedding day back in 2020

Vegas nuptials: The pair are seen on their wedding night in Las Vegas

According to The Sun, Paul's famous friends were quick to share their concerns, with Carol Vorderman commenting: 'We love you Paul,' and Tamzin Outhwaite asking: 'When was this? Are you OK?'

The paper added that Paul's post comes three days after he shared a photo of himself wearing a vomit-stained T-shirt alongside the caption: 'This is what alcoholism does to you. My gorgeous husband took this pic.'

MailOnline has reached out to Alan's representatives for comment.

Last August, Alan revealed lockdown had tempted his teetotal husband to start drinking again.

The pair spent the pandemic isolating together on their farm outside London.

Paul went into rehab in 2018 for alcohol problems the same year he married Alan at Adele's home in LA.

Alan said: 'While I was away filming on location the past few weeks, Paul fell off the wagon and started drinking again' (pictured 2019)

Alan told the Kelly Hoppen podcast last year: 'It's been tough for Paul during lockdown. He's been saying, ''Oh, shall we get a bottle?'' and I say, ''No, we're not getting any rose wine in''.

'He's been so good and I'm so proud of him.'

The Chatty Man host went alcohol free to support his husband but has since started drinking again.

He said: 'I like eating and drinking, but it was ridiculous before - we were cracking open a bottle of rose because it was a Monday.

'We were out of control. It was a laugh, but looking at Paul, sometimes the party has to stop.'

He added: 'I enjoy a drink and I have it on special occasions now, it's a real treat for me.'

'With lockdown and the rise of podcasts it's reawakened my chatting.

'It's made me want to chat more to people, and I'm quite good at it and I like chatting to people.'

The couple wed in an idyllic ceremony in Los Angeles in front of just four guests in January 2018, before enjoying a relaxing honeymoon in Mexico - but have kept their relationship low profile.

His best pal Adele officiated the wedding ceremony, and he later revealed during an appearance on This Morning in April 2018 that she also paid for the entire wedding.

The couple became engaged in 2016 when they were on holiday in Indonesia.

When Paul popped the question, Alan thought he had had a dental accident while chowing down on his dessert - only to reveal his beau had hidden an engagement ring in the pudding.

Rehab: Paul went into rehab in 2018 for alcohol problems the same year he married Alan at Adele's home in LA (pictured together with Adele)

Alan has been open about Paul's battle with alcoholism and spoke about it in his book ALANATOMY.

He said: 'I want to be there for him because he's the best thing that's happened to me and I've got to support him and everything.'

Talking about his demons, Alan admitted: 'To be honest, it was a tough year for my Paul. He had a few issues with alcohol, and a lot of the time that was because I was away so much.

'I was out there, working hard, earning the money, and I neglected my personal life, really, so I feel a little bit to blame for that.'

However, Alan is adamant he has no interest in becoming a dad, and neither does Paul.

Setting the record straight on whether he planned a family back in 2015, the funnyman quipped: 'I am so not broody. I dont have a fatherly bone in my body. I struggle with two dogs, I forget to feed them sometimes, let alone a baby.

'Plus, everyone who has kids looks terrible. I see people and say, "Are you on crack?" and theyre like, No, Ive got two kids. Paul luckily isnt into kids either.'
She announced she was expecting twins with her fiance Bryce Ruthven last month.

And on Wednesday, Married At First Sight's Melissa Rawson showed off her growing baby bump as she hit the 20-week mark.

Bryce, 32, shared a photo to Instagram of himself embracing Melissa as she placed a hand on her tummy.

The journey continues: Married At First Sight's Melissa Rawson showed off her baby bump alongside fiance Bryce Ruthven on Wednesday

Melissa dressed comfortably in a brown jumper and patterned tights as she smiled for the camera.

She styled her long hair in a high bun and wore black boots.

Bryce and Melissa announced last month they were expecting twins and engaged to be married.

The Melbourne-based couple's twins will be a world first for the Married At First Sight franchise.

Next steps: Bryce and Melissa announced last month they were expecting twins and engaged to be married

Meanwhile, MAFS is being investigated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) after receiving a high volume of complaints.

The media watchdog received 67 complaints from viewers amid claims of mental abuse, gaslighting and domestic conflict during this year's season.

'The ACMA has commenced an investigation into episodes of the 2021 season of Married At First Sight,' an ACMA spokesperson said.

'A significant proportion of the complaints alleged the program included personally abusive interchanges between participants through gaslighting, social, verbal and mental abuse, and that the program perpetuated and promoted the theme of domestic and emotional conflict.'

Under investigation: Meanwhile, Married At First Sight is being investigated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) after receiving a high volume of complaints

Channel Nine sent out an apology letter in April after a Change.org petition garnered more than 15,000 signatures.

The petition claimed Nine and production company Endemol Shine had failed in their duty of care to the show's participants, with viewers describing some scenes as 'distressing'.

The majority of the complaints were levelled against Bryce and Melissa.

Throughout the show, Bryce repeatedly told Melissa that she wasn't his type because she didn't have blue eyes.

He also voted her the 'fourth hottest' out of this year's brides, flirted with co-star Beck Zemek at the gym and later lied about their conversation.
Dallas-based rapper Yella Beezy is behind bars in Texas after being arrested on drugs and weapons charges Wednesday.

The 29-year-old That's On Me hitmaker was taken into custody for felony possession of drugs and for unlawfully having a weapon, a misdemeanor, according to TMZ.

The official police report states the rapper - real name Markies Deandre Conway - had over 400 grams of a controlled substance as well as four handguns and a rifle, TMZ said.

Rapper Yella Beezy was behind bars Wednesday after being arrested in his home city of Dallas for felony drugs possession and unlawfully having a weapon, a misdemeanor, TMZ reported

On Tuesday night, Yella Beezy had posted video to his Instagram which appeared to show police officers searching his SUV which was parked on the side of a road.

It's the second time in six months that he has been arrested.

In February, Yella Beezy was pulled over by law enforcement in Dallas for allegedly blowing a stop sign in his armor-plated bulletproof truck.

Following a search of his vehicle, he was arrested for unlawful possession of a weapon.

Yella Beezy claimed the incident was a set up and alleged he was the victim of police harassment.

On Tuesday night, the 29-year-old had posted video to his Instagram which appeared to show police officers searching his SUV which was parked on the side of a road

It's the second time in six months that Yella Beezy has been arrested. In February, he was taken into custody in Dallas for unlawful possession of a weapon (mug shot from February)

The high-school dropout found fame in 2017 with his hit single That's On Me.

He followed it up with What I Did (featuring Kevin Gates), Up One (featuring Lil Baby) and a remixed version of That's On Me (featuring 2 Chainz, T.I., and Boosie Badazz), all from his 2018 mixtape Ain't No Goin Bacc.

He had two more hit singles in 2019, Bacc At It Again (featuring Quavo and Gucci Mane) and Restroom Occupied (featuring Chris Brown), both from his 2019 mixtape Baccend Beezy.
She was spotted making out with Austin Butler in London over the weekend.

And Lily-Rose Depp was spotted out for the first time since her passionate PDA session on Wednesday.

The actress, 22, kept it casual as she arrived at JFK Airport in New York, rocking a comfortable grey sweatshirt and black leggings.

Love is in the air! Lily-Rose Depp was spotted arriving at JFK Airport in New York City on Wednesday, days after her passionate make-out session with Austin Butler

Lily-Rose put comfort first for her travels, keeping her feet cozy insie a pair of white sneakers.

She styled her blonde tresses into braided pigtails, tied together with colorful hair ties.

Slowing the spread of COVID-19, The King actress wore a purple face mask over her complexion.

She further kept a low-profile with a trendy pair of black and red shades.

Taking precautions: Slowing the spread of COVID-19, the daughter of Johnny Depp wore a purple face mask over her complexion

The outing comes just days after Lily-Rose was spotted locking lips with actor Austin Butler in London.

The actors put on a steamy display as they wrapped their arms around each other after enjoying a dinner date over the weekend.

Lily-Rose, who is the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis, was seen going for an evening stroll with Switched at Birth star Austin, 29, following their meal.

Traveling lightly: The daughter of Johnny Depp rolled a single suitcase through the transport hub

Austin was previously in a long-term relationship with actress Vanessa Hudgens from 2011 to 2019, while Lily-Rose recently dated actor Timothee Chalamet.

Lily-Rose was thought to have rekindled her romance with Timothee earlier this year when they stepped out together in New York during the summer.

Lily-Rose and Timothee famously made headlines when they were photographed kissing on a yacht in September 2019.

In April 2020, the duo abruptly called off their relationship, though rumours circulated in recent months that they had reconciled.
The rise of a new Marvel legend is coming to the big screen next month with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Marvel Studios released a new 30-second TV spot for the superhero adventure (via Marvel YouTube) on Wednesday.

The new video showcases this iconic character's immense power, his family legacy while also revealing the proper way to say his name.

Legend: The rise of a new Marvel legend is coming to the big screen next month with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Power: The new video showcases this iconic character's immense power, his family legacy while also revealing the proper way to say his name

The video begins with a shirtless Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) seen looking intense in various training scenarios, including one where a younger Shang-Chi is taking blows to the mid-section from several bo staffs.

'All my life, I tried to forget my past, my dad, and the ten rings,' Shang-Chi begins, as his father Wenwu (Hong Kong legend Tony Chiu-Wai Leung) has a different message.

'You were meant for greatness,' Wenwu begins, as we see shots of Shang-Chi and his family, as Wenwu continues, 'Don't hide who you really are.'

Shirtless Shang-Chi: The video begins with a shirtless Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) seen looking intense in various training scenarios, including one where a younger Shang-Chi is taking blows to the mid-section from several bo staffs

Rings: 'All my life, I tried to forget my past, my dad, and the ten rings,' Shang-Chi begins, as his father Wenwu (Hong Kong legend Tony Chiu-Wai Leung) has a different message

Father: 'You were meant for greatness,' Wenwu begins, as we see shots of Shang-Chi and his family, as Wenwu continues, 'Don't hide who you really are'

There are a number of action-packed shots of Shang-Chi in action, as the defiant son tells his father, 'I am nothing like you.'

Katy (Awkwafina) says, 'Hell yeah' as the mystical rings circle around Shang-Chi with another shot of the title character fighting a massive sword-arm-wielding villain that literally slices the bus in half.

The TV spot winds down with some flaming phoenix's flying off into the sky as Shang-Chi leads his red-clad army into battle with some enemy warriors.

Defiant: There are a number of action-packed shots of Shang-Chi in action, as the defiant son tells his father, 'I am nothing like you'

Katy: Katy (Awkwafina) says, 'Hell yeah' as the mystical rings circle around Shang-Chi with another shot of the title character fighting a massive sword-arm-wielding villain that literally slices the bus in half

The final shot finds Shang-Chi on an airplane sitting next to Katy, who someone can't pronounce his name right (Sh-ong Ch-ee, FYI).

The cast also includes Michelle Yeoh as Ying Nan plus returning Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Wong (Benedict Wong) and Abomination (Tim Roth).

Abomination was first featured in the second Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, 2008's The Incredible Hulk.

Pronounced: The final shot finds Shang-Chi on an airplane sitting next to Katy, who someone can't pronounce his name right (Sh-ong Ch-ee, FYI)

Wong was first featured in 2016's Doctor Strange, before returning in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War and 2019's Avengers: Endgame.

Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12, Just Mercy) directs from a script he co-wrote with Dave Callaham (The Expendables) and Andrew Lanham (Just Mercy).

Disney also announced in May that their movies such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the upcoming Free Guy will have a 45-day theatrical window before arriving on the Disney Plus streaming service.

Return: The cast also includes Michelle Yeoh as Ying Nan plus returning Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Wong (Benedict Wong) and Abomination (Tim Roth)
Instagram has apologised for removing the official poster for Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's new film from the social network because it showed a female nipple, after the poster's designer complained of censorship.

Instagram's parent company Facebook said several images of the poster for 'Madres Paralelas,' which shows a lactating nipple, were removed 'for breaking our rules against nudity' after they were uploaded on Monday.

'We do, however, make exceptions to allow nudity in certain circumstances, which includes when theres clear artistic context. We've therefore restored posts sharing the Almodovar movie poster to Instagram, and were really sorry for any confusion caused,' the company said in an emailed statement.

Penelope Cruz, pictured left with Spanish director Pedro Almodovar in Cannes, stars in his latest movie Parallel Mothers

Instagram removed a film poster created by Spanish designer Javier Jaen featuring a nipple expressing a drop of milk

Facebook and Instagram's longstanding rules - and previous bans - have spurred the use of the #FreetheNipple movement and hashtag on Instagram, which is used by many artists and celebrities to portray nipples despite the rules. The ban does not extend to male nipples.

The poster's Spanish designer Javier Jaen told AP that he had questioned whether the poster would have trouble on social networks but stayed true to his vision after receiving the personal backing of Almodovar. 'He told me that he had made films with posters his whole life, long before Instagram, and he would keep doing so after Instagram, too,' Jaen said.

'This is probably the first image I saw when I was born. A company like Instagram tells me my work is dangerous, that people shouldn't see it, that it's pornographic. How many people are they telling that their body is bad, that their body is dangerous?' Jaen added, noting he had received overwhelming support and thousands of people had reposted his poster on Instagram.

Starring one of Almodovar's favourite actresses, Penelope Cruz, 'Parallel Mothers' will open this year's Venice film festival, which runs September 1-11

'They say their technology can't differentiate the context. I don't care. Change your technology then,' the designer said.

Jaen had written in a post that the poster had been removed from his Instagram page on Tuesday: 'As expected, @instagram took down the poster that we made for the latest Almodovar film #madresparalelas.' After reposting the image, he said, it was allowed to stay.

A request for comment from Almodovars production company went unanswered.

'Madres Paralelas,' starring Penelope Cruz, will open the Venice Film Festival on September 1.
contributed photo

These entries from the 2019 12 X 12 event are examples of the kind of artwork that will be available for bidding in this years 12 X 12 Scholarship Fundraiser for the Friends of the Visual Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University.
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For Release: Wednesday, August 11, 2021

DEC Deploys Third Forest Ranger to Assist in Ongoing Efforts to Fight Western Wildland Fires

Second Dispatched Ranger Returns from Fighting Montana's Alder Creek and Trail Creek Fires

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced that a third DEC Forest Ranger is being deployed to assist in ongoing efforts to fight wildland fires in California. In addition, DEC welcomed home Forest Ranger Michael Burkholder at the end of a two-week assignment fighting the Alder Creek and Trail Creek fires in Montana. In July, DEC Forest Ranger Timothy Carpenter returned home after helping battle the Bootleg Fire in Oregon. The Bootleg Fire has burned more than 413,000 acres and is now approximately 96 percent contained.

Commissioner Seggos said, "Whether on the fire line or supervising a team, New York's Forest Rangers are among the very best wildland firefighters. I'm consistently impressed by our Rangers' bravery and willingness to help others. DEC's expert wildland firefighters are ready to volunteer no matter where they're needed and I thank them for their service."

Ranger Burkholder, from Chenango County, began his assignment July 26, when he joined hundreds of federal, state, and local fire agencies battling the Alder Creek Fire in Montana. The Alder Creek Fire started on July 8 about seven miles west of Wise River in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. Because of its proximity to hundreds of homes and buildings, this fire was considered the nation's highest wildland firefighting priority. Fire crews are now concentrating their efforts on structure protection for cabins and other sites along the river and Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway. The Alder Creek Fire is currently about 10 percent contained, and fire teams in this area are also managing the 35,000-acre Trail Creek Fire.

This week, DEC is deploying a third Forest Ranger for a two-week assignment to the Dixie Fire in Quincy, California. The Dixie Fire has burned 500,000 acres to-date and is the second largest wildfire in California history. It has destroyed at least 400 structures and threatens thousands of others. Nearly 6,000 firefighters are battling this blaze, which is about 21 percent contained.

Wildland fires in western states are not only devastating to the western U.S., they are also impacting New York's air quality. Last month on July 20, the entire state of New York was under an Air Quality Health Advisory due to fine particulate matter caused by fires in Canada and the western U.S. Two weeks ago, an Air Quality Health Advisory was issued for the New York City Metro region. Air Quality Health Advisories are issued when DEC meteorologists predict levels of pollution, either ozone or fine particulate matter, are expected to exceed an Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 100. Exposure to fine particulate matter can cause short-term health effects such as irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and shortness of breath. Exposure to elevated levels of fine particulate matter can also worsen medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease. New York State will continue to issue advisories whenever conditions warrant to help protect public health.

In 1979, New York sent its first firefighting crew to assist western states with large wildfires. On average, one or two crews have been sent as needed to assist with wildfires every year since. In addition to helping contain wildfires and minimize damage, these crews gain valuable experience that can be utilized fighting wildfires and managing all-risk incidents in New York.

All personnel and travel expenses for the New York crews are either paid directly by the U.S. Forest Service or reimbursed to New York State based on a mutual aid agreement between states and federal land agencies.
The plea also sought a direction to the MCC to conduct a separate counselling for the NEET-MDS 2021. (AFP Photo)

New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it will conduct from August 20 to October 10, 2021 the counselling for the NEET-MDS admissions, for which exams were held last year.

Taking the Centre's statement on record, a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and M R Shah disposed of the matter.

At the outset, senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the petitioners, informed the court that Centre has in its affidavit said that they will conduct the counselling from August 20 to October 10, 2021.

The counselling schedule has been released after seven months of the conduct of the examination for which results were declared on December 31, 2020.

On August 9, the top court had asked the Centre to apprise by Wednesday when it will conduct counselling for the NEET-MDS admissions for which exams were held on December 16, 2020.

The top court had said that now that the Centre has approved OBC reservation in medical seats when it will conduct the counselling.

On July 29, the Centre has approved announced a 27 per cent quota for OBCs and 10 per cent reservation for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category in the All-India Quota (AIQ) scheme for undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental courses from the current academic year, 2021-22.

On July 12, the top court had taken strong note of delay in holding the counselling, saying the Centre and others have been dilly-dallying for a year now.

It had said that these are qualified BDS students and why has Centre not held the counselling since last year.

The doctors, having Bachelor in Dental Surgery (BDS) degree, had appeared in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) - MDS conducted on December 16 last year by the National Board of Examination (NBE) for admission to the Master in Dental Surgery (MDS) course.

Besides the Centre and the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), the bench had earlier also issued the notices to the Dental Council of India and the National Board of Examination (NBE).

The plea, filed through lawyer Tanvi Dubey, said that these doctors are challenging the unjust and infinite delay caused by the MCC in announcing the counselling schedule for NEET-MDS, 2021.

The plea also sought a direction to the MCC to conduct a separate counselling for the NEET-MDS 2021.

The results for admissions in PG courses for BDS candidates were also declared on the scheduled date, that is on December 31, 2020.

However, after the declaration of the result, i.e., on 31.12.2020 until today i.e. 23.06.2021, there is no update regarding the counselling. It is most respectfully submitted that umpteen efforts were made by the Petitioners to get in touch with the Respondents in order to get an idea about the schedule of the counselling. However, there has been no update about the date of the commencement of the counselling, the plea said.

It said the dentists, who are also registered with state Dental Council, have obtained provisional or permanent registration and have also undergone compulsory rotatory internship of a year in an approved or recognised dental college.

That around 30,000 BDS (dental) graduates appeared for the NEET-MDS conducted for admission to over 6,500 seats in the country and till date there has been no update for admissions in PG courses, it said.
The vacant land is suitable for development of industrial park/township which can spur economic activities in the region and create a lot of employment opportunities. (PTI Photo)

Bengaluru: Karnataka Industries Minister Murugesh R Nirani on Wednesday urged the Centre to allow the state to use a large tract of unused vacant land at Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) belonging to the now defunct Bharat Gold Mines Limited (BGML) to develop an industrial township.

In an attempt to utilize the 3200-odd acres, once a gold mine land at KGF in Kolar district, Nirani submitted a memorandum to Union Minister for Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi in New Delhi, seeking Centre's help and cooperation.

Nirani briefed Joshi about the possibilities of reviving industries in the underdeveloped KGF and surrounding areas that have huge potential for industrial growth, his office said in a release.

The vacant land is suitable for development of industrial park/township which can spur economic activities in the region and create a lot of employment opportunities, Nirani said.

The Industries minister cited the findings of Mineral Exploration Corporation of India which concluded that the existing land belonging to BGML was unsuitable for further exploration.

He said the government's drone survey found that the 3,212 acres of vacant land is suitable for development of Industrial Township.

"Further, the proximity of the National Highway along with the existing broad gauge railway line, International Airport, dry port and upcoming Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC) are also advantages for rightful utilisation and development of Industrial parks, he added.

According to the release, responding to the demand, Joshi promised to consider the State government's request and take a suitable decision at the earliest.

Last year he had said that the Centre was willing to hand over 3,200 acres of BGML land for an industrial park if no minerals were found during the survey, it pointed out.

The Kolar Gold Fields, also known as KGF located 100 km from Bengaluru, was established in the 1880s. It was abuzz with gold mining activities in the early 1900s, employing over 35,000 people and produced over 800 tonnes of gold. It was closed in 2001.

It is now devoid of industries and development. Hundreds of thousands of youths from KGF, Bangarpet and other areas daily commute to Bengaluru for jobs and migrate to other cities in search of livelihood, the release said.
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradeshs long coastline will be dotted with floating cages in shallow sea waters that will help women from self-help groups (SHGs) do seaweed culturing.

The fisheries authorities are sensitizing women groups in all the nine coastal districts from Srikakulam to Nellore. Seaweed culture is done on commercial lines in parts of Tamil Nadu and this has nutritious and medicinal values. AP also intends to do this so that women will have a new avenue for financial self-sustenance.

Cages made of either PVC or bamboo will be floated in shallow waters in areas that are not prone to high tides, like the Hope Island near Kakinada in East Godavari. Seaweed seeds brought from Tamil Nadu will be cultured in these cages.

The authorities have come up with two models for seaweed culture, which are estimated to cost Rs8,000 and Rs15,000 per unit. The Centre will provide 60 per cent subsidy under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana for the setting up of each unit as and where women from SC and ST communities are involved. The remaining 40 per cent has to be borne by the beneficiary. Bank loans can be arranged for the purpose, officials said.

A self-help group comprises 10 to 15 women. Each group will be given 100 units for seaweed culture. A kilo of wet seaweed fetches Rs15 to 20 and dried one Rs 80 to 100.

Fisheries additional director Koteswara Rao said, We are taking up a sensitization programme among women in the coastal districts. This will help them earn a substantial income.

Fisheries officials say seaweed is having medicinal properties. It is in huge demand from pharmaceutical companies to manufacture drugs for certain ailments, especially in Tamil Nadu. Seaweed contains vitamins and minerals like iodine, iron and calcium besides fiber and sugar. It helps reduce weight and check heart ailments.

East Godavari fisheries joint director Satyanarayana said, We are sensitizing women groups to take up seaweed culturing at Uppada and other places that are suitable for this process.
HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday rejected the plea of state chief secretary Somesh Kumar requesting it to reconsider its orders issued on July 4, stopping him from utilising funds sanctioned under the controversial GO issued by himself to deal with contempt of court cases filed against bureaucrats.

The GO was issued to sanction Rs 59.95 crore for the purpose of legal expenses to deal with the contempt cases filed against Somesh Kumar and other officials. The court made it clear that unless an addendum was issued to the GO 208, it could not allow to utilise the funds.

Advocate general B.S. Prasad submitted to the court that the content in the GO was mistakenly shown as amount to tackle legal expenses, whereas it was actually meant to settle disputes pending in Gadwal district. He requested the court to allow withdrawal of funds as it was causing delay in settling the disputes.

However, the division bench comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy, declined to consider the request of the advocate general.

The bench observed, The tone and tenor of the GO refers to only legal expenses to deal with contempt cases, but what you are explaining is different. It is totally misleading.

Justice Vijaysen Reddy questioned why the government was not giving clarification by issuing corrections if the funds sanctioned through the GO were not meant for legal expenses. The Judge made it clear the G.O needed to corrigendum.

Justice Kohli sought to know from the chief secretary why there was a delay in issuing an addendum to the GO 208. She asked the advocate general what were the concerned persons doing without going for rectification, when a petition was filed and copies of the petition were served on them 20 days ago, challenging the substance of the GO and release of funds.

Your department could have filed an affidavit before the court within four or five hours after it had stopped utilising the funds. Now you can issue an addendum within two minutes, the Chief Justice sarcastically commented. The court further made it clear that unless the clarification was given and addendum issued, there was no way of reversing the orders.

Giving 24 hours time to do it, the court adjourned the case to August 13.
HYDERABAD: Putting an end to all speculation, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Wednesday announced Gellu Srinivas Yadav as the party's candidate for the upcoming bypoll for Huzurabad Assembly constituency.

With this, the TRS became the first party to announce its candidate for the bypoll, though the Election Commission is yet to issue notification. Though former minister Etala Rajendar from the BJP is already campaigning aggressively in Huzurabad for the past two months, the BJP is yet to officially announce his candidature. The Congress too is in search of a strong candidate.

Srinivas Yadav, a 38-year-old leader, is currently serving as the state president of TRSV (TRS Vidyarthi), the student wing of the TRS.

Although several senior leaders were in the race for the party ticket, Rao opted for the young leader taking into account his active role in Telangana statehood agitation as party's student leader on Osmania University campus besides being hailing from Backward Classes and a local of Huzurabad.

Prominent leaders from other parties in Huzurabad joined the TRS recently to contest the bypoll necessitated by the resignation of sitting MLA and former minister Etala Rajender in June.

Padi Kaushik Reddy from the Congress, who gave a tough fight to the then TRS candidate Rajendar in 2018 Assembly polls, L. Ramana who quit the T-TDP chiefs post and E. Peddi Reddy from the BJP joined the TRS in July and there was speculation that one among them would get TRS ticket to contest the bypoll.

This apart, there were other senior leaders including former MP B. Vinod Kumar, Rajya Sabha member Capt. V Laxmikantha Rao's wife Sarojini Devi, Vakulabharanam Krishna Mohan Rao etc, whose names were doing the rounds as candidates for bypoll.

But, Rao surprised all by choosing Gellu Srinivas Yadav to take on his friend-turned-foe Etala Rajendar in the bypoll.

The internal surveys commissioned by the Chief Minister reportedly suggested that Kaushik Reddy, Ramana and Peddi Reddy lacked "Telangana statehood agitation" background unlike Rajendar who has the image of actively taking part in Telangana agitation of 14 years which the BJP is aggressively utilising in Huzurabad.

To counter this campaign, Chandrashekar Rao chose Yadav, who remained in the TRS since 2001, actively participated in Telangana agitation and faced police cases and jail for the cause of Telangana. Moreover, his educational background of being a research scholar in addition to holding an MA and an LLB degrees worked in his favour.

The caste and nativity equations also helped him as Yadav hails from BC community and a native of Himmatnagar village of Veenavanka mandal in Huzurabad constituency.

Gellu Srinivas Yadav, a name to reckon with

After intense political manoeuvring, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Wednesday announced the name of TRSV state president Gellu Srinivas Yadav as TRS candidate for upcoming Huzurbad bypolls.

Gellu Srinivas is a resident of Himmat Nagar of Veenkavanka mandal of Huzurabad constituency of Karimnagar district. His father Gellu Mallaiah was a former MTPC and mother Lakshmi was a former sarpanch. He completed MA, LLB and is a research student in Political Science.

Several prominent leaders including Vakulabaranam Krishna Mohan, Peddi Reddy, L. Ramana and Swargam Ravi who recently joined the TRS along with those who were in the party right from the beginning were in the hope of getting the TRS ticket to contest the bypoll.

The hopes of some of the leaders who joined the TRS party from other parties were kept alive by removing Padi Koushik Reddy from the ticket race by allotting him the MLC post.

But, finally Chandrashekar Rao, after a thorough study and considering all aspects, announced the name of Gellu Srinivas Yadav officially as he belonged to the Backward Class community and was an active participant of the separate Telangana movement.

It is learnt that Chandrashekar Rao selected Srinivas as party candidate to keep a check on his opponent and BJP candidate Etala Rajendar as the latter is going to the public with the slogan of being a Telangana activist and belonging to the BC community.

Right from his student days, Srinivas actively participated in resolving BC issues. Joining the separate Telangana movement in 2003, he played a key role as a president of TRSV, the student wing of the TRS.

As a state president of the TRSV, Srinivas participated in several movements along with Bonthu Ram Mohan, Errolla Srinivas and Balka Suman. More than 100 cases were lodged against Srinivas when he participated in the separate Telangana movement as a student leader. He even went to jail nearly 36 times.

Meanwhile, after learning that TRSV announced the name of Gellu Srinivas Yadav as the party candidate, hundreds of TRS activists celebrated by taking out rallies, burning crackers and distributing sweets.
A blast killed eight members of the security forces on Wednesday during an operation in northern Iraq to detonate explosives planted by the Islamic State group, a security source said.

A military sapper was preparing a charge to detonate unexploded ordnance laid by the jihadists in Salaheddin province "when a mistake was made and the explosion happened", the source told AFP.

The blast killed six soldiers and two policemen charged with oil field protection, the source said.

Some of Iraq's largest oil refineries are situated in the region where the explosion occurred. IS took the area in 2014 and it was recaptured by the Iraqi army in 2016.

In 2017 Baghdad announced victory over the jihadist group, and attacks in Iraqi cities have since become much rarer, although troops continue to fight IS sleeper cells in mountainous and desert areas.

The jihadists still mount deadly operations, mostly at night and in remote areas.

On July 19, the Sunni Muslim IS said it was behind a bombing that killed more than 30 people at a market in the Baghdad district of Sadr City, a densely populated Shiite stronghold.
On Tuesday morning, it seemed that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York might be preparing to dig in for a fight as he faced the prospect of impeachment and criminal investigations into accusations of sexual harassment.

One of his lawyers, Rita Glavin, appeared on a video feed at about 11 am and tried to poke holes in a report from the state attorney general that found Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women, many of them current or former state employees.

Just before noon, after Glavin finished speaking, Cuomo began a live broadcast in which he attributed his behaviour to a failure to understand generational and cultural shifts and apologised for any offence he might have caused. It was only then that he said his problems had become too much of a distraction and that he would resign in two weeks.

Cuomos decision ricocheted quickly across social media, unleashing a mixture of relief, surprise and cries of victory for women who have been subjected to mistreatment in the workplace.

Also read: Alone and out of options: How Andrew Cuomo finally gave up the fight

From Long Island to Washington, New Yorkers and others applauded Cuomos decision while also offering encouraging words to the women who had come forward to describe in detail how they said Cuomo had behaved.

Many people also expressed support for Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who will succeed Cuomo and be the first woman to serve as New Yorks governor.

I felt it was a wake-up call to men across the country to treat women with respect and to treat them as professionals, said Karen Hinton, who has accused Cuomo of touching her inappropriately when he was federal housing secretary and she was a consultant working for him. (He has denied her accusation, which was not a focus of the attorney generals inquiry.)

It was also an empowering call for women to stand up and speak out, she added.

The response from most elected officials was, generally, one of relief. With the state Assembly preparing for impeachment hearings, there was a growing fear that Cuomo  increasingly isolated, yet defiant  would continue to fight the accusations in hopes of saving his political future.

At the White House, President Joe Biden, a friend and political ally of Cuomos who nevertheless called for the governor to resign after the attorney generals findings were released, said, I respect the governors decision.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has been accused by Glavin of conducting an unfair investigation, said the resignation closes a sad chapter for all of New York, but its an important step towards justice.

Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer focused their remarks on the brave women who had cooperated with investigators after accusing Cuomo of sexual harassment.

That was not an easy thing to do and now we can turn to the important work of helping our state recover from Covid and the economic collapse, said Gillibrand, who, like Schumer, praised Hochul.

Also read: Cuomo faces legal threats even after he resigns

I have full confidence that Lt. Gov. Hochul will establish a professional and capable administration, said Schumer, the Senate majority leader.

Some state lawmakers who were prepared to force Cuomo out of office through impeachment were surprised by his decision to resign. Others did not believe the governors problems would be resolved by his decision to step down. It was unclear Tuesday whether the Assembly would proceed with its impeachment inquiry; members said they would convene soon to discuss their next steps.

Never thought Id see this day, state Sen. Jabari Brisport, D-Brooklyn, wrote on Twitter.

Brisport said he had tuned in to the remarks by Cuomo and Glavin on Tuesday expecting to hear the governor simply repeat his earlier denials of acting inappropriately.

I never thought that he would resign, Brisport said in an interview. I thought he was too proud and had too much money in his account that impeachment would be the only way we would see the end of Gov. Cuomo.

Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, a Democrat who represents parts of lower Manhattan, called Cuomos speech horrific because she felt he continued to gaslight the women he hurt. The investigation into the governors actions should continue, she said.

I hope that we will continue our investigation and still move to impeach, she said.

Despite Cuomos downfall, he received a measure of praise from some elected officials and members of the public. Many people said he had provided strong leadership during the coronavirus pandemic, though his administrations handling of nursing home deaths amid the outbreak has come under scrutiny.

James thanked Cuomo for his contributions to our state while US Rep. Thomas Suozzi, a Democrat who represents parts of Queens and Long Island and is considering a run for governor next year, said it was imperative that our next governor continue the positive achievements of the Cuomo administration.

Biden also lauded Cuomos performance as governor.

Hes done a hell of a job, Biden said. Both on everything from access to voting to infrastructure, the whole range of things. Thats why its so sad.

Asked about complimenting Cuomos record in light of the sexual harassment allegations, Biden said, The question is Did he do a good job on infrastructure? That was the question. He did.

Tanya Wilson of Jamaica, Queens, agreed that Cuomo had done a good job running the state.

He did great during Covid, Wilson, a 61-year-old retiree, said. I still like him after all this time because everybody likes him.

Karishma Rao, 32, a nurse who lives in Williston Park, on Long Island, said she appreciated Cuomo, but she also felt that he had let New Yorkers down.

As a nurse and as a woman, I respect what he did during the whole pandemic, said Rao, adding that she like watching Cuomos televised briefings during the outbreak. So I was disappointed, of course. You always want to believe the victims.

Other voters felt unequivocally that it was time for Cuomo to resign.

Im glad he resigned, said Madalyn Fliesler, 69, a retired college professor, from Buffalo. My husband has had to adjust his behavior in the workplace. Apparently, Cuomo didnt.

Emile Askey, a 38-year-old teacher and photographer who lives in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, said Cuomo had abused his power.

After reading the allegations against him in the headlines over the past week, Askey said he felt sure the governor would be out of office soon.

You have no choice other than to believe them, he said. Almost every woman I know has had issues with sexual assault, sexual harassment, all that kind of stuff. Why would anyone make that up?
An MI-24V attack helicopter gifted by India to the Afghan Air Force has now fallen into the hands of the Taliban as its fighters have taken over the airport in Kunduz in northern Afghanistan.

The helicopter is one of the four India had gifted to the Afghan Air Force in 2019. A video shot after the Sunni Muslim militants took over the airport in Kunduz on Wednesday showed the helicopter on the tarmac, with its rotors and engine removed. The video was posted on Twitter by Joseph Dempsey of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a think-tank with offices in London and Washington D.C.

India on Wednesday brought back home about 50 of its officials and citizens living in and around Mazar-e-Sharif amid fierce fighting between the Afghan National Defence and Security Force (ANDSF) and the rapidly advancing Taliban near the capital of the Balkh province in northern Afghanistan.

The Taliban took over the airport in Kunduz on Wednesday  three days after overrunning the key provincial capital in northern Afghanistan. The airport had within its premises the headquarters of the 217th corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA), a wing of the ANDSF. The ANA soldiers had retreated to the base after losing the city centre and much of the province to the Taliban. But the ANAs last bastion in the province too fell to the militants by Wednesday.

Also read: Taliban could isolate Kabul in 30 days, take it over in 90: US intelligence

The Talibans spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that the hundreds of soldiers of the ANA surrendered to it and left the airport. He also confirmed in a tweet that the mujahideens had seized not only the helicopter New Delhi provided to the Afghan Air Force, but also weapons, ammunitions and other military hardware after the ANA soldiers had left the base and the airport. He tweeted videos that showed the unarmed ANA soldiers being allowed to return home after surrendering to the militants and some of the military gears the militants had seized.

New Delhi had covered all expenses for procurement of the four MI-24V helicopters for the Afghan Air Force from Belarus in May and October 2019. They had in fact replaced four other choppers India had gifted Afghanistan in 2015 and 2016. India had also provided three cheetal military utility helicopters to Afghanistan in 2018.

A source in New Delhi said that the helicopter that had fallen in the hands of the Taliban in Kunduz might not be of any use to the militants as they would need specially trained pilots to fly it and use it against the ANA soldiers.

The Taliban had on July 31 last alleged that an aircraft provided by India to Afghanistan had been used to bomb a hospital in Helmand Province of the country.

Meanwhile, a special aircraft landed in Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi early on Wednesday, bringing home the officials posted at the Consulate General of India in Mazar-e-Sharif and the security personnel deployed to guard it as well as the civilians living in and around the city.

As the Taliban overran several major cities in northern Afghanistan over the past few days and continuing its blitzkrieg, the Embassy of India in Kabul on Tuesday strongly advised Indians living across the war torn country to immediately take flights back home before commercial air services get discontinued.

India had on July 10 evacuated its officials posted at its consulate in Kandahar in the southern part of Afghanistan.
Almost six hours of peaceful proceedings on the OBC Bill made way for high drama in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday evening when a controversial legislation on insurance sector was taken up, with an angry Opposition protesting against it attempting to climb the reporters' table which was thwarted by marshals.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that women MPs were "insulted" by marshals during their protest inside the House, a charge denied by Leader of the House Piyush Goyal who demanded that a proper enquiry should be conducted into the actions of Opposition MPs.

Outside the House, NCP leader Sharad Pawar said, "in my 55 years of parliamentary career, I never saw the way the women MPs were attacked today (in Rajya Sabha). More than 40 men and women were brought into the House from outside. It is painful. It is an attack on democracy."

Congress Chief Whip in Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh tweeted, "Insurance Amendment Bill to privatise GIC was passed in RS with a large force of security personnel present. The government refused to send it to a Select Committee  a demand by all Opposition parties including those close to BJP. What happened this evening was worse than atrocious."

The day saw the Opposition pausing their protest demanding immediate discussion on the Pegasus issue for the Constitution (127th Amendment) Bill 2021 and the House witnessed peaceful proceedings between 12 noon and 6 PM.

However, as Vice Chairperson Sasmit Patra took up the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill 2021, which seeks to enhance the role of private sector in public sector insurance companies, the Opposition erupted in protest and rushed to the Well of the House.

The Opposition alleges that the Bill aims to give control of the general insurance companies in the public sector to the private sector and wanted it to be scrutinised by a Rajya Sabha Select Committee before its passage, a demand rejected by the government.

As Patra called Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to move the Bill, CPI's Binoy Viswam attempted to climb the reporters' table in front of the Chair but was prevented by marshals. Patra went ahead with the Bill but as Viswam tried to climb the table, he first adjourned the House for 15 minutes.

Also read: Parliament passes constitution amendment Bill on OBC list

When the House re-convened at 6:26 PM, there were multiple rings of marshals who prevented the MPs like Viswam, Syed Nasir Husain and Ripun Bora from reaching the table, which led to MPs pushing the marshals. Women MPs also tried to breach the marshals' wall. The Bill was then passed leading to another adjournment till 7:04 PM.

When the House re-convened, Kharge led an Opposition walk-out after saying that a human shield of marshals was deployed around the reporters' table and marshals were pushing MPs.

"There was a war-like atmosphere in the House. There were more marshals than MPs. The marshals manhandled our women members. Women MPs were insulted. Even within the Parliament women are not safe. It is unfortunate," he said.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi immediately countered the charges saying that some women marshals had complained that some tried to manhandle them.

"We have the mandate. We have to pass Bills. Let them go to people. On Tuesday, they climbed the table. That is highly condemnable. Strict action should be taken against those who have manhandled the marshals," Joshi said.

As the Opposition walked out, Goyal alleged that the Opposition was hell bent on not allowing the smooth functioning of the House from the beginning. "This was pre-planned to disrupt the House," he said.

Goyal demanded that the Opposition should apologise to the Chairman for insulting him. They should also apologise to the marshals, he added.
Ten people were killed, 13 rescued and several others feared buried under debris after a landslide trapped a bus and other vehicles in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district on Wednesday, officials said.

Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur, Abid Hussain Sadiq said 10 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble so far.

He said the rescue operation is underway to locate several other people trapped under the debris.

State Disaster Management Director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said the landslide and shooting stones occurred at Chaura village on National Highway-5 in Nigulsari area of Nichar tehsil in Kinnaur district at around noon.

Read more: Kinnaur landslide: Amit Shah speaks to Himachal CM, assures help from Centre

One passenger vehicle, a Tata Sumo, was located under the debris and eight persons were found dead in it, he said.

The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus, which was on its way from Reckong Peo to Haridwar via Shimla when the accident took place, is still buried under the debris along with the passengers, Mokhta said.

A car was partially damaged, while another fully damaged and rescue teams are trying to pull them out from the debris with the help of a crane, officials said.

A truck rolled down towards a riverside due to shooting stones and the driver's body has been recovered, they added.

Earlier, Station House Officer of Bhawanagar said around 25 to 30 were trapped under the debris.

Among the dead are five women and a child, a state official spokesperson said.

Of the deceased, two have been identified as Rohit Kumar (25) of Kaiya village in Rampur in Shimla district and Vijay Kumar (32) of Jhol village in Sujanpur in Hamirpur district, Mokhta said.

The State Disaster Management Authority has requisitioned the NDRF from Nurpur for conducting the search and rescue operation, the SHO said.

District administration officials, search and rescue team comprising members of local police, homeguards, NDRF, ITBP, Quick Response Team (Police) and Medical Team are at the incident site, he said.

See here | Himachal Pradesh Landslide: Two dead, over 40 feared trapped under debris

Ten ambulances, four earth removers, 52 personnel of the ITBPs 17th Battalion, 30 personnel of police and 27 NDRF personnel are carrying out the rescue operation, he added.

Earlier, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur told the state assembly that there are reports that 50-60 people were feared trapped under the debris, but the exact number was not known.

He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah has talked to him and the topmost priority as of now is to rescue those trapped under the debris and provide them the best possible treatment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Thakur over the incident.

"PM @narendramodi spoke to Himachal Pradesh CM @jairamthakurbjp regarding the situation in the wake of the landslide in Kinnaur. PM assured all possible support in the ongoing rescue operations," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

PM @narendramodi spoke to Himachal Pradesh CM @jairamthakurbjp regarding the situation in the wake of the landslide in Kinnaur. PM assured all possible support in the ongoing rescue operations.  PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 11, 2021

Union Home Minister Shah also spoke to Thakur to take stock of the situation arising due to the landslide

The home minister also directed the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) to provide all assistance to the Himachal Pradesh government in rescue and relief operations.

Thakur also told the assembly that an Army official called him and extended help.

A helicopter is also being arranged for the rescue operation, the chief minister said.

He said the landslide occurred when there was no rainfall in the area at that time.

The officials identified the injured as Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus driver Mahinder Pal of Bilaspur, bus conductor Gulab Singh of Mandi, Prashant, Varun Menon (both from Una), Rajender of Hamirpur, Daulat of Kinnaur, Shorang Project driver Charan Jeet Singh of Naleenakal in Punjab's Fatehgarh Sahib, Saveen Sharma of Nepal, Japti Devi (60) of Rampur in Shimla, Chander Gyan of Pooh in Kinnaur, Arun (33) of Rampur, Anil Kumar (19) and Kaizang Negi of Skibba in Moorang in Kinnaur.

They have been shifted to Bhawanagar community health centre (CHC), the officials added.

They said the bodies have been sent for post-mortem

Earlier in the day, Deputy Commissioner Sadiq told PTI that several vehicles, including the HRTC bus carrying over 40 passengers, were buried under the debris.

Several people have been killed in landslides in the state this monsoon season.

Earlier on July 25, nine people were killed and three others injured in multiple landslides near Batseri on Sangla-Chitkul road in Kinnaur district.

Similarly on July 27, at least eight people died, two were injured and two went missing in flash floods triggered by a cloudburst over the Tozing Nullah in Udaipur of Lahaul-Spiti district.

Jal Shakti Minister Mahender Singh Thakur had informed the state assembly on August 4 that a total of 218 people have died and 12 were missing in Himachal Pradesh this monsoon season.
Undeniable proof has emerged which clearly demonstrates that Pakistans commitment to ceasefire is a farce.

For the first time, a footage of a terror launch pad with active terrorists visible has been accessed. The proof shows that Pakistan is using the time to wage a proxy war against India.

Intelligence sources said that in the garb of a ceasefire agreement, Pakistan has been increasing the number of terrorists in the launch pads near the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB).

Also Read | Militant launch pads again become active across Line of Control

These terrorists are waiting for an opportunity to sneak into the Indian side. The clear proof is in the form of visuals of one such terror launch pad opposite a BSF post on the International Border in Jammu region.

The BSF has been keeping watch using hi-tech equipment on this terror launch pad and not letting the infiltrators succeed in their plans.

The terror launch pad is located in the Pakistan side of the International Border.

For the first time, a group of four to five infiltrators can be seen in the visuals near the International Border, probably trying to explore an opportunity to sneak into the Indian side.

This is for the first time that a footage of a terror launch pad with active terrorists visible has been accessed.Security agencies have been kept on high alert as in the coming days, several infiltration attempts are likely to be made in the Jammu region. So far, the security forces have foiled two major infiltration attempts in the Jammu region.
While the Centre has maintained that Kerala was having a higher number of Covid breakthrough infections, state health department sources maintain that those suffering breakthrough infections were not facing any major health issues.

According to a member of the state government's expert committee on Covid, the higher number of breakthrough infections is due to the high number of vaccination in Kerala, compared to other states. Also, those suffering breakthrough infections are having negligible health issues and hence there was no need for concern. The reports of high breakthrough infection in Kerala may only lead the state to further lockdown.

So far about 44.41 per cent of the state's population received at least one dose of Covid vaccination.

The high level of vaccination and lockdown indeed helped the state to keep the impact of the second wave of Covid to the maximum lowest levels. The low death rate and a low number of hospitalisation vindicate this, said the official.

Meanwhile, the TPR of the state slightly came down to 14.49 per cent on Wednesday with 23,500 more fresh cases. The TPR was 15.91 on Tuesday.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has decided to nominate Gellu Srinivas Yadav, state president of the TRS student wing, as the partys candidate for the Huzurabad by-elections.

The seat which was held by former health minister Eatala Rajender fell vacant in June after he resigned from the ruling party and also the Telangana assembly membership.

Eatala, a prominent leader, has later joined the BJP and is expected to be the saffron party's candidate, challenging the KCR-TRS might.

While it is unclear as to when the poll notification would be issued by the Election Commission of India, TRS and BJP have intensified their efforts to woo the voters.

Eatala has set out on a padayatra in the constituency, while CM Rao, who is taking special interest in the polls, announced the launch of a Dalit empowerment programme from Huzurabad, which has a considerable number of Scheduled Caste voters.

Gellu has been a committed worker with the TRS since its inception. Gellu, who was the president of the TRS Vidyarthi wing Osmania University unit, was arrested and jailed several times during the Telangana statehood movement. Recognizing his services and determination, KCR has finalized his candidature for the Huzurabad by-elections, the CM's office said in a statement on Wednesday.

Eatala reacted by saying that regardless of who the TRS candidate is, he will be a slave to KCR.

Voters will have to decide between such a slave and a person who can fight for their rights, self-respect, Eatala said, expressing confidence about his victory despite the TRS spending hundreds of crores of rupees to defeat him.
After multiple delays, Indias eye in the sky GISAT-1 Earth Observation Satellite (EOS) is all set to be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota at 5.43 am on Thursday. Blasting off with the satellite will be the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-F10.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) began the countdown for the launch on Wednesday morning. The state-of-the-art agile EOS-3 satellite will be placed in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) before reaching the final geostationary orbit using its onboard propulsion system.

Dubbed as a game-changer, GISAT-1 will help India monitor in real-time the bulk of the subcontinents landmass, the oceans, its borders and more. Besides boosting the countrys preparedness for natural disasters, the high-resolution cameras aboard will help track the borders for security reasons.

Placed in the elliptic geocentric GTO orbit at an apogee of about 42,164km above sea level, the satellite will gather critical visual data to aid insights in agriculture, mineralogy, glaciers, forestry, oceanography and more.

Quality of the images captured will, however, depend on cloud-free conditions. Recently, Union minister Jitendra Singh had told the Rajya Sabha that GISAT-1 was capable of imaging the whole country four to five times daily.

The GISAT-1 launch has been plagued by multiple delays due to technical glitches and the Covid-19 pandemic. Originally scheduled for a March 2020 launch, the satellite was to be rocketed to space on March 28 this year. The launch was put off to April and again to May before the pandemic complicated matters.

For Isro, this is the second launch of the year after February, when 18 small satellites were rocketed to space. The agency informed that a four-metre diameter Ogive-shaped payload fairing is being flown for the first time in the GSLV flight. This is the 14th launch flight for GSLV.
An 18-year old (now) with a zeal to save the planet, fire to slam global leaders for their tokenism on the climate crisis, and wit to take on adults (like former US President Trump) mocking her ideals  the world knows Greta Thunberg.

Thunberg has emerged to the forefront of todays climate change movement ever since that day in 2018 when she skipped school to demand climate action in a one-person protest outside the Swedish parliament.

The climate activist has since sparked a global revolution of sorts, encouraging more youngsters to take up the cause and questioning people in power to act for the environment.

Read more: Activist Greta Thunberg now plans to attend UN climate conference in Scotland

In a recent interview with fashion magazine Vogues Scandinavian edition, Thunberg voiced her thoughts about the fast fashion industry greenwashing themselves.

In an excerpt from her conversation with Vogue, shared by her on Instagram, she slammed fast fashion brands for being prolific contributor s to the climate and ecological emergencies, besides their exploitation of workers and communities.

Many are making it look as if the fashion industry are starting to take responsibility, by spending fantasy amounts on campaigns where they portray themselves as sustainable, ethical, green, climate neutral and fair, she said.

Lets be clear: This is almost never anything but pure green washing. You cannot mass produce fashion or consume sustainably as the world is shaped today. That is one of the many reasons why we will need a system change.

Speaking about her own clothing choices and sustainable habits, Thunberg explained that she just borrows things from people she knows.

The last time I bought something new was three years ago and it was secondhand, she said.

The young revolutionary said there was a misconception surrounding the attitude of activists.

This is some kind of misconception about activists, especially about climate activists that we are just negative and pessimists and we are just complaining, and we are trying to spread fear but thats the exact opposite, she was quoted telling Vogue.

We are doing this because we are hopeful, we are hopeful that we will be able to make the changes necessary.
By Steven Smith for The Conversation,

In many cases, vulnerability to Covid-19 exists because a persons immune system is unable to mount a good response against the coronavirus. Such people are said to be immunocompromised.

Its possible that these people wont respond as well to Covid-19 vaccines either. At the moment, though, were still finding out to what extent this is the case. Different studies are producing different results, which underlines the difficulty of getting to the bottom of this issue. Immunocompromised people arent a uniform group, and so may respond to vaccines differently.

For instance, one US study has found that people taking drugs that suppress their immune systems (after having had an organ transplant, to stop the organ being rejected) appear to be hampered in their ability to generate antibodies after being vaccinated. The study found that over half of the immunocompromised people it looked at had generated no antibodies even after receiving two vaccine doses.

Also Read  How does Covid affect the brain? Two neuroscientists explain

The results of other studies, though, arent quite so disheartening. Another piece of research found that immunosuppressed kidney transplant patients did respond somewhat to being given a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, but that they had weaker antibody responses than those with fully functioning immune systems.

And a recent UK preprint (an early piece of research still awaiting review by other scientists) aimed to provide more information on how well the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines work in different at-risk groups. These included patients with diabetes, chronic heart disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, neurological conditions as well as those who are immunocompromised.

Most groups generated strong antibody responses and were protected against symptomatic Covid-19 after being vaccinated. But in the immunocompromised, antibody levels were lower after two doses, and after their first dose they were less well protected against symptomatic Covid-19 than the other groups. However, after having had both doses, the immunocompromised group appeared to be well protected against the disease, even though their antibody levels were lower.

Also Read: Delta Covid variant reignites US mask debate

Its encouraging that even in the face of a compromised immune system, for some people, two doses of vaccine can still bestow considerable protection against Covid-19. Yet the variation across these studies shows that immunity can differ greatly between immunocompromised individuals. Its likely that the different causes of low immunity determine how well Covid-19 vaccines work  though were only starting to confirm this.

So what hampers immunity?

Compromised immunity exists in two broad categories. There are those with medical conditions that directly affect the immune response, causing it to underperform. And there are also those whose medical conditions are managed using immunosuppressive drugs.

The former group of conditions are called immunodeficiencies. These can exist from birth as a result of genetic alterations, though they are very rare. They can also be acquired later in life through many different causes. These include malnutrition, obesity, diabetes and HIV infection.

The ways in which some of these factors negatively affect the immune system are well known. For example, HIV infects white blood cells know as helper T cells. As a result, patients have fewer of these cells available to fight off other infections.

But in many cases we dont fully understand why a condition leads to immunodeficiency. For example, diabetes is a risk factor not just for Covid-19 but also other viral and bacterial infections, including hepatitis B and tuberculosis. However, studies are beginning to reveal how uncontrolled blood sugar in diabetic patients makes their immune systems less effective. Signalling between immune cells is impaired, as is their ability to kill disease-causing microorganisms.

Then, there are immunosuppressive drugs, which patients receive for many different reasons. These range from having organ transplants to asthma to blood cancers or autoimmune conditions. There are many types of these drugs, with different ones used for different conditions. The extent to which a drug may affect the Covid-19 vaccine response will vary depending on how the drug works.

Antimetabolites, for instance, are drugs that interfere with some of the most basic aspects of cell function. To take an example, one such drug  mycophenolate  affects the ability of immune cells to create new DNA and divide properly. Antimetabolites have wide-ranging effects  being used in chemotherapy and to stop the body rejecting organ transplants  and are associated with poorer Covid-19 vaccine responses.

Another class of immunosuppressive drug are what are known as targeted biologics. These can block specific parts of the immune system while leaving others unaffected. For example, drugs that block an immune-signalling molecule called TNF work in a very focused way, and so have been shown to have less of an effect on the Covid-19 vaccine response compared to antimetabolites.

However, other targeted biologics  for example rituximab, a type of artificially created (or monoclonal) antibody  affect Covid-19 vaccine responses more significantly. Rituximab targets a specific molecule on the surface of immune cells that produce antibodies, reducing their productive ability. For this reason, patients should avoid receiving rituximab for a period before and after Covid-19 vaccination.

At the moment, much of what we know about how well Covid-19 vaccines work in immunocompromised groups comes from smaller studies. Its vital that data is gathered from larger groups to help us fully understand the barriers to getting people to create effective vaccine responses. In the meantime, people with conditions or taking medications that are known to lower the effectiveness of the immune system should be aware that their level of vaccine protection could be below average.

(The author is a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences at Brunel University London)
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday announced the resumption of high schools - Classes 9-12 - from August 23.

The government also decided to impose a night curfew across the state starting 9 pm till 5 am everyday. At present, Karnataka has a night curfew daily that starts 10 pm to 5 am. It has now been advanced by an hour.

A decision on resuming primary schools has been deferred till the last week of August to factor in the possible third wave of Covid-19 and the way the infection is likely to spread.

We have decided to reopen schools in two phases, Bommai said after a meeting of experts, ministers and officials. In the first phase, Classes 9-12 will start from August 23 subject to conditions. There will be two batches of students - the first batch will have classes for three days and the second batch on another three days, he said. In effect, students will have classes on alternate days.

Read | Covid-19: Prohibitory orders in Bengaluru till August 16

The government will decide on resuming classes up to Class 8 based on the projections for the third wave of the pandemic and its intensity. Experts said this will be decided in the last week of August, Bommai said.

Concerned over the spread of the virus from the neighbouring Kerala and Maharashtra, all Karnataka districts bordering the two states will have a weekend curfew, Bommai said, adding that a detailed order would be issued soon.

The meeting was attended by Narayana Health chief Dr Devi Shetty who heads a task force to prepare for the third wave of Covid-19, cardiologist Dr CN Manjunath, Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar and other ministers.
Even before Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai settles in, he might have to head to New Delhi once again due to disgruntlement over portfolios allocated to his Cabinet colleagues.

Bommai has said that he would visit Delhi in the coming week over the Mekedatu issue. However, insiders say that he would meet the party leadership to apprise them of the portfolio situation.

While a few ministers are unhappy over the portfolios allocated to them and have sought a quick redressal, several legislators are unhappy and some have travelled to Delhi to meet party leaders.

The four positions vacant in Bommais Cabinet could be used to quell some dissidence, with BJP sources indicating that some reshuffle could be required to please all the parties concerned.

Read | BJP reorganisation on the cards after leadership change

Meanwhile, first-time minister Muniratna has suggested that ministers from the migrant camp -- those that quit the Congress-JD(S) coalition -- should exchange portfolios among themselves rather than demanding plum ones from the party, as a measure to quell dissidence.

Differences over allocation of portfolios, and accusations that native BJP leaders were sidelined, emerged ever since new ministers were sworn in a week ago. Bommai also met ministers Anand Singh and M T B Nagaraj last Sunday, and assured legislators such as Satish Reddy of opportunities in the Cabinet in the future.

However, the list of disgruntled legislators has remained long. Prominent among them are the Jarkiholi brothers -- Ramesh and Balachandra.

Transport and ST Welfare Minister B Sriramulu is also displeased with his portfolios. MLC C P Yogeeshwar is in Delhi, unhappy that he was dropped. Shrimanth Patil and R Shankar and Athani MLA Mahesh Kumatahalli, who was not made minister both under Yediyurappa and Bommai, are also sulking.
Economy Minister Gordon Lyons has announced the first two of four Assured Skills Collaborative Welding Academies at North West Regional College.

The first two Assured Skills Academies will see 24 successful applicants receive industry-standard welding training during a five-week course at the colleges Limavady and Springtown campuses, followed by two-weeks of consolidation training at one of eight engineering companies participating in the Academies.

Participants who complete the Academy are guaranteed an interview for a welding positon at one of the companies.

Highlighting the opportunity, the Minister said: I am very pleased to announce these Assured Skills Academies in welding at North West Regional College.

Welding skills are in high demand in our local engineering and manufacturing sector and these Assured Skills Academies will help equip participants with these skills, through an industry-recognised qualification, and position them very strongly to kick-start a new career in welding.

These Academies at NWRC follow on from a previous successful Collaborative Welding Academy delivered earlier this year and are part of a wider delivery of welding training at further education colleges and companies across Northern Ireland. This collaborative approach will enable as many participants as possible to gain valuable skills and on successful completion receive a Level 2 City & Guilds welding qualification, thus giving them a great opportunity to pursue a rewarding career in the engineering sector.

Sinead Hawkins, Business Skills Manager at North West Regional College, said: This is a fantastic opportunity for new fresh talent to progress in the industry by addressing the skills shortage. This will have a positive impact on the North West City Regions local economy by feeding into local business anchors. We are committed to providing a skills guarantee for a post-Covid economy and future labour market.

Participants will receive 155 per week training allowance, travel expenses and, where eligible, assistance with childcare costs.

Subject to any COVID regulations or restrictions in place at the time, the Academies will be delivered over seven weeks as follows:

Limavady campus - Monday 4 October 2021 to Friday 19 November 2021

Springtown campus - Monday 8 November to Friday 24 December 2021

Applications are welcome from those who meet the criteria irrespective of religious belief, political opinion, age, sexual orientation, disability, race, marital status, gender, whether or not they have dependents and women returning to the workforce. For more information and details on how to apply visit the Assured Skills page on nidirect.

The online application form must be completed by 12.00 noon on Friday 27 August 2021.
Juhi Chawla confirms Sharmaji Namkeen will release on Rishi Kapoor's 69th birth anniversary in September

Rishi Kapoors would have been last film Sharmaji Namkeen is all set to release in theatres on his birth anniversary in September. Juhi Chawla who is the leading lady of the film confirmed the release date of the film in an interview with Indian Express. Rishi Kapoor had partly finished work on Sharmaji Namkeen before the pandemic struck. The actor died on April 30 after his two year battle with leukemia.

After Rishi Kapoors death actor Paresh Rawal stepped in to complete the project and makers ensured that the film was completed in time to release on the late actors 69th birth anniversary on September 4. Juhi while calling the film one of the funniest scripts she read added that Rishi Kapoors role was tailor-made for him.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Juhi Chawla (@iamjuhichawla)

The actress had shot most of the film with Rishi at the beginning of 2020. Talking about his part in the movie, Juhi told the publication, If I closed my eyes I felt I could see him in the scenes and hear him say all those lines. As an actor I was almost envious. We began our shoot in earnest last January. Almost the entire cast was in Delhi and we had a lovely time.

At the end of the month, we took a break. A few months later Chintujis health took a turn for the worse and we lost him. That was very very sad. The producers of the film Honey Trehan, Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar took it upon themselves to complete the film, she added.

Sharmaji Namkeen has been helmed by debutant Hitesh Bhatia. The film is now being released as an ode to the late actor.
Kareena and Ekta Kapoor are ecstatic about reuniting for their next; latter pens a heartfelt note expressing her delight

The internet was set ablaze yesterday when the news of Ekta Kapoor teaming up with Kareena Kapoor and Handal Mehta came up. Ekta expressed her happiness about teaming up with such big names in the industry. Well, the filmmaker yet again took to her social media account today to express her delight at having Kareena Kapoor on board as a Producer for their next. The content Czarina uploaded a picture of herself with Kareena and had a wonderful note to go with it to express her feelings on the pairing.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Erkrek (@ektarkapoor)

"Its with immense happiness, pride & excitement that Id like to welcome @kareenakapoorkhan on board as a producer for our next. Kareena has been an actor with a huge, admirable (almost envious) body of work and while her male co-stars turned producers in due course, shes finally joined the bandwagon now! Ive always believed that women have an equal part or play in the business and success of a film. With women front-lining big ticket films, its only right that they get a piece of the pie like their male-counterparts. 28 years ago, when my mum and I started our production house, everyone thought my dad was The Producer and that we worked for him we tried to tell people that while hes a huge support system to us, WE are actually the producers here!

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Erkrek (@ektarkapoor)

She went on to add: The notion of a producer back then was strongly associated only with a man. Decades later, people have finally gotten around to accepting that a producer doesnt necessarily mean male! Its been a hard journey, but an encouraging & happy one! Im so glad that today, we can empower each other like this! Heres to wishing Kareena Kapoor Khan the best on her journey as a produceradding another feather to her already illustrious career!" Kareena reposted Ekta's post and had her own sweet message for her which read, "There's no one Id rather partner with! May this film cross our parents' biggest hit together (Farz)... with their blessings... always... Lets do this!!"

Ekta has a lot of exciting projects coming up and she has been at the heart of some great content for years now. Her last show Broken But Beautiful 3 was a hit and was loved critically as well as by the audiences. The Content queen has Freddy, Ek Villain Returns and Goodbye as her upcoming projects. All the movie's are set to feature some of the biggest names in B-Town.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic smartwatches have both officially launched alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 foldable phones. The Galaxy Watch 4 series smartwatches are both powered by the new WearOS which has been built in partnership with Google. The Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic are the only smartwatches to be powered by a 5nm processor and are equipped with a host of fitness tracking features.

We have seen an incredible amount of growth for the Galaxy Watch series as consumers have discovered the health benefits and convenience of wearables. We understand the path to wellness is different for everyone, so we built a robust suite of health and wellness features to give people a deeper and more helpful understanding of their overall fitness, said Dr TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic features

The Galaxy Watch 4 has launched in two dial sizes: 44mm and 40mm. The 44mm model is being offered in black, green and silver colours while the 40mm model comes in black, pink gold and silver colours. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is available in 46mm and 42mm dial sizes and are being offered in black and silver colours.

There are a bunch of differences between both the smartwatches. The Watch 4 has an aluminium build with a thickness of 9.8 mm while the Watch 4 Classic has a Stainless Steel build and measures 11.0 mm thin. The new smartwatches are also 5ATM and IP68 certified making them resistant to dust and water and are also MIL-STD-810G certified for military-grade durability.

The Watch 4 (44mm) and Watch 4 Classic (46mm) features a 1.4-inch Super AMOLED display while the Watch 4 (40mm) and Watch 4 Classic (42mm) has a 1.2-inch Super AMOLED screen. The screens are topped with a layer of Gorilla Glass DX+ and DX for added protection.

Both smartwatches are powered by the new Exynos W920 dual-core processor which is made on a 5nm process. It has 1.5GB RAM and 16GB internal storage as well. The new Galaxy Watch 4 smartwatches run on OneUI Watch 3 which is based on WearOS powered by Samsung.

The Galaxy Watch 4 series is equipped with a BioActive sensor which is a new 3-in-1 sensor that powers the Optical heart rate monitoring, electrical gear and bioelectrical impedance analysis. The BioActive sensor helps in measuring blood pressure, tracking heart rate, SpO2 blood oxygen saturation levels and calculating body composition.

The Galaxy Watch 4 starts at $249 for the Bluetooth version and $299 for the LTE variant. The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic starts at $349 for the Bluetooth variant and $399 for the LTE model.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 price and features

Alongside the Galaxy Watch 4 series, Samsung also launched the Galaxy Buds 2. The Galaxy Buds 2 support active noise cancellation and feature two-way speaker units and 3 mics along with a voice pickup unit that helps in cancelling ambient sounds.

Each earbud weighs around 5 grams and the charging case has a 472mAh battery and also supports wireless charging. Samsung claims that the Buds 2 can last for upto 5 hours on a single charge with ANC enabled and upto 7.5 hours without ANC.

The Galaxy Buds 2 is priced at $149 in the US and India pricing is yet to be revealed.
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By KEITH RIDLER

Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho  An emergency trap-and-truck operation of Idaho-bound endangered sockeye salmon because of high water temperatures in the Snake and Salmon rivers netted enough fish at an eastern Washington dam to sustain an elaborate hatchery program, wildlife officials said Tuesday.

Idaho Fish and Game officials captured 201 salmon at Lower Granite Dam last month that are now at the Eagle Fish Hatchery in southwestern Idaho.





. . .
GLR Engineers

Durflinger

GLR Engineers has hired Dustin Durflinger as a structural Project Engineer in the firm's Spokane, WA office. Durflinger graduated from Washington State University in May of 2021 and has been working on a variety of projects since joining GLR, including several single-family custom homes in Central Washington and a new Bruchis restaurant in Post Falls, Idaho. GLR is a structural engineering firm with offices in Spokane and Boise.




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By LISA BAUMANN and WILSON RING

Associated Press

DERBY LINE, Vermont  Canada lifted its prohibition on Americans crossing the border to shop, vacation or visit on Monday while the United States is maintaining similar restrictions for Canadians, part of a bumpy return to normalcy from COVID-19 travel bans.

U.S. citizens and legal residents must be both fully vaccinated and test negative for COVID-19 within three days to get across one of the world's longest and busiest land borders, and Canadian officials warn they won't sacrifice safety for shorter border waits. Travelers also must fill out a detailed application on the arriveCAN app before crossing.





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SEATTLE  A small office building at 4250 Eighth Ave. N.W. sold for over $2.3 million, according to King County records.

The sellers were individuals associated with the CPA firm Stanford Munko & Co., which has its offices there. The partners acquired the property in 2006 for slightly over $1 million.





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FEDERAL WAY  The Terra Apartments, at 2111 S.W. 352nd St. in Federal Way, sold for almost $36.6 million, according to King County records.

The sellers were Gelt Union LLC related Southern California investors, which acquired the property in 2018 for $35 million. It was then called The Union.





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BOTHELL  The Fruhling Sand & Topsoil property, at 1010 228th St. S.W. in Bothell, sold for $6.5 million, according to King County records.

The buyer was NP Snohomish County 228th Apartments LLC. That's associated with logistics specialist NorthPoint Development of Kansas City, Missouri  which, despite the LLC's name, doesn't develop apartments. No new plans have been filed, so the name and intent remain a mystery. NorthPoint didn't respond to a DJC query.





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Education

Anti-mask parents confront Tupelo school board at monthly meeting

Adam Robison | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM Audience members are outraged as Joe Babb, President of the Tupelo School Board, tells Melanie Riley her six minutes of allotted speaking time are up. Riley addressed the Tupelo School Board with concerns about required masking during a regular meeting on Tuesday afternoon. Adam Robison | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM Melanie Riley, left, stands with Jamie Burton, as she addresses the Tupelo Public School Board about masking at Tuesday afternoons meeting. Burton, gave up her three minutes of speaking time so that Riley could finish her presentation after her allotted six minutes were up. Adam Robison | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM Joe Babb, Tupelo School Board President, tells Melanie Riley her allotted six minutes of speaking time have ended during a board meeting Tuesday afternoon. Adam Robison | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM A group of supporters advocating for the Tupelo Public School District to end its mask mandate attend the districts board meeting on Tuesday along with State Rep. Dana Criswell, R-Olive Branch and State Rep. Brady Williamson, R-Oxford.

TUPELO  A group of anti-mask parents is urging the Tupelo Public School District Board of Trustees to end its policy requiring all students and staff to wear face masks indoors on school campuses.

On Tuesday, more than two dozen people  mostly unmasked, despite a sign posted on the front door reading Masks are required indoors at all TPSD schools and a stack of free disposable masks available in the lobby  were seated in the Church Street Elementary School auditorium for the school boards regular meeting. Three audience members had their names listed on the board agenda to speak about the masking issue during the public comments section of the meeting.

Melanie Riley, a personal trainer who said she works with Tupelo students and member of the group Parents for Mask Choice, was allowed six minutes for a presentation since she was speaking on behalf of a group.

During that time, she disputed facts presented by Dr. Mindy Prewitt, infectious disease specialist at NMMC, who shared COVID-19 and masking data with the school board during a special called meeting on Aug. 2 where the mask mandate was first adopted.

The crowd erupted into a roar of nos when Rileys allotted time ended and school board president Joe Babb cut her off.

Were going to have order in here, Babb said after banging a gavel. He then explained the difference between Prewitts presentation last week, which was an item on the agenda requested by the board, versus public comments, which are for a limited amount of time set by the board beforehand.

Riley asked if Jamie Burton, who was allotted three minutes to speak during the public comments period, could yield her time and allow Riley to continue speaking.

Babb asked board attorney Otis Tims if that was possible. Tims said the board would have to suspend the rules, but no board member motioned to approve that suspension. A couple of people in the crowd exited the auditorium to bring Burton back, who had left after believing she successfully yielded her time.

Burton returned and stood by the lectern while Riley spoke for the entire three minutes. Despite board members failing to suspend the rules, they allowed Riley to speak for the three minutes.

As a representative of a very large contingent of parents, grandparents, medical providers and business owners, we petition the TPSD school board to reverse their blanket mask mandate and to give parents the right to decide what is the best interest of their children, Riley said, concluding her speech. If this motion is not granted in the face of the evidence that mask wearing is detrimental and is no way the scientific means to stop the virus, it is clear that there is an ulterior motive.

Loud cheers from the audience followed as she walked away from the lectern.

Christine Lucas, another member of the public who spoke during the meeting, questioned whether the mask mandate was instituted by the board to receive extra funding.

Schools do not receive any extra funding for requiring face masks.

Lucas encouraged the board to send a permission slip-like survey to parents and have them check boxes for mask, no mask, or freedom of individual choice, rather than requiring them for all students. She received a standing ovation after her speech.

Halfway through, the meeting paused abruptly when Tims had a medical emergency and was taken by ambulance to North Mississippi Medical Center. As of Tuesday evening, there had been no update as to his condition.

After the meeting resumed, Superintendent Dr. Rob Picou told the board that the districts Safety Action Committee will meet Wednesday to discuss criteria for easing or lifting Tupelos face mask protocols in the future as the threat of COVID-19 spread lessens.

The committee will produce a list of recommendations to be presented to the board, he said.

He also provided an update on the first week of school, comparing data from the start of the 2020-21 school year to the 2021-22 school year.

Twelve positive cases were reported on the first day of the 2020-21 school year; 18 cases were reported during the entire first week.

On the first day of the current school year, 40 positive cases were reported. By the end of the first week, a total of 55 cases had been reported across all Tupelo schools.

Picou also cited an increase in Lee Countys test positivity rate, from 13.2% the week ending July 24 to 19.3% the week ending July 31.

Test positivity rate is the percentage of all COVID tests performed that come back positive during a period of time.

A higher percentage positive rate suggests higher transmission and that there are likely more people with coronavirus in the community who havent been tested, Picou said. In addition, a higher positivity rate, according to Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, suggests its not a good time to relax restrictions aimed at reducing coronavirus transmission.

Lee County is also currently ranked in the Top 10 on the list of high case counties in Mississippi, Picou said.

And the total cases for children ages 5 to 17 who tested positive for COVID-19 increased from six on June 26 to 39 by July 31.

He said the districts goal in requiring masks is to keep its students and staff safe and reduce the number of quarantines.

Our students need to be in school with as few disruptions as possible, Picou said. We do not want to close any of our schools because we do not have enough staff. We said from the beginning that what would force us to close schools, more than any other reason, would be just not having enough staff in the school.

Picou said the district is currently in discussions about bipolar ionization systems or UV lights to maintain disinfected air quality in all classrooms and schools. Theyre also looking into utilizing outdoor classroom spaces to get students outside as much as possible, where masks are not required.
US Senate set to pass $1 trillion infrastructure bill

The US Senate on Tuesday set in motion a bipartisan bill that proposes to authorise President Joe Biden to sign on $1 trillion infrastructure investment bills, the largest ever, which is more than a quarter of the budget that aims at $3.5 trillion in additional investments.

The bill proposes the Invest in New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act or the INVEST in America Act, which will addresses provisions related to federal-aid highway, transit, highway safety, motor carrier, research, hazardous materials, and rail programmes of the Department of Transportation (DOT).

Among other provisions, the bill extends FY2021 enacted levels through FY2022 for federal-aid highway, transit, and safety programs; reauthorises for FY2023-FY2026 several surface transportation programmes, including the federal-aid highway programme, transit programmes, highway safety, motor carrier safety, and rail programmes.

The bill addresses climate change, including strategies to reduce the climate change impacts of the surface transportation system and a vulnerability assessment to identify opportunities to enhance the resilience of the surface transportation system and ensure the efficient use of federal resources.

It also seeks to revise `Buy America procurement requirements for highways, mass transit, and rail; establish a rebuild rural bridges programme to improve the safety and state of good repair of bridges in rural communities; implement new safety requirements across all transportation modes; and directs DOT to establish a pilot programmes to demonstrate a national motor vehicle per-mile user fee to restore and maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund and achieve and maintain a state of good repair in the surface transportation system.

Taken together, the measures, if eventually enacted into law, would jump-start road and bridge-building projects across the United States over the next five years and new social programmes over the next decade.

Late on Monday, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer set the vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill for 11 am (1500 GMT) on Tuesday.

The Senate is expected to pass the bill, which would also help many rural communities to get broadband internet service, potentially boosting their economies.

Once passed, the legislation would go to the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives for consideration sometime this fall.

An around-the-clock session could then be in store for the Senate as it aims to debate and pass the larger, $3.5 trillion budget plan.

In order to move through the evenly divided Senate without Republican support, Democrats aim to employ a reconciliation procedure that would allow them to advance the budget plan this week and implementing legislation later this year on simple majority votes.

The budget plan would provide various Senate committees with top-line spending levels for a wide range of federal initiatives, including helping the elderly get home healthcare and more families afford early childhood education.

It also would provide tuition-free community college and foster major investments in programmes to significantly reduce carbon emissions blamed for climate change.

Later, Senate committees would have to fill in the details for scores of federal programmes.

The budget blueprint was formally unveiled on Monday, the same day a UN climate panel released the latest report on climate change and global warming, which warns of catastrophie if nations fail to check emissions and green house gases.

Once the Senate passes the infrastructure bill and the budget plan, there would be a month-long summer break before the congress returns. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, has warned that the Senate must pass both the $1 trillion infrastructure bill and the $3.5 trillion measures before it acts.

When Congress returns in September, it will not only debate the large investment measures but have to fund government activities for the fiscal year beginning on 1 October.
Lidl is set to build a new supermarket in Ardee after Louth County Council gives the company permission to knock the current store.

Lidl Ireland has welcomed the councils decision to grant them permission to build a state-of-the-art Lidl supermarket on the site of the current Lidl supermarket.

According to the company, the new shop will see an investment of 8 million in Ardee as part of the project, with 15 new permanent jobs to be added to the 20-strong team at the supermarket.

According to Lidl Ireland, there will be 80 people employed to build the new supermarket, with plans to have the building opened by spring 2022.

We have had a long-standing desire to offer an upgraded shopping experience in the vibrant and thriving community of Ardee, and as such we are pleased with the decision to grant permission for a brand new store in the town, said Brian Smyth, Regional Property Executive for Lidl Ireland.

The new, state-of-the-art store will bring significant investment and new jobs to the local community, as well as upgraded industry-leading sustainability features. We look forward to welcoming new team members to Team Lidl and welcoming our loyal Ardee shoppers back to the new store in due course.

The shop itself is located on the Dublin Road, with Lidl Ireland saying there will be multiple sustainability features introduced, including electric vehicle charging spaces and a solar panel system.

The layout will have a spacious interior with high ceilings and wide isles.

Earlier this year, Lidl Ireland announced plans to recruit 23 more employees to stores in Louth, alongside the 15 new roles with the new Ardee supermarket.

According to Lidl Ireland, these 23 new jobs will be split across a variety of operation roles across the five stores in Louth.

The company has said that they have committed to an additional 1,200 roles this year across the country, with 5,000 people already employed across 170 stores.
Dundalk IT is preparing to reopen the campus for students this September, with plans announced to bring students back on site safely.

The plan for reopening colleges was announced by the Irish Universities Association (IUA), the Technological Higher Education Association (THEA) and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) last week.

According to the three groups, the plan centres around the desire of students to get back on campus, the classification of third level institutions as essential and that the majority of staff and students will be vaccinated against Covid-19.

The three groups have also said that they have the backing of both public health authorities and the government on their plans.

In order to ensure a safe return to campus, face masks will continue to be worn indoors, alongside a greater focus on ventilation while inside to lower the risk of transmission.

The plans also seek to manage larger lectures in particular, with measures like percentage occupancy limits, maximum class sizes and limits on lecture length.

The three groups have also said that they will work with the HSE to utilize rapid testing, including potential on site provision if practicable and necessary.

In a statement to the Democrat, DKIT welcomed the statement by the three groups, saying that the college is preparing its plans to reopen in September.

Plans to reopen the campus are already underway, with more specific information being made available in the coming weeks, said a spokesperson for DKIT.

According to the spokesperson, students and staff are eager to return to the college next month.

There is a hunger from both students and staff to return to campus.

The joint approach outlines the range of mitigation measures that will be implemented across the sector to provide for safe reopening.

It provides a sector-wide commitment on reopening the campus to staff and students for the 2021-22 academic year.

DKIT Students Union President, Christopher ONeill also welcomed the plans to return students to the campus.

I'm excited to welcome back students and I'm sure students are equally as excited to be coming back on campus for the first time in over a year, said Mr ONeill.

Third level students were completely left in the dark last year in regards to their studies, and the complete shift to the online learning experience has been tough for us all, so to be finally returning to campus is a relief for us all, and were very excited for little bits of normality again.

According to Mr ONeill, the SU team will work with DKIT to ensure a safe transition and return to campus for students.
As rational thinkers since at least the time of Francois-Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire, have pointed out, its dangerous to be right when those with power are wrong.

This is because its always dangerous to disagree with anyone who suffers from the delusion that they have the right  or some imaginary political authority  to force you to act as they believe you must. Especially when they reserve the power to punish those who disagree.

Just look what happened to the organizers, members, and supporters of The White Rose resistance group in Nazi Germany. They acted with no guarantee their sacrifice would make a difference. Some of them died gruesome deaths at the hands of government employees, while others were cruelly imprisoned. The only wrong they committed was being right and exposing the wrongness of the National Socialist government. They were heroes who deserve to be remembered.

We are quickly sliding into an era in American history where you may face similar choices; where this awareness influences your every decision. Will you choose to disagree with those who have the power to hurt you for thinking for yourself, or will you cave in and go along?

Whether government is issuing mask mandates and vaccine passports, criminalizing certain guns or gun parts, or even looking for excuses to regulate a plant the public has already told them to leave alone, government is consistently on the wrong side of a great many issues.

Those who are right on any of these topics are walking on dangerous ground.

Of course, disagreeing with government doesnt automatically make you right, either. Government does generally frown upon most of us committing murder, after all. Murder is only ignored when looking the other way promotes government power, such as when government employees, acting in support of government power, kill someone who hasnt bought into the lie enthusiastically enough.

This is why the only measure that matters is whether an act violates the life, liberty, or property of another, not whether or not something is legal. The problem is, there can be legitimate disagreement on whether an act violates anyone. You make your choice and accept the consequences.

If you get your moral or ethical guidance from government, youre not a good person. If you mistake politicians for role models youre headed for disaster. If you comply or turn a blind eye to government wrongs, you are part of the problem.

Farwells Kent McManigal champions liberty. Contact him at:

[email protected]
Welcome to The Echos annual feature  Summer Soap. Now in its sixth year, Summer Soap is a daily fictional serial run over 12 parts, which started last Monday and runs till Saturday. Called Droid, this story is about a boy who builds a robot, and was written by Margaret Gillies, from the MA in Creative Writing Programme at UCC. Catch up with previous episodes at echolive.ie where you can also hear a podcast of the story. In the ninth episode, questions start to be asked about whether the robot is a good influence...

Read by Anna O'Donoghue. Listen here...

If you cannot see the sound file above listen here.

Episode 9

Javier Grimes would never have become a model if his brother Lucca hadnt become famous. Hes not a bad-looking boy but hes not model material. Hes not quite six feet tall and hes not at all posh. People like looking at rich kids in clothes because if they go and wear the same thing, theyll feel rich too.

The people of Hollyhill are not as easily hoodwinked. Javier does not come from a place in the clouds, or from a land of riches. He is one of them. They all see past the illusion.

When Javier walks down the road, no-one stares at him in awe. They look the other way.

Javier has been given free gear by a new fashion label called So. He wears it walking down Hollyhill. It makes him look like an alien. When hes near the piles of rubbish, its like worlds have collided.

Lucca and Eden are not impressed. It doesnt look like Javier any more. He looks like a cardboard cut-out.

Antenna looks at the fashion pages of the supplement magazine with the Irish Independent. Lucca and Eden havent told him Javier has had a photo-shoot done for it. Hes wearing expensive clothes youd only wear if you didnt live in a place like Knocknaheeny. Cuban heels, flowing trousers, low-cut white shirts. Colours that look beautiful on the sheen of the page but horrific in the natural light of the real world.

Lucca sees Antenna looking at the magazine and hovers over to him to see what will happen. Antenna can tell theres something familiar about the model. He squints his eyes and stares.

What do you think? says Lucca.

Antenna is not in a good mood. He looks up at Lucca and drops the magazine onto the floor.

What the f**k is going on? Antenna whispers.

People look at us differently now, says Lucca. Things are changing.

Things have never changed so much in Luccas life. Not since his father moved into the psychiatric hospital.

Antenna stares at him.

That fecking robot will be the death of me, he says.

******

Within twenty minutes of the last phone call finishing abruptly, CC phones back David Gleeson.

Why should I help you? says David.

Look, says CC eventually, Im sorry for what I said about Mallow.

Youre a fecking clown, Colin, says David, You know that? People are putting stuff up on Twitter and Snapchat and God knows what else about some woman from around here getting off with the guy from Trinity College. What business did Lucca Grimes have in sending Grim up to Dublin? That was meant to be a UCC thing.

Maureen puts her head round the door and mouths something about nipping down Centra. Her mascara is smeared. She darts off down the stairs. CC barely notices her. He also notices her a lot.

Youd want to find out where that bleddy robot is before someone sues ye, David continues, And then itll be all over before its started.

CC finds himself thundering down the stairs after Maureen, the phone bouncing between his ear and shoulder. Shes already left the house but shes left her own phone on the table.

Colin! David snaps, Are you still there?

******

Lucca is having a tentative conversation with Grim about his reasons for telling people about Trinnys affair.

But what is it to you, like? says Lucca.

Grim looks at him. Its morally wrong.

But why would you care?

I have a strong moral compass.

How could you have a strong moral compass? Youre a robot.

I have a strong moral compass.

Lucca stares at Grim. Grim has always made complete sense to him. That was why he liked Grim so much. He made more sense than Antenna or Aileen or Javier or Eden or Estevan. He was easier to deal with than real people.

Luccas phone vibrates in his pocket. Its a call from CC. He knows this will have something to do with the Trinity College guy.

CCs voice is shaking.

Stay away from me, Lucca Grimes, he crackles. Stay away from me!

Lucca looks at Grim. His robot has just stopped making sense.
Danish homeware company JYSK has announced they are to open a new store in Cork in October.

The new store will be located at Eastgate, Little Island.

A spokesperson for the company said the Cork store will create 15 jobs, 10-12 of those being full-time positions, with the additional being part-time roles.

JYSK also has a store in Youghal.

The new store in Little Island is one of six new stores the company plans to open in Ireland by the end of this year.

The opening of these new stores sees an investment of 7 million by the brand and the creation of up to 90 new jobs nationally.

JYSK first launched in Ireland in April 2019 and currently employs 150 people across its nine stores.

"When we launched JYSK in Ireland, we announced that we would open 15 new stores in the first two years.

"The pandemic hampered our plans a little, but we are back on track and look forward to opening six stores by the end of 2021 to bring our total in Ireland to 15.

"We have ambitious plans for JYSK in Ireland in the coming years," commented Roni Tuominen, Country Manager for JYSK UK and Ireland.

"At JYSK, we very much believe in the future of physical retail, and while online sales have been successful over the past year and a half, we also know that a lot of our customers have missed going to physical stores.

"It is quite simple.

"Most customers still want to visit a physical store, touch and feel the products, and get great service and guidance from our JYSK colleagues.

"That is something we are great at in JYSK," he added.

In addition to the opening of the new Cork store, the other new JYSK stores will open in Ashbourne in August, Carlow in September, Tralee in October, and in Limerick and Dundalk in November.
A GIFT from God is how periods are described in Flourish, a relationships and sexuality education (RSE) resource developed by the Irish Bishops Conference for Catholic primary schools.

Its no wonder a group of university staff from around the country have objected to this so-called education resource.

As every girl going through puberty knows, along with women of child-bearing age, periods are called a curse for very good reasons. They may be a part of biology with a function, but theyre painful and can lead to feelings of depression.

We dont need male bishops (at least one of whom objected to tampons on the laughable grounds that they might be sexually stimulating) whose main experience of blood is sipping wine from a chalice, to fob off women with their patronising comments.

Girls and boys should not be subjected to religion-infused sex education in a world where the question of consent is far more pertinent than blithely dropping the gift from God line when it comes to sex.

In a letter to the Taoiseach and the Education Minister, the group argues that Flourish gives a religious perspective to education on relationships and sexuality.

They say: It will form and shape negative views among children in relation to some sexualities/identities and in some cases, it will serve to form and shape negative views of themselves.

It can be hard enough to come out as gay in Ireland, even still, without the damaging religious view that expressing LGBT sexuality is wrong.

Theres a lot of nonsense spoken by the religious that God loves all his children. Just dont behave as if sex is not solely for procreation. Thatll land you in trouble with the clergy  if not in hell.

The letter from university staff says that research indicates that effective RSE programmes should be scientifically based and provide young people with body autonomy as well as emphasising human rights and gender equality.

Shrouding the facts of life with woolly talk of the putative deitys love for all (but sorely lacking in tolerance for minorities) is not helpful. Thankfully, a major review of the RSE curriculum is under way.

Its all very well to point out that the 1998 Education Act allows school patrons to design programmes in accordance with the schools ethos. But thats not fair on children whose parents dont subscribe to Catholicism.

There is often no real alternative to Catholic primary schools. Some 90% of our primary schools are Catholic. Yet, this country constitutionally recognises the right to same-sex marriage and abortion. Our education system needs to reflect the new Ireland we now live in.

Ive been reading the Irish Examiners Secret Teachers new book, O Captain, My Captain, which is about one teachers hope for change in the Irish education system.

The author, Jennifer Horgan, who teaches in an Educate Together secondary school in Cork, talks a lot of sense. But I dont altogether agree with her call for mixing the sexes in schools. She points out that apart from Muslim countries, Ireland has the second-highest instance of single-sex schooling.

You might think our system is antiquated and clearly not an accurate microcosm of society. But there is credible evidence that girls do better in single-sex schools.

Jennifer points out, however, that they only do better academically. She is interested in a broader wellbeing.

As a product of an all girls secondary school herself (Scoil Mhuire), Jennifer writes that its not easy to say goodbye to the way things have always been.

I loved my own single-sex school. It was Jane Austen cosy. Wed sit together, jackets over our knees, discovering the world together, cheering each other on and only very occasionally knocking each other down. There was plenty of competition, no question.

I wore make-up, I rolled my skirt up to feel more attractive, I worried about my weight and my skin. But boys were still at a remove, and it certainly felt like there was a silent pact between us girls. Certain things wouldnt be shared. Certain things were sacred.

That doesnt sound so bad to me. But maybe Im stuck in a rut.

Jennifer doesnt want to send her two daughters to a similar school. Why not? Because I dont want boys to be seen as enemies, she states.

However, mixed schools during the teenage years must be full of raging hormones with the danger of girls being reduced to sexual beings and appendages to boys. Girls need to develop their confidence away from boys.

But Jennifer states: ... what if both boys and girls could grow in confidence together? It is far more powerful to have boys in our classrooms... listening to our bright and capable young girls...

Maybe so.

One things for sure. Male bishops should opt out of influencing sex education.
Tom Tuite

A Dublin man is to face trial accused of sexually assaulting a female in a Dunnes Stores car park.

The man, who is in his 60s, appeared before Judge Brian OShea at Dublin District Court on Wednesday.

He is accused of sexually assaulting the complainant, who was already known to him, on a date earlier this year, at the car park of a north Dublin branch of the retail chain.

Garda Robert Diffley told Judge OShea the accused man was arrested in the city centre. His reply to the charge under caution at a garda station was its all lies sergeant.

Reporting restrictions

The garda said reporting restrictions were needed. Defence solicitor Danica Kinane asked that her client would not be named either as he and the alleged injured party were known to each other. Naming him could identify her, she submitted.

Noting that, the judge ordered the media not to publish the name of the accused in case it lead to identification of the complainant.

He was ordered to appear again in the district court next month to be served with a book of evidence and for a trial order to be made.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has directed trial on indictment, meaning the mans case will then go forward to the Circuit Court.

Bail set at 500 was imposed. Judge OShea imposed conditions on the man, who did not address the court. He was warned he has to provide gardai with a contact phone number, obey a 11pm to 7am curfew and sign on three days a week at a Garda station in Dublin.

The judge warned him that he must not contact the complainant directly or indirectly and he was also ordered to stay out of parts of the citys north-side.

Legal aid was granted after the judge noted the man was in receipt of social welfare.
NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter has been awarded 'Laureate' for its "extraordinary achievements in aerospace" by the Aviation Week Network. The prestigious honour recognises the pioneering rotorcraft for its history-making flights on the Red Planet, NASA said in a statement on Tuesday.

When the 1.8 kilogram rotorcraft hovered on Mars for 39.1 seconds on April 19, 2021, it was the first instance of powered, controlled flight on another planet - a true Wright brothers moment. Since then, Ingenuity has chalked up 11 flights, with a total distance of just over 2.2 kilometers, reaching an altitude record of 12 meters in its 10th sortie.

"The helicopter has succeeded in ways the Ingenuity team could only have imagined at the outset of this project," said Teddy Tzanetos, Operations Lead, Ingenuity, in the statement. "The small but mighty team behind this small but mighty rotorcraft is, needless to say, thrilled at its success and honoured for the acknowledgment. We're also eager to see what comes next with the operations demonstration," Tzanetos added.

Ingenuity hitched a ride to the Red Planet on Perseverance, which landed on February 2021. It was designed as a technology demonstration and carries no science payloads on board. Its mission was to prove that humanity can fly powered vehicles on Mars. After Ingenuity achieved its tech demo goals, the helicopter entered its current operations demonstration phase to test its abilities as an aerial explorer, quickly imaging and scouting areas of Mars. This capability has proven useful to Perseverance operators and scientists.

READ ALSO: What The FAQ: Why NASA's James Webb Space Telescope might get a new name after homophobic controversy

During its most recent flights, Ingenuity has surveyed areas of particular interest for Perseverance to potentially explore in its hunt for signs of ancient life. The helicopter is paving the way for possible future missions that could use rotorcraft to help scout, explore, and even carry science payloads on other worlds, NASA said. For over 60 years, Aviation Week Network's Laureate Awards have recognised the extraordinary achievements of individuals and teams in business aviation, aerospace, and defense.

Others in the category of space to win the coveted award includes Northrop Grumman's Mission Extension Vehicle and SpaceX's Crew Dragon Demo-2. The Laureate award will be presented at a ceremony in October in McLean, Virginia.
Lantern and balloon release ban can safeguard wildlife

The Manx Government says a ban on the outdoor release of sky lanterns and helium balloons will safeguard wildlife, combat litter and prevent avoidable fires.

The Sky Lanterns and Balloons Prohibition Bill 2020 gained Royal Assent in July and means the sale and supply of the Chinse style lanterns  including online sales - is illegal.

It also prohibits the outdoor release of lanterns and helium filled balloons  with the exception of weather balloons  and means anyone doing so faces a fine of up to 500.

The Private Members Bill was introduced by Martyn Perkins MHK and has been welcomed by farmers, environmental and wildlife groups and the emergency services.

It has also been fully supported by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture as it will safeguard wildlife, reduce litter including single-use plastic in the countryside and protect the Biosphere.

Mr Perkins, said: Lanterns and balloons can entertain us briefly when they take off, but are an absolute disaster for wildlife, farm animals and marine life, when they come back down.

Although the sale of sky lanterns has been prohibited here since 2015, these new legal powers go way beyond that and it is great news for our precious Biosphere.

The legislation means the Island has moved ahead of the UK and joins countries such as Australia, Brazil and Germany in tackling the issue.
Facebook's Oversight Board has instructed the social network to restore a post from a user that criticized the Chinese state. According to the board, Facebook mistakenly removed the post for violating its hate speech policy under the belief it targeted Chinese people.

"This case highlights the importance of considering context when enforcing hate speech policies, as well as the importance of protecting political speech," the Oversight Board wrote . "This is particularly relevant in Myanmar given the February 2021 coup and Facebooks key role as a communications medium in the country."

The user, who appeared to be in Myanmar, posted the message in question in April. The post argued that, rather than providing funding to Myanmar's military following the coup in February, tax revenue should be given to the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hlutaw, a group of legislators that opposed the coup. The post, which was written in Burmese, was viewed around half a million times.

Although no users reported the post, Facebook decided to take it down. The post used profanity while referencing Chinese policy in Hong Kong. Facebook's translation of the post led four content reviewers to believe that the user was criticizing Chinese people.

Under its hate speech rules, Facebook doesn't allow content that targets someone or a group of people based on ethnicity, race or national origins that use profane terms or phrases with the intent to insult. The user who wrote the post claimed in their appeal that they shared it in an effort to stop the brutal military regime.

The Oversight Board says context is particularly important in this case. The Burmese language uses the same word to refer to both a state and people who are from that state. Other factors made it clear the user was referring to the Chinese state, according to the board.

Two translators who reviewed the post "did not indicate any doubt" that the word at the heart of the case was referring to a state. The translators told the board the post includes terms that Myanmars government and the Chinese embassy commonly use to refer to each other. Public comments the board received regarding the case indicated the post was political speech.

The Oversight Board ordered Facebook to restore the post and recommended Facebook ensures "its Internal Implementation Standards are available in the language in which content moderators review content. If necessary to prioritize, Facebook should focus first on contexts where the risks to human rights are more severe."

The company has had a complicated history with Myanmar. In 2018, Facebook was accused of censoring information about ethnic cleansing in the country. It admitted it didn't do enough to stop people from using the platform to incite offline violence and "foment division," following a report it commissioned about the matter.

Soon after the coup, Facebook was temporarily blocked in Myanmar. After it returned, Facebook took steps to limit the reach of the country's military on its platform, and later banned the military outright on Facebook and Instagram.
Marvel has often been taken to task for poor pacing on its shows. The Netflix programs were always said to be padded out, with more installments than they really needed per season. The Disney+ era has given us shows with fewer episodes, but that hasnt deterred complaints about slow pacing. What If?, premiering this week on the service, has a different problem: Its frantic and rushed, like a podcast episode played at 1.5x speed.

The concept behind What If? is simple. Take a pivotal moment from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, change one thing, see what happens. In the premiere episode, set during the events of Captain America: The First Avenger, Peggy Carter chooses to stay in the room where Steve is receiving the super soldier serum. Steve gets shot, forcing Peggy to jump into the machine and get bulked up in his place.

Youd need to be intimately familiar with the original movie to spot the difference, which is why the omniscient narrator is there to point it out. Its probably the only time the episode stops to catch its breath.

The problem is that this is a half-hour show attempting to present an alternate version of a two-hour movie. It isnt even enough to just say that Captain Carter has super powers; they feel the need to show how the events of the entire movie play out, down to the final battle with the Red Skull. There isnt a lot of time for character development, because they assume you already know the characters well from seeing them on the silver screen. (Also, why is she Captain Carter and not Captain Britain?)

Marvel Studios

It runs from plot point to plot point, a highlight reel of the film with some small and a lot of big changes. Youll probably want to rewatch the original movie either before or after, just because there are so many winks and nudges to it that the episode simply cannot stand alone. Its like a DVD extra and fan fiction had a baby  which, to be fair, is what the original comic felt like.

The difference here is that this is a version of What If...? that gets to play in the MCU sandbox, with the voices and likenesses to boot (except for Hugo Weaving, who is once again replaced by Ross Marquand as the Red Skull). Animation is the only way to pull it off, given that the cast and setting changes with every episode so a live action production would be prohibitively expensive.

Marvel Studios

But, despite being owned by one of the most famous animation studios in the world, Marvel Studios went with third-party animators. Its a cel shaded style, which is more often used in video games and here looks a lot like rotoscoping. Its sort of stiff and awkward, with more attention paid to making characters look like their actors instead of being more fluid or expressive. Its a shame, given that Disneys 2012 short film Paperman utilized a hybrid 2D/3D style which looks similar to this, but with a lot more personality.

Future episodes will explore other divergences from the MCU, like TChalla becoming Star Lord or Tony Stark getting saved by Killmonger. So its likely some episodes will be far more enjoyable than others based on their conceit alone, though Captain Carter is still a solid start. But a good concept cant completely overcome animation and pacing issues.
Its the same old story: Government hands out a multi-billion contract to one tech giant, only to see another tech giant complain about the process. But no sooner had we put the JEDI contract out of our minds and Amazon and Microsoft are, once again, at each others throats. Washington Technology, (via The Verge) reports that Microsoft has filed a complaint after the NSA awarded a $10 billion contract to Amazon Web Services. The project, codenamed WildAndStormy, of which details are not widely available, but apparently involves the provision of cloud computing technology to the wider intelligence community.

Microsoft has lodged a complaint with the Government Accountability Office, reportedly claiming that AWS product was not properly evaluated. The Windows giant feels that in a side-by-side comparison of its tech versus that of Amazons, it would win, and feels the process here wasnt very fair. The GAO has until October 29th to respond to Microsofts complaint, and its likely that this will not be the end of the pairs war of digital attrition. As reported by NextGov, an NSA spokesperson said that any response will be in accordance with appropriate federal regulations.
T-Mobile has launched a pilot offering fiber optic home internet service in New York City, according to a report from T-Mo confirmed by The Verge. It's testing the service in select Manhattan residential buildings, offering 940Mbps upload and download speeds along with a WiFi 6 router, according to the company's new fiber product page.

It's using a third-party provider's fiber rather than its own lines and running the program on a "very limited pilot," the company told The Verge. It added that it would offer more information "when and if" it rolls out more widely.

The fiber service is being marketed alongside T-Mobile's 5G wireless home internet launched in April. T-Mobile said that service would deliver average download speeds greater than 100Mbps for most new customers, with a minimum 50Mbps speeds. The service is available for around $60 per month to 30 million Americans across 49 states (not including Alaska), and the company recently told investors it was on track to sign 500,000 customers by the end of 2021.

The fiber offering is a new twist, though it's not clear how widespread T-Mobile plans to go with it. We've also yet to learn pricing, but rival Verizon charges around $80 per month for similar speeds with its Fios service.
In less than two hours, Samsung will kick off its fourth Galaxy Unpacked event of 2021. While the official livestream won't get underway until 10AM ET, Engadgets coverage of Unpacked will start at 9:40AM ET with a pre-show. Well also return after the event is complete to share analysis and answer your questions. Between information shared by Samsung and the usual assortment of pre-release leaks, we have a good idea of what to expect from the company later today.

For instance, were almost certain Samsung wont announce a new Note phone at Unpacked. Instead, updated models of the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Fold will headline the event. The company has also confirmed it will show off a new version of the S Pen that will work with its foldable devices. However, what were most excited about is the chance to see its latest Galaxy Watch wearable. At I/O 2021, Samsung and Google announced they were working together on a new version of Wear OS, and well see the fruits of that partnership at Unpacked. Beyond that and an updated pair of Galaxy Buds, theres always the chance Samsung could surprise us as well.

Follow all of the news from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event right here!
YouTube has suspended Sen. Rand Paul from the platform after he claimed in a video that "cloth masks don't work" with regard to the spread of COVID-19. It marked the second time YouTube has removed one of Paul's videos.

Paul violated YouTube's policy on coronavirus medical misinformation, a company spokesperson told The New York Times. YouTube prohibits videos containing "claims that masks do not play a role in preventing the contraction or transmission of COVID-19. Paul won't be able to upload videos to the platform for seven days.

Most of the masks you get over the counter dont work. They dont prevent infection, Paul said in the now-deleted video. Paul also cited "actual science" while claiming cloth masks don't work. However, he noted that N-95 masks are effective in protecting against COVID-19 infection.

Public health experts say masks work in tandem with other preventative measures such as vaccinations and washing hands frequently to stem the spread of COVID-19. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that members of the general public should use masks made with breathable fabric.

Paul acknowledged in a statement that YouTube, as a private company, had the right to suspend him. However, he argued that the decision marked a continuation of their commitment to act in lockstep with the government.

YouTube has yanked tens of thousands of videos that made erroneous claims about COVID-19 vaccines, and it suspended Sky News Australia and OANN for spreading misinformation. YouTube has also run a series of PSAs encouraging people to get inoculated.
Former President Barack Obama celebrated his lavish, celebrity-filled guest list, 60th birthday over the weekend, and fans still don't have a specific answer why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was absent at the momentous event. Recently, a royal expert claims another reason why they weren't invited.

Royal expert Camilla Tominey wrote a published article on the Telegraph, as reported by Mirror UK, saying that the Obamas disapproved of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's actions to the Royal family.

She mentioned that the former president and the first lady firmly believes in the phrase "blood is thicker than water", meaning they would put "family first" in all situations. They allegedly think that Prince Harry isn't doing the same thing.

The Obamas don't like how Prince Harry attacks his family, especially during the bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

In addition, the Duke had also appeared and produced a documentary series about mental health titled "The Me You Can't See", where he blurted out his personal experience with the royals. He also commented on Prince Charles' way of parenting in an episode of the "Armchair Expert Podcast."

However, the royal couple and the former first family has not confirmed whether all of the information mentioned above were true.

Another Reason Why The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Weren't Invited To Barack Obama's Birthday Bash?

In early reports, Dicki Arbiter, another royal expert, suggests that Prince Harry and his wife were not considered "double A-listers", meaning they are not in the same league as Oprah Winfrey, Rihanna, and any other wealthy celebrities.

Daniela Elser previously mentioned that they aren't of the same calibre as the well-known personalities because their previous attacks on the royal family are what they are known for today.

READ NOW: Queen Elizabeth Now Strategizing to Protect Prince Andrew After Officially Lawsuit from Jeffrey Epstein Victim?

However, other reports were alleging the couple didn't attend the event because they are on "parental leave" to take care of their daughter Lilibet Diana.

Obama's Controversial Weekend Party

Numerous celebrities like Beyonce, Jay-Z, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, and more attended Barack Obama's 60th birthday.

However, the event caused controversy online after Erykah Badu posted, then deleted, a video showing the guests at the party dancing without facemasks despite the highly contractive Delta variant of COVID-19.

There were also issues with traffic around the area because of the number of guests who attended.

The party was held at the Obamas' $11.75 million "Martha's Vineyard" in Massachusetts.

READ ALSO: Richard Donner Cause of Death Revealed: 'Superman' Director's Death Certificate Released To Public
2021-08-11

Maeci

On Sunday 8 August the Cablebus2 cable car, constructed by the Italian company Leitner, one of the world leaders in cableways, was inaugurated in Mexico City. Working with its local partner Alfa (Aristos group), it has completed the longest urban cableway in Latin America, which is also one of the most significant recent urban mobility works in Mexico. It connects Iztapalapa, one of the most disadvantaged municipalities of Mexico City (2 million inhabitants), with the rest of the capital via a 10.6 km cableway with 300 cabins, carrying an estimated flow of about 100,000 people per day. This advanced project cuts journey times in half, reduces CO2 emissions, and ensures safe and dignified transport for the inhabitants of the area. In spring 2022 the "Mexicable2-Linea Verde", an 8.5 km gondola lift constructed by Leitner in partnership with the Aristos group, via a public-private partnership, should also be inaugurated in the Ecatepec area.
The Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate has been trending higher since markets opened this morning despite a lack of economic data from the UK.

The GBP/CAD exchange rate is currently trading around the CA$1.7430 level as sliding oil prices limit the appeal of the Loonie today.

Pound (GBP) Exchange Rates Firm on UK Coronavirus Developments

The Pound has been steadily rising against the Canadian Dollar this morning as domestic coronavirus developments from the UK continue to support the appeal of Sterling.

However, a lack of economic data from the UK has limited any major gains for GBP exchange rates throughout the day.

Sterling has been boosted following Scotland leaving most of its lockdown measures yesterday, though kept the use of face masks to protect those most vulnerable to the virus.

Deputy First Minister of Scotland John Swinney commented on the easing of restrictions, saying:

We've seen a sustained fall in the number of cases that we've been experiencing of Covid-19. We have very high levels of vaccination as a consequence of the supremely successful vaccination programme that has been put in place, so we have a significant amount of protection.

And we have the benefit that we are still in the summer period and there is an opportunity for people to be spending more time out of doors.

Canadian Dollar (CAD) Exchange Rates Mixed as Oil Prices Rise

The Canadian Dollar (CAD) has weakened this morning morning as a slide in oil prices limit the appeal of the commodity-correlated Loonie.

Oil prices have slid to a three week low as concerns over coronavirus restrictions and the prevalence of the delta variant of the virus across Asia causes the slide.

Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA commented on the decline in oil prices, saying:

Crude prices are declining as a slowdown in Asia disrupts the demand outlook. A stronger dollar theme is (also) starting to emerge given the recovery story in the United States and that might be a short-term drag for crude prices.

Analysts at Commerzbank also commented on the oil sector, saying:

The price slide is continuing amid growing concerns about demand again. Market participants are watching the rising coronavirus figures in Asia with considerable alarm, as this could prompt the Chinese government to take drastic measures in line with its strict zero Covid strategy.

The strength of the US Dollar has also pushed investors away from commodity-correlated currencies like the Canadian Dollar.

GBP/CAD Exchange Rate Forecast: UK GDP Figures in Focus

Pound investors will be looking towards Thursdays preliminary GDP figures from the UK for Q2 to drive movement in Sterling.

An absence of data from Canada will see Canadian Dollar traders focusing on the global market mood alongside any developments in oil prices moving forward.

The GBP/CAD pairing will continue to be driven by any further coronavirus developments in the coming days.
The Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate has been trading in a mixed range since markets opened this morning as a lack of economic data from the UK limits the appeal of Sterling.

The GBP/CAD exchange rate is currently trading around the CA$1.7317 level as sliding oil prices also causes problems for the commodity-correlated Loonie.

Pound (GBP) Exchange Rates Lack Direction on Absence of Economic Data

The Pound (GBP) has lacked direction against the majors today as a lack of economic data from the UK does little to support Sterling appeal.

Whilst domestic coronavirus developments in the UK are eyed by investors to drive movement in GBP exchanges rates, the Pound has lacked any support.

It comes as Northern Ireland infection rate of the virus has doubled that of the UK as the public are urged to get their vaccines.

Dr David Cromie from the Public Health Agency commented on the increase in case rates, saying:

We need everyone to continue to follow the public health advice, get tested if they are symptomatic, and engage with the Contact Tracing Centre (CTS) if they test positive for Covid-19.

If you havent yet received your Covid-19 vaccine, make arrangements to get it as soon as possible, as the vaccine will help prevent you from becoming seriously unwell with Covid-19, and also help keep vulnerable members of our community safe.

Canadian Dollar (CAD) Exchange Rates Mixed as Oil Prices Slide

The Canadian Dollar (CAD) has weakened this morning as a further slide in oil prices limits the appeal of the commodity-correlated Loonie.

It comes as the White House has urged the OPEC+ to boost oil production moving forward, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan commented:

We are engaging with relevant OPEC+ members on the importance of competitive markets in setting prices. Competitive energy markets will ensure reliable and stable energy supplies, and OPEC+ must do more to support the recovery.

Canada is enjoying a swift vaccination rollout across the country to battle the coronavirus pandemic which has settled any major losses for the Canadian Dollar.

More so, a weakening US Dollar has provided some support towards the commodity-correlated currency.

GBP/CAD Exchange Rate Forecast: UK GDP Figures in Focus

Pound investors will be looking towards tomorrows preliminary GDP figures from the UK for Q2 to be the main catalyst for movement in Sterling.

The Pound is also expected to be driven by industrial production and construction output figures during Thursdays session.

An absence of data from Canada will see Canadian Dollar traders continuing to focus on the global market mood alongside any developments in oil prices moving forward.

The GBP/CAD pairing will continue to be driven by any further coronavirus developments in the coming days.
Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Dallas, TX  Management consulting firms and clients huddle to compare opportunities in banking.

Consultants worldwide will join IMC DFW at a round table on What CEOs Expect from Consultants on Fri., August 13, 7:45 - 9 AM CDT via Zoom. IMC USA and ICMCI members may join without fee, as can first-time attendees. Others are invited with advance registration of $10.

Featured speaker Vikrant Ponkshe is recognized for strategic thinking and innovative solutions to achieve greater efficiency. He couples extensive banking & financial services experience with unique industry perspectives as both a former CEO and practicing consultant.

Mr. Ponkshe is a trusted board advisor to Microtek Systems, Inc. and a subject-matter expert in the areas of risk management and strategy, with deep roots in operations, quality, compliance, client service, and change implementation.

The DFW Chapter of the Institute of Management Consultants supports the management consulting community in North Texas, neighboring regions, and adjacent states. It meets monthly to help consultants grow their practices. Guests are welcome. Sign up to attend at the round table registration, and learn more about management consulting at IMC USA (2:45 min).

IMC USA is a network of professional consultants to management who connect, share, support each other, and create transformative change.
Wednesday, August 11, 2021

I have a 3-days-a-week gym buddy. We do 20 minutes of aerobics, another 20 minutes with weights, and call it a day. Its not a rigorous routine, but its a lot better than no exercise at all, and were both better at keeping the schedule if the other guy is there too.

One night I got a text from him saying he took a Covid test for an upcoming trip and tested positive. He was required to quarantine for ten days so would not be at the gym for a while.

I immediately called him up and found out hes fine. He doesnt have any symptoms. His family took the test at the same time and all had negative results, but the trip is off, and hes taking the quarantine seriously. Hes not going to work nor anywhere else.

Okay. But he and I were at the gym together immediately before he took the Covid test. On adjacent treadmills, we turned to face each other while we talked. On the circuit of weight machines, we each used the same machines immediately after the other guy did.

While Bonnie and I have both been fully vaccinated, it made sense to both of us that I get tested. Some small percentage of vaccinated people contract the disease, and if I had it, with or without symptoms, I wanted to know about it and get relevant care.

I looked on the Internet for Covid tests and found out I could get a drive-through test at a local Walmart in a few days. I would have preferred one the same day I found out about it, but I couldnt figure out how to get one of those.

I received email instructions and a confirmation number, and I showed up at the correct time and place. I had been told to bring identification with me, which I had.

A pharmacist came to the drive-through window and instructed me how to do the test. He verified my name, date of birth, and confirmation number and said he didnt need to see ID.

He gave me a package in a large see-through envelope  sort of like a Ziploc freezer bag. When instructed, I took out a six-inch stoppered vial with some liquid in it and a very long Q tip in its own sealed bag. The pharmacist told me he had just cut off the end of that bag so I could have easy access to the Q tip.

I was told to place the Q tip about a half-inch into my right nostril, twirl it twice around, and hold it in place for 15 seconds. And then do the same for the left nostril with the same Q tip.

I then was told to break the Q tip in half, which was easy because it was made to snap at the correct length. I was told that the vial had liquid in it, so I should take the stopper out carefully to keep the liquid from spilling out, and then place the Q tip cotton-side first into the vial and put the stopper back into the vial.

All that was left to do was to seal everything back into the Ziploc bag and place it in a collection box, which was almost overflowing. The entire test was self-administered and took less than five minutes from the time I first pulled up to the window. In no way was it painful or obnoxious to me.

I received an email 24 hours later. It was not easy to read, but it basically said I didnt have Covid  with all sorts of caveats. It used the phrase Not Detected to summarize the result. Im including a copy of the result, with names and phone numbers deleted, so you can see what they look like.

Bonnie and I have signed up for a cruise in December. Well probably have to take a Covid test within a few days before the cruise. If so, its nothing for us to fear.

SPECIMEN ID NOTIFICATION MISSING SECOND ID COVID-19 Active Infection (SARS-CoV-2 RNA, QL NAAT (Unobserved Self-Collection)

Next Steps

Still Have Questions? Contact the PWNHealth care coordination team to schedule a session with a physician to discuss your results.

Monday  Friday / 9:00am  5:30pm EST, Phone: (855) xxx-xxxx

Result

COMMENT:

Specimen labels must include two forms of patient ID. Only one unique identifier was present on the sample(s). The testing you requested will be processed; however, going forward please provide two identifiers as required by the College of American Pathologists (CAP).

Result

COVID-19 Active Infection RT-PCR/TMA (SARS-CoV-2 RNA, QL NAAT)

Desired Result: NOT DETECTED NOT DETECTED

A Not Detected (negative) test result for this test means that SARS- CoV-2 RNA was not present in the specimen above the limit of detection. A negative result does not rule out the possibility of COVID-19 and should not be used as the sole basis for treatment or patient management decisions. If COVID-19 is still suspected, based on exposure history together with other clinical findings, re-testing should be considered in consultation with public health authorities. Laboratory test results should always be considered in the context of clinical observations and epidemiological data in making a final diagnosis and patient management decisions. Specimens that are self-collected were not tested with an internal control to confirm that the specimen was properly collected. As such, unobserved self-collected specimens from SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals may yield negative results if the specimen was not collected properly. Please review the Fact Sheets and FDA authorized labeling available for health care providers and patients using the following websites: QuestDiagnostics.com/home/Covid-19/HCP/ha-sars-fact-sheet1 QuestDiagnostics.com/home/Covid-19/Patients/ha-sars-fact-sheet1 This test has been authorized by the FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for use by authorized laboratories.

Methodology: Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) includes RT-PCR or TMA NO COLLECTION DATE RECEIVED. WE HAVE USED THE DATE THE SPECIMEN WAS RECEIVED BY THIS LABORATORY AS THE COLLECTION DATE. IF THIS IS INCORRECT, PLEASE CONTACT CLIENT SERVICES. PHONE NUMBER: 866.xxx.xxxx

Performing Lab QAW Quest Diagnostics-Las Vegas Ordering Physician Xxxxxx

To feel fully empowered to make healthy decisions based on your test results, it is recommended that you discuss them with a health care provider. Please note, our patient service centers or laboratories do not have your full medical story to provide you with an interpretation or diagnosis.
Wednesday, August 11, 2021

VOMOs platform and app hosts a global volunteer movement and connects organizations and communities

Support Staffer of the Year, Paige Dudek, exemplifies the values of VOMO with dedication and proactivity to keep the company running smoothly

About VOMO

VOMO is a web-based platform and app powering a global volunteer movement by providing organizations with the tools needed to discover and initiate projects, connect to community causes, and measure and amplify the impact of volunteering. VOMO, which stands for Volunteer Movement, harnesses the strength of technology to galvanize a generation to change the world for good by streamlining volunteer engagement.

Support Staffer of the Year

Paige Dudek is the backbone and spirit of VOMO. As a company that exists to change the world by serving those who serve others, Paige exemplifies everything it means to be a VOMie. VOMO is a small, close-knit team that thrives because of every extra step that Paige takes. She takes care of

hundreds of unseen tasks that keep the company

running smoothly.

In September 2019, Paige stepped up to lead the sales team. In doing so, she turned what was once a stressful environment into a fun, exciting atmosphere through team-building games. She managed to simultaneously operate daily office functions such as ordering supplies and manning the phone. Her willingness to help and her ability to work cross-functionally are two of the many attributes that earned her the title of Human of the Month, September 2019.

When the coronavirus shook the world and VOMO needed to shift, Paige didnt miss a beat. VOMO relaunched the Be A Neighbor campaign, and Paige was at the helm to ensure it functioned without a hitch. She spent her personal time mastering the platform overnight as she sourced and posted various serving opportunities to the campaign page. In addition, she learned the ins and outs of WordPress, HubSpot, Mailchimp, and Canva in the span of one week to seamlessly manage the national campaign. She also took on managing all social media for the campaign while still completing her regular work, and somehow never letting the snack box run empty.

A woman who wears many hats, Paiges unending dedication to VOMO is evident through her passion for everything that she does.

VOMO won the Gold Stevie Award for Support Categories - Support Staffer of the Year in The 2021 American Business Awards.

Interested in entering The 2022 American Business Awards? Request the entry kit.
Courtesy

San Antonios Frost Bank has hired an attorney from a New York-based energy infrastructure company as its next general counsel.

C.E. Rhodes also will serve as a group vice president and corporate secretary for Frost and its parent company, Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc. He has been managing director and chief compliance officer at New Fortress Energy Inc.
In March, a federal grand jury indicted Michael Angelo Padron, president of a San Antonio contracting company, on charges of conspiracy to defraud the government and nine counts of wire fraud.

He stands accused of passing off a construction company as a small business owned by a service-disabled veteran to win contracts it wasnt eligible to obtain.

Padron, 62, pleaded not guilty, was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond and allowed to continue working, court records show. His company, Mapco Inc., is a contractor on various large construction projects on military bases.

Then, on July 12, almost four months after the indictment, Padron suddenly was denied access to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. The decision prevents him from supervising construction projects underway there.

Padron blamed Lacklands decision on his criminal cases appearing in the National Crime Information Center  the countrys criminal-records database. Its for use only by law enforcement.

An NCIC entry for Padron indicates hes on supervised release for five years on the fraud charge, his defense lawyer, John Kuntz, told U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Betsy Chestney during a July 29 court hearing conducted via Zoom.

I could see where someone glancing at that, that doesnt know what that notation means, would say, Well, hes been convicted and hes on probation for five years, Kuntz said.

Padron hasnt been convicted. His criminal case isnt scheduled to go to trial until February.

On ExpressNews.com: The rise and hard fall of a San Antonio apartment developer

Padron wanted the judge to order a notation be made in the NCIC database allowing him access to any military facility or base where Mapco has construction projects.

Chestney, however, denied the request, saying such a move was way beyond my pay grade.

Im sensitive to the frustrations of your client, the judge said, but this is just not within the scope of my authority to do anything about it.

She urged Padron to contact the base to find out how to challenge the decision.

Kuntz called the decision to deny Padron access to the base so unusual and so unexpected.

His livelihood is being affected right now, Kuntz told the judge after her ruling. Obviously, well go to plan B, which is well take it up with the base or bases  and try to figure out what policies and procedures we can go through with them.

Kuntz didnt respond to a request for comment this week, so it couldnt be determined if Padron has reached out to the base.

State corporate records show Padron is president of Mapco, which he incorporated in 1992.

On Wednesday, Erinn Burgess, acting chief of public affairs for JBSA-Lackland, said Padron still cant go on the base. In an email, she said Padron is not allowed on base due to an unfavorable adjudication of his fitness for access.

Fitness for access is a risk-based decision utilizing authoritative government databases to assess past behaviors that can negatively impact JBSA-Lacklands missions and/or personnel, she added. In the absence of a court determination of guilt, criminal history information is evaluated to determine if a subjects behavior in the past represents a risk sufficient to deny access.

Such denials are infrequent. Security personnel examine access requests on an individual case-by-base basis, Burgess said.

Mapco can petition the government representative on its contract take up Padrons access. The sponsoring government entity can request redress through the installations security forces if it determines its in the best interest of the military to request reconsideration, she said.

SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox

Padron was indicted on charges related to an alleged conspiracy from 2004 through at least January 2018 misrepresenting a construction company to win contracts for companies owned by service-disabled veterans.

Prosecutors say he and onetime San Antonio apartment developer Michael Wibracht actually had financial and operational control over the company. Neither is a service-disabled veteran.

The pair won more than $250 million in government contracts intended for service-disabled vets, prosecutors allege. Padron is fighting the charges, while Wibracht and another individual have pleaded guilty. Wibracht is scheduled to be sentenced in February.

The construction company was referred to in the indictment as BH, believed to be Blackhawk Ventures, which has done business as Blackhawk Contractors.

Blackhawk Ventures won more than 1,300 set-aside contracts from various government agencies over the years, a federal database shows. They included a $21.2 million contract to build a parking garage at the Dallas VA Medical Center and a $13.7 million contract for a battle command training center at Fort Sam Houston.

Filings with the Texas Secretary of State show Wibracht served as Mapcos CFO from 2009 to 2012.

The 502d Air Base Wing does not have any active contracts with Mapco, Burgess said, so it couldnt be determined what work the company has been doing at Lackland.

pdanner@express-news.net
My question this week is whether President Joe Bidens massive federal infrastructure bill could lead to real passenger rail options in Texas, especially among the states Big 4 cities. Will Amtrak Joe jump-start passenger trains in Texas?

Also, why are there no useful passenger trains in Texas?

Well, theres an easy answer to that one  which is that 40 years ago the state didnt have the population density to justify commuter rail lines.

In mid-2021, however, the case for passenger trains is much stronger. The San Antonio-Houston-Dallas triangle has six of the 15 fastest-growing large-population cities in the country.

Round Rock, Cedar Park, New Braunfels (Austin suburb), Conroe (Houston suburb), and McKinney and Frisco (Dallas suburbs) were absolute boom towns over the past decade, growing faster than cities anywhere else in the country. Project another decade or two from today, and the case for passenger rail  and the case against automobile-only transportation  becomes increasingly urgent. But wed have to begin planning in 2021 to solve problems in 2031 and 2041.

At the same time, on Tuesday we saw the Senate pass the $1.1 trillion infrastructure package from President Joe Biden, whos famous for his decades of Amtrak commutes between Delaware and Washington, D.C. If anybody gets it, its Amtrak Joe, right?

Passenger rail between major population centers meets everyones definition of infrastructure.

State Rep. Ray Lopez of San Antonio has been in Washington these past few weeks and shared that Texas expects as much as $27 billion from the infrastructure bill. Others expect $66 billion for railroads nationwide in the bill when it passes.

As far as I can discern, however, federal train infrastructure spending is unlikely to flow to Texas.

Lopez previously chaired the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning District, which supported a multiyear, multimillion-dollar attempt to fulfill the dream of passenger trains between San Antonio and Austin, known as Lone Star Rail. The rail district, established by the Texas Legislature, folded several years ago when it was learned that a deal with Union Pacific to use the railroad giants tracks between the two cities wasnt going to happen.

Lopez wasnt holding his breath for funding to resuscitate Lone Star Rail in this infrastructure bill.

Meanwhile, I listened to a presentation last week from a Mexican train regulatory body enthusiastically proposing a rapid passenger train between Monterrey and San Antonio, an idea backed by the newly elected governor of the Mexican border state of Nuevo Leon.

Peter LeCody has worked toward increasing train capacity in Texas for 30 years and heads up the nonprofit Texas Rail Advocates, which hosted that presentation from the Mexican side. The good news is that unlike some other famous border project claims in recent years, Mexico truly would pay for it  or at least its part.

However, I got the strong sense talking to LeCody that these things develop over decades. So a project such as linking Monterrey, Mexico, to San Antonio via Laredo is a long way off, even if everyone is working with urgency on the same plan.

Which they are not.

The Texas Department of Transportation also has plans on the books for passenger trains from Oklahoma through Dallas down to San Antonio and all the way to Laredo, Corpus Christi and Brownsville. You can read all about it in the 2017 Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study. Cody is not anticipating funding in the infrastructure bill to bring that plan to life either.

Among other obstacles is the fact that Union Pacific owns and operates the rails connecting all these cities and mostly uses the lines for freight traffic, not passenger trains. UP officials declined to be interviewed but pointed me to an article they posted in late July.

The tone of the article is defensive, and you can sense Union Pacific is sick of being blamed for failed passenger-rail projects. Amtrak, in Union Pacifics telling, is trying to expand passenger rail with Bidens support but without consulting Union Pacific, which owns the tracks. Union Pacific officials wrote: We have a proven record of partnering with passenger agencies when the equation is balanced  when the public pays for public benefits and the freight railroads pay for private benefits.

The best partnerships have come from building trust  not an approach that relies on unilateral coercion, they added.

Their attitude is clearly that Union Pacific is a private business and freight is more profitable. If public officials find it in the public interest to subsidize passenger trains, then they should pay Union Pacific to make it worth its while. From Union Pacifics perspective, this makes sense.

Its also true that federal and state governments spend massive amounts of money building highways and airports  then bailing out the airlines every decade or so. So its not like we dont have precedent for subsidizing different modes of transportation infrastructure to move people around.

Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? And is that light an oncoming train? (How could I resist? You knew that cliche was coming at some point in this column.)

Totally predating and independent of Amtrak Joe and his infrastructure bill, Texas Central, a private railroad company, represents an entirely new way of establishing passenger rail in Texas with its proposed high-speed line between Houston and Dallas. Entirely new, because high-speed rail exists nowhere in North America. It promises a 90-minute ride between Houston and Dallas, with speeds hitting 200 mph.

Also entirely new, because it would not have to share track with Union Pacific. It would build its own fully enclosed line. And unlike Amtrak, Texas Central proposes to build and operate its line without government subsidies.

Texas Central has been in the planning phase for at least seven years, independently of any infrastructure bill. How do we feel about this entirely new project that has not yet broken ground? Optimistic? Excited? Skeptical?

In June, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Texas Central is a railroad, giving it the power of eminent domain, an important step to beginning to build 240 miles of track between Houston and Dallas.

In mid-July, Texas Central hired experienced Spanish rail giant Renfe to operate the line.

It would be an amazing proof of concept, if it works. It would be different from anything that currently exists in the United States. And it could be the kick-start that Texas needs to plan for the coming decades.

All aboard!

Michael Taylor is a columnist for the San Antonio Express-News and author of The Financial Rules for New College Graduates.

michael@michaelthesmart

money.com |twitter.com/michael_taylor
Another Hurricane Harvey is coming to Texas, and it will arrive sooner than we think. Maybe even this year.

The National Weather Service recently elevated this years hurricane forecast. The summer doldrums are ending, and conditions for tropical storm development are ripe in the Atlantic.

Home and business owners, emergency services, civil servants and politicians should be prepared, though most of us are not. Four years have passed without a catastrophic storm, and absent an immediate threat, complacency takes over.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Investing in ways that don't destroy the Earth is possible

Vigilance, though, is required based on recent events in California, Germany and China. Additionally, radical change will be the only thing that saves us from more extreme storms, according to the latest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Extreme weather events will become more commonplace over the next decade, and the coming catastrophes will do more damage than we thought possible, according to scientists from 190 countries who compiled the conclusions from 14,000 peer-reviewed studies. And its already happening.

There is high confidence that anthropogenic climate change contributed to extreme rainfall amounts during Hurricane Harvey, the U.N. report said. The storm was not an aberration but a bellwether.

Californians and others in the West thought theyd seen the worst of drought-fueled wildfires in 2020. One of the warmest years on record for the Northern Hemisphere triggered mega-fires that burned 10.2 million acres, killed 37 people, and destroyed $19.8 billion in property.

The 2021 fire season, though, has barely started, and fires have already burned 3.6 million acres, 30 percent more than at this point last year. Californias Dixie Fire is the second-worst in California since humans started keeping track, and it is nowhere near contained.

Climate scientists call whats happening in the West a compound event, where drought and a heatwave combine to create a shortage of moisture and a surplus of fire. But in other places, the problem is too much rain.

In July, Harvey-type downpours sent massive floods through Germanys Ahr River Valley. Two months of rainfall released in just two days washed away hundreds of homes and businesses in one of the worlds most carefully engineered nations, killing 189 people in one night.

The river had burst its banks just a few years earlier, with what experts thought was a once-in-a-century flood. The Ahr crested then at 12 feet above flood stage. This year it peaked at 22 feet above, a level previously thought impossible.

While firefighters in the Ahr Valley were recovering bodies, a years worth of rainfall fell in just three days on Zhengzhou, a city in Chinas Henan province. The flooding impacted 1.2 million people. Nightmarish videos show floodwater filling subway cars and underground stations, trapping people inside.

The basic laws of thermodynamics confirm that the severity of heatwaves and droughts will worsen when average annual temperatures go up. But warmer air holds more moisture, making heavy downpours more likely and damaging.

Future warming may amplify monsoonal extreme precipitation. Changes in extreme storms, including tropical/extratropical cyclones and severe convective storms, result in changes in extreme precipitation, the new U.N. report states. Also, changes in sea surface temperatures alter land-sea contrast, leading to changes in precipitation extremes near coastal regions.

Not all is lost, though. U.N. scientists insist we can bend the curve of global warming over the next decade and limit the extremity of our future weather. But that requires recognizing the crisis at hand.

Before the pandemic, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were the highest in 2 million years. The planet warmed faster in the last 50 years than in the previous 2,000. Human emissions of greenhouse gases are unequivocally at fault, and therefore, we must reduce them, scientists said.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Exxon Mobil lobbyist's revelations demand congressional probe

The quickest and easiest step is to stop releasing methane from oil and natural gas operations. The gas is 10 times more potent in terms of warming and dissipates in 10 years, compared to 100 years for carbon dioxide. We also have the technology readily available to stem the flow.

Since that will not be enough, we also must reduce fossil fuel burning. The scientific community agrees that we can only release another 400 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide or about 10 years worth at the present rate.

So many companies can make so much money taking these simple steps, and they can take pride in saving the world at the same time. The economy will not suffer.

An equally lucrative, if more dismal, business will be preparing for the coming floods, droughts and fires. We will need more flood control, higher seawalls, more water catchment, more resilient structures. Because even if we do everything we can, the extreme weather is already here.

Chris Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and politics.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
People visiting public buildings across San Antonio on Wednesday were greeted by new signs bearing a blunt message: Mask up or dont enter.

A back-and-forth battle over mask requirements has been an enduring feature of the pandemic. It swung in favor of mandatory masking when a Bexar County judge on Tuesday granted city and county officials a temporary restraining order allowing them to reimpose mask rules to fight the latest COVID-19 surge.

The ruling neutralized, at least for now, an executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott that had prohibited local governments from requiring masks or proof of vaccination. Attorney General Ken Paxton promised a quick appeal of the ruling to the Texas Supreme Court.

In the meantime, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg wasted no time flexing their regulatory powers.

Wolff signed an order requiring anyone working in or visiting a county building or facility to wear a mask, whether or not theyve been vaccinated.

City Manager Erik Walsh announced a similar requirement for city buildings.

Wolffs order also allows businesses to require masks.

The new rules kicked in Wednesday, and the effect was immediate.

At City Council chambers, security officers Joe Santos and Alex Franco took down old signs recommending that employees and visitors wear masks.

Other city workers replaced them new signs that said: We require that you wear a mask when indoors at city facilities.

During the councils B session, all of the two dozen council members and staff in attendance wore masks, with one exception: District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez, who participated from home via teleconference.

On ExpressNews.com: Judge allows San Antonio, Bexar County to issue mask mandate for schools, public buildings

Under Wolffs order, all county employees, contractors, visitors and others age 10 and older must wear a face covering in county buildings and facilities. It provides an exception for people with medical conditions or disabilities.

County employees must keep their masks on wherever it isnt feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing.

Also under the order, Bexar County businesses must post a health and safety policy that fits their business needs. The policy can require employees, customers and other visitors to wear masks and to maintain six feet of separation.

Businesses also may impose occupancy limits and screening procedures, such as temperature checks.

If someone balk at the mask requirement, the order allows businesses to call the police to have them removed.

Wolff said violators could be charged with criminal trespass.

Its totally up to the businesses whether they want to have mandatory masking or not, he said.

The initial response from local businesses suggested that few would make any immediate change in their policies. Some national retailers had already reinstated mask mandates for employees.

Frost Bank is encouraging but not requiring employees to wear masks, said spokesman Bill Day.

Customers are not required to wear masks, either.

Throughout the pandemic, we have adapted and taken steps to protect our employees, customers and communities as needed, and we will continue doing so, he said.

At the Shops at La Cantera and North Star Mall, masks are optional for customers in common areas.

Retailers at the shopping centers can enact their own policies for those who enter their stores, said Brookfield Properties spokeswoman Rachel Wille.

Mall management, security officers and cleaning crews continue to wear masks.

In the last two weeks, Walmart and Target said they would require face coverings for employees and strongly encourage them for customers in communities with high transmission of the coronavirus.

H-E-B is requiring employees and vendors to wear masks regardless of whether they have been vaccinated. Previously, masks had been optional for those who had been fully vaccinated.

The supermarket chain is encouraging, but not mandating, that customers wear masks.

At the countys Criminal Justice Center, new signs told visitors: Face Masks Required. Thank You.

Its better than having everybody sick or die, said a visitor to the building who identified herself as Allison B. But I dont think its legal to make people wear masks. ...If theyre going to make us wear masks, they should at least buy them for us.

She was wearing a mask. So was her companion, who gave his name as Ernest B.

Ernest said he had served time in Texas lockups and that COVID infections appeared to decline after inmates were given masks.

I guess they do work, because there were fewer cases, he said.
When a San Antonio couple who wanted to live the high-rise life were unable to find exactly what they wanted in The Arts Residences downtown, they decided to buy two one-bedroom condominiums located side by side and combine them into one.

The couple, who asked not to be identified, are now happily ensconced in a large, 1,694-square-foot, two-bedroom, 2 -bathroom 16th floor apartment in which every room, save the bathrooms, has spectacular views looking west all the way to the Hill Country foothills. The couple wanted a classic, neutral decor, and that palette ensures the views take center stage.

And because they bought in 2018, before the building even broke ground, they were able to make changes that really made the condo theirs, according to Stephanie Rinn a listing agent for the building, which is brokered by Kuper Sothebys International Realty.

Located on Lexington Avenue, The Arts opened in November and adjoins the Thompson San Antonio hotel, the first luxury hotel to open here in five years.

On ExpressNews.com: Winery owners build $650K hilltop home with million-dollar views

Working with both the developer and interior designer Alice Pennington, founder and principal designer of San Antonio-based Pennington Design Co., the couple had plenty of time to make changes during construction. These were both minor, like adjusting the height of the switch plates, and major, like adding a kitchen pantry.

One change they didnt foresee, however, was how their plans to use that second bedroom as a guestroom would go out the window when they discovered they were having a baby.

They were so excited, Pennington said . But it also meant we had to shift gears and turn the guestroom into a nursery instead.

Unlike many high-rise apartment buyers, the couple live in The Arts full-time. He works in the medical community and she is currently a full-time mom to their daughter, who recently had her first birthday. The couple lived in Miami for a time before moving here, so they were comfortable with that citys multi-story condo vibe.

Ronald Cortes /Contributor

I think they saw this place as an opportunity to be a part of an up-and-coming concept here, Pennington said.

Located at the center of the apartment, the kitchen initially was to have an L-shaped peninsula. But the homeowners decided to set that adrift and make it a separate island instead, which opened up the cooking area.

Now, if youre standing at the sink, you get an unobstructed view out the large windows, Pennington said. The far side of the island has room enough for three handsome leather-wrapped, Italian-made Cassina Cab stools.

The countertops and island, including the waterfalls down two sides, are all a cool, white quartz.

Adjacent to the kitchen, the dining area is dominated by what at first appear to be two large murals of fish swimming against a black background. These are actually framed panels of hand-painted wallpaper sourced from London-based de Gourney.

They do amazing work, Pennington said. Someone literally paints every single fish scale.

She said the homeowners wanted to do the whole dining room in the wallpaper, but at $15,000, the price was prohibitive. As it was, the two panels cost $4,000, including the custom framing and installation.

On another wall, theres a Jeff Koons limited-edition print of a bright red balloon dog. I showed them the print early on and said we had to do it somewhere, she said.

Pennington sheepishly concedes that, during the planning phase, she sometimes ignored the couples admonition that they wanted an apartment that was mostly neutral in color.

When people tell you their style, it tends to limit the options, she said. I introduced some bold colors here and there, and eventually she told me she was glad that I pushed her out of her comfort zone.

On ExpressNews.com: Family builds disability-friendly backyard home for their son

Also in the dining room theres an oval Saarinen table with a marble top surrounded by midcentury modern chairs that were refinished and recovered with a green ultra suede from Kirkby Design  another adventure in color that Pennington had to convince them to take.

Virginia Ann Photographny

Like much of the rest of the condo, the living area on the far side of the kitchen has all custom furnishings, including a sofa and two chairs manufactured by TCS Designs, a North Carolina company that sells exclusively to the trade, a pair of Frank Gehry-designed Wiggle Stools made of laminated, reinforced cardboard, and a round, terrazzo coffee table from CB2 in Austin.

For ambiance and visual interest, they also added a gas-burning fireplace, one of only three in the entire residence, according to Rinn.

At one end of the apartment, the master bedroom is painted in a serene and soothing color called Gray Owl from Benjamin Moore thats perfect for destressing at the end of the day. With everything else in the apartment white, we wanted the master bedroom to be just a little bit calmer and softer and to feel different from the rest of the home, Pennington said.

A large chandelier over the bed, from Klaylife, is made with hand-rolled clay beads crafted by women in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa and casts a calming light across the bedroom ceiling and walls.

Changes were also made to the master bath during construction. The homeowners insisted on adding a soaking tub, for example, so the room had to be reconfigured.

They lost a little bit of the closet space, but the tub was something they had to have, Pennington said. We also continued the wainscot tile from the shower to behind the tub.

While the rest of the apartment is sleek and stylish, the homeowners went a little wild in the powder room. I am never ever not going to advocate for a powder room being like a wild little jewel box moment, Pennington said.

Ronald Cortes /Contributor

The half-baths Art Deco feel harks back to the couples Miami roots, with its lush, jungle-patterned Swahili Grand wallpaper from Pierre Frey and gold-trimmed sconces and mirror from The Urban Electric Co., and Mirror Image Home, respectively.

They elected to apply a clear satin stain to the doors that lets the wood show through but doesnt overwhelm.

I'm really glad we did that because it affects the vibe of the place, she said. They wanted the doors to be an element, instead of just fading away like they would if theyd just painted them white.

Finally, what was supposed to be the guestroom but is now the nursery is not overwhelmingly pink. In fact, the only pure pink is found in the custom window drapes. Thats because the owners wanted a design that their daughter wouldnt think is too babyish once she becomes old enough, and that could evolve easily into what Pennington called a grown-up girls room.

The most dramatic element in the nursery, especially against the gray rug and white walls, is the French-made wallpaper from Pierre Frey. The style, called Arty, resembles a childs finger-paint project, with colorful dashes in an abstract pattern.

Itll work well when the little darling adds her own artistic touch to the wall.

rmarini@express-news.net | Twitter: @RichardMarini
Larry W. Smith/Getty Images

Shavano Park police are questioning the friends and family of a young couple in hopes of finding out what led to their apparent murder-suicide.

Police have identified the two as 22-year-old Karen Ortiz from San Antonio and 29-year-old Eric Flores of Shavano Park.
At 137 years old, Lone Star Beer means something different, depending on who is gulping that Texas smooth lager.

To some, it might be a refreshing reminder of San Antonios Tex-Mex roots. For others, the self-proclaimed national beer of Texas is a symbol for cold rivers and backyard barbecues.

But to the beer enthusiasts at the DIY site Workshopedia, Lone Star is Texas most popular trashy beer.

On ExpressNews.com: Lone Star beer still a U.S. icon of Texas cool with San Antonio flavor

Researchers tracked 36 cheaply priced American beers to determine which were the most commonly searched on Google in each state in the last year. For the sake of this study, its authors say trashy means cheap beer options you can find from large breweries when you're not feeling an IPA or other craft beer.

According to the study, Lone Stars original American lager was the most-searched beer in Texas. The brand is owned by San Antonio-based Pabst Brewing Company. The study found that no other state preferred the Lone Star brand.

There were states that preferred Natural Light, seven favor Michelob Ultra and four states apiece loved to gulp down Bud Light and Coors Light.

On ExpressNews.com: Texas' iconic burger chain turns 71. Here's a look back at Whataburger.

Using Google Trends search data, the studys authors said they uncovered some fascinating trends about beer-drinking in America.

People seem to be going with what they know, sticking to big brands like Natural Light, Michelob Ultra and Bud Light  all affordable, refreshing beverages for a hot summer afternoon, the authors said.

The authors added: With a global pandemic still simmering down, its no surprise that drinking has gone up over the past year. But stay-at-home orders havent increased American thirst alone. More and more Americans are also putting more effort into their hobbies, home decor, and DIY renovations."

When it comes to Americas favorite "trashy" beer, the Anheuser-Busch mega brewery and conglomerate was the winner. Natural Light, one of the parent companys flagship brands, flooded the map as the "trashy" beer of choice in 10 states.

Timothy.Fanning@express-news.net
Those who meet Felix D. Almaraz Jr. for the first time are struck by his voice and gentlemanly manner. Theyre from another century, though not the last one.

They may reflect his lifetime of work as a Texas historian who made the borderlands and the influence of the Spanish his intellectual project.

He started life on the citys South Side, where he graduated from South San Antonio High School and taught in Harlandale schools while pursuing his doctorate in history. He addressed his classes as my dear students.

He began teaching at the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1973, the first year the university offered classes. A tireless and productive scholar, he found time for historical re-enactments. He played the roles of a missionary and a Spanish royal officer in several iterations of the unfinished movie Texas Before the Alamo, on which he also served as historical adviser.

Now 87, Almaraz has retired a couple of times, though he has never really slowed down.

In 2011, he took his last bow at UTSA. Last month, he retired as chairman of the Bexar County Historical Commission with a colorful farewell at which he received a Hidalgo Award for 50 years of service to the county.

It was his second Hidalgo, which translates  appropriately  as noble or gentleman.

In 2005, a group of younger Texas historians published a book that explored Almarazs influence and body of work.

Its called Tejano Epic: Essays in Honor of Felix D. Almaraz Jr. Texas A&M University Press promoted it this way: Every now and then a scholar appears in the field of history whose outpouring of works earns them special tribute and homage.

Historian Andres Tijerina described the project as delightful, saying it provided new corrections and interpretations of previously distorted views of Tejano leaders, especially women.

All this might prompt someone else to lean back on a laurel or two.

Not Almaraz. Inactivity isnt on his agenda. He continues to hold a seat as a scholar-in-residence at St. Marys University and is about to publish his sixth book.

He has written 50 scholarly articles. His most recognized books may be Tragic Cavalier: Governor Manuel Salcedo of Texas, 1808-1813; Knight without Armor: Carlos E. Castaneda, a biography of the noted University of Texas historian; and The San Antonio Missions and their System of Land Tenure.

Hes working on a new book, an English-language translation of a diary kept by 18th-century Franciscan missionary Juan Agustin de Morfi. Published in Spanish in 1947, the diary contains more than 1,000 footnotes, Almaraz says.

Hes also engaged in a new project that will bear his name, the Almaraz Research Institute of Borderlands History and Culture. It has filed articles of incorporation and is seeking tax-exempt status.

Unlike other fledgling nonprofits, it wont ask for money. Thats bad form. Well tell people what we have in mind and will achieve it incrementally, he said.

It will contain some of Almarazs archives and manuscripts, published and unpublished. Three modest collections have been donated, including one on charros (traditional Mexican horsemen) and another on Mexican history.

The institute will be open to researchers. Almaraz will serve as a scholar in residence.

He looks back at the last half-century and has trouble finding highlights. Then he recalls a meeting in the mid-1980s with novelist James Michener, whose many works included the monumental Texas.

Michener asked him to explain the Spanish mission system. Almaraz obliged, and the discussion helped Michener create the fictional mission in his book.

Omar Valerio-Jimenez, associate professor of history at UTSA, is part of a new generation of scholars of Texas history and the borderlands.

He calls Almaraz a publishing dynamo. Though he held a more romanticized view of the missions than scholars of today, Valerio-Jimenez said that Almarazs work remains foundational.

He noted how Almaraz kept up a grueling schedule of publishing and teaching when he was part of a small cadre of Tejano historians in the academy.

Almaraz has been asked about his legacy and has turned down offers to make contributions to UTSA in exchange for a plaque bearing his name.

It didnt interest him.

When the late Dr. Alfonso Chiscano, a cultural ambassador who promoted ties between San Antonio and Spain, hosted a gathering in his honor, Almaraz heard former students talk about how hed influenced them.

They are my legacy, he said. Its what they do thats important.

Just like those Harlandale children who were impressed when their teacher called them my dear students.

eayala@express-news.net
Texas students, teachers and staffers return to the classroom after a year that many spent teaching and learning from home. But now, COVID-19 infection rates are skyrocketing and debate is raging about how best to keep everyone safe at school. Many are anxious about staying healthy.

These are critical conversations. But alongside our concerns for the future, we should recognize that returning to school will stir up the past. In our classrooms, we may meet not just our new classmates but a rush of feelings about all that we have suffered since March 2020.

When teachers meet our students, lets mention our feelings about returning to school when we introduce ourselves. Administrators can lead the way with age-appropriate guidelines for helping people process their emotions. And parents can ask their kids whats on their minds as they get ready for the new school year.

When we return to something like normal school, we may be ambushed by grief for all that we lost during the long months when we could not go to school together.

During the past year and a half, we have lost people. We may find empty offices and vacant chairs that belong to those who have passed away, lost their homes or become disabled. Those losses may feel real for the first time when we return to the place where those people used to be.

On ExpressNews.com: Judge allows San Antonio, Bexar County to issue mask mandate for schools, public buildings

We have also lost educational ground, especially among kids who were behind to begin with. Teachers worked tirelessly to offer a good learning experience for their students, only to feel at the end it had been inadequate and students had suffered. Students and parents struggled to access remote teaching materials, but without the in-person support of teachers and peers, comprehension and motivation languished.

And we have lost one another. One of the most deeply mourned casualties of remote teaching has been the companionship of the classroom. The presence of other people inspires us to do our best in a way that a Zoom screen cannot. We rely on one another to help us understand the material we are studying together, to inspire us to keep trying when we are discouraged, and to celebrate our success when we master something new.

No matter how successful we are this year in fostering high-quality face-to-face learning, in getting more people vaccinated to make school as safe as it can be and in spending time together to catch up on what we have missed, the losses of the past year cannot be erased.

And when we return to school, expecting to be the same people we were when we last attended normal school, we may find ourselves overwhelmed by feelings we did not even know we had.

We are more than ready to be done with the pandemic. We want to dump our masks, go back to regular life and forget the whole thing. But sorrow does not work like that. Sadness that we dont talk about doesnt go away. It festers beneath the surface. Our path back to normal lies not away from the sadness of the past year but through it.

I am a university professor, and I might cry the first time I re-enter a classroom full of students. If I do, I will talk with them about the joy, the grief and the loss that cause my tears. I will invite the students to share their own feelings about returning to in-person classes. We will learn, together, and be better for it.

This year more than ever, our feelings need a seat in the classroom.

Deborah Beck is an associate professor of classics at the University of Texas at Austin.
For the second consecutive year, COVID-19 has made the start of school a time of anxiety for parents trying to balance protecting their children with educating them.

Though the various school districts policies on virtual, in-person or hybrid learning differed last year when there was no vaccine, they were uniform in seeking to protect students with the twin shields of masks and social distancing.

This year, though, the fear weighed heavier on parents and teachers because of a toxic combination  the virus surge, driven by the delta variant; people who refuse to get vaccinated; children too young for vaccination; and Gov. Greg Abbotts refusal to allow local governments and school districts to enact a mask mandate.

On Tuesday, those fears were allayed when a Texas district judge granted the city of San Antonio and Bexar County a temporary restraining order, blocking Abbotts restriction on localities imposing mask mandates.

This is especially welcome news for parents in the North East Independent School District, who were still reeling from a message delivered to them from Superintendent Sean Maika.

On ExpressNews.com: Editorial: As hesitancy lingers, virus gets stronger

Especially striking a discordant chord were two paragraphs:

The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that everyone  vaccinated or not  wear masks indoors. However, it is your decision whether you or your child wears a mask in class or while on school property.

I have been asked why I am not encouraging face coverings. I am not making a mask recommendation because I do not feel it is my place to come between children and their parents. Think about a 5-year-old kindergarten student who comes to school, and the school staff is encouraging the use of masks. That child, who was taught to respect the teacher and wants to be a good student, turns around and asks the parent why the family is not wearing masks. The child, that is caught in the middle, and I will not do that.

Citing the mask recommendations of the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics but skirting from offering the same recommendation is cowardly and unbecoming of someone leading one of Texas largest school districts during a deadly pandemic. A district where, it was announced Tuesday, an employee whod attended an event with hundreds of teachers and staff Monday has tested positive for COVID-19.

Reasoning that its not your place to come between children and their parents is a failure in logic.

Consider this 5-year-old kindergarten student, the one Maika doesnt want caught between parents and school.

When the child turns 6, what if the parents dont send the child to school because they dont believe in education? Wouldnt the district come between the child and the parents to educate the child?

What if the child regularly uses profanity and racial epithets learned at home? Is it coming between parents and their child to teach that such language is wrong and is not allowed in school?

Do parents dictate NEISDs dress code?

Maikas and all Texas superintendents hands were tied by Abbotts refusal to rescind his executive order banning mask mandates.

On ExpressNews.com: Judge allows San Antonio, Bexar County to issue mask mandate for schools, public buildings

But Maika leads a district with 60,000 students on 70 campuses. Thats 70 petri dishes in which thousands of students are either unvaccinated because theyre too young or havent been allowed to get the shots by their parents.

For several hours a day, schools come between children and their parents because all understand  especially after a year of virtual learning  there are things schools do that parents cant or wont.

In the wake of the judges temporary restraining order, the Bexar County Health Authority issued a health directive requiring that masks be worn indoors by everyone, including students from pre-K to 12th grade, at all public schools and facilities.

NEISD announced it will comply with this directive.

The health authority is right. It is, after all, the place of wise and caring adults to come between children and COVID-19 by recommending they wear masks. Its the very least they can do.

Full disclosure: Editorial Page Editor Josh Brodeskys children attend NEISD. He recused himself from the writing and editing of this editorial.
WASHINGTON  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz blocked Senate Democrats attempts to pass voting rights legislation overnight, delivering a blow to Texas Democrats who had remained in D.C. to press the Senate to vote on the bills before leaving Washington for summer recess.

In a back-and-forth with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on the Senate floor around 3:30 a.m., the Texas Republican objected repeatedly as the New York Democrat sought consent for the Senate to consider a series of voting bills. Cruz denounced the legislation as a federal government takeover of elections and a massive power grab by Democrats.

The roughly 15-minute exchange effectively killed a weeks-long effort by Texas Democrats to force a vote on the bills, though Schumer vowed that voting rights would be the partys top priority when the Senate returns in September.

RELATED: Texas House authorizes arrests of no-show Democratic lawmakers

More than 50 Texas Democrats decamped to D.C. in mid-July to press the Senate to pass voting rights legislation. The Texans broke quorum in the House to stall new voting restrictions Republicans pushed in a special session. As many as two dozen Texas House members had remained in D.C. as a second special session began in Austin, with many saying they planned to stay until the voting rights legislation came up in the Senate.

When the moment came early Wednesday morning, Cruz quickly spiked it.

We have an unfortunate pattern in todays Congress, which is todays Democrats no longer believe in democracy, Cruz said as he railed against the legislation that he claimed is designed to prevent the voters from voting Democrats out of office.

The legislation, known as the For the People Act, would target virtually all of Texas existing voting restrictions. It would ban voter ID laws, institute automatic and same-day voter registration; and it would expand mail-in and early voting options.

Cruz also blocked bills aimed at preventing partisan gerrymandering and requiring additional campaign finance disclosures. Cruz instead offered his own bill to end federal limits on campaign contributions and Schumer objected.

Republicans oppose the voting bills and they would have easily blocked them. Cruz happened to be the senator to object.

Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

In the dead of last night, Cancun Cruz killed critical federal voting rights legislation in the Senate, state Rep. Ron Reynolds, a Fort Bend Democrat who had stayed in D.C., said in a statement, referring to Cruzs family vacation during the deadly Texas freeze in February.

And this morning, Texas Republicans are out hunting down our legislators for simply standing for Texans right to vote, he said. The assault on our democracy has never been more dangerous than it is right now. We need federal legislation now.

The move by Cruz sparked renewed calls from civil rights groups for Democrats to amend or do away with the filibuster, something moderates in the party oppose.

They must outline a path forward to ensuring our freedom to vote, and not let an arcane Senate rule impede progress, Wade Henderson, interim president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said in a statement. Our voices and demands for federal legislation that will help realize the promise of our democracy will not be silenced.

Schumer said voting rights are now the partys top priority after passing a massive infrastructure package on Tuesday. He announced the Senate would consider a compromise voting rights bill when it returns from recess in September. He said the party will rally around the trimmed-down version of the legislation that a group of Senate Democrats have been hashing out over the last couple of weeks.

Still, Republicans can easily filibuster that legislation, even if it has the support of every Democrat.

Even on an issue as sacred as the right to vote, Senate Republicans refuse to allow even a debate. Theyre afraid to debate it, Schumer said. Republicans refusing to support anything on voting rights is not an excuse for Democrats to do nothing.

Texas Democrats were not conceding defeat, however, as Democratic leaders in the House announced lawmakers would be called back from recess later this month  weeks before they originally planned. At that time, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said they will likely vote on another massive elections bill, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

That bill would restore parts of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court has chipped away in recent years, including provisions that require changes to voting laws in states like Texas to get approval from the U.S. Justice Department before going into effect.

Texas Democrats cheered the development as a sign that their push in D.C. was effective.

There is no question that Texas House Democrats hard work the last month has accelerated the timeline in Washington and sparked a renewed sense of urgency, state Rep. Chris Turner, who chairs the Democratic caucus, said in a statement. We will keep fighting with everything we have to stop Republicans from undermining our democracy.

ben.wermund@chron.com
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Taiwanese author Iris Chiang hardly seems like the type whose work would be banned from publication in China. Yet four years after being sold to a Chinese publisher, her book teaching children how to appreciate art has yet to go to press, a victim of heightened tensions between China and Taiwan that are spilling over into the cultural sphere.

Its not just about losing access to the huge Chinese market, authors and publishers say. Its also about losing opportunities to exchange and connect, after three decades of growing contact between the two. In recent years, China has cut the flow of Chinese tourists and students to Taiwan and blocked its artists from taking part in Taiwans Golden Horse and Golden Melody awards, regarded as the Oscars and Grammys for Chinese-language movies and music.

It feels like in these few years, the flow of exchange is diverging. Taiwan is going further in one direction and China is going farther in one direction, said James Chao, head of the China Times Publishing group, one of the largest publishers in Taiwan. Its getting farther and farther apart.

China claims Taiwan, a self-governing island about 160 kilometers (100 miles) off Chinas east coast, as its territory. The election of Tsai Ing-wen, who favors Taiwans current de facto independence, as the islands president in 2016 ushered in a period of deteriorating relations. China has tried to isolate the island diplomatically and pressure it militarily.

While Chinas ruling Communist Party has long banned books on sensitive issues from religion to the lives of Chinese political leaders, Taiwanese publishers previously sold a wide variety of other books to the mainland, drawing on a shared language and cultural history.

Exchanges in publishing is really the exchange of ideas, said Linden Lin, the head of Linking Publishing Co. in Taiwan. Its only through publishing that you can have this type of exchange.

Now, any Taiwanese book has become harder to publish in China, according to editors, academics, publishers and authors. It is not a blanket ban, and publishers blame self-censorship by their mainland counterparts rather than any official order.

Titles that have been frozen out include a Taiwanese-Japanese fusion cookbook, a self-help book and a book of travel sketches from a Taiwanese artists travels in Beijing that featured cats roaming the citys traditional hutong neighborhoods.

One sticking point is any content that suggests a separate Taiwanese identity. Younger Taiwanese in particular have developed a distinct identity. A 2020 poll found that two-thirds of the respondents didnt think of themselves as Chinese.

In the past, they would censor books about religion.  But for example if a books topic is Taiwans food then thats fine, said Rosine Liu, an editor at Taiwans Business Weekly, who previously sold two cookbooks by a Taiwanese author to China. But now I feel like now if its called Taiwan Cuisine, even thats a little stressful.

The soft-spoken Chiang thought she would market her book, Play with Art, toward prosperous parents in China, where the government was encouraging many people to have more kids  a fact she learned from one of her students from the mainland.

Things went smoothly with the Chinese publisher at first. At their request, she agreed to change one chapter that used examples from art museums in Taiwan. A Chinese writer would substitute a chapter based on museums in China.

Then the other side went silent, she said. When she reached out more than a year later, she was told the review process was slower than normal.

After we got a new president, the response from the other side  the harshness of the situation and the unfriendliness  has created a lot of tedious things that make it inconvenient to have an exchange, Chiang said.

Thats in sharp contrast to the 1980s and 1990s, when Chinese readers were drawn to Taiwanese writers such as Lung Ying-tai, whose essays contributed to the debate on Taiwans transformation from one-party rule to democracy. Sanmao, a Taiwanese writer who wrote stories about her life in the Sahara desert, captured a generation of Chinese womens hearts.

There was also curiosity about the most basic things, after the two were cut off for decades following their split in 1949 during a civil war in China.

Back then, relations were good and it seemed like there was a mood in China that they really wanted to understand Taiwan, Chiang said. What kind of fruit do you guys eat? Whats your art like? Whats your life like? How do you celebrate New Years? These small things in life.

Now, Taiwanese are also sensitive to the heightened tensions, highlighted by debate last year over a childrens book from China. Waiting for Dad to Come Home, about a boy whose father was out of town during the Lunar New Year holiday treating COVID-19 patients, paints a rosy picture of Chinas efforts to fight the pandemic.

Some in Taiwan argued China was using the islands open environment to spread propaganda. But a government proposal to vet books from the mainland prompted criticism that the island would be falling back on authoritarian habits.

If we say we are afraid that the people will see fake news, that I will help them filter information  then how can you call this democracy? said Lai Hsiang-wai, a professor of press freedom at National Taiwan University of Arts.

The government dropped the proposal, saying it would only censor books published by the Communist Party or its military, the Peoples Liberation Army.

Liu, the editor, said it was never a purely commercial exchange for her. She enjoyed meeting her mainland counterparts at book fairs and learning about their way of doing things. In the current political climate, these very basic human moments of exchange, which had helped people forge a connection to each other, have disappeared.

For me, in this harsh environment, you will also shrink yourself, because that type of cooperation is mutual, said Liu. Because in the end we are all still carrying this burden of country and this burden of history.

___

This story corrects the name of Taiwan's film awards to Golden Horse instead of Golden Rooster.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, as schools return from summer break amid growing concerns about the highly contagious delta variant, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday.

The new policy applies to both public and private schools and will affect more than 800,000 employees, including about 320,000 public school teachers and a host of support staff such as cafeteria workers and cleaners, the state Department of Public Health said. It will also apply to school volunteers.

Newsom announced the new policy at a San Francisco Bay Area school that reopened earlier this week to in-person classes. Many California schools are back in session, with others starting in the coming weeks.

We think this is the right thing to do, and we think this is a sustainable way to keeping our schools open and to address the number one anxiety that parents like myself have for young children, said Newsom, who is a father of four. That is knowing that the schools are doing everything in their power to keep our kids safe.

Several large school districts in the state have issued similar requirements in recent days, including San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Long Beach Unified.

California, like the rest of the country, has seen a troubling surge in COVID-19 infections because of the delta variant, which represents the vast majority of new cases. It has affected children more than previous strains of the virus, prompting a growing number of teachers unions to ease earlier opposition to vaccine mandates.

Californias two largest teachers unions, both powerful political allies to the governor, said Wednesday they fully supported Newsoms policy.

The California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers both cited state and national polling that indicates nearly 90% of educators have been vaccinated but said the rising spread of the delta variant, particularly among children, makes the new policy necessary. Children under 12 are not yet eligible to be vaccinated.

Educators want to be in classrooms with their students, and the best way to make sure that happens is for everyone who is medically eligible to be vaccinated, with robust testing and multi-tiered safety measures, CTA President E. Toby Boyd said in a statement.

While Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced last week that all Department of Education staffers would be required to disclose their vaccination status or face weekly testing, Californias order is far more sweeping, applying to all staff who work in both public and private schools in the country's most populous state.

Over the past few weeks, Newsom has mandated that all health care workers must be fully vaccinated and required that all state employees get vaccinated or choose weekly testing. The weekly testing schedule is based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For schools, Newsom had already issued a mask mandate that applies to teachers and students. But until Wednesday, he had left the decision of whether to require vaccines up to local districts.

Vaccine mandates are perilous for the Democratic governor, who faces a recall election next month fueled in part by anger over his handling of the pandemic.

California was the first state to order a pandemic lockdown in March 2020, which shuttered businesses and schools statewide. While many private schools maintained in-person classes, most public schools kept students in distance learning for up to a year. Newsom faced intense political pressure to reopen schools from Republican opponents and supporters who urged him to override powerful labor unions. Many public schools finally reopened last spring, lagging much of the country.

Newsom pushed for a full return to in-person learning this fall. But his mask mandate for schools has angered some parents and been criticized by Republican candidates vying to replace him.

Several of the GOP candidates criticized the new plan Wednesday. Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who has encouraged everyone to get vaccinated, said state officials should not be pushing uniform statewide orders on every school district across the state but should leave it to local districts.

Details of how the new policy will be enforced were not announced. Labor unions say those logistics still need to be worked out.

Matthew Hardy, a spokesman for the California Federation of Teachers, said the union supports the plan that allows an option for testing.

We do not think people should lose their jobs over this, he said.

Schools are required to be in full compliance with the new policy by Oct. 15, giving schools time to verify vaccination status and have in place weekly testing for unvaccinated staff, said Amelia Matier, a spokeswoman in the governors office.

Newsom did not rule out expanding the requirement to students after a vaccine is approved for children under 12 years old.

Well consider all options in the future, he said, in response to a question. We believe this is a meaningful first step.

___

Ronayne reported from Sacramento, California.
NEW YORK (AP)  The threat of impeachment helped push New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign. But with Tuesday's announcement that he would step down in two weeks, it remained an open question whether state lawmakers could nevertheless push ahead with impeachment proceedings and try to bar him from future statewide office.

Just as questions swirled over the second impeachment of former President Donald Trump in his final days in office, there is uncertainty over the practicality of trying to impeach the three-term Democrat partly over allegations he sexually harassed at least 11 women.

Some legal and political experts said that while people still may be interested in a process that holds Cuomo accountable, it is unclear whether lawmakers would have either the political will or the legal authority to impeach him on his way out the door.

Im not sure what the purpose of impeachment is. Impeachment is to remove him from office, said Bennett Gershman, a law professor at Pace University. Hes got to be impeached and then then convicted by the Senate, and thats a lot of work, a lot of hours. You'd think that these New York state representatives have better things to do than sit in judgment of a governor whos already resigned.

Although he has apologized for some of his behavior with women, Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing.

A lightning-round effort to impeach Cuomo before he leaves seems unlikely. The state Assembly's Judiciary Committee  the first stop for any impeachment matter  has been exploring whether there are grounds to impeach him since March, examining the harassment allegations but also other issues, like the governor's handling of COVID deaths in nursing homes.

After Cuomo announced his plan to resign, the committee said it intended to finish that inquiry before deciding how to proceed. Its next meeting is set for Monday. In the meantime, the committee has asked lawyers to look into whether impeachment could move forward.

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who will succeed Cuomo, declined to weigh in on the matter during a press conference Wednesday.

The end result  Cuomo out of office  is already a certainty, said Assembly Judiciary Committee Chair Charles Lavine, a Democrat.

Impeachment itself is going to be moot. Its not going to be meaningful, Lavine said, unless to "prohibit him from ever again occupying statewide office.

The state Legislature  both chambers are controlled by Democrats  would have to muster the political will to quickly move forward with impeachment hearings, Gershman said, and would only do so as a punitive act to bar Cuomo from again seeking state office and possibly strip him of the perks accorded to elected officials who leave under normal circumstances.

I think that scenario is incredibly unlikely, said Ross Garber, an attorney who has represented four recent U.S. governors facing impeachment proceedings in their respective states.

His reading of state law is that a person must be in office at the time of impeachment, citing discussions in 1853 by the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

But that interpretation has never been tested. Only once before has a New York governor been impeached. In 1913, during the states notorious Tammany Hall era, Gov. William Sulzer was impeached  just 10 months after being sworn in.

It would take a simple majority of the Assembly to advance articles of impeachment to the High Court of Impeachment, which comprises members of the Senate and the state's highest court. To convict, two-thirds of the impeachment court must agree.

But the state constitution doesn't spell out much else, including the grounds for impeachment.

Now the guys resigned and you want to impeach him, and you have to define his offenses as impeachable to do it, and that has a precedential consequence, said Gerald Benjamin, a longtime scholar and expert on New York state government. Are you defining only those things he did as impeachable, or are you defining all impeachable things, one of which is what he did?

He agreed that its unclear if lawmakers can impeach a governor whos resigned.

Theres very little in the Constitution about impeachment, and the language is really quite vague, added Richard Rifkin, who has worked in state government for 40 years, including in the attorney generals office and as a special counsel to former Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

There really isnt any definitive precedent to say that you may or may not continue with the impeachment after the removal, Rifkin said. If you spoke to a number of lawyers, you could very well get different answers, and nobody would be wrong.

Six Republican members of the Assemblys Judiciary Committee said in a statement that they wanted the body's impeachment investigation to continue.

The people of the state of New York deserve a full, public disclosure of the information obtained during our search for the truth," they said.

The director of the Working Families Party, an influential progressive group that has feuded with Cuomo, also called for the impeachment process to continue.

Resignation is not accountability, and we urge the Legislature to continue with impeachment proceedings so that Andrew Cuomo is never again elevated to a position of power, party director Sochie Nnaemeka said.

Trump's second impeachment proceeded in near-lightning speed, just a week after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that triggered it. A month later, three weeks after Trump left office, Democrats in the U.S. Senate failed to muster the requisite votes to convict him.

There doesn't seem to be the same kind of political urgency with Cuomo.

The pressure has been for Cuomo to resign from the beginning, that was what everybody has been talking about from President Biden on down, Gershman said.

As it stands, Cuomo would anyway have at least 30 days to mount a defense against any articles of impeachment  meaning the outcome wouldn't be known until long after he's left office.

___

Associated Press writer Marina Villeneuve contributed to this report from Albany, New York.
The practice of wearing masks indoors has already begun in earnest because of Gov. Ned Lamonts executive order for universal masking at least until Sept. 30. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recently changed its stance from only having unvaccinated people wear masks to universal masking in schools due to the impact of the delta variant.

And schools are where Id like to focus this week. Our Fairfield Schools will enforce the governors order for all students during the first crucial month of school. While Fairfield University and Sacred Heart officials havent commented publicly about the masking order, my sense is that the two colleges will honor the mandate also.

Last week, since I was still teaching a summer high school program at Sacred Heart  where we required all students to wear masks  I had no problem when we were asked to mask up again for our last sessions of school. We had already begun the masking practice again at our Fairfield University Bookstore.

I applaud our Fairfield school officials for requiring masks, even if it is for the short term, because the practice should at least ease our teachers and parents minds and show that the district wants to put our children first. And while there are no guarantees of complete prevention, I do believe that the inconvenience of wearing a mask far outweighs potential future consequences.

The charter school where I teach reading has also continued the practice of masking for students and teachers, which was established at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. That practice will likely be in place indefinitely, especially as our new school year gets underway.

Much of this re-masking practice in Connecticut communities revolves around concerns about the delta variant of COVID-19  the fast-moving, highly contagious strain of the original virus, which allegedly could be spread more rapidly by unvaccinated individuals.

My belief remains that wearing a mask to ward off exposure to COVID-19 and the delta variant is the safest practice to follow for vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals. As we heard throughout the pandemic from the medical community, wearing masks can better resist the airborne particles that will spread this virus.

Certainly, other recommended prevention practices like proper handwashing, social distancing and avoiding large crowds indoors has definitely worked over the past year and a half. And President Joe Biden in an Aug. 10 press conference, reaffirmed that the vaccine is reducing the spread of the illness.

What Ive been pleased to see over the past 17 months is a lot of improvement in the quality of masks. Recently, some adults coming into the bookstore are wearing clear masks and there seem to be more safe and medically acceptable masks being made with breathable material that will still provide protection.

The high school students in our summer program rarely complained about wearing masks. At times, I had to ask students to speak up or lower their masks if they were making a presentation, but they mostly recognized that these actions were in their best interests .

In addition to believing that re-masking, especially in our schools is critical to the safety of our children, I think that being vaccinated is equally important. Fairfield Health Director Sands Cleary said in a Aug. 6 Hearst Connecticut Media article that, a higher vaccination rate among students and staff will help keep everyone in person, as well as provide some protection for those who cant be vaccinated.

At the time he said about 64 percent of Fairfields total population is vaccinated with 58 percent of 12-15 year olds vaccinated and 65 percent of 16 to 44-year olds vaccinated.

Current statistics about new COVID cases in hospitals seem to point toward those who are unvaccinated being more at risk for catching the illness and possibly spreading it. And other statistics indicate that even those who are vaccinated might still be contagious. In either case, I think we all need to continue being careful, especially in our schools.

On the subject of vaccines, I strongly agree with Nancy Alderman, president of Environment and Human Health, Inc., which is based in North Haven. In her Aug. 10 opinion piece for Hearst Connecticut Media, she said, If people continue to view not getting vaccinated as a simple personal choice and refuse to get vaccinated, the variants will continue to develop, and science has no way of knowing where it will end up or how the country will be able to deal with it.

As Victor Hugo wrote,, The Liberty of one citizen ends where the liberty of another citizen begins...Or, a simpler way to say the same thing: Your rights end where the rights of others begin, she wrote.

Amen to that. I would never speak for others, but I am vaccinated and have every intention of following Gov. Lamonts mask order at least through Sept. 30. I can only hope others will follow suit.

Steven Gaynes is a Fairfield writer, and his In the Suburbs appears each Friday. He can be reached at stevengaynes44@gmail.com.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  The incoming and outgoing New Mexico education secretaries on Wednesday launched the fall semester with appearances at a high school pep rally packed with around 1,000 mask-wearing teenagers as top health officials issued another plea to residents to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

Ahead of the rally, students talked and hugged. One friend jumped into anothers arms.

Inside, they were seated next to one another on the bleachers as they participated in a chant session with the principal and with Kurt Steinhaus, who will become public education secretary next week after Ryan Stewart leaves the post.

Show up, it matters, Steinhaus said, leading the chant of the same phrase at Highland High School in Albuquerque.

Steinhaus and school officials were upbeat, highlighting that the students in attendance had overcome much adversity over the past year.

But there will likely be more ahead.

State Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase and Dr. Christine Ross, the state epidemiologist, warned that confirmed COVID-19 case counts this week are 10 times higher than just four weeks ago. They also noted during a briefing with reporters that the positivity rate  which is the percentage of positive cases among those who are tested  is more than three times higher than it was in early July.

Its the rapid rise that has caught us by surprise and is quite alarming, Ross said.

Health officials pointed to modeling that showed New Mexico will likely see around 1,000 new infections a day by the end of the month and that those new infections will likely mean more hospitalizations and deaths in the weeks after that.

They also cited studies that have shown vaccinated people can become infected and spread the virus to others.

This is a real thing. It changes how we think about things, Scrase said, adding that masks, hand-washing, social distancing and avoiding large crowds still work to prevent infection.

Scrase and Ross also shared models that showed reductions in the number of daily cases are possible if all students and staff are required to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.

Statewide, about 40% of youth ages 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated. Thats far lower than the 65% inoculation rate among New Mexicos adults.

Albuquerque Public Schools promoted vaccines to parents and students and hosted clinics on campuses this spring and summer, but many students still dont have shots. Similar efforts were made in Las Cruces.

Among the immediate challenges for Steinhaus is keeping children in New Mexicos public school system after enrollment dropped about 4% last year.

Statistics show that the state's growth in homeschooling drove the enrollment decline amid high demand for teen workers across the U.S. The resurgence of the COVID-19 virus threatens to keep enrollment down.

Most school districts have adopted some version of the state's mask mandates as classes resume. However, there is an ongoing legal battle with members of the Floyd school board who were recently suspended by the Public Education Department for making masks optional. The rural district serves about 225 students.

Lawyers for the board members filed a motion Wednesday in state district court seeking to rescind the suspensions and to request a hearing on the matter. They contend the state has overstepped its authority.

___

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.
To the editor,

I became a survivor of gun violence in 2005 when my parents, Tim and Kim Donnelly were shot and killed in our family jewelry store in Fairfield. Like the 37,000 annual American gun deaths, theirs was preventable. The gun violence epidemic can be solved  if we elect passionate and dedicated legislators who will always prioritize saving human lives.

Alexis Gevanter is this leader. I have worked alongside her for several years advocating for gun safety legislation. In her role as Connecticuts state chapter lead, I watched her tirelessly and unapologetically advocate for what she believes in. She has dedicated countless hours to working with legislators on both sides of the aisle to find common ground in helping to pass life saving legislation.

As a survivor who cares deeply about keeping all Americans safe, I fully support Alexis Gevanter for Connecticuts 36th Senate District

Tara Donnelly

Easton
Part One of a Two-Part Series (Part Two Here)

The national racial reckoning over reparations and critical race theory is taking over the world of medicine and health care. Prestigious medical journals, top medical schools and elite medical centers are adopting the language of social justice activism and vowing to confront systemic racism, dismantle structural violence and disrupt white supremacy in their institutional cultures.

Some activist physicians describe the present-day health care system with such ominous terms as a medical caste system or medical apartheid, the latter locution taken from the title of a 2007 book about Americas history of medical experimentation on enslaved blacks and freedmen.

Modern American medicine has historical roots in scientific racism and eugenics movements, according to a February article in the New England Journal of Medicine titled How Structural Racism Works  Racist Policies as a Root Cause of U.S. Racial Health Inequities. Black communities became medical training grounds and a source of profit, reinforcing the American medical caste system that we have today.

Rare is the doctor who is willing to publicly question claims of white privilege and implicit bias in the healthcare system, and already several doctors who have publicly pushed back have been demoted and have filed legal actions alleging retaliation. This year the medical profession received an unequivocal message when two editors of the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association resigned under pressure over a podcast that aired opinions expressing skepticism that the United States is plagued by systemic racism.

While racialized politics has infused every corner of American life, the moral stakes in the health care arena go far beyond, say, the perceived slights called microaggressions. The medical literature, lately drawing on critical race theory, depicts the health care industry itself as a historical source of illness in  and even killing of  black and brown bodies. That would make medicine analogous to policing and criminal justice, the other social institutions directly blamed for maiming and murdering black people.

During the last year, more than 200 governmental bodies and private institutions have declared racism a public health care crisis, a step that potentially clears the way for taking more aggressive action to protect public health by hiring more black doctors, academics, administrators and editors as caretakers and gatekeepers.

If for no other reason than atonement  addressing racial equity is a just cause for academic medicine," Clyde Yancy, chief of cardiology and vice dean for diversity and inclusion at Northwestern Universitys Feinberg School of Medicine, wrote last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA, in a piece titled Academic Medicine and Black Lives Matter.

What exists today as the infrastructure for scientific discovery and medicine reflects structural racism that has evolved from a biased, stained, and oppressive history against Black individuals, Yancy wrote. All physicians, and particularly those in academic medicine, can and should address racial equality and engage with Black Lives Matter because atonement matters.

The movement is just beginning reshape the practice of medicine, but a primary assumption is that white doctors and institutions are pervaded with unconscious bias, and that black doctors, who are significantly underrepresented in the profession, would provide better care to black patients. But because black students typically get lower scores and lower grades, increasing the ranks of African American and other minority practitioners would likely require moving away from a reliance on conventional measures of academic qualification, such as undergraduate grades and standardized test scores.

According to this line of reasoning, grades and scores may not be a reliable measure of future potential for underrepresented minority groups because such students must first overcome an array of obstacles and challenges  from biased teachers to unprepared parents  to catch up to their more privileged white classmates, according to a piece written by a trio of black physicians in the New England Journal of Medicine last year.

Ultimately, physicians skill and quality are defined by the care they provide to patients over the span of a career  a value that no three-digit test score can anticipate, the New England Journal piece states.

Efforts to improve health outcomes for black patients are advancing on many fronts. They include a Boston hospital pilot project to offer preferential admissions to non-white patients for heart care; prioritizing non-whites for COVID-19 vaccinations; and the changing of a United States Medical Licensing Examination test from a graded score to pass/fail to help minority students succeed.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is adding a diversity requirement for accrediting U.S. residency and fellowship programs for newly minted doctors; and Northwestern University and its Feinberg School of Medicine are seeking to improve diversity by eliminating a six-decade-old Honors Program in Medical Education.

Medical schools are adding units on critical race theory, intersectionality, implicit bias, identity, oppression, allyship, power and privilege to their curricula. Medical students are learning about medical exploitation and medical experimentation on enslaved blacks, black prisoners and other unwitting subjects. And staple reading assignments in med schools feature such non-medical polemics as Robin DiAngelos White Fragility and Ibram X. Kendis How to Be an Antiracist.

This year alone, six state medical boards have added a requirement for training in antiracism, implicit bias or cultural competency for doctors in some practice areas to be eligible for a medical license, raising the total to 13 jurisdictions that require such training; eight other board are reviewing such proposals, according to the Federation of State Medical Boards.

All of this comes at a time when medical schools are experiencing dramatic changes on the gender front as well, where it is becoming customary for medical professionals to announce their gender pronouns as a matter of standard etiquette, and some medical schools are replacing the phrase pregnant women with birthing people in the interest of inclusiveness. Indeed, the issues of race and gender are intersectionally linked in the world of social justice advocacy, and some anti-racist and equity manifestos include a sex and gender platform, such as adding more chest binders and gender-affirming practices, reducing heteronormative bias, and advocating for LGBTQIA2S+ causes.

These efforts, which have been building for years, seem to be moving the needle. Medical school applications from black and Hispanic students surged between 2013 and 2020, according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. As a result, black students accounted for 9.5% of all first-year med students in 2020, up from 7% in 2013, while first-year students identifying as Hispanic jumped to 12% from 9.1% over the same period.

Meanwhile, the percentage of white medical students is diminishing. The 2019-20 academic year marked the first time that self-identified whites accounted for less than half of the nations medical students.

The public health profession has long been in the vanguard of seeing medicine as a social science and politics as medicine on a grand scale. Last year, at a time when public gatherings were discouraged or banned to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, more than 1,200 public health officials signed a letter last year encouraging public participation in mass protests in support of Black Lives Matter.

"This should not be confused with a permissive stance on all gatherings, particularly protests against stay-home orders," the petition states. "Those actions not only oppose public health interventions, but are also rooted in white nationalism and run contrary to respect for Black lives."

Such developments trouble skeptics worried about the repercussions for patient care and for the training of physicians. They say the moral fervor reduces complex policy to simplistic slogans and indiscriminately blames all racial disparities on a nebulous menace  white supremacy or systemic racism  while discounting the influence of cultural differences and individual initiative. It then attacks the perceived problem through blunt weapons as such racial preferences, ideological conformity and emotional blackmail.

The fundamental problem with social justice in public health is that there are no limiting principles to it, American Enterprise Institute senior fellow and author Sally Satel wrote in the journal Liberties this year.

Differences of any kind  in income, education, school performance, and, of course, health  are manifestations of racism and racism alone, Satel wrote. The practice of equity, the enactment of critical race theory, permits, if not endorses, unequal treatment of the dominant group in order to arrive at equal group outcomes, even if it is to the detriment of ailing individuals.

Satel is among those who doubt equity is attainable, given the complex underlying factors that shape human health. But some medical ethics experts are pushing in the other direction and going so far as to argue that equalizing group outcomes between blacks and whites may necessitate tolerating a greater loss of life.

Whose Hippocratic Oath Is It?

The medical ethics quandary tests the foundational principle of medicine itself, the Hippocratic Oath, by which doctors take a vow to "do no harm." In the current cultural moment in which critical race theory is upending long-held assumptions about colorblindness, bioethics experts are reassessing the traditional understanding of harm and healing in ways that would have been unthinkable in the past.

For these reasons, the skeptics see the profession swept up in a moral panic and headed for a massive over-correction, while advocates see the stakes for minority patients in life-and-death terms.

Its a very ideological approach to things: People are going to die, so you have to agree with everything I say. And if you disagree with it, you want people to die apparently,  said William Jacobson, clinical professor of law at Cornell Law School and president of the Legal Insurrection Foundation, which runs the conservative websites legalinsurrection.com and criticalrace.org.

And it also is extremely lucrative for consultants and administrators who have a vested interested in perpetuating the problem and these efforts, said Jacobson, who is involved in litigation against SUNY Upstate Medical University for internal communications related to the schools planned equity strategy.

Lurking just under the surface of this debate is the sensitive question no one wants to discuss on the record: the quality of med students and doctors who have lower test scores and worse grades, and presumably would not have been admitted if not for affirmative action. Thats an issue broached by Norman Wang, a University of Pittsburgh cardiologist whose peer-reviewed article questioning the legality of racial preferences was, four months after publication, retracted, leading to Wangs demotion and public denunciation by his employer and by the journal that initially saw fit to run his article.

Long-term academic solutions and excellence should not be sacrificed for short-term demographic optics, Wang wrote in the article. Ultimately, all who aspire to a profession in medicine and cardiology must be assessed as individuals on the basis of their personal merits, not their racial and ethnic identities.

In last years JAMA piece, Yancy acknowledged the racial reckoning will require a period of trial and error.

What works is simply not clear, Yancy wrote. In the haste to achieve racial equity in medicine, many are rushing to embrace the same strategies: implicit bias testing; bias mitigation seminars; cluster hiring of diverse faculty members; eliminating any evidence of race-based medicine from curricula; hiring of chief diversity officers; no longer reporting race in research reports."

A more detailed sampling of several recent anti-racist initiatives shows the radical character of the transformation within the medical profession that is now underway.

The American Medical Association, the nations premier professional group with more than 270,000 member doctors, in May announced a racial justice strategy that would encourage all physicians to develop a critical consciousness and align with anti-oppressive and anti-racist praxis to dismantle what it described as white patriarchy and other systems of oppression. The AMA seeks to promote the invisible-ized collective narratives of black, Latinx, LGBTQ+ and other historically marginalized physicians and patients.

The AMAs 86-page strategic plan endorses critical race theory, intersectionality and equity as core elements of a medical school education. Consistent with those doctrines, the AMAs equity strategy repudiates equal treatment and meritocracy, denouncing them as malignant, white supremacist ideologies that serve to obscure true power and site of responsibility. The AMA condemns the detrimental effects of colonization, racial capitalism, and enduring forms of supremacism that contribute to a persistent cycle of structural violence.

The State University of New Yorks Upstate Medical University, in Syracuse, founded in 1834 and employing more nearly 11,000 people, last year assembled a diversity task force to advance the herculean task of eradicating racial health disparities. The task forces first recommendation: the creation of implementation and oversight Tiger Teams  echoing a term deployed by NASA in 1970 for the Apollo 13 space mission  to oversee and prioritize 65 proposed action items.

Among the 164-page task force reports charges: Health care professionals must explicitly acknowledge that race and racism are at the root of these health disparities. All students and staff are to receive training in bystander intervention for bias, all new faculty hires would be required to sign a written pledge affirming a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and staff with advanced training in anti-racism would be identified by wearable buttons. Medical school applications would add questions about the applicants commitment to social justice, and include a statement that if the student does not have this desire they may not want to consider [SUNY] Upstate.

WhiteCoats4BlackLives, a medical student organization that has grown to some 75 chapters out of the National White Coat Die-In demonstrations in 2014, represents up-and-coming leaders in the medical profession. The organization supports the Palestinian liberation movement, advocates the abolition of police forces, and urges medical schools to research the backgrounds of their founders and leaders for racist and oppressive pasts. WC4BLs 289-page report from 2019 says the med school curriculum must explicitly teach that it is the dominant groups pursuit of power that contributes to illness. Among the groups policy proposals: Medical schools must eliminate racial grading disparities, compensate community advocates and people of color for anti-racist activism, and equip physicians-in-training with tools to dismantle systemic racism, including training in activism and organizing.

Origins of a Movement

What has led up to this point? One place to start is the voluminous research on racial health disparities and the grim picture this body of work depicts. The 1985 Heckler Report, a nine-volume study issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, officially called the Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Black and Minority Health, reported a five-year difference in life expectancy between blacks and whites, and double the infant mortality rate for blacks compared to whites -- disparities that are similar to this day. The federal governments first study of the black-white health gap noted 59,000 black deaths a year caused by the disparities.

A 2003 report commissioned by the U.S. Congress and produced by the Institute of Medicine (since renamed to the National Academy of Medicine) referred to some 600 studies on racial disparities over the previous three decades. The 700-plus-page report, called Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care, said black patients are less likely to receive appropriate cardiac medication, coronary artery bypass surgery, hemodialysis, kidney transplantation, pediatric care and many surgical procedures  even when accounting for variations in insurance status, income, age and other factors.

Unequal Treatment reported that black Medicare patients were more likely to receive overly aggressive treatment in several procedures: bilateral orchiectomy (i.e., castration) and amputation. Yancy said those two disparities hold true today.

The report found that racial and ethnic minority patients were more likely to refuse treatment, but the refusal rates among African Americans are generally small and that minority patient refusal does not fully explain healthcare disparities.

The 2003 report sounds presciently contemporary in its bleak assessment of the status quo.

These studies illustrate that much of American social and economic life remains ordered by race and ethnicity, with minorities disadvantaged relative to whites, the report said. The report also provided one of the axioms of systemic racism: There is considerable empirical evidence that even well-meaning whites who are not overtly biased and who do not believe that they are prejudiced typically demonstrate unconscious implicit negative racial attitudes and stereotypes.

A 2016 study on disparate pain treatment said that half of white medical students and residents have false and fantastical beliefs that black people have a higher pain tolerance. The study was seeking an explanation for why black patients are less likely to receive opioids for pain treatment or to receive lower doses, a pattern that holds even for children.

A 2019 study, referencing more than 300 papers on racial health disparities, noted that the racial outcomes are impervious to social class: At every level of education and income, African Americans have a lower life expectancy at age 25 than do whites and Hispanics (or Latinos), and blacks with a college degree or more education have a lower life expectancy than do whites and Hispanics who graduated from high school.

For the past quarter-century, public health experts had accepted a general explanation for these disparities  attributing them to social determinants of health  a term that covers living conditions and socioeconomic factors that ultimately determine ones life expectancy. But these social determinants existed somewhere out in the world, beyond the scope of doctors, and the medical solutions seemed speculative, unknown or ultimately unknowable.

Seizing On an Invisible Force

Over time, public health researchers began attributing the racial disparities with growing insistence to an anterior cause  an invisible force operating within American society, ranging from unconscious bias to policing patterns and even to the practice of medicine itself. In other words: systemic racism. Framing the disparities as the result of social determinants of health left the medical profession powerless  for how can a health care provider treat a patient suffering from social conditions? But zeroing in on systemic racism has thrown open the doors to a whole new set of interventions, which translate into the anti-racism movement now sweeping through the medical profession.

Its the thing that causes the adverse impact of social determinants of health on specific communities, said Matthew Wynia, a University of Colorado professor of medicine and director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities. To just say its because they live in bad neighborhoods, that is not a full explanation. This is all about 400 years of history.

Wynia said there are only a handful of possible explanations for why black people have consistently worse health outcomes: bad genetics, irresponsible behavior, individual racism on the part of whites, or social structures. Wynia said the first two explanations  bad genes and bad choices  are the very definitions of racism, and individual white racists do exist but within the context of a larger problem: Societal factors have got to be the favorite there.

Satel agreed that increasing the ranks of the nations African American doctors and other practitioners would be a welcome development, especially if these doctors, physicians assistants, and nurse practitioners dedicated themselves to serving poor communities that have a shortage of doctors and clinics. She said a higher level of doctor-patient trust would very likely increase compliance with taking medications and following doctors orders.

But a common question that comes up is: What can a doctor or a hospital do to alleviate health conditions caused by substandard housing or a failing school system? How does diagnosing medical conditions with political theories guide a doctor in treating a patient? There is no single answer, but one advocate suggests a redefinition of a physicians scope of practice: Doctors have a moral obligation to become politically active so they can work to dismantle the social structures that harm their patients health.

Were often taught as doctors to be apolitical, be quiet, dont say anything, but that silence is just reinforcing the problems that got us here to begin with, said Stella Safo, assistant clinical professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City. Safo was one of the doctors who started the petition for JAMA to become more racially aware and restructure its leadership after it approved a podcast in which a JAMA editor questioned the existence of systemic racism (see sidebar).

Another doctor involved in the JAMA petition was Brittani James, a Chicago-based physician and assistant professor in the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois, who has developed a longitudinal anti-racism course that med students will take over four years; the course was piloted in the 2020-21 academic year.

What were trying to get them to understand is that its not going to stop until we get to the root of the problem, which is all of us are agents in the system, said James, who also treats low-income patients in an urban clinic, and describes herself as an activist, radical black feminist, and anti-racism scholar.

We do not name and acknowledge that we are built on a system designed to keep able-bodied white males alive, James said. If youre anybody but a straight able-bodied white male, our system is not optimized for you. Thats reality.

An underlying problem in health care, from the standpoint of critical race theory, is the profit motive that disincentivizes health care providers from caring for the uninsured and the poor.

This really rattles people because people really do not want to critique capitalism, but we have to look at it, James said. The resounding argument is essentially that capitalism requires a pool of dehumanized labor so they can be exploited for profit. I personally think that capitalism is an unsustainable system.

But the critics say that applying critical race theory to medicine too often devolves into an exercise in confirmational bias that seeks only the evidence that confirms the theory of systemic racism, ignores or disallows contradictory evidence, and imposes forced interpretations on complex data.

They start with the conclusion. And there can be no deviation from the conclusion, said Jacobson, the conservative law professor at Cornell. You cannot question the conclusion because the conclusion of systemic racism is the starting point. It stifles dissenting views. It stifles open inquiry.

Other scholars express similar frustrations. Satels article in the Liberties journal, titled Do No Harm: Critical Race Theory and Medicine, cites an anonymous colleague who related participating in a group discussion about stress and suicide among black youth. The tacit rule was that only fear of police aggression and subjection to discrimination were allowable explanations, the anonymous doctor recalled, not the psychological torture of bullying by classmates or the quotidian terror of neighborhood gun violence.

It will likely take years to know whether efforts to achieve equity  that is: equal outcomes by race -- and make amends for past wrongs will make a dent in medical treatment and lifespans for people of color.

There is no evidence that any one step necessarily minimizes that gap, said Yancy, past president of the American Heart Association, in an interview with RealClearInvestigations. As well, the disparities evolved over decades and so its difficult to think that a single intervention or set of interventions over just a few short years would begin to narrow those disparities.

It is a process that that were engaged with, a hypothesis that we hope to prove, Yancy said. So were beginning what is a very tough pivot. It will take generations to execute this pivot.

jmurawski@realclearinvestigations.com
'Lamb Bank' has been launched as part of an ambitious move to supply free lamb to as many Scottish schools as possible during St Andrews week.

The Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS) has launched scheme, allowing farmers to sell sheep via IAAS marts to donate lambs for the initiative.

The funds from sheep being sold via the marts and donated to the Lamb Bank will be used to supply lamb to Scottish schools during the week of 30 November.

Neil Wilson, IAAS executive director said: The idea of donating lambs for schools was started by IAAS in 2020, when Scottish marts donated over 50 lambs to promote the Lamb for St Andrews Day campaign."

Over the past 10 years there has been a drive from the red meat sector, led by livestock auctioneers, Quality Meat Scotland and butchers, to make lamb synonymous with St Andrews Day, just as turkey is for Christmas.

For over 1,000 years the Scots have celebrated by feasting and it seems fitting that our modern-day feasts should be celebrating not only our patron saint, but also this iconic Scottish meat, Mr Wilson added.

The original Lamb for St Andrews Day idea came from George Purves and Willie Mitchell as part of the Scottish Enterprise Rural Leadership Programme.

Last year, 11,600 home economics pupils from 115 Scottish schools signed up to participate in cooking lamb for St Andrews Day.

And during the last decade, over 1,500 farming families and their friends have organised social events to celebrate and feast on Scotch Lamb.

Between now and 30 November, farmers selling lambs through Scotlands marts can opt to donate sheep for the Lamb Bank, all they need to do is to let auctioneers know when they book stock in for sale, John Thomson of C & D Marts added.

Wed like to get lamb into at least one school in every town and every rural school in Scotland, but preferably more than that, if the industry is behind us.
Welsh Gower Lamb has become the first product to receive protected status under the UK's new post-Brexit Geographical Indication schemes.

With the registration now complete, the meat produced from lambs born and reared on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales has gained full protection as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

Gower Salt Marsh Lamb producers were able to demonstrate their meats characteristics are essentially and exclusively due to its particular area of production.

The new Geographical Indication (GI) schemes were launched after the end of the transition period with the European Union.

They were designed to ensure that popular and traditional products from across the country can obtain special status to mark out their authenticity and origin.

Producers whose foods are granted GI status benefit from intellectual property protection, so that others cannot imitate them.

Defra's farming minister Victoria Prentis said: "We want people, at home and abroad, to be lining up to buy British.

"I would encourage producers from all around the UK to apply to the scheme, so that we can celebrate and protect more of our excellent local produce, and ensure it is given the recognition that it deserves.

"Our new GI schemes guarantee quality and excellence for food lovers at home and around the world."

Produced using skills dating back to medieval times, Gower Lamb comes from lamb born, reared and slaughtered in the Gower area of South Wales.

A seasonal product available from June until the end of December, the meat gains its unique characteristics from specific vegetation and environment of the salt marshes on the north Gower coastline, where lambs graze over long distances for more than half of their lifetime.

Historically, the north Gower salt marshes have supported thousands of sheep and are currently grazed by 3500 lambs per year.

Dan and Will Pritchard from Weobley Castle Farm, who produce the lamb, said they were 'so pleased' that Gower Lamb was now officially recognised.

"We are the third generation of Pritchards to farm in this amazing location, meaning that weve perfected our way of rearing lamb over the years," they said.

"We currently produce around 1,000 lambs per year  taking care of the whole process to create meat with a unique, local flavour of samphire and sea lavender.

"This recognition means that the reputation of our regional product is protected, and it helps us promote traditional agricultural practices and eliminate non-genuine products."

Gower Salt Marsh Lamb has received official recognition of authenticity and provenance, meaning that verified producers can now use the GI logo on their product.
The new number one sire Westcoast Yamaska takes top spot in the proven Holstein rankings, published by AHDB Dairy.

Westcoast Yamaska moves up from sixth position as some 159 daughters are added to his genetic evaluation, earning him a Profitable Lifetime Index of 776.

Yamaska is a high components sire, with Predicted Transmitting Abilities for fat of +0.22% and protein of +0.16%.

He also boasts the best Lameness Advantage of the top 20 proven sires at 3.7.

Climbing to second position is Welcome Silver Griff, with phenomenal PTAs for fat (60.1kg, +0.25%) and a high score for the newly launched EnviroCow, at 3.8. His PLI is 760.

Graduating from his young sire days and into the proven list is Peak AltaZarek, a strong udder health bull with good lifespan figures who earns at PLI of 756 and EnviroCow of 3.7.

Aurora AltaAntonio makes significant gains to move into fifth position, and transmits the highest Type Merit of 2.17. He has a PLI of 731.

Sixth and seventh position are taken by two sons of Cogent Supershot, with PLIs of 730 and 729. In sixth position is ABS Moonglow, a bull which transmits extreme milk production, at 1,296kg and high protein, at 45.1kg.

With a score of -5 for Gestation Length, hell also reduce the gestation period for his calves.

The second Supershot son is Bomaz AltaTopshot, who similarly shortens gestations (GL -5 days) and offers good cell count transmission (SCC -18).

A former number one proven sire and previously high ranking in the genomic rankings, he now reaffirms his position with 895 daughters milking in 146 UK herds.

In equal eighth position are De-Su 14222 Kenobi and ABS Crimson. Both of these bulls are successful sires of sons in the August genomic rankings, and continue to fare well on PLI themselves, Kenobi as an all-rounder while Crimson is of particular note for Calf Survival (3.3) and HealthyCow (207).

A new entrant in ninth position is ABS Outback, a truly modern bull who ranks strongly for HealthyCow and the newly launched Feed Advantage, as well as EnviroCow, at 3.7.

Completing the top 10 is another newcomer, VH Bosman Bahrain, whose PLI of 707 is close to that he earned as a young genomic sire.

Proven sires continue to appeal to producers who like the assurance of daughters on the ground and this ranking will provide exactly that, said Marco Winters, AHDB head of animal genetics.

They should also feel reassured by the consistency of proven sire performance, as some five of the top 10 bulls featured in the previous April rankings.

"Three are newcomers which have graduated from the genomic rankings and two have moved up from outside the top 20.
An autonomous bale mover which is currently being developed by US agri company Vermeer promises a cut down on tedious on-farm tasks.

The concept, nicknamed 'Bale Hawk', travels autonomously via onboard sensors to locate bales, pick them up and move them to a predetermined location.

The machine aims to help save labour time and associated costs, by eliminating the manual step of moving bales.

The autonomous bale mover senses where it is relative to a bale, allowing it to plan a route to pick up that bale.

It can pick up three bales at a time before delivering and unloading them to a predetermined location.

Vermeer R&D manager Kent Thompson said: Our team is dedicated to developing practical ways to help forage producers make the most of their available labour and get the most out of their time in the field.

We work to identify solutions that producers dont even realise are possible, all focused around their hay operation.

The wireless, battery-powered temperature sensors will help operators monitor baler bearing temperatures from the cab.

Vermeer says this will help by providing predictive maintenance notices to farmers before the bearing reaches its end-of-life.

When given this information ahead of time, operators can order new bearings and replace them before they reach the end-of-life or fail due to contamination, which helps keep balers in the field when it matters most, added senior engineer Nathan Dockter.
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Next Story : DSP Shwetambri Sharma, the woman who helped crack the Kathua case

Senior advocate Indu Malhotra became the first woman to be sworn in as a Supreme Court judge directly from the Bar. She joins the ranks of six other women who have been appointed as SC judges in India since independence. Presently, Justice R Banumathi is the only woman judge in the Supreme Court. Here are some facts about the woman of the hour, Indu Malhotra.1. Born in Bangalore, Indu did her schooling in Delhi and her BA from Lady Shri Ram College in the capital.2. Daughter of a well-known advocate, late Om Prakash Malhotra, Indu enrolled in the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983, and qualified as an Advocate-on-Record in the Supreme Court in 1988.3. In 35 years of her law career, she has done some phenomenal work. She was part of the 10-member Vishaka Committee that dealt with complaints of sexual harassment at the workplace.4. Malhotra was also one of the key people in drafting guidelines for the Good Samaritan Law that provides protection to those who help victims of road accidents.5. From 1991 to 1996, Indu was appointed as the standing council for Haryana in the apex court.6. In 2007, she was designated as senior advocate by the Supreme Court, and is the second woman in history to get this tag.7. Indu Malhotra is the author of the third edition of The Law and Practice Arbitration and Conciliation, 2014.8. She has also represented statutory bodies like SEBI, DDA and more before the Supreme Court.While this is certainly great news for us, here are statistics that shed light on how few women have been part of the legal system of our country. Out of the 15,000 plus judges in India, only a little over 4,000 are women. Along with Indu, there are only two women judges in the Supreme Court, making the ratio less than 1:3. We surely have a long way to go before this ratio changes but Indu Malhotras swearing in certainly gives us some inspiration.
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While it was confirmed around two months ago that actor Dulquer Salmaan would star in R Balki's next movie, the ace director has now announced that Dulquer will be joined by actors Sunny Deol, Pooja Bhatt and Shreya Dhanwanthary. After months of waiting, for me, it is exciting to start shooting anything. And to make a film in a genre that I haven't attempted before is even more exciting. I have had the idea for a long time but never quite got around to writing it, and while it's fundamentally a thriller, it banks so much on these four stunning performers. I just can't wait to get into the edit room," Balki said.

The director also had some warm words to say about his cast members.

On Sunny Deol

I am ecstatic to be working with Sunny, an actor whose booming screen presence conveys so much. Am glad he is back and hoping this new adventure will add a new dimension to his glorious filmography.

On Dulquer Salmaan

Dulquer is possibly one of the most charming actors in Indian cinema today, and even though I cannot say much about his role except at this point, I am really looking forward to his distinct and cool interpretation of it.

On Pooja Bhatt

Pooja is one of the most versatile actors in our industry and I must thank Alankrita for convincing her and getting another extraordinary performance from her in Bombay Begums. She is clarity personified and just born to be in front of that camera and on screen.

On Shreya Dhanwanthary

After watching Shreyas performance in both Scam 1992 and Family Man, I just knew that I would eventually work with this talented girl. She is one of the most exciting and contemporary performers and I am looking forward to the on-screen chemistry between her and Dulquer.


Kriti Sanon seems to be on cloud nine currently and why wouldnt she be, her latest release Mimi has been receiving a lot of love from all side. Be it critics or the audience, the film has been received with open arms digitally and is doing pretty well. Kriti plays a surrogate mother in the film and her journey in the film from her carefree daydreaming wannabe actress to a careful mother is truly heartwarming to watch.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kriti (@kritisanon)

Today, the actress took to Instagram to share a compilation of videos of her time spent with her on screen son Jacob. The video is all heart. Kriti captioned the post as, Oh my blue eyed son..When I was prepping for Mimi, I knew that Mimi & Rajs bond was unique and special.. She was his best friend, and he was her everything! I knew that I wanted Jacob to love me and to be so comfortable with me that on the set ,after his own parents, he looks for Me! He knew me as Mimi and not Kriti..I became a child with him and he opened up his arms! I remember the day he randomly said I love you Mimi and my heart just melted! What a brilliant bright kid..I love you Jacob! @clanwander #Mimi.Check out the video of below...Read More - Athiya Shettys Birthday Message For Her Dad Suniel Shetty Is Worth Reading


Shraddha Kapoor is currently in New Delhi where she is busy shooting for Luv Ranjans next film alongside Ranbir Kapoor. The film also stars Boney Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. The actress has not only impressed her fans with her performances on screen but also her choices off it. Shraddha recently posted about turning vegetarian on social media and even revealed the reason behind her decision.

She wrote, I wanted to share that I completed 2 years of being vegetarian on 21/7/21. I decided to turn vegetarian for my love for animals and our planet. Its made me happier and healthier. Here's celebrating 2 years of making a personal choice to #ChooseCompassion. Compassion towards animals, the environment, and myself. Kudos to you girl!
PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Hedge-fund billionaire William Ackman's Pershing Square Holdings Ltd. announced Wednesday that it acquired 128.56 million shares of Universal Music Group or UMG, representing 7.1 percent of the company from French media conglomerate Vivendi (VIV.L, VIVEF.PK). The stake was bought for around $21.78 per share or 18.58 euros per share. The total cash consideration of $2.8 billion represents an equity value for UMG of 33 billion euros. The shares were purchased by Pershing Square Holdings Ltd., Pershing Square L.P., and Pershing Square International Ltd., through an affiliated entity. Pershing Square's share of the cash consideration is approximately $2.5 billion. Pershing Square said the company and its affiliates have the right to acquire up to an additional 2.9 percent of UMG's Ordinary Shares at the same price per share by September 9, which right Pershing Square intends to exercise. Pershing Square in June agreed to acquire 10 percent of UMG from Vivendi for about $4 billion. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
GENEVA, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chemours Company ("Chemours") (NYSE: CC), a global chemistry company with leading market positions in Titanium Technologies, Thermal & Specialized Solutions, Advanced Performance Materials, and Chemical Solutions, today announced it has joined Hydrogen Europe, the leading European association working to advance fuel cell and hydrogen (FCH) technologies. Chemours joins Hydrogen Europe's membership at a crucial time when investment in green hydrogen production via water electrolysis aligns with calls from global governments to accelerate the path to net-zero emissions.

Guided by its own ambitious goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Chemours offers a variety of products that support the fight against climate change and expanded use of green hydrogen, including its Nafion proton exchange membranes (PEM) which are at the center of the hydrogen economy. Known for unparalleled performance and durability, Nafion membranes and dispersions enable the scalable production of hydrogen through water electrolysis and the use of hydrogen as a fuel source in heavy-duty transport, passenger vehicles, and material handling.

"Chemours' chemistry is critical to powering progress as the world looks to decarbonize and we believe that green hydrogen will play an important role in a cleaner, greener energy future," said Randal King, Ph.D. and Vice President of Technology, Advanced Performance Materials at Chemours. "Hydrogen Europe opens doors for us to collaborate and contribute to solutions that positively impact the global community. We look forward to bringing Nafion PEMs to a broader base of applications and mobilizing more people, communities, and industries in the movement to establish hydrogen as a preferred solution in clean energy."

Chemours' approach to safe, responsible manufacturing and commitment to creating value for customers and stakeholders through the reliable delivery of high-quality products and services has received positive responses from European customers. Now as a member of Hydrogen Europe, Chemours joins more than 200 companies working to advance the goals of the hydrogen and fuel cells industry in Europe and influence global efforts to enable a zero-emission society.

About The Chemours Company

The Chemours Company (Chemours or the Company) (NYSE: CC) is a global leader in Titanium Technologies, Thermal & Specialized Solutions, Advanced Performance Materials, and Chemical Solutions providing its customers with solutions in a wide range of industries with market-defining products, application expertise and chemistry-based innovations. We deliver customized solutions with a wide range of industrial and specialty chemicals products for markets, including coatings, plastics, refrigeration, and air conditioning, transportation, semiconductor and consumer electronics, general industrial, mining and oil and gas. Our flagship products include prominent brands such as Ti-Pure, Opteon, Freon, Nafion, Krytox, Teflon, and Viton. In 2019, Chemours was named to Newsweek's list of America's Most Responsible Companies. The company has approximately 6,500 employees and 30 manufacturing sites serving approximately 3,300 customers in approximately 120 countries. Chemours is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware and is listed on the NYSE under the symbol CC.

For more information, we invite you to visit chemours.com or follow us on Twitter @Chemours or LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to a historical or current fact. The words "believe," "expect," "will," "anticipate," "plan," "estimate," "target," "project" and similar expressions, among others, generally identify "forward-looking statements," which speak only as of the date such statements were made. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, the outcome or resolution of any pending or future environmental liabilities, the commencement, outcome or resolution of any regulatory inquiry, investigation or proceeding, the initiation, outcome or settlement of any litigation, changes in environmental regulations in the U.S. or other jurisdictions that affect demand for or adoption of our products, anticipated future operating and financial performance for our segments individually and our company as a whole, business plans, prospects, targets, goals and commitments, capital investments and projects and target capital expenditures, plans for dividends or share repurchases, sufficiency or longevity of intellectual property protection, cost reductions or savings targets, plans to increase profitability and growth, our ability to make acquisitions, integrate acquired businesses or assets into our operations, and achieve anticipated synergies or cost savings, all of which are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events that may not be accurate or realized. These statements are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements also involve risks and uncertainties that are beyond Chemours' control. In addition, the current COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the national and global economy and commodity and financial markets, which has had and we expect will continue to have a negative impact on our financial results. The full extent and impact of the pandemic is unknown and to date has included extreme volatility in the financial and commodity markets, a significant slowdown in economic activity, and increased predictions of a global recession. The public and private sector response has led to significant restrictions on travel, temporary business closures, quarantines, stock market volatility, and a general reduction in consumer and commercial activity globally. Matters outside our control have affected our business and operations and may continue to limit travel of employees to our business units domestically and internationally, adversely affect the health and welfare of our personnel, significantly reduce the demand for our products, hinder our ability to provide goods and services to customers, cause disruptions in our supply chains, adversely affect our business partners or cause other unpredictable events. Additionally, there may be other risks and uncertainties that Chemours is unable to identify at this time or that Chemours does not currently expect to have a material impact on its business. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to: the terms and timing of the offering, the Tender Offer and any redemptions of the existing 2025 notes; and the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021 and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. Chemours assumes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement for any reason, except as required by law.

CONTACT:

INVESTORS

Jonathan Lock

VP, Corporate Development and Investor Relations

+1.302.773.2263

investor@chemours.com

NEWS MEDIA

Cassie Olszewski

Media Relations and Financial Communications Manager

+1.302.219.7140

media@chemours.com

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SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- App Annie , the mobile data and analytics leader helping brands and publishers create winning experiences on mobile, today released its 2021 Mobile Gaming

Tear Down: Key Trends on Subgenres, Monetization & User Acquisition report. The report provides exclusive insights into the mobile gaming industry worldwide as we enter a new phase of COVID-19.

This report is powered by App Annie Game IQ, a mobile gaming intelligence tool offering a granular level of game classification. "Mobile gaming has seen huge growth over the past year, creating massive opportunities in the space," said Sam Yang, SVP Global Field Operations, App Annie. "As consumer preferences in subgenres continue to evolve rapidly, it's more crucial than ever to have a finger on the pulse of what's trending." The latest edition of Game IQ features an updated taxonomy to align with evolving game design trends, so that publishers can be informed and respond swiftly. For example, as more social games (like Among Us) emerged during the pandemic, App Annie updated its taxonomy to reflect the current market by adding "Party" as a new genre.

Key genre-specific insights from App Annie Game IQ include:

Hypercasual subgenres lead downloads: 4 of the top 10 most downloaded subgenres (across all games) belong to hypercasual. The Puzzle and Action subgenres grew 16% and 37% YoY respectively in demand.

4 of the top 10 most downloaded subgenres (across all games) belong to hypercasual. The Puzzle and Action subgenres grew 16% and 37% YoY respectively in demand. Competition intensifies: Hypercasual genre standout Happy Glass' record speed of reaching 100 million downloads in 62 days remains unbeaten, indicating it is increasingly difficult for new games to scale at speed.

Key overall report insights include:

Demand Keeps Climbing: The spike in demand for mobile games at the beginning of the pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down. Weekly game downloads first surpassed 1 billion in March 2020 and have remained at that level since.

The spike in demand for mobile games at the beginning of the pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down. Weekly game downloads first surpassed 1 billion in and have remained at that level since. No Slow in Spending: Consumers are also spending more money than ever in mobile games - in the first half of 2021, consumers spent $1.7 billion per week in mobile games, a 40% increase versus pre-pandemic levels.

Consumers are also spending more money than ever in mobile games - in the first half of 2021, consumers spent per week in mobile games, a 40% increase versus pre-pandemic levels. More Mobile Games Generate Millions : Consumers are moving their gaming, and spending, onto mobile. In H1 2021 there are over 810 games surpassing $1M in consumer spend each month, a 25% increase versus 2019.

: Consumers are moving their gaming, and spending, onto mobile. In H1 2021 there are over 810 games surpassing in consumer spend each month, a 25% increase versus 2019. Gender Gaps : Mobile game usage in the United States leans most heavily toward female users (64% of users are female); the only regions where there are more male than female gamers on mobile are Japan (56% male) and South Korea (53% male)

: Mobile game usage in leans most heavily toward female users (64% of users are female); the only regions where there are more male than female gamers on mobile are (56% male) and (53% male) China's gaming footprint continues to expand: China is steadily growing its share of the global gaming market, surpassing the United States in size of consumer spend in some AMER and EMEA markets for the first time.

The 2021 Mobile Gaming Tear Down report provides deep insight into the macro and demographic trends that are shaping the gaming industry. The analysis and estimates in this report are based on App Annie Intelligence. Read the full report here .

About App Annie

App Annieis the industry's most trusted mobile data and analytics platform. App Annie's mission is to help customers create winning mobile experiences and achieve excellence.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 11, 2021) - Nano One Materials Corp. (TSX: NANO) (OTC Pink: NNOMF) (FSE: LBMB) ("Nano One") is a clean technology company with patented processes for the low-cost, low-environmental footprint production of high-performance cathode materials used in lithium-ion batteries. Nano One announces its financial results and operations overview for the second fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2021 and is pleased to review the following highlights from Q1 and Q2 2021.

Q1 and Q2 Highlights and Headlines

Selected to showcase its clean technology advantages in Chile.

Announces solid state battery collaboration with the University of Michigan.

Achieves TSX venture 50 recognition as a top performing company.

Launches ground-breaking M2CAM technology to reduce cost, waste and carbon footprint in lithium-ion battery supply chain.

Closes 28.9M bought deal financing. Strengthens balance sheet to provide additional growth capital flexibility and working capital of approximately $55 million, as of June 30, 2021.

Advances LNMO program to pre-commercialization stage with Asian joint development cathode partner.

Enters Co-Development Agreement with Niobium Producer CBMM to improve durability and performance of high energy density cathode materials.

Enters partnership with Johnson Matthey to develop next generation eLNO family of nickel-rich advanced cathode materials using Nano One's technologies.

Graduates to Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:NANO)

Granted 3 new patents, bringing total to 19 with over 35 additional patents pending.

"The first half of this year has been extremely busy for Nano One as we execute on our business strategy in a rapidly evolving market," commented Mr. Dan Blondal, CEO. "We have solidified our treasury, entered into agreements with global partners, expanded our facilities to support those partnerships and we continue to innovate as we focus on the path to commercialization."

Q2 Corporate Updates

Progress Update on Joint Development Agreement with Asian Manufacturer

In April 2021, the Company announced a progress update on the Joint Development Agreement signed in August 2020 (the "JDA"). The first two phases of the program have been focused on lithium nickel manganese oxide ("LNMO") cathode materials and have been successfully completed with validation by both parties. Work is now shifting to scale-up considerations, detailed economic analysis, third-party evaluation, and preliminary planning for commercialization. The work under this agreement is on schedule and on budget, and the LNMO materials have met phase one and two metrics for performance and economics.

Co-Development Agreement with CBMM (Framework Cooperation Agreement)

On May 6, 2021, the Company announced the execution of an advanced lithium-ion battery cathode materials coating development agreement with CBMM, the global leader in the production and commercialization of niobium products and technologies. The objective of the agreement is to optimize Nano One's patented One-Pot process for nickel rich cathode materials using niobium from CBMM as a coating. Niobium is a key element in the advancement of lithium-ion battery cathode materials as it can be made to form a coating on the outer surface of each grain of a cathode powder.

Joint Development Agreement with Johnson Matthey

On June 3, 2021, the Company announced the execution of a joint development agreement with Johnson Matthey a global leader in sustainable technologies. Under this agreement the companies will co-develop next generation products and processes for Johnson Matthey's eLNO family of nickel-rich advanced cathode materials using Nano One's patented One-Pot process and coated nanocrystal technology, for the low-cost, low-carbon footprint production of high-performance lithium-ion battery cathode materials. The agreement will focus on developing materials, methods of production and a detailed commercialization study for pre-pilot, pilot and scaled up manufacturing.

Graduation to the Toronto Stock Exchange

On June 8, 2021, the Company's common shares commenced trading on the TSX under the new symbol "NANO" and ceased trading on the TSX-V.

Facility/Personnel Expansion

A 1,200 sq. ft. dry room has been commissioned for the development of high-nickel materials and the Company has also increased its thermal processing capacity, cell fabrication and testing facilities. The team continues to grow to meet internal (innovation) and external (collaborator) commitments with nearly 50 employees currently.

New Patents

On June 17, 2021, the Company announced three (3) new patents issued and allowed in Canada, the US and China. These patents extend the patent estate to provide protection for lithium-ion cathode powders formed by the proprietary One-Pot Process developed by Nano One.

Financial update

During the six months ended June 30, 2021, Nano One generated a net increase in cash and cash equivalents of approximately $27,565,000 inclusive of a short-form prospectus financing of common shares which completed on April 1, 2021 for gross proceeds of approximately $28,900,000.

Other key contributors to the increase in cash and cash equivalents were:

Exercises of stock options and warrants for total proceeds of approximately $4,548,000; and

Proceeds from Government assistance programs mainly comprising $262,500 from Sustainable Development Technology Canada ("SDTC").

During the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company significantly increased its research expenditures in relation to its Framework Cooperation Agreement executed with CBMM (May 2021), aimed at optimizing Nano One's patented One-Pot process for nickel rich cathode materials using CBMM's niobium as a protective coating. Additionally, there has been a significant focus on efforts relating to the Joint Development Agreement signed with an Asian cathode manufacturer (August 2020) which is focused on LNMO cathode materials with work shifting to scale-up considerations, detailed economic analysis, third-party evaluation, and preliminary planning for commercialization. Significant progress was also made in LNMO scale up and optimization. Lastly, the Company is also progressing scaling efforts relating to the Cathode Evaluation Agreement (December 2020) with an American based multinational auto manufacturer to jointly evaluate the performance and commercial benefit of Nano One's patented One-Pot process for Nickel Manganese Cobalt ("NMC") and cobalt-free cathode materials in electric vehicle applications.

Accordingly, the Company incurred research expenses of approximately $956,000 and $1,000,000 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, respectively and purchased/made deposits for research and development equipment, computer equipment and software, and leasehold improvements of approximately $877,000. Increased capital expenditures are facilitated by the expansion in Nano One's human resources personnel and the addition of 10,000 sq. ft. of research facilities.

As at June 30, 2021, Nano One had working capital of approximately $55,100,000, total assets of approximately $58,000,000 and total liabilities of approximately $1,300,000. All currency is in Canadian dollars unless otherwise specified.

For a more detailed discussion of Nano One's second quarter and year to date 2021 results, please refer to the Company's financial statements and management's discussion & analysis, which are available at www.sedar.com.

About Nano One

Nano One Materials Corp (Nano One) is a clean technology company with a patented, scalable and low carbon intensity industrial process for the low-cost production of high-performance lithium-ion battery cathode materials. The technology is applicable to electric vehicle, energy storage, consumer electronic and next generation batteries in the global push for a zero-emission future. Nano One's One-Pot process, its coated nanocrystal materials and its Metal to Cathode Active Material (M2CAM) technologies address fundamental performance needs and supply chain constraints while reducing costs and carbon footprint. Nano One has received funding from various government programs and the current "Scaling of Advanced Battery Materials Project" is supported by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) and the Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund of the Province of British Columbia. For more information, please visit www.nanoone.ca.

Company Contact:

Paul Guedes

info@nanoone.ca

(604) 420-2041

Media Contact:

Chelsea Lauber

Antenna Group for Nano One

nanoone@antennagroup.com

(646) 854-8721

Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to: the Companies Q2 2021 operational updates; future collaboration projects that may be put into place; the execution of the Company's plans, development of materials, methods of production and study for pre-pilot, pilot and scaled up manufacturing on the path to commercialization which are contingent on such support and awards and the commercialization of the Company's technology and patents. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of terminology such as 'believe', 'expect', 'anticipate', 'plan', 'intend', 'continue', 'estimate', 'may', 'will', 'should', 'ongoing', 'target', 'goal', 'potential' or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the current opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made are not, and cannot be, a guarantee of future results or events. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including but not limited to: any future collaborations that may happen with partners such as CBMM, Johnson Matthey or any others that may occur; the Company's ability to achieve its stated goals; the commercialization of the Company's technology and patents; the execution of the Company's plans, development of materials, methods of production and study for pre-pilot, pilot and scaled up manufacturing on the path to commercialization; and other risk factors as identified in Nano One's MD&A and its Annual Information Form dated March 15, 2021, both for the year ended December 31, 2020, and in recent securities filings for the Company which is available at www.sedar.com. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that is incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

###

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/92780


LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Provident Financial plc. (PFG.L) reported Wednesday that its first-half loss before tax was 44.2 million pounds, compared to loss of 28.1 million pounds a year ago. The results include losses related to the planned closure of Consumer Credit Division or CCD.



Loss per share were 19.6 pence, compared to loss of 9.2 pence a year ago.



Adjusted pre-tax profit was 5.8 million pounds, compared to last year's loss of 32.7 million pounds. Adjusted basic earnings per share were 3.1 pence, compared to last year's 10.1 pence a year ago.



Adjusted ongoing profit before tax, excluding CCD, was 63.5 million pounds, compared to last year's 4.9 million pounds.



Total revenue fell to 316.7 million pounds from 443.6 million pounds last year. Net interest margin was 285.5 million pounds, down from 407.6 million pounds last year.



Risk-adjusted net interest margin was 196.2 million pounds, higher than prior year's 169.2 million pounds.



Further, the company said its Board is not proposing a dividend with respect to this interim period as the focus remains on preserving capital during the period of closure of the CCD business. The company will review its ability to resume dividend payments at the end of the year.



Malcolm Le May, Chief Executive Officer, said, 'Macroeconomic uncertainty will remain as government support schemes, including furlough, come to an end. However, the Board and I can see scope for cautious optimism as our chosen markets return to growth. As we progress through the remainder of the year, the Board will seek to update its perspective on the potential for a phased release of provisions taken at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.'



In London, Provident Financial shares were trading at 314.02 pence, up 2.22 percent.



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PROVIDENT FINANCIAL-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de
wMerz Therapeutics, a business of the Merz Group and a leader in the field of neurotoxins, and the Israeli start-up Vensica Therapeutics Ltd., a urology company, announced today that they have entered into a strategic license and collaboration agreement for the delivery of botulinum neurotoxin A (Xeomin) to the bladder wall by using Vensica's innovative ultrasound-assisted delivery catheter. By this, Merz Therapeutics becomes the exclusive toxin supplier of any needleless application for urological indications, such as overactive bladder, neurogenic bladder and interstitial cystitis and other urology indications.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005052/en/

Vensica's innovative ultrasound-assisted delivery catheter for the needleless treatment of overactive bladder (Photo: Business Wire)

Stefan Brinkmann, CEO Merz Therapeutics: "This strategic, long-term partnership with the Israeli Start-up Vensica allows us to expand into the attractive market of overactive bladder. It perfectly reflects the potential and capabilities of our neurotoxin platform for the development of sizeable non-movement disorder indications, pursuing our promise to create better outcomes for more patients. We strongly believe in the innovative and less invasive treatment of bladder diseases using Vensica's ultrasound-assisted delivery catheter and are therefore looking forward to bringing this new treatment option to the patients together with our partner Vensica."

Vensica CEO, Avner Geva commented, "We are very excited about our strategic partnership with Merz. By licensing Merz's Botulinum Toxin A, Xeomin, we've achieved an important milestone in our journey to changing the lives of urological patients. We hope that together with Merz, we will be able to provide, needle-less and minimal invasive procedures to over 85 million patients around the world, enabling them to benefit from a minimal discomfort, anesthesia-free, outpatient experience. The partnership with Merz, which includes not only exclusive licensing of Xeomin, but also development support, enables us to accelerate our clinical trials and regulatory process. We are thrilled Merz realized the potential and need and chose to invest in innovative medical technologies that can benefit patients worldwide."

"The collaboration with Vensica is a great example for our Merz Corporate Venture Capital Initiative," states Jorg Bergler, COO Merz Group. "Here, we are investing globally in companies who are pursuing innovative, breakthrough science. As an experienced partner, we are not only granting Vensica access to our toxin but also offer know-how and experience for the development and preparation of the regulatory approval process in an advisory capacity."

The long-term partnership includes Merz's intention to participate and invest in Vensica. Under the terms of the agreement, Merz already received, in addition to royalties, equity shares from Vensica with the option for further investment in the upcoming years and will be represented with a seat in the Board of Directors. Vensica will be responsible for the pre-clinical and clinical development of the needleless device and will prepare and file the marketing approval application. Upon the marketing approval, Merz will be responsible for the manufacturing and supply of Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxinA) and Vensica will manage commercial activities worldwide, except of Japan.

Vensica's proprietary ultrasound-assisted drug delivery system is an innovative minimally invasive solution to urology. The system enables needleless delivery of drugs to the bladder wall in a simple and quick procedure. The platform drives treatment from the surgical center to the private clinics, as it removes the need for a highly trained urologist, staff, and anesthesia. The unique delivery profile enables uniform delivery of the neurotoxin to greater area of the bladder wall, which may increase its efficacy, such as earlier onset and longer effect. The device is at clinical development stage by Vensica Therapeutics an Israeli based company.

Xeomin is being distributed by Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH in more than 70 countries to treat patients with upper and lower limb spasticity, cervical dystonia, blepharospasm or hypersalivation. Merz uses state-of-the-art technology in its dedicated facility in Dessau, Germany, meeting the highest international standards for biologic manufacturing. The highly purified neurotoxin, the only active ingredient in Xeomin, is made by removing complexing proteins from botulinum toxin type A, which is produced by Clostridium botulinum, using purification technology developed by Merz Pharma GmbH Co. KGaA. The lack of complexing proteins enables Xeomin to reduce the production of neutralizing antibodies capable of lowering efficacy.

About Merz Therapeutics

Merz Therapeutics, a business of Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH, is dedicated to improving the lives of patients around the world. With its relentless research, development, and culture of innovation, Merz Therapeutics strives to serve unmet patient needs and realize better outcomes. Merz Therapeutics seeks to address the unique needs of people who suffer from movement disorders, neurological conditions, liver disease, and other health conditions that severely impact patients' quality of life. Merz Therapeutics is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany and is represented in more than 90 countries, with a North America affiliate based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH is part of the Merz Group, a privately held, family-owned company that has dedicated more than 110 years to developing innovations that meet patient and customer needs.

About Vensica Therapeutics Ltd.

Vensica is a urology therapeutics company based out of Israel. The company is developing a unique platform for drug delivery for several urinary bladder indications, based on a proprietary ultrasound-assisted drug delivery system. The company was founded in 2015 by Avner Geva, (Yale, B.Sc, Technion, M.Sc) and is led and backed by medical and therapeutic's leaders, including chairman M.D., Ph.D, Nissim Darvish, Lew Pell, Laborie and The Trendlines Group.

About Merz

Merz Group is a global, diversified company based in Frankfurt, Germany, with the three businesses Merz Aesthetics, Merz Therapeutics and Merz Consumer Care. The company is family-owned for over 112 years and is distinguished by its commitment to innovation, long-term perspective, and focus on profitable growth. In fiscal year 2019/20 (June 30), Merz generated revenue of EUR 981.5 million. The company employs 3,212 people in 28 countries worldwide. To learn more, please visit www.merz.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005052/en/

Contacts:

Press Contact

Merz Therapeutics, a business of Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH

Global Communications

+49 69 1503 2129

Agnes.tesch@merz.de
BEIJING, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from chinadaily.com.cn:

The second press conference of the Beijing E-Town Release took place on July 22 to announce the economic operation of the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area (BDA) in the first half of the year.

In the first half of the year, the BDA achieved a regional GDP of 125.22 billion yuan ($19.32 billion), a year-on-year increase of 41.3 percent, among the highest in Beijing.

The BDA's total industrial output value was 282.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 38.9 percent.

Meanwhile, industrial profits are increasing rapidly. From January to May, the profits of industries above designated size reached 55.6 billion yuan, a 2.3-fold year-on-year increase.

The operating income margin was 13.9 percent, an increase of 2.2 percentage points compared with the same period in 2019.

According to the BDA, the economic operation presents six characteristics: accelerated formation of high-precision industrial clusters, continuous deepening of innovation power, overall improvement of corporate efficiency, continuous expansion of opening up, accelerated green development, and continuous optimization of the business environment.

On the same day, the BDA also released a list of corporate innovation and a list of growth target investments.

The list of corporate innovation focuses on releasing the needs of innovation achievements transformation, technical cooperation and project docking of enterprises to help them find partners.

The content of the list covers 13 innovative technology products of seven key enterprises in the four leading industries.

At the press conference, the BDA Branch of the Agricultural Bank of China Co., Ltd. Beijing introduced exclusive financial services for science and technology enterprises as well as for small and micro enterprises.

In addition, Toyota Sinohytec Fuel Cell Co., Ltd., Trunk.tech, Beijing SinoCellTech Group Co., Ltd., Beijing Botsing Technology Co., Ltd. and other companies released their own innovation results.

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LONGMONT, Colo., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KoKo, LLC is pleased to announce Isabel Y. Yang, Ph.D. is joining the Company's executive management team in the capacity of Executive Vice President of Engineering and Chief Technology Officer effective September 1, 2021.

Dr. Yang brings an extensive technology innovation track record with over 25 years of industry experience. Most recently, she served as Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Advanced Energy, responsible for leading the execution of the company's global technology vision and strategy specifically in Industrial IoT solutions. Before joining Advanced Energy, Dr. Yang served as the Vice President of Corporate Strategy, and Vice President of Strategy and Operations for IBM Research, where she focused on driving leading-edge innovations in such areas as artificial intelligence as applied to healthcare solutions, and high-performance computing.

Dr. Yang holds multiple patents, has written extensively for more than 40 technical publications and was the recent recipient of the BizWest 2020 Women of Distinction (Manufacturing) Award, Most Influential Women in Manufacturing 2019 from IWIM, as well as Denver Business Journal C-Suite Award 2019 in the CIO/CTO category.

Dr. Yang completed her higher education at MIT, receiving a bachelor's degree in material science, and a master's degree and Ph.D. in electrical engineering, specializing in solid-state physics and semiconductors.

"We are truly honored to have an individual of Dr. Yang's distinguished stature and experience join KoKo's executive team. Dr. Yang will lead our engineering, intellectual property estate, and artificial intelligence innovation for respiratory disease management," said John Peterson, President and CEO.

Headquartered in Longmont, CO, KoKo, LLC provides the highest quality pulmonary function testing (PFT) products with fast reliable results designed to stand the test of time. KoKo is a global respiratory information systems software developer and medical device manufacturer; the exclusive provider of KoKo Connect and KoKo Decision respiratory information systems and KoKo PFT and spirometry devices. The KoKo brand extends upon a legacy of medical technology companies that have advanced respiratory science dating back to the Iron Lung in the 1930s.

Contact: John R. Peterson, CEO & President

720-640-4222

Support@kokopft.com

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- Sputnik V demonstrates one of the best safety and efficacy parameters as confirmed by official data from a number of countries worldwide

- No serious adverse events related to vaccination

MOSCOW, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund), investor in the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus, announces the results of its joint work with Ministries of Health and regulators of the leading countries to collect and analyze real world vaccination data on the first anniversary of the vaccine's registration confirming its high safety and efficacy profile.

Real-world data obtained during mass vaccinations in Argentina, Bahrain, Hungary, Mexico, Russia, Serbia, the Philippines and UAE demonstrate lack of serious adverse events (such as CVTs or myocarditis). In several countries where multiple vaccines are used, the Russian vaccine has demonstrated one of the best safety and efficacy parameters.

Sputnik V has also pioneered the unique heterogeneous boosting ("vaccine cocktail") approach based on use of two different human adenoviral vectors for two injections in the course of vaccination to achieve stronger and more durable immunity. This has become the core of the partnership of Sputnik V with other producers and this approach is now being followed by other producers as they try their own vaccine combinations.

To date Sputnik V has been approved in 69 countries with total population exceeding 3.7 billion people - nearly half of the global population.

RDIF has concluded production partnerships with more than 20 companies in 14 countries, including the leading manufacturers in India, China, South Korea, Argentina, Mexico and other countries.

Key data

Russia: Sputnik V demonstrated 97.6% efficacy based on the analysis of data from 3.8 million vaccinated individuals in Russia. The results obtained over the course of mass vaccination were even better than those seen during clinical trials (91.6% efficacy).

https://twitter.com/sputnikvaccine/status/1384150381689655308

The Gamaleya Center has conducted a study on neutralizing activity of sera from individuals vaccinated with Sputnik V vaccine against new variants of coronavirus with strong results published in Vaccines leading medical journal. Vaccination with Sputnik V has produced protective neutralizing titers against new variants, including Alpha B.1.1.7 (first identified in UK), Beta B.1.351 (first identified in South Africa), Gamma P.1 (first identified in Brazil), Delta B.1.617.2 and B.1.617.3 (first identified in India) and Moscow endemic variants B.1.1.141 and B.1.1.317 with mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD).

The data confirms that Sputnik V remains protective against newly detected variants and retains one of the best safety and efficacy parameters.

https://twitter.com/sputnikvaccine/status/1414570262171983873

The Russian Ministry of Health has also published data on Sputnik V's efficacy against the Delta variant. The vaccine is 83.1% effective and shows 6x reduction of infection risk. Sputnik V is also 94.4% effective against hospitalisations with 18x reduction in hospitalisation risk.

https://twitter.com/sputnikvaccine/status/1425340011390570501

UAE: according to data from UAE's Ministry of Health, Sputnik V's efficacy during mass vaccination in the country was 97.8%, while efficacy against severe cases of COVID-19 stood at 100%. There's been no serious vaccination-related adverse events, no cases of hospitalization, CVTs or myocarditis.

https://twitter.com/sputnikvaccine/status/1409768624575979522

Bahrain: according to data from Bahrain's Ministry of Health, Sputnik V demonstrated overall efficacy of 94.3% (14 days after the second shot) with 98.6% of all COVID cases 2 weeks after the second shot being mild. There have been no serious adverse events, cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) cases or deaths related to vaccination.

https://twitter.com/sputnikvaccine/status/1402943726746472449

Argentina: data from the Ministry of Health of the province of Buenos Aires showed that Sputnik V helped to elicit antibodies in 94% of those vaccinated with the first component and in 100% of persons who have received both doses.

https://twitter.com/sputnikvaccine/status/1414479664702177282

A study carried out by Argentina's Institute of Virology of the National University of Cordoba and the Government of Cordoba has confirmed neutralization effectiveness of the Russian two-dose Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine against the Manaus (Brazilian) variant and overall strong immune response after vaccination with Sputnik V.

https://twitter.com/sputnikvaccine/status/1396798242793402370

In addition to two-dose Sputnik V vaccine, the single dose Sputnik Light vaccine is also demonstrating high safety and efficacy results in Argentina. Sputnik Light is the first component of Sputnik V (recombinant human adenovirus serotype number 26 (rAd26)). In particular, data from the Ministry of Health of the province of Buenos Aires showed that Sputnik Light had helped to elicit antibodies in 94% of those vaccinated and provided for a strong immune response.

https://twitter.com/sputnikvaccine/status/1382014238668034053

The data collected by the Ministry of Health of the province of Buenos Aires also showed Sputnik Light (the first component of Sputnik V) is 78,6-83,7% effective among the elderly.

https://twitter.com/sputnikvaccine/status/1400104957743874052

Hungary: official government research showed that of the five vaccines used against COVID-19 in the country, Sputnik V had the best safety and efficacy parameters, infection rate per 100,000 vaccinated is less compared to other vaccines (95 - Sputnik V, 177 - Moderna, 356 - Sinopharm, 555 - Pfizer, 700 - AstraZeneca).

https://twitter.com/sputnikvaccine/status/1386306777851994124

Mexico: analysis of results of the mass vaccination campaign conducted by Mexico's Ministry of Health, confirmed that Sputnik V was the safest of all the vaccines used in the country with incidence of serious adverse events per 100,000 doses lower than that of other vaccines (Sputnik V - 0.79; Sinovac - 1.07; Cansino - 1.14; AstraZeneca - 1.22; Pfizer - 1.34). No link between vaccination and serious adverse events was found.

https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/645820/Salud_CTD__12jun21.pdf

Serbia and the Philippines: official data from Serbia's Ministry of Health and the Philippines' Department of Health demonstrate Sputnik V has the best safety rates during the vaccination campaign: no vaccine-related serious adverse events were reported, there have been no cases of death or CVTs attributed to vaccination.

https://twitter.com/sputnikvaccine/status/1398194959312953345

https://twitter.com/sputnikvaccine/status/1398589982370156546

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said:

"During the year following initial authorization Sputnik V vaccine has proven its highest safety and efficacy as confirmed by the real world vaccination data from leading countries."

Sputnik V has a number of key advantages:

The Sputnik V vaccine is based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors, which cause the common cold and have been around for thousands of years.

Sputnik V has pioneered the use of heterogeneous boosting (two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination among COVID vaccines). This approach provides for immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots.

The safety, efficacy and lack of negative long-term effects of adenoviral vaccines have been proven by more than 250 clinical studies over two decades.

There are no strong allergies caused by Sputnik V.

The storage temperature of Sputnik V provides for storing the vaccine a conventional refrigerator without any need to invest in additional cold-chain infrastructure.

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is Russia's sovereign wealth fund established in 2011 to make equity co-investments, primarily in Russia, alongside reputable international financial and strategic investors. RDIF acts as a catalyst for direct investment in the Russian economy. RDIF's management company is based in Moscow. Currently, RDIF has experience of the successful joint implementation of more than 80 projects with foreign partners totaling RUB 2.1tn and covering 95% of the regions of the Russian Federation. RDIF portfolio companies employ more than 1 mn people and generate revenues which equate to more than 6% of Russia's GDP. RDIF has established joint strategic partnerships with leading international co-investors from more than 18 countries that total more than $40 bn. Further information can be found at rdif.ru

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Largest global forensic DNA meeting September 13-16 will mark 20th anniversary of September 11th

The International Symposium on Human Identification (ISHI) September 13-16, the world's largest annual meeting focusing on DNA forensics, will mark the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States. Keynote speaker Mark Desire, Assistant Director, New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), will speak to the hardship and perseverance of OCME forensic scientists and families of World Trade Center victims, as well as ongoing work to identify all who lost their lives that day. A panel will also discuss advances in forensic science worldwide that have resulted from two decades of the 9/11 investigation.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005075/en/

The 2021 International Symposium on Human Identification (ISHI) September 13-16 will mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 with a keynote address from Mark Desire, Assistant Director, New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). Desire will speak to ongoing work to identify all who lost their lives that day, as well as advances in forensic science worldwide that have resulted from two decades of the 9/11 investigation. ISHI is the world's largest annual meeting focusing on DNA forensics and has been sponsored by Promega Corporation for 32 years. (Graphic: Business Wire)

WHAT: ISHI draws nearly 1000 law enforcement professionals and scientists from around the world to explore the latest developments in forensic DNA research, process and technique. Now in its 32nd year, ISHI has been witness to emerging technologies, changing policies and significant advances in forensics.

Along with the 9/11 keynote and panel discussion, ISHI32 will cover:

Rapid DNA technology

Forensic genetic genealogy (FGG)

Degraded DNA recovery

Virtual courtroom testimony

Protein sequencing for forensic analysis

Interpretation of Y chromosome STRs for missing persons cases

WHERE: Hybrid on-site/virtual format:

On-site: Coronado Springs Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Up to 750 attendees who must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and adhere to posted safety guidelines.

Virtual: Registrations available at a reduced rate.

WHEN: September 13-16, 2021

WHO: ISHI attracts an audience of forensic professionals representing 40+ countries and a variety of professions including criminalists, research scientists, lab directors, CODIS analysts and forensic scientists to discuss the latest advances in forensic DNA analysis. Media are invited to attend and must pre-register.

Promega Corporation, a leader in providing innovative solutions and technical support to the life sciences industry, including products for DNA-based human identification, has sponsored ISHI for 32 years.

WEB: Visit www.ishinews.com for agenda, registration and late-breaking updates.

About Promega Corporation

This symposium for forensic experts and suppliers is offered through Promega Corporation, a leader in providing innovative solutions and technical support to the life sciences industry. Promega Corporation has provided products for DNA-based human identification for more than 25 years. Promega is a leader in providing innovative solutions and technical support to the life sciences industry. The company's 4,000 products enable scientists worldwide to advance their knowledge in genomics, proteomics, cellular analysis, molecular diagnostics and human identification. Founded in 1978, the company is headquartered in Madison, WI, USA with branches in 16 countries and over 50 global distributors. For more information about Promega, visit www.promega.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005075/en/

Contacts:

Penny Patterson

VP, Corporate Affairs

Promega Corporation

Phone: (608) 274-4330

E-mail: penny.patterson@promega.com
MOSCOW, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Udokan Copper - the company that develops one of the largest copper deposits in the world, located in the Far East of Russia, and is currently building a mining and metallurgical plant (MMP) - has completed the installation of - gyratory crusher at its coarse crushing plant. The ThyssenKrupp crusher will process rougher ore fractions supplied from Zapadniy open pit.

German Mironov, CEO of Udokan Copper, noted: "The crusher has the best operational capacity compared to other brands and can process up to 4,000 of copper ore per hour."

All processing parameters of the coarse crushing plant are controlled and adjusted from the automated operator's workplace, with real-time controlling possible.

Once mining at the Udokan MMP starts, the ore will be transported to the coarse crushing plant by 130-tonne dumper trucks.

After the coarse crushing, the ore will go to the storage and then to the beneficiation plant through the crushing and conveyor unit consisting of two mainline belts with total length of 2.8 km.

Construction works are in full swing throughout the crushing and conveyor unit. In particular, the foundation and steel structures of Conveyor #1 Gallery are installed. Steel structures are also being installed for the transfer unit from Conveyor #1 to Conveyor #5. Along the Conveyor #5 route, the foundation of the horizontal section is already installed and the conveyor is being assembled. The installation of steel structures for the Conveyor #5 tension station, ore storage, fine crushing plant, and conveyor galleries between the ore storage and the beneficiation plant is close to completion. The underground part of the ore storage sees the installation of ore feeding conveyors from the ore storage to the main building of the beneficiation plant.

Udokan Copper was established to develop Russia's largest untapped deposit and one of the global Top-3 - Udokan. The Company is part of USM Group founded by Alisher B. Usmanov.

The deposit reserves are 26.7 mt according to JORC, with average copper grade of 1.05%. Udokan is located in the Zabaikalye Region in the Far East of Russia, 30 km away from the Baikal-Amur mainline.

The first stage of the Udokan plant shall provide total output of 125,000 tpa of copper in cathodes and sulphide concentrate, its processing capacity being 12 mtpa of ore. The second stage currently under feasibility study implies processing additionally of 24 mtpa.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Highlands Investments, a licensed cultivator of high-quality GAP and ISO 22000 certified cannabis has secured the sale of 8.5 tonnes of its Highlands Pure THC and CBD flower and trim into the European medical cannabis market. This shipment follows a previously successful shipment of 176.5kg of THC flower exported to Europe in April.

"We believe this to be one of the largest legal shipments of medical grade cannabis to date and is a significant milestone for our business. Our cannabis is GAP and ISO 22000 certified with a proven supply chain into the much-coveted European medical cannabis market", says Highlands Investments Managing Director, Mark Corbett.

The shipping of cannabis is a highly complex process as the industry is closely monitored and regulated. Both the supplier and receiver of the cannabis products need to be licensed. The shipping companies also require stringent licensing to move raw cannabis materials and other products between legal jurisdictions.

"Having proven our ability to meet the stringent shipping requirements with our April shipment, we successfully secured the bulk sale of the remainder of our 2021 harvest, comprising just over 2,000kg of THC and 6,500kg of CBD flower and trim. The size of the shipment, which is enough to fill almost four 40 foot containers, required a chartered plane to transport to Macedonia," Corbett says.

The European Cannabis Market is forecast to reach USD3.8 billion by 2025 according to the Prohibition Partners Key Insights from the European Cannabis Report, 6th Edition (April 2021).

"The rapidly growing global medical, wellness and consumer cannabis markets all increasingly require certified, high-quality flower to meet their expanding product portfolios.

"We are fortunate that we have some of the most competitive cost per hectare metrics and this, together with our ISO 22000 certification and proven route to market, firmly entrenches Highlands as the partner of choice in this competitive space," adds Corbett.

"With demand for quality cannabis growing, we are now in the process of extending our Highlands Pure range of products to include GMP certified distillates, isolates and crude, these products will be available on the global market from quarter 4 2021," Corbett concludes.

Link to visuals: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hsJOD00wo3gthx-SRJ352AYNELiE0Myw?usp=sharing

For more information

www.highlands-investments.com

About Highlands Investments

Highlands Investments is a diversified cannabis business. Highlands cultivates, processes and packages high-quality THC and CBD cannabis flower for the production of medical grade cannabis products. The cannabis is produced in a state-of-the-art ISO 22000 and GACP certified facility in Lesotho.

Media Contact

Amy Wentzel

amy@thecuttingedgegroup.com

Contact number +27 (0)63 333 1989

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1592653/Highlands_outdoor_Cannabis_grow_facility_in_Lesotho.jpg
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.
About C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. is a pioneer and world leader in the design, development, and manufacture of transportable and mobile satellite-based antenna systems. The Company has developed proprietary, auto-acquisition controller technology for rapid antenna pointing to a satellite with just the press of a button, enabling Broadband Internet via Satellite across a wide range of market applications worldwide, including regions unserved or underserved by terrestrial access technologies. C-COM has sold more than 8,500 antenna systems, in over 100 countries, through a dedicated dealer network that provides service to a wide range of vertical markets such as Oil & Gas Exploration, Military Communications, Disaster Management, SNG, Emergency Communications, Cellular Backhaul, Telemedicine, Mobile Education, Government Services, Mobile Banking, and others. The Company's iNetVu brand is synonymous with high quality, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. C-COM is in late-stage development of a potentially revolutionary Ka-band, electronically steerable, modular, conformal, flat panel phased array antenna. In cooperation with the University of Waterloo, C-COM is engaged in the design of this unique antenna with the intent of providing low-cost, high-throughput mobility applications over satellite for land, airborne and maritime verticals. For additional information please visit www.c-comsat.com. iNetVu is a registered trademark of C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. The Company is publicly traded on the Canadian Venture Exchange (TSXV: CMI) and on the US OTC Exchange (OTCQB: CYSNF).

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.
Regional Value-added Distributor to demonstrate latest solutions from BitMindz, Speech Technologies Center, SUMURI, Teel Technologies, ZecOps, ZeroFox and AccessData, an Exterro company, at India's largest exhibition on law enforcement

DUBAI, UAE, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Credence Security, a specialized value-added distributor for cybersecurity, forensics, governance, risk, and compliance solutions, is gearing up to take part in the upcoming International Police Expo 2021.

With a focus on the "Challenges Evolving in Technology for Social Policing Post-COVID-19," the event is set to take place from 18th to 19thAugust 2021 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, India. The International Police Expo 2021 is a law enforcement tradeshow that will place the spotlight on the latest innovations in security equipment, systems and technologies.

The two-day event will also feature a conference where industry analysts, technology experts, senior police officers of state and union territories and international authorities will share best practices for ensuring police welfare, law compliance, rescue and disaster response, and public safety. Discussions will also cover the latest trends impacting safety and security, cybersecurity, forensics, disaster management, surveillance and more.

Over the recent years, India has significantly invested in initiatives focused on elevating the standards for safety, training, fitness and welfare of its police forces. As a testament to this endeavour, India's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) created a physical and policy-level framework for the long-term development of the police forces' security and safety infrastructure. In addition, the Indian government has also implemented a cap of 49% FDI in the defence industry, providing more business opportunities for local and international equipment and accessories manufacturers.

Moin Shaikh, Sales Director - India, Credence Security, said, "The International Police Expo is the largest event of its kind in India. This year's edition is a significant one as it marks the return of the show since the start of the pandemic. It will bring together high ranking authorities, key figures from the Indian Police Service (IPS) and industry decision-makers to discuss investments and future opportunities for modernizing the infrastructure for police and military forces. As the country's only and longest-running exhibition for the B2B and B2G segment, International Police Expo gives us a great opportunity to demonstrate our robust portfolio of solutions."

At International Police Expo 2021, Credence Security will exhibit its cutting-edge cybersecurity and digital forensics innovations from its key vendors such as BitMindz, Speech Technologies Center, SUMURI, Teel Technologies, ZecOps, ZeroFox and AccessData, an Exterro company, among others.

Garreth Scott, Managing Director, Credence Security, said, "Technology and cybersecurity are increasingly becoming embedded in various industries in India, including in law enforcement. As the largest distributor of digital forensics solutions for police, law enforcement and the intelligence community in the country, participating at the International Police Expo provides us with a perfect platform to showcase how we can play a key role in helping future-proof India's police force."

ABOUT CREDENCE SECURITY:

Established in 1999, Credence Security, a PAN-EMEA speciality Value-added Distributor, is a leader in Cybersecurity, Forensics, Governance, Risk and Compliance. With headquarters in Dubai and regional offices in Johannesburg, London, Nairobi, and Hyderabad. We are a pure-play provider of security and forensics solutions, to both public and private sector enterprises across Europe, Middle East, Africa and India, through a select network of specialist resellers.

Unlike most other distributors, we take a consultative "value-add" solution approach, we collaborate with our partners and their customers to understand their needs, both from a technology and business perspective, and then work very closely with our partners to deliver tailor made solutions. Working closely with globally recognized, award winning vendors including AccessData, an Exterro company, HumanFirewall, Entrust, Magnet Forensics, Netskope, SealPath, ZecOps and ZeroFox, Credence Security delivers best-in-class, Cybersecurity and Forensics technologies and solutions that protect organizations against advanced persistent threats, malicious adversaries and internal malpractice.

For more information about Credence Security, visit credencesecurity.com or follow them on social media at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CredenceSecure

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/credence-security

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CredenceSec

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn4O73EKgUE-1BbMZS95yzQ

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/credencesecurity/

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1592668/Credence_Security.jpg
The transaction enhances the EV charging leader's position in fleet with a visionary team, customers and technology

ChargePoint Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CHPT), a leading electric vehicle (EV) charging network operating in North America and Europe, today announced it acquired ViriCiti, a leading provider of electrification solutions for eBus and commercial fleets. ChargePoint acquired ViriCiti for a total purchase price of approximately 75 million in cash, subject to adjustments. The ViriCiti team, customer accounts and technology will become part of ChargePoint's operations. Along with the pending acquisition of leading European e-mobility technology provider hastobe, this transaction confirms ChargePoint's commitment to the electrification of fleet and commercial segments in North America and Europe.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005438/en/

ChargePoint acquires eBus and commercial vehicle management provider ViriCiti to accelerate fleet electrification (Graphic: Business Wire)

ViriCiti will enhance the ChargePoint fleet solution portfolio of hardware, software and services by integrating information sources to optimize electric fleet operations, including battery management, charging station monitoring, OEM-agnostic telematics, vehicle maintenance and vehicle operations data. The combined solution will enable fleets to identify what routes to electrify, monitor and report on uptime, optimize fueling to ensure operational readiness at low cost, and integrate vehicle and charging station management. Working with existing systems of record enables ChargePoint to deliver the most complete set of solutions for electric fleet operators, ensuring success from initial infrastructure buildout to optimization and growth.

Pasquale Romano, President and CEO of ChargePoint, said, "The future of fleets is electric, and integrating charging solutions with the many business systems already in place in today's depots is essential to successful electrification. Adding ViriCiti's vehicle management capabilities to our fleet portfolio allows ChargePoint to deliver more functionality to eBus and commercial fleet operators, while remaining open to integration with existing telematics systems. The combined solution underscores the importance of software to EV charging and will ensure operational readiness at low cost as fleets of all types across North America and Europe continue to electrify."

Founded in 2012, ViriCiti today has more than 50 employees in the Netherlands and United States, and established market share in North America and Europe with approximately 150 fleet operators, 3,500 connected vehicles and 2,500 networked ports under management. ViriCiti customers include prominent fleet operators and OEMs, such as Arriva, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe, Chicago Transit Authority, GILLIG, Keolis, King County Metro, Metropolitan Transit Authority (New York), PicNic, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority and Toronto Transit Commission.

Freek Dielissen, CEO of ViriCiti, said, "Our mission over the last nine years has been to help fleet operators manage their electric operations. Today, zero-emission transportation is at a tipping point, and we are excited to join EV charging leader ChargePoint, integrate our complementary offerings and tap into the resources that will enable the electrification of fleets at a faster pace across North America and Europe."

Dr. Jose Serras-Pereira, Director Advisory, Mobility Group, Frost Sullivan, confirmed, "The need for efficient software tools to gather, analyze and recommend vehicle types, charging hardware, site energy requirements and other operational strategies has never been greater. Software, analytics and advisory are expected to be key portfolio components for any industry actor wishing to provide a holistic suite of electrification services in a B2B setting and help accelerate fleet electrification over the next decade. With this acquisition and their recently announced global fleet solution portfolio, which already includes a scalable EV charging platform with hardware, installation and fleet management services, ChargePoint is now well positioned to offer fleet managers large and small a full range of tools required to start planning and executing their electrification journeys."

Goldman Sachs Co. LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to ChargePoint. IMPROVED Corporate Finance B.V. served as the exclusive M&A advisor to ViriCiti and its shareholders.

About ChargePoint

ChargePoint is creating a new fueling network to move people and goods on electricity. Since 2007, ChargePoint has been committed to making it easy for businesses and drivers to go electric with one of the largest EV charging networks and a comprehensive portfolio of charging solutions available today. ChargePoint's cloud subscription platform and software-defined charging hardware are designed to include options for every charging scenario from home and multifamily to workplace, parking, hospitality, retail and transport fleets of all types. Today, one ChargePoint account provides access to hundreds-of-thousands of places to charge in North America and Europe. To date, more than 92 million charging sessions have been delivered, with drivers plugging into the ChargePoint network every two seconds or less. For more information, visit the ChargePoint pressroom, the ChargePoint Investor Relations site, or contact ChargePoint's North American or European press offices or Investor Relations.

About ViriCiti

ViriCiti started in 2012 with a focus on electric buses and trucks and is now the market leader in the United States and Europe for public transit in North America and Europe, with thousands of buses and chargers connected to its platform. From energy management to maintenance, the ViriCiti online monitoring system provides in-depth insights tailored to each fleet's needs. The company is working with over 150 vehicle OEMs and fleet operators across continents and aims to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles by offering an all-in-one solution for full-electric and mixed fleets.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions including statements regarding our commitment to the fleet and commercial segments, expectations and plans for growth, the expected benefits of the acquisition of ViriCiti to us, our leadership and market position, and our customers, and the expected impact of the acquisition on our offerings. There are a significant number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made in this press release, including: developments and changes in the general market; the continuing impact of COVID-19, including in our business and those of our customers and suppliers; political, economic, and business conditions; our limited operating history as a public company; our ability as an organization to successfully integrate ViriCiti and acquire and integrate other companies, products or technologies in a successful manner; our dependence on widespread acceptance and adoption of EVs and increased installation of charging stations; our current dependence on sales of charging stations for most of our revenues; overall demand for EV charging and the potential for reduced demand for EVs if governmental rebates, tax credits and other financial incentives are reduced, modified or eliminated or governmental mandates to increase the use of EVs or decrease the use of vehicles powered by fossil fuels, either directly or indirectly through mandated limits on carbon emissions, are reduced, modified or eliminated; supply chain interruptions; our ability to expand in Europe; the need to attract additional fleet operators as customers; potential adverse effects on our revenue and gross margins if customers increasingly claim clean energy credits and, as a result, they are no longer available to be claimed by us; the effects of competition; risks related to our dependence on our intellectual property; and the risk that our technology could have undetected defects or errors. Additional risks and uncertainties that could affect our financial results are included under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on June 11, 2021, which is available on our website at investors.chargepoint.com and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will also be set forth in other filings that we make with the SEC from time to time. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by applicable law.

CHPT-IR

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005438/en/

Contacts:

European Press

Matthew Enevoldson

matthew.enevoldson@chargepoint.com

europepressoffice@chargepoint.com

North American Press

Olivia Marcinka

olivia.marcinka@chargepoint.com

media@chargepoint.com

Investor Relations

Patrick Hamer

patrick.hamer@chargepoint.com

investors@chargepoint.com
CHICAGO, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Thermoelectric Generators Market by Application (Waste Heat Recovery, Energy Harvesting, Direct Power Generation, Co-Generation), Temperature (<80c, 80- 500c, >500c) Wattage, Type, Material, Vertical, Component, Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the overall Thermoelectric Generator Market is projected to grow from USD 406 million in 2021 to USD 635 million by 2026, at a CAGR of 9.4% from 2021 to 2026. North America is estimated to account for the largest share of the thermoelectric generator market from 2021 to 2026.

Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=91553904

Thermoelectric generators and thermoelectric materials that were previously utilized primarily in niche applications are now becoming more popular with the introduction of wider automotive applications and the efforts to exploit waste-heat-recovery technologies. Thermoelectric generators are not only highly reliable and durable, but they are also environmentally friendly because they do not include chemical products. These reasons are boosting their demand further.

The occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic is an unparalleled global public health emergency that has disrupted almost every industry, and long-term effects are expected on the thermoelectric modules market as well. This is primarily due to the decline in aerospace, industrial, and automotive applications. Consumer electronics saw a drop in revenue initially in 2020 and is still lagging due to active cases of COVID-19 even in 2021. The telecommunications and medical segments also experienced a slight decline due to total lockdowns since remote communications, medicine/vaccine storage, and transport and pharmaceutical research have been given more importance during the pandemic. This led to a decrease in the growth of the thermoelectric generators market.

"By wattage, low power (<10 W) sub-segment of TEG Market would have the highest CAGR during the forecast period"

Based on wattage, the thermoelectric generators market is segmented into low power (<10 W), medium power (10-1 kW), and high power (> 1 kW). The power produced by thermoelectric generators is highly dependent upon the temperature applied to their plates. The low power (<10 W) segment of the thermoelectric generators market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The increased use of wearables and handheld consumer electronic devices is the major driver for the growth of the low power segment

"By type, the single stage segment is estimated to lead the TEG market"

Based on type, considering the flow and heat transfer process of the heat source along with the cold source, TEGs are categorized into single stage and multistage. The single stage segment held the major share of the global TEG market in 2020 and multi stage segment is going to have the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

"By temperature, the low temperature segment is projected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period"

Based on temperature, the thermoelectric generators market is segmented into low temperature (<80C), medium temperature (80-500C), and high temperature (>500C). These temperature ranges depend upon the application that the thermoelectric generators are used in. By temperature, the low (<80C) segment of the thermoelectric generator (TEG) market is projected to register the highest CAGR of 11.2% during the forecast period. Stringent laws to reduce CO2 emission have led to the increasing application of thermoelectric generators.

"By material, Bismuth Telluride segment is estimated to account for the largest market share of TEG market during the forecast period"

Based on material, the thermoelectric generators market is segmented into bismuth telluride, lead telluride, and others. The selection of the thermoelectric material is dependent on the temperature range at which the material is used. Currently, bismuth telluride is the most widely used material as it has the highest figure of merit and exhibits high performance across applications. The Bismuth Telluride segment of the thermoelectric generators (TEG) market is projected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

"By component, the thermoelectric module segment is projected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period"

Based on component, the thermoelectric generators market is segmented into heat source, thermoelectric module, cold side, and electric load. These components are made of materials such as bismuth telluride, lead telluride, and others for better thermal conductivity. The thermoelectric module segment is projected to have the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Increasing use of efficient materials for manufacturing thermoelectric modules boosts demand.

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"By vertical, the industrial segment is estimated to account for the largest market share of TEG market during the forecast period"

Based on vertical, the thermoelectric generators market is segmented into automotive, aerospace & defense, marine, industrial, consumer, healthcare, oil & gas, mining, and telecommunications. The industrial segment is projected to record the highest growth during the forecast period owing to the adoption of TEGs in smelters & blast furnaces, and other chemical processing applications.

"By application, the waste heat recovery segment is projected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period"

Based on application, the thermoelectric generators market is segmented into energy harvesting, waste heat recovery, direct power generation, and co-generation. The waste heat recovery application is expected to lead the market for TEGs during the forecast period driven by the increasing trend of electrification of automobiles. This trend will help increase the demand for TEGs, which produce electricity from the waste heat from automobiles.

"Europe is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period."

The European region is estimated to account for the highest CAGR of thermoelectric generators market in 2021. The UK, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Russia, and the Rest of Europe are considered under this regional market analysis. Increasingly stringent regulations related to C02 emissions from vehicles are one of the major factors driving the market for TEGs in Europe. The EU is the world's largest region that uses renewable energy. According to Eurostat, roughly 26% of the EUs electricity, 17% of the EU heating and cooling sector along with 6% of EU transport energy are derived from renewable energy sources. Europe invests significantly in total renewable energy, owing to its increasing use in the power sector and the growing demand for renewable electrical energy across various industries. This, in turn, is expected to fuel the demand for thermoelectric generators in the region.

Winners of TEG market are Gentherm, Inc (US), II-VI Incorporated (US), Ferrotec Corporation (Japan), Laird Thermal System (UK), Komatsu Ltd. (Japan), and TEC Microsystems (Germany). These key players offer drones applicable for various sector and have well-equipped and strong distribution networks across the North American, European, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW).

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HONG KONG, Aug 11, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - Hong Kong-based global power equipment and floorcare company Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd. ("TTI" or the "Group") (stock code: 669, ADR symbol: TTNDY) announced its results for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The Group delivered extraordinary results for the first half of 2021, growing sales by 52.0% to US$6.4 billion. Gross margin improved for the 13th consecutive first half to 38.6%, and the growth in EBIT, net profit, and earnings per share all outpaced sales growth. EBIT increased 57.4% to US$572 million, net profit rose 57.9% to US$524 million, and earnings per share increased 57.8% to approximately US28.62 cents per share.-- Exceptional sales growth of 52.0%-- Sales growth of 71.5% over two years, compared to the first half of 2019-- Strong sales growth across all businesses and geographies-- Gross margin improved for the 13th consecutive first half to 38.6%, up 58 basis points-- Net profit growth of 57.9% to US$524 millionWorking capital as a percent of sales finished at 18.3%, below TTI's goal of 20.0% or less. The Group continues to strategically build inventory to support its exceptional above market growth, to serve its customers with consistently high service levels, and to insulate the company from potential critical component shortages.The TTI Power Equipment segment delivered sales growth of 55.3% to US$5.8 billion. All geographies and business units contributed to this stellar performance in the first half of 2021. The flagship Milwaukee business delivered an astounding 64.1% growth globally. RYOBI performed exceptionally well across all brands with solid double-digit growth in all categories and geographies. In addition, the Floorcare & Cleaning business accounted for 9.0% of total TTI sales, with sales increasing 25.3% to US$574 million.Mr. Horst Pudwill, Chairman of TTI, said, "At TTI, we have built an exceptional world-class team and we would like to recognize our outstanding global organization for delivering strong results. We are proud of the bold, strategic decisions we have made over the past 18 months to position ourselves for a strong second half of 2021."Mr. Joseph Galli, CEO of TTI, commented, "TTI's first half results clearly demonstrate our leadership position, our momentum, and our future potential. Our high-speed new product machine allows us to expand the market and capture market share, while we continue to improve gross margin to record levels."About TTIFounded in 1985 and listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited in 1990, TTI is a world leader in cordless technology spanning Power Tools, Outdoor Power Equipment, Floorcare Cleaning Products and Solutions for the consumer, professional, and industrial users in the home, construction, maintenance, industrial and infrastructure industries. The Company has a foundation built on four strategic drivers - Powerful Brands, Innovative Products, Exceptional People and Operational Excellence - reflecting a long-term expansive vision to advance cordless technology. The global growth strategy of the relentless pursuit of product innovation has brought TTI to the forefront of its industries. TTI's powerful brand portfolio includes MILWAUKEE, AEG and RYOBI power tools, accessories and hand tools, RYOBI and HOMELITE outdoor products, EMPIRE layout and measuring products, and HOOVER, ORECK, VAX and DIRT DEVIL floorcare cleaning products and solutions.TTI is one of the constituent stocks of the Hang Seng Index, FTSE RAFI All-World 3000 Index, FTSE4Good Developed Index and MSCI ACWI Index. For more information, please visit www.ttigroup.com.All trademarks listed other than AEG and RYOBI are owned by the Group. AEG is a registered trademark of AB Electrolux (publ.), and is used under license. RYOBI is a registered trademark of Ryobi Limited, and is used under license.For enquiries:Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd.Isabella ChanTel: +(852) 2402 6495Email: isabella.chan@tti.com.hkWebsite: www.ttigroup.comStrategic Financial Relations LimitedVeron Ng +(852) 2864 4831 veron.ng@sprg.com.hkAdrianna Lau +(852) 2114 4987 adrianna.lau@sprg.com.hkKaren Kwan +(852) 2114 4171 karen.kwan@sprg.com.hkEmail: sprg_tti@sprg.com.hkWebsite: www.sprg.com.hkSource: TTICopyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) said it has recently experienced a deceleration in close-in bookings and an increase in close-in trip cancellations in August 2021. The company believes these negative effects are driven by the recent rise in COVID-19 cases associated with the Delta variant. Southwest Airlines said this will make it difficult for the company to be profitable in third quarter 2021. Southwest Airlines stated that its current outlook for third-quarter operating revenues has worsened by an estimated three to four points from its previous outlook three weeks ago. Third-quarter operating revenue is estimated to be down 15% to 20% compared with 2019. Compared with 2019, Southwest Airlines now projects operating revenue to decline 15% to 20% for August 2021, and to decline 15% to 25% for September 2021. Previously, the company projected operating revenue to decline 12% to 17% for the month of August. For the month of July, operating revenues performed in line with the company's expectations, driven primarily by strong leisure passenger traffic and fares. Operating revenue was down approximately 12% compared with 2019. The company was profitable in July 2021. Southwest noted that, as of August 9, 2021, the company had cash and short-term investments of approximately $16.9 billion, well in excess of debt outstanding. Shares of Southwest Airlines were down 1.7% in pre-market trade on Wednesday. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Halifax, Nova Scotia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 11, 2021) - Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) ("Ucore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has recently joined the National Mining Association ("NMA") as the Company prepares to construct the Alaska Strategic Metals Complex ("Alaska SMC") rare earth element ("REE") processing facility by the end of 2023 and seeks to accelerate the long-term development of the Bokan-Dotson Ridge Rare Earth Element Project ("Bokan" or "Bokan Project").

Since 1995, the NMA has been the clear, strong voice in Washington, D.C., for U.S. mining, representing its more than 250 corporate and organization members before Congress, the administration, federal agencies, the judiciary and the media. The NMA works to engage in and influence the public process on the most significant and timely issues that impact mining's ability to safely and sustainably locate, permit, mine, transport and utilize the nation's vast resources. Ucore's membership in the NMA timely coincides with the Biden Administration's continued efforts to strengthen the domestic supply chain by positioning America to drive the electric vehicle future forward, outcompete China, and tackle the climate crisis.

Rich Nolan, President and CEO of the National Mining Association stated: "For far too long the U.S. sat on the sidelines while China strategically built out production and processing capabilities that have resulted in almost total dominance of the rare earth supply chain. Ucore's vision and plan show that need not be the case. With near-term plans for processing and production in Alaska in parallel to the long-term development of the Bokan Project, Ucore is a prime example of a company that can help ensure that 'made in America' also includes 'processed in America,' where we know projects will utilize our vast resources under world-leading environmental and labor standards. We are proud to have such an innovative and visionary company join our membership."

On August 5, 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order on Strengthening American Leadership in Clean Cars and Trucks. This executive order sets a goal that 50 percent of all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in 2030 be zero-emission vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles. It also directs federal agencies to find ways to accelerate innovation and manufacturing in the automotive sector, to strengthen the domestic supply chain and kicks off the long-term fuel efficiency and emissions standards to save consumers money, cut pollution and grow North American jobs, pay and benefits.

"Ucore's membership in the National Mining Association, its growing relationships with North American original equipment manufacturers and US-allied resource suppliers affords us a unique opportunity to solidify our efforts to strengthen the REE supply chain in the United States," stated Ucore Vice-President & COO, Mike Schrider, P.E. "Critical mineral processing is the first step to establishing an independent rare earth supply chain in North America, and the Alaska SMC rare earth oxide production facility will be an integral component of the United States' domestic vehicle supply chain for the critical metals required to shift the landscape with electrical vehicles."

# # #

About Ucore Rare Metals Inc.

Ucore is focused on rare- and critical-metals resources, extraction, beneficiation, and separation technologies with potential for production, growth, and scalability. Ucore has a 100% ownership stake in the Bokan-Dotson Ridge Rare-Earth Element Project in Southeast Alaska, USA. Ucore's vision and plan is to become a leading advanced technology company, providing best-in-class metal separation products and services to the mining and mineral extraction industry.

Through strategic partnerships, this vision includes disrupting the People's Republic of China's ("PRC") dominance of the US REE supply chain through the development of a heavy rare-earth processing facility - the Alaska Strategic Metals Complex in Southeast Alaska and the long-term development of Ucore's heavy rare-earth element mineral resource property located at Bokan Mountain on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska.

Ucore is listed on the TSXV under the trading symbol "UCU" and in the United States on the OTC Markets' OTCQX Best Market under the ticker symbol "UURAF".

For further information, please visit www.ucore.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" regarding, among other things, the Company's ALASKA2023 Business Plan as well as the upcoming prospective financing activities involving the Company and AIDEA. All statements in this release (other than statements of historical facts) that address future business development, technological development and/or acquisition activities (including any related required financings), timelines, litigation outcomes, events, or developments that the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance or results and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. In regard to the disclosure in the "About Ucore Rare Metals Inc." section above, the Company has assumed that it will be able to procure or retain additional partners and/or suppliers, in addition to IMC, as suppliers for Ucore's expected future Alaska Strategic Metals Complex ("Alaska SMC"). Ucore has also assumed that sufficient external funding will be found to prepare a new National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") technical report that demonstrates that the Bokan Mountain Rare Earth Elements project ("Bokan") is feasible and economically viable for the production of both REE and co-product metals and the then prevailing market prices based upon assumed customer off-take agreements. Ucore has also assumed that sufficient external funding will be secured to develop the specific engineering plans for the Alaska SMC and its construction. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, without limitation: Innovation Metals Corp. ("IMC") failing to protect its intellectual property rights in RapidSX; RapidSX failing to demonstrate commercial viability in large commercial-scale applications; Ucore not being able to procure additional key partners or suppliers for the Alaska SMC; Ucore not being able to raise sufficient funds to fund the specific design and construction of the Alaska SMC and/or the continued development of RapidSX; adverse capital-market conditions; unexpected due-diligence findings; the emergence of alternative superior metallurgy and metal-separation technologies; the inability of Ucore and/or IMC to retain its key staff members; a change in the legislation in Alaska and/or in the support expressed by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority ("AIDEA") regarding the development of Bokan and/or the Alaska SMC; the availability and procurement of any required interim and/or long-term financing that may be required; and general economic, market or business conditions.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined by the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CONTACT

Mark MacDonald

Vice President, Investor Relations

Ucore Rare Metals Inc.

+1 902 482 5214

mark@ucore.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/92795
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 11, 2021 / Trigon Metals Inc. (TSX-V:TM) ("Trigon" or the "Company") announced today the appointment of Tulela Mining & Construction CC ("Tulela") as the open pit mining contractor for its Kombat Mine in Namibia.

Trigon has signed an agreement with Tulela to commence with equipment mobilization and site establishment from August 2021, with open pit mining planned to commence by October 2021.

Tulela was selected by Trigon in for its extensive open pit operating experience in sub-Saharan Africa, and in particular its knowledge of the area in which the Kombat Mine is situated, being a locally Namibian owned and operated company.

Tulela provides mining and construction services and has historically been involved in operations at Vedanta Zinc International's Skorpion Zinc mine in Namibia well as at Chingola in Zambia. The group also offers processing, engineering and logistics solutions, which enables Tulela to provide a full suite of services to its clients across the value chain. In support of Trigon's emphasis on local employment creation, Tulela aims to employ operational staff from the immediate region. The management team of Tulela has extensive experience in open pit mining and underground mining. A brand new fleet of trucks and shovels is destined for this project to ensure that efficient production volumes will support the business plan.

Jed Richardson, President and CEO of Trigon, said, "The appointment of Tulela as our open pit mining contractor is a milestone in our move towards production. Activities at site continue to advance daily and we remain on track to achieve our target of production by the end of the year."

About Kombat Mine

The Kombat Copper Project is the flagship project of Trigon Metals Inc., with the Company's mining and prospecting licence areas covering an area of more than 7,500 ha in the Otavi Mountainlands in Namibia. The Kombat Project is comprised of three mining licences, which produced approximately 12.46 million tonnes of Copper between 1962 and 2008, at a grade of 2.62%. The other two mining licences are within close proximity to Kombat at Gross Otavi and Harasib, which are believed to be highly prospective for lead and zinc. In addition, the Company also holds an interest in two exclusive prospecting licences, which represent a potential strike extension of Kombat.

Trigon Metals Inc.

Trigon is a publicly traded Canadian exploration and development company with its core business focused on copper and silver holdings in mine-friendly African jurisdictions. Currently the company has operations in Namibia and Morocco. In Namibia, the Company holds an 80% interest in five mining licences in the Otavi Mountainlands, an area of Namibia widely recognized for its high-grade copper deposits, where the Company is focused on exploration and re-development of the previously producing Kombat mine. In Morocco, the Company is the holder of the Silver Hill project, a highly prospective copper and silver exploration project.

Cautionary Notes

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements include statements regarding the appointment of a mining contractor, the restart of the Kombat Mine, the Company's strategies and the Company's abilities to execute such strategies, the Company's expectations for the Kombat Project, and the Company's future plans and objectives. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statements or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

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, contact:

Jed Richardson

+1 647 276-6002

jed.richardson@trigonmetals.com

Website: www.trigonmetals.com

SOURCE: Trigon Metals, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/659292/Trigon-Advances-Its-Kombat-Open-Pit-Restart-with-Appointment-of-Mining-Contractor
Stevanato Group S.p.A. (NYSE: STVN) a leading global provider of drug containment, drug delivery, and diagnostic solutions to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and life sciences industries, today announced that it will issue financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2021 on Thursday, August 19, 2021.

The Company will host a conference call to discuss the financial results at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time (14:30 CET) on August 19, 2021. Management will refer to a slide presentation during the call, which will be made available on the day of the call. To view the presentation, please visit the "Financial Results" page, under the Company's Investor Relations section of its website.

To participate on the call please dial

United States: 1 855 979 6654

Italy: 800 684 570

International: +44 20 3936 2999

Access Code: 627926

Preregistration

Listeners are encouraged to preregister for the call via the following link: www.incommglobalevents.com/registration/client/8297/stevanatoearnings-call/, whereupon you will be provided with a unique dial-in number and access code.

For Participants that do not preregister:

A live broadcast of the conference call will also be available online at the following link: www.incommuk.com/customers/online (access code 627926).

Replay

An online archive of the broadcast will be available at the website shortly after the live call and will be available through Thursday 2 September 2021. The recording will be accessible via the following link: www.incommglobalevents.com/replay/6516/stevanato-earnings-call/ (access code 776594).

About Stevanato Group

Founded in 1949, Stevanato Group is a leading global provider of drug containment, drug delivery and diagnostic solutions to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and life sciences industries. The Group delivers an integrated, end-to-end portfolio of products, processes and services that address customer needs across the entire drug life cycle at each of the development, clinical and commercial stages. Stevanato Group's core capabilities in scientific research and development, its commitment to technical innovation and its engineering excellence are central to its ability to offer value added solutions to clients.

For more information, please visit www.stevanatogroup.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005472/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations

Lisa Miles

lisa.miles@stevanatogroup.com

Media

Stevanato Group

media@stevanatogroup.com
ZURICH, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alumobility, a non-profit organization focused on proven technical solutions to advance the adoption of aluminum automotive body sheet, announced today that it has welcomed ARO, Atlas Copco, and Sika as new members. Experts in a variety of joining techniques for aluminum and other metals, these partners will contribute essential knowhow of assembly methods of aluminum auto body sheet components such as closures, body structures and battery enclosures.

"We are thrilled to welcome ARO, Atlas Copco, and Sika to Alumobility," said Mark White, Executive Director of Alumobility. "Their expertise in welding, self-pierce riveting, flow drill fastening, adhesive bonding and other joining methods will demonstrate reliable, efficient and cost-competitive manufacturing solutions for aluminum automotive body structures and components. By working together, aluminum producers and downstream providers can help automakers better realize the increased benefits of light, strong, sustainable aluminum."

Launched in January 2021 by founding members Constellium and Novelis, Alumobility conducts technical studies to help automakers utilize aluminum automotive body sheet to fulfill the promise of a lighter, more efficient, more sustainable mobility future. A new study on the latest joining methods is planned to be introduced this autumn to demonstrate the value and performance of various joining scenarios that can be applied to aluminum-intensive vehicles, as well as mixed material structures. Findings from this study will be shared in upcoming global auto industry conferences, and presented in detail at an Alumobility webinar. This project follows the consortium's study on aluminum door design that showcased a 45% weight savings compared to steel doors while meeting or exceeding safety specifications and other customer performance criteria.

Automakers continue to rely on lightweight, high-strength, sustainable aluminum to shape the future of mobility with lighter, safer, smarter and more sustainable vehicles. Alumobility represents a commitment by leading aluminum producers and downstream partners to further advance the technical capabilities of aluminum automotive body sheet in order to compete with other materials for applications in next-generation vehicle design.

For the latest news and event information from Alumobility, subscribe to our website to receive alerts.

About Alumobility

Alumobility is a global ecosystem of leading aluminum and downstream technology partners that supports automotive manufacturers in creating lighter, safer, smarter and more sustainable vehicles. The non-profit association was founded to focus on proven technical solutions to advance the adoption of aluminum automotive body sheet (ABS). Working with global automakers, Alumobility will help fulfill the promise of a lighter, more efficient, more sustainable mobility future.

About ARO

ARO is widely regarded as the world leader in resistance welding to the automotive industry. The ARO group is headquartered near Le Mans, in France, with regional offices in Germany, Spain, Belgium, Slovakia, Sweden, the UK, USA, Mexico, Brazil and China. The company was founded in 1949 and today employs over 500 people. ARO is a member of the British engineering and industrial group, Langley Holdings plc.

About Atlas Copco

Our industrial ideas empower our customers to grow and drive society forward. This is how we will create a better tomorrow. In our Innovation Centers and test laboratories, we're driving innovations together with our customers to meet the demands of future mobility. Atlas Copco is a global industrial group, founded in 1873 in Stockholm. In 2020 we had revenues of BSEK100 (BEUR 10) and at year end about 40,000 employees.

About Sika

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protection in the building sector and automotive industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 100 countries around the world and manufactures in over 300 factories. Its 25,000 employees generated annual sales of CHF 7.88 billion in 2020.

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 11, 2021 / Wedgemount Resources Corp. (CSE:WDGY) ("Wedgemount" or the "Company"), is pleased to update shareholders on progress to date on the Company's phase 1 Cookie exploration program. The 29,000 hectare Cookie copper-gold property is located in the prolific southern Toodoggone copper belt of north-central British Columbia.

Highlights

The Company has collected over 650 soil samples, 82 rock samples, and 118 alteration chips from across the property.

from across the property. Multiple new zones of porphyry-related alteration and mineralization have been identified.

have been identified. The next phase will include additional geological mapping and sampling and IP geophysics to aid in drill targeting

Mark Vanry, President and CEO of Wedgemount commented, "Our technical team has done an outstanding job finding previously un-sampled zones of porphyry-related mineralization outcropping in multiple areas of the project. In particular, it's extremely satisfying to discover multiple new mineralized zones on tenures which Wedgemount staked for minimal cost surrounding our historically explored 'Red Claims' during 2021. We continue to be very positive on the potential for the area of historic Red drilling where the alteration envelope is significantly larger than the area of historic work during the 1960's and early 2000's."

Exploration Program

The focus of the 2021 Phase 1 exploration program at Cookie is to confirm the grade and style of copper and gold mineralization documented in historic assessment reports as well as to evaluate new areas considered prospective for porphyry-related mineralization. Priority targets such as the five kilometer long, Red to Amber corridor on the eastern side of the property (see News Release dated July 20th, 2021) as well as the over six kilometer east-west trend of seven under-explored copper occurrences (e.g., ARD, Kim, Overstall, Verna) on the western side of the property have so far been investigated.

Work included 650 soils samples that were collected along regional ridge-top transects and also on tightly spaced sample grids. Rock-chip samples totaling 118 have been collected for alteration mineralogy characterisation and over 80 rock samples have been collected for full geochemical analyses. Based on the identification of numerous zones of porphyry-related potassic, propylitic and phyllic alteration with associated copper-bearing sulfides, additional mapping and sampling is planned. Contingent on results from these geochemical surveys, an induced polarization (IP) geophysical survey will be completed over priority areas. Assay results will be released once all data has been returned from the lab.

Cookie Property

The center of the 29,000 hectare Cookie property is approximately 40 kilometers south of Centerra Gold's past producing Kemess copper-gold mine and approximately 200 kilometers north of Smithers B.C. Historical work from the late-1960s to the early 2000's, including geological mapping, geophysical and geochemical surveys and limited drilling have outlined numerous porphyry-related copper-gold targets defined by widespread hydrothermal alteration zones, copper and gold mineralization and strong, yet un-drill-tested copper-in-soil geochemical anomalies.

The property straddles a terrane boundary (e.g., Ingenika Fault) between the Quesnel and Stikine terranes where Triassic to Jurassic sequences of volcaniclastic and sedimentary rocks are intruded by Early Jurassic to mid-Cretaceous plutons and stocks. Most of the historical work on the Cookie property has been confined to large gossans on the east side that represent more altered and porphyritic varieties of the intrusive units. Here, Cu-AuMo mineralization observed in historic drill core and outcrop is associated with porphyry-related hydrothermal alteration (e.g., Red-Amber corridor). Similarly on the west side of the property, widespread alteration, and local copper-bearing mineralization (e.g., ARD, Kim, Overstall, Verna) is located within rocks that host intrusions associated with the regionally prospective Black Lake intrusive suite.

Figure 1. Map showing location of 2021 sample locations and main porphyry-related copper + gold exploration targets on the Cookie project.

Data Verification and National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure

Some data disclosed in this news release relating to sampling and drilling results are historical in nature. Neither the Company nor a Qualified Person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"),have verified the data, and, therefore, investors should not place undue reliance on such data. In some cases, the data may be unverifiable due to lack of drill core. Mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby and/or geologically similar properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Company's property. The technical information disclosed in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Ken MacDonald, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

About Wedgemount Resources Corp.

Wedgemount Resources is a junior mineral exploration company focused on maximizing shareholder value through the acquisition, discovery and advancement of high-quality copper - gold projects in North America.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

WEDGEMOUNT RESOURCES CORP.

Mark Vanry, President and CEO

For more information, please contact the Company at:

Telephone: (604) 343-4743

info@wedgemountresources.com

www.wedgemountresources.com

Reader Advisory

This news release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements made in this news release include the Company's plans for exploration of the property and anticipated exploration results. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, availability of funds, personnel and other resources necessary to conduct exploration programs, successes of the Company's exploration programs, availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Wedgemount Resources Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/659262/Wedgemount-Provides-Update-From-Property-Wide-Exploration-Program-at-the-Cookie-Copper-Gold-Property-North-Central-BC
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 11, 2021 / CAT Strategic Metals Corporation (CSE:CAT) (OTC PINK:CATTF) (FRA:8CH) ("CAT" or the 'Company') announces the following work update on its Rimrock and Gold Jackpot mineral properties in Elko County, Nevada.

RIMROCK Gold-Silver Property

The Rimrock Au-Ag property is situated 15 Km southeast of Hecla Mining's high-grade Midas gold-silver mine, and 3 km north of its Hollister gold-silver mine. Hecla's new high-grade Green Racer gold-silver discovery lies 13 km NW of Rimrock.

Geological Mapping, Sampling and Geophysics Completed. CAT has completed the geological mapping and sampling at Rimrock. Drone magnetics, ground gravity and Induced Polarization ("IP") surveys also were completed, and are being interpreted by CAT's consulting geophysicist. Six additional lode mining claims were staked and filed on newly-discovered gold-silver targets. Final interpretations are being completed.

Several gold-silver targets were outlined by this work, and detailed cross sections are being prepared in order to fine-tune and prioritize the drilling targets. In the next phase of exploration at Rimrock, CAT will be drill testing target areas for Midas-Hollister Mine-type epithermal gold-silver, as well as new target areas for older, Carlin-age gold mineralization. Shallow-depth silver-(gold) targets are also present, as indicated by drilling in 2007, perhaps associated with "Hatter"-age (approximately 39 Ma) granitic bodies of Eocene age. Many of the more important fault zones at Rimrock are interpreted to have been reactivated over time and different events of mineralization, perhaps on top of each other.

A program of exploration drilling is now being formulated, and these sites will be permitted with the State and federal Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") for drilling. Drill permitting is usually efficient in Elko County with federal and state regulators.

GOLD JACKPOT Copper-Gold-Silver-Tellurium Property

Geological Mapping and Sampling in Progress and Geophysics Completed. CAT geologists are currently conducting fresh mapping and sampling at Gold Jackpot, and expect to have it completed by the end of August with data inputted into a computerized GIS system. Substantial evidence of jasperoid-associated Carlin-style gold mineralization has recently been discovered, along with previously found evidence of a possible diatreme-porphyry copper-gold-silver system, and a later superimposed high-grade tellurium-bearing system. Mapping of these mineralization-alteration features is ongoing.

Drone magnetic and ground gravity surveys were completed. Two IP lines were completed as well; one atop the diatreme-porphyry target, and one atop the northern part of the Carlin-style gold target area, where a 1.2 gram per tonne gold in rock chip sample was taken previously by Gold Reef International. CAT will complete the final interpretations in September following which initial drill targets will be selected. Paving the way for permitting with the BLM and State.

Mr. Richard R. Redfern, M.S., C.P.G. No. 10717, is the qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 who has examined the property on the ground, and who reviewed the geological information available from public sources related to the property, and is responsible for approving the technical contents of this press release.

About CAT Strategic Metals Corporation:

CAT Strategic Metals Corporation is a Canadian based mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and de risking of overlooked projects situated in well-established World Class geological districts in North America. The Company is specially focused on minerals which are considered highly strategic from a monetary as well as global infrastructure and energy point of view. CAT's shares trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) under the trading symbol "CAT", on the OTCMarkets.com under the trading symbol "CATTF", and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "8CH".

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Robert Rosner

Chairman, President & CEO

Further information regarding the Company can be found on SEDAR at www.SEDAR.com , by visiting the Company's website www.catstrategic.com or by contacting the Company directly at (604) 674-3145.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Particular risks applicable to this press release include risks associated with planned production, including the ability of the company to achieve its targeted exploration outline due to regulatory, technical or economic factors. In addition, there are risks associated with estimates of resources, and there is no guarantee that a resource will be found or have demonstrated economic viability as necessary to be classified as a reserve. There is no guarantee that additional exploration work will result in significant increases to resource estimates

Neither Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

We seek safe harbour

SOURCE: CAT Strategic Metals Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/659282/Cat-Strategic-Metals-Exploration-Update-Rimrock-and-Gold-Jackpot-Properties-Northeastern-Elko-County-Nevada
OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - National Bank of Canada (NA.TO) announced Wednesday that President and Chief Executive Officer Louis Vachon intends to retire on October 31, 2021, after nearly 15 years in the role. Concurrently, the Board of Directors announced that Chief Operating Officer Laurent Ferreira will succeed him as President and CEO, effective November 1, 2021, in accordance with the Bank's succession plan. Ferreira, who was appointed as COO in February 2021, has held key leadership roles in Financial Markets over his 23 years with National Bank. Since 2019, he has also been co-managing the Bank's transformation. He had served as Executive Vice-President and Co-Head - Financial Markets since November 2018. Ferreira began his career in 1996 at Bankers Trust and joined the Bank in 1998, where he has held a series of management positions in its subsidiaries from January 2015 to November 2018. Vachon has been President and CEO of the Bank since June 2007. He began his career in 1985 with Citibank Canada and in 1986 joined Levesque Beaubien Geoffrion Inc., now National Bank Financial Inc., where he served as Vice-President until 1990. From 1990 to 1996, Vachon was employed by BT Bank of Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of Bankers Trust, where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer from 1994 to 1996. 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.
- Benefits such as easing different symptoms of conditions, including the Parkinson's disease, and reducing pain and nausea to invite profitable growth opportunities for medical cannabis market

- Evolving legal framework across many regions to offer immense growth prospects for the medical cannabis market

ALBANY, N.Y., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The adoption of cannabis is a controversial subject across many countries and regions. The social, political, and economic interests have played a crucial role in the growth of the cannabis industry. However, with the rising awareness about the role of cannabis as a treatment option for certain health conditions, many government bodies are contemplating legalizing the use of cannabis for medical purposes. Thus, these factors will have a large impact on the growth of the medical cannabis market.

Cannabis is derived from the Cannabis indica or Cannabis sativa plant to treat numerous diseases and health conditions. The therapeutic advantages associated with medical cannabis offer immense growth prospects for the medical cannabis market.

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With enormous growth opportunities, the medical cannabis market is estimated to grow at a rapid pace. The research report by Transparency Market Research (TMR) suggests a promising growth trajectory for the medical cannabis market during the forecast period from 2019-2027. According to the findings by the researchers at the TMR, the global market for medical cannabis is expected to expand at a CAGR of 26.6% during the forecast period. With various advancements in the medical cannabis market, it is expected to cross the valuation of US$ 52.8 Bn by 2027 from US$ 8 Bn in 2018.

The future of the medical cannabis market looks positive, as many individuals are seeking different treatment options, which can relieve them quickly from various diseases and disorders. In addition, quick FDA approvals will also pave the way for the growth of the medical cannabis market. The incidences of joint and muscle pain are becoming common. Since recent studies revealed that cannabis could be useful for treating osteoarthritis and similar conditions, the growth structure of the global market is estimated to strengthen during the forecast period.

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Key Findings of Report

Acceleration in Legalization Process of Medical Cannabis across Various Regions to Fuel Market Growth

With rising awareness about the therapeutic benefits of medical cannabis, various countries have started the legal cultivation of cannabis. Many laws are being framed to increase the use of cannabis for medical purposes. These factors will offer several growth opportunities for the medical cannabis market. Moreover, the process of legalization cannabis is rapid across the countries of North America and Europe. This aspect is anticipated to influence the growth of the medical cannabis market to a considerable extent.

Ongoing research and development activities will determine the efficacy of cannabis for different medical purposes and decide the future growth course of the medical cannabis market. However, recent collaborations between chemists, doctors, pharmacologists, botanists, and others with experts in therapeutic product design and clinical trial space would assure promising growth prospects for the medical cannabis market.

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Rising Popularity of Plant-based Therapies to Offer Profitable Growth for Medical Cannabis Market Players in Europe, North America

Medical cannabis is emerging as one of the vital consumer segments in the U.S. The shifting preference of many consumers toward plant-based therapies in the countries of the European Union and North America will bring immense growth opportunities for the medical cannabis market. Furthermore, the growing influence of natural alternatives to prescription drugs is likely to drive the medical cannabis market in North America and Europe.

Some of the key players in the medical cannabis market include Aurora Cannabis, Medical Marijuana, Inc., Emerald Health Therapeutics, The Supreme Cannabis Company, Inc., and Tilray.

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Global Medical Cannabis Market: Research Scope

Medical Cannabis Market, by Derivative

Cannabidiol (CBD)

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

Others

Medical Cannabis Market, by Application

Mental Health Management

Anxiety



Depression



Others (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder, etc.)

Neurological Disorders Management

Epilepsy



Alzheimer's Disease



Parkinson's Disease



Others ( Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, etc.)

disease, multiple sclerosis, etc.) Pain Management

Neuropathic Pain



Cancer Pain



Others (post-operative, chronic pain, etc.)

Medical Cannabis Market, by Route of Administration

Nasal

Oral

Others

Medical Cannabis Market, by Distribution Channel

Hospital Pharmacies

Retail Pharmacies

Online Pharmacies

Medical Cannabis Market, by Region

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

Germany



France



U.K.



Italy



Spain



Rest of Europe

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico



Rest of Latin America

Rest of the World

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:

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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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 11, 2021) - Viscount Mining Corp. (TSXV: VML) (OTCQX: VLMGF) ("Viscount Mining") is pleased to announce that the Company's quotation on the OTCQB Venture Market has been upgraded to the OTCQX Best Market, and its common shares will begin trading today on the OTCQX Best Market (the " OTCQX ") under the ticker symbol " VLMGF."

"We have had significant interest from U.S. based investors and believe that our graduation from the OTCQB Venture Market to the OTCQX Best Market marks an important milestone in the Company's history," remarked Jim Mackenzie, CEO of Viscount. "The OTCQX Best Market is the highest market tier of OTC Markets, and we believe that trading on OTCQX will enhance the visibility to U.S. investors. We look forward to engaging with new US investors as we grow the Company for all stakeholders."

The Company is extremely pleased to have qualified for the OTCQX where companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. The OTCQX market includes both multinational companies seeking access to U.S. investors and domestic growth companies. To be traded on this tier, companies must undergo a qualitative review by OTC Markets Group.

U.S. investors can find real-time quotes and market information for the Company at https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/VLMGF/overview.

There will be no change to Viscount's Canadian listing as the Company's common shares will continue to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol " VML ."

About OTC Markets Group Inc.

OTC Markets Group Inc. operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 11,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN, the OTC Markets Groups connects a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors. To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com .

About Viscount Mining (TSXV: VML) (OTCQX: VLMGF)

Viscount Mining is a project generator and an exploration company with a portfolio of silver and gold properties in the Western United States, including Silver Cliff in Colorado and Cherry Creek in Nevada.

The Silver Cliff property in Colorado lies within the historic Hardscrabble Silver District in the Wet Mountain Valley, Custer County, south-central Colorado. It is located 44 miles WSW of Pueblo, Colorado, and has year-around access by paved road. The property consists of 2,319.48 hectares where high grade silver, gold and base metal production came from numerous mines during the period 1878 to the early 1900's. The property underwent substantial exploration between 1967 and 1984.

The property is interpreted to encompass a portion of a large caldera and highly altered sequence of tertiary rhyolitic flows and fragmental units which offers potential to host deposits with both precious and base metals. This has been demonstrated in the mineralization historically extracted from the numerous underground and surface mining operations. Drilling in the 1980s by Tenneco resulted in a historical pre-feasibility study on which basis it was planned to bring the property to production. The plan was abandoned following a takeover by another company.

The Cherry Creek exploration property is in an area commonly known as the Cherry Creek Mining District, located approximately 50 miles north of the town of Ely, White Pine County, Nevada. Cherry Creek consists of 293 unpatented and patented claims as well as mill rights and is comprised of more than 2,442 hectares. Cherry Creek includes more than 20 past producing mines. In January 2021, Viscount entered into an exploration earn - in agreement with a wholly owned subsidiary of Centerra Gold Inc. Centerra is a Canadian-based gold mining company focused on operating, developing, exploring and acquiring gold properties in North America, Asia and other markets worldwide and is one of the largest Western-based gold producers in Central Asia.

For additional information regarding the above noted property and other corporate information, please visit the Company's website at www.viscountmining.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Jim MacKenzie"

President, CEO and Director

For further information, please contact:

Viscount Investor Relations

Email: info@viscountmining.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to Viscount Mining's operations, exploration and development plans, expansion plans, estimates, expectations, forecasts, objectives, predictions and projections of the future.

There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements will prove 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. Viscount Mining does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE INC. HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS 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/92767
40 additional patients completed treatment

On track to disclose final safety and efficacy data in early Fall

Toxic cascade markers expected to be disclosed in two to three months

Planning to present all Phase 2a data to the FDA in Q4 2021 and begin Phase 3 in Q1 2022

Berwyn, Pennsylvania--(Newsfile Corp. - August 11, 2021) - Annovis, Bio, Inc. (NYSE American: ANVS), a clinical-stage drug platform company addressing Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that the company has finished treating an additional 40 PD patients with either 5, 10, 20 or 40 mg once daily of ANVS401 for an extensive dose response study. The original 14 AD and 14 PD patients were treated with either placebo or 80 mg of ANVS401 once daily.

"We closed the study and expect to have final safety and efficacy data to share in the fall and expect to finish analyzing the markers of the toxic cascade in approximately two to three months," said Maria Maccecchini, PhD, Founder, CEO and President of Annovis Bio. "When we complete our analyses, we plan to summarize our data with our chronic toxicology results in animals and submit it to the FDA ahead of an end-of-Phase 2 meeting. We also look forward to discussing Phase 3 studies in AD and PD with the FDA with the goal of beginning Phase 3 in Q1 2022."

The data from the first 14 AD and 14 PD patients showed improvements in three steps of the toxic cascade: neurotoxic proteins, axonal health, and inflammation. Additionally, these AD and PD patients showed significant statistical improvements in ADAS-Cog11 and WAIS in AD patients, and MDS-UPDRS and WAIS in PD patients.

For additional details on the clinical trials for ANVS401, including frequently asked questions regarding the data the Company presented at the 2021 Alzheimer's Association International Conference, please visit the Company's website.

About Annovis Bio Inc.

Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, Annovis Bio, Inc. 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 Bio, 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," "plan," "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.

Contacts

Investor Relations:

Dave Gentry, CEO

RedChip Companies Inc.

407-491-4498

Dave@redchip.com

Media:

Susan Roberts

sr@roberts-communications.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/92796
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Reflecting higher prices for shelter, food, energy, and new vehicles, the Labor Department released a report on Wednesday showing consumer prices in the U.S. increased in line with economist estimates in the month of July. The Labor Department said its consumer price index climbed by 0.5 percent in July after jumping by 0.9 percent in June. Economists had expected consumer prices to rise by 0.5 percent following the advance in the previous month, which reflected the biggest increase since June of 2008. Excluding food and energy prices, core consumer prices rose by 0.3 percent in July after surging by 0.9 percent in June. Economists had expected core prices to increase by 0.4 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.
The "European Medium Heavy Truck Market 2021-2026 Market Dynamics, Competitive Landscape, OEM Strategies Plans, Trends Growth Opportunities and Market Outlook Daimler, Volvo, Traton MAN Scania, DAF, Iveco" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The European Medium Heavy Truck Market Cruising Steadily on the Autobahn to Recovery

The registration of heavy trucks in the EU plummeted in 2020 with a 27% year-on-year decline owing to pandemic the imposition of spate of lockdowns across most EU nations.

The heavy-truck registrations in the EU are projected to be back to the pre-pandemic levels during the second half of 2021 with even a high single digit growth in heavy truck registrations, over the 2019 levels, projected for 2021, based on the prevailing order book positions across OEMs.

Europe has been the core pivot and traditional flag-bearer for technological evolution of the global trucking industry given the critical role it plays in the European economy with over 75% of the freight within the continent moving by road and this trend is likely to be sustained over long term. The continent is also a trucking powerhouse and is home to three of the world's trucking behemoths, namely, Daimler, Volvo and the VW group which have traditionally dominated the global truck market with their size and scale of operations along with technological prowess.

The first half of the year 2021 has witnessed a steady improvement in freight prices as well as volumes across the EU, driving an uptick in freight market, which drove a surge in order intake across industry OEMs while operators moved swiftly to renew as well as expand their existing fleets. The industry also continues to make steady progress towards development of sustainable technologies geared towards de-carbonization of transportation.

The efforts have primarily been led by battery-electric fuel cell technologies with the tipping point for electric trucks likely to come in form of the commencement of serial assembly of electric trucks across trucking giants, Daimler Volvo, apart from most other OEMs; over near term. Further, mass market production introduction of hydrogen powered trucks across Europe by 2030, too, is taking shape under the H2Accelerate initiative by the industry geared towards sustainability.

The rapid move towards de-carbonization of transportation transition towards sustainability; along with Connectivity Autonomous technologies; is collectively likely to drive significant replacement demand over medium term across most traditional markets.

Also, it has already led to a spike in M&A activity, JVs partnerships amongst leading industry players with the same likely to see a further uptick going forward. Further, the sustained rise in global crude oil prices is likely to give a further stimulus to transition towards alternate drivetrains across operators.

Key Topics Covered:

Part 1: Market Size, Segmentation Competitive Landscape

Section 1: European Medium Heavy Truck Market (EU+EFTA)

Market Overview

Market Size

Market Segmentation

Key Drivers

Section 2: Competitive Landscape European Market for Medium Heavy Trucks Market Share for OEMs

Part 2: Analysis on Key Industry OEMs

Section 3: Top 6 Industry OEMs Profiles Product Portfolio Snapshot

Daimler AG

Volvo AB

MAN SE

Scania AB

Iveco S.p.A.

DAF N.V.

Section 4: Financial Performance Analysis Top 6 Industry OEMs

Revenue Base Growth Trend

Revenues Split by Key Segments

Revenues Split by Key Geographic Markets Regions

Gross Earnings Margin Trend

Operating Earnings Operating Margin Trend

Return on Sales Trend

Profitability Growth Trend

Cash Flow from Operations

R&D Expenditure Trend

CAPEX Trend

Order Intake Truck Deliveries Trend

Section 5: OEM Strategies Plans Comprehensive Analysis of Strategies Plans for Top 6 Industry OEMs Daimler, Volvo, MAN, Scania, Iveco DAF

Product Portfolio Strategies Plans

Market Specific Strategies Plans

R&D Strategies Plans

Growth Strategies Plans

Business and Corporate Strategies Plans

Sales Marketing Strategies Plans

Production/Manufacturing Strategies Plans

Financial Strategies Plans

Acquisitions, Strategic Alliances JVs

Other Strategies Strategic Initiatives

Section 6: SWOT Analysis On Top 6 Industry OEMs

Strengths to be Leveraged

Weaknesses to be worked on

Opportunities to be capitalized upon

Threats to be negated mitigated

Part 3: Market Technology Trends, Emerging Demand Scenario and Strategic Market Outlook through 2026

Section 7: Key Trends

Market Trends

Technology Trends

Section 8: Key Issues, Challenges Risk Factors

Section 9: European Medium Heavy Truck Market Force Field Analysis Analysis of Driving Restraining Forces and their Overall Dynamic

Driving Forces

Restraining Forces

Section 10: Strategic Market Outlook through 2026

Analysis of Emerging Market Scenario

Demand Outlook Growth Projections for Medium Heavy Truck Segments through 2026

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vy9hh2

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005530/en/

Contacts:

ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

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-- Reinvent and modernize back office business and public finance operations

-- Build a first-of-its-kind data fabric solution to help organizations harness the value of enterprise data

-- Transform regulated industries with innovative cloud-based platforms underpinned by trust

-- Scale products and services through extensive investments in resources and training

LONDON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EY and Microsoft today announce the expansion of their strategic relationship to further align EY business ingenuity with Microsoft's cloud technologies to create long-term value for their respective clients with an incremental US$15b growth opportunity over the next five years. The increased collaboration will focus on launching new solutions and platforms that help organizations address business and societal challenges at scale through digital transformation.

The relationship concentrates on helping clients reinvent back office operations and innovate in key regulated sectors like financial services, energy, health, government and manufacturing. In addition, the collaboration will create managed services that fuel client transformation, unlock value and develop a first-of-its-kind, enterprise-scale, trusted data fabric. EY teams will further extend the operation of the EY Microsoft Services Group to provide clients with deeper access to more than 40,000 experienced EY technology consulting professionals to meet changing demands. Microsoft will work with EY teams to train more than 150,000 EY professionals on Microsoft technologies and is dedicating engineering talent to accelerate the development of key solutions over the next five years.

Andy Baldwin, EY Global Managing Partner - Client Service, says:

"The power of the EY and Microsoft relationship is deepening as we help people around the world, and support clients to do more with their data in areas previously underserved by technology, such as tax and finance. We are building on our collaborative success in multiple domains to help businesses and governments save costs, monetize data, realize long-term value and create agility. With this significant expansion of our relationship, we will leverage Azure, Power Platform and combined EY and Microsoft engineering capabilities to support organizations and businesses to modernize back office operations, leverage the cloud and accelerate transformations with new Microsoft-enabled solutions and platforms."

Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Microsoft, says:

"Today's announcement is the next step in our long-standing relationship with EY. It means we will be able to provide greater overall technical expertise for our customers' cloud strategies through new solutions and platforms. In addition, our collaboration will enable customers in regulated industries to bring the power of the cloud to their back-office operations, fundamentally changing how they harness data to drive critical business functions."

EY teams help companies transform their businesses digitally without making their own infrastructure investments by leveraging the combination of both Microsoft Power Platform and Azure. In addition, EY professionals can now help accelerate innovation with clients with one of the largest enterprise deployments of Microsoft Power Platform across the globe.

An established global leader with its Azure-based audit solution and Azure-based tax solution (Global Tax Platform), EY teams will continue to focus on reinventing back office operations with the technical provision of managed services across various areas such as tax, supply chain, risk and compliance and other managed services. Within these fields, combined EY and Microsoft teams are helping accelerate the development of key solutions including adoption of managed services in tax (EY Tax and Finance Operate), employee mobility (EY Pathway) and supply chain to help businesses save costs and boost agility, and drive the digitization of public finance systems to improve domestic resource mobilization.

EY and Microsoft teams are helping clients orchestrate a cloud for business. As part of this approach, EY and Microsoft are collaboratively developing the EY Trusted Data Fabric - a first-of-its-kind enterprise data offering that will automate the processing and adoption of data and provide access to data with advanced artificial intelligence (AI)-powered data management capabilities across multiple EY platforms. Combining EY Trusted Data Fabric with Microsoft's Power Platform allows both teams to add more capabilities to EY Azure-native managed services platforms offering access to the most advanced technologies and helping clients create products to quickly innovate.

In addition, EY and Microsoft teams will collaborate on cloud solutions for regulated industries to help accelerate digital transformation and help clients overcome regulatory hurdles to move to and innovate in the cloud. Focus industries include financial services, health, energy and government. The collaboration will integrate proven offerings such as EY Financial Crime Platform, which drives trust in capital markets by protecting consumers and financial institutions from financial crime, and EY Comply, which efficiently controls, manages and reports financial regulatory requirements for financial institutions, into their Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services solutions.

For more information, visit ey.com/microsoft.

Notes to Editors

All financial information provided is unaudited unless otherwise noted or accompanied by an audit opinion and is subject to the more comprehensive information contained in Microsoft's SEC reports and filings. Microsoft does not endorse third-party information. Microsoft does not undertake a duty to update the information. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties described in the Microsoft Forms 10-Q and 10-K.

Joanna Hardy

EY Global Media Relations

+1 212 773-4473

joanna.c.hardy@ey.com

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Law firm chooses Everlaw for cost-effective platform to streamline ediscovery and collaborate on complex litigation matters

OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP (WBD UK) announced today a partnership with Everlaw to provide its legal teams with enhanced flexibility and control throughout the legal review process. Everlaw's cloud-based ediscovery platform lets users organise, review and analyse large amounts of data and collaborate in one central place, from anywhere, which has created more efficiency for lawyers during a time when clients are more conscious than ever about value for their money.

Historically, lawyers have had to search through mountains of documents in order to discover the needle-in-a-haystack pieces of information needed to argue and win cases. Legal teams have long lacked the necessary tools to perform these tasks efficiently and collaboratively, and Covid-19 has only further heightened this pain point, forcing lawyers, firms and courts to embrace technology in a way they never had before.

In addition to facing the "haystack" challenge, WBD UK's lawyers also ran smaller document reviews (up to 5,000 documents), redaction exercises, prepared for employment tribunals, exercised corporate due diligence reviews and completed data subject access requests using a variety of technologies and processes. The firm's legal teams needed a powerful solution to remotely and securely review and analyse documents. WBD UK found Everlaw best suited its needs for ease of use and costs.

Since engaging with Everlaw, WBD UK has significantly reduced complexity and increased efficiencies in these various workstreams and enabled more of its clients to access the benefits from using the features within an ediscovery platform. The firm also has accelerated its plan to launch an in-house ediscovery offering to the market, powered by Everlaw's platform and staffed by the firm's WBD Advance service.

"You can't offer first-class legal advice without first-class technology," said Amy Prime, associate at WBD UK. "The volume of data in legal discovery continues to grow. We need strong, yet flexible ediscovery tools to help pinpoint and analyse data at scale. With Everlaw's cloud-native solution and unlimited training support, our team has in-house control and visibility support for litigation and a variety of other matters which require collaboration around documents. We're now offering services that were once reserved for complex litigation, and lawyers are empowered with increased flexibility to securely import and process data without facing infrastructure hurdles."

Combined with Everlaw's data processing power and collaborative features, WBD's UK teams can quickly and efficiently collect, analyse and act on documents instantly, and share documents and analysis within a secure, easy-to-use platform while knowing that client data remains safe.

"At Everlaw, we recognize every legal team has varied and complex needs, which is why we built a customizable and scalable platform," said AJ Shankar, CEO and Founder of Everlaw. "WBD UK is a proud partner and ediscovery adoption leader. The team excels at making ediscovery and collaboration central to its business in its mission to provide affordable services at scale."

About Womble Bond Dickinson

Womble Bond Dickinson is a transatlantic law firm with seven UK offices. The firm provides core legal services including: Commercial, Corporate, Employment, Pensions, Dispute Resolution, Litigation, Finance, Banking, Restructuring, Insolvency, IP, Technology and Data, Private Wealth, Projects, Construction and Infrastructure, Real Estate and Regulatory Law.

Womble Bond Dickinson has a particular focus on eleven key sectors: Energy & Natural Resources, Financial Institutions, Healthcare, Insurance, Manufacturing, Real Estate, Retail & Consumer, Transport, Logistics & Infrastructure, Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences, Technology and Private Wealth.

The firm's UK offices are in Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, London, Newcastle, Plymouth and Southampton.

The firm's reach also extends to Europe where it has strategic partnerships with other law firms in Germany and France. Through the firm's association with Lex Mundi, the world's largest association of independent law firms, Womble Bond Dickinson also can offer clients access to quality-tested local counsel in more than 120 countries.

About Everlaw

Everlaw blends cutting-edge technology with modern design to help law firms, government entities, and corporations solve the toughest problems in the legal industry. Everlaw is used by 76 out of the AM Law 100, Fortune 100 corporate counsels, and all 50 U.S. state attorneys general. Everlaw's North American headquarters is in Oakland, Calif., and European headquarters is in London, UK. The company is funded by top-tier investors, including CapitalG, Menlo Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and K9 Ventures.

Media Contact:

Jamie Altman

(925) 989-0243

jaltman@missionnorth.com

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Creo appoints commercialleaderGraeme Kenny as Chief Revenue Officer

Head of Croda Personal Care in North America joins Creo to support commercial rollout

SAN DIEGO, CA -AUGUST 11, 2021- Creo, an ingredient technology company with a proprietary platform for producing natural cannabinoids without the cannabis plant, today announces that it has appointed Graeme Kenny as Chief Revenue Officer, effective immediately.

Graeme has over 20 years' experience working for Croda International Plc, a global leader in the manufacture of specialty chemicals, fragrances and nutritional ingredients for the personal care, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and health and wellness segments. Most recently, he was head of Croda's Personal Care business in North America, with responsibility for all sales, marketing and technical teams in the region.

Graeme's role at Creo will be to lead commercial rollout in the new fast emerging category of cannabinoid ingredients. Creo's mission is to bring the benefits of cannabinoids, produced sustainably through advanced biology, to every household beginning with Cannabigerol (CBG) and Cannabigerolic acid (CBGA). There is a growing body of scientific evidence suggesting CBG and CBGA may have a range of benefits for health, wellness and beauty applications.

Roy Lipski, CEO and co-founder of Creo, said: "I'm delighted Graeme has chosen to join Creo to spearhead our commercial activities. Graeme has decades of experience in category creation and commercial development in the cosmetics, personal care and wellness industry. He is the ideal person to support Creo at this exciting juncture of our development."

Graeme Kenny, CRO, added: "The cannabinoids market is looking poised to make significant inroads into a number of health, wellness and personal care markets, fuelled by a revolution in natural manufacturing and growing scientific evidence of their benefits. I'm thrilled to be joining Creo and working with Roy and the team to bring cannabinoids to the mainstream."

Creo has recently completed its first commercial bio-fermentation and has announced partnership with Fifth & Root and Joiya to bring innovative CBG-based skincare products to market.

About Creo

Creo is an ingredients technology company that produces high quality cannabinoids using the natural process of fermentation. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in California, Creo's mission is to enable the creation of value-added cannabinoid products that help people everywhere, at scale and in a more environmentally sustainable way, using advanced biology instead of the cannabis plant. Creo's technology partner and major shareholder is industry-leading biotechnology firm Genomatica. To learn more, visit creoingredients.com.

Media enquiries

Consilium Strategic Communications

Mary-Jane Elliott, Matthew Cole, Jessica Hodgson, Lindsey Neville

+44
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 11, 2021 / Nuinsco Resources Limited ("Nuinsco" or the "Company") (CSE:NWI), announces two additional significant intersections of 122m and 111m respectively, of Critical Metals and phosphate mineralization from diamond drilling at its 100%-owned Prairie Lake project near Terrace Bay, Ontario.

Additional sampling of diamond drill core from holes NP0801 and NP0802 has now produced continuous mineralized intersections of 122.7m (NP0801: 2.3-125m) and 111.2m (NP0802: 4.8-116m) of niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta), phosphate (P2O5), and rare earth elements (REE) including lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), samarium (Sm), neodymium (Nd) and yttrium (Y). Ten drill holes have been sampled to date. The ongoing sampling program continues to provide information to support the Company's goal of establishing a mineral resource at Prairie Lake; it is focussing on drill holes collared to intercept the Southwest (SW) Area (see map below) - this domain alone has an Exploration Target ("ET") of 435-530 million tonnes with grades as tabulated in the "Prairie Lake ET" table below.

"The Company is impressed with the results obtained from the infill sampling program. The expanded domains of continuous rare earth, niobium, tantalum and phosphate mineralization provide great scope for continuity and grade evaluation necessary to develop a resource," said Paul Jones, Nuinsco's CEO. "The value of the Prairie Lake project as an asset to the Company is emphasized by the REE neodymium alone; it is just one of several contained elements of interest and has increased in price from circa US$60/kg to circa $140/kg between 1 August 2020 and 1 August 2021 (source: kitco.com). The mineralization at Prairie Lake occurs at surface and extends to unknown depth below the deepest drilling conducted to date (circa 500m) - it represents a very significant domain of rock mineralized with a number of elements and compounds of economic interest including those defined as Critical Elements defined under the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan ("CMMP") for which demand is projected to substantially increase and for which secure supply chains are sought."

Hole ID From

(m) To

(m) Width

(m) Rock

Type P2O5

(%) Nb2O5

(%) Ta2O5

(%) Y

(g/t) La

(g/t) Ce

(g/t) Nd

(g/t) Sm

(g/t) REE

(g/t) New intersections: NP0801 2.3 27 24.7 CRBT/IJ-PYX BX 2.83 0.220 0.0040 65 262 633 310 52 1322 89 125 36 CRBT/IJ-PYX BX 2.83 0.168 0.0032 59 233 516 243 42 1093 NP0802 4.8 29.19 24.39 CRBT 3.09 0.240 0.0044 74 304 726 343 58 1504 32.13 41 8.87 CRBT 2.89 0.274 0.0021 68 234 575 290 51 1218 78.6 87.38 8.78 MEL-IJ 6.47 0.054 0.0026 137 367 803 401 74 1782 91.6 96.12 4.52 MEL-IJ 9.16 0.027 0.0017 140 562 1174 566 95 2537 100.5 109.33 8.83 MEL-IJ 2.34 0.145 0.0046 90 286 657 322 59 1413 Combined extended intersection: NP0801 2.3 125 122.7 2.19 0.196 0.0027 54 251 603 258 45 1211 NP0802 4.8 116 111.2 4.62 0.159 0.0029 103 349 797 361 68 1679

*Principal rock type: CRBT=carbonatite; IJ-PYX BX = breccia with crbt matrix & ijolite or pyroxenite clasts; MEL-IJ = melano-ijolite.

REE = Sum of Y, La, Ce, Nd, Sm; Y - yttrium, La - lanthanum, Ce - cerium, Nd - neodymium, Sm - samarium.

P2O5 - phosphate, Nb2O5 - niobium oxide, Ta2O5 - tantalum oxide, 1g/t = 1 ppm

When combined with previous sampling, the new results extend the continuous intersection in hole NP0801 to 112.7m of 0.196% Nb2O5 and 2.19% P2O5 with 0.0027 % (27 g/t) Ta2O5 and 1211 g/t REE and in hole NP0802 to 111.2m of 0.159% Nb2O5 and 4.62% P2O5 with 0.0029 % (29 g/t) Ta2O5 and 1679 g/t REE.

In total of 86 drill core samples were collected from NP0801 and NP0802; two of ten holes from the southeast half of the SW Area target from which samples have been submitted for analyses so far this year (see map). Additional sampling, primarily from the northwest half of the SW Area target, will be completed later this summer.

Previous diamond drilling on the Prairie Lake property (2007 to 2010) has returned assays up to:

1.008 % Nb2O5 over 1.0m (NP0711; 97.5-98.5m; carbonatite)

23.08 % P2O5 over 0.44m (NP1005; 336.27-336.71m; carbonatite)

474 g/t Ta over 1.0m (NP0711; 23.75-24.75m; ijolite)

2380 g/t Nd, 1910 g/t La and 4160 g/t Ce over 1.06m (NP1007; 428.0-429.06m; carbonatite)

590 g/t Sm and 887 g/t Y over 1.38m (NP1006; 165.92-167.3m; carbonatite)

The Prairie Lake project consists of 46 mineral claims covering an area of ~630 ha. Logistically Prairie Lake is superbly located, with ready access to power, road, rail, and shipping infrastructure; it is easily accessed by an all-weather road from the TransCanada Highway 28 kilometres to the south. The mineralization identified is entirely contained within the Prairie Lake carbonatite complex; the ET of 515-630 million tonnes is defined by 59 diamond drill holes with grades as tabulated below.

All samples were analysed by Activation Laboratories (ActLabs) in Ancaster, Ontario. Samples were analysed for a whole rock and trace element ICP analytical package as well as for niobium, tantalum, and zirconium oxides using a fusion XRF method. An internal Quality Control Quality Assurance (QAQC) program was implemented with four QAQC samples (blanks and reference standards) added into the sampling stream.

Prairie Lake Drilling & Trenching by Target Area1:

SW Jim's Showing East NE Other Areas Total Historic Drill Holes (1969-1983) Drill Holes 16 11 1 0 17 45 Metres 1351.7 938.4 34.1 0 1528.5 3852.7 Drill Holes (2007-2010) Drill Holes 21 10 0 0 1 32 Metres 6632 1692.4 0 0 101 8425.4 Trenches (2010) Trenching 1 0 2 2 0 5 Metres 377.7 0 433.0 754.55 0 1562.2

1 Trench lengths are calculated as cumulative length of samples along trench.

Prairie Lake ET2:

SW Jim's Showing East NE Total REEs La (ppm) Lanthanum 275 - 340 295 - 360 305 - 370 200 - 250 280 - 340 Ce (ppm) Cerium 650 - 790 670 - 820 670 - 820 450 - 550 650 - 790 Sm (ppm) Samarium 55 - 70 55 - 70 55 - 70 50 - 60 55 - 70 Nd (ppm) Neodymium 295 - 360 290 - 360 320 - 390 235 - 290 300 - 360 Y (ppm) Yttrium 85 - 100 90 - 110 80 - 100 135 - 170 85 - 100 La+Ce+Sm+Nd+Y (ppm) 1360 - 1660 1400 - 1720 1430 - 1750 1070 - 1320 1370 - 1660 Additional Elements (as oxides) P2O5 (%) Phosphate 3.0 - 4.0 3.5 - 4.5 2.5 - 3.0 2.5 - 3.5 3.0 - 4.0 Nb2O5 (%) Niobium 0.095 - 0.115 0.100 - 0.120 0.040 - 0.050 0.085 - 0.105 0.090 - 0.110 Ta2O5 (ppm) Tantalum 18 - 25 25 - 30 5 - 7 10 - 12 18 - 21 Volume - m3 (million) 140 - 175 12 - 14 13 - 16 2 - 3 170 - 210 Tonnes (million) 435 - 530 35 - 45 40 - 50 7 - 8 515 - 630

2 The potential quantity and grade of the ET is conceptual in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource. It is uncertain if further exploration will result in the discovery of a mineral resource. There is no National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects preliminary economic assessment in respect of the Prairie Lake ET.

Laura Giroux, P.Geo, Chief Geologist, acts as Nuinsco's Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Ms. Giroux has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release.

About Nuinsco Resources Limited

Nuinsco Resources has over 50 years of exploration success and is a growth-oriented, multi-commodity mineral exploration and development company focused on prospective opportunities in Canada and internationally. Currently the Company has four properties in Ontario - the high-grade Sunbeam gold property near Atikokan, the Dash Lake gold property near Terrace Bay, the large multi-commodity (rare-earths, niobium, tantalum, phosphate) Prairie Lake project near Terrace Bay, and the Zig Zag Lake property (lithium, tantalum) near Armstrong. In addition, Nuinsco has an agreement for gold exploitation at the El Sid project in the Eastern Desert of Egypt.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements." All statements, other than statements of historic fact, that address activities, events or developments that Nuinsco believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate, "expect," and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may," "will," "can," "should," "could," or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of Nuinsco based on information currently available to Nuinsco. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of Nuinsco to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on Nuinsco. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, failure to successfully complete financings, capital and other costs varying significantly from estimates, production rates varying from estimates, changes in world copper and/or gold markets, changes in equity markets, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, equipment failure, unexpected geological conditions, imprecision in resource estimates, success of future development initiatives, competition, operating performance of facilities, environmental and safety risks, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain tenure to properties and/or necessary permits and approvals, and other development and operating risks. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Nuinsco disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although Nuinsco believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

To learn more, please visit www.nuinsco.ca or contact: Paul Jones, CEO Sean Stokes, Executive VP Cathy Hume, Consultant Instagram: @nuinscoresources paul.jones@nuinsco.ca sean.stokes@nuinsco.ca cathy@chfir.com Twitter: @NWIResources

SOURCE: Nuinsco Resources Limited

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/659277/Nuinsco-Announces-Two-Intersections-of-more-than-100m-of-Continuous-Critical-Metals-Phosphate-Mineralization-from-Sampling-Program-at-Prairie-Lake
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 11, 2021) - Doubleview Gold Corp. (TSXV: DBG) (OTC PINK: DBLVF) (FSE: 1D4) ("Doubleview") is pleased to announce that it has mobilized a geological and site preparation team in anticipation of the Company's 2021 summer/fall drill program at its 100% owned Gold rich Copper HAT property, a polymetallic project located in Northwest British Columbia, situated in the Golden Triangle of the Tahltan First Nation's traditional territory. The exploration team will prepare drill sites, the camp and will coordinate with local suppliers and the Tahltan Central Government's employment and contracting department for the upcoming drilling campaign. The drilling program is to begin as soon as possible.

Site preparation will concentrate on the Lisle Zone North of the Hat deposit, as well as the eastern and southern areas of the deposit. The locations shown in the illustration below will be the anticipated phase I drilling sites that are subject to minor changes as per the onsite geologist's review.

Additionally, the geological team will verify the drill core on site with the geological model that is now further refined considering the recent drill results.

"The upcoming and well anticipated exploration program will be Doubleview's first program based on its recently updated database, with the potential to contain economically significant, critical metals that now define HAT as a polymetallic deposit. It is anticipated that this next phase of drilling will test the northern and eastern limits of the HAT deposit, providing the data necessary to develop a resource estimate and model. We look forward to working collaboratively with Tahltan service providers as exploration commences" President and CEO, Mr. Farshad Shirvani stated.





To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8003/92792_a223dd39c4e05b32_001full.jpg

About the Hat Project:

The Hat Property is considered a probable porphyry gold-copper deposit with characteristics similar to those of many of British Columbia's major deposits. Sulphide mineralization, primarily chalcopyrite, occurs in fracture zones in dioritic intrusive rocks and strongly altered andesitic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of Upper Triassic age.

Doubleview acquired the Hat Property in 2011 and has conducted several programs of exploration.

About Doubleview Gold Corp

Doubleview Gold Corp, a mineral resource exploration and development company, is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and is publicly traded on the TSX Venture Exchange [TSXV: DBG]. Doubleview identifies, acquires and finances precious and base metal exploration projects in North America, particularly in British Columbia. Doubleview increases shareholder value through acquisition and exploration of quality gold, copper and silver properties and the application of advanced state-of-the-art exploration methods. Doubleview's portfolio of strategic properties provides diversification and mitigates investment risk.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Farshad Shirvani, President & Chief Executive Officer

For further information please contact:

Doubleview Gold Corp

Vancouver, BC Farshad Shirvani

President & CEO

T: (604) 678-9587

E: corporate@doubleview.ca

Forward-Looking Statements

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. Doubleview 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 Doubleview's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Doubleview's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. 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, Doubleview undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/92792
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 11, 2021) - Xtra-Gold Resources Corp. (TSX: XTG) (OTCQB: XTGRF) ("Xtra-Gold" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce additional assay results from its current resource expansion target generation program within the Zone 2 - Zone 3 maiden mineral resource footprint area, including a newly defined gold zone ("Twin Zone") occupying a parallel fold structure in close proximity to the Double 19 deposit, on the Company's wholly-owned Kibi Gold Project, located in the Kibi - Winneba greenstone belt (the "Kibi Gold Belt"), in Ghana, West Africa. Today's drill results correspond to 23 diamond core boreholes totaling 3,739 metres completed by the Company's in-house drilling crews from mid-March to late June 2021; with a total of 121 holes (16,743 metres) drilled to date since the program's initiation in September 2019.

Assay results reported are provided in Table 1 below and include the following highlights:

65.0 metres grading 1.03 grams per tonne ("g/t') gold, including 2.42 g/t gold over 13.5 metres, from a down-hole depth of 33 metres in KBDD21411 and 43.1 metres grading 0.75 g/t gold, including 3.65 g/t gold over 3.0 metres and 1.29 g/t gold over 9.0 metres, from a down-hole depth of 28.5 metres in KBDD21402 (Boomerang Zone - Fold Hinge)

Multiple gold intercepts over 87 metre core-length from a down-hole depth of 68 metres in KBDD21400, including: 0.59 g/t gold over 7.0 metres, 0.51 g/t gold over 15.0 metres, 1.51 g/t gold over 5.0 metres, and 1.28 g/t gold over 11.0 metres (Boomerang Zone)

7.3 metres grading 1.93 g/t gold from a down-hole depth of 70.7 metres in KBDD21409 and 15.0 metres grading 1.02 g/t gold, including 1.44 g/t gold over 6.2 metres, from a down-hole depth of 99.0 metres in undercut hole KBDD21410; approximately 50 metres downdip of the KBDD21409 intercept (New Twin Zone)

Gold mineralization now traced over an approximately 215 metre trend-length and 80 metre width of fold structure, and down to 165 metre vertical depth at Boomerang Zone

Typical Kibi-type Granitoid-hosted gold mineralization traced over an approximately 210 metre trend-length of fold structure and down to 105 metre vertical depth at newly defined Twin Zone; with zone occupying parallel fold structure to Double 19 deposit.

James Longshore, President and CEO remarked: "The positive drill results announced today for the Boomerang and Twin zones validate our enhanced drill / trench targeting approach through detailed 3D modelling of favourable litho-structural settings analogous to the existing Zone 2 - Zone 3 gold deposits. The newly defined Twin Zone occupying a parallel fold structure within 300 metres of the Double 19 deposit further demonstrates the resource expansion potential within the relatively untested Zone 3 of the Kibi Gold Project. We are confident that with continued scout drilling targeting untested segments of modelled fold structures along the over 2.5 kilometre trend-length of the Zone 2 - Zone 3 Granitoid-hosted gold system new discoveries will be made."

The maiden Kibi Gold Project mineral resource estimate (October 26, 2012) encompasses the Big Bend, East Dyke, South Ridge and Mushroom deposits in Zone 2 and the Double 19 deposit in Zone 3. In aggregate, these five gold deposits lying within approximately 1.6 kilometres of each other are estimated to encompass an indicated mineral resource of 3.38 million tonnes grading 2.56 g/t gold for 278,000 ounces of contained gold and an additional inferred mineral resource of 2.35 million tonnes grading 1.94 g/t gold for 147,000 ounces of contained gold (@ base case 0.5 g/t cut-off). The Zone 2 - Zone 3 maiden mineral resource represents the first ever mineral resource generated on a lode gold project within the Kibi Gold Belt. Gold mineralization is characterized by auriferous quartz vein sets hosted in Belt-type granitoids geologically analogous to other "Granitoid-hosted" gold deposits of Ghana, including Kinross Gold's Chirano and Newmont Mining's Subika deposits in the Sefwi gold belt. The above mineral resource estimate was filed in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) requirements with the Technical Report entitled "Independent Technical Report, Apapam Concession, Kibi Project, Eastern Region, Ghana", prepared by SEMS Explorations and dated October 31, 2012, filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Table 1: Significant Drill Intercepts

Zone 2 - Zone 3 Resource Expansion Target Generation Program

(Kibi Gold Project / March - June 2021) Hole ID From

(metres) To

(metres) Core Length (metres) Gold Grams

Per Tonne Zone ID / Target KBDD21392 80.0 117.7 37.7 0.24 Double 19 KBDD21393 86.2 111.0 24.8 0.35 Boomerang including 97.0 101.0 4.0 0.96 and 131.0 138.0 7.0 0.31 and 152.0 163.4 11.4 0.50 KBDD21394 4.0 14.5 10.5 0.43 Double 19 and 26.5 33.6 7.1 0.82 and 43.0 47.0 4.0 1.08 KBDD21395 5.5 7.0 1.5 4.20 Double 19 and 29.0 33.0 4.0 0.49 KBDD21396 257.5 292.0 34.5 0.74 Double 19 including 264.0 275.6 11.6 1.31 and incl. 264.0 266.4 2.4 3.20 KBDD21397 9.0 19.5 10.5 0.25 Boomerang and 45.0 63.0 18.0 1.04 including 45.0 49.5 4.5 2.59 KBDD21398 229.8 234.1 4.3 1.73 Double 19 including 229.8 231.4 1.6 4.21 KBDD21399 168.5 180.5 12.0 0.95 Double 19 including 172.5 177.5 5.0 1.52 KBDD21400 68.0 75.0 7.0 0.59 Boomerang and 93.0 108.0 15.0 0.51 and 124.0 129.0 5.0 1.51 and 144.0 155.0 11.0 1.28 including 152.9 155.0 2.1 4.46 KBDD21401 223.0 232.0 9.0 0.47 Double 19 KBDD21402 28.5 71.6 43.1 0.75 Boomerang including 30.0 33.0 3.0 3.65 including 49.5 58.5 9.0 1.29 and 81.0 93.0 12.0 0.36 and 102.4 114.0 11.6 0.36 KBDD21403 222.0 228.0 6.0 0.30 Double 19 and 244.0 256.0 12.0 0.32 KBDD21404 28.0 29.5 1.5 3.08 Twin Zone and 50.0 52.0 2.0 1.49 KBDD21405 24.0 27.0 3.0 1.13 Boomerang KBDD21406 No Significant Results Twin Zone KBDD21407 56.5 73.5 17.0 0.32 Twin Zone including 72.0 72.5 0.5 4.16 KBDD21408 0.0 4.5 4.5 1.34 Boomerang including 0.0 1.5 1.5 3.19 KBDD21409 70.7 78.0 7.3 1.93 Twin Zone including 70.7 73.0 2.3 2.68 KBDD21410 99.0 114.0 15.0 1.02 Twin Zone including 102.5 103.1 0.6 4.31 including 107.0 113.2 6.2 1.44 KBDD21411 33.0 98.0 65.0 1.03 Boomerang including 33.0 57.0 24.0 1.69 and incl. 33.0 46.5 13.5 2.42 KBDD21412 72.4 83.0 10.6 1.01 Twin Zone including 78.0 80.7 2.7 2.02 KBDD21413 No Significant Results Twin Zone KBDD21414 55.8 56.5 0.7 4.8 Twin Zone Notes: Reported intercepts are core-lengths; true width of mineralization is unknown at this time. Unless otherwise indicated intercepts constrained with a 0.25 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold minimum cut-off grade at top and bottom of intercept, with no upper cut-off applied, and maximum of five (5) consecutive samples of internal dilution (less than 0.25 g/t gold). All internal intervals above 10 g/t gold indicated.

Today's drill results correspond to the latest 23 boreholes (3,739 metres) of an ongoing exploration initiative geared towards the generation of new resource expansion targets within the Zone 2 - Zone 3 maiden mineral resource footprint area of the Kibi Gold Project. With the drilling designed to follow up on early-stage gold shoots / showings discovered by previous drilling / trenching efforts (2008 - 2012), test down-plunge extensions and/or fold limbs of existing resource bodies, and to test prospective litho-structural gold settings identified by recently completed 3D geological modelling. A total of 121 boreholes totaling 16,743 metres have been completed since the initiation of the Zone 2 - Zone 3 resource expansion drilling program in late September 2019. The present 23 diamond core boreholes were completed by the Company's in-house drilling crews from mid-March to late June 2021 (KBDD21392 - KBDD21414), including: 8 resource expansion holes (1,646.5 metres) on the Double 19 deposit, 7 follow up holes (1,107 metres) on the Boomerang Zone, and 8 holes (985.5 metres) on the recently identified Twin Zone. Exploration significant auriferous intercepts are presented in Table 1 above and a drill / compilation plan with collar details depicted in Figure 1, available at:

(Figure 1_Zone 2 - Zone 3 Drill Plan_July 27 2021).

The present drill results include 7 holes (1,107 metres) on the early stage Boomerang Zone located at the southwestern extremity of Zone 3, approximately 1,500 metres to the southwest of the current Zone 2 gold resource footprint. Recent 3D litho-structural modelling indicates that the Boomerang Zone gold mineralization occupies an inferred NE-plunging, tight to isoclinal, anticlinal fold hinge zone. With the mineralization preferentially occurring along the contacts between the stacked granitoid - metasedimentary rock units and/or internally within the fractured granitoid. The drilling targeted the modelled NE-trending anticlinal fold structure with SE-trending, steeply-inclined (-70o) boreholes, including two drill fences spaced approximately 80 metres apart, to follow up on strong 2020 drill intercepts and to further define the geometry / attitude of the fold structure. Previously reported mineralized intercepts from holes KBDD20335 and KBDD20338, consisting of a SW-trending drill fence drilled along the apparent axis of the fold structure, include 43.5 metres grading 1.21 g/t gold, including 2.16 g/t gold over 7.5 metres and 4.3 g/t gold over 6.0 metres, from a down-hole depth of 3.0 metres in KBDD20335 and 24.0 metres grading 1.35 g/t gold, including 1.99 g/t gold over 9.0 metres, from a down-hole depth of 56.5 metres in undercut hole KBDD20338; approximately 30 metres down plunge of the KBDD20335 gold intercept (see the Company's news release of September 8, 2020).

Holes KBDD21402 and KBDD21411 drilled across the apparent NE-trending fold hinge zone, perpendicular to the KBDD20335-338 drill fence, returned mineralized intercept highlights of 43.1 metres grading 0.75 g/t gold, including 3.65 g/t gold over 3.0 metres and 1.29 g/t gold over 9.0 metres, from a down-hole depth of 28.5 metres and 65.0 metres grading 1.03 g/t gold, including 2.42 g/t gold over 13.5 metres, from a down-hole depth of 33 metres, respectively. The northeastern KBDD21393-397-400 drill fence returned a mineralized intercept highlight of 18.0 metres grading 1.04 g/t gold, including 2.59 g/t gold over 4.5 metres, from a down-hole depth of 45.0 metres in hole KBDD21397. With hole KBDD21400 yielding multiple auriferous intercepts over an 87 metre core-length from a down-hole depth of 68 metres, including: 0.59 g/t gold over 7.0 metres, 0.51 g/t gold over 15.0 metres, 1.51 g/t gold over 5.0 metres, and 1.28 g/t gold over 11.0 metres. With the present Boomerang Zone drilling efforts gold mineralization has now been traced over an approximately 215 metre trend-length and 80 metre width of the anticlinal fold structure, and down to a vertical depth of approximately 165 metres.

Today's drill results include 8 scout holes (985.5 metres) on the newly defined Twin Zone appearing to be emplaced along a parallel anticlinal fold structure located approximately 300 metres northwest of the Double 19 deposit. This target was originally identified in 2011 during access road construction with follow up trench TKB062 yielding 1.25 g/t gold over a 22.0 metre trench-length. The target was subsequently tested by two boreholes in 2012 with hole KBDD12196 returning a mineralized intercept of 17.0 metres grading 0.19 g/t gold; with the WSW-trending boreholes testing the zone's internal easterly-dipping vein packages rather than targeting the NE-trending, gold mineralization controlling, fold structure. As part of an ongoing exploration initiative geared towards the ground-proofing of prospective litho-structural gold settings generated by 3D geological modelling, the target was subjected to additional trenching to the east of the original TKB062 trench in March 2021, with trench TAD050 and road cut ADRS018 yielding channel sample intercepts of 18.0 metres grading 0.52 g/t gold, including 1.5 g/t gold over 5.0 metres, and 19.0 metres grading 0.59 g/t gold, including 2.33 g/t gold over 1.0 metre, respectively.

The present drilling targeted the modelled NE-trending, mineralization controlling, anticlinal fold structure with two SE-trending drill fences, spaced approximately 100 metres apart, to further define the geometry / attitude of the fold-structure, the host diorite body, and the gold-bearing vein system. The southwestern KBDD21404-406-407-412 drill fence, centred between the TAD050 trench and ADRS018 road cut, traced the moderately NW-dipping mineralization zone over an approximately 90 metre down-dip distance from surface (~65 m vertical), including mineralized intercept highlights of 17.0 metres grading 0.32 g/t gold, including 4.16 g/t gold over 0.5 metres from a down-hole depth of 56.5 metres in KBDD21407 and 10.6 metres grading 1.01 g/t gold, including 2.02 g/t gold over 2.7 metres, from a down-hole depth of 72.4 metres in undercut hole KBDD21412; approximately 25 metres downdip of the KBDD21407 intercept. The northeastern KBDD21409-410-414 drill fence returned mineralized intercept highlights of 7.3 metres grading 1.93 g/t gold, including 2.68 g/t gold over 2.3 metres, from a down-hole depth of 70.7 metres in KBDD21409 and 15.0 metres grading 1.02 g/t gold, including 4.31 g/t gold over 0.6 metres and 1.44 g/t gold over 6.2 metres, from a down-hole depth of 99.0 metres in undercut hole KBDD21410; approximately 50 metres downdip of the KBDD21409 intercept. To date Typical Kibi-type (Zone 2) Granitoid-hosted gold mineralization has been traced over an approximately 210 metre trend-length of the anticlinal fold structure and down to a vertical depth of approximately 105 metres at the newly developing Twin Zone.

QA/QC

Yves P. Clement, P. Geo, Vice President, Exploration for Xtra-Gold is acting as the Qualified Person in compliance with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") with respect to this announcement. He has prepared and or supervised the preparation of the scientific or technical information in this announcement and confirms compliance with NI 43-101. All samples in this news release were analyzed by standard fire assay fusion with atomic absorption spectroscopy finish at the ISO 17025:2005 accredited Intertek Minerals Limited's laboratory in Tarkwa, Ghana. Xtra-Gold has implemented a rigorous quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) program to ensure best practices in sampling and analysis of drill core, trench channel, and saw-cut channel samples, the details of which can be viewed on the Company's website at www.xtragold.com.

About Xtra-Gold Resources Corp.

Xtra-Gold is a gold exploration company with a substantial land position in the Kibi Gold Belt. The Kibi Gold Belt, which exhibits many similar geological features to Ghana's main gold belt, the Ashanti Belt, has been the subject of very limited modern exploration activity targeting lode gold deposits as virtually all past gold mining activity and exploration efforts focused on the extensive alluvial gold occurrences in many river valleys throughout the Kibi area.

Xtra-Gold holds 5 Mining Leases totaling approximately 226 sq km (22,600 ha) at the northern extremity of the Kibi Gold Belt. The Company's exploration efforts to date have focused on the Kibi Gold Project located on the Apapam Concession (33.65 sq km), along the eastern flank of the Kibi Gold Belt. The Kibi Gold Project (Zone 2 - Zone 3) maiden mineral resource estimate produced by Xtra-Gold in October 2012 represents first ever mineral resource generated on a lode gold project within the Kibi Gold Belt. The NI 43-101 Technical Report entitled "Independent Technical Report, Apapam Concession, Kibi Project, Eastern Region, Ghana", prepared by SEMS Explorations and dated October 31, 2012, is filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements". These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward- looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, project development, reclamation and capital costs of the Company's mineral properties, and the Company's financial condition and prospects, could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with the activities of the Company; and other matters discussed in this news release. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors

This news release has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource and reserve estimates included in this news release have been prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum 2014 Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of the SEC, and mineral resource and reserve information contained herein may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term "resource" does not equate to the term "reserves". Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be classified as a "reserve" unless the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or extracted at the time the reserve determination is made. The SEC's disclosure standards normally do not permit the inclusion of information concerning "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" or "inferred mineral resources" or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. U.S. investors should also understand that "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimated "inferred mineral resources" may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" exists or is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. The requirements of NI 43-101 for identification of "reserves" are also not the same as those of the SEC, and reserves reported by the Company in compliance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC standards. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards.

Contact Information

For further information please contact:

James Longshore

Chief Executive Officer

416-628-2881

E-mail: info@xtragold.com

Website: www.xtragold.com

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/92797
GURUGRAM, India, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Introduction of healthy variants such as sugar free and fat free puddings to lure health conscious consumers and drive market growth.

Proliferation of various retail formats such as online food delivery apps to provide consumers easier access to a variety of bakery products.

Surge in consumption inspired by use of social media to flaunt their lifestyle will increase sales.

Value-conscious customers are gravitating towards the offerings of supermarkets for buying instant pudding mix while consumers concerned with health and quality are increasingly purchasing high-margin products from artisanal bakeries.

Evolution of Consumer Preferences: A growing working population has driven consumption of commercial baked prepackaged goods including breads, cakes, puddings and cookies that were previously prepared at home. More than 30% consumers and 40% of millennials prefer visiting restaurants offering dishes with new or innovative flavors/ingredients.

Increased Prevalence of Lifestyle Diseases: ~23% and 17% of Vietnamese adult females and males estimated to be overweight or obese in 2020. The rapid increase in prevalence of overweight and obesity in urban Vietnam among all age groups have negatively affected to market.

Impact of COVID 19: The closure of foodservice outlets during lockdown along with the strict government restrictions on gatherings during COVID 19 has seriously affected the sales of puddings. Because festivals are major sales drivers for cakes and puddings in Vietnam, the sales performances of bakeries in 2020 as a whole proved to be weaker than expected. Consumer footfall to bakery shops and retailing stores has also decreased significantly post COVID due to safety and health concerns.

The report titled "Vietnam Pudding Market Outlook to 2025F - Driven by Robust Population of Millennial Consumers along with Proliferation of Food Tech Apps" by Ken Research suggested that the pudding market is further expected to grow in the near future owing to increase in consumer spending and ease of availability. Presence of numerous small and large bakeries competing in terms of prices and variants along with the introduction of healthy variants are increasing the sales. The market is expected to register a positive six year CAGR of 6.0% in terms of revenue during the forecast period 2020-2025F.

Key Segments Covered in Vietnam Pudding Market:-

By Distribution Channel

Standalone Sops (Bakery/Confectionery)



Online



HORECA's

By Tier 1 and Tier 2 Cities Sales

Tier 1 Cities



Tier 2 Cities

Key Target Audience:-

Pudding Manufacturers

Pudding Mix Manufacturers

Consultancy Companies

Bakeries/Confectioneries

Hotels and Restaurants

Time Period Captured in the Report:-

Historical Period: 2015-2020

2015-2020 Forecast Period: 2020-2025

Key Topics Covered in the Report:-

Vietnam Pudding Market Introduction and Overview

Supply Side Ecosystem and Geographical Distribution

Value Chain Analysis of Pudding Market

Consumer Trends and Preferences

Industry Analysis (Porter's Five Forces Analysis)

Comparative Landscape - Vietnam Pudding Market

Entry Barriers in the Industry

Future Trends in Vietnam Pudding Market

Pudding Market Research Methodology

Appendix

Pudding Market Vietnam

Pudding Market Revenue Vietnam

Pudding Production Vietnam

Chocolate Pudding Vietnam

Caramel Pudding Vietnam

Fruit Pudding Vietnam

Major Bakeries Vietnam

Bakery Market Vietnam

Cake Market Vietnam

Vietnam Pudding Packaging

Pudding Price Vietnam

Competition Scenario Vietnam Pudding Market

Vietnam Pudding Competition Scenario

Pricing Analysis Pudding Vietnam

Packaging Vietnam Pudding

COVID Impact Pudding Vietnam

For More Information on the research report, refer to below link:-

Vietnam Pudding Market

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Thailand Frozen Foods Market Outlook to 2022 - By Type of Frozen Foods (Frozen Seafood and Meat, Frozen Ice-Cream and Desserts, Frozen Ready-to-Eat Meals and Frozen Processed Fruits and Vegetables) and By Cities (Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Others)

Thailand's exposure to international food products (prepared / processed) has transformed a consumer's lifestyle including their attitude towards food and consumption patterns. The demand for food products in Thailand was witnessed to shift to processed foods and packaged ready-to-eat meals, which are majorly available in large supermarkets and convenience stores. Thailand frozen foods market revenue generation slowed down after 2012 owing to the country's political turmoil and high oil prices, thereby reducing the volume of production for frozen products, sales and margin levels for producers, retailers as well as restaurants in Thailand. Easy convenience offered by frozen products especially frozen ready meals, frozen seafood and frozen fruits and vegetables owing to innovations in freezing technologies helps to provide an extended shelf life. Some of the major players operating in Thailand frozen seafood and meat market include Thai Union group, CP Foods PCL, SK Foods PCL, Kuang Pei San Food Products PCL and Prantalay Marketing Ltd. Thai companies were observed to add more food options to their menu's continually, thereby driving the demand for frozen foods in the country.

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The market for canned food in Saudi Arabia is at a matured stage, with a limited number of players dominating the market. Canned foods industry is driven by increasing urban population, rising female participation in the labor force, increasing share of income being spent on food, the growth in religious tourism that Saudi Arabia receives every year at the time of Hajj and Umrah and increasing product and packaging innovation. The sales of canned foods are concentrated in urban areas, especially major cities such as Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah and Mecca-Medina. Out of these, Mecca-Medina holds the largest revenue share by value as of CY'2017 because this region receives high amount of religious tourism at the time of Hajj and Umrah during which demand for canned foods is extremely high.

Indonesia Dairy Food Market Outlook to 2025 - Yoghurt & Soul Milk Products coupled with Cheese Segment to Drive Market Growth

Indonesia dairy food market grew at a volatile growth rate over the review period 2013-2019 and was further supported by an increase in health awareness among the consumers, the introduction of new product/flavor variants in the dairy market, affordable pricing, and others. Expansion of large scale integrated dairy farms in Q4'2017 led to an increase in fresh milk production from 633 million litres in 2017 to 659 litres in the year 2018. Dairy processing industry used 601 million liters in 2017 for a variety of products including pasteurized / UHT Liquid Milk, Powdered Milk, Yoghurt, Butter, and Cheese. The entry of several foreign players has also contributed towards the same coupled with the growing snacking trend in the country. Smaller or single-serve primary packaging products saw increasing demand and remained more popular and common in yoghurt than large or family-sized formats.

Somalia Milk Powder Market Outlook to 2025 -Increasing Demand-Supply Gap for fresh milk due to Seasonal Fluctuations and Higher Shelf Life for Milk Powder to Drive Market Growth

The milk processing industry in Somalia was small compared to the huge amount of milk produced every year as liquid milk was preferred by the households. However, the country's milk industry collapsed in the year 2017 when a devastating drought killed an estimated 6.4 million cows, camels and goats. In pastoral areas, the impact of the drought on livestock has led to a lack of access to milk thereby increasing the consumption of milk powder. Most of the demand-supply gaps of liquid milk requirements for urban consumers were met by importing dry milk powders from countries such as Middle East and Europe. The market showcased a volatile growth trajectory. Milk Powder revenue attained a year on year growth during 2014-2019 along with double digit CAGR of 12.5% in terms of Sales Value. The presence of numerous small and large manufacturers who compete in terms of prices and quality are driving the growth. Furthermore, initiatives by the government regarding the quality standard are increasing the sales.

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 11, 2021) - Southern Silver Exploration Corp. (TSXV: SSV) (OTCQX: SSVFF) ("Southern Silver") reported today on further assay results from the Mina La Bocona target on the Cerro Las Minitas project, Durango, Mexico. These latest drill results are from the Huizache chimney, an area located approximately 80 metres to the northwest of the La Bocona and Mina Pina shafts along the eastern side of the Cerro and within the larger Mina La Bocona Target area.

The newly released polymetallic sulphide intercepts from the Mina La Bocona target area include:

a 2.1 metre interval (1.4 metre est. TT.) averaging 383g/t Ag, 7.9% Pb and 10.2% Zn (1051g/t AgEq) within a 16.3 metre interval (10.8 metre est. TT.) averaging 102g/t Ag, 1.8% Pb and 1.7% Zn (234g/t AgEq) from drill hole 21CLM-164; and

within from drill hole and a 0.7 metre interval (0.6 metre est. TT.) averaging 543g/t Ag, 0.4g/t Au, 12.7% Pb and 1.0% Zn (1011g/t AgEq) within a 1.7 metre interval (1.3 metre est. TT.) averaging 263g/t Ag, 0.2g/t Au, 6.0% Pb and 1.2% Zn (513g/t AgEq) from drill hole 21CLM-167

These current results tested down dip of previously reported shallow oxide intercepts from 21CLM-158 (0.5m of 612g/t AgEq; see NR-12-21) and 21CLM-161 (0.9m of 588g/t AgEq; see NR-12-21) and has now extended the mineralized zone on the northwest flank of the Mina La Bocona target to depths of up to 250 metres below surface and remains partially open to depth.

Drilling also identified a semi-massive to massive lens of sphalerite-rich mineralization an additional 100 metres to the northwest of the Mina La Bocona target along the eastern side of the Cerro that also remains open to depth. Assays returned:

a 0.8 metre interval (0 .7 metre est. TT.) averaging 14g/t Ag, 0.4% Cu and 21.0% Zn (844g/t AgEq) within a 2.8 metre interval (2.5 metre est. TT.) averaging 7g/t Ag, 0.4% Cu, and 10.6% Zn (443g/t AgEq) from drill hole 21CLM-170

Exploration on the property continues with one drill. One hole remains to be tested on the east side of the Cerro as part of the current drill program which will then transition to "greenfields" targeting on the El Sol claim over the coming weeks. The El Sol concession, is located 2km to the northwest of the Mina La Bocona target area and covers the northerly projection of previously identified mineralization in the Blind Zone deposits and a second area of artisanal workings. The concession was re-acquired and prospected by Southern in 2020 and returned anomalous values from several strongly oxidized and silicified rocks including a dump sample CLM-316 which assayed 0.67g/t Au, 559g/t Ag, 3.3% Pb and 4.3% Zn.

The current drill program has now completed 56 core holes totaling 22,360 metres since drilling recommenced in September 2020. Assay results from five drill holes are pending and are anticipated over the coming weeks.

Southern Silver has now tested over 850 metres of strike length along the east side of the Cerro to depths of up to 500 metres, primarily in the South Skarn and Mina La Bocona target areas. Three bonanza grade mineralized zones have been identified as well as shallow intercepts of high-grade mineralization to the northwest of the Bocona target, results of which will be incorporated into an upcoming mineral resource update on the project.

The CLM Project remains one of the largest undeveloped silver-lead-zinc projects in the World and is wholly owned, unburdened by royalties, fully financed and fully permitted.





Figure 1: Plan Map of the Area of the Cerro showing the distribution of the CLM deposits and the location for new drill targeting, at the Mina La Bocona, South Skarn and Las Victorias targets.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5344/92765_79016e0504432a8f_002full.jpg

Cerro Las Minitas Project

The Cerro Las Minitas project is an advanced exploration stage polymetallic Ag-Pb-Zn-Cu Skarn/CRD project located in southern Durango, Mexico.

The Cerro Las Minitas project as of May 9th, 2019 contains a Mineral Resource Estimate, at a 175g/t AgEq cut-off, of(1)

Indicated - 134Moz AgEq: 37.5Moz Ag, 40Mlb Cu, 303Mlb Pb and 897Mlb Zn

37.5Moz Ag, 40Mlb Cu, 303Mlb Pb and 897Mlb Zn Inferred - 138Moz AgEq: 45.7Moz Ag, 76Mlb Cu, 253Mlb Pb and 796Mlb Zn

A total of 150 drill holes for 67,375metres has been completed on the CLM Project as of the end of 2020 with exploration expenditures of approximately US$27.0 million equating to exploration discovery costs of approximately C$0.09 per AgEq ounce.

Table 1: Select Assay Intervals from Mina La Bocona and South Skarn targets:

Hole # From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) Est. Tr. Thck. (m) Ag

(g/t) Au

(g/t) Cu

(%) Pb

(%) Zn

(%) AgEq

(g/t) ZnEq

(%) Notes New Huizache Assay Results 21CLM-162 128.7 129.9 1.2 0.9 139 0.2 0.0 3.2 0.4 273 6.9 and 154.5 156.4 1.9 1.5 602 0.1 2.0 0.7 0.3 864 21.9 and 210.6 211.7 1.1 0.9 75 0.1 0.1 3.5 0.5 215 5.4 21CLM-164 285.1 286.5 1.3 0.9 414 0.1 0.2 8.2 3.6 830 21.1 and 293.7 309.9 16.3 10.8 102 0.0 0.1 1.8 1.7 234 5.9 inc. 297.5 299.7 2.1 1.4 383 0.1 0.1 7.9 10.2 1051 26.7 21CLM-165 143.0 143.7 0.7 0.4 149 0.2 0.0 3.9 2.9 406 10.3 Hole lost before target 21CLM-166 279.2 280.4 1.2 0.8 96 0.1 0.1 1.1 0.2 157 4.0 21CLM-167 239.4 241.0 1.7 1.3 263 0.2 0.0 6.0 1.2 513 13.0 inc. 240.3 241.0 0.7 0.6 543 0.4 0.0 12.7 1.0 1011 25.6 Bocona Extension Assay Results 21CLM-168 326.5 330.9 4.4 3.7 69 0.0 0.1 0.7 0.2 112 2.8 inc. 329.8 330.9 1.1 1.0 173 0.0 0.1 0.5 0.2 209 5.3 21CLM-170 328.7 331.4 2.8 2.5 7 0.0 0.1 0.0 10.6 443 11.2 inc. 329.9 330.7 0.8 0.7 14 0.0 0.4 0.0 21.0 884 22.4

Analyzed by FA/AA for gold and ICP-AES by ALS Laboratories, North Vancouver, BC. Silver (>100ppm), copper, lead and zinc (>1%) overlimits assayed by ore grade ICP analysis, High silver overlimits (>1500g/t Ag) and gold overlimits (>10g/t Au) re-assayed with FA-Grav. High Pb (>20%) and Zn (>30%) overlimits assayed by titration. AgEq and ZnEq were calculated using average metal prices of: US$20/oz silver, US$1650/oz gold, US$3.25/lbs copper and US$0.9/lbs lead and US$1.15/lbs zinc. AgEq and ZnEq calculations did not account for relative metallurgical recoveries of the metals. Ore-grade composites are calculated using a 80g/t AgEq cut-off in sulphide and 0.5g/t AuEq in the oxide gold zone Composites have <20% internal dilution, except where noted; anomalous intercepts are calculated using a 10g/t AgEq cut-off.

About Southern Silver Exploration Corp.

Southern Silver Exploration Corp. is an exploration and development company with a focus on the discovery of world-class mineral deposits. Our specific emphasis is the 100% owned Cerro Las Minitas silver-lead-zinc project located in the heart of Mexico's Faja de Plata, which hosts multiple world-class mineral deposits such as Penasquito, Los Gatos, San Martin, Naica and Pitarrilla. We have assembled a team of highly experienced technical, operational and transactional professionals to support our exploration efforts in developing the Cerro Las Minitas project into a premier, high-grade, silver-lead-zinc mine. The Company engages in the acquisition, exploration and development either directly or through joint-venture relationships in mineral properties in major jurisdictions.

The Company property portfolio also includes the Oro porphyry copper-gold project located in southern New Mexico, USA, which includes patented land, State leases and BLM mineral claims totalling 22.3 sq. km. Targeting has been finalized and bonding pending for a 4,000m drill program, designed to test several copper-molybdenum porphyry and copper-gold skarn targets within a broad quartz-sericite-pyrite alteration zone, interpreted to overlie an unexposed porphyry centre. Drilling is expected to commence in Q4, 2021.

The 2019 Cerro Las Minitas Resource Estimate was prepared following CIM definitions for classification of Mineral Resources. Resources are constrained using mainly geological constraints and approximate 10g/t AgEq grade shells. The block models are comprised of an array of blocks measuring 10m x 2m x 10m, with grades for Au, Ag, Cu, Pb, Zn values interpolated using ID3 weighting. Silver and zinc equivalent values were subsequently calculated from the interpolated block grades. The model is identified at a 175g/t AgEq cut-off, with an indicated resource of 11,102,000 tonnes averaging 105g/t Ag, 0.10g/t Au, 1.2% Pb, 3.7% Zn and 0.16% Cu and an inferred resource of 12,844,000 tonnes averaging 111g/t Ag, 0.07g/t Au, 0.9% Pb, 2.8% Zn and 0.27% Cu. AgEq cut-off values were calculated using average long-term prices of $16.6/oz. silver, $1,275/oz. gold, $2.75/lb. copper, $1.0/lb. lead and $1.25/lb. zinc. Metal recoveries for the Blind, El Sol and Las Victorias deposits of 91% silver, 25% gold, 92% lead, 82% zinc and 80% copper and for the Skarn Front deposit of 85% silver, 18% gold, 89% lead, 92% zinc and 84% copper were used to define the cut-off grades. Base case cut-off grade assumed $75/tonne operating, smelting and sustaining costs. All prices are stated in $USD. Silver Equivalents were calculated from the interpolated block values using relative recoveries and prices between the component metals and silver to determine a final AgEq value. The same methodology was used to calculate the ZnEq value. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves until they have demonstrated economic viability. Mineral resource estimates do not account for a resource's mineability, selectivity, mining loss, or dilution. The current Resource Estimate was prepared by Garth Kirkham, P.Geo. of Kirkham Geosciences Ltd. who is the Independent Qualified Person responsible for presentation and review of the Mineral Resource Estimate. All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimate and therefore numbers may not appear to add precisely.

Robert Macdonald, MSc. P.Geo, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and supervised directly the collection of the data from the CLM Project that is reported in this disclosure and is responsible for the presentation of the technical information in this disclosure.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Lawrence Page"

Lawrence Page, Q.C.

President & Director, Southern Silver Exploration Corp.

For further information, please visit Southern Silver's website at https://www.southernsilverexploration.com or contact us at 604.641.2759 or by email at ir@mnxltd.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include the timing and receipt of government and regulatory approvals, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. Southern Silver Exploration Corp. does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/92765
In-depth analysis and data-driven insights on the impact of COVID-19 included in this UK data center market report.

CHICAGO, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The UK data center market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 1.86% during the period 2020-2026. The UK data center market research report includes market size in terms of area, investment, power capacity, and colocation revenues. Get insights on 186 Existing and 11 Upcoming facilities spread across Greater London, Berkshire, Greater Manchester, and other counties.

Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

The UK is the largest data center market in Western Europe and a part of the FLAP markets. The data center market is thriving due to increased digitalization, strong connectivity with other markets, and adoption of advanced technology such as IoT and big data. The UK moved out of the European Union (Brexit) on January 31, 2020 . Until the transition phase is over, the UK-based organizations will have to abide by the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and the UK Data Protection Act 2019. Brexit has led many organizations to open or expand data center facilities in the country. With 56 existing third party data centers, Greater London is a major data center hub in the UK, with its data centers contributing to around 37% of the existing power capacity in the country, followed by Berkshire , that contributed around 20% of the existing power capacity. London will witness increased brownfield investment, especially in commercial buildings in coming years. For example, Ark Data Centres acquired Renault Retail Group's West London showroom in 2020 for the development of a data center facility set on five acres of land. The UK market is also witnessing the entry of new players. SliverEdge DC was a new entrant in the UK market in 2020. CloudHQ and Pure Data Centres are some other data center operators planning to develop hyperscale campuses in the UK. In 2020, the renewable energy production in the UK was estimated at around 40%. In March 2021 , the Scottish government launched the green data center action plan that listed 12 potential data center locations, enabling investors to achieve zero-carbon data center goals.

Key Offerings:

Market Size & Forecast by Area, Power Capacity, Investment, and Colocation Revenue | 2020-2026

Impact of COVID-19 on Data Center Market

Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party facilities in the UK

Facilities Covered (Existing): 186



Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 11



Coverage: 30 County



Existing vs. Upcoming (Data Center Area)



Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Datacenter colocation market in the UK

Market Revenue & Forecast (2020-2026)



Retail Colocation Pricing



Wholesale Colocation Pricing

Market Dynamics - Leading trends, growth drivers, restraints, and investment opportunities

Market Segmentation - A detailed analysis by IT infrastructure, electrical infrastructure, mechanical infrastructure, general construction, and tier standard

Key Market Participants - List of 9 IT infrastructure providers, 24 construction service providers, 15 support infrastructure providers, and 17 data center investors

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/uk-data-center-market-investment-analysis

UK Data Center Market - Segmentation

Software-defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) tools have gained traction in the market with several organizations using these tools for cloud migration. In 2020, Kao Data partnered with Megaport to offer a private Software Defined Networking (SDN) access to clients to improve cloud and connectivity ecosystems.

Diesel generators are widely adopted among data center operators in the UK market. The presence of data centers in populated areas is likely to increase concerns over carbon emission, which are likely to push the adoption of efficient generator systems such as DRUPS.

Data center facilities open and under construction from 2020 to June 2021 added over 17,000 rack cabinets. Higher rack units of 45U, 47U, 48U to 52U are adopted among data center operators, thereby replacing 42U racks during the forecast period.

Market Segmentation by IT Infrastructure

Servers

Storage Systems

Network Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by Electrical Infrastructure

UPS Systems

Generators

Transfer, Switches & Switchgears

Rack PDUs

Other Electrical Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

Rack Cabinets

Other Mechanical Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by General Construction

Building Development

Installation & Commissioning Services

Building Design

Physical Security

Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)

Market Segmentation by Tier Standard

Tier I & Tier II

Tier III

Tier IV

Market Segmentation by Geography

London

Other Cities

UK Data Center Market - Dynamics

In 2020, the UK public cloud revenues estimated at around $13 billion and expect to grow up to $24 billion by 2025. By 2022, the cloud spending rate will reach around 10% of the total IT spending in the UK. In 2020, Oracle launched two new government cloud regions - England and Wales - for the UK's public sector. In 2021, the Ministry of Justice signed a $33 million deal with Amazon web Services (AWS) for public cloud hosting and ancillary services. In February 2020, Google announced the migration of the UK user data related to services such as Gmail, YouTube, and Android Play Store from Ireland to the US to avoid post Brexit legal risks. Government initiatives such as Local Digital Declaration, Technology Code of Practice, Cloud First Policy, and Digital Marketplace will attract organizations to adopt the public cloud in the UK.

Key Drivers and Trends fueling Market Growth:

Surge in IoT and Big Data Technology Adoption fueling Data Center Demand

Increase in Colocation Investments

Impact of COVID-19 and Brexit on Data Centers Market

5G Deployment Boosting Data Center Deployments

UK Data Center Market - Existing Vs. Upcoming Data Centers

Existing Facilities in the region (White Floor Area and Power Capacity)

(White Floor Area and Power Capacity) Greater London



Berkshire



Greater Manchester



Other County

List of Upcoming Facilities in the region (White Floor Area and Power Capacity)

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/uk-data-center-market-investment-analysis

Key Market Participants

IT Infrastructure Providers

Arista Networks

Atos

Broadcom

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

IBM

Lenovo

NetApp

Construction Contractors & Sub-Contractors

AECOM

Arup

2bm

ARC:MC

Atkins

blu-3

Bouygues Construction

Future-tech

Hurley Palmer Flatt (HDR)

(HDR) Infiniti

ISG

JCA Engineering

Kirby Group Engineering

KMG Partnership

Metnor Construction

Mercury Engineering

MiCim

NWA

Oakmont Construction

RED

Structure Tone

Sudlows

TTSP

Waldeck

Support Infrastructure Providers

ABB

Caterpillar

Cummins

Eaton

KOHLER-SDMO

Legrand

Mitsubishi Electric

Rolls-Royce Power Systems

Piller Power Systems

Riello UPS

Rittal

Schneider Electric

Socomec

STULZ

Vertiv

Investors

Ark Data Centres

China Mobile International (CMI)

Colt Data Centre Services

CyrusOne

Datum Datacentres

Digital Realty

Echelon Data Centres

Equinix

Iron Mountain

IONOS

Netwise Hosting

NTT Global Data Centers

Proximity Data Centres

VIRTUS Data Centres

Teledata UK

Telehouse

Vantage Data Centers

Explore our data center knowledge base profile to know more about the industry.

Read some of the top-selling reports:

Nigeria Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

Kenya Data Center Market- Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

Denmark Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

Italy Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

About Arizton:

Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services.

We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts.

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SEATTLE (dpa-AFX) - Amazon (AMZN) announced the beginning of Amazon Air Hub operations at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The sortation facility, equipped with the use of robotics technology, will serve as the central hub for Amazon Air's U.S. cargo network. Amazon said this $1.5 billion investment in Northern Kentucky will create more than 2,000 jobs. The 800,000-square-foot sortation building at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport sits on an over 600-acre campus that features seven buildings, an expansive new ramp for aircraft parking, and a multi-story vehicle parking structure. The building will also feature a solar rooftop scheduled for installation over the next year. Since Amazon Air's launch in 2016, the company has invested hundreds of millions of dollars and created thousands of new jobs at Amazon Air locations across the U.S. Amazon Air has expanded its presence in the U.S. to more than 40 locations and launched its European air hub in 2020. In January, Amazon announced its first-ever purchase of eleven Boeing 767-300 aircraft, which will join the Amazon Air cargo network by 2022. The company will continue to rely on third-party carriers to operate these new aircraft. 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.
TR European Growth Trust (TRG) stands out among its more mid-cap focused peers for being a genuinely small-cap fund with a strong valuation awareness. This has served it well over the past year, and while it has yet to report its FY21 results, over the year to 30 June 2021 it posted share price and NAV total returns of 79.5% and 63.5% respectively, well ahead of comparator indices. The management team (lead manager Ollie Beckett, assisted by Rory Stokes and Julia Scheufler) caution that this was an exceptional year, but long-term annualised returns of c 15%+ underline the validity of TRG's approach even when its more value-orientated style has largely been out of favour. Despite the strong run of performance, TRG's shares trade at a double-digit discount to NAV, which has failed to close as it did in the previous period of exceptional performance from Q416 to Q417 (see chart), despite absolute NAV returns having been stronger.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 11, 2021) - Xigem Technologies Corporation (CSE: XIGM) (OTCQB: XIGMF) (FSE: 2C1) ("Xigem" or the "Company"), a technology provider for the emerging remote economy, is pleased to announce that it has been approved to commence trading of its common shares on the OTCQB Venture Market ("OTCQB"), beginning today under the ticker symbol XIGMF.

"We are pleased to offer investors yet another avenue for trading our shares, and look forward to increasing the awareness around our company for U.S. investors," said Brian Kalish, co-founder and CEO of Xigem. "We believe that trading on the OTCQB can lead to overall enhanced liquidity and visibility in global capital markets as we continue to execute against our strategy of building, acquiring and providing technologies for the ever-emerging remote economy."

The OTCQB is a leading market for early-stage and developing U.S. and international companies. Recognized as an established public market by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the OTCQB has helped companies build considerable shareholder value including enhanced liquidity and valuation. Investors may benefit from efficient trading through their preferred broker or financial advisor, transparent pricing with real-time quotes, and trusted disclosure that is made broadly available to broker-dealers and market data providers.

The Company's common shares will continue to trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "XIGM", and through the Deutsche Borse Group under the symbol "2C1". Investors may find information and trading statistics on Xigem at: www.otcmarkets.com, https://www.boerse-frankfurt.de, https://www.tradegate.de, and https://thecse.com.

An application with the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) is currently pending to further enable the easier electronic clearing and settlement of the Company's common shares in the United States.

About Xigem Technologies Corporation

Established in Toronto, Ontario, Xigem is positioned to become a leading software-as-a-service technology platform for the emerging near trillion-dollar remote economy, with software capable of improving the capacity, productivity, and overall remote operations for businesses, consumers and other organizations. iAgent, the Company's patented technology, will provide organizations, businesses and consumers with the tools necessary to thrive in a vast array of remote working, learning and treatment environments.

www.xigemtechnologies.com

Instagram: @xigemtechnologies

Twitter: @XigemTech

Facebook: @xigemtechnologies

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/xigem-technologies

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. In particular, forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to (i) improved liquidity, valuation, visibility or investor awareness, and (ii) the success of the Company's application to obtain DTC-eligible status. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such risks and factors include, but are not limited to the Company's inability to secure or maintain regulatory, exchange and/or other approvals necessary to continue its business operations as proposed. Although the management believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements, forward-looking financial information and other metrics presented herein are not intended as guidance or projections for the periods referenced herein or any future periods, and in particular, past performance is not an indicator of future results and the results of the Company in this news release may not be indicative of, and are not an estimate, forecast or projection of the Company's future results. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Xigem Technologies Corporation

On behalf of the Company:

Brian Kalish, Chief Executive Officer

For further information:

Phone: (647) 250-9824 ext.4

Investors: investors@xigemtechnologies.com

Media: media@xigemtechnologies.com

Instagram: @xigemtechnologies

Twitter: @XigemTech

Facebook: @xigemtechnologies

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/xigem-technologies

www.xigemtechnologies.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/92817
Briefing: This article will introduce several AI chip companies with unique technologies. They either have advanced computing concepts, or have the top architects. These AI chips with new architectures are destroying half of the GPU's world like the magical Thanos Gloves.

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - August 11, 2021) - In the Post-Moore era, the process technology has been gradually approaching the physical limit, with the speed of progress gradually slowing down; the computation mode of semiconductor chips is also changing from all-purpose towards specific-purpose.





Siege GPU, strong competitors with new architectures!



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8203/92799_9d7ca129d49838cd_001full.jpg

The threat that GPU faces in the AI industry comes from strong competitors in new architectures. There are veteran giants such as Intel, who have been investing heavily in AI chips and new architectures.

The unicorn enterprises like SambaNova and Untether AI were both invested by Intel. In addition to launching its own artificial intelligence chip, Google is deeply involved in SambaNova's investment. Apart from the western start-ups from North America and Europe such as Graphcore, Cerebras, Groq, and Tenstorrent; TensorChip, a new architecture AI chip company from China has never tried to conceal its ambition of replacing NVIDIA.

SambaNova, invested by Google and Intel at the same time

"The fraction of our chip is better than your entire chip." As soon as this opinion came out, the entire Silicon Valley turned its attention to the CEO of SambaNova-- Rodrigo Liang. As a fast-growing unicorn company, SambaNova has received heavy investment from Google and continuous follow-up investment from Intel. Other participating institutions include SoftBank, Temasek, and Walden International. SambaNova got $676 million in series D which brought its valuation to $5.1 billion. The shots of these top industrial capital have made the industry realize that the War of Replacing GPU has already started.

In the interview, Liang mentioned that he believes only a reconfigurable data stream processor system can keep up with the development trend of the entire industry. Reconfigurable data stream technology based on memory (SRAM) is breaking through the limits of computing limitations of AI hardware and software constantly. Compared with the NVIDIA A100, which is used to be the leading product of the AI benchmark test in data center, SambaNova presents it can provide better performance.

Untether AI, which got three consecutive rounds of investment from Intel

The Canadian startup, Untether AI has announced that it has received $125 million in funding since they established in 2018 to develop its novel computing architecture and provide its customers with powerful computing power support. Untether AI developed a new chip architecture which can increase the speed of data movement by 1,000 times.

Untether's main product, TsunAimi accelerator card is composed of four runAI200 chips that are crafted in 16nm process, providing 2000 TOPS of computing power, which is 16 times of mainstream products' performance. Compared with SambaNova, Untether AI pays more attention to the improvement of computing power and energy efficiency of AI chips by memory-computing. Based on digital storage computing (SRAM) technology, the computing energy efficiency is increased to 8TOPS/W.

TensorChip, builder of RMU from China

We were surprised to notice the existence of complementary advanced architectures outside of North America. A Chinese company named TensorChip designed a new RMU architecture by combining reconfigurable technology with memory-computing technology. This idea seems very close to SambaNova's RDU.

TensorChip obtains the high energy efficiency and large computing power, with an energy efficiency ratio of 10TOPS/W. It not only has the reconfigurable ability recommended by SambaNova, but also surpasses the energy efficiency ratio of Untether AI. Compared with SambaNova's which focuses on large AI models, TensorChip's RMU has a broader application range, covering cloud computing and edge computing.

Groq, created by the former Google TPU team

Groq was founded in 2016, so far, the total funding has reached $362.3 million. Jonathan Ross, CEO of Groq, was involved in the development of Google's Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), which is a customized chip for accelerating machine learning.

Allegedly, Groq's architecture pays close attention to the low-latency and single-threaded performance when the Batch Size is 1. For the GPU, when it is used as a processing unit in a machine learning application, once the data is input with a small batch size, the gaps in the data stream will appear to cause the stagnation of the GPU. In this case, the performance will be significantly decreased. On the contrary, the Groq processor is 17.6 times faster than the GPU-based platform when the batch size is 1; it is 2.5 times faster when the batch size is large.

Tenstorrent, the company which AMD Chief Architect Jim Keller currently works at

Tenstorrent was founded in 2016 and has raised $200 million at a valuation of US$1 billion to build a sustainable product route and continue to challenge NVIDIA in the AI market. Its AI chip--Grayskull has a larger on-chip memory (SRAM), while NVIDIA relies on fast off-chip GDDR or HBM. Grayskull uses only 75 watts of power to perform 368 trillion operations per second, while NVIDIA consumes about 300 watts of power to achieve the same performance.

Who will be the overlord of AI computing after NVIDIA?

These leapfrog breakthroughs in chip architecture are milestones. These innovations have circumvented GPU patent barriers and opened up new ideas and products in the computing field. SambaNova, Untether AI, TensorChip, Groq, and Tenstorrent, the efforts of these companies are changing the pattern of the AI computing area. Perhaps one day, the latest AI chips will no longer be baked by the Chinese man in a leather jacket (referring to NVIDIA CEO, Jensen Huang) from his own kitchen. Although GPU performs well in the field of AI computing, its main job is still graphics rendering and display.

These innovations are catching up with the GPUs and trying to fully convert the world to the AI era. The huge waves of change will engulf each of us and bring unimaginable changes to the world of AI computing.

Media Contact:

Tel.: +86 10 86208286

E-mail: contact@tensorchip.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/92799
RALEIGH, NC / ACCESSWIRE / August 11, 2021 / Camp Corral, a leading provider of support and enrichment opportunities for the children of this nation's wounded, ill, and fallen military heroes, today announced that it received a $50,000 donation from the TowneBank Foundation, which will support a wide range of summer camps and resource programs tailored to the unique experiences of military children.

"The local communities where TowneBank has a presence across Virginia and North Carolina are home to vibrant military and veteran populations, so there is a strong need for holistic programs supporting these families," said Leigh Butler Longino, Chief Executive Officer at Camp Corral. "We'd like to thank TowneBank Foundation for its generous support as we continue growing to provide support programs for military children not only during the summer, but also throughout the rest of the year."

Camp Corral's programs are designed to provide respite, build peer-support connections, strengthen self-confidence, and reinforce coping skills for the children of wounded warriors. In addition to its annual summer camps, the organization launched its first-ever Family Camp Retreats in 2021, which focus on providing opportunities for respite and connections within the family unit and with other military-connected families.

"TowneBank is committed to supporting military-connected children and families in North Carolina, Virginia, and beyond," says Bob Aston, TowneBank executive chairman. "We are proud to partner with Camp Corral as they work to enrich the mental and physical well-being of this important population through their life-changing opportunities and programming."

As part of its focus to serve the community, TowneBank established the TowneBank Foundation in 2001, and has provided charitable grants and donations to hundreds of non-profit organizations throughout Virginia and North Carolina.

About Camp Corral

Camp Corral is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to transform the lives of children of this nation's wounded, ill, and fallen military heroes. Since its inception in 2011, Camp Corral has served nearly 29,000 children from every state in the nation with resilience-based programs focused upon the unique attributes and challenges shared by military-connected children across the country. For more information, visit www.campcorral.org.

About TowneBank

Founded in 1999, TowneBank is a company built on relationships, offering a full range of banking and other financial services, with a mission of serving others and enriching lives. Today, the bank operates over 40 banking offices throughout Hampton Roads and Central Virginia, as well as Northeastern and Central North Carolina - serving as a local leader in promoting the social, cultural, and economic growth in each community. With total assets of $15.80 billion as of June 30, 2021, TowneBank is one of the largest banks headquartered in Virginia. For more information, visit www.TowneBank.com.

###

Media Contact:

Anthony Popiel

Dalton Agency

apopiel@daltonagency.com

404-876-1309

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SOURCE: Camp Corral

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/659356/TowneBank-Donates-50000-to-Camp-Corral-to-Support-Programs-for-Children-of-Wounded-Warriors
NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- K2 Integrity today announced its engagement with Diem Networks US to support, initially lead, and continue to build innovative solutions for the Diem Networks US Financial Intelligence Function (FIF). The FIF is designed to protect the Diem Payment Network (DPN) from illicit financial activity and works in close collaboration with DPN participants who also are required to maintain strong financial crime compliance controls.

Diem Networks US has built a blockchain-based payment system designed to make payments cheaper and faster, while protecting consumers and the integrity of the financial system. It is poised to reshape the payments landscape by bringing the benefits of blockchain technology to consumers, including those who are underserved by the current banking system, and businesses around the world. Diem's FIF raises the bar for financial crime risk management, marrying K2 Integrity's world-class talent with Diem's steadfast dedication to preventing financial crime.

"Designing a framework that sets high financial crime compliance standards has been one of the Diem project's top priorities, and this is an area where we are continuing to innovate," said Stuart Levey, Chief Executive Officer of Diem Networks US. "We are excited by this opportunity to partner with K2 Integrity, a team that has a wealth of experience in this space and is respected internationally for their leadership on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) issues."

Mariano Federici, Managing Director at K2 Integrity, will act as the initial FIF Head, reporting to Sterling Daines, Chief Compliance Officer of Diem Networks US, and working alongside Diem's experienced compliance team and dedicated K2 Integrity compliance professionals. Mariano is one of the world's foremost experts in financial intelligence and a respected leader in the Egmont Group, the international body of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs). Mariano has played a pivotal role in the development of the international AML/CFT framework and is the former Chair of the Egmont Group and Head of Argentina's FIU.

"We are proud to be partnering with Diem Networks US to continue developing innovative FIF solutions and supporting Diem's financial crime risk management program," said Juan Zarate, Global Co-Managing Partner, K2 Integrity, and first-ever Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury for terrorist financing and financial crimes. "Diem's financial crime compliance framework, which is focused on protecting the integrity of the DPN and the financial system, is setting a high bar for the virtual asset industry. In close collaboration, we are bringing our world-class talent and experts in the field of financial intelligence, virtual assets, and compliance risk management to support Diem Networks US's efforts to launch and expand its platform with a leading financial crime compliance framework."

The Diem FIF will provide leadership in detecting and preventing financial crime on the DPN, working with both DPN participants and government authorities to deter misuse of the platform for illicit purposes. The engagement between Diem Networks US and K2 Integrity further enhances and demonstrates the Diem project's commitment to the highest standards to fight financial crime.

About K2 Integrity

K2 Integrity is the preeminent risk, compliance, investigations, and monitoring firm-built by industry leaders, driven by interdisciplinary teams, and supported by cutting-edge technology to safeguard our clients' operations, reputations, and economic security. K2 Integrity represents the merger of K2 Intelligence, founded by Jeremy M. Kroll and Jules B. Kroll, the originator of the modern corporate investigations industry, and Financial Integrity Network (FIN), founded by Juan Zarate and Chip Poncy, former senior Treasury and U.S. government officials. A recognized leader in the cryptocurrency and digital assets market, K2 Integrity helps clients navigate and mitigate Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) compliance risks and innovate new models as they manage emerging risks, satisfy evolving regulatory requirements domestically and internationally, and set the highest global standards and practices for financial crimes risk management. To learn more about how K2 Integrity is revolutionizing the management of risk, visit our website, www.k2integrity.com, or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

About Diem

The Diem Association is a member-based association dedicated to building a blockchain-based payment system that supports financial innovation, inclusion, and integrity. Its 26 members include merchants, payment service providers, social impact partners, and other entities. Diem Networks US is the Diem project's primary operating entity. The Diem Payment Network offers a faster, lower cost way to make payments with robust controls to protect consumers and fight financial crime. It is designed to enable interoperability between network participants, which will drive competition and benefit consumers, and to complement public sector infrastructure and integrate with central bank digital currencies if they become available.

CONTACT:

Lindsay Sweeney

Senior Manager, Communications

lsweeney@k2integrity.com

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SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 11, 2021 / TPT Global Tech, Inc. ("TPTW or TPT Global Tech") (OTCQB:TPTW) www.tptglobaltech.com Issues a Clarification on Press Release August 10 2021 headquartered in San Diego, California, technology-based company with divisions providing telecommunications, medical technology, media content for domestic and international syndication as well as technology solutions, today announced it is in a Joint Venture discussion with UM Power Limited (UM Group) in India to jointly design, develop and operate a Private Industrial Park located in the State of Uttar Pradesh. The parties have executed a joint venture formation agreement and the relationship of the parties under this JV Formation Agreement is intended to be exclusive while both parties will ensure that the definitive agreements along with SPV formation are completed within three to six months by which time both parties would have a better understanding of the overall valuation of the Industrial Park and other government approvals that will be required for the execution of the Industrial Park. TPT Global Tech's responsibilities under the JV Formation Agreement include, among others, its intent to contribute by way of large investment by itself or through its global investors of up to US$100M, bring in technology partners and large OEMs from the US and other global markets and support with marketing and business development activities in general. The JV formation agreement shall remain valid for a period of five years.

UM Power Limited (a UM Group Company) has acquired a large land parcel of approx. 380-acres at Auraiya in the State of Uttar Pradesh in India. The land parcel is strategically located in an industrial corridor that provides immediate access to freeways, airports, ports, and a railway track extended up to the land parcel, along with access to power supply, water canal and gas supply. UM Power Limited has invested approx. US$ 25 Mn to develop the basic infrastructure in the land parcel. Additionally, the State Government intends to spend approx. US$ 23 Mn in developing the infrastructure such as power, transportation, water etc. around the land by ensuring reliable access to logistics, power supply, water supply and gas supply facilities.

UM Group (a conglomerate of Power and Automobile Sector) which is a US$ 250 Mn technology-driven, people-focused, equal opportunity group with operations in India with export operations to major global markets. For over two decades, UM Group has consistently held on to the initial idea of ethical business. The group aspires to explore, innovate, create, deliver and serve to fulfil the demand of the best International brands in their respective fields. With world-class engineering and manufacturing infrastructure, the group focuses on the Automotive, Engineering, Manufacturing, Power, Oil & Gas and Telecom sectors of the economy. International Joint Ventures have brought about an inherent multinational culture on the UM floor, with key collaborative efforts with Magneti Marrelli [Italy] for Auto Components and Technical Resources Est. of Al Bawardy Group in Dubai for Gensets, Tower Lights, Air Compressors, etc in the Middle East & African market. The Flagship company of the UM Group, Unitech Machines Limited (UML) operates two distinct business divisions - Auto and Engineering with ISO 9001/14001 & TS-16949 Certification.

TPT Global Tech's Chairman & CEO, Stephen J. Thomas III said, "TPT Global Tech and UM Power Limited are discussing the opportunities of joining hands to collaborate and cooperate for investment, design, development, operation and business development of a Private Industrial Park at this location in Auraiya in the State of Uttar Pradesh in India. The Industrial Park is intended to house a wide range of industries such as Aerospace & Defence Industry, Electronics & Information Technology Industry, Telecommunications & 5G Ecosystem Industry, R&D & Innovations Industry, IoT & Cyber Security Industry, Biotechnology Industry and Electric & Future Mobility Industry. Our efforts will start with discussions on developing the basic infrastructure, enabling infrastructure and core infrastructure that will support the various industries. Once the Industrial Park is ready, we intend to invite large players from various industries to initiate manufacturing, R&D and innovation within its confines."

Mr. Thomas further stated, "our intent is that TPT will actively work with UM Power Limited to deliver a world-class Private Industrial Park that supports livability, workability and sustainability. We hope that the Industrial Park will drive huge co-investments through these various industries. At TPT Global Tech, we have in-house capabilities across most industries that we have proposed under the pretext of the Industrial Park and I am eager to bring the latest technology, development and manufacturing to India and deliver such advancements to this project. With UM Power Limited, we intend to discuss jointly developing the Industrial Park infrastructure and then develop multiple SPVs that will be set up with the respective technology partners and large OEMs. Activities under the JV Formation Agreement, we hope, will benefit in terms of equity and direct business from the additional SPVs formed together with multiple technology partners and large OEMs. This Industrial Park initiative is also intended to support and execute the vision of the Quad Leaders, reaffirming 'The Spirit of the Quad' and its unity in a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific."

UM Power's Chairman, Mr. Verinder Kumar Chhabra quoted, "UM Power Limited is happy to partner with TPT Global Tech to jointly discuss developing the Industrial Park. Our earlier goal was to develop a small cluster focused around a specific industry however now along with TPT Global Tech we intend to have new objectives to develop a comprehensive Industrial Park that will accommodate multiple industries. We are excited and hope that this park will give a new objective to the region. We believe there are huge economic and social benefits associated with this development. We anticipate multi-billion dollar projects to house themselves within the Industrial Park when it is ready and believe this will create approx. 21,000 direct jobs and approx. 90,000 indirect jobs that will increase perpetually over the next decade."

Mr. R. B. Singh, Director, UM Power Limited quoted, "The location for the Private Industrial Park has great logistical support in terms of high capacity infrastructure, airports, railway connectivity, port connectivity, water canal, talented human capital from various industries and above all, strong support from the State Government and Central Government. We are proposing a single-window approval for all projects related to the Industrial Park including its development that will benefit us and many other partners within the ecosystem of the Industrial Park."

Major General John F. Wharton (US Army, Retd.), Member, Board of Advisors of TPT as well as Chairman of its Global Defence Division state, "We are ready with a full-fledged plan to develop Indigenous Technology, Research & Development for SMEs and start-ups. Through the Industrial Park, we wish to create an ecosystem across India that will rope in various SMEs and start-ups from across industries. Further, the forward and backward linkages that we plan to create, we believe, will facilitate smooth technology transfer, mass production and attractive buy-back contracts across sectors for India, the US and other global markets."

TPT Global Tech has appointed Khandwala Securities Limited as their financial advisors and investment bankers for promoting the India corporate initiative. Khandwala Securities brings over eight decades of financial advisory and investment banking experience in managing clients across India and global markets. KSL India has been consistently delivering exceptional results to their clients since 1934 in India, the US, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South-East Asia.

Mr. Paresh J. Khandwala, Chairman & MD, Khandwala Securities Limited quoted, "We take pride in connecting clientele across global markets. We understood the vision and objective of TPT Global Tech's India Corporate initiative and their plan to set up a Industrial Park in India. We are positive that both TPT Global Tech and UM Power Limited will see their objectives and actions resonate with each other while developing the Industrial Park along with its technology innovation centres. TPT Global Tech intends to bring investments, technology and global partners to this platform which will take the Industrial Park to a global league. We will help both the companies in further developing this park and help introduce the right partners and vendors for various requirements who will establish business within the Industrial Park. We believe it will also be a great investment opportunity for large Indian and global families to participate in future fundraisers through a wide range of businesses to be established within the Private Industrial Park."

Mr. Harnish Gajjar, Chief Strategy Officer & Country Director (India) for TPT Global Tech, Inc. said, "We believe we have a blueprint ready for the Industrial Park initiative including its design and development. We have carved out a detailed business model to operate the Industrial Park professionally and profitably while featuring high-grade, high-precision and advanced industries, along with Smart Airports, Smart Hospitals, Smart Transportation, Smart Hotels. Our objective is to become a champion pacesetter promoting strategic capital orientation, major industry upgrades and innovation-based developments in the Industrial Park. Over the next few months, we intend to work jointly with UM Power Limited to discuss the initiation and completion of the various approvals related to the Industrial Park project and towards finalising the definitive agreement."

TPT Global Tech has a long-term global plan, a part of which it intends to unfold through this Industrial Park initiative over the next few years.

About TPT Global Tech, Inc.

TPT Global Tech, Inc. based in San Diego, California, is a technology-based company with divisions providing telecommunications, medical technology and product distribution, media content for domestic and international syndication as well as technology solutions. TPT Global Tech offers Software as a Service (SaaS), Technology Platform as a Service (PAAS), Cloud-based Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS). It offers carrier-grade performance and support for businesses over its private IP MPLS fiber and wireless network in the United States. TPT's cloud-based UCaaS services allow businesses of any size to enjoy all the latest voice, data, media, and collaboration features in today's global technology markets. TPT Global Tech also operates as a Master Distributor for Nationwide Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) and Independent Sales Organization (ISO) as a Master Distributor for Pre-Paid Cell phone services, Mobile phones Cell phone Accessories and Global Roaming Cell phones.

For more information about how TPT Global Tech's technologies and to schedule a call with CEO Stephen Thomas, please contact Shep Doniger at 561-637-5750 and sdoniger@bdcginc.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of various provisions of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, commonly identified by such terms as "believes," "looking ahead," "anticipates," "estimates" and other terms with similar meaning. Specifically, statements about the Company's plans for accelerated growth, improved profitability, future business partners, M&A activity, new service offerings, and pursuit of new markets are forward-looking statements. Although the company believes that the assumptions upon which its forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements should not be construed as fact. The information contained in such statements is beyond the ability of the Company to control, and in many cases, the Company cannot predict what factors would cause results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements. All forward-looking statements in the press release are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and by reference to the underlying assumptions.

SOURCE: TPT Global Tech, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/659379/Clarification-on-Press-Release-August-10-2021-TPT-Global-Tech-Inc-Signs-An-Exclusive-Joint-Venture-Formation-Agreement-With-UM-Power-Limited-UM-Group-Of-India-To-Design-Develop-and-Operate-a-Multi-Billion-Dollar-Private-Industrial-Park-in-The-State
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil futures settled notably higher on Wednesday, recovering well after an early setback, after the Biden administration said it would not ask U.S. oil producers to hike output. Reports that a White House official called the OPEC+ to boost production faster than the current pace of 400,000 barrels per month pushed oil prices lower early on in the session. Traders also digested data showing a smaller than expected drop in U.S. crude inventories in the week ended August 7. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for September ended up by $0.96 or about 1.4% at $69.25 a barrel, coming well off the day's low of $66.67 a barrel. Brent Crude futures are currently up $0.84 or 1.2% at $71.47 a barrel. Data released by U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) this morning showed crude inventories in the country dropped by 400,000 barrels last week, lower than an expected decline of about 600,000 barrels. Gasoline inventories dropped by 1.4 million barrels last week, lower than an expected drop of 2.4 million barrels, while distillate stockpiles increased by 1.8 million barrels as against an an expected drop of 600,000 barrels. On Tuesday, the American Petroleum Institute had released a report saying crude inventories in the U.S. fell by 816,000 barrels last week. Inventories at Cushing, Oklahoma, the delivery hub for Nymex oil futures, fell 413,000 barrels while distillate stocks rose 673,000 barrels, the report said. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
NEW YORK CITY (dpa-AFX) - Recent studies have revealed that certain vaccines are more effective against the Delta variant, in comparison to others. As per the studies, the Moderna (MRNA) vaccine is found to offer protection against the Delta variant than the Pfizer (PFE) vaccine. The studies were uploaded on medRxiv, ahead of an upcoming peer review. A study conducted on more than 50,000 patients at the Mayo Clinic found that the effectiveness of Moderna's vaccine against the Delta variant fell to 76 percent in July, when the Delta variant cases were at their peak. The earlier efficacy of the vaccine stood at 86 percent at the beginning of the year. During the same timeline, the effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine fell to 42 percent from the earlier 76 percent, as per the study. Dr. Venky Soundararajan of Massachusetts data analytics company Nference, who led the Mayo study, said, 'While both vaccines remain effective at preventing COVID hospitalization, a Moderna booster shot may be necessary soon for anyone who got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines earlier this year.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 11, 2021) - City View Green Holdings Inc. (CSE: CVGR) ("City View" or the "Company"), trading through the facilities of the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") under the symbol "CVGR" and on the OTCQB under the symbol "CVGRF", announces that it has closed the first tranche (the "First Tranche") of its non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") previously announced on August 5, 2021. Under the First Tranche, the Company has issued 9,044,142 units for gross proceeds of $633,089.94. All securities issued under this private placement are subject to a hold period expiring December 12, 2021, in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the CSE.

Certain directors and officers of the Company subscribed for an aggregate of 2,357,143 Units ($165,000). The subscription of Units to insiders pursuant to the private placement is considered to be a "related party" transaction subject to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 ("MI 61-101"). The Company has relied on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements provided under sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(a) of MI 61-101 on the basis that participation in the private placement by insiders does not exceed 25% of the fair market value of the Company's market capitalization.

City View also announces that it has now issued 750,000 non-transferable warrants to Quinsam Capital Corporation ("Quinsam"), the lender under a $225,000 secured loan. Each warrant is exercisable for one common share of the Company at a price of $0.15/share for a period of 2 years. These securities are subject to a hold period expiring December 12, 2021, in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the CSE. The Company wishes to correct the disclosure in its August 5, 2021, in that Quinsam, a public company trading on the CSE, is an insider of City View by virtue of its shareholdings in the Company being >10%. Consequently, this loan transaction is considered to be a "related party" transaction subject to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 ("MI 61-101"). The Company has relied on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements provided under sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(a) of MI 61-101 on the basis that the value of this transaction does not exceed 25% of the fair market value of the Company's market capitalization.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons (as defined in the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration is available.

About City View Green Holdings Inc.

City View is a leading consumer packaged goods company focused on the development of cannabis-infused edibles. With the receipt of its Cannabis Act processing licence on April 30, 2021, City View will incorporate cannabis-infused food production at its Brantford, Ontario high-capacity facility. In addition, City View owns a 27.5% stake in Budd Hutt Inc. ("Budd Hutt"), a retail-focused cannabis company with access to cannabis cultivation and production licences in Alberta and other retail opportunities across Canada. Through its relationship with Budd Hutt, the Company anticipates securing shelf space, product placement, and distribution opportunities for our white label partner products. For more information visit: www.cityviewgreen.ca .

For further information contact:

City View Green Holdings Inc.

Rob Fia, CEO & President

Email: rob@cityviewgreen.ca

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulations services accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements which are not composed of historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. There are a number of important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include, among others, availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, delays in the development of projects, and ability to predict or counteract potential impact of COVID-19 coronavirus on factors relevant to the Company's business. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS 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.

Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/92854.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - U.S. President Joe Biden is planning a virtual meeting with the leaders of companies, institutions, and businesses to promote vaccination as the Delta variant cases flood the hospitals.



According to a White House official, the president will have an online video meeting with the CEOs of United Airlines and Kaiser Permanente to promote vaccinations in their organization with more and more companies to follow suit. Apart from the CEOs, the president of Howard University and a business owner from South Carolina will also join the meeting.



Biden, as per the spokesperson, will dub them models for the private sector to boost the vaccination rate higher with the help of organizations and institutions.



United Airlines Holdings (UAL) had recently asked almost 67,000 of its employees to get vaccinated. Talking about the casualties of the virus, the CEO of the company, Scott Kirby, said that he has written 'dozens of condolence letters to the family members of United employees who have died from COVID-19.'



President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Randi Weingarten has expressed her opinion to make vaccination a mandate for teachers. Studies show that almost 90% of the teachers in the country are vaccinated.



President Biden has already made it mandatory for the federal employees to either get vaccinated or get tested on a regular basis. It is understood that he would want the same to be implemented in corporate offices as well.



The defense department was the latest department to make vaccination a must for every employee by mid-September.



The World Health Organization is calling the recent resurgence of the Delta variant as the 'pandemic of the unvaccinated' and the states with the lowest vaccination rates in the US stand testaments to the moniker. According to a study by the CDC, in a time frame from July 13 to August 9, unvaccinated people made up 97% of the delta variant cases.



Apart from encouraging the rest of the population who are yet to be inoculated, the government is also thinking of taking more severe measures, including withholding federal funds.



Multiple big names in the private sector have already made it necessary for the worker to get jabbed. Walmart, Tesco, Krogers, Macdonald's, and many more global brands have announced that they are offering either monetary compensation or other privileges for those who are getting vaccinated.



In the late end of July, Biden had asked the local governments to incentivize vaccination so that more and more people can be reached.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Rockley receives approximately $168 million in gross proceeds; combined company to begin trading under ticker "RKLY" on August 12

Rockley Photonics, Ltd. ("the Company" or "Rockley"), a leading global silicon photonics technology company, today announced the completion of its business combination with SC Health Corp. ("SC Health"). The combined company will retain the Rockley Photonics, Ltd. name as a subsidiary of Rockley Photonics Holdings, Ltd., which will commence trading on the NYSE under the new ticker symbol "RKLY" on August 12. The transaction was approved by SC Health's shareholders on August 6, following which the High Court of Justice of England and Wales approved the Scheme of Arrangement on August 9.

The approximately $167.8 million in gross proceeds available to Rockley following the combination is expected to enable the Company to accelerate the commercial launch of its unique sensing platform and execute the 2023 and 2024 revenue projections as outlined in prior investor presentations. The platform is positioned to revolutionize consumer health and wellness by enabling continuous, non-invasive monitoring of multiple biomarkers, including core body temperature, blood pressure, body hydration, alcohol, lactate, and glucose, among others. Rockley is working closely and deeply with some of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer electronics and wearables to provide them with a "clinic-on-the-wrist" digital health sensor system. Rockley's end-to-end sensing platform will combine hardware and application firmware in a module for OEM manufacturers that can be augmented with cloud analytics for certain clinical/medical partnership applications, enabling these customers to provide meaningful and actionable insights to their users.

"Silicon photonics has tremendous potential to transform multiple industries through a broad range of applications, particularly in the health and wellness space by bringing laboratory-grade measurement on the wrist much closer to reality," said Dr. Andrew Rickman, chief executive officer and founder of Rockley Photonics. "As we continue on the next phase of our growth as a public company, we are in a much stronger position to create solutions that can provide a new class of actionable insights, transform digital healthcare, and deliver life-changing benefits to people across the globe."

A.J. Coloma, chief executive officer of SC Health, added, "Rockley's technology is truly revolutionary. By giving access to personalized insights and information, Rockley's unique sensing platform lets people self-manage their well-being. Easy, everyday access to this data has the power to transform the healthcare paradigm, moving away from costly chronic care and focusing on prevention and early intervention, thereby keeping people at the peak of health. Rockley is now well poised to further solidify their leadership position in the industry, and we are excited about the abundance of growth opportunities ahead, not only in the consumer health space, but also in medtech and beyond. We look forward to continuing to work alongside Andrew and his team to fully realize the myriad applications of the company's technology."

Board of Directors

With the completion of this business combination, Rockley also announced the appointment of a diverse board of directors. The new board will comprise of seven directors, including three women and one self-identified minority director, who bring extensive public company board experience and deep expertise in each of their respective fields:

Dr. Andrew Rickman, Ph.D., OBE 1 , Rockley CEO and founder, will serve as chairman of the board.

, Rockley CEO and founder, will serve as chairman of the board. William Huyett is director emeritus of McKinsey and Company, where he spent 30 years serving global clients in biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, industrial, and other technology-intensive companies. Mr. Huyett will serve as senior independent director.

Dr. Caroline Brown, Ph.D., has 20 years of board experience, has been an independent director on Rockley's board since January 2019, and sits on the boards of IP Group plc, Georgia Capital plc and Luceco plc. Dr. Brown has been appointed as chair of audit committee.

Brian J. Blaser has over 25 years of experience in the medical devices industry and retired from Abbott Laboratories in 2019 as executive vice president of diagnostic products after holding a number of senior and corporate roles in operations and strategy.

Karim Karti, a healthcare industry veteran, is the chair of MedTech Acquisition, was previously the chief operating officer of iRhythm Technologies, and served in roles of increasing seniority over 22 years at General Electric.

Michele Klein has 20 years of semiconductor industry experience and serves on the boards of Aviat Networks and Intevac. Earlier she was a director of Photon Control, an investor for Applied Ventures, the VC arm of Applied Materials, and CEO of diagnostic equipment companies.

Dr. Pamela Puryear, Ph.D., an expert on human capital, is the executive vice president of global human resources at Walgreen Boots and was previously a senior vice president and chief human resources at Zimmer Biomet and the senior vice president and chief talent officer at Pfizer.



1 Order of the British Empire

Transaction Details

As a result of the business combination, Rockley has received approximately $167.8 million in gross proceeds. This includes $17.8 million from SC Health, as well as $150 million from the financing completed in connection with the announcement of the business combination, led by top-tier institutional investors including Senvest Management LLC and UBS O'Connor and participation from Medtronic.

Advisors

Cowen and Company LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to Rockley and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP served as legal counsel. BofA Securities served as exclusive financial advisor to SC Health and Ropes Gray LLP served as legal counsel. BofA Securities and Cowen and Company LLC served as placement agents on the PIPE.

About Rockley Photonics

A global leader in silicon photonics, Rockley is developing a comprehensive range of photonic integrated circuits and associated modules, sensors, and full-stack solutions. From next-generation sensing platforms specifically designed for mobile health monitoring and machine vision to high-speed, high-volume solutions for data communications, Rockley is laying the foundation for a new generation of applications across multiple industries. Rockley believes that photonics will eventually become as pervasive as micro-electronics, and it has developed a platform with the power and flexibility needed to address both mass markets and a wide variety of vertical applications.

Formed in 2013 by Dr. Andrew Rickman (who previously founded the first commercial silicon photonics company, Bookham Technology), Rockley is uniquely positioned to support hyper-scale manufacturing and address a multitude of high-volume markets. Rockley has partnered with numerous Tier-1 customers across a diverse range of industries to deliver the complex optical systems required to bring transformational products to market.

To learn more about Rockley, visit rockleyphotonics.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release that are not historical facts constitute "forward-looking statements" for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding Rockley's future expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, and assumptions regarding future events or performance. The words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "enable," "estimate," "eventual," "expect," "future," "intend," "may," "might," "opportunity," "outlook," "plan," "possible," "position," "potential," "predict," "project," "revolutionize," "seem," "should," "trend," "will," "would" and other terms that predict or indicate future events, trends, or expectations, and similar expressions or the negative of such expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words or terms does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the following: (a) the gross proceeds available to the Company after the business combination, the Company's anticipated use of proceeds and capital available after the business combination, and that such proceeds are expected to enable the Company to accelerate the commercial launch of its sensing platform; (b) the anticipated features and benefits of the Company's platform, products, and technology; (c) the Company's platform being positioned to revolutionize consumer health and wellness by enabling continuous, non-invasive monitoring of multiple biomarkers, including core body temperature, blood pressure, body hydration, alcohol, lactate, and glucose, among others; (d) the Company's collaboration with manufacturers of consumer electronics and wearables to provide them with a "clinic-on-the-wrist" digital health sensor system; (e) the Company's sensing platform, which will combine hardware and application firmware in a module that can be augmented with cloud analytics, and the anticipated benefits thereof; (f) the ability of the capital from the business combination to advance the development of commercial opportunities for the application of silicon photonics across industries; (g) the potential of silicon photonics to transform multiple industries through a range of applications; (h) the Company's ability to create solutions that can provide a new class of actionable insights, transform digital healthcare, and deliver life-changing benefits; (i) the belief as to the revolutionary nature of Rockley's technology; and (j) growth opportunities and Rockley's leadership position in the industry.

Forward-looking statements are subject to several risks and uncertainties (many of which are beyond the Company's control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) the Company's ability to achieve commercial production of its products and technology, including in a timely and cost-effective manner; (ii) the Company's ability to achieve customer design wins, convert memoranda of understanding and development contracts into production contracts, and achieve customer acceptance of its products and technology; (iii) risks related to purchase orders, including the lack of long-term purchase commitments, the cancellation, reduction, delay, or other changes in customer purchase orders, and if and to the extent customers seek to enter into licensing arrangements in lieu of purchases; (iv) the Company's history of losses and need for additional capital and its ability to access additional financing to support its operations and execute on its business plan, as well as the risks associated with any future financings; (v) legal and regulatory risks, including those related to its products and technology and any threatened or actual litigation; (vi) risks associated with its fabless manufacturing model and dependency on third-party suppliers; (vii) the Company's reliance on a few significant customers for a majority of its revenue and its ability to expand and diversify its customer base; (viii) the Company's financial performance; (ix) the impacts of COVID-19 on the Company, its customers and suppliers, its target markets, and the economy; (x) the Company's ability to successfully manage growth and its operations as a public company; (xi) fluctuations in the Company's stock price and the Company's ability to maintain the listing of its ordinary shares on the NYSE; (xii) the Company's ability to anticipate and respond to industry trends and customer requirements; (xiii) changes in the Company's current and future target markets; (xiv) intellectual property risks; (xv) the Company's ability to compete successfully; (xvi) market opportunity and market demand for, and acceptance of, the Company's products and technology, as well as the customer products into which the Company's products and technology are incorporated; (xvii) risks related to international operations; (xviii) risks related to cybersecurity, privacy, and infrastructure; (xix) risks related to financial and accounting matters; (xx) general economic, financial, legal, political, and business conditions and changes in domestic and foreign markets; (xxi) the Company's ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the business combination; and (xxii) changes adversely affecting the businesses or markets in which the Company is engaged, as well as other factors described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the prospectus/proxy statement filed by the Company on July 22, 2021 and in other documents the Company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the future. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the Company's current expectations, beliefs, and assumptions and are not predictions of actual performance. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of these assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ materially from those discussed in or implied by these forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be those that have been anticipated. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events, or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005849/en/

Contacts:

For Rockley

Media

John Christiansen, Camilla Scassellati Sforzolini

Sard Verbinnen Co

Rockley-SVC@sardverb.com

Investors

Gwyn Lauber

Vice President of Investor Relations

Rockley Photonics

investors@rockleyphotonics.com


CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - A Boeing (BA) 737 Max test plane entered the Chinese skies on Wednesday as the airlines was looking forward to put an end to around two-and-a-half-year regulatory grounding of the 737 Max model in one of its most important markets.



According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the 737 Max 7 test plane took off from Shanghai's Pudong International Airport in the morning, flying in a south-easterly direction. There was no news about which was the final destination of the aircraft.



Even though nothing was confirmed, Chinese aviation blogs put out photos showing that the flight had landed at Zhoushan Putuoshan Airport, which is around 150 km to the south.



This destination, which houses a 737 Max completion plant to install interiors and paint airplane liveries, was thought to be the final stop.



The 737 Max test plane had left Seattle last week and arrived in Shanghai on August 7 after refueling in Honolulu and Guam.



After the flight testing is completed, China's regulator will issue an aircraft evaluation report and submit it for approval before pilot training could begin, sources were quoted as saying.



The Boeing 737 Max plane is not operating in China as the trade frictions between the U.S and China have affected sales over the last few years. However, Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun is hopeful that the 737 Max will secure Chinese regulatory approval by year-end.



Earlier, China's aviation regulator had issued three requirements for the 737 Max's return to service, namely, certified design changes, sufficient pilot training and definitive findings from the crash investigations.



Worldwide, around 175 countries and 30 airline companies have okayed the 737 Max return to normal service after two-year safety ban following crashes, which killed 346 people. This crisis, along with the COVID-19 pandemic added to Boeing's financial troubles.



Boeing said, in a statement, that it was working with global regulators as they complete their validation processes on the model and hoped that the ban in China would be lifted soon.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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TORONTO, Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mandalay Resources Corporation ("Mandalay" or the "Company") (TSX: MND, OTCQB: MNDJF) is pleased to announce its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.



The Company's condensed and consolidated interim financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021, together with its Management's Discussion and Analysisand on the Company's website at www.mandalayresources.com. All currency references in this press release are in U.S. dollars except as otherwise indicated.

Second Quarter 2021 Highlights:

Quarterly revenue of $51.4 million - second highest since Q2 2016;

Adjusted EBITDA of $23.1 million;

$12.7 million free cash flow and $26.6 million in net cash flow from operating activities;

Adjusted net income of $11.5 million ($0.13 or C$0.15 per share);

Consolidated net income of $4.8 million ($0.05 or C$0.06 per share); and

Quarter ending cash balance of $39.1 million.

Dominic Duffy, President and CEO of Mandalay, commented:

"Mandalay Resources is pleased to deliver strong financial results for the second quarter of 2021, as the Company continues to execute against our operational strategy and is on track to attain our 2021 production and cost guidance.

During the second quarter, the Company generated $12.7 million in free cash flow and ended the quarter with a cash balance of $39.1 million. As the Company continues to generate strong free cash flow, the emerging strength of our balance sheet significantly improves our abilities to fund near-term growth opportunities. During this quarter, the Company also repaid $3.8 million towards our Syndicated Facility leaving $51.4 million owing."

Mr. Duffy continued, "During the quarter the Company generated $51.4 million in consolidated revenue and $23.1 million in adjusted EBITDA, resulting in an EBITDA margin of 45%, and a year to date adjusted EBITDA of $49.2 million. Mandalay earned $11.5 million ($0.13 or C$0.15 per share) in adjusted net income during the second quarter, marking our sixth consecutive quarter of profitability."

Mr. Duffy added, "Our consolidated cash and all-in sustaining costs per saleable gold equivalent ounce during the second quarter of 2021 were $960 and $1,342, respectively, an increase as compared to the $851 and $1,230 during the same period last year. The main reasons for this were due to foreign exchange movements, with local currencies strengthening against the U.S. dollar, a decrease in gold production at Bjorkdal for the quarter due to lower grade stoping and increased infill exploration spend at both sites."

Mr. Duffy added, "Costerfield posted $23.4 million in revenue and $15.8 million in adjusted EBITDA at a cash cost and all-in sustaining cost of $652 and $1,009 per oz gold equivalent produced, respectively.

Exploration so far this year has been a huge success for Mandalay due to the outstanding results at our newly discovered high-grade Shepherd structure, which lies beneath our Youle mine at Costerfield. With $4.3 million spent on exploration year to date, we expect to exceed our 2021 guidance amount for exploration spending. The additional capital invested aligns with our growth strategy as the Company seeks to deliver further value at Costerfield by extending its life of mine."

Mr. Duffy continued, "Bjorkdal generated stable production and sales resulting in $22.5 million and $6.5 million of revenue and adjusted EBITDA, respectively, during the second quarter of 2021. The underground mined tonnage ramp up continued as we mined approximately 540,000 tonnes during the first half of 2021, an approximate 11% increase as compared to the same period last year. We are on track to achieve our goal of 1.1 million tonnes production from the underground.

Grade performance during this quarter was lower than previous quarters mainly due to the amount of stope production performed in lower grade areas of the mine. This, along with negative exchange rate impacts, resulted in higher cash and all-in sustaining costs of $1,338 and $1,766, respectively, for the quarter. We expect to see a decrease to these higher unit costs in the coming quarters as we ramp up production in the lower, higher grade levels of Aurora."

Mr. Duffy concluded, "For the rest of 2021, we expect to improve on this level of operational and financial performance, while building on our successful exploration campaigns. At Costerfield, the program will continue with infill drilling at Shepherd and progressing with deeper drilling at Cuffley, Augusta and Shepherd. At Bjorkdal, we will be focused on the Main, Central and Lake zones to the north east at depth and extensions of the Aurora zone. At current metal prices and exchange rates the Company is on schedule to be net debt free by year end 2021."

Second Quarter 2021 Financial Summary

The following table summarizes the Company's financial results for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020:

Three months

ended

June 30,

2021 Three months

ended

June 30,

2020 Six months

ended

June 30,

2021 Six months

ended

June 30,

2020 $'000 $'000 $'000 $'000 Revenue 51,352 42,335 103,925 83,901 Cost of sales 27,135 19,734 52,549 38,566 Adjusted EBITDA (1) 23,135 21,271 49,197 42,174 Income from mine ops before depreciation, depletion 24,217 22,601 51,376 45,335 Adjusted net income (1) 11,475 7,632 17,121 12,818 Consolidated net income (loss) 4,790 (2,439) 30,290 (6,047) Capital expenditure 13,578 10,566 25,604 20,603 Total assets 310,841 260,298 310,841 260,298 Total liabilities 151,852 155,024 151,852 155,024 Adjusted net income per share (1) 0.13 0.08 0.19 0.14 Consolidated net income (loss) per share 0.05 (0.03) 0.33 (0.07)

Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted net income (loss) per share are non-IFRS measures, defined at the end of this press release "Non-IFRS Measures".



In the second quarter of 2021, Mandalay generated consolidated revenue of $51.4 million, 21% higher than in the second quarter of 2021. This increase is attributable to Mandalay selling 3,199 more gold equivalent ounces combined with higher realized prices in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the second quarter of 2020. The Company's realized gold price in the second quarter of 2021 increased by 5% compared to the second quarter of 2020, and the realized price of antimony increased by 120%.



Consolidated cash cost per ounce of $960 increased by 13% in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the second quarter of 2020, mainly due to higher costs of production. Cost of sales during the second quarter of 2021 versus the second quarter of 2020 were almost same at Costerfield and $3.7 million higher at Bjorkdal. Consolidated general and administrative costs were $0.2 million lower as compared to the prior year quarter.

Mandalay generated adjusted EBITDA of $23.1 million in the second quarter of 2021, 9% higher compared to the Company's adjusted EBITDA of $21.3 million in the year ago quarter. Adjusted net income was $11.5 million in the second quarter of 2021, which excludes the $6.3 million fair value loss related to the gold hedges associated with the Syndicated Facility and $0.4 million fair value loss related to mark to market adjustment, compared to an adjusted net income of $7.6 million in the second quarter of 2020. Consolidated net income was $4.8 million for the second quarter of 2021, versus a net loss of $2.4 million in the second quarter of 2020. Mandalay ended the second quarter of 2021 with $39.1 million in cash and cash equivalents.

Second Quarter 2021 Operational Summary

The table below summarizes the Company's operations, capital expenditures and operational unit costs for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020:

Three months

ended

June 30, 2021 Three months

ended June 30, 2020 Six months

ended

June 30, 2021 Six months

ended

June 30, 2020 $'000 $'000 $'000 $'000 Costerfield Gold produced (oz) 9,959 10,353 21,041 20,973 Antimony produced (t) 858 946 1,690 2,054 Gold equivalent produced (oz) 14,818 13,502 30,276 28,429 Cash cost (1) per oz gold eq. produced ($) 652 662 646 604 All-in sustaining cost (1) per oz gold eq. produced ($) 1,009 1,025 972 935 Capital development 3,108 3,481 6,086 6,677 Property, plant and equipment purchases 1,029 716 1,930 1,497 Capitalized exploration 1,583 1,335 2,807 2,067 Bjorkdal Gold produced (oz) 10,941 11,250 22,796 22,000 Cash cost (1) per oz gold produced ($) 1,338 1,078 1,259 1,065 All-in sustaining cost (1) per oz gold produced ($) 1,766 1,352 1,647 1,383 Capital development 2,727 2,268 5,120 4,479 Property, plant and equipment purchases 4,277 2,452 8,122 4,779 Capitalized exploration 601 338 1,058 984

Cerro Bayo Gold produced (oz) 1,807 - 2,531 - Silver produced (oz) 87,062 - 130,761 - Gold equivalent produced (oz) 3,084 - 4,447 - Cash cost (1) per oz gold eq. produced ($) 1,097 - 1,066 - All-in sustaining cost (1) per oz gold eq. produced ($) 1,110 - 1,075 - Consolidated Gold equivalent produced (oz) 28,843 24,752 57,519 50,429 Cash cost* per oz gold eq. produced ($) 960 851 922 805 All-in sustaining cost (1) per oz gold eq. produced ($) 1,342 1,230 1,284 1,244 Capital development 5,835 5,749 11,206 11,156 Property, plant and equipment purchases 5,306 3,168 10,052 6,276 Capitalized exploration (2) 2,437 1,649 4,346 3,171

Cash cost and all-in sustaining cost are non-IFRS measures. See "Non-IFRS Measures" at the end of this press release. Includes capitalized exploration relating to other non-core assets.

Costerfield gold-antimony mine, Victoria, Australia

Costerfield produced 9,959 ounces of gold and 858 tonnes of antimony for 14,818 gold equivalent ounces in the second quarter of 2021. Cash and all-in sustaining costs at Costerfield of $652/oz and $1,009/oz, respectively, compared to cash and all-in sustaining costs of $662/oz and $1,025/oz, respectively, in the second quarter of 2020.

Bjorkdal gold mine, Skelleftea, Sweden

Bjorkdal produced 10,941 ounces of gold in the second quarter of 2021 with cash and all-in sustaining costs of $1,338/oz and $1,766/oz, respectively, compared to cash and all-in sustaining costs of $1,078/oz and $1,352/oz, respectively, in the second quarter of 2020.

Cerro Bayo silver-gold mine, Patagonia, Chile

In the second quarter of 2021, the Company spent nil on care and maintenance expenses at Cerro Bayo, compared to $0.5 million in the second quarter of 2020. Cerro Bayo is currently subject to a binding option agreement between the Company and Equus Mining ("Equus") pursuant to which Equus has an option to acquire Cerro Bayo. For further information see the Company's October 8, 2019, press release.

During the second quarter of 2021, Cerro Bayo produced 1,807 ounces of gold and 87,062 ounces of silver for 3,084 gold equivalent ounces in the second quarter of 2021 at a cash cost of $1,097/oz.

Lupin, Nunavut, Canada

Care and maintenance spending at Lupin was less than $0.1 million during the second quarter of 2021, which was the same as in the second quarter of 2020. Reclamation spending at Lupin was $0.8 million during the second quarter of 2021 compared to $5.1 million during the second quarter of 2020. The full closure of Lupin will continue in the 2021 season funded by ongoing progressive security reductions held by CIRNA.

Challacollo, Chile

On April 19, 2021, Aftermath Silver Ltd. ("Aftermath Silver") paid C$1.5 million in cash and issued 2,054,794 common shares at fair value of C$0.73 per share to the Company on May 05, 2021, in satisfaction of a purchase price instalment. As at June 30, 2021, the Company is holding this asset as held for sale. Further information regarding the definitive agreement signed with Aftermath Silver for the sale of Challacollo can be found in the Company's November 12, 2019, press release.

La Quebrada, Chile

No work was carried out on the La Quebrada development property during Q2 2021.

COVID-19

The coronavirus ("COVID-19") pandemic is present in all countries in which the Company operates, with cases being reported in Canada, Australia, Sweden and Chile. At this time, the Company has activated business continuity practices across all sites. Management will continue to monitor developments across all jurisdictions and will adjust its planning as necessary.

The Company is not able to estimate the duration of the pandemic and potential impact on its business if disruptions or delays in our operations occur or our ability to transfer our products to market. In addition, a severe prolonged economic downturn could result in a variety of risks to the business, including a decreased ability to raise additional capital when needed on acceptable terms, if at all. As the situation continues to evolve, the Company will continue to closely monitor operating conditions in the countries we operate and respond accordingly. More details are included in the press release dated March 20, 2020, and on the Company's website.

Conference Call

Mandalay's management will be hosting a conference call for investors and analysts on August 12, 2021, at 8:00 AM (Toronto time).

Analysts and interested investors are invited to participate using the following dial-in numbers:

Participant Number (Toll free): (877) 407-8289 Participant Number: (201) 689-8341 Conference ID: 13722369



A replay of the conference call will be available until 11:59 PM (Toronto time), August 26, 2021, and can be accessed using the following dial-in number:

Encore Toll Free Dial-in Number: (877) 660-6853 Encore ID: 13722369

About Mandalay Resources Corporation:

Mandalay Resources is a Canadian-based natural resource company with producing assets in Australia (Costerfield gold-antimony mine), Sweden (Bjorkdal gold mine) and Chile (Cerro Bayo gold-silver mine). The Company is focused on growing its production and reducing costs to generate significant positive cashflow.

Mandalay's mission is to create shareholder value through the profitable operation of both its Costerfield and Bjorkdal mines. Currently, the Company's main objective is to continue mining the high-grade Youle vein at Costerfield, which continues to supply high-grade ore, and to extend Youle's Mineral Reserves at depth and to the south, as well as continuing the regional exploration program. At Bjorkdal, the Company will aim to increase production from the Aurora zone and other higher-grade areas in the coming years, in order to maximize profit margins from the mine and continue exploration in near mine and regional.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the Company's anticipated performance in 2021. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements depending on, among other things, changes in commodity prices and general market and economic conditions. The factors identified above are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect Mandalay. A description of additional risks that could result in actual results and developments differing from those contemplated by forward-looking statements in this news release can be found under the heading "Risk Factors" in Mandalay's annual information form dated March 31, 2021, a copy of which is available under Mandalay's profile at www.sedar.com. In addition, there can be no assurance that any inferred resources that are discovered as a result of additional drilling will ever be upgraded to proven or probable reserves. Although Mandalay 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.

Non-IFRS Measures

This news release may contain references to adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, free cash flow, cash cost per saleable ounce of gold equivalent produced and all-in sustaining cost all of which are non-IFRS measures and do not have standardized meanings under IFRS. Therefore, these measures may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers.

Management uses adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow as measures of operating performance to assist in assessing the Company's ability to generate liquidity through operating cash flow to fund future working capital needs and to fund future capital expenditures, as well as to assist in comparing financial performance from period to period on a consistent basis. Management uses adjusted net income in order to facilitate an understanding of the Company's financial performance prior to the impact of non-recurring or special items. The Company believes that these measures are used by and are useful to investors and other users of the Company's financial statements in evaluating the Company's operating and cash performance because they allow for analysis of its financial results without regard to special, non-cash and other non-core items, which can vary substantially from company to company and over different periods.

The Company defines adjusted EBITDA as income from mine operations, net of administration costs, and before interest, taxes, non-cash charges/(income), intercompany charges and finance costs. The Company defines adjusted net income as net income before special items. Special items are items of income and expense that are presented separately due to their nature and, in some cases, expected infrequency of the events giving rise to them. A reconciliation between adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income, on the one hand, and consolidated net income, on the other hand, is included in the MD&A.

The Company defines free cash flow as a measure of the Corporation's ability to generate and manage liquidity. It is calculated starting with the net cash flows from operating activities (as per IFRS) and then subtracting capital expenditures and lease payments. Refer to Section 1.2 of MD&A for a reconciliation between free cash flow and net cash flows from operating activities.

For Costerfield, saleable equivalent gold ounces produced is calculated by adding to saleable gold ounces produced, the saleable antimony tonnes produced times the average antimony price in the period divided by the average gold price in the period. The total cash operating cost associated with the production of these saleable equivalent ounces produced in the period is then divided by the saleable equivalent gold ounces produced to yield the cash cost per saleable equivalent ounce produced. The cash cost excludes royalty expenses. Site all-in sustaining costs include total cash operating costs, sustaining mining capital, royalty expense, accretion and depletion. Sustaining capital reflects the capital required to maintain each site's current level of operations. The site's all-in sustaining cost per ounce of saleable gold equivalent in a period equals the all-in sustaining cost divided by the saleable equivalent gold ounces produced in the period.

For Cerro Bayo, saleable equivalent gold ounces produced is calculated by adding to saleable gold ounces produced, the saleable silver ounces produced times the average silver price in the period divided by the average gold price in the period. The total cash operating cost associated with the production of these saleable equivalent ounces produced in the period is then divided by the saleable equivalent gold ounces produced to yield the cash cost per saleable equivalent ounce produced. The cash cost excludes royalty expenses. Site all-in sustaining costs include total cash operating costs, sustaining mining capital, royalty expense, accretion and depletion. Sustaining capital reflects the capital required to maintain each site's current level of operations. The site's all-in sustaining cost per ounce of saleable gold equivalent in a period equals the all-in sustaining cost divided by the saleable equivalent gold ounces produced in the period.

For Bjorkdal, the total cash operating cost associated with the production of saleable gold ounces produced in the period is then divided by the saleable gold ounces produced to yield the cash cost per saleable gold ounce produced. The cash cost excludes royalty expenses. Site all-in costs include total cash operating costs, royalty expense, accretion, depletion, depreciation and amortization. Site all-in sustaining costs include total cash operating costs, sustaining mining capital, royalty expense, accretion and depletion. Sustaining capital reflects the capital required to maintain each site's current level of operations. The site's all-in sustaining cost per ounce of saleable gold equivalent in a period equals the all-in sustaining cost divided by the saleable equivalent gold ounces produced in the period.

For the Company as a whole, cash cost per saleable gold equivalent ounce is calculated by summing the gold equivalent ounces produced by each site and dividing the total by the sum of cash operating costs at the sites. Consolidated cash cost excludes royalty and corporate level general and administrative expenses. This definition was updated in the third quarter of 2020 to exclude corporate general and administrative expenses to better align with industry standard. All-in sustaining cost per saleable ounce gold equivalent in the period equals the sum of cash costs associated with the production of gold equivalent ounces at all operating sites in the period plus corporate overhead expense in the period plus sustaining mining capital, royalty expense, accretion, depletion, depreciation and amortization, divided by the total saleable gold equivalent ounces produced in the period. A reconciliation between cost of sales and cash costs, and also cash cost to all-in sustaining costs are included in the MD&A.

For Further Information:

Dominic Duffy

President and Chief Executive Officer



Edison Nguyen

Manager, Analytics and Investor Relations



Contact:

(647) 260-1566 ext. 1
Champ Titles, a Cleveland, Ohio-based technology company that offers a new way to create are created, manage, and transfer vehicle titles in the United States, raised $8.5m in Series A funding.

The round, brought the companys combined funding to over $17.5m, was led by EOS Venture Partners and W. R. Berkley Corporation.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate the distribution of its technology across multiple vehicle title ecosystem verticals and a broader geographic footprint.

Launched in 2018 by Chief Executive Officer Shane Bigelow, Champ Titles provides Digital Total Loss, which allows insurance carriers to quickly acquire and dispose of vehicles in instances of total loss by digitizing the process from owner engagement to title application submission, reducing cycle times significantly, and DMV SaaS, which gives state agencies the ability to modernize their title and registration systems, providing benefits to all users of these upgraded systems.

FinSMEs

11/08/2021
OfColor, a Maplewood, NJ-based enterprise SaaS provider focused on the financial health of employees of color, received an investment from funds advised by PSG.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

Founded by CEO Yemi Rose, OfColor is a financial wellness SaaS platform to improve the financial health of minority employees, to enable them to learn and keep more of their income. The company, which is currently working with MetLife to support their efforts to improve the financial health of all employees nationally, serves employers to enable companies of all sizes to provide their employees with access to fintech tools. .

Before launching OfColor in 2019, Rose most recently served as Vice President of Financial Wellness Enterprise Initiatives with Prudential Financials Global Communications Group. He previously served as a senior executive at KPMG and BlackRock, where he worked to maximize the value of their fintech ventures.

FinSMEs

11/08/2021
During an event yesterday where Xiaomi unveiled the Mi MIX 4 smartphone and Mi Pad 5 tablets, the company introduced a surprising new product -bio-inspired quadruped robot called CyberDog. It is designed to be an open source robot companion, with advanced movement and object avoidance systems, high-precision sensors and more.

The CyberDog is powered NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX platform with 384 CUDA Cores, 48 Tensor Cores, a 6 Carmel ARM CPU, and 2 deep learning acceleration engines. The robot supports a wide-range of motions and high-speed movements up to 3.2m/s thanks to Xiaomis in-house developed servo motors that are capable of maximum torque output and rotation speed up to 32Nm/220Rpm.

It comes with a range of 11 high-precision sensors including touch sensors, ultrasonic sensors, GPS modules along with an array of camera sensors including AI interactive cameras, binocular ultra-wide angle fisheye cameras, and an Intel RealSense D450 Depth module. These vision systems enable autonomous object tracking, SLAM, and centimeter-scale obstacle avoidance and navigation, along with human posture and face recognition tracking.

For ports, it has 3 type-C ports and 1 HDMI port which will allow developers to attach a wide range of hardware add-ons such as a search light, panoramic camera, motion camera, LiDAR, or more.

The Xiaomi CyberDog will be sold to Xiaomi Fans, engineers, and robotic enthusiasts in China at a price of 9,999 yuan (Approx. US$ 1,541 / Rs. 1,14,840).
Ganymede Marc-Antoine Barrois: The Most Beautiful of Aromas

Fragrance Reviews

I first learned about this fragrance from the announcement of Miguel, and then gained more interest in it by looking through the list of the winning fragrances of Fifi Russia 2020. Since then, Ganymede has appeared among the winners in the UK and France and was shortlisted on the Art & Olfaction Awards. If a fragrance is highlighted by experts from several countries, it is no coincidence. At the first opportunity I had, I tried it - and was fascinated.

While working on their new fragrance Ganymede in 2019, two fellow artists, designer Marc-Antoine Barrois and perfumer Quentin Bisch, were trying to come up with a new planet in the Marc-Antoine Barrois perfume collection. Their thoughts went to Ganymede, Jupiter's large rocky moon, discovered in 1610 by Galileo, which is covered by oceans of saltwater. Ganymede got its name from Greek mythology: the young boy Ganymede, son of the king of Troy, "the most beautiful of mortals", was kidnapped by Zeus, who was so fascinated by his beauty that he stole him from Earth disguised as an eagle and granted him immortality. All of Ganymede's subsequent eternal life was spent on Olympus, where Zeus' favorite served nectar and ambrosia at the feasts of the gods. Forever young, forever drunk.

In the history of art, the image of Ganymede (his name means "gay spirit", "pleasing the soul") has a homoerotic coloring; starting from ancient Greece and Rome, and in the Middle Ages, he was considered the personification of vice. During the Renaissance, the myth was reworked into an allegory of the human soul's desire for God and the absolute - although this belief arose earlier: the ritual of the deification of the Roman emperors included launching an eagle into the sky, which carried the soul of the deceased into the sky in the same way that Ganymede was carried by eagle-shaped Jupiter.





"The perfume of an oneiric reality. Composed by perfumer Quentin Bisch, Ganymede once again makes use of the suede-leathery notes that had made B683 a beautiful classic.



This time though, the artists emancipated from traditional codes to take us somewhere else, towards a luminous and fluid elegance. Those leather notes become softer, gaining lightness and gentleness in contact with the fragrance of violet. The mandarin smell brings its full vivacity and its acidic essence. The latter gives the tone and verticality of the fragrance from the very start. Yet opposing it, the immortelle is its counterpoint and raises the scented harmony with its double-sided fragrance, at times mineral, at other times salty.



The entire composition plays with contrasts and oppositions. The notes answer one another in a permanent conversation drawing a new olfactory map on the skin, on the revers of a cashmere jacket, or even right there, next to the buttons of the sleeves, on the wrist. If it could be summed up into one single image, it would be a compass: north for the zested liveliness of the mandarin to which the south would answer with the everlasting flower, and to highlight this olfactory frame, the density of suede notes on the west would balance the subtle and delicate florality of the violet on the east. Those are four directions for a perfumed journey to a new imaginary world and new codes of elegance." - Brand description.





Immediately after reading the brand's metaphor of a compass, I was reminded of an English rhymed saying describing the bride's outfit: "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." The old is immortelle, a scent as old as the myths of the Mediterranean Sea; a subtle warm and salty background for the whole scent. New is Akigalawood, Givaudan's revolutionary biotechnology product we know from other fragrances (Une Amourette Roland Mouret Etat Libre d'Orange, Fougere d'Ardent Tom Ford, Explorer Montblanc, Limited 71, and New York WIDIAN); a pepper-spicy, light and airy, yet extremely long-lasting and radiant perfume material. Something borrowed - a base accord of Safraleine, black pepper, violet leaves, and patchouli, taken from the brand's debut fragrance, B683, without the excess smoke and resins (or, if you prefer, you can base it on Fahrenheit Christian Dior). Blue is, of course, violet, a powdery sweetish hue that fills the scent.

Ganymede certainly can be considered B683's flanker, especially if you love the latter, but for me, it is an independent fragrance that surpasses the debut fragrance in many ways, first of all, in originality. In B683, the warm resins bother me; they make it a kind of ambery standard on the theme of saffron, leather, and amber. It's a full-bodied scent, it seems mature and plump. At Ganymede, the idea becomes clearer and clearer, and the Mandarine Heart Orpur and the peppery Akigalawood do not in the least interfere with the violet greens and the spice-violet-leather accord, which Marc-Antoine Barrois considers to be the epitome of masculinity.

This clarity and conciseness make it possible to see that Ganymede - spicy, green, fresh, and leathery - is the most beautiful of all the descendants of Fahrenheit and Spanish Leather; the standard of youthful beauty. So beautiful that it has every chance of becoming a new it-perfume, a new Aventus and Baccarat Rouge at the same time. It has a unique and highly recognizable profile, it has excellent durability, it lasts more than two days on a blotter, it has amazing projection and the ability to fill a space (the blotter is able to fill an entire cabinet with a scent similar to black pepper) and at the same time, it will never bother you.

Ganymede by Marc-Antoine Barrois is available on the brand's website as an Eau de Parfum in 15 and 100 ml bottles priced at 95 and 165 EUR, respectively.

Ganymede Marc-Antoine Barrois

Notes: Italian Mandarin, Saffron, Violet, Osmanthus, Suede, Akigalwood, Immortelle.

Photo (C): Roberto Greco
ScentXplore Returns for 2021

Art Books Events

This December, New York's ScentXplore perfume event will return for its third year. The event, a collection of perfume brands, perfume industry creative directors, influencers and media personalities, began in 2019 as a live event in the city with panel discussions, brand showcases, and informative demonstrations from event sponsors. It continued in 2020 as a virtual event and will do the same for 2021. Participants can register for the event at the ScentXplore website. Early bird registration is available from now until September 15th at a cost of $19.99, which includes some special extras.



A view from 2020's virtual exhibition hall at ScentXplore.



This year's ScentXplore will feature a number of special guests, brands, presenters, and events. Represented among the fragrance brands are included: Amouage, Scents of Wood, Zaharoff, Ignacio Figueras, Escentric Molecules, L'Orchestre Parfum, M. Micaleff Parfums, Kierin NYC, Olfactive Studio, Marie Jeanne, Elisire, Goldfield & Banks, Amouroud Parfums, Plume Impressions, Ella K Parfums, Olfattology, Electimuss, Bois 1920, Atelier Des Ors, Milano Fragranze, Zoologist, Profumo de Firenze, JCB Perfume, Naughton&Wilson, Masque Milano, and Precious Liquid.

Among perfumers and content creators, many will be in attendance. Perfumers will include Rodrigo Flores Roux (known for his work with Arquiste, John Varvatos, Le Galion, and Tom Ford) and Sonia Constant (known for her work with Les Liquides Imaginaires, Narciso Rodriguez, Valentino, and also Tom Ford). Content creators include hosts Max Forti, Dariush Alavi (Persolaise), and Andres (Perfume Man). Also included will be Joe Secu (JoeScentMe), Steven Gavrielatos (Redolessence), Josephine Fel (JusdeRose), Dan Naughton (MrSmelly77), Eduardo (My Scent Journey), Joel Brown (JoelTheNose), Elena (Elenazcloud), Darian (TheBowtieFragranceGuy), and Angel (Around The Unknown).

The event will consist of panel discussions, a live shopping platform where participants can speak to brand owners and creative directors and learn more about the perfumes and have opportunities to purchase as well. There will be key note speakers and prizes (including bottle giveaways). There will be a master class taught by Michael Edwards, author of the world-renowned fragrance directory Fragrances of the World. One lucky participant will be selected for a trip to visit Amouage's facilities in Muscat, Oman.

Those who sign up in the next month for the early bird special will automatically be enrolled for the Amouage trip giveaway, and will also be eligible to receive one of the 40+ perfume bottle giveaways. Also included is the master class with Michael Edwards, sample bags (US participants only), and the first 500 participants will be eligible to receive the 2020 sample bag additionally. They will also have access to pre-event giveaways.

You can find details and more at the ScentXplore site where you can also register for this event. Mark your calendars: December 04, 2021, running from 11 am to 11 pm, online.
Rep. Senfronia Thompson, dean of the Texas House of Representatives, is joined by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., left center, and other Texas Democrats, as they continue their protest of restrictive voting laws, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Galveston, TX (77553)

Today

Partly cloudy. High 91F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low 84F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
Former Stadia developers Alex Hutchinson and Reid Schneider claim Google's fleeting internal development plans unravelled because the tech giant seemingly underestimated "the level of investment required to reach scale."

Hutchinson and Schneider joined the Stadia team as senior creative director and executive producer, respectively, after Google purchased Journey to the Savage Planet developer Typhoon Studios, which they co-founded.

Google acquired Typhoon in December 2019 to help create exclusive content for its fledgling cloud gaming platform, but less than two years later the company has pivoted away from internal development -- shutting down multiple studios and losing reams of creative talent -- to reposition Stadia as a platform provider.

So, what happened? According to Hutchinson and Schneider, who've now reunited with a group of former Typhoon developers to launch new Montreal studio Raccoon Logic (while also nabbing the rights to Savage Planet in the process), Google lacked the steel or financial commitment required to turn itself into a bonafide first-party development house.

"I think [Google] realized that content is scary and risky and expensive and takes lots of trust in people, and it just wasnt their core business. I still believe in the possibilities of Stadia though, and I really hope they deliver and it succeeds so we can ship games on it," said Hutchinson, when asked for their take on the Stadia story (so far).

Schneider offered a similarly bittersweet assessment, and explained that while Google is an "amazing platform company," it perhaps struggled to adjust to the realities of multi-studio game development.

"In my honest opinion, I think it just came down to the level of investment required to reach scale. From what we saw at Google, the sense was that if the initiative does not have the potential to reach billions of people then it's better for them to deploy the workforce/capital into other areas," chimed Schneider.

"During our time there we also Microsoft acquire Bethesda for around $7 billion, and Amazons continued challenges in launching top titles. It's not hard to imagine why a company as successful as Google would reconsider its original planning with forces like that in the world."

You can hear more from Hutchinson and Schneider, including what they've got planned for their new Tencent-backed studio Raccoon Logic, by reading our full story.




[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press.]

Gateway to the Turkish gaming scene is now open! Hundreds of Turkish game developers will be at the Mobidictum Business Network #2 online mobile game conference on September 1-3. With 236 million dollars of investments in 2021, Turkish studios are coming strong and will open up to the world through the event.



The Turkish gaming scene has been growing rapidly, and Mobidictum provides a common ground where the world can meet Turkish studios in their journey to global expansion. Mobidictum Business Network is where numerous world-famous mobile game brands will join for networking and business opportunities.



What's on Mobidictum Business Network #2?

Mobile industry experts will be answering your questions for 3 days at MBN#2.

Participants will be able to send one-on-one invitations and hold private meetings throughout the event.

Companies willing to promote themselves at MBN#2 can open a virtual booth in the "Virtual Expo"and present their special offers to attendees.

Rising game studios will be able to exhibit their games in the "Indie Zone" area.

Brands have already taken their places



Mobidictum Business Network #2 will take place online on September 1-3 to bring Turkish mobile game developers together with investors, publishers, and service providers. The Star Sponsor of MBN#2 is Supersonic, one of the publishers of the most downloaded hyper-casual mobile games. Appsflyer, Adjust, Tenjin, CrazyLabs, YSO Corp, ConsoliAds, SocialPeta, Kwalee, and TapNation are among the sponsors of the event, which are well known in the mobile gaming world.



Ticket types



There are multiple ticket types for the event. If you want to watch the sessions it's free of charge. If you are there for networking and promoting the event, a Professional or Premium ticket is better for you. Tickets are on sale at events.mobidictum.biz .



Recap of the MBN #1: 52 countries, 1027 people



MBN#1, attended by 1027 people from 52 countries, was held on 8-9 May. There were more than 400 brands together with Turkish mobile game studios as well as 220 one-on-one meetings. Attendees were updated about the latest gaming trends and established new collaborations.
Sheila Reiner is the best choice given her knowledge of election systems and her 8 years of experience as Mesa County Clerk and Recorder and her proven integrity as a public servant.

Sheila Reiner is a good pick, but I feel the commissioners have the authority to make the appointment, not the Secretary of State.

I don't believe a decision on the matter should be made until the results of the D.A.'s investigation are final.

I believe allegations against Tina Peters and members of her staff are false and she is capable of fulfilling her duty of running the upcoming election.

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Pune, India, July 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global offshore wind power market size is anticipated to reach a capacity of approximately 94 GW by 2026, exhibiting a CAGR of 19.2% during the forecast period. The growth is primarily attributable to the rising investments in wind power projects. Favorable government policies are also complementing the market growth. Fortune Business Insights has presented this information in their report titled, Offshore Wind Power Market, 2019-2026. The market size stood at 23 GW in 2018.

Offshore wind power is one of the most valuable renewable energy sources worldwide. The market has gradually been gaining traction and is expected to witness substantial growth in the forthcoming years. The global market comprises countries like U.K., Denmark, Germany, China, and Belgium as the leading territories.

Request a Sample Copy of Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/offshore-wind-power-market-100148

List of Key Players in Offshore Wind Power Market:

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A.

MHI Vestas Offshore Wind

Senvion S.A.

Adwen

ABB Ltd.

General Electric

Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Co.

Nordex SE

Goldwind

Envision Energy

Suzlon Energy Limited

Hitachi Ltd.

Report Scope & Segmentation

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2019 to 2026 Forecast Period 2019 to 2026 CAGR 19.2% 2026 Installed Capacity Projection 94 GW Base Year 2018 Installed Capacity in 2018 23 GW Historical Data for 2015 to 2017 No. of Pages 120 Segments covered Installation, Water Depth, Capacity and Geography Growth Drivers Rising Investments to Augment Market Growth China to Emerge as Global Leader Strategic Collaborations to Offer Lucrative Growth Opportunities Higher Turbine Capacity to Gain Momentum in the Global Market

Click here to get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this Market.

Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/offshore-wind-power-market-100148

COVID-19 Impact-

The coronavirus pandemic has restrained the growth of many industries and markets, including the offshore wind power market. The pandemic has resulted in a decline in power consumption as many industries remain shut due to lockdowns, curfews, and social distancing norms. The pandemic has delayed projects, and the investments have also declined, inflicting a negative impact on the market. However, favorable government policies regarding wind energy production are expected to attract investments in the upcoming years. The reduction in the cost of wind power is also expected to propel the market growth post-pandemic.

Segmentation-

Based on the installation, the market divides into floating structures and fixed structures. On the basis of water depth, the market bifurcates into above 30m and up to 30m. Based on capacity, the market trifurcates into Above 5MW, 3MW to 5MW, and up to 3MW. Geographically, the market is categorized into prominent countries; U.K., China, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, U.S., Sweden, Netherlands, Vietnam, Spain, South Korea, France, Japan, Ireland, and the Rest of the World.

Report Coverage-

The report offers quantitative and qualitative insights into the prospected market.

The report offers a detailed analysis of the growth rate and market size.

The report provides information on various segments of the global market, such as water depth, installation, capacity, and geography.

The report also incorporates SWOT Analysis and PESTLE Analysis.

Drivers & Restraints-

Rising Investments to Augment Market Growth

As the world has limited supplies of non-renewable energy sources, it has become crucial to adopt renewable energy sources. Evolution in energy and power generation through technology has paved new ways for the offshore wind energy industry to grow. Several countries are formulating favorable government rules and regulations that are anticipated to drive the market growth further. Additionally, the installation costs have declined as the efficiency of offshore wind energy units has improved due to advance technology. Increasing investments in the sector will further propel market growth.

However, high maintenance costs are likely to act as a restraint to offshore wind power market growth.

Speak To Our Analyst: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/offshore-wind-power-market-100148

Regional Insights-

China to Emerge as Global Leader

The U.K. currently accounts for holding the lions share in the global installed offshore wind power market. China is anticipated to emerge as a global leader due to upcoming projects and ongoing construction projects. China had reportedly installed about 40% of the global offshore wind energy in 2018. The trend is likely to surge in the upcoming years, and China will likely hold the highest offshore wind power market share. Countries like India, Japan, Taiwan, U.S., and Vietnam are a few emerging countries in the global market.

Competitive Landscape-

Strategic Collaborations to Offer Lucrative Growth Opportunities

In the highly fragmented landscape of the offshore wind energy industry, key players are focusing on innovating product offerings and introducing products that convey more efficiency and incur low installation and maintenance costs. Major players are adopting collaboration and partnerships in order to strengthen their market position. For instance, Senvion S.A. collaborated with Renexia to install 30 MW offshore wind farms in the Italian Mediterranean Sea in March 2019.

Industry Developments-

July 2019: Vattenfall won a tender to install a zero-subsidy offshore wind farm. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy facilitated turbines of 10 MW rated capacity, producing a total output of 760 MW.

Vattenfall won a tender to install a zero-subsidy offshore wind farm. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy facilitated turbines of 10 MW rated capacity, producing a total output of 760 MW. March 2019: Royal Dutch Shell collaborated with Van Oord and Eneco for two projects based in the Dutch part of the North Sea.

Quick Buy - Offshore Wind Power Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/100148

Major Table of Contents:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Key Emerging Trends  For Major Countries Latest Technological Advancement Regulatory Landscape Porters Five Forces Analysis Cost Comparison Analysis By Different Component of Wind Turbine

Global Offshore Wind Power Market Analysis (MW), Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Installations Fixed Structure Floating Structure Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Capacity Up to 3 MW 3 MW to 5 MW Above 5 MW Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Water Depth Up to 30 m Above 30 m Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Region U.S. U.K. Germany France Spain Sweden Denmark Netherlands Ireland 5.5.10. Belgium 5.5.11. China 5.5.12. Japan 5.5.13. South Korea 5.5.14. Vietnam 5.5.15. Rest of the World

U.S. Offshore Wind Power Market Analysis (MW), Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Installations Fixed Structure Floating Structure Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Capacity



TOC Continued!

Ask for Customization of this Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/offshore-wind-power-market-100148

Have a Look at Related Research Insights:

District Heating Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Heat Source (Coal, Natural Gas, Renewables, Oil & Petroleum Products, and Others), By Plant Type (Boiler, CHP, Others), By Application (Residential, Commercial, Industrial), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027

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Retains Top 5 Ranking for Third Consecutive Year



SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HashiCorp, a leader in multi-cloud infrastructure automation software, has been named #4 on the 2021 Forbes Cloud 100, retaining its top five ranking for a third consecutive year. The Forbes Cloud 100 ranks the top 100 private cloud companies in the world, published by Forbes in partnership with Bessemer Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures.

We are honored to be recognized by Forbes, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Salesforce Ventures as one of the top private cloud companies for the fourth year in a row, said Dave McJannet, CEO of HashiCorp. We believe that for our customers, infrastructure enables innovation, and being acknowledged alongside our peers and respected leaders in this space encourages us on our mission to help enterprises solve the hardest problems in cloud computing as they shift their infrastructure to the cloud.

HashiCorps suite of open source and commercial products enables enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure environment. HashiCorps eight open source products were downloaded approximately 100 million times last fiscal year alone, and the products served nearly 300 of the Forbes Global 2000 companies to deploy and operate cloud infrastructure across multiple public clouds and on-premises environments.

The Cloud 100 reviews submissions from hundreds of cloud startups and private companies each year. The Cloud 100 evaluation process involved ranking companies across four factors: market leadership (35%), estimated valuation (30%), operating metrics (20%), and people and culture (15%). For market leadership, the Cloud 100 enlists the help of a judging panel of 34 public cloud company CEOs who assist in evaluating and ranking their private company peers.

The companies of the Cloud 100 list represent the best and brightest emerging companies in the cloud sector, said Alex Konrad, senior editor at Forbes. Every year, it gets more difficult to make this list  meaning even more elite company for those who do. Congratulations to each of the 2021 Cloud 100 honorees and to our 20 Rising Stars up-and-comers poised to join their ranks.

The private cloud ecosystem continues to see historic rates of digital transformation, said Byron Deeter, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. These founders represent the absolute best in cloud computing today, and they appear likely to follow in the footsteps of our esteemed Cloud 100 alumni. Congratulations to these cloud leaders!

"How we work has undergone a paradigm shift and businesses of all shapes and sizes are reimagining the tools that are needed to ensure working from anywhere is a sustainable, long-lasting solution," said Alex Kayyal, managing partner, Salesforce Ventures. The last 18 months have made digital transformation an urgent imperative and the cloud has never been more pivotal in powering our new digital economy. The companies on this list represent the leaders and businesses shaping the future of the cloud ecosystem and we are excited to partner with Bessemer Venture Partners and Forbes to honor these trailblazers of the industry.

The Forbes 2021 Cloud 100 and 20 Rising Stars lists are published online at www.forbes.com/cloud100 . Highlights of the list appear in the September 2021 issue of Forbes magazine.

About HashiCorp

HashiCorp is a leader in multi-cloud infrastructure automation software. The HashiCorp software suite enables organizations to adopt consistent workflows and a standardized approach to automating the critical process involved in delivering applications in the cloud: infrastructure provisioning, security, networking, and application deployment. HashiCorps open source tools Vagrant, Packer, Terraform, Vault, Consul, Nomad, Boundary, and Waypoint were downloaded approximately 100 million times during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021. Enterprise and managed service versions of these products enhance the open source tools with features that promote collaboration, operations, governance, and multi-datacenter functionality. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, though 90 percent of HashiCorp employees work remotely, strategically distributed around the globe. HashiCorp is backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, Franklin Templeton, Geodesic Capital, GGV Capital, IVP, Mayfield, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price funds and accounts, and True Ventures.

For more information, visit hashicorp.com or follow HashiCorp on Twitter @HashiCorp.

All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Palm Coast, Florida, USA, Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the fifth year in a row, Coastal Cloud has been named to Florida Trends annual list of Best Companies to Work For. The full list ranks companies in small, medium, and large employer categories and will be featured in the August issue of Florida Trend Magazine.

National recognition for employee satisfaction honors the culture we were founded on, said Sara Hale, co-founder of Coastal Cloud. The happiness of our workforce has been a key indicator for our company's success since day one."

Long before the pandemic, Coastal Clouds culture was based on flexibility and quality of life, which has promoted diversity among staff because it attracts employees that vary in life stage, race, gender, geography, industry and overall life experience. This diversity fosters an extremely accepting culture and contributes to creative problem solving and adaptive communication skills.

To identify Floridas best employers, Florida Trend partnered with the Best Companies Group, which surveyed firms that chose to participate. Any firm with at least 15 employees in Florida, including firms based outside the state, could participate at no cost.

It was interesting to see how the Best Companies plan to operate, going forward, as the pandemics threat wanes, says Executive Editor Mark Howard. Many of our Best Companies are high-touch companies that rely on collaboration among their employees and/or face-to-face contact with their clients. And most indicated that they intended to return to traditional in-office operations. But its also clear that many have found that the companys performance didnt suffer greatly with employees working from home. Most firms indicated theyre willing to give employees more flexibility in being able to work at home at least some of the time.

For a full list of the Best Companies To Work For In Florida, visit floridatrend.com/best-companies.

About Coastal Cloud

Coastal Cloud is a Salesforce Multi-Cloud Expert Partner that provides consulting, implementation and managed services to businesses, nonprofits, and the public sector. Founded in 2012, the company offers insight and expertise to a wide variety of industries, including communications and media, healthcare, high-tech, manufacturing, private equity and more. Coastal Cloud has earned a 5/5 customer satisfaction rating on the Salesforce AppExchange and is the #1 rated consulting partner on G2Crowd.com. Coastal Cloud attributes its success to a unique company culture, nimble expertise, onshore-only teams, and a relentless focus on delivering quality and forging long-term customer relationships. For more information, please visit www.CoastalCloud.US.

About Florida Trend

Florida Trend is Floridas Business Authorityan award-winning media company delivering balanced, trusted, in-depth business news and information across print and digital platforms. Florida Trend reports on all industry sectors, including health care, education, research and technology, finance, law, transportation and real estate. Its monthly business magazine is read by more than 270,000 influential business, civil and governmental leaders, and its companion website, FloridaTrend.com, garners a million page-views and over 170,000 unique visitors each month.

About Best Companies Group

Best Companies Group works with partners worldwide to establish and manage Best Places to Work, Best Companies and Best Employers programs. Through its thorough workplace assessment, utilizing employer questionnaires and employee-satisfaction surveys, BCG identifies and recognizes companies that have been successful in creating and maintaining workplace excellence. For more information, visit www.BestCompaniesGroup.com.

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CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd. (TSX-V: FLY) (OTCQX: FLYLF) (the Company or FLYHT) today announced that Bill Tempany, Interim CEO, and Alana Forbes, CFO, will present virtually at the Q3 Investor Summit on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, at 2:45 pm ET (12:45 pm MT). Management of FLYHT will also be available for one-on-one meetings with investors throughout the two-day event.



DATE: Tuesday, August 17, 2021 TIME: 2:45 pm ET (12:45 pm MT) LINK: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rJQwpKq4SQ2jQyoJxh6z3g

An archived webcast of the presentation will be made available at www.investorsummitgroup.com and in the Investors section of the FLYHT website at www.flyht.com/investors.



For additional information or to schedule a meeting with FLYHT management, please register for the conference at www.investorsummitgroup.com or contact FLYHTs IR team at flyht@fnkir.com.

About FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd.

FLYHT provides airlines with Actionable Intelligence to transform operational insight into immediate, quantifiable action, delivering industry leading solutions to improve aviation safety, efficiency and profitability. This unique capability is driven by FLYHTs patented aircraft certified hardware products including AFIRS, a satcom aircraft interface device which enables real-time streaming of flight information, cockpit voice and black box data streaming and TAMDAR, which aggregates and streams airborne weather data in real-time. FLYHT is headquartered in Calgary, Canada with an office in Littleton, Colorado, and is an AS9100 Quality registered company. For more information, view our latest presentation here , or visit www.flyht.com .

Contact Information:

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(Amounts in U.S. dollars except indicated otherwise)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amerigo Resources Ltd. (TSX: ARG; ARREF: OTC) (Amerigo or the Company) is pleased to announce financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 (Q2-2021).

Amerigo posted net income of $11.6 million, earnings per share (EPS) of $0.06 (Cdn$0.08), EBITDA1 of $23.4 million and quarterly operating cash flow before changes in working capital of $17.1 million.

Amerigo has again met operational objectives and posted another quarter of strong financial results. The Company generated $17.1 million in operating cash flow, improved its ending cash position to $53.1 million and reduced bank debt to $33.8 million, said Aurora Davidson, Amerigos President and CEO.

The information and data contained in this news release should be read in conjunction with Amerigos interim consolidated financial statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, available at the Companys website at www.amerigoresources.com and at www.sedar.com .

30-Jun-21 31-Dec-20 Q2-2021 Q2-2020 Revenue ($ millions) 50.5 26.0 Net income (loss) ($ millions) 11.6 (3.6 ) EPS (LPS) ($) 0.06 (0.02 ) EPS (LPS) (Cdn$) 0.08 (0.03 ) EBITDA1 ($ millions) 23.4 3.9 Operating cash flow before changes in working capital ($ millions) 17.1 2.8 Cash ($ millions) 48.9 14.1 Restricted cash ($ millions) 4.2 - Bank debt ($ millions) 33.8 46.5

Highlights and Significant Items

Q2-2021 net income was $11.6 million (Q2-2020: net loss of $3.6 million), due to higher production, higher metal prices and $4.8 million in positive quarterly fair value adjustments.





Q2-2021 EPS was $0.06 (Cdn$ 0.08) (Q2-2020: loss per share (LPS) of $0.02 (Cdn$0.03)).





The Company generated operating cash flow before changes in non-cash working capital of $17.1 million in Q2-2021 (Q2-2020: $2.8 million). Quarterly net operating cash flow was $21.9 million (Q2-2020: $1.1 million).



1 This is a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to Alternative Performance Measures at the end of this press release.

Q2-2021 production from Amerigos Minera Valle Central (MVC) tailings processing facility in Chile was 15.0 million pounds of copper (Q2-2020: 13.0 million pounds) including 7.6 million pounds from Cauquenes (Q2-2020: 6.3 million pounds) and 7.4 million pounds from fresh tailings (Q2-2020: 6.7 million pounds). Actual average grades and recoveries from Cauquenes tailings have consistently been lower than the average grade and recoveries originally anticipated from Cauquenes tailings as set out in the Technical Report entitled Minera Valle Central Operation  Rancagua, Region VI, Chile dated March 29, 2019 with an effective date of December 31, 2018 (the Technical Report) prepared by Robert D. Henderson P.Eng. Accordingly, the Company is no longer relying on the Technical Reports projections and assumptions, including, but not limited to, the 2021 production guidance and the inferred mineral resource estimates contained therein. Therefore, the Technical Report, and the production guidance and mineral resource estimates contained therein, should no longer be considered current or relied upon.



Molybdenum production in Q2-2021 was 0.3 million pounds (Q2-2020: 0.4 million pounds).





Q2-2021 cash cost 2 (a non-GAAP measure equal to the aggregate of smelting and refining charges, tolling/production costs net of inventory adjustments and administration costs, net of by-product credits) increased 5% to $1.81 per pound (/lb) (Q2-2020: $1.72/lb).





(a non-GAAP measure equal to the aggregate of smelting and refining charges, tolling/production costs net of inventory adjustments and administration costs, net of by-product credits) increased 5% to $1.81 per pound (/lb) (Q2-2020: $1.72/lb). In Q2-2021, MVCs average quarterly copper price was $4.44/lb, 70% higher than the Q2-2020 average copper price of $2.61/lb. MVCs average quarterly molybdenum price was $13.33/lb, 69% higher than the Q2-2020 average quarterly price of $7.88/lb.





Revenue during Q2-2021 was $50.5 million (Q2-2020: $26.0 million), including copper tolling revenue of $45.7 million (Q2-2020: $23.9 million) and molybdenum revenue of $4.8 million (Q2-2020: $2.1 million).





Copper tolling revenue is calculated from MVCs gross value of copper produced during Q2-2021 of $66.6 million (Q2-2020: $33.3 million) and positive fair value adjustments to settlement receivables of $4.8 million (Q2-2020: $1.4 million), less notional items including DET royalties of $20.2 million (Q2-2020: $6.1 million), smelting and refining of $5.0 million (Q2-2020: $4.3 million) and transportation of $0.5 million (Q2-2020: $0.4 million). The Q2-2021 settlement adjustments included $5.3 million in positive fair value adjustments in respect of Q1-2021 production, which are final adjustments.





MVCs financial performance is very sensitive to changes in copper prices. MVCs Q2-2021 provisional copper price was $4.37/lb, and final prices for April, May, and June sales will be the average London Metal Exchange prices for July, August, and September, respectively. A 10% increase or decrease from the $4.37/lb provisional price used on June 30, 2021 would result in a $6.6 million change in revenue in Q3-2021 in respect of Q2-2021 production.





On June 30, 2021, the Company held cash and cash equivalents of $48.9 million (December 31, 2020: $14.1 million), restricted cash of $4.2 million (December 31, 2020: $nil) and had working capital of $17.8 million (December 31, 2020: working capital deficiency of $6.1 million).





On June 30, 2021, MVC completed a restructuring of its debt facilities. MVCs bank debt net of transaction costs at quarter end was $33.8 million (December 31, 2020: $46.5 million)





2 This is a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to Alternative Performance Measures at the end of this press release.

Summary Consolidated Statements of Financial Position June 30, December 31, 2021 2020 $ thousands $ thousands Cash and cash equivalents 48,909 14,085 Restricted cash 4,200 - Property plant and equipment 178,473 184,805 Other assets 26,477 38,685 Total assets 258,059 237,575 Total liabilities 125,534 126,893 Shareholders' equity 132,525 110,682 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity 258,059 237,575 Summary Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) and Comprehensive Income (Loss) Q2-2021 Q2-2020 $ thousands $ thousands Revenue 50,503 26,046 Tolling and production costs (31,376 ) (26,441 ) Other expenses (1,060 ) (2,916 ) Finance expense (2,136 ) (904 ) Income tax (expense) recovery (4,345 ) 613 Net income (loss) 11,586 (3,602 ) Other comprehensive (loss) income (69 ) 544 Comprehensive income (loss) 11,517 (3,058 ) Earnings (loss) per share - basic & diluted 0.06 (0.02 ) Summary Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows Q2-2021 Q2-2020 $ thousands $ thousands Cash flows from operating acitivities 17,067 2,785 Changes in non-cash working capital 4,835 (1,653 ) Net cash from operating activities 21,902 1,132 Net cash received used in investing acitivities (839 ) (810 ) Net cash used in financing acitivites (10,574 ) (403 ) Net increase (decrease) in cash 10,489 (81 ) Effect of foreign exchange rates on cash (223 ) (2 ) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 38,643 572 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period 48,909 489

Earnings Call on August 12, 2021

Amerigos quarterly earnings call will take place on Thursday, August 12, 2021, at 11:00 am Pacific Time/2:00 pm Eastern Time.

To join the call, please dial 1-888-664-6392 (Toll-Free North America) and enter confirmation number 17812350 to participate in the Amerigo Resources conference call.

The analyst and investment community are welcome to ask questions to management. Media can attend on a listen-only basis.

121 Mining Investment Online Americas

Amerigo will be participating in the upcoming 121 Mining Investment Online Americas conference from October 13 to 15, 2021. CEO Aurora Davidson will be available for one-on-one meetings with investors for the duration of the event. The 121 Mining Investment conference connects senior investors from institutional funds, private equity groups, family offices and sector analysts that are based in Canada and USA, through one-on-one investor meetings hosted virtually.

About Amerigo and MVC

Amerigo Resources Ltd. is an innovative copper producer with a long-term relationship with Corporacion Nacional del Cobre de Chile (Codelco), the worlds largest copper producer.

Amerigo produces copper concentrate and molybdenum concentrate as a by-product at the MVC operation in Chile by processing fresh and historic tailings from Codelcos El Teniente mine, the world's largest underground copper mine. Tel: (604) 681-2802; Fax: (604) 682-2802; Web: www.amerigoresources.com; Listing: ARG:TSX.

The information and data contained in this news release should be read in conjunction with Amerigos Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) and MD&A for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements and MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2020, available at the Companys website at www.amerigoresources.com and at www.sedar.com .

For further information, please contact:

Aurora Davidson Graham Farrell President and CEO Investor Relations (604) 697 6207 (416) 842-9003 ad@amerigoresources.com Graham.Farrell@HarborAccessLLC.com

Alternative Performance Measures

Alternative performance measures are furnished to provide additional information. These non-GAAP performance measures are included in this news release because they provide key performance measures used by management to monitor performance, assess corporate performance, and to plan and assess the overall effectiveness and efficiency of Amerigos operations. These performance measures do not have any standardized meaning within IFRS and, therefore, amounts presented may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other mining companies. These performance measures should not be considered in isolation as a substitute for measures of performance in accordance with IFRS.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain forward-looking information and statements as defined in applicable securities laws (collectively referred to as "forward-looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or the Companys future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "should", "believe" and similar expressions is intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include but are not limited to, statements concerning:

forecasted production;

our strategies and objectives;

our estimates of the availability and quantity of tailings, and the quality of our mine plan estimates;

prices and price volatility for copper and other commodities and of materials we use in our operations;

the demand for and supply of copper, molybdenum and other commodities and materials that we produce, sell and use;

sensitivity of our financial results and share price to changes in commodity prices;

our financial resources and our expected ability to meet our obligations for the next 12 months;

interest and other expenses;

domestic and foreign laws affecting our operations;

our tax position and the tax rates applicable to us;

our ability to comply with our loan covenants;

the production capacity of our operations, our planned production levels and future production;

potential impact of production and transportation disruptions;

hazards inherent in the mining industry causing personal injury or loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property and equipment, pollution or environmental damage, claims by third parties and suspension of operations

estimates of asset retirement obligations and other costs related to environmental protection;

our future capital and production costs, including the costs and potential impact of complying with existing and proposed environmental laws and regulations in the operation and closure of our operations;

repudiation, nullification, modification or renegotiation of contracts;

our financial and operating objectives;

our environmental, health and safety initiatives;

the outcome of legal proceedings and other disputes in which we may be involved;

the outcome of negotiations concerning metal sales, treatment charges and royalties;

disruptions to the Company's information technology systems, including those related to cybersecurity;

our dividend policy; and

general business and economic conditions.

These forward-looking 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 statements. Inherent in forward-looking statements are risks and uncertainties beyond our ability to predict or control, including risks that may affect our operating or capital plans; risks generally encountered in the permitting and development of mineral projects such as unusual or unexpected geological formations, negotiations with government and other third parties, unanticipated metallurgical difficulties, delays associated with permits, approvals and permit appeals, ground control problems, adverse weather conditions, process upsets and equipment malfunctions; risks associated with labour disturbances and availability of skilled labour and management; risks related to the potential impact of global or national health concerns, including COVID-19, and the inability of employees to access sufficient healthcare; government or regulatory actions or inactions; fluctuations in the market prices of our principal commodities, which are cyclical and subject to substantial price fluctuations; risks created through competition for mining projects and properties; risks associated with lack of access to markets; risks associated with availability of and our ability to obtain both tailings from Codelcos Division El Tenientes current production and historic tailings from tailings deposits; risks with respect to the ability of the Company to draw down funds from bank facilities and lines of credit and the availability of and ability of the Company to obtain adequate funding on reasonable terms for expansions and acquisitions; mine plan estimates; risks posed by fluctuations in exchange rates and interest rates, as well as general economic conditions; risks associated with environmental compliance and changes in environmental legislation and regulation; risks associated with our dependence on third parties for the provision of critical services; risks associated with non-performance by contractual counterparties; title risks; social and political risks associated with operations in foreign countries; risks of changes in laws affecting our operations or their interpretation, including foreign exchange controls; and risks associated with tax reassessments and legal proceedings. Notwithstanding the efforts of the Company and MVC, there can be no guarantee that the Companys or MVCs staff will not contract COVID-19 or that the Companys and MVCs measures to protect staff from COVID-19 will be effective. Many of these risks and uncertainties apply not only to the Company and its operations, but also to Codelco and its operations. Codelcos ongoing mining operations provide a significant portion of the materials the Company processes and its resulting metals production, therefore these risks and uncertainties may also affect their operations and in turn have a material effect on the Company.

Actual results and developments are likely to differ, and may differ materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Such statements are based on several assumptions which may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to, assumptions about:

general business and economic conditions;

interest rates;

changes in commodity and power prices;

acts of foreign governments and the outcome of legal proceedings;

the supply and demand for, deliveries of, and the level and volatility of prices of copper and other commodities and products used in our operations;

the ongoing supply of material for processing from Codelcos current mining operations;

the ability of the Company to profitably extract and process material from the Cauquenes tailings deposit;

the timing of the receipt of and retention of permits and other regulatory and governmental approvals;

our costs of production and our production and productivity levels, as well as those of our competitors;

changes in credit market conditions and conditions in financial markets generally;

our ability to procure equipment and operating supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis;

the availability of qualified employees and contractors for our operations;

our ability to attract and retain skilled staff;

the satisfactory negotiation of collective agreements with unionized employees;

the impact of changes in foreign exchange rates and capital repatriation on our costs and results;

engineering and construction timetables and capital costs for our expansion projects;

costs of closure of various operations;

market competition;

the accuracy of our preliminary economic assessment (including with respect to size, grade and recoverability) and the geological, operational and price assumptions on which these are based;

tax benefits and tax rates;

the outcome of our copper concentrate sales and treatment and refining charge negotiations;

the resolution of environmental and other proceedings or disputes;

the future supply of reasonably priced power;

rainfall in the vicinity of MVC continuing to trend towards normal levels;

average recoveries for fresh tailings and Cauquenes tailings;

our ability to obtain, comply with and renew permits and licenses in a timely manner; and

our ongoing relations with our employees and entities with which we do business.



Future production levels and cost estimates assume there are no adverse mining or other events which significantly affect budgeted production levels. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Companys control, the Company cannot assure that it will achieve or accomplish the expectations, beliefs or projections described in the forward-looking statements.

We caution you that the foregoing list of important factors and assumptions is not exhaustive. Other events or circumstances could cause our actual results to differ materially from those estimated or projected and expressed in, or implied by, our forward-looking statements. You should also carefully consider the matters discussed under Risk Factors in the Company`s Annual Information Form. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this news release and except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements or the foregoing list of factors, whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise.




HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Erdene Resource Development Corporation (TSX: ERD | MSE: ERDN) (Erdene or the Company) is pleased to announce results from its maiden drill program on the southern portion of its 100%-owned Ulaan exploration license. The program returned a significant new gold discovery 300 metres west of the Bayan Khundii deposit. Follow-up drilling on the Ulaan license is currently underway.



Highlights

Significant gold discovery at Ulaan, 300 metres west of the Bayan Khundii Gold Deposit, with multiple holes intersecting mineralization, highlights include: 3.77 g/t gold over 40 metres, within 258 metres of 0.98 g/t gold beginning 92 metres downhole in UDH-10 High grade quartz-adularia veins in upper portion of zone  39.6 g/t and 58.4 g/t gold over 1 metre intervals at 103 and 123 metres depth, respectively Hole ended in gold mineralization at 350 metres  bottom 20 metres averaging 0.48 g/t gold Open along strike to west-northwest and at depth 50 metres south of UDH-10, UDH-07 intersected 100 metres averaging 0.63 g/t gold, beginning 85 metres down hole

Adds a third development prospect within the Khundii-Ulaan alteration system alongside the Bayan Khundii Gold Deposit and the Dark Horse gold prospect



Quotes from the Company:

These exceptional results confirm a significant new gold discovery just 300 metres west of the Bayan Khundii gold deposit, said Peter Akerley, Erdenes President and CEO. This new discovery at Ulaan, combined with recent high-grade, near-surface, oxide gold intercepts at Dark Horse and the high-grade Bayan Khundii gold deposit demonstrates the existence of a very large gold-bearing hydrothermal alteration system underlying the Khundii and Ulaan licenses.

Although the Khundii and Ulaan licenses host a low sulfidation epithermal system, the broader Khundii District, including our Altan Nar intermediate sulfidation gold-polymetallic deposit and the molybdenum-copper porphyry deposit at Zuun Mod demonstrate the continuum and potential for discovery of arc related deposits in the Khundii Gold District, concluded Mr. Akerley. We are targeting the definition of over 2 million gold equivalent ounces by the end of 2022. Furthermore, we see the potential to add resources beyond this target through further discoveries in our unexplored portion of the prolific gold and copper producing Central Asian Orogenic Belt.

Summary of the Drill Results

The maiden Ulaan gold drilling program was designed to test the southern portion of the Ulaan license for the presence of similar styles of mineralization to the Bayan Khundii gold deposit. The program consisted of seven drill holes totaling 1,543 metres. Holes were spaced between 50 to 450 metres apart and tested targets over an area of approximately 2 square kilometres to a maximum depth of 350 metres. Holes were drilled at an azimuth of 030 and at an 85 degree dip, and oriented core measurements were obtained throughout. Highlights from the drilling program are provided below in Table 1 and a drill hole plan map and section illustrating the location of the drill holes is attached to this news release.

Table 1: Ulaan Q3 2021 Drilling Highlights (All intervals averaging over 0.30 g/t gold)

Hole From To Interval (1) g/t Au UDH-07 85 185 100 0.63 And 250 254 4 1.39 And 340 350(2) 10 0.34 UDH-08 20 22 2 0.44 UDH-10 69 70 1 0.57 And 92 350.2(2) 258.2 0.98 Incl 99 139 40 3.77 Incl 103 104 1 39.57 Incl 123 124 1 58.4 UDH-13 96 112 16 0.79 And 134 154 20 0.38

Reported intervals in this release are downhole apparent widths. Continued exploration is required to confirm anisotropy of mineralization and true thicknesses. End of hole. Holes UDH-09, UDH-11 and UDH-12 did not intersect significant gold mineralization (over 0.3 g/t gold).





The gold mineralization intersected within the drill holes highlighted in Table 1 is associated with quartz-adularia veins within a white mica altered and silicified tuffaceous unit of the same style as Erdenes Bayan Khundii Gold Deposit. Similarly, there is little to no associated sulfide. Drill holes UDH-07, UDH-08, UDH-10 and UDH-13 intersected thick sequences of coarse to fine grained lapilli tuff exhibiting intense silicification and white mica alteration cross-cut with intense quartz-hematite-adularia veins. Drill core analysis supports a west-northwest strike and north-northeast dip of the high grade veins while geologic interpretation supports a secondary control on low grade mineralization along the northwest dip of the volcanic sequence. However, additional work is necessary to determine preferred vein orientations and mineralization trends.

Scout drilling (UDH-11 and UDH-12) completed 200 to 250 metres north and west-southwest from the above highlighted holes, respectively, within southeast Ulaan, demonstrated continuity of geology both laterally and to depth. UDH-12 intersected anomalous gold (over 0.1g/t gold) associated with intense white mica alteration and quartz veining at 140 metres depth and both holes intersected and ended within thick intervals of the targeted tuffaceous host unit.

Moving Forward

Erdenes Q3-Q4 drill program consists of 8,800 metres, with approximately 4,500 metres planned at Ulaan and 4,300 metres scheduled for Dark Horse (on the Khundii Mining License). The Ulaan program is currently underway and will delineate the extent of mineralization and test additional prospective areas. Results from Ulaan follow up drilling are expected to be released in the coming months. The Dark Horse program will commence following the completion and assessment of geophysical surveys currently underway, which were designed to assist in identifying deeper targets.

Ulaan Overview

Erdene holds a 100% interest in the Ulaan license after acquiring the remaining 49% interest in the property in December 2020. The Company acquired an initial 51% stake in the license in 2017, following the discovery of the Bayan Khundii Gold Deposit.

Ulaan lies at the southwest end of a major alteration zone, extending for over 10 kilometres to the northeast. This alteration trend has a central zone of intense secondary silica with a peripheral halo of sericite alteration, and an outer zone of white mica and sericite, which hosts the Bayan Khundii Gold Deposit. This northeast trending alteration area, which incorporates the Ulaan, Bayan Khundii and other mineralized targets in the area (including Erdenes Dark Horse and Altan Arrow prospects), is associated with a regional structural dilational jog and associated major volcano-plutonic centre, along a northeast trending transform fault. The various styles of alteration and mineralization within the Ulaan target and the adjacent zone of alteration are consistent with a fertile magmatic island arc, with evidence for possible arc migration, and overlapping or telescoped mineralization along major structures.

The southern area of the 1,780-hectare Ulaan license is approximately 350 metres west of the Bayan Khundii Gold Deposit, separated by the Khuren Tsav license held by the Mongolian government-owned gold company, Erdenes Alt LLC (EA). In early 2021, EA announced plans to undertake further drilling and geologic work on the portion of license adjacent to Erdenes Bayan Khundii and Ulaan licenses.

Based on the wide zone of gold mineralization intersected in this initial drilling program, combined with satellite imagery, geophysical analysis, and surface alteration, Erdene believes that the hydrothermal system that hosts the Bayan Khundii Gold Deposit extends west-southwest of the Bayan Khundii deposit, across the northern portion of the Khuren Tsav license, into the southern portion of Erdenes Ulaan license. The northern portion of the Khuren Tsav license is wedge-shaped and separates the southern sections of the Bayan Khundii and Ulaan licenses. Erdene has an informal working relationship with EA and both companies will explore opportunities to work together, including the sharing of technical information, to ensure the development of their respective licenses in the best interests of all stakeholders.

The northern portion of the Ulaan license is situated along the western boundary of Erdenes Khundii Mining license and has the potential to host the western extension of the Dark Horse mineralization based on preliminary review of the geology, alteration and mineralization at surface.

Khundii Gold District

Erdenes deposits are in the Edren Terrane, within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, host to some of the worlds largest gold and copper-gold deposits. The Company has been the leader in exploration in southwest Mongolia over the past decade and is responsible for the discovery of the Khundii Gold District comprised of multiple high grade gold and gold/base metal prospects, one of which is currently being developed, the 100%-owned Bayan Khundii Gold Project, and another which is being considered for development, the 100%-owned Altan Nar project. Together, these deposits comprise the Khundii Gold Project.

The Bayan Khundii Gold Resource1 includes 521,000 ounces of 3.16 g/t gold Measured and Indicated (M&I) and 103,000 ounces of Inferred resources at 3.68 g/t gold. Within the M&I resource, a proven and probable open-pit reserve totals 409,000 ounces at 3.7 g/t gold (see the full press release here), providing significant potential for reserves growth with the development of the remaining M&I and Inferred resources1.

In July 2020, Erdene announced the results of an independent Feasibility Study for the Bayan Khundii Gold Project (press release here). The Feasibility Study results include an after-tax Net Present Value at a 5% discount rate and a US$1,400/oz gold price of US$100 million and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 42%. The Feasibility Study envisions an open-pit mine at Bayan Khundii, producing an average of 63,500 oz gold per year, for seven years, at a head grade of 3.71 g/t gold, utilizing a conventional carbon in pulp processing plant. Production is expected to commence in early 2023 based on the current project schedule.

Erdene Resource Development Corp. is a Canada-based resource company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious and base metals in underexplored and highly prospective Mongolia. The Company has interests in three mining licenses and two exploration licenses in Southwest Mongolia, where exploration success has led to the discovery and definition of the Khundii Gold District. Erdene Resource Development Corp. is listed on the Toronto and the Mongolian stock exchanges. Further information is available at www.erdene.com. Important information may be disseminated exclusively via the website; investors should consult the site to access this information.

Qualified Person and Sample Protocol

Peter Dalton, P.Geo. (Nova Scotia), Senior Geologist for Erdene, is the Qualified Person as that term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. All samples have been assayed at SGS Laboratory in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. In addition to internal checks by SGS Laboratory, the Company incorporates a QA/QC sample protocol utilizing prepared standards and blanks. All samples undergo standard fire assay analysis for gold and ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy) analysis for 33 additional elements. For samples that initially return a grade greater than 5 g/t gold, additional screen-metallic gold analysis is carried out which provides a weighted average gold grade from fire assay analysis of the entire +75 micron fraction and three 30-gram samples of the -75 micron fraction from a 500 gram sample.

Erdenes drill core sampling protocol consisted of collection of samples over 1 or 2 metre intervals (depending on the lithology and style of mineralization) over the entire length of the drill hole, excluding minor post-mineral lithologies and un-mineralized granitoids. Sample intervals were based on meterage, not geological controls, or mineralization. All drill core was cut in half with a diamond saw, with half of the core placed in sample bags and the remaining half securely retained in core boxes at Erdenes Bayan Khundii exploration camp. All samples were organized into batches of 30 including a commercially prepared standard, blank and either a field duplicate, consisting of two quarter-core intervals, or a laboratory duplicate. Sample batches were periodically shipped directly to SGS in Ulaanbaatar via Erdenes logistical contractor, Monrud Co. Ltd.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information regarding Erdene contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance, or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although Erdene believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Erdene cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what Erdene currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the ability to obtain required third party approvals, market prices, exploitation, and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and is subject to change after that date. The Company does not assume the obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

NO REGULATORY AUTHORITY HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS RELEASE

Erdene Contact Information

Peter C. Akerley, President and CEO, or

Robert Jenkins, CFO

1 For details of the Mineral Resources see Khundii Gold Project NI 43-101 Technical Report, Tetra Tech December 4, 2019  SEDAR

2 M&I: 171,000 ounces of 3.77 g/t gold Measured, and 349,700 ounces of 2.93 g/t gold Indicated

Graphics accompanying this announcement are available at

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PHOENIX, AZ, Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- Integrity Health Corporation (the company) (OTC: FTEG) (www.integrityhealthcorp.com) announced that Rob Snyder, Radiology Clinician/ Administrator, and Healthcare Expert, will be joining the companys medical team and bringing a whole new perspective on traditional medicine along with him.



Snyder brings 26 years of healthcare experience to Integrity Health Corporation. Most recently, he held the positions of Radiation Safety Officer and Chief Compliance Officer for VibrantMBS.

Before joining Integrity Health Corporation, Snyder spent 10 years in the United States Army where he was trained to be a Radiology Technologist. Snyder has also worked in general Radiology, Computed Tomography (CT), Cardiac Cath Lab, Interventional Radiology, and has been a Director of Medical Imaging, Breast Health, Interventional Radiology, Cardiac Cath Lab, Radiation Oncology, as well as multiple outpatient centers for the past 18 years.

Im very excited for this opportunity to be a part of Integrity Health Corporation and continue their mission of offering only the highest quality products and services, Snyder said. My extensive experience in healthcare, along with certifications in emergency preparedness, will give a whole new perspective in disrupting the normalcy of traditional western medicine, Snyder added.

We look forward to working with Rob, as he is someone who brings a variety of skills to the table, from radiology to employee satisfaction, Integrity Health Corporation CEO Nelson Grist said. In his career, Rob has been recognized for large increases and process improvements in patient satisfaction, employee satisfaction, as well as physician engagement and physician satisfaction, and we are honored to have him, Grist added.

For more information about Integrity Health Corporation, please visit www.integrityhealthcorp.com and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @IntegrityHealthCorp.

About Integrity Health Corporation:

Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Integrity Health Corporation offers health services and products that benefit their customers the most, as they make sure that patients are put before profit. Integrity Health Corps mission is to disrupt the disordered normalcy of traditional western medicine by making patients more aware they can achieve a healthier, pain-free, longer life through the highest quality integrative products designed and dispensed by Integrity health professionals. Integrity Health Corp develops and acquires products while also offering health services that fit into their stringent brand requirements. They are passionate about offering ideas, products, and services that help out their patients the most. Their products and service offerings are held to the highest of standards with high regards to their customers and the planet.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release includes forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and reflects management's current expectations. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. Some of these factors include general global economic conditions; general industry and market conditions, sector changes and growth rates; uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; increasing competition; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of services.

Integrity Health Corporation

2375 Camelback Rd. SUITE 600

Phoenix, AZ 85016 USA

602 806-9292

Media contact: Adrienne Mazzone 561-750-9800 amazzone@transmediagroup.com

Investors Relations: Paul Knopick 940 262-3584 pknopick@eandecommunications.com
NEW YORK, NY, Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- ILUS International Inc (OTC: ILUS) is a M&A company focused on acquiring and developing technology-based companies globally. The company has already completed three acquisitions in 2021, including that of BCD Fire, on April 12th. ILUS has also recently signed two Letters of Intent for the acquisition of two US companies. In addition to BCD Fire, which supplies, installs, and maintains fixed fire systems and life safety equipment in the Middle East, ILUS is also currently assessing the acquisition of another fixed fire system company in the United States.



Located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and founded in 2014, BCD Fire is a leading systems integrator for fire and life safety systems in the region and is certified by Dubai Civil Defence. The company delivers turnkey projects which incorporate specification, design, installation, support, and maintenance for its customers, and it works extensively on large hotel, resort, commercial and residential projects in the region. Since its acquisition by ILUS earlier this year, the ILUS management team has been working closely with BCD Fires management to improve overall efficiency, implement a more effective sales strategy and increase the recurring revenue generated from maintenance services. In this time, ILUS has also appointed Pawel Zbrozekas its Senior Product Manager for Fixed Fire Systems, with Pawel bringing an additional 20 years relevant working experience to the team and assuming responsibility for leading the development and certification of ILUS fixed water mist suppression systems.

The results of the strategic improvements made by ILUS are evident, with BCD Fire securing 3 new contracts within the last 6 weeks. Further improvements are still being made, with BCD Fire now obtaining further licensing to enable them to complete larger commercial projects by meeting the requirements for more certified personnel and the required cash flow for accepting the payment terms in order to be awarded more significant contracts for multiple simultaneous project sites.

This week, BCD Fire has been awarded the contract for the supply and installation of fire systems, including fire alarm panels and detectors, a central battery system and fire sprinkler system for a commercial tower in Dubai. When completed, this building will be the worlds tallest commercial tower. The BCD team is working under the main contractor for this project and has commenced work on the first phase of the project, with the contract value for this phase sitting at just under $1 million.

BCD Fire has also recently been awarded a contract for the installation of fire alarm systems and a central battery system for a 13-story residential building on the upmarket Dubai Hills Estate in Dubai. This current contract is valued at $426,000 and is for the first of two new buildings on the Estate, with the BCD team now working on being awarded the contract for the second building.

The main contractor for Emirates Hospital, which is also located in Dubai, has recently awarded BCD Fire a contract for the installation of the hospitals new fire system. This contract, although smaller in value at $141,000, has potential for significant growth should the team be successful in bidding for additional installation requirements and an ongoing maintenance contract.

ILUS Managing Director, John-Paul Backwell, said the following, We feel that we are barely scratching the surface of our potential in the fixed fire system arena, but these recent contracts awarded within a short period of time to BCD Fire do represent the exceptional progress we are making. It is great to see our team being rewarded but it is even better to know that there is so much more to come from BCD Fire and from the fixed systems technology division of ILUS.

For further information on the companies please see their communication channels:

Website: https://ilus-group.com

Twitter : OTC_ILUS

Email: IR@Ilus-Group.com

Source: ILUS

Related Links

https://ilus-group.com

Forward-Looking Statement

Certain information set forth in this press release contains "forward-looking information", including "future-oriented financial information" and "financial outlook", under applicable securities laws (collectively referred to herein as forward-looking statements). Except for statements of historical fact, the information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements and includes, but is not limited to, the (i) projected financial performance of the Company; (ii) completion of, and the use of proceeds from, the sale of the shares being offered hereunder; (iii) the expected development of the Company's business, projects, and joint ventures; (iv) execution of the Company's vision and growth strategy, including with respect to future M&A activity and global growth; (v) sources and availability of third-party financing for the Company's projects; (vi) completion of the Company's projects that are currently underway, in development or otherwise under consideration; (vi) renewal of the Company's current customer, supplier and other material agreements; and (vii) future liquidity, working capital, and capital requirements. Forward-looking statements are provided to allow potential investors the opportunity to understand management's beliefs and opinions in respect of the future so that they may use such beliefs and opinions as one factor in evaluating an investment. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or result expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although forward-looking statements contained in this presentation are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions, 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 management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has provided guidance to issuers regarding the use of social media to disclose material non-public information. In this regard, investors and others should note that we announce material financial information via official Press Releases, in addition to SEC filings, press releases, Questions & Answers sessions, public conference calls and webcastsalso may take time from time to time. We use these channels as well as social media to communicate with the public about our company, our services and other issues. It is possible that the information we post on social media could be deemed to be material information. Therefore, in light of the SEC's guidance, we encourage investors, the media, and others interested in our company to review the information we post on the following social &media channels:

website: https://ilus-group.com Twitter : OTC_ILUS

Note: ILUS Coin does not sit within ILUS International Inc (Ilustrato Pictures International Inc) so the public are recommended to follow the correct Media Channels relating to the public company OTC: ILUS.
SYDNEY, Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ConnectWise , the leading provider of software for technology solution providers (TSPs), has announced several new roles across the APAC region. These new hires are part of a broader growth strategy for ConnectWise focused on the Asia Pacific region. Harry Guy, most recently the APAC lead for LogicMonitor, moves into the role of Senior Manager, Sales APAC. He joins Vikas Uberoy, who joined the company in late 2020 in the role of Senior Manager, APAC, and is directly responsible for account management. Katrina Evans rounds out the senior hires, employed to the position of Senior Manager for Marketing in APAC.



The new positions will focus on driving strategic alignment with partners in the Australian channel. The roles will also provide locally-based support for partners, expanding the footprint of ConnectWise significantly across Australia and New Zealand.

Vikas Uberoy has more than 25 years of channel experience, much of which involved working with cybersecurity organisations. He moved to ConnectWise from MalwareBytes, and has extensive contacts and experience working across Australia and New Zealand as well as the rest of the Asia-Pacific region.

Harry Guy joins the company after building out the APAC region for monitoring platform LogicMonitor where he was first employed in late 2018. As the first man on the ground in region, Harry established a strong presence across go-to-market functions and successfully grew the team to over 15 staff whilst significantly improving new customer acquisition and customer retention. Prior to that, he held senior roles at Oracle NetSuite and Autotask in the UK.

Katrina Evans joins ConnectWise following a planned hiatus and most recently held the role of Senior Marketing Manager at SolarWinds for APAC. Prior to that, she was a Senior Manager, Integrated Marketing at Symantec (now Broadcom).

ConnectWise has also expanded its portfolio of partner success resources, which are aimed to facilitate growth in the region by empowering Managed Services Providers to enhance their technical expertise and enable them to provide additional resources to end users without a major investment in capital, time and effort.

To that end, the APAC Implementation and Support Teams at ConnectWise have also been expanded, with the addition of two dedicated Implementation Specialists and three Technical Support Specialists. Team members have also been added to both the Partner Success and Sales Engineering teams.

With these new hires and expansion of resources, ConnectWise plans to provide a strong platform for partner growth across APAC, offering existing and new customers a greater degree of support.

We have a laser focus on helping our current partners develop and enhance their cybersecurity and managed services practices. By offering them the tools and training to develop new and better services, ConnectWise is enabling service providers to innovate, offer better value and enhanced services. I am very excited to be joining ConnectWise at such a pivotal stage of the companys development in the region, said Harry Guy.

Gregg Lalle, SVP of International Sales at ConnectWise, said of the appointment: We are very happy to have someone of Harrys pedigree join our team in APAC. He is a dynamic professional with an excellent, diverse skillset and extensive contacts in the region. Katrina brings extensive marketing knowledge and skills to our team and is highly regarded in the infotech community and channel across ANZ. Together with Vikas, who joined us late last year, they will be a major asset to our organisations growth in the region.

ConnectWise has also recently made several acquisitions, including leading consulting firm Service Leadership. This acquisition will allow ConnectWise to use industry-leading benchmarking data for best practices to help TSPs drive better value creation - even in difficult business conditions such as the world is currently experiencing.

About ConnectWise

ConnectWise is an IT software company that empowers Technology Solution Providers to achieve success in their As-a-Service business with intelligent software, expert services, an immersive IT community, and a vast ecosystem of integrations. The unmatched flexibility of the ConnectWise platform fuels profitable, long-term growth for our Partners. With an innovative, integrated, and security-centric platform, ConnectWise enables TSPs to drive business efficiency with business automation, IT documentation, and data management capabilities. And increase revenue using remote monitoring, security, and backup disaster recovery technologies. For more information, visit ConnectWise .

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

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SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As part of its commitments to both conserving water and supporting its communities, California Water Service (Cal Water), the largest subsidiary of California Water Service Group (NYSE: CWT), has partnered with La Rosa Fruit Bars and Ice Cream, Inc. to develop a limited edition-flavor fruit bar.



Part of the proceeds from the sales of Cal Watermelon  a watermelon-cucumber flavored fruit bar  will go to support the Water Association of Kern County (WAKC), whose mission is to educate the public and water community about water issues in Kern County. The funds will support WAKCs summer water conservation campaign: Dont Be That Guy KC.

La Rosa Fruit Bars and Ice Cream, Inc., a family-owned business operating out of Bakersfield, Calif., has been making frozen confections with fresh, local ingredients since 1980. Safe, reliable water service is essential to our operations, said Norma Diaz, owner of La Rosa Fruit Bars and Ice Cream, Inc. We are excited to partner with our water provider, Cal Water, to develop this special flavor to support a good cause.

At Cal Water, we are deeply committed to inspiring and supporting our customers in their efforts to conserve, said Martin A. Kropelnicki, Cal Water President & Chief Executive Officer. We are pleased that this partnership with La Rosa will not only create something Bakersfield residents can enjoy but also support an important organization.

California Water Service serves about 2 million people through 492,600 service connections in California. The utility has provided water service in the state since 1926. Additional information may be obtained online at www.calwater.com.

A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cab559fe-4ba0-44d4-8d28-044e3dd2c4eb
English French

Q1 FY22 total revenue of $22.6 million growth of 10% compared to $20.5 million in Q1 FY21



Core growth platforms continue to perform, ecommerce solutions revenue grew by 15%, Strategic Sourcing grew by 15% and US-based Strategic Sourcing grew by 32% compared to Q1 FY21

MONTREAL, Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- mdf commerce inc. (the Corporation) (TSX:MDF), a SaaS leader in digital commerce technologies, reported Q1 FY2022 financial results for its first quarter ended on June 30, 2021. Financial references are expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated.

Q1 fiscal 2022 continued many of the positive trends seen throughout fiscal 2021, said Luc Filiatreault, CEO of mdf commerce. Our core growth platforms, Strategic Sourcing and ecommerce, both had double digit growth with our ecommerce solutions and US-based Strategic Sourcing achieving 15% and 32% growth respectively, year-over-year. When combined with our legacy platforms, consolidated revenue grew by 10% year-over-year for the first quarter. We continued to win new contracts this quarter and we saw a steady onboarding of public agencies and suppliers for Strategic Sourcing. Our sales pipeline is healthy and gives us confidence that our organic growth will gain momentum in subsequent quarters.

First Quarter Fiscal 2022 Financial Results

Total revenue for the quarter was $22.6 million, a $2.0 million or 10.0% increase over $20.5 million reported for Q1 FY2021. Based on constant currency1, total revenue increased by $2.5 million or 12.4% compared to the first quarter in FY2021.

The recurring revenue (MRR)2 portion of total revenue was $16.4 million, or 72.5% of total revenue compared to $15.8 million or 77.0% for the same quarter of FY2021.

The three business platforms contributed to revenue growth for the first quarter as follows:

Unified Commerce platform, which includes ecommerce and Supply Chain Collaboration solutions, generated revenue of $9.9 million for the first quarter, an increase of 8.7% over $9.1 million reported for the same period last year. ecommerce, which consists of Orckestra and k-ecommerce solutions, represented $6.7 million of Unified Commerce revenue in the first quarter of FY2022, up $0.9 million or 15.3% from $5.8 million reported in the corresponding quarter last year. Right of use revenue was $3.7 million for the first quarter of FY2022 compared to $3.6 million for the first quarter of FY2021. Professional services revenue for ecommerce to support large customer deployments was $3.0 million compared to $2.1 million reported for Q1 FY2021, an increase of 41%. The Supply Chain Collaboration solution represented $3.2 million of Q1 FY2022 Unified Commerce revenue, a decrease of $0.1 million or 2.8% compared to the first quarter of the previous year.

Strategic Sourcing platform, which includes Merx, Bidnet, governmentbids and ASC solutions, was $8.9 million, a $1.1 million or 14.8% increase over $7.7 million reported for the first quarter of the previous year. US-based Strategic Sourcing represented revenue of $4.6 million, a $1.1 million or 32.3% increase compared to the previous year corresponding quarter. The US-based Bidnet solution benefited from both additional buying agencies, which drove an increase in paying suppliers and from the acquisition of Vendor Registry on November 18, 2021.

emarketplaces platform revenue was $3.8 million, a 2.8% or $0.1 million increase compared to $3.7 million reported for the same quarter of FY2021. Revenues from Jobboom represented an increase of $0.4 million as this sector is showing recovery after a slowdown in early fiscal 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, while revenues from the other solutions remained stable. Revenues from these legacy emarketplaces solutions continue to represent a diminishing percentage of total revenues, representing 16.8% of total revenues for Q1 FY2022 compared to 18.0% in Q1 FY2021.

1 Certain revenue figures and changes from prior period are analyzed and presented on a constant currency basis and are obtained by translating revenues from the comparable period of the prior year denominated in foreign currencies at the foreign exchange rates of the current period. The Company believes that this Non-IFRS financial measure is useful to compare its performance that excludes certain elements prone to volatility. Refer to the Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Key Performance Indicators section.

2 MRR is a key performance indicator and is composed of subscription and support revenues that are recurring in nature. Therefore, they exclude onetime fees and professional fees and other types of non-recurring revenues. Refer to the Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Key Performance Indicators section.

Gross margin for Q1 FY2022 was $13.2 million or 58.7% compared to $14.0 million or 68.0% reported for Q1 FY2021. The decrease in the gross margin percentage is mainly due higher salary costs, increased headcount and professional fees to support customer implementations and deployments, higher hosting and licencing costs for cloud-based solutions.

Total operating expenses for Q1 FY2022 were $17.5 million, compared to $14.7 million for Q1 FY2021, an increase of $2.9 million or 19.5%.

General and administrative expenses totalled $5.0 million during Q1 FY2022, $1.3 million higher than $3.7 million for Q1 FY2021. The increase is primarily due to salary and related expenses associated with higher salaries and increased headcount; these expense increases are net of a $0.2 million increase in federal wage subsidies in the context of COVID-19. Professional services and recruiting costs increased by $0.7 million mainly related to the implementation of strategic and foundational initiatives.

Selling and marketing expenses totalled $6.1 million for Q1 FY2022 compared to $5.0 million for Q1 FY2021. The increase is mainly attributable to a $0.5 million increase in salaries and related expenses associated with salary increases and higher headcount and an increase of $0.6 million in professional fees and promotional costs.

Technology expenses totalled $6.4 million for Q1 FY2022, $0.5 million higher compared to $5.9 million in the first quarter of FY2021. The increase is mainly attributable to higher professional services costs and lower R&D and e-business tax credits during Q1 FY2022 as compared to the first quarter in FY2021.



The operating loss of $4.3 million for Q1 FY2022 compares to the operating loss of $0.7 million reported for Q1 FY2021. During the first quarter of fiscal 2022 we continued investing in people and foundational upgrades as we aim to accelerate future growth, improve our scalability by simplifying and accelerating project implementation and the integration of new acquisitions, ultimately allowing us to capitalize on emerging market conditions.

The Corporation recorded a net loss of $4.3 million or $0.15 loss per share (basic and diluted) in Q1 FY2022 compared to a net loss of $1.2 million or $0.08 loss per share (basic and diluted) in the same quarter of FY2021.

Adjusted EBITDA3 loss was $1.5 million for Q1 FY2022 compared to Adjusted EBITDA3 of $2.1 million reported for Q1 FY2021. Adjusted EBITDA3 declined year-over-year due to increased foundational investments in operations, salary increases including additional headcount, and additional sales and marketing, R&D, and professional services to support large deployment contracts. As deployments accelerate over the coming quarters, professional services expenses are expected to remain elevated, and the Corporation expects to continue to make foundational investments to improve scalability as the Corporation grows.

mdf commerce is actively investing to scale our two core growth platforms, Unified Commerce and Strategic Sourcing, remarked CFO Deborah Dumoulin. We believe that the investments in people and foundational infrastructure will help ensure that we capture the opportunities presented to us by the accelerated market adoption of ecommerce and strategic sourcing solutions, and that we can convert these opportunities into future cashflows that offer compelling value for shareholders.

Summary of consolidated results

Q1

Fiscal

2022 Q4

Fiscal

2021 Q1

Fiscal

2021 In thousands of Canadian dollars,

except per share amounts $ $ $ Revenues 22,573 22,030 20,534 Operating loss (4,289) (3,284) (698) Net loss (4,285) (2,858) (1,237) Adjusted EBITDA3 (1,511) 221 2,053 Adjusted loss4 (4,285) (2,858) (1,237) Loss per share (basic and diluted) (0.15) (0.12) (0.08) Adjusted loss per share4 (basic and diluted) (0.15) (0.12) (0.08) Basic and diluted weighted average number of shares outstanding (in thousands) 28,404 23,874 16,394

Reconciliation of net loss and adjusted EBITDA3

Q1

Fiscal

2022 Q4

Fiscal

2021 Q1

Fiscal

2021 In thousands of Canadian dollars $ $ $ Net loss (4,285) (2,858) (1,237) Income tax recovery (826) (704) (255) Depreciation of property, plant and equipment and amortization of intangible assets 900 1,155 922 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 882 1,014 1,006 Amortization of right-of-use assets 489 437 464 Amortization of deferred financing costs 57 57 10 Interest on lease liability 91 91 99 Interest on long-term debt 14 9 255 Interest revenue (167) (50) - EBITDA (2,845) (849) 1,264 Foreign exchange loss 827 171 430 Stock-based compensation expense 200 124 107 Restructuring costs 228 723 195 Acquisition-related costs 79 52 57 Adjusted EBITDA3 (1,511) 221 2,053

Reconciliation of net loss and adjusted loss4

Q1

Fiscal

2022 Q4

Fiscal

2021 Q1

Fiscal

2021 In thousands of Canadian dollars. $ $ $ Net loss (4,285) (2,858) (1,237) Adjusted loss4 (4,285) (2,858) (1,237) Loss per share (basic and diluted) (0.15) (0.12) (0.08) Adjusted loss per share4 (basic and diluted) (0.15) (0.12) (0.08)

Reconciliation of revenues on a constant currency basis1 and revenues

First quarter ended June 30, 2021 versus First quarter ended June 30, 2020

For the three-month

periods end $ Change % Change In thousands of Canadian dollars June 30,

2021 June 30,

2020 As

reported Foreign

exchange

Impact In

constant

currency As

reported In

constant

currency Revenues 22,573 20,534 2,039 449 2,488 9.9 % 12.4 %

First quarter ended June 30, 2021 versus Fourth quarter ended March 31, 2021

For the three-month

periods end $ Change % Change In thousands of Canadian dollars June 30,

2021 March 31,

2021 As

reported Foreign

exchange

Impact In

constant

currency As

reported In

constant

currency Revenues 22,573 22,030 543 178 721 2.5 % 3.3 %

3 Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin are non-IFRS measure. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, the definition of adjusted EBITDA was amended, and certain comparative figures have been restated to conform with the current presentation. Refer to the Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Key Performance Indicators section.

4 Adjusted loss and Adjusted loss per share (basic and diluted) are non-IFRS financial measures. Refer to the Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Key Performance Indicators section.

Outlook

The transformation to a high-growth, cloud-based, SaaS commerce technology business continues as planned as we remain focused on delivering to the needs of our clients and capitalizing on the market opportunities that create value for our stakeholders.

We are aligning our resources to focus on building a pipeline of opportunities in Strategic Sourcing and Unified Commerce. We are beginning to convert our growth pipeline into opportunities which we expect will contribute to recurring revenues.

We continue to focus on our M&A pipeline and opportunities to support our strategic plan.

With the noticeable market acceleration in digitalization of commercial interactions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with infrastructures bills planned by governments across North America, we believe that the Corporation is well positioned to capitalize on these positive trends.

Management is optimizing its hiring and onboarding process to ensure maximal impact on revenues and gross margins while monitoring overall labour costs.

Tech talent remains a challenge and we have implemented multiple strategies to address this, including market competitive salary increases starting in Q1 to improve retention, new recruitment campaigns and establishing a development centre in Ukraine providing additional workforce. Our operational and infrastructure investments are focused on improving scalability and gross margins. As we move forward, our challenge will be to strike the right balance between these investments and their impact on margins, while staying in the race to capitalize on the opportunity brought on by this market acceleration.

Subsequent events

On August 11, 2021, the Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement with Periscope Holdings, Inc. to acquire all of issued and outstanding common shares of Periscope Intermediate Corp. (Periscope) (the Acquisition), a portfolio company of Parthenon Capital Partners (Parthenon Capital). Periscope operates from its two offices in Austin, Texas, and American Fork, Utah, in United States of America. Periscope is an eProcurement solution provider with over 20 years of industry experience that offers a fully integrated, end-to-end procurement solution to both state and local government agencies and suppliers in the U.S. Periscopes end-to-end eProcurement solution is built specifically for U.S. government agencies, allowing them to more efficiently purchase goods and services, source contracts, analyze spend, post bids and transact on a public procurement platform that offers a consumer-like shopping experience.

This acquisition will allow the Corporation to strengthen its leading position in the North American public eProcurement market.

The purchase price is US$207.3 million (approximately $259.9 million), on a cash-free debt-free basis, subject to customary closing adjustments.

The Acquisition Purchase Price will be financed through a combination of i) $92.0 million of available cash on hand, ii) $50.2 million in debt through an amended and upsized revolving and term credit facilities, iii) $67.8 million through a bought deal public offering of subscription receipts of mdf commerce which will be launched concurrently with the announcement of the Acquisition, iv) $52.6 million private placement of subscription receipts of mdf commerce with Fonds de solidarite FTQ and Investissement Quebec, and v) the issuance of $4.1 million in rollover shares, as well as the creation of a $4.1 million retention bonus.

The Acquisition, which remains subject to certain customary closing conditions and receipt of applicable antitrust approvals, is expected to be completed in the second quarter of the Corporations fiscal year 2022.

About mdf commerce inc.

mdf commerce inc. (TSX:MDF) enables the flow of commerce by providing a broad set of SaaS solutions that optimize and accelerate commercial interactions between buyers and sellers. Our platforms and services empower businesses around the world, allowing them to generate billions of dollars in transactions on an annual basis. Our Strategic Sourcing, Unified Commerce and emarketplace platforms are supported by a strong and dedicated team of approximately 700 based in Canada, the United States, Denmark, Ukraine and China. For more information, please visit us at mdfcommerce.com, follow us on LinkedIn or call at 1-877-677-9088.

Forward-Looking Statements

In this press release, mdf commerce, the Corporation or the words we, our and us refer, depending on the context, either to mdf commerce inc. or to mdf commerce inc. together with its subsidiaries and entities in which it has an economic interest. All dollar amounts refer to Canadian dollars, unless otherwise expressly stated.

This press release is dated August 11, 2021 and, unless specifically stated otherwise, all information disclosed herein is provided as at June 30, 2021, the end of the most recent quarter of the Corporation.

Certain statements in press release and in the documents incorporated by reference herein constitute forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause mdf commerces, or the Corporations industrys actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any of the Corporations statements. Such factors may include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties that are discussed in greater detail in the Risk Factors and Uncertainties section of the Corporations Annual Information Form as at March 31, 2021. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as may, will, should, could, expects, plans, anticipates, intends, believes, estimates, predicts, potential or continue or the negatives of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking statements are based on managements current estimates, expectations and assumptions, which management believes are reasonable as of the date hereof, and are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive and other uncertainties and contingencies regarding future events and are accordingly subject to changes after such date. Undue importance should not be placed on forward-looking statements, and the information contained in such forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as of any other date. Actual events or results may differ materially. We cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievement. We disclaim any intention, and assume no obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Additional information about mdf commerce, including the Corporations interim condensed consolidated financial statements as at June 30, 2021 and 2020 and for the three-month periods then ended, Managements Discussion and Analysis for the first quarter ended June 30, 2021 and its latest Annual Information Form as at March 31, 2021 are available on the Corporations website www.mdfcommerce.com and have been filed with SEDAR at www.sedar.com.



Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Key Performance Indicators

The Corporations interim condensed consolidated financial statements for the three-month periods ended June 30, 2021 and June 30, 2020 have been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard (IAS) 34, Interim Financial Reporting, through the application of accounting principles that are compliant with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The interim condensed consolidated financial statements do not include all of the information required for complete financial statements under IFRS, including the notes.

The Corporation presents non-IFRS financial performance measures and key performance indicators to assess operating performance. The Corporation presents Adjusted profit (loss), Adjusted profit (loss) per share, net profit (loss) before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, and certain Revenues presented on a constant currency basis as a non-IFRS measures and Monthly Recurring Revenues as a key performance indicator. These non-IFRS measures and key performance indicators do not have standardized meanings under IFRS standards and are not likely to be comparable to similarly designated measures reported by other corporations. The reader is cautioned that these measures are being reported in order to complement, and not replace, the analysis of financial results in accordance with IFRS standards. Management uses both measures that comply with IFRS standards and non-IFRS measures, in planning, overseeing and assessing the Corporations performance. The terms and definitions associated with non-IFRS measures as well as a reconciliation to the most comparable IFRS measures, and key performance indicators are presented in the section Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Key Performance Indicators in Managements Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) for the first quarter ended June 30, 2021.

In Q4 FY2021, the Corporation amended the definition of Adjusted EBITDA to adjust for acquisition related costs and restructuring costs. Comparative figures prior to March 31, 2021 have been restated to be consistent with the current presentation. Adjusted EBITDA is calculated as profit (loss) before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), adjusted for foreign exchange gain (loss), gain (loss) on the sale of a subsidiary, compensation under the stock option plan, acquisition related costs and restructuring costs. Refer to the Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Key Performance Indicators in Managements Discussion and Analysis for the first quarter ended June 30, 2021.

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Jeremy Clarkson has once again lashed out at Lewis Hamilton. The former Top Gear presenter is no fan of the Brit, and was disgusted by Hamilton's behaviour after the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Clarkson opens the attack

Hamilton doesn't have many fans in the Netherlands anymore because of his fight with Max Verstappen, but in England, not everyone is a fan of the seven-time world champion. Clarkson has taken a swipe at Hamilton before, tweeting at the restart of the Hungarian Grand Prix that it was handy that Hamilton was alone on the grid, so at least he couldn't run anyone off the track.

Jeremy Clarkson also wrote a piece for a British newspaper, which can be read in the below. In this piece, Clarkson lashes out at his fellow countryman.

Ah. Clever. Only Hamilton on the track. That way he cant hit anybody  Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) August 1, 2021

Hamilton no hero

"Lewis Hamilton needs a smacked bottom. He spent most of last week's thrilling race on the radio, claiming the chap in front of him Fernando Alonso was cheating. Which he wasn't. And then when Lewis finishes in third place, he flopped about on the podium claiming he has 'long Covid', which seems to me to be another way of saying: 'Please ignore Esteban Ocon, the rookie who just beat me. I'm the real hero and don't you forget that," it reads.

Clarkson, however, is not keen on that attitude, and let it be known. ''Well I'm sorry Lewis, but if you behave like that, you aren't. Oh, and pay your taxes," Clarkson concludes.

Jeremy Clarkson rips into Lewis Hamilton again. pic.twitter.com/CI70eRw6wP  Martyn Clough (@Alpha_TauriFan1) August 9, 2021
The Grand Coulee branch of North Cascades Bank is collecting school supplies for local children in need. Cash donations are also welcome and will be used to purchase additional supplies. All items will be distributed to schools in the Grand Coulee Dam School District. Donations will be accepted at North Cascades Bank during the month of August. Please help us prepare our local youth for the new school year! If you have any questions about the school supply drive, please call Jerri Smith at 633-1700.

North Cascades Bank is a division of Glacier Bank of Kalispell, Montana. Glacier Bank is a subsidiary of Glacier Bancorp, Inc. (GBCI), a regional bank holding company headquartered in Kalispell, Montana, operating thirteen bank divisions including North Cascades Bank. These bank divisions provide financial services to individuals and community based businesses throughout Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Additional information about the bank can be found at http://www.northcascadesbank.com.
Jan Lammers says Dutch fans should refrain from booing Lewis Hamilton once Formula 1 touches down at Zandvoort early next month.

In Hungary, a race attended by many of Max Verstappen's Dutch fans, the crowd registered its displeasure with Hamilton by booing and jeering his pole position.

Lammers, a Dutch former F1 driver and boss of the country's grand prix, urges the up to 105,000-strong crowd at Zandvoort to be more respectful.

"If Hamilton comes to the Netherlands for the grand prix, please make sure he is treated with respect instead of this vulgar booing," he told De Telegraaf.

"Show your decency when a seven time world champion comes here. We should be proud of that. It is downright antisocial and unwise to yell 'boo'.

"Respect is something you have to show if you want to get it for yourself," Lammers added.

"As motorsport enthusiasts, we have to show that we handle this situation in a better way. Make sure that other people don't have to be ashamed."

The booing followed hot on the heels of Verstappen's 51G crash at Silverstone, where during the Red Bull driver's subsequent hospitalisation Hamilton wildly celebrated the win despite having tapped his rival into the barrier.

"Are you a supporter of Max Verstappen?" Lammers continued, addressing Dutch fans directly. "Then do things that help him and that he can be proud of.

"I know it's impossible to forgive someone who doesn't admit their mistake, but Max has risen above it and so can you.

"There are still a lot of races and great battles to come on the track. Let's allow the fights to take place there too," he said.

(GMM)
Ferrari is in talks with Haas about keeping Mick Schumacher at the small American team for 2022.

There have been rumours suggesting the 22-year-old rookie, and son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher, could be heading to another Ferrari-powered team for 2022 - Alfa Romeo.

But Haas boss Gunther Steiner has sounded confident about keeping the young German on board, and Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto is now delivering a similar message.

"This year has been more difficult for the Ferrari driver academy, but we have to give the kids time to grow," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Mick Schumacher's first season is about learning without pressure, and we are currently discussing with Haas to confirm him there."

Schumacher's Alfa Romeo move could have been at the expense of another Ferrari junior, Antonio Giovinazzi.

But Binotto indicates that Ferrari is also still happy with the 27-year-old Italian.

"Giovinazzi remains our reserve driver - the first alternative to our (Ferrari) drivers," he said.

"He is showing growth every year and I hope that he can stay at Alfa because he deserves it."

(GMM)
Renault-owned Alpine has confirmed the departure of long-time top engineer Remi Taffin.

The Frenchman, who has been with the French manufacturer for over 20 years, was head of the Formula 1 engine program.

It is rumoured he could now be bound for Red Bull's new powertrains division, and is understood to already be close to chiefs Christian Horner and Dr Helmut Marko from the energy drink owned team's Renault-powered days.

An Alpine spokesman told us that Taffin left last month by "mutual agreement", and that there are no plans to replace him externally.

The team's Esteban Ocon won his first race in Hungary, but Alpine is actually focusing almost exclusively on its preparations for the 2022 season.

Alpine admits that its decision to focus on a new engine for 2022 is hurting the team this season.

"The original design of this engine dates back to 2019," executive director Marcin Budkowski is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

"Our opponents have since introduced new engines - we didn't. We are concentrating entirely on the 2022 season, when we will bring a completely new power unit with different architecture and improvements in every area.

"We have to accept that we have to swallow something with this (2021) engine in order to be better off in 2022," he added.

One thing Alpine may need to 'swallow' this season are penalties for Ocon and Fernando Alonso, for using more than the allowed eight exhaust systems per driver.

"For now it's a matter of making ends meet," Budkowski confirmed.

"I admit it - we are in a more delicate position on this point than our rivals."

(GMM)
Bluejay Mining, an exploration and development company with projects in Greenland and Finland, announced a joint venture agreement with KoBold Metals, a mineral exploration company that uses machine learning to guide exploration for new deposits rich in the critical materials for electric vehicles.

This agreement brings a globally significant partner to Bluejays Disko-Nuussuaq nickel, copper, cobalt, platinum (Ni-Cu-PGM-Co) magmatic massive sulfide (MMS) project, located on the southwest coast of Greenland. Disko is circa the size of Luxembourg, with the largest anomaly being more than 6 km long.

Principal investors in KoBold include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a climate & technology fund overseen by Bill Gates, and whose investors include fellow billionaires Michael Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos, and Ray Dalio. Other investors in KoBold include Andreessen Horowitz, the premier Silicon Valley venture capital fund and Equinor, the Norwegian state-owned multinational energy company.

Under the terms of the agreement, KoBold can earn 51% of Disko through a two-stage earn-in. Bluejay can maintain a 49% interest through proportionate funding of the project and will manage field operations during this period.

The Disko region has seen the rare convergence of events in earths history that could have resulted in forming a world-class battery metal deposit. KoBolds technology is perfectly suited to discovering new resources at Disko. Our proprietary library of analytical tools, Machine Prospector, will enable effective deployment of exploration capital and maximize our chances of discovery at Disko-Nuussuaq. We are excited to invest in Greenlands emerging mineral sector and to partner with Bluejay in light of their strong track record in Greenland and the outstanding potential of the Disko project. Kurt House, CEO of KoBold

Disko is a project with great potential for the discovery of globally significant deposits of battery metals. It is, however, this scale that necessitated a financially and technically strong partner to develop Disko. After many conversations with many groups from all over the world we are pleased to enter into partnership with a group that shares our position on fairness and providing a transparent long-term outcome for shareholders as well as being a credible and reliable partner that shares our commitment to environmental sustainability. I am very pleased to say that we have achieved this now with KoBold, an organization with the heft and technical capability to grow this project to its full commercial potential. We are extremely excited to be working with them. Bo Stensgaard, CEO of Bluejay

The Disko-Nuussuaq Property is centred in a region of extensive contaminated and metal-depleted volcanic centers where there is clear evidence for the equilibration of flood basalt magma with crustal sulfur with potential for the concentration of magmatic sulfides in shallow sub-volcanic intrusions. The rich inventory of government and exploration data provides an excellent starting point for KoBold to utilize proprietary technology to support exploration. After working on the Norisk mineral system and applying the ideas to help Falconbridge with their exploration work, it is exciting to see this work come to fruition. Dr. Peter Lightfoot, Technical Lead of Magmatic Systems at KoBold

KoBold. KoBolds purpose is to discover and develop new ethical sources of the critical materialse.g., Ni, Co, Cu, Li, Pt, and Pdfor electric vehicles. KoBolds objective is to make more discoveries of outstanding ore bodies with fewer failures by drawing on world-class expertise in exploration geoscience and by developing full-stack exploration technology to use machine learning and other scientific computing techniques to enable highly effective exploration decision-making.

The KoBold team brings a group of specialists within data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence, software engineering, physics, and mathematics, coupled with well-known mine-finder professionals with proven track records.

Notably for the Disko-Nuussuaq Project, KoBolds nickel expert Dr. Peter Lightfoot was earlier involved with the historical Falconbridge campaign at Disko-Nuussuaq during the 1990s and, moreover, has been part of a team that has identified major discoveries in every one of the cobalt-producing nickel-copper sulfide belts in Canada.

KoBolds in-house developed machine learning and artificial intelligence data technologies, TerraShed and Machine Prospector, have been built from scratch by alumni of top Silicon Valley software companies to guide every aspect of mineral exploration as well as mine development and operations.

TerraShed integrates all types of geoscientific data into a single system for quality control, visualization, and predictive modeling. KoBolds proprietary suite of analytical tools, Machine Prospector, interrogates the data with techniques from computer vision to ensemble machine learning to stochastic inversions, to predict the locations of orebodies and the critical controls on ore formation.

KoBold was recognized in 2021 as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum and as one of the 100 most promising private artificial intelligence companies in the world by CB Insightsand the only one within the mining industry.

Key terms of the agreement:

KoBold will earn 51% of the Disko-Nuussuaq licence holding through a two stage earn-in commitment Stage I: Advanced geological and geophysical evaluation of Disko-Nuussuaq to refine drill-targets using KoBold's proprietary technology, $3.4 million sole-funded by 31 December 2022. Stage II: Sole funding of either US$11.6 million in drilling expenditure or 15 pre-agreed drill holes within the Disko licence area by 31 December 2024. Bluejay can maintain its 49% shareholding by funding its pro-rata commitment after Stage II.

Bluejay will manage field operations until 2024.

Should KoBold complete Stage I work but not complete the drilling commitment in Stage II before 31 December 2024, 2.0% of the JV company and thereby control will revert to Bluejay with both parties subject to continuing standard dilution methodology.

The Disko-Nuussuaq Project. The Disko-Nuussuaq Project is hosted within the West Greenland Tertiary Igneous Province. This province is a well-recognized geological analogue to the Siberian Flood Basalts of the Norilsk Region. Previous studies and work conducted by the company highlighted the similarities between the geology of the Norilsk Region of Siberia, which is the marginal producer of nickel and palladium, and Disko-Nuussuaq. This is supported by multiple peer reviewed scientific studies.

The most recent reserve estimates by Norilsk Nickel estimate proven and probable ore reserves totalling 663.1 million tonnes (Mt), containing 6.0 Mt of nickel, 11.4 Mt of copper and 117.5 million ounces (Moz) of platinum group metals. Reserves are reportedly sufficient to support 80 years of output. Measured and indicated ore resources are in the order of a stunning 1,702.9 Mt containing 11.6 Mt of nickel, 22 Mt of copper and 257.3 Moz of platinum group metals.

Comparing global reserves plus resources the Norilsk camp contains 15% of the global resource of sulfide nickel, 27% of the total global palladium resource, and 30% of the global resource of magmatic sulfide-hosted copper. Based on estimates of combined reserves, resources, and historic production, the total value of the ores in the Norilsk district in 2020 metal prices is US$1.4 trillion.





Diagram showing well known nickel-sulfide deposits/mining districts. The expected grade tonne range for Disko indicated inside the transparent blue ellipsoid, based on mass balance of depleted lavas. Source: Bluejay Mining.

Initial investigations at Disko-Nuussuaq date back to the discovery in 1870 of the 28-tonne Illukunguaq Boulder of massive sulfide assaying 7% nickel, 3% copper and 512 grams per tonne (g/t) cobalt, as well as more than 2.0 g/t platinum group elements. Following this, more than 30 years of exploration by companies, including Cominco and Falconbridge, but also more recent work by Vismand Exploration and Cairn Energy backed Avannaa Resources, as well as government-backed work and data acquisition by the Geological Survey of Greenland/Geological Survey of Denmark, has resulted in a vast amount of scientific data (both geological, geochemical, and geophysical) all pointing to a process producing a globally significant accumulation of metals. The total cost of this multi-decade data acquisition and field work represents millions of dollars of total expenditure.

Detailed geochemical mass balance calculations on the Kukunguaq Member sulfide-saturated contaminated basalt sequence indicates that between 12-16 million tons of nickel metal are missing from lavas extruded from the mantle. The most likely explanation for this is that these metals have precipitated as nickel and copper sulfides proximal to the main volcanic vents and other structural corridors which controlled the migration of magma. Bluejay licence areas cover all of the currently known contaminated and metal-depleted volcanic centers on Disko and Nuussuaq.

In addition to the magmatic sulfide mineralization system, massive gold bearing boulders of native iron have been found on the companys licences, specifically the 10-tonne Hammer Dal Boulder providing another significant target for iron-nickel-copper-cobalt-platinum group elements-gold mineralization.

Bluejay has undertaken multiple work campaigns over several seasons with the inclusion of several state-sponsored technical partners, undertaking aerial surveys, extensive geochemical sampling utilising the most modern analytical techniques with ultra-low sensitivity as well as soil gas hydrocarbon sampling. These new deep-penetrating geochemical and gas surveys have for the first time provided metal anomaly signals coincident with previously identified large-scale geophysical responses.

Bluejays assessment and investigation over the last several years has identified more than 20 drill-ready targets on licence holdings at Disko-Nuussuaq. Of the targets defined, notably, there are seven large conductive targets previously defined by Vismand Exploration and Avannaa Resources and reconfirmed by Bluejay.

The two largest conductive targets are extraordinary in scale, the largest being more than 10.0 km long and around 2.0 km wide and another being around 4.8 km long and 800 meters wide; both comparable in footprint to the world-class Norilsk-Talnakh ore bodies.

Bluejay licence position at Disko-Nuussuaq. Bluejays 2,897 km Disko-Nuussuaq holding includes several separate licences awarded by the Government of Greenland. The first licence holdings at Disko-Nuussuaq were purchased by Bluejay in 2017 from Capricorn Oil Limited, a subsidiary of Cairn Energy PLC, which was the licence holder at the time, after the oil and gas exploration and development company, Cairn, ceased its offshore activities in West Greenland. At the same time, it also ceased funding its parallel onshore mineral exploration vehicle and operator, Avannaa Resources Ltd.

The transaction included all licences at Disko-Nuussuaq as well as licences at the Kangerluarsuk zinc-lead-silver-copper project, located north of the former famous and most profitable historical mine in Greenland, the Black Angel zinc-lead-silver mine. The acquisition price was 500,000.

The initial licence holding at Disko-Nuussuaq was expanded by Bluejay in 2017, 2018 and 2020 to the current total holding of 2,897 km. The Bluejay licence holdings are concentrated over the most prospective settings/contaminated basalt, as well as targeting the larger fault-systems & magmatic pathways.

Bluejays land holdings also host most of the previously recognized magmatic sulfide and native iron boulders and native iron occurrences. Moreover, the Bluejay licence ground was acquired in areas where valleys incised into the flood basalts that reduces the drill depth to potentially mineralized subvolcanic intrusions. All licences have access to a deep-water fjord or deep open water and can be operated from either land or boat/barge-based camps.





Map showing the current licence holdings at Disko-Nuussuaq. Source: Bluejay

From the later part of 2019 and into 2021 Disko-Nuussuaq has seen a licence acquisition racemeaning that Bluejays first-mover holdings have been surrounded by other licence holders. Notably, Anglo American holds an area of almost 10,000 km.
Lightning eMotors, a provider of specialty commercial electric vehicles for fleets, and Forest River, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company and the largest shuttle bus manufacturer in North America, entered into a strategic partnership agreement to deploy up to 7,500 zero-emission shuttle buses.





The agreement, with a potential estimated value of up to $850 million, calls for Lightning eMotors to build fully electric powertrains and provide charging products, and services for Forest River over the next four and a half years.

Lightning eMotors will manufacture the zero-emission-vehicle (ZEV) powertrain systems at its 231,000 square foot facility in Loveland, Colorado and ship the powertrains to Forest Rivers factory in Goshen, Indiana, for final assembly of the Class 4 and 5 all-electric passenger buses.

Forest River is the leading shuttle bus market leader in North America, with eight manufacturing buildings and more than 500,000 square feet of production space. The Elkhart, Indiana-based company has plans to dedicate 100,000 square feet to install Lightning eMotors powertrains.

Forest Rivers family of shuttle bus companies, including top name brands like Starcraft, Glaval, and Champion, maintain a dominant market position selling over 10,000 units per year in the Class 4 to 6 shuttle-bus space, noted Tim Reeser, CEO of Lightning eMotors.

Forest Rivers sales volumes allow us to provide a price point to their dealers and customers that results in a very compelling ROI. We believe this commitment from the largest shuttle bus manufacturer in the US demonstrates that they believe that commercial vehicle customers are now demanding Lightning eMotors zero-emission vehicles over ICE vehicles. Tim Reeser

The vehicles that Forest River and Lightning eMotors will co-produce are Class 4 and 5 shuttle buses with gross vehicle weight ratings ranging from 14,500 to 19,500 pounds. The buses will feature battery configurations from 80 kWh to more than 160 kWh using industry-leading battery thermal management systems.

These vehicles support ranges on a single charge between 80 and 160 miles and can recharge over a lunch break using Lightning eMotors DC fast charge infrastructure with integrated vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities.

Available configurations will have between 12 and 33 passenger seats with ADA options available, and bus lengths of 20 to 34 feet. Other features include a modern digital-dash display, hill-hold functionality for safety, advanced telematics, analytics, and a mobile app for drivers and fleet managers. All vehicles will be compliant with the Federal Transit Administrations Buy America and the Federal Aviation Administrations Buy American guidelines.

Forest Rivers 100-plus bus dealership locations throughout the US and Canada will have the opportunity to sell and service these vehicles. Manufacturing of Forest River Lightning EV shuttles has already begun, and Forest River expects to deliver several dozens of the new electric shuttle buses to its dealerships by the end of this year.

Lightning eMotors charging division, Lightning Energy, will offer a comprehensive suite of charging and charging infrastructure related products and services to Forest River dealers and shuttle-bus operators.
Volkswagen has launched a digital transformation push across its assembly plants in the United States and Mexico. As part of Volkswagens estimated $1-billion investment in electric mobility and digitalization in North America up to 2025, the company is working to bring technologies such as cloud-based industrial software, intelligent robotics and artificial intelligence into the factory operations.

The company aims to drive a 30% increase in manufacturing performance for its electric vehicle assembly and large-scale car assembly in Chattanooga, TN, and Puebla, Mexico, by 2025. To accelerate its digital push, Volkswagen also seeks to increase on-site trainings for its North American workforce.

The unified launch of software, AI and robotics could allow Volkswagen to optimize collaboration and enhance the overall assembly process and workplace environment for its employees and suppliers. This could lead to, for example, an even more efficient management of material flows, optimized operation of machines and systems, and increased savings in energy consumption for manufacturing-related processes.

Industrial Cloud. Volkswagen Groups cloud-based IT platform expects to boost global manufacturing performance by sharing data connections, real-time information and software apps for industrial machinery from all connected Volkswagen and supplier facilities. Twenty-one global Volkswagen Group plants and 13 global suppliers have already joined this global IT platform. North American regional suppliers are encouraged to participate.

Volkswagens North American sites are already preparing to deploy software applications from the Industrial Cloud. For example, an intelligent conveyor motor monitoring app could help reducing downtime and supports predictive maintenance technologies. Another example is cameras with machine vision technology that quality-check engine components. Volkswagen teams are working on more than 50 projects, spanning from shop floor management to quality assurance and logistics within the factory.

Intelligent Robotics. Over the past several months, Volkswagen has deployed collaborative robots (cobots) to support its workforce. These cobots perform final inspection checks and measure for gap precision. On the Tiguan line in Puebla, a cobot measures 26 checkpoints in less than a minutethe first application of this technology in the global Volkswagen Group. It is also expected to assist with spot-checking welding patterns when the ID.4 electric SUV begins assembly in Chattanooga in 2022an enhancement that will further support Volkswagen quality standards in manufacturing.

Artificial Intelligence. A new artificial intelligence tool, developed in-house at Volkswagens AI Detroit center, will help supervisors manage factory schedules in Chattanooga. This type of technology is designed to reduce the amount of time that supervisors spend balancing inputs like training levels, time off and other factors. The AI scheduler can analyze all key variables and provide suggested schedules within minutes of a request.
FALLS VILLAGE  The Jupiter String Quartet (Nelson Lee and Meg Freivogel, violinists; Liz Freivogel, viola; and Daniel McDonough, cello) makes its debut at Music Mountain Aug. 22 at 3 p.m., performing a program with works by Fanny Mendelssohn, Florence Price, Felix Mendelssohn, and Judd Greenstein.

The concert will be presented for a live, in-person audience and as a free livestream online, available to watch at www.musicmountain.org in real time and for one week after the performance.

From Music Mountain: Fanny Mendelssohns Quartet in E-flat Major was composed in 1834 and is one of the first surviving string quartets written by a woman. Felix Mendelssohns Quartet in F minor, Op. 80 - his sixth and final string quartet - was composed in 1847 and is the composers last major work completed before his death that same year. Stricken with grief after the loss of his beloved sister Fanny, he wrote this dramatic and heartrending piece as an homage to her memory.

Florence Prices Five Folksongs in Counterpoint features complex and rich interpretations on simple folk tunes, and of his Four on the Floor, Judd Greenstein notes, I ask the quartet to sound like a sextet, or perhaps an octet, through the frequent use of double stops (where players play on more than one string at once). The result is a thick texture thats constantly moving and shifting while the staggered rhythms drive the piece forward. Its ridiculously virtuosic, requiring remarkable individual energy and endurance and a degree of precision that only a top-rate string quartet can provide.

The Jupiter is a particularly intimate group, consisting of violinists Nelson Lee and Meg Freivogel, violist Liz Freivogel, Megs older sister, and cellist Daniel McDonough, Megs husband, Lizs brother-in-law. Now enjoying their 19th year together, this ensemble is firmly established as an important voice in the world of chamber music.

Their chamber music honors and awards include the grand prizes in the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition; the Young Concert Artists International auditions in New York City; the Cleveland Quartet Award from Chamber Music America; an Avery Fisher Career Grant; and a grant from the Fromm Foundation. From 2007-2010, they were in residence at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Centers Chamber Music Two.

The Jupiter String Quartet feels a particular connection to the core string quartet repertoire; they have presented the complete Bartok and Beethoven string quartets on numerous occasions. Also strongly committed to new music, they have commissioned works by Syd Hodkinson, Hannah Lash, Dan Visconti, Mark Adamo, Pierre Jalbert, and Kati Agocs.

The quartets latest album a collaborative recording with the Jasper String Quartet, was released in February 2021 on Marquis Classics. It features the world premiere of Dan Viscontis Eternal Breath along with Osvaldo Golijovs Last Round and Mendelssohns Octet in E-flat, Op. 20. Their recent album, Metamorphosis (Marquis Classics, 2020), includes Beethovens Quartet Op. 131 and Ligetis Quartet No. 1 Metamorphoses nocturnes. Other recordings on Marquis include Alchemy with Australian pianist Bernadette Harvey (2019), Shostakovich & Britten (2007), and Mendelssohn & Beethoven (2009). The quartets discography also includes releases on Azica Records and Deutsche Grammophon.

Music Mountain, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, began as the unique vision of Jacques Gordon, Chicago Symphony concertmaster from 1921 to 1930 and the founding first violinist of the Gordon String Quartet, one of the leading quartets of its time. The buildings at Music Mountain form a well-designed campus in the Colonial Revival style. They were built by Sears, Roebuck & Companys pre-fabricated housing division and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, artistic director Oskar Espina-Ruiz and Music Mountains dedicated board of directors steer Music Mountain through a period of continued growth.

For tickets, go to www.musicmountain.org/event-detail.php?id=21
GREENWICH  This years selection for the Greenwich Reads Together program is described as an uplifting fiction title that would engage the community in programs and discussions as part of the community-wide reading event.

The choice of Deacon King Kong, a novel by award-winning author James McBride, was announced Wednesday morning as organizers invited residents to dig into the story.

Greenwich Library said the book is a story of New York City, a story of the universal struggles we all face, and a story that demonstrates that love and faith live in all of us.

The novel was chosen by the Greenwich Reads Together selection committee, led by librarian Siobhan Schugmann.

We briefly solicited suggestions from the community, but most of the 20 books we considered came from the selection committee itself, said Kate Petrov, Greenwich Librarys public relations officer. We asked them to bring one to two books published within the last two years that they thought would best meet the criteria and engage the community. This resulted in better qualified suggestions and allowed us to compress the timeline. All of the members are avid and active readers with deep literary knowledge.

To qualify for Greenwich Reads Together, a book must be of literary quality, reflective of universal issues and capable of generating thought-provoking discussions. It also must lend itself to engaging public programs and appeal to a diverse population. The selection must be in print and available in large quantities and in multiple formats, including eBook, audiobook and large print.

The committee felt strongly that in the midst of a difficult year, an uplifting fiction title would fit the mood and engage the community, Petrov said. Right from the start, Deacon King Kong was a favorite.

McBride is also the author of The Color of Water, the memoir that launched his literary career, as well as The Good Lord Bird, the winner of the National Book Award for Fiction that was turned into a Showtime limited series starring Ethan Hawke and Daveed Diggs.

McBride will come to Greenwich as part of the programming for Greenwich Reads Together. He is slated to speak before an in-person audience in the librarys new Berkley Theater on Oct. 27.

The library is absolutely thrilled to host McBride, Petrov said. Registration will open in October.

His appearance will also be live-streamed from the new theater, which was a major part of the recently completed reimagining project at Greenwich Library.

The bestselling Deacon King Kong won the Ansfield-Wolf Book Award for fiction and the Gotham Book Prize. It was also a recommended title from former President Barack Obama and the legendary Oprahs Book Club.

The library said the book is a funny, moving novel that begins when a cranky old church deacon known as Sportcoat walks into the courtyard of the Cause Houses housing complex in south Brooklyn in 1969 and shoots a drug dealer at point-blank range.

The reasons for and consequences of his actions make up the plot of Deacon King Kong.

The book brings to vivid life the people affected by the shooting: the victim, the African American and Latinx residents who witnessed it, the white neighbors, the local cops assigned to investigate, the members of the Five Ends Baptist Church where Sportcoat was deacon, the neighborhoods Italian mobsters, and Sportcoat himself, the library said.

Greenwich Reads Together, sponsored every year by the Friends of Greenwich Library, is designed as a community wide reading experience that engages all of Greenwich in exploring a single book.

In 2020, two books were chosen, the nonfiction titles Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder and Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. More than 20 community organizations held events, with thousands of residents participating, according to Greenwich Library. But this year, there will be fewer events.

In a change from years past, were looking to center this initiative around an exciting talk delivered by this nationally recognized author rather than complementary programs, Petrov said. With the in-person and streaming option, we hope to extend the reach of this event to as much of the community as possible.

Copies of the book are available at the Greenwich Library and all of its branches. It is also available in an ebook format.

A discussion guide for the book along with interviews, reviews and suggestions for additional reading can be found at www.greenwichreadstogether.org.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com




Haiti - Security : Fred en route to northern Haiti





This morning at 5 a.m., the center of Tropical Storm Fred was located near latitude 18.0 north and longitude 68.2 west (off the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic). Fred is moving west-northwest at nearly 16 mph (26 km/h), and general west-northwest movement is expected to start later today and continue over the next few days. On track, Fred's center is expected to be near or over Hispaniola later today, move near the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas on Thursday, and move north of the coast. north of central Cuba on Friday.



Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts. Some weakening is likely as the system interacts with Hispaniola later in the day.



Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 45 miles (75 km) from the center.



Recall that Haiti has been placed on yellow alert https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34451-haiti-security-haiti-on-yellow-alert.html and that the storm should mainly affect the departments of the north east, of north, of northwest in the day Wednesday evening or Thursday night with major threats from landslides and flooding, especially in the northern part of the country.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - USA : 2 American Senators plead the cause of Haiti with Joe Biden (letter)





In correspondence to President Joe Biden, US Senators Marco Rubio and Robert Menendez plead the cause of Haiti and request to assist the Haitian authorities in their investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moise; to engage in a diplomatic effort with a wide range of democratic actors in Haitian society to establish the consensus and confidence necessary for the holding of the elections and finally to aggressively use sanctions and other authorities to refuse visas and freeze the assets of those responsible for the violence in Haiti. Letter that we reproduce below for the benefit of our readers



Letter from Senators Marco Rubio and Robert Menendez: :



"President Joe Biden

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20500



Dear Mr. President:



August 9, 2021



We write to express our deep concern with the political and security crisis in Haiti and the heinous assassination of President Jovenel Moise and attack on First Lady Martine Moise. Given that Haitis caretaker authorities have requested our assistance, there is an important role for the United States to play in helping our close neighbor in the aftermath of this tragedy.



We urge your administration to assist the Haitian authorities as they investigate this brutal attack and to cooperate with international partners to ensure justice and accountability for all individuals involved. We further implore your administration, in coordination with international partners, to engage in a diplomatic effort with a broad range of democratic actors across Haitian society to build the consensus and confidence needed to hold credible presidential and parliamentary elections. As part of this effort, the United States should work with the United Nations and partner nations to help address the alarming levels of criminal violence that have terrorized Haitis population and displaced tens of thousands of people. We recognize that this is a daunting challenge which will not be achieved quickly.



Over the past year, Haiti has experienced a startling rise in criminal activity, kidnappings, human rights violations, and a growing humanitarian crisis. President Moises murder is only the latest in a wave of uncontrolled violence. In recent weeks, more than 20 Haitians were killed in Port-au-Prince, including human rights activist Antoinette Duclaire, who was brutally shot to death. We encourage you to aggressively use sanctions and other authorities to deny visas to and freeze the assets of the individuals responsible for these barbaric attacks.



Amidst this climate of violence more than 13,000 who were displaced during the month of June. Millions of Haitians lack access to food, water, fuel, and other basic items. Growing popular frustration and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to a widespread loss of hope in the country and daily street protests. The United States should continue to work with Haitian civil society and the international community to help respond to urgent humanitarian needs while promoting self-reliance.



We strongly support free and fair presidential and legislative elections in Haiti as a necessary step to overcome the current political crisis. However, an electoral process will only be successful if it is deemed credible by the majority of Haitians, meets international standards, and facilitates the participation of a wide range of political and civic actors. Less than 25 percent of Haitis electorate participated in the countrys last elections, underscoring a widespread lack of



trust in the process. We urge your administration to work with our diplomatic partners to engage Haitian political leaders, civil society, the private sector, and traditionally underrepresented populations in order to forge a broader social consensus in support of new elections and a consensus agenda for the current interim government. We believe the integrity and inclusivity of this process is essential to an outcome that has public confidence and support.



Additionally, we firmly believe that a safe and secure environment is essential to ensure that Haitians can actively participate in their countrys democratic process. The United States should continue to work with the international community to help the Haitian National Police (HNP) to facilitate acceptable electoral conditions, to fully investigate and prosecute the assassination of President Moise, and improve the professionalism of its force to effectively protect Haitians. Given our geographic proximity to Haiti, the ongoing pandemic, as well as previous instances of mass migration from Haiti, this is a pressing national security concern.



Considering the urgency of the situation, we respectfully request that you accelerate efforts to nominate a new U.S. Ambassador to Haiti. As Ambassador Michele Sison has been nominated for a new position in the State Department, it is imperative that our embassy not have a lapse in leadership during this critical time. As you consider candidates to serve as our next ambassador, we encourage you to select someone with a deep understanding of the country, extensive diplomatic experience responding to crises, and a record of effective collaboration with civil society and multilateral institutions.



Congress has provided billions of dollars in assistance to the Haitian people in response to disasters, both natural and man-made. This assistance has made the U.S. the single largest source of humanitarian assistance to Haiti. This includes assistance for improving access to agricultural markets, preventing and responding to gender-based violence, and improving access to public health services. The United States has also provided support to the Haitian National Police, which increased its force to more than 15,000 officers and built new commissariats in regions previously without a police presence. At the same time, it is important to ensure that our investments do not perpetuate Haitis dependency on foreign assistance or empower those who have cared more about enriching themselves than improving the lives of the Haitian people.



A safe, prosperous, and democratic Haiti is in the best interest of the United States and the Western Hemisphere. We therefore urge you to stand in solidarity with the Haitian people. We know you share our commitment to help enable the Haitian people to choose their next leaders in a free, fair and transparent manner. We thank you for your attention to this important matter and look forward to working with you to advance and uphold stability and democracy in our hemisphere.



Sincerely,



Marco Rubio U.S. Senator

Robert Menendez U.S. Senator "






















Haiti - Assassination of the President : Colombian detainees are doing well and are safe





The Honorary Consul of Colombia in Haiti, Julio Cesar Santa, visited on Saturday August 7 the 18 Colombians detained by the police authorities for their alleged involvement in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise



"Our consul in Haiti visited the 18 Colombians detained in Port-au-Prince this Saturday. He indicated that they have received a medical evaluation, that they are in better health and that they are isolated from the rest of the prison population in an appropriate place", wrote on Sunday the Vice-President of Colombia and Minister of Foreign Affairs Marta Lucia Ramirez on his official Twitter account.



Marta Lucia Ramirez met once again with the Ambassador of Haiti in Colombia, Jean Mary Exil, and reiterated her demand to guarantee dignified and safe conditions of detention for the Colombians detained in Haiti and informed that, in the next days, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Echeverri will visit Haiti, accompanied by a delegation of relatives concerning the repatriation in the coming days of the bodies of Colombians killed during clashes with the Haitian security forces, following the assassination of the Haitian President.



"Today, I met the families of nationals detained and deceased in Haiti. I told them that we will not leave them alone in this process and I stressed that the situation has been unfair with our country : the world has once again pointed the finger at Colombia and this image is negative for the country", Chancellor Ramirez reported on her Twitter account. She also insisted that the Colombians detained will benefit from a legal defense.



Read also on the assassination of President Moise :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34386-haiti-flash-until-the-last-moment-president-moise-hoped-for-the-intervention-of-security-agents.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34351-haiti-flash-all-the-arrested-colombian-ex-soldiers-were-aware-of-a-plan-to-kill-president-moise.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34339-haiti-flash-official-report-by-dimitri-herard-on-the-assassination-of-president-moise.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34331-haiti-flash-arrest-of-the-presidential-security-coordinator-jean-laguel-civil.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34299-haiti-flash-7-of-the-colombians-arrested-had-received-american-military-training.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34296-haiti-flash-the-company-which-participated-in-the-financing-of-the-operation-knew-nothing-about-the-assassination-of-president-moise.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-34278-haiti-national-funeral-note-from-the-first-lady-martine-moise.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-34238-haiti-flash-monitoring-of-investigations-into-the-assassination-of-president-jovenel-moise.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34225-haiti-notice-the-pnh-is-looking-for-3-dangerous-and-armed-individuals-including-a-former-senator.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-34220-haiti-politic-creation-of-the-organizing-committee-for-the-national-funeral-of-president-moise-text-of-the-decree.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-34217-haiti-flash-the-white-house-does-not-rule-out-sending-troops-to-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34214-haiti-assassination-of-president-a-colombian-team-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34212-haiti-politic-a-large-american-delegation-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-34205-haiti-flash-statements-and-testimony-from-colombia-about-the-commando.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34203-haiti-usa-no-american-military-assistance-for-the-moment.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34201-haiti-flash-authenticated-message-from-the-first-lady-martine-moise-audio.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34199-haiti-assassination-of-the-president-names-of-the-20-members-of-the-commando-arrested-5-others-still-on-the-run.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34193-haiti-flash-the-government-requests-the-sending-of-american-soldiers-to-the-country.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34188-icihaiti-flash-11-mercenaries-arrested-in-the-taiwanese-embassy.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34193-haiti-flash-the-government-requests-the-sending-of-american-soldiers-to-the-country.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34188-icihaiti-flash-11-mercenaries-arrested-in-the-taiwanese-embassy.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34183-haiti-flash-the-commando-that-killed-the-president-included-26-colombians-and-2-haitian-americans-official-video.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34182-icihaiti-assassination-of-president-moise-15-days-of-national-mourning-text-of-the-decree.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34178-haiti-politic-what-measures-contains-the-state-of-siege-text-of-the-decree.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34177-icihaiti-usa-the-pm-met-with-secretary-of-state-anthony-blinken.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34176-haiti-un-the-security-council-condemns-the-assassination-of-president-jovenel-moise.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34174-icihaiti-diplomacythe-assassins-of-moise-were-professional-mercenaries-dixit-bocchit-edmond.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34173-haiti-flash-the-police-intercepts-the-presumed-assassins-of-president-moise-official-video.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34172-haiti-flash-martine-moise-in-florida-for-treatment.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34170-haiti-flash-the-first-lady-martine-moise-would-still-be-alive-but.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34168-haiti-flash-the-state-of-siege-is-declared-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34165-haiti-assassination-of-jovenel-moise-what-says-the-constitution.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34162-haiti-flash-president-jovenel-moise-assassinated-by-mercenaries-official-updated-7am-+-video.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















iciHaiti - Social : 800,000 US dollars for the relocation of displaced people from Martissant





The Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, had an important working session with the representatives of the entities intervening in the management of the displaced persons of Martissant and of the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince.



The Head of Government wanted to inquire about the relocation plan for these people supported by State institutions, in partnership with United Nations organizations.



During this meeting, it was discussed to decide on the budget to be allocated to the rehousing and reintegration of these families. The estimated amount is around 800,000 US dollars.



At the same time, it was decided to reactivate the working group on the management of IDP camps, as well as to take into account the security conditions of the people.



The Government is committed to supporting the efforts of public and international institutions as part of the strategy for the relocation and reintegration of displaced persons.



IH/ iciHaiti






















Haiti - FLASH : 200 First Dominican visas issued to Haitian students





Monday, August 9, during a ceremony at the headquarters of the Haitian Diplomatic Mission in Santo Domingo, in the presence among others of the Ambassador of Haiti to the Dominican Republic Smith Augustin, Giovanni Baez Auffant who represented Luis Perez Cabrera, of the Directorate of Relations with Haiti of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic (MIREX) 200 passports with Dominican visas were handed to Haitian students who are pursuing higher studies in various Dominican universities.



In his remarks for the occasion, Ambassador Smith Augustin stressed the importance of regularizing the student community in the country. Let's recall that the issuance of these first 200 passports with Dominican visa to Haitian students is part of a memorandum of understanding between the Embassy of Haiti and MIREX relating to a first batch of 1,800 visas to Haitian students residing and studying in DR. A promise made by President Luis Abinader which is becoming a reality. Should be noted that since his arrival as Head of Mission in DR, one of Ambassador Augustin's main objectives has been the protection and safety of Haitian students in the country, so that they can complete their studies without migratory difficulties. "This visa issue has already started to be resolved and in the coming weeks we will continue to provide additional visa passports, thanks to the good cooperation between the Embassy of Haiti and MIREX."



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33683-haiti-flash-visa-applications-for-haitian-students-approved-by-the-dominican-authorities.html



S/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Assassination of Jovenel Moise : The judge close to the PHTK

Officials of human rights organizations say they doubt the possibility for Judge Mathieu Chanlatte https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34444-haiti-justice-judge-mathieu-chanlatte-will-investigate-the-case-of-the-assassination-of-the-president-official.html to carry out the investigation of the dossier of the assassination of ex-president Jovenel Moise. In particular, they want as proof the fact that Judge Chanlatte has often behaved like an irresponsible magistrate. This case should be entrusted to an impartial judge, said, for his part, the chairman of the board of Je Klere Foundation, Me Samuel Madistin, stressing that Judge Mathieu Chanlatte, reputed to be close to the PHTK, should not agree to instruct this case.



EDH : Case of the missing 2,032 gallons

The 9,000 gallon diesel truck that had been abandoned on August 5 at the Carrefour 3 site by the driver to escape control, delivered its contents this morning in the presence of a Justice of the Peace. According to the finding, 2,032 gallons were missing out of the 9,000 gallons ordered. The General Directorate of EdH would like to clarify for the general public and customrs in particular that the truck in question is kept on the site of the Jovenel Moise power plant as a guarantee until the missing fuel is handed over to the company. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34418-haiti-flash-edh-power-plants-fuel-theft-network.html



Meeting between Minister Desras and Ambassador of the Republic of China Taiwan

The Minister of Planning and External Cooperation, Me. Simon Dieuseul Desras, met this Monday, August 09, 2021 the Ambassador of the Republic of China Taiwan accredited to Haiti, Mr. Bernard Bang-Zyh Liu around the programs and projects in Classes.



Guadeloupe : The consulate closes

The Consulate General of the Republic of Haiti in Guadeloupe wishes to inform its nationals and the general public that, given the rapid spread of COVID-19, a rise in positive cases this past week and in order to protect users as well as employees, is forced to close its doors for a period of two weeks. The offices will therefore be closed from Wednesday August 11, 2021 and will reopen on Monday August 30, 2021, if conditions are favorable. For all your emergencies, you can contact us at 0690 71-55-65.



TPS Hotline

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) - To reach the TPS hotline at the Embassy of Haiti in Washington DC, please call 202-706-9999 Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST.



100,000 students will receive hot meals

As part of the school feeding program of the World Food Program (WFP), thanks to the Department of Agriculture of the United States of America (USDA - Haiti) about 100,000 students from the departments of Grand'Anse, North and Northeast will receive for the new school year, hot dishes every day.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2021/08/09 | Source

"Police University" tops the Monday-Tuesday dramas.

Advertisement

According to Nielsen Korea, a ratings research company, KBS2's new Monday-Tuesday drama, "Police University" which broadcasted its first episode on the 9th, recorded 5.2% (Ep.1).

This is higher than 2.6% (Ep.1) and 2.2% (Ep.12) recorded by the previous drama, "At a Distance, Spring is Green".

tvN's "You Are My Spring" dropped back to 1.94% (Ep.11) from 2.372% (Ep.10).

Meanwhile, SBS' "Racket Boys" which aired its last episode on the 9th, recorded 4.6% (Ep.16), almost 2% points lower than its highest rating of 6.2% (Ep.5).
Havre Police Department

Officers made a motor vehicle stop at 8:11 a.m. Tuesday on Fifth Avenue and arrested Renee Mary Pruys of Havre, 40, on a charge of criminal contempt after an allegation of missing a 24/7 sobriety program appearance was made at the police department at 8:01 a.m.

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Officers responding to a call at 5:42 p.m. from the 100 Block of First Street West reporting an intoxicated man walking down the alley arrested Raymond Windyboy of Box Elder, 59, on charges of disorderly conduct and open alcohol container.

Hill County Sheriff's Office

Deputies investigated a Tuesday 3:52 p.m. report of suspicious activity on Sixth Street North.

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Deputies investigated a report of vandalism called in Tuesday at 4:16 p.m. by the Beaver Creek Park superintendent.

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Jasmin Shay Demontiney of Box Elder, 25, was arrested on three Justice or City court warrants and a charge of obstructing a peace officer or other public servant after a caller asked Tuesday at 8:12 p.m. for assistance with a family member.

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Treyton Reed Sutherland of Box Elder, 23, was arrested on a state District Court warrant and a Justice or City court warrant served at 9:12 p.m. Tuesday at Hill County Sheriff's Office.

Havre Fire Department

Emergency medical personnel responded to three calls Tuesday and one early this morning.

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Firefighters responded to a fire alarm on the 800 Block of Fourth Street Tuesday at 12:20 p.m. The alarm was triggered by food burning and the crew helped clear the residence of smoke before leaving the scene.

Havre Animal Shelter

The shelter this morning held three 7-week-old kittens, three 13-week-old kittens, one 9-week-old kitten, three 16-week-old kittens and one 12-week-old kitten all of unknown gender, six female cats, one female 22-week-old kitten and three male cats. A male 13-week-old kitten and a male 15-week-old kitten were being held separately.

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The shelter also held three female and two male 9-week-old puppies, a female 17-week-old puppy, a female Doberman pinscher dog, a male mixed-breed dog, a male husky dog and a male Australian cattle dog-blue heeler mix.
Rocky Mountain Goosefoot, a common weed across Montana, can accumulate nitrite during draught conditions that can be harmful for livestock.

From MSU News Service

BOZEMAN - Due to the extended drought in Montana, water availability in many areas has become severely limited. Reservoirs have dried up and are becoming covered in weeds. Montana State University Extension educators are cautioning livestock managers to evaluate weed feed and grazing land for nitrate toxicity during drought.

"Due to the severe drought, weeds have become prevalent across pastures and many producers are limited in their cattle movement this year," said Custer County Extension Agent Mike Schuldt.

Although weeds can be high in protein and energy for livestock, caution should be used when cattle are grazing weedy areas or are fed weedy hay, Extension Beef Cattle Specialist Megan Van Emon said. Some weeds, including kochia, prostrate knotweed, Rocky Mountain goosefoot and lambs quarter, accumulate nitrate during draught conditions. These weeds may be the only green feed available, and livestock often gravitate to green areas to graze.

Recently, Schuldt and Van Emon investigated a weedy reservoir and collected samples for nitrates. When analyzed through a Nitrate Strip Test, the Rocky Mountain goosefoot had approximately 50,000 ppm of nitrate and the lambs quarter and knotweed had approximately 10,000 ppm of nitrate. Van Emon said these levels are extremely high and should not be fed to livestock. Nitrate Strip Tests are available at MSU Extension county offices.

"These weeds were extremely worrisome due to their ability to accumulate nitrates, and this became more apparent after we watched a cow grazing in the area and eating the Rocky Mountain goosefoot," Van Emon said. "The producer indicated that these weeds are normally not present and when traveling through the pasture, the goosefoot and lambs quarter were not observed anywhere other than the dried reservoir."

Ideally, feed or grazing pasture for livestock should contain less than 1,500 ppm of nitrate, said Van Emon. As the concentration of nitrate increases, more risk is associated with providing those feeds to livestock. Van Emon recommends keeping livestock away from feed that has nitrate concentrations over 10,000 ppm.

"The recommendation to the producer was to remove the cattle from the area of concern or fence off the reservoir to reduce the risk of cattle grazing the weeds," Schuldt said. "Nitrate concentrations at that level are concerning and nitrate toxicity symptoms and death can occur rapidly."

Symptoms of nitrate toxicity in livestock include labored breathing, muscle tremors, weakness and staggering gait. If these symptoms are observed, remove the nitrate-containing feed or move the livestock out of the pasture and contact a veterinarian for a treatment plan right away. When moving cattle from a high-nitrate feed area, move them slowly, as moving livestock too quickly can exacerbate the symptoms.
Blaine County Health Department is celebrating Fair Week by offering COVID-19 vaccines at the Blaine County Fair Friday, Aug. 13, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Commercial Building.

The total number of cases of COVID-19 in Montana on the state map after todays update was 119,123 with 376 new cases, 2,523 active. The number of active hospitalizations was 164. The number of deaths was 1,726.

Blaine County Health Department reported Tuesday evening being notified of 2 new cases from Saturday through Tuesday, 4 active, no active hospitalizations listed, 854 total cases, 24 deaths.

Hill County Health Department reported Tuesday evening that 5 new cases were reported, 33 active, no active hospitalizations, 2,027 total cases, 46 deaths.

Rocky Boy, reported Tuesday, also reported on either Chouteau or Hill County numbers, 1 new case, 3 active, 2 active on Rocky Boys Indian Reservation, no active hospitalizations, 801 total cases. It has had 7 deaths.

Fort Belknap, reported Tuesday evening, also reported on either Blaine or Phillips County numbers, no new cases, none active, no active hospitalizations, 511 total cases, 12 deaths.

Liberty County, reported on the state update this morning, had 1 new case, 10 active, 132 total cases, 1 death.

Chouteau County, reported on the state update this morning, had no new cases, 1 active, 520 total cases, 7 deaths.

People can visit the state tracking map, normally updated between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. each day, online through links at https://montana.maps.arcgis.com and at https://covid19.mt.gov .

People can find online where vaccines are available in their area through https://vaccinefinder.org, operated by Bostons Childrens Hospital and supported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Digital Service.
Dear Editor: I want to thank Editor Clay Lambert for his column on me getting my first vacci
Trent Forrest is back under contract with the Jazz on a new two-way contract, according to the official transactions log at NBA.com.

Forrest, 23, initially signed a two-way deal with Utah last November after going undrafted out of Florida State. The 64 guard appeared in 30 games for the team as a rookie, averaging 2.9 PPG, 1.5 APG, and 1.5 RPG in 10.1 minutes per contest.

Prior to free agency, the Jazz issued qualifying offers to both of their two-way players, Forrest and Jarrell Brantley. Because Brantley had spent two seasons on a two-way contract with Utah, his qualifying offer  which he accepted  was equivalent to a one-year, minimum-salary deal with a partial guarantee. Forrests was for another two-way deal, so its possible he just accepted that QO rather than negotiating a new two-way agreement.

As our two-way contract tracker shows, the Jazz still have one open two-way slot with Forrest back in the fold.
Pipeline

11 August 2021

Radisson Hotel Group (www.RadissonHotelGroup.com) is proud to announce the signing of Radisson Hotel Middelburg as part of the Group's ambitious expansion plan in South Africa. Set to open at the end of 2023, the hotel boosts the Group's South African portfolio to 16 hotels in operation and under development. It also places the Group firmly on track to reach its ambition of 150 hotels in operation and under development across Africa within the next five years.

The contemporary new-build, 150-room hotel will be located within walking distance of the town's major shopping complex, the Middelburg Mall, home to over 140 stores, including all South Africa's renowned retail brands, as well as an array of eateries and banking services. Middelburg is located just off the N4, one of South Africa's national roads, giving the town access to many nearby towns and larger cities such as Emalahleni, Nelspruit, Pretoria, and Johannesburg. The town itself is less than two hours away from Johannesburg, while the hotel itself is located just 90 minutes from Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport, and just over a two hour drive from the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport in Nelspruit.

Conveniently located within the hotel, the restaurant and bar as well as the lobby lounge and pool bar will offer guests a variety of wholesome cuisine and refreshing drinks. In addition, Radisson Hotel Middelburg will feature a fitness facility, swimming pool, and pool terrace to provide guests with the ideal work/life balance, in true Radisson style.

Middelburg is a growing town situated in the cultural heartland of the Mpumalanga Province, located north of the Gauteng Province in South Africa, bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. The town is a mining and manufacturing hub for Mpumalanga, home to Columbus Stainless Steel, South Africa and the continent's only producer of stainless-steel flat products. Home to a variety of major companies, most of which relate to the mining industry, Mpumalanga is the country's primary coal mining area, estimated to produce over 80% of its coal. Middelburg also serves as a stopover point for many travellers along the N4 and N11, linking Pretoria, Johannesburg, Nelspruit, Mozambique, and Durban.
Appointment

11 August 2021

Sebastian Hinsch has joined the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle as General Manager.

Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil and raised in Hamburg, Germany, Sebastian's journey with Four Seasons began in 2001 at The Pierre Hotel in New York, formerly a Four Seasons property, as Assistant Food and Beverage Manager.

From there, his career has took him across the globe to Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, Australia, before returning to the US at Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole and Four Seasons Hotel Houston.

After Houston, Sebastian moved to Hawaii as Director of Food and Beverage at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. This was followed by a promotion to Hotel Manager at The Ritz Carlton Hotel Chicago (formerly a Four Seasons hotel), and later Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills under the same position.

Most recently, Sebastian worked as Resort Manager of the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, a position he held since 2017. In 2020, he led the team as acting General Manager through a USD 120 million dollar renovation of the property.

Sebastian has a Bachelor's Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Administration from Hamburger Hotel Berufsschule.
Supplier News

11 August 2021

BETHESDA, Maryland and SEATTLE, Washington  React Mobile, the most trusted provider of hotel panic button solutions, and Curator Hotel & Resort Collection (Curator) today announced a partnership agreement that enables hotels in the Collection to use React Mobiles best-in-class safety device platform to keep their employees safe. Hoteliers within Curator can deploy React Mobiles GPS geolocation and Bluetooth beacon technology to provide unparalleled accuracy to locate an employee in distress. The company has the largest hotel customer base of any panic button technology.

Curator is pleased to partner with React Mobile to help our member hotels protect their employees, said Austin Segal, Curators Vice President. React Mobile is no stranger to many of Curators properties, having been deployed in 36 hotels to date. We are confident in their ability to deliver cost-effective and accurate safety solutions, and we look forward to working with them to protect our members most vital asset  their staff.

Participating Curator members can equip their employees with a discreetly wearable LTE panic button device that can quickly be tapped when help is needed. Each button has its own unique employee identification. Small battery-operated Bluetooth beacons in each room provide the employees location. The alert and location are sent over the local LTE network to the hotels security network so the management team knows exactly who needs help and where. While the alert is active, the system tracks the location of the employee in real-time. React Mobiles flexible cloud-based platform enables Curator hotels to customize the software and integrate with other systems already in use. The React Mobile Dispatch Center will configure a hotels response team and notification lists, actively monitor beacons and buttons for connectivity and battery life, issue alerts, update responders in real time, and track and log all alert history.

React Mobile is proud to be Curator Hotel & Resort Collections preferred partner for employee safety devices, said React Mobile CEO John Stachowiak. Implementing technology post-pandemic can be a daunting task, but with employee safety at risk, especially in a hotel environment, it is critical. React Mobile is making its alert buttons easier and more cost-effective to deploy. Not only will our solution equip employees at Curator hotels with much-needed  and government-mandated  safety devices, but by investing in employees personal safety, React Mobile will have a positive impact on new hire attraction and job retention.

Curator Hotel & Resort Collection is an owner-centric hospitality platform that offers a competitive alternative for independent lifestyle hotels wishing to amplify their performance. Curator provides member hotels with best-in-class operating agreements, services, technology, and other benefits while associating together as part of the Curator Hotel & Resort Collectionallowing members to retain their independence and what makes them unique.

Today, React Mobile is providing panic button solutions to the finest hotels in the country, with more than 600 hotel customers representing 110,000 rooms covered and more than 50,000 panic buttons deployed. For a video description of React Mobile, click here.

About Curator Hotel & Resort Collection

Curator Hotel & Resort Collection is a distinct collection of hand-selected small brands and independent lifestyle hotels and resorts worldwide, founded by Pebblebrook Hotel Trust and seven industry-leading hotel operators. Curator provides lifestyle hotels the power to compete together while allowing its members the freedom to retain what makes their hotels unique. It offers independent lifestyle hotels the benefits of associating with other unique lifestyle hotels and brands while participating in best-in-class operating agreements, services, and technology. In addition to Pebblebrook, the founding members of Curator include Benchmark Global Hospitality, Davidson Hospitality Group, Noble House Hotels & Resorts, Provenance, Sage Hospitality Group, Springboard Hospitality, and Viceroy Hotels & Resorts. For more information, visit www.curatorhotelsandresorts.com.

About React Mobile

Founded in 2013, React Mobile is a global leader in providing panic button solutions for hotels. Our best-in-class hospitality safety platform helps hotels keep their employees safe. The React Mobile system is an open and flexible platform that allows management to deploy response resources to the exact location of an emergency within seconds of an alert, getting help to where its needed anywhere on or off property. In an emergency quick response times are essential and React Mobile provides the tools for a rapid response. For more information, visit http://www.reactmobile.com.

About Pebblebrook Hotel Trust

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE: PEB) is a publicly-traded real estate investment trust (REIT) and the largest owner of urban and resort lifestyle hotels in the United States. The Company owns 52 hotels, totaling approximately 12,800 guest rooms across 14 urban and resort markets with a focus on the west coast gateway cities. For more information, visit www.pebblebrookhotels.com and follow us at @PebblebrookPEB.
Supplier News

11 August 2021

As aoutiens enter the second week of their holidays, a new study from SiteMinder, the world's largest open hotel commerce platform, provides insight into the extent that French citizens are now re-embracing travel after a period of disruption. SiteMinders Changing Traveller Report 2021: France Edition, based on the survey responses of more than 900 holidaymakers, has found that over 3-in-4 locals hope to travel either the same amount (43%) or more (33%) than prior to Covid in the coming year.

Only 6.5% of the French travelling population plans to travel much less. Significantly, only 2.35% claim they will never travel again following the pandemic, which is down from almost 8% in SiteMinders 2020 survey.

The data follows the growing trend of summer travellers taking to the road in large numbers. The grown desire to travel, however, is surpassed only by traveller expectations on accommodation providers, according to SiteMinders study. Nearly all respondents (95%) say they now expect either higher (43%) or the same (53%) accommodation standards compared to pre-pandemic times, while less than 5% currently have lower or much lower standards.

For SiteMinder, the findings illustrate both the speed at which locals are now re-engaging with traveloften at very short noticeand the growing pressures that accommodation providers are now under to meet the heightened standards of their guests.

What we see in this fresh data is evidence of the revenge travel many expected would boom this summer across France  which involves the urge to make up for lost time and compensate for trips missed, says Antoine Aubrun, Country Manager of France at SiteMinder. While this is pleasing news for our hotels, the last-minute nature of the travel taking place, as well as the changed attitudes of the local holidaymakers, highlights often unseen pressures that French operators are currently under.

Bookings are often being made just days before a trip commences, which, combined with the importance displayed in our survey of having an easily cancellable stay, means hoteliers are often left with both an uncertain calendar, and very limited preparation time, adds Aubrun. When they do arrive, the expectations of guests are now higher across the board, too. One example of this is the increased desire to have an experience that is contactless. In 2020, this was the top priority for less than 1% of the travelling population we surveyed, while this year it is the top priority of more than seven times that number. Beyond hygiene and convenience, expectations around a stay being memorable and personalised have risen sharply as well.

Meeting the demands of the new French traveller

Positively for the French accommodation providers accommodating these guests, SiteMinders report points to the many travellers who support their personal data being used to better their stay. Almost 80% of French locals (79.48%) are not opposed to their personal data being used to improve their visit, which SiteMinder says provides a tangible example of something hoteliers can leverage to meet the new standards expected of them.

To keep pace and ensure that they are maintaining a solid reputation, hoteliers must be on the lookout for ways to elevate their offering, and using smart technology that can provide guest insights, and help ease their workload, is no longer negotiable, says Aubrun. Travel looks different, and businesses that are leaning into technology to streamline their operations, reacting fastest to last-minute bookers, and gaining a deeper understanding of their guests via data, are ultimately setting themselves up for greater success.

The findings from SiteMinders survey affirm the information contained in the companys World Hotel Index, which shows that the booking momentum to French hotels in recent weeks has hit a new high for the first time since March 2020. Over 70% of bookings made in the last 14 days were for stays in August, according to the data, and approximately 60% of stays for the remainder of the month are from the countrys own people.

SiteMinders French survey is also largely consistent with findings in Spain and Germany, where 70% and 58% of travellers respectively see themselves travelling either the same amount or more than prior to Covid in the coming year, and 98% and 95% now have the same or higher expectations of accommodation standards.

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.
Press Release

11 August 2021

As part of their continued commitment to education, ANI Private Resorts (ANI) has announced new initiatives delivering $500,000 in school facilities and computers to each of their local communities in Anguilla, The Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Fundedcompletely by ANI Private Resorts and the Tim Reynolds Foundation, these four local projects include new computer labs to help expand Computer Science education, as well as other educational facility improvements including upgrading libraries, and classrooms.

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These initiatives are in addition to the already built and operating ANI Art Academies, which offer an intensive multi-year drawing and painting program, completely tuition-free, in each of ANIs four communities, as well as two schools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the United States. In combination with the education program, the academies help the students market and sell their works through exhibitions, and online through ANI Private Resorts website: ANI Art Gallery. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of all artworks go directly to the artists.

The selection and quality of artwork from the students at all six of ANI Art Academies is quite remarkable. We will continue to graduate great artists through the Academies for decades and are excited by the new facilities being built to expand our educational initiatives within local communities, noted Tim Reynolds, Founder of ANI Private Resorts and the ANI Art Academies.

We built ANI Private Resorts and ANI Art Academies in exotic, naturally beautiful and unspoiled destinations, where locals warmly welcome travelers. While relative isolation has preserved these charming cultures, that same isolation hinders economic opportunity and local schools remain underfunded. ANI is committed to elevating the communities we share with locals and by delivering computers and developing computer science facilities, students will have the ability to learn and make a good living without having to leave their communities.

Construction begins in Q3 2021, with the building of a computer lab in Anguilla and similar projects in Sri Lanka. ANI is also designing and building a new elementary school in the town of Rio San Juan, where the ANI Dominican Republic Private Resort and ANI Art Academy are currently operating. ANI is also working with Thai educators to determine the best use of ANIs $500,000 contribution. With proven expertise in remote building and education, ANI is committed to providing their local community schools with finished buildings, infrastructure, and computers for many years to come.

For more information on ANI Art Academies, please visit www.aniartacademies.org. For more information or to make reservations with ANI Private Resorts please call (888) 302-6651, email [email protected] or visit www.aniprivateresorts.com.
Press Release

11 August 2021

After seven years since initiating its corporate social responsibility programme, BE Health, Kempinski Hotels has decided to fully rework the details and guidelines in order to open the scope of the programme. Instead of focusing exclusively on diseases like tuberculosis, HIV and malaria, from now on BE Health includes fighting all communicable and non-communicable diseases. This allows all Kempinski hotels globally to set up a local CSR project in line with local health needs and provides the opportunity to create, implement, raise funds and spend these for a local public health concern under the name of BE Health.

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While we focused on several projects in Bangkok and Djibouti in the past, we realised that it would be much more meaningful for all hotel teams to dedicate their CSR efforts to their local community and their own country, explains Anne-Marie Bettex, Managing

Director BE Health. Under the joint global vision of BE Health that health is contagious, all our hotels will work towards the mutual goal to foster health prevention. By empowering team members within the company to implement local healthcare projects in their own markets, they care for the wellbeing of those who are outside, building a bridge between their workplace and their local surroundings.

"I am very happy to see that the new BE Health programme is now extended with a broader scope that will reach local communities where Kempinski Hotels operate. I have full confidence in Anne-Marie Bettex's leadership in making the new programme a success, adds Hadrian Beltrametti-Walker, Executive Vice President and General Counsel Kempinski Hotels and in charge of sustainability at the luxury hotel group.

To ensure that all CSR projects are aligned, Kempinski hotels commit to the high-quality standards set by the BE Health programme and follow the respective guidelines. Among others, they consent that each initiative is meaningful for both the hotels management and employees since a positive impact from a common project gives meaning to everyones daily life at work. A clearly defined purpose, concrete objectives and activities as well as tangible results will guarantee the successful continuation of the Health is Contagious vision of BE Health in the future.
Press Release

11 August 2021

The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), South Asias largest hospitality company, reported its consolidated financials for the first quarter ending June 30th, 2021.

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- Revenues up by 111% to 370 crore in Q1 FY 2021-22 vs Q1 FY 2020-21

- Taj, IHCLs iconic luxury brand, rated as the Worlds Strongest Hotel Brand and Indias Strongest Hospitality Brand by Brand Finance in 2021

- Signs two new hotels including a 775-room hotel in partnership with Bengaluru Airport City Limited (BACL)

- Opened three new hotels - Year to date (YTD) across brands including:

Vivanta Thiruvananthapuram , a new landmark in the heart of the city

, a new landmark in the heart of the city Pilibhit House, an IHCL SeleQtions hotel, on the banks of the Ganges in Haridwar

on the banks of the Ganges in Haridwar Strengthened presence in East India with the launch of Vivanta Bhubaneswar

Expanded the ama Stays & Trails homestay portfolio with the opening of 11 new villas: two in Goa, one each at Alibaug and Khadakvasla, Maharashtra, and seven in Munnar, Kerala

- IHCLs food delivery platform, Qmin, expanded its offerings with the launch of the first Qmin Food Truck in Mumbai

- In line with its ethos, IHCL continued to assist the communitys battle against COVID-19 by delivering over 4.5 million meals to the medical fraternity across the country and recently 1,50,000 Qmin meals to flood affected areas of Chiplun and Mahad in Maharashtra

Photo: IHCL

Commenting on the Q1 performance, Mr. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL, said, Inspite of the challenges posed by the second wave of the pandemic, the company has doubled its revenue in Q1 as compared to that in the same period last year. This growth is driven by domestic leisure demand. July was a good month and business on the books for August looks promising. New businesses have performed very well.

For every employee at IHCL, our Taj brand being recognized as the Worlds Strongest Hotel Brand in 2021 is not only a moment of pride but also inspires us to continue developing and delivering new customer-centric offerings that are innovative and that leverage the strengths of the growing IHCL hospitality eco-system.

Whilst the effect of COVID-19 continues to impact growth in the hospitality industry, IHCL has seen considerable progress during the first quarter, which accelerated significantly in the month of July.

Mr. Giridhar Sanjeevi, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, IHCL, said, The company continued to be focused on minimizing losses with stringent spend optimization measures. This, coupled with the revenue increase, resulted in reducing the EBITDA loss by half over the first quarter last year.

ANNEXURE I

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF Q1 FY 2021-22

IHCL has opened three new hotels  Year to date (YTD) across brands including: Opened the strategically located bleisure hotel, Vivanta Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala Strengthened Indias religious tourism circuit with the launch of Pilibhit House, an IHCL SeleQtions hotel in Haridwar, Uttarakhand Further tapped into the potential of East India as a business and tourism destination with the launch of Vivanta Bhubaneshwar in Odisha

Year to date (YTD) across brands including:

In line with the companys vision to capture the growing demand for private stays, IHCL has expanded its ama Stays & Trails  Indias first branded homestay portfolio to 44 bungalows with 14 under development with the opening of 11 new villas: two in Goa, one each at Alibaug and Khadakvasla, Maharashtra, and seven in Munnar, Kerala respectively

IHCL has signed two new hotels across the Vivanta and Ginger brands including A 775-room hotel, which will be a combination of a 450-room Vivanta and a 325-room Ginger hotel, at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru in partnership with Bengaluru Airport City Limited Strengthens presence in countrys state capitals with the signing of a Vivanta hotel in Ahmedabad, Gujarat

across the Vivanta and Ginger brands including

Tapping into the demand for innovative food & beverage offerings, IHCL has expanded Qmin  IHCLs food delivery platforms  presence in 18 cities across India with the Qmin app available across six other countries, giving people abroad the opportunity to gift meals to loved ones in India

The company also marked the occasion of Qmins first anniversary with the launch of the first Qmin Food Truck in Mumbai

in Mumbai Announced three strategic leadership roles with focus on customer centricity, diversity and inclusion and institutionalizing owner/partner engagement

Supported the communitys effort in combating the pandemic by delivering over 4.5 million meals to the medical fraternity, and implementing quarantine facilities for asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients across several IHCL hotels. We recently delivered 1,50,000 Qmin meals to flood affected areas of Chiplun and Mahad in Maharashtra

ANNEXURE II

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Taj has been ranked as the Worlds Strongest Hotel Brand 2021 by Brand Finance, the first Indian hospitality company to have achieved this honour.
Supplier News

11 August 2021

Expedia Group Media Solutions, the global travel advertising platform connecting marketers with hundreds of millions of travelers across the Expedia Group brand, today released its Q2 2021 Travel Recovery Trend Report. The quarterly report combines Expedia Group first-party data and custom research with actionable insights to help travel marketers on their road to recovery.

Throughout Q2, we continued to see strong global search growth, rising international searches and lengthening search windows, among other key milestones, said Wendy Olson Killion, Senior Vice President, Media Solutions. Our optimism for the near-term travel rebound remains strong, and the latest Travel Recovery Trend Report will provide travel brands with insight into shifting traveler behaviors and attitudes around the world, while also highlighting industry accomplishments and progress to-date.

Key findings from the Expedia Group Media Solutions Q2 2021 Travel Recovery Trend Report include:

Searches Globally Are Growing

Building on the momentum seen in Q1, monthly global search volumes continued to grow in Q2, increasing more than 70% quarter-over-quarter. The ongoing rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and changes to travel restrictions around the world further drove searches, contributing to steady week-on-week volume. In Q2, positive global search volume was seen during 11 of the 13 weeks in the quarter  a sharp contrast to the fluctuations seen throughout Q1 and 2020.

The sustained quarter-over-quarter global search volumes also align with a more optimistic consumer attitude for post-pandemic travel. According to Expedia Groups Traveler Value Index Research, which surveyed respondents in eight countries around the world, 72% of consumers are planning on traveling over the next 12 months.

Search Windows Lengthening Globally

As travelers continued to opt for trips closer to home in Q2, half of global searches again fell within the 0 to 21 days search window. However, the global search window is lengthening, indicating that traveler confidence is rising, and they are taking advantage of summer travel and starting to plan trips further out. Global searches 22 to 90 days out accounted for more than 35% of searches in Q2, up nearly 25% quarter-over-quarter.

Fifty-five percent of global domestic searches fell within the 0 to 21 days search window, while searches 22 to 90 days out increased by nearly 20% quarter-over-quarter. Global international searches for the 31 to 90 days out search window increased 30% from Q1. In EMEA, searches 22 to 90 days out represented more than 40% of international searches in Q2, up from 15% in Q1.

Positive Signs for International Travel

Although travel shoppers continue to show preference for domestic travel, global international searches in Q2 show signs of a rebound. During multiple weeks in Q2, global international search growth outpaced domestic, likely in part due to broadening global vaccine distribution, growing green lists and easing international travel restrictions in parts of the world.

The positive impact of vaccination progress is visible in Q2 international search data. When compared to search volumes during Q2 2020, EMEA, APAC and LATAM all saw increased search volumes from America in Q2 2021, showing that travel to destinations within these regions represent an attractive opportunity for vaccinated Americans.

Big Cities in the Spotlight

During Q2, beach and city destinations made up the top 10 booked destinations around the world, though more cities are entering the top 10 or moving up in ranking in each region, including Chicago and Atlanta (NORAM); Seoul and Jeju City (APAC); Copenhagen and Paris (EMEA); and Houston and Mexico City (LATAM). New York made the list of top 10 booked destinations globally, and within all regions, except APAC.

Regionally, the top 10 booked destinations were primarily for destinations within the same region, following Q1 trends. However, LATAM travelers booked more international trips in Q2 compared to the predominately regional bookings seen in Q1. New York, Miami, Las Vegas and Orlando appeared on the LATAM top 10 list in Q2, while Houston and San Antonio again made the list.

The growing popularity of city destinations dovetailed with rising hotel demand during Q2. Global hotel demand increased more than 10% quarter-over-quarter, while global hotel length-of-stay remained consistent with the average trip duration seen in Q1.

Renewed Interest in Sustainable Travel

Travelers are increasingly interested in sustainable travel practices, whether thats reducing their carbon footprint or easing the burden of over-tourism in a travel hotspot. Recent research from Expedia Group and Wakefield shows that nearly three in five travelers are willing to pay additional fees so their trip can be more sustainable, indicating that they consider environmental and social consciousness to be worthwhile.

More Q2 2021 Insights

For more data and insights, download the full Q2 2021 Travel Recovery Trend Report here. Check out the Media Solutions blog and connect on Twitter and LinkedIn for more travel trends and insights from custom research and 300 petabytes of exclusive global Expedia Group travel intent and demand data.
Press Release

11 August 2021

HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee, and MILWAUKEE  The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index rose 1.9% in July to a level of 5,086. Year to date through the first seven months of 2021, the stock index was up 11.2%.

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Hotel stocks were positive but performance was mixed in July with the hotel brands significantly outperforming the hotel REITs, said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. While second-quarter earnings so far have exceeded expectations, investors appear to be focused on the potential impact of the Delta variant domestically, how business travel might unfold post-Labor Day, and broader macroeconomic growth concerns. Sentiment toward the global and domestic recoveries appears to have normalized a bit in July, which we believe explains the large divergence in stock price performance between the hotel brands and hotel REITs last month.

Preliminary U.S. performance data for July points to the continued surge in summer leisure travel, although there was some slowing in demand late in the month, which falls in line with historical trends, said Amanda Hite, STR President. At the same time, room rates are at an all-time high on a nominal basis. Outsized leisure travel is driving a demand disparity between strong weekends and softer weekdays, which is a cause for concern as the summer travel season nears its end. The sharp rise in the Delta variant will likely put a damper on the expected business travel rebound post-Labor Day. Also, as more states and markets reinstate mask mandates, and the total cost of travel continues to increase, it is possible that corporate travel managers push business travel back to the early part of 2022.

In July, the Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index fell behind both the S&P 500 (+2.3%) and the MSCI US REIT Index (+4.7%).

The Hotel Brand sub-index increased 5.6% from June to 8,993, while the Hotel REIT sub-index dropped 8.0% to 1,191.

Photo: STR

About the Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index and Sub-Indices

The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index was set to equal 1,000 on 1 January 2000. Last cycle, the Index peaked at 3,178 on 5 July 2007. The Indexs low point occurred on 6 March 2009 when it dropped to 573.

The Hotel Brand sub-index was set to equal 1,000 on 1 January 2000. Last cycle, the sub-index peaked at 3,407 on 5 July 2007. The sub-indexs low point occurred on 6 March 2009 when it dropped to 722.

The Hotel REIT sub-index was set to equal 1,000 on 1 January 2000. Last cycle, the sub-index peaked at 2,555 on 2 February 2007. The sub-indexs low point occurred on 5 March 2009 when it dropped to 298.

The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index and sub-indices are available exclusively on Hotel News Now. The indices are cobranded and were created by Robert W. Baird & Co. (Baird) and STR. The market-cap-weighted, price-only indices comprise 20 of the largest market-capitalization hotel companies publicly traded on a U.S. exchange and attempt to characterize the performance of hotel stocks. The Index and sub-indices are maintained by Baird and hosted on Hotel News Now, are not actively managed, and no direct investment can be made in them.

As of 31 July 2021, the companies that comprised the Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index included: Apple Hospitality REIT, Ashford Hospitality Trust, Chatham Lodging Trust, Choice Hotels International, DiamondRock Hospitality Company, Hersha Hospitality Trust, Hilton Inc., Host Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Hotels, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott International, Park Hotels & Resorts, Inc., Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, RLJ Lodging Trust, Ryman Hospitality Properties, Service Properties Trust, Summit Hotel Properties, Sunstone Hotel Investors, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, and Xenia Hotels & Resorts.

This communication is not a call to action to engage in a securities transaction and has not been individually tailored to a specific client or targeted group of clients. Research reports on the companies identified in this communication are provided by Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, and are available to clients through their Baird Financial Advisor. This communication does not provide recipients with information or advice that is sufficient on which to base an investment decision. This communication does not take into account the specific investment objectives, financial situation or need of any particular client and may not be suitable for all types of investors. Recipients should consider the contents of this communication as a single factor in making an investment decision. Additional fundamental and other analyses would be required to make an investment decision about any individual security identified in this release.

About Baird

Putting clients first since 1919, Baird is an employee-owned, international wealth management, asset management, investment banking/capital markets, and private equity firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Baird has approximately 4,500 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients and more than $350 billion in client assets as of December 31, 2020. Committed to being a great workplace, Baird ranked No. 32 on the 2021 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list. Baird is the marketing name of Baird Financial Group. Bairds principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated in the United States and Robert W. Baird Group Ltd. in Europe. Baird also has an operating subsidiary in Asia supporting Bairds investment banking and private equity operations. For more information, please visit Bairds website at www.rwbaird.com.
Supplier News

11 August 2021

San Diego, CA - Cloudbeds, the fastest growing hospitality management platform today, announced a partnership with Rakuten Travel Xchange, the hotel wholesale and travel technology division within the Rakuten Group. The collaboration connects Cloudbeds with Rakuten Travel, the highly ranked OTA in Japan, and 400+ B2B partners connected worldwide through API connections, travel agent portals, and websites. The unique and diverse distribution channels allow Cloudbeds to extend its reach to the extensive Rakuten Travel Xchange customer base through a single connection. In addition, Rakuten Travel Xchange adds the Cloudbeds inventory of properties that use its award-winning technology platform to manage all aspects of their business, from booking engines to payments.

We are always seeking high-value partners to complement our expanding platform, says Anna Tsujihata, Head of Hotel Contracting and Connectivity, of Rakuten Travel Xchange. With Cloudbeds now part of our global distribution platform, we expand our offerings to travelers seeking unique properties with superior guest experiences.

As global travel reopens, we want our properties to be available to the largest customer base possible, says Sebastian Leitner, VP of Partnerships for Cloudbeds. By partnering with Rakuten Travel Xchange, a major global player and distribution channel in Japan; we significantly increase our global footprint. We are excited to partner with them.

The announcement comes as the pandemic wanes and travel demand is increasing. Since the beginning of the year Rakuten Travel Xchange has seen bookings increase month after month, with strong demands coming from the United States and Mexico in particular. As restrictions have started to lift in other markets, travel in these geographies has followed similar trends. What is clear is that there is a large amount of pent-up demand. Rakuten Travel Xchange is seeing this demand in real-time across its global distribution network.

About Rakuten Travel Xchange

Rakuten Travel Xchange is a hotel distribution service providing travel retailers around the world owned by the Rakuten Group, Inc., a global leader in Internet services. It enables accommodation partners to distribute their inventory through an extensive global distribution network that includes Rakuten Groups branded sites, other online travel agents, wholesalers, airlines, app-only players, loyalty programs, and an assortment of offline retailers including travel agents and call center operators.
The regions largest and most influential business group is urging its member companies to consider requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and suggesting they hold off bringing workers back to offices.

The Greater Houston Partnership, in a letter to members Wednesday, highlighted the surge in COVID-19 cases that is overwhelming hospitals throughout the state as the highly infectious delta variant spreads. More than 2,000 people reported testing positive on Aug. 10 in the Greater Houston area, compared to about 400 a month ago, according to Texas Medical Center data.

The greatly increased transmissibility combined with equal or perhaps worse virulence has led to a severe outbreak among unvaccinated Houstonians, said the letter signed by leaders of the Greater Houston Partnership and major Houston hospitals. While the effects, system by system, are uneven, all of our local hospital systems are dealing with a strain on ICU capacity and a shortage of nurses and other medical staff.

BACK TRACKING: 'I don't want blood on my hands': Delta forces Houston companies to change back-to-office plans

The partnerships statement is another indicator of how rapidly the pandemic has returned to Houston and Texas. Just over two months ago, increasing vaccinations and growing evidence of their effectiveness, led the Centers for Disease Control to relax its mask guidelines, many Houston companies were accelerating plans to bring employees working remotely back to offices.

Now, organizations are revisiting vaccination and other policies. Locally, several medical institutions such as Houston Methodist, Memorial Hermann, Baylor College of Medicine, and most recently Texas Childrens Hospital are requiring employees to get vaccinated.

The Houston private equity company ZT Corporate also is requiring its 1,500 Houston employees to be vaccinated.

Nationally, United Airlines became the first major airline on Aug. 6 to require all employees to be vaccinated. More companies across the country are starting to require it. Disney, Walmart and Google have begun mandating their employees get shots to protect against COVID. Federal employees are required to get a shot or be frequently tested.

Signaling an intent to move in this direction may motivate some staff to get ahead of the policy, the Greater Houston Partnership said in the letter. But in any event, it may require actions by employers if we are to get the local vaccination rate above the 54-55 percent level (of eligible people) we are at currently in Harris County.

Targeted measures

A vaccine requirement might not necessarily affect all employees of a company, said Bob Harvey, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership. For example, it might be limited to certain employees, such as those who meet with clients or fly at the companys expense must be vaccinated.

There are a lot of ways to roll out a vaccine requirement, so we wanted to get employers thinking about it, and frankly we wanted employers to acknowledge and signal that they're thinking about it, Harvey said. I think you're going to see more and more companies taking that step, at least in some limited fashion.

When vaccines first were rolled out, many employers encouraged, but didnt require vaccination because they thought most people would get vaccinated on their own accord, Harvey said. But that sentiment is changing with low vaccination rates.

Only 45 percent of those eligible in Texas are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

About 95 percent of the Greater Houston Partnership's employees are vaccinated, so the organization has not required vaccinations, a spokesman said. The partnership is requiring masks to be worn in the office because of the delta variant.

Harvey said that companies have been reluctant to requires vaccinations before the FDA, which approved the vaccines on an emergency basis, grants them full authorization. In addition, some companies are concerned about losing workers if they require vaccinations.

They know that there's a non-trivial number of staff who refuse to be vaccinated, and who will simply leave the company if they're required to, Harvey said. In a tight labor market like we have today, that could create significant operating problems for some companies.

The Greater Houston Partnership, which has about 900 members, also cautioned employers to hold off on return-to-work policies. Partnership leaders said they knew of many companies planning to significantly ramp up in-person work around Labor Day, but suggested that employers should reconsider because its unclear how long the fourth wave will last.

Not just vaccines

The partnership also is encouraging companies to continue social distancing measures, encourage mask wearing in indoors and offer incentives to workers to get vaccinated.

Be a forceful champion for vaccination, the letter stated. Encourage, cajole, and incentivize your staff to be vaccinated and to have their families vaccinated.

becca.carballo@chron.com
Hector Vivas, Stringer / Getty Images

An oil trader won the right to temporarily keep importing fuels into Mexico after the government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador didnt renew its import licenses.

Novum Energy, based in the British Virgin Islands, can keep importing gasoline and diesel from the U.S. into the Latin American nation, a federal court in Mexico ruled on Monday. The injunctive relief for the companys Mexican subsidiary suspends the effects of the decision by the Energy Ministry to not renew Novums licenses, according to the court decision.
Editors note: Houston Chronicle restaurant critic Alison Cook eats many meals that often dont make it to full review format immediately. Here, she shares her favorite dishes from recent outings, at places well worth a visit.

Frijoles a la Charra, Ixim

When beans makes this much of an impression during a meal, thats news. Ixim, a new project in Bravery Chef Hall headed up by former Caracol chef Tim Reading and fellow Caracol alumna Rebecca Aguirre, delivers regional and seasonal Mexican fare from a tight little menu. And while the large-scale dishes can thrill, like the bowlful of fideo de marisco  the pan-toasted vermicelli imbued with rich shellfish broth and tossed with a wealth of beautifully cooked seafood  the charro beans actually made me gasp with their galvanic porky bloom. Bacon, chorizo and puffed chicharrones all made carefully layered magic with chile, tomato and creamy-centered pinto beans. Unforgettable stuff.

Ixim, Bravery Chef Hall, 409 Travis, 281-653-6767; facebook.com/iximhoustontx

Cherry trout sashimi, Soto

Alison Cook / Staff

Its hard to pick just one highlight from the finely wrought omakase tasting I experienced at Soto, the handsome new Austin sushi import from chef Andy Chen. But the bite that lingers most vividly in my memory is a vivid slip of cherry trout, or sakura masu, one of the fish on the days list of specials flown in from Tokyos Toyosu seafood market. The bright hue and the dense satin texture of the Northern Pacific fish, which is also known as masu salmon, leapt out against tiny touches of chive and moromi miso, a fermented soy paste. Those are the kind of finishing details for which Chen is known. You can look for cherry trout on Sotos daily Japan Express specials sheet, priced at $7 for a piece of nigiri or $19 for three pieces of sashimi.

Soto, 224 Westheimer, 713-485-4514; houston.sotorestaurant.com

Arancini, Bocca Italian Kitchen

Chef Justin Turner, of the late Bernies Burger Bus fame, has landed in the upscale Redemption Square mixed-use development up near Lake Houston. An accomplished private chef before his burger phase, Turner is turning out a cozy, familial Italian menu that includes an alluring version of arancini, the molten-cheese-filled rice balls. This ones pure opulence and ooze, with a wonderfully crisp fried crust over toothsome rice, and a bright tomato sauce for contrast. Get some osso buco to go with it and youve got a feast, alongside glasses of red from Boccas excellent Italian by-the-glass and bottle list.

Alison Cook / Staff

Bocca, Redemption Square, 250 Assay, 281-741-0342; boccahtx.com

Enchiladas Potosinas, Night Shift

This exciting new East End bar from mixologists Justin Ware and Patrick Abalos has a talented chef in the person of Daniel Leal. His Enchiladas Potosinas spotlight a regional form of the genre thats all too rarely seen in Houston, and theyre a tribute to his familys roots in the central Mexican city of San Luis Potosi. Little masa turnovers stuffed with cheese get dipped in guajillo sauce, fried and garnished with more toasty red Drunk Salsa, plus a refreshing heap of lightly marinated cabbage salad that bristles with pickled red onion and cilantro. Some ribbons of crema, a base of refried black beans, some crumbles of queso fresco and the all-important trimmings are complete. Ask your bartender to suggest one of the exceptionally well-balanced cocktails (I loved the refreshing Green Line) to go with them, or a glass of the days agua fresca. Note that they serve late, and that theyll soon be doing Saturday and Sunday brunch.

Night Shift, 3501 Harrisburg; nightshiftbar.com

Alison Cook / Staff

Open focaccia, Badolina Bakery & Cafe

The savory pastries from this new Israeli bakery in Rice Village taste as compelling as the sweet ones  perhaps even more so. I am fixated on a spongy, seeded foccacia, oblong centered with gloriously caramelized onions, a filling sharpened by salty black olive and a jot of tomato. The crusty chew, the yielding interior, the punctuation of toasted pepitas and nigella seeds  all lift up that lush filling. It took me back to the first time I encountered pastry chef Michael Michaelis marvelous breads at Israeli-owned steakhouse Doris Metropolitan. This roll could be lunch. Or breakfast. Or a midnight snack. Take some home, or have one on the bakerys delightful, plant-filled patio with a really good flat white brewed from the house blend.

Badolina Bakery & Cafe, 5555 Morningside, 832-649-5909; badolinabakery.com

alison.cook@chron.com
RABAT, Morocco (AP)  Israel's foreign minister opened a two-day visit to Morocco on Wednesday to seal ties with the North African country less than a year after agreeing to normalize relations. The two nations quickly took concrete steps, signing off on three accords, with more expected.

However, peace prospects in the Middle East nudged their way into the talks, with Yair Lapid's Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita stressing a need for the rapid return of direct and serious negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Lapids visit is the first to the country by an Israeli minister since 2003, and the first such meeting in Morocco since the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords with four Arab states: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

Both ministers emphasized the age-old heritage of Jews in Israel linked to the kingdom of Morocco. Lapid's two-day trip will be capped on Thursday by the inauguration of Israels liaison mission in Rabat, the capital.

Bourita said the goal is to resume contacts on a regular basis within the framework of peaceful, friendly and normal diplomatic relations.

However, prospects for a Middle East peace agreement were also on Morocco's agenda, with Bourita saying that King Mohamed VI has stressed the need to break the stalemate" and restart negotiations toward a comprehensive solution.

That includes a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side with a state of Israel, he said.

Today, there is an urgent need to start measures to rebuild trust between all parties in the service of peace, stability and prosperity in the region, while maintaining calm and refraining from anything that might exacerbate tension, Bourita said. He said negotiations must "eventually lead to a solution based on the two-state solution.

The topic was not mentioned in Lapids statement, which dwelled on the Jewish heritage in Morocco and what he said was the hope that the normalization of relations with Morocco holds for the wider world.

The Abraham Accords shook up the region by upending the long-held belief that Israel could not normalize relations with the broader Arab world without progress in resolving its decades-old conflict with the Palestinians. The Palestinians have rejected the agreements.

Critics say it is impossible to ignore the Palestinian issue  as evidenced by the 11-day war between Hamas and Israel in May and the deadly violence it triggered in the occupied West Bank and Israel itself.

Israel and Morocco signed an air service agreement and another agreement to cooperate in the fields of culture, sports and youth.

They also signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a political consultation mechanism between their countries' foreign ministries, which appeared to fit into the wider design of the face-to-face diplomacy during Lapid's visit.

A statement from the Israeli foreign minister said the agreements will bring our countries innovation and opportunities for the benefit of our children  and their children  for years to come.

Israel and Morocco are teaching children about the power of hope in a world that has shrunk, Lapid's statement said. Lapid is slated to become prime minister in 2023 under Israels eight-party coalition government.

State Department spokesman Ned Price speaking to reporters in Washington congratulated the two countries. We believe that normalized relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors create new opportunities for peace and prosperity to flourish in the region, he said.

Israel and Morocco share a long history of formal and informal ties. Many Israelis have lineage that traces back to Morocco, which is still home to a small community of several thousand Jews.

Israeli Minister of Labor and Welfare Meir Cohen, part of the delegation, was born in Essaouira, on the Atlantic coast. For him this is a homecoming, Lapid said in his statement, and in the future, Israelis will not travel here as tourists, they will travel as family, to explore their heritage and their memories.

Israel and Morocco had low-level diplomatic relations in the 1990s, but Morocco cut them off after the second Palestinian uprising erupted in 2000. The two countries maintained informal ties, with thousands of Israelis traveling to Morocco each year.

As part of the deal to establish formal ties with Israel, the United States agreed to recognize Moroccos claim over the long-disputed Western Sahara region, though the Biden administration has said it will review that decision. Moroccos 1975 annexation of Western Sahara is not recognized by the United Nations.

The visit comes as Israel shows off other evidence of the accords moving forward. A senior Bahraini official is visiting Israel this week, where he met with an Israeli general and other officials.

Sheikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the undersecretary for political affairs in Bahrains Foreign Ministry, attended a signing ceremony Wednesday for a partnership between Israels Abba Eban Institute for International Diplomacy and the Gulf countrys Derasat think tank.

A year ago, there was nothing between our two countries. Today, we have come a very long way, the sheikh said. We can confidently say that we have a solid foundation to develop these bilateral ties.

Israel and Gulf countries had been quietly improving relations for years as they came to view Iran as a shared threat.

___

Associated Press writers Josef Federman and Laurie Kellman in Jerusalem and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Senate Judiciary Committee met privately Wednesday with a former U.S. attorney in Georgia who resigned in January as then-President Donald Trump waged a pressure campaign on state and federal officials to overturn his presidential defeat  part of a larger probe into Trumps actions after the November election.

The interview was with Byung J. BJay Pak, who resigned as a U.S. attorney in Atlanta the day after a call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger became public, according to a person familiar with the committee meeting.

In a recording of the call between Trump and Raffensperger, obtained the day after by The Associated Press and other outlets, Trump is heard urging Raffensperger to find enough votes to overturn Joe Bidens win in the state. He also appeared to criticize Pak, whom he had appointed, indicating Pak hadnt done enough to try and overturn the election. Trump called Pak a never Trumper.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, said after Wednesday's interview that Pak "answered all questions in a seemingly honest and candid way, and my impression is that he believes in the rule of law and that he stood up for it. Blumenthal did not provide details of the conversation.

The interview is part of efforts by Democrats in the House and Senate to investigate the former presidents baseless claims about widespread election fraud  refuted by election officials and courts across the country  and his push within the Justice Department to investigate the matter. Trump's pressure on the department came just before the Jan. 6 insurrection, when hundreds of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol and interrupted the certification of Bidens victory. Months later, Trump is still pushing the false fraud claims.

As part of its investigation, the Judiciary Committee spent several hours on Saturday interviewing Trumps acting attorney general at the time, Jeffrey Rosen. Senators also interviewed his former top deputy, Richard Donoghue, virtually on Friday. It is unclear if the committee will interview more officials.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Sunday that Rosen was very open" during the interview "and theres a lot there.

Durbin said the pressure from Trump on Justice Department officials after Attorney General William Barr resigned was real, very real and very specific. Barr resigned in December after telling the AP that the Justice Department had found no evidence of the widespread fraud, leaving others at the department vulnerable to Trumps repeated demands.

I think its a good thing for America that we had a person like Rosen in that position, who withstood the pressure, Durbin said Sunday on CNNs State of the Union. He said he thinks history is going to be very kind to Mr. Rosen when its all over.

Rosen also met on Friday with the Justice Departments inspector general, whose office is investigating Trumps claims and the internal pressure on Justice officials. His testimony to investigators in both interviews was described to the AP by five people with direct knowledge of the interviews and Trumps efforts to influence the Justice Department. All spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private details of those conversations.

Rosen told both the inspector general and Congress that Jeffrey Clark, then in charge of the Justice Departments civil division, pressed others in the department to make false statements about the election in an effort to push Trumps baseless claims that the election was fraudulent. Rosen also spoke of efforts by both Clark and Trump to oust him as the acting attorney general because he was refusing to go along with their plan.

Trump demanded Rosen appoint a special counsel to investigate his baseless election fraud claims  something Barr had pointedly refused to do. He continued calling Rosen to say he didnt understand why the Justice Department wasnt uncovering evidence supporting his claims and complained that Rosen wasnt fighting hard enough for him.

Rosen also told investigators that Clark met with Trump and crafted a letter that Trump wanted Rosen to send to Georgia state lawmakers. It told them to void Bidens electoral win and claim that the Justice Department was investigating fraud in the states election. But Rosen and his top deputy, Rich Donoghue, refused to send it, those familiar with the interview said.

Rosen told them that he and Donoghue decided to resign if Rosen were fired, and eventually informed Trump of that plan in a White House meeting. Trump backed down and allowed Rosen to stay, he said.

Durbin has said he would also like to speak to Clark and Trumps chief of staff, Mark Meadows, but its unclear whether they would appear. The other officials received specific clearance for the interview from Bidens Justice Department.

The House Oversight committee has also been investigating the Justice Department pressure, and last week interviewed Patrick Hovakimian, a former associate deputy attorney general who had also been given clearance to testify, according to a person familiar with the congressional investigation. The person was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Hovakimian discussed with the committee a Jan. 3 document he drafted for public dissemination in the event that Trump fired Rosen. In the letter, reported by Politico last week, Hovakimian described how Rosen had over the last week repeatedly refused the Presidents direct instructions to utilize the Department of Justices law enforcement powers for improper ends. It said that he and Donoghue were resigning, effective immediately.

The letter, which was never sent, was intentionally addressed to Justice Department component heads and other senior officials so that a broad audience of employees could understand what had happened and who precisely had stood up for the Justice Departments institutional interests, according to the person familiar with the investigation who was granted anonymity to discuss it.

The Oversight panel has now turned over parts of their probe to a new House panel investigating the insurrection. Leaders of that committee have said they plan to conduct extensive interviews about events that led up to the violent attack, including Trumps falsehoods about the election.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP)  Heat and humidity broiled parts of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and other midwestern states Wednesday while storms accompanied by heavy rain bowled over trees and flooded roads.

Thousands of homes and businesses in western and northern parts of Michigans lower peninsula remained without power following damage to power lines.

Wind gusts reached about 70 mph in some areas, including the Dorr area south of Grand Rapids, toppling trees, limbs and power lines. Winds of between 30 and 50 mph (48.2 and 80.4 kph) were reported across a larger area.

Some downtown streets in northern Michigans Traverse City were flooding while some roads in Antrim County were washed out, according to the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

We have lots of washouts on both sides of Torch Lake we are finding this morning, County Road Commission office manager Dale Farrier told the newspaper Wednesday morning. Were still assessing damage. Now that its daylight we are finding more and more spots.

Jackson, Michigan-based Consumers Energy reported nearly 170,000 of its customers were without power as of 11 a.m., while Great Lakes Energy said it had about 16,000 customers in the dark.

Mother Nature delivered a powerful punch to Michigan, Consumers Energy Vice President for Electric Operations, Guy Packard said in a news release.

The utilitys crews would be working around the clock this week to turn the lights back on for everyone who was affected by this devastating storm but urged customers to be patient, noting that additional storms are possible Wednesday night, he added.

Indiana Michigan Power said more than 27,000 homes and businesses had been without electricity at the peak of the overnight storms. About 17,000 customers lost power after two feet (.60 meters) of water flooded a substation in southwestern Michigan.

Utility poles have been found broken and transformers damaged in the Fort Wayne and South Bend areas of northwestern Indiana, according to the utility.

About a dozen storage units outside a Muncie, Indiana, warehouse were ripped from their foundations by the strong winds, the (Muncie) Star Press reports.

We heard something strange, it made a lot of noise, said Patricia Hellis who owns an antique mall adjacent to the storage facility. Then the lights started flickering and the doors were blown open  I had to lock them shut.

The main thing is nobody got hurt  but a lot of people lost a lot of property in those warehouses, she added.

The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, Michigan, forecasts that more thunderstorms reaching severe intensity could hit the state Wednesday night into Thursday morning ahead an approaching area of cooler, less humid air.

The National Weather Service has issued heat advisories for the Chicago area, much of Indiana and the Detroit area where heat indices up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius) were expected.
LONDON (AP)  Britain's High Court on Wednesday granted U.S. authorities permission to expand their grounds for appealing an earlier U.K. court decision to block the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, where he is wanted on espionage charges.

District Court Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled in January that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions. The U.S. government is appealing.

Clair Dobbin, a lawyer who represented U.S. authorities during a High Court hearing on Wednesday, said Assange  who she said orchestrated one of the largest thefts of data in history"  does not meet the threshold of being so ill that he cannot resist harming himself.

She said a decision not to prosecute or extradite an individual would require a mental illness of a type that the ability to resist suicide has been lost. Assange's condition did not come close to being of that nature, and he has not made serious attempts on his life before, she argued.

Dobbin also sought to discredit evidence from Assange's psychiatric expert, a key witness, arguing that he misled Baraitser by concealing the fact that the 50-year-old Australian had fathered two children during his time hiding in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Two judges agreed Wednesday to grant the U.S. authorities permission to expand their grounds of appealing Baraitser's decision to block the extradition. A full appeal hearing is expected in October.

Assange, wearing a dark face mask, listened in by video link from Londons high-security Belmarsh prison, where he has been held since 2019.

Outside the court, Assanges partner, Stella Moris, described him as an innocent man accused of practicing journalism.

For every day that this colossal injustice is allowed to continue, Julians situation grows increasingly desperate, Moris, who has two young children with Assange, told his supporters and reporters.

Julian has been denied the love and affection of his family for so long. Julian and the kids will never get this time back. This shouldnt be happening," she added.

A group of protesters, including Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, held placards reading Journalism is not a crime and shouted Free Julian Assange! to the beat of a drum as police looked on.

U.S. prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

In January, Baraitser, the district judge, accepted evidence from expert witnesses that Assange had a depressive disorder and an autism spectrum disorder. She agreed that U.S. prison conditions would be oppressive, saying there was a real risk he would be sent to the Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, the highest security prison in the U.S.

But she rejected defense arguments that Assange faces a politically motivated American prosecution that would override free-speech protections. She said the U.S. judicial system would give him a fair trial.

Supporters and lawyers for Assange argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech for publishing documents that exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lawyers for the U.S. government, however, have said the case is largely based on "his unlawful involvement in the theft of the diplomatic cables and military files by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.

Assange was arrested in London in 2010 at the request of Sweden, which wanted to question him about allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two women. In 2012, Assange jumped bail and sought refuge inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he remained holed up for the next seven years.

Ecuador withdrew the asylum it had granted him in 2019 and he was then immediately arrested for breaching bail. Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed.

Dobbin, representing the U.S. government, said Wednesday that the need to scrutinize January's ruling was substantially increased given the extraordinary lengths Assange had already gone to in order to avoid extradition.

He was willing to break the law and no cost was too great, both in terms of the cost of policing his being in the embassy and of course the cost to himself, she said.

The case continues and a full appeal hearing was scheduled for Oct. 27.
At the Texas Capitol, Republicans typically dont have much difficulty keeping the Democratic minority in check.

Sometimes, though, Democrats are perfectly happy to undermine themselves. Such was the case this past week.

A quorum to conduct business in the Texas House has yet be achieved in the second special session of 2021, which began Saturday. A number of Democrats remain in Washington, D.C., where most of the caucus decamped via a chartered plane during the first special session to block new voting restrictions backed by Gov. Greg Abbott and the GOP majority. Others are back in their districts, hoping to avoid being collared and hauled back to Austin.

RELATED: Texas Supreme Court greenlights arrest of AWOL House Democrats

On Monday, however, a handful of Democratic lawmakers returned to the Texas Capitol, joining several who had declined to break quorum in the first place  to the evident dismay of their colleagues.

State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, an Austin Democrat, noted that none of the legislators who returned to the pink dome had done so under duress. On Sunday, a state district judge in Travis County had issued a restraining order barring Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan from arresting any Democratic legislators at large in the state.

Any Dem who walks onto the Floor does so by her own volition  by her own choice, Hinojosa tweeted.

In a follow-up tweet, she identified  for transparency purposes  four Democrats who had returned to the Capitol: James Talarico of Round Rock and Joe Moody, Mary Gonzalez, and Art Fierro, all of the El Paso area.

Praying no other Democrats willingly go to Floor, Hinojosa added.

State Rep. Jasmine Crockett, of Dallas, was more blunt.

Ive said this before its a Team Sport now we see who plays what positions on the Team Crockett tweeted. The fact that some of us secured a Temporary Restraining Order to protect ALL of us, yet some are trying to please the Governor and His OPPRESSIVE Agenda?! JUST WOW!

There is currently an injunction stopping TX from arresting Democrats, yet these Democrats on the floor today chose to participate in voter suppression, tweeted state Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos, also of Dallas.

She then confronted her colleagues directly, albeit from a distance: you all threw us under the bus today! Why?

Some posited that the representatives who had returned to Austin were cynically positioning themselves for favorable treatment by the Republican speaker in the next regular session  or, perhaps, during the coming redistricting process.

RELATED: Rep. Chip Roy says mail-in ballot fraud 'greatest source of voter fraud' in Texas

Many Democrats said initially that their goal was in part to advocate for federal legislation concerning voting rights and to buy time for Congress to act.

The advocacy has transpired, at least. While in Washington, Democrats have met with key members of Congress as well as Vice President Kamala Harris.

It might not be a moment to hang a Mission Accomplished banner, exactly, but Democratic legislators could plausibly argue that they did what they set out to do, and now the ball is in President Joe Bidens court.

Talarico, for his part, is arguing as much.

Our quorum break shined a national spotlight on the TX voter suppression bill and pushed Congress closer to passing a federal voting rights act to override it. Im confident they will, Talarico tweeted. Now Im back to clean up Greg Abbotts latest messes from COVID to ERCOT.

Talarico attached a photo of himself, beaming, in front of a Round Rock city limits sign; his return to the state may have been misguided, but it definitely was not surreptitious.

And is it misguided for Democrats to return to the state at this point? Yes, say some of the holdout Democrats, who note that the U.S. Senate has yet to take its August recess.

As long as the Senates in town and working we want to be involved, said state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, a San Antonio Democrat who played a leading role in orchestrating the quorum break. Fischer noted that the Senates Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, is reportedly planning to bring up a scaled-back version of federal voting rights legislation this week.

And Martinez Fischer, for his part, doesnt think that there is much room for negotiation between Democrats and Republicans, when it comes to the issue at hand.

Although Republicans have dropped some of their more controversial proposals, the latest bills would still create new vote-by-mail ID requirements, add a raft of new criminal penalties to the state election code or toughen existing ones, and expand the power of partisan poll watchers. The GOP package would also ban drive-thru voting, set new limits on early voting hours and prohibit election officials from sending vote-by-mail applications to people who did not request them.

RELATED: Texas House authorizes arrests of no-show Democratic lawmakers

Republicans are dead-set determined to suppress voting rights in Texas, and I dont agree with it, he said. If denying quorum is the only way to fight, then thats what Ill do.

Its not just voting rights at stake this session, Democrats say. They note that Abbotts wish list for the second special session includes a number of red-meat issues, including additional restrictions on women seeking abortions and on transgender student athletes. Abbott is running for a third term next year and faces two conservative primary challengers.

In any case, the week looks likely to be a tumultuous one. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of Texas stayed the Travis County judges order, barring the arrest of the Democratic legislators; in other words, those who are in Texas can be compelled to return to Austin. Thats a spectacle some Republicans would relish, evidently: on Tuesday afternoon the House voted, 80-12, to send law enforcement to find the quorum-breaking Democrats. Just one Republican, state Rep. Lyle Larson of New Braunfels, joined the 11 Democrats on the floor in opposing the measure.

In the meantime, Republicans no doubt enjoyed the spectacle that unfolded on Twitter Monday, as the fault lines within the Democratic caucus came to the surface.

erica.grieder@chron.com
OnSceneTV

A man who suffered severe burns last week when a woman allegedly doused him in liquid and set him on fire at a Kingwood residence has died, officials said.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences confirmed that Devin Graham, 33, died Sunday at a Houston hospital following the suspected arson around 10 p.m. last Friday on the 2000 block of Aspen Glade Drive in northeast Harris County.
After a couple of large Texas school systems announced masks would be required last week, a handful more have followed suit.

The districts are defying an order by Gov. Greg Abbott that bans mask mandates by government agencies, including schools. Even after the Texas Supreme Court upheld the ban Sunday, Dallas and Bexar counties are sticking with their rules.

Sunday's ruling does not affect Harris County, whose similar but separate case is still at the appellate level.

The mask requirements come amid concerns from parents about the surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, the highly contagious delta variant of the virus and Texas hospitals reaching ICU capacity.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Big Texas cities are in open revolt over Gov. Abbott's ban on mask requirements

"We are all working to protect Texas children and the most vulnerable among us, but violating parental rights -- is not the way to do it," a spokesperson for Abbott said Tuesday in a prepared statement. "...The time for mask mandates is over; now is the time for personal responsibility."

The statement said that Abbott is currently working with the Attorney General's office to fight "for the rights and freedoms of all Texans" and that he believes parents should decide if their children wear masks.

Kids under 12 cannot yet receive the vaccine.

Here are the districts requiring everyone on their campuses to wear masks:

Spring ISD was the first district in the Houston region to officially put a mandate in place. Superintendent Rodney Watson announced at a Tuesday board of trustees meeting that students, staff and visitors are required to wear face coverings in the school systems buildings, regardless of vaccination status.

Houston ISD implemented a mask mandate on all students, staff and visitors to all campuses and facilities last week, with the support of the board of trustees. Students and employees who refuse to wear masks when the school year begins could face disciplinary action under new guidelines released by the school system.

Aldine ISDs announcement came one day after Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a face-covering mandate for all schools and day cares in the county.

Galena Park ISD originally only encouraged masks, but changed course to a mandate after Abbott's order was temporarily blocked.

Sheldon ISD also implemented a mandate after Abbotts order was temporarily blocked.

Galveston ISD announced that all students and staff will be required to wear masks at district facilities and buses when school begins Aug. 23.

Fort Bend County Judge KP George filed a lawsuit challenging Abbott's order and a district court judge granted a temporary restraining order against it. However, Fort Bend ISD officials said this week masks are still optional,

Austin ISDs board of trustees decided last week that the district would require masks. The policy went into effect Wednesday.

Dallas ISD made a temporary mandatory mask policy effective immediately last week . Michael Hinojosa, the districts superintendent, did not specify how long the requirement will be in place.

Michael Hinojosa, the districts superintendent, did not specify how long the requirement will be in place. Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Kent P. Scribner announced Tuesday that there would be a mask mandate for all students, employees and visitors effective immediately for all indoor instruction and activities.

San Antonio ISD announced Tuesday that all students and staff will be required to wear a mask while at school and work starting Wednesday.

The Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD Board of Trustees passed a resolution asking Abbott to allow local districts to make decisions regarding COVID safety policies, including requiring masks. The resolution also asks the governor to allow the Texas Education Agency to fund virtual learning options.

Some other Houston-area independent school districts are responding differently, either consulting their lawyers or electing to leave masks voluntary on their campuses.

Some local public charter schools are also taking matters into their own hands.

KIPP Texas-Houston is asking students and staff to opt-in to wearing a mask.

With so many of our students ineligible to get the vaccine, it is simply reckless to take away our local ability to implement protocols that make sense for our schools," said Sehba Ali, KIPP Texas Public Schools CEO. "Masks work. They are one of the simplest, most effective tools at our disposal to stop the spread of this disease among our vulnerable student population, especially our children under 12."

In a letter to Abbott, Ali urged him to reconsider his position on banning mask mandates and restore the ability of local public schools to determine their own policies.

YES Prep is also highly encouraging the use of masks regardless of an individual's vaccination status, and will have masks available for every student, according to an email update.
University of Houston has received two $1 million donations  one to assist its research on women, gender and sexuality, and another to further the medical care to underrepresented groups in Houston.

Bank of America donated $1 million to the UH College of Medicine to further support its commitment to increase primary care access in underserved communities in the Greater Houston area. The grant will help the school train more primary care doctors from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to serve in these areas.

UH officials reported that of its first 60 med students, 65 percent already come from underrepresented communities and half come from a low socioeconomic background  a sharp contrast from the overall medical school demographic, of which only 13 percent of accepted students are Black or Hispanic/Latino.

Bank of America is taking action to address critical issues affecting our nation and we are incredibly thankful for their support in the area of health equity, Dr. Stephen Spann, founding dean of the UH College of Medicine, said in a written statement. By educating more primary care physicians, we can improve the overall health of communities and lower the economic burden of health care on our state and country.

It comes at a time when Texas continues to face a primary care physician shortage, particularly in low-income and minority communities  where there are often gaps in preventative care, and thus higher rates of sickness, hospitalization and death. Many of these disparities have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to experts.

The medical school announced earlier this month that it will open a low-cost direct primary care clinic on the Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital campus in Southwest Houston this fall to assist low-income and uninsured residents. In that area, a third of the population lives below the federal poverty rate and the uninsured rate is 45 percent  five times the nations rate.

The clinic will offer direct primary care to patients from low-income backgrounds and will implement a low monthly membership fee for a range of primary health care services. UH students will also benefit from training from medical school faculty physicians, who will run the clinic.

UH College of Medicine will name the lobby of its new building after Bank of America. The three-story, 130,000*-square-foot building is slated to be completed next summer.

On HoustonChronicle.com: UH College of Medicine to open primary care clinic for uninsured

Houston philanthropist MaryRoss Taylor has also donated $1 million to UHs Institute for Research on Women, Gender and Sexuality. The money will be used to expand the institutes staff, hire more analysts to conduct research, fund future projects and create an endowed professorship named after Taylors late father, Pinchback Taylor, Jr.

Elizabeth Gregory, who is director of the institute and UHs Womens, Gender & Sexuality Studies program, will hold the professorship.

My father was a real advocate for women and education, and he believed everyone should have equal opportunities, Taylor said in a written statement. His support and confidence in me gave me permission to be myself  regardless of the conventions for southern women at the time.

Taylor has been a longtime supporter of UH, and has served as an advisory council member of UH Friends of Womens Studies for more than two decades. She launched an endowment for Womens, Gender & Sexuality Studies in 2012.

Since its founding in 2019, the Institute for Research on Women Gender and Sexuality has focused on challenges communities, residents and other stakeholders face in Houston and Harris County and how gender and sexuality affect various aspects of life,, including health, family and relationships, social dynamics, leadership and equity. It is the first university-based think tank of its kind in the Houston region.

The institute chronicles the real lives of Houstonians and tells stories that havent been previously told, Gregory said in a written statement. We document the ways people have been excluded from full participation in the workforce and the community and pave the way for them to get the resources they need.

Editors note: This story has been updated to include the correct square footage of UH College of Medicines building.

brittany.britto@chron.com
Jon Purvis spent much of last Thursday driving to different pharmacies in the Humble and Garden Oaks areas in search of a rapid test after his son was indirectly exposed to COVID-19 at daycare.

Purvis, 37, is fully vaccinated but had only a few days before he was set to preach at Garden Oaks Baptist Church, where he is lead pastor, and the earliest appointment he could find at a county-run site was not until Saturday. He eventually found a rapid test at a Walgreens in the Heights, which came back negative.

We just wanted to be safe, he said.

Across the region, testing has skyrocketed as the delta variant overwhelms hospitals, and as schools and businesses continue to reopen. A late wave of respiratory illnesses has further driven up demand as some people confuse symptoms with those of COVID-19.

Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

On HoustonChronicle.com: COVID Help Desk: Is the delta variant more dangerous for young people?

Harris County Public Healths three testing sites are now averaging about 6,000 tests per week, and on Thursday tested more than 1,300 people  the highest daily count since mid-February, and 10 times the daily average in June and July, according to a Chronicle analysis of county health data.

Wait times for results are also up slightly over the last month, averaging about 1.5 days as of last week.

Were seeing a direct impact of the delta variant, said Mac McClendon, director of HCPHs Office of Public Health Preparedness.

McClendon said there were hiccups with traffic flow last week that have since been resolved. The county has the capacity to test up to 17,000 people a day, and has the option of reopening some of the mobile sites that it began to phase out in April, as vaccines caused demand for rapid testing to plummet.

We think we have got it under control, he said. But if not, we will course correct.

In Galveston County, a testing site run by the University of Texas Medical Branch is currently processing between 1,200 and 1,500 tests daily.

We are seeing similar demands on testing as we saw in both the first and second surge, said UTMB spokesman Christopher Smith Gonzales.

The site has the capability to process up to 7,000 tests a day, with results available within 24 hours, he added.

Mara Aspinall, co-founder of the Biomedical Diagnostics program at Arizona State University, said she expects testing to continue to rise across the country. She said some people may have resisted testing because of the long waiting periods for results that were common at the pandemics peak.

Those delays  some up to two weeks  made many tests completely useless, she said, but were largely due to staffing shortages and supply-chain issues that labs have since resolved.

During the first and second wave of cases last year, she said, many companies were still in denial that this could actually be happening and we could actually need that many tests.

Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

They never want to be in that position again, so they are stocking up on supplies, she said. They didnt wait for this surge.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston-area hospitals suspend elective surgeries as delta variant rages, hospitalizations increase

Meanwhile, she said, many testing sites have closed, and there are not yet cheap, over-the-counter alternatives, making it more difficult for people who work during the day to get tested.

For an hourly worker to take out half an hour or an hour to go test  that costs them money, she said. And we find that is one of the reasons for vaccine hesitancy too: People just cant afford to take the time off.

Thats where Genview Diagnosis owner Bosong Dai believes his company can be of help.

To house testing, Dai last year bought and refurbished 15,000 square feet of what used to be an AT&T building near the Fairbanks neighborhood.

The company also has a site near George Bush Intercontinental Airport that is open from 6 a.m. until midnight, seven days a week. Dai said the company has intentionally tried to cater to international travelers and those who may not be able to access testing sites during typical work hours.

It also runs hotlines that people can call, text or contact via WhatsApp.

Even so, Genview is testing at maybe 30 percent of its overall capability, said senior molecular scientist Antje Lindemann. Genview and other smaller sites, she said, have often relied on word of mouth for clientele because they dont appear high on online search engine results.

Our plates are just not full, she said Tuesday. The big companies, thats where people go.

Outside, Tim Flynn waited in his car for test results.

Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Flynn, 55, works as an engineering consultant for oil companies, and so occasionally has to make 12-hour flights to West Africa with only a few days notice. That leaves little room for wait times or delays in test results, which is why he now frequents Genviews small, unassuming drive-thru site.

I dont have five days to wait, he said.

robert.downen@chron.com
Texas Childrens Hospital will require its employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Employees must receive a first dose of the vaccine by Sept. 21, and be fully vaccinated no later than Oct. 19, according to a memo sent to the hospitals staff.

Texas Childrens is the fourth Texas Medical Center institution to require a coronavirus vaccine. Houston Methodist required staff to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by June, and in recent weeks, Memorial Hermann and Baylor College of Medicine announced their own immunization requirements.

The hospital has considered a vaccine requirement for several months now, said Dr. James Versalovic, interim pediatrician-in-chief of Texas Childrens Hospital.

We have been actively vaccinating members of our workforce, everyone at the organization, and we felt that the time is now, Versalovic said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas, Houston Methodist see rush for vaccines, as COVIDs fourth wave approaches

Workers who qualify for a medical or religious exemption must notify hospital administrators by Sept. 1. Nearly 13,000 people are employed at Texas Childrens Hospital.

Volunteers will also have to be vaccinated in order to work on-site, Versalovic said.

There are still several medical systems within the Texas Medical Center not requiring vaccines of its workers. UTHealth and Harris Health System, both public institutions, strongly encourage masks and vaccines, but cannot require either due to Gov. Greg Abbotts executive order stripping local authorities of the power to do so.

Kelsey-Seybold Clinic will require COVID-19 vaccines as a condition of employment once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approves the shots.

Institutions across the country are rolling out vaccine mandates as the delta variant sends hospitalization rates soaring. More than 10,000 people are currently hospitalized for COVID-19 in Texas, according to the Department of State Health Services. And the number of active cases in Harris County is climbing rapidly, up more than 30 percent from 21,000 last Friday to 28,000 as of Tuesday.

Researchers in the Northeast recently found that more than 65 percent of Texans would support a vaccine mandate issued by federal or state government.

Chronicle staff writer Julian Gill contributed to this story.

gwendolyn.wu@chron.com

twitter.com/gwendolynawu
A group of students stood outside Alief ISDs Heflin Elementary School early Tuesday, smiling and posing for pictures as they waited to get inside, soon to be replaced by others spilling out of a carousel of cars in the parking lot.

In the cafeteria, where breakfast was served, kids sat spaced apart with an empty seat between each other. A staffer helping children clear their empty trays asked a boy, "Is that your mask on the floor? Would you like a new one?" To another walking away from a table, "You forgot your hand sanitizer.

Up in Kingwood, the neighborhood around Humble ISDs Greentree Elementary School came alive with families walking their children to school. Kids talked about the friends they were excited to see again, including some they had not been with in person since the pandemic began last year

He needs to be around other kids his age, said Holly Matherly after dropping off her 7-year-old son at the school. I think he really needs to be getting out and doing stuff.

Separated by a 45-mile drive, the scenes at Heflin and Greentree were what you would expect for the first day of school: kindergartners practically vibrating with excitement, parents snapping picture after picture, beaming teachers welcoming back familiar faces.

The only real difference were the face masks. Many students, parents and staff at Heflin wore them. Many at Greentree did not.

What had been expected to be a triumphant return to campuses with the pandemic on the wane instead came as the Houston region has entered its fourth of COVID since virus took hold of the area in March 2020, driven by the highly contagious delta variant and a lackluster pace of vaccination. For many in the area, optimism has given way to anxiety, debates over the continued wearing of face masks and questions over whether schools will offer remote instruction again this fall.

Alief and Humble ISDs were the first in the region to begin class Tuesday. A handful of other districts are set to start later this week, with the rest, including Houston ISD on Aug. 23, opening during the next two weeks. Like almost all schools in Texas, neither Alief or Humble is requiring face masks for students or staff, following an edict by Gov. Greg Abbott whose latest executive order bars school districts and government agencies from requiring face coverings.

Houston ISDs board of trustees is expected to approve a mask requirement for student, staff and visitors at all district facilities this week in defiance of Abbotts order. Dallas and Austin ISDs already have done so.

Toni Adams, mother of a 5-year-old at Heflin Elementary, said her son was "super excited" for his first year of school. She shared some of the same sentiment, but also anxiety.

"It has been crazy," Adams said after leaving her son inside. "We are really excited. We are not going to let the pandemic kind of hold us down. First year, so, he is in."

Up at Greentree, Titan Matherly, said he was a little bit excited about his first day back on campus as he played on a tablet and trotted around the house in a new outfit his mother picked out, before walking to school.

The new second grader had not been in a classroom since March 2020, when the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disrupted learning for millions of students across Texas. Tuesday was the first time he had seen many of his friends and classmates since then.

While his grades did not suffer from being online for school last year, Matherly said her son missed out on important socializing.

Bridgette Sloane, an Humble ISD mother of three, said her twins entering 12th grade at Kingwood High School were ecstatic to see their friends again. They were even more excited about taking turns driving their new Nissan Sentra to campus a few weeks after getting their drivers licenses.

All three of Sloanes children, including her 9th grader, plan to wear masks to school, though she said they have expressed a little discomfort about wearing them when most of their peers do not.

I really wish there was some encouragement for children to wear masks at this time, she said.

Humble ISD parent Jason Roussel, on the other hand, said in an email that he was thrilled to be starting school  in person and thrilled masks arent required.

Back at Heflin in Alief, Principal Robin Human noted that while the district is not mandating masks, staffers have a stock of face coverings for any kid who wants one.

We are encouraging masks. We are modeling that," Human said as she watched children enter the school she is leading for the 22nd year.

Alexandria Williams, mother of two Alief ISD students, said encouraging masks is not enough, especially since it is not offering a virtual option.

I think the superintendent for Alief is making a very lousy decision, she said. Ive been in Alief all my life and I attended school here, as well. Usually we are the last (district) to catch on (to safety concerns) and were always pushing it to the limit at the last minute.

Matherly wants her son to wear a mask at Kingwoods Greentree Elementary. He got COVID over the summer. She said she worries he will not wear the mask she carefully packed in his space-themed backpack because so few people around him will elect to do so.

The districts website states that masks are optional and the district will respect parents choices for their children.

I wish his teacher would wear a mask so that it wouldnt be strange to the kids, she said. Teachers are role models.

hannah.dellinger@chron.com

alejandro.serrano@chron.com
People must wear masks in Fort Bend County schools and county buildings, local leaders announced Wednesday, after the county took the first step to legally challenge Gov. Greg Abbotts statewide ban on public health mandates.

A Fort Bend County district court judge signed a temporary restraining order against the Republican governors executive order that prohibited county, city and school district officials from implementing mask or vaccine mandates as the Delta variant of Covid-19 drives a fourth pandemic surge.

The order is an overreach of local authority that has forced leaders to stand still while the spreading coronavirus threatens the health and safety of residents, including school children, said County Judge KP George, a Democrat.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Education group sues to overturn Gov. Abbott's ban on school mask mandates

For too long our hands have been tied from implementing public health measures to protect the health and safety of our residents, George said. We are taking this action to stand up and do the right thing to protect our children, our educators, our employees and all members of our community.

The governors order required local leaders to ignore science and recommendations from medical professionals, said County Attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson. But as case counts and hositalizations grow, standing idly by was not an option, she said.

We cannot ignore this, Smith-Lawson said. We have pursued a legal remedy to ask the courts to decide whether the governors order is an overreach of our local authority.

The restraining order is effective immediately and county leaders have requested a hearing in two weeks, she said. The announcement of the countys petition came after commissioners met Wednesday afternoon with Smith-Lawson in a special session to deliberate and discuss potential responses to the pandemic surge. Her office has been evaluating the governors order for weeks, she said.

Along with the lawsuit, George announced he has raised the countys COVID-19 threat level from significant to high risk as hospitals fill with patients, numbers climb and resources stretch.

The average daily caseload has tripled since last month, reaching nearly 300 new cases each day last week, said Dr. Jacquelyn Minter, director of the countys health and human services department.

Last weekend, there were five operational ICU beds available in Fort Bend County hospitals, Minter said, for a population of roughly 800,000 people. Nearly a quarter of ICU beds were filled with COVID-19 patients, she said. More than 90 percent of cases are the Delta variant.

Employees and visitors are required to wear masks in county facilities and pass a health screening at the entrance, officials said.

George, a father, said he spoke with the mother of children too young to be vaccinated, including one particularly vulnerable kid. The woman cried and said she felt like authorities did not care about her familys well-being.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Big Texas cities are in open revolt over Gov. Abbott's ban on mask requirements

Similar calls have poured in from anxious parents as schools reopen with packed hallways but little health and safety protections, George said.

Thats heartbreaking for me, he said. Children are our most precious resource and we must do everything to protect them.

The countys challenge follows several similar actions by local jurisdictions across Texas defying the governors order. A judge in Dallas County issued a mask requirement, though Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday asked a court to strike down the order.

Leaders in San Antonio and local school districts, including Houston ISD and Spring ISD, have also issued mask mandates.

The mask mandate in Fort Bend County and other areas is in line with guidance from public health officials and aims to save lives, George said.

Medical professionals say face masks and vaccines are the best tools to combat the virus. The CDC recommends universal indoor masking for students, teachers, staff and visitors, regardless of vaccine status, Minter said.

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he is checking on whether he has the power to intervene with the Texas order.

anna.bauman@chron.com
State Rep. Gene Wu is expected to temporarily avoid arrest after he legally challenged a warrant for his apprehension, also issued to 51 other House Democrats absent from the special session in protest of voting restrictions legislation.

The rare action over a civil warrant led to some head-scratching Wednesday in the 230th Criminal District Court, including from presiding Judge Chris Morton. After a brief recess, he determined that he did have jurisdiction to grant a writ of habeas corpus in the case, essentially trumping the states civil warrant for Wu and releasing him from potential custody until the court determines the legality of the warrant.

Wus attorneys added that they are part of a group of lawyers across the state who came together to fight for the right to vote. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg surmised that she also expects to see more cases like Wus appear in local courts.

This is a reminder to Gov. Abbott that we still live in a democracy, Wu said after his court appearance. We will do everything we can to make sure the right to vote is protected for all Texans.

When asked whether he has any plans to return to Austin, Wu responded, Hell no.

Texas House Republicans on Tuesday ordered law enforcement to round up the Democratic members who have broken quorum for the second time in two months.

The Texas Supreme Court had earlier affirmed Gov. Greg Abbotts authority to order the arrest of Democratic lawmakers who return to the state after the majority of them fled last month to avoid a vote on the GOPs priority elections bill.

Morton on Wednesday acknowleged the unusuality of the case before him. He questioned whether he has jurisdiction in a criminal court, and whether his court had jurisdiction over the sergeant-at-arms who distributed the arrest warrants to the 52 Democrats offices Wednesday at the Capitol.

He also told Wus attorneys that they should have contacted the Texas Attorney Generals Office, and his decision could change depending on their response.

This is a novel issue to say the least, Morton said.

Ogg on Wednesday represented her office at the hearing, where she said she didnt oppose any sort of bond or continuance in the case. But, she made clear that she doesnt believe this is a criminal issue.

We dont believe that the courts, the criminal courts, should be a place where political differences are litigated, she said.

She added later that she personally supports what the Democrats have done related to the voting legislation.

Attorneys Stan Schneider, Romy Kaplan and Brent Mayr additionally asked for a personal bond to be issued for Wu in the event he was arrested. Morton did not grant a personal bond because he said Wu hasnt been charged with a crime.

The trio hoped that eventually Morton would take up the issue of the warrants constitutionality. The Republicans actions on Tuesday were illegal, they said, because they did not have a quorum.

We have an oppressive order from a tyrannical king, Mayr said to the judge. And we are asking you to say no.

Schneider added Wednesday that Wus case should be in criminal court because an arrest is an arrest, even if its labeled as a civil one.

The warrant authorizes the sergeant-at-arms of the Texas House of Representatives to take the 52 Democrats into your custody and safekeeping and bring said Member before the bar of the House.

There's very little precedent for how civil arrest warrants should be executed because they're not commonly used, said Sandra Thompson, a University of Houston law professor and director of the Criminal Justice Institute. That's because most civil matters can be resolved without the person appearing in court.

"There's not really a lot of reason to take people into custody for civil matters," she said.

Thompson said the term "arrest" is being used loosely here when it comes to the civil warrants out against House members.

"There's no crime involved, and there's no punishment involved," she said. "There's no potential for them to be incarcerated because they're not accused of any wrongdoing."

With a civil arrest warrant, Department of Public Safety officers can order a lawmaker to return to the chamber and even escort them there, but any further use of force is unlikely because it must be "reasonable for the purpose," she said.

It's unclear whether officers have the authority to break into a lawmaker's home, if they ignored knocks on the door, for example. Some states' courts have said a civil arrest warrant does not justify forceable entry, but no such precedent exists in Texas.

"Assuming that these legislators fully comply with any orders, it should look a lot more like they're getting an Uber ride than what we see in terms of an arrest in Hollywood," she said.

Attorneys Allison Clayton, Kyle Therrian and David Schulman also worked on Wus writ of habeas corpus. Wus case will go before Morton again next Thursday.

Taylor Goldenstein contributed to this report.

samantha.ketterer@chron.com
This article is an opinion piece that was originally published by The New York Times. You can read editorials from the Houston Chronicle's opinion staff here.

Nothing better exemplifies the gaping political divide in this country than our embarrassing and asinine vaccine response. Former President Donald Trumps scorched-earth political strategy has fooled millions of Americans into flirting with death. And now thousands are again dying for it.

Almost from the beginning, efforts to combat the virus were met with disdain from a president who felt the crisis made him look bad. The science was denied. Masking was mocked and ingesting disinfectant was offered up as a possible cure.

All the while, the patients on ventilators gasped for breath, and refrigerated trailers filled with bodies. Death is one of the ultimate truths of life, and yet not even it could dissuade the headstrong from casting doubt on the science.

THE LATEST NUMBERS: Track COVID cases, hospitalizations, deaths and vaccinations in Texas

And then, a miracle.

In response to this raging, deadly virus, scientists developed multiple, highly effective vaccines with breathtaking speed. It was like a prayer had been answered. An antidote to the plague had arrived. We should all have been celebrating in the streets and running to a lifesaving serum with our sleeves rolled up and a smile on our face. But not enough of us were.

The public had been poisoned by partisanship. Masking was a political statement. Social distancing was a political statement. Receiving the vaccine, for far too many, was a political statement.

And so countless Americans responded with a political statement of their own: defiance.

They hated that businesses were forced to close and that they were asked to wear masks inside when they reopened. They hated their children having to stay home from school and being made to wear masks when they returned.

But the simple truth is that all of this could have been avoided if all Americans eligible for the vaccine  and thats pretty much every adult at this point  had simply chosen to be vaccinated. But they didnt. They havent. They are too dug in, too committed to the lies and conspiracies, too devoted to rebellion.

In the beginning, as the vaccine was rolled out, there were access hurdles and understandable apprehensions. But now billions of people worldwide have received the vaccine, and very few have had adverse effects.

The vaccine is safe, incredibly safe. There are no microchips or magnets in it. It does not cause COVID, and it is not more dangerous than COVID.

Believing all these lies is a luxury of people who have not sat by a hospital bedside or watched from behind glass because COVID regulations prevented them from comforting a relative or friend as they drew their last breath, struggling against a virus that choked off that breath.

It is a luxury to be irresponsible in a society where others would be responsible for you, where you simply assumed you were safer because others took the appropriate precautions: You did not need to get the shot because others did.

But the delta variant is testing that faith.

WHERE TO GET TESTED: COVID testing sites around Houston that don't require a doctor's note

You will not be safe as an unvaccinated person riding on the coattails of the vaccinated. Delta is extremely transmissible and unremitting. It is stronger than its progenitor.

As the delta variant surges, there is an uptick in the pace of vaccinations in the country. Its almost like religion: Many disbelievers will call out to whatever god there may be when the reaper is at the door. Fear of ideological defeat is no match for the fear of imminent death. And yet it shouldnt have taken another surge of sickness and death for good sense to set in.

Why were Americans turning away a vaccine that many people in other parts of the world were literally dying for? Many did so because of their fidelity to the lie and their fidelity to the liar. They did it because they were  and still are  slavishly devoted to Trump, and because many politicians and conservative commentators helped Trump propagate his lies.

A recent Monmouth University poll found that among those who admit they will not get the vaccine if they can avoid it, 70% either identify with or lean toward the Republican Party while just 6% align with the Democrats.

The optics of countless socially distanced funerals is less offensive to those conservatives than the optics of being socially distanced in a Fuddruckers.

It was all lunacy. It is all lunacy. This should never have happened. There are people dead today  a lot of them!  who should still be alive and who would be if people in the heights of government and the heights of the media had not fed them lies about the virus.

But apparently, after you get so used to so much blood on your hands, you forget  or make yourself forget  that you werent born with red palms.

So we have a situation in America where people are dying, and will continue to die, of ignorance and stubbornness. They are determined to prove that they are right even if it puts them on the wrong side of a eulogy.

This is like watching millions of people playing in traffic.
The organizations and residents who petitioned the city to give City Council members more power will have to wait until 2023 to vote on the measure, after the council declined to put it on this years ballot.

Council voted unanimously to set the election in 2023 instead of this November, despite the objections of several council members and the groups that pushed for the charter amendment. An amendment to put it on this years ballot failed, 13-4, before the 2023 vote. Councilmembers Amy Peck, Ed Pollard, Mike Knox and Michael Kubosh supported the earlier date.

The measure would give any three council members the power to place an item on the weekly City Hall agenda, a power almost entirely reserved for the mayor under Houstons strong-mayor format.

More from Dylan McGuinness: Petitioners, council member say Turner 'playing games' to stall charter amendments

Mayor Sylvester Turner, who opposes the measure, said pushing off the election was prudent so the city could include other pending charter amendments, which would lower the cost by hosting one election instead of several. He also argued an off-cycle election would have low turnout.

If any of you have problems getting something on the agenda, Id like to hear that, Turner told council members. So, were going to spend $1.3 million in a very low-turnout (election) on an issue that doesnt really pertain to this council?

The organizers of the measure and petition drive said the mayor and City Council had a ministerial duty to put the proposal on the ballot, after more than 20,000 people signed a petition. They accused Turner of playing games to delay the measure after saying he would leave it up to council. The agenda item his administration presented Wednesday only included the 2023 option. He said Wednesday it was the councils choice while pressing his case for a later election date.

Charles Blain, a chief organizer of the effort from the conservative advocacy group Urban Reform, said the council sided against the residents who signed the petition.

The task was clear, to place the charter amendment on the nearest uniform election date, but city officials opted to delay the vote for more than two years and set it for a date that is mere weeks before the mayor is set to leave office, Blain said.

Marty Lancton, another member of the coaliton and head of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 341, said the council picked political posturing over its duty.

It is not their ministerial duty to pick winners and losers when it comes to this sacred process, Lancton said.

At-Large Councilmember Michael Kubosh likened a delay to voter suppression, a suggestion that irked several of his colleagues. He referred to Democrats in the Legislature who fled to Washington, D.C. to stop a voting restrictions bill.

If we dont vote to put this on the ballot, we are doing the same thing (as the Legislature): We are suppressing the vote, Kubosh said. I believe voting delayed is voting denied.

District F Councilmember Tiffany Thomas said he deserved a Golden Globe for drama, arguing the later election date would improve access to the polls by encouraging higher turnout.

Kubosh said it does not matter whether officials like the content of the charter amendment; their duty is to put it on the ballot.

Under state law the city must verify petitions and put them on the ballot on one of two dates: the next uniform election date, Nov. 2 in this case, or the next municipal elections, which would be Nov. 2023. Turner said that afforded the council the chance to decide when to hold the election.

More from Dylan McGuinness: Houston council approves 9 percent raises over 3 years for municipal workers

Whether you put it here or on some other date, as long as it falls within the prescribed timeline, youre exercising your duty and responsibility, Turner said. To say anything else is contrary to what the law is.

Peck, who represents District A, introduced the unsuccessful amendment to order the election in November 2021. She said the petitioners signatures were proof enough they did not mind spending taxpayer money on an election.

Turner shot back forcefully at that argument.

If youre saying the people in your district would prefer $1.3 million to be spent this way, I disagree with you, Turner said. But Ill factor that in when were looking at various projects.

At-Large Councilmember Letitia Plummer offered an amendment to order an election in 2022, which she said would mark a compromise. City Attorney Arturo Michel said he did not think that was permissible under the law: It must be either the first uniform election date or the next municipal election, neither of which falls in 2022. The amendment failed 15-2, with Kubosh joining Plummer.

The city still is counting signatures on a second charter amendment, which would make binding arbitration the automatic resolution to contract disputes with firefighters. The mayor has said it takes three months to do that in Houston, although other cities are able to do it in a matter of weeks.

Several council members said the city needs to do a better job of clarifying the petition process, so organizers know when they must submit signatures to meet their desired election date. State law does not lay out a timeline for verifying signatures, and the city does not have further policies to clarify the timeline.

At-Large Councilmember Sallie Alcorn said in the last 10 years, one petition was verified in 16 days in Houston and another took 816 days.

I think the more certainty we can prescribe, as a council, to this process, the better off for everybody, Alcorn said.

dylan.mcguinness@chron.com
After 15 hours of speaking nearly nonstop against the GOPs priority elections bill, State Sen. Carol Alvarado, a Houston Democrat, concluded her filibuster on Thursday morning.

Voter suppression anywhere is a threat to democracy everywhere, Alvarado said in her closing remarks, as fellow Democrats surrounded her to show their support.

Yet, as expected, after Alvarado got some hugs and took a seat to rest her feet, the Senate voted 18-11 along party lines to advance the bill and send it to the House, where it will be stalled by a Democratic walkout that has lasted a month.

While Alvarados filibuster could not  and did not  kill the bill, it exemplifies the at-all-costs attitude the Democrats are bringing to their opposition to it. Alvarado acknowledged that the tactic was a temporary measure in an interview with the Texas Tribune.

Im using what I have at my disposal in the Senate, Alvarado told the outlet. The filibuster isnt going to stop it, but a filibuster is also used to put the brakes on an issue  to call attention to what is at stake  and that is what I am doing.

SB 1 mirrors the bill that the Senate approved in a July special session, which Democrats have decried as voter suppression.

THE LATEST: Ted Cruz blocks Texas Democrats voting rights blitz during all-nighter in U.S. Senate

The bill would hamper efforts by large Texas counties, Harris County in particular, to expand voting access during the pandemic that theyd hoped to continue, such as drive-thru and 24-hour voting and proactive mailing of absentee ballot applications.

The legislation would also give partisan poll watchers even more access in the polling place and creates new rules for voting by mail and for assistants to voters with disabilities.

In the first hour of her speech, Alvarado had quoted President Lyndon B. Johnson: I pledge to you that we will not delay or will not hesitate or will not turn aside until Americans of every race color and origin of this country have the same right as all the others to share in the process of democracy.

As a Texas Democrat, I renew this vow to stand up and preserve our democracy as long as I can stand here tonight, she said.

For much of the filibuster, Alvarado told stories submitted to her by fellow Texans that described how they believed that the bill would disenfranchise minority voters and those with disabilities by creating new barriers.

How much more secure can we make our elections? she asked rhetorically. How much more liberty can we sacrifice for safety?

According to Senate rules, Alvarado was allowed to stand at her desk but could not sit, lean, use a desk or chair in any way or take a bathroom break. Other senators could raise objections if she got off subject or if her voice was inaudible.

It can be ended if the speaker is violates rules of decorum or debate three times. A third violation opens up the body to voting on the point of order, which if sustained, would require the speaker to yield the floor.

Republican senators did not make attempts to stop Alvarado, though there were various points that which they gently reminded the senator and her Democratic colleagues to stay on-topic.

The longest filibuster in Texas history was 43 hours long when Senator Bill Meier in 1977 spoke against a bill that would have reduced transparency for industrial accidents.

Former state Sen. Wendy Davis, a Democrat, drew national attention in 2013 when she carried out an 11-hour filibuster against a restrictive abortion bill, wearing her now-famous pair of pink sneakers. Davis expressed her support for Alvarado on Thursday.

So so so proud of @CarolforTexas and the powerful, unwavering 15 hour stand she just completed to give voice to those who will be impacted by TX voter suppression efforts, Davis wrote. We love you, Carol and will always.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
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The city has been trying for years to find a developer for the long-dormant Tyler Street fire station. CT Management was approved to renovate the building into market-rate apartments.

Pittsfield City Council Approve Tyler Street Fire Station Funding

PITTSFIELD, Mass. The City Council approved Tuesday the allocation of $100,000 from the fiscal 2022 Community Preservation Act Fund to go toward the redevelopment of the Tyler Street fire station.

The funds will kickstart CT Management's redevelopment of the historic fire station into four residential housing units.

However, the vote was not a clear go-ahead from the entire council with members Kevin Morandi, Chris Connell, and Anthony Maffuccio voting against the funding with questions surrounding the request for proposals process.

"This process feels like the rules have been changed a few times," Morandi said. "... I have no problems with CT Management. I just don't like how we got here. We had a credible developer last year who was willing to do the work ... but we kept changing the rules."

The fire station has been out of use since 1970 and was used mainly for storage until being shut down in 2008. Since then, no improvements have been made to the building.

Multiple RFPs have been issued for the station that has fallen into disrepair. The city had considered demolishing the building because of this lack of interest.

CT Management's proposal for market-rate housing came in 2021. It has received support from the Historical Commission and the Community Preservation Act Committee.

David Carver, of CT Management, had indicated that the CPA money would go toward patching up the roof. There was some urgency to his application because there was a fear the roof would not last another winter.

But it was the 2020 RFP that drew questioning from some of the councilors and Morandi alleged that the 2020 single bidder was asked for a $5,000 deposit before the city would consider negotiations. He also alleged that they were asked to provide a $100,000 bond. He insinuated that different RFPs were released.

Community Development Director Deanna Ruffer said the RFP released in 2021 was exactly the same as the one released in 2020. She said the $5,000 bid deposit was a requirement of the RFP. As was the performance security bond. She said even though the former bidder did not meet the RFP requirements, the city still agreed to enter negotiations with them.

"It did not meet the minimum requirements ... but the building was quickly deteriorating so I asked that we enter into negotiations," she said. "We never got to the table with him. He withdrew on his own volition prior to the execution of a purchase-and-sale agreement."

Although not mentioned by name, Rusty Anchor owner Scott Graves had indicated in the past that he was interested in the project. Both Connell and Morandi said they were impressed by the bidder's work on the former YMCA boathouse on Pontoosuc Lake, the now Rusty Anchor.

Ruffer said CT Management did provide the proper bonding and agreed to a performance security bond. The company also outlined a timeline and project cost estimates. She said the former bidder did not do this.

"We put it out one more time and we got a bonafide bid meeting all of the requirements," she said. "Again, this was the same RFP."

She added that the former bidder had the chance to rebid in 2021 but they did not.

Morandi still felt the city made adjustments for CT Management and that more efforts should have been made to work with the former bidder a year earlier.

"We could have had the project taken care of over a year ago," he said. "So I don't like this, put this to the 12th hour now and say we have to slam this through because we have to get this building buttoned up."

Connell agreed with Morandi but was happy the project was moving forward and the building would be saved.

"I have been after that building for years, and the good thing is that the building will be saved," he said. "... Although the building will be saved I don't necessarily approve of how we got here."

Dina Guiel Lampiasi asked if the council could look at the two RFPs. She felt the document would clear up a lot of the three councilors' concerns and answer their allegations.

"I think it is important that we deal with facts, and the assertion has been made twice that the RFPs were not the same," she said. "I think it is important to be clear."

Ruffer said this information could be provided to the council.

The City Council also looked at a 10-year Tax Increment Exemption agreement for CT Management for the redevelopment of the building.

This was referred to the Community Development Committee for review.

The proposed structure for the TIE provides for 100 percent forgiveness of the incremental

increase in assessed value, and thus property taxes, for the first two years while the redevelopment is in progress; 80 percent for the third and fourth years, 60 percent in years five and six, 40 percent in years seven and eight, and 20 percent in years nine and 10.

The estimated value of the proposed TIE is approximately $54,734. Over the 10-year

term of the agreement, it is estimated CT Management will pay $65,142 in property taxes.

CT Management's entire investment into the property is estimated to be $1,250,000.
In Q2 2021, amidst continued disruption in supply chains and mail services, scammers sought to use this fact to steal money and credit card details.

Since last year, scammers have been taking advantage of disruption in deliveries to convince users to open phishing links. This past quarter, not only has this trend continued, but the cybercriminals have become more adept at localizing their spam mailings. Users experienced a surge in invoices in different languages asking for money related to anything from customs duties to shipment costs. With these mailings, victims are often taken to a fake website, where they risk not only losing money but also sharing bank card details.

Examples of fraudulent delivery emails

Cybercriminals also launched websites that appeared to offer people the chance to buy parcels that could not reach the intended recipients. Such websites were set up like a lottery. Users were not aware of the contents of the package. They bid based on the weight of the package thatif they wonnever arrived, even after paying the winning bid.

Another new trick from fraudsters this past quarter involved spam sent to WhatsApp requesting small amounts of money. These scams involved several different schemes. One asked that users take a survey about WhatsApp and send messages to several contacts to receive a prize. Another stated that the users already won a large prizeall they needed to do to collect it is pay a small fee.

An additional scam took advantage of the debate surrounding WhatsApps new privacy policy that allowed it to exchange information with Facebook. Cybercriminals set up fake websites inviting users to a WhatsApp chat with beautiful strangers. However, upon clicking the link to the chat room, the potential victim landed on a fake Facebook login pageand risks giving up their personal information. Users also received links for fake WhatsApp messenger apps, putting them at risk of downloading malware.

WhatsApp chat scam

As in the past, were seeing attackers take advantage of new trends and disruptions to steal money and credentials, whether thats a growing user of messengers or continued problem with mail delivery amidst a pandemic. Spam and phishing schemes are still some of the most effective ways to launch successful attacks because they play on human emotion. The best thing users can do is be wary of any unexpected emails and be very careful about clicking on any email attachments or linksgo to the website directly, comments Tatyana Shcherbakova.

To avoid falling victim to the aforementioned scams, Kaspersky experts recommend:
Patricia Hitchcock, the daughter of director Alfred Hitchcock and actor best known for her role in the 1951 film Strangers on a Train, has died at the age of 93.

The England-born American actor, who was commonly known as Pat, died on Monday in Thousand Oaks, California, according to her daughter Katie OConnell-Fiala.

Hitchcock appeared in several of her fathers films, including Stage Fright, Psycho, and Sabotage.

Stage Fright was Hitchcocks first British-made feature film since emigrating to Hollywood. In it, Pat played the role of a jolly acting student named Chubby Bannister, one of Wymans school chums.

She also appeared in movies including the 1950s film The Mudlark, the 1956 film The Ten Commandments, and TV series such as Suspense and Suspicion.

And Pat featured in 10 episodes of her fathers half-hour television programme, Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

She graduated from the Marymount High School in Los Angeles in 1947, and attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) in London, going on to appear on the stage in London.

She married Joseph E OConnell Jr in New York, and they had three daughters named Mary Alma Stone, Teresa Tere Carrubba, and Kathleen Katie Fiala.

Many fans have paid tribute to the actor on Twitter. One person wrote: Patricia Hitchcock was one of the many reasons that Strangers on a Train remains my favorite Hitchcock film. Shes a joy to watch and I hate that were losing her link to this rich cinematic legacy. Shell be greatly missed.

So sorry to hear about the passing of Patricia Hitchcock. She was so memorable and spunky in Strangers on a Train and did such a good job maintaining her fathers legacy, wrote another.

Film director Daniel Raim wrote: RIP Patricia Hitchcock OConnell. I was blessed that she agreed to executive produce my first documentary about Robert Boyle, her fathers longtime production designer. Below is Francois Truffauts dedication to Patricia for his book Hitchcock/Truffaut.

When I was in high school my friend and I exchanged birthday gifts and we had gotten each other the exact same thing - a signed headshot of Patricia Hitchcock! She was very sweet and wrote us a note saying shes glad we were enjoying her fathers films, wrote another fan.
A new play based on Channel 4s hit sitcomThe Windsors does not pull any punches when it comes to jokes about Prince Andrew.

The Windsors: Endgame, which is a musical, features several of the shows original cast, including Harry Enfield as Prince Charles.

In what The Telegraphs critic Ben Lawrence described as blunt satire that not everyone will find funny, Prince Andrew, played by Tim Wallers, is being helped in the play by his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie who are determined to clear his name following sexual assault allegations.

In the song Innocent they protest: But Daddy cannot sweat, we said, then watched their case unravelling/Hes not a shifty sweaty bloke who goes round Jimmy Saviling.

At one point in the show, Prince Andrew appears in handcuffs and an orange boiler suit.

The play also ridicules the likes of Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The Windsors: Endgames press night (10 August) coincided with the day Virginia Giuffre announced she is suing the Queens son for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.

She claims she was trafficked by the Princes former friend and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with the royal when she was aged 17 and a minor under US law.

Prince Andrew has vehemently denied the allegations in the past, and his spokesperson said there was no comment when they were asked to respond to Giuffres legal action.
North Korea refused to pick up routine phone calls  part of the inter-Korean hotline  from South Korea, Seoul has alleged, after Pyongyang threatened that South Korea will pay a price for carrying out the scheduled military drills with the US.

The hotline between the two Korean nations was reinstated in the last month to improve ties, a year after Pyongyang disconnected the line. After weeks of smooth coordination, South Koreas unification and defence ministries said on Tuesday, the calls made from the South in the late afternoon were going unanswered.

The two Koreas typically check in over the hotlines twice a day, and the morning calls to North Korean officials were answered as usual on hotlines maintained by South Koreas military and those used by the unification ministry, which handles relations with Pyongyang, according to Reuters news agency.

The alleged move comes soon after a threatening statement from North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns sister Kim Yo-jong, where she accused South Korea of perfidious behaviour for going ahead with the military drills with US.

In a statement carried by North Koreas state news agency, she said the latest drills were the most vivid expression of the US hostile policy towards North Korea and called the exercises an act of self-destruction for which a dear price should be paid as they threaten the safety of our people and further imperil the situation on the Korean peninsula.

The preliminary training under planned drills between South Korea and the US began on Tuesday and larger, computer-simulated exercises will begin next week. The drills have proved to be a divisive issue between Pyongyang and Seoul.

A spokesperson for the South Korean presidential office told Reuters news agency that it would monitor the Norths moves instead of jumping to conclusions.

Additional reporting by agencies
At least five people have died and 30 people are feared trapped under debris after yet another landslide struck the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, sweeping away a tourist bus and several vehicles on a highway.

The massive landslide that damaged the Reckong Peo-Shimla highway in the states Kinnaur district on Wednesday has led to state authorities deploying around 300 troops of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), apart from disaster management units, at the accident site.

Ten people, including the driver and conductor of the bus, have been pulled out from a huge pile of mud and boulders.

Terrifying visuals filmed by locals showed a torrent of mud and boulders crashing down a hill into the valley and obliterating the highway, leaving behind a huge cloud of dust.

At least 12 people have been found injured in the landslide that left behind wrecked cars, truck and bus, according to police, who said between 25 and 30 people are still trapped under the rubble.

The rescue operation was being hindered intermittently as huge boulders continued to fall at the site, local lawmaker JS Negi told reporters.

Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi and federal home minister Amit Shah spoke to Jairam Thakur, the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh and assured him of providing all possible assistance.

The rescue operation is going at the site of the accident with visuals showing troops digging through the debris to find survivors. One visual shows an injured survivor being carried on a stretcher by rescue officials.

In the aftermath of the landslide, images showed a wrecked truck dangling on the cliff and a car lying on the debris.

Wreckage at the site of the landslide (Indo Tibetan Border Police/AFP)

Torrential downpours have been sweeping parts of India during the ongoing monsoon season, leading to flash floods and a string of landslides in Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Maharashtra and other parts of the country.

Experts say climate change has altered rainfall patterns, leading to heavy rainfall along Indias western coast, while the warming Arabian Sea is driving more cyclones and intense rainfall over short periods of time.

Northern Himachal Pradesh state that sees scores of tourists has, however, remained the worst affected, with several landslides devastating parts of the states in the span of weeks.

In another part of Kinnaur last month, nine tourists were killed and several injured after heavy boulders came crashing down and pounded a huge bridge in the Sangla valley area.

The state has recorded 35 major landslides between 13 June to 30 July, making an increase of 116 per cent, according to a report by the Hindustan Times. Last year, 16 landslides were recorded across Himachal Pradesh, according to the report.
The Taliban has seized three more provincial capitals in Afghanistan and a local army headquarters, putting nine of the nations 34 in the insurgents hands amid the withdrawal of US troops.

The fall of the capitals of Badakhshan and Baghlan provinces to the northeast and Farah province to the west will put increasing pressure on the countrys central government to stem the tide of the advance.

While Kabul itself has not been directly threatened in the advance, the Taliban offensive continues to stretch Afghan security forces now largely fighting against the insurgents on their own.

The insurgents earlier captured six other provincial capitals in the country in less than a week, including Kunduz in Kunduz province  one of the countrys largest cities.

Politicians in Badakhshan and Farah confirmed the provinces had fallen, while an Afghan official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Baghlans capital had also been taken.

On Wednesday, the headquarters of the Afghan National Armys 217th Corps at Kunduz airport fell to the Taliban, Afghan officials told AP. The Taliban also posted a video online saying it showed surrendering troops.

The corps is one of seven across the army and the capture of the base now puts the countrys northeast firmly in Taliban hands.

The Taliban are battling to defeat the US-backed government and reimpose strict Islamic law following their 2001 ouster.

The north was for years Afghanistans most peaceful region, with only a minimal Taliban presence.

During their 1996 to 2001 rule, the Taliban were never completely in control of the north but they now seem intent on securing it before closing in on the capital.

After a 20-year Western military mission and billions of dollars spent training and shoring up Afghan forces, many are at odds to explain why the regular forces have collapsed so quickly.

The fighting has fallen largely to small groups of elite forces and the Afghan air force.

The success of the Taliban blitz has added urgency to the need to restart the long-stalled talks in Qatar that could end the fighting and move Afghanistan toward an inclusive interim administration.

People displaced by Taliban fighting reach out for aid from a local Muslim organisation at a makeship IDP camp in Kabul (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

The insurgents have so far refused to return to the negotiating table.

US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad brought a warning to the Taliban on Tuesday that any government that comes to power through force in Afghanistan wont be recognized internationally and called for a return to talks.

Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in the countrys north to escape battles that have overwhelmed their towns and villages.

Families have streamed into the capital, Kabul, living in parks and streets with little food or water.

Meanwhile, US president Joe Biden said earlier he did not regret his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by the end of the month as he urged the countrys leaders to fight for themselves.

Afghan leaders have to come together, he told reporters at the White House, saying the Afghan troops outnumber the Taliban and must want to fight.

Theyve got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation, he said.

Mr Biden added that the US continues to provide significant air support, food, equipment and salaries to Afghan forces.

Additional reporting by agencies
Human rights groups have welcomed the announcement that the Indonesian army has ended the controversial practise of virginity tests on women cadets.

The armys chief of staff confirmed on Tuesday that such tests, which involved doctors checking the hymen of female recruits to determine whether or not theyd had penetrative intercourse, no longer took place in the army.

The so-called two-finger tests have been denounced by activists and campaigners for years. The Indonesian army previously said the tests were important in deeming the morality of new recruits, but New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), which conducted multiple investigations into the practice, said the test was systematic, abusive and cruel.

Andy Yentriyani, head of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) said there was never any need for the tests, and the World Health Organisation has said the tests have no scientific validity.

Addressing reporters, Indonesian army chief of staff Andika Perkasa said: Whether the hymen was ruptured or partially ruptured was part of the examination ... now theres no more of that.

He said the army selection process for male and female recruits must be equal.

The navy and airforce also denied the existence of virginity tests in their recruitment process, however, a spokesperson for the navy said pregnancy tests were conducted.

An airforce spokesperson said female reproduction tests were undertaken to check for cysts or other complications.

Speaking after the announcement, Andreas Harsono, Indonesia researcher at HRW said it was the right thing to do, adding the practice was degrading, discriminatory, and traumatic.

He said HRW had spoken to more than 100 female military recruits who underwent the tests, one of whom said she was subjected to it in 1965.

Reuters
An alleged assault on a Nigerian diplomat inside a moving car in Indonesia by the southeast Asian countrys immigration officials has led to international outrage, with the Nigerian government condemning the incident and demanding punishment.

Nigeria has recalled its envoy to Jakarta to give a full report of the incident, as well as summoning the Indonesian ambassador in Abuja.

Tensions have dramatically escalated between the two countries after a video went viral on social media showing Nigerian diplomat Abdulrahman Ibrahim being held down by at least three men and crying out in pain inside a vehicle near his residence in Jakarta.

The exact date of the incident is unclear, but it has also sparked a public outcry among those who see it as emblematic of the unfair treatment meted out to Nigerian nationals abroad.

Mr Ibrahim was assaulted during a round-up by the Indonesian immigration officials [searching for] illegal migrants in their country, according to Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigerias minister of foreign affairs.

In the video, two men can be seen grabbing hold of Mr Ibrahims hands and a foot is pressed against one of his legs, while a third person can be seen pinning Mr Ibrahims face against the backseat of a car. Mr Ibrahim, dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, can be heard screaming constantly throughout the video and shouting: I cant breathe my neck, my neck

In a statement released on Monday, the Nigerian foreign ministry said that it has complained strongly to the government of Indonesia.

The ministry added that the ambassador made an unreserved apology on behalf of Indonesias government. Calling it unacceptable and unfortunate, the ministry said the incident was against international law and Vienna conventions governing diplomatic and consular relations between states.

The ministry has also sent an official letter of protest to the Indonesian government pointing this out.

The ambassador of Nigeria to Indonesia has confirmed that the immigration official involved had since come to the Nigerian embassy to apologise to the ambassador and the diplomat concerned, the foreign ministry said.
A US-based online chat group is paying to watch videos of monkey torture, animal advocacy campaigners have discovered.

Individuals can either buy their own private baby monkey or they join with others for a share of a community monkey. They then pay as little as $20 for certain horrific acts to be performed on the young macaques.

Shocking footage obtained by the UK activist group Action for Primates and US organisation Lady Freethinker showed monkeys having their ears and fingers cut off, handlers using a pin to pierce the animals tongues and eyelids, and tying them to a cross before being beaten.

The online group, which has over thirty members, has been running since May this year and campaigners believe there could be other secretive groups that are feeding the demand for videos of animal cruelty.

One organizer of the cruel videos posted the rules of the monkey adoption program on an internet forum, boasting: I believe we may be able to secure 2 more monkeys in the next 24 hours, and these are the youngest yet... I have a few videos in the works right now.

Another warned members not to make their request too elaborate, adding that ant videos would be double price ($50).

In another sick post, accompanied by a photo of a young monkey strapped to a wooden cross, a forum user tried to drum up interest saying: Lets all enjoy some initial monkey discomfort and be sure to sign up with Monkey Crusher and submit your $20 ideas for your own monkey video.

The private chat group is based in the US but includes some members who say they are from the UK . Members then organise for handlers in Indonesia to perform the horrific acts on native monkeys.

In one video, a baby money was covered in flammable liquid and set on fire.

Baby macaques are subjected to cruel taunts for made-to-order videos (Action for Primates)

Their chats were found on social media platforms Telegram and ForumMotion - although after ForumMotion was contacted about the videos they shut down the perpetrators accounts.

The secretive chat group members had initially used YouTube to recruit people who they thought would enjoy the sadistic monkey adoption programme.

In one comment posted to the group, a user said: Once we are around 50 members, I am comfortable with stopping the promotion in YouTube comments and just letting our users personally invite people.

Animal activists have warned that social media platforms such as Youtube and Facebook are not doing enough to stop animal abusers meeting online.

Sarah Kite, from Action for Primates, said: YouTube are enabling people to meet and have vile conversations on their platform. We know that members of these chat groups met on YouTube and were also trying to recruit people on YouTube.

Social media platforms arent taking effective action on the videos of animal cruelty on their sites and they are not taking action quickly enough. Instead they are acting as breeding grounds for people to meet and escalate the violence that is inflicted on, in this case, monkeys.

YouTube took down a number of video channels flagged to them by Action for Primates after they were found to be violating the sites spam policies and animal abuse guidelines.

Nina Jackel, Founder of Lady Freethinker, said: Monkey torture and hate - particularly for baby macaques - is a widespread problem thats been happening for years on YouTube. Channels exist solely to post videos of monkeys suffering and they have become meeting places for fetishists to encourage more violence and fuel each other on.

I fear that the private group weve discovered is just one case of filmakers selling videos directly to fetishists, as YouTube has provided an open door of communication and an easy way for those who enjoy watching the torture to connect.

A spokesperson for YouTube said: YouTube has never allowed content thats violent or abusive toward animals.

Weve recently expanded our violent and graphic policy around animal abuse content, to more clearly prohibit content featuring deliberate physical suffering or harm to animals, including content featuring animal rescue that has been staged and places the animal in harmful scenarios.
US burger chain Wendys has announced plans to open its first dark kitchens in the UK as bosses aim to cash in on the rise of online delivery apps including Deliveroo and Uber Eats

The company is the third largest burger chain in the world after McDonalds and Burger King with around 6,800 outlets in 30 countries, but it quit the UK in 1999.

It returned to the UK this year with a store in Reading and aims to open new sites in Stratford Oxford Croydon and Romford by the end of the year.

In total, bosses hope to open around 400 sites across the country over the next five years, including the new dark kitchens  named because they do not serve customers in person but cook for delivery  which will be run with franchise partner Reef.

This year we think we could reach probably more than a million people in London with even what we're planning for 2021. So, we think that we can have a pretty big impact. Abigail Pringle, Wendy's

Between five and 10 sites are set to open in London by the end of the year, with the company expecting to reach up to one million households initially.

Abigail Pringle, international and chief developments officer, said the focus will be in London initially, but could be expanded to other towns and cities.

In addition, Wendys is in advanced discussions with 30 potential franchise partners to open new restaurants, with the companys board in the US fully behind long-term expansion plans in the UK.

She said: I think that we will make a meaningful impact this year we think we could reach probably more than a million people in London with even what were planning for 2021. So, we think that we can have a pretty big impact.

We know that we want to be able to engage with consumers in every town and market, so the way the people work, live and play, and we know that we want to be able to grow and do that.

Deliveries will be available through all major platforms, Ms Pringle said, rather than the company signing up for an exclusive agreement with just one service.

She said: Were partnering with multiple delivery service providers so, I think youll see all the major players that do delivery in the market being part of the proposition.

Franchise partner Reef has already operated dark kitchens in the UK for the past few years and will use its expertise to drive the growth, she added.

The plans come at a time when burgers are big business on food apps after households shifted to online takeaway orders in record numbers during the pandemic.

US rival Five Guys is one of the most popular restaurants on the Deliveroo app and has enjoyed a rapid expansion in the UK in recent years, alongside another rival Shake Shack.

Wendys said it plans to open and operate 700 delivery kitchens over the next five years across the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom after successful trials in the US and Canada, but did not specify how many of those sites in total would be in the UK beyond its initial London sites.

It comes as the firm revealed sales hit 493.3 million dollars (357 million) in the three months to the end of June, compared with 402.3 million dollars (291 million) in the same period a year ago.

Bosses said this was due to increases in franchise fees and extra spending on advertising driving customers to sites.

The company said the new restaurants in the UK could create up to 12,000 new jobs.

Ms Pringle said the decision to return to the UK after so many years comes because we have a really strong and growing US business and that wasnt true over 20 years ago.
The Texas women who recently signed up for Jessie Krebs survival course in Colorado were far from the usual outdoors experts she regularly hosts in her classes. Most of the US air force veterans clientele tend to be keen nature enthusiasts  trail runners, solo hikers, individuals who pride themselves on wilderness knowledge but want to make sure they dont end up unprepared in emergency situations.

These Texans were nowhere near that description. But theyd just been through the winter ice and snow storm which effectively paralyzed the Lone Star state  and they were rattled.

The women, who signed up for one of Ms Krebs weekend courses at the Denver-area SERE Training School, had been thrown askew, basically, by the snowstorm back in February, Ms Krebs tells The Independent. That really scared them  and theyre like, Boy, the power goes out, what do I do?

Occasionally, people who arent really outdoorsy sign up for her classes, motivated by thoughts such as weve had a pandemic, were having storms, were having things happen, she says. They just want to know what to do if something happens.

The popularity of survival courses  whether hours-, days-, or weeks-long  has been growing since the early 2000s, when reality and survivor shows caught the attention of the general public, experts say. But with a pandemic, political unrest and impending climate crises on the horizon, a wider segment of the population has been re-focussing on the concept of self-reliance  away from civilization.

I think some of it is generalised insecurity, professor John J Shea, who teaches anthropology and a class in primitive skills at Stonybrook University, tells The Independent, adding that his course has seen a progressive spike since he began teaching it decades ago.

They believe the worst-case scenarios, he says of current students. Some of it is also, they recognise that theyre 20, theyre 22, theyre about to graduate college  and, honest to God, some of them dont know how to light a wooden match.

Social upheaval over the past two years has heightened that awareness, says Jason Marsteiner, founder of Colorado Mountain Man Survival and The Survival University. He saw his business triple in 2020  flooded by customers who people wouldnt necessarily be expecting to take my classes.

Lots of people are coming out, and its a little mix of everything, he tells The Independent. I wouldnt say most people come out here because of natural disasters, because natural disasters happen all the time.

I think whats going on is people are actually becoming more aware of what always happens. It all was kickstarted by Covid; it really caused people to get out of their little safety bubble. They were getting out of their daily routine and paying attention to what was going on in the environment, in the world globally, nationally, outside of their neighbourhood, outside of their city  looking at things at a national or global level and realising that everything is impacting us.

The 46-year-old continues: I see a lot of people from the financial industry, a lot of doctors, people from the medical industry, entrepreneurs, people that own their own businesses, white collar workers  thats the majority of my clientele ... they started visiting parks or going hiking more and they got out here and they realized they dont know what to do should something go wrong.

He adds: I also feel like people  I say this loosely  sense an impending doom ... they feel like somethings about to happen, a shift in our society, a shift in our way of life  and they want to be prepared for whatever, be able to forage off the land, be able to do whatever it takes to get by.

And they just feel like the skills I teach are kind of the core basic skills.

Theres no overarching body to track survival school and courses statistics in the US; Mr Marsteiner, who converted his business into a non-profit this year, is hoping to streamline and unite the industry to create a gold standard when it comes to survival instructors and institutions.

In the meantime, the anecdotal evidence is undeniable when it comes to increasing uptakes among previously uninvolved parties.

Our demographic has phenomenally widened over the past several years, Cliff Hodges, founder of Santa Cruz, California-based Adventure Out, tells The Independent.

I think the interest is widening amongst the general population. Survival training used to be considered really fringey, associated with prepper-type Doomsday folks.

Now I think everyone is starting to view it as, oh, something that is interesting but also probably necessary at some point.

Mr Hodges, 41, tells The Independent: I would say the common reason is people think theyre going to need it someday because, I might get lost when I go camping. And some people are saying, I might need it one day because I think society is going to collapse.

Mr Marsteiner says he definitely sees clients signing up after power outages, because of a snowstorm, thunderstorm, lighting storm, or a flood comes through ... people are thinking locally but I think people are also thinking bigger than that  not necessarily as big as natural disasters but, I think for political reasons or the change in our social society, thats been a big push for people to come out here and do this.
Bitcoin is back on the ascendency, rising in price by more than 50 per cent over the last three weeks to pour cold water on fears that the market was heading towards a crypto winter.

But the remarkable recovery to above $46,000 has left cryptocurrency analysts divided over which way bitcoin will head from here, with two polarising theories putting it either on a path to new all-time highs before the end of 2021, or on the brink of imminent collapse.

>> Follow all the latest crypto market updates with The Independents live blog

Both theories draw on patterns from previous market cycles, most notably the record-breaking bull runs and subsequent bear markets of 2013/14 and 2017/18.

The first, more optimistic forecast claims that bitcoin has just entered the second leg of a two-year bull run that will see its price head to the moon and eclipse the $64,000 high it experienced in mid April.

The second theory posits that the current price surge is a bull trap pattern known as a dead cat bounce, which will see bitcoin fall much lower than the $29,000 levels it sunk to towards the end of July.

Previous market cycles have seen mid-bull run dips (green) and dead cat bounces preceding long bear runs (CoinMarketCap/ The Independent)

Two of the most prominent advocates for each opposing theory are two pseudonymous analysts called PlanB and CryptoWhale, who have nearly 1 million followers combined on Twitter. Both have been vocal throughout bitcoins latest rally, pointing to it as evidence to support their competing ideas.

For the Netherlands-based analyst PlanB, bitcoin is following a price model he published to much acclaim in 2019. The Stock-to-Flow (S2F) model is based on bitcoins inbuilt scarcity  only 21 million bitcoins will ever exist  and has proved astonishingly accurate up until now.

With bitcoin mining rewards cut in half roughly every four years through a process in-built into its network known as halving, the S2F model charts progressively greater boom and bust cycles for the cryptocurrency.

Different variations of it put the peak of this current cycle anywhere between $100,000 and $500,000.

In contrast, CryptoWhale subscribes to the theory that this might be the final chance for crypto investors to take profit before a sustained bear market takes bitcoin all the way down to $7,000.

After my dozens of warning tweets and articles about a bull trap/ dead cat bounce at the $30k range, weve finally seen it, he tweeted on Tuesday, as bitcoin rose to a three-month high.

This bottoming out level seems extreme, even by bitcoins standards. Previous form suggests a lower bound for this cycle of around $20,000-$30,000, as at no point has it ever fallen below the record high seen in the bull run previous to the one it has just experienced.

This means that anyone who has bought and held bitcoin for a four-year period at any point in bitcoins history has been in profit by the end of it.

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Bitcoins wild volatility stems from a multitude of factors, making any future price predictions nearly impossible to make. It is fragile enough that one tweet from Elon Musk can seemingly cause it to crash or surge in an instant, while longer term trajectories can be determined by new regulations and laws anywhere from the US to China.

The trillion-dollar Infrastructure Bill that passed through the Senate on Tuesday, for example, could potentially harm the industry and therefore the price due to new crypto tax reporting obligations. Contrarily, analysts have noted that the frequent mention of bitcoin by high-profile members of the Senate, such as Ted Cruz, has helped boost awareness of the cryptocurrency and could therefore ultimately drive adoption and further price rises.

Bitcoin is leading the charge as mass awareness of crypto appears on the point of reaching a critical mass, Paolo Ardoino, chief technology officer of cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex, told The Independent.

Significant buying pressure is coming from institutional investors who now realise that the king of crypto has become too important to be ignored. Meanwhile, we are seeing a united front in the industry as we stand together to protect what has been built over many years amid continued debates in the US Senate.
In what could be one of the largest cryptocurrecny heists ever, hackers have stolen virtual currencies worth $600 million.

Poly Network, a site which makes blockchains work together, said hackers had exploited a vulnerability in its system and took thousands of digital tokens from it.

Blockchains are ledgers of financial activities on various cryptocurrencies are based, and each type of the virtual currency such as Ether and Bitcoin has its own blockchain.

The Poly Network blockchain site allows users to move tokens linked to one of these ledgers to a different network, making them work together.

The amount of money you have hacked is one of the biggest in defi [decentralised finance] history, the company noted in a letter addressed to the hacker that was posted on Twitter.

Law enforcement in any country will regard this as a major economic crime and you will be pursued. The money you stole are from tens of thousands of crypto community members, hence the people, Poly Network said in the letter.

After preliminary investigation, the company said the hacker exploited a vulnerability between contract calls to make the heist.

It noted that about $267m of Ether currency, $252m of Binance coins, and close to $85 million in USDC tokens has been taken.

Cryptocurrency exchanges also noted that they were cooperating with the investigation.

Changpeng Zhao, chief executive of Binance, tweeted that his firm was aware of the hack, and was co-ordinating with all our security partners to proactively help.

While no one controls BSC (or ETH), we are coordinating with all our security partners to proactively help. There are no guarantees. We will do as much as we can, he added.

On scale, experts say the hack could be comparably as big as recent cryptocurrency exchange breaches like the ones at Coincheck and Mt Gox.

Were watching the flow of coins, and will do our best to manage the situation. Our wallet team will get in touch if we need more information, tweeted Jay Hao, chief of OKEx, a cryptocurrency exchange based in Seychelles.

Du Jun, co-founder of another Seychelles-based exchange Huobi, said the companys teams are already tracking and identifying the addresses involved.

Huobi has taken notice of the large sum stolen from the Poly Network tonight. Well do everything in our power to assist and protect the crypto community, he noted.
Hyperloop, the futuristic transport system first conceived by Elon Musk, has been included in a landmark trillion-dollar infrastructure bill that passed through the US Senate on Tuesday.

Two companies are currently leading the way in the development of a commercial hyperloop system  Virgin Hyperloop and Hyperloop TT  with both hoping to revolutionise the way people travel.

The original hyperloop concept, first laid out by the Tesla and SpaceX boss in a 2012 whitepaper, involves shooting pods filled with people through vacuum tubes at more than 1,000 kilometres per hour.

The promises held by this fifth mode of transport, as Mr Musk puts it, have so far failed to be realised in a commercial operation  a fact lamented by the famed Silicon Valley venture capitalist Marc Andreessen in a manifesto published last year titled Its Time to Build.

In it, he described a failure of action, and specifically our widespread inability to build, and called for greater government investment in new industries.

You see it in transportation, he wrote. Where are the supersonic aircraft? Where are the millions of delivery drones? Where are the high speed trains, the soaring monorails, the hyperloops, and yes, the flying cars?

The inclusion in the infrastructure bill was welcomed by both leading hyperloop companies, who hope the development of the futuristic transportation system will replace costly road and rail infrastructure.

Hyperloops inclusion in the bill is a landmark moment for the industry as it solidifies the technology into federal law, said Hyperloop TTs CEO Andres de Leon.

The passing of this legislation is a step in the right direction, but the work to advance American infrastructure systems does not stop here... While a major portion of the increased investment will be spent repairing and maintaining current infrastructure systems, the countrys long-term future relies on the development of sustainable solutions becoming the backbone of transportation infrastructure.

(Virgin)

The bill will allow companies to compete for federal funding for US-based hyperloop projects, while also codifying the Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology (NETT) Council at the US Department of Transportation in order to support the safe and swift deployment of the transport system.

Having passed through the Senate, the bill will next be considered by the House of Representatives, which will return from its recess on 23 August.

Hyperloops inclusion shows that were on the precipice of a new era that will change the way we think about mobility in this country, said Josh Giegel, CEO and co-founder of Virgin Hyperloop.

I hope the House of Representatives will expeditiously pass this legislation so that these additional avenues for investment in hyperloops successful deployment in the US can become law.
The government has now lifted its pandemic requirement for people to work from home where possible, instead advising that employees may begin to return to office life. But in recent weeks the push for workers to gradually return to their desks is starting to feel like more of a shove.

According to screenshots seen by Reuters, Google employees could see differences in pay going forward if they work from home long-term. The brand has reportedly introduced an internal pay calculation tool that lets staff work out how their location might affect their wages.

But this isnt just Silicon Valley. An unnamed senior cabinet minister suggested on Tuesday that civil servants who work at home have had a de facto pay rise because they dont pay commuting costs, adding that this was unfair to those who have returned to the office.

Dragon Dens Touker Suleyman also wrote this week that there was no excuse for people without health exemptions to not to join the march back as around 75 per cent of UK adults have now been fully vaccinated. He wrote: If the only way to bring this about is to set one salary for people who work from home, and a higher one for those who come into the office and spend  in some cases  thousands of pounds a year commuting, then so be it."

Employees have hardly rushed back to the office. In fact, data has shown that the number of staff in the office since 19 July has risen marginally to 11.7 per cent, from 11.1 per cent before official guidance changed. But over the course of the pandemic, priorities among office workers have shifted. Research by networking firm Future Strategy Club found that 57 per cent still do not want to return to their 9-5 role, whilst 58 per cent want flexibility in their current role.

People who are forced back to the office will feel like theyve lost hours with their family each week

Now, employees are questioning the motive behind suggesting pay disparities going forward between people working from home versus working in the office, with many arguing that wages should be determined by the value of ones work, not their location. And others questioning the legality of changing salaries if job descriptions and workloads stay the same.

Jo Marie OReilly, a PR strategist who is currently based in Chester, said it is starting to feel as though some companies are trying to bully staff to return to the office. She told The Independent: Suggesting those who commute into the office should be paid more feels like an attempt to divide the workforce, and imply that those working from home are somehow doing less work or that their work has less value.

I dont know a single person who, like me, was plunged into working from home unexpectedly in March 2020, that is desperate to get back to the 9-5 presenteeism of office life, she said. I think this pandemic has shown us that another way is possible and that we can and should be judged on the quality of our work and not the hours we spend sitting in a chair.

Nicole Kow, a marketing consultant who has worked remotely all her working life, agreed: Some companies [do] make a very good case for why they have pay discrepancies and cost of living is always a big thing, but what if someone decides to move from a rural area to a city? Will companies bump up wages then? What will this conversation look like?

And I dont understand this idea of paying someone less because they dont want to go into an office. If your output and the value you bring to the company doesnt change regardless of where you work, why should your compensation be impacted?

Others pointed out that if employers want to strong-arm workers back into the office, the cost of commuting should be taken into account. In pre-pandemic times, London commuters spent an average of 5,114 in travel costs, equivalent to 18 per cent of an average annual London net salary after tax.

I dont know a single person who is desperate to get back to the 9-5 presenteeism of office life

However, remote workers argue that it isnt cheaper to be at home because the cost of commuting has been largely redistributed into utilities in the home, such as electricity, heating, water and internet access. As well as any potential adjustments needed to working spaces.

Writer and researcher Chloe Maughan said: People who work from home are doing the same job and arguably theyre saving their employer money by using their own utilities. I do think theres another question to ask about whether employers should pay where theyre forcing people to commute.

The past year has really made the time and cost penalty of commuting feel even more stark. People who are forced back to the office will feel like theyve lost hours with their family each week.

This will be on contracts where employees are told their salaries are for 37.5 hours a week, or more, and yet in reality they might be losing an additional five hours plus each week just to get to and from the office at no benefit to them.

Employers who are considering paying staff differently according to their location have been advised not to by some experts, as this could throw up a myriad of legal issues. Alan Price, CEO of BrightHR, told The Independent: It is not advisable that employers pay staff less for working from home permanently, even on a hybrid basis, if their role will remain the same as when they were fully office-based  unless the employee agrees to it or their employment contract stipulates that such a thing can be done.

It is important that employers check their employees contracts before making any changes

He explained that a change in pay may be classed as an unlawful deduction in wages if the employee is working the same number of hours and has the same workload, and is held under the same obligations as when they were in the office. Employers may also receive indirect sex discrimination claims, given the fact that more women work from home than men, as well as claims of constructive dismissal if an employee is forced to resign due to a pay cut.

"It is important that employers check their employees contracts before making any changes, said Price. For example, if a person works in a London based office but lives outside of the city, can an employer reduce or remove London weighting?

If the contract stipulates that the employer can change pay if the employee is living outside of London, then perhaps removing London weighting could be possible. Even then, employers should be careful.

If staff normally based out of London are paid the same as those in London doing the same work, it wouldnt be advisable for an employer to enforce a pay reduction.

On a similar note, if employers give some contractual perks with a financial value to those working in the office which are then removed because of homeworking, they may need to think about offering some compensation for this, he added.
Covid booster jabs have been cropping up in news more and more. But what exactly is a booster jab, and why might we need them?

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has just confirmed plans are under way to offer Covid boosters in the UK. Although nothing seems concrete just yet, its indicated boosters could be rolled out along with the annual flu jab drive, prioritising over-50s and those who received their initial Covid vaccines earliest.

Javid said the Government is awaiting advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). However, leading vaccine expert Professor Sir Andrew Pollard has suggested boosters may not be needed.

Well have to wait and see whats decided. In the meantime, if youre a bit confused about booster jabs, we asked some medical experts to give us the lowdown.

What is a booster jab?

Dr Ashish Srivastava, GP and Medical Director at Gogodoc explains: Vaccines contain a weakened form of the disease-causing virus or bacteria, and work by triggering your immune system to attack the foreign organism, like it would if you actually had the disease.

As a result, your immune system is able to remember the disease-causing bacteria or virus, and if youre exposed to it again, your bodys defence cells (antibodies) can recognise and kill the germ before it causes harm.

Boosters are the same vaccine which can be given, weeks, months or even years after the first vaccine in order to boost your immune system with a further weakened form of the virus.

Boosters are like a vaccine top up (Alamy/PA)

Dr Will Budd, a clinical research physician at Imperial College who has played an instrumental role in the vaccine clinical trials, and medical advisor to myGP, the UKs largest independent healthcare management app, describes booster jabs as like having a top up of the vaccine, to ensure a good level of protective antibodies.

Sometimes they are slightly different from the original jabs you receive, he adds. This is because the vaccine shows you what the keys on the outside of Covid looks like, so that we can make locks (antibodies) to stop them. But variants are slight changes in these keys, so sometimes we need to boost with a new vaccine that matches the new keys, hopefully making us like a master locksmith and being able to defend against different variants better.

Are booster jabs new?

Vaccine boosters are not new. In fact, it is not unusual for boosters to be required, and many of us will already have had boosters during our lives for other things. Flu jabs are an example, and if youve done a lot of travelling to regions where travel vaccinations are recommended, you may have had boosters. Pet-owners may take their dogs and cats for annual boosters!

We often use booster vaccinations for other infections, such as Pneumococcus (every five years) and tetanus (every 10 years), says Dr Louis Tela Akindele, GP at Gogodoc. These intervals are based on the period of time we know immunity wanes. As we study Covid-19 more, we will gain greater clarity in terms of the duration required between booster doses.

Why might we need Covid booster jabs?

As experts keep reminding us, it can take time to really see the effects of how a vaccine programme is working. But lots of us were hoping being double jabbed would mean were now all safe from catching and spreading Covid  so why might we need booster jabs?

We may need them if A: its clear that antibody and protection levels decrease over time and we need a top up. Or B: if the variants differ considerably from the original strain the vaccine is designed in, says Dr Budd.

Who might be offered Covid booster jabs?

So far, the Government hasnt confirmed any concrete plans, although it sounds as though there could be a similar priority list as with the first round of the initial vaccine roll-out, targeting older age groups for example.

This is unclear presently, agrees Dr Budd, and really depends on what the need for the boosters are. Likely [it will be] the top groups in the roll-out at least (key workers, elderly and the vulnerable), and then potentially to everyone, depending on need.
They were on a break, and then they werent. He was her lobster, and then he wasnt. He was waiting to know if she got off the plane, and then she did. Of all the TV couples to grace our screens, few have captured our hearts quite like Friends Ross and Rachel. Theirs was a thunderous romance, with euphoric highs and cataclysmic lows. And we were deeply invested at every stage.

With that in mind, its not surprising that rumours of a real-life romance unfolding between actors David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston, who played the star-crossed lovers in the cult sitcom, have sent the internet spinning. The story has been brewing since both actors revealed during the Friends reunion that they had a crush on one another when they filmed the series. Naturally, fans were thrilled.

Excitement reached new heights earlier this week, however, when it was reported that the actors had been spending more time together at Anistons LA home after the special stirred up feelings for one another. Schwimmer might have quickly denied the reports, but that hasnt stopped hundreds of thousands of fans from expressing their sheer joy at the prospect they might finally get together, 27 years since they were co-stars crushing on one another.

I literally just got chills. Ross and Rachel. Rachel and Ross. Jen and David. Its all meant to be, tweeted one person, while another said that confirmation of a romance between the pair would be the only news that can save 2021.

Its not the first time this year that social media has gone into overdrive at the mere thought of a potential celebrity couple. Rumours that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck had rekindled their Noughties romance began circulating in May when they were pictured spending the weekend together in Montana  #Bennifer was trending on Twitter within hours. When the couple appeared to confirm they were, in fact, together in July, the hype surrounding Bennifer 2.0, as it was termed, went stratospheric, spanning countless opinion pieces, radio segments, and TikTok tributes. Even Matt Damon described the reunion as awesome.

But why are we so invested in celebrity romances, regardless of whether theyre real or not? We have never met these people and, chances are, we never will. So why do we care what they do with their personal lives? The life of a Hollywood star couldnt be more different from that of the everyday person  their relationships will be under constant scrutiny, supervision, and a paparazzi lens  so its not like we can relate to their experiences. When you break it down, then, it does seem a little strange that we care at all. But evidently, we do care; we care a lot.

We tend to develop what is known as a para-social relationship with celebrities Honey Langcaster-James, psychologist

We tend to develop what is known as a para-social relationship with celebrities, explains psychologist Honey Langcaster-James, director of services at global media psychology consultancy On Set Welfare. This means that we get emotionally attached to them and become psychologically involved and invested in following their lives, almost in the same way as we are interested in the lives of those in our own families, even though its a one-sided relationship and they dont even know we exist, let alone have any relationship with us in return.

Our intrigue also boils down to the simple fact that, regardless of how famous someone is, almost all of us will engage in some sort of romantic relationship during our lifetime. It is one of the few universal experiences we share as human beings. As a result, when reports emerge that two celebrities we feel attached to are romantically involved, its inevitable that we will project some of our own relationship experiences onto them. Many of us will have endured similar personal struggles to celebrities, such as divorce and dependency, explains psychologist Emma Kenny. So we feel genuinely invested in their lives.

Theres also something to be said about how these feelings can deepen with a couple that appears to have overcome some sort of hurdle. With Affleck and Lopez, for example, this is rooted in their history. The duo was one of the most famous couples of the early Noughties. But their relationship, which lasted from 2002 to 2004, ended dramatically (they were engaged at the time), with both parties later confessing that the intense media attention had a part to play in its dissolution.

The fact that theyre back together now, then, after a period of turbulence  both having other relationships, even marriages  we perceive as adding a deeper layer of meaning to their love story, one that seems somehow more romantic. This, Kenny explains, taps into a subconscious inclination towards fairytale romances. We want to believe in second chances and imagine a life where mistakes can be truly rectified, she says. These celebrities represent a great deal more to us than exes merely giving it another go. They demonstrate how, amidst all the chaos in life, the right people can eventually find each other at the right moment.

These feelings are intensified when you throw nostalgia into the mix. Nostalgic memories have the power to make us feel happier, says Kenny. But shared nostalgia, she explains, like that experienced by anyone who has tweeted about Ross and Rachel being real, or the return of #Bennifer, can make the emotional experience of those memories even more profound, particularly because, thanks to social media, you can see it unfolding in real-time.

Nostalgic memories have the power to make us feel happier Emma Kenny, psychologist

The nostalgia attached to a show like Friends, though, is unique. Its success was that it poignantly pinpointed all of the relationship agonies so many of us had faced in a world that did, at times, look very familiar to the point that it could have almost been true, says clinical psychologist Lorraine Sherr. This meant that fans felt the drama of the show and its characters viscerally; their pain was ours too.

The nostalgic feelings we may have towards Ross and Rachel being real, then, is unique too; it validates our long-standing emotional attachment to the relationship between those two characters. The idea that these two actors might really be together after so long is an alluring and attractive dream, because it suggests that other aspects of life might work out for the best in the end, says Langcaster-James. There would be something so reassuring to know that a long-running show like Friends wasnt just fiction, but that there was a real connection there all along.

Of course, the fact that were emerging from an 18-month period of collective grief, uncertainty, and isolation means that it is more appealing now than ever before. And reunions like this can act as a reminder that no matter how challenging life can get, we will find our way back to joy, eventually.

And who knows what the future holds? Lopez and Affleck may split again, and Schwimmer and Aniston might never be each others real-life lobsters. But that doesnt matter. We have been granted hope of a triumphant romance, and maybe thats enough. During the pandemic, the world has been enveloped in loss, says clinical psychologist Julie Stokes. People have a hunger for a good ending, and in this instance, a great love story, even if its not their own.
Rising patient numbers are placing further strain on the NHS across the country, with major hospitals declaring black alerts over bed shortages and more operations being cancelled.

Hospital chiefs have warned the NHS is now the busiest it has ever been, and the health secretary, Sajid Javid, has accepted the health service will need more investment.

Two major London hospitals have declared black alert incidents in recent days due to bed shortages and increasing numbers of Covid patients, as well as rising numbers of people turning up in A&E.

Bosses at St Marys Hospital in Paddington were forced to issue a black alert warning on Tuesday and Wednesday this week because of bed pressures across its surgery and medical ward areas.

Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith also issued alerts to staff on Tuesday, with doctors across both sites being told to prioritise patients who could be discharged to try and free up beds.

Both hospitals are run by the Imperial College Healthcare Trust, which told The Independent it was seeing unusual pressure for the time of year.

Meanwhile, patients needing routine joint surgery at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust have had their operations cancelled this week after a rise in Covid admissions and general pressure from patients attending A&E.

In recent weeks hospitals across England have seen record levels of non-Covid patients turning up at A&E, with a lack of intensive care beds meaning routine surgeries, including for some cancer patients, have been cancelled across England.

All ambulance trusts in England have also reported record levels of 999 calls, with patients left waiting for hours for an ambulance and even some 999 calls being on hold for up to 10 minutes.

At Imperial College Healthcare Trust, there were 83 Covid patients on Tuesday morning, with 17 in critical care with 15 on ventilators. This compared to 74 Covid patients on Friday and 11 on a ventilator.

Professor Julian Redhead, medical director at the trust, said: We are seeing unusual pressure for the time of year and, while we have not seen the number of Covid-19 patients we had earlier this year, the stable increase in cases does add extra pressure for our hospitals, which are still operating using separate Covid-19 pathways and increased infection control measures, as well as maintaining as much of our planned care as possible.

These internal alerts, which have been in place for a number of years, help us proactively respond to increases in pressure and ensure we are doing everything we can to ensure this does not impact our patients.

In Sheffield, one NHS source said the area was now a hotspot for Covid infections. An email to staff in its infectious diseases department sent on Tuesday revealed the trust had stopped all elective, or planned arthroplasty (joint repair) surgery, with an extra ward at the Northern General Hospital being converted to look after Covid patients.

On Tuesday the trust had 90 Covid patients with 13 in critical care.

Dr Jennifer Hill, medical director for the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust, said: Like so many other NHS trusts we have seen a steady increase in the number of Covid patients in recent weeks, from single figures to 90, which, coupled with increased emergency demand and the recovery of paused care, has meant we have had to re-designate our available capacity to manage this demand.

We had returned all our Covid wards back to normal activity but in recent weeks we have had to change one 26-bed ward back to providing Covid care and, in anticipation of a further increase, we have just re-designated a second ward.

Thanks to the incredible work of our staff we have been able to minimise the amount of operations cancelled and we monitor the situation daily rather than put a blanket stop in place.

Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said: Whats particularly striking is how busy all parts of the NHS are  hospitals, community and mental health services, GPs and primary care.

There is a particular concern about the unprecedented pressure on ambulance services, the fact that this has lasted for a number of weeks, and the impact this is having on both staff and patients.

We now have some trust chief executives, particularly in the ambulance sector, telling us that this is now the busiest it has ever been.

Despite hospitals having fewer coronavirus patients, many are trying to recover huge backlogs created by the pandemic. Mr Hopson said staffing levels were a critical issue for many NHS trusts, with staff isolating or being encouraged to book long-delayed holiday leave during the summer.

The lack of capacity in the NHS has prompted Mr Javid to warn the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, that the NHS will need more investment in the forthcoming autumn spending review.

Mr Javid also said the long-term plan for the NHS needed be revisited in light of the effects of Covid-19, and with waiting lists now hitting record levels.
A joint force of Mozambican and Rwandan troops has regained control of a strategic port from Islamic extremists who held the town in northern Mozambique for a year, the countries defense ministries have announced.

The retaking of Mocimboa da Praia is a notable success for the 1,000-strong Rwandan force that deployed to Mozambique last month.

Rwandas troops have rapidly helped Mozambiques armed forces achieve victories against the insurgents, who have created a humanitarian emergency in northern Cabo Delgado province and surrounding areas. Before the Rwandan forces arrived, Mozambiques military and police had not succeeded in stemming the insurgents' offensives.

More than 3,000 Mozambicans have been killed and 800,000 people displaced by the four-year insurgency. Nearly 1 million people need urgent food aid as a result of the conflict, according to the U.N. World Food Program.

Earlier this year the insurgents, loosely allied to the Islamic State group, forced the French energy firm Total to pull out of its $20 billion liquified natural gas project near Palma, further north on the Indian Ocean coastline. Mozambican media report that the financing for the Rwandan troops mission in Mozambique is coming from France.

The joint operations between Mozambican and Rwandan forces have succeeded in forcing the insurgents to retreat from the zones where they have exerted relative influence, Mozambican colonel Omar Saranga told a press conference on Sunday.

The joint force has taken control of public and private buildings in Mocimboa da Praia including local government offices, the port, the airport, the hospital, markets and restaurants, Saranga said. The port is key to transporting supplies to other parts of Cabo Delgado province, including the liquified natural gas project.

After employing a private military company, Dyck Advisory Group, last year, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi is now accepting assistance from other African governments. In addition to the Rwandans, a regional force from the Southern African Development Community officially starts operations on Monday.

That military mission will be based in Pemba, the provincial capital. On Monday, Nyusi and Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi are to inspect troops from South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Lesotho and Tanzania. Zimbabwe has also sent troops but only to help train Mozambiques armed forces, not to take part in combat operations, according to the Zimbabwean government.

Shortly before the Rwandans' deployment was announced, and after a meeting between Nyusi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame a Rwandan dissident living as a refugee in Mozambique was abducted, apparently by police. An association of Rwandan refugees in Mozambique believes that the man, journalist Cassien Ntamuhanga, has been handed over to Rwandan authorities.

___

Bowker contributed from Belgrade, Serbia.
A 13-year-old boy with serious injuries is being treated in hospital after suffering a knife attack outside of his home in Birmingham.

The boy and his father, aged 37, were both treated by paramedics outside their home on Wychwood Crescent in the Sheldon area of Birmingham , West Midlands Police, who are dealing with the incident, said.

A 14-year-old boy has since been arrested on suspicion of suspected murder and wounding.

Police are still investigating the incident and the teenager remains in police custody, they said.

The father, who suffered a slash to his back with a knife, is currently recovering at home.

The boy, who unfortunately suffered more serious injuries, has been kept in hospital for further treatment.

The force are appealing to witnesses for information. A statement on the West Midland Police website said:

Our priority is to find out exactly what happened and why, but we need your help to do that. If you think you can help please get in touch. The easiest way to speak to us is via live chat at west-midlands.police.uk . 

The statement urged parents to discuss knife crime with their children. It said: During the holidays were urging parents to speak to their children about the devastating impact of carrying knives. No matter where you live, knife crime is an issue which affects us all.

While many young people dont carry knives, you have a role to play in helping your child make the right choice on this subject. If there is one person your child will listen to, its you. They respect you more than you think.

The West Midlands had the second highest knife crime rate in the country for the year up to March 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found.

The region was second only to the London Metropolitan area with 3,437 offences involving a blade in the West Midlands Police area, a slight increase on the previous year.That is 118 offences per 100,000 population.
The US has been allowed to expand its appeal against a judges ban on extraditing Julian Assange.

Representatives argued that Mr Assange would be able to resist suicide in a US prison.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled last year that there was a real risk of suicide but the US is applying to have the medical evidence of neuropsychiatry expert Michael Kopelman dismissed or considered less important.

Professor Kopelman, of Kings College London, had concluded that Mr Assange had autism, recurring depression and was at high risk of suicide if extradited.

On Wednesday, Lord Justice Holroyde granted the US permission to challenge Judge Baraitsers decision on the basis that she had attached too much weight to the evidence of Professor Kopelman.

He said it was very unusual for an appeal court to have to consider the evidence of an expert who had been found to have misled the court and added that it was at least arguable that the judge erred in basing her conclusions on the professors evidence.

Washington will now make its full appeal in October.

For the US, Clair Dobbin QC told the High Court in London that there is a need for anxious scrutiny of Mr Assanges reported mental health.

She added: It really requires a mental illness of a type that the ability to resist suicide has been lost. Part of the appeal will be that Mr Assange did not have a mental illness that came close to being of that nature and degree.

Ms Dobbin argued that the professor had misled Judge Baraitser by concealing the fact that Mr Assange had fathered two children during his time at the embassy until March last year when he, chose to deploy that information in support of his bail application.

On the steps of the High Court, Julian Assanges partner Stella Morris, who has two children by him, said he was, an innocent man accused of practising journalism.

Mr Assange is wanted in the US on allegations of a conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information. The WikiLeaks founder published hundreds of thousands of leaked documents on his website that related to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

Ms Morris told his supporters: [The US Government] is exploiting the inherently unfair extradition arrangements with this country in order to arbitrarily prolong his imprisonment.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was also outside the High Court, said the US government and opponents of Mr Assange should wind their necks in and allow him to go free.

Mr Corbyn described Mr Assange as a reporter, in the tradition of fearless journalism, who had highlighted, a truth that was embarrassing to the US.

Mr Assange is being held in Londons HMP Belmarsh.
Priti Patel is facing calls to end her use of inhumane mass deportations after a charter flight to Jamaica prompted suicide attempts.

The flight left the UK shortly after 1am on Wednesday carrying seven people after 43 had their tickets cancelled following legal intervention in the days and hours before its departure.

Among those onboard was a frail man in his sixties who may have a right to British citizenship under the Windrush scheme but did not receive good legal advice on his case, lawyers said.

The Home Office accused legal firms of pursuing a range of claims to prevent the removal of these criminals, pointing out that 18 legal challenges were made in the final 24 hours before deportation.

But lawyers said the last-minute legal claims, which have also arisen before previous charter flights to Jamaica over the past two years, were the result of poor access to legal advice for deportees.

Two individuals who faced deportation, both of whom arrived in the UK as children, attempted suicide in the hours before the flight, which led to them being rushed to hospital and meant they could not be removed.

One of the men, Akeem Finlay, 31, has a fresh asylum claim pending with the Home Office on the basis that he would face gang violence on return to Jamaica. He came to the UK aged 10 and has four British children.

Mr Finlay, who was discharged from hospital on Wednesday morning and taken back to the removal centre, told The Independent: I didnt want to be killed. I knew it would happen if I were sent back, and I just dont want that to happen to me.

Akeem Finlay with his two sons, aged eight and six (Supplied)

Describing how he felt when officers knocked on his cell door to take him to the flight, he said: I was terrified. I just wanted to take my life. That would be a better way to go. No one would be there to bury me in Jamaica, here they would.

His solicitor, Maria Thomas of Duncan Lewis Solicitors, said she had been on the phone with her client when he was threatening to harm himself.

I could hear officers shouting in the background. He was obviously distraught, she said.

The way they conduct these mass charter flights is inhumane and brutal. Its a waste of taxpayers money, and the way people are treated leading up to these flights is horrific. I spent much of my evening with family members of deportees in tears on the phone.

One of the seven people removed was a 66-year-old who is thought to be suffering from early-onset dementia and is physically frail. He is believed to have a Windrush case but is said to have had poor legal representation, which meant his case was not heard in time for the flight.

Bella Sankey, the director of Detention Action, said: Ms Patels Home Office appears to have deported a Windrush man who was denied access to justice, and they have triggered extremely painful suicide attempts. This must be the last charter flight to Jamaica and the beginning of the end of mass expulsions altogether.

Sonia Lenegan, the director of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association, said legal aid was not automatically available for deportation cases, a large part of the problem facing those detained and served deportation orders on flights departing within days.

It is difficult to see how removing people who have spent the majority of their lives in the UK, and who have families here, without giving them a proper opportunity to argue that they are entitled to stay can be described as a fair system, she added.

One of those who had his flight ticket cancelled at the eleventh hour was Sanjay McLean, 41, who moved to the UK aged 12 and whose lawyers argue he has the right to British citizenship under the Windrush scheme.

Sanjay McLean with his son Nico (Sanjay McLean)

Despite submitting a Windrush scheme application over the weekend, the father-of-two was placed on a van and taken to Stanstead Airport. It wasnt until about an hour before the flight left that he was told he would not be deported.

Speaking to The Independent at 11.15pm on Tuesday, he said: Im not in a good place, I dont know how to feel, round and round, I thought a weight was lifted off my shoulders, and now theyre doing this again. Im an emotional wreck right now.

Naga Kandiah, his solicitor, said: It is disheartening that every time the Home Office attempts to enforce draconian and often unlawful policies that result in breaking families and deporting British nationals, lawyers and activists have to muster all of their energy and resources to make the Home Office realise the error of its ways.

The flight went ahead despite concerns raised by Jamaican authorities over public health after several detainees due to be removed tested positive for Covid-19.

Lawyer Jacqueline McKenzie said it was wrong that the Home Office pursued the deportations despite there being irrefutable evidence that the British government misled the Jamaican government on Covid protocols, putting at risk Jamaicas already challenged health care system.

She said there was also clear evidence of a Windrush connection among deportees, adding: The practice is cruel and inhumane. It is unacceptable and requires a more concentrated effort to halt this ghastly practice.

Ms Patel said on Wednesday: These individuals are responsible for some of most appalling crimes  rape, assault, grievous bodily harm, drug offences and sexual assault of children. The government uses every means to continue to remove foreign nationals who have committed crimes against our citizens.

The Home Office said it managed charter flight operations carefully and only removed people when it was safe to do so, adding that all those on the flight would be seen by a healthcare professional before departure.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, the Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
A police officer who shot dead a terrorist has described how he feared for his life as he confronted the attacker on a south London street.

Sudesh Amman, 20, stabbed a man and a woman on Streatham High Road in February last year before running at surveillance officers.

The armed officer, called BX75 to protect his identity, was part of a nine-man team tracking Amman following his release from HMP Belmarsh 10 days earlier.

"I saw him, he saw me  I am 100 per cent confident we locked eyes," he told the inquest into Ammans death.

"It was my immediate assessment I was making my way as fast as possible towards him, him towards me, the point of impact was very, very soon."

Jonathan Hough QC, counsel to the inquest, asked: "What did you think?"

BX75 replied: "I thought he was going to stab me  and kill me. Certainly, seriously injure me."

He then fired one shot at Amman, who was holding a "large butcher's knife", the Royal Courts of Justice heard.

A CCTV still showing Sudesh Amman on his way to commit the Streatham terror attack (Metropolitan Police)

Amman was shot a second time by BX75's colleague, identified as BX87, then fell to the ground after being shot again by BX75, the inquest was told. He was later pronounced dead.

"I was convinced he was making a decision there and then who to attack next," BX75 said.

"He was so close to me that I was in immediate fear of my life. I fired a shot in his chest area.

"He was moving towards me and to the side. He was in my immediate personal space. His action was always going to beat my reaction, if I let him beat my next move.

Footage from the scene captured him sprinting along Streatham High Road with a knife he had stolen from Low Price Store, stabbing a man and a woman as he went, with the two officers giving chase. He turned to confront the officers outside Boots a minute later where he was shot in the neck and abdomen.

The officers fired six shots between them, with two striking Amman.

The inquest previously heard how Amman, who had been living in a bail hostel in Streatham, was deemed to be "one of the most dangerous individuals" that police and MI5 teams had investigated.

There was also intelligence that he had maintained an extremist mindset, wanted to carry out a knife attack and pledged allegiance to the leader of Islamic State. The inquest continues.

Press Association
A firm employing David Cameron as an adviser won a multi-million pound contract after the former Conservative prime minister reportedly urged the ex-health secretary in a letter to attend a genomics conference.

It comes after Mr Camerons work since leaving office was put under the spotlight once again this week for his separate advisory role with the collapsed finance company Greensill Capital, as BBC Panorama reported he made $10m (7.2m).

According to The Times, Mr Cameron, who was appointed as an adviser to Illumina in 2018, wrote to Matt Hancock in April 2019 strongly endorsing an invitation to a conference the US healthcare company had previously sent to his Whitehall office.

I understand Jay [Flatley, former executive chairman of Illumina) has sent this direct to your office, but I wanted to i) ensure that you had seen it personally; and ii) strongly endorse their invitation to this significant conference, Mr Cameron said in his correspondence.

The newspaper added that Mr Hancock agreed to attend the conference in September 2019  which Mr Cameron also attended after receiving the letter from the former Conservative leader.

Following the conference Illumina was awarded a 123 million genetic sequencing contract  a deal that was reported earlier this year amid separate questions over Mr Camerons work with Greensill Capital.

A spokesperson for Mr Cameron told The Independent, however: David Camerons work for Illumina has never involved any discussion of commercial contracts.

It has predominantly involved promoting the benefits of genomic sequencing and the world-leading example of Genomics England to other countries around the world. He has done this in Australia, the US, the Gulf, India and more recently in online calls with interested parties in Japan and Holland.

They added: As has been made clear on numerous occasions, David Cameron has never lobbied the government on behalf of Illumina or been involved in any contract or commercial discussions.

Mr Cameron was appointed as an adviser with Illumina in 2018 and when he applied for clearance for the role, he told the Advisory Committee on Business Appointment that he would be paid for working two to three days a month for the company.

The former prime minister, who left office in 2016 following the Brexit vote, told the committee at the time he would not play any role in contract negotiations between the firm and Genomics England or the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

He noted the role might involve some very limited contact with UK ministers from time to time, but he was clear with the committee that he would not lobby ministers or the UK government in any way on behalf of Illumina or its partners, they added.

A government spokesperson also defended the awarding of the contract to Illumina, telling The Independent: The contract, signed to help save lives through better diagnosis, was awarded in the correct way, through the proper process and any suggestion of undue ministerial involvement in the decision making is completely wrong.

The spokesperson added: Extensive due diligence was carried out and as set out in the transparency notice the contract was awarded because Illumina was the only company considered to have the technical capability to deliver this crucial work.

The 2019 contract was a follow-on contract to the original sequencing contract with Illumina in 2014 and the companys expertise is being used to help the government rollout the worlds first whole genome sequencing programme to better diagnose patients with rare disease and certain cancers.

Illumina said it always follows the correct and necessary process in its negotiations with customers and had worked with Genomics England since 2014  when the company won a competitive tender process for a 78m contract.

A spokesperson for Mr Hancock added: The UKs genomic sequencing capacity is one of the biggest in the world and has saved countless lives. Mr Hancock had no involvement in the awarding of these contracts and all normal processes were followed.

Earlier this week, BBC Panorama reported Mr Cameron made $10m (7.2m) from his separate part-time advisory role with Greensill Capital. Documents seen by the programme showed the former prime minister cashed in shares, was paid $1m annual salary, and also got a $700,000 bonus.

Mr Cameron hit the headlines in relation to the bank after it emerged he was using his closeness to current cabinet minister to try to persuade them to underwrite its loans with taxpayer cash.

He was cleared of breaking any lobbying rules over the affair and his spokesperson insisted he acted in good faith at all times and there was no wrongdoing in any of the actions he took. However, some MPs said he showed a significant lack of judgment.
Boris Johnsons government must end the outrageous inequality in pension payments for Gurkhas who fought with the British Army, Labour has said.

Three Gurkha veterans are on the fifth day of a hunger strike protest outside Downing Street over the governments failure to provide them with a full Armed Forces pension.

Stephen Morgan, Labours shadow defence minister, said on Wednesday he was writing to defence secretary Ben Wallace to demand immediate action on the pension parity injustice for the Nepalese-born soldiers.

Im really concerned about this issue  Gurkhas have served our country for 200 years, the Labour MP told Sky News. Its outrageous that the inequality continues. The government promised two years ago to do something about this. Were calling for action now.

The shadow minister added: Gurkhas doing this protest right now should know Im supporting them every step of the way.

Asked about the plight of the three men staging a hunger strike, who have said they are willing to die in their fight for equality, Mr Morgan added: It shows a huge stain on society for all of us.

The hunger strikers on Whitehall are campaigning for equal pension payments for Gurkha veterans who retired before 1997 and are still not eligible for a full pension.

Serving Gurkhas and all those who retired after 1 July 1997 were allowed to transfer to the Armed Forces pension scheme  but those who retired before that date remain part of the old Gurkha pension scheme, worth between a third to half of a full army pension.

Dhan Gurung, one of the hunger strikers, told Sky News on Tuesday he was prepared to die. Our ancestors gave their lives in order to save Great Britain and now we are fighting for equal rights  Hunger until the death.

Gurkha veteran, Nims Purja, called on Mr Johnson to force a change in the rules. I think the government has respect for the Gurkhas. But theres a difference between respect in the form of words and in practice as well, he said.

Mr Purja added: I would humbly request the UK government, the prime minister, to look into this matter seriously.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: We greatly value the huge contribution Gurkhas make to the British army and ensure they are supported with a generous pension and medical care during retirement in Nepal.

We are committed to ensuring the Gurkha pension scheme is sustainable and fair alongside other UK public sector pensions.
A Labour councillor has been condemned for suggesting Britons set up a home guard volunteer force to help track down migrants who have come across the English Channel and hand them over to the authorities.

Brendan Chilton, leader of the Labour group on Ashford Borough Council, said a volunteer body could support the Border Force agency in identifying migrants arriving via the Kent coastline.

The councillor tweeted: Its quite clear the Channel migrant crisis is not going away. The government havent got a clue. How many are arriving and then disappearing? Perhaps we need to form a sort of Home Guard  voluntary  to support the coast guard, police, border force etc?

Mr Chilton deleted his tweet amid fierce criticism  before going on to defend his idea. If you can have volunteers helping the NHS, Schools etc why cant you have volunteers helping an underfunded and overstretched border force?

The Labour councillor, the partys candidate in Ashford at the 2015 general election, added: I genuinely dont see the problem here, but Twitter has as usual gone crazy.

The left-wing grassroots group Momentum said his idea amounted to far-right fantasies and urged Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to condemn the remarks.

Gaya Sriskanthan, Momentum co-chair, said: Suggesting the creation of a quasi-paramilitary outfit to enforce the hostile environment is incompatible with common decency  let alone Labour membership.

It is deeply distressing that a prominent Labour councillor is propagating these kinds of far-right fantasies.

The campaigner added: The Labour leadership must immediately take action and loudly reaffirm our support for the rights of migrants and an end to immigration detention.

Councillor Chilton told The Independent he had been taken aback by the denunciation, saying he had been trying to make a helpful suggestion to support the border services.

The Labour politician said: I have since deleted the tweet in question because what I believed was a helpful contribution [and] idea to support our overstretched and underfunded border forces was received with outrage by people labelling me as a fascist and anti-refugee, when all my life I have been an anti-fascist campaigner.

He added: I admit the use of the phrase home guard was not the best way to describe it  but the substance is to support our public services.

Defending his idea, the Labour leader of the Kent council suggested that volunteers could ensure those arriving stay on the beach until the Border Force arrived to collect them.

As well as providing first aid, Mr Chilton claimed the volunteer force would act as a citizen wall between those arriving and local people who have on occasion been hostile to the migrants.

Mr Chilton was previously criticised for describing British women held in detention in Syria  the so-called Isis brides  as traitors who should be left to rot in the desert.

Labour has accused home secretary Priti Patel and the government of presiding over chaos when it comes to migrant crossings.

Last week immigration minister Chris Philp travelled to France to check on increased patrols there after the government agreed to give French authorities an extra 54m to try to tackle the issue last month.

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds responded: Time and time again, the government has announced arrangements with France using taxpayers money but the numbers keep increasing.

The Independent has approach the Labour Party for comment on Mr Chiltons remarks.
Former Conservative chancellor Philip Hammond is under investigation by the UKs lobbying watchdog over an email written to a senior government official on behalf of a bank.

Labour had accused Mr Hammond of breaking lobbying rules after it emerged the former Tory MP had sent a message to the Treasury about OakNorth bank  the company he now works for as a paid advisor.

The ex-minister reportedly emailed the Treasurys second most senior civil servant in July 2020 to explain the benefits of a toolkit developed by OakNorth to assess borrowers.

The lobbying regulator is investigating whether Mr Hammond  who stepped as an MP down ahead of 2019 general election  should have registered as a lobbyist when he contacted the Treasury official.

The Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists confirmed the official probe on Wednesday. A case summary will be published once the investigation is complete, the body told the Financial Times.

It comes as Labour called on Boris Johnson to remove Tory co-chairman Ben Elliot from his role immediately over lobbying practices.

Mr Elliot discussed with foreign ambassadors a plan to give a top Tory donor a role helping the party boost ties with Middle East countries  without disclosing the donor was a client of his concierge company, according to the FT.

Anneliese Dodds MP, Labour chair, said it was scandalous for Mr Elliot to blur the lines between government and business activities.

It is simply wrong for Ben Elliot to leverage his role in the governing party of the UK to hold secret discussions with foreign diplomats on behalf of a commercial client and without disclosing that private business relationship to them.

She added: We urgently need to know what meetings took place, what was discussed and what impact that may have had on the development of UK government policy.

The Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists was set up in 2014 in a bid to bring transparency to the murky world of lobbying. Both individuals and organisations seeking to influence government policy are required to register with it.

Labours deputy leader Angela Rayner claimed Mr Hammond  who quit after losing the Tory whip over his protest against Boris Johnsons Brexit plans  had violated the code of conduct for former ministers.

The ministerial code says that former ministers must abide by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), which advices former MPs who have recently stepped down what sort of lobbying activities they can and cannot carry out.

The committee is said to have told Mr Hammond that he should not use his contacts in government to influence policy or secure business on behalf of OakNorth for a period of two years.

Hammond has entirely disregarded the conditions that were made clear to him when he took the job with OakNorth Bank, said Mr Rayner. If the rules are treated with such derision by the former chancellor then the whole system is rotten.

Lord Hammonds spokesman has insisted OakNorth were offering their toolkit to the Treasury free of charge and no rules had been broken.

Responding the lobbying regulators investigation, his spokesman said: There was clearly no requirement to register this contact under the rules and Lord Hammond looks forward to the registrars confirmation of that in due course.

Last month Labour branded the Westminster committee which oversees lobbying work toothless after it gave Mr Hammond the green light take up a role advising the Saudi Arabia finance ministry.

The chairman of the Acoba committee  the former Tory party chairman Eric Pickles  told Mr Hammond there were concerns he risked creating a perception you may be offered this work as a result of your time in office.

However, approval was still granted and Mr Pickles said consultation with Mr Hammonds former departments had helped satisfy concerns.
Billionaires are getting the band back together just in time for the Disko.

Bill Gates is leading his big-money buddies looking for nickel, copper, cobalt and platinum at the "Disko Project" in Central West Greenland.

The Microsoft founders Breakthrough Energy Ventures is a principal investor injecting $15m in the search for the metals often used in the production of electric vehicle batteries.

Breakthrough Energy is funded by Amazons Jeff Bezos, former presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, Virgins Sir Richard Branson, Alibabas Jack Ma, and Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio.

The joint venture between American company KoBold Metals and British firm Bluejay Mining will use artificial intelligence to scour the Arctic soil in search of the raw materials at BlueJays Disko-Nuussuaq project.

KoBold and its billionaire investors get a 51 per cent state in the project in return.

In addition to Breakthrough Energy, other investors behind KoBolds $15m commitment include Silicon Valley VC fund, Andreessen Horowitz, and Norwegian state-owned energy company Equinor.

In a statement announcing the investment, KoBold CEO Kurt House said the first stage of the project would be funded to the tune of $3.4 million by the end of 2022, with another $11.6 million going into drilling by the end of 2024.

"The Disko region has seen the rare convergence of events in earths history that could have resulted in forming a world-class battery metal deposit," he said.

Bluejay CEO Bo Stensgaard said the project has potential for discovering significant deposits of the raw materials, but that a significant investment was needed to develop the site.

What makes the area so promising, according to the companies, is "clear evidence for the equilibration of flood basalt magma with crustal sulfur with potential for the concentration of magmatic sulphides in shallow sub-volcanic intrusions".

For the billionaires club, that means  or at least is hoped  there is a good chance of finding those metals and getting a return on their investment, allowing them to buy up more farmland or send more rockets into orbit.
Those who are unvaccinated from Covid-19 may not be able to travel to British Columbia for the next few years, according to the provinces health minister.

Theyre going to have to be vaccinated against Covid-19 for the foreseeable future. I dont mean weeks or months, I mean years, British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix said during an interview with KING 5.

Canada reopened its borders to Americans for non-essential travel on 9 August.

In order to cross, they must provide proof of vaccination and a negative Covid-19 test taken within the last 72 hours.

Mr Dix told the publication that he agreed with the reopening, especially given that 82 per cent of the province was now vaccinated against the novel virus.

But he did not want to see a rush of Americans, specifically those who were unvaccinated, at the border.

I was one of the first people to call for the border to be closed, Mr Dix said. This is the privilege of being vaccinated, crossing the border, both ways.

Although the health minister anticipated British Columbia might have vaccination requirements for the near future, it was not clear how long the vaccinated requirement would last for the entirety of Canada.

The Canadian government said in a statement that it was able to reopen the borders to vaccinated Americans because of the advent of increased vaccination rates in Canada, declining Covid-19 cases and reduced pressure on health care capacity.

The US-Canadian border has been closed since March 2020.

President Joe Biden extended the closure of the United States border with Canada and Mexico to non-essential travel until at least 21 August last month.

Given the surging Delta variant across the country, that closure could face extension.
CNNs anchors were stunned into silence this week when they interviewed a nine-year-old boy in Las Vegas whose father, a police officer, recently died of Covid.

Noah Swanger was speaking about the moment a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police guard of honour escorted him into school on his first day of fourth grade on Monday.

Noahs father Jason Swanger, 41, died on 24 June of Covid-19 complications after seven years of service to the force.

During John Berman and Brianna Keilars weekend New Day segment on CNN, the hosts talked to Noah and his mother Christa Swanger about the kind gesture of the police escort to honour Jason.

Ms Swanger choked up with emotion while talking about her husband, but the youngest family member Noah looked composed as he described being nervous for his first day of school.

It was overwhelming and since I had a lot of nerves, it calmed my nerves down, said Noah.

The video footage shared by LVMP and played on the CNN programme shows Noah arriving at his school to a squad of officers waiting for him. He was seen wearing a white shirt along with a tie.

I wore a tie to school because Im the man of the house now, Noah said on the CNN show.

The hosts were briefly struck dumb by the answer, before Berman said: You look great Noah! And Im sure your mother feels blessed and lucky to have you there as the man of the house. And you wore the tie well, and I know how proud your father would be that chose to wear the tie.

The police department lauded their late colleague Jason, saying he went the extra mile to help people.

He was known as a devoted father and husband who went the extra mile for people in need and dedicated himself to policing to make a difference in other peoples lives, the departments press release read.
A California surfing school owner has been arrested at the US-Mexico border for allegedly stabbing to death his two young children, aged three and one, in Mexico.

Matthew Taylor Coleman, 40, of Santa Barbara, was detained by US Customs and Border Protection agents while crossing into the United States at the San Ysidro checkpoint and remained in federal custody, Mexican authorities said.

The arrest came after the bodies of two children, a three-year-old girl and one-year-old boy, were found on Monday morning by a farmworker at a ranch near Rosarito in Baja California, said Hiram Sanchez, Baja Californias attorney general.

According to Mr Sanchez, both children appeared to have stab wounds to their bodies consistent with a wooden stake found nearby, which is considered a possible murder weapon.

The girl had been stabbed 12 times, and the boy was stabbed 17 times, Mr Sanchez said.

Law enforcement in Mexico found Mr Coleman and the children had checked into a Rosarito hotel on Saturday, but video footage showed them leaving at 3am on Monday.

Mr Coleman was seen returning alone to the hotel at 6.33am, and checking out of the hotel at just after 9.30am.

Police in Santa Barbara said Mr Colemans wife Abby Coleman had reported them missing and said she was concerned for their well-being.

Mr Coleman could be extradited to Mexico to face charges of aggravated murder. If convicted, he faces up to 60 years in prison.

Mr Coleman founded the Lovewater Surf School Santa Barbara, northwest of Los Angeles, authorities said.

According to a biography for Mr Coleman on the surf schools website, he moved to San Sebastian in Spain to teach English and surf.

He used Spain as a base to go on a surf mission to 20 plus countries around Europe and the world, the website says.

Mr Coleman returned to the United States in 2009 where he completed a Masters degree in higher education from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The bio states he spent 10 years working for a non-profit which used surfing to mentor the communitys youth before establishing the surf school with his wife Abby.

A Facebook account which has been identified as belonging to Mr Coleman was filled with biblical references.

An FBI office in Los Angeles released a statement to say they were assisting Mexican authorities with the investigation.

The FBI is working with police in Santa Barbara following a report they received about three missing persons - one adult male and his two children who are believed to have crossed the southern border into Mexico.

A joint investigation is underway among the Santa Barbara Police Department, the FBI in Los Angeles and San Diego, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Mexican authorities. Currently, the adult male is in federal custody and the investigation is continuing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Correction: This article originally reported that charges had been filed. We regret the error.
A toddler aged 19-months has reportedly been mauled to death by a family dog in Brooklyn, New York.

Officers were called to the scene shortly before midnight on Wednesday in Flatbush, a neighbourhood south of Prospect Park, to find the toddler severely injured.

The family dog, which was believed to be a Rottweiler, attacked the 19-month old, who had bite wounds on his neck and shoulder, ABC7 reported.

He was transferred to a local hospital for care, but was later pronounced dead.

Two siblings who ran to get help, and who were reportedly distraught when officers from the New York Police Department turned-up, were not thought to have been injured.

The 11 and nine-year-old had been left at home by their father, who was working, on Tuesday night, according to reports.

The Rottweiler, which was allegedly confined to a small room in the familys flat, was taken to Animal Care and Control, Fox5 reported.

It was not clear on Wednesday what would happen to the animal.

An investigation is underway.
The Pentagon will require members of the US military to get the Covid-19 vaccine by 15 September, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press.

That deadline could be pushed up if the vaccine receives final FDA approval or infection rates continue to rise.

I will seek the presidents approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon licensure by the Food and Drug Administration whichever comes first, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says in the memo to troops, warning them to prepare for the requirement.

I will not hesitate to act sooner or recommend a different course to the president if l feel the need to do so.

The memo is expected to go out Monday.

Mr Austins decision comes a bit more than a week after President Joe Biden told defence officials to develop a plan requiring troops to get shots as part of a broader campaign to increase vaccinations in the federal workforce.

It reflects similar decisions by governments and companies around the world, as nations struggle with the highly contagious delta variant that has sent new U.S. cases, hospitalisations and deaths surging to heights not see since the peaks last winter.

Mr Austin said in his memo says that the military services will have the next few weeks to prepare, determine how many vaccines they need, and how this mandate will be implemented.

The additional time, however, also is a nod to the bitter political divisiveness over the vaccine and the knowledge that making it mandatory will likely trigger opposition from vaccine opponents across the state and federal governments, Congress and the American population.

It also provides time for the FDA to give final approval to the Pfizer vaccine, which is expected early next month. Without that formal approval, Mr Austin would need a waiver from Biden to make the shots mandatory.

Troops often live and work closely together in barracks and on ships, increasing the risks of rapid spreading. And any large outbreak of the virus in the military could affect Americas ability to defend itself in any national security crisis.

The decision will add the Covid-19 vaccine to a list of other inoculations that service members are already required to get. Depending on their location around the world, service members can get as many as 17 different vaccines.

Mr Austins memo also said that in the meantime, the Pentagon will comply with Bidens order for additional restrictions on any federal personnel who have not been vaccinated.

Those restrictions will include wearing masks, social distancing and travel limits. According to the Pentagon, more than 1 million troops are fully vaccinated and another 237,000 have received one shot. But the military services vary widely in their vaccination rates.

The Navy said that more than 74 per cent of all active duty and reserve sailors have been vaccinated with at least one shot. The Air Force, meanwhile, said that more than 65 per cent of its active duty and 60 per cent of its reserve forces are at least partially vaccinated, and the number for the Army  by far the largest service  appears to be closer to 50 per cent.

Military officials have said the pace of vaccines has been growing across the force, with some units  such as sailors deploying on a warship  seeing nearly 100 per cent of their members get shots.

But the totals drop off dramatically, including among the National Guard and Reserve, who are much more difficult to track.

Some unvaccinated service members have suggested theyd get the shot once its required, but others are flatly opposed.

Military officials have said that once the vaccine is mandated, a refusal could constitute failure to obey an order, and may be punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Army guidance, for example, includes counselling soldiers to ensure they understand the purpose of the vaccine and the threat the disease poses.

The Army also notes that if a soldier fails to comply with a lawful order to receive a mandatory vaccine, and does not have an approved exemption, a commander may take appropriate disciplinary action.

Military service officials have said they dont collect data on the number of troops who have refused other mandated vaccines, such as anthrax, hepatitis, chicken pox or flu shots over the past decade or more. And they werent able to provide details on the punishments any service members received as a result of the refusal.

Officials said they believe the number of troops refusing other mandated vaccines is small. And the discipline could vary. Also, service members can seek an exemption from any vaccine  either temporary or permanent  for a variety of reasons including health issues or religious beliefs.

Regulations involving the other mandatory vaccines say, for example, that anyone who had a severe adverse reaction to the vaccine can be exempt, and those who are pregnant or have other conditions can postpone a shot. Some have argued that those who have already had the virus  and have antibodies  are immune and thus should not have to get the shot.

Its not clear how the military will act on those types of assertions.

According to defence officials, some senior military leaders have expressed support for making the vaccine mandatory believing it will help keep the force healthy. Military commanders have also struggled to separate vaccinated recruits from unvaccinated recruits during early portions of basic training across the services in order to prevent infections.

So, for some, a mandate could make training and housing less complicated. Navy officials said this week that there has been only one case of Covid-19 hospitalisation among sailors and Marines who are fully vaccinated. In comparison, the Navy said there have been more than 123 hospitalisations in a similarly sized group of unvaccinated sailors and Marines.

It said fewer than 3 per cent of its immunised troops have tested positive for Covid-19.The other military services did not provide similar data.

Associated Press
Joe Biden will bring together a group of world leaders for a virtual summit to discuss ways to combat authoritarianism and corruption while lifting up human rights, a conference that follows the presidents repeated campaign pledge to promote American democracy and repair relationships with partners and allies undermined by his predecessor.

The Summit for Democracy will convene heads of state and representatives from civil society, philanthropy, and the private sector for a two-day virtual event in December to be followed by an in-person conference in 2022, according to the White House.

Both events serve as an opportunity for world leaders to listen to one another and to their citizens, share successes, drive international collaboration, and speak honestly about the challenges facing democracy so as to collectively strengthen the foundation for democratic renewal, the White House said in a statement on 11 August.

The president envisioned a similar event throughout his campaign, well before Donald Trumps chaotic response to the Covid-19 crisis and ongoing attempts to reject millions of Americans votes, culminating in a violent assault on the US Capitol on 6 January.

He first proposed such an event to mark his administrations first year in office, highlighting his argument that American democracy and democracies abroad provide better protections than autocratic regimes.

In his most significant remarks yet on the state of threats to voting rights, the president repeatedly stressed that democracies and world leaders abroad have paid close attention to his administrations response to Republican threats to the right to vote, and how lawmakers and federal law enforcement would hold accountable those responsible for the failed insurrection and persistent lies that propelled the riot.

The world is wondering, he said in remarks from Philadelphia last month. What is America gonna do?

In his first overseas trip since taking office, the president  while echoing his America is back catchphrase  rallied NATO leaders to confront China, mentioned at least 10 times in the groups closing communique, and cast the US in an existential battle to defend democracy and human rights from the worlds autocracies.

The US Department of States description of the summit warns that governments failures to advance sustainable economic and political progress has fueled corruption and polarisation, exploited by hostile actors in cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns.

Across the globe, weak state capacity, tenuous rule of law, high inequality, and corruption continue to erode democracy, according to the State Department. At the same time, authoritarian leaders are reaching across borders to undermine democracies  from targeting journalists and human rights defenders to meddling in elections all while claiming their model is better at delivering for people.

The summit will provide an opportunity to reflect, listen, and learn, as well as to plan and act, so that we can build a shared foundation for global democratic renewal, according to the State Department.

Invitations are expected to be sent out in the coming weeks, though a guest list has not been made public.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he was doubtful about the report that the states health department requested an additional 300 ventilators from the federal government.

The Republican expressed this doubt on Wednesday when asked about the report, which was first published in ABC News affiliate Local 10.

I would honestly doubt that thats true, but Ill look. We have a lot of stuff that we stockpiled over the last year and a half through the department of emergency management, Mr DeSantis said.

Ive not had any requests across my desk. I have not been notified of that. But they are in contact with the hospitals, Im personally in contact with CEOs of a lot of the major hospitals, he added.

But an HHS spokesperson confirmed that 200 ventilators and 100 breathing devices were being sent to the state from the Strategic National Stockpile after that amount was approved last week, Local 10 first reported.

A spokesperson with the states Department of Health added that they were working with the federal government on getting necessary medical equipment for patients with Covid-19.

The department routinely works with the federal government to ensure adequate resources are available and ready to be distributed at all times, as done with this recent request, Weesam Khoury, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health, told The Hill.

The White House questioned why the Florida governor would be against the federal government sending more Covid-19 medical equipment.

As a policy, we dont send ventilators to states without their interest in receiving the ventilators. I think the most important question here is why would you oppose receiving the ventilators when clearly you need those in your state given the percentage of hospitalisations that are occurring? White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.

Florida has experienced a record number of people being hospitalised with Covid-19 in recent days.

On Tuesday, 14,787 people were hospitalised with the novel virus, which was 145 per cent more than the states initial pandemic peak in June 2020, according to the Florida Hospital Association.

Nearly 90 per cent of the states ICU beds were filled and 85 per cent of all patient beds were filled, the group added.

Democrats have been critical of the DeSantis administration throughout the pandemic due to concerns of relaxed Covid-19 guidance.

Mr DeSantis signed an executive order last month that would prohibit schools from mandating mask wearing among students and staff. After it was revealed that several school districts would move forward with mask mandates, the governors office announced that superintendents and school board members could face losing their salary if the mandates continued.

The Biden administration has announced it would look into assisting Florida schools by compensating administrators who lose their salary by implementing mask mandates.

But Mr DeSantis has pushed back, saying: Im the governor who answers to the people of Florida, not to bureaucrats in Washington.
A federal judge struck down multiple abortion restrictions in Indiana, finding that the state had only offered feeble explanations for the policies, which offered no clear health benefit to women.

On Tuesday, US District Court judge Sarah Evans Barker issued a permanent injunction covering multiple state laws: a ban on using telemedicine for medication-induced abortions, a prohibition on second-trimester abortions outside hospitals, and rules requiring women to be told life begins when an egg is fertilized and a fetuses might feel pain at or before 20 weeks.

The States attempt to explain its basis for excluding the far-reaching benefits of telemedicine from this category of patients is feeble at best, especially given the widespread use of telemedicine throughout Indiana as well as the overall safety of medication abortions, Ms Barker wrote in her ruling .

Of the rules about mandatory statements on when life begins and when fetuses feel pain, the federal added this mandatory disclosure does not communicate truthful and non-misleading information.

Virginia-based Whole Womans Health Alliance, which brought the case in 2018 after it was denied permission to open an abortion clinic in South Bend, Indiana, celebrated the ruling.

Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO of the group, told the AP in a statement that providing abortion care in Indiana has not been easy, but it was grateful to the courts for upholding the right to evidence-based abortion care by overturning these unjust and burdensome regulations.

The states Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita, who defended the law, said he may appeal the ruling in higher court.

We will continue to fight to defend Indianas commonsense abortion laws and to build a culture of life in Indiana, he said in a statement.

If the telemedicine abortion ban had stood, it likely wouldve restricted abortion access in the state, especially during the pandemic when many couldnt or wouldnt attempt in-person medical care.

The deeply conservative state has attempted numerous abortion restrictions in recent years, including a law blocked by a federal judge earlier this year requiring doctors to tell women about a disputed abortion reversal treatment. Judge Barker in 2019 also struck down a ban on a common second-trimester abortion procedure.

These policies have had their desired effect: according to a 2018 analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation, Indiana had one of the lowest abortion rates in the country, ranked 35th out of 50 states with 6.2 abortions per thousand people, among those aged 15 to 44.

The year 2021 has been the most restrictive for abortions since the landmark Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973 guaranteeing abortion rights, according to the Guttmacher Instititute, a sexual and reproductive rights group. There have already been 90 new abortion restrictions passed since the beginning of the year.

Many of these actions took place in the beginning of the year, despite the need for state legislatures to address critical issues ranging from racial equity to the COVID-19 response and pandemic-related health care, the institute wrote in a July report, adding, The 2021 abortion restrictions amplify the harm of earlier ones: Each additional restriction increases patients logistic, financial and legal barriers to care, especially in regions where entire clusters of states are hostile to abortion.

Republican-controlled states such as Arkansas and Oklahoma have passed near-total abortion bans, and others like Idaho, South Carolina, and Texas have following suit, with bans on abortions after six weeks, meaning most women only have a few-week period when they know they are pregnant and could get the procedure.
The estranged niece of former President Donald Trump offered her commentary of her uncles return to the White House following his treatment at Walter Reed Medical Center for Covid-19 last year in excerpts of her new book.

Mary Trump wrote in passages published on Tuesday by The Guardian that her estranged uncle was afraid and attempting to put on a show of strength by taking his mask off when he arrived at the White House last fall after recovering in the hospital.

Doing his best Mussolini imitation, he took off his mask in a macho display of invulnerability, Ms Trump wrote, according to The Guardian. He clenched his teeth and jutted out his jaw, just as my grandmother did when she was biting back anger or clamping down on her pain. In Donald, I saw the latter.

I have asthma, so I am acutely aware of what it looks like when somebody is struggling to breathe, she continued. He was in pain, he was afraid, but he would never admit that to anybody  not even himself. Because, as always, the consequences of admitting vulnerability were much more frightening to him than being honest.

Mr Trump contracted Covid-19 along with his wife, Melania Trump, after a White House gathering to celebrate the successful confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court weeks before the 2020 election evolved into a superspreader event that led to numerous guests testing positive for the virus.

The former presidents handling of the Covid-19 pandemic was seen as a serious contributing factor in his defeat to now-President Joe Biden in November; the election occurred only weeks after Mr Trump himself was hospitalised while Mr Bidens campaign made a point of publicly respecting and encouraging others to follow the same Covid-19 health guidelines that Mr Trumps campaign often flouted.

Mr Trump and his wife were not the only high-profile victims of Covid-19 in his circle of allies, and the campaign season saw former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain dying from Covid-19 shortly after attending an indoor rally for Mr Trumps reelection campaign without a mask.
Another school district in Florida is planning to defy Republican Governor Ron DeSantis' executive order banning mandates that would force students to wear masks when they return to the classroom in the fall.

WPLG Local 10 in Miami reported that the Broward County School Board voted 8 to 1 on Tuesday to press forward with its mask mandate for students and staff.

The school is seeking legal representation in its challenge to the executive order. The district characterised the order as a clear example of executive overreach in the affairs of local governing bodies.

Anna Fusco, the president of the Broward Teachers Union, issued a statement after the vote explaining why they believe defying the order is necessary.

"Wearing masks inside schools regardless of vaccine status is required to deal with the changing realities of virus transmission. It is a necessary precaution until children under 12 can receive a Covid-19 vaccination and more Americans 12 and older get vaccinated," Ms Fusco said.

The decision drew protesters from both sides of the debate to the school board meeting. Demonstrators with signs showed up outside the building where the meeting was taking place.

Back in July, the county voted to require masking for students, staff and visitors. However, Mr DeSantis later killed that requirement when he issued an executive order to end all emergency mandates affecting schools and businesses.

Further, Mr DeSantis has threatened to strip the funding from districts who defy his order.

Florida currently has a higher average infection rate than any other place on the planet with the exception of the tiny Caribbean nation of Guadeloupe. The state has been ravaged by the Delta variant of the coronavirus, and recently requested an additional 300 ventilators from the federal stockpile to treat the surge of patients filling its hospitals.

Broward County is not the only district defying the orders. Leon and Alachua counties have also stated their intent to enforce mask usage when the school year begins.

The governor's executive order is already facing opposition; two lawsuits were filed on Friday arguing the directives are unconstitutional.
An outspoken Republican senator has temporarily been suspended from YouTube after he uploaded a video questioning measures to combat Covid, and even urged Americans to resist them.

Rand Paul, a senator for Kentucky, was reportedly suspended for a week from the video site on Tuesday. A YouTube spokesperson told The New York Times that the Republican violated rules on Covid misinformation.

We apply our policies consistently across the platform, regardless of speaker or political views, the spokesperson said, and we make exceptions for videos that have additional context such as countervailing views from local health authorities.

Mr Paul alleged in a three-minute video  among many baseless statements  that many of the masks you get over the counter dont work. They dont prevent infection, and that scientists were trying to shape human behaviour.

They cant arrest all of us, said the Republican senator. They cant keep all of your kids home from school. They cant keep every government building closed  although Ive got a long list of ones they might keep closed, or might oughta keep closed.

We dont have to accept the mandates, lockdowns, and harmful policies of the petty tyrants and feckless bureaucrats, he went on. We can simply say no, not again.

While lockdowns have prevented the spread of further Covid cases all around the world, evidence from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also shows that face masks do prevent infection.

The CDC said in November that wearing face masks reduces the spread of the virus, and that individual benefit increases with increasing community mask use, and by as much as 70 per cent  according to a study onboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

A handful of states and federal government agencies have reintroduced mask mandates in recent weeks amid a surge in the infectious Delta variant of Covid, which has irked Republicans.

Twitter, on Tuesday, suspended another firebrand Republican, congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, for Covid misinformation. She said that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should not give Covid vaccines full approval and that the vaccines were failing.

Her comments ignored the fact that less than half of adults in a number of Republican states are not fully vaccinated against Covid. Neither is it clear how many members of the GOP in Congress are vaccinated.

Mr Paul went on to label his suspension from YouTube as a badge of honour.
Senate Democrats have passed a $3.5 trillion budget resolution, which would allow for Democrats to pass major parts of theirs and President Joe Bidens legislative agenda while sidestepping a filibuster.

The vote was strictly along party lines, with all 50 members of the Democratic Caucus, including Independents Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine, voting in favour while 49 Republicans voted against it.

Republican Sen Mike Rounds of South Dakota did not vote as he accompanied his wife to cancer treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

The bill came after a series of votes, called a vote-a-rama, wherein fleets of amendments are proposed by both sides as long as they pertain to the resolution at hand.

Democrats hope to pass the legislation through a process called budget reconciliation, which would allow them to sidestep a Republican filibuster.

But it comes with certain perils as the Senate parliamentarian has can determine whether legislation belongs in the reconciliation process. Earlier this year, the parliamentarian shot down Deemocrats hopes to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

What were doing here is not easy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. Democrats have labored for months to reach this point and there are many labors to come. But I can say with absolute certainty that it will be worth doing.

The vote sets the stage for Democrats to pass legislation including many of their spending priorities, such as expanding childcare, home and community-based care for elderly people and people with disabilities, paid family and medical leave, as well as including dental, hearing and vision care in Medicare. It would also extend the child tax credit.

The legislation would also provide tuition-free community college, universal pre-kindergarten education for three and four-year-olds, child care and meeting the presidents stated goal of slashing carbon emissions by half.

Mr Sanders, who is the Senate Budget Committee Chairman, noted that the legislation is especially necessary given the fires raging in California, Oregon and Greece.

It would be immoral and an absolute dereliction of our responsibilities as elected officials to do anything less, he said. Now is the time for our great country to lead the world out of this great existential crisis.

The vote came after the Senate passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package with 19 Republican Senators voting in the affirmative, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The vote promoted House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to tell his colleagues the House will reconvene from its August recess on 23 August when it was scheduled to return 20 September, NBC News reported.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she would not put the bipartisan infrastructure plan to a vote without first voting on the more reconciliation bill. More moderate Democrats have urged for a standalone vote on the bipartisan bill, while more progressive Democrats have urged for the reconciliation bill.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday said he tried to combat corruption he saw as the country's deputy president during former President Jacob Zumas controversial time in power.

Ramaphosa, testifying at a judicial investigation into corruption during Zuma's term as president from 2009 to 2018, said he considered resigning but decided to fight from within the wrongdoing he witnessed.

While I would have earned praise from many quarters (by resigning), this action would have significantly impaired my ability to contribute, to bring about an end to state capture (the term in South Africa for corruption of the state)," said Ramaphosa.

He said that his protest resignation would have caught the big headlines, but that would have been the end of it.

Ramaphosa said that instead he chose to remain in my position as deputy president  not to resign, not acquiesce and not to be confrontational  but to work with others in the executive to resist abuses and bring about change where we could and to sustain the work of social and economic transformation.

By staying on as deputy president, Ramaphosa said he was able to press Zuma to reverse his appointment of a finance minister widely viewed as unqualified. When Zuma named Des van Rooyen as finance minister in December 2015 the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the value of the rand promptly plummeted. Ramaphosa said he and others immediate pressured Zuma who appointed a new, more respected finance minister within a few days.

The revelations of corruption in Zuma's administration brought the ruling African National Congress to remove him as the party's chief in 2017 and then he was forced to step down as South Africa's president in 2018.

Ramaphosa, who was appointed Zuma's deputy president in 2014, said he had learned the extent of corruption in Zuma's administration through media reports and a report by the public watchdog.

Zuma is currently serving a 15-month jail sentence for defying a court order to appear before the same commission that Ramaphosa spoke to Wednesday. Ramaphosas testimony continues on Thursday.

Zumas imprisonment last month sparked widespread riots and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces which led to the death of over 300 people and damages estimated at over R20 billion (more than $1.36 billion).

Zumas separate corruption trial was postponed to September after the former president was admitted to hospital last week.

In a separate legal process, the ANC's suspended secretary-general Ace Magashule appeared in the Bloemfontein High Court on corruption charges related to a state contract when he was premier of the Free State province. The case has been postponed to 19 October.
The U.S. ambassador to Libya met Wednesday with a Libyan military commander amid international efforts to salvage a U.N.-brokered roadmap to elections in the North African country later this year.

Richard Norland met with Khalifa Hifter, commander of the self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces, in the Egyptian capital of Cairo The meeting was part of U.S. efforts to support Libyan parliamentary and presidential elections in December, the U.S. Embassy said.

Norland continues to focus on the urgency of supporting the difficult compromises necessary to establish the constitutional basis and legal framework needed now in order for the elections to take place on Dec. 24, the embassy wrote on Twitter

The United States supports the right of the Libyan people to select their leaders through an open democratic process and calls on key figures to use their influence at this critical stage to do what is best for all Libyans, it said.

The meeting came amid growing tensions between Hifter and the transitional government. Hifter announced earlier this week the promotions of military officers without consulting or getting approval from the ruling Presidential Council. The council's head serves as the supreme commander of Libya's fragmented military.

Your military will not be subjected to any authority except one elected by the people, Hifter told his troops Monday in a ceremony celebrating the foundation of the Libyan military.

Libya has been wracked by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. In the years that followed the uprising, the oil-rich country split between a U.N.-supported government in the capital, Tripoli and rival authorities based in the countrys east, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments.

Hifter, an Egypt ally, was aligned with the former east-based government.

In April 2019, Hifter and his forces, backed by the United Arab Emirates Egypt and Russia launched an offensive to try and capture Tripoli from armed groups loosely allied with a U.N.-supported but weak government there.

His 14-month-long campaign, however, collapsed after Turkey stepped up its military support of the Tripoli-based government with hundreds of troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries. That led to the October cease-fire and roadmap to elections adopted in Tunis a month later, which included a transitional government.

Last month, the U.N. special envoy for Libya, Jan Kubis, accused spoilers of trying to obstruct the holding of crucial elections in December to unify the divided nation. He told the U.N. Security Council that many key players in Libya reiterated their commitment to the elections, but I am afraid many of them are not ready to walk the talk.

The Security Council has warned that any individual or group undermining the electoral process could face U.N. sanctions.

The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, a 75-member body from all walks of life, has so far failed to agree on a legal framework to hold elections. The forum met online Wednesday to consider four proposals for the constitutional basis for elections, according to the U.N. support mission in Libya.

The forum's "lack of ability to reach an agreement (on the constitutional basis) risks resulting in depriving once again the Libyan people of their right to democratically elect their representatives and restore the long-lost legitimacy of Libyan institutions, Kubis told the forum.

Another major hurdle is the presence of thousands of foreign forces and mercenaries, and the failure to pull them out as required under last Octobers cease-fire agreement that ended the fighting in the oil-rich country.
Chuck Schumer will introduce a compromise bill on voting rights in September following Senate Republicans ongoing blockade, while GOP state lawmakers advance restrictive voting laws and race towards redrawing congressional districts ahead of 2022 midterms.

During a late-night into early-morning session on 11 August, the Senate majority leader said a voting rights bill will be the first matter of legislative business when the upper chamber reconvenes.

Republicans refusing to support anything on voting rights is not an excuse for Democrats to do nothing, he said.

Republican Senators swiftly blocked Mr Schumers last-ditch amendments to include elements of the For The People Act  Democrats marquee voting rights and campaign finance reform bill  during debate over a $3.5 trillion budget resolution, which passed at 4am EST after 15 hours of amendment votes.

We have reached a point in this chamber where Republicans appear to oppose any measure no matter how common sense to protect voting rights and strengthen our democracy, Mr Schumer said.

Senate Republicans blocked the For The People Act in June, relying on filibuster rules that require 60 votes in the evenly divided chamber to advance legislation.

Among the proposals in the bill are federal standards for mail-in and early voting, automatic voter registration, and eliminating partisan gerrymandering.

On 12 August, the US Census Bureau is set to release data that most state legislatures and local governments will use to redraw their political districts for the next 10 years. GOP lawmakers have used the process to secure a greater political footprint for decades, and the elimination of federal protections could advance the trend into critical 2020 midterm elections and beyond, at least until the once-a-decade Census returns.

Democrats have also pitched their voting rights legislation as an antidote to a nationwide campaign among GOP state lawmakers to make it more difficult to vote while also stripping election oversight from elections officials and giving it to Republican-dominated state legislatures, after Donald Trump and his allies failed to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election propelled by his persistent lie that the election was rigged against him.

That lie is coursing through state houses, campaign trails and in the halls of Congress, splintering into myths about the failed insurrection it inspired at the Capitol and conspiracy theories fuelling so-called audits of state-level election results.

Emboldened by the former presidents baseless stolen election narrative under the guise of preserving election integrity and voter confidence despite record-setting turnout in 2020 elections, Republican leaders in at least 17 states have enacted at least 28 new laws so far this year that restrict access to the ballot.

Nearly 400 pieces of copycat legislation were filed by Republican lawmakers within the first few months of 2021.

A parallel effort from GOP lawmakers has seen more than 200 bills in 41 states that give themselves more authority over the electoral process, with the potential to overturn the results. At least 24 of those bills have been signed into law.

Despite Republican state lawmakers coordinated campaign to undermine the electoral process, their congressional counterparts have accused Democrats of staging a power grab and a federal government takeover, which Texas Senator Ted Cruz echoed on 11 August.

Mr Schumer and a group of Democratic senators  including Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who opposes the For The People Act as well as attempts to eliminate filibuster rules that have allowed Republican senators to obstruct Democrats agenda  have met to discuss a compromise bill, Mr Schumer said on Wednesday.

We have made a great deal of progress on that legislation, he said. We had a very good meeting as recently as yesterday afternoon, and we intend to rally around it.
At least 8,600 people in Germany might need to get fresh shots after authorities said that a nurse was being investigated for swapping Covid-19 vaccines for saline solution.

The 40-year-old nurse is suspected of administering saline solution instead of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to six people at the German Red Cross vaccination centre  in Friesland, a rural district near the North Sea coast  in April. Authorities are now calling all 8,600 people that were vaccinated between 5 March to 20 April to get another vaccine shot, as a precautionary measure.

Police believe that the nurse might have swapped out the vaccine shots on multiple occasions, according to a Business Insider report. It is, however, unclear, how many of the 8,600 people were given saline shots by the nurse.

The nurse has not been cooperative, the police told the media.

Claudia Schroder, the deputy head of the Lower Saxony corona crisis team, told the German public radio broadcaster NDR: Since we do not know whether, how many and who is specifically affected, and we are talking about a period of seven weeks, we have offered everyone to carry out a repeat.

She added: A repeat vaccination is advisable even then and unproblematic if the vaccination was successful. That would not increase the protection in that case, but it is completely harmless. And so this is now the method of choice.

The nurse has since been suspended from her job. Reports said that she was caught on Saturday only after she confided in a colleague.

Peter Beer, police investigator, also told the media that, based on witness statements, there was a reasonable suspicion of danger.

Investigators told the media that the nurse had previously also shared critical posts about vaccines on social media.

57.3 per cent of the German population has been fully vaccinated so far, according to official figures.

Meanwhile, those affected by the nurses swapping of Covid vaccines include people over 70 who visited the Friesland vaccination centre, as well as employees of hospices, mobile care services, educators, and doctors.

Sven Ambrosy, a local councillor, said on Facebook: I am totally shocked by this episode.
The transformation of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya from housewife to world statesperson  via an election in which she likely trounced longtime autocrat Alexander Lukashenko  reads like a Hollywood fairytale.

But now a year into her new life, Tikhanovskaya insists she is living a nightmare.

Every day of the last year has been an unhappy one, she tells The Independent from exile in Lithuania.

Every day, I saw thousands of lives being ruined in prisons. Every day my kids asked me when they are going to see their dad again.

Tikhanovskayas unlikely journey began in May 2020, when she offered herself as a presidential candidate in place of her jailed activist husband.

Remarkably, she was registered for the vote  a decision Lukashenko has regretted ever since. Like many, he underestimated the former school teachers ability to inspire the nation around an idea of change.

Though Belarusians backed Tikhanovskaya in their droves, an ongoing post-election clampdown put paid to any immediate hope of democratic transformation. In more than 12 months of grim headlines, Lukashenkos men in black have arrested tens of thousands, tortured hundreds and killed at least eight. Over 600 political prisoners remain in regime jails.

Tikhanovskaya was herself caught up in the initial repressive wave, fleeing the country in August following unspecified threats to her family. The opposition leader says she took the threats at face value  the mention of children in any conversation is serious  and says she believes she remains a clear target for Lukashenkos hitmen.

Earlier this month, an exiled Belarusian activist was found hanged in Ukraine in suspicious circumstances, provoking a root and branch reassessment of her own security protocols.

All of us have been guilty of underestimating Lukashenkos cruelty, she says. We know we need to step up protection not only for political figures like me but for everyone we work with in Belarus.

In the end we got half measures, too late, and that directly led to the hijacking of a passenger jet Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Belarus opposition leader

Tikhanovskaya says she stays in touch with activists in Belarus via secure daily conferences. For critics, thats still too distant a link to make an impact on daily life. But the opposition leader insists she is contributing in the most effective way. I unify people, unify initiatives, unify countries, she says.

Propelled to the world stage, Tikhanovskaya has grappled with a steep learning curve. Without the time to read political manuals, she says she reverts to her most trusty resource: the call of the heart. As far as more formal political schooling is concerned, that has come from her not-infrequent interactions with world leaders  from UK prime minister Boris Johnson to US president Joe Biden.

She says they have responded well to her sincerity: They are used to seeing grey suits, but they find themselves faced with a woman who is representing her jailed husband and tortured nation, she says. They understand there are no tricks with me.

Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya in Downing Street (PA)

Other aspects of international relations have been more frustrating. In her naivete, Tikhanovskaya says she believed the European Union could make an effective diplomatic intervention in Minsk. Instead, she was told the instruments the Belarus opposition wanted, such as imposing sanctions, as well as the use of cryptocurrency to support the opposition, werent available. Other decisions took an age. Like many in the team, she suspected Lukashenkos own lobbyists had been at work.

In the end, we got half measures, too late, and that directly led to the hijacking of a passenger jet, she says.

The incident of May 23, in which Lukashenko commandeered a Ryanair plane to arrest Roman Protasevich, an opposition journalist flying on it, has helped crystallise thinking against the Belarusian regime. Soon after, the EU introduced robust sanctions focusing on aviation and parts of the vital potash industry. On Monday, the UK and US announced a similar set of restrictions.

Tikhanovskaya says it will take a while to understand if the sanctions have a chance of working. Nothing in the battle against Lukashenko was likely to happen overnight, she says. The important thing was that things appeared to be moving in the right direction.

Like everything else, you carry on, crawling, crawling through, but crawling forwards, she says.

We might not yet see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we also know there is no turning back.
Irans new president submitted a proposed cabinet of conservatives, hardliners and military figures on Wednesday amid a report that Israel has warned the United States that the recently elected cleric is an erratic extremist who will scuttle any plan to resurrect a deal to limit his countrys nuclear programme.

Ebrahim Raisi, elected in June to succeed the pragmatist Hassan Rouhani, has named well-known figures from his camp including the former head of state television and a former Revolutionary Guard official who has been implicated in terrorism, and who remains subject to American sanctions.

Also on his list of nominees is proposed foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, a level-headed veteran diplomat long known to the west. He has strong ties to Irans political elite and security establishments and has worked under both moderate and hardline presidents.

There is not a single woman on Mr Raisis list of 19 proposed cabinet nominees, adding to worries that he would seek to further strip women in Iran of their rights.

Israels Channel 12 reported that Mossad officials have warned CIA chief William Burns that Mr Raisi is an emotionally disturbed radical extremist who enjoyed killing civilians, according to a personality assessment drafted by the Israeli spy agency.

Mossad reportedly assesses that attempts to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) would fail, and that even if the deal was restored, Mr Raisi would not abide by it. The nuclear deal was derailed in 2019 when former US president Donald Trump announced the USs unilateral withdrawal, with the encouragement of Israel. Iran had, according to the nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, been abiding by the terms of the deal up to that point.

US intelligence agencies make their own assessments of political leaders and Mr Raisi, a judiciary official, has been on their radar for years. He was mentioned in a 2009 State Department confidential assessment of Irans judiciary released by Wikileaks.

Mr Burns, a veteran diplomat, has been a key figure in US efforts to reach diplomatic understandings with Iran during both the Rouhani era and the administration of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was president from 2005 to 2013.

Iran and Israel are engaged in an increasingly overt tit-for-tat war, with Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed armed forces in the Middle East and both countries surreptitiously attacking each others energy and transport infrastructure.

Iranian media has accused Israel of being behind 14 attacks on Iranian ships, while Iran has been accused of a 30 July drone attack on the Israeli-owned freighter Mercer Street off the coast of Oman, in which a British crew member was killed.

Iran watchers are closely monitoring Mr Raisis cabinet proposals. The list proposed by Mr Raisi may change in the days before parliament takes up the matter at its 14 August session, but it may offer clues about Tehrans military, regional and security posture under the new administration.

His proposed interior minister, Ahmad Vahidi, is a uniformed member of the Revolutionary Guard and former defence minister who has been implicated in the deadly 1994 terrorist bombing of a Jewish community centre in Argentina that killed 85 people, and has been sought by Interpol since 2007.

His proposed intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, is a cleric who has served in the judiciarys intelligence service and has worked in the powerful office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

His proposed oil minister, Javad Owji, is a relatively well-regarded technocrat who served as an energy official in the Ahmadinejad administration.
Norway, Switzerland and Slovenia are the safest holiday destinations in Europe, according to new analysis by French travel agency Voyage Avec Nous and data firm Flashs.

Twenty-eight European nations, including the UK, were given a ranking based on five criteria: health, security (which includes overall crime rate, risk of terrorism and numbers of police officers), road deaths, robberies and intentional homicides.

Rankings for each of the five criteria drew on data from the EuroHealth Consumer Index, Global Peace Index 2021 and Eurostat.

Norway topped the table thanks to its particularly low levels of road deaths, security and murders, while Switzerland took the number two spot after coming first in the health category. Slovenias surprise entry at number three comes as a result of its low murder and robbery rates, and good security record.

The UK can be found at 13th in the overall rankings, let down largely by its position in the robbery table (25th). With just 28 road deaths per million inhabitants, however, the UK is beaten only by Norway and Switzerland in the road safety stakes.

In the other individual criteria, the UK ranks 14th for health, 15th for security, and 18th for intentional homicides.

The three least safe countries in Europe, according to this ranking, are Bulgaria, Lithuania and Latvia.

Greece  the seventh most visited destination by British tourists  is only slightly ahead, coming very low in the safety and road deaths rankings.

Spain, the most popular destination for UK tourists, attracting over 18 million visits in 2019, comes in at number 15.

While Spain ranks fairly well for road death and murders, its overall score was lowered by its security, robbery and health scores.

France, the second most popular spot for Brits abroad, ranks 22nd, coming near the bottom of the table for robberies and security.

Safest countries in Europe
MAM | Media And Advertising GroupM's m/SIX wins media mandate for Nilon's m/SIX, GroupM's youngest outcome-based agency has won integrated media duties for processed food company, Nilon's, following a multi-agency pitch. The agency will drive Nilon's brand experience with its data intelligence and consumer-centric approach. Media duties include TV, print, radio & digital branding and will be managed by m/SIX's Mumbai office. Read More...

MAM | Media And Advertising Infectious Advertising appoints Vinu V Krishna as creative head Infectious Advertising, an integrated independent agency, on Wednesday announced the appointment of Vinu V Krishna as creative head with immediate effect. Krishna was previously associated with Nichemind as creative director. Read More...

MAM | Marketing The Q, Chtrbox launch integrated marketing platform BharatBox Following the acquisition of Chtrbox by QYou Media Inc, The Q India and Chtrbox have together announced the launch of the integrated marketing platform, BharatBox. BharatBox will focus on delivering content from India's most popular non-metro creators across television and digital. Read More...

MAM | Media And Advertising Tonic Worldwide bags digital creative mandate for Aashirvaad Tonic Worldwide, a digital-first creative agency, has bagged the digital creative mandate for Aashirvaad, ITC's umbrella brand for the staples business. As part of the mandate, Tonic Worldwide will be crafting integrated digital creative strategies for the brand and it will be handled by the agency's Mumbai and Bengaluru offices. Read More...

Mam | Marketing Tokyo Paralympics 2020: Indian Bank joins hands with PCI as banking partner Indian Bank has signed an MOU and partnered with the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) as one of the banking partners ahead of the Paralympic Games, Tokyo 2020, scheduled to commence from 24 August. Read More...

Mam | Marketing IndusInd Bank-supported para-athletes qualify for Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games The 21 para-athletes who are part of the IndusInd Bank's 'Para Champions Programme' will represent the country at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games to be held in Tokyo between 24 August and 5 September. The programme was launched in 2015, in partnership with the GoSports Foundation with an objective to support para-athletes across various sports disciplines. Read More...
In the past 24 hours, Kerala recorded 21,119 new COVID-19 cases in the state, and the test positivity rate rose to around 16 per cent.

The second-worst-hit state in India due to COVID-19 has so far recorded 35,86,693 infections and accounts for more than half of all the cases reported in India in the past few weeks.

In contrast, Maharashtra, the worst-hit state saw 5,609 cases in the past 24 hours.

BCCL

This is happening at a time when Kerala is gearing up for its biggest festival - Onam, which is next week.

Under normal circumstances, the Onam festival is an occasion of get-together, fun and games.

BCCL

But since last year the COVID-19 pandemic has forced Keralites to celebrate Onam in their houses.

No gatherings for Onam

This year too, it is not looking any better as the Kerala government, which had last week relaxed the lockdown in the state has banned all gatherings, for Onam, Muharram, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chathurthi and Durga Pooja.

BCCL/ File

The decision was taken by the Disaster Management department of Kerala in view of a Central government alert to all states about the possibility of mass gatherings during these festivals turning into super spreaders of COVID-19 leading to a spike in infections, an order, issued by Chief Secretary V P Joy, said.

The Union Health Ministry has advised all states to actively consider imposing local restrictions in public observation of these festivals and curb mass gatherings, it said.

In view of the central government advice, the Kerala government has decided that "no public observation of festivals or mass gatherings will be permitted during the above mentioned festivals in the State", a government order said.

4.6 lakh cases in next week

Earlier, a six-member central team that visited eight districts of Kerala said from August 1 to August 20, the state may witness around 4.6 lakh COVID-19 cases.

BCCL

The unlocking of activities, approaching of the Onam festival (August 20) and reopening of tourism pose challenging scenarios and it is a cause of concern, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Director Dr Sujeet Singh, who headed the central team, said.

"The current Rt value of Kerala is 1.12. Going by the current trend, it is expected that for the period of August 1 to August 20, the state may witness around 4.62 lakh Covid cases," Singh said.

The central team also found that the containment strategy relied on passive surveillance and pre-structured containment zone boundaries, panchayats and the enforcement of guidelines regarding the number of people attending social and religious gatherings was lacking.

BCCL

New lockdown rules

Earlier on August 4, the state government had said that only those persons who have taken at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine before two weeks, or who are in possession of RT-PCR negative certificate taken 72 hours previously or who are in possession of COVID-19 positive results more than a month old, would be allowed inside shops, banks and other establishments.
All India Radio News

At least 10 have died and around 30 are missing after a landslide in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur this afternoon left several vehicles buried under debris. A state-run bus, a truck and a few cars were trapped after the landslide blocked the Reckong Peo-Shimla highway. The bus, travelling to Shimla, reportedly had 40 people on board. Some 25-30 people are trapped or buried, an official told Reuters. Ten people have been rescued and are in hospital. Read more



Here are the top stories making headlines from across the world.

Water Molecules And Hydroxyl Found On Moon, Confirms Chandrayaan-2

NASA

In what can be called a pathbreaking discovery, the Indian Space Research Organisations (ISRO) homegrown instrument aboard Chandrayaan-2 has detected the unambiguous presence of hydroxyl and water molecules on the Moon with the precision of differentiating between the two. Researchers used the data obtained by the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter's imaging infrared spectrometer (IIRS), an instrument that collects information from the Moon's electromagnetic spectrum, to understand the mineral composition of the satellite. Read more



Only Two States Have Officially Reported 'Suspected' Deaths Due To Oxygen Shortage

PTI

"States were asked if there have been oxygen-related deaths. When the question was raised in Parliament, states were specifically asked this question. According to reports we have got till now, one state has referred to a suspected case, other states have not said if there have been any oxygen-related deaths," said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Union Health Ministry. Read more



As Taliban Takes Control Of Afghanistan, A Woman Journalist Says She Is Hiding To Save Her Life

AP

A large section of this is women and girls, who under the Taliban's repressive regime had to put up with unimaginable hardships. Many fear that the fall of the government in Kabul, will take the country to those dark days once again. Even now, there are reports that the Taliban are taking away women and girls from areas they have captured as wives for their fighters. Read more



Potholes Caused 3,564 Road Accidents In 2020, But Authorities Care Little To Fix Them

File Photo

A total of 3,564 accidents took place in India due to potholes in 2020, the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. While the number is lower compared to 4,775 and 4,869 in 2019 and 2018, Indian roads need immediate attention. Also, the decrease in the number of road accidents could be attributed to limited traffic movement due to COVID restrictions. Read more


Twitter has finally complied with the new Information Technology rules in India.

A lawyer for the Indian government told the Delhi High Court on Tuesday that Twitter is now compliant with the new directives after months of tussle.

The new IT rules in India require social media companies to appoint officers to address local concerns.

Twitter complies with new IT rules: What changed?

According to the government's lawyer, Twitter has now appointed a Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), a Resident Grievance Officer (RGO), and a nodal contact person; effectively fulfilling the basic requirements of the new law.

Also read: New Findings Shed Light On Twitter's Coded Bias Against Differently-Abled, Muslims And Older People

Twitter is among the last social media giants to comply with the directives. Facebook and Google began functioning in line with the new rules starting May, when the law went into effect. Earlier, Twitter was the object of ire for the Indian government after the platform refused to block certain Tweets deemed objectionable by the government.

AFP

In the meanwhile, Twitter had requested more time to comply with the rules and had deputed temporary representatives to the roles now mandated by law. Twitter's inability to comply with the law had one serious consequence for the company in July, 2021 when it lost liability protection in India.



Without such protection, the company became legally responsible for everything its 100 million Indian users said on the platform.



Twitter vs Indian government: Where it all began

Tensions between Twitter and the Indian government intensified after the platform market Bharatiya Janta Party's (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra's Tweet as "manipulated media" - an identifier of bogus content on the microblogging site.

Twitter

Also read: Twitter Notice To Remove Manipulated Media Not Under IT Act, Says MeitY



Twitter claims that it "may label Tweets that include media (videos, audio, and images) that have been deceptively altered or fabricated".

The initial identification of manipulated media on the platform began with United States President Donald Trump, who still remains banned on Twitter after the insurrection attempt on the US Capitol in January, 2021.

Reuters

Encryption remains a touchy topic

The new IT law in India also requires companies to bypass encryption in special cases where the original source of the message may need to be identified. Many companies including WhatsApp have not complied with this requirement. The company went a step further by suing the Indian government.

The Information Technology Rules, 2021, were notified by the Indian government in February, 2021 with hopes of regulating transmission and publication of online content, bringing social media platforms into its ambit.

The next hearing is scheduled on October 5, 2021.



Also read: 'Must've Been A Good Lunch': Twitter User Who Went For Lunch In 2007 Is Finally Back And People Want Answers


Most people often blame their failures on their bad luck. But there is nothing under the sun that one can't touch with individual talent.

Life can change at any moment and all one can do is to set goals high and to march towards them each day. Nobody knows this better than Mohammad Ali Shihab.



The 2011 batch IAS officer who once sold baskets and spent childhood in an orphanage due to poverty became an IAS officer thanks to his dedication and hard work.

Lets talk about the person whose fate forced him to spent his childhood in the orphanage but due to his sheer hard work, he cracked the civil services exams and qualified for the post of IAS officer. His journey will surely inspire you in many ways:

Losing father at very young age

mohammad ali shihab IAS | Photo: thelogically

Mohammad Ali Shihab Born on 15 March 1980 with the curse of poverty in Edavannappara, a remote village in the Malappuram district of Kerala. The economic condition of the house was not good, so at a young age, Shihab started selling betel (Paan) and bamboo baskets with his father Koroth Ali.

This somehow helped run the house but this support was also snatched when, in 1991 when Shihab was 11-year-old, his father passed away due to a long illness. Shihab was so young that he could not even do any of the work on his own or take care of his family. After his father's death, the responsibility of feeding five children fell on his mother, Fathima. His Mother was neither educated nor did she get any work so that she could take care of her children.

Spent childhood in an orphanage

muhammad ali shihab 226th ranked in UPSC examination | Photo: saudijobvacancy

Due to poverty, his mother was not able to even feed her children. The poor mother put her children in the orphanage in Kozhikode, hoping that at least they would get enough food there.



Whatever people may think about orphanages, but for Shihab, this orphanage proved to be a boon. Here he not only got food to fill his stomach but also found the way which would change his life. While living there, Shihab's attention went towards studies and the good thing was that he turned out to be smarter than other children there.

Started dreaming about civil services examination

During his 10 years in the orphanage, he attracted everyone's attention as an intelligent student. Even though the orphanage may not be like normal schools, the conditions from which Shihab had come out, this place was no less than a paradise for him.

The discipline he learned while living in an orphanage helped him in organising his life. While living there, Shihab made himself capable. And, apart from clearing UPSC, he also managed State-level Public Service Commission exams. During this, he had given examinations for the posts of Forest Department, Jail Warden, and Railway Ticket Examiner etc. Shihab was 25 years old when he started dreaming of taking the civil services examination.

Not just UPSC, Shihab passed serval state level examination

muhammad ali shihab ias nagaland | Photo: Twitter

But even before taking the UPSC exam, Shihab achieved success in other fields. He passed the SSLC examination with good marks and did a teacher training course, after which he got the job of a teacher at a government school. Post that he started preparing for competitive exams. Talking to the media, Shihab recalled the days of his struggle and said that "When I was in the orphanage, I used to study till late at night. I used to study in the dim light of a torch under the bed sheet so that the sleep of other companions is not disturbed. During the days of this struggle, Shihab also worked as a peon in Kerala Water Authority, clerk and motor operator in a hotel.



After hard work and true dedication, Shihab became IAS officer

After this, the journey of giving UPSC examinations started, but this journey was not as easy as it seems today. In the first two attempts of the Civil Services Examination, Shihab only saw failure. But he did not give up and kept trying.

Finally, the year came when the son of a poor paan seller and a helpless mother succeeded in fulfilling his dream. Shihab cleared the UPSC exam in his third attempt in 2011. He got the All India 226th rank. Due to not being so good in English, Shihab needed a translator during the interview, after which he scored 201 marks out of 300. After this Shihab was posted in Kohima, Nagaland.

Thousands of students attempt the UPSC exam every year but only a few are able to crack, and thousands give up after one or two attempts. But this story of Mohammed Ali Shihab is a perfect example of hard work and dedication. If he could do it despite all odds and limited resources, what is your excuse?
After a fire at an elementary school library in northern Maine destroyed its collection of books, a bookstore at the other end of the state helped replace them.

A fire on July 25 burned the library at Dr. Levesque Elementary School in Frenchville, a small community on the border with Canada, the Portland Press Herald reported Tuesday.

The library lost a lot, but in all honesty, my heart goes out to the teachers and the years of preparation and work that they lost, librarian Tracie Boucher told the newspaper. It really was like losing a second home for the teachers and staff.

Boucher reached out to the childrens book author Lynn Plourde, who has family ties to the area, and she contacted Print: A Bookstore, located 300 miles south in Portland.

Boucher gave the bookstore a wish list of about 100 books that the school most urgently wanted replaced and within 24 hours, community members had donated enough to purchase all of them.

I think one of the biggest things about independent bookstores is we rely so much on community support and therefore I think its even more important that bookstores show we are investing back in our community as well, Stephanie Heinz, childrens manager and community coordinator for the bookstore, told the newspaper. When I heard about this opportunity I just wanted to do what we could.

Another bookstore in Fort Kent, also located at the states northernmost border, is selling gift certificates to allow teachers at the school to purchase the books they need. Heidi Carter, who owns Bogan Books, told the newspaper theyve raised $3,000 so far and the store is matching 20 cents of each dollar donated.

The author, Plourde, reflected on the network of people that came together in response to the fire.

Its beautiful to think of Fort Kent, on the northern tip of Maine, and think of Portland in the south, at Print, working together to support this small school and community, she said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics K 12 Maine
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  A massive wildfire burning for days on the northern tip of Greeces second largest island continued to devour forests Tuesday, its thick smoke hanging in the streets of a nearby town as hundreds of firefighters battled to save what they could.

Burning since Aug. 3, the blaze has destroyed most of the north of Evia, an island of rugged, forested mountains popular with campers and summer vacationers from Greece and abroad.

By Tuesday morning, the fire that has destroyed homes and businesses and led to dozens of villages being evacuated was still active, albeit on a smaller scale, burning close to some villages. Several other wildfires were burning in the country, with the most significant in the southern Peloponnese region.

Read more: Greek Citizens Angry With Government Over Reponse to Wildfires

Greek authorities focused their resources on the Evia blaze Tuesday. The fire service said 873 firefighters, 50 ground teams and 229 vehicles were fighting the blaze, including firefighters from Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Poland. Fourteen helicopters were providing air support, including three from Serbia, two from Switzerland and two from Egypt, the fire department said.

Hundreds of firefighters and dozens of vehicles, planes and helicopters from European and Middle Eastern countries have arrived or are on their way to Greece to help battle the wildfires after the government appealed for aid.

Residents and local officials have complained of a lack of firefighting resources, particularly from the air, with some saying not enough water-dropping planes were sent early enough, leaving the fire to grow to such proportions that flying became too hazardous.

Greek authorities have emphasized saving lives, issuing evacuation orders for dozens of villages and neighborhoods. In 2018, a deadly fire that engulfed a seaside settlement near Athens killed more than 100 people, including some who drowned trying to escape the flames and smoke by sea.

But many Evia residents and officials have argued the evacuation orders were often premature, insisting that residents could stay and help the stretched firefighting forces save inhabited areas.

The villagers themselves, with the firefighters, are doing what they can to save their own and neighboring villages, Yiannis Katsikoyiannis, a volunteer from Crete who came to Evia to help his father save his horse farm near the village of Avgaria in the islands north, said Monday.

If they had evacuated their villages, as the civil protection told them to, everything would have been burned down  perhaps even two days sooner, he said. Of course, they never saw any water-dropping aircraft. And of course now the conditions are wrong for them to fly, due to the smoke.

Satellite imagery shows the massive expanse of destruction in Evia, with much of the islands north burned. According to the European Unions Global Wildfire Information System and imagery from the EUs Copernicus Emergency Management Service, more than 49,000 hectares have burnt on Evia.

In a televised nationwide address Monday night, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said 586 wildfires had broken out across the country in the space of just a few days.

These last few days have been among the hardest for our country in decades, Mitsotakis said. We are dealing with a natural disaster of unprecedented dimensions.

The fires came in the wake of Greeces worst heat wave in decades, with temperatures soaring to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) and turning its forests into bone-dry tinderboxes.

The destruction in Evia and elsewhere blackens everyones hearts, Mitsotakis said, and pledged compensation for all affected, as well as a huge reforestation and regeneration effort. He also apologized for any weaknesses shown in addressing the emergency, a nod to criticism from those who said Greeces firefighting efforts and equipment were woefully inadequate.

Photograph: Firefighters operate at Ellinika village on Evia island, about 176 kilometers (110 miles) north of Athens, Greece, on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021. Firefighters and residents battled a massive forest fire on Greeces second largest island for a seventh day on Monday, fighting to save what they can from flames that have decimated vast tracts of pristine forest, destroyed homes and businesses and sent thousands fleeing. Photo credit: AP Photo/Petros Karadjias.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire
Insurance has become the top operating cost concern for small businesses in Canada with seven in ten reporting that their premiums have gone up since the beginning of the year, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) in its July Business Barometer.

These costs are creating a new impediment to small business recovery, at a time when businesses are already in a precarious financial position, said the CFIB.

Small businesses are often required to have insurance, but it has become increasingly difficult and costly for them to get coverage. CFIB has observed an increase in business concerns with commercial insurance costs since mid-2019, but many firms are now reporting that their rates are going up steeply, that they cant find an insurer at a reasonable price, or even at all, said Jasmin Guenette, CFIBs vice-president of national affairs.

CFIB said more than half (55%) of businesses indicated that insurance was a major cost constraint on outpacing concern over wages and taxes. Businesses in the transportation (87%) and hospitality (82%) sectors were the most likely to report premium increases in another special survey conducted by CFIB in August. One in five businesses (19%) who have had to find insurance report being unable to find an insurer willing to offer coverage for their needs.

CFIB said it is calling on all provincial governments to introduce liability immunity to support small businesses who act in accordance with COVID-19 public health guidance as they reopen. Some provinces have already implemented temporary liability immunity and it should be adopted by all.

Its important to find short and long-term solutions to make sure small businesses have access to affordable commercial insurance. CFIB stands ready to work with the industry and government on ways to ensure just that, added Guenette.

Survey Methodology

Findings from CFIBs July Business Barometer are based on 785 responses from a stratified random sample of CFIB members, to a controlled-access web survey. Data reflect responses received from July 6 to July 20.

About CFIB

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canadas largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 95,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings.

Source: Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Topics Trends Canada
Lockton Re, the global reinsurance business of the worlds largest privately held independent insurance broker, announced a first-of-its-kind, digital capability called Lockton Re SAGELink Automated Placement Solutions.

Continuing our investment in technology and innovation, Lockton Re has initially partnered with Nephila Capital, the largest catastrophe insurance-linked securities manager in the world, to create a fully automated submission to quoting capability, commented Claude Yoder, global head of Analytics at Lockton Re.

Marrying best in class analytics and forward-looking technology, Lockton Re and Nephila have each deployed custom-built APIs which, via Lockton Re SAGELink, enable Lockton Re to uniquely identify, model, submit and receive pricing of reinsurance on behalf of cedents, Yoder added.

The capability automates the typically weeks long process of price discovery between reinsurance intermediary broker and reinsurer and fosters tighter integration of treaty visualization features with reinsurer underwriting workflow management, producing new value for cedents.

This technology enables sophisticated scripting of catastrophe modeling, submission bundling, and quote workflows. It has moved the technology needle for the (re)insurance industry, Yoder added

Topics Mergers New Markets Lockton
U.S. online bank Ally Financial has agreed to backstop home insurance policies provided by Hippo Holdings Inc., providing capital for the latter to generate more business, the companies told Reuters.

Hippo will underwrite the policies and sell them to consumers, while Ally will assume the risk for them and put aside the cash to back them  some $500 million to begin with. The agreement will double Hippos underwriting capacity and leave it with more money to invest in improving its technology and services, its President Rick McCathron said in a recent interview.

As we are a fast-growing company, its very important for us to have plenty of underwriting capacity to support our growth, McCathron said.

The Ally-backed policies will be offered in ten states under the partnership before being rolled out nationally, the companies said.

This relationship complements and diversifies the ongoing expansion of Allys insurance business, Mark Manzo, Allys president of insurance, said in a statement.

Allys insurance offering had so far been limited to insurance for the auto industry. McCathron said there was potential for further collaboration with Ally, without providing details.

The partnership comes a week after Hippo began trading on the New York Stock Exchange following the completion of its merger with a blank-check acquisition firm backed by Reid Hoffman and Mark Pincus, the co-founders of LinkedIn and Zynga respectively.

Hippo will also announce on Wednesday a fronting carrier agreement with Austin, Texas-based insurance services provider Incline P&C Group, which will offer Inclines customers access to Hippos home protection and maintenance services.

(Reporting by David French in New York; Editing by Aurora Ellis)

Topics Mergers Homeowners
A fund to compensate victims of Jeffrey Epstein is concluding its claims process after awarding more than $120 million, its administrator said.

The announcement Monday comes one day before the second anniversary of Epsteins death in a New York jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The funds administrator, Jordana Feldman, said she wanted to approve the final awards before that date.

I was continually struck by the resilience and courage of the victims who put their faith and trust in this process, Feldman said in a statement.

About 92% of approximately 150 eligible claimants accepted their compensation offers, Feldman said. The number of claims submitted to the program, about 225, far exceeded original expectations of about 100, according to Feldman.

The fund opened in June 2020 after wrangling over privacy, legal liability and other issues between the estate and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned property and took many of the girls he was accused of assaulting. After his death, the executors valued the financiers estate at more than $600 million.

The program was designed by Feldman, Kenneth Feinberg and Camille Biros. Feinberg and Feldman oversaw the compensation fund for people killed in the September 2001 terrorist attacks. He and Biros designed and administered a fund for sexual-abuse claims against the Catholic Church.

Suicide Ends Prosecution

After getting an earlier non-prosecution deal with federal authorities in Florida, Epstein was arrested in July 2019 and charged by U.S. prosecutors in Manhattan with sexually abusing dozens of girls. The following month, on Aug. 10, he was found dead in a federal lockup in what authorities ruled a suicide.

In July 2020, federal prosecutors in New York brought sex-trafficking charges against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epsteins former girlfriend and confidante, accusing her of participating in the scheme. She has denied wrongdoing and is scheduled to go on trial in November.

Denise George, attorney general of the Virgin Islands, blocked an earlier proposal for the compensation fund by Epsteins estate and questioned its demand that those who received money from the fund agree to a broad liability waiver. An accord was later reached after the estate agreed not to use information the victims provided to defend itself against any other claims or suits that might be filed against it.

George declined to comment on Mondays announcement.

Feldman said in the statement that preserving the privacy of claimants and treating them with compassion and sensitivity were essential to the programs success.

This important, independent program allowed victims/survivors who were sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein to resolve their claims outside of court through a voluntary, confidential, fair, empathetic and expeditious process  beyond the glare of public proceedings and without the costs and confrontation of litigation, she said.

Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, co-executors of the Epstein estate who established and funded the program, said they are extremely pleased it accomplished its goal of offering compensation to those who suffered sexual abuse as a result of Epsteins actions.

They applaud the work done by Ms. Feldman and her staff in successfully resolving those claims, and are proud to have supported approximately $125 million in compensation awards in the first-ever such compensation program implemented by an estate, Daniel Weiner, a lawyer for the co-executors, said in a statement.

Top Photo: A protest group holds up signs of Jeffrey Epstein in front of the Federal courthouse in New York on July 8, 2019. Getty Images.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Trends Claims
A Texas-based auto recycler will pay $90,000 to settle a federal disability discrimination lawsuit, officials said.

In addition, K&L Auto Crushers in Tyler will furnish other relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The EEOC had charged that K&L fired employee during treatment for cancer after denying her requests for accommodation.

According to the EEOCs lawsuit, the employee immediately notified the owner of K&L when she was diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer. The employee also told the owner the estimated length of her chemotherapy treatment.

Shortly after the employee started chemotherapy, the owner told the employee that the company had secured temporary help and that she should stay home until she was finished with her chemotherapy.

The employee asked the owner if she could work from home and requested to return to work on a modified work schedule while she finished chemotherapy, but K&L denied both requests, the EEOC said.

K&L fired the employee shortly after she began treatment but did not tell her she had been terminated until she finished chemotherapy, according to the suit.

The EEOC charged that K&L violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which protects employees from discrimination based on their disabilities and requires employers to make reasonable accommodation for known disabilities.

The EEOC filed suit, Civil Action No. 6:20-cv-00455, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

The three-year consent decree settling the suit, entered by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker on Aug. 5, prohibits future discrimination and retaliation and, in addition to the monetary relief, requires the employer to provide annual training to all human resources and management employees, including but not limited to the defendants owners, on reasonable accommodation and the factors to be considered in making an appropriate assessment of accommodation requests. The training will also discuss the appropriate steps to be taken in assessing a request for accommodation.

Source: EEOC

Topics Lawsuits Texas Auto
A federal appeals court revived a legal challenge to an Arkansas law that farm organizations have used to shield themselves from undercover investigations by animal rights groups.

A three-judge panel of the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower courts decision to dismiss the lawsuit. The Animal Legal Defense Fund and other animal rights organizations filed the suit in 2019 against Republican state Rep. DeAnn Vaught and her husband, who own a pig farm, and Peco Foods, an Alabama-based poultry farm with Arkansas facilities.

Vaught also sponsored the 2017 law. The suit argues that the law, which bars undercover investigations at private businesses like large farms, violates the First Amendment by banning a form of speech.

So-called ag-gag laws have been approved by legislatures in states with animal agriculture industries.

A federal judge last year said the groups hadnt shown they have suffered an actual injury because of the law.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund and another plaintiff in the suit, Animal Equality, said they have plans to conduct undercover investigations of Pecos facilities and the Vaughts pig farm but have refrained from doing so due to the law.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits
The driver of a girls home van in which eight children died in a fiery interstate crash in Alabama has filed suit against trucking companies based in California and Georgia and a driver, her lawyers said Monday.

The federal lawsuit, which seeks an unspecified amount of money, recounts a desperate attempt by the woman, Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch director Candice Gulley, to free victims from the wreckage. Two of her own children and two nephews were among those killed.

Pulled from the crumpled van by others, Gulley ran around trying to help children escape the burning vehicle, the suit said, but no one could be saved because of the flames and damage.

All the children were killed by the fire, said the suit, filed Friday.

Eight children ranging in age from 3 to 17 died in the van, and the suit said Gulley suffered burns, bruises and severe emotional and mental distress. A Tennessee man and his daughter died in a separate vehicle in the crash, which happened on Interstate 65 as remnants of a tropical storm crossed the region on June 19.

The lawsuit names the California-based Hansen & Adkins Auto Transport and Asmat Express of Clarkston, Ga., which both were identified by the National Transportation Safety Board as being involved in the crash. It also named an Asmat driver identified as Mamuye Ayane Takelu.

While Hansen & Adkins has declined comment on details of the crash, Asmat has not responded to messages seeking comment. Neither company nor the driver filed immediate responses in court.

Besides Gulley and her husband Tommy Gulley, who lost two children, plaintiffs include the parents or personal representatives of four other children killed in the van.

Gulley was driving the van in the left lane on northbound Interstate 65 when the Hansen & Adkins truck failed to stop in traffic, struck a sport-utility vehicle and swerved into her lane, the suit said. The van was then struck from behind by the Asmat Express truck, it said.

The suit claims the trucks werent outfitted with anti-crash safety technology and that drivers were going too fast, distracted or following too closely. An attorney for Gulley, Greg Allen, said the wreck should never have happened.

We cannot erase or change the disastrous outcome, but we can work to provide answers that will allow a court to hold the defendants accountable for the lives they have devastated, he said in a statement released by Beasley Allen Law Firm in Montgomery.

A preliminary report by the NTSB described the crash similarly to the lawsuit but did not place blame or say what caused the wreck, which happened about 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Montgomery.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Alabama Trucking
Family members of a Navy veteran who died after a Northern California police officer pressed a knee to his neck for nearly five minutes during a mental health crisis filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Antioch, its police chief and four police officers, they said.

The lawsuit filed by Angelo Quintos mother and younger sister seeks unspecified monetary damages and alleges Antioch Police officers used excessive force when restraining him. It names the city, Antioch Police Chief Tammany Brooks and Officers James Perkinson, Arturo Becerra, Daniel Hopwood and Nicholas Shipilov.

An email from The Associated Press seeking comment from city officials was not immediately answered Monday.

Quintos family called police on Dec. 23 because the 30-year-old was going through a mental health crisis and needed help. A responding officer pressed a knee on Quintos neck for nearly five minutes while another officer restrained his legs, according to the complaint. Quinto lost consciousness and was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he died three days later.

Every day of our lives we live with guilt, no matter how much anyone  tell(s) us that we did the right thing, that we did everything that we possibly could, Quintos sister, Bella Collins, said while wiping away tears.

Quintos mother, Cassandra Quinto-Collins, was hugging her son and he was calm when officers arrived at their home in Antioch, 45 miles east of San Francisco, according to the lawsuit.

Officers Perkinson and Becerra pulled Quinto from his mothers arms and put him on his stomach, in a prone position while he pleaded please, dont kill me! at least twice. They then handcuffed his hands behind his back, crossed his legs behind him and bent them toward his back while he cried out in pain, the complaint alleges.

The officers then took turns placing their legs on the back of Quintos neck. A few minutes later, Hopwood and Shipilov arrived at the Quintos home and also helped restrain him even though he was not fighting them, according to the complaint.

After about five minutes of the prone restraint, Quinto appeared to become totally unresponsive, the complaint said.

It is very much like George Floyd and I hate to use that as an analogy, but the truth of the matter is, it was a lack of appreciation for what was going on, said John Burris, the familys attorney.

Floyd, a Black man, died May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis after a police officer kept pressing his knee against Floyds neck while he was handcuffed and repeating he couldnt breathe.

A video recorded by Quinto-Collins shows her son listless, with a bloodied face and his hands cuffed behind his back. She said she began recording after seeing her sons eyes were rolled up in his head.

Antioch police officers were equipped with body-worn cameras just last month and were expected to soon get cameras installed in their patrols.

The officers not only used excessive force but also failed to de-escalate by first talking to Quinto, who was never combative, Burris said.

My office has been involved in many mental health cases down through the years and in those cases  a little reassessment, a little de-escalation, reconsideration of where you are and who was involved really could have saved a persons life, he said.

The officers also falsely told paramedics that Quinto was on methamphetamine and ransacked the familys home but found no evidence of drug abuse, according to the complaint.

Quinto, who was born in the Philippines, was honorably discharged from the Navy in 2019 because of a food allergy, according to his family.

He had depression most of his life, but his behavior changed after an apparent assault in early 2020, when he woke up in a hospital not remembering what had happened and with stitches and

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits California Law Enforcement
Two Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies badly wounded in an ambush shooting last year sued a Nevada company for making the parts for a ghost gun used in the attack.

The lawsuit alleges Polymer80 Inc. negligently and unlawfully sold an untraceable home-assembled gun kit that resulted in the September attack.

It was the latest effort to deal with the proliferation of ghost guns, which are put together from commercial kits or parts bought online. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives doesnt consider the uncompleted kits to be firearms, so buyers dont have to undergo the usual background checks, and in most states the guns arent required to have serial numbers.

Law enforcement agencies say the weapons are increasingly turning up at crime scenes. Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore has said the guns now account for a third of all weapons recovered by the LAPD. Federal officials say thousands have been seized in connection with crime investigations.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of deputies Claudia Apolinar and Emmanuel Perez-Perez, who were shot and wounded Sept. 12 as they sat in their patrol car at a Metro rail station in the Los Angeles suburb of Compton.

The attacker fired through the cars passenger window. Apolinar and Perez-Perez were shot in the head and arms. Neither has been able to return to work, according to the lawsuit.

Deonte Lee Murray was arrested three days later after a nine-hour standoff with police in nearby Lynwood. He pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and other charges and could face life in state prison if convicted.

Investigators said a gun Murray threw from a car window while he was being pursued matched the one used to shoot the deputies.

That weapon was built from a Polymer80 kit, model PF940c, according to the lawsuit.

The kit provided most of the parts for a handgun and was compatible with Glock components, according to Polymer80s website.

Murray was forbidden to buy or possess a gun because of previous convictions for sales and possession of narcotics, firearm possession, receiving stolen property, burglary and terrorist threats, authorities said.

The lawsuit contends that Dayton, Nevada-based Polymer80, which holds a federal firearms license, purposefully sold their products without markings to make it difficult for law enforcement to trace the firearm.

Defendants knew and could foresee  but consciously disregarded the risk  that they were creating and contributing to a direct and secondary market for illegal, unserialized and untraceable guns, knowing that their firearms were likely to end up in the hands of criminals and were likely to be used for criminal purposes, the suit contended.

The suit alleges the company violated both federal and California gun laws.

Emails seeking comment from the company werent immediately returned.

The ATF last December served a search warrant on Polymer80 as it investigated whether the company evaded gun laws by making and selling the kits.

However, on its website, the company said some of its do-it-yourself kits, including the PF940C, were classified by the ATF as not falling within the federal definition of firearm.'

The lawsuit was filed by Everytown Law, which has sued several other ghost gun parts providers. In February, it joined the city of Los Angeles in suing Polymer80 for allegedly creating a public nuisance and violating the states business code.

The anti-gun violence organization also filed a lawsuit last year against another gun parts seller on behalf of a teenaged girl who survived a 2019 shooting at Saugus High School in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita. A student, 16-year-old Nathan Berhow, opened fire with an unregistered gun, killing two other students and wounding three before shooting himself.

Also last year, the families of those killed and wounded in a 2017 shooting rampage in rural California sued manufacturers and sellers of ghost gun kits. Investigators said the shooter, Kevin Neal, manufactured an unregistered rifle to target an elementary school and randomly shot at homes and motorists in a rural subdivision about 130 miles north of Sacramento. He killed his wife and four others before killing himself.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits California
As can be seen from the pieces below, the cultural sphere has created plenty of controversy through the decades, not least as conservative forces clashed with the more progressive views expressed on stage or page.

In the first archive piece, we see the infamous reaction of an organised group from the Gaelic League to The Playboy of The Western World. Then the Cork Examiner, the paper was eight pages, with the front page made up entirely of advertisements. No photographs appeared in the paper until about 1911.

Impressively, though the disturbances at the Abbey took place on a Monday night, the reporter was still able to file their copy in time for Tuesday's paper.

In the second piece, we get a flavour of the Catholic Church-led campaign against foreign music in the 1930s, part of a moral scare that saw the organisation tighten its control on Irish society with the introduction of the Public Dancehalls Act, which has only come up for reform this year.

Scenes at a Dublin theatre: Players hissed

Tuesday, January 29, 1907 (From our own correspondent, Dublin, Monday night)

There were uproarious scenes tonight at the performances of Mr Synge's play The Playboy Of The Western World at the Abbey Theatre.

The play deals rather unfavourably with Irish character, the central figure being a rough customer who has nearly murdered his own father and who on account of this great feat is beloved by several women.

The first performance on Saturday evening passed off in comparative quiet, but after the unfavourable notices in the press a number of Gaelic Leaguers turned up tonight to express their feelings on it.

Shortly after its opening, hisses, groans and disorder broke out. It became impossible to hear the actors: there was stamping of feet and beating of sticks, and the din was terrific.

Mr Fay, who took the principal par, assayed to get a hearing. He was understood to say that he was a Mayo man himself and that no insult was intended to his county.

There was, however, a renewed outburst of hisses, groans, etc, and the police were called in. They entered amid loud groans and took up their positions in the pit. However, as no personal complaint would be lodged against any individual members of the audience by the theatre management, they simply remained spectators of the scene.

The performance was proceeded with amid all the disorder. The players very pluckily went through their parts, though it was dumb show for the audience. Shouts of 'Don't disgrace the name of Ireland', 'We have not got Lynchechaun back yet', etc mingled in the din, and 'God Save Ireland', 'Who Fearst to Speak' and 'The West Awake' were chorused.

At the end of each set, the players bowed their acknowledgments ironically, and the uproar was thereby increased. The performance was brought to a conclusion in this disorder.

Pernicious system: Jazz attacked: strong speech by a priest

November 14, 1934

A strong attack on jazz music and dancing was made at a Gaelic League Convention at Drumshambo, Co. Leitrim, by Very Rev. P Conefrey, P.P., Cloone, who said that the people would have to rise against this pernicious system, which was against their traditions and faith.

"If the people were worthy of their race and traditions," he declared, "they would blow up any hall where jazz dancing is practised."

Did Mr MacEntee [government minister, elsewhere accused of having a soul buried in jazz] and the others who supported jazz dancing, he asked, know what they were doing? The Convention adopted a number of resolutions aimed at increasing the use of Irish, including one calling for a gramophone concert of one hour each month in Irish in the national schools.

Very Rev P. Conefrey, P.P., Cloone, who came before the public very prominently last year in the agitation against jazz dancing and music, presided at a County Convention of the Gaelic League, held in Drumshambo last night.

DEFINITION OF JAZZ

He quoted from an article in the Irish Rosary, 1927, entitled: "Bobbing and Jazzing" by Herbert Moore Pim, which said that "jazz is a Central African word, meaning the acting in public of something of which St. Paul said, 'Let it not be so much as named among you.'

"The dance and music was borrowed from Central Africa by a gang of wealthy international Bolshevists in America, their aim being to strike at Christian civilization throughout the world."

That, Father Conefrey continued, should be enough to show that anything they did in this movement was correct. Was it right that Irish Catholics should allow their Irish music and dance to be banished and driven out of the country by wealthy Bolshevists? Did all the priests know what jazz meant?

PERNICIOUS SYSTEM

The people would have to rise against this pernicious system, which was against their traditions and faith. He knew the majority of priests knew this was wrong, and many would not speak out.

"There are others," he said, "who don't understand this; and their idea is to let the people have those dances when they want them. That was not the attitude of the True Shepherd. Everything should be done to prevent this jazz dancing. If the people were worthy of their race and traditions, they would blow up any hall where jazz dancing is practised.

Waltzes or barn dances, continued Fr. Conefrey. did not come under the head of jazz. The ideals they stood for could not be put in the pawnshop. They should find out if past pupils of convents and colleges and Government officials were organising these jazz dances. His idea was that there should be a National Reconstruction League formed, which would look after the language, music and dancing, their system of industries and arts.

Nothing was being done for traditional Irisn dancing, and he wished they had the right kind of traditional Irish dancing in Dublin and all over the country. He urged the bringing together of all traditional Irish musicians in each area, so that proper ceilidhe bands could be formed. It was, then, their duty to see Irish music fostered.

Resolutions were adopted on the lines suggested.
The Master of the Rotunda maternity hospital, Professor Fergal Malone has said that 60% of patients and partners walking around the Rotunda hospital were not vaccinated which meant that restrictions could not be lifted.

The hospital carries out surveys of the vaccination status of patients and their partners every week, he told RTE radios Morning Ireland.

This week only 39% of expectant mothers were vaccinated and only 41% of their partners were fully vaccinated.

To be honest, that's disappointing. Its not surprising that there's some vaccine hesitancy  but what that means is 60% of patients and their partners walking around the Rotunda hospital today are not vaccinated and are therefore vulnerable to Covid infection - more likely to transmit.

If we can get that vaccination number up - we will see it being safe to relax all restrictions. I would encourage every single pregnant woman, please get vaccinated.

Prof Malone defended the Rotunda hospitals record on visiting hours and said there were new pathways for early pregnancy units scans, also for any exceptional news or complex situations, we always make exceptions. That continues to happen.

However, he pointed out that parts of the hospital date back to 1757 and there is no ventilation or air conditioning in the old building. Included in that section are the main waiting rooms for the emergency department and ultrasound department.

There just isn't physically the space to put large numbers of adults sitting together in a confined space. The ultrasound waiting room has just 12 seats in it.

"If eight or nine mothers are sitting there, suddenly there are 16 or 18 adults because they have a partner with them in a small room that is not ventilated and not capable of being ventilated. That is a very serious risk.

"It's the same with the emergency department waiting room area  there are only 10 seats.

Each of the hospital's eight delivery suites is private and once a patient is admitted to the delivery room - whether one cm dilated or 10cm dilated, the patient's partner will be with them for every minute of that journey, added Prof Malone.

But if it was not certain that a patient was in full labour, they could be in a room with six others, that was in the old building with no ventilation.

So if you have six mothers in a single room and then suddenly 12 adults - if not vaccinated, that is a very serious risk, he warned.

Former master of Holles Street national maternity hospital Peter Boylan says he can understand the hospital's position.

The Rotunda has said that they have had a 20% increase in births over the past year and will have over 9,000 births this year.

"You can understand the kind of difficulties that they have through basic overcrowding," said Dr Boylan.

Pregnant women can now be vaccinated against Covid-19 which carries the risk of Covid Placentitis in pregnancy. Picture: iStock

The Midwives Association of Ireland has called on maternity hospitals to further ease visiting restrictions to offer respectful and dignified care to pregnant women.

Restrictions were imposed to protect women and staff during the pandemic but families have queried why they are still in place. Pregnant women can now be vaccinated against Covid-19 which carries the risk of Covid Placentitis in pregnancy.

This is the first time the association has taken a collective stance on restrictions. A spokeswoman said maternity care changed dramatically when services entered uncharted water" during the pandemic.

The Midwives Association of Ireland (MAI) acknowledges that the HSE and government have a duty of care to protect midwives and all other hospital workers," she said.

It is now time to urgently turn the focus to women's human right to have respectful and dignified care. Hospital midwives, who are employees of the HSE, have been in a very difficult position she said.

To those expectant parents accessing maternity care; we see you, we hear you and we care, she said.

In March 2020 the association wrote to the HSE and Department of Health with suggestions including working with community midwives and providing more antenatal care outside of hospitals.

The MAI at that time acknowledged that we were then in a very fluid and developing situation, the spokeswoman said. However, 19 months into the pandemic and particularly following the high rates of uptake in the vaccination program, we would consider that these alternative solutions should be revisited immediately.

The MAI welcomed an international study on restrictions led by Professor Joan Lalor at Trinity College Dublin which found that many restrictions are not evidence-based.

The midwifery spokeswoman said: Most importantly, concerns were identified that restrictions may have a long-term negative impact on mothers and their families.

This film was made possible by the brave Irish men & women who lent us their stories of pregnancy & loss during Covid.

The recent guidelines on maternity restrictions are more distraction than solution.

We have to do better.



Made by myself & Paul Horan#everyparkedcartellsastory pic.twitter.com/zGKivGsAag  Natalie Britton (@nataliebritton4) August 6, 2021

She also warned of the pandemics effect on midwives.

We acknowledge the impact this has had both physically and emotionally, impacting not only on themselves but on their families and workplace too during this extraordinary life event, she said.

Over the summer some maternity hospitals were able to ease restrictions. This was most obvious in the standalone Dublin hospitals, and recently University Hospital Galway (UHG) was praised for changes.

Campaigner Yvonne Aherne said she is relieved and grateful her husband can attend their 20-week scan next week in Galway.

Ms Aherne, a representative of the Irish Birth Movement, said: I am very lucky, its a bit different now. They have gone beyond the (HSE) guidelines and relaxed the restrictions beyond them. However she said parts of the pathway remain inaccessible.

She said: Still my husband couldnt be with me for my antenatal appointment, the first time hearing the heart-beat. That was a huge loss for him. She took part in protests outside the hospital, and described the earlier part of her pregnancy as isolating and difficult.

Ms Aherne said it is hard to understand why the hospitals cannot ease restrictions at similar rates, or why they do not offer partners PCR tests. A spokeswoman for UHG confirmed changes to restrictions are available on their website.
The HSE's online vaccine portal registration for parents of 12-15 year olds has opened tonight ahead of schedule.

Registration for this age cohort had previously been scheduled for tomorrow but is now available, the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnely has said.

Vaccination slots have been made available for 12-15 year olds this weekend along with evening clinics and appointments through a limited number of GPs and pharmacies, the director of the HSEs vaccination campaign, Damien McCallion has said.

He said these arrangements have been made to facilitate parents who would have to accompany children.

It comes as Dr Ronan Glynn, the deputy chief medical officer has moved to reassure the public about the effectiveness of the Covid vaccine.

The number of older people who have contracted Covid-19 is much less in this wave than previously seen as a result of the vaccination programme, he said.

Dr Ronan Glynn's comments come as the Department of Health has been notified of 1,819 confirmed cases of Covid-19.

It brings the total number of cases of the virus in Ireland since the outbreak began to 315,385. In addition, there are 206 patients in hospital receiving treatment for the coronavirus this evening. Of those, 36 of the patients are in intensive care in hospital.

The Department has said that daily case amounts are subject to future revision due to later validation of cases. No detail of Covid-related deaths was published by health officials.

Vaccine effectiveness

Dr Ronan Glynn said there has been increased commentary in recent weeks about the number of infections in those who have been fully vaccinated.

However, he said it was important that these figures are placed in the context of the proportion of the whole population who have been vaccinated.

While the proportion of cases in vaccinated people will increase, we can be very confident that the absolute number of cases in vaccinated people will decrease over time. We have already seen this in older age groups, he said.

For example, while 67% of cases in those who are 65 years and older in the last fortnight have been in people who reported having received two vaccines, the absolute number of cases in this age group (764) is much less than in previous waves.

315, 385 cases of Covid-19 have been identified since the pandemic began in Ireland. Picture: Larry Cummins.

He added: A similar disease profile last February, for example, resulted in 3,379 cases over a two-week period in the same age group.

Dr Glynn compared the effectiveness of vaccines to road safety measures such as seat belts.

The majority of people who die on our roads are wearing a safety belt. This does not mean that safety belts do not work.

"It simply reflects the fact that the vast majority of people wear safety belts when driving and, unfortunately, some will be involved in accidents, he said.

However, for each individual, the risk of a severe injury or dying in that accident is much lower if they are wearing a safety belt.

Dr Glynn said the uptake of vaccination has been remarkably high in Ireland, and as a result the proportion of cases in vaccinated people will increase.

For example, if all of the population were to get vaccinated then, clearly, 100% of Covid-19 cases would be in those who had been vaccinated. This does not mean that vaccines are not working, he said.

When we see cases in vaccinated people, we need to remember what we are not seeing.

"What we dont see is the very many more infections, hospitalisations and deaths that have been prevented by vaccination.

Pregnancy and Covid Vaccines

Dr Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer, said continued adherence to public health guidelines and vaccine uptake is the best method to contain the spread of the virus.

He said that from tomorrow, parents of children aged 12-15, will be able to register their online for a vaccine appointment.

"Vaccination, combined with basic public health measures, is the most effective way to protect the community against Covid-19.

"From tomorrow, registration for the Covid-19 vaccine programme opens for young people aged between 12 and 15 years of age.

"With over 6 million vaccine doses administered to date, each week we reach another important milestone in our journey out of this pandemic," said Dr Glynn.

The deputy chief medical officer moved to allay recent concerns about pregnant women registering the vaccine and urged them to consult their GP, obstetrician or midwife for assistance.

If you are pregnant and you have concerns about taking the vaccine, speak to your GP, obstetrician or midwife for guidance and for bespoke health advice for your pregnancy.

"Use trusted sources of information such as the HSE or Department of Health for the latest vaccine information, he said.

Vaccine data

Dr Glynn's vaccination advice comes as two-thirds of the total population are now fully vaccinated from the virus.

According to the latest figures, 6.2 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered to August 10, with just under 90% of adults and 88% of people over the age of 16 having received at least one dose.

Chair of the vaccine taskforce, Professor Brian MacCraith, shared the latest available data which shows that

The Irish Medical Organisation is calling for the HSE bring in 5,000 more hospital beds, and recruit 2,000 more doctors to handle overcrowding.

78% of adults and 76% of people over 16 are now fully vaccinated.

Prof MacCraith hailed the "amazing response" of Irish people while sharing statistics from Our World in Data which shows Ireland's vaccination rollout ahead of countries such as France, Italy, Germany and the US.

He added that it is concerning to see the vaccination status of countries such as Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Tanzania where less than 2% of the population has receive a vaccine dose.

The World Health Organisation has appealed to wealthier countries not to begin offering booster jabs until more of the global population has been vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the HSE has launched an online option for Covid positive people to list their close contacts.

National Lead for Testing and Tracing, Niamh O'Beirne, says anyone who gets a positive result will receive the link in a text.

The patient can then compile a list of people they have been in contact with, in order for tracing to begin.

Evening vaccination clinics will help with rollout among 12 to 15-year-olds

Ryan Johnson Collins, from Bandon, after his vaccination at The Clonakilty Covid-19 walk-in vaccination centre. Picture: Jim Coughlan.

Some pharmacies will operate evening vaccine clinics to help the roll-out to children aged between 12 and 15.

Registration on the HSE portal will open tomorrow for the age group with first jabs to be given out as soon as this weekend.

Parents' permission is required for children to get a vaccine so it is hoped the evening clinics will ease the burden on work pressures.

It is up to each pharmacy to decide how they will run their clinics with some having already run them in the evenings.

"Up until now, there have been pharmacies running vaccination clinics in the evenings, separate from the rest of the business of the pharmacy because that is what suited the community and that is what suited the pharmacy," said Darragh O'Loughlin from the Irish Pharmacy Union.

"I think that will continue particularly because parents need to be there and a lot of parents are working during the day."

The Citywest vaccination centre in Dublin will open for first-dose walk-in vaccines on Thursday with a late night clinic.

It will open tomorrow evening from 6pm until 10pm and anyone over 16 can attend.

The Health Minister has said offering vaccines at different times to better suit certain people is a "great initiative".

Stricter lockdowns were needed due to limited hospital capacity - IMO president

It is up to each pharmacy to decide how they will run their clinics with some having already run them in the evenings. Picture: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

The Irish Medical Organisation is calling for the Government to radically invest in the health system and says doctors are looking ahead to winter with a sense of despair.

This morning, there are 206 Covid patients in hospital, up 10% since last Wednesday. There are 33 people being treated for the virus in intensive care units.

The group representing doctors is calling for the HSE bring in 5,000 more hospital beds, and recruit 2,000 more doctors.

Public Health doctor and President of the IMO, Dr Ina Kelly, said stricter lockdowns were required in Ireland because of the limited capacity for hospitalisations and intensive care admissions.

"That is something which has probably impacted on the whole society in a way because the health service was so under stress coming into the Covid-19 pandemic."

Dr Kelly said she hopes the "magnificent rollout" will help to keep numbers down even though the country is opening back up.

She praised the public who have been very willing to work with the health services to make it a success.

"We are in a fourth wave but we hope it is a low peak and that is what we are all hoping for."

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) issued a strong warning that services could become overwhelmed if overcrowding continues to worsen and is coupled with increasing Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations.

According to their latest figures, there are 369 patients waiting for beds this morning - 298 in the emergency department and 71 in other wards.

The worst-hit hospitals included University Hospital Limerick (43), University Hospital Galway (32) and Cork University Hospital (31).
The US government has said that it will deliver nearly 837,000 Pfizer vaccines to Caribbean nations as the region with limited resources struggles with a spike in Covid-19 cases amid violent anti-vaccine protests.

The Bahamas will receive 397,000 doses followed by Trinidad and Tobago with more than 305,000 doses. Barbados will receive 70,200 doses, while 35,100 are slated for St Vincent and the Grenadines, 17,550 for Antigua and 11,700 for St Kitts and Nevis.

The Biden-Harris administrations highest priority in the Americas today is managing and ending the Covid pandemic and contributing to equitable recovery, said Juan Gonzalez, the National Security Councils senior director for the Western Hemisphere.

Thousands of specialised syringes required for the Pfizer vaccine also were donated, with officials noting that the donations involved significant legal and logistic complexity.

10,700,000 The number of people vaccinated in the Caribbean so far

In addition, USAid, which has provided more than 28 million US dollars to help 14 Caribbean nations fight Covid-19, expects to announce additional funding soon, according to a White House official.

The Caribbean region has reported more than 1.29 million cases and more than 16,000 deaths, with some 10.7 million people vaccinated so far, according to the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency.

Among the hardest hit Caribbean nations is Haiti, which on July 14 received its first vaccine shipment since the pandemic began  500,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine donated by the US via the United Nations Covax programme for low-income countries.

The country of more than 11 million people has reported 20,400 confirmed cases and 575 deaths, although experts believe those numbers are severely underreported given a widespread lack of testing.

A National Security Council spokeswoman told the Associated Press that the US will send a signification amount of additional doses to Haiti soon, but further details were not immediately available.

The announcement by the US government comes amid recent anti-vaccine protests in Guyana, Antigua and St Vincent and the Grenadines, whose prime minister was hit in the head with a rock last week and was briefly hospitalised.

The Biden-Harris administration's highest priority in the Americas today is managing and ending the Covid pandemic and contributing to equitable recovery Juan Gonzalez, National Security Council

Meanwhile, two firefighters in Guadeloupe were injured during recent protests against a Covid-19 curfew, according to a government statement.

A similar protest also was reported in nearby Martinique, a French island of more than 370,000 people that is reporting 1,176 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, a spike that officials blame on the delta variant and low vaccination rates.

Tourists are invited to end their stay in Martinique, the prefecture said on Monday.

That same day, officials in Martinique issued new regulations including shutting down beaches and non-essential businesses and ordering people to not venture farther than roughly half a mile from home. Meanwhile, officials in the US Virgin Islands announced upcoming measures including closing beaches by late afternoon on weekends.

Among the islands most struggling with a spike in Covid-19 cases are the Bahamas, Curacao, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Trinidad and Tobago.

France recently announced it was deploying military medics and ICU units to the French Caribbean to fight the virus surge, and military planes were bringing some critically ill patients to France for treatment.
Burma A Look at Myanmars Long History of Political Assassinations

Top row: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (left) and Captain Kyaw Zwa Myint (right); Bottom row: U Kyaw Moe Tun (left), U Ko Ni (center) and Padoh Mahn Sha (right)

A plot to kill or injure Myanmars UN Ambassador U Kyaw Moe Tun was exposed in the first week of August with the FBI arresting two suspects. Myanmar people drew the conclusion that the military regime was behind the plot. The military regime however denied any involvement.

The plot bears testimony to the fact that the bloody tradition of eliminating political dissidents is still entrenched in Myanmars politics.

Unfortunately, this tradition began with the assassination of Myanmars independence hero General Aung San and his colleagues in 1947, a year before Myanmar was freed from colonial rule, by a political rival. Several more happened after the military coup in 1962 and the practice still flourishes today. A closer look at these assassinationssome failedreveals the alarming fact that most of the politically motivated killings took place when Myanmar was under military rule. Lets take a look.

Captain Kyaw Zwa Myint

The first attempted assassination after the 1962 coup took place in 1965. The target was Captain Kyaw Zwa Myint, a former personal assistant to General Ne Win. The captain fled the dictator to Thailand. Ne Win reportedly much appreciated the smart, 34-year-old Christian Anglo-Burmese soldier.

There were different stories about why he ran away from the military dictator. Some said he got too close to Ne Wins wife Daw Khin May Than. Some said he questioned Ne Wins nation-building ideology, the Burmese Way to Socialism, which later proved to be destructive to the countrys economy. Some said he sold a military secret to the Thai military attache for US$35,000. Rumors had it that he attempted to poison Ne Win over the dictators oppression of Christians in the country.

Capt. Kyaw Zwa Myint did flee, and his former boss did order that he be found at any cost. His family was detained as he fled. An assassin sent by Myanmar stabbed the former captain while he was eating at a Bangkok restaurant, but Kyaw Zwa Myint managed to survive, wrote Kyi Win SeinNe Wins protege who served as a business consultant and legal adviser for the regimein his book Me and the Generals of the Revolutionary Council. Kyaw Zwa Myint later took refuge in Australia and died of cancer at the age of 49 in 1981.

U Win Ko and U Hla Pe

In 1993, U Win Ko and U Hla Pe, of the government-in-exile known as the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), were killed abroad. The military regime led by Senior General Than Shwe had declared the two ministers fugitives.

U Win Ko was from Daw Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD), and elected in Ye-U Township in the 1990 general election, whose result the military refused to recognize. He served as the finance minister in the NCGUB headed by Dr. Sein Win, a cousin of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. He was murdered while staying at a hotel in Chinas Kunming. He was 58.

U Hla Pe was also a minister. The NLD member was elected in Pyawbwe Township in the 1990 poll. He was assassinated in Bangkok. He was 54. The two fled a few months after the 1990 election, after the military started to imprison lawmakers-elect instead of transferring power to them.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi herself was targeted as the top opposition figure to military rule. Thousands of regime-backed thugs armed with swords, spears and sharpened bamboo sticks attacked Daw Aung San Suu Kyis motorcade in Kyee Village, on the outskirts of Sagaing Regions Tabayin Township, on May 30, 2003.

About 70 people were killed and others severely injured, although Daw Aung San Suu Kyis vehicle managed to escape. Former Military Intelligence chief Major General Khin Nyunt wrote in his autobiography that Than Shwe ordered his deputy Soe Win (who later became the prime minister of the regime) to stop Daw Aung San Suu Kyis motorcade by any means.

Padoh Mahn Sha Lah Phan

On Feb. 14, 2008, Karen National Union general secretary Padoh Mahn Sha Lah Phan, 65, was assassinated by gunmen at his home in the Thai border town of Mae Sot.

The outspoken KNU leader was well respected not only by the Karen people, but also by Bamar political activists for the broad-minded leadership he provided to the democracy movement.

Three days before his assassination, he said in an interview with The Irrawaddy: We cant rely on the State Peace and Development Council [which the military regime called itself] for a genuine democracy and Union system to emerge. The military dictatorship and [Bamar] chauvinism must be wiped out.

The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army and Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council, which have close ties with the military regime, were blamed for the assassination. There was speculation Major General Mya Tun Oo (now a general and Defense Minister in Min Aung Hlaings regime) was involved in the assassination.

Mya Tun Oo has served as commander of No. 101 Infantry Division Headquarters, principal of Defense Services Academy, and commander of Central East Command. He is reported to have helped improve relations between the military and Karen armed groups and is also a military representative to the ongoing ceasefire talks between the government and ethnic armed groups.

U Ko Ni

Legal expert U Ko Ni, a prominent legal adviser to the NLD, was gunned down at Yangon International Airport in broad daylight in 2017. The 64-year-old lawyer was credited with creating the position of state counselor for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who is constitutionally barred from the presidency, after the NLD won a landslide victory in the 2015 general election. He was also one of the most vocal critics of the military-drafted 2008 Constitution.

The assassination was orchestrated by a former major with Myanmars military. It is widely believed that Myanmars military was involved in his assassination. Ex-major Aung Win Khaing, who hired gunman Kyi Lin, is still at large.

UN Ambassador U Kyaw Moe Tun

In the latest of the assassinations or attempted assassinations, Phyo Hein Htut, 28, and Ye Hein Zaw, 20, plotted to seriously injure or kill Myanmars UN ambassador U Kyaw Moe Tun. Phyo Hein Htut told FBI investigators that an arms dealer in Thailand had contacted him online and offered him money to hire attackers to hurt the ambassador and force him to step down.

U Kyaw Moe Tun said the FBI and New York police are currently providing security for him. He publicly opposed military rule in Myanmar during a UN meeting in February after the coup. Since then the regime has tried to replace the ambassador, but in vain so far, as the UN has not taken action at the juntas request. Currently, he represents Myanmars National Unity Government formed by lawmakers from the ousted government and ethnic minority representatives.



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China Starts Calling Myanmar Junta Government
Burma China Starts Calling Myanmar Junta Government

The Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Agreement signing ceremony via video conference. / Chinese Embassy in Myanmar

China has started calling the Myanmar junta the government and pledged US$6 million to fund 21 development projects in the country.

A statement from the juntas foreign ministry said that the funds were to be transferred from China for projects within the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation framework. It said they included animal vaccines, culture, agriculture, science, tourism and disaster prevention.

Chinas ambassador to Myanmar, Chen Hai, and Wunna Maung Lwin, the regimes foreign minister, signed the agreement via video conference.

During the video conference meeting, Chinas ambassador addressed Wunna Maung Lwin as His Excellency Union Minister for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On August 8, just seven days after the junta announced the formation of a caretaker government on August 1, China also addressed the junta as government when it delivered COVID-19 vaccines to Myanmar. Coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is the self-appointed prime minister of the regimes caretaker government.

Previously, Beijing has avoided referring to the military regime as a government. Before August, when delivering coronavirus vaccines, China referred to Myanmar as Naing Ngan, or country.

In June, Chinas government made a fundamental assessment that Myanmar is moving into another prolonged period of military rule, according to the Financial Times.

During the first week of June, Ambassador Chen Hai met Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw, Myanmars capital, becoming the first ambassador to do so.

Yun Sun, an expert on Myanmar-China relations with the Stimson Center, a US think-tank, said, I think the Chinese can see that this military coup is successful and is here to stay.

China is one of the top investors in Myanmar and has strategic infrastructure projects in the country, including energy pipelines and a proposed port that would give Beijing a critical link to the Indian Ocean. China also continues to provide political and military support to ethnic armed groups based along the Myanmar-China border.

Some leaders of those ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) recently told the Irrawaddy that Chinas policy towards Myanmar is evolving post-coup and that Beijing will employ diverse strategies to contain both old and new political forces.

They added that China will also have a new approach to the EAOs, but did not elaborate on what that will be.

Myanmar has seen sustained anti-China demonstrations since the military seized power in February, and factories owned and run by Chinese companies have been attacked.

Beijing has been accused of taking a soft approach towards the junta, but insists its priorities are stability and not interfering in the internal affairs of its neighbor.



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Burma Myanmar Junta Removes Suu Kyis Belongings From State-owned Residence

Detained State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi / The Irrawaddy

Myanmars military regime has removed the contents of detained State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyis Naypyitaw residence, a junta official confirmed to The Irrawaddy.

Her residence has been vacated. State-owned movables have been taken back. Her belongings have also been removed, the Naypyitaw-based official told The Irrawaddy.

Prior to the militarys coup, Daw Aung San Suu Kyis home in Naypyitaw, Myanmars capital, was at No. 33 (A) Myananbonthar Street in Zeyatheikdi Ward. She was arrested there hours before the junta seized power on Feb. 1.

The team responsible for the maintenance of state-owned residences under the Naypyitaw Development Committee separately moved state-owned movables and Daw Aung San Suu Kyis personal belongings. The official said that he did not know where the ousted State Counselors belongings were taken.

Before Daw Aung San Suu Kyi lived in the residence, it was occupied by U Hla Tun, a senior leader in the militarys proxy political organization, the Union Solidarity and Development Party. U Hla Tun served as a minister of the President Offices in U Thein Seins quasi-civilian administration.

One of the ten charges Daw Aung San Suu Kyi faces is illegal possession of walkie-talkies, which the junta claims were found at her home. At her currently-suspended trial on that charge, the National League for Democracy leader was cross-examined based on sketches of the residence drawn by her.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who is being detained in an unknown location in Naypyitaw, faces up to 75 years in jail for breaching COVID-19 restrictions, corruption, incitement and one case under the Official Secrets Act.

Her trials have been delayed by the surge in coronavirus cases and postponed until August 16, according to her lawyers. Daw Aung San Suu Kyis legal defense team has been unable to meet with her for over three weeks, having previously met her in person on a weekly basis.

One of her legal team, Yangon lawyer Daw San Mar Lar Nyunt, has been pressured by the regime to stay silent.

She was forced to sign a document in front of the Kyauktada Township administrator and police in Yangon pledging that, she would not talk to both domestic and foreign media, foreign diplomats and international non-governmental organizations.

One Yangon-based veteran politician suggested that the regime has done that because ASEANs envoy is travelling to Myanmar in the near future and also because junta officials have recently talked with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Two regime ministers, U Chit Naing and U Win Shein, reportedly met with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi recently. However, the junta did not issue any statement on the meeting.



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Burma Myanmar Junta Snubs UN Envoys Call for Proposed Dialogue

UN special envoy Christine Schraner Burgener met the now detained State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar in June 2018. / MOFA.

The United Nations Secretary-Generals special envoy for Myanmar says the junta has not responded to her request for talks as it tries to consolidate its rule.

Christine Schraner Burgener told the media on Tuesday that on July 16 she had a long conversation with the deputy junta chief, Vice-Senior General Soe Win, about Myanmars crisis.

The special envoy highlighted concerns over the persecution of civilians, freedom of speech and the media and called for the release of all political detainees.

Some of the ideas I gave him to decide the dialogue idea were heard, like to make a statement that lawsuits against health workers will be withdrawn. On the dialogue, I didnt receive an answer: not a positive, or not a negative, she said.

Burgener said the details of the conversation would remain confidential to keep the channel open.

The Swiss diplomat said coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing appears determined to solidify his grip on power with the latest caretaker government announcement; also with the formal annulment of the election results from last year and declaration of the commander-in-chief to be prime minister of the country.

She expressed fear that the National League for Democracy could be disbanded. This is an attempt to promote legitimacy against lack of international action taken, she said. The UN does not recognize governments, so its up to the member states.

Both Myanmars junta and the civilian National Unity Government (NUG) have been trying to achieve international legitimacy. Twenty-one of Myanmars diplomats, including ambassador to the UN U Kyaw Moe Tun, have publicly denounced the regime and taken part in the civil disobedience movement.

U Kyaw Moe Tun has been threatened and the US Department of Justice on Aug. 6 reportedly uncovered a plot against him

She said as long as UN member states do not decide otherwise, U Kyaw Moe Tun will remain Myanmars UN ambassador and detained State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint will be seen as its leaders.

Myanmars people continue to reject military rule and demand the establishment of democracy.

Burgener has been holding talks with the military, ethnic armed organizations and other groups, including the NUG.

For two months she has been promoting the idea of talks around four clusters, covering the COVID-19 response, humanitarian assistance, issues related to the Rohingya community and the causes of the crisis. This would include discussions around the federal system, the constitution, establishing a federal army and legal and electoral reforms.

With my discussion with all stakeholders, I realize that no side will give up arms or be ready to make any compromises, said Burgener. The NUG was interested in the idea but clearly would have pre-conditions to start such a dialogue.

She has also proposed establishing an international observer group on Myanmar, including representatives from China, India, Japan, Thailand, the US, UK, Norway, Switzerland, the European Union, regional bloc ASEAN and UN.

She hoped the recent appointment of an ASEAN special envoy on Myanmar would help talks to take place, otherwise it goes more and more in the direction of a civil war.

The regime has not allowed her to visit the country since the February coup.

Burgener said: I think still the visit of myself is considered from the army as not ready. In my view, it is not because they dont want to talk anymore with me, because we are still in contact. I just had an exchange last Sunday. But I assume that it is because people on the ground would be very encouraged with my presence in the country and thats probably something the army does not want to see.



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Burma Myanmar Reacts as Resistance Fighters Make Deadly Jump to Avoid Raiding Troops

The dead and injured bodies of five young people are seen on the ground after the five jumped from the roof of an apartment building in Yangon on Tuesday. / CJ

Myanmar was shocked on Tuesday when the countrys ongoing revolution against its military regime saw another bloody sacrifice, as five people including a woman jumped from a four-story building rather than surrender to raiding soldiers, leaving at least two of the five dead.

They jumped from the building as regime troops raided their apartment on 44th Street in Yangons Botahtaung Township.

One man and the womanwho was the mother of a 6-year-old childdied on the spot after striking the concrete alley below. The other three males were injured, the regime said in a statement on Wednesday. However, given the height from which they jumped, those injured likely have a very narrow chance of survival. The announcement also said three other peopletwo men and a womanwere arrested with explosives, including grenades, at the apartment.

The raid came after a series of blasts in downtown Yangon in recent days, including one on Tuesday morning. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military takeover in February as people across the country have been resisting the regime by any means at their disposal. Young people have taken up arms in response to the juntas deadly crackdowns against protesters, targeting the regimes troops and their associates by hurling explosives and conducting deadly hit-and-run attacks.

During the raid on Tuesday, witnesses said, the military regimes forces sealed off the building before opening fire on the men and women fleeing to the rooftop in order to escape the raid.

Due to the juntas shooting, a man fell from the rooftop of the building. Rather than surrender to the military regimes forces, the five trapped on the rooftop jumped from the building, according to witnesses.

The witnesses told The Irrawaddy that some of the youths who still showed signs of life after jumping from the rooftop of the four-story building were beaten with rifle butts by the juntas soldiers and police.

They didnt seem to have any other options. They would have been beaten and tortured by the regime forces if they had been arrested. So, they chose another way, as they didnt want to be arrested, one witness said.

Others believed that the five decided to sacrifice themselves in order not to reveal information about the anti-regime movement while under interrogation by the junta, sparing their comrades from being seized.

The father of a 27-year-old man who was among those who jumped told The Irrawaddy his son had never been interested in politics until the February coup.

After the military coup, he started trying to resist the junta for the sake of their future. He was arrested once in February, the father said on condition of anonymity for security reasons. As of Wednesday, he still had no idea about his sons fatewhether he is alive or dead.

I take him as dead now. It is painful, but I am proud of him, he said.

As the news spread on Tuesday, Myanmar people reacted emotionally. All regarded the five as martyrs who didnt hesitate to give up their lives for what they believed in.

One of Myanmars most famous rockers, Han Htu Lwin of Big Bag, posted on his Facebook: Rest in power, brothers and sisters. Much love and respect

An artists illustration showing five people boldly jumping from a building has been widely shared. In the picture, there is no concrete alley below, but a sunflower field.

While older people lack courage, the young people know no fear. They are not afraid of death. More young people will die due to older peoples fear, wrote Soe Min, a Facebook influencer and medical surgeon who has been on strike against the regime, referring to some government officials who have failed to join the Civil Disobedient Movement (CDM) against the regime.

Another user writes: They jumped to the highest by jumping down



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ASEAN at 54: Stronger and Bolder Than Ever
Guest Column ASEAN at 54: Stronger and Bolder Than Ever

The ASEAN leaders meeting in April 2021. / Biro Pers dan Media Sekretariat Presiden Indonesia

Despite the plethora of criticism, ASEAN in its 54th year is actually stronger and bolder than ever. That might sound propagandistic but it is not. Today, member countries are more engaged and expressive in their exchanges of opinions and ideas, especially on proposed plans of action in relation to the challenges confronting the bloc. External powers are also wooing ASEAN in a way that has never seen before.

Given the current regional strategic environment, the role of ASEAN has expanded and is under close scrutiny by the international community. Indeed, in the era of smartphones and social media, ASEAN members can no longer hide their disagreements. Taking it a step further, a few ASEAN members also have savvy media teams, apart from their leaders Twitter accounts, who lead to an immersion of views on ASEAN.

Obviously, in the coming months and years, there will be continued discussion on how to best respond to future challenges posed by the Myanmar crisis. More harsh criticism is to be expected. Due to the severity of Myanmars crisis and unyielding conflicting partners, there will be a lot of trial and error. Therefore, in the near future ASEANs decision-making process and other mechanisms could be placed under review and, where deemed necessary, changes will inevitably be made.

The selection process of the ASEAN special envoy has taken quite some time. It revealed ASEAN and its rotational chairs thought processes and work ethics as well as how other ASEAN members respond to come up with certain decisions when confronted with an unexpected crisis. This must be the first time that they have discussed and consulted so intensely over the choice of candidate which also delayed the release of the joint communique by two days due to tough exchanges on wording among the members.

Interviews with senior ASEAN officials involved with the selection showed that when ASEAN members disagreed with one another, they would further discuss the issue until they were able to reach a consensus  no matter how long it would take. A divergence of views is common within ASEAN whenever important issues are on the agenda or in the planning stage.

At the press conference on Saturday, Usana Berananda, Director General of ASEAN-Thailand, aptly pointed out that the ASEAN chair has tried to reach out and consult with all parties to bridge different views so that a consensus could be achieved.

Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines are considered as pro-active members while the rest of ASEAN is more passive, preferring discreet diplomacy and peer pressure. In ASEAN, the most important goal is to achieve a consensus. Once the members have agreed, this must be followed without any retractions.

Usana stressed that Brunei has done everything in a timely manner to fulfil its theme of We care, We prepare, We prosper, especially in the context of the COVID-19 response and enhancing resilience for future challenges. As such, in the next 75 days before Brunei hands over the chairmanship to Cambodia on 29 Oct, the chair has to set up various frameworks to prepare for the post-pandemic world.

Most importantly, the chair has to see through all realistic timelines and action plans for the swift and full implementation of the five-point consensus. After his selection as the ASEAN special envoy, Bruneis Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof will have to assemble as soon as possible a team of advisers, who will help him to carry out this important task. Prominent diplomats from ASEAN such as Hassan Wirajuda, Virasak Futrakul, Razali bin Ismail and Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn are likely to be part of his ASEAN team. Mr Erywan will be forceful with Nay Pyi Taw when it comes to access to stakeholders during his planned visit to Myanmar.

Other experts from ASEAN would also be considered. Mr Erywans position and achievements will be assessed later in the year by Cambodia, the incoming ASEAN chair, which will have the mandate to renew his status. As stipulated in the five-point consensus, the chair appoints the special envoy.

Already, the chair and the ASEAN Secretariat are planning an international donor conference for Myanmar. Last week at the annual ASEAN meeting, Thailand proposed a fund-raising meeting to muster funds to help with humanitarian assistance, especially regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The public health system in Myanmar has collapsed because doctors and nurses have been arrested for refusing to work. It is hoped that the conference will raise sufficient funding to provide sustainable assistance to all stakeholders to fight the coronavirus.

As far as ASEANs external relations are concerned, Brunei has done a good job in attracting stronger support for ASEAN centrality, overall anti-pandemic campaigns and post-pandemic economic recovery. The chair played a very important role backing the admission of UK as the groupings 11th dialogue partner. At first, there were lingering debates whether the moratorium in place for the past three decades should be lifted. However, ASEAN leaders later concurred that the UK should be given preference because of its global economic and political power and status as a former member of the European Union (EU), much to the chagrins of countries on the waiting list. It paid off.

In response, for the first time the UK has made a substantial contribution to ASEAN. The UK gave US$69.4 million or 50 million pounds (2.3 billion baht) for ASEAN to help with efforts to combat the pandemic, which includes US$10.4 million or 7.5 million pounds for the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund. The UK also reiterated its support for ASEAN centrality and strengthened cooperation in maritime security, law enforcement and climate change. On Aug 2, Thailand received 415,040 doses of Astra Zeneca vaccines donated by the UK to meet the high demand for vaccines due to the recent surge in infections.

Under Bruneis chair, ASEAN received a total of US$1.2 billion (40.1 billion baht) worth of combined assistance from all dialogue partners. Almost all countries contribute money to the ASEAN fund. The EU has come out on top through its Team Europe providing US$941 million, or 800 million euros, with an additional US$5 million from Germany and US$2 million from Italy.

In addition, the US gave a total of US$158 million to ASEAN members to fight the coronavirus. Last Wednesday when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held virtual talks with ASEAN foreign ministers, the US contributed another US$500,000 to the ASEAN fund.

China, Japan, South Korea and India each chipped in US$1 million while Australia gave US$735,576 and New Zealand opted for US$701,000. Canada also provided US$2.8 million, or 3.5 million Canadian dollars.

Among the ASEAN plus three partners, Japan has been the most generous with its allocation of US$50 million to fund the establishment of the ASEAN Center for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases. The location in ASEAN has yet to be decided. China gave an additional US$5 million to strengthen the ability of ASEAN members to respond to the coronavirus. No data is available of the number of doses of vaccines provided by Russia.

After its enactment in 1976, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia or TAC has become an important regional code of inter-state elations to preserve peace and stability. Since the TAC opened up to outside signatories in 1992, a total of 50 countries, a quarter of UN members, have acceded. Last week, Denmark, the Netherlands, Greece, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates joined the TACthe largest number in a single year. It is self-explanatory why the three Gulf states signed simultaneously.

In late October, Brunei will host the worlds most powerful leaders at the 39th ASEAN and related summits. Global leaders including US President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang are expected to join these summits with their ASEAN counterparts. Once that is over, it will be a good time to evaluate Bruneis chairmanship once again.

Kavi Chongkittavorn is a veteran journalist on regional affairs.

This article first appeared in The Bangkok Post.



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RMIT has announced a new bachelor of business degree which it says is aligned with industry needs and the future of work, specifically designed to give students and working professionals transferable skills and a sound business technology understanding.

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology says the bachelor of business programs will help students and working professionals prepare for the roles of the future, some of which are yet to be created.

RMIT also says the new programs seek to go beyond the traditional business degree, with a career-focused approach centred around industry and experiential learning, rather than exams and lectures.

Developed by RMITs College of Business and Law, and featuring industry partnerships with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Adobe, Australian Red Cross, and Medibank, the program offers anyone considering a business degree with the flexibility to choose from either an entirely online offering via RMIT Online, or to undertake an on-campus/blended delivery option.

According to RMIT the on-campus option is well suited to school leavers and recent high school graduates, offering students total flexibility to choose from a suite of 15 majors and 35 minors in order to specialise in a chosen field, or to broaden knowledge across a range of fields.

Study areas available prepare students for emerging and hybrid roles in the labour market and across industries, including a new undergraduate major in social impact  the first of its kind offered by any Australian university, RMIT says.

RMIT Onlines Bachelor of Business option, designed for working professionals, will provide knowledge of business fundamentals and address gaps in their current working experience to bolster their employability and confidence as the nature of work continues to shift.

The decision to expand RMIT offerings in the online undergraduate space represents a strategic move from the University to prioritise flexible learning models amid significant disruption.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Business and Law) and Vice-President Julie Cogin said the new model would prepare future business leaders for career success.

Weve revitalised our whole suite of undergraduate programs to provide greater choice for students, and flexible delivery options. Instead of exams, we have built industry projects into our courses and offer unique ways for students to engage with business, government and the wider community.

As the pandemic disrupts the way people think about learning and work, RMIT says it is continuing to evolve its offerings to meet students expectations and to keep pace with the digitised future of work.

RMIT Online and Deloittes Ready, Set, Upskill - Effective Training for the Jobs of Tomorrow report found that 23% of surveyed Australians said that learning isnt available in times or ways that suit them.

"Furthermore, a recent study by FutureLearn revealed that two-thirds (68 percent) of Australian adults who had re-evaluated their career path as a result of COVID-19 are now more interested in online and flexible blended course options," said RMIT.

All students will be equipped with industry-ready skills and experience delivered through interactions with industry partners throughout their degree, combined with authentic, industry-contextualised assessments, internships, and an experiential learning course that includes a virtual industry project.

Helen Souness, CEO at RMIT Online, said, Weve been talking about the future of work for some time now, and with the current and looming skills shortages presenting a national and economic imperative to upskill, we need to also address the future of education.

Both course options leverage the same industry partners as part of RMITs strategic commitment to modernise the delivery of learning programs in line with students expectations and schedules.

Both on-campus and online options for the new Bachelor of Business will launch in 2022. The online course option is delivered over four 10-week terms. The on-campus/blended delivery option is delivered over three years (or part-time equivalent). Applications are now open via VTAC (on-campus option) and RMIT Online.

A four-year Bachelor of Business Professional Practice will also be offered which comprises all the opportunities from the Bachelor of Business, with the addition of a Professional Practice year which incorporates professional experience internships.

RMIT announced that a four-year Bachelor of Business Professional Practice will also be offered which comprises all the opportunities from the Bachelor of Business, with the addition of a Professional Practice year which incorporates professional experience internships.

Iain Rouse, Country Director for ANZ, Worldwide Public Sector AWS said: We know that technology is redefining the Australian workforce and the skills needed to remain competitive. AWS is committed to providing training that arms students and current workers with the skills and knowledge required to thrive in the future workplace, and we are proud to partner with RMIT and RMIT Online to improve students employability, drive innovation, and contribute to Australias economic productivity

Amanda Robinson, Head of Social Innovation and Humanitech, Australian Red Cross: It is vitally important that the future generation of business leaders understand that creating value for society is as important as creating value for shareholders. Australian Red Cross is delighted to partner with RMIT on this innovative new program.

Suzanne Steele, Vice President and Managing Director, Adobe Australia and New Zealand : As an important partner of Adobes, we are excited to work with RMIT on the development of this new undergraduate degree with an inventive perspective on Business Education. The focus on social consciousness is strongly aligned with Adobe's core values. Adobe looks forward to partnering with RMIT and graduates coming into the workforce with in-demand skills."

Jason Elias, Head of Overseas Partnerships and Sales, Medibank: Medibank is pleased to support the development of a new online undergraduate business degree that has been designed to develop future business leaders. Our participation and involvement with this degree will provide RMIT students with insight into Medibanks approach to health leadership and how our organisational values underpin the work we do.."
COMPANY NEWS: Kong, the cloud connectivity company, today unveiled a new concept called ZeroLB and a breakthrough pattern for load balancing. The company also announced the general availability of Kong Mesh 1.4, with industry-first features to support ZeroLB out of the box, offering up to 4x improvement in network performance and a substantial cost reduction compared to traditional centralised LB-based architectures. Based on customer feedback, this modern approach for load balancing is expected to save organisations with mission-critical applications up to a million dollars a year by reducing required technology investments.

ZeroLB is a modern, decentralised load balancing pattern that aims to remove every load balancer that is being deployed in front of individual services and applications. In this capacity, ZeroLB eliminates the need for elastic cloud load balancers, software load balancers and hardware load balancers from the equation. ZeroLB reduces costs, improves network performance by removing extra hops in the network, removes complexity in applications and also gives access to more advanced self-healing capabilities, while simultaneously maximising portability across every environment and every cloud. To read more about this new pattern, please see: ZeroLB: The Future of Load Balancing.

One Kong customer is a global travel company that processes an average of two billion pricing requests per day. The company partnered with Kong to scale load balancing traffic in a horizontal and seamless manner across its legacy data centres and the cloud. This company says it expects to see seven figures in cost reductions per year by replacing legacy, centralised load balancers with modern ZeroLB load balancing powered by Kong Mesh, while improving performance by 2x and enabling a more pragmatic transformation to the cloud.

"Traditional load balancers were built for the monolithic era and don't work well with today's cloud native applications because they are slow and create points of failure that cause businesses to lose customers and sales," said Kong CTO and co-founder Marco Palladino. "I'm thrilled to be spearheading this effort at Kong to evangelise the ZeroLB movement, where legacy load balancing as we know it within the network is dead. Kong is introducing a new way of building load balancers for today's modern era of software architectures by decentralising it."

Kong Mesh 1.4: powers horizontally scalable ZeroLB across any infrastructure

Kong Mesh is an enterprise-grade service mesh built on top of CNCF's Kuma and Envoy. This modern control plane is focused on simplicity, security and scalability for multi-cloud and multi-cluster environments on both Kubernetes and VMs. The 1.4 release enables modern, decentralised and portable load balancing that works across every cloud, including Kubernetes and VMs, and local development machines that improve accuracy and replicability, therefore lowering unexpected production errors. It provides automatic resiliency across clusters, clouds and regions.

Key features in Kong Mesh 1.4 include:

 Five different decentralised load balancing algorithms, which include round robin, least request, ring hash, maglev and random

 L4 + L7 load balancing to address every service type, from databases and events to HTTP and gRPC services

 Automatic self-healing capabilities with health checks, circuit breakers, zone-aware load balancing and cross-zone connectivity capabilities

 Comprehensive support for both Kubernetes (automatically injected sidecar) and VMs (manually injected sidecars) across every cloud

 Extension of the connectivity logic for Kong Mesh using any WebAssembly-supported language, thanks to Envoy's native support

"Traditional, centralised load balancers are finally entering the decentralisation era that other technologies in our stack started a long time ago," said Martin Casado, the pioneer of software-defined networking with his company Nicira (sold to VMware) and a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, an investor in Kong. "ZeroLB is a fundamental concept to adopt in a decentralised world. By removing all of the complexity in a standardised, performant way, Kong is doing for LBs what microservices have done to our legacy monoliths, and offering a horizontally scalable and portable way to load balance across every cloud including Kubernetes and VMs."

Availability

Kong Mesh 1.4 is available now. It can be deployed in minutes with a single command, in any environment at https://konghq.com/install/#kong-mesh.

Webinar

ZeroLB in a Decentralized World, led by Palladino, is scheduled for 9am Pacific on 24 August 2021 (2am Australian Eastern on 25 August 2021).

About Kong

Kong creates software and managed services that connect APIs and microservices natively across and within clouds, Kubernetes, data centres and more using intelligent automation. Built on an open source core, Kong's service connectivity platform enables digital innovation by allowing organisations to reliably and securely manage the full lifecycle of APIs and services for modern architectures, including microservices, serverless and service mesh. By providing developer teams with unprecedented architectural freedom, Kong accelerates innovation cycles, increases productivity, and seamlessly bridges legacy and modern systems and applications. Kong's customers in Australia include ANZ Bank and Australia Post. For more information about Kong, please visit https://konghq.com or follow @thekonginc on Twitter.
Digital infrastructure and solutions provider Hitachi Vantara has promoted Mark Ablett to the role of president of its digital infrastructure business unit.

"A high-performance digital infrastructure is the foundation upon which every data-driven organisation builds competitive advantage. With the datasphere set to grow five times larger in just the next five years, our industry-leading digital infrastructure has never been more important to our clients and to our business," said Hitachi Vantara CEO Gajen Kandiah.

"There's no-one more passionate about our company, its people, and solving clients' data challenges than Mark. I'm confident he will help us continue to gain share in a market that is clearly bouncing back."

Ablett joined Hitachi Vantara in 2015 as senior vice president and APAC general manager, and most recently has been serving as worldwide chief revenue officer for the digital infrastructure business unit.

He previously held senior regional roles at Juniper Networks, SpectraLink and Telxon.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to lead this world-class team," said Ablett.

"And I couldn't be more excited at the prospect of what we can do to accelerate and simplify our clients' data-driven journeys."
RSP Aussie Broadband has contracted Telstra Wholesale to provide it with backhaul capacity between 42 NBN POIs and data centres in the remaining areas not covered by Aussie's own network.

When the rollout is complete, Aussie Broadband will have a minimum of 100Gbps capacity at each of the 121 NBN POIs  a significant upgrade on the current 10G or 20Gbps.

It also provides additional diversity: each POI will be connected to two separate capital city data centres, with equipment diversity at both ends.

In addition, Aussie will have more inter-capital capacity, with 400Gbps links on major routes and multiple 100Gbps connections to the remaining capitals.

Telstra Wholesale will use a combination of dark fibre and wavelengths to provide capacity to Aussie.

The increased capacity will support Aussie's plans to target the business and enterprise market with NBN Enterprise Ethernet and Telstra Ethernet services, as well as allowing expansion of the company's residential business.

A key part of Aussie's strategy for addressing the business market is its Carbon self-service portal.

"Carbon has been a game-changer for many of our larger corporate customers; helping them to fully customise, design and order telecommunication services rather than prescribing strict, pre-determined service packages," said Aussie Broadband managing director Phil Britt.

"Carbon is an industry-leading, one-stop shop for everything business and enterprise customers need. It is a key feature in our product suite, and it allows our customers a level of control over their services that they've never had access to before, positioning the company as a leader in the business and enterprise space."

New products aimed at larger businesses will be added to Carbon during the next six months, Britt said.
Mike has reported on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's wildlife, wildlands and the agencies that manage them since 2012. A native Minnesotan, he arrived in the West to study environmental journalism at the University of Colorado.
Evan Robinson-Johnson covers issues residents face on a daily basis, from smoky skies to housing insecurity. Originally from New England, he has settled in east Jackson and avoids crowds by rollerblading through the alleyways.
You are the owner of this article.
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.
Jim is the chief meteorologist at mountainweather.com and has provided a weather forecast for Jackson Hole and the Teton Range for the last 30 years.
Paul Bruun writes every other week about his adventures and misadventures in the great outdoors. Contact him via columnists@jhnewsandguide.com.
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.










HOTEL OPENING : ANANTARA HOTELS, RESORTS & SPAS ANNOUNCES UPCOMING LAUNCH OF NEW RESORT ON DUBAI'S WORLD ISLANDS (United Arab Emirates) The new island resort will be Anantaras seventh property in the UAE and the first resort to open on the World Islands HOTEL OPENING : ANANTARA HOTELS, RESORTS & SPAS ANNOUNCES UPCOMING LAUNCH OF NEW RESORT ON DUBAI'S WORLD ISLANDS (United Arab Emirates) The new island resort will be Anantaras seventh property in the UAE and the first resort to open on the World Islands United Arab Emirates - Industry economy - Hotel opening

This is a press release Category: Middle East This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2021-08-11







Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas has announced an exciting upcoming addition to its Middle East portfolio.



The luxury brand already operates nine hotels and resorts in the region, including six in the United Arab Emirates, with the newest addition to launch in Q4 of 2021.



Anantara World Islands Dubai Resort is in the final stages of development in the World Islands archipelago, located in the Arabian Gulf, approximately four kilometres off the coast of Dubai in the UAE.



The new resort is the first hotel in the South American continent of the World Islands development. The island will be completely dedicated to the resort, with guests able to access by boat in just 15 minutes from the jetty at Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort.



The property will feature 70 keys comprised of suites, beach and pool villas. Villas will have a private pool, an outdoor dining area and direct access to the beach, making the perfect retreat for families and couples.



In-room spa treatments, a gym and a kids club will also be part of the new resort's amenities. Flora and fauna are abundant on the island, so it is truly a place to escape the city and immerse in nature.



Dining options will include a Mediterranean al fresco restaurant and Arabic-Indian specialty dining, perfect for romantic dinners and offering barbecues on the beach.



In addition, freshly caught seafood will be prepared by a talented in-house team of chefs who will bring the finest fare to the island.

A stylish bar lounge will offer magnificent panoramic views of the Dubai skyline, including the famous landmarks Burj Khalifa and Burj al Arab, even more special at sunset.



Anantara World Islands Dubai Resort is owned by luxury real estate and hospitality developer Seven Tides Limited and holding company with a portfolio of exceptional properties, including the hugely popular Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort.



Dillip Rajakarier, CEO Minor Hotels, parent company of Anantara, commented, Anantara World Islands Dubai Resort will be the first hotel to open on this archipelago, offering guests a truly memorable escape just off the coast of Dubai. Showcasing Anantaras authentic luxury while maintaining a tropical island vibe, the resort is a unique proposition for this location. Guests will be able to experience the wonder of Dubai and the ambiance of an island sanctuary, all in this stunning new Anantara resort.



Abdulla bin Sulayem, CEO of Seven Tides Limited, added Anantara is one of the worlds most prestigious luxury hotel brands, which is already well established in Dubai and the UAE. Seven Tides and Anantara are further strengthening our relationship with this exciting new venture on the World Islands, representing a new milestone in hospitality and for the city.



Anantara currently operates more than 40 hotels across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Indian Ocean, with a pipeline of new developments including in the Middle East region, Europe and Asia. Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas Anantara is a luxury hospitality brand for modern travellers, connecting them to genuine places, people and stories through personal experiences, and providing heartfelt hospitality in the worlds most exciting destinations. The collection of distinct, thoughtfully designed luxury hotels and resorts provides a window through which to journey into invigorating new territory, curating personal travel experiences.



From cosmopolitan cities to desert sands to lush islands, Anantara connects travellers to the indigenous, grounds them in authentic luxury, and hosts them with passionate expertise. The portfolio currently boasts over 40 stunning properties located in Thailand, the Maldives, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Zambia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Portugal, with a pipeline of future properties across Asia, the Indian Ocean, Middle East, Africa and South America. The brands premier vacation ownership programme, Anantara Vacation Club, extends the opportunity to own a share in the Anantara experience with a portfolio. of 8 luxurious Club Resorts as well as travel privileges at partner resorts and hotels worldwide.


















Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Taliban-captured cities in the north, some telling of brutal treatment by the insurgents: bodies left in the streets, girls being kidnapped to become Taliban brides, and young men press-ganged into fighting.

Many have arrived in Kabul just this week, following a five-day Taliban blitz that has seen them seize eight provincial capitals  some with barely a fight.

But where there has been resistance, those who fled described harrowing scenes.

We saw bodies lying near the prison there were dogs next to them, said Friba, 36, a widow who fled Kunduz Sunday with her six children as the Taliban took the city.

Like many who spoke to AFP, she asked not to be fully identified for fear of reprisal.

The war has gathered pace since early May, when foreign forces began the final stage of a troop withdrawal due to be complete at the end of the month.

During their first stint in power  from 1996 until the September 11, 2001 attacks that prompted the US-led invasion  the Taliban earned notoriety for a strict interpretation of Islamic law that punished even petty crime with public floggings and executions.

But they have also been accused of war crimes on this campaign, targeting government officials and security personnel  particularly in areas where they have met resistance.

 He was just a barber 

Three days ago the Taliban killed a barber because they thought he was working for the government. But he was just a barber, said Mirwais Khan Amiri, 22, whose car was struck by bullets as he fled Kunduz three days ago.

They killed people who worked in government even if they had quit four to five years ago.

Another evacuee from Kunduz, Abdulmanan, told AFP the Taliban beheaded his son.

They took him as if he was a sheep and cut off his head with a knife and threw it away, he said.

AFP had no way of independently verifying these reports.

The Taliban routinely deny committing atrocities and last week announced they had set up a WhatsApp hotline to deal with complaints.

But several humanitarian organisations, including the UN, say possible war crimes have been carried out that need to be investigated.

The UNs International Organization for Migration said Tuesday that more than 359,000 people have been displaced by fighting this year alone.

In a public park in central Kabul Tuesday, hundreds of the latest arrivals were camping in the open  sheltering from the sun in the shade of trees, or under sheets stretched between them.

Occasionally a volunteer would offer food or snacks, causing chaotic scenes as the evacuees clamoured for handouts.

 Forced to marry 

One newcomer, 25-year-old widow Marwa, fled Taloqan on Saturday as fighting raged for the city  terrified she would be ordered to marry a Taliban fighter.

I heard my 16-year-old cousin has been forcibly taken by the Taliban for marriage with one of them, she said.

She was engaged, and her fiance is in France, she added, bursting into tears.

When there are two girls in a family they take one to marry her to a fighter; when there are two boys they take one to make him fight.

Widow Bibi Ma told AFP how she found her only son Azizullah, 20, dead on her doorstep  hit by shrapnel from a Taliban rocket.

After my husband died, my son was everything to me  our guardian, and source of joy, she said.

My heart died that moment, it was horrible to see him dead.

Another Azizullah, who worked in the justice department in Kunduz, could find no comfort even in the relative safety of the capital.

The way they are fighting, without care for others, they will be coming to Kabul soon, he said.

Where will we have to run to then?
Since his ouster amid popular protests, Sudans veteran leader Omar al-Bashir has been held behind bars after having thumbed his nose for more than a decade at the International Criminal Court.

On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi said Sudans cabinet agreed to hand over Bashir to the Hague-based court.

The fallen strongman has been indicted by the ICC over war crimes and genocide in the war-ravaged Darfur region of western Sudan.

As president, Bashir openly defied the ICC, travelling within Africa and further afield to countries including Russia and China and winning re-election in 2010 and 2015 in polls boycotted by opposition groups.

For three decades, he had tenaciously held onto power, even after the 2011 Arab Spring revolts that toppled Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.

But Bashirs fate was sealed after his own military reacted to mounting popular anger against the regime and ousted him in April 2019 after months of street demonstrations.

The 77-year-old, who had ruthlessly crushed dissent after his rise to power in a 1989 Islamist-backed coup, has since been held in Khartoums Kober prison.

Already convicted of corruption, Bashir also went on trial in Sudan in July 2020 over the coup in which he grabbed power.

 Darfur conflict 

Bashir showed many different faces during his 30 years at the helm.

Known for his trademark dancing and waving of a cane before addressing loyalists, Bashir had remained defiant in the face of growing street protests before his overthrow.

Bashir was indicted in 2009 by the ICC over the Darfur conflict that erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms, accusing Khartoum of political and economic marginalisation of their region.

The United Nations estimates 300,000 people were killed and 2.5 million displaced in the conflict.

Human rights groups say Khartoum targeted suspected pro-rebel ethnic groups with a scorched earth policy, raping, killing, looting and burning villages.

 Protests 

Bashir, who has two wives and no children, was born in 1944 in Hosh Bannaga, north of Khartoum, to a farming family.

He entered the military at a young age, rising through the ranks and joining an elite parachute regiment.

He fought alongside the Egyptian army in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.

In 1989, as brigade commander, he led the bloodless coup orchestrated by Islamist scholar Hassan al-Turabi against the democratically-elected government then led by Sadiq al-Mahdi.

A career soldier, Bashir was known for his populist touch, insisting on being close to crowds and addressing them in colloquial Sudanese Arabic.

He made several public appearances even as protests raged against him following his governments decision in December 2018 to triple bread prices.

At a rally in January 2019, Bashir voiced his disdain for protesters, calling them traitors, conspirators and rats that should return to their holes.

But the protests kept going until tens of thousands marched on April 6, 2019 to set up a sprawling encampment outside the army headquarters in Khartoum.

Months of unrest and clashes with security forces left dozens dead, hundreds wounded and thousands jailed.

 Hosting bin Laden 

Between 1992 and 1996, Bashir had led Sudan towards a more radical brand of Islam, hosting Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, and sending jihadist volunteers to fight in the countrys civil war with the south Sudanese.

Bin Laden was expelled under US pressure after Washington placed Sudan on its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Under Bashirs rule, ethnically diverse Sudan saw the south gain its independence in 2011 after two decades of conflict between the Arab Muslim north and the mainly Christian or animist south.

The secession  under a peace deal that Bashir accepted  saw the south take the bulk of Sudans oil fields.

As economic woes mounted, Bashirs cash-strapped administration broke ties with Shiite Iran in favour of its rival, Saudi Arabia.

Khartoum provided troops to the Saudi-led coalition battling Iran-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen.

In his corruption trial, Bashir admitted to having received millions of dollars from Saudi royals, including the kingdoms de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

He insisted the funds were not used for private interests but as donations to support individuals and entities.
As Sudan says it is handing over deposed dictator Omar al-Bashir to the International Crime Court (ICC) over war crimes in Darfur, we look at the conflict in which some 300,000 people have died and more than 2.5 million have been forced from their homes.

 2003: Rebels take up arms 

Two rebel groups take up arms accusing the Khartoum government of marginalising the vast Darfur region of western Sudan.

The state-backed Janjaweed militia  a group of mostly Arab raiders travelling by horseback, camels and armoured pickups  is sent against them.

 2007: UN steps in 

A joint United Nations-Africa Union force called UNAMID takes over from an African peacekeeping force that has been posted there since 2004.

 2008: Shock attack 

More than 220 people are killed when rebels from Darfurs Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) mount a shock attack on Khartoums twin city of Omdurman, travelling hundreds of kilometres to strike the edge of the capital.

 2009: War crimes warrants 

The Hague-based ICC issues an arrest warrant for Bashir, then Sudans president, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

Another for genocide follows.

In 2010, heavy fighting resumes in Darfur after an accord with one faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) breaks down.

More than 2,300 people die that year, according to the UN.

 2011: Rebels band together 

Darfurs rebels form an alliance as Sudan accuses newly independent South Sudan of working with the JEM, as well as backing rebels in its South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions. Juba denies the accusations.

 2014: Gang rape inquiry 

As refugees continue to flee, Bashir hints at a withdrawal of his forces after peacekeepers probe accusations of gang rape by Sudanese soldiers.

 2016: Chemical weapons 

In June, the government declares a unilateral ceasefire but two months later talks break down between Khartoum and rebels.

In September, Amnesty International accuses Khartoum of carrying out chemical weapon attacks in Darfur  charges denied by the government.

 2019: Bashir ousted 

On April 11, Bashir is ousted by the military and detained after four months of mass protests.

In August, the new authorities vow to restore peace to conflict-ridden regions, including Darfur.

Sudanese prosecutors in December open a probe into crimes allegedly committed in Darfur.

Two months later a top Sudanese official says Bashir will be handed over to the ICC.

 2020: Janjaweed leader 

In June, Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb, wanted for war crimes by his Arab militia since 2007, turns himself in to the ICC.

But a Sudanese prosecutor says Bashirs extradition to the ICC is not necessary.

 Peace accord 

On October 3, the government and most rebel groups sign an accord aimed at ending 17 years of civil war after meeting in August in Juba.

 ICC in Khartoum 

On October 19, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda visits Khartoum.

Two weeks later Washington says it wants to end UN sanctions on Sudan.

 2021: Clashes as UN withdraw 

The UN Security Council agrees to end UNAMIDs 8,000-strong mission in Darfur at New Year.

Three weeks later tribal clashes in the West Darfur capital El Geneina leave at least 48 people dead.

A further 132 people die in clashes in April between the Arab and non-Arab tribes.

Similar violence leads to 36 deaths elsewhere in Darfur in June.

The following month the ICC says it will try notorious Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

On Wednesday, Khartoum says it will hand Bashir over to the ICC.
Sudan will hand longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court along with two other officials wanted over the Darfur conflict, Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi said Wednesday.

Bashir, 77, has been wanted by the ICC for more than a decade over charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Sudanese region.

The United Nations says 300,000 people were killed and 2.5 million displaced in the Darfur conflict, which erupted in the vast western region in 2003.

The cabinet decided to hand over wanted officials to the ICC, Mahdi was quoted as saying by state news agency SUNA, without giving a time frame.

The cabinets decision to hand him over came during a visit to Sudan by ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan, who met with Mahdi on Tuesday.

But the decision still needs the approval of Sudans transitional ruling body, the sovereign council, comprised of military and civilian figures.

On Wednesday, Khan met with the leader of the sovereign council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, as well as Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, its deputy chair.

Daglo said Sudan is prepared to cooperate with the ICC, SUNA reported.

ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah did not comment on the announcement, saying Khan was in Khartoum to discuss cooperation matters, but that the prosecutor would hold a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

The transitional authorities have previously said they would hand Bashir over, but one stumbling block was that Sudan was not party to the courts founding Rome Statute.

But last week, Sudans cabinet voted to ratify the Rome Statute, a crucial move seen as one step towards Bashir potentially facing trial.

 Horrific crimes 

Bashir, who ruled Sudan with an iron fist for three decades before being deposed amid popular protests in 2019, is behind bars in Khartoums high security Kober prison.

He is jailed alongside two other former top officials facing ICC war crimes charges  ex-defence minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein and Ahmed Haroun, a former governor of South Kordofan.

The Hague-based ICC issued an arrest warrant for Bashir in 2009 for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, later adding genocide to the charges.

Bashir was ousted by the military and detained in April 2019 after four months of mass nationwide protests against his rule.

The former strongman was convicted in December 2019 for corruption, and has been on trial in Khartoum since July 2020 for the Islamist-backed 1989 coup which brought him to power. He faces the death penalty if found guilty.

Amnesty International has previously called for Bashir to be held accountable for horrific crimes, referring to the genocide in Darfur.

 Vow for justice 

Sudan has been led since August 2019 by a transitional civilian-military administration, that has vowed to bring justice to victims of crimes committed under Bashir.

Khartoum signed a peace deal last October with key Darfuri rebel groups, with some of their leaders taking top jobs in government, although violence continues to dog the region.

The Darfur war broke out in 2003 when non-Arab rebels took up arms complaining of systematic discrimination by Bashirs Arab-dominated government.

Khartoum responded by unleashing the notorious Janjaweed militia, recruited from among the regions nomadic peoples.

Human rights groups have long accused Bashir and his former aides of using a scorched earth policy, raping, killing, looting and burning villages.

In July, a peacekeeping force completed its withdrawal from the war-ravaged region.

But after years of conflict, the arid and impoverished region is awash with automatic weapons and clashes still erupt, often over land and access to water.

Last year, alleged senior Janjaweed militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman, also known by the nom de guerre Ali Kushayb, surrendered to the court.

ICC judges said in July he would be the first suspect to be tried over the Darfur conflict, facing 31 counts including murder, rape and torture.
The United States on Wednesday praised Sudans decision to hand over ex-dictator Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court, saying the move would be a major step in the countrys democratic transition.

We do welcome the reconfirmation by the (cabinet) of its intention to hand over former president Bashir and other former officials wanted by the ICC for crimes in Darfur, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

We urge Sudan to continue to cooperate with the ICC by handing over those subject to arrest warrants and by cooperating on the provision of the request of evidence.

Doing so would be a major step for Sudan in the fight against decades of impunity.

The United States for years pressued nations not to welcome Bashir due to the 2009 arrest warrant over the brutal conflict in Darfur, which Washington had described as genocide.

After ruling with an iron fist for three decades, Bashir was deposed in 2019 amid youth-driven protests.
"Police University" gave viewers an intense and remarkable episode during its broadcast on August 10.

The drama became a hot topic after the students set foot in Korean National Police University. As the viewers get to know the characters, secrets after secrets are being revealed.

Yoo Dong Man Welcomes Kang Seon Ho, Oh Kang Hee, and Others to Hell

Though Yoo Dong Man (Cha Tae Hyun) blatantly tells Kang Seon Ho (Jinyoung) that he isn't fit to become a police officer, and he should just throw his dream of becoming one, Kang Seon Ho was still admitted to the university after his final interview, along with his fellow police aspirants.

But the detective and professor wouldn't just let him off the hook easily as he volunteered to train the students in the "Chungram Training" which will test their agility, vigor, and physical fitness.

The troop was divided into three units where Park Min Kyu (Chu Young Woo), Oh Kang Hee (Krystal), and Kang Seon Ho (Jinyoung) acted as the units' respective captains.

During their orientation, a possible love triangle was hinted at when Park Min Kyu offered to carry Oh Kang Hee's suitcase.

In the university, their physical fitness and mental stability were put to the test many times, but like a real police officer, one must not falter.

Oh Kang Hee Becomes Kang Seon Ho's Inspiration During His Struggle

Kang Seon Ho's (Jinyoung) self-esteem, physical fitness, and mental stability were not only tested during the vigorous training but it was also tested by his nemesis and professor, detective Yoo Dong Man (Cha Tae Hyun). Yoo Dong Man, with his grudge against Kang Seon Ho, makes his life more difficult than it already is. The detective gives him the harshest and coldest treatment he could ever give to one of his subordinates.

Though facing a difficult time inside the university away from his family, Kang Seon Ho receives comfort from his fellow police student, the one who makes his heart beat, Oh Kang Hee (Krystal). His desire to be like the other strong and warm-hearted unit captains was strong, and it took its toll on his head, making him doubt his own capabilities. But the sweet Judo girl appeases him by enumerating the characteristics that make him shine and stand out. With this, Kang Seon Ho's desire and determination to become a police officer grew stronger.

Revelations and Secrets Unfold Before Cha Tae Hyun

Despite Yoo Dong Man's rough and unlikeable facade, he is forgiving and empathetic after letting Kang Seon Ho and his brother off at the police station for their criminal act of stealing from illegal gamblers.

Much to Kang Seon Ho's dismay, the detective's hatred and vendetta against him became bigger after the Yoo Dong Man figured out that Kang Seon Ho didn't just steal once, but twice. "Doing it once was a mistake, the second time is easy. But on the third, you will never feel guilt anymore."

The words pierced right through Kang Seon Ho, who immediately knelt and asked for forgiveness and a second chance. But the disappointed detective thought he was through with chances and walked out. Yoo Dong Man's last straw was to not get stuck as a professor in the university and go back to the precinct as a respectable detective and police officer was his online hacker friend named "Yoon." "Yoon" could be the answer to his problems: the one who'll help him catch illegal online gamblers and redeem himself.

YOU MIGHT LIKE: Historical Drama Princess Kim Yoo Jung Transforms Into Hong Chun Gi in New Titular Drama

But a phone call froze him and his heart, revealing that his hacker friend "Yoon" is the same person as the hacker Kang Seon Ho who dreams of becoming a police officer in the Police University.

'Police University' Reaches New Record of High Viewership Ratings

The second episode of the new youth rom-com drama "Police University" peaked at 6.5 percent viewership rating nationwide on its broadcast on August 10.

Viewers and fans as well as the cast celebrated as they reached a new record higher than the pilot episode's viewership rating.

One of the fans commented, "6.5 percent. Jinyoung, we will see your "Hot Summer" dance soon."

In which the actor replied, "Wow. Please look forward to the next episodes, too."

The "Police University" actor promised to dance to f(x)'s "Hot Summer" when the drama exceeded 10 percent of viewership ratings among the Monday-Tuesday dramas.

Follow KDramastars for more Kdrama, KMovie, and celebrity news updates!

KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
Giving you the latest weekly updates about your favorite K-dramas, K-shows, and K-movies. Get to know more of what you can look forward to in this week's shows, from the premiere date to the last remaining episodes of your much-loved dramas.

Sinkhole Movie Premiere

August 11 (Wednesday)

In the ongoing success of the movie "Escape from Mogadishu," another K-movie is expected to dominate the theaters starting August 11.

The disaster-comedy film "Sinkhole" starring actors Cha Seung Won, Kim Sung Kyun, Lee Kwang Soo, Kim Hye Jun, Kim Hong Fa, Ko Chang Seok, Kwon So Hyun, Nam Da Reum, and more are finally set to meet the audience in the silver screen.

This movie depicts the scary sinkhole that accidentally appeared in the heart of the city, but the journey of the cast will start when the newly bought apartment building falls into the ground and is trapped in the giant sinkhole. And the guests must find a way out before the sinkhole fills with water.

The Witch's Diner

August 13 (Friday)

Jung Jin (Nam Ji Hyun) will finally know about the real story of Jo Hee Ra (Song Ji Hyo) and how the witch acquired the kind of power that she has. After working as a part-timer in her restaurant, Jung Jin is ready to unveil the deepest and darkest secrets of Hee Ra.

In addition to the intense story, will Lee Gil Yong (Chae Jong Hyeop) finally find the chance to admit his feelings towards Jung Jin's? Let's find out this coming Friday at 4 p.m (KST) on TVING.

The Devil Judge

August 14-15 (Saturday-Sunday)

A bloody war is about to happen in the upcoming weekend episodes of "The Devil Judge." After pointing a gun at Kang Yo Han (Ji Sung), Jung Sun Ah (Kim Min Jung) is aiming more to take down her greatest enemy.

Viewers should also anticipate how Kim Ga On (GOT7's Jinyoung) can bring back Yoon Soo Hyun's (Park Gyu Young) trust in him after the incident happened to Cha Kyung Hee (Jang Young Nam).

The Devil Judge Episodes 13 and 14 are the things you should not miss this coming weekend!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'The Devil Judge' Behind-The-Scenes: Ji Sung and Kim Min Jung Reveal the Secrets to Their Powerful Acting in the Drama

Running Man

August 15 (Sunday)

The longest Korean variety show "Running Man" is finally making its return on Sunday, after almost two weeks of hiatus due to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Get ready to spend your weekend with the "Running Man" squad, new mission to accomplish, and never-ending laughter with Yoo Jae Suk, Ji Suk Jin, Kim Jong Kook, Song Ji Hyo, Haha, Jeon So Min, and Yang Se Chan.

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.
Opening schools full of unvaccinated children without requiring them to wear masks or take other precautions is a recipe for disaster, the physician-in-chief of Children's Hospital New Orleans says.

"I think bringing together large numbers of children, congregating them in classrooms with masks being optional -- or worse yet even, forbidden -- is just a formula for disaster," Dr. Mark Kline told CNN's Don Lemon.

Kline cited Louisiana's mask mandate for schools and said it would be wise for governors across the region to follow suit.

"This virus that we're dealing with now is a game changer, and it's just so easily transmitted from person-to-person that this could truly catalyze an explosion of cases across the region," he added.

It's not just students who could soon see mandates. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on MSNBC on Tuesday that he thinks vaccines for teachers should be mandated.

"We are in a critical situation now," he said. "We've had 615,000-plus deaths and we are in a major surge now as we're going into the fall, into the school season. This is very serious business. You would wish that people would see why it's so important to get vaccinated."

As Americans gear up for a new school year against a backdrop of rising Covid-19 cases, experts say there is no time to waste in getting already rising vaccination rates even higher.

For the first time since mid-June, the US is currently averaging more than half a million people initiating vaccinations a day. At 503,734 new vaccinations, that's a 13% increase over last week's pace, according to data published Tuesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Though the improvements are promising, more Americans still need to get vaccinated as quickly as possible, especially considering that it takes six weeks from the first injection for people to be fully protected, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, a former CDC director.

Just over half of the total population is fully vaccinated, while about 31% of the vaccine-eligible population has not been vaccinated.

The large swath of the population still unvaccinated is even more of a concern as cases rise. With an average of more than 116,600 new Covid-19 cases per day, it's the highest in about six months, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

And rates of hospitalizations and deaths have almost doubled in the past two weeks. More than 68,000 people are hospitalized with Covid-19, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.

More than 99.99% of people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 have not had a breakthrough case resulting in hospitalization or death, according to a CNN analysis of data from the CDC.

But as effective as vaccines are, Frieden said that with rates too low, vaccination may need to be paired with mask mandates.

"What we know really well is that vaccines work and masks work," he said. "Doubling the protection is particularly important because we have this doubly infectious variant of Delta.

School mask mandate debate escalates

Concerns over the rise in cases are growing for many as parents begin to send their children to school for the new year.

A CNN analysis from August 5 found that at least seven states -- Arkansas, Arizona, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah -- prohibit districts from requiring masks in schools.

On August 6, an Arkansas judge temporarily blocked the enforcement of the state's law banning mask mandates in schools, in response to two lawsuits -- one from a school district, and one from parents -- who want schools to be able to require masks if they so choose. School districts are allowed to enforce mask mandates while the suit continues.

Florida does not technically ban school districts from requiring masks, but Gov. Ron DeSantis has pulled other levers to reach the same point. The governor's office said in a statement Monday the state board of education "could" move to withhold the salary of the district superintendent or school board members in districts that made masks mandatory in schools.

Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna in Florida on Monday announced that his district will start the school year with a temporary mask requirement.

The move "speaks against" what DeSantis and state health officials have said, Hanna said, but if a child was lost to the virus, he couldn't blame the governor, saying "that's on me."

"And if there's an out and I didn't take the out, and I didn't do what was best for the children here in Tallahassee and Leon County, that's on me," Hanna said. "Every time I looked at myself in the mirror it would be really hard to answer to that guy."

Hanna told school officials at a meeting Monday afternoon that "you can't put a price tag on someone's life, including my salary," according to reporting by the Tallahassee Democrat.

Alachua County Superintendent Carlee Simon, whose school district also is defying DeSantis' attempted ban on mask mandates, said she doesn't believe he's taking the surge in cases in northeast Florida seriously.

"The governor should take the conservative step and do everything he can to protect the lives everyone in our community," Simon told CNN's Lemon. "I believe the governor has other interests that he's focusing on," Simon added.

DeSantis Tuesday defended his ban on school mask mandates saying, for him, "It is about parental choice, not government mandate."

The governor said "a lot of parents" have come to him and complained that masking is hard on their children in a learning environment.

Schools are scheduled to reopen Tuesday in Florida and Simon says she and other school officials are concerned about the rising positivity rate in the state.

"My goal is to make sure that I provide the high quality education and this is a direction I believe I need to go," Simon said. "It's concerning because we need to be able to run schools and we need to make sure that people aren't testing positive or needing to quarantine."

One health expert said that vaccine mandates for children 12 to 17 may be necessary as the new school year begins.

Speaking about the rise in pediatric ICU admissions in certain parts of the country, Dr. Peter Hotez, a pediatrician and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that "schools are going to be an accelerant" for child infections without universal masking.

"It's not even going to be enough to have mask mandates in the schools," he said. "We need all of the adolescents vaccinated, and really we need to move towards vaccine mandates for the 12 to 17-year-olds in the schools."

Some states only have a quarter of the adolescent population vaccinated, Hotez said, so both mask and an increase in vaccination rates among students will be important to containing in-school spread.

"If we're going to give our fighting chance to have a successful school year, we're going to need everyone who is vaccine eligible to get vaccinated and everybody masked," Hotez said.

Hospitals are filling up

Some states are reporting that intensive care units are full or are nearing capacity.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said on Monday that the state had just eight available ICU beds as it reported its largest single-day increase in hospitalizations.

"I think we're in worse position, in terms of our ICU beds, than we were in January ... largely because of the other health needs that we have that occupy ICU beds," Hutchinson said at a news briefing Tuesday.

"Everybody has to realize that now's not a good time to get sick, because space is limited," the governor said.

Mississippi's senior health officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, on Monday tweeted that the state has no ICU beds at its level 1, 2 and 3 hospitals, and more than 200 patients were waiting in emergency rooms for a hospital room.

In Texas, the Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital in Houston has erected tents as an expansion for patients as its ICU capacity is at 100% with 63% Covid cases, Harris Health spokesperson Bryan McLeod told CNN in an email Monday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to the Texas Hospital Association asking hospitals to voluntarily postpone elective medical procedures to increase hospital capacity for coronavirus patients, according to a news release from his office Monday.

The-CNN-Wire

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AZALEA, Ore.  The investigation into a fatal trailer fire near the southern Douglas County community of Azalea has morphed into a double murder investigation, according to the latest from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

Reports of a fire at the Meadow Wood RV Park on Autumn Lane between Azalea and Glendale started coming in to dispatch around 4:30 a.m. on Friday, August 6. After deputies and firefighters responded to the scene, they found two people dead inside of the trailer.

On Wednesday, DCSO released an update on the identity of the two victims and the circumstances of their death. The pair were identified as 59-year-old Brian Edward Dean and 65-year-old Maureen Anne Mathabel, both of Azalea. They each died "as a result of homicidal violence," the agency said.

The Douglas County Major Crimes Team has since been activated and is conducting the investigation. The Sheriff's Office remains the lead investigating agency. The Major Crimes Team consists of members of the Sheriff's Office, Roseburg Police Department, Oregon State Police and the Douglas County District Attorney's Office.

Investigators urge anyone who may have photo, video or surveillance footage of the incident to share them by submitting the items to a public evidence portal via the web at: www.dcso.com/publichelp. Additionally, anyone who may have information which may aid investigators in solving this crime, is asked to contact the Douglas County Sheriff's Office Investigations Division at 541-440-4458 or email dcso.pio@co.douglas.or.us.
SALEM, Ore.  Governor Kate Brown scheduled a press conference on Wednesday to detail the rollout of a renewed statewide indoor mask mandate, announcing that the requirement will begin on Friday, August 13.

The Governor's office previewed the return of a mask mandate and a vaccination requirement for Oregon executive branch employees on Tuesday, but the initial announcement did not detail when the mandate would begin.

In the press conference, Brown cited the unbridled spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant in Oregon, which contributed to the highest daily count of new cases in the state on Tuesday, with more than 2,300. Hospitalizations are also at a record high, with staffed intensive care beds about 90 percent full. Some hospital regions have only a handful of ICU beds available as of Wednesday morning.

The latest science is clear that both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals are able to spread the Delta variant," Brown said. "Masks are simple, and they are effective. Wearing a mask should give you confidence that you are not infecting others, and they are also our best bet at keeping our schools and our businesses open.

Until this week, Brown had repeatedly said that she would leave the bulk of COVID-19 responses to local elected leaders and public health officials. On Wednesday she indicated that, with Delta spreading uncontrollably and hospitals filling up, most county-level elected officials had abdicated their responsibility by refusing to implement countermeasures locally.

"We have had multiple conversations with local elected officials  I know that hospital CEOs and local public health authorities have spoken with local elected officials . . . I am obviously aware that the Oregon Health Authority has spoken with local elected officials as well," Governor Brown said. "What is clear is that they are not taking action  that is why I'm moving forward."

The requirement apples to adults and children older than 5. On public transit, it also includes children older than 2. It applies broadly to people in all indoor public spaces, and masks are strongly encouraged in crowded outdoor situations.

There are exceptions for some activities where wearing a mask would be "impractical or impossible," including for eating and drinking, swimming and competitive sports, and performances involving singing or speaking in public. In circumstances like these, the Oregon Health Authority strongly recommended that participants be fully vaccinated.

Officials said that Oregon OSHA will again have a role in enforcing the rules for employers and employees, leading with an "education-first approach." OSHA pledged to work with employers making an effort to comply, and said in won't conduct inspections or issue fines immediately as businesses work to implement the masking protocols and put up the necessary signage.

"The emphasis of indoor mask requirement is on personal responsibility  we are asking Oregonians to make a commitment to protect those around you by wearing a mask. We are also asking Oregonians to be kind and considerate of others and to treat store employees and others with respect: they are asking you to wear a mask to save lives," Brown's office said.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.
MEDFORD, Ore.  The Medford Police reported an officer-involved shooting after a vehicle pursuit through Jackson County on Wednesday morning.

According to Medford Police, several agencies were involved in a vehicle chase that spanned Central Point, Medford, Phoenix, and Talent. The suspect was believed to be involved in an armed carjacking near Canyonville in Douglas County, and MPD said that the local pursuit started around 6:50 a.m.

Officers tried to use spike strips on the suspect vehicle a number of times with "mixed success." The chase ultimately ended in gunfire near the intersection of Dakota Avenue and S Columbus Street in Medford around 7:39 a.m.

Medford Police indicated that no officers were injured, but the suspect was taken to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center with unknown injuries. An initial statement from the agency did not clarify what precipitated the shooting.

The Major Assault and Death Investigation Unit (MADIU) was activated to take over the investigation, which is normal protocol for an officer-involved shooting.
MEDFORD, Ore. -- The Medford School District has come to the conclusion that its schools will comply with mask mandates, as issued by the state.

On Tuesday night, Medford School Board members gathered for a meeting at North Medford High School, making the final revision of a letter being sent to Oregon Governor Kate Brown, asking to regain local control over Covid-19 related decisions.

The School Board Chair, Suzanne Messer read the letter aloud saying in part, "By issuing your mandate, you left us looking foolish, incompetent, and deaf to the very specific needs of our community."

Medford School District Superintendent, Dr. Bret Champion showed an updated fee in the case schools decide not to comply with masking requirements.

The initial fee to Oregon Occupational Safety and Health would be between $8,900 and $126,749. The daily penalty for noncompliance would be $100 to $2,000.

Messer says, the money is only a fraction of the issue. She said, to the district, it is the risk of educators losing their licensing and loss of liability protection that would be unacceptable.
The COVID-19 infection rate in BC has leaped to 536, a figure not seen since mid-May. There are more than 3,500 active cases in the province and more than half of those are in the Interior Health region.

You voted:
The Hawkesbury General Hospital in Hawkesbury, Ont., is seen on March 26, 2021. The case of an eastern Ontario doctor charged with murder has been adjourned until next month. Ontario Provincial Police have accused Dr. Brian Nadler of killing 89-year-old Albert Poidinger at the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital earlier this year. Police say they were called to the hospital on March 25, after which Poidinger was declared dead and Nadler was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
By Ritah Kemigisa

Uganda and other neighbouring countries of South Sudan where there is renewed deadly fighting have been asked to support and guide the youngest nation in Africa.

Over the weekend, close to 30 people were killed in the clashes that erupted after South Sudans Vice President Riek Machars rivals declared that they had overthrown him as the head of the party and its military forces.

The fighting by the two rival military factions of Sudans Peoples Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) threatens to destroy the 2018 peace agreement and power-sharing deal.

Now Speaking to KFM, Joseph Ochieno, a pan Africanist says the situation in South Sudan needs urgent attention and is as such asking neighbouring countries to intervene.

He also attributes the crisis to the nature of its Geopolitics which are largely based on ethnicity.

Every neighbour, whether its Uganda, Kenya or Ethiopia or greater Sudan with a mere interest in South Sudan that seeks to enjoy and dine on the misery of their neighbours is a terrible neighbour, South Sudan needs to be supported and guided rather than being used as an economic and political puppet, said Mr Ochieno.

Ochieno is meanwhile asking the government to pick the following lessons from the South Sudan crisis.

The obvious lesson is that any family, unity or political entity without clear political leadership and mandate will always be fragile. Any identity which seeks to dominate another, whatever the composition of that identity in Africa should be ashamed of themselves, added Mr Ochieno.

The Regional African trade body IGAD has since called on the two rival military groups to open the path for dialogue.

South Sudan has struggled with war, famine and chronic political and economic crisis since celebrating its hard-fought independence from Sudan in July 2011.

Machars allies on Friday dismissed his ouster as a failed coup, insisting he was still in full control of the party.

Machar himself accused peace spoilers of engineering his removal.
By Ruth Anderah

The East African Court of Justice sitting in Arusha has given the Ugandan government 45 days within which to respond to a case filed by worshippers challenging the closure of churches in the country.

According to a copy of the summons served to the Ugandan Attorney General, the 45 days given to the government is to explain the continued closure of places of worship without any reasonable excuse and in violation of the citizens right to worship.

The petitioners including; Reigning life ministries pastor Jack Barlow, a lawyer Abubaker Matanda and a concerned citizen Josephine Namukisa claim its unfair to open other public places like shopping arcades and supermarkets yet more organised places such as churches and mosques remain closed.

The petitioners are also challenging the directive by the government to hold virtual prayers of only ten people because internet penetration is very poor and high data costs, hence demanding the opening of churches and mosques as soon as tomorrow.

On July 30th/2021, while easing the lockdown, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni decreed that places of worship remain closed until further directives.
By Damali Mukhaye

Medical schools have expressed readiness to reopen for medical students on Friday.

The National Council for Higher education cleared medical schools across the country to reopen this Friday. In an interview with KFM, Fatuma Nakigudde, a tutor at Kibuli nursing and midwifery schools says that they secured enough doses from Kibuli hospital to vaccinate the students and learners when they resume school.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic Affairs of Makerere University, Umar Katumba has also told KFM that the University is ready to vaccinate their final medical students at the university hospital.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has issued guidelines for the reopening of medical schools on Friday emphasizing that all students must be vaccinated upon their return.

According to a circular from the Ministrys Permanent Secretary, Ketty Lamaro, all institutions have been instructed to put in place all the required Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) including washing facilities at all entry points, ensure 2-meter social distancing among students and procure temperature guns among others.

Institutions are also required to conduct proper screening of all students using a checklist identifying risk of infection to covid-19 upon return.
Deputy Michael Lowry says plans by An Taisce to take their case to the Supreme Court to prevent the granting of planning permission for the 140 million Glanbia and Royal A-ware cheese manufacturing plant on the Kilkenny/Waterford border is a misuse of their authority and an abuse of power.



I object strenuously to what An Taisce is doing, says Deputy Lowry.



It emerged on Monday this week that An Taisces Bord of Trustees have unanimously agreed to seek Leave to Appeal to the Supreme Court stating that this decision was taken based on considered analysis of the legal aspects of the case and is rooted in the principles and values central to the mission role of An Taisce to protect and advocate for ecological resilience and the future viability of the natural environment.



The reality of the situation is that farmers in a wide region, including across Tipperary, have invested heavily in order to increase their milk supplies in preparation for this new plant.



What is now happening is that increased numbers of milk trucks are travelling the country as a result of the larger supply of milk that has to be processed.



This goes totally against the aim of reducing damage to the environment, says Deputy Lowry, adding that the proposal to provide the cheese manufacturing facility is a progressive and sustainable one and should be allowed to go ahead as soon as possible.



I raised the serious matter of An Taisces appeal to the High Court decision to grant planning permission in the Dail in recent months.



Their original objection to planning permission for this project has already resulted in a two-year delay, pushing this project out to 2024.



Their planned appeal to the Supreme Court will delay the project indefinitely, says the Deputy.

This would be bad for farmers, bad for rural communities and would hurt Irelands reputation internationally as a location for much-needed foreign direct investment, he concluded.
LIMERICK GAA are to appeal the suspension handed down to Peter Casey in an effort to free him up to play in the All-Ireland SHC final.

The corner forward was shown a straight red card just before the hour mark in last Saturday's semi final win over Waterford in Croke Park.

Limerick have now begun the appeals process in an effort to have Casey available for selection to play Cork on August 22.

The first step available to Limerick is a meeting with a Central Hearings Committee, which could take place this Thursday night.

Should the CHC not overturn the suspension, step two would be brining the case to the Central Appeals Committee. The third and final option would be the independent Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA).

Limerick received the referee's report on Monday but the final decision to appeal the suspension was taken at a meeting after training this Tuesday evening in the LIT Gaelic Grounds. Casey was involved in the process.
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OLMSTED COUNTY, Minn. - Olmsted, Cerro Gordo, Freeborn and Mower counties are all still classified in the high transmission rate zone, as of Monday.

You can see the county breakdown below:
HIBBING, Minn. (AP)  Authorities say one of two twin 3-year-old boys found locked in a hot vehicle in Hibbing has died.

The other twin has been released from a hospital. Hibbing police say the boys were reported missing Monday evening.

Neighbors joined police in a search for the twins. About an hour later a citizen found the twins locked inside a vehicle near a residence. Officers broke the vehicle window to get them out.

Both boys were unresponsive due to the extreme heat and were taken to Minnesota hospitals. Police say the surviving twin has been treated and released. Police do not suspect foul play, but investigators are considering charges.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High 88F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 61F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
gettyimagesbank



Gov't to announce vaccination guidelines for pregnant women this month



By Jun Ji-hye



Pregnant women here are expressing anxiety over COVID-19 vaccinations, as the Korean government has yet to establish clear guidelines for them, at a time when new daily virus cases have remained above 1,000 for more than a month, with the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.



They are categorized as a high-risk group for COVID-19, as they can become seriously ill more easily once infected with the virus, compared to the general public, according to medical experts. Infected pregnant women also face a greater risk of premature deliveries and babies with low birth weights.



Choosing to get a vaccine is also not an easy option for them. Some pregnant women are raising fears over the vaccinations, due to the possibility of abnormal reactions after inoculation, and the fact that there is insufficient data about COVID-19 vaccinations and pregnancy.



"I dread being infected with the coronavirus. But at the same time, I feel scared about receiving the shots as well, even if the government decides to administer vaccines to us," said a 39-year-old pregnant woman living in Seoul's Jungnang District.



"Every pregnant woman is very careful about their food and medicine due to concerns that they could adversely affect their baby. I think that data on the effects of COVID-19 vaccines on pregnant woman and babies is still insufficient. When I consulted with my doctor, he did not give a clear answer, either. I am uncertain about what to do."



The government began vaccine reservations for about 17 million young adults and middle-aged people between the ages of 18 and 49 on Monday evening, lasting through Aug. 18, based on the last digit of a person's date of birth. Inoculations are scheduled to begin Aug. 26 through Sept. 30. Pregnant women, however, were excluded from this series of reservations.



The administration has postponed any announcement about vaccinating pregnant women since January, when it drew up its detailed vaccine rollout plans, citing the lack of relevant data and experience from in and outside the country.





A high school senior receives her COVID-19 vaccine shot at a vaccination center in Nowon, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
To the uninitiated, Twitter can be a bit of mine field. It's where memes and news stories are often born and, in many ways, it's a language in and of itself. And then, of course, you've got the specific subculture that is Irish Twitter which is a whole other ball game.



We here at LADBible understand that it can be overwhelming trying to stay on top of a platform that feels like if you blink, you'll miss something crucial. That's why we've put together this nifty guide to the best of what's occurred on Irish Twitter this week - the funniest memes, the hottest takes and the moments that just made us say WT actual F.

So grab a cuppa, sit back and catch up on all the best tweets you might have missed this week, safe in the knowledge you can regurgitate them all to your friends as though they're your original thoughts in the coming week.

LOL - This week's funniest tweets

As travel restrictions loosen and planes are looking a little fuller, we're all rediscovering the joys of flying whilst wedged onto a RyanAir plane.

With this year's Olympics having drawn to a close, so to closed the bottomless pool of ammunition for memes - here's one of our favourites from @ImShaneReaction.

Writer and Twitter favourite Carl Kinsella took the platform by storm this week by kicking off a disinformation campaign promoting the untruth that the LUAS is, in fact, entirely free. We're not sure anyone could have been prepared for the enthusiasm with which people, businesses and even public bodies would join Kinsella in his fake news endeavour but it has been a joy to observe.

The Queen of Ireland herself Panti Bliss was one of the many propagandists who got involved.

The Irish language itself was reimagined to support the claim.

Dublin Airport even took the 'campaign' as an opportunity to take a pop at their peers in the world of transport authorities.

Related video:

TBH - The tweets that made us go 'Hmm...'



There's a myriad of reasons why someone might have a gap on their CV, ranging from the obvious, such as the ongoing to global pandemic, to the traumatic - bereavement, caring for a loved one, personal mental health issues. It's in no way indicative of a person's ability to perform in a role or of the standard of their work so maybe in 2021 it's time we retire this job interview trope?



As the government drags us slowly, but perhaps surely, out of COVID-19 restrictions there has been much discussion around how far behind our European counterparts we seem to be, with even our closest neighbours in Northern Ireland are enjoying music concerts with over 10,000 attendees. Another key point on many people's agendas is the huge disparity between allowances made for sporting events versus those afforded to the arts and nightlife industries.



Here The Gaiety Theatre makes a point on the stark contrast between maximum capacities for matches in Croke Park compared to the paltry numbers allowed into a theatre at one time, in spite of vaccinations and testing options.

WTF - An ode to the tweet we just didn't see coming


ROME, AUG 11 - A legal battle has broken out for custody of Eitan Biran, the five-year-old Israeli boy who was the sole survivor of the Mottarone mountain cable-car disaster in Piedmont in May. Eitan's parents, great grandparents and two-year-old brother were among the 14 victims of the disaster. Eitan, who moved to Italy with his parents in 2018, has been put into the care of his paternal aunt, Aya Biran. The boy's Israeli-based family are unhappy about this. Ronen Dlayahu, a lawyer representing this side of the family, announced in a news conference that the boy's maternal aunt, Gali Peri, has launched legal proceedings to have custody of him. "Eitan is being held hostage," the lawyer said. Peri said that "Eitan was taken away by a family that did not know him, that had not been close to him in any way previously". (ANSA).
ROME, AUG 11 - A 76-year-old man is dead due to wildfires in countryside near to the Calabrian town of Grotteria, sources said on Wednesday. The victim, Mario Zavaglia, died after the flames enveloped his country house and caused it to cave in, the sources said. The Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi, meanwhile, is "almost cut off" due to wildfires on the Aspromonte mountain in Calabria, the site's Dean, Don Tonino Saraco, told ANSA on Wednesday. "The main road is blocked by the flames," said Saraco. "The only access is via two secondary roads, one of which is a mule track". He said many cars and pilgrims who had set off on foot to reach the sanctuary on foot were having to turn back. Many Italian regions have been hit by devastating wildfires in recent weeks, with Sardinia, Sicily, Calabria and Abruzzo hit particularly hard. There have also been devastating wildfires in many other parts of the world this summer, which experts are linking to the climate crisis. (ANSA).
ROME, AUG 11 - Unions representing workers at the Hanon System plant at Campiglione Fenile, near Turin, have called a two-hour strike for this Friday in protest at the company's decision to make the Green Pass vaccine passport obligatory to access the site's canteen. Education-sector unions, meanwhile, expressed anger at the government's decision to make the Green Pass obligatory for all school workers as of next month. "The decision to adopt the Green Pass for school personnel, with related penalties in the case of failure to comply, was made by the government in a unilateral way," the unions said in a joint statement. "90% of the sector's workers are vaccinated. "The measure that has been adopted feeds tension in a big way. "No more diktats. You don't reopen schools via decree. Dialogue is needed". The Green Pass shows that a person has been vaccinated for COVID-19, has had it and recovered, or has recently tested negative for the coronavirus. (ANSA).
#Afghanistan's permanent representative to the United Nations, Ghulam Mohammad Ishaqzai, has urged the #UN to declare the #Taliban a "destructive" group and take urgent action against them.



Photo: IANS (File) pic.twitter.com/lvQHtkJB1s IANS Tweets (@ians_india) August 11, 2021

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
A video was released showing a man threatening TV reporter Azucena Uresti, on behalf of Jalisco cartel boss, to murder the news anchor over what they said to be unfair coverage.

The man had complained that the Milenio Television was favoring so-called defense groups organized to resist the Jalisco New Generation cartel, according to a BBC News report.

The man had said he will make Uresti eat her own words even if they accuse him of femicide.

Heavily armed men wearing masks were also shown in the video while talking at a small desk.

The man added that the Mexican drug cartel supports the media's freedom of expression. However, he said that there needs to be more balanced coverage.

READ NEXT: 6 Dismembered Bodies Found in Mexico as Mexican Drug Cartel Launches Brutal Revenge Attack

"Unfair Coverage"

The man alleged that the vigilante groups were actually drug traffickers, which are the only organizations that could afford the armament those groups had at their disposal.

The video had noted Hipolito Mora, who was the one who organized a self-defense force in Michoacan nearly a decade before, according to The Guardian report.

Expert accounts suggest that the vigilante self-defense forces have helped to fight violations in such high-crime areas.

However, some have reportedly struck deals to get protection and firearms from criminal gangs.

Presidential spokesman Jesus Ramirez Cuevas said that the Mexican government will take the necessary measures to protect threatened journalists and news outlets.

Journalists in Mexico

Mexico was deemed the deadliest country for journalists by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Local reporters were mostly targeted, particularly those in regions where rival crime groups are fighting for domination and control.

A report from the U.S. Department of State noted that 94 percent of crimes done in Mexico are not reported or investigated, with nearly nine out of 10 homicides being unpunished, according to an NBC News report.

Itzia Miravete, who works at Article 19 as a prevention coordinator, said that they are experiencing a crisis of generalized violence, human rights violations, disappearances, femicides, and executions in Mexico.

Miravete said that attacking journalists shows an intention to prevent the information from reaching the people and society.

Article 19 is an organization that defends the right of freedom of expression.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International's report had condemned Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for his tendency to lash out at national media.

The report stated that the act weakens the press and favors the establishment of an environment of censorship.

Among the journalists murdered was Israel Vasquez, who was covering the discovery of dismembered people left in a church in Mexico.

He was preparing to do a Facebook broadcast when two men on a motorcycle drove by and shot him.

While he was not the only journalist being killed in Mexico in 2020, his case was being investigated.

Reporters Without Borders noted that at least eight journalists were killed in Mexico last year, marking Mexico as the deadliest country for journalists.

READ MORE: Clashing Mexican Drug Cartels Leave 2 Police and 7 Others Dead in Mexico

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: New Generation Jalisco drug cartel spreads through Mexico - from CGTN America






TikTok is home to different challenges that entertain a lot of people as well as worry some of the experts from their respective fields.

A new trend called the #frozenhoney challenge caught the attention of some health experts, as they warn that the trend might cause health concerns.

READ NEXT: Viral TikTok Video Caught Mom Stopping Her Son's Marriage Proposal by Shouting 'No!'

What is TikTok #FrozenHoney Challenge?

To hop in the viral TikTok challenge, the trend only needs honey, a container, and a freezer. The honey must be placed in the container or a plastic bottle than in the freezer so that the mixture would be solid.

Once the honey is frozen, then the challenger needs to press out the honey on the bottle or container, then bite a big chunk of the jelly-like substance after it was placed in the freezer.

The said challenge garnered at least 855 million views on the platform, with some users adding other foods such as corn syrup, candy, and food coloring to the frozen honey.

Although sweet, honey is known to have different benefits. Citing author Jackie Newgent, Tech Times reported that the sticky and sweet substance is filled with prebiotics and antioxidants. Furthermore, honey's sugary composition will help individuals regain their energy.

Health Experts on TikTok #FrozenHoney Challenge

Despite its benefits, health experts warned those who attempted and planned to try the #FrozenHoney challenge about the risks the trend may cause to the body.

In an interview, Professor Dana Hunnes from the University of California's Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health underscored that challengers must be concerned about the concentrated sugar and carbohydrates present in honey.

Hunnes pointed out that depending on how much honey an individual ate, the substance can pull so much water from the digestive tract, causing diarrhea. Furthermore, the professor also noted that the trend requires a lot of insulin to be released at a time, which may take a toll on the pancreas in the long run.

Citing American Heart Association, Tech Times highlighted that only 36 grams of sugar are required for men while women must consume only 25 grams.

"We have so many reasons to never overconsume anything," Hunnes said, adding that following food trends and eating contests are not recommended.

#FrozenHoney challenge was not the only trend on TikTok that caught the attention of the experts and authorities because of the dangers it entails.

It can be recalled that several TikTok challengers were endangered over trends on the social media platform. In July, a trend called the "Black Out" challenge claimed the life of a young boy. The said trend urges the challengers to choke themselves until they pass out or lose consciousness.

In late May, an Oregon teen was rushed to the hospital after she sustained third-degree burns following a trend that encouraged the users to draw a shape on a mirror using flammable materials.

"These kids are influenced at a level that's beyond their conscious awareness," Chief Science Officer Mitchell Prinstein from American Psychological Association said, as "peer presence" on social media affects adolescents.

READ NEXT: TikTok Star Anthony Barajas Wounded, on Life Support After 'Purge Forever' Shooting at California Theater

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: TikTok Frozen Honey Trend, Health Experts Concerned - From What's Trending
Catherine Zeta-Jones is the latest additional actress to the upcoming Netflix series "Wednesday," the live-action version of the popular movie "Addams Family."

The Hollywood celebrity would play the role of Morticia Addams, marking her latest TV project after she appeared for a recurring second role in the second season of the "Prodigal Son."

On the other hand, ComingSoon.Net reported that Zeta-Jones would be partnered with Luis Guzman, one of the most popular comedians in the film industry. He will play the role of Gomez Addams in the upcoming series.

"Catherine Zeta-Jones will step into the iconic silhouette of Morticia Addams while Luis Guzman will bring to life the debonair Gomez Addams in the upcoming TV series Wednesday, starring Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams and directed by Tim Burton," said Netflix via its official Twitter account.

Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams

The latest announcement of Netflix regarding the arrival of Catherine was able to generate more than 1,500 retweets, 12,700 likes, and 1,700 comments.

READ MORE: The Suicide Squad Polka Dot Man Actor David Dastmalchian Explains Why Milton's Death Hit Hard

However, some Netflix fans were not happy with the decision.



One of the commentators even said that the Hollywood actress seems to be too old for the role of Morticia Addams. He explained that the character is supposed to look young since she is a vampire

I hate to say it but as a vampire thats supposed to look young... zeta jones may be too old. In fact they are both going in being the oldest versions. They aren't thinking about the longetivity of the show if its a success due to good writing. They should cast younger.  jyung_woo (@Jyung_woo) August 10, 2021

A Twitter user said that Netflix seems to disregard the upcoming TV series' longevity success since they are not relying on the actual show itself. He added that if they are confident with their live-action, they should cast younger actors and actresses.

I love Luis, but Antonio Banderas is the only choice for Gomez Addams!!!  Grand Duchess (@HRHGrandDuchess) August 9, 2021

Aside from Zeta-Jones, some "Addams Family" fans said that Guzman is a good comedian actor. However, the commentator claimed that Antonio Banderas, the man behind "Zorro," is the best choice for the role of Gomez Addams.

Other Cast Members of Netflix's 'Wednesday' TV Series

Aside from Zeta-Jones and Guzman, WhatsOnNetflix reported that the giant streaming platform also acquired Jenna Ortega, who will take the role of the series' main character, Wednesday Addams.

The young actress seems to be a good choice since she already starred in other Netflix Originals. One of her most popular shows is The "Babysitter: Killer Queen," "Yes Day," and "The Babysitter."

However, it is still hard to make a conclusion until the live-action series is released. Right now, the best thing you can do is wait for the actual launch, which is claimed to be this coming 2022.

READ NEXT: Luis Guzman Cast as Gomez Addams in Tim Burton's 'Wednesday' Series at Netflix
Four cops in Mexico have been arrested and charged for the death of a young man who was allegedly beaten and raped before he died.

Daily Mail reported that Jose Eduardo Ravelo died at Agustin O'Horan General Hospital last Tuesday. The 23-year-old victim reportedly moved from Veracruz to Merida in July. Veracruz was considered one of the most dangerous states in Mexico, while Merida was deemed the safest.

Ravelo's mother, Maria Ravelo, said her son was on his way to a job interview on July 21, when the cops of the Merida Municipal Police stopped him near a park and shoved him inside a patrol car.

The young man had called his mother a day after the attack and told her what had happened.

READ NEXT: 6 Dismembered Bodies Found in Mexico as Mexican Drug Cartel Launches Brutal Revenge Attack

The Rape Incident With Four Cops in Mexico

Maria said the attorney general's lawyer told her that when her son was inside the jail, they heard screams, and no one went to help him, Mexico News Daily reported.

Maria further noted that her son told her on the phone that the incident took place in the patrol car. Based on the facts presented to her, the young man's mother believed that the four cops tortured and raped her son several times in the patrol car and the jail before they decided to release him.

Yucatan Governor Mauricio Vila said there is no place for impunity in their state, adding that there will be justice. Vila further noted that the family had accepted help from the State Commission for Victim Services.

The young man's cause of death was due to multiple organ destruction syndrome and multiple trauma. The four cops involved were charged with aggravated gang murder on Monday. They are also facing charges of aggravated rape and aggravated torture.

The mother recalled that the doctor asked her son how come the police had raped him, further asking him if he could be gay, Whatsnew2day reported.

Based on a hospital report released, there were major damages to Ravelo's kidneys and skulls. He also had blood in his lungs. Jose Eduardo Ravelo died at the hospital on August 3. A local newspaper reported that two of the cops have been on the police force for 18 years each.

Police Brutality in Mexico

Protesters gathered in cities across Mexico in June 2020 as repose to a number of killings of unarmed civilians by local and municipal police. Some cases had seen that authorities beat and detained protesters, according to a Human Rights Watch report.

Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, said Mexico police forces are infamous for their corruption, torture, and violence. Vivanco added that police in Mexico are also known for their connections to organized crime.

The arrest and death of the 30-year-old construction worker, Giovanni Lopez Ramirez, last year sparked the protests as a response to police violence.

Lopez Ramirez was detained for allegedly not wearing a mask, which was a state mandate at the time, during the onset of the pandemic.

Family members of Lopez Ramirez said when they went to pick him up from the police station a day after his arrest, they were directed to the morgue.

Lopez Ramirez's body was covered in bruises with a bullet in his leg. Officials told the family that the police had "gotten carried away."

READ MORE: Clashing Mexican Drug Cartels Leave 2 Police and 7 Others Dead in Mexico

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Mexico Police Set on Fire During Protests Against Fatal Beating - From Al Jazeera English






President Joe Biden called it "sad" that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had to resign over a sexual harassment scandal.

Joe Biden made his comments Tuesday in front of the reporters. The governor announced that he would resign from office early in the day following accusations of sexually harassing a number of women.

Biden gushed about Cuomo's role in the voting rights and infrastructure as he expressed his sadness on the resignation of the New York Democrat.

"I thought he's done a hell of a job... That's why it's so sad," the president noted.

READ NEXT: Andrew Cuomo to Face Impeachment Inquiry Led by Democrats

President Joe Biden on Andrew Cuomo's Resignation

Biden's comments came after a reporter asked him to rate the governor's performance outside the harassment allegations, The Daily Mail reported.

After the president gave his response, another reporter wondered and asked how can he gushed over Andrew Cuomo despite the sexual allegations, Joe Biden then emphasized that the scandal surrounding the governor was a different question.

"The question is, did he do a good job on the infrastructure, that was the question. He did," the president said at a Q&A with the reporters.

Joe Biden then pointed out that he was asked a specific question, and he was only trying to answer it "specifically."

When asked about the impact of Cuomo's resignation on the Democratic party, the president noted that the impact is all on the New York governor. Joe Biden said he respects the governor's decision to leave his post.

The president previously called on the New York governor to resign following reports of 11 women sexually harassed by Andrew Cuomo.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shared the same sentiments, saying that Andrew Cuomo should leave his post out of his love for New York and respect for the office he was holding.

Andrew Cuomo's Resignation

In announcing his resignation on Tuesday, Andrew Cuomo said his resignation would be effective in 14 days. Cuomo said he wanted to fight through the controversy, which is politically motivated.

However, he believed that it would create months of controversy. Thus, it would consume the government and cost taxpayers millions of dollars. And the best way he can help now is if he steps aside, Cuomo said.

The governor has slammed the report of New York State Attorney General Letitia James, saying that the "most serious" allegation offered against him has no "credible basis." However, he admitted that there were women whom he offended.

Andrew Cuomo noted that in his mind, he did not "crossed the line" with anyone. However, he said he did realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn.

Last week, James announced that Cuomo engaged in conduct constituting sexual harassment "under federal and New York State law."

James claimed that the governor kissed, groped, and made suggestive comments to 11 women. The five-month probe also discovered that the governor established a "toxic" workplace and that his office retaliated against the first accuser who went public.

"I take full responsibility for my actions. I have been too familiar with people," said Andrew Cuomo, adding that he hugs and kisses women and men casually.

READ MORE: 9/11 Families Tell Pres. Joe Biden Not To Come To Any 20th Anniversary Events

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Announces His Resignation - From ABC News
Around 30 cops had reportedly given Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot the cold shoulder when she approached them in a hospital wing after the shooting of Ella French.

Newsweek reported that police officer Ella French was killed when officers were fired upon as they stopped a car on Saturday night. French's partner, who also got shot, continues to fight for his life at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Two sources told the Chicago Sun-Times that when Lightfoot approached the large group of grieving officers at the hospital hours after the shooting, they "did the about-face."

READ NEXT: Colorado Springs Tenant Vandalizes Home, Leaves Dead Cats After Being Evicted

Cops Give Mayor Lori Lightfoot the Cold Shoulder After Ella French Shooting

The Chicago mayor reportedly approached the male officer's father, who was a retired Chicago police officer. The two sources said the retired officer clearly wanted nothing to do with Lightfoot.

The father has blamed the mayor for what had happened. One source said that Lightfoot handled herself well when the father had yelled at her. The source added that she listened and treated him with respect.

When Lori Lightfoot was about to say a few words to nearby grieving officers, the sources said they all walked away from her as she approached them. The sources added that as they turned their backs from the mayor, the police officers went to the other side of a bank of chairs.

Lori Lightfoot was reported to have appeared shaken when she received the officers' cold shoulder. She then went downstairs and talked to reporters about the shooting.

FOP President John Catanzara told the Sun-Times that the police officers' decision to about-face on the mayor was significant. He said the about-face signifies a collective feeling of police officers toward the mayor.

Catanzara said that officers no longer support the mayor's leadership. He said the mayor still thought she knew best and went up there against the advice of the family, but at some point, the officers turned their backs on the Chicago mayor, NBC Chicago reported.

Rank-and-file officers issued a no-confidence vote against the mayor and Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown. Officers cited reasons such as exhaustion and the department's decision to cancel days off on multiple occasions.

Catanzara noted that it is too late for Lori Lightfoot to make a pivot and befriended the police force only because the political climate now "says the defund policy and the police maybe aren't the enemy."

Chicago Police Officer Ella French Shooting

Two people were charged with the fatal shooting of Ella French. One was identified as 21-year-old Emonte Morgan, ABC 7 Chicago reported.

Morgan is facing first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. He is also charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.

The Cook County State's Attorney Office said that Eric Morgan, on the other hand, was charged with aggravated unlawful use of weapons. The 22-year-old suspect is also facing unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and obstruction of justice.

Eric was driving the car when the officers had pulled them over for expired tags. Police said his brother, Emonte, killed French and shot her partner three times.

A police bodycam footage showed French shining her flashlight into the driver's side of the car before she was shot.

When French asked Eric to hand over the car keys and get out, he did. But police said Emonte, sitting in the back seat, would not cooperate. Police said French and her partner had their guns holstered when Emonte pulled out a gun and fired at them.

READ MORE: Killer Dad Chris Watts Spends 36th Birthday Alone in Prison: 'He's an Outcast,' Says Source

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Brothers Charged in Fatal Shooting of Chicago Police Officer Ella French - From WGN News






Tropical storm Fred developed off the coast of Puerto Rico late Tuesday, and it was reported heading to the Caribbean region and the southern U.S.

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Fred, which became the sixth named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, was observed to gain some strength on Tuesday night, with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour.

The storm was about 45 miles south-southwest of Ponce, Puerto Rico, as of 11 p.m. Tuesday.

READ NEXT: Strong Earthquake Rattles Panama and Costa Rica; Not Expected to Generate Tsunami

The NHC noted that some strengthening is possible before Fred reaches the eastern Dominican Republic on Wednesday morning.

The said weather disturbance is expected to traverse west near Puerto Rico to Hispanola on the same day. Haiti and the Bahamas could also get hit by the storm by Wednesday.

Based on the latest forecast, the NHC said the center of Fred is expected to be near or over Hispaniola later Wednesday and will move near the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas on Thursday. Storm conditions were expected in the said islands by late Wednesday.

Tropical Storm Warnings Issued Following Fred's Formation

As of 2 a.m. Wednesday, the NHC said tropical storm warnings were in effect for Puerto Rico, including Culebra and Vieques, parts of the Dominican Republic, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Tropical storm watches include the Turks and Caicos Islands, Haiti from the northern border with the Dominican Republic to Gonaives, and southeastern Bahamas.

The NHC said that a tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected in the warning area within the next 12 hours.

Tropical Storm Traverses Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Before it Heads to the U.S.

As Fred continues to gain strength, the tropical storm brought heavy rains in the northern Caribbean late Tuesday. Dangerous surf and rip currents are also affecting the Caribbean and will continue within the warning and watch areas.

According to reports, the storm would bring flooding rainfall to parts of the Caribbean throughout the middle of the week.

In Puerto Rico, the tropical storm already caused power outages. Luma, the company responsible for distributing electricity, warned those who use energy for life-saving devices to activate emergency plans, as the company confirmed that the country's energy system continued to be "fragile."

Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi said he would not minimize the impact of tropical storm Fred, adding that they expect a lot of rain. Meanwhile, at least eight shelters opened across the island. However, only seven people were reported to check-in by mid-evening on Tuesday.

CNN meteorologist Chad Meyers underscored that the storm would affect Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic in the next few days but will likely not gain strength. However, Meyers pointed out that plenty of warm water would be available for the storm that could make it stronger after that.

Fred was predicted to reach South Florida by Friday, potentially making landfall in the Florida Keys.

However, forecasters noted that it was still early to determine the exact track of tropical storm Fred. Hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski explained that Fred could reach Florida once the high-pressure area weakens, allowing the system to turn to the north.

READ MORE: Tornado Warning Issued in Chicago, With the Tornado Reportedly Touching Down in Dekalb County

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Not-year-Tropical Storm Fred Weather Forecast - From FOX 13 Tampa Bay
Canadian socialite Jasmine Hartin is set to return to court for her manslaughter by negligence case over the shooting death of a Belize cop.

Hartin's attorney, Richard "Dickie" Bradley, told Belize station LoveFM that the socialite was expected to appear in court on Wednesday, but it was also expected that the matter would be adjourned.

Bradley noted that "no disclosure has been provided," so Hartin will simply return to the court, and the court will provide further instruction on when the socialite needs to return.

In criminal law, "disclosure" refers to the process of exchanging information between the parties to prepare for legal proceedings. Police must provide all statements and all documentary evidence and exhibits gathered during their investigation.

Bradley said there was no indication that evidence collected will be available when Hartin goes to court tomorrow, particularly in the serious charge of the Belize cop's death.

Hartin's attorney noted that he thinks the investigators would want "to cover as much ground" and get more evidence as they possibly can regarding the matter.

Jasmine Hartin earlier confessed to authorities that she was practicing loading a gun when it went off and fatally shot San Pedro Superintendent Henry Jemmott on a pier on May 28.

READ NEXT: Jasmine Hartin Says Ex-Partner Andrew Ashcroft's Camp Had Her Sign Papers About 'Assets' and 'Shares' in Men's Lavatory of Belize Jail

Jasmine Hartin's Ex-Partner Granted Interim Custody of Kids

The socialite has also been attending court hearings in the past weeks in connection with the custody battle against her ex-husband Andrew Ashcroft, the son of British billionaire Lord Michael Ashcroft.

Andrew Ashcroft was granted interim custody of their two children last month, New York Post reported. An interim order is a court's temporary order pending a final order. Hartin said that, in her own opinion, it was a very unfair outcome. Her lawyer, Bradley, agreed with her.

In his latest interview with LoveFM, Bradley noted that he disagreed with the court's decision that the two kids temporarily stay with their father.

He said Hartin is the mother, and nothing can change that. He added that under the laws of Belize, an unmarried mother has custody of the children.

"The gentleman has not gone to the altar so the mother under the law has custody of the children," he noted.

Bradley earlier claimed that while Hartin was at a Belize jail, a representative of Andrew Ashcroft came with some documents about "her assets" and "handing over her shares" in the resort run by her ex-partner.

Hartin said she was asked to sign these documents in the men's lavatory since there were no other rooms. Bradley noted that "they had her sign over all her assets, all her shares."

The lawyer added that Hartin was also being pressured to sign over custody of the kids. However, the socialite did not sign those papers.

Manslaughter Case Over the Shooting Death of a Belize Cop

Jasmine Hartin and Henry Jemmott had been reportedly long-time friends. The Belize cop was socializing and drinking with Hartin on a secluded area of a hotel pier before his death.

Hartin said the Belize cop handed her his gun as they sat next to each other on the pier.

He then asked Hartin to demonstrate her gun skills to see if they had improved, Daily Mail reported. Hartin noted that Jemmott told her to get a gun for her own personal protection after a random man harassed her.

The socialite said that while she was trying to eject the magazine clip, she struggled with it, and that was when the gun went off.

Hartin said she had no idea that the gun still had a bullet. She was detained before she was charged with manslaughter by negligence in connection with the officer's death. She then paid for her bail, which was set at 30,000 Belize dollars.

Jasmine Hartin was also ordered to surrender her passport and personal documents as she was not allowed to leave the country without permission from the Supreme Court.

READ MORE: Jasmine Hartin: Lord Michael Ashcroft's Daughter-in-Law Could Avoid Jail Time in Belize Cop's Fatal Shooting

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Jasmine Hartin to Returns to Court to Face Charges of Manslaughter by Negligence - From Love FM






After almost 20 years in solitary confinement at the nation's highest-security supermax prison, Salvador "Sal" Magluta asked authorities for his compassionate release. His family supports his appeal by sharing posts online with #FreedomForSal.

In the recently released narco-documentary entitled "Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami," Sal Magluta was portrayed during his prime in the 1970s and '80s as a drug kingpin so rich and powerful that he even openly disregarded the justice system.

He was part of the drug trafficking 100,000 kilos of cocaine in Miami, operating a $2 billion enterprise in the booming area.

Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami

In 2002, Sal Magluta was sentenced for money laundering and obstruction of justice to a total of 195 years in federal prison. It was initially set for 205 years, but it was later reduced to 195 years on appeal.

A total of 145 years remains on his sentence, and he is not eligible for release until 2166. But Miami News Times reported that the 66-year-old former drug kingpin was described in court records and anecdotal accounts by family on social media as an elderly man now suffering from chronic kidney disease.

Sal Magluta was also reportedly suffering from ulcerative colitis, Type 2 diabetes, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress, and anxiety. Magluta's family noted that the then drug kingpin's mental and physical health was rapidly deteriorating.

Magluta spent more than a decade in the solitary confinement of ADX Florence in Colorado, the nation's highest-security supermax prison. The federal prison's solitary confinement was a place that the prison's former warden described as a "clean version of hell."

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Sal Magluta's Petition

After almost two decades in federal prison, Sal Magluta has petitioned the U.S. District Court Senior Judge Patricia A. Seitz in the Southern District of Florida for a compassionate release.

Magluta asked for home confinement with his 89-year-old mother, his grown son, and his grandkids in the west Miami-Dade suburb of Westchester. The court is reportedly considering the motion.

In the June 16 motion written by the attorneys of Sal Magluta, Richard Klugh, and Martin and Jane Raskin, they have stated that the former drug kingpin has spent decades enduring unthinkable punishment that already surpassed the court's goal during his conviction.

The attorneys also mentioned that Magluta has been rendered physically sick and mentally ill after being incarcerated in the nation's most brutal prison facility.

The legal team of Magluta also emphasized that the further incarceration of the former drug kingpin would be both excessive and inhumane as he was already deeply remorseful for his past actions, and he poses no danger to today's society.

Even the United Nation's Special Rapporteur for Human Rights considered solitary confinement for more than 15 days as a "form of torture."

The Southern Poverty Law Center noted that solitary confinement of incarcerated individuals was considered "inhumane, ineffective, and wasteful." The group also linked confinement to higher suicide rates compared to the general population.

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This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Cocaine Cowboys: How '80s Miami Became America's Drug Capital - From Netflix
The United States Senate finally approved U.S. President Joe Biden's proposed $3.5 trillion budget plan. This major trillion-dollar spending blueprint has been finalized on Wednesday, Aug. 11, after multiple voting sessions.

According to Forbes' latest report, the massive budget plan would definitely increase the taxes of rich U.S. residents, corporations, and other businesses. Although this is the case, the American leader and the Democrats reassured that this funding would expand various programs to make the United States a better place, especially during the ongoing pandemic. US President Joe Biden's Trillion-Dollar Budget Plan Biden's $3.5 trillion budget program would be used to expand various programs, such as health care, climate change, social security, and other important projects, which are expected to benefit taxpayers.

READ MORE: Barack Obama's 'Scaled-Down' Birthday Party Seems to Be Flocked With A-List Celebrities, Politicians, Athletes

NBC News also reported that the U.S. leader claimed that the infrastructure bill would further transform the United States. He added that the large investment would improve the country's water system, broadband service, roads, as well as public transit.

"Senate Democrats just passed our budget resolution to provide historic investments in American jobs, American families, and the fight against climate change," said the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Other Plans of Biden

Aside from the new infrastructure bill, CNN Politics recently reported that the American president also announced to make more than half of all the vehicles electric or zero-emission. He added that their goal could be completed this coming 2030.

Biden said that their EV innovation is a part of his administration's plan to combat the rising climate crisis. He added that the automobiles to be sold by 2030 should only use battery, fuel-cell, or should be plug-in hybrid models.

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Laurel, MS (39440)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 87F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable.
A wide range of online and in person events are taking place across Laois and indeed across Ireland to celebrate this years National Heritage Week, which takes place from August 14th to August 22nd.

Organised by the Heritage Council, National Heritage Week is one of Irelands largest cultural events.

Running from Saturday 14 until Sunday 22 August, National Heritage Week 2021 will follow the same format as last year. Local heritage groups, organisers, families and communities have developed projects relating to any aspect of Irelands built, cultural or natural heritage, and these will be showcased online and in some cases at in person events (with all public health precautions observed).

We want to get more people involved in National Heritage Week this year, said Catherine Casey, Heritage Officer with Laois County Council.

Its a great opportunity for us all to find out more about the skills, wisdom and knowledge that older members of the community have and to share in the joy of exploring and looking after heritage places that mean so much to local communities, whether thats local wildlife areas, graveyards, or artefacts that are part of the story of the town, like the Portlaoise Plane.

We want to encourage everyone to look into and enjoy the heritage in their immediate vicinity, she said

Laois Libraries Events

Laois Libraries are organising a number of online workshops for children including the ever-popular Irish History Live with Michael Moylan, who uses costumes, artefacts and a strong sense of fun to bring alive the history of Ireland and the people and events that have shaped our county.

Libraries at Abbeyleix, Mountrath and Mountmellick are running free town heritage trails, a fun and interactive way for children to learn about the fascinating history and heritage of their town  collect the worksheets from each library and drop back the completed sheet to be in with a chance towin a small prize. Contact Library@laoiscoco.ie for all enquiries, or see Laois Libraries on Facebook.

Digit Kids have two online workshops on Irish Archaeology for children too, one on Round Towers of Laois on August 17th and the other on the Castles of Laois on August 19th, both starting at 11am.

Booking is required for these fun, free workshops  check out digitkids.ie/book-online-courses/ for details.

The Big Dig with the School of Irish Archaeology

In keeping with the theme of Heritage for all the childrens archaeology workshop The Big Dig has two autism-friendly session at the playground at Abbeyleix Heritage House on Saturday 21st August.

These sessions have been reserved for autistic children and their families and will allow hands on exploration of the tools and techniques of archaeology in an inclusive and welcoming environment.

See Laois Heritage Office on Facebook for booking.

Bulfin Heritage Cycle

This years cycle takes the theme LAOIS LORE - Lords & Legacies on Saturday August 21st, as part of National Heritage Week. Participants will cycle out from Durrow visiting Granstown Lake, Abbeyleix, Clough and Ballygeehan, and returning to Durrow that evening.

The event will be for One Day only, will be 100% outdoors and will be confined to just 20 cyclists, on a first-come, first-served basis.

You can register your interest to participate in this years Bulfin Heritage Cycle Rally, by emailing durrow.doings@gmail.com or by phone on 086 869 4691

Heritage Week Awards

The Heritage Council has announced details of the National Heritage Week Awards 2021, which will recognise successful heritage projects showcased during this years National Heritage Week. Included in the seven award categories is a county award which recognise the best heritage project in each county.

The county award category will recognise those projects that promote awareness of, and engagement with heritage in the community.

The winners in each county will have maximised the involvement of a community in the project development or execution and increased awareness of an aspect of heritage in a community. Project organisers might choose to create something unique, or to build on an existing heritage project, or heritage networks in a community.

In addition to county awards, this years awards will have prizes for Heritage Hero, Heritage newcomers, Heritage sharing, Heritage for all ages, Water Heritage, Wild Child. All participants who successfully upload a heritage project on the National Heritage Week website by Monday, 30th August 2021 will be considered for a National Heritage Week Award.

Projects will be assessed on the basis of their local reach and community engagement, educational value and the level to which they involve different age groups.

A judging panel, convened by the Heritage Council, will consider submitted heritage projects for awards under the categories listed above. Awards will be announced in October 2020. For full details of all events happening in Laois for Heritage Week see www.laois.ie/heritageweek. Events and projects across the whole country for the week are at www.heritageweek.ie .

Heritage Week is coordinated in Ireland by the Heritage Council supported by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, in association with Failte Ireland.

At county level, National Heritage Week is co-ordinated and supported by Local Authority Heritage Officers, with numerous local community based heritage groups and organisations.

For updates on Heritage Week events please see www.facebook.com/laoisheritageoffice
The death has occurred of Brendan Cully

Leixlip, Kildare / Carbury, Kildare



Cully (Glendale, Leixlip and formerly of Carbury, Co. Kildare and founder of Cully Automation Ltd.), August 8th. 2021. Brendan, beloved husband of Mary and dear father of David, Claire, Enda and Aoife. Father-in-law to Liza, Nick, Shona and Darragh. Pre-deceased by his brother Jim. Sadly missed by his loving wife, sons, daughters, grandchildren Rian, Caoimhe, Oisin, Daniel, Evan, Sadie, Cian and Rosie, brothers Tom, Michael, Richard and Pauric, sisters Aileen, Betty, Mary, Geraldine and Kate, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, work colleagues, relatives, neighbours and friends.

R.I.P.

Due to Government advice and restrictions regarding public gatherings and to protect our most vulnerable family members and our friends, a private family funeral will take place. Those who would have liked to attend Brendans funeral; but due to current restrictions cannot, may view the Mass on Thursday morning, 12th August, at 11.00am by following the link below:

https://churchmedia.tv/camera/confey-parish

If you would like to have attended the funeral, but due to current restrictions you cannot, please leave your personal message by selecting Condolences below.

Family flowers only, please.

The death has occurred of David Ryan

Cornels Court, Newbridge, Kildare



Son of the late John and brother of the late baby Ann. Sadly missed by his loving mother Connie, brothers Paul, Mark and Fergal, sister Niamh, sisters in law Mary and Sarah, brother in law Mark, godsons, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and friends.

May David Rest In Peace

Due to Government advice and restrictions regarding public gatherings, a private family funeral will take place. Those who would have liked to attend the funeral, but due to current restrictions cannot, please feel free to leave a message in the condolence page below. Removal from his family home on Friday morning to arrive at St. Conleth's Parish Church, Newbridge for Requiem Mass at 11 o'clock. Burial afterwards in St. Conleth's Cemetery, Newbridge. David's Funeral Mass will be live-streamed on the Newbridge Parish website: www.newbridgeparish.ie/webcam.

The death has occurred of Maurice McCARTHY

Landen Park, Oldtown Demesne, Naas, Kildare



Peacefully, surrounded by loving family. Beloved husband of Sheila (nee Duggan) and dear father of Deirdre, Muiris, Conor and Caroline. Greatly missed by his sister Diana, brothers-in-law Cyril, Donie and Niall, sister-in-law Gretta, daughters-in-law Anna and Annie, grandchildren Bowen, Calder, Diarmuid and Mary-Angela, as well as relatives, neighbours and friends. Donations, in lieu of flowers, to Irish Cancer Society.

"Ar dheis De go raibh a anam."

Due to current Government guidelines regarding public gatherings, a private family funeral will take place with Funeral Mass at 10am on Thursday, August 12th in The Church of Our Lady and St. David, Naas. Those who would like to join the funeral service remotely by webcam can do so by clicking on https://www.naasparish.ie/our-parish/naas-webcam or via the Naas Parish App on the webcam folder. Maurice will be laid to rest in St. Corban's Cemetery, Naas.

Those who would have liked to attend the funeral but could not due to current restrictions can feel free to leave a message in the Condolence Book below.

The death has occurred of P.J Carroll

Askinraw Drive, Suncroft, Kildare / The Curragh, Kildare



Sadly missed by his loving brothers Michael, Joe, Damien (Rip) and Thomas, sister Mary, nephews, nieces, extended family, neighbours and friends.

May P.J Rest In Peace

Due to current government guidelines regarding public gatherings, a private family funeral will take place. Those who would have liked to attend the funeral, but due to current restrictions cannot, please feel free to leave a message in the condolence page below.

Removal from McWeys Funeral Home, Abbeyview, Kildare Town on Wednesday morning to arrive at St. Brigid's Church, Suncroft for requiem Mass at 11 o'clock. Burial afterwards in Holycross Cemetery, Suncroft. P.J's funeral Mass will be broadcast on 108FM and also live-streamed on the Farewell friends Facebook page : www.facebook.com/farewellfriendslivestreaming
US multi-national Keurig Dr Pepper is forging close links with local community groups in advance of the official opening of its new plant in Newbridge.

The company behind over 100 brands such as 7Up and Canada Dry is currently converting the former Lidl warehouse in Great Connell Business Park in a project worth more than 2m.

Around 50 people have been hired for Keurig Dr Pepper Ireland (KDPI) and operations are due to begin at the impressive facility in September or October.

Today, some employees got involved in a clean-up of local jogging and walking areas in conjunction with Newbridge Tidy Towns.

A KDPI spokesperson said: We arent opened as of yet but we felt it would be beneficial for our employees to come together and help clean up a very popular walking/jogging area of Newbridge which works out to be just outside our facility.

We would like to show people in the local community and broader county that even though we arent opened as of yet , we as a company care about the environment and always will going forward.

Keurig Dr Pepper Inc has 25,000 employees worldwide and had annual revenues of over $11bn in 2020.

Other well known brands in its portfolio include Snapple, Sunkist, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and The Original Donut Shop.

The firm is currently coming off a strong year of trading as customers forced to stay at home during the pandemic led to an increase in product sales.

The vacant former Lidl building in Newbridge is being converted for beverage manufacturing.

The gross floor area of the premises is increasing from 31,986 sq m to 34,191 sq m and includes 209 car parking spaces and 40 bicycle spaces.

Other additions on the site will be an external chiller, condensing units and a wastewater treatment plant.

A firm known for being socially and environmentally responsible, Keurig Dr Pepper recently agreed to cut its use of plastic for packaging by 20% by 2025.

The multi-national also gets involved in local communities surrounding its plants by sponsoring events and outreach initiatives to foster mutual understanding.
Failte Ireland and TG4 have joined forces with renowned Irish musician Sharon Shannon on a new travel and music programme Heartlands. The four-week series, commencing on Wednesday 11th August at 8.30pm, features Sharon Shannon and her niece Caoilinn Ni Dhonnabhain showcasing the Shannon River region across Irelands Hidden Heartlands. Packed with inspirational ideas for short breaks this summer and into autumn, the series will encourage and remind more Irish people to discover the joy of holidaying in Ireland.

Programme schedule: (full details in Note to Editor)

Episode 1: Wednesday 11th August  Cavan, Roscommon and Leitrim

Episode 2: Wednesday 18th August  Leitrim, Roscommon, Longford and Westmeath

Episode 3: Wednesday 25th August  Westmeath, Offaly and Galway

Episode 4: Wednesday 1st September  Clare and Tipperary

Sharon and her niece Caoilinn Ni Dhonnabhain will slowly cruise the River Shannon discovering Irelands hidden gems while catching up with a host of musical friends, such as Liam OMaonlaoi (Hothouse Flowers), Steve Wickham (The Waterboys), Eleanor Shanley, Nathan Carter, The Henshaws, Seamus Begley, Mundy, Gerry Banjo OConnor and Susan ONeill.

Building on the success of Failte Irelands current domestic marketing campaign, Keep Discovering, the new TG4 television series Heartlands, in association with Failte Ireland, will air from Wednesday 11th August at 8.30pm running each Wednesday for four weeks. The series was supported by TG4, Failte Ireland, Waterways Ireland and all nine Local Authorities along the Shannon from the Shannon Pot to Lough Derg (Cavan, Roscommon, Leitrim, Longford, Westmeath, Offaly, Galway, Clare and Tipperary).

Paddy Mathews, Failte Irelands Head of Operations for Irelands Hidden Heartlands, said:

Heartlands is an exciting new series which fuses travel with music, uncovering a host of hidden gems along the River Shannon and introducing the viewer to some of Irelands greatest musicians along the way. Following Sharon Shannon and her niece Caoilinn Ni Dhonnabhain from the Shannon Pot all the way down to Lough Derg is a wonderful way to showcase Irelands Hidden Heartlands in an engaging way which makes for compelling viewing.

Heartlands will visit a number of locations across Irelands Hidden Heartlands, telling stories that explore the hidden and not so hidden treasures that the regions has to offer. Each 30-minute programme will see Sharon and Caoilinn connect with some of Irelands top musicians while reminding viewers of the many unique experiences on offer.

Commenting on her involvement in the Heartlands programme, Sharon Shannon said:

Its only when you get a chance, like I have, to explore whats on our doorstep, that you truly realise the wonderful gems we have around Ireland, and in particular along the River Shannon in Irelands Hidden Heartlands. Its been such a joy to be involved with this wonderful programme Heartland, combining my great love of Ireland and music with Failte Ireland and TG4 and I truly encourage everyone to go and explore for yourself the host of things to see and do along our very own River Shannon!

Proinsias Ni Ghrainne, TG4 Commissioning Editor commented: Heartlands is a highly entertaining and visually rich series which literally goes to the heart of Irish music and storytelling on the shores of the Shannon. TG4 is delighted to package such top-class musical content into four half hours to be broadcast in our primetime schedule. Mo cheol sibh!

In 2018, Failte Ireland unveiled Irelands Hidden Heartlands as its latest tourism brand, to bring to life the Midlands rich natural assets including its many lakes, walkways and blueways. It also leveraged a growing tourism trend for soft adventure by encouraging visitors to be active in nature and to explore the region off the beaten tracks with the River Shannon as a central focus of the brand to drive tourism opportunities both on and off the water, and in the towns surrounding it.
LENSAINDONESIA.COM: International travel restrictions are constantly being revised to combat the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

While it is almost impossible to keep up with the revisions for every country, we have compiled the latest requirements for crossing the border into Indonesias closest neighbors in Southeast Asia.

Note: More detailed information about the coronavirus travel restrictions for the countries listed below can be found on onlinevisa.com.

Malaysia

COVID-19 lockdown measures are in place in Malaysia, and travel into the country remains restricted. At present, only the following categories of passengers are allowed to enter Malaysia for purposes other than transit:

 Malaysian nationals

 Diplomatic passport holders

 Holders of a MyTravelPass (MTP) obtained online

 Students with written approval from Malaysian immigration

 Merchant seamen with an official letter from a company certified by Malaysian immigration, who are joining their ship no later than 24 hours after arrival.

Additionally, passengers arriving from either Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka are not currently permitted to not allowed to transit through Malaysia. There are only a few exceptions, including citizens of Malaysia. Permanent residents and spouses of Malaysian nationals may also enter from these countries if they have a MyTravelPass.

All travelers currently permitted to cross the border into Malaysia must meet the following requirements:

 Install the MySejahtera app on their mobile device and complete the health declaration at least 1 day before departure

 Have a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken at most 3 days before departure from the first embarkation point

 Take an RT-PCR test upon arrival at their own expense

 Undergo medical screening and quarantine for 14 days or 21 days at the first point of entry at their own expense

 Complete an online enterSarawak form and an eHealth Declaration Form before departure (passengers arriving in Sarawak only).

Although foreign nationals may transit through Malaysia to a third country, only nationals of Malaysia traveling to Sarawak may transfer from an international flight to a domestic flight. Transit through Kuala Lumpur International Airport is currently only permitted for a maximum of 24 hours.

Papua New Guinea

At present, passengers may enter Papua New Guinea if they are arriving at Port Moresby (POM) from one of the following countries:

 Australia

 Cook Islands

 Fiji

 Hong Kong

 Japan

 Kiribati

 Marshall Islands

 Micronesia

 Nauru

 New Caledonia

 New Zealand

 Niue

 Palau

 Philippines

 Samoa

 Singapore

 Solomon Islands

 Tonga

 Tuvalu

 Vanuatu

All arriving passengers must:

 Have a National Control Centre Covid-19 Response controller approval

 Take a COVID-19 PCR test at most 7 days before departure and present proof of the negative result on arrival

 Obtain an approved International Air Passenger Travel Form (I-APTF) by sending an email to covid19-travel@police.gov.pg

 Complete an e-Health Declaration Form online and present the barcode generated on arrival.

Additionally, all arrivals must have a confirmed hotel reservation and are subject to quarantine for up to 14 days. Transit through Papua New Guinea is not currently permitted.

Philippines

Passengers who have been in Indonesia in the past 14 days are not allowed to enter the Philippines until 15 August 2021. Exceptions include nationals of the Philippines traveling on repatriation flights, and holders of a diplomatic passport and a 9(E) visa.

Passengers must also:

 Complete an online Case Investigation Form and present it upon arrival

 Install the TRAZE app on their mobile device before departure

 Have a negative RT-PCR test result issued at most 48 hours before departure and a prior approval obtained from the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ)

 Have a confirmed reservation at a hotel approved by the Filipino Tourism and Health Agencies for at least 10 days.

 Undergo quarantine for up to 14 days at the first point of entry

 Register online at most 5 days before departure (Passengers traveling to Cebu (CEB) only)

 Complete the online One Health Pass form before arrival (passengers traveling to Manila (MNL) only)

 Have a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result issued at most 72 hours before departure (passengers traveling to Davao (DVO) only).

It is not currently possible to transit in the Philippines, whether to a domestic flight within the country or to an international destination.

Vietnam

While some entry restrictions apply and transit is not permitted, passengers traveling on business as experts, business managers or high-tech workers are now able to travel between Indonesia and Vietnam. Vietnamese nationals are also allowed to enter , as are holders of a diplomatic or official passport.

All passengers must complete a Health Declaration Form online before departure. It is also necessary to undergo medical screening and quarantine for 14 days on arrival.

Those visiting Vietnam for business must either have medical insurance or a guarantee from their hosting company to cover any COVID-19 expenses they may incur during their trip. They must also present a negative RT-PCR test result in English. The test must have been taken at most 3 days before arrival.

Please note that these restrictions are constantly being revised as the global situation continues to develop. Therefore, it is important to check for updates, as governments may change the rules at short notice.***
BISHOP of Limerick Brendan Leahy isnt one of the religious figures who have defied public health advice by allowing Holy Communions and Confirmations take place in their dioceses in August.

A number of bishops have spoken out  including the Limerick-born and former parish priest of Rathkeale, Bishop of Waterford and Lismore Phonsie Cullinan  after the sacraments were postponed on a number of occasions.

Following a query from the Leader, a spokesperson for the Limerick diocese said: It is highly unlikely that now, in peak summer holiday period, parishes will seek to plan First Holy Communions or Confirmations.

So the expectation is that planning for these celebrations will resume towards the end of the month. It is critical, however, that, as we do begin these celebrations, we remain mindful of Covid restrictions in our churches and will be urging the public to do likewise away from the sacraments themselves, said the diocesan spokesperson.

Just to muddy the waters even more, one County Limerick parish has got the go ahead to start planning for First Holy Communions and Confirmations.

Ahane, Castleconnell and Montpelier parish is in the Killaloe diocese. It is the only parish in the county not in the Limerick Diocese or the Cashel and Emly Archdiocese.

In an interview with RTE, Bishop of Killaloe Fintan Monahan said he has directed parish priests in his diocese to go ahead with Communions that were previously set to take place in mid-August.

However, it appears the bishops may have misread the appetite for sacraments in August when many families, teachers and priests are away on holidays.

Priests on the ground dont appear to be too enamoured with the mixed messages either. The Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) has issued a statement on the matter. One of its leaders is Fr Roy Donovan, parish priest of Caherconlish / Caherline.

The leadership of the ACP believes that the recent disagreement between the Government and some members of the Catholic Bishops offers an opportunity to reflect on a number of issues that are pertinent to both Church and State.

Some bishops expressed disappointment that they were not consulted by the politicians. This could prove useful in providing the bishops with the experience of powerlessness and, from it, they may gain a better understanding of what it is like for certain groups within a church that teaches that we are all equal by virtue of our Baptism. Women, gay people and those in second relationships, could tell bishops a lot about being powerless when it comes to Church teaching and practice.

The statement goes on to say that the pattern of celebrating both First Communion and Confirmation has been troubling for many priests and people in recent years.

Children are presented for both sacraments even though many of them rarely, if ever, attend any celebrations of the Eucharist, either before or after the big day.

The ACP believes that the current model whereby the bulk of sacramental preparation takes place in school, in a partnership involving school, parents and parish, is no longer fit for purpose. This way of doing things has to change. It is the role of the family and parish to nurture faith and introduce children to the sacraments.

The ACP is not aware of any discussion taking place with priests or pastoral councils by those bishops who stated that they were allowing parish celebrations of the sacraments in contradiction of the stated position of both medical and civil authorities. Such lack of consultation is a far cry from the approach to decision making envisioned in the Synodal Church promoted by Pope Francis, and being launched here in Ireland this year, reads the statement.

Meanwhile, almost 70 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Limerick since the weekend.

A total of 639 people received their first dose Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines at walk-in clinics in the region's three Covid-19 vaccination centres. Of these, 359 were delivered at the Limerick Racecourse on Friday and Sunday.

These doses, and all activity at the vaccination centres up to close of business on August 8 bring to 301,704 the total vaccinations administered under the Mid-West Covid-19 vaccination programme.

This total does not include the vaccination work undertaken by HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare, the National Ambulance Service, General Practitioners and pharmacists.

Visiting restrictions remain in place at University Hospital Limerick after they were re-introduced last week in response to a Covid-19 outbreak. The move came just 10 days after the measures were eased at University Hospital Limerick.

These are in place as a precautionary measure, with visits already been booked through ward managers allowed to go ahead subject to Covid-19 protocols.

Exceptions will be made for parents visiting children, those assisting confused patients and those who are critically or terminally ill  however these will be limited to one person per patient.

In a statement issued by UL Hospitals Group, they say they regret the inconvenience this causes and wish to reassure patients and their loved ones that all appropriate infection control precautions are being followed.

They are also appealing to members of the public not to visit patients outdoors on the grounds of the hospital as this can also present a Covid-19 transmission risk.
DANISH home retail brand Jysk has confirmed it will open its second store in Limerick in November.

As revealed by the Limerick Leader earlier this year, the firm sought  and later secured  planning permission earlier this year at the Ennis Road retail park for a store to go alongside its existing one at the Dublin Road.

In a national announcement, Jysk today stated it will open five more outlets across the country in a move which will create up to 90 new jobs. When Jysk opened its first store in Limerick at the Dublin Road, 25 positions were created.

As well as in Limerick, new stores will open at Ashbourne in August, Carlow in September, Tralee and Cork in October, and Dundalk in November.

Jysk opened its first store in Ireland in 2019 and currently employs 150 people across its nine stores here.

The company had planned to open 15 stores in Ireland in the first two years. However, the pandemic hampered those plans.

"We are back on track and look forward to opening six stores by the end of 2021 to bring our total in Ireland to 15," said Roni Tuominen, country manager for Jysk UK and Ireland.

"We have ambitious plans for Jysk in Ireland in the coming years," he added.

Jysk said the six store openings in Ireland are one part of an overall ambition to keep expanding and opening new stores across the world. Currently the company has 3,000 stores worldwide.

Within the next year, Jysk said it plans to open 200 new stores across Europe.

By the end of 2024, the company said it will have invested several 100 million on its European stores.
A LIMERICK mum-and-dad are in a race against time to find their desperately ill teenage daughter a new kidney.

Ali Kelly, 16, has been in and out of hospital since she was born and is in dire need of a new kidney to ensure she can lead a productive life.

Her father Joe  who admitted she is being kept alive by a machine  has started tests this week to see if he can donate a kidney.

Both he and Alis mother Virginia have appealed to people to come forward to join the donor register.

Ali, whose family hail from Moyross and have also lived in Annacotty, was born with polycystic kidney disease, which means the organ is full of holes.

Despite being given little hope, she had her first transplant at the age of four.

Last year, she received dialysis at home  which meant that she was hooked up to a machine for up to 14 hours a day.

However, now, the youngster must travel up to Temple Street Childrens Hospital in Dublin four times a week where a tube is inserted through the main artery of her heart.

Joe said: At the moment, its torture for her. She is on dialysis in Dublin four days a week, and is hooked up to a machine for a minimum of six hours.

Ali has been forced to miss a year of school.

She does get quite emotional and quite low. Her weight fluctuates all the time. Shed be really skinny and get full fluid, then be quite big. So youd be worried about her mental health as well, Virginia explained, But you want her mind to be strong  it has to be strong.

Since Ali  the youngest of four children  was 11 days old, she has been in hospital.

She never ate for the first four years. She was tube fed. But then she got her kidney transplant  well never forget getting her out of the hospital, and we went to McDonalds where she had a Big Mac Meal. It was the size of her face, the parents laughed.

As a consequence of the many surgeries Ali has had, her stomach is tied and twisted, making vomiting impossible.

Tragically, it was also discovered that the teenager has no uterus, something which means she will not be able to give birth.

Joe says if doctors decide Ali is not well enough, they will not put her forward for a transplant.

His bid to donate a kidney began this Monday, and involves the checking of his bloods to ensure he is a compatible match to be able to donate.

If Ali does enjoy a successful transplant, Joe and Virginia said it would be like winning the lottery  with many of her other medications cut as a result.

The family have decided to tell their story in the hope it will persuade other people to join the donor register, with Joe saying it should be a case of opting out of it, rather than opting in, believing most people would gladly help.

Youd read someones story on the paper and youd say its very sad. But then youd flick the page. You dont have to think about it. But it could be your child. I never in a million years expected this would happen. All the rest of my children are healthy, Virginia said.

Both mum and dad are immensely proud of their daughter, Virginia saying She is beautiful, absolutely phenomenal. She sits down there and she would melt you with her singing. Shes very kind and very cuddly. Just a great kid for what shes going through.

Ali said she hopes to be a beautician or a nail artist when she grows older.

Asked how she has coped with all the upheaval in such a short life, she said softly: I just get on with it.

To join the organ donor register, free text the word 'Donor' to 50050 or Lo-call 1890 543 639.
Every now and again you hear a story that stops you in your tracks, leaving you feeling inspired, amazed and full of awe. This is exactly how the Dilleen family, founders of EZ Living Furniture, felt in 2019 when they met Dr Trish Scanlan and heard her incredible story. So much so, they felt it absolutely necessary to do whatever they could to help.

Its one thing to treat a patient in front of you, its another thing entirely to change the way a country takes care of children with cancer.

~ Prof Patrick Murray - Dean Of Medicine & Medical Science UCD on Dr Trish

Dr Trishs Story

Back in 2006 as part of her Masters degree in International Health Dr Trish travelled to Tanzania to learn how childrens cancer was being treated in other parts of the world. There she was confronted with a heart-breaking and bleak reality. A chronic shortage of resources and drugs coupled with having only one doctor (the wonderful Dr Jane Kaijage)and three nurses available meant that the survival rate for children presenting with cancer was less than 10%.

The following year Dr Trish came back to Tanzania with one goal - to improve and strengthen paediatric oncology services for the children of Tanzania. Her vision and commitment made a massive difference and within 18 months Dr Trish had revolutionised cancer treatment for children to such an extent that survival rates soared from just 10% to 60%.

Dr Trish founded the Childrens Cancer Unit at Muhimbili National Hospital. Previously the number of children being treated was around 100. Fifteen years on and over 750 children are availing of free treatment. But sadly it is still only a fraction of the estimated 4,500 child cancer sufferers in Tanzania.

Their Lives Matter (TLM)

In 2011 Tumaini la Misha or Hope For Life was established, a parents association set up to help and support the families of the patients. Tumaini la Misha would later become the international NGO collective Their Lives Matter or TLM. Dr Trish and TLM share a dream, a dream where every child in Tanzania that needs it, will receive the best cancer treatment possible, absolutely free. Dr Trish has dedicated her life to treating and improving the lives of children with cancer and their families in Tanzania.

PICTURED: Children in Tanzania who are cared for by TLM

Dr Trish and EZ Living Furniture - From The West Coast Of Ireland To The East Coast Of Africa

When the Dilleen family heard this extraordinary tale they felt compelled to contribute however they could, in any small way. By the following Monday, using all of their connections and experience, plans were in place to send a container packed with comfortable new mattresses from the west coast of Ireland to the east coast of Africa. After many hurdles and setbacks, the container finally arrived, providing much-needed comfort to the children cared for by TLM.

Since then the charity has been very close to the hearts of the EZ Living Furniture family. Always on the lookout for ways to help Dr Trish even to the extent of using the company warehouse as a base to send medical equipment from Ireland to Tanzania, the EZ Living Furniture family has decided to appeal to the public for help on behalf of Dr Trish and Their Lives Matter.

Funding for the charity has been severely affected by Covid 19. EZ Living Furniture is asking customers to donate as little as the price of a cup of coffee to help treat the children of Tanzania.

Buy A Mask - Save A Life

EZ Living Furniture is selling hand-made masks for 4 in each of their stores nationwide. The masks have been made in a skills workshop by parents of children treated by Dr Trish and TLM.

All proceeds will go to funding chemotherapy treatments, nutrition programmes, and more for the many sick children that Dr Trish and TLM care for.

For more information visit EZ Living Furnitures Their Lives Matter webpage by TAPPING HERE.

You can also visit www.ezlivingfurniture.ie
The 2.2 million unique beneficiaries added in the lower band of the salary structure within nine months of companies being offered Employees Provident Fund (EPF) subsidy is much below the internal assessment of more than 5 million additions. Mint details the progress.

How is the EPF subsidy working out for firms?

The wage subsidy via the Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) seems to be getting traction in boosting job creation in smaller firms. Of all the new job enrolments as a result of the new initiative, more than half have come from micro and small firms or those having an existing employee base of less than 50. It shows that this category of firms is benefiting most from the wage subsidy. These firms are also at the forefront of adding a large pool of new employees and taking back those who lost jobs between March and September 2020 because of the lockdowns imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus.

How many new jobs have been created?

In this first phase of the EPF subsidy period, from October 2020 to June 2021, micro and small firms added 1.14 million employees. They were followed by firms with existing employee count of more than 1,000, which have added 568,516 unique beneficiaries. Companies that have 50 to 1,000 people on their payroll had added 495,160 employees in this period. As many as 82,251 companies have enrolled for availing the benefit by 30 June, of which 23,881 are small firms, according to official data. Thus, while registration of small firms is low, their unique beneficiary addition is higher than those in other categories.

View Full Image Small firms lead the way

Is the subsidy aiding employment of women?

Of the 2.2 million unique beneficiary additions, 570,302 are female, 1.62 million are male, and 29 are transgender workers. Women beneficiaries account for slightly more than 25% of the total job additions, which is similar to the very low overall women labour force participation rate in the country that has been a talking point for several years.

What does the scheme provide?

The government will pay 24% of EPF dues of those who join work between 1 October 2020 and 31 March 2022 for two years from the date of joining, covering 12% share each for employees and employers. Employees with a maximum salary of 15,000 per month who join in this period shall get the subsidy. This subsidy is a direct saving for both employees and employers. Other than fresh hires, people who lost their jobs during first wave of covid-19 are also eligible, provided their salary is less than 15,000 per month.

How much has been spent by the Centre?

The Centre said it will spend 22,098 crore on the scheme, which ends on 31 March 2024. However, only 450 crore was released in 2020-21 and as of 30 June, 950 crore has been utilized. Of this, 540 crore has gone to small firms in the first nine months ending 30 June, 277 crore to large firms, and the remaining 132 crore to firms with 1,000 or more workers each. Tamil Nadu and Gujarat have added the most number of workers, while Assam and Bihar are laggards among large states

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Concentric ripples in galactic dust clouds triggered by a black-hole burst. (Image credit: NASA/CXC/U.Wisc-Madison/S. Heinz et al.; Optical/IR: Pan-STARRS)

NASA has released a new image of ripples in dust clouds created by an unexpected black hole X-ray burst observed in 2015.

The image, a combination of observations taken by the NASA workhorse Chandra X-ray Observatory and the optical Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii, shows blue concentric rings of dust around the V404 Cygni black hole (the Chandra view) on the backdrop of surrounding stars (as seen by the Pan-STARRS telescope).

The concentric circles reveal interesting information about the dust clouds between Earth and V404 Cygni, NASA officials wrote in a statement . Although the image is two-dimensional, the rings are actually dispersed in space across the 7,800 light-years that separate Earth from the black hole.

Related: This black hole's jets wobble like crazy because it's warping space-time

The rings reflect how the X-ray light emitted by the black hole during the burst propagated throughout the Milky Way galaxy and bounced off dust particles concentrated in clouds within it, like sound waves creating echoes. The size of the rings therefore corresponds to the distance between Earth and each dust cloud, with the smaller rings revealing the location of the more distant clouds and the larger rings representing those closer to our planet.

NASA explained in the statement that the so-called light echoes appear as narrow rings rather than wide rings or haloes because the X-ray burst lasted only a relatively short period of time.

The unusually powerful X-ray burst was first spotted on June 5, 2015, by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory , a NASA space telescope that studies gamma-rays. Chandra subsequently observed the event between July 11 and 25, 2015. However, the brightness of the event forced Chandra's operators to place the V404 Cygni system in between the telescope's detectors to prevent damage to the instrument in case of another powerful burst.

The size of the rings reflects the distance of the dust clouds from Earth. (Image credit: NASA)

Just like a medical X-ray image reveals information about the properties of the various tissues in the body, so do the Chandra observations tell astronomers about the properties of the dust clouds, NASA said in the statement. Researchers compared the brightness of the X-ray light over a range of wavelengths with computer models of interstellar dust of various chemical compositions.

Since different materials absorb X-ray light differently, scientists were able to learn more about what those clouds are made of. The team determined that the dust most likely contains a mixture of graphite and silicate grains. In addition, by analyzing the inner rings with Chandra, the scientists found that the densities of the dust clouds are not uniform in all directions.

Several studies based on the initial observations have been published since 2015.

V404 Cygni is a binary system consisting of a black hole as heavy as nine suns and a companion star about half of the mass of the sun. The black hole sucks in material from the star, which can be observed thanks to the X-rays emitted by the black hole's accretion disk.

Follow Tereza Pultarova on Twitter @TerezaPultarova. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
Unvaccinated people currently account for most new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., but a small proportion of cases are in vaccinated people; these cases are known as breakthrough infections. But is there a difference in how often people get breakthrough infections depending on which vaccine they got?

The short answer is, we don't know exactly, but there are some hints in the data. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine does seem to have higher rates of breakthrough infection than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but that was expected based on the results of clinical trials. Some very early hints show a slightly lower rate of breakthrough infections with the Moderna vaccine than with the Pfizer vaccine, but that early finding is based on data on a few million people from only two locations and thus may not represent the overall picture in the country.

Related: 5 dangerous myths about vaccines

Because no vaccine is 100% effective, breakthrough infections have been expected from the start of the vaccine rollout. In the context of clinical trials, about 0.04% of people given the Pfizer vaccine got infected with SARS-CoV-2, versus about 0.07% with Moderna and 0.59% with Johnson & Johnson.

Now that the vaccines are authorized, scientists have the chance to track how many breakthrough infections occur in the real-world, beyond clinical trials. When breakthroughs do occur, most people experience mild symptoms, if they fall ill at all, and a small percentage develop severe disease, require hospitalization or die, current data suggests.

The recent rise of the highly-transmissible delta variant might raise the risk of breakthrough infections, though. For example, a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study, published Aug. 6 as a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) report, found that the delta variant surged in Mesa County, Colorado between May and June; at the same time, the county accrued a "significantly higher" proportion of breakthrough cases compared with other Colorado counties, where delta was less prevalent.

Reporting of breakthrough infections now falls largely on the states, and of the 25 or so states that report breakthrough infections, most don't yet provide data on the number of cases linked to each vaccine brand, Live Science found in a search of state health department websites.

However, Oklahoma and Washington, D.C., do make this information public. These data could provide "early signals" regarding how well the vaccines are working, particularly as new variants emerge, the DC Health website states . That said, there are many limitations: The data sets are small, each vaccine was given to different numbers of people and the timing of the doses makes it hard to interpret the data.

Related: Coronavirus variants: Here's how the SARS-CoV-2 mutants stack up

Still, as of Aug. 1, more than 299,000 D.C. residents had been fully vaccinated, according to data from DC Health . Of these people, nearly 151,000 received the two-dose Pfizer vaccine, about 124,700 got the two-dose Moderna vaccine and about 24,000 received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

In this population, the highest rate of breakthroughs was seen in those who got the Johnson & Johnson shot: 77 people, or 0.32% of the roughly 24,000 recipients. The second highest rate was seen among Pfizer recipients, of whom 308 people, or 0.2%, tested positive for the virus. Finally, 161, or 0.13%, of the Moderna recipients caught a breakthrough infection.

These numbers include asymptomatic, mild, moderate and severe breakthrough cases. Some people with asymptomatic or mild infections may not get tested, so their cases would be missed, meaning this is probably an undercount of breakthroughs.

Related: 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history

Oklahoma has reported similar results.

As of Aug. 2, more than 1.5 million Oklahomans had been fully vaccinated, according to a report from the Oklahoma State Department of Health . About 817,000 had received Pfizer shots, 674,000 received Moderna and 102,000 got Johnson & Johnson. Again, the Johnson & Johnson recipients showed the highest rate of breakthrough cases, with 215, or 0.21%, testing positive for the virus; 1,468 Pfizer recipients, or 0.17% of the total, caught a breakthrough infection; and 831 Moderna recipients, or 0.12%, tested positive for the virus.

These snapshots from Oklahoma and D.C. likely offer an incomplete picture of breakthrough cases in each region, however, and for now, it's unclear if the observed patterns are representative of the country as a whole. To accurately compare the vaccine brands, particularly with the delta variant still running rampant, we simply need more data, Robert Darnell, a physician scientist at The Rockefeller University in New York, told National Geographic .

That said, other preliminary research also suggests Moderna's vaccine offers more protection against the delta variant than Pfizer's, which could help explain the differences in breakthrough rates, Reuters reported . One study, posted Aug. 8 on the preprint database bioRxiv , included more than 50,000 patients in the Mayo Clinic Health System and found that the Moderna vaccine's real-world effectiveness fell from 86% to 76% between January and July, when delta gained prominence. In the same time window, Pfizer's effectiveness fell from 76% to 42%.

However, that study has not been peer-reviewed yet, so the results still need to be confirmed.

Originally published on Live Science.
Today (Aug. 10), the OIG published an audit showing that with spacesuit development delays NASA will not make its 2024 lunar landing goal. In this photo is Kristine Davis, a spacesuit engineer at NASAs Johnson Space Center, wearing a ground prototype of NASAs new Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), is seen during a demonstration of the suit, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Because of anticipated delays in spacesuit development, it is "not feasible" for NASA to land humans on the moon by the agency's hopeful deadline of 2024, a new report from the agency's Office of Inspector General (OIG) has found.

In this new report , which the OIG's Office of Audits released on Tuesday (Aug. 10), NASA's Inspector General has audited the agency's development of next-generation spacesuits, called the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU). NASA is creating the suits to be worn and used as part of the agency's Artemis program , which the agency has said will return humans to the lunar surface by 2024. However, according to this evaluation, that timeline is not only unlikely, but even impossible.

"NASA's current schedule is to produce the first two flight-ready xEMUs by November 2024, but the agency faces significant challenges in meeting this goal," the audit reads . However, it adds, given anticipated delays in spacesuit development, "a lunar landing in late 2024 as NASA currently plans is not feasible."

Related: The evolution of the spacesuit in pictures

The OIG conducted the audit because, "The development of new spacesuits is a critical component of achieving NASA's goals of returning humans to the moon, continuing safe operations on the International Space Station (ISS), and exploring Mars and other deep space locations," the report reads. In the audit, inspectors "examined the extent to which NASA is addressing challenges related to cost, schedule, and performance of the next-generation spacesuit system."

Spacesuits currently in rotation among astronauts on the space station were designed 45 years ago for NASA's space shuttle program, and it is critical that NASA develop new suits for the safety and efficiency of future space missions and programs, the audit notes. And so, for the past 14 years NASA has been developing this next-gen replacement.

However, obstacles along the way in developing these suits could put NASA's ambitious moon plans on hold; one main obstacle being budget.

"We reported in 2017 that despite spending nearly $200 million on extravehicular spacesuit development over the previous nine-year period, the agency remained years away from having a flight-ready spacesuit to use on exploration missions. Since our 2017 report, NASA has spent an additional $220 million  for a total of $420 million  on spacesuit development," the audit reads.

However, while NASA aims to invest $625.2 million more into the development of these suits, bringing the grand total to over $1 billion, the OIG still thinks that NASA cannot meet its current hopeful schedule of a 2024 lunar landing.

In addition to a multitude of budgetary concerns, the audit shows that this schedule includes about a 20-month delay in designing, verifying and testing the suits as well as creating two "qualification suits," a demonstration suit for the space station and two lunar flight suits.

More: NASA picks SpaceX's Starship to land Artemis astronauts on the moon

Amy Ross, a spacesuit engineer at NASAs Johnson Space Center, left, and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, second from left, watch as Kristine Davis, a spacesuit engineer at NASAs Johnson Space Center, wearing a ground prototype of NASAs new Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), and Dustin Gohmert, Orion Crew Survival Systems Project Manager at NASAs Johnson Space Center, wearing the Orion Crew Survival System suit, right, wave after being introduced by the administrator, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. (Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)

"These delays  attributable to funding shortfalls, COVID-19 impacts, and technical challenges  have left no schedule margin for delivery of the two flight-ready xEMUs," the report reads. The audit found, in analyzing the suit development at Johnson Space Center in Texas and Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, reviewing NASA finances, program planning and budgeting and more, that "the suits would not be ready for flight until April 2025 at the earliest."

"Moreover," the audit added, "by the time two flight-ready xEMUs are available, NASA will have spent over a billion dollars on the development and assembly of its next-generation spacesuits."

The report added that once the suits are ready it does not mean that a mission to the moon can launch right away. The agency will need to have these suits ready well ahead of any crewed missions so that astronauts can train with them not just for Artemis missions but for astronauts flying to the space station and astronauts that will work with other NASA programs.

Moving forward

As part of this audit, the OIG made four recommendations to NASA's associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, who is currently Kathy Lueders.

These recommendations suggest that NASA adjust its schedule to land humans on the moon "as appropriate to reduce development risks"; develop a master schedule for all of its different programs (like Gateway, Artemis, ISS and more); solidify all technical requirements for the suits before moving forward; and develop an "acquisition strategy" for the suits that satisfies the needs of both the Artemis and ISS programs, according to the report.

According to this audit, even with over $1 billion in total projected spending for these new spacesuits, there are too many delays and obstacles and NASA cannot meet its 2024 moon landing goal.

However, a comment on the OIG audit from SpaceX founder Elon Musk has sparked discussions of a possible spacesuit collaboration between the company and NASA. In response to a social media post by CNBC reporter Michael Sheetz about the OIG audit, Musk tweeted "SpaceX could do it if need be."

SpaceX could do it if need beAugust 10, 2021 See more

What exactly "it" is in this instance is unclear at this point, but it did show Musk's interest in collaborating with NASA in some way with regard to the development of its next-generation spacesuits.

This is not the first inkling of commercial collaboration for NASA's xEMUs. In April, the agency published a request for information (RFI) that revealed that it was looking for feedback from the space sector on a strategy to work with commercial partners on programs including spacesuits.

In the agency's proposed new strategy outlined in the RFI, NASA would be "shifting acquisition of the exploration extravehicular activity (xEVA) system to a model in which NASA will purchase spacesuit services from commercial partners rather than building them in-house with traditional government contracts," the statement reads.

Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
A white dwarf star hurtling through the Milky Way could have survived a cataclysmic supernova (depicted in this illustration). (Image credit: Shutterstock)

In 2017, astronomers noticed a star streaking out of the Milky Way at nearly 2 million mph (3.2 million km/h)  roughly four times faster than our sun orbits  and flying against the direction in which most stars trek around the galactic center. It's also made of completely different star stuff, mostly heavy, "metallic" atoms rather than the usual light elements. LP 40-365, as it was called, was as eye-catching as a wooden car barreling up the interstate against traffic at hundreds of miles per hour.

"It is exceptionally weird in a lot of different ways," said study lead author J.J. Hermes, an astronomer at Boston University.

Related: The 12 strangest objects in the universe

The star moves so quickly that it's headed out of our galaxy for good, which astronomers have taken as evidence that the metallic explorer was launched here by a cosmic catastrophe  a supernova. But they couldn't tell how the supernova had sent it flying. Was LP 40-365 a piece of the exploded star itself? Or was it a partner star flung clear by the shockwave associated with star explosions? A new analysis of old data finds that the star  called a white dwarf  spins about its axis at a leisurely pace  a hint that it is indeed a piece of stellar debris (not a partner star) that managed to survive one of the galaxy's most violent and mysterious events.

"We can now connect this star to the shrapnel from an exploded white dwarf with a lot more confidence," said Hermes.

Witness to a cosmic catastrophe

Shortly after discovery, astronomers realized that the white dwarf star's unique features likely meant that it had witnessed a supernova firsthand. It was fast, and its entire makeup appeared altered.. Most stars are made almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. In LP 40-365, however, astronomers detected only heavy elements like oxygen , neon and magnesium  atoms fused in a supernova furnace. A supernova had infused the entire star with these "metals." (Unlike chemists, astronomers consider any element heavier than helium to be a metal.)

Astronomers concluded that the star had once been a member of a pair of white dwarfs  the typical fate of small sun-like stars  which explode after siphoning off enough mass from their partner. These explosions are so powerful that elements fuse their nuclei into completely new elements. Two scenarios were possible. In the first, one star exploded cleanly, blasting its partner with heavy metals and sending it careening out into space. In the second, some shard of the exploding star escaped the supernova, laden with the metals forged in the explosion.

"One big question is: Which part of the binary star are we observing," Saurabh Jha, an astronomer at Rutgers University in New Jersey, who was not involved in the research, told Live Science in an email. "Both are exciting, giving us a new way to understand exploding white dwarfs."

A slowly spinning survivor

To better understand the bizarre star, Hermes and colleagues sifted through data collected by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, which looks for distant planets that pass in front of and dim their host stars. LP 40-365 doesn't have a planet, but it does dim and brighten every 8.9 hours, TESS data revealed. The team found the same clockwork flickering in existing data from the Hubble Space Telescope, which they believe means the star spins, bringing sunspots into and out of view. The blinking could also indicate pulsation, but stellar pulsations tend to be irregular. "The most likely scenario," Hermes said, is "that there are some little warts on the surface."

They published their findings online June 7 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters .

Knowing how fast LP 40-365 spins is useful because it helps researchers understand what the white dwarf probably experienced roughly 5 million years ago during the supernova. The pair initially orbited each other once every 30 to 60 minutes, the group estimated. If LP 40-365 were the companion star, tossed clear, it should still be whirling around nearly as quickly.

But its comparatively relaxed rotation suggests that it underwent a more dramatic transformation. The white dwarf that exploded would have puffed up more, its rotation rate plummeting much as a figure skater's spin slows when they extend their arms. The rotation period lasting more than a week suggests that the white dwarf is a diffuse fragment of the star that exploded.

Related: 15 unforgettable images of stars

"I find this a very nice piece of observational work, and assuming their calculations are correct for the predictions of the two scenarios, it certainly bolsters the case for the [incomplete supernova] scenario," Jha wrote.

The calculation assumes that the star has essentially held itself together, without spinning off too many major chunks that could significantly affect its revolution. (If a figure skater tosses off one of their skates, that could tweak their spin.)

While astronomers frequently observe white dwarf supernovas, using them to clock the accelerating expansion of the universe due to dark energy , researchers don't fully understand how such events play out. Until recently, few theorists would have predicted surviving a supernova to be possible. An off-center ignition may not detonate the entire star, but the debate is far from settled. "There's a lot of unknown physics," Hermes said.

Hunting for more "partly burnt" stars

Finding LP 40-365 to be a supernova survivor is the scenario researchers were hoping for, because it means that, compared with the companion star, the fragment is more intimately tied to the stellar catastrophe. By studying the amount of magnesium, neon and other elements inside the speedy star, the researchers could get a glimpse inside the black box of the supernova itself. "We just can't simulate that on Earth. The conditions are just so extreme that this is the only laboratory we have, finding stars like this," Hermes said.

LP 40-365 is one of a handful of fast-moving, extremely metallic white dwarfs astronomers have recently spotted, the flagship member of a group they are calling "partly burnt runaway stellar remnants.". Collecting data on more stars that supernovas have failed to burn thoroughly could help researchers get a better idea of what these systems are doing before the explosive flashes appear in astronomers' telescopes.

"This star really went out with a bang," Hermes said. "We get to use it to learn something more about these violent ends."

Originally published on Live Science.
Researchers say the building was once a local office of the NSV, a Nazi welfare agency that distributed gas masks, among other tasks. (Image credit: Stadtarchiv Hagen)

A local history teacher has discovered a secret cache of Nazi artifacts  including badges adorned with eagles and swastikas, and a portrait of Adolf Hitler  that had been stashed behind a building wall in the city of Hagen in Germany for more than 75 years.

The hoard appears to have been hidden in the last days of the Third Reich, as Allied forces advanced through the surrounding Ruhr region of western Germany and a few weeks before the collapse of the wartime Nazi government in Berlin.

"The objects lay in a narrow shaft between two houses," Andreas Korthals, an archivist at Stadtarchiv Hagen, an agency of the North Rhine-Westphalia state government, told Live Science. "They were probably disposed of in this crevice in April 1945, when American troops marched in."

Related: 30 of the world's most valuable treasures that are still missing

Whoever hid the objects probably did so in a hurry so they would not be arrested for being Nazis, Korthals said.

History teacher Sebastian Yurtseven uncovered the artifacts late last month as he was cleaning up his aunt's house in Hagen after torrential rains and flooding hit the region. Yurtseven told German news outlet Westfalenpost that he removed a piece of plasterboard from a wall that had come loose in the rain and found a hole in the wall behind it.

Inside, he spotted a newspaper from 1945, and then he found several other objects, including Nazi Party medals decorated with swastikas, the portrait of Hitler, a revolver, brass knuckles, gas masks and boxes of documents.

"I got goosebumps," Yurtseven told Westfalenpost. "I didn't think it would turn into such a huge discovery."

Image 1 of 9 A revolver was found among the weapons in the cache; it's probably a relic of street battles by the Nazi paramilitary Stormtroopers. (Image credit: Stadtarchiv Hagen) Image 2 of 9 Other hidden relics are items used by Nazi paramilitary "Stormtroopers"  Sturmabteilung, or SA  in street battles with communists, including this whistle. (Image credit: Stadtarchiv Hagen) Image 3 of 9 The finds include Nazi badges and medals adorned party emblems, such as eagles and swastikas. (Image credit: Stadtarchiv Hagen) Image 4 of 9 The hidden items included several pairs of brass knuckles probably used in street battles as the Nazis rose to power in Germany. (Image credit: Stadtarchiv Hagen) Image 5 of 9 Research has shown that the building where the hidden objects were found was once the local office of a Nazi welfare agency. (Image credit: Stadtarchiv Hagen) Image 6 of 9 Badges and medals with Nazi party symbols  such as eagles bearing swastikas  were found in the hoard. (Image credit: Stadtarchiv Hagen) Image 7 of 9 The cache of objects was found hidden behind a piece of plasterboard in the building, now a house, that was removed after it was damaged by recent heavy rain. (Image credit: Stadtarchiv Hagen) Image 8 of 9 The hidden objects include a portrait of Adolf Hitler that probably hung on the wall when the building was a local office of a Nazi welfare agency. (Image credit: Stadtarchiv Hagen) Image 9 of 9 Researchers say the building was once a local office of the NSV, a Nazi welfare agency that distributed gas masks, among other tasks. (Image credit: Stadtarchiv Hagen)

Nazi welfare

Experts from the archives have taken 12 boxes from the site and will examine the Nazi-era artifacts.

Research has found that the house once served as a local office of the Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt, or NSV, Korthals said. This was a national welfare organization run by the Nazis, whose formal name was the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, or NSDAP (in English, the National Socialist German Workers' Party).

"This finding is historically and scientifically significant," he said in an email. Little was known about the NSV, Korthals added, although it played an important role in the NSDAP's "national community"' support work during the 1930s and World War II. Nazi Stormtroopers  Sturmabteilung, or SA  likely used the revolver and brass knuckles in street battles against communists and they would have been part of a "memory corner" in the local NSV office that also included the Nazi Party badges, Korthals said.

The painted portrait of Hitler was probably displayed on the wall of the office, and the cache also included NSV literature and several boxes of documents, such as records of pregnant women in the area.

Related: Hitler's rise: How a homeless artist became a murderous tyrant

"Finds of this kind are extremely rare and now offer the city archive the opportunity to find out more about the functioning of an NSV agency," Korthals said.

All of the objects and written materials will be indexed in the archives and then made available for research; some will go on display in a new city museum, he said.

Yurtseven said his family bought the house in the 1960s, and they had no idea that it had once been a local NSV office.

"It is an incredible discovery," Ralf Blank, head of the city archives, told the Westfalenpost . "It sheds a spotlight on the actions and activities of Nazi agencies at the local level."

The NSV was an extremely powerful agency of the Nazi Party within Germany and had about 17 million members in 1943, Blank said. Although the Nazis didn't initially include welfare in their political program, the NSV became a popular success; according the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI) its purpose was to supplant organizations such as the Red Cross and church charities and to spread Nazi ideology through welfare work. Its activities included providing food and gas masks, medical treatment for the victims of bombing raids and evacuation of children to rural areas.

The documents from the cache show that the local NSV office was divided into eight cells, Blank told Westfalenpost, and that its alleged boss  the signatory of several of the documents  was employed by a German federal agency after the war and died in the mid-1960s.

Originally published on Live Science.
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Herbert Wright was a ten-year-old kid living in Chicago when Lil Wayne released Tha Carter II. It was the first Wayne release made after Hurricane Katrina pushed him from his native New Orleans. The album ushered in an era in which Wayne would tower above the rest of the rap world as the genres ravenous antihero. That resonated with the young Chicagoan. I just felt the hunger, Wright says of hearing the album when it came out. Hearing the hunger in his voice, seeing what he meant to music at the time  I wanted to have that.

Today Wright is better known as G Herbo, one of the rappers who spearheaded drill music, perhaps the most popular and widely imitated sub-genre in his hometowns history. Though his booming voice made him sound much older, Herbo was still a teenager when he emerged as one of the leading voices of drill music. His debut mixtape, 2014s Welcome To Fazoland, married that movements Gothic melodies and still-danceable drums to an autobiographical, almost classicist writing style. Herbo has both the charm and gravity to flip cheesy Eighties songs into something sinister; his raps are muscular, relentless. So is the pace of his releases: In the seven years since Fazoland, hes dropped nine full-length records and a couple of EPs. Im never really living in the moment, Herbo says of his breakneck professional life.Im always looking for the next thing.

His last two albums debuted on the top 10 and his latest release, Julys 25, opened at No. 5. But you could find plenty of people in Chicago and around the rap-listening world who, if asked to describe Herbo in one word, would still default to hungry. So its no surprise that, when comparing himself to Wayne, hes still dissatisfied. I never had that part of my career where I was known as The best, hands down, Herbo told Rolling Stone. Thats what I always wanted. On 25, Herbo, now a father who lives 2,000 miles from his childhood home, takes stock of his life as he settles into adulthood. We spoke with him about the finer details of his recording process, adjusting to Los Angeles, and the ways hed be unrecognizable to himself as a teen.

What about your life today would surprise 18-year-old Herbo the most?

Fatherhood. Everything revolving around my kids, having to do interviews with my son on my lap. I never pictured myself doing this  or living in L.A. I used to rap about being in L.A. on songs, like, Oh, yeah, Im not in Beverly Hills, I dont know what its like to live that luxurious lifestyle. I was in the inner city, man, facing a lot of trauma, having to deal with violence and bullshit every day. Now, I dont really have to deal with that. I live in Bel Air. Im in Beverly Hills every day. Im still kind of getting used to it, to be honest.

Do you interact with those Bel Air neighbors much?

I never really see my neighbors, Im always coming in the house at 3, 4 in the morning from the studio, then Im running errands, going to meetings, stuff like that. Im always on the go. Im only at home to recharge my batteries. My life is crazy, man, I dont even have time for myself, to be honest. Its like my life did a whole 360 from being outside, standing on the corner in my neighborhood, going to the studio just when Im sick of interacting with the police.

You mentioned your kids. I imagine youll be able to shield your kids from a lot of things you experienced, that no child should. But are there any lessons from your upbringing that youd like to carry over into their very different ones?

The harsh realities of the world. Not having to deal with a lot of violence and negative shit going on, Ill have to actually teach my kids that the world is cruel and violent. Theyre not going to have to experience it firsthand. Ill have to instill certain things into them so they understand what theyre up against. But I would have to teach my sons how to fight rather than letting them go outside where theyre going to teach themselves.

You were obviously closely associated with drill when you were coming up, but youve transposed your style to a lot of different types of production. When youre sifting through beats today, what do you look for?

Specifically, I just look for a lot of instruments. I like beats with a lot of sounds in them. I never really get in the studio looking for a specific kind of beat; I never get in with a subject I want to talk about specifically. Usually, the production moves me. It motivates me to talk about what I [end up] talking about on the song. So I usually dont get in the studio saying, I need this kind of beat, or I need to make a song about this. I just listen to a bunch of different beats and what moves me is what inspires the lyrics. Then it comes naturally. Thats what I like the most about recording: its never forced. I get in the booth and let everything come to me.

Do you do most of your writing in the studio? At home? Or are they coming together when youre actually in the booth?I usually write on my phone. A lot of times when Im in the house, Ill get four or six bars coming into my head, and Ill write them down  with no beat. A lot of my rhymes come to me that way. Ill have them in my phone, then when Im in the studio, and I feel a beat, Ill go right in and do em. I dont write at all [at that point] unless Im inspired to write about a certain subject. Even then in the studio, Ill [only] write in the studio for 15, 20 minutes. I dont like to waste too much time writing because I think when I do I get overcrowded with thoughts. So I just get an idea of how I want to start the song  maybe the first eight, 12 bars  and from there everything just comes.

Does whatever comes in the moment  after those first eight or 12 bars  ever surprise you?

For sure  but that doesnt happen until Im actually done recording. Ill listen back, and itll trip me out how I was inspired to rap about certain shit. It just came naturally off the top of my head. I want to get back to writing [full songs] because when I started doing music, I used to write the entire song and then get in and record. I want to get back to that. I stopped doing it because I spent so much money paying for sessions. But now that Im about to own my own facility, Ill have the luxury to brainstorm and write my songs the whole way [in the studio]. I want to get back to that, I think my music will be a lot better if I can get back to writing complete songs.

You say your music can get better  do you feel like your current process leaves your songs with a lot of weaknesses?

Im a perfectionist, so I always try to change little things. I record songs and when Im done, Ill listen back on it and certain words. Ill wanna change small things. I might want to say a the or they or it differently, switch it to another word. Ill change the smallest word if it will make the next sentence flow better. I pay a lot of attention to detail. When I get back into the studio I might fix certain things before I put the record out. But [before then] I live with [demos] for weeks and weeks. Then Ill get inspired to make those changes, or just carry that over to the next time I record. Sometimes Ill do a whole 16 and wait to figure out the perfect hook; Ive got a lot of different techniques and ideas when it comes to the process.

I was so young when I started making music. People are looking at you like an adult, and you have an adults responsibility on you, but you continue to make mistakes.

When you go back to make those small changes, are you punching in, or trying to take the whole verse again?

Ill probably do the whole take again so it flows perfectly. Even if its literally one word, Ill do the whole take over. I do have punch-ins [built into my music], but I want to get a complete sentence out.

You put out a lot of music, and that music tends to be very autobiographical and deal with a lot of traumatic experiences. Do those two things combine to exhaust you, to make you want to go to the studio?

I have a lot of music, Im passionate about all the music I record. I dont want to oversaturate myself, but then I might be making music that I love but cant put it out. Thats the thing I hate the most: I have hundreds of songs and Im only able to put 15 on an album. I try to space it outI dont want to drop too much music at one time. So thats a big problem of mine. Im always trying to tell a specific story on an album, so if a song dont really fit the message Im trying to get across, it dont make the cut. But Id try to give those records to certain people or use them in any way that I can.

When it comes to those specific stories on each album, the new record is about hitting a milestone in time, sort of leaving youth behind. When you were a teenager  when you first came out  what did you imagine 25 would be like?

Its funny you ask that, because I couldnt picture myself at 25, what kind of man I would be, anything like that. I didnt even know what I would look like at 25. When I was younger, I pictured myself being in a good position with my life and career by the age of 25, but I couldnt honestly see that far to know what Id be like or what Id be doing. At 18 you think its so far away, but its really not. And now that Im 25, I can barely remember what I was doing when I was 18.
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Michael B. Jordan stars in the first trailer for the appropriately titled romantic drama A Journal for Jordan, directed by Denzel Washington.

The film is based on the memoir A Journal for Jordan: A Story of Love and Honor by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dana Canedy. It follows the real-life story of First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, played by Jordan, who writes letters to his newborn son, also named Jordan, while hes overseas. King was killed in Iraq in 2006, when his son was jus seven months old, but his wife Canedy, played in the movie by Chante Adams, keeps all the poignant letters in a book for their son.

A Journal for Jordan is written by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Virgil Williams, who adapted the 2017 historical drama Mudbound from the novel of the same name. He earned a nod for best adapted screenplay at that years Academy Awards. Washington will direct in addition to producing alongside Jordan, via his Outlier Society production company. Other producers include Escape Artists Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch. Ange Giannetti is overseeing for Sony Pictures.

Jordan most recently starred in the action film Without Remorse earlier this year and the legal drama Just Mercy in 2019. He also made a cameo appearance as himself in the Warner Bros. film Space Jam: A New Legacy and is gearing up to direct and star in the third installment of his Creed franchise. Washington most recently directed and starred in the 2016 film Fences, which earned Oscar nominations for best picture, adapted screenplay, actor (Washington) and supporting actress (Viola Davis). He most recently starred in The Little Things and produced Ma Raineys Black Bottom, and up next hes got The Tragedy of Macbeth with Frances McDormand.

Watch the trailer below. The film releases in theaters this Christmas.

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The Laredo Police Department announced on Tuesday that it is seeking a person of interest in the shooting that occurred last weekend.

LPD stated that it is attempting to locate Frank Rodriguez, a 37-year-old man.

To provide any information on Rodriguez, Laredo police ask for the community to call the LPD at 956-795-2800 or use the LPD app. All tips will remain anonymous.

Police said Monday that a woman was in serious condition at a local hospital after being shot this weekend.

The victim, a 40-year-old woman, was said to have been stabilized and was expected to survive.

At the time, police did say that they had a person of interest in the investigation but that no arrest had been made yet.

Officers announced that they received a call reporting a shooting at the 6700 block of Springfield Avenue on Saturday at approximately 12:30 a.m.

Police said they learned two men dropped her off at the hospital who quickly left after leaving the victim, the report states.

Police stated that the investigation was ongoing, and investigators from the Special Investigations Unit are on the case.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  The American Bar Associations policymaking body has voted in favor of a resolution supporting the U.S. Interior Department as it works to uncover the troubled legacy of federal boarding schools that sought to assimilate Indigenous youth into white society.

The resolution, adopted Monday by delegates at the bar associations annual meeting, calls for the Biden administration and Congress to fully fund the initiative and provide subpoena power to the Interior Department as it gathers and reviews reams of records related to the schools.

The measure also supports legislation that would create a federal commission to investigate and document all aspects of the boarding school system in the U.S., including issuing reports regarding the root causes of human rights abuses at the schools and to make recommendations to prevent future atrocities.

Putting a light on what is occurring here is so critical because we know that if we do not learn from this history, we are doomed to repeat it, Mark Schickman, a San Francisco-based attorney who serves as a special adviser with the bar association, said as he introduced the resolution.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a member of Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico and the first Native American to lead a Cabinet agency, announced the boarding school initiative following news that hundreds of bodies were being discovered on the grounds of former residential schools for Indigenous children in Canada.

Experts say the initiative will be difficult because records are scattered across jurisdictions  from the bowels of university archives to government offices, churches, museums and personal collections.

The department is compiling decades of files and records to begin a proper review that will allow us to organize documents, identify available and missing information, and ensure that our records system is standardized, said Melissa Schwartz, a spokeswoman for the Interior Department.

The agency also is building a framework for how it will partner with outside organizations to guide the next steps of the review.

Consultations with tribes are expected to begin in late fall. Schwartz said those discussions will be focused on ways to protect and share sensitive information and how to protect gravesites and sacred burial traditions.

In the United States, the Indian Civilization Act of 1819 and other laws and policies were enacted to establish and support Native American boarding schools nationwide. For over 150 years, Indigenous children were taken from their communities and forced into boarding schools that focused on assimilation.

The discoveries in Canada and the renewed spotlight in the U.S. have stirred strong emotions among tribal communities, including grief, anger, reflection and a deep desire for healing.

Patricia Lee Refo, president of the American Bar Association, said the resolution adopted Monday was born from her visit to the Navajo Nation in July. She met with tribal President Jonathan Nez, the speaker of the tribal council and the all-female Navajo Nation Supreme Court.

Nez has said the troubling history of Indigenous boarding schools deserves more attention to educate people about the atrocities experienced by Native Americans and the intergenerational effects of the boarding school experience.

The Native American Bar Association last year adopted a resolution calling on Congress to introduce legislation focused on reparations for the treatment of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

The resolution adopted Monday by the American Bar Association includes language in support of legislation that would establish the first formal commission in U.S. history to investigate, document and acknowledge past injustices of the federal governments cultural genocide and assimilation practices through its boarding school policy.

Brad Regehr, a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Saskatchewan and the first Indigenous person to serve as president of the Canadian Bar Association, spoke Monday at the American Bar Association meeting. Choking up, he said he and his grandfather were survivors of Canada's residential school program.

Between the 1880s and 1990s, he said 150,000 Indigenous children in his country were forcibly removed from their families and placed in schools far from home. As many as 25,000 children, including toddlers, never returned, he said.

Regehr talked about the calls to action crafted following nearly a decade of work by Canadas truth and reconciliation commission and the ongoing discoveries of children's remains.

That has hit me hard, and it hits and it continues to hit many Indigenous people hard, he said, but its also hit many Canadians hard for the first time ever."

___

This story has been corrected to show that the president of the American Bar Association visited the Navajo Nation in July, not June.
United ISD teachers across the district reported to their campuses to prepare for the 2021-22 school year, which begins on Aug. 16.

With safe learning environments and protocols, United ISD is eager to welcome students back for in-person learning.
San Antonio has issued a mask mandate for local schools in defiance of Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order. Local leaders announced the mandate as the city's COVID-19 positivity rate jumps yet again to 21.4 percent and hospital beds continue to fill up.

The city issued a public health directive starting Wednesday, August 11, for public and private schools that requires all students 2 years and older to wear a face mask indoors regardless of vaccination, in accordance with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control.

The directive was issued Tuesday evening during the city's first COVID-19 daily briefing since they formally ended in June.

Schools must also notify parents or guardians when a student is in close contact with positive individual on campus or at a school event. Any unvaccinated person that comes into close contact with a person positive for COVID-19 must quarantine for 14 days. Students, staff, and teachers shall remain off campus or should not attend school-related events during quarantine.

The order has been cleared by a judge so it is a mandatory order, says County Judge Nelson Wolff. He says it's a mandate and the expectation is that there will be compliance from schools, and that school staff is expected to enforce the directive, but officials did not say whether there would be a punishment for those who choose not to follow the mandate.

"No one's rights or freedoms are being infringed by ensuring that school districts and public health authorities can offer the mitigation efforts needed to comply with the CDC guidance to keep our kids safe and alive," Nirenberg says.

During the briefing, Wolff said there is currently an 11-month old in a local hospital with COVID-19, and says pediatric numbers at Methodist Hospital have jumped to 240 patients battling both COVID-19 and another childhood respiratory virus known as RSV.

The directive is in response to the continuous climb in case numbers. As of August 10, San Antonio has 1,914 new COVID-19 cases. The seven-day moving average has jumped to 1,353 cases, 99 percent of which can be attributed to the delta variant, says Mayor Ron Nirenberg.

The positivity rate jumped to 21.4 percent this week. Just a couple of months ago the positivity rates was a 2 percent, Nirenberg says. The positivity rate is nearing July 2020's number of 24.2 percent.

There were two deaths to report, bringing the total deaths 3,463. He says there are 1,242 patients in area hospitals and 189 new admissions in the last 24 hours. There are 314 patients in the intensive care unit with 119 patients on ventilators out of about 570 available machines.

More for you News What mask is best for the delta variant of COVID-19?

Nirenberg adds that 86 percent of those cases are unvaccinated. Wolff said it's unclear how many ICU beds are left since regular hospital rooms are sometimes converted into an ICU room.

Gov. Abbott is expected to challenge the judge's restraining in a hearing next week. The case could go all the way to the appellate and then Texas Supreme Court. But Wolff and city attorney Andy Segovia believe San Antonio has a strong case.

"If the if the governor really wants to push it that hard and cause this much danger to people, then I hope they realize what a tremendous liability it is to the state and the danger he's putting our children in," Wolff says. "I don't know what the hell [Abbott] believes, but he did used to believe like we believed."
The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks!

Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics.

The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc.

The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics.

The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates.

Access to college recruiters and advisors  its harder to line up higher education.

Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family.

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The taxpayer has paid out over 1.8m to solicitors and legal practitioners defending individuals at Longford courts between 2018 and the first half of this year.

Newly released figures disclosed to the Leader under the Freedom of Information Act show how approximately 1.803, 610 has been spent on the State's criminal legal aid scheme over the past three and a half years in Longford.

Last year, and despite the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, almost 764,000 was handed out to barristers and legal firms, representing a near 80 per cent increase on the 428, 596 which was accounted for 12 months previously.

Last year's figure is more than double what was recorded over the course of 2018 when 376, 393 was paid out to legal practitioners in defending clients at both Longford District and Circuit Court level.

Based on exclusive figures seen by this newspaper covering the first half of this year, the Irish exchequer looks set to be hit with a further 500,000 bill by the end of 2021.

In a statement, the Department of Justice said legislation dating back almost 60 years provided for the State to cover the costs of a person's legal expenses if it was found that individual was unable to meet those costs.

The Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Act 1962 provides that free legal aid may be granted in certain circumstances for the defence of persons of insufficient means in criminal proceedings, read a statement.

Under the Act, the courts, through the judiciary, are responsible for the granting of legal aid.

Details of the figures come amid reports government bosses are considering introducing a public defender scheme in an effort to reduce legal aid costs in criminal matters.

It's rumoured such a system would replace the current free legal aid scheme with salaried lawyers in the full time employment of the State who would represent defendants that can't afford to hire their own representation.
Defendants who refuse to pay court imposed fines should have monies directly taken from their wages or social welfare.

That was the recommendation made this week by Cllr Gerry Warnock in response to revelations more than two thirds of people convicted at Longford courts are opting against paying fines.

Cllr Warnock said the measure was one which required legislative intervention at a national level.

Whatever source of income it is, if it's employment based or social welfare it doesn't matter. if you do the crime, you pay the fine, he said.

A former chairperson of Longford's Joint Policing Committee (JPC) Cllr Warnock's comments come amid revelations hundreds of thousands of euro remain outstanding in unpaid fines.

In a raft of documents obtained by this newspaper under the Freedom of Information Act, Irish Courts Service figures have shown just 176,000 out of a anticipated 537,000 has been recouped between October 2018 and October 2020.

Cllr Warnock said local elected representatives who are calling for tougher penalties to be handed down for litter enforcement are being made to look like mugs over the huge anomaly between the figures.

Here we are looking for stiffer penalties on public order and illegal dumping and then you see the likes of this going on?

We are only mugs if we don't sit up and take notice of this, it's crazy.

What's going on is just not good enough.

There are people who are taking advantage of this and sticking two fingers up to the courts.

Cllr Warnock was supported in his views by fellow Longford County Councillor Seamus Butler.

The Fianna Fail local represenatative and chairperson of Longford's Joint Policing Committee (JPC) said it was indicative of a system which was in need of urgent review.

Like Cllr Warnock, the local businessman reiterated the claims of his independent counterpart for government bosses to enact more draconian legislation to ensure fines are paid without delay.

There is only one way and one solution to this and that's by bringing in garnashee orders on income, he said.

If this is done then it might finally stop this charade of where certain people are brought down to Castlerea (Prison) for an hour or two because what is going on at the minute is a ludicrous situation.
Members of the Ardagh Preservation Society are concerned about the potential rezoning of Ardagh Neighbourhood Park.

During the Second Stage Public Consultation of the Draft Longford County Development Plan 2021-2027, a submission was made to re-zone Ardagh House and the two gate lodges from Tourism to Residential.

It also asked for the lands of Ardagh Demesne to be re-zoned from Tourism to Agriculture.

A closer look at the zoning map indicates half of that is proposed to be zoned for amenity purposes including the amenity park.

Longford County Council Chief Executive has recommended the re-zoning be approved by Longford councillors.

Chairperson of the Ardagh Preservation Society Joanna Pearman explained that the local community is concerned the potential loss of the neighbourhood park could be an unintended consequence of the rezoning of the land.

Its highly likely that it could be potentially closed off. Thats our main concern. It would be a poor thing for the village, she said.

That space is really the only public green space that Ardagh has. Its 30 years old and its used consistently.

The public use it and its maintained by the Tidy Towns committee. It would be a tragedy to lose that aspect of the village, which is itself a key part of the fabric of county Longford.

Ardagh Village is a multi-award-winning heritage village and is one of two Architectural Conservation Areas in Longford.

The extensive (re)designing of the demesne and village carried out by James Rawson Carroll in the early 1860s allows Ardagh to boast the very unusual for claim of being a planned village.

Ardagh House is considered to have been built during the 1730s. The current gate lodges, the West Lodge and the Villa Maria Lodge, were constructed c. 1863 and formed part of the overall work led by James Rawson Carroll.

379 structures are listed in the Record of Protected Structures in County Longford excluding Longford Town. Of them, 46 (12.2%) of the structures are in Ardagh, and 14 (3.7%) of them are part of Ardagh Demesne.

Ardagh House and the two gate lodges are listed in the Record of Protected Structures.

Landed estates, heritage, and/or protected structures across the country have successfully shown the key roles they play in encouraging (domestic) tourism and providing employment opportunities.

In 1989, four acres of land were permitted to be used by two landowners to the Ardagh Tidy Towns Committee. Dr Christy Boylan, the former President of the Tree Council of Ireland, oversaw the planning and design of the Ardagh Neighbourhood Park.

However, when Ardagh Demesne was sold in 2012, the Ardagh Neighbourhood Park was included in the sale.

Ms Pearman remarked, As such, should the Longford councillors approve the re-zoning, there is a real and substantial risk access to the park would be lost.

And the trees that form this mature woodland felled.

The Ardagh Neighbourhood Park is a vital community amenity.

It has been enjoyed by community residents and thousands of visitors to Ardagh for over thirty years. Its loss would be devastating.

Submissions as part of the Third Stage Public Consultation of the Draft Longford County Development Plan 2021-2027 closed yesterday Tuesday, August 10.
During 2020 Longford had the largest, per capita, donation to Marys Meals in the country which was a fantastic achievement in very bleak Covid times.

Chairperson of the Longford Branch of Marys Meals, Dolores Kiernan remarked, As the country is opening up slowly, we possibly will have lots who are going back to work who are reading the Longford Leader or who can help out with the 2021 Marys Meals fundraising.

Magnus McFarlane Barrow setup Marys Meals in 2002 after visiting Malawi during the famine that devastated that country. He commenced by feeding 200 children while they were at school at a cost of 18.30 per child per year.

Mrs Kiernan explained, Last year we got great support from local business, building contractors, sponsorship cards, GoFundMe initiative so in 2021 can we ask each and everyone of you, please, to give as you can possibly afford, to our Marys Meals fundraising drive. We cannot do any bucket collection due to Covid so we are going back to do exactly what we did in 2020.

All fundraising for Marys Meals goes directly to feeding school children, they get a good meal each day, at school. It is feeding children through education.

The rate has never gone up, we are still feeding a child for 18.30 per child, per year within the childrens local area.

Mrs Kiernan pointed out, The question is often asked are you sure all this fundraising is going to feed the children? And the answer is that 100% of all fundraising is going to feed these children who have no hope of food or education without it.

Later today, Wednesday, August 11, everyone in Longford will have an opportunity to give funds to local Marys Meals Treasurer, Gabrielle Devine, who will be part of the welcoming committee to a Marys Meals group of about six travelling from Derry & Dublin. They are meeting in Edgeworthstown and walking to Longford, hoping to arrive at 3pm approximately to be met by the Longford Group of Marys Meals. Mrs Kiernan added, We will have a little meeting on the Market Square with a bite to eat.

Sponsorship cards will be available in shops locally and through local committee members, including Chairperson Dolores Kiernan 086 7915954, Treasurer Gabrielle Devine or Secretary Kitty Ross and all support is gratefully received.

The Longford Group of Marys Meals are walking each evening from St Johns Church of Ireland, up the Battery, via the bypass, back to the Mall and back to St Johns Church.

Mrs Kiernan concluded, Everyone is welcome to walk with us. We will be walking in twos, with distance between all twos  you are welcome to join us on the walk.
Weather Alert

HURRICANE WATCH IN EFFECT... ...STORM SURGE WATCH IN EFFECT A Hurricane Watch means hurricane-force winds are possible somewhere within this area within the next 48 hours A Storm Surge Watch means life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, is possible somewhere within this area within the next 48 hours * LOCATIONS AFFECTED - Huntington - Smithtown - Port Jefferson * WIND - LATEST LOCAL FORECAST: Below tropical storm force wind - Peak Wind Forecast: 10-20 mph with gusts to 30 mph - THREAT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY THAT INCLUDES TYPICAL FORECAST UNCERTAINTY IN TRACK, SIZE AND INTENSITY: Potential for wind 39 to 57 mph - PLAN: Plan for hazardous wind of equivalent tropical storm force. - PREPARE: Efforts to protect property should now be underway. Prepare for limited wind damage. - ACT: Act now to complete preparations before the wind becomes hazardous. - POTENTIAL IMPACTS: Limited - Damage to porches, awnings, carports, sheds, and unanchored mobile homes. Unsecured lightweight objects blown about. - Many large tree limbs broken off. A few trees snapped or uprooted, but with greater numbers in places where trees are shallow rooted. Some fences and roadway signs blown over. - A few roads impassable from debris, particularly within urban or heavily wooded places. Hazardous driving conditions on bridges and other elevated roadways. - Scattered power and communications outages. * STORM SURGE - LATEST LOCAL FORECAST: Localized storm surge possible - Peak Storm Surge Inundation: The potential for 1-3 feet above ground somewhere within surge prone areas - Window of concern: Around high tide - THREAT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY THAT INCLUDES TYPICAL FORECAST UNCERTAINTY IN TRACK, SIZE AND INTENSITY: Potential for storm surge flooding greater than 1 foot above ground - PLAN: Plan for storm surge flooding greater than 1 foot above ground. - PREPARE: Efforts should now be underway to prepare for storm surge flooding, especially in low-lying vulnerable areas. - ACT: Take actions to protect life and property. Prepare to leave if evacuation orders are given for your area. - POTENTIAL IMPACTS: Limited - Localized inundation with storm surge flooding mainly along immediate shorelines and in low lying spots, or in areas farther inland near where higher surge waters move ashore. - Sections of near shore roads and parking lots become overspread with surge water. Driving conditions dangerous in places where surge water covers the road. - Moderate beach erosion. Heavy surf also breaching dunes, mainly in usually vulnerable locations. Strong and frequent rip currents. - Minor to locally moderate damage to marinas, docks, boardwalks, and piers. A few small craft broken away from moorings. * FLOODING RAIN - LATEST LOCAL FORECAST: - Peak Rainfall Amounts: Additional 1-3 inches, with locally higher amounts - THREAT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY THAT INCLUDES TYPICAL FORECAST UNCERTAINTY IN TRACK, SIZE AND INTENSITY: Potential for moderate flooding rain - PLAN: Emergency plans should include the potential for moderate flooding from heavy rain. Evacuations and rescues are possible. - PREPARE: Consider protective actions if you are in an area vulnerable to flooding. - ACT: Heed any flood watches and warnings. Failure to take action may result in serious injury or loss of life. - POTENTIAL IMPACTS: Significant - Moderate rainfall flooding may prompt several evacuations and rescues. - Rivers and streams may quickly become swollen with swifter currents and may overspill their banks in a few places, especially in usually vulnerable spots. Small streams, creeks, canals, and ditches may overflow. - Flood waters can enter some structures or weaken foundations. Several places may experience expanded areas of rapid inundation at underpasses, low lying spots, and poor drainage areas. Some streets and parking lots take on moving water as storm drains and retention ponds overflow. Driving conditions become hazardous. Some road and bridge closures. * TORNADO - LATEST LOCAL FORECAST: - Situation is unfavorable for tornadoes - THREAT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY THAT INCLUDES TYPICAL FORECAST UNCERTAINTY IN TRACK, SIZE AND INTENSITY: Tornadoes not expected - PLAN: Tornadoes are not expected. Showers and thunderstorms with gusty winds may still occur. - PREPARE: Little to no preparations needed to protect against tornadoes at this time. Keep informed of the latest tornado situation. - ACT: Listen for changes in the forecast. - POTENTIAL IMPACTS: Little to None - Little to no potential impacts from tornadoes. * FOR MORE INFORMATION: - http://scoem.suffolkcountyny.gov - https://weather.gov/nyc - https://ready.gov/hurricanes
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: August 11 2021

More than 5.75 kilograms of narcotics seized, including pressed fentanyl pills marketed as oxycodone.

Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini and the Suffolk County Police Department have announced the indictment of five individuals for an alleged major narcotics trafficking operation, including one defendant who is currently charged for an alleged murder in New York City.

This is a long-term eavesdropping investigation which dismantled a large-scale narcotics distribution network and removed kilogram quantities of dangerous drugs, including fentanyl, heroin and crystal meth, from our communities, and placed a dangerous criminal behind bars, District Attorney Sini said. Johnson allegedly operated a one-stop-shop drug delivery service and would personally drive product to the houses of buyers or other resellers, including his co-defendants in this indictment. During the course of the investigation, he allegedly shot and killed a victim in Manhattan, but continued to conduct this illicit drug operation in the days that followed. It was business as usual for him.

This case is an example of phenomenal collaboration between a number of different law enforcement agencies, District Attorney Sini said. I thank ADA Mary Skiber and the Suffolk County Police Department for their hard work in holding these defendants accountable.

The actions of these five individuals directly put the lives of countless Suffolk County residents at risk by exposing them to addictive narcotic drugs, Acting Police Commissioner Stuart Cameron said. The investigation and subsequent arrests of these criminals highlight the SCPDs determination to dissolve narcotics trafficking and combat the threat these drugs pose to Suffolk County. I would like to thank the District Attorneys Office for their continued partnership as well as the officers and detectives who worked diligently on this case.

Robert C. Johnson, a/k/a Panama, 26, of Melville, is charged with Operating as a Major Trafficker, a class A-I felony; four counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree, a class A-I felony; Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a class A-II felony; five counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony; five counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony; Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a class B felony; Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree, a class D felony; and Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, a class A misdemeanor.

Andrew Hobson, a/k/a Kane, 29, of West Babylon, is charged with two counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony, and Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a class B felony.

Dina M. Cacace, 24, of North Babylon, is charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a class A-II felony; Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony; and Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a class B felony.

Ryan Sean Mahon, 38, of Northport, is charged with Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a class B felony.

Michael J. Verrelli, 48, of Medford, is charged with Conspiracy in the Second Degree, a class B felony.

The Suffolk County District Attorneys Office and the Suffolk County Police Departments Telephone Records and Surveillance Section (TRASE), Firearms Suppression Team (FAST), and Narcotics Section began an investigation in April 2020 into alleged narcotics trafficking by Johnson and his associates. The investigation involved the use of physical and electronic surveillance as well as court-authorized eavesdropping.

The investigation revealed evidence that Johnson and his co-defendants were allegedly involved in the sale of numerous narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, crystal meth and cocaine, throughout Suffolk and Nassau Counties.

Pursuant to the investigation, search warrants were conducted on June 12 by the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office and Suffolk County Police Departments FAST and Narcotics Section at four residences located in West Babylon, North Babylon, Melville and Great Neck and on three vehicles. Law enforcement seized more than 5.7 kilograms of narcotics, including 2,750 grams of fentanyl pills pressed as counterfeit Oxycodone; 1,798 grams of heroin; 794 grams of crystal meth; 210 grams of powder cocaine; 178 grams of crack cocaine; and 43 grams of Xanax, as well as approximately $140,000 in cash.

In collaboration with Suffolk County law enforcement, Johnson was identified by the NYPD and Manhattan District Attorneys Office as having allegedly shot and killed Byron Morales, 25, of Brooklyn, in the Chelsea area of Manhattan on June 10. Following his arrest in Suffolk County on June 12, he was transferred to the custody of the NYPD. A New York County Grand Jury indicted Johnson for Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. He was arraigned on those charges on June 28 and was remanded without bail.

Johnson was arraigned on the Suffolk County indictment today by Suffolk County Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard Horowitz and bail was set at $1 million cash, $2 million bond, or $4 million partially-secured bond. He is being represented by John LoTurco and is due back in court on Sept. 14.

Hobson, Cacace, Mahon and Verrelli were arraigned on Aug. 2 and are all due back in court on Sept. 14. Hobson was released on supervised release with GPS monitoring and is being represented by Anthony LaPinta. Cacece was released on supervised release and is being represented by Steven Wilutis. Mahon was released on supervised release and is being represented by Chrisophter Brocato. Verrelli was release on his own recognizance and is being represented by Toni Marie Angeli.

If convicted of the top count, Johnson faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison. If convicted of the top count, Hobson, Cacace, Mahon and Verrelli each face a maximum sentence of eight and one-third to 25 years in prison.

District Attorney Sini thanks the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York, New York City Police Department and Manhattan District Attorneys Office for their assistance with the investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Mary Skiber, of the Enhanced Prosecution Bureau.
(Alliance News) - Allied Minds PLC on Wednesday said it seen "excellent progress" at its portfolio companies, in a first-half update.

Federated Wireless Inc won a multi-million-dollar 5G contract with the US Department of Defense, Orbital Sidekick launched a hyperspectral imaging satellite, and BrideComm Inc started sales of its Optical Inter-Satellite Link terminals, Allied Minds said.

Shares were up 9.8% to 21.41 pence in London on Wednesday morning, but remain down 34% in the year to date. Allied Minds is a Boston, Massachussetts-based intellectual property commercialisation company, investing in technology startups.

The company had USD17.8 million in cash on June 30, down 28% from USD24.6 million on December 31.

"Across the portfolio as a whole the board are increasingly confident of delivering venture capital-like returns upon exit if the portfolio companies continue to meet ther planned technical and commercial goals," the firm said.

Allied Minds plans to publish results for the first half of 2021 in mid-September.

By Ivan Edwards; ivanedwards@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Group PLC has reached a deal with the workers' union at the world's biggest copper mine, in Chile, which could prevent them going on strike, the company said in a statement.

Workers at the Escondida mine had announced 10 days ago their intention to strike after insisting their demands for a one-off bonus to recognize their work during the coronavirus pandemic had not been met.

In a statement issued late on Tuesday, BHP said negotiations with the workers union had ended, "resulting in the final content of the collective contract and closing conditions."

The 10-day negotiation period was extended by two days until Thursday with the union's members due to vote on whether to accept the agreement.

In 2017, Escondida workers staged a 44-day strike a the longest ever in the Chilean mining industry a that lost BHP USD740 million and provoked a 1.3% fall in the country's GDP.

Escondida workers have demanded a one-off bonus to recognize their work during the Covid-19 pandemic a the equivalent of 1% of the dividends the company's shareholders made.

They are also asking for a career development plan and education benefits for their children.

Chilean media claimed they had rejected a bonus worth around USD23,000 each.

In April, the price of copper reached a 10-year high of over USD10,000 per ton, and the Escondida mine has projected revenues of more than USD10 billion for this year.

Chile is the world's largest copper producer with 5.6 million tons a year that makes up 28% of global output, much of which is sold to China, the world's biggest consumer.

Mining makes up 10% to 15% of Chile's GDP and half of its exports.

source: AFP

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Meggitt PLC on Wednesday said it is considering a new takeover bid from TransDigm Group Inc, valuing the company at GBP7.03 billion.

The 900 pence per share cash offer by the Cleveland, Ohio-headquartered aerospace manufacturer was made on Tuesday.

Shares in Meggitt jumped 18% to 843.60p in London on Wednesday afternoon, valuing the company at around GBP5.58 billion.

"The board of Meggitt is currently reviewing the proposal as well as TransDigm's associated information request and will continue to consider carefully not only the financial terms of any offer but also TransDigm's plans for the company," Meggitt said.

On August 2 Meggitt said it had accepted an 800 pence per share or GBP6.3 billion takeover offer from Parker-Hannifin Corp.

The company made clear that its directors continued to "recommend unanimously" to shareholders the offer by Parker announced last week.

Cleveland, Ohio-based Parker makes engineered products for the aerospace, automotive and manufacturing industries. Meggitt, based in Coventry, England, provides aerospace and defence components. A US takeover of a UK company in a sensitive industry threatens to be controversial.

Aerospace and defence firm Cobham exited the London Stock Exchange in January 2020, following a contentious acquisition by US private equity company Advent, which raised national security risks. In addition, Nadine Cobham a daughter-in-law of the firm's founder Alan Cobham - at the time hit out at the deal.

By Will Paige; willpaige@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Wednesday and not separately reported by Alliance News:







Ince Group PLC - legal services company - Launches an enhanced specialist sanctions compliance solution through a co-operation agreement with Windward, the predictive intelligence company. The collaboration marks the development of another managed service solution for InceMaritime. Ince says this new proposition will enable charterers, insurers, owners, investors, brokers, ship operators, financial institutions and defence agencies to benefit from a smarter, faster and forward-looking approach to risk mitigation.







PureTech Health PLC - biotherapeutics company - Says Imbrium Therapeutics has exercised a license option under the companies' research & development collaboration agreement to develop PureTech's LYT-503/IMB-150, a non-opioid therapeutic candidate for interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. PureTech has received an option exercise payment of USD6.5 million and is eligible to receive up to USD53 million in additional development milestone payments for this program as well as royalties on product sales. An investigational new drug application for the LYT-503/IMB-150 drug candidate is planned to be filed in early 2022.







Inspiration Healthcare Group PLC - Crawley, England-based technology company - Starts the financial year well and remains in line to meet expectations, with a strong order book. The company says it is seeing growth and new opportunities, as it continues to have a growing level of interest in the SLE range of ventilation products from all over the world, as seen by the orders recently received from China. In addition, Inspiration Healthcare's Viomedex branded disposable respiratory products are being introduced through its expanded distribution network. "With progress being made in many other areas of our business we look forward to the second half with optimism," says Chief Executive Neil Campbell.







Advanced Oncotherapy PLC - London-based proton therapy system provider - Raises GBP37.4 million, before expenses, from new and existing investors through the issue of 93.5 million new shares at a price of 40 pence each via a placing and subscription. The issue price represents a premium of 13% to the average closing middle market price of a share on Tuesday. In addition, a total of 6.5 million new shares with an aggregate value of GBP2.6 million at the issue price have been issued by the company for non-cash consideration comprising the supplier fee shares, the director fee share, the bonus shares and the adviser fee shares. The funds raised from the subscription will bolster Advanced Oncotherapy's balance sheet as it moves towards completing its first LIGHT system with a 230MeV beam which is expected by the end of 2021.







Taylor Maritime Investments Ltd - investment company - Contracted to acquire seven Japanese-built geared Handysize bulk vessels, ranging in size from 28,000 to 37,000 DWT, for USD107.8 million in cash. Delivery of the vessels is expected between September and January 2022. "These additional vessels will reinforce our ability to deliver high quality returns to our investors," says CEO Edward Buttery.







Round Hill Music Royalty Fund Ltd - private equity firm - Buys an interest in a music publishing catalogue from Yes guitarist and prolific film score composer Trevor Rabin. The catalogue consists of 3,528 film cues and songs covering tracks from across Rabin's expansive career as a song writer and film score composer. "We believe this is a particularly attractive area in which to be increasing our exposure, as film and TV performance revenues continue to increase in value. It is an outstanding privilege to welcome his catalogue to the Company's portfolio," says Chair & CEO Josh Gruss.







Lords Group Trading PLC - distributor of building, plumbing, heating and DIY goods - Reports the extension or amendment of existing property leases covering five of the company's 33 sites. The lease updates will provide Lords Group with desirable continuity of tenure at three existing sites and will also see capital contributions from the property owner to site improvements at two of the sites.







Xeros Technology Group PLC - developer and licensor of platform technologies - Says the first commercial washing machine sale was completed in India to the Radisson Hotel Group. The company says it is now planning a series of regional market launches with commercial laundry customers starting in August.







Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust PLC - investment firm - Raises a further GBP200 million by issuing two long-term, fixed rate, senior, unsecured private placement notes. The first is a 15-year note for GBP100 million with a fixed coupon of 2.03%, the second, a 25-year note for GBP100 million with a fixed coupon of 2.30%. Both notes are denominated in sterling and funded on Tuesday.







Duke Royalty Ltd - royalty finance provider - Reports exit of its investment in royalty partner BHPC Ltd, an Irish insurance brokerage specialising in the not-for-profit insurance space. At closing, Duke received back net cash of GBP6.9 million, delivering an internal rate of return of 29.4%. Proceeds from this exit will leave Duke in a positive net cash position, providing liquidity of more than GBP35 million to pursue its pipeline of near and mid-term investment opportunities.







Mountview Estates PLC - London-based property management firm - Says it is disappointed that a notable number of shareholders opposed some resolutions related to reelection of Directors Mhairi Archibald and Tony Powell, reappointment of BSG Valentine (UK) LLP as auditors, and approval of remuneration report. The directors intend to engage with shareholders to obtain feedback on their concerns and will publish an update on that engagement within six months of the date of the annual general meeting. The company says it intends to convene a general meeting at which resolutions may be put to the meeting to re-appoint Archibald and Powell as directors.







Quadrise Fuels International PLC - London-based residual oil technology licensor - Says a comprehensive suite of tests has been completed on a Wartsila 4-stroke engine using 5mt of bioMSAR fuel produced at QRF. This engine was the same generic type previously used for MSAR testing, though it has since been modified for dual fuel operation, and this required further work to enable comparison with the earlier MSAR test results. "Quadrise is making great progress on bioMSAR testing and development. This work is crucial in enabling Quadrise to offer customers a lower cost renewable fuel solution, alongside our existing MSAR fuel, and we look forward to sharing further information with shareholders during the third quarter of 2021," says Chair Mike Kirk.







Middlefield Canadian Income PCC - Jersey-based investment firm - Says investee WPT Industrial REIT entered into an arrangement agreement under which Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust Inc will acquire all the outstanding units of WPT that will result in shareholders receiving USD22.00 per share in a USD3.1 billion transaction. The offer price represents a 17% premium to the closing share price on Friday last week, the last trading day prior to the announcement of the transaction. "The proposed offer is exciting news for the company and validates our long held view that industrial property remains an attractive way to play the growth in e-commerce," says Dean Orrico, president of Middlefield International Ltd.







Pershing Square Holdings Ltd - London-based investment trust - Together with Pershing Square LP and Pershing Square International Ltd, through an affiliated entity, have acquired 128.6 million shares of Universal Music Group, for USD21.78 per share. The total cash consideration of USD2.8 billion represents an equity value for Universal Music Group of EUR33 billion. Pershing Square Holdings' share of the cash consideration is USD2.5 billion.







Albion Enterprise VCT PLC - investment firm - Reports net asset value on June 30 of GBP95.82 million or 127.93 pence per share, an increase of 12% since March 31. After the dividend of 2.87p per share to be paid on August 31, the NAV is 125.06p per share. During the period from April to June 30, the company did not buy back any shares.







By Evelina Grecenko; evelinagrecenko@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Adds detail, context, share price move)

By Nqobile Dludla

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Scandal-hit South African

retailer Steinhoff International said on Wednesday it

was increasing its proposed lawsuit settlement offer by 3.21

billion rand ($217 million), taking the total to 1.43 billion

euros ($1.67 billion).

The announcement, which raised hopes the matter was nearly

closed, sent its Johannesburg-listed shares up 15.48%, to a more

than one-month high, while its primary Frankfurt-listed shares

jumped by 17.95% at 0942 GMT.

The retailer faces 90 separate legal claims in Germany,

South Africa and the Netherlands from shareholders who lost

money when it revealed holes in its accounts in December 2017,

the first sign of a multi-billion dollar fraud.

Steinhoff has previously increased its settlement proposal

to win over claimants.

Last month, it raised its offer by 243 million euros, but

that was not seen as enough.

"Whilst Steinhoff has received positive responses to its

July 16 offer, indications have been that it has attracted

insufficient overall support to achieve certainty of outcome,"

it said.

"Steinhoff believes that the adjusted proposed settlement

can resolve both legacy claims and, in SIHPL's (Steinhoff

International Holdings Proprietary Limited) case, the more

recent disputes."

The additional and final increase only applies to market

purchase claimants against SIHPL, the former South African

holding company of the Steinhoff group, and will be made

available by SIHPL alone, it said.

Steinhoff, the majority-owner of Pepkor in Africa

and Pepco in Europe, said the revised offer was

subject to regulatory and financial creditor approvals and does

not constitute an admission of liability.

Steinhoff said it has received confirmation that the active

claimant group, Hamilton, supports in principle the global

settlement based on the increased contribution by SIHPL.

Dublin-based Hamilton, in one of its cases, disputed the

split of claimants into separate classes with differing payout

ratios. It is seeking more than 14 billion rand on behalf of

about 14,000 retail investors, asset managers and pension fund

in South Africa.

Steinhoff said Hamilton will withdraw from the class

composition application.

($1 = 14.8313 rand)

($1 = 0.8539 euros)

(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Emma Rumney and

Barbara Lewis)
* Offer rises to 1.43 bln euros from 1.23 bln euros

* Increase is attempt to get more support from claimants

* Hamilton supports settlement proposal in principle

(Adds quote from Hamilton, next step and updates share price)

By Nqobile Dludla

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Scandal-hit South African

retailer Steinhoff International said on Wednesday it

was increasing its proposed lawsuit settlement offer by 3.21

billion rand ($217 million), taking the total to 1.43 billion

euros ($1.67 billion).

The announcement, which raised hopes the matter was nearing

completion, sent its Johannesburg-listed shares up 22.62%, to a

more than one-month high, while its primary Frankfurt-listed

shares jumped by 22.26% at 1149 GMT.

The retailer faces 90 separate legal claims in Germany,

South Africa and the Netherlands from shareholders who lost

money when it revealed holes in its accounts in December 2017,

the first sign of a multi-billion dollar fraud.

Steinhoff has previously increased its settlement proposal

to win over claimants.

Last month, it raised its offer by 243 million euros, but

that was not seen as enough.

"Whilst Steinhoff has received positive responses to its

July 16 offer, indications have been that it has attracted

insufficient overall support to achieve certainty of outcome,"

it said.

"Steinhoff believes that the adjusted proposed settlement

can resolve both legacy claims and, in SIHPL's (Steinhoff

International Holdings Proprietary Limited) case, the more

recent disputes."

The additional and final increase only applies to market

purchase claimants against SIHPL, the former South African

holding company of the Steinhoff group, and will be made

available by SIHPL alone, it said.

Steinhoff, the majority-owner of Pepkor in Africa

and Pepco in Europe, said the revised offer was

subject to regulatory and financial creditor approvals and does

not constitute an admission of liability.

Steinhoff said it has received confirmation that the active

claimant group, Hamilton, supports in principle the global

settlement based on the increased contribution by SIHPL.

"We believe that the overall Steinhoff settlement is now at

a financial level at which we can add our in-principle support,"

said Oscar McLaren, a director of Dublin-based Hamilton.

The next step is for the retail group to hold a creditors'

meeting to vote on the proposal and get necessary approvals to

finalise the settlement.

($1 = 14.8313 rand)

($1 = 0.8539 euros)

(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Emma Rumney and

Barbara Lewis)
Endeavour Announces Publication of Circular and Notice of Extraordinary General Meeting

ENDEAVOUR ANNOUNCES PUBLICATION OF CIRCULAR AND NOTICE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

London, 11 August 2021  Endeavour Mining plc (LSE: EDV, TSX: EDV) (the Company or Endeavour) has today published a circular to shareholders (the Circular) containing a notice of an extraordinary general meeting of the Company to be held at 2:00 pm BST / 9:00 am ET on 9 September 2021 (the Meeting).

The purpose of the Meeting is to seek shareholder approval for a reduction of capital to create distributable reserves which may be used to support the payment of dividends and any potential share repurchases by the Company over the longer term. The Company proposes to execute the reduction of capital through the capitalisation of a merger reserve rather than through the cancellation of a share premium account, as previously described in the prospectus dated 9 June 2021. The Company will also seek shareholder approval at the Meeting for the issue of a special class of shares in Endeavour Gold Corporation on the vesting of its long-term awards. Further information on these proposals is set out in the Circular.

A copy of the Circular is available at www.endeavourmining.com. Shareholders of the Company are encouraged to read the Circular in full. Shareholders should expect to receive the various meeting materials and forms of proxy by post on or after 13 August 2021. Proxy forms for the Meeting must be submitted no later than 2:00 pm BST/ 9:00 am ET on 7 September 2021. The Meeting will be held in a hybrid format conducted for those attending via the electronic platform as a live audio-only webcast. Shareholders can participate and vote online during the Meeting by following the instructions set out in the Circular. Further information, including how to vote at or appoint a proxy in respect of the Meeting, is set out in the Circular.

In accordance with UK Listing Rule 9.6.1, a copy of the Circular has been submitted to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and will shortly be available for inspection via the National Storage Mechanism.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Endeavour Mining Martino De CiccioVice President - Strategy & Investor Relations+44 203 640 8665mdeciccio@endeavourmining.com Brunswick Group LLP in LondonCarole Cable, Partner+44 7974 982 458ccable@brunswickgroup.com Vincic Advisors in TorontoJohn Vincic, Principal+1 647 402 6375 john@vincicadvisors.com

ABOUT ENDEAVOUR MINING PLC

Endeavour is one of the worlds senior gold producers and the largest in West Africa, with operating assets across Senegal, Cote dIvoire and Burkina Faso and a strong portfolio of advanced development projects and exploration assets in the highly prospective Birimian Greenstone Belt across West Africa.

A member of the World Gold Council, Endeavour is committed to the principles of responsible mining and delivering sustainable value to its employees, stakeholders and the communities where it operates. Endeavour is listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange, under the symbol EDV.

For more information, please visit www.endeavourmining.com.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This press release contains statements which constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including but not limited to statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of Endeavour with respect to future business activities and operating performance. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words may, would, could, should, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect or similar expressions and includes information regarding Endeavours expectations regarding the benefits of a premium listing in the UK with shares traded on the LSE including deeper access to a diverse investor pool with strong understanding of its key operating jurisdictions across West Africa and increased demand for its shares on the assumption that it will qualify for inclusion in the FTSE UK Index Series as well as the MSCI Europe Index, Endeavours ability to create sustainable shareholder value over the long term the anticipated timing for the payment of a shareholder dividend and statements with respect to future dividends payable to the Companys shareholders the potential for continued or future dividends.

Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflect Endeavour managements expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although Endeavour believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, such information involves risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of Endeavour. This forward-looking information may be affected by risks and uncertainties in the business of Endeavour and market conditions, including but not limited to: risks related to the successful integration of acquisitions or completion of divestitures; risks related to international operations; risks related to general economic conditions and the impact of credit availability on the timing of cash flows and the values of assets and liabilities based on projected future cash flows; Endeavours financial results, cash flows and future prospects being consistent with Endeavour expectations in amounts sufficient to permit sustained dividend payments; the completion of studies on the timelines currently expected, and the results of those studies being consistent with Endeavours current expectations; actual results of current exploration activities; production and cost of sales forecasts for Endeavour meeting expectations; unanticipated reclamation expenses; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; fluctuations in prices of metals including gold; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; increases in market prices of mining consumables; possible variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; extreme weather events, natural disasters, supply disruptions, power disruptions, accidents, pit wall slides, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry; delays in the completion of development or construction activities; changes in national and local government legislation, regulation of mining operations, tax rules and regulations and changes in the administration of laws, policies and practices in the jurisdictions in which Endeavour operates; disputes, litigation, regulatory proceedings and audits; adverse political and economic developments in countries in which Endeavour operates, including but not limited to acts of war, terrorism, sabotage, civil disturbances, non-renewal of key licenses by government authorities, or the expropriation or nationalization of any of Endeavours property; risks associated with illegal and artisanal mining; environmental hazards; and risks associated with new diseases, epidemics and pandemics, including the effects and potential effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

This information is qualified in its entirety by cautionary statements and risk factor disclosure contained in the prospectus published by Endeavour on 9 June 2021 and in filings made by Endeavour with the Canadian securities regulators, including Endeavours annual information form for the financial year ended December 31, 2020 and financial statements and related MD&A for the financial year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available 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. Although Endeavour has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Endeavour does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Attachment

210811 - NR - Publication of Circular Announcement_vF
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Sharad Kelkar has fought all the odds to make his presence felt in an industry filled with competition. With his strong performances, he has won hearts and people have lauded his performances as an actor.

He has been in the industry for a long time now and has battled tough times to make it big. We have seen him rise but its his struggles that many have ignored. Sharad has now been very vocal about sharing the issues that he had faced in his journey to fame.

He might be owning a swanky car and an apartment in Mumbai now but there has been a time where he was even out of credit cards and had no bank balance to pay off his loans. Sharad, on Maniesh Pauls podcast, said how people ignore an actors backstory and see only what he or she has achieved now.

He said, People consider the work and it may be good or bad. But nobody notices the struggle. You came from Delhi, right? I came from Gwalior. People think we both have Mercedes, we dress well and come with our hair groomed well. They don't know the backstory.

Sharad went on to add, In my life, I was out of credit cards also. There has been a time like that as well. I had no bank balance. There were so many liabilities. I have to pay off a loan and my credit card has also run dry.

In his previous interactions, he has also opened up about his stammering issues and how he was bullied for the same. Stammering is a speech problem wherein an individual repeats or prolongs words, and thanks to less awareness about it, people who suffer from stammering become the subject of harassment.

In an interview with The New Indian Express, he had said, You know, I used to suffer from stammering. I was mercilessly bullied as a child for it. But look at me now; I'm in a profession that requires me to use my speech skills."

Sharad has carved his own space in the industry and not many know that he was a gym instructor before he got his big break in the industry. Well, he is an inspiration and we need to celebrate his journey.
Kimberly Zimmer receives top MDOT employee award

Bethany Gipson, MDOT Office of Organizational Development, 517-256-7638 Transportation

August 11, 2021 -- Port Huron native and Midland resident Kimberly Zimmer has received the 2021 Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Director's Award, the department's highest employee honor for outstanding service. MDOT established the annual award more than 30 years ago to recognize those who exhibit leadership and exemplary public service.

"Kim's outstanding leadership and commitment to quality make her a cornerstone of public service," said State Transportation Director Paul C. Ajegba. "Director's Award recipients like Kim help make MDOT the dynamic and responsive organization that it is, and we are all grateful for her service."

Zimmer, honored in the officials and administrators category, played a critical role in MDOT's successful response to last year's historic flooding in Midland and Gladwin counties and is still engaged in ongoing restoration efforts more than a year later. She has maintained continued communication with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to ensure MDOT and local agencies receive all possible federal funds, funds that would not have been secured without Zimmer's enormous efforts. Her approach was so successful that it laid the groundwork for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to complete dam analysis and work under contract and in coordination with MDOT hydraulics, soils, bridge design, and operations.

The Director's Award program represents the various work categories within the department. While MDOT employees nominate their peers, committees comprised of workers from each category make the final recommendations to the department.



Kimberly Zimmer, 2021 MDOT Director's Award recipient

 2021 MDOT Photography Unit
Kids look up to Smokey Bear and his important fire-prevention messaging. Now they'll also get the chance to look up - way up - at Smokey's familiar face and trademark hat Aug. 19-21 during the U.P. State Fair in Escanaba (Delta County). The New Mexico-based hot air balloon made in Smokey Bear's image will ascend on a tether several times near the Michigan Department of Natural Resources' Pocket Park during the fair. "Smokey Bear is an icon in his 77th year of telling people how to prevent forest fires," said Paul Rogers, DNR fire prevention specialist. "This balloon is a pretty impressive sight." How impressive? The balloon - known as a "special shape" because of its unique contours: Holds 145,000 cubic feet of hot air.

Is 97 feet tall, including the basket.

Measures 72 feet across at Smokey's hat brim.

Is made of 4,670 square yards of nylon and takes 12 to 15 people for setup and inflating. "It's going to be impossible not to notice Smokey Bear as the balloon rises near the DNR Pocket Park," Rogers said. "It should be a lot of fun and bring attention to our fire prevention safety message." Ascensions are planned Thursday morning, Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, weather permitting.
MANISTEE  The Manistee Shoreline Showcase will present Chris Foreman's Soul Message Band.

The concert will be held from 7-9:15 p.m. on Tuesday at the First Street Beach Rotary Gazebo. In the case of inclement weather, the event will be held at the Armory Youth Project, located at 555 First St. in Manistee.

"With a stunning command of his Hammond B-3 organ and an exciting blend of blues-gospel and jazz, Chris Foreman is heir to the throne occupied by his influences such as Jimmy Smith and Jimmy McGriff," reads a news release. "Chris has a 25 year history with drummer, Greg Rockingham, collaborating in support of acts such as Deep Blue Organ Trio and Steely Dan."

The group tours to Michigan with special guest, saxophonist/flutist, composer and educator Chris Bickley.

Concerts are free of charge, but donations are always appreciated. Simulcast can be heard on 99.3 FM WOWN.

Concerts will be held from 7-9:15 p.m. every Tuesday through Aug. 31 at the First Street Beach Rotary Gazebo.

Find information online at manisteeshorelineshowcase.org/ or by searching Manistee ShoreLine ShowCase on Facebook.
As the summer is slowly winding to an end, the Manistee County Fairgrounds is excited to announce its annual truck and tractor pulling, a worldwide sport where owners are tasked with pulling their truck or tractor the farthest in a race.

Not popular until the 1950s or '60s, farmers would brag to see who had the fastest livestock pulling their crops. However, with rules varying from state to state it was hard determining a winner. It wasnt until 1969, when the National Tractor Pullers Association (NTPA) was created and an official set of rules was made to follow.
The long-awaited annual Cheeseburger in Caseville Festival will kick off Aug. 13 with a variety of events and activities. The festival will run until Aug. 22 with the theme of A Little Piece of Paradise.

Chamber of Commerce President and Event Coordinator Steve Louwers said the theme is open to interpretation by attendees.

Our shirts are gonna have, of course, a parrot on it, Louwers said, But when I think of paradise, I imagine this parrot is going to be laying on a hammock between two palm trees, with a beautiful sunset in the background. To me, thats paradise.

As per tradition, the 10-day festival will feature the Tropical Fools Parade at 5:30 on Aug. 18 through town. To walk in the parade, entries must be submitted by Aug. 17, and applications can be found on the Caseville Chamber of Commerce website.

In past years, Louwers said the parade has brought in approximately 50,000 attendees from across Michigan and runs for about two hours.

We get some extremely clever floats, big cheeseburgers or big big parrots and stuff like that, Louwers said. Its just unique, something thats hard to explain, but something you dont see in a normal parade.

Louwers said the Caseville Chamber of Commerce has partnered with local businesses and community organizations to put on hundreds of events throughout the festival.

Since the Cheeseburger Festival was toned down last year due to the pandemic, Louwers said hes excited for its return, especially because of the uncertainty leading up to planning efforts.

Its been a lot more difficult trying to put this together in three months, as opposed to eight to nine months, because we didnt have any positivity that we were going to be doing the festival this year, Louwers said. (With the loosening of COVID restrictions), were excited to do it, and we always make it work.

Other festival highlights include cheeseburger vendors, live musical performances, various contests and tournaments, a cardboard boat race and a new downhill cart derby race.

Some people come because they enjoy buying hamburgers from the fire department or because they enjoy the beach activities, because theyre strictly Jimmy Buffett Parrotheads for the rock music at night, and some just come for the parade, Louwers said. I want all those people to come and be satisfied with our festival.

With more events yet to be added to the schedule, Louwers said this years festival will rival past years and perhaps exceed them in size and magnitude.

Despite the buzz for the festival, Louwers said he hopes attendees can still be mindful of safety protocols and guidelines, exercising caution if they have not been vaccinated.

I just want everyone to go home happy and of course, healthy, Louwers said, before adding, and a couple of pounds heavier from all the cheeseburgers.

For the full schedule, visit the Caseville Chamber of Commerce website at https://www.casevillechamber.com/events.asp?FestivalType=5.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany has arrested a British citizen on suspicion of spying for Russia while working at the British Embassy in Berlin, officials said Wednesday.

Federal prosecutors said in a statement that the man was detained on Tuesday in the city of Potsdam southwest of the capital based on cooperative investigations by German and British authorities. In keeping with German privacy laws, he was only identified as David S.

Prosecutors said he is suspected of having spied for the Russian intelligence service at least since November. Before his arrest, he worked as a local hire at the British Embassy in the German capital and allegedly passed on documents he received at work to the Russians, the prosecutors' statement said.

It's unlikely the suspect had diplomatic immunity because in such a case he would have normally been expelled from the country instead of being detained.

The federal prosecutor's office said later on Wednesday, when reached by phone, it could not give any further details on the case because of the ongoing investigation and the man's privacy rights.

Germany's foreign minister said the government is closely following the case.

We take the information that the detained persons intelligence activity was carried out on behalf of a Russian intelligence agency extremely seriously," Heiko Maas told reporters in Berlin.

Spying on a close ally on German soil is absolutely unacceptable and we are in full solidarity with our British friends, he said. "We will be following the federal prosecutors further investigations very closely. And where thats desired, necessary and possible, we will also support them.

The Russian Embassy in Berlin declined to comment Wednesday on reports about the arrest, the Interfax news agency reported. The embassy currently does not have any official information from the German side on this issue, Interfax quoted the embassy's spokespeople as saying.

The British government provided few details about the embassy worker, saying that an individual who was contracted to work for the government was arrested yesterday by the German authorities.

"It would not be appropriate to comment further as there is an ongoing police investigation, the statement said.

Britains Metropolitan Police said in a separate statement that the man was arrested in the Berlin area on suspicion of committing offenses relating to being engaged in Intelligence Agent activity.

Primacy for the investigation remains with German authorities," the Met statement, while "officers from the Counter Terrorism Command continue to liaise with German counterparts as the investigation continues.

The Mets Counter Terrorism Command is responsible for investigating alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act.

German prosecutors said the suspect received an unknown amount of cash in return for his alleged spying activities. Investigators have searched his home and office, the statement added.

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the man to remain under arrest pending further investigation.

During the Cold War, Berlin was often dubbed as the capital of spies because the city was on the frontlines of the confrontation between the Soviets in the East and the Americans and their western allies in the West. Intelligence agents were active on both sides of the divided city and sometimes  after some espionage agents were caught  there were infamous cloak-and-dagger exchanges of captured spies on the Glienicker Bridge.

However, since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the unification of Germany a year later, and the end of the Cold War, espionage activities in Berlin have supposedly abated.

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Frank Jordans in Berlin, Danica Kirka and Panagiotis Pylas in London, and Daria Litvinova in Moscow contributed reporting.
More charges have been issued against members of The Base  the white nationalist hate group that attempted to establish itself in Bad Axe.

According to a press release issued by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, new charges were filed against Justen Watkins, the self-proclaimed leader of The Base, as well as against Thomas Denton and Tristan Webb.

Nessel said the new charges against the members is in a case that will be co-prosecuted with Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark Reene and stems from the members reportedly breaking into "two former Michigan Department of Corrections sites  MDOC Camp Tuscola Annex and MDOC Tuscola Residential ReEntry Program  which were, and are, vacant in the city of Caro on Oct. 3, 2020."

"The properties are owned by the Michigan State Land Bank Authority," the release reads.

The new charges brought against Watkins 25, Denton, 32, and Webb, 19, include one count of larceny in a building, a four-year felony; one count of gang membership, a 20-year felony; one count of conspiracy to commit teaching use of firearms for a civil disorder, four-year felony; and one count of felony firearm, two-year felony.

Watkins is currently being held without bond in Washtenaw County Jail on charges in connection to a December 2019 incident in Dexter.

Watkins and his co-defendant Alfred Gorman were charged in Washtenaw County last year by Attorney General Dana Nessel on that incident. The drug possession charge against Watkins was also issued by the attorney general.

The suspects are linked to a December 2019 incident in Dexter, in which a family was terrorized at their home after the men allegedly used intimidation tactics on the premises and posted messages to other The Base members targeting the home, a 2020 attorney general press release read.

According to the release, on Dec. 11, 2019 around 11:30 p.m., the victims reportedly witnessed Watkins and Gorman around their home, shining a light and taking photos from the front porch of the home.

The photos were then uploaded to The Bases channel on the social media platform Telegram with the caption, The Base sends greetings to Daniel Harper of the Antifa podcast 'I Dont Speak German.'"

Watkins was arrested following the execution of an arrest warrant Oct. 29, 2020 at a Sullivan Road address where he was living. The home was owned at the time by Eric Webb, Tristan's father.

The recent charges were the first brought against Denton and Tristan Webb. Tristan Webb spoke to the Tribune last November about how he became involved in The Base and how his family's heritage property became a location for the group.

Tristan Webb said he wanted to build a community of like-minded individuals, settle down and get married, so he asked to move to the home in the spring of 2019 with Eric Webb's ex-wife.

Tristan Webb told the Tribune he had been friends with Watkins for more than a year, but Watkins didnt move to the homestead until late winter or early spring last year.

According to Tristan Webb, he met Watkins online and the two shared similar views and ideologies. Tristan Webb said he is a white nationalist, or a Nazi.

Before becoming a member of The Base, Tristan Webb said he went through a vetting process conducted by leaders of The Base to determine if he could join the organization. During that process, Tristan Webb shared that he had the Bad Axe homestead, which had 3 1/2 acres in a rural location. The homestead was reportedly selected as the location of Huron Countys cell of The Base.

Tristan Webb said he felt The Base could help with the process of building a community of like-minded people. He said he planned to focus on the community aspect and Watkins would focus on the training.

I was involved because I thought The Base would be good for the training aspect of that, Tristan Webb told the Tribune last November. He was more going along with my idea with homesteading and racial separation, which is what the original goal was of the farm. It wasnt supposed to be a training place but a community.

Tristan Webb's recent arrest and charges were a shock to his father Eric Webb. Eric Webb said his son has continued to turn his life around, had severed all ties to The Base, and was in the process of buying his own home.

"I don't think he is involved in any of this," Eric Webb said, not realizing the charges stem back to his son's time at The Base. "He has really been working to get all of this behind him. I was working with him to buy a house and he was just approved for an FHA loan."

"He hasn't been involved in anything since (The Base)," he continued.

During Watkins' original arrest, authorities reportedly found tactical gear, surveillance equipment, and various items adorned with Nazi symbolism.

The new charges allege Watkins, Denton and Webb broke into the MDOC properties and stole state-issued clothing from one of the locations. It is also alleged the sites were assessed as potential future training grounds for hate camps, which is what the group named its paramilitary firearms training exercises.

This isn't the first time Watkin's was charged with such a crime. He is currently facing charges in Huron County for one count of breaking and entering after he reportedly broke into the Sullivan Road home while out on bond. Because of these charges, along with alleged contact with Denton while he was out, Watkins' bond was revoked in 14A-1 District Court.

Denton and Webb were arrested and arraigned Aug. 11 in Tuscola Countys 71B District Court. Both men were given the following bond terms: $250,000 cash or surety, no 10%; cannot leave the state; cannot posses firearms or dangerous weapons; cannot possess internet-connected devices; no alcohol or drugs; no contact with co-defendants; and no contact with other members of The Base.

The men will receive a GPS tether if they post bond and will remain under house arrest except for traveling to and from work and court appearances.

According to the attorney general, details on Watkins' arraignment on the new charges are not set, but it will be conducted by video from the jail where he is being held.

Denton and Webbs next court dates are Aug. 25 at 8:15 a.m. for a probable cause conference and Sept. 1 at 9 a.m. for preliminary exam. Both will be in 71B District Court.

As Michigan's chief law enforcement officer, it is my duty to protect the public from those who act upon dangerous anti-government and white supremacy ideologies," Nessel said in the release. I appreciate the multiagency coordination that took place to secure these charges and I look forward to working with Prosecutor Reene as the case progresses.

"Our office wishes to recognize the extraordinary work completed on this case by the investigators at both the federal and state level, Reene said in the release. We tremendously appreciate the leadership Attorney General Nessel has repeatedly demonstrated in matters of this type and will work with her to protect our communities and State against all forms of violence."

According to Nessel and other agencies throughout the country, The Base is a white supremacy organization that openly advocates for violence and criminal acts against the U.S., and purports to be training for a race war to establish white ethnonationalist rule in areas of the U.S., including Michigans Upper Peninsula. The group also traffics in Nazi ideology and extreme anti-Semitism.

Watkins claims to be the leader of The Base, and reportedly ran a hate camp for members of the group, where he led tactical and firearms training for participants with the goal of being prepared for the violent overthrow of the government.

Watkins and Gorman are due for preliminary exam in the Dexter case in front of Judge Cedric Simpson in Washtenaw Countys 14A-4 District Court on Aug. 24-25 at 9 a.m.

While Watkins remains incarcerated, Gorman is currently out on bond.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Puerto Rico's governor announced Wednesday that employees of restaurants or other enclosed places that serve food or drinks will have to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, and customers will have to show a vaccination card or a negative virus test.

The new rules, which take effect Aug. 23, come as the U.S. territory faces a spike in coronavirus infections blamed largely on the delta variant. Those who do not comply face up to six months in jail or up to a $5,000 fine.

As governor, I have the responsibility ... of taking the necessary measures to guarantee everyone's health, said Gov. Pedro Pierluisi.

Customers at other enclosed places including theaters, coliseums and convention centers also will have to present proof of vaccination or a negative test. Pierluisi said another option will soon be available: a QR code that vaccinated people can obtain if they enroll through a new government system.

While the vaccination requirements are mandatory for employees, restaurants and other places that decide not to request proof from customers must lower their maximum capacity to 50%, the governor said.

Pierluisi added that if employees do not get vaccinated, they must present negative coronavirus tests.

If these measures do not have a significant impact, I will be forced to implement additional restrictions, Pierluisi said.

The former and future presidents of Puerto Rico's Restaurant Association said they fully support that employees be vaccinated but raised concerns about asking clients for proof of vaccination or a negative test.

Mateo Cidre, the association's upcoming president and owner of several restaurants, said that the logistics will be complicated and that he had hoped they would be given time to see how New York City implements such measures.

He wondered what he should do if a customer shows up and says he cannot be vaccinated for health reasons.

Am I supposed to ask him why not, what does he have? Cidre said.

Ramon Leal, the association's former president, said restaurants will likely end up losing money and opt to operate at 50% capacity because employees are scarce and owners can't afford to have a worker exclusively posted at the door to check customers.

There's a shortage never before seen in the restaurant industry, he said of workers, adding that scenario could change once federal pandemic funds run out in upcoming weeks.

Wednesday's announcement follows recent ones in which Puerto Rico's governor has said that vaccinations are required of public employees, government contractors, hotel guests and staff and all health facility workers, among others.

The goal here is for everyone to get vaccinated, he said.

The U.S. territory of more than 3.3 million people has reported more than 130,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 2,600 deaths from COVID-19. Some 76% of people have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
ATLANTA  Four tiny Georgia public school districts have temporarily shut down in-person instruction within days of starting school, saying high COVID-19 case counts among students and staff makes it unsafe to continue.

Other districts have closed individual schools or sent hundreds of students into quarantine after exposure to people with COVID-19.

The 1,100-student Macon County district on Wednesday became the fourth district to suspend in-person classes, following the smaller Taliaferro, Glascock and Talbot counties in recent days. The four districts combined serve a fraction of 1% of Georgias 1.7 million students.

The difference now in this outbreak that we see than the outbreak that happened last school year is that this seems to be more centered on kidsrather than adults so that scares me to death, Talbot County Superintendent Jack Catrett told WTVM-TV.

The moves show the difficulty of keeping schools open as COVID-19 surges in Georgias broader society, despite the determination of local school leaders to focus on in-person classes this year.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 California 1st state to require COVID-19 vaccine or test for teachers, staff

 CDC urges COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy as delta surges

 US to deliver nearly 837K Pfizer vaccines to Caribbean nations

 WHO will test 3 current drugs for potential use against coronavirus

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 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

HOUSTON  Defiance of Gov. Greg Abbotts ban on mask mandates continued on Wednesday as another Texas school district announced plans to require students to wear face coverings and another county scored a legal victory in its efforts to issue such mandates amid a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations throughout the state.

The Houston suburb of Spring became the latest to require its students, teachers and staff to wear masks. School districts in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Fort Worth have also issued mask mandates. The superintendent of Houstons school district, the states largest, planned to ask his school board to approve a mask mandate during a Thursday meeting.

The mandates go against an executive order Abbott repeated last month banning mask mandates by any state, county or local government entity.

On Wednesday, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins signed an executive order requiring that masks be worn inside schools, county buildings and businesses. The action by Jenkins, the top elected official in Dallas County, came after a state district judge on Tuesday granted a temporary restraining order against Abbotts executive order, allowing Jenkins to issue the mask mandate.

The legal ruling from Dallas County follows one from earlier Tuesday when another judge issued a different temporary restraining order, allowing officials in San Antonio and Bexar County to mandate masks in public schools.

Officials in Fort County, located just southwest of Houston, announced Wednesday afternoon they would also file a lawsuit seeking to override Abbotts ban on mask mandates.

Renae Eze, a spokeswoman for Abbott, said in a statement that violating the governors executive orders and violating parental rightsis not the way to do it.

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OTTAWA  Canadas immigration minister says fully vaccinated Canadians will soon be able to get a government document that will certify their COVID-19 vaccine history for the purpose of international travel.

The document, expected to be ready by the fall, will be digital, with an option for those who cannot or do not want a digital certificate. Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino says it will include data on the type of vaccines received, the dates and the location.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the program has to be done in cooperation with provinces and territories because they have the data that is needed. He says if provinces want to use the same passport within their province that could be an option.

Quebec is introducing a provincial passport next month that will be required for people who want to attend public events, go to the gym or frequent a restaurant or bar.

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OKLAHOMA CITY  The superintendent of a public charter school in Oklahoma City said students and staff must begin wearing masks indoors, defying a state law that prohibits such mandates.

Superintendent Chris Brewster at Santa Fe South Schools, a 3,500-student, pre-K through 12 district in south Oklahoma City, also said in a letter on the districts website that he is exploring whether to require vaccinations for school employees.

Brewster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a law earlier this year prohibiting public schools, technology centers and colleges and universities from requiring vaccinations or masks unless there is a declared state of emergency. Stitt ended Oklahomas emergency declaration in May.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister said she plans to meet with Stitt to discuss reinstating the emergency declaration. Stitts office didnt immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment on whether hes reconsidering a declaration.

While many districts have indicated they expect students and staff to wear masks, Santa Fe South is the first in Oklahoma to require them. Tulsa Public Schools planned a meeting Wednesday to consider possible litigation against Stitt over the mask prohibition.

Similar defiance to mask laws is occurring in other states that have imposed such bans.

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PHOENIX  Arizona State University on Wednesday announced the school will require masks in certain indoor settings, such as classrooms and labs, regardless of vaccination status to help fight the spread of COVID-19.

A university policy statement posted Wednesday said other settings where masks will be required include close-quarter environments where physical distancing may not be possible. Those include facilities that serve the public, meeting rooms, workshops and any indoor areas designated by posted signage.

Arizona on Wednesday reported 1,970 new COVID-19 cases and six additional deaths. There were 1,513 hospitalized COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday.

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JACKSON, Miss.  Mississippi will open a 50-bed field hospital and the federal government will send medical professionals to help treat patients as COVID-19 cases continue surging in a state with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S., officials said Wednesday.

Many Mississippi hospitals face space and staffing constraints. The temporary facility will be in a parking garage at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and it could be open by Friday.

Dr. LouAnn Woodward, the head of UMMC, said the facility should help with an influx of patients, including some transferred from smaller hospitals. She described the field hospital as a Band-Aid.

The big solution is, lets get this surge under control, and lets get the spread of this virus under control, Woodward said. And the way that we do that is by getting people vaccinated.

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MINNEAPOLIS  Minnesota state employees will be required to prove that theyve been vaccinated against COVID-19 or agree to undergo weekly testing before they can return to the office, Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday.

State agency employees who work in person will be required to show their proof of vaccination and attest to their vaccination status by Sept. 8. Employees who havent been vaccinated by then will be required to test negative for the coronavirus at least once a week in order to work on site.

The Democratic governor noted that many other Minnesota employers, health systems and colleges have announced similar requirements for their workers and students. According to the governors office, at least seven states have vaccination requirements for their public employees.

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OFALLON, Mo.  The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services COVID-19 dashboard shows the state is nearing a milestone - 10,000 deaths related to COVID-19.

As of Wednesday, officials had reported 9,982 COVID-19-related deaths of Missouri residents since the start of the pandemic.

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department announced Wednesday that 82 people have died from COVID-19 since July 1. The health department cited 67 deaths in July and 15 in the first nine days of August.

CoxHealth CEO Steve Edwards said his hospitals are seeing four to six deaths each day and virtually all of them would have been prevented by vaccinations.

State data showed 3,282 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the biggest one-day count since January, and the seven-day average was 2,221. Meanwhile, 2,200 Missourians are hospitalized with the coronavirus. Statewide intensive care unit capacity is at 18%.

There was some good news in Springfield. Health Director Katie Towns said vaccinations in the county rose 40% in July compared to June, and the seven-day average for cases on Wednesday was 125, down nearly one-third from a week ago.

But now is not the time to let our guard down, Towns said at a news conference. We need more people to get vaccinated.

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HONOLULU  Hawaii has reinstated restrictions on social gatherings amid a surge in new coronavirus cases.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige imposed the new restrictions Tuesday to help hospitals maintain care for a record number of COVID-19 patients and to curb widespread community transmission of the virus.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports the executive order took effect immediately and limits social gatherings to no more than 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors. Bars, restaurants, gyms, churches and other establishments must reduce their capacity to 50%.

Hawaii is averaging more than 500 new COVID-19 cases a day, double what it was in August 2020, when the state previously had its highest case counts.

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PORTLAND, Ore.  Gov. Kate Brown has announced a statewide indoor mask requirement because of the spike in coronavirus hospitalizations and cases. She warns the states health care system could be overwhelmed.

Beginning Friday, everyone who is 5 years or older in Oregon, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear masks in indoor public spaces. Brown had urged local officials to implement their own mandates, but almost none did.

The new measure applies to all indoor public spaces, including businesses, grocery stores, indoor entertainment venues and gyms. In addition, people older than two years old will be required to wear masks on public transit.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  The University of Arkansas system is requiring masks on its campuses after a judge temporarily blocked the states law banning mask mandates.

The board of trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution requiring campuses to develop face mask policies for indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status. The move comes days after a state judge issued a preliminary injunction against Arkansas law banning mask mandates by schools and other governmental entities.

At least three dozen school districts and public charter schools have approved mask mandates since that ruling. The University of Central Arkansas on Tuesday said it would require masks be worn indoors.

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OKLAHOMA CITY  COVID-19 hospitalizations in Oklahoma topped 1,000 Wednesday for the first time since early February, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

There were 2,199 new COVID-19 cases, with 1,102 people hospitalized and 294 under intensive care, the department reported. The seven-day average of 2,031 new cases daily was up from 1,197 on July 26.

State health officials have said a shortage of nurses and the rising number of hospitalizations are pushing Oklahoma hospitals toward their capacity limits as COVID-19 cases surge from the highly contagious delta variant and a low COVID-19 vaccination rate.

Oklahoma ranked seventh nationally in the number of new cases per capita with 653.7, according to Johns Hopkins University research data. Meantime, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 41% of Oklahomans were fully vaccinated as of Tuesday, compared to a national average of 49.9%.

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SAN FRANCISCO  California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.

The statewide vaccine mandate for K-12 educators comes as schools return from summer break amid growing concerns of the highly contagious delta variant. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the new policy Wednesday as he visited a San Francisco Bay Area school that has already reopened after summer break.

Several large school districts in the state have issued similar requirements in recent days, including San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and the Long Beach Unified school districts.

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ANKARA, Turkey  Turkey is considering mandating regular negative PCR tests from vaccine-hesitant parents as the country prepares to return to face-to-face education.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca says the government was determined to reopen schools on Sept. 6.

Vaccination must become indispensable if we dont want our education and business life to be uninterrupted, Koca said in a televised speech. Parents especially, will either complete their vaccinations or will have to regularly check that they dont carry the disease.

The announcement comes as the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths continued to rise.

On Wednesday, the country reported 27,356 new cases in past 24 hours, the highest number of daily infections since May 4. Deaths rose by 128 in the last 24 hours.

Earlier, the minister announced on Twitter that 50% of all adults in Turkey had been fully vaccinated.

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PARIS  French President Emmanuel Macron is warning the coronavirus crisis is not behind us after a government meeting focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Macron urged all French people who are eligible to get the vaccine. He says the health crisis is not behind us, very clearly... We will live for several more months with this virus.

About 56% of Frances population is fully vaccinated. But for several weeks, France has been facing an increasing number of daily infections, driven by the highly contagious delta variant, which now accounts for most cases.

France is sending medical help to French overseas territories in the Caribbean. The islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe are struggling with COVID-19 outbreaks.

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NEW YORK  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging all pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The advice comes as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus. The CDC recommendation echoes recent guidance from top obstetrician groups.

The agency had previously encouraged pregnant women to consider vaccination. Pregnant women run a higher risk of severe illness from the coronavirus. But their vaccination rates are low, with only about 23% having received at least one dose, according to the CDC.

The vaccines are safe and effective, and it has never been more urgent to increase vaccinations as we face the highly transmissible delta variant and see severe outcomes from COVID-19 among unvaccinated pregnant people, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.
Consumers Energy crews are starting to restore power this morning to over 200,000 homes and businesses after a fast-moving storm brought high winds and caused major damage across Michigan late Tuesday night. More storms could hit the region Wednesday night.

In Michigan, there are 2,732 outages affecting 187,990 customers, according to Consumers online outage map on Wednesday morning. Mecosta County had 7,166 customers without power as of 7:45 a.m. Wednesday. Local power restoration estimates extend into Wednesday evening, but will more than likely will be updated throughout the day.

Mother Nature delivered a powerful punch to Michigan. Now, Consumers Energys crews will be working to repair damage and restore power to customers who count on us, stated Guy Packard, Consumers Energys vice president for electric operations, in a news release this morning. Our crews will be working around the clock this week to turn the lights back on for everyone who was affected by this devastating storm.

Severe weather started hitting West and Northern Michigan after 9 p.m. Tuesday. Winds reportedly as high as 70 mph knocked down trees, limbs and power lines. Crews started assessing damage and restoring power overnight, and their work likely will continue through the week.

The severe weather might not be over. The National Weather Service has issued another hazardous weather outlook stating that a new round of thunderstorms bring an enhanced risk of severe weather for Wednesday evening.

"The main threat will be damaging winds," according to the NWS outlook for Mecosta County. "Secondary threats will be large hail, tornadoes and heavy rain."

Thursday also brings a marginal risk for severe weather, with the main threat being damaging winds.

ALSO SEE: Wednesday edition of Pioneer delayed due to power outages

Customers can report an outage and check the status of outage by visiting www.ConsumersEnergy.com/OutageCenter. Customers can also sign up to get outage alerts and restoration times sent to a phone, email or text message, Text REG' to 232273 or visit www.ConsumersEnergy.com/alerts.

We appreciate our customers patience as we work to restore power as quickly and safely as we can, Packard said. We also are watching for the prospect of more storms later tonight and we encourage people to take steps to stay safe and be ready for the possibility of additional power outages.

Packard urged people to stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines, keep children or pets away, and report the issue by calling 9-1-1 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050. Consumers Energy asks the public to keep a safe distance from crews due to health precautions and to allow them to do their work.

Consumers Energy also asks the public to keep important safety tips in mind:

 Be alert to crews working along roads. Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear so they safely can go past workers on roadsides.

 Call 2-1-1 if you are looking for help connecting to resources that offer assistance in your community. 2-1-1 is a free statewide service.

 Never use a generator in an attached garage, basement, enclosed patio or near any air intakes. Doing so could cause a generator to produce hazardous levels of carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and deadly gas.

 Consumers Energy will trim or remove trees interfering with electric restoration activities. Once safe to do so, clean-up of debris from tree trimming or removal during a storm emergency is the responsibility of individual property owners.

 In some cases, the mast which holds the electric service wires to a customers home or business may have been damaged or torn away. Crews will reconnect the wires to a home, but only a licensed electrician can repair or replace a mast or a cable.
DANBURY  At Keystone Place at Wooster Heights, senior citizens can get their hair cut, catch a movie and play bingo or poker with their friends.

The new senior living community opened late last year and has about 60 residents. Staff give multiple tours daily to people interested in moving in.

The common refrain is that the place feels warm and welcoming, said Cindy Sevell, director of community relations.

Its a community with a heart, she said. Its a family-owned and operated community, and they run it like they would run a family.

Keystone Place operates a similar community in Torrington. The Danbury location is on Wooster Heights Road, across from Lee Farms Corporate Park and near where a center offering proton therapy to fight cancer is expected to be constructed.

A grand opening celebration for the public will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. A ceremonial ribbon-cutting begins 3 p.m. Thursday with various local and state leaders.

The 55 independent living apartments are about 90 percent full, while a few residents have moved into the 63 assisted-living apartments. Staff is looking for its first tenant for the 22 memory care apartments.

The community is for those ages 55 and older, and residents range in age from 62 to 92.

Socialization key to success

The community opened in December 2020, when coronavirus vaccines were beginning to be available for health care workers and residents in long-term care facilities.

The Danbury location estimates 99 percent of residents and 90 percent of staff are vaccinated against COVID-19, said Peter Francis, executive director. The company is working with employees hesitating after the governor ordered staff in long-term care facilities be vaccinated.

With case numbers increasing due to the delta variant, visitors are required to wear masks and have their temperature checked.

But Francis said COVID-19 concerns havent made residents hesitant to move in. It has highlighted the need for a place like this, he said.

Through all this, being around people and having that socialization, its very very important, key to success for seniors, Francis said.

The three-floor community offers studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments with access to amenities and activities. A hair salon, library and movie theater with a popcorn machine are available. A red carpet for the theater is a coming attraction. At the pub on Tuesday afternoon, residents played bingo.

One unique feature on the campus is a building for the citys ambulance service. Rizzo Corporation, which built the Keystone facility. Rizzo constructed that structure and donated it to the city so Danburys west side could be better served in emergencies.

Typically one to two ambulances are in the building, and they dont turn their sirens on until they leave the campus, Sevell said.

The facility has activity and dining rooms for the independent, assisted-living and memory-care sections, but residents may use whichever one they like.

Everyone interacts with each other, Francis said.

The food is healthy, and delicious, staff said. About 10 specials are available daily, in addition to the regular menu.

No one loses weight at Keystone, Francis joked.

For those trying, a fitness center is stocked with equipment.

A covered parking garage is available, although most residents dont have cars. Transportation is provided.

While Keystone has about 40 employees, Francis expects to reach around 100 employees eventually.

Options for care

The independent-living apartments are truly independent and are meant for older residents looking to downsize, Francis said. Residents have their own full-size kitchens, but may still eat at the dining hall.

Those in the assisted-living apartments have kitchenettes and receive care as needed, such as medicine management. Residents in the memory-care rooms receive the most support, with activities to keep their minds and bodies active.

Prices vary depending on the level of care and size apartment. The 833-square-foot, one-bedroom apartments for independent-living residents start at $4,495 a month. The cost increases for a two-bedroom unit.

For assisted living, the 353- to 385-square-foot studio is $6,595 a month. One- and two-bedroom apartments are pricier.

The studio for memory care is $7,695 a month, while the one-bedroom is $8,095. For assisted living and memory care, up to 30 minutes of personal care per day is included, with additional fees for residents who need more care.

Apartments dont come furnished, so residents bring their own belongings to make it feel like home, Sevell said.

The apartments have an extra space residents may turn into an office, library or whatever they like, Francis said. In this area is Keystones signature look  two pillars and an archway, he said.

It adds more character and charm, he said.

Keystone strives to have 150 different activities every month catered to the residents interests, Sevell said. Adult children have told her theyve never seen their parents happier or more engaged.

People actually gain their independence when they come here, Sevell said.
HADDAM  State police were called last week when Board of Education members said an anti-mask protest  captured on video  disrupted their meeting.

A YouTube video, which has been made private but has been obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media, captured the scene outside a Haddam-Killingworth Board of Education meeting on Aug. 3 when a group posted signs on the glass windows to the cafeteria and the man recording made comments to local officials through a bullhorn.

Inside the Haddam-Killingworth Middle/Intermediate School cafeteria, a livestream of the meeting showed the perspective of the school board members, who paused several times and took a five-minute recess at one point because of the commotion outside.

The YouTube video begins by showing a group of protesters standing near the street outside the school, holding signs in hopes of getting passing vehicles to honk in support.

The person recording the video suggested the group move to outside the cafeteria where the school board meeting was being held.

All right, the beeping is fun, but you want to see some heads explode? the man with the camera is heard asking in the video.

As the meeting started, the group displayed signs on the windows that included, lock up Lamont and unmask our kids.

Open this meeting to the public, you scallywags, the man recording the video said through a bullhorn. Come out with your hands up right now.

Inside the cafeteria, the meeting began with of Board of Education Chair Suzanne Sack calling for a moment of silence for Gianna Vincelett, a 14-year-old student who was recently killed in a hit-and-run. The noise outside prompted Sack to notify the protesters they were disrupting the meeting.

When she returned, a moment of silence was held and the school boards livestream showed it was not interrupted by the protesters.

Christopher Page, a Republican running for a seat on the board, was among those outside the cafeteria. In a statement to Hearst Connecticut Media, Page confirmed he attended the protest with his family. He said the protest was in line with their First Amendment rights to peacefully assemble and address issues with the school board.

Page denied accusations that the group interrupted the moment of silence.

The comments from outside said that we had no way of knowing about her moment of silence as we were not allowed into the supposedly public meeting and to please notify us as to when it was done, Page wrote in a statement about the discussion they had with Sack. This was done so that we could reflect upon the loss of a child with them.

When Sack came outside to speak to the protesters, Page introduced himself as a school board candidate.

Excellent, and so when you become a member of the Board of Education when your peers elect you, youll be sitting there right with us, Sack can be heard in the YouTube video responding to him.

Sack, who did not respond to a request for comment, made two more trips outside, including calling for a five-minute recess in the meeting, to address the protesters as the noise persisted.

If you want to peacefully be here, take your signs off the school building, you cannot put signs on the school building, so you need to remove them. Sack is heard in the YouTube video telling the protesters.

Several state police troopers are eventually captured on video, informing the protesters the school board members claimed they were disturbing the meeting. State troopers are then seen escorting school board members out of the building when the meeting ended.

State police said no incident report was filed, calling it an anti-mask rally with no criminal aspect.

christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com
Tomorrow, August 12, after a months-long delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Census Bureau will release its second batch of data from the 2020 decennial census. This will be the most comprehensive population and demographic data on the country and it is vital for policy making  the data is used to redraw electoral districts and distribute state and federal funds.

The data release, however, comes with controversy. The Bureau has introduced a new privacy protection guarantee called differential privacy, and many experts worry it will jeopardize the datas accuracy.

While the Census Bureau and outside researchers believe data for large geographic areas, like counties and cities, will be reliable and accurate, they worry that statistics for small areas, like census blocks, may be so inaccurate that they are deemed useless. A census block is the Bureaus smallest geographic area and can be as small as a city block.

To illustrate the extent of these inaccuracies, University of Minnesota demographer Steven Ruggles examined the population characteristics of the census block of Liberty Island, a 15 acre island that is home to the Statue of Liberty and one middle-aged white couple.

With just two people in the census block, some data manipulation is necessary to maintain the confidentiality of its residents. In fact, the Bureau is required to do this under federal law. Historically, the Bureau maintained privacy through techniques like data suppression (withholding data) and swapping (switching characteristics with those of a nearby individual or household), which intentionally adds small errors to the data.

For the 2010 decennial census data, the Bureau used the old methodology and swapped the race of Liberty Islands two residents with that of a nearby Asian couple. This manipulation prevented data users from knowing the exact demographic makeup of the island. However, because swapping occurred with a nearby household, statistics for a larger geographic area, like a county, remained accurate. It also meant sensitive data, like race and household relationships, remained confidential.

This is the balance between privacy and accuracy that the Bureau tries to achieve. But demographers are concerned that the new differential privacy protections may overprioritze privacy.

When Ruggles analyzed Liberty Islands statistics after the new differential privacy protections were applied, he found shockingly large inaccuracies. The population count had changed from two residents to 48. It also listed 35 residents (73% of the islands population) as two or more races, while 3 residents (6%) were listed as white.

The Bureau decided to incorporate differential privacy after discovering that advances in computing power and the increasing availability of non-census demographic data, like credit card information, now make it possible for someone to identify individuals from published census data. According to the Bureau, between 52 million and 179 million individuals could be re-identified when pairing the 2010 Decennial Census data with external data sources.

Differential privacy works by setting a strict threshold on how much the data can change when adding or removing an individual. By setting this threshold reasonably high, differential privacy assures that no individual can be reidentified from census data.

While differential privacy can prevent reidentification, it introduces errors that are concerning to demographers and statisticians. Studies by researchers from the University of Minnesota and Harvard University examined the impact of the differential privacy algorithm the census first proposed and found that the new process adds systematic errors to small area statistics, particularly for certain race groups. The University of Minnesota study found large discrepancies in the Black and Hispanic population counts, while Harvard University researchers found that areas with multiple racial groups tended to be undercounted.

In response to these findings, the Bureau adjusted its algorithm. Researchers believe these changes will exponentially increase the accuracy of the data for counties, cities and Census tracts (small geographical areas that generally have a population between 1,200 and 8,000 people).

Census block data is still expected to be unreliable. According to University of Minnesota research scientist Jonathan Schroeder, it may even be worse than what his research found. This is because, in the latest algorithm changes, the Bureau prioritized increasing the accuracy of large area statistics, which meant having to decrease the accuracy allocation for Census blocks. In the algorithm, there is a natural tradeoff. If larger geographies are precise, than for privacy reasons, small geographies must be more inaccurate.

The Bureau itself even cautions against using Census block data. The Bureaus acting director Dr. Ron Jarmin warned that "some small areas like Census blocks may look "fuzzy," meaning that the data for a particular block may not seem correct.

For instance, a block may list all of its housing units as occupied but have a population count of zero. Another block may have residents under the age of 18, but none 18 or over, indicating children living alone.

Inaccuracies in the data have large implications for public policy. According to Harvard University researchers, the dataset generated by the new process is not good enough for redistricting purposes.

[P]rivacy protection is not free. It comes with the societal cost of decreasing the accuracy of the decennial Census, which serves as the basis of information in making and evaluating public policy, they wrote in their paper.

Census blocks are used to define other geographic areas like school districts, urban areas and unincorporated places, according to Schroeder. With inaccurate block-level data, counts for these other areas will also be inaccurate, hindering the ability of local municipalities and organizations to serve its residents.

I question whether the public would prefer to protect [sensitive data] with the cost being we no longer have reliable statistics for our small areas. That's never really been aired publicly. The Bureau has decided that they need to prioritize privacy this way. It remains unclear that the public really supports that prioritization, said Schroeder.

Some data will not be affected by the new differential privacy protections, including state-level population, but most of the data publishing tomorrow will be impacted to greater and less degrees.

It is still a great disappointment because the decennial data is our benchmark. It is the opportunity for every 10 years to get high quality statistics for small areas, and that will no longer be the case. It won't be the same level of reliability, said Schroeder.

Nami Sumida is a San Francisco Chronicle data visualization developer. Email: nami.sumida@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @namisumida
Tiahna Pantovich, 26, sounds exhausted as she recounts the months of administrative bungles at Howard University that forced her out of her home in the Washington, D.C., area.

She spent the better part of four years as an Arabic and Spanish linguist at Fort Hood, Texas, earning the GI Bill benefits that would support a blossoming academic career.

An associate's degree at the Defense Language Institute was followed by degrees from Central Texas College and the University of Michigan. Now, she's only nine months from completing her master's in social work at Howard University, a school she loves.

But in January, she says, Howard, a prestigious Washington, D.C. school, botched her certification to the Department of Veterans Affairs, misreporting her degree program. That meant she didn't get the housing stipend that goes along with the support she earned through her military service for two months.

She received the withheld funds in March, but missing out on the critical housing allowances for that long put her on the verge of losing her home in the suburbs outside of D.C., where rent is sky high. That, on top of other issues Howard has had managing veteran benefits, led Pantovich to seek cheaper housing an hour away from campus. She'll soon be relocating to Baltimore to cut her rent nearly in half.

A school official recommended she go to a food bank for help. Fortunately, Women Veterans Interactive, an advocacy group, gave her a $2,000 grant to help cover bills.

"I am being displaced by my own school," Pantovich told Military.com. "I don't want a blanket and a bagged sandwich. I deserve much better than that, not to be displaced. I am having to pack up my home and leave because [Howard University] dropped the ball."

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An investigation by Military.com found a pattern of clerical errors impacting student veterans at Howard University. This history of mistakes culminated in the school receiving word on April 5 that it would soon lose its GI Bill status for any new students.

For at least the past year, Howard repeatedly has mishandled veteran education benefits, the investigation revealed. Beyond the issues Pantovich described that imperiled her housing, other veterans have reported disappearing or incorrect paperwork. And until Howard fixes its eligibility issues with the VA, the government won't foot the bill for any new GI Bill students to attend the school.

The GI Bill is more than college tuition. Many argue it's one of the government's most successful programs aimed at giving veterans a clear path to the middle class, and one of the most powerful recruitment tools for the Defense Department. The roughly 1 million student veterans and beneficiaries who use it every year also receive a book stipend and a housing allowance, which can amount to around $2,000 per month in the D.C. area. Many rely on that allowance to pay their rent or mortgage.

In April the District of Columbia's State Approving Agency, or SAA, revoked Howard University's ability to allow newly enrolled student veterans to use their GI Bill benefits. The decision took effect June 15, triggering a 60-day window for Howard to fix its eligibility issues to avoid a longer and more consequential suspension that could impact all GI Bill beneficiaries and could be permanent. SAAs have authority delegated from the VA to audit some 4,000 schools so veterans do not waste their taxpayer-funded scholarship on bogus institutions.

Tiahna Pantovich (courtesy photo)

An official with the D.C. SAA who worked on Howard's suspension told Military.com they could not discuss the specifics of the situation because they are not authorized to speak to the press. The D.C. SAA did not respond to multiple requests for on-the-record interviews.

It's rare that a state agency strips a school's GI Bill eligibility. Founded in 1867, Howard is an elite university and one of the most prestigious historically Black colleges in the country. Such a move is typically reserved for predatory schools deemed to be providing minimal education to students for exorbitant fees. In this case, Howard's loss of eligibility is tied to administrative issues.

A VA spokesperson told Military.com in a statement that the D.C. SAA suspended the school to afford time to "correct GI Bill approval deficiencies." The school was quickly scrubbed after losing accreditation in June from the VA's database, which allows veterans to compare schools easily and see how their benefits would work at each institution. As of Dec. 31, the agency's most recent data, 235 students using the GI Bill were enrolled at Howard.

The suspension does not impact any currently enrolled beneficiaries, the spokesperson added.

School spokesman Frank Tramble said this year's process for filing for eligibility with the VA is different than previous years. New rules with the D.C. SAA caught the school off guard when the university submitted its paperwork on March 22, with the decertification of the school effective June 15, he said. Tramble said he couldn't point to the specific bureaucratic changes Howard had missed. Howard has since refiled its application with the D.C. SAA. Tramble said he believes the D.C. SAA will make a final decision before the end of the weekend, although that is after tuition bills for students were due Aug. 9 for the fall semester. Sunday marks the end of the 60-day period granted to Howard to fix paperwork errors or face continued suspension and harsher VA-related penalties.

"This is not something we're very happy about; we expect this weekend to have a final decision on our status," Tramble told Military.com in an interview. "From our understanding, there are new requirements that weren't there before. It's very unique to this year. We had to go on a 60-day suspension to complete the rest of the work."

Joseph Wescott, who previously served as president of the National Association of State Approving Agencies, or NASAA, which oversees SAAs, said agencies are flexible with schools, adding that cracking down on legitimate schools over paperwork snafus is rare.

He characterized NASAA as "the gatekeepers of quality," with the goal being to "protect the integrity of the GI Bill" and shield veterans from predatory and underwhelming schools.

"Most schools of this stature don't want us having this conversation, which makes this confusing," Wescott told Military.com. "There would've been multiple requests before suspensions."

A Pattern of Failing Veterans

At the center of Howard's connection between the university and the VA is Christopher Rhone, the school's coordinator for student veterans. It's common for major universities to have full-time staff to assist student veterans with their benefits, and sometimes act as a middle man between the student and the VA. When Military.com reached out to Rhone by phone, he declined an interview request, saying he wasn't authorized by the school to talk to the press.

Multiple students described problems with Rhone -- that he consistently mishandled paperwork and did not warn them in time that the school had lost its GI Bill eligibility for new students.

Leana Mason, 27, recently moved to the D.C. area from California and is paying around $1,700 in rent. She signed a lease and is one of the new students who is set to be impacted by Howard losing its status as a GI Bill-approved school. She is a Ph.D. candidate, on the hook for an enormous tuition bill. She painted a picture of Howards being uncommunicative and failing to warn incoming students they won't be able to use their tuition or earn their housing allowance.

"I only found out about this suspension after a discussion with other students [in July]," Mason told Military.com.

Leana Mason (courtesy photo)

Mason submitted all the required documentation to Rhone in May so she could use her GI Bill but did not hear back, she said. On June 15, the school lost its GI Bill credentials. Yet on June 21, Rhone told her in emails reviewed by Military.com she would be able to attend with her military scholarship. She wouldn't find out for another month that the GI Bill would be no good at Howard.

"I would be more than happy to assist you with requesting your VA benefits," school officials with the veteran's office wrote to Mason a week after the school lost its GI Bill status with new students like her. The email made no mention of the problem.

That day, the school gave her a list of documents to fill out that she returned within hours. The following day, June 22, Rhone asked more questions about documents that she told him she already had submitted. Again, there was no mention her GI Bill benefits were at risk of being useless for the upcoming fall semester.

On July 22, the school held a webinar during which officials told students that Howard gave the VA all the documents needed for certification, according to two students who attended. Officials told students the problem would be resolved in a week. It was not.

"They muted us and closed the chat," Mason said about the webinar. She added that a lot of students had questions that were not answered and university officials offered only vague responses.

Tramble, the school's spokesperson, said students were asked to submit questions ahead of time and some live questions were taken. It's unclear why the school waited more than two months to answer questions about critical GI Bill issues. Tramble said emails were sent out to student veterans warning of the issue. Students who spoke to Military.com said they did not get a notice ahead of the webinar.

Tramble added that Howard is considering creating a stipend program for impacted veterans if it fails to secure eligibility in the coming days. It's unclear whether that program would come to fruition, and no details on who would get checks or how much they would receive have been released.

Another student who spoke to Military.com on the condition of anonymity, fearing retaliation from the school, painted a similar picture of constant paperwork issues. She is $16,000 in debt to the school after she says staff mishandled her paperwork, misreporting her major and telling the VA she is in a program that doesn't exist.

Because of these issues, she lost out on the full housing stipends she was entitled to in fall 2020 and eventually was cut off from the stipend and her tuition payments. She is not sure whether she can go back to school and instead is looking for temporary and permanent positions in the Army Reserve.

Aniela Szymanski, a veterans issues attorney with Representing Heroes, an advocacy organization, said in an interview with Military.com that problems with botched paperwork and delayed benefits aren't normal. She also suggests the case with Howard is a warning to all GI Bill beneficiaries that, even with prestigious schools, students need to be vigilant to ensure their institution is veteran-friendly.

"I think that the big shocking part here is not keeping students informed," Szymanski told Military.com. "Students have to be proactive, and if something looks off, if there are delays, if they can't get straight answers, they need to call the GI Bill hotline. The school is biased; perhaps they won't always be the most forthcoming to protect their reputation. The next best option is to work with the school to delay starting."

Howard Loses Its Eligibility

State agencies generally favor giving institutions accreditation when there's any doubt, according to Wescott. Suspending one comes with huge consequences for veterans, displacing them from their school and costing them their income from stipends.

"It's the state approval agency, not the state disapproval agency," Wescott said. "The process is not complicated; it's very straightforward. Suspension is a last resort."

The Protect GI Bill Act, federal legislation signed into law in January, strengthened laws protecting student veterans from fraudulent schools and gave teeth to state approving agencies by clarifying that they could cut off schools from GI Bill money. In some cases, that can be a huge chunk of a school's income.

None of the experts who spoke with Military.com had heard of other schools besides Howard losing eligibility since the new law went into effect.

Howard's issues may stem from trouble navigating the VAs bureaucracy and may not be indicative of the school's overall quality, as there's no evidence Howard is predatory toward veterans.

Carrie Wofford, the president of Veterans Education Success, an advocacy group that often lobbies Congress on GI Bill issues, told Military.com that Howard surely has issues with processing veteran benefits, but it's a relatively small fish compared to a wide array of what she called fraudulent schools that SAAs have taken no action against.

"It would be a disgrace if VA were to cut off Howard for paperwork compliance but not do anything about the known fraudsters," Wofford said. "VA and the D.C. SAA should help Howard figure out the paperwork issues and resolve it. Howard is arguably the most important historically Black college in the country and provides a great education. VA should be helping great schools and focusing any punishment on fraudsters."

Last year, the Trump administration suspended education benefits for new students at five universities for deceptive enrollment practices aimed at veterans. The colleges included the University of Phoenix, which a year earlier was required to refund $50 million and cancel another $141 million in debt for its marketing practices toward student veterans.

Colorado Technical University, American InterContinental University, Bellevue University and Temple University also were included. The VA ultimately backed down from plans to bar the schools, despite veteran organizations clamoring for the agency to crack down on predatory schools, mostly in the for-profit sector.

Will Hubbard, the vice president for veterans and military policy for Veterans Education Success, told Military.com that Howard simply doesn't appear to have the useful "institutional" relationship with the military community or the VA. He said oftentimes the schools that are the best at paperwork are those that use predatory tactics to recruit veterans or set up non-accredited programs.

In 2018, the VA inspector general warned the department could waste $2.3 billion in payments to "ineligible colleges" through 2023. In the bulk of cases, the payments would go to for-profit universities or bogus schools. Howard is a private, not-for-profit school.

"There is no shortage of bad schools," Hubbard said. "Some of the worst schools are the best at paperwork."

Still, Howard's history of mishandling paperwork for existing students has led to gaps in funding, like the one experienced by Pantovich, gaps that have made it difficult for students to complete degrees.

"They told the VA the wrong program," she said. "My funding stopped in January, and I begged the school to fix it. I told them I'd go into debt; I'm stuck in a lease I couldn't afford. I told them this needed to happen.

"I want to finish my degree; I'm nine months away. I love Howard. It is not the institution; it's the middle man in the handoff."

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: How the Pandemic Spurred Congress to Rewrite GI Bill Rules for the National Guard
Updated at 2:16 p.m. Eastern

A former command chief who was fired from his leadership position at the 20th Fighter Wing in 2019 for creating a hostile work environment and treating airmen unprofessionally and disrespectfully is still in uniform -- and now a squadron superintendent at another base.

In October 2019, Chief Master Sgt. Jason Morehouse was quietly relieved of his job as the top enlisted leader at the 20th, headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina, after four months on the job. Later that month, an Air Force investigation substantiated allegations of sexual harassment, racist remarks, discriminatory behavior against his Black executive assistant, and dereliction of duty.

One witness said Morehouse once referred to glitter in her office as "stripper dust." He made a joke about his wife hating when he came home from the strip club with glitter on his face, she told investigators, and then made a gesture mimicking rubbing his face in breasts to demonstrate what he meant.

Two witnesses told investigators that Morehouse once said he would not be a good physical training leader "because he would stare at the test-takers' butts the whole time," the investigation report said. Morehouse made this comment during a discussion about the wing staff's fitness assessments in the command section's front office, it added. At least two witnesses felt his comment sexualized airmen under his command.

The investigation also found that Morehouse likely discriminated against a Black woman under his command and made several racist comments.

An unidentified Black airman, newly hired as his executive assistant, said Morehouse told her during a debrief one day in September 2019, "You don't act like a Black girl."

She told investigators she was taken aback and asked, "Well, how do Black girls act?"

Morehouse then appeared to recognize what he had said was offensive and inappropriate, she said.

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Then-wing commander Col. Derek O'Malley removed Morehouse from his position in 2019 after learning of the credible allegations and issued a no-contact order between Morehouse and the seven complainants. Investigators interviewed 11 witnesses and found them all credible.

The Air Force confirmed to Military.com that Morehouse is now serving as the squadron superintendent for the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. Squadron superintendent is a special duty position given to senior noncommissioned officers who help organize and run their squadrons, handle personnel issues, and mentor airmen.

In a statement provided after this article was originally posted, the 15th Air Force, which encompasses both Shaw and Davis-Monthan, said that a thorough investigation was conducted into the allegations against Morehouse.

"As a result of the investigation, appropriate administrative actions were taken by the command, to include removal of CMSgt Morehouse from his role of command chief at the 20th Fighter Wing," Maj. Docleia Gibson said in an email. "Administrative actions are a rehabilitative tool that are designed to allow airmen to learn from their mistakes and grow. However, details of those administrative actions are covered by the Privacy Act and cannot be released."

Military.com also asked Davis-Monthan whether Morehouse wished to comment, but received no response.

The 20th Fighter Wing and its F-16 Fighting Falcons perform the Air Force's crucial "Wild Weasel" mission. In a major conflict, the Wild Weasels would be in charge of taking out enemy surface-based air defenses before they can strike U.S. or allied aircraft. The wing's F-16s have also supported combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Morehouse, who entered active duty in 1997, became the command chief of the 20th in June 2019. But in his four months there, he made a series of offensive statements and behaviors that shocked and offended personnel in the wing, according to the investigation report, obtained by Military.com via the Freedom of Information Act.

He made some women so uncomfortable that they tried to hide to avoid him, the report said. One witness said his behavior made her feel "creeped out" and used the term "predatory vibe" to describe him. At least one whistleblower said some of his inappropriately sexual comments were made in the presence of junior airmen.

Morehouse's inappropriately sexual jokes even extended to an August 2019 memorial service at Shaw's chapel. As some airmen hugged each other in sympathy for the loss of another airman, he surprised them when he said not to expect a hug from him.

"I don't hug with clothes on," the report said Morehouse explained.

And during a discussion about hiring a new executive assistant, a witness said Morehouse told her "he thought it would be better if he had a male executive assistant because he was a 'dirty old man.'"

Witnesses told investigators that Morehouse would frequently call things "stupid" and make mock masturbating hand movements.

He also regularly made "that's what she said" jokes, turning otherwise innocuous statements into sexual double entendres, witnesses told investigators.

Witnesses said Morehouse appeared not to give his Black executive assistant the same opportunities as her predecessor. She wasn't invited to awards presentations, welcome breakfasts or other events, they said, nor to enlisted briefings that would have been good chances for Morehouse to mentor her. One witness suspected the executive assistant's exclusion was racially motivated, though others weren't sure.

The investigator found that Morehouse treated her differently than her predecessor, who was invited to leadership events.

"While some of that difference can be attributed to personality differences, I do not believe all the disparate treatment can be dismissed that simply," the investigator wrote.

On at least two occasions, witnesses said, Morehouse made jokes about Morehouse College, the historically Black men's college in Georgia.

"You know those are my people," he said when someone else brought the college up in June 2019. "My middle name is Tyrone."

Witnesses told investigators that Morehouse changed his voice to a stereotypical Black accent when he made the joke. He again made the "Tyrone" joke at a dinner the following month, but the report does not say whether he adopted the accent that time.

The report concluded that Morehouse's racial comments showed he held negative stereotypes of Black people, which denied African Americans under his command the right to equal opportunity free of discrimination.

"Those remarks, coupled with additional indications of disparate treatment of [other airmen] show more likely than not, CMSgt Morehouse discriminated against [his executive assistant] based upon her race," the investigator wrote in the report.

The report also concluded that Morehouse was "willfully derelict" in his duties by failing to act professionally and be a role model for his airmen, by repeatedly making other immature or disrespectful comments.

For example, witnesses said Morehouse used the slur "retarded" and would make hand gestures that appeared to mock people with disabilities. This deeply upset one woman in the wing, whose brother has severe disabilities.

Morehouse declined to be interviewed for the investigation, but provided written responses that primarily said he either was joking or didn't remember making the statements in question, the report said.

In November 2019, the wing posted an interview with O'Malley and the 20th's new command chief on its website about the need to treat personnel with kindness and respect, and addressed Morehouse's removal.

"I will never walk by a problem when it is brought to my attention," O'Malley said. "When individuals on our team, particularly those in leadership positions, fail to treat people with professionalism, kindness and respect -- I have a responsibility to take action, and in some cases, to remove them."

Before his arrival at the 20th Fighter Wing and the subsequent investigation, Morehouse himself wrote an essay, which the Air Force posted online in January 2018, about the need for leaders to treat subordinates properly, and to do a better job developing young airmen.

"The front-line supervisor has two jobs: develop subordinates into professional airmen and develop these professional airmen to be great at their craft," he wrote. "The front line supervisor and subordinate relationship is much like the parent and child relationship. ... We have to get this one right. Today's subordinates are tomorrow's leaders and they are counting on us to get it right today."

-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.

Related: Air Force Leader Who Wrote Essay About Respecting Subordinates Fired for Disrespecting Subordinates
A Marine Raider will be awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism during a firefight that lasted more than five hours following an Islamic State ambush in Iraq last year.

Staff Sgt. Nicholas Jones of the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion will receive the Navy Cross -- the service's second-highest award for valor, behind only the Medal of Honor -- during a ceremony at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on Aug. 26. Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger will present the award to Jones, Marine Forces Special Operations Command said in a press release Wednesday.

Jones, originally from Olathe, Kansas, was an element leader accompanying Iraqi security forces in the mountains of northern Iraq on March 8, 2020, on a mission to clear ISIS positions, the command said in its statement.

Read Next: A Former Command Chief Sexually Harassed Airmen and Made Racist Remarks. The Air Force Moved Him to Another Leadership Post.

Multiple ISIS fighters barricaded in caves ambushed another nearby element with heavy fire. A French special operator was wounded in that barrage, and two Marine Raiders were wounded shortly afterward.

The command said that Jones took the lead on the counterattack to rescue his comrades. He made his way to the wounded French operator despite heavy, close-range attacks. He fought back with his rifle and grenades to suppress enemy fire, while helping move the French operator to a protected position, from which he was later medically evacuated.

At that point, Jones turned his attention to the two Raiders who had been wounded in the first volley of fire, who were in a steep ravine, the press release said. Those Raiders, Capt. Moises Navas and Gunnery Sgt. Diego Pongo, died in the battle.

Jones again fought the enemy at close range, until their heavy fire forced him back.

He launched a third attack almost five hours after the battle began, but was hit in the leg by enemy small-arms fire. The command said he refused medical treatment and pain medication to continue fighting, until he was medically evacuated.

"By his decisive actions, bold initiative, and unconquerable spirit, Staff Sgt. Jones reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service," the release said.

The command said Jones will be the eighth of its service members to receive the Navy Cross as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that the two Raiders died in the battle.

-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.

Related: The Untold Heroism Behind a Marine's Secret Navy Cross from Benghazi
An online game program developed to help aging adults maintain brain fitness has been found to improve cognitive function in veterans with a history of concussion, according to a study published last month in the journal Brain.

BrainHQ -- software available online that uses puzzles to exercise the brain -- improved cognitive function in affected veterans at four times the rate of those in a control group who played video games.

The improvements also continued after the study was complete, with the BrainHQ group seeing five times the gains when tested 12 weeks later, according to the study.

"The findings are certainly encouraging about the impact of this kind of cognitive training, which is really different than doing crossword puzzles or Sudoku," said Dr. Morris Bell, a scientist with the Department of Veterans Affairs' Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, in an interview with Military.com. "This is a systematic, highly structured, hierarchically organized set of tasks that begin with  primary sensory processing."

Read Next: A Former Command Chief Sexually Harassed Airmen and Made Racist Remarks. The Air Force Moved Him to Another Leadership Post.

The study included 83 veterans with cognitive impairment associated with mild traumatic brain injury from concussion or blast exposure. Participants trained in their homes an hour a day, five days a week, over 12 weeks.

Melissa Degnan, 65, suffered multiple concussions while serving in the Army for 15 years, working in explosive ordnance disposal. The damage, she said, robbed her of the ability to do math equations in her head or even manage a household. She became homeless.

"I spent five years on the street. I wasn't able to think properly," Degnan said in an interview with Military.com. "I literally was lured into a program with a burrito; I hadn't had warm food in a long time."

A nonprofit that helped house Degnan also introduced her to BrainHQ. Now, she can manage her household, count change, "comprehend the basics," she said.

"I used to be really smart -- I could do entire equations in my head. I can't do that now, but I know I used to. I also have the memory of being really stupid, for lack of a better word. Now, I'm sort of in-between," Degnan said.

She does the program every day for 20 minutes and credits it for helping her maintain focus.

"Two weeks ago, I was diagnosed with malignant breast cancer. You can imagine, my brain went all over the place, so I did BrainHQ longer than I normally do and I was able to focus again and be less panic-stricken," Degnan said.

Traumatic brain injury has been called the signature wound of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the result of service members' proximity to roadside bomb blasts and other close-contact concussive events, from tactical vehicle accidents to building clearing operations.

More than 434,000 service members have been diagnosed with a brain injury in the past 20

years, with 82% of those classified as mild, meaning the patient has experienced brain dysfunction and possibly structural damage as the result of a physical knock or pressure blast to the head.

While not everyone who experiences a mild traumatic brain injury develops lasting effects, post-concussion syndrome, with symptoms that include headache, dizziness, irritability, insomnia, tinnitus and problems with concentration and memory, can greatly affect quality of life, lasting for years after an injury.

"Traumatic brain injury is a diffuse injury -- it leaves you with what you could call a 'noisy brain,' .... There's fatigue, there's distraction, there's confusion," said Bell, one of the co-authors of the study and a professor emeritus at Yale School of Medicine. "In order to do higher-level tasks, you need to be able to process at the simplest levels first."

And that's where BrainHQ comes in.

The program uses training based on brain plasticity -- the brain's ability to adapt to stimulus or injury by modifying neurons or other structures -- to address attention, memory, speed, navigation and personal skills.

Unlike video games, BrainHQ adapts to the user's pace, getting easier if a player makes mistakes or becoming more challenging if the exercise is too easy.

The BrainHQ study group saw their cognitive performance scores improve by nearly twice the rate as those in the control group, as indicated by their percentile scores -- the score when compared with other BrainHQ users the same age -- which rose an average 24 points.

"The whole nature of video games is to be exciting and energizing, to grab your attention," Bell said. "That's not useful training. This program is effortful attention. You apply attention, and you are processing, systematically, what is going on."

Researchers have long debated the effectiveness of brain training, which has become a multibillion-dollar industry for companies such as Posit Science, developers of BrainHQ; WordSmart Corp., maker of Lumosity; LearningRx; and Cognifit charging for premium content.

Studies conducted in the early 2010s found that brain training improved participants' ability to perform the specific task for which they were challenged but didn't show overall improvement in cognitive function.

The Federal Trade Commission in 2015 sued Lumosity's parent company and LearningRx for false advertising, charging that their marketing made false claims about their products' effectiveness for conditions such as memory loss, dementia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The companies paid combined settlements of $2.2 million to the federal government in the cases.

A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine review in 2017 found that cognitive training over time could improve function and help adults maintain independence.

Combining the training with blood pressure management and physical activity showed "modest but inconclusive evidence that they can help prevent cognitive decline and dementia," according to the report.

More research is needed to affirm the BrainHQ study results and determine whether the program can ward off cognitive decline or improve the brain health of those with other conditions that cause memory loss. But Bell said he has used the program to study whether it can help people with cognitive decline tied to alcohol abuse.

"Alcohol is not good for the brain," he said. "[With] chronic alcohol use, there are really devastating effects on the brain. ... We've gotten favorable effects in the VA population."

A limited sampling of BrainHQ games are available online for free, while the complete program is subscription based. Active-duty military personnel and military family members can access it through the online base library system and Military OneSource.

The study was funded by Posit Science through a grant from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. The researchers included Henry Mahncke, the program's developer.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Related: Exposure to Blasts in War and Training May Increase Risk of Alzheimer's in Troops, Study Finds
With a wide variety of choices, mattress buying can get overwhelming. Mattress options include memory foam, hybrids and adjustables, among others, and purchase methods can be in-store or the popular bed-in-a-box, where mattresses are ordered online and delivered to your front door for you to set up.

Fortunately, many mattress companies offer military discounts that might help with your purchasing decisions. Most of the following mattress companies also include other essentials like bed frames, headboards, pillows, sheets and blankets to complete your bedroom look at the military discounted rate.

Avocado Green Mattress

With their 100% certified organic mattresses, one-year home trials and free shipping, Avocado Green Mattress offers a 5% military discount after online verification.

Bear Mattress

Bear Mattress offers a 30% military discount online after verification, as well as a 100-night trial and free shipping to the lower 48 states.

Brooklyn Bedding

Brooklyn Bedding offers a 25% military discount off all purchases both online and in-store. You also get a 120-night trial and free shipping and returns.

Casper

Casper mattresses are available in stores like Rooms to Go, Target and Macys, but ordering online gets you a 20% military discount. Enjoy a 100-night trial and free delivery.

DreamCloud Sleep

DreamCloud Sleep offers a 15% military discount off any order online. You also receive a 365-night trial, a lifetime warranty and free shipping and returns.

Helix

At Helix Sleep, you can get a 15% military discount after online verification, as well as a 100-night trial and free shipping on all U.S. orders.

Nectar

Active-duty military, reservists, veterans and military dependents receive a 15% discount when buying a Nectar mattress online. With Nectar, you get a 365-night home trial, a forever warranty, and free shipping and returns. Want to try one out before buying? Nectar mattresses are sold in select retail stores.

Puffy

Puffy, a mattress sold exclusively online, offers a 101-night sleep trial and free shipping and returns. Verify your military status and get $375 off any Puffy mattress and up to $455 free accessories.

Purple

With its unique grid design, Purple provides a military discount to active-duty military, reservists, veterans and military dependents of 10% off when ordering online. Try it at home for a 100-night trial.

Saatva

Another mattress sold exclusively online, Saatva offers active-duty service members and veterans a discount of $225 off an order of $1,000 or more. A step up from the typical bed-in-a-box, Saatva provides free in-room delivery and set up and free mattress and foundation removal in addition to a 180-night trial.

Tuft & Needle

After verifying your military status on the Tuft & Needle website, active-duty service members and veterans get 15% off an entire order. They offer a 100-night trial and free shipping and returns.
After attending Space Camp in July 2021, Kenna Powell returned to her home in Virginia intent on joining the Space Force someday.

The high school student was inspired after a visit to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, which came about through Powell's involvement with the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps. A seaman, Powell has been a Sea Cadet for 1 years.

"I get to go [to] crazy places and do crazy things, but if I never heard of Sea Cadets, I wouldn't be as smart as I am now and I wouldn't know things," Powell said. "I probably wouldn't even want to join the military if I hadn't heard about Sea Cadets."

Established in 1962, the corps targets young people in an attempt "to build leaders of character by imbuing in our cadets the highest ideals of honor, respect, commitment and service," according to its website. The year-round program includes more than 6,400 cadets spread across two groups: the Navy League, for ages 10 to 13, and the Sea Cadets, for ages 13 to 18.

Cadets participate in monthly drills with their unit -- about 400 can be found in the United States, Guam and Puerto Rico -- and in seven- to 14-day boot camps centered around military instruction and team-centric activities. They also attend advanced training camps in several fields, including seamanship, field operations, scuba and explosive ordnance disposal. Powell traveled to Alabama for one such camp to learn about space.

Registration fees vary per unit. The program is sponsored by the Navy and Coast Guard.

"It's fantastic to see them come in as a young 10-year-old, very shy ... and to come out of their shell and be confident with themselves and learn respect, responsibility, communication and all of that," said Lt. Michelle Novinger of the Sea Cadets' Flying Tigers Squadron in Indiana.

Novinger has been involved with the Sea Cadets for eight years. She and her husband Scott, a retired petty officer second class, enrolled their sons -- Koen, now 22, and Grant, 20 -- as Sea Cadets. Both have become submariners in the Navy.

While the U.S. Naval Sea Cadets' primary mission is not to convince young people to enlist in the military or consider attending a service academy, they train on naval and military installations. Navy SEALs assist with the program, as do other active-duty, Reserve and former service members among the corps' 2,600 volunteers.

From 1988 to August 2021, a total of 832 Sea Cadets had been admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy, Jennifer Cragg, director of strategic communications for the Sea Cadets, said in an email.

Scholarship opportunities are available, and corps graduates can enter the military at a higher rank -- provided they show proof of advancing to the E2 or E3 pay grade while in the Sea Cadets, Cragg said.

"If they decide not to go enlisted and they want to go to an academy, the academies look at these cadets a lot more favorably than just a person off the street, because they do have that military knowledge," Novinger said. "They learn how to march and do everything that persons in the service do."

Hailey Pippin, 13, is a seaman apprentice with the Flying Tigers.

"From this program, it just feels like it's home," she said. "Home is in the Navy for me."

Pippin plans to stick with the program through high school, following the path forged by U.S. Naval Sea Cadets such as Andrej Klema of Ellicott City, Maryland. Klema spent six years with the corps, rising to chief petty officer before graduating recently. He plans to study naval architecture and marine engineering at the Webb Institute in Glen Cove, New York.

Klema mentioned the influence of a retired chief petty officer in the Coast Guard, who ran recruit training for his Sea Cadet unit.

"He has really given me a new sense of discipline,'' Klema said. "I thought I was disciplined before, but the discipline he put into me for how to treat every single thing that I do was incredible."

Beyond everything that she has learned, Powell said the Sea Cadets appeal to her on a much more basic level -- one to which most teens can relate: It's just plain fun.

"It's really the most amazing experience that I've gotten to be a part of," Powell said.

-- Stephen Ruiz can be reached at stephen.ruiz@monster.com.

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Three trucks pulled out of the Central Bank of Iraq at 4 a.m. local time on March 18, 2003. Their cargo was nearly $1 billion dollars, a full quarter of the countrys currency reserves. The loot was taken by a team led by Qusay Hussein, the son of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Its safe to say that Qusay didnt quite get away with the heist. The heir-apparent to the Baathist regime would meet his end a few months later in an ill-advised shootout with the U.S. Armys 101st Airborne Division and a team of Special Forces operators. Still, a huge chunk of the money was never recovered.

If March 18, 2003, sounds like a familiar date to many post-9/11 veterans, thats because it is. The air war that signaled the beginning of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was set to begin the next day. Anticipating the American move, The dictator (correctly) predicted that once the air war began, it might be difficult for him to move about the country and get things done, so he sent his son to get a useful supply of liquid assets.

U.S. troops guard the Central Bank of Iraq several months after the invasion (Wikimedia Commons)

Qusay Hussein arrived at the Central Bank of Iraq in Baghdad with a handwritten note from his father, ordering that $1 billion in U.S. greenbacks be withdrawn and released from the countrys coffers. Three trucks and a number of Iraqi regime officials, including Qusay, supervised the transfer of funds.

Despite the large sum of money, the forced withdrawal may not have actually been illegal, according to some legal experts. Saddam Hussein was an absolute dictator with personal, direct control over every aspect of the countrys governance, including the central bank and other economic institutions. The $1 billion might even have been Saddam Husseins own personal funds, collected over the course of more than two decades of ruling Iraq.

At first, American intelligence officials believed that Hussein may have been trying to transport the spoils of his time in power over the border to escape the American invasion. A team of U.S. Army Special Forces near Iraqs border with Syria reported seeing trucks matching the description crossing over the border to escape.

Evidently, he was not using the loot to pay a barber (U.S. Army photo)

Others believed that Hussein would use the money to foment resistance inside of Iraq as the American troops advanced throughout the country. Many Iraqis agreed with that assessment. The money may have also been used to fund the flight of those closest to the Iraqi dictator, including his family and personal friends.

In the days and weeks that followed, Coalition forces managed to find an estimated $650 million of the money taken from the central bank. They found the caches of funds through searches and various patrols around the country that led them to the money, stashed away in one of the palaces used by Uday, Saddam Husseins other son.

Flame erupts from a building hit with a TOW missile launched by soldiers of the Armys 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) on July 21, 2003, in Mosul, Iraq. Saddam Husseins sons Qusay and Uday were killed in a gun battle as they resisted efforts by coalition forces to apprehend and detain them. (DoD photo by Spc. Robert Woodward, U.S. Army)

When Qusay was finally tracked down to a house in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, he tried to resist numerous raids on the house from American forces. He and his brother Uday were turned in by one of the other guests of the house who wanted the $30 million reward. American troops began firing TOW anti-tank missiles, 12 in all, into the house, killing everyone inside.

When they were finally able to search the premises, there was no sign of the remaining $350 million from the Iraqi Central Bank. No one has seen or heard of the money since.

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When it comes to initial public offerings (IPOs), the roaring 1990s seem set to come back as the swinging 2020s, only much bigger. The IPO boom is coinciding with the entry of a horde of brash, young first-time investors into the stock market. The outcome will not be pleasant.

After the IPO mania of the mid-1990s, investors vanished from the stock market in millions. The primary market for new issues was dead for years and investors even shunned mutual funds for a long time. After stagnating at 20 million investors for decades, Indias investor population has exploded by over 15 million since the pandemic.

According to a recent release by the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 5.13 million investors were added in just four months1st April to 25 July 2021. Most are first-time investors who have never seen a serious market decline, forget about a prolonged bear phase. And yet, many are into algo trading at the retail level and excited about flipping stocks in IPOs. Their immaturity is evident in the eruption of panic and anger on social media, each time a sudden decline inflicts losses on them.

What has also coincided with this is a sympathetic portrayal of Harshad Mehta in the wildly popular series Scam 92. Many seriously believe that India would have been a superpower if the discredited scamster Harshad Mehta had been allowed to continue rigging up stock prices for the past three decades.

Lets look at the booming primary market which is again showing all signs of repeating the manic days of the mid-1990s. This month, some 30 issues are set to open for subscription. Many are from loss-making companies; but since we use their services frequently (Zomato or restaurant chains like Barbeque Nation and Burger King), they seem familiar and no one wants to examine them closely.

Unlike the IPO mania of the past, when people fell prey to a dubious nexus of bankers, investment bankers, brokers, underwriters, mutual funds and the media (which earned big money on advertisements), investors have multiple sources of information today, especially on social media. Almost every sane voice has been warning investors to guard against the growing madness. Are investors listening? One thing is sure this time. Nobody can claim that she wasnt warned. The best way forward is to understand the past. History has a nasty habit of repeating itself.

Flashback to the 1990s

Debashis Basu has captured the IPO mania of the 1990s with key data in his recently re-released book (on Kindle), Facevalue: Creation and Destruction of Shareholder Value ( https://www.amazon.in/dp/B097YJYW32 ) in the chapter titled Capital Addiction. He writes about the GDR (global depository receipt) boom in 1993-94, when foreign investment bankers trawled India for companies with balance sheets that could provide even a makeshift platform for a fund-raising idea, or not even that.

I have heard an owner laugh derisively at foreign investors and market intermediaries, after having successfully rigged his share price to dizzy heights and then made a GDR issue. He said: Oh! We have now seen these goras (white folks) too. They are no better. They are equally dumb and greedy. His stock price shrank by 95% over the next three years! The whole process was so intoxicating that companies that had nothing to do with the capital market for decades rushed to raise money overseas.

The IPO mania began towards the end of the 1994 and peaked in February 1995 after what is known as the MS Shoes scam. In January 1995, 145 equity issues opened for subscription including mega issues by Reliance Capital, Essar Oil, Jindal Vijaynagar, Hindustan Petroleum, etc. In one frenzied week in February 1995, 78 companies went public, crowning a financial year of 1400 issues, he writes.

All these companies went public at a peak of economic cycle and most of them collapsed. For a decade after that, retail investors abandoned the stock market. Companies struggled to raise any money from the public and even the few good ones that managed to raise funds, found few subscribers for their retail investors and employees' quotas. In a nice about-turn, we are now tagged in emails and tweets asking Moneylife Foundation to push for bigger retail quota. Entitled, first-time investors believe they should be given first preference in public issues. All these companies went public at a peak of economic cycle and most of them collapsed. For a decade after that, retail investors abandoned the stock market. Companies struggled to raise any money from the public and even the few good ones that managed to raise funds, found few subscribers for their retail investors and employees' quotas. In a nice about-turn, we are now tagged in emails and tweets asking Moneylife Foundation to push for bigger retail quota. Entitled, first-time investors believe they should be given first preference in public issues.

Admittedly, there is a big difference between the current crop of IPOs and those of the mid-1990s. Then, investment bankers actively helped hole-in-the wall operators raise funds and even sold readymade project templates. As many as 3,000 companies vanished with the loot and cannot be traced. Virendra Jain of the Midas Touch Investors Association approached the Allahabad High Court with a public interest litigation (PIL) and won a favourable order. But, despite a court-ordered joint co-ordination and monitoring committee (CMC) and seven task forces to trace these companies, there was no serious commitment to bring these looters to book.

Listing-Relisting

In the aftermath, retail investors stayed out of the stock market. With little chance of raising fresh public money, many listed companies wanted to get rid of retail investors and burdensome compliances required by the market regulator and stock exchanges. So, many large companies, who did not vanish, went private instead  they bought back shares and often forced retail investors out of the market. The Essar group of Ruias was one such group, and Vedanta , which has been working at delisting its shares now, have second thoughts.

The re-listing game has begun in earnest. Some are returning directly and some indirectly. Last week, Chemplast Sanmar, which had delisted its shares a decade ago, raised funds at Rs540 a share, a substantial multiple to its earnings as well as its adjusted delisting price. In effect, it did what DLF Holdings, Triveni Engineering, Bharti Tele, Precot Mills of the Elgi Group had done about 15 years ago.

The DLF story is a great example of how little one can expect from regulators. SEBI permitted DLF to go ahead with its public issue in 2007 and, after a seven-year investigation, barred it from accessing the capital market in 2014, only to have the order overturned by the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) in 2015 and move to the Supreme Court. Karshanbhai Patel, who delisted Nirma nearly a decade ago, is now in the IPO market. Nuvoco Vistas Corporation Ltd , Indias fifth largest cement company, is from the Nirma stable.

Loss Leaders

If bogus hole-in-the-wall operators dressed up as legitimate companies in the 1990s, the dotcom bubble that went bust in 2000-01 saw a bunch of hollow companies posing as tech and telecom ventures being ramped up by scamster Ketan Parekh (DSQ Software, Silverline, Software Solutions, Aftek Infosys, Pentamedia, Global Tele and Himachal Futuristic, among others).

The difference this time is tech-start-ups or unicornswith billion dollar valuations and with large and visible operations but no profitsare out to pick up public money and give an exit to private equity investors who funded their journey to high valuations.

Every finance expert worth his salt has tweeted to warn retail investors about rushing into these IPOs; but the thumping success of Zomatos fund-raising suggests that people have their sights on some distant horizon when it will turn into a Google, Facebook or an Amazon.

Well-known fund manager Samir Arora, of Helios Capital Management, had the best possible description for the new-age tech IPOs. He said in a recent interview, if you visualise a sugarcane machine, the first time the cane is crushed you get the best juice which is taken by the insiders (including private equity funds). Then it is passed through the crusher a second time and offered to the IPO investors (at an inflated price). Then it is squeezed a third time after bunching the pre-extracted cane and that is what investors, who missed on the IPO, get when they buy the stock at 20%-30% higher prices after it is listed!

It is important to remember that for every Amazon, Facebook or Google that may emerge, there will be plenty that raise funds at extreme valuations and fade away. The price at which people buy stock is crucial for their own returns.

Nobody can protect a brash and ignorant investor from losing money and there is no point blaming the regulator later. The real worry is for those who invest through mutual funds and expect skilled fund managers to take the right decisionone for which they earn a fat fee. People should start studying their mutual fund portfolios carefully and vote with their feet if they see bad decisions or lodge a protest with the trustees of those asset management companies right now, instead of waiting until the inevitable happens. Only the foolish would depend on regulators to act in time or protect them .
The Ministry of Education has offered a fresh opportunity to all those students who could not register themselves for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main till now. All such students can now register themselves for the exam on Wednesday. Earlier, the registration process had been closed.

Lakhs of students across the country have already registered themselves for the fourth and the final stage of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main for seeking admissions to top Indian Institute of Technology (IITs).

The National Testing Agency (NTA) said such students who were unable to register themselves for the JEE Main can still apply for registration till Wednesday after which no student will be allowed to appear in the exam.

The fourth and final session of the JEE Main will take place from August 26 to September 2. After this exam, the JEE Advanced exam will be conducted on October 3.

According to the NTA, the students will have to apply online by visiting the JEE Mains website to register themselves for the JEE Main one last time.

As per the NTA, students continuously demanded that they should be given another opportunity for registration to appear in the JEE Main. In view of this demand, it was decided to extend the date of registration.

Students who have already registered for JEE (Mains) fourth session need not register again.

In view of the prevailing Covid-19, this year the JEE Main is being conducted in 334 cities, whereas earlier the examination was held in 232 cities. The NTA said this year the number of examination centres in each shift has been increased from 660 to 828.

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.
Food delivery platform Zomato, which witnessed a bumper IPO last month, has reported a significant loss in the first quarter (Q1) of the current financial year. The company reported a net loss of $48 million in the June quarter, up from nearly $13.5 million in the same period last year.

According to the company, this is largely on account of non-cash ESOP expenses which have increased meaningfully in Q1 FY22 "due to significant ESOP grants made in the quarter pursuant to creation of a new ESOP 2021 scheme".

"This divergence in reported profit/loss and Adjusted EBITDA will continue going forward," the company said in a blog post.

However, Zomato's revenue increased from Rs 591.9 crore to Rs 757.9 crore in the June quarter, growing 28 per cent (on-quarter) basis.

The company delivered more than 100 million food orders last quarter.

"Q1 FY22 was also one of the most challenging quarters for our team. As the second COVID wave ravaged the nation, we were left scrambling to work on multiple things at the same time," said Zomato.

"Revenue growth was largely on the back of growth in our core food delivery business which continued to grow despite the severe COVID wave starting April," the company noted.

"On the other hand, COVID significantly impacted the dining-out business in Q1 FY22 reversing most of the gains the industry made in Q4 FY21".

Last month, stocks of online food delivery platform Zomato made a stellar debut on the stock markets with market valuation crossing the Rs 1 lakh crore mark during the initial hours of trade on the first day.

Last week, Zomato reached a billion orders.

"It took us 6 years to get to this milestone and we hope it takes us much less time to deliver the next billion. The fact that 10%+ of these billion orders were delivered only in the last three months makes us confident about getting to the next billion much sooner," the company informed.

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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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  The Taliban seized three more Afghan provincial capitals and a local army headquarters Wednesday, completing a blitz across the country's northeast and giving them control of two-thirds of the nation as the U.S. and NATO finalize their withdrawal after decades of war.

The fall of the capitals of Badakhshan, Baghlan and Farah provinces put increasing pressure on the countrys central government to stem the tide of the advance, even as it lost a major base in Kunduz. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani rushed to Balkh province, already surrounded by Taliban-held territory, to seek help from warlords, many linked to allegations of atrocities and corruption, in pushing back the insurgents. He also replaced his army chief of staff.

While the capital of Kabul itself has not been directly threatened in the advance, the stunning speed of the offensive raises questions of how long the Afghan government can maintain the control of the slivers of the country it has left. The government may eventually be forced to pull back to defend the capital and just a few other cities.

I think what I would say to President Ghani is if you remain spread out everywhere, the Taliban will be able to continue to apply their current approach with success, warned Ben Barry, the senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Youve got to do a bit more than stopping the Taliban. Youve got to show you can push them back.

The success of the Taliban offensive also calls into question whether they would ever rejoin long-stalled peace talks in Qatar aimed at moving Afghanistan toward an inclusive interim administration as the West hoped. Instead, the Taliban could come to power by force  or the country could splinter into factional fighting like it did after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989.

The multiple battle fronts have stretched the government's special operations forces  while regular troops have often fled the battlefield  and the violence has pushed thousands of civilians to seek safety in the capital.

The U.S. military, which plans to complete its withdrawal by the end of the month, has conducted some airstrikes but largely has avoided involving itself in the ground campaign.

The latest U.S. military intelligence assessment is that Kabul could come under insurgent pressure within 30 days and that if current trends hold, the Taliban could gain full control of the country within a couple of months, according to a U.S. defense official, who discussed the internal assessment on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan  whose country is contemplating running and protecting Kabul airport following the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops  told CNN-Turk television that he may meet with the Taliban leadership.

If we dont bring them under control at the highest level ... it will not be possible for us to ensure peace in Afghanistan, Erdogan said.

Humayoon Shahidzada, a lawmaker from the western province of Farah, confirmed Wednesday to The Associated Press his provinces capital of the same name fell.

Taliban fighters dragged the shoeless, bloody corpse of one Afghan security force member through the street, shouting: God is great! Taliban fighters carrying M-16 rifles and driving Humvees and Ford pickup trucks donated by the Americans rolled through the streets of the capital.

The situation is under control in the city, our mujahedeen are patrolling in the city," one Taliban fighter who did not give his name said, referring to his fellow insurgents as holy warriors.

The crackle of automatic weapon fire continued throughout the day in Farah.

Hujatullah Kheradmand, a lawmaker from Badakhshan, said the Taliban had seized his province's capital, Faizabad. An Afghan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak about an unacknowledged loss, said Baghlans capital, Poli-Khumri, also fell.

The Afghan government and military did not respond to repeated requests for comment about the losses.

The insurgents earlier captured six other provincial capitals in the country in less than a week.

On Wednesday, the headquarters of the Afghan National Army's 217th Corps at Kunduz airport fell to the Taliban, according to Ghulam Rabani Rabani, a provincial council member in Kunduz, and lawmaker Shah Khan Sherzad. The insurgents posted video online they said showed surrendering troops.

The province's capital, also called Kunduz, was already among those seized, and the capture of the base now puts the country's northeast firmly in Taliban hands.

It wasn't immediately clear what equipment was left behind for the insurgents, though a Taliban video showed them parading in Humvees and pickup trucks. Another video showed fighters on the airport's tarmac next to an attack helicopter without rotor blades.

In southern Helmand province, where the Taliban control nearly all of the capital of Lashkar Gar, a suicide car bomber targeted the government-held police headquarters, provincial council head Attaullah Afghan said. The building has been under siege for two weeks.

The rapid fall of wide swaths of the country to the Taliban raises fears that the brutal tactics they used to rule Afghanistan before will also return. Some civilians who fled Taliban advances said the insurgents have imposed repressive restrictions on women and burned down schools, and there have been reports of revenge killings.

In the face of the rapid deterioration in Afghanistan, Germany and the Netherlands both announced Wednesday they'd suspend deportations to the country.

Speaking to journalists Tuesday, a senior EU official said the insurgents held some 230 districts of the over 400 in Afghanistan. The official described another 65 in government control while the rest were contested. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal figures.

In addition to the northeast, much of northern Afghanistan has also fallen to the Taliban, except for Balkh province. There, warlords Abdul Rashid Dostum, Atta Mohammad Noor and Mohammad Mohaqiq planned to mobilize forces in support of the Afghan government to push back the Taliban.

Dostum in particular has a troubled past, facing investigations after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion for killing hundreds of Taliban fighters that year by letting them suffocate in sealed shipping containers.

On Wednesday, Dostum said the Taliban wont be able to leave the north and will face the same fate as the suffocated troops.

Ghani, meanwhile, ordered Gen. Hibatullah Alizai to replace Gen. Wali Ahmadzai as the Afghan army chief of staff, according to an Afghan Defense Ministry official who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the decision had yet to be made public.

Alizai was the commander of the Afghan army's Special Operations Corps  the elite troops that, along with the air force, have been forced to do most of the fighting as regular forces have collapsed.

___

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Robert Burns contributed from Washington.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A homeowner accused of shooting three tenants, killing two of them, after an argument over unpaid rent at his Las Vegas home told a witness that he didnt want to go through the eviction process, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Arnoldo Lozano-Sanchez wanted to handle it, quote-unquote, his way, Chief Deputy District Attorney Tim Fattig told a judge.

The judge decided Lozano-Sanchez, 78, should remain jailed without bail pending his arraignment on murder and attempted murder charges in the slayings of two women and the wounding of a man who authorities said was shot nine times.

Lozano-Sanchez made statements about the victims not paying rent and that he was certainly upset about it, Fattig said.

Police reported arriving at his small home early Tuesday to find one woman dead outside, the wounded man stumbling out the front door and another woman dead in a bedroom.

The wounded man was hospitalized in critical condition but is expected to survive, police said.

Lozano-Sanchez refused to speak with police after his arrest. A police report obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal said he told a witness, Adria Ortega, several days ago that he was angry about his tenants not paying rent.

Ortega suggested Lozano go to court to evict the people living inside his home. Lozano Sanchez told the witness he would handle it his way, the report said.

Fattig revealed that another tenant, a man identified in the police report as Carlos Lopez, was in the house during the shooting but was not shot.

Lopez told police that he saw Lozano-Sanchez go into a bedroom where a woman pleaded for her life, multiple gunshots were fired and the wounded man ran out.

The surviving roommate heard and saw the defendant enter into another bedroom in the house, and he heard cries for help from the occupants and thereafter heard the defendant shoot them, Fattig told the judge. He also saw the defendant exit that bedroom, smiling.

The names of the victims, all in their 50s, were not immediately released.

Sarah Hawkins, a deputy public defender representing Lozano-Sanchez, protested that reading a police arrest statement in court did not amount to evidence. She lost a bid to have him freed on $10,000 bail and house arrest.

The judge set Lozano-Sanchezs next court date for Monday.

Police say they had no immediate information linking the rent dispute with a nationwide eviction moratorium that expired last week but was reinstated for areas with high transmission of COVID-19, including Nevada.

The modified ban from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention faces legal challenges and lasts until Oct 3.

Fattig told the judge that Lozano-Sanchez asked a neighbor to help him dispose of the gun, but police found it in a nearby bush.
A former Vermont ski resort president has reached a plea deal over a failed plan to build a biotechnology plant in Newport using tens of millions of dollars in foreign investors' money.

William Stenger, the former president of Jay Peak Resort, has agreed to plead guilty to providing false statements and faces up to five years in prison, according to the deal filed in court on Wednesday. Nine other charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement. Stenger is due in court on Friday. VTDigger first reported on the development.

Stenger was expected to go on trial in October and is the third man in the case to reach a plea deal.

The Jay Peak developers, including Mr. Stenger, routinely provided the State of Vermont false, misleading, and fraudulent information throughout the course of our dealings. I am pleased Mr. Stenger has taken responsibility for similar deceptive statements to the U.S. government," said Michael Pieciak, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation in a written statement.

Stengers attorney said Wednesday that he could not not comment on the plea deal.

Miami businessman Ariel Quiros, the former owner of Jay Peak and Burke Mountain ski resorts in northern Vermont, changed his plea to guilty last August on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and the concealment of material information. Nine other charges were dropped.

Quiros, Stenger, and William Kelly, an advisor to Quiros, were indicted over a failed plan to build a biotechnology plant in Newport, Vermont, using millions raised through the EB-5 visa program, which encourages foreigners to invest in U.S. projects that create jobs in exchange for a chance to earn permanent U.S. residency.

The AnC-Bio project was designed to raise $110 million from 220 immigrant investors to construct and operate the biotechnology facility, according to proceedings and documents. The investors could qualify for permanent resident status by investing $500,000 in an approved commercial enterprise.

About 169 investors invested about $85 million in the project, in addition to paying $8 million in administrative fees, according to the U.S. attorneys office.

The federal Securities and Exchange Commission and the state of Vermont first accused Quiros and Stenger in 2016 of a  massive eight-year fraudulent scheme " that involved misusing more than $200 million of about $400 million raised from foreign investors for various ski area developments in Ponzi-like fashion."

There were about 800 investors in all the projects, which brought the promise of jobs to a remote area of northern Vermont that has some of the highest unemployment rates in the state.

Quiros and Stenger settled civil charges with the SEC, with Quiros surrendering more than $80 million in assets, including the two ski resorts. A court appointed receiver has been overseeing Jay Peak and Burke.
WASHINGTON (AP)  House Democrats who have spent years investigating Donald Trump are entitled to some of the former president's financial records, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington empowering Congress to have the records is the latest development in years-long legal and political skirmishes over access to Trump's closely-held finances. But it's unlikely to be the last say on the matter given expected appeals. The U.S. Supreme Court has already weighed in once.

At issue is a demand from Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, which in 2019 and again last February subpoenaed Trumps accounting firm, Mazars USA, for the records.

In his order, Mehta wrote that though he had previously turned aside Trump's challenge to the subpoena and permitted the committee's demand for records to proceed without qualification, a Supreme Court opinion from 2020 required a new analysis in favor of more limited access to the records than what lawmakers initially wanted.

That opinion cited separation of power concerns in saying that that while Congress has significant power to demand the presidents personal information, it is not limitless.

Applying factors that the high court set out, Mehta wrote that the House was entitled to a more limited cross-section of Trump's financial records.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat and the committee's chairwoman, said in a statement, Todays district court opinion recognized that the Oversight Committee is entitled to a broad set of President Trumps financial records as part of our critical investigation aimed at preventing presidential conflicts of interest, self-dealing, and constitutional violations.

She said she was pleased the judge had found that the committee was entitled to eight years of financial information about the government's lease agreement with the Trump Organization for the Old Post Office Building, the location of the Trump International Hotel, as well as a broader set of information from the first two years of Mr. Trumps presidency.

Maloney added, "While it is disappointing that the Court, despite finding that the entire subpoena served valid legislative purposes, narrowed the subpoena in some respects, the Committee is actively considering next steps.

Separately, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel said in an opinion last month that the Treasury Department must provide the House Ways and Means Committee with Trumps tax returns. That opinion said the committee chairman has invoked sufficient reasons for requesting the former Presidents tax information and that under federal law, Treasury must furnish the information to the Committee.

The committee's hunt for records overlaps with other records that have already been released to investigators. In 2020, for instance, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. in his demand for Trump's tax records, though the ruling kept the documents out of the public eye. Vance's office took possession of those records in February.

____

Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  An off-the-grid New Hampshire man's days living as a hermit appear to be over. River Dave, whose cabin in the woods burned down after nearly three decades on property that he was ordered to leave, says he doesn't think he can return to his lifestyle.

I don't see how I can go back to being a hermit because society is not going to allow it," David Lidstone said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Lidstone, 81, said even if he could rebuild his cabin, which burned down last week, I would have people coming every weekend, so I just can't get out of society anymore. I've hidden too many years and I've built relationships, and those relationships have continued to expand."

Lidstone, a logger by trade who chopped his firewood and grew his food in the woods along the Merrimack River in the town of Canterbury. He initially built the cabin with his wife, from whom he is now estranged, although he said they are still married.

He said he's not grieving the loss of his life in isolation.

Maybe the things I've been trying to avoid are the things that I really need in life," said Lidstone, who drifted apart from his family. I grew up never being hugged or kissed, or any close contact.

I had somebody ask me once, about my wife: Did you really love her? And the question kind of shocked me for a second. I ... Ive never loved anybody in my life. And I shocked myself because I hadnt realized that. And thats why I was a hermit. Now I can see love being expressed that I never had before."

Lidstone declined to comment further on his relationship with his family. Two of his three sons had told the AP they hadn't been in touch with their father recently, and his daughter did not respond to a message seeking comment.

On July 15, Lidstone was jailed on a civil contempt sanction and was told hed be released if he agreed to leave the cabin following a property dispute that goes back to 2016. The landowner, 86-year-old Leonard Giles, of South Burlington, Vermont, wanted Lidstone off the property.

The property, undeveloped and mostly used for timber harvests, has been owned by the same family since 1963.

Lidstone had said a prior owner in the family gave his word years ago that he could live there, but had nothing in writing. He later disputed that he was even on the property.

In court Wednesday, both sides agreed to arrange for Lidstone to collect his cats and chickens and remaining possessions at the site; some items had been given to police for safekeeping. Lidstone, who still believes he was not on Giles' land, also was given permission to hire a surveyor to give him peace of mind," Judge Andrew Schulman said.

A fire destroyed the cabin on Aug. 4, hours after Lidstone defended himself during a court hearing. He was released from jail the next day after the judge ruled that he would have less incentive to return to this particular place in the woods, now that the cabin had burned down.

Canterbury Fire Chief Michael Gamache said that while the investigation isn't over and arson is not being ruled out as a potential cause, the fire was more likely caused by accident. He said a representative of Giles who was starting to demolish the cabin on Aug. 4 disabled solar panels, which still had electrical charge in them. He also used a power saw to cut into metal supports that held the panels onto the roof. Either action could have created sparks to start making things smoke.

He finished his day at about a quarter of three, and a fire is noticed at about 3:15," Gamache said.

He also said it's also possible the results could be inconclusive. Right now, there's nothing left to go on at the site."

In the meantime, many people across the country and beyond have offered to help Lidstone, either through fundraising or offering him a place to live. Lidstone said he is thankful for all the support. He's still trying to figure out where he would go next, although he wouldn't mind staying in New Hampshire, where he's developed some strong connections.

One proposal under consideration is for him to live on property belonging to the Concord Friends Meeting, a Quaker meeting in Canterbury that's not far from the cabin site. Lidstone worked on the meetinghouse as it was being constructed in 2010. The congregation would have to agree on the matter.

The property overlooks the Merrimack.

It has certainly occurred to us that here is a neighbor in need," said Richard Kleinschmidt, co-clerk of the Quaker meeting, and how can we help him?
South Jacksonville Police Chief Eric Hansell was not only ready to get back to doing what he loves, but he did it within 12 hours of being reinstated as chief  11 days after Mayor Tyson Manker fired him.

Its just picking up where I left off, Hansell said Tuesday about getting back to work.

Hansell received a termination notice citing insubordination from Manker on July 30, leaving the department and village unsure of who the interim police chief would be.

By state statute, any government entity has to take a termination to its board for a vote within 10 days of submission. But village residents packed Thursdays village board meeting in support of not firing Hansell and the vote was rescheduled for Monday evening.

I just hope I can live up to their standards, Hansell said.

During Mondays meeting  after an hourlong executive session during which Manker said he will be taking a leave of absence from his mayoral duties to focus on his mental health  the board voted, with one abstention, in favor of reinstating Hansell. The crowd reacted with a standing ovation for Hansell.

I feel like it went well, Hansell said.

He intends to move forward with building South Jacksonville Police Department with officers who are willing both to protect the community and be part of it, he said.

On Tuesday, he was working to catch up on the administrative part of the job so he could get back to the part he loves best  being out in the community, he said.

I love the parades, he said.

Hansell said he holds no ill feelings for Manker and is more than willing to work with the mayor as he continues to do his job by the book, both legally and ethically.

I would rather act like this never happened, he said.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  Heavy rains triggered severe floods and mudslides in northern Turkey on Wednesday, killing at least one person, leaving others missing or injured and sweeping away cars in raging torrents, officials said. Helicopters scrambled to rescue people stranded on rooftops.

The floods hit the Black Sea coastal provinces of Bartin, Kastamonu, Sinop and Samsun. They came as firefighters in southwest Turkey worked to extinguish a wildfire in Mugla province, an area popular with tourists that runs along the Aegean Sea. At least eight people and countless animals have died and thousands had to flee as Turkey endured more than 200 wildfires since July 28.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at least one person was killed and others were missing in the floods but did not provide an exact number.

The worst-hit flood area appeared to be in Kastamonu, where the town of Bozkurt was inundated and dozens of cars were swept away by raging waters. The Kastamanu governor's office denied reports that the flooding was caused by a burst dam and there were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Still, the force of the flooding took locals by surprise.

Within 10 minutes, everywhere was flooded," restaurant owner Nuri Ersoz told Halk TV television. He said he feared for his cousin's life since he believed she may have been trapped in her home.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, who traveled to Kastamonu, said waters have surged three or four meters (yards) high in some of the flood-hit areas and that many people were waiting to be rescued from rooftops.

Evacuations and search-and-rescue efforts are continuing, he said. The gendarmerie, the (army) are trying to deploy all of their helicopters to the region.

In Bartin, the flash floods demolished several houses and at least two bridges and caused the partial collapse of a road leading to the neighboring province of Karabuk, the private Turkish news agency DHA reported. At least 13 people were injured when a bridge caved in, Turkey's disaster and emergency management agency said.

Emergency workers rescued at least 15 people trapped in their homes or vehicles, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. But they were searching for an 80-year-old woman in the village of Akorensokuler who was swept away by floodwaters after her house collapsed, the Interior Ministry said.

In the town of Ayancik in the province of Sinop, a stream burst its banks and at least one house was demolished by gushing waters Helicopters lifted 19 residents to safety from rooftops and the towns hospital was evacuated, Anadolu reported.

The agency said a 13-year-old girl was missing in the nearby town of Inebolu. Landslides, meanwhile, forced a road to close between Ayancik and the province's main city, which is also called Sinop.

Many of the affected areas were left without power.

In an interview with CNN-Turk television, Erdogan warned that the risk of landslides continued and urged people to avoid traveling on highways in the region. The Interior Ministry also warned that heavy rains would continue in the area and asked residents not to leave safe areas or use roads.

Turkeys Black Sea region is frequently struck by deadly torrential rains and flash flooding.

Climate scientists say there is little doubt that climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving more extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms. Such calamities are expected to happen more frequently as Earth warms up.

___

Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate.
Pat Hitchcock, daughter of Alfred Hitchcock, dead at 93 View Photo

NEW YORK (AP)  Patricia Hitchcock OConnell, the only child of Alfred Hitchcock and an actor herself who made a memorable appearance in her fathers Strangers on a Train and championed his work in the decades following his death, has died at age 93.

Hitchcock died Monday in her sleep at home in Thousand Oaks, California, her daughter Tere Carrubba said Wednesday. She died of natural causes, said Carrubba.

She was always really good at protecting the legacy of my grandparents and making sure they were always remembered, said Carrubba, one of Patricia Hitchcocks three daughters. Its sort of an end of an era now that theyre all gone.

Known to many as Pat Hitchcock, she was born in London to Alfred Hitchcock and Alma Reville Hitchcock in 1928 and spent much of her life in and around the family business. During her childhood, Alfred Hitchcock directed such classics as The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes and Shadow of a Doubt, moved to California after signing a multipicture deal with producer David O. Selznick and rose to global fame as the Master of Suspense. Alma was his indispensable adviser, a former film editor through whom he vetted story ideas and screenplay treatments.

My mother had much more to do with the films than she has ever been given credit for  he depended on her for everything, absolutely everything, Pat Hitchcock told The Guardian in 1999.

Pat would visit her fathers movie sets and by her teens was acting in school plays and appearing on stage, including the Broadway productions Solitaire and Violet. She was admitted to Londons Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1947 and was about to graduate when her father contacted her and said he had a role for her in his new film, Strangers on a Train, adapted from the Patricia Highsmith novel. The 1951 production starred Robert Walker and Farley Granger as strangers who meet on a train and agree  at least Walker thinks they agree  to a double murder: Walker will kill Grangers wife, and Granger will kill Walkers father. Pat Hitchcock plays the sister of a woman (Ruth Roman), with whom Granger is in love.

Walker duly carries out his side, strangling Grangers wife on the grounds of an amusement park, and pressures Granger to honor the bargain. He turns up at a party attended by Granger and chats up an elderly woman about the best way to kill someone  strangulation. He has placed his hands on her neck, when he looks up and sees Pat Hitchcock staring back in horror. Unnerved by her resemblance to his murder victim  they wear similar glasses  he nearly chokes the guest to death. Hitchcocks character later sobs that she felt as if she was the one he might have killed, leading to suspicions about the murder of Grangers wife.

I think he was using her as the audience, Pat Hitchcock, interviewed for a 1997 BBC special on her father, said of her character. I think he was having her go through what the audience went through.

Hitchcock was a lively, witty actor with a heart-shaped face and her other acting credits included the TV sitcoms My Little Margie and The Life of Riley and several roles in the TV series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. She also had parts in her fathers Stage Fright and in his horror masterpiece Psycho, in which she plays an office colleague of Janet Leigh, who later in the film is famously stabbed to death in a motel shower.

More recently, she worked for Alfred Hitchcocks Mystery Magazine, appeared at numerous film festivals and in numerous Hitchcock documentaries and contributed photographs and a foreword to Footsteps in the Fog: Alfred Hitchcocks San Francisco, by Jeff Kraft and Aaron Leventhal. She also co-authored a book on her mother, who died in 1982, Alma Hitchcock: The Woman Behind the Man. (Alfred Hitchcock died in 1980).

Pat Hitchcock was married for more than 40 years to Joseph OConnell, who died in 1994. They had three children.

She would insist that her childhood was happy and that her parents were normal, but she wasnt spared her fathers distant, controlling nature and his skewed and sometimes cruel sense of humor. As a girl, she often ate alone, was sent to boarding school and deprived of a college education when her father decided she should instead return to England. She would express regret that he didnt cast her in more of his films.

I certainly wish hed believed in nepotism, she liked to say.

At home, the director once painted a clown face on her while she was sleeping, anticipating her shock when she awoke the next morning and first looked in a mirror. During the filming of Strangers on a Train, knowing her fear of heights, he bet her $100 that she wouldnt ride a Ferris wheel on the set. She disputed a story from Donald Spotos 1983 biography The Dark Side of Genius that he left her stranded, and terrified, for an hour.

What happened is they turned off the lights and pretended they were going away  for all of what Id say were 35 seconds  and put the lights on and we came down, she told the Chicago Tribune in 1993. The only sadistic part is that I never got the hundred dollars.

By HILLEL ITALIE

AP National Writer
Germany arrests alleged Russian spy at UK embassy in Berlin View Photo

BERLIN (AP)  Germany has arrested a British citizen on suspicion of spying for Russia while working at the British Embassy in Berlin, officials said Wednesday.

Federal prosecutors said in a statement that the man was detained on Tuesday in the city of Potsdam southwest of the capital based on cooperative investigations by German and British authorities. In keeping with German privacy laws, he was only identified as David S.

Prosecutors said he is suspected of having spied for the Russian intelligence service at least since November. Before his arrest, he worked as a local hire at the British Embassy in the German capital and allegedly passed on documents he received at work to the Russians, the prosecutors statement said.

Its unlikely the suspect had diplomatic immunity because in such a case he would have normally been expelled from the country instead of being detained.

The federal prosecutors office said later on Wednesday, when reached by phone, it could not give any further details on the case because of the ongoing investigation and the mans privacy rights.

Germanys foreign minister said the government is closely following the case.

We take the information that the detained persons intelligence activity was carried out on behalf of a Russian intelligence agency extremely seriously, Heiko Maas told reporters in Berlin.

Spying on a close ally on German soil is absolutely unacceptable and we are in full solidarity with our British friends, he said. We will be following the federal prosecutors further investigations very closely. And where thats desired, necessary and possible, we will also support them.

The Russian Embassy in Berlin declined to comment Wednesday on reports about the arrest, the Interfax news agency reported. The embassy currently does not have any official information from the German side on this issue, Interfax quoted the embassys spokespeople as saying.

The British government provided few details about the embassy worker, saying that an individual who was contracted to work for the government was arrested yesterday by the German authorities.

It would not be appropriate to comment further as there is an ongoing police investigation, the statement said.

Britains Metropolitan Police said in a separate statement that the man was arrested in the Berlin area on suspicion of committing offenses relating to being engaged in Intelligence Agent activity.

Primacy for the investigation remains with German authorities, the Met statement, while officers from the Counter Terrorism Command continue to liaise with German counterparts as the investigation continues.

The Mets Counter Terrorism Command is responsible for investigating alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act.

German prosecutors said the suspect received an unknown amount of cash in return for his alleged spying activities. Investigators have searched his home and office, the statement added.

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the man to remain under arrest pending further investigation.

During the Cold War, Berlin was often dubbed as the capital of spies because the city was on the frontlines of the confrontation between the Soviets in the East and the Americans and their western allies in the West. Intelligence agents were active on both sides of the divided city and sometimes  after some espionage agents were caught  there were infamous cloak-and-dagger exchanges of captured spies on the Glienicker Bridge.

However, since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the unification of Germany a year later, and the end of the Cold War, espionage activities in Berlin have supposedly abated.

___

Frank Jordans in Berlin, Danica Kirka and Panagiotis Pylas in London, and Daria Litvinova in Moscow contributed reporting.

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER

Associated Press
Poland passes law that would cut off property claims View Photo

WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polands parliament passed a law on Wednesday that would prevent former Polish property owners, including Holocaust survivors and their descendants, from regaining property expropriated by the countrys communist regime.

Israel condemned the legislation, with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid saying it damages both the memory of the Holocaust and the rights of its victims.

Meanwhile, Gideon Taylor, the chair of the World Jewish Restitution Organization, or WJRO, an advocate for property restitution, said the group was outraged, and and called the bill equally unfair for both Jews and non-Jews.

The adopted amendment to Polands administrative law would prevent property ownership and other administrative decisions from being declared void after 30 years. It affects Jewish and non-Jewish owners who had properties seized in the communist era.

In the case of the former Jewish owners, at stake in many cases are the homes or business of families who were wiped out in the Holocaust and whose properties were later seized by Polands communist-era authorities.

When communism fell in 1989, it opened up the possibility for former owners to try to regain lost properties. Some cases have made their way through the courts, but Poland has never passed a comprehensive law that would regulate restituting or compensating seized properties.

Poland says the new legislation is a response to fraud and irregularities that have emerged in the restitution process, leading to evictions or giving real estate to property dealers in a process called wild re-privatization.

Michael Bazyler, an expert in international law and restitution at Chapman University School of Law in California, argues that it is the wrong tool to fight the problem, and that cutting off claims of former owners forever amounts to perpetuating injustice by the communists.

The way you stop wild re-privatization and corruption is to go against corruption, he told The Associated Press. You dont do it by taking the claims of legitimate heirs.

Taylor, from the WJRO, called on President Andrzej Duda to veto the bill and urged the Polish government to work with it to once and for all settle the issue of private property restitution.

He argued that more than 30 years after the fall of communism, Poland was still benefitting from wrongfully acquired property.

Property restitution is about more than money  for many Holocaust survivors and their families, a home is the last remaining physical connection to the lives they once led, to the countries where they were born, and to the towns where they grew up, before their lives were shattered, Taylor said.

In Israel, Speaker of the Knesset Mickey Levy decided not to re-establish the Israeli-Polish parliamentary friendship group.

The anti-restitution law restricting property claims by victims of the Holocaust is a daylight robbery that desecrates the memory of the Holocaust, he said. Polands decision to pass this immoral law harms the friendship and bilateral relations between Israel and Poland.

The United States had been pressuring Poland in hopes of stopping the legislation.

We are deeply concerned that Polands parliament passed legislation today severely restricting the process for Holocaust survivors and their families, as well as other Jewish and non-Jewish property owners, to obtain restitution for property wrongfully confiscated during Polands communist era, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. He urged Duda to not sign the bill into law or to refer it to Polands constitutional tribunal.

___

Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem, Israel, and AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed.

By VANESSA GERA

Associated Press
Israeli envoy in Morocco to cement ties, talk Mideast peace View Photo

RABAT, Morocco (AP)  Israels foreign minister opened a two-day visit to Morocco on Wednesday to seal ties with the North African country less than a year after agreeing to normalize relations. The two nations quickly took concrete steps, signing off on three accords, with more expected.

However, peace prospects in the Middle East nudged their way into the talks, with Yair Lapids Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita stressing a need for the rapid return of direct and serious negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Lapids visit is the first to the country by an Israeli minister since 2003, and the first such meeting in Morocco since the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords with four Arab states: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

Both ministers emphasized the age-old heritage of Jews in Israel linked to the kingdom of Morocco. Lapids two-day trip will be capped on Thursday by the inauguration of Israels liaison mission in Rabat, the capital.

Bourita said the goal is to resume contacts on a regular basis within the framework of peaceful, friendly and normal diplomatic relations.

However, prospects for a Middle East peace agreement were also on Moroccos agenda, with Bourita saying that King Mohamed VI has stressed the need to break the stalemate and restart negotiations toward a comprehensive solution.

That includes a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side with a state of Israel, he said.

Today, there is an urgent need to start measures to rebuild trust between all parties in the service of peace, stability and prosperity in the region, while maintaining calm and refraining from anything that might exacerbate tension, Bourita said. He said negotiations must eventually lead to a solution based on the two-state solution.

The topic was not mentioned in Lapids statement, which dwelled on the Jewish heritage in Morocco and what he said was the hope that the normalization of relations with Morocco holds for the wider world.

The Abraham Accords shook up the region by upending the long-held belief that Israel could not normalize relations with the broader Arab world without progress in resolving its decades-old conflict with the Palestinians. The Palestinians have rejected the agreements.

Critics say it is impossible to ignore the Palestinian issue  as evidenced by the 11-day war between Hamas and Israel in May and the deadly violence it triggered in the occupied West Bank and Israel itself.

Israel and Morocco signed an air service agreement and another agreement to cooperate in the fields of culture, sports and youth.

They also signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a political consultation mechanism between their countries foreign ministries, which appeared to fit into the wider design of the face-to-face diplomacy during Lapids visit.

A statement from the Israeli foreign minister said the agreements will bring our countries innovation and opportunities for the benefit of our children  and their children  for years to come.

Israel and Morocco are teaching children about the power of hope in a world that has shrunk, Lapids statement said. Lapid is slated to become prime minister in 2023 under Israels eight-party coalition government.

State Department spokesman Ned Price speaking to reporters in Washington congratulated the two countries. We believe that normalized relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors create new opportunities for peace and prosperity to flourish in the region, he said.

Israel and Morocco share a long history of formal and informal ties. Many Israelis have lineage that traces back to Morocco, which is still home to a small community of several thousand Jews.

Israeli Minister of Labor and Welfare Meir Cohen, part of the delegation, was born in Essaouira, on the Atlantic coast. For him this is a homecoming, Lapid said in his statement, and in the future, Israelis will not travel here as tourists, they will travel as family, to explore their heritage and their memories.

Israel and Morocco had low-level diplomatic relations in the 1990s, but Morocco cut them off after the second Palestinian uprising erupted in 2000. The two countries maintained informal ties, with thousands of Israelis traveling to Morocco each year.

As part of the deal to establish formal ties with Israel, the United States agreed to recognize Moroccos claim over the long-disputed Western Sahara region, though the Biden administration has said it will review that decision. Moroccos 1975 annexation of Western Sahara is not recognized by the United Nations.

The visit comes as Israel shows off other evidence of the accords moving forward. A senior Bahraini official is visiting Israel this week, where he met with an Israeli general and other officials.

Sheikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the undersecretary for political affairs in Bahrains Foreign Ministry, attended a signing ceremony Wednesday for a partnership between Israels Abba Eban Institute for International Diplomacy and the Gulf countrys Derasat think tank.

A year ago, there was nothing between our two countries. Today, we have come a very long way, the sheikh said. We can confidently say that we have a solid foundation to develop these bilateral ties.

Israel and Gulf countries had been quietly improving relations for years as they came to view Iran as a shared threat.

___

Associated Press writers Josef Federman and Laurie Kellman in Jerusalem and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

By TARIK EL BARAKAH

Associated Press
Irans new president presents conservative Cabinet list View Photo

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Irans new president presented a Cabinet dominated by hard-liners on Wednesday, state TV reported, providing one of the first glimpses into the policies he might pursue over the next four years.

The conservative cleric and former judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raisi, nominated hard-line career diplomat Hossein Amirabollahian to the crucial post of foreign minister as Iran and the U.S. seek to resuscitate Tehrans landmark nuclear deal with world powers.

The Cabinet list included no women, few surprises and several officials from Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The nominees must still be confirmed by Irans parliament, which is expected to convene Saturday. The supreme leader also typically weighs in on picking officials for the most sensitive positions, such as foreign minister.

Amirabollahian, 56, has served in a range of administrations over the decades. He was deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs under former populist hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, known in the West for his Holocaust denial and disputed re-election in 2009.

When relative moderate Hassan Rouhani, who struck the nuclear deal that granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, entered office in 2013, Amirabollahian kept his job before leaving to become an international affairs advisor to the former parliament speaker.

The parties to the nuclear accord have met in Vienna for months to try to revive the deal. The last round of talks ended in June with no date set for their resumption. Raisi has promised his administration will focus on lifting sanctions that have clobbered Irans already ailing economy.

Raisi also appointed Gen. Ahmad Vahidi as his interior minister. He is a former defense minister blacklisted by the U.S. in 2010 and wanted by Interpol over his alleged role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires. The attack killed 85 people and wounded hundreds. Vahidi also served as commander of Irans expeditionary Quds Force in the late 1980s, responsible for Tehrans proxies across the Mideast.

Javad Owji, 54, a career technocrat and long-time official in the countrys vital oil and gas sector, was nominated as oil minister. Raisi picked Rostam Ghasemi, formerly the oil minister under Ahmadinejad and a senior official in the Revolutionary Guard, as the minister for roads and urbanization. The list named Gen. Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, a former deputy chief of staff of the armed forces, as defense minister.
Cuomo resigns: What we know, what we dont and whats next

Cuomo resigns: What we know, what we dont and whats next View Photo

NEW YORK (AP)  After months of holding on to power amid sexual harassment allegations and defying calls to resign, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo abruptly did just that Tuesday. With Cuomo on his way out, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is ascendant. Shell be handed a state roiled by scandal and contending with the delta variant and pandemic-related housing crises.

We take you through the major players, whats happened this week and whats next for Cuomo, Hochul and the state of New York:

REMIND ME  WHAT WAS CUOMO ACCUSED OF?

Cuomo was under investigation for several things, but the prevailing issue leading to his resignation concerned sexual harassment allegations that ranged from inappropriate comments to groping. An investigative report released last week said he sexually harassed 11 women, many of whom had worked for him or the state. Other issues in play: how his administration handled data on COVID-19-related deaths in nursing homes, his $5 million pandemic leadership book deal and whether friends and relatives were given special access to COVID-19 tests early in the pandemic.

CUOMO SAID HE WASNT GOING ANYWHERE. WHY DID HE RESIGN NOW?

Cuomo has denied the most serious allegations against him and acknowledged Tuesday that his instinct is to fight. But he said the impeachment process would take months and consume resources that should go toward managing COVID, guarding against the delta variant, reopening upstate, fighting gun violence and saving New York City.

SO WHOS THE GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK NOW?

Still Cuomo. His resignation wont take effect for two weeks. But Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is on deck to replace Cuomo.

HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE HOCHUL?

Rhymes with local.

QUICK: WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT KATHY HOCHUL?

In sum: Buffalo-area native. Age 62. Democratic ex-congresswoman. Once had a good rating from the National Rifle Association and threatened to jail unauthorized immigrants who tried to legally apply for drivers licenses. Now supports gun control and letting unauthorized immigrants drive. Unknown quantity to much of the state, but popular among party leaders. Oh  and the first female governor of New York (well, in two weeks).

WHATS CUOMO AND HOCHULS RELATIONSHIP LIKE?

As Hochul told it Wednesday, its very clear that the governor and I have not been close, physically or otherwise. Hochul spent much of her time crisscrossing New York as part of her duties as lieutenant governor. Cuomo chose her as his running mate while pursuing his second term, in 2014, but she was never part of his inner circle  and isnt mentioned in the report.

WHY IS CUOMO WAITING 14 DAYS TO LEAVE?

Cuomo said he wanted to ensure a seamless transition to the new administration. He declared Hochul could be caught up to speed in a timely fashion.

CAN CUOMO STILL BE IMPEACHED?

That legal question is murky, but the bottom line: He wont be impeached. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said Friday that lawyers advised the Legislatures judiciary committee that it wouldnt be constitutional to impeach Cuomo once hes no longer governor.

BUT WOULD HE HAVE BEEN IMPEACHED?

Whos to say! But a majority of the Assembly would have voted to advance impeachment, according to an AP poll conducted last week. And Heastie did say the credible evidence the committee amassed could likely have resulted in articles of impeachment had he not resigned. But he did resign, so its moot.

SO WHAT HAPPENS TO ALL THAT EVIDENCE?

Heastie says hes asked the committee chair to pass the evidence on to the appropriate authorities still investigating. Its unclear if the public will get to see any of it at this point.

WHAT WOULD THE POINT OF IMPEACHMENT EVEN HAVE BEEN?

Staving off a Cuomo comeback. If Cuomo had been impeached, he could have been barred from ever holding elected office in New York again.

OK, WITH HOCHUL REPLACING CUOMO, WHOS GOING TO BE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR?

Hochul will appoint her replacement. She wouldnt reveal her pick for the job, but nodded to the need for diversity and inclusion and said she would name someone that I believe the state will be familiar with. Until her pick is in place, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins would be next in the line of succession if Hochul had to leave office.

HOW POWERFUL IS A LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR?

Not very. Think of the role more as second-in-line rather than second-in-command.

IS HOCHUL GOING TO KEEP CUOMOS STAFF AND ADVISERS OR WILL SHE CLEAN HOUSE?

This is a key question, as the investigative report alleged that Cuomos office that created a toxic workplace culture. Without naming names, Hochul said that no one the report identified as doing anything unethical will be sticking around. Some major Cuomoworld figures, like top aide Melissa DeRosa, have already tendered resignation. Hochul said Wednesday shed meet with Cabinet members in the next day before making any decisions on that front.

WHATS GOING ON WITH THE NURSING HOMES INVESTIGATION?

The U.S. Department of Justice has been investigating how the state handled data related to nursing home deaths during the coronavirus pandemic. The states official tally left out many people who had died at hospitals. An aide said Cuomos administration worried the true numbers would be used against us by President Donald Trumps administration. Families of the people who died in nursing homes  more than 15,000  are still calling for accountability.

ONCE CUOMO LEAVES OFFICE, WILL HE BE SAFE FROM CHARGES?

Prosecutors in several counties have already said their investigations into whether Cuomo committed any crimes will continue. Cuomo might be hoping that prosecutors or the women who complained about his behavior might lose interest in pursuing a case now that hes out of office.

WHAT ABOUT CIVIL PENALTIES?

The women who have accused Cuomo could still file lawsuits, and at least one  Lindsey Boylan  has said she will.

WHAT OTHER CONSEQUENCES COULD BE COMING CUOMOS WAY?

New Yorks attorney general is still scoping out his book deal. And the states ethics commissioners are eyeing similar issues as state and federal authorities. Those folks could fine Cuomo.

DOES CUOMO HAVE REGRETS?

He deeply, deeply apologized to the 11 women who I truly offended. But he continued to deny the most serious allegations outlined in the report and again blamed the allegations as misunderstandings attributed to generational and cultural differences. Last week, he personally said sorry to two accusers  ex-aide Charlotte Bennett and a wedding guest he was photographed kissing, Anna Ruch. On Tuesday, he added the unnamed New York State Police trooper who said he inappropriately touched her to the list.

CAN CUOMO RUN AGAIN?

Sure. Theres nothing precluding him from throwing his hat in the ring for 2022, especially now that hes eluded impeachment. And although his donations dipped in the wake of the initial allegations, he had amassed an $18 million war chest as of mid-July.

2022? IS THERE AN ELECTION NEXT YEAR?

Indeed. Cuomo would have been up for a fourth term next year. Hochul confirmed this week she would indeed run for the top job, but no other high-profile Democrats have declared their candidacy. U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin and Andrew Giuliani  yes, son of Rudy and another New York political scion named Andrew  are among the Republican contenders.

WHAT CAN CUOMO ACTUALLY DO IN HIS LAST TWO WEEKS?

Its unclear how engaged hell be in public policy in his final days, but the state is dealing with a soaring number of COVID-19 cases and has been struggling to get aid to tenants who fell behind on rent because of the pandemic.

IS CHRIS CUOMO GOING TO TALK ABOUT THIS?

Were not expecting an appearance  let alone, a comment  from Chris Cuomo on his primetime CNN show this week, as hes currently on vacation. The younger Cuomo brothers role advising the governor was detailed in last weeks report, and he didnt comment on that, either. The sons of the late Gov. Mario Cuomo were known for their on-air fraternal banter during the early days of the pandemic, but CNN eventually put the kibosh on the anchor covering his own brother.

WHERE WILL CUOMO LIVE?

He only moved to the governors mansion in Albany in 2019. He previously lived with his ex-girlfriend, TV chef Sandra Lee, in the New York City suburbs. Lee owned that house. It remains to be seen where the now-single Cuomo  and his dog, Captain  will crash.

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Associated Press reporters Marina Villeneuve in Albany, New York, and Bobby Caina Calvan in New York contributed to this report.

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Check back here for more developments as the aftermath unfolds and find more coverage of Cuomo and the fallout from his resignation on our website.

By MALLIKA SEN

The Associated Press
Belarus denies entry to US ambassador, cuts US Embassy staff View Photo

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Belarus on Wednesday rescinded its permission for the U.S. ambassadors appointment and told the U.S. to cut its embassy staff in retaliation for Washingtons sanctions.

President Joe Bidens administration slapped Belarus with new sanctions Monday, the anniversary of last years election in Belarus that was denounced by the opposition as rigged. Authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko responded to protests against his re-election to a sixth term with a sweeping crackdown that saw more than 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by police.

The new U.S. sanctions target Belarus giant potash producer that has been a top revenue earner for the country, the Belarusian National Olympic Committee and 15 private companies with ties to Belarusian authorities.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Anatoly Glaz on Wednesday denounced the U.S. action as blatant and openly hostile and announced the decision to rescind an earlier agreement for the appointment of Julie Fisher as the U.S. ambassador to the country.

He said Belarus also told the U.S. to cut its embassy staff in Minsk to five diplomats until Sept. 1.

In view of Washingtons actions to halt cooperation in all spheres and strangle our country economically we see no reason in the presence of a significant number of diplomats at the U.S. diplomatic mission, Glaz said in a statement.

While Belarus agreed to Fishers appointment in December as the first U.S. ambassador to Belarus since 2008, it never issued her an entry visa. Fisher has remained in neighboring Lithuania where she maintains contacts with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger in the Aug. 9, 2020, election who was forced to leave Belarus under pressure from authorities.

Commenting on Belarus moves, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said that Belarussian authorities are responsible for the deterioration in U.S.-Belarus relations through relentless repression against their citizens, noting they have targeted civic groups, media, athletes, students, legal professions and others.

The United States government, Ambassador Fisher, personnel at our embassy in Minsk will continue to support the democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus, Price said. U.S. diplomats will continue to engage with Belarusians, including leaders of the pro-democracy movement, media professionals, students and other elements of civil society wherever they are.

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AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

By YURAS KARMANAU

Associated Press
Two more people have died and 90 new cases of COVID-19 were reported last week, according to the latest numbers from the Plainview Hale County Health Department.

As of Monday afternoon, there were a total of 119 active cases of COVID-19 across Hale County. Four affected individuals were recovering in a medical facility.

The rise in cases prompted local leaders including Mayor Charles Starnes and Hale County Health Authority Dr. Sergio Lara to speak out last week urging citizens to follow CDC guidelines and to get vaccinated.

Vaccination rates are rising slowly in Hale County. Of the 27,448 citizens eligible to receive one of the available COVID-19 vaccinations (which Lara said are each just as effective as the next against COVID variants), 11,607 (42.29%) have received one dose and 9,993 (36.41%) are considered fully vaccinated. Thats a 1.35% and a 0.53% increase, respectively, from the report released Aug. 3.

Dr. Lara said last week that the vaccine is the most effective defense against COVID and any variants. It does not make you immune but should a fully-immunized individual still contract COVID, the case shouldnt be as severe. He and Mayor Starnes also urge the public to wear face masks, practice social distancing and continue good hand hygiene to fight the virus, in addition to the immunization.

The latest data shows many of the new cases were reported in Plainview and just about every other community in Hale County reported at least one  except Cotton Center. The breakdown is as follows:

Plainview: 85 new cases, 5226 total cases

Abernathy: 2 new cases, 482 total

Edmonson: 1 new case, 26 total

Hale Center: 1 new case, 505 total

Petersburg: 1 new case, 171 total

There were also 54 new recoveries reported. There were 37 new recoveries in Plainview, 4 in Abernathy, 2 in Cotton Center, 9 in Hale Center and 2 in Petersburg.

The latest data also shows the two latest deaths were individuals in Plainview and Hale Center. Those individuals were two women  one 41-60 years old and another who was 61 years old or older.

As of Monday afternoon, here is where the active cases in Hale County are located: 104 in Plainview; 3 in Abernathy; 1 in Edmonson; 10 in Hale Center; and 1 in Petersburg.

Lara said last week for citizens to continue to take recommended precautions and not to find a false sense of security in local vaccination rates.

There are many who are not and it is important for everyone to remember the measures we had in place during the peak of the pandemic such as practice social distancing, wearing a mask and other mitigation efforts to help stop the spread.

Governor Greg Abbott has also called for the Texas Department of State Health Services to provide extra medical personnel to care facilities across the state, for hospitals to postpone elective medical procedures and to open more infusion centers across the state to meet the needs of COVID patients.

Above all, vaccinations continue to be encouraged by Lara, by Mayor Starnes and by Governor Abbott.

Vaccines are currently available at the Plainview-Hale County Health Department, at Home Town Pharmacy, Amigos United Pharmacy, Walmart Pharmacy and CVS Pharmacy.

Masks are also encouraged for both unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals in public indoor settings.
Smoke is bringing together the "pride of the Southside" for a party that's already picking up traction online.

The outdoor downtown party place will host the event geared towards grads of Burbank, Southside, Highlands, McCollum, Brackenridge, South San and Harlandale on August 14.

Owner Adrian Martinez says the August 9 announcement about the party is rivaling the popularity of concert alerts, like when the venue brought in rapper 50 Cent in May.

The post  which currently has 900 shares and a couple hundred comments  generated comments ranging from people joking about the puro party while others are ready to celebrate the reunion they never had due to the pandemic.

"I didnt even go to school in Texas Im still going," Facebook user Japaulus Hall says.

Another commenter named Jus Joe posed a very important question: "Is everyone cruising Military afterwards!!!"

While the jokes ensue on Facebook and Twitter, Martinez says the event is intended to be a way to remember simpler times in the Southside and celebrate the memories he and many San Antonians share.

"I was born and raised on the Southside. I grew up in playing in Parks and Recreation (leagues) and I made a ton of friends along the way. So this was my idea to reunite all the friends from past Southside high schools and celebrate memories from the past," he adds. "We are planning for a big reunion of friends, great music, and great barbecue all in the shadows of downtown San Antonio."
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP)  A bar in Vermont's largest city is now requiring that all patrons show proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

In a social media post Sunday, Three Needs Taproom in Burlington said the policy would start on Monday.

The post says they hope the move will help stop the spread of COVID-19 and avoid the closure of bars and restaurants.

On Friday, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger recommended the wearing of masks in public indoor spaces regardless of ones vaccination status until the risk of transmission in Chittenden County is reduced.

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NUMBERS

The Vermont Department of Health reported 89 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the statewide total since the pandemic began to more than 25,570.

There were 20 people hospitalized, including eight in intensive care. The Monday numbers include data reported over the weekend.

The state reported two more fatalities, bringing the statewide total to 262.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont has risen over the past two weeks from 18 new cases per day on July 24 to 61.57 new cases per day on Aug. 7.

The Associated Press is using data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering to measure outbreak caseloads and deaths across the United States.
PEFKI, Greece (AP)  Hundreds of firefighters from across Europe and the Mideast worked alongside their Greek colleagues in rugged terrain Wednesday, trying to contain flareups of the huge wildfires that have ravaged Greece's forests for a week, destroying homes and forcing thousands to evacuate.

The spread of the blazes has been largely halted, officials said, but fronts still burned on the large island of Evia and in Greece's southern Peloponnese region, where several homes were on fire, according to state ERT TV.

The fires broke out last week after Greece had just experienced its most protracted heatwave since 1987, leaving its forests tinder-dry. Other nearby nations such as Turkey and Italy faced similar searing temperatures and quickly spreading fires, while Spain and Portugal were on alert Wednesday for wildfires amid a heat wave forecast to last through Monday.

At the southern side of the Mediterranean Sea, wildfires in Algeria's mountains have killed 65 people, including 28 soldiers sent in to help, and three days of national mourning begin Thursday.

Worsening drought and heat  both linked to climate change  have also fueled wildfires this summer in the Western U.S. and in Russia's northern Siberia region. Scientists say there is little doubt that climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving more extreme events.

Greece's fire service said 900 firefighters, including teams from Poland, Romania, Cyprus, Ukraine, Serbia, Slovakia and Moldova, and 27 aircraft were working on Evia, Greece's second-largest island which is linked to the mainland by a bridge.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke on the phone Wednesday with top officials from Ukraine, Qatar and Romania to warmly thank them for their contributions. The three countries sent 340 firefighters and 24 vehicles in response to Greece's appeal for help.

Evia's northern part, which has forests entwined with villages and small seaside resorts, has suffered the greatest damage, with an estimated 50,000 hectares (123,000 acres) lost and dozens of homes burned.

Retiree Maria Roga said although her house in Pefki, a village on Evia, was saved from the flames that burned a neighboring home, she still worries about flare-ups.

Im still afraid. Im afraid, she told The Associated Press on Wednesday. (But) I cant complain. I am very grateful, I am one of the lucky ones.

Although most of Pefki's homes are intact, the village  whose name means pine tree  is now surrounded by ranks of blackened trees.

Some 600 firefighters from Greece, the Czech Republic, Britain, France and Germany were also deployed Wednesday near ancient Olympia and in Arcadia in the Peloponnese, assisted by 33 water-dropping aircraft  including two Russian Ilyushin Il-76s that can drop more than 40 tons at one go.

A massive fire that broke out last week north of Athens has been limited to a section of a national park on Mount Parnitha. Firefighters from France, Qatar, Kuwait and Israel were deployed there.

That fire only caused minimal damage to the former royal summer palace of Tatoi under Mount Parnitha, although the surrounding forest was largely destroyed, Greek culture officials said. A tiny number of the estate's 100,000 artifacts in storage was destroyed  which the culture ministry said had been of small value and in poor condition.

Despite the widescale destruction to forests, wildlife and livestock  and homes, although official estimates are not yet available  Greek authorities' policy of evacuating villages to protect lives has paid off. No residents or tourists were killed in the wildfires. One volunteer firefighter died last week and two have been hospitalized in serious condition with burns.

In contrast, a wildfire in 2018 killed 102 people near Athens.

The health ministry said Wednesday another three firefighters required treatment for respiratory problems and light burns suffered in the Arcadia fire.

Nevertheless, some locals criticized the evacuation policy, saying while it saved lives it sent away villagers who could have helped firefighters battle the flames. Others have complained that water-dropping planes and even ground forces were absent at crucial times.

On the outskirts of Kamatriades on Evia, residents cutting firebreaks through the forest said they had received no help in protecting their village.

We need some help here, we need some help! We are fighting alone (for) seven days now, said Dimitris Stefanidakis.

Greek officials say they did everything they could against the fire service's biggest-ever challenge. In eight days, authorities had to deal with 586 fires across the country, while heavy smoke from the fires often reduced visibility so much that water-dropping aircraft could not be deployed safely.

The causes of the blazes are under investigation, and authorities say that in at least one major blaze arson seems likely. Several people have been arrested.

The government has pledged a large compensation and reforestation program.

Big wildfires were also burning in Italy, which claimed two more lives Wednesday  bringing the overall toll this month to four. Authorities said a 77-year-old shepherd was found dead in the southern Calabria region. Reports said he was in a farmhouse where he had apparently sought refuge with his flock.

And a 30-year-old farmer died near Catania when he was crushed by his tractor while fighting a blaze. Last week in Italy, a woman and her nephew died of smoke inhalation as they tried to save the family olive grove.

In Turkey, firefighters worked Wednesday to extinguish a wildfire in the southwest Mugla province. At least eight people and countless animals have died in Turkey in more than 200 wildfires since July 28.

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Paphitis reported from Kontias, Greece. Lefteris Pittarakis in Kamatriades, Greece, Frances D'Emilio in Rome and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed.

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Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate
Family and friends continue to mourn the devastating loss of the San Antonio nurse and her friend, who were both killed in a fiery wrong-way crash with a suspected drunken driver early Saturday.

The crash occurred around 2:45 a.m. in the southbound lanes of Interstate 35 at Walzem Road when a wrong-way driver in a Ford 350 hit a Nissan Rogue, the San Antonio Police Department said.

Local nurse Daniela Lute, 25, died from multiple blunt force injuries she sustained from the crash, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office. Lute was in the Nissan along with 27-year-old Diana Rubio, who also died.

In a Tuesday Facebook post, Lute's mother, Michelle Taylor, shared details of two events happening this week to remember her daughter and her friend. The family is planning a "holding hands ceremony" at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the crash site. She says police will block off the Walzem and Eisenhower area for the remembrance to occur.

The family is also planning another gathering at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the entrance of Friedrich Wilderness Park, which was Lute's favorite place to hike and run, her mother says. The gathering was originally set to be a balloon release but has since changed to just a gathering as many expressed the materials can hurt wildlife.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced but Lute's mother says she will keep everyone updated on her Facebook.

Adrian Childs

"Feel free to come to remember her beautiful soul," Taylor writes in the post. "She loved and cherished each and every one of you...She was as pure as anyone can get."
The back-and-forth between state and city officials over masks in schools continues.

What mask is best for the delta variant of COVID-19?

On Tuesday, August 10, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he plans to oppose the counties defying Gov. Greg Abbott's order banning local government and districts from requiring face coverings.

Paxton retweeted a tweet from FOX 4 News reporter David Sentendrey who posted a statement from Abbott's spokesperson concerning Dallas Independent School District's action to install a mask order on its campuses.

"We are all working to protect Texas children and those most vulnerable among us, but violating the Governor's executive orders  and violating parental rights  is not the way to do it," the spokesperson states. "Governor Abbott has been clear that the time for mask mandates is over; now is the time for personal responsibility."

In an interview with radio host Glenn Beck, Paxton also said he would sue Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins for trying to overrule Abbott's executive order.

"These guys are supposed to act under law," he told Beck. "He can't just make up his own law that's sort of the attitude of a lot of these elected officials. They think they could do whatever they want."

On Tuesday, officials in Bexar County announced they were also suing Abbott, seeking power to impose a local mask mandate in area schools. On Tuesday evening, during a special school board meeting, Fort Worth superintendent Kent Scribner announced that city's schools will require masks. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo authorized the city's attorney to file a lawsuit against the order as well on Tuesday evening.

It's unclear what action Paxton will take against San Antonio officials or Harris County leaders.
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the city, the University of Texas at San Antonio has temporarily modified its course delivery and operations for the fall semester.

In a letter to students and staff on Wednesday, August 11, UTSA officials announced it will begin its semester with most scheduled classes online from August 23 to September 12. The university is also implementing a mandatory COVID-19 testing requirement for students, faculty, and staff.

The change due to the rise in the highly contagious and dangerous delta variant, the letter states. It notes, the strain has proven to impact the unvaccinated and young individuals within the community.

As of August 10, San Antonio has 1,914 new COVID-19 cases. The seven-day moving average has jumped to 1,353 cases, 99 percent of which can be attributed to the delta variant, says Mayor Ron Nirenberg.

"Given all this, we must temporarily adjust our approach to opening our fall semester  balancing an evolving new normal around in-person learning with additional practical controls  until we see the Delta surge begin to diminish and return to less risky levels similar to what we experienced earlier this summer," officials state in the letter.

The letter goes on to note "more information about the testing requirement will be released soon, including phased scheduling, policies for asymptomatic and symptomatic testing, testing locations, self-reporting and more."

The first phase of the testing will involve students moving into campus housing. For more information on the policy and classes moving online, visit UTSA's website or click here.

Our Lady of the Lake University

Elsewhere in San Antonio, Our Lady of the Lake University tells MySA it has not altered the class schedule before the semester begins next week. However, it does have a mask mandate in place. The private institution will keep the requirement as needed to keep the community safe.

The university also is encouraging everyone to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and has weekly COVID-19 testing requirements in place for those who are not vaccinated.

St. Mary's University

Officials are asking vaccinated employees and students to submit proof of vaccination  a copy of your vaccination card  as soon as possible and no later than August 31. Classes will resume as scheduled.

An unvaccinated individual must wear a mask at all times on campus or at events off-campus. Vaccinated employees and students must wear a mask in areas of substantial or high transmission on campus and at events off-campus. Failing to comply with mask requirements could result in student and employee discipline, including the possibility of dismissal or termination.

Other measures will include weekly COVID-19 testing and verification for employees and students who have not submitted proof of vaccination.

Trinity University

Classes will remain in-person for the fall semester as the university has an 89 percent vaccination rate, the institution tells MySA.

Masks must be worn by both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in indoor public settings at all times. Masks are not required outdoors unless you find yourself in a crowded setting and cannot maintain social distancing.

All faculty, staff, and students will be tested once before school begins. Afterward, all unvaccinated faculty, staff, and students will be tested weekly.

University of the Incarnate Word

UIW has not changed its policy regarding fall classes, the institution says. The plan is still to have in-person classes with both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals required to wear masks while indoors at all UIW campuses.

However, UIW tells MySA it is currently reviewing its testing protocols and might change the policies at any time.

Texas A&M University-San Antonio

Jeanette De Diemar, vice president of university relations, tells MySA the campus will continue to encourage its community to wear a mask and wash their hands frequently. In a statement, she notes the campus will follow the guidance of the state and the university system.

"The safety of our students, faculty, and staff continues to be our top priority here at Texas A&M University-San Antonio," the statement reads. "...We continue to actively monitor the evolving situation including the city, county, and state  and are prepared to adjust to safely accommodate these changing conditions as the state allows."

MySA reached out to the Alamo Colleges District and will update accordingly.
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan on Tuesday evening signed civil arrest warrants for 52 House Democrats still missing from the state Capitol as he aimed to regain the quorum needed for the chamber to begin moving legislation during the second special session.

The move was confirmed by Phelan spokesperson Enrique Marquez, who said the warrants "will be delivered to the House Sergeant-at-Arms tomorrow morning for service."

The warrants were first reported by The Dallas Morning News. Democrats who may be arrested would not face criminal charges or fines and could only be brought to the House chamber. Dozens of minority party members fled to Washington, D.C., during the first special session to block a GOP voting restrictions bill.

The 52 warrants represent all but 15 Democrats in the lower chamber. There were at least 11 present Tuesday. There were no additional new Democrats on the floor Tuesday after four returned a day earlier  and drew the wrath of some Democratic colleagues still in Washington, and prompted a renewed push inside the party to hold the line.

Earlier Tuesday, the House voted overwhelmingly to authorize law enforcement to track down lawmakers absent from the chamber.

That 80-12 vote came hours after the Texas Supreme Court ordered that those missing Democrats could soon be detained by state authorities. The order by the all-GOP court came at the request of Gov. Greg Abbott and Phelan, both of whom had asked the court Monday to overturn a ruling from a state district judge that blocked those leaders from ordering the arrest of the quorum-breaking Democrats.

In a statement after the warrants were signed Tuesday evening, state Rep. Chris Turner of Grand Prairie, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, said it is "fully within our rights as legislators to break quorum to protect our constituents" and reiterated Democrats' commitment "to fighting with everything we have against Republicans' attacks on our freedom to vote."

Since the Legislature gaveled in Saturday for its second special session ordered by Abbott, the House has been unable to make a quorum as dozens of Democrats have remained absent from the chamber.

When the House was unable to meet its 100-member threshold to conduct business Monday, members adopted a procedural move known as a call of the House in an effort to secure a quorum. That move locks doors to the chamber and prevents members on the floor from leaving unless they have permission in writing from the speaker.

That vote earlier Tuesday marks the second time in recent weeks that the chamber has voted to send law enforcement after Democrats still missing from the House.

During the first special session in July, and after more than 50 House Democrats flew to D.C., members present authorized state authorities to track down their colleagues  but the move carried little weight since Texas law enforcement lacks jurisdiction outside the state.

By the time that first 30-day stretch ended last week, Phelan had signed only one civil arrest warrant, for Rep. Philip Cortez, a San Antonio Democrat. But that move came too late since Cortez, who had briefly returned to Austin, had already gone back to the nations capital.

Intraparty pressure has been mounting on House Democrats since the second special session started. After at least four of them returned to the floor Monday, bringing the chamber within five members of a quorum, some of their Democratic colleagues who were still in Washington unleashed on them. Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos of Richardson tweeted at the returning Democrats that they all threw us under the bus today.

Pressure ramped up Tuesday morning, when a coalition of Democratic-aligned groups released a statement urging House Democrats to hold firm and continue breaking quorum. The 21 groups included Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, the states Sierra Club chapter, the Texas Organizing Project, Progress Texas, the Communications Workers of America and several groups that advocate for Latino Texans.

To every pro-democracy Texas lawmaker: the only way to preserve our right to vote and the best way to fight is to stay off the House floor, the coalitions statement said.

The group also released a four-page memo arguing that far more was at stake in the second special session than just the elections bill, citing a host of radical conservative priorities throughout the agenda. The memo was particularly emphatic about a new proposal for the second special session  dropping the quorum threshold to a simple majority  calling it an ominous allusion to reducing or eliminating minority rights in the Legislature, breaking centuries of Texas bipartisanship.

Meanwhile, a number of House Democrats have returned to Texas but have not come to the House floor to help provide quorum.

State Rep. Celia Israel, who has said she's back in Austin, said in a statement to the Tribune after Tuesday evening's news that "Texas deserves so much more."

"I didnt sacrifice my business and my family over the last few weeks to just swing the door open for a civil warrant based on right wing politics and pandering to 5 percent of the voters," she said. "Its sad that its come to this."

One of them is state Rep. Evelina "Lina" Ortega, who says she is home in El Paso but not showing up on the House floor until there is already a quorum or a majority of the Democratic caucus decides to be there.

I pretty much feel that its a shame that the governor and Republicans  are really using the dirtiest tactic available to them, Ortega told the Tribune on Tuesday evening after the Houses vote to send law enforcement after the absentee Democrats. To me its all about a power grab. Im glad to stay away and continue to fight them.

As for whether she is concerned about arrest, Ortega said she believes it would be a big mistake by Republicans.

Well see what happens, she said.

Disclosure: Planned Parenthood and Progress Texas have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Squirrels use parkour tricks when leaping from branch to branch Science News

Global connectivity of Southern Ocean ecosystem (PDF) British Antarctic Survey

How to Sell Carbon Neutral Fossil Fuel That Doesnt Exist Bloomberg

Cold enough for you? Why air conditioning reigns supreme in Southern California Los Angeles Times

The Lawn Problem London Review of Books

Bayer loses third appeals case over glyphosate weedkiller Reuters (Furzy Mouse).

#COVID19

Studies look at clotting, myocarditis tied to COVID-19 vaccines Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy

At least 1 million people got unauthorized third booster shot NBC. Scroll down.

I just had a very sobering phone call with Dr. Mark Kline, infectious disease expert, & physician in chief at Childrens Hospital New Orleans. He told me: 18 kids are hospitalized with COVID 9 are under the age of 2 6 r n ICU 3 are on ventilators, including a 1 month old

6/ I've seen rebreathed fraction of air in some Texas classrooms as high as 0.13 (13%) at peak & 0.075 (7.5%)% averaged over day. For the former, this equates to roughly 1 in every 8 inhaled breaths being a collection of the exhaled breath of every student & teacher in the space.

1/ Rebreathed Fraction (RF) and Schools. The rebreathed fraction of air is the fraction of air that a person inhales that came out of the collective respiratoiry systems of others in the indoor space they are in. We'd like RF to be as small as possible!

China?

Cambodia dam destroyed livelihoods of tens of thousands: HRW Bangkok Post (Furzy Mouse).

Myanmar

China to fund Myanmar projects in agreement with junta Channel News Asia

More Than 740 Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in July: NUG The Irrawaddy. Big if true

ASEAN envoy willing to wait before meeting Myanmars Suu Kyi Jakarta Post

Australians who live abroad denied permission to return overseas despite promises Sydney Morning Herald

UK/EU

A-level grades could be SCRAPPED to end free-for-all on top marks: Ministers consider using numerical system like with GCSEs to reset marks after Covid inflation row Daily Mail

Our buildings are still at risk Inside Housing. Near miss on a second Grenfell.
I hate to say it, but weve been proven correct even faster than usual. We warned that the failure to treat nurses well would come back to bite the hospitals that went into Scrooge mode. As we posted on August 3:

In other words, if we have another crisis in hospitals, its due not just to Delta but also rule by MBAs:

We told you this would happen. The mass exodus of nursing staff came in waves, month after month. Now this sudden, debilitating, exponential growth of sick people needing care in our communities, & they have no one. YOU didnt listen, YOU thought travel rates would normalize.  Sarah, RN (@shesinscrubs) July 30, 2021

I was told I was so intelligent for my age & such an asset, In the next breath I was told, I wasnt worth one more dollar: giving each person in this system a 1 dollar raise would cost, $2 million dollars, would you be happy with $1? I was stunned.  Sarah, RN (@shesinscrubs) July 30, 2021

Todays press has many stories about hospitals in Texas, Florida, and some other states being strained to the breaking point due to the latest Covid surge. Obviously, the big driver of this dire situation is the rapid rise in cases. Some also mention staffing levels and even say that their capacity constraint is not beds but manpower. Thats reflected in the super-high pay on offer for traveling nurses who go to hospitals that are willing to pay up for extra hands on deck.

Of course, most of these articles, particularly in corporate friendly venues like Bloomberg and Business Insider are going to depict burnout and fear of contracting Covid as the foundation of the nurse shortages. And those are certainly significant factors. However, not being willing to ante up to give nurses and other hospital support staff hazard pay (while eventually paying through the nose for traveling nurses) is an insulting statement about how much management values them. Why should they risk life, limb, and their mental health when the top brass makes clear it cares more about preserving and increasing its pay than spending up to take care of patients and employees?

It wasnt hard to see that with Delta being super infectious and the US not heavily vaccinated enough to ground out contagion of wild type Covid, even before factoring in reduced efficacy of the Covid vaccines against Delta, that the US was set to suffer a nasty big spike and was likely to see overloaded hospitals again. We also warned that it is seen as unacceptable to the powers that be for heart attack, stroke, and car crash victims not to be able to get adequate care in emergency rooms. Associated Press reported that St. Petersburg is at that point:

In St. Petersburg, some patients wait inside ambulances for up to an hour before hospitals can admit them  a process that usually takes about 15 minutes, Pinellas County Administrator Barry Burton said. While ambulances sit outside emergency rooms, they are essentially off the grid. Theyre not available to take another call, which forces the fire department on scene at an accident or something to take that transport. Thats caused quite a backlog for the system. At no other time during the pandemic have intensive care units seen a percentage of COVID patients as high as in the last two days. Last year around mid-July, the percentage edged to 45% with about 1,400 patients. Officials ramped up beds at hospitals and at their peak reported about 2,500 ICU patients at a time. At the height of last years summer surge, Florida had about 10,170 COVID-19 hospitalizations overall.

Notice the manpower concerns:

Nearly 70% of Florida hospitals are expecting critical staffing shortage in the next seven days, according to the Florida Hospital Association. The COVID-19 influx is also hitting as Florida hospitals are seeing unusually high numbers of very ill non-COVID patients, said the associations president Mary Mayhew.

Associated Press also ran a stand-alone story on nurse shortages. Key sections:

The rapidly escalating surge in COVID-19 infections across the U.S. has caused a shortage of nurses and other front-line staff in virus hot spots Florida, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oregon all have more people hospitalized with COVID-19 than at any other point in the pandemic, and nursing staffs are badly strained.

One system is giving retention bonuses to keep from having nurses decamp to highly paid traveling nurse gigs:

Miamis Jackson Memorial Health System, Floridas largest medical provider, has been losing nurses to staffing agencies, other hospitals and pandemic burnout, Executive Vice President Julie Staub said. The hospitals CEO says nurses are being lured away to jobs in other states at double and triple the salary. Staub said system hospitals have started paying retention bonuses to nurses who agree to stay for a set period. To cover shortages, nurses who agree to work extra are getting the typical time-and-a-half for overtime plus $500 per additional 12-hour shift. Even with that, the hospital sometimes still has to turn to agencies to fill openings.

Twitter had already registered the nurse shortage. For instance:

COVID exploded in my ICUs this week. I was looking as far as Cincinnati to find an ecmo circuit for a young patient yesterday  while we have a few circuits available locally, there are no nurses available. Bed capacity is more than an empty bed, its a team to staff it, too.  Jason B. Martin, MD (@jasonbmartin) August 7, 2021

By contrast, Business Insider ran a story on MD exhaustion. Its opening:

Ed Jimenez was walking down the hall of the University of Florida Health Shands Hospital recently when he ran into a nurse on staff. The unrelenting pandemic has made it hard at times for Jimenez  CEO of the teaching hospital in Gainesville which counts more than 1,000 beds  to sustain morale among his workforce. Everybody I talked to was putting up a wonderful exterior: We got this. Were helping people,' he recounted in an interview this week with Insider. Still, he could see the anguish behind their eyes. The nurse reminded him of what has become one of the pandemics most sobering scenes.

Notice Business Insider did not talk to any nurses or technicians: Insider interviewed seven doctors, hospital leaders, and local government officials, to understand how theyre responding to the situation. But the story did get one source to fess up that ER care was being compromised:

At one South Florida hospital, some COVID patients have had to wait in the triage area for up to a day since no ICU beds were immediately available, said a doctor in the area who requested not to be identified as they were unauthorized to speak to the media.

And later on, it turned to nursing:

Meanwhile, hospitals are confronting a nationwide shortage of nurses. Kevin Taylor, the emergency room director at Baptist Healths two Bethesda Hospital locations in Boynton Beach, said that nurses on staff are making up for the lack of reinforcements by volunteering for extra shifts.

But that was it. The piece then turned to ambulances tied up waiting for admissions, oxygen shortages, and postponement of elective surgeries.

A local news station, in Tenessee, gives a more candid picture of the staffing stress. From WKRN:

Dr. [Todd] Rice [the director of Vanderbilts Medical Intensive Care Unit] says staff there faces two challenges. Its a double hit. You get hit with more cases, but you also get him from fewer people now to take care of those cases. Its a problem people may not consider. As the number of cases increases in our community, the number of our employees that are positive also increases, he says. That forces a team of specialized professionals to stay home. Weve had shortages of our nurses, and our nurse practitioners, and our respiratory therapists, because unfortunately, even if theyre vaccinated, and theyve tested positive, theyre out of work for 10 days.

But again, to hear from nurses, you need to go to Twitter (and I assume Facebook, to which I am allergic), where you learn that the heartrendering vignettes of nurses overwhelmed by suffering patients airbrushes out a key part of the picture: that the pay issues we flagged earlier are symptomatic of a lack of respect and concern:

of our sacrifices; including death for some of us from Covid-19 or other occupational hazards, we are treated as if we are invisible. No help is offered. No reinforcements are promised. Our coworkers are told to do more with less, each and every day. (3)  LiveWellFeelWell (@LivWellFeelWell) August 5, 2021

The pace takes our breath. We watch as coworkers who have fallen are discarded like rusted out cars that have exceeded their usefulness. The broken cars line up in crumpled heaps in the junkyard in numbers that continue to multiply. We are told/forced to keep silent. (4)  LiveWellFeelWell (@LivWellFeelWell) August 5, 2021

Mirable dictu, one media outlet is connecting the nursing shortage to pay levels:

The Birmingham Black Nurses Association and the Alabama State Nurses Association said the current shortage of nurses in our state has more to do with pay than COVID. https://t.co/VOFX2uN9Cr  WBRC FOX6 News (@WBRCnews) August 10, 2021

A necessary but not sufficient condition to better treatment of nurses: the public at large recognized that they arent paid what they are worth:

Large majorities of Democrats and Republicans believe nurses and health-care aides are underpaid, while almost an identical number say doctors are overpaid, one study found. https://t.co/JOmcPUTF5c  MarketWatch (@MarketWatch) August 11, 2021

Another looming battle is over vaccination of hospital employees is leading to more nurse departures. At the end of May, 1 in 4 patient-interacting hospital workers had not had any Covid injections; at the 50 largest, the ratio was 1 in 3. Press and media accounts indicate that vaccinated nurses resent working with unvaccinated colleagues, particularly since some hospitals assign only vaccinated staffers to Covid patients. However, some Evangelical sects oppose vaccine use, either out of mistaken beliefs that they rely on embryonic stems cells, or that mandating vaccination is the Mark of the Beast. Many youngish women are also concerned about reproductive effects; the mRNA vaccines can produce very heavy and early periods. The drug makers have not addressed this issue; theyve instead talked about miscarriage risk, but have stayed mum on the weird menstruation and related fertility concerns. The failure to address this issue directly is not assuaging doubts.

The religious refusniks wont be converted, and its an open question as to how many of the ones worried about reproductive risks will quit if forced to get a jab. Either way, a vaccination mandate will further thin the ranks of hospital nurses at the worst possible time.

So I hope readers will keep us posted with what they see in the local press and learn from medically-connected contacts about hospital and particularly nurse staffing and compensation. As you can infer from this post, what is happening on the nursing front lines is not well covered, despite its considerable importance in the struggle to contain Covid.
Yves here. We warned that some who invested in remote work housing would be burned when employers wanted staffers back in the office. Even though plans to get professionals back into Manhattan have been delayed due to Delta, a lot of companies have said they want butts back in chairs, and those that remain in work from home mode will have their pay cut.

It likely wont be publicized as much, but we suspect a small group of buyers of pretty houses in pretty far away places will wind up selling because they misjudged the community. For instance, the New York Times ran an article on pandemic-fleeing New Yorkers decamping to artsy Camden, Maine.

I sincerely doubt any of them have been in Maine during the winter or mud season, as in the spring. The man who runs the wine store near Brunswick that we frequent used to live in Fairbanks, Alaska. He says his Alaska winters were milder, that nothing there compared to the wet and fierce winds in Maine.

By Wolf Richter, editor of Wolf Street. Originally published at Wolf Street

Here is a Reddit lament by a self-admitted FOMO (fear of missing out)-home-buyer in Canada. The couple, mistakenly thinking that working-at-home (WAH) was permanent, had bought for that reason a house hours away from Toronto six months ago. But turns out, WAH was transitory for them, and now they need to sell the house.

But in the two weeks that the home has been on the market, they didnt get offers that would allow them to make a profit or break even, as the market is cooling  a horrifyingly bloodcurdling stupendously surprising situation of having to sell a house without being able to make an instant profit.

And they cant even rent out the house profitably in their estimates. What kind of horror show is this??

This is the horror show of having bought a house in what has been identified as the #2 Housing Bubble in the world, behind New Zealand, and now this housing bubble is normalizing, or cooling, or whatever, and suddenly the plans go kaput.

Obviously, the couple can sell the house. But theyll have to price it to where the market is, and the market isnt where they thought it would be, or where it was six months ago, and theyll have to try harder and longer and cut the price, and eventually theyll be able to sell the house. But the dream of making C$100,000 or whatever in six months on flipping a house hours away from Toronto have evaporated.

The post was brought to my attention by Steve Saretsky, a Realtor in Vancouver, whose work, reports, and data have appeared on WOLF STREET. Also note the posts terse marital nuances that come with a situation like this  shes livid about the situation and refuses to live here now, he says:

Sorry if this is horribly formatted, Im not a redditor. My wife and I bought 6 months ago at the height of the housing market it seems now. We bought hours away from work (Toronto) as we both were working from home. We thought WAH would be permanent and we were both afraid of missing out on buying if we didnt pull the trigger. Wife is being called back to work full time. Ive been given notice that were going back part time come September. We listed our house a bit over two weeks ago, no offer has come in that we break even on let alone profit. Our realtor has told us the market is cooling and that it would be a surprise if we got what we were asking for. Weve gotten a couple of offers, none of which are asking price. Were at a loss. My wife is looking for work locally but due to the nature of her work she is unlikely to find equivalent in pay or opportunity. She also doesnt want to leave her employer, she has great upward mobility and seniority there. I dont personally mind commuting part time but shes livid about the situation and refuses to live here now. My friends keep telling me that there is no such thing as a Canadian market cooling and to just wait it out until it sells. If we listed for rent I think we wouldnt be making a profit. Any suggestions would be appreciated

Whats amazing to someone like me who has been around the block too many times is the naivete and the surprise displayed in these eloquent words by the perplexed and frustrated potential home seller. What were they thinking when they bought the house?

They werent thinking. They were governed by the fear of missing out (FOMO), and the poster admitted it. FOMO stipulates that you stop thinking, and that you act without thinking, and act now before someone else snaps the overpriced house out from under you. A housing bubble operates on that basis. You cannot maintain a housing bubble without FOMO.

The post also lays bare the whole conundrum of buying a nice big house somewhere far away from the city because now you can work at home, both of you, and then the bosses say, both of them, no, you gotta come back to the office. This stuff really sucks. And I suspect that theres going to be a lot of it.
My position with Nashville Post has evolved since 2000 when I began work with the now-defunct The City Paper. TCP became a Post sister pub in 2008 (when I began some Post work) and folded in 2013. I have worked mainly with the Post since late 2011.

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(Natural News) Parts of Australia have plunged into new Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdowns, and the hilarious truth as to why involves a false claim that the sewage there somehow became tainted with remnants of the disease.

According to reports, Victoria Premier Dan Andrews has finally fessed up to the fact that he lied about non-existent coronavirus-tainted sewage in order to usher in the latest round of stay at home orders throughout the region, the status of which could change based on this new revelation.

As you may recall, Andrews tried to make it a crime last fall to criticize all government restrictions pertaining to the Chinese Virus. Anyone deemed guilty of spreading conspiracy theories about the plandemic was to be thrown in a concentration camp, was the essence of it.

Now, Andrews has once again been caught spreading tyrannical buffoonery about Fauci Flu-infected poop flowing throughout Australias sewer systems, requiring that all Australians drop their entire lives, mask up, get injected, and stay home forever.

Andrews used the sewage excuse to help justify a 7 day statewide shutdown that went into effect on August 5, reported Zero Hedge. The shutdown was supposedly due to wastewater detection of Covid 19 in a city about 147 miles away from Melbourne.

#FakePoos trends in Australia following fake news from Dan Andrews

At first, Andrews claimed that the detection created the potential that regional Victorians have been exposed to Covid-19, which he then used as an excuse to shut everything down again.

Less than 24 hours later, Wangaratta Mayor Dean Rees challenged Andrews, pointing out that the sewage initially pinged positive before later testing negative. Since that time, the regional health authority confirmed that there have been several successive tests returning negative results after just one anomalous positive detection on June 30.

Once news about Andrews hilarious lie started to spread, so did the social media hashtag #FakePoos. All across Twitter, users started trending the #FakePoos hashtag to make a mockery of Andrews, who appears to be vying for the Stupidest Politician in the World award.

Youre in trouble now, #DictatorDan, tweeted one user. Your justification of #lockdown6 for regional Victoria is built on a foundation of #FakePoos.

Andrews later admitted his guilt with a feigned apology, saying that all he was trying to was get the best information out as quickly as we can.

Nothing is perfect and no one has ever pretended that it is, Andrews further stated trying to defend his pathetic power grab.

Despite the admission, Australia is set for yet another round of lockdowns  is that number seven, now?  following news reports about the continued spread of the delta variant. It would seem as though the plan is to keep Australians in a perpetual state of lockdown perhaps forever, or at least until government talking-heads and the media stop talking about the Chinese Virus.

So much, if not almost all, of this covid **** has been theatre and this is no different, wrote one Zero Hedge commenter about Andrews most recent clown act.

Its amazing how much **** people will put up with, responded another.

I think that Australia is the future being planned for everybody, speculated another about where this is all headed globally.

Angry faces, controlled by the owners of the media, owners who, because they have the money, believe that they also own you, glaring like angry adults intimidating their children, of course they arent really your parents, but after a life time of conditioning you both act like they really are! Welcome to the future of rule by the media!

To keep up with the latest news about the Chinese Virus plandemic, be sure to visit Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) An Australian member of parliament (MP) has been condemned for a speech in which he said masks and lockdowns are unscientific and do not prevent the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

The MP in question is George Christensen. He represents the electoral division of Dawson in the northeastern state of Queensland. He is a member of the ruling government of Australia as a part of the Liberal-National coalition. On Tuesday, Aug. 10, he made a two-minute speech in the Australian parliament calling for an end to mask mandates, lockdowns and other COVID-19-related restrictions.

Will the madness end? How many more freedoms will we lose due to fear of a virus, which has a survivability rate of 997 out of 1,000, he said during his speech.

He also talked about his opposition to required masking and lockdowns, calling for both policies to be abandoned in favor of policies actually supported by scientific evidence. He said:

Its time we stopped spreading fear and acknowledged some facts. Masks do not work. Fact. It has been proven that masks make no significant difference in stopping the spread of COVID-19. Lockdowns dont work. Fact. Lockdowns dont destroy the virus but they do destroy peoples livelihoods and peoples lives. Studies have shown they can even increase mortality rates.

Christensen then went on to slam the use of vaccine passports, calling their domestic use a form of discrimination. (Related: Australia considering COVID-19 vaccine passports and the segregation of society based on vaccination status.)

He said nobody should be restricted from certain parts of public life just because they have concerns about the experimental and side effect-riddled COVID-19 vaccines. He believes this is especially the case for people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 because they can still catch and spread the virus.

In a statement with NCA NewsWire, Christensen said he had made his views clear to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the rest of the Liberal-National coalition. He said he has already informed Morrison that he does not believe there should be any federal or state policies pushing for vaccine passports. He believes such proof of vaccination certificates constitutes an invasion of peoples right to medical privacy.

We should not be pushing for discrimination against citizens who choose not to undergo a particular medical treatment, and that means we shouldnt be allowing the refusal of employment or service because someone hasnt been vaccinated.

Christensen stated this is a matter of principle for him, and he would vote against legislation that supported lockdowns, mask mandates or vaccine passports. He ended his speech in parliament by criticizing his fellow MPs, the Australian mainstream media and senior public health officials for fearmongering about the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 is going to be with us forever, just like the flu and just like the flu, we will have to live with it, not in constant fear of it, he said. Some people will catch it, some people will tragically die from it. Thats inevitable and we have to accept it.

Open society back up, restore our freedoms, end this madness.

Parliament condemns Christensen, calls for his expulsion from government

The view that Christensen should not be silenced for speaking his mind is not shared by every member of the parliament. Leader of the Opposition and leader of the left-wing Labor Party Anthony Albanese successfully moved a motion to condemn Christensens comments. Unfortunately, this condemnation was supported by many members of the Liberal-National coalition. Albanese described Christensens views as dangerous and insulting to frontline workers such as doctors, nurses, truck drivers and supermarket workers.

They sacrificed, they stayed at home. They have kept safe from each other, said Albanese. For a member of the House of Representatives, as the member for Dawson did, to attend a rally in Mackay, supporting these violent demonstrations that took place is an insult to those heroes of the pandemic.

Albanese is referring to a rally held in the city of Mackay in northern Queensland that called for lockdowns, mask mandates and the use of vaccine passports to end. Christensen joined that rally, and he also encouraged others to join him in protesting against COVID-19 restrictions.

The condemnation of Christensens speech passed with the unfortunate support of members of the Liberal-National coalition.

Christensen has already announced that he is retiring in the next election. But Albanese believes this is not enough, and he wants the coalition government to expel him from the party. Morrison is unlikely to expel Christensen from the coalition. He said he does not share the MPs views regarding the pandemic, but he supported his right to free speech.

In this country people have a right to free speech, said Morrison. That is not something that the government is seeking to clamp down on.

Learn more about the COVID-19 restrictions in Australia and the people like Christensen who are opposing them by reading the latest articles at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

News.com.au

ABC.net.au

9News.com.au
(Natural News) Democrats have long known that the very last bastion of pro-American culture is the U.S. military, and since the Biden regime has taken over, the effort has been to fundamentally transform our patriotic fighting force into a woke force of pansies who couldnt fight their way out of a paper sack but whose rank-and-file members can recite critical race theory dictates verbatim.

Now, in an effort to debilitate a large segment of the force even as Russia and China are rising and joining forces, the Pentagon is instead putting our entire fighting force at risk by ordering every member to get a COVID-19 vaccine, no questions asked.

I will seek the presidents approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon licensure by the Food and Drug Administration, whichever comes first, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a memo to all military personnel, in warning all of them them to prepare for the requirement.

I will not hesitate to act sooner or recommend a different course to the President if l feel the need to do so, he added.

Of course, Biden will give the go-ahead for the mass vaccination of our entire military force, because he recently ordered all federal employees and federal contractors to get the jab as well  no questions asked.

Austins memo, by the way, also serves as a WARNO  warning order  to military commands so they can begin marshaling the materials and infrastructure to get vaccination up and running when the defense secretary gives the order.

Now, all said, there is pushback to the effort, as noted by the Springfield News-Sun newspaper in Illinois:

A New York state military law attorney said he is receiving calls from Airmen serving at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base  and from active-duty service members across the country  asking about options should the Department of Defense mandate that military members take the COVID vaccine.
(Natural News) Big pharmaceutical companies have made billions of dollars from the sale of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines.

Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson have all made or are expected to make billions from the sale of the COVID-19 vaccines by the end of the year. (Related: Big money for Big Pharma: World Bank to inject more money into Big Pharmas accounts.)

The biggest winners are Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. These two corporations got a headstart over their competitors in the creation of the COVID-19 vaccines.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials were the first to supposedly receive positive results. Because of this, its vaccine was the first to get emergency use authorizations from drug regulatory bodies in the United States and the European Union.

Because of their headstart, Pfizer and BioNTech were able to make the most money from selling COVID-19 vaccines. Pfizer alone raked in over $10.8 billion in the first half of 2021 alone. The company has already raised its outlook for the rest of the year. It expects to make at least $33.5 billion in vaccine sales before 2022.

On Tuesday, Aug. 10, BioNTech reported making $7.3 billion during the first half of 2021. The company expects full-year revenues from the COVID-19 vaccines to be about 15.9 billion euros ($18.6 billion). This is a significant increase from its previous forecast of 12.4 billion euros ($14.5 billion).

This forecast would push BioNTech into the ranks of the worlds top 20 drugmakers by revenue this year. BioNTech recently announced that it had signed contracts to supply nations with 2.2 billion doses of the vaccine for delivery by the end of the year, and at least another billion doses for 2022 and beyond.

Company co-founder and CEO Ugur Sahin also recently announced that it and Pfizer have delivered at least one million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Moderna reported making $5.9 billion in the first six months of the year. It expects to make over $20 billion by the end of 2021 in revenues.

AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson trail behind larger competitors

The COVID-19 vaccines developed by British-Swedish pharmaceutical and biotech company AstraZeneca and American megacorporation Johnson & Johnson were approved for emergency use at a later time than their competitors. Because of this, their profits from the COVID-19 vaccines trail far behind those made by the first three mentioned pharmaceutical companies.

AstraZenecas potential profits were also stymied when it made a pledge earlier during the COVID-19 pandemic that it would sell its vaccines at a cheaper price.

Johnson & Johnson made a similar pledge. Its profits were also hurt by the fact that it only requires one dose rather than two like those of its competitors. This is reflected in its revenues.

AstraZeneca generated around $1.2 billion in sales of its COVID-19 vaccines during the first half of the year. Johnson & Johnson reported making only $264 million in sales, but it expects to make up to $2.5 billion by the end of the year. AstraZeneca has not made a similar full-year estimate.

Big Pharma could make billions more from sale of booster doses

Pharmaceutical corporations like the ones mentioned are expected to continue making billions of dollars from the sale of COVID-19 vaccine doses. They are also expected to make even more money from the sale of booster doses. These companies are already itching to begin producing booster doses because they understand how much money they can make from them.

Moderna said it hopes to produce a booster dose that could act as both a COVID-19 vaccine and a flu vaccine. The company wants to do this even though the two viruses are very different and do not mutate in the same way.

The booster doses are unlikely to come soon. The World Health Organization (WHO) has already called for a moratorium on the sale of vaccine booster doses until at least the end of September. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world should focus on meeting the agencys goal of vaccinating at least 10 percent of the worlds population first.

The federal government has also so far held off on promoting the use of booster COVID-19 vaccine doses. It said additional vaccine doses are not needed right now. But this has not stopped pharmaceutical companies from lobbying for booster doses to be given.

The companies are leading the narrative that we need boosters annually, that we have no tolerance for any COVID infection, and we want to make sure we protect against any kind of future variants, said Geoff Meacham, a senior biotechnology and pharmaceutical analyst for Bank of America.

Learn more about how companies like Pfizer and Moderna are profiting off the pandemic by reading the latest articles at BigPharmaNews.com.

Sources include:

Today.RTL.lu

FT.com

FiercePharma.com

Marketplace.org

Reuters.com
(Natural News) An internal medicine doctor is warning that, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), breakthrough cases of the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) are skyrocketing in the fully vaccinated.

The more people roll up their sleeves to get injected, this individual says, the more people are dying or having to be hospitalized for serious infections. What this suggests is that breakthrough cases are not so breakthrough after all, and are quickly becoming the norm.

We continue to have quite a bit of infection in the community, the doctor writes. In my own practice, I am usually seeing 5-15 cases a day of COVID. The majority of these cases are vaccinated breakthroughs. There have been 2 whole days this week where the entire day were all vaccinated breakthroughs. Please note this is the outpatient side.

Tony Fauci and Rochelle Walensky continue to insist that breakthrough infections are rare, and that most fully vaccinated people do just fine post-injection. The reality, though, is something much different.

Despite Dr. Walenskys reassurance to Americans that these are very rare, this has not been my experience at all, the doctor further explains. These breakthroughs continue to happen in clusters. While the unvaccinated positives tend to be more isolated and far less likely to spread and sicken contacts. The clusters are almost always vaccinated as well. I have no explanation for this.

The virus is trying to tell us something, doctor says

What appears to be happening, in this doctors personal experience, is that people who get vaccinated are getting sick from the injections. More often than not, it is people who obeyed the government who are having to be rushed to the hospital for treatment  or to the morgue for burial  as opposed to people who just said no to the shots.

It is my feeling the virus is trying to tell us something, the doctor says. This seems to be consistent with constant news reports of cluster events among the vaccinated all over the country.

If unvaccinated people are getting sick, chances are they do not require hospital treatment because they certainly do not appear to be admitting themselves all too often. The vaccinated, meanwhile, are filling up hospital beds at an astounding rate, even as the mainstream media blames the unvaccinated for their dire outcomes.

The percentage of vaccinated patients seems to be slowly creeping up daily, the doctor further warns. I am hearing from my friends all over the country that the same is true. You no longer hear about 1% vaccinated anymore in the hospital. A slow but surely increasing prevalence of the vaccinated in the hospitals.

Most of the patients being admitted are older, which makes sense as their immune systems are frail and they are often in poor health. Most of them are fat or have diabetes, or both, says the doctor, which means that their own lifestyle choices as opposed to covid are to blame for their resulting illnesses.

The unvaccinated are younger usually 40-60 almost always with obesity or diabetes, the doctor further points out, suggesting once again that preexisting conditions, rather than covid, are what is causing some people to require hospitalization.

The vaccines are clearly not working as promised. Large numbers of vaccinated patients are getting sick, the doctor further writes.

I remember when I did the guest post back in December about the Pfizer trials. I was and am gravely concerned about the medical establishment in the guise of the Editors of NEJM referring to these miraculous vaccines, perfect in every way, as a triumph.

You can read his full account at this link.

You can also keep up with the latest news about injuries and deaths caused by Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

CitizenFreePress.com

Archive.is

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Last Friday, the Governor of Tennessee signed an executive order authorizing the National Guard to medically kidnap unvaccinated people at gunpoint and forcibly take them to covid involuntary internment camps across the state. Now, new details have emerged about a similar plan initially launched by the CDC in 2020, which calls for nationwide covid concentration camps to be operated at the camp / sector level which will be populated by individuals designated high-risk who are forcibly ripped from their families and homes to be imprisoned by the CDC.

This document, entitled, Interim Operational Considerations for Implementing the Shielding Approach to Prevent COVID-19 Infections in Humanitarian Settings, explains that the CDC will meet minimum humanitarian standards by providing, for example, soap and basic cleaning supplies so that covid camp prisoners can clean their own prison cells.

Among other horrors, this CDC document openly calls for separating couples and families, then admits this action will cause extreme psychological trauma among Americans who are targeted and ripped from their homes to be placed in covid concentration camps:

[I]n addition to the risk of stigmatization and feeling of isolation, this shielding approach may have an important psychological impact and may lead to significant emotional distress, exacerbate existing mental illness or contribute to anxiety, depression, helplessness, grief, substance abuse, or thoughts of suicide among those who are separated or have been left behind.

These CDC covid camps, the document explains, will be strictly-enforced prison camps called green zones, and the CDC explains that, No movement into or outside the green zone will be tolerated. Its not clear how the CDC plans to enforce this, but it seems rather obvious that this will involve armed guards and physical security measures such as chain-link fences or razor wire.

The CDC considers unvaccinated people to be high-risk, which means Americans may be targeted for medical kidnapping and covid camp imprisonment merely for refusing to take deadly, experimental vaccines.

This shocking development is covered in todays Situation Update via Brighteon.com:

Brighteon.com/1ff9d132-0698-4884-90d7-6427958102ab

A new podcast is posted each day (along with amazing interviews) at:

https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport
(Natural News) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning that countries with the highest rates of Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine compliance are now the most dangerous places to travel due to a surge in new cases.

Even though Tony Fauci told us all that Donald father of the vaccine Trumps Operation Warp Speed shots would cure the novel virus once and for all, new data shows that the exact opposite is true.

Johns Hopkins University (JHU) put together a vaccination rate tracker module that contains data on 27 countries, all of which have gotten at least 50 percent of their residents fully vaccinated. Of these, 20 countries are considered to be high or very high risk in terms of catching covid, according to the CDC.

In a warning to Americans, the CDC has advised against traveling to very high risk countries due to the alleged danger of covid spread. Included among them are the countries of Malta (77.51 percent injected), the United Arab Emirates (72.37 percent), Seychelles (70,22 percent), Uruguay (65.64 percent), Bahrain (64.72 percent), Mongolia (61.85 percent), Spain (59.55 percent), Portugal (58.69 percent), United Kingdom (58.16 percent), Ireland (57.33 percent), and Maldives (52.44 percent)

If you must travel to these destinations, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel, the private corporation posing as a government agency now says.

As for the high risk countries, the CDC also recommends the same, urging unvaccinated travelers to avoid nonessential travel to these destinations. Included in this category are Iceland (70.49 percent), Qatar (63.66 percent), Belgium (61.73 percent), Canada (61.17 percent), Israel (59.54 percent), Denmark (57.43 percent), Italy (54.38 percent), and Luxembourg (52.86 percent).

Germany (53.6 percent) and Austria (53.19 percent), and several other somewhat vaccine-compliant countries made the CDCs moderate risk list, for which the entity still recommends getting jabbed prior to travel. Unvaccinated travelers, the CDC warns, could still catch the Chinese Virus if they travel to these countries.

Among the only countries that the CDC considers safe for travel are Singapore (63.44 percent) and Hungary (56.04 percent). Singapore, however, has imposed its own draconian requirements in order to enter, which basically nullify the CDCs safe classification.

CDC says travel to China is low risk

Hilariously, one of the only countries where the CDC says it is safe to travel is China, where a mere 15.98 percent of the population has been vaccinated for the Chinese Virus. At the same time, the CDC is prohibiting people who traveled to China within the past 14 days from reentering the United States.

In other words, Americans traveling to China are at low risk of getting COVID-19, but Chinese traveling to America is a no-go because such entries, presumably, endanger the health of Americans, writes Veronika Kyrylenko for The New American.

Also on the CDCs low risk travel list are most of the countries in Africa, which have a near-zero vaccination rate. These countries include Sudan (0.43 percent), Gabon (1.95 percent), Ghana (1.33 percent), Mali (0.28 percent), and Nigeria (0.7 percent).

What this all goes to show, of course, is that the plandemic circus is just that: a clown show. The data clearly shows that the only safe places to go anymore are countries where people either just said no to the jabs or never heard about them from the government and media in the first place.

According to the CDC, we must follow the science and take the vaccine since it will get us back to normal. Also, the CDC claims, the vaccines are safe and effective, Kyrylenko explains about the CDCs conflicting recommendations and guidelines.

Overall, the CDC is yet again raising concerns as to whether it actually believes what it is preaching so aggressively.

The latest news about the Chinese Virus plandemic can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheNewAmerican.com

Archive.is

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) China has stolen enough data from the United States to effectively compile a dossier on every single adult in the United States.

This revelation was uncovered by a Senate Intelligence Committee panel held on Wednesday, Aug. 4. During this panel, senators spoke with former Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger, who served during the administration of former President Donald Trump.

Pottinger warned that Beijing was looking to use the data it obtained through hacking and cyber theft by blackmailing or otherwise coercing everyone from political leaders to private citizens to do the bidding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Assembling dossiers on people has always been a feature of Leninist regimes, said Pottinger. But Beijings penetration of digital networks worldwide, including using 5G networks  has really taken this to a new level. Pottinger is referring to the first leader of the former Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin.

So, the Party now compiles dossiers on millions of foreign citizens around the world, using the material that it gathers to influence, target, intimidate, reward, blackmail, flatter, humiliate and ultimately divide and conquer.

Pottinger added that not only has Beijing stolen data on every single American adult. He claims that the communist regime has enough data on many American children as well. People under the age of 18 are also considered fair game under Beijings rules of political warfare.

The former deputy national security advisor also warned the Senate about Beijings broader efforts to influence the U.S. through its United Front strategy.

The United Front is the CCPs global effort to spread communist propaganda and influence individuals and decision-makers worldwide.

Pottinger claimed that the U.S. fails to take into account one of the most threatening elements of Chinese strategy, which is to influence and coerce Americans into serving the CCP.

The United Front gathers intelligence about works to influence private citizens as well as government officials overseas, with a focus on foreign elites and the businesses they run, said Pottinger.

Chinese President Xi Jinping himself has called the United Front his magic weapon for bringing about the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

US not doing enough to counter Chinese cyber threat

During a different part of the Senate hearing, Trumps former director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center William Evanina also provided testimony.

Firstly, Evanina concurred with his colleague. He said around 80 percent of American adults have had virtually all of their personal online data stolen by the CCP. The remaining 20 percent have had at least some of their personal data stolen.

Evanina said that the U.S. faces an existential threat due to the power of the CCP.

The Communist Party of China is the most complex, pernicious, strategic and aggressive [threat] our nation has ever faced, he said.

Evanina explained that the cyberwar is just one theater in the CCPs comprehensive and whole of country approach to targeting the U.S.

According to him, China is attempting to use every single tactic it knows to invest, leverage, infiltrate, influence and steal from every corner of U.S. success.

He pointed out that the CCP and its intelligence services are more than willing to obtain data through legal and illegal means. The goal here is to gain an edge against the U.S. in a variety of fields, including artificial intelligence, research, development programs, the military and the economy.

Over the past decade, we have seen CCP cyber and insider threat breaches and criminality to such a level I fear we are becoming numb when it is identified, said Evanina.

The U.S. is a regular target of CCP-sponsored cyberattacks. America and many of its major allies recently blamed Chinas Ministry of State Security for a massive hack against Microsoft.

America and its allies charged China with a wide range of malicious cyber activities. (Related: US and allies condemn China for massive cyberattack against Microsoft email servers.)

But America did not implement sanctions against China. The White House claimed it has already raised its concerns about malicious cyber activity sponsored by senior Chinese officials.

The administration of President Joe Biden has done nothing else to deal with the issue of Chinese cyberattacks.

Learn more about the U.S.-China cyberwar by reading the latest articles at CyberWar.news.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

FoxNews.com

WashingtonExaminer.com

NYPost.com
(Natural News) Many companies are now imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates on their workers and more are expected to follow once the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives full approval to the COVID-19 vaccines. The FDA has only granted emergency use authorization in the U.S. to Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. (Related: RFK, Jr. to Rutgers President: COVID vaccine mandate violates federal law.)

I think theyve decided that in order to get that needle to move, they need to do something more, said Wade Symons, leader of the regulatory resources group at Mercer, an employee benefits consultancy.

Those that are not ready to impose vaccine mandates plan to penalize unvaccinated workers by requiring them to pay an insurance surcharge costing several hundred dollars a year. Symons said clients have asked him about how to charge unvaccinated employees more for their insurance to cover the costs of massive hospital bills.

Its something weve just started getting questions about in the last couple of weeks, Symons said. The number of questions has been surprising in the volume. This is something theyre more willing to take on. Its less than a mandate.

Some workers could face an additional $20 to $50 per paycheck. That would translate into several hundred dollars annually in extra costs.

Unvaccinated folks have the potential to cost employers more from a health care cost perspective, so theyre feeling theyre justified in that additional surcharge, Symons said, apparently clueless about the costs imposed by vaccine damage and adverse reactions.

There were also companies imposing what experts call a soft mandate. Meaning, those resisting vaccination simply have to undergo regular testing. Other companies just ask nicely or stick with giving away incentives, hoping not to scare workers off.

Big Tech, mainstream media impose vaccine mandate on employees

Big Tech companies require employees to be vaccinated against the virus before returning to the office.

On July 28, Facebook announced that it will require workers returning to its offices to be vaccinated. As our offices reopen, we will be requiring anyone coming to work at any of our U.S. campuses to be vaccinated, Facebooks VP of People Lori Goler said in a statement. How we implement this policy will depend on local conditions and regulations.

Facebook hasnt delayed its reopening plans for this fall. The social media giant has previously said it would likely open most of its U.S. offices at half capacity in September, and then fully in October. Expert guidelines state that vaccines are highly effective at preventing variants of COVID-19, including the delta variant, a Facebook spokesman said. Our timelines to reopen our offices havent changed.

Also on July 28, Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees that they must be vaccinated before returning to the office. He said that the company would delay its return to office plans by one month because of the delta variant.

Amazon also encouraged employees and contractors to be vaccinated. While the companys current guidelines dont appear to require vaccination in order to return to its offices, its unvaccinated employees are required to wear masks. Face coverings are optional for those who have verification of being fully vaccinated.

What youre seeing is employers realizing that that resistance is softer than it might have been a few months ago as the delta variant gets more extreme, said Denise Rousseau, professor of organizational behavior and public policy at Carnegie Mellon Universitys Heinz College.

Some media companies have also imposed vaccine mandates on their employees.

CNN recently terminated three of its employees for coming to the office unvaccinated against the virus. In a memo sent to staff internally by the news media company, CNN President Jeff Zucker told employees that the company has a zero-tolerance policy on such instances and required its employees to be vaccinated to come to the office or to work on the field with other employees.

In the same memo, Zucker announced that CNN would delay its mandatory return to office from Sept. 7 likely to mid-October due to the surge of COVID-19 cases driven by the delta variant.

The company offered no details on the firings or where the employees were based. Zucker said showing proof of vaccination may become a formal part of the process for gaining access to the networks workplaces in the weeks ahead.

The Washington Post and the New York Times also require staffers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment or if they want to come back to work in person.

Unions speak up as more companies impose vaccine mandates

Unions representing teachers, sheriffs deputies and state workers have spoken up against vaccine mandates. (Related: Influential American Postal Workers Union opposes federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate.)

We have a right to bargain over a new work rule, said Debbie White, president of Health Professionals and Allied Employees  New Jerseys largest health care union.

Most union contracts will prevent employers from imposing mandates without negotiating, Schmidt said.

Employers recognize that resistance is particularly strong in some quarters. Nearly 3 in 10 American adults havent gotten at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Given how many employers are grappling with worker shortages, they may want to avoid upsetting their staff.

Incentives may do the trick for companies that dont want to force their workers to get vaccinated. According to Blackhawk Networks research, 51 percent of unvaccinated workers said a financial incentive would motivate them to start and complete the vaccine process.

Some employers have realized that resistance is softer than it might have been a few months ago as the delta variant enters the scene. Hundreds of hospitals, health systems and nursing homes have required employees to be vaccinated.

Companies from industries that require employees to interact with the public have done the same. In the travel sector, United Airlines is among the first major companies to issue a vaccine mandate to its employees. Flight attendants and gate agents work directly with the public, putting themselves and travelers at risk.

Follow Immunization.news for more news and information related to coronavirus vaccines.

Sources include:

MSN.com

CNBC.com

NYTimes.com
(Natural News) A recent study published by Kings College in London, which operates the ZOE COVID Study app to monitor COVID infection and vaccination rates, found that, as of July 15, 2021, there was an average of 15,537 new daily symptomatic cases of COVID-19 among partly or fully vaccinated people in the United Kingdoman increase of 40 percent from the previous weeks total of 11,084 new cases.1 2

(Article by Marco Caceres republished from TheVaccineReaction.org)

Infections in Vaccinated People in U.K. are Outpacing Infections in the Unvaccinated

The Zoe COVID Study, led by epidemiologist Tim Spector, MD, of Kings College in London, estimated that there were 17,581 new daily symptomatic cases of COVID-19 in unvaccinated people, or 22 percent less than the previous weeks total of 22,638 new cases. According to a press release issued by the studys authors, With cases in the vaccinated group continuing to rise, the number of new cases in the vaccinated population is set to overtake the unvaccinated in the coming days.1 2

On July 17, the U.K.s Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, announced he had tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus despite having received two doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford Universitys experimental AZD1222 COVID vaccine on Mar. 17 and May 16.3 In a message posted on Twitter, Javid wrote:

This morning I tested positive for COVID. Im waiting for my PCR result, but thankfully I have had my jabs and symptoms are mild.3 With a population of more than 66 million people, two-thirds of adults in the U.K. have received COVID-19 vaccine, representing a total of 82,592,996 vaccinations as of July 20. Some 46,349,709 Britons have received the first dose and 36,243,287 have gotten the second dose. The country is not vaccinating children.3

The U.K. is among the most highly vaccinated countries in the world, but it is experiencing a third wave of coronavirus infections reportedly largely due to the spread of the Delta variant of the virus.3 4 Other highly vaccinated countries like Israel are also experiencing a new wave of coronavirus infections due to the Delta variant.

Most Infections in Israel are Among Vaccinated People

In Israel, about 60 percent of the countrys population of 9.3 million has received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. About 85 percent of adults in Israel have been vaccinated. Yet most of the new coronavirus infections are occurring in vaccinated people.5

In early-July, former Health Minister Chezy Levy, MD confirmed that 55 percent of the newly infected [people in Israel] had been vaccinated.6

There has also been a concerning rise in the number of vaccinated people in Israel being hospitalized. An article in The Jerusalem Post last week noted that the Israeli Health Ministry reported 124 people had been hospitalized for COVID-19 on July 20 and that 65 percent of them were fully vaccinated. Of the 124 people, 62 were in serious condition and 70% of those patients were fully vaccinated.7

Earlier this month, the Health Ministry estimated that the Pfizer/BioNTechs BNT162b2 COVID biologic was only 64 percent effective in preventing symptomatic infections of COVID-19, specifically those caused by the Delta variant. But the effectiveness rate for Pfizers experimental COVID vaccine in preventing infection (and transmission) could be lower.8

We do not know exactly to what degree the vaccine helps, but it is significantly less, said Israels Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.9

Infections in Chile, Seychelles and Mongolia Mostly in Vaccinated People

Another example of a highly vaccinated country which has been experiencing a new outbreak of coronavirus infections mostly among its vaccinated population is Chile. Of the thousands of new coronavirus cases being reported daily in that country, 80 percent of them are in vaccinated people. Chile has fully vaccinated 55 percent of its population.10

The examples of the U.K., Israel and Chile, as well as other highly vaccinated countries like the Seychelles and Mongolia experiencing coronavirus infections mostly within the vaccinated segments of their populations pose a dilemma.10 The governments of these countries have to decide if the problem is that not enough of their people have been vaccinated, or that the vaccines are simply not as effective as initially assumed they would be.

Could Vaccinations Be Causing Rise in Infections?

There is also a third possible problem which was raised by French virologist and Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier, MD in May 2021. In an interview with Pierre Barnerias of Hold-Up Media, Dr. Montagnier said he believed that the mass vaccination programs for COVID may actually be causing SARS-CoV-2 mutations like the Delta variant and, thus, prolonging the pandemic.11

Dr. Montagnier explained that in each country that undertakes a mass vaccination campaign, the curve of vaccinations is followed by the curve of deaths. He said that the COVID vaccines create antibodies that force the virus to find another solution or die, adding that it is the variants that are a production and result from the vaccination.11

Dr. Montagniers views are admittedly controversial. The thought that vaccinations may actually be exacerbating the COVID pandemic is perhaps too difficult a concept for government officials to consider. But this possibility should not be dismissed outright.

One of the best explanations of this dynamic was given by Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) in a 2011 interview when she described the evolution of pertussis bacteria to evade the vaccines:

[E]very life form wants to live, wants to survive. Universal principle. And viruses and bacteria are no exception. And when you put a pressure on a virus or bacteria thats circulating, with the use of a vaccine that contains a lab-altered form of that virus or bacteria, it doesnt seem that it would be illogical to understand that that organism is going to fight to survive, its going to find a way to adapt in order to survive.12

Red more at: TheVaccineReaction.org and Vaccines.news
(Natural News) All of the worst Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) hotspots around the world are places with very high vaccination rates, the latest data shows.

The United Kingdom, Israel, and Chile, which all have high vaccine uptake due to heavy prodding and draconian impositions from the government, just so happen to have some of the highest numbers of new Chinese Virus cases, which is no coincidence.

As it turns out, the most a country is vaccinated for the Fauci Flu, the greater the risk of disease spread. And in countries where vaccine uptake is low, peoples natural immunity is warding off Chinese Germs without the need for an injection.

Researchers from Kings College London put together a project known as the ZOE COVID Study, which tracks Wuhan Flu infection and vaccination rates. This app found that as of July 15, there has been an average of 15,537 new cases of symptomatic covid emerging daily among partly or fully vaccinated people living in Great Britain. This represents a whopping 40 percent increase over the week prior, which saw 11,084 new such cases.

Epidemiologist Dr. Tim Spector, M.D., led the study, which found that, conversely, the number of symptomatic cases of Chinese Germs among the unvaccinated is going down. In other words, vaccinated people are getting sicker while unvaccinated people are getting healthier, on average.

With cases in the vaccinated group continuing to rise, the number of new cases in the vaccinated population is set to overtake the unvaccinated in the coming days, the research team was forced to announce in a press release.

When it comes to covid injections, it looks like the government lied once again

Keep in mind that some 66 million people, or about two-thirds of the total U.K. adult population, are now fully vaccinated. This means that Great Britain should be a hotbed of health, not sickness, assuming Tony Fauci and his plandemic cohorts are to be believed.

The U.K. is currently among the most vaccinated countries in the world, along with Israel, which is similarly seeing a 1,000 percent increase in covid hospitalizations among the fully vaccinated.

But wait: Fauci and friends told us all that Donald father of the vaccine Trumps Operation Warp Speed injections would prevent people from getting so sick that they have to be hospitalized. In fact, this is the only claim made about the alleged benefits of the shots.

The federal government here in the U.S. fully admits that Chinese Virus injections do not prevent infection, nor do they prevent spread. The only thing they allegedly do is keep the symptoms mild, which is clearly not the case as evidenced by what is happening in the U.K., Israel, and elsewhere.

While Israels current vaccination rate is somewhere around 60 percent of the total population, the latest data shows that 85 percent of adult Israelis got their shots to help flatten the curve. And yet covid hospitalizations are spiraling out of control there, going against everything we have all been told about these shots ever since they were introduced at warp speed.

We do not know exactly to what degree the vaccine helps, but it is significantly less, claimed Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in a recent statement defending the countrys failing vaccine program.

As for Chile, which has about a 55 percent vaccination rate, the story is much the same. About 80 percent of all new Fauci Flu cases there are occurring in people who got the shots. It would seem as though there is a clear pattern forming, would you not agree?

More related news stories about the death and destruction caused by covid vaccines can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

NaturalNews.com

Archive.is
(Natural News) Thousands of health and nursing home workers are facing unemployment as medical organizations and home care operators across the U.S. bully employees into getting the experimental coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine under threat of suspension, termination or discriminatory testing practices.

Last year, they were considered heroes risking their lives at the frontline of the battle against the pandemic. Now, theyre being treated like a bunch of irresponsible workers.

Hospitals and health systems that require COVID-19 vaccination for employees

The list of hospitals and health systems requiring COVID-19 vaccination for employees is growing. Below are some of the latest to join the list. (Related: 3 Largest hospital systems in Massachusetts implement vaccine mandate, nearly 130,000 workers affected.)

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, a Memphis-based health system with 13,000 employees, said on Aug. 9 that it is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 31. The requirement applies to employees across hospital and outpatient locations in West Tennessee and North Mississippi.

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago said on Aug. 9 that it will require employees, students, contractors, badged vendors and volunteers to be vaccinated by Oct. 18. The hospital will require proof of vaccination as a condition of employment.

Saratoga Hospital in New York said on Aug. 9 that all employees will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 7. Those who do not get vaccinated will need to get tested weekly for the virus.

Perry County Memorial Hospital in Tell City said on Aug. 9 that all employees will be required to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 4. As of this writing, 75 percent of its staff is already vaccinated. The mandate will apply to all employees, regardless of whether or not they provide direct patient care. Volunteers, contractors and vendors will also need to be vaccinated.

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Seattle said on Aug. 6 that all employees need to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Emory Healthcare in Atlanta will require vaccinations for its healthcare providers and employees, according to a statement released on Aug. 6. Employees must receive their vaccinations by Oct. 1.

Summa Health in Cleveland is requiring all of its employees to get their final COVID-19 vaccine dose two weeks before Oct. 31. Those who refuse could be disciplined or fired, the health system said on Aug. 5.

Cape Fear Valley Health in Fayetteville said on Aug. 5 that all employees, students, vendors and volunteers need to be vaccinated by Oct. 1. Employees will not be required to use their vacation time to get their vaccines.

Premier Health in Dayton said on Aug. 5 that its requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 1.

Kettering Health in Dayton is requiring employees, medical staff, students, volunteers and vendors conducting business in their facilities to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 4, the health system said on Aug. 5.

TriHealth in Cincinnati has decided to require vaccination for all team members, physicians and volunteers, according to a statement released on Aug. 5.

UnityPoint Health will require its more than 33,000 team members to be fully vaccinated, the West Des Moines, Iowa-based health system said on Aug. 5. Employed team members must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1 unless they obtain an exemption or temporary deferral.

Cincinnati Childrens Hospital is requiring its staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 1. The hospital said on Aug. 5 that proof of vaccination will be required as a condition of employment unless a medical or religious exemption has been granted.

Christ Hospital Health Network in Cincinnati said on Aug. 5 that its employees will be required to be vaccinated by Oct. 1.

UC Health in Cincinnati said on Aug. 5 that employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 1.

Nursing home workers forced to receive COVID-19 vaccine to keep their jobs

Unvaccinated nursing home workers are facing the same predicament. Genesis Healthcare, the largest nursing home operator in the U.S., recently announced that its employees must be vaccinated against COVID-19 to keep their jobs. It has 70,000 employees at nearly 400 nursing homes and senior communities across the country.

The Pennsylvania-based company is giving its employees until Aug. 23 to get their first dose. (Related: Coronavirus outbreak ensues following vaccination of residents at nursing home.)

Its so easy now to say, Well, Genesis is doing it. Now well do it. This is a big domino to fall, said Brian Lee, who leads Families for Better Care, an advocacy group for long-term care residents.

Some local governments have taken the decision out of the industrys hands, with Massachusetts and Denver recently announcing mandatory vaccinations at nursing homes.

Some smaller nursing home operations across the nation have already required their employees to get vaccinated, including Canterbury Court in Atlanta, Jewish Home Family in Rockleigh, Westminster Village in Bloomington and Hanceville Nursing & Rehab Center in Alabama.

Follow Immunization.news for more news and information related to coronavirus vaccines.

Sources include:

NaturalHealth365.com

BeckersHospitalReview.com

WFMJ.com
(Natural News) Moderna is new to the vaccine industry, and they are part of a global effort to introduce new mRNA spike protein replication technology to the field of vaccination. The company is also new to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), a government reporting database that collects incidences of vaccine injury and death. A leaked report from Modernas data collection company reveals that the Moderna covid-19 vaccines have caused upwards of 300,000 vaccine injuries in a three-month time span  dwarfing the number of vaccine injuries Moderna actually reported to VAERS in that time frame.

CDC and FDA ignore hundreds of thousands of vaccine injuries

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) manage VAERS and are well aware of the widespread injuries and deaths caused by these vaccines. VAERS is required to make these injuries public each and every week, even as the medical establishment continues to yawn and turn the other way. The VAERS database has published hundreds of thousands of vaccine injury reports in 2021, but the CDC and the FDA havent done anything significant to address the wide-scale medical malpractice and wrongful death perpetuated by this bioweapon experiment. The CDC and the FDA refuse to take the vaccines off the market, and only warn young adults that the vaccines rarely cause heart problems, anaphylactic shock, and blood clots.

Moderna is legally required to forward all vaccine injury reports directly to VAERS, but they apparently arent doing their part and are concealing massive amounts of vaccine injury data. If this data was shared in a timely and transparent manner, it would further corroborate the numerous, wide-scale injuries already being reported to VAERS.

Moderna concealing hundreds of thousands of vaccine injuries

According to the most recent data from VAERS, Moderna has only reported 110,500 adverse events reports from January through March for their SpikeVax COVID-19 vaccine. Most of these injuries occurred in the United States. VAERS also reports another 78,000 reports of vaccine injury from SpikeVax from April through June, with 71,400 of those injuries coming from the United States. Of these 188,500 vaccine injuries reported to VAERS, Moderna themselves only reported a fraction of them. Most of the reports came from patients, physicians, and other health care providers, who documented the adverse events in a medical report filed with VAERS.

Most shocking yet, a data collection service that works for Moderna sent out an internal memo highlighting up to 300,000 adverse events that occurred in a three-month span in 2021. Modernas data collection company is called IQVIA. This company helps drug-makers manage clinical trials. IQVIA employs 74,000 people and grossed $ 11 billion in sales last year. The companys President for Research and Development Solutions sent out a Quarter Two update that was labeled Confidential  for internal distribution only. The report includes upwards of 300,000 incidences of vaccine injury reported directly from injured consumers.

The memo states that IQVIA applied more than 12 automations to drive greater efficiencies and quality to ensure regulatory compliance for the Moderna pharmacovigilance program. The memo states that this enabled the team to effectively manage approximately 300,000 adverse event report and 30,000 medical information queries in a three-month span to support the global launch of their covid-19 vaccine. These injuries might coincide with whistleblower testimony and a subsequent lawsuit alleging 45,000 deaths from covid-19 vaccines have been covered up.

Many physicians arent even reporting vaccine injuries because the media has normalized the injuries, claiming they are better than the symptoms of covid. All this vaccine damage is a money-making business for the medical system. The FDA and the CDC have no way of ensuring that physicians are accurately and consistently reporting vaccine injuries. However, according to the law, vaccine manufacturers must forward all reports they receive. The manufacturer must report any adverse event listed in the VAERS Table of Reportable Events Following Vaccination occurring within the specified time period after vaccination or an adverse event listed by the vaccine manufacturer as a contraindication to administering further doses of the vaccine.

With these revelations, Moderna could be in serious violations of the law.

Sources include:

AlexBerensen.substack.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A new report has revealed that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) spent almost $500,000 in taxpayer money to experiment on dogs. The White Coat Waste Project (WCW) revealed in a report that the institute headed by Dr. Anthony Fauci used the money to conduct experiments on beagles with parasite-carrying flies. Documents obtained by WCW found that these were unnecessary as similar experiments were earlier performed on other animals.

WCW managed to get hold of the documents through a Freedom of Information Act request. Based on the documents, NIAID spent $424,000 to commission the study involving healthy beagles being intentionally infested with flies. The flies carried a parasite that caused lymphatic filariasis, a disease that also affects humans. Prior to the procedure, the beagles were given an experimental vaccine against the disease called LFGuard.

According to the documents, the University of Georgia Research Foundation received the money and was responsible for conducting the experiment. They also revealed that four animals given the vaccine all vocalized in pain when the vaccine was administered in December 2020. However, the same documents said such experiments were unnecessary as similar tests had already been performed on other animals.

Experimenters admit this investigational drug has been extensively tested and confirmed  in different animal models,' WCW found. Mice, Mongolian gerbils and rhesus macaques had been subjects for the anti-lymphatic filariasis vaccine in earlier experiments.

The NIAID task order for the study said 28 beagles were to be allowed to develop infections for three months before being euthanizes for blood collection, The Daily Caller reported. While the study began in November 2020, the order stated that the dogs would be euthanized 196 days after the experiment began. The beagles would have been scheduled to be euthanized in June 2021, according to WCW. (Related: USDA caught murdering hundreds of kittens in incineration ovens as part of cruel medical experiments.)

The Daily Caller reached out to NIAID to verify if the beagles were indeed euthanized. It also reached out to the studys principal author Dr. Andrew Moorhead of the University of Georgia (UGA). Both did not respond.

UGA meanwhile defended its use of beagles for research

In a statement, WCW Vice President Justin Goodman called for Fauci to be held accountable for the abusive animal experiments funded by tax dollars. Faucis budget has ballooned to over $6 billion in taxpayer funding annually. [At] least half of [it] is being wasted on more questionable animal experimentation, like these deadly and unnecessary beagle tests and other maximum pain experiments. Fauci needs to be held accountable for this staggering waste and abuse overseas and right here at home.

However, UGA defended itself from WCWs allegations in an emailed statement. It cited federal rules saying vaccines must be tested in two animal species before human clinical trials can be conducted. It added that when NIAID decided to fund the study, the agency determined that dogs were to be used. According to researchers at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, beagles are the standard dog model used in this type of research, the statement added.

It also defended the NIAID order to euthanize the beagles at the end of the experiment period. Because there is currently no cure for this disease, unfortunately the animals that are part of this trial must be euthanized. We did not make the decision to use such animals in some of our research lightly, the UGA statement said.

UGA Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications Greg Trevor also defended the universitys study. He said the animal research for LFGuard, which was developed at another institution, would help protect against a disease that affects 120 million people. Animal studies are highly regulated and there is a great deal of information available to the public, Trevor said. (Related: Chinese researchers in Wuhan conduct experiments on MUTANT ANIMALS, infect them with engineered viruses.)

He also noted that the university followed a number of guidelines centering on the use of animals in scientific experiments. In particular, Trevor said UGA followed the humane standards of the Animal Welfare Act, the Public Health Service Policy on Human Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and the National Research Council Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

MedicalTyranny.com has more articles about inhuman experiments on dogs and other animals.

Sources include:

TheFederalist.com

Blog.WhiteCoatWaste.com

DailyCaller.com

Editor99.com
(Natural News) Every day, the federal government seems to come up with some bizarre new claim about the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) and its associated vaccines that directly contradicts what was said the day prior. The latest confusing admission comes from Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who now says that covid injections do not stop a person from contracting or spreading the virus  so what good are they?

In a recent interview with CNNs Wolf Blitzer, Walensky rambled on and on about why she believes all Americans should still take Donald father of the vaccine Trumps Operation Warp Speed shots, even though they do not work. Walensky says that the possibility of reduced symptoms, which is unproven, is enough to warrant everyone getting them, even if more new variants are spread as a result.

I think we all have to recognize that, um, with 164 million people who are vaccinated, um, we should expect tens of thousands, perhaps, of breakthrough infections, Walensky stated. We have a massive number of people who are vaccinated and those breakthrough infections tend to be mild and not severe.

What this means, of course, is that getting injected for the Wuhan Flu is utterly useless if your goal is to stay safe and stop the spread. If your goal is simply to obey the government and virtue signal, on the other hand, then perhaps Walensky will give you a gold star for your efforts, comrade.

Walensky blames delta for rendering covid vaccines worthless in terms of stopping disease

Tony Fauci was apparently wrong in declaring that Chinese Virus injections would usher the world into a new normal with no more disease. He was insistent that getting jabbed would miraculously eradicate all positive tests and end the plandemic, only to now have Walensky say the exact opposite.

Walensky does, however, still want you and your family to get jabbed if you have not already because somehow the injections are still working incredibly well, to quote her recent interview. They work, and yet they do not work, both at the same time, according to Walensky.

Just turn off your brain and do as you are told, and nobody will get hurt  except for all the horrific vaccine side effects, of course. If you ignore those, then flattening the curve is simple, the government maintains.

If all that is not enough, Walensky also wants you and your family to get a third, and maybe even a fourth and fifth, booster shot for Chinese Germs come September. According to Blitzer, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently working on a national strategy to bring booster jabs to all Americans before the dark winter arrives.

Even though the first two injections failed to do what Fauci and others claimed they would, Walensky wants you to believe that a third one will do the trick. Just go ahead and roll up your sleeve, take the shot, and love thy neighbor, America  all is well, according to Walensky.

Wear the mask. Dont wear the mask. Some people have to wear the mask. Wear the mask if you arent injected. Wear the mask if you are injected. Everybody wear the mask now, joked one commenter at The Conservative Treehouse about the constantly evolving Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) narrative coming from the government.

The injections stop covid. The injections dont stop covid. The injections make you have mild symptoms. The injected are hospitalized with serious symptoms. The injections are safe. The injections dont affect fertility. Covid injections are very safe and effective. Wake me up when this plandemic is over!

For more news about the ever-changing Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine narrative, be sure to check out ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

Archive.is

TheConservativeTreehouse.com

Archive.is

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Up to now during the COVID-19 pandemic, most Republican governors opted to protect the rights and individual freedoms of their citizens and against imposing top-down lockdowns and mandates that robbed people of liberties and their ability to decide for themselves, as Americans, what their own best courses of action would be in terms of self-isolation, getting a vaccine, socially distancing, or wearing a mask.

But there have been some notable exceptions, and one of them is Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee.

Lee quietly signed an executive order recently that authorizes the Tennessee National Guard and Tennessee State Guard to implement involuntary commitments of citizens as well as quarantines in connection with certain health care emergency services operations. Lee noted in the order he was specifically concerned with an increase in COVID-19 cases.

According to an influential state conservative group, Tennessee Stands, Lee signed the order, No. 83, on Friday with little fanfare.

I signed Executive Order 83 reinstating certain regulatory flexibilities for our hospitals that are responding to an increase in COVID-19 cases. https://t.co/y0HQvstPYN pic.twitter.com/Mv2UgJSx8e  Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) August 6, 2021

The conservative group highlighted some provisions of the order it found exceptionally concerning, to include:

Discretion to utilize National Guard and State Guard members in connection with certain health care and emergency services operations.

Telephone assessments for involuntary commitment cases are permitted.

Temporary quarantine and isolation facilities may be constructed.

For naysayers who said some years ago that FEMA camps to house malcontents the government found troublesome, well, it is executive actions like this one that feed into such stories and such concerns. Note again the portion of Lees order authorizing temporary quarantine and isolation facilities may be constructed.

Camps, in other words, that would be manned with armed troops with orders, no doubt, to shoot to kill anyone who tried to escape or break in.

Former Fox News journalist Todd Starnes noted that many people reacted with disbelief.

Wow! The guard will be utilized? Involuntary commitment? And construction of quarantine and isolation facilities? Thought all of that was just a silly conspiracy theory, one person wrote on social media.

The pieces add up to a very scary picture!! People need to wake up, another concerned citizen noted. I would like to know the specific scenarios and situations that would need to take place in order for these actions to be implemented. They are too open ended and vague which leads to open door interpretation and neglected use which would not work in our best interests. We need to demand specificity.

At the very least.

Natural News founder and editor Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, is sounding the alarm as well:

The vast majority of (oblivious) Americans have dismissed all this as a conspiracy theory, and now theyre shocked and frightened by the realization that covid internment camps are being actively deployed across America.

On Friday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed Executive Order 83, which authorizes National Guard and State Guard troops to break into peoples homes, kidnap them at gunpoint, and take them to covid internment camps, all without any due process or respect for civil rights. Individuals can be targeted for this medical kidnapping by armed troops via telephone assessments, and the medical kidnapping of American citizens is being labeled involuntary commitment to temporary quarantine and isolation facilities.

In other words, FEMA-style concentration camps are here, and covid is the excuse for mass arrests and executions of Americans.

Americans need to wake up and understand that this virus, which was developed by the Chinese specifically to unleash on the world and ruin Donald Trumps reelection, has been seized upon by tyrants in both political parties to grab and hold onto power in ways never before imagined.

The human tendency throughout our history on earth has been the opposite of American-style republican government; its been tyranny and authoritarianism.

The fact that even American leaders are becoming tyrants during the pandemic shouldnt surprise anyone; they are human, too.

Sources include:

ToddStarnes.com

WND.com

NaturalNews.com
Slathering oneself in lethal poison is an excellent strategy to deter predators from preying on you and your relatives. Poisonous chemicals cause mayhem by interfering with an enzyme or receptor.

However, it does not appear that this is the way that evolution has selected for birds and amphibians that generate batrachotoxin.

Batrachotoxin is a neurotoxin generated by some beetles from an alkaloid. A few of bird species in Papua New Guinea (such as the Pitohui) and certain poison dart frogs indigenous to the tropical woods in Columbia, are unaffected by the alkaloid.

According to researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, Stanford University, and the California Academy of Sciences, these animals might defend themselves from the toxin's effects by depending on a protein to absorb it before it creates issues. The study does not only explain the evolution of hazardous defensive systems, but it also has the potential to inspire new antidotes from deadly chemicals.

The Golden Poison Frog

The golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis) is one of the most poisonous creatures on the planet. A single two-inch specimen contains enough venom to kill 10 adult men. The Colombian indigenous Embera people have utilized its potent venom to tip their blowgun darts for generations, thus the species' name.

Humans are not the only ones who should be concerned. The poison kills everything with nerves and a heartbeat because it binds to the sodium channels that govern neurological impulses.

These brilliantly colored amphibians, which average more than one inch in length, are among the biggest of the more than 100 poison dart frog species. They reside in a little patch of rain forest on Colombia's Pacific coast. Even though the population in its restricted area is plentiful, growing deforestation has put this species on worldwide endangered species lists.

The poisons of the golden poison frog have been studied in the medical world for prospective therapeutic use. They have already created a synthetic version of one of the poison's components, which has the potential to be a potent painkiller.

Also read: Experts Discovered New Species Aptly Named 'Chocolate' Tree Frog

Frog's resistance to deadly poison





The voltage-gated sodium channels present in poison dart frogs and Pitohui birds were investigated by biochemists from the University of California, San Francisco. They discovered that the proposed sodium channel variation provided poor protection. The frogs appeared unharmed even after being injected with the poison. The researchers conclude that harmful chemicals must be intercepted before they can reach the sodium gates.

Though the study does not go as far as to identify any 'toxic sponges,' such a discovery is not unheard of. They previously discovered that American bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) generated proteins that protected them against cyanobacterial neurotoxins.

Saxiphilin binds to saxitoxin and renders it ineffective, assisting the frog in surviving algal blooms. It is still unclear if poison dart frogs and Pitohui have a comparable level of defense. However, it is a safe bet that researchers will investigate.

Also read: Ladybug Crept Inside Sleeping Man, Appears Later in Colonoscopy!
Wildfires force evacuations as it rages for a week and brings devastating scale of ruins to a great part of southern Europe.

The devastating scale of ruins from wildfires that have been raging in Greece and Italy for a week was being assessed as the EU organizes one of its largest firefighting operations ever. The smoke emanating from forest fires in Siberia got to the north pole.





Firefighters Battle Massive Flames

On Monday, UN experts said global warming was developing more quickly than feared and that humanity was "unequivocally" to blame. For the seventh day in a row, firefighters along with local residents fought large flames on the island of Evia, east of Athens.

While addressing the nation (by a televised means), Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister rendered an apology for failings to deal with the flames. He said trees in affected regions would be replanted and this time with trees that are more fire-resistant. Also, from a 500m emergency relief fund, compensation would be taken care of.

Mitsotakis said in the past week, 586 fires had raged in all parts of Greece and that the outcome of the destruction had "darkened the hearts of all of us".

Also Read: Ravaging California Wildfire Produces its Own Lightning as it Doubles in Size

The Evacuation

So far, over 2,600 people have been relocated from the second largest island in the country, Evia. They were conveyed on a flotilla of boats, with aged and sick people being compelled overnight Sunday to seek shelter on ferries or rest on sun loungers on the beach.

Multiple fires extinguished before had ignited again on Evia and were quickly moving towards yet more areas and Istaia, a 7,000-population town, Greek media reported.

Wildfires have consumed large regions in southern Europe as the area undergoes the most extreme heatwave it has experience in three decades.

In Turkey, Greece, and Italy, about twelve people have lost their lives with many more wounded. For several weeks, large fires have also been blazing across Siberia in northern Russia.

A Russian weather monitor said on Monday the forest fires consuming Siberia were getting worse as Nasa satellite images revealed smoke from burning forests moving 3,000km (1,850 miles) to arrive at the north pole, it called this "a first in recorded history".

The Second-worst Fire Season

Close to 3.4m hectares were blazing in Yakutia, the largest and coldest area in Russia, which is based atop permafrost, said the weather monitoring institute Rosgidromet.

Russia's forestry agency reveals that this 2021 fires have severely damaged over 14m hectares. This makes it the second-worst fire season since the turn of the century.

Greece has felt a rolling summer of heatwaves with extended and unusual periods of 45C-plus temperatures. Hopes of breathing space following a decline in temperatures over the weekend were brief, with scientists forecasting the country would go back to experiencing heatwave as of Monday, with winds picking up as well.

Related Article: California's Devastating Dixie Fire Now 2nd Largest Wildfire in State's History

For more news, updates about wildfires and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Mount Merapi on the island of Java which is the most volatile volcano in Indonesia erupted Sunday morning. The most densely populated island in Indonesia is Java, hosting up to fifteen active volcanoes. Of over 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, Mount Merapi is the most active.

Mount Merapi

The stratovolcano which is 9,737-foot (2.968-meter) high, in recent weeks has seen much volcanic activity, discharging plumes of ash far into the atmosphere and with a dome of hardened lava rapidly developing on its peak.

The lava dome partly collapsed on Sunday morning, sending not less than seven pyroclastic flows, a combination of hot debris, gases, and lava, 1.8 miles (3 kilometers) down its slopes. Ash produced as a result of the eruption covered several villages and surrounding towns, but no deaths were reported.

This volcano is one of the sixteen "Decade Volcanoes." These decade volcanoes are capable of producing large, possibly destructive eruptions in places that are densely populated. The last major eruption of Merapi was in 2010 and it claimed the lives of 347 people and displaced 10,000. This 2010 eruption is one of deadliest volcanic eruption in recent years.

Also Read: New Sensors Help Detect and Predict Volcanic Eruptions

Why Indonesia Frequently Experiences Volcanic Eruptions

Indonesia experiences volcanic eruptions and earthquakes frequently and this is because it is positioned close to an intersection of shifting tectonic plates, like the Eurasian plate, Australian plate, Pacific plate, and Philippine plate.

As portions of the colliding plates and seafloor are forced into Earth's mantle and partly liquefies, blobs of hot magma come up and merge with water and gases which subducted marine sediments discharge, thereby causing volcanic eruptions that are highly explosive on the surface.

Mount Merapi Eruption 2010

Towards the ending of October and the beginning of November 2010, eruptions at Mount Merapi in Indonesia made lahars, ash plumes, and pyroclastic flows. The volcano also discharged sulfur dioxide - a gas with no color that can cause harm to human health and cool the climate of the Earth.

On the 9th of November 2010, the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin, Australia, made a report of a sulfur dioxide cloud above the Indian Ocean between 12,000 and 15,000 meters (40,000 and 50,000 feet), in the troposphere.

The sulfur dioxide effects differ depending on the quantity discharged, the altitude where the gas is concentrated, the latitude where the emission takesk place, and weather patterns and regional wind.

Sulfur dioxide is an irritant to human eyes, skin, and the upper respiratory tract at ground level. Sulfur dioxide can go through a series of chemical reactions at higher altitudes, thereby impacting the environment.

For example, sulfur dioxide can produce sulfate ions which are precursors to sulfuric acid by reacting with water vapor. Apart from boosting the risk of acid rain, the ions can possibly react to bring about particles that reflect sunlight.

Related Article: Volcanic Eruptions Underwater Release Enough Energy to Power an Entire Continent!

For more news, updates about Mount Merapi and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
In Algeria, a forest fire has killed 42 people, including 25 members of the military who were dispatched to assist put out the fire.

Since Monday night, dozens of flames have burned across wooded regions across the country's northern half. Interior Minister Kamel Beldjoud accused arsonists of starting the fires but did not provide any further information.

"Only criminal hands could be responsible for the simultaneous breakout of roughly 50 fires in many locations," he added.

Deadly Attempt to Put Out the Fire

In a frantic attempt to put out the fire, residents in Kabylie's Tizi Ouzou area used tree branches to try to smother blazing sections of woodland or threw water from plastic buckets.

According to Kabylie locals, the troops died in various locations, some while attempting to quench the flames and others after being cut off by the expanding fire. In addition, more troops were seriously burned, according to the Defense Ministry.

Related Article: IPCC Report Blames Human Activity For Worsening Climate Disasters



Burning Houses

According to witnesses, several homes were set ablaze. At the same time, families sought refuge in hotels, youth hostels, and university dormitories, who added that the dense smoke made it difficult for firemen to see.

"It was a nightmare night for us. Mohamed Kaci, who had escaped with his family from the village of Azazga to a hotel, stated, "My house is entirely destroyed."

Prime Minister Ayman Benabderrahmane announced on state television on Tuesday night that the death toll had climbed to 42, including 25 military personnel.

Tending to the Victims

He said that the administration was in "advanced negotiations with (international) partners to rent planes and assist in the extinguishment of fires."

Due to the weather, wildfires have swept through Turkey, Greece, and Italy in recent weeks, evacuating thousands of people and destroying homes and businesses.

Wildfires

A wildfire, also known as a bushfire, wildland fire, or rural fire, is an unplanned, uncontrolled fire that starts in flammable vegetation in rural and urban regions. A wildfire can be characterized as a forest fire, brush fire, bushfire (in Australia), desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, peat fire, prairie fire, vegetation fire, or veld fire, depending on the kind of vegetation present.

Many organizations define wildfire as an unintentional and undesired fire, whereas wildland fire is a broader word that encompasses both controlled and wildland fire use (WFU; these are also called monitored response fires).

Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that rage through natural environments such as woods, meadows, and prairies. These dangerous flames spread rapidly and may wreak havoc on towns as well as wildfires and natural regions. To prepare for such unfortunate disasters, make sure that everyone in your home is aware of and understands what to do in the event of a sudden evacuation.

Due to a wildfire, you may need to escape immediately. Learn your evacuation routes, practice with your family and pets, and plan your escape route.

Also Read: California's Devastating Dixie Fire Now 2nd Largest Wildfire in State's History

For more environmental news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
After a major United Nations study warned of the implications of global warming, island nations worldwide are warning that rising sea levels would have terrible repercussions, including extinction.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report was a "huge alarm for the globe," according to a group of 39 coastal and low-lying states, who urged more powerful countries to do all possible to limit global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius; to "save lives and livelihoods."





Alarming report

"We have to turn this around," Diann Black-Layne, the Alliance of Small Island States' chief negotiator, said in a statement published after the IPCC report was released on Monday.

"The IPCC verifies what tiny island governments have observed: cyclones are becoming more powerful, and sea levels are increasing, but it also shows that we may still mitigate the worst effects."

She claims that limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) rather than the 2 degrees Celsius set by the Paris climate agreement in 2015 would prevent a long-term rise of three meters (9.6 feet).

"Right there," she continued, "that is our very future."

Rising Sea Levels

While warming might be halted by reducing carbon emissions, the IPCC study cautioned that sea levels will continue to rise even in the best-case scenario, placing coastal towns in danger of floods and disasters.

Singapore, Seychelles, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Dominican Republic, Cuba, the Bahamas, and Belize are represented by the Alliance of Small Island States.

Kiribati, a Pacific island country made up of three low-lying archipelagos that rise little more than 6 feet above sea level at their highest point, is so anxious that it has partnered with China to physically lift its islands above the water.

According to the IPCC, a rise of merely 3 feet may drown as much as two-thirds of Kiribati by the end of the century.

Related Article: Worsening Global Warming Will Kill 83 Million People by 2100, Warn Scientists



Dire Situation

According to Mohamed Nasheed, president of the Maldives, one of the world's lowest-lying countries, the situation could not be direr. He long advocated for climate action.

"The Maldives, one of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries, will be devastated by this study. It proves that humans are on the brink of extinction. We are on the front lines of a growing climate disaster. Extreme weather has already wreaked havoc on our countries "On Twitter, he stated.

Kimberly Nicholas, a professor at Lund University in Sweden who has served as an observer at two global climate summits, believes the Maldivian president is correct in his judgment.

"I believe it is probably reasonable. If I lived on one of those low-lying island nations, that's how I'd feel, "NBC News reported on her statement.

Combating the Crisis

"Humans do have the ability to swiftly halt global warming, which is excellent news. We may anticipate global warming to come to a halt after adding carbon pollution to the atmosphere.

"However, certain things, such as sea-level rise, are irreversible." "According to the research, sea level will continue to increase as the deep ocean warms and the ice sheet melts," Nicholas added.

Environmental activist group Greenpeace's Pacific regional director, Joseph Moeno-Kolio, accused Australia - a major carbon emitter and fossil fuel exporter - of aggravating the problem for nearby islands.

In a statement, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated, "Last week, I met with Pacific leaders and vowed to help the Pacific family." "If Morrison's infatuation with fossil fuels isn't promptly halted, these words may one day be nothing more than a hollow lament on the family grave," the study concludes.

Large, affluent countries are mostly responsible for climate change, whereas smaller coastal countries are often impoverished. Nicholas predicted that those who pollute the least will bear the brunt of the consequences.

"It is self-evident how unjust climate change is," says the author, "she said, "It's caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels, and the bulk of it was burnt by a few nations and individuals inside countries who reaped the advantages.

"The bulk of the globe has not burnt much carbon and is bearing the brunt of the consequences. So it's critical to remember the equity dynamic."

Acknowledging Accountability

Morrison acknowledged that his nation had a role in combating climate change during a press conference on Tuesday but defended Australia's performance, claiming that carbon emissions had decreased by 20% since 2005.

He said that two-thirds of carbon emissions came from the developing countries and that China's output was "greater than the OECD combined."

"Because of the decisions that [poor countries] will have to make, emissions will continue to rise. As a result, we must ensure that the technological advances required to alter the globe over the next 10, 20, and 30 years are achieved, "he stated

Also Read: IPCC Report Blames Human Activity For Worsening Climate Disasters

For more environmental news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
For the first time in recorded history, smoke from wildfires raging in Russia has reached the North Pole.

In a release published over the weekend, NASA stated that data taken by satellites flying over the region on Friday shows how much smoke is being created by hundreds of forest fires in the Sakha Republic in Siberia and how far that smoke is spreading.

Smokes Clouding the Sky

According to the report, smoke clouds the sky for roughly 2,000 kilometers east to west and 2,500 miles north to south. Smoke from the flames has been measured to have traveled 1,864 miles to reach the North Pole, an incredible distance.

According to NASA, smoke from the flames spread over 1,200 kilometers on Wednesday, reaching all the way to Mongolia. As a result, Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar, and several northern and central areas were shrouded in "white haze," according to China's Xinhua news agency.

Smoke may also be seen in Canada, Greenland's western regions, and Nunavut, a Canadian territory.

Related Article: "Like the Plague"- Climate Crisis Triggers Catastrophic Events Around the World





Siberian Wildfire

The wildfires in Siberia have already become an unusual phenomenon. According to NASA research, the Sakha Republic, also known as Yakutia, is covered in boreal, or snow, forest. Its northern section is one of the coldest regions on the globe.

However, the area has recently seen record-breaking high temperatures. According to Arctic Today, certain regions of the Arctic achieved a ground temperature of 118 degrees Fahrenheit and an air temperature of 89.4 degrees in June.

Related Article: IPCC Report Blames Human Activity For Worsening Climate Disasters





NASA Report

The announcement by NASA comes on the heels of a UN report issued on Monday warning that climate change, which is caused by human activity such as greenhouse gas emissions, is approaching catastrophic proportions.

While it is not too late, world leaders must agree to dramatic changes and put them in place as soon as possible, according to the research. The globe is already suffering from persistent inactivity, with wildfires, devastating flooding, and historic changes to the rainforest.

Related Article: Seen From Space: Satellite Image Shows Massive Billowing Smoke From Oregon Wildfire





Wildfire Smokes and Human Health

Smoke from nearby wildfires might reach your area. Smoke from wildfires is a mixture of gases and tiny particles produced by burning trees, plants, structures, and other materials.

People with asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), heart disease, children, pregnant women, and first responders are all in danger from wildfire smoke.

While not everyone is sensitive to wildfire smoke, it's still a good idea to stay away from it if at all possible. And when there's a lot of smoke, as when a wildfire is close by, it's awful for everyone. So it's critical to restrict your exposure to smoke, especially if you're susceptible to particle-related health problems.

Also Read: Megadrought 2021: The Worst Drought Suffered by the US West in 1,200 Years

For similar news updates,don't forget to follow Nature World News
Archaeologists have discovered evidence of an earthquake that struck Jerusalem's City of David around 2,800 years ago, which might represent a key event mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.

The archaeological team from the Israel Antiquities Authority uncovered a layer of damage dating from that historical period in the City of David National Park during their investigations.

In the stratum, the archaeological team discovered "a row of shattered items, including bowls, lamps, cooking utensils, storage, and storage jars, which were destroyed when [a] building's walls fell," according to an IAA statement.

There were no indications of a fire, and archaeologists remain skeptical that the city was attacked by an invading army.

Discovering a Bible-Age Devastation

The researchers discovered comparable devastation at other sites in the region about 2,800 years ago.

They speculated that the traces of destruction at multiple locations in the southern Levant may be evidence for a biblical earthquake. Both the scriptures of Amos and Zechariah describe an earthquake that struck Jerusalem about this period when the kingdom of Judah was governed by a king named Uzziah. "You will run," Zechariah 14:5 says, "like you ran from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah."

"It is probable that, despite not being the epicenter [of the earthquake], Jerusalem was substantially impacted," said Joe Uziel, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority and one of the team leaders, to Live Science.

The damage discovered in Jerusalem and other parts of the region led to the conclusion that Jerusalem was not the earthquake's epicenter.

Excavations show that humans rebuilt the wrecked houses and walls after the devastation, according to Uziel. Moreover, the fact that the Bible recorded the earthquake is "a hint that it was probably excruciating," according to Uziel.

Related Article: Real Life Atlantis: 3 Underwater Cities that You Should Put in Your Travel List





Healthy Skepticism

Scholars who were not engaged in the team's study were cautiously supportive of the results reached by the team. "The archaeologists' view seems plausible," said Israel Finkelstein, an emeritus professor of archaeology at Tel Aviv University in Israel.

However, Finkelstein warned that the team's work, which included the interpretation of the pottery, had not been published in a peer-reviewed publication; the team utilized the pottery to assist date the earthquake.

Finkelstein also mentioned that evidence for a significant eighth-century B.C. earthquake may be discovered at other sites in the vicinity, notably Megiddo, which he studied. According to Finkelstein, a team of seismologists and archaeologists recorded evidence for the earthquake at Megiddo about 15 years ago, including "tilted and broken walls," according to Finkelstein.

"I haven't seen the excavations," Shmuel Marco, a geophysics professor at Tel Aviv University who participated in the Megiddo earthquake research 15 years ago, said.

"It was very expected that some damage produced by the mid-eighth century [B.C.] earthquake would be found in Jerusalem." "We discovered it in the same-age ruins at Megiddo, and others reported it in other digs and deep Dead Sea drilling," according to the paper, implying that the earthquake had a broad influence.

Jason Radine, chair of the Department of Global Religions at Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, said the Jerusalem team's "interpretation sounds fair to me." He said that Jerusalem was invaded by Israel in the 790s or 780s B.C., according to the Hebrew Bible (which at the time was a separate kingdom from Judah). "Such an attack could leave a burn layer," Radine added, "which the excavators point out is not present in their find," implying that the devastation was caused by an earthquake.

Support from Experts in the Field

Thomas Levy, a prominent professor of archaeology at the University of California, San Diego, agreed that an earthquake was most likely caused. Moreover, there is a solid argument that this is the same earthquake recorded in the Bible.

"A high link is plainly observed between the Book of Amos, a prophet in the Hebrew Bible, and the archaeological record when biblical data is combined with archaeological and paleo-seismic data from the southern Levant," Levy told Live Science.

The team's findings will be presented at the "City of David Research" conference in September.

Also Read: "Like the Plague"- Climate Crisis Triggers Catastrophic Events Around the World

For more Archeological News, don't forget to follow Nature World News!


Joy as Norwich minister baptises prodigal son Joy as Norwich minister baptises prodigal son

Rev Nigel Fox, former minister at Wroxham Road Methodist Church, had the joy of baptising his son Tom, who dramatically returned to faith from a criminal lifestyle.

Speaking at the baptism on August 1, Nigel said: Ive often struggled in ministry. Ive often struggled in parenthoodBut today is a testimony to the power of prayer. Its a testimony of the power of the grace of God to turn things around in ways which are beyond our understanding.



The celebration took place at Bowthorpe Road Church, home to the Chinese Methodist congregation in Norwich, where Nigel was joined by Rev Andy Burrows in the baptistry. Afterwards Tom, or Tomasio as he prefers to be called, shared his testimony:



I was born to John and Stevi back in 1977. But they split up soon after I was born. My Mum then met Nigel, and they married when I was two years old. He adopted me and raised me as his son.



Although I was raised in a loving Christian family I always felt torn. I struggled with authority and felt like the black sheep of the family. The shame I felt made me rebel, and after the family moved to Oldham in Manchester I ran away from home while studying for my A levels.



With my southern accent, smart appearance and good schooling, I found it easy to con, lie and deceive my way into any job or womans life and to gain money fraudulently. I was drawn into a life of drugs, and to finance my party lifestyle I started to sell drugs and to steal.



During this dark period my Mum died of cancer. Her faith in God made me feel I didnt want to carry on living like I was, but I was scared to face the problems: the list was so long by now. I smoked weed to get some sleep, ecstasy to feel loved and cocaine to stay awake.



Now I look back Im amazed Im alive. There were so many points where I could have been shot dead, stabbed or overdosed. I had what I used to think at the time were spider senses: dont do that deal here, not yet, and it literally saved my life on several occasions. Now I look back I realise it was Gods hand on my life, and those people that were praying for me.



I met Shelley, who was the first woman to see through my lies, and she told me I could leave my act at her door. I opened up to her, telling her honestly about my life and feelings.



I had been on the run from the police for several years and ended up sleeping rough on Mousehold Heath. I was hungry and felt completely hopeless.



One evening I arranged to go to Nigels house. At the door he said: Come in, son, lets put the kettle on. People who know me wouldnt believe I said, No thanks. I dont want a coffee. I need prayer. I knew I needed to give my life to Jesus and make things right. That night I experienced deliverance and such a sense of peace.



I moved into the House of Genesis, a home for ex-offenders, and received treatments that almost cleaned up my life. Months later I bumped into Shelley and after a few years of ups and downs, we were married at Wroxham Road Methodist Church by Nigel. We were blessed with holidays all over the globe, a house in the countryside with views to die for, nice cars and a business in building and carpentry.



But the years of abuse of my body started to catch up. I had an MRI on my spine and my GP told me it was red marrow proliferation. Shelley and I googled it, and every answer came out as cancer. I was in incredible pain and lost the feeling in both arms.



I took enough painkillers to put an elephant down, and we went to Mauritius for a two-week break. I was a wreck in paradise. A Hindu lady noticed I was up every morning, and asked me to join her on the beach, where she ritually prayed for me.



A few days later I went back with her to the hotel, where she brought me a coffee. To my surprise, I could feel the heat. I was in shock. I started to jump up and down. A miracle had happened. I was like a child all day, swimming, throwing water about, running.



On our return to the UK the Covid pandemic was just breaking. I carried on working but found that some jobs nipped my nerves. This kept happening until one day I couldnt move or see daylight. I got to my knees and started to pray. I said: God, Ive made such a mess of my life. Its your turn.



Nigel came round a few days later and just before he left, he said the Priests Blessing in Hebrew over me. Then he said, Let me know what happens.



Well, my eyes were opened to the spiritual realm. I saw angels and demons. The Holy Spirit started guiding my Bible studies. I started to do things like sell my beloved Mercedes to pay for someones care and give my designer clothes to homeless people.



I have died to my old self. My whole life has changed. I have Jesus at my centre. He is my Lord, Saviour and friend.



Pictured top are Nigel Fox (left) and Andy Burrows (centre) baptising Tomasio Fox (also above).





Eldred Willey, 11/08/2021
The business value of the network has never been higher, and this is driven by digital transformation as borne out businesses accelerating their digital initiatives by as much as seven years due to the pandemic. This is had a profound impact on the enterprise network as most of the enabling technologies such as cloud, mobility and IoT are network centric.

This intense focus on digital transformation has exposed many flaws with legacy networks. They are rigid, require intensive manual processes, and lack the agility and intelligence to meet the demands of digital business. Organizations need to make network modernization a priority if they are to maximize their investments in other technologies. Here are five steps that all businesses should consider when modernizing the network.

Software-define everything

With legacy infrastructure, the data and management planes are tightly coupled together so when a change is made network-wide, each device must be reconfigured. This can lead to lead times of months when making changesfar too long for a digital business. Software-defined systems decouple the control plane from the data plane enabling the control plane to be centralized. This lets engineers make changes from a centralized location and propagate it out across the network in near real time. The shift to a software-based system is foundational to network modernization.

Its important to note that the original definition of SDN was related to the data center,and SD-WANs were later used as part of the modernization of the WAN. The underlying technology shift is the same with SDN as it is with SD-WAN, but the implementation is quite different, which is why the vendors in those markets are different. For most companies, the teams that run the data center and those that run theh WAN are distinct; there isnt really an incentive to purchase data-center SDN and SD-WANs from the same vendor outside of purchasing simplicity. It makes sense to start with SD-WAN because the return on investment is normally significantly bigger, and the architectures used to build existing WANs is likely two to three decades old and in need of a refresh. Data center SDNs should be done as part of a larger data-center modernization initiative, such as shifting to a private cloud.

Embrace AIOps

Networks now are significantly more complex than ones in years past. At the same time, they are more important from a business standpoint as network outages or even poor-performing networks cost businesses big money. To help network engineers better manage their networks, most vendors provide real-time telemetry data. The problem is the volume of data can be too much for even the best engineers to interpret quickly and error-free.

AIOps systems, on the other hand, are constantly watching and can alert network-operations teams to the smallest anomalies that can create performance problems.

Once confidence in the system is earned, changes can be automated, but dont expect perfection immediately as AI systems need to learn. The threshold for justifying AI is for it to be better at a task than people are, and given that human error is the single biggest cause of downtime, thats an achievable bar. Start by employing AI at the most challenging parts of the network firstWi-Fi and SD-WANand look to expand from there.

Leverage the power of the cloud

The cloud has transformed every part of IT except the network. Compute, storage, app development, even security all leverage the cloud to provide better scale and agility. Now its time for the network to follow. Decoupling software from the underlying hardware allows networks to be centralized. Early in the software-defined cycle, the software was centralized in on-premises controllers, but most vendors also offer a cloud option, which can provide a number of benefits. First, all the data from across the entire network can be centralized providing a larger, end-to-end view of the network.

On-premises controllers typically limit the data collected to a single location as the storage requirements for the entire network can be massive. Also, the cloud enables massive scale for compute-intensive workloads such as AI.

A unique capability of cloud-management systems is that the providers can compare one organizations metadata with other organizations metadata enabling network engineers to understand how their environments compare to others. Because only metadata is used, there should be no sensitive or proprietary data used in the comparative analytics.

Upgrade to Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and 5G as appropriate

Wireless networks used to be considered the network of convenience while the wired network was the one that offered the best performance. Thats not so today as there are many mission-critical services that are wirelesshealthcare, manufacturing, and warehousing, to name a few. The rise of video is putting tremendous stress on legacy Wi-Fi networks, which impairs the quality. Newer wireless solutions are markedly better, but the number of options can be confusing.

Wi-Fi 6 builds on Wi-Fi 5 but brings in many features from the world of cellular to reduce congestion, improve battery life and extend range. Wi-Fi 6E is uses the 6Ghz spectrum for faster access and even less congestion than Wi-Fi 6 but isnt backwards compatible with Wi-Fi 5 and earlier versions. Private 5G brings Wi-Fi speeds to the cellular network using standards such as CBRS.

None of these is better, per se; they each serve different purposes. The general deployment model would be a mix of all three where Wi-Fi 6 is used for general purpose connectivity. Areas with a higher density of clients can be augmented with Wi-Fi 6E. Private 5G would be used for mission critical use cases, such as manufacturing floors.

Make security intrinsic to the network

Historically, network and security technologies were deployed independently with the latter typically being an overlay to the network. This was never ideal but worked well enough to stop the majority of breaches. Network engineers would design the network, and security professionals would deploy security tools at each point of ingress.

One of the challenges today is that there are hundreds if not thousands of points of entry ranging from SaaS applications to VPN tunnels to guest access on Wi-Fi networks. Even if a business had infinite dollars, it would be impossible to deploy all the necessary security tools to defend each point.

Another point of complexity is that the number of security tools continues to grow. In the past, firewalls and IDS/IPS systems were sufficient to protect an enterprise. Modern security includes those but also zero trust network access (ZTNA), secure web gateways (SWG), cloud access security brokers (CASB), endpoint and network detection-and-response, and other tools.

One growing way to secure an enterprise is by embedding security into the network as a cloud service. This is more commonly known as secure access service edge or SASE, and it enables businesses to deploy corporate-grade security anywhere in the network, including a workers home. Success with SASE is dependent on bringing the security and network-operations teams together. This can be a challenge but is necessary for any organization that wants to modernize its network.

Network pros skill sets

Its worth mentioning that today network engineers need to become software power users because modern network equipment can be managed, configured, and programmed through software APIs and developer interfaces.

A few years ago, there was a push to have network engineers become developers to take advantage of these software systems. However, this created significant pushback from the network industry as most network professionals had little to no interest in becoming developers.

In reality, network pros do not need to become developers, but they should be familiar with how to work with software. Making an API call to perform a certain task is considerably simpler than using a command-line interface, and it significantly reduces the chance of making an error. While network hardware has been outfitted with software interfaces for years, adoption has been light. If the network is going to be modernized, so must the skill set of the people running it.
The Oregon Coast Art Bus, mobile arts-learning platform, is being launched this month by the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts. Pictured (left to right) are: Jason Holland (OCCA executive director), Cynthia Jacobi (Newport City Council member), Moe Snyder (OCCA instructor), Sara Siggelkow (OCCA arts education manager), Cathey Briggs (OCCA board member), Dean Sawyer (Newport mayor), David Gomberg (state representative), Gary Lehman (OCCA volunteer), Tom Webb (OCCA VAC director) and Dietmar Goebel (Newport City Council member).
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. Areas of patchy fog. High 87F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.
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).
New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London, in collaboration with the Karolinska Institute and Orebro University, has found that 'young relative age'  being young in a school class  puts a child at a long-term disadvantage compared to their older peers. Researchers are now calling for greater flexibility about school starting age.

The study, published today in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), looked at data from 300,000 individuals from the Swedish National Registers. The researchers found those youngest in a class were more likely to experience low educational achievement, substance misuse disorder, and depression in later life. However, younger children with ADHD appeared less at risk of depression.

Previous studies have pointed to evidence that immaturity relative to peers can contribute to an increased likelihood of being diagnosed with ADHD. Typically, a comparison is made as to whether a child shows ADHD symptoms to a significantly greater degree than to others in their year group, but this doesn't always take into account the potentially significant age gap between the youngest and oldest members of an age group.

Senior author Professor Jonna Kuntsi from King's IoPPN said "The difference between the youngest and oldest member of a class can be up to 11 months. In the early stages of childhood, this is a significant difference in terms of maturity, behaviour and cognitive abilities."

Behavioural characteristics that are normal in younger children are in some cases being compared to much older individuals, and we can see from the data that there are very real and long-term consequences to being the youngest in a class year." Jonna Kuntsi, Study Senior Author and Professor, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London

The investigators note that the negative effects of young relative age are much less common in countries like Denmark, possibly due to the more flexible approach to school starting age there. Young children that might not be ready to start school have the opportunity to start school later, and as such are at less risk of experiencing negative side effects seen in other countries. It is a practice that the researchers say could be emulated elsewhere.

Professor Kuntsi has previously called for greater focus to be placed on the relative age of students in relation to difficulties with reading, spelling, or arithmetic skills which aren't a result of low cognitive ability. A recent large register study in Finland found that the relative age effect emerges also for specific learning disorders which Professor Kuntsi says is likely due to the same referral bias as those referred for ADHD assessment.

She cites a need for a cross-country review into approaches that best ensure children's future outcomes are fully independent of their relative age at the start of school: "Being the youngest child in a classroom can have complex developmental consequences, and can place them at a disadvantage at the earliest stages of their academic life. If we are to overcome this, there needs to be a greater understanding from decision makers, teachers, and clinicians so that all children have an equal chance to succeed later in life."

King's IoPPN, in partnership with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the Maudsley Charity, are in the process of opening a world-leading center for children and young people's mental health. The Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People is expected to open in 2023 and will bring together researchers and clinicians to help find solutions that will transform the landscape for children's mental health.

This study was possible thanks to funding from the European Commission's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 667302, and then from the Swedish Council for Health, Working Life, and Welfare.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects around three times as many women as men and is commonly diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40 years, when many women are focusing on career and family planning. An early diagnosis and good health management can make a huge difference to treatment and management of the disease.

MS Australia is delighted to announce its second community partnership with Jean Hailes for Womens Health annual health awareness campaign, Womens Health Week. Held on 6  10 September, it is Australias biggest week in womens health, focusing on the importance of maintaining good health and wellbeing for all women and girls and is a timely reminder to everyone to make their health a priority.

MS Australia in collaboration with the four state/territory MS organizations will be presenting a week- long informative and educational program to complement the Womens Health Week daily themes which are: Move it, Periods from start to finish, Relationships, Connection, and Nurture and Sleep. There will be a diverse mix of activities, presentations, resources and events to engage the community. While the topics focus primarily on womens health, the program will be inclusive of all people affected by MS and other neurological conditions.

CEO of MS Australia, Rohan Greenland said We are pleased to again be partnering with Jean Hailes for Womens Health. We aim to reach women and girls around the country with important health and wellbeing messages, to raise awareness, educate, provide connections, information and highlight the work we do in MS research, advocacy and frontline support and advisory services.

Our program for Womens Health Week is for people living with or with an interest in MS. It is important to convey health and education messages to the community, taking into consideration the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, as well as good health management, which will help to promote wellbeing living with MS. Rohan Greenland, CEO, MS Australia

Womens Health Week campaign manager Brenda Jones says both organizations share similar messages around education and the importance of making time for your health. We are encouraging all women and girls to join the week to find the support, connection and information they need to be healthy in mind and body.

For more details about MS Australias Womens Health Week 2021 program and a sneak peek of the resources to follow, please visit our special digital Hub: www.events.msaustralia.org.au/WHW2021 and our social media channels.
Heart muscle becomes damaged and cardiac function is affected when blood vessels feeding the heart are blocked. A new stem-cell-carrying hydrogel helps mice recover from this condition, called myocardial infarction, by stimulating formation of new blood vessels. Developed by a team of scientists at Kansai University in Japan, the stem cell delivery system is described in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

The hydrogel acts as a scaffold that holds the stem cells in place at the site of injection and keeps them alive for longer. The stem cells produce cytokines that stimulate the formation of blood vessels to help the heart recover. The gel is biodegradable, so it eventually dissolves and is removed by the body. Image Credit: Kansai University

The team used stem cells derived from fat tissue in their application. These so-called 'adipose-derived stem cells' have already been investigated for treating damaged cardiac tissue from reduced blood flow to the heart, known as myocardial ischemia. The idea is that the stem cells will release stimulating factors to regenerate blood vessels once injected into damaged heart tissue. The problem, though, is that they can't be retained or survive in the tissue long enough. In other studies, scientists have found that injecting cell-free biodegradable hydrogels into damaged heart tissue helps partial recovery of heart functions.

Kansai University bioengineer Yuichi Ohya and his colleagues mixed the two techniques together.

Firstly, they developed hydrogel formulas that can hold stem cells in place for longer periods of time at the site of tissue damage. These hydrogels start off as a solution when they are at room temperature. This makes it easy to mix in the stem cells. When the solution is injected into an organ, it warms to body temperature, triggering its transformation into a gel.

One of their hydrogels was especially good at staying in its gel state. It was made with a combination of molecules, called tri-PCG, with acrolyl groups attached to them. The tri-PCG-acryl was then mixed with a polythiol derivative.

The team added adipose-derived stem cells to the hydrogel and observed, both in petri dishes and inside mouse heart tissue, how long the cells lived and what kinds of genes and substances were produced by the cells.

The stem cells were able to survive in our injectable hydrogel and released molecules that stimulate blood vessel formation, improving heart function and making it effective for treatment of ischemic heart." Yuichi Ohya, Bioengineer, Kansai University

The team next plans to test their therapy on larger animals after confirming its safety, and then to conduct clinical studies in humans. They also plan to investigate using their injectable hydrogel to deliver immune cells to treat cancer or in vaccines to protect against viral infections.
As the spread of the delta variant threatens the safety of classrooms, a poll released Wednesday found nearly two-thirds of parents support schools' requiring unvaccinated students age 5 or older and teachers to wear masks. A majority of parents, however, oppose requiring students now eligible for a covid vaccine to get one, with one Black parent from Michigan telling pollsters that "my child is not a test dummy."

The strong public opinions come as the politics over classroom masking grows more heated with the start of the school year, particularly in Florida and Texas. Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued an executive order giving parents the authority to decide whether their kids should be masked , but several large school districts are maintaining their masking mandates. The Dallas and Austin school districts are also defying a ban on mask mandates issued by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican.

The KFF covid-19 poll found that, nationally, 63% of parents favored mandatory masking for unvaccinated children ages 5 to 17. (KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF.)

Predictably, views on masking and vaccination split consistently along party lines, with Democratic parents generally supporting them and Republicans much more resistant. Sixty-nine percent of Republican parents oppose mandatory masking. More than three-quarters of Black parents and Hispanic parents support mask requirements while only a slim majority of white parents back masks.

As of July, 41% of parents of children ages 12-17 said their kids had been vaccinated. An additional 6% said they wanted to get them vaccinated promptly, and 23% said they wanted to "wait and see." Nine percent said they would get them vaccinated only if required and 20% said they would definitely not. "I think my child is healthy enough to battle the covid-19 virus without a vaccine," a Hispanic mother from Georgia told pollsters.

Some parents said the resistance to vaccination sprung from their children and they were reluctant to compel them. "I gave him a choice," one white parent from Idaho told the pollsters. "He chose not to." A white mother from Wisconsin said that while she had encouraged her teenager to get vaccinated, "I dont feel comfortable forcing him to get it since he is 17 and nearly an adult."

Unsurprisingly, resistance to vaccinating their child was strongest among unvaccinated parents, with half saying they would not want to allow the shots under any circumstance. Nearly three-quarters of unvaccinated parents said they considered the vaccine more dangerous than covid to their child's health. The disease has killed nearly 613,000 Americans to date.

Opposition to school-mandated vaccination was high, with only 42% of parents of students ages 12-17 favoring it. Support was strongest among Hispanics, with 51% in favor, but only 38% of whites and 32% of Blacks agreed with school-required vaccination.

The resistance to covid vaccines does not reflect opposition to inoculation in general, the poll found. Nine out of 10 parents said they normally keep their children up to date on recommended shots such as those for measles, mumps or rubella. Yet among parents of 12- to 17-year-olds who say their children are up to date on other vaccinations, fewer than half of the children had been vaccinated for covid-19.

Among parents with unvaccinated teens, 88% held concerns that not enough was known about the long-term effects of the vaccine in children; 79% were worried about side effects; 73% feared the vaccine might adversely affect their teens' fertility later in life; and 65% were concerned children would be mandated to get vaccinated even if their parents objected.

Overall, qualms about vaccinating teens were common even among parents who had gotten a shot, but strongest among parents who themselves had not been inoculated.

Hispanic and Black parents of unvaccinated teens were more likely than white parents to fear they might have to take time off from work to get their child vaccinated or need to stay home if their child experienced side effects. They also were more likely to worry it would be difficult to get to a vaccination site and whether they could trust the vaccine providers.

So far, no vaccine has been authorized for children under 12, but most of their parents remain cautious. Just 26% said they will get their school-age children vaccinated as soon as possible. An additional 40% plan to wait and see, and most of the remainder said they will refuse even if it is required.

The survey of 1,259 parents of children under age 18 was conducted by telephone July 15-Aug. 2. The pollsters noted most of the interviews were conducted before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's most recent data on the magnitude of the threat of the delta variant. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 4 percentage points and plus or minus 5 points for parents of children ages 12 to 17.
(Newser)  You may be looking for a remote spot, far from people, for your next travel destination. But Business Insider wants to remind you that some far-off places are better left aloneparticularly if you want to avoid charges or, worse, death. Five unique, forbidden places:

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North Korea's Room 39: Said to be located inside the Workers' Party building in Pyongyang, Room 39 refers to a secret organization thought to raise an estimated $2 billion per year for the regime through legal and illegal means, "with activities ranging from counterfeiting to the sale of gold, drugs, or weapons."

Said to be located inside the Workers' Party building in Pyongyang, Room 39 refers to a secret organization thought to raise an estimated $2 billion per year for the regime through legal and illegal means, "with activities ranging from counterfeiting to the sale of gold, drugs, or weapons." Brazil's Snake Island: Brazil's government bans travel to the uninhabited island off the coast of Sao Paulo owing to the fact that it's hard to move around without stepping on venomous snakes, including the Golden Lancehead viper. The island is home to as many as five snakes per square meter.

Brazil's government bans travel to the uninhabited island off the coast of Sao Paulo owing to the fact that it's hard to move around without stepping on venomous snakes, including the Golden Lancehead viper. The island is home to as many as five snakes per square meter. India's North Sentinel Island: You may have heard tales about unfortunate visitors to this isolated Manhattan-sized island in the Indian Ocean. It's inhabited by the indigenous Sentinelese, who are hostile to outsiders, several of whom have ended up dead. For that reason, India strictly enforces a 3-mile buffer zone around North Sentinel.

Iceland's Surtsey Island: Only researchers are allowed on this tiny island formed in a volcanic eruption in 1963, making it "one of the youngest islands on the planet," per Business Insider. Some 89 bird species and 335 invertebrates have since taken over the land, which is steadily eroding. Most humans are barred as a preservation measure.

Only researchers are allowed on this tiny island formed in a volcanic eruption in 1963, making it "one of the youngest islands on the planet," per Business Insider. Some 89 bird species and 335 invertebrates have since taken over the land, which is steadily eroding. Most humans are barred as a preservation measure. China's national spy museum: If you're Chinese, you'll have no trouble visiting the Jiangsu National Security Education Museum in Nanjing and its spy artifacts from the early days of the Communist Party. Foreigners, however, are prohibited from entering, and even nationals are barred from snapping photos.

(See five more forbidden places here , including one in the US.)
(Newser)  Want to attend the Bonnaroo music festival? You'll have to flash your COVID-19 vaccination card, or proof of a negative COVID test. Organizers of the Tennessee festival, scheduled for Sept. 2-5 this year after being canceled last year, made the announcement Tuesday. In a series of tweets, they said they strongly encourage vaccination, noting that the last day to get a second dose of Moderna or Pfizer, or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson, and attend the festival as a fully vaccinated person is Aug. 19. Those not fully vaccinated must test negative within three days prior to arrival, and wear a mask at all times. (Everyone, vaccinated or not, must wear masks indoors at the festival.) Anyone who misses the window of opportunity to test can pay $40 to take a rapid test on-site, the Tennessean reports.

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NPR reports that the announcement comes as the music industry adapts to the latest version of the new normal, thanks to the delta variant of COVID-19, which is wreaking havoc just as live music was opening back up after largely shutting down at the start of the pandemic. Lollapalooza last month required proof of vaccination or a negative test. Milwaukee's upcoming Summerfest is also requiring that, but in New Orleans, the Jazz & Heritage Festival has been canceled entirely for this year. Multiple artists have also canceled or postponed shows or tours in recent days, and others are similarly requiring audience members be fully vaccinated or show they've tested negative. (Read more Bonnaroo stories.)
(Newser)  A college professor was charged Tuesday with what the Sacramento Bee calls an "arson spree" in Northern California, near the massive Dixie Fire. Gary Stephen Maynard, 47, who has worked at multiple colleges in the state, was arrested Saturday. "Over the course of the last several weeks, Maynard has set a series of fires in the vicinity of the Lassen National Forest and Shasta Trinity National Forest," an assistant US attorney wrote in a detention memo, going on to note that Maynard allegedly set at least one fire near the still-not-contained Dixie Fire, which engulfed the entire town of Greenville last week.

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So far, Maynard is charged with setting Lassen County's Ranch Fire, and could face up to five years behind bars and a $250,000 fine if convicted. Prosecutors say mental health issues may be involved. Authorities began investigating Maynard on July 20, after a US Forest Service investigator found him underneath a car near the Cascade Fire, which broke out that day. He at first refused to get out from under the vehicle or identify himself, then acted erratically once he did come out, authorities say. Witnesses told police Maynard had been "mumbling a lot and having bipolar-like behavior," including brandishing a knife. Authorities used tire tracks left at the scenes of multiple fires, among other evidence, to determine arson was involved, KCRA reports. (Read more California stories.)
(Newser)  At least 25 soldiers died saving residents from wildfires ravaging mountain forests and villages east of Algeria's capital, the president announced Tuesday night as the civilian toll rose to at least 17. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune tweeted that the soldiers were martyrs who saved 100 people from the fires in two areas of Kabyle, the region that is home to the North African nation's Berber population. Eleven other soldiers were burned fighting the fires, four of them seriously, the Defense Ministry said. Prime Minister Aimene Benabderrahmane later said on state TV that 17 civilians had lost their lives, raising the count of citizens from seven previously and bringing the total death toll to 42, the AP reports. He provided no details. Dozens of blazes sprang up Monday in Kabyle and elsewhere, and Algerian authorities sent in the army to help citizens battle blazes and evacuate.

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The mountainous Kabyle region, 60 miles east of Algerias capital of Algiers, is dotted with difficult-to-access villages and with temperatures rising has had limited water. Some villagers were fleeing, while others tried to hold back the flames themselves, using buckets, branches and rudimentary tools. The region has no water-dumping planes. The deaths and injuries Tuesday occurred mainly around Kabyle's capital of Tizi-Ouzou, which is flanked by mountains, and also in Bejaia, which borders the Mediterranean Sea, the president said. The prime minister told state television that initial reports from security services showed the fires in Kabyle were highly synchronized, adding that leads one to believe these were criminal acts. Earlier, Interior Minister Kamel Beldjoud traveled to Kabyle to assess the situation and also blamed the fires there on arson. Thirty fires at the same time in the same region cant be by chance, Beldjoud said on national television, although no arrests were announced. The Civil Protection authority counted 41 blazes in 18 wilayas, or regions, as of Monday night.

(Read more Algeria stories.)
(Newser)  Broward County is keeping its school district's mask mandate, despite Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis threatening to punish districts that defy his ban on such mandates. The school board voted 8-1 Tuesday in favor of keeping the mandate, which allows only for medical opt-outs, Local 10 reports. "We are charged and we were elected to keep everyone in our school building safe," said one board member. The board is seeking legal counsel and may challenge DeSantis' order, which the governor stood behind Tuesday. "It's about parental choice, not government mandate, and I think ultimately, parents will be able to exercise the choices that they deem appropriate for their kids," he said.

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Broward is the second-largest school district in Florida. Meanwhile, in Miami-Dade County, superintendent Alberto Carvalho said he would consult with public health experts before a decision on masks is made, and would not be bullied by DeSantis' order, CBS Miami reports. School districts elsewhere in the state are requiring masks in defiance of the governor's ban, but as ABC News notes, most counties are allowing parents to opt out for any reason. Some districts in Texas are defying their own Republican governor's similar ban, Yahoo News reports. Based on population, Florida, Louisiana and Arkansas are leading the nation in new COVID infections, with Texas not too far behind. (Read more Florida stories.)
(Newser)  A Chinese court sentenced Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison Wednesday in a spying case that has been linked to Beijing's pressure campaign against the Canadian government over the arrest of an executive at tech giant Huawei. Spavor and another Canadian were detained in China in what critics labeled hostage politics after the executive, Meng Wanzhou, was arrested at the Vancouver airport in late 2018 at the request of US authorities. A Canadian court will hear final arguments in the next few weeks over whether to hand Meng over to face US criminal charges in connection with possible violations of trade sanctions on Iran. Canadian Ambassador Dominic Barton met with Spavor after his court hearing at a detention center in the city of Dandong, about 210 miles east of Beijing on the North Korean border. The ambassador said Spavor asked to send three messages: Thank you for all your support, it means a lot to me. Two, I am in good spirits. And three, I want to get home.

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I have a lot of respect for how he's handling this, Barton told journalists after the verdict. He's strong, resilient, focused on what's happening. We had a very good conversation. Spavor was also fined $7,700, Barton said. China has released few details of the charges, other than to allege Spavor was a conduit for intelligence and sensitive information provided to former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig beginning in 2017. Kovrig also was detained in December 2018 and tried on spying charges, though no word has been given about a verdict. The two have been held in isolation for more than two years with only periodic contact with Canadian Embassy staff. On Tuesday, a Chinese court rejected the appeal of a third Canadian whose 15-year prison sentence in a drug case was abruptly increased to the death penalty following Mengs arrest. The case of Robert Schellenberg has been automatically appealed to China's Supreme Court.

(Read more China stories.)
(Newser)  German prosecutors said Wednesday they have detained a British citizen accused of spying for Russia while working at the British Embassy in Berlin. Federal prosecutors said in a statement that the 57-year-old was detained Tuesday in Potsdam, southwest of the capital, based on cooperative investigations by German and British authorities, per the AP. He was only identified as Davis S. Prosecutors said he is suspected of having spied for the Russian intelligence service at least since November. Before his arrest, he worked as a local hire at the British Embassy in the German capital and allegedly passed on documents he received at work to the Russians, prosecutors said. The British government described the incident in a statement saying that "an individual who was contracted to work for the government was arrested yesterday by the German authorities."

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Britain's Metropolitan Police said "the man was arrested in the Berlin area on suspicion of committing offenses relating to being engaged in 'Intelligence Agent activity.'" "Primacy for the investigation remains with German authorities," the Met added, noting officers with the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, responsible for investigating alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act, "continue to liaise with German counterparts." The Russian authorities have not yet publicly commented on the man's detention. German prosecutors said the suspect, to appear before an investigating judge on Wednesday, received an unknown amount of cash in return for his alleged spying activities. Investigators have searched his home and office, the statement added. A spokesman for Germany's foreign ministry says spying by "a close alliance partner on German soil is unacceptable," per the BBC.

(Read more spying stories.)
(Newser)  Hackers have stolen more than $600 million worth of cryptocurrency in what is "likely to be one of the biggest cryptocurrency thefts ever," reports CNBC. In a message to the hackers, Poly Network, a platform allowing users to transfer tokens between different blockchains, said "the amount of money you have hacked is one of the biggest in defi [decentralised finance] history." The platform said a preliminary investigation found hackers exploited a "vulnerability between contract calls" before transferring millions of dollars in digital tokensa reported $267 million in Ether currency, $252 million worth of Binance coins, and $85 million in USDC tokens, per the BBCout of the hands of "tens of thousands of crypto community members" and into separate cryptocurrency wallets.

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Researchers at security company SlowMist said tokens were transferred to three addresses in what was "likely to be a long-planned, organized and prepared attack," per CNBC. They also claimed to have "grasped the attacker's mailbox, IP, and device fingerprints" and said they were "tracking possible identity clues." Poly Network urged the culprits to "establish communication and return the hacked assets" as "law enforcement in any country will regard this as a major economic crime and you will be pursued." It also called on exchanges to block deposits of tokens coming from the addresses. Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said the exchange was "coordinating with all our security partners to proactively help" and "we will do as much as we can" but "there are no guarantees." (Read more cryptocurrency stories.)
(Newser)  Ethiopia's military is guilty of war crimes, including using rape as a weapon of war, according to Amnesty International, which shares horrific accounts from victims in a new report. The group says "overwhelming evidence" shows rape has been rampant in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region since fighting between the federal government and regional government, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, erupted in November. Amnesty interviewed 63 women and children from Tigray who said they'd been raped by members of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, their allies within the Eritrean Defence Forces, and other pro-government fighters from the neighboring region of Amhara, over the last nine months, per the BBC and Guardian. Report author Donatella Rovera said "the level of sadistic and gratuitous brutality in addition to the rape was absolutely shocking," per the BBC.

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Some women became sex slaves. Twelve said they were raped in front of family members, and at least two said they were gang-raped in front of their children. Others said soldiers inserted gravel, nails, or other metal into their vaginas, causing what Amnesty described as "lasting and possibly irreparable damage," per Al Jazeera. Nearly half of the women identified Eritrean soldiers "as the sole perpetrators of rape," according to Amnesty, which notes the extent of assaults suggests tolerance at the highest levels of government. The report claims the violence is "part of a strategy to terrorize, degrade, and humiliate both the victims and their ethnic group." Amnesty is demanding the UN investigate what could be crimes against humanity. The BBC notes Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed actually accused the TPLF of raping women this week while calling on civilians to join the army. (Read more Ethiopia stories.)
(Newser)  It's not quite as extreme as this man who famously faked being a doctor (among other things), but it's close. An Australian woman is accused of working at Sydney's Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital as a junior doctor for 7 monthsthough she reportedly was no doctor. 7 News reports the 27-year-old allegedly did attend medical school but failed her final exam. She is accused of creating fake documents in order to land the job, which she started in January. The hospital reportedly asked the woman for paperwork on Monday that she was unable to supply, and so she was "immediately removed from [her] duties," per the BBC, and New South Wales Police were called.

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The hospital confirmed that it "discovered on Monday an employee was not registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority (AHRPA)" and emphasized she was "fully supervised" while working at the hospital. She could potentially face fraud charges, and the Guardian reports it's not just the police investigation that could lead to that result. Australian law gives AHPRA the ability to prosecute someone who falsely claims to be a health professional. (This British man failed the exams he needed to pass to become a doctorand spent the next seven years pretending to his family that he actually was one. It led to murder.)
(Newser)  If your eyes tend to glaze over when you read about product recalls, this one might get your attention. Fast Company reports the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a recall for select True Living Sling Loungers following three confirmed cases of amputations or lacerations in connection with the chair. The models in question are blue or green fabric chairs with white frames that were sold at Dollar General between January 2019 and September 2019. About 155,000 were sold, and the issue is that they can collapse unexpectedly. If that occurs while your fingers are inside or near the metal joints, the results can be uncomfortable (pinching) or grim, as those three aforementioned cases attest to.

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As David J. Neal quips for the Miami Herald, "You shouldn't sit in an outdoor chaise longue worrying about whether you'll get up with the same number of fingers." The chairs were manufactured in Shanghai, and the CPSC asks that owners cut into the fabric to made the chair unusable and then reach out to Dollar General at 800-678-9258 for a full refund. Elsewhere on the recall front, CNN reports almost 60,000 pounds of frozen and raw stuffed chicken products made by Serenade Foods are being recalled over the possibility that they were contaminated with Salmonella enteritidis. Those products include Dutch Farms Chicken With Broccoli & Cheese packages; Milford Valley Chicken With Broccoli & Cheese and Chicken Cordon Bleu; and Kirkwood broccoli and cheese and cordon bleu varieties. Details here. (Read more recall stories.)
(Newser)  One of Russia's richest lawmakers is under house arrest after killing a man and claiming he thought he was shooting at a bear. Igor Redkin, a fishing and aviation tycoon who sits in the Kamchatka regional assembly in Russia's Far East, resigned from Vladimir Putin's United Russia party after he admitted killing a 30-year-old man at a garbage dump earlier this month, the BBC reports. Authorities say he will be under house arrest for two months while a murder investigation continues. "A tragedy occurred, and I, Igor Vladimirovich Redkin, became an unwitting participant," the 55-year-old said in a statement to Russian media, per the Moscow Times.

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He said he had learned that "a bear was wandering around a landfill in the village of Ozernovsky and was threatening local residents" and decided to scare it away. Redkin said he shot the "bear" at duskand "later learned that a local resident was wounded in the area around the same time and die in the hospital." He said he is "ready to bear the punishment, which will be decided by the court." According to Russian news agency Kam 24, there have been reports that Redkin was drunk at the time of the incident and had gone to the dump to practice shooting. (Read more Russia stories.)
(Newser)  Patricia Hitchcock OConnell, the only child of Alfred Hitchcock and an actor herself who made a memorable appearance in her fathers Strangers on a Train and championed his work in the decades following his death, has died at age 93. Hitchcock died Monday in her sleep at home in Thousand Oaks, California, her daughter Tere Carrubba said Wednesday. "She was always really good at protecting the legacy of my grandparents and making sure they were always remembered," said Carrubba, one of Patricia Hitchcock's three daughters. "It's sort of an end of an era now that they're all gone." Known to many as Pat Hitchcock, the AP reports she was born in London to Alfred Hitchcock and Alma Reville Hitchcock in 1928 and spent much of her life in and around the family business. More:

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During her childhood, Alfred Hitchcock directed such classics as The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, and Shadow of a Doubt; moved to California after signing a multipicture deal with producer David O. Selznick; and rose to global fame as the "Master of Suspense."

Pat would visit her fathers movie sets and by her teens was acting in school plays and appearing on stage, including the Broadway productions Solitaire and Violet. She would insist that her childhood was happy and that her parents were normal, but she wasnt spared her fathers distant, controlling nature and his skewed and sometimes cruel sense of humor.

As a girl, she often ate alone, was sent to boarding school, and would express regret that her father didnt cast her in more of his films. "I certainly wish hed believed in nepotism, she liked to say.

She was admitted to Londons Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1947 and was about to graduate when her father contacted her and said he had a role for her in his new film, Strangers on a Train. (Read much more on her role here.)

Hitchcock was a lively, witty actor with a heart-shaped face. Among her other acting credits: the TV sitcoms My Little Margie and The Life of Riley and a part in her fathers horror masterpiece Psycho, in which she plays an office colleague of Janet Leigh, who later in the film is famously stabbed to death in a motel shower.

More recently, she worked for Alfred Hitchcocks Mystery Magazine and appeared at numerous film festivals and in numerous Hitchcock documentaries. Pat Hitchcock was married for more than 40 years to Joseph OConnell, who died in 1994.

(Read more obituary stories.)
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 52F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Rain showers early with overcast skies late. Low 43F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
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The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain and the United Nations signed a declaration of intent for cooperation and coordination to prepare, write and develop the National Human Rights Plan for the Kingdom for the years 2022-2026. It is part of the continued coordination and cooperation with various organs of the UN.

This came as Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani yesterday welcomed in his office the Acting Resident Coordinator for United Nations Activities and Chief of Mission of the International Organisation for Migration to Bahrain, Mohammed Al Zarqani. Minister Al Zayani affirmed that this step reflects the growing cooperation between Bahrain and the UN in various fields, adding that the reform approach of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has emphasised the importance of promoting and preserving human rights.

He stated that the signing of the document builds on the previous workshops organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the preparation of the National Human Rights Plan.

The Ministry held nine workshops, with the participation of more than 1,700 participants from various bodies, in which 168 working papers and 311 recommendations were presented.

Al Zarqani expressed his thanks and appreciation to Bahrain for its efforts in promoting human rights, stressing that signing the declaration will contribute to strengthening coordination between the Kingdom and the UN in this field.
NEW MILFORD  The towns latest drive-thru COVID-19 testing site opened Wednesday at the John Pettibone Community Center.

The drive-thru site, which runs from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and Friday this week, will be open every weekday except Thursdays starting next week. The town aims to provide another free testing option to residents without a primary care provider as COVID-19 cases in Connecticut and Litchfield County increase.

PCR tests are offered at this time, but the town hopes to expand to rapid test options in the future.

The site opens as towns are reconsidering their COVID-19 mitigation tactics.

In Redding, the COVID-19 task force is resuming its weekly meetings, according to a news release sent Wednesday morning. Bethel, and New Milford are requiring masks in municipal buildings regardless of vaccination status. Brookfield is continuing its mask mandate in town buildings while adding vaccine clinics through the end of August for the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Danbury is recommending masking in public places, and on Wednesday, instituted a full mask mandate for the town beginning 12:01 a.m. Sunday.

New Milfords new testing site is run by Nuvance Health personnel and local volunteers, according to Health Director Lisa Morrissey.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in northern Afghanistan to escape battles that have overwhelmed their towns and villages as government forces try to fend off rapidly advancing Taliban forces. Families have flowed into the capital, Kabul, living in parks and streets with little food or water.

Families described on Tuesday bombardment, gunfire and airstrikes pounding their neighborhoods in multiple parts of the north, with civilians caught in the crossfire. Some said that as the Taliban captured towns, they hunted down and killed male relatives of members of the police forces and quickly started imposing new restrictions on women.

Such atrocities have fueled alarm over a potential Taliban takeover of Afghanistan as the insurgents accelerate their advance capturing main cities for the first time in recent weeks. But some of those who fled were equally furious at the government.

Fawzia Karimi fled to Kabul from Kunduz, one of Afghanistans largest cities, where the Taliban have been advancing through neighborhoods. She said government forces didnt fight when the insurgents overran her district, but were bombing the residential area now that it was in Taliban hands.

If the government cannot do anything, it should just stop the bombardment and let the Taliban rule, she said. She left with her five children when an airstrike hit her neighbors home. Her 16-year-old son was killed in a crossfire three months ago.

Karimi was among hundreds of people from around the north who were crowded into Kabuls main downtown park, Shahr-e-Naw. Men, women and children have been sleeping for days outside on the ground in blazing summer heat. A few have blankets to pad the ground or sheets to hang up as curtains for some privacy.

The surge in displaced people has heightened international calls for pressure to stop the Taliban assault. At least 60,000 people, more than half of them children, have fled their homes in Kunduz alone since the weekend, Save the Children said Tuesday. Some moved to calmer parts of Kunduz city, living outside without food, water or medical care, it said.

Markets have been destroyed and are now mostly closed, leaving families without anywhere to get food, the groups country director Christopher Nyamandi said. At least 27 children have been killed around the country in the past three days, the group said.

More than 17,000 people from the north have arrived in Kabul in the past two weeks, staying in parks, with relatives or on the streets, said Tamim Azimi, spokesman for the state ministry for disaster management.

In the Shahr-e-Naw park, almost no government help has come to the families. Some Kabul residents have brought limited amounts of food and water and some supplies. Karimi, whose husband had stayed behind in Kunduz, said she couldnt get any because the volunteers wouldnt talk to her, because she was a woman.

I got here this morning and have had nothing to eat, she said. Should I leave my children hungry lying under burning sun?

Only two toilets serve the 400 people in the park. There are no medical facilities and the displaced cant afford nearby medical centers, even as some children suffer from diarrhea.

At another park on Kabuls northern outskirts where some 2,000 displaced were living, Zarmina Takhari, said she had received no government help since arriving three days ago and has had to rely on food from volunteers.

She fled her village, Shahr-e-Kohna in Takhar province after 12 of her relatives where killed, she said. Four of them, including her brother and uncle, were in the police forces and were killed fighting the Taliban. When the insurgents seized the village, they identified their family as linked to the police and came to their house, where they shot eight other male relatives to death.

We loaded a pickup with dead bodies, she said. Her husband and other brothers stayed behind to bury the dead. The Taliban have no mercy, she said.

Nasir Ahmed, 14, said he witnessed the Taliban whipping a man with a rubber hose after a picture of him posing with an Afghan flag was found on his phone. He said he also saw insurgents hitting women whose head coverings were considered improper.

The teen had to leave his school as violence grew. I missed the last year of school because of COVID-19 and this year because of war, he said. I dont see any future for myself.

The U.N. human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, said Tuesday that her office had counted at least 183 deaths and 1,181 injuries among civilians in the cities of Lashkar Gah, Kandahar, Herat and Kunduz alone since Monday. She cautioned that those were only confirmed casualties and the real figures will be much higher.

Her office said it had received reports of summary executions, attacks against current and former government officials and their relatives, military use and destruction of homes, schools and clinics, and the laying of large numbers of improvised explosive devices.

With the international troops heading for the exits from Afghanistan, Bachelet said: People rightly fear that a seizure of power by the Taliban will erase the human rights gains of the past two decades  alluding to the international forces presence since 2001.

But many were fleeing simply to escape the threat of fighting around their homes and pleaded for a halt in the battle.

Najia, who like many other Afghans goes by one name, said she reached Kabul on Saturday from Kunduz with her five children and husband. They fled after their house became the frontline between the combatants.

Mortar shields, grenades and bullets were coming from all around and we were stuck in between she said adding The whole north is ablaze with war.

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Associated Press correspondent Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  Doctors in Florida say they're seeing many more coronavirus infections among children just as students begin to return to classrooms.

There has been an enormous increase" in COVID-19 cases among children in July and August at Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital in Hollywood, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ronald Ford said.

Most of these children have been treated in the emergency room and sent home, but "those that are admitted are sicker than what weve seen before, and many of them are requiring care in our intensive care units," Ford said.

But Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the share of pediatric hospitalizations is still between 1.1% and 1.4% in the state, which is how it has behaved throughout the pandemic. On Wednesday, 177 of the 15,071 patients with COVID-19  about 1.2 %  were children, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

There's been no change in the proportion of pediatric patients who are COVID positive, he said. Obviously we have more people that are COVID positive in hospitals than we did six weeks ago, so the raw numbers are increasing for everybody."

About 20 children who had the virus sought treatment at the South Florida hospital's emergency department in June, Ford said.

That number went to well over 200 in July and, even at this point in the month of August, we are already up to over 160. So were well on the way to breaking Julys record," Ford said.

On Tuesday, the hospital had nine positive patients admitted, with five in the ICU, Ford said.

Ford's advice to parents sending their children back to school: Get information from authoritative sources.

There's a lot of misinformation out there about COVID-19, about testing, about the vaccine," Ford said. The best thing you can do to protect your child is to keep them away from the virus. This virus is extremely infectious. And it doesnt take much virus to infect and cause symptoms and disease."

Masking works, reducing the incidence of transmission and the chances of children getting the virus, he said.

So first and foremost, masking is going to be one of the best defenses we have," Ford said.

DeSantis has attempted to block school districts from imposing public health protections on students, saying parents should decide whether their child should wear a mask at school.

At a press conference in a St. Petersburg elementary school, DeSantis maintained his stance and said the federal government was considering imposing a nationwide mandate for kindergarteners, first-graders and other students. The governor had previously raised the possibility the Biden administration could seek a mask mandate.

Obviously if you are talking about the federal government coming in and overruling parents in our communities, that would be something we would fight back vociferously against, the Republican governor said.

The U.S. government, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has issued guidelines recommending masks be worn indoors at schools nationwide, but hasnt said it could order a federal school mask mandate. However, President Joe Biden said Tuesday hes checking whether he could intervene to prevent governors from blocking school districts from imposing such mandates, though he also said he didnt believe he had the authority thus far.

At least three school districts  in Alachua, Broward and Leon counties  have appeared to defy the governor's order.

Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran has sent their superintendents letters saying their adopted policy appeared not to comply with the new rules. He demanded a response by Wednesday and said he may recommend the states Board of Education withhold the salaries of the superintendent and school board members.

The Broward school board, after waffling for several weeks, voted Tuesday to require masks for students, teachers and staff when their school year begins on Aug. 18.

Miami-Dade's superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, said Florida's largest district will decide what to do after consulting with experts in public health and medicine as the county's 334,000 students prepare to return to classrooms Aug. 23. He said he won't be influenced by the governor's threats.

At no point shall I allow my decision to be influenced by a threat to my paycheck; a small price to pay considering the gravity of this issue and the potential impact to the health and well-being of our students and dedicated employees, his statement said.

___

Gomez Licon reported from Miami. Associated Press writers Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee and Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale contributed to this report.

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The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state has been corrected. Officials reported 15,071 hospitalizations, not 15,077.
BERLIN (AP)  The German government agreed Tuesday to provide 30 billion euros ($35 billion) to help rebuild regions hit by devastating floods last month.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and the heads of Germany's 16 states approved the state flood aid package, which still needs parliament's endorsement.

This is significantly more than we had for previous floods, Merkel told reporters in Berlin.

More than 180 people died in Germany and hundreds more were injured in the July 14-15 floods, which also claimed lives in neighboring Belgium. Heavy rainfall turned small streams into raging torrents, sweeping away houses, bridges and cars.

A United Nations science panel released a report this week predicting that such extreme weather events will become more frequent as the planet heats up further.

The cost of the German aid package  agreed just weeks before the country's national election on Sept. 26  will be shared more or less evenly by the federal government and states, with the latter's payments spread over 30 years.

The two sides also agreed to establish a nationwide siren network and introduce a system that will allow authorities to send push messages to people's cellphones to warn them of possible disasters. Prosecutors are investigating whether officials failed to adequately alert residents on the night of the floods.

The government will also examine the possibility of introducing a compulsory insurance for floods and other weather-related damages.

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This story has been corrected to give the right amount of aid provided by the German government to rebuild flood-hit areas. It is 30 billion euros, not 58 billion euros.

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Follow AP's coverage of climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-change
Captain Amarinder Singh 'complained' to Sonia Gandhi that Sidhu's criticism of his government is not good for its smooth functioning and gives a bad impression in the public domain.

New Delhi [India], August 11 (ANI): Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has raised his concerns in front of Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi regarding the recent statements made by Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu after his appointment to the post.

According to party sources, Captain Amarinder Singh complained to Sonia Gandhi that Sidhus criticism of his government is not good for its smooth functioning and gives a bad impression in the public domain. Captain expressed his views to Sonia Gandhi in a meeting at her residence on Tuesday.

This was the first meeting held with the partys top leader after the appointment of Sidhu. Sources said that Sonia Gandhi took note of it and asked Punjab Congress in-charge Harish Rawat, who was also present in the meeting, to look into it.

Newly appointed PCC President Sidhu on Monday took to Twitter and said, In February 2018, Special task Force (STF) headed by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Harpreet Sidhu filed status report in Punjab and Haryana High Court, investigating statements and evidence recorded by Enforcement Directorate (ED) that were submitted before Court in case of Bikramjit Singh Majithia and others involved in drug trafficking

In 2018, I held a press conference, asking the government to immediately act upon the information shared by STF with the Court, after investigating into incriminating evidence produced before Court by Enforcement Directorate (Sharing Court records with admissible statements), tweeted Sidhu while attaching the documents.

Sidhu further voiced his opinion in the matter and said that Court had asked Punjab government to proceed as per law on the STF Report. On 23 May, 2018, the government filed before Court Opinion-cum-Status Report that still awaits the light of day in a sealed envelope. After 2.5 years of delay, how much more the people of Punjab should wait?

What investigation had Punjab Police done? What action had the Punjab government taken? Must be brought into the public domain. Since the submission of reports, what further action did the state take in 2.5 years? Government must make itself accountable to the Public with complete transparency!!, Sidhu said while pressing on the matter in the tweet.

The Punjab Congress president, in his Twitter post also alleged that no substantial order has been passed by Court in 2.5 years on this matter that impacts the lives of Punjabs Youth. Government must move plea for preponement of opening of sealed reports to the earliest taking case against Majithia to a logical conclusion, punishing the guilty, he said.

Punishing the culprits behind the drug trade is Congresss priority under the 18-Point Agenda, said the Congress leader and further questioned that What is the action taken on Majithia? While the government seeks extradition of NRIs linked to the same case. If further delayed, we will bring a resolution in Punjab Vidhan Sabha for making the reports public.

Congress interim President stressed that Punjab Chief Minister and Navjot Singh Sidhu must work together in this matter. She has directed both the state government and Congress Party state unit to work together and not on cross purposes, said former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat after the meeting.

Captain Amarinder Singh is in Delhi for two days beginning Wednesday. According to sources, he will meet Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and then later meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the evening. (ANI)
The Delhi Police has sought three days custody of two accused Vineet and Deepak Singh and also moved an application seeking judicial custody of the other four accused including Ashwini Upadhyay.

New Delhi [India], August 11 (ANI): A Delhi Court on Tuesday remanded one-day police custody to two accused Vineet Bajpai and Deepak Singh and sent the other four accused including Advocate Ashwini Upadhayay to two days of judicial custody in connection with inflammatory sloganeering near Jantar Mantar recently.

Delhi Police has arrested six people- Ashwani Upadhyay, Vinod Sharma, Deepak Singh, Vineet Bajpai, Preet Singh, Deepak Kumar in connection with inflammatory sloganeering near Jantar Mantar.

They were presented via video conferencing before Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Tanvi Khurana.

The Delhi Police has sought three days custody of two accused Vineet and Deepak Singh and also moved an application seeking judicial custody of the other four accused including Ashwini Upadhyay.

Ashwani Upadhyay and others involved in yesterdays incident to be arrested. Delhi Police is handling the matter as per law and any communal disharmony will not be tolerated: Delhi Police pic.twitter.com/Hsydk30MaN  ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2021

Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Tanvi Khurana allowed police to quiz accused Deepak Singh and Vineet Bajpai of one day and said that one-day police custody remand is sufficient for the purpose mentioned by Police.

Police have sought police custody remand for three days in order to unearth the conspiracy behind the incident and to get the mobile recovered along with the identification of other accused persons.

Police have also filed an application seeking judicial Custody remand of accused Ashwani Upadhyay, Preet Singh, Vinod Sharma, and Deepak Kumar to prevent the accused persons from committing any further offense, for proper investigation, to prevent the accused from tampering with the evidence or from threatening or influencing the witnesses in the present matter. It is also mentioned that the judicial custody remand is also required so that the accused may not create any unruly situation affecting the public tranquility.

During the course of the hearing, Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava told the court that DCP New Delhi received an email by Ashwini Upadhyay seeking permission for a gathering of people at Jantar Mantar but permission was not given considering ongoing parliament sessions and ongoing preparation for upcoming independence day.

Prosecutor Shrivastava told the Court that despite having no permission to conduct the protest or the event, at the time when the Parliament is in session, Independence Day is right around the corner and the country is still struggling from the pandemic, the accused persons called huge gathering wherein protocols for Covid-19 were not followed and several slogans spreading communal hatred were shouted.

He further mentioned that the incident has been captured in various cameras and the videos have now become viral further spreading religious enmity. He prayed that the accused out of whom one is a highly respected practicing lawyer from the Supreme Court violated the law for organizing such an event and hence, judicial custody remand may be granted for all the four accused.

This was countered by defence lawyer Ashwini Kumar Dubey, appearing for Upadhyay by submitting that he was not present on the spot when inflammatory slogans were shouted. Upadhyay, himself submitted that he has informed the police about the viral video. Advocate Dubey urged the Court to watch the video of the event to ascertain the role of his client.

Advocate Dubey also objected the same on the ground that the accused has clean antecedents, is a highly respectable member of the Bar, and is a social reformer. He further argued that there is no merit in the application filed seeking judicial custody of the accused.

He also told the court that Upadhyay has joined the investigation.

Upadhyay, who was presented before the Court via video-conferencing told the court he was not the organizer and along with him, an IPS officer and Mahant of Kalkaji temple were present in the event and they left the Venue as soon as the crowd started swell up.

During the course of the hearing, Upadhyay also filed his bail application, which the court has listed for further hearing on August 11 before the concerned Court.

Earlier in the day, police had summoned and questioned all the accused in the matter and said that the matter is being handled as per law and any communal disharmony will not be tolerated.

On August 9, a First Information Report had been booked against an unknown group of people in connection with the alleged raising inciting slogans at Jantar Mantar.

Ashwini Upadhyay had called on a march Colonial Laws and Make Uniform Laws on Sunday where the alleged objectionable slogans were raised.

The DCP of Delhi, Deepak Yadav had told, People who had gathered at Jantar Mantar had no permission. It has come to our due notice that some people raised inciting and objectionable slogans as well. We have also received a video and have registered FIR in the case.

We are carrying out further investigation into the matter. Necessary action will be taken at the earliest. added the DCP.

Delhi Police senior official earlier told ANI that they are trying to ascertain the authenticity of the video. After verifying the video strict legal action will be taken against those individuals who have done such act, said the official.

Ashwini Upadhyay, later issued a video on Monday on his Twitter account stating that the purported video on the basis of which an FIR has been lodged has been made to defame him.

I have filed a complaint regarding the viral video to the Delhi police and have asked them to investigate the matter. If the video is real, the people seen in the video must be arrested, Upadhyay said in the video.

He said, #UniteIndiaMovement was launched to repeal Colonial Laws and Make Uniform Laws Programme, it was over at 12:15 pm. The purported video was tweeted in the evening by some miscreants to malign and defame this noble cause.

Whether the video is real or fake, it will be known after investigation but one thing is certain that it has been made to defame me, Upadhyay said in his tweet on Monday.

Further probe in the matter is underway. (ANI)
A meeting of the floor leaders of Opposition parties in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, however, the government sources said that as all bills are through, it is expected that the Monsoon session will be adjourned sine die today.

New Delhi [India], August 11 (ANI): A meeting of the floor leaders of Opposition parties in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, however, the government sources said that as all bills are through, it is expected that the Monsoon session will be adjourned sine die today.

The meeting will be held at the Chamber of Leader of Opposition of Rajya Sabha at 10 am today. Earlier on Tuesday, the Lok Sabha passed the 127th Constitution amendment bill to restore the states power to make their own other backward classes (OBC) list after the participation of all political parties in the debate for the first time during this monsoon session.

Almost all of our bills are through and the rest will be cleared in Rajya Sabha tomorrow as well. We will see how business goes. We expect the opposition to remain adamant about stalling the parliament. We may wrap up the work and the parliament may be adjourned sine die on Wednesday, added a source.

The sources stated that the government is mulling adjournment as there is no point in running the House when business is sought to be disrupted and the opposition is not letting others debate or discussion on issues of public importance. Also, a lot of money is going down the drain, said the source.

However, the dominant feeling is that the House is going to be adjourned. The final decision will depend upon the work undertaken on Wednesday, added the source. (ANI)
Amid unabated violence in Afghanistan, a three-day conference is underway in Doha, Qatar to discuss the peace process in the war-torn country, with attendance from the Taliban, the US, and a host of other countries.

Amid unabated violence in Afghanistan, a three-day conference is underway in Doha, Qatar to discuss the peace process in the war-torn country, with attendance from the Taliban, the US, and a host of other countries.

The participants at the high level titled Troika Plus include representatives from the UN, Qatar, US, UK, EU, China, Uzbekistan and Pakistan.

Top Afghan peace negotiator Abdullah Abdullah and US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad are also in attendance.

Participants will discuss the Afghan peace process, Ariana News reported.

Feraidoon Khozon, a spokesperson for the Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), said: Afghan delegation will convey its message of reduction in violence and accelerating peace negotiations in this meeting.

Meanwhile, US special envoy Khalilzad who left Washington for Doha on Sunday had said he will push the Taliban to stop their military offensive and engage in peace talks with the Afghan government.

Later Tuesday, during a presser, a State Department spokesperson had said that Ambassador Khalilzad is there to seek to advance and seek to support. He will press the Taliban to stop their military offensive and to negotiate a political settlement.

This meeting in Troika Plus format comes on the heel of the UNSCs special session on Afghanistan where member states expressed concern about the deteriorating situation and called for a political settlement.

Afghanistan is witnessing a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified its offensive against Afghan forces and civilians with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a month away. (ANI)
China has decided to recall its ambassador from Vilnius after the Lithuanian authorities allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in the country.

China has decided to recall its ambassador from Vilnius after the Lithuanian authorities allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in the country, local media reported on Tuesday.

In July, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu announced that Taiwan would open a representative office in Vilnius. The Chinese Foreign Ministry today strongly opposed Vilnius decision saying the government decided to recall the Chinese ambassador from Lithuania and asked the Lithuanian government to recall its ambassador from China.

Despite numerous notes and warnings from the Chinese side, the Lithuanian government recently announced that it would allow the Taiwanese administration to open a representative office on behalf of Taiwan, which became a gross violation of the communique on establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Last month, Wu had said that the country will be opening a representative office in Lithuania. Lithuanian Economy Minister Ausrine Armonaite said her country would open a trade office in Taiwan in October or November.

During a presser, Wu had said the governments of Taiwan and Lithuania agreed to open a representative office in their respective capitals. It is said to be Taiwans second representative office in Europe. The first was opened in Slovakia in 2003.

Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.

Earlier, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis in July had said the establishment of a representative office in Taiwan and other Asian countries is not intended to counter China but to reach out to the Indo-Pacific region out of national interest, Taiwan News reported. (ANI)
Underlining China's rapidly building nuclear arsenal, the United States on Tuesday said that Beijing should participate in consultations on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.

Washington DC [US], August 11 (ANI): Underlining Chinas rapidly building nuclear arsenal, the United States on Tuesday said that Beijing should participate in consultations on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.

Ned Price, State Department spokesperson during a press briefing, said the US believes it is important that nuclear powers engage in nonproliferation dialogue directly to discuss reducing nuclear dangers and avoiding miscalculation.

We encourage Beijing to engage with us on practical measures to reduce the risks of destabilizing arms races and conflict, Price said at a briefing.

our Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman recently engaged in a round of Strategic Stability Dialogue with the Russian Federation. And its important that nuclear powers  China, of course, be among them  be open to professional dialogue and discussion, precisely to reduce the risk of these weapons, the spokesperson said.

While refraining from commenting on Chinas nuclear doctrine, the spokesperson added that it is becoming more and more obvious that Beijing is building a larger and more diverse nuclear arsenal.

Despite efforts to obfuscate this, this rapid buildup has become more difficult to hide, and it does suggest that China is deviating from decades of nuclear strategy based around minimum deterrence, he added.

US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken last week had noted serious concerns over the rapid growth of Chinas nuclear arsenal. He had highlighted how Beijing has sharply deviated from its decades-old nuclear strategy based on minimum deterrence.

Last month, satellite images revealed that Beijing is building a nuclear missile silo field 380 km northwest of the Yumen field and this has set the alarm bells ringing for the United States.

Considering other missile silos that are being constructed by China, the country seems to be aiming for a tenfold increase in intercontinental ballistic missiles, The Washington Post reported. (ANI)
3 1 of 3 Derek Turner / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Christian Abraham/Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Effective immediately, College Street Music Hall in New Haven is requiring proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test received 72 hours prior to venue admission, according to a Facebook post.

Space Ballroom in Hamden will also follow the same guidelines, according to a Facebook post by Manic Presents, the company that manages both theaters. There has been no word yet on policy changes for the Westville Music Bowl which is also managed by Manic Presents.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, a top Democrat in the Connecticut General Assembly, is calling for all state and municipal employees, including teachers, professors and police officers, to be required to get vaccinated for COVID-19.

Refusing to get vaccinated is not a right under public workers' union contracts, Duff said.

Theres no bargaining in my opinion," he told The Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday. Its the right thing to do.

Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont has said hes willing to consider requiring state employees to get vaccinated or possibly face weekly testing, saying its an issue he wants to discuss with state employee union representatives and the General Assembly.

Max Reiss, Lamont's communications director, said Wednesday the governor will continue to use the tools in his toolbox to get as many people vaccinated as possible." Reiss acknowledged the administration has had conversations with the union leaders regarding the need for state employees to get their shots.

One state, California, has already said it will require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, under a new policy announced Wednesday. It is the first state to do so. Meanwhile, Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced last week that all county and state workers, including from the Department of Education, would be required to disclose their vaccination status or face weekly testing. Californias order is considered far more sweeping, applying to all staff who work in both public and private schools.

Its really important for us to continue to beat the drum of people getting their vaccines, to continue to educate folks, but also have a firm hand and say, Yes, we need to mandate these vaccinations, Duff said. Because without that, it continues to put our state and country in harms way.

Duff, who lives in Norwalk, said he also believes day care staff and all health care workers should be required to be vaccinated while medical offices should disclose whether their staff members have gotten their shots.

Last week, Lamont directed an executive order, which was signed by Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, that requires all employees of long-term care facilities to receive at least the first dose of a vaccine by Sept. 7.

Duff said it remains to be seen whether state lawmakers would need to extend the governor's current emergency powers beyond Sept. 30 in order for him to require more people to get vaccinated.

He expressed frustration that requiring vaccinations might be necessary.

A lot of us didn't think we'd have to mandate it. Who would think that we would even have to go down this road? he said. "People who have done the right things and have been vaccinated, they now have to put their freedoms on hold and now have to put their way of life on hold."

In other coronavirus-related news:

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STUDENT SUPPORT

Students who attended one of Connecticuts 12 community colleges during the COVID-19 pandemic are receiving some financial help in hopes of encouraging them to continue their studies.

Under the Student Support Program, funded with $58 million in federal COVID relief money, checks of $100 or $350, depending on financial need, will be sent this week to help pay for a student's cost of attending school or other expenses, such as tuition, housing, food, health care or child care. The Connecticut State Colleges and University System expects to release additional payments in October and December 2021 and in spring 2022.

Students without legal status are also eligible for the funds. Also, the four state universities are providing similar direct support to students.

Last month, CSCU President Terrence Cheng announced $17 million in debt that Connecticut community college students took on or could not repay because of the pandemic will be forgiven.

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INFECTION RATES

New London County has become the third in Connecticut to be designated as a high coronavirus transmission area by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC increased the county's designation from substantial to high on Tuesday, putting it at the same level as Hartford and New Haven counties. High transmission means there were 100 or more new virus cases per 100,000 residents, or a positive test rate of 10% or more, over a seven-day period.

New London County had about 101 new cases per 100,000 residents from Aug. 3 to 9, a nearly 26% increase from the previous week. The positive test rate was about 3.5%.

Hartford County had about 118 new cases per 100,000 people from Aug. 3 to 9, while New Haven County had about 124 new cases per 100,000 residents, according to the CDC. The state's five other counties have substantial virus transmission rates.

Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by 237.4, an increase of 91.7%, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. As of Wednesday, state officials report there were 230 people hospitalized for COVID-19, an increase of 11 since Tuesday. It's the highest total since mid-May.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  Attorneys for the suspect in a 2018 Florida high school massacre told a judge Tuesday that the news media and public should be barred from all pretrial hearings, saying Nikolas Cruzs right to an impartial jury will be irrevocably harmed if certain evidence is revealed before jurors are seated.

Chief assistant public defender David Wheeler told Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer that discussing during open pretrial hearings evidence that might be excluded or barred would let the cat out of the bag and create news coverage that would prejudice the potential juror pool.

Wheeler said the publics view of Cruz, 22, has already been tainted by news coverage. Cruz is charged with killing 17 and wounding 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb. 14, 2018.

Prosecutors and lawyers for the news media argued that a blanket order barring reporters from hearings would violate Florida law. They said the defense needs to request a closed session each time specific evidence will be discussed that it considers prejudicial  and show how its public disclosure would harm Cruz's fair trial rights.

Prosecutor Steven Klinger told the judge that Cruz's attorneys can file generic motions that don't describe in detail the evidence they want discussed in secret. The judge could then review the evidence in private to determine how to proceed. For example, he said, she had already done that, sealing portions of Cruz's confession to detectives hours after the shooting.

There are ways around this, Klinger said.

News media attorney Deanna Shullman told Scherer that journalists are the public's witnesses to assure that she, the prosecutors and the defense are all doing their jobs properly and should only be barred in extreme circumstances.

Everybody thinks that access is about our ability to look at what the defendant did or a right to look at the evidence of his crimes, said Shullman, who represented ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, CNN and several other media companies. This is not at all what this is about. It is about the public's right to oversee all the players in this process.

The Associated Press is one of the media companies objecting to the closure, but is represented by a different attorney.

Scherer said she would rule next week, but seemed skeptical of Wheeler's arguments. At one point she seemed prepared to halt the hearing and dismiss his motion before being talked out of it by Klinger, who said the defense should be allowed to present its full argument.

Under a 1982 Florida Supreme Court ruling, pretrial hearings are presumed to be open and the media can be barred only if the defense proves that a closed session will prevent a serious and imminent threat to the administration of justice, will actually protect the defendants right to a fair trial and no jury instructions or other remedies for any pretrial media coverage are available except moving the trial to a different county.

California trial consultant Bryan Edelman, testifying for Cruz's attorneys, told the judge that studies show jurors who have been exposed to significant news media coverage are more likely to have a negative view of defendants' credibility and likability, find them less sympathetic and are more likely to find them guilty. They are also more likely to consider evidence mentioned in the news media but excluded at trial, often wrongly believing they heard it during testimony, he said.

He said typical solutions such as questioning prospective jurors about their media exposure during selection and the judge's standard jury instruction to disregard everything heard outside the courtroom aren't effective in high-profile trials.

Edelman said there have already been numerous articles that he considers prejudicial to Cruz's right to a fair trial, including reporting that he has confessed. Under cross-examination, he conceded he has not surveyed potential jurors in Broward County, but said there is nothing special that would make the area immune to such media influence.

Cruz, a former Stoneman Douglas student, has pleaded not guilty, but his attorneys have said he would plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. Prosecutors have rejected that proposal, saying they will seek the death penalty. No trial date has been set.

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This version corrects the spelling of the judge's last name.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  A Boise man who was arrested on a trespassing charge after entering private businesses and refusing to wear a mask has notified local law enforcement agencies that he intends to sue, claiming he was assaulted and falsely imprisoned by the arresting officers.

The Idaho Press reports Peter Alan Hearn, 51, filed the tort claim seeking $4.5 million in damages against officers and attorneys in Boise and Ada County in his Dec. 18 arrest. People who intend to sue government agencies generally must file a tort claim first, giving the government entity three months to respond.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  Churches and other houses of worship will be considered providers of essential services during future states of emergency in New Hampshire.

Gov. Chris Sununu on Tuesday signed a bill that allows such religious organizations to operate to the same degree as essential businesses during a state of emergency.

Supporters argued it wasn't fair to shut down churches during the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic while hardware and liquor stores remained open. Many religious organizations held services online during that time.

The new law takes effect in 60 days.

In other coronavirus developments:

NURSING HOME-VACCINE MANDATE

Workers at the Merrimack County Nursing Home have just under two months to get vaccinated against the coronavirus if they want to keep their jobs.

County commissioners on Wednesday adopted a policy requiring the vaccines for all staff at the Boscawen nursing home and its assisted living facility to be vaccinated by Oct. 1.

Commission Chair Tara Reardon said the decision was based on protecting the health and safety of employees, residents and visitors and the community at large. Officials also want to protect residents from the effects of a worker shortage if there was an outbreak among unvaccinated staff, she said.

___

MUSIC VENUE RESTRICTIONS

A music venue in Derry will require concert goers to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test results when it reopens for indoor performances next week.

Starting Aug. 20, the Tupelo Music Hall will require guests to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test within 72 hours of the show. All employees working indoors will be required to be vaccinated and wear masks, while visitors will be encouraged to wear masks.

Please understand that politics have nothing to do with these decisions, officials said in a newsletter Wednesday. The change comes down to the health of our employees, patrons and bands. There will never be a normal indoor show again if we dont take actions now to control the spread of this virus.

The music hall is encouraging guests to use an app called bindle that will allow vaccination status to be shared without displaying private medical records.

___ THE NUMBERS

More than 102,000 people have tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, including 160 cases announced Wednesday. Two new deaths were announced, bringing the total to 1,393.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire has risen over the past two weeks from 53 new cases per day on July 26 to 150 new cases per day on Aug. 9.

___

Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  A federal appeals court has dismissed a judges ruling that threw out Gov. Tom Wolfs sweeping COVID-19 restrictions, saying the case is now moot because statewide mitigation measures have expired and Pennsylvania voters have since constrained a governors emergency powers.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that since the Wolf administration's stay-at-home orders, limits on crowd size and business closures have been lifted and are no longer in effect, there is consequently no relief that this court can grant.

Republican state lawmakers and many conservatives and business owners had railed against the states pandemic restrictions, calling them excessive, inconsistent and unconstitutional. In May, Pennsylvania voters approved amendments to the state constitution that give lawmakers more say over the length of a disaster declaration and the management of it.

"The parties agree that the governors orders are no longer in effect and that he has been stripped of his power to unilaterally act in connection with this pandemic," the three-judge panel wrote. Thus, the case is moot.

The appeals court instructed U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV to vacate his nearly year-old ruling that Wolfs pandemic restrictions were overreaching and arbitrary and violated citizens constitutional rights. The appeals court had previously put the ruling on hold while the Wolf administration appealed.

Stickman, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, had sided with plaintiffs that included hair salons, drive-in movie theaters, a farmers market vendor, a horse trainer and several Republican officeholders in their lawsuit against Wolf, a Democrat, and his health secretary.

Other federal and state courts had rejected various challenges to Wolfs authority to impose public health orders in response to the pandemic.

Wolf's spokesperson, Lyndsay Kensinger, said Wednesday the administration was pleased by the decision to vacate Stickman's ruling. An email seeking comment was sent to an attorney for the plaintiffs.

Writing separately, 3rd Circuit Judge Kent Jordan said that while he agreed with the majority there is no longer an active legal dispute to resolve, he noted the Wolf administration has said the constitutional amendments do not affect a state health secretarys disease-prevention authority to issue mask-wearing and stay-at-home orders or shut down schools and businesses deemed nonessential.

But he said the court has been given little reason to doubt" Wolf administration assurances that it does not plan to restore such statewide mitigation measures, even as the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus has led to sharply rising infections and hospitalizations.

Because the court sees no reasonable expectation that they will be reimposed, he wrote, the case is over.

Wolf's spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that the administration has no plans to reimpose statewide mitigation measures.

Wolf is instead urging people to get vaccinated, as there is a correlation between increased vaccination rates and lower COVID-19 case counts, said Kensinger, who stressed the importance of eligible Pennsylvanians getting vaccinated to stop the spread of COVID-19."

Nearly 64% of Pennsylvania adults are fully vaccinated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jordan also wrote that the court was not ruling on the merits of the plaintiffs case. The decision, he wrote, should not be read as ... indicating a failure to understand that there are real-world consequences flowing from governmental responses to the unprecedented (at least in our lifetime) pandemic we are yet working our way through.

In other coronavirus-related developments in Pennsylvania on Wednesday:

___

PHILLY IMPOSES MASK, VACCINE MANDATES

New mask mandates will go into effect at midnight Wednesday in Philadelphia, and new city hires will be required to be vaccinated starting Sept. 1, city officials announced.

The restrictions and policy changes come as the citys count of new COVID-19 cases has risen exponentially over the past six weeks. The city is now reporting nearly 200 cases per day, up from an average in the low 20s in early July.

Im upset that people just cant act in the way they are supposed to act ... and do whats good for everybody, said a visibly irritated Mayor Jim Kenney, speaking at a news conference. He pleaded for people to please just get vaccinated.

Starting at midnight, restaurants and businesses must enforce mask-wearing inside unless they can verify that all employees and patrons are vaccinated, said acting Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole.

The city will also require masks inside city buildings and at outdoor, unseated events of 1,000 or more people. It was unclear if that mandate would impact the huge Made in America festival over Labor Day weekend, but Kenney and Bettigole said people should be prepared to wear masks at such events until cases decline.

Bettigole said cooling centers were instituting a mask mandate even earlier  at noon Wednesday  because of the vulnerable populations that tend to use them.

The city will also require new hires as of Sept. 1 to be fully vaccinated. Existing employees will either be required to be vaccinated or wear two masks  a paper mask underneath a two-ply cloth mask  while working indoors with others.

A day earlier, Wolf announced that some 25,000 employees of Pennsylvanias prisons and state health care and congregate care facilities have about a month to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or take weekly tests for the virus.

___

Rubinkam reported from northeastern Pennsylvania.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Ramya Vijaya, Stockton University

(THE CONVERSATION) Economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic depends on sustained investment in health care and social services. But while rich countries like the U.S. can borrow and spend relatively easily, low-income nations face a major obstacle: their credit ratings.

A credit rating, like a credit score, is an assessment of the ability of a borrower  whether its a company or a government  to repay its debts. Lower credit ratings drive up the cost of borrowing.

This threat prompted some poorer countries to avoid tapping investors for vital financing during the pandemic, while other governments that made plans to spend more on public services were hit with credit ratings downgrades from private companies.

My forthcoming research shows that when credit ratings fall, countries tend to spend less on health care. This should be a cause for concern as the delta variant of the coronavirus drives up case counts across the world.

Punished for health care spending

A wide gap has emerged between rich and poor countries in terms of how much they are spending to fight the coronaviruss impact and shore up their health care infrastructure.

Governments in rich countries have provided trillions of dollars in direct and indirect support for their economies, on average about 24% of their gross domestic product. Developing economies, on the other hand, have been able to spend only a tiny fraction of that, an average of about 2% of their GDP.

Recent research found that a countrys credit rating was the largest factor in how much a government spent on COVID-19 relief. That is, the lower a countrys rating, the less it was able to spend on health care and other social services.

For instance, Ivory Coast and Benin are the only two countries in sub-Saharan Africa that have been able to borrow in international markets since the pandemic began. Others chose not to borrow, at least in part, it seems, out of fear of the ratings downgrades that might result. This has prevented them from financing much-needed spending.

The fear is justified. Countries that planned to increase spending, such as Morocco and Ethiopia, were punished for it. Moroccos credit rating, for example, was downgraded to speculative grade, or junk, by Fitch and Standard & Poors because of its plan to spend more on social services. The ratings cuts will make it much harder, and more expensive, for it to borrow from international investors.

And Moodys Investors Service slashed Ethiopias credit rating after the country sought debt relief from a new Group of 20 program so that it could spend more on supporting its economy and citizens.

Overall, despite spending far less during the pandemic, poorer countries were much more likely than wealthier ones to see their credit ratings cut by Fitch, Standard & Poors and Moodys  the three biggest private credit rating agencies.

Low-income countries are therefore forced to choose between keeping their credit ratings stable and undertaking critical social services spending.

In my own research, which is currently under peer review, I looked at ratings changes across a group of 140 countries from 2000 to 2018. I found that downgrades in credit ratings lowered public spending on health care.

The IMFs rating system

Even the International Monetary Fund, which is the main global agency that oversees development finance, uses a rating system that tends to penalize governments for any increase in public spending. That includes spending invested in their health care systems.

The IMF evaluates the creditworthiness of countries through a system it calls its debt sustainability framework. Countries are classified into three levels of credit capacity - strong, medium or weak.

Weak countries are deemed to have a low ability to handle additional debt based on their current levels of indebtedness. No distinction is made between debt that was a result of important long-term investments in social services like health and education and debt incurred by more wasteful spending. Countries are then required by the IMF to improve their ratings as a condition of aid, such as by putting the focus on debt repayment, short-term economic objectives and across-the-board spending cuts.

An op-ed in The Lancet blamed similar IMF-induced austerity in the early 2000s for a reduction in health care spending in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, leaving them susceptible to the Ebola crisis in 2014. The three were the worst-affected countries in an epidemic that lasted two years and led to over 11,000 deaths.

Ratings reform

The IMF recently announced a plan to issue US$650 billion in reserve funds that low-income countries can use to buy vaccines and expand health care. While that should help more countries not to have to choose between credit ratings and the well-being of their citizens during the pandemic, its only a short-term fix.

A recent United Nations report urged reform of how private credit ratings agencies are regulated, arguing they lack accountability and make it hard for poor countries to fulfill their human rights obligations. A proposal to put a moratorium on the sovereign credit ratings of debt-burdened countries during crises would also help provide a buffer.

Permanent changes in how the IMF and private credit ratings agencies evaluate debt, however, may be needed so that theyre not penalizing countries for making important investments in health care and other public services. That would help countries can build their health care infrastructure so that they arent caught off guard by the next pandemic.

[The Conversations Politics + Society editors pick need-to-know stories. Sign up for Politics Weekly._]

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/credit-ratings-are-punishing-poorer-countries-for-investing-more-in-health-care-during-the-pandemic-165298.
GUILFORD  A town former resident and the previous chief financial officer of a Connecticut health care staffing agency was ordered to serve two years of probation for helping prepare a false tax return, according to federal prosecutors.

Pamela Smith, 72, who now lives in Kirkland, Wash., was sentenced Tuesday by Judge Victor A. Bolden to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service during a court appearance via video conference. Smith pleaded guilty on Jan. 12.

From 2009 to 2018, Smith was the chief financial officer at Equinox Home Care, a Stratford-based home health care staffing agency. During her employment, prosecutors said, Smith developed a partnership with Theresa Foreman and another person. When the partnership ended in September 2012, the court ordered Foreman to pay her partner for the persons interest in Equinox Home Care, prosecutors said.

At Foremans direction, Smith and the companys payroll manager helped get money from the business in a way that hid that it was Foreman receiving the funds, prosecutors said. Starting in 2012, the payroll included payments to ghost employees who didnt work for the company. Prosecutors said those funds were actually for Foremans benefit.

As the companys CFO, Smith was aware the payroll checks were being issued to nonexistent employees, and that the company and its payroll manager were causing false payroll checks to be issued, prosecutors said.

Smith also helped Foreman by ordering someone else to issue bonus checks to about 30 employees. Prosecutors said the employees cashed the checks and gave the money to Foreman. Some of those employees later saw that amount of funds cashed were included on their W-2 tax form. Prosecutors said Smith only issued corrected forms if workers made the request, while others overpaid in taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

Foreman also got money through cashed mileage checks issued to two individuals who did not drive on the companys behalf, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said more than $600,000 was not reported on Foremans 2014 tax return.

Foreman pleaded guilty to tax evasion and was sentenced on Jan. 6, 2020, to 12 months and one day in prison. She also was ordered to pay $641,941.46 in restitution.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Hours after clinching an initial budget victory, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer conceded Wednesday that Democrats face a tough pathway to delivering a package surging $3.5 trillion into family, health and environment programs to President Joe Biden's desk.

Schumer, D-N.Y., made the remarks after the Senate approved a budget resolution outlining Democrat's 10-year plan for transforming the government into an engine focused on helping lower- and middle income people and slowing the planet's ominously warming temperatures.

The real test will be when Democrats write and vote on subsequent legislation actually enacting the party's priorities into specific spending and tax policies. To succeed, Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will have to satisfy competing demands from party moderates worried about a fat price tag and progressives demanding an all-out drive for their priorities, all with virtually no margin for error in the narrowly divided Congress.

We still have a long road to travel," Schumer told reporters, turning to a football analogy. Its as if we caught a nice long pass at midfield, but we still have 50 yards to go before we score a touchdown."

Actually, some might compare it more to being halfway up Mount Everest with the steeper climb ahead. That's because it's easier for leaders to coax votes from lawmakers for a budget blueprint than it is when they're writing actual changes in spending and tax laws that will deeply impact voters, interest groups and campaign contributors.

Underscoring the political broadsides that lay ahead, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said in a statement that he has serious concerns about the grave consequences" of spending an additional $3.5 trillion that he said could fuel inflation and threaten the economy. The views of Manchin, one of the Senate's most conservative Democrats, clash with progressives hopes for that amount or more.

Much of the cost of Democrats' proposal would be borne by wealthy people and large corporations, another area where some centrist Democrats may be wary.

The Senate on Tuesday approved the other big chunk of Bidens objectives, a compromise $1 trillion bundle of transportation, water, broadband and other infrastructure projects. That measure, which passed 69-30 with 19 Republicans backing it, still needs House approval.

The Senate approved the budget resolution at about 4 a.m. EDT Wednesday over uniform Republican opposition, 50-49. It seems sure to get final congressional approval from the House later this month.

That fiscal blueprint's passage is pivotal because that will protect a follow-up bill enacting specific Democratic policies into law from a GOP filibuster in the 50-50 Senate, which would otherwise kill that legislation. Democrats have just a three-vote cushion in the House as well.

Schumer predicted that the final legislation  which the party hopes to produce next month  will contain every part of the Biden plan in a big, bold, robust way."

Pointedly, he did not specify that the bill would provide the full amounts for Biden's priorities that the president wants. To fit Democrats' goals into their budget plans, some Biden policies may need to be made less ambitious or phased in or out over time.

A chief force behind Democrats' drive has been Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. He said the measure would help children, families, the elderly and working people  and more.

It will also, I hope, restore the faith of the American people in the belief that we can have a government that works for all of us, and not just the few," he said.

Republicans argued that Democrats' proposals would waste money, raise economy-wounding taxes, fuel inflation and codify far-left dictates that would harm Americans.

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., missed the budget votes to be with his ailing wife.

In a budget ritual, senators plunged into a "vote-a-rama," a nonstop parade of messaging amendments that often becomes a painful all-night ordeal. This time, the Senate held more than 40 roll calls by the time it approved the measure at around 4 a.m. EDT, more than 14 hours after the procedural wretchedness began.

With the budget resolution largely advisory, the goal of most amendments was not to win but to force the other party's vulnerable senators to cast troublesome votes that can be used against them in next year's elections for congressional control.

Republicans crowed after Democrats opposed GOP amendments calling for the full-time reopening of pandemic-shuttered schools and boosting the Pentagon's budget and retaining limits on federal income tax deductions for state and local levies. They were also happy when Democrats showed support for Biden's now suspended ban on oil and gas leasing on federal lands, which Republicans said would prompt gasoline price increases.

One amendment may have boomeranged after the Senate voted 99-0 for a proposal by freshman Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., to curb federal funds for any municipalities that defund the police. That idea has been rejected by all but the most progressive Democrats, but Republicans have persistently accused them anyway of backing it.

In an animated, sardonic rejoinder, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., called Tuberville's amendment a gift" that would let Democrats put to bed this scurrilous accusation that somebody in this great esteemed body would want to defund the police." He said he wanted to walk over there and hug my colleague."

The budget blueprint envisions creating new programs including tuition-free pre-kindergarten and community college, paid family leave and a Civilian Climate Corps whose workers would tackle environmental projects. Millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally would have a new chance for citizenship, and there would be financial incentives for states to adopt more labor-friendly laws.

Medicare would add dental, hearing and vision benefits, and tax credits and grants would prod utilities and industries to embrace clean energy. Child tax credits beefed up for the pandemic would be extended, along with federal subsidies for health insurance.

Besides higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations, Democrats envision savings by letting the government negotiate prices for pharmaceuticals it buys, slapping taxes on imported carbon fuels and strengthening IRS tax collections. Democrats have said their policies will be fully paid for, but they'll make no final decisions until this fall's follow-up bill.
DAKAR, Senegal (AP)  The paramedics get the urgent call at 10:30 p.m.: A 25-year-old woman, eight months pregnant and likely suffering from COVID-19, is now having serious trouble breathing.

Yahya Niane grabs two small oxygen cylinders and heads to the ambulance with his team. Upon arrival, they find the young woman's worried father waving an envelope in front of her mouth, a desperate effort to send more air her way.

Her situation is dire: Niane says Binta Ba needs to undergo a cesarean section right away if they are to save her and the baby. But first they must find a hospital that can take her.

All the hospitals in Dakar are full so to find a place for someone who is having trouble breathing is very difficult, he says.

Its a scenario that has become all too common as Senegal confronts a rapid increase in confirmed coronavirus cases. Instead of motorcycle accidents and heart attacks, the vast majority of ambulance calls in the countrys capital are now COVID-19 cases.

We have had an influx of calls for respiratory distress, said Dr. Abdallah Wade, head of the regulation department at SAMU, Senegals emergency medical service. We had a few in the first wave, a few in the second wave, but since the beginning of the third wave, 90% of the calls are for respiratory distress.

During the first year of the pandemic, Senegal was frequently cited as a success story in Africa: After quickly closing the country's airport and land borders, President Macky Sall mandated mask-wearing and temporarily halted interregional travel.

The delta variant, though, has changed all that. While the country of 16 million people received more 500,000 AstraZeneca vaccines through the U.N.-backed COVAX initiative, the demand has now outstripped the supply leaving many still waiting for their second doses.

Hospital beds, too, are in short supply, leaving COVID-19 patients to languish at home while they wait for a spot or until their condition further deteriorates.

Now there is an overflow of calls and an overflow of patients and very few places available," said Dr. Mouhamed Lamine Dieng, who works at the emergency services control center trying to triage and place patients.

The main challenge for the team is to find a place at the right time to save a person before they die," he said.

Binta Ba, the young expectant mother, ultimately got a spot since her oxygen levels had dropped sharply. Doctors estimated that 50% of her lungs had been affected by the virus by the time she made it there.

Doctors delivered her baby girl by cesarean in time. Four days later though, the mother remains on oxygen support in the intensive care unit while hospital workers tend to the newborn.

There are people who thought that COVID did not exist," said Djiba Ba, the baby's grandfather.

This is because some people denied its existence on social media networks and TV channels, he said. "I swear to you that COVID is real and that people who refuse to be vaccinated should be punished.
NEW HAVEN  The new Community Resilience Department that Mayor Justin Elicker proposed to fight mental health issues, homelessness and street and gun violence is closer to reality after gaining unanimous approval of the Board of Alders Finance Committee.

But the approval, while unanimous, came over several alders concerns about how, if at all, its work might be paid for in the future, because much of its funding, including that to create four new positions, would come from grants that will run out in four years.

The all-new city department would bring together the efforts of a host of agencies, from police to social services, to work to lessen violence and other social problems in the city, according to Elicker.

The proposal needs approval from the full Board of Alders.

Community Services Administrator Dr. Mehul Dalal, who addressed alders, would oversee the new, $6.16 million-a-year department, if approved.

The committee approved an ordinance amendment to establish the department.

It approved another ordinance amendment transferring $1.39 million from the Community Service Administrations homeless services line item, $625,000 from CSAs crisis response line item and $157,000 directly from CSA.

It also approved an order to transfer $8 million from the citys American Rescue Plan Act funding to the Department of Community Resilience.

Dalal said that through the creation of the new department, city is looking to double its street outreach capacity.

But Fair Haven Alder Ernie Santiago, D-15, said he is concerned that these will only be funded for four years and then weve got to find the money.

Dalal said officials will have a data and accountability plan as part of this ... so you will know at the end of four years whether this worked.

East Shore Alder Sal DeCola, D-18, however, said, I dont want to wait four years for this data. We think we should have it after two years and three years.

... If it doesnt work, these employees, I dont think they should do what they do with the Board of Ed and shift them into the General Fund, he said.

But I think this could work, DeCola said. If it doesnt, then we gave it a good shot.

Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison, D-22, was glad to see that Dalal and the city have looked at other ways to find dollars, but agreed with DeCola that the city needs to know whether the rearrangement of resources is worth it before the federal money runs out.

Aldermanic President Tyisha Walker-Myers, D-23, asked Dalal, Do you think that by creating an all-new department that it will attract (grant) funds?

Dalal said, Yes, I believe that by creating an all-new department that well be in a much better position to attract future funding.

The new department would include four existing positions, he said, and There would only be four additional positions that we would potentially have to find funding for down the road.

Hill Alder Evelyn Rodriguez, D-4, asked what city Health Director Maritza Bond might think about the new department, given that the Health Department during the pandemic has expanded beyond its basic services also to cover mental health.

She said she worried about overlap.

Bond said she sees the proposed new department as complementary, adding, We are honored as a health department to be able to be that arm of social support.

Hill Alder Ron Hurt, D-3, said there are issues in the community that should have been addressed way prior to this administration, and wondered how creating a new department would make a difference.

Dalal, who was joined by acting Comptroller Michael Gormany and Director of Special Projects Carlos Sosa-Lombardo, pointed out that among the components of the new department would be the recently-created New Haven Community Crisis Response Team.

But the team will be more effective as part of a broader department, rather than as just an orphan program, Dalal said.

Just two members of the public commented on the proposal when alders met.

Richard Youins, who works at the Yale School of Medicines PERCH program (Program for Recovery and Community Health), spoke in favor of the proposal.

He took issue with statements that services are already in place to help people. I dont see it, Youins said. The people that Im talking to, that Im working with, theyre not receiving these services.

He said the new department is needed because if we dont do it ... it will be just like the 50-year-old urban renewal that (former Mayor) Richard Lee put in place in the city of New Haven.

Urban Renewal generally has been judged as a long-term failure.

For all the resources that are available, the communitys voices are never heard  and then we say it doesnt work, Youins said.

I ask you to commit to something that lets these people know that they matter, Youins said. ... I plead with you, with all the other issues that are going on, to treat these people as people who are trying to regain their lives.

But resident Gary Doyens said, Im always troubled when we start launching new departments.

As a taxpayer, its just a grave concern, because it always gives rise to new positions and ... somehow, some way, it always ends up going to the General Fund, he said.

I get the sense that theres a little empire building going, Doyens said, referring to department heads expanding their departments ... But are we financially engineering this? Alder Hurt hit it on the head: Whats going to change?

... At the end of the day, my family needs juvenile crime to go down, Doyens said. We need homelessness to go down ... or in four years, the funding is going to dry up and were going to have to rob another department in order to pay for it.

In other business, the committee also approved the Cornell Scott Hill Health Centers 20-year lease to provide medical services in the new Dixwell Community House, and Wonderland on Ices five-year management contract for Ralph Walker Ice Rink.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
HADDAM  A group of anti-mask demonstrators disrupted a Regional School District 17 Board of Education meeting Tuesday night with bullhorns and signs.

Chairwoman Suzanne Sack began the meeting by calling for a moment of silence for 14-year-old Gianna Vincelett, a student who was killed in a hit-and-run last week.

Gianna Vincelett was a wonderful student, lives in Higganum, very well-liked by her friends, very avid athlete, and will be missed by family, friends and the entire school district, Sack said.

According to the video recording of the meeting, Sack was interrupted by someone speaking on a bullhorn outside the meeting room.

Sack excused herself from the meeting and disappeared from the cameras view. When she returned, she apologized for the interruption.

Clearly, my indication to the folks outside that we are pausing for a moment of silence is not having an impact, but, nonetheless, I dont want that to take away from the fact that this tragic accident has left us with one less precious student and the tragic loss of someone at this age is overwhelming, Sack said.

Once Sack began speaking again about counselors available for students, the bullhorn noise resumed. The noise from outside the room became so loud that the meeting was halted for five minutes after one board member said she could not hear Sack speaking.

In the background, signs reading lock up Lamont and unmask our kids, as well as American and dont tread on me flags were visible.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Sack got up again, but she did not stop the meeting. Board Secretary Jennifer Favalora tried to read the letters sent from residents to the board, speaking louder as the noise from outside the room persisted, according to the video.

Protesters also moved their signs into the frame of the livestream camera, and at times, activated sirens from their bullhorns.

A representative for Unmask Our Kids CT told Hearst Connecticut Media on Wednesday they had no idea if the demonstrators were part of their group.

Sack and Interim Superintendent JeanAnn Paddyfote did not immediately respond Wednesday to requests for comment.

christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has revealed that the Borno State Government actually demolished 11 mosques and four churches. The...

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has revealed that the Borno State Government actually demolished 11 mosques and four churches.

The revelation by MURIC is contrary to claims that only churches were demolished by the state government.

MURIC made its findings known to journalists in a statement signed by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

He said, Contrary to a coordinated propaganda over the demolition of an EYN church in Maiduguri, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) can authoritatively report that the Borno State Geographic Information Systems (BOGIS) created by Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, actually demolished 11 mosques and four churches, in the metropolis. The exercise began from 29th May, 2019 up till last week, the statement said.

A team of investigators working with MURIC visited each of the sites where the mosques were demolished, interviewed residents and gathered photographs and data that showed locations of each of the 11 mosques and dates of their demolition by officials of Borno State Government for violation of purpose approved in residential titles, which was in compliance with a 2010 Government White paper in response to the 2009 Boko Haram insurgency, which strictly prohibited the conversion of any residential house to a place of worship, in all parts of Borno State.

Findings showed that two mosques were demolished by BOGIS on 11th March, 2020, around Fato Sandi, behind works department in Maiduguri, not far from the Shehu of Bornos palace, who is next to the Sultan in the hierarchy of Nigerias leadership of the Muslim community. The Shehu is the Vice President of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA)

Two mosques were again demolished by BOGIS on the same day (March 11, 2020), at old Musami complex along Jos road in Maiduguri. Again, a mosque was demolished on the same day opposite former NITEL. Another mosque was demolished on April 15, 2020 along Kano Road, adjoining Bulumkutu, Yola Electricity Distribution Company, YEDC. Two mosques were again demolished, one near a hotel in Galadima and another near behind Timber shade, in Baga Road.

Our investigators further discovered that five other mosques conspicuously located at the Customs round-about in the western part of Maiduguri-Bama road were also demolished by BOGIS on 23rd January, 2020, for what the government called overriding public interest.

All the 11 mosques were demolished either for violating residential purposes in their allocation titles or for overriding public interest. Of the 11 mosques demolished, five were for overriding public interest and six for violations of residential titles whereas all the four churches demolished (including the EYN) were strictly demolished for converting residential houses to churches, the same way six mosques were demolished. The measures were in compliance with a 2010 white paper which is against illegal places of worship as measures of regulation.

We are nonplussed by the immense false propaganda flying around on this issue and we invite anyone who is genuinely in search of the truth to also do his or her findings. We advise armchair critics to be more enterprising. A single phone call to a friend or acquaintance in Maiduguri will debunk all the noise.

For the first time in geography, Nigerians are blessed with an uncommon governor making things work in an uncommon way. Governor Babagana Umara Zulum may not have come from Mars, but his handiwork appears alien. It is satanic to attempt to bring down this wonderful performer via religious blackmail. Leave Governor Zulum alone. Allow him to concentrate on his good work.
There was drama in Baga Local Government Area of Borno State on Tuesday when the state governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, stormed some sc...

There was drama in Baga Local Government Area of Borno State on Tuesday when the state governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, stormed some schools and conducted impromptu tests for teachers.

In a still photo making the rounds on social media, the governor was sighted invigilating the test as teachers were battling to answer questions on the blackboard.

The governors spokesman, Isa Gusau, told newsmen that the test was conducted to determine the level of the teachers qualifications and ability to teach professionally.

At the end of the exercise, the governor told the teachers that those who are not capable of teaching would be moved either to the administrative department or sent for further training.

According to the spokesman, Zulum said that at the end of each year, every teacher and his pupils will be evaluated and the government will also support them with accommodation and other related services.

After interacting and revealing their aptitude test results, Zulum announced a package of N20,000 and 10 yards of fabric (Shadda) to each teacher.

The Senior Secondary Schools Principal and the Primary School Head Teacher each got N50,000 and 10 yards of fabric (Shadda).




The United Nations has established a taskforce, in collaboration with aid organisations, to address food insecurity in northern Nigeria. ...

The United Nations has established a taskforce, in collaboration with aid organisations, to address food insecurity in northern Nigeria.





Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Antonio Guterres, UN secretary-general, disclosed this to correspondents at the UN headquarters on Tuesday, in New York.

Dujaric said the taskforce will be working with the Nigerian government to address the food crisis in the region.

Our humanitarian colleagues in Nigeria tell us that we, along with aid organisations in the country, have formed a task force to respond to increasing food insecurity in the northeast part of Nigeria, Dujaric said.





The task force is working with the government to implement a comprehensive plan to address food security, nutrition, health, protection, and water, sanitation and hygiene.

This plan needs 250 million dollars and aims to help the hardest-to-reach people to receive the food they need.

Guterres had on Friday said over $1 billion will be needed to implement the humanitarian response plan in northern Nigeria.

According to him, only one-third of the fund has been raised.

Guterres, who spoke through Farhan Haq, his deputy spokesman, said sustained funding will be needed to avert food crisis in the zone.

Our humanitarian colleagues warned that without sustained funding, millions of people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, Northeast Nigeria will struggle to feed themselves, Guterres said.

He said millions of people in the three states will struggle to feed themselves during the lean season owing to conflict, COVID-19, high food prices and the effects of climate change.

According to him, an estimated 4.4 million people, including internally displaced people, are expected to face critical food shortages, with 775,000 people being at extreme risk of catastrophic food insecurity.

This is the worst outlook in four years, he added.

The humanitarian community is working with the government and local authorities to scale up the distribution of food in high-risk areas, but a surge in violence targeting aid workers and assets has made this difficult.

Our colleagues tell us that 8.7 million people in Nigeria need urgent assistance, including 2.2 million displaced people.
The Nigerian Hunters Council says bandits and kidnappers are the bigger animals they are currently targeting in the forests across the c...

The Nigerian Hunters Council says bandits and kidnappers are the bigger animals they are currently targeting in the forests across the country.





Speaking with NAN on Tuesday in Abuja, Joshua Osatimehin, commander-general of the council, appealed to the national assembly to pass a bill seeking to establish the council lawfully.

Osatimehin said the bill, when enacted and signed into law, will enhance the councils efforts in securing local communities across the country.

There is a new approach to hunting activities; we are now hunting the bigger animals which are the bandits, kidnappers and other criminals who operate from the bushes, he said.





The bill which is sponsored by Sen. Olujimi Abiodun (Ekiti) and was presented to NASS in 2020, has passed first and second reading in both the senate and the house of representatives.

It is geared towards enhancing the councils efforts in rendering security services in bushes and local communities across the country.

With headquarters in Abuja, commands in the 36 states of the federation, the FCT and volunteers who are mostly youths, NHC operates like a paramilitary organisation.





The commander-general said the hunters encounter bandits and kidnappers in the bush but they do not have the mandate to arrest them.

When we go into the bushes we come in contact with these criminal elements, but we dont have the mandate to arrest them, Osatimehin said.

But if this bill can become a law, we dont need to take authority from anybody to apprehend these criminals.

If there is a legal framework backing our activities and logistics provided by the government, crime and criminality in the country will reduce.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Clouds and some sun this morning with more clouds for this afternoon. High 83F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds light and variable.
There's funny business afoot in the Crescent City, with local stages awash with purveyors of comedy offering a break from more heady tensions. Stage events listed were accurate as of press time. Check with venues.

At the Comedy House New Orleans, 609 Fulton St., a lineup of funny folks hits the stage this week.

Frankie "TRIXX" Agyemang, of Canada, headlines a show with Marcus Bond and Kymbra Li at 8 p.m. Thursday.

TRIXX has performed solo shows and also opened for Tracy Morgan, Damon Wayans and Mike Epps. Bond, a local, makes frequent appearances on comedy stages. Li, who moved to China as a law professor, is a comedian, writer, lyricist and recording artist. Tickets start at $25.

With two shows nightly Friday and Saturday, Chrissie Mayr takes to the stage with her unique brand of humor. The New York native, a staple at Big Apple comedy clubs, also hosts a dating and relationship advice show on Compound Media called "The Wet Spot."

Joining her will be Anna Lepeley, a doctor with degrees in exercise biochemistry and nutrition, and also known as "The Beer Doctor."

Tickets are $25 for the 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. shows.

Latin variety

Jose Torres-Tama's Teatro Sin Fonteras hits the local stage again with Latin Late Night at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Cafe Istanbul, 2372 St. Claude Ave., in New Orleans. RAICES opens the show with an Andean music piece. Gauchos del Tango with Yulene Velasquez Iturrate is the musical guest, with dancer Maritza Mercado-Narcisse, poet and activist A Scribe Called Quess? and immigrants rights activist Martha "AbolishIce" Alguera. Food will be available. Contributions start at $5.

Auditions

Open Call Theatre Company is looking for youthful artists in grades six to 12 and young thespians (under 30) and tech interns to mentor them their upcoming production of "Rumplestiltskin." The mentors perform minor roles, assist warmups, character study and backstage supervision. Auditions and tech interviews are from noon to 3 p.m. Aug. 21. Production is slated for Oct. 2-3 at the studio, 1408 Franklin St., in Gretna. Sign up at opencalltheatrecompany.com.

30 by Ninety Theatre in Mandeville plans auditions at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 31 for "Arsenic and Old Lace," a mainstay in the repertoire of community theaters for decades. The show, with a sizable cast, looks at a kindly duo of deadly sisters and the macabre yet hilarious goings-on in their home and family. The production is slated for the 880 Lafayette St. playhouse Oct. 9-24. For details, visit 30byninety.com.

In production

"Sunset Boulevard": 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 21; Cutting Edge Theater, 767 Robert Blvd., Slidell. Music, murder and madness come together in a dazzling piece of stagecraft for Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical adaptation of Billy Wilder's 1950 film noir classic about aged silent film superstar Norma Desmond, yearning for a comeback since being sidelined by "talkies," and her desire for and murder of the screenwriter living with her in her Beverly Hills manse on the infamous thoroughfare. Tickets start at $27.50. cuttingedgetheater.com.
Capt. Charles Chip Wale III of the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office has been named the recipient of the Louisiana Sheriffs Association's Deputy Sheriff Valor Award.

Wale received this award for his bravery when responding to a chaotic gunfight at a trailer park early Aug, 16, 2012. A group of self-proclaimed sovereign citizens killed two St. John the Baptist Parish deputies and severely wounded another.

Sheriff Mike Tregre waited until the trial of the killer was over to nominate Wale for the valor award.
OCHSNER HEALTH NURSING SCHOLARSHIPS: Applications are being accepted for the first class of Ochsner Nurse Scholars. The program will provide 200 scholarships to students across the state. To qualify, applicants must be actively enrolled or accepted to enroll as a full-time nursing student in a Louisiana accredited Bachelor of Science in nursing, associate degree in nursing, or licensed practical nursing program for fall 2021 and in good academic standing. To apply, visit www.ochsner.org/ochsnerscholars. For questions, email ochsnerscholars@ochsner.org.

NATIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER WEEK: DePaul Community Health Centers is celebrating National Community Health Center Week. Well-child visits will be offered from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14, at the Carrollton health center, 3201 S. Carrollton Ave.

NATIONAL COVID VACCINE INITIATIVE: Clair Millet of the Continuing Nursing Education & Entrepreneurial Enterprise at the LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing, has been appointed to the Nurse-Led Vaccine Confidence Advisory Committee of the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium. The final 20 committee members were selected from a pool of 144 across the United States. Millet is the only one from Louisiana. The committee aims to lift up the voices of underrepresented communities and raise awareness of the barriers around equitable vaccine education and access.

OCHSNER MEDICAL CENTER RANKING: U.S. News & World Report has ranked Ochsner as the No. 1 hospital in Louisiana for the 10th consecutive year, and recognized it as a Best Hospital for 2021-22. Ochsner was also ranked #1 in the New Orleans metro area.

OCHSNER HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN RANKING: U.S. News & World Report has named Ochsner Hospital for Children No. 1 in Louisiana in its Best Childrens Hospitals for 2021-22. Ochsner Hospital for Children was also recognized in pediatric cardiology and heart surgery in the new rankings. This is the fifth consecutive year Ochsner Hospital for Children has been recognized as a top Childrens Hospital.

CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL NEW ORLEANS: Jessica Brandt recently joined the board of trustees of the LCMC Childrens Hospital. She is CEO of the Ray Brandt Auto Group, which recently donated $50,000 to Children's Hospital New Orleans to help fund travel, housing and food for patients and their families. Brandt is also president of the Ray and Jessica Brandt Family Foundation.

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LSU HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER: Children and adults with special needs will benefit from a $100,000 donation from United Cerebral Palsy of Greater New Orleans to support education, patient care and community outreach at LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry. The donation will provide $60,000 to establish the endowed The United Cerebral Palsy of Greater New Orleans & Dr. Frank Martello Conference and Education in Dentistry Fund, which will support teaching best practices in delivering oral health care to patients with special needs.

LSU HEALTH NEW ORLEANS: Kimberly Frazier, an associate professor of clinical rehabilitation and counseling at the LSU Health New Orleans School of Allied Health Professions, has been elected president-elect of the American Counseling Association. Frazier holds a Ph.D. in counselor education from the University of New Orleans. She is a licensed professional counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, and a nationally certified counselor.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES: Dr. Brian Cruz has been chosen as the new medical director of Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly in Greater New Orleans (PACE GNO). dency in internal medicine at Tulane Medical Center. He will oversee a comprehensive health care program that provides clients with access to physician care, medications, rehabilitative therapy and other services to manage their health. Anyone 55 years or older in the Greater New Orleans interested in qualifying for PACE can find out more at pacegno.org/qualify.

CANCER CENTER LEADERSHIP: Dr. John H. Stewart IV has been appointed director of the LSU Health New Orleans/LCMC Health Cancer Center. He will also join the LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine faculty as a professor of surgery. A board-certified surgical oncologist from Shreveport, Stewart was recruited from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago, one of the country's largest and most diverse medical schools. His undergraduate degree is from Louisiana Tech. He graduated from Howard University College of Medicine and began his residency training in surgery at Temple.
The Louisiana Department of Health reported 3,930 more confirmed coronavirus cases and 42 more confirmed deaths in its noon update Wednesday.

The number of hospitalizations increased by 36, and the number of patients in need of ventilators increased by 35.

As of the Wednesday report, 2,895 patients were hospitalized with COVID in Louisiana. That number has continued to grow to a new record high for several days in a row.

There are now a total of 495,657 confirmed coronavirus cases and 106,284 total "probable" coronavirus cases in Louisiana, according to the agency's dashboard.

COVID cases and hospitalizations have surged unabated for more than a month now, rapidly rising to the highest levels of the pandemic. Average daily cases have been at their highest level of the pandemic since July 30 and on Wednesday the weekly total rose to a new high of 29,248.

Louisiana's weekly case count is now 5.75 times what it was four weeks ago. Weekly reported deaths are 6.2 times what they were four weeks ago.

These are another few key statewide statistics as of Monday's report:

Total confirmed cases: 495,657

Total "probable" cases: 106,284

Total confirmed deaths: 10,269

Hospitalized: 2,895

On ventilators: 373

Vaccine series initiated: 2,090,191 (updated twice weekly)

Vaccine series completed: 1,755,941

Note: The Advocate and The Times-Picayune staff calculates daily case count and confirmed death increases based on the difference between today's total and yesterday's total of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths. The Louisiana Department of Health releases a daily case count on its dashboard that includes probable cases as indicated by a positive antigen test. That case count can be different than the one listed here.

These regions have the highest single-day increase in confirmed coronavirus cases, based on the Wednesday report:

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New Orleans area: 885

Lafayette area: 547

North Shore area: 493

Baton Rouge area: 475

Shreveport area: 470

River Parishes and Houma/Thibodaux area: 439

Monroe area: 294

Lake Charles area: 163

Alexandria area: 163

These regions have the highest single-day increase in confirmed deaths, based on the Wednesday report:

Baton Rouge area: 8

North Shore area: 8

New Orleans area: 7

Alexandria area: 6

River Parishes and Houma/Thibodaux area: 5

Lafayette area: 5

Lake Charles area: 1

Shreveport area: 1

Monroe area: 1

These regions have the highest number of hospitalized COVID patients:

New Orleans area: 586

Baton Rouge area: 515

North Shore: 429

Lafayette area: 350

Shreveport area: 300

River Parishes and Houma/Thibodaux area: 203

Alexandria area: 180

Monroe area: 179

Lake Charles area: 153

Can't see chart below? Click here.

Can't see chart below? Click here.

Louisiana began reopening for Phase 1 on May 15-16 then moved to Phase 2 on June 5. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards extended Louisiana's Phase 2 restrictions twice in August before moving the state to Phase 3 on Sept. 11. The governor then moved the state back to a modified Phase 2 near the end of November before putting Louisiana back in a modified Phase 3 on March 2, 2021.

This is a developing story. More details and analysis to come.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged all pregnant women Wednesday to get the COVID-19 vaccine as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus.

Expectant women run a higher risk of severe illness and pregnancy complications from the coronavirus, including perhaps miscarriages and stillbirths. But their vaccination rates are low, with only about 23% having received at least one dose, according to CDC data.

"The vaccines are safe and effective, and it has never been more urgent to increase vaccinations as we face the highly transmissible delta variant and see severe outcomes from COVID-19 among unvaccinated pregnant people, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.

+19 Inside Ochsner's COVID units, 'rows and rows' of coronavirus patients fight to survive The sixth floor of Ochsner Medical Center in Old Jefferson was once where patients awaited heart transplants and recovered from heart surgery.

The updated guidance comes after a CDC analysis of new safety data on 2,500 women showed no increased risks of miscarriage for those who received at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine before 20 weeks of pregnancy. The analysis found a miscarriage rate of around 13%, within the normal range.

The CDCs advice echoes recent recommendations from top obstetrician groups. The agency had previously encouraged pregnant women to consider vaccination but had stopped short of a full recommendation. The new advice also applies to nursing mothers and women planning to get pregnant.

Although pregnant women were not included in studies that led to authorization of COVID-19 vaccines, experts say real-world experience in tens of thousands of women shows that the shots are safe for them and that when given during pregnancy may offer some protection to newborns.

Heres how Louisiana physicians are debunking myths about the COVID vaccine and pregnancy A group of Louisiana female physicians said Friday that misinformation is incorrectly linking coronavirus vaccines with infertility and bad pr

The new guidance comes amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S., driven by the highly contagious delta variant.

Some health authorities believe the variant may cause more severe disease  in pregnant women and others as well  than earlier versions of the virus, though that is still under investigation.

National figures show the latest surge in cases among pregnant women is lower than it was during the outbreak's winter peak. But at some hospitals in states with low vaccination rates, the numbers of sick mothers-to-be outpace those during earlier surges, before vaccines were available.

This is by far the worst weve seen in the pandemic, said Dr. Jane Martin, an obstetrician with Ochsner Baptist Medical Center in New Orleans. She added: Its disheartening and its exhausting. It feels like it doesnt have to be like this.

+4 Louisiana COVID numbers: Hospitalizations again grow to record high; here's a regional breakdown The Louisiana Department of Health reported 3,930 more confirmed coronavirus cases and 42 more confirmed deaths in its noon update Wednesday.

At the beginning of the pandemic and with each surge, Ochsner had a few pregnant patients very sick with the virus, though the numbers had dwindled in recent months.

A week or two ago that pace changed drastically, Martin said. We have had multiple critically ill pregnant patients admitted every day, most requiring intensive care.

Martin said she has taken care of at least 30 pregnant patients hospitalized with COVID-19 over the last two weeks. Most were unvaccinated.

Experts say the lifting of mask rules and other social distancing precautions and the rise of the delta variant have contributed to the worrisome trend. But also, vaccinations werent made available to women of childbearing age and others under 65 until spring.

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Early in her pregnancy, Tennessee kindergarten teacher Sara Brown decided she would wait until the baby was born to get the shots. There wasnt much safety data yet about getting vaccinated during pregnancy, and at 36, she was young, healthy and figured if I did get it, it would probably just be a bad cold.

But what seemed like a sinus infection in June turned into severe COVID-19, landing her in a Nashville intensive care unit for five days, on oxygen and struggling to breathe.

Her daughter Suzie was born healthy on Aug. 2. But it was a harrowing experience.

Not being able to catch your breath is such a panicky feeling, knowing I had life inside me that could be suffering too, she said.

To stop the 'terrifying' COVID surge, Louisiana's top public health official urges mask-wearing As Louisianas hospitals buckle under a crushing wave of new COVID-19 infections, the states top public health official said Friday the only 

At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where Brown was treated, there were no infected pregnant patients early in July. Now the hospital is admitting four to five a week, all unvaccinated, said obstetrician Dr. Jennifer Thompson. About 20% of those patients are being treated in the intensive care unit, compared with 11% during previous surges, she said.

For some pregnant patients critically ill with COVID-19, organs begin to fail and doctors induce labor early or deliver babies by cesarean section as a last resort, said Dr. Jeannie Kelly, an obstetrician at Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis.

About 20% of all patients admitted for labor and delivery last week at the St. Louis hospital are infected, more than double the rate during the COVID-19 surge in Missouri last year, she said. About one-third of these women are critically ill.

Around 105,000 pregnant U.S. women have been infected with COVID-19, and almost 18,000 have been hospitalized, according to the CDC. About one-fourth of those received intensive care and 124 died.

Pregnancy-related changes in body functions may explain why the virus can be dangerous for mothers-to-be. These include reduced lung capacity and adjustments in the disease-fighting immune system that protect and help the fetus grow.

The risks are disproportionately high for Black and Hispanic women, who are more likely to face health care and economic inequalities that increase their chances of getting sick.

Some studies suggest the virus can also increase the risks of preterm birth and stillbirth, and in rare cases, it appears to have passed from mother to fetus.

Martin, the New Orleans obstetrician, noted that local hospitals are also treating increasing numbers of children and babies sick with COVID-19, some of whom may have been infected after birth by unvaccinated mothers.

Martin was pregnant when she got her own shots last winter. She delivered a healthy baby girl a week after the last shot.

Vaccinating people is the only way out, she said.

___

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.
A proposed $4 billion Corps of Engineers plan to reduce flood and storm surge risk in St. Tammany could make things worse for some parts of the Slidell area and underestimates the cost of raising and floodproofing structures, according to public comments that have been submitted to the agency.

The Military Road Alliance, a group of 14 homeowner associations in eastern St. Tammany Parish, and the St. Tammany Parish Levee Board are among those raising questions about the plan, which relies heavily on nonstructural solutions. The largest share of the cost -- $2.2 billion -- is earmarked for raising 6,643 structures up to 13 feet and flood-proofing another 1,885.

The Corps' plan, which was made public in June, also calls for combination of levees, pump stations and channel improvements. Public comments, which closed on July 26, will be incorporated as the tentatively selected plan is developed into a final report that will go to Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., for inclusion in a report to Congress, according to a spokeswoman.

The Levee Board questioned the timeline for raising structures and asked how the Corps planned to adjust for those it might have missed.

For example, the Corps estimate calls for elevating only 400 structures in Eden Isles, a number the Levee Board says is far too low.

The Levee Board also questions the cost effectiveness and amount of time it will take to raise the structures. "This will leave eligible homes and businesses in a flood prone environment for many years to come," the Levee Board said.

The 16 miles of levee systems in the Corps proposal could cause additional storm surge effects to areas that will not be protected by levees, the Levee Board said. The Corps is waiting for the preconstruction phase to model those effects.

"This is a serious concern because the cost of protection for these areas, if warranted, will not be included in the cost/benefit calculation," the Levee Board said.

The Levee Board pointed to several places that could be at additional risk, including Eden Isles and areas west of the West Slidell levee that will extend from the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks to northwestern Lacombe.

It also cited concerns with the alignment of a levee extending from the Lakeshore Village levee to the Kingspoint levee system, which the Levee Board said is the old parish levee alignment.

"This segment is critical to protecting Old Spanish Trail, Slidell and Interstate 10," the Levee Board said, and called for moving the alignment further east to provide more comprehensive protection.

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The Levee Board also said it favors a levee alignment for the segment that runs from Kingspoint to U.S. 190 that will protect residents on both sides of Military Road.

The Military Road Alliance also focused on that segment in its comments, saying that the Corps plan doesn't protect French Branch and the Military Road communities and will not protect a critical Cleco substation and a Tammany Utilities facility that provides water and sewage treatment for the entire area.

The plan also doesn't give surge protection to 3,000 homes in Magnolia Forest, Quail Ridge, Turtle Creek and Cross Gates, the Military Road Alliance said.

They offered an alternative plan that would raise U.S. 190 from where the new Slidell levee meets Military Road to the junction at U.S. 90 and then east to the West Pearl River Bridge and also raising U.S. 90 westbound to La. 433 at the Rigolets.

That alternative would protect an additional 1,500 to 2,000 homes, the Military Road Alliance said.

Robert Broome, president of the Military Road Alliance, said that the Corps plan would protect the city of Slidell from some but not all storm surges but would make things worse for more than 8,500 homes in the eastern Slidell area.

"All the homes along Military Road, including mine and all my neighbors, would be at increase risk of damaged from flooding from the levee proposed in this plan," Broome said.

Suzanne Krieger, chair of the Levee Board, said the concerns are going to be addressed by the Levee Board and its partners, including the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.

"As we proceed we're going to do the modeling and all the research that we need to design the levee segments," she said.
Xiaomi has updated its line of smart TVs today (August 10, 2021) with new OLED-enabled models. This comes with an ultra-high contrast ratio, HDR10+ and "True 10-bit" color on the new 6-series. For those in need of even more premium specs, the new Mi TV OLED 77 model has Harman Kardon-tuned speakers, high-wattage speakers and a new spec in common with the Mi Mix 4.

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Xiaomi devoted most of its major product event of today to the long-awaited Mi Mix 4 and Mi Pad 5 series. However, it now offers new tech that might prove ideal extensions of these mobile devices once the user is at home. This is not the least because the OEM's latest TVs are, much like the Mi Mix 4, equipped with OLED screens.

The successors to the Mi TVs 5 do indeed upgrade to this panel type. Xiaomi's CEO, Lei Jun, asserted that they are surrounded with 4.6mm bezels in the new smart screens, for a screen-to-body ratio of 97%. They are rated to cover 98.5% of the DCI-P3 color gamut with a delta-E of about 2 and to achieve a max brightness of 800 nits.

The Mi TV 6 series also adds a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, "True 10-bit" color and DC dimming to its arsenal. Xiaomi has also had them certified for a TUV eye-safety rating, Dolby Vision and official IMAX enhancement. The new Mi TV 77, on the other hand, has all of the same buzz-words, and many more besides.

Xiaomi claims to have developed new "OLED V21" for this top-end model, which comes with extra "Pro" color features such as additional 95% and 100% coverage of the sRGB and BT 709 colorspaces respectively, and delta-Es of about 1.5 under each of these.

Furthermore, the new big-screen flagship is bumped up to 1000 nits of brightness and a 1,500,000:1 contrast ratio. It is also the only new model debuted today to be introduced with a 120Hz refresh rate, which also applies to its MEMC capabilities.

Xiaomi has also added to its potential gaming chops with NVIDIA G-SYNC and an "optimized for Xbox" rating. The Mi TV OLED 77 also offers VRR, ALLM and a 1 millisecond (ms) response rate. The dual HDMI 2.1 device is also the only new TV to be touted in terms of its audio performance, with 70W of 3.1 channel audio power contained within speakers with the same Harman Kardon branding as the Mi Mix 4, as well as support for DTS and Dolby Atmos.

Finally, the Mi TV OLED 77 boasts the same new UWB as the new phablet, which might imply more seamless connectivity and remote-control options between the 2 new devices. As its name suggests, it will be released as just 1 SKU with 8.5GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage to go with its 77-inch screen. It now has an introductory price of 16,999 yuan (~US$2,681), although this may increase to 19,999 yuan (~US$3,084) thereafter.

Similarly, the 55- and 65-inch Mi TV 6 OLEDs will go for 4,999 yuan (~US$771) and 6,999 yuan (~US$1,079). Xiaomi has yet to mention a release outside of China for either of these new and elaborate TVs.
Roseburg, OR (97470)

Today

Mostly cloudy early, then sunshine for the afternoon. High near 80F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear early then increasing cloudiness after midnight. Low 58F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Growing old is an increasingly expensive privilege often requiring supports and services that, whether provided at home or in a facility, can overwhelm all but the wealthiest seniors. With Americans living longer and aging baby boomers flooding the system, the financial strain is becoming unsustainable.

Consider the demographics. In 2018, there were 52.4 million Americans age 65 or older and 6.5 million 85 or older. By 2040, those numbers will hit 80.8 million and 14.4 million, respectively. From now until 2030, an average of 10,000 baby boomers will turn 65 every day. Already, demand for care dwarfs supply. The Medicaid waiting list for home-based assistance has an average wait time of more than three years.

Next, factor in the financial reality of seniors. Nearly half of U.S. households headed by someone 55 or older have no retirement savings, according to 2016 data. Many Americans over 65 face trying to get by on Social Security income alone, which provides an average retirement benefit of $18,516 a year.

Compare this with the price of long-term care. Nationwide, the median cost of a semiprivate room in a nursing home is more than $93,000 a year, according to the 2020 Genworth Cost of Care Survey. The median yearly cost of employing a home health aide full time is around $50,000. And tens of millions of Americans are providing unpaid care to family members, costing the caregiver thousands in expenses per year on top of lost work time and wages.
You made this country extensively dependent in every aspect for 20 years, and then one day you decide this is the time, and you leave without securing it to be able to make any progress.

ORZALA NEMAT, an Afghan scholar and researcher, who said the United States had become too enmeshed in Afghan life to pull out so suddenly.
Oregon is restoring a statewide mandate ordering both vaccinated and unvaccinated people to use face coverings when gathering indoors.

Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon, a Democrat, said on Wednesday that masks  which will be required starting on Friday  were needed to fight rising caseloads driven by the Delta variant, and that face coverings were a simple tool to help keep schools and businesses open.

After a year and a half of this pandemic, I know Oregonians are tired of health and safety restrictions, Ms. Brown said in a statement. This new mask requirement will not last forever, but it is a measure that can save lives right now.

Oregon was the third state to introduce an indoor mask mandate for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, after Louisiana and Hawaii. Washington, D.C., has also reinstated its mask mandate, as have several large cities.
As of Sunday, before Ms. DeRosas resignation, Mr. Cuomo was insisting to confidants that he was not going anywhere. The claims by Lindsey Boylan, the first aide to publicly accuse the governor of harassment, particularly infuriated Mr. Cuomo and his advisers. He had been expecting the report to reflect what he believed were consensual flirtations, people who spoke to him said, or to conclude at minimum that some events were he-said, she-said.

Many advisers disagreed with any rosy assessment. Chris Cuomo was among those who concluded that his brother should resign  and told him as much, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.

I heard from him the day or two after the report, and he was in a fighting mood then, said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who has known the governor for decades. He said Mr. Cuomo told him that one of the investigators, who had previously been the acting United States attorney in Manhattan, was out to get him. When Mr. Sharpton told Mr. Cuomo that chapter leaders of his National Action Network wanted the governor to resign, Mr. Cuomo said, Youve got to give me a chance, things will come out that would vindicate him.

I didnt hear from him since then, Mr. Sharpton said.

But advisers say that the reputational blast radius  affecting not only the governor but, increasingly, those most likely to assist or defend him, like his brother, Ms. DeRosa and other former aides  seemed to be part of what made him determine there was no way forward. When the only friend you have is the one looking you back in the mirror, a recent adviser said, youre screwed.
Texas Judges Rule Against Governor in Suits Over Mask Mandate Ban Oregon will restore its statewide mask mandate as Delta surges. Washington D.C. will require public workers to be vaccinated or tested.

Local officials in Texas can temporarily require masks, two judges rule. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:15 - 0:00 transcript Dallas County Judge Issues Mask Mandate A Texas judge ordered indoor mask-wearing in the Dallas area after rising coronavirus cases fueled by the Delta variant brought the levels of virus transmission and hospitalizations to those seen during the height of the pandemic. From the date of this executive order, all child care centers and pre-K through 12 public schools operating in Dallas County must develop and implement a health and safety policy. The health and safety policy must require, at a minimum, universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to child care centers and pre-K through 12 schools, regardless of vaccination status, except for children under the age of 2 years. From the date of this executive order, all commercial entities in Dallas County providing goods or services directly to the public must develop and implement a health and safety policy. The health and safety policy must require, at a minimum, universal indoor masking for all employees and visitors to the commercial entities, business premises or other facility. Your personal freedom is very important to me and to everyone. But your personal freedom does not extend to hurting your neighbors, particularly at a time of a public health disaster like this. A Texas judge ordered indoor mask-wearing in the Dallas area after rising coronavirus cases fueled by the Delta variant brought the levels of virus transmission and hospitalizations to those seen during the height of the pandemic. Credit Credit... Christopher Lee for The New York Times Two court rulings on Tuesday cleared the way for local leaders who oppose a ban by Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, a Republican, on mask mandates to at least temporarily require face coverings to help curb a rise in coronavirus cases. The first ruling came in Bexar County, which includes San Antonio. Masks can now be required in public schools and other public buildings there. Masks will also be required for county and city employees, said Andy Segovia, the city attorney for San Antonio. The chief executive of Bexar County, Judge Nelson W. Wolff, said that the ruling was important because many students who are too young to be vaccinated would otherwise be coming back to school with no protection. The second ruling was delivered by a district judge in Dallas County who said the ban prevented officials from protecting residents during an emergency. Dallas County citizens will be irreparably harmed if local leaders cannot require face coverings to stop the transmission of the virus, the judge, Tonya Parker, wrote in the ruling. In light of the decision, Clay Jenkins, the countys chief elected official, said he planned to issue an emergency order on Wednesday. [Update Aug. 12: The order was issued at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday.] Dallas and San Antonio now join Austin, Fort Worth and Houston in instituting mask mandates in schools. That means the states five largest cities are defying Mr. Abbotts ban for schools. On Tuesday, Texas recorded 20,000 new virus cases, nearly double the number of cases as two weeks ago, according to a New York Times database. Some hospitals in the state are nearing capacity and are bracing for an influx of patients. The intensive care unit at Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital in Houston is at full capacity, and 63 percent of those patients are Covid cases, CNN reported. While Mr. Abbott remains unmoved as one of the most strident opponents of mask mandates, he did put some restrictions in place in March 2020, such as limiting social gatherings to 10 people and closing some businesses, like gyms. Those that remained open operated at a limited capacity. Last July, as cases surged across Texas, he enacted a mask mandate. The state lifted the mandate this past March, citing the presence of vaccine. This week the governor appeared to acknowledge the growing burden on the health care system. He directed the state Health Department to find additional health care workers from outside Texas to provide reinforcements for overwhelmed hospitals statewide. He also sent a letter to the Texas Hospital Association telling hospitals to postpone elective medical procedures. President Biden has recently criticized the governors of Texas and Florida, two states where virus cases have risen particularly sharply, for their pandemic response. I say to these governors, please, if you arent going to help, at least get out of the way for people who are doing the right thing, he said at a news conference last week. On Tuesday, he encouraged people to get vaccinated as part of their preparation for hurricane and wildfire seasons. Mr. Biden singled out Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi as states with low vaccination rates that are also more at risk from hurricanes. On Tuesday, a temporary mask mandate for students, staff members and visitors to public schools in Dallas went into effect. Brendan Steinhauser, a consultant who lives in a Republican-leaning suburb of Austin, said the rising number of cases had led more people to wear masks. It is palpable, he said of his neighbors mask-wearing attitude. I noticed it and it was like, Whoa. Correction: An earlier version of this item misspelled the surname of Bexar Countys chief executive. He is Judge Nelson W. Wolff, not Wolf. Azi Paybarah and

Oregons governor reinstates a statewide indoor mask mandate. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:31 - 0:00 transcript Oregon Reinstates Indoor Mask Mandate to Slow Delta Variant Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon said both vaccinated and unvaccinated people must wear masks again indoors starting on Friday. She warned that rising cases driven by the Delta variant could overrun hospitals in weeks. We continue to work to reach Oregonians with information and a vaccine, but its clear the current situation requires immediate action to stop the Delta variant from spreading further. Thats why moving forward for the immediate future, masks will be required in all indoor public settings effective this Friday, Aug. 13. Yesterday, we had over 2,300 cases reported, the highest number since the virus first landed in Oregon. Hospitalizations are also at a record high. Across the state, our I.C.U. beds are about 90 percent filled. Some of our hospital regions have fewer than five I.C.U. beds available to start the day. These numbers are because of the Delta variant. These numbers are despite the fact that nearly 73 percent of Oregons adults are vaccinated. Modeling from the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Health and Science University project that without new safety interventions, Covid-19 hospitalizations will completely overwhelm our doctors and nurses in the coming weeks. Without safety measures, we could be as many as 500 staffed hospital beds short of what we need to treat patients by September. Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon said both vaccinated and unvaccinated people must wear masks again indoors starting on Friday. She warned that rising cases driven by the Delta variant could overrun hospitals in weeks. Credit Credit... Kristina Barker for The New York Times Oregon is restoring a statewide mandate ordering both vaccinated and unvaccinated people to use face coverings when gathering indoors. Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon, a Democrat, said on Wednesday that masks  which will be required starting on Friday  were needed to fight rising caseloads driven by the Delta variant, and that face coverings were a simple tool to help keep schools and businesses open. After a year and a half of this pandemic, I know Oregonians are tired of health and safety restrictions, Ms. Brown said in a statement. This new mask requirement will not last forever, but it is a measure that can save lives right now. Oregon was the third state to introduce an indoor mask mandate for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, after Louisiana and Hawaii. Washington, D.C., has also reinstated its mask mandate, as have several large cities. While many states brought in mask mandates and other restrictions last year, they have been reluctant to implement such orders again. Two states led by Republican governors, Texas and Florida, have barred mask mandates entirely, though some local leaders plan to impose them anyway. On Tuesday, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky said that masks would again be mandated in all of the states schools. Oregon has made it through the pandemic with some of the lowest numbers of virus cases and deaths in the country. But new cases have surged in recent days from a daily average of 110 a month ago to nearly 1,300 on Tuesday. With 84 percent of people over 65 fully vaccinated in the state, the rise in deaths has been far smaller, reaching a daily average of six as of Wednesday. But hospitalizations have quadrupled in the past month, with the daily average number of hospitalized patients exceeding 550. Oregon Coronavirus Map and Case Count See the latest charts and maps of coronavirus cases, deaths, hospitalizations and vaccinations in Oregon. Ms. Browns office projects that the states hospital capacity could be overrun in the next several weeks if mitigation measures are not in place, leaving Oregon as many as 500 beds short by next month. When our hospitals are full, there will be no room for additional patients needing care  whether for Covid-19, a heart attack or stroke, a car collision or a variety of other emergency situations, Ms. Brown said. If our hospitals run out of staffed beds, all Oregonians will be at risk. Ms. Brown also said that all employees working under the states executive branch would be required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18, or six weeks after a vaccine receives full approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington State, a Democrat, announced a similar mandate on Monday.

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Hawaii limits gatherings as the Delta variant spreads. Tourists gathered at sunset near the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station in Hawaii last week. Credit... Megan Spelman for The New York Times After a week in which Hawaii reported more cases than in any other week, Gov. David Ige said on Tuesday that he was reimposing restrictions to try to curb the surge. Social gatherings will be limited to no more than 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors, he said at a news conference. Indoor events at bars, restaurants, gyms and places of worship will be reduced to 50 percent capacity, and masks must be worn at all times except when eating or drinking, he said. The measure, which went into effect immediately, came five days after Mr. Ige, a Democrat, ordered all state and county employees to show proof of vaccination by next Monday or face weekly testing. We know that we wont see benefits from the increase in vaccinations going up for another six to seven weeks, he said on Tuesday. In the meantime, we must take action now in order to slow the spread of Covid-19, especially with the new Delta variant, which has wreaked havoc in our communities. Hawaii has had the countrys fewest reported cases per capita over the course of the pandemic, but its number of patients hospitalized with Covid-19 has soared from just 40 on July 1 to 246 on Tuesday, of whom 235 are unvaccinated. Thats a pretty rapid trajectory, said Hilton Raethel, the chief executive of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, a nonprofit that represents hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, home-care companies and hospices. Hospitals are full, and then you have all these Covid patients. That really stretches our health care system. Mr. Raethel said that the first of 550 additional health care workers would arrive in Hawaii this weekend from the U.S. mainland. Only one other time during the pandemic has the state needed reinforcements, he said, and that was last September and October. The numbers tell us that the worst of the surge is in front of us, he said. The state, with a population of 1.4 million, has a seven-day average of more than 500 reported cases per day and a test positivity rate of 7.3 percent, Mr. Ige said on Tuesday. Eighty-six percent of Hawaii residents 18 and older have had at least one vaccine dose, but only 65 percent are fully vaccinated, according to a New York Times database.

Jason Isbell and Stevie Nicks cancel shows over Covid concerns. The Lollapalooza music festival took place in Chicago this month despite concerns of rising coronavirus cases. Credit... Amy Harris/Invision, via Associated Press The recent rise in coronavirus cases, fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant, has led to the cancellation of several upcoming musical performances. The group Jason Isbell & The 400 Units show scheduled for Wednesday in Houston has been canceled, according to a statement on Tuesday from Mr. Isbells music label, Southeastern Records. The venue, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, was not willing to comply with the bands updated Health and Safety standards, it read. Tickets bought online will be refunded, according to the statement. Also on Tuesday, the singer Stevie Nicks said that although she is vaccinated, she is canceling the shows she was scheduled to perform this year, because of the rising number of cases. I want everyone to be safe and healthy and the rising Covid cases should be of concern to all of us, Ms. Nicks, 73, said in a statement on Twitter. While Im vaccinated, at my age, I am still being extremely cautious and for that reason have decided to skip the 5 performances I had planned for 2021. Over the weekend, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival said that it was canceling this years event, citing the rise in cases. In June, Bruce Springsteen became the first person to perform on Broadway as some New York City theaters reopened after closing 16 months earlier because of the pandemic. Before his first performance, Mr. Springsteen told ticket holders that they would be admitted only if they showed proof of vaccination.

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Saudi Arabia lifts a ban on foreign pilgrims heading to Mecca. Muslim pilgrims circumambulating the Kaaba during umrah, in Mecca, in May. Credit... Amr Nabil/Associated Press BEIRUT, Lebanon  Saudi Arabia has resumed allowing travelers from abroad to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, the kingdom announced this week, a new easing of the restrictions imposed last year to prevent the spread of Covid-19 at the Islamic holy sites. Aspiring pilgrims from many countries can now apply to perform the lesser pilgrimage to Mecca, known as umrah, as long as they can provide proof that they have received a coronavirus vaccine approved by the Saudi authorities, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday. The new policy took effect on Monday. The kingdom has approved the vaccines made by Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca. Foreigners who have received two doses of either the Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccines can enter only if they have also received a third shot of one of the four approved vaccines. As the pandemic spread last year, Saudi Arabia barred travelers from abroad from the main pilgrimage, the hajj, which attracts millions of pilgrims in normal years, spreading disappointment across the Muslim world. Devout Muslims who are physically and financially able are required to perform the hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, at least once during their lives. Last year, only a few hundred pilgrims who were already in the kingdom were allowed to go. Foreign travelers were also barred from this years hajj, which was in July. Umrah can be performed at any time of the year. Allowing vaccinated foreign travelers to apply for it represents a step toward restoring the prepandemic status quo at the holy sites. The number of permitted foreign visitors will initially be limited and will increase over time, with the goal of eventually allowing two million pilgrims a month. Other restrictions, including limiting the number of worshipers in mosques and on buses, will also be enforced to decrease the chances of infection. As of Monday, Saudi Arabia had averaged 732 new cases a day over the last week, a 40 percent decline from two weeks ago, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Saudi Arabia still bans direct travel from a number of countries that it has deemed viral threats. Pilgrims from other countries must observe a mandatory seven-day quarantine on arrival. About 29 percent of Saudi residents are fully vaccinated, according to the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford. Besides having deep religious significance, the pilgrimage is big business and the ban on foreign worshipers hurt companies across the Islamic world that cater to pilgrims. Before the pandemic, Jamal Ali, who works at a Beirut travel agency that specializes in religious tourism, sold a range of packages including plane tickets and hotel stays. The ban on foreign pilgrims cut his income by about 90 percent, he said. He hoped that the resumption of foreign trips to Mecca would be a step back toward normalcy. We understand that Saudi Arabia is trying to achieve general immunity, he said. We are waiting for relief from God, and for this pandemic to end.

All Washington D.C. public employees will face a vaccine or testing requirement. Public works employees and contractors are among the groups who will need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit to weekly testing. Credit... Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Mayor Muriel E. Bowser of Washington on Tuesday directed all 37,000 city employees and contractors who work with the city to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, or undergo weekly testing by Sept. 19. The action follows President Bidens recent announcement that federal workers would face restrictions and requirements, including testing, if they did not get vaccinated. New York, Virginia, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, have made similar moves, while Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington State said Monday that most state employees and all health care workers had to be fully vaccinated or risk losing their jobs. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:08 - 0:00 transcript D.C. Mayor Directs City Workers to Get Vaccinated or Face Testing Mayor Muriel E. Bowser of Washington announced that all 37,000 city employees and contractors must be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus or undergo weekly testing by Sept. 19. All employees, contractors, interns and grantees of the government of the District of Columbia will be required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Full Covid vaccination will be required for all new hires appointed to job vacancies posted on or after Aug. 14, 2021. All covered individuals have until Sept. 19 to be fully vaccinated. We will, of course, have a process for people who want to apply for exemptions, and any unvaccinated employee, even those who qualify for the medical or religious exemption, will be required to conduct a weekly Covid-19 test. We support businesses having rules for access to their buildings and their services, including masks, of course, which is a mandate in the District inside, and vaccines. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser of Washington announced that all 37,000 city employees and contractors must be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus or undergo weekly testing by Sept. 19. Additionally, the Pentagon said Monday that it will seek to make vaccinations mandatory for the countrys 1.3 million active-duty troops no later than the middle of next month. We know that we have been very steadfast and successful in crushing this virus in the district, Ms. Bowser said at a news conference. And now were going to do the same with the Delta variant. The way to do it, however, is to get everybody vaccinated. The policy falls short of a mandate, but all new hires filling job vacancies posted on Aug. 14 or later will need to show proof of vaccination. We will, of course, have a process for people who want to apply for exemptions and any unvaccinated employee, even those who qualify for the medical or religious exemption, will be required to conduct a weekly Covid-19 test and failure to comply will lead to adverse employment actions, Ms. Bowser said. Only 59 percent of city employees have reported their vaccine status, according to the mayors office. Of those, 54 percent are vaccinated. Daily new cases across the city have soared, according to a New York Times database, which also shows that hospitalizations have risen 5 percent and that there were three deaths over the same period. Fifty-three percent of all city residents are fully vaccinated, according to federal data. People younger than 12 are not eligible for the vaccine. Whats driving our increasing cases right now is really that 25-to-34-year-old population, Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, the director of the citys health department, said at the news conference. And we dont see any meaningful disparities in terms of who are those new cases from a race and ethnicity perspective. But Dr. Nesbitt added that there was a wide gap in vaccine coverage for that age group, with Black residents having half the rate of coverage as their white and Latino counterparts. We are also going to do a better job once everybody gets vaccinated and helping to prevent more of these variants from taking over our communities, she said. The city gives incentives to all city residents, including public employees, who are 12 and older, like a $51 gift card for receive their first dose of the vaccine at one of its three walk-up vaccination sites. And residents ages 12 to 17 get AirPods for being among the first 400 youths to get inoculated at school vaccination sites.

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global roundup Germany will stop paying for virus tests for people choosing to remain unvaccinated. A rapid coronavirus test center in Cologne, Germany, in June. Credit... Ina Fassbender/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images BERLIN  After months of offering free coronavirus antigen tests to all residents, Germany will stop subsidizing them for adults who choose not to get vaccinated, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced Tuesday. Starting Oct. 11, when the changes take effect, the tests will continue to be available at no charge for people under 18, pregnant women or others who have medical reasons not to get vaccinated. Since March, the country has spent billions of dollars offering at least one free antigen test per resident each week, which has led to a boom of privately run testing stations. Ms. Merkel met with state governors on Tuesday to negotiate the new rules, as infections, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, are increasing, albeit more slowly than in many other parts of Europe. German authorities have also agreed on new rules requiring proof of vaccination, recent recovery or a negative test for certain indoor activities, including going to a restaurant, hairdresser or gym, once the weekly local infection rate surpasses 35 per 100,000 inhabitants. As of Monday, the authorities had registered 23.5 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants per week nationwide. Currently 55 percent of Germans have received the full vaccination course and 62.5 percent received the first jab, a rate, as Ms. Merkel noted during her news conference, that was no longer among the highest in the European Union. We now have enough of the vaccine, she said. Now we have to promote vaccinations. In other news from around the world: In June, European Union leaders recommended that member countries reopen their borders to Americans, expecting to be repaid in kind. But nearly two months later, the United States borders remain closed to most European travelers, even those who are vaccinated. European leaders are frustrated and some have even suggested reimposing travel restrictions against U.S. travelers. The White House spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, said the policy was intended to keep the American people safe at a time where the Delta variant is rising.

Facebook said Tuesday that it had removed a network of accounts based in Russia that spread misinformation about coronavirus vaccines. The network targeted audiences in India, Latin America and the United States with posts falsely asserting that the AstraZeneca vaccine would turn people into chimpanzees and that the Pfizer vaccine had a much higher casualty rate than other vaccines, the company said. Facebook traced the posts to a marketing firm operating from Russia, Fazze, a subsidiary of AdNow, a company registered in Britain. Facebook said it had taken down 65 Facebook accounts and 243 Instagram accounts associated with the firm and barred Fazze from its platform.

Visitors to France who have been inoculated outside the European Union with approved Covid-19 vaccines may now use a national health pass to enter bars, restaurants, cafes, gyms and other indoor venues, the government said this week. The pass is also required for large-scale events like sports games and music festivals. There had been growing concern among non-European Union tourists that they would be excluded from most social activities if their vaccination certificates were not recognized.

Thousands of people flocked to inoculation sites in Manila, the Philippine capital, on Tuesday as reports emerged that unvaccinated people would miss out on welfare payments from the government.

The latest wave of coronavirus infections in South Asia has been complicated by a surge in dengue, a mosquito-transmitted virus that spreads during monsoon season. The rise in cases of dengue  which can have symptoms similar to those of the coronavirus  is adding to the load of hospitals that are already overwhelmed. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are experiencing some of the worst surges in dengue, which in severe cases can be fatal. Dengue outbreaks are also endemic in India, Nepal and Pakistan. Christopher F. Schuetze, Nicholas Casey, Eileen Sullivan, Davey Alba, Jason Gutierrez, Constant Meheut, Aanya Wipulasena and

The Times analyzed data on breakthrough Covid hospitalizations and deaths by state. Serious coronavirus infections among vaccinated people have been relatively rare since the start of the vaccination campaign, a New York Times analysis of data from 40 states and Washington, D.C., shows. Fully vaccinated people have made up as few as 0.1 percent of and as many as 5 percent of those hospitalized with the virus in those states, and as few as 0.2 percent and as many as 6 percent of those who have died. There is still a lot we do not know about so-called breakthrough infections  when fully inoculated people contract the virus. And there is some evidence that these cases are becoming more common as the more transmissible Delta variant surges. While vaccines have done a remarkable job at protecting a vast majority of people from serious illness, the data in the Times analysis generally spanned the period from the start of the vaccination campaign until mid-June or July, before the Delta variant became predominant in the United States. Data on less serious breakthrough infections is not widely available, though it is possible those cases are rising. Data was not available for several states in which the virus has been surging, including Florida and Missouri. Until recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that fully vaccinated people accounted for less than 3 percent of coronavirus hospitalizations nationwide and less than 1 percent of virus deaths. But last week, the agency noted that those figures did not reflect new data involving the Delta variant and said it was actively working to update them. Only about 50 percent of people in the United States are fully vaccinated. Looking at how many hospitalizations and deaths have involved fully vaccinated people is a common but crude measure of how well the vaccines are working. As more people get shots, the percentage of hospitalizations and deaths among fully vaccinated people should rise. This may seem counterintuitive, so its important to understand why. In a state with a high vaccination rate, a higher percentage of breakthroughs may simply reflect that fully vaccinated people are a bigger chunk of the population, or that there are few hospitalizations and deaths overall. Imagine a state where just two people are hospitalized but both are vaccinated  breakthroughs would account for 100 percent of the hospitalizations in that state, even though these cases were very rare.

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Bidens ire at Facebook over vaccine falsehoods was fueled by a series of meetings. Andy Slavitt, the White House senior adviser for the Covid Response Team, in May. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times In March, Andy Slavitt, then a top pandemic adviser for President Biden, called Nick Clegg, Facebooks vice president for global affairs, and delivered an ominous warning. For many weeks, Mr. Slavitt and other White House officials had been meeting with Facebook to urge the company to stop the spread of misinformation about coronavirus vaccines. Many Americans who declined to get vaccinated were citing false articles that they had read on Facebook, including theories that the shots could lead to infertility, stillborn babies and autism. In eight weeks time, Mr. Slavitt told Mr. Clegg, Facebook will be the No. 1 story of the pandemic. Mr. Slavitts prediction was not far off. Roughly three months later, with cases from the Delta variant surging, Mr. Biden said Facebook was killing people. Mr. Bidens comment, which he later walked back slightly, was the culmination of increasingly combative meetings with the company about the spread of misinformation. The meetings have involved the top ranks on both sides. In March, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebooks chief executive, called Ron Klain, the White House chief of staff, and discussed health misinformation. The White House grew so frustrated by Facebooks answers in the internal meetings that at one point it demanded to hear from the data scientists at the company instead of lobbyists. Talks between the White House and Facebook continue. But the rift has complicated an already tumultuous relationship just as Mr. Biden faces a setback on tackling the virus. The White House missed its goal of having 70 percent of American adults with at least one vaccination shot by July 4, and the highly contagious Delta variant has fueled a rise in cases since then. Facebook has pushed back strongly against the White Houses criticism, accusing the administration in public of scapegoating the company for the administrations failure to reach its vaccination goals. Andy Stone, a spokesman for Facebook, said the White House hadnt given the company enough credit for promoting the vaccines. Zolan Kanno-Youngs and

Vaccine side effects remain rare and are outweighed by benefits of vaccination, the C.D.C. reported. Preparing the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine at a mobile vaccination clinic in Los Angeles last week. Credit... Patrick T. Fallon/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images For adults, the benefits of the three coronavirus vaccines authorized in the United States outweigh the risks of serious side effects, which remain rare, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been linked to inflammation of the heart muscle, known as myocarditis, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine may increase the risk of a rare blood-clotting disorder and a neurological condition known as Guillain-Barre syndrome. All of the conditions can be serious, but remain uncommon. These small risks are exceeded by the benefits of the vaccines, which provide powerful protection against disease and death, experts concluded. For instance, every million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that are administered are likely to prevent roughly 1,800 hospitalizations and 140 deaths, while causing 14 to 17 cases of Guillain-Barre and 1 to 2 cases of the blood clotting disorder, according to the paper, which was published on Tuesday. The paper is based on data reported to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System. The database contains unverified reports, but researchers confirmed many of the cases used in their calculations, which were initially presented at a July meeting of the C.D.C.s vaccine advisory group. As of June 30, roughly 12.6 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been given to American adults. As of that date, there had been 100 reports of Guillain-Barre, which can cause muscle weakness and paralysis, a rate of 7.8 cases per million doses. The risk was highest for men between 50 and 64, who developed the side effect at a rate of 15.6 per million doses. As of July 8, there had also been 38 reports of the clotting disorder following the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The disorder, which is known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenic syndrome, causes an unusual combination of blood clots, often in the brain, with abnormal bleeding. The overall rate of the clotting disorder is 3 cases per million doses, though women between 30 and 49 get it at a higher rate of 8.8 cases per million. By the end of June, there had also been 497 reports of myocarditis after the second dose of either the Pfizer or the Moderna vaccines, a rate of 3.5 cases per million doses. That increased to 24.3 cases per million for men between 18 and 29, among whom myocarditis was most common. Information about all three possible side effects have been added to the vaccine fact sheets given to patients and clinicians. The C.D.C. and the Food and Drug Administration will continue to monitor reports of adverse events, the report noted.

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Moderna plans to open vaccine factories around the world, starting in Canada. An employee in a manufacturing area of a Moderna facility in Norwood, Mass. Credit... Nancy Lane/The Boston Herald, via Associated Press Moderna plans to build a facility in Canada to manufacture mRNA vaccines for the coronavirus and other respiratory viruses, the company announced on Tuesday. The agreement is one of up to 10 such partnerships under discussion in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, including in some low-income countries, Stephane Bancel, Modernas chief executive officer, said in an interview. With the smooth transfer of technical know-how, any company can learn to manufacture mRNA vaccines, he said. There is no technology in the world that some people can do somewhere and cannot be done somewhere else. The factory in Canada is likely to be operational in a couple of years, Mr. Bancel said. Its primary mission is to help Canada, but in a pandemic, the facility may also produce vaccines to help the rest of the world, he said. The manufacturing facility could also use Modernas mRNA technology to make vaccines for other respiratory viruses, including seasonal influenza and respiratory syncytial virus. The idea is to really be able to provide a vaccine against all respiratory viruses, Mr. Bancel said. Global health experts and activists have pushed for vaccine manufacturers to teach companies in low-income countries to make coronavirus vaccines. But some experts have argued that making mRNA vaccines is too complex for most companies to master. In June, a South African consortium established the first Covid-19 mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub, with the aim of training manufacturers from developing countries to produce the vaccines. Moderna announced last week that the protection afforded by its vaccine holds steady for at least six months after the second dose. But company officials said booster shots might still be necessary this fall because of the Delta variant. Experts have said that the data available so far do not support rolling out extra doses, except perhaps for some older adults and for people with weakened immune systems who did not produce a robust immune response after the first two doses. But given the dearth of vaccines in much of the world, the World Health Organization has called for a moratorium on boosters for everyone else till the end of September.

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Virus misinformation spikes as Delta cases surge. In Manhattan last month. As the Delta variant spreads, so does pandemic misinformation. Credit... Brittainy Newman for The New York Times In late July, Andrew Torba, the chief executive of the alternative social network Gab, claimed without evidence that members of the U.S. military who refused to get vaccinated against the coronavirus would face a court-martial. His post on Gab amassed 10,000 likes and shares. Two weeks earlier, the unfounded claim that at least 45,000 deaths had resulted from Covid-19 vaccines circulated online. Posts with the claim collected nearly 17,000 views on Bitchute, an alternative video platform, and at least 120,000 views on the encrypted chat app Telegram, where it was shared mostly in Spanish. Around the same time, Britains chief scientific adviser misstated that 60 percent of hospitalized patients had been fully vaccinated. He quickly corrected the statement, saying the 60 percent had been unvaccinated. But anti-vaccine groups online seized on his mistake, translating the quote into French and Italian and sharing it on Facebook, where it collected 142,000 likes and shares. Coronavirus misinformation has spiked online in recent weeks, misinformation experts say, as people who peddle in falsehoods have seized on the surge of cases from the Delta variant to spread new and recycled unsubstantiated narratives.

Amid a ballooning sexual harassment scandal, Andrew Cuomo says he will resign. A news broadcast in Times Square on Tuesday as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York announced that he would resign, capping a remarkable political fall. Credit... Benjamin Norman for The New York Times ALBANY, N.Y.  Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said on Tuesday he would resign from office, succumbing to a ballooning sexual harassment scandal that fueled an astonishing reversal of fortune for one of the nations best-known leaders. Mr. Cuomo said his resignation would be effective in 14 days. Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, will be sworn in to replace him. She will become the first female governor of New York. The governor framed his resignation as a necessary step given the firestorm of controversy surrounding his continued leadership, including an impeachment inquiry that he referred to as a distraction from pressing issues as the state recovers from the pandemic. Given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing, Mr. Cuomo said. And therefore thats what Ill do. Luis Ferre-Sadurni and

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This is the eternal anthropological question, said Tang Fu Kuen, the artistic director of the Taipei festival, who is also from Singapore and works with Choy as a dramaturge. How can an outsider enter a foreign culture and see it from fresh eyes, different perspectives?

He is not exploitative as people think, Tang added. They think, Ah, he is just going around, entering different countries, taking away from the culture. But as Tang sees it, Choys work is more about honoring and learning from those he meets. It is always tempered with his own understanding, while respectful and faithful to the voices that he encounters.

Before the opening of CosmicWander at KINDL, Choy took a break from installing the show to talk about his path as an artist and where his wandering has led him. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

What first drew you to dance and working with the body?

I studied video in art school and went on to make theater performance, collaborating a lot with dancers and musicians. I got more and more drawn into dance, because I always find language a problem. Though its ironic because in the last 10 years of my dance work, there is a lot of talking.

But how it really started was when I went to London to study design in 2010. I removed myself from my comfort zone and everyone I was working with. At that time, I was playing with muscle sensors, and I just had myself, my laptop and some sensors. I became like a bedroom D.I.Y. scientist, electrocuting myself, trying to stimulate muscle movement.
SALZBURG, Austria  The logo of the venerable Salzburg Festival is impossible to miss here during the summer months. It is attached to buses and flanks the busy sidewalks on the Staatsbrucke bridge. Its on wristbands, workers uniforms and windows, in tourist pamphlets and hotel lobbies.

The logo  featuring the silhouette of the Hohensalzburg Fortress; Salzburgs regional flag; and a Greek theater mask, all layered over a golden background  has had remarkable staying power. First seen on a poster for the 1928 iteration, it was soon adopted as the festivals permanent symbol, with the exception of the Nazi era. Yet its history, and particularly the story of its designer, hasnt been thoroughly known until recently.

The Salzburg Festival commissioned a report on the logos origins for its centennial last year, a jubilee that has stretched into this summer because of the pandemic. The research revealed new information about the life of its creator, the artist Leopoldine Wojtek, who began as a modernist but whose work took a conservative, Nazi-sympathetic turn in the 1930s, and who was married to one of the partys most prolific art looters and schemers.

Its a story that raises questions about cultural memory in a country that has been slow to account for its history in the years leading up to and following the Anschluss  Austrias annexation by Germany  in 1938. But the Salzburg Festival, in some sense, has been here before, reckoning with the fraught Nazi-era legacies of some of its most prominent artists, including the conductors Karl Bohm and Herbert von Karajan.
The other thing  and this is external to the show  is that this was going to be the first production that had Covid protocols in place, and anticipating the movie Im now making, I was curious to see how it works. I wondered, Could I make a movie? Was it too expensive, awkward, impossible? I was happy to see that after a while you get quite used to it. It made it very clear what would be involved and how it could work.

Im not Canadian, but there seems to be something very Canadian about Slasher as a series. I just cant put my finger on it.

We do have a reputation for a certain kind of horror film thats uniquely Canadian. Is it the water of Lake Ontario? [Laughs.] Im not sure. It did feel weirdly comfortable working on the show in that strange, nationalistic way, but without anybody making a big deal out of it. I think we do have our own perspective on things in the dark.

Slasher as a series has been very diverse, with casts and characters of assorted races and sexualities that havent always found homes in horror. This season, theres a character who identifies as nonbinary and queer.

I can only say that in all of my films, including my early underground films, Ive always had nonbinary and gay characters, so for me thats not a new thing. Its just a natural thing. It wasnt coming from social pressure.

I think one reason people enjoy horror is because horror digs underneath the walls of normal society, and people have a need to feel and see and experience that, even if they can only experience it in art forms and not in their lives. Its natural for horror films to connect with what normal society suppresses.
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep  and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.

Exiting the Governors Mansion

Andrew Cuomos resignation as New Yorks governor was the talk of late night on Tuesday.

Its gonna be tough for Cuomo, Jimmy Fallon said. With a track record like this, his only future is either president or Supreme Court justice.
A Taliban takeover of Afghanistan?

Since international troops began withdrawing from Afghanistan in May, the Taliban have carried out a sweeping military campaign that has intensified over the past week. The Taliban have overrun nine provincial capitals across the country, most of them clustered in the north.

The victories have stoked fears that the Taliban could take the capital, Kabul. While the administration of President Ashraf Ghani has refused to acknowledge the falling capitals, the acting finance minister has fled the country.

The U.S. military has conducted airstrikes but mostly refrained from getting further involved, making clear that its 20-year involvement in the country was over. President Biden said on Tuesday that Afghan leaders have got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation.

Context: After the Taliban emerged in the 1990s, they faced fierce resistance from militia groups in the north known as the Northern Alliance. Even when Taliban fighters took Kabul in 1996, the alliance deprived them of a complete takeover. Now, experts say if the group takes the north, they could take the whole country.
LOS ANGELES  California regulators voted Wednesday to require builders to include solar power and battery storage in many new commercial structures as well as high-rise residential projects. It is the latest initiative in the states vigorous efforts to hasten a transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources.

The five-member California Energy Commission approved the proposal unanimously. It will now be taken up by the states Building Standards Commission, which is expected to include it in an overall revision of the building code in December.

The energy plan, which would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023, also calls for new homes to be wired in ways that ease and even encourage conversion of natural-gas heating and appliances to electric sources.

The future were trying to build together is a future beyond fossil fuels, David Hochschild, the chair of the Energy Commission, said ahead of the agencys vote. Big changes require everyone to play a role. We all have a role in building this future.
YouTube on Tuesday removed a video by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky for the second time and suspended him from publishing for a week after he posted a video that disputed the effectiveness of wearing masks to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

A YouTube representative said the Republican senators claims in the three-minute video had violated the companys policy on Covid-19 medical misinformation. The company policy bans videos that spread a wide variety of misinformation, including claims that masks do not play a role in preventing the contraction or transmission of Covid-19.

We apply our policies consistently across the platform, regardless of speaker or political views, and we make exceptions for videos that have additional context such as countervailing views from local health authorities, the representative said in a statement.

In the video, Mr. Paul says: Most of the masks you get over the counter dont work. They dont prevent infection. Later in the video, he adds, Trying to shape human behavior isnt the same as following the actual science, which tells us that cloth masks dont work.
Dried pasta and canned beans are vegetarian pantry staples for a reason: They are often the backbone of quick, tasty and satisfying meatless cooking. But if the sight of another box of rigatoni makes your eye twitch, or the thought of strolling down an aisle of cannellini beans triggers your fight-or-flight response, maybe its time to mix things up. Below are a bakers dozen of vegetarian recipes that are light and filling all at once, featuring plenty of vegetables as well as the occasional tofu and whole grain  and theyre all worthy of a spot in your rotation. And if youre looking for more recipes like these, sign up for The Veggie, New York Times Cookings new weekly newsletter dedicated to the expansive and delicious world of vegetarian cooking.

[Click here to sign up for The Veggie newsletter.]
Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.

At the top of a New York Times article online that gives explanations to frequently asked questions about Covid-19 vaccines, readers can type in any query that comes to mind. Am I eligible? Can I take Tylenol before I get vaccinated? How will we know when things are getting better? A search tool returns the most relevant answer. Its a little like Google, except all of the results have been reported by Times journalists.

The tool, which uses machine learning to most accurately infer what readers are asking, is a project of The Timess research and development group. A constantly evolving department at The Times that has existed in its current form since 2016, the group continually looks for ways that technology can elevate journalism.

In June, the R&D team updated its website to make it easier to share its experimental projects and its newsroom collaborations with fellow technologists, journalists and academics.

While research and development might evoke images of locked offices full of analysts and inventors secretly building futuristic prototypes, the reality is a bit different. Members of the 35-person team of technologists, designers, producers and strategists work closely with the newsroom involving technologies that are either already in use for other mediums, such as gaming, or are expected to be soon.
Affogato means drowned in Italian, and you can drown just about any ice cream. Fior di latte and crema are most popular in Italy, though vanilla and chocolate are also excellent. Dulce de leche would be wonderful, with its caramelized milkiness, as would the bitterness of cherry amaretto. Pistachio is a welcome change from the unrolling highway of routine. Pisticci, a trattoria in Morningside Heights in Manhattan, drowns a tartufo  a bombe made with vanilla and chocolate ice creams with a Maraschino cherry in the middle, all encased in a hard chocolate shell  in espresso. The chef, Edmundo Garzon, told me that he serves 50 to 60 of these a week. The secret is the coffee, he said. Espresso coffee. Very fresh, one shot. Double shot is too strong. Good coffee.

But you dont even need to use coffee in your affogato. According to the Tuscany-based food writer Emiko Davies, in Italy an affogato could be plain crema gelato drowned in chocolate or cherry syrup, or hazelnut gelato drowned in Marsala. Ive even seen a gelateria in Turin that does one with lemon and raspberry sorbet drowned in beer, she said. A sgroppino, a scoop of lemon sorbet drowned in prosecco, might be considered affogatos Venetian cousin. In Marcella Hazans Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, a recipe for The Chimney Sweeps Gelato calls for dusting an egg-custard gelato with finely ground espresso and drowning it in Scotch or bourbon.

Nick Larsen agreed that the evening drink he regularly makes for himself at home  a float of salted caramel ice cream and condensed milk drowned in cold brew  might be considered an affogato. Its just not a hot extraction, he said. The real stuff he saves for Sugar Hill Creamery, the ice cream shops in Harlem that he runs with his wife, Petrushka. Ive had many a Larsen affogato, each time swapping out the ice cream flavor according to my mood. The savory hum of the malted vanilla ice cream brought out the complexities of the espresso. The coffee ice cream with turmeric and ginger candy had notes of masala chai, warming me with its electricity. Plain vanilla provided the duvet of cream and caffeine that kept me going back for more.

Hallie Meyer, the owner of Caffe Panna in Gramercy Park, said her shop gets a regular afternoon crowd of solo customers like me. They sit down, order an affogato and leave. It feels almost mature to have espresso poured over your ice cream, you know? she said. I asked Meyer to walk me through her ideal affogato. This is it: A clear glass, so you can see the ice cream drowning. No eggs in the ice cream base, because I want to taste the dairy, she said. The espresso should come one-half to three-quarters of the way up the scoop. And on top, her piece de resistance: a dollop of panna, Italian for cream.

The best affogato for me is one in which you cant tell where the feathered edges of the melting ice cream start and where the tawny foam that rests atop the espresso ends. One of the creamiest affogati Ive ever had was at Gran Caffe LAquila in Philadelphia. I asked for a scoop of fior di latte, which I often enjoy in an affogato for its pure dairy flavor. The barista pulled the espresso and then had to walk across the cafe, to where the gelato was on display, in order to scoop the fior di latte. That walk was the perfect amount of time for the espresso to cool down ever so slightly, which meant the ice cream didnt melt too fast upon contact with the coffee. The foam stayed thick and buttery  or was it the fior di latte?
Since I had arrived, every farmer I met assumed that I had come about the problem with the coffee. As our conversations went on, though, I realized that there was no consensus about what the problem was. Sure, everyone understood that farming inside the park was illegal, but there were things that maybe mattered more. Some believed the problem was the price for coffee they were being paid, that it kept going down year after year. Others believed the problem was the yields, that the old coffee plants werent producing as many beans as years before. Some blamed it on the weather, saying it had changed, that there wasnt as much rain these days. Others were in debt to a toke, a middleman who advanced them the money from a years harvest before they delivered. Once they took the first loan, they had never been able to get out of it.

In the year that followed, other problems emerged. A pandemic passed over the world. Leggett returned to Britain, where he has taken a global role with the Wildlife Conservation Society aimed at identifying other forest frontiers around the world caught in the conflict between agriculture and nature. Mas Yok and other field workers were told to stay home. In Ujung Rembun, the coffee plants simply continued to grow as they did before. The rainy season came and went. The coffee cherries turned from dark green to ripe red. The farmers there picked them and dried them in their dirt yards and packed them away into white sacks as they did any other year. Some debts were paid; others were opened.

Mas Yok was eventually cleared to return and has continued to offer help to the farmers, to stick to the commitments he made to lend assistance and help them improve their crops. By his account, the yields are improving, and so is the quality. In exchange, some farmers have signed on to those agreements promising to the Indonesian government that they will return their farmland, eventually replanted as forest, over the next 15 years. Many others have yet to agree to anything. On certain mornings, in certain corners of the park, siamang gibbons can be heard singing out into the distance from the tops of trees. On other mornings, in other corners, chain saws can be heard, too.

When the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace arrived in Sumatra in 1861, it wasnt long before he saw a rhinoceros. The solitary, horned mammals were then so abundant that Wallace observed their tracks and dung continually during his time there. Over the course of that trip, Wallace watched a lemur glide 70 yards through the air and captured a butterfly whose ability to disguise itself as a branchs dead leaf was so complete and marvelous as to astonish everyone who observes it. He gathered a whole family of hornbills, estimated the likely distribution of orangutans, purchased a captive, rope-tied siamang gibbon to accompany him on his travels and tried but failed to bring that long-armed, musical ape home to England with him alive. He did not see any tigers, but he knew that they were there. It is the very country that would promise most for a naturalist, he would later write in The Malay Archipelago.

Among his observations of Sumatra in 1861, one more has proved prophetic. He noticed that the elephants seemed to be disappearing. Plenty of their bones could be found, but living ones were scarce. The decline of elephants, Wallace believed, had something to do with the spread of cultivation. The local population had only just begun opening up the islands dense rainforests for farms, chopping logs and plowing fields where the animals once lived. In the following years, Dutch colonists would redouble their efforts to plant and mine throughout the island. But before that even happened, Wallace could see the future clearly. As far as the tenets of conservation go, this is one of the oldest stories in the book: The rise of agriculture will cause the fall of nature.

Forests have long attracted people with urgent hopes and needs. Our oldest stories, the ones about how we began, often feature a tree, the fruit that it offers and the knowledge  often terrible  that comes with taking it. We have written this conflict into our oldest books. One way to read the worst chapters of human history is to see how so many of them involve food and farms. Enslavement of generations of people. Endless, violent conquest. Wholesale eradication of species. What did we do these things for? To plant shrubs to make our clothes from. To find spices to make our food taste a little better. For a small bite of meat. The horrible knowledge of the fruit, of course, is that we are forever responsible for growing it. To tend a farm requires hope  hope that even if we know how the arc of history has bent, we still have to wake up in the morning and believe that the plants will grow better this season, that the yields will improve, that the conflict between us and nature, whatever you want to call what it is outside us, might one day be resolved.

Near the end of one day that fall, a long one I spent riding motorbikes with Mas Yok through the forest, one farmer waved us down as we passed his house. T. invited me in. His wife made coffee for all of us, black grounds stirred directly into a cup of hot water, doused with enough sugar to hide the bitter flavor. He told me that they came here from Java, that they had nothing before. They took a boat and then a bus, and then they walked the final miles to this place in the forest where they made their life. That was 25 years ago. They collected water from the stream. They kept chickens in their yard. They planted the vegetables that they ate. He said it was hard work, planting and harvesting coffee. In all that time, the best harvest he could remember bringing in was 2.5 metric tons. A harvest that size would hardly have brought $2,000 of profit. He said he couldnt even remember the last year he made so much. They had only wanted a better life.
As the pandemic unfolded and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo gave daily televised updates, issued mask mandates and imposed lockdown measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Marybel Hoyos, a homemaker from Long Island, followed with approval.

On Tuesday, she was following again as the governor announced his imminent resignation after a report found he had sexually harassed 11 women  this time grappling with her admiration of the man and rage at his behavior.

As a mother, as a woman, as a daughter, that is not acceptable, said Ms. Hoyos, 59, from Jericho. I was very disappointed, because he was a very good leader. But its not inseparable to me, as a woman, if something was wrong.

For New York women, residents of a state still just teetering toward normalcy, news of Mr. Cuomos resignation was met with different, sometimes warring impulses. Revered by many for his steady, if imperious, stewardship during the pandemic, his swift defenestration seemed to some unfair, an overreaction to behavior many women routinely feel they must brush off in the workplace. To other women, the governors denouement was a victory, proof of the durability of the Me Too era, driving home a point that no one  and no man  is beyond reproach.
Asked if Mr. Cuomo could run again, State Senator Todd Kaminsky, a Nassau County Democrat, replied, I absolutely do not think so.

A woman will lead New York for the first time.

Kathy Hochul, the lieutenant governor, will be sworn in to replace Mr. Cuomo. She will become the first woman to lead New York State.

Since joining the governors team in 2014, Ms. Hochul, 62, has largely operated in obscurity. But she has established deep reservoirs of political good will, making a point of visiting each of New Yorks 62 counties every year.

[Learn more about Ms. Hochul and her path in politics.]

She now has to rapidly assemble a cabinet, develop an agenda and grapple with the remaining two weeks of Mr. Cuomos tenure.

The reactions around New York were mixed.

The response from most politicians was generally a sigh of relief. Few thanked Mr. Cuomo for his years of service. Some could barely contain their glee.

Several elected officials who would have had to vote to impeach Mr. Cuomo and to convict him were surprised by his decision to resign  and some still wanted to move forward on impeachment.

If Mr. Cuomo were convicted, he could be barred from holding state office again.

Here are a few other stories from my colleagues on Mr. Cuomos resignation and what it means:

Railing at Enemies and Pleading for Time: Inside Cuomos Final Days
I think it will be less stressful for everyone involved, said State Senator Liz Krueger, a Democrat from Manhattan. His existence and the way he liked to function was to establish extreme levels of stress and tension. Almost anyone else would not be the same zeitgeist for the city.

Still, power struggles and competing agendas could soon surface. Ms. Hochul, a moderate Democrat from a conservative-leaning district, could, like Mr. Cuomo, end up clashing with the ascendant progressive wing of the party. She will have to navigate high-profile policy issues such as the implementation of a recently approved $2.1 billion fund to provide cash payments to undocumented immigrants, who were not eligible for federal stimulus checks.

And just one week after she takes office, New Yorks moratorium on evictions will end, meaning that tens of thousands of people who fell behind on their rent during the pandemic may be at risk of losing their homes. A number of state lawmakers are calling for an extension of the moratorium, while building owners say they, too, are struggling with unpaid bills.

Even so, Democratic lawmakers, almost all of whom had called on Mr. Cuomo to resign, said the prospects of working with an incoming governor who appears to be universally liked was better than governing under a cloud of scandals.

The whole specter of going back and forth with Gov. Cuomo and his potential impeachment will have really distracted in many ways from the very important work at hand, State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Democratic majority leader, who spoke with Ms. Hochul on Tuesday, said in an interview.

It remained unclear whether the State Assembly would continue to move toward impeaching Mr. Cuomo even when he is out of office. If he were convicted, Mr. Cuomo could be barred from running for statewide office again. On Wednesday, the Republican members of the Assembly judiciary committee pushed for the impeachment investigation to continue, but Democrats, who have control of the body, appeared less interested in pursuing what some see as a costly and perhaps damaging distraction.

Mr. Cuomos relationship with Democrats in the State Legislature began to break down after 2012, when Mr. Cuomo allowed Republicans to redraw district lines, giving that party a competitive edge statewide and breaking his previous vow to not accept gerrymandered lines. Mr. Cuomo was later seen as supportive of a group of breakaway Democrats who collaborated with Senate Republicans, effectively allowing Republicans to maintain control of the State Senate for years until Democrats retook it in 2018.
To speed the work, laborers employ what contractors call a pull-through method instead of digging long trenches. At each site, a worker breaks ground by the curb and digs straight down near the water main beneath the street. At the same time, another worker in the basement excavates down to the service line.

By hand and machine, the lead line is pulled out to the street, while a copper pipe is pulled in behind it along the same path and connected to the water main.

Scientists agree that there is no safe level of lead in water and that lead can stunt a childs mental development.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency estimates that there are as many as 10 million lead water pipes across the country. A bipartisan infrastructure bill wending its way through Congress sets aside $15 billion for lead pipe replacement  far less than the $45 billion President Biden had proposed.

New Jersey has 350,000 lead service lines, according to the American Water Works Association, a nonprofit that focuses on water quality and supply, and in July, Gov. Philip D. Murphy signed bills requiring public water systems to inventory and replace lead service lines within 10 years.

The problem in Newark first came into focus in 2016 when elevated levels of lead were found in water at 30 public schools. The next year, the states Department of Environmental Protection ordered extensive monitoring in the citys water, which revealed lead levels above the 15 parts per billion benchmark established by the E.P.A.

But Mr. Baraka continued to dismiss the severity of the issue, at one point posting comments on the citys website railing against absolutely and outrageously false statements about the water quality. The comments were eventually taken down.
We met just after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. One of us, Mr. Rashid, had recently published the book Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia and was keen to give back to the courageous Afghans who supported his research and reporting. For Ms. Bourgault, then the vice president of Internews, a global nonprofit that supports independent media, the moment felt equally urgent. We were determined to support a free press where it had never before truly existed.

With the generous support of a handful of philanthropists, we joined resources and expertise to provide modest support to the journalists who were starting the first local independent newspapers and radio stations. It was an exhilarating time. Major foreign donors  including the United States and European governments  also provided, in the form of funds and training, sustained support over the years to a growing media sector. Within two decades, the fruits of that approach are plain for all to see.

In a country marked by years of conflict, the growth of independent media is more than a bright spot or an abstract victory for democracy. Its something that tangibly improves peoples lives. In rural areas, radio dramas are exploring how violence against women hurts everyone in society. An army of fact-checkers is debunking myths about Covid-19 and delivering lifesaving health information. Journalists are shining a light on police abuse of detainees and exposing public corruption.

This new openness could be slammed shut in a matter of months. The Taliban have already launched a major offensive, capturing rural districts and encircling provincial cities. In its wake, journalists have been systematically threatened and killed, media outlets shuttered and studios repurposed to broadcast Taliban propaganda. In the past three months, 51 media outlets have closed. The Taliban commandeered six media stations, replacing independent journalists with lackeys. One thousand reporters and staff members have lost their jobs. Two journalists have been killed.

Its a distressing situation. But if we act fast, the international community can help Afghans preserve their media, keeping as many independent outlets open as possible and saving the lives of hundreds of journalists.
The report, prepared by the New York State Attorney Generals Office, convincingly casts Mr. Cuomo as a powerful man who publicly applauded himself for hiring many powerful women, only to subject them to abuse. According to the report, he regularly commented on their attire (saying to two women that they looked like a lumberjack or Amish). He teased them about marriage (it reduces your sex drive, he told one) and their husbands (I hope your husband isnt mad that youre here today, he quipped suggestively to another, who was working on a weekend). As Alessandra Biaggi, a state senator who once worked for him, put it, the goal was to destabilize staff, to make you second-guess yourself. Sexual harassment, for Mr. Cuomo, appears to be a management strategy.

Charlotte Bennett had been an executive assistant to the governor only for several months when she found herself in the pool house at the Executive Mansion in January of last year. According to Ms. Jamess report, after she dropped off a speech, Mr. Cuomo invited her into a conversation, and she told him that his legislative action supporting survivors of sexual assault in college had changed her life, as a survivor herself. He would later use this story publicly to portray himself as so devoted to survivors that he couldnt possibly have sexually harassed Ms. Bennett  or anyone else.

Mr. Cuomo, after all, considered himself something of an expert on sexual trauma, an image he cultivated with help from Times Up, a group formed in 2018 by influential Hollywood women to fight sexual abuse and promote gender equality in response to the first #MeToo allegations. Not long after its founding, the group began working with Mr. Cuomo. In January 2019 he announced a partnership with the organization to prevent sexual harassment and assault. Later that year, he signed a law designed to make it easier for workers in New York State to report harassment. A day after the signing ceremony, according to the report, he harassed a female state trooper whom he had assigned to his personal security detail, asking why she didnt wear a dress while on duty.

By the time Ms. Bennett came forward, the leadership of Times Up was advising Mr. Cuomo behind the scenes on a defensive P.R. campaign against accusations of harassment. Its leaders, Roberta Kaplan and Tina Tchen, weighed in on an op-ed letter the Cuomo administration had drafted but never published defending the governor against Ms. Boylans harassment allegations, the report said. Ms. Kaplan, a lawyer, also represented Melissa DeRosa, a Cuomo aide who coordinated the letter campaign, in the investigation by the Attorney Generals Office.

On Monday, Ms. Kaplan stepped down from her role at Times Up. But activists raised alarms about the organizations tactics even before these revelations: As recently as March, the group reportedly asked volunteers to sign the kinds of nondisclosure agreements that can help cover up harassment and other workplace abuses. And members of an affiliate group, Times Up Healthcare, recently resigned in protest after accusing one of the board members of failing to report sexual harassment complaints from one of her co-workers. What I see is a P.R. firm, Marissa Hoechstetter, an advocate for survivors of sexual assault, told reporters this week, not an organization interested in supporting survivors.
While I slept in my home, my mother lay dying on the bathroom floor in her home in another state. She was not alone. Her longtime professional home health aide was by her side, propping her up with a hastily grabbed pillow and holding her hand.

Because I am a palliative care physician, I had been preparing myself and my family for the moment of her death for a long time. My mother, after all, was 92 and frail, and had dementia. At this point in her life, it would come down to the place where she would die and who was there in her last moments.

My experience as a physician  a professional life spent mainly tending to the dying  and as a daughter who navigated her mothers last years with chronic illness has kept me alert to the national conversations now taking place about the role of professional caregiving as essential health care.

Some of the hardest conversations I have in my work involve telling families managing the debilitating chronic illness of a loved one at home that they are essentially on their own. Most do not realize that medical insurance does not pay for long-term home care. Though the aides themselves are typically paid little, for-profit agencies can drive the cost of a home health aide to roughly $4,500 a month. And the demand for quality home care services is expected to explode over the next decade.
The act slowed progress in infrastructure. Per-mile spending on the Interstate System of highways tripled between the 1960s and the 1980s, with the inflection point coming in the early 1970s, when NEPA took effect. And in practice, the citizen input function of NEPA has been used not to enact environmental justice but to let wealthy communities oppose projects  including transportation and public works projects  that inconvenience them. To protect against community opposition, environmental impact statements under NEPA have ballooned over the years and now take an average of four and a half years to complete. One that was finalized in 2019 took almost 16 years.

Actions that affect the environment deserve scrutiny, but the biggest cost of NEPA is with respect to federal actions that have no impact. When permit approvals do not significantly affect the human environment, agencies and project sponsors have to prove that through another report. These environmental assessments, of which over 10,000 are produced per year, likewise add years to the process.

And until an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement is finalized, no work on the project in question can begin. Even after finalization, a lawsuit filed by virtually anyone can challenge the adequacy of these documents and bring the project to a halt.

The delay and risk in government decision making affect both government-led initiatives and private sector projects, which depend on speedy returns for financing. One reason venture capitalists have invested so much in software companies and relatively little in transformative physical-world technology is that the returns in software come faster and face less regulatory risk.

Environmental review has far-reaching economic and social consequences. It slowed the 2009 economic recovery, as infrastructure projects specified in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act were subject to at least 192,705 NEPA reviews. Projects funded through this years infrastructure bill will undoubtedly face similar delays. Even immigration policy is not immune to NEPA lawsuits. Arizona is challenging President Bidens order to halt construction on the border wall on NEPA grounds.

To become a nation that builds, we must tear down the regulatory obstacles. In housing, ordinances that prohibit multifamily housing need to go. Other policies that limit density, like parking minimums and height restrictions, must be liberalized.

If we want to build infrastructure as well as housing, we need to address environmental review as well as zoning. We must protect the environment, but we need not do it indirectly with laws that operate only through paperwork and court cases. We should do it directly  with stricter air and water standards, smarter conservation policies and a carbon tax. A direct approach would enable speedy government decisions and get shovels in the ground. A pro-building, pro-environment deal, eliminating environmental review in favor of these direct protections, could improve the environment through stricter substantive standards and through a stimulative effect on new, clean infrastructure.
An asteroid the size of the Empire State Building has a slight chance of hitting Earth.

Dont worry. Youll long be dead before that has any chance of happening. So will your children. Probably all of your grandchildren, too.

At a news conference on Wednesday, NASA scientists said there was a 1-in-1,750 chance that an asteroid named Bennu, which is a bit wider than the Empire State Building is tall, could collide with Earth between now and 2300.

That is actually slightly higher than an earlier estimate of 1 in 2,700 over a shorter period, between now and 2200.

Its not a significant change, said Davide Farnocchia, a scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and lead author of a paper published in the journal Icarus. Im not any more concerned about Bennu than I was before. The impact probability remains really small.
The vigil, organized by David Barrett, who runs the popular Twitter account Manhattan Bird Alert, was a kind of family reunion for Barrys many fans, who did what theyd done for 10 months: trade favorite stories and photos of the owls adventures  the time she made a late night visit to the nearby American Museum of Natural History, the time she lay down on a branch on her stomach like a baby owl, the time she flew to the sailboat pond and gazed at her own lovely reflection in the water.

Some people recognized fellow Barry lovers only by sight or first names. Others had become friends who saw each other almost every day, trading text messages, in their own shorthand, about Barrys whereabouts: shes at the Blair Witchy place, shes at the hooting place, shes at the raccoon place.

What amazes me the most is she welcomed us into her space, said Stella Hamilton, a longtime birder who marveled at Barrys willingness to engage with us directly and sometimes playfully, even allowing us to watch her do things like take an afternoon bath in Azalea Pond. That moment when she looks into your eyes  thats contact with your soul right there. She lets you know how she feels.

According to Karla Bloem, the executive director of the International Owl Center, located in Houston, Minn., owls are creatures of habit. And so, Barrys easy habituation to Central Park suggests she likely grew up in an urbanized environment. But like cats and dogs, she adds, owls are very much individuals with their own personalities, and Barrys willingness to so openly display her emotions to us and to sleep and bathe in our presence (activities that could potentially make her vulnerable to predators) attested to her high comfort level with humans.

Every evening, an hour or so before dusk, a group of seven or eight Barry followers, including Ms. Hamilton and Mr. Lei, would gather in the Ramble to watch Barrys pre-fly-out prep  preening her feathers, sharpening her talons and doing a few owl-y yoga stretches. Barry would then invite her humans, or so it seemed, to accompany her on the first segment of her nightly hunts: flying slowly from perch to perch with occasional pauses in between, as if eager not to let anyone fall behind. After 45 minutes or so, she would take off on her own, soaring off into the sky as her human friends headed home.
TO GROW UP Asian in America in the 1980s was to be on the perpetual lookout: Where were we? Often, the answer (beyond our immediate families, and sometimes not even then) was nowhere  not in our schools, not in our neighborhoods, not among our friends. And even those of us who grew up in areas with significant Asian populations  California, Oregon, Washington, parts of Texas  almost never saw ourselves on television or in movies, never heard ourselves on the radio, never read our words in books. It could seem, at times, as if we were real to ourselves, but not to anyone else.

That wasnt the case where I was growing up, in Honolulu, in the only majority-Asian state in the union (today, Asians of nonmixed backgrounds count for nearly 38 percent of Hawaiis population). There, Asians were everywhere. They were our teachers and doctors and mail carriers and janitors and police officers. They were our neighbors. Equally important, they were in our commercials, hawking banks and restaurants and food; they read our news. We may not have had Asians in movies, but we had them on TV and on the radio. Of the many privileges in my life, I consider this a primary one: That for a period, I grew up unfettered by expectations of who I was supposed to be because of how I looked. Asians werent perfect and docile, and nor were they robotic or scheming. I knew demure Asians, rambunctious Asians, industrious Asians, lazy Asians. I was all those Asians, at various points, sometimes within the space of a day. It would never have occurred to me that my race saddled me with a certain set of personality traits that I would have to either adhere to or rebel against in order to assert my personhood.
Elka Schumann, who with her husband, Peter, ran the Bread and Puppet Theater in Vermont, known for its countercultural messaging through avant-garde puppeteering, died on Aug. 1 in a hospital in Newport, Vt. She was 85.

The cause was a stroke, her son Max Schumann said.

As its name suggests, the Bread and Puppet Theater is dedicated to two types of art: baking and puppetry. Fresh sourdough bread, milled and baked by Mr. Schumann, was distributed to troupe members and the audience while monstrous papier-mache puppets, propelled by actors inside them, told stories that took on social and political causes like housing inequality and antiwar and anti-draft activism.

Among the recurring characters was the troupes first antagonist, Uncle Fatso, whose roles included a slumlord and allegorical representations of Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon. The troupes productions included renditions of plays by the leftist German playwright Bertolt Brecht and shows based on the diaries of the anarchist Emma Goldman.

The critic Holland Cotter of The New York Times described a visit to Bread and Puppet Theater in 2007 as surreal, an impossible trick of stagecraft, a miracle experience.
California became the first state to issue a vaccine mandate for all educators in public and private schools on Wednesday when Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered teachers and school staff members to provide proof of vaccination against Covid-19 or face weekly testing.

We think itll be well-received to keep our most precious resource healthy and safe, he said, and thats our children.

The policy applies to staff members serving students in kindergarten through 12th grade and will go into effect on Thursday, with the deadline for full compliance being Oct. 15.

Similar mandates are gaining momentum among public and private employers as cases across the United States have jumped with the spread of the Delta variant.
Ron Scapellato, 54, a landlord in Clark County with 50 units and an air-conditioning business, said he soured on the moratorium after he watched some tenants spend their stimulus checks on new televisions rather than paying back rent. His mortgage and other bills continued to pile up, he said, so he went to court. I understand that they do not want to throw people out, but I also want my rent, he said.

The extension still might face legal challenges. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court questioned whether the C.D.C. had the authority to issue such a sweeping national mandate. And on Thursday, the Court blocked part of New Yorks eviction moratorium.

Because the federal moratorium technically lapsed for a few days, some landlords went ahead with evictions.

Hours before the reprieve from the White House, sheriffs deputies arrived outside Hope Brasseauxs house in Columbus, Ga., to implement an eviction order issued a month earlier. Ms. Brasseaux, an unemployed waitress, received just 12 hours notice. She applied for assistance toward her $700 monthly rent in the spring, but the government portal shows her request as still under review. I wish it would have happened a day sooner, she said of the two-month extension by the Biden administration.

In Nevada, evictions are designed to move faster than in most states, with renters in debt typically given seven days to pay what they owe or move out. Unique to the state, the onus is on the renter to initiate a court challenge, which can pause the process, but many residents do not know that.

Most evictions dont make it to court, said Ms. Bortolin of the Nevada Coalition of Legal Service Providers. When people hear the word moratorium they think they dont have to act, she said. Thousands of people in Nevada alone were evicted because they thought they could not be.

The strain of the pandemic has been especially hard on hourly workers in Las Vegas. Unemployment in Clark County hit a high of almost 370,000 in April 2020, more than 33 percent. It remains at almost 10 percent, according to state labor statistics.
The threat of a Taliban conquest and new risks to U.S. personnel and allies in the country could cause Americans who had been paying little attention to Afghanistan for the past several years to reconsider their views, particularly if Republicans amplify a message of American failure and capitulation.

Everybodys worried about a repeat of the Saigon images, said Brian Katulis, a foreign policy expert at the liberal Center for American Progress, referring to the chaotic April 1975 evacuation of the American Embassy in South Vietnams capital. Desperate Vietnamese clung to the struts of departing helicopters as the city was being conquered by Communist forces.

Americans remain focused on domestic matters like the coronavirus and the economy, and are unlikely to care much that the Taliban have captured unfamiliar cities like Kunduz, said Mr. Katulis, who has studied public opinion about foreign policy.

But this could change, he added. If you have a parade of horribles continue to unfold in Afghanistan, it could seep into the public consciousness the way Iraq did in 2013 and 2014 when the Islamic State stormed across that country after American troops withdrew.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Mr. Biden said he did not regret his decision, noting that the United States continued to support Afghanistans government and security forces but adding, Theyve got to fight for themselves.
Byung J. Pak, a former U.S. attorney in Atlanta, told congressional investigators on Wednesday that his abrupt resignation in January had been prompted by Justice Department officials warning that President Donald J. Trump intended to fire him for refusing to say that widespread voter fraud had been found in Georgia, according to a person familiar with his testimony.

Mr. Pak, who provided more than three hours of closed-door testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, stepped down with no notice on Jan. 4, saying that he had done his best to be thoughtful and consistent, and to provide justice for my fellow citizens in a fair, effective and efficient manner.

While he did not discuss Mr. Trumps role in his decision to resign at the time, he told the Senate panel that the president had been dismayed that Mr. Pak had investigated allegations of voter fraud in Fulton County, Ga., and not found evidence to support them, according to the person familiar with the statements.

Mr. Pak testified that top department officials had made clear that Mr. Trump intended to fire him over his refusal to say that the results in Georgia had been undermined by voter fraud, the person said. Resigning would pre-empt a public dismissal.
After Mr. Murphys reassignment, Mr. Maher, who has served as the principal deputy general counsel for the Homeland Security Department, replaced him as the acting under secretary for intelligence and analysis and immediately shut down open-source collection efforts on domestic extremists that were being advocated and conducted by Mr. Murphy, Mr. Zaid said. To put it bluntly, Mr. Maher is likely (or should be) a direct fact witness as to why D.H.S. failed  under his leadership  to identify, predict or help prevent the threat that grew into the events of Jan. 6.

Mr. Murphy did not accuse Mr. Maher in his initial complaint with the departments inspector general last year but named him in an addendum filed in January. In that document, Mr. Murphy said Mr. Maher had extended his reassignment and told others he did not want Mr. Murphy to return to his intelligence job. Mr. Zaid described the actions as unlawful retaliation.

Mr. Murphy maintains that he was punished for political reasons to protect former President Donald J. Trump and that Chad F. Wolf, then the acting homeland security secretary, told him to stop producing assessments on Russian interference. He said the departments second-highest official at the time, Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, ordered Mr. Murphy to modify intelligence assessments to downplay the threat of white supremacy.

The committee spokesman, however, said Mr. Maher was merely drafted to help clean up a chaotic situation after the department opened an investigation into whether Mr. Murphys office was inappropriately examining the work of reporters covering the governments response to Portland protests.

He was asked to step into the leadership position at the Office of Intelligence and Analysis last summer when its director was reassigned from that position, Mr. Mulvey said, following reporting raising concerns that the office had been improperly assembling intelligence on journalists.

The select committee, he added, has no reason to believe that Mr. Maher is the focus of a continuing inspector general investigation into the matter.

Mr. Maher was recommended for the committee by Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming, one of two conservatives on the panel, as part of an effort to bolster the investigations bipartisan credentials. Mr. Maher began working for the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, when he was hired under President George W. Bush, and served in a number of legal positions. His hiring by the committee was announced the same day that former Representative Denver Riggleman, Republican of Virginia, joined the panels staff.
This court previously allowed the committees demand for President Trumps financial records to proceed without qualification, Judge Mehta wrote. But applying the greater scrutiny required by the Supreme Court, he said, he cannot now go so far.

Judge Mehta split the records the committee has been seeking into three categories, granting some but rejecting others.

One category was financial data about the governments leasing of the Old Post Office in Washington to Mr. Trumps organization for a hotel in 2013. Noting that Mr. Trump chose not to divest from that lease when he became president, Judge Mehta ruled that Congress could see the information from both before Mr. Trump became president and while he was in office.

The decision to bid for the lease was entirely voluntary, as was the decision to sign it and be bound by its terms. The same is true for President Trumps choice not to divest his interests in the lease upon entering public office, he wrote, adding, A presidential candidate can choose not to contract with the federal government, or can divest his interests upon assuming office, and thereby avoid the accompanying scrutiny.

The second category was data about Mr. Trumps finances while he was in office. Judge Mehta ruled that the committee could see those records, too, accepting as persuasive the Houses claim that it needed to look at them as part of weighing whether existing rules to enforce the Constitutions ban on presidents taking foreign emoluments while in office are sufficient.

But he rejected Congresss right to broadly scrutinize Mr. Trumps financial records for the years before he became a public official, citing the Supreme Courts concerns and saying he was not persuaded that access to the documents was necessary for lawmakers stated rationale: weighing whether new candidate disclosure laws are needed.

A lawyer for Mr. Trump did not respond to a request for comment, including on whether his client would appeal the portion of the ruling that went against him.
DHAKA, Bangladesh  Nasrin Jahan woke up gasping for air. Her daughter held her in the back of a rickshaw as they motored to a nearby clinic, where she was hooked up with an oxygen cylinder. From there, an ambulance took her to one hospital, then another, looking for a bed.

Ammu, you will be fine, her 16-year-old daughter, Tajrin Jahan Yousha, tried to tell her, using an affectionate term for mother. We are close to the hospital. They will take care of you.

Bangladeshs already strained health care system is buckling under the ferocity of the countrys third, and by far deadliest, wave of coronavirus infections. About 60 percent of its 23,000 virus-related deaths and more than half of its total infections have been recorded since the beginning of April. Its hospitals have been overrun. Only 4 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated.
The Indonesian Army will stop subjecting female recruits to mandatory vaginal exams, the army chief said in an interview with local reporters this week. Rights groups have long viewed the procedure as a continuation of the invasive and discredited so-called virginity test that is slowly being stamped out in many places.

In an interview on Tuesday, Gen. Andika Perkasa, the army chief, said there would be no more vaginal and cervix examinations, and that there would no longer be an assessment of whether womens hymens were intact.

His confirmation came less than a month after he hinted at the changes in a different statement, setting off celebrations among activists who have campaigned against the practice for years. They said they hoped the move would lead other branches of the Indonesian military to change the procedure.

Latisha Rosabelle, 21, who grew up in Indonesia and started a petition against the practice that garnered nearly 70,000 signatures, said she was stunned when she heard the news. I had been posting stuff online for years, said Ms. Rosabelle, now a student at Smith College in Massachusetts. It felt so slow. I was a little bit hopeless.
Will the Talibans advance affect the U.S. military withdrawal?

The American military presence in Afghanistan is set to end by the end of the month, and the recent string of Taliban military victories has not moved President Biden to reassess that plan, officials said.

Still the escalating violence is a predicament for Mr. Biden, who has toed the line between extracting the United States from the war while insisting that he is not abandoning Afghanistan to the Taliban.

The American withdrawal is already 95 percent complete, official say. But over the past three weeks, as the Taliban pushed their front lines deep into urban areas, the U.S. military has carried out some airstrikes in Afghanistan to try to buy time for Afghan security forces to rally a defense around the major cities under siege.

Administration officials say the Pentagon will likely request authorization from the president for additional airstrikes in the next months, should the key southern city of Kandahar or the nations capital, Kabul, appear on the verge of falling.

But on Sunday, as three northern cities fell to the insurgents, the American response was muted. It sent a clear message to Afghan leaders: In no uncertain terms, Americas 20-year war in Afghanistan is over, and the Afghan forces will have to retake the cities on their own, or leave them to the Taliban for good.

Najim Fahim, Fatima Faizi and Thomas Gibbons-Neff contributed reporting from Kabul.
BERLIN  An employee of the British Embassy in Germany has been detained on suspicion of slipping documents from his workplace to Russian intelligence, Germanys federal prosecutor said on Wednesday in the latest case of suspected espionage involving agents from Moscow.

The man, who is a 57-year-old British citizen identified only as David S. in keeping with German privacy laws, was detained on Monday in Potsdam and his home and office were searched, the prosecutor said in a statement. The authorities said that they suspected he had been working as a spy since at least November and that he was suspected of handing over documents from the embassy to a member of Russias intelligence agency in exchange for an undisclosed amount of cash.

The arrest is the latest in a spate of detentions as German authorities move against Russian agents. Germanys domestic intelligence service has grown increasingly concerned that Moscow is stepping up its efforts to win over Western collaborators to gain information about the countrys economic, political and strategic positions, as well as those of the European Union.

Much of the focus has been on the threat of cyberespionage after hackers linked to Russia were suspected of breaching the German governments main data network and the countrys Parliament. But experts in Germany say that Moscow is again employing old-fashioned human contact to gather intelligence.
He said there were indications that the nurse might be against vaccines.

A police investigation found that the nurse had shared social media posts criticizing the governments pandemic restrictions.

The criminal investigation is focusing on accusations that the nurses switching of the initial vial resulted in saline solution being injected instead of six vaccine doses. But the police now say there is a credible chance that the nurse intentionally substituted vaccines on other occasions while working in the laboratory of the Friesland vaccination center. She was responsible for preparing vaccine syringes.

Officials have not said whether they plan to charge her with any crime. A lawyer representing the nurse told the German news service DPA that she had switched just one vial.

The nurse, who has not been charged with any offense, admitted in April that she had refilled a broken Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine vial with a saline solution, in an episode that she described as an accident.

Unable to pinpoint exactly which vials had been compromised in April, the authorities invited 117 people to take antibody tests. They also offered additional vaccine shots to another 80 who had been to the center for second doses.
MOSCOW  The Russian authorities announced a new criminal charge against Aleksei A. Navalny on Wednesday, signaling they would try to keep the imprisoned opposition leader behind bars until well after the countrys presidential election in 2024.

Russias Investigative Committee said in a statement that Mr. Navalny was charged with creating an organization that infringes on the personal integrity and rights of citizens, a crime punishable by as much as three years in prison. Mr. Navalny was jailed in January for violating parole and given a two-and-a-half year prison sentence that expires in late 2023.

The Investigative Committee, a powerful law-enforcement body, alleged that Mr. Navalny had broken the law by establishing his Anti-Corruption Foundation, a group Russia outlawed as extremist earlier this year.

The foundations activities involved encouraging citizens to commit illegal acts, such as attending unauthorized protests, the committees statement said.
Polands right-wing coalition government won a narrow victory in Parliament on Wednesday when legislators passed a contentious media bill that could lead to an American-owned television station losing its license.

The passage of the media bill by the lower house came in a stormy and chaotic session of Parliament in which the legislation was briefly postponed by opposition legislators. The government forced a vote to rescind the postponement, bringing cries of outrage from legislators.

The long day of political shenanigans followed the withdrawal from the government of a small coalition partner in a dispute over the proposed new law. The departure of the coalition partner means the government has now lost its parliamentary majority.

The government, led by the Law and Justice party of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, will continue to lead Poland unless it loses a vote of confidence, which would require a vote of two-thirds of the lower house. But the government is wounded and facing dissent from another coalition partner, so may not last until the next scheduled elections, in 2023.
LEEDS, England  The purr of the gold clippers breaks the silence inside the Piranha Hair Studio as Qasim Sajjad teaches a lesson on how to cut Black hair. Brian Swarry, the studios owner, offers extra instruction via Facetime while a junior hairdresser watches and listens.

It is an unremarkable scene, except that the junior hairdresser is white.

For years, Mr. Swarry, 48, known as Barber B, has built a reputation in an industry tailored to white customers for teaching trainees of all races to cut Black hair. Most certified hairdressers in Britain never learn how, nor have they been required to do so.

Ten years ago, there was nowhere we could go to learn to cut Black Afro hair, Mr. Swarry said, referring to the way Black British people describe their coily or kinky-textured hair.

Now, the agencies that set standards for the profession in Britain are signaling change, even if it is too soon to know how big the shift will be or how quickly it will come. In May, after several years of lobbying by advocacy groups and a leading fashion magazine, the Hair and Beauty Industry Authority said it was updating its certification standards so that hairdressers can meet the needs of the U.K.s diverse community.
Bessie Kokalis Pescio

In the spring of 2020, the internal comms team at Philip Morris International (PMI) faced a triple challenge. We wanted to keep our global workforce engaged, increase their confidence in our ongoing business transformation, and equip them with content to help navigate their new remote working reality. To do this, we turned a simple idea into an impactful internal communications campaign that can be leveraged at any organizationno matter the size, industry or geography.

First, find your inspiration

An avid reader of the New York Times, I remember spending a chilly Sunday morning at the beginning of the pandemic contemplating our rapidly changing world with a cup of coffee and the paper. Like most companies, PMI had just pivoted overnight to a mostly remote work environment. It was clear that my original planfor the global internal communications team to spend the entirety of 2020 cascading a global transformation narrative to our employeeswas not going to work.

Before formulating a plan B, I looked at all the resources that continued to be available to us, pandemic or not. For starters, we have a solid foundation of internal communications programs and processes. We also have an outstanding crisis team that was doing an excellent job of managing all pandemic-related messages.

What I was still looking for was inspiration. I wanted to find a fresh, new way to communicate about other topics important to our workforce. I also wanted to meet our employees need to connect. And they needed real-time, practical advice on topics of importance. And then it hit me! The New York Times Daily Health Challenge, through which readers sign up for a daily dose of wellness inspiration, became our model for an entire series of online challenges throughout the company.

Next, turn challenge into opportunity

We began with a 21-day challenge that motivated employees to learn how to communicate with impact. Following this, a second challenge focused on well-being. On both e-challenges, employee engagement was remarkably high and overwhelmingly positive.

On the heels of those pilots, we mainstreamed the campaign. Since then, weve tackled such soft-skill topics as resilience, diversity and respect, as well as launching challenges aligned to PMI business priorities including consumer centricity, sustainability and project-based work.

Each challenge provides snackable, actionable tips over a five-, 10- or 21-day period. Along with the daily tips, we also produce an e-book with additional resources to read, listen to, watch, and/or do to learn more. On average, the challenges draw participation from up to 20 percent of our workforce, along with positive reactions and enthusiastic comments.

To create opportunities for employees to share their thoughts, we conduct the challenges on our companywide Yammer channel, allowing employees to continue the conversation long after a challenge officially ends.

Make sure you challenge from the top down

Each challenge is sponsored by a senior leader who introduces it with a videocast Q&A, then engages in informal conversation with employees on Yammer during the entire challenge. The topics are often submitted by the leaders themselves for consideration, and/or they are both knowledgeable and passionate about the particular topic they volunteer to champion. As a result, the leadership team is our communicator networksuccessfully promoting an empathetic and caring culture while building authentic, direct connections with employees.

Before the pandemic, we hosted town halls where our CEO and senior leaders answered live questions directly. It wasnt a monologue or address, but an open, comfortable dialogue. Many of our leaders were also known to walk the hallways and engage in watercooler chats, or visit the coffee corner and exchange small talk with employees. Thanks to our challenges, that accessibility continued virtually and more informally. Employees not only report feeling connected and supported by their employer, but they are also able to see their leaders in a very simple, relaxed settingat home.

Continue to challenge yourself

As organizations become acclimated to an increasingly virtual workplace, one of the biggest obstacles that leaders face will continue to be connecting with their employees in a meaningful way.

Online challenges may not be your cup of tea. The good news is, if you know your organizations strengths, recognize your audiences needs, have a well-established communications program and dedicated leaders, you can find your own inspiration to execute simple, low-cost and highly engaging digital initiatives that spark conversation and keep a virtual workforce connected.

Our series ultimately turned the challenge of physical distance into an opportunity to create social closeness among our employees. Engagement metrics demonstrate the challenges enormous impact.

Were averaging about one new challenge every six to eight weeks now. And I dont expect to slow down anytime soon.

***

Bessie Kokalis Pescio is global head of internal communications at Philip Morris International.
SCS, a brand transformation agency, merges with Atlanta-based independent digital performance marketing agency Swarm. The combined company will operate under the SCS brand name and include 100 people across offices in Atlanta, Southern California and Ottawa, Canada. Swarm CEO Tom Ellis will now serve as chief revenue officer of SCS and Swarm SVP, marketing and implementation; Alexa Ellis becomes SCS chief operating officer. The Ellises founded Swarm in 2009. SCS founder and CEO James Schiefer will remain in his position, as will president and chief strategy officer Jeff Roach. We were attracted to Swarm because of its founders commitment to employees and clients as well as its strength in digital, media and DTC focus, designing compelling campaigns and communications across a variety of brands and to a variety of consumers, said Schiefer.

ICR launches Welcome to the Arena, a podcast featuring interviews with CEOs, CFOs, financial analysts, members of the media, investment bankers, private equity executives and those who influence and create value for public and private equity backed companies. Hosted by ICR co-founder and CEO Tom Ryan, the podcast debuts Aug. 18, with new content released every two weeks. Among the podcasts first guests are Piper Sandler managing director, senior research analyst Nicole Miller Regan; Baron Capital vice president, portfolio manager Laird Bieger; and ICR president Don Duffy. We are thrilled to launch our new podcast and allow companies to proactively drive the conversation with stakeholders while listening to other thought leaders that can influence their businesses and build equity value, said Ryan. The podcast will be accessible on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or anywhere else podcasts are available.

The Global Steering Group for Impact Investment is one of the groups behind a new awards program intended to recognize outstanding examples of impact investing communications. The Impact Narrative Awards are open to any organization involved in impact investing and the wider ecosystem (social entrepreneurs, accelerators/incubators, market builders). San Francisco-based Thinkshift Communications will develop a communications strategy for the awards program and Thinkshift principal Sandra Stewart will serve as one of the competitions judges. Entries are due August 23. There is no fee to enter either of the two categories, one for narratives addressing governments and the other for those aimed at the financial sector. Too often communications about impact investing are complex and confusing, and these awards will champion those who are succeeding at storytelling, said Stewart.
Prudential Financial scores PR gold as it connects Rock logo with a new generation of consumers while Dunkin gets unwanted power placement from disgraced NY governor.

The insurer announced a partnership with USA Climbing on Aug. 11. Competitive climbing debuted as an Olympic sport during the Tokyo Games. USA Climbing copped a silver medal.

The company says the partnership celebrates a new generation of inspirational American athletes who represent the future of climbing and embody Prudentials shared attributes of strength, performance and reaching new heights.

Prudential restored the Rock to its marketing campaigns last year. Its timing of the partnership is perfect.

Meanwhile, disgraced New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been charged with sexual harassment, delivered a not wanted product placement for Dunkin Donuts.

After his 22-minute resignation speech on Aug. 10, the Associated Press snapped a photo of the outgoing governor holding a coffee cup emblazoned with the Dunkin logo.

He held the cup while walking to the Eastside Heliport for a hasty getaway from Manhattan. The pix made the front page of the New York Times and New York Post (At the End of his Grope headline).

Dunkin's marketing team must have been "at the end of their gulp" upon seeing the Cuomo pix.

Sorry Rand, you cannot have it both ways. YouTube booted Kentucky Senator Rand Paul from its platform for a week for spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

In the video, Paul said the wearing of cloth masks does not prevent the spread of the virus.

But slippery Rand endorsed YouTubes right to drop him.

As a libertarian leaning Senator, I think private companies have the right to ban me if they want to, so in this case Ill just channel that frustration into ensuring the public knows YouTube is acting as an arm of government and censoring their users for contradicting the government, he said in a statement.

Nice try, Rand. Facebook was not acting as an arm of the government; it was acting as an arm of science.

Wearing a face mask may limit exposure to respiratory droplets and large particles and may help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus, says guidance from the Centers for Disease and Prevention.

Google may soon be getting the whole gang back together in the office, but it may come at a cost.

As companies struggle over return to work policies, Google has decided that pay cuts may be in order for those who prefer to work at homes far from its offices.

Google has developed a Work Location Tool that calculates the pay received by a staffer at the office or at home, according to the BBC.

A Google staffer preferring to work in Stamford, an hour by train away from New York, would get 15 percent less working remotely. There are 5 to 10 percent pay differences in the Seattle, Boston and San Francisco areas.

The policy does not affect workers working remotely in the same city as Googles office.

It may result in a two-tiered compensation system, and widen the gender pay gap as women, who take most of the responsibility for childcare, opt to work remotely.

Norwegian Cruise Lines stood up to Flordias crazed Governor DeSantis and scored a victory in federal court on Aug. 9 as a judge declared it has the right to seek proof of COVID-19 vaccinations from passengers.

DeSantis, who promised to appeal the ruling, banned vaccine passports and threatened to fine NCL millions of dollars each time a ship left port. He is playing a political game designed to curry favor from the Trump crowd at the expense of the health of Floridians.

Daniel Farkas, NCL executive VP, said the company sued Florida because it believes that it is right and acted in the best interests of the welfare of our guests, crew and communities we visit in an effort to do our part as responsible corporate citizens to minimize, to the greatest extent possible, further spread of COVID-19 as we gradually relaunch our vessels.

DeSantis will not be taking a NCL cruise any time soon.
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Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia:

The international real asset investment manager CBRE Global Investors closed its largest value-added real estate fund to date, raising a combined $2.3 billion for the fund and its co-investment vehicle.

According to the independently operated affiliate of CBRE Group, CBRE Strategic Partners U.S. Value 9 surpassed its $2 billion fundraising target. The amount raised by the fund at its close includes direct capital commitments and co-investments issued by 23 institutional investors in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Investors include Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, Oak Brook; Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, Topeka; Hawaii Public Employees' Retirement System, Honolulu; and Alameda County Employees' Retirement Association, Oakland, Calif.

The predecessor CBRE Strategic Partners US 8 fund raised $1.3bn in November 2017.

According to the release, the latest fund, which with leverage has a $5.6bn purchasing power, has already committed close to $1.2bn its capital into 12 transactions.

"We expect an uneven recovery across markets and property sectors that we believe will create opportunity for our investors," said Robert Perry, the fund's portfolio manager.

The Strategic Partners U.S. program has raised $11.8 billion in equity in 15 funds and co-investment vehicles since inception.

CBRE Global Investors is a global real assets investment management firm with $129.1 billion in assets u......................

To view our full article Click here


Aylon Morley B. G., Opalesque Geneva for New Managers: A Cayman Island-based manager launched a pure bitcoin hedge fund in October 2020 and has since produced remarkable returns, reflecting crypto hedge funds' general returns. SAVA Investment Management was founded two years ago by Aylon Morley and Pancho Vanhees. Aylon Morley will be presenting at the next Small Managers Big Alpha webinar on 7th September. The fund SAVA's flagship, the SAVA Bitcoin Volatility Fund, can take long and short positions. It aims to profit from Bitcoin price movements by capturing the underlying volatility through a combination of discretionary and proprietary-based algorithmic trading. It has returned 80% from inception to the end of June - compared to the S&P's 25% return in the same period. The July returns are estimated at about 10%. The best results were in February (28%) and March (27%), when the most popular digital currency rallied. In February, the price of bitcoin jumped more than 50%, peaked at about $57,000 and went up to $61,000 in mid-March. It did not stop there, going up further to a high of almost $63,000 in April. It went down to $30,00 in July and is currently priced at about $46,000. The fund does not require management, subscription, or redemption fees. It does however charge a 30% performance fee after a hurdle rate of 5%. So why investing in bitcoin? "High liquidity coupled with capricious market volatility is our forte and our dedicated dashboard was built to capture the directional market swings inherent in this nascent market space," Aylon Morley tells Opalesque. The fund was "designed specifically to reflect the manager's mental fortitude and methodological approach, gained from more than 25 years of prop trading experience," he adds. "SAVA is a seamless amalgamation of experience and machine." Through a discretionary and technical approach, SAVA finds alpha in the most volatile asset class of Bitcoin, he explains. This is done through deploying a list of advanced order types designed in-house, a highly sophisticated proprietary dashboard created by the manager. The manager uses both spot and futures positions to capture the profits fundamental to the underlying volatility of the asset class. The founders Aylon Morley previously worked in the city of London, first as a fund researcher for UBS and later on, as an analyst for Thomson Financial and a financial writer for Reuters. He later served as the business development director for Granite Alphen Capital, a Swiss-based, volatility hedge fund. For the last 14 years, he has also been active as the Tech Investment Director for Wentworth Hall, a London-based family office that specializes in private equity ventures and start-up investments. In the last five years, he has been an active member and investor in the blockchain and cryptocurrency ecosystem. Ian Morley, chairman at Wentworth Hall family office, serves as chairman. Pancho Vanhees was the co-founder of TFAL Investments, a trading firm in Luxembourg, the co-founder of Coinweb, a blockchain house in London, and a seed investor of Fundbase in Zurich. He is also the founder of Skynet Trading, a digital asset trading firm in Belize. Crypto hedge funds today At present, there are two kinds of cryptocurrency hedge funds. Those that manage portfolios containing exclusively cryptocurrency, and those that have added some cryptocurrency to a mix of other asset types. SAVA belongs to the first group. A recent survey by fund administrator Intertrust Group featuring 100 hedge fund CFOs globally, found that executives expect to hold an average of 7.2% of their assets in cryptocurrencies in five years' time. "If replicated across the sector, that could equate to a total of about $312bn of assets in cryptos, based on data group Preqin's forecast for the total size of the hedge fund industry. 17% of respondents expected to have more than 10% in crypto," according to Intertrust. "The growing enthusiasm shown by hedge funds stands in sharp contrast to widespread scepticism among more traditional asset managers, many of whom remain concerned about cryptocurrencies' huge volatility and uncertainty over how they will be regulated." According to PWC, a multinational professional services network of firms, around a fifth of hedge funds are currently investing in digital assets, and the average percentage of their total AuM invested in digital assets is 3%. More than 85% of those hedge funds intend to deploy more capital into the asset class by the end of 2021. Around a quarter of hedge fund managers who are not yet investing in digital assets confirmed that they are in late-stage planning to invest or looking to invest. In its 3rd Annual Global Crypto Hedge Fund Report 2021, PWC estimates that the total assets under management (AuM) of crypto hedge funds globally increased to nearly US$3.8bn in 2020 from US$2bn the previous year. The median AuM at fund launch is US$1m, indicating that funds have generally seen an impressive 15X increase in AuM. Furthermore, the median crypto hedge fund returned +128% in 2020 (vs +30% in 2019). The median best performance strategy in 2020 was discretionary long-only (+294%) followed by discretionary long/short (+129%), multi-strategy (+114%) and quant (+72%). As for investors in crypto hedge funds, the vast majority are either high-net-worth individuals (54%) or family offices (30%). Most crypto hedge funds trade Bitcoin (92%). And they tend to be domiciled in the same jurisdictions as traditional hedge funds, with the top three being the Cayman Islands (34%), the United States (33%), and Gibraltar (9%). *** Next Small Manager Big Alpha webinar With larger quantities of capital chasing the same alpha strategies and continuing to erode alpha, savvy investors are turning to smaller or emerging managers as they look for alternative sources of return. In the third episode of this ground-breaking webinar series, we present four managers: - Salman Baig, Unigestion

- Aylon Morley, SAVA Investment Management

- Theron de Ris, Eschler Asset Management

- Daniel Butler, Blue Swan Investors When: Tuesday, September 7th, 2021, at 10:30 am ET

Free registration here: www.opalesque.com/webinar/


The September 2017 special youth deer season opener was going to be unusually warm with predicted sunny skies and temperatures reaching the upper 80s. This of course, would throw a very challenging wrinkle into the mix for the young deer hunters and their mentors.

By mid-September, whitetails are reaching their plumpest state and starting to develop their heavy coats in preparation for the winter months. This meant the deer hunting window was going to be narrowed down to about the first half hour and last half hour of daylight, with deer spending the majority of the day in the cool shade of dense cover. Their main movement for feeding during any particularly balmy conditions usually occurs during the night.

When I have a kid under my wing for the youth season, the only things I carry are a binocular, deer call and field dressing kit. My main role is to be the guide, spotter for shots to be taken, and muscle to get a deer out if one is fortunately harvested, and introducing a kid to hunting is a top priority for me. I refer to as passing it on, something that is very important to the future of hunting.

Dale Skinner, 13, of Akron, had let me know that he would like to go hunting, when he was a student in a hunter education class I assisted with. He was quite excited when I later invited him to my home for some shooting practice in preparation for the fast approaching youth deer season. This would begin with safe gun handling techniques and actual shooting practice at fallen leaves on the ground using a lever-action Daisy Red Ryder BB gun, from my back deck.

The rifle Dale would then be introduced to on my backyard shooting range was my new Henry Big Boy Steel Carbine in .44 Magnum, which is compact, has a fluid lever-action and a light and crisp trigger.

I started Dale out with .44 S&W Special loads, which are truly a plinking round in this carbine as they offer very little recoil. Dale noted right away that the Henrys lever worked a lot easier and smoother than that of the Daisy Red Ryder, and I could tell he was forming a comfortable and proper meld with the carbine. We then switched to Winchester .44 Magnum, 240-grain jacketed soft-point rounds, and this is the combination Dale would use for deer hunting. He had no problem at all with the additional recoil.

I then sat down with Dale and we went over pictures in a deer book that features deer in various positions, and where to aim to properly hit the kill zone. He correctly picked out the proper spot each time, and I also went over a frontal shot which offers the smallest effective target, which minus the brain, is about the size of a long-necked two liter bottle. Although the frontal shot is often not recommended, I have taken a number of deer in this manner and they drop in their tracks with a well-placed shot.

Predawn darkness on opening morning found Dale and me sitting in a two-person ladder-stand situated above a brushy gully, and facing a soybean food plot surrounded by tall prairie grass. As the light began to brighten matters up, the temperature began to automatically rise, and we didnt have to wait long for deer action to occur.

In the gray light of dawn, several deer suddenly materialized out of the tall prairie grass and began slowly browsing in the soybeans before heading into heavy cover. I immediately put my binocular to work and sized up the situation and deer. The lead deer was a very large doe, accompanied by a smaller doe, and with four fawns in the mix. It was during this moment Dale and I heard the telltale sounds of a buck raking its antlers on a bush, out of sight in the gully behind us. I guessed it was less than 30 yards away, and with deer just out of range in our front and an unseen buck behind, I decided to put my deer call to work.

I used a social deer-calling sound that is frequently used by deer to stay in touch, and even beckon to each other. The buck stopped raking the bush, and the big doe began to gaze over in our direction. She then began easing in our direction, but cautiously stuck to the edge of the prairie grass, which truly worked for us, because it kept the deer just outside of our scent being pushed along by a balmy southerly breeze.

I had told Dale at the start that he could shoot any deer he wished, buck or doe, big or little, as it was his decision to make, and whatever made him happy, made me happy. My goal in calling was to bring the large doe into range or draw the buck behind us into view for a shot, and Dale could make the decision on whether or not to shoot when an opportunity was presented.

The large doe suddenly turned and disappeared into the tall grass with the other deer and I continued to call. Suddenly she reappeared out of the grass and just into the soybeans, and was facing directly toward us at 65 yards, obviously trying to determine exactly where the other deer was located. With no buck making an appearance, I saw Dale had made his decision when he slowly formed a shooting position using our ladder stands security railing for a solid rest and locked his sights onto the large doe. My goal was to wait until the large doe turned broadside, and then tell Dale to touch the trigger.

I was intently watching the doe through my binocular and could tell by her body language she was about to turn and offer a broadside shot, and started to say she but only got sh.. out, and Dale touched the trigger, in thinking I was starting to say shoot.

Well, folks, a couple things happened in sequence for me. When I instinctively jerked at the unexpected shot, I lost my complete and intense focus on the doe with my binocular, and I also swallowed my chewing tobacco! When I brought the binocular back into play, all I saw were deer disappearing into the long grass. I knew a hit had occurred because I had heard that telltale meaty thwack a bullet makes when it solidly strikes flesh.

I made the assumption one of the deer I had seen disappearing into the grass was the large doe in question, but Dale let me know that he had dropped the large doe right in her tracks, because he had hit the deer exactly where I had pointed out in the book for a frontal shot. The soybeans were on the tall side, and hard as I tried, I couldnt discern anything with the binocular and decided it was best we wait a bit to be sure. However, with the temperature steadily climbing, we were soon lowering an empty Henry and climbing down out of the ladder-stand.

Once on the ground, I had Dale reload and chamber a round in the Henry and put the hammer back in the safe mode. We then approached where he had last seen the doe, and sure enough, we discovered where she had fallen quite dead, right in her tracks. Dales bullet had struck exactly where he had aimed, and he commented on how much he really liked my Henry Big Boy Steel Carbine.

Although I was certain the doe was dead, I went through the procedure with Dale of the proper approach to a downed deer (from its back and rear, with the deer facing away) and how to watch the eyes (a dead deer means an open, blank stare  if eyes are closed or it blinks, immediately shoot it again). Supposed dead deer have been known to surprise unprepared hunters.

First came properly tagging the doe, then came field dressing, and I showed Dale how to keep everything as a connected unit to keep matters clean. Then it was quickly loading the deer onto my Jeep and off to the cooler of the meat processer. The early morning temperature had already reached 85 degrees and flies were automatically homing in.

I considered it an honor to mentor Dale Skinner in bagging his first deer with my then brand new Henry Carbine, and I truly appreciated the fact he had become a crack shot. It is always quite nice when the pieces for a successful hunt come together.

Also, folks, take a kid hunting whenever you have an opportunity!

Readers can email Tom Lounsbury at tlounsburyoutdoors@gmail.com.
Midland County ESA received a $45,235 grant from the Midland Area Community Foundation. In collaboration with its partners, MidMichigan Health and Community Mental Health for Central Michigan, Midland County ESA will use the grant funds to design, purchase, and install an adaptive playground for the Pediatric Center for Rehabilitation and Behavioral Health located at 32 S. Homer Road.

Children at the Pediatric Center receive evaluations, educational support and therapeutic services such as speech-language, occupational and physical therapies as well as applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatment for autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities. Additionally, ongoing professional and parent trainings are provided through the work of the center and its partnership with Community Mental Health for Central Michigan, MidMichigan Health, Saginaw Valley State University and Central Michigan University. The Pediatric Center provides a single-entry point to much needed evidence-based educational, medical, behavioral and therapeutic interventions and services. All of the clinic services are multi-agency and collaborative in nature which makes this clinic truly unique.
After a line of storms in the area overnight, and another round expected for parts of Michigan tonight, the Better Business Bureau Serving Western Michigan warns consumers to be cautious when hiring others to assist with repair and cleanup from damages.

"Times like these often bring out the best in our neighbors," says Phil Catlett, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau Serving Western Michigan. "But, unfortunately, it also brings out scammers who take advantage of those who have already been victimized."

Be wary of anyone going door-to-door offering storm cleanup assistance, according the the Bureau. Unlicensed persons often canvas neighborhoods after a storm offering to repair damaged property with deals that seem too good to be true. Many times, the money is paid without the work being done.

Here are some more tips from the Bureau before your hire any contractor:

 Research the business. Visit BBB.org to research the company before you decide. Make sure any company you hire has working contact information, such as a local address and phone number.

 Only hire licensed and insured contractors. Verify the contractor has a valid license to do the work. While most tree companies do not require state licensing, roofers and other repair companies likely do need to be licensed. You can check on builders licensing with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The Better Business Bureau checks every year to make sure all Better Business Bureau Accredited Businesses have the necessary licenses.

 Get multiple bids and seek referrals. Ask at least three companies for bids. The lowest-priced bid may not be the best. A contractor should be able to give you reference names and phone numbers of at least three clients with projects like yours.

 Get a written contract and read it. Make sure any verbal promises are included, as well as; the agreed upon price, specific work to be done and the start date and expected completion date. Obtain a signed copy of the final contract before work is started.

 Never pay the full amount up front. Be wary of any contractor who demands full payment upfront. Contractors may require a down payment to cover materials, but full payment should not be due until the work is complete and you are satisfied. Pay by credit card, if possible, never with cash. When paying by check, make payments to the company, not an individual.

The Better Business Bureau Serving Western Michigan also offers these additional resources: Find a reputable contractor near you here. Report scams here.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Iranians are suffering through yet another surge in the coronavirus pandemic  their country's worst yet  and anger is growing at images of vaccinated Westerners without face masks on the internet or on TV while they remain unable to get the shots.

Iran, like much of the world, remains far behind countries like the United States in vaccinating its public, with only 3 million of its more than 80 million people having received both vaccine doses. But while some countries face poverty or other challenges in obtaining vaccines, Iran has brought some of the problems on itself.

After Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei refused to accept vaccine donations from Western countries, the Islamic Republic has sought to make the shots domestically, though that process lags far behind other nations.

The supply of non-Western shots remains low, creating a black market offering Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech shots for as much as $1,350 in a country where the currency, the Iranian rial, is on the verge of collapse. Meanwhile, U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran mean the cash-strapped government has limited funds to purchase vaccines abroad.

And even as the delta variant wreaks havoc, filling the country's already overwhelmed hospitals, many Iranians have given up on wearing masks and staying at home.

The need to earn a living trumps the luxury of social distancing.

What is next? A sixth wave? A seventh wave? When is it going to end? asked Reza Ghasemi, a 27-year-old delivery man without a face mask, smoking a cigarette next to his motorbike on a recent day in Tehran. It is not clear when this situation will change to a better one.

Since the start of the pandemic, Iran has recorded nearly 4 million COVID-19 cases and more than 91,000 deaths  the highest numbers across the Middle East.

In a video message broadcast Wednesday on state TV, Irans supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the skyrocketing death toll as very painful," urging officials to roll out free virus tests and the fatigued public to follow health measures.

The true count is believed to be much higher. In April 2020, Iran's parliament warned its case number was eight to 10 times higher than the reported figures, due to undercounting. While coronavirus testing capacity has surged since then, officials repeatedly have suggested the case count remains far off. The death toll is likely three times higher, officials say, as Iran only counts those who die in a hospital while being treated for coronavirus.

Khamenei in January slammed shut any possibility of American or British vaccines entering the country, calling them forbidden.

I really do not trust, them, Khamenei said of those nations. Sometimes they want to test their vaccines on other countries.

The decision, after Khamenei earlier floated conspiracy theories about the virus' origin in March 2020, saw Iran turn inward and try to develop its own vaccines. Those efforts, relying on traditional dead virus vaccines rather than the Pfizer and Moderna method of targeting the coronavirus spike protein using RNA, have yet to reach mass production. And while the government claims local shots are 85% effective, they've released no data from their trials.

For now, the majority of Iranians receiving vaccines rely on foreign-made shots. A health ministry spokesman clarified on Tuesday that Iran could import Western vaccines as long as they're not produced in the U.S. or Britain.

Japan has donated 2.9 million doses of its locally produced AstraZeneca shots. China has sent 10 million doses of its shots. Iran also made a deal with Russia to buy 60 million doses of Sputnik V, but so far, Moscow has delivered just over 1 million shots.

Doctors received the first set of vaccines, while the government now offers shots to those 50 and older, as well as to taxi drivers, journalists and those with diabetes. But it hasn't been nearly enough to keep up with demand. Only 4% of the Iranian public are fully vaccinated, according to government statistics.

Those with residency permits have sought shots in the United Arab Emirates. Others have gone to Armenia where authorities offer free shots to visiting foreigners. In Tehran, word-of-mouth claims that Pfizer and Moderna shots smuggled in over the border from Irbil, Iraq, including the ultra-cold freezers needed for them, are now for sale in the Iranian capital.

A two-dose Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccine goes for $390, while two Pfizer shots cost $1,350. Those paying go on faith that the products have not expired  or are even legitimate vaccines.

Mahsa, a 31-year-old woman in Tehran, said she got the Moderna vaccine through her boyfriend's friend, a doctor working at a pharmacy.

I am sure the vaccine is genuine because I trust the doctor," she said.

Amirali, a 39-year-old father of a baby girl, said he bought shots of the Japanese-made AstraZeneca vaccine from an Iranian doctor secretly vaccinating people for profit. Amirali said he took the chance as his wife, a permanent U.S. resident, received the Pfizer vaccine while visiting America.

I was not sure when the government will provide vaccines for my age group, so I decided to vaccinate myself," he said.

Both Amirali and Mahsa spoke on condition that only their first names be used for fear of retribution from the authorities.

But for those who can't pay, there are no shots yet.

Iran's civilian government, now undergoing a transition of power to hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, has been overwhelmed by the crisis. And with the Islamic Republic also facing protests over economic issues, water shortages and blackouts, the government likely wants to avoid triggering wider unrest.

They want us to accept any situation simply because they failed to do their duty with vaccinations," said Abbas Zarei, who sells mobile phone accessories in northern Tehran. From time to time, they announce that businesses should close because of corona restrictions though it damages our lives.

It is not fair," said Zarei, who like many in Iran, struggles to make a living. I do not care about the restrictions anymore.

___

Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  Taliban fighters entered the capital of northern Afghanistans Jawzjan province Saturday, a provincial lawmaker said, after sweeping through nine of 10 districts in the province.

The government did not deny lawmaker Mohammad Karim Jawzjani's claim that Taliban fighters had entered Sheberghan, but said the city had not fallen. If the city falls, it will be the second provincial capital in as many days to succumb to the Taliban. Several other of the country's 34 provincial capitals are threatened.

On Friday, the Taliban took control of the southwestern Nimroz provincial capital of Zaranj, where the government says it is still battling insurgents inside the capital.

Sheberghan is particularly strategic because it is the stronghold of U.S-allied Uzbek warlord Rashid Dostum, whose militias are among those resurrected to aid the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces.

Heavy airstrikes were reported by residents of Sheberghan who also said the Taliban had freed prisoners from the city jail. They requested to remain anonymous fearing retaliation from both sides.

Taliban fighters have swept through large swathes of Afghanistan at surprising speed, initially taking districts, many in remote areas. In recent weeks they have laid siege to several provincial capitals across the country as the last U.S. and NATO troops leave the country. The U.S. Central Command says the withdrawal is more than 95% complete and will be finished by Aug. 31.

The U.S. Air Force continues to aid the Afghan air force's bombing of Taliban targets in southern Helmand and Kandahar provinces as Afghan security forces try to prevent a Taliban takeover.

On Saturday, the U.S. and British embassies in Kabul repeated a warning to its citizens still there to leave immediately as the security situation deteriorated.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul also issued a statement Saturday condemning the Taliban' s military onslaught saying it was contrary to the insurgent group's claim to support a negotiated peace settlement.

The statement called for an immediate end to fighting and a start to negotiations to end the suffering of the Afghan people and pave the way for an inclusive political settlement that benefits all Afghans and ensures that Afghanistan does not again serve as a safe haven for terrorists.

On Friday, Taliban fighters assassinated Dawa Khan Menapal, the chief of the Afghan governments press operations for local and foreign media. It came just days after a coordinated attempt was made to kill acting defense chief Bismillah Khan Mohammadi in a posh and deeply secure neighborhood of the capital.

In a report to the U.N. Security Council on Friday the U.N. envoy for Afghanistan urged the council to demand the Taliban immediately stop attacking cities in their offensive to take more territory.

Deborah Lyons also called on the international community to urge both sides to stop fighting and negotiate to prevent a catastrophe in the war-torn country.

In Afghanistan's Helmand and Kandahar provinces in the south of the country thousands of Afghans were displaced by the fighting and living in miserable conditions.

In Helmand's provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan's elite commando forces aided by regular troops were trying to dislodge the Taliban but with little success, said Nafeeza Faiez, a provincial council member. Taliban are in control of nine of the city's 10 police districts.

Faiez said conditions for residents are desperate as they hunker down inside their homes, unable to get supplies or get to hospitals for treatment. Many of the public buildings have also been badly damaged in the fighting.

People have no access to any service, she said

More than half of Afghanistans 421 districts and district centers are now in Taliban hands. While many are in remote regions, some are extremely strategic, giving the Taliban control of lucrative border crossings with Iran, Tajikistan and Pakistan.

The insurgent force on Friday closed one of the country's most lucrative borders with Pakistan at Spin Boldak in southeastern Afghanistan. The Taliban were protesting a demand from Pakistan that all Afghans crossing the border must have Afghan passports and Pakistani visas.

The group said Pakistan was implementing the demands of the Afghan government and demanded that previous procedures in which identities were rarely checked as people crossed the border be reinstituted.

Thousands of Afghans and Pakistanis cross the border daily and a steady stream of trucks passes through, bringing goods to land-locked Afghanistan from the Arabian Sea port city of Karachi in Pakistan.

Hundreds of people were waiting Saturday to pass through and more than 600 trucks, many loaded with perishable fresh foods, were backed up in both countries.

Islamabads relationship with Kabul has been troubled, with both sides accusing each other of harboring militants. Afghan Taliban leaders live in Pakistan and Kabul is bitterly critical of Pakistan for aiding them and treating their fighters in hospitals in Pakistan. Islamabad meanwhile charges that Kabul provides a safe haven to the Pakistani Taliban, a separate militant group that regularly stages attacks in Pakistan.

___

Gannon reported from Islamabad.
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Members of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) on Wednesday began a new virtual meeting under the sponsorship of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), aimed at adopting a constitutional basis for the upcoming 24 December elections
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting Guinea following a confirmed death from Marburg virus disease, the first known case in the country and West Africa, the UN health agency reported on Wednesday
Photo: (Photo : Owen Humphreys - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has come to the defense of her son-in-law, Jack Brooksbank, who has landed in a controversy after his photos next to bikini-clad women appeared in the tabloids.

Ferguson, whose daughter, Princess Eugenie, has been married to Brooksbank since 2018, said that her son-in-law is one of her favorite people in the world. The Duchess of York said that Brooksbank is a man of integrity who is a lot like James Bond in her eyes.

She also said that Brooksbank is a "superhero," a "great father," a "fabulous husband" to Princess Eugenie, and their son, August Philip. The 61-year-old grandmother, who used to be married to Prince Andrew, said that the photos of her son-in-law in the tabloids had stories that were completely fabricated.

The 35-year-old dad was on a boat with many sexy women -- one of whom was topless -- because he was working. Princess Eugenie's husband is an ambassador for the tequila brand, Casamigos, which recently hosted a Unicef Summer Gala in Italy. Actor George Clooney and Rande Gerber co-founded Casamigos, and Brooksbank worked for them even before he married a royal.

Ferguson also said that she had known her son-in-law for more than a decade, so she treats him like her very own. She said she had to speak up for her son-in-law's sake because it could impact his job.

Swimming With the Girls

Daily Mail reported that Brooksbank was with gorgeous women like Erica Pelosini, Maria Buccellati, and Rachel Zaliz aboard a luxury boat. Zalis, the woman pictured topless, is his co-worker at Casamigos as the brand's global director.

However, the report suggested that Eugenie's husband was having a good time with the women while the princess remained in London to take care of their son. Eugenie gave birth to their firstborn, August, in February 2021 and sources told the tabloid that she didn't want to join Brooksbank because it was a work event.

Eugenie and her husband had plans for August's christening last July but had to postpone the occasion because their guests had to self-isolate. Buckingham Palace did not issue any comments about the couple's christening plans or Brooksbank's controversial photos.

Sarah Knew First

When Eugenie and Brooksbank met at a Swiss resort town more than ten years ago, Ferguson was the first to know that her daughter was smitten. They were only 20 and 24 years old when they fell in love.

Brooksbank has been part of the York family since then. In a previous interview with BBC, the Duchess of York described her daughter's future husband as an "amazing bringer of light." Ferguson also supported Brooksbank's choice to work for Casamigos, then as the brand's European manager.

Despite their long-distance relationship for a few years, Eugenie and Brooksbank made their relationship work. She was staying in New York in 2013 for her job at an auction house, and friends revealed that they often Skyped with each other because Brooksbank was not the "jet-setty type." He was raised by simple parents who worked as an accountant and a director of a company.

Eugenie, the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth, is not a working royal and has a private income and private lifestyle. Because she's still part of the British royals, her life and her marriage to Brooksbank have been scrutinized by the press.
Photo: (Photo : Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)

Hotel heiress Paris Hilton has revealed her babies are "ready to go" after going through an IVF procedure to have her eggs frozen. The former reality TV star has expressed plans to start a family following her engagement to author and venture capitalist Carter Reum.

In an interview with Delish magazine, Hilton, who turned 40 years old in February 2021, said that her focus is not only on expanding her wealth but also on having babies. The heiress said that going through the IVF process was difficult, uncomfortable, and painful, but she was happy with the decision.

"We have tons of eggs and all of the kids ready to go," Hilton said, adding that she feels lucky to have a supportive partner in Reum.

Read Also: Canadian Fertility Doctor Who Inseminated His Sperm on IVF Patients To Pay $10.7 Million

The TV star also shared that she wants to become the type of mom who is her child's best friend, similar to the supportive relationship she shares with her mother, Kathleen Hilton. The celebrity said that she could not wait to do fun things with her kids and celebrate Christmases with Santa Clause or Easters with the Easter Bunny.

Criticism of Paris and Carter's IVF

Early this year, Hilton shared in a podcast that she and Reum want to have a pair of boy-girl twins, so they went through IVF, but her revelation drew a backlash with people accusing the heiress of displaying her privilege and elitism. Critics told the star that she was insensitive to couples struggling to have babies through IVF but can't proceed because of unhealthy embryos. They can't make the same choices as Hilton and Reum.

However, some people also came to the defense of Hilton, saying that people cannot question her motives as going through fertility treatments is both a physical and emotional challenge. They noted that criticizing her personal choice adds to the stigma many couples face when needing the help of science to conceive.

In July, rumors abound that Hilton could be in the family way. However, she quickly denied the story and joked that the only thing in her oven is lasagna. Reum, on the other hand, did not want to comment on the pregnancy rumors.

Waiting till Marriage

Hilton also said that they are waiting to have a baby after they get married. Her wedding dress is currently being made, and she wants to fit into it perfectly.

However, she said that she and her future husband are set on having kids in 2022 and have already picked a name for her future daughter. She wants to name her London because it goes well with Paris.

Hilton and Reum have known each other for 15 years, but they didn't become romantic with each other until late 2019, after the heiress was invited by Reum's sister, Halle Hammond, to join them on a family holiday. The two realized that they had such chemistry and agreed to go on a date. The pair spent 2020 lockdowns together, and Hilton said that this made them closer as a couple.

Related Article: The Real Reason Coco Austin Still Breastfeeds Daughter, Age 5
Photo: (Photo : Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

Wesleyan College in West Virginia has announced that unvaccinated students or those without proof of vaccination will have to pay a $750 non-refundable fee if they attend classes this fall semester.

The school will also collect an additional $250 for students who get sick with COVID-19 and will need to quarantine in the school. The infected students will be given 48 hours to stay at a "contained housing" facility. However, they will still have to be responsible for making arrangements at an off-campus quarantine site while remaining positive for the virus.

In an interview with CBS News, Dean James Moore said that the fees collected will cover the cost of testing and other resources so Wesleyan College can keep all of the students safe from the infection. As of press time, 90 percent of the school's staff are fully vaccinated, while a large population of their student body has had their shots.

In addition to the fees, unvaccinated students at the university will also be mandated to wear a face mask and practice social distancing, especially in indoor settings. They will be required to undergo weekly COVID-19 tests while their access to some venues around the school will be limited.

On the other hand, fully vaccinated students may choose to wear face masks at their discretion. They are also free to join any normal on-campus activities.

Read Also: Parents Nervous and Worried As School Resumes Amid Delta Variant Surge in the U.S.

Mandatory Vaccination Eyed

Wesleyan College school officials will also consider making the jab mandatory once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives its full approval. Currently, vaccines in the U.S. only have emergency use approval for Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.

However, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said that he expects FDA's full approval for Pfizer by the end of August. Meanwhile, President Joe Bidens said that he would not make vaccinations mandatory except for government workers.

But hundreds of colleges and universities across the country are also planning mandatory vaccinations this fall. Some schools have begun revoking enrollments or blocking the registrations of unvaccinated students. At Virginia Tech, students launched an online petition stating that mandatory vaccination is a violation of their rights.

Lynn Pasquerella of the Association of American Colleges and Universities said that schools could not afford a repeat of last year when classes were derailed due to virus outbreaks on campus. A significant number of kids also opted out of their online classes.

However, as of July 2021, less than 29 percent of adults or college kids between 18 to 24 have had at least their first vaccine jab. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this is the lowest rate among eligible age groups.

Incentives for the Vaccinated

Some colleges, however, are offering incentives to students who have been immunized. At Rutgers University, students can win a $500 gift card from the school's technology store if they enter a raffle draw with their uploaded proof of vaccination. Rowan University is also offering a $500 credit for students who register with proof of vaccination.

At Missouri State University, lucky vaccinated students can enter draws where the prizes include free full year's tuition, housing accommodations, unlimited meals or school supplies, and designated parking slots. The college will reveal the winners on September 24.

Related Article: CDC Mask Guidelines: New Recommendation Requires Masking Indoors, Including Fully Vaccinated People
Photo: (Photo : Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A group of teenagers in Philadelphia has joined hands to fight COVID-19 vaccine misinformation among their peers.

Angely Keosann, 17, belongs to the Philly Teen VAXX Ambassadors, which has 27 volunteers who go around the Philadelphia communities to inform and educate other kids about the benefits of getting vaccinated.

Speaking with CBS News, Keosann said that she signed up for the role because she had first-hand information about the virus after her family members got infected. As a pro-vaccine ambassador, Keosann and her group also hold events in various neighborhoods to debunk rumors about the COVID-19 vaccine.

They are also active on social media, where teenagers post videos of false information. Keren Abraham, 17, said that the most popular vaccine rumor comes from TikTok, where stories about vaccinated people with magnets on their inoculation site alleging that's where the "microchip" was embedded abound.

Read Also: Highly Transmissible COVID-19 Delta Variant Puts 7 Kids in ICU

Who is Behind Philly Teen VAXX Ambassadors?

Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium (BDCC) and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Policy Lab launched the Philly Teen VAXX Ambassadors over the summer amidst cases of vaccine hesitancy among the youth. At the educational events, the groups also ensure a festive atmosphere filled with activities and a show, as families with teenagers come to learn about the benefits of vaccination.

According to the project manager Sophia Collins, they organized the events to allow kids a fun time after months of isolation and lack of classroom time. But in between the festivities, doctors come up to the stage to speak about giving the COVID-19 vaccine to the teenagers.

"Now it's time for my sons to get vaccinated, and as a parent there's no greater joy than being able to protect your child," Dr. Ala Stanford, one of the speakers, told the crowd.

Nina Dilworth, a junior high school student, said that while teenagers aren't the most at risk for serious COVID-19 symptoms, she got vaccinated because it's one step forward to make the community safer. Ibtihal Gassen, also a junior, had her jab and said that it's an amazing chance to tell other people about this very important message.

@phillyteenvaxx Come vibe with Philly Teen VAXX Ambassadors at our next event!! This one was amazing!! SAY TUNED!!  Levitating (feat. DaBaby) - Dua Lipa

Vaccine Hesitancy in Philadelphia

According to the state's health department, only 855,010 people in Philadelphia are fully vaccinated as of Aug. 10, 2021. In a state with about 42 percent of Black residents, who are considered part of the vulnerable group, vaccine hesitancy is crucial.

Experts said that the number no. 1 reason Philadelphia locals are wary of the COVID-19 vaccine is a lack of trust among news sources or the government. Heather Klusaritz of the Penn's Center for Public Health Initiatives said that the state needs to "build trust and create opportunities" so that residents can air out their vaccine concerns, which in turn could help with their decision to get the jab.

Thus, aside from Philly Teen VAXX Ambassadors, the state has also launched the Vaccine Street Team to learn of the unvaccinated people's issues, and the Philly Counts that also go around priority communities to educate the residents.

Related Article: Families With Unvaccinated Children Try To Navigate COVID-19 Risks
This morning Samsung Electronics held its summer event wherein they launched a new lineup of consumer devices for the latter half of the year, positioning its new Galaxy Z Flip 3 as a direct rival to Apple Inc.s upcoming iPhone 13 release.

"The 5G-capable, Android-powered Flip 3 device dramatically lowers the entry price for the foldables category, coming in at $999. The new Galaxy Z Fold 3 now sells for $1,799. Samsung's new Galaxy Watch 4 starts at $249 and their new Galaxy Buds 2 sell for $149.

The new Galaxy Z Fold 3 now offers S Pen support. Back in April, Patently Apple posted a report titled "A Samsung Patent Filing reveals that S Pen input could be coming to Galaxy Z Fold Smartphones and possibly this summer." It's great to see that the report panned out on cue.

One of key the new features introduced today for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 worth pointing out is it's new under-display camera, which gets ahead of Apple.

See Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold3 and Flip3 Press Release here for details, pricing and specifications.

See Samsung's Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic Press Release for details, pricing and specifications here and here.

See Samsung's Galaxy Buds2 Infographic Press Release here and their new promotional video below.

Below is Samsung's full Unpacked Event Keynote.
Samsung has a fever and more foldable phones are the only prescription. And thus today the biggest name in Android phones announced the third generation of its foldable Galaxy smartphones: The Galaxy Z Fold3, a flagship model that opens like a book, and the smaller Z Flip3, a less expensive model that opens vertically and harkens back to the flip phones of the early 2000s.

Both phones include new features to improve durability, which may help mitigate public perception that foldable phones just cant withstand the rigors of, well... repeated, incessant folding. And youre going to want a sturdier phone, given Samsungs price tags: $1,800 for the Galaxy Z Fold3 and $1,000 for the Galaxy Z Flip3. Pre-orders begin today and run through August 26, and if you do so, you can get $200 or $150 off each model, respectively.

Samsung Shown here in its Cream colorway, the Z Flip3 comes with a 1.9-inch cover screen.

Galaxy Z Fold3 5G: specs and features

The Z Fold3 comes with S Pen support, and with its expansive 7.6-inch, 2208 x 1768 main display, it directly targets the Galaxy Note audience, which wont be getting a new model this year and may now be looking for a new productivity experience. The phones Dynamic AMOLED cover screen (which you use when the Z Fold3 is folded up) is a no-excuses 6.2 inches with 2268 x 832 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate for ultra-fluid screen response.

Anyone looking to buy the expensive Z Fold3 must have both deep pockets and big pockets, as this big boy is 6.2 inches tall and 0.6 inches thick when folded. As a point of comparison, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is about a quarter-inch thick.

Samsung The Z Fold3 offers a tablet-like experience, thanks to a 7.6-inch, 2208 x 1768, 120Hz display.

Both the Fold3 and Flip3 promise a new level of durability thanks to IPX8 water resistance; a new Armor Aluminum construction (the strongest aluminum ever used on a Galaxy smartphone); and Gorilla Glass Victus, Cornings strong phone glass ever. The phones also come with a new protective film made of stretchable PET, and Samsung promises the new folding screens are 80 percent more durable than what came in previous folding-phone generations.

Even wiith the Z Fold3 folded up like a traditional phone, youll have access to three rear cameras: an Ultra Wide (12-megapixel, 123-degree field of view); a Wide Angle (12-megapixel with 83-degree field of view, dual-pixel autofocus, and optical image stabilization); and a Telephoto (12-megapixel with a 45-degree field of view and dual optical image stabilization). At the front of the folded phone is a 10-megapixel camera with an 80-degree field of view.

When in its unfolded, tablet-like state, youll also get a 4-megapixel camera with an 80-degree field of view for video calls. The reason for the lower resolution is because the camera is Samsungs first to fit under the display. While its a neat effect that creates an unobstructed view when using the tablet, youll still see the camera peeking through from under the screen in some lighting.

5G is standard on both models, and the Z Fold3 has 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage. Samsung is being vague on the two phones processors, but you can rightly assume its using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 in the U.S.

Galaxy Z Flip3 5G: specs and features

Samsung Unfolded, the Galaxy Z Flip3 is 72 x 166 x 7mm, and boasts a 6.7 inch, 120Hz, 2640 x 1080 display.

The smaller Z Flip3 may be the more intriguing proposition, as the modernized flip-phone design offers generous screen real estate and should fit reasonably well in todays ridiculously undersized jeans pockets. Folded up, its a porky three-quarters-of-an-inch thick, but only 3.4 inches tall. Your pocket will protrude a lot, but youll actually be able to sit down.

The whimsical Z Flip3 comes in Cream, Green, Lavender, Pink and White, and features a 1.9-inch Super AMOLED cover display thats four times larger than the previous Galaxy Flip generation. You can use the wee display to view notifications, texts messages, and various widgets designed for the small form factor. The main screen is 6.7 inches with a 2640 x 1080 resolution. Not too shabby for a phone thats smaller than an Altoids box when folded up.

The Z Flip3 has a more sober array of cameras. The front selfie cam is 10-megapixel with an 80-degree field of view. On the back, theres a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide with a 123-degree field of view and a 12-megapixel Wide-Angle with a 78-degree field of view, dual-pixel autofocus, and optical image stabilization.

This story, "Samsung just can't quit foldable phones: Meet the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 " was originally published by TechHive .
If youre not happy with the look and feel of Windows 11s overhauled Start menu, a fix is coming. Not from Microsoft, though, but from Stardocks new Start11 app.

This isn't the first time Stardock has come to the rescue. The studio makes a living off improving the look and feel of Microsofts operating systems with tools like Groupy and Fences. Start8 gave Windows 8 a Start menu, and Start10 updated Windows 10 with a Windows 7-themed Start menu, too. Now Stardock has set out to polish the Windows 11 Start menu and its search capabilities.

Our hands-on with the official Windows 11 beta shows how Microsoft has shaken up not only how the Start menu looks, but also its location. Currently, theres a utilitarian matrix of icons in the Windows 11 Start menu, which remains fixed at the center of your screen. It's very different from the traditional Start menu design.

Start11 fixes that with bigger, brighter icons and the ability to slide the Windows 11 Start menu over to the left-hand corner. You can also add submenus, choose the background color, and manually select the favorite applications you want to see front and center. Stardock has promised future improvements to the search box, including faster, more accurate results and the ability to perform simple math problems within the search box itself.

Start11 can be used to modify the Windows 11 taskbar as well.

Stardocks Start11 utility is cheap, but its not free: $4.99 for the Start11 betaRemove non-product link, with no indication if that will be the final price. (Stardock also promises a Start11 for Business plan, with volume discounts.) And if you already own Start8 or Start10, Stardock may offer you the ability to upgrade at a discount. Youll simply need to click the link at the bottom of the download page to ask the developer if you qualify.

Finally, a word of warning: Windows 11 still remains in the development stage, so Microsoft could simply use Start11 as inspiration and integrate some or all of its ideas into the operating system, for free. If you just cant stand the look and feel of Windows 11 right now, however, Stardock offers an alternative. And if Microsoft doesn't make material changes to its next-gen Start menu, Start11 will be ready to help, just like Start10 and Start8 before it.
Editor-in-Chief of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has lambasted the National Labour Commission for securing an injunction against UTAG.



The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) are currently on strike, demanding government to remedy their conditions of service.



As a result of the strike, the University lecturers have withdrawn from all teaching services.



Injunction



But on Friday, 6th August, the National Labour Commission (NLC) secured an injunction in an Accra High Court to compel them to return to work while negotiations continued.



In reply, UTAG President, Professor Charles Marfo, in an interview on Peace FM's morning show ''Kokrokoo'' on Monday, 9th August, indicated that the Labour Commission resort to court may have worsened the situation as it has now opened up for them to also file a counter suit.



Counter Suit



The UTAG President disclosed the Association has instructed its lawyers to take up the matter.



''We were almost reaching a consensus until the government's court issue arose. Now, a whole new ballgame has started because we're also asking our lawyers to go to court . . . We were getting there. We were pushing; now this argument I'm making is lost," he said.



Pratt Rebukes NLC



Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Tuesday's edition of 'Kokrokoo', Kwesi Pratt stated emphatically that a legal suit shouldn't have been an option in addressing the impasse.



"Now that you have gone for the injunction but the lecturers have defied the injunction, will you jail them?'', he asked, adding, "jailing them won't work . . . so, the option of injunction shouldn't have been considered at all".



He further stated that the UTAG strike doesn't pertain to the University lecturers only but also exposes some economic lapses.



According to him, the strike is about "how to manage the economy. It's about who controls the resources of Africa. It's about the type of leadership Africa has and so on. It goes much, much deeper than just strike by University teachers...''



He, therefore, called on the government to have a hoslitic approach to the issue saying, "I believe everybody's prayer is for Ghana to become better for every person so that we will continually have peace and progress".











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 Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has given the government up to September 30, 2021, to settle outstanding arrears to its members or face a strike.



In a communique issued after a National Executive Council meeting, the Association says the strike will begin from October 1, 2021 with the suspension of Outpatient-services and October 15th will be for the complete withdrawal of all their services.



Withdrawal of all in-patient services will begin the following week (effective Friday 8th October 2021) if all the issues are still not completely resolved, the communique explained further.



In an interview on 'Eyewitness News' on Citi FM, the Associations General Secretary, Dr. Justice Yankson, said doctors have been more than magnanimous enough and the government should be able to honour its commitment.



Responding to the GMA communique, the Chief Executive Officer of the State Transport Corporation, Nana Akomea has advised the State authorities to not sit on the fence and allow the doctors go on strike.



As if to tell the authorities to draw lessons from the ongoing UTAG strike, Nana Akomea admonished the Health and Labour Ministries to quickly hold negotiations with the Medical Association to thwart their impending strike action.



"Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour must meet with them. We should not wait for long. Misunderstandings and grievances will always be there but when the person points out their challenges, we have to immediately meet them," he said during Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' Tuesday morning.





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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Ranking Member on the Health Committee in Parliament, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh says the Sputnik V Vaccine contract involving the Minister of Health, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu and Sheikh Al Maktoum stinks.



According to the Member of Parliament(MP) for Juaboso Constituency, the Minister of Health could not pass any of the criteria penned down for the 9-member ad hoc committee of Parliament to probe the Sputnik V Vaccine contract.



Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Hon. Mintah Akandoh posited that the Health Minister did not comply with the due process of engaging in an international transaction as enshrined in the constitution to seek Parliamentary approval.



He stressed that the contract stinks to the extent that there is no way out to exonerate the Minister of Health, cautioning that any defence put up by anybody may soil the integrity of the person, as the Health Minister is neck-deep in the mess.

What I will say about the Sputnik V vaccine contract is that it stinks and that is the honest truth about the contract. Anybody who will make their mind to defend the Health Minister will go down with the Minister. You will put your integrity on the line because the contract stinks too much, he posited.



We were given some criteria to conduct our investigation and none of the criteria exonerates the Health Minister. We were to investigate whether due process was followed in the contract being an international transaction as enshrined in the constitution, and after the probe, we realized that the Health Minister did not follow the due process, he added.



The Minister of Health should have sought Parliamentary approval before engaging in the international transaction with the international private business person for the Sputnik V vaccine. And so there is nothing anybody can say to defend the Health Minister as he admitted that he did not go for Parliamentary approval, he indicated.



Watch video below





Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Nigerian government is demanding punishment for Indonesian immigration officials who were filmed assaulting a Nigerian diplomat.



Footage circulating on social media showed Abdulrahman Ibrahim, a consular officer based in Jakarta, being held down in a vehicle by several men.



Nigeria called it "an egregious act of international delinquency by the Indonesian state".



It vowed to review bilateral relations with the south-east Asian nation.



The video showed one of the officials putting his hand on the diplomat's head and pushing it back against a seat.

Between yells of protest, Mr Ibrahim repeated: "I can't breathe."



Later in the one-minute-and-30-second clip, Mr Ibrahim was heard saying: "My neck, my neck."



Mr Ibrahim had been detained on a street in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.



The incident has caused anger in Nigeria, with many saying it shows the disdain that other countries hold for Nigerians. Some are calling for a full explanation from the Indonesian government.



Nigeria's foreign ministry had previously sent a letter of protest to the Indonesian government saying the mistreatment Mr Ibrahim endured was "against international law and the Vienna Conventions governing diplomatic and consular relations between states".



Indonesia's envoy to Nigeria was also summoned on Monday over the incident and apologized on behalf of his government, the foreign ministry said.



Immigration officials had also apologized to Nigeria's ambassador to Indonesia, it added.



Meanwhile, Nigeria's ambassador in Jakarta has been called home to give a full report to the government, and the foreign ministry says consultations will continue.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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South Africas former President Jacob Zumas corruption trial - which was due to resume on Tuesday - has been postponed for medical reasons.



His legal team applied for the postponement after the 79-year-old was admitted to the hospital on Friday for an undisclosed condition.



The trial relates to a $5bn (3bn) arms deal back in the 1990s.



It is the latest in a series of delays in the trial which also involved French arms company Thales.



Zuma, who is currently serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court in a separate case, will be expected to present proof to the court of his illness.



The former presidents medical team has been given until 20 August to file a report to the court.



The state will also appoint an independent doctor to examine him to establish his fitness to stand trial.



Zuma is facing a string of charges including fraud and racketeering.



He has pleaded not guilty to all the counts and says the trial is politically motivated.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Secretary of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG-Legon), Prof Ransford Gyampo says the National Labour Commission (NLC) needs to be scrapped because they've deviated from their original mandate.



The National Labour Commission (NLC) has secured an interlocutory injunction from Labour Court 1 to compel UTAG to call off their strike action.



The lecturers according to the suit, were to comply with the directive of the Labour Commission and resume work as soon as possible.



However, Prof Gyampo believes the NLC is in the wrong.



He said instead of taking UTAG to court, the Commission was rather supposed to act as an arbiter between the striking lecturers and the government.



Speaking to Kwami Sefa Kayi in an interview on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Prof Gyampo said they've lost confidence in the negotiations because the NLC is not "independent enough".



" . . I believe the NLC must be scrapped because they're not independent enough to do the work they're supposed to do. It's surprising how the Labour Commission acts. They're supposed to be independent arbiters between government and labour, but that's not what the current NLC is doing," he argued.



According to him, "negotiators negotiating on behalf of government has failed. They've performed abysmally".



Way Forward



Asked what the way forward will be, Prof Gyampo said President Akufo-Addo needs to step in "and give us a commitment we can hold on to".



"With that, we can suspend the strike action. Currently, we don't have any confidence in those we're negotiating with," he said.







UTAG is currently on a nationwide strike over the failure of the government to improve the condition of service of its members.According to the association, they have been in talks with government since 2012 yet there have been no results.

Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/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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Election fever is palpable on the streets of Zambias capital, Lusaka, as various political parties make their final push for votes.



Incumbent President Edgar Lungu is hosting a virtual final election rally this afternoon.



But supporters of the governing Patriotic Front (PF) are lining the streets hoping Mr Lungu will come out to address them.



PF members have also been driving around Freedom Square handing out party regalia to excited party supporters and street vendors.



While Mr Lungus main rival, the leader of the United Party for National Development, Hakainde Hichilema, hosted a press briefing at his residence.



He appealed to international observers not to feel under pressure by declaring free and fair elections without tangible evidence to support this.



Mr Hichilema believes Thursdays election will translate into a victory for his party after having lost elections five times.



He also appealed to members of the police and the military to ensure stability and the rule of law and urged the countrys over seven million registered voters to go out in their numbers to cast their ballots.



One analyst has tweeted a helpful election day checklist, which reminds women not to paint their nails if they want to vote

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, says Ghana will contribute effectively to address the security implications of global health pandemics.

She said the country would also champion multilateral approaches in combating the COVID-19 pandemic to recover and build the world back better.



The minister gave the assurance in Accra yesterday when she inaugurated a 14-member body to serve on the Working Group for the countrys membership to the United Nations (UN) Security Council from 2022 to 2023.



Ms Botchwey said the countrys term on the UN Security Council, which was hinged on the theme: Enhancing Global Peace and Security for Sustainable and Inclusive Development, would also help foster partnerships and collaboration between the UN and Africa.



Strengthening partnerships



Ghana seeks to encourage the strengthening of partnerships between the UN and regional and sub-regional organisations like the AU and ECOWAS in conflict prevention, peacekeeping operations and special political missions, she said.



The working group is co-chaired by retired diplomat and Secretary to former President John Agyekum Kufuor, Mr Daniel Kuffour Osei, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration responsible for political and economic affairs, Mr Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong.



Members include the Special Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Kwabena Osei-Danquah; the Director-General, International Peace Support Operations, Brigadier General E.K. Mends; the Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council, Mr George Amoh, and the Research Officer and the acting Programme Coordinator at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Mrs Serwaa Allotey-Pappoe.



The group also include a Research Fellow at the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy, Dr Fred Boamah; the Head, Protection Department, at the Ministry of National Security, Mr Nadel Fadel Majdoub, and the Director, General Services of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police George Alex Mensah.



Others are the Director, Multilateral Relations Bureau, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Mavis Kusorgbor; the Director, Regional Integration, at the Foreign Ministry, Mr Muhammed Ismaila Nurudeen; the Director, Africa and Bilateral, Mrs Charity Gbedawo; the Director, Legal and Treaties, Mr McArios Akanbong, and the Director II, Multilateral Relations Bureau, Mrs Joyce Asamoah-Koranteng.



Mandate



Ms Botchwey explained that Ghanas mandate on the UN Security Council included addressing conflicts caused by environmental factors such as desertification, land degradation, drought and climate change.



She noted that the overarching goal of sustainable development could be best served in maintaining global peace and security, inclusive governance and economic growth.



As a result, she said, the Working Group had been constituted to assist the government to carry out its mandate on the council.



The group is expected to provide the requisite support to our Permanent Mission in New York in particular and to the Ministry in general in order to ensure Ghanas effective participation in the work of the Security Council during its tenure, she said.



The terms of reference of the group, she said, included proposing inputs based on Ghanas priorities for inclusion in resolutions; developing positions on Ghanas theme for approval by the government; developing positions on the themes of other members of the council for approval by the government; and proposing inputs for resolutions being considered by the Security Council, among others.



The General Assembly of the UN elected Ghana to serve a two-year term on the Security Council for the period January 2022 to December 2023.





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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Opposition lawmaker for Builsa South, Dr Clement Apaak has called for the prosecution of Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta for making payments in the botched Sputnik V contract.

Dr Apaak stated that both the Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang-Manu and Mr Ofori Atta should be made to answer questions in court because the two of them worked hand-in-hand relative to this deal.



In a tweet, Dr Apaak said SputnikV scandal-sack, prosecute Health&Finance Ministers.

Heath Minister broke the law by ignoring parliament etc but how come Finance Minister pay 16m without evidence of delivery of the vaccines? Health Min didnt pay or recommend any payment, Finance Min paid, on what basis did he pay?



Agyemang-Manu has formally written to the Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoun, a member of the ruling family of Dubai, United Emirates for a refund of the excess money paid in the botched sputnik V contract.



In a letter dated 2nd August 2021, Mr Agyemang-Manu said I wish to formally accept your termination of our agreement fate 9yh March 2021 for the supply of Sputnik V vaccine as per letter number ADM/LT/GHA/00/21/101 Dated 14th July 2021.



By this letter I also wish to formally request for the refund of the remaining amount for the non-supplied doses which should be the total amount paid to your office minus the amount due for the 20,000 you already supplied in line with your earlier email dated 25th July 2021 in which it was affirmed that on the 13th April 2021 funds were transferred into your accounts as 50 per cent advanced of the initial batch of 300,000 doses.



This request for refund is in line with clause 8.2 of the agreement which states that any termination of this agreement which shall be by notice in writing to the other party shall not affect any rights, remedies obligations or liabilities of the parties that have accrued up to the date of termination.



It would be very much appreciated if the amount is transferred back into the sending bank account as per the earlier swift advice dated 9th April 2021.



The Afenyo-Markin-led Parliamentary committee that investigated the Sputnik V vaccine contract recommended in its final report that the Ministry of Finance should take steps to recover the money due the Republic in respect of the amount of US$2,850,000.00 (Cedi equivalent of GH16,331,640.00) being the cost of the Sputnik-V vaccines that were proposed to be procured.



The Committee says it found that the Ministry of Health did not seek approval from the Board of Public Procurement Authority (PPA) under Sections 40 and 41 of Act 663 before signing the Agreements.



The Ministry however, applied for ratification under Section 90(3) (c) of the Act. Which has still not been granted.



The Committee also found that PPA has not concluded its investigations into the matter.



The Committee found that the Ministry dealt with the Private Office of His Highness Al Maktoum and S. L. Global. The two entities were appointed by the Aurugulf Health Investment (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), to be both Agents and Distributors of the Sputnik-V COVID-19 Vaccines in Ghana. Clearly using middlemen for the purchase and distribution of the vaccine.



The Committee found that the amount of US$19.00 was the agreed price of the vaccine under the Ministrys Agreement with Al Maktoum and US$18.50 under the



Agreement with S. L. Global which was originally $26 per dose.



The Committee found that the ex-factory price of the Sputnik-V Vaccine was US$10.00.



The Minister explained that the prices achieved under the two Agreements included the cost of documentation, shipping, packaging, logistics and expenses in relation to transportation of the vaccine from its place of origin to Ghana.



The Committee found that the Ministry entered into the two Agreements without cabinet approval but only based on a Ministerial decision, having regard to the advice of the COVID-19 Emergency Operating Committee.



The Committee found that the amount of US$2,850,000.00 (representing 50% of the contract sum of US$5,700,000.00) has been paid to Messrs Al Maktoum and this translates into the Cedi equivalent of GH16,331,640.00 converted at the then prevailing exchange rate of US$1 to GH5.73 whereas the minister said he had no knowledge of payment under oath.



Based on the afore-mentioned findings, the Committee recommends as follows: Issues Relating to Article 181(5) of the Constitution



The Committee is of the opinion that even if the situation in the country at the time the Agreement was signed, was that of an emergency, due process of law should have been followed because Parliament would have treated the issue with the urgency it deserved and the appropriate action would have been taken accordingly. The Agreement would have been taken under certificate of urgency in accordance with the



The point must also be made that, even if it was an emergency, the Minister should have found time to communicate effectively and engage with the Committee on Health.



The extensive engagement would have saved the Ministry from the negative reactions from the citizenry and some Members of Parliament.



The Committee therefore recommends that, in future, any such transaction, whether local or international, be subjected to broader stakeholder consultations and should be taken through due process of law including Parliamentary approval. Other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should take a cue from the recommendation, not only in the case of Agreements but also on issues relating to policies and programmes to be implemented.







Source: 3news.com









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The Eastern Regional Secretariat of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has stopped a group of cadres led by former Regional Minister, Antwi Boasiako Sekyere from touring Constituencies in the Region for campaigning against former President John Mahama.



Already Mr. Mahama has declared his intention of coming back to contest the 2024 presidential election for the third time after suffering humiliating defeats in 2016 and 2020.



Even though aside from him, no party official has openly declared to contest the upcoming presidential primaries of the party, but some of Mr. Mahamas former contenders are working behind the scenes to get the nod.



Due to that, the former Eastern Regional Minister, also a cadre in the party, Antwi Boasiako, who happens to be one of the defeated aspirants campaign team member last week started embarking on a secret campaign tour in the region preaching the gospel of his candidate.



However, the Regional Secretariat of the party, who felt rattled, through an order quickly moved to stop the ongoing cadres tour in the region.



Already the cadres since last week have so far been to Okere, Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Nkawkaw, Mpraeso, and Abetifi constituencies after they were warned by the Regional Executives to suspend such engagements.



The Regional Secretary of NDC, Kudjo Adukpo in a statement reacting to the campaign tour said The said tour is alien to the Regional executive committee since no such proposal has been brought to our attention for consideration.



According to the Regional Secretariat, Our checks from the National Secretariat also indicate the said tour does not have the endorsement of the partys Functional Executive Committee. We are also worried about the content of the message these elders are sharing across since it has the potential to provoke others and create anarchy.



The statement continued As a senior party man who currently chairs the Regional Council of Elders, Mr. Antwi Bosiako Sekyere should be mindful of the fact that the party has structures and as such, shouldnt embark on activities that undermine same.



The party claimed, Also, the deliberate invitation of branch executives and cadres to attend the said meeting in all the constituencies visited, without notifying Constituency Executive Committees, thus far casts doubt on the genuineness of the intention behind this illegal tour.



The Regional Secretariat of the NDC failure to halt the tour, the regional secretariat will be left with no other option than to trigger the partys disciplinary process and other obtrusive actions to stop them from further engagements.



They noted that they are focused on re-organizing the party by FECs directives, hence, will not condone any distraction and acts that may disunite our base the statement indicated.











Source: Daily Guide









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The National Communication Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi is demanding the immediate resignation of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta for his involvement in the botched procurement of 300,000 doses of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.



He is also calling for a bi-partisan probe into the entire government expenditure on COVID-19 and related matters.



The Health Minister, Mr Kwaku Agyemang Manu is currently under intense criticism for breaching procurement processes while trying to secure the Sputnik V vaccines for Ghana, and has admitted he signed the agreement without parliamentary or cabinet approvals, or the approval of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).



However, Mr Gyamfi says while the Health Minister must be shipped out of office, there has been too much focus on him alone when the chief culprit is the Finance Minister.



"Why are we over-concentrating on the Health Minister in the discussion about the botched Sputnik Vaccine Supply deal when the chief culprit is none other than the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, who without Parliamentary approval, paid a whopping 160 billion old Ghana cedis to the Dubai Sheikh," he said in a statement copied to Graphic Online.



"This is the same person who without any transparent selection process, engaged and paid his own company, Enterprise Insurance a whopping 110 billion old Ghana cedis as COVID-19 insurance premium for health workers.



He wondered why no one is calling for the head of the Finance Minister, asking also if it is because he is the cousin of the President.



"The reckless conduct of Ken Ofori Atta in paying millions of Ghana cedis for an unlawful Vaccine Supply contract makes it imperative that Parliament immediately conducts a bi-partisan probe into the entire government expenditure on COVID-19 and related matters. But even before that, #KenOforiAttaMustResign".



Meanwhile, the hashtags #AgyemanManuMustGoToJail and #KenOforiAttaMustResign are among the top trends on Twitter in Ghana.







Source: graphiconline.com









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Featured Video
Seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has expressed pity for the Health Minister, Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu over calls that he should either resign or be dismissed by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



Following the Minister's revelations of not seeking Parliamentary and Cabinet approval before entering into a contract to purchase Sputnik V vaccine for Ghana, he has become the target for criticisms.



Pressure Group, OccupyGhana, and some Ghanaians have mounted pressure on him to step down or be fired by the President.



'"t is clear to us from the above that the Health Minister entered into an international business transaction and paid or supervised the payment of monies under the transaction without parliamentary approval, without cabinet approval, without Public Procurement Authority approval or ratification and without the endorsing advice of the Attorney-General."



" . . we demand that the Health Minister resigns from office. Even if he meant well under emergency circumstances, those did not justify bypassing our constitutional and statutory processes. If the Health Minister does not resign of his own accord, then we call on the President to relieve him of his post," the group said.



But Kwesi Pratt Jnr. feels extremely sad for the Health Minister who has over the years distinguished himself in public service.



Touting the remarkable credentials of the Minister, Kwesi Pratt said, "Mr. Agyeman-Manu is not an ordinary person. Firstly, I saw him as Chairman of Public Accounts Committee and the work he did there. If you see the work he did as Chairman of Public Accounts Committee and think he's ordinary person, then it's up to you. This is his fifth term in Parliament. He's been a Deputy Minister before he became a Minister of Health. What really occurred for him to make these many mistakes?"



He empathized with the Minister saying, "frankly, the Minister's issue really saddens me . . .after how many years of distinguished public service? More than 20 years, maybe 30 years of distinguished public service and this is his end. It's very said!''



Watch video below





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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Elizabeth Akua Ohene, the journalist, politician and former minister of state in the John Kufuor government, has been appointed the chair of the board of trustees of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).



During President Akufo-Addos first term, Miss Ohene served as a speechwriter, contributing a great deal to most of the key speeches delivered by the president.



She takes over as SSNIT chairman from Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor, who served between 2017 and January 2021.



In a recent post the respected journalist Kwaku Addo Sakyi-Addo described her as courageous.



The work

Miss Elizabeth Ohene, who also worked as spokesperson for the government during President Kufuors time in office, is expected to partner the management of SSNIT to pursue the Trusts vision: to be the model for the administration of social protection schemes in Africa and beyond, leading eventually  to the provision of income security for workers in Ghana through excellent business practices.



How to improve the core function of SSNIT which are to register employers and workers, collect contributions, manage records on members, invest the funds of the scheme and process and pay benefits to eligible members and nominated dependants, would also certainly engage the efforts of the board chair and the management team of SSNIT.



The Trust

SSNIT was established in 1972 under NRCD 127 to administer the National Social Security Scheme. Before 1972, the scheme was administered jointly by the then Department of Pensions and the State Insurance Corporation. The Trust administered social security as a provident fund scheme until 1991, when it was converted to a social insurance pension scheme then governed by the PNDC Law 247.



The scheme in Ghana was reformed by an act of Parliament, Act 766 of 2008, and was implemented in January 2010 to replace all pension schemes in Ghana including Cap 30. In 2014, the National Pensions (Amendment) Act (Act 883) was passed to amend portions of Act 766.



The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) is a statutory public Trust charged under the National Pensions Act, 2008 Act 766 with the administration of Ghanas Basic National Social Security Scheme.



Its mandate is to cater for the first tier of the three-tier pension scheme. The Trust is currently the largest non-bank financial institution in Ghana.



The primary responsibility of the Trust is to replace part of lost income of workers in Ghana due to old age, invalidity or in the case of the death of a member, where dependants receive a lump sum payment.



It is also responsible for the payment of emigration benefit to non-Ghanaian members leaving Ghana permanently.



The pension scheme as administered by SSNIT has an active membership of over 1.6 million as at January 2021, with over 226,000 pensioners who regularly receive their monthly pensions from SSNIT.



Profile of Elizabeth Ohene

Miss Elizabeth Akua Ohene was born 24 January 1945 and attended Mawuli School at Ho, between 1958 and 1964. She gained admission to the University of Ghana in 1964 and graduated with BA (Hons) in English in 1967.



The former Minister of State, also attended University of Indiana, Bloomington, Indiana in the United States, where she obtained a certificate in mass communications. The US State Department sponsored her to undertake a course involving travel around the US and had also work experience from newspapers in three states in 1971.



She was a press fellow from January to June 1983 at Wolfswon College, University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Miss Elizabeth Ohenes professional experience between 1967 and 1982 in Graphic Corporation saw her serve as a reporter, staff writer, columnist, leader writer and acting editor of the Daily Graphic and Mirror. She also had the opportunity to serve as a member of the board of directors of the corporation.



In 1986, she solely founded Talking Drum Publications and until 1986, she was the publisher/editor of its main print publication, a weekly news magazine on West African affairs. She also worked for BBC World Service in London, UK.



Miss Ohene had worked with the BBC as a producer of radio programmes, and then successively became a presenter, senior producer on the World Service and British domestic radio, researcher and columnist for Focus on Africa Magazine and deputy editor of the African Service for English daily programmes, in charge of the operational budget.



Miss Elizabeth Ohene also edited the award-winning of Focus on Africa programme. She also reported regularly for the BBC from various parts of Africa and was the resident correspondent in South Africa from 1993 to 1994 during the transition from apartheid to the first democratic elections.



The former minister has conducted many training programmes for journalists for the BBC in South Africa, Nigeria, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. She also ran a network of more than 150 stringers located in all parts of Africa for the BBC Africa Service and also supervised their editorial work and kept their equipment and training needs updated.



Miss Ohenes professional activities include being a member of the International Women Media Foundation which actively promotes womens competency and leadership in the media. The foundation has established the Africa Womens Media Centre in Dakar, Senegal, where courses are run for African women in the media according to their needs.



To date, the minister has been a board member for the International Commission of Investigative Journalists, which coordinates major investigations of stories around the world. Since 1997, she has served as a member of the panel for the CNN Africa Journalist of the Year competition.

Source: asaaseradio.com









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Actress Beverly Afaglo is dealing with a lot today after losing everything in her house to a fire outbreak. She has revealed how the fire started and revealed it was due to some bush her mother was burning.



She also replied inquisitive fans asking about her husband. In all this pain and suffering, Beverlys husband, Choirmaster Eugene, has been missing in action raising questions as to why nothing is heard from him.



Beverly, in an interview on radio, revealed that her passport, clothes and properties burnt to ashes and she does not even have panties to wear. Fans questioned why her husband and musician of the Praye fame has been quite about his wifes sad situation.



They asked if nothing was heard from Choirmaster Eugene because he was hurt in the fire and had been rushed to the hospital. Replying inquisitive fans, Beverly Afaglo disclosed that her husband no longer lives with her so he was not affected by the fire.



The actress stated that the musician has relocated permanently to the United States of America a long time ago and it has been long they met each other.



Beverly said it was her mother, her kids and their nanny that were affected by the fire.



Narrating how the fire started, Beverly said she was in town when she had a call that her house was on fire.

Source: ghanacelebrities









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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Celebrated Ghanaian broadcaster, Mike Eghan has shared the huge role his father played in shaping him to become who he his, and the name that will forever be remembered in the Ghanaian broadcasting scene.



He noted that spending time and knowing his dad is one thing he will never trade for anything in this world.



Sharing the story of how he drew closer to his father and the modelling process, he noted, My two brothers were in boarding school but when it got to my turn to be in secondary school, my dad wanted me to be in the day school and I was unhappy about it. I wanted to be in the boarding school so I could get a chop box filled with provisions.



Mike Eghan was however compensated with a bicycle as a means of transportation to and from school.



But not being in the boarding school turned out to be a blessing in disguise. My dad was my 1st role model and had a great impact on me. Not being in boarding school got me to grow closer to him. We always spoke as equals about so many things and at the time I didnt take what he said that seriously. But these lessons he shared with me proved very useful to me as an adult, he said on the YLeaderBoard Series.



After completing Fijai Senior High School, Mike Eghan who had built a strong bond with his father stayed on with him at Secondi and they drove together to work. He found me a job as a clerk at Barclays Bank and always dropped me off at work.



According to him, his father one day made him take public transport just so he could make room for a stranger in the car, an act Mike says later paid off although he did not understand it at the time.



One day we passed the bus stop only for my dad to reverse and ask me out of the car to join the bus which was already packed. He did that so he could give someone a ride and I was mad then and refused to wash the car for 2 days, he told Y107.9FMs Rev Erskine on the Myd Morning show.



Calling a cease-fire, his father told him, I gave that man a ride because of you and when I grew up I understood because his name opened doors for me. When I mentioned my name everywhere I went they asked if I was related to Mr. Eghan at the State Transport Corporation and it opened doors for me.



He revealed his dad was his ardent listener and supporter throughout his career at the Ghana Broadcasting Company.



Mr Mike Eghan worked with GBC as a show host. He also had a successful stint with the BBC in the late 60s and early 70s where he served as a freelance broadcaster and a presenter for the BBC World Service.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Jim Nickel, the deputy chief of mission for the Canadian Embassy in China, speaks at an event held in connection with the announcement of the sentence for Canadian citizen Michael Spavor at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. A Chinese court has sentenced Canadian Michael Spavor to 11 years on spying charges in case linked to Huawei. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Vice-Admiral Art McDonald, the new head of the Navy, addresses the audience at the Royal Canadian Navy Change of Command ceremony in Halifax, Wednesday, June 12, 2019. McDonald says he has decided to return to his position as commander of the Canadian Armed Forces after military investigators opted not to charge him following an investigation into his conduct. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
KAMPALA  UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency received EUR 2.2 million from the Federal Republic of Germany to

support refugees and host communities in Uganda. Between 2021 and 2024, this contribution will enable UNHCR to provide refugees and host communities in Uganda with much-needed assistance, with a focus on strengthening health care, water, hygiene and sanitation as well as education services across the response.

This is part of Germanys EUR 14 million contribution to UNHCR to support the forcibly displaced and their host communities within the East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes Region, over the four-year period.

Germany remains a major donor to Ugandas refugee response. In addition to providing direct funding to UNHCR, between 2016-2021, the German Government contributed over EUR 37 million to Ugandas Refugee Response Plan as part of its multifaceted support to strengthen integrated health care, water, hygiene and sanitation and education services across Ugandas refugee hosting districts.

Home to nearly 1.5 million refugees, Uganda is the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa and serves as a role model worldwide for the implementation of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) and the Global Compact on Refugees  a blueprint that calls for greater support for refugees and the countries and communities that welcome them.

The German Deputy Ambassador to Uganda, Hans von Schroeder, said the German Government remains committed to support Ugandas refugee response in the future.

Ugandas inclusive approach allows us to support both refugees and their host communities. The Coronavirus pandemic has dramatically exacerbated the challenges in the host communities  Germanys latest contribution will

help to ease the pressure.

Ugandas progressive refugee model enables refugees to access social and community services like Ugandan citizens and improves access and quality of services for refugees and their hosts across the refugee hosting districts.

However, resources for the refugee response have been insufficient to

address the increasing needs of a growing population. The outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020 and the lockdown measures to contain its spread posed additional challenges, exacerbating an already dire situation.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had significant impact on refugee lives, their means to earning income as well as education, putting vulnerable populations in an even more dire situation, said Joel Boutroue, the UNHCR Representative to Uganda.

Germanys contribution is critical to ensure that immediate needs can be addressed and that hard-won gains towards finding durable solutions for refugees and their host communities are protected and enhanced.

The donation from the the Federal Republic of Germany will enable UNHCR to continue strengthening delivery of health care and education services and provision of water in refugee settlements and surrounding areas in collaboration with the relevant Government ministries.

Since the launch of the CRRF in 2017, the Government of Uganda has included refugees in the national

development plans and endorsed sector plans to improve delivery of social services in refugee-hosting

areas such as education, health, water and environment, as well as jobs and livelihoods.

Sustained support from the international community is needed to ease pressure on local communities and further strengthen service delivery as the refugee population continues to grow.

Related
Andras Nemeth Stages Epic Comeback to Win First Super MILLION$ Title

August 11, 2021 Matthew Pitt

Hungarian superstar Andras Nemeth reeled in his first GGPoker Super MILLION$ title on August 10 after sitting down at the star-studded nine-handed final table with the second-shortest stack. Nemeth eventually found himself heads-up against former Super MILLION$ champion Artur Martirosian, and he finished his Russian opponent to scoop a cool $325,957 prize.

Super MILLION$ Season 2 Episode 7 Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize 1 Andras Nemeth Hungary $325,957 2 Artur Martirosian Russia $254,559 3 Marius Gierse Austria $198,800 4 Dan "oiltrader" Shak Canada $155,254 5 Thomas Muehloecker Austria $121,247 6 niNohR Austria $94,689 7 Daniel Smiljkovic Austria $73,948 8 Nator Mexico $57,750 9 Daniel Dvoress Canada $45,100

Daniel Dvoress, who won this tournament on May 9, was the first superstar out of the door. Dvoress crashed out during the 20,000/40,000/5,000a level when Nemeth raised to 84,000 from the cutoff. Dvoress responded with a three-bet all-in for 536,134 in total with ace-jack, and Nemeth snap-called with pocket kings.

Unlimited Attempts at WSOP Main Event Seats for $49.99 at ClubGG

Mexicos "Nator" was the next player out of the door. Nator pushed all-in for 530,936 8.8 big blinds) with jack-ten from middle position. Start-of-the-day chip leader Marius Gierse called with ace-queen from Nators immediate left, only for Daniel Smiljkovic to squeeze all-in for 1,102,982 from the small blind with pocket jacks. Gierse called to put both Smiljkovic and Nator at risk of busting. The risk was realized when the door card was an ace. A queen on the river improved Gierse to an unnecessary two pair, and busted two opponents simultaneously.

The last five-figure score of the evening went to Austrias "niNohR," who lost a coinflip against Nemeth. The Hungarian made it 126,000 to go from under the gun with pocket sevens. Everyone folded to niNohR on the button, and they three-bet to 646,530 with suited ace-king before calling off the 366,834 they had behind when Nemeth set them all in. The sevens held to bust niNohR and Nemeth now held twice as many chips as anyone else at the final table.

Thomas Muehloecker

Thomas Muehloeckers run ended in fifth-place, a finish worth $121,247. Nemeth opened the preflop betting with a raise to 147,000 from the button at the 35,000/70,000/8,500a level. Muehloecker three-bet all-in for 935,689 with king-jack, and Nemeth called with suited ace-nine. Both players flopped a pair, but Nemeths pair was aces. Game over for Muehloecker.

Daniel Smiljkovic Leads Final Nine in WSOP Online Event #8: $5,000 6-Max Championship

Fourth-place and $155,254 went to Dan "oiltrader" Shak who busted at the hands of Gierse. Shak open-shoved for 19.5 big blinds with king-jack, and Martirosian called with pocket tens. Martirosians hand remained best despite Shak being able to hit any jack, king, or spade on the river.

Gierse crashed and burned during the 40,000/80,000/10,000a level to send the tournament into the heads-up stage. Gierse initially limped in from the small blind with pocket queen, and Nemeth raised to 320,000, Gierse four-bet to 960,000 before calling off the 2,751,324 he had behind when Nemeth ripped it in with ace-king. An ace on the flop gifted Nemeth the hand, and a 10,469,107 to 3,530,893 chip lead over Martirosian going into heads-up.

The writing was on the wall for Martirosian with him trailing so far behind but, to the Russians credit, he never gave up. The final hand of this weeks Super MILLION$ was a relative cooler for Martirosian.

Martirosian limped in for 100,000 with jack-eight, and Nemeth checked with trey-deuce offsuit. An eight-high flop with two deuces spelled the end for Nemeths opponent. Nemeth checked before check-raising Martirosians 100,000 continuation bet to 200,000, which the Russian raised to 350,000; Nemeth called. Nemeth checked the arrival of a ten on the turn before quickly calling when Martirosian jammed 777,423 into the 925,000 pot. A six on the river brought the Super MILLON$ to a conclusion, and left Nemeth with all the chips in play.
Hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Joel "Binkin_Turns" Barton has been battling in the WSOP PA bracelet events. In his mid-forties, Barton jokes he has "the longest engagement possible" at 20 years, and while they were going to tie the knot in Las Vegas seven years ago, it was called off because his fiance said he "was running too bad that trip."

"We are happily engaged," he added. A former accountant, Barton became a poker pro after learning to play online during the "Poker Boom."

"I joined a poker club, read the poker bible and every other book possible," he explained. "I realized nobody understood this was a math game. I created hundreds of spreadsheets to study and was even No. #1 in Pennsylvania on PocketFives."

Unfortunately, like so many others Barton was hit hard by Black Friday back in 2011.

"Too old to move to Mexico, so I started selling cars," he explained. "Also started playing poker much smaller."

Pre-COVID, Barton was a regular at Rivers Pittsburgh, but not that the Keystone State has legalized online poker he's getting back to his roots. He's consistently in the top 10 in MTT count according to Shark Scope and is a solid winner under $50.

Barton, who has played the live version of the WSOP since 2015, is among the most excited players in Pennsylvania that their state has legalized and regulated online poker.
An Aiken County man charged in an officer-involved shooting was granted bail, pending a mental evaluation.

Chaney Asad Jones, 20, is charged with attempted murder and pointing and presenting firearms at a person in connection with the shooting.

On May 25, Aiken County Sheriffs Office deputies responded to an active disturbance complaint in Ridge Spring.

The 911 caller notified dispatch that the suspect was armed with a gun, according to a May 26 news release from the sheriffs office. When deputies arrived on the scene, they gave verbal commands to drop the weapon, according to the release.

The release stated that the suspect pointed his weapon toward deputies who responded by firing their weapons.

During Tuesday's bond hearing, the defense said Jones "wanted the cops to kill him," and he could be heard on body cameras saying something along those lines during the incident.

They also noted that Jones attempted to commit suicide in 2017 and wrote two suicide notes on the day of the shooting.

Jones suffers from dystonia and bipolar depression and has received medical treatment and medication while in jail.

"I won't do this again," Jones pleaded to Judge Clifton Newman during the hearing.

According to a news release issued by SLED, the suspect discharged a firearm toward law enforcement. The Aiken County Sheriffs Office released a similar statement a few days later, stating that during the incident, the suspect discharged a firearm toward law enforcement.

Shots fired by the suspect were not mentioned in the original May 26 news release from the Aiken County Sheriffs Office.

When officers returned fire, Jones was struck once in his lower torso. He was transported to Augusta University Medical Center with a non-life-threatening injury.

The two responding deputies involved in the investigation were Lt. Jonathon Clough and Deputy Agnieska Ferrell. Clough has been employed by the sheriff's office since April 2001, and Ferrell has been employed by the sheriff's office since March 2015.

Both deputies were placed on temporary administrative leave after the incident. As of Aug. 10, both deputies are "back to full duty," according to Capt. Eric Abdullah with the sheriff's office.
Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Variable clouds with showers and scattered thunderstorms. Storms more numerous this evening. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
The State Ports Authority has approved spending up to $1.4 million on services related to construction of a container yard and access road at the future Walmart distribution center in Ridgeville as the local waterfront continues to be overrun by a surge of retail-related imports.

The spending is part of a $21.6 million federal grant the SPA received last year for infrastructure at the maritime agency's Ridgeville Commerce Park, where the Arkansas-based retail kingpin is building a 3 million-square-foot warehouse to sort and distribute goods coming through the Port of Charleston.

The $220 million development, scheduled to open early next year, will employ 1,000 workers and serve 850 Walmart and Sam's Club stores.

The mass merchandiser currently ships some of its goods through a much smaller warehouse at the SPA's Wando Welch Terminal in Mount Pleasant. That terminal has been inundated with imports, handling most of the record 119,445 loaded import boxes last month.

The July total is more than 5,000 containers higher than the previous mark set in March and is 46.5 percent more than a year ago. Loaded exports, at 65,655 containers, were up 14 percent from last year. All told, Charleston's terminals moved 244,821 20-foot containers in July for the port's second-highest single-month tally.

A report by the National Retail Federation said U.S. ports likely will see more import records in August as retailers shift toward stocking up on holiday merchandise.

"While import and export loaded containers are both growth segments, the widening disparity of imports over exports is continued evidence of the strength of the U.S. consumer," Jim Newsome, the SPA's president and CEO, said in a written statement.

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The SPA's board of directors on Aug. 6 approved two contracts, both with Infrastructure Consulting and Engineering, to provide administration and quality assurance services for the access road and container yard. Walter Lagarenne, the agency's senior director of engineering and facilities, said the work will include on-site observation and testing to make sure the contractor's work meets contractual requirements and for engineering services while construction takes place.

As part of its effort to lure the retailer, the SPA agreed to give Walmart land for its Dorchester County distribution center and pay for infrastructure at the site.

The board approved the work during a special meeting to help meet Walmart's construction timeline. At full buildout, the distribution center will handle about 70,000 cargo containers annually. The retailer's property measures 250 acres and will include two buildings, 2,200 spaces for trucks and 500 loading docks.

The Charleston region is experiencing a boom in retail-related warehouse construction, with roughly 10 million square feet of so-called spec space  that is, a building without a tenant committed to move in  either under way or in the pipeline. Most of that construction is taking place along the Interstate 26 corridor from North Charleston to the Summerville area.
COLUMBIA  Columbia's school and day care mask mandate violates state law and should be changed or repealed, S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson said Aug. 10.

Wilson sent a letter to Columbia City Council and Mayor Steve Benjamin to say the city's COVID emergency order that took effect Aug. 5 conflicts with state law, a news release from Wilson's office said.

If city officials don't act to change the requirement, the city "will be subject to appropriate legal actions to enjoin their enforcement," Wilson wrote.

While we appreciate the efforts of city leaders around the state to protect their populace from the spread of the COVID-19 virus and variants of it, these efforts must conform to state law, Wilson wrote.

S.C. House Speaker Jay Lucas and S.C. Senate President Harvey Peeler told Wilson that a budget amendment lawmakers passed this spring was intended to keep mask mandates out of school.

Columbia City Council voted Aug. 5 to require masks in elementary schools, middle schools and day cares as COVID-19 cases have spiked and concerns have grown over the delta variant of the virus.

The reality is that our children 12 and under do not have a choice to be vaccinated right now, Benjamin said ahead of the 5-1 vote at the emergency meeting.

City officials can encourage mask-wearing and require face coverings in city buildings, Wilson wrote, and school employees and students can choose to wear masks.

The language in the budget amendment says schools districts and schools can't use state or federal funds authorized by the Legislature to require students or employees to wear face masks. Benjamin said he didn't believe the state budget provision applied to municipalities and that he was prepared to argue the case personally in court.

"While the proviso does not mention municipalities, it is clear from both a plain reading of its language and from the intent expressed by legislative leaders that the General Assembly does not believe that school students or employees should be subject to facemasks mandates," Wilson wrote.

Benjamin in a statement Aug. 10 said he disagreed with Wilson's finding.

"We are in the midst of a steep rise in infections in the greatest pandemic in over 100 years and ask our state leaders to step back from viewing this matter as one of conflict between the city and state, and rather stand with us to help find the solutions that will best protect our children and teachers, and keep them safe and healthy when school resumes next week," Benjamin said.

City Councilman Daniel Rickenmann, a candidate to replace Benjamin as mayor, was the lone vote on council against the school mask mandate.

As students throughout the state prepare to return to school, Gov. Henry McMaster said Aug. 9 he continues to oppose any effort to require masks and that the city of Columbia's rule for school enforcement violated the law.

State law is crystal clear, McMaster said. State funds are not to be used to enforce a mask mandate, and the very people who were listed as those who would be responsible to enforce the mandate are of course paid in whole or part by state funds. State funds infuse everything that happens in our public school system.

Columbia City Councilman Howard Duvall told The Post and Courier on Aug. 10 he feels the city has a strong legal position and that any legal dispute needs to be resolved soon, as students will be returning to school. If Wilson feels he has a strong case, he should act now so that a decision can be made as soon as possible, Duvall said.

"We think that the state government is neglecting to protect those that are most vulnerable to the delta variant, and if we are not allowed to protect out citizens, I think that we will have severe illnesses and probably deaths," Duvall said.
COLUMBIA  Richland One School District will have a special election to fill an newly vacant board seat, but when its going to take place and how much it will cost remains unknown.

At an Aug. 10 meeting, the board authorized its chairman Aaron Bishop to negotiate election terms for replacing commissioner Yolanda Anderson with state officials.

Anderson notified Bishop of her resignation in the middle of her first term on Aug. 2, saying it was effective immediately. But that was kept secret until The Post and Courier obtained a copy of Andersons letter on Aug. 9. Anderson wrote she was moving out of the district.

The special election clock normally starts on the date of a resignation letter, said S.C. Election Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire, meaning a week of its schedule has already lapsed without the public knowing.

But he added its not unusual for some government boards to fail to notify their county election boards about vacancies when they occur. Thats more common with smaller town councils and school districts.

Richland One commissioners did not discuss why Anderson's resignation was kept secret for a week during their meeting Aug. 10. And Bishop did not respond to request for comment ahead of the meeting.

Richland One's vote on the special election came after a lengthy line of questioning by one commissioner who raised issues about the board vacancy being discussed first behind closed doors.

A public official has resigned. Everybody knows that," commissioner Beatrice King said. "Its a public matter, theres no contract. We follow the laws of the election." She abstained from the vote giving Bishop negotiating power.

But district's attorneys said the special election is not that simple since Anderson held an at-large seat.

Richland One needs to figure out which precincts need to open, and the cost of staffing them, the districts attorney, Susan Williams said. Richland County elections chief Alexandria Stephens could not be reached for comment Aug. 10.

Richland One, which covers much of Columbia, has had two special board elections over the past decade when commissioner Barbara Scott died in 2013 and Darrell Black resigned in 2019.

Each election had different costs based on their timing, including one that took place at the same time as another district, said commissioner Jamie Devine, who was chairman of the board in both instances.

And because of that, the board and Williams said talking about it first in executive session didnt run afoul of South Carolinas open meetings law.

The board voted 5-1 to keep the topic on its executive session agenda, with King dissenting, before coming back out and later discussing Andersons departure publicly. The meeting was not open to guests due to the districts COVID protocols.

Andy Shain contributed from Columbia.
COLUMBIA  The University of South Carolina is opening the worlds fourth Anne Frank Center, giving visitors a chance to experience the remarkable life of a Jewish teenage girl whose story is among the most iconic of the Holocaust.

Franks ruminations on life, death, friendship and family  written while she and her family hid for more than two years from the Nazis in an Amsterdam attic annex during World War II  became the internationally acclaimed "The Diary of a Young Girl." The book has become a staple of school reading lists and has been published in 70 languages, ingraining her story for millions.

The new 1,060-square-foot USC center, the first North American outpost of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, includes photos, videos and artifacts. One room reflects on her experience of living in hiding, including a reproduction of the desk where she wrote her diary.

In any school system in the world, as far as I know, shes really the only child that you get to know in her own voice, in depth, said Doyle Stevick, a USC education professor who is the museums director. Because we get to know her and her experiences so vividly, we can relate to her for that reason. That ability to relate provides us that human connection to establish our universal humanity.

Given its Southern location, USC's center reveals connections to the American Jim Crow era and civil rights movement, referencing the 1936 Berlin Olympics performance of Black track and field legend Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals.

The tour at the Anne Frank Center will mention the story of Emmett Till, a Black teen lynched in Mississippi in 1955 who was the same age, 14, as Frank when she was captured by the Nazis. As with the Holocaust, the gruesome photos of Till's body shocked the conscience of the nation.

Located in the Barringer House across from USC's Capstone dormitory, the Anne Frank Center will open for public group tours on Sept. 15. Officials hope to allow individual visitors later in the year as more staff is added.

Along with its promise as a cultural and research asset, the center is hoped to attract visitors, students and scholars to USC. The original Anne Frank House in Amsterdam draws more than 1 million visitors a year.

During a November grand opening ceremony outside the center, USC will plant a sapling taken from the chestnut tree in Amsterdam that Frank gazed upon often for the two years she spent hidden away while filling her diary.

"The Anne Frank Center at the University of South Carolina is unlike anything the university has done before," USC Interim President Harris Pastides said during the center's formal announcement on Aug. 10. "Through the eyes of this little girl, who still lives, I would argue, we can change the world."

Frank received her diary in June 1942 for her 13th birthday, filling its pages with details intimate and philosophical until late summer 1944 when she was deported from her home in Amsterdam to several concentration camps, eventually dying of complications from typhus at 15 while imprisoned at Bergen-Belsen.

Frank's writings were found by family friends and given to her father, Otto, the only survivor of those hiding with the girl. He used the writings to publish the book known commonly as The Diary of Anne Frank.

The Anne Frank House opened in May 1960 in Amsterdam, preserving the hiding place and focusing its museum on persecution and discrimination. Its other partner sites are in Berlin, London and Buenos Aires.

USC's journey to getting an affiliated Anne Frank House partnership started through Stevick's research in the former Soviet Union and other post-authoritarian states, where he realized many of them had never come to terms with the Holocaust.

He wrote a report on the impact of Holocaust education for UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural and educational arm. In the 1980s, the Anne Frank House was helping to fill that void through traveling exhibitions and peer education, which attracted Stevick to its work.

Stevick stayed in touch with its senior members of the Anne Frank House and in 2013 brought the first traveling display to South Carolina schools starting at a Columbia middle school. The Anne Frank Center now has six exhibits traveling around the country.

It wasnt until 2017, when Eva Schloss spoke to a filled Koger Center about her experiences as a Holocaust survivor, that the relationship evolved. Schloss, who knew Frank as a girl, became her posthumous stepsister when Otto Frank married her mother in 1953.

Pastides, then still in his tenure as USC president, was so moved that he went to tour the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam during the summer of 2017 and met its executive director, Ronald Leopold.

Pastides hosted a reception for Leopold in Columbia on the day Pastides announced his retirement from USC in 2018. Two days later, they reached an agreement to have USC become a partner of the Anne Frank House.

At that time, President Pastides noted the power of the work and told us that he wished all of the students could experience it, Stevick said.

USC's Anne Frank Center will be operated through a combination of funding from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, the university, donations and grants, and fees from training, rental and visitors.

Admission will be free, but there will be an optional suggested donation for visitors.

The Anne Frank House supplied all materials for the museum, including propaganda magazines circulated among Nazi troops and government-issued ration cards, and USC officials installed the lighting and other visual elements. An additional $100,000 was spent to customize the Barringer House.

Part of what we have to do is show her and her family, her life history, and help people understand that she was one of six million people and of 1.5 million children who were murdered, Stevick said.

USC saw another opportunity as well: Telling Franks story through the lens of Americas own history.

Frank was born the same year as Martin Luther King Jr., and the forces of hatred that contributed to their deaths opens the way for panel discussions, training programs and workshops.

Its kind of crazy to think about those two are exactly the same age, and they were both killed by forms of racism, Stevick said.

Meir Muller, an assistant professor of early childhood education at USC, teaches a class drawing parallels between the lives of Anne Frank and Emmett Till.

Muller's course, "Anne and Emmett," uses the lives of the teenagers to discuss the larger impacts of racism and anti-Semitism, including the impact social media has in spreading messages of hate.

But Frank's story is the core of USC's center.

It has 30 copies of "The Diary of a Young Girl" from around the world, including several from countries where the book wasnt widely available upon its publication because of censorship, such as Armenia, which published its version in 1962.

One of the museum's four rooms is a timeline that begins in the early 1900s when Franks father, Otto, a successful German businessman, was working at Macys Department Store in New York City. He returned to Germany in 1911 after the death of his father.

A man of means who served in the German Army during World War I, Otto tried to obtain visas for his family  first in 1938 and then in 1941  so they could emigrate to Cuba or the United States, but restrictive immigration laws kept them all in Europe. Frank moved them from Germany to the Netherlands in 1933 as anti-Semitism spread quickly across his native land.

The Franks started living in a hidden annex of a spice business during the summer of 1942, when mass deportation of Jews began. Their living space was disguised behind a bookcase that swung outward. USCs museum has a replica of that device.

Everybody had to be able to walk by it and not have any clue that there was a secret world hiding behind them Stevick said. The exhibit also recognizes the people who supported the Franks and Van Pels families, who shared the quarters with them.

The tour of USC's Anne Frank Center ends in a room meant for reflection of her plight. On a glass door are photographs of her every year from 1934 through 1942. The final two panels are blanks, representing the two years Frank spent in hiding.

Jonathan Case, rabbi of the Beth Shalom Synagogue in Columbia, toured the center privately upon its completion. Stevick worked with experts in Jewish studies and Holocaust history to review its content in conjunction with the Anne Frank House.

"Its not simply about the Holocaust, its not simply about a Jewish family and their concern about what happened to them during the time of the Nazi regime, but its something that reaches deep inside of every individual," Case said. "We are all people that can associate with being the walking wounded.

Case recalled how Columbia's last known Holocaust survivors  Bluma Goldberg and Marie Gross  told their stories to all who would listen, putting faces to a genocide whose majority of victims died anonymously. The pair died within an hour of one another in February from COVID-19.

Case sees Anne Frank and the museum as doing the same work as the women.

You read the story of this one little girl who was struggling to find a four-by-four piece of humanity in the midst of this maelstrom of hell, and she maintained her dignity and rose above it that it gives us reason we believe we can surmount and survive, Case said. This museum is about you. Its about me. Its highly and deeply personal.

USC's site has no ties to the similarly named Anne Frank Center of Mutual Respect, which opened in New York in 1977 as the Anne Frank Center USA  a nonprofit that uses Frank's story to examine the dangers of discrimination, racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance.
GREENVILLE  The conviction of former Greenville County Sheriff Will Lewis on charges related to his pursuit of a sexual affair with a subordinate employee will stand after the S.C. Supreme Court rebuffed a last-ditch appeal.

The court's Aug. 11 ruling, which quotes William Shakespeare to help define sexual coercion, rejects Lewis' argument the state's "misconduct by a public officer" charge he was convicted under is overly broad and unconstitutional.

The appeal was Lewis' last chance to vacate his October 2019 conviction by a Greenville County jury following a high-profile trial that laid bare the dysfunctional condition of the state's largest law enforcement agency.

Lewis had faced a total of 14 charges and was tried on two of them while 12 were later dismissed by 16th Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett, who weighed the cost of prosecution and the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. Lewis was acquitted of misconduct in office. He was sentenced to one year in prison but served only two weeks as he has been free on bail awaiting the appeal.

The appeal hinged on the notion that the misconduct charge was too vague and alleged "official misconduct, corruption, fraud, or oppression without defining those terms."

The court found that the charge related specifically to Lewis' conduct of seeking to leverage his power for sexual favors.

In the order, the court referenced a U.S. appeals court case that used Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" to define such behavior as misconduct.

"The most famous play in English on the subject, Shakespeare's 'Measure for Measure,' turns on officeholder Angelo's attempt to secure the seduction of the innocent Isabella," the court wrote. "Angelo's feigned use of his power to pardon Isabella's brother in order to get her consent is official misconduct."

In a separate opinion upholding the conviction but pointing out weak points in how the trial judge instructed the jury, Justice John Few wrote that Lewis' conduct was "outrageous and disgusting, to be sure."

The Lewis saga dates to 2017 when a personal assistant to the relatively newly elected sheriff posted on a personal blog accusations that Lewis sexual harassed and assaulted her in Charlotte during a trip billed as business related.

During the trial, witnesses testified that the assistant rose through the ranks at a pace not in line with her experience and that Lewis showered her with unnecessary benefits.

The assistant had a $62,000 salary, which is more than double the starting salary of a new deputy, despite no prior law enforcement experience. Lewis gave her a 2017 Ford Explorer specially equipped, an assigned parking space next to the sheriff and a suite of technological devices.

The assistant essentially traveled everywhere with Lewis, who at one point deemed her "off limits" to deputies.

When the assistant shared she was having marital problems, Lewis invited her on a business trip to Charlotte with other county officials. While in her hotel room, the two had a sexual encounter.

During the trial, the assistant said that she was inebriated and awoke with Lewis on top of her.

Lewis disputed the account of events, saying that the assistant approached him and that the encounter was consensual.

The assistant claimed Lewis forced himself on her sexually the next day.

Following the trip, Lewis continued to pursue a relationship, trying to convince her to share a room with him on another trip, this time to Reno, Nevada.

Ultimately, the assistant said she told Lewis she wanted a nonsexual relationship, then Lewis agreed but told her that her job duties would change. She then resigned.

After posting an account on her personal blog, the State Law Enforcement Division conducted an investigation, which led to charges.

Longtime Greenville County Sheriff Johnny Mack Brown served as interim after Gov. Henry McMaster suspended Lewis.

Current Sheriff Hobart Lewis won a special election and subsequent regular election.
Tori Rowe Burke couldnt seem to shake COVID-19 after she was diagnosed in February.

The coughing, the labored breathing, it just kept getting worse.

Ten days after she first caught the coronavirus, her symptoms had turned so severe she called an ambulance. She was admitted to Roper Hospital on Feb. 27.

Later that day, she was transferred to the Roper St. Francis hospital in Mount Pleasant. The day after that, her family chose to move her back downtown to Medical University Hospital, where, 3 weeks later, Tori died at the age of 33. Her daughters are 5 and 13 years old.

Tori is one of the more than 10,000 people in South Carolina who have died from COVID-19 following the first recorded death 18 months ago on March 16, 2020, according to the S.C Department of Health and Environmental Control. Its an arbitrary number, even if its a big, round one, and its growing every day as the virus continues to claim lives.

The 10,000 dead are almost exclusively unvaccinated. Tori was one of them. When she came down with the coronavirus in February, she didn't qualify for a vaccine yet according to state rules. Most of the patients who are dying from the virus today have been eligible for months.

Theres just such a sadness in my heart that I dont know will ever go away, said Kelsey Beyl, who qualified for her first COVID-19 vaccination shot in March, five days after her sister Tori died. I have moments every single day when I break down and cry.

Beyl is trying at once to process both grief and fury. Fury directed toward the millions of people in South Carolina who could get the vaccine and wont. Fury at the unfairness of it all.

Until you live it, a lot of people just dont care, Beyl said. People still choose ignorance. And it makes me so angry.

Health experts agree that vaccines offer us the best and quickest way out of this deadly pandemic. And while it seems the delta variant of the coronavirus has recently prompted an uptick in vaccinations, South Carolina, with less than half of its eligible population fully vaccinated, remains dangerously vulnerable.

In a statewide COVID-19 briefing Aug. 11, DHEC epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell found it difficult not to get emotional as she referenced the state surpassing 10,000 lives lost to the deadly virus.

In just three weeks, COVID-19 hospitalizations have tripled statewide, Bell said. And most sobering and tragic of all is that a majority of these infections could have been prevented had the infection prevention tools at our disposal been consistently adopted. ... I have never been more concerned for our state than I am right now.

Bell went on to declare the state in a public health crisis as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorize South Carolina as currently experiencing a high level of COVID-19 transmission.

As cases keep climbing, Beyl said shes grown tired trying to convince people to get a vaccine  especially on social media. But she loves talking about Tori.

It keeps her memory alive, Beyl said. If this changes someones mind, and makes them get vaccinated, then its worth it for me.

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 1,680 confirmed, 880 probable.

Total cases in S.C.: 529,198 confirmed, 119,310 probable.

Percent positive: 13.8 percent.

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New deaths reported: 14 confirmed, 1 probable.

Total deaths in S.C.: 8,823 confirmed, 1,184 probable.

Percent of ICU beds filled: 77.2 percent.

Hardest-hit areas

Richland County (169), Greenville County (164) and Horry County (151) saw the highest totals of newly confirmed cases.

What about tri-county?

Charleston County had 91 new cases on Aug. 11, while Berkeley had 81 and Dorchester 50.

Hospitalizations

Of the 1,166 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of Aug. 11, 317 were in the ICU and 177 were using ventilators.

Vaccinations

In South Carolina, 53 percent of people who are eligible for the vaccine have received one shot. About 45 percent of eligible residents are considered fully vaccinated.

What do experts say?

Health officials strongly encourage everyone eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine to get one as soon as possible.

Go to vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov to find a vaccine clinic near you.
Hospitals across South Carolina are responding to the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases, revising strict visitation guidelines for family members and friends of those affected by the virus.

Heres what you need to know about the hospitals in the tri-county and surrounding areas:

Roper St. Francis

For Roper St. Francis, allowing visitors or support persons'' is a controlled circumstance. Updated guidelines detail a limited number of visitors, require regular screenings and reduced waiting room capacity.

In the emergency services and surgical services division, one person is allowed to accompany the patient, provided a mask is worn at all times. During surgery, visitors are asked to wait in their cars until the patient is moved to recovery.

Inpatients are asked to designate two support persons upon arrival. Only one designated person is allowed at a time and only one can stay overnight. Both are not permitted.

Visiting hours for support persons in inpatient areas are from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. For those supporting patients in the intensive care unit, hours are 8-10 a.m. and 4-7 p.m.

Support persons will be screened upon arrival and expected to continue wearing their previously issued mask. The hospital is currently prohibiting children from entering all acute care facilities due to being unvaccinated. Exceptions can be made in the ER when an adult patient has a child and no other caregiver is on site.

Trident Medical Center

Trident Medical Center and its sister facility, Summerville Medical Center, have similar policies when it comes to visitors, only allowing one visitor for each emergency room and surgery patient. Both centers require visitors to be 18 years or older and are currently not allowing visitors for inpatients.

Instead, the hospital recommends loved ones reach out to patients on various digital platforms such as FaceTime, Zoom, Skype etc.

Hospital staff conduct pre-screenings of all visitors using standard screening questions for COVID-19 and require all visitors to wear masks at all times.

At the Summerville Medical Center, one visitor is allowed for each maternity patient and can stay overnight and pediatric patients are allowed two visitors who may stay overnight.

Medical University of South Carolina

As of July 1, MUSC stated its visitation restrictions for varying types of patients, including those who previously tested positive for COVID-19, as well as patients seeking various other treatments.

For all adult COVID-19 positive patients, except for pregnant patients, visitors are not permitted unless determined to have hard-to-clear or prolonged infection or are approaching end of life in which case more than one supportive person is allowed. For pregnant patients and patients under the age of 18, one visitor is allowed upon admission and can stay overnight.

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If COVID-positive patients have been admitted longer than or up to 14 days, one designated visitor is allowed provided they wear personal protective equipment. Face masks will be substituted for an N-95 respirator.

Visitors of COVID-positive patients are not allowed in common areas such as the hospital cafeteria and will not be allowed to stay overnight.

All other patients requiring admission will undergo COVID-19 testing and are allowed to have two visitors at a time. If the patient tests positive for COVID-19, visitation will end and all supportive persons will be asked to leave the hospital.

For those traveling to MUSC for routine outpatient treatments, appointments, tests or procedures, two visitors are allowed to accompany the patient.

Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center

Inpatient veterans are allowed up to two visitors at a time who meet the minimum age requirement of over 16 years old.

Veterans on COVID-19 isolation precautions are not allowed visitors except for special circumstances not specified in the hospitals visiting guidelines.

Visiting hours for Ralph Johnson VA are between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. each day.

Prisma Health Columbia

Prisma Health, the states largest hospital system, has started limiting visitation with COVID-19 cases rising across South Carolina.

Only one visitor per day will be allowed to visit patients in hospitals and clinical sites starting Aug 9. Visitors must wear masks and receive a screening for COVID-19 symptoms.

Visitors also must stay with the patient and not enter other areas of the hospital, such as the cafeteria or gift shop.

Prisma is asking those over age 65 and those with chronic illnesses who have not been vaccinated against COVID to avoid visiting patients.

Prisma will allow visitors to remain with patients with special needs if approved by the attending doctor and administrators.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
The Black River, a 151-mile-long blackwater river winds its way through Sumter, Clarendon, and Williamsburg counties before merging with the Great Pee Dee River in Georgetown County. Once called the Wee Nee by the Native Americans who once inhabited the area, today, the Black River is the topic of discussion among state leaders as they look to protect it through conservation efforts, and strengthen local economies.

Photo by Tami Rodgers
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Myrtle Beach, SC (29577)

Today

Mixed clouds and sun this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 88F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 74F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
CONWAY  As Horry County's is booming with growth, so are its schools.

This is no surprise as construction and development is no stranger to Carolina Forest or even Horry County, but it begs the question of how many more students will be making their way into Horry County schools as classes start Aug. 17.

Of the 54 elementary, middle and high schools along the Grand Strand and beyond more than half of them have surpassed or are close to the schools recommend student capacity.

Carolina Forest schools, including River Oaks Elementary and Ocean Bay Elementary, have seen some of the most growth in Horry County along with Myrtle Beach Elementary in Myrtle Beach.

The county's enrollment rates have been steadily increasing over the last eight years, aside from 2020 which was an off year for every school district due to COVID-19.

Horry County has over 44,000 students making it the third most populated school district in the state only behind Charleston and Greenville.

Comparatively, Charleston County schools which only have a couple more thousand students than Horry County has 20 more schools.

Horry County is currently the fourth-largest county in South Carolina but the population expects to be close to half a million by the year 2030.

Along with Carolina Forest, the St. James area, located in the Burgess community, have seen some of the highest growth, said Mary Anderson, Horry County Schools' human resources chief.

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"We know within probably the next five years, that most likely, we will need a new elementary school in the Carolina Forest area," Anderson said.

Horry County Schools started working on a proposal back in 2020 with an estimated cost of $278.6 million to mitigate growth.

The plan wouldn't start in 2025 it outlines creating three new elementary relief schools in the Carolina Forest area, additions for capacity at Aynor elementary and middle schools, replacement of South Conway Elementary, St. James Elementary and Whittemore Park Middle.

Plans for Whittemore Park Middle School are already set in motion and the school will open in August 2024, but Anderson said the replacement of the school was not specifically due to growth.

Of the nine schools in Carolina Forest all but one are at 80 percent or higher of their recommended capacity with four of the five middle schools completely over capacity.

And, South Carolina has a time-honored tradition of how to deal with overpopulation: modular classrooms.

Modular classrooms are temporary or permanent classrooms kind of like trailers which can be built much more rapidly than a new school or building.

The school district currently has created modular classrooms throughout the county, adding four to Ocean Bay Elementary, two to Carolina Forest Elementary and two to River Oaks Elementary. Additionally, there are plans to add even more by 2025.

When you outgrow your modular units, you almost have to go with another school, Superintendent Ken Richardson said in a previous interview.
NORTH CHARLESTON  Dozens of Lowcountry residents called on South Carolina senators to consider geographical boundaries when redrawing Statehouse and congressional voting maps, condemning the practice of crafting district lines that seek to protect incumbents and obtain unfair political advantages.

The sentiment surfaced Aug. 10 at one of 10 hearings being held by senators across the state as legislators prepare to redraw maps for Senate and congressional districts in time for the 2022 elections.

Dorchester County Democratic Party Chairman Tim Lewis spoke generally to the concept of gerrymandering, condemning the practice that he said has resulted in majority White voting districts and majority Black districts.

"Thats counter to our democracy," Lewis said during the meeting held at Trident Technical College in North Charleston.

Several others who spoke during the nearly three-hour meeting echoed that sentiment. They said voters should be allowed to choose their representatives, not the other way around.

Folly Beach resident Shayna Howell spoke specifically about Charleston County, which has representation split by eight different senators. She said legislators should aim to keep counties together as much as possible when redrawing district lines.

For Senate District 43, that might mean Folly Beach sharing a senator with nearby communities James Island and West Ashley, rather than Port Royal in Beaufort County.

"I urge you to consider our county a community of interest and not split it so many ways," she said.

Judiciary Chairman Luke Rankin, R-Myrtle Beach, said traditional redistricting principles being considered in the post-census process include geographical boundaries, such as rivers, or manmade boundaries, such as city and county lines.

Legislators are also charged with keeping together "communities of interest." While courts have not given a single definition for what entails a community of interest, it may include a neighborhood, a town or an area where people share common economic, recreational and other interests, Rankin said.

North Charleston resident Brady Quirk-Garvan, a former Charleston Democratic Party chairman, said stretching districts across rivers and county lines creates problems for state representatives trying to advocate for districts that have widespread communities and varying interests.

The needs of people in dense suburbs are different from the needs of those in rural communities, yet elected officials are unfairly asked to provide the same level of advocacy for districts that cover both urban and less populated areas, he said.

Quirk-Garvan also pointed to the 6th Congressional District held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, which runs from North Charleston to Columbia and to the Georgia border and includes all or parts of 16 counties.

"I can assure you living here that North Charleston is much more intertwined with Charleston and the Lowcountry than it is with the Midlands," he said.

Several Mount Pleasant residents spoke to the fact that despite being the state's fourth-largest municipality, the town is not being adequately represented in the Statehouse or in Congress.

Towner Magill pointed out that Senate District 34 covers part of the town, but the district also stretches to include portions of Georgetown and Horry counties. He said East Cooper communities should all be within a single district so their interests could be more properly addressed.

Still, some at the meeting maintained that that the state's coastal communities share unique interests, and they urged state senators to not split those areas into different districts.

Charleston County Councilman Dickie Schweers spoke in favor of the fact that Senate Districts 34 and 43 both cover multiple counties along the coast. This makes sense because these communities share common interests, which include tourism, rising housing costs and boating.

"Id like to see that representation be preserved going forward," he said.

The next public hearing is Aug. 12 in Aiken. Census data is scheduled to be released Aug. 16. Legislators are expected to approve the new maps in a special session this fall.
The North Augusta Department of Public Safety will be hosting a Citizens Academy starting in September. Applications will be due by citizens Aug. 31.

The training session will take place over the course of 10 weeks where participants will take training courses taught by North Augusta officers. Instruction will be covered through hands-on and lecture style classes. This program is offered twice a year.

Some of the training classes include 911 operations, fingerprinting, K-9 policing and firearm safety.

Citizens of North Augusta who would like to participate in the event must register online at the citys website. To be eligible, participants need to be over the age of 21, have a valid South Carolina drivers license and complete a background investigation.

The Citizens Police Academy is led by Sergeant of Traffic Enforcement Aaron Fittery and will take place at North Augusta Public Safety Station 2.
The riverfront cities of North Augusta and Augusta are going head to head in an environmental contest.

The first annual Trash Bash at the Border, being held on both sides of the river on Sept. 18 from 9-11 a.m., will promote a cleaner river by picking up litter.

The city that wins the event will receive a newly minted Mayor's Cup, which will be presented by the losing city's mayor during a city council meeting.

"In our eyes, it's a win-win for everyone and people get to come out and support the team that they enjoy, clean up the community, and the river is going to be cleaner for it," Keep Aiken County Beautiful organizer Kandace Cave said. "There really is no losing in this event.

This event follows the spirit of the South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Georgia Bulldogs college rivalry weekend, with prizes and giveaway packages going to the winners. Lunch will be provided to volunteers.

The city of North Augusta, city of Augusta, Keep America Beautiful and more are pitching in to sponsor the effort.

Volunteers can choose to clean the banks or the river for bragging rights and prizes. Participants are encouraged to wear their favorite Gamecocks or Bulldogs shirts, closed-toe and sturdy shoes, and long pants.

"These natural resources belong to everyone and it's up to everyone to protect them and keep them as pristine as possible," Cave said. "When the environment is healthy, we all benefit and I think this is an awesome way to get large groups of people involved."

"I'm all about collaboration," North Augusta Mayor Briton Williams said. "I think to have our two communities come together in a friendly competition, the river is just a huge asset for both of us and too often we think that river is a wall and it's not.

"Our growth and benefits are going to help Augusta and what happens in Augusta absolutely helps us in North Augusta," Williams continued. "I think for us to use this to work together towardssomething bigger than themselves, which is the litter and the trash pickup of this community, I think (it's) awesome."

To work in the river, volunteers are responsible for bringing their own watercraft and lifejacket. These participants must take a 15-minute course on litter pickup prior to entering the water.

Volunteers for South Carolina will meet in North Augusta at the Sharon Jones Amphitheater. Volunteers for Georgia will be meeting at the Jessye Norman Amphitheater.

Those interested in volunteering can sign up online. There are currently over 450 spots available, and the first 50 volunteers enter a raffle to receive tailgate packages and gift cards.

This is a community effort. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation," Cave said. "There cannot be too many volunteers. There cannot be too many people coming to this event. We want to do great work in the community and we need community involvement and support to make this happen."
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing this afternoon. High 91F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low near 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
With school resuming next week, COVID infections soaring and hospitals seeing worrisome increases in their caseloads, its understandable that parents, physicians and ordinary citizens are demanding that someone take action to give children the same protection in S.C. classrooms that they had once they returned to in-person classes last school year. The Columbia City Councils approval of a school mask mandate last week only added to the pressure, by giving a lot of people the misimpression that cities have the power to act.

In fact, as we explained Tuesday, cities, towns and counties do have the authority to require masks in schools  or anywhere they want. The problem is coming up with a way to enforce such a mandate that doesnt require school officials to violate the state Legislature's ban on school mask requirements.

Columbia didnt manage to do that, and Charleston officials spent much of the past week trying to figure out the magic solution but kept running into legal and practical roadblocks before falling back to an approach Mayor John Tecklenburg refers to as educating and nudging.

At a special meeting on Wednesday, he will ask the City Council to approve a nonbinding resolution that strongly encourages 2- to 11-year-olds to wear masks when theyre at school or in other indoor public spaces with 10 or more people, strongly encourages everyone eligible to get a vaccination and pledges that the city will assist in any way to help facilitate the successful implementation of this Resolution.

The mayor told us Tuesday that he could propose stronger action later, depending on the course of the pandemic and whether he can figure out anything workable. But given the limitations imposed by state law and the politicization of public health, he decided the citys primary focus should be supporting the schools efforts to keep kids safe and encouraging vaccinations. They are, after all, the way we get past this disaster.

Right here today, he said, the best thing I can do is try to talk somebody else into taking a vaccine rather than getting into an argument about whether you require a 4-year-old to wear a mask.

Thats a reasonable conclusion, the resolution is sound, and the City Council should approve it. But resolutions of support are a dime a dozen, so if all the council does is adopt a resolution, theres really no point in having a special meeting. For it to make any difference, the city will have to put some muscle  and money  behind the resolution.

Charleston already partners with MUSC to run a vaccination clinic; the problem is that not enough people take advantage of it  or of the vaccinations they can get, often with no wait, at nearly any drugstore or grocery store. The city needs to get more aggressively into the work of persuasion.

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It needs to work with its partners at MUSC, in the school district and even in the private and nonprofit sectors to develop a smart message (or messages) to convince parents to send their kids to school with masks and to convince the unvaccinated to get vaccinated. And then it needs to aggressively market that message, through brochures sent home to parents and a multimedia campaign that takes some of the politics out of masks and vaccinations.

The urgency of the challenge is underscored by the mayors simultaneous actions this week, in response to the high level of infections and low level of vaccinations, to reinstate COVID mitigation policies that the city had lifted in May after the CDC said people who were fully vaccinated could resume their normal lives.

On Monday, the city started requiring everyone to wear masks and practice social distancing inside city buildings, as Charleston County did last month. And effective Wednesday, its reducing capacity at city-owned recreational facilities and could take such additional actions as suspending classes and live events and reverting to virtual board meetings.

No one wants to go back to where we were in early May, much less January. But we all have the power  through our own actions or through our efforts to convince others in our lives to take action  to determine how many more restrictions cities have to impose on the public and businesses have to impose on their employees and customers and all of us have to adopt voluntarily.
There probably was an acceptable way Clarendon School District 2 could have allowed Superintendent Shawn Johnson to live for free for five months in a townhouse the district purchased to help lure new teachers to the district.

The school board could have approved a policy, in a public vote, to let him keep living there until there was a new teacher who actually wanted to rent the place. It could have voted at the same time  or before  to supplement his pay with a housing allowance that covered the cost of the townhouse.

That still would have raised questions, since either Dr. Johnson or one of his underlings would have had to determine when he needed to move out. But the idea of rural school districts purchasing housing for new teachers has been talked about for years, and its possible that it was better for the condo to be lived in than to sit vacant, as it did for more than six months after the superintendent moved out.

So this could have simply been the sort of thing that generated some small-town gossip  not something that would become the latest installment of The Post and Couriers Uncovered project.

It did become the focus, though, because the school board just sort of let him keep living there, rather than voting to allow it. Worse, the board didnt charge any rent while he was there, or for six months after he moved out. Board members said it slipped their minds or just wasnt a priority during the confusion of the COVID-19 pandemic; they only sent him a bill, for nearly $5,000, after reporters Stephen Hobbs and Thad Moore started asking questions. At the same time, the board voted to give him a housing allowance that, in a most unusual move, was made retroactive to the time he started living for free in the district-owned property.

Now, its believable that Dr. Johnson didnt set out to get free housing for five months. Its even believable that the school board might not have set out to give him a secret housing perk  although the retroactive housing allowance certainly makes it look like that was the plan before the board got caught.

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But the fact that you didnt intend to do something wrong doesnt make up for the fact that when the opportunity presented itself, you did do something wrong.

Whats wrong with the boards action was allowing the superintendent to live rent-free for five months in a house that was purchased with money that by law was supposed to be used to recruit teachers. Even if the use of the money hadnt been restricted, it would be wrong to allow that without voting on it in a public meeting, so voters knew what was going on.

Whats wrong on Dr. Johnsons part was continuing to live in the condo without paying rent  or asking the board to send him a bill  after signing a statement affirming that he knew the nearly $87,000 he requested in state funds for the district to purchase the townhouse had to be used for teacher recruitment.

Of course, the fact that Clarendon District 2 used a state teacher-recruitment grant to provide free housing to the superintendent doesn't mean that other districts are misusing the money. But there's no routine oversight of the program, and this isn't the first time a school district has spent education funds in a way that's unwise if not illegal. Nor is it the first time an official in small-town South Carolina has been able to take advantage of the lack of oversight from either state law or a competitive political and media culture. Even local officials in the states metro areas get away with way-too-generous, secret perks, because state government doesnt generally check behind every check thats written with state dollars. Officials in larger communities are just more likely to get caught because the political culture usually isnt as insular and because there are viable newspapers, TV stations and blogs where reporters are following up on those rumors.

It might not be practical for the state to review every single dollar that the Legislature sends every year to state agencies, cities, counties and school districts, sometimes under extremely strict rules. And we do have an inspector general, the Legislative Audit Council and the state auditor who can review spending if they think something inappropriate might be going on, and a State Ethics Commission and law enforcement to look into allegations that public officials are personally benefitting from public funds.

But all that relies on somebody suspecting somethings wrong, and while that process is sensible and practical, it isnt always adequate. And particularly given what we know about too many school boards, it's clear that more oversight is needed. Even random reviews would help, by showing us whether theyre complying with the law and whether theyre making responsible spending decisions  while letting them know there's always a chance they'll land on the review list.
Goose Creek, SC (29445)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 92F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
COLUMBIA  Former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley returned to where she lived as S.C. governor Aug. 7, mostly steering clear of 2024 presidential speculation while taking aim at China, calling on countries to boycott next years Winter Olympics in Beijing.

In front of a crowd of more than 250 in attendance at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center for an Army Engineer Association gala, Haley said she was focused on helping Republicans get elected to House, Senate and governors' offices.

I think Ive got a little bit of time," Haley said of prognostications that she will run for president in the next cycle. I dont think I really have to focus on my next step until the first part of 2023.

Haley said U.S. policy toward China needs to change, calling on America to become the aggressor as the Asian superpower continues to build up its military and accrue global assets. She also accused the country of trying to steal our (COVID) vaccines.

I think that you look at China, and if you look at presidents prior, Republican and Democrat, they all thought that if we were nice to China, China would want to be like us. China doesn't want to be like us. They are communist. We have to change the way we act towards China, she said.

Haleys dinnertime appearance makes the 49-year-old the latest in a line of GOP stars who have visited the state recently.

Mike Pompeo, who served as former President Trumps CIA director and secretary of state, headlined the S.C. Republican Partys Silver Elephant dinner last week, and South Dakota Gov. Kristie Noem is set to give the keynote address Aug. 23 at the Faith and Freedom BBQ, hosted by U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-Laurens, that has become a major stop for party elders.

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Former Vice President Mike Pence also made his first post-White House appearance here in April.

Haley has already visited the critical early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

In January, Haley launched Stand for America, a political action committee focused on GOP wins in the 2022 midterms. As of June 30, it has $5.4 million of cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

Its treasurer is Bradley Crate, whose Massachusetts firm was treasurer for Trumps 2016 campaign. He also served as a top financial officer for Mitt Romney in his 2008 and 2012 presidential runs.

Haley, elected governor in 2011, left the post in 2017 after Trump picked her as U.N. ambassador, a role she filled until Dec. 31, 2018, when she stepped down.

Haleys relationship with the former president has been star-crossed. She was the leading critic of his campaign in 2016 but became a vocal defender of his foreign policy goals while at the U.N.

Shortly after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Haley again broke with Trump, telling Politico in a lengthy February story that we need to acknowledge he let us down. He went down a path he shouldnt have, and we shouldnt have followed him, and we shouldnt have listened to him. And we cant let that ever happen again.

Haley has said she will not run for president if Trump decides he wants to seek another term.
COLUMBIA  A leading anti-abortion group has picked South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster as its first gubernatorial endorsement in next year's elections, part of a broader strategy to seed top state jobs with abortion opponents as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to give states more power over the issue.

On Wednesday, officials from the Susan B. Anthony List will travel to Greenville to give their endorsement to McMaster, now in his second full term. Their early backing of the Republican even before he draws a primary challenger who is actively raising money could be intended as a prophylactic to deter anyone from challenging him from the right.

In an interview ahead of the event, Marjorie Dannenfelser, the organization's president, told The Associated Press that McMaster's key roles in defending both Mississippi's abortion law and South Carolina's new restrictions on abortion make him "a hero in defending life."

Mississippi's 2018 law would ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The state's sole abortion clinic is challenging the measure's legality, arguing that it unconstitutionally restricts access to abortion. Mississippi's Republican attorney general, in turn, has asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

The high court is expected to hear the case this fall, with a decision next year.

Last month, McMaster led a coalition of a dozen Republican governors submitting an amicus brief supporting Mississippi's law. Arguing that the issue of abortion is best left to the states, McMaster's attorneys wrote that citizens can vote out state lawmakers with whom they disagree over abortion policies, but are less able to make federal entities comply with the people's will.

The high court's landmark abortion decisions have "upended the careful balance that the Constitution strikes between the Federal Government and the States," they wrote, in arguments similar to the ones made by Mississippi's attorney general.

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McMaster has also had to contend with related litigation in his own state, although it's been put on hold pending the Mississippi decision. Earlier this year, the governor signed the "South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act," which requires doctors to perform ultrasounds to check for cardiac activity, which can now be detected about six weeks after conception. If it's found, the abortion can be performed only if the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest, or the mother's life was in danger.

Planned Parenthood attorneys sued immediately, and the entire law has been blocked from taking effect during the lawsuit.

"The right to life is the most precious of rights and the most fragile," McMaster said then, in a statement. "We must protect life at every opportunity, regardless of cost or inconvenience."

About a dozen other states have passed similar or more restrictive abortion bans, which could take effect if the justices use Mississippi's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization to overturn Roe v. Wade.

"Footing on the abortion issue may start to shift very dramatically to the state level depending on the Dobbs decision," Dannenfelser told AP.

Although McMaster is the first governor to get the group's backing for next year's election cycle, Dannenfelser said more such endorsements will come now that groups like hers have successfully campaigned to confirm "justices who would hear a case that could relax the control that the court has, in making abortion law in the states."

"Endorsing a governor like Gov. McMaster is part of the culminating point of the whole movement," she added.
SPARTANBURG  U.S. Rep. William Timmons, R-4th District, said he is concerned about the recent surge of COVID-19 cases again across South Carolina and encouraged anyone who wants to get vaccinated to find the nearest clinic.

Timmons made his remarks Aug. 10 during a OneSpartanburg's Voice of Business Brunch held at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport Conference Center. Timmons also said COVID-19 continues to disrupt supply chains nationwide.

"We are just in a really bad spot," Timmons said. "We have got to get past COVID and got to get past the pandemic. We have got to get back to work and it's just frustrating. Washington is sending the wrong signal to the American people and to the U.S. economy and now we are having conversations about the Delta variant of COVID. Every elected official and every scientists in Washington, including me, has taken every side of every issue on COVID."

Timmons said since the pandemic began in early 2020 the messaging has been conflicting. Timmons said he has been vaccinated and believes it is a personal choice whether to get the vaccine.

"I encourage everybody who wants to get the vaccine get vaccinated," Timmons said. "We have got to get back to work and all of this circular conversation we got a problem and we have got to move past and do it safely. We are just in a tough spot."

Timmons encouraged those who have received the vaccine and are choosing not to work while collecting federal unemployment benefits to return to work. He is hopeful that as more people get vaccinated, the number of COVID-19 cases will begin to decline again.

"I hope we continue to reopen and move in the right direction," Timmons said.

COVID-19 cases have surged again among the City of Spartanburg staff in recent weeks.

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On Aug. 9, City Manager Chris Story told City Council that more COVID-19 cases were reported on city staff in the past week. Story said employees have been encouraged to get the vaccine but it is not mandated. Story said some city employees are still able to work from home.

"We are fearful that we will see more employee absences as associated with friends and family with precautionary quarantines in the next few weeks," Story said.

During the Aug. 9 meeting, City Councilwoman Meghan Smith suggested masks be worn again on city property including community centers. The city's ordinance requiring masks to be worn in public places was lifted in May.

"We have learned so much but only if we put into practice what we have learned does that actually demonstrate that we have learned anything in this past year and a half." Smith said.

City Councilman Rob Rain suggested the mask issue should be reviewed over the next two weeks and city staff should recommend whether or not to implement a mask requirement for city property. The city of Greenville added a mask requirement in city building on Aug. 9.

Story said appropriate steps would be taken to encourage people to use masks to protect themselves, including employees.

"I am totally willing to wait on getting recommendations that staff might have," City Councilwoman Erica Brown said.

City Councilman Jamie Fulmer said he also wants city staff to present recommendations at the Aug. 23 meeting on a fully-developed plan for how mask usage could be enforced on city property.
Three employees at Ross Dress for Less at the Guam Premier Outlets were honored with certificates and gift bags for helping a tourist reclaim her $12,000 bracelet.

May Tu appeared in person with some companions to personally present a handwritten thank you letter to the Ross team.

The three employees involved in returning the bracelet were Norma Gomez, the fitting room associate who found the bracelet but was not available for the ceremony, and managers Katherine Aflague and Satricia Gange, who worked to secure and return the item.

Tu came to Guam from Taiwan for the Air V&V, or vaccination and vacation, program. She lost the bracelet last week Wednesday.

Aflague said Gomez found the bracelet after it had fallen out of some clothes. It was then handed over to Aflague, who secured the item, while Gange later returned it to Tu.

Aflague said it was a matter of integrity.

"Whatever we find, we don't take," she said. "We make sure we secure the merchandise and when the customer comes back to retrieve it, it's there in the store."

The women ended up "kind of cracking up" about the situation, according to Aflague, who said it never dawned on her that the bracelet could be worth so much.

"But I just made sure I just secured the item. Anything  it doesn't matter what the value is  we make sure that we secure the merchandise."

Grateful for employees' integrity

David Su helped translate Tu's statements. She said this is her first time in Guam and the whole affair has left her feeling blessed. The young woman's perception of the island is that the people here are very friendly, passionate and honest.

"She wants to come back," Su said, translating for Tu.

In her thank you letter, Tu expressed her gratitude for Gomez, Aflague and Gange, as well as the management at Ross and the hospitality of the people of Guam.

She said the thought of losing her "beloved bracelet" in a foreign country was difficult to bear and it was thanks to the honest and caring workers that she was able to reunite with bracelet.
By a count of 50-49, the Senate has voted to proceed with formulating a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package. Joe Manchin provided the vote that enabled this.

Almost immediately thereafter, however, Manchin said he is unlikely to support such a package once it is presented. Manchin explained that he has serious concerns about the grave consequences facing West Virginians and every American family if Congress decides to spend another $3.5 trillion. He added:

I firmly believe that continuing to spend at irresponsible levels puts at risk our nations ability to respond to the unforeseen crises our country could face. I urge my colleagues to seriously consider this reality as this budget process unfolds in the coming weeks and months.

As far as I can tell, only one of Manchins colleagues has any inclination to consider this reality. Kyrsten Sinema has said she will not support a final $3.5 trillion package. She and Manchin both framed their vote in favor of advancing a blueprint as a way to begin the process, rather than as an embrace of the intended outcome.

Im struggling to make sense of this. If you arent going to support a $3.5 trillion package, why approve a blueprint for developing one? Why not insist on a blueprint for an amount you will end up supporting?

Maybe Manchin and Sinema made noises to Republican Senators about trimming the reconciliation package in exchange for their agreement to pass the infrastructure bill, and now feel compelled to make noises about insisting on such a trimming. Maybe in the end they will insist on some minor trimming.

To me, however, the whole thing seems like theatre.

Greg Sargent, a left-wing Washington Post columnist, explains what he thinks is going on. His analysis is convoluted, but that doesnt mean its wrong.

Sargents piece contains one statement thats hard to dispute. He writes:

The reconciliation bill is not the lefts agenda. Its the Biden agenda and the agenda of the whole Democratic Party.

Which means, as I argued here, that where the rubber meets the road, there is little to distinguish Joe Biden and the Democratic mainstream from the Democratic left.
Yes, no matter what

Yes, but it depends on variety

No, for medical reasons, uncertainty

No, principle

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For centuries, masquerades or Egungun as they are popularly called in the western part of Nigeria, have been revered, worshipped and regarded as a collective force.

However, it appears that narrative is fast being modified as masquerades have been somewhat demystified and spotted doing regular things that humans do.

From fighting at major bus stops in Lagos to even featuring in comedy skits on social media, Egunguns are clearly doing the most these days.

Over the weekend, several masquerades donning glittering outfits were seen in major studios in Iwo, Osun State, having a proper photoshoot in preparation of the 2021 Egungun festival. They struck different modern poses in the images that have found their way online.

The two-day festival will kick off on August 13 and end on August 14.

A platform, Iwoland Hub, which shared the information and the photos on Facebook, said the Paramount Ruler of Iwoland, Abdulrosheed Adewale, has embarked on a campaign demanding an upgrade of the Egungun festival as against just worshipping.

Many have lent their voices too.

It could be recalled that one of the masquerades two years ago presented a pressing iron to Oluwo during a festive visit to the palace.

Indeed, good things can be made better through an upgrade just as many old practices are modernised to meet current taste. Egungun Iwo tija, Egungun to nya photoshoot, they wrote.

Egungun festival

The Egungun festival, held annually in Iwo town, attracts tourists from different parts of the world.

A similar festival is also held annually in Okeho, Oyo state in July.

It is usually a colourful spectacle at the palace of the Oluwo of Iwo where scores of masquerades are on display, dancing and praying for the monarch and the town.

With modernisation fast leading to erosion of cultural values and practices, the organisers of the festival have said the initiative will help preserve the tradition for generations to come.
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The embattled Yoruba actor, James Omiyinka, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, who is currently enmeshed in an alleged rape and child molestation scandal, is gradually bouncing back.

Since April 22, when the Lagos State Police Command arrested him for allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old foster daughter of a popular comedian, Princess, he has constantly made headlines.

He is facing a six-count charge of sexual assault by penetration, indecent treatment of a child, and sexual assault, which contravene sections 259, 135, and 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011, as well as 135, 263, and 262 Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

Baba Ijesha had, however, employed the services of two senior advocates of Nigeria  Dada Awosika and Babatunde Ogala, and other lawyers to defend him in court in the last sittings.

The popular Yoruba actor appears to have forged ahead after his N2 million bail application was granted.

New lease of life?

Baba Ijesha has revealed that he has returned to his first love, acting, and is currently partaking in a movie that is being shot in Ile-Ife, Osun State.

He said this on Monday during an interview on Oodua 90.9 FM, Ile  Ife, Osun State, which was anchored by Kolawole Azeeze and monitored by PREMIUM TIMES.

The comic actor, who called into the show primarily to promote two new songs titled; Eleda mi and very soon, did not speak about his ongoing trial in the interview which lasted 30minutes.

He, however, recounted some of his travails in the Yoruba movie industry.

Travails

Asked to speak about some of the most painful experiences in his career, he recalled how he was yanked off 25 movie scenes.

He said, I have never felt terrible or like leaving the theater profession until a day when acting roles were taken from me and that was over 20 years ago.

I remembered that I cried and prayed to God for help because 25 scenes were taken from me and I was given only one and that singular role became a bomb. Those were the times I had the most painful experience because I cried like a baby.

Narrating another sad moment in his career, the 48-year-old actor narrated how he lost a brand new car.

He said, Another greatest regrettable moment was a time when a company bought me a new car and I then promised to give my old car to somebody. But shortly after I made the promise, I was involved in an auto accident and the new car was completely condemned. I could not give that car to the person I promised again until after about two months.

When asked if he has a child, Baba Ijesha said,  My son is studying law at a university.

Meanwhile, his trial resumes at the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja on Wednesday and Thursday.
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Nollywood actor, Rich Oganiru, has died weeks after he went public with his ill health.

Two weeks ago, a video of the late actor, looking really sick, lying in his bed and seeking financial assistance, surfaced online.

The video, shared by one of his colleagues, was captioned, Please, everyone should reach out before he dies.

The Owerri- born actor died on Tuesday, after being ill for months without funds to cater for his health.

Career

His career spanned over two decades and saw him feature in over 300 movies like Queen of Hasso Rock, Wasted Effort, Pay Day, Lacrima, Stoneface in Love, Givers Never Lack, His Majesty, and Yellow Fe Rich Odichinma Azu vet,.

Others are My Destiny, Battle Of The Rich, Political Control, Touching Love, Total Control, Last Confession among many others.

In 2012, the Nollywood actor was arrested for allegedly killing his wife in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory.

He denied the allegations while maintaining his innocence.

Following the incident, his career nosedived, and he never quite returned to the industry.

Before his death, he was the Corporate Marketing Consultant to the Abuja Chapter of the Actors Guild of Nigeria.

He was also an Evangelist at the Davidical Order Ministry.
Israels recent admission to the African Union (AU) as an observer has prompted a strong backlash from the Member States of the African bloc.

Moussa Faki, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, recently received credentials from Israels ambassador to Ethiopia, Burundi and Chad, Aleli Admasu.

This decision by the AU Commission to grant the State of Israel an observer status, a move that had been rejected for nearly two decades, has triggered criticism with several African countries saying its admission is incompatible with the values and principles of the AU charter.

Many are demanding an explanation and outright reversal of the decision.

Israel, however, is delighted with this milestone when it acknowledged that this is a day of celebration for Israel-Africa relations, noting that the achievement corrects the anomaly that has existed for almost two decades.

Israels observer status will enable greater cooperation, among other things, in the fight against Corona and the prevention of the spread of extremist terrorism throughout the continent, the countrys foreign ministry said in a statement.

Pleased by its decision, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was quick to congratulate the AU for its leadership in building bridges and creating new avenues for exchange, adding that the country welcomes Israels return to the African Union as an observer as part of our support for broader normalization.

Israels push to join AU

Joining the African Union is a diplomatic goal Israel had been working to achieve for nearly two decades.

Israel attained observer status at the African Union on July 22, after 19 diplomatic efforts.

It had previously held observer status at the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) but was long thwarted in its attempts to get it back after the OAU was disbanded in 2002 and replaced by the AU.

The Ethiopia-based AU is a continental bloc that represents all 55 Member States, most of whom suffered terribly at the hands of repressive colonialists. The organization was a common front to forge sociopolitical progress among members.

Israel has serially rejected African immigrants, but it has identified deepening political ties with Africa as a key foreign policy priority.

Seeking the observer status at AU, analysts believe, is part of a broader diplomatic manoeuvre to gain transatlantic support, build strategic cooperation and access African markets.

The key objective behind Israels longstanding effort to gain access to the AU has been undermining Palestinian efforts to influence the continental stance on the situation in Israel/Palestine and, by implication, the stance of independent African states on the matter, Al Jazeera analyst Marwan Bishara reports.

Palestines status

Meanwhile, Palestine has long had observer status in the African Union.

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, is regularly given the opportunity to address the organisations summits.

For decades, African countries have supported the Palestinian liberation struggle against Israel, seeing in it parallels with their own anti-colonial movements.

Likewise, the African Union has not hesitated to criticise Israeli international law violations and the occupation of Palestinian lands.

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Most recently, in May, Mr Faki, chairperson of the AU, condemned Israels war on Gaza and its violent attacks against Palestinians in Jerusalem.

Although the decision of the African Union Commission to include Israel as an observer member of the organization was taken without consulting most of the members, the union assured that it will not have any impact on its decisions.

The decision will not affect the position of the African Union and its the firm and effective support of the continental organization towards the Palestinian cause, and its commitment to embodying the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

It added that the systems of the African Union do not give any possibility for the 87 observer states outside Africa to influence the positions of the continental organization whose determination stems from the exclusive prerogative of the member states.

Israeli-Palestine conflict

At his July meeting with Mr Adamsu, Mr Faki stressed the AUs position over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, reiterating the blocs stance that a two-state solution was necessary for a peaceful co-existence.

He emphasised that the path towards long-lasting peace and stability requires that the peace process and the solutions sought must not only be acceptable but must guarantee the rights of all parties.

Israeli authorities have committed crimes of apartheid and persecution against Palestinians, global advocacy group, Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in an April report.

The 213-page report provided a descriptive or comparative analysis in relation to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories and as a warning of what might happen if current trajectories with regard to Palestinians continue.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the HRW argued that based on existing international law, the overarching Israeli policy toward Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem constituted an agenda to both maintain Jewish Israeli domination and systematically oppress Palestinians.

The Israeli government has demonstrated an intent to maintain the domination of Jewish Israelis over Palestinians across Israel and the occupied Palestinians territory, the report stated.

Israel, on its part, has argued that it has the right to defend itself against attacks from Palestinian territories.

Often time, when hostilities start between Israeli troops and Palestinian Hamas militants, civilian casualties are recorded in hundreds, mostly on the Palestinian side.

Rejection by AU member states

Citing the war, some African Union Member States criticised Israels observer status. Seven African-Arab countries including Algeria, Egypt, Comoros, Tunisia, Djibouti, Mauritania and Libya reportedly delivered a verbal note to Mr Faki rejecting the admittance of Israel into the AU.

Taken without the benefit of broad prior consultations with all member states, this decision has neither the vocation nor the capacity to legitimize the practices and behaviors of the said new observer which are totally incompatible with the values, principles, and objectives enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the African Union, Algerian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The recent decision of the President of the Commission of the African Union (AU) to welcome a new observer who falls under its administrative prerogatives is not likely to alter the constant and active support of the continental organization to the just Palestinian cause, the statement read in part.

Similarly, the Namibian international relations minister in an interview with Namibian Sun, said the approval did not meet the basic principles of the AU.

We are rejecting that approval because it does not meet the basic principles of the African Union, which includes the right to self-determination, he was quoted as saying.

In the same vein, South Africa called the move shocking and said it was appalled by the African Union Commissions decision to grant Israel observer status in the African bloc.

It said the unjust and unwarranted move was taken unilaterally without consultations with its members.

Another Southern African country, Botswana, said the issue is a sensitive matter that should have been brought to the attention of all AU Member States before a decision was reached.

This is also because of the longstanding conflict between Israel and Palestine, Botswanas ministry of International relations said.

Impact of Israels observer status

Israel has maintained that its observer status at AU will enable greater cooperation and help its global counterterrorism agenda in Africa.

On their part, African countries that oppose the move believe it could be an attempt to influence the continental stance on diplomatic issues.

Analysts fear that Africa may become a more overt arena for Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic competition.

Likewise, issues of migration flows and people smuggling could become increasingly controversial for both Israel and African countries.

Joining AU is seen as a crucial step in Israels effort to normalize diplomatic ties with African states like it first did with Sudan and Morocco, as part of the US-backed Abraham Accords, which followed Israels normalisation of ties with Chad in 2019.

Israels admittance to the AU places it alongside 87 other observer states outside Africa. But unlike the AU, Europe and Asian continental blocs have not granted observer status to any African country.

Similarly, efforts by at least two African countries to join the European Union have been unsuccessful.

Morocco, a North African country, once sought to become European the same way Cape Verde made moves to exit from African Union to join the European Union.

Although there has been no formal rejection of Cape Verdes European bid, nor has there been any political recognition, Moroccos quest was outrightly rejected.
The Nigerian government has indicated that the temporary ban on Twitter may be lifted soon.

The Minister of Information and Culture minister, Lai Mohammed, said on Wednesday that though talks were still ongoing with Twitter, many agreements had been reached.

Mr Mohammed, who briefed journalists after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, said the areas still pending include Twitter setting up an office in Nigeria and having a Twitter staff of management cadre as the country representative.

He said though Twitter had agreed to establish an office in Nigeria, the social media platform said it cannot do so until 2022.

Mr Mohammed said he believes the grey areas would be resolved in a few days or weeks.

Nigeria suspended Twitter in the country on June 4 after the social media platform deleted a controversial tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Nigerian government also accused Twitter of supporting protests against the government.

The suspension means millions of Twitter users in Nigeria are denied access to the platform and can only reach it through backdoors such as virtual private networks.

Conditions that must be met

Briefing the journalists, Mr Mohammed stated that although they had a smooth deliberation with Twitter, that did not mean that there was no area of disagreement.

He also said they made some demands which Twitter promised to look into.

I know that one of the conditions that we set was that Twitter, in line with Nigerias Companies and Allied Matters Act, should establish presence in Nigeria with registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the minister said.

And we think it is the only thing, that if you want to do business in Nigeria, you must register first, a Nigerian company and of course, you must have an address. That is one of the conditions we gave Twitter.

We also asked that Twitter shall be mandated to employ a designated country representatives. As of today, we are not aware of any Twitter representative in Nigeria, and we say that that representative shall be a staff of Twitter so that he can have access to global management of Twitter.

So that he can serve as a liaison between Nigeria and Twitter so that we can be able to.The company representative should also have a physical office address in Nigeria as well as access to the Global Management so that it can serve as the liaison between Nigeria and Twitter.

He said aside the condition of opening an office in Nigeria, they also gave a condition that Twitter must register with all relevant bodies.

Also have a physical office address in Abuja and offices outside the capital. But we believe that its important that Twitter should have a company representative who is high up so that he can take directly complaints from Nigeria to Twitter.

We also asked Twitter, in addition to registering the Nigerian company, must also register with relevant regulatory authorities like NIPDA, like NCC, broadcasting commission.

Fourthly, we asked that Twitter shall be mandated to retain designated local agents to manage its engagement with federal government operations in Nigeria.

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We also asked Twitter to commit itself to working with the Federal Inland Revenue Service. Understanding that if you make money from Nigeria, you pay taxes according to Nigeria laws. Of course, start paying VAT and other tax liabilities like any company resident in Nigeria.

We also proposed to Twitter that we should agree on a charter of online conduct for content management so that this charter will guide both of us. We will agree on which content would be acceptable, what is not acceptable.

So, the two parties would .because we are very concerned about content that are liable to jeopardise the security, unity and safety of Nigeria.

We also asked that we agree on what is publicatious and when such is cited and brought to the attention of Twitter, Twitter will remove or delete such a publication, the minister said.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the Federal Roads and Bridges Tolling Policy and Regulations aimed at reintroducing tollgates on Nigerian roads.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, made this known to journalists after the weekly meeting on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to Mr Fashola, the policy and regulations were developed after extensive consultations with various stakeholders within and outside the government.

The minister, in 2019, announced that the government had concluded designs for the return of toll plazas on federal roads.

He said at the time that though the government dismantled toll plazas in the past, there was no law abolishing tolls.

How it works

According to the minister, a Willingness-To-Pay Survey was carried out to arrive at the recommended pricing framework and existing tolled roads were taken into consideration to arrive at the prices.

You recall that about two years ago, you had asked me several times here when roads will be tolled. And I told you, there is a lot of work. So we have taken another step.

 So let me be clear, tolls are not going to start tomorrow. So let us be clear about that. But the big step to actual tolling was taken today by presenting for approval the broad policy that will guide the tolling so that local people, states, local governments, all those who manage roads, investors who want to come in, will know what our tolling policy is. And that will form the basis of their financial modelling, their investment decision, he said.

He said the tolls will not start until the roads are motorable and this will affect only federal dual carriage roads. The proceeds from the tolls would be used to maintain and construct roads, he said.

He added that most of the dual carriageways also have alternative roads, which are single carriageway which is why the government left them out of the policy.

We presented and council approved that only dual carriageways of the 35,000 kilometers should be eligible for tolling by the federal government.

We also got approval that the toll will be used to maintain roads, to construct new roads as they accrue and also to pay the investors who invest in building or completing a road and then take a concession on it. Those are the uses.

On the billing, Mr Fashola said some vehicles have been exempted. He also announced the fares according to vehicle types.

Bicycles, pedal cycles, tricycles, motorcycles, and others have two or three wheeled transport use mainly by disadvantaged members of our community, they will be entitled to a fully 100% exemption, as will be diplomatic vehicles and military and paramilitary vehicles.

So weve classified vehicles into five categories  the cars, the SUVs and the jeeps as a second category. Private bus and commercial bus as third and fourth categories. And then luxury buses and trucks as a fifth category.

So the start off tolls that we have for financial modelling and investment decision making, cars will pay N200, SUVs and Jeeps will pay N300, private buses will pay N300, commercial buses will pay N150, luxury buses and trucks will pay N500, he said.

Now I think it is important to share with you how we arrived at these prices. Some of these prices were recommended by the operators themselves that I said we met.

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Some of them were also obtained from a survey we did across the six geopolitical zones, talking to households and talking to people in the garages, motor parks and all of that, which was quite extensive. We covered about 17 or so states or 22 states out of the national framework just to get a sampling of what people felt.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), an Islamic group, says the Borno State Government under Governor Babagana Zulum has demolished more mosques than churches in the last two years.

The group said 11 mosques and four churches were demolished in the state in the last two years.

MURIC spoke in reaction to the controversy over the recent demolition of a church in Maiduguri by the Borno State Geographic Information System (BOGIS)

PREMIUM TIMES reported that one person was shot dead and five others injured when church members clashed with officials pulling down EYN Church in Moduganari area of the state capital last Thursday.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) had on Saturday condemned the demolition and the deadly violence that accompanied it, alleging that the state government wants to wipe out churches in Borno State.

But the Muslims rights group in a statement on Wednesday said the evidence it had showed the ongoing demolition exercise in Borno was not targeted at any religion.

According to MURIC, Muslims have suffered more from the activities of BOGIS than their Christian brethren.

In the statement signed by its Director, Ishaq Akintola, MURIC said it investigated the complaints over the demolition of the church last week.

It said the coordinated propaganda that BOGIS was being used by the state government against churches was not true.

MURIC said it sent a team to Maiduguri to investigate the claims by CAN following the unfortunate incident at EYN Moduganari church.

It said contrary to the claims, the team discovered that more mosques have so far been demolished than churches.

Contrary to a coordinated propaganda over the demolition of an EYN church in Maiduguri, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) can authoritatively report that the Borno State Geographic Information Systems (BOGIS) created by Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, actually demolished 11 mosques and four churches, in the metropolis, the statement reads.

The exercise began from 29th May 2019 up till last week.

A team of investigators working with MURIC visited each of the sites where the mosques were demolished, interviewed residents and gathered photographs and data that showed locations of each of the 11 mosques and dates of their demolition by officials of Borno State Government for violation of purpose approved in residential titles, which complied with a 2010 Government White paper in response to the 2009 Boko Haram insurgency, which strictly prohibited the conversion of any residential house to a place of worship, in all parts of Borno State.

Findings showed that two mosques were demolished by BOGIS on 11th March 2020, around Fato Sandi, behind works department in Maiduguri, not far from the Shehu of Bornos palace, who is next to the Sultan in the hierarchy of Nigerias leadership of the Muslim community. The Shehu is the Vice President of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA)

Two mosques were again demolished by BOGIS on the same day (March 11, 2020), at old Musami complex along Jos road in Maiduguri. Again, a mosque was demolished on the same day opposite former NITEL.

Another mosque was demolished on April 15, 2020, along Kano Road, adjoining Bulumkutu, Yola Electricity Distribution Company, YEDC. Two mosques were again demolished, one near a hotel in Galadima and another near behind Timber shade, in Baga Road.

MURIC said its investigators further discovered that five other mosques conspicuously located at the Customs round-about in the western part of Maiduguri-Bama road were also demolished by BOGIS on 23rd January 2020, for what the government called overriding public interest.

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It said the 11 mosques were demolished either for violating residential purposes in their allocation titles or for overriding public interest.

Of the 11 mosques demolished, five were for overriding public interest and six for violations of residential titles whereas all the four churches demolished (including the EYN) were strictly demolished for converting residential houses to churches, the same way six mosques were demolished.!

MURIC said it understands that the measures taken for demolishing the places of worship complied with a 2010 white paper which is against illegal places of worship as measures of regulation.

MURIC had also said the state government rebuilt seven churches destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents in different parts of southern Borno state.

We are nonplussed by the immense false propaganda flying around on this issue and we invite anyone who is genuinely in search of the truth to also do his or her findings.

We advise armchair critics to be more enterprising. A single phone call to a friend or acquaintance in Maiduguri will debunk all the noise.

For the first time in geography, Nigerians are blessed with an uncommon governor making things work in an uncommon way. Governor Babagana Umara Zulum may not have come from Mars, but his handiwork appears alien. It is satanic to attempt to bring down this wonderful performer via religious blackmail. Leave Governor Zulum alone. Allow him to concentrate on his good work, the statement said.

The CAN chairman in Borno State had last week said at a press conference that Christians resort to converting their private home spaces to churches because the state government was denying churches land allocation.
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Again, the trial of the embattled Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju Omiyinka, also known as Baba Ijesha, at the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, has been adjourned until September 27.

The judge, Oluwatoyin Taiwo, had adjourned the matter to August 11 and 12 for a continuation of trial in June.

The Court registrar, Ibrahim Hassan, told PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday that the judges have gone on a retreat to precede their long vacation, which is next week.

This newspaper spotted a notice posted on the courts notice board stating that the judges long vacation will begin on August 16 and end on September 17.

One of Baba Ijeshas lawyer, Kayode Olaniran, also told this reporter that All Lagos judges have gone on retreat. They will also go on a vacation and we will see in September.

This newspaper noticed that both parties involved in the matter, Baba Ijesha and Princess, as well as their respective counsels, were not in court.

Undeterred

Since April 22, when the Lagos State Police Command arrested him for allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old foster daughter of a popular comedian, Princess, Baba Ijesha has constantly made headlines.

While his trial lingers, Baba Ijesha appears to have forged ahead as he is currently partaking in a movie that is being shot in Ile-Ife, Osun State.

This newspaper reported that the actor was promoting two new songs titled; Eleda mi and very soon. He revealed this during an interview on Oodua 90.9 FM, Ile  Ife, Osun State, on Monday.

He, however, did not speak about his ongoing trial in the interview, which lasted 30 minutes.

During the interview, he revealed that he had a son, an undergraduate law student in a Nigerian university.

Last sitting

At the last court sitting, during cross-examination on the mother of the minor, comedienne cum actress, Damilola Adekoya aka Princess who appeared as a witness, said that she did not set up her foster daughter to be allegedly defiled by her colleague and erstwhile friend, Baba Ijesha.

She said she baited him (Baba Ijesha) with a script conference with a plan to confront him.

Also, the DPP had requested the court to invoke the provisions of Childs Rights Act and the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) which protects the identity of minors in defilement cases.

Obliging the DPPs request, the judge, Oluwatoyin Taiwo, excluded members of the public and journalists to take the account of the victim leaving only lawyers and court registrars, and for more than one hour, the minor gave her testimony and was cross-examined by the defence counsel.

Offence

The actor is facing a six-count charge of sexual assault by penetration, indecent treatment of a child, and sexual assault, which contravene sections 259, 135, and 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011, as well as 135, 263, and 262 Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

Baba Ijesha had, however, employed the services of two senior advocates of Nigeria  Dada Awosika and Babatunde Ogala, and other lawyers to defend him.
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The Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Dingyadi, said the federal government has approved over N4 billion in the 2021 budget to fuel police vehicles.

The Head of Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Bolaji Kazeem, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

The minister spoke in a paper titled, Strategic Leadership Development: The Role of the Ministry of Police Affairs, presented to Strategic Leadership and Command Course 3/2021 participants of the National Institute of Police Studies.

Mr Dingyadi said the amount would cover expenditure on fuel supply to police commands in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He said this was the first in the history of the Nigeria Police, that over N4 billion would be approved for the fuelling of police vehicles in the country, adding that the ministry would sustain the gesture.

The Ministry is deeply grateful to Mr President and the National Assembly for approving funds for the supply of fuel to the 36 states Police Commands across the country and FCT to increase their efficiency.

As we speak, the Police Trust Fund has awarded contracts for the supply of more operational vehicles, body protection vest, helmet, arms and ammunition, drugs and medical equipment, and other critical security hardware, he said.

The minister pledged the commitment of the ministry to prioritise the training and development of police officers.

He said the ministry of police affairs, in conjunction with the leadership of the Nigeria Police, had developed strategies to meet the training and development needs of police officers.

(NAN)
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Five persons are feared dead in a boat mishap on Tuesday in Mareniyo, Ardo-Kola Local government area of Taraba State, the police have said.

One of the victims is a clergy with the Christian Reformed Church in Nations (CRCN), Shedrack Bako, according to a member of the church.

The boat, with 14 persons onboard, left Mareniyo on Tuesday for a village in Karim Lamido Local Government Area of the state when it capsized in the middle of the water.

A source said the boat was conveying passengers and goods when It capsized.

The source could not ascertain the cause of the accident but assumed that water wave was hard on the boat, which he said is the common cause of such disasters.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Taraba State, Abdullahi Usman, confirmed the incident.

He said nine of the 14 passengers were rescued but the five others were feared dead as they were yet to be found.

READ ALSO: Many feared dead in Kebbi boat mishap

Mr Usman said local fishermen and a marine official were still searching for the missing people.

Although CRCN was yet to speak on the involvement of its pastor in the accident, a member of the church confirmed it on his Facebook page.

With a heavy heart, I wish to announce the untimely death of Rev. Shedrack Bako of Christian Reformed Church of Nigeria who was drowned in a river. A pastor formerly with the Christian Reform Church, Nigeria (CRC-N) in Asha in Kurmi Local Government Council of Taraba State, the church member wrote.
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A former federal minister of Works, Adeseye Ogunlewe, has said the inability of the people of south-east Nigeria to come together under a leadership would hamper their chances of producing a president in 2023.

Mr Ogunlewe, who spoke on Arise TVs The Morning Show programme Wednesday, said the Igbos of south-east Nigeria must invest in party politics to stand a good chance at the next general election.

Another set of people that are appropriate, they are the people from the southeast but they have the problem of leadership, said Mr Ogunlewe, 77, a member of the All Progressives Congress who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party in 2019.

They are so endowed that they are spread all over Nigeria and they can gather a lot of votes, but they are too divided. An Imo person, an Enugu person, an Ebonyi man will not listen to themselves.

They have the money. If they sit down and aggregate what they can offer, they have more money than almost everybody in Nigeria. But have you seen one person from the south-east that said I am interested in the presidency, I will start to campaign all over Nigeria immediately, raise money for me? and influence the structure of the party?

Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, some of the prominent names that have come up as likely presidential aspirants from the south-east include Peter Obi and Rochas Okorocha, former governors of Anambra and Imo states respectively, and Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, among others.

Last June, Kingsley Moghalu, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and ex-presidential candidate, officially declared his intention to run for president in 2023.

The two major political parties in the country  the APC and PDP  have also begun moves to organise a national convention in preparation for 2023. While the PDP has scheduled October as the convention date, the APC is yet to decide.

Mr Ogunlewe, an Alliance for Democracy Senator in 1999, maintained that the way to stand a chance in the 2023 presidential contest is to be actively involved in party politics.

If you are not investing in the structure of the party, forget it because he who pays the piper dictates the tune. They are now having conventions in the two political parties, if you are interested in the presidency of Nigeria, this is your time, he said.

You must invest in that structure, you must be able to determine who is going to be part of that structure because they are the ones to do the zoning, they are the ones to do the convention to pick a presidential candidate, so if you are not part of them, you are out. So if any easterner is interested, let him start now to invest in the structure of the party.
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, Olabode George, a former national vice-chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, has said a former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, is not qualified to be Nigerias president.

Mr George, who was a guest at Arise TVs The Morning Show programme Wednesday, accused Mr Tinubu of appropriating the resources of Lagos State and using it to destabilise the PDP.

When I listened to [Adeseye] Ogunlewe saying he is the best candidate for this country, that kept me thinking. Because if you go into your archives you would have seen the comments, vicious comments made by Ogunlewe against Bola Tinubu. Because hes there now?

Why cant people be consistent? Why are you dancing like a masquerade in the market? If we take the eight years he spent as governor in Lagos to put on a scale between one and 10, hell not score more than 1.

We are still talking about the way he has appropriated the resources of this state. Alpha-Beta that he is still using to appropriate the treasury of Lagos state, is still on. For Gods sake, so is that the kind of man we want? No sir.

Mr George, 75, was responding to the former minister of Works, Mr Ogunlewe, who appeared earlier in the programme and threw his weight behind Mr Tinubu as very qualified to lead Nigeria in 2023.

Mr Ogunlewe, 77, was formerly a member of the PDP before his defection to the ruling APC in 2019.

Mr Tinubu, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, was the governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007. Although he has not officially declared his intention to run for president in 2023, several support groups championing his candidacy have sprung up over the past few months.

I am ready to debate with Ogunlewe anywhere, even in the graveyard at 3 0clock in the morning. Hes talking absolute nonsense, Mr Goerge continued.

The best man to be Nigerian president? I will do whatever is necessary to review and renounce my citizenship. That kind of fellow? You think Lagos is better off? You all live here. See the traffic. Once the rains are here look at the state, no drains. look at what they put at the Bar Beach.

What about the toll gate? They paid him about 30 something billion for the toll gate, and the Lagos State government is now coming to say they have now taken over the full control of the toll gate. What the heck is going on? This is my state.

We have people who are former governors, if they had behaved like what he is doing there would have been nothing for him. So to have it in my head that that character will be nominated, please go and check all of them, something is wrong with them.

The Lagos State government terminated the concession agreement on the Lekki Epe expressway with the Lekki Concession Company in 2013. Although the government did not provide the full details of the transaction, it is estimated that it paid about N30 billion to retrieve the concession right on the expressway from LCC.

Mr George also questioned Mr Tinubus academic credentials, urging him to present them for scrutiny.

Ill bet you any amount of money. Let Bola bring out the certificate of his primary school, his secondary school, and the university he attended. We want to see them.

Because I remember in 1998 or 1999 when we had the elections. When they raised his schooling papers that he filled to INEC. They now asked him to produce all those papers. He said he went to Government College Ibadan and the Children Hope School in Ibadan. We went there we checked. Where is your certificate? Nothing. When they were going to hoist him, he quickly said that it wasnt him that signed it, it was Afikuyomi that filled it.

If you have genuine certificate, you went to a particular school, you must have friends because you wont be the only one in that college. I am shocked that Ogunlewe will be saying this in public. He knows for real that this fellow doesnt have all the certificates and Im not hiding it. Let him bring them out. The days of lying and telling a load of bull is over, whatever you have tell us.

In 2013, a Lagos Division of the Federal High Court dismissed an application seeking to compel the Inspector-General of Police to investigate Mr Tinubu over allegations of certificate forgery. According to the court, the applicant failed to file the suit within the stipulated time as mandated by the rules of the court.

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Destabilising PDP

In a letter Mr George had written to the PDP hierarchy, he had alleged that Mr Tinubu had planted stooges in the party to destabilise it.

First of all, I didnt know how that document got to the press. That was meant for discussion at the meeting because its a family meeting. I will not divulge my own information in the public. If you have a family quarrel, you dont go to the marketplace to try and start discussing your issues. I was shocked that the thing got out to the press, he said.

But having said that, Im prepared to defend what I said. I wont talk publicly because there are people who are involved and it should be an internal consumption for the party people to listen. We know the role hes playing both in Lagos and outside. He would send some people to come and join our party, to be able to get information about all the plans we are doing. Because he has this humongous amount of money, stolen from the treasury of Lagos State.

Im still saying it, that he is the greatest headache in politics in Nigeria today. How can one single man be acquiring almost N9 billion every 30 days? It just doesnt make sense. And they havent done anything. Im expecting him to have been invited. The man who managing director of Alpha-Beta, he also sent a memo signed by him, of what is going on with the Alpha-Beta, nobody has done anything. Its a shame.

So how he affects our party is for our internal consumption and I wont discuss that in the public. If it is us versus Bola, I am ready but we should warn our people, we know because of the humongous amount of money that he has stolen, he is ready to, like a cancer, getting into everywhere. Its not right.

Mr Tinubus media officer, Tunde Rahman, did not respond to requests for comment on Mr Georges claims against his principal.

Last year, a former managing director of Alpha-Beta, Dapo Apara, had accused Mr Tinubu of using the consulting firm for money laundering.
After two days of meeting, members of the House of Representatives could not persuade the striking members of the National Association of Residents Doctors (NARD) to call off their ongoing strike.

The meeting was organised by the House Committee on Health on August 9 and 10 to discuss the issues leading to the strike, make the doctors return to work and find a lasting solution to incessant industrial actions in the sector.

But after exhaustive deliberations, the doctors, who commenced the industrial action on August 2, said they would not return to work because nothing was achieved by the parley.

The meeting was presided over by the Chairman of the Committee on Health, Tanko Sununu (APC, Kebbi).

In attendance were representatives of the executive arm of government, namely the Minister of Health (State), Olorunimbe Mamora, Permanent Secretary Office of Head of Service, Emmanuel Meribole, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance (Special duties), Aliu Shinkafi and others.

The NARD team was led by its president, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, while the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) was represented by its Secretary-General, Philip Ekpe.

At the meeting, four major issues were discussed, namely the training funds for the resident doctors, salary shortfall from 2014 to 2016, fate of doctors employed without due process and removal of resident and NYSC doctors from scheme of service.

N5.42 billion training fund

The committee resolved that the arrears of the resident training fund should be paid.

The Director-General of Budget Office, Ben Akabueze, assured that the outstanding fund for 2020 and that of 2021 will be paid to the doctors.

Mr Shinkafi said the department would be willing to pay if approval was given.

If the money is provided in the budget, my department is the implementing department, if the money is there in the budget and we are asked to pay, we will pay. Even if it is not there, we have PSEH where adjustments are supposed to be sources. It depends on the resolution reached from these meetings, we will pay, he said.

Reacting to the resolution, Mr Okhuaihesuyi said the union was happy with the resolution.

2014-2016 salary shortfall/Skipping

On the 2014-2016 salary shortfall, Mr Mamora said the matter was still in court.

He said the government was in court to challenge the skipping of work by medical personnel.

Some time ago that we were here, the evidence that the matter was still in court was presented, and the matter was set aside. I am not aware that the status has changed.

I had a personal discussion with the Minister of Finance, Budget and Planning, whose position was that as long as a matterwhich to her knowledge was in court then  she said she would not be in a position to do anything, Mr Mamora stated.

Mr Sununu then ruled that the House would not be able to discuss the matter if it was in court. He directed that the Ministry of Health should provide evidence of the existence of a court case.

At this point, Mr Askira said the government had been using the excuse of court case to truncate settlement.

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Also speaking on the issue of court, Mr Okhuaihesuyi said the government was lying about the existence of an appeal.

This matter has been brought up three times. I can assure you that this strike will not be called off if this matter is not treated today. I will assure you that this matter will not be called off so that everybody can start the brain drain and punishment, he said.

We have been sincere in the way we have acted. We have gone to court to verify the existence of this appeal. April this year, the same court matter was raised again. No document of appeal in court.

The statement was subsequently withdrawn following an appeal by members of the committee.

Fate of doctors employed without due process

The meeting also focused on doctors recruited by some tertiary hospitals without clearance from the Head of Service of the Federation.

The association said despite verification by the budget office, the Head of Service had failed to regularise and pay them.

Mr Meribole said the salaries of the doctors were stopped because the Chief Medical Directors (CMD) of the affected hospitals did not follow due process. He; however; said the government would be willing to bend backwards on the matter.

Following the back and forth argument between the members of NMA and NARD on one hand and the government, the committee resolved that the government should fast track the process of verifying the personnel.

However, the associations insisted that something should be done in the interim.

They pleaded that the arrears of the affected workers should be paid and the government should guarantee that they would be given employment.

Removal of NYSC and Resident Doctors from the scheme of service

According to the associations, the decision of the government to remove NYSC and Resident Doctors from the scheme of service without proper consultation was wrong. They noted that the government should either withdraw the circular or risk a total shutdown of the healthcare sector.

Mr Ekpe said the NMA would discuss the circular at its annual general meeting, and that the association could embark on strike.

Mr Meribole stated that the decision was taken at the meeting of the Council of Establishment and that the council would not sit again until September. He added that the policy would not affect payment of remuneration.

But the immediate past president of NARD, Mohammed Askira, said some people were already saying the circular was a grand scheme by some persons to embarrass the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) before the next election.

After the circular came, the NMA had a meeting with the permanent secretary to avert the situation of NMA issuing an ultimatum on the circularthe truth is the house officer and NYSC doctors are the ones manning the general hospitals in states.

The House officers in some of the secondary hospitals are the ones running those hospitals. This is a grand scheme by the permanent secretary of states to render these people that really served to work without pay and have the statutory recognition by the scheme of service.

We are going to fight this obnoxious circular because we have foreseen that it is detrimental to the healthcare sector. I am assuring you, this circular, at the NMA AGM in Benin at the end of this year, the NMA will call for a national NMA strike.

To be candid, what people are even seeing is that there is a grand scheme to send NMA into a national strike like in 2014 so that the APC government will lose credibility before the next general election.

Mr Sununu ruled that since the circular will not cause harm in the interim, the association should wait till September to write to the council of establishment on the matter.

Both NARD and NMA insisted that the circular should be withdrawn in the interim but Mr Meribole said it was beyond the federal government to take a unilateral decision on the resolution of the council.

Breakdown of talks

After six hours of deliberation on Tuesday, the last day of the hearing, the committee ruled that the NMA and the Ministry of Health should meet on Wednesday (August 11) to produce a document on the resolutions agreed on.

However, Mr Okhuaihesuyi noted that the association was not in agreement with the outcome of the meeting.

The NARD president noted that the association had not achieved anything from the meeting, though it would still meet the ministry on Wednesday.

At this point, the visibly angry Mr Sununu called for the adjournment of the meeting.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has awarded millions in damages in favour of six women arrested and sexually abused during a 2019 raid by officers of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and the Nigerian Police.

A coalition of civil society organisations behind the public interest suit instituted on behalf of the women said this on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference held at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) headquarters in Abuja, a member of the group, Deji Ajare, described the judgment as commendable.

We commend the court for its bold judgement that reassures women that their human rights matter. We urge the Nigerian authorities to prioritise the implementation of the decisions and ensure the enforcement of laws to preserve womens dignity and bodily integrity. These cases are not only a victory for women but for all Nigerians, he said.

Describing the judgment as significant, Mr Ajare said it asserts the human rights of every person against gender-based violence, especially by state actors, which is a persisting, well-documented fact.

The judgement regarding the discriminatory arrest of people based on their gender, particularly the arrest of women in the streets and other places, becomes a reference point for protecting womens rights now and in the future, he added.

Assault

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how some officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on April 26 and 29 2019 raided a popular nightclub, called Caramelo, arresting about 34 female nude dancers.

They also arrested another set of 70 women at different locations within the FCT during the coordinated operations.

Some of the women who narrated their ordeal while in detention at Utako Police Station said they were raped, while a menstruating woman was denied access to sanitary towels.

These actions by the security agencies sparked public outrage, with right activists, lawyers and other concerned Nigerians condemning it.

This culminated in the filing of a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja to enforce the rights of the victims.

In the same vein, a Special Investigative Panel on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria on the incidents in Abuja and other parts of the country was also constituted by the NHRC.

Court ruling

Giving snippets from the judgement said to have been delivered by a judge of the of Federal High Court in Abuja, Evelyn Maha, on August 5, the group said that the court ruled that the arrest, molestation, and illegal detention without legal representation of the six women constituted a violation of their rights as guaranteed under the Nigerian constitution.

After over two years of trial, Justice Evelyn Maha of the Federal High Court in her judgment on August 5, 2021,held that the arrest of the applicants without cause, the beating, molestation and dehumanising treatment, the detention of the applicants and the barring of the applicants from accessing legal representation constituted a violation of the applicants rights as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic

of Nigeria, a statement by the civil society group read in part.

It said the court awarded between N2 million to N4 million in damages against the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Inspector General of Police and Inspector Thomas Nzemekwe AKA Yellow in favour of the six applicants.

ALSO READ: EFCC arrests popular Lagos nightclub owners for alleged internet fraud

The court also held that the 6th respondent, the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, was presumptuous in its role and acted ultra vires, beyond its scope and powers regarding the raids.

The court also issued an injunction restraining the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other listed respondents from arresting women in such circumstances and in a manner that discriminates on the basis of gender. The group said, quoting parts of the judgment.

PREMIUM TIMES, had, however, yet to get the certified true copy (CTC) of the judgment as of the time of filing this report.

Human rights commission hails judgment

Hailing the judgement in his remarks, Tony Ojukwu, executive secretary of the NHRC, said history has once more been made in Abuja in the landmark court judgements on the notorious raids of women and girls in the streets of Abuja by the Abuja Environmental Protection Board and other law enforcement agents.

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He said the judgment had vindicated the position of civil society groups and the commission.

Speaking further, he said the judgement would serve as a wake-up call for law enforcement agents on the need to desist from further inhuman raids and activities in such a way that violates the human rights of citizens.

Also, Saliu Bobo, the director, Vulnerable Group Department of NHRC, said he was proud of the judgment, drawing a parallel between arrest and molestation of the six women with how an orphanage home was recently demolished by the Federal Capital Development Agency (FCDA).
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An oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company, has finally agreed to pay a court-ordered N45.9billion compensation to an Ogoni community in Rivers State.

Represented by Isaac Agbara and nine others, the Ejama-Ebubu community in Tai Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, commenced their suit about 32 years ago seeking damages against Shell for an oil spillage incident.

They obtained the judgment of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt awarding damages in their favour on June 14, 2010, but case went on appeal up to Supreme Court.

On January 11, 2019, the Supreme Court affirmed the judgement in favour of the community.

But since then, the multinational had been resisting the Supreme Court verdict.

It filed an application for a review of the verdict, but the Supreme Court dismissed the request on November 27, 2020.

The firm subsequently brought the case back to the Federal High Court in Abuja in continuation of its pushback against the verdict.

But seeing no greenlight ahead, the firm through its lawyer, Aham Ejelamo, announced its decision to pay the damages, on Wednesday.

Mr Ejelamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said this at the Federal High Court in Abuja during the resumed hearing of its suit.

He informed the court that the payment decision followed talks held between the parties prior the proceedings.

He therefore sought an order of the judge, Ahmed Mohammed, permitting him to pay the money through the Chief Registrar of the court.

But endorsing the payment agreement, the judge ruled that the money be paid to the communitys lawyer, Lucius Nwosu, also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as ordered by the Supreme Court.
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My entire stay in Ghana, though short, was very pleasant. The management and staff of Kempinski hotel where I was lodged were very professional. Their services were excellent. I even left a note of commendation for the manager on my way out. Am I looking forward to visiting Ghana again? I think you know the answer to that question. Next time, it would be with my family, God willing.

In recent years, Ghana has somewhat become a shining light, not only in the West African subregion, but in all of the continent. It has become a holiday destination of choice for Nigerians and other foreigners, especially Africans in the Diaspora. It has become an education hub for Africans. In 2019, the number of Nigerian students studying in Ghana was estimated at 4,959. Additionally, Ghana is fast becoming a preferred destination for business in Africa, due to its conducive environment.

Until a couple of years ago, Ghana was not known for the aforementioned. Like many Nigerians, I began to look forward to visiting Ghana. The opportunity came last week when I got an invitation from Global Freedom Network and Walk Free to join selected faith leaders in four African countries to sign the joint declaration against modern slavery. The signing of the declaration had started in 2014 in Vatican City, and it has been signed by Pope Francis, Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and leaders from other faiths. It was indeed a privilege to join these leaders to commit to the fight against modern slavery across the world.

This was the first signing of the declaration in Africa, from where it would go to other parts of the continent. One of Ghanaian speakers at the declaration did not mince words when he said that the event was another first for Ghana and went ahead to roll out other areas that Ghana is leading the region and the continent. It was a proud moment for all the Ghanaians in the room. While I was impressed and happy for Ghana, it was still a mixed feeling for me. Because Nigeria used to be everything Ghana was being described as. And from what I had witnessed during the visit, I could not argue with those achievements.

One of the first things I noticed, landing at the Kotoka International airport in Accra, is the similarity between Ghanaians and Nigerians. One of the airport staff who was directing passengers did not hesitate to ask me what I brought and another staff tried to playfully hustle me. These are very familiar characteristics. The airport was organised and clean. As I made my way to the hotel, I also noticed that the city was clean and organised.

In the words of my tour guide, Ghanaian political leaders are afraid of their people. What she meant by this is that the leaders are accountable to the people. She said they have consistently been blessed with good leaders that care about the people. She said though they are not perfect, they are much better than our own political leaders in Nigeria. This was quickly confirmed by our driver

The next day, a tour guide was assigned to me to show me parts of the city. The tour guide turned out to be a Nigerian. I found her perspective of the people, the city and the country quite interesting. As someone who has experienced Nigeria and Ghana, I noticed how objective she was in her analysis and views. She visited the country as a tourist a few years ago and decided to stay back after falling in love with the city, and she started her travel and tours business there. She was excited to take me to a few iconic places and did an excellent job of sharing the stories behind those places, as well as the people.

The first thing my tour guide confirmed was the neatness of the people. She said Ghanaians dont litter. That means the neatness I had noticed from the airport and around the city was not a fluke or a discipline that was coerced. We visited the Black Star Gate and Independence Square, among other places. My tour guide told me that visits to these historic places are free. I saw a few tourists in the square, as well as some people hanging around. I saw a woman selling water and drinks to visitors and passers-by. I noticed how clean the entire place was and pointed it to my guide and she said, the woman selling drinks would ensure the place shes selling drinks remains tidy.

In the words of my tour guide, Ghanaian political leaders are afraid of their people. What she meant by this is that the leaders are accountable to the people. She said they have consistently been blessed with good leaders that care about the people. She said though they are not perfect, they are much better than our own political leaders in Nigeria. This was quickly confirmed by our driver, who quipped that they take promises by politicians seriously. Any politician who does not fulfil his or her campaign promises would have a falling out with the people. My tour guide said Ghanaians always complain about their leaders needlessly because, according to her, they are trying. I am sure her position is based on her experience with Nigerian leaders whose promises dont mean anything to them and even the people.

I had heard that the cost of living in Ghana is high. This was confirmed by my tour guide. Petrol is purchased for over N500 per litre. I asked about the rural areas in Ghana and was told that the difference in the cost of living between there and the cities is not that significant. Rural to urban migration appears low, in comparison to the situation in Nigeria. The high cost of living does not stop ordinary Nigerians, Nigerian celebrities and politicians from making Ghana their second African home. My tour mentioned a few celebrities who own businesses and houses in Ghana.

I realised that Ghana is not only a business, tourism and educational destination for Nigerians, it seems to have become a prostitution destination for our young women. My tour guide said if it were just adults who were engaged in the trade, she would not have been that concerned. She said young girls from about the age of 12 are also involved

As we drove round the city of Accra, we passed the former Nigerian House, where embassy staff were embarrassingly chased out in June of last year. To effect their ejection, parts of the building were demolished as reported in the news. The news of this embarrassing development was all over the internet. My tour guide said it was very embarrassing for Nigerians in Ghana when they learnt that it was because Nigerian authorities refused to pay their rent after many letters had been written to that effect. I also learnt that Nigeria had no sitting ambassador in Ghana during that period. I was surprised that Nigeria, the giant of Africa does not have a property of its own that would house all its consular operations in Ghana. I was surprised that Nigeria could find herself in that sort of embarrassing situation.

The forced eviction of Nigerian embassy staff is not the only embarrassing thing about Nigeria in Ghana. My tour guide said the average Ghanaian believes Nigerian women are in Ghana for prostitution. This is most disheartening. I realised that Ghana is not only a business, tourism and educational destination for Nigerians, it seems to have become a prostitution destination for our young women. My tour guide said if it were just adults who were engaged in the trade, she would not have been that concerned. She said young girls from about the age of 12 are also involved and a number of these girls are being pushed to it by their parents in Nigeria for financial reasons.

My tour guide said she has made several efforts to encourage these girls to go back home. But more girls keep turning up in Ghana for child prostitution. She said she has even contacted a number of media houses to carry out an investigation to expose this menace. But to no avail. She sometimes takes in some of these young girls and arranges for transportation to take them back to Nigeria, with support from some Nigeria-based transport companies. I hope well-meaning Nigerians, NGOs and journalists would get involved to stop this growing trend of Nigerian children prostituting in Ghana. This is nothing but a failure of Nigerian leadership.

I will try not to end this tale on a sad note. My entire stay in Ghana, though short, was very pleasant. The management and staff of Kempinski hotel where I was lodged were very professional. Their services were excellent. I even left a note of commendation for the manager on my way out. Am I looking forward to visiting Ghana again? I think you know the answer to that question. Next time, it would be with my family, God willing.

Frederick Adetiba is a transformation specialist, social reformer, management consultant and the lead pastor of The Finishing Church, Abuja. You can connect with him via www.fredadetiba.com and @fredadetiba on social media.
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The Niger State government has decried the poor rate of breastfeeding, which is estimated at 39.1 per cent amongst women in the state.

The state Commissioner for Health, Muhammad Makusidi, who disclosed this on Tuesday in Minna, commemorating the 2021 breastfeeding week, called for immediate sensitisation on the benefits to the mother, child, and society.

Mr Makusidi said the ministry would build capacity and provide materials for enlightenment and awareness creation in the general public and strengthen all designated breastfeeding centres.

In addition, the ministry would continue to take adequate steps and measures to promote breastfeeding, colostrum initiation within one hour of delivery, with the overall target of attaining 100 per cent of exclusive breastfeeding among women.

Niger State Government is committed to revitalising breastfeeding centres across the state in order to promote exclusive breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding rate in Niger State is about 39.1 per cent, I describe this as low and this calls for immediate action towards promoting breastfeeding.

This is through early initiation, use of colostrum and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life without water or any liquid followed with appropriate complementary feeding from 6 to 24 months and beyond,  he said.

He said breastfeeding was the bedrock for achieving child survival goals and reducing the incidence of malnutrition during the first 100 days, from preconception to two years of age.

For this reason, the ministry would continue its sensitisation of rural communities and their environs, while complying with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.

The commissioner also stated that the government was committed to successfully supporting breastfeeding as a requisite nutrition process by ensuring that every child had the right to nutrition through safe and affordable food for adequate nutrition.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the annual breastfeeding week, celebrated every August 1 to 7, aims to increase awareness of the health and wellbeing outcomes of breastfeeding for infants, young children and mothers.

This years celebration has as its theme: Support Breastfeeding, a Shared Responsibility.

(NAN)
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The chairperson of the Correspondents chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Jigawa State, Ahmed Abubakar, is dead.

Mr Abubakar died on Wednesday at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) following a brief illness.

He was 55 years old.

Mr Abubakar was the states reporter for The Sun newspaper. He left behind his wife and five siblings.

The Governor of Jigawa state Mohammed Badaru has condoled with the NUJ and the chapel over the death.

The governor also condoled with the deceaseds wife, children and all his family members.

The governor described late Mr Abubakar as an exceptional character, whose professionalism helped in the development of Jigawa State.

He prayed to Allah Almighty to grant Mr Abubakar Jannatul Firdausi and also give the family the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.

Mr Abubakars funeral prayer was presided over by the chief Imam of Gadon Kaya Mosque, Abdullah Usman, at the deceaseds country home at Medile quarters in the Kano metropolis on Wednesday.

His remains were later lowered at Sabuwar Gandu cemetery at Kombotso Local Government area of Kano State.
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The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has sealed seven companies operating in Rivers for non-compliance to operational guidelines of the agency.

The South-South Zonal Director of the agency, Ayuba Jacob, disclosed this on Wednesday shortly after a routine exercise by a combined enforcement team of the Port Harcourt Zonal headquarters.

The zonal director said the exercise was part of a nationwide strategy aimed at achieving a clean and safe environment in Nigeria.

Today, no fewer than seven facilities have been sealed by our officers, the affected facilities have violated our extant environmental regulations and neglected our numerous warnings.

This exercise will serve as a deterrent to others who hadnt complied with the agencys operational guidelines.

The affected facilities were specifically food and beverage, chemical, metal and other facilities whose operations have been polluting the environment. They shall remain shot down pending conclusion on their environmental audits, he said.

Mr Jacob urged Nigerians to contribute to a safe environment by reporting facilities that indulge in activities that are detrimental to the environment.

This exercise is an ongoing process and the agency will, without further warning, go ahead to sanction any facility that falls below regulatory standards, he said.

Mr Jacob said several sensitisation and warnings have been directed to operating companies prior to the enforcement exercise.

The level of impunity exhibited by these erring facilities must not be allowed to continue.

Despite series of notifications via Concern Letters and Abatement Notices to these industries and facilities, they had yet to carry out their operations and activities in line with the set standard.

On that note, the Agency is carrying out a nationwide enforcement exercise to bring an end to gross negligence and non-adherence to set standards and regulations by operating companies.

We are determined to clamp down on any industry or facility whose operations pose a threat to the environment, he added.

NESREA is an agency of the Federal Ministry of Environment saddled with the responsibility of enforcing all environmental laws, guidelines, policies, standards and regulations in Nigeria.

(NAN)
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A former national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Victor Umeh, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the name of Charles Soludo as the partys governorship candidate in Anambra.

Mr Umeh said this on Tuesday while speaking with reporters in Awka.

He was reacting to the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Kano, which restored Mr Soludo as APGAs candidate for the November 6 governorship election in Anambra.

He said it was expected that INEC would publish Mr Soludos name, with the legal battle against his candidacy now decided in his favour. This, he said, would enable Mr Soludos campaign to kick off in earnest.

Mr Umeh, who is a member of Soludo Campaign Organisation, said the judgment also affirmed that Victor Oye remains the authentic national chairman of the party, and not Jude Okeke.

He described the judgment as one without flaws, adding that all along, the party had never questioned the authenticity of Mr Oyes chairmanship.

We were convinced that the High Court judgment of Burnin Kudu in Jigawa should have been a nullity, but some people, including INEC, used it to torment us.

With this, the judiciary has redeemed itself. It has also shown that it is the hope of the people. Nothing in that judgment in Jigawa should be allowed to be alive.

The attempt was simply to derail the momentum of APGA, but the judiciary has intervened.

We have now rebound. Previously, we had said Soludo will contest and it has come to pass.

He is our candidate and the person the party nominated.

As the chairman of the peace and reconciliation committee of our party, I want to call on Chukwuma Umeoji to come back to the party with his supporters. We will welcome them to our fold again, Mr Umeh said.

He called on the electorate to vote for APGA in the election.

We have solid achievements here in the state and I do not see why any sensible person would want to vote out APGA.

APGA may not have made everybody happy, but I can score APGA up to 85 per cent, he said.

Mr Umeh said APGA had not failed the state, citing some of the partys achievements to include the Anambra airport, billed to begin commercial flight next month.

(NAN)
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Two women died on Tuesday, following a tragic accident involving two vehicles near Obinetiti Awkuzu at Nteje-Awka expressway, Anambra State.

Adeoye Irelewuyi, the Anambra State commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka.

Mr Irelewuyi said the accident which occurred at about 1p.m. was caused by wrong overtaking and loss of control.

The crash involved a Mercedes Benz truck with registration number BZR101 and a Sienna vehicle with registration number ENU310CE.

Eyewitness report reaching us indicates that the driver of the Sienna vehicle was trying to overtake the truck when he lost control of the vehicle, thereby causing the crash.

A total of 10 persons were involved in the crash, comprising six males and four female adults.

Four male adults out of the six sustained some degree of injuries and were taken to Chira Hospital, Awkuzu by the FRSC Rescue team from Nteje Unit Command.

While two female adults who were also taken to the same hospital were confirmed dead by the doctor on duty, and their bodies deposited at Wisdom mortuary in Nteje, he said.

While condoling with the families of the dead, Mr Irelewuyi urged motorists to avoid wrongful overtaking.

You can only overtake when it is safe to do so and obey traffic rules and regulations always, he said.

(NAN)
The Federal Government on Tuesday said it spends about N7,998,270 daily to feed 114,261 pupils in public primary schools in Enugu State.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, said this during an ongoing Monitoring and Enumeration of Beneficiaries of the National Home-grown School Feeding Programme at Igbariam Primary School 1, Achara Layout, Enugu.

Mrs Farouq, represented by Adanne Wadibia-Anyanwu, Team Lead, Enugu State Monitoring and Enumeration of the programme, said the government had engaged 1,532 cooks who supply the daily meals to the pupils in the state.

She noted that the programme has greatly impacted pupils in classes between primary 1 and primary 3 in 799 public schools within the 17 council areas of the state.

We are here to get more details on the ongoing programme. We are doing enumeration and biometric data capturing of the pupils enrolled under the programme, getting feedback from cooks and head-teachers within the programme.

We want to keep an up-to-date record of the programme and make it more responsive as well as meet the beneficiaries to get real-time feedback from them as well.

The current enumeration and bio-data capturing is a building block towards the expansion of the programme to include more pupils and schools in the state.

President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier announced his laudable intention of an additional five million pupils to be enrolled in the programme nationwide.

The ministry also wants to know how the programme is being managed on a daily basis, the resources available and if there are shortfalls before the expansion would be done in order to tighten loose ends, she said.

The minister said the programme, which started on February 8, 2017, in the state, had pushed up enrollment figures in public schools and increased the daily attendance to school.

The programme has helped in the concentration of the pupils during classes since some of them do not feed or are underfed at home before coming to school each day, she said.

Mrs Farouq said the programme currently has 9,196,823 pupils nationwide, with a total of 107,000 cooks supplying the food, which is indigenous and home-made for the pupils nationwide.

The programme has a lot of multiplier effects. It has assisted farmers to expand food production and employ more hands in the farms as well as the cooks also employing more hands to assist them, she noted.

The Headmistress of Igbariam Primary School, Salome Obi, said the pupils were very happy to be part of the programme, adding that apart from increasing enrollment, it has helped in pupils retention ability.

After eating the meals each day, you see the pupils enlivened and eager to continue with their learning rather than feeling dull or hungry, Mrs Obi said.

A cook, Uzoamaka Ogbu, thanked the Federal Government for engaging her and other women in the programme, which she said had helped to improve the welfare of their families and other dependents.

The challenge we are having is the issue of non-regular payment and the current cost of food stuff in the market, which the N70 per meal (with a fruit) remained inadequate with market realities, Mrs Ogbu said.

A pupil, Flavour Anigbo, prayed to God to bless and protect President Buhari for providing food for her and her classmates.

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The feeding makes us happy each day in school. We want them to keep it up and God to bless President Muhammadu Buhari for us, Miss Anigbo said.

The ministrys monitoring and enumerating team later went to a primary school complex within Idaw River area in Enugu South Local Government with five primary schools.

(NAN)
The State Working Committee (SWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State has announced the impeachment of the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Ben Nwoye.

The Assistant Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Chikwado Chukwunta, along with 41 of the 57 members of the SWC announced this while briefing reporters on Tuesday in Enugu.

Mr Chukwunta said the decision was taken to save the party from further implosion, considering the crisis which had torn the party into factions since 2015.

He said that both the State Executive Committee (SEC) and SWC had viewed with concern the role of the ousted acting party chairman in the crisis rocking the party.

He said Mr Nwoyes removal from office was in compliance with Article 21 (A) of the APC constitution which stipulated guidelines on how to remove such a party officer.

Mr Chukwunta alleged that Mr Nwoye flagrantly assaulted the constitution of the party by unilaterally swearing in party officials who purportedly emerged victorious at the July 31 ward congress of the party.

The conduct of Nwoye on August 2, 2021 just two days after the congress is alien to the constitution of the party and a flagrant disregard of party guidelines for the ward congress.

The appeal panel of the party had not sat to look into grievances of party members when Nwoye purportedly inaugurated the ward officers, he said.

Mr Chukwunta said the action of Mr Nwoye over time had torn the party into factions which had made it not to win an ordinary councilorship seat in the state since 2015.

He said it was sad that Mr Nwoye was trying to stoke another round of crisis in the state chapter of the party at a time the party was taking the right footing.

We are carrying out this obligation in order to rescue the party from further implosion. Nwoye went against the constitution of the party which he swore to protect.

We no longer have confidence in him due to his leadership style which has made the party a laughing stock in the state, he said.

He said it had become imperative for the party to be unified in order to make progress.

We are only interested in rescuing the party and to produce a chairman who will lead us to success in 2023, Mr Chukwunta said.

When contacted, Mr Nwoye described the purported suspension as a ruse, adding that those involved in the announcement were impostors.

I will not respond to them because they are impostors. I just concluded a meeting with the real SEC members at the party office, Mr Nwoye said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the partys assistant chairman and the secretary were among the 42 party officers that signed for the removal of Mr Nwoye.

The others include the woman leader, the youth leader, chapter chairmen of the party and others.

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(NAN)
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The police in Ogun State on Tuesday arrested a herdsman at Imeko Afon local government area of the state for allegedly carrying an Ak47 rifle.

This is contained in a statement released on Wednesday by Abimbola Oyeyemi, the police spokesperson.

The arrested herdsman, who was identified as Mohammed, was in the company of another herdsman at Oha forest, Imeko Afon area.

The police said the arrested armed herdsman is strongly suspected to be a member of kidnap syndicates who have been terrorizing the area for quite some time.

Operatives of Ogun state police command on Tuesday, 10th of August 2021, apprehended a herdsman who simply identified himself as Mohammed, with one AK 47 rifle.

The suspect was arrested following an information received by the DPO Imeko divisional headquarters, that two young Fulani boys were sighted at CAC Oha forest Iwoye Ketu in Imeko Afon local government area with Ak 47 riffle, the statement reads in part.

Mr Oyeyemi said on receipt of the information, the DPO mobilised police officers alongside hunters and vigilante men to search the forest.

After hours of combing the forest, one Mohammed was seen hiding in the bush with one AK 47 rifle, and he was promptly arrested.

The arrested armed boy is strongly suspected to be member of kidnap syndicates who have been terrorizing the area for quite some time now, Mr Oyeyemi said in the statement.

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It is unclear whether the herdsmen were with a herd of cattle as at the time of the arrest.

Meanwhile, the commissioner of police in the state, Edward Awolowo, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to state criminal investigation and intelligence department for investigation.

The police boss also directed that the entire forest be properly combed with the view to apprehending other members of his gang.
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The police in Lagos said they have arrested 28 suspected criminals at blackspots at Canal Axis, Ago-Ogota area of the state on Tuesday

Adekunle Ajisebutu, the police spokesperson, said in a statement on Wednesday that the suspects were arrested during a night raid.

He said the police embarked on intelligence-led and purposeful operation on Tuesday night during which notorious blackspots in the aforementioned area were raided around 2 a.m.

The police said they also destroyed illegal shanties during the operation.

During the night raid, a total of 28 miscreants suspected to be criminals who have been pains in the necks of residents of the affected area were arrested and the illegal shanties destroyed, Mr Ajisebutu said in the statement.

The police spokesperson said the operation was a sequel to the determination of the command to rid Lagos State of miscreants and other criminal elements.

The operation, led by the Operations Department of the Command, was in line with the earlier directive of the Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, that all hoodlums hibernating in shanties as cover before carrying out their clandestine, and nefarious acts should be completely dislodged in every part of the State, the spokesperson said.

Mr Ajisebutu added that the suspects are currently being interrogated and profiled.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how the police arrested 144 suspects at blackspots in the Ebute-Meta area of the state.

The police said they have been receiving intelligence of activities of criminals in different blackspots and will sustain the ongoing raid until the state is completely rid of such undesirable elements.
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A pharmaceutical company in Nigeria, Biomedical Limited, has said it would embark on massive deworming of school children in Nigeria to commemorate its 40th year anniversary.

Idowu Obasa, the chairperson of the company, disclosed this on Wednesday at a press conference in Lagos.

Mr Obasa said the company would mark its 40th anniversary in August and the most important aspect of the anniversary is the massive deworming of school pupils across the country, in addition to launch of new products.

We plan to deworm 400,000 children as a corporate social responsibility effort to mark this milestone, he said.

Mr Obasa said the company has written to the necessary authorities in different states to seek their permission to embark on the deworming of children, adding that the exercise will hold in most states of Nigeria except dangerous zones where insecurity is prevalent.

He said the company would start the exercise on August 27 in Ilorin, Kwara State, and teams will be deployed to different states in accordance to the schedule from the state authorities.

Speaking on the choice of deworming children to mark the 40th milestone of the company, Mr Obasa said: We want to touch as many lives as possible and we think the most practicable way is deworming children. If we say we want to give 400,000 syrups it might probably not be a big thing at the end of the day, he said.

Biomedical is the first indigenous pharmaceutical company in Nigeria to manufacture and distribute intravenous fluids, dialysis and irrigation fluids and oral rehydration salts, the company said.

Although it was incorporated in 1978, the company started production on intravenous fluids on August 21, 1981.

Mr Obasa, who is an accountant, said celebrating 40 years of the companys existence is a reminder that they must keep raising the standards in production of pharmaceutical products.

He added that to mark the milestone, the company is presenting 22 new syrups to the market, and formally launching an ultra-modern syrup factory on August 27

The new products of the company are for different kinds of ailments and would provide relief for users, he said.

Speaking on the ways the government can assist the industry, Mr Obasa said there should be special benefits for the pharmaceutical industry to aid import of materials and production of pharmaceutical products.

Since the industry is heavily dependent on import, one would expect that the government will give us special treatments in terms of rate to forex, access to forex and declaration of goods, he said.

He urged the Nigerian government to render necessary support to indigenous pharmaceutical companies in the country.
Surge in use of survival tools for safety, ease in availability, and surge in number of recreational activities among enthusiasts drive the global survival tools market.

PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Survival Tools Market by product type (Pocket tools, First Aid Kit, Compass and Others), Application (Hiking, Hunting & Fishing, Camping, and others), and Distribution Channel (Specialty Store, Supermarket/Hypermarket, Online Store, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030". As per the report, the global survival tools industry generated $1.27 billion in 2020, and is estimated to reach $2.48 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2021 to 2030.

supMajor determinants of the market growth

Surge in use of survival tools for safety, ease in availability, and surge in number of recreational activities among enthusiasts drive the global survival tools market. However, low penetration in developing countries and availability of counterfeit products hinder the market growth. On the contrary, product innovations and rapid growth of online retail platformsare expected to open lucrative opportunities for the market players in the future.

Request Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/12873

Covid-19 scenario:

The Covid-19 outbreak hampered the sale of survival tools as the pandemic resulted in closure of tourism industry and retail stores.

Moreover, the decline in participation in regular physical and sporting activities hampered the demand for survival tools.

The prolonged lockdown hindered the manufacturing processes and disrupted the supply chain.

The hikingsegment dominated the market

By application, the hikingsegment held the lion's share in 2020, accounting for nearly two-fifthsof the global survival tools market, due to rise in popularity of outdoor activities among people and busy and hectic lifestyle coupled with surge in popularity of recreational activities. However, the campingsegment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 10.0% from 2021 to 2030, owing torise in popularity of survival camping and increase in demand for survival kits.

The online store segment to manifest the highest CAGR through 2030

By distribution channel, the online store segment is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 9.0% during the forecast period, due to easy availability of survival tools and benefits offered by online stores such as information of product and directions to use. However, the specialty store segment dominated the market in terms of revenue in 2020, contributing to more than one-third of the global survival tools market, as consumers prefer to analyze and evaluate the product before purchases and rise in retail sales of survival tools.

North America held the largest share

By region, the global survival tools market across North Americaheld the largest share in 2020, contributing to nearly two-fifths of the market, due to popularity of hunting & fishing among other popular recreational activities and rise in adoption of healthy lifestyle. However, the market across Asia-Pacific is expected to register the highest CAGR of 9.9% during the forecast period, owing torise in urbanization and disposable income and increase in participation in recreational activities in China, Japan, and India.

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Major market players

Coleman Company, Inc.

Fenix Outdoors International AG

Exxel Outdoors, LLC

Johnson & Johnson

Fiskars Group

SOG Specialty Knives & Tools

Leatherman Tool Group, Inc.

UST Brands

Surefire, LLC

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Similar Reports:

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Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domains. AMR offers its services across 11 industry verticals including Life Sciences, Consumer Goods, Materials & Chemicals, Construction & Manufacturing, Food & Beverages, Energy & Power, Semiconductor & Electronics, Automotive & Transportation, ICT & Media, Aerospace & Defense, and BFSI.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.



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SOURCE Allied Market Research
TZ APAC is one of the leading adoption entities supporting the Tezos ecosystem in Asia

The Singapore -based Tezos hub will launch new strategic initiatives to drive enterprise and corporate adoption

TZ APAC , in collaboration with Tezos India will launch a new developer relations program to support developers exploring Tezos

SINGAPORE, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TZ APAC , one of the leading adoption entities supporting the Tezos ecosystem in Asia, today announced a strategic commitment to the Asia Pacific region.

The strategic regional commitment from the leading Tezos adoption entity in Asia will build on prior successes including Tezos integration with BSN , the China state blockchain network, Tezos integration into ride hailing app Tada , and on-going collaborations with big tech companies such as IBM and Microsoft . TZ APAC will deploy new investments in the region across business development and marketing, and launch a new strategic partnership with Tezos India to drive developer education and recruitment.

Now more than ever, enterprises, corporate brands, and governments want to know how to leverage the transformational power of blockchain. TZ APAC aims to empower enterprises and individuals to harness the power of the Tezos blockchain by providing capital deployment, resource development, strategic advisory, project management, as well as marketing and strategic communications services in the region.

"Asian enterprises today are increasingly recognizing the revolutionary power of blockchain and are looking for new ways to disrupt industries. TZ APAC's mission is to enable their high-performance and growth in the region and beyond. Our community of innovators and conscious creators is growing rapidly, and we want to play a key role in promoting sustainable development in Asia." - Joe Hwang, Director of Business Development, North Asia at TZ APAC.

TZ APAC's commitment to the Asia Pacific region can be viewed through their recent monumental enterprise collaborations with leading players in the region. Most recently, TZ APAC led the integration of Tezos into BSN, China's state owned blockchain-based service network, where users will have access to Chinese enterprise chains, and into multi-chain lending platform ShuttleOne, a company developing a tokenization platform for real world assets. Additionally, TZ APAC has led projects with ride hailing app Tada, NFT platform AmplifyX, and helped incubate the fastest growing NFT artist community in Asia.

TZ APAC is proud to announce the Ecosystem Growth Grants (EGG) program. The developer relations program aims to cultivate new ideas through small-level funding and will provide direct funding to creators and developers exploring the Tezos network. The program expands the reach of the Tezos community to new builders and creators to act as a springboard for early-stage concepts, from NFT platforms to developer tooling to DeFi building blocks. The program is managed in partnership with Tezos India.

"We are grateful for the strong support we have received in the APAC region, and are proud to be headquartered in Singapore, a global hub for fintech and innovation. We look forward to developing a burgeoning community and empowering everyone with equal opportunities to radically transform the blockchain landscape in the region." - Katherine Ng, Head of APAC Marketing at TZ APAC.

Tezos celebrated its three year anniversary this year, making it one of the first and longest running Proof-of-Stake blockchains. Tezos consumes over two million times less energy than Proof-of-Work networks. Network activity on Tezos has grown 1,200 percent this year, with over 5 million contract calls in the last 8 weeks, due in part to its energy-efficient design and ease of use. With the region's robust push into sustainability, TZ APAC aims to unlock opportunities and embolden clean innovation while ensuring energy efficient consumption and a negligible carbon footprint.

Game developers , music labels , sporting franchises , central banks , and more are all building on Tezos. Globally, Formula One teams, Red Bull Honda Racing and McLaren Racing , have chosen Tezos for technical integrations to create unrivalled NFT fan experiences on the Tezos protocol. Tezos has over 400 validators around the world including internationally recognised enterprises as corporate bakers, such as Coinbase , Ledger , Ubisoft , Exaion , and more. Tezos also has a growing DeFi ecosystem with ERC-20 bridges for low-gas cross-chain utility, yield farming protocols, and surging AMM platforms.

"Building on the Tezos blockchain is the ideal long-term solution to reducing the environmental impact of digital technologies, through energy-efficient solutions. Through TZ APAC and its 360-degree support system, we want to create meaningful partnerships in the Asia Pacific region." - Julian Low, Director of Business Development, South East Asia at TZ APAC.

For the year ahead, TZ APAC is looking forward to engaging with the global community through the upcoming Singapore Fintech Festival, happening in November 2021, to showcase the strength and evolution of the Tezos blockchain.

About TZ APAC

TZ APAC Pte. Ltd. ("TZ APAC") is one of the leading adoption entities supporting the Tezos ecosystem in Asia. TZ APAC designs value-added blockchain transformation strategies for enterprises and creators with a bottom-up approach, working closely with blockchain experts and other stakeholders in the Tezos ecosystem. TZ APAC is supported by the Tezos Foundation and is headquartered in Singapore.

About Tezos

Tezos is smart money, redefining what it means to hold and exchange value in a digitally connected world. A self-upgradable and energy-efficient blockchain with a proven track record, Tezos seamlessly adopts tomorrow's innovations without network disruptions today. For more information, please visit tezos.com.

SOURCE TZ APAC
The cross-border transactions leverage the Velo Protocol, Velo tokens, and Velo digital credits, which are one of the most compliance-friendly and price-stable virtual assets. Plus each transaction settles in seconds, thanks to the speed of the Stellar blockchain. Through this partnership with Velo Labs, TEMPO Payments and Bitazza, both licensed financial institutions, are leading the way in revolutionizing international payments by connecting the ASEAN and EU markets, representing about $17 billion and nearly 600 million customers.

Today's financial system's make it slow and costly to send money around the world. The 3 companies are focused on improving these inefficiencies by relying on their respective networks and Velo Labs' decentralized technology, and offering fast, low-cost, and secure ways to send money between Europe and Thailand.

Mike Kennedy, CEO of Velo Labs on this historic transaction:

"What we've launched today is a validation of our core mission: building a global, decentralized, and interoperable network that will allow businesses and individuals alike to securely and instantly transfer value across the globe. Velo Labs wants to make cross-border transactions faster, cheaper, and more reliable for everyone; this first step starts us down the path of that reality."

Suren Ayriyan, CEO, TEMPO Payments, on this offering:

"This is only the beginning of our vision to service millions of individuals in Asia and beyond. We hope to continue working with Velo Labs to exponentially increase our currency corridors and offerings, providing cheap, secure and fast global money transfers to all TEMPO Payments customers, both existing and new.

Kevin Heng, Chief Strategy Officer of Bitazza, states:

"Bitazza is pleased to work in conjunction with Velo and TEMPO Payments to help facilitate the launch of this Europe to Thailand remittance corridor. This program will contribute towards improving and raising the standard of financial inclusion and mobility for millions of users worldwide, and is another step forward in our shared commitment to fundamentally change the global remittance industry and push Thailand/South East Asia as the global frontier for next-generation financial innovation."

About Velo Labs

Velo Labs is building a global settlement network to make it faster, cheaper, and more reliable for businesses and individuals to send money globally. The company is developing blockchain-based, enterprise-grade, and compliance-first products enabling financial institutions to transfer value seamlessly around the world.

www.velo.org

About TEMPO Payments

TEMPO Payments is an electronic payment institution and the principal EU anchor for Stellar blockchain payments. As a cross-border transactions and settlements operator, TEMPO Payments provides payment services for businesses worldwide and stands for the complete transparency of all operations, the immutability of records, high transaction speeds and highly competitive commission rates.

http:// payments.tempo.eu.com

About Bitazza

Bitazza was founded by a team of experts in collective fields ranging from finance, information technology, creative development, and others who share a single vision in digital asset growth and adoption as part of the financial technology world. Bitazza provides traders and issuers access to the most liquid and active digital asset markets, globally priced in Asian currencies. Bitazza aims to become Southeast Asia's platform of choice for listing, trading and managing cryptoassets in a regulated environment.

https://bitazza.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1591964/VeloLabs.jpg

SOURCE Velo Labs
BOSTON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- It may still be warm outside, but Dunkin' is turning up the pumpkin heat earlier than ever before with an incredible fall menu. Pumpkin picking season is giving Dunkin' fans the chance to pick from the brand's latest lineup, with an iconic pumpkin pair, new Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte, as well as classic Pumpkin Flavored Coffees, Donut, Muffin and MUNCHKINS Donut Hole Treats. The fall menu will be available at participating Dunkin' restaurants nationwide by August 18.

Passionate pumpkin fans can find their perfect pumpkin flavored coffees at Dunkin' for an incredible price. Through September 14, all restaurant guests can enjoy a medium Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew or a medium Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte for a special price of $3*, while supplies last.

A perfect side kick to pumpkin, Dunkin' has apple lovers covered too, with the new Apple Cranberry Dunkin' Refreshers, new Apple Cranberry Dunkin' Coconut Refreshers, and an Apple Cider Donut, also available beginning August 18.

Lastly, Dunkin' is introducing a new 100% Guatemalan Coffee. The newest hot coffee in the brand's Limited Batch Series, 100% Guatemalan is smooth and rich with chocolate notes. This single-origin coffee has less acidity and sharpness than other roasts, making it approachable and easy to drink. Beginning September 15 through October 12, 10 cents of every cup of 100% Guatemalan Coffee sold at Dunkin' restaurants will benefit One Tree Planted, to support reforestation efforts in Guatemala. In addition, starting August 18 through September 14, DD Perks members can earn 2X points on 100% Guatemalan Coffee when they order ahead on the Dunkin' app.

Dunkin's autumn array includes:

NEW Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew : For the ultimate pumpkin experience, Dunkin's new premium pumpkin pick, Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, offers Dunkin's Cold Brew  coffee steeped in cold water for 12 hours for an incredibly rich, ultra-smooth, full-bodied beverage  made with pumpkin flavor swirl, topped with the new Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam, and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar topping. Dunkin's new Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam is light orange in color and has sweet notes of pumpkin and hints of warm spices such as cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. The drink is served with a special sip lid so fall fanatics can enjoy the layers of velvety Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam and delicious bold Cold Brew to the fullest.





: For the ultimate pumpkin experience, Dunkin's new premium pumpkin pick, Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, offers Dunkin's Cold Brew  coffee steeped in cold water for 12 hours for an incredibly rich, ultra-smooth, full-bodied beverage  made with pumpkin flavor swirl, topped with the new Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam, and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar topping. Dunkin's new Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam is light orange in color and has sweet notes of pumpkin and hints of warm spices such as cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. The drink is served with a special sip lid so fall fanatics can enjoy the layers of velvety Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam and delicious bold Cold Brew to the fullest. Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte : Dunkin' takes latte lovers to tantalizing new levels with a smooth blend of pumpkin flavor swirl and vanilla flavor in a creamy iced latte, topped with whipped cream, caramel drizzle and cinnamon sugar. The vanilla brings out the sweetness and rounds out the spice notes in the pumpkin, giving more of a custard type flavor that only enhances the pumpkin enjoyment.





: Dunkin' takes latte lovers to tantalizing new levels with a smooth blend of pumpkin flavor swirl and vanilla flavor in a creamy iced latte, topped with whipped cream, caramel drizzle and cinnamon sugar. The vanilla brings out the sweetness and rounds out the spice notes in the pumpkin, giving more of a custard type flavor that only enhances the pumpkin enjoyment. NEW Apple Cranberry Dunkin' Refresher and NEW Apple Cranberry Dunkin' Coconut Refresher : For delicious non-coffee choices to stay refreshed all fall long, Dunkin' has two new options for autumn as vibrant as the fall foliage itself. The new Apple Cranberry Dunkin' Refresher features Honeycrisp apple and cranberry fruit flavors and is made with Green Tea and B Vitamins for a boost of energy to keep you running throughout all of your favorite fall activities. The new Apple Cranberry Dunkin' Coconut Refresher brings apple and cranberry flavors with notes of fall spices, combined with coconutmilk for a bright beverage that's subtly sweet.





: For delicious non-coffee choices to stay refreshed all fall long, Dunkin' has two new options for autumn as vibrant as the fall foliage itself. The new Apple Cranberry Dunkin' Refresher features Honeycrisp apple and cranberry fruit flavors and is made with Green Tea and B Vitamins for a boost of energy to keep you running throughout all of your favorite fall activities. The new Apple Cranberry Dunkin' Coconut Refresher brings apple and cranberry flavors with notes of fall spices, combined with coconutmilk for a bright beverage that's subtly sweet. 100% Guatemalan Coffee : The newest hot coffee in the brand's Limited Batch Series, 100% Guatemalan is smooth and rich with chocolate notes. Sourced exclusively from Guatemala , one of the world's most highly regarded coffee-growing regions, this single-origin coffee has less acidity and sharpness than other roasts, making it approachable and easy to drink.





: The newest hot coffee in the brand's Limited Batch Series, 100% Guatemalan is smooth and rich with chocolate notes. Sourced exclusively from , one of the world's most highly regarded coffee-growing regions, this single-origin coffee has less acidity and sharpness than other roasts, making it approachable and easy to drink. Pumpkin Flavored Coffees : The perfect pumpkin pour for keeping you fueled for fall, Dunkin's beloved Dunkin's pumpkin flavor swirl is available in its hot or iced coffee, Chai Latte, Cold Brew, espresso drinks, frozen coffee, and frozen chocolate. Guests can customize this classic coffee with milk, cream, as well as several nondairy options, including creamy coconutmilk, oatmilk, and almondmilk.





: The perfect pumpkin pour for keeping you fueled for fall, Dunkin's beloved Dunkin's pumpkin flavor swirl is available in its hot or iced coffee, Chai Latte, Cold Brew, espresso drinks, frozen coffee, and frozen chocolate. Guests can customize this classic coffee with milk, cream, as well as several nondairy options, including creamy coconutmilk, oatmilk, and almondmilk. Pumpkin Donut, MUNCHKINS  Donut Hole Treats, and Muffin : Fall isn't complete without the classic treat of Dunkin's Pumpkin Donut, a glazed pumpkin cake donut that can also be enjoyed as MUNCHKINS  donut hole treats, along with Dunkin's Pumpkin Muffin, topped with white icing and sweet streusel crumbs.





: Fall isn't complete without the classic treat of Dunkin's Pumpkin Donut, a glazed pumpkin cake donut that can also be enjoyed as MUNCHKINS donut hole treats, along with Dunkin's Pumpkin Muffin, topped with white icing and sweet streusel crumbs. Apple Cider Donut: Dunkin's Apple Cider Donut features an apple cider cake ring tossed in cinnamon sugar.

All of these Dunkin' menu items will be available for a limited time at participating Dunkin' restaurants nationwide by August 18.

To learn more about Dunkin', visit www.DunkinDonuts.com or subscribe to the Dunkin' blog to receive notifications at https://news.dunkindonuts.com/blog.

*Offer includes all Medium Cold Brew offerings including Sweet Cold Foam. Offer excludes other Signature Lattes.

About Dunkin'

Founded in 1950, Dunkin' is America's favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin' is a market leader in the hot regular/decaf/flavored coffee, iced regular/decaf/flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin' has earned a No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for 15 years running. The company has more than 12,600 franchised restaurants in 40 countries worldwide. Dunkin' is part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.

Media Contact:

Lindsay Cronin

[email protected]

SOURCE Dunkin'

Related Links

http://www.DunkinDonuts.com


Wright is joining the company after recently retiring from United Airlines, where he served as vice president of maintenance operations, responsible for more than 6,500 line maintenance employees at 45 stations as well as third-party aircraft maintenance vendors globally.

"Don is a strong strategic leader with a proven track record of operational performance improvement and vast industry experience leading technical operations," said von Muehlen. "As a forward thinker in process improvement and a fierce advocate for safety and compliance since his early days as a certificated aircraft technician, I am confident Don will support and lead the Maintenance & Engineering team to new heights."

While at United, and previously Continental Airlines, Wright held various leadership roles, including vice president of the Newark hub, where he was responsible for Newark, JFK and LaGuardia operations. He was also managing director of technical operations in LAX, accountable for aircraft line maintenance operations in the western United States and the Asia/Pacific regions.

Wright first joined Continental Airlines in 1988 as an international maintenance representative in Sydney, Australia, and quickly rose through the ranks to lead teams around the world including Asia/Pacific, Europe and Latin America.

Wright launched his career with Qantas Airways as an aircraft maintenance engineer, the Australian equivalent to an FAA-licensed aircraft technician and holds an FAA airframe and powerplant certificate.

Wright is a current trustee for Air Camp , which provides students hands-on opportunities to learn about STEM-related fields, including aviation and aeronautics. He and his wife Joanne have two children and currently live in the San Juan Islands in Washington.

About Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines and its regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica. The airline emphasizes Next-Level Care for its guests, along with providing low fares, award-winning customer service and sustainability efforts. Alaska is a member of oneworld. With the global alliance and the airline's additional partners, guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 20 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about our climate impact goals at blog.alaskaair.com. Learn more about Alaska Airlines at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

SOURCE Alaska Airlines

Related Links

http://www.alaskaair.com


AlloMend Ultra-Thick ADM is the company's thickest dermal graft. Available in 3.0 to 4.0mm thickness, AlloMend Ultra-Thick ADM comes in multiple sizes and is created using innovative processing techniques to ensure each allograft's thickness is consistent throughout the entire graft. The product was designed for use in the repair or replacement of damaged or inadequate tissue required in demanding procedures, such as superior capsule reconstruction (SCR). These types of procedures require high suture retention and ultimate tensile strength and AlloMend Ultra-Thick meets those requirements. 1

"Our AlloMend line has been one of AlloSource's cornerstone products for years and we are proud to build on that legacy with our thickest version to date," said Ralph Diaz, AlloSource Vice President of Sales. "Our customers asked for a graft that could be used in more demanding soft tissue procedures and we believe AlloMend Ultra-Thick will meet that need."

AlloMend Ultra-Thick ADM and the entire AlloMend product line is processed with AlloSource's proprietary DermaTrue Decellularization Process to remove cellular debris (including DNA, RNA, proteins and antigens) rendering the tissue acellular. In addition, it is sterilized with e-beam technology to a sterility assurance level (SAL) of 10-6 to minimize infection risk, while avoiding damage to the allograft tissue.

For more information on AlloMend Ultra-Thick ADM, as well as the other shapes and sizes within the product line, visit AlloSource at booth 1309 at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting in San Diego, California August 31 - September 3, or visit allosource.org/products.

About AlloSource

Founded in 1994, AlloSource is a nonprofit leader in providing allografts that maximize tissue donation to help surgeons heal their patients. The company has grown into one of the largest tissue networks in the country creating more than 200 types of precise bone, skin, soft-tissue and custom-machined allografts for use in an array of life-saving and life-enhancing medical procedures. As a world leader in cell-based products, cartilage tissue for joint repair and skin allografts to help heal severe burns, AlloSource's products bridge the proven science of allografts with the advanced technology of cells. The company is accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks and is headquartered in Centennial, CO. For more information, please visit allosource.org.

i Data on file

Media Contact

Cindy Mason

AlloSource

720. 873. 4744

[email protected]

SOURCE AlloSource

Related Links

http://www.allosource.org


NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Frist Art Museum presents American Art Deco: Designing for the People, 19181939, an exhibition that offers an in-depth examination of an international style that manifested stateside in decorative arts, fine arts, architecture, and design during the 1920s and 1930s. Co-organized by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, and Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska, American Art Deco will conclude the Frist's 20th-anniversary year and be on view in the Ingram Gallery from October 8, 2021, through January 2, 2022.

Appropriately presented within the Frist's own art deco interior during the museum's 20th-anniversary year, the exhibition examines not only the glamour and optimism of the 1920s, but also the impact of the Great Depression in the 1930s. Approximately 140 works of art, including paintings by Thomas Hart Benton, Aaron Douglas, and Grant Wood; a 1930 Ford Model A; and a broad array of decorative objectsfurniture, glassware, vases, and jewelrywill immerse guests in the dynamic interwar period.

As is evident in iconic structures like the Chrysler Building in New York, the Delano Hotel in Miami, and the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, architecture was one of the most common idioms in which the art deco style was utilized in the United States. The Frist's buildingformerly Nashville's postal headquarterswas built in 193334 by local firm Marr & Holman and financed by the US Treasury Department's Office of Construction. The lobby contains examples of art decostyle colored marble and other stone geometric forms on the floor and walls, as well as cast-aluminum doors and grillwork featuring symbols of local industry. "We hope that our building provides the perfect context for this show that reflects this complex age of American zeal and loss," says Frist Art Museum senior curator Katie Delmez.

The years between the two world wars saw great social, political, and cultural change in the United States. "Hundreds of thousands of African American families left the South for economic opportunities and hopes of racial equity in northern, midwestern, and western cities; women won the right to vote through the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1920; and artists adopted modern streamlined styles developed in Europe using new production technologies and materials," says Delmez. "The range of works in this exhibition allows audiences to consider both the optimism and glamour of this moment in our nation's history and the devastation and discrimination that was also prevalent."

American Art Deco opens with a selection of objects made in Paris during the 1920s, when a new style centered on sleek lines, geometric forms, and luxurious materials was emerging. The style came to be known as art deco after the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts), in which participating designers promoted the new aesthetic. "Many American artists and patrons saw this work either directly or through reproductions and sought to recreate it stateside," says Delmez. "Although American art deco objects retain the emphasis on angularity and simplicity seen in those produced in France, they were generally made with less expensive materials and therefore available to a wider class of consumers."

The exhibition features several important works by Aaron Douglas, photographer James Van Der Zee, and other notable figures associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Douglas came to Nashville from New York to create a series of murals in his signature style of silhouetted figures and radiating bands of color for Fisk University in 1930. Ten years later, he established the art department at Fisk, where he taught for the next 26 years.

The optimism of the Jazz Age and the so-called "Roaring Twenties" came to an abrupt end with the stock market crash of 1929. The cascading effects of its collapse were compounded by devasting erosion throughout parts of the Midwest in the early 1930s caused by drought and unsustainable farming practices. Paintings like Grant Wood's Stone City, Iowa (1930) reflect an idyllic rural life that appealed to isolationist Depression-era audiences. Photographs by Dorothea Lange and Arthur Rothstein, both hired by the Farm Security Administration, document the continuing despair experienced by many people during this time. The impulse to create beautiful domestic spaces remained, however, and firms like the Indiana Glass Company were able to use molds to mechanically produce a range of beautifully colored and patterned glassworks that were accessible to the middle class.

The exhibition concludes with a section devoted to modern everyday living, featuring mass-produced household items such as vacuum cleaners, irons, radios, and more affordable ceramic dishes. The designs reflect the streamlined style of the machine age.

Exhibition Credit

Organized by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, and Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska

Supporter Acknowledgment

Platinum Sponsor: HCA Healthcare/TriStar Health

Hospitality Sponsor: Union Station Hotel

Education and community engagement supporter: First Horizon

Spanish translation sponsor: Vanderbilt Center for Latin American Studies

The Frist Art Museum is supported in part by The Frist Foundation, the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Connect with us @FristArtMuseum #TheFrist #FristArtDeco



About the Frist Art Museum

Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Frist Art Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art exhibition center dedicated to presenting and originating high-quality exhibitions with related educational programs and community outreach activities. Located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, Tenn., the Frist Art Museum offers the finest visual art from local, regional, national, and international sources in exhibitions that inspire people through art to look at their world in new ways. Information on accessibility can be found at FristArtMuseum.org/accessibility. Gallery admission is free for guests ages 18 and younger and for members, and $15 for adults. For current hours and additional information, visit FristArtMuseum.org or call 615.244.3340.



SOURCE Frist Art Museum

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Adam Levitt becomes the CEO effective 1 August 2021. Adam was already a board member for the company, making this a smooth leadership transition. Adam will have strategic and operational responsibility for American Injectables and will report to the board of directors. Prior to joining, Adam was CEO, Shilpa Pharma Inc., the US arm of Shilpa Medicare Ltd., a global API and Formulation company. He previously held executive roles with Teva Pharmaceuticals, Strides/Agila, Perrigo and Dr. Reddy's. Adam brings extensive experience and leadership to the company at a key time in its growth.

Gilad Shadur joined American Injectables in May 2021 and assumes full responsibility for the financial management of the company, including IT. He will report to the CEO. Most recently, Gilad was CFO, R&D and Portfolio at Teva Pharmaceuticals. Previously he held a similar position with Teva leading finance activities for the US Generics business. These and other roles were the result of many successful years advancing through various assignments in the finance organization.

Alison Brown also joined American Injectables in August 2021. Alison will be responsible for Quality Assurance and Compliance, ensuring Good Manufacturing Practices as they pertain to regulatory governing bodies for products produced at American Injectables. She will report to the CEO. Alison joins the company having held previous senior roles in Quality site leadership, and a career of over 25 years' experience in the pharmaceutical industry.

The new hires together with Ben Boling, COO and Travis Allen, VP Operations/Business Development form a seasoned and talented leadership team bringing to American Injectables world class experience from Teva, Perrigo, Dr. Reddy's, AMRI, Bayer and Amgen.

In their first move, the team acquired the rights from Namigen LLC to manufacture and commercialize their first injectable drug, used in hospitals. Namigen LLC is a virtual pharmaceutical company led by Nathan Barishansky and Michael Major who have successfully developed multiple generic products, commercializing these through partners like AI. The product being acquired is listed on the FDA's Essential Medicines list which designates medically necessary drugs that should be in supply at all times and readily available to serve patient needs.

"American Injectables is delighted to welcome such strong talent to the Company, their deep experience and business leadership will help accelerate our plans to make an important contribution to the US HealthCare system by providing high quality, affordable sterile injectable products, particularly in areas of continuing drug shortages, from a US based manufacturing facility. Our deal announcement with Namigen LLC is just the first step in our journey." We are building a formidable leadership team that is bringing back sterile manufacturing to the US. The appointments of the CEO, CFO, and VPQ strengthens the foundation for the future. We have worked very hard to build the right facility and right team as we fulfill our goal of reshoring and strengthening the US based supply chain for essential medicines," said Chairman Subhanu Saxena.

Mr. Levitt commented, "I am very excited about the team we have built and the strategy for the Company. Assuring Essential Medicines are available for all patients is paramount to securing our health care system's independence from supply chain issues and shortages. Gaining access to our first ANDA, demonstrates the company's readiness and commitment to manufacture essential medicines at our Tampa, Florida area location." He further stated that the company is now ready to discuss a full range of partnerships with the industry. Please contact the company to start discussions.

About American Injectables

American Injectables is a US-based manufacturer of sterile injectable parenteral drugs with a world-class facility focused on ready-to-use pre-filled syringes and vials. The company's product line includes small molecule 505(b)(2) and 505(j) syringe and vial products, and it serves as an outsourced contract manufacturing partner for strategic pharmaceutical companies. In September 2020, American Injectables received a $10 million commitment from New Rhein Healthcare Investors to accelerate the manufacture of essential medicines. For more information, see https://americaninj.com/

About New Rhein Healthcare Investors

New Rhein is a venture capital/early growth stage fund manager whose investment strategy focuses on proven molecules used in new ways, such as new delivery forms and potential new uses and indications. In this way, New Rhein limits science-based risk and concentrates on development and execution. Prior investments have included medicines for Alzheimer's disease, ophthalmic disorders, respiratory disease, and molecular oncology diagnostics. New Rhein's partners, associates, and advisors are knowledgeable executives of industry leaders with solid track records of operational, investment, and transactional experience. New Rhein combines significant deal-making expertise with deep operating experience, allowing it to tailor the right deal for the right situation and work with its portfolio companies to achieve maximum value for their products. For more information, see www.newrhein.com.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE New Rhein Healthcare Investors LLC
NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), a wholly owned subsidiary of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), has launched a new pilot accreditation program for the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI)  Certification Program.

In the digital age, it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish information shaped by vested interests from that produced by independent and reliable news media outlets. An open and honest public debate, aimed at informing the general public, has become more difficult to sustain, and signals of trustworthiness in the information space are in great demand.

The JTI aims to support journalism by recognizing compliance with ethical norms and professional best practices. JTI's certification program focuses on trustworthy information as an output of transparent and sound editorial processes by assessing ethical journalism as a service and therefore the object of service certification. It is intended to help users (e.g., service customers) to differentiate between media outlets (e.g., service providers) in making informed decisions. The goal is to inform the distribution and consumption of journalistic content so that a more healthy media landscape can emerge, benefiting citizens and societies at large.

ANAB's accreditation program will assess the competence of conformity assessment bodies which audit and certify against the JTI scheme and CEN Workshop Agreement 17493:2019 for journalistic content distributed by media outlets. ANAB's program operates in accordance with ISO/IEC 17011, Conformity assessment  Requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies, and assesses conformity assessment bodies against ISO/IEC 17065, General requirements for bodies operating product certification systems.

The CEN Workshop Agreement 17493:2019 covers:

Identity and transparency (e.g., basic requirements on media's identity, editorial mission, public service media, requirements on owners' identity, disclosure of identity of the management team and its location, disclosure of editorial contact details)

(e.g., basic requirements on media's identity, editorial mission, public service media, requirements on owners' identity, disclosure of identity of the management team and its location, disclosure of editorial contact details) Professionalism and accountability (e.g., accountability for journalism principles, accuracy, responsibility for content provided by the general public, responsibility for sources, professionalism for affiliations, internal accountability)

"Having a workshop agreement that covers standard requirements related to identity, transparency, accountability and professionalism  as well as independence and ethics  will guide the media outlet services in their work," said R. Douglas Leonard, ANAB vice president responsible for these programs. "ANAB accreditation is committed to a covenant of trust in the adherence to these criteria."

ANAB will accept applications for the pilot accreditation program from August 15  October 15, 2021. To learn more about the requirements and begin the application process, visit the ANAB website or contact Roger Muse ([email protected]; 414-501-5455) or Reinaldo B. Figueiredo ([email protected]; 202-331-3611).

About ANAB

The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), a wholly owned subsidiary of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is the largest multi-disciplinary ISO/IEC 17011 accreditation body in North America, with comprehensive signatory status across the multilateral recognition arrangements of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). The ANAB accreditation portfolio includes management systems certification bodies, calibration and testing labs, product certification bodies, personnel credentialing organizations, forensic test and calibration service providers, inspection bodies, police crime units, greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies, reference material producers, and proficiency test providers. For more information, visit www.anab.org.

About ANSI

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the U.S. quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems, and safeguarding their integrity. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations.

The Institute represents and serves the diverse interests of more than 270,000 companies and organizations and 30 million professionals worldwide. ANSI is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). For more information, visit www.ansi.org.

About JTI

The Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) is developing and implementing indicators for the trustworthiness of news media and thus, promotes and rewards compliance with professional norms and ethics. It aims at distinguishing journalism worthy of the name through a mechanism that includes three steps: self-evaluation, conformity assessment and incentivization (algorithmic indexation, advertising, philanthropy, etc.). The JTI was originally launched and is operated by the Paris-based NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF), whose mandate is to promote freedom, independence, and pluralism of journalism. For more information, visit www.journalismtrustinitiative.org.

SOURCE American National Standards Institute

Related Links

www.ansi.org


AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AnthemIQ, the leading commercial real estate transaction platform, has been recognized as the PropTech Breakthrough Awards Commercial Lease Management Platform of the Year. The PropTech Breakthrough Awards honors the best proptech companies, services and products around the globe in over 80+ sub-categories under 15 umbrella groups including finance, property management, data and analytics, industry leadership and more.

AnthemIQ is disrupting the Commercial Real Estate (CRE) industry with its easy-to-use digital platform which streamlines the entire transactional process from search to signed lease. AnthemIQ's innovation brings a refreshed process for brokers, tenants and the CRE industry as a whole, eliminating the tedious back and forth communication between these key players. AnthemIQ's technology is ushering in an "industrial revolution" across the CRE ecosystem, brokers are able to save time and close twice as many deals as a result.

"We are thrilled to be recognized as Commercial Lease Management Platform of the Year by the PropTech Breakthrough Awards," said Mike Ward, CEO of AnthemIQ. "We created this future-forward technology to bring tenants, brokers, and leasing agents to one platform for communication and collaboration, making the property searching and leasing process easier, faster and better. We are grateful for this award as it truly speaks to our mission."

Throughout the pandemic, major industries were faced with the challenge of continuing to drive collaboration remotely, which ultimately led CRE professionals to adopt AnthemIQ's innovative technology. Since its launch in February 2021, over 2,000 users were able to conduct business and make deals from the comfort of their own home. This platform is revolutionary for the CRE industry as it works to bring speed, convenience, transparency and personalization to the entire CRE transaction process.

For more information about AnthemIQ's CRE platform and to sign-up for a demo, visit www.anthemiq.com.

About AnthemIQ:

AnthemIQ is innovating commercial real estate tech that empowers brokers to manage their deals and engage clients on one simple platform. Co-founded by Kenny Tomlin, a serial tech entrepreneur and Chris Skyles, a leading tenant rep broker, AIQ solves the pain points of transaction management in CRE today. Our innovation helps brokers win more business, save time, and better serve their clients.

SOURCE AnthemIQ

Related Links

https://www.anthemiq.com


LONDON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Brand Awards is an annual event held by Global Brands Magazine (GBM), an international publication headquartered in the UK. The award aims to recognise global brands achieving excellence in performance across a broad range of sectors while keeping its readers updated on key trends surrounding the branding world. Benamic was evaluated based on customer service, satisfaction, digital innovation, strategic relationships and new business development.

Commenting on Benamic winning the awards, Shiv Kumar (CEO) of Global Brands magazine said, "Benamic has been selected as representing the very best of big brand marketing agencies for their continued excellence in delivering extraordinary campaigns on behalf of clients such as Microsoft, Samsung, Cisco, Glanbia and Yamaha. To follow on from our team's comments, Benamic has achieved so much in its relatively short lifespan so far, only having been founded in 2009 yet dealing with an impressive portfolio of household names in just over a decade."

Commenting on winning the award, Ann-marie Smee (CEO) said, "This award has meaning. It recognises our hard work not just in terms of 'running a great promotion' but in the way we work, and all the 'behind the scenes' commitment from our teams - everyday. I'm so proud of our team for their ongoing dedication and relentless drive to be the best. We love creating long-term relationships with our clients, and we do this by consistently providing flexible, proactive and responsive services that they can rely on. The award also reflects our commitment to innovation and our pursuit to offer clients relevant, tech-savvy solutions aligned to their business goals. It's exciting and we love what we do!"

About Benamic

Benamic, founded in 2009 and based in Kilkenny, Ireland, are global leaders in promotion strategy, implementation, and management. They essentially simplify global business for multinational companies. With over 10 years' experience, they manage and execute a variety of campaigns globally, incorporating multiple languages, currencies and regulations and have partnered with iconic brands such as MSI, Dyson, Samsung, Cisco, and Canon

About Global Brands Magazine (England)

Global Brands Magazine (GBM) has been at the forefront, bringing news, views and opinions on brands shaping the future of their industry. The UK-based magazine provides its readers with the latest news and information on 'best-in-class brands across the globe. Each year, GBM develops a series of awards for companies that stood out, having a unique vision, exceptional service, innovative solutions and consumer-centric products among their industry leaders.

About Global Brand Awards

Global Brand Awards honours brands for their excellence in performance and rewards companies across different sectors for the quality of their services. The Brand Awards highlight accomplishments of organisations that have performed remarkably well in finance, education, hospitality, automotive, lifestyle, education, real estate, technology and several more. Global Brand Awards recognise vital players who progress towards excellence by providing a platform to acknowledge their efforts. In addition, GBM strives to create awareness concerning the significance of such organisations and rewards them for their notable efforts with the ultimate global recognition.

SOURCE Global Brands Publications Limited
EXTON, Pa., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ricoh USA, Inc. , today announced its partnership with Berger Montague to accelerate and support the complex litigation law firm's ongoing information management and digital transformation efforts. With Ricoh's eDiscovery Managed Services, Ricoh Relativity and Ricoh Acumen, Berger Montague is streamlining its legal discovery processes, effectively mitigating risk, protecting sensitive data and proactively managing cost to best serve its clients' expansive and extensive litigation needs. This cutting-edge agreement also enables Berger Montague's co-counsel partners to benefit from Ricoh's technology and expertise, competitive pricing, and top-quality service.

Berger Montague, a national plaintiffs' class action and complex litigation law firm headquartered in Philadelphia, with offices in Minneapolis, San Diego and Washington, D.C., has achieved tangible outcomes early in the partnership with Ricoh. Results include reduced overhead costs, enhanced review productivity with proven technology-assisted review workflows, scalability and significant success leveraging the co-counsel agreement. Moving forward, the firm plans to implement a custom eDiscovery portal to further support client needs.

"Ricoh's eDiscovery expertise, fixed-rate pricing model, cutting-edge technology and industry-leading security practices were all major considerations, particularly because our clients and co-counsel entrust us to handle and manage their most sensitive data, confidentially and securely," said Eric L. Cramer, Chairman, Berger Montague. "Ricoh is a tenured and proven business partner that provides ongoing expertise, advanced training and knowledge sharing. Its commitment extends to our co-counsel partners who are also able to leverage the Ricoh offering through this unique agreement."

With Ricoh's eDiscovery Managed Services, Berger Montague uses the efficient, cost-effective and secure Ricoh Relativity solution, custom designed to its unique specifications. The firm also benefits from Ricoh Acumen, a proprietary solution that delivers advanced project ownership and business intelligence, while streamlining the eDiscovery process. Ricoh Acumen also provides unprecedented data insight to help uncover project trends, real-time review performance tracking and access to administration features, as well as direct upload and Electronically Stored Information (ESI) processing functionality with enhanced security from Ricoh's industry-leading cloud environments.

Ricoh's eDiscovery solution includes Digital Forensics Services to effectively collect ESI, enable thorough investigation, and provide expert testimony for a truly defensible and auditable process.

"We're proud to leverage our experience and expertise in partnership with Berger Montague to help them meet their clients' needs in innovative ways that drive their business forward," said David Greetham, Vice President, eDiscovery, Ricoh USA, Inc. "This exciting partnership agreement, which was structured and implemented entirely remotely due to pandemic distancing regulations, includes dedicated Ricoh project management resources to provide targeted technical support to Berger Montague's attorneys and clients, and to manage all aspects of the eDiscovery lifecycle."

Ricoh's eDiscovery partnership model was an attractive benefit to Berger Montague for its scalable eDiscovery infrastructure without the capital investment or personnel required to support an in-house eDiscovery platform. By leveraging Ricoh's eDiscovery technology portfolio and partnering with the Ricoh project management team, Berger Montague can create consistent, repeatable workflows and realize greater efficiencies in their eDiscovery projects.

For more information about Ricoh's eDiscovery and Information Governance solutions, click here, or follow the company's social media channels on Twitter and LinkedIn.

| About Ricoh |

Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services that enable individuals to work smarter from anywhere.

With cultivated knowledge and organizational capabilities nurtured over its 85-years history, Ricoh is a leading provider of digital services and information management, and print and imaging solutions designed to support digital transformation and optimize business performance.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group has major operations throughout the world and its products and services now reach customers in approximately 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ended March 2021, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 1,682 billion yen (approx. 15.1 billion USD).

For further information, please visit www.ricoh.com

 2021 Ricoh USA, Inc. All rights reserved. All referenced product names are the trademarks of their respective companies.

SOURCE Ricoh USA, Inc.

Related Links

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Business leaders are recognizing the dangerous gap in their cybersecurity presented by Internet of Things (IoT) devices, including their printers, and the potential extreme financial consequences of inaction. Printers have significant on-board features for security with as many as 300 configurable security settings, but these settings are often not used on networks because of cost and technical limitations, leaving these vulnerable devices completely unprotectedquite literally the biggest network security threat of recent years.

Until Symphion, there hasn't been a true vendor-agnostic solution to address this gap. The reality is that large print fleets include hundreds to thousands of devices with many makes, models, types, and ages of print devices and no common means of configuration management. Printer Fleet Cybersecurity as a Service offers comprehensive print fleet cyber hardening solutions to address this gap and cyber harden all print devices in large print fleetsas a turnkey servicewithout requiring any customer employees or contractors.

"We're proud to add industry leader Canon Solutions America as a Symphion partner. With Symphion, they're clearly taking a leadership position by addressing the global cybersecurity gap that customers face," stated Jim LaRoe, chief executive officer, Symphion, Inc.

"We are excited to build on the success of our Canon Solutions America 5 Pillars of Security offerings with the addition of Symphion's Printer Fleet Cybersecurity as a Service solution to our portfolio," said Peter P. Kowalczuk, president, Canon Solutions America. "We continue to develop relationships like this to support our commitment to providing best-in-class cybersecurity services to help our customers keep their proprietary data safe. We look forward to collaborating with Symphion on emerging, innovative security solutions."

For more information, visit csa.canon.com .

About Symphion

Symphion, Inc. is a Dallas, Texas based software and services company dedicated to excellence in customer service. Symphion's leading edge technologies and unique remote concierge delivered service-based solutions allow customers to affordably minimize risk and eliminate cost while maximizing operation efficiency.

About Canon Solutions America, Inc.

Canon Solutions America, Inc. provides industry leading enterprise, production, and large format printing solutions, supported by exceptional professional service offerings. Canon Solutions America, Inc. helps companies of all sizes discover ways to improve sustainability, increase efficiency, and control costs in conjunction with high volume, continuous feed, digital and traditional printing, and document management solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc., Canon Solutions America, Inc. is headquartered in Melville, NY and has sales and service locations across the U.S. For more information on Canon Solutions America, please visit csa.canon.com .

Editorial Contact: Canon Solutions America, Inc. Website: Nicole Esan csa.canon.com 631-330-2139 For sales info/customer support: [email protected] 1-844-443-INFO (4636)

Canon products offer certain security features, yet many variables can impact the security of your devices and data. Canon does not warrant that use of its features will prevent security issues. Nothing herein should be construed as legal or regulatory advice concerning applicable laws; customers must have their own qualified counsel determine the feasibility of a solution as it relates to regulatory and statutory compliance. Some security features may impact functionality/performance; you may want to test these settings in your environment. Many variables can impact the security of a customer's device and data. Canon does not warrant that the use of its features will prevent malicious attacks or prevent misuse of devices or data or other security issues.

Canon is a registered trademark of Canon Inc. in the United States and elsewhere. All other referenced product names and marks are trademarks of their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged.





 2021 Canon Solutions America, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Canon Solutions America, Inc.
COMPTON, Calif., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IPS Corporation ("IPS" or the "Company") today announced a definitive agreement for funds advised by Centerbridge Partners, L.P. ("Centerbridge"), a leading private investment firm, to acquire the Company from Cypress Performance Group, LLC ("Cypress"). George Moore and Dan St. Martin will continue to serve as Executive Chairman and CEO of IPS, respectively.

IPS provides a comprehensive offering of specialized, highly engineered industrial products including solvent cements, rough plumbing and roofing products, and structural and surface adhesives. The Company's well-recognized brands include Weld-On, Christy's, Water-Tite, Studor, Scigrip, and others. The Company sells its products through the wholesale and retail channels to a diverse base of customers across the globe with manufacturing operations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and China.

IPS has been owned since 2017 by Cypress, a diversified industrial holding company established by former Danaher Corporation CEO George Sherman. Under the leadership of George Sherman, George Moore, and Dan St. Martin, IPS has deployed a version of the Danaher Business System, a holistic operating model through which strategy, operations, and financial performance are managed. Several significant shareholders of Cypress including the Sherman family and Shumway Capital have agreed to continue as shareholders in IPS alongside Centerbridge.

"George Sherman and George Moore are highly accomplished industrial leaders, and they have continued their impressive track record of value creation at IPS. The Company is a world-class manufacturer with leadership positions across its key product categories and stands to benefit from strong market tailwinds in its attractive end markets," said Steven Silver, Global Co-Head of Private Equity and Senior Managing Director at Centerbridge.

"Over the years, we have partnered with outstanding executives who have used the Danaher Business System to drive outperformance. We believe George Moore, Dan St. Martin, and the IPS team are similarly poised to drive excellent performance through use of the business system and are excited to support the team during the next stage of the Company's growth," added Conor Tochilin, Managing Director at Centerbridge.

"We are passionate about serving our customers and investing in our associates through the application of our business system and our deep culture of continuous improvement. I am truly excited to join with Centerbridge in our next chapter to continue our outperformance and strong positive momentum," said Dan St. Martin, CEO of IPS.

This transaction is expected to close in 2021 and is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

BofA Securities and Credit Suisse served as financial advisors to IPS on the transaction. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP served as legal counsel to IPS and Cypress. Jefferies served as lead financial advisor to Centerbridge. Jefferies and Credit Suisse provided financing for the transaction. Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal counsel to Centerbridge.

About IPS Corporation

Established in 1954 as the original inventor of solvent cement for PVC pipe applications, IPS Corporation is a trusted manufacturer of rough plumbing and roofing supplies for the construction industry, as well as structural adhesives and solvent cements for a broad range of construction, industrial, and manufacturing applications. Our leading brands include WELD-ON, CHRISTY'S, WATER-TITE, TEST-TITE, GUY GRAY, TRUEBRO, STUDOR, AB&A, SCIGRIP, INTEGRA, and UNIKA. Headquartered in California, IPS Corporation has operations throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Learn more at www.ipscorp.com.

About Centerbridge Partners

Centerbridge Partners, L.P. is a private investment management firm employing a flexible approach across investment disciplines  private equity, private credit and real estate  in an effort to develop the most attractive opportunities for its investors. The Firm was founded in 2005 and as of July 1, 2021 has approximately $31 billion in capital under management with offices in New York and London. Centerbridge is dedicated to partnering with world-class management teams across targeted industry sectors and geographies. For more information, please visit www.centerbridge.com.

About Cypress Performance Group

Cypress Performance Group, LLC is a holding company founded by George Sherman focused on value-added manufacturing or industrial service businesses in industries with consolidation opportunities. Cypress helps companies implement their strategic plan by using its business system to focus on growth and operational efficiency while developing industry leading practices to improve customer experience and delivering shareholder value.

Contacts

Media for Centerbridge Partners

Jeremy Fielding / Anntal Silver

[email protected] / [email protected]

SOURCE IPS Corporation
ClubWise hosts free virtual Fitness Business Bootcamp series to help gym owners network, learn and grow their businesses Tweet this

Innovative Approach to Member Onboarding

Driving Members to Personal Training and Studio Programming

Turning Members into Raving Fans

Boosting the Club Experience with Technology

Measuring What Matters - Grading Successes and Opportunities

The Fitness Business Bootcamp runs through Gym Owner Success Network and was launched by ClubWise to support independent gym owners and managers who are responsible for marketing, administration, staff management, programming, and performance monitoring and may not have the support of a back office team. The network offers free educational sessions with industry influencers, marketing support, resources to drive membership and tips for effective programming.

First launched in 2001, ClubWise recently expanded into the United States and currently supports more than 1,000 fitness clubs in America, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia. The solution's integrated suite of services helps gym owners and operators support member engagement, membership billing, marketing and growth, club management and access control.

"We're committed to driving the health and growth of the fitness industry," says Chris Hogan, president of Fitness North America, EverCommerce (parent company of ClubWise). "This series is a key component of our desire to continue to build the community and best practices for the entire industry, but especially for gyms with limited access to resources."

An international presenter/educator and certified exercise physiologist, Wright has 10+ years' experience in fitness leadership with an emphasis on member engagement, programmatic solutions for personal/group training, staff education/retention and team culture. He is a member of the IDEA World Personal Trainer Committee and former president of NEHRSA.

Fitness Business Bootcamp is open to gym owners and managers in the United States and United Kingdom. To register or learn more, visit https://www.clubwise.com/FitnessBusinessBootcamp/ .

About ClubWise

ClubWise, an EverCommerce solution, is an all-in-one billing and club management solution that lets operators focus on what matters most - members. ClubWise offers an integrated suite of services to support member engagement, membership collection, new business generation, club management and access control. First launched in 2001, ClubWise currently supports more than 1,000 fitness clubs in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia. Learn more at www.clubwise.com .

About EverCommerce

EverCommerce, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVCM), is a leading service commerce platform, providing vertically-tailored, integrated software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions that help more than 500,000 service-based businesses accelerate growth, streamline operations, and increase retention. Its modern digital and mobile applications create predictable, informed, and convenient experiences between service professionals and their end consumers. Specializing in Home Services, Health Services, and Fitness & Wellness Services industries, EverCommerce solutions include end-to-end business management software, integrated payment acceptance, marketing technology, and customer engagement applications. Learn more at EverCommerce.com.

SOURCE ClubWise
AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Compliance Safe, the award-winning Software as a Service (SaaS) that monitors, tracks and protects business critical documents, announces the addition of Tim Haley as Director of New Business Development. Tim will lead the growth of its Compliance Safe software solution in the convenience, grocery, foodservice retail channels, as well as expanding into healthcare, insurance, real estate, and transportation industries.

Tim Haley Compliance Safe Director of New Business Developments

Tim has over 15 years of technical sales, marketing, and channel experience with global tech organizations Astute Solutions, Lumigent Technologies, and WiredStorm.

StrasGlobal, the leading provider of convenience retailing contract operations, developed the Compliance Safe SaaS program to eliminate pain points associated with managing the license and permit renewals for their retail operations. Compliance Safe helps reduce time spent keeping up with renewals, lowers costs related to managing and storing documents, and most importantly, it minimizes chances of missing deadlines and potential shutdowns with its unique auto-reminder system. "Tim's expertise and laser-focus on understanding and providing customer solutions is the perfect fit for our go-to-market strategy of growing Compliance Safe in our existing convenience and grocery channels, as well as expanding nationally and globally into additional verticals", says Compliance Safe CEO Eva Strasburger.

"It's clear to me that Compliance Safe's solution has value for just about any business with time-sensitive document renewals, including other business-critical documentation such as employee training or health-related certifications," says Tim Haley. "Compliance Safe's proven success in the convenience and grocery industries have fully illustrated this opportunity for other channels."

According to StrasGlobal CEO Roy Strasburger, "Government and office shutdowns during COVID clearly illustrates the value of having time-sensitive documents stored in the cloud. Companies need to know where their renewal documents are and have them easily accessible. With Compliance Safe's cloud-document storage, all authorized people, even those working remotely, know exactly when the renewals are to provide business continuity. Disasters such as hurricanes, floods and fires, further emphasize the need to keep critical documents stored securely in the cloud so they can be accessed anytime, anywhere."

"Compliance Safe's intuitive, user-friendly dashboards with automated email alerts for upcoming renewals replaces the need for spreadsheets that many companies are currently using." says Derek Abitz, StrasGlobal's VP of Brand, Marketing and Innovation. "Compliance Safe's auto-reminder function is a great asset to help any company stay organized."

About Compliance Safe

Compliance Safe is a software as a service (SaaS) company that allows organizations the ability to monitor, track, and protect business critical documents for organizations. It provides automatic alert notifications to authorized personnel in the company about renewal deadlines, upcoming permits, licenses and contract expirations that are fast approaching to keep businesses running.

For more information, please visit www.compliancesafe.com

StrasGlobal is the nation's leading provider of contract management services. With its 60-year heritage as global innovators in the convenience and small-format retail space, StrasGlobal offers complete turn-key retail marketing and consulting management services to companies without the experience or infrastructure to support their retail offering. Services include store staffing, category management, merchandising, foodservice, administration, operations, accounting and financial reporting.

For more information, please visit strasglobal.com

CONTACTS:

Tim Haley

Director of New Business Development

Compliance Safe

770-883-2222

[email protected]

Myra Kressner

President

Kressner Strategy Group

917-837-4058

[email protected]

SOURCE Compliance Safe

Related Links

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OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Giatec, world leader in concrete testing technologies, has announced that it is working to reduce cement usage on construction jobsites with its artificial intelligence program (AI) Roxi, with funding and support from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC). SDTC helps Canadian entrepreneurs accelerate the development and deployment of globally competitive clean technology solutions.

Giatec Roxi AI and SDTC Funding

Cement is not only the most expensive ingredient in a concrete mix, but its production is also responsible for 8% of global CO 2 emissions. In a construction project, ready-mix concrete producers design concrete mixes to meet specific performance criteria to reach strength targets quickly.

However, the performance of concrete can be affected by various external factors including the quality variations in raw materials, ambient conditions, delivery time, pouring processes, jobsite curing conditions, etc. Currently, concrete producers have limited data and visibility into these factors, thus lacking accurate testing and monitoring capabilities. This leads to overdesigning concrete mixture by adding more cement than necessary to prevent potential performance issues.

Giatec's proprietary sensing technology combined with its real-time, predictive AI-based model Roxi allows ready-mix producers to adjust the amount of cement needed and meet concrete strength targets more accurately. As a result, this will cut at least 400 million tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually, the equivalent of taking 110 million cars off the road.

"At SDTC, we are committed to advance Canada's 2050 Net-Zero targets by strengthening support for climate tech entrepreneurs who are driving the green economy forward," said Leah Lawrence, President and CEO, SDTC. "We are proud to support firms like Giatec that are on the cusp of climate tech innovation and delivering substantial solutions to help fight climate change."

"Based on two case studies, we estimate that up to 20% reduction in cement usage can be achieved using our technology. With this funding, Giatec will provide a solution that will bring not only economic but also environmental benefits by reducing CO 2 emission, air pollution, and water use in the construction industry," says Pouria Ghods, Giatec co-founder and CEO.

Roxi was the first AI program created for concrete testing, built for Giatec's award-winning SmartRock wireless concrete sensors. SmartRock has been used in over 8,000 construction projects across 80 countries, giving Roxi access to millions of data points.

ABOUT GIATEC

Giatec is a global company revolutionizing the construction industry by bringing smart testing technologies and real-time data collection to the forefront of every jobsite. Giatec's suite of hardware & software products has leveraged advanced technologies such as AI and Internet of Things (IoT), including wireless concrete sensors, mobile apps, and advanced non-destructive technologies (NDT) to drive innovation throughout concrete's lifecycle and reduce concrete's carbon footprint. For more information, visit www.giatec.ca.

ABOUT SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGY CANADA

Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) helps Canadian companies develop and deploy competitive, clean technology solutions to help solve some of the world's most pressing environmental challenges: climate change, clean air, clean water and clean soil. By taking a cross-Canada approach, from seed to scale, and in partnership with the best peers and experts, SDTC is the global benchmark for sustainable development innovation programming.

MEDIA CONTACT

Dobrila Moogk, Vice President, Marketing

Tel: +1 (877) 497-6278 ext. 9280

[email protected]

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Giatec Roxi AI Reducing Cement Usage and CO2 Pollution

Giatec Roxi AI and SDTC Funding

SOURCE Giatec Scientific Inc.
JERSEY CITY, N.J., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BlockFi, a financial services company dedicated to building a bridge between cryptocurrencies and traditional financial and wealth management products, named Giles Colwell as Head of North America and LATAM Institutional Distribution. BlockFi also announced additional executive appointments in North America, EMEA and APAC regions, maintaining a strong pace of global growth and senior hires. Samia Bayou joins as the Global Head of Private Clients, Rafael Weber serves as the Director of APAC Private Clients, and Paul Howard is an Institutional Sales Director for APAC.

In his role as Head of North America and LATAM Institutional Distribution, Mr. Colwell is responsible for overseeing the Americas distribution team and delivering BlockFi's innovative cryptocurrency products and services to clients.

Mr. Colwell has more than 30 years of experience as a Wall Street executive at Bank of America, JPMorgan, and UBS. Throughout his career, he has held senior leadership positions across Global Markets and FIG banking, providing insight, advice, and tailored solutions to investment managers, corporations, and individuals. For the last decade, Mr. Colwell has been a Managing Director in the Senior Relationship Management team at Bank of America, responsible for overseeing the entire Bank of America platform and driving strategic dialogue with some of the bank's largest institutional accounts across global markets, banking, capital markets, and advisory services.

Ms. Bayou joins BlockFi after nearly five years as a Senior Investment Advisor at a private family office in London. In that role, Ms. Bayou managed assets and investments for the family office and was a regular participant in the Davos World Economic Forum. Previously, Ms. Bayou served in senior roles with more than 12 years of experience in large banking groups such as UBS, Merrill Lynch, Citi, and Societe Generale.

Mr. Weber joins BlockFi with more than 12 years of experience in private banking, working with multi-family offices, external asset managers, and fund managers in Asia and Europe. Most recently, he worked for UBS in Singapore and Hong Kong as a Senior Client Advisor and Business Developer.

Mr. Howard brings more than a decade of Institutional Sales and coverage experience in Asia with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. An MBA graduate from the University of Hong Kong, Mr. Howard was also named as one of Asia's youngest Managing Directors for a Fortune 500 company.

"As we continue to expand relationships with institutional investors around the world, we're honored to welcome these top-notch professionals who will play an integral role in liaising with clients and external partners," said David Olsson, Head of Institutional Distribution at BlockFi. "We're highly committed to institutional business growth and Giles and team will be an instrumental part of this plan. The proven leadership and expertise of each individual will aid our institutional clients as they continue to gain exposure to digital assets."

Media Contact for BlockFi:

Ryan Dicovitsky/Ellie Johnson

Dukas Linden Public Relations

[email protected]

About BlockFi

BlockFi is a new breed of financial services company. Founded in 2017 by Zac Prince and Flori Marquez, BlockFi is building a bridge between cryptocurrencies and traditional financial and wealth management products to advance the overall digital asset ecosystem for individual and institutional investors.

Nothing contained in this announcement should be construed as a solicitation of an offer to buy or offer, or recommendation, to acquire or dispose of any security, commodity, investment or to engage in any other transaction. The information provided in this announcement is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to law or regulation. This announcement is not directed to any person in any jurisdiction where the publication or availability of the announcement is prohibited, by reason of that person's nationality, residence or otherwise.

Neither BlockFi nor any of its affiliates or representatives provide legal, tax or accounting advice. You should consult your legal and/or tax advisors before making any financial decisions.

Digital currency is not legal tender, is not backed by the government, and crypto interest accounts are not subject to FDIC or SIPC protections. Learn more at BlockFi.com .

BlockFi Lending LLC NMLS ID#1737520 | BlockFi Trading LLC NMLS ID#1873137

Related Files

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SOURCE BlockFi
FACTS AT A GLANCE Edition: 16; Released: July 2021 Executive Pool: 5362 Companies: 67 - Players covered include AbbVie Inc.; Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Amgen Inc.; Astellas Pharma Inc.; Astex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Celgene Corporation; CTI BioPharma Corp.; Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited; F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG; Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Janssen-Cilag Limited; Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc; MEI Pharma, Inc.; Novartis AG; Pfizer Inc.; Seattle Genetics, Inc.; Stemline Therapeutics, Inc.; Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Tolero Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: Chemotherapy Type (Cytarabine, Anthracycline Drugs, Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors, Alkylating Agents, Hormonal Therapy, Anti-Metabolites, Other Chemotherapy Types) Geographies: World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; Spain; Russia; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific (Australia; India; South Korea; and Rest of Asia-Pacific); Latin America (Argentina; Brazil; Mexico; and Rest of Latin America); Middle East (Iran; Israel; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates; and Rest of Middle East); and Africa.

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ABSTRACT-

Global Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Therapeutics Market to Reach $976.2 Billion by 2026

Leukemias are malignant disorders, the main symptom of which is an abnormally high leucocyte count in the human bone marrow and/or blood. The disease causes a substantial number of deaths worldwide every year. The types of Leukaemia vary by origin, pathogenesis, prognosis, and incidence. The dominant leukemia cells may be mature cells like in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL); acute leukemias with precursor cells of multiple lineages; or both mature and precursor cells like in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Among the severe types of leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is often seen in children as also in young adults, particularly in the 2 to 5 years age groups, whereas acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is more commonly seen in adults. Additionally, other rare leukemia types like atypical chronic myeloid leukemia differ from the four major types in numerous respects.

Leukaemia incidences vary among patients of different sexes, ages and races and these disparities are associated primarily with levels of environmental exposure as also genetic factors. For instance, nearly 10% of patients developing CLL have a history of the ailment in the family. Similarly, ionizing radiation has been identified as a definite cause for ALL in children, and usually happens by way of X-ray pelvimetry done during a pregnancy. Due to previous initiatives taken for combating leukemia, the disease's epidemiology can change with time, varying from nation to nation. Hence, being aware of leukemia's upgraded epidemiological data and analyzing the ailment's temporal trends are vital to learn about its burden and also to assess the overall effectiveness of prevention strategies adopted previously.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Therapeutics estimated at US$476.9 Million in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$976.2 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 12.6% over the analysis period. Cytarabine, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 15.1% CAGR to reach US$366.4 Million by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Anthracycline Drugs segment is readjusted to a revised 13.9% CAGR for the next 7-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 18.2% share of the global Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Therapeutics market.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $194.4 Million in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $85.7 Million by 2026

The Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Therapeutics market in the U.S. is estimated at US$194.4 Million in the year 2021. The country currently accounts for a 37.19% share in the global market. China, the world second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of US$85.7 Million in the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 14.9% through the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 11% and 11.5% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 12.1% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach US$97 Million by the close of the analysis period.

The market is set to experience a lucrative growth over the coming years on account of confluence of various factors like rising prevalence of the medical condition and its relapse cases along with increasing focus on development of novel therapies. Increasing cases of acute myeloid leukemia can be credited to several factors like unhealthy lifestyles, genetic mutations, radiation exposure and extended exposure to certain toxic chemicals like benzene. There were around 61,780 new cases of leukemia and 22,840 mortalities in 2019 in the US. The number of acute myeloid leukemia cases was estimated at 21,450, with adults accounting for a major fraction of the patient population. The increasing prevalence along with high mortality rate in the US and other countries is paving way for higher uptake of associated therapies. The market growth is also favored by rising aging population and unmet healthcare needs. Moreover, the market expansion is favored by various benefits of biopharmaceuticals over traditional drugs, an impressive biopharmaceutical pipeline and continuing development of several combination therapies capable of treating challenging medical conditions.

The market is also slated to gain from ongoing advancements in molecular biology and pharmacology for development of novel drugs. Pharmaceutical players operating on the market are making significant investments in research projects to come up with novel options. These R&D endeavors are also attributed to limitations associated with existing therapies available on the market for acute myeloid leukemia. Traditional options for the medical condition are unable to control relapse and linked with various side-effects such as tissue damage, nausea and loss of appetite. These issues are driving companies to focus on advanced approaches such as serine-threonine protein kinases, stem cell transplant and pipeline drugs. The market growth is bound to be facilitated by upcoming therapies such as farnesyltransferase inhibitors, alkylating agents, immunotoxins, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies and multi-drug-resistant modulators. These therapies are anticipated to gain acceptance owing to their enhanced survival rates, quality and safety.

Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Segment to Reach $114.9 Million by 2026

In the global Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 10.1% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$52.6 Million in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of US$103.2 Million by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. Led by countries such as Australia, India, and South Korea, the market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach US$8.9 Million by the year 2026. More

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Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

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DUBLIN, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Artificial Intelligence Services Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Growth and Change 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 artificial intelligence services market.



This report focuses on the artificial intelligence services market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the artificial intelligence services 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.



Reasons to Purchase

Gain a truly global perspective with the most comprehensive report available on this market covering 12+ geographies.

Understand how the market is being affected by the coronavirus and how it is likely to emerge and grow as the impact of the virus abates.

Create regional and country strategies on the basis of local data and analysis.

Identify growth segments for investment.

Outperform competitors using forecast data and the drivers and trends shaping the market.

Understand customers based on the latest market research findings.

Benchmark performance against key competitors.

Utilize the relationships between key data sets for superior strategizing.

Suitable for supporting your internal and external presentations with reliable high quality data and analysis

Report will be updated with the latest data and delivered to you within 3-5 working days of order.

Where is the largest and fastest growing market for the artificial intelligence services? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward? The Artificial Intelligence Services market global report answers all these questions and many more.



The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography. It places the market within the context of the wider artificial intelligence services 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 artificial intelligence services market section of the report gives context. It compares the artificial intelligence services market with other segments of the artificial intelligence services market by size and growth, historic and forecast. It analyses GDP proportion, expenditure per capita, artificial intelligence services indicators comparison.

Major players in the artificial intelligence services market are Intel Corp., International Business Machines Corp., Microsoft Corp., SAP SE, SAS Institute Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Salesforce, Google LLC, Oracle Corporation and Fair Isaac Corporation.



The global artificial intelligence services market is expected to grow from $0.77 billion in 2020 to $0.96 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.7%. The growth is mainly due to the companies resuming their operations and adapting to the new normal while 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 $3.39 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 37%.



The artificial intelligence (AI) services market consists of sales of AI services that are used in telecommunications, government, retail, defense and healthcare. Companies in the artificial intelligence market provide outsourced services to cater to business requirements. AI as a service enables individuals and businesses to use AI for different purposes, without significant initial investment and with lower risk.



The rise in the adoption of cloud-based solutions is a key factor driving the growth of the artificial intelligence services market. Artificial intelligence (AI) as a service lets businesses experiment with AI for different activities without a high initial investment. Experimentation enables many cloud computing platforms to check different machine learning algorithms and helps streamline how data is analyzed and managed. Businesses are deeply interested in cloud-based machine learning, which lets them experiment through their services and help their clients make informed decisions based on the data. For instance, in March 2020, Google announced the beta launch of Cloud AI Platform Pipelines, which provides its customers with repeatable machine learning pipelines that can be installed easily and used for machine learning workflows securely. The integration of AI applications into its cloud draws more customers, thus enhancing market growth over the forecast period. Therefore, the rise in the adoption of cloud-based solutions is expected to drive the growth of the artificial intelligence services market.



The risks associated with data breaches and hacks are hampering the growth of the artificial intelligence services market. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has cautioned that new technologies such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing can turn around human lives, but may also make society more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. It was expected that attacks occur on average once every 39 seconds and a single breach could cost as much as $150 million by 2020. Although companies and organizations are aware of these risks, breach activity still takes around six months to detect, and the long delays between original network breach and security responses allow hackers to take advantage of significant quantities of data. According to the State of the breach June 2020, about 16 billion records including credit card numbers, phone numbers, home addresses, and other sensitive information were exposed through data breaches since 2019. Therefore, the risks associated with data breaches and hacking hampers the growth of the artificial intelligence services market.



The artificial intelligence services market covered in this report is segmented by technology into machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing (NLP), others and by end-user into banking, financial, and insurance (BFSI), it & telecom, retail, manufacturing, public sector, energy & utility, healthcare, others.



The use of artificial intelligence as a service for human interaction with machines using natural language processing (NLP) is a key trend shaping the artificial intelligence services market. Natural language processing (NLP) is a type of artificial intelligence that explains how human language and computers interact. Machine translation is an enormous technology for NLP that enables us to overcome challenges to contact with people from all over the world and to understand software manuals and catalogs written in a foreign language. For instance, the Livox app, a customizable application in 25 languages helps the disabled to communicate.



In March 2019, McDonald's, a USA based foodservice retailer acquired Dynamic Yield for $300 million. Through this acquisition, McDonald's plans to integrate the technology into other digital products, like self-serve kiosks and the McDonald's mobile app. Dynamic Yield is an artificial intelligence company based in New York.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Artificial Intelligence Services Market Characteristics



3. Artificial Intelligence Services Market Trends and Strategies



4. Impact of COVID-19 on Artificial Intelligence Services



5. Artificial Intelligence Services Market Size and Growth

5.1. Global Artificial Intelligence Services Historic Market, 2015-2020, $ Billion

5.1.1. Drivers of the Market

5.1.2. Restraints on The Market

5.2. Global Artificial Intelligence Services Forecast Market, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

5.2.1. Drivers of the Market

5.2.2. Restraints on the Market



6. Artificial Intelligence Services Market Segmentation

7. Artificial Intelligence Services Market Regional and Country Analysis

7.1. Global Artificial Intelligence Services Market, Split By Region, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

7.2. Global Artificial Intelligence Services Market, Split By Country, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion

8. Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Services Market

9. China Artificial Intelligence Services Market

10. India Artificial Intelligence Services Market

11. Japan Artificial Intelligence Services Market

12. Australia Artificial Intelligence Services Market

13. Indonesia Artificial Intelligence Services Market

14. South Korea Artificial Intelligence Services Market

15. Western Europe Artificial Intelligence Services Market

16. UK Artificial Intelligence Services Market

17. Germany Artificial Intelligence Services Market

18. France Artificial Intelligence Services Market

19. Eastern Europe Artificial Intelligence Services Market

20. Russia Artificial Intelligence Services Market

21. North America Artificial Intelligence Services Market

22. USA Artificial Intelligence Services Market

23. South America Artificial Intelligence Services Market

24. Brazil Artificial Intelligence Services Market

25. Middle East Artificial Intelligence Services Market

26. Africa Artificial Intelligence Services Market

27. Artificial Intelligence Services Market Competitive Landscape and Company Profiles

27.1. Artificial Intelligence Services Market Competitive Landscape

27.2. Artificial Intelligence Services Market Company Profiles

27.2.1. Intel Corp.

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. International Business Machines Corp.

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. Microsoft Corp.

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. SAP SE

27.2.4.1. Overview

27.2.4.2. Products and Services

27.2.4.3. Strategy

27.2.4.4. Financial Performance

27.2.5. SAS Institute Inc.

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 Artificial Intelligence Services Market



29. Artificial Intelligence Services Market Future Outlook and Potential Analysis



30. Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/g40iic

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

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[email protected]



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Some of the Top Groundnut Oil suppliers listed in this report:

This Groundnut Oil procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

Bunge Ltd.

Cargill Inc.

Louis Dreyfus Co. BV

Wilmar International Ltd.

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See Detailed Trends and Insights about this Market Cardamom Oil Sourcing and Procurement Report: This report offers key advisory and intelligence to help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their cardamom oil requirements. Some of the leading cardamom oil suppliers are profiled extensively in this report.

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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

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Contacts:

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

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SOURCE SpendEdge

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"Pet owners are sending our industry a message and driving change in the way they want and expect their pets to receive care," said Gene O'Neill, NAVC CEO and VIC Past Chair. "The Veterinary Innovation + eCommerce Summit provides professionals the platform to discuss and design the future of the veterinary profession alongside global leaders in animal health. The most creative and innovative minds will gather to analyze and uncover the emerging trends in veterinary care, including where the profession is headed and how veterinary organizations can compete and thrive in the animal health industry."

"Pet owners are sending our industry a message and driving change in the way they want and expect their pets to receive care," said Gene O'Neill, NAVC CEO and VIC Past Chair.

Session Highlights:

New technologies and increasing implementation of digital health tools are changing the human and animal health industries. Wearables, similar to those in human medicine, are being used to track animal activity and eating patterns and, in some cases, notify pet owners and veterinarians when the animal is in distress. Artificial intelligence that can read a million radiographs per hour versus 50 per day can be implemented to create a more efficient workplace. These topics along with many more advances will be presented in the Convergence of Frontiers in Veterinary and Human Healthcare session led by Eleanor Green , DVM, DACVIM, DABVP.

session led by , DVM, DACVIM, DABVP. Genomics allows doctors and researchers to look at specific genes that are associated with cancer and disease, identify where problems are occurring and better understand the causes. As animal medicine continues to parallel advances in human medicine, this research can be applied to veterinary healthcare to provide better understanding and treatment. The overlap between human and animal medicine will be the focus of Glimpsing the Future: The Coming "Omics" Revolution in Veterinary Medicine led by David Haworth , DVM, PhD.

led by , DVM, PhD. During the COVID-19 pandemic, pet adoptions skyrocketed, the demand for veterinary care increased and veterinary teams were forced to deliver care in ways never imagined before. The pet owner and veterinarian relationship became virtual, and looking forward, telemedicine and other online options are expected to become a deciding factor for pet owners when seeking care for their pet and choosing a veterinarian. Mark Cushing , JD, and Deb Leon , CEO and founder of whiskerDocs, will cover this in their session, Telemedicine in the United States : What We've Learned So Far and Next Steps, and Ainsley Bone , DVM, MBA, and John Dillon will also tackle telehealth and technology in Lessons Learned at the Intersection of Telehealth and eCommerce.

, JD, and , CEO and founder of whiskerDocs, will cover this in their session, and , DVM, MBA, and will also tackle telehealth and technology in Millennials, the largest and most active group of pet owners, view their pets as an extension of the family and expect the same quality of care for their animals that they receive for themselves. In COVID-19 Impact and Implications for the Animal Health Industry, Kerry O'Hara , PhD, explores how the undeniable shift in pet owner mindset is changing the way the animal health industry is pivoting to deliver care today and in the future.

Startup Pitch Competition:

Three startup organizations will be preselected to participate in the Startup Exhibit Pitch Competition that will take place August 28. These three finalists will compete for cash prizes totaling $10,000. Click here for criteria and other details: Startup Exhibit Pitch Competition .

For the first time, the Veterinary Innovation Summit and the NAVC Media eCommerce Summit will be held together in Kansas City. Known as the Animal Health Corridor, this region has become the global epicenter for animal health and home to more than 300 animal health companies. For more information and to see the full schedule, please visit the Veterinary Innovation + NAVC Media eCommerce Summit full program . To learn more about the Veterinary Innovation Council, visit https://navc.com/vic .

About the NAVC

The North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and advancing veterinary professionals worldwide. The world's leading provider of veterinary continuing education, the NAVC delivers essential training, tools and resources for veterinary professionals to stay abreast of advances in animal medicine and provide the best medical care for animals everywhere. Through its commitment to innovation and excellence, the NAVC has developed a diverse portfolio of products and services, including: educational events, headlined by VMX, the world's largest, most comprehensive continuing education conference and launchpad for new products and innovations within the veterinary industry; a robust digital platform for virtual learning and engagement; the veterinary industry's largest and award-winning portfolio of trade publications; and an advocacy arm which unites the veterinary community and pet lovers. The NAVC was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Orlando, FL. Since 2017, the NAVC has been recognized annually as one of the Top Workplaces by the Orlando Sentinel. To learn more about the NAVC's products and brands, visit https://navc.com/ . To see our schedule of upcoming events, visit https://navc.com/calendar/ .

SOURCE North American Veterinary Community

Related Links

navc.com


DALLAS, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:J) has received the International Excellence Award from the United Kingdom's Environment Agency Flood & Coast Excellence Awards for the Coastal Resilience Program at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida.

The Flood & Coast Excellence Awards recognize the first phase of work completed at Tyndall Air Force Base to manage flood and coastal risk, build local flood resilience and act on climate change to develop a higher level of mission assurance for the installation. After being severely impacted by Hurricane Michael in October 2018, the base selected Jacobs to develop a coastal resiliency program showing how nature-based solutions can be sustainable and cost-effective. The program quantified present and future environmental impacts to the base incorporating four, scaled-down pilot projects that use nature-based techniques such as rebuilding dunes and using oyster reefs to reduce flooding and erosion.

"We are honored to receive this award highlighting the innovative and cutting-edge work our team has brought to Tyndall and the U.S. Air Force," said Jacobs Federal & Environmental Solutions Senior Vice President and General Manager Tim Byers. "By leveraging our global expertise to deliver these alternatively-financed coastal solutions, we are directly providing social and environmental benefits to the base and surrounding communities for future generations."

As an integral part of the program, the team developed a coastal resilience working group with nationally prominent NGOs, state and community stakeholders as well as a robust community engagement website. The goal of this working group was to explore pathways of collaboration, secure grants to implement the program projects and solicit feedback on the nature-based solutions and pilot projects. These unique tools created opportunities for alternative funding and partnerships with associations like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Florida Department of Environmental Protection. As phase two of the program begins, these partnerships and opportunities will continue to create one-of-a-kind sustainable and resilient approaches that benefit the planet.

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $14 billion in revenue and a talent force of approximately 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related reaction of governments on global and regional market conditions and the company's business. For a description of some additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 2, 2020, and in particular the discussions contained under Item 1 - Business; Item 1A - Risk Factors; Item 3 - Legal Proceedings; and Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended July 2, 2021, and in particular the discussions contained under Part I, Item 2 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations; Part II, Item 1 - Legal Proceedings; and Part II, Item 1A - Risk Factors, as well as the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law.

For press/media inquiries:

Kerrie Sparks

214.583.8433

SOURCE Jacobs

Related Links

http://www.jacobs.com


"We are delighted to reach this exciting milestone, which is a significant step toward fulfilling our commitment to implement this transformative, cutting-edge technology on the vast majority of our finishing farms in multiple states," said Kraig Westerbeek, vice president of Smithfield Renewables for Smithfield Foods. "Our Monarch Bioenergy manure-to-energy projects are making a significant environmental impact and remove 25 times more emissions from the atmosphere than are emitted during the clean energy's end use. Because of this, they are key projects in our Smithfield Renewables portfolio of innovative renewable energy and carbon reduction efforts across our operations."

Construction of the approximately $150 million project officially began in 2014, three years after RAE and Smithfield first had the idea to embark on the joint venture. The proprietary processes that emerged from the project create carbon-negative RNG at a rate of approximately 800,000 dekatherms annually.

In addition to generating renewable energy, the partnership has planted hundreds of acres of prairie grass, providing ecological services and wildlife habitat for monarch butterflies across the state. The companies are also exploring harvesting prairie plants to create biomass for RNG production.

"With perseverance and dedication to our vision we navigated the pathways for swine manure with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the EPA to receive the lowest CI (carbon intensity) scores in the swine industry," said RAE Chairman and CEO Rudi Roeslein. "We are leading the way to improve the industry's environmental footprint and diversify its income stream. This is a blueprint on how to turn challenges into opportunities."

Collectively and independently, the companies have embarked on additional manure-to-energy projects across the country in Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, North Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia. To learn more about the process of converting manure into clean energy visit this link.

The Monarch Bioenergy joint venture supports the companies' respective sustainability goals, including RAE's goal to restore 30 million acres of land to native prairie plants strategically located around waterways, streams, rivers and highly erodible lands and Smithfield's industry-leading goals to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across its entire U.S. value chain by 2030.

More information on RAE's sustainability commitments is available here and information on Smithfield's signature Smithfield Renewables program here.

About Smithfield Foods, Inc.

Headquartered in Smithfield, Va. since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Our 63,000 team members are dedicated to producing "Good food. Responsibly." and have made us one of the world's leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our communities. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield, Eckrich and Nathan's Famous, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Roeslein Alternative Energy, LLC

Roeslein Alternative Energy (RAE) is the owner, operator and developer of renewable energy production facilities that convert agricultural and industrial wastes, along with renewable biomass feedstocks to renewable natural gas and sustainable co-products. RAE engages in these business operations with a focus on incorporating native prairie restoration. RAE is a limited liability company with its principal offices located in St. Louis, Missouri. RAE was launched in 2012 by Rudi Roeslein, co-founder and CEO of St. Louis-based Roeslein and Associates, Inc. (a global leader in engineering, modular fabrication, and construction of industrial plant facilities).

SOURCE Smithfield Foods, Inc.

Related Links

www.smithfieldfoods.com


EAGAN, Minn., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Makana Therapeutics, a subsidiary of Recombinetics Inc., a leading gene editing company with platform technology applied to biomedicine and animal agriculture, announced today the appointment of Kurt A. Dasse, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Dasse will join current Board Members Dr. Joe Tector, Dr. David Largaespada, Peter Hajas and Mark Platt.

Recombinetics Inc

"We are pleased to welcome Dr. Kurt Dasse as a new director to the Makana Therapeutics' board and especially value the dialogue we have had thus far. Dr. Dasse joins Makana Therapeutics at an inspiring time, as we continue to develop and facilitate the future of organ transplantation," said Mark Platt, Makana Therapeutics CEO. In addition, we are confident that our board of directors' skills and experiences, will provide strong guidance as we continue to drive the science and technology forward, and enhance the organization for shareholders and patients alike. We look forward to Dr. Dasse's contribution."

Makana Therapeutics' Board regularly evaluates the company's strategy in bringing to market organ transplantation alternative for human donors. The individuals who comprise the board have been operating in the space for many years and carry the experience necessary to improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Dasse replaces Dr. Cathy Thut, who stepped down from the Makana Therapeutics Board to pursue a new opportunity in the biotech market. "We appreciate Cathy's collaborative approach and are pleased to have worked together to enhance the company's position," said Joe Tector, MD, Ph.D., Founder at Makana Therapeutics. "Makana Therapeutics has immense opportunity to impact the world, and we believe the new Board of Directors will be a significant asset to us. The board and the management team are committed to achieving the goals we have set out for ourselves and look forward to reaching our milestone First in Human Trial as early as the late 2022."

About Kurt Dasse, Ph.D.

Dr. Dasse has spent over thirty years developing and commercializing medical devices and drugs to treat cardiac, respiratory and kidney disorders. He received his doctorate in physiology from Boston University. Dr. Dasse held academic positions at Boston University and Tufts University Schools of Medicine and is currently Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Bioengineering at the University of Louisville Medical School in Louisville, Kentucky. He has written more than 100 journal articles and multiple book chapters and holds 14 issued and 3 pending patents.

He began his commercial experience at Thermedics in 1985 where he conducted research on percutaneous access devices, vascular access devices, vascular grafts and peritoneal dialysis catheters. He was one of the founding officers of the publicly traded company, Thermo Cardioystems (TCI), and played a key role in commercializing the first implantable left ventricular assist systems (HeartMate IP and XVE) for end-stage heart-failure patients. The company went on to develop HeartMate II and HeartMate 3, the market leading left ventricular assist devices used as a bridge to cardiac transplantation and destination therapy. The Company was sold to Thoratec in 2001.

Dr. Dasse was Chief Scientist and Vice President of Thermo Electron Corporation's $700-million Biomedical Group. Thermo Electron held twenty medical companies that focused on developing products for the respiratory, neurodiagnostic, cardiovascular and imaging markets.

He served as Cofounder, President and CEO of Levitronix, a developer and manufacturer of the first generation of MagLev blood pumps for the medical industry including the CentriMag and PediMag devices for adult and pediatric patients. The company also co-developed the MagLev system for HeartMate III (Abbott Laboratories). The medical division of Levitronix was sold to Thoratec Corporation in 2011.

He recently served as CEO of GeNO LLC, developing a combination of products (device and drug) to deliver inhaled nitric oxide for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. He is a member of the National Institutes of Health Executive Committee for the PumpKIN program in overseeing the development of mechanical circulatory support devices for pediatric patients.

Dr. Dasse served as President of ASAIO, a society focused on the development of artificial heart, lung, kidney, and tissue engineering technology, and as a board member of the International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps. He also served on the Technology Advisory Board for Battelle Memorial Institute, and the Scientific Advisory Board of Cardeon with a focus on developing a hypothermia product.

He previously served on the boards of Given Imaging, Afferent Corporation, Levitronix, Endovalve and GeNO LLC. He currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards of BiVACOR and CH Biomedical and as a Director of VADovations, Inspired Therapeutics and Artio specializing in cardiac and renal products. Dr. Dasse is a cofounder and CEO of Inspired Therapeutics and President and Chief Operating Officer of VADovations located in Oklahoma City, OK.

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Dasse and look forward to applying his vast experience in catapulting xenotransplantation forward.

About Makana Therapeutics

Founded in 2009, Makana Therapeutics is focused on developing swine with reduced xenoantigen expression, making human transplantation of cells, tissues, and organs from these animals possible. Makana's focus on simplified genetics, optimized pig cloning techniques, and careful patient selection is expected to streamline product development and result in safer more efficacious products.

Under the scientific leadership of Dr. Joe Tector, Makana Therapeutics has achieved the world's most compelling pre-clinical results in the field of xenotransplantation.

About Recombinetics

Founded in 2008, Recombinetics Inc. is a recognized global leader in the development, deployment, and commercialization of genetically engineered large animals. Its four subsidiaries, Regenevida, Surrogen, Makana, and Acceligen, have delivered hundreds of animals to enable drug, device and therapeutic discovery, generate transplantable cells, tissues and organs, and provide improved health, well-being and productivity in agricultural animals.

Contact: Nikki Rockstroh, [email protected]

https://recombinetics.com/

Media Contact

Nikki Rockstroh

612-727-2000

[email protected]

SOURCE Recombinetics Inc

Related Links

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NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Marcial Velez, CEO of Xperteks is among the honorees on the inaugural Channel Futures DE&I 101 list. The list recognizes individuals from a wide spectrum of multicultural backgrounds who are driving diversity, equity and inclusion in the technology channel through their words, actions and leadership.

Xperteks Xperteks

With a deep commitment to the diversity of its workforce and creating visibility surrounding the benefits of working with companies that reflect diversity, equity, and inclusion, Marcial is passionate about making DE&I a center piece of the company's overall strategy since founding Xperteks in 2001. As a certified Minority Business Enterprise in New York City and New York State, and MBE Supplier for the National Minority Development Council, Xperteks assists large and small corporations achieve their supplier diversity goals through its wide range of technology services.

"Technology changes constantly and being an agent of change to make a better world for all is more than just a noble cause, it's an ongoing mission" said Marcial Velez. "Together with the transformative leaders who have the courage to embrace DE&I practices, we can look forward to promoting innovation & inclusivity. Thank you, Channel Futures, for focusing on the people who are making a difference."

The Channel Futures DE&I 101 list was created to turn a spotlight on the dedicated and determined individuals working to eliminate discrimination in the industry. The need for DE&I has been acknowledged in the information and communications industries for many years.

"The publication of this list represents a milestone for the industry and channel in raising the visibility of individuals who are truly at the center of change in the industry," said Robert DeMarzo, vice president of content, Informa Tech Channels. "These individuals are propelling their organizations forward when it comes to innovation, business growth and customer/supplier connections. The Channel Futures team is proud of its role in bringing this list, spearheaded by Managing Editor Buffy Naylor, to market recognizing such a great group of individuals."

"It's been proven that a diverse workforce can make a company more innovative, productive and profitable," said Kelly Danziger, general manager, Informa Tech Channels. "Our industry is constantly evolving to keep pace with advances in information and communications technologies and the workplace structure. It's essential that the industry and the channel also evolve in step with the workplace demographics. Beyond making good business sense, it's the right thing to do."

About Xperteks

Xperteks Computer Consultancy, Inc. is a Master Technology Services Provider founded in 2001 that provides various technology services in managed IT, network, cloud, windows virtual desktops and cybersecurity management solutions, including server management, technology procurement, and system integration. Xperteks is the ultimate source for any business to access teams of technology experts who will secure, implement, and manage the right technology to increase profitability and gain a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Follow Xperteks: Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Contact:

Alana Veras

Xperteks Computer Consultancy, Inc.

Website: https://www.xperteks.com

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 212-206-6262

SOURCE Xperteks
NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mutual of America Financial Group, a leading provider of retirement and investment services that helps clients and their employees throughout the U.S. plan for a financially secure future, has announced the following executive appointments:

Investments

Stephen J. Rich has been named Chairman and CEO of Mutual of America Capital Management LLC. He will be responsible for overseeing both its fixed income and equity groups with a combined $20 billion in assets under management, as well as a staff of more than 30 professionals. Rich joined the Company in 2004 and most recently served as President and Chief Equity Strategist. He possesses significant experience in and extensive knowledge of investing and the financial markets, having spent more than three decades in the financial sector. He will report to John R. Greed, Chairman, President and CEO of Mutual of America Financial Group.

Joseph R. Gaffoglio, CFA, CPA, has been named President of Mutual of America Capital Management LLC. He will lead a team of 10 professionals, overseeing the Quantitative Research, Asset Allocation, Trading and Administration teams. Gaffoglio has more than two decades of experience in the financial industry. He joined the Company in 2005 as a Senior Vice President and developed a quantitative research platform before moving into portfolio management. Prior to Gaffoglio's current role, he served as Executive Vice President and COO of Mutual of America Capital Management LLC. He will report to Stephen J. Rich, Chairman and CEO of Mutual of America Capital Management LLC.

Marketing

Brian Q. Severin has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. He will be responsible for overseeing all Marketing, Corporate Communications and Sales operations, including the development of new strategic initiatives, products, and services. Severin has more than two decades of experience in group retirement plan sales and marketing. Since joining Mutual of America in 2000, he has helped produce significant growth for the Company's overall client base and sales premium. Severin most recently served as Executive Vice President of the Company's Sales Operations. He will report to John R. Greed, Chairman, President and CEO of Mutual of America Financial Group.

Lisa M. Loughry has been named Executive Vice President of National Accounts. In this capacity she will have overall responsibility for growing and maintaining Mutual of America's National Accounts operations, including a significant focus on six major markets across the U.S. Loughry joined Mutual of America in 2014 and has 14 years of experience in the financial services industry. She will report to Brian Q. Severin, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.

Thomasin R. Mullen has been named Executive Vice President of Corporate and Marketing Communications. Mullen, who has over 20 years of experience in marketing and communications in the financial industry, leads a team of 27 individuals responsible for Strategic Marketing, Corporate Communications, Social Media and Direct Marketing. She joined Mutual of America in 2018 and has overseen significant innovation and growth in the Company's strategic marketing and communications areas. Prior to joining Mutual of America, she led Retirement Marketing Communications at T. Rowe Price. She will report to Brian Q. Severin, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.

Sales

Christopher Bailey, Executive Vice President, Sales Operations now has overall responsibility for growing our well-established regional office sales and distribution channel and related relationships. This includes the oversight of all sales personnel recruiting, training, and professional development and for enhancing our local and centralized services capabilities. Chris continues to report to Brian Q. Severin, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.

James Gober is named Executive Vice President, Western Region and continues to report to Christopher Bailey, Executive Vice President, Sales Operations.

Tyrone A. Golatt is named Executive Vice President, Eastern Region and continues to report to Christopher Bailey, Executive Vice President, Sales Operations.

Ivan B. Gregory is named Executive Vice President, Southern Region and continues to report to Christopher Bailey, Executive Vice President, Sales Operations.

Scott Stankiewicz is named Executive Vice President, Mid-Western Region and continues to report to Christopher Bailey, Executive Vice President, Sales Operations.

Operational

Shannon Moriarty has been named Executive Vice President of Administrative Operations. Moriarty joined Mutual of America in 1997 and has more than two decades of experience in the financial industry. He most recently served as Senior Vice President of Advertising, Direct Response and Telemarketing, where he significantly contributed to the Company's success. Prior to that, he served Field Operations in various capacities in the Dallas, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles regions. He will report to Brian Q. Severin, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.

Corporate

Michelle A. Rozich has been named Executive Vice President, Enterprise Risk Management and Internal Auditor. Rozich, who has 25 years of Auditing and Accounting experience, joined the Company in 2018 to help oversee the increased scope and regulatory complexities of Internal Audit operations. Prior to joining Mutual of America, she was Senior Audit Manager with KPMG LLP, where she directed several National and Global Audit practices. She will report to John R. Greed, Chairman, President and CEO of Mutual of America Financial Group.

About Mutual of America

Mutual of America is a leading provider of retirement and investment services, offering personalized service at a competitive price to help retirement plan participants and individuals build and preserve assets for a financially secure future. Integrity, prudence and reliability are the values that have guided us since our inception in 1945 and that continue to serve us and our customers well. For more information, visit mutualofamerica.com, and connect with us via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Mutual of America

Related Links

https://www.mutualofamerica.com


Provides Update on 2021 Operational Outlook

(All amounts are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated)

TORONTO, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - New Gold Inc. ("New Gold" or the "Company") (TSX: NGD) (NYSE American: NGD) reports second quarter results for the Company as of June 30, 2021. The Company will host a conference call and webcast today at 8:30 am Eastern Time to discuss the second quarter consolidated results and 2021 operational outlook (details are provided at the end of this news release). For detailed information, please refer to the Company's Second Quarter Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) and Financial Statements that are available on the Company's website at www.newgold.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company uses certain non-GAAP financial performance measures throughout this news release. Please refer to the "Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measures" section of this news release and the MD&A for more information.

"The second quarter saw our operations perform well, and the Company remains on track to deliver an improved second half of the year," stated Renaud Adams, President & CEO. "I am especially proud of the free cash flow generated in the quarter even at our planned lower grade. While Rainy River experienced challenges in July, the mine has reached an inflection point and I expect it to contribute meaningful free cash flow going forward."

"During the quarter we continued to advance several key catalysts for the Company's future growth. Development of the decline towards the Intrepid underground ore zone at Rainy River continues to advance ahead of schedule, and C-Zone development at New Afton continues to advance on plan. We continue to seek ways to further optimize the performance at our operations and generate additional value for our shareholders," added Mr. Adams.

Consolidated Second Quarter Highlights

Total production for the quarter was 105,705 gold equivalent 1 ("gold eq.") ounces (66,989 ounces of gold, 240,029 ounces of silver and 18.2 million pounds of copper). For the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 , production was 201,731 gold eq. 1 ounces (133,639 ounces of gold, 427,253 ounces of silver and 32.0 million pounds of copper).

("gold eq.") ounces (66,989 ounces of gold, 240,029 ounces of silver and 18.2 million pounds of copper). For the six-month period ended , production was 201,731 gold eq. ounces (133,639 ounces of gold, 427,253 ounces of silver and 32.0 million pounds of copper). Revenues for the quarter were $198 million .

. Operating expense for the quarter was $913 per gold eq. ounce.

per gold eq. ounce. Total cash costs 2 for the quarter were $977 per gold eq. ounce.

for the quarter were per gold eq. ounce. All-in sustaining costs 2 for the quarter were $1,551 per gold eq. ounce.

for the quarter were per gold eq. ounce. Average realized gold price 2 of $1,817 per ounce and average realized copper price 2 of $4.43 per pound.

of per ounce and average realized copper price of per pound. Net loss for the quarter was $16 million ( $0.02 per share).

( per share). Adjusted net earnings 2 for the quarter were $27 million ( $0.04 per share).

for the quarter were ( per share). Cash generated from operations for the quarter was $110 million ( $0.16 per share). Cash generated from operations for the quarter, before changes in non-cash operating working capital 2 , was $85 million ( $0.12 per share).

( per share). Cash generated from operations for the quarter, before changes in non-cash operating working capital , was ( per share). Free cash flow 2 generated for the quarter was $21 million .

generated for the quarter was . At the end of the quarter, the Company had a cash position of $138 million and a strong liquidity position of $464 million .

2021 Operational Outlook

At Rainy River in the second half of the year, the mine returns to higher-grade areas of the pit (433, HS and ODM zones). However, in July 2021, production was primarily from the eastern area of the ODM zone ("East Lobe") and realized gold grade from this area was below the expected gold grade in this period. East Lobe represents approximately 50% of planned production for the second half of 2021. If realized gold grade continues to track below expected gold grade, it would negatively impact the amount of ounces we expect to produce in the second half of 2021. The extent of the impact is not yet known but there is a risk that Rainy River may not achieve the lower end of its gold equivalent1 production guidance range of 275,000 to 295,000 ounces or the high end of its all-in sustaining costs2 guidance range of $1,125 per gold eq. ounce to $1,225 per gold eq. ounce. Management continues to assess the extent and impact of the lower gold grade from East Lobe, including additional reverse circulation drilling, and intend to provide updated information when available. The remaining high-grade areas that are planned to be mined during the second half of 2021, reconcile well with the resource block model, consistent with historical results.

At New Afton B3 production commenced in June following receipt of the Mines Act Permit on May 25, 2021, and will advance through the second half of the year. With the permit having been received later than anticipated, grades are expected to be lower in the second half of the year and New Afton is reviewing potential changes to its mine plan. As a result, New Afton's gold production is expected to be at the lower end of the guidance range of 52,000 to 62,000 ounces and copper production is expected to be at the mid-point of the guidance range of 56 to 66 million pounds. New Afton is currently on track to meet its gold equivalent1 production guidance range of 165,000 to 195,000 ounces and all-in sustaining costs2 are expected to be at the higher end of the cost range of $1,225 per gold eq. ounce to $1,325 per gold eq. ounce. With current metal prices significantly above reserve pricing, New Afton is evaluating potential for additional short-term extraction opportunities below the current reserve cut-off grades.

Based on current information, the Company is expecting to achieve the lower end of the annual consolidated gold equivalent1 production guidance range of 440,000 to 490,000 ounces and consolidated all-in sustaining costs2 are expected to be at the higher end of the range of $1,230 per gold eq. ounce to $1,330 per gold eq. ounce, although achieving these ranges may be impacted by the extent of the lower gold grade from Rainy River's East Lobe.

Consolidated Financial Highlights



Q2 2021 Q2 2020 H1 2021 H2 2020 Revenue ($M) 198.2 128.5 363.1 270.8 Net (loss) earnings, per share ($) (0.02) (0.07)  (0.11) Adj. net earnings (loss), per share ($)2 0.04  0.05 (0.03) Operating cash flow, per share ($) 0.16 0.08 0.24 0.15 Adj. operating cash flow, per share ($)2 0.12 0.08 0.22 0.15

Revenues for the quarter were $198 million and $363 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 , an increase compared to the prior-year periods due to higher sales volumes and higher gold and copper prices.

and for the six-month period ended , an increase compared to the prior-year periods due to higher sales volumes and higher gold and copper prices. Operating expenses for the quarter and six-month period ended June 30, 2021 , were higher than the prior-year periods due to the strengthening of the Canadian dollar, costs related to the ramp-up of operations at New Afton in the first quarter, and the prior-year benefitting from the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy.

, were higher than the prior-year periods due to the strengthening of the Canadian dollar, costs related to the ramp-up of operations at New Afton in the first quarter, and the prior-year benefitting from the Emergency Wage Subsidy. Net loss for the quarter was $16 million ( $0.02 per share) and net earnings were $1.0 million ($nil per share) for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 , an improvement compared to the prior-year periods primarily due to higher revenue, partially offset by higher operating expenses, the loss on revaluation of the New Afton free cash flow interest obligation, and the loss on the revaluation of investments. Additionally, the prior-year period included an impairment loss on the reclassification of Blackwater as an asset held for sale.

( per share) and net earnings were ($nil per share) for the six-month period ended , an improvement compared to the prior-year periods primarily due to higher revenue, partially offset by higher operating expenses, the loss on revaluation of the New Afton free cash flow interest obligation, and the loss on the revaluation of investments. Additionally, the prior-year period included an impairment loss on the reclassification of Blackwater as an asset held for sale. Adjusted net earnings2 for the quarter were $27 million ( $0.04 per share) and $35 million ( $0.05 per share) for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 , an increase compared to the prior-year periods primarily due to higher revenues partially offset by higher costs.

Consolidated Operational Highlights



Q2 2021 Q2 2020 H1 2021 H1 2020 Gold eq. production (ounces)1 105,705 98,079 201,731 201,514 Gold eq. sold (ounces)1 104,221 91,390 196,039 195,326 Gold production (ounces) 66,989 64,294 133,639 131,084 Gold sold (ounces) 68,184 60,853 131,723 129,626 Copper production (Mlbs) 18.2 16.9 32.0 35.4 Copper sold (Mlbs) 16.9 15.3 30.2 33.0 Average realized gold price, per ounce2 1,817 1,516 1,803 1,485 Average realized copper price, per pound2 4.43 2.51 4.17 2.54 Operating expense, per gold eq. ounce 913 726 964 799 Total cash costs, per gold eq. ounce2 977 773 1,019 849 Depreciation and depletion, per gold eq. ounce 495 445 496 478 All-in sustaining costs, per gold eq. ounce2 1,551 1,283 1,551 1,370 Sustaining capital and sustaining leases ($M)2 49.2 41.1 87.1 90.2 Growth capital ($M)2 33.2 11.4 51.8 30.4

Rainy River

Operational Highlights

Rainy River Mine Q2 2021 Q2 2020 H1 2021 H1 2020 Gold eq. production (ounces)1 55,163 49,633 111,676 100,739 Gold eq. sold (ounces)1 57,304 47,873 110,881 101,411 Gold production (ounces) 52,901 48,800 107,557 99,181 Gold sold (ounces) 55,062 47,064 106,857 99,846 Average realized gold price, per ounce2 1,817 1,514 1,802 1,483 Operating expense, per gold eq. ounce 974 890 989 980 Total cash costs, per gold eq. ounce2 974 890 989 980 Depreciation and depletion, per gold eq. ounce 670 646 653 654 All-in sustaining costs, per gold eq. ounce2 1,524 1,567 1,554 1,666 Sustaining capital and sustaining leases ($M)2 29.8 30.9 59.1 66.6 Growth capital ($M)2 3.7 0.1 5.0 0.2

Operating Key Performance Indicators

Rainy River Mine (Open Pit Mine only) Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Tonnes mined per day (ore and waste) 126,512 145,701 158,638 150,767 158,556 Ore tonnes mined per day 23,101 36,515 42,918 35,681 36,256 Operating waste tonnes per day 72,575 62,818 73,921 65,643 71,124 Capitalized waste tonnes per day 30,836 46,368 41,799 49,442 51,176 Total waste tonnes per day 103,411 109,186 115,720 115,085 122,300 Strip ratio (waste:ore) 4.48 2.99 2.70 3.23 3.37 Tonnes milled per calendar day 23,880 26,998 26,999 26,301 25,349 Gold grade milled (g/t) 0.78 0.88 0.93 0.80 0.82 Gold recovery (%) 89 89 90 89 87 Mill availability (%) 90 90 94 89 88 Gold production (ounces) 48,800 63,004 66,734 54,656 52,901 Gold eq. production (ounces)1 49,633 64,221 68,241 56,513 55,163

Second quarter gold eq. 1 production was 55,163 ounces (52,901 ounces of gold and 162,879 ounces of silver). Lower gold grades were expected during the first half of the year as mining operations were focused on stripping to bring pit walls to the final pit limit. The 11% increase compared to the prior-year period is due to higher tonnes processed and higher gold grades. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 , gold eq. 1 production was 111,676 ounces (107,557 ounces of gold and 296,609 ounces of silver), an increase over the prior-year period due to higher tonnes processed, with the prior-year period including a two-week voluntary shutdown due to COVID-19.

production was 55,163 ounces (52,901 ounces of gold and 162,879 ounces of silver). Lower gold grades were expected during the first half of the year as mining operations were focused on stripping to bring pit walls to the final pit limit. The 11% increase compared to the prior-year period is due to higher tonnes processed and higher gold grades. For the six-month period ended , gold eq. production was 111,676 ounces (107,557 ounces of gold and 296,609 ounces of silver), an increase over the prior-year period due to higher tonnes processed, with the prior-year period including a two-week voluntary shutdown due to COVID-19. Operating expense and total cash costs 2 were $974 per gold eq. ounce for the quarter, an increase over the prior-year period due to the strengthening of the Canadian dollar and the prior-year period benefitting from the Canadian Wage Subsidy. These two items increased costs by approximately $200 per gold eq. ounce in the quarter and were partially offset by improved operational and cost performance, and higher sales volumes. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 , operating expense and total cash costs 2 were $989 per gold eq. ounce, an increase over the prior-year period due to the strengthening of the Canadian dollar, and the receipt of the Canadian Wage Subsidy in the prior-year period.

were per gold eq. ounce for the quarter, an increase over the prior-year period due to the strengthening of the Canadian dollar and the prior-year period benefitting from the Canadian Wage Subsidy. These two items increased costs by approximately per gold eq. ounce in the quarter and were partially offset by improved operational and cost performance, and higher sales volumes. For the six-month period ended , operating expense and total cash costs were per gold eq. ounce, an increase over the prior-year period due to the strengthening of the Canadian dollar, and the receipt of the Canadian Wage Subsidy in the prior-year period. Sustaining capital and sustaining lease 2 payments for the quarter were $30 million , including $14 million of capitalized mining costs. Sustaining capital spend during the quarter primarily included the advancement of the planned annual tailings dam raise and capital maintenance. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 , sustaining capital and sustaining lease 2 payments were $59 million , including $27 million of capitalized mining costs.

payments for the quarter were , including of capitalized mining costs. Sustaining capital spend during the quarter primarily included the advancement of the planned annual tailings dam raise and capital maintenance. For the six-month period ended , sustaining capital and sustaining lease payments were , including of capitalized mining costs. All-in sustaining costs 2 were $1,524 per gold eq. ounce for the quarter, a decrease over the prior-year period primarily due to higher sales volumes partially offset by higher total cash costs. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 , all-in sustaining costs 2 were $1,554 per gold eq. ounce, a decrease over the prior-year period primarily due to higher sales volumes and lower sustaining capital spend.

were per gold eq. ounce for the quarter, a decrease over the prior-year period primarily due to higher sales volumes partially offset by higher total cash costs. For the six-month period ended , all-in sustaining costs were per gold eq. ounce, a decrease over the prior-year period primarily due to higher sales volumes and lower sustaining capital spend. Growth capital 2 for the quarter was $4 million and $5 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 , relating to the development of the underground Intrepid zone. During the quarter, development of the decline towards the Intrepid underground ore zone advanced 616 metres.

for the quarter was and for the six-month period ended , relating to the development of the underground Intrepid zone. During the quarter, development of the decline towards the Intrepid underground ore zone advanced 616 metres. The open pit mine achieved 158,556 tonnes mined per day during the quarter, a 5% increase over the prior quarter, and exceeding the 2021 target of ~151,000 tonnes per day. Approximately 3.3 million ore tonnes and 11.1 million waste tonnes (including 4.7 million capitalized waste tonnes) were mined from the open pit at an average strip ratio of 3.37:1. As planned, during the second half of the year, the strip ratio is expected to decrease.

The mill processed 25,349 tonnes per day for the quarter, lower than the prior period, due to unplanned maintenance activities performed at the mill during the quarter impacting mill availability and operating time. The mill is expected to operate at 27,000 tonnes per day in the second half of the year. The mill continued to process ore directly supplied by the open pit combined with ore from the medium grade stockpile and processed an average grade of 0.82 grams per tonne at a gold recovery of 87%. Mill availability for the quarter averaged 88%.

There are currently no active cases of COVID-19 at the Rainy River Mine. Rainy River has implemented measures to mitigate and limit the spread of COVID-19 to protect the well-being of its employees, contractors, their families, local communities, and other stakeholders. For more information see: http://newgold.com/covid-19/.

New Afton Mine

Operational Highlights

New Afton Mine Q2 2021 Q2 2020 H1 2021 H1 2020 Gold eq. production (ounces)1 50,542 48,446 90,055 100,775 Gold eq. sold (ounces)1 46,917 43,517 85,157 93,915 Gold production (ounces) 14,088 15,494 26,082 31,903 Gold sold (ounces) 13,122 13,789 24,866 29,780 Copper production (Mlbs) 18.2 16.9 32.0 35.4 Copper sold (Mlbs) 16.9 15.3 30.2 33.0 Average realized gold price, per ounce2 1,817 1,520 1,809 1,490 Average realized copper price, per pound2 4.43 2.51 4.17 2.54 Operating expense, per gold eq. ounce 840 545 932 604 Total cash costs, per gold eq. ounce2 981 644 1,058 707 Depreciation and depletion, per gold eq. ounce 274 217 284 280 All-in sustaining costs, per gold eq. ounce2 1,402 881 1,396 962 Sustaining capital and sustaining leases ($M)2 19.1 10.0 27.6 23.4 Growth capital ($M)2 29.5 10.4 46.7 21.2

Operating Key Performance Indicators

New Afton Mine Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Tonnes mined per day (ore and waste) 15,358 17,249 17,259 11,395 15,104 Tonnes milled per calendar day 14,240 15,483 15,358 13,564 13,795 Gold grade milled (g/t) 0.46 0.44 0.46 0.39 0.43 Gold recovery (%) 81 80 79 79 80 Gold production (ounces) 15,494 15,955 16,362 11,994 14,088 Copper grade milled (%) 0.72 0.71 0.73 0.64 0.79 Copper recovery (%) 83 82 81 80 83 Copper production (Mlbs) 16.9 18.2 18.5 13.8 18.2 Mill availability (%) 92 98 99 96 98 Gold eq. production (ounces)1 48,446 51,315 52,326 39,512 50,542

Second quarter gold eq. 1 production was 50,542 ounces (14,088 ounces of gold and 18.2 million pounds of copper). The increase compared to the prior-year period is due to higher copper production as a result of higher copper grades. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 , gold eq. 1 production was 90,055 ounces (26,082 ounces of gold and 32 million pounds of copper), a decrease over the prior-year period due to lower grades and lower throughput.

production was 50,542 ounces (14,088 ounces of gold and 18.2 million pounds of copper). The increase compared to the prior-year period is due to higher copper production as a result of higher copper grades. For the six-month period ended , gold eq. production was 90,055 ounces (26,082 ounces of gold and 32 million pounds of copper), a decrease over the prior-year period due to lower grades and lower throughput. Operating expense and total cash costs 2 were $840 and $981 per gold eq. ounce for the quarter, an increase over the prior-year period due to planned higher costs, the strengthening of the Canadian dollar and the prior-year period benefitting from the Canadian Wage Subsidy. The strengthening of the Canadian dollar and the benefit from the Canadian Wage Subsidy increased costs by approximately $155 per gold eq. ounce in the quarter. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 , operating expense and total cash costs 2 were $932 and $1,058 per gold eq. ounce, an increase over the prior-year period due to the strengthening of the Canadian dollar, the receipt of the Canadian Wage Subsidy in the prior-year period, as well as costs associated with the ramp up of operations following the shutdown of operations in the first quarter of 2021 due to the tragic incident.

were and per gold eq. ounce for the quarter, an increase over the prior-year period due to planned higher costs, the strengthening of the Canadian dollar and the prior-year period benefitting from the Canadian Wage Subsidy. The strengthening of the Canadian dollar and the benefit from the Canadian Wage Subsidy increased costs by approximately per gold eq. ounce in the quarter. For the six-month period ended , operating expense and total cash costs were and per gold eq. ounce, an increase over the prior-year period due to the strengthening of the Canadian dollar, the receipt of the Canadian Wage Subsidy in the prior-year period, as well as costs associated with the ramp up of operations following the shutdown of operations in the first quarter of 2021 due to the tragic incident. Sustaining capital and sustaining lease 2 payments for the quarter were $19 million , primarily related to B3 mine development and the advancement of the planned tailings dam raise. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 , sustaining capital and sustaining lease 2 payments were $28 million .

payments for the quarter were , primarily related to B3 mine development and the advancement of the planned tailings dam raise. For the six-month period ended , sustaining capital and sustaining lease payments were . All-in sustaining costs 2 were $1,402 per gold eq. ounce for the quarter and $1,396 per gold eq. ounce for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 . The increases over the prior-year periods were due to higher total cash costs and sustaining capital spend.

were per gold eq. ounce for the quarter and per gold eq. ounce for the six-month period ended . The increases over the prior-year periods were due to higher total cash costs and sustaining capital spend. Growth capital 2 was $30 million for the quarter, and $47 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 , primarily related to C-Zone development and the thickened and amended tailings project.

was for the quarter, and for the six-month period ended , primarily related to C-Zone development and the thickened and amended tailings project. C-Zone development advanced by approximately 919 metres in the quarter and continues to advance on plan.

The underground mine averaged 15,104 tonnes mined per day for the quarter, higher than the previous quarter, as the mine initiated a safe and secure ramp up of Lift 1, including the West Cave, East Cave and Pillar, to return to pre-incident mining rates.

The mill averaged 13,795 tonnes per day, slightly below the prior-year period, but in-line with the plan to optimize metal recoveries while processing higher grade supergene ore. The mill processed gold grades of 0.43 grams per tonne and higher than expected copper grades of 0.79%, with gold and copper recoveries of 80% and 83%, respectively.

There are currently two active cases of COVID-19 at the New Afton Mine. New Afton has implemented measures to mitigate and limit the spread of COVID-19 to protect the well-being of its employees, contractors, their families, local communities, and other stakeholders. For more information see: http://newgold.com/covid-19/.

The wildfire situation in British Columbia remains active. At this time there has been no impact to operations at New Afton or to the supply chain. New Afton has an active fire management plan in place, and a number of precautionary measures have been implemented in the event the risk to our employees, contractors, communities and infrastructure increases considerably. Our priority remains the health, safety, and wellbeing of our employees, contractors and communities. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will follow protocols and procedures established by the B.C. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

Sustainability and ESG

New Gold has four sustainability focus areas: Indigenous Peoples, Tailings Management, Water and Climate. New Gold has adapted its sustainability efforts to align with the most pressing ESG issues facing the Company and the mining industry. As such, our ESG approach continues to prioritize the health, safety, and well-being of our people and the people in the communities in which we operate. The protection of our people is central to our success as we believe people are our greatest asset. New Gold is committed to providing training, opportunities, and progression paths for our teams, and we actively seek to ensure that we promote diversity within our teams at all levels of the organization. We have adopted an approach to execute on our sustainability strategy that aligns with ESG reporting standards.

Second Quarter 2021 Conference Call and Webcast

The Company will host a webcast and conference call today at 8:30 am Eastern Time to discuss the Company's second quarter consolidated results and 2021 operational outlook.

Participants may listen to the webcast by registering on our website at www.newgold.com or via the following link https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1479944&tp_key=e9367fef15

Participants may also listen to the conference call by calling North American toll free 1-888-664-6383, or 1-416-764-8650 outside of the U.S. and Canada , passcode 26663480.

, passcode 26663480. A recorded playback of the conference call will be available until September 11, 2021 by calling North American toll free 1-888-390-0541, or 1-416-764-8677 outside of the U.S. and Canada , passcode 663480. An archived webcast will also be available at www.newgold.com.

About New Gold

New Gold is a Canadian-focused intermediate mining Company with a portfolio of two core producing assets in Canada, the Rainy River gold mine and the New Afton copper-gold mine. The Company also holds an 8% gold stream on the Artemis Gold Blackwater project located in Canada, a 6% equity stake in Artemis Gold Inc., and other Canadian-focused investments. New Gold's vision is to build a leading diversified intermediate gold company based in Canada that is committed to environment and social responsibility. For further information on the Company, visit www.newgold.com .

Endnotes

1. Total gold eq. ounces include silver and copper produced/sold converted to a gold eq. based on a ratio of $1,800 per gold ounce, $25.00 per silver ounce and $3.50 per copper pound used for 2021 guidance estimates. All copper is produced/sold by the New Afton Mine. Gold eq. ounces for Rainy River in Q2 2021 includes production of 162,879 ounces of silver (161,472 ounces sold) converted to a gold eq. based on a ratio of $1,800 per gold ounce and $25.00 per silver ounce used for 2021 guidance estimates. Gold eq. ounces for New Afton in Q2 2021 includes 18.2 million pounds of copper produced (16.9 million pounds sold) and 77,150 ounces of silver produced 67,888 ounces of silver sold) converted to a gold eq. based on a ratio of $1,800 per gold ounce, 3.50 per copper pound and $25.00 per silver ounce used for 2021 guidance estimates.



2. "Total cash costs", "all-in sustaining costs", "adjusted net earnings/(loss)", "sustaining capital and sustaining leases", "growth capital", "cash generated from operations", "free cash flow" and "average realized gold/copper price per ounce/pound" are all non-GAAP financial performance measures that are used in this press release. These measures do not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. For more information about these measures, why they are used by the Company, and a reconciliation to the most directly comparable measure under IFRS, see the "Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measures" section of this news release.

Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measures

Total Cash Costs per Gold eq. Ounce

"Total cash costs per gold equivalent ounce" is a non-GAAP financial performance measure that is a common financial performance measure in the gold mining industry but does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. New Gold reports total cash costs on a sales basis and not on a production basis. The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, this measure, along with sales, is a key indicator of the Company's ability to generate operating earnings and cash flow from its mining operations. This measure allows investors to better evaluate corporate performance and the Company's ability to generate liquidity through operating cash flow to fund future capital exploration and working capital needs.

This measure is intended to provide additional information only and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. This measure is not necessarily indicative of cash generated from operations under IFRS or operating costs presented under IFRS.

Total cash cost figures are calculated in accordance with a standard developed by The Gold Institute, a worldwide association of suppliers of gold and gold products that ceased operations in 2002. Adoption of the standard is voluntary and the cost measures presented may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Total cash costs include mine site operating costs such as mining, processing and administration costs, royalties, production taxes, but are exclusive of amortization, reclamation, capital and exploration costs. Total cash costs are then divided by gold equivalent ounces sold to arrive at the total cash costs per equivalent ounce sold.

In addition to gold the Company produces copper and silver. Gold equivalent ounces of copper and silver produced or sold in a quarter are computed using a consistent ratio of copper and silver prices to the gold price and multiplying this ratio by the pounds of copper and silver ounces produced or sold during that quarter.

Notwithstanding the impact of copper and silver sales, as the Company is focused on gold production, New Gold aims to assess the economic results of its operations in relation to gold, which is the primary driver of New Gold's business. New Gold believes this metric is of interest to its investors, who invest in the Company primarily as a gold mining business. To determine the relevant costs associated with gold equivalent ounces, New Gold believes it is appropriate to reflect all operating costs incurred in its operations.

All-In Sustaining Costs per Gold eq. Ounce

"All-in sustaining costs per gold equivalent ounce" is a non-GAAP financial performance measure that does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. New Gold calculates "all-in sustaining costs per gold equivalent ounce" based on guidance announced by the World Gold Council ("WGC") in September 2013. The WGC is a non-profit association of the world's leading gold mining companies established in 1987 to promote the use of gold to industry, consumers and investors. The WGC is not a regulatory body and does not have the authority to develop accounting standards or disclosure requirements. The WGC has worked with its member companies to develop a measure that expands on IFRS measures to provide visibility into the economics of a gold mining company. Current IFRS measures used in the gold industry, such as operating expenses, do not capture all of the expenditures incurred to discover, develop and sustain gold production. New Gold believes that "all-in sustaining costs per gold equivalent ounce" provides further transparency into costs associated with producing gold and will assist analysts, investors, and other stakeholders of the Company in assessing its operating performance, its ability to generate free cash flow from current operations and its overall value. In addition, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors uses "all-in sustaining costs", together with other measures, in its Company scorecard to set incentive compensation goals and assess performance.

"All-in sustaining costs per gold equivalent ounce" is intended to provide additional information only and does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other mining companies. It should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The measure is not necessarily indicative of cash flow from operations under IFRS or operating costs presented under IFRS.

New Gold defines "all-in sustaining costs per gold equivalent ounce" as the sum of total cash costs, net capital expenditures that are sustaining in nature, corporate general and administrative costs, capitalized and expensed exploration that is sustaining in nature, lease payments that are sustaining in nature, and environmental reclamation costs, all divided by the total gold equivalent ounces sold to arrive at a per ounce figure. The "Sustaining Capital Expenditure Reconciliation" table below reconciles New Gold's sustaining capital to its cash flow statement. The definition of sustaining versus non-sustaining is similarly applied to capitalized and expensed exploration costs and lease payments. Exploration costs and lease payments to develop new operations or that relate to major projects at existing operations where these projects are expected to materially increase production are classified as non-sustaining and are excluded. Gold equivalent ounces of copper and silver produced or sold in a quarter are computed using a consistent ratio of copper and silver prices to the gold price and multiplying this ratio by the pounds of copper and silver ounces produced or sold during that quarter.

Costs excluded from all-in sustaining costs are non-sustaining capital expenditures, non-sustaining lease payments and exploration costs, financing costs, tax expense, and transaction costs associated with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, and any items that are deducted for the purposes of adjusted earnings.

Sustaining Capital and Sustaining Leases

"Sustaining capital" and "sustaining lease" are non-GAAP financial performance measures that do not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. New Gold defines "sustaining capital" as net capital expenditures that are intended to maintain operation of its gold producing assets. Similarly, a "sustaining lease" is a lease payment that is sustaining in nature. To determine "sustaining capital" expenditures, New Gold uses cash flow related to mining interests from its statement of cash flows and deducts any expenditures that are capital expenditures to develop new operations or capital expenditures related to major projects at existing operations where these projects will materially increase production. Management uses "sustaining capital" and "sustaining lease", to understand the aggregate net result of the drivers of all-in sustaining costs other than total cash costs. These measures are intended to provide additional information only and should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.

Growth Capital

"Growth capital" is a non-GAAP financial performance measure that does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. New Gold considers non-sustaining capital costs to be "growth capital", which are capital expenditures to develop new operations or capital expenditures related to major projects at existing operations where these projects will materially increase production. To determine "growth capital" expenditures, New Gold uses cash flow related to mining interests from its statement of cash flows and deducts any expenditures that are capital expenditures that are intended to maintain operation of its gold producing assets. Management uses "growth capital" to understand the cost to develop new operations or related to major projects at existing operations where these projects will materially increase production. This measure is intended to provide additional information only and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.

The following tables reconcile the above non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable IFRS measure on an aggregate basis.

Consolidated OPEX, Cash Cost and All-in Sustaining Costs Reconciliation



Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30 (in millions of U.S. dollars, except where noted) 2021 2020 2021 2020 CONSOLIDATED OPEX, CASH COST AND ALL-IN SUSTAINING COSTS RECONCILIATION







Operating expenses 95.2 66.2 189.1 155.9 Gold equivalent ounces sold1 104,221 91,390 196,039 195,326 Operating expenses per gold equivalent ounce sold ($/ounce) 913 726 964 799 Operating expenses 95.2 66.2 189.1 155.9 Treatment and refining charges on concentrate sales 6.7 4.3 10.8 9.7 Total cash costs 101.9 70.5 199.8 165.6 Gold equivalent ounces sold1 104,221 91,390 196,039 195,326 Total cash costs per gold equivalent ounce sold ($/ounce)2 977 773 1,019 849 Sustaining capital expenditures2 46.5 38.7 81.7 85 Sustaining exploration - expensed 0.1 -0.2 0.3 -0.2 Sustaining leases2 2.7 2.4 5.4 5.2 Corporate G&A including share-based compensation 8.2 3.9 12 8.1 Reclamation expenses 2.4 1.8 4.7 3.6 Total all-in sustaining costs 161.7 117.1 304 267.4 Gold equivalent ounces sold1 104,221 91,390 196,039 195,326 All-in sustaining costs per gold equivalent ounce sold ($/ounce)2 1,551 1,283 1,551 1,370

Sustaining Capital Expenditures Reconciliation Table



Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30 (in millions of U.S. dollars, except where noted) 2021 2020 2021 2020 TOTAL SUSTAINING CAPITAL EXPENDITURES







Mining interests per statement of cash flows 79.9 50.2 133.8 115.5 New Afton growth capital expenditures (29.5) (10.4) (46.7) (21.2) Rainy River growth capital expenditures (3.7) (0.1) (5.0) (0.2) Blackwater growth capital expenditures  (0.9)  (9.0) Sustaining capital expenditures 46.7 38.8 82.1 85.1

Adjusted Net Earnings/(Loss)

"Adjusted net earnings" and "adjusted net earnings per share" are non-GAAP financial performance measures that do not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. "Adjusted net earnings" and "adjusted net earnings per share" exclude the following from net earnings: Inventory write downs, Items included in "Other gains and losses" as per Note 3 of the Company's consolidated financial statements; and Certain non-recurring items. Net earnings have been adjusted, including the associated tax impact, for the group of costs in "Other gains and losses" on the condensed consolidated income statements. Key entries in this grouping are: the fair value changes for the gold stream obligation; fair value changes for the free cash flow interest obligation; the gold and copper option contracts; foreign exchange forward contracts; foreign exchange gain or loss, loss on disposal of assets and fair value changes in investments. The income tax adjustments reflect the tax impact of the above adjustments.

The Company uses "adjusted net earnings" for its own internal purposes. Management's internal budgets and forecasts and public guidance do not reflect the items which have been excluded from the determination of "adjusted net earnings". Consequently, the presentation of "adjusted net earnings" enables investors to better understand the underlying operating performance of the Company's core mining business through the eyes of management. Management periodically evaluates the components of "adjusted net earnings" based on an internal assessment of performance measures that are useful for evaluating the operating performance of New Gold's business and a review of the non-GAAP financial performance measures used by mining industry analysts and other mining companies. "Adjusted net earnings" and "adjusted net earnings per share" are intended to provide additional information only and should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. These measures are not necessarily indicative of operating profit or cash flows from operations as determined under IFRS. The following table reconciles these non-GAAP financial performance measures to the most directly comparable IFRS measure.



Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30 (in millions of U.S. dollars, except where noted) 2021 2020 2021 2020 ADJUSTED NET EARNINGS (LOSS) RECONCILIATION







Earnings (loss) before taxes (10.6) (53.6) 8.4 (76.7) Other (gains) losses 42.8 56.5 34.1 60.4 Inventory write-down  (3.0)   Adjusted net earnings (loss) before taxes 32.2 (0.1) 42.5 (16.3) Income tax (expense) recovery (5.2) 8.0 (7.4) 2.8 Income tax adjustments (0.3) (11.2)  (7.6) Adjusted income tax (expense) recovery (5.5) (3.2) (7.7) (4.8) Adjusted net earnings (loss)2 26.7 (3.3) 34.8 (21.1) Adjusted earnings (loss) per share (basic and diluted)2 0.04  0.05 (0.03)

Cash Generated from Operations, before Changes in Non-Cash Operating Working Capital

"Cash generated from operations, before changes in non-cash operating working capital" is a non-GAAP financial performance measure that does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Other companies may calculate this measure differently and this measure is unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. "Cash generated from operations, before changes in non-cash operating working capital" excludes changes in non-cash operating working capital. New Gold believes this non-GAAP financial measure provides further transparency and assists analysts, investors and other stakeholders of the Company in assessing the Company's ability to generate cash from its operations before temporary working capital changes.

Cash generated from operations, before non-cash changes in working capital is intended to provide additional information only and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. This measure is not necessarily indicative of operating profit or cash flows from operations as determined under IFRS. The following table reconciles this non-GAAP financial performance measure to the most directly comparable IFRS measure.



Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30 (in millions of U.S. dollars) 2021 2020 2021 2020 CASH RECONCILIATION







Cash generated from operations 110.3 52.8 163.7 104.1 Change in non-cash operating working capital (25.6) (1.2) (15.2) (5.4) Cash generated from operations, before changes in non-cash operating working capital2 84.7 51.6 148.5 98.7

Free Cash Flow

"Free cash flow" is a non-GAAP financial performance measure that does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. New Gold defines "free cash flow" as cash generated from operations and proceeds of sale of other assets less capital expenditures on mining interests, lease payments, settlement of non-current derivative financial liabilities which include the gold stream obligation and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan free cash flow interest. New Gold believes this non-GAAP financial performance measure provides further transparency and assists analysts, investors and other stakeholders of the Company in assessing the Company's ability to generate cash flow from current operations. "Free cash flow" is intended to provide additional information only and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. This measure is not necessarily indicative of operating profit or cash flows from operations as determined under IFRS. The following tables reconcile this non-GAAP financial performance measure to the most directly comparable IFRS measure on an aggregate and mine-by-mine basis.



Three months ended June 30, 2021 (in millions of U.S. dollars) Rainy River New Afton Other Total FREE CASH FLOW RECONCILIATION







Cash generated from operations 63.3 55.4 (8.4) 110.3 Less Mining interest capital expenditures (31.4) (48.5) (0.1) (80.0) Add Proceeds of sale from other assets 0.3   0.3 Less Lease payments (2.4) (0.1) (0.2) (2.7) Less Cash settlement of non-current derivative financial liabilities (6.5)   (6.5) Free Cash Flow 23.3 6.8 (8.7) 21.4

Average Realized Price

"Average realized price per ounce of gold sold" is a non-GAAP financial performance measure that does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Other companies may calculate this measure differently and this measure is unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Management uses this measure to better understand the price realized in each reporting period for gold sales. "Average realized price per ounce of gold sold" is intended to provide additional information only and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The following tables reconcile this non-GAAP financial performance measure to the most directly comparable IFRS measure on an aggregate and mine-by-mine basis.



Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30 (in millions of U.S. dollars, except where noted) 2021 2020 2021 2020 TOTAL AVERAGE REALIZED PRICE







Revenue from gold sales 121.9 91.1 234.3 189.7 Treatment and refining charges on gold concentrate sales 1.6 1.5 2.8 3.3 Gross revenue from gold sales 123.5 92.6 237.1 193.0 Gold ounces sold 68,184 60,853 131,723 129,626 Total average realized price per gold ounce sold ($/ounce)2 1,817 1,516 1,803 1,485

For additional information with respect to the non-GAAP measures used by the Company refer to the detailed non-GAAP performance measure disclosure in the MD&A for the three months ended June 30, 2021 filed at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this news release, including any information relating to New Gold's future financial or operating performance are "forward-looking". All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, which address events, results, outcomes or developments that New Gold 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 use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "targeted", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "projects", "potential", "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation of such terms. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements with respect to: the Company's plans regarding the release of its second quarter 2021 financial results and the timing and details of its conference call and webcast relating thereto; expectations regarding the second half of the year; the expected free cash flow to be generated at Rainy River as well as increase in grades through the remainder of 2021; the development of the decline towards the Intrepid underground ore zone at Rainy River and the C-Zone at New Afton; the Company's aim to find ways to optimize the performance at its operations and generate additional value for shareholders; the Company's expectations regarding production and all-in sustaining costs at New Afton and Rainy River as well as on a consolidated basis; the mining of the East Lobe and the grade expected to be mined in the East Lobe in the second half of 2021, the risks relating to the actual grade mined compared to the expected grade to be mined in the East Lobe including its risk to the company achieving its guidance at Rainy River and on a corporate level and the Company's plans to provide updated information when available; the anticipated decrease in the strip ratio at Rainy River during the second half of the year; the expected daily operating capacity of the mill in the second half of the year; the current and anticipated trajectory with respect to gold equivalent production guidance range at Rainy River and New Afton and on an annual consolidated basis; the Company's plans to optimize metal recoveries at New Afton; the Company's planned advancement of B3 production through the second half of the year; expectations regarding lower grades at New Afton during the second half of the year; the potential for additional short-term extraction opportunities at New Afton; and the Company's plans relating to its ESG approach.

All forward-looking statements in this news release are based on the opinions and estimates of management that, while considered reasonable as at the date of this press release in light of management's experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, are inherently subject to important risk factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond New Gold's ability to control or predict. Certain material assumptions regarding such forward-looking statements are discussed in this news release, New Gold's latest annual management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A"), its most recent annual information form and technical reports on the Rainy River Mine and New Afton Mine filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. In addition to, and subject to, such assumptions discussed in more detail elsewhere, the forward-looking statements in this news release are also subject to the following assumptions: (1) there being no significant disruptions affecting New Gold's operations other than as set out herein; (2) political and legal developments in jurisdictions where New Gold operates, or may in the future operate, being consistent with New Gold's current expectations; (3) the accuracy of New Gold's current mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates and the grade of gold, silver and copper expected to be mined; (4) the exchange rate between the Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar, and to a lesser extent, the Mexican Peso, being approximately consistent with current levels; (5) prices for diesel, natural gas, fuel oil, electricity and other key supplies being approximately consistent with current levels; (6) equipment, labour and materials costs increasing on a basis consistent with New Gold's current expectations; (7) arrangements with First Nations and other Aboriginal groups in respect of the New Afton Mine and Rainy River Mine being consistent with New Gold's current expectations; (8) all required permits, licenses and authorizations being obtained from the relevant governments and other relevant stakeholders within the expected timelines; (9) there being no significant disruptions to the Company's workforce at either the Rainy River or New Afton Mine due to cases of COVID-19 or any required self-isolation requirements (due, among other things, to cross-border travel to the United States or any other country); (10) the responses of the relevant governments to the COVID-19 outbreak being sufficient to contain the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak; (11) there being no material disruption to the Company's supply chains and workforce that would interfere with the Company's anticipated course of action at the Rainy River Mine and the systematic ramp-up of operations; (12) the long-term economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak not having a material adverse impact on the Company's operations or liquidity position; and (13) Artemis Gold Inc. being able to complete the remaining C$50 million cash payment due on August 24, 2021 for the acquisition of the Blackwater project.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation: significant capital requirements and the availability and management of capital resources; additional funding requirements; price volatility in the spot and forward markets for metals and other commodities; fluctuations in the international currency markets and in the rates of exchange of the currencies of Canada, the United States and, to a lesser extent, Mexico; volatility in the market price of the Company's securities; hedging and investment related risks; dependence on the Rainy River Mine and New Afton Mine; discrepancies between actual and estimated production, between actual and estimated mineral reserves and mineral resources and between actual and estimated metallurgical recoveries; risks related to early production at the Rainy River Mine, including failure of equipment, machinery, the process circuit or other processes to perform as designed or intended; risks related to construction, including changing costs and timelines; adequate infrastructure; fluctuation in treatment and refining charges; changes in national and local government legislation in Canada, the United States and, to a lesser extent, Mexico or any other country in which New Gold currently or may in the future carry on business; global economic and financial conditions; risks relating to New Gold's debt and liquidity; the adequacy of internal and disclosure controls; taxation; impairment; conflicts of interest; risks relating to climate change; controls, regulations and political or economic developments in the countries in which New Gold does or may carry on business; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, including the risks of obtaining and maintaining the validity and enforceability of the necessary licenses and permits and complying with the permitting requirements of each jurisdiction in which New Gold operates; the lack of certainty with respect to foreign legal systems, which may not be immune from the influence of political pressure, corruption or other factors that are inconsistent with the rule of law; the uncertainties inherent to current and future legal challenges New Gold is or may become a party to; risks relating to proposed acquisitions and the integration thereof; information systems security threats; diminishing quantities or grades of mineral reserves and mineral resources; competition; loss of, or inability to attract, key employees; rising costs of labour, supplies, fuel and equipment; actual results of current exploration or reclamation activities; uncertainties inherent to mining economic studies; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; accidents; labour disputes; defective title to mineral claims or property or contests over claims to mineral properties; unexpected delays and costs inherent to consulting and accommodating rights of Indigenous groups; risks, uncertainties and unanticipated delays associated with obtaining and maintaining necessary licenses, permits and authorizations and complying with permitting requirements; disruptions to the Company's workforce at either the Rainy River Mine or the New Afton Mine, or both, due to cases of COVID-19 or any required self-isolation (due to cross-border travel, exposure to a case of COVID-19 or otherwise); the responses of the relevant governments to the COVID-19 outbreak not being sufficient to contain the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak; disruptions to the Company's supply chain and workforce due to the COVID-19 outbreak; an economic recession or downturn as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak that materially adversely affects the Company's operations or liquidity position; there being further shutdowns at the Rainy River or New Afton Mines; the Company not being able to complete its construction projects at the Rainy River Mine or the New Afton Mines on the anticipated timeline or at all; the Company not being able to complete the exploration drilling program to be launched at the Rainy River Mine and Cherry Creek on the anticipated timeline or at all; Artemis Gold Inc. not being able to make the remaining C$50 million cash payment due in connection with its acquisition of the Blackwater Project on August 24, 2021. In addition, there are risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining, including environmental events and hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins, flooding and gold bullion losses (and the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance to cover these risks) as well as "Risk Factors" included in New Gold's most recent annual information form, MD&A and other disclosure documents filed on and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Forward looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results and future events could materially differ from those anticipated in such statements. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements. New Gold expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Technical Information

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Eric Vinet, Senior Vice President, Operations of New Gold. Mr. Vinet is a Professional Engineer and member of the Ordre des ingenieurs du Quebec. He is a "Qualified Person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

SOURCE New Gold Inc.

Related Links

https://www.newgold.com/


QUEBEC, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Zilia, a Quebec-based company developing medical technologies for the assessment of biomarkers in the eye, announced today the closing of a $4 million seed funding round led by Anges Quebec. In this round, Zilia notably received support from the Government of Quebec through its new program, Impulsion PME, administered by Investissement Quebec as a government agent.

This funding round, which was also supported by other investors, will enable Zilia to complete the regulatory approval process for the clinical launch of its first product, Zilia Ocular, the first retinal camera to measure oxygen saturation in the eye. This revolutionary technology aims to enable early diagnosis and better management of many ocular diseases.

"With this investment, we are one step closer to our goal of helping save the sight and improve the health of millions of people," said Patrick Sauvageau, co-founder and CEO of Zilia. "This influx of capital will allow us to enter the clinical market and have a major impact on clinical prognosis, healthcare costs and patient quality of life."

"The Impulsion PME program is designed to propel the growth and innovation of high-potential companies like Zilia. As a result, access to investment capital should no longer be an issue for them at the start-up stage. With our support, Zilia will pursue the development of promising technologies in the health sector. Its advances have the potential to generate significant medical and economic benefits in Quebec," Lucie Lecours, Minister for the Economy, pointed out.

"Your government wants to encourage the development of innovative and promising companies like Zilia. The Capitale-Nationale will also allow Zilia to grow and benefit from a stimulating life sciences business environment that is conducive to the success of its projects," said Genevieve Guilbault, Deputy Premier, Minister of Public Security and Minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale Region.

"Zilia is a homegrown company that fits perfectly with our investment approach," stated Genevieve Tanguay, CEO of Anges Quebec. "We were impressed with the talent of its team, the strong growth potential, but also by the immense positive impact its technology can have on people's health. It is for these reasons that our members decided to invest and, by the same token, to name Zilia our investment of the year."

More than 2.2 billion people worldwide are visually impaired, and this situation is likely to worsen dramatically by 2050 as the proportion of the World's population aged 65 or older is expected to double. In this context, the ability to diagnose ocular diseases early and better manage them is a critical clinical need.

About Zilia

Zilia has developed the world's only retinal camera to measure oxygen saturation in the eye, a crucial biomarker in ocular diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. This groundbreaking technology is bound to redefine the way we prevent, diagnose, and treat these potentially blinding diseases. In addition, because the eye is a unique window into a person's health, Zilia's platform technology can be adapted to assess a vast array of biomarkers present in the eye, paving the way for other applications in neurology, cardiology, oncology, and more.

https://ziliahealth.com

About Anges Quebec

Thanks to the strength and diversity of its network, Anges Quebec strategically accompanies angel investors and passionate and innovative entrepreneurs in their international ambitions. Founded in 2008, Anges Quebec has over 230 members who have so far invested over $117 million in more than 157 Quebec high growth potential companies, positioning itself as a leader in the Quebec venture capital industry.

https://angesquebec.com/

About Investissement Quebec

Investissement Quebec's mission is to play an active role in Quebec's economic development by spurring business innovation, entrepreneurship and business acquisitions, as well as growth in investment and exports. Operating in all the province's administrative regions, the Corporation supports the creation and growth of businesses of all sizes with investments and customized financial solutions. It also assists businesses by providing consulting services and other support measures, including technological assistance available from Investissement Quebec  CRIQ. In addition, through Investissement Quebec International, the Corporation also prospects for talent and foreign investment and assists businesses with export activities.

https://www.investquebec.com/

SOURCE Zilia
BEIJING, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 9, 2021, Beijing time, Beijing Oriental Yuhong Waterproof Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Oriental Yuhong") released its mid-year report for 2021. According to the report, the company generated an operating revenue of RMB14.229 billion during the reporting period, a 62.01% increase compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. The net profit attributable to the listed company was approximately RMB1.537 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 40.14%, and the earnings per share was RMB0.64, a year-on-year increase of 25.49%.

During the reporting period, the operating revenue and profit of Oriental Yuhong continued to grow. The growth in operating revenue was mainly attributable to the smooth expansion of the company's businesses, the sales growth of main products, and the increase in the scale of material sales and construction services. In terms of operating revenue structure, sales of waterproof materials and waterproofing construction together accounted for 92.05%, of which 82% from the sales of waterproof materials and 10.05% from waterproofing construction; in terms of products, waterproof coiled materials accounted for 49.37% of the operating revenue, and waterproof coatings accounted for 32.63%.

In the first half of the year, Oriental Yuhong completed a RMB8 billion private placement, continued to expand its production capacity and industry chain, implemented the integrated strategic reform, and promoted the localization of sales channels. The company has taken a combination of measures to increase its market share and competitiveness, continuously improved its operating revenue structure, and further consolidated its position as a leading "construction materials system service provider". As of early August, Huatai Securities, Everbright Securities, CICC (China International Capital Corporation Limited), Minsheng Securities, Huachuang Securities and other institutions have successively issued research reports, and gave Oriental Yuhong positive ratings such as "buy", "recommended", "outperform" and "strongly recommended". These institutions are optimistic about the growth potential brought by Oriental Yuhong's strategies such as integrated reform and expansion of business scope in the context of accelerated integration in the industry.

Since its establishment, Oriental Yuhong has provided high-quality and full-fledged building materials system solutions for the development of major infrastructure projects, industrial, civil and commercial buildings, and has been committed to solving problems of the industry such as uneven quality of waterproof construction, high leakage rate in buildings and subsequent potential construction safety hazards. With more than 20 years of experience in the construction materials industry, the company has been transformed and upgraded to an industry leader in terms of R&D capabilities, process and equipment, applied technology, sales models, professional system service capability and brand influence. It has become a competitive and growing enterprise in the international market with an outstanding position in the industry. Going through several development cycles of the industry, the company has been able to adjust its strategy in a timely manner according to the prevailing trend. At the same time, through years of operation in the market, the company has accumulated profound channel resources in, among others, retail, direct sales and construction channels. Starting from 2020, the company has explored local project resources through refined management and localized operation. With these efforts, in combination with the new round of intensive development of production bases, the company has been able to quickly increase its penetration and coverage in different regional markets.

During the reporting period, Oriental Yuhong established a joint lab with SINOPEC Yanshan Petrochemical Company (Yanshan Petrochemical) and signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd. (Wanhua Chemical), etc. The establishment of the joint lab with Yanshan Petrochemical will allow both parties to make joint innovation efforts through joint research and cooperation projects, to continuously develop and apply new products, and to exploit their combined strength in research, production and marketing. The strategic cooperation with Wanhua Chemical will, on the one hand, help the company to lower the procurement cost of raw materials and improve profitability, and will, on the other hand, be conducive to improving the company's product innovation and R&D capability.

Looking into the future, Oriental Yuhong is leading the market with technology, initiating industrial revolution with innovative models, providing customers with high-quality, professional and full-fledged system solutions and building a one-stop system service platform based on high-quality products and professional system services. The company will continue to build itself into an excellent construction materials system service provider and be committed to becoming the most valuable enterprise in the global building materials industry.

About Oriental Yuhong

In 1995, Oriental Yuhong started its business in the building waterproofing industry. In more than two decades, Oriental Yuhong has provided high-quality and full-fledged building materials system solutions for the development of major infrastructure projects, industrial, civil and commercial buildings. The company has invested in a wide range of areas such as building waterproofing, building coatings and powder materials, nonwoven fabrics, thermal insulation and energy saving, building repair, mortar powder and special-purpose membrane. Oriental Yuhong holds more than 50 subsidiaries, including Shanghai Oriental Yuhong, Hong Kong Oriental Yuhong, and Oriental Yuhong North America Co., Ltd., and has set up more than 30 production/R&D/logistics bases in China.

SOURCE Beijing Oriental Yuhong Waterproof Technology Co., Ltd.

Related Links

www.yuhong.com.cn


STOCKHOLM, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Photocure ASA (OSE:PHO) today reported Hexvix/Cysview revenues of NOK 88.9 million in the second quarter of 2021 (Q2 2020: NOK 53.5), and EBITDA of NOK 5.8 million (NOK -8.9 million), driven by growth in the U.S. segment and the continued successful launch in European markets reacquired in 2020. Despite business challenges due to ongoing surges of Covid-19 and its variants in certain territories, Photocure plans to increase investment in commercial activities in the second half of 2021 to capitalize on improving access to care and to further penetrate the large potential market opportunity for Hexvix/Cysview in its direct global markets.

"Photocure achieved year over year Hexvix/Cysview revenue growth of 66% in the second quarter of 2021, driven by a recovery from the comparable period in 2020 when Covid-19 first surged, our reacquisition of the Hexvix business in continental Europe, and our ability to capitalize on improving healthcare access in several of our commercial territories. Excluding the impact of negative foreign exchange, product sales were up 87% over the second quarter last year. We continued to increase our penetration into the bladder cancer treatment market, with U.S. unit volume rising 19% sequentially, from the first quarter to the second quarter of this year. In May, we achieved the highest number of units ever sold per month in our U.S. business, and in Europe, unit volume in the second quarter nearly returned to the same level seen in the 2019 period, with renewed sales activity in priority growth markets such as France and the UK," says Daniel Schneider, President & Chief Executive Officer of Photocure.

Photocure reported total group revenues of NOK 90.4 million in the second quarter of 2021 (NOK 53.7 million), and an EBITDA* of NOK 5.8 million (NOK -8.9 million). Hexvix/Cysview revenues were NOK 88.9 million (NOK 53.5 million) following the successful transition of the reacquired European territories and unit sales growth of 53% in the U.S. EBIT ended at NOK -0.2 million (NOK -14.2 million) and the cash balance at the end of the second quarter 2021 was NOK 340.2 million.

The installed base of rigid cystoscopes in the U.S. was 288 at the end of the second quarter, an increase of 42 units or 17% since the same period in 2020. Blue Light Cystoscopy in the surveillance setting is a key priority for Photocure in the U.S. market. By the end of the second quarter, a total base of 42 flexible cystoscopes have been installed giving more patients access to the procedure with less constraints.

"The positive EBITDA in the second quarter was driven by our strong revenue performance, as well as constrained spending levels as the pandemic continued to restrict some of our commercial and corporate activities. As a result, our cash balance increased during the quarter by NOK 10.8 million to NOK 340.2 million. For the second half of 2021, Photocure plans to increase investment in commercial activities to capitalize on improving access to care and to further penetrate the large potential market opportunity for Hexvix/Cysview in our direct global markets, " Schneider adds.

In Europe and parts of the U.S., hospitals are preparing for the recent surge in Covid-19 Delta variant cases, referred to as the "fourth wave". As a result, key markets in the U.S. and Europe are expected to continue to be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Despite the ongoing effects of Covid-19 and its variants, I am pleased with the company's performance in the first half of 2021. I believe that the rebound in kit volume that we saw in the second quarter is a good indication of our ability to return to strong organic growth rates once the pandemic is better controlled and global access to healthcare stabilizes. For now, the environment for revenue development remains less clear given the latest surge in new Covid-19 Delta cases. We remain focused on our priorities to help more patients suffering from bladder cancer benefit from our proven solution, and to create value for our shareholders as we pursue our vision to become a leader in the bladder cancer treatment segment," Schneider concludes.

Please find the full financial report and presentation enclosed.

*EBITDA and other alternative performance measures (APMs) are defined and reconciled to the IFRS financial statements as a part of the APM section of the first quarter 2021 financial report on page 25.

Photocure will present its second quarter 2021 report on Wednesday 11 August 2021 at 14:00 CET. The investor presentation will be streamed live and be hosted by Daniel Schneider, CEO and Erik Dahl, CFO.

The presentation will be held in English and questions can be submitted throughout the event. The streaming event is available through https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/hegnarmedia/20210811_2/

The presentation is scheduled to conclude at 14:45 CET.

For further information, please contact:

Dan Schneider

President and CEO

Photocure ASA

Email: [email protected]

Erik Dahl

Chief Financial Officer

Tel: +47 450 55 000

Email: [email protected]com

David Moskowitz

Vice President of Investor Relations

Tel: +1 202 280 0888

Email: [email protected]

Media and IR enquiries:

Geir Bjrlo

Corporate Communications (Norway)

Tel: +47 91540000

Email: [email protected]

About Photocure ASA

Photocure: The Bladder Cancer Company delivers transformative solutions to improve the lives of bladder cancer patients. Our unique technology, making cancer cells glow bright pink, has led to better health outcomes for patients worldwide. Photocure is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE: PHO). For more information, please visit us at www.photocure.com, www.hexvix.com, www.cysview.com

All trademarks mentioned in this release are protected by law and are registered trademarks of Photocure ASA.

This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

This stock exchange announcement was published by Tolv Hillestad, Group Controller, Photocure ASA, on 11 August 2021 at 07:30 CET.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/photocure/r/photocure-asa--results-for-the-second-quarter-of-2021,c3394528

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/17498/3394528/1452466.pdf Release https://mb.cision.com/Public/17498/3394528/887e293465fb1fc0.pdf PHO Q2 2021 PRES https://mb.cision.com/Public/17498/3394528/bbacb5b2e73d1e88.pdf PHO Q2 2021 REP

SOURCE Photocure
LYNDHURST, N.J., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The New Jersey State Bar Association ( NJSBA ), a voluntary bar association serving the state of New Jersey, recently appointed Scarinci Hollenbeck Partner and Chair of the firm's Cannabis Law group, Daniel T. McKillop to serve in two key positions of the NJSBA's Cannabis Law Committee (CLC).

The New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA), a voluntary bar association serving the state of New Jersey, recently appointed Scarinci Hollenbeck Partner and Chair of the firm's Cannabis Law group, Daniel T. McKillop to serve in two key positions of the NJSBA's Cannabis Law Committee (CLC).

"I'm proud and excited to have been appointed as a co-chair of the CLC's new Environmental Subcommittee and as a member of the Cannabis Law Committee's Executive Committee," shared Mr. McKillop. "2021 and 2022 will be critical years for the cannabis industry in New Jersey and I look forward to helping the CLC lead the way for attorneys who are practicing in this complex and dynamic industry."

Mr. McKillop joined Scarinci Hollenbeck as Counsel in 2016 , primarily handling environmental law matters. In 2017, Mr. McKillop founded one of New Jersey's first cannabis law practice groups and commenced counseling private entities regarding Federal, State and local cannabis law issues. As a CLC Executive Committee member and subcommittee co-chair, Mr. McKillop will contribute to the CLC's efforts to examine legal issues stemming from operation of New Jersey's medical and adult-use cannabis industries, review relevant legislation and make related recommendations to the NJSBA Board of Trustees, advocate via relevant amicus advocacy positions, and provide input regarding relevant Court Rules and other matters pertaining to the regulation of attorneys who practice cannabis law.

More information about the CLC may be found at the NJSBA Special Committees page: https://tcms.njsba.com/personifyebusiness/Leadership/SpecialCommittees.aspx

About Scarinci Hollenbeck

With a growing practice of more than 60 experienced attorneys, Scarinci Hollenbeck is a regional alternative to a National 250 law firm. We serve the niche practice areas most often required by institutions, corporations, entities, and the people who own and control them. We offer a full range of services and have developed our business law practice with the expertise and specialization necessary to serve our clients as they adapt to the shifting economic landscape. More information on our firm's expertise and range of practice can be found on our website: www.sh-law.com .

Contact: Peter Moeller

Telephone: 201-896-4100

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Scarinci Hollenbeck, LLC
Sharecare updates FY 2021 revenue outlook to range of $414 million to $415 million from $408 million Tweet this

Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results

All comparisons, unless otherwise noted, are to the three months ended June 30, 2020.

Revenue of $98.5 million compared to $78.2 million , an increase of 26% and coming in at the high end of guidance

compared to , an increase of 26% and coming in at the high end of guidance The acquisition of doc.ai contributed $5.0 million to revenue in the quarter

to revenue in the quarter Net loss of $20.2 million compared to net loss of $13.7 million

compared to net loss of Includes non-cash expenses of $8.9 million for the change in the fair value of warrant liabilities, anti-dilution provisions and other contingent consideration, including $2.6 million as a result of the doc.ai anti-dilution provision

for the change in the fair value of warrant liabilities, anti-dilution provisions and other contingent consideration, including as a result of the doc.ai anti-dilution provision Adjusted EBITDA of $6.6 million compared to $7.9 million , exceeding the guidance of $6.5 million , reflecting additional growth investments to support product innovation and expanded sales initiatives. Comparability with Adjusted EBITDA in Q2 2020 was impacted by temporary cost reductions as a result of furloughed employees, as well as salary and travel reductions due to COVID-19.

Second Quarter 2021 Operational Highlights

Closed $50 million investment from second largest health plan in U.S. to co-develop next generation multi-payor advocacy solution as an extension to the Sharecare digital platform

investment from second largest health plan in U.S. to co-develop next generation multi-payor advocacy solution as an extension to the Sharecare digital platform Added new employer, government, provider, and life sciences customers

Launched several new government-sponsored health plans including Centene's Peach State Health Plan Medicaid line of business and Humana's CarePlus and their Medicare Advantage population

Won Health Net's Medicare line of business for both California and Oregon , which we believe represents an opportunity to add an estimated 800,000 new members

Financial Outlook

"By executing across all three of our channels  enterprise, provider, and consumer solutions  we organically grew total year-over-year revenue in the second quarter by approximately 20% while positive Adjusted EBITDA was ahead of our previous guidance," said Justin Ferrero, president and chief financial officer of Sharecare. "We've established a solid foundation and are in a strong position to invest in new opportunities to further accelerate our growth and profitability, and with 97% of our business booked, we remain confident in our full year outlook."

As announced today, Sharecare closed the acquisition of CareLinx, a nationwide home care platform that delivers intermittent on-demand personal care services in the homes of patients, while facilitating rich data capture, population health analytics, and real-time care coordination with remote clinical teams. Positioned to serve patient needs across the entire care continuum  from personal care to clinical care in the home  this acquisition brings a human touch to Sharecare's digital solution with CareLinx's network of more than 450,000 caregivers. Read more in the official press release.

Third Quarter 2021 Financial Guidance

For the three months ending September 30, 2021, the Company expects:

Revenue in the range of $103 to $105 million , including approximately a $2 million contribution from CareLinx, representing greater than 28% growth over Q3 2020

to , including approximately a contribution from CareLinx, representing greater than 28% growth over Q3 2020 Adjusted EBITDA in the range of approximately $6 to $7 million , which includes significant continued investment in sales and innovation. The Adjusted EBITDA target also includes $1 million loss in the quarter from the CareLinx acquisition.

FY 2021 Financial Guidance

For the twelve months ending December 31, 2021, the Company is updating its outlook to reflect the impact of the CareLinx acquisition and now expects:

Revenue in the range of $414 to $415 million , from approximately $408 million

to , from approximately Adjusted EBITDA in the range of $28 to $30 million , from approximately $31 million . The $2 to $3 million Adjusted EBITDA reduction is related to the CareLinx acquisition.

Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call to review the second quarter results today, Wednesday, August 11, 2021, at 8:00 a.m. E.T. The call can be accessed by dialing (844) 284-3435 for U.S. participants, or (914) 800-3939 for international participants, and referencing the conference ID #8885479; or via live audio webcast, available online at https://investors.sharecare.com/. A webcast replay of the call will be available for on-demand listening at the same link and will remain available for approximately 90 days.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to our financial results determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP, we believe Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, is useful in evaluating our operating performance. We use Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate our ongoing operations and for internal planning and forecasting purposes. We believe that this non-GAAP financial measure, when taken together with the corresponding GAAP financial measure, provides meaningful supplemental information regarding our performance by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of our business, results of operations, or outlook. In particular, we believe that the use of Adjusted EBITDA is helpful to our investors as it is a metric used by management in assessing the health of our business and our operating performance. However, non-GAAP financial information is presented for supplemental informational purposes only, has limitations as an analytical tool, and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for financial information presented in accordance with GAAP. In addition, other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate similarly-titled non-GAAP measures differently or may use other measures to evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of our non-GAAP financial measure as a tool for comparison.

The calculation and reconciliation of historic Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), the most directly comparable financial measures stated in accordance with GAAP, is provided below and in the accompanying financial tables. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business.

We have not reconciled Adjusted EBITDA guidance to net income (loss) because we do not provide guidance for net income (loss) or for items that we do not consider indicative of our on-going performance, including, but not limited to, the impact of significant non-recurring items, as certain of these items are out of our control and/or cannot be reasonably predicted. Accordingly, a reconciliation of the Adjusted EBITDA guidance to the corresponding U.S. GAAP measure is not available without unreasonable effort.

Adjusted EBITDA

We calculate Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) adjusted to exclude (i) depreciation and amortization, (ii) interest income, (iii) interest expense, (iv) other expense (non-operating), (v) gain/loss from equity method investment, (vi) income tax (benefit) expense, (vii) share-based compensation, (viii) severance, (ix) warrant value for revenue contracts (x) common stock issues for services and (xi) transaction and closing costs. We do not view the items excluded as representative of our ongoing operations.

About Sharecare

Sharecare is the leading digital health company that helps people  no matter where they are in their health journey  unify and manage all their health in one place. Our comprehensive and data-driven virtual health platform is designed to help people, providers, employers, health plans, government organizations, and communities optimize individual and population-wide well-being by driving positive behavior change. Driven by our philosophy that we are all together better, at Sharecare, we are committed to supporting each individual through the lens of their personal health and making high-quality care more accessible and affordable for everyone. To learn more, visit www.sharecare.com.

Important Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are based on beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: "outlook," "target," "reflect," "on track," "foresees," "future," "may," "deliver," "will," "shall," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "project," "potential," "continue," "ongoing" or the negative of these terms, other comparable terminology (although not all forward-looking statements contain these words), or by discussions of strategy, plans, or intentions. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this press release, we caution you that these statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known by us and our projections of the future, about which we cannot be certain.

Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, our ability to realize the benefits of recent and future acquisitions, including CareLinx, partnerships or other relationships with third parties or customers, and the statements under the caption "Financial Outlook." We cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this press release will prove to be accurate. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results. Descriptions of some of the factors that could cause actual results to defer materially from these forward-looking statements are discussed in more detail in our filings with the SEC, including the Risk Factors section of the prospectus for our business combination filed with the SEC on June 3, 2021. Furthermore, if the forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all. The forward-looking statements in this press release represent our views as of the date of this press release. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we have no current intention of doing so except to the extent required by applicable law. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

Media Relations:

Jen Martin Hall

[email protected]

Investor Relations:

Bob East

[email protected]

443-450-4189

SHARECARE, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2021

2020

2021

2020 Revenue $ 98,459



$ 78,228



$ 188,068



$ 160,156

Costs and operating expenses:













Costs of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization below) 48,634



36,557



93,028



80,247

Sales and marketing 12,046



8,364



23,556



17,889

Product and technology 15,812



10,080



36,266



21,146

General and administrative 19,198



22,284



38,752



37,680

Depreciation and amortization 7,167



6,445



13,850



13,047

Total costs and operating expenses 102,857



83,730



205,452



170,009

Loss from operations (4,398)



(5,502)



(17,384)



(9,853)

Other income (expense):













Interest income 21



16



29



53

Interest expense (7,095)



(7,569)



(14,105)



(15,423)

Other expense (8,852)



(296)



(20,730)



(312)

Total other expense (15,926)



(7,849)



(34,806)



(15,682)

Loss before income tax (expense) benefit (20,324)



(13,351)



(52,190)



(25,535)

Income tax (expense) benefit 99



(356)



14



227

Net loss (20,225)



(13,707)



(52,176)



(25,308)

Net (loss) income attributable to non-controlling interest in subsidiaries 24



(300)



(82)



(268)

Net loss attributable to Sharecare, Inc. $ (20,249)



$ (13,407)



$ (52,094)



$ (25,040)

















Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted $ (8.77)



$ (6.99)



$ (23.00)



$ (12.99)

Weighted-average common shares outstanding, basic and diluted 30



9



2,268



2,108



SHARECARE, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)



As of June 30,

2021

As of December 31,

2020 Assets





Current assets:





Cash and cash equivalents $ 42,842



$ 22,603

Accounts receivable, net (net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $5,153 and $3,874 respectively) 80,875



70,540

Other receivables 2,527



3,152

Prepaid expenses 9,558



3,876

Other current assets 1,835



1,521

Total current assets 137,637



101,692

Property and equipment, net 4,056



4,073

Equity method investment 





Other long term assets 19,982



6,226

Intangible assets, net 120,433



78,247

Goodwill 155,050



75,736

Total assets $ 437,158



$ 265,974









Liabilities, Redeemable Non-Controlling Interest, Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock and Stockholders' Deficit





Current liabilities:





Accounts payable $ 30,483



$ 19,346

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 54,999



41,058

Deferred revenue 30,409



9,907

Contract liabilities, current 4,300



4,045

Debt, current 1,157



1,011

Total current liabilities 121,348



75,367

Contract liabilities, noncurrent 3,983



6,261

Warrant liabilities 11,120



4,963

Long-term debt 166,834



173,769

Other long-term liabilities 47,042



15,070

Total liabilities 350,327



275,430









Commitments and contingencies





Redeemable non-controlling interest 



4,000

Redeemable convertible preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 1,763,656 and 1,726,620 shares authorized; 884,033 and 877,854 shares issued and outstanding, aggregate liquidation preference of $189,213 and $186,741 as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively 242,629



190,875









Stockholders' deficit:





Common stock, $0.01 par value; 5,455,000 and 5,250,000 shares authorized; 2,149,417 and 2,083,916 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively 2



2

Additional paid-in capital 287,495



186,279

Accumulated other comprehensive loss (1,158)



(702)

Accumulated deficit (444,207)



(392,113)

Total Sharecare stockholders' deficit (157,868)



(206,534)

Non-controlling interest in subsidiaries 2,070



2,203

Total stockholders' deficit (155,798)



(204,331)

Total liabilities, redeemable non-controlling interest, redeemable convertible preferred stock and stockholders' deficit $ 437,158



$ 265,974



SHARECARE, INC.

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP NET LOSS TO ADJUSTED EBITDA

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2021

2020

2021

2020 Net loss $ (20,225)



$ (13,707)



(52,176)



$ (25,308)

Add:

















Depreciation and amortization 7,167



6,445



13,850



13,047

Interest income (21)



(16)



(29)



(53)

Interest expense 7,095



7,569



14,105



15,423

Other expense 8,852



296



20,730



312

Income tax (benefit) expense (99)



356



(14)



(227)

Share-based compensation 2,360



5,166



14,386



5,813

Severance 200



1,584



265



1,797

Warrants issued with revenue contracts(a) (2)



133



38



263

Transaction and closing costs 1,321



99



2,022



188

Adjusted EBITDA(b) $ 6,648



$ 7,925



13,177



11,255











(a) Represents the non-cash value of warrants issued to clients for meeting specific revenue thresholds.









(b) Includes non-cash amortization associated with contract liabilities recorded in connection with acquired businesses.

SOURCE Sharecare

Related Links

http://www.sharecare.com


By engaging students to collect air quality data, the CAEP is in a unique position to gather hyperlocal, real-time air quality data from places where students spend most of their time but where air quality has not been comprehensively studied.

If your school or district is interested in participating, contact SSV Chief Scientist Anthony Strawa at [email protected]

There remains a critical need for local air quality data to investigate suspected criteria pollutants from pollution and wildfires which can be contributors to asthma and other respiratory diseases.

Air Sensor Clips to Student's Backpack

The project utilizes BackpAQ , a low-cost sensor which clips to a backpack, and measures:

Particulate matter (PM)

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)

CO2

Temperature

Pressure

Relative humidity

GPS coordinates

Students can interact with BackpAQ from the companion BackpAQ app that runs on their Apple or Android smartphone.

SSV conducted a feasibility study using the BackpAQ monitors and the related software with students in East Palo Alto and Dublin. Students planned routes around their neighborhood and inside their home, and compared data, and experiences with classmates, and provided valuable feedback. Read more [ here ].

"Carrying the BackpAQ made me feel empowered to really discover what is happening with the air quality here" -- East Palo Alto Student

BackpAQ was designed and developed by SSV's BackpAQ Labs but is freely accessible to academic and non-commercial entities as open source. This enables students, schools, and other non-profits to modify and extend BackpAQ's capabilities.

STEM Education

Students participating in the CAEP will have the chance to participate in the Clean Air Equity Academy to advance both STEM education and community engagement. Students will receive training in and hands-on experience with advanced data science tools. The lessons we learn from this project will help others develop similar approaches tailored to their own communities.

If your school or district is interested in joining the CAEP, contact SSV Chief Scientist Anthony Strawa at [email protected] or (408)430-2768.

SOURCE Sustainable Silicon Valley

Related Links

http://www.sustainablesiliconvalley.org


HOUSTON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Texas Children's Hospital announced it will require all members of its workforce to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Texas Children's health care heroes have worked tirelessly to provide the safest environment possible for patients, members, their families and staff amid the pandemic. Now, as the region faces another surge of COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant, along with a highly unusual summer surge of patients diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), bold action is needed.

"We recognize the profound and encouraging truth that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is safe, effective and the primary mechanism to combat this pandemic," said Mark A. Wallace, president and CEO of Texas Children's. "By taking this step, we are further protecting the health of our team members, patients and community. As one of the nation's largest and top-rated children's hospitals, it is our responsibility to take a stand and protect those who place their trust in us, many of whom are not yet eligible to receive the vaccine. We look forward to the FDA fully authorizing the COVID-19 vaccines in the near future."

The hospital is among the few children's hospitals nationwide leading in the effort to vaccinate all children against COVID-19. Pfizer's phase II/III trials continue at Texas Children's and the current surge underscores the importance of completing these trials and safely vaccinating those under 12 as soon as possible. Emergency Use Authorization for children ages 5 to 11-years-old is also anticipated in the coming weeks following the FDA's review of the trial data.

All workforce members, including full-time employees, part-time employees, medical staff, per diem employees and contractors must receive their first vaccine dose by 5 p.m. on Sept. 21, 2021. If receiving the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, the second dose must be received by 5 p.m. on Oct. 19, 2021. Workforce members may receive their COVID-19 vaccine through Texas Children's or any provider, pharmacy or facility of their choice.

Exemptions are permitted for certain religious beliefs or medical conditions that may preclude a team member from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

Texas Children's continues to encourage vaccination for all people who are eligible. To register for a free COVID-19 vaccine, click here. For more information on the Delta variant and the importance of vaccination as children head back to school, click here.

About Texas Children's Hospital

Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children's hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation, Texas Children's has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women's health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Tower for pediatric research; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands, the first hospital devoted to children's care for communities north of Houston. The organization also created Texas Children's Health Plan, the nation's first HMO for children; Texas Children's Pediatrics, the largest pediatric primary care network in the country; Texas Children's Urgent Care clinics that specialize in after-hours care tailored specifically for children; and a global health program that's channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children's Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news by visiting the online newsroom and Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

Contact: Lindsey Fox

832-824-2040

[email protected]

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital

Related Links

texaschildrens.org


CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Entrepreneur Andrew Davies, CEO of SPOL, an EdTech leader in Accreditation and Institutional Effectiveness software, headquartered in South Florida, announced today that he has set aside $500,000.00 to fund a Trust, which is in the process of being formed and will be tentatively named "The Children First Trust." The trust will provide school leaders their weekly paycheck if the Florida Board of Education withholds salary because they implemented a mask mandate for their schools.

"I voted for Governor DeSantis and support his leadership, but I believe it is important for education professionals to decide what is best for the health and wellness of all children in their charge. It is our intent that 'The Children First Trust' will pay any affected school leader who has had their pay withheld so that their decisions on masking will be made solely on the basis of what is in the best interests of the children and their loved ones," said Davies. He added, "It is also our intent that 'The Children First Trust' will be further funded by a planned GoFundMe campaign so that others can support those school leaders who are penalized for choosing what is best for the children in their district."
AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Benchmark Cloud Accounting (BMCA) has acquired Botkeeper's direct customers which consists of more than 200 businesses across the U.S. in a variety of industries.

The acquisition allows the venture-funded BMCA, founded in spring 2021 and propelled by an initial seed round of $5,100,000, to accelerate its mission of providing cloud-based accounting and advisory services to entrepreneurial, tech-savvy businesses.

"We currently leverage the Botkeeper platform so this made perfect sense for us," said Matt Elson, CEO, BMCA. "This was a large, strategic move that will drive growth and our ability to service clients with more offerings."

Cloud-based technologies are disrupting the mature accounting industry. While traditional accounting firms are trying to mesh these technologies into their existing practices with mixed success, BMCA's next-generation accounting services shift basic accounting functions like bookkeeping to technology platforms like Botkeeper, freeing clients to work with their accountants on a more strategic advisory level.

Botkeeper announced in early 2020 that is would dedicate its business focus solely to the accounting profession. The company, which provides bookkeeping and pre-accounting services utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning, connects businesses that want to use its platform to their Accounting Firm Partners.

"As one of our premier accounting partners, we are highly confident that Benchmark will provide these businesses with the best possible accounting and bookkeeping services utilizing the Botkeeper platform they know and count on," said Enrico Palmerino, founder and CEO, Botkeeper.

A key industry vertical for BMCA is venture-funded, tech-savvy businesses  businesses like their own with whom they can grow.

"It's imperative that we provide services to tech companies in the cloud where they currently operate," said Elson. "With timely financial data at our fingertips, we're focused on advising clients in areas such as forecasting, processes and procedures, due diligence, start-up fund-raising and more. That's the next generation of advisory services they need to go from initial seed funding to a liquidity event."

By connecting Botkeeper's customers to BMCA, the companies aim to provide end users with a high-quality experience using best-in-class technology paired with the expertise and advisory knowledge of seasoned accounting professionals.

"Benchmark is a quintessential example of what a firm can accomplish by leveraging technology and focusing on providing the specialized and higher margin advisory services that we do not," said Palmerino. "We're humbled to have played such a large part in enabling their rapid growth."

In the future, BMCA will continue to expand through acquisition with the help of investors while capitalizing on the latest technology to help their clients.

Benchmark Cloud Accounting (BMCA) offers advisory, controller and critical thinking accounting services utilizing best-in-class cloud-based technologies to maximize the financial success of small- and medium-businesses. BMCA works with VC-backed companies at any stage of growth, supporting their efforts in successful growth and fundraising. Founded in 2021m BMCA is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Learn more at BenchmarkCloudAccounting.com.

Media Contact: Kate Tolin, 330-984-4000, [email protected]

SOURCE Benchmark Cloud Accounting

Related Links

http://www.benchmarkcloudaccounting.com/


LONDON and YAOUNDE, Cameroon, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- VYZYO, a rapidly growing mobile financial services technology company, and CAMPOST, the national provider of postal and financial services in Cameroon, today jointly announced that the two companies have signed a commercial partnership agreement to deploy and operate digital payment and mobile financial services throughout Cameroon.

VYZYO will initially deploy its VYZYOPay solution for CAMPOST. VYZYOPay is a state-of-the-art mobile financial services technology platform that will enable CAMPOST to securely rollout and manage digital payments for government services, money transfers and international remittances as well as mobile financial services for micro-credit and micro-savings.

As part of the partnership between the two companies, VYZYO will also provide CAMPOST with strategic consultancy to increase the awareness, education and, most importantly, the adoption of these services, especially among the large underbanked and unbanked segments of the population in Cameroon.

CAMPOST is also planning to enable digital payments and mobile financial services for higher education, welfare disbursement and micro-insurance.

"Our partnership with VYZYO and the new digital payment and mobile financial services we are launching together will strengthen our competitive positioning and create important new revenue streams for CAMPOST," stated Pierre Kaldadak, CEO of CAMPOST. "More importantly and based on a strategic vision we share with VYZYO, our new digital services hold the potential to improve the lives of our customers in Cameroon and will deliver new access to essential services that were previously unavailable to many segments of our society."

CAMPOST's new services are intended to be both financially and socially inclusive and will be available to the entire population of the country, including those with limited or no access to banking services, health care and communications infrastructure.

"We are confident that these new CAMPOST services will change the lives of all Cameroonians for the better and will promote social inclusion with the aim of democratizing access to basic social services and improve the opportunities, well-being, and dignity of individuals and groups in all the cities and towns of our country," said Jehu Ndoumi, Director General of VYZYO's local subsidiary YUNUS Cameroon. "At the same time, these new digital payment and mobile financial services will give all CAMPOST customers the opportunity to access new innovative transaction possibilities from the convenience of their mobile devices that were previously offered only by banks and insurance companies and were accessible only by the privileged segments of society."

VYZYO will also deploy its smart point-of-sale (PoS) terminals at CAMPOST branches and other strategic locations around Cameroon. These POS terminals will be securely integrated with the VYZYOPay platform and include a contactless NFC module, intuitive touchscreen and camera along with all the necessary local, regional and international certifications from Visa, Mastercard, Union Pay and other popular payment methods. These PoS terminals will allow CAMPOST customers to make payments with traditional debit and credit cards as well as contactless mobile payments with QR Code and NFC.

"These new services and the supporting local ecosystem we are building are strategically reshaping the landscape for digital payments and mobile financial services in Cameroon. With this, we are laying the foundation for what we believe every citizen around the world should have access to at a basic level," explained VJ Odedra, founder and Group CEO of VYZYO. "We are delighted with the growing demand we are experiencing from prominent organizations and institutions like CAMPOST and will be announcing similar new deployments of our VYZYOPay and other platforms, which include solutions for telecoms, messaging, VAS and fintech services, in the very near future."

About VYZYO

VYZYO is a rapidly growing provider of platforms and technologies for enabling and operating mobile financial services and digital payments. The company is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, has subsidiaries in France, Tunisia, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Thailand and India, and works closely with local partners throughout Africa and Asia. VYZYO currently has several telecom licenses and has access to payment provider and mobile money licenses around the world. For more information, please visit www.vyzyo.com.

About CAMPOST

CAMPOST is the national provider of postal and financial services in Cameroon. In addition to providing traditional postal services, CAMPOST also provides banking, insurance and digital business services, including logistics for e-commerce. To read more about CAMPOST, please visit www.campost.cm.

Press Contact

Tony Miller

+1 617 418 3024

[email protected]

SOURCE VYZYO

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FULTON, Mo., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Westminster College (the "College") announced the successful closing of its $13,010,000 (Par Value) Series 2021 Bonds issued through the Industrial Development Authority of Callaway County, MO (the "Authority"), on July 29, 2021. The Series 2021 Bonds are a combination of tax-exempt and taxable revenue bonds. The taxable revenue bonds are expected to convert to tax-exempt bonds at a future date if certain terms and conditions of the taxable revenue bonds are satisfied as well as the bonds comply at the time of conversion with the federal tax code.

The College, located in Fulton, MO, is a nonprofit corporation and operates a private four-year college. Additionally, the College owns and operates America's National Churchill Museum (the "Museum"), for which approximately $3 million of the proceeds of the Series 2021 Bonds will be used to provide facility improvements, updates, and renovations to the historic Museum, including the continued restoration of the 17th century Christopher Wren Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, which is the centerpiece of the Museum's collection (the "Project").

Proceeds of the Series 2021 Bonds will be used, together with other available funds, to (a) refund and redeem all outstanding Series 2012 Bonds issued by the Authority and loaned to the College, (b) fund a portion of the costs of the Project as noted above, (c) fund certain reserves for the benefit of the Series 2021 Bonds, and (d) pay certain fees and expenses incurred in connection with the sale and issuance of the Series 2021 Bonds.

"We are obviously very pleased with the successful closing of this significant financial transaction for the College," said Donald P. Lofe, Jr., President and Chief Transformation Officer of the College. "The overall terms and conditions of the Series 2021 Bonds facilitate a more efficient and effective financial capital structure for the College as well as providing the opportunity for new liquidity to fund the Museum's improvements and renovations."

Lofe added the successful completion of the transaction furthers the College's ongoing financial sustainability and transformational initiatives. "The College is most appreciative of the support that it received from the Authority, the Callaway County Commission, the Callaway Chamber of Commerce, and the city of Fulton to successfully complete this transaction," he said.

The Series 2021 Bonds, which received significant market interest, were sold to certain sophisticated investors in a private placement transaction. UMB Bank, n.a., Capital Markets Division, acted as placement agent with respect to the Series 2021 Bonds. Thompson Coburn LLP acted as bond counsel and legal counsel. Gilmore & Bell, PC, acted as the placement agent's counsel in connection with the issuance of the Series 2021 Bonds. Kaufman, Hall and Associates, LLC, advised the College, both before and during the process of the issuance of the Series 2021 Bonds and in connection with the College's capital planning and analysis as well as throughout its general strategic planning. Williams-Keepers, LLC, Certified Public Accountants, provided certain accounting and compilation services to the College in connection with the transaction.

About Westminster College: Founded in 1851 and home of Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech, Westminster College in Fulton, MO, is ranked prestigiously by U.S. News & World Report as the only National Liberal Arts College in Missouri. The institution is in the top 16 percent for graduate earnings and boasts a 98 percent placement rate. Westminster also is a Forbes Best Value College. Westminster focuses on educating and inspiring students to become the world leaders of tomorrow. To find out more about Westminster, please visit the College's website.

SOURCE Westminster College

Related Links

https://www.wcmo.edu


DUBLIN, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Breast Prosthesis Market Size, Market Share, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2021 to 2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The breast prosthesis market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.3% during the forecast period. The growth is mainly attributable to the increased prevalence of breast cancer. A breast prosthesis is an artificial shape of the breast that substitutes for the shape of the excised breast. The majority of breast prostheses are made out of soft silicone gel that is encased in a thin film. A breast prosthesis is worn by many women who have had breast cancer surgery but have not got them reconstructed. This report covers all the quantitative aspects of the breast prosthesis market and also talks about its key drivers, the challenges it faces, the growth opportunities present in the market, and its future prospects.



Increase in Prevalence Rate of Breast Cancer Drives Market Growth



In 2018, 266,120 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed in women, in the United States alone, according to the American Cancer Society. The Breast Cancer Organization statistics for the year 2018 stated, around one in every eight women in the United States get invasive breast cancer over their lifetime. Breast prosthesis' average price ranges from USD 199 to USD 499, making them a less expensive alternative to breast reconstruction and implants. A breast prosthesis is often chosen by women who are not ready for another operation after a mastectomy. Government initiatives to promote breast cancer awareness and rehabilitation will boost the market growth in developing countries. Furthermore, effective reimbursement scenarios are driving market expansion via government and commercial insurers. However, on other hand, If you don't have insurance, they might be quite costly. Breast forms that are attached to your skin can cause you to sweat profusely.



Silicone Material Segment Dominates the Market



The market has been segmented based on the type, material, shape, application, and regional basis. Based on the shape segment, the breast prosthesis market is divided into round, asymmetrical, swimming prosthesis, partial prosthesis, and others. During the forecast period, demand for round and swimming prostheses is expected to rise. Manufacturers are now offering lightweight prosthetics to women who are concerned about their weight. In places with warmer climates, materials like silicone and cotton foam are effective. Based on material segment market is divided into silicon, saline, foam, and others. Because of benefits such as natural feel, everyday usage, and availability for varied shapes and activities, silicone breast prosthesis held the greatest proportion of the global market. Furthermore, the silicone breast prosthesis's long-term performance and low cost will propel the market over the forecast period.



North America to Lead Global Market



Geographically, North America accounted for the largest share of the worldwide breast prosthesis market. The market is being driven by a well-developed healthcare system and a high level of public awareness of breast prostheses. Because of the high frequency of breast cancer and improved diagnosis and treatment, the United States has emerged as the largest market in North America. An increasing number of cosmetic boutiques offering individualized breast shapes and an efficient reimbursement structure are also contributing to industry expansion. Industry growth in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Belgium contributed to Europe's large share of the market. Marker growth is fueled by the region's high breast cancer prevalence and supportive government policies. Due to the large target population, Asia Pacific is predicted to grow at the highest rate. Furthermore, the low cost of breast prosthesis compared to breast reconstruction has increased breast prosthesis demand.



Key Players



Allergan Inc., American Breast Care, Anita Dr. Helbig GmbH, Hans Biomed, Mentor Worldwide Llc (Johnson & Johnson), Silimed, Cereplas, Jodee Post Mastectomy, Polytech Health & Aesthetics, and GC Aesthetics are the key player in this market. Players have utilized a range of marketing techniques to stay competitive in the worldwide breast prosthesis market, including new product launches, expansion, joint ventures, and acquisitions. The report contains a thorough examination of leading companies as well as a discussion of the market competing. Product launching is a crucial tactic for the key players in the breast prosthesis market.



Historical & Forecast Period



This research report presents the analysis of each segment from 2019 to 2029 considering 2020 as the base year for the research. Compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) for each respective segment is calculated for the forecast period from 2021 to 2029.



Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1.Preface



Chapter 2. Executive Summary



Chapter 3. Breast Prosthesis Market: Market Dynamics and Future Outlook

3.1. Market Overview

3.2. Current Scenario: New Product Launches, Increase in Animal-Free Testing

3.3. Drivers

3.4. Challenges

3.5. Opportunities

3.6. Attractive Investment Proposition, by Geography, 2020

3.7. Competitive Landscape (Key Players)

3.7.1. Mergers and Acquisition Analysis

3.7.2. Agreements, Collaborations, and Partnership

3.7.3. New Product Launches



Chapter 4. Breast Prosthesis Market, By Type, 2019 - 2029 (US$ Mn)

4.1. Overview

4.2. Full or Standard Prosthesis

4.3. Partial or Shaped Prosthesis

4.4. Shell Prosthesis

4.5. Stick-On Prosthesis



Chapter 5. Breast Prosthesis Market, By Material, 2019 - 2029 (US$ Mn)

5.1. Overview

5.2. Foam

5.3. Silicon

5.4. Saline

5.5. Others



Chapter 6. Breast Prosthesis Market, By Shape, 2019 - 2029 (US$ Mn)

6.1. Overview

6.2. Round

6.3. Asymmetrical

6.4. Swimming

6.5. Partial

6.6. Others



Chapter 7. Breast Prosthesis Market, By Application, 2019 - 2029 (US$ Mn)

7.1. Overview

7.2. Hospital

7.3. Beauty Clinics

7.4. Others



Chapter 8. Breast Prosthesis Market, By Regional Market Analysis, 2019 - 2029 (US$ Mn)

8.1. Definition & Scope

8.2. Regional Market Share Analysis, 2019 & 2029

8.3. Regional Market Dashboard

8.4. Regional Market Snapshot

8.5. Regional Market Share Analysis 2019 to 2029

8.5.1. North America

8.5.2. Europe

8.5.3.Asia Pacific

8.5.4. Latin America

8.5.5.Middle East and Africa

8.6. SWOT Analysis, by Factor (Political & Legal, Economic and Technological)

8.6.1. North America

8.6.2. Europe

8.6.3. Asia Pacific

8.6.4. Latin America

8.6.5. Middle East and Africa

8.7. Market Size, & Forecasts, Revenue and Trend Analysis, 2019 to 2029



Chapter 9. North America Breast Prosthesis Market, Regional Market Analysis, 2019 - 2029 (US$ Mn)



Chapter 10. Latin America Breast Prosthesis Market, Regional Market Analysis, 2019 - 2029 (US$ Mn)



Chapter 11. Europe Breast Prosthesis Market, Regional Market Analysis, 2019 - 2029 (US$ Mn)



Chapter 12. Asia Pacific Breast Prosthesis Market, Regional Market Analysis, 2019 - 2029 (US$ Mn)



Chapter 13. Middle East & Africa (MEA)Breast Prosthesis Market, Regional Market Analysis, 2019 - 2029 (US$ Mn)



Chapter 14. Company Profiles

14.1. Allergan Inc.

14.1.1. Business Overview

14.1.2. Financial Information (Subject to data availability)

14.1.3. Application Portfolio

14.1.4. Key Developments

14.2. American Breast Care

14.3. Anita Dr. Helbig GmbH

14.4. Hans Biomed

14.5. Mentor Worldwide Llc (Johnson & Johnson)

14.6. Silimed

14.7. Cereplas

14.8. Jodee Post Mastectomy

14.9. Polytech Health & Aesthetics

14.10. GC Aesthetics



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/70xqgf

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

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[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets

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TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In a joint venture, ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (NYSE: ZIM) and Data Science Group (DSG) are establishing a Center of Excellence in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). The center will develop artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions from the design stage to implementation to provide ZIM a decisive competitive edge in the global arena. The center's areas of focus include logistics, operations, finance, and trade.

The center will employ teams from both ZIM and DSG, including AI experts and engineers, who will work on the evaluation, validation, and development of the AI projects and their implementation into ZIM's operational environment. The team will develop advanced models to forecast demand, plan shipping routes, automate logistical processes, and more. They will do this while analyzing the data accumulated from the shipping fleet, which carries tens of thousands of cargo containers to various seaports, considering the different regulations to which the company is subject.

DSG provides ZIM with knowledge in data science and machine learning, along with its methodology and the experience it has gained over years of operating in various vertical markets. This will allow ZIM the rapid, efficient, and creative development of advanced AI solutions. ZIM will provide the business insights necessary to establish the solutions and the technological infrastructure required for day-to-day operations.

Eli Glickman, President and CEO of ZIM, said: "Integrating smart solutions into ZIM's technological apparatus is a central aspect of our vision to lead the field of maritime transportation by using a variety of advanced technologies. We chose DSG, a leader in the world of artificial intelligence with experience working on large-scale, international projects in the field, and we are convinced that this collaboration will lead to the realization of this vision while promoting innovation and ground-breaking developments."

Eyal Ben-Amram, EVP and CIO of ZIM, said: "ZIM is advancing into the digital age and is leveraging the data it has accumulated over the years to gain new insights that will give it a significant advantage in the world of shipping, which in recent years has become more competitive than ever. The partnership with DSG in the Center of Excellence will allow us to lead the world of international shipping by expediting delivery times, streamlining logistics, forecasting demand, and automating processes."

Dr. Elan Sasson, CEO and co-founder of Data Science Group (DSG), said: "The COVID-19 crisis has led to a massive upsurge in shipping throughout the globe. This field, which was already competitive in the past, has become even more so, and this trend is expected to continue to strengthen. Shipping companies must be adequately prepared to meet this growing demand while constantly optimizing their decision-making mechanisms. The only way to do this is by using AI-based forecasting models. We see our partnership with ZIM as particularly strategic considering the unique processes characteristic of the shipping industry and in light of ZIM's incredibly advanced technological infrastructure, which we have not seen in similar customers."

About ZIM

ZIM is a global, asset-light container liner shipping company with leadership positions in the markets where it operates. Founded in Israel in 1945, ZIM is one of the oldest shipping liners, with over 76 years of experience, providing customers with innovative seaborne transportation and logistics services with a reputation for industry-leading transit times, schedule reliability, and service excellence.

About Data Science Group

Data Science Group (DSG) is a global AI Center of Excellence, applying rigorous scientific research methodologies and innovative AI software to solve real-life problems. Our vision is to remove the ivory tower around scientific research and make it useful in the real world. We aim to harness advanced AI/ML technology to find answers to questions that can propel economies and societies forward and make businesses more efficient, prosperous, and better suited to serve the world. https://dsg.ai

For more information:

Dr. Elan Sasson

CEO and Co-Founder, Data Science Group

[email protected]

Media Contact

Iris Weinstein

CEO, Kav Yashir Content House

[email protected]

SOURCE Data Science Group (DSG)

Related Links

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NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to new research study on "3D Secure Authentication Market Forecast to 2028  COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis  by Component, End-user, and Geography," the market is projected to reach US$ 1,303.46 million by 2028 from US$ 613.35 million in 2020; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.4% during 20212028.

Stupendous Growth in Asian Market to Provide Growth Opportunities for 3D Secure Authentication Market

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.theinsightpartners.com/sample/TIPRE00021739/

Get in-depth details on "3D Secure Authentication Market" (56 - Tables, 69 - Figures, 135 - Pages)

The e-commerce industry is continuously expanding due to increase in the number of online sellers as well as selling platforms. The e-commerce giants are continuously investing in the adoption of new technologies, in collaboration with banks, to ensure secure transactions. Moreover, with the surge in online transactions, the cases of online fraud, due to the card-not-present (CNP) transactions, have also increased in the last few years. The continuously growing tendency of buying products online using their mobile devices is creating an urge to have a safe and reliable 3D secure authentication facility, which is propelling the demand for better online payment platforms. There are many companies offering 3D secure authentication facility to e-commerce merchants. For instance, GPayments Pty Ltd. provides ActiveAccess that enables a 3D secure e-commerce transaction and multifactor authentication. The ActiveAccess is capable of processing 3DS1 and 3DS2 transactions, which means the user can easily support protocols in the course of transaction.

North America led the global 3D secure authentication market in 2020. The US, Canada, and Mexico are the major economies in the region. Technological advancements have led to a highly competitive 3D Secure Authentication Market in these countries. With the rise in demand for card-based transactions, several companies in the region are engaged in developing authentication technologies for both merchants and banks. Innovations in online banking processes through digital technologies improve customer's personal banking experience, while commercial banking is pressurized to catch up. Growing demand for advanced technologies for faster, safer, and smoother transactions is resulting in high demand for 3D secure authentication solutions in North America.

Get Sample Copy of 3D Secure Authentication Market Research: https://www.theinsightpartners.com/sample/TIPRE00021739/

Rapid Growth of Asian Market place to Propel 3D secure authentication Market Growth in Coming Years

Countries such as China, India, Japan, and Singapore are among the key adopters of authentication technologies in Asia. The emphasis on digitalization of banking procedures has led to increase in use of 3D secure authentication solutions in the continent. As per the Fico survey results published in January 2020, the introduction of real-time payments has resulted into drastic rise in payment fraud in Asia, with four in five APAC banks experiencing increase in losses. Nearly a quarter has forecasted that fraud cases will increase significantly in coming year. Moreover, regulatory changes and individuals aimed at facilitating adoption of open banking are also resulting in increased digital banking fraud cases. Factors mentioned above are generating lucrative growth opportunities for the adoption of 3D secure authentication technology in Asian countries. Furthermore, in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, e-commerce retailers throughout Asia have witnessed tremendous sales growth. In countries such as Singapore, Shopee- and e-commerce platforms reported a 74.1% surge in their gross merchandise values, which reached US$ 6.2 billion in Q1 2020; the total number of orders increased to 429.8 million in this quarter, with a 111.2% year-on-year increase. Moreover, India also witnessed rise in e-commerce sales. The Indian e-commerce market is projected to reach US$ 200 billion by 2026 from US$ 38.5 billion in 2017. Factors such as rising smartphone and internet penetration have led to an increase in online buying and payments. Further, in November 2020, Infibeam Avenues inked an agreement with Bank of Muscat, the second-largest bank in Oman, to process bank's online card transactions of different payment networks through the CCAvenue Payment Gateway Service. Such strategic initiatives for making online payments secure are projected to provide ample of growth opportunities to 3D secure authentication technology providers.

Get more Discount on 3D secure authentication market Research: https://www.theinsightpartners.com/discount/TIPRE00021739/

3D secure authentication market: End User Overview

Based on end user, the 3D secure authentication market is segmented into Banks, Merchants and Payment Processors. The merchant and payment processor segment held the largest market share in 2020. GPayments is a 3D secure leader in Australia & Japan, and 3D secure issuing company in East Europe. The company caters to more than 100,000 merchants, 100 banks, and 33 countries worldwide. The merchant utilizes authentication data captured as a part of 3D secure process to submit an authorization for the approval. However, the 3D secure authentication technology is not completely adopted by merchants. Currently, all merchants have not fully transitioned from 3D Secure 1 to 3D Secure 2. Nevertheless, players such as Marqeta support both 3D Secure 2 and 3D Secure 1 for Visa.

3D secure authentication Market: Competitive Landscape and Key Developments

Netcetera; GPayment Pvt Ltd.; ASEE GROUP; Asiapay Limited; Modirum- Client; Msignia, Inc.; Ravelin Technology Ltd; RS Software; UL LLC; and Izealiant Technologies Pvt. Ltd. are among the key market players with significant market share that are profiled in this 3D secure authentication market study.

Purchase a copy of 3D secure authentication Market research report @ https://www.theinsightpartners.com/buy/TIPRE00021739/

In 2021, Gpayments announced the development of a new solution to address usability issues associated with Verified by Visa, MasterCard SecureCode, and JCB J/Secure authenticated purchases.

Browse Related Reports:

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https://www.theinsightpartners.com/reports/high-security-electronic-locks-market/

Mobile Biometrics Market Forecast to 2028 - Covid-19 Impact and Global Analysis - by Technology, Authentication Type, Industry Vertical and Geography

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WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 42 North Dental (42northdental.com) adds Dream Smile (dreamsmiledental.com) as its newest supported dental practice. This practice marks its 84th location and 33rd supported brand. The practice joins a robust portfolio of thriving, high-quality dental practices in the Northeast. Since 1994, Dream Smile has been led by co-Dental Directors Dr. Evetta Shwartzman and Dr. Konstantin Ronkin who will continue to provide care to patients and mentorship to their team. They are joined by three associate dentists, two dental hygienists, and a practice manager.

Dr. Michael Scialabba, Chief Clinical Officer at 42 North Dental, spoke about Dream Smile, "Over the years, Drs. Shwartzman and Ronkin have built a practice with a strong reputation for excellence and we're proud to welcome them to the 42 North Dental team." 42 North Dental partners exclusively with dental practices that have a strong reputation in the industry and with patients along with strong financial health.

Dream Smile was founded in 1994 by Dr. Evetta Shwartzman and Dr. Konstantin Ronkin. Both originally from the former Soviet Union, the doctors met when they attended Tufts Dental School and realized they shared a similar drive and ambition. Post-grad, Ronkin and Shwartzman began attending cosmetic dentistry courses at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies where they learned techniques to keep them at the forefront of dentistry.

Dr. Shwarzman commented on the partnership, "I look forward to pairing the excellence of our practice with the excellence in leadership at 42 North Dental. The team has been professional and approachable since we began discussions and I'm excited for what our partnership holds."

ABOUT 42 NORTH DENTAL LLC: 42 North Dental is a leading dental support organization in the Northeast supporting 33 practice brands in 84 locations. With a mission to eliminate barriers to quality patient care by providing business and administrative support to dental practices, 42 North Dental presents opportunities that help doctors and their teams professionally advance while growing the business to its fullest potential. 42 North Dental's affiliation model offers dental providers clinical autonomy and equity ownership, as well as non-clinical solutions and the business support needed to increase the value of the practice. 42 North Dental was created for dentists and is rooted in over 40 years of experience in the dental industry.

SOURCE 42 North Dental

Related Links

http://42northdental.com


EIGHTY FOUR, Pa., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 84 Lumber, the nation's largest privately held building materials supplier, is launching a recruitment effort to fill immediate openings at their locations in greater Cincinnati. The company will host a Hiring Event on August 17th from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at SpringHill Suites by Marriott Cincinnati North/Forest Park (12001 Chase Plaza Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45240).

At the event, job seekers will learn more about the company culture and get the opportunity to be interviewed for open positions in the area that include manager trainees (MT), warehouse and forklift associates, non-CDL truck drivers, and truck driver helpers. Qualified applicants may receive an offer of employment during the event. Candidates who attend the event and then get hired as a result of it are eligible for a one-time $840 sign-on bonus.

"84 Lumber is seeking to fill 10 open positions in the Cincinnati area, including our locations in Springdale and Cleves, to add to our team of 40 employees in the area," said Phil Garuccio, divisional vice president at 84 Lumber. "We're growing along with the growth in the construction industry  here in the Cincinnati region and across the nation. We're looking for people seeking a fresh start."

Garuccio went on to detail the openings in the region:

Manager trainees (MTs) hired by 84 Lumber enter an intensive, one-on-one, on-the-job training program that teaches them about the company's business and puts them on a path to become a future leader within the enterprise. Starting compensation for manager trainees is $40,000 per year.



hired by 84 Lumber enter an intensive, one-on-one, on-the-job training program that teaches them about the company's business and puts them on a path to become a future leader within the enterprise. Starting compensation for manager trainees is per year. Warehouse and forklift associates need no prior experience and perform essential functions behind the scenes from the management of supply shipments to the operation of forklifts and other equipment. These associates can expect a starting pay of up to $14 per hour.



need no prior experience and perform essential functions behind the scenes from the management of supply shipments to the operation of forklifts and other equipment. These associates can expect a starting pay of up to per hour. Non-CDL truck drivers and helpers load trucks and deliver materials to customer job sites. Drivers are responsible for building loads for deliveries; maintaining a safe, clean, and well-organized lumber yard; and loading and unloading lumber and building supplies. Hourly pay for drivers and driver helpers is up to $16 per hour.

"We are a family-owned company, which means we are committed to helping our employees build and cultivate a career with us. In fact, 95% of our store managers started in our manager trainee program," Garuccio said. "As we see it, 84 Lumber recruits individuals with a can-do attitude, a willingness to work hard, and a desire to learn. Once we find these people and they join the company, we teach and train them and find ways for them to grow with us."

Garuccio added that 84 Lumber expects it might find the right fit from all types of candidates  an individual with no construction experience, military veterans ready to embark on their next career challenge, or people with some previous work experience who seek to redirect their career.

Candidates interested in participating in the Hiring Event are asked to pre-register. To sign up, go to 84 Lumber's Hiring Page and complete the form. Once you are registered, you will receive an email from 84 Lumber with the link to apply for the desired position. To save time, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for positions online before they attend the event.

NOTE: 84 Lumber continues to follow CDC safety guidelines with regard to COVID-19. We ask that those attendees who are not yet fully vaccinated wear a mask and maintain social distancing.

To learn more about 84 Lumber, follow the company on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

ABOUT 84 LUMBER

Founded in 1956 and headquartered in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, 84 Lumber Company is the nation's largest privately held supplier of building materials, manufactured components and industry-leading services for single- and multi-family residences and commercial buildings. The company operates nearly 250 stores, component manufacturing plants, custom door shops, custom millwork shops and engineered wood product centers in more than 30 states. 84 Lumber also offers turnkey installation services for a variety of products, including framing, insulation, siding, windows, roofing, decking and drywall. A certified national women's business enterprise owned by Maggie Hardy Knox, 84 Lumber was named by Forbes as one of America's Largest Private Companies in 2018 and one of America's Best Large Employers in 2019. For more information, visit 84lumber.com or join us at Facebook.com/84lumber and linkedin.com/company/84-lumber .

Contact: Jeff Donaldson, BLD Marketing

Email [email protected]

Phone: (412) 347-8039

Photos: http://www.bldpressroom.com/84lumber/cincinnati-hiring-event

SOURCE 84 Lumber

Related Links

http://www.84lumber.com


EIGHTY FOUR, Pa., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 84 Lumber, the nation's largest privately held building materials supplier, is launching a recruitment effort to fill immediate openings at its retail store in Georgetown, TX. The company will host a Hiring Event on August 18th from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sheraton Austin Georgetown Hotel & Conference Center (1101 Woodlawn St, Georgetown, TX 78628).

At the event, job seekers will learn more about the company culture and get the opportunity to be interviewed for open positions in the area that include manager trainees (MT), warehouse and forklift associates, drivers and driver helpers, load builders, and entry-level coordinators/data entry clerks. Qualified applicants may receive an offer of employment during the event.

"84 Lumber is seeking to fill 20 open positions at our Georgetown location to add to our team of more than 45 employees in the area," said Jorge Espinoza, divisional vice president at 84 Lumber. "We're growing along with the growth in the construction industry  here in Georgetown and across the nation. We're looking for people seeking a fresh start."

Espinoza went on to detail the open positions.

Manager trainee s (MTs) hired by 84 Lumber enter an intensive, one-on-one, on-the-job training program that teaches them about the company's business and puts them on a path to become a future leader within the enterprise. Starting compensation for manager trainees is $42,000 per year.

hired by 84 Lumber enter an intensive, one-on-one, on-the-job training program that teaches them about the company's business and puts them on a path to become a future leader within the enterprise. Starting compensation for manager trainees is per year. W arehous e and forklift associates need no prior experience and perform essential functions behind the scenes  from the management of supply shipments to the operation of forklifts and other equipment. These associates can expect a starting pay of up to $18 per hour based on experience.

need no prior experience and perform essential functions behind the scenes  from the management of supply shipments to the operation of forklifts and other equipment. These associates can expect a starting pay of up to per hour based on experience. Non-CDL truck drivers, driver helpers , and load builders are responsible for assisting in the delivery of material to customer job sites. These associates are also responsible for building loads for deliveries and maintaining a safe, clean, and well-organized lumber yard. Starting pay for these roles is between $13 and $15 per hour depending on position.

are responsible for assisting in the delivery of material to customer job sites. These associates are also responsible for building loads for deliveries and maintaining a safe, clean, and well-organized lumber yard. Starting pay for these roles is between and per hour depending on position. Entry-level coordinators/data entry clerks are responsible for helping salespeople with customer service activities, including creating estimates, sourcing products to fulfill orders, taking vendor phone calls, invoicing of materials, and serving as the accounts receivable person. Compensation is based on experience.

"We are a family-owned company, which means we are committed to helping our employees build and cultivate a career with us. In fact, 95% of our store managers started in our manager trainee program," Espinoza said. "As we see it, 84 Lumber recruits individuals with a can-do attitude, a willingness to work hard, and a desire to learn. Once we find these people and they join the company, we teach and train them and find ways for them to grow with us."

Espinoza added that 84 Lumber expects it might find the right fit from all types of candidates  an individual with no construction experience, military veterans ready to embark on their next career challenge, or people with some previous work experience who seek to redirect their career.

Candidates interested in participating in the Hiring Event are asked to pre-register. To sign up, go to 84 Lumber's Hiring Page and complete the form. Once you are registered, you will receive an email from 84 Lumber with the link to apply for the desired position. To save time, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for positions online before they attend the event.

NOTE: 84 Lumber continues to follow CDC safety guidelines with regard to COVID-19. We ask that those attendees who are not yet fully vaccinated wear a mask and maintain social distancing.

To learn more about 84 Lumber, follow the company on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

ABOUT 84 LUMBER

Founded in 1956 and headquartered in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, 84 Lumber Company is the nation's largest privately held supplier of building materials, manufactured components and industry-leading services for single- and multi-family residences and commercial buildings. The company operates nearly 250 stores, component manufacturing plants, custom door shops, custom millwork shops and engineered wood product centers in more than 30 states. 84 Lumber also offers turnkey installation services for a variety of products, including framing, insulation, siding, windows, roofing, decking and drywall. A certified national women's business enterprise owned by Maggie Hardy Knox, 84 Lumber was named by Forbes as one of America's Largest Private Companies in 2018 and one of America's Best Large Employers in 2019. For more information, visit 84lumber.com or join us at Facebook.com/84lumber and linkedin.com/company/84-lumber .

SOURCE 84 Lumber

Related Links

http://www.84lumber.com


MIAMI, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lalee Records today announced a first in the history of music as artist and music producer LouCii becomes the first in the world to release 3 full-length albums (39 tracks), covering 14 music genres, and 3 languages, on the same day. This milestone is a major move for LouCii as he continues to prove that he is the "Complete Package" music producer unlike any other.

LouCii becomes the first artist/music producer in the world to release 3 full-length albums covering 14 music genres and 3 languages on the same day.

"I have always gone where no man has gone before, I think the release of my 3 albums with 39 tracks covering 14 music genres, and 3 languages, on the same day speaks louder than words, and clearly puts me in a category of my own." - LouCii

To learn more about LouCii, click here

The 3 albums and their respective music genres are:

Back2BassX - House, Tech House, Deep House, Melodic House Dark Like Kryptonite - Future Rave, Big Room, Future House Global Vibes - Arabic, Arabic Pop, Arabic Remix, Latin Pop, Reggaeton, Moombahton, Pop.

SOURCE Lalee Records

Related Links

https://loucii.com/


NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Afterpay (ASX:APT), the leader in "Buy Now, Pay Later" payments, released its New York Fashion Week (NYFW): The Shows events calendar to reignite retail and unlock unparalleled consumers access to latest and most exciting fashion in the United States.

Kicking-off in the heart of New York's Times Square on Tuesday, September 7, Afterpay will extend NYFW throughout the city and beyond, with a series of live shopping and interactive events, surprise-and-delight moments and social takeovers, to bring the unique experiences of fashion week to New Yorkers and Americans nationwide.

This September, consumers can participate in NYFW through extensive interactive programing, including:

September 6:

Afterpay's DROPSHOP Takes Over Times Square: Leveraging the power of Afterpay's The DROPSHOP franchise and Snapchat's revolutionary technology, Afterpay will bring drop culture to the streets with an in-person drop-style, immersive shopping event.

September 8:

House of Afterpay: A pop-up shopping destination that will feature retail experiences, educational programming and In-Real-Life Styling sessions. Additional headline events at House of Afterpay include:

A pop-up shopping destination that will feature retail experiences, educational programming and In-Real-Life Styling sessions. Additional headline events at House of Afterpay include: Small Business Showcase: Providing a unique opportunity for consumers to discover smaller brands who do not typically show during NYFW, House of Afterpay will host designers with a shopping event hosted by Zanna Roberts Rassi .

September 9:

See Now, Buy Now: Rising-star LaQuan Smith will launch his first "See Now, Buy Now" show during NYFW - giving consumers a front row seat to shop the collections from their own home.

Rising-star will launch his first "See Now, Buy Now" show during NYFW - giving consumers a front row seat to shop the collections from their own home. Turning the City Bondi Mint: Keep your eyes peeled for a new color in the sky - the Empire State Building will turn Bondi Mint with help from Afterpay's Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Nick Molnar and special guests

September 10:

NFYW Styling Session: Fashionistas are invited to join celeb stylist Kate Young and fashion and beauty expert Zanna Roberts Rassi for a must-attend styling session featuring the best looks from REVOLVE for NYFW21.

Fashionistas are invited to join celeb stylist and fashion and beauty expert for a must-attend styling session featuring the best looks from REVOLVE for NYFW21. Afterpay Quarter : For one day only, shoppers are invited to celebrate NYFW and New York retail. Activities at the Quarter include DJ sets, a roller rink, treat giveaways, cafe seating, merch shop with tote bags hand painted by NYC artist Queen Andrea , and more.

: For one day only, shoppers are invited to celebrate NYFW and retail. Activities at the Quarter include Surprise Afterparty: For one night only, Afterpay is offering a surprise pop up event with special guests. More details to come.

"This September, Afterpay is championing the city that never sleeps, igniting New York City retail and opening fashion to the consumer in a way that has never been done before," says Nick Molnar, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Afterpay. "With a week of interactive events, Afterpay is proud to support New York City's economy and jumpstart a fresh future for the fashion industry across the globe.

For information on Afterpay's events, visit https://www.afterpay.com/en-US/nyfw

About Afterpay Limited

Afterpay Limited (ASX: APT) is transforming the way we pay by allowing customers to buy products immediately and pay for their purchases over four installments, always interest-free. The service is completely free for customers who pay on time - helping people spend responsibly without incurring interest or extended debt. As of June 2021, Afterpay is offered by nearly 100,000 of the world's favourite retailers, and is used by nearly 16 million active customers globally.

Afterpay is currently available in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain, where it is known as Clearpay. Afterpay is on a mission to power an economy in which everyone wins.

SOURCE Afterpay

Related Links

http://afterpay.com


CHICAGO, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alliance Creative Group, Inc., (http://www.AllianceCreativeGroup.com) (OTC: ACGX) is pleased to announce the results of Operations for the Three Months Ending June 30, 2021.

Revenues for the quarter ending June 30, 2021 ("Q2 2021") were $2,619,790

Gross Profits for the quarter ending June 30, 2021 ("Q2 2021") were $659,225

Net Income for the quarter ending June 30, 2021 ("Q2 2021") were $41,098

The total assets on the Balance Sheet for the Alliance Creative Group as of 6/30/21 were $3,821,342.

The total outstanding common shares as of June 30, 2021 ("Q2 2021") were 1,739,611 with 1,149,023 of those shares in the float.

The Company ended the quarter and year with $16,867 Cash on hand.

Total Stockholder Equity as of 06/30/21 was $1,557,457

The full financial statement, balance sheet, statement of operations, cash flow statement, and disclosure statements are posted on the OTC Market Company website at www.OTCmarkets.com under the stock symbol ACGX in the section for filings and disclosure and on www.ACGX,us in the investor relations section.

Steve St. Louis, CEO of the Alliance Creative Group, Inc., said, "The second quarter of 2021 was a continuation of maintaining and growing revenues while paying down more liabilities to get us in a stronger position for the future. We are continuing to look at all opportunities and will update the public if and when anything changes."

About Alliance Creative Group, Inc.

Alliance Creative Group, Inc. (Stock Symbol: ACGX) is a Packaging Solutions Company focused on Retail Packaging and Packaging Management. ACG helps its clients from initial concept and packaging development through final production and managed inventory solutions. The core business has been around since 1997. ACG currently focuses mostly on providing solutions for flexible and clear packaging, folding cartons, vendor managed inventory supply chain services and fulfillment. Additional services include but are not limited to corrugated boxes, commercial printing, labels, and other products and services related to the printing or packaging of consumer products. ACG's team includes experts to provide high-quality packaging and printed products. The ACG experience includes very hands-on operational support out of 6 different warehouse locations and several national and international manufacturing partners. ACG provides customer support during the entire product process or cycle including but not limited to creating, warehousing, delivering, and replenishing their packaging products For more information, visit www.AllianceCreativeGroup.com or www.ACGX.us.

About PeopleVine

PeopleVine is a consolidated platform that allows businesses to build more personal relationships with their customers at scale. PeopleVine solves the problem businesses have creating and managing holistic relationships with their customers without using multiple products that only support a portion of the relationship building activities. PeopleVine seamlessly brings together the tools needed to market, sell, and operate a business with streamline efficiencies in a customer engagement suite and enables businesses to make data informed decisions to help generate revenue growth.

We are committed to being the most essential and adaptive SaaS engagement platform for companies that take a customer centric approach to business.

For more information www.PeopleVine.com

This news release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the bespeaks-caution doctrine. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, product and service demand and acceptance, changes in technology, economic conditions, the impact of competition and pricing, government regulation, and other risks described in statements filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All such forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, and whether made by or on behalf of the Company, are expressly qualified by the cautionary statements that may accompany the forward-looking statements. In addition, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Investor Relations and Media Contact

1-847-885-1800

[email protected]

SOURCE Alliance Creative Group, Inc.
AMARILLO, Texas, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Amarillo College today announced a partnership with GreenLight Credentials , a record-sharing platform that allows students throughout the Panhandle to share education records with anyone they choose by using an app on their phones.

GreenLight bypasses traditional bureaucracies, giving more than 23,000 high school students served by Region 16 a tool that dramatically expedites the process of entering higher education.

Colleges and Universities can now receive instant access to verified documents from potential students, making it easier for colleges to connect with qualified candidates.

Amarillo College has made a two-year commitment to invest in covering access to technologies and tools to support this goal for all 59 of the school districts in Region 16.

These technologies, developed by GreenLight, include the flagship Store and Share product, which enables verified digital learner records to follow students from high school through college and into the workforce. It also supports Enrollment Fast Pass, a new tool that simplifies the enrollment process for students entering colleges.

"The Texas Panhandle is unique because we understand our individual futures  personally and organizationally  are bound to our collective ones," Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, president of Amarillo College, said. "This partnership with GreenLight is an opportunity for Amarillo College to leverage federal funding to equip all our public schools and higher education partners with a record-sharing platform that streamlines access to higher education."

Institutions can now securely upload verified credentials into GreenLight Locker. Built on blockchain technology, GreenLight Locker also empowers students to upload records required for college  like vaccinations, residency and other documents  and then instantly send those records, plus their official transcript, to colleges.

"We are thrilled to partner with Amarillo College to bring GreenLight to West Texas. Our partnership empowers hundreds of thousands of students to have instant access and control of their academic and health records," explained Manoj Kutty, CEO and founder of GreenLight Credentials. "With our powerful matching technologies, we provide students with college, career and scholarship opportunities, helping them attain their dreams."

About Amarillo College:

Established in 1929, Amarillo College today is a vibrant community college that typically enrolls about 9,000 students at 7 campuses in three Texas Panhandle counties. Named one of the Top 5 community colleges in the nation by the Aspen Institute in 2021, Amarillo College delivers Associate Degree and Certificate programs that enrich lives, inspire success, and provide an outstanding academic foundation. Amarillo College students have success whether they are looking to immediately enter the workforce or proceed to a university. www.actx.edu

About GreenLight:

GreenLight Credential's mission is to accelerate educational and career opportunities by simplifying the college admission process and opening more doors for learning and employment. GreenLight is the world's largest blockchain-secured ledger of verified life-long learning records and related credentials. Through our technology, GreenLight Credentials empowers individuals to control their digital credentials, deepening trust among users, high schools, colleges, employers and others, while improving outcomes and unlocking value for all. More than 2,000,000 students and alums have access to their records on GreenLight. Learn more about GreenLight Credentials at glcredentials.com

Media Contact

Joe Wyatt

806-371-5139

[email protected]

SOURCE Amarillo College

Related Links

http://www.actx.edu


HOUSTON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American Gilsonite Company (the "Company" or "AGC"), the world's principal commercial miner and processor of uintaite, the unique mineral marketed under its trademark name "Gilsonite", today announced that it will post financial and operating results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 to the Company's Intralinks site on August 16, 2021.

The Company will host a conference call for holders of its Subordinated Notes and holders of the Company's common stock on Monday, August 30, 2021 at 10:00 am ET. Craig Mueller, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Steven Granda, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will discuss the Company's financial results and answer questions from the investment community.

A rebroadcast of this conference call will also be available through September 30, 2021. The dial-in information for both the conference call and the rebroadcast has been be posted to the Company's Intralinks website. Participants for the conference call are requested to dial in five to ten minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

Holders of the Company's Subordinated Notes and holders of the Company's common stock who have executed the Stockholders Agreement can request access to the Company's Intralinks site by contacting Michael Herley by email at [email protected] or by phone at 203-308-1409.

About American Gilsonite Company

AGC operates as an industrial minerals company and is the world's primary miner and processor of uintaite, a variety of asphaltite, a specialty hydrocarbon which AGC markets to industrial customers under its registered trademark name "Gilsonite". Gilsonite is a glossy, black, solid naturally occurring hydrocarbon similar in appearance to hard asphalt and is believed to be found in commercial quantities only in the Uinta Basin in northeastern Utah. Because of its unique chemical and physical properties, Gilsonite has been used in more than 160 products. The Company sells its products to customers in four primary markets: (i) oil and gas, (ii) inks and paints, (iii) foundry and (iv) asphalt. AGC is headquartered in Houston, Texas. To learn more, visit www.americangilsonite.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Contact: Michael Herley 203-308-1409

[email protected]

Related Links http://www.americangilsonite.com

SOURCE American Gilsonite Company
AMHERST, Va., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Amistad Project, the nation's leading election integrity watchdog, announced today that affiliated attorneys from Dillon, McCandless, King, Coulter, & Graham LLP have been retained to serve as special counsel to the County of Fulton and the Fulton County Board of Elections as they defend their right to conduct post-election audit of Fulton County's voting machines.

Fulton County, the only county in Pennsylvania to conduct an independent audit of its voting machines after the 2020 election, is appealing the unilateral decision of Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Veronica Degraffenreid to decertify the county's voting machines in response to the audit, which was requested by members of the state legislature.

After decertify Fulton County's election machines, Degraffenreid issued a directive to every county in the state saying that counties should not allow third-parties to see the inner workings of voting machines, and she is refusing to make available state funds designated for the counties to purchase new election machines.

"It's concerning that we see what is apparently a nationally coordinated effort to intimidate local government from participating with the legislature in understanding what happened," said Phill Kline, director of The Amistad Project, referring to recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice threatening possible prosecution of local government officials who conduct third-party audits of their elections. "This is particularly remarkable because the legislature, not the executive branch, has the constitutional responsibility and duty to manage elections."

"There was no due process; the secretary just decertified machines," said Tom King, one of the attorneys hired by Fulton County. "There were no rules at the time they did the audit that would have prohibited what they did."

In addition to appealing the decertification decision, Fulton County will litigate ancillary issues that have arisen from the dispute.

"One of the central tenets of representative government is transparency," Kline pointed out. "Fulton County should not be punished for attempting to provide the highest level of transparency possible."

About The Amistad Project

For more information about The Amistad Project, please visit: http://theamistadproject.org/

SOURCE Amistad Project

Related Links

http://theamistadproject.org


We are seeing an uptick in demand for our Combo test for Flu/RSV/COVID which detects 3 respiratory viruses with 1 sample

Moreover, as COVID-19 cases featuring the Delta variant continue to surge, follow up testing for this more contagious strain of the virus is also increasingly needed by government, organizations, and patient care facilities.

"Last year we didn't really have a flu season because of mask mandates but this year respiratory viruses started several months early in the summer when COVID cases dropped and people no longer wore masks," said Sarah Jacobs-Helber, Chief Laboratory Officer of GENETWORx. "In addition to our COVID-19 testing, right now we are seeing a large uptick in demand for our Combo test for influenza/RSV/COVID since it can detect these different respiratory viruses using only a single sample taken from the patient. People need to know right away if they have one of these three pathogens," said Jacobs-Helber. "This test has the potential to save lives now and throughout the winter season."

Additionally, Jacobs-Helber explained that, with the surge in COVID cases in the U.S., many organizations and businesses require a separate follow up test that can distinguish the variants of the virus that are of concern to public health officials. She said that GENETWORx is seeing increased ordering of the laboratory's follow up PCR tests for the COVID-19 variants of concern including the Delta variant. This molecular test is performed at GENETWORx laboratory using the same patient sample which is reprocessed after a positive test result is received. Whereas most variant tests can take 7 days to process, the GENETWORx PCR variant test provides results in 24-48 hours.

"GENETWORx is seeing an increased demand for variant testing right now as well as for the combo influenza/RSV/COVID-19 test," said Jacobs-Helber. "We are really focusing on what tests and technology patients and providers need as the pandemic continues to evolve. These new products will be vital to government, schools, businesses, colleges, assisted living facilities, and others as they strive to keep their workforce and student populations safe during the pandemic."

The GENETWORx Influenza/RSV/COVID Combo Test has a 98 percent accuracy rate for influenza, 99 percent for COVID-19, and 96 percent for RSV. The test for influenza A/B, RSV, and COVID-19 utilizes a single mid-turbinate or nasopharyngeal swab sample which means less discomfort for patients when compared with collecting a separate sample from the patient for each test. The combo test takes significantly less time to deliver results to the physician and patients when compared with running several individual tests on multiple samples to detect the different pathogens.

Test results for the GENETWORx Combo test are available in 24-48 hours or less from receipt of sample or, for the variant test, 24-48 hours after a positive test result is received. GENETWORx also utilizes a results-reporting platform where patients or providers can easily access test results in an online portal, as well as via text or phone, or through the comprehensive COVID-19 software solution, the Aura app.

Patients can request the GENETWORx combo test and the COVID-19 variant test through their doctor. See here for more information on the GENETWORx influenza/RSV/COVID Combo test and here for information on the GENETWORx COVID-19 follow up variant test.

GENETWORx is a leading provider of COVID-19 testing. GENETWORx has performed over 7 million COVID-19 PCR tests for colleges, physician groups, assisted living facilities, and major pharmacy and media chains.

About GENETWORx Laboratories:

GENETWORx is a fully integrated CAP/CLIA certified high complexity molecular diagnostic laboratory. In addition to COVID-19 testing, the company also provides pharmacogenomic DNA genotyping. Since the pandemic began, GENETWORx has consistently offered new products to meet the needs of businesses, colleges, and health care facilities in their efforts to keep employees, students, and workers safe. The laboratory also offers antibody testing for the COVID-19 virus, a PCR saliva test, mobile laboratory testing centers, and two walk-in testing centers in Malvern, PA and New York City called Test Now and Go. Please visit Genetworx.com for further information and follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook. For media interviews contact: Terri C. Malenfant at [email protected].

SOURCE GENETWORx

Related Links

https://genetworx.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global ATM market size is expected to reach USD 29.89 billion by 2028 and is projected to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.9% from 2021 to 2028, according to a study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. An Automated Teller Machine (ATM) is a specialized computer that acts as a digital banking outlet for customers to make basic banking transactions using debit and credit cards. An ATM typically comprises a keypad, dispenser, printer, card reader, and display screen to prompt the user through each step of the transaction. Some ATMs handle money and act solely as cash dispensers while some execute various tasks as fund transfer, check and cash deposit, and bill payment.

Key Insights & Findings:

In terms of solution, the deployment segment dominated the market in 2020. The segment accounted for over 50% of the overall industry in 2020

The thriving tourism industry plays a vital role in assisting the market growth. ATMs allow foreign tourists to easily exchange currency through the Dynamic Currency Conversion feature

In terms of region, the Asia Pacific market is expected to be a fast-mover, with the rapidly developing Chinese and Indian economies spearheading market growth

Read 140 page market research report, "ATM Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Solution (Deployment, Managed Service), By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa), And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028", by Grand View Research

These machines also allow users to change card passwords and view their bank account balances. Increasing demand for automated systems in developing countries is expected to positively influence the global ATM installed base over the forecast period. However, the market is projected to lose momentum due to a significant increase in the adoption of mobile and internet banking applications.

The rising demand for automation in the banking sector in several developed and emerging countries is expected to fuel the demand for ATMs in the near future. Increased adoption of advanced technologies and digital infrastructure in the banking sector, coupled with the rising demand for quick cash withdrawal by the user, is a major factor expected to drive the market growth. The increasing deployment of ATMs in organizations and financial institutions in developing economies is also anticipated to boost the demand for ATMs over the forecast period.

Onsite ATMs are being deployed in the bank premises to help customers avoid long queues for cash deposits, withdrawals, and cash transfers. The evolving banking infrastructure and an increasing number of onsite ATMs to enhance customer satisfaction are also expected to provide growth opportunities to the growth of the market.

Asia Pacific accounted for the largest share of the market in 2020. The radical economic and industrial development witnessed in recent years has attracted several global banks to developing economies such as India, China, South Korea, and Taiwan. This has helped boost the regional market growth.

The market for ATM is expected to witness a boost after the COVID-19 pandemic is over. The introduction of smart ATMs in developing countries such as India, China, and Japan is expected to augment growth opportunities for the market. Furthermore, cash continues to be the first choice of customers to make payments owing to the convenience involved. The evolution of digital payment solutions such as bitcoin transactions and mobile banking will hamper the market growth in the long run.

Grand View Research has segmented the global ATM market based on solution and region:

ATM Market Solution Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2028)

Deployment



Onsite ATM





Offsite ATM





Worksite ATM





Mobile ATM



Managed Service

ATM Market Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2028)

North America



U.S.





Canada



Europe



U.K.





Germany



Asia Pacific



China





India





Japan



Latin America



Brazil





Mexico



Middle East & Africa

List of Key Players of the ATM Market

Diebold Nixdorf

Fujitsu Limited

G4S plc

GRG Banking

Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions, Corp. (Hitachi)

NCR Corporation

OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd.

Guangzhou King Teller Technology Co. Ltd

Check out more studies related to the Global Electronic Devices Industry, conducted by Grand View Research:

Cash Management System Market  The global cash management system market size is expected to reach USD 25.37 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 12.6% from 2020 to 2027, according to a new report published by Grand View Research, Inc.

The global cash management system market size is expected to reach by 2027, registering a CAGR of 12.6% from 2020 to 2027, according to a new report published by Grand View Research, Inc. Self-service Technology Market  The global self-service technology market size is expected to reach USD 46.03 billion by 2027, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.7% from 2020 to 2027, according to the new study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc.

The global self-service technology market size is expected to reach by 2027, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.7% from 2020 to 2027, according to the new study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. Interactive Kiosk Market  The global interactive kiosk market size is expected to reach USD 45.32 billion by 2028, according to a new study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.9% from 2021 to 2028.

Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com

Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter

SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global automated visual field analyzer market size is expected to reach USD 265.5 million by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.0% from 2021 to 2028. The growing frequency of new product launches and the rise in the incidence of ocular diseases such as glaucoma and cataract are key drivers to market growth.

Key Insights & Findings:

The static perimeters segment held the largest revenue share in 2020 owing to its extensive use in capturing large data points for automated visual field testing

The hospital segment held the largest revenue share in 2020 owing to the increasing number of hospitals in developing countries and growing competition in healthcare service providers

The ophthalmic clinics segment is expected to experience the fastest growth rate during the forecast period due to its convenience, proximity, and lower costs to patients and insurers

Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness the fastest CAGR of around 7.5% over the forecast period due to the presence of untapped opportunities in the emerging economies in China and India

Read 115 page market research report, "Automated Visual Field Analyzer Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Static, Kinetic), By End Use (Hospitals, Ophthalmic Clinics), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028", by Grand View Research

The global impact of COVID-19 on eye health, along with population aging, and environmental and lifestyle changes are the factors expected to result in substantial growth of the automated visual field analyzer market with an increase in the number of individuals suffering from visual impairment and blindness. At least 2.2 billion individuals worldwide have a near or far vision impairment.

Technological advancements in automated visual field analyzers have significantly reduced turnaround time and increased accuracy in visual field testing. One of the major such advances has been the introduction of new software algorithms. Some of the key reasons anticipated to drive the growth of the market include an increase in the frequency of new product launches. Novel tests of visual function are being developed as a result of recent technological advancements. Diagnostic testing using portable, low-cost equipment now enables the examination of patient populations with limited access to health care and permits testing to occur outside of the clinical environment or at home.

Many public and private organizations are taking steps to raise awareness about eye health and vision care among the general public, optometrists, and ophthalmologists for the diagnosis and treatment of ophthalmic diseases, such as conducting awareness and advertising campaigns and workshops. Additionally, several suppliers provide ophthalmologists and technician's hands-on training in visual field analyzers through courses, tutorials, and workshops. Such activities assist to raise knowledge about ocular illnesses and accessible diagnostic equipment, such as ophthalmic perimeters, which will drive the market.

Grand View Research has segmented the global automated visual field analyzer market based on product, end use, and region:

Automated Visual Field Analyzer Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Static



Kinetic

Automated Visual Field Analyzer End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Hospitals



Ophthalmic Clinics



Others

Automated Visual Field Analyzer Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

North America



U.S.





Canada



Europe



U.K.





Germany





France





Italy





Spain



Asia Pacific



Japan





China





India





Thailand





South Korea



Latin America



Brazil





Mexico





Argentina





Colombia



Middle East and Africa

and

South Africa





Saudi Arabia





UAE

List of Key Players of Automated Visual Field Analyzer Market

Carl Zeiss

Haag-Streit AG

Elektron Eye Technology

Heidelberg Engineering

Kowa Company, Ltd

Optopol

OCULUS

Metrovision

MEDA Co., Ltd.

Topcon

Check out more studies related to ophthalmology, conducted by Grand View Research:

Ophthalmic Devices Market  The global ophthalmic devices market is expected to reach USD 55.5 billion by 2024, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc.

The global ophthalmic devices market is expected to reach by 2024, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Eye Examination Equipment Market  The global eye examination equipment market size is expected to reach USD 8.8 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., progressing at a CAGR of 6.2% during the forecast period.

The global eye examination equipment market size is expected to reach by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., progressing at a CAGR of 6.2% during the forecast period. Advanced Ophthalmology Technologies Market  The global advanced ophthalmology technologies market size is expected to reach USD 9.6 billion by 2026, expanding at a CAGR of 6.5%, as per a new report by Grand View Research Inc.

Browse through Grand View Research's coverage of the Global Medical Devices Industry.

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About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com

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SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Banco BBVA Argentina S.A. (NYSE & BYMA & MAE: BBAR; LATIBEX:XBBAR) today announced that it will report its Second Quarter 2021 results on Tuesday, August 24, after market close.

Earnings Release

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Time: After market close

Conference Call

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Time: 12:00 p.m. Buenos Aires time  (11:00 a.m. EST)

Quiet Period

From Wednesday, August 11 through Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Executives

Mr. Ernesto Gallardo, Chief Financial Officer

Ms. Ines Lanusse, Investor Relations Officer

Ms. Belen Fourcade, Investor Relations

To participate, please dial in:

1-844-450-3851 (US Toll-Free)

1-412-317-6373 (International)

54-11-3984-5677 (Argentina)

Web Phone: click here

Conference ID: BBVA

Webcast & Replay: click here

BBVA Argentina Investor Relations

[email protected]

ir.bbva.com.ar

About BBVA Argentina

Banco BBVA Argentina (NYSE, BYMA, MAE: BBAR; LATIBEX: XBBAR) is a subsidiary of the BBVA Group, the principal shareholder since 1996. In Argentina, it is one of the leading private financial institutions since 1886. Nationwide, Banco BBVA Argentina offers retail and corporate banking to a broad customer base, including: individuals, SME's, and large-sized companies.

Banco BBVA Argentina's purpose is to bring the age of opportunities to everyone, based on our customers' real needs, providing the best solutions, and helping them make the best financial decisions, through an easy and convenient experience. The institution rests in solid values: "Customer comes first, we think big and we are one team". At the same time, its responsible banking model aspires to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable society.

SOURCE Banco BBVA Argentina S.A.
NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BCM One, a leading provider of NextGen Communications and Managed Services for IT leaders and resellers, announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named BCM One to its 2021 Fast Growth 150 list in 30th place. With this list, CRN recognizes the fastest-growing North American technology integrators, solution providers, and IT consultants for their significant growth and meaningful performance over the previous two years.

BCM One Public Relations

"It's gratifying to see our ongoing investments in the company, our solutions, and the channel drive the level of growth to land us in the top quartile of this year's CRN Fast Growth 150 list," stated Geoff Bloss, CEO of BCM One. "Our entire team continues to work very hard to maintain this momentum by bringing world-class, next-generation voice and managed network services to an expanding client base."

The IT channel is a highly competitive, fast-paced environment comprised of solution providers that deliver a complex array of hardware, software, communications and services. They must think outside the box to differentiate themselves, making sustained growth a notable achievement. To maintain the highest levels of growth, solution providers constantly need to evolve and keep ahead of groundbreaking changes within the marketplace. The 2021 Fast Growth 150 list acknowledges these companies' exceptional accomplishments and ongoing dedication to success.

"In today's unpredictable world, the pace of change within the IT channel is happening at breakneck speed. CRN's 2021 Fast Growth 150 list highlights industry-leading companies within the IT channel and their ability to outpace an ever-evolving market," said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. "The prominent companies on this year's list serves as an inspiration, setting an admirable level of excellence for their peers to follow. We are thrilled to honor these industry-leading professionals and wish them continued success for the foreseeable future."

You can view the complete list of CRN's 2021 Fast Growth 150 online at www.crn.com/fastgrowth150.

ABOUT BCM ONE

Founded in 1992, BCM One is a leading managed technology solutions provider offering next generation voice and managed network services. Serving over 17,000 customers worldwide, BCM One offers a variety of solutions supporting businesses' critical network infrastructure including: UCaaS/Hosted Voice, SIP Trunking, Managed SD-WAN, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Professional Services, Technology Expense Optimization and Managed Connectivity solutions. BCM One prides itself on its long-standing client relationships backed by their mission statement, "To Provide a World-Class Experience with Every Human Interaction." To learn more about BCM One, visit www.bcmone.com.

BCM One Contact:

Paula Como Kauth

Office: 212.906.7255 | [email protected]

Related Images

bcm-one-fast-growth-150.png

BCM One -- Fast Growth 150

SOURCE BCM One Public Relations
SALT LAKE CITY and GREENWICH, Conn., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Beauty Industry Group ("BIG" or the "Company"), the leader in professionally-installed and DIY hair extension products, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which L Catterton, the largest global consumer-focused private equity firm, will acquire a majority stake in the Company. BIG's existing shareholders, including HGGC, CEO Derrick Porter, and the Company's management team, will reinvest alongside L Catterton and continue to own a significant minority stake in the Company going forward. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2004, Beauty Industry Group has grown exponentially to become the leading platform in the rapidly growing, global hair extensions category, comprising a premier portfolio of 13 market-leading brands, including HALOCOUTURE, Donna Bella Hair, Beauty Works, Hairtalk, and Luxy. Through its unique multi-channel direct-to-stylist (DTS), direct-to-consumer (DTC), and professional distribution network, the Company currently serves a global customer base reaching more than 100,000 hair salons and stylists, and millions of consumers across 165 countries worldwide.

Following the close of the transaction, the Company will continue to be headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah and led by Chief Executive Officer Derrick Porter and the current management team.

"The hair extension category is one of the largest, fastest growing, and most underserved spaces in the hair care category. Consumers of all ages and demographics are increasingly turning to hair extensions for fuller, thicker, and longer hair in their everyday lives," said Avik Pramanik, Partner at L Catterton. "Derrick and the BIG team have established the Company as the premier provider of hair extension services and products for consumers and stylists alike. In addition, BIG has established itself as the partner-of-choice for leading brands and innovators in this emerging category. We share a long-term vision with the BIG team and HGGC, and we look forward to working together to capitalize on new opportunities for long-term, sustainable growth while continuing to deliver the highest quality products to more consumers, stylists, and salons around the world."

"We are thrilled to partner with L Catterton to build on our momentum and continue to expand our market leadership within the beauty space," said Derrick Porter, Chief Executive Officer of Beauty Industry Group. "With more and more consumers around the world prioritizing hair extensions over any other beauty service, L Catterton's brand building expertise, operational know-how, and global resources will allow us to enhance our world class supply chain further, and reach more consumers who rely on high quality hair extensions every day. With the support of HGGC over these last several years, we have developed a premier portfolio of leading brands, and we could not be more excited about our Company's future with this partnership."

"Having worked alongside Derrick and the entire BIG team for the last three years as the Company has grown its portfolio, entered the DTC channel, and expanded into multiple new geographic markets, including Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia, we could not be more confident that this partnership with L Catterton will allow the Company to capitalize on several exciting organic growth and acquisition opportunities," said Steven Leistner, Partner at HGGC. "We look forward to continuing our great relationship with Derrick and the management team as we support BIG through its next phase of growth."

L Catterton has significant experience investing globally in differentiated consumer brands including those in the beauty and haircare space. Current and past investments include Intercos, Marubi, The Honest Company, Elemis, Function of Beauty, Bliss, Il Makiage, Frederic Fekkai, Nutrafol, and Tula.

About Beauty Industry Group

BIG, established in 2004, is an industry leader for professionally installed and direct to consumer hair extensions. BIG's products are sold in more than 30,000 salons across 165 countries. BIG has offices in 5 countries and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT. For more information about Beauty Industry Group please visit BeautyIndustryGroup.com.

About L Catterton

With approximately $30 billion of equity capital across its fund strategies and 17 offices around the world, L Catterton is the largest global consumer-focused private equity firm. L Catterton's team of nearly 200 investment and operating professionals partners with management teams around the world to implement strategic plans to foster growth, leveraging deep category insight, operational excellence, and a broad partnership network. Since 1989, the firm has made over 250 investments in leading consumer brands. For more information about L Catterton, please visit lcatterton.com.

About HGGC

HGGC is a leading middle-market private equity firm with over $5.5 billion in cumulative capital commitments. Based in Palo Alto, California, HGGC is distinguished by its Advantaged Investing approach that enables the firm to source and acquire scalable businesses through partnerships with management teams, founders and sponsors who reinvest alongside HGGC, creating a strong alignment of interests. Since its inception in 2007, HGGC has completed 290 platform investments, add-on acquisitions, recapitalizations and liquidity events with an aggregate transaction value of over $38 billion.

Contacts

L Catterton

Andi Rose / Tim Ragones / Erik Carlson

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

212-355-4449

Beauty Industry Group

Adam Hanselman

[email protected]

HGGC

Eddie de Sciora

Stanton

[email protected]

516-458-3783

SOURCE L Catterton

Related Links

https://www.lcatterton.com


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackford Capital portfolio company Aqua Leisure, a company that designs, distributes and develops products for swimming and recreational water activities, announced today that Peter Delahunt has been appointed chief financial officer, effective immediately. Delahunt brings strong financial, strategic, and operational capabilities to Aqua Leisure, and over 20 years of executive experience at companies with both private equity and publicly traded ownership structures.

Delahunt, 58, will report to CEO Steve Berenson and will work with the management team as well as a board of directors that has been expanded by Blackford Capital to help steer Aqua Leisure through a strategic growth plan.

"Peter stood out to the Aqua Leisure team as a highly talented and experienced consumer-products executive with considerable private equity knowledge," said Martin Stein, founder and managing director of Blackford Capital and Chairman of the Aqua Leisure board. "He is the perfect person to guide the team as we enter the next chapter of our ownership, developing the infrastructure to position the business for the future."

Throughout his career, Delahunt has demonstrated an ability to execute both corporate restructurings and rapid expansion strategies. At KT Tape, the largest manufacturer of kinesiology tape, he quadrupled revenue and improved profit margins as he oversaw a transition from a founder-led, cash-rich company into company with far better financial and operational controls. Delahunt also has experience improving financial performance at retail brands including Chicos, J. Jill and Talbots, Inc.

Aqua Leisure, has been in the business of developing, designing, and distributing consumer products that make swimming, diving, and playing in water fun for over 50 years. The company's products include aqua lounges, Dolfino and Aqua Swim & Dive swim gear, and aquatic games. Blackford Capital acquired Aqua Leisure in January 2021 with the goal of diversifying its customer base, expanding its product portfolio and elevating its brand awareness.

"There were a number of factors that brought me to Aqua Leisure, but more than anything else, I wanted a new adventure, a new challenge," Delahunt said. "Throughout my career, I have had the good fortune of being a part of a number of dynamic teams that achieved some truly great things. But if we come even remotely close to the long-term, strategic goals that we have identified for Aqua Leisure, I am confident that this could be the greatest personal and team achievement of my career."

About Aqua Leisure

Avon, Mass.-based Aqua Leisure was founded in 1970 and is one of the largest designers and distributors of high quality, performance-based aquatic products, and pool accessories under a variety of brand names and proprietary designs, including swim goggles, "Learn to Swim" products and pool floats. For more information, visit https://www.aqualeisure.com/.

About Blackford Capital

Founded in 2010, Blackford Capital is a private equity investment firm headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Blackford Capital makes majority control investments in founder and family-owned, lower middle-market manufacturing, industrial and distribution companies. Currently, Blackford Capital has eleven portfolio companies. Blackford and their team members have received a number of recognitions over the past several years, including M&A Adviser Private Equity Firm of the year, Corp. Magazine Small Company of the Year (Michigan), GR Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year (West Michigan), numerous recognitions on the Inc. 5000 fastest growing private companies list and M&A Adviser Private Equity Professional of the Year (Martin Stein). For more information, visit www.blackfordcapital.com.

Contact:

Brent Snavely

Lambert & Co.

(313) 378-6082

[email protected]

SOURCE Blackford Capital

Related Links

https://www.blackfordcapital.com


FOSTER CITY, Calif., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BrightEdge, the global leader in organic search and content performance, today released BrightEdge SearchIQ at its Share21 industry event. SearchIQ is the only technology in the industry that analyses search signals and hundreds of key ranking factors to translate intent into actionable outcomes that align with organizations' business goals.

BrightEdge SearchIQ Correlates Search Ranking Factors to Results to Fast-Track SEO and Digital Marketing Success Tweet this BrightEdge looked at five industries top 10 results to see what aspects of the site correlate to higher rankings

Search is Becoming Unpredictable - Winning in SEO is Becoming Harder Than Ever

As the digital landscape evolves rapidly, staying on top of Google search results is now at the top of every organization's business plan. In fact, in 2020, companies spent $70 billion (source  emarketer) on search as a whole trying to master the art of being top of Google search results.

Keeping pace with the critical requirements needed for search success is becoming a significant challenge. For example, Google has over 200 ranking signals, including links and backlinks, page speed and layout, content, and quality.

These factors are developed differently depending on the query. The net effect for search and digital marketers is that the ranking factors they are optimizing against are not always applied equally.

For example, BrightEdge research, powered by SearchIQ, showed that government and education backlinks are very important for Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) categories. In addition, page speed correlation to rankings varies across industries, and Core Web Vitals (CWV) and technical page elements are important in healthcare, travel and home Improvement.

"To turn intent into revenue, organizations need to pinpoint precisely which key ranking factors matter the most to them and their industry. They need to do this in order to position well in search engine results and be easily discoverable by target audience and customers." said Jim Yu, CEO of BrightEdge." SearchIQ empowers marketers to do that and helps simplify the complexity of workflow and prioritization of resources to precisely show where SEO and digital marketers, objectively, need to focus their efforts."

SearchIQ  Taking the Complexity Away So Marketers Succeed Faster with Accuracy and Predictability

Driven by an advanced combination of deep learning and machine learning training modes, SearchIQ takes the complexity away from research and workflows to marketers succeed faster in marketing and product development. SearchIQ provides search intelligence to every type of online marketer in every industry  from legal, finance, and insurance to retail, travel, leisure, manufacturing, and consumer goods.

Key capabilities of SearchIQ include.

SearchIQ FastTrack allows marketers to see whether page speed is a ranking factor for their keywords or pages. With FastTrack you can eliminate the need for lengthy experiments and pinpoint pages where you should focus on improving your page load time and speed. Digital marketers never need to rely on opinions or theory and lengthy experiments.



SearchIQ Smart Schema helps SEOs justify their prioritizations with defensible data. Smart Schema provides hard data on which pages to implement schema and what exact schema types correlate to better rankings for keywords they are targeting. As a result, digital marketers can eliminate guesswork and general best practices from their schema strategy and leverage data to drive correct implementation.

Search IQ ChallengerIQ can pinpoint precisely what aspects of an organization's digital footprint are helping or hindering them in rankings. This allows marketers to define exactly what will drive traction among their competitive sets.

SearchIQ TimeMachine allows marketers to look back and pinpoint where, when and what optimization factors led to their or their competitor's success. This means that marketers never need to second guess what led to past success and can tell you precisely what optimizations led to ranking improvements for any website.

Ren Lacerda, Head of SEO at Carmax, used BrightEdge SearchIQ to inform -what he refers to as the brand's strategic blind spots. "Well, there are SEO best practices we can rely on, there is even data we can collect, but we don't have all the data we'd like sometimes," said Lacerda.

"And that's where SearchIQ has helped out. It's provided a complete picture of what's going on, what ranking factors matter, and how those factors relate to our competitors. It helps provide the data evidence to back up ideas we thought we knew and increase our confidence of a particular strategy or even highlight areas that weren't even on our radar."

As part of its company mission to deliver the best performance for its customers by making them become an integral part of the digital experience, BrightEdge will include SearchIQ to all its customers as a complementary offering over coming months.

According to CTO Lemuel Park, "To keep up with the volume and sheer velocity of change in digital, marketers need to make a step-change in their use of technology. Traditionally, digital marketers had to rely on lengthy experiments and tests based on theory and inaccurate information. With SearchIQ acting as a virtual data scientist, marketers have access to the industry's most complete and precise data sets that automates analysis to drive strategy and scale strategies via observation and data. It provides a data-driven starting point for search and digital marketers so they can demonstrate the past and present impact of search."

BrightEdge SearchIQ is purposely built to automatically help marketers prioritize ranking factor resources with precision for increased traffic, conversion, and revenue.

About BrightEdge

BrightEdge, the global leader in enterprise organic search and content performance, empowers marketers to transform online content into business results, such as traffic, conversions, and revenue. It is powered by a sophisticated deep learning engine, the BrightEdge platform. It is the only company capable of web-wide, real-time measurement of content engagement across all digital channels, including search, social, and mobile. BrightEdge's thousands of enterprise customers include global brands, such as Microsoft and Adobe, and 64 of the Fortune 100 and 9 of 10 leading global digital agencies. The company has offices worldwide and is headquartered in Foster City, California.

Visit our website: www.brightedge.com

SOURCE BrightEdge

Related Links

http://www.brightedge.com


The best quarter in history, with strong growth in all business lines

SAO PAULO, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Record Net New Money (NNM) of R$98bn

Assets under Management/Custody of R$880bn , up 77% y/y

AuM/AuA grew 65% y/y to R$502bn



WuM rose 96% y/y to R$379bn

Corporate and SME lending portfolio expanded 51% y/y to R$86bn  SME portfolio of R$14bn , up 265% y/y

Revenues rose 52% y/y to R$3.8bn

y/y to Strong (above-industry average) capital and liquidity ratios :

: BIS ratio of 17.3%



LCR of 215%

Adjusted ROAE of 21.6%

BTG Pactual (B3: BPAC11) posted Q2 revenues of R$3.77bn, up 52% y/y. Adjusted net profit was R$1.719bn, up 74% y/y. The Bank achieved record NNM of R$98bn, while third-party assets grew 77% y/y to R$880bn.

According to BTGP's CEO Roberto Sallouti, "we had the best quarter in our history, with strong results in all business lines, accelerated growth in our client franchises and high profitability, while our capital ratios remained above the industry average. Our integrated business model simultaneously enables high growth rates and a robust balance sheet. We thank our clients for their invaluable support and partnership."

Investment Banking more than tripled its revenue y/y to R$685mn, with a strong contribution from all business lines, especially DCM and ECM.

The Corporate and SME loan portfolio reached R$86.4bn, up 51% y/y. The SME portfolio (BTG + Business) reached R$14.1bn, up 36% q/q and 265% y/y, and currently represents 16% of the Bank's total credit portfolio.

BTG Pactual reported a strong revenue contribution from Sales & Trading, where revenues rose 23% y/y to R$1.25bn, with the lowest level of risk allocation in history (VaR of 0.25%).

Asset Management posted record NNM for the third consecutive quarter: R$44bn in Q2 and R$129.4bn LTM. Assets under Management (AuM/AuA) ended Q2 at R$501.9bn, up 65% y/y.

Wealth Management & Consumer Banking saw impressive NNM of R$54bn and R$127.7bn LTM. WuM was R$378.9bn, up 19% q/q, and revenue hit a record of R$375mn (+89% y/y).

Adjusted ROAE was 21.6%, with a BIS ratio of 17.3% and comfortable liquidity levels.

On June 8, BTG Pactual concluded its fourth follow-on (R$2.98bn) to continue expanding its digital retail unit and preserving strong capital and liquidity ratios. We also continued to implement a selective M&A agenda to accelerate growth and value creation. Please find below the strategic acquisitions during the period:

Partnerships with Acqua-Vero and Wise

Partnerships with independent financial advisors (IFAs) Acqua-Vero and Wise, with AuC of R$8.5bn and R$2.5bn, respectively, continuing the strategy of broadening its product distribution.

Acquisition of Grupo Universa

On May 31, BTG agreed to buy 100% of the shares of Grupo Universa, formed by Empiricus and Vitreo, as well as their respective subsidiaries, including the content portals Seu Dinheiro, Money Times and the Real Valor app. This move will strengthen the Bank's ecosystem, improving content generation and reinforcing the importance of financial education.

Partnership with Perfin

Perfin, a fund and Wealth Management platform with R$21bn under custody, will give BTG Pactual clients access to a range of sophisticated investment products.

Sale of CredPago to Loft, with part of the proceeds payed in shares.

On July 2, BTG Pactual sold its 49% stake in CredPago to Loft Brasil, and will receive the proceeds in 24 months, including a participation in Loft Holding Ltd shares. Deal conclusion remains subject to regulatory approvals.

Also, we are glad to announce all awards we received recognizing our products and services:

BTG Pactuals teams received several awards in Q2: Best ESG Research Team in Brazil (Institutional Investor); Best Research, Trading & Sales Team in Brazil and Latin America (Institutional Investor); Best Investment Bank in Latin America (Global Finance); Best Investment Bank in Brazil (Euromoney); Best Performance, Growth, Profitability, Operational Efficiency, Product Quality, Return and Liquidity in Brazil (The Banker); Best Bank to Invest in the High-Income Client Digital Category (FGV/Fractal Consult); Best Private Bank for Businessmen Globally (Global Finance) and Best Bank for Digital Client Service in Latin America (PMW).

About BTG Pactual

BTG Pactual (BPAC11) is the largest investment bank from Latin America, operating in Investment Banking, Corporate Lending, Sales & Trading, Wealth Management and Asset Management. Since inception, in 1983, the Bank has been run based on a meritocratic partnership culture, focused on clients, excellence and a long-term vision. BTG has cemented its status as one of the most innovative players and has won numerous national and international awards. We currently have more than 4,000 employees in offices across Brazil, as well as in Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, the US, Portugal and England. For more information go to http://www.btgpactual.com

SOURCE BTG Pactual

Related Links

http://www.btgpactual.com


HOUSTON and AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of rapid growth, construction tech company Buildforce (headquartered in Houston, TX and Austin, TX) today announced it closed a $4 million round led by TDF Ventures, alongside existing investor Mercury and Austin-based S3 Ventures. The additional investment will help Buildforce sustain its 10% weekly revenue growth rate through continued product innovation and expanded go-to-market efforts.

Leveraging a mobile app-based experience, Buildforce streamlines the process for identifying, screening, placing, and managing skilled construction professionals on behalf of construction contractors. Buildforce helps keep projects on-time and on-budget while creating significant administrative cost savings for construction contractors. For construction tradesmen, Buildforce increases lifetime earnings, improves job security, and provides continuous high-quality work in an industry rife with layoffs at the end of a project. The end result is a win-win for both sides of the marketplace.

"Buildforce is helping solve the workforce shortage by matching the skills job seekers have with the skills employers need," said Beau Pollock, CEO of TRIO Electric, one of the largest commercial electrical contractors in Texas and a client of the company. "Moody and his team have developed a new and much needed solution for the construction industry." Pollock is also an investor and member of the company's Board of Directors.

According to the Associated General Contractors of America, the US construction industry has more than 733,000 employers, over 7 million employees, and nearly $1.4 trillion in annual construction volume. Specialty contractors responsible for performing the work spend on average 40% of annual revenue on their workforce, but experience on average 80% annualized employee turnover due to a variety of factors inherent to the construction industry. And due to high demand for homes, buildings, and other physical assets, jobs in the construction trades that Buildforce services are expected to grow 8% annually over the course of the next decade, or twice the national average.

"The US has millions of unfilled openings for skilled tradespeople, yet consistent work remains out-of-reach for many construction professionals," said Will Rayner, Principal, TDF Ventures. "Buildforce's exponential growth in 2021 is a testament to the company's ability to connect supply and demand in this difficult labor market at scale."

"Contractors depend on skilled and reliable tradespeople to meet project timelines," said Moody Heard, co-founder and CEO, Buildforce. "Our key insight is that by optimizing the user experience for skilled tradespeople seeking higher pay and job security, we are able to help meet contractors' needs. We're thrilled to have become the partner of choice for the top contractors in our current markets looking to connect with this workforce."

About Buildforce

Buildforce is building the first ever career lifecycle platform for people in the construction trades. It's end-to-end career platform enables people in the construction trades to leverage their skills to maintain consistent work at fair pay and with the benefits of a W-2 employee. Since its launch in 2020, Buildforce has become the go-to partner helping dozens of the largest contractors across its focus geographies connect with this workforce.

About TDF Ventures

TDF Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm with offices in Washington, DC and Silicon Valley. We focus on startups that serve enterprise markets within infrastructure, software, and services (IaaS, SaaS, XaaS). We are currently investing out of a $150M Fund V. Current areas of focus include AI/ML, business process automation, cybersecurity, e-commerce, infrastructure software, fintech, and logistics tech.

About Mercury

With over $500 million under management, and over $6.5 billion of value creation since inception, Mercury focuses on entrepreneurs and software innovation originating in Middle America. Our investment themes target SaaS, Cloud, and Data/AI platforms that make the markets and industries of Middle America more competitive and efficient.

About S3 Ventures

S3 Ventures is the largest venture capital firm focused on Texas. Backed for 15+ years by a philanthropic, multi-billion-dollar family, we empower great entrepreneurs with the patient capital and true resources required to grow extraordinary, high-impact companies in Business Technology, Consumer Digital Experiences, and Healthcare Technology.

SOURCE Buildforce

Related Links

https://buildforce.com/


"All our students deserve to start the upcoming school year off right, particularly after the challenges and disruption of remote learning. We're excited to support their successful return to the classroom through this partnership with our local Boys & Girls Clubs," said California Credit Union CEO Steve O'Connell. "As a credit union founded to serve the education community, we're committed to assisting both our students and teachers in the important work of learning. We thank our members and employees for so generously joining us to ensure these students have the tools they need to thrive in the school year ahead."

Backpacks were donated by California Credit Union, its employees and members in a July branch drive, and filled with school supplies provided by the credit union. The backpacks will be distributed to elementary through high school-aged students participating in Club programs prior to the start of the fall school year.

"Families and children in underserved communities like the neighborhoods we serve have experienced a particularly difficult time over the past year and a half. Thanks to California Credit Union, we will be able to provide students with all the supplies they need to feel ready and proud as they go back to school this August," said Carlyn Oropez, Ed.M., Director of Operations, Los Angeles boys & Girls Club. "The four Boys & Girls Clubs including Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club, Boys & Girls Club of Hollywood and San Fernando, and Variety Boys & Girls Club, all provide fantastic services and have gone above and beyond to meet the needs of the communities they serve during the pandemic. This is another important part of this process of recovering and getting kids back on track for academic success."

Photos of backpack distribution event to Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club kids here.

About California Credit Union

California Credit Union is a federally insured, state chartered credit union founded in 1933 that serves public or private school employees, community members and businesses across California. With more than 165,000 members and assets of over $4 billion, California Credit Union has 25 branches throughout Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The credit union operates in San Diego County as North Island Credit Union, a division of California Credit Union. California Credit Union offers a full suite of consumer, business and investment products and services, including comprehensive consumer checking and loan options, personalized financial planning, business banking, and leading-edge online and mobile banking. Visit ccu.com for more information, or follow the credit union on Instagram or Facebook @CaliforniaCreditUnion.

SOURCE California Credit Union

Related Links

http://www.ccu.com


HOUSTON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cart.com , the first end-to-end ecommerce services provider, today announced the close of a $98 million Series B round, bringing the company's total funding since its launch eight months ago to more than $140 million. The round was led by Oak HC/FT, a premier venture growth equity fund investing in tech-enabled healthcare and financial services companies, with participation from PayPal Ventures, the venture capital arm of the global payments company. Also joining the round are Clearco, Raven One Ventures, G9 Ventures and prior investors Mercury Fund, Moonshots Capital, Valedor Partners, and Arsenal Growth. Other strategic investors in this round include Sebastian Rymarz, CEO of Heyday, Phillip Krim, CEO of Casper, as well as executives at Discover Financial, Robinhood, Blinds.com, and Uber.

"At Cart.com, we believe ecommerce brands should be free to scale up without having to juggle countless outside vendors, and without compromising their unique vision for their brand," said Omair Tariq, CEO of Cart.com. "Our one-stop platform supports sellers across the full range of ecommerce functionality, empowering them to efficiently scale up and reach new markets using proven, best-of-breed services and technologies."

Cart.com, which serves over 2,000 ecommerce brands as they pursue multichannel strategies, has seen explosive growth since its launch in November 2020, with revenues increasing by more than 400% since the start of the year. The company will also increase headcount by at least 15X during 2021, from fewer than two dozen employees in January to over 300 team members by year-end.

The new financing will enable Cart.com to further strengthen its game-changing Ecommerce-as-a-Service (ECaaS) fully integrated platform, which brings the entire range of ecommerce functions  including storefront engine, payments, marketing and creative design, sales enablement, fulfillment, and customer service  under a single umbrella. Since launch, Cart.com has acquired seven companies including  AmeriCommerce, Spacecraft Brands, and more recently DuMont Project, and Sauceda Industries. The company plans to continue acquiring best-in-class solution providers as it creates a unified full-service ecommerce platform that is both flexible and comprehensive for brands.

"Realizing the potential of a promising ecommerce brand is never easy, but Cart.com's true full-service platform gives both startups and established brands the tools they need to succeed at scale," said Allen Miller, Principal at Oak HC/FT. "In the fragmented world of ecommerce, Cart.com's unified platform puts merchants back in control of their business, empowering them to stay focused on their brand, product, and customers. We're thrilled to be supporting their mission."

Cart.com's platform, which is relied upon by online sellers ranging from direct-to-consumer brands to omnichannel retailers, now processes more than $700 million in gross merchandise value (GMV) per year. Prominent customers include household brands such as GNC; high-growth start-ups such as Haymaker Coffee, a family-owned artisanal coffee roaster; and multi-store B2B enterprises such as KeHE, the multi-billion dollar distributor of leading brands including Kikkoman soy sauce.

About Cart.com

Cart.com is the first end-to-end ecommerce solutions provider delivering a fully integrated and owned suite of software, expert services and infrastructure to scale businesses online. Founded in September 2020 by experienced ecommerce experts, Cart.com is on a mission to put brands back in charge of their ecommerce journey and their customer relationships as the premiere Ecommerce-as-a-Service (ECaaS) provider in the ecommerce services space. Cart.com offers a wealth of business solutions - including online store software, digital marketing services, fulfillment services, financial services, and customer service capabilities so brands of any size are able to work with a single partner to attain the same capabilities as some of the world's largest companies. For more info: Cart.com , LinkedIn .

About Oak HC/FT

Founded in 2014, Oak HC/FT is the premier venture growth-equity fund investing in Healthcare Information & Services ("HC") and Financial Services Technology ("FT"). With $3.3 billion in assets under management, we are focused on driving transformation in these industries by providing entrepreneurs and companies with strategic counsel, board-level participation, business plan execution and access to our extensive network of industry leaders. Oak HC/FT is headquartered in Greenwich, CT, with offices in Boston and San Francisco. Follow Oak HC/FT on Twitter , LinkedIn , and Medium .

SOURCE Cart.com

Related Links

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SELBYVILLE, Del., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As per the latest Global Market Insights Inc. research report, the Cast Polypropylene (CPP) Films Market is estimated to reach over $1.8 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 4.9% from 2021 to 2027. The research report provides a detailed analysis of the market size & estimations, major investment pockets, the competitive scenario, drivers & opportunities, top winning strategies, and wavering market trends.

Global Market Insights Inc.

Cast polypropylene films offer a great appearance, high performance, and easy conversion in flexible packaging and other applications. Changing lifestyles and increasing per capita income in developing economies are set to boost the demand for packed food through the assessment timeframe. Subsequently, surging demand for packaged foods across developed regions is speculated to key driver for the cast polypropylene films market growth in the near future. Moreover, the increasing presence of healthcare facilities and the growing consumer need for hygienic food products are expected to further boost product demand in the coming years.

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The CPP films market from the retort CPP films product segment is estimated to grow at a CAGR of approximately 4.4% over the analysis timeline. Retort CPP films have low odor, high transparency, and superior heat & cool resistance properties, and thus, find extensive usage across the food processing sector, especially in bakery products. These films are used for packaging cut vegetables and cooked vegetables to preserve their freshness for an extended period, which is expected to propel the demand for retort CPP films in the future.

Key reasons for the cast polypropylene films market growth:

Soaring demand for hygienic food packaging.

Mounting stationery demand in developing regions.

Optimistic growth of the flexible packaging industry.

2027 forecasts show the 'above 50 microns' segment retaining its dominance:

Based on thickness, the above 50 microns segment was valued at around USD 284 million in 2020. The segment is projected to witness moderate growth through the forecast period due to its prevalent application in hot/cold anti-fog bags.

The Asia Pacific to continue its top status in terms of revenue:

In terms of region, Asia Pacific holds the lion's share in the market and had garnered revenue of about USD 630 million in 2020. Expanding end-use industries in APAC is likely to foster a regional business outlook. Moreover, growing textile and pharmaceutical industries in the region are anticipated to further augment the cast polypropylene films market share in the Asia Pacific region through the review period.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on cast polypropylene (CPP) films market:

After the COVID-19 outbreak, there was an upsurge in consumer interest in robust food packaging, which has enhanced the prominence of hygienically packaged food products that preserve the nutritional integrity of the contents. Consequently, there has been a rise in the demand for flexible packaging with optimum thickness, which is expected to stimulate market demand across the globe over the study timeline. Furthermore, increased focus on automation across the food packaging sector is slated to further impel product uptake in the forthcoming years.

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Leading market players:

Major companies in the cast polypropylene films industry are Manuli Stretch, Profol, Uflex Limited, Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello, Inc., and Jindal Poly Films Limited, among others. Industry players are focused on product development, merger & acquisition, strategic partnership & joint venture, and R&D investment strategies over the long run.

About Global Market Insights Inc.

Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider. Offering syndicated and custom research reports, growth consulting, and business intelligence services, Global Market Insights, Inc. aims to help clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data that aid in strategic decision-making.

GMIPulse, our business analytics platform offers an online, interactive option of exploring our proprietary industry research data in an easy-to-use and dynamic manner. Clients get to explore market intelligence across 11 top-level categories and hundreds of industry segments within them, covering regional, company level, and cross-sectional statistics that make our offering a stand-out for decision-makers.

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Cast Polypropylene Films Market Overview - 2027

SOURCE Global Market Insights Inc.
PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Cell Expansion Market by Product (Consumable and Instrument), Application (Stem Cell Technology, Cancer Research, Drug Screening & Development, Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine, and Others), and End User (Research Institutes, Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030." According to the report, the global cell expansion market generated $13.06 billion in 2020, and is estimated to garner $39.03 billion by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 11.6% from 2021 to 2030.

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Drivers, restraints, and opportunities

Rise in prevalence of chronic diseases, increase in government investments for cell-based research, and focus on R&D for cell-based therapies drive the growth of the global cell expansion market. However, high cost of cell-based therapies and ethical concerns regarding research in cell biology hinder the market growth. On the other hand, focus on personalized medicine creates new opportunities in the coming years.

Covid-19 Scenario

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for cell expansion products such as consumables including sera, media, and reagent and instrument increased considerably.

As per the WHO ICTRP and the NIH ClinicalTrials.gov databases, 27 clinical investigations regarding MSC-based cell therapy approaches started in China since the outbreak of the COVID-19. Moreover, there has been a huge number of academic and industry trials conducted across the world.

since the outbreak of the COVID-19. Moreover, there has been a huge number of academic and industry trials conducted across the world. Stem cell research is one of the crucial applications of cell expansion and stem cell-based therapies showed considerable potential in studying Covid-19. So, the market for cell expansion experienced a positive impact.

The tissue engineering & regenerative medicine segment to continue its leadership status during the forecast period

Based on application, the tissue engineering & regenerative medicine segment accounted for the highest share in 2020, contributed to nearly two-fifths of the global cell expansion market, and is expected to continue its leadership status during the forecast period. This is due to recent advancements and increased funding for this application. However, the cancer research segment is estimated to witness the highest CAGR of 12.7% from 2021 to 2030, owing to surge in prevalence of cancer and cancer-related research.

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The pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period

Based on end user, the pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies segment held the highest share in 2020, contributing to more than three-fifths of the global cell expansion market, and is estimated to maintain its lead position during the forecast period. Moreover, this segment is projected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 12.3% from 2021 to 2030. This is attributed to broadening the horizon of cell-based therapeutics in the healthcare industry, high burden of chronic diseases, and rise in R&D activities in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The research also analyzes the segments including research institutes and others.

North America to continue its dominance in terms of revenue by 2030

Based on region, North America accounted for the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2020, accounting for more than two-fifths of the global cell expansion market, and is expected to continue its dominance by 2030. This is due to development of animal-component free media, presence of automated cell culture system, and well-established healthcare demand for the biopharmaceutical products. Asia-Pacific is projected to portray the fastest CAGR of 13.2% during the forecast period, owing to constant expansion of the healthcare infrastructure, economic development, and low operating costs.

Leading Market Players

Becton, Dickinson and Company

Corning Incorporated

Eppendorf

Sartorius AG

Merck KGaA

Lonza Group AG

PromoCell GmbH

Danaher Corporation

Thermo Fisher Scientific

HiMedia Laboratories

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BANGALORE, India, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Contract Research Organization Market by Product-Type: Biologic Assay Development, Clinical/Preclinical Research, Commercialization and Clinical Trial Management, Application: The Medical Device, Pharmaceutical Firms, Others. Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212027. It is published in Valuates Reports under the Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Category.

The global Contract Research Organization (CRO) market size is projected to reach USD 124230 million by 2027, from USD 58000 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 11.4% during 2021-2027.

Major factors driving the growth of the contract research organization market are:

Increasing investment in pharmaceutical R&D and clinical trials. CROs can offer their clients the expertise of moving a new drug or device from its conception to FDA/EMA marketing approval, without the drug sponsor having to maintain a staff for these services.

In recent years, pharmaceutical businesses have suffered a considerable drop in profitability. Working with a CRO offers various benefits, including decreasing or eliminating the need to hire research staff, invest in in-house R&D and manufacturing facilities. CRO can avoid having to spend capital on human resources or equipment. Thus, CRO potentials can boost success rates and speed up drug research and development, resulting in larger profitability.

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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF CONTRACT RESEARCH ORGANIZATION MARKET

Increasing investment in pharmaceutical R&D to drive the CROs services market. Clinical trials are difficult projects to organize, collaborate on, and provide clinical patient care. Sponsors are increasingly relying on CROs to execute trials effectively because they already have the required resources in place. A CRO can be counted on to manage all of the obligations given to them when working under a TORO(Transfer of Regulatory Obligations), saving the Sponsor time and money.

The need to handle increasingly complex drugs and clinical trials is expected to drive the contract research organization. Drug development has become more difficult due to advances in cell and gene therapies, antibody-drug conjugates, cytotoxic chemical products, and in vitro and in vivo processing procedures. CROs are helping to compensate for the pharmaceutical industry's lack of innovation. Many of them are continuously developing and improving technologies to provide sample analysis, assay validation, and lot release testing prior to manufacturing with a commitment to the highest performance standards, accuracy, and efficiency.

By hiring a CRO sponsor can save time negotiating the regulatory and legal constraints that the company may not be familiar with. Regulatory organizations, for example, will frequently require approval of the clinical trial itself. These bodies may differ depending on where the trial will take place. After that, there are protocols and procedures for having a product approved for human use. A CRO may have more experience with these procedures and requirements, and thus be able to ensure that all rules and regulations are followed more swiftly and efficiently, speeding up the clinical trial process. This is expected to further drive the contract research organization market.

With the World Health Organization (WHO) calling the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, a number of prominent pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical businesses have ramped up R&D and production efforts to create and sell SARS-CoV-2 viral diagnostic kits, vaccines, and treatments. Many pharmaceutical and biotechnology businesses have partnered with CROs through long-term agreements, partnerships, and collaborations all over the world to speed up the R&D process.

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CONTRACT RESEARCH ORGANIZATION MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS:

Based on region, North America is expected to be the most lucrative market due to the accelerating number of pharma and biopharma companies, alongside the robust investments in R&D activities in the region.

Based on application, the medical device segment is expected to be the most lucrative, due to the high demand for special CRO services that meet the unique needs of these companies. The segmental growth will further be stimulated by the increasing clinical studies as they play a crucial role during medical device development.

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Contract Research Organization Market by Type

Biologic Assay Development

Clinical/Preclinical Research

Commercialization and Clinical Trial Management

Contract Research Organization Market by Application

The Medical Device

Pharmaceutical Firms

Others

Contract Research Organization Market By Regions

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

Germany



France



U.K.



Italy



Russia



Nordic



Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

China



Japan



South Korea



Southeast Asia



India



Australia



Rest of Asia

Latin America

Mexico



Brazil



Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

& Turkey



Saudi Arabia



UAE



Rest of MEA

Contract Research Organization Market By Company

Labcorp

IQVIA

Syneos Health

Parexel

PRA

PPD

CRL

ICON

Wuxi Apptec

Medpace Holdings

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SIMILAR REPORTS :

- The global Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing and Contract market size is projected to reach USD 127440 million by 2027, from USD 82550 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 6.4% during 2021-2027.

- The global Contract Research Organization Services (CROs) market size is projected to reach USD 46410 million by 2027, from USD 34430 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 4.3% during 2021-2027.

- Global Healthcare Contract Research Organization Sales Market Research Report contains Market Size, Market Share, Market Dynamics, Porter's 5 force Analysis, Segmentation, Regional and Competitor Analysis. Product: Healthcare Contract Research Organization, Product-Type: Drug Discovery, Pre-Clinical, Clinical, Application: Pharmaceutical Industry, Biotechnology, Medical Device Industry.

- Global Contract Research Organization (CRO) and CDMO for Pharmaceutical Market Research Report contains Market Size, Market Share, Market Dynamics, Porter's 5 force Analysis, Segmentation, Regional and Competitor Analysis. Product: Contract Research Organization (CRO) and CDMO for Pharmaceutical, Product-Type: Development, API production, Formulation, Application: Pharmaceutical, Biopharmaceutica.

- The global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) Outsourcing market size is projected to reach USD 159510 million by 2027, from USD 79390 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 10.0% during 2021-2027.

- Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacture Organization market is segmented by company, region (country), by Type, and by Application. Players, stakeholders, and other participants in the global Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing Organization market will be able to gain the upper hand as they use the report as a powerful resource.

- Global In-vivo Contract Research Organization Market Size, Status and Forecast 2021-2027

- The global Contract Lifecycle Management System market size is projected to reach USD 4078.9 million by 2027, from USD 1487.5 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 15.5% during 2021-2027.

- Contract Bio-manufacturing Organization(CMO) Market Size, Status and Forecast 2021-2027

- Global Contract Dose Manufacturing Market Size, Status and Forecast 2021-2027

- Global Preclinical Oncology CRO Market Size, Status and Forecast 2021-2027

- Global Biopharmaceutical CMO & CRO Market Size, Status and Forecast 2021-2027

Click Here To See Related Reports On Contract Research Organization (CRO)

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SOURCE Valuates Reports
Company announces another record quarter as it positions itself for expansion into new markets.

TORONTO and GATINEAU, QC, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Converge Technology Solutions Corp. ("Converge" or "the Company") (TSX: CTS) (FSE: 0ZB) (OTCQX: CTSDF) is pleased to provide its financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021. All figures are in CAD dollars unless otherwise stated.

Q221 Highlights

Second quarter revenue increased 52% over last year to $345.3 million

Gross profit increased 43% over last year to $78.2 million

Adjusted EBITDA increased 86% to $21.7 million from $11.7 million last year

from last year Not included in our Q2 numbers are $54.6 million of revenue and $3.9 million of Adjusted EBITDA which are part of the Vicom Infinity and Infinity System acquisitions announced on June 30th but not yet closed

of revenue and of Adjusted EBITDA which are part of the Vicom Infinity and Infinity System acquisitions announced on but not yet closed Net income was $1.0 million compared to a loss of $4.4 million last year

compared to a loss of last year Closed $172.5 million equity financing at $7.50 per common share in June 2021

equity financing at per common share in Added Doris Albiez to the European Advisory Board and appointed Darlene Kelly and Thomas Volk to the Converge Board at the Converge Annual General Meeting

to the European Advisory Board and appointed and to the Converge Board at the Converge Annual General Meeting Completed the acquisitions of Dasher Technologies, Inc., a leading Silicon Valley-based IT solution provider; Exactly IT, a next generation managed IT service provider; and signed definitive agreements to acquire both Vicom Infinity, Inc. and Infinity Systems Software

Achieved Five Key 2021 IBM Awards including: the Beacon Award; Top North America Sell Business Partner of the Year; Top North America IBM and Red Hat Synergy Partner of the Year; IBM Data and AI Business Unit Excellence Award for Cloud Pak for Data; and, IBM Business Unit Excellence Award for Protect: Digital Trust

Added 121 Net New Logos throughout the Quarter

Achieved Titanium Partner Status with Intel Corporation; Diamond Status with Palo Alto Networks; Elite Partner Status with Pure Storage; and ranked within top fifty on CRN's 2021 Solution Provider 500 List

Subsequent to Quarter

Completed acquisition of REDNET AG, an IT service provider headquartered in Mainz, Germany marking our first European Acquisition

marking our first European Acquisition Ranked fourteenth on CRN's 2021 Fast Growth 150 List; Announced as Ingram Micro's Blue Series Partner of the Year and CORE Partner of the Year for North America ; and recipient of the 2021 North American Microsoft Surface Reseller of the Year

"Converge is extremely proud to announce another record quarter of performance", said Shaun Maine, CEO of Converge. "The team continues to execute in all aspects of our business as we focus on providing best in class solutions to our increasing roster of valued customers. In addition to our exceptional North American growth, we are extremely excited to have closed our platform acquisition in Europe and we look forward to replicating our North American success overseas. To further expand our investor base around our European expansion, the Company will be exploring a secondary listing in the London Stock Exchange. Our scale and reach as well as the depth of expertise within our key practice areas make Converge one of the premier IT solutions providers in the market and we look forward to continuing to deliver for our valued customers, shareholders, employees and stakeholders. Additionally, Converge has created a new cybersecurity-focused SaaS entity, Portage CyberTech Inc, which combines its Becker Carrol and Vivvo business units. Portage will focus on growing its unique offerings and expanding its footprint in the months ahead and may raise capital directly to finance organic and M&A growth for its SaaS solutions. These are exciting times for Converge and we remain steadfast in our objective to meet and exceed the expectations of our customers and shareholders."

Conference Call Details:

Date: Thursday, August 12th, 2021

Time: 9:00 AM Eastern Time

Participant Dial-in Numbers:

Local  Toronto (+1) 647 794 4605

Toll Free  North America (+1) 888 204 4368

Germany  0800 589 4609

United Kingdom  0800 358 6377

Conference ID: 7839132

Recording Playback Numbers:

Toronto (+1) 647 436 0148

Toll Free  North America (+1) 888 203 1112

Passcode: 7839132

Expiry Date: August 19th, 2021

A live audio webcast and archive of the conference call will be available by visiting the Company's website at https://convergetp.com/investor-relations/. Please connect at least 15 minutes prior to the conference call to ensure time for any software download that may be needed to hear the webcast.

About Converge

Converge Technology Solutions Corp. is a software-enabled IT & Cloud Solutions provider focused on delivering industry-leading solutions and services. Converge's regional sales and services organizations deliver advanced analytics, cloud, and cybersecurity offerings to clients across various industries. The Company supports these solutions with managed services, digital infrastructure, and talent expertise offerings across all major IT vendors in the marketplace. This multi-faceted approach enables Converge to address the unique business and technology requirements for all clients in the public and private sectors. For more information, visit convergetp.com.

Summary of Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

(expressed in thousands of dollars)



June 30, 2021 December 31, 2020 Assets



Current assets





Cash $ 124,923 $ 64,767

Trade and other receivables 351,663 364,308

Inventories 62,096 37,868

Prepaid expenses and other assets 9,757 10,376



548,439 477,319 Long-term assets





Property, equipment, and right-of-use assets, net 27,108 23,558

Intangible assets, net 147,903 108,926

Goodwill 186,995 110,068

Other non-current assets 1,969 749



$ 912,414 $ 720,620







Liabilities and shareholders' equity



Current liabilities





Trade and other payables $ 377,127 $ 398,003

Borrowings 50,513 133,281

Other financial liabilities 26,437 22,125

Deferred revenue and other liabilities 34,656 17,376

Income taxes payable 2,453 764



491,186 571,549 Long-term liabilities





Other financial liabilities 41,535 28,858

Borrowings 723 5,882

Deferred tax liability 24,618 12,584



$ 558,062 $ 618,873







Shareholders' equity





Common shares 383,696 135,354

Exchange rights 3,808 4,853

Foreign exchange translation reserve 1,435 817

Deficit (34,587) (39,277)



354,352 101,747



$ 912,414 $ 720,620

Summary of Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) and Comprehensive Income (Loss)

(expressed in thousands of dollars)





Three months ended June 30,

Six months ended June 30,



2021

2020

2021

2020

















Revenues















Product $ 281,287 $ 175,307 $ 533,794 $ 365,691 Service

64,020

52,535

121,715

103,676 Total revenue

345,307

227,842

655,509

469,367 Cost of sales

267,063

172,993

509,469

359,683 Gross profit

78,244

54,849

146,040

109,684

















Selling, general and administrative expenses

57,630

44,174

107,273

89,576 Income before the following

20,614

10,675

38,767

20,108 Depreciation and amortization

7,898

5,623

14,386

11,024 Finance expense, net

1,727

5,316

4,147

10,815 Special charges

5,354

4,307

8,405

6,049 Other expense (income)

1,913

999

3,006

(620) Income (loss) before income taxes

3,722

(5,570)

8,823

(7,160)

















Income tax expense (recovery)

2,697

(1,169)

4,133

(1,342)

















Net income (loss) $ 1,025 $ (4,401) $ 4,690 $ (5,818) Other comprehensive income (loss)















Exchange loss on translation of foreign operations

(820)

(951)

(618)

748 Comprehensive income (loss) $ 1,845 $ (3,450) $ 5,308 $ (6,566)

















Adjusted EBITDA $ 21,720 $ 11,654 $ 40,488 $ 22,500

Adjusted EBITDA (Non-IFRS Financial Measurement)

Adjusted EBITDA represents net loss or income adjusted to exclude amortization, depreciation, interest expense and finance costs, foreign exchange gains and losses, income tax expense, and special charges. Special charges consist primarily of restructuring related expenses for employee terminations, lease terminations, and restructuring of acquired companies, as well as certain legal fees or provisions related to acquired companies. From time to time, it may also include adjustments in the fair value of contingent consideration, and other such non-recurring costs related to restructuring, financing, and acquisitions. The Company uses Adjusted EBITDA to provide investors with a supplemental measure of its operating performance and thus highlight trends in its core business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on IFRS financial measures. The Company believes that securities analysts, investors and other interested parties frequently use non-IFRS measures in the evaluation of issuers. Management also uses non-IFRS measures in order to facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period, prepare annual operating budgets and assess the ability to meet capital expenditure and working capital requirements.

Adjusted EBITDA is not a recognized, defined or standardized measure under IFRS. The Company's definition of Adjusted EBITDA will likely differ from that used by other companies and therefore comparability may be limited. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered a substitute for or in isolation from measures prepared in accordance with IFRS. Investors are encouraged to review the Company's financial statements and disclosures in their entirety and are cautioned not to put undue reliance on non-IFRS measures and view them in conjunction with the most comparable IFRS financial measures. The Company has reconciled Adjusted EBITDA to the most comparable IFRS financial measure as follows:



For the three months ended June 30, For the six months ended June 30,

2021 2020 2021 2020 Net income (loss) before taxes $ 3,722 $ (5,570) $ 8,823 $ (7,160) Finance expense 1,727 5,316 4,148 10,815 Depreciation and amortization 7,898 5,623 14,386 11,024 Depreciation included in cost of sales 1,065 1,346 1,760 2,780 Foreign exchange loss (gain) 1,954 632 2,966 (1,008) Special charges 5,354 4,307 8,405 6,049 Adjusted EBITDA $ 21,720 $ 11,654 $ 40,488 $ 22,500

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation regarding Converge and its business. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected" "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts". "estimates", "believes" or intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could, "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Converge assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

For a detailed description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's filings statement available on SEDAR under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com including its most recent Annual Information Form, its Management Discussion and Analysis and its Annual and Quarterly Financial Statements.

SOURCE Converge Technology Solutions Corp.

Related Links

https://convergetp.com/


CHICAGO, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cressey & Company LP ("Cressey" or the "Firm"), a private investment firm focused on building leading healthcare services and information technology businesses, today announced a number of key promotions and additions to its team. The development of the firm's professionals and Cressey's deep bench underscore Cressey's commitment to building the leading investment partner of choice for growing healthcare services and information technology companies and their executives across the country.

Cressey is pleased to announce that Andy Hurd has been promoted to Partner and Brennan Murray has been promoted to Partner, Talent. Mr. Hurd, who joined the Cressey team in 2018 as an Operating Partner, has 30 years of leadership experience in healthcare information technology, having served as CEO of three successful healthcare companies, MedeAnalytics, Epocrates and Carefx. Ms. Murray, who joined the Firm in 2017 and oversees Cressey's talent initiatives, has more than 20 years of experience in executive search and talent management.

"We are proud to announce these well-deserved promotions, which demonstrate the strength of our team and our commitment to growing talent within our firm," said Dave Rogero, Partner at Cressey. "Andy and Brennan have each shown their extraordinary expertise through significant contributions to our firm's success, and we look forward to continuing to benefit from their thoughtful leadership well into the future."

Additionally, the Firm has made a number of significant additions to its team: Andrew Goberstein, Principal; Dan Vollman, Vice President; Justin Goschie, Vice President; and Andrew Weiner, Director of Portfolio Operations, who all bring to Cressey decades of collective experience in the fields of healthcare, private equity and finance.

Mr. Goberstein, Mr. Vollman, and Mr. Goschie will focus on new investment partnership sourcing, transaction execution and post-investment value-creation activities, while Mr. Weiner will provide valuable financial assistance to Cressey's investment partners as they help execute their portfolio companies' growth strategies.

"Cressey is continually focused on strengthening and deepening our talented team, and I'm thrilled to welcome Andrew, Dan, Justin and Andrew to the firm," said Peter Ehrich, Partner at Cressey. "The growth of our team, both from within and outside, highlights our commitment to building a collaborative culture and attracting successful professionals who bring immeasurable value to our portfolio company executive partners. With these additions, and the promotions of Andy and Brennan, I'm confident that the firm is well-positioned for continued success well into the future."

About Cressey & Company LP

Based in Chicago, Illinois and Nashville, Tennessee, Cressey & Company LP is a private investment firm focused on building leading healthcare services and information technology businesses. With a history spanning 40 years, the Cressey & Company team is one of the most experienced and successful in the healthcare private equity field. For more information, visit www.cresseyco.com.

SOURCE Cressey & Company

Related Links

www.cresseyco.com


Bottom line of R$14.9 million is due to digital transformation made by the company in payment means and customer experience

SAO PAULO, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CSU (CARD3:BZ), a leading company in the Brazilian market in state-of-the-art technological solutions for payment means, customer experience and clients' loyalty and incentives, discloses the results of the second quarter of 2021, with records in main indicators: net revenue of R$130.5 million, EBITDA of R$39.2 million, with consolidated EBITDA margin of 30.0%, and net income of R$14.9 million. Such figures are higher, respectively, by 16.9%, 25.2% and 33.2% over the same quarter of 2020.

For Mr. Ricardo Leite, Investor Relations Officer, "the initiatives focused on innovation, technology and digital transformation implemented by CSU were important for the construction of the growing cycle of results in the last couple of years, with EBITDA expansion in both units."

Regarding the highlights per unit, at CSU.CardSystem, which has state-of-the-art technological solutions for payment means, there was a 32.5% growth in EBITDA over the same period last year, reaching record of R$31.1 million, with record EBITDA margin of 49.1%. At CSU.Contact, which offers complete customer experience solutions, there was a 3.6% growth in EBITDA over the same quarter 2020, reaching R$8.1 million, the highest value for a second quarter, with 12.1% EBITDA margin.

CSU was effective in major initiatives focused on innovation, technology and digital transformation of the Company and its clients, with the certification to act as a BIN Sponsor of Mastercard network, with the first client in implementation phase; the conquest of Banco PSA, from Stellantis, as a new loyalty client in the MarketSystem division; and a contract signed with a fintech as the first client of the Hybrid Processing Platform in cloud environment.

"We also completed the implementation of Banco Mercantil as the first card issuer of Elo network and Technisys core banking for the operationalization of the entire payment cycle in digital accounts in the BaaS (Banking as a Service) business, Blue C Technology. The new unit, launched in June to provide 100% digital financial solutions for companies of from several segments and sizes looking to enter the embedded finance competition via state- of-the-art technology and white label model," emphasizes Mr. Leite.

Finally, the good performance of the quarter made it possible to announce the distribution to investors of R$3.0 million of interest on own capital, totaling R$5.8 million for the first half of 2021, reaffirming the delivery of a portion of the profit associated with the evolution of the results. "We were able to continue the growing cycle of revenue and expansion of profitability started in 2019, renewing records and investing in innovative solutions to help our clients in their demands for digital transformation," concludes the executive.

About CSU. Founded in 1992, CSU is a leading company in the Brazilian market in state-of-the-art technological solutions for payment means, customer experience and clients' loyalty and incentives. It has about 6,000 employees in the Sao Paulo, Barueri, Recife and Belo Horizonte offices. Acting in a pioneering manner, it was the first company in its segment to go public in B3, in 2006, joining the highest level of corporate governance, the Novo Mercado, under the ticker CARD3.

SOURCE CSU
"It's time to change the global celebrity culture from brawn and beauty to brains," says Mr. Amir. "We want to create 'cyber heroes.' Our goal is to find the smartest people in the software development world and bring them the fame and glory they deserve."

The Cytaka platform offers gamified cybersecurity-focused coding education and training specifically for software developers. They get points for completed tasks  and they also get cold hard cash - $1 million every month, if they make it to the live competition.

The first competition will be held on August 15 in Dubai.

With successful completion of challenges at all levels of the CyTaka app - Beginner, Student, Professional, and Expert, including Expert Gold challenges, users get points that allow them to earn between $50 and $7000 from Cytaka. The competition "resets" every month, so less experienced participants have a chance to become one of the top 10 players.

The app has both a free version and subscription model, where members have the opportunity to get larger rewards. It can be downloaded from Google Play and App Store. Participating in the app requires extensive personal validation to prevent fraud.

"Cytaka is a living, breathing, and ever-evolving application, creating a comprehensive learning environment," says Mr. Amir. "Our participants will be exposed to the latest developments and trends in cybersecurity and DevSecOps, allowing them to continuously keep up to date, enhancing their professional knowledge while directly addressing the cybersecurity personnel shortage."

"Our partners in the app include major players in the software space," Mr. Amir continues. "Global companies have a direct incentive in hiring our players because they will be recognized as truly the best and the brightest in the software development field."

Information regarding the professional skills and qualities of the participant is aggregated in their "Achievement Page" and is 100% objective with up-to-date information. Cytaka now makes it possible for an employer or HR-company to find, in a few seconds, potential candidates who in reality meet the given professional requirements and qualities of the employer, regardless of their place of residence, gender, age, beliefs; allowing people of less developed regions or communities to more easily join the global workforce as well-paid professionals.

Employers will be posting their own challenges within the jobs section in Cytaka. Once a user successful completes these challenges, the employer will get access to their achievement page. It creates a win-win for the potential employee and employer. As challenge winners, the candidates are in much stronger negotiating positions, and the employer gets access to top candidates with proven credentials.

"While offering cash and prizes will increase cybersecurity knowledge among developers, our goals are much bigger," he says. "Training them to be exceptionally security aware and strengthening their focus on writing safer, stronger, less vulnerable code will directly address the cybersecurity crisis."

"Making heroes of the smartest software developers in the world will make coding and cybersecurity much more glamorous professions, inspiring future generations," he continued. "Furthermore, another version of the app is being tuned to be 'kid-friendly,' so the next generation can get started on their cyber security journeys."

The app's "special sauce" to drive participation in leveraging both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.

"Beyond just the cash prizes, we're leveraging people's competitive natures," said Mr. Amir. "App participants will be ranked publicly, so they'll be able to see what they need to achieve to top their peers. They will also receive their own personal rankings, showing how far they've come since they started, reinforcing their motivation to continue to achieve, to really meet their potential."

The entire Cytaka ecosystem is just the first step.

"We are addressing the most pressing and difficult problems we face as a globally intertwined society. Turning developers into cybersecurity experts is just the first step," Mr. Amir concluded.

To join the app, visit www.cytaka.com.

About Cytaka

Cytaka offers gamified cybersecurity education and training for developers. The focus of the company is to turn developers into cybersecurity experts. Users of the Cytaka app not only get points for challenges completed but also can trade the points in for financial rewards. Every month, Cytaka will be hosting live competitions for the apps top 10 achievers, giving away more than $1 million in prizes. For more information, please visit www.cytaka.com.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1592087/Cytaka.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1592089/Cytaka.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1592090/Cytaka.jpg

SOURCE Cytaka

Related Links

https://cytaka.com


The already profitable e-commerce delivery experience SaaS leader has taken on a strategic investment from global blue-chip investors to drive continued expansion and technology innovation

The Series A funding round led by Cambridge Capital also includes new investor SoftBank Ventures Asia, and existing investors including Wavemaker Partners and Investible

Parcel Perform looks to establish a regional headquarters in North America , strengthen its footprint in Asia and Europe , and grow to 150 employees by the end of the year

SINGAPORE, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Parcel Perform , the leading cloud-based delivery experience platform for e-commerce businesses worldwide, announced today that it has successfully secured US$20M in Series A investments led by Cambridge Capital , with new investor SoftBank Ventures Asia joining the round alongside existing investors including Wavemaker Partners and Investible . The company currently manages over 100 million parcel tracking updates daily, providing real-time visibility of tracking data and helping businesses to increase customer lifetime value by up to 40%. Already profitable, Parcel Perform continues to see stellar growth, with revenue growing by 5x since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The strategic investment from leading blue-chip investors will help Parcel Perform cement its technology leadership, and support its global expansion and recruitment efforts. Parcel Perform will use the fresh funding to build out its technology offerings and invest further in artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. This includes scaling its proprietary 'Date of Arrival' prediction engine which allows customers to know precisely when their parcels will arrive. With over 100 employees across Asia-Pacific and Europe, the new funding will also enable the company to establish a regional headquarters in North America and grow to 150 employees globally by the end of the year.

Parcel Perform's founding team has leveraged their industry expertise to build a truly global business, standardizing last mile delivery data across 700+ carriers worldwide  the largest such data set in the industry. Parcel Perform's technology forms the backbone of logistics-related decision-making and customer experience of leading e-commerce brands such as Nespresso, as well as direct-to-consumer retailers like Waterdrop and marketplaces like idealo.

"With e-commerce becoming the primary retail channel, the need for merchants to provide an excellent post-purchase experience has become business critical. Parcel Perform is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this opportunity with its enterprise-grade solutions and its globally standardised logistics data integrations. We are thrilled that our investors recognise our ability to build a sustainable and profitable business by serving some of the most sophisticated enterprise customers worldwide to help them boost their customer satisfaction online," said Dr. Arne Jeroschewski, CEO and co-founder of Parcel Perform.

"We set our hearts on building a scalable, sustainable and customer-focused enterprise software company. We grew our team to over 100 people and expanded our customer base from our roots in Asia to also working with leading brands, marketplaces and carriers in Europe and North America. Today, we are proud to support hundreds of customers by allowing them to leverage our platform as a true differentiator in their markets," added Dana von der Heide, CCO and co-founder of Parcel Perform.

Benjamin Gordon, Managing Partner of Cambridge Capital points out, "Cambridge Capital focuses exclusively on global logistics and supply chain technology. We are excited to choose to invest in Parcel Perform, and to partner with Arne and Dana as the lead investor in this Series A financing. Visibility is a vital market in this age of e-commerce. After evaluating many companies worldwide, we believe that Parcel Perform simply offers the best visibility and experience solution. They have built a unique value proposition for brands, marketplaces and carriers, with the most complete solution for end-to-end shipment tracking. Arne and Dana reflect what we look for: outstanding founders, with supply chain industry expertise, and a focus on building profitable growth for the long term."

"The past few years have highlighted the importance of global commerce and resilient supply chains. Parcel Perform did not only launch an enterprise-ready and scalable, modular platform but also built a global community for e-Commerce professionals with Parcel Monitor. Their passion for the industry, hyper global approach and diverse team enable them to provide features that will change the experience for all stakeholders in last mile delivery. We are excited to partner with them and help them drive their next chapter of innovation in e-commerce logistics," said Cindy Jin, Partner at SoftBank Ventures Asia.

Davide Costella, Global Delivery Services Manager at Nespresso, said, "Over more than two years of working with Parcel Perform, their solution has become our global track-and-trace solution. Thanks to their vast coverage of more than 700 carriers worldwide and quick onboarding of additional ones, we have implemented track & trace deliveries in different Nespresso markets across all continents. With the help of their streamlined data in 30+ languages and sophisticated product suite, we are creating excellent post-purchase experiences but also getting real insights into actual carrier Service Level compliance which helps us drive continuous improvement and better rates. Tracking assistance is amongst the top reasons customers call our customer relationship center and in some markets, we have seen a 45% decrease in these calls. In addition, with our session cam analytics, we have observed that customers revisit the track-and-trace webpage 4-6 times during the delivery time window, proving it is indeed an essential feature to boost customer experience."

The business will continue to expand its strong network of partners and integrations with companies such as AWS and SAP. Parcel Perform recently extended its B2C website Parcel Monitor , originally a tracking service for end-consumers, into a global community page providing free access to logistics data insights for e-commerce logistics professionals.

Parcel Perform has offices in Singapore, Vietnam and Germany. While scaling their LogTech SaaS business, Parcel Perform stayed true to their convictions in equality and managed to build a diverse team of 100+ employees while achieving gender equality targets.

About Parcel Perform

Parcel Perform is the leading delivery experience platform. It enables modern e-commerce enterprises to create unique end-to-end customer journeys and optimize logistics operations with powerful data integrations, parcel tracking, delivery notifications and logistics performance reports in real-time. Parcel Perform's scalable SaaS platform executes more than 100M parcel updates daily and integrates with 700+ carriers. The data-first company is pioneering innovative ML / AI use cases in e-commerce logistics including its 'Date of Arrival' prediction engine. Parcel Perform is the partner of choice for top brands, marketplaces and carriers across all major verticals globally.

For more information, please visit https://parcelperform.com/ .

About Cambridge Capital:



Cambridge Capital is an investment firm focused on the applied supply chain. The firm provides private equity to finance the expansion, recapitalization or acquisition of growth companies in transportation, logistics and supply chain technology. Our philosophy is to invest in companies where our operating expertise and in-depth supply chain knowledge can help our portfolio companies achieve outstanding value.



For more information, please visit http://www.cambridgecapital.com .

About SoftBank Ventures Asia:

Founded in 2000, SoftBank Ventures Asia is the early-stage venture capital arm of the SoftBank Group. Its expertise lies in ICT investments including AI, IoT, and smart robotics. SoftBank Ventures Asia looks for early to growth-stage start-ups that have strong business potential in the global market and assist them to be plugged into the SoftBank ecosystem by facilitating side-by-side growth. SoftBank Ventures Asia currently operates approx. $1.5B under management, investing in innovative technology start-ups across the world.

For more information, please visit https://www.softbank.co.kr .

SOURCE Parcel Perform

Related Links

https://parcelperform.com


SURPRISE, Ariz., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This past year has been a difficult one for many local animal shelters. With budget cuts and increased expenses, these organizations are struggling to keep up with their day-to-day needs. To make matters worse, this year's scorching temperatures have led to an increase in strays - neglected animals coming into the shelter without any idea of how they got there or what they've been exposed to. Now more than ever it is important for us as a community to show our support by donating anything we can spare.

That's why Dirty Turf, a Arizona-based artificial turf cleaning company, has announced they will be donating their services for free to non-profit animal rescues and shelters in an effort to give back to the community. The company's products are completely safe for people and pets while eliminating unpleasant odors at the source. Dirty Turf says that this is just one way they try to give back to the community which helped them grow into what they are today.

No More Dirty Turf

"The Phoenix Metro area has an expansive number of rescue organizations that are working hard every day to save animals from abuse, neglect, or abandonment," says Steve DiFabio, founder of Dirty Turf. "Dirty Turf wants to make it easier for these organizations by donating our services." The other way they give back? Free advice on what types of turf work best for each organization's needs--whether their focus is in dog care facilities, cat centers, or even horse stables. And with over 20 years worth of experience providing artificial turf maintenance, no one knows turf better than them!

How To Qualify

Do you operate a non-profit animal shelter in the Phoenix area? Dirty Turf wants to help you! Dirty Turf will donate artificial turf cleaning services up to $1,000 in value per shelter or rescue organization.

To qualify, the following must be met:

You operate a non-profit animal shelter in the Phoenix metro area.

metro area. Your organization provides care for cats and dogs (domestic pets only).

The turf is used for animals housed on-site. (Offsite adoption centers do not qualify.)

You are not a part of any other turf maintenance company's program.

Your organization does not receive grant funding for artificial turf care from another source (i.e., city, county) or is otherwise subsidized by the government in some way to provide this service free of charge.

If your nonprofit is not in the Phoenix area but still operating, you can call Dirty Turf and ask how they can extend their offer to new clients outside of the Valley.

How to Apply

To apply, visit DirtyTurf.com/nonprofit or use the provided contact information below.

Press Contact

Company: Dirty Turf LLC

Name: Steve DiFabio

Phone (Call or Text): (602) 638-8777

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.dirtyturf.com/

SOURCE Dirty Turf
With over 150 different cigars, Eight will carry tobacco products exclusive to its custom-built walk-in humidor. Limited edition cigars will also litter the cigar vault, giving guests the chance to try once-in-a-lifetime cigars. In addition to its smoke selection, Eight's cocktail program is second-to-none, as bartenders carefully perfect time-honored and modernized cocktails to pair with guest's cigar of choice. Acting as "cigar sommeliers," Eight's mixologists will be well-versed in the flavor profiles of premium tobaccos, giving them the innate ability to complement smokes with a spirit. Adding to the allure, temperature-controlled lockers will be available for members only, the perfect stowaway to preserve spirits and cigars.

Eight has left no stone unturned in its design, even recognizing the importance and symbolism the number has in Chinese culture. The number, which is thought as infinite in East Asia, is incorporated into the lounge and humidor, which is divided into eight sections. The new lounge is a concept created by entrepreneur Giuseppe Bravo and David Chesnoff, partner and celebrity attorney. The two first united to launch Las Vegas' premier ticket broker, Bravo Tickets. Now they embark on their second joint venture teaming up with Clique Hospitality as their managing partner.

The deep tufted couches and dark wood trimming give an air of refinement, sophistication and masculinity, while the brightly lit bar-length chandelier and subtle pops of color emanate femininity. Further maintaining the clean aesthetic, an ultramodern filtration system refreshes air every four minutes to keep air clean, fresh and constantly flowing.

"Eight's uniqueness will be intriguing to cigar aficionados and novices," said John Pettei, managing partner. "We're shredding the cliches and stigmas associated with cigars the old man in the smoky room  and bringing sophistication and sexiness back."

"Eight is not your average cigar lounge, we are breaking barriers and bringing the highest level of service and hospitality to the luxurious hotel and casino that is Resorts World Las Vegas," said Giuseppe Bravo. "With over 150 different cigars sourced from around the globe along with its lavish furniture, Eight is the perfect place to escape for a well-earned smoke."

While Eight's interior serves as the heartbeat of the bar, the 2,300-square-foot outdoor patio  complete with a tranquil fireplace and a misting and heating trellis  acts as a sanctuary and provides a respite from the frenzy of the casino. The bar's brilliance will also be in its adaptability, as a noticeable but seamless transition will take place as the day turns to night  at which time the lounge will shift from a classic cigar bar to a lively indoor-outdoor "cigar friendly" lounge catering to those looking to smoke or meet up over a cocktail.

www.eightloungelv.com | Instagram: @eightloungelv

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eightloungelv

CONTACT:

Beth Bartolini | Clique Hospitality | Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Eight Lounge

Related Links

http://www.eightloungelv.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pediatric lupus expert Virginia Pascual, MD together with her junior colleague Simone Caielli, PhD and their team at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York identified problems in the red blood cells of children with active Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) which may hold clues to a root cause of lupus. These results, just published in the prestigious journal Cell, suggest new targets for future lupus therapies. The research was partly funded by the Lupus Research Alliance (LRA).

Dr. Pascual's work built upon growing evidence that mitochondrial function is connected to the development of SLE and inflammation. Mitochondria are the "powerhouses" inside cells that convert energy from food into chemical fuel. Mitochondrial dysfunction  when these cellular "powerhouses" do not work properly  contributes to many diseases, including autoimmune diseases.

Previously, Drs. Pascual and Caielli had described mitochondrial dysfunction in two types of immune cells, neutrophils and CD4 T cells, in children with SLE. However, it was not known if mitochondrial dysfunction in other cells circulating in the blood contributes to SLE development or its progression.

Dr. Pascual and her team chose to look at red blood cells (RBCs) since they are unique compared to other cells. Normal RBCs, which carry oxygen around the body, remove their mitochondria as they mature in the bone marrow. The research team looked at the RBCs in pediatric patients with active SLE and in healthy children. "We found that a significant number of children with SLE had mature red blood cells which still contained mitochondria. In fact, the presence of RBCs containing mitochondria was linked to higher lupus disease activity," said Dr. Pascual, the senior author, the Drukier Director of the Drukier Institute for Children's Health and the Ronay Menschel Professor of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Using human cells, the investigators elucidated the steps leading to mitochondrial removal in healthy RBCs and pinned down the defect ultimately leading to RBCs keeping mitochondria in SLE patients. RBCs are removed from the blood by macrophages, a type of immune cell which essentially eats and destroys any cellular debris and foreign cells. Antibodies binding to RBCs, which are common in SLE patients, facilitate this process. Ingestion of mitochondria-containing RBCs by macrophages cause a flood of type I interferons.

Research has shown that the vast majority  60-80 percent of adults and most children with lupus  have high levels of type I interferons. Altered biological pathways, such as what Drs. Caielli and Pascual found, lead to excess production of interferon. High interferon levels promote autoimmune inflammation. In theory, fixing the RBC mitochondria pipeline would stop the type I interferon flood and therefore reduce SLE disease activity in patients carrying these abnormal RBCs.

"Our findings support the idea that we need to separate patients according to the dysregulated pathways that lead to increased interferon production," said Dr. Pascual. "Thanks to the funding support from the LRA we identified a new defective pathway, which could help us classify SLE patients more effectively and ultimately target specifically this dysfunction. We hope this discovery will also lead to new modalities of treatment for lupus and other autoimmune diseases."

Dr. Pascual is the recipient of the LRA's 2017 Lupus Insight Prize, which recognizes an outstanding researcher who has developed a novel scientific discovery relevant to lupus. Dr. Caielli is a recipient of LRA's 2020 Lupus Innovation Award which provides support for pioneering, high-risk, high-reward approaches to major challenges in lupus research.

Teodora Staeva, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at the Lupus Research Alliance, said, "We are delighted about these groundbreaking findings from Dr. Pascual and her colleagues which provide valuable new insight into the biological mechanisms of SLE and hold implications for children as well as adults. The potential addition of new therapeutic targets may expand the treatment opportunities for lupus patients."

About Lupus

Lupus is a chronic, complex autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide. More than 90 percent of people with lupus are women; lupus most often strikes during the childbearing years of 15-45. African Americans, Latinx, Asians and Native Americans are two to three times at greater risk than Caucasians. In lupus, the immune system, which is designed to protect against infection, creates antibodies that can attack any part of the body impacting a wide range of tissues and organs including kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, blood, skin, and joints. Its treatment can also have serious side effects; one of the common medications for lupus, oral corticosteroids, for example, can lead to organ damage, infections, heart disease, osteoporosis weakening bones and cataracts affecting vision.i,ii

About the Lupus Research Alliance

The Lupus Research Alliance is the largest non-governmental, non-profit funder of lupus research worldwide. The organization aims to transform treatment by funding the most innovative lupus research, fostering diverse scientific talent, and driving discovery toward better diagnostics, improved treatments and ultimately a cure for lupus. Because the Lupus Research Alliance's Board of Directors fund all administrative and fundraising costs, 100% of all donations goes to support lupus research programs.

Dr. Virginia Pascual has received consulting honoraria from Sanofi, AstraZeneca and Moderna and is the recipient of a research grant from Sanofi and a contract from AstraZeneca.

i Ruiz-Arruza I, Ugarteet A, Cabezas-Rodriguez I, et al. Glucocorticoids and irreversible damage in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2014;53(8):1470-1476.

ii Al Sawah S, Zhang X, Zhu B, et al. Effect of corticosteroid use by dose on the risk of developing organ damage over time in systemic lupus erythematosusthe Hopkins Lupus Cohort. Lupus Sci Med. 2015;2(1):e000066.

SOURCE Lupus Research Alliance

Related Links

https://www.lupusresearch.org


LAGUNA BEACH, Calif., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Elpis Squared today announced that Lou Santilli has joined the Elpis team as Chief Operating Officer.

Santilli will be joining Elpis Squared from Bloom Energy where he was Vice President Business Development for Utilities. He brings extensive experience in the utility industry to lead Elpis Squared in strategic planning, go-to-market process, and overall growth of the company. Santilli will also be tasked with operational efficiency and scaling the team to serve a growing base of customers.

Additionally, Santilli's experience includes:

Itron, Inc.--14 years: Area Vice President with multiple progressive responsibilities in Service Delivery, Global Quality, Marketing & Product Management, Sales and Client Executive management.

Duke Energy (formerly Florida Power / Progress Energy)20 years: Power Generation, Customer Service and Distribution Operations.

/ Progress Energy)20 years: Power Generation, Customer Service and Distribution Operations. Public Service Electric & Gas -- 4 years: Salem Hope Creek Nuclear Stations  System Engineering Management and Maintenance Superintendent.

"Elpis Squared's solution has proven operational benefits with existing satisfied customers," said Santilli, Chief Operating Officer, "I am incredibly energized to help lead the company to its next phase of innovation and growth tied to our customer's operational excellence."

"I'm thrilled to welcome Lou to the team as our new COO," said Bryan Wright, Founder and CEO of Elpis Squared. "With Lou's experience and industry knowledge helping to scale our business in this fast-growing space, the Elpis Squared team is positioned to provide tremendous benefits for operational excellence to our customers."

ABOUT ELPIS SQUARED

Elpis Squared is a developer of utility grid analytics and operational. The Company's core software product cleanses, connects, aggregates and analyzes mass volumes of data from disparate systems primarily within electric utility grids. Elpis Squared solutions enable utilities to integrate more distributed energy resources and increase data visibility at all levels, allowing end users and utilities alike to measure their environmental footprint. Learn more at: www.elpis2.com.





SOURCE Elpis Squared

Related Links

http://www.elpis2.com


ST. LOUIS, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Energizer Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ENR) (the "Company") announced today it has entered into an agreement to repurchase an aggregate of $75 million of its common stock in an accelerated share repurchase ("ASR") program with JPMorgan Chase, National Association ("JPM"). This equates to approximately 1.9 million shares, at the closing price on August 10, 2021, and represents approximately 2.6% of Energizer's fully diluted outstanding stock(1). The Company is expected to fund the ASR program using available cash on hand and revolver borrowings. The Company will repurchase shares under the ASR Program as part of its existing 7.5 million share repurchase authorization, which was approved by its Board of Directors in November 2020.

"This accelerated share repurchase transaction is an important component of our capital allocation strategy," said Mark Lavigne, Chief Executive Officer. "The program demonstrates our confidence in Energizer's strategy and future growth prospects and underscores our commitment to deliver value to our shareholders."

Under the terms of the ASR agreement, dated August 11, 2021, Energizer will make an initial payment of $75 million to JPM and receive an initial delivery of approximately 1.5 million shares of Energizer's common stock. The final number of shares to be repurchased under the ASR program will be based on the average of the daily volume-weighted average prices of Energizer's common stock during the repurchase period, less a discount, and is subject to adjustments pursuant to the terms of the ASR agreement. The final settlement of the ASR program is expected to be completed before the end of the calendar year 2021.

Energizer expects to have ample financial capacity to sustain its balanced approach to capital allocation. This includes investments in its categories and brands to enhance growth and innovation and improve profitability, return capital to shareholders through dividends and opportunistic share repurchases, execute strategic M&A and pay down debt.

About Energizer:

Energizer Holdings Inc. (Energizer,NYSE: ENR), headquartered in St. Louis, is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of primary batteries, portable lights, and auto care appearance, performance, refrigerant and fragrance products. Its portfolio of globally recognized brands includes Energizer, Armor All, Eveready, Rayovac, STP, Varta, A/C Pro, Refresh Your Car!, California Scents, Driven, Bahama & Co., LEXOL, Eagle One, Nu Finish, Scratch Doctor and Tuff Stuff. As a global, branded consumer products company, Energizer's mission is to lead the charge to deliver value to its customers and consumers better than anyone else. Visit www.energizerholdings.com for more details.

This document contains both historical and forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts but instead reflect our expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events, including, without limitation, the future sales, gross margins, costs, earnings, cash flows, tax rates and performance of the Company, as well as matters related to the Company's entrance into the ASR program, including statements about the expected completion date of the ASR program, the number of shares that will be delivered to the Company under the ASR program and the Company's financial capacity to sustain its capital allocation initiatives. These statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as "believe," "expect," "expectation," "anticipate," "may," "could," "intend," "belief," "estimate," "plan," "target," "predict," "likely," "should," "forecast," "outlook," or other similar words or phrases. These statements are not guarantees of performance and are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict and could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by those statements. We cannot assure you that any of our expectations, estimates or projections will be achieved. The forward-looking statements included in this document are only made as of the date of this document and we disclaim any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Numerous factors could cause our actual results and events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements, including, that we cannot guarantee that the ASR program, or any future share repurchases, will enhance long-term stockholder value, and share repurchases could increase the volatility of the price of our stock and diminish our cash reserves.

In addition, other risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we consider immaterial could affect the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements should be evaluated with the understanding of their inherent uncertainty. Additional risks and uncertainties include those detailed from time to time in our publicly filed documents, including those described under the heading "Risk Factors" in our Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 17, 2020.

(1) Includes the assumed conversion of the Company's mandatory convertible preferred stock into approximately 4.7 million shares of common stock.

SOURCE Energizer Holdings Inc.

Related Links

https://www.energizerholdings.com


The study, published in Surgical Endoscopy , shows the groundbreaking device is just as effective in reducing life-threatening and costly surgical complications in real-world surgical practice as demonstrated in recent clinical studies, where the leak rate was 1.7% for the ECHELON CIRCULAR and as high as 11.8% for manual staplers. 3

For the real-world study, investigators drew from data in the ECHELON CIRCULAR clinical trial (165 patients) and the Premier Healthcare database (1,348 manual circular patients) for a matching adjusted indirect comparison of patients who underwent left-sided colorectal resection.

"The data is very positive in terms of postoperative complications and intraoperative events and ease of use, specifically related to the deployment of the circular powered stapler," said study co-author Patricia Sylla, MD***, a colorectal surgeon and Associate Professor of Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. "While anastomotic leaks are a complex problem with various contributing factors, the results of this study highlight the important role that the surgical stapler can play to reduce the potential for complications in colorectal surgery."

Each year, more than 600,000 colorectal surgical procedures are performed in the United States4 and despite advances in surgical technique, the incidence of anastomotic leaks remains high, occurring in nearly 12% of colorectal procedures.5

"The reductions in anastomotic leaks associated with the ECHELON CIRCULAR are so profound, not only in this study, but in previous ones, a closer look at stapler selection for colorectal surgery is warranted. It could lead to a change in standard surgical practice and improved patient outcomes," said Ron Landmann, MD,*** FASCRS, Section Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center in Jacksonville, FL, who was not involved in the study.

An anastomosis is a critical part of colorectal surgery in which two ends of the colon are connected with staples after part of the organ has been resected or removed due to damage or disease. If this connection is faulty or weak, an anastomotic leak may occur, which can lead to lengthier hospitalization, increased healthcare costs, and/or death.6,7 Studies show the mortality rate associated with anastomotic leaks can range from 10% to 15%.8 The risk of death can be 3- to 15-times greater if an anastomotic leak is present.9,10,11,12

The ECHELON CIRCULAR combines two innovative and proprietary technologies -- 3D Stapling Technology that evenly distributes compression13 and Gripping Surface Technology (GST) for gentler handling that reduces compressive forces on tissues.14 ECHELON CIRCULAR significantly reduced leaks at the staple line without compromising perfusion.15

"The results of this study well exceeded our expectations and deserve strong consideration by the surgical community," said Sanjoy Roy, Senior Director, Global Health Economics and Market Access, Ethicon, Inc. and a co-author of the latest real-world study. "The evidence, along with the innovation in design and performance, supports the possibility of this device raising the standard of care in the hands of surgeons."

ECHELON CIRCULAR is the latest addition to a clinical and real-world evidence program that includes the publication of nine peer-reviewed studies in seven countries spanning more than 60 authors and more than 46,000 patients. ECHELON Powered Staplers are the only brand of staplers back by large-scale real-world evidence in bariatric, colorectal and thoracic surgery. Click here to learn more about ECHELON CIRCULAR.

About Ethicon

Ethicon, part of Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies, has made significant contributions to surgery for more than 100 years from creating the first sutures, to revolutionizing surgery with minimally invasive procedures. Our continuing dedication to Shape the Future of Surgery is built on our commitment to help address the world's most pressing health care issues and improve and save more lives. Through Ethicon's surgical technologies and solutions including sutures, staplers, energy devices, trocars and hemostats and our commitment to treat serious medical conditions like obesity worldwide, we deliver innovation to make a life-changing impact. For more information, visit www.ethicon.com.

About Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies

At Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies, we are helping people live their best lives. Building on more than a century of expertise, we tackle pressing healthcare challenges, and take bold steps that lead to new standards of care while improving people's healthcare experiences. In surgery, orthopaedics, vision and interventional solutions, we are helping to save lives and paving the way to a healthier future for everyone, everywhere.

Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the ECHELON CIRCULAR Powered Stapler. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Ethicon, Inc. any of the other Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: uncertainty of regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; challenges to patents; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; manufacturing difficulties and delays; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of health care products and services; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2021, including in the sections captioned "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Item 1A. Risk Factors," and in the company's most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. Neither Ethicon Inc., the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.

*Ethicon represents the products and services of Ethicon, Inc., Ethicon Endo-Surgery, LLC and certain of their affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

**The Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies comprise the surgery, orthopaedics, vision and interventional solutions businesses within Johnson & Johnson's Medical Devices segment.

***Consultant to Ethicon

A retrospective matched analysis of 165 Echelon Circular cases from clinical study, and 1,348 manual circular stapler cases from Premier Healthcare Database [ECHELON CIRCULAR 1.8% (3/165) vs. manual circular 6.9% (93/1348), p<0.001] A retrospective matched analysis of 165 Echelon Circular cases from clinical study, and 1,348 manual circular stapler cases from Premier Healthcare Database [ECHELON CIRCULAR 6.1% (10/165) vs. manual circular 10.8% (146/1348), p=0.019] PlaMarti, V., Martin Arevalo, J., MoroValdezate, D. et al. Impact of the novel powered circular stapler on risk of anastomotic leakage in colorectal anastomosis: a propensity score matched study. Tech Coloproctol (2020).

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10151 02002338y https://www.sages.org/publications/patient-information/patient-information-for-laparoscopic-colon-resection-from-sages/ Truven Commercial and Medicare, USA Colorectal Complication Rates 2010-2015 Trencheva K, Morrissey K, Wells M, et al. Identifying Important Predictors for Anastomotic Leak After Colon and Rectal Resection. Annals of Surgery. 2013; 257: 108. Schiff A, Brady BL, Ghosh SK, et al. Estimated Rate of Post-Operative Anastomotic Leak Following Colorectal Resection Surgery: A Systematic Review. Journal of Surgery and Surgical Research. 2016;2(1): 060-067. Hyman, Neil MD; Manchester , Thomas L. MD; Osler, Turner MD; Burns, Betsy NP; Cataldo, Peter A. MD; Annals of Surgery: February 2007 - Volume 245 - Issue 2 - p 254-258 doi: 10.1097/01.sla.0000225083.27182.85 Ribeiro et al. 2019 ( Brazil )  The largest impact of AL was on the mortality rate, which was found to be 13.49 times higher in AL patients than in patients without AL in the analysis adjusted for age, gender, cancer diagnosis, and timing of surgery (p < 0 001). Gessler et al. 2017 ( Sweden ) - Thirty day mortality was 5% in the leakage group compared to 0.6% in the none leakage group (p 0.015). Similarly, the 90-day mortality was higher, 8.3 vs. 2% (p 0.004). Popescu et al. 2017 ( Romania )  The mortality rate in patients with AL was significantly higher compared to the no leak group 28.6% vs. 1.9% (p<0.0001). Turrentine et al. 2015 (US)  Unadjusted analyses revealed significant differences between patients who had anastomotic leaks develop and those who did not: morbidity (98.0% vs. 28.4%; p < 0.0001), length of stay (13 vs. 5 days; p  0.0001), 30-day mortality (8.4% vs. 2.5%; p < 0.0001), long-term mortality (36.4% vs. 20.0%; p  0.0001), and hospital costs (chi-square [2] = 359.8; p < 0.0001).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25592468/ Staple line analysis in benchtop testing, comparing Ethicon CDH25P to Medtronic EEA2535. Benchtop testing on porcine colon, comparing Ethicon CDH29P to Medtronic EEA2835, p<0.001. Benchtop testing in porcine tissue 30mmHg (26mmHg average pressure experienced during intra-operative leak test), comparing Ethicon CDH29P to Medtronic EEA2835 (p<0.001) and preclinical perfusion model, in which perfusion was not significantly different between devices.

 2021 Ethicon Inc. All Rights Reserved. 153751-200922

Media Contact:

Meg Farina

[email protected]

+1 610-724-1079

Investor Contact:

Sarah Wood

[email protected]

+1 732-524-2617



SOURCE Ethicon, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.ethicon.com


SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wax Center Partners (the "Company") opened its European Wax Center Elk Grove  The Ridge center in Northern California at 7580 Elk Grove Blvd., Elk Grove, CA 95757.

European Wax Center is a leading wax specialty personal care brand in the United States. Since 2004, European Wax Center has been providing guests with a first-class waxing experience centered around the brand's proprietary Comfort Wax, professionally trained estheticians, and crisp, clean waxing suites. Elk Grove  The Ridge center aims to provide the best waxing services in the area.

"To celebrate our center opening and get to know our neighbors, we are offering all guests a 'BUY 3 GET 1 FREE WAX PASS' until Tuesday, August 31st, 2021," explained Julie Marlin, VP of Center Operations for Wax Center Partners.

In addition to the new center promo, European Wax Center offers new guests 50% off their first Brazilian wax, or a free bikini line, underarm, nose, ear, or brow wax.

The center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. To book an appointment please call (916) 602 4929 or visit https://locations.waxcenter.com/ca/elkgrove/elk-grove-the-ridge-0424.html

About Wax Center Partners

Wax Center Partners is a portfolio company of MKH Capital Partners, a Miami-based private equity firm, in partnership with the Stieber EWC franchisee. The Company currently operates 12 locations and has 5 additional centers under development in Northern California, all scheduled to open this year.

Wax Center Partners foresees a promising expansion for its European Wax Center platform. The Company is actively seeking opportunities to expand its footprint through both new developments and acquisitions or partnerships in new and existing markets. For more information on Wax Center Partners, please contact Larry Stieber at [email protected] and visit www.mkhcapitalpartners.com.

About European Wax Center

European Wax Center is a leading personal care franchise brand founded in 2004. They offer expert wax services from certified Wax Specialists, ensuring that every guest who walks through the door leaves feeling confidentin European Wax Center and themselves. European Wax Center provides guests with a first class, professional waxing experience by the most highly trained estheticians in the industry, within the privacy of clean, individual waxing suites. They're so certain everyone will love the European Wax Center experience; they offer a free complimentary wax to each new guest. European Wax Center continues to revolutionize the waxing category with their innovative, signature Comfort Wax. This proprietary blend is formulated with the highest quality ingredients to leave skin feeling smooth and make waxing a more pleasant, virtually painless experience. To help enhance and extend waxing services, European Wax Center offers a full collection of proprietary pre- and post-wax products designed specifically for waxing skincare solutions called EWC to treat, groom, glow and slow. European Wax Center is a leading wax specialty personal care brand in the United States, and its network now includes over 800 centers nationwide.

For more information including how to receive your first wax free, please visit: www.waxcenter.com.

SOURCE Wax Center Partners

Related Links

https://waxcenter.com/


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 juice manufacturers and suppliers. This company information includes employee insights, company competitors, the impact of emerging trends and challenges, the latest news, and more.

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About BizVibe

BizVibe has been conceptualized and built by a team based out of Toronto, Bangalore, and London. We are a branch of Infiniti Research and have dedicated units in all three locations. BizVibe helps buyers find the most relevant suppliers from around the world and help sellers target prospects who need their products and/or services. For more information, please visit www.bizvibe.com and start for free today.

Contact

BizVibe

Jesse Maida

Email: [email protected]

+1 855-897-5880

Website: https://www.bizvibe.com/

SOURCE BizVibe

Related Links

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According to the agreement, EZGO will co-manufacture various types of frames for gyroplane and electric reverse-trike vehicles which are designed by SilverLight and handle chassis assembly. Reverse trikes are three-wheeled vehicles, distinguished by their two front wheels and one rear wheel, and are known to be more stable and safer than regular trikes and two-wheeled vehicles.

According to the tri-parties agreement, EZGO will start the trial production phase in late 2021 and the target output is 100 gyroplanes and 2,000 electric reverse trike vehicles by 2022. Scheduled production will be determined by the market demand and orders received from Silverlight.

The term of the strategic cooperation agreement is 10 years. It will be automatically renewed for another 10 years.

Management Commentary

Mr. Jianhui Ye, Chief Executive Officer of EZGO, stated, "We are very excited to announce the execution of this strategic cooperation agreement and tri-parties agreement with SilverLight. We look forward to working closely with SilverLight to develop our North America market. We are pleased to have won the support of a reputable international partner like SilverLight and continue seeking opportunities to increase our market exposure and grow our business."

About EZGO Technologies Ltd.

Leveraging an Internet of Things (IoT) product and service platform and two E-bicycle brands, "Dilang" and "Cenbird", EZGO has established a business model centered on the manufacturing and sale of two- and three-wheeled electric vehicles, complemented by the E-bicycle charging pile business. For additional information, please visit EZGO's website at www.ezgotech.com.cn. Investors can visit the "Investor Relations" section of EZGO's website at http://www.ezgotech.com.cn/Investor/.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. When the Company uses words such as "may, "will, "intend," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate" or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the following: the Company's goals and strategies; the Company's future business development; product and service demand and acceptance; changes in technology; economic conditions; the growth of the short-distance transportation solutions market in China and the other international markets the Company plans to serve; reputation and brand; the impact of competition and pricing; government regulations; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China and the international markets the Company plans to serve and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing and other risks contained in reports filed by the Company with the SEC. For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company's filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forwardlooking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.

SOURCE EZGO Technologies Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.ezgotech.com.cn


HOUSTON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fajita Pete's, the fast-growing "fresh off the grill" fajita catering and delivery concept, will celebrate its favorite holiday  National Fajita Day, of course  by donating a portion of its systemwide profits from Aug. 16-20 to local chapters of The Boys & Girls Clubs in Houston, Dallas and Austin, Texas, and Kansas City.

National Fajita Day falls on Wednesday, Aug. 18, but Fajita Pete's Founder and CEO Pedro "Pete" Mora wanted the occasion to last longer to give back more to the communities where Fajita Pete's has locations.

"Our success is due to the great communities and loyal customers who have supported us over the years, and we wanted to do something to thank them and make a positive impact," said Mora. "Boys & Girls Clubs do a phenomenal job of helping kids everywhere reach their full potential, and that's why we chose to partner with them for an extended celebration of National Fajita Day."

With more than 20 operating locations and plans in the works for 45 more, the company is committed to giving back to the communities it serves. Fajita Pete's offered free fajitas to all health care professionals for Nurses Appreciation Week in May and donated scholarship funds to the Cizik School of Nursing, part of the UT Health System, in April. In addition, Fajita Pete's celebrated the opening of its 20th location earlier this year with a pledge to donate $20,000 to local organizations as part of a larger Fajita Pete's Cares campaign. Recipients included Children's Mercy in Kansas City, Kansas.

"Partnerships between the business community and the Boys & Girls Clubs not only help us continue our mission but also demonstrate to our young club members that they are worth investing in and that people care about them," said Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas President and CEO Charles English. "We deeply appreciate Fajita Pete's pledge to donate as part of its National Fajita Day celebration."

Founded in Houston in 2008, Fajita Pete's is a fast-growing, delivery-centric concept that features a simple menu with just a few key items. Its award-winning fajitas, available in beef, chicken, vegetable, shrimp or mixed, are grilled to order and served with Mexican rice, refried beans, grilled onions, jalapenos, fresh hand-rolled tortillas, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, lettuce, and chips and salsa.

About Fajita Pete's

Fajita Pete's is a Houston-based "fresh off the grill" fajita concept focused on a simple menu with premium-quality, handmade menu items. Founder Pete Mora envisioned a better way to serve guests by focusing on delivery and pickup, a model that has proven successful over the past 13 years. Fajita Pete's earned a spot on QSR Magazine's 40/40 List: America's Hottest Startup Fast Casuals for 2020 and was twice awarded first place at Houston's Fajita Festival. Fajita Pete's currently has 22 locations across Houston, Dallas and College Station, Texas, and Overland Park, Kansas, of which 19 are franchisee-owned. Markets open for franchisee development include Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Colorado, Arkansas, Arizona, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Louisiana and New Mexico. For more information, visit franchisefajitapetes.com. Follow Fajita Pete's on Facebook @fajitapetestx and Instagram @fajitapetes.

Media Contact

Curry Simic, SPM Communications

[email protected]

817-329-3257



SOURCE Fajita Pete's
Says The Beale Group founder Gregory Beale, "Restaurant start-up and operational costs are expensive. We believe that our comprehensive shared services food hall model is the sustainable future of the F&B industry."

Industry reports bear out Beale's statement. Pre-pandemic, Sonoma County restaurateurs were looking for innovative ways to address labor shortages and decrease overhead. Looking forward, those needs are even more acute. According to a recent report by Cushman Wakefield, Large swaths of the independent restaurant community are going to need a [post-pandemic] rebuilding mechanism; one with lower inherent risks for all, a better operational model that allows for higher profit margins, and low barrier-to-entry. Food halls will be where the industry rebuilds first.



Beale continues, "The Livery is a community revitalization projectby the community, for the community. We're empowering small business to create sophisticated and sustainable systems that positively impact business health, employee efficiency, and quality of life. At the core we realize the importance of the art of collaboration to help create and support an ecosystem of community-minded and human-centered businesses in Sonoma County."



The Livery on Main licensees are all local small businesses who will start or expand their restaurants. All are focused on fresh cuisine using products grown, raised, or produced in Sonoma County with sustainability in mind. Signed licensees are:



Charro Negro , the new home base for Chef Rodrigo Mendoza's wildly popular food truck venture. Featuring fresh "Beach and Barrio" Mexican cuisine.

, the new home base for Chef wildly popular food truck venture. Featuring fresh "Beach and Barrio" Mexican cuisine. Cozy Plum Bistro, West County outpost for chef-driven, plant-based cuisine from Santa Rosa's well-known vegan bistro owned and operated by Lisa Le Donne and Charles White .

well-known vegan bistro owned and operated by and . Lunch Box Sonoma County, permanent home of Derek and Megan Harn's gourmet burger and sandwich pop-up that has been garnering rave reviews since launching in 2019.

gourmet burger and sandwich pop-up that has been garnering rave reviews since launching in 2019. Taverna Lithi, Chef Dino Moniodis of cult-favorite Dino's Greek Food, is bringing a taste of the Greek Isles to Sebastopol  all of the recipes were passed down through generations in Dino's family.

of cult-favorite Dino's Greek Food, is bringing a taste of the Greek Isles to  all of the recipes were passed down through generations in Dino's family. Village Bakery, Patrick Lum and Teresa Gentile , beloved bakers of beautiful, legendary hearth breads are returning Village to its Sebastopol roots.

and , beloved bakers of beautiful, legendary hearth breads are returning Village to its roots. Farriers, a neighborhood speakeasy on the second level of The Livery, will be an upscale but comfortable lounge where locals and tourists alike can gather to enjoy the best of regionally sourced seasonal ingredients in both handcrafted cocktails and lite provisions.

Complete Livery press kit may be found here. More information about The Beale Group and its family of companies may be found on The Livery on Main website at www.livery135.com. Crowdfund offer and campaign details may be found on https://wefunder.com/farm.to.coast.



Disclaimer

Farm to Coast Collective is testing the waters to evaluate investor interest. No money or other consideration is being solicited; if sent, it will not be accepted. No offer to buy securities will be accepted. No part of the purchase price will be received until a Form C is filed and, then, only through Wefunder. Any indication of interest has no obligation or commitment of any kind.



About Farm to Coast Collective (www.livery135.com)

Farm to Coast Collective is a public benefit corporation based in Sebastopol, California with a mission to socially and economically empower small businesses. It is a passion project backed by decades of business experience and is the latest venture from The Beale Group and its subsidiaries: Builders' Studio of Sebastopol (a structural and architectural design firm) and Thrive Construction Group (a licensed general building contractor). All are built on a foundation of community, collaboration, and shared operational services.



This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE Farm to Coast Collective
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac) has declared a third quarter dividend of $0.88 per share for each of Farmer Mac's three classes of common stock  Class A Voting Common Stock (NYSE: AGM.A), Class B Voting Common Stock (not listed on any exchange), and Class C Non-Voting Common Stock (NYSE: AGM). The quarterly dividend will be payable on September 30, 2021 to holders of record of common stock as of September 15, 2021.

Farmer Mac's board of directors has also declared a dividend on each of Farmer Mac's five classes of preferred stock. The quarterly dividend of $0.375 per share of 6.000% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series C (NYSE: AGM.PR.C), $0.35625 per share of 5.700% Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series D (NYSE: AGM.PR.D), $0.359375 per share of 5.750% Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock Series E (NYSE: AGM.PR.E), $0.328125 per share of 5.250% Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock Series F (NYSE: AGM.PR.F), and $0.3046875 per share of 4.875% Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series G (AGM.PR.G), is for the period from but not including July 17, 2021 to and including October 17, 2021. These preferred stock dividends will be payable on October 17, 2021 to holders of record of those classes of preferred stock as of October 1, 2021.

About Farmer Mac

Farmer Mac is a vital part of the agricultural credit markets and was created to increase access to and reduce the cost of capital for the benefit of American agricultural and rural communities. As the nation's secondary market for agricultural credit, we provide financial solutions to a broad spectrum of the agricultural community, including agricultural lenders, agribusinesses, and other institutions that can benefit from access to flexible, low-cost financing and risk management tools. Farmer Mac's customers benefit from our low cost of funds, low overhead costs, and high operational efficiency. Additional information about Farmer Mac is available on Farmer Mac's website at www.farmermac.com.

SOURCE Farmer Mac

Related Links

www.farmermac.com


Total revenue for the second quarter of 2021 rose to $84.2 million, from $38.7 million for the same period last year. Fathom completed 10,100 real estate transactions for the 2021 second quarter, a 74% increase from the 2020 second quarter. Fathom's real estate agent network grew approximately 53% to 6,950 agents at June 30, 2021, up from 4,554 agents one year ago.

During the 2021 second quarter, primarily due to its acquisition activity, the Company began reporting selected financial results for its vertically integrated segments, with revenue as follows:

Real estate brokerage revenue, which includes real estate brokerage services, was $80.2 million for the second quarter of 2021, compared with $38.7 million in the prior year period.

for the second quarter of 2021, compared with in the prior year period. Mortgage revenue, which includes residential loan origination and underwriting services, was $1.5 million for the second quarter of 2021. There was no revenue generated from mortgage services in the second quarter of 2020.

for the second quarter of 2021. There was no revenue generated from mortgage services in the second quarter of 2020. Technology revenue, which includes SaaS solutions and data mining for third party customers, was $530,000 for the second quarter of 2021. There was no revenue generated from technology services in the second quarter of 2020.

GAAP net loss for the 2021 second quarter was $2.1 million, or a loss of $0.15 per share, compared with GAAP net income of approximately $161,000, or $0.02 per diluted share, for the 2020 second quarter. Weighted average diluted shares outstanding increased approximately 40% for the 2021 second quarter, compared with the same quarter last year. The year-over-year change in GAAP net income (loss) resulted primarily from strategic investments in future growth related to enhancing operations, marketing and G&A, partially offset by an approximate $2.6 million income tax benefit attributable to the discrete release of the valuation allowance against the Company's historical deferred tax assets, and recognition of a portion of its current period deferred tax asset in connection with its acquisition activity in the second quarter of 2021.

G&A as a percentage of revenue declined for the 2021 second quarter, compared with the 2021 first quarter, and is expected to continue declining as a percentage of revenue over time as revenue increases. G&A expense totaled $9.4 million for the 2021 second quarter, compared with $2.0 million for last year's second quarter. The increase in G&A principally related to acquisitions, public company costs and continued investments in growth. It is anticipated that G&A expense will increase on an absolute dollar basis going forward, driven by acquisitions, public company costs, and costs related to scaling and integrating the Company's vertical business lines.

Adjusted EBITDA loss, a non-GAAP measure, was $2.3 million for the 2021 second quarter, versus an Adjusted EBITDA profit of approximately $329,000 a year ago. By segment, Adjusted EBITDA was as follows:

Real estate brokerage Adjusted EBITDA profit was $496,000 for the 2021 second quarter, compared with $329,000 for the same period last year.

for the 2021 second quarter, compared with for the same period last year. Mortgage Adjusted EBITDA loss was $890,000 for the 2021 second quarter. Mortgage did not contribute to Adjusted EBITDA for the same period last year.

for the 2021 second quarter. Mortgage did not contribute to Adjusted EBITDA for the same period last year. Technology Adjusted EBITDA loss was $307,000 for the 2021 second quarter. Technology did not contribute to Adjusted EBITDA for the same period last year.

Fathom is providing Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, because it offers additional information for monitoring the Company's cash flow performance. A table providing a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to its most comparable GAAP measure, as well as an explanation of, and important disclosures about, this non-GAAP measure, is included in the tables at the end of this press release.

"Quarter after quarter, our results continue to demonstrate the power of our truly disruptive business model. In fact, we more than doubled revenue for the second quarter. Fathom's second quarter last year showed the strongest revenue growth of all publicly traded real estate companies, and we weren't even public yet. We are very proud to have this level of revenue growth stacked on top of a previous stellar performance," said Fathom CEO Joshua Harley.

"It is important to note the incredible runway for future growth that we have as a result of our very recent entry into additional vertical business lines. We're just getting started. One of the best parts of our story is that we now fully own mortgage, title, insurance, lead generation and lead nurturing businesses, as well as two technology businesses, all helping us attract more home buyers and sellers, which in turn also helps us attract more agents, one of the key pillars in our growth strategy.

"With all of the puzzle pieces now in place, we are focused on leveraging the elite team we've built to make real, significant and lasting change in the real estate space," Harley said. "I believe the addition of these capabilities gives Fathom the potential to significantly increase our revenue and profitability per transaction, over time. Without a doubt, growing our revenue, transactions and agent network is important, but growing profitability is our number one priority. Although many companies sacrifice profitability for growth, I believe we can achieve both through our proprietary technology platform, streamlined operations and great value proposition for agents.

"We may still be small on a comparative basis, but we are mighty, and I strongly believe we have an incredible path ahead of us. Our ability to attract an ever-increasing number of real estate agents by providing them with greater income potential, and the robust technology, training, and support they need to grow their businesses, is even more important during these unprecedented times. We look to the future with enthusiasm, optimism and excitement as we continue to quickly take market share from the old-school real estate companies with outdated commission models," Harley concluded.

First Half 2021 Financial Results

Total revenue for the first half of 2021 grew 98% to $133.8 million, from $67.5 million for the same period in 2020. The Company's Mortgage segment contributed $1.5 million and its Technology segment contributed $599,000 to the Company's 2021 six-month revenue results. GAAP net loss for the first six months of 2021 was $5.5 million, or a loss of $0.40 per share, compared with GAAP net income of $118,000, or $0.01 per diluted share, for the first six months of 2020. Adjusted EBITDA loss was $4.3 million, versus an Adjusted EBITDA profit of $465,000 for the year-ago period. By segment, Adjusted EBITDA was as follows:

Real estate brokerage Adjusted EBITDA loss was $10,300 for the first half of 2021, compared with an Adjusted EBITDA profit of $465,000 for the same period last year.

for the first half of 2021, compared with an Adjusted EBITDA profit of for the same period last year. Mortgage Adjusted EBITDA loss was $890,000 for the first half of 2021. Mortgage did not contribute to Adjusted EBITDA for the same period last year.

for the first half of 2021. Mortgage did not contribute to Adjusted EBITDA for the same period last year. Technology Adjusted EBITDA loss was $622,000 for the first half of 2021. Technology did not contribute to Adjusted EBITDA for the same period last year.

The Company had cash and cash equivalents of $12.8 million at June 30, 2021, compared with $28.6 million at December 31, 2020. The decline primarily reflected completed acquisitions.

"With several strategic acquisitions now completed, we are focused on building our cash position through operational cash flow generation," said Fathom President and CFO Marco Fregenal. "Our highly disciplined approach as good stewards of the money with which you've entrusted us, should provide us with the capital needed to execute on our plan to increase our agent network and transactions in line with historical growth."

Recent Highlights

Acquired fast-growing regional brokerage, Epic Realty. Based in the metropolitan Boise, Idaho area, Epic includes more than 350 agents who provide full-service residential real estate services for buyers and sellers.

area, Epic includes more than 350 agents who provide full-service residential real estate services for buyers and sellers. Expanded Verus Title to the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) market. Texas is Fathom's largest residential real estate market.

(DFW) market. is Fathom's largest residential real estate market. Completed the acquisition of technology platform LiveBy, to offer competitive, hyper-local tools for real estate professionals, and SaaS offerings to brokerages and agents outside of Fathom.

Acquired E4:9 Holdings, a holding company with three operating subsidiaries, Encompass Lending Group (mortgage), Dagley Insurance Agency (home and other insurance), and Real Results (lead generation). The acquisition is expected to provide agents and associates with new opportunities to grow their businesses, while giving consumers a one-stop-shop for all of their housing needs.

Subsequent to the end of the second quarter, created a Hispanic division to better assist this underserved community. This division will serve a quickly expanding residential real estate sector.

Long-Term Targets

The Company believes it can generate Adjusted EBITDA exceeding $40.0 million per year at 100,000 to 110,000 transactions per year. While Fathom has not provided a timeline for reaching this target, the Company believes it can maintain transaction growth rates similar to the last year since its IPO.

Fiscal 2021 Second Quarter Financial Results Conference Call

Date: Wednesday, August 11, 2021 Time: 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT Phone: 833-685-0908 (domestic); 412-317-5742 (international) Replay: Accessible through August 25, 2021; 877-344-7529 (domestic); 412-317-0088 (international); replay access code 10159142 Webcast: Accessible at www.FathomRealty.com; archive available for approximately one year

About Fathom Holdings Inc.

Fathom Holdings Inc. is a national, technology-driven, real estate services platform integrating residential brokerage, mortgage, title, insurance, and SaaS offerings to brokerages and agents by leveraging its proprietary cloud-based software, intelliAgent. The Company's brands include Fathom Realty, Encompass Lending, Dagley Insurance, Verus Title, intelliAgent, and Real Results. For more information, visit www.fathomrealty.com .

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements," including, but not limited to, attracting more home buyers and sellers, which in turn helps attract more agents, generating strong attach rates for the Company's newer businesses, significantly increasing revenue and profitability per transaction, over time, growing profitability, increasing market share, and generating more than $40.0 million in Adjusted EBITDA at 100,000 to 110,000 transactions, while maintaining transaction growth at levels similar to the last year since its IPO. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including: risks associated with making and integrating acquisitions; technology risks; risks in effectively managing rapid growth in our business; reliance on key personnel; competitive risks; and the others set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company's most recent Form 10-K as filed with the SEC and supplemented from time to time in other Company filings made with the SEC. Copies of our Form 10-K and other SEC filings are available on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov . The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

Investor Relations and Media Contacts:

Roger Pondel/Laurie Berman Marco Fregenal PondelWilkinson Inc. President and CFO [email protected] Fathom Holdings Inc. (310) 279-5980 [email protected]

(888) 455-6040

(Financial tables follow)

FATHOM HOLDINGS INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED)

Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2021

2020

2021

2020 Revenue













Gross commission income $ 80,246,356

$ 38,688,744

$ 129,402,060

$ 67,527,575 Other revenue 3,936,598

-

4,426,383

- Total revenue 84,182,954

38,688,744

133,828,443

67,527,575 Operating expenses













Commission and other agent-related costs 76,729,401

36,356,779

123,129,642

63,044,034 Operations and support 1,683,375

-

1,751,751

- General and administrative 9,387,237

1,964,781

15,508,661

3,875,582 Marketing 378,437

138,231

780,600

368,664 Depreciation and amortization 744,521

44,496

846,880

63,771 Total operating expenses 88,922,971

38,504,287

142,017,534

67,352,051















(Loss) income from operations (4,740,017)

184,457

(8,189,091)

175,524















Other (income) expense, net













Gain on the extinguishment of debt -

-

(50,936)

- Interest (income) expense, net (1,064)

32,659

248

65,497 Other income, net (32,594)

(10,000)

(37,326)

(10,000) Other (income) expense, net (33,658)

22,659

(88,014)

55,497















(Loss) income from operations before income taxes (4,706,359)

161,798

(8,101,077)

120,027 Income tax benefit (expense) 2,614,925

(1,000)

2,609,925

(2,000) Net (loss) income $ (2,091,434)

$ 160,798

$ (5,491,152)

$ 118,027















Net (loss) income per share













Basic $ (0.15)

$ 0.02

$ (0.40)

$ 0.01 Diluted $ (0.15)

$ 0.02

$ (0.40)

$ 0.01















Weighted average common shares outstanding













Basic 14,048,136

9,996,775

13,750,775

9,996,939 Diluted 14,048,136

10,303,025

13,750,775

10,016,269

















FATHOM HOLDINGS INC. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)

June 30, 2021

December 31, 2020 ASSETS





Current assets:





Cash and cash equivalents $ 12,830,663

$ 28,577,396 Restricted cash 3,530,244

984,238 Accounts receivable 4,099,379

1,595,444 Derivative assets 47,475

- Mortgage loans held for sale, at fair value 9,586,314

- Prepaid and other current assets 963,875

1,699,375 Total current assets 31,057,950

32,856,453 Property and equipment, net 973,500

154,599 Lease right of use assets 4,724,773

437,421 Intangible assets, net 22,731,288

922,147 Goodwill 20,447,286

799,058 Other assets 66,042

55,301 Total assets $ 80,000,839

$ 35,224,979 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY





Current liabilities:





Accounts payable $ 4,610,026

$ 2,596,206 Accrued liabilities 4,496,327

1,063,889 Escrow liabilities 3,476,509

933,336 Derivative liabilities 18,848

- Warehouse lines of credit 9,361,428

- Long-term debt - current portion 603,446

256,324 Lease liability - current portion 1,935,925

140,100 Total current liabilities 24,502,509

4,989,855 Long-term debt, net of current portion 356,841

282,950 Lease liability, net of current portion 2,868,615

301,429 Deferred tax liabilities 657,777

- Total liabilities 28,385,742

5,574,234 Commitments and contingencies





Stockholders' equity:





Common stock, no par value, 100,000,000 authorized and 14,744,539 and

13,830,351 issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020 -

- Treasury Stock, at cost, 5,683 shares as of June 30, 2021 and December 31,

2020 (30,000)

(30,000) Additional paid-in capital 64,624,400

37,168,896 Accumulated deficit (12,979,303)

(7,488,151) Total stockholders' equity 51,615,097

29,650,745 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 80,000,839

$ 35,224,979









FATHOM HOLDINGS INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)

Six Months Ended June 30,

2021 2020 CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:



Net (loss) income $ (5,491,152) $ 118,027 Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by operating activities:



Depreciation and amortization 846,880 63,771 Non-cash lease expense 28,644 - Gain on sale of mortgages (1,332,813) - Deferred income taxes (2,649,925) - Gain on the extinguishment of debt (50,936) - Bad debt expense 76,975 99,656 Share-based compensation 2,063,529 225,214 Other non-cash 506 - Change in operating assets and liabilities:



Accounts receivable (1,372,366) (899,178) Agent annual fees receivable 207,750 (513,424) Due from affiliates - 1,085 Mortgage loans held for sale (42,444,742) - Proceeds from sale and principal payments on mortgage loans held for sale 42,338,436 - Prepaid and other assets 402,966 13,192 Accounts payable 981,086 856,099 Accrued liabilities 3,132,041 684,600 Escrow liabilities 2,385,505 - Operating lease assets 274,601 51,639 Operating lease liabilities (212,129) (50,563) Due to affiliates - (571) Other assets (3,242) - Derviative assets 42,194 - Derviative liabilities (101,152) - Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (877,344) 649,547





CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:



Purchase of property and equipment (475,605) (9,369) Amounts paid for business and asset acquisitions, net of cash acquired (12,619,157) - Purchase of intangible assets (704,567) (227,400) Net cash used in investing activities (13,799,329) (236,769)





CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:



Principal payments on long-term debt (7,211) (8,511) Proceeds from the issuance of common stock 80,000 83,014 Net proceeds from warehouse lines of credit 1,403,157 - Purchase of treasury stock - (30,000) Proceeds from note payable - 453,581 Net cash provided by financing activities 1,475,946 498,084





Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash (13,200,727) 910,862 Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period 29,561,634 579,416 Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period $ 16,360,907 $ 1,490,278





Supplemental disclosure of cash and non-cash transactions:



Cash paid for interest $ 4,448 $ 65,560 Income taxes paid $ - $ 2,261 Right of use assets obtained in exchange for lease liabilities $ 1,839,079 $ - Issuance of common stock for the purchase of business $ 25,311,975 $ - Extinguishment of Paycheck Protection Program Loan $ 50,600 $ - Loan receivable forgiven and used as purchase consideration $ 165,000 $ -





Reconciliation of cash and restricted cash



Cash and cash equivalents $ 12,830,663 $ 1,490,278 Restricted cash 3,530,244 - Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash shown in statement of cash flows $ 16,360,907 $ 1,490,278







RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP TO GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (Unaudited)



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,



2021

2020

2021

2020









Real Estate Brokerage $ 495,507

$ 329,446

$ (10,324)

$ 464,509 Mortgage (889,898)

-

(889,898)

- Technology (307,227)

-

(622,359)

- Total Segment Adjusted EBITDA (701,618)

329,446

(1,522,581)

464,509 Corporate and other services (b) (1,571,353)

-

(2,792,702)



Total Company Adjusted EBITDA (2,272,971)

329,446

(4,315,283)

464,509

Depreciation and amortization (744,521)

(44,496)

(846,880)

(63,771)

Other income (expense), net 33,658

(22,659)

88,014

(55,497)

Income tax benefit (expense) 2,614,925

(1,000)

2,609,925

(2,000)

Stock based compensation (1,193,454)

(100,493)

(2,063,529)

(225,214)

Transaction-related costs (529,071)

-

(963,401)

- Net (loss) income $ (2,091,434)

$ 160,798

$ (5,491,154)

$ 118,027

Note about Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement its consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"), the Company uses Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, to understand and evaluate its core operating performance. This non-GAAP financial measure, which may be different than similarly titled measures used by other companies, is presented to enhance investors' overall understanding of the Company's financial performance and should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP.

Fathom defines Adjusted EBITDA as net loss, excluding other (income) expense, net, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization, and share-based compensation expense.

Fathom believes that Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information about the Company's financial performance, enhances the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects, and allows for greater transparency with respect to a key metric used by management for financial and operational decision-making. The Company believes that Adjusted EBITDA helps identify underlying trends in its business that otherwise could be masked by the effect of the expenses excluded in Adjusted EBITDA. In particular, Fathom believes the exclusion of share-based compensation expense related to restricted stock awards and stock options provides a useful supplemental measure in evaluating the performance of its operations and provides better transparency into its results of operations.

Adjusted EBITDA is being presented to assist investors in seeing the Company's financial performance through the eyes of management, and because it believes this measure provides an additional tool for investors to use in comparing Fathom's core financial performance over multiple periods with other companies in its industry.

Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. There are a number of limitations related to the use of Adjusted EBITDA compared to net loss, the closest comparable GAAP measure, including:

Adjusted EBITDA excludes share-based compensation expense related to restricted stock awards and stock options, which have been, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, significant recurring expenses in the Company's business and an important part of its compensation strategy; and

Adjusted EBITDA excludes certain recurring, non-cash charges such as depreciation and amortization of property and equipment and, although these are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized may have to be replaced in the future.

SOURCE Fathom Realty

Related Links

https://www.fathomrealty.com


Vittatoe is an active member of her community, currently serving as a member of the Rotary Club of Bearden and the Lakeway Area Association of Realtors. She is also a proud member of the Morristown and Jefferson County Chambers of Commerce.

Vittatoe's office is located at 910 W First North St. in Morristown, Tennessee. She may be reached at [email protected] or by calling (423) 200-4303.

About First Bank & Trust Company

First Bank and Trust Company, one of the top community banks in the United States, is a diversified financial services firm with office locations throughout southwest Virginia and the New River and Shenandoah Valleys of the state. First Bank and Trust Company also operates locations throughout northeast Tennessee. Financial solutions are addressed by offering free checking products for personal and business accounts, savings, money market and time deposit accounts. Lending solutions are managed by mortgage, agricultural and commercial lending divisions. Comprehensive wealth management solutions are available through trust and brokerage service representatives.

For more information, visit www.firstbank.com or contact Kaitlyn Widner at [email protected].

SOURCE First Bank & Trust Company

Related Links

https://www.firstbank.com


WICHITA, Kan., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fast-casual restaurant concept Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers announced today the opening of its newest franchised location in Linden, New Jersey. The Linden restaurant marks the concept's first location in New Jersey and entrance into its 34th state, continuing the brand's development growth across the country. Located at 810 W Edgar Rd, the Linden restaurant is now open and serving Guests the brand's signature unique combination of craveable menu items, including cooked-to-order steakburgers seasoned with Freddy's Famous Steakburger & Fry Seasoning, Vienna Beef hot dogs, shoestring fries paired with Freddy's Famous Fry Sauce and frozen custard that is freshly churned throughout the day.

"We are delighted to have Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers here in Linden. I passionately believe there's no better place to be than here," said City of Linden's Mayor Armstead, who celebrated the restaurant's ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, July 29. "We welcome Freddy's to our community and look forward to indulging in all of their good eats."

The Linden restaurant is owned and operated by Ethan Coleman, franchise owner of New Jersey Steakburgers LLC. Prior to franchising, Ethan developed properties for a New York City-based real estate company for over a decade. With extensive background in real estate and development, he has been passionate about opening a Freddy's since he learned about the concept in 2018. Ethan signed a franchise agreement with the brand in 2020 to develop dozens of Freddy's restaurants in markets across Northern New Jersey over the next several years.

"I learned about Freddy's through a news article years ago and always wanted to try it but there were no nearby locations. While traveling to Florida, I finally had the opportunity to visit a restaurant and was blown away by the quality of food and warm hospitality that Freddy's is known for. Fast forward to today, I'm incredibly excited to be introducing such an amazing brand to New Jersey and can't wait for the community to experience The Freddy's Way for themselves," said Ethan Coleman. "The City of Linden has been extremely welcoming, and I believe this is the perfect location for the state's first Freddy's. I look forward to building upon the brand's continued success and to serving the people of Linden and surrounding communities for years to come."

Freddy's has captured a passionate following from consumers nationwide due in part to its unwavering commitment to operating "The Freddy's Way", which is the brand's promise to approach every aspect of business the right way, holding true to its core values and emphasizing quality. Freddy's Guests across its more than 400 locations experience genuine hospitality and food cooked-to-order with premium ingredients, served hot and fresh in a clean, family-friendly environment at each location.

Freddy's in Linden will be open Sunday  Thursday from 10:30 a.m.  10 p.m. and Friday  Saturday from 10:30 a.m.  11 p.m. For more information, visit https://freddysusa.com/store/linden/.

About Freddy's

Co-founded in 2002 by Scott Redler and Bill, Randy and Freddy Simon, Freddy's opened its first location in Wichita, Kansas, offering a unique combination of cooked-to-order Steakburgers seasoned with Freddy's Famous Steakburger & Fry Seasoning, Vienna Beef hot dogs, shoestring fries paired with Freddy's Famous Fry Sauce and frozen custard that is freshly churned throughout the day. The brand was acquired by private equity firm Thompson Street Capital Partners in March of 2021. Today, Freddy's has grown to more than 400 locations that serve 34 states across the nation from California to Pennsylvania, Virginia, down the East Coast states to Florida. Freddy's has been named No. 1 on Forbes Best Franchises to Buy, The 2021 Restaurant Business 10 Fastest Growing Chains in the U.S. List, Entrepreneur's 2021 Franchise 500 top 100, Franchise Times magazine's 2020 Fast & Serious top 40 and many other nationwide and local industry awards. For more on Freddy's, visit the Newsroom and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest news.

Chelsea Bear | Account Manager

[email protected]

954.893.9150

SOURCE Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Related Links

http://www.freddysusa.com


Among the long list of 1,200 distinguished supporters addressing the Summit were Janez Jansa, Prime Minister of Slovenia; Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State (2018-2021); Donna Brazile, Acting Chair of the Democratic National Committee (2016- 2017); Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada (2006-2015); Franco Frattini, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy (2008 2011); Pandeli Majko, former Prime Minister of Albania; General James Jones the 22 nd US National Security Adviser; dozens of leading U.S. Senators and House members from both the Democratic and Republican parties, including Senators Robert Menendez, Cory Booker, Ted Cruz, Roy Blunt, and Congressmen Kevin McCarthy, and Hakeem Jeffries; and several former European ministers, including the former foreign ministers of France, Italy, and Poland, the former British and French defense ministers, and the leader of Europe's People's Party, the largest in Europe.

The Summit took place following the contentious appointment of Ebrahim Raisi as Iran's next president, and drew a global audience to the event calling for his prosecution for his role in the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners. In a remarkable show of international unity, 1,000 Resistance Units in Iran and supporters of the Resistance participated in the Summit online from 50,000 locations in 105 countries joining members of the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK-PMOI) at Ashraf 3 in Albania and other supporters at organized live gatherings in 17 countries, while millions of supporters worldwide tuned in to participate via direct live-stream social media and satellite television in four languages.

"Humanity, hope, and determination define this movement and the organizers managed to overcome all of the challenges facing this annual gathering by delivering an even larger, more inclusive hybrid experience that allowed us to connect with fellow supporters from inside Iran, Ashraf 3 and nearly every country around the world. Whether you were watching online or participating in one of the many live events taking place, the organizers had created an immersive experience unifying all of us. This year's event will never be forgotten," said Dr. Hanifeh Khayyeri, a human rights activist and Free Iran supporter.

This year's Summit also inspired record levels of engagement on social media platforms, social sharing, and other acts of online advocacy. #FreeIran2021 and #1988Massacre were trending in Germany,Sweden, Norway, US, Saudi Arabia, UAE with #FreeIran2021 reaching one million tweets.

Organized by Iran Freedom, the most extensive grassroots organization network for Iranian liberation, the Summit is an annual event demonstrating worldwide political and grassroots support for the Iranian resistance movement. Iran Freedom mobilizes activists, policymakers, and citizens worldwide through other organized events and campaigns throughout the year in support of justice, sovereignty, human rights, freedom, and the Democratic Alternative in Iran. For ongoing news and updates, please visit www.iranfreedom.org.

Sarah Rahimi

Tel: +1 (571) 281-7167

Iran Freedom

[email protected]

SOURCE Free Iran World Summit
BOSTON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GentiBio, Inc., a biotherapeutics company developing engineered regulatory T cells (Tregs) therapies for immunology, today announced it has closed on a Series A financing generating immediate proceeds of $157 million, led by Matrix Capital Management with participation by Avidity Partners, JDRF T1D Fund, seed investors OrbiMed, RA Capital Management, and Novartis Venture Fund, and Seattle Children's Research Institute. The company's unique platform aspires to functionally cure autoimmune, alloimmune, autoinflammatory, and allergic diseases using novel technologies that precisely redirect stable, potent engineered Tregs to tissues damaged by abnormal immune responses. GentiBio, leveraging its highly differentiated platform, is able to create multiple, tunable Treg phenotypes from more abundant autologous and allogeneic cell sources that can be manufactured at scale. GentiBio has raised $177 million since 2020 to transcend technical hurdles that have limited the potential of therapeutic Tregs.

"Tregs play a vital role in controlling immune responses but are a rare and heterogenous population that is challenging to isolate and purify at scale," said Adel Nada, M.D., M.S., President and Chief Executive Officer of GentiBio. "GentiBio engineered Tregs created from abundant autologous and allogeneic T cell sources have the potential to overcome scalability and phenotypic inconsistency issues that are intrinsic to Tregs sorted from peripheral blood. With the Series A financing, we are focused on advancing our programs with a uniquely scalable manufacturing process that produces stable and disease specific engineered Tregs that are also tunable once infused in patients."

The Series A financing will enable GentiBio to advance its potential functional cure for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) to the clinic alongside multiple other pipeline programs in chronic autoimmunity and autoinflammation. GentiBio is currently selecting its clinical candidate for T1D and will begin IND-enabling studies before the end of the year.

"At Matrix Capital, we are thrilled to support GentiBio's mission to develop and scale the next generation of curative cell therapies for patients suffering from autoimmune diseases. We are excited by the Company's preclinical results demonstrating the broad therapeutic potential of its platform to engineer best-in-class Tregs," said Andy Tran, the incoming Board Director from Matrix Capital Management. "GentiBio's novel engineering platform has tremendous promise to bring forward durable Treg treatments for a broad array of devastating autoimmune diseases and has the unique ability to scale them cost-effectively for patients."

GentiBio launched in August 2020 with $20 million seed funding from OrbiMed, Novartis Venture Fund and RA Capital.

About GentiBio

GentiBio, Inc., is an emerging biotherapeutics company co-founded by pioneers in Treg biology and synthetic immunology to develop engineered regulatory T cells programmed to treat autoimmune, alloimmune, autoinflammatory and allergic diseases. GentiBio's proprietary autologous and allogeneic engineered Tregs platform integrates key complementary technologies needed to successfully (re)establish immune tolerance and overcome major limitations in existing regulatory T cell therapeutics. GentiBio is at the forefront of leveraging a unique therapeutic modality that can be used to address the fundamental cause of many diseases that result from overactivity and/or malfunctioning of the immune system. To learn more, visit www.gentibio.com.

About Matrix Capital Management

Matrix Capital Management invests in visionary operators and companies building dominant platforms in technology and life sciences. With a hybrid private and public portfolio, Matrix supports companies through all stages of their life cycles, helping to translate innovative science and technologies into transformative businesses. Matrix Captial Management was co-founded in 1999 by David Goel and is based outside Boston, MA.

SOURCE GentiBio, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.gentibio.com/


Consumers who make a donation to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals now through September 10, 2021 at FerreroHalloween.com will get a chance to win a limited-edition Ferrero 31 Days of Halloween Countdown Calendar. Five hundred Halloween boxes, each with 31 compartments featuring Ferrero Halloween favorites, including Butterfinger, CRUNCH, Baby Ruth, 100Grand, Kinder Bueno, Kinder Joy, Tic Tac and Nutella &GO!, will be given away. Ferrero is kicking off the campaign with a $25,000 donation to the nonprofit.

"Halloween is a special time for kids and we know not all celebrations look the same. So, we are especially excited to partner with Children's Miracle Network Hospitals to help us create surprises and spark joy for as many kids as possible this Halloween," said Mark Wakefield, Senior Vice President Marketing, Nutella and Chocolate Snacks, Ferrero North America.

The Ferrero 31 Days of Halloween Countdown Calendars will also help Children's Miracle Network Hospitals raise money through the charity's Extra Life platform on Tabletop Appreciation Weekend, August 21-22 and on Child Health Day on October 4.

"We know when we fund children's hospitals, we can change kids' health and change the future," said Teri Nestel, President and CEO of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. "Ferrero has been a great partner finding creative ways to engage our supporters and raise critical funds that help provide programs and services for local member hospitals."

This program builds upon the $350,000 recently raised for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals through the CRUNCH, Butterfinger and Baby Ruth "Raising the 'Bar' to Help Kids" campaign and the Final Fantasy streaming event for gamers that Butterfinger hosted with Extra Life.

Additionally, the Ferrero 31 Days of Halloween Pinterest Board will be returning this year to inspire consumers to celebrate Halloween every day of the month. The board will include 31 fun and spooky ideas to generate excitement, including Halloween recipes, DIY demonstrations and family activities, along with links on where to buy Halloween essentials.

Recent research from the National Confectioners Association (NCA) found that 82% of people plan to celebrate Halloween this year, including 93% of Millennial parents. Families can find fun, creative, and safe ideas for how to enjoy the 2021 Halloween season at AlwaysATreat.com/Halloween.

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

About Children's Miracle Network Hospitals

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals raises funds for 170 children's hospitals that support the health of 10 million kids each year across the U.S. and Canada. Donations go to local hospitals to fund critical life-saving treatments and healthcare services, along with innovative research, vital pediatric medical equipment, child life services that put kids' and families' minds at ease during difficult hospital stays and financial assistance for families who could not otherwise afford these health services. When we improve the health of all children and allow them the opportunity to reach their full potential, we also improve our communities for years to come. Together, we can change kids' health. Together, we can change the future. Visit cmnhospitals.org

SOURCE Ferrero North America

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LANDOVER, Md., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Giant Food, the leading greater Washington, D.C. regional food retailer, today announces the launch of its 17th annual pediatric cancer fundraising program to support pediatric cancer research initiatives during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Giant aims to raise at least $2 million throughout the eight-week program, running from Aug. 13 to Oct. 8 from the sale of $5 coupon books valued at over $30. All funds raised will be donated to Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and The Children's Cancer Foundation, Inc. (CCF) to support ongoing cancer research.

Giant Food

Since the program's inception in 2005, Giant Food has raised more than $25.7 million for pediatric cancer research. During the campaign, Giant customers can participate by purchasing a coupon book at their local store. New this year, Giant Delivers and Pickup customers also have the option to make a donation of $1, $3 or $5 at online checkout.

"We are privileged to support the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and The Children's Cancer Foundation in furthering their pediatric cancer research efforts," said Ira Kress, President of Giant Food. "The campaign and its success each year would not be possible without the support of our customers and associates. The Giant family is excited to again join together with our communities to raise awareness and funds to support these two local organizations and the crucial work they do in researching, treating and eradicating childhood cancer."

Three young local cancer fighters serve as Giant Food Pediatric Cancer ambassadors. These children, and many others like them, have faced numerous challenges, but the treatments they have received, as a result of Giant's support, have helped in enabling them to lead healthier and happier lives.

Nine-year-old Ella Borowski was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at the age of six. Ella's favorite activity is playing outside and when she grows up, she wants to be a veterinarian. If Ella could have any superpower, she would want the ability to turn into animals.

Twelve-year-old Rajan Patel was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of nine. Rajan's favorite activity is riding his bicycle and if he could have any superpower, it would be super speed. When Rajan grows up, he wants to be a radiologist.

Nine-year-old Madelyn Olivia Smith was diagnosed with an extrarenal rhabdoid tumor at the age of four. When she is not drawing, painting or exploring outside, Madelyn is playing with her younger siblings Benjamin, Emma and Ethan. If she could have any superpower, it would be the ability to fly.

"Since our founding in 1983, Giant Food has been by our side, committed to helping our community's children with cancer in the most impactful way  through funding childhood cancer research," notes CCF President, Tasha Museles. "We are humbled and honored to receive Giant, and their customers' support, which has profoundly improved CCF's ability to help advance treatments and finding cures for these brave fighters. On behalf of CCF as well as the community at large, we are deeply grateful to Giant Food for continuing its role as a local leader to raise funds for this tragically underfunded field of research."

Giant was recently named the 2021 Children's Cancer Foundation's Gift of Life Awardee at the CCF's 37th Annual Gala. The award is CCF's highest honor  recognizing leaders, and their businesses, who have made a difference in pediatric cancer through both community and philanthropic efforts.

"Through our collaboration with Giant Food, we continue to work side by side to raise awareness while driving tomorrow's advancements in childhood cancer research and patient care," said Donald Small, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Pediatric Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. "The annual pediatric cancer fundraising program highlights the experience of our brave young patients, while also providing critically needed funds that allow our clinicians and researchers to develop personalized treatment options that lead to improved outcomes and, ultimately, cures. We remain ever grateful for the partnership of Giant Food and look forward to all that we will accomplish  together."

About Giant Food

This year, Giant Food is celebrating 85 years as a community grocery store. Since opening its first location on Georgia Ave. in Washington, DC in 1936, Giant has been an integral part of our customers' lives and the communities it serves. Giant is committed to being a Better Neighbor and has designated four main giving pillars that address local Food Insecurity, Military Support, Pediatric Cancer Research, and Social Equality. Giant is headquartered in Landover, Md. and operates 164 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia with approximately 20,000 associates. Included within the 164 stores are 152 full-service pharmacies, 82 full-service PNC Banks and 24 Starbucks locations. Giant fits all the ways today's busy customers want to shop - whether in store or online. With 151 Giant Pickup locations and Giant Delivery available to all our market areas in DC, MD, VA and DE, customers have even more convenient options right at their fingertips to get the best product and prices, whenever and however they want it. For more information on Giant, visit: www.giantfood.com.

About Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center

One of only 51 cancer centers in the country designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center has active programs in clinical research, laboratory research, education, community outreach, and prevention and control. The Kimmel Cancer Center is one-of-only-two Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the state of Maryland.

About The Children's Cancer Foundation, Inc.

The Children's Cancer Foundation is committed to funding locally-based researchers, programs and facilities until every child is assured a healthy future. Founded in 1983, and currently based in Columbia, MD, The Children's Cancer Foundation, Inc. (CCF) has awarded grants of over $39 million to area hospitals and researchers to more effectively treat children facing a diagnosis of cancer. CCF concentrates on raising funds locally and partners with local hospitals in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area. More about CCF can be found by visiting: childrenscancerfoundation.org. The Children's Cancer Foundation, Inc., is tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3).

SOURCE Giant Food
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ABSTRACT-



Global Electro Optical Systems Market to Reach $14.2 Billion by 2026

Electro optical systems or infrared systems constitute imaging systems primarily used by law enforcement and military departments for achieving better situational awareness of environments, during daytime and nights, and even in conditions of low light. Comprising of infrared sensors as well as electro-optical sensors, the EO systems are capable of offering precise optical data during the day and night. Growth in the global market is being driven by rising adoption of EO systems in homeland security (airborne), fire control system, for situational awareness, target acquisition, search and rescue operations, and in ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance). Demand for EO systems is mainly fueled by the rising use of sophisticated sensor-based systems in the military space. The global market for these systems is propelled by increasing adoption in unmanned vehicles and for battle-space awareness along with increasing use by armed forces for efficiently dealing with security threats. Another primary driver for the market is increasing focus of several countries to modernize armed forces and upgrade to new products. These systems are used in the aerospace sector for non-destructive testing as well as by border protection agencies to monitor intrusion. Also, the growing focus on miniaturization will support the emergence of sophisticated, portable, and small EO systems for ISR and situational awareness applications globally.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Electro Optical Systems estimated at US$11.3 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$14.2 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 4.1% over the analysis period. Airborne, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record a 3.5% CAGR and reach US$9.8 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Ground segment is readjusted to a revised 4.7% CAGR for the next 7-year period. Airborne platforms are emerging as an important resource for defense forces to ensure an efficient and robust security & surveillance environment. The growth of airborne segment is likely to be supported by the increasing use of these systems in UAV applications including surveillance, mapping, search & rescue and reconnaissance that require cameras to capture data and transfer video information to ground control stations.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $4.2 Billion in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $1.8 Billion by 2026

The Electro Optical Systems market in the U.S. is estimated at US$4.2 Billion in the year 2021. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$1.8 Billion by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 5.8% over the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 2.9% and 3.9% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 3.1% CAGR. The US dominates market growth due to the huge investments being made in the development and procurement of electro optical systems used in military platforms such as aircraft, armored vehicles, helicopters, naval vessels, submarines and UAVs. Europe is witnessing increasing focus on R&D for these systems to develop lightweight, robust and cost-efficient solutions for mission-critical operations. Asian economies are poised to emerge as promising regional markets for advanced military electro optical and infrared systems. Supported by strong growth exhibited by Japan, Australia, China and India, the spending on electro optical systems is rising. These systems are widely used by armed forces for make quick decisions using superior imagery and intelligence gathering.

Naval Segment to Reach $2.3 Billion by 2026

Escalating territorial disputes among countries and the resulting focus on the naval warfare is prompting naval agencies to use advanced electro optical and infrared systems, sensors and combat systems to update target acquisition capabilities of naval platforms. Naval forces use electro optical systems in different ways like infrared search & track systems and fire control directors. Naval platforms are using these systems in CIWS (Close-in Weapon System) for target acquisition and engagement. Ongoing research is likely to result in launch of advanced sensors for body armor and weapons along with communication systems. In the global Naval segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 5.6% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$1.2 Billion in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of US$1.8 Billion by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. Led by countries such as Australia, India, and South Korea, the market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach US$197.6 Million by the year 2026. More



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Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (www.strategyr.com) is a renowned market research publisher the world`s only influencer driven market research company. Proudly serving more than 42,000 clients from 36 countries, GIA is recognized for accurate forecasting of markets and industries for over 33 years.



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Director, Corporate Communications

Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Phone: 1-408-528-9966

www.StrategyR.com

Email: [email protected]



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SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

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FACTS AT A GLANCE Edition: 7; Released: May 2021 Executive Pool: 4772 Companies: 64 - Players covered include AC Electronics; Atmel Corporation; Cree, Inc.; General Electric Company; Koninklijke Philips NV; Macroblock, Inc; Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.; ON Semiconductor Corporation; OSRAM GmbH; Rohm Semiconductors; Texas Instruments, Inc. and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: Luminaire Type (Type A-Lamps, T-Lamps, Integral LED Modules, and Other Luminaire Types); Driving Method (Constant Current LED Driver, and Constant Voltage LED Driver); End-Use (Commercial Lighting, Industrial Lighting, Residential Lighting, Outdoor & Traffic Lighting, and Other End-Uses) Geographies: World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; Spain; Russia; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific (Australia; India; South Korea; and Rest of Asia-Pacific); Latin America (Argentina; Brazil; Mexico; and Rest of Latin America); Middle East (Iran; Israel; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates; and Rest of Middle East); and Africa.

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ABSTRACT-



Global LED Driver for Lighting Market to Reach $31.3 Billion by 2024

LED lighting drivers are electronic devices that play an important role in delivering regulated, constant and reliable power supply to LED lights for ensuring smooth functioning and preventing premature failure of LEDs. LED lighting drivers control LEDs and allow users to vary their intensity according to the requirement. These devices offer various advantages for LEDs with compact footprint, reliable operation and enhanced efficiency over the dimming curve. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for LED Driver for Lighting is projected to reach US$31.3 Billion by 2024, registering a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.7% over the analysis period. Europe represents the largest regional market for LED Driver for Lighting, accounting for an estimated 26.0% share of the global total. The market, estimated at US$2.8 Billion in 2019 is projected to reach US$10.2 Billion by the close of the analysis period. China is expected to spearhead growth and emerge as the fastest growing regional market with a CAGR of 28.2% over the analysis period.

Growth in the global is set to be fueled by increasing adoption of LED lighting for their high energy efficiency and associated cost saving. Global demand for LED lighting drivers is fueled by replacement of traditional light sources like incandescent and CFLs by LEDs coupled with government initiatives to increase awareness regarding the use of energy-efficient as well as cost-saving lighting systems. Product innovations and technological advancements to improve efficiency of lighting systems along with increasing use of LED lightings in various applications like automotive, outdoor, horticulture and industrial are poised to further drive the market. In addition, increasing demand for LED lighting in general lighting application, integration of lighting systems and IoT, and implementation of standard protocols related to lighting control are propelling the LED driver market. Increasing investment in advertisement is expected to considerably drive the adoption of digital signage and create the need for LED drivers. Europe and the US are expected to witness increasing LED Lighting adoption as the regions embark on the much needed energy efficiency drive helped by a multitude of energy saving regulations. Furthermore, tax incentives, clean energy alternatives and energy subsidies are the few other factors that are drawing these countries towards LED lighting uptake, in turn driving the demand for LED drivers for lighting. Growth in the Asia-Pacific region is attributed to technological advancements, declining prices of LEDs, economic development, government policies, and rapid urbanization across developing countries like China, India and Japan.

The market for constant current type is forecast to dominate market share over the analysis period, driven by features such as increased control, clear display, and uniform brightness. Constant current LED drivers are designed for LEDs that require a fixed output current and a range of output voltages. Applications that require several LED lights to be connected in series make use of constant current LED drivers. With the ability to maintain a more consistent level of brightness across all LED series, constant current driver is the most ideal method to drive high power LEDs. The precise control of the current enables more accurate projection of failure rates. More

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Our platform is free for qualified executives and is accessible from our website www.StrategyR.com or via our just released mobile application on iOS or Android

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. & StrategyR

Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (www.strategyr.com) is a renowned market research publisher the world`s only influencer driven market research company. Proudly serving more than 42,000 clients from 36 countries, GIA is recognized for accurate forecasting of markets and industries for over 33 years.

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Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Phone: 1-408-528-9966

www.StrategyR.com

Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

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FACTS AT A GLANCE Edition: 6; Released: May 2021 Executive Pool: 42201 Companies: 92 - Players covered include Aimia Inc.; Antavo; Blue Ocean Contact Centers, Inc.; Bond Brand Loyalty Inc.; Capillary Technologies.; Comarch SA.; Epsilon Data Management, LLC.; Fidelity Information Services Inc.; International Business Machines Corporation; ICF International Inc.; Kobie Marketing; Maritz Motivation Inc.; Oracle Corporation; SAP SE; TIBCO Software Inc. and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: Solution (Customer Loyalty, Employee Retention, Channel Loyalty); Deployment (Cloud, On-Premise); Vertical (BFSI, Aviation, Automotive, Retail & Consumer Goods, Media & Entertainment, Hospitality, Other Verticals) Geographies: World; USA; Canada; Japan; China; Europe; France; Germany; Italy; UK; Rest of Europe; Asia-Pacific; Rest of World.

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ABSTRACT-



Global Loyalty Management Market to Reach $8.5 Billion by 2024

Loyalty management programs enhance customer retention, customer penetration and cross selling and are therefore important for businesses intending elevate to higher levels. In the recent years, loyalty management has emerged as an imperative strategy for organizations owing to its positive impact on the brand value along with the ability to retain and attract potential consumers. Loyalty management is being increasingly used by companies to meet their goals, manage routine activities, and maintain consumer data. These platforms allow businesses to offer incentives, gift coupons and gift cards for encouraging customers to purchase different products and services. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Loyalty Management is projected to reach US$8.5 Billion by 2024, registering a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4% over the analysis period. United States represents the largest regional market for Loyalty Management, accounting for an estimated 29.9% share of the global total. The market is projected to reach US$2.6 Billion by the close of the analysis period. China is expected to spearhead growth and emerge as the fastest growing regional market with a CAGR of 9.5% over the analysis period.

The global market for loyalty management platforms continues to be influenced and propelled by changing customer demographics and behavior. Changing consumer preferences, desires and purchasing patterns have played an important role in shaping loyalty management solutions available in the market. The market growth is expected to be also propelled by increasing focus on online reward management solutions, rising adoption of mobile phones, incorporation of client-retention policies, changing end-user demographics, and implementation of machine learning and big data. In the coming years, increasing need to enhance customer experience and maintain an edge over competitors are expected to augment the market growth. The market growth is also facilitated by increasing adoption of multi-channel and omni-channel programs along with availability of advanced loyalty management solutions. The US dominates market growth, owing to advanced technology infrastructure, numerous loyalty programs and the presence of notable number of organizations in the region. Majority of adults in the US have participated in customer loyalty programs offered by retailers, credit card providers, and hotel chains. All businesses in the country issue over US$50 billion worth of reward miles and points per year. The Asia-Pacific market for loyalty management is spurred by changing customer demographics, increasing need for data management and increasing penetration of the Internet.

The increasing awareness and popularity of cloud-based solutions have enabled the cloud to emerge as the leading deployment option for loyalty management platforms. The cloud segment is forecast to grow the fastest over the analysis period, due to continuous migration of organizations to public or private clouds and strong focus of solution providers on cloud-based offerings. Cloud-as-a-service allows enterprises to manage costs and achieve higher levels of agility. More

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Our platform is free for qualified executives and is accessible from our website www.StrategyR.com or via our just released mobile application on iOS or Android

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. & StrategyR

Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (www.strategyr.com) is a renowned market research publisher the world`s only influencer driven market research company. Proudly serving more than 42,000 clients from 36 countries, GIA is recognized for accurate forecasting of markets and industries for over 33 years.

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Director, Corporate Communications

Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Phone: 1-408-528-9966

www.StrategyR.com

Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

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FACTS AT A GLANCE Edition: 7; Released: May 2021 Executive Pool: 19553 Companies: 69 - Players covered include Atlas Copco AB; Briggs & Stratton Corporation; Caterpillar, Inc.; Champion Power Equipment; Eaton Corporation PLC; Generac Power Systems, Inc.; Honda Motor Co., Ltd.; Honeywell International, Inc.; Kohler Co.; Kubota Corporation; Siemens AG; Wacker Neuson SE; Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and Others. Coverage: All major geographies and key segments Segments: Application (Emergency, Prime/Continuous); End-Use (Residential, Commercial, Industrial); Fuel (Gasoline, Diesel, Natural Gas, Other Fuels) Geographies: World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; Spain; Russia; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific (Australia; India; South Korea; and Rest of Asia-Pacific); Latin America (Argentina; Brazil; Mexico; and Rest of Latin America); Middle East (Iran; Israel; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates; and Rest of Middle East); and Africa.

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ABSTRACT-



Global Portable Generators Market to Reach $2.7 Billion by 2024

An electricity generator represents an electro-mechanical machine that creates electrical energy from mechanical or motive energy. During power outages, electric generators become crucial providers of electricity for the most essential appliances. Portable generators are used for generating electric power for domestic, industrial, and commercial applications. The generators help in providing power supply during a power outage; generating electricity for electrifying machinery in construction sites, for providing electricity for live commercial events. In the event of an unexpected, sudden power outage, buildings like airports, hospitals, water and sewage facilities, data centers, communication and transportation systems, and fueling stations, need some alternative power, which is provided by a portable generator. These generators are used as a standby power source during the expansion or renovation of industrial infrastructure and commercial infrastructures. For the residential sector, portable generators enable in providing electricity to household lighting, cooling, refrigeration, heating and other electronic appliances/devices during power outages.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Portable Generators is projected to reach US$2.7 Billion by 2024, registering a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.0% over the analysis period. The United States represents the largest regional market for Portable Generators, accounting for an estimated 33.0% share of the global total. The market is projected to reach US$884.4 Million by the close of the analysis period. China is expected to spearhead growth and emerge as the fastest growing regional market with a CAGR of 6.1% over the analysis period.

The market is on a healthy growth path, driven by a myriad of factors, which include significant rise in extreme weather-associated power outages and increased business downtime, growing demand for reliable and uninterrupted power supply in both the developed and developing countries globally, surging demand from rapidly growing building and construction industry, and increasing demand for low-cost generators. Besides weather-related power outages, aging grid infrastructure in several countries struggling to address growing demand for electricity from small and medium scale businesses resulting in power outages spurs the growth opportunities for portable generators. Portable generators also find extensive application in the building and construction sector for powering varied power tools such as air compressors, cutters, drives, drills, air hammers, nail guns and rotary tools. Rise in number of new construction projects where access to power from the power grid is not available, and renovation of existing buildings, drive the growth for the portable generators market. Rising construction activities in India, China, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the US is likely to propel demand for portable generators for continuous power applications. More

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation (GuideWell), the parent to a family of forward-thinking companies focused on transforming health care and Florida Blue , the Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan of Florida, today announced a strategic investment in Vim , a technology company providing digital connectivity infrastructure to health plans, providers, and health services companies working to achieve high performing value-based health care programs. This investment is intended to support the accelerated rollout of Vim's point of care integration technology throughout the country and to partner further with Florida Blue in the markets it serves.

Working to power affordable, high-quality health care through seamless data and workflow connectivity, Vim connects payer and patient data to clinical workflow at the point of care for improved experiences and outcomes at lower total cost of care.

"As a current Vim customer, we're excited to deepen our relationship in support of our strategies to improve interoperability and work more closely with providers through innovative technology," said Chuck Divita, executive vice president of Commercial Markets at GuideWell and Florida Blue and newest member of Vim's board of directors. "Vim has an impressive team and suite of capabilities and we welcomed the opportunity to invest in them--a decision that aligns well with our long-term strategy to be at the forefront in the transformation of health care."

As part of the relationship, Vim, Florida Blue, and other GuideWell entities will seek to further leverage Vim's technology to support the provider and member experience across the state of Florida in each of the markets served. The focus of these partnerships will continue to be improvements to provider enablement through connectivity of actionable data insights to clinician workflow at the point of care as well as enhancements to member appointment access, comprehensiveness of care, and overall experience.

"I'm thrilled to partner with GuideWell, a nationally-recognized leader in health care, helping to advance the health care system we all want to create," said Oron Afek, CEO of Vim. "This latest investment provides Vim with an incredible opportunity to make a lasting impact on improving US health care for everyone involved."

Vim's solutions are widely used by health plans, providers, and pharmacies engaged in value-based care programs. Vim's Referral Guidance, Quality Gaps, Diagnosis Gaps, and Digital Scheduling Access solutions integrate easily and seamlessly with existing clinical systems at the point of care to reduce burden and enhance performance for health plans and providers working to succeed on value, outcomes, and experience.

GuideWell is already using Vim's Digital Scheduling Access solution, which allows members to easily schedule appointments online with their providers. In just one year, more than 200,000 appointments were booked through this online channel, improving patient access and experience, while reducing administrative burden for both payer and providers. GuideWell now plans to use additional solutions to help members find care and make the referral process easier for providers and members.

About GuideWell

GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation (GuideWell) is a not-for-profit mutual holding company and the parent to a family of forward-thinking companies focused on transforming health care. The GuideWell organization includes Florida Blue, the leading health insurance company in Florida; GuideWell Health, a portfolio of clinical delivery organizations; GuideWell Connect, a health care consumer marketing, sales and engagement company; GuideWell Source, a provider of administrative services to state and federal health care programs; PopHealthCare, a leader in risk adjustment and population care management; and WebTPA, a market leading administrator of self-funded employer health plans. For more information, visit www.guidewell.com .

About Vim

Founded in 2015, Vim connects data and insights to provider workflow at healthcare's "last mile": within clinical operations at the point of patient care. Health plans, patients, and care providers of every size  from independent practitioners to integrated delivery systems  use Vim's software to connect data and care across the health ecosystem. Vim's mission is to power affordable, high quality healthcare through seamless connectivity. For more information, please visit getvim.com .

SOURCE GuideWell

Related Links

https://www.guidewell.com


BOSTON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Haemonetics Corporation (NYSE: HAE) announced that financial results for its first quarter fiscal 2022, which ended July 3, 2021, are available on its Investor Relations website.

The Company will host a conference call and webcast with investors and analysts to discuss and answer questions about the results at 8:00 a.m. ET on August 11, 2021. The conference call and webcast can be accessed with the following information:

U.S. / Canada toll free (877) 848-8880; International (716) 335-9512

toll free (877) 848-8880; International (716) 335-9512 Conference ID required for access: 1674067

A live webcast of the call can be accessed on Haemonetics' Investor Relations website or via the following link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/i5w7z4hk

In addition, the Company has posted to its Investor Relations website the earnings release and analytical tables and supplemental information that will be referenced on its conference call and webcast, direct links to which are available below.

Direct link to 1Q FY22 Earnings Release:

https://haemonetics.gcs-web.com/static-files/ae3b0356-e98b-45b5-95da-300a335114d7

Direct link to 1Q FY22 Analytical Tables and Supplemental Information:

https://haemonetics.gcs-web.com/static-files/7aef5a76-0b37-40ea-91ce-d6b0592279ea

A replay of the conference call and webcast will be available for one year beginning on August 11, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. ET using the conference call webcast link provided in this press release.

About Haemonetics

Haemonetics (NYSE: HAE) is a global healthcare company dedicated to providing a suite of innovative medical products and solutions for customers, to help them improve patient care and reduce the cost of healthcare. Our technology addresses important medical markets: blood and plasma component collection, the surgical suite and hospital transfusion services. To learn more about Haemonetics, visit www.haemonetics.com.

Investor Contact Media Contact Olga Guyette, Director-Investor Relations Josh Gitelson, Director-Global Communications (781) 356-9763 (781) 356-9776 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Haemonetics Corporation

Related Links

http://www.haemonetics.com


DELAVAN, Wis., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Public Service Commission for the State of Wisconsin created the Broadband Expansion Grant program to help meet the demand for improved broadband and encourage its development in Wisconsin's unserved and underserved areas. Since 2013, the PSC has awarded approximately $74.2 million to grant projects. The Governor's Task Force on Broadband Access was created to advise on strategies for successfully expanding high-speed Internet access to every residence, business, and institution in the state. This program is ongoing with subsequent rounds of funding being added since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local efforts to be a part of this statewide grant program are started by individual broadband companies and can be supported by investment groups as the material and labor cost mount.

A shining local example of these programs at work is the partnership of Edge Broadband and Millennium Infrastructure Fund. Edge Broadband successfully worked to secure 3 state grants totaling over $1M. As work on the expansion began they realized investment capital would be needed to bridge the workto-grant payment gap. This is where Millennium came in. By providing up-front capital to support the construction of the network, Edge Broadband was able to quickly expand coverage in previously unsupported areas of Lauderdale Lakes, Whitewater, Fort Atkinson, Milton and other locations in Walworth and Jefferson Counties.

Edge Broadband is:

Edge Broadband was created to provide the best possible Internet for improved scalability. Compared to wireless Internet, fiber optic reaches further distances, provides faster upload and download speeds, and can withstand weather conditions without downtime.

A locally owned, family-owned, and veteran-owned business based in Whitewater, Wisconsin, Brian Madl continues to work closely with his team to extend the fiber network throughout Walworth and Jefferson counties.

Contact: [email protected] Phone: 262-458-4220

Millennium Infrastructure Fund is:

The Millennium Group of companies has revolutionized services and products available to network operators worldwide. This innovative approach allows operators to connect their customers to broadband services with ever-faster speed and improved reliably.

The Infrastructure Fund is the newest resource at Millennium, a national distributor and technology company in the fiber optic network space. Company resources range from feasibility studies, data enhancement, project management, equipment leasing, and material distribution. Millennium supplies superior services that include consulting, creative project management solutions, materials, and financing,

Contact: [email protected] Phone: 866-287-7830

SOURCE Millennium Infrastructure Fund
HIGHLAND PARK, N.J., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Tran Do has joined the staff of New Jersey audiology practice The Hearing Center, after completing a residency with a focus on cochlear implant patients.

"Dr. Do brings empathy and compassion to her patients," said Dr. Eric Sandler, Director of Audiological Services at The Hearing Center. "She works patiently and tirelessly to understand them, learn their needs, and give them the best outcomes possible. It's a pleasure to welcome her into our practice."

Dr. Tran Do has worked in clinical settings with both adult and pediatric patients, including ENT rotations and has a special interest in working with hearing aids and cochlear implants. Dr. Eric Sandler, is the Director of Audiological services at The Hearing Center, and is a sought-after speaker who delivers seminars at conferences around the U.S.

According to Dr. Do, she was originally drawn to The Hearing Center because the private audiology practice is one of the only ones on the East Coast to offer cochlear implantation evaluations, activations, and mapping outside a hospital.

"Cochlear implants in a doctor's office make them more accessible to patients who may benefit from them," Dr. Do said. "We explain things in a clear way with no pressure, presenting options, giving information, and helping patients navigate this important decision."

Dr. Do said she first became interested in cochlear implants while working with patients in Chicago as a hearing aid technician. Cochlear implants, which bypass the inner ear's damaged ear cells and send audio signals directly to the auditory nerve, allows patients with inner ear damage hear more effectively than they could with an amplification device like hearing aids. She said patients' quality of life improved so drastically after receiving a cochlear implant that it inspired her to return to school to learn more about them and bring her knowledge to more patients.

"I didn't expect to fall in love with cochlear implants as much as I did," said Dr. Do. "Cochlear implants are the next frontier, and knowing how to program them and work with them is so important to improving a patient's quality of life."

Dr. Sandler said that The Hearing Center's cochlear implant program is what "attracted Dr. Do to The Hearing Center."

"She has had cochlear implant experience with adults and pediatric populations at multiple sites across the country, so she brings extensive knowledge to our practice and patients," Sandler said.

Dr. Do said she's looking forward to educating cochlear implant candidates about the device in a friendly and comfortable environment outside the hospital, which can be a stressful place for many.

"A lot of patients don't know much about cochlear implants and may not know how to get the information they need about them," Dr. Do said. "That was one of the reasons I wanted to go back to school  I saw that side of patient care and I wanted to help."



Before arriving at The Hearing Center, Dr. Do worked in various clinical settings with adult and pediatric patients, including ENT rotations throughout the Chicago area and a nonprofit pediatric placement in San Diego. She earned her Doctorate of Audiology from Northern Illinois University and her Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"A cochlear implant can be transformative, and I am excited to bring my experience to a practice that goes above and beyond to help patients who can benefit from this life-changing procedure," Dr. Do said.

For more information about The Hearing Center, visit www.thcaudiology.com .

About The Hearing Center

The Hearing Center is an advanced full-service audiology practice for pediatrics and adults. The state-of-the-art facilities are the first in New Jersey to offer all audiological services outside a hospital setting. The director of audiology, Eric Sandler, Sc.D., is a sought-after speaker who delivers lectures on cochlear implants at conferences around the U.S. For more information, visit www.thcaudiology.com.

SOURCE The Hearing Center

Related Links

http://www.thcaudiology.com


"We believe this to be one of the largest legal shipments of medical grade cannabis to date and is a significant milestone for our business. Our cannabis is GAP and ISO 22000 certified with a proven supply chain into the much-coveted European medical cannabis market," says Highlands Investments Managing Director, Mark Corbett.

The shipping of cannabis is a highly complex process as the industry is closely monitored and regulated. Both the supplier and receiver of the cannabis products need to be licensed. The shipping companies also require stringent licensing to move raw cannabis materials and other products between legal jurisdictions.

"Having proven our ability to meet the stringent shipping requirements with our April shipment, we successfully secured the bulk sale of the remainder of our 2021 harvest, comprising just over 2,000kg of THC and 6,500kg of CBD flower and trim. The size of the shipment, which is enough to fill almost four 40 foot containers, required a chartered plane to transport to Macedonia," Corbett says.

The European Cannabis Market is forecast to reach USD3.8 billion by 2025 according to the Prohibition Partners Key Insights from the European Cannabis Report, 6th Edition (April 2021).

"The rapidly growing global medical, wellness and consumer cannabis markets all increasingly require certified, high-quality flower to meet their expanding product portfolios.

"We are fortunate that we have some of the most competitive cost per hectare metrics and this, together with our ISO 22000 certification and proven route to market, firmly entrenches Highlands as the partner of choice in this competitive space," adds Corbett.

"With demand for quality cannabis growing, we are now in the process of extending our Highlands Pure range of products to include GMP certified distillates, isolates and crude, these products will be available on the global market from quarter 4 2021," Corbett concludes.

Link to visuals: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hsJOD00wo3gthx-SRJ352AYNELiE0Myw?usp=sharing

For more information

www.highlands-investments.com

About Highlands Investments

Highlands Investments is a diversified cannabis business. Highlands cultivates, processes and packages high-quality THC and CBD cannabis flower for the production of medical grade cannabis products. The cannabis is produced in a state-of-the-art ISO 22000 and GACP certified facility in Lesotho.

Media Contact

Amy Wentzel

[email protected]

Contact number +27 (0)63 333 1989

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1592653/Highlands_outdoor_Cannabis_grow_facility_in_Lesotho.jpg

SOURCE Highlands Investments
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hoots Wings, best-in-class wing concept, announced the signing of an 18-unit area development agreement bringing locations to Southern California over the next five years. Owned and operated by HOA Brands, parent company to Hooters, the fast-casual wing concept now has 105-plus franchise agreements signed year-to-date, with over 10 locations in various stages of development, and eight open locations as it continues to attract single and multi-unit franchise operators nationwide.

The new multi-unit deal marks hoots wings debut on the West Coast, setting the brand up to add 18 locations in California throughout Los Angeles and Orange County by 2026. The first locations are planned for Orange County area, with the first two slated to open in Q1 2022. Behind this agreement is seasoned restaurant entrepreneur Reza Medali. With nearly 30 years in the franchise industry, Medali was seeking opportunities to grow his QSR portfolio with a stand-out chicken concept. Hoots now joins Medali's robust portfolio that includes 15 Blaze Pizza franchises throughout Southern California and two Subway locations.

"Hoots has established itself as a leader in the QSR wing space  with Hooters backing a 35-plus year history, the decision to invest was a no brainer," said Medali. "When seeking a stand-out chicken concept to add to my growing portfolio, I was immediately attracted to the nostalgia engrained in the hoots wings brand. With experience in restaurant franchising, I knew I needed to feel that passion and support from the team and also believe in the product. The quality of hoots wings is far more superior than any player in the space  and I'm confident I've invested with the best."

When entrepreneurs make the move to join the hoots wings franchise family, they sign on to bring the most diverse wing menu to their community, including breaded bone-in, naked bone-in, boneless, and  for those looking for a healthy alternative  smoked and roasted wings. Hoots Wings also sets itself apart from other fast casual franchise opportunities with its simple and effective operations. A hoots wings kitchen only requires two simple cooking platforms to produce the menu, and the POS system seamlessly integrates with all major third-party delivery platforms.

"We are extremely impressed with the level of sophistication and deep industry knowledge Reza brings to the hoots franchise family," said Sal Melilli, CEO of HOA Brands. "Not only is he an industry veteran, but he understands the brand and the excitement that surrounds the development of hoots wings in California. We're eager for these locations to open as we continue to grow our brand footprint, now spanning from coast to coast."

Hoots Wings is actively seeking qualified franchisees with an entrepreneurial spirit and prior restaurant experience, or experience in a relevant industry. Franchisees with strong ties to the community is a bonus. Franchisees who join the hoots wings brand will enjoy the benefits of hands-on training through the opening process, marketing support, site selection and construction assistance, access to a vast, existing supply chain, and a top-tier POS system. As a thank you for their service to the United States, military veterans receive a 10 percent discount off the franchise fee.

For more information on the hoots wings franchise opportunity, visit https://hootsfranchise.com/.

ABOUT HOOTS WINGS:

Hoots Wings, is a best-in-class, fast casual restaurant known for its diverse wing menu, offering breaded bone-in, naked bone-in, boneless, smoked and roasted wings with more than a dozen sauce and rub options. Additionally, guests can enjoy mouthwatering buffalo shrimp, signature customized chicken sandwiches and waffle fries. Hoots Wings is backed by longtime franchisor HOA Brands, and there are currently seven locations throughout Illinois, Georgia and Florida. With signed development commitments for 85+ locations, hoots wings is on track to open up to 17 more units in 2021. Hoots Wings is looking for qualified franchise leads to bring the scalable, best-in-class wing concept to scores of markets throughout the US. For more information on how you can own your own hoots wings, please visit https://hootsfranchise.com/.

SOURCE Hoots Wings

Related Links

www.hootswings.com


FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Hope On Wheels, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by Hyundai Motor America and its more than 820 U.S. dealers, today announced new leadership changes to its board of directors. Effective Friday, August 6, Scott Stark, president of South Point Automotive in Austin, Texas, is the new chairman; Jamie Auffenberg, Jr., president of Auffenberg Dealer Group of Illinois in O'Fallon, Illinois, is the new vice chairman; and Kevin Reilly, president of Alexandria Hyundai in Alexandria, Virginia, is the new treasurer. Dana White, chief communications officer at Hyundai Motor North America, will continue in her role as interim executive director of Hyundai Hope On Wheels.

Last week, after more than 12 years of involvement with Hyundai Hope On Wheels, six as board chairman, Scott Fink announced his departure from the board of directors. This announcement comes on the heels of Fink's sale of Fink Auto Group  which includes Hyundai of New Port Richey, the largest volume Hyundai dealer in the U.S., and other dealerships serving the Greater Tampa Bay Area  to Lithia Motors & Driveway earlier this year.

"Scott leaves big shoes to fill as he left an indelible mark on our Hyundai family, the Hyundai Hope On Wheels organization and the pediatric cancer community," said Stark. "His leadership as a Hyundai dealer and as chairman of Hyundai Hope On Wheels led to the exponential growth of our organization, which is having a significant and direct impact on pediatric cancer research. We thank Scott for his service and wish him well on the next phase of his career."

"I'm proud of the work we've been able to accomplish over the last 12 years to help kids fight cancer," said Fink. "Funding pediatric cancer is near and dear to my heart, and I'm glad I was able to play a part in this important process. I trust Scott Stark and the board will continue to guide Hyundai Hope On Wheels in funding the best science aimed at ending this awful disease."

2021 marks the 23rd year of Hyundai's fight against pediatric cancer. This year alone, the nonprofit organization plans to donate $13 million in pediatric cancer research grants. That brings its lifetime total to $185 million since Hyundai Hope On Wheels' inception in 1998. To learn more about Hyundai Hope On Wheels research grants, please visit HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org.

Hyundai Hope On Wheels

Hyundai Hope On Wheels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Launched in 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels provides grants to eligible institutions nationwide that are pursuing critical research aimed at improving treatments and saving lives. Hyundai Hope On Wheels is one of the largest non-profit funders of pediatric cancer research in the country. Primary funding for Hyundai Hope On Wheels comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 820 U.S. dealers. Since its inception, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has awarded $185 million in support of more than 1,000 childhood cancer research grants.

SOURCE Hyundai Hope On Wheels

Related Links

http://hyundaihopeonwheels.org


The event was sponsored by FIU Online  Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, and moderated by Lisa Cain, Associate Professor at the Chaplin School. The panel included Natalie Castillo, First Vice President, CBRE Group; Gloria Fu, Independent Public Company Board Director, Proptech Investment Corporation II; and Kate Burda, CEO and Founder, Kate Burda & Co. The webinar is available to watch here , on ILHA's website.

The panelists covered topics including challenges the hotel industry will face post-pandemic, top-line revenue strategy for luxury hotels, and the importance of business travel for the luxury industry, among others.

Kate Burda, founder and CEO of Kate Burda & Co., believes that the solution to long-term sustainability in the luxury hotel industry is to become more effective at demand creation. As demand in the industry continues to dwindle with the uncertainty of COVID-19, it is imperative that leaders develop strategies that drive demand. Burda recommends focusing on sales and marketing, and asking the question, "how do we engage with customers differently than we have before?" Instead of providing messaging to a consumer at the point-of-sale, meet the consumer at the "point of inspiration," in other words, the moment they decide they need a vacation. Adopting a top-line revenue strategy is also a piece of the demand-generation puzzle. A key tip Burda offers here is to drill down to micro-segments of consumers through determining specific types of luxury travelers and their goals, then adopting sales, marketing, and pricing strategies.

Gloria Fu, from Proptech Investment Corporation II, touched on business travel's role in luxury travel in hotel demand. Prior to the pandemic, business travel demand was a large fraction of luxury travel, particularly in large cities like New York and Los Angeles. The space in luxury hotels here is dominated by group meeting and conference rooms that remain empty during the work-from-home era. The luxury industry must look at how to be more flexible with the spaces, especially while construction projects of new hotels are put on hold.

Natalie Castillo, from CBRE Group, spoke on some of the challenges that the hotel industry will face during pandemic recovery. The number one issue that will test the hotel industry is increased costs. Many luxury goods, like meat and liquor, are both more expensive and in limited demand. Travelers will also seek the return of luxury services, like daily housekeeping and breakfast. These issues will largely affect boutique spaces that strive for great service but are facing increased costs and labor shortages. Luxury hotels will have to decide how to manage an increased minimum wage and labor shortage, whether that be through adopting new technologies, or changing the luxury service experience.

The panelists all addressed that what worked in the past for the luxury industry, did just thatit worked in the past. The industry must make changes, especially through new revenue strategies, to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the hospitality industry emphasizes its legacy, recognizing the difference between legacy and nostalgia may be the key to long-term sustainability in luxury travel.

This webinar was sponsored by FIU Online  Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. FIU Online is the virtual campus of Florida International University, the third largest public university in the United States. It offers a fully online Master of Science in Hospitality Management through the Chaplin School. To learn more about FIU Online's Master's in Hospitality Management, please visit: https://fiuonlinego.fiu.edu/ilha/

Previously, ILHA hosted "The Future of F&B" which covered changes to the Hotel Food & Beverage industry on July 14, 2021. The panel was led by Calypso Varotsis, International Project Manager at Paris Society Consulting, and featured Cedric Gobilliard, Lifestyle Division Director, ACCOR; Antoine Menard, New Business Director, Paris Society Consulting; Giuseppe Vincelli, General Manager, Carlton Cannes IHG; and Guillem Kerambrun, CEO, My French Sommelier. The webinar is available to watch here.

The Association also hosted "How Technology Can Elevate the Guest Journey" which focused on the importance of first-party data and the right technology in the guest experience on June 30, 2021. The panel was moderated by Gabriela Talpa, Director of Distribution and Revenue Management, Nobu Hotel Shoreditch, and featured Michael Bennett, CMO, CENDYN; and Olivier Jolidon, Global Director CRM & Business Intelligence, AMAN Resorts. The webinar is available to watch here.

Learn more about the membership benefits of the International Luxury Hotel Association here and join our chapters and mentorship program so that you can get the support you need to advance your career and grow your business. Save $20 with the code WBSERIES20

Written by CIIC.

About the International Luxury Hotel Association

The International Luxury Hotel Association is the luxury hospitality's preeminent association promoting, unifying and advancing the industry through insight, opinion and research.

ILHA reaches an audience of more than 500,000 hotel professionals in 90+ countries and produces LUXURY HOTELIERS Magazine, ILHA SmartBrief and the INSPIRE SUMMITS in Europe and North America. They also run LinkedIn's largest hospitality and travel group which ranks in the top 100 of the more than 10 million professional groups on LinkedIn. Connect with us on theilha.com, hospitality and travel forum, ILHA Facebook, ILHA Instagram, ILHA Twitter, ILHA YouTube

SOURCE International Luxury Hotel Association

Related Links

http://luxuryhotelassociation.org


COVID-19 has made self-monitoring a must for seniors Tweet this

Problem: Fast Aging Seniors Could Bankrupt National Insurance

12 million Japanese seniors are expected to be living alone by 2040, up from about 8 million now. Life expectancy is about 81 years, 5 years higher than the Americans. Ironically this achievement has already taken a toll on national insurance. Japan is looking for ways to dramatically reduce emergency visits to hospitals, lower insurance funded nursing care.

Solution: Self-Care with The Help of AI

LiveSmart believes self-care can reduce costs, increase efficiency and help seniors live healthier longer.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made self-care essential.

Security & Mobility Assessment technologies developed by LiveSmart range from assessing risk of fall to predicting onset of a disease through vision-based machine learning models. Combining vision based data with data from IoT sensors helps capture a complete picture of the person's life.

Often these solutions are combined with convenient Smart Home options to make life more convenient.

LiveSmart Platform

LiveSmart platform consists of several components -- LS Hub, Management Dashboard, Chatbot and situation solutions such as Security and Energy-Optimization.

LS Hub connects to many standard smart home devices and sensors operating in IR, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Wi-Sun as well as Echonet Lite protocols.

Management Dashboard allows OEM clients to manage service options of their tenants/subscribers.

Chatbots can be deployed on LINE, Facebook Messenger as well as on Web to manage customer queries, help complete revenue transactions and most importantly to stay connected with loved ones and caregivers.

www.livesmart.co.jp

LiveSmart in The US

LiveSmart Technologies LLC, a controlled subsidiary of LiveSmart KK works exclusively with property investors that are active both in the US and Japan.

www.mylivesmart.com

SECOM

SECOM is a Japanese security services company with a revenue of JPY 1.06T (approx USD 10B). SECOM has operations in 17 countries.

www.secom.co.jp

Investors in LiveSmart

Investors in LiveSmart are mostly its customers including SECOM, Tokyo Gas, Mitsubishi Estate, Chugoku Power.

LiveSmart Technologies LLC Bellevue, WA

LiveSmart KK Tokyo, Japan

SOURCE LiveSmart Technologies LLC

Related Links

https://www.mylivesmart.com


"Our goal throughout this seven month process was to identify and select a strategic leader with a passion for public media, a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and a vision that will inspire our employees, listeners and donors," said Jim Dwyer, Chair of the Search Committee and of APMG's Board of Trustees. "We are confident Jean embodies these attributes and priorities and believe she is the right leader to take APMG forward."

Taylor is an experienced CEO with proven success leading organizations through transformational change, creating and sustaining strong inclusive cultures and driving growth.

"It is an exciting and critical time for public media, with tremendous opportunities to deliver quality journalism in new ways, connect with new audiences and more intentionally serve diverse communities," said Taylor. "I am honored to lead this organization alongside the talented team at APMG."

"Jean is a visionary leader, with an exceptional combination of skills and experiences to bring to her new role," said Mary Brainerd, APMG Board Vice Chair. "She is someone who leads with her values, who cares deeply about the role of public media and its importance. She is a listener, and she is a learner. Her deep roots in our region, her experience in media and digital technologies and her understanding of APMG are important assets for our future."

Taylor's extensive career includes a number of senior leadership roles and spans a range of organizations and industries. Taylor was President & CEO of Taylor Corporation from 2001 to 2010. Most recently, she served as chair of the Board of Star Tribune Media, where she helped guide the organization through significant digital transformation. During her tenure as Chair, Star Tribune has been lauded and seen as a leader in the industry for its commitment to high-quality public service journalism, its digital subscription growth, and its strong financial results. As an Executive Consultant for the Platinum Group, Taylor worked with small to mid-sized family and private business owners to enhance growth, value and transitions.

"Jean has brought great strategic insight and passion to her role as the chair of the Star Tribune board," said Michael Klingensmith, Publisher and CEO of Star Tribune. "We are grateful for her years of leadership and service to our board and Star Tribune as a whole. Jean leaves our organization a better place, and APMG is very fortunate to have a skilled leader like Jean as its CEO."

In transitioning to her new role, Taylor has stepped down from her board position with Star Tribune Media. Taylor succeeds Jon McTaggart who shared in late 2020 his decision to step down from the role after leading APMG for nearly 10 years.

About American Public Media Group

American Public Media Group is the largest station-based public radio organization in the U.S., combining multi-regional station operations, national programming creation and distribution and innovative digital, social and mobile services in one organization. APMG's operations include Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), a 46-station network serving nearly all of Minnesota and parts of surrounding states, and Southern California Public Radio, a five-station network serving Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura County, Coachella Valley, Santa Barbara, and the Inland Empire. Programs produced by MPR's national programming division, American Public Media (APM), reach nearly 17 million listeners via approximately 1,000 public radio stations and nearly 400 commercial stations nationwide each week. APM is one of the largest producers and distributors of public radio programming in the world, with a portfolio that includes BBC World Service, Marketplace, and the leading classical music programming in the nation. APM also offers a diverse array of podcasts featuring the best in food, culture, entertainment, business and investigative journalism. For more information on APMG, visit: americanpublicmediagroup.org

SOURCE American Public Media Group

Related Links

https://www.americanpublicmediagroup.org


The news follows on the heels of the Company's July 1, 2021 announcement that JuiceBar's EV charging stations meet 'Made in America' criteria, furthering the Company's 12-year commitment to American jobs.

"Customers can return their chargers for any reason or no reason, no questions asked," said Paul Vosper, CEO of JuiceBar. "We are so confident in the reliability of our 'Made in USA' chargers that we decided to back it with a simple and hassle-free guarantee."

The recent acceleration in EVs has led to a growing demand for public and private charging stations throughout the country. The bill passed by the U.S. Senate on August 10th calls for $7.5 billion in charging infrastructure to be installed over the next 5 years, as well as millions allocated for EV school buses and other fleet vehicles.

"Making our JuiceBar chargers in the U.S. helps us control the quality of every aspect of our operations compared to all of our offshore manufactured competitors," Vosper added.

Vosper said that the 90-day guarantee from JuiceBar comes with a 3-week shipping and installation commitment designed to meet the company's growing customer demand quickly. The company will also give a trade-in allowance for old non-working chargers.

ABOUT JUICEBAR

JuiceBar is a pioneer in EV charging. Since 2009 when its first charger was deployed at the Denver Airport, its chargers can be found in over 200 cities in North America. JuiceBar chargers are manufactured in America and come with a money-back guarantee in addition to its standard warranties. Its Level 2 chargers deliver charging speeds that are 60 to 250-percent faster than the industry's standard chargers and include unique safety features and open communications architecture that allows customers to connect to the network of their choice. To learn more visit: www.JuiceBarEV.com.

SOURCE JuiceBar

Related Links

https://www.juicebarev.com


CHICAGO, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global management consulting firm Kearney has announced the appointment of Bill Duffy as Vice President in the Operations and Performance Practice.

Mr. Duffy is an expert in Strategic Operations, with 30 years of experience spanning operations excellence, business transformation, and M&A advisory across a range of industries including Chemicals, Energy, Oil & Gas, Industrial Products & Services, Food & Beverage and Automotive. Prior to joining Kearney, Mr. Duffy led the Consumer and Industrial Products Practice of a mid-sized consulting firm, directing a team of 40 manufacturing, supply chain and Industry 4.0 consultants.

"We are delighted to welcome Bill Duffy to Kearney," said Patrick Haischer, Partner and Americas Co-Lead of the Operations and Performance Practice. "Our clients will value Bill's deep operations expertise and proven ability to build trusted relationships with senior executives. His arrival strengthens our Americas team as we address clients' most crucial operational challenges  whether it be cost reduction, capacity growth, complexity management, post-merger integration, continuous improvement, change management, or Industry 4.0 transformation."

A life-long Chicagoan, Mr. Duffy earned an M.B.A. in Finance and International Business at Chicago's Loyola University, having previously earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Marquette University in Milwaukee. Mr. Duffy will be based in Kearney's Chicago office.

Early in his career, Mr. Duffy was a Business Unit Manager at Illinois Tool Works in Mokena, Illinois and Troy, Michigan, where he managed a multisite automotive component manufacturing operation, including all production, sales, P&L, engineering, quality assurance, and team leadership. He began his consulting career in 2000, soon rising to lead strategic global accounts and direct dozens of complex operational diligence, asset optimization, transformation and post-merger integration programs.

"Kearney is filled with kindred spirits who share my passion for delivering unusually positive and lasting impact to each client we serve," said Mr. Duffy. "I know that as part of Kearney's globally respected Strategic Operations team, I will have opportunities to tackle big and important challenges. I am thrilled to be here and can't wait to contribute to all the great work Kearney does."

About Kearney

As a global consulting partnership in more than 40 countries, our people make us who we are. We're individuals who take as much joy from those we work with as the work itself. Driven to be the difference between a big idea and making it happen, we help our clients break through. Learn more at Kearney.com .

Media contact: Ryan Dicovitsky

Dukas Linden Public Relations

[email protected]

908-907-7703

SOURCE Kearney

Related Links

https://www.kearney.com


SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Key Foundry, the only pure-play foundry in Korea, announced today that it has developed a customer-friendly semiconductor design support tool named PDK Version E (Process Design Kit, enhanced version), and begun its offering to fabless companies.

A PDK is a semiconductor fabrication process-related database offered by a foundry company. This database enables customers to create designs that are well-suited for the foundry service provider's fabrication processes and equipment characteristics.

Recently, PDK has become a key indicator of foundry service provider's technical strength. When fabless companies use well-defined PDKs, they can reduce risks that may occur during semiconductor manufacturing and shorten the time for development.

Key Foundry has been offering PDKs that support environments of major chip design tool companies such as Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, etc. to help customer design. PDK version E was developed by adding a PDK setup environment (PDK Organizer) and gate-level PCells (GCELL) to improve customer design convenience.

The PDK setup environment helps customers build user environments suitable for their product designs and allows the customization of the entire PDK set compared to the existing method that supports customization of only part of the PDK set. In addition, GCELL, the first feature introduced in the foundry industry, supports functional units consisting of combinations of basic unit devices, which improve design convenience and reduce design time, unlike traditional methods that support only independent basic unit devices provided in the fabrication process.

Key Foundry has applied PDK Version E to all of its BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) processes and continues expanding the application to Mixed-Signal, Embedded Flash and High Voltage processes. In particular, for BCD processes, where demand has been increasing in recent years, Key Foundry expects PDK Version E with additional updated models which more accurately represent silicon characteristics compared to the previous one will provide an opportunity to expand the customer base.

In a recent customer satisfaction survey conducted by Key Foundry, the majority of customers who have used PDK Version E gave positive feedback that the tool was helpful, and they intend to continue using it for future designs. It is deemed that the tool's easy customization of design environments and high design and layout convenience are major reasons for the positive survey result.

"Key Foundry has made years of relentless development and verification efforts to reinforce design support for our fabless customers," said Dr. Tae Jong Lee, CEO of Key Foundry. "We will continue striving to perfect our foundry service by improving our PDKs and grow the competitiveness of our process technology."

About Key Foundry

Headquartered in Korea, Key Foundry provides specialty Analog and Mixed-Signal foundry services for semiconductor companies to serve a wide range of applications in the consumer, communications, computing, automotive and industrial industries. With a broad range of technology portfolio and process nodes, Key Foundry has the flexibility and capability to meet the ever-evolving needs of semiconductor companies across the globe. Please visit https://www.key-foundry.com for more information.

CONTACTS:

Media Communication: Strategy & Business Planning Team Tel. + 82-2-3450-5191 [email protected] Sales/Marketing/Technology: Taeho Choi (Marketing VP) Tel. + 82-43-718-4548 [email protected]

SOURCE Key Foundry

Related Links

www.key-foundry.com


ASHEVILLE, N.C., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lenoir-Rhyne University is pleased to announce the third session of the Lenoir-Rhyne Equity & Diversity Institute (LREDI). Beginning September 1st, the institute will be providing face-to-face, online, and private group instruction. In addition to obtaining the certificate, this semester the institute will now provide continuing education credits through the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the North Carolina State Bar.

Michael Dempsey, Dean at Lenoir-Rhyne University of Asheville speaking with Lenoir-Rhyne Equity & Diversity Institute Program Developer Aisha Adams of Aisha Adams Media, LLC Lenoir- Rhyne University Asheville Campus

"We have trained more than 100 individuals from more than 60 organizations. We can see the ripple effects of creating a common language and sharing strategies that cultivate spaces of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Participants can go back to their organizations ready to lead policy, practice, and procedural change." said Aisha Adams

LREDI was developed by Aisha Adams to train individuals to become equity advocates with an interest in building workspaces that are educated, challenged, and motivated to non-violently disrupt systems that create and support complex social issues. This fall, in response to COVID-19, will offer a special course "Equity & Health Care" to discuss inequities and biases that lead to disparities in health care systems.

"LREDI's instructors have more than 100 years of collective experience in equity training. With this depth of knowledge, our program is laser-focused on stimulating positive change in organizations by challenging them to deeply examine workplace policies, procedures, and culture." - said Michael Dempsey, Dean at Lenoir-Rhyne University of Asheville

To complete the full certificate, participants must complete four foundational leadership courses, three courses in their self-selected Equitable Practices concentration area (Education, Business, or Technology), and attend a Folding Chair session. The courses will be offered on September 1-3, September 8-10, October 7-9, October 12-16, and November 1-3, 2021.

Additional information about the Lenoir-Rhyne Equity and Diversity Institute, including the upcoming course schedule and registration details, is available at www.lr.edu/lredi .

For press/media inquiries, please contact:

Sarah Busby at 470-650-0571 or by email: [email protected]

About Aisha Adams:

Since 2014 Aisha Adams Media, LLC has been inspiring and equipping conscious leaders to become effective lifelong equity advocates. Founded by Aisha Adams, the company's other ventures include the daytime-style talk show The Asheville View, Nappy Thoughts, a blog followed by thousands of people on social media, and the Entrepreneurial Accelerator, a business boot camp that ties fledgling businesses to community resources.

Contact: Sarah Busby

Phone: 470-650-0571

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Aisha Adams Media Group
BOSTON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LogicManager CEO and risk thought leader Steven Minsky spoke at the Internal Institute of Auditors (IIA) and ISACA's GRC Conference in Denver, CO on Tuesday, August 10th. IIA and ISACA, with a combined membership of 345,000, bring the world's governance, risk and compliance professionals together to align on best practices. Both associations recognize Minsky as a top-rated presenter and have previously selected him as a speaker at their prestigious All-Star Conference.

"I think it's important for professionals everywhere  especially those in our industry  to know that all corporate scandals are 100% preventable, and therefore lead to liabilities due to negligence," says Minsky. "People often think this statement is radical, when really the root cause of all mishaps in business involves a lack of cross-departmental transparency, mismanagement of information from the front line up through the organization, third party vulnerabilities; all things that can be mitigated through effective risk management practices. So the statement that 'all corporate scandals are preventable' is, in fact, incredibly practical."

Minsky's presentation at the GRC conference provided a deep dive into the anatomy of 3 well-known corporate scandals. He then shared practical, self-authored risk management tools that practitioners can use to get ahead of and prevent scandals of their own.

Minsky is known for his unique ability to predict events before they occur. For example, well before the financial crisis of 2008 materialized, Minsky had already begun advising LogicManager clients to prepare for an economic crash. On February 5th, 2020, he published a comprehensive blog post about updating your Business Continuity Plan for COVID-19, and LogicManager has continually shared client success stories born out of their guidance throughout the entire pandemic. Most recently, Minsky launched a series of blog posts outlining his predictions for 2021-2024 .

Clairvoyance isn't to blame here; Minsky attributes his spot-on predictions to proactive trend research and consistent historical analysis. He often publishes these analyses following widely covered scandals to point out exactly what went wrong. Read his blog and discover the true root cause of the Colonial Pipeline hack, how the recent power grid failures should have been prevented, the larger implications of the 2020 Marriott and British Airways data breaches and more.

A recurring theme across Minsky's published work is that organizations often fall victim to the See-Through Economy , rather than using it to their advantage. The See-Through Economy is one of Minsky's most recognized thought leadership contributions, along with his creation of the widely popular Risk Maturity Model : the industry standard framework and assessment tool used by thousands of organizations around the globe.

To learn more about the IIA and ISACA's GRC Conference 2021, including more details on Minsky's speaking session, check out their website here .

About LogicManager

LogicManager is the market leader in enterprise risk management (ERM) solutions. LogicManager's SaaS software enables organizations to manage tomorrow's surprises today through robust, risk-based solutions for every department. LogicManager is dedicated to helping companies practice good governance, ensuring not only success for the organization, but a positive impact on the community at large. For more information, visit www.logicmanager.com .

Media Contact

Meaghan Paff

[email protected]

(617) 530-1210

SOURCE LogicManager

Related Links

http://www.logicmanager.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In collaboration with Hotel Institute Montreux, a global leader in hospitality and business education, Luxury Institute and DataLucent recently surveyed the Montreux student body to understand their perceptions and attitudes about sharing their personal data with consumer goods and services brands. This initial survey is a test for upcoming surveys to be conducted by the Luxury Institute and DataLucent, a personal data exchange. The survey measures and ranks levels of trust that affluent and mainstream consumers report in sharing their personal data with specific brands across categories. The sample of 72 responders is comprised of 61% female and 39% male with 82% of the responders residing in Europe, 13% in Asia, 3% in Australia, and 1% in North America. With respect to age segments, 60% are 17-21, and 25% are 22-24.

"The privacy and protection of consumer data access are important to today's international consumer. Hotel Institute Montreux with its diverse and international student body, is proud to collaborate with the Luxury Institute and DataLucent in the further research and understanding of the concerns and values of Gen-Z and Millennial consumers, and how this impacts their expectations of a company," said Ulrika Bjorklund, Dean at Hotel Institute Montreux.

When asked about expectations of consumer brands that collect their data, the top five most important factors include: secure/protect my data from hackers (71%), do not sell my data to other parties (65%), ask for my consent before collecting data (61%), inform me how they are using the personal data for my benefit (61%), and make sure my data is always under my control (57%). The expectations of using their data for personalization (40%) and providing fair value rewards and incentives (33%) are emerging requirements for data sharing. These results may reflect the facts that privacy legislation such as GDPR in Europe, and growing enactment of legislation in Singapore, China, Australia and other Asian markets, have created a far more aware and educated young consumer from those regions.

With respect to their knowledge as to who owns their digital platform data (and legally they do), 38% of responders believe they own their data, 35% state that they and the platform co-own the data (only true for very small percentage of data), and 19% believe that the platform wholly owns the data. This is in contrast with a recent survey conducted at a top U.S. business school by DataLucent among students of similar demographics, where nearly 90% of students were unaware they own their digital platform data. Again, this may reflect the prevalence of privacy awareness and legislation in Europe and Asia.

When reassured that they would maintain control of their data, that it would be secured, remain under privacy compliance, and never sold or shared without permission, 61% of Montreux student responders would license their data to brands they trust. Another 21% would not license their data, even if they trust a brand, while 18% are unsure. This contrasts with almost 80% of U.S. business school responders who would license their data to brands they trust, as long as the data remains under their control. While there is lower awareness of personal data ownership in the U.S. vs Europe and Asia, once an individual becomes aware of the fact that they own their digital platform data, young U.S. consumers are far more willing to share it, but only under their control and with brands they trust.

When asked to express which digital platform data they would be most willing to share with consumer brands, 51% would share Instagram, 48% Facebook, 46% LinkedIn, 24% Google, 20% Apple, 12% Twitter and 7% Amazon data. Another 27% stated they would not share any data. Of those willing to share their data, many state that this data is already being shared with friends, and sharing it is unlikely to hurt them. Many responders feel they will benefit from sharing their data.

When provided an extensive list of industries, by category, with which they would share their data, Montreux student responders rank the industries as follows: Airlines (61%), Hotels/Resorts (56%), Travel Services (44%), Insurance (35%), Health/Fitness/Wellness (33%), Banks/Financial Services/Credit Cards (28%). Product categories such as beauty, fashion, jewelry, and others rank lower, but are still in double digits.

When asked which types of benefits and rewards they desire most in exchange for licensing their digital platform data to brands they trust, they seek the following: airline miles (61%), upgrades on travel bookings (47%), complimentary hotel room nights (44%), invitations to special events/experiences (39%), and special services during hotel/resort stays (37%). Free merchandise and products rank lower, with most in double digits. These responses may reflect the pent-up demand for travel during/post-COVID, yet it also points to an opportunity for brands that do not discount, such as luxury brands, to leverage relationships with travel brands, to partner and reward consumers with coveted luxury travel benefits in return for access to their social media data.

"As the right to consumer data access and portability becomes international, customers will recognize and value brands that handle their data openly and with integrity. Educating customers about their data rights - and about the benefits of safely sharing their data directly with brands they trust - will establish a new currency between companies and consumers that will build loyalty and dramatically increase mutual lifetime value," said Brad Davis, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at DataLucent.

In contrast to their category rankings, when asked to rate and rank which companies they would trust most to license their personal digital platform data using a list of top 100 global advertisers of 2020, Hotel Institute Montreux student responders cited Dior (35%), LVMH (30%), and Hermes (25%) as the top three, followed by Samsung (19%), Nike (18%), L'Oreal (16%) and Estee Lauder (16%), followed by Nestle (14%), Nintendo (14%) and Adidas (12%) to round out the top ten global companies. This demonstrates that young consumers are currently very conscious of which companies/brands they are willing to trust with their data. The survey also indicates a great opportunity for the most trusted brands to begin licensing critical data from consumers to build competitive advantage over less trusted competitors.

"As the pioneers and leaders in personal data innovation, Luxury Institute and DataLucent are empowering the legal, secure, privacy compliant, fair-value sharing of highly predictive digital platform data between consumer consumers and trusted brands. This survey, with explicit, never-before-asked questions, begins a journey in data sharing research that sheds a bright light on brand opportunities in this new, thriving industry. We are grateful to the Hotel Institute Montreux for their innovative collaboration," said Milton Pedraza, Chairman at DataLucent and Chief Executive Office at Luxury Institute.

About Luxury Institute

Luxury Institute is the world's most trusted research, training, and elite business solutions partner for luxury and premium goods and services brands. With the largest global network of luxury executives and experts, Luxury Institute has the ability to provide its clients with high-performance, leading-edge solutions developed by the best, most successful minds in the industry. Over the last 18 years, Luxury Institute has served over 1,100 luxury and premium goods and services brands. Luxury Institute has conducted more quantitative and qualitative research with affluent, wealthy and uber-wealthy consumers than any other entity. This knowledge has led to the development of its scientifically proven high-performance, emotional intelligence-based education system, Luxcelerate, that dramatically improves brand culture and financial performance. Luxury Institute has also innovated the Advanced Personalization Xchange (APX), powered by DataLucent, to empower affluent consumers to license their digital platform data to premium and luxury brands they trust legally, securely and privately in exchange for fair value rewards and benefits.

To learn more about Luxury Institute, please contact us at LuxuryInstitute.com

About DataLucent

DataLucent empowers consumers to access and share comprehensive, historical social media data with brands in return for rewards, benefits and personalization via a legal, ethical, secure, transparent and privacy-compliant process. DataLucent's patent-pending platform navigates consumers through the process of requesting, downloading and transferring personal data from Facebook, Twitter, Google and other consumer platforms, then provides real incentives for individuals to share data with companies they love and trust. DataLucent transforms and integrates data on behalf of consumers across networks to provide unparalleled customer and consumer insights to brands.

To learn more about DataLucent, please visit DataLucent.com

About Hotel Institute Montreux

As a member of the Swiss Education Group, Hotel Institute Montreux is a hospitality and business management school ranked amongst the top 10 in the world. Students learn the secrets of the hospitality world, acquire business insights from renowned industry leaders, and have the flexibility to tailor their education with unique specializations.

To learn more about Hotel Institute Montreux, please visit www.HotelInstituteMontreux.com

Contact - Milton Pedraza: [email protected]

SOURCE Luxury Institute
FORT COLLINS, Colo., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- For the fourth consecutive year, the Madwire team participated in "A Backpack of my Own" program, which provides backpacks and school supplies to children in the Larimer County and Weld County Children's Services system who otherwise would not have access to these very critical elements of their education.

Madwire Team Donates 144 Filled Backpacks to Children in the the Larimer County & Weld County Children's Services System

This year, the Madwire team surpassed their previous record of 126 backpacks donated, and will be providing 144 backpacks to children in need. Philanthropy is a big part of the Madwire culture, and the events of the last year and half didn't stop the team from stepping up to provide for children in need.

A Backpack of My Own program is always a Madwire team favorite, but this year was especially special being that COVID-19 has made the need even greater. Children and teenagers coming into foster care often arrive with nothing to call their own, and that can be especially challenging during the school year. The Madwire team even writes personal notes of encouragement to the kids that many of them cherish for the entire school year.

"A note  I got a note again!! I love this. I keep it in my backpack all year."

- High School Girl

"The Madwire team is amazing! I love seeing all these backpacks on the stage. They are truly helping us stand in the gap with foster, adoptive, and kinship families in our community."

- Pastor Dary Northrop

"These backpacks are a huge blessing to our family. It helps the kids feel excitement for the coming school year."

- Foster Mom

The Madwire team is thrilled to be able to support the local community and looks forward to continuing to make a difference in 2021 and beyond.

About Madwire

Madwire is a technology company that provides business management and marketing software and services for SMBs and franchises through its technology platform, Marketing 360. The Marketing 360 platform gives SMBs everything they need to manage and grow their business from a singular platform, including the ability to  build a professional website, accept and manage payments, manage leads and customers, book appointments, monitor reviews, manage social media, syndicate business listings, manage content marketing, run multi-channel digital advertising campaigns, and more. Marketing 360 was founded in 2009 with the mission of enriching communities by helping small businesses grow, and is headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, with offices in Austin, Texas. Learn more about Madwire at www.madwire.com .

Contact:

Farra Lanzer

[email protected]

970-541-3284

SOURCE Madwire
The new claims are also 13km southwest of the Lunch Pond South Extension Deposit ("LPSE") on Glover Island owned by Mountain Lake Resources. The LPSE deposit is located at the south-western portion of an 11km mineralized corridor known as the Glover Island Trend ("GI Trend"). The GI Trend is host to 17 gold, base metal, nickel and polymetallic mineral prospects in addition to numerous gold anomalies. The GI Trend and new Property lies adjacent to the BVBL a major crustal scale suture which separates the Humber Zone Terrane to the west from the central Newfoundland Dunnage Zone to the east. The GI Trend hosts numerous gold anomalies that cross-cut several rock types. The LPSE hosts indicated and inferred resources of 120,000 ounces of gold (P&E Mining Consultants Technical Report, June 2017).

The new land acquisition is also proximal to the Four Corners Project held by Triple Nine Resources (Figure 2). The Four Corners Project consists of iron-titanium-vanadium-mineralized rock which has been outlined for 3,000 metres in strike with intercepts 200 metres wide and 600m vertically. The project contains sufficient tonnage and grades to warrant developing a world-class mineral resource (https://triplenineresources.com/2020/10/triple-nine-updates-new-initiatives-on-the-four-corners-project/).

Karim Rayani Chief Executive Officer commented, "We are extremely pleased to have acquired such a large land package covering 70kms of strike along a trend of defined deposits. This adds to our impressive portfolio of holdings getting us nearer our objective of making Marvel one of the predominant holders of lands in Newfoundland along major continental-scale structures. We look forward to performing high resolution magnetic surveys over our entire property position and integrating mineralization trends and historical results to vector exploration efforts to those areas of high merit."

TERMS OF THE TWO OPTION AGREEMENT

1. Sandy Pond Claims

The Company shall pay to the Vendor as follows:

(a) Paying $25,000 within fifteen (15) days of the Effective Date;

(b) issue 400,000 common shares in the Company within fifteen (15) days of the Effective Date;

(c) issue 200,000 warrants valued at $0.25 per share exercisable for a period of two years, within fifteen (15) days of the Effective Date.

(d) Paying $25,000 within 60 days of the Effective Date.

The Purchaser shall pay $600,000 CDN upon completion of a bankable feasibility study to the Vendor. Upon completion of this payment the Vendor shall return all (100%) of the 0.5% NSR Royalty to the Company at no additional cost to the Company. This $600,000 CDN payment may be paid in cash or common shares, or combination of both at the discretion of the Company.

2. Baie Verte Claims

The Company shall pay to the Vendor as follows:

(a) Paying $30,000 within fifteen (15) days of the Effective Date;

(b) issue 200,000 common shares in the Company within fifteen (15) days of the Effective Date.

There is no NSR Royalty on the Baie Verte claims.

Qualified Person

Mr. Mike Kilbourne, P. Geo, an independent qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed, and approved the technical contents of this news release on behalf of the Company.

The QP has not completed sufficient work to verify the historic information on the properties comprising the Baie Verte Line property, particularly regarding historical exploration, neighbouring companies, and government geological work. The information provides an indication of the exploration potential of the Baie Verte Line property but may not be representative of expected results.

About Marvel Discovery Corp.

Marvel, listed on the TSX Venture Exchange for over 25 years, is a Canadian based emerging resource company. The Company is systematically exploring its extensive property positions in:

Newfoundland (Slip, Gander North, Gander South, Victoria Lake and Hope Brook  Au Prospects )

(Slip, Gander North, Gander South, and  ) Atikokan, Ontario (BlackFly  Au Prospect )

(BlackFly  ) Red Lake, Ontario (Camping Lake  Au Prospect)

(Camping Lake  Elliot Lake, Ontario ( Serpent River /Pecors - Ni-Cu-PGE Discovery) & (Uranium- REE's)

( /Pecors - Elliot Lake, Ontario (East Bull - Ni-Cu-PGE Prospect)

(East Bull - Quebec ( Duhamel - Ni-Cu-Co prospect & Titanium, Vanadium, and Chromium Prospect)

( - Prince George, British Columbia (Wicheeda North  Rare Earth Elements Prospect)

The Company's website is: https://marveldiscovery.ca/

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Marvel Discovery Corp.

"Karim Rayani"

Karim Rayani

President/Chief Executive Officer, Director

Tel: 604 716 0551 email: [email protected]

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information:

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements which reflect the expectations of management. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate to, among other things: completion of the proposed Arrangement. Actual future results may differ materially. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions, and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these times. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Marvel Discovery Corp.
Eugene joins Mesirow after serving as a senior member of RW Baird's Debt Advisory team, where he advised and executed on all aspects of senior and junior debt capital raises for mergers, acquisitions, LBOs, refinancings, and general corporate purposes across various industry sectors. Throughout the course of his career, Eugene has agented more than 50 transactions for over $30 billion in proceeds.

Brian Price, President and Chief Operating Officer of Mesirow Investment Banking, commented, "Eugene serves as an important addition to our team as we continue to strengthen our presence as a trusted partner to financial sponsors. His impressive experience as a leveraged finance professional will enable us to foster new relationships and augment our comprehensive services as distinguished middle-market advisors."

"I am pleased to join Mesirow Investment Banking and to contribute to its continued growth," said Eugene Weissberger, Managing Director, Mesirow Investment Banking. "The team has a long history of superior client service and deal execution, and I look forward to taking part in this reputation."

Eugene graduated summa cum laude from the Honors College at Penn State University. While at Penn State, he served as a co-founding member of the Nittany Lion Fund, a $5 million student-run mutual fund, and remains active in advising and mentoring students. Eugene is a CFA Charterholder and holds FINRA Series 7 and 63 licenses.

About Mesirow Investment Banking

Mesirow Investment Banking focuses exclusively on middle-market transactions and serves both public and private companies in merger & acquisition advisory, debt advisory, restructuring and special situations, fairness and solvency opinions, board of directors advisory and special committee representation. Our practice combines rich industry knowledge and long-standing relationships with an entrepreneurial desire to develop tailored solutions designed to deliver measurable results. For more information, please visit mesirow.com/investmentbanking.

About Mesirow

Mesirow is an independent, employee-owned financial services firm founded in 1937. Headquartered in Chicago with offices around the world, we serve clients through a personal, custom approach to reaching financial goals and acting as a force for social good. With capabilities spanning Global Investment Management, Capital Markets & Investment Banking, and Advisory Services, we invest in what matters: our clients, our communities and our culture. To learn more, visit mesirow.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Mesirow was recently named one of the Best Places to Work in Chicago by Crain's Chicago Business and one of the Top Workplaces by the Chicago Tribune.

Media

[email protected]

Michael Herley | 203.308.1409

The Mesirow name and logo are registered service marks of Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc.  2021. All rights reserved. Securities offered through Mesirow Financial, Inc. member FINRA, SIPC.

SOURCE Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

http://mesirow.com


Under the theme of "Empowering Innovation, Accelerating Breakthrough", this year's DevDays will focus on nine major technology trends - Data & AI, Cloud Native, Hybrid Work, Open Source, DevOps, and more. Top tech experts and tech community key opinion leaders from Taiwan and abroad will share the latest technology trends and innovative industry solutions. It also includes practical labs for developers to gain hands-on experience with Microsoft's developer tools and application platforms

DevDays Asia is a part of the AI Infinity campaign, Microsoft's partnership with the Taiwan government aimed at fostering local AI talent and landing AI solutions in Taiwan. Since its inception, it has enabled the deployment of more than 300 AI solutions in Taiwan.



In a video message, Taiwan's Minister of Economic Affairs Mei-Hua Wang emphasized the government's commitment to continuing its partnership with Microsoft in empowering the digital transformation of Taiwan's enterprises. "Through collaborating with Microsoft on AI Infinity projects and holding annual technology events like DevDays, we have connected developers with world-class resources and incubated over 5,000 AI talents. Our intent is to build up Taiwan's AI ecosystem through three aspects: industrialization, solutions, and talent development."



Jang-Hwa Leu, Industrial Development Bureau Director, believes that developers and organizations will be able to apply new digital skills acquired at DevDays in fostering innovations from Taiwan. "The Taiwan government has implemented policies to enable our enterprises to leverage AI, cloud, and IoT technology. Together we will build the factory of the future, showcasing Taiwan's innovation and strength in research and development to the world."



When Microsoft announced its intent to build a Microsoft Azure datacenter region in Taiwan last October, it is also committed to helping over 200,000 people to acquire digital skills over the next four years. Ken Sun, General Manager at Microsoft Taiwan, reiterated the company's commitment to skilling of tech talents in Taiwan. "This year, DevDays Asia aims to empower developers to build innovation and accelerate breakthrough. It provides us a platform to share technology trends, new industry solutions and the latest advances in Microsoft's developer tools and cloud platforms. As we lean into our mission to empower every organization and every person to achieve more, we will continue to channel Microsoft's global resources to enable Taiwan's businesses and talents to accelerate their transformation and enhance the competitiveness of Taiwan's industries."



Flora Chen, Marketing and Operations Lead at Microsoft Taiwan, led a short panel discussion during the press event in which three industry partners including Karma Medical, King Steel Machinery, and Tangram shared their insights and experiences of accelerating their digital transformation amidst the pandemic.



Through the AI Infinity Campaign, Microsoft has partnered with the Ministry of Economic Affairs to accelerate industrial AIoT applications in Taiwan. One example is Muen Medical Technology's Medical AI Aggregator, a medical image interpretation solution that runs on Azure and leverages cloud computing and AI to perform accurate medical imaging interpretations to facilitate medical diagnoses. Another is waste management independent solution vendor Cleanaway's Chase Environmental Technology. Running on Azure, it provides customers with a waste management dashboard and provides waste-management-as-a service solution that helps customers to meet sustainability commitments.



Highlights of DevDays Asia 2021 Online include keynote presentations from Microsoft's tech experts including Charles Lamanna, Corporate Vice President, Low Code Platforms, Ujjwal Kumar, Senior MTC Technical Architect, Daniel Canning, Director, Product Marketing, Microsoft 365 Apps and Dan Stevenson, Senior Director, Microsoft Teams Engineering. For more information, please visit the event website. https://aka.ms/DevDaysAsia

SOURCE Microsoft Taiwan
GUANGZHOU, China, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MINISO Group Holding Limited (NYSE: MNSO) ("MINISO Group", "MINISO" or the "Company"), a fast-growing global value retailer offering a variety of design-led lifestyle products, today announced that it plans to release its June quarter 2021 financial results before the U.S. market opens on Thursday, August 19, 2021.

The Company's management will hold an earnings conference call at 8:00 A.M. Eastern Time on Thursday, August 19, 2021 (8:00 P.M. Beijing Time on the same day) to discuss the financial results. The conference call can be accessed by the following zoom link or dialing the following numbers:

Access 1

Join Zoom meeting.

Zoom link: https://dooyle.zoom.us/j/83401916859?pwd=ZVdkSEZpUTZNMnJPTVRsVDBBZWUxUT09

Meeting Number: 834 0191 6859

Meeting Passcode: 361700

Access 2

Listeners may access the call by dialing the following numbers by using the same meeting number and passcode with access 1.

United States Toll Free: 833 548 0282 (or 877 853 5247) Mainland China Toll Free: 400 182 3168 (or 400 616 8835) Hong Kong, China Toll Free: 800 906 780 (or 800 931 189) United Kingdom (Charge Fees): +44 208 080 6592 (or +44 330 088 5830) France (Charge Fees): +33 1 7037 9729 (or +33 1 7095 0103) Singapore (Charge Fees): +65 3165 1065 (or +65 3158 7288) Canada (Charge Fees): +1 647 374 4685 (or +1 647 558 0588)

Access 3

Listeners can also access the meeting through the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.miniso.com/.

The replay will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the live event at the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.miniso.com/.

About MINISO Group Holding Limited

MINISO is a fast-growing global value retailer offering a variety of design-led lifestyle products. The Company serves consumers primarily through its large network of MINISO stores, and promotes a relaxing, treasure-hunting and engaging shopping experience full of delightful surprises that appeals to all demographics. Aesthetically pleasing design, quality and affordability are at the core of every product in MINISO's wide product portfolio, and the Company continually and frequently rolls out products with these qualities. Since the opening of its first store in China in 2013, the Company has built its flagship brand "MINISO" as a globally recognized retail brand and established a massive store network worldwide. For more information, please visit http://ir.miniso.com/.

Investor Relations Contact

Mengru Wang

MINISO Group Holding Limited

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +86 (20) 36228788 Ext.8039

SOURCE MINISO Group Holding Limited

Related Links

https://ir.miniso.com/


SAN DIEGO, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Neurelis, Inc., announced today that it has completed a senior term loan facility of up to $150 million from OrbiMed, one of the leading investors in the healthcare industry, to help fuel the company's future growth.

Craig C. Chambliss, President and Chief Executive Officer of Neurelis, states, ""We are very pleased to partner with OrbiMed. This funding allows Neurelis to continue investing in the commercial growth of VALTOCO (diazepam nasal spray) as well as developing our internal pipeline and potentially accessing external opportunities that may strengthen our position as an innovative neuroscience company."

The facility provides up to $150 million in financing. A first tranche facility of $65 million (Tranche A) is available at closing, with an additional $35 million (Tranche B) available at Neurelis' option by March 31, 2022, subject to certain conditions, and an additional tranche of up to $50 million (Tranche C) can be accessed by June 30, 2023, at OrbiMed's option, in support of potential future strategic opportunities such as licensing opportunities.

About OrbiMed

OrbiMed is a leading healthcare investment firm, with approximately $19 billion in assets under management. OrbiMed invests globally across the healthcare industry through a range of private equity funds, public equity funds, and royalty/credit funds. OrbiMed's team of over 100 professionals is based in New York City, San Francisco, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Herzliya and other key global markets.

About Neurelis

Neurelis, Inc., is a commercial-stage neuroscience company focused on the development and commercialization of therapeutics for the treatment of epilepsy and orphan neurologic disorders characterized by high unmet medical need. In 2020, the FDA approved Neurelis's VALTOCO (diazepam nasal spray) as an acute treatment of intermittent, stereotypic episodes of frequent seizure activity (i.e., seizure clusters, acute repetitive seizures) that are distinct from an individual's usual seizure pattern in adult and pediatric patients 6 years of age and older. VALTOCO is a proprietary formulation of diazepam incorporating the science of INTRAVAIL. Intravail's transmucosal absorption enhancement technology enables the noninvasive delivery of a broad range of protein, peptide and small-molecule drugs. In its approval of VALTOCO, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also granted Neurelis Orphan Drug Exclusivity and recognized VALTOCO's intranasal route of administration as a clinically superior contribution to patient care over the previously approved standard-of-care treatment (a rectal gel formulation of diazepam). For more information on VALTOCO, please visit www.valtoco.com. In addition to VALTOCO, Neurelis is developing NRL-2 for intermittent use to control acute panic attacks, NRL-3 as a noninvasive acute therapy to stop seizures that have progressed to status epilepticus, and NRL-4 as a noninvasive rescue therapy to address the escalation of acute agitation symptoms associated with schizophrenia and bipolar 1 mania in adults. In addition, Neurelis is developing NRL-1049 (previously known as BA-1049), an investigational, pre-clinical stage small molecule Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor, for the treatment of cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMS), a rare disorder of the central nervous system (CNS). For more information on Neurelis, please visit www.neurelis.com.

Important Safety Information about VALTOCO:

Indication

VALTOCO (diazepam nasal spray) is indicated for the acute treatment of intermittent, stereotypic episodes of frequent seizure activity (ie, seizure clusters, acute repetitive seizures) that are distinct from a patient's usual seizure pattern in patients with epilepsy 6 years of age and older.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING: RISKS FROM CONCOMITANT USE WITH OPIOIDS; ABUSE, MISUSE, AND ADDICTION; and DEPENDENCE AND WITHDRAWAL REACTIONS

Concomitant use of benzodiazepines and opioids may result in profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death. Reserve concomitant prescribing of these drugs for patients for whom alternative treatment options are inadequate. Limit dosages and durations to the minimum required. Follow patients for signs and symptoms of respiratory depression and sedation.

The use of benzodiazepines, including VALTOCO, exposes users to risks of abuse, misuse, and addiction, which can lead to overdose or death. Abuse and misuse of benzodiazepines commonly involve concomitant use of other medications, alcohol, and/or illicit substances, which is associated with an increased frequency of serious adverse outcomes. Before prescribing VALTOCO and throughout treatment, assess each patient's risk for abuse, misuse, and addiction.

The continued use of benzodiazepines may lead to clinically significant physical dependence. The risks of dependence and withdrawal increase with longer treatment duration and higher daily dose. Although VALTOCO is indicated only for intermittent use, if used more frequently than recommended, abrupt discontinuation or rapid dosage reduction of VALTOCO may precipitate acute withdrawal reactions, which can be life-threatening. For patients using VALTOCO more frequently than recommended, to reduce the risk of withdrawal reactions, use a gradual taper to discontinue VALTOCO.

Contraindications: VALTOCO is contraindicated in patients with:

Hypersensitivity to diazepam

Acute narrow-angle glaucoma

Central Nervous System (CNS) Depression

Benzodiazepines, including VALTOCO, may produce CNS depression. Caution patients against engaging in hazardous activities requiring mental alertness, such as operating machinery, driving a motor vehicle, or riding a bicycle, until the effects of the drug, such as drowsiness, have subsided, and as their medical condition permits.

The potential for a synergistic CNS-depressant effect when VALTOCO is used with alcohol or other CNS depressants must be considered, and appropriate recommendations made to the patient and/or care partner.

Suicidal Behavior and Ideation

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), including VALTOCO, increase the risk of suicidal ideation and behavior. Patients treated with any AED for any indication should be monitored for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behavior, and/or unusual changes in mood or behavior.

Glaucoma

Benzodiazepines, including VALTOCO, can increase intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma. VALTOCO may only be used in patients with open-angle glaucoma only if they are receiving appropriate therapy. VALTOCO is contraindicated in patients with narrow-angle glaucoma.

Risk of Serious Adverse Reactions in Infants due to Benzyl Alcohol Preservative

VALTOCO is not approved for use in neonates or infants. Serious and fatal adverse reactions, including "gasping syndrome", can occur in neonates and low-birth-weight infants treated with benzyl alcohol-preserved drugs, including VALTOCO. The "gasping syndrome" is characterized by central nervous system depression, metabolic acidosis, and gasping respirations. The minimum amount of benzyl alcohol at which serious adverse reactions may occur is not known.

Adverse Reactions

The most common adverse reactions (at least 4%) were somnolence, headache, and nasal discomfort.

Diazepam, the active ingredient in VALTOCO, is a Schedule IV controlled substance.

To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Neurelis, Inc. at 1-866-696-3873 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 (www.fda.gov/medwatch).

Please read full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning, for additional important safety information.

For More Information:

Mark Leonard

[email protected]

858-251-2100

SOURCE Neurelis, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.neurelis.com/


In announcing the honor, Ad Age noted NIMBUS' ability to translate the relationship between culture and brands as a leading success factor. Specifically, they referenced NIMBUS' role as multicultural agency for Papa John's being a significant part of the pizza chain's comeback. Also in the spotlight was the agency's work with Brown-Forman including a dynamic campaign for Jack Daniel's Apple during Hispanic Heritage Month in 2020 as well as a 'beautifully filmed series' featuring multicultural bartenders called "Culture Shakers."

Stacey Wade, NIMBUS CEO & Executive Creative Director, launched his agency in 2002 as a sole-proprietor. Over the past 20 years, he's guided NIMBUS to be the impressive full-service creative, experiential and strategic marketing communications powerhouse they are today. At the same time, Wade leveraged his unique position as one of the few minority-owned agencies in the region to fine-tune NIMBUS' capacity for connecting brands with diverse audiences through strategic multicultural marketing initiatives.

That agency's impressive portfolio of local, national and global clients testifies to the talent of Wade's team, individuals reflecting a diversity of experience, insights into market trends and cultural perspectives. NIMBUS client relationships include: Brown-Forman, Humana, KFC, Louisville Metro United Way, Papa John's International, Swisher International, U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) and Toyota North America.

Award wins are gratifying and an affirmation that NIMBUS is doing work that's matters. But the bigger story for Wade is his agency's reputation for fearlessly breaking barriers and elevating the stories of those too often unheard.

"We look to local legend---and my personal hero---Muhammad Ali for inspiration at NIMBUS. He built his fame from scratch, literally taking every hit along the way to make him stronger," notes Wade. "Ali once said, 'Impossible is Nothing' and that's exactly the mindset we embrace every day. We've made it to where we are today thanks to the dedication of our team members and an unwavering support system of family, friends and advocates."

"Here's our reality: we live and work in an increasingly multifaceted culture and NIMBUS adeptly helps our clients navigate through those complexities," says Dr. Dawn Wade, NIMBUS Chief Strategy Officer & Managing Partner. "We lean into data and research to make informed strategic decisions, but also respect the humanity necessary to create the magic of authentic emotional connections between people and a brand."

So, what's next for this multiple-award-winning force of nature? Really big things. NIMBUS will soon open their new downtown Louisville office while also pursuing additional client relationships, expanding their team and continuing agency expansion into the Atlanta market.

For more information about NIMBUS and a peak at why their award shelves are filling up quickly, visit them online at www.hellonimbus.com. Friendly hint: sound up when you do!

About NIMBUS | hellonimbus.com

NIMBUS is an independent strategic marketing and communications agency with a focus on identifying cultural relevance and developing inclusive marketing engagement. By integrating data intelligence with innovation, the NIMBUS team crafts strategies which generate and nurture authentic connections between their client's brands and targeted audiences in today's complex and multicultural marketplace. Clients benefitting from NIMBUS' expertise include: Brown-Forman, Humana, KFC, Louisville Metro United Way, Papa John's International, Swisher International, U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) and Toyota North America among others.

SOURCE NIMBUS, Inc.

Related Links

hellonimbus.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nutrafol , the pioneer of the hair wellness category, is committed to opening the dialogue around hair loss and thinning through trusted healthcare providers who empower and educate consumers on treatment options. Hair loss can have a strong impact on mental well-being, confidence and self-image among both men and women.

In support of Hair Loss Awareness Month, Nutrafol will donate a portion of total revenue for the month of August to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. Nutrafol's contribution will directly benefit the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) Youth Mentor Program which helps young children with alopecia cope with the stress of hair loss in a meaningful way.

Hair loss is more common than many people realize. According to the American Hair Loss Association ( americanhairloss.org ), 40% of American hair loss sufferers are women and 85% of men will have significant hair thinning by the age of 50. Health professionals are often a trusted resource for concerned men and women and play a significant role in empowering them with solutions such as Nutrafol hair growth supplements.

"At Nutrafol, we prioritize mental, emotional and physical health and well-being, equally. Hair loss and thinning are more than just a physical symptom, it's an emotional journey for every single patient and we are committed to supporting and encouraging those suffering to take control of their hair health and regain their confidence," said Dr. Sophia Kogan, co-founder and Chief Medical Advisor at Nutrafol.

Nutrafol's clinically proven nutraceuticals improve hair growth by addressing the key triggers of poor hair health including stress, hormones, environment, immune response and gut microbiome. Nutrafol's products are physician formulated with natural, clinically effective ingredients proven to improve hair growth without a prescription, and can easily be added to any daily routine. Nutrafol offers a men's formulation and three options for women that are uniquely designed to address changing biological needs of women as they navigate life stages including postpartum and menopause.

For more information on Nutrafol, speak with your healthcare provider or visit www.nutrafol.com .

About Nutrafol

Nutrafol is the #1 Dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand* that pioneered the hair wellness category with its integrative approach to hair health, using a first-of-its-kind patented formulation of clinically effective, natural, medical-grade ingredients to support whole body wellness from within. In multiple clinical studies, Nutrafol has been shown to improve hair growth in both men and women within 3-6 months by multi-targeting the root causes of thinning hair, including stress, hormones, environment and nutrition. Nutrafol's team of doctors and researchers continue to seek out scientific advancements at the forefront of genetics, biotechnology, and anti-aging medicine to remain on the cutting-edge of hair health innovation. Nutrafol has been adopted by more than 3,000 physicians, clinics and stylists across the U.S. for its trusted, reliable results, and has received numerous prestigious accolades.

*According to IQVIA ProVoice survey for 6 months ending March 31, 2021

About National Alopecia Areata Foundation

National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) deeply appreciates Nutrafol's commitment to helping all of those with hair loss, and helping the alopecia areata community by including NAAF as their social responsibility non-profit, during hair loss awareness month.

The National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) serves the community of people affected by an autoimmune skin disease called alopecia areata that results in hair loss and emotional pain. NAAF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1981 and headquartered in San Rafael, CA

For press inquiries, please contact [email protected]

SOURCE Nutrafol

Related Links

http://www.nutrafol.com


MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nuvaira, a developer of novel therapeutic strategies to treat obstructive lung diseases, has announced that 100 patients have been randomized in the FDA pivotal AIRFLOW-3 Clinical Trial. This COPD trial is evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the Nuvaira Lung Denervation System to reduce the risk of COPD exacerbations in patients on optimal medical care.

Nuvaira also announces that Tim Herbert, President & CEO of Minneapolis-based Inspire Medical Systems has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors.

"Despite the healthcare system challenges of the COVID pandemic, treatment of COPD exacerbations remains a critical unmet need" said Dennis Wahr, M.D., CEO of Nuvaira Inc. "We applaud our trial investigators for their unwavering support of the AIRFLOW-3 trial and their commitment to enrollment." Over 250 patients have been randomized or treated with TLD in Nuvaira clinical trials, including over 50 patients in the United States.

Prof. Pallav Shah (Royal Brompton Hospital, London) randomized the 100th patient in the AIRFLOW-3 trial on August 11. "We are thrilled to be part of AIRFLOW-3, and to build on the knowledge and experience with the therapy which has the potential to alter the clinical trajectory for COPD patients with persistent exacerbations." Prof. Shah said. "We are proud to help Nuvaira and our colleagues celebrate this milestone and look forward to offering TLD as a therapeutic option for many of our COPD patients who struggle to maintain clinical stability on routine pharmacotherapy." Professor Shah and his team have randomized or treated over 40 patients in TLD clinical trials, and currently are ranked #1 globally across AIRFLOW-3 trial centers.

The Nuvaira Lung Denervation System is a novel bronchoscopic procedure that disrupts pulmonary nerve input to the lung to reduce the clinical consequences of neural hyperactivity, which addresses airway hyper-responsiveness, a pathophysiologic underpinning of both COPD and asthma. Nuvaira's proprietary technology has demonstrated a positive safety profile and feasibility in three peer-reviewed published clinical studies in COPD patients. A growing body of literature supports the therapeutic potential of Targeted Lung Denervation (TLD) to meet a significant unmet medical need in patients at risk of COPD exacerbations, also called "lung attacks", which represent the major driver of healthcare cost and poor clinical prognosis.

About Nuvaira

Nuvaira is a privately held company headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. The company's proprietary Nuvaira Lung Denervation System addresses airway hyper-responsiveness, a pathophysiologic underpinning of both COPD and asthma, in a procedure called Targeted Lung Denervation (TLD). The Nuvaira Lung Denervation System is under clinical investigation and is not commercially available in the USA, and is CE Mark approved. Nuvaira and dNerva are registered trademarks of Nuvaira, Inc.

Please visit our website and publication bibliographies at www.Nuvaira.com.

SOURCE Nuvaira

Related Links

http://www.nuvaira.com/


NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 11,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced Viscount Mining Corp (TSX-V: VML) (OTCQX: VLMGF), an exploration company with a portfolio of gold and silver properties in the Western United States, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. Viscount Mining Corp upgraded to OTCQX from the OTCQB Venture Market.

Viscount Mining Corp begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol "VLMGF." U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

The OTCQX Market is designed for established, investor-focused U.S. and international companies. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. Graduating to the OTCQX Market from the OTCQB Market marks an important milestone for companies, enabling them to demonstrate their qualifications and build visibility among U.S. investors.

Mr. Jim MacKenzie, CEO of Viscount Mining Corp. stated, " We are pleased to graduate to the OTCQX as this will provide our US investors with increased accessibility and liquidity."

About Viscount Mining Corp

Viscount Mining is a project generator and an exploration company with a portfolio of silver and gold properties in the Western United States, including Silver Cliff in Colorado and Cherry Creek in Nevada.

The Silver Cliff property in Colorado lies within the historic Hardscrabble Silver District in the Wet Mountain Valley, Custer County, south-central Colorado. It is located 44 miles WSW of Pueblo, Colorado, and has year-around access by paved road. The property consists of 2,319.48 hectares where high grade silver, gold and base metal production came from numerous mines during the period 1878 to the early 1900's. The property underwent substantial exploration between 1967 and 1984.

The property is interpreted to encompass a portion of a large caldera and highly altered sequence of tertiary rhyolitic flows and fragmental units which offers potential to host deposits with both precious and base metals. This has been demonstrated in the mineralization historically extracted from the numerous underground and surface mining operations. Drilling in the 1980s by Tenneco resulted in a historical pre-feasibility study on which basis it was planned to bring the property to production. The plan was abandoned following a takeover by another company.

The Cherry Creek exploration property is in an area commonly known as the Cherry Creek Mining District, located approximately 50 miles north of the town of Ely, White Pine County, Nevada. Cherry Creek consists of 293 unpatented and patented claims as well as mill rights and is comprised of more than 2,442 hectares. Cherry Creek includes more than 20 past producing mines. In January 2021, Viscount entered into an exploration earn - in agreement with a wholly owned subsidiary of Centerra Gold Inc. Centerra is a Canadian-based gold mining company focused on operating, developing, exploring and acquiring gold properties in North America, Asia and other markets worldwide and is one of the largest Western-based gold producers in Central Asia.

About OTC Markets Group Inc.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 11,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.

To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com.

OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN are SEC regulated ATSs, operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.

Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed

Media Contact:

OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, [email protected]

SOURCE OTC Markets Group Inc.

Related Links

http://www.otcmarkets.com


CAMBRIDGE, Mass.and LEBANON, N.H. and NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Celdara Medical, LLC ("Celdara") announced today the addition of Antonito T. Panganiban, PhD, to the Pandemic Security Initiative's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), a group of outstanding scientists and infectious disease experts who will advise the Pandemic Security Initiative as it seeks to protect the nation from future pandemics . The SAB is an integral part of the Initiative, informing its priorities, approaches, and opportunities for collaboration - all in the pursuit of pandemic preparedness.

Dr. Panganiban is Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Tulane University School of Medicine and Interim Chair of the Division of Microbiology at the Tulane National Primate Research Center. His research focuses on the replication strategies and pathogenesis of emerging RNA viruses, as well as antiviral strategies against RNA viruses that are human pathogens. His recent work has centered on Sin Nombre hantavirus (SNV), which is a Category A member of the bunyavirus family. Dr. Panganiban is also co-chair of the ZIKV Working Group (ZWG).

"The Pandemic Security Initiative epitomizes efforts needed to address future viral outbreaks that have the potential to cause pandemics," said Panganiban. "This initiative will help facilitate public/private partnerships to solve problems in the development of novel antiviral therapeutics. I'm very pleased to serve on the Scientific Advisory Board and look forward to collaborating on this effort."

"We are very happy to welcome Dr. Panganiban to the Pandemic Security Initiative SAB," said Dr. Jake Reder, cofounder and CEO of Celdara Medical. "As we are now beginning to see more frequent discussion of pandemic preparedness at the national level, this is both important and timely. The combination of his academic leadership, innovative perspective, and entrepreneurial spirit makes him ideally suited to join the PanSec SAB. We all look forward to working with him, and to his contributions, as we prepare our world against future pandemic threats."

Built on Celdara Medical's successful track record of transforming early-stage innovations into promising therapeutics, the Pandemic Security Initiative seeks to bridge the gap between traditional drug development methods and emergent infectious disease by unleashing innovation that is focused on patient and societal benefit. The Initiative taps into an existing pipeline built from relationships with research universities and institutions that span the U.S. and beyond.

About The Pandemic Security Initiative

The Pandemic Security Initiative seeks to protect the nation from future pandemics by developing medical countermeasures that integrate the best of ground-breaking science, entrepreneurial innovation, public-sector investment, and private-sector efficiency. With support from the public and private sectors, including the Department of Health and Human Services, its mission is to identify and develop innovative diagnostics, prophylactics, and therapeutics against pandemic scale threats. Celdara Medical initiated this work in 2014 and formalized it under the Pandemic Security Initiative umbrella in early 2020 to capture learnings from and aid in the response to COVID-19. Celdara Medical's Academic Partner Network includes collaborations with over 60 leading universities, and thousands of pipeline innovations from hundreds of universities and research labs spanning all 50 states and dozens of countries. In cooperation with the Global Virus Network this reach expands to an additional 63 Centers of Excellence in 35 countries. The Pandemic Security Initiative is an entrepreneurial, operating, health-security product developer. For more information on the Pandemic Security Initiative visit www.pansec.org.

About Celdara Medical

Celdara Medical gives hope and health to patients by transforming academic innovations into medicines with the potential to cure the world's most challenging diseases. Celdara is a recognized leader with a rich stable of discoveries, developed in concert with premier research institutions in the US, EU and beyond. The company secures lasting partnerships with inventors and their institutions, and provides the developmental, financial and business acumen to bridge the gap between discovery and clinical impact. With robust funding options, operations in Lebanon, NH, Cambridge, MA, and New York, NY, growing affiliates in Seattle, WA and Indianapolis, IN, a wealth of pipeline opportunities, and partnerships with industry leaders worldwide, Celdara navigates the path from science to medicine, accelerating innovation to improve human health. Further information about Celdara Medical is available at celdaramedical.com.

SOURCE Celdara Medical

Related Links

https://celdaramedical.com


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PathogenDx, Inc., an Arizona based technology company which has developed a multiplexed microarray-based pathogen testing platform, today announced that its QuantX Total Yeast and Mold test, the world's first quantitative microarray test for Cannabis, has received an AOAC Performance Tested Methods SM (PTM) Certificate from the AOAC Research Institute, making PathogenDx the first and only molecular technology company to receive such an AOAC certification. The news coincides with the launch of its updated suite of innovative cannabis testing solutions that advances safety and quality standards in the industry.

Designed for the cannabis and hemp industries, PathogenDx's QuantX assay quantifies the total amount of yeast and mold in a sample while also determining if the sample exceeds industry testing and safety standards. The test provides results in less than 6 hours compared to 3 to 4 days for conventional culture or enrichment-based methods. QuantX is suitable not only for cannabis testing labs, but also for growers, whose product must adhere to a limited amount of yeast and mold contamination.

Leveraging its learnings from the agile development of COVID-19 diagnostics, PathogenDx has innovated upon its multiplexed microarray testing platform and introduced an expanded 96-well plate, improved sample preparation and streamlined data reporting with the introduction of a new, customized portal. PathogenDx also released its Detectx--Alive test that separates live cells from dead cells for cannabis bacterial or fungal safety tests to provide increased accuracy, assurance and cost-savings. These updates bring the cannabis testing industry up to the same level of standards used in the food, agriculture and human diagnostics sectors.

"We are proud that our QuantX microarray has achieved the highest level of AOAC certification, just in time for the release of our new suite of advanced testing and reporting technologies that raise cannabis testing closer to the level of efficacy and standardization required of labs in mainstream industries," said Milan Patel, Co-founder and CEO of PathogenDx. "We implemented our nuanced learnings from our work combating the COVID-19 pandemic to drive efficiency, cost-savings, improved results and greater compliance for the cannabis industry. As the sector enters an era of acceptance at a national level, PathogenDx is committed to ensuring that the methods used in cannabis testing are not home-grown but standardized methods recognized at the federal level. We most notably appreciate the leadership that the AOAC organization has taken on this front to support the industry. With these developments, cannabis testing labs will now mirror how labs in other industries have been operating for decades."

Expanded 96-Well Microarray

PathogenDx expanded its 12-well Microarray into a standard 96-well format, introducing to the cannabis industry a best practice commonly used in clinical labs. Made with superior-quality glass, the larger format offers an improved level of efficiency, specificity, imaging accuracy and economies of scale. PathogenDx is also releasing an industry-first with foil-sealed wells. The updated plates enable lab technicians to remove the foil only on the wells needed for samples received for testing that day or shift, realizing significant cost savings from reduced waste of unused wells and test media.

Streamlined Processing on Quantx

PathogenDx introduced a one-step PCR for its Quantx fungal assay via a sample preparation step using a simplified spin-column step. The new methodology for preparing and analyzing cannabis matrices improves assay reliability by reducing PCR inhibition and minimizing all types of dim signal. This step also shortens the process by consolidating the two-step PCR into a single PCR step, enabling results to be delivered in 4.5 hours instead of 6 hours.

Detectx-Alive

Testing accuracy is jeopardized when the treatment of inputs results in cell death and an environment wherein both live and dead microbes exist. To address the concern of false positives, PathogenDx developed its Detectx-Alive test, which isolates live DNA from the deceased cells in any bacterial or fungal safety test and delivers results in 6 hours or less. With increased accuracy, testing labs save expenses by removing the need for expensive re-tests and avoiding unwanted product losses.

PathogenDx Portal

To provide another level of granularity in test results reporting, PathogenDx is replacing DropBox with a custom PathogenDx Reporting Portal for cannabis compliance reporting. The intuitive, user-friendly portal drives customer ease and efficiency by reducing the number of steps necessary to obtain lab results and COAs. It also improves data visibility with multi-user access to real-time results tracking and prior history reports. PathogenDx plans to add new integrations, all product inserts and ordering capabilities for PathogenDx products in the next 12 months.

To learn more, please visit www.pathogendx.com .

About PathogenDx

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, PathogenDx's mission is to become the new standard in molecular-based testing through widespread adoption of its advanced microarray testing platform for the human diagnostics, food and agricultural industries. PathogenDx's technology can rapidly identify and detect up to 50 pathogens all in a single test, in 6 hours providing triplicate data per analyte for certainty in results with a simple and easy process. The company's DNA-testing products  DetectX, QuantX, and EnviroX are disrupting conventional microbial and molecular technologies to identify, detect and quantify pathogens that are a threat to human health, their ecosystem and the environment. This technology will help growing businesses deliver safer products and healthier lives, while preventing billions of dollars in losses from infection and contamination. For more information on how you can utilize this simple, powerful and inexpensive DNA-based pathogen testing, visit www.pathogendx.com .

Media Contact

MATTIO Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE PathogenDx

Related Links

http://www.pathogendx.com


GALLUP, N.M., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The employed physicians of Rehoboth McKinley Christian Healthcare Services (RMCHCS) are proud to announce that they have decided to form a union in partnership with the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD). The physicians submitted their signed union authorization cards to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) this morning, and are asking their employer to recognize the new union based on those signatures.

The physician organizing committee also issued the following public statement:

"We have decided to unionize for one reason: to protect and improve the lives of our patients, without fear of reprisal for speaking up on their behalf."

"We believe our local hospital must be led by those who live and work here in McKinley County and understand the community here. That is how we can be responsive to the needs of our patients. We are worried sick about the growing lack of transparency and the difficulty in retaining quality doctors, nurses, and other colleagues, and we seek to heal these woes. We must be heard."

In 2020 management of the hospital was outsourced to Community Hospital Corporation (CHC), a Plano, Texas-based organization which seeks out "short- or long-term business relationships with healthcare organizations" in rural areas.

RMCHCS is centered around a 60-bed, acute care hospital that employs about 30 physicians and mid-level providers. The non-profit hospital has cared for community members since the early 1900s, including the Native Americans who live on the Navajo and Zuni reservations that surround the city of Gallup. The region has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 8, 2020, RMCHCS physicians publicly protested staffing shortages at RMCHS that compromised their ability to care for patients with COVID-19.

The Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD) is the largest union representing fully-licensed doctors in the United States. Interest in unionization is growing among physicians who are looking for a greater voice in their workplaces and the healthcare system (for background see article at https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/955888#vp_1).

CONTACT: Sue Wilson, 510-926-0408, [email protected] , www.uapd.com

SOURCE Union of American Physicians and Dentists

Related Links

http://www.uapd.com


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Plexus Worldwide (Plexus), a leading global direct-selling health and wellness company, has partnered with Feeding America to help provide nearly 26 Million Meals* nationwide. Plexus joined Feeding America for the third consecutive year to end food insecurity with Plexus Charities and their Nourish One Program.** For Feeding America's fiscal year ending on June 30, 2021, Plexus contributed over $1 million to Feeding America which supplied over 10 million meals across the country.

Alec Clark, President and Founder of Plexus Worldwide, says, "I'm humbled by the overwhelming determination our Plexus family has shown in making the Nourish One initiative a success. Our partnership with Feeding America speaks to our vision of hope, health, and happiness for every American. We believe that no one can be complacent  we all have to play our part in ensuring that no family goes hungry."

Plexus is proud to renew its partnership with Feeding America for the fourth consecutive year at the Leadership Partner level. Feeding America Leadership Partners are organizations whose contributions exceed $1 million, 10 million pounds of food/groceries, or a mixed contribution of $500,000+ and 5 million pounds of food/groceries. At the Leadership Partner level, Plexus joins the ranks of other Feeding America partners like Bank of America, Cisco, Proctor & Gamble, and Unilever.

"We've seen within our community and throughout the country the significant effect the pandemic has had. The increase in Americans suffering from food insecurity makes our partnership with Feeding America even more critical," says Tarl Robinson, CEO and Founder of Plexus Worldwide. "We're honored to be a part of this vital effort and are determined to play a key role in the fight against hunger."

*$1 helps to provide at least ten meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks

**Plexus Worldwide contributes a donation equivalent to one meal to Feeding America for every serving of Plexus Lean sold in the US through the Nourish One program.

Discover how you can get involved and visit www.plexusworldwide.com and www.FeedingAmerica.org.

About Plexus Worldwide:

Plexus Worldwide, LLC is a leading health and happiness company featuring health and wellness products that enable people to improve their lives and well-being. With hundreds of thousands of independent business owners ("Ambassadors") worldwide, Plexus is among the top 15 largest direct sales companies in the United States, and the top 30 global companies according to Direct Selling News. The combination of Plexus products and opportunities help individuals to meet their health-wellness and financial goals. For more information about us visit www.plexusworldwide.com

About Plexus Charities & Nourish One:

Initiated by Plexus Worldwide, a leading health and happiness company, Plexus Charities is a philanthropic organization dedicated to sharing health and happiness with those in need around the world. Created out of the company's culture of giving, this 501 (C)(3) supports employees and Ambassadors doing social good through volunteer efforts and monetary donations to groups such as Salvation Army and Phoenix Children's Hospital. In 2018, it established Nourish One a one-for-one initiative to provide a monetary donation to Feeding America and Mary's Meals for every serving sold from the Plexus Lean product line. With Nourish One, a meal for you means a meal* for a hungry child or family in need. For every serving of Plexus Lean you purchase, Plexus, through our philanthropic organization Plexus Charities, donates the monetary equivalent of one meal to our global partners dedicated to fighting hunger.

Press Contact:

Elizabeth Rodger

Pierce Mattie Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Plexus Worldwide

Related Links

http://www.plexusworldwide.com


LONDON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In a drive to better serve its clients and increase transparency and understanding of private markets, Preqin  the global leader in alternative assets data, analytics and insights  is delighted to announce today that it has acquired Colmore, a leading private markets technology, services and administration business.

Preqin supports more than 110,000 professionals globally in raising capital, sourcing deals and investments and understanding performance by providing them with the most comprehensive alternative assets data and insights. Colmore's key solutions include portfolio monitoring, analytics, fee tracking and validation, and fund administration services for its LP and allocator clients. The rapidly growing business monitors more than 3,000 private market funds and more than 40,000 holdings.

The new alliance between Colmore and Preqin will allow both companies to serve their clients across the entire private market investment lifecycle  from fundraising to due diligence and portfolio monitoring. Preqin also intends to enhance its market-leading benchmarks in partnership with Colmore, giving both companies' clients the ability to compare their performance against the industry's most accurate, timely and transparent benchmarks.

The acquisition solidifies Preqin's and Colmore's position as leaders in the private markets. According to Preqin data, the alternatives assets industry is expected to grow rapidly from $12.5tn AUM in 2020 to more than $20tn AUM by the end of 2025. A growing number of institutional investors are looking to the private markets, demanding cutting edge technology, data and integrated accounting and administration services. This helps them to better understand the market and streamline their operations, as they face new complexities from a heightened focus on ESG and diversification into new geographies and asset classes.

Ben Cook, CEO at Colmore, says: "It's a huge day for Colmore. We're delighted to announce our partnership with Preqin. Clients will get the best of our administration, monitoring and fee validation services, enhanced by Preqin's global private markets data. Clients will be able to see their invested fund information, together with wider industry data, all in one place. We're really excited about the future."

Mark O'Hare, founder and CEO at Preqin, adds: "Colmore and Preqin both share the same vision  to make our industry more accessible by providing our clients with data and insights so they can make investment decisions with confidence. Preqin is delighted to have Colmore join the Preqin family. We have big plans for the future as we continue to enhance our solutions, and we cannot wait to get started."

Preqin and Colmore successfully closed the transaction on August 5, 2021. Colmore will be fully owned by Preqin and run as an independent and standalone business. Ben Cook will remain the CEO of Colmore and join Preqin's Executive Committee. Both companies are planning to rapidly expand their headcount, and are committed to continue to grow their technology and product offerings.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Houlihan Lokey acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Colmore on this transaction, with DC Advisory advising Preqin. Clifford Chance served as the legal advisor to Colmore, with DLA Piper advising Preqin.

About Preqin

Preqin is the Home of Alternatives, the foremost provider of data, analysis, and insights to the alternatives industry. The company has pioneered rigorous methods of collecting private data for almost 20 years so that 110,000+ global professionals are streamlining how they raise capital, source deals and investments, understand performance, and stay informed. Through close partnerships with its clients, Preqin continuously builds innovative tools and mines new intelligence to enable them to make the best decisions every day. For more information, visit www.preqin.com.

About Colmore

Colmore, a Preqin company, is a market-leading, technology-driven private markets investor services business focused on the Limited Partner and Allocator market. The business operates from four offices located in New York and Dallas in the US, and London and Birmingham in the UK. Colmore employs more than 180 professionals, with the business monitoring over 3,000 private market funds and 40,000+ holdings. For more information, visit www.colmore.com.

Notes to editors

If you would like to receive direct weekly updates on the latest research, blogs, publications, conferences and product developments, then sign up to Preqin's Spotlight Newsletter.

Image of Ben Cook, CEO of Colmore, and Mark O'Hare, founder and CEO of Preqin: HERE

Preqin & Colmore logo: HERE

SOURCE Preqin
PureAire's Carbon Dioxide Monitor continually measures CO 2 levels from 0-50,000 parts per million (ppm). Air quality measurements are taken every 2 seconds and are visible on the Monitor's easy-to read backlit display. The Monitor can be linked to a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), a multi-channel controller, a remote display, or tied into building systems themselves.

PureAire's Carbon Dioxide Monitor features built-in LED visual and 90dB audible alarms. The Monitor responds in seconds to changes in carbon dioxide levels and will remain accurate over a wide range of temperature (0-50 Celsius) and humidity ( 0-95%RH) levels. The user-selectable alarm thresholds will activate the alarms when carbon dioxide reaches an unsafe level.

PureAire Monitoring Systems' Carbon Dioxide Monitors offer thorough air monitoring, with no time-consuming maintenance or calibration required. Built with non-dispersive, infrared (NDIR) sensor cells to ensure longevity, PureAire's Carbon Dioxide Monitors can last, trouble-free, for 10 years in normal working conditions.

According to Brandon Alan, PureAire's Vice President of Sales and Marketing: "Our new CO 2 Monitor broadens the line of high-quality PureAire products designed to meet our customers' safety requirements."

About PureAire Monitoring Systems, Inc.

In business for over 20 years, PureAire Monitoring Systems is an industry leader in manufacturing long-lasting, accurate, and reliable Oxygen Deficiency Monitors and other gas safety monitoring equipment. For more information, please contact:

PureAire Monitoring Systems, Inc.

1140 Ensell Road, Lake Zurich, Illinois 60047

CONTACT: Brandon Alan

847-726-6000

[email protected]

SOURCE PureAire Monitoring Systems, Inc

Related Links

https://www.pureairemonitoring.com/


SAN DIEGO and PERTH, Australia, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PYC Therapeutics (ASX: PYC), a biotechnology company combining two complementary platform technologies (selective drug delivery and precision drug design) to develop a new generation of RNA therapeutics to change the lives of patients with inherited diseases, today announced it will host an investor call on August 17, 2021 at 9 a.m. AWST/11 a.m. AEST (August 16, 9 p.m. U.S. ET / 6 p.m. U.S. PT) to discuss corporate and pipeline updates.

Attendees can submit questions ahead of the call via email to [email protected] and register for the call here:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEscO6oqDgrHtw4SxCeFo6U012lE61MJ1JC

A link to the call will be available in the "Events" section on the "Investors & Media" page of the PYC website at https://pyctx.com/investor-center/ and a recording will also be made available at this location after the call.

About PYC Therapeutics

PYC Therapeutics (ASX: PYC) is a development-stage biotechnology company pioneering a new generation of RNA therapeutics that utilize PYC's proprietary library of naturally derived cell penetrating peptides to overcome the major challenges of current genetic medicines. PYC believes its PPMO (Peptide conjugated Phosphorodiamidate Morpholino Oligomer) technology enables a safer and more effective RNA therapeutic to address the underlying drivers of a range of genetic diseases for which no treatment solutions exist today. The Company is leveraging its leading-edge science to develop a pipeline of novel therapies including three preclinical stage programs focused on inherited eye diseases and preclinical discovery efforts focused on neurodegenerative diseases. PYC's discovery and laboratory operations are located in Australia, and the Company's preclinical, clinical, regulatory and corporate operations are based in San Diego, California. For more information, visit pyctx.com, or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Forward looking statements

Any forward-looking statements in this ASX announcement have been prepared on the basis of a number of assumptions which may prove incorrect and the current intentions, plans, expectations and beliefs about future events are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the Company's control. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from assumptions or expectations expressed or implied in this ASX announcement include known and unknown risks. Because actual results could differ materially to assumptions made and the Company's current intentions, plans, expectations and beliefs about the future, you are urged to view all forward-looking statements contained in this ASX announcement with caution. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

CONTACTS:

INVESTORS

Deborah Elson/Matthew De Young

Argot Partners

[email protected]

[email protected]



MEDIA

Leo Vartorella

Argot Partners

[email protected]

SOURCE PYC Therapeutics

Related Links

https://pyctx.com/


BOSTON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Recorded Future, one of the world's largest providers of intelligence for enterprise security, today announced it has further strengthened its relationship with Microsoft through an integration with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint , enabling continuous threat protection and the proactive blocking of threats, helping to further protect businesses from an attack. Additionally, as a result of its integrations with Microsoft, Recorded Future has joined the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA), an ecosystem of independent software vendors and managed security service providers that have integrated their solutions to better defend against a world of increasing threats.

The integration allows Recorded Future to help security teams reduce their risk exposure by collecting, analyzing, and delivering actionable security intelligence within their Microsoft security solutions. With this integration, high-confidence indicators are automatically sent to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, enabling security teams to proactively protect their organizations from emerging threats. Recorded Future also currently integrates with Microsoft Azure Sentinel to support security operations and incident response teams in protecting their cloud environments with contextual intelligence on internal telemetry data for faster identification, prioritization, and response to threats.

Recorded Future's Intelligence Platform combines sophisticated machine and human analysis to fuse open source, dark web, and technical sources with original research. This approach automatically suggests outcomes that can be consumed by analysts easily and integrates with existing security systems. Recorded Future's integration with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides unmatched visibility into an external threat landscape through:

Automated, Continuous Threat Monitoring - Recorded Future intelligence is automatically and continuously delivered into Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to alert and block suspicious network traffic. As a result, endpoints and their corresponding users will be better protected from malicious sites flagged by Recorded Future and from potential damage to their organization.

- Recorded Future intelligence is automatically and continuously delivered into Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to alert and block suspicious network traffic. As a result, endpoints and their corresponding users will be better protected from malicious sites flagged by Recorded Future and from potential damage to their organization. Out-of-the-Box Threat Protection - The Recorded Future integration with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides increased protection against known, high-risk Command and Control IP addresses, as well as newly registered domains that have been weaponized.

- The Recorded Future integration with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides increased protection against known, high-risk Command and Control IP addresses, as well as newly registered domains that have been weaponized. Actionable Playbooks - Recorded Future developed actionable playbook templates that are click-to-implement and available on the Azure Sentinel GitHub for download.

"The strength of an organization's security posture requires the ability to proactively monitor threats outside of an organization as it does to surveil its internal infrastructure. Deepening our initial partnership, with more Recorded Future intelligence, Microsoft clients gain complete visibility and can combine it with internal telemetry to proactively block threats before they impact the business."  Stuart Solomon, Chief Operating Officer, Recorded Future

"Recorded Future enables clients to instantly understand their threat landscape and respond with correlated external intelligence. As we remain focused on delivering a holistic, cloud-delivered endpoint security solution, the integration of Recorded Future's intelligence with dynamic data sources provides an additional layer of threat protection for our clients' security posture."  Tomer Brand, Principal PM Manager, Microsoft 365 Security at Microsoft Corp.

To learn more about how Recorded Future's integration with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, please visit: https://www.recordedfuture.com/integrations/defender/

To sign up for a free trial of Recorded Future for Microsoft Azure Sentinel, please visit: https://go.recordedfuture.com/microsoft-azure-sentinel-free-trial

About Recorded Future

Recorded Future is one of the world's largest providers of intelligence for enterprise security. By combining persistent and pervasive automated data collection and analytics with human analysis, Recorded Future delivers intelligence that is timely, accurate, and actionable. In a world of ever-increasing chaos and uncertainty, Recorded Future empowers organizations with the visibility they need to identify and detect threats faster; take proactive action to disrupt adversaries; and protect their people, systems, and assets, so business can be conducted with confidence. Recorded Future is trusted by more than 1,000 businesses and government organizations around the world. Learn more at www.recordedfuture.com and follow us on Twitter at @RecordedFuture.

SOURCE Recorded Future

Related Links

http://www.recordedfuture.com


GURUGRAM, India, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Key Findings

E-Commerce penetration in Australia increased to 10% by December 2020 , although the global average is around 14.1% showcasing a huge potential growth for the Australian Economy, in terms of E-Commerce penetration and in turn Logistics Industry.

increased to 10% by , although the global average is around 14.1% showcasing a huge potential growth for the Australian Economy, in terms of E-Commerce penetration and in turn Logistics Industry. Increasing Number of Logistics service providers are focussing on improving their Value Added Services and streamlining their business operations using Big Data, Data Analytics Tools, IoT, AI and others.

Overall National Population of Australia has been growing consistently by 1.3% Y-o-Y. This has led to rise in consumption of Food and Beverages and higher demand for supermarket retailing leading to increase the demand for cold chain solutions in the country.

Rising Investment in technology: Major Logistics Players of Australia are increasingly focussing on improving IT and investing in technology in order to retain their customers in the highly competitive market of the country. Australia's freight networks are already responding to the advent of big data, open data and digital technologies. Micro freight has become an increasingly important part of the country's freight and supply chain networks. Technologies such as 3D Printing, Autonomous Vehicles, Artificial Intelligence, Alternative Fuel Vehicles, Drones and more adoption levels are expected to increase in the future in the country.

Improving Infrastructure: Australian Government is investing heavily for improving infrastructure in the country and this trend is expected to be the highest during 2020-2023, with lot of transport infrastructure and increase in government expenditure expected to take place. ~ A$ 15 Bn worth projects are expected to be undertaken during the period.

Rising Demand for Omni-Channel Grocery: Growing middle class population is generating robust demand for high quality groceries sourced from home and abroad. The growing consumption is being facilitated by the expansion of Omni channel distribution leading to increasing demand for cold chain solutions in the country.

Analysts at Ken Research in their latest publication "Australian Logistics Market Outlook to 2025- Led by Growth in Road Freight Services and rising demand for Cold Storage Facilities", the Australian Logistic Market has been evolving in the country due to factors such as increasing E-commerce penetration due to changing consumer patterns and increasing consumer expenditure; improving transportation and warehousing infrastructure due to multiple government projects; rising investment in technologies such as IoT, Big Data Open Data, AI, Automation and more; growing international trade with other major economies such as China, Japan, Republic of Korea, India and more. The market is expected to register a positive CAGR of 3.4% in terms of revenue during the forecast period 2020-2025.

Key Segments Covered:-

By Mode of Service- Freight Forwarding Market (Revenues)

Road Freight



Sea Freight



Rail Freight



Air Freight

By Type of Load- Freight Forwarding Market (Revenue and Volume)

LTL



FTL

By Business Model-Warehousing Market (Revenues)

Industrial Retail



Cold Storage



IFS/ICD



Agriculture

By End User-Warehousing Market (Revenues)

Food and Beverages



Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices



Textile and Footwear



Electronics



Chemicals



Others

By Regions-Warehousing Market (Space)

New South Wales



Sydney



Brisbane



Perth

By Service- Cold Chain Market (Revenues)

Cold Transportation



Cold Storage

By Temperature-Cold Chain Market (Revenues and Number of Pallets)

Freezers and Chillers



Ambient

By End User-Cold Chain Market (Revenues)

Food and Beverages



Meat and Seafood



Dairy Products



Pharmaceuticals



Bakery and Confectionery



Others

Companies Covered:-

(Freight Forwarding and Warehousing Companies)

Linfox

DB Schenker

SCT Logistics

CEVA Logistics

DHL Freight Forwarding

Panalpina

Bollore

Yusen Logistics

Aurizon Logistics

Toll Holdings

QLS Group

MJ Logistics

Qube Logistics

K & S Corporation

CTI Logistics

Freight Management Holdings (EFM)

Lindsay Australia

Wiseway Group

Mainfreight Limited

Kings Transport

Glen Cameron Group

Centurion

(Cold Storage Companies)

Cannon Logistics

Lineage Logistics

Karras Cold Logistics

Americold

Scott's RL

OFE Refrigerated Transport

Minus1 Refrigerated Transport

Victoria Cold Storage

ACIT Group

Berle Transport

Laverton Cold Storage

Freezex Refrigerated Transport

QMC Logistics

Acacia Transport

ColdRex Transport

(Co-Packing Companies)

Ferndale

Total Package

Multipack LJM

Pack Centre

Finishing Services

Tripak

Trublu Beverages

Austchilli Group

Fantastick

Assemco

Packlogica

Arrowpack

Key Target Audience:-

E-commerce Companies

Third Party Logistic Providers

Potential Market Entrants

Freight Forwarding Companies

Warehousing Companies

Cold Storage Companies

Industry Associations

Consulting Agencies

Time Period Captured in the Report:-

Historical Period : 2015-2020

: 2015-2020 Forecast Period: 2020-202

Key Topics Covered in the Report:-

Comprehensive analysis of Australia Logistics Market and its segments.

Listed major players and their positioning in the market.

Identified major industry developments in last few years and assessed the future growth of the industry.

Australia Logistics Market Revenue

Australia Number of Logistic Companies

Australia Logistic Market Size

Australia Transportation Market Size

Australia Warehousing Market Size

Australia Cold Storage Market Size

Australia Logistics Market Growth Drivers

Warehousing Hubs Australia

Gross Domestic Product Australia

Australia Third Party Logistics

Australia Road Freight Network

Australia Sea Freight Network

Australia Air Freight Network

Australia Road Freight Supply Chain

Australia Warehousing Market Growth

Australia Transportation Industry Growth Drivers

Australia Logistics Market COVID-19 Impact

Australia Warehousing Market Future Technologies

Australia Cold Chain Industry

Australia Co-packing Industry Market Size

Australia major Road Freight Companies

major Road Freight Companies Australia Courier, Express and Parcel Service

Major Players Australia Logistics Market

Australia Logistics Market Competition Share

Australia Railway Network

Australia major Logistics Hubs

major Logistics Hubs Australia Drone Technology

Major Pharmacy Chains Australia

Warehousing Automation Australia

Australia Transport Industry Cost Structure

Road Freight International Companies Australia

Road Freight Domestic Companies Australia

Australia Transportation Industry Future Technologies

Australia Grade A and Grade B Warehousing Space

Australia Logistics Future Revenue

Australia Transportation Industry Future Revenue

Australia Warehousing Market COVID Impact

Australia Warehousing Industry Future Revenue

Australia Transportation Market COVID Impact

Australia Cold Chain Industry COVID Impact

For More Information on the research report, refer to below link:-

Australia Logistics Market Outlook to 2025

Related Reports:-

Philippines Cold Chain Market Outlook To 2025: Driven By Rising Processed Food Consumption Owing To Growing Millennial Population Albeit Infrastructure Challenges

Philippines cold chain market was evaluated grow at a CAGR of 12.7% during 2014-2019 owing to the launch of 'Philippines National Cold Chain Program' in 2004 which helped in establishment of cold chain facilities in major areas of North, Central and South Philippines. Government initiatives such as 'Philippines Cold Chain Project' launched in 2014, 'Build, Build, Build' initiative in 2018 and the annual Philippines cold chain expos conducted by CCAP have been vital for the market growth. The market has been driven primarily by the cold storage over transport business. Correspondingly, the cold chain industry has also been driven by rising meat consumption, consistent seafood production and rise in preventable diseases among Filipinos thereby augmenting the demand for vaccines and pharmaceuticals.

India Logistics Market Outlook To FY24Driven By Government Infrastructure Push, New Age Logistics Startups, And Technology Innovation

India has been ranked at 4th position in the world in railway freight traffic after China, the US, and Russia. Under the land freight corridors, 65% of domestic freight volume carried through the road; high compared to ~50% in developed countries. India Logistics Market has witnessed an average CAGR during FY14-FY19 due to favorable policy reforms from the government, continued investment in infrastructure by both the government and the private sector; the influx of foreign players in the market in recent years, increasing consolidation, and investing in innovative technologies has stimulated the growth in the market.

Turkey Logistics And Warehousing Market Outlook To 2025  By Domestic And International Freight Forwarding Throughput, Revenue & Flow Corridor (Road Freight And Pipelines, Sea, Air And Rail Freight), By Warehousing (Industrial / Retail, Container Freight / Inland Container Depot & Cold Storage), By 3PL, Courier Express & Parcel, Domestic And Cross Border E-Commerce Logistics

Turkey logistics and warehousing market displayed a consistent growth during the period 2013 to 2018. The growth in the automotive exports coupled with rising e-commerce sector was witnessed to drive the Turkey logistics market. The country also has a robust manufacturing sector that contributes to almost 25% of the country's GDP and provides the boost to the logistics industry in Turkey. In addition to this, the implementation of Vision 2023 and Logistics Master Plan 2023 by the government also indicates a positive outlook for the industry. The market has increased owing to high domestic consumption and the efforts of government to boost infrastructure. The investments in infrastructure and technology have impacted Turkey logistics market positively.

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"Having worked with Alex the last two years, I can say with confidence that he will bring vision and great leadership to this strategically critical location. We look forward to introducing Revival Sash to additional local architects and contractors and to a long and collaborative presence on Eastern Long Island." said Mike Canizales , CEO of Revival Sash.

Alex added "Being given the opportunity to represent Revival Sash and a team of craftsmen with centuries of woodworking experience, is extraordinary. The hurricane rated wood products that have been developed and HVHZ tested by Revival are world class. The Revival steel line and large format aluminum products that we debuted at 2 West Water Street in Sag Harbor will no doubt also become coveted among the most discerning clients."

Alex will be supported by Paul Beinlich, Director of Installation and Service. Paul is also well known in the market and will employ a full team of locally based installation, and service professionals. Brian Trager, a Revival project manager and founding Revival Sash partner, and Long Island native rounds out the senior leadership team.

Revival Holdings owns three premier window and door companies: Revival Sash, Bright Window Specialists and Sequel.

Revival Sash Custom Windows & Doors is a manufacturer servicing the most discerning architects and general contractors in the nation. Many members of the multi-generational Revival family have worked together for decades and produced over $250M worth of handcrafted American made products. The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and showroom is in Springfield, New Jersey, 30 minutes from the national sales office in New York City which is headed by Founding Partner, Peter Manning. The West Palm Beach office is at 1601 Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach, Florida. The company offers wood, steel, aluminum and clad products across several brand and price points which meet the most rigorous AAMA, Florida Building Code & HVHZ standards.

Sequel is a full-service window sales and installation company with 33 years of experience installing windows and doors in coastal Florida and across the nation for luxury residences. The company has worked on countless projects in the Florida Area with focus on Jupiter and Palm Bach Islands.

Bright Window Specialists is a window and door sales and installation company based in New Jersey, offering high-end services to the greater New York region. Whether looking for a contemporary design or something more traditional, the Bright team ensures a finished product that surpasses expectations. Bright Window Specialists has been a trusted Leader since 1991.

Sachs Capital is a patient, sophisticated financial partner that offers flexible, non-control, long term capital to successful entrepreneurs. With over 40 years of experience working with entrepreneurs, its core philosophy is to align Sachs' interests with ownership through a non-control capital position. Sachs Capital is not limited by the typical requirements of institutional investors and is able to invest for the long term, with no forced exit or maturity event. Sachs Capital has invested over $160 million into 19 companies for over a decade and is currently investing out of Sachs Capital Fund II, LLC, a $65 million committed capital fund. Sachs has a keen interest in the building products space with investments in Ducky Johnson and Revival Holdings; and Link Electric, among others. Sachs Capital first invested in Revival Holdings in May of 2019.

Contact: Mike Canizales,+1 212 731 9337, [email protected]

SOURCE Revival Sash

Related Links

https://www.revivalsash.com


WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RiversEdge Advisors adds to its portfolio management, client service, and leadership teams to accommodate significant growth and expansion of this Wilmington, DE financial advisory firm for business owners.

Co-founder of RiversEdge Advisors, Brian Carney noted, "Over the last year, our firm and our team have demonstrated remarkable resiliency in the face of so many pandemic-related challenges. We have grown in every sense of the word. In order to accommodate for our expansion and continue to provide exceptional service to our clients, we are excited to announce that we have promoted internally and added a few key players of tremendous talent to our team."

Erin Eliason has been promoted to Director of Operations. To this critical leadership role, she brings both her unique nine-year experience in the financial services industry and a deep commitment to service excellence. She ensures the team meets servicing commitments for all clients and that company-wide activities are well-organized, efficient, and successful. She also liaisons with executive leadership as a key decision-maker, establishing the processes needed to achieve strategic goals. To her merit, she does all this while monitoring and directing day-to-day business operations to ensure smooth progress is always being made.

Erin's promotion precedes that of several key additions, including:

Amira Adams joins RiversEdge Advisors as the Director of Retirement Plan Services. Amira brings over 20+ years of industry experience with an extensive perspective of defined benefit and defined contribution plans. She has a great understanding of what is required to run a successful retirement plan, having worked from the plan sponsor's side of the table and as an advisor to the plan sponsor. Before joining RiversEdge Advisors, Amira assisted in managing and administering Einstein Hospital's retirement plans and served as the Director of Participant Services at RTD Financial Advisors.

Gary Diegert brings his talent to RiversEdge as the newest Portfolio Manager. He is responsible for preparing investment recommendations for client portfolios, monitoring portfolio performance, and conducting market and economic research. He also participates in the RiversEdge Investment Committee, where he leads investment manager research efforts and recommends changes to the firm's model portfolios. Gary graduated Cum Laude from Drexel University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, double majoring in finance and legal studies. He is also a level three candidate in the CFA program. Before joining our firm, he spent four years at a wealth management firm in Philadelphia.

Along with Amira and Gary, Sean DeBarberie joins RiversEdge Advisors as a Client Service Associate. Sean optimizes the client experience by proactively helping our clients meet their needs. He also assists advisors in the daily operations of the firm. After graduating from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Sean spent almost five years in the banking industry where he gained experience in client service, operations, and business development. During this time, Sean returned to Bloomsburg University to complete his Master's in Business Administration, an experience which gave him a more holistic understanding of the business world.

About RiversEdge Advisors

RiversEdge Advisors was founded in 2013 to provide fee-based wealth management solutions to business owners and their families both locally in Wilmington, DE and virtually all over the country. The advisors at this firm serve as the outsourced CFOs for busy, high-income business owners looking to simplify their personal and professional finances and build substantial wealth for the future. The firm also provides 401K Plan Services for business owners with 1-1000 employees looking to develop the most efficient plans and education programs for their business. For more information on RiversEdge Advisors, please visit www.riversedgeadvisors.com.

If you would like more information about this topic, please call Brian Carney at 302-573-6864, or email [email protected].

SOURCE RiversEdge Advisors

Related Links

www.riversedgeadvisors.com


MOSCOW, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rossiya Airline (Aeroflot Group), in partnership with the largest tour operator Biblio-Globus, has resumed scheduled flights to popular Egyptian resorts from Sheremetyevo International Airport.

Flights from Moscow to Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh will operate five times a week - on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays on Boeing 747 aircraft designed to carry 522 passengers: 12 in business class and 510 in economy class.

The first flights to Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh departed on schedule from Sheremetyevo's Terminal D on August 9.

Departure time to Hurghada is 08:55 with arrival at the resort airport at 12:50 local time. Return flights will depart Hurghada at 14:50 and arrive in Moscow at 20:35. Flights to Sharm el-Sheikh will depart at 10:30 and arrive at 14:25. Return flights will depart at 16:25 and arrive in Moscow at 22:10.

"Tourism has always been one of the main areas of cooperation between Russia and Egypt. The resumption of scheduled service to the Red Sea resorts is a long-awaited event for many of our citizens who prefer hot climates for recreation or are fond of diving," said Sergey Starikov, the official representative of Rossiya Airline. "Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh will become an organic addition to the traditional cities of the Black Sea coast. All flights are performed in compliance with high standards of aviation and epidemiological safety."

The first flights load to the Egyptian resorts were fully booked. The tickets are sold as part of a vacation package, which includes flight, transfer, accommodation in a hotel of chosen star classification and sightseeing programs.

"The resumption of flights to resorts in Egypt is a long-awaited event for Sheremetyevo Airport," said F.M. Sytin, Deputy Director General of JSC SIA for Commercial Activities. "Sheremetyevo provides passengers of Rossiya Airline with quality services and a high-tech service environment. Spacious, comfortable terminals and airfield infrastructure with three runways allow airlines to dynamically increase international traffic and offer passengers the best routes in terms of price and quality all over the world."

"Before the air service shutdown, Egypt was one of the most popular destinations among Russian tourists," said Irina Kostenko, Managing Director of tour operator Biblio-Globus. "In 2013-2014, it was visited annually by about one million tourists using the services of Biblio-Globus. Now we are experiencing high demand for flights to the resort cities of this Arab country, stable until the end of the fall school break. Egypt has always been considered a winter vacation destination, and we expect an even bigger surge of bookings closer to winter. We are already seeing bookings for New Year holidays."

The first flight from Russia was met at Sharm el-Sheikh Airport by the Russian ambassador to Egypt, Georgy Borisenko. He expressed gratitude to Rossiya Airline, which helps our compatriots rediscover Egypt and its various recreational opportunities. "The resumption of full-scale direct flights will serve to strengthen Russian-Egyptian ties, based on the long-standing traditions of friendship between the two peoples," he said.

Passengers of international flights operated by Rossiya Airlines will appreciate the variety of services available at Sheremetyevo's Terminal D. Travelers with children can visit the well-appointed room for mothers and children, and a specially equipped luxury room, Saturn, serves disabled people. Tourists can also wait for their flight in a cozy Sleep Lounge - a room to sleep and rest located in the accessible area of Terminal D. The Moscow Business Lounge (winner of the prestigious Business Traveller Russia and CIS Awards) and the comfortable VIP Lounge are at the service of business travelers.

Rossiya Airlines reminds of the need to comply with flight rules in the current epidemiological restrictions. When planning a trip abroad, please carefully read the current information on the rules and restrictions on entry into the country of your destination. For Russian citizens traveling to Egypt, it is necessary to have a certificate of vaccination in English with a QR-code. The certificate is accepted if 14 days have passed since the second dose was administered. In the absence of a certificate - a negative result of PCR test done no more than 72 hours before the departure time of the flight. In addition, all passengers are required to complete a questionnaire (health card) upon arrival at Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada airports. More information about rules and restrictions of entry can be found on the official website of the Embassy, Consulate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or on the website of Rossiya Airline.

We also remind you of the need to observe antivirus safety measures. In order to protect against the spread of the coronavirus infection, and in accordance with the Methodological Guidelines of the Ministry of Transportation of the Russian Federation, passengers at the airport and on board the aircraft are required to use personal protective equipment (masks), which may not be removed during the entire flight. For more details on the rules of conduct on board the aircraft, as well as the requirements for those arriving in Russia, please visit the website of Rossiya Airline.

Sheremetyevo Airport is among the TOP-5 airport hubs in Europe, the largest Russian airport in terms of passenger and cargo traffic. In 2020, the airport served 19 million 784 thousand passengers.

Sheremetyevo is the best airport in terms of quality of services in Europe, the absolute world leader in punctuality of flights, the recipient of the highest 5-star Skytrax rating.

You can find additional information at http://www.svo.aero.

SOURCE Sheremetyevo International Airport
SINGAPORE and HERNDON, Va., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RTI Connectivity Pte. Ltd. (RTI) , a leading independent undersea cable owner and InterGlobix LLC , a global solutions company focused on the convergence of data centers, terrestrial fiber and subsea fiber today announce they have entered into a Strategic Business Partnership Agreement.

RTI (PRNewsfoto/InterGlobix LLC)

As part of this agreement, InterGlobix will provide strategic business development and advisory support for the growth and expansion of RTI's global network and development of interconnection ecosystems. In addition, InterGlobix will focus on high-growth areas for RTI, including a robust strategy around carrier-neutral data centers which can serve dual-purposes of Colocation and being a Cable Landing Station (CLS).

"At RTI, we value partnerships and are constantly looking for the right partners to grow our business globally. InterGlobix is on the forefront of Internet infrastructure, leading the convergence of data centers, subsea and terrestrial fiber. We look forward to our partnership with InterGlobix and working together in various high-growth strategic areas globally," said Russ Matulich, RTI's Founder and CEO.

"With a subsea network spanning 38,110 kilometers and connecting three continents together, RTI owns and operates one of the most robust and well-connected subsea networks in the world with a strong position in the AsiaPac region. We are honored to partner with RTI and look forward to contributing toward their next phase of growth both geographically and in product offerings," said Vinay Nagpal, President of InterGlobix and Executive Director of the Internet Ecosystem Innovation Committee (IEIC).

About RTI

RTI Connectivity Pte. Ltd. is a leading independent undersea cable owner providing large-scale network solutions across a wide variety of industries including cloud companies, network operators, regional carriers, global enterprises, content providers and institutions for higher learning. RTI is headquartered in the city-state of Singapore. For more information, visit www.rticable.com .

ABOUT INTERGLOBIX LLC

InterGlobix LLC is a global consulting and advisory company focused on the convergence of datacenters, terrestrial and subsea fiber. InterGlobix offers strategic business consulting and marketing solutions for datacenter and the connectivity industry worldwide. InterGlobix also owns InterGlobix Magazine, the industry's first and only global magazine of its kind focused on Datacenters, Connectivity, Luxury and Lifestyle. Visit InterGlobix at: www.interglobix.com and www.interglobixmagazine.com

SOURCE InterGlobix LLC

Related Links

https://www.interglobix.com/


WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The bipartisan infrastructure deal that passed the Senate includes several key provisions that will help modernize the built environment.

"To meet the challenges of the 21st century, our nation's infrastructure funding needs to move beyond roads and bridges to include schools, hospitals, homes and more, especially as buildings contribute nearly 40 percent of worldwide carbon emissions," said American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2021 President Peter Exley, FAIA. "This bipartisan legislation represents an important step toward improving our nation's buildings. However, we urge lawmakers to ensure greater funding for building improvements is included in the Budget Reconciliation package. By doing so, we can make meaningful progress on reducing the built environment's impact on climate change."

The Senate is expected to advance a second infrastructure bill through the Budget Reconciliation process this fall.

AIA has advocated for several of the provisions included in the Senate's "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act," (H.R. 3684), which will improve safety, resilience and sustainability in the built environment. Key provisions that would improve the built environment, include:

Providing $3.5 billion in funding for the Department of Energy's (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program, which increases energy efficiency and reduces costs for low-income households.

in funding for the Department of Energy's (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program, which increases energy efficiency and reduces costs for low-income households. Authorizing $500 million in competitive grants to support energy-efficient and renewable energy in schools.

in competitive grants to support energy-efficient and renewable energy in schools. Allocating $1 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program.

for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. Allocating $500 million for grants established from the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Act (STORM Act), which mitigates hazards to reduce risks from disasters.

for grants established from the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Act (STORM Act), which mitigates hazards to reduce risks from disasters. Providing $250 million in funding to establish the Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund Capitalization Grant Program, which states could use to improve the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings.

in funding to establish the Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund Capitalization Grant Program, which states could use to improve the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings. Establishing a $225 million competitive grant program within the DOE's Building Technologies Office to support cost-effective building code implementation.

competitive grant program within the DOE's Building Technologies Office to support cost-effective building code implementation. Establishing a $40 million grant program to train individuals to conduct energy audits and surveys of commercial and residential buildings.

grant program to train individuals to conduct energy audits and surveys of commercial and residential buildings. Developing building, training, and assessment centers through institutions of higher education and Tribal colleges to train architects, engineers, and other professionals about energy-efficient design and technologies, along with fostering additional research.

Allowing the Metropolitan Transportation Planning authorities to use federal funding to promote more walkable and multi-modal communities.

Complete provisions can be found on AIA's website. The Senate's bill will now require a vote in the full House of Representatives, which is currently on recess through Sept. 20. The legislation will also require President Biden's signature in order to be enacted.

Since February, the AIA and its members have been advocating for members of Congress to include federal funding for buildings in the infrastructure package. So far, AIA members have sent thousands of letters to their respective members of Congress.

Visit AIA's website to learn more about its advocacy efforts.

ABOUT AIA

Founded in 1857, AIA consistently works to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. Through more than 200 international, state and local chapters, AIA advocates for public policies that promote economic vitality and public wellbeing.



AIA provides members with tools and resources to assist them in their careers and business as well as engaging civic and government leaders and the public to find solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation, and world. Members adhere to a code of ethics and conduct to ensure the highest professional standards.

CONTACT

Matt Tinder

(202) 626 7462

[email protected]

SOURCE American Institute of Architects

Related Links

www.aia.org


NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Future Method, the sexcare line known for combining scientific research with a holistic approach to worry-free sex attainable for all, announces it will expand its retail distribution beyond its e-commerce websitewww.futuremethod.comand into UrbanOutfitters.com as well as HUSTLER Hollywood brick-and-mortar retail locations nationwide. Initially focused on offering healthy products and improving education around anal sex, the brand also continues to expand its reach through hotel brand partnerships and international distribution.

"We are thrilled to partner with Future Method! We see a great deal of synergy between Future Method and Urban Outfitters and are excited to be expanding our wellness category with a wider range of intimate care. We are very pleased to offer Future Method to our customers as an inclusive and innovative brand that aligns well with our values," said Lindsay Peacock, Buyer at Urban Outfitters.

Future Method is a pioneer brand devoted to revolutionizing the way all sexually active people prepare for and enjoy sex, and care for their bodies afterwards. The brand initially built a loyal following among gay men, but this expansion increases visibility and underscores the exploding demand for its products amongst a broader consumer demographic.

"Over the past few years, as the stigma and taboo around anal engagement has lessened, we've seen an increase in interest from all genders and sexualities. Sexual practices in America are shifting, and consumer demand in the health and sexual wellness category is exploding," said Dr. Evan Goldstein, co-founder of Future Method. "Consumers are expecting more throughout all categories of self-careand sexual health is no exception. At our core, Future Method is a science-first, holistic brand dedicated to supporting safe and healthy pleasure and judgment-free education."

Future Method's increased growth and presence across mainstream retail stores throughout the nation is a testament to the core values of the brand. Traditional pleasure and sexcare stores like HUSTLER Hollywood are continuing to expand further into the wellness category by introducing educational, science-backed brands like Future Method.

"We are excited to partner with an innovative brand like Future Method, who combine actual science with intimacy products. One of the things we love most about Future Method is how much thought, care, and research go into development of the entire line. We particularly align with their dedication to creating safe, effective sexual wellness goods while also promoting education. As a brand, HUSTLER Hollywood's mission is to make sexual health and wellness products more accessible, and to work hard to erase the shame and stigma associated with sex and sexuality. We take great pride in providing quality products and service with a fun and judgment-free shopping experience. Future Method is a perfect fit," said Philip Del Rio, VP of Retail at HUSTLER Hollywood.

Developed and co-founded by Dr. Evan Goldstein, anal surgeon, sexual health and wellness expert, and founder of Bespoke Surgicala first-of-its-kind, elite anal surgery practice built for today's gay male and anyone looking to improve their anal healthFuture Method was inspired by Dr. Goldstein's patient interactions through which he identified a real need for science-backed products, accessible education, and open dialogue to help people achieve safe, healthy, and fun sex.

Future Method is now available at UrbanOutfitters.com and HUSTLER Hollywood retail locations nationwide. For more information on Future Method, visit www.futuremethod.com.

ABOUT FUTURE METHOD

Future Method is an innovative, science-backed sexcare brand co-founded by Dr. Evan Goldstein, a nationally renowned anal surgeon and founder and CEO of Bespoke Surgical. Future Method is the result of Dr. Goldstein's years of experience working with clients and understanding their sexual needs and has been embraced by people from a wide spectrum of sexualities. As the preeminent expert and thought leader in the field, Dr. Goldstein is committed to education and awarenessnot only through bringing the important issues surrounding sexual health to the forefront, but also eliminating the stigma attached to anal engagement.

SOURCE Future Method

Related Links

http://www.futuremethod.com


"In almost 20 years in addiction and recovery management, rarely have I seen a solution with as much potential as SOBRsafe's," stated HAS Chief of Operations Joel Davenport. "This technology has innumerable applications, and I anticipate installing it with significant employers in the coming weeks. I am excited to get in on the ground floor with SOBRsafe, and I believe we can effect great change in the industry together."

Followed SOBRsafe Chairman and CRO Dave Gandini, "We feel that our touch-based alcohol detection products are ideal for alcohol management and occupational safety distributors, and that is being validated by established market leader HAS. We seek to provide HAS another strong, recurring revenue stream and a means to further monetize their carefully curated rolodex. To have enthusiastic industry experts already in our corner bodes well for a company at our commercial rollout stage."

ABOUT HOUSE ARREST SYSTEMS

HAS has been offering electronic monitoring services to the criminal justice system since 2010. It provides an array of solutions which are tailored to each individual client, including GPS monitoring and alcohol monitoring. Because of the leading-edge technology used by HAS, violations can be detected almost instantly and reported to the courts, typically within one business day. In 2014 the company expanded its services to persons with disabilities and Alzheimer's patients, to assist their caregivers in providing maximum safety at all times. We remain committed to using the latest technology to provide the most comprehensive accountability solutions.

About SOBRsafe (www.sobrsafe.com)

The annual cost of alcohol abuse in the U.S. is $249 billion. Nearly half of all industrial accidents with injuries are alcohol-related, and workers with an alcohol problem are 270% more likely to have an accident. In response, publicly-traded SOBRsafe has developed a proprietary, touch-based identity verification, alcohol detection and cloud-based reporting system. The technology is transferable across innumerable form factors, including personal wearables, stationary access control and for telematics integration. A preventative solution in a historically reactive industry, it is being readied for deployment for school buses, commercial fleets, workplaces, managed care, young drivers and more. This patent-pending alcohol detection solution helps prevent an intoxicated worker from taking the factory floor, or a driver the vehicle keys. An offender is immediately flagged, and the employer (or parent, rehab sponsor, etc.) is empowered to take the appropriate corrective actions. For more information, visit www.sobrsafe.com.

Forward Looking Statement

SOBR Safe, Inc.'s statements in this press release that are not historical fact and that relate to future plans or events are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by use of words such as "believe," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include risks associated with changes in business conditions and similar events. The risks and uncertainties involved include those detailed from time to time in SOBR Safe, Inc.'s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including SOBRSafe, Inc.'s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.

SOURCE SOBR Safe, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.sobrsafe.com


EDINA, Minn., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Accommodating sustained momentum as a result of consumers spending more time at home, Softies , with a 15-year heritage of designing functional loungewear, sleepwear and robes, today announced its expansion to the east coast, opening a distribution center in Metro Atlanta. The new location will house the company's operations that are moving from Edina. The corporate headquarters will remain in the Midwest.

The explosion of the loungewear and pajama category, along with Softies' entry into the everyday apparel and accessories category, is fueling the brand's growth, supported by the projected industry forecast of $19.5 billion by 2024.

"We are so grateful to Gwinnett County for welcoming Softies to the region and supporting us as we become established," said CEO Shelley Foland. "We look forward to growing Softies nationwide and enhancing our customer service capabilities, meeting their requests in real time."

"It's a pleasure to welcome Softies to its new home in Georgia," said Georgia Department of Economic Development Deputy Commissioner of Global Commerce Scott McMurray. "I'm confident Georgia's central location and extensive logistics network will provide the company with a strong competitive advantage that will help them continue to meet the demands of their e-commerce customers."

Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson continued, "We are excited to welcome Softies to Gwinnett County as they relocate their operations from out-of-state. Business growth within our community like this relocation helps to power the Gwinnett Standard."

Selected to be part of Oprah's Favorite Things List for four years in a row, Softies' products highlight softness and balance luxury with functional features, such as their innovative Wellness Fabric. The fabric utilizes drirelease technology, helping to regulate body temperature up to 10 degrees and wick away perspiration, a property spun into the DNA of Softies' fabrics, never washing out.

For more information, please visit www.softiespjs.com

SOURCE Softies

Related Links

https://www.softiespjs.com/


Technavio offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario and the overall market environment.

Download Free Sample Report

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. 2 Expect LLC, Altec Lansing Inc., B & W Group Ltd., Bose Corp., Koninklijke Philips NV, LG Electronics Inc., Panasonic Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sharp Corp., and Sony Corp. are some of the major market participants. The increase in the number of smart homes will offer immense growth opportunities. To leverage the current opportunities, market vendors must strengthen their foothold in the fast-growing segments while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Soundbar Market 2021-2025: Segmentation

Soundbar Market is segmented as below:

Application

Music Players



TV Sets



Computers

Geography

North America



Europe



APAC



South America



MEA

Buy our market report now to gain access to detailed analysis on the soundbar market: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR41611

Soundbar Market 2021-2025: Vendor Analysis and Scope

Some of the major vendors of the soundbar market in the consumer electronics industry include 2 Expect LLC, Altec Lansing Inc., B & W Group Ltd., Bose Corp., Koninklijke Philips NV, LG Electronics Inc., Panasonic Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sharp Corp., and Sony Corp. To help businesses improve their market position, Technavio's report provides a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the market.

The report also covers the following areas:

Soundbar Market size

Soundbar Market trends

Soundbar Market industry analysis

The soundbar market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate. The increase in the number of smart homes will offer immense growth opportunities. However, the presence of counterfeit products will hamper the market growth.

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Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research report on the soundbar market is designed to provide entry support, customer profile & M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

Related Reports on Consumer Discretionary Include:

Global Automotive Audio Speakers Market - Global automotive audio speakers market is segmented by application (passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles) and geography (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and MEA).

Download Exclusive Free Sample Report

Global Music Synthesizers Market - Global music synthesizers market is segmented by distribution channel (retail stores and online), type (digital synthesizers and analog synthesizers), and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, MEA, and South America).

Download Exclusive Free Sample Report

Soundbar Market 2021-2025: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025

Detailed information on factors that will assist soundbar market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the soundbar market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the soundbar market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of soundbar market vendors

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Five Forces Analysis

Five forces summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Application

Market segments

Comparison by Application

Music players - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

TV sets - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Computers - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by Application

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

2 Expect LLC

Altec Lansing Inc.

B & W Group Ltd.

Bose Corp.

Koninklijke Philips NV

LG Electronics Inc.

Panasonic Corp.

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Sharp Corp.

Sony Corp.

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

Report: www.technavio.com/report/soundbar-market-industry-analysis

SOURCE Technavio
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Employees at travel insurance aggregator, Squaremouth.com , have long enjoyed unconventional in-office perks, like napping couches, happy hours and arcade games. Now, with a remote workforce, Squaremouth is reevaluating their offerings to meet evolving employee needs.

Most recently, the company added miscarriage bereavement leave for employees if they - or their partner - suffer a miscarriage or the loss of a child. Employees will receive one week of fully paid leave.

The company believes the future of employee satisfaction isn't the trendy bells and whistles its offices have always touted, but instead, benefits that promote a healthy work-life balance.

Squaremouth already offers unlimited paid time off, taking it one step further by encouraging a minimum number of vacation days off, rather than a limit, as well as mandatory birthdays off. They also offer 12 weeks of fully paid maternity or paternity leave to salaried employees.

Around 10-20 percent of pregnancies end with miscarriage, but few companies have specific policies in place for this scenario. The addition of bereavement leave is a "no questions asked" policy, designed to remove any professional concerns from employees who suffer a loss.

"Taking care of our employees is always our number one priority," says Squaremouth CEO Jessica Burns. "We would never want an employee to rush back to work before they are ready. We've added this benefit to make sure they take the time they need before coming back."

Squaremouth has been recognized on the state and national levels for its company culture. Most recently, Squaremouth was named one of the Best Workplaces in America by Inc. Magazine for the fifth consecutive year .

Available Topic Expert: Megan Moncrief, Squaremouth CMO, is available for comment. [email protected]

Related Articles

Squaremouth Named a Best Place to Work

Who is Squaremouth?

ABOUT SQUAREMOUTH

Squaremouth.com, and their multi-award winning customer service team, has helped over 2 million travelers save time and money to find the best travel insurance policy for their trip.

Leveraging decades of travel expertise, and industry-leading technology, Squaremouth.com hosts the most intuitive travel insurance quoting and comparison engine on the market today.

Coupled with verified customer reviews and the largest portfolio of products, Squaremouth allows travelers to instantly purchase a travel insurance policy from every major provider in the US.

SOURCE Squaremouth

Related Links

http://www.squaremouth.com


"To address the nationwide teacher shortage, it is important to recognize the barriers that exist to earning a teaching credential. This is especially true for Black and Hispanic teacher candidates who more often fail the teaching exam than white candidates," said Dana Bryson, SVP of Social Impact, Study.com. "The Teacher Certification Scholarship is one part of Study.com's commitment to supporting a more diverse and qualified teacher workforce."

The Fall 2021 Teacher Certification Scholarship recipients are:

Marissa Rivera , Prospective Teacher studying for the TExES Science 4-8 exam.

, Prospective Teacher studying for the TExES Science 4-8 exam. My goal is to inspire students to become interested in science majors/careers. Where I live, the majority of students are ESL (English As A Second Language) and come from a foreign country. In addition, most of the people in my community are not qualified to obtain science profession jobs because they lack the education credential to do so. It brings me no greater joy than to see others succeed and even better knowing I had something to do with that success!

Katie Green , Prospective Teacher

, Prospective Teacher When I was a sophomore in college, I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). It would have been easy at that moment to walk away from a college degree, away from the academic world that my brain struggled to interact with. However, I had one professor who saw my struggle and unashamedly told me that it was one she shared. Looking at her, I saw someone who had the same struggles I faced, but who met them head on and succeeded. By passing my certification exams and becoming a teacher I hope to help spread that same confidence among my students. I want to help students reach their potential, without fear of test looming over their dreams. For someone with learning differences or academic disabilities the difference between success and surrender can be those who are willing to support you. This is the teacher I want to be.

LaCarrianne Kirkland , Current Teacher

I have currently taken the Biology PRAXIS 4 times. I have tried countless study materials and have missed my test by 15 points each time. My students live in a very low poverty area. Most of my students and their parents are identified as special ed students. Regardless of my students learning disabilities, I give them all hope. I encourage each of my students to go beyond high school and purse their dreams. My moto is If you think it, you can do it.

"When we reviewed the applications for the scholarships, it became clear that teachers are still passionate about the profession," continued Bryson. "We applaud Marissa, LaCarrianne, and Katie and all current and prospective teachers who work tirelessly, putting in long hours and endless energy to educate our youth."

The Scholarship applicants were required to be pursuing a teaching credential. The scholarship award includes: First Prize of $1,000 & one year of access to Study.com; Second Prize of $500 & one year of access to Study.com; and Third Prize of $500. View all Study.com scholarship opportunities here.

About Study.com

Study.com is an online education platform that helps learners excel academically and build knowledge confidence. From test prep and homework help to earning affordable college credit, Study.com's online courses, short, animated video lessons and study tools have made learning simple for over 30 million learners and educators. Study.com was founded in 2002 and is a privately-held company located in Mountain View, Calif. Find us online at Study.com or download the mobile app from the iOS app store or Google Play.

SOURCE Study.com

Related Links

study.com


DENVER, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Lotus Labs, the threat intelligence arm of Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN), today announced that ReverseRat  the remote access trojan it discovered just six weeks ago  has been modified with new capabilities targeting new victims.

Threat Assessment



Black Lotus Labs logo (PRNewsfoto/Lumen Technologies,Lumen Black Lotus Labs)

After discovering and issuing its initial ReverseRAT research, Black Lotus Labs continued to track the threat actor, which had previously targeted government and energy-sector organizations in India and Afghanistan. Some of the new discoveries include:

Victims were lured by a .pdf file that looked like an agenda for a United Nations meeting on organized crime. The document itself appears to have been fabricated as the UN Journal lists no such meeting on that topic during this timeframe.

Most of the organizations that appeared to be targeted by the new "ReverseRat 2.0" were in Afghanistan , with a handful in Jordan , India and Iran .

, with a handful in , and . The first iteration of ReverseRat relied on Allakore, an open-source RAT, to run parallel to the custom framework. ReverseRat 2.0 replaced AllaKore altogether with a new agent called NightFury.

ReverseRat 2.0 introduced new, more intrusive capabilities including:

Taking photos via the infected computer's webcam and stealing files from any device connected to the compromised machine via a USB port.



Techniques to evade detection by Kaspersky or Quick Heal antivirus (AV) products if either were detected on the host machine.

Black Lotus Labs Response and Recommendations

To combat this campaign, Black Lotus Labs null-routed the threat actor infrastructure across the Lumen global IP network and notified the affected organizations.

Black Lotus Labs continues to follow this threat group to detect and disrupt similar compromises, and we encourage other organizations to alert on this and similar campaigns in their environments.

Given the nature of the critical sectors the actor is targeting, Black Lotus Labs advises security practitioners to learn the actor's current tactics, tools and procedures (TTPs) to better defend their organizations against potential attacks.

Anyone interested in collaborating on similar research can contact Black Lotus Labs on Twitter @BlackLotusLabs.

Additional Resources

For additional IOCs such as file hashes associated with this campaign, and for this threat actor's larger activity cluster, please visit the Black Lotus Labs blog.

To catch up on Black Lotus Labs's ReverseRat research, visit the first blog published in June 2021 .

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.

SOURCE Lumen Black Lotus Labs

Related Links

https://www.lumen.com


GOLDEN, Colo., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Syneffex Inc. today reviewed the results of a one year study of the Company's nanotechnology based thermal insulation for large storage tanks.

Sinopec, China's oil & gas company and the fifth largest company in the world by revenue, needed a better solution than fibrous insulation for its offshore fuel storage tanks. They wanted a cost effective thermal insulation that would not degrade in the marine environment and prevented corrosion under insulation (CUI).

Syneffex Heat Shield High Heat provided them with an effective solution in a weather proof thin-film application on the fuel storage tank of an offshore drilling platform that also prevented corrosion. The tank contents had to be kept between 68C and 72C. The average winter temperature (East China Sea) is 13.4C.

Stuart Burchill, CEO/CTO of Syneffex, states, "1.2 mm (0.047 Inches) of our product successfully replaced 80.0 mm (3.15 Inches) of mineral wool with cladding. Over a one year study, it proved to perform within 3 degrees C of the 80 mm rock wool insulation, it solved the corrosion under insulation (CUI) problem, and provided a cost effective solution that would stand up to the harsh ocean environment without degrading, reducing maintenance costs."

Information on other successful large storage tank insulation projects can be found here:

https://www.syneffex.com/oil-gas-case-studies/

https://www.syneffex.com/thermal-insulation-coatings/

Mr. Burchill continues, "Volumes of independent test data verify our superior performance qualities, but real world results like this are more rewarding to our team."

https://www.syneffex.com/synavax-independent-testing-data/

About Syneffex Inc.

Syneffex Inc. provides products that improve energy efficiency and worker safety. The Company is a subsidiary of Industrial Nanotech Inc., which develops and commercializes new and innovative applications for nanotechnology.

Safe Harbor Statement

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release includes forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties. The Company is not obligated to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.

SOURCE Syneffex Inc.

Related Links

https://www.syneffex.com/


DENVER, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Techtonic, Inc., a Denver-based software development training and outsourcing provider, announced today that its software developer apprenticeship program has achieved American Council of Education (ACE) accreditation. ACE is the leading postsecondary accreditation provider in the U.S., known for its peer reviews by faculty from colleges and universities who teach in related academic areas.

Techtonic recruits and trains software developers, based in Denver, CO

ACE faculty analyzed course materials, validated the program's learning outcomes, and interviewed instructors and students prior to recommending Techtonic for postsecondary college credits. Techtonic's accreditation allows graduates to earn up to 36 college credits upon successful completion of its apprenticeship program.

"Our program is the most robust of its kind," said Nicole Craine, president and CEO of Techtonic, "and ACE accreditation underscores Techtonic's commitment to best-in-class outcomes that prepare students for careers in software development." According to Craine, its cohorts are 35% more diverse than the average U.S. software development team. "Our clients benefit on two levels, because our program gives them access to hire meticulously screened, trained and time-tested tech talent, while also raising the bar on their internal culture to enhance diversity."

Techtonic's newly accredited program consists of 14 weeks of classroom time in a variety of programming languages and Agile methodologies. Immediately, graduates get placed into paid, on-the-job apprenticeships where they code and perform QA, test and other duties on client projects. The apprenticeship program is certified by the Department of Labor. Tectonic also provides onshore app development outsourcing to a range of Fortune 1000 and start-up companies, including Apostrophe, Pivotal, Misty Robotics, Sticker Giant, and Microsoft Philanthropies.

To learn more, visit Techtonic online. Interested students can apply online for its free apprenticeship programs.

About Techtonic

Techtonic fills the gap in onshore software development by cultivating tech talent from underrepresented communities. Upskilled through its Department of Labor-registered Software Developer Apprenticeship Program, those completing the classroom and on-the-job training are placed into gainful employment upon completion. Techtonic also provides agile onshore development solutions. Techtonic serves Fortune 1000 clients in industries such as robotics, transportation, e-commerce, and more.

About ACE

The American Council on Education (ACE) is a membership organization that mobilizes the higher education community to shape effective public policy and foster innovative, high-quality practice. As the major coordinating body for the nation's colleges and universities, our strength lies in our diverse membership of more than 1,700 colleges and universities, related associations, and other organizations in America and abroad. ACE is the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting institutions: two-year and four-year, public and private. Our members educate two out of every three students in all accredited, degree-granting U.S. institutions.

Related Images

techtonic-earns-ace-accreditation.jpg

Techtonic Earns ACE Accreditation

Techtonic recruits and trains software developers, based in Denver, CO

SOURCE Techtonic, Inc.
ATLANTA, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Home Depot Foundation and The C.T. and Octavia Vivian Museum and Archives, Inc. (CTOVMA) are partnering to introduce a new, 16-week collegiate curriculum based on the life and teachings of distinguished civil rights leader, Dr. C.T. Vivian.

This fall, Emory University, University of Georgia, Kennesaw State University, Morehouse College, University of West Georgia, Clayton State University and Louisiana State University will begin to offer the educational course, It's In The Action. Additional colleges and universities nationwide are expected to begin to implement the course in 2022.

It's In The Action will provide a comprehensive study of Dr. C.T. Vivian's extraordinary life passion of promoting social justice and how he broke barriers with nonviolent strategies. Students will deep dive into the late Dr. Vivian's advocacy for equality by participating in course-related activities, projects and reports. Students will also learn first-hand accounts of the civil rights movement through Reverend Vivian's two books, Black Power and the American Myth (Fortress Books, 1970) and It's in the Action: Memories of a Nonviolent Warrior (New South Books, March 2021). In the spirit of C.T. Vivian, "the greatest preacher to ever live" according to Martin Luther King, Jr. the course's final assignment will allow students the opportunity to write and deliver their own sermon or speech based on Vivian's core teachings.

"Like so many others around the world, The Home Depot Foundation is inspired by Rev. Vivian's remarkable work and thoughtful teachings," said Shannon Gerber, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation. "Respect for all people and doing the right thing are two core values we uphold at the Foundation, which is why we're committed to helping communities eliminate social inequities. We're hopeful that this course will help equip our future leaders who also seek to achieve sustainable change."

According to Reverend Gerald Durley, chair of CTOVMA, "We are so pleased that The Home Depot Foundation has stepped up in support of this extremely important program. We are committed to the integrity of the curriculum and its ability to empower the youths who will be the leaders of tomorrow."

This program and partnership furthers The Home Depot Foundation's commitment to social equity through education and workforce development, community engagement and affordable housing. Earlier this year, the Foundation implemented programs to bridge the opportunity gap for Black youth, Black entrepreneurs and women in the skilled trades industry and surpassed $90 million invested in support of affordable housing for under-resourced communities.

About The Home Depot Foundation

The Home Depot Foundation works to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap and support communities impacted by natural disasters. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $375 million in veteran causes and improved more than 50,000 veteran homes and facilities. The Foundation has pledged to invest half of a billion dollars in veteran causes by 2025 and $50 million in training the next generation of skilled tradespeople through the Path to Pro program.

To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation visit HomeDepotFoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @HomeDepotFound and on Facebook and Instagram @HomeDepotFoundation.

About The C.T. and Octavia Vivian Museum and Archives

The C. T. and Octavia Vivian Museum and Archives, Inc. (CTOVMA) is an Atlanta-based, non-profit organization originally founded in 2014 to collect, preserve and exhibit the 6,000-volume book collection authored by African Americans and/or those of African heritage. CTOVMA also supports educational programming utilizing the content of the collections and the beliefs, actions, and words of C.T. and Octavia Vivian. The nonprofit will promote the life and legacy of the Vivians and their influence on social justice. For more information, visit ctovma.org or call 404-659-0919.

###

SOURCE The Home Depot Foundation

Related Links

http://www.homedepotfoundation.org


New generations enter the engineering field thanks to significant advantages in scholarships and financial aid. Tweet this

Alducin's family emigrated from Mexico when he was six. Now the 20-year-old future engineer is getting experience and establishing relationships with professionals in his field  relationships that can have a profoundly positive effect on his future.

The young engineer said, "At MD Anderson, I've been able to meet some really awesome people who have given me career advice. They have even redirected me to different professionals to help me decided what I want to do."

In his third year at the Mechanical Engineering Program at University of St. Thomas Houston, Alducin wants to help people using principles of robotics in the construction of prosthetic limbs and other medical devices.

After all, the need for engineers is not just in the medical field, but in every industry. Herman Flores, the Engineering Student Support Services Coordinator at UST, finds opportunities that will open employment doors for students.

"We are working to provide internships for our UST engineering students," Flores said. "Internships are a good pathway to provide valuable experience. Many companies use this as a route to recruiting new employees."

Currently, UST offers a Bachelor of Science in:

Mechanical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Engineering Physics

Physics

Each one of these programs, which adheres to the Engineering Accreditation Commission (ABET) quality standards offer enormous advantages for minority students in need of financial aid.

"UST provides a very good financial aid package combined with scholarships that make an engineering education at St. Thomas very attainable for most applicants," adds Flores.

For Brigit Mellis, Chair of the Department of Physics and Engineering, the merger of faith and science offers UST Engineering graduates a unique perspective.

Mellis said, "Our department aims to support UST's mission as a place where the faithful can pursue physics and engineering, both as a lucrative career path and as a path for the contemplation and worship of God's creation."

About University of St. Thomas

The University of St. Thomas was founded in 1947 by the Basilian Fathers as an independent, Catholic, coeducational university in Houston, TX. Situated in the city's Museum District, the University enrolls 3,237 total students with an undergraduate population of 1,864. Set against the backdrop of the Texas Medical Center, UST has seen a 75% growth rate among students pursuing degrees in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and over half of the undergraduate student body pursues a degree in one of the STEM fields. The University of St. Thomas was ranked 26th in the 2018 edition of the U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Colleges" list of universities in the western region of the United States and was ranked one of the best colleges in the West according to The Princeton Review. For more information, please visit www.stthom.edu.

SOURCE University of St. Thomas-Houston

Related Links

www.stthom.edu


Jess Sims will offer her expert personal advice and help families integrate activity into both their own lives and their newly adopted dogs' lives, reinforcing the critical role physical and mental activity plays when animals are adjusting to moments of significant change. This is just one piece of the brand's Forever Project designed to give newly adoptive pet parents the best start possible through premium pet food, and a suite of training resources and behavioral tips  all created because the pet lovers behind ACANA pet food saw a need for a truly comprehensive program to ensure pet adoption success.

A recent survey conducted by the ACANA team found three-fourths of dog owners (77%) say they have a stronger bond with their pet now than before the pandemic. Forming that bond is particularly important when rehoming a dog. While the pandemic likely contributed to spending more time together overall, establishing an exercise routine between parent and dog is a great way to bond. In fact, nearly three out of four dog owners (72%) agree they are more physically active since adopting a dog.

"Regular exercise and routine play an important role in acclimating a dog to its new home, addressing potential behavioral issues and can also have tremendous health benefits for their owner," said Jess Sims. "I'm thrilled to work with the pet lovers at ACANA pet food to help new pet parents establish a fun, regular exercise routine with their dog so they can adapt, bond and stay fit together."

On August 25, Jess will host a livestream class focusing on how pet owners can build a strong bond with their dog and share key tips on how to create a solid routine, ways to get active and answer live questions from the audience. She will be joined by pet trainer Marissa Sunny, a canine behavior specialist, Dr. Darcia Kostiuk, the in-house veterinarian who helped formulate ACANA Rescue Care for Adopted Dogs, and Jen Beechen, vice president of marketing for ACANA pet food.

The class is open to the public - registration is available here and at acana.com/ACANARescueCare.

Pet Behavior

As part of the Forever Project, the pet lovers at ACANA pet food are engaging Marissa Sunny, CPDT-KA, who is a canine behavior specialist at Best Friends Animal Society with a focus on working with aggression, rehabilitation, and rescue dogs to offer training support and transition advice for adoptive dog parents to help them build and maintain a strong bond particularly through times of transition such as joining their new home or adjusting to new family schedules.

The survey also found pet behavioral issues are one of the top three challenges new adopters face when bringing home a new dog. Some of the top challenges dog owners experienced after first adopting their dog included separation anxiety (32%), potty training (32%), barking (30%), and their energy (28%). Additionally, 38% of dog owners say they wish they knew how to properly train a dog prior to adopting one.

Establishing a go-to routine with regular fitness and taking steps to reward good behavior and redirect anxious behavior will help pets adjust to their new surroundings and bond with their owner, which can ultimately help lead to a successful adoption long-term.

"Time to decompress and socialization will truly help cement pet adoption success. When bringing a new rescue dog home to the family, give them time to come out of their shell and blossom," said Marissa Sunny, CPDT-KA, canine behavior specialist at Best Friends Animal Society. "The experience can be overwhelming for a new dog, so socialization is important and giving your dog lots of praise and rewards while trying new things can build their confidence."

Forever Project

The pet lovers behind ACANA pet food developed the Forever Project to support the launch of ACANA Rescue Care for Adopted Dogs, a new first-of-its-kind dog food in the U.S. formulated specifically for the unique needs of rescue dogs and their transition from shelter environments to their new forever homes.

The project includes the official multi-year pet food sponsorship with Best Friends Animal Society, an organization that works with a network of more than 3,300 animal welfare and shelter partners, and community members nationwide. In fact, Jess Sims adopted her dog from Best Friends Animal Society partner, Muddy Paws.

The ACANA pet food team also created a library of resources to help new rescue pet parents on its website.

About Champion Petfoods

Founded in a small town in Alberta, Canada, Champion Petfoods' purpose is To Earn Pet Lover Trust Every Day so Pets Thrive for a Lifetime. At Champion, we have been pioneers in crafting premium food for dogs and cats since 1985. We specialize in making foods that are Biologically Appropriate to nourish as nature intended. That means we start with the finest WholePrey ingredients from both fresh and raw animal sources. All of our ingredients have been selected from carefully curated suppliers whom we know and trust. Our foods are crafted by passionate nutrition and health experts in world class kitchens, and as Pet Lovers ourselves, we strive for the highest quality and safety in every ORIJEN and ACANA product we make. Champion exports to nearly 100 countries worldwide. To learn more, visit championpetfoods.com.

SOURCE Champion Petfoods

Related Links

http://www.championpetfoods.com


TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ittai Ben Zeev, CEO of TASE, said today: "In the second quarter of the year, TASE recorded growth in all key indicators - revenue, profit and EBITDA. We are pleased to present an increase in revenue from various services that have been developed and expanded by TASE in recent years, despite the decrease in trading volumes and related revenue compared to the second quarter of 2020, which was characterized by extremely high trading volumes in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

"Concurrently, we are witnessing an ongoing growth in the number of companies and in the value of the assets traded on TASE in the second quarter of the year. During the quarter, 30 new companies joined TASE and in the first half of the year, 63 companies carried out IPOs, including 42 high-tech companies. We are proud that TASE, as home of the Israeli economy, continues to attract new companies and new investors and are dedicated to making TASE accessible and allowing growing sections of the public to take part in the success of the local economy by partnering with the Israeli companies."

The Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange Ltd. (TASE: TASE) today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021:

Highlights of the Results :

Revenue in the second quarter of 2021 totaled NIS 84.6 million, compared to revenue of NIS 73.5 million in the corresponding quarter last year, an increase of 15%. The increase in revenue is due mainly to the increase in revenue other than from trading and clearing (10% of total revenue) and from a non-recurring income from the Ministry of Finance in respect of the listing for trade, until December 31, 2020, of government bonds in an amount of NIS 3.8 million in the lending pool.

Revenue from trading and clearing commissions decreased by 2% to NIS 31.65 million due to a reduction in the trading volumes of corporate bonds, derivatives and T-bills compared to the trading volumes in the corresponding quarter last year, this stemming from the effect of the coronavirus crisis outbreak in the first quarter last year on the trading volumes in the second quarter of 2020. This decrease was partly offset by the greater number of trading days in the quarter compared to the corresponding period last year. In the second quarter of 2021, there were 61 trading days, compared to 57 days in the corresponding quarter last year (a 7% increase).

An increase of 24%, to an amount of NIS 18.3 million, was recorded in revenue from listing fees and levies, stemming primarily from an agreement signed between TASE and TASE-CH and the Ministry of Finance in May 2021, effective from the beginning of the year, as well as from an increase in the number of prospectuses submitted for examination in the quarter, the higher number of companies and funds paying an annual levy and more.

A 20% increase in revenue from Clearing House services, which reached close to NIS 17 million, derived mainly from the rise in revenue from custodian fees, in view of the increase in the value of the assets held in TASE-CH, which has contributed 11% to the total increase in revenue from Clearing House services. Additionally, an 8% increase was recorded in revenue from data distribution and connectivity services, mainly due to data distribution to customers outside Israel and from the distribution of derivative data, and in revenue from connectivity services (BSO and Colocation).

The costs in the second quarter of 2021 totaled approximately NIS 70.4 million, compared to costs of NIS 63.9 million in the corresponding quarter last year, an increase of 10%. The increase in the costs is due mainly to employee benefits expenses (5% of total costs) resulting from salary updates, a higher headcount and an increase in overtime, marketing expenses (3% of total costs) and to an increase in property taxes and building maintenance expenses and depreciation expenses (1% of total costs, each).

Financing income, net in the second quarter of 2021 totaled NIS 1.3 million, compared to financing income of NIS 3.5 million in the corresponding quarter last year. The decrease in financing expenses is due to a difference in the yield on the Company's investments in Israeli Government bonds managed in marketable securities' portfolios, which amounted to 0.7% this quarter compared to 1.9% in the corresponding quarter last year.

Profit in the second quarter of 2021 totaled NIS 12.1 million, compared to NIS 10 million in the corresponding quarter last year, an increase of 20%. The increase in profit was due to the increase in revenue from services other than trading and clearing, which was partly offset by the increase in expenses and the reduction in financing income, as described above.

Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter of 2021 totaled NIS 26.2 million, compared to NIS 21 million in the corresponding quarter last year, an increase of 25%. The increase is due to the higher revenue from services other than trading and clearing, which was partly offset, mainly by the increase in employee benefits costs and marketing expenses.

The adjusted profit in the second quarter of 2021 totaled NIS 12.3 million, compared to NIS 10.4 million in the corresponding quarter last year, an increase of 18%. The increase is due mainly to the higher revenue from services other than trading and clearing, which was partly offset, mainly by the increase in employee benefits costs and marketing expenses and the reduction in financing income.

TASE notes that the first half of 2021 was characterized by the gradual lifting of all of the restrictions that were imposed on the business sector following the coronavirus outbreak, this in light of the expansion of the vaccination campaign and the resulting reduction in the number of cases in Israel, which in turn contributed to the economy resuming activity and to a reduction in the unemployment rate. A rise in morbidity rates began in the second quarter and grew stronger in July-August, resulting in the reinstatement of certain restrictions. Based on the nature of trading in the first half of 2021, to the extent that the rise in morbidity is short in term and does not entail the imposition of additional restrictions on the economy, no material adverse effect on the activity of the Company is expected.

The wave of IPOs continued into the second quarter, in which new and seasoned companies raised NIS 8 billion and, by the end of the first half of 2021, upwards of NIS 17 billion was raised, more than three times the amount raised in the corresponding period in 2020 and even higher than the amount raised in the full year 2020. In the second quarter, 30 new companies, including 3 R&D partnerships, carried out IPOs, raising total of NIS 4.7 billion. In the first half of 2021, 63 companies, including 3 R&D partnerships, raised NIS 7.8 billion in IPOs, compared to 6 new companies and R&D partnerships that raised NIS 1 billion in the corresponding period in 2020.

18 new high-tech companies listed on TASE in the second quarter of 2021, this in addition to the 24 new companies that listed in the first quarter of 2021, bringing the total to 42 new high-tech companies, as compared to 18 new high-tech companies listed in the full year 2020.

Among the companies that listed for trade in the second quarter of 2021 are three companies with an IPO value of NIS 2.5 to 3.7 billion, each. In addition to the 63 new issuers in the first half of 2021, 2 companies performed dual listing (for the first time, dual listing by a company that is traded on the Singapore Exchange), and 8 companies carried out an infusion of operations.

The average trading volumes in the first half of 2021 remined similar to the average trading volumes in the full year 2020, as compared to heightened trading volumes and increased fluctuation in the value of assets in the first half last year, which resulted from the uncertainty that prevailed in the markets following the coronavirus outbreak at the time. The rise in morbidity that began towards the end of the second quarter of 2021 has so far had no material effect on the trends described above concerning the value of the assets that are traded on TASE and the trading volumes.

Click here for the link to the complete financial statements for the second quarter of 2021>

Click here for the link to the financial presentation of the second quarter of 2021>

This announcement is not a substitute for perusing the Company's periodic reports for the second quarter of 2021, in which full and precise information is presented.

Contact:

Yehuda van der Walde

EVP, CFO

Tel: +972-76-8160442

[email protected]

Orna Goren

Head of Communication and Public Relations Unit

Tel: +972-76-8160405

[email protected]

SOURCE The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Ltd.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Austin Tice is an award-winning journalist who has been unjustly detained in Syria since 2012. The following is a statement released by the Tice family on the occasion of his 40th birthday:

Our son, Austin Tice, was working as a journalist in Syria when he was arrested near Damascus on August 14, 2012. Aside from a proof of life video a few weeks later, he has been held in secret and in silence.

This week, on August 11, our family will celebrate Austin's 40th birthday. We will celebrate with heartfelt gratitude that such an exceptional man, who has such a big brave heart, was gifted to our family. Austin fills the room with energy and enthusiasm, we miss his contagious laugh. We miss being able to share our love with him. As his parents, we will reflect on the overwhelming joy we felt when we first held him in our arms - arms which ache to hug him again.

We will continue to faithfully pray, expectantly wait, and relentlessly work for his safe return.

Also this week, we will grieve and detest Austin's detention day, August 14, nine long years ago. Austin had just celebrated his 31st birthday three days before he was arrested. It is a piercing sense of loss to consider that Austin has spent almost all of his 30's deprived of his liberty and the pursuit of his dreams.

Our love and grief combine to fuel our determination and create a sense of urgency as we continue working for his secure release and safe return.

At the very same time, we are deeply grateful that in these past nine years our lives have been blessed by amazing, steadfast people and organizations which are unwavering in their outpouring of kindness and support.

We are also intensely frustrated by the irresolute, on-again-off-again involvement of our government and its insufficient resolve to secure Austin's release.

Nevertheless, we are resolute. We are now imploring a third President of the United States to communicate to his administration that Austin's secure release and safe return is a priority. There are many capable people working in our government who are eager to see Austin walk free; they must have President Biden's authorization for significant and relevant diplomatic engagement with the Syrian government.

As with the past nine years, we continue to plead for the American and the Syrian governments to sincerely engage in a serious dialogue focused on Austin's secure release and safe return.

We will pray, wait, and work to see Austin walk free. May it be soon.

Marc and Debra Tice

~ Faith ~ Hope ~ Love ~

CONTACT: Bill McCarren, 202-662-7534 for the National Press Club or [email protected]

SOURCE National Press Club

Related Links

http://press.org


Ghosting is a traveling exhibition that combines new digital mediums and augmented reality to create a one of a kind show in a world we can see, but not touch. Ghosting has visited Berlin and London, and it will travel to Miami, New York, and Los Angeles through the remainder of the summer. Each show is uniquely curated to respond to the dynamic surroundings of each city, adding new drops along the way.

The auction kicks off with an open edition sale for 2 hours featuring "Porsche 934" by Benedict Radcliffe and "Manekineko" by SuperCyberTown x Humanoise. After the open edition closes, the 1 of 1's will be live for 24 hours on Illust Space' s marketplace. The sale will feature artists Clara Bacou, Chrisitian Venables, ExitSimulation, and Eoin.

Collectors of each piece will have the unique opportunity to place their AR NFTs anywhere in the world, illustrating their own reality.

For more information on the sale, check out the auction page here .

Illust Space Socials:

Twitter: @IllustSpace

Instagram: @Illust.Space

Website: https://illust.space

SOURCE Illust Space

Related Links

https://illust.space


RICHARDSON, Texas, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Texas at Dallas announced today that two additional UT System institutions have joined the Texas Network of Blackstone LaunchPad. Beginning September 1, UT Arlington and UT Tyler are both members of the Texas Network, bringing the number of UT institutions in the Blackstone LaunchPad network to 10. In addition to the new universities, UT Dallas also announced new advisors joining the Texas Network System Stewardship Council. The council represents faculty, staff and student leaders from across the UT System providing advice and counsel to the Texas Network member institutions.

The Texas Network was established in summer 2020 when the Blackstone Charitable Foundation made a $5 million, three-year grant to expand the presence of its signature Blackstone LaunchPad program in Texas. UT Dallas is the administrator of the statewide grant, and its associate vice president for innovation and commercialization, Steve Guengerich, serves as the partnership director.

Nationwide, Blackstone LaunchPad includes more than 30 colleges and universities, with more than 175,000 student participants. Blackstone LaunchPad makes entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills accessible and relevant for college students to help them build thriving companies and careers. The Texas Network is only the second statewide system that has partnered with the Foundation, after the University of California System in 2019.

With the addition of the new member institutions, UT System schools in the Texas Network of Blackstone LaunchPad are UT Arlington (UTA), UT Austin (UT), UT Dallas (UTD), UT El Paso (UTEP), UT Medical Branch (UTMB), UT Permian Basin (UTPB), UT Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), UT San Antonio (UTSA), UT Southwestern (UTSW) and UT Tyler (UTT).

New members in the Texas Network System Stewardship Council include:

Natalia De La Garza , UTRGV

, UTRGV Clairissa Hansen , UTMB

, UTMB Victoria Miranda , UTEP

, Devanshi Patel, UTSA

Tezin Walji, UTSW

They join current council members, including:

Chris Bhatti , assistant vice president for development and alumni relations, and associate dean for external relations in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, UTD

, assistant vice president for development and alumni relations, and associate dean for external relations in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, UTD Amanda Billings , vice president for development, UTSW

, vice president for development, UTSW Shawn Farrell , assistant vice president for corporate and foundation engagement, UTSA

, assistant vice president for corporate and foundation engagement, UTSA Julie Goonewardene , chief talent and innovation officer, UT System

, chief talent and innovation officer, UT System Steve Guengerich , associate vice president for innovation and commercialization, UTD

, associate vice president for innovation and commercialization, UTD Dr. Brent Iverson , dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies, UT

, dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies, UT Mitch Jacobson , executive director of the Austin Technology Incubator, UT

, executive director of the Austin Technology Incubator, UT Dr. Lance Nail , dean of the Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship, UTRGV

, dean of the Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship, UTRGV Dr. James E. Payne , dean of the College of Business Administration, UTEP

, dean of the College of Business Administration, Wendell Snodgrass , vice president for institutional advancement, UTPB

, vice president for institutional advancement, UTPB Dr. Randy Urban , vice president and chief research officer, and vice dean of clinical research in the School of Medicine, UTMB

"I am thrilled with the new schools and advisors who have joined the Texas Network System Stewardship Council," said Mitch Jacobson, chairman of the council. "They bring a tremendous range of backgrounds and skills to join the already outstanding team of leaders from across the state of Texas, as we together seek ways to help students launch tomorrow's great ventures."

For more information, visit: https://texaslaunchpad.org/

About the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The mission of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at The University of Texas at Dallas is to enable the next generation's new ventures. We fulfill this mission by educating, empowering and equipping our students, alumni, faculty, and the global UT Dallas community. In daily terms, this means utilizing world-class academic education, industry-leading experiential training, venture mentorship and advisory support, and other resources to support the launch of new businesses.

For more information see https://innovation.utdallas.edu.

SOURCE University of Texas at Dallas
The company is on track with its strategic objective of constructing and operating a processing plant

( , , , ) ( ) highlighted the progress made on its La India project in Nicaragua alongside its interim results.

"Condor made significant advances during the 6-month period at the fully permitted La India project, said chairman and chief executive Mark Child.

A state of the art new SAG Mill has been purchased, with capacity of between 2,300 tpd [tonnes per day] to 2,800 tpd capable of producing circa 100,000 oz gold per annum, the first shipments have already arrived in Nicaragua.

The AIM-listed company appointed a lead engineer in June to develop designs for a new processing plant around the recently acquired SAG Mill.

Upfront capital costs and operating costs are currently being updated accordingly, said Child.

The company is on track with its strategic objective of constructing and operating a processing plant producing circa 100,000 oz gold per annum, then materially expanding the production capacity and demonstrating a 5M oz Gold District," he concluded.

The gold explorers interim pretax losses widened to 1.01mln from 0.36mln in the six months to end June 2020 and it ended the period with cash and cash equivalents of 3.01mln.
It will be recommissioned and repowered to convert forestry wood waste from local farms and forests into green electricity and heat for use in the local community

( ) ( ) said it has completed the acquisition of a 1.2 MWe waste-to-energy gasification plant in Belise, Croatia.

The deal was carried out through Synergy Projects, a joint venture between the gasification solutions company and its Croatian project development partner Sense ESCO.

Originally commissioned in 2016, the plant was built around EQTEC's proprietary and patented Advanced Gasification Technology.

It will be recommissioned and repowered to convert forestry wood waste from local farms and forests into green electricity and heat for use in the local community, with operations starting towards the end of 2022.

EQTEC said the project will generate annual underlying earnings (EBITDA) of over 850,000.

Once operational, it is expected that EQTEC will become the plant's O&M contractor and that it will make it the second of its Market Development Centres (MDCs) and a showcase for EQTEC's technology in a fully operational, commercial setting.

The AIM-listed firm's first MDC, in Tuscany, Italy, was announced earlier this year.

"EQTEC's joint venture with such a capable and dependable partner as Sense ESCO provides the perfect platform for our re-entry into Croatia, re-introducing our Advanced Gasification Technology to sustainably transform biomass waste into energy for local communities, said EQTEC chief executive David Palumbo.

The plant in Belise, which will also be a Market Development Centre, is the next of several EU waste-to-value facilities we are developing to integrate our leading-edge technology and overseeing through commissioning into live operations."

Shares rose 6% to 1.38p on Wednesday morning.
Many ethical investors are likely to have been pushed to the point where they think its not enough to avoid oil and coal and buy renewables, I want to do more

Reading about the UNs climate change report and looking at some of photos of newly homeless families from wildfires and flooding in Greece, Turkey, Albania, Germany and California in recent days could be enough to lead many people to think that our planet is beyond hope.

But as much as the report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is bleak and depressing, there is also a call to arms, for if urgent and large-scale changes are made then some of the most severe impacts can be avoided and many will be reversible.

When climate change Greta Thunberg said two years ago I dont want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic, maybe now the time has come.

Investors certainly have seemed more hopeful that they can do their bit in the past year and a half, with a surge in interest in sustainability-focused and environmental, social and governance funds.

Inflows into ethical funds surged to a record 10bn in 2020 from 3bn the year before, according to Investment Association data  while this week data from Calastone showed ESG funds accounted for 90% of inflows in the past month.

But even among investors who were already giving over a large part of their savings and investments to ESG there must have been a sizeable number for whom the report came as a depressingly crushing reminder that not enough is being done, and governments are not moving fast enough.

For those people who arent ready to go and join Extinction Rebellion quite yet, is there more they as private investors can do?

In short, yes, plenty.

1. If you were to do just one thing

Probably the single biggest impact any investors could make is switching their pension savings to more green investments.

Whats more, thanks to the proliferation of green funds in recent years, in 2021 it is quite possible to have most or all of your portfolio in sustainable and positive impact funds, with enough variety to provide tilts towards growth and income, as well as portfolio diversification.

Its easy to forget that your workplace pension is invested in the market, mainly because a default fund is selected for you and often people forget to revisit this selection, says Laura Suter, head of personal finance at AJ Bell.

Most pensions will have at least one ethical option and if thats not up to scratch you can always consider transferring your pension somewhere else when you move jobs.

Myron Jobson, personal finance campaigner at Interactive Investor, agrees, adding that while the challenge of climate change may be daunting, how you invest is one of the easier steps you can take to contribute to the fight.

Several fund managers offer a range of sustainable quick start funds for beginner investors.

For example, Rathbone Greenbank offers a range of multi-asset sustainable portfolios ranked by four levels of risk; the BMO Sustainable Universal MAP range offers three for different risk appetites; while others doing similar include Royal London Asset Management.

But for those that are already past this point, there is still more you can do.

2. Rethink how you invest

If step one was to move your savings to more sustainability-focused funds, the UN climate report might have also triggered many people to fundamentally rethink what it is they want across their savings and investments.

For example, is growth still your priority or are other issues more important to you now?

Thanks to the deepening and widening of ESG funds in the past few years, investing in green funds no longer means you are necessarily accepting second best in terms of fund performance or returns.

If anything, the market is still underappreciating the long-term risks and opportunities of climate change, says Ben McEwan, climate active analyst at Sarasin & Partners.

The market is really only starting to price this stuff and it will be forced to price it further. And therefore you will generate, in our view, better returns if you think about these dimensions now.

With a green-tinged fund available across most asset classes, the ardent ethical investor could turn their whole portfolio green, but Suter cautions about ending up with too much of your portfolio overlapping or focused on a handful of themes, such as green energy or wind power.

This may require more research than an investor might normally be used to, but it becomes more important when not only do you want your fund manager to make you money but also that they are trying to do the right thing as you see it.

Your broker or investment platform is likely to provide a long list of ethical funds, some of them break these down into sections to help match ethical investors with solutions that align to their morals.

Part of the challenge here is the subjective concept of what constitutes green  and you may have higher priorities for the different elements, be they E, S or G.

While avoiding traditional sin stocks like oil, tobacco and arms firms has been enough for the ethical investor in the past couple of decades, for many people that is no longer enough.

But, as Jobson warns, research is important and investors should not take all investments labelled green or sustainable.

For investors looking to green their portfolio, there is no substitute for doing the legwork themselves. This means looking under the bonnet of every product purporting green credentials to ensure compatibility.

To make sure theyre not greenwashing and are walking the walk, all ESG-related funds will have factsheets explaining their investment policies, the breakdown of the portfolio between different subsectors.

You can also check a funds voting record  and if theyve not been made public you can ask for them.

Asset managers should be proud of their records, with some becoming increasingly energetic and vocal critics of slovenly sustainability practices, such is Legal & General, which in the latest AGM season voted against 130 companies over their climate change policies.

But an example of why research is necessary is because you may feel that a company with a terrible 10-year record for polluting rivers (like Pennon) should not be in the portfolio of a supposedly environmental fund (like those run by ( , ))  or you might think, as the firm says, that pollution events are one of the factors considered in the assessment of their environmental performance.

3. Vote green

This brings us to another relatively easy step but one that most investors sadly have let slide.

Especially for those who feel driven to do more, voting at AGMs is a must for every company where you invest.

Voting is probably the most powerful tool in an investor's armoury to catalyse change, says McEwen.

One investor on their own may not feel powerful but there are plenty more people out there like you.

Putting your money in the right investment fund also creates a strong collective vote.

There's definitely a benefit in sort of the collectivism of investing with an asset manager that has a voice, adds McEwen. But you have to be wary that that manager is serious about using its voice, not only unilaterally engaging with the company, but also bilaterally engaging with other investor groups, and voting on an annual general meeting on the investor's behalf.

Asset managers that are serious about expediting the transition to net zero have to do all three.

4. Get active

Voting is just the first step towards becoming a more active investor.

As an investor, it is possible to have a powerful impact, says Katarina Hammar, head of active ownership at Nordea Asset Management.

As the urgency of the climate issue is mounting, it is vital for all investors to take action to ensure future generations will not see their prospects for a good life ruined by the actions of today.

One way of doing this is through corporate engagement, which she says is an incredibly powerful tool to bring about a real-world impact. Investors can either do this individually, or work with other asset managers to potentially have more of an influence.

Huw Davies, a finance adviser at the Make My Money Matter campaign, says: We encourage people who care about the impact of their pension to contact their scheme and ask what their pension invests in, and ask for them to commit to robust net zero targets.

If you think your pension fund or investment funds are not doing enough, then let them know too.

And if you want to step it up a level, you might take inspiration from the recent court victory for seven activist groups to challenge ( )s climate strategy.

5. Investing for impact

Over and above avoiding the bad guys and backing the good guys, investors wanting to make a positive difference with their money might consider whats called an impact fund, which aim to have a positive, measurable impact on society and the environment.

As James Penny, UK chief investment officer at TAM Asset Management, notes, funds focusing on impact investing have been blazing a trail into measuring and delivering the real impact on the investors they invest into.

Right down to specific numbers of school books being delivered, trees being planted, green infrastructure installed, even the tonnage of carbon being taken out of the atmosphere. Clients can receive detailed reports about exactly how their investments are making a difference to industries and livelihoods.

The Green revolution continues to deepen and with it investors are given more and more tools to empower them to deliver real change with each pound they invest, Penny says.

One such impact specialist is UK-based WHEB Asset Management, which focused on sustainability via their one and only fund, the WHEB Sustainability Fund.

The team invest based on nine sustainable investment themes, ranging from resource efficiency and sustainable transport to education and wellbeing.

Every investment into the fund makes a positive difference, says Dominic Rowles, investment analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, with 10,000 invested into the fund in 2020 helping generate 2 MWh of renewable energy, avoid 3 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, treat 27,000 litres of waste water for reuse, recycle or recover a ton of waste material, plus other investments in tertiary education and healthcare treatment.

This is the only fund managed by the WHEB team, meaning they're totally dedicated to it and focused on its success. However, the portfolio looks very different to the broader global stock market, so we expect it to perform differently too, adds Rowles.

Other funds take great pains to ensure their portfolio companies walk the walk, including the Rathbone Greenbank Global Sustainability Fund, where a dedicated research team filters out those that are not as green as they might wish to seem, before a meeting with the company to drill down further into their sustainability credentials.

M&G Investments has also launched a range of impact funds in the past year, where the target is for a measurable, positive impact for people and the planet, as well as long-term financial returns. The range includes the M&G Climate Solutions Fund that invests entirely in green technology, clean energy and the circular economy, though its not been going for a year yet.

Investment trusts also offer asset specialisation and income from the ( , ) and its wind-powered peers, to the sun-charged subsector where ( ) Ltd and ( ) Ltd ply their trade; and in the last couple of years trusts have been launched to focus on other technologies, such as ( ), as well as more diverse environment-focused investment trusts such as ( ).

6. Passive aggressive

While many investors see ESG investing as something just for the active portion of their portfolio, this means that could be passively backing companies that are climate-negative.

With the market for ethical trackers and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) having ballooned in recent years, theres many ethical options now available.

More specialised tracker funds can provide purer exposure to specific themes investors may want to get behind, says Suter.

She highlights the iShares Global Clean Energy ETF, while

Clearly the more specialised the theme, the less diversified the portfolio, and the more risk investors must be willing to accept, she adds.

The passive sector also has impact funds, including the iClima Global Decarbonisation Enablers UCITS ETF, which claims to be the worlds first exchange-traded fund (ETF) to focus specifically on companies that enable CO2 avoidance.

It tracks the iClima Global Decarbonisation Enablers Index, which at the latest rebalancing had over 160 companies.

Gabriela Herculano, CEO of iClima Earth, which developed the index, says the best way to reduce CO2e in the atmosphere is to find lower-emission alternatives to products and services, thereby avoiding emission and in order for the world to reach net-zero by 2050 and have a chance of limiting global warming, the ETF provides exposure to companies across subsectors including green energy, green transportation, water and waste improvements, decarbonisation-enabling solutions and sustainable products that will reduce and avoid carbon emissions.

7. Passive activist?

As mentioned above, one effect of investing in the right fund is that you can get other people to do your activism for you.

And in a confluence of the various ESG angles, there is also a theme that might almost be called passive activist impact investing.

Environmental activist fund Engine No.1 has only been going a short while but has already achieved big things, including getting three directors appointed to the board of Exxon Mobil, leading to the largest US oil company to focus more of its future investment on alternative energy sources than fossil fuel exploration.

Engine No1s founders believes ESG engagement on a corporate level benefits a companys bottom line as well as impacting positively on its environment.

The hedge fund also launched an ETF, Engine No 1 Transform 500 ETF (BATS:VOTE) in June, create value by driving positive impact at the largest 500 companies in the US.

Activist investment platform Tulipshare also launched last month, with a mission to unify individuals investing power with other investors shares to make their voices heard from as little as 1.

Founder Antoine Argouges says the platforms goal is to give a voice to the everyday individual, to encourage retail investors to rethink their investment strategies.

Based in the UK, the platforms initial causes are focused on big US names, including fighting for workers rights at Amazon, plastic pollution at Coca-Cola and right-to-repair issues at Apple, but the plan is to broaden the approach over time.

8. Even cash?

All investors have a portion of their portfolio in cash to varying degrees.

There will soon be a new way for UK investors to use that cash for positive environmental impact with the governments proposed launch of green bonds later this year.

With a product launched via the National Savings & Investments brand, savers money will be used to fund green government projects.

Whats for green funds has soared in recent years, as demand from investors has increased. This means that you could feasibly ensure all of your portfolio has a green tilt, rather than just a portion of it.
The company is working with the University of Wisconsin System to conduct a Phase I/II clinical study to evaluate the safety and feasibility of psilocybin in adults with methamphetamine use disorder

Revive is focusing on novel uses, production and delivery forms of psilocybin as a solution for mental illness and substance abuse

( , , ) said it is advancing to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clinical studies with psilocybin for methamphetamine use disorder and stroke.

In a statement, Revive CEO Michael Frank said: "We are advancing a robust psychedelics-based product pipeline that includes product development, preclinical and clinical studies that aim to unlock the potential therapeutic value of psilocybin in various uses, formulations and delivery methods to treat mental health, substance abuse and neurological disorders.

Revive is embarking on the next stage of growth of its psychedelics strategy by focusing on building key partnerships with US academic institutions and other leading organizations, as well as developing IP and entering into FDA clinical studies with psilocybin.

While providing an update on Revives psychedelics clinical programs with psilocybin, the Toronto-based life sciences company said that it is working with the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System under a clinical trial agreement to conduct a Phase I/II clinical study to evaluate the safety and feasibility of psilocybin in adults with methamphetamine use disorder.

READ: Revive collaborates with University of Health Sciences Antigua to pioneer clinical development of psychedelics

Study start-up activities have taken place and enrollment activities are to continue throughout the remainder of the year, said the company. As a result of the study, clinical data will provide valuable information on the safety, effectiveness, and dosing of psilocybin to support future pivotal FDA clinical studies in oral forms of delivery including oral thin film strips.

The clinical study will be conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health and School of Pharmacy, which holds a Wisconsin special authorization and DEA license to perform clinical research with psilocybin, said the company. Revive will have access to key IP from the study to support commercial initiatives.

Psilocybin aimed at Traumatic Brain Injury

Revive is advancing the research and intellectual property acquired from PharmaTher Holdings Ltd on psilocybin as a potential solution to managing Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and stroke. Preclinical studies demonstrated that psilocybin, given after injury, improved cognitive function in TBI mice. Revive said it is proceeding to an FDA clinical study to be conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health and School of Pharmacy. Start-up activities have already begun and patient enrollment is expected to commence in 4Q 2021, said the company.

Psilocybin oral thin-film strip development

Revive said it has initiated the product development program under a feasibility agreement with LTS Lohmann Therapie-Systeme AG, a leader in pharmaceutical oral thin films, to develop and manufacture a proprietary psilocybin oral thin-film strip for mental illness, substance abuse and neurological disorders. Research grade prototypes will be available to evaluate dosing and delivery rates in various dosage forms with the expectation to conduct clinical studies in 2022, said the company.

Psilocybin biosynthesis program

Under its collaboration with North Carolina State University (NC State), Revive is developing a novel biosynthetic version of psilocybin based on a natural biosynthesis enzymatic platform developed by Dr Gavin Williams, Professor and Researcher at NC State.

The biosynthetic platform developed by Dr Williams provides a potentially simple and efficient method for rapidly producing natural products, such as psilocybin, using an engineered enzymatic pathway in E. coli. Certain technical milestones have been achieved to date, offering a clear path towards completing validation methods to demonstrate a novel yet simple production process of biosynthetic psilocybin that can be used at a critical scale for clinical and commercial use, said the company.

Psilocybin international research

Revive has struck an agreement with the University of Health Sciences Antigua to utilize its psychedelic-assisted therapies including its tannin-chitosan delivery system and to pioneer the clinical research and development of psychedelics in Antigua and Barbuda. Clinical research will be conducted at the University in 4Q 2021 with the aim for commercialization in 2022 in Antigua and Barbuda, said the company.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
New Delhi, Aug 11 : Cloud major Oracle on Wednesday announced it has become an empanelment Cloud infrastructure provider with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), which certifies its Mumbai and Hyderabad Cloud regions for use by the government and public sector enterprises.

The state governments of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Orissa, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and those from more than 29 states and union territories already use Oracle solutions.

The company said that governments and other public sector entities in India can now take advantage of Oracle's second-generation cloud technologies and move their most challenging workloads to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).

"It gives us innumerable opportunities to help India's government agencies and public sector organisations really accelerate the speed at which they can embrace digital transformation. We will be ramping up our team to support this growth in our public sector business," said Shailender Kumar, Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director, Oracle India.

Oracle offers enterprise-grade security and performance out of two local Cloud regions in Hyderabad and Mumbai, seen as critical by Indian organisations wanting to accelerate their digital journey and future-proof their business.

Many government ministries have also been users of Oracle technologies for a long time. Additionally, central government projects and more are also powered by Oracle technologies in the country.

"Oracle has been a partner to India's development agenda for nearly three decades. Several customers are already experiencing benefits from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure," said Kumar.

The government entities and public sector organisations will now have access to benefits like fast and simple migration path to the Cloud, reliable on-premises-equivalent performance and massive scalability and powerful and easy to implement security controls with isolated computing environments in compliance with regulatory laws, among others, the company informed.
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 11 : A survey conducted among those from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, who were working in the Middle East, and returned to the country through the repatriation mission when Covid-19 pandemic stuck the world last year, mainly faced job losses while some of them opted to come back to India due to the fear of the virus.

According to the survey, conducted by Thiruvananthapuram-based International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMD), 45.5 per cent lost their jobs while 28.4 per cent of the returnees came back to India fearing the lethal virus.

The survey was headed by leading migration expert S. Irudayarajan who titled his report as 'Empty handed and Demoralized: New evidences of Wage Theft among Indian migrants during Covid-19'.

Irudayarajan told IANS that the lack of availability of reliable data prevented a full-fledged sample survey across Indian states.

"The study relied on the personal details of the returnees provided by both the Kerala and Tamil Nadu governments, and stratified random sampling was conducted on this dataset. The survey was conducted among 2,252 migrant workers who had returned during May 2020 and December 2020.

"Among the respondents, 49.1 per cent had returned from UAE and Saudi Arabia, 32.2 per cent were those employed in the industrial sector, while workers from the construction and hospitality sectors constitute 15.1 per cent and 12.3 per cent. While those from the government sector accounted for a mere 0.79 per cent," said Irudayarajan.

The study found out that among the workers who had lost their jobs, some were terminated and repatriated forcefully, some were given false promises about the payment of wages and dues, and only a handful of the workers received all benefits and dues before repatriation.

"The issue of 'wage theft' became a widespread issue across all major migration corridors. Wage theft was poorly addressed across various migration corridors due to the lack of access to justice mechanisms and labour protection systems at the country of origin and destination. In the India-Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) migration corridor, neither India nor the GCC countries are signatories to the ILO Minimum Wage Fixing Convention 1970," added Irudayarajan.

Wage theft consists of the total or partial non-payment of a worker's remuneration, earned through the provision of labour services, as stipulated in a written or non-written employment contract. It also includes the payment of salaries below the minimum wage, non-payment of overtime, on-payment of contractually owed benefits, the non-negotiated reduction of salaries as well as the retention of dues upon one's contract termination.

The data indicates that 60 per cent of the repatriated workers to Kerala had lost their jobs. Among the 44.5 per cent of the people who lost the job and returned to India since May 2020, 30.7 per cent of the workers returned from Saudi Arabia.

Even though the UAE has the most prominent Indian diaspora population, more workers from Saudi Arabia lost their jobs compared to UAE -- 22.3 per cent, Qatar contributes 7.1 per cent of the total workers who lost job.

Among the workers, 15 per cent of the domestic sector, including drivers, faced job loss.

He also pointed out that as the predictions indicate service sector is responsible for around 60 per cent of the job loss during the pandemic, followed by the industrial sector.

Among the people who lost jobs, most of the workers 30.18 per cent were asked to resign. Notably, 18.7 per cent of the workers were advised to travel back home without paying their salaries, and a few workers -- 2.6 per cent were threatened with termination.

During the survey, most respondents were reluctant to criticize the employers and supported them by citing the financial crisis.

His study also found out that a there is a general feeling among the public and policymakers that the freshers struggled to keep their jobs at the destination country.
Herat : , Aug 11 (IANS) The Taliban have captured the key Afghan city of Pul-e-Khumri, 140 miles north of the capital Kabul, giving the insurgents control of a strategic road junction linking Kabul to the north and west, according to insurgents and local officials, the Guardian reported.

Two officials in the city told the Guardian it fell to Taliban after heavy fighting on Tuesday, with officials and security forces abandoning their compounds.

"Pul-e-Khumri fell to the Taliban, they are everywhere," one official said in a phone interview during which the sound of heavy gunfire could be heard.

"Taliban fighters broke through the frontlines in several directions during the afternoon. After heavy clashes, officials and security forces abandoned the governorate, intelligence and police headquarters. Heavy clashes are ongoing. We are deciding where to retreat now." A Taliban spokesperson on Twitter also claimed the capture of the city, the capital of Baghlan province. Images on social media showed the Taliban's flag at city gates and insurgent fighters inside the city.

If confirmed, Pul-e-Khumri would be the eighth out of 34 provincial capitals captured by the hardline Islamist movement in less than a week, the report said.

The city's fall to the Taliban would be a massive blow to the Afghan government, threatening the remaining cities in the north of Afghanistan not already under insurgent control including Mazar-i-Sharif and Faizabad.

Earlier on Tuesday, a senior EU official warned that the Taliban's strategy in northern Afghanistan appeared to be to cut off the capital, Kabul, from forces to the north that could support it.

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said he does not regret his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, noting that Washington has spent more than $1 trillion over 20 years and lost thousands of troops.

"Afghan leaders have to come together," Biden told reporters at the White House, saying the Afghan troops outnumber the Taliban and must want to fight. "They've got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation." He said the US continues to provide significant air support, food, equipment and salaries to Afghan forces.

During the past two months the Taliban has rapidly expanded the territory it controls to about 65 per cent of the country, including a large proportion of rural areas. A third of the country's provincial capitals are under threat.

The Taliban military chief released an audio message to his fighters on Tuesday ordering them not to harm Afghan forces and government officials in territories they conquered.

In the nearly five-minute audio, Mohammad Yaqoob, the son of the late Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, also told the insurgents to stay out of abandoned homes of government and security officials who had fled, to leave marketplaces open and to protect places of business, including banks.

It was not immediately clear if Taliban fighters on the ground would heed Yaqoob's instructions. There have been reports by civilians who have fled Taliban advances of heavy-handed treatment by the insurgents -- of schools being burned down and of repressive restrictions on women, the report said.
Washington, Aug 11 : The Pentagon has said that US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin conveyed to Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa about Washington's interest in continuing to improve the US-Pakistan relationship.

Secretary Austin "expressed his interest in continuing to improve the US-Pakistan relationship and build upon our multiple shared interests in the region", a statement said, the Dawn reported on Wednesday.

"Secretary Austin and General Bajwa discussed (during a telephonic conversation) the ongoing situation in Afghanistan, regional security and stability, and the bilateral defence relationship more broadly," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said.

Austin also discussed the mutual goals of security and stability in the region, he said.

Responding to a journalist's question, Kirby said the US continues to have conversations with the Pakistani leadership about the safe havens that exist along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"We are mindful that those safe havens are only providing a source of more insecurity and more instability inside Afghanistan. We are not bashful about having that discussion with Pakistani leaders," he said.

"We are also mindful that Pakistan and the Pakistani people also fall victim to terrorist activities that emanate from that region. So, we all have a shared sense of the importance of closing down those safe havens and not allowing them to be used by the Taliban or other terrorist networks to sow discord," Kirby said.

"And again, we're having that conversation with the Pakistanis all the time," he said.

Asked what role India and Pakistan should play in Afghanistan, the Pentagon spokesperson said: "We want all neighbouring countries not to take actions that make the situation in Afghanistan more dangerous than it is already, and to continue to try to use international pressure to get a negotiated peaceful political settlement to this war."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Amaravati, Aug 11 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national secretary and Andhra Pradesh co-incharge Sunil Deodhar on Wednesday said that the national party never proposed an alliance with the ruling YSRCP and called it a 'rowdy' party.

"We never proposed any alliance with rowdy YSRCP in AP," said Deodhar.

Instead of an alliance, the BJP leader said the ruling party at the Centre waged a war against YSRCP's alleged anti-people decisions.

"On the contrary, we conducted a number of protests against anti-people decisions of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy," he claimed.

Mincing no words, Deodhar also attacked the principal opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the southern state and hinted at regular prolonged absence of Nara Chandrababu Naidu.

"The other family state party, the TDP is locked up for the last more than two years," he alleged.

Earlier, senior YSRCP leader and Minister Perni Venkatramaiah alleged that the BJP was conspiring to crash the state government to elevate a person donning saffron robes to the CM's pedestal.

He termed the BJP as any other regular political party that also executes plotting and asserted that it was not an NGO.

The Minister alleged that the BJP is hoping for a "baba's rule in AP".

Aiming to capture power in Andhra, BJP's Deodhar has been spending considerable time in the state.

Its recent attempt to win the Tirupati Parliamentary bypoll fizzled, even after cashing in on the 'charisma' of local actor - politician and Janasena founder Pawan Kalyan.
Lucknow, Aug 11 : The huge investments being made by companies in the solar energy sector have opened up great opportunities for permanent employment in Uttar Pradesh.

The UP government's Solar Energy Policy 2017 is not only dispelling darkness from every village of the state, but also creating plethora of opportunities for people to earn their living from it.

According to the government spokesman, in the last four and a half years, solar power projects of 1,370 MW capacity have been commissioned while projects of another 417 MW capacity are under construction.

Big investors are coming forward to invest in solar energy sector in the state.

Besides, several investment proposals for solar power projects are currently under government's consideration.

"The government has set a target to achieve 10,700 MW capacity solar power generation by the year 2022, and is working on plans for setting up a solar park and an ultra-mega solar park in the state," the spokesman said.

With these efforts, thousands of people have got employment in solar energy projects in UP while power supply has become more regular in rural areas and the environment is also benefiting with increasing use of renewable solar energy. The business of solar panels, solar lights, solar batteries and solar cookers has also picked up in the state, providing jobs to thousands of people.

The Solar Energy Policy 2017 provides open access to companies for the establishment of solar park and third-party sale of solar energy.

Under the provisions of this policy, 100 per cent stamp duty exemption and 100 per cent exemption in electricity duty for 10 years is being given to investors through online single window clearance system.

This has led to 11 private companies in solar energy sector set up their plants in seven districts of the state, namely Bundelkhand, Banda, Chitrakoot, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jalaun, Jhansi and Lalitpur to date. The solar power units are generating more than 550 MW of electricity daily.

Solar energy production has also started in Chhibo village of Chitrakoot, with the commissioning of a 25 MW solar power plant by a private company.

Besides, the REC Power Distribution Company is setting up a 50 MW solar power plant in Kanpur (Dehat) and 75 MW solar plant in Jalaun.

Many other private companies are also setting up solar power plants in different districts of the state.

Furthermore, 19,579 solar pumps have been installed to benefit farmers.

The business of installation and sale of solar lights and panels has picked up in UP because of the government's initiatives to promote use of solar energy in the state. Shops dealing in solar panels, solar lights, solar cookers and solar batteries have opened in every district and block of the state.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : In his Commencement Lecture to open the Academic Year 2021-22 of the Jindal School of Government and Public Policy (JSGP), O.P. Jindal Global University, Dr. R. Balasubramaniam, renowned development scholar and member of the recently created Capacity Building Commission, appealed to students to make the most of the intellectually stimulating ecosystem in Indias premier public policy school.

He said: "What a public policy school can do to economics students is that it can make them compassionate. It gives them a humanised understanding of economics, whereas a pure economics school may not give this. So, if you have to study economics, choose a public policy school," In his address to students, JSGP Dean Prof. R. Sudarshan urged them to break away from the conventional wisdom of the natural sciences, which tests hypotheses assuming "other things are equal or ceteris paribus". However, "all things considered" should be the basis for designing public policies.

Dr. C. Raj Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, OP Jindal Global University, lauded Dr. Balasubramaniam's persistent efforts towards "filling the gap between the rhetoric of policy on the one hand and the reality of its implementation on the other hand" in India.

Dr. Balasubramaniam, a visiting professor at Cornell University, USA, pointed out that post-Covid-19, public policies across the world are grappling with forces of uncertainty and predictive modelling techniques fail to offer reliable answers. In times like this, he called upon public policy schools to teach future policymakers lessons in intellectual humility and adaptability. "A new understanding of geopolitics is emerging, but do we have a new generation of policymakers with this new understanding?... We need formally trained public policy graduates to operate along with the lawyers, economists, anthropologists, and all other disciplines that are part of the solutions," he added.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : A special Court on Wednesday discharged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and nine Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders in a controversial case of alleged assault on former Chief Secretary of Delhi, Anshu Prakash.

However, the court has ordered to frame charges against two AAP leaders - Amantullah Khan (MLA - Okhla) and Prakash Jarwal (MLA- Deoli) in the case.

A special MP/MLA court, presided over by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sachin Gupta at Rouse Avenue court, pronounced the discharge order on Wednesday.

Soon after the order was pronounced by the court, senior AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia called it the victory of truth.

"Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal ji discharged by Court in fabricated CS assault case. Satyamav Jayate," Sisodia tweeted.

AAP's national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also reacted on social media after getting a much-needed relief from the court. Kejriwal did not express much but tweeted, "Satyameva Jayate." Kejriwal and 12 other AAP leaders were booked in the case under sections 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 323 (Causing hurt), 342 (Punishment for wrongful confinement), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 120-B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy), and 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), among others of the Indian Penal Code.

The alleged assault took place on the intervening night of February 19 and 20, 2018 at Kejriwal's residence, where Prakash was called for a meeting.

Apart from Kejriwal and Sisodia, other AAP leaders who were accused in the case include - Nitin Tyagi, Rituraj Govind, Sanjeev Jha, Ajay Dutt, Rajesh Rishi, Rajesh Gupta, Madan Lal, Parveen Kumar and Dinesh Mohaniya.

In his complaint, then Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash had alleged that AAP MLAs Prakash Jarwal and Amanatullah Khan had assaulted him in Kejriwal's home on February 19, 2018.

The police had then questioned multiple AAP legislators who were present when the alleged incident took place, along with Kejriwal and Sisodia.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Bengaluru, Aug 11 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has started probing the human trafficking angle in the gang-rape of a Bangladesh woman case after taking the accused into its custody, sources said on Wednesday.

NIA sleuths took the accused persons -- Sobuz, Rudoi Babu, Rabikul Islam Sagar, Mohammad Babu Sheik, Rapsan Mandal, Dalmi Ahmad Jillon and Mohammad Jamal into custody on Tuesday. They were sent to judicial custody by Karnataka police.

Sources in NIA said the focus would be on human trafficking from Bangladesh into India. The accused lured poor families in Bangladesh to send their girl children to India promising them jobs.

However, the accused after illegally infiltrating them into India would push them to prostitution.

Accused Mohammad Babu Sheik ran a prostitution racket in Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Calicut, Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai, sources said.

The NIA has also carried out raids at two places in Bengaluru on Sunday in connection with the case.

The incident had come to light on May 27, when a video of sexual assault on a woman by a gang went viral. Karnataka police after taking up suo motu case managed to trace the victim and arrested the accused persons.

During the investigation, it had come to light that the victim had crossed into the territory of India illegally from Bangladesh. The Bangalore police had submitted a charge sheet of more than 1,000 pages to the court. The NIA has taken over the investigation of the case later.
August 11 : During the second wave of the pandemic, R Madhavan experienced something amusing but sad while travelling to Dubai. In a video, the actor showed an empty aircraft, in which he was travelling alone. Madhavan was travelling to Dubai for the shoot of his upcoming film Ameriki Pandit.

While travelling to Dubai all alone on the flight, the actor documented the journey in a series of videos. He shared the videos on his Instagram handle, wherein he showcased an empty aircraft in which he was travelling alone. He was also alone at the immigration. The actor also shared a video from the business class lounge, which was also empty. The actor captioned the videos as, July 26th 2021Amusing but sad. Praying hard for this to end soon so loved ones can be with each other... #Amerikipandit shoot in Dubai.

While fans were also surprised at the emptiness of the flight, actor Adah Sharma commented on Madhavans post and wrote, This is like an after apocalypse movie! while a fan wrote, Hahahha this is hilarious. You can pick as many seats as you want.

Madhavan is shooting for his upcoming film Amriki Pandit in Dubai. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, he was travelling alone on the aricraft. In March this year, the actor had tested positive for Covid-19 while he was shooting for the same film in Bhopal. Amriki Pandit also stars Mollywood actor Manju Warrier. It is directed by debutant director Kalpesh.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Madhavan was last seen in the Tamil film Maara. The Madhavan recently wrapped his Netflix series Decoupled.

He will next be seen in his directorial venture Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, where he is playing the titular role. The film is based on the life of scientist and aerospace engineer S. Nambi Narayan.
Phnom Penh, Aug 11 : The number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths in Cambodia is on the gradual decline as more people have been vaccinated against the virus, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said on Wednesday.

Cambodia confirmed 486 new Covid-19 infections on Wednesday, a decrease from the peak day of 1,130 cases on June 30, the MoH said, adding that 12 more fatalities were reported on Wednesday, a dramatic drop from the highest daily death toll of 39 recorded on July 15, Xinhua reported.

To date, the Southeast Asian nation has recorded a total of 83,384 Covid-19 cases, with 1,614 deaths and 77,754 recoveries, the MoH said.

Authorities attributed the fall in new cases and deaths to the higher Covid-19 vaccination rate.

Cambodia launched a Covid-19 vaccination drive on February 10, aiming to inoculate 12 million people, or 75 per cent of its 16-million population by November.

MoH's secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine said that as of August 10, the country has vaccinated 8.39 million people, or 52.48 per cent of the total population.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Bengaluru, Aug 11 : Amid the surge in coronavirus cases especially in Kerala bordering districts of Karnataka, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday will chair Covid review meeting at Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

Health bulletin suggested Dakshina Kannada district recorded more Covid cases than Bengaluru. The CM, after meeting with district authorities on Wednesday, would also visit Kerala border check posts on Thursday before he returns to Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the civic agency here, is gearing up to prepare as many as 8,000 beds across its jurisdiction to face the possible third wave of Covid.

As many as 8 Covid centres, 4 government medical colleges, 16 government hospitals and other medical colleges are being roped in for the purpose.

BBMP is also planning to take 6,000 beds from 140 private hospitals.

Minister for Revenue, R. Ashok maintained that the private hospitals have been told to make beds available for the treatment of Covid patients as and when required.

He also stated that the government is setting up a children's hospital in every assembly constituency in Bengaluru.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mumbai, Aug 11 : 'Sairat' fame actress Rinku Rajguru who is playing a pivotal role in the upcoming film '200 Halla Ho' says that unless the new generation starts creating awareness and protests against the age-old brutality on the Dalit community, especially on women, change will not come. She feels cinema and constant conversation could be the agent of change in the matter.

Rinku told IANS: "I think the first time when Sarthak sir (director of the film) narrated the story, I was moved but the intensity of the reality on how Dalit women are brutalised every day, and no one even raises a voice against the crime thinking, 'ye log to hai hi Dalit, neech jaat, iske saath to galat kaam chalta hai'. As a youngster, my blood just boiled! How? Like how could it happen, Dalit girls get raped in daylight and no one even bothers to talk about it! Rape is a crime but here, it is projected as if being Dalit is a crime so society will treat you like this and you have to deal with it. I say, why?" The 20-year-old actress took a pause and expressed her anger. Then she went on adding, "I hope, once the film releases and everyone watches this, the real victims, instead of feeling victimised, should protest and ask for justice. Unless we create awareness, this age-old brutality based on gender and caste will never be stopped." In the film, she is playing the character of a young Dalit girl named Asha who gathers people from the community and protests against the rape and murder of a Dalit girl and how from police to court everyone refuses to consider the case and punish the criminal.

Asked about how she prepared herself for the character, Rinku said, "Since it was a well-written script, I was just following that, and whatever Sarthak sir was telling me. Very consciously, I did not watch films in which that community has been represented because I do not want to caricaturise the portrayal of a Dalit girl in Asha. I know people tend to approach it like 'dalit ladki hai to aise hi honge, waise hi bolenge etc.' I wanted Asha to be a hope and that fire that can bring a change in the brutal practice of our society." The film '200 Halla Ho', also featuring Amol Palekar, Barun Sobti, Sahil Khattar, Saloni Batra, Indraneil Sengupta and Upendra Limaye, releases on ZEE5 on August 20.

(Arundhuti Banerjee can be contacted at arundhuti.b@ians.in)
Bikkavolu : , Aug 11 (IANS) A 9th century Nandi idol from the Sri Golingeswara Swamy temple has been stolen by unidentified miscreants at Bikkavolu village in Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district.

"Two days back, a case has been registered by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) that a small Nandi idol of 1 ft height and a length of 1 ft and half is missing," East Godavari district superintendent of police M. Ravindranath Babu told IANS.

Babu said a theft case has been registered in Bikkavolu police station.

According to the SP, the idol was placed within the premises of the temple but not inside the sanctum sanctorum.

"A case has been registered and a special team has been formed under the jurisdiction of Ramachandrapuram DSP. They are investigating," he said.

The Indian Police Service (IPS) officer said a suspect's movement was identified on Saturday.

"So we are suspecting if treasure trove hunters were involved in the theft," said Babu.

Though the temple is equipped with CCTV cameras, the footage did not have clear visibility but the suspect's movement can be seen.

Considering the ancient nature of the temple, ASI is monitoring the probe.

"But the main statues (inside the sanctum sanctorum) were not disturbed. This temple is part of the ASI collection of temples," said the SP.

However, ASI officials were also clueless as to when the idol was placed in the temple.

Babu personally visited the crime spot on Wednesday to make his observations and analyse the clues.

He exuded confidence that the case will be cracked soon deploying technical expertise.
Mumbai, Aug 11 : Popular television actor Shakti Arora, who features in the latest Punjabi single 'Ishq nibhava', has revealed why the song is close to his heart.

'Ishq Nibhava' has been sung by Nitin Gupta and Rupali Jagga.

Talking about why the song is special for him, Shakti Arora said: "The reason this music video holds a special place in my heart is because this is my first music video in the Punjabi industry, and the music is extremely catchy, romantic and soothing." "What drew me to the song was a simple boy next door, a lower middle class family who has small dreams and pure love which he has for the girl. The story revolves around a small town romance, making it more appealing to the audience," he added.

The video features Shakti alongside actress Divya Agarwal.

Opening up on his experience of shooting for the video in Chandigarh, the actor said: "The atmosphere, professional crew and working with a well versed actor like Divya just made the work environment more fun. Divya is a very jovial and fun loving girl." "Shooting in Chandigarh for the first time was a splendid experience for me. Being surrounded by a bunch of people fluently speaking Punjabi was quite fascinating. I got to experience their hospitality, they were so warm and welcoming," the actor said.

The lyrics for 'Ishq nibhava' have been penned by Mannu and Shubham Sharma while the music has been composed by Nitin Gupta and Mannu.

'Ishq nibhava' has released on the YouTube channel of Celebrino Records.
New Delhi, Aug 11: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has launched its biggest operation in Jammu and Kashmir with searches at the premises of all prominent functionaries of the outlawed Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI). The operation began with a coordinated chain of raids on the residences and establishments of the top-ranking JeI leaders, including four former Amirs of the organisation, in 14 districts of the Union Territory on Sunday, 8 August 2021.

Even as the raids were underway on the third consecutive day on Tuesday, it was officially confirmed that as many as 61 premises were extensively searched on the first two days. Officials said that over 150 private vehicles had been hired for the operation in addition to dozens of the Police, security, paramilitary and other government vehicles. Senior officers from New Delhi and Chandigarh are camping in Jammu and Kashmir, and leading and supervising the raids.

Of the five former heads, Ghulam Nabi Naushehri has been living in Pakistan since his migration in 1991. Residences of the four Amirs, namely Ghulam Hassan Sheikh of Tarigam Kulgam, Mohammad Abdullah Wani of Wadwan Budgam, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat of Tujjarsharif Sopore and Abdul Hamid Fayaz of Nadigam Shopian, were searched on Sunday.

The last Amir, until the JeI was banned for five years immediately after the 14 February 2019 terror attack in which 40 CRPF men were killed, Abdul Hamid Fayaz has been in jail for the last over two years, even as others of the organisation like Mohammad Abdullah Wani and spokesperson advocate Zahid Ali have been released.

Zahid, former deputy Amir Mohammad Ramzan Faheem, Bashir Ahmad Lone and the JeI veteran Dr Mohammad Sultan of Soibug Budgam, who has unsuccessfully contested Assembly elections and has been living in Pakistan over the last several years, were all on the NIA's list whose houses were searched on Sunday.

The NIA has claimed seizure of electronic and other incriminating documentary evidences but sources close to the JeI maintained that the organisation had been "completely defunct" after February 2019 and nobody was associated with the fund-raising and other operations since long. "They haven't found anything incriminating. Reportedly, they have seized the accounts of a grand mosque which is currently under construction in Kupwara," said a well-placed source.

Officials maintained that the search operation and digital analysis of the seizures would take a substantial amount of time. "NIA does not launch a search operation until it is sure of getting concrete, substantive evidence. The officers who order raids are held responsible if a case fails during prosecution and trial. It reflects on their performance and conduct even after their transfer and retirement. They will take time but establish this organisation's links to terrorism and terror funding," said an officer.

Post-1990, JeI has been associated with the outlawed militant group Hizbul Mujahideen which drew most of the guerrilla cadres from this organisation. However, ever since 1942, when the JeI established base in Kashmir, it has existed as a Muslim religious organisation which began participating in the Indian democratic exercises when the valley's towering politician Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was running his pro-Plebiscite Mahaz-e-Rai Shumari from jail.

JeI's political face Syed Ali Shah Geelani contested 5 Assembly and 3 Lok Sabha elections. Of the eight, he won three from the Assembly segment of Sopore -- in 1972, 1977 and 1987 when he was the candidate of Muslim United Front (MUF).

It was over 50 years back that the red-flag National Conference's and Sheikh Abdullah's arch ideological rival, JeI realised that its expansion would not be possible without being power by hook or by crook. It was difficult for the organisation which was sworn to the dream of Kashmir's accession to Pakistan and was a minnow before Sheikh's party. In 1971-72, it discovered that it could be an electoral asset for the ruling Congress whose president and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi left no stone unturned to emaciate Sheikh's NC/Plebiscite Front.

JeI under the leadership of Geelani and others contested the Lok Sabha elections of 1967 followed by the erstwhile State's first Panchayat elections when Sheikh was in jail. In the history's most rigged Assembly elections in 1972, JeI entered into a friendly contest with Congress which strategically conceded 5 seats to the politico-religious organisation. Geelani was one among the five declared as returned, from Sopore.

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Sheikh's second biggest enemy, who with others laid the foundation of the Congress party in J&K in 1964, was a Minister. The bonhomie between Geelani's and Mufti's parties goes back to that era. Shortly after Sheikh returned to power under the Indira-Abdullah Accord in 1975, Mufti convinced Mrs Gandhi to pull the rug. Congress withdrew support from Sheikh's government but it led to dissolution of the Assembly and Governor's rule.

Sheikh's NC swept J&K's first free, fair and transparent Assembly elections in 1977. Of the 42 seats in Kashmir, NC bagged 38 and a grand alliance under the central ruling Janata Party (JP) had to be content with just 2 seats -- Abdul Gani Lone in Handwara and Abdul Rashid Kabli in Eidgah, Srinagar. JeI got only one seat for Geelani, in Sopore. In 1983, Congress got 26 seats, mostly from Jammu but JeI failed on all segments.

In April 1979, Sheikh's mainstream Kashmir constituency held JeI Pakistan responsible for Z.A. Bhutto's execution in Gen. Zia Ul Haq's military regime. Unruly crowds with substantial participation of the NC cadre swooped on the JeI-dominated villages across South Kashmir. Their houses were torched and apple orchards destroyed on a large scale. During the Emergency, Sheikh was alleged to have motivated Mrs Gandhi to extend the ban on RSS and JeI Hind to the JeI J&K. It all sharpened JeI's hostility towards the NC.

According to a profile in Caravan magazine, Mufti overtly campaigned for the NC-Congress alliance in 1987 but covertly asked his followers to vote for the MUF whose principal constituent was JeI. In the allegedly rigged Assembly elections, in which the MUF bagged only 4 seats and its veterans like Mohammad Yousuf Shah, who became Hizbul Mujahideen's chief with nom de guerre of Syed Salahuddin in 1991, were declared as losers. Out of differences, Mufti resigned from Congress and he joined VP Singh's Jan Morcha.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Mumbai, Aug 11 : Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to add nearly $90 billion to the Indian economy by 2025, a new report showed on Wednesday.

During the pandemic, India has reported the highest increase in the use of AI at 45 per cent, as compared to other major economies (the US at 35 per cent, the UK at 23 per cent and Japan at 28 per cent).

"In fact, AI startups in India attracted total funding of $836.3 million in 2020. Also, despite the total number of high-value funding shrunk, the companies that received funding almost doubled in 2020 compared to 2019," according to homegrown independent Transaction Advisory firm, RBSA Advisors.

"The future of Indian ecosystem is poised to witness the rapid penetration and adoption of AI and investors should make full use of this opportunity," said Rajeev Shah, MD and CEO of RBSA Advisors.

According to the study titled 'Artificial Intelligence & Its role in Delivering Economic Value to Indian Enterprise, investment in AI has accelerated in India during the pandemic and the country has a potential to be a global epicentre of AI.

IT services and technology sectors contribute to more than 60 per cent of the AI market, followed by BFSI, engineering and retail.

The BFSI sector has recorded highest adoption (20 per cent) due to increasing penetration of digital banking and cashless payments in India, the findings showed.

"Energy and utilities and retail sectors report adoption of 15 per cent each with lot of untapped market opportunities for AI penetration, followed by pharma and healthcare, telecom, manufacturing and other sectors," it added.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of conspiring against the AAP government and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in alleged assault case of former Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash.

The Minister's remark came soon after a special court on Wednesday discharged Kejriwal and nine other AAP leaders, including Sisodia from the alleged assault of CS which had occurred during a meeting at the Kejriwal's residence on February 19, 2018.

"Today is the day of victory for all the people of Delhi because the court has refused to frame charges against Arvind Kejriwal. Today's court judgment proved that it was a well panned conspiracy to defame AAP government. The BJP tried its best to defame Kejriwal, but the court gave the justice," Sisodia said addressing a press conference on Wednesday.

Prakash, the then chief secretary of Delhi, had alleged that he was assaulted during a meeting at the chief minister's residence in 2018.

Prakash had claimed that he was called for a midnight meeting to discuss the release of the party's advertisements related to the government completing three years in office and manhandled and assaulted him during the course of the meeting.

"The court said that all allegations in the matter were false and baseless. The chief minister was acquitted today in that false case," Sisodia added.

He reiterated that the case was just a 'conspiracy' to bring down Kejriwal government. "We had been saying that the allegations were false. It was a conspiracy hatched against the chief minister," he added.

Prakash had then alleged that he was assaulted during a meeting at the chief minister's residence on February 19, 2018. On the basis of his complaint, Delhi had lodged an FIR against Kejriwal, Sisodia and 11 other AAP MLAs.

The incident had sparked huge controversy and bureaucrats in the Delhi government had then launched an unprecedented show of retaliation and they had even stopped attending Cabinet meetings.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, responding on the matter, Delhi unit of the BJP claimed that fixing of charges against two AAP MLAs (Amanuttullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal) in the case of beating and scuffle with Andhu Prakash proved that the CS was beaten that night at Kejriwal's residence.

BJP Spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, "Arvind Kejriwal and MLAs may have been given clean chit due to lack of evidence but fixing of charges against Khan and Jarwal shows that beating took place in CM's presence and thus Chief Minister is morally responsible. Kejriwal should come forward and appologise to Prakash and people of Delhi."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Hyderabad, Aug 11 : Telugu actor Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas will soon be seen playing the lead in the biopic of Tiger Nageswara Rao. The film has been announced with the title 'Stuartpuram Donga'.

Nageswara Rao was known as the notorious and courageous thief of Stuartpuram in the 1970s.

The life and times of Nageswara Rao, known for his smart way of escape from police and prison too, will come alive on the big screen. In fact, it was one such escape from a Chennai jail that gave him the moniker of 'Tiger'. The infamous robber was finally shot dead by the police in 1987.

According to the film's production team, a strong script has been prepared and all the required commercial ingredients are included in the right proportions. Vennelakanti Brothers are the writers for the film. Since the story is set in the 70s and 80s, popular technicians are zeroed in to be part of this high-budget entertainer.

The film will be directed by KS and produced by Bellamkonda Suresh.

Melody Brahma Mani Sharma will score the music. Shyam K Naidu handles the camera, while Thammiraju is the editor and AS Prakash is the art director.

Meanwhile Bellamkonda is busy wrapping up the shoot of his Bollywood debut. He will be seen in the Hindi remake of Telugu film 'Chatrapathi', which is directed by VV Vinayak. The shooting of the film is taking place here.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Beijing, Aug 11 : As the virus continues to mutate, new variants of Covid-19 will emerge so the world must prepare to coexist with them, top Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli has said.

Zhengli, also known as the "bat woman", renewed calls for the public to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, the South China Morning Post reported.

"As the number of infected cases has just become too big, this allowed the novel coronavirus more opportunities to mutate and select. New variants will continue to emerge," she was quoted as saying.

The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 was documented first from the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. It has since, evolved into several variants, spreading across the world.

The public should be prepared to coexist with the virus "for a long time or forever", Professor Jin Dongyan, a molecular virologist with the University of Hong Kong was quoted as saying.

However, Dongyan also suggested that SARS-CoV-2 could eventually be eradicated like smallpox or polio as vaccines were improved.

It is because that even with more variants, the mutation rate of SARS-CoV-2 was lower than that for influenza and HIV-1. "The virus does not have unlimited potential to mutate," Dongyan said.

While the Covid-19 had become more transmissible, more mutations could follow as it continued to evolve -- just like many other viruses.

"When it becomes best adapted, it could stabilise," he said.

Meanwhile, Zhengli also called on the scientific community to speed up with the development of new vaccines and medications to prevent upper respiratory infection against the virus, the report said.

"The current vaccines are injected into our muscles and protect our lungs but have yet to be able to neutralise infection with our upper respiratory system," Dongyan added.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Washington, Aug 11 : The US wants Afghanistan's neighbours not to recognise any government in Kabul that has been imposed by force, Dawn reported.

The demand -- made at a US State Department briefing, preceded a meeting of the Troika Plus nations in Doha on Wednesday.

The group, which includes the US, Russia, China and Pakistan, is aimed at finding a political solution to the decades-old war in Afghanistan.

During the news briefing, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that two key meetings were being held in Doha this week, bringing together representatives from the region and beyond and from multilateral organisations.

The participants will press for a reduction in violence, a ceasefire and a "commitment by the part of these regional and broader governments and multilateral and international institutions not to recognise any government that is imposed by force," Price said, as per the report.

The meetings in the Qatari capital come as the Taliban have stepped up their campaign to defeat the government as foreign forces withdraw.

US Special envoy for Afghanistan Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad is representing Washington in the talks in Doha.

Pakistan has sent its special envoy Muhammad Sadiq and its ambassador to Kabul, Mansoor Khan. Kremlin's envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov and the newly appointed Chinese envoy for Afghanistan Yue Xiao Yong are representing their countries.

All these countries have major stakes in bringing peace to Afghanistan and are seeking a regional consensus on the Afghan conflict despite their differences.

In the press briefing, Price said that Khalilzad had been sent to Doha to "advance a collective international response to what can only be termed as a rapidly deteriorating security situation".

US Special envoy for Afghanistan Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad is representing Washington in the talks in Doha.

Pakistan has sent its special envoy Muhammad Sadiq and its ambassador to Kabul, Mansoor Khan. Kremlin's envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov and the newly appointed Chinese envoy for Afghanistan Yue Xiao Yong are representing their countries.

In the press briefing, Price said that Khalilzad had been sent to Doha to "advance a collective international response to what can only be termed as a rapidly deteriorating security situation".

However, the US media on Tuesday reported that Khalilzad was there to warn the Taliban against pursuing a military victory on ground.

He will "deliver a blunt message: A Taliban government that comes to power through force in Afghanistan will not be recognised," media reported.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : Ahead of next year's assembly polls, the BJP is launching a massive farmer outreach program in Uttar Pradesh. The saffron party will organise several programs which include 'kisan chaupal' and 'kisan samvad' across the state to establish a connect with the farmers.

Ministers, MPs and MLAs will participate in these chaupals and samvads across the state and they will also collect feedback from farmers.

The Uttar Pradesh assembly polls are scheduled early next year.

As per the plan, the BJP will hold 'Kisan Samvad', 'Kisan Chuapal' and other farmer outreach programmes starting from August 16 in Uttar Pradesh. The campaign will be led by the BJP Kisan Morcha.

BJP Kisan Morcha's President and Lok Sabha member from Fatehpur Sikri, Raj Kumar Chahar told IANS that through the Kisan Chuapal and Samvad, party leaders will talk about the farmers welfare measures taken by the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the Yogi Adityanath government in the state.

"We are organising several programs like Kisan Chupal and Kisan Samvad across Uttar Pradesh. The opportunity will be used to explain pro farmer initiatives of the BJP government at Centre and in state," Chahar said.

According to Chahar, union ministers from Uttar Pradesh, ministers in state government, MPs, MLAs, state office bearers and senior leaders will interact with farmers during the programs.

During the programs BJP leaders will explain about benefits of new farm laws, welfare measures for farmers like Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, Soil Health Card Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Credit Scheme, Neem Coated Urea. "It will be two way communications; first our office bearers will talk about welfare measures of the Modi and Adityanath governments and clear the doubt of farmers if they have any issues. Secondly, they will also collect feedback from farmers and submit it to the party. Feedback taken from farmers will be placed before senior leadership," Chahar said.

Since last year, farmers from Western Uttar Pradesh under the leadership of Rakesh Tikait have been protesting at the Delhi borders against three new farm laws. Protesting farmers are demanding repealing of the laws passed during last year's monsoon session.

A party leader from Uttar Pradesh claims that through these outreach programs the BJP will try to win back support of farmers across the state especially in Western Uttar Pradesh where they play a crucial role in deciding the electoral fortunes of any political party.
Bengaluru, Aug 11 : Guardians safety app from Truecaller on Wednesday announced its has crossed one million downloads worldwide, with 60 per cent downloads from India.

Launch in March this year, Guardians has received 4.5 stars rating on Google Play Store and is also typically among the top 10 apps in the Maps and Navigation category, the company said in a statement.

The app supports multiple languages including Hindi, Arabic, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Indonesian and is also available on Apple App Store.

The company has added new features to the app -- satellite view, location-based alerts, and activity-based alerts.

Using the satellite view, users can see a real map of Earth along with accurate topographical details.

With location-based alerts feature, the app will allow users to mark their most frequent places like their home, school or workplace. These locations can be their safe space and whenever someone moves out of this 'safe' place, the Guardians can be notified of the same.

Activity-based alerts is an opt-in feature, where users can enable it if they want to use it.

It is based on the users' activity and uses Android's Activity Recognition API to send notifications when one starts walking or driving faster than 50km/h.

"After developing an app that protects people in their digital lives, Truecaller has committed to real-world safety. As a brand, we are ready to work with local government officials to keep everyone and their loved ones safe," the company said in the statement.

"Guardians will never share any personal information with any third-party apps for commercial use, including our very own Truecaller app. This is our commitment to personal safety," it added.
Madrid, Aug 11 : FC Barcelona have lost Lionel Messi and seen their iconic former player move to Paris Saint-Germain after being unable to fit his new contract into the financial restrictions imposed on Barcelona, but the problems are far from over for Barca president Joan Laporta on the verge of the new season.

Although Messi's considerable wage bill is no longer an issue for the club, Barca have not been able to register any of their summer signings of Memphis Depay, Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia or Emerson Royal into their squad to compete in La Liga, because the club is still failing to meet La Liga's financial conditions.

Barca have to reduce their wage bill to 73 per cent of the club's income before these players can be included, and according to reports in the Spanish media, that wage bill is still an unsustainable 95 per cent of income, reports Xinhua.

That means the club has to either negotiate further wage reductions with the first team squad, or move players on or before August 13, which is when the first squad list has to be submitted to La Liga.

Barca have some leeway with Aguero, who is out injured until November, but not with the other three players, and the club is looking to its highly paid veterans Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba to all accept further cuts in the coming 48 hours, while also looking to complete a deal that would see Miralem Pjanic return to Juventus on loan.

The club also wants to either sell or loan out central defender Samuel Umtiti, but the Frenchman's injury problems and dip in form in recent seasons means it is virtually impossible that any club would be willing to pay Umtiti anything close to what he earns at the Camp Nou.

Currently, the only new arrival who could play for Barca when they kick off the new season at home to Real Sociedad on Sunday is 18-year-old Yusuf Demir, who has impressed in pre-season since arriving on loan from Rapid Vienna. The reason Demir can play is that he is registered for Barca's B-team squad.

The good news for Barca is that the squad list the club has to present on August 13 is not definitive and can be changed when the transfer window closes at the end of the month, but after a difficult week, Laporta and the club have more complicated decisions ahead of them.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kochi, Aug 11 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan got a shocker when the High Court on Wednesday stayed the judicial probe ordered by him against ED officials who allegedly pressurized two prime accused in the gold smuggling case to confess against Vijayan.

It was the ED which approached the court against the probe and the court while staying it asked to send notices to all the parties and posted the case for further hearing on a latter day.

The ED in its petition had said that Vijayan has violated his official position by ordering this judicial probe and the Kerala government has no right to do so.

Even though the probe was announced during the fag end of the first Pinarayi Vijayan government, the orders appointing Justice (rtd) V.K. Mohan came out after Vijayan retained power in the April 6 assembly polls, but before he was sworn in a second time on May 20 this year.

The Commission got its act together and had given an advertisement asking those who want to give a statement can do so.

The BJP had already expressed concern in the manner in which Vijayan had gone ahead to appoint a Commission, which they termed an attack on the federal structure.

Retired Kerala High Court judge Kemal Pasha said one fails to understand the logic of the way the government went ahead with the Commission.

"This is unheard of and am surprised the court which should have dismissed the case, went and gave a stay. Any announcement of such a probe is against the federal structure," said the former justice.

However, putting a brave face CPI-M secretary and also the Left Convener A. Vijayaraghavan said the state government has every right to approach the judiciary and that was what was done and nothing otherwise be looked into.

The premise of this judicial probe is based on a complaint by two women police officials that they were allegedly being pressurized to testify that the gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh was coerced into giving statements implicating Vijayan in the case.

According to the two women police officials, who were providing security to Swapna Suresh, when under judicial custody, that they had heard of the ED pressurizing her to name Vijayan.

Incidentally when Vijayan went about this by registering a case by the Crime Branch and then announced judicial probe, Union Ministers including Home Minister Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman among others had slammed such a move by the Kerala government.

In April, Vijayan suffered a setback after the Kerala High Court quashed the two FIRs registered against Enforcement Directorate officials by the Crime Branch unit of Kerala police in the very same case.
Washington, Aug 11 : The White House has said it is exploring ways to support schools in Florida that are facing financial retribution as a result of defying the state's ban on mask mandates.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told a daily press conference that the Biden administration was looking to support schools in the southern US state that "do the right thing" when it came to masking, praising Florida school leaders for showing "courage" and "boldness" as they sought "to protect students and keep schools safe and open." Psaki's remarks on Tuesday followed days of controversy during which Florida Governor Ron DeSantis threatened to withhold the salaries of those school leaders who defied the governor's earlier executive order banning school districts from issuing mask mandates at a time when students in the state are returning to schools for the fall semester, Xinhua reported.

"We are continuing to look for ways... for the US government to support districts and schools as they try to follow the science, do the right thing and save lives," Psaki said.

"I would note what is publicly available and knowable is that the American Rescue Plan funds that were distributed to Florida to provide assistance to schools have not yet been distributed from the state level," she said. "They're federal funds and... they're under federal discretion, so they just need to be distributed to these schools." Asked about the issue at his own press conference on Tuesday, Biden said he's checking if it is within the presidential power to intervene in the state mask bans.

He said the anti-mask efforts by states including Florida and Texas were "totally counterintuitive and, quite frankly, disingenuous." As of Monday, superintendents of at least two Florida counties, namely Leon and Alachua, have come forward with their plans to enforce mask mandates, directly defying an emergency rule by the Florida Department of Health under DeSantis's direction that school districts must allow parents to decide whether their children will wear masks.

DeSantis's reasoning is that mandating mask-wearing for children infringes on parents' right under Florida law to make decisions about their children's health and education.

In implementing the mask mandates, however, the school leaders cited the latest surge in Covid-19 cases brought about by the Delta variant that not only made Florida the national epicentre of the pandemic in terms of overall infections, but also saw the state leading the country in the number of children hospitalized for contracting the virus.

"If, heaven forbid, we lost a child to this virus, I can't just simply blame the governor of the state of Florida," Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna said when announcing that children from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade will be required to wear masks when classes resume Wednesday in Tallahassee, seat of the county and also capital of the state.

As of Monday, 179 pediatric Covid-19 patients were hospitalized in Florida, which leads the entire nation, and Texas came in second with 161 such cases, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Lucknow, Aug 11 : The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh plans to develop a data centre park, spread over 200 acre of land at Sector-28 of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) in the Noida district.

The implementation of this plan will begin towards August end.

According to the government spokesman, the data centre park at Noida will attract investments from information and technology (IT) industry giants, both from within the country and abroad.

YEIDA officials say that the park is likely to attract an investment of Rs 20,000 crore offering employment to thousands of people.

IT experts feel that with huge investments in the IT and electronics sector, Noida would be seen competing with Silicon Valley in the US within a few years.

Many leading companies in the IT and electronics sector have already invested heavily in Noida in the last four years due to the investor-friendly policies of the Yogi Adityanath government.

Renowned companies like Microsoft, Adani Group and MAQ have recently bought land to set up data centres in Noida.

Besides these, HCL, Google and TCS have already established themselves in Noida whereas Hiranandani Group, Netmagic Services, STT Pvt Ltd and Aggarwal Associate Ltd are in touch with the Uttar Pradesh government to set up their own data centres.

After assuming charge, the Yogi government drafted a new IT policy and announced several concessions and relaxations for the investors.

The concessions given under the Electronics Manufacturing Policy-2017, encouraged 30 big investors to show interest in investing Rs 20,000 crore in the IT sector.

The Chief Minister decided to declare Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway areas in the National Capital Region as 'Electronics Manufacturing Zones'.

With this decision of the state government, many reputed companies from China, Taiwan and Korea came forward to set up their units in Uttar Pradesh.

The New Okhla Industrial Development Authority has allotted 60,000 square metres to Microsoft in Sector-145. Microsoft's software park and data centre will soon be set up on this land at the cost of Rs 1,800 crore. More than 3,500 people will get employment with this project.

Similarly, Noida Authority has allotted a plot of 34,275 square metres to Adani Group at a prime location in Sector-62 and 39,146 square metres to Adani Enterprises in Sector-80.

The company proposes to set up a world-class data centre on this land at the cost of Rs 2,500 crore.

The Noida Authority has allotted a large plot of 16,350 square metres to MAQ India Pvt Ltd in Sector-145.

One of the leading IT companies in the world, MACQ will invest Rs 250 crore to set up its IT unit.

The state government will also give a subsidy of up to 60 per cent in the loans borrowed by investors. Besides, 25 per cent subsidy will be given for buying land.

First time companies will be given 100 per cent exemption from stamp duty whereas firms setting up second units will get a discount of 50 per cent.
Gurugram, Aug 11 : Ahead of the Independence Day celebrations on August 15, security has been beefed up in Gurugram with multi-layered arrangements and strict vigilance in the border areas.

All agencies such as the Crime Branch, Intelligence Bureau, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) unit, Harayana Police Commandos and Government Railway Police (GRP) have been placed on high alert.

Senior Gurugram police officials said they have tightened the security arrangements and instructions have been given to the police personnel to keep a vigilance on suspicious elements.

"Multiple police checkpoints have been erected across the district and along with border areas. Police personnel along with the anti-riot squad have been deployed at key locations. The duty of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) rank officials have been ensured on a rotational basis," said a senior police official.

Deputy Commissioner of Police rank officials will continue patrolling in their respective areas on a rotational basis, the official added.

Amid the ongoing farmers' protest against the three Union farm laws, the district police have already deployed 3,000 police personnel across the district. Three layers of security have been placed around Tau Devi Lal Stadium at Sector-38 in Gurugram where the Independence Day programme will be organized.

At sensitive points, an ITBP unit along with Gurugram police personnel have been stationed. Officials from the Intelligence and Crime Branch units have been deployed in civvies to keep an eye on anti-social elements.

Policemen have also been deployed in uniform and plainclothes across all crowded areas, including Sadar Bazar, malls and temples. The police strength has been increased around metro stations, railway stations and bus stands.

"Because of the Independence Day celebrations, police teams have been deployed 24x7 at the Gurugram railway stations. No passengers would be allowed inside the railway station premises without checking. A GRP team is patrolling at all Gurugram railway stations to avoid an untoward incident," Bhupender Singh, Station House Officer (SHO) of GRP Police Station, Gurugram, told IANS.
Hyderabad, Aug 11 : The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Wednesday announced that its student wing president Gellu Srinivas Yadav will be its candidate for the by-election to the Huzurabad Assembly constituency.

The decision to field the Telangana Rashtra Samithi Vidyarthi Vibhag (TRSV) president as the ruling party candidate has been taken by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Yadav, belonging to the backward class, was a student leader in the Telangana movement. As the then president of the TRSV unit at Osmania University, he was arrested and jailed several times during the Telangana movement.

"He has been working diligently with dedication and commitment in the TRS party since its inception," said a statement from the Chief Minister's Office.

Yadav will take on former minister Eatala Rajender, whose resignation from the Assembly necessitated the by-election. Rajender quit the TRS and joined the BJP in June, a month after he was dropped from the State Cabinet by Chandrasekhar Rao following allegations of land encroachment.

The BJP has already decided to field Rajender in the by-election. The Congress party is yet to announce its candidate.

The Election Commission has not yet announced the schedule for the by-poll.

Hailing from Himmatnagar village in Karimnagar district, Yadav did his MA, LLB and is a research scholar in political science.

Yadav, 38, entered active politics and started participating in the Telangana movement while doing his BA from AV College in Hyderabad.
Kolkata, Aug 11 : Kolkata Police Commissioner, Soumen Mitra has been selected for the prestigious "Police Medal" award this year by the West Bengal Home Department.

Two other officers have been selected in the same category for their outstanding or exemplary work, while seven officers will receive the award in the second category for their commendable work.

The officers will receive the awards from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on August 15.

According to senior officials of the Home Department, the selection of Mitra for the award is significant because he is never considered to be a 'blue-eyed boy' of the chief minister. The state government was forced to accept Mitra as the Commissioner after the Election Commission removed the then Commissioner Anuj Sharma and proposed his name.

Interestingly, though the CM removed many officers, appointed by the Election Commission and reinstated her trusted people, Mitra was allowed to continue as the chief of Kolkata police.

Although Mitra has always been considered to be one of the finest officers in the force, he was not close to the CM until this election.

In a similar instance before the 2016 Assembly polls in the state, the Election Commission had removed the then Commissioner of the Kolkata Police, Rajiv Kumar and Mitra was made the Commissioner. Though Mitra's handling of the force earned him accolades, he was unceremoniously removed after Trinamool Congress came to power.

"This time it seems that Mitra has been successful in earning the confidence of the CM. He is not only continuing after the election but at the same time he has been recommended for the highest police award in the state. He has always been an able officer and an excellent administrator but now that he has earned the confidence of the CM, it is good for the police force and the city as well," a senior IPS officer said.

Along with the Kolkata Police Commissioner, two more IPS officers are receiving the award this time. They are ADG (Prisons) Piyush Pandey and IG (North Bengal) DP Singh. The awards are given by the state government in two main categories - outstanding or exemplary work and commendable work.

The seven IPS getting the award in the second category for the commendable work in the force, include Anand Kumar (IG, CID), Syed Waqar Raja (Joint Commissioner of Kolkata Police), Sumit Kumar (Superintendent of Police, Kochbihar), Bhaskar Mukherjee (Superintendent of Police, Sundarbans), Amarnath K (Superintendent of Police, East Midnapore), Dinesh Kumar (Superintendent of Police, West Midnapore), Aparajita Rai (DC STF, Kolkata Police).
New Delhi, Aug 11 : The food world is savouring its first big 'cancel culture moment. When California-based Instagram influencer Chaheti Bansal made an impassioned plea to "cancel the word curry" on a video she posted on the social media platform on August 9, little could she have known that it would garner more than 3.6 million views (and counting!) as well as coverage in newspapers from London to Perth.

The controversy over the appropriateness of the use of the word 'curry' as the blanket term to describe all Indian dishes is as old as the hills. Yet, cookbook writers, from Madhur Jaffrey ('Ultimate Curry Bible') to Camelia Panjabi ('50 Great Curries of India'), have used it for want of a term that covered the vast universe of Indian 'curries' -- from the Kashmiri 'roghan josh' to Kerala's 'meen moilee'.

Bansal, 27, however, has had enough of it. "There's a saying that the food in India changes every 100km and yet we're still using this umbrella term popularised by white people who couldn't be bothered to learn the actual names of our dishes," she said in a conversation with NBC News. "But we can still unlearn," she added, hopefully.

In a way, Bansal was expressing the pride that her generation of Indian Americans are taking in re-discovering Indian food in all its original diversity -- away from the chicken tikka masala --'naan bread' formula -- inspired by chefs such as New York's Hari Nayak, who has attracted considerable media attention because of his menu for the Sona restaurant, which is backed by Priyanka Chopra Jonas.

Food historians have blamed the "poor ear" (an evocative expression used by the American professor Ilyse Morgenstein Furest in a report appearing in Sky News) of British colonials for the currency that the word has gained over the centuries.

The guardians of the Raj, according to this theory, popularised the Tamil word 'kari', used to describe a spiced sauce or gravy, as the umbrella expression it has become. Its literal meaning, says the Anglo-Indian lexicon, 'Hobson Jobson', is 'to eat by biting'. Along with the word came the Madras Curry Powder, whose origin is lost somewhere in history (although some historians insist it was invented by the British curry houses as recently as in the 1960s).

Britons can be blamed for a lot many things that hurt India, but the practice of using a generic term to describe Indian gravy dishes, or 'relishes' as they were called in the distant past, began with the Portuguese naturalist Garcia d'Orta (1501?-1568), who lived in Goa and wrote the first western treatise on the medicinal and commercially valuable plants of India.

Garcia d'Orta used the word 'karil', borrowed from Canarese (a form of Konkani spoken in the coastal districts of present-day Karnataka, which the Portuguese knew well). Writing in 1568, d'Orta noted: "They made dishes of fowl and flesh, which they call 'karil'." The defining characteristic of a 'karil', according to d'Orta, was its yellow colour derived from the 'Indian saffron', the naturalist's term for turmeric ('haldi').

The Italian musician and composer, Pietra della Valle, who travelled across Surat and Goa in 1623-24, also used the word 'caril' when he wrote: "In India they give the name of 'caril' to certain messes made with butter, with the kernel of the coco-nut (in place of which might be used in our part of the world milk of almonds)... with spiceries of every kind... with vegetables, fruits and a thousand other condiments of sorts; ...and the Christians, who eat everything, put in also flesh or fish of every kind, and sometimes eggs." What could be the earliest recipe for 'caril', according to Hobson Jobson, is given in the Portuguese cookbook 'Arte de Cozhina', which is believed to have been compiled in the 1600s. In Britain, however, it was not until 1747 that the classical cookbook writer Hannah Glasse presented a recipe to "Make a Currey the India Way", which was essentially a stew of chicken or rabbits, with a spoonful of rice and several spices.

In the words of the late doyen of food historians, Alan Davidson, quoted in BBC Food, "What had been an Indian sauce to go with rice, became an English stew with a little rice in it." Britain did popularise 'curry', both the word that has come to define Indian food around the world and its bastardised forms prepared in restaurants that were once patronised by the old 'nabobs' who had gone back home. It's the Portuguese, though, who were entirely responsible for bringing the word to the notice of the western world.

(Sourish Bhattacharyya can be contacted at sourish.b@ians.in)
Chennai, Aug 11 : The Tamil Nadu Education department has reiterated that all unaided private schools in the state must follow the guidelines laid down by the Madras High Court in collecting fees for the current academic year.

State School Education Commissioner, K. Nandhakumar in a circular to all Chief Educational Officials (CEOs) and District Educational Officials (DEOs) has directed that they must act according to the Madras HC order for the collection of fees from students by unaided private schools.

The Madras HC has said if a dispute arises between parent/student and the school management, the DEOs concerned must take an appropriate decision.

The Commissioner in his circular has reiterated that all DEOs and the CEOs should instruct the unaided private schools again over the fee collection for the academic year 2021-22. The circular urged the CEOs and DEOs to communicate to the unaided schools that if there was any violation by them it would be taken as contempt of court. It said strict action would be taken against the school concerned if it violates the court's guidelines in collecting fees.

The Madras HC has said the schools could collect fees up to 85 per cent in six instalments from parents who were not affected by Covid-19 for the academic year 2021-22. Parents who have suffered a loss of income due to the pandemic can give a request to the school management for consideration of a reduction in fees and can pay 75 per cent of the original fees in six equal instalments. The fee remains the same as was fixed during the academic year 2019-20. Private unaided educational institutions have been directed to collect the fee arrears for 2020-21 in equal instalments.

The court has directed the school managements to consider the plea of those who have lost their jobs or business during the pandemic. However, the court said this can be entertained only on an individual basis.
Chennai, Aug 11 : The DMK government led by M.K. Stalin in Tamil Nadu seems to be on a collision path with the opposition AIADMK, with the police booking 10 AIADMK legislators and 3 ex-MLAs for assembling in front of the residence of former minister S.P. Velumani's residence in Coimbatore.

The AIADMK legislators and party leaders had assembled before the residence of the former minister to protest a raid by Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-corruption (DAVC) on Tuesday.

They were booked by the Kuniyamuthur police in three separate cases on various charges including unlawful assembly and violating Covid-19 safety norms. The leaders were booked under Sections 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 341(punishment for wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code.

In the case related to removing the barricade put up by the police, 10 AIADMK workers were charged under sections 143, 269, and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharging his duty) of the IPC.

A third case was registered against two persons who put up a road blockade at the Sugunapuram junction in Coimbatore- Palakkad highway.

Several AIADMK leaders have come out in support of the former minister and party leader S.P. Velumani over the DVAC raids. Former Chief Ministers O. Panneerselvam and K. Palaniswami have condemned the police raids on the residence and other premises of S.P. Velumani.

Former Minister and senior leader of the AIADMK, D. Jayakumar came out strongly against the raids and said that the DMK government under Chief Minister Stalin was in for a political vendetta against AIADMK leaders. He said that the two back to back raids on AIADMK leaders and former ministers, M.R. Vijayabaskar and S.P. Velumani is a clear indication of the vendetta politics practiced by the DMK.

While speaking to IANS, the senior leader said, "DMK is playing politics of vendetta and is trying to tarnish the image of the AIADMK. We will prove the charges wrong in the court of law." AIADMK leader and former Deputy Speaker, Pollachi Jayaraman said that the DMK government was trying to demoralize the AIADMK cadres ahead of the local body polls. He however said that such actions would not weaken the party but the AIADMK would garner strength in Coimbatore and Western Tamil Nadu by these actions.

Senior DMK leader and state PWD minister E.V. Velu said that there is no politics of vendetta and that the law is taking its own course.
Shimla, Aug 11 : At least two people were killed in a massive landslide on National Highway 5 in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district on Wednesday, while 10 others were extricated as rescue operations were launched to free others feared trapped in the debris, police said.

A truck, a state-run bus and other vehicles were buried in the landslide that occurred over a large stretch on the highway near Nigulsari, 61 km from Reckong Peo, the district headquarters of Kinnaur.

However, there was no official confirmation about the number of people missing in the disaster.

The Himachal Road Transport Corporation bus was on its way to Hardwar from Rekong Peo via Shimla.

Local legislator Jagat Singh Negi said told the media that 25 passengers were in the bus. The driver of the bus was rescued and has been hospitalised.

Negi said the frequent landslips are hampering the rescue operation.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur told reporters in Shimla that he directed the Kinnaur administration to speed up relief and rescue operation.

"The exact casualties in the landslide are yet to be ascertained. Sensing the gravity of the situation, the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) has been summoned for rescuing the people," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Thakur and assured him of all possible help.

This is the second major natural disaster in Kinnaur. Last month, nine people, most of them tourists, were killed by a landslide as boulders fell and hit the vehicle they were travelling in.

This monsoon also caused major landslides in the state's Kangra district, claiming 10 lives. Terrifying videos capturing massive landslides in Sirmaur district are common these days.

Seven people died in the exceptionally high rainfall across the cold desert of Lahaul-Spiti district on July 27-28. Keylong and Udaipur subdivision of the district faced 12 incidents of flash flood after a cloudburst, in which the Tozing Nallah's impact was devastating.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Washington, Aug 11 : The surge in Delta variant cases in the US has also fuelled misinformation regarding vaccines in social media, increasing vaccine hesitancy, media reports said.

According to Zignal Labs, which tracks mentions of phrases on social media and by news outlets, phrases prone to vaccine misinformation spiked in July as much as five times from June, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.

These include: vaccines don't work (up 437 per cent), contain microchips (up 156 per cent), people should rely on their "natural immunity" instead of getting vaccinated (up 111 per cent) and cause miscarriages (up 75 per cent).

These claims dipped in May and June when Covid cases plummeted, but with infections soaring due to the Delta variant, the volume of misinformation is also surging, the report said.

"These narratives are so embedded that people can keep on pushing these anti-vaccine stories with every new variant that's going to come up," Rachel E. Moran, a researcher at the University of Washington, was quoted as saying.

"We're seeing it with Delta, and we're going to see it with whatever comes next," she added.

Further, the efforts by social media platforms to crack down on misinformation about the virus have also not succeeded.

Facebook said that it removed confirmed violations of its coronavirus misinformation policy from comments, and that it had connected people with authoritative information about the virus.

Meanwhile, Russian-aligned disinformation campaigns are also contributing to the spread of falsehoods, the NYT reported last week. The campaigns have spread fake information about side effects of the Covid vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, and even stated that the Biden administration will force people to get vaccinated.

According to Moran, the coronavirus misinformation will not go away anytime soon. "Unfortunately it's not spikes and troughs, but steady levels of misinformation," she said.

With "about 93 million people" not vaccinated against Covid-19 in the US, the claims may likely hamper efforts to increase inoculation rates, thus increasing the number of infections.

The vast majority of people testing positive for the virus in recent weeks, and nearly all of those hospitalised from the coronavirus, were unvaccinated. Public health experts, as well as doctors and nurses treating the patients, say misinformation is leading to some of the vaccine hesitancy, the NYT reported.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Aug 11 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday spoke to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and assured him of all possible help following a tragic bus accident in Kinnaur due to landslide.

He also spoke to DG of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and asked to help in the relief and rescue operations.

Taking to Twitter, he said, "Spoke to the Chief Minister @jairamthakurbjp and DG ITBP. @ITBP_official Teams are engaged in relief and rescue work with full readiness. It is the priority of ITBP and local administration to save lives and provide prompt treatment to the injured." According to the ITBP officials here, 4 persons have been rescued by Force teams from the landslide so far. Troopers from 43rd Battalion, 17th Battalion and 19th Battalion have been deployed near the landslide site on Reckong Peo-Shimla Highway near Nugulsari in Kinnaur district. They also said that the continuous shooting stones and rubble on the two sides of the approach route stopped the movement of the rescue teams but efforts are on to rescue them.

"A landslide was reported on the Reckong Peo- Shimla Highway in Kinnaur District in Himachal Pradesh today at around 12.45 hrs. One truck and a HRTC Bus reportedly came under the rubble. Many people reported being trapped. Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) teams rushed for rescue", the ITBP said in a tweet message.

Several vehicles, including a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus carrying over 40 passengers have been reportedly buried under the debris. The bus was on its way from Reckong Peo in Kinnaur to Shimla.

On July 25, nine tourists were killed after huge boulders fell on their vehicle near Basteri in Kinnaur district. Multiple landslides triggered by incessant rains occurred near Basteri on the Sangla-Chitkul, resulting in a bridge collapse and damage to some vehicles too.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Agartala, Aug 11 : Despite the Covid-induced economic slowdown, the Tripura Gramin Bank (TGB) has become the first among the 43 Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) in India to post profit for 21 years in a row, after it reported a net profit of Rs 200 crore in the last fiscal (2020-21), doing business of over Rs 10,273 crore, a top bank official said.

The TGB under the Punjab National Bank (earlier United Bank of India) registered a net growth of 26.70 per cent against a net profit of Rs 157.87 crore in the 2019-20 financial year, when it did business of Rs 9,936.13 crore.

With 50 per cent undertaking by the government of India, 35 per cent by PNB and 15 per cent by the Tripura government, the bank also didn't report any Non-Performing Asset (NPA) in the previous fiscal (2021-22) and so far in this financial year as well.

TGB Chairman Mahendra Mohan Goswami said that the bank would have made more profit and business had there been no Covid-induced situation and related economic recession.

He said that the bank started its journey 45 years ago with a loss of Rs 3,550.47 and started making profit since 2000-01, wiping out the entire accumulated loss of Rs 139.40 crore in FY 2012-13.

With 148 full-fledged branches and 13 ultra small branches in rural areas, the total business of TGB grew by 3.40 per cent in 2020-21 from Rs 9936.14 crore in 2019-20.

"Andhra Pradesh's 15-year-old Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank, sponsored by Canara Bank, and the TGB are the leading RRBs among the country's 43 RRBs in terms of profit and business," Goswami told IANS.

He said that as the TGB has been operating in the rural areas and there is no big industry in Tripura, the credit-deposit-ratio (CD ratio) of the bank is 35.72 per cent against the 54 per cent CD ratio of nationalised banks in Tripura.

The official, accompanied by bank's General Manager Shishir Kumar Rohotgi, said that though the CD ratio of the bank has been reduced from 60.18 per cent in 1976 to 35.72 per cent in the last fiscal, the deposits of the bank have increased from Rs 2,82,021 to Rs 7,569.57 crore in 45 years.

Goswami said that till March 31, the per employee business stood at Rs 12.28 crore, which is much higher than the PSU banks, adding that his bank is now well capitalised among the 43 RRBs operating in the country.

"To encourage entrepreneurship among the rural youth and avoid the guarantor system in getting loans from the bank, the Gramin Bank has started forming joint liability groups (JLGs), and so far around 3,873 such groups have been formed involving over 16,000 people," Goswami said.

According to a report by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Tripura Gramin Bank may continue to be sustainably viable without any further recapitalisation.

"The lives of common men have been severely impacted by the pandemic with business units and agri related activities taking a severe beating. Tripura Gramin Bank in its endeavour to serve the people of the state came out with four loan schemes to provide relief to the Covid-hit people along with keen participation in Aatmanirbhar Bharat schemes," Goswami said.

The bank, which covers over 75 per cent of Tripura's population, mostly in the rural and interior areas, has hundreds of Aadhaar-enabled micro ATMs.

The TGB has been implementing all flagship programmes of the Central government, including the PM Suraksha Bima Yojana, PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, Kisan Credit Card, Mudra Loan etc.

To support self-employment and self-help groups, the bank provides advances in dairy, piggery, poultry, fishery and many other small trades and businesses.

The 43 RRBs are operating with a network of around 21,800 branches covering 685 districts in 26 states.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)
Lucknow, Aug 11 : Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday directed officials to consider a partial relaxation in the weekend closure of shops and business establishments as the pandemic situation has improved considerably in the state.

According to a government spokesman, he has asked the home department to present detailed guidelines in this regard.

At present, markets, shops and business establishments are allowed to open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. from Monday to Friday, while Saturday and Sunday are the weekly closure days.

However, the chief minister now wants partial relaxation in two-day weekly closure of shops and markets.

He has also directed officials to ensure Covid protocols are followed everywhere and there should not be any unnecessary congregation of people anywhere.

There has been a marked improvement in the pandemic situation as 12 districts have no active Covid cases as of now.

Districts with no active cases include Aligarh, Amethi, Chitrakoot, Etah, Firozabad, Gonda, Hathras, Kasganj, Pilibhit, Pratapgarh, Shamli and Sonbhadra while the recovery rate stands at 98.6 per cent.

On Tuesday, 59 of 75 districts did not report even a single fresh Covid case whereas in the remaining 16 districts, the number of new cases was less than 10.

The state government has also allowed secondary, higher, technical and vocational educational institutions to reopen after Independence Day with 50 per cent attendance.

The chief minister has asked the officials to organise vaccination camps on the premises of universities, schools and colleges for students above 18 years of age.

The chief minister also said that the process of new admissions should be started from classes 6 to 8. Assessing the situation, teaching-learning can be started in these schools from September 1.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : PC major Lenovo registered approximately $462 million in revenues revenue for all group businesses in India for the June quarter, representing year-on-year growth of 31.3 percent, as demand for digital devices to maintain work-life balance continued to surge amid the second Covid wave, the company said on Wednesday.

In India, Lenovo saw steady growth throughout the past fiscal year and delivered an exceptionally strong performance this past quarter.

"We saw strong demand across businesses in India over the past year, and the first quarter this year did exceptionally well. As individuals, companies, and institutions address the demands of the ongoing pandemic, they are transforming their relationship with technology," said Shailendra Katyal, Managing Director, Lenovo PCSD India and Site Leader, Lenovo India.

"With our comprehensive technology services, our broad range of devices, and infrastructure solutions, Lenovo is supporting this transformation. We are expediting the adoption of hybrid work systems, the digitization of core industries, and further educational opportunities," he added.

Globally, Lenovo's performance delivered significant year-on-year profitability improvements, with pre-tax income almost doubling to $650 million (up 96 per cent), and net income also more than doubled (up 119 per cent).

In the June quarter, the Lenovo Group logged $16.9 billion in revenue, up 27 per cent year-on-year.

"The accelerated digital and intelligent transformation has created significant market opportunities globally. Lenovo is successfully seizing these as we transform from a device company to a services and solutions provider," said Yuanqing Yang, Lenovo Chairman and CEO.

"Going forward, we will continue to increase R&D investment, aiming to double it over the next three years and further improve our operational excellence," he added.

Looking ahead, the company sees continued opportunities for sustainable growth and profitability improvements across its business, in areas such as vertical solutions, infrastructure solutions, premium PCs, and adjacent non-PC devices such as tablets, smartphones, embedded computing, and other smart devices.

Having increased R&D expenses in the first quarter by 40 per cent year-on-year, Lenovo said it will further invest in innovation and double its R&D investments over the next three years.
Kabul, Aug 11 : Afghanistan's permanent representative to the United Nations, Ghulam Mohammad Ishaqzai, has urged the UN to declare the Taliban a "destructive" group and take urgent action against them.

The newly-appointed ambassador of Afghanistan to the UN has called on the international community to be mindful and press the Taliban's centres in Pakistan, media reports said.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had earlier asked Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Army, Qamar Javed Bajwa, to eliminate the safe havens of terrorists along its border with Afghanistan.

Austin in a telephonic call with Bajwa had said that the very safe hideouts are the main reason behind instability and insecurity in Afghanistan and will also harm the people of Pakistan.

The Afghan envoy accused the Taliban of not being committed to their promises, which he believes to be behooving the international community to take actions against the fighters.

Ishaqzai also called on Pakistan to stop supporting and providing safe haven to the Taliban on its soil.

Earlier, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the NSA had also accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban, saying that over 10,000 fighters have crossed the Durand Line into Afghanistan and are fighting along with the Taliban.
Kochi, Aug 11 : In what could spell further trouble for Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, gold smuggling case prime accused Swapna Suresh has alleged that a packet of foreign currency was sent to him while he was on a visit to the UAE in 2017, through a diplomat of its Consul General's office here.

Her allegation came in response to a show cause notice issued by the Customs to her on the issue of illegal export of dollars abroad.

The show cause notice, dated July 29 and surfacing in the media on Wednesday, has statements of Swapna Suresh and others. According to it, Swapna, asked who were all these senior politicians she has accused, replied that present Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and then Assembly Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan had sent foreign currency to the UAE through Ahmed Al Doukhi, a diplomat of the Consul General Office, and Consul General, Jamal Al Zaabi, respectively.

"When Swapna was asked how these politicians sent foreign currency through diplomats, she replied that in the beginning of 2017, she got instructions from the Consul General to call (Vijayan's then Principal Secretary) M. Sivasankar and to ask whether any arrangements could be made for Chief Minister's arrival at UAE, that she had called Sivasankar and he told her to try to make necessary arrangements, if possible, but they were also trying to make arrangements through the Indian Embassy in the UAE, that she agreed and did the necessary things." "Next day, Sivasankar called her and said there was a very important packet that had to be sent to the UAE to Chief Minister, who had reached the UAE on the previous day, without any hindrance and delay. She spoke to the Consul General and told him about the requirement and the CG told her that Ahmed Doukhi could be sent to the UAE for that purpose. She asked Sarith (PRO) to contact Sivasankar and to collect the packet and deliver to the diplomat Ahmed Al Doukhi, for carrying it to the UAE." "Accordingly, Sarith collected that from somewhere and he delivered it to Ahmed Al Doukhi. She knew that Ahmed Al Doukhi was sent to the UAE by the Consul General only to hand over the packet to the Chief Minister. Later, Sarith informed her unofficially that he had brought the said packet to the Consulate for screening it in the X-Ray machine and that the packet contained currency," reads the statement.

Swapna Suresh previously worked in the UAE Consulate office here and Sarith was her colleague.

Later, she moved to a plum IT job in a state IT Department, arranged by Sivasankar.

While Sivasankar, after cooling his heels in jail for a few months, is presently out on bail, both Swapna and Sarith continue to be in judicial custody.

Incidentally this revelation came an hour before when Vijayan got a jolt as the Kerala High Court stayed the judicial probe ordered by him against ED officials who had allegedly put pressure on two prime accused in the gold smuggling case to implicate Vijayan.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : The Ministry of Education has offered a fresh opportunity to all those students who could not register themselves for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main till now. All such students can now register themselves for the exam on Wednesday. Earlier, the registration process had been closed.

Lakhs of students across the country have already registered themselves for the fourth and the final stage of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main for seeking admissions to top Indian Institute of Technology (IITs).

The National Testing Agency (NTA) said such students who were unable to register themselves for the JEE Main can still apply for registration till Wednesday after which no student will be allowed to appear in the exam.

The fourth and final session of the JEE Main will take place from August 26 to September 2. After this exam, the JEE Advanced exam will be conducted on October 3.

According to the NTA, the students will have to apply online by visiting the JEE Mains website to register themselves for the JEE Main one last time.

As per the NTA, students continuously demanded that they should be given another opportunity for registration to appear in the JEE Main. In view of this demand, it was decided to extend the date of registration.

Students who have already registered for JEE (Mains) fourth session need not register again.

In view of the prevailing Covid-19, this year the JEE Main is being conducted in 334 cities, whereas earlier the examination was held in 232 cities. The NTA said this year the number of examination centres in each shift has been increased from 660 to 828.
Mumbai, Aug 11 : R. Balki has announced his new film, a thriller starring Sunny Deol, Dulquer Salmaan, Pooja Bhatt and Shreya Dhanwanthary in lead roles.

The writer-director is best known for directing 'Cheeni Kum', 'Paa' and 'Pad Man'. He'll be trying his hand at the thriller genre for the first time.

Talking about being back to shooting films, Balki said: "After months of waiting, it is exciting to start shooting anything. And to make a film in a genre that I haven't attempted before is even more exciting. I have had the idea for a long time but never quite got around to writing it, and while it's fundamentally a thriller, it banks so much on these four stunning performers. I just can't wait to get into the edit room." On getting Sunny Deol to join the ensemble, Balki couldn't hide his excitement: "I am ecstatic to be working with Sunny, an actor whose booming screen presence conveys so much. Am glad he is back and hoping this new adventure will add a new dimension to his glorious filmography." Balki is also excited about directing Salman Dulquer, rising star of Malayalam cinema and son of superstar Mammootty. He said: "Dulquer is possibly one of the most charming actors in Indian cinema today, and even though I cannot say much about his role at this point, I am really looking forward to his distinct and cool interpretation of it." Talking about Pooja Bhatt, he said, "Pooja is one of the most versatile actors in our industry and I must thank (writer-director) Alankrita (Shrivastava) for convincing her and getting another extraordinary performance from her in 'Bombay Begums'. She is clarity personified and just born to be in front of that camera and on-screen." Balki was equally positive about Shreya Dhanwanthary. He said: "After watching her performance in both 'Scam 1992' and 'Family Man', I just knew I would eventually work with this talented girl. She is one of the most exciting and contemporary performers and I am looking forward to the on-screen chemistry between her and Dulquer." The upcoming film is expected to be released in early 2022.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Mumbai, Aug 11 : Actor Aahana Kumra, who is quite excited about her upcoming film for which she has travelled to London, said that the new film is taking her out of her comfort zone.

The actress said, "I am super duper excited about the movie and one of the reasons for the same is because it is a crime thriller. Since we flew to London recently, we are currently quarantining, and taking this time out to indulge in the necessary preparations. The protocols are also being worked out for the shoot, ensuring maximum safety. We are also chalking out the shoot schedule. I will also make sure to stay safe myself.

"The movie will see me in an unseen avatar for which I will be stepping out of my comfort zone. In the end, that's what an actor looks for -- to be able to push the boundaries every day. I am glad this project is giving me a chance to do so. Apart from work, I am also looking forward to exploring the city and have a good time while shooting."
Mumbai, Aug 11 : Actor Ankur Bhatia, who will soon be seen in the second season of the popular series 'Aarya', has wrapped up the shoot for the show.

While details of his character in 'Aarya 2' are still under wraps, the actor's role as Sangram in the first season was appreciated by the audience.

"It is such a happy moment for us to see the show being wrapped up. We can't wait for the show to release and see the audience's reaction. 'Aarya' is really close to my heart and I will cherish each memory attached to it. Wrapping up the Mumbai schedule was a blissful journey," the actor told IANS.

Directed by Ram Madhvani, the second season will see actress Sushmita Sen reprise her titular character.
Mumbai, Aug 11 : Pakistani actor Ahad Raza Mir has opened up about why he became a part of the web series 'Dhoop Ki Deewar', a story that revolves around two people from India and Pakistan.

Ahad said, "Whenever I consider a script or a character, the first thing that I look for selfishly as an actor is, what this is going to do for me in terms of a challenge? Also, when it comes to the story, I always feel the story needs to have some kind of hook to it, which not just gets me involved as an actor, but also has the potential to get the audiences involved too." He added, "When the script of 'Dhoop Ki Deewar' came to me, it was less about the character and the story, and more about me wanting to be a part of something that within our society is a statement of peace and love, and a willingness, in fact a yearning to move forward." "Obviously, in the beginning I was a little worried because there are tensions happening all the time, but I felt that I have to move past this fear with the confidence that something like this can help us move forward. So that was really the inspiration behind signing 'Dhoop Ki Deewar'," he elaborated.

Highlighting the struggles of the families of martyred soldiers, the show portrays how anywhere in the world these families stand equal in pain and grief, irrespective of which side of the border they belong.

Produced by Motion Content Group and Hamdan Films, written by Umera Ahmed, and directed by Haseeb Hasan, Zindagi original 'Dhoop Ki Deewar' also features Sajal Aly. The last four episodes of the show will release on the I-Day weekend on ZEE5.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : At least 370 policemen were injured, some of them seriously, during the violence by farmers that took place on Republic Day this year. This was revealed in an RTI reply to Vivek Pandey, an activist.

Farmers had staged massive protests against the three farm laws in Delhi on Republic Day when they broke through police barricades on their tractors.

Vivek Pandey had asked five questions in the RTI -- How many vehicles were burnt during the violence? What was the total loss of property and the amount of the loss? How many policemen were injured in clash between farmers and the police? And finally, how many farmers were injured in the clash? As per the reply given in the RTI, around 370 police personnel were injured in the clash between the farmers and the police.

Although all the policemen were admitted to hospitals in Delhi and treated, some police personnel sustained serious injuries.

After the clash on Republic Day, several videos went viral on social media, in which policemen were seen saving their lives by jumping into the ditch below the rear walls of the Red Fort.

The RTI mentions that maximum damage was done to the barricades and as many as 200 of them were damaged and each barricade costs around Rs 17,000.

Besides, damage was also caused to government and private vehicles due to vandalism by farmers. Over 20 government vehicles were damaged, including Delhi Police's Vajra vehicle and other police vehicles. At the same time, one DTC bus and 7 private trucks also suffered damage.

The RTI reveals that during the violence on January 26, the magazine of an INSAS rifle with 20 live rounds also went missing.

Apart from this, other items which were damaged during the vandalism include PVC cane shield, batons, helmet, bullet proof jacket, body protector, RCC barricade etc.

For over eight months, thousands of farmers from UP, Punjab and Haryana have been camping on the borders of the national capital to demand that the Centre repeal the three farm laws. They fear the legislation will undermine existing agricultural markets and leave them at the mercy of private corporations.

On January 26, the farmers planned to take out a tractor rally in which hundreds of farmers participated. Forty farmer organizations were to take out a tractor march on the route fixed by the Delhi Police but the situation changed after the march began.

Some youths broke the barricade and entered Delhi and a group of them also hoisted a religious flag at the Red Fort.

The RTI says seven farmers were also injured in the clash in Outer Delhi District and one farmer died during the tractor rally at ITO.

On the death of a person near ITO intersection, initially the family members said that he died of a bullet injury. But the police say that the youth had a head injury due to overturning of the tractor.

After the violence, the Delhi Police also registered dozens of cases under various sections, which are currently being investigated.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : The United Nations is receiving deeply disturbing reports of serious violations of international humanitarian law such as killings by the Taliban.

These include killings of hors de combat members of Afghan security forces - in some cases after they had even received letters guaranteeing their safety upon surrendering.

Perpetrators of serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law must be held accountable, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said.

The sweeping takeover of an estimated 192 district administrative centres by the Taliban, the attacks on provincial capitals including Qala-e-Naw, Kandahar, Lashkar Gah, Herat, Faizabad, Ghazni, Maimana, Gardez, Pul-e- Khumri, and Mazar-e-Sharif, and the takeover of at least six provincial capitals -- Zaranj in Nimroz province, Sheberghan in Jawzjan province, Kunduz City in Kunduz province, Taloqan in Takhar province, Sar-e-Pul in Sar-e-Pul province and Aybak in Samangan province -- "have struck fear and dread into the population," the High Commissioner said.

In the areas that have already been captured by the Taliban and in contested areas, Bachelet said the Office was receiving reports of summary executions, attacks against current and former Government officials and their family members, military use and destruction of homes, schools and clinics, and the laying of large numbers of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), including pressure-plate IEDs which function as anti-personnel landmines.

The High Commissioner also expressed particular concern about early indications that the Taliban are imposing severe restrictions on human rights in the areas under their control, particularly targeting women. "People rightly fear that a seizure of power by the Taliban will erase the human rights gains of the past two decades," she said.

"We have received reports that women and girls in various districts under Taliban control are prohibited from leaving their homes without a Mahram, a male chaperone. These restrictions have a serious impact on the rights of women, including the right to health - and clearly, in the midst of a war, the need to access urgent medical care for themselves and their families is a matter of life and death. Hampering a woman's ability to leave home without a male escort also inevitably leads to a cascade of other violations of the woman's and her family's economic and social rights," Bachelet warned.

In several locations, the Taliban have reportedly threatened that violation of these rules would result in harsh punishments. There are already reports of women having been flogged and beaten in public because they breached the prescribed rules. In one case in Balkh province, on August 3, a women's rights activist was shot and killed for breaching the rules.

Serious curbs on the freedom of expression and the ability of journalists to do their crucial work are also of deep concern during this time of uncertainty and chaos, the High Commissioner said.

Bachelet warned as civilian casualties continued to mount and reports of violations that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity continued to emerge.

"We know that urban warfare results in scores of civilians being killed. We have seen it before, too many times. In Afghanistan, since 9 July in four cities alone -- Lashkar Gah, Kandahar, Herat and Kunduz -- at least 183 civilians have been killed and 1,181 injured, including children. These are just the civilian casualties we have managed to document - the real figures will be much higher," High Commissioner Bachelet said.

The situation in the southern city of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, starkly demonstrates the harrowing impact that hostilities in urban areas have on civilians. In only 13 days since July 28, when fighting started in the city, the UN received reports of at least 139 civilians killed and 481 injured. The real numbers are expected to be much higher as communication with the city is intermittently cut off and many civilians injured in the fighting are unable to reach hospitals.

(Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in)
Hyderabad, Aug 11 : An orange alert for security has been issued from August 13 to August 17 in Secunderabad in view of the Independence Day celebrations.

The highest level of vigilance and alert is being maintained by the security forces for any suspicious activity with adequate traffic and movement control measures in Secunderabad Military Station.

All preparations for safe conduct of Independence Day celebrations are being undertaken. Comprehensive security measures are being instituted against likely target strikes, said a defence statement.

The roads on defence land in the Secunderabad Military Station will be closed temporarily due to high security alert on the occasion of Independence Day with effect from 11.59 p.m. on August 13 to 6 a.m. on August 16, as precautionary measure to ensure security of the military station.

The military authorities have welcomed the willing cooperation and support from the citizens to thwart the evil designs of anti-national elements together, it added.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday replied to Delhi's Deputy CM Manish Sisodia's allegation that the Delhi government has not received any letter from the Centre inquiring if any deaths in the national capital occurred due to oxygen shortage during the second Covid wave.

The Minister Mandaviya said that health ministry sent a letter to the Delhi Government on July 26 asking the data of deaths due to oxygen crisis. He claimed that he has the copy of that letter sent to the Delhi Government. He said in a tweet, "Still there is no delay. You can send the data by August 13 so that we can submit our reply in the parliament." Mandaviya tweeted in Hindi, "Dear Sisodia Jee, this is the copy which my ministry sent to Delhi Government. There is no delay yet. You can send us data by August 13 so we can submit our reply in parliament. Please send us the data after review meeting with officials".

He also tagged the copy of that letter in his tweet highlighting the major portion.

Prior to this, in a press conference on Tuesday, Joint Health Secretary Luv Agrwal said that no states have yet submitted data on death due to oxygen shortage. However, one death from oxygen shortage is suspected from one state, he in the press conference.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the reason for having a "mentioning officer" at the court was to ensure that senior advocates do not get priority over junior colleagues, when it comes to mentioning of cases for urgent hearing.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and comprising Justices Vineet Saran and Surya Kant said: "We do not want to give any special priority to the senior lawyers and deprive the junior lawyers of their opportunities." The bench added that this system was made where all can make the mention before the mentioning registrar.

The Chief Justice made it clear that if requests are denied by the mentioning officer, lawyers could mention matters before him. He said: "You can automatically mention if it is rejected. Present a specific case, I will look into it." He made this remark after advocate Prashant Bhushan, who was appearing on behalf of NGO Common Cause in connection with a PIL related to coal scam, said matters keep "languishing" for months despite being mentioned before the officers for urgent listing before benches.

Bhushan added that even after urgent memos are filed, matters are languishing. The bench said the current mentioning process ensures that no lawyer gets special priority.

Insisting that rejection was not the issue, Bhushan said the point was even if the mentioning is allowed, the case does not get listed before the bench for hearing. At this, the CJI asked Bhushan to bring a specific case to his notice for necessary action.

The CJI has discontinued the practice of allowing direct mentioning of cases for urgent listing before the benches, and has, instead, asked the lawyers to mention their cases before the designated official. Advocate M.L. Sharma, who is also a petitioner in coal scam, raised the issue of non-listing of cases despite mentioning before the designated court official.
New Delhi, Aug. Aug 11 : Professional services firm PwC has unveiled a new business strategy for India that will see the entity invest Rs 1,600 crore and create over 10,000 additional jobs over the next five years.

The fresh investment and expansion of Indian operations is part of PwC's 'The New Equation', a new approach in how the firm sees new opportunities serving the clients as they work to build trust and deliver sustained business outcomes to their stakeholders.

The new business strategy will see the company create new jobs in the areas of digital, Cloud, cyber, analytics and emerging technologies. Accordingly, it will increase campus hiring by over five times over the next five years.

The HR initiatives will also see PwC India work towards a minimum of 40 per cent gender diversity. It will also continue to spend at least 1 per cent of its revenues in upskilling people and partners.

In the next wave of growth, PwC will focus on the go-to-market around four platforms -- ESG, Deals, Risk and Regulatory and Transformation. It will also enhance focus on existing tech-led alliances and explore avenues in areas of emerging technologies.

A portion of the investment planned by PwC India will go towards setting up a PwC research institute to assist clients in the identification of emerging trends across sectors.

The growth of unicorns in the country has also provided new business opportunities for consulting and accounting firms. Accordingly, under the new business strategy, PwC will put enhanced focus on entrepreneurial and private businesses, including unicorns and startups.

"India has strong economic fundamentals, a huge advantage in the form of its demographic dividend and an ecosystem to boost innovation. Our new strategy will enable us and our clients to further the country's economic development, harness the potential of the domestic market and create more opportunities for the society at large," said Sanjeev Krishan, Chairman, PwC in India.
Dhaka, Aug 11 : Three members of militant group 'Neo-JMB', including its military wing chief and key bomb expert, who were planning to launch attacks on major targets with bomb-carrying drones, have been arrested from Dhaka's Kafrul area, police said on Wednesday.

The three were identified as Jahid Hasan Raju alias Ismail alias Furkan, Saiful Islam Maruf alias Bashira, and Rumman Hossain alias Fahad alias Abdullah.

A team of the bomb disposal unit arrested the three during a drive on Tuesday, Additional Commissioner, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) chief Asaduzzaman told IANS.

According to the CTTC, Jahid, born in an impoverished family in Barguna's Patharghata upazila, had completed his graduation but could not finish his master's degree from Dhaka's renowned Jahangirnagar University.

After receiving an invitation from the JMB in 2016, he started militant activities on social media under the name "White Houser Mufti" and started to misguide innocent religious adolescents through the group's then 'Ameer' Musa, a CTTC official said.

As a student of chemistry, he gained expertise in-bomb making and became the key explosives expert in a short time. He has produced IEDs and remote controlled bombs and trained other members too, Asaduzzaman said.

Jahid had plans to work for a major chemical supply company and subsequently make IEDs, collecting explosives from there.

He was involved in the incidents of attacks on police and planting bombs in police boxes. He was also involved in a plan to carry out attacks on important installations and police boxes, by attaching bombs to drones, Asaduzzaman said.

CTTC officials said Saiful was also a bomb expert who received training from Jahid. As per the group's decision, Saiful and Rumman took training in Bandarban and recently rented a house in Tongi to raise funds through mugging.

On June 30, Jahid's family held a press conference where they claimed that he went missing on June 24 after he left his Mirpur house to go to the mosque. A case was filed with Kafrul Police Station in this regard.

Asaduzzaman, however, said that Jahid himself went into hiding to avoid arrest.
Kolkata, Aug 11 : Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been invited to Rome by the Community of Sant' Egidio -- a Catholic association dedicated to social service -- to participate in the World Meeting for Peace, "Peoples as Brothers, Future Earth", on October 6 and 7 this year where Pope Francis, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are likely to be present.

In a letter written to Mamata Baenrjee, Marco Impagliazzo, President of the Community of Sant' Egidio Ait, has said, "Accepting the legacy of the historical Day of Prayer of Assisi, called for by John Paul II in 1986, year by year, since 1987, the Community of Sant' Egidio has promoted the International Meetings for Peace. They have taken place in various European and Mediterranean cities, gathering in each edition approximately 500 high level religious and political leaders, who are constantly called to offer their contribution in the framework of a large Plenary Session, as well as in the numerous thematic Panels".

"The core of the event is always the open air Final Ceremony in which the yearly Appeal for Peace is proclaimed and subsequently signed by all the religionists. In the framework of this human, social and spiritual dimension I would like to invite You, Excellency, to honour us with Your relevant presence and your meaningful and enriching contribution to the international event in Rome: The World Meeting for Peace "Peoples as Brothers, Future Earth", on the next 6 and 7 October 2021," the letter said. It added that it is their part of the involvement in ecumenism and inter-faith dialogue that the Community has been engaged in from the Eighties, especially among Judaism, Christianity, Islam as well as the other great world religions.

"His Holiness Pope Francis, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Great Imam of Al-Azhar (Egypt) H.E. Ahmad al-Tayyib, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the highest Italian political authorities, and many high representatives of the Christian Churches and of the great religions from all over the world have already confirmed their participation," the letter mentioned.

Congratulating Mamata Banerjee for her recent success in the assembly polls and her contribution for the peace and development of the country, the letter said, "First of all, I would like to express my personal congratulations on your significant election and for the important work for social justice, for the development of your country and, therefore, for peace, which you have been doing for over ten years now".

"Allow me to tell you that I feel your commitment and your generous battles in favour of the weakest and most disadvantaged, very close to my sensitivity and to the work of the Community of Sant' Egidio in Rome and in the whole world," it added.

The Community of Sant' Egidio is a lay Catholic association dedicated to social service, founded in 1968 under the leadership of Andrea Riccardi. The group grew and in 1973 was given a home at the former Carmelite monastery and church of Sant' Egidio in Rome, Italy. In 1986 it received recognition from the Roman Curia of the Holy See as an international association of the faithful.

All the members of the Community are volunteers, all unpaid, who share a common spirituality and commitment to social justice, reconciliation and peace. Starting from this love for the poor, the Community has sought for solutions in different situations of conflict over the years.
Srinagar, Aug 11 : In order to address the problem of unemployment among the youth, the J&K government said on Wednesday that it has advertised more than 19,000 posts under the accelerated recruitment programme.

The J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB) under its accelerated recruitment programme has advertised more than 19,000 posts of various cadres/categories relating to different government departments.

A spokesman of the JKSSB said that in recent months, the board conducted examinations for about 12,500 posts.

The spokesman also cautioned the aspirants not to fall prey to unscrupulous elements who might try to take advantage of the eagerness of the youth to get government jobs.

"The recruitment will be transparent, fair and merit-based. There is no scope for any underhand dealing in these recruitments since all the details/processes/procedures will be available in the public domain," an official said.
Sydney, Aug 11 : The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has slammed the South Australian government over the decision to force athletes returning from Tokyo Olympics to complete an additional 14-day home quarantine on return to the state. There are 56 Australian team members returning to South Australia with 16 currently quarantined in Sydney.

Through a statement released on Wednesday, the AOC has expressed its frustration over the "decision to ignore expert medical advice" by South Australia. They also added that the decision will lead to 28 days of quarantine, presenting a significant risk to mental health of athletes who are returning from a highly constrained Tokyo Olympics.

"While other countries are celebrating the return of their athletes, we are subjecting ours to the most cruel and uncaring treatment. They are being punished for proudly representing their country with distinction at the Olympic Games," said AOC CEO Matt Carroll.

He further said, "We are all promoting the obvious benefits of vaccination, but this important layer of protection is not working in favour of these athletes, given this decision. By any measure, this group of returning Olympians is extremely low risk. Not only are our Olympians fully vaccinated, but they have also been living in a highly controlled bubble in Tokyo, taking the upmost precautions - tested daily over many weeks." Carroll confirmed that an application was written to the Chief Medical Officer of South Australia to convince them for exemption for athletes. But the application was rejected.

"We have received no explanation as to why our application on behalf of these athletes has been rejected. If you run an exemption process, presumably that includes the prospect that exemptions can be granted based on scientific advice. We have received no response related to the expert advice we have provided." Dr. David Hughes, Chief Medical Officer of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), has called the decision by the South Australian government " profoundly flawed".

"To have individuals quarantined for such a lengthy period of time is in my opinion unreasonable and cannot be scientifically justified. It poses a significant risk to the physical and mental wellbeing of the individuals concerned," said Dr Hughes.

Carroll said that the home quarantine option is no less impactful. The athletes are first required to apply for home quarantine, with no certainty of approval.

"Athletes subject to home quarantine will not be permitted a welcome home hug. Either the athlete's family must move away, the athlete must find a way of isolating from the family or the entire family goes into quarantine. That is not an acceptable option for someone who is fully vaccinated and who has already just completed two weeks' quarantine," concluded Carroll.

Australia won 46 medals at the Tokyo Olympics, winning 17 gold medals along with 7 silver and 22 bronze, finishing at sixth place in the medals table.
Kabul, Aug 11 : The Foreign Ministry of Afghanistan has reacted to the latest statements of Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and said that Pakistan should act against the secure hideouts of terrorists on its soil and cut land access to the Taliban and other terror groups.

Qureshi had mentioned some unnamed force to be working against peace in Afghanistan and urged the group to be monitored.

Qureshi said that while efforts are being made to hold Pakistan responsible for the situation in Afghanistan, he believed some faction outside Afghanistan is spoiling the peace process.

As per media reports, the Afghan Foreign Ministry in its statement said that the terrorists are benefiting from safe havens, which are being used to make Afghanistan insecure.

As per the statement, the Taliban with their recent escalation in violence defied their international commitments and are yet to break relations with the global terror groups.

"Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is committed to a negotiated settlement to the crisis in Afghanistan and pleads political solution to the misery," the statement read.

The call on Pakistan to target terrorists' safe havens on its soil comes a day after US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin asked the Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Army, Qamar Javed Bajwa, to eliminate the safe hideouts along its border with Afghanistan.

Pakistan has been denying the allegations of providing safe havens to terrorists and has always claimed to be playing a constructive role in the Afghan peace process.
Panaji, Aug 11 : Digital meters, fitted to tourist taxis in Goa, will have an automated GPS-linked distress button which will immediately trigger a local police response, Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho said on Wednesday.

"Goa is the safest place for everyone, including womenfolk. That is why there is a panic button, in case they find the driver is doing anything funny. Immediately the alert will come to the server, through the server to the control room. Through the control room, a message will go to the respective area from where the police will locate the taxi and go there. This is a part of the services," Godinho told reporters.

The mandatory installation of digital meters follows a directive from the Bombay High Court bench in Goa, which in its order said that all tourist taxis in Goa should be fixed with the GPS-enabled meters.

"They have got a panic button. They have got GPS. They have a location system. Why is this required? Ours is a tourism state, for the safety of especially lady passengers, all women tourists who come," Godinho said.

Safety of women, especially female tourists, has been an issue in the state, which has witnessed a tourism boom over the last decade. Last month, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had to face an opposition barrage in the state assembly over three rape incidents in a week, including the rape of two minor girls at a Goa beach.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund has so far returned Rs 21,080 crore to the unit holders of its six shut debt funds.

In a letter to investors, Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Pvt Ltd President Sanjay Sapre said that the cash available for distribution stands at Rs 1,111 crore as on July 31, 2021.

"The six schemes have disbursed a total of Rs 21,080 crore to investors till date. This equals 84 per cent of the AUM as on April 23, 2020, and ranges from 62 per cent to 99 per cent across the six schemes," he said.

Sapre also said that the average NAV at which the 5 tranches have been disbursed for each of the six schemes is higher than the NAV as on April 23, 2020.

"We believe this supports the decision made by the Trustee in consultation with the AMC and its investment management team to wind up the six schemes in order to preserve value for our unit holders," he added.

With respect to the appeals filed before the SAT, the fund house noted that the SAT has issued orders staying enforcement of the SEBI's orders conditioned on deposit of a portion of the monetary penalties.

The SEBI filed an appeal before the Supreme Court against the interim order issued by SAT in the matter of AMC. On July 26, the SC disposed of the appeal after recording its statement that they will not launch any new debt scheme till the disposal of appeal by the SAT, the company said.
Seoul/New Delhi, Aug 11 : Samsung on Wednesday launched Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic -- first smartwatches to feature the new Wear OS which is built jointly with Google. The biggest USP of the devide is that it allows users to monitor their blood pressure on the go, at work or at home.

Galaxy Watch4 is equipped with Samsung's groundbreaking BioActive Sensor.

This new 3-in-1 sensor uses a single chip to precisely run three powerful health sensors -- Optical Heart Rate, Electrical Heart and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis - so users can monitor their blood pressure, detect an AFib irregular heartbeat, measure their blood oxygen level, and, for the first time, calculate their body composition.

Galaxy Watch4 Classic will start at $349.99 for Bluetooth versions and $399.99 for LTE models and will be available in 42mm and 46mm variants in black and silver colours.

The devices are available for pre-order in select markets starting on August 11, with retail availability starting August 27.

"We have seen an incredible amount of growth for the Galaxy Watch series as consumers have discovered the health benefits and convenience of wearables," said Dr TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics.

"We understand the path to wellness is different for everyone, so we built a robust suite of health and wellness features to give people a deeper and more helpful understanding of their overall fitness," he added.

The all-new 'Body Composition' measurement tool gives users a deeper understanding of their general health and fitness, with key measurements like skeletal muscle, basal metabolic rate, body water and body fat percentage.

"The user can easily check body composition from the wrist with just two fingers. In about 15 seconds, your watch's sensor will capture 2,400 data points," said the company.

Some of the new features like BP monitoring will be available in select markets to begin with.

Galaxy Watch4 series boasts the first 5nm processor in a Galaxy Watch -- with 20 per cent faster CPU and 50 per cent more RAM, and a GPU 10 times faster than the previous generation, said the company.

"We also upped the resolution on the display, up to 450 x 450 pixels, so visuals are crisper and more distinctive. And with an impressive 16GB of memory, you'll have enough storage to download and store," Samsung informed.

The user can have up to 40 hours of battery life, and 30 minutes of charging can provide up to 10 hours of battery.

Samsung also unveiled Galaxy Buds2, designed for a comfortable fit made to be worn all day, and provide premium sound quality. Galaxy Bud2 will retail for $149.99.

"The dynamic two-way speakers deliver crisp, clear high notes and a deep bass, while Active Noise Cancellation helps block out unwanted noise. If you need to hear your surroundings, simply tune back in with three adjustable ambient sound levels," said Samsung.
Agartala/Kolkata, Aug 11 : The Tripura police has registered a case against six TMC leaders including the partys national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu and Rajya Sabha Member Dola Sen, for allegedly obstructing police officers from performing their duties.

Director General of Tripura Police V. S. Yadav on Wednesday said that a suo-moto complaint was filed on Tuesday against the six TMC leaders for "obstructing official duties and misbehaving" with the police officers of Khowai police station on Sunday.

"Police would investigate the case now and if necessary they would be summoned," the police chief told IANS.

Another police official of Khowai district said that the TMC leaders were booked under Section 186 (obstruction to public servants in discharge of his public function) and 36 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

Besides Banerjee, Basu and Sen, the three other leaders who were booked by the police include TMC's Chief Spokesman Kunal Ghosh, Subal Bhowmik and Prakash Das (ex-Tripura Minister).

West Bengal's PWD and Law Minister Moloy Ghatak said that the TMC would fight to restore democracy in Tripura.

"The BJP is so scared of Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo) that they have started to file false allegations against Abhishek Banerjee and other TMC leaders of West Bengal and Tripura," the Minister, who is infrequently visiting Tripura since last month, told the media in Agartala on Wednesday.

TMC leader and former MLA Subal Bhowmik, who along with many other Congress leaders joined the TMC last month, said that on Sunday, led by Banerjee and Basu, they went to Khowai police station after 14 TMC leaders were arrested for alleged "violation of Covid protocols".

"After the local court released the 14 TMC leaders on personal bond, we returned to Agartala. That time police did not mention any issues against us and on Sunday they filed a suo-moto case against us," Bhowmik said.

TMC General Secretary and Chief spokesman Kunal Ghosh said: "BJP will not succeed against Trinamool by registering false cases and violence." "BJP is very scared. They are a divided house. BJP should first control their organization," Ghosh tweeted in Bengali.

In a video that went viral on social media, the TMC leaders were seen raising their fingers asking the Khowai police station officials "why the 14 TMC leaders and members were arrested after being attacked by the BJP workers".

Meanwhile, West Bengal's opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari rejected Mamata Banerjee's allegations that they were denied basic medical aid and water when the TMC's 14 leaders and workers were detained by the Khowai police personnel.

"Hereby refuting baseless allegation of the TMC Supremo that her assets weren't even provided a glass of water in Tripura. Would request her to accord herself the prestigious Mithya-Shree Award (award for falsehood).

"Please accept this request and kindly make us feel obliged," tweeted Adhikari, who joined the BJP before the recent Bengal assembly polls after quitting a ministerial post in the TMC led government.
Duration: 112 minutes Film: <sng-qts>The Kissing Booth 3<sng-qts> (Playing on Netflix)

Duration: 112 minutes

Director: Vince Marcello

Cast: Joey King, Jacob Elordi, Molly Ringwald, Joel Courtney, Meganne Young, Taylor Zakhar, Maisse Richardson-Selelrs and Frances Sholto-Douglas

Rating: **1/2 By Troy Ribeiro

A teen rom-com, 'The Kissing Booth 3' is supposed to be the epic love story of Elle and Noah. Instead, this third edition is a weird sappy romance about the duo being best friends forever.

For the uninitiated, 'The Kissing Booth' films are based on the books by Beth Reekles. They chronicle Elle's struggle as she tries balancing her life and relationships, especially with her two childhood friends, Lee and Noah.

In this edition, the story picks up at the start of the summer vacation, when after her high school graduation, Elle (Joey King) gets admission into Boston and Berkeley universities. Now, Noah (Jacob Elordi) is headed to Boston and Lee (Joel Courtney) to Berkeley, so for Elle, moving to any one of the two colleges would definitely mean hurting the other friend.

Image Source: IANS News

Elle is keen to join the love of her life, Noah. So, to soften the blow to Lee, she decides to spend "the best summer we ever had" with Noah, her bestie Lee and his girlfriend Rachael (Meganne Young) at their beach house, where she spends the days ticking items off an elaborate summer bucket list. The list includes, apart from the usual summer activities, a flash dance in a restaurant and a splash at a Waterpark, where she meets an old friend Marco (Taylor Zakhar).

As the plot progresses, with Noah watching from the sidelines, feeling neglected, he spends time with his old friend Chloe, who is town for a holiday. As Noah evaluates his relationship with Elle, we realise that this convoluted and elaborate narrative ends on a weird note with hearts breaking and mending.

As one character says, "Maybe sometimes loving each other is not enough ... it's about needing love." Just to reiterate the crux of the original plot, the Kissing Booth, where Noah and Elle's relationship blossomed after their first kiss, is brought to the fore in the final act. This comes after Elle breaks away from her relationships and develops a sense of self, and some career ambitions.

Image Source: IANS News

This rom-com heads far from the fairytale ending one expects. It delivers fluff with aplomb and the thin storyline grows tedious by the end, especially with the number of soundtracks that are integrated into the script.

On the performance front, the cast is as natural as one sees them in teen rom-coms. With decent production values, the cinematography imparts an escapist feel to the frames with bright and colourful shots. The last word: 'The Kissing Booth 3' is a shallow addition to the series.

(Troy Ribeiro can be contacted on troy.r@ians.in) </sng-qts></sng-qts>

-- Syndicated from IANS
Hyderabad, Aug 11 : Actor Prakash Raj, who was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday after sustaining an injury, said on Wednesday that his health is better and he will be back in action soon.

The actor took to Twitter to post a health update for his fans.

Posting a picture from his hospital bed, the actor said: "The devil is back... successful surgery... thank you dear friend Dr #guruvareddy and thank you all for your love n prayers.. back in action soon." On Tuesday, the actor had sustained a small fracture after he suffered a fall following which he was admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad.

The senior actor is known to dabble between multiple language industries and is popular with his body of work.

The actor was recently seen in the Tamil anthology "Navarasa".
New Delhi, Aug 11 : The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned sine die on Wednesday, two days before the scheduled end of the Monsoon session, but not before a major faceoff between the opposition and the government with both blaming each other for the disruption of proceedings.

The Lok Sabha was also adjourned sine die earlier in the day.

In the upper house, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal demanded that the Chairman should constitute a special committee to enquire about the behaviour of the MPs, as done in Lok Sabha in the past, and "strict action should be taken... mere suspension will not work".

He alleged that the opposition, right from the first day, had planned that it will not allow the house to function though the house passed 21 bills.

Earlier after passing of the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Seventh Amendment) Bill 2021, which aims to restore the states and Union Territories' power to make their own OBC lists, The National Commission for Homoeopathy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and The General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021 were passed amid the din.

The opposition was against the last bill and walked out and tore papers in the house.

Trinamool Congress member Derek O'Brien later tweeted: "#Censorship Modi-Shah Gujarat model now well and truly in Delhi 6.15 PM August 11. What @rajyasabhatv is not showing you. Now, there are more security guards than MPs in the House as the Govt tries to BULLDOZE Insurance Bill.

"6.30pm FASCISM #Parliament CENSORSHIP RSTV Bad to worse. Modi-Shah's brutal government now using "GENDER SHIELDS" to foil MP protests inside Rajya Sabha. Male marshals for women MPs. Female marshals posted in front of male MPs. (Few Oppn MPs shooting videos for proof)".

As proceedings opened, Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkiah Naidu, who completed 4 years in office got emotional over Tuesday's ruckus, breaking down as he spoke about how some opposition members climbed the tables and disrupted the House proceedings.

Condemning the act of the members, he said that there are means and ways to raise voices but this is not the way and it is not permissible in the democracy and that "he could not sleep in the night".

Naidu said the chair and the area around the parliamentary reporters and Secretary General's chair is considered the sanctum sanctorum of the House and "all sacredness of this House was destroyed yesterday when some members sat on the tables and some climbed on the tables in the House".

On Tuesday, Aam Aadmi Party member Sanjay Singh and Congress' Pratap Singh Bajwa were seen standing on the table in the video that was circulated in the social media, and the Chairman has taken serious note of it.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Wednesday informed the Rajya Sabha that nine properties of Hindus have been restored by the Jammu and Kashmir administration so far.

In a written reply to a star question Rai, citing the information provided by the government of Jammu and Kashmir, said, "Regarding restoration of properties to its rightful and original owner, 9 properties have been restored, as per the information provided by the Govt of Jammu & Kashmir".

Asked about what steps the J&K Government was taking to restore the ancestral property of Hindus who had to flee from Kashmir in the wake of terrorist violence, the Minister said that under the J&K Migrant Immovable Property (Preservation, Protection & Restraint on Distress Sales) Act, 1997, the District Magistrates of the concerned districts in Jammu & Kashmir are the legal custodians of the immovable properties of migrants, who take suo moto action on eviction proceedings in cases of encroachment. The migrants can also request the District Magistrates in such cases.

He informed that after the abrogation of Article 370, a total of 520 migrants have returned to Kashmir for taking up jobs under the Prime Minister's Development Package-2015.

In reply to another question on whether the Government has altered the land laws of Jammu and Kashmir wherein no domicile or permanent resident certificate is required to purchase non-agricultural land in the UT, Rai informed that after August 5, 2019 all provisions of the Constitution of India have been made applicable to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir which necessitated changes in existing laws in Jammu and Kashmir by Adaptation Orders so as to conform with the provisions of the Constitution of India. As per the adapted land laws of Jammu and Kashmir, the Government may, by notification in the official gazette, allow transfer of land for public purposes such as education, charitable and healthcare.

He said in his written reply that under the Jammu and Kashmir Big Landed Estates Abolition Act, 1950, the land was transferred to the tillers. The Act also prescribed a limit to right of ownership to 182 standard kanals (22.75 acres). However, this Act has been repealed and another legislation, 'The Jammu & Kashmir Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976', for transfer of land to tillers, is in force. This Act prescribes a ceiling restriction of 100 standard kanals (12.5 acres).
Puducherry, Aug 11 : A special court in Puducherry on Wednesday sentenced a 31-year-old tuition teacher to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing a minor girl student.

Special Judge for POCSO cases, Justice J. Selvanadhan also sentenced Ranjith alias Ranjith Kumar of Shanmughapuram to one year rigorous imprisonment for criminally intimidating the girl. All the terms will run concurrently.

A compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the minor girl was also ordered.

Ranjith was taking tuition classes in computer applications and computer science after a degree in BCA which he had taken online. The 15-year-old Class 10 student joined his tuition class and he befriended her and later sexually abused her.

The prosecution argued that Ranjith had promised to marry the girl and was regularly exploiting her physically.

The girl narrated the incident to her parents after Ranjith started forcing her to leave her parents and to marry him. The shocked parents approached the child welfare committee, which conducted a medical check-up of the girl and found that she was physically abused.

A formal complaint was lodged with the Mettupalayam police who booked him under Section 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012, and Sections 376 (punishment for rape) and 506(1) (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and arrested him.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : Tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh is one of the most well-known names in the world of Indo-fusion music.

Having performed the world over with the greatest names in classical music, he is also one of the pioneers of experimental fusion music.

He is also a successful film music director, having scored for 40 feature films, including Mira Nair's 'Little Zizou'.

In the past, he had teamed up with Sonu Nigam and together the duo composed music in Bollywood for three films, the first of which was director Girish Malik's 'Jal', which went for Oscar contention for best original score. Several of his Bengali films as a music composer have been well-received by the audience.

Bickram entered the OTT space with music composition for the film 'Torbaz', directed by Girish Malik and starring Sanjay Dutt.

Talking about his experience of creating music for the digital space, Bickram told IANS: "'Torbaz' was a very challenging score, as it was set in Afghanistan. I had to create the soundscape of the Afghan world. So I used a lot of Afghan instruments. It is an important score for me and I got a lot of accolades for it. Girish Malik shot it beautifully. The soundtrack is very special as it adheres to a very unique soundscape of the middle-east." The son and disciple of illustrious tabla maestro Pt Shankar Ghosh and well-known vocalist Sanjukta Ghosh, Bickram also learnt the nuances of Carnatic percussion, the mridangam, from Pt S. Sekhar.

He also learnt the intricacies of accompaniment from Pt Ravi Shankar with whom he played for over a decade at several global venues.

Talking about the influence of the stalwart in his life, he told IANS: "Pt Ravi Shankar was my guru. The opportunity of performing with him for over a decade honed me as a tabla player. It brought me recognition. When you are playing with the best, everybody knows you well. I understood how to be a global citizen from him. Even my film music compositions have a lot of influences from him. He was a huge influence on me. He changed my life forever." As a tabla player, Bickram's four albums were nominated for Grammy awards, including George Harrison's 'Brainwashed'. He played on 'Full Circle' with Pt Ravi Shankar which won the latter a Grammy.

After travelling the world and performing in concerts with illustrious artistes, Bickram tapped on to create the pioneering fusion band 'Rhythmscape' in 2000.

"The inspiration behind 'Rhythmscape' was to find a new sound, a new mode of expression musically. I worked on it for a long time and made the compositions that have sustained for 20 years. The band is one of the most long-lasting ones in the country. It was also to express the person I am -- not just one person but a mish-mash of cultures, so that needed to be expressed through music and 'Rhythmscape' was that voice for me." Bickram's band has performed throughout the length and breadth of India and made its UK debut in 2003 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Later, they performed at the Forum in Barcelona where the band shared the stage with Sting, Phil Collins, Norah Jones and Bob Dylan.

Asked what inspires him to create music each day, Bickram said: "Music is the sound of god. Those who have been blessed with music, their lives are coloured. I wake up in the morning and I just wait to go to my studio every day. I enjoy the studio, the concerts, the stage, the travel and the collaborations. And at the same time, I get paid for it. What better career can somebody expect? And to top it, we have accolades and love of the people. Every day I am charged just by music." The artiste has an interesting line-up of upcoming projects in Hindi and Bengali films.

"I am currently working on the music of a Hindi film titled 'Band of Maharajas' directed by Girish Malik. Several Bengali films are also loined up such as 'Golandaaz', 'Mayakumari', 'Mahananda' and 'Abhijatrik'," Bickram signed off.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : The Centre on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that it will conduct the counselling for the NEET-MDS admissions from August 20 to October 10, 2021.

Senior advocate Vikas Singh, representing the petitioners, submitted before the top court that that Centre, in its affidavit, said that they will conduct the counselling for the NEET-MDS admissions, for which exams were held last year on December 16, from August 20 to October 10, 2021. The results were declared on December 31, 2020.

After taking Centre's statement on record, a bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and M.R. Shah disposed of the matter.

The top court, on August 9, had asked the Centre to apprise it, by Wednesday, as to when it will conduct counselling for the NEET-MDS admissions. It also pointed out that since the Centre has approved OBC reservation in medical seats when it will conduct the counselling.

The top court, on July 12, had taken strong note of delay in holding the counselling, and remarked that Centre and others have been "dilly-dallying" for a year now. The top court had said the petitioners are qualified BDS students and queried why the Centre had not held the counselling since last year.

The plea said the petitioners, who are doctors, are challenging the "unjust and infinite delay" caused by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) in announcing the counselling schedule for NEET-MDS, 2021. The plea sought a direction to the MCC to conduct a separate counselling for the NEET-MDS 2021.

"It is most respectfully submitted that umpteen efforts were made by the petitioners to get in touch with the respondents in order to get an idea about the schedule of the counselling. However, there has been no update about the date of the commencement of the counselling," said the plea.

On July 29, the Centre had announced a 27 per cent quota for OBCs and 10 per cent reservation for the economically weaker section (EWS) category in the All-India Quota (AIQ) scheme for undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental courses. The quota is application in the current academic year, 2021-22.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed bail to Karnataka Congress leader and former minister Vinay Kulkarni, arrested last November by the CBI for his alleged involvement in murder of a BJP worker in Dharwad in 2016.

Providing relief to Kulkarni, a bench of Justices U.U. Lalit and Ajay Rastogi said Kulkarni be produced before the trial court concerned within three days, and that bail can be granted to him, subject to conditions to be imposed by the court. However, the top court restrained Kulkarni from entering Dharwad and also directed him not to impede in the process of investigation in the case.

Yogeshgouda Goudar, 26, a member of district Panchayat, was hacked to death on June 15, 2016, at his gym in Saptapur in Dharwad. He was initially immobilised with chilli powder, which was thrown on his face. The victim's family members suspected the role of the Congress leader in the murder.

The CBI counsel opposed bail for Kulkarni in the case. The state government in September 2019, had handed over investigation in the case to the CBI.

Citing gaps in the CBI's case, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Kulkarni, claimed that there were discrepancies with what Dharwad police earlier claimed in its initial investigation report.

Kulkarni, a former Congress MLA from Dharwad, was arrested by CBI in November last year, after his questioning in the case. Earlier, the CBI had filed charge sheets against several accused in the case.

Kulkarni had won the Dharwad seat in 2013 but he was defeated in 2018 by the BJP's candidate.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : A Delhi court on Wednesday granted bail to advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, arrested in connection with anti-Muslim speeches made at Jantar Mantar on August 8.

Metropolitan Magistrate Udbhav Kumar Jain observed: "As far as the offence u/s 153A IPC is concerned, except for mere assertion, there is nothing on record to show that the alleged hate speech to promote enmity between different groups was done in the presence or at the behest of the applicant/accused." Upadhyay was allowed bail, subject to filing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with one surety in the like amount. However, the court imposed certain conditions. "The applicant shall continue to cooperate with the ongoing investigations and shall join the investigation as and when summoned by the IO. The applicant shall scrupulously appear at each and every stage of the proceedings before the concerned court so as not to cause any obstruction or delay to its progress," it said.

Supreme Court Bar Association President and senior advocate Vikas Singh, representing Upadhyay, said: "I will be last person to defend someone making such a hate speech. The country will get completely divided if we allow such speeches." Several other senior advocates represented Upadhyay.

Upadhyay and five others were arrested by Delhi Police, on Tuesday, in connection with anti-Muslim sloganeering, which took place at his rally "against colonial-era laws" held on August 8. Later, a video surfaced with a few people raising anti-Muslim slogans. Upadhyay was remanded to two days judicial custody, following which he sought bail.

The court noted there is nothing against the accused in the alleged video. "It is not the case where there are chances that applicant/accused will abscond. Conspiracy is no doubt hatched behind closed doors and that the investigation in the present matter is at nascent stage... that however, does not imply that liberty of a citizen be curtailed on mere assertions and apprehension," said the court order.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : The opposition has alleged that when they were opposing the Insurance Bill in the House on Wednesday they were manhandled by male marshals.

Congress MP Chaya Verma who is the Congress Whip said, "I was pushed by male marshals and subsequently I fell on Phulo Devi Netam who fell on the floor in the House while I was trying to make way." NCP chief Sharad Pawar said in my entire parliamentary career, I never saw the way the women MPs were attacked today in the Upper House. "More than 40 men and women were brought into the House from outside. It is very sad and painful, its an attack on democracy." Congress Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh said, "Insurance Amendment Bill to privatise GIC was passed in RS with a large force of security personnel present. The Govt refused to send it to a Select Committee, a demand by all Opposition parties including those close to BJP. What happened this evening was worse than atrocious." After the incident the Rajya Sabha was also adjourned sine die on Wednesday, two days before the scheduled end of the Monsoon Session, but not before a major face-off between the opposition and the government with both blaming each other for the disruption of proceedings.

In the Upper House, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal demanded that the Chairman should constitute a special committee to enquire about the behaviour of the MPs, as was done in the Lok Sabha in the past and "strict action should be taken... mere suspension will not work".
Colombo, Aug 11 : The Attorney General (AG) of Sri Lanka has filed 23,370 charges against 25 accused in connection with the Easter Sunday multiple attacks that killed 269 people and injured over 500 others on April 21, 2019.

Issuing the indictment, the AG also asked the Chief Justice to appoint a trial-at-bar, considering the gravity of the massacre in which three churches and three hotels were blasted within few minutes from each other by a group of local nationals who claimed to be connected to the ISIS.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's Director Legal, Hariguptha Rohanadheera, stated that the accused have been charged for carrying out suicide bomb blasts at eight locations, including three churches and three star hotels in Colombo.

They have also been charged on the counts including conspiracy and aiding and abetting to carry out the mass murder, attempted murder and for collecting ammunition.

They were also indicted under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

"When filing the indictment, the investigators collected all the information relating those who died or got wounded due to the multiple attacks," Rohanadheera said.

He also said that a detailed report has been sent to Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the head of the Colombo Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church, who had sent a strong-worded letter last month demanding President Rajapaksa to reveal the 'grand conspiracy' behind the attacks.

In his letter dated July 13, Cardinal Ranjith had complained that the government was trying to sweep the truth relating to those responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks under the carpet.

The 20-page letter signed by eight bishops, including Cardinal Ranjith, and 28 priests demanded that legal action be taken again former President Maithripala Sirisena and action be taken against ex-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for their soft approach towards Islamic terrorism.

Cardinal Ranjith complained that Sri Lankan intelligence ignored the comprehensive information given in advance by the Indian intelligence agencies on the series of attacks.

Forwarding a detailed report on the indictment and the investigation to Cardinal Ranjith, the President's Legal Director has assured that all necessary actions have been taken to investigate those behind the Easter Sunday attacks.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed an Enforcement Directorate officer to be relieved from his role in the coal block scam probe so that he can join as Joint Commissioner in his parent department, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).

A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana said: "Having heard learned counsel appearing on behalf of the applicant and carefully perusing the averments made in the application, we permit the Directorate of Enforcement to relieve the applicant from the post of supervisory officer to enable him to join the post of Joint Commissioner in his parent department, CBIC." The bench also comprising Justices Vineet Saran and Surya Kant passed the order on an application by an officer working as Deputy Director at Indore sub-zonal office of the ED.

The bench noted it has been averred in the application that the applicant has been promoted to the post of Joint Commissioner in the CBIC. "However, as the applicant is not repatriated to the CBIC without the leave of this Court, the applicant cannot assume charge over the post of Joint Commissioner, and hence, continues to remain in the lower post of Deputy Commissioner," it said.

The top court, in November 2018, had directed the ED not to transfer or remove any supervising officer or investigating officer associated with the coal block cases without seeking approval from it.

All counsel including Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted there was no objection to the applicant officer being relieved from duty.

As advocate M.L. Sharma submitted before the bench that none of the accused in coal scam have been arrested so far, the bench replied that it will look into that aspect when the main petition is heard.
Riyadh, Aug 11 : The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia will launch the Indian Education Forum to not only facilitate higher education of Indian students in the Kingdom, but also to provide greater ease and access to the Indian education system.

Indian students, parents, academicians and educationists will work under the embassy's supervision.

India's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ausaf Sayeed, said the education forum is one of the initiatives to be launched to mark India's 75th Independence Day. This August 15 also marks the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations between India and Saudi Arabia.

Addressing a community meet at the International Indian School in Al Jubail, Sayeed said the embassy is working to set up a NEET UG 2021 examination centre in Saudi Arabia to cater to the academic needs of Indian students.

"The process has been initiated and is under review by the Indian Ministry of Education," he said.

In response to a question on opportunities for higher education for Indian students after their 12th grade, the envoy said that about 400 students can avail sponsorship programmes at Saudi universities.

However, due to lack of awareness among the Indian diaspora, the enrollment rate is less. The embassy has taken steps to create awareness and promote education of the highest standards for Indians residing in the Kingdom, he added.

Saudi Arabia is welcoming the Indian universities to start their campuses there. At present, the dialogues are going on between IIT Delhi and Saudi authorities, he said.

Sayeed also assured that the embassy is trying to bring back Indians to Saudi Arabia, who were stranded in India after the lockdown.

"We have received positive response from the competent authorities," he said, adding that through the Vande Bharat Mission flights, the embassy has helped over 6 lakh Indians to return to their home country during the Covid-19 lockdown.

He also clarified that Indian vaccination certificates are not required to be attested from India for registering with the Tawakkalna app, the saudi government's mobile app to track Covid-19 in real-time and control its spread.

The ambassador urged social activists and entrepreneurs to come forward and support the parents who are unable to pay their wards' tuition fees due to financial constraints.

He also offered to help the Indian business community registered with the Ministry of Investment (previously known as Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority or SAGIA).
Dhaka, Aug 11 : Four members of banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team, a wing of Jamaat-e-Islam, planning a series of sabotage attacks to set up an Islamic caliphate in Bangladesh, were arrested from Dhaka on Wednesday, police said.

The Bangladesh Police's Anti-Terrorism Unit arrested militant leader Raihan Hossain alias Sabbir Hossain Raihan alias Al Rabbi, who organised new members by threatening them by the name of Islam, as well as Aminul Islam, Sagor Islam alias Yusuf bin Abdur Rakib, and Tanvir Hossain of Chandpur from Rayerbag area.

ATU's ASP, Media and Awareness, Oyahida, told IANS that ABT militants had been running a campaign to establish "Gazwatul Hind" and had been conducting anti-state activity through a secret group in social media. In the secret group, they used to exchange texts for training and preparation for executing a sabotage plan, he added.

ATU SP HQ, Media & Awareness, Md Aslam Khan told IANS that an ATU team has been watching the activities of these ABT members through cyber patrolling for six months.

Police have arrested them before they executed their sabotage plan, he said, adding police will seek their custody for interrogation them to identify the group's remaining members and details of their next plan.

Knives and militant training booklets were seized from the arrested.
Hyderabad, Aug 11 : About 50 per cent of Rs 15,000 crore being spent every year by the Telangana government on 'Rythu Bandhu', an investment support scheme for farmers, is going to big landlords, politicians, employees and income tax assesses, said Forum for Good Governance, a Hyderabad-based NGO.

Stating that there is heavy drain of public funds in the scheme, the NGO urged Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan to intervene in the matter to ensure its rationalisation.

In a letter to the Governor, M. Padmanabha Reddy, Secretary, Forum for Good Governance, said that there is a need to revamp Rythu Bandhu on the lines of the PM KISAN programme, which is being implemented with certain exclusions.

He pointed out that the Rythu Bandhu scheme is wide open for any farmer without any restrictions.

According to a rough estimate, out of Rs 15,000 crores spent on Rythu Bandhu, 50 per cent has been pocketed by big landlords and absentee landlords, including NRIs.

Most of the politicians have large chunk of lands under their control and are the beneficiaries, he said.

Reddy also made certain suggestions to avoid squandering of public money.

He suggested that Rythu Bandhu be limited to 5 acres landholding and fallow lands and lands not under cultivation be excluded. He also demanded that politicians, bureaucrats, IT assesses, NRIs, employees etc. should be excluded.

The NGO requested the Governor to direct the Chief Secretary to get the scheme reviewed by experts and limit it to small and marginal farmers only.

"Why a tax payer's money be doled out to politicians, landlords and bureaucrats," it asked.

The NGO said that Rythu Bandhu is an excellent scheme which helped the farmers come out of the debt trap.

When the scheme was introduced in 2018, an amount of Rs 8,000 per acre in two installments was provided. Subsequently, it was increased to Rs 10,000 per acre. Annually, the government spends about Rs 15,000 crore for the implementation of this scheme.

According to the guidelines issued by the state government in 2018, Rythu Bandhu was proposed for providing investment support to agriculture and horticulture crops by way of a grant of Rs 4,000 per acre per farmer each season for the purchase of inputs like seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and labour.

The guidelines further stated that the amount of grant under the Rythu Bandhu scheme is Rs 4,000 per acre per crop season.

"This implies that if the farmer cultivates the land during Rabi season also, he is eligible to receive another grant of Rs 4,000 per acre of cropped area. It is clear that the grant is given for cultivation only and fallow lands are excluded," Reddy wrote.

He also mentioned that to augment the income of small and marginal farmers, the government of India has launched a new central scheme namely Pradhan Mantri Kishan Samman Nidhi (PM KISAN).

Under this scheme, Rs 6,000 per year will be paid to the eligible farmers in three installments. This scheme has many elimination clauses such as land holding size not more than 5 acres, and exclusion of persons holding any constitutional post, politicians, employees of central/state governments, income tax assesses etc.

The NGO said these restrictions are ensuring that only the needy, small and marginal farmers get the money.

Under the PM Kishan scheme, about 40 lakh small and marginal farmers got about Rs 6,200 crore in Telangana.
Chennai, Aug 11 : Even when the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), the anti-corruption agency of Tamil Nadu government, was conducting raids on the premises of KCP Engineers Private Ltd, which is owned by an associate of his, former minister and AIADMK leader S.P. Velumani airdashed to Thoothukudi on Wednesday for a temple darshan.

The DVAC officers had raided the premises of Velumani, his brother and their relatives and associates on Tuesday, which continued on Wednesday at the premises of KCP Engineers, which is owned by an associate of Velumani.

Unfazed by the developments, the minister told reporters at Tuticorin airport that he would hold a detailed interaction with the media in a couple of days' time.

The former minister reached Tuticorin on Wednesday morning and left for Chennai by the afternoon. It was not clear as to which temple he visted there The former minister told reporters, "The raids are part of political vendetta by the DMK government. My leaders, O. Panneerselvam and K. Palaniswami, have already responded to the raids in a detailed joint statement." He said that former Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister and senior AIADMK leader, D. Jayakumar, has also responded to the DVAC raids at his place.

Velumani said, "I was supposed to reach Tuticorin on Tuesday afternoon, stay overnight and offer prayers at the temple before returning to Chennai on Wednesday. But due to the situation on Tuesday, I was not able to travel and hence I reached here today."
Chennai, Aug 11 : The Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments Department under the Tamil Nadu government announced on Wednesday that it will celebrate the birth anniversary of Rajendra Chola-I, one of the greatest emperors of the Chola dynasty, as a government event.

The birth anniversary of Rajendra Chola-I is celebrated in the Tamil month of 'Aadi', but as the day is already over, the department has decided to celebrate the anniversary from next year onwards in grnad style.

Rajendra Chola is considered by Tamil historians and students of history as a great warrior and his exercises in the sea were unparalleled.

He was also one of the foremost Chola kings who was instrumental in building temples. According to Tamil historians, he had also established maritime trade with present-day Southeast Asia.

Historian and Chairman of Gangaikonda Cholapuram Development Council, R. Komagan, told IANS, "The decision of the Tamil Nadu government to celebrate the birth anniversary of Rajendra Chola-I is highly appreciated. It will also develop tourism in the Ariyalur area. We also urge the government to include the naval supremacy and maritime trade of Rajendra Chola-I in the history textbooks of schools in the state." He said the birth anniversary celebrations of Rajendra Chola-I were restricted among a few history enthusiasts and students, while that of his father, Raja Raja Chola, was celebrated as a government event for decades in Thanjavur.
Bengaluru, Aug 11 : As many as 85,107 Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Antyodaya cards availed by those who do not come in the bracket of the poor section have been terminated, officials said on Wednesday.

The Food and Civil Supplies Department has been able, with the help of the Income Tax Department, to identify the rich people who have taken BPL cards, Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd Commissioner, Dr Shamla Iqbal, said.

The ration cards are linked to the Aadhar card and the Income Tax department has given the list of 85,204 taxpayers who are availing the benefits meant for the poorer sections of society after obtaining BPL and Antyodaya cards.

The government has warned that undeserving people must return the BPL cards, and 34,908 BPL cardholders and 1,360 Antyodaya card holders returned their cards voluntarily.

The sources said the state government has assessed that as many as 14 lakh people availed themselves of BPL and Antyodaya cards by falsely claiming that they are poor and it is causing a Rs 200 crore burden on the state exchequer.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : The country's largest power producer, NTPC, has invited bids from banks for taking rupee loans of up to Rs 5,000 crore required for its capital expenditure programme.

The PSU has sought that each bank/financial institution shall place an unconditional and irrevocable commitment mentioning the rate of interest (in two decimals) and the quantum of loan offered.

Its loan document said that banks should quote the lowest rate of interest linked to MCLR or linked to any other market determined external benchmark, clearly specifying the reset period which cannot be less than one month.

Revision in quantum as well as ROI will not be allowed once the bid has been submitted. Moreover, each bank would be required to participate only if the quantum of loan is Rs 500 crore or more.

The company's RFW fit loan mentions that proceeds of the loan shall be utilised towards capital expenditure for ongoing/new capacity addition programmes, including takeover of projects, buying out government's equity stake in PSUs under the disinvestment programme of the government of india, renewable energy projects, coal mining and washeries, renovation and modernisation of various projects, refinancing of loans and general corporate purposes etc.
Hyderabad, Aug 11 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has greeted youth in the state ahead of the International Youth Day (August 12).

The CM said youth played a pivotal role in the separate Telangana statehood movement and in the state under self-governance. He said with the formation of Telangana, youth are being given many opportunities in political and administrative sectors and in the law-making bodies, especially youth from the weaker and oppressed sections. This process would continue in future too, he added.

Keeping in view future of youth, the state government is redesigning and revamping agriculture, industries and IT sectors, he said. In the sectors where there is potential for employment such as tourism, logistics and other such new sectors, the government is encouraging youth, he added.

Rao said the government is extending several schemes for self-employment. The government job sector is expanded by scientifically implementing the zonal system. With innovative schemes and measures the rural economy is strengthened, paving way for the employment of the youth.

The CM said in the days to come, the role of youth in all the sectors would become more important. The future belongs to the Telangana youth, he added.
Amaravati, Aug 11 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Aditya Nath Das on Wednesday ordered all the District Collectors to check ward and village secretariats twice in a week.

He said the grassroots governance system of village and ward volunteers has completed two years of its formation and called on the officials to ensure its efficient operation and better service delivery to citizens.

Noting the government has taken these decisions to offer more services to the people through these bodies, he said: "Therefore, district level officials should always monitor the work of ward and village secretariats." Besides Collectors, Das directed Joint Collectors, Municipal Commissioners, Sub-Collectors and other officials to visit at least four of these secretariats to check their work and efficiency.

He told these officials to come up with suggestions, following their observations at the grassroots level.

As many other states in India are studying this model of governance, he said it is imperative to operate the ward and village secretariats more fruitfully.
Patna, Aug 11 : The flood situation in Patna on Wednesday reached an alarming position with overflowing water from the Ganga entering some areas.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inspected the situation at Digha Ghat in the city. The water level reached above the embankment at several places and flooded some localities.

The water was overflowing at Digha Ghat, LCT Ghat, Bas Ghat, Anta Ghat, Krishna Ghat, Gulbi Ghat, Rani Ghat, Bhadra Ghat, Kanchan Ghat and others, with the water level increasing 17 cm in the last 24 hours in Patna, to reach 117 cm above danger level.

Water Resources Development Department has registered 51.02 meter water level at Digha Ghat, 49.76 at Gandhi Ghat and 42.85 in Hathidah located in Bhagalpur district.

"We have shut the gate of every drain heading towards the river. Besides, we have also shut the electric cremation facility at Gulbi Ghat due to water entering the premises and it may create malfunction in electric equipment," said a disaster management official.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : Should the majestic elephants -- India's heritage animal -- be kept in captivity or let free in the wild? Do elephants continue to be used for joyrides? These are the questions dominating the discussions on the eve of World Elephant Day on Friday.

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav will release the all-India synchronised methodology for elephant and tiger population estimation on the occasion of World Elephant Day on Friday.

Yadav will also deliver a keynote address at the event that will also be attended by Minister of State Ashwini Kumar Choubey, a release issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said on Thursday.

The results of the last elephant census was declared in 2017 which showed that the number of wild elephants in India was barely 27,312. Karnataka with 6,049 elephants led the states, followed by Assam (5,719), Kerala (3,054) and Tamil Nadu (2,761).

It also mentioned that there were approximately 3,000 to 4,000 elephants in captivity. These include those in circus, zoo and those used for joyrides in forests, forts and even by some resorts.

The Project Elephant under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has held a workshop that revisited the guidelines for keeping elephants in captivity. A number of NGOs participated in the workshop and the general mood was to ensure that there are no more elephants in captivity.

The old guidelines had several gaps... There were certain issues that were either inadequately addressed or not addressed at all.

"For instance, scores of elephants lose their lives during transportation. Then there are issues related to lack of medical care," Kartik Satyanarayan from the NGO, Wildlife SOS, told IANS.

Another NGO, World Animal Protection in India (WAPI), has requested the Rajasthan government to retire all captive elephants currently used for rides at the Amer fort.

"These elephants suffer from a host of maladies and illnesses caused due to their incarceration in captivity in a state that is not a natural elephant range state," WAPI said.

Therefore, to monitor the condition of the elephants at the Amer fort in Jaipur in March 2020, in compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court, a team of veterinary doctors was constituted by the MoEF&CC to look into the conditions of captive elephants.

In July 2020, the team, along with the state Forest Department, visited the elephants in Haathi Gaon and Amer Fort where 98 captive elephants were inspected. The team had recommended that elephant rides at Amer Fort be withdrawn in a phased manner. It was decided then to retire 20 sick elephants.

"The owners of the elephants also may be rehabilitated suitably in such situations. They can switch over to other modes of transportation like electric or battery-operated vehicles for similar rides. We welcome the decision to retire 20 animals, but wish that all elephants are freed from there.

"WAPI is prepared to facilitate the retirement of captive elephants at Amer Fort to the elephant rehabilitation centres. This will enable the national heritage animal to live in peace after a lifetime of abuse and the current mahouts might obtain alternative livelihoods," WAPI country director Gajender K. Sharma told IANS over phone from Jaipur, where he is on a visit.

"After the Covid-19 pandemic, our motto is an end to elephant rides and a shift to more wildlife-friendly venues in the future," Sharma said.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : The Master Plan of Delhi-2041, a blueprint of planning to ensure sustainable development of land and the people of the city for the next two decades, has stirred up a debate among resident groups and the civil society.

The draft, which got preliminary approval from the advisory council of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) chaired by Lt Governor Anil Baijal on June 9 and was put in the public domain for inviting objections and suggestions for the next 45 days, has led to debates among the residents of various civil society groups.

The debates on the draft MPD-2041 have even prompted the Central government to direct the DDA to extend the date for inviting public suggestions til August 23.

The many suggestions received from different individuals and civil society groups include the need for provisions for child-friendly mobility, creche facilities and feeding rooms to increase women's participation in the workforce.

The development of a gender-friendly city is also another key suggestion in order to ensure that women and other genders can avail services such as housing, education, justice, medical treatment and so on.

However, amid the ongoing debate over the draft MPD-2041, DDA's Vice Chairman Anurag Jain said that the plan will be completed by the end of this year.

"There were many challenges in preparing the MPD-2041. All the previous mater plans of Delhi, including the current MPD-2021, were completed after the stipulated time frame. But MPD-2041 has been prepared within the stipulated time, despite delay in the process due to the Covid pandemic," Jain told IANS.

"We are going through all the suggestions and recommendations received from various sections of people. All the recommendations and objections will be placed for discussion before the advisory council of DDA. Every suggestion received from the people is valuable as the MPD-2041 is not just a draft in paper, but a plan for the development of the city and the growth its people. We are hopeful that MPD-2041 will be completed by the end of December 2021," Jain said.

The preparations for the draft MPD-2041 began in July 2017, after the DDA signed a pact with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) for this purpose.

The 487-page document (draft MPD-2041) deals with several issues that will impact the city in the years to come. It emphasises on sustainability, be it environmental, infrastructural or financial.

It covers a plan for 24-hour city with night-time economy, extensive transport infrastructure, affordable housing for all and healthy environment to check unauthorised colonies and pollution.

The vision document largely covers the policies of environment, economy, mobility, heritage, culture and public space, among others.

Emphasis has also been given on policies such as transit-oriented development (TOD) and land pooling policy of MPD-2021.

The first Master Plan for Delhi was promulgated in 1962 under the Delhi Development Act of 1957, followed by the Master Plans of 2001 and 2021, each of which was an extensive modification of the respective previous plan documents.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : The Delhi government is gearing up to launch a drive to check corruption in public departments and under it, Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Dev has directed CCTV cameras be installed in various offices.

The decision to undertake the drive was taken at a high-level review meeting attended by the Principal Secretary, Vigilance, Secretary, Services, the Divisional Commissioner, and officers of the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Wednesday.

"A drive will be launched to check corruption in Delhi. Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Dev has directed to launch a campaign in public departments and offices. He has directed that in the campaign against corruption, only those officers, who have had an excellent track record and have never been accused of corruption, should be engaged," the Chief Minister's Office said in a statement.

"All departmental officers should install CCTV cameras immediately in their respective offices so that the visitors to the offices can be closely monitored. Officers and employees found involved in corruption cases will be held accused under various sections of the IPC," it said.

The Chief Secretary has directed the ACB to launch Delhi-wide surveillance and vigilance of all the public-dealing departments in order to identify field officers who are indulging in malpractices, patronising touts, and harassing the public. "Strict action will be taken against them," it added.

As per the statement, Dev has directed that whoever found indulging in bribery or malpractices, embezzlement, and tampering of records shall immediately be placed under suspension/prosecuted as per the CCS (Conduct) Rules and Prevention of Corruption Act and various Sections of the IPC, and transferred in case of doubtful integrity.

During the meeting, he directed the Divisional Commissioner and Secretary, Services, to follow strict protocol while posting officers in these sensitive Departments. He has also directed the Principal Secretary, Vigilance, to initiate proactive vigilance and undertake preventive drives including checking of visitor logbook.

"CCTV cameras should be installed in all the sensitive premises/offices. Middlemen and tout free atmosphere in various public-dealing offices needs to be created and maintained. Faceless transactions of services shall be ensured," he said.

"A drive should be launched in entire Delhi to make the city corruption-free and instill fear of law among all those elements who bring bad name to the government," the statement read.
New Delhi, Aug 11 : The Delhi government on Wednesday signed an agreement with the International Baccalaureate (IB), which would be a partner in the newly set up Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE).

The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a non-profit foundation offering educational programmes, which is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

The IB will be a knowledge partner to DBSE, the first ever school board of Delhi set up on March 19 this year.

Addressing a virtual press conference, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the collaboration with IB will ensure revolutionary changes in the field of school education in the national capital.

"The collaboration with IB will take the education standards in Delhi's schools to a new height. A team of experts will visit the schools associated with DBSE and it would assist the teachers to improveme the standard of education. The experts will also assess the students and their performances," Kejriwal said.

Earlier on July 29, the Delhi government had announced that 30 of its schools will be affiliated to DBSE for the first academic session (2021-22). Out of the 30 schools, 20 will be new Schools of Specialised Excellence (SOSEs) and 10 will be government Sarvodaya Vidyalayas in East Delhi.

Around 5,000 schools globally are affiliated to the IB board. Currently, 193 schools in India are affiliated to the IB board, all of which are private schools.
Chennai, Aug 12 : Anna University's newly-appointed Vice Chancellor, Dr R. Velraj on Wednesday said that the varsity would create basic infrastructure to create world-class research and sow the seeds for the students to win the Nobel Pprize in next twenty years.

In a statement, he said that the engineering syllabus would be revised to equip all the students to get jobs.

"We will divide the engineering syllabus into two as only 20 per cent of the students understand all the topics. One is for students who understand all the topics and the other is to equip students according to the need of the industry and to train them and become entrepreneurs," he said.

He also said that the Anna University, along with the Tamil Nadu government, would try to improve the quality of engineering education in the next three years.

He also said that 1 MW solar panels would be set up at all the 18 constituent colleges of the University. The university will have solar-powered vehicles in its campus in the next three months and that focus would be on electric vehicle research, he added.
New Delhi, Aug 12 : The Modernisation of Police Forces (MPF) scheme has been extended and will continue in 2020-21 also, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Despite the fact that that police and public order are state subjects, the Centre on September 27, 2017 approved implementation of umbrella scheme of "Modernisation of Police Forces (MPF)" for a three year period from 2017-18 to 2019-20 with a total outlay of Rs 25,061 crore which includes central outlay of Rs 18,636.30 crore, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

He said that this umbrella scheme has two verticals - Police Modernisation and Security Related Expenditure (SRE) that includes central sector sub-schemes such as Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) project and e-Prisons project, which have been made operational in all the states and Union Territories.

The total expenditure in the CCTNS project has been 97.5 per cent, that was Rs 1,949 crore out of Rs 2,000 crore since its commencement, and in e-Prisons project, the total expenditure was 100 percent against an outlay of Rs 100 crore.

Against the sub-scheme for assisting central agencies in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) management, an amount of Rs 583.03 crore was spent during last four years while the government also implemented Special Central Assistance (SCA) scheme to undertake development interventions in LWE districts, he said, adding that in addition to these, Rs 31.41 crore has been spent for the projects relating to upgradation of police wireless.

One of the major aims of the umbrella scheme was to bolster the government's ability to address challenges faced in different theatres such as areas affected by LWE, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast effectively, and undertake development interventions which will catalyse in improving the quality of life in these areas and help combat these challenges effectively at the same time, he said.

Rai also said that to combat LWE, the government, in 2015, had approved 'National Policy and Action Plan', which include a multi-pronged approach covering areas of security, development, ensuring rights and entitlements of tribals or local communities and perception management.

"The steadfast implementation of the Policy and Action Plan has resulted in decline of LWE related violence and geographical spread of LWE influence. Incidents of LWE violence have come down from a high of 2,258 in 2009 to 665 in 2020." He also said that the number of deaths also reduced from an all time high of 1,005 in 2010 to 183 in 2020 whereas the geographical spread of LWE violence has constricted resulting in reduction of districts reporting LWE violence from 96 in 2010 to 53 in 2020. The constriction of geographical spread resulted in reduction of SRE districts from 126 to 90 districts with effect from April 1, 2018 and with the improvement of LWE scenario, the number of districts has been further reduced to 70, the Minister added.
New Delhi, Aug 12 : The government has adopted a multi-pronged approach to ensure effective surveillance and domination of land borders to check infiltration of illegal migrants, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Noting that some illegal migrants sneak into India in a clandestine and surreptitious manner, mainly through difficult mountainous and riverine terrain along the borders, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told the Rajya Sabha, in a written reply, that physical infrastructure in the form of border fencing, flood-lighting, construction of border roads, and establishment of border outposts has been created.

"Vulnerable border outposts are regularly reviewed and strengthened by deploying additional manpower, special surveillance equipment, and other force multipliers," he said.

A technological solution in the form of Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) has been implemented in some vulnerable border areas whereas the border guarding forces conduct regular patrolling, lay nakas, establish observation posts, and carry out anti-tunnelling exercises to stop illegal infiltration, he added.

Rai also said that all foreign nationals, including those who enter into the country without valid travel documents or overstay beyond the validity of their visa period, are dealt with the provisions contained in The Foreigners Act, 1946, The Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and The Citizenship Act, 1955, and rules and orders made there under.
Bengaluru, Aug 12 : The daily health bulletin issued by the Karnataka government said on Wednesday that the state reported as many as 1,826 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours, with Mangaluru district, bordering Kerala, topping the chart with 422 cases, followed by Bengaluru (377).

The state government is worried over the increasing number of cases in Mangaluru district and has intensified the measures at the checkposts with Kerala.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is scheduled to visit Mangaluru and Udupi districts on Thursday to review the Covid situation there.

However, the districts bordering Maharashtra have not seen a rise in the number of Covid cases.

The state presently 22,851 active cases, while 33 persons succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours.

Karnataka currently has a test positivity rate of 1.09 per cent, while its fatality rate stood at 1.80 per cent.

In Bengaluru, the number of micro containment zones is seeing a steady rise and presently stands at 166.

The city's positivity rate remained at 0.59 per cent, while five persons died due to Covid in Bengaluru in the past 24 hours.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Gurugram, Aug 12 : The Gurugram Police on Wednesday arrested a man from Atul Kataria Chowk for posing as a Haryana Police inspector. A fake identity card of Haryana Police was also recovered from his possession.

The accused reportedly posed as a police inspector to avoid paying toll tax and to intimidate policemen.

The accused has been identified as Prince Madaan (32), a resident of New Colony in Palwal. The police have recovered a fake ID card of the Haryana police and a car from his possession.

Police said that the accused on Wednesday tried to escape the toll tax at Atul Kataria Chowk but when he was intercepted by the police personnel he threatened them by posing as a Haryana Police Inspector.

"The accused had tried to flee the spot but was stopped after erecting a barricade in front of his car. He then told the police personnel that he is an Inspector in the Haryana Police and threaten them that how dare they stop his car? Thereafter, the police team asked him for his identity card. But after the scrutiny, his card was found to be fake and he was arrested immediately," Satyender Kumar, Station House Officer (SHO) of Sector-14 police station told IANS.

Police said that the fake card was mentioned Madaan as Inspector posted in Gurugram police station.

"During questioning the accused revealed that he had made the ID card just to avoid paying toll tax and intimidate policemen. The accused will be taken on police remand for further investigation," Kumar said.

A case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against Madaan.
American International College in Springfield, MA AIC is positioning itself to be an educational leader in this rapidly emerging market that offers entrepreneurial and employment and opportunities for the future.

Since its launch fall semester 2020, the American International College (AIC) Master of Science in Cannabis Science and Commerce has been an online degree program. Beginning this fall semester, the Micro Emerging Markets: Cannabis Certificate program will additionally be offered fully online.

The Master of Science in Cannabis Science and Commerce, a 30-credit, graduate program is designed for individuals interested in a career in the cannabis industry, providing students with an understanding of the science, business, and legal issues associated with the cannabis industry. The program offers education in the areas of basic science including chemistry, horticulture, cultivation, uses, and delivery systems; business management, marketing, and operations; and federal and state laws and policies.

The Micro-Emerging Markets: Cannabis Certificate program offers three business courses in rotation. There are no prerequisites to enroll other than a high school diploma or GED equivalency. Non-matriculated students are welcome to enter the program.

The first course of the certificate program, Cannabis Entrepreneurship, examines customer groups, products, and services in the recreational market. The effect of price, quality, and competitors will be explored relative to competing effectively. This will involve key components of the industry including legal aspects, business models, financing, and marketing.

In Cannabis Business Operations, students will analyze the evolving cannabis marketplace and investigate the complexities and challenges of this sector. This course will conduct an in-depth look at the key components of different business types, how the sector is evolving, starting and operating a cannabis business in addition to financial constraints, investments, and strategic marketing in the industry.

The final course of the certificate includes the Law and Ethics of Cannabis, which examines the legalization of cannabis. Discussion around the legal and ethical implications of cannabis use, its legalization, criminal activity and marketing will be explored in addition to perspectives of law enforcement, business owners, and recreational uses.

According to the 2021 jobs report issued by Leafly, the worlds largest cannabis website, 321,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs across thirty-seven states were supported by legal cannabis as of January this year. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have now legalized adult recreational use marijuana, including Connecticut, the latest state to legalize recreational cannabis this June. The cannabis job growth in 2020 represented a doubling of the previous years US job growth. In 2019, the cannabis industry added 33,700 new US jobs for a total of 243,700. Despite a year marked by a global pandemic, spiking unemployment, and economic recession, the legal cannabis industry added 77,300 full-time jobs in the United States. That represents 32% year-over-year job growth.

American International Colleges Dean of the School of Business, Arts and Sciences Susanne Swanker, PhD says, American International College is excited to offer both a graduate level program that offers courses focused on developing business acumen in a field that is experiencing a meteoric rise and a certificate program that is a business-based offering that provides courses in a developing field. AIC is positioning itself to be an educational leader in this rapidly emerging market that offers entrepreneurial and employment and opportunities for the future.

For more information regarding the American International College Master of Science in Cannabis Science and Commerce and AICs Micro-Emerging Markets: Cannabis Certificate program, please visit http://www.aic.edu/cannabis.

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Founded in 1885, American International College (AIC) is a private, co-educational, doctoral granting institution located in Springfield, Massachusetts comprising the School of Business, Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, and the School of Health Sciences. AIC supports and advances education, diversity, and opportunity for its students and the community.
The Road to Your Deliverance and Restoration: Understanding a Curse and How to Break It: a thought-provoking discussion of faith and that which works against it. The Road to Your Deliverance and Restoration: Understanding a Curse and How to Break It is the creation of published author Apostle Clement Mbuyi, a loving husband and father of four who was born in Kinshasa, Democratic of Congo, and founded International Tree of Life Church in Frederick, Maryland.

Apostle Mbuyi shares, The Road to Your Deliverance and Restoration is a book that helps Christians and non-Christians identify the source of a curse and other spiritual bondages and to use the proper way to break the curse through the light of the word of God.

Many people go through spiritual and physical difficulties without understanding the reason. They go from one church to another and one pastor to another, seeking help without receiving one. Lack of knowledge is one of our biggest enemies, and the Bible says, My people perish for lack of knowledge.

The book of Proverbs 26: 2 says, So a curse without cause shall not alight. To break a curse, you must find the cause; and if you cannot get to the root cause of a problem, you will never solve that problem. It is very difficult for a doctor to treat a patient if he or she cannot find the root cause of the illness.

The purpose of this book is to show how to use biblical truths to uncover the true cause of a curse and spiritual bondage in our own lives and the lives of others to help them find emotional healing and spiritual freedom. Thus, the book explains the causes of a curse and spiritual bondage and offers biblical solutions to how to break them.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Apostle Clement Mbuyis new book is an engaging exploration of generational curses and spiritual bondage and how to break them.

With compelling reflections and relevant scripture, Apostle Mbuyi encourages readers to take a moment for self-reflection and spiritual growth. He writes in hopes of encouraging others to guard themselves against spiritual attacks.

View a synopsis of The Road to Your Deliverance and Restoration: Understanding a Curse and How to Break It on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase The Road to Your Deliverance and Restoration: Understanding a Curse and How to Break It at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about The Road to Your Deliverance and Restoration: Understanding a Curse and How to Break It, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Arts Ed NJ September Forward Fall 2021 Guidance for Arts Education in Changing Conditions An arts classroom is a classroom, period, Morrison said. Sequential arts education is part of New Jerseys learning expectations for all students and must be maintained.

Arts Ed NJ, the performing arts affiliate for the National Association of State High School Associations (NFHS), has just released its September Forward Fall 2021 Guidance for Arts Education in Changing Conditions (https://www.artsednj.org/september-forward/), which provides the most up-to-date policy guide for administrators, K-12 arts educators, and the community at large to ensure that students can take part in arts education programs safely and effectively as they prepare to resume in-person learning this fall.

The guidance comes in the wake of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphys August 6 Executive Order mandating that all students, educators, staff, and visitors will be required to wear face masks indoors for the start of the 2021-2022 school year.

Arts Ed NJs recommendations for indoors include:



Masks made of appropriate material should be worn; however, wind players should mask their instruments while playing. This allows them to remove their face masks during performance only. Social distancing of 3 feet is also recommended when feasible.

In spaces with good ventilation, indoor rehearsal time should be limited to 50 minutes, followed by one air exchange before resuming. If there are spaces with higher air change rates, teachers may consider longer rehearsal times.

Proper hygiene ventilation strategies should be a priority at all times.

Currently, there are no mitigation requirements when outdoors.

While Arts Ed NJ is careful to note that its recommendations are subject to change based on the latest CDC and New Jersey Department of Health requirements, the organization believes that when these recommendations are followed the arts classroom is as safe as any other classroom. Students will benefit most if schools dont add unnecessary obstacles to learning dance, music, theater, or visual art in person.

Mask requirements can be a challenge for education, yet conditions make them necessary. There are ways to reduce risk by masking our arts students, teachers and even wind instruments, said Arts Ed NJ director Bob Morrison. Current CDC guidance is that students are safe three feet apart, when feasibleand that includes all arts students. However, inability to adhere to mitigation strategies should not be a reason to preclude instruction.

Arts Ed NJ is urging policymakers to adopt commonsense safety steps to keep classrooms open for dance, music, theatre and visual arts. Studies have shown the importance of these disciplines in providing a well-rounded education. Arts education is vital because it combines intellectual challenges with social emotional learning, which is essential for student development. To move forward, students need to be able to interpret their world and express their emotions, something thats more important now than ever.

But while all subject areas have suffered due to COVID over the last 16 months, arts education may have been hit hardest. Isolating students from their classmates and teachers negates the benefits that are unique to art educationthe peer-to-peer learning that comes from shared experience; the ability of a teacher to work with students over multiple grades and to serve as role models for students; the tools for learning how subjective judgement plays a role in everyday life; a safe space to explore the gray areas that are ignored in subject areas where standardized testing thwarts creative reasoning; even the simple joy of creating something new.

September Forward 2021 emphasizes the importance of studying dance, music, theatre and visual arts collectively and in person. Our data shows that students missed creating together more than anything else when forced to engage in remote learning, Morrison said. We also believe that engaging with the community, whether by organizing field trips or bringing artists into the classroom, is both beneficial and motivating for students.

The recommendations outlined in September Forward 2021 build on work that began in 2020 with a taskforce of more than 100 of the states leading arts educators and stakeholders, who met regularly throughout the school year and beyond to understand the challenges for students and teachers during the COVID era.

With its September Forward 2021 guidelines, Arts Ed NJ is urging school districts to provide teachers with the professional development and classroom resources and equipment they will need to meet the specific needs of their curricula and students, citing eight key points:

Sequential arts education must return for all students in all instructional models: New Jersey Student Learning Standards in the Visual and Performing Arts were affirmed in 2020 and continue to be a requirement for all learning methods.

Arts Education programs will require the proper staffing and support to ensure continuity of instruction. This includes maintaining certified arts educators to provide sequential instruction while providing them with materials, resources and equipment needed to meet health and safety requirements.

Arts educators and administrators must be part of district planning. No group has spent more time studying the challenges and solutions of teaching the arts in the COVID-era than arts educators themselves. Their collective knowledge will be a critical asset to school administrations and board members as they prepare to open schools this September.

Schools must prioritize making and creating the arts together. Students have identified the loss of time making art together as the thing they most missed when forced to study remotely. As districts return, when the students are in school, the emphasis should be placed on creating artistic works together.

Social and emotional learning needs of students, faculty, and staff must be addressed in all aspects of instruction. Arts Education plays a critical role in supporting the social and emotional needs of students, which New Jerseys Accelerated Learning Guide recognizes as important factors for effective education by influencing a teachers ability to teach and students ability to learn.

Schools must address learning delays and disruptions in the arts: As with other subject areas identified in the N.J. Department of Educations Learning Acceleration Guide, resources, including those available from the state and federal government (should be provided to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the visual and performing arts).

Professional development must be provided: In order to be most effectively meet the challenges of reopening during the pandemic, arts educators must be provided the opportunity and necessary resources to engage in professional development relevant to their respective fields.

New Jersey cultural community resources should be utilized for instructional support. From assembly programs and field trips to artist residencies and collaborative projects, New Jersey rich community of artists and cultural organizations plays a critical role in the education of our students. As schools reopen, they should look for appropriate opportunities to bring students into contact with artists and art in the community at large.

An arts classroom is a classroom, period, Morrison said. Sequential arts education is part of New Jerseys learning expectations for all students and must be maintained.

For more information about the September Forward Fall 2021 Guidance for Arts Education in Changing Conditions, visit https://www.artsednj.org/september-forward/

For more information about Arts Education and Social and Emotional Learning, visit https://artsedsel.org

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About Arts Ed NJ

Arts Ed NJ is the unified voice for arts education in New Jersey. The mission of Arts Ed NJ is to create the proper conditions for arts learning to take place in New Jersey. Formerly the New Jersey Arts Education Partnership, Arts Ed NJ was founded in 2007 by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey Department of Education and Music for All Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation, ArtPride New Jersey Foundation and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional information is available at http://www.artsednj.org.
Chicago United names SupplyHive President and CEO Lou Sandoval to its prestigious 2021 Business Leaders of Color list. "We are very excited for Lou to receive this distinguished honor from Chicago United. An acknowledgment like this presents the opportunity to highlight the powerful and positive contributions of diverse executives working in Chicago."

SupplyHive is proud to announce that President and Chief Executive Officer Lou Sandoval will be honored this fall as one of 50 selected executives joining the list of the 2021 Business Leaders of Color (BLC) presented by Chicago United. Chicago United is a nonprofit with a mission of achieving parity in economic opportunity for people of color by advancing multiracial leadership in corporate governance, expanding the talent pipeline for executive-level management and growing minority businesses.

Sandoval leads SupplyHive, a Chicago-based technology company providing Supplier Performance Management (SPM) software that helps corporations improve efficiency by centralizing, standardizing, and automating the supplier performance process at scale.

It is truly an honor to be recognized alongside some of the most talented leaders in Chicagos business community, he said. Chicago United BLC is a great talent pool for some of Americas largest publicly traded companies to identify diverse board-ready candidates to provide better insight for governance and market conditions.

SupplyHive Board Chairman Joseph High also added his congratulations to Sandoval.

We are very excited for Lou to receive this distinguished honor from Chicago United, High said. An acknowledgment like this presents the opportunity to highlight the powerful and positive contributions of diverse executives working in Chicago. These fine examples of business leaders will certainly inspire current and new generations of color to take bold and confident steps to forge their paths in the business world. We hope that this acknowledgment and these examples will help motivate all business leaders to reassess and accelerate their results in acquiring, developing, retaining and encouraging Black and Brown talent at all levels of their organization and the organizations in their ecosystem.

Choosing the members was an intense, months-long process with qualifications, skills and experience as determining factors. Sandoval joins a distinguished list of the 420 Business Leaders of Color recognized since 2003 which includes former first lady Michelle Obama and former McDonalds CEO Don Thompson. According to Chicago United, this list presents outstanding examples of what it means to overcome obstacles and biases to navigate the corporate landscape and ascend to leadership with boldness and confidence.

This years members will be honored in a reception scheduled this fall. They will be officially introduced to the larger Chicago business community during the Chicago United Annual Bridge Awards Dinner on Thursday, Nov. 18. The event attracts up to 1,000 of Chicagos most prominent business and civic leaders.

About SupplyHive

Headquartered in Chicago, SupplyHive is a technology company that provides Supplier Performance Management (SPM) software designed to help corporations improve efficiency by centralizing, standardize, scale and automate the supplier performance process. SupplyHive uses the latest innovations of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyze the aggregated quantitative and qualitative data. Our user-friendly interface helps organizations hold suppliers accountable and deliver enhanced partnerships by measuring KPIs, analyzing trends and identifies disparities, automating action plans, and providing predictive analytics. For more information, visit https://www.SupplyHive.com.

About Chicago United:

Chicago Uniteds mission is to achieve parity in economic opportunity for people of color by advancing multiracial leadership in corporate governance, expanding the talent pipeline for executive-level management, and growing minority businesses. For more information, visit https://www.chicago-united.org/.
Over the past few months, we worked closely with new partners in Orlando to positively impact those who need it most. We are honored to have the opportunity to create moments of happiness for hundreds of families.

COPILOT Provider Support Services, a market-leading provider of technologically advanced healthcare access solutions, completed its most successful Christmas in July to date via its philanthropic arm, COPILOT Cares. The company extended annual giving efforts to Orlando, home of its new headquarters, collaborating with the Orlando Union Rescue Mission and AdventHealth for Children, formerly Florida Hospital for Children.

Christmas in July events are a company tradition, designed to assist local communities through service and resources, said Dr. Moby Kazmi, co-founder and president of COPILOT Provider Support Services. Over the past few months, we worked closely with new partners in Orlando to positively impact those who need it most. We are honored to have the opportunity to create moments of happiness for hundreds of families.

COPILOT Cares provided the Orlando Union Rescue Mission with $50 gift cards, tickets to Disney World generously donated by AdventHealth for Children, an Amazon Fire tablet, and $150 gift cards for family dinners. AdventHealth for Children received a variety of toys for its Coordinated Care for Kids program and new books for students of the West Lakes Early Learning Center. In addition, COPILOT Cares donated 200 teddy bears to comfort children whose parents are hospitalized for coronavirus and remain under treatment at AdventHealth.

AdventHealth for Children families and West Lakes Learning Center students celebrated Christmas in July because of the generous support from Dr. Moby Kazmi and the COPILOT team, said Dr. Rajan Wadhawan, CEO of AdventHealth for Children. Bringing joy to children right now is an invaluable gift and I am incredibly grateful for the support from our community advocates.

In Dr. Kazmis home state of New York, the team also fulfilled Amazon wish lists for St. Marys Hospital for Children and Stony Brook Childrens Hospital. In total, COPILOT Cares donated over $18,000 worth of toys, books and goods, allowing for merry family celebrations, especially during challenging times.

Fred B. Clayton, president of the Orlando Union Rescue Mission, added, When I talk with families who stayed with us five, 10, or even 20 years ago, they often share memories of Christmas events at the Mission. Of course, they remember the presents. But the most profound recollection is how their kids never knew they were living in a shelter because they felt so much love and security. We are truly grateful to all our local partners who help fuel these acts of kindness each year."

About COPILOT Provider Support Services

COPILOT Provider Support Services is a customized supplier of provider and patient-focused reimbursement programs (HUBs). COPILOT utilizes a proprietary, industry-leading technology platform that ensures that bio-pharmaceutical clients receive accurate real-world data, intelligence, and program information. Learn more at COPILOT Provider Support Services.
Crow Canyon Software With Crow Canyon Software's solutions available at a discounted price on the SLP, state and local agencies can now easily benefit from our business process tools for Microsoft 365 and SharePoint.

Crow Canyon Software, a world-wide leader in business solutions for Microsoft Office 365, Teams, & SharePoint On-Premises, announced today that the company is now an approved vendor listed on the State of California's Software Licensing Program (SLP). State and local agencies as well as educational institutions in California can buy Crow Canyon's NITRO Studio and business applications at a discount price under the SLP.

Crow Canyon is a Certified California Small Business Enterprise, #2017759. The companys software is in widespread use in California state, county, and local governments as well as schools, utilities, and transportation agencies.

Crow Canyon Software solutions transform Microsofts out-of-the-box SharePoint and Office 365 platforms into powerful systems capable of handling a multitude of business challenges: forms and workflow automation, service desks, facility management, contracts, assets, equipment, onboarding, HR, security access, customer service, and more.

With public sector agencies increasingly looking to use Microsoft 365, Teams, and SharePoint to drive their critical priorities and digital transformation initiatives forward, the search for affordable, easy-to-use, and reliable solutions is at the forefront.

With Crow Canyons solutions readily available in the SLP at discounted pricing, agencies can quickly upgrade from outdated legacy applications to modern, cloud-friendly ones that employees enjoy using.

Crow Canyons programs run in Microsoft Office 365, including the GCC and GCC High environments, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint 2013, 2016, and 2019 on-premises.

Californias SLP program is administered by the Department of General Services. It was established in 1994 and negotiates extensive software discounts with software publishers from which agencies and government institutions can benefit.

To learn more about the SLP contract, click here. More information on Crow Canyon Software solutions is available here.

Crow Canyon Software is a key partner of many public sector organizations in California, including the Department of Social Services, the Franchise Tax Board, Air Resources Board, and Covered California, plus a multitude of federal, state, county, and city agencies. View California Customer Page.


DEI expert and new author Di Ciruolo partners with Morgan James Publishing to release Ally Up: The Definitive Guide to Inclusive, Innovative, and Productive Teams. Ally Up examines diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace and its role in creating and maintaining inclusive, productive teams. Ciruolos new book is a top resource in the DEI industry for employers, employees, talent and recruitment endeavors and can be used as the definitive guide to understanding, supporting, and encouraging inclusive practices in the workplace.

Companies are encouraging inclusive workplaces by creating new policies and changing hiring practices however, emphasis on social justice, inclusion, and human rights is missing. This book teaches allyship and promotes inclusion at every step of the employee life cycle, including how to lead better with interviews from hundreds of people working in tech, STEM, biotech, finance, and academia with real stories from their experiences in the workplace with everything from motherhood and #metoo to racism and sexual harassment.

Ciruolo has a heartfelt commitment towards making the world better for people like herself. She is a white-Hispanic, queer mother of two that got into the field of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion because she was angry. She has first hand experience with discrimination and took it upon herself to educate her children on diversity at a young age. Ciruolo is also an advocate for working women and mothers and believes that more needs to be done to advocate for women in day-to-day and overall company operations.

Ciruolo understands DEI requires action from both leaders and employees and addresses the ways and hindrances to achieving that goal. Leaders are seeing for the first time that in order to lead well they MUST have a position on issues that are informed by a field they have no knowledge of. With many social issues and injustices coming to the forefront, the way that we measure success around leadership is changing and companies are being urged to do better in the DEI space.

Ciruolo says, My book speaks not only to those who have decided to take the journey of self education required by allyship, but also those who are on the fence and need to have the dots connected. Ally Up is a baseline of knowledge people need before attempting to have conversations around DEI in the workplace.

For more information, please visit http://www.diciruolo.com. For media inquiries, please contact Lindsey Walker at lindsey@walkerassocmediagroup.com.

# # #

About the Author:

Di Ciruolo has a degree in Anthropology from Georgia State University. She is a white-Hispanic, queer woman living in Boston, Massachusetts where she graduated from the foster care system as a young adult. After aging out of the foster care system, Di struggled to find stability, spending time homeless in Atlanta, Georgia. She now owns a consulting business teaching inclusion and advocacy in the workplace, with classes available at diciruolo.com. She is the Head of Inclusion at Jambb in Boston. Di has written articles for Medium and is an obsessive reader. She volunteers on several inclusion projects especially expanding access to tech education for children in foster care and is a space-maker and semi-reluctant public speaker. She is married to her partner, Jay, and they have two fiery children.

More About This Title:

Ally Up: The Definitive Guide to Inclusive, Innovative, and Productive Teams, by Di Curuolo, will be released by Morgan James Publishing on August 17, 2021. Ally Up 978-1631954016 has 240 pages and is being sold as a trade paperback for $17.95.

About Morgan James Publishing:

Morgan James publishes trade quality titles designed to educate, encourage, inspire, or entertain readers with current, consistent, relevant topics that are available everywhere books are sold.

( http://www.MorganJamesPublishing.com )
Egnyte, a leader in cloud content security and governance, today announced that registration is open for its inaugural Life Sciences Summit on September 14, 2021. The Egnyte Life Sciences Summit will unveil original research and new product innovations addressing the unique challenges life sciences companies face when it comes to the management and security of regulated and mission-critical data.

"In a year when life sciences made front-page news and investment in new and emerging life sciences firms reached record levels, we felt it was high time to focus a significant amount of our own energy and innovation on helping these firms achieve their missions even faster, said Vineet Jain, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Egnyte. We are inspired every day by our hundreds of life sciences customers and are excited to introduce several new products at the summit that will enable them to maintain data quality and integrity at the highest level.

In addition to product announcements, the summit will feature MIT Tech Reviews Predictions for AI-led Drug Development, as well as sessions from guest speakers including Calithera and IQVIA, who will be discussing how AI is transforming the way clinical trials work. Other guest speakers will include life sciences visionaries, market analysts, and Egnyte leadership team members.

Life sciences companies have to manage multiple complex workflows and compliance demands to be successful, said Holly Leslie, Senior Director of Life Sciences at Egnyte. Moving to cloud-based software like Egnyte helps these companies maintain compliance with industry regulations.

Egnytes multi-cloud content platform provides the highly regulated industry of life sciences the tools to manage content-rich workflows for clinical studies, quality documentation, regulatory submissions and more, that can meet GxP, FDA and EMA requirements.

Since the release of the Egnyte for Life Sciences Platform in the Winter of 2020, Egnyte has been steadily increasing its investment in the space with three new products introduced in 2021, most recently Egnyte for Life Sciences Quality, a GxP compliant product that digitizes the lifecycle of regulated documents to assist with quality control. Through these new products and the Egnyte Life Sciences Summit, Egnyte continues to anticipate and meet the growing needs of the life sciences industry.

Register today for the Egnyte Life Sciences Summit.

About Egnyte

Egnyte provides a unified cloud content governance solution for collaboration, data security, compliance, and threat detection for multi-cloud businesses. More than 17,000 organizations, and more than 600 life science organizations trust Egnyte to reduce risks and IT complexity, prevent ransomware and IP theft, and boost employee productivity on any app, any cloud, anywhere. Investors include GV (formerly Google Ventures), Kleiner Perkins, Caufield & Byers and Goldman Sachs. For more information, visit http://www.egnyte.com.
Evalueserve, a leading global analytics partner to Fortune 1000 firms, has been named a contender in The Forrester Wave: Customer Analytics Service Providers, Q3 2021 report. The report identifies 11 of the most significant customer analytics service providers and recognizes Evalueserve for carving a valuable niche in the B2B2X customer analytics space.

According to the Forrester report, Evalueserve saw an opportunity to provide analytics to companies that are one step removed from their end consumers. As a result, Evalueserve has been successful selling analytics services to B2B2C and B2B2B clients that are interested in understanding both the consumers of their products as well as their true customers, who could be advisors in financial services or dealers in manufacturing.

According to the report, Evalueserve excels at B2B and B2B2X analytics for customer acquisition and retention. The vendor has developed a proprietary customer lifetime value model it calls MDT (monetization, depth of usage, and tenure) for B2B clients. It also demonstrates strengths in turning insights into optimal business actions and measuring the ROI of its work.

The report continues: Client references cite Evalueserves flexibility and availability as major benefits  the provider has a delivery center in Chile in a relatively similar time zone to North American clients. B2B, B2B2B, and B2B2C enterprises that want to profit from a better understanding of customers and consumers should consider partnering with Evalueserve.

We are proud to be recognized by Forrester, says Swapnil Srivastava, Evalueserves Global Head of Analytics. The Wave evaluation, in our opinion, accurately reflects Evalueserves expertise in B2B and B2B2X customer analytics, and we believe it validates what clients say is our strength  consistently delivering ROI. More than insights, clients want outcomes, and our mind+machine solutions ensure that clients can apply analytics insights to their unique business objectives.

Learn more about Evalueserves data and analytics practice here.

About Evalueserve

Evalueserve is a leading analytics partner that helps clients increase the effectiveness and efficiency of their core processes by applying a unique mind+machine methodology. For over 25% of the Fortune 1000, mind+machine weaves human expertise with digital products & platforms to build analytics capabilities that enable successful business outcomes. Visit http://www.evalueserve.com for more information.
Switching to Insticator Commenting from Disqus has increased our engagement and monetization by 11x! Insticator was responsive to our goals and requirements, and their solution has enhanced our overall community experience.

Insticator, the global leader in engagement and revenue solutions for publishers, today announced the publication of a case study showing findings from the Evolve Media brand network launch of Insticator Commenting.

Evolve Media transitioned from Disqus to Insticator in an effort to expand community engagement, boost revenue, address ongoing community moderation challenges and improve the commenting experience across their network of lifestyle enthusiast-focused sites, including SuperHeroHype, PlayStationLifestyle, WrestleZone, Sherdog, DogTime, RealityTea and more. They were especially concerned with improving page load speed in order to create an optimal user experience for their active and passionate communities, as well as meeting their revenue, engagement and moderation goals.

Insticator was able to meet those goals via implementation of its one-of-a-kind Commenting Unit, with moderation powered by a combination of a 24/7 human community team and powerful AI tools, enabling robust moderation at scale and increasing available advertising inventory all without impacting the user experience. Moreover, the transition from Disqus was seamless: Evolve Media users profiles and commenting histories were entirely captured and migrated so nothing got lost, enabling a smooth and pain-free transition across all sites migrated.

Switching to Insticator Commenting from Disqus has increased our engagement and monetization by 11x! Insticator was responsive to our goals and requirements, and their solution has enhanced our overall user experience, helping drive collection of email addresses for identity and has improved our overall commenting and community experience. Their commenting unit loads 22% faster than Disqus, which was important to us as we look at our Core Web Vitals score. They migrated our audiences' profiles and commenting histories and ensured an easy switch over from Disqus. I'm very happy that we have partnered with them to create a better ecosystem for Evolve.

Since migrating to Insticator, the Evolve Media network of brands has seen an increase of 38% in engagement, an increase of 22% in commenting load speed, and an 1100% increase in advertising revenue.

ABOUT INSTICATOR

Insticator is the global leader in increasing engagement for Publishers through interactive content and community-building. Its suite of engagement products empowers publishers and consumers alike to amplify their voices and express their opinions in safe, interactive environments. From their human-moderated Commenting Unit that facilitates healthy, respectful discourse, to its Content Engagement Unit that enables audiences to share their opinions and interact with content that speaks directly to them, Insticator reaches over 350 million consumers monthly across their vast network of premium publishing partners including Ancestry, WebMD, Fox Sports, RealClear Media Group, Newsmax, and more. Based in New York, Insticators global footprint spans the US, Canada, India, the Philippines, Ukraine, and the UK. Visit insticator.com to learn more.

ABOUT EVOLVE MEDIA

Evolve Media is a publisher of leading enthusiast lifestyle destinations for men and women. Leveraging proprietary advertising and publishing technologies, as well as hundreds of talented content professionals, Evolve Media offers premium and engaging content to its readers, while offering marketers the tools needed to execute custom, content-led marketing solutions that reach its audience of over 41 million people globally each month.
"With this CCBCO certification Michelle has demonstrated a mastery of key banking concepts for professional development and to contribute to helping the Woodsboro Bank achieve its business goals and objectives." - Lindsay LaNore, ICBA Group Executive Vice President

Woodsboro Bank is pleased to announce that Michelle Green, Vice President & Risk Management and Finance Officer has successfully completed Community Banker Universitys Certified Community Bank Compliance Officer Certification Program and has earned the professional designation Certified Community Bank Compliance Officer - CCBCO. Community Banker University, the education division of the Independent Community Bankers of America, offers nine certification programs, which are accredited by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA).

To earn certification, Green attended the recent ICBA Compliance Institutesm and successfully completed five certification examinations covering the fundamental concepts of banking regulations and their applications.

"With this CCBCO certification Michelle has demonstrated a mastery of key banking concepts for professional development and to contribute to helping the Woodsboro Bank achieve its business goals and objectives," said ICBA Group Executive Vice President Lindsay LaNore. "I commend Michelle on reaching this milestone in pursuit of lifelong learning.

Ms. Green joined the bank in 2018 and has over 26 years of banking experience in branch banking, accounting, operations and risk management. She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Finance from Towson State University and also received her CAMS and CBAP certifications. She has an active membership with the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist LLC (ACAMS).

We congratulate Michelle on this certification. As we move forward in our mission and vision, we understand the importance of our colleagues continued growth, said Patricia Muldoon, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer.
This year we have been extremely busy helping animals around the country, explains Robert Misseri, president and founder of Guardians of Rescue. Not only do we get calls from individuals who want to report animal abuse taking place, but we also work with other smaller organizations.

There have been a lot of changes since COVID took center stage, and one of them has been an increase in the number of reported cases to Guardians of Rescue. The organizations mission is to help rescue abused and mistreated animals, and it has had a busy year doing just that. With more people staying at home, they have been witness to the animal abuse going on around them, and have been taking steps to help bring it to an end.

"This year we have been extremely busy helping animals around the country, explains Robert Misseri, president and founder of Guardians of Rescue. Not only do we get calls from individuals who want to report animal abuse taking place, but we also work with other smaller organizations, so we have been able to do a lot of work, thanks to the help we receive from our community of supporters.

Guardians of Rescue works with many law enforcement agencies around the nation, who lack the resources to go after those suspected of animal abuse. The organization helps them by investigating animal abuse calls it receives from individuals, as well as by working with small animal rescue organizations that are in more rural areas. In those areas, the organizations tend to work with police and the sheriffs department to go after illegal puppy mills and hoarders. Guardians steps in whenever it is needed, and it has done over 2,000 animal rescues, and its investigations have led to multiple arrests.

Some of the cases they have been working on this year include:

Tennessee Bone yard Dogs  Grundy County, TN, Jan. 16, 2021  Guardians rescued over 200 dogs from a hoarder/puppy mill, where there were dog bones and skulls lying around. Hundreds of dogs had suffered and died there on the property, with their remains still scattered about. The dogs that were rescued required immediate medical attention. The woman who ran the place was arrested and charged with many counts of animal cruelty.

Cat Hoarding Hell  Mingo County, WV, Feb. 6, 2021  Guardians worked with others in Mingo County to help rescue over 100 cats from horrible conditions. They were in freezing conditions, and there was no fresh water or food around. The cats were suffering and fighting for survival, including turning to cannibalism.

Cold and Dark Nightmare for Chihuahuas  Mason County, KY, Feb. 18, 2021 - Guardians was urgently called to rescue about 20 little dogs who had been trying to survive in a shuttered home, left on their own with no food or water, for two weeks. This house had no electricity or heat. Even the toilet bowls were frozen. The dogs were freezing and ill. They were in need of immediate medical care.

Dumped Mountaintop Dogs  West VA, Jan. 24 and March 2021 - Over 70 dogs, many chained, were living without shelter on a mountaintop in a remote area of West Virginia. Guardians was contacted by local authorities about this bad situation in Mingo County, West Virginia. Our team, along with our placement partners, rescued these heartlessly dumped dogs.

Kentucky Hellhole Puppy Mill  300+ dogs, March 25, 2021 - Guardians was called to Kentucky to get hundreds of desperate dogs out of a hellish puppy mill facility. The conditions were horrific on this property. It was infested with large rats, and there were remains of dead dogs all over the property. All of the dogs had been used for profit and were abused and living in prisons.

Chester County, TN  May 22, 2021, 50-plus dogs removed from nightmare - Guardians got an urgent plea for help from the Chester County Sheriffs Dept.  50+ dogs needed immediate help. The animals were living in a hell. They were rescued and all adopted out.

Hart County, KY  May 20, 2021  65+ dogs needed to get out. Guardians received a disturbing call about a potential hoarding/breeding operation, so our investigation team reached out to law enforcement and expressed our concerns. When law enforcement made contact with the owner, it was found there were 65+ dogs on this property, some needing immediate veterinary care.

Philadelphia, PA  June 2021, Guardians on the ground in Philly. The team distributed over 1,000 pounds of pet food, collars, harnesses, pet shampoo, and feral cat houses. These items helped homeless animals. Additionally, it investigated reports of animal cruelty in the area.

We are so glad that we could be so productive and help so many animals in the last six months, added Misseri. We cant do all this work without the donations of those who support what we do. Every bit helps and adds up to keep us doing this work. Please consider making a donation so that the second half of the year we can continue to fund our mission.

Guardians of Rescue provides assistance to animals out on the streets and investigates animal cruelty cases. It is located in New York, but it helps animals in many places around the country. It is also instrumental in helping military members with their pets. To learn more, get involved, or to make a donation to support the Guardians of Rescue, log onto http://www.guardiansofrescue.org.

About Guardians of Rescue

Based in New York, Guardians of Rescue is an organization whose mission is to protect the well-being of all animals. It provides aid to animals in distress, including rehabilitation, assisting other rescue groups, and providing support to families, both military and not, who need assistance due to economic factors. To learn more about Guardians of Rescue, visit the site at http://www.guardiansofrescue.org.


Senior drivers can easily lower their car insurance premiums if they follow several money-saving methods, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company

Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that explains how senior citizens can get better car insurance rates.

For more info and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/top-tips-for-the-elderly-to-get-better-car-insurance/

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the frequency of crashes increases for drivers that are 70-year-old or more. As a result, insurers place seniors in the high-risk category.

Senior drivers that are looking for better car insurance premiums can follow the next tips:



Look for a low-mileage discount. Insurance companies offer significant discounts for drivers that drive less. Senior citizens that just got retired are no longer required to commute to work, so they usually drive fewer miles.

Graduate a defensive driving course. Senior citizens will find out how medications and aging affect driving and how to better accommodate these changes. Also, classes are cheap and will provide significant discounts after graduation.

Install anti-theft devices. Senior citizens can install noisy alarms, ignition kill switches, steering wheel locks, vehicle tracking systems, or other anti-theft devices to prove to their insurer they want to keep their vehicle safe. Depending on what safety device is installed, insurance companies will offer various discounts.

Look for a cheaper car to insure. Senior citizens are recommended to insure slightly used cars that already have several safety features installed.

Pay for the whole policy at once. Senior citizens can save between 5% to 10% if they pay for the full policy at once. This way senior citizens won't have to pay for monthly interest charges and administration fees.

Keep a clean driving record. Senior citizens that maintain a clean driving record can qualify for a good driver discount. This way they can lower their insurance premiums even further.

Check online insurance quotes. By comparing multiple online insurance quotes, senior citizens can decide if to remain with the same insurance provider or switch to another one that provides better insurance rates.

For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/

Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.
Dr. Winslow Sargeant, ICSB Chair of the Board My background gives me the unique perspective to understand the challenges that our entrepreneurs face day in and day out. Past News Releases RSS

Dr. Winslow Sargeant has been elevated as Chair for the International Council for Small Business. He has served as the incoming Chair of the Board since August July 2019. Dr. Sargeant looks to lead within his position through his guiding principles, "The 4 R's": Relationships, Research, Relevance, and Revenues.



Relationships are essential for not only sustaining our ICSB Family but growing it as well. It is in these relationships we build together that serve as foundations for our future collective success.

Research is a core segment of ICSB's mission in promoting entrepreneurship. ICSB's official publications, JICSB and JSBM, aim to promote and share knowledge that will elevate MSMEs to have a more positive impact on their communities. Continuing to support these innovative insights can help the sustainability and growth of MSMEs.

Relevance is essential when tailoring our operations to be aligned with our goal of advancing entrepreneurship.

Lastly, Revenues are an essential factor in ensuring our organization is sustainable to continue supporting our global community.

"ICSB's mission, which includes convening organizations who support MSMEs, remains relevant," said Dr. Sargeant. "I look forward to working with the Immediate Past Chair Ahmed Osman, President Ayman El Tarabishy, and the ICSB's Board of Directors to enable entrepreneurs and small business owners to make Sustainable economies more resilient, greener, and fairer."

Before serving as Chair, Dr. Sargeant was appointed by President Obama as the 6th Chief Counsel for Advocacy at the US Small Business Administration in 2010 and unanimously confirmed by the US Senate in 2011. The Chief Counsel for Advocacy represents the independent voice of small businesses before the White House, US Congress, and the Federal Courts.

"My background gives me the unique perspective to understand the challenges that our entrepreneurs face day in and day out. ICSB is dedicated to working on their behalf to contribute to global debates on MSMEs in the post-pandemic recovery, including through environmental sustainability and empowerment of women and youth," said Sargeant.

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The ICSB is a non-profit organization dedicated to continuing management education for entrepreneurs and small businesses. ICSB is the originator of the United Nations International Name Day for Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs Day), celebrated on June 27 of every year.
Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against Cerida Investment Corp., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The San Francisco employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against Cerida Investment Corp., alleging the company violated the California Labor Code. The lawsuit against Cerida Investment Corp. is currently pending in the Santa Clara County Superior Court, Case No. 21CV384529. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here.

According to the lawsuit filed, Cerida Investment Corp. allegedly (a) failed to pay minimum wages, (b) failed to pay overtime wages, (c) failed to provide legally required meal and rest periods, (d) failed to provide accurate itemized wage statements, (e) failed to reimburse employees for required expenses, and (f) failed to provide wages when due, all in violation of the applicable Labor Code sections listed in Labor Code Sections  201, 202, 203, 226, 226.7, 510, 512, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 2802, and the applicable Wage Order(s), and thereby gives rise to civil penalties as a result of such alleged conduct.

Additionally, Cerida Investment Corp. allegedly underpaid sick pay wages by inaccurately calculating the regular rate of pay. Plaintiff and other non-exempt employees earned other compensation in addition to their regular hourly rate, including but not limited to incentives and bonuses. However, Cerida Investment Corp. allegedly failed to include the non-discretionary remuneration in the regular rate of pay, which allegedly resulted in underpayment of sick pay wages.

For more information about the class action lawsuit against Cerida Investment Corp., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and other types of illegal workplace conduct.

***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT***
PCF has been developing so many exciting initiatives to increase agency growth that we had to jump on board and let them aid us on our path for growth," Barry Levi, founder, and president of Levi & Associates Insurance.

PCF Insurance Services (PCF) announced the completion of a strategic partnership with Levi & Associates Insurance, located in Boca Raton, Florida. As part of the partnership, Levi & Associates Insurance Founder & President, Barry Levi, will become an owner and partner of PCF Insurance Services.

Established in 1993, Levi & Associates Insurance specializes in assisting small businesses to create custom solutions for their business and insurance needs, the agency insures more companies in Palm Beach County, FL, than any other agency in the area. The agency also focuses on businesses with multiple locations.

Barry has built an incredible agency with his associates and has developed a stalwart reputation with his clients, said Peter Foy, chairman, CEO, and founder of PCF. Partnering with PCF will allow Barry and his team to continue to build and expand the legacy of their agency and accelerate their growth trajectory.

Levi & Associates Insurance becomes the latest of a large list of successful insurance agencies to benefit from PCFs extensive infrastructure of resources and services. The partnership between PCF and Levi & Associates Insurance will allow the agency to simplify its business functions with finance and accounting, human resources, information systems, carrier relations, communication and marketing, and growth operations.

In addition, Levi & Associates Insurance will have access to a premier selection of Network Benefits including the PCF University, the Employee Equity Program, and opportunities to collaborate and discuss business opportunities with other PCF partners.

The timing of this partnership couldnt have been more opportune, said Barry Levi, founder, and president of Levi & Associates Insurance. PCF has been developing so many exciting initiatives to increase agency growth that we had to jump on board and let them aid us on our path for growth.

Learn more about Levi & Associates Insurance: http://www.leviinsurance.com.

About PCF

Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT, PCF is a full-service insurance brokerage firm offering complete risk management solutions with a broad array of property & casualty, life and health, commercial, employee benefits, and workers' compensation insurance products. PCFs growing network and partnership philosophy drives greater access to the nations leading carriers and enables brokers to offer integrated risk management solutions bespoke to client challenges. Due to its scale and growth, PCF is a top 30 broker in the United States by revenue. Additional information can be found at https://www.pcfins.com/.

About Levi & Associates Insurance

As an established insurance brokerage company dating back to 1993, Levi & Associates offers the comprehensive, large-scale coverage that businesses expect, while still providing a personalized approach that families and employees connect with. Levi insures more companies in Palm Beach County than anyone else. No matter your insurance needs, Levi & Associates can develop a program tailored to your individual circumstances. Additional information can be found at http://www.leviinsurance.com.
Los Angeles Business Journal named Halbert Hargrove, a fiduciary investment management and wealth advisory firm with $2.7B in assets under management (AUM), one of 2021s Best Places to Work in Los Angeles. This is the fifth year Halbert Hargrove has been named as a best place to work by the annual program.

The list, which is made up of 100 companies, was created by the Los Angeles Business Journal and Best Companies Group. The annual ranking is designed to identify, recognize and honor the best employers in Los Angeles, benefiting the county's economy, workforce and businesses. In addition to being named a Best Place to Work by Los Angeles Business Journal, Halbert Hargrove was also listed in Financial Advisors Magazines RIA Survey & Ranking for 2021.

At Halbert Hargrove, we focus on our firm culture and the education of our employees  ensuring employees have both personal and professional success is our goal, said JC Abusaid, President, Halbert Hargrove. Our team is the foundation of who we are, and without them we wouldnt be able to fulfill our mission of providing clients with quality financial advice through every stage of their lives. We are honored to be once again recognized for our commitment to the firms culture.

Halbert Hargrove offers its employees clear opportunities for advancement, an incentive equity plan granting company shares to employees, and annual recognition for AUM milestones. They offer unlimited paid time off and paid sabbaticals. Employees are also encouraged to continue their education with graduate degrees or financial certifications, which Halbert Hargrove pays for.

We want everyone to have a well-lived life, and that includes our employees. They are the heartbeat of this company and their hard work, ambition, and dedication to excellence deserve to be rewarded, said Russ Hill, Chairman and CEO, Halbert Hargrove. Thank you to our entire team for their commitment to Halbert Hargrove and our clients.

These wins come on the heels of Halbert Hargroves rollout of LifePhase Investing, which addresses different phases of investing in each stage of a clients life. The philosophy helps clients course-correct their current economic reality to align with their real-life goals, which is not always age-dependent. On September 30, 2021, the firm will be hosting a virtual webinar, Fearless Money Talk, meant to inspire investors to have open, honest, and even difficult conversations about money in order to have a well-lived life. For more information or to register for the webinar, click here.

Halbert Hargrove has eight offices across the country, with a total of 42 employees. In addition to its Long Beach headquarters, locations include San Diego and Costa Mesa, California; Denver, Colorado; Bellevue, Washington; Scottsdale, Arizona; and The Woodlands and Houston, Texas.

About Halbert Hargrove

Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors, LLC, is a fiduciary investment management and wealth advisory firm that provides investment management, wealth advisory, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, families, charitable organizations, and trusts. Founded in 1933, Halbert Hargrove is headquartered in Long Beach, CA, and has approximately $2.7B assets under management. For more information, please visit http://www.halberthargrove.com. For more information about the awards and accolades listed above, please visit: https://www.halberthargrove.com/industry-awards/.
Isabel Mandujano "Isabels extensive knowledge of life science design make her an invaluable resource for LPA as we continue to grow our science and technology portfolio."

Integrated design firm LPA Design Studios today announced the hire of life sciences veteran Isabel Mandujano as director of laboratory planning. In her new role, Mandujano will support LPAs growing work in life science facilities for corporate, pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.

Mandujano has a long track record of creating innovative research and development facilities that support the larger goals of science and innovation. Throughout her career, she has worked with corporate clients to develop sustainable ground-up research and development facilities in established life science campuses, as well as transform existing retail and office space to laboratories that support emerging life science ecosystems.

Isabels extensive knowledge of life science design make her an invaluable resource for LPA as we continue to grow our science and technology portfolio, LPA CEO Wendy Rogers said. There has been a significant growth in demand for life science space, as the industry rapidly expands to support medical innovations.

Mandujano advocates for a collaborative design process with laboratory managers and scientists to create high-performance laboratories that are inspiring, sustainable, functional and safe. She is a frequent speaker at industry events, with a passion for learning and sharing her knowledge in laboratory planning, technology and best practices.

In my work as a lab planner, I aim to create inspiring spaces for scientists that promote creativity and collaboration, Mandujano said. On every project, I believe that laboratory design can foster innovation.

Before joining LPA, Mandujano served as senior laboratory planner at an integrated firm specializing in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and food and beverage sectors.

Isabel brings an incredible amount of knowledge about laboratory technology and research to LPAs practice," said Eric Jones, managing director at LPA. I look forward to seeing her bring the latest innovations in lab planning to our clients.

Career highlights include the design of multiple life science tenant laboratories in a high-rise life sciences campus that helped establish a life science hub in a large Midwest city. In addition to developing state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, Mandujano worked closely with city officials to develop alternative code approvals for hazardous material management strategies in this unique building type.

Mandujano has experience in both professional and institutional lab design, creating research and educational laboratories. For the University of Texas at Tyler, she helped design a STEM business building in the heart of campus that became a focal point and community hub for the campus.

She holds a masters degree in architecture from Texas A&M University and a bachelors degree in architecture from Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education.

About LPA Design Studios

Founded in 1965, LPA specializes in creating innovative environments that work better, do more with less and improve peoples lives. An integrated design firm with six locations in California and Texas, LPAs team includes more than 400 in-house architects, master planners, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects and research analysts, working across a wide array of sectors. For more information, visit lpadesignstudios.com.
"We are thrilled to recognize the significant impact our Galas honorees have made in advancing lymphoma research and improving patient care through their partnerships with the Foundation."

The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF)  the nations largest non-profit organization devoted to funding innovative lymphoma research and serving the lymphoma community through education programs, outreach initiatives, and patient services  is capping its 25th Anniversary with a special virtual Gala on Thursday, Sept. 30.

Held during Blood Cancer Awareness Month, the Finding Cures Starts Here 2021 Annual Gala will bring together leaders from across the lymphoma communityincluding healthcare professionals, cancer researchers, corporate partners, lymphoma survivors, and supportersto raise vital funds to support LRFs mission to eradicate lymphoma and serve those touched by this disease.

Finding Cures Starts Here is an ideal theme for this years Gala in which we will honor leaders committed to impacting change for the benefit of todays lymphoma community, said Steven Eichberg, Chair of the Lymphoma Research Foundation Board of Directors. As we continue our investment in the most promising research, we thank our partners, supporters, and leaders in the lymphoma community for being a catalyst for cures and their support of the Foundation. We look forward to celebrating with everyone during this special event.

The Foundation will honor Christopher Flowers, MD, Chair, of Lymphoma/Myeloma, Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; and member of the LRF Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), with the Distinguished Leadership Award for his longstanding support of early-career scientists, his dedication to lymphoma patients and their loved ones, and his achievements in lymphoma research and clinical care.

The Lymphoma Research Foundations dedication to cutting-edge research, disease specificity, and hyper-focus on finding cures for every type of lymphoma makes me truly honored to be recognized with the Distinguished Leadership Award, said Dr. Flowers. The Foundation is critical to helping advance research and improved therapies for lymphoma patients and empowering patients through education. I have been honored to steer LRFs research portfolio as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board.

The Foundation will also honor Kite, A Gilead Company, with the Corporate Leadership Award for its commitment to innovative research, improving patient outcomes, and patient education programming for people with lymphoma.

As a pioneer in the field of cell therapy, advancing research and supporting education for people living with blood cancers is at the core of why Kite exists, said Christi Shaw, Chief Executive Officer of Kite. We are honored to accept this recognition from the Lymphoma Research Foundation, an organization that has a remarkable 25-year track record of educating and empowering patients and funded some of the most promising research in lymphoma. I believe that with Lymphoma Research Foundations determination and continued support, together we will find a cure for lymphoma.

We are thrilled to recognize the significant impact our Galas honorees have made in advancing lymphoma research and improving patient care through their partnerships with the Foundation, said Meghan Gutierrez, Chief Executive Offer of the Lymphoma Research Foundation. The evenings honorees are leaders and visionaries committed to improving the future for all those touched by a lymphoma diagnosis. I am confident their continued investments in lymphoma research and care will make a meaningful difference to the more than one million Americans living with, or in remission from, this disease.

For more information about the Lymphoma Research Foundations Finding Cures Starts Here 2021 Annual Gala, contact Rebecca Rausch at 917-882-9036 or rrausch@lymphoma.org, or visit lymphoma.org/gala.

About the Lymphoma Research Foundation

The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is the nations largest non-profit organization devoted to funding innovative research and serving the lymphoma community through a comprehensive series of education programs, outreach initiatives and patient services. To date, LRF has awarded more than $67 million in lymphoma-specific research.

For additional information on LRFs research, education and services, visit lymphoma.org.
Robin Lineberger Joins Maine Pointe in Board Advisory Role. Robin has enjoyed a long and distinguished career at the very top of the industry, said Steven Bowen, CEO of Maine Pointe. His industry knowledge will undoubtedly play a major role in continuing the strong momentum we have already seen in the AA&D industry

Global supply chain and operations consulting firm Maine Pointe, a member of the SGS Group, today announced that Robin Lineberger will be joining Maine Pointe in a Board Advisory role. Lineberger brings significant governance experience through his work on multiple boards, and his background in both management and operational roles in public and private companies in the aerospace and defense industry.

Lineberger comes to Maine Pointe after recently retiring from Deloitte, where he served as Global and US Aerospace and Defense Industry Leader. While at Deloitte, he led several acquisitions, including pre-acquisition planning and post-acquisition integration of a $1.2 billion acquisition. He also served as CEO of Deloittes Federal Government business and on the US firms executive committee. Prior to Deloitte, Lineberger was EVP of KPMG Consultings global public sector consulting business, and he started his career in the United States Air Force, where he led software development and quality assurance for the Air Forces Airborne Warning and Control System.

Maine Pointe is one of the leading global consultancies in the area of aviation, aerospace and defense, said Lineberger. Over the past 18 months, the pandemic, unforeseen supply chain challenges and changes in the political landscape have all presented both challenges and new opportunities for us and for this industry, as exciting new developments and new aviation technologies emerge that will shape the industry for years to come. In addition to these advanced air mobility solutions providing a better last-mile solution, long-term they will be able to alleviate chronic supply chain issues, enable new opportunities in infrastructure buildout and present a tremendous market growth opportunity. This is an exciting time for Maine Pointe to take a leading role in the AA&D consulting space.

Lineberger is regularly called on to offer insight as to how factors ranging from the pandemic, political decisions, acquisition reform and new cybersecurity standards play in how the commercial, defense, and space segments create value and remain resilient over the next decade. In his role, Lineberger will work with Maine Pointe AA&D leader Jeff Staub in guiding the consultancys growing presence in the industry.

Staub notes, I am especially looking forward to working directly with Robin. His incredible depth of experience, industry knowledge, and thought leadership puts him at the very top of this industry. He has had a direct hand in successfully guiding large acquisitions both pre- and post, as well as in leading the large public and private sector businesses. That insight will play an important role in the advancement of Maine Pointe, as well as in helping guide our clients to new levels of success.

Lineberger is frequently sought out by industry journalists to provide interviews, insights and quotes on industry trends, and he frequently comments on government acquisition reform. He is also a past winner of Federal Computer Weeks (FCW) prestigious Federal 100 award.

Robin has enjoyed a long and distinguished career at the very top of the industry, said Steven Bowen, CEO of Maine Pointe. His industry knowledge will undoubtedly play a major role in continuing the strong momentum we have already seen in the AA&D industry.

About Maine Pointe

Maine Pointe, a member of the SGS Group, is a global supply chain and operations consulting firm trusted by many chief executives and private equity firms to drive compelling economic returns for their companies. We achieve this by delivering accelerated, sustainable improvements in EBITDA, cash and growth across their operations, procurement and logistics. Our hands-on implementation experts work with executives and their teams to rapidly break through functional silos and transform the buy-make-move-fulfill supply chain to deliver the greatest value to customers and investors at the lowest cost and risk to business. We call this Total Value Optimization (TVO).

Maine Pointes engagements are results-driven and deliver between 4:1-8:1 ROI. We are so confident in our work and our processes that we provide a unique 100% guarantee of engagement fees based on annualized savings. http://www.mainepointe.com

About SGS

We are SGS  the worlds leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 93,000 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.
We strongly believe in our Mission Statement to Enrich the lives of our residents, families, and employees and fundamentally we need to stay healthy and embrace every precaution to carry out this pledge.

As one more preventative measure to its commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy environment for all, national seniors housing operator Meridian Senior Living is requiring all staff members in its home office and more than 75 communities across the U.S., to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and particularly the spread of the Delta variant, Meridian leadership is rolling out a Mandatory COVID-Vaccination Policy based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health authorities to minimize the risk of spreading this infectious disease in the workplace.

We strongly believe in our Mission Statement to 'Enrich the lives of our residents, families, and employees' and fundamentally we need to stay healthy and embrace every precaution to carry out this pledge, said Kacy Kang, President and Chief Operating Officer, Meridian Senior Living. We could not be prouder of our conscientious staff who have been working tirelessly during this pandemic. For our employees to 'roll up their sleeves' and complete their vaccinations demonstrates an additional dedication to protect themselves, our residents, and resident families.

Meridians Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy requires that current employees complete their vaccinations by September 17, and new hires complete their vaccinations within 45 days to comply. Meridian completely supports the process taken by their staff members by paying for all vaccinations and for the time taken to receive the vaccinations.

Meridian Senior Living operates more than 75 communities across the country and co-manages 24 communities in China. Their U.S. communities remain open and are safer than ever for seniors who need or want their services. To learn more about Meridian Senior Living, visit meridiansenior.com.

About Meridian Senior Living:

Meridian Senior Living, a privately held company based in Bethesda, Maryland, owns and operates seniors housing communities across the country and provides operational consulting to 24 communities in China. With more than 75 communities in 20 states and more in development, Meridian is one of the largest seniors housing operators in the U.S. The company prides itself on providing the highest quality care, exceptional lifestyle programming and a distinctive dining experience for its residents. For more information on Meridian Senior Living, visit meridiansenior.com.
We are a culture-driven company. Our employees make our business successful so creating a great environment for our employees is essential.

MessageGears, the customer marketing software company, has been named a 2021 Best Place to Work by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. This is the 3rd year MessageGears made the Chronicles Best Places to Work list, which honors companies across industries. MessageGears made the 2021 list of companies with between 50 and 99 employees.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle, in partnership with Quantum Workplace, began accepting nominations for the 2021 Best Places to Work list in March. Only companies with at least 10 employees were eligible to participate. Each nominated company was contacted by Quantum and asked to participate in a scientifically valid survey. Applicants were rated based on work environment, people practices and other metrics. Find out more about the Quantum survey here.

I am as proud of winning this award as any other success we have achieved at MessageGears, said Roger Barnette, CEO of MessageGears. We are a culture-driven company. Our employees make our business successful so creating a great environment for our employees is essential.

Creating a great place to work over the past year has been particularly challenging with COVID-19 and remote working. We strive to make our employees feel heard in this time of uncertainty and to always make decisions in their best interests. Its great to see our purposeful culture building shining through.

MessageGears, which is on pace for its best year ever in 2021, consistently has low employee churn rates relative to the rest of the software industry and near-perfect employee satisfaction scores. MessageGears has 65 employees, most of them in Atlanta, and is planning on doubling that number in the next year. The company is moving into new office space in Midtown this month.

Were very focused on retention and growth, said Tracey Brown, HR Director at MessageGears. We have a high bar for the type of people we bring on, and once weve spent the time and energy to get them, keeping them is crucial. As weve grown, our focus has been not just having a great culture, but helping each employee grow in their roles. One of MessageGears strengths is that we create an environment where employees thrive and enjoy what they do, and that definitely helps us get new business and keep clients happy.

MessageGears and other companies on the Chronicles Best Places to Work list will be honored at an event on September 2, 2021. These companies will also be recognized in a special section published by Atlanta Business Chronicle.

About MessageGears

MessageGears is the only customer marketing platform built for todays enterprise. Powered by Accelerator technology, MessageGears is a radically different enterprise software company, delivering advanced customer segmentation and message personalization and delivery that simply outperforms other enterprise marketing clouds and data platforms. Through direct data access and innovative platform capabilities, marketers can deliver compelling customer experiences at massive scale, faster and more flexibly than ever before. MessageGears has transformed what marketers thought was possible at major brands like Expedia, Rakuten, T-Mobile, and Chick-fil-A. Learn more at messagegears.com.

Media contact:

Kevin Wolf

TGPR

kevin@tgprllc.com
This recognition by BenchmarkPortal is the remuneration of our teams hard work and belief that our customers deserve the best.

Midstate Radiology Associates, LLC is proud to announce they have been certified as a Center of Excellence by BenchmarkPortal. The Center of Excellence recognition is one of the most prestigious awards in the customer service and support industry.

Tom Cappas, MBA, MS RT (R) (MR)  Director of Operations, Midstate Radiology Associates, LLC says, Everything for us starts with improving access to care and building the very best Radiology experience possible today. We made this commitment several years ago, and by building our State of the Art Access Center and bringing on the very best customer focused agents, it fully demonstrates that commitment. This recognition by BenchmarkPortal is the remuneration of our teams hard work and belief that our customers deserve the best.

Contact centers achieve the Center of Excellence distinction based on best-practice metrics drawn from the worlds largest database of objective and quantitative data that is audited and validated by researchers from BenchmarkPortal.

We are honored to be recognized as a Center of Excellence by BenchmarkPortal. This achievement reaffirms our commitment to be The nations most customer-focused Radiology Organization. That pledge extends to every agent during every interaction. BenchmarkPortals expansive database certified that our objective and metrics are aligned with the highest level of effectiveness and efficiency in our call center, says Donald Claing, MBA, CCCM, CPM, CMQ/OE  Access Center Manager, Midstate Radiology Associates, LLC.

BenchmarkPortal awards the Center of Excellence designation to customer service contact centers that rank in the top ten percent of the contact centers surveyed. They are judged against a Balanced Scorecard of metrics for efficiency and effectiveness. Those contact centers that demonstrate superior performance on both cost-related metrics and quality-related metrics compared with their industry peers earn the award.

The certification of Midstate Radiology Associates, LLC is a direct result of its leaderships commitment to balancing cost-effective service solutions with best-in-class service performance. It is an achievement of distinction, says Bruce Belfiore, CEO, BenchmarkPortal.

About Midstate Radiology Associates, LLC

Founded in 1955, Midstate Radiology Associates, LLC has grown into a leading and well-established medical imaging practice in Connecticut. Nationally recognized for leadership, patient experience and effective management practices, Midstate Radiology Associates, LLC offers the latest imaging technologies and affordable imaging services available. For more information, call 203-694-8405 or visit http://www.MidstateRadiology.com.

About Center of Excellence Certification

Contact centers and their managers who wish to implement best practices and attain world-class performance in their industry have a unique opportunity to certify their contact centers.

BenchmarkPortals rigorous certification process has the advantage of referencing all performance goals to their best practices database of thousands of contact centers. Thus, contact centers will be held to performance levels that will improve their competitive position, not just force them to adhere to an arbitrary standard. Discover what the steps to certification are and how they will improve your centers performance.

About BenchmarkPortal

From its origins in 1995, BenchmarkPortal has become a global leader in the contact center industry, providing benchmarking, certification, training, consulting and industry reports. The BenchmarkPortal team of professionals has gained international recognition for its innovative approach to best practices for the contact center industry.

BenchmarkPortal hosts the worlds largest database of contact center metrics, which is constantly being refreshed with new data. BenchmarkPortals mission is to provide contact center managers with the tools and information that will help them optimize their efficiency and effectiveness in their customer communications. For more information on BenchmarkPortal, call 1-800-214-8929 or visit http://www.BenchmarkPortal.com.
Order your copies of MBI's 2021 annual reports today at modular.org. Considering the challengesand successesof the industry during the last year, its exciting to release these reports and help the industry further leverage all the great data and experience weve accumulated. - Tom Hardiman, Executive Director, Modular Building Institute.

The Modular Building Institute (MBI)the worlds largest trade association for the commercial modular construction industryis excited to announce the release of its 2021 annual industry reports. These reports cover Permanent Modular Construction, Relocatable Buildings, and a complete overview of the Canadian modular construction industry.

For these reports, MBI gathered statistical information about the size and growth of the commercial modular construction industry. These reports have become the leading source of information on the industry and are used worldwide by investment firms, banks, the media, researchers, consultants, and students. Contents include General Industry Descriptions, Floors Shipped, Gross Sales, Sales by Market Segment, Dealer Gross Revenue, Lease Fleet Composition, Sale of Used Units, Industry Manufacturing Data, Industry Estimates, and Visuals of Contemporary Modular Buildings.

These newly-released reports include detailing findings and analysis, including:



Key North American Markets, featuring detailed regional breakdowns of the United States and Canada;

Revenue & Market Share;

Overviews of the international modular construction market; and

Case studies from award-winning modular projects around the world.

These annual reports have long been one of MBIs most valuable member benefits, said Tom Hardiman, Executive Director of the Modular Building Institute. Considering the challengesand successesof the industry during the last year, its exciting to release these reports and help the industry further leverage all the great data and experience weve accumulated.

In addition to the release of the 2021 reports, MBI has also just made availablefree of chargeall three annual reports from 2020. MBIs annual reports from 2019 are also available, providing a detailed three-year overview of the entire construction industry using data that isnt available anywhere else.

The complete 2021, 2020, and 2019 industry reports are available now at https://www.modular.org/HtmlPage.aspx?name=analysis

# # #

About MBI: Founded in 1983, the Modular Building Institute (MBI) is the international non-profit trade association serving modular construction. MBI strives to keep up with the latest trends of the modular/offsite construction industry and has expanded its membership over the years to include architects, owner/developers, and general contractors. As the Voice of Commercial Modular Construction (TM), it is MBI's mission to expand the use of offsite construction through innovative construction practices, outreach and education to the construction community and customers, and recognition of high-quality modular designs and facilities. To learn more, visit http://www.modular.org.
The Florida Panhandles Top Employee Benefits Consultant Award Badge Mployer Advisor celebrates this distinguished group of consultants who work tirelessly to keep costs low and support employers during one of the most impactful decisions they have to make as a company.

Mployer Advisor, the leading independent platform for employers to research, review and evaluate insurance brokers, is pleased to announce the Florida Panhandle-based recipients of its inaugural Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards for 2021. Mployer Advisors Top Employee Benefits Consultant Award Program evaluates brokers based on industry experience, company size, online ratings and reviews and recognizes esteemed brokers that demonstrate market-leading competencies and a proven track record of success among employers, insurance providers and peers.

Who an employer chooses as their insurance broker has significantly more impact on the cost and quality of their benefit plan than who they chose as their insurance carrier, said Brian Freeman, CEO of Mployer Advisor. We are proud to honor this distinct group of insurance consultants who have demonstrated a wide range of experience and positive employer feedback on service and quality. For too long, the industry has been dependent on referrals and existing relationships to select insurance advisors. With Mployer Advisor we now celebrate this distinguished group of consultants who work tirelessly to keep costs low and support employers during one of the most impactful decisions they have to make as a company.

The Florida Panhandle market is one of the most competitive job markets in the U.S. Southeast, employing over 500,000 people with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. Offering industry-leading, competitive employee benefits is a critical factor in hiring and engaging top talent for Florida Panhandle employers. Finding and partnering with a highly rated insurance consultant is imperative to retaining talent in any market.

The Florida Panhandle-based recipients of the 2021 Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards are as follows:

-Barnes Insurance & Financial Services - An Alera Group Company

-The Clemons Company

-Brown & Brown Insurance Tallahassee

The above winners are a brief snapshot of Mployer Advisors matrices and proprietary M Score on June 30, 2021. To determine award winners, Mployer Advisor analyzed each brokerage based on historical data, business experience across employer size, industry and products, as well as relevant online ratings and reviews from employers across several platforms.

To view a full list of Florida Panhandle consultants, visit MployerAdvisor.com.

About Mployer Advisor:

Mployer Advisor is changing the way employers search, evaluate and select insurance advisors. The intuitive platform connects employers and employees to great benefits and insurance plans by providing employers with actionable data to easily evaluate and select the best advisor for a companys specific needs. Most brokerages have a profile on Mployer Advisor, which provides independent ratings of insurance advisors to support employers. Insurance brokers cannot pay to influence their Mployer Advisor rating. Only highly rated brokerages are allowed to advertise on the platform. To learn more about Mployer Advisor, visit https://mployeradvisor.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Disclaimer: Rankings are dynamic, and this report may not reflect the rankings currently listed on Mployer Advisors website. Since Mployer Advisors research is ongoing, interested companies that want to join next years list are encouraged to claim their free profile on Mployer Advisor.

Media Contact:

Jacob Westfall (Public Relations Consultant)

Jacob.Westfall@mployeradvisor.com
San Diegos Top Employee Benefits Consultant Award 2021 We are proud to honor this distinct group of insurance consultants who have demonstrated a wide range of experience and positive employer feedback on service and quality.

Mployer Advisor, the leading independent platform for employers to research, review and evaluate insurance brokers, is pleased to announce the San Diego-based recipients of its inaugural Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards for 2021. Mployer Advisors Top Employee Benefits Consultant Award Program evaluates brokers based on industry experience, company size, online ratings and reviews and recognizes esteemed brokers that demonstrate market-leading competencies and a proven track record of success among employers, insurance providers and peers.

Who an employer chooses as their insurance broker has significantly more impact on the cost and quality of their benefit plan than who they chose as their insurance carrier, said Brian Freeman, CEO of Mployer Advisor. We are proud to honor this distinct group of insurance consultants who have demonstrated a wide range of experience and positive employer feedback on service and quality. For too long, the industry has been dependent on referrals and existing relationships to select insurance advisors. With Mployer Advisor we now celebrate this distinguished group of consultants who work tirelessly to keep costs low and support employers during one of the most impactful decisions they have to make as a company.

The San Diego-Carlsbad, CA market is one of the most competitive job markets in the U.S. West, employing over 1.4 million people with a slightly higher unemployment rate than the rest of the country. Offering industry-leading, competitive employee benefits is a critical factor in hiring and engaging top talent for San Diego employers. Finding and partnering with a highly rated insurance consultant is imperative to retaining talent in any market.

The San Diego-based recipients of the 2021 Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards are as follows:

-Alliant Insurance Services

-Lockton

-BJA Partners

-Marsh & McLennan Agency

-Gallagher Insurance, Risk Management & Consulting

-McGriff

-HUB International

-Willis Towers Watson

-KBI Benefits

The above winners are a brief snapshot of Mployer Advisors matrices and proprietary M Score on June 30, 2021. To determine award winners, Mployer Advisor analyzed each brokerage based on historical data, business experience across employer size, industry and products, as well as relevant online ratings and reviews from employers across several platforms.

To view a full list of San Diego-Carlsbad consultants, visit MployerAdvisor.com.

About Mployer Advisor:

Mployer Advisor is changing the way employers search, evaluate and select insurance advisors. The intuitive platform connects employers and employees to great benefits and insurance plans by providing employers with actionable data to easily evaluate and select the best advisor for a companys specific needs. Most brokerages have a profile on Mployer Advisor, which provides independent ratings of insurance advisors to support employers. Insurance brokers cannot pay to influence their Mployer Advisor rating. Only highly rated brokerages are allowed to advertise on the platform. To learn more about Mployer Advisor, visit https://mployeradvisor.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Disclaimer: Rankings are dynamic, and this report may not reflect the rankings currently listed on Mployer Advisors website. Since Mployer Advisors research is ongoing, interested companies that want to join next years list are encouraged to claim their free profile on Mployer Advisor.

Media Contact:

Jacob Westfall (Public Relations Consultant)

Jacob.Westfall@mployeradvisor.com
The universal strength in housing has led to a universal lot shortage across the country. The steep drop in the LSI tells us that builders have been buying finished lots quicker than replacements are being brought to the market resulting in an extremely competitive land market.-Ali Wolf

Today, the experts at Zonda, the housing industrys foremost advisors, released the New Home Lot Supply Index (LSI) for 2Q2021. The New Home LSI, backed by data from Zonda, shows lot supply tightened year-over-year across the United States. The index is a residential real estate indicator based on the number of single-family vacant developed lots and the rate those lots are absorbed.



The New Home LSI came in at 42.0 for 2Q21, representing a 34.8% decrease from 2Q20.

On a quarter-over-quarter basis, supply declined by 14.0%.

Nationally, the second quarter data reflects a significantly undersupplied market.

The downward trends shows that builders are buying finished lots at a rate quicker than they can be replaced. A downward trend, however, also suggests that more homes will be built in the short run as builders go vertical on the lots.

There are signs of some supply relief over the next 1-5 quarters with total upcoming lots increasing 10% from last quarter.

The drop in vacant developed lots is a direct result of builders buying up finished dirt as quickly as they can so they can build more homes, said Ali Wolf, chief economist at Zonda. The limited supply of vacant developed lots is encouraging more land development. Total upcoming lots in the 2nd quarter grew 14% year-over-year.

Lot supply trended below 2Q20 levels in every top market across the country.

The universal strength in housing has led to a universal lot shortage across the country, said Wolf. The steep drop in the LSI tells us that builders have been buying finished lots quicker than replacements are being brought to the market resulting in an extremely competitive land market.

Lot inventory in all the top markets remain significantly undersupplied but lots going through development suggest vacant developed lots should rise over the next 12 months.

The markets where land supply tightened the most on a year-over-year basis in 2Q21 were Los Angeles, Riverside/San Bernardino and Philadelphia. Builders in these markets have been looking further out in the metro to meet demand and, as a result, areas that formerly were flush with more affordable supply are now extremely competitive for developed lots.

Los Angeles, San Diego and Baltimore are the tightest for lot supply among major markets.

Methodology

The Zonda New Home Lot Supply Index (LSI) is built on proprietary, industry-leading data that covers the production new home market across the United States. The index values represent single-family vacant developed lot supply, lots that are ready to be built on, relative to equilibrium. Released quarterly, the New Home LSI provides an unrivaled look into the lot markets across the country, offering a current quarter snapshot as well as insight into the directional trend.

The New Home LSI is calculated based on each markets specific equilibrium as determined by our team of local experts and historical activity. The comparative current value is adjusted to capture the true months of supply figure by applying a greater weight to vacant developed lots in subdivisions with more starts activity. Each index value is associated with a phrase highlighting the current lot supply dynamics. A value of 100, represents perfect equilibrium, while a value of 125 and above equals Significantly Oversupplied, 115-125 - Slightly Oversupplied, 85-115 - Appropriately Supply, 75-85  Slightly Undersupplied, and 75 and below  Significantly Undersupplied.

The foundation of the index is a quarterly release conducted by Zonda. It is necessary to monitor residential lot supply to understand how new home markets may be impacted by the incoming pipeline.

About Zonda

Zonda represents the housing industrys leading provider of rich data and the industrys top advisors for residential real estate development and new home construction. With products and services geared for homebuilders, multifamily developers, lenders, and financial institutions, we provide innovative solutions to maximize opportunities in today's real estate development landscape. To learn more, visit zondahome.com.
Natan N. Krohn, MD

Natan N. Krohn, MD of Gastroenterology Associates Of New Jersey in Clifton, New Jersey is a double board certified gastroenterologist. Dr. Krohn has been reviewed and approved by NJ Top Docs.

Prior to his position at the Gastroenterology Associates Of New Jersey, Dr. Krohn conducted research for Marion Bessin Liver Research Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY on various topics relevant to the medical community.

He completed a fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology at the Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, NY and a residency in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, NY. Dr. Krohn also received his medical degree with special distinction for research in hepatology from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a Bachelor of Arts in history with summa cum laude honors from Yeshiva University in New York, NY.

In addition to his extensive research during his medical training, Dr. Krohn has three publications and has received academic awards including the Samuel Belkin Scholarship and the Ira Marienhoff Scholarship.

To learn more about Dr. Natan Krohn, please visit: https://njtopdocs.com/nj-doctors/drnatankrohn/

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About Us

NJ Top Docs is a comprehensive, trusted and exclusive healthcare resource featuring reviewed and approved Top Doctors and Dentists in New Jersey online in an easy to use format. NJ Top Docs only reviews and approves providers based on merit after they have been extensively vetted.

NJ Top Docs is a division of USA Top Docs which allows patients to meet providers online before making their appointment.

For more information, please click here to contact us or visit http://www.NJTopDocs.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.
At PadSplit, we believe the people who serve our communities also deserve an opportunity to live in them, and thats why we remain committed to increasing housing supply while lowering barriers to access.

PadSplit, the mission-driven marketplace thats trying to solve the affordable housing crisis, is proud to announce that its being recognized as the Affordable Housing Solution of the Year by the PropTech Breakthrough Awards. Judges for the award cited PadSplits effective model in their selection, noting the company has delivered significant results for increasing housing supply while decreasing barriers for lower income individuals to find quality housing. To date, PadSplit has created more than 2,000 units of affordable housing and has housed more than 4,000 individuals, with rooms available at 40-50 percent of the average cost of a one-bedroom apartment in its markets. PadSplit is also far more accessible than traditional one-bedroom apartments because it requires no minimum credit score or security deposit.

Theres no question about it: the affordable housing crisis is getting worse. The costs to rent are at all time highs, but wages have not kept pace. So today in America, theres a worsening situation where people who work full-time absolutely cannot find a place to live, and as a result, homelessness is on the rise, said PadSplit founder and CEO Atticus LeBlanc. At PadSplit, we believe the people who serve our communities also deserve an opportunity to live in them, and thats why we remain committed to increasing housing supply while lowering barriers to access. Were very grateful for this recognition, and we celebrate this achievement, but we have a long way to go in creating more opportunities for our workforce.

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Atlanta, PadSplits marketplace offers shared housing designed especially for lower income individuals and hourly wage workers. Each PadSplit includes a private, fully furnished bedroom and shared common areas, so residents dont have to worry about purchasing furniture prior to moving in. With no rental deposits, the average cost to apply and move into a PadSplit home is only $129, providing access to all income groups. Every PadSplit also includes all utilities and WiFi at no additional cost. PadSplits backend technology enables a customizable payment schedule so that residents can align the timing of these all-inclusive housing payments to their work pay periods, making it easier to budget and build savings. Finally, PadSplit partners with other mission-focused organizations to provide additional benefits at no-cost, including Esusu for credit repair and monitoring, Wonolo for job matching and Teladoc for 24/7 access to telehealth services.

As a result of this targeted approach, PadSplit is helping its residents achieve greater financial stability:



85% have improved their credit scores

Residents report savings of $420 per month across their housing, utility and transportation costs

Hundreds of individuals are no longer functionally homeless

Many have been able to save enough to purchase cars, move into their own apartments, and even become homeowners, where they have been able rent out rooms through the platform to start the cycle for others

One PadSplit member said about their experience: PadSplit is a fresh start at a fraction of the cost, and it helped me build a foundation for financial stability. Finding a fully-furnished place in the city at this price point is near impossible. What you get with PadSplit  fully-furnished, all utilities, laundry  cant be beaten. I now truly believe that anything is possible and that PadSplit helped me in ways I could have never imagined.

The median income for PadSplit residents is $22,000 annually, with most serving as community workers, such as retail and grocery store workers, health aides and medical technicians, restaurant workers, daycare workers, drivers, cleaning providers, security guards and teachers. PadSplits are located in close proximity to job centers or public transit, and with no long-term commitments, residents can easily change where they live to remain close to new jobs without relying on expensive car ownership or long commutes.

In the past year, PadSplit has expanded its marketplace from Atlanta and is active in Houston, Richmond, Tampa, and New Orleans with multiple new markets under development. The company is continuing to expand with plans to add 2,000 more units to its marketplace, for a total of 4,000, by the end of the year.

###

About PadSplit

PadSplit is a mission-driven company that helps to solve the affordable housing crisis, one room at a time. Through its shared-housing model, the company aligns incentives between cities, nonprofits, and property owners to spur cost-effective housing creation without public subsidy, all while providing safe and affordable housing for working class individuals. PadSplit was founded by an affordable housing advocate and is advised by a team of nationally recognized housing leaders and investors including Enterprise Community Partners, the UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation, Kapor, Impact Engine, and the Citi Impact Fund amongst others. Headquartered in Atlanta, PadSplit operates in several cities throughout the United States, including Atlanta, Houston, Richmond, and Tampa. For more information about the company or how to become a member or property owner, visit https://PadSplit.com.
Paul Landry has cerebral palsy. He also has a wife, two children and for the past 25 years has been assisting people with disabilities find paths to independence as a staff member at MI-UCP (Michigan United Cerebral Palsy).

Currently, Landry serves as a Director of Employment Programs and manages the Work Incentive Planning & Assistance (WIPA) Project covering Livingston, Oakland and Wayne counties. He has established the Fee for Service with Michigan Rehabilitation Services & the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons. Paul is also involved in Michigans Employment First initiative subcommittee, aiding Benefit Counseling services at a statewide level and making recommendations regarding the states Medicaid  Freedom to Work program.

Ive been fortunate to enjoy my work at MI-UCP for the past 25 years, assisting people with disabilities with options so they can make an informed choice regarding their own life, said Landry. Thank you Elmer Cerano and Leslynn Angel for your leadership and allowing me to advocate in my own unique way.

Landry earned his masters from Central Michigan University in Public Administration, with a strong emphasis on Nonprofit Management. Within the community, he serves as a board member for Community Housing Network and Arc Livingston, and is also actively involved with Leadership Oakland as a past board member. In the spring of 2014, Landry received a Leader of Leaders award for Personal Leadership from Leadership Oakland.

Leslynn Angel, President & CEO of MI-UCP said, I have known Paul for 25 years through the agencys ups and downs and he has been a major contributor to helping close the disability divide.

Paul is celebrating his 25 years by asking others to contribute to: http://www.mi-ucp.org/donate

Background:

Paul wasnt born with cerebral palsy. However, he stopped breathing at four months old. His father gave him mouth to mouth resuscitation, but in that short amount of time he developed cerebral palsy. This has led to many challenges, all of which Paul has successfully faced head-on. In the fall of 1991 while attending GVSU, Paul wanted to begin a career in city government. This led to the study of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was just signed into law the previous year.

Paul completed an internship for the County of Ottawa in the spring of 1993. During that time, he was introduced to the disability community via the Center for Independent Living (CIL), Hope Network. He has helped Leadership Oakland and MI-UCP build an accessible ramp to support a young woman become more independent within her community. In 1996, Paul joined the UCP/Detroit (now MI-UCP) staff where he's made significant strides in the disability community ever since.

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/_hCNx_PIA9I

About MI-UCP

MI-UCP was founded in 1949 as United Cerebral Palsy Association of Metropolitan Detroit (UCP/Detroit). This included Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. That same year, United Cerebral Palsy Association of Michigan (UCP/Michigan) was formed to serve the needs of constituents throughout the remainder of the state of Michigan.



In 2020, these two organizations merged into MI-UCP (Michigan United Cerebral Palsy). The goal is to expand our scope of service reach. In reality, more than 65 percent of the people we serve have a disability other than cerebral palsy. These include autism, spinal cord injuries, intellectual disabilities, visual impairments and many other disabling conditions.



By unifying as MI-UCP, we are able to operate more efficiently and effectively as one of the states leading sources of information, referral and strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations. And by having offices in Detroit and Lansing, we can continue to be a leading advocate for all 1.4MM of Michiganders with disabilities. For more information or to contact MI-UCP, please visit the web site at mi-ucp.org

For media inquiries, contact:

Leslynn Angel

langel@mi-ucp.org

248-557-5070 x154

Paul Landry

plandry@mi-ucp.org

248-557-5070 x113
Figure 1. Number of Fully Vaccinated Persons with COVID-19 in Cape Cod July 2021 Outbreak ...unvaccinated persons previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 are 99.9% protected from reinfection, and approximately 180 million Americans have already been infected.

Physicians for Informed Consent (PIC), an educational nonprofit organization focused on science and statistics, filed an amicus brief in support of plaintiff college students who are declining COVID-19 vaccination at Indiana University (i.e., the case of Ryan Klaassen, et al. v. Trustees of Indiana University).

Indiana University recently mandated COVID-19 vaccination for college students. While the college does offer a religious exemption, the college is still requiring unvaccinated students to wear masks and engage in frequent SARS-CoV-2 testing, even if the student proves natural immunity. The plaintiff students brought suit in Federal Court in Indiana (1:21-CV-238 DRL) requesting an emergency injunction because they claim the mandate is unscientific and unconstitutional, and believe government-funded institutions should not be discriminating between citizens based on vaccination status. The trial court denied the request for emergency relief. The plaintiffs then appealed to the 7th Circuit Federal Appeals Court (Case No. 21-2326), which denied the appeal. Plaintiffs have now appealed further to the US Supreme Court (Case Number: 21A15). Per Greg Glaser, PIC General Counsel, "If the Supreme Court is willing to hear the case, it will be particularly significant to instruct courts on how to analyze vaccine cases in the modern day. If the Supreme Court applies 'strict scrutiny,' the likely outcome is that unvaccinated students cannot be segregated and discriminated against. But if the Supreme Court applies 'rational basis scrutiny,' then the likely outcome is that Indiana University will be allowed to continue its segregation policy. PIC advocates for informed consent as a fundamental right, and therefore strict scrutiny."

The amicus highlights a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report from a July 2021 outbreak in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where 469 COVID-19 cases were identified among residents who had traveled to the town and 346 (74%) occurred in fully vaccinated persons. Of the five hospitalized cases, four were fully vaccinated. The CDC stated, Cycle threshold values were similar among specimens from patients who were fully vaccinated and those who were not, which means both vaccinated and unvaccinated persons can equally spread SARS-CoV-2 if infected, and there is no scientific basis for discrimination based on vaccination status. Per the CDC, preliminary evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people who do become infected with the Delta variant can spread the virus to others."

"Additional data in the amicus brief illustrates that unvaccinated persons previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 are 99.9% protected from reinfection, and approximately 180 million Americans have already been infected. Restricting people's life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness based on vaccination status is both unscientific and unethical, and should not be possible for government-funded institutions in the United States," said Dr. Shira Miller, PIC founder and president.

Physicians for Informed Consents body of physicians, scientists, statisticians and healthcare workers is trusted by both patients and practitioners for providing scientific data on infectious diseases and vaccines. To learn more, read PIC's amicus brief.

About Physicians for Informed Consent

Physicians for Informed Consent is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization focused on science and statistics. PIC delivers data on infectious diseases and vaccines, and unites doctors, scientists, healthcare professionals, attorneys, and families who support voluntary vaccination. In addition, the PIC Coalition for Informed Consent consists of approximately 300 U.S. and international organizations. To learn more or to become a member, please visit physiciansforinformedconsent.org.
Grants from The Prem Rawat Foundation are supporting a vaccination roll out, hospital services, home care, nutritious meals and more. It is inspiring to see that people across the globe are demonstrating their humanity and compassion by responding to the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. People everywhere are coming together, putting forth their best efforts to save lives and offer comfort.

The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) has provided $100,000 in grants for medical aid and food to help disadvantaged people in Peru cope with the COVID-19 crisis.

The South American country has been hit hard, bearing one of the worlds highest COVID-19 death rates in proportion to its population. The pandemic has also drastically increased food insecurity in the country, exacerbated by job losses and the closure of school cafeterias.

TPRF is helping by giving a $75,000 grant to the Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and a $25,000 grant to Cesvis House of Smile project.

The MSF grant will help MSF teams support a vaccination roll out and help people receive rapid tests, high-flow oxygen, hospital services, home care and more as the situation demands. The medical aid is currently focused in the hard-hit cities of Cusco and Huacho.

MSF is grateful for the support from TPRF and the care that it is helping us provide in Peru as we continue our COVID-19 response in the country, says Avril Benoit, MSF Executive Director.

The Cesvi grant has already provided healthy local food to thousands of vulnerable children and their parents in neighborhoods of Lima that have been plagued by malnutrition. Cesvi reports that, Thanks to The Prem Rawat Foundation, Cesvi could assist with food support  and consequently economic support  to the families most in need, and could guarantee a healthy life and a better future to many children.

Both of the NGOs with whom TPRF is partnering have strong local infrastructure in Peru and are committed to respecting the dignity of those in need. The grants are possible due to the strong backing of TPRF donors across the world, who raised over $200,000 during a recent appeal to support initiatives that advance dignity, peace and prosperity.

It is inspiring to see that people across the globe are demonstrating their humanity and compassion by responding to the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. People everywhere are coming together, putting forth their best efforts to save lives and offer comfort, says Linda Pascotto, TPRF Board Chair. TPRF is thankful to its supporters for helping the foundation offer assistance and comfort to those who are suffering.

In addition to the latest initiatives in Peru, TPRF has provided more than $500,000 for COVID-19 relief projects in several other countries, including Brazil, Ecuador, India, South Africa, the U.S. and Italy.

TPRF also offers the Peace Education Program, an innovative series of video-based workshops that have helped over 160,000 people in over 70 countries discover their own inner strength, hope and peace.

The program has been embraced by the public school system in Cusco, Peru and this year more than 6,000 students, teachers and parents have participated in the workshops there, with many reporting that they have helped them cope with the hardships of the pandemic.

Learn more about all of The Prem Rawat Foundations initiatives to address fundamental human needs and how you can get involved here.
Limavady Single Barrel Irish Whiskey

Limavady Irish Whiskey, one of Irelands oldest whiskeys dating back to 1750, is finally back on the whiskey map as it makes its debut across the United States this week in California, Colorado, Washington, Arizona and Florida. After announcing that Limavady would make an extraordinary comeback earlier this summer, whiskey fans around the world have been anxiously awaiting its official return. Following the launch, Limavady.com will be updated with a map of bars, restaurants and retailers where fans can find the groundbreaking Single Barrel Irish Whiskey.

Limavady whiskey returns under the banner of the leaping dog, inspired by the Gaelic origins of Limavady - Leim an Mhadaidh, meaning Leap of the Dog. The distillery and its eponymous hometown of Limavady in Northern Ireland were named for a fabled leap across the River Roe by a great Irish wolfhound to warn his clan of enemy ambush. A universally beloved icon of bravery and goodwill, Limavady and its canine hero aims to capture the hearts, minds and palates of a new generation of craft whiskey enthusiasts.

Darryl McNally, Whiskey Master and descendant of the Limavady Distillerys 18th century operators, is at the helm of the brand, with his own underdog story to tell. The McNally family stayed in Limavady after the original distillery closed in the 1900s, and Darryl has lived on a farm in the area his entire life, mastering his craft and building up to this moment.

Making whiskey has never just been a job, its my passion. When I started researching the history of the Limavady distillery and traced my family roots back to realize that we were a part of it, that was it, I knew there was only one way forward, says Darryl McNally, Master Distiller, Limavady Irish Whiskey. Today is the day I can officially share Limavady Single Barrel Irish Whiskey with the world. This brand is my masterpiece, the one that I have dreamed of making my entire life.

Limavady is made of 100% Irish barley and is small batch, triple distilled in a copper pot still. The single malt whiskey is aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in PX sherry cask before bottling each cask individually, at 46% ABV. The sherry casks deliver warm, inviting dried fruit and spice notes, adding richness to a toasted vanilla base, for a drinking experience thats well-rounded and genuinely delicious.

Last month, leading independent craft player WhistlePig announced that it has teamed up with Limavady to take on the Irish whiskey giants alongside McNally. WhistlePig will manage bottling and distribution of the whiskey under McNallys direction, helping Limavady establish the Single Barrel Irish category, much the same way that WhistlePig has done with aged and experimental Rye. McNally will directly manage the production and innovation and will bring the Limavady story and spirit to life.

In the United States, Limavady is distributed through WhistlePig's existing distribution partners, including Republic National Distributing Company and BreakThru Beverage with an SRP of $49.99 per 700ml bottle. Limavady will be available in the United Kingdom and Ireland before the end of the year.

About Limavady Single Barrel Irish Whiskey

Limavady Single Barrel Irish Whiskey, one of Irelands oldest whiskeys dating back to 1750, is reborn and breaking new ground for the fast-growing Irish Whiskey category. Darryl McNally, international recognized Master Distiller, and descendant of the Limavady Distillerys 18th century operators is leading the revival in partnership with WhistlePig Whiskey, declaring a new era of Irish Whiskey with Single Malt quality and Single Barrel distinctiveness. For additional information please visit http://www.limavady.com and follow @limavadyirishwhiskey on Instagram, @limavadywhiskey on Twitter.
It will be interesting in the next few years to see the permanent impact COVID-19 will have on the future of work, including where work is performed. - Express CEO Bill Stoller

Remote work continues to play a key role in the tight labor market as 63% of U.S. companies will allow existing employees to work remotely once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and 60% agree that a rise in this trend is making it more difficult to attract and retain employees.

This is according to a new survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by Express Employment Professionals.

The majority of U.S. hiring decision-makers (70%) agree onboarding employees remotely requires more time and money than doing it in an office. Despite the extra resources required to hire remotely, more than half (55%) say their company hired and onboarded new employees remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a similar proportion (51%) report their company plans to do so once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

This shift may be in response to employee desires and recruitment challenges, as a survey by Owl Labs found that 59% of employees would be more likely to choose one employer over another if offered remote work.

Of those, hiring decision-makers are split as to whether they will use specific criteria to determine which employees can work remotely (51%) or if all existing employees will be allowed to work remotely (49%). For those who will choose which employees can work remotely, the most commonly cited decision criteria include job responsibilities that can only be completed in a physical workplace (67%), successful completion of goals as measured through key performance indicators (47%) and job title/level such as only employees above a certain level can work remotely (44%).

Around 1 in 3 say factors such as geographic location (i.e., if employees are near a physical workplace they must go) (36%) and/or length of time employed (i.e., only employees who have been at the company for a certain amount of time can work remotely) (32%) will play a role in the decision.

Stacy Snodgrass and Reggie Kaji, Express franchise owners in Washington and Michigan, respectively, only have a handful of clients who allow employees to work remotely but agree some variation of flexibility is likely to continue.

I think some companies will offer remote positions from here on out, Snodgrass said. I know businesses that have transitioned their core team to permanent work-from-home scenarios and will not be coming back to the office.

As for whether in-person or remote positions are more beneficial to companies, Kaji says its mainly dependent on the type of work employees perform.

Obviously, the full remote work setting saves on company overhead, but the question that remains is Can remote work be just as effective as in-person workplaces? he said. Personally, for my offices, we will stick with a hybrid model as it works for us.

To determine if employees are able to work from home, Kaji says the No. 1 criteria revolves around worker efficacy.

Does the job require you to be somewhere physically? Some jobs simply cannot be done remotely, he said. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution to this situation.

Proper working environments and equipment are also requirements for Snodgrass.

We had some people with old computers and bad internet, she said. We were not prepared to have laptops for everyone, as I am sure other companies were not either.

With several companies across the nation offering either hybrid or fully remote positions, those that dont are increasingly struggling to attract and retain top talent.

I do think that has something to do with the issues of finding people, Snodgrass added. There are employees without daycare and not knowing if schools are back full time in the fall, I could see why a working parent would need to be home. People are still afraid, and as not everyone is vaccinated or wants to get vaccinated, it will continue to be an issue.

Until the labor market begins to settle at some point and the COVID-19 pandemic retreats, companies may have to offer employee flexibility to entice candidates to join their workforce, Express CEO Bill Stoller said.

Not every job allows employees to work from home, but we are seeing workers readily seek new opportunities that do offer this benefit, he added. It will be interesting in the next few years to see the permanent impact COVID-19 will have on the future of work, including where work is performed.

Survey Methodology

The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between March 23 and April 12, 2021, among 1,001 U.S. hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in the U.S. who are employed full-time or self-employed, work at companies with more than one employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data was weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

If you would like to arrange for an interview with Bill Stoller to discuss this topic, please contact Sheena (Karami) Hollander, Director of Corporate Communications and PR, at (405) 717-5966.

About Bill Stoller

William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the international staffing company has more than 830 franchises in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Since inception, Express has put more than 9 million people to work worldwide.

About Express Employment Professionals

At Express Employment Professionals, were in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Our international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, employing 526,000 people globally in 2020. For more information, visit http://www.ExpressPros.com.
Their experience and personalities are a perfect fit and theyve already done so much to help us give our customers the best quality service possible. Were proud to have them on our team," said Boak.

Sam Boak is the president and founder of Boak & Sons, Inc, a residential and commercial contracting company based in Youngstown, Ohio. The company is one of the top contractors in the region for roofing, gutters, sheet metal, siding, and insulation. Sam Boaks customers vary from Cleveland, Ohio all the way to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and reach many of the cities and small towns in between. When businesses started to reopen after the COVID-19 shutdown, Boak & Sons saw an influx in service calls and lead requests. To help balance the administrative needs in the office, Sam Boak hired two new Contract Administrators.

Julie Cleghorn and Heather Reese both joined the Boak & Sons team in March of 2021. Julie, a graduate of Youngstown State University, started off with a career in banking for over 10 years. Taking the leap from what I have known for a good part of my life has been nothing short of amazing since coming onboard with Boak & Sons, said Julie. She is now responsible for assisting Boak & Sons Project Managers, along with being the liaison for the companys Safety Director. Julie spends her time outside of work making home cooked meals for her family, spending time with her dogs, Logan and Barracks, and finding treasures at local flea markets.

Heather Reese was a graduate of ETI Tech College and also started her professional career in the banking industry where she spent the first 12 years of her career. She now handles the ins and outs of the Residential and Commercial Roofing departments at Boak & Sons and assists the companys Project Managers. Heather spends her free time with her husband and their two children, Maya and Jackson. The short time I have spent within this company, they have not only welcomed me, but have also made my family feel like an extension of theirs as well, said Heather. Its only the beginning, and Im excited what the future holds with this amazing company!

Sam Boak and the rest of the staff at Boak & Sons welcomed Heather and Julie with open arms after carefully selecting the two of them for the open positions.

We took our time looking for the right people to join the Boak family, and Julie and Heather are both well worth the wait, said Boak. Their experience and personalities are a perfect fit and theyve already done so much to help us give our customers the best quality service possible. Were proud to have them on our team.

For more information about Boak & Sons, Inc., visit http://www.boakandsons.com.

About Boak & Sons:

Boak & Sons, Inc. was founded by Sam Boak in 1974 as an insulation contractor. With the high energy costs of the 70's, Boak & Sons expanded early on into the roofing business. They offered economical roof installations through cutting edge technology and equipment, allowing customers to recoup even more in energy savings. Today, Boak & Sons is a residential and commercial contractor for roofing, insulation, sheet metal, siding, and gutters. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, the company serves customers in surrounding areas from Cleveland, Akron, and Canton to Cranberry and Pittsburgh. For more information on Boak & Sons, visit their website at: https://www.boakandsons.com/


Leading IT and business training solutions provider New Horizons South Florida has nine-and eighteen-week certification training courses that provide a rapid path for a career in IT. Once certified, graduates can work in some of the most sought-after jobs in the space.

In fact, South Florida continues to attract more and more tech companies that are moving headquarters or significant operations from the West Coast. According to an industry report, the tri-county area and Miami in particular are leading the nation as the number one city for tech job growth. New Horizons South Florida is training and preparing local students to get certified in many of the tech applications companies moving to the region, will require of their employees.

New Horizons offers more than 700 training and certification courses and is on track to add another 50 courses to stay current with the changing technologies, better preparing students for a lifelong profession in IT. Courses and certification programs include security, Amazon Web Services, Cloud Platform training and data science.

Our students gain certification training in some of the most in-demand tech fields of information systems, cybersecurity and networking, positioning them to become tomorrows IT leaders and excel at the technology jobs employers are seeking to fill today, said New Horizons Executive Director Charlene Pou.

We are passionate about developing our students to their highest levels of aspiration and helping them materialize a life-long career path. We are there from enrollment through graduation, to job placement and career advancement with certifications at the associate, professional and expert level to help our students achieve their long-term professional goals, Pou continued.

Registration for programs is open with nine- and eighteen-week certification sessions starting on various days every month. Through the end of the year, courses are offered online. New Horizons plans to resume in-person classes in January 2022, at its Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach campuses. For coursework and schedules, visit New Horizons online training and certification course catalogue. Those interested in registering can fill out the contact form.

MEDIA: To schedule interviews or to request more information, please contact:



Nick Mitsis at nick@redbanyan.com or 954-642-2248 ext.110

Monika Levin at monika@redbanyan.com or 954-379-2115 ext. 104

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New Horizons in-demand IT Courses

Cybersecurity Courses

Amazon Web Services Courses

Free Webinar Training Sessions

About New Horizons South Florida

New Horizons South Florida provides innovative certification training for industry and life-long learners. Our IT and Business Training solutions combine the resources of a large IT training company with the responsiveness of a local partner. From startups to global enterprises, New Horizons skills up current workforces while launching career paths of students. We stay connected throughout our students career journey from enrollment through graduation, job placement to career advancement. Offering the latest in technology training, we are certified as a Microsoft Partner with a Gold Learning competency, Citrix Authorized Learning Center, Cisco Partner for Platinum Learning Solutions, AWS Training Partner, CompTIA Authorized Platinum Partner, and VMware Authorized Training Center. For more information, visit http://www.nhflorida.com
Suntuity Home Net Zero Project Suntuity Home's Net Zero Home project was honored by the New Jersey Concrete and Aggregate Association for its complex and innovative use of concrete as a sustainable state-of-the-art home.

The 58th Annual New Jersey Concrete Awards Committee recently announced the Net Zero Home, a pilot project powered by Suntuity Home, as the winner of this years Merit Award in the "Residential" category.

The top industry honor comes at the completion of Net Zero Home project, which utilized over 260 cubic yards of concrete to construct one of the most resilient, energy efficient, and technologically advanced homes in the nation. Suntuity Home was one of hundreds of nominations for this prestigious award.

The Net Zero Home is the first of its kind in New Jersey. Developed to achieve complete energy sustainability, the project was awarded for its use of insulated concrete forms, hydronically heated concrete slabs, and monolithic pours with both vertical and horizontal rebar.

The unique addition of micro rebar to the homes 14 foot ICF walls further enhanced the resiliency of the structure. At over 5,000 PSI of concrete strength, the Net Zero Home showcases the unique ability to withstand Category 4 hurricane force winds.

Concrete was also leveraged for the Net Zero Homes 29,000 gallon heated pool, foundation slabs, elevated decks, and in the ICF forms around the house.

Suntuity Home, the company that designed and developed the Net Zero Home, meticulously managed the project over this last year to ensure its unique specifications could be achieved. Dan Javan, CEO of the Suntuity Group, believes the innovative success of the Net Zero Home project can start a trend that pioneers future developments of its kind.

The Net Zero Home was built far stronger than any kind of stick-framed structure, and with the price of lumbar today, it cost less and is more resilient than what it would have cost if we had built it as a traditional home, said Javan. It is the first home of its kind in New Jersey, and with its finished success, we are looking forward to expanding the development of completely sustainable and resilient Net Zero Homes across the state.

The project was designed as a net zero residency that generates all of its energy needs from the 90 solar panels placed on its roof. At two stories and over 4,300 square feet, the Net Zero Home operates as a completely self-sustaining LEED Certified Platinum certified home that meets Energy Star and Department of Energy requirements. The project has been featured in multiple publications that highlight its topline amenities, from its metal roofing to the ecologically and environmentally safe materials used in its construction.

The Net Zero Home will be honored at the Annual New Jersey Concrete Awards Dinner on Thursday, September 23, 2021, at New Brunswicks world class hotel, The Heldrich.

To view images and videos of the homes development, visit netzerohomeproject.com.

To learn more about the future development of Net Zero Homes, visit suntuityhome.com.

About Suntuity Group

The Suntuity Group of companies comprised of a conglomerate of global renewable energy, finance, technology, and UAV service companies that develop, build and manage assets of 275+ megawatts of energy projects across the globe. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey, the Suntuity Group currently operates in 8 countries and 10 US States.

About Suntuity Solar

Suntuity Solar (https://suntuitysolar.com), one of the Top 10 residential solar providers in the nation, brings clean, affordable energy to homeowners across the US. Part of the Suntuity Group of companies founded in 2008, Suntuity Solar is strategically positioned with industry-leading financing and technology that streamlines solar power as a viable energy alternative for several mainstream power options. With innovative financing solutions, in-depth technical expertise and a global presence, Suntuity Solar and its affiliate businesses consistently deliver best-in-class products, services and solutions.

About Suntuity Home

Suntuity Home (https://suntuityhome.com) is the residential construction and renovation division of the Suntuity Group of companies, a conglomerate of renewable energy, finance, technology and UAV service companies that has developed, built and managed assets of hundreds of megawatts of energy projects around the globe. Suntuity Home provides new home construction, roofing, siding, windows, LED lighting, solar, energy storage, EV and smart home automation for homeowners across the US.

Disclaimer:

The information in this release has been included in good faith and is for general purposes only. It should not be relied upon for any specific purpose and no representation or warranty is given regarding its accuracy or completeness. No information in this press release shall constitute an invitation to invest in neither Suntuity Solar nor any of its affiliates. Neither Suntuity Solar nor their affiliates' officers, employees or agents shall be liable for any loss, damage or expense arising out of any action taken on the basis of this press release, including, without limitation, any loss of profit, indirect, incidental or consequential loss. All Trademarks are the property of their individual owners.
Usage-based insurance can help drivers get fast discounts on their car insurance, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that explains how drivers can get cheaper car insurance with the help of usage-based programs.

For more info and free car insurance quotes, check https://compare-autoinsurance.org/top-advantages-of-usage-based-insurance/

Drivers can lower their car insurance costs by enrolling in a usage-based insurance program. Usually, a small telematics device is installed inside the policyholders vehicle. This device will send data about the time of day when the car is driven, braking, acceleration, speed, cornering, and the distance traveled in one day.

Drivers that allow their insurer to monitor their driving habits can receive the following benefits:



Good drivers will get fast discounts. Compared to the traditional method that took years of driving history to be analyzed in order to get a good driver discount, this method only takes several months of driving history to be analyzed in order to qualify for a discount.

Drive less for better premiums. If the policyholder changes his driving habits, this will reflect in the paid insurance rates. Policyholders can drive fewer miles in order to qualify for a low-mileage discount.

It encourages policyholders to become better drivers. Knowing that every bad driving habit like how often the driver is hard braking, turns too sharply, or he is speeding is monitored by the insurer, can determine the policyholder to become a better driver.

It helps accidents investigation. The telematics device records the moments before an accident happens. Data like the speed and the direction the car was traveling, airbag deployment, and hard braking can help the investigators to find out what happened and who is at fault. Fraudulent claimants are also easier to catch by insurance companies.

It helps policyholders recover their stolen vehicles. Telematic devices come installed with tracking technologies. For this reason, recovering a vehicle equipped with one of these devices is much easier for the authorities.

Large discounts for teen drivers. Teens can lower their insurance rates by allowing them to be monitored by their insurers. Their rates can significantly reduce if they have good driving habits.

For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/

Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.
Dr. Lulu Guo We believe that no two patients are the same when it comes to sleep, and its refreshing to find doctors who align with our beliefs and care about proper patient care as much as we do. Dr. Guo is the perfect addition and we cannot wait for everyone to meet her.

Valley Sleep Center, a leader in sleep health management services, recently welcomed Dr. Lulu Guo to its Scottsdale sleep center location.

Having the opportunity to bring my knowledge and continue to expand on my skills at a leading clinic like Valley Sleep Center really excites me, said Guo. Im looking forward to bringing my expertise to help Scottsdale-area residents get a better night's rest.

Guo is a graduate of the Medical Scholars program at Michigan State University and was admitted into medical school at the age of seventeen, completing undergraduate studies in two years. Dr. Guo completed her Family Medicine training at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis and completed her Sleep Medicine Fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. She is also a graduate of the Andrew Weil Integrative Medicine fellowship from the University of Arizona. Like Valley Sleep Center, Guo is committed to a personalized approach to treating a patients sleep concerns.

Valley Sleep Center is thrilled to add Dr. Guos experience and commitment to personalized treatment to our rapidly expanding practice, said Lauri Leadley, founder and president of Valley Sleep Center. We believe that no two patients are the same when it comes to sleep, and its refreshing to find doctors who align with our beliefs and care about proper patient care as much as we do. Dr. Guo is the perfect addition and we cannot wait for everyone to meet her.

Valley Sleep Center is devoted to serving Arizona residents as the leading independent diagnostic testing facility through providing the highest quality of patient care. With expertise in diagnosing and treating sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, snoring, narcolepsy, insomnia, and other sleep disturbances, Valley Sleep Center is the largest sleep health management provider in the Phoenix metro area. The practice will soon open its first Tucson location, expanding its footprint outside of the Valley for the first time.

For more information about Valley Sleep Center, please call 480-830-3900 or visit http://www.valleysleepcenter.com.

About Valley Sleep Center

Established in 2002 by Lauri and Glenn Leadley, Valley Sleep Center provides complete sleep health management including sleep studies, diagnosis, and treatment of sleep disorders. With six clinics in the Phoenix area including locations in Mesa, Chandler, Glendale, Goodyear, Scottsdale, and Phoenix, Valley Sleep Center is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. For more information, visit valleysleepcenter.com.
Bell is the sponsor for this year's VFS student design competition. Students must design an electric air taxi for passengers with reduced mobility. Electric VTOL air taxis can provide safe, quiet, affordable, clean solutions for metropolitan transportation needs, so they must be usable by the widest possible segment of the population.

The Vertical Flight Society today announces that the request for proposal (RFP) for its 39th Annual Student Design Competition (SDC) has been published. The 2021-2022 competition challenges students to design an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that accommodates passengers with a broad spectrum of mobility difficulties or other disabilities for urban air mobility (UAM) missions.

The competition, entitled, eVTOL Air Taxi for Passengers with Reduced Mobility (PRM), is sponsored this year by Bell, and is open to students at universities worldwide. This years RFP and past years winning entries are posted on the VFS website at http://www.vtol.org/sdc. A total of $12,500 in cash prizes are available to the winning undergraduate and graduate teams.

Some $10B has been invested in eVTOL developments over the past six years, with nearly half of that coming just this year, said Mike Hirschberg, VFS Executive Director. eVTOL air taxis can provide safe, quiet, affordable, clean solutions for metropolitan transportation needs, so they must be usable by the widest possible segment of the population.

Albert G. Brand, Bells Senior Technical Fellow for Flight Technology and the companys lead for this years competition, noted: As an emerging industry, it is not too early to anticipate the greater needs of our society where it comes to eVTOL transportation. We need to recognize the needs of travelers with reduced mobility and factor that in our designs.

In developing this RFP, VFS partnered with UK charitable organization Aerobility, which offers disabled people the opportunity to fly an airplane. Aerobility is pleased to partner with VFS on this student design competition, said Mike Miller-Smith, CEO of Aerobility. The opportunity to encourage tomorrows designers to consider accessibility at the birth of a new transport mode is very exciting. One can only imagine how different air travel today would be for people with disabilities if this had been done at the birth of commercial aviation. Were delighted to do our bit in helping Urban Air Mobility get it right, from the outset.

The Vertical Flight Society encourages universities from around the world to form teams and take part in this exciting and challenging competition, which is conducted to attract the best and brightest engineering students to the vertical flight industry.

Two members of the first-place winning undergraduate and graduate teams are invited to the 79th Annual Forum & Technology Display  planned for May 13-15, 2023 in West Palm Beach, Florida USA  to present the details of their designs.

The Annual Student Design Competition sponsorship rotates between Airbus, The Boeing Company, Bell, Leonardo Helicopters, Sikorsky Aircraft and the US Army Research Lab.

The Vertical Flight Society is the worlds premier vertical flight technical society. Since it was founded as the American Helicopter Society in 1943, the Society has been a major force in the advancement of vertical flight. VFS is the global resource for information on vertical flight technology. For more than 75 years, it has provided global leadership for scientific, technical, educational and legislative initiatives that advance the state of the art of vertical flight.

The Vertical Flight Society

2700 Prosperity Ave., Suite 275, Fairfax, Virginia 22031 USA

1-703-684-6777 | staff@vtol.org | http://www.vtol.org


Dancing with Angels: Songs and Poems of the Millennium: an inspiring arrangement of lyrical verse. Dancing with Angels: Songs and Poems of the Millennium is the creation of published author W. Brunhofer, a loving husband and father of three who served in the Navy on submarines during Vietnam. He has also traveled to Afghanistan with the Peace Corps while earning bachelors and masters degrees.

Brunhofer shares, Good poetry is good because it connects us to universal human values and truths that speak to all people. Poems have the ability to inspire us to seek truth and take us on journeys in pursuit of goodness: from a fearless warriors journey and stories of dauntless kings who beat the odds to celebrations of the beauty of nature and innocence of childhood and musings on the vastness of time and depth of true love. These verses mount an investigation into sources of human goodness and an exploration of the ultimate source of good.

Dancing with Angels Songs and Poems of the Millennium invites us to engage with those better angels whose guidance illuminates our better natures and brings us closer to the truth, rebalancing the human spirit in calibration with our Creator.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, W. Brunhofers new book is an enjoyable exploration of poetry.

From Shakespeare to Yeats, Brunhofer explores favorite poems of inspiration and presents a series of personal writing dating back to the 1970s.

View a synopsis of Dancing with Angels: Songs and Poems of the Millennium on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Dancing with Angels: Songs and Poems of the Millennium at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Dancing with Angels: Songs and Poems of the Millennium, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Text-based communications tend to provide more accuracy in less time than direct conversation, and for associates it provides a clear chain of accountability. This is critical if hotels want to meet their goal of providing a high-quality guest experience with fewer employees.

The hotel business is not getting simpler any time soon, but independent hotels are still able to compete on a level playing field against properties with support from larger brands. Warren Dehan, President of Maestro, the preferred Web Browser based cloud and on-premises property-management system for independent hotels, luxury resorts, conference centers, vacation rentals, and multi-property groups, says investing in new technology is often a challenge with operators trying to control margins in an economy that just began to rebound. Fortunately, many of the capabilities that would aid independent hotels are already baked directly into the hotels PMS.

Guests have been calling for a more streamlined check-in process for some time, but only a limited number of hotels are offering a mobile check-in experience, said Warren Dehan, Maestro President. One of the biggest misunderstandings about mobile check-in is that a mobile app is required to facilitate the interaction. While a mobile app is required to meet the hardware requirements of digital door locks, the rest of the digital guest journey can be addressed without downloading any mobile app by using a web app accessed by the guest via direct web links through pre-arrival communications from the hotel PMS. Without directing guests to install an app, which many travelers are reluctant to do, hotels have an opportunity to enhance the guest experience using information already available in the PMS. The key is a Web Browser based mobile application, test messaging and dynamic guest email communications. By directly contacting guests through the technology channels they already use, operators can provide high-touch interactions in a contactless environment.

Using these channels, Dehan said hotels can quickly provide direct links to any part of the hotel experience, starting at check in. Notifications can be automated or pushed directly through email or text message up to 48 hours prior to the guests arrival. This enables hoteliers to confirm pre-arrival, and whether they have transportation or other needs. Hotels without BLE-enabled electronic locks (needed for mobile key) can provide a pre-encoded key for pick up at an electronic kiosk or pre-arranged pick up location to allow for a contactless experience, regardless of door technology.

Talk the Talk

Operators are continuing to be tested by a challenging labor market where demand for rooms is outpacing hotels ability to service them. In this environment, communication has become the new focus for hotel technology. Staff-facing technology has taken hold across the industry with fewer hands on deck. Once again, with limited room to experiment with technology these needs can be met through a web app or browser-based operations or text-messaging technology, allowing any hotelier to take advantage of them.

Staff-facing communication tools have impacted every area of hotel operations, from the front desk and concierge to housekeeping and even spa services, Dehan said. Through access links provided via the hotel PMS, housekeepers can quickly check the status of every room on property, which areas of the hotel to prioritize, and even alert them to emergencies, all on their own mobile devices' responsive design applications."

Most importantly, text-based communications cut down on time spent communicating with guests or hotel associates, he said. Text-based communications tend to provide more accuracy in less time than direct conversation, and for associates it provides a clear chain of accountability. This is critical if hotels want to meet their goal of providing a high-quality guest experience with fewer employees.

Make it Simple

So much of this process is automated on the hotels side, but some aspects of mobile communication have a slight learning curve. Fortunately, email and text messaging are familiar to both guests and hotel associates. This familiarity allows hotels to leverage new technology in a way that embraces existing behaviors without relying on new ones. This makes adoption easy at a time when communication and nimble operations are a priority.

Since this technology is accessible directly from the hotel PMS, the biggest barrier to its implementation is operational, Dehan said. There is a fear of technology that persists in hospitality at a time when it has become a necessity. Implementing new technology can be challenging and initially a distraction from serving guests, however; it is clear from hoteliers we speak to daily that guests have come to expect a certain level of service and responsiveness that is only possible through technology."

The ability to interface with guests devices has grown in popularity due to social distancing requirements, but today it has transformed into a competitive advantage, he said. It could be a way to reach guests in the way that is most familiar to them, or an avenue for operational improvements. The best part is, hoteliers can leverage their existing PMS to make any of this possible, up to any level of digitization they deem important.

If communication is a part of hospitality, it is time to consider the ways discourse has evolved and interact with guests on their terms. Mobile technology has the potential to improve the industry in ways that were once considered impossible, and the timing is right for both guests and associates to take advantage of it. The only thing separating hotels from competing in this new digital environment is taking the first steps to bring mobile technology to their guests as part of their competitive advantage.

About Maestro

Maestro is the preferred Web Browser based cloud and on-premises PMS solution for independent hotels, luxury resorts, conference centers, vacation rentals, and multi-property groups. Maestros PCI certified and EMV ready enterprise system offers a Web browser version (or Windows) complete with 20+ integrated modules on a single database, including mobile and contactless apps to support a digitalized guest journey as well as staff operations. Maestros sophisticated solutions empower operators to increase profitability, drive direct bookings, centralize operations, and engage guests with a personalized experience from booking to check out and everything in between. For over 40 years Maestros Diamond Plus Service has provided unparalleled 24/7 North American based support and education services to keep hospitality groups productive and competitive. Click here for more information on Maestro. Click here to get your free PMS Buying guide.
Australia-based Hardie Grant Publishing has appointed Jenny Wapner publisher of its North American operations. In the newly-created role, Wapner will oversee Hardie Grants expansion in the U.S. and Canada.

Currently, Hardie Grant publishes 200 books and gift items a year in the U.S., with most originating in its Australia and U.K. offices. Under Wapner, a Hardie Grant spokesperson said, the company will publish 10 to 12 U.S. titles a season by the end of 2022. Wapner will be based in San Francisco, home to Hardie Grants North America marketing team, and is expected to hire additional staff in editorial, design, and marketing roles in the next 12 months.

We are thrilled that Jenny will bring her publishing expertise and deep understanding of the U.S. market to this new role, said Julie Pinkham, Hardie Grant managing director, in a statement.

Wapner has been in publishing for 20 years, working on titles in the cooking, design, photography, natural science, and lifestyle categories. Prior to moving to Hardie Grant, she had been executive editor at Ten Speed Press.

The opportunity to expand [Hardie Grants] publishing into the United States is both thrilling and an absolute honor, said Wapner. As an independent publisher with a stellar reputation, I feel that this is an exciting and needed addition to the American publishing landscape.

Last month, Hardie Grant insiders bought back all of the shares held in the company by Associated Media Investments, leaving the publishing team in full control of the publisher.
Adaptations of Arthurian legend have long been popular in Hollywood, but as with superhero movies, many of those films have drawn from various sources and focused on the origin story: Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, becomes king of all Britons, starts the order of the Knights of the Round Table, and goes down in pseudohistory. The Green Knight, released on July 30, is an exception: director David Lowery relied solely on the late-14th-century romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as the basis for his movie, and publishers of the poem are taking advantage of that decision.

The poem was written in Middle English by an anonymous author known alternately as the Gawain Poet and the Pearl Poet. In it, King Arthurs nephew Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from an enormous green-skinned knight, who offers up his ax if Gawain will strike him with it. The catch is that the knight will deal a blow to Gawain a year later in return.

Penguin Books has reissued one of two translations of the poem originally published by Penguin Classics in an official tie-in edition retitled The Green Knight, with a new foreword written by Lowery. (Penguin told PW that there is precedent for such title changes to classic works surrounding tie-in publications, pointing to The Turning, the movie tie-in edition of Henry Jamess The Turn of the Screw, which was published in 2019 alongside the release of the film adaptation with the new name.) The first print run is 25,000 copies.

W.W. Norton publishes its own trade and critical editions of the poem and is reprinting upwards of 5,000 copies of Simon Armitages 2007 translation with rewritten cover copy, making it something of an unofficial tie-in. Nortons sales team will be keeping a close eye on this one, should the need arise to pull additional levers, the publisher said.

Matt Klise, associate editor at Penguin Books, noted that Penguin chose to go with Bernard ODonoghues 2007 translation for the tie-in, rather than Brian Stones 1959 version (which he called beautifully lyrical and highly regarded), because ODonoghues verse had a more contemporary tone that we thought would be more immediately accessible to newcomers. He added that there is a steady academic market for both of Penguin Classics Sir Gawain and the Green Knight translations.

As David Lowery acknowledges in his introduction, like many people, he was familiar with the poem from having read it in school, Klise said. Tie-ins, he added, give publishers a chance to capture the excitement a film generates and use it to get a book into the hands of new readers, both those who havent heard of the story before and those who knew about it but havent been spurred to read it yet.

Klise pointed to Netflixs The Haunting of Hill House as another example of an adaptation that brought a ton of new readers to all of the editions of the book that we publish, not just the tie-in.

The poem has been adapted for screen before, including in two films by Stephen Weeks, in 1973 and 1984, with Sean Connery playing the role of the Green Knight in both, and in a 2002 animated film and an episode of the Cartoon Network show Adventure Time in 2017. The BBC also broadcast a documentary hosted by Armitage in 2009.

Most adaptations have deviated from the original text to some extent. While Lowerys film does as well, that, Klise said, is part of the point. He urges everyone to read and reread the poem, and to try reading different translations, he said. He captures how a text as old as this one remains vital and open to reinterpretation. So Im excited to see how the tie-in does in the marketplace. Theres a lot of buzz out there for this film, and I think weve put together the perfect edition to show anyone just how beautiful, captivating, and mysterious a 600-plus-year-old poem can be.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has been translated many times over the years and has sold steadily. The Stone translation has sold more than 22,000 print units since NPD BookScan began tracking sales at bookstores in 2001, while ODonoghues translation, released a few months before Armitages in 2007, has sold more than 7,500 copies. Armitages translation has sold just under 55,000 copies.

Other older translations have also sold well. Arthurian scholar Jessie L. Westons 1909 prose translation, originally published by Scribner, has sold almost 8,500 copies in a Dover edition since it was published in 2003. Burton Raffels 1970 translation, published by Signet Classics in mass market paperback, has sold more than 50,000 copies to date, while J.R.R. Tolkiens 1979 translation, published by Random House, has sold nearly 80,000 copies.
Jason Henderson, director of Purdue Extension and senior associate dean of the College of Agriculture, joins the three 2021 Women in Agriculture Award recipients (from left) Tracie Egger, Molly Grotjan and Isabella Chism, along with Karen Plaut, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Purdue Extension Women in Agriculture recognized three Indiana agriculture leaders on Aug. 5 at the Indiana State Fair.

Karen Plaut, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture, and Jason Henderson, director of Purdue Extension and senior associate dean of the College of Agriculture, honored the recipients of the Purdue Extension Women in Agriculture 2021 awards.

It was a great honor to celebrate these women. They are at different stages in their careers and lives, but they have all made significant and notable contributions to agriculture in Indiana and beyond, Plaut said.

Emerging Women in Agriculture Leadership Award

Purdue senior Molly Grotjan received the Emerging Women in Agriculture Leadership Award, which recognizes the accomplishments of a high school or undergraduate student who has made a positive impact on agriculture.

Grotjan was a 10-year 4-H member in Boone County and will be a senior at Purdue this fall in the department of agriculture economics. Shes held numerous leadership roles while at Purdue including sharing her story with prospective students and families as a Purdue College of Agricultural ambassador and serving on the Purdue Ag Week task force.

In summer 2019, Grotjan served as a congressional intern in Washington, D.C., for U.S. Rep. James Baird, Indianas 4th District. Grotjan proceeded to propose a new focus for undergraduates in policy and pre-law in the department of agricultural economics, which will be a new concentration this fall.

She worked as the product stewardship intern at Corteva Agriscience and as a supply management intern at John Deere. She also participated in agricultural research with Jayson Lusk, agricultural economics department head, and Scott Downey, Center for Food and Agricultural Business director. Additionally, Grotjan was the Purdue Grand Prix president, Purdue Foundation student board president and Old Masters host.

Extension Women in Agriculture Leadership Award

The Purdue Extension Women in Agriculture Leadership Award recognizes a woman in an agribusiness or policymaking position who has actively influenced Indiana agriculture. Tracie Egger, leadership training specialist for AgReliant Genetics, was honored with the award for 2021.

Egger began her professional career as a Purdue Extension educator in Posey County. She was promoted to Purdue Extension specialist in 2000 and named Purdue College of Agricultures assistant director in the Office of Academic Programs in 2001.

Egger made a lasting impact on students through student organizations and career advising. In her current role, she develops and facilitates leadership training. For four years, Egger has led the AgReliant Womens Network, a credible resource for employees to learn about diversity and inclusion.

Egger is a mentor to the current Indiana State FFA president, serves as the Indiana FFA Foundation Board secretary, and has served nationally on swine organization youth committees and foundation boards. Egger and her family are actively involved in the swine industry, raising Berkshires for more than 45 years.

Extension Women in Agriculture Achievement Award

The Purdue Extension Women in Agriculture Achievement Award recognizes women who are directly involved in a home farm operation. Isabella Chism of Howard County is the honoree for 2021.

Chism and her husband, Kent, raise corn, high oleic soybeans and sweet corn. Chism drives machinery, unloads grain at harvest, organizes the farm books and sells sweet corn at the local farmers market. In 2006, she was elected second vice president of Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB). She serves on the INFB board of directors, is a member of the executive committee and the audit committee and chairs the State Womens Leadership Committee.

Chism is the newly elected chairwoman of the American Farm Bureau Womens Leadership Committee. She also is chair of the Howard County Extension Board, executive director of the Howard County 4-H exhibit association capital projects and an at-large representative on the North Central Indiana Regional Planning Council. Chism graduated from the Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series and the Syngenta Leadership at Its Best program and completed Conversation Leaders training through the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance.

The Purdue Extension Women in Agriculture awards committee was co-chaired by Beth Vansickle, an Extension educator in Madison County, and Lori Bouslog, an Extension educator in Vermillion County. The Purdue Extension Women in Agriculture team provides educational opportunities and resources for women in the agriculture industry and coordinates the Midwest Women in Agriculture conference.



Writer: Abby Leeds, 765-494-7817, mayer36@purdue.edu

Source: Beth Vansickle, bleonhar@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: 765-494-8415;

Maureen Manier, Department Head, mmanier@purdue.edu

Agriculture News Page
Oregon Students to Graduate Without Proving They Can Do Math

Gov. Kate Brown quietly signed a law last month that suspends the requirement that Oregon students demonstrate freshman- to sophomore-level skills in reading, writing. The governor has never publicly explained why she thinks that is a good idea.
Even as other industries move their records online, most colleges and universities rely on paper transcripts to document credentials and academic performance. Already boasting a reputation for innovation in higher education, Arizona State University is looking to revolutionize the way schools maintain academic records, making transcripts more portable and reflective of students skills and achievements.

In a press release, the university said that it will use some of the nearly $12 million it received from the Charles Koch Foundation to develop a verifiable learner-owned record system that has the potential to replace current transcripts with a less expensive, competency-based credential that lives with the learner themself, rather than with various institutions.

Derrick Anderson, an adviser to the president of ASU, told RealClearEducation that the university wants to adopt a transcript model like the one currently used by credit-card companies.

This doesnt have any money in it, Anderson said, pointing to a credit card. It has access to a database. When I swipe it, [the credit card functions] just like a little computer thats linking up to a database. The database is the most important part there  the database tells the computer what my financial identity is. He said digital transcripts could operate in the same way, owned by the learner rather than the educational institution.

In a manner similar to credit-card transactions, ASU hopes to produce digital transcripts that rely on distributed-ledger technology  portable databases of digital records that can be verified and accessed across institutions. Such technology was once prohibitively expensive, but Anderson said that distributed ledgers are becoming more affordable and have been adapted for uses beyond banking. He argued that the education industry will inevitably adopt the technology.

We think that 20 years from now, you will have [a digital transcript], I will have one, my kids will have one. When my grandchildren start school, they will start kindergarten with a learner record  [and] you already do. You already do get a learner record, its just analog, Anderson said.

For students, schools, and employers, the interactive nature of distributed-ledger technology will allow transcripts to better reflect students skills and qualifications. Distributed ledgers enable students and institutions to negotiate the materials included in students transcripts.

The distributed ledger allows the school to go in and authenticate what it is that the student learned and how well he or she learned it, based on the schools metrics, Anderson said. It also allows the student to go in and say, Hey, I learned this, and to ask the school, Can you go in and validate that I learned this?

Anderson compared this to the skills section on LinkedIn, where workers list their skills for employers and colleagues to verify.

Amber Garrison Duncan, a strategy director at the nonprofit Lumina Foundation, argued that reforms like the ones Anderson described are necessary to ensure that transcripts capture students actual skills and abilities.

The current form of transcript was created to be an internal higher-education document, not something that the student uses or that employers use. When you look at the information thats captured in there, its something that an internal registrar might use, but it doesnt allow us to say what a person actually knows and what he or she can do, Garrison Duncan said.

Both Duncan and Anderson told RealClearEducation that a central failure of academic transcripts is their focus on grades to the exclusion of students other skills and abilities.

But isnt recording a students academic performance the purpose of a transcript?

You may have an A [in a particular course], but I [as an employer] cant have an A match the skills in the job description, Duncan said. So, Im making assumptions about what was in that course, what you may have been taught, what you earned an A in, versus, if I have the specific skill or competency information, I can understand if thats a better match for what Im actually looking for.

Anderson thinks that transcripts dont give employers enough information about the students theyre hiring. Digitizing transcripts and updating the material they contain, he argued, will make the documents more useful in the labor market.

The downside to the bureaucratization model of education is that everyone goes through the same process, and everyone has their own experience, Anderson said. But the process is so incapable of characterizing unique experiences that it leaves two people who are completely different to go into the labor market with the same exact profile and then have completely different outcomes.
In recent weeks, the world has watched as the Cuban people have taken to the streets with a message not heard publicly in Cuba for more than six decades: chants of Libertad. Across the island nation, thousands of brave Cubans joined protests, defiant in the face of a brutal dictatorship, as they
As Congress debates a very significant change to American tax policy, activists and media outlets are unfairly attacking a long list of companies for the crime of complying with federal tax laws that incentivize job creation, investment, and economic growth. Left-wing organizations that are more interested in stoking outrage for fundraising purposes than economic recovery are using cherry-picked, misleading data to attack the very companies that are investing to pull our country out of the pandemic-induced recession.

Regardless of what some of these organizations might claim, the fact is that major corporations pay billions of dollars in local, state, and payroll taxes. Profits are reinvested in job creation, building or purchasing buildings, machinery, or other necessary inputs for their businesses (creating further jobs), and creating value for the millions of Americans whose retirement accounts are invested in the market.

Those fundamental facts about how businesses work havent stopped liberals from pushing false claims in hopes of stoking populist ire to support their ideologically driven quest to raise taxes, regardless of consequence.

Just last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted the objectively incorrect claim that If you paid $20 to mail a Federal Express package overnight, you paid more to Federal Express than it paid in federal income taxes over the past 3 years.

A quick glance at the companys annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission shows that FedEx had an effective tax rate of 23% in fiscal 2020 and 21.6% for fiscal 2021. Nike, another company targeted in this disinformation campaign, had a somewhat lower, but still double-digit, effective tax rate.

One can have a debate over what the precise federal tax rate ought to be. But the fact of the matter is that none of the companies that are being attacked in this campaign dodged their tax burden or otherwise escaped the taxman.

We are in the midst of a long legislative slog in which many in Congress will fight to raise the corporate income tax rate out of the simplistic belief that corporations somehow do not pay enough in taxes. But, given what our economy has been through over the last year, we should tread very carefully.

Once again, lets look at FedEx as an example. Besides paying billions of dollars in taxes, FedEx significantly contributes to the U.S. economy by employing almost half a million individuals in America. In addition to those facts, consider where we collectively would have been over the last year if not for the Amazons, UPSs, and FedExes that allowed us to quarantine in our homes while frontline workers delivered the goods we needed. And that is to say nothing of the incredible efficiency with which vaccines have been distributed from manufacturing plants to all 50 states.

Its no secret that tax increases are incredibly harmful to growth. Capital investment gives corporations the ability to plan a long-term strategy to expand their businesses, which is more beneficial to the U.S. economy than handing over millions of dollars to the government in taxes.

When businesses have the funds to reinvest in their operations, that money is used to invest in long-term assets, like the 35 factories that Nike runs in the United States, or the American-made airplanes that FedEx purchases. These investments lead to critical job creation around the country and will be diminished if companies have less money to spend because of higher taxes.

Finally, we should consider the source of these attacks. The propaganda that made its way into Sen. Sanders and his allies Twitter feeds are being pushed by a liberal  dark money group , of the kind that does not disclose their donors names but, according to federal filings, received 90% of its more than $140 million income in 2018 from less than 20 donors. The types of donors who contribute tens of millions of dollars to pet political causes tend to have axes of their own to grind, and their contributions tend to give them a significant say in how that money is spent.

These attacks come as no surprise in the middle of a debate over changes to the federal tax code. But, given the factual basis (or lack thereof) as well as the source, these types of campaigns are designed only to stoke outrage by painting an inaccurate and incomplete picture. There are plenty of problems for Congress to address as we work towards economic recovery, but if this most recent campaign is setting the tone for where Congress is headed, then it is likely to create more problems than it solves.
It was only a month ago when the long-oppressed Cuban people rose up in a historic challenge to the islands brutal regime. The world saw vivid images of Cubans taking to the streets to call for an end to the dictatorship. And thanks to social media, the world actually witnessed the regimes savage crackdown and the courage of the Cuban people. Then, a week later, everything went dark and the world moved on.

What happened?

The Castro-Diaz-Canel regime cut off Internet access, jailed hundreds of protestors, sent their infamous secret police after others, and withheld food, medical care and other essentials from the very people they are supposed to protect. When there was no outcry from the international community, the regime knew it had a free hand to continue its decades of abuse.

From the moment spontaneous protests broke out on July 11, President Bidens pro-engagement advisers waffled between silence and confused messaging before moving on to symbolic sanctions and outright sympathy for the brutal regime. The international community acted no better, simply turning a blind eye.

But here is what the Biden administration, the international elites, and the Cuban dictators do not understand: There is no going back to the pre-July 11 status quo.

The regime hopes Cubans will grow tired and weary, letting the heavy burden of decades of oppression snuff out their hope. There is no way Cubas governing regime can address the grievances of its people because while the protests might be in part due to the COVID crisis, Cubans are demanding political change, basic freedoms, and an end to the dictatorial system.

These are the very people who were indoctrinated from birth by the Castro regime. It is a remarkable turnaround, and speaks to the fundamental failure of Castros so-called revolution. In fact, it is hard to overstate the cultural rejection of the communist revolution.

Just take the informal anthem of the Cuban protestors, a song called Patria y Vida, which means fatherland and life. Created by Afro-Cubans, this new slogan is a direct contradiction to the regimes Patria o Muerte, which means fatherland or death.

Evidence of the Cuban peoples desire for change is everywhere.

Many artists, poets, songwriters, writers, actors, and musicians are speaking out against the regime, depriving the dictatorship of cultural legitimacy. And Afro-Cubans, a long marginalized community on the island nation, are increasingly and defiantly at the forefront.

The only way forward for the Castro-Diaz-Canel regime is brutal oppression enabled unfortunately by American and global indifference. Fellow strongmen in countries like Russia, China, and Venezuela are eager to throw a lifeline to the regime. Nicolas Maduro needs a stable Cuba to continue to prop up his own illegitimate rule, while Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping desperately want an anti-U.S. regime loyal to them only 90 miles from Americas shore.

There is no doubt we need to support the Cuban people. The strategy is common sense and straightforward; in fact, I have outlined the path forward multiple times over the past month.

First, we need to help get Internet access onto the island. While VPN access is good, it is not sufficient to overcome service shutdowns. The United States has the resources and technologies to get uncensored Internet to the Cuban people. Efforts were underway during the Trump administration to do exactly that, but the Biden administration is sitting on those plans.

Second, President Biden needs to use his decades of foreign policy experience to engage our allies and international organizations. The silence of the United Nations and the Organization of American States is stunning. Meanwhile, nations like Mexico and Spain seem eager to give tacit and even material support for the Castro-Diaz-Canel.

Third, the Biden administration needs to coordinate humanitarian efforts, including shipments of food and medicine, with trustworthy organizations and individuals inside the island. Doing so will help sustain the Cuban people, who are at risk of being starved and left to die of treatable illnesses. But it is critical that this aid does not fall into the regimes hands because it will either take credit for securing the aid or use it to coerce compliance.

Unfortunately, President Biden and his administration are taking the complete opposite approach. While imposing sanctions on already sanctioned individuals, the administration is also talking about allowing more remittances to flow into the hands of the dictatorship. Doing so would surely stabilize the flailing regime, but it would be a demoralizing slap in the face to the protestors.

It is time for America and the world to choose: Will they actively support the Cuban people demanding their God-given rights and freedoms, or will they help stabilize the Castro-Diaz-Canel regime?

There is no third way or middle ground.
In recent months, some Americans have been galvanized into action over the teaching of critical race theory, leading to dozens of lawsuits and the passage of multiple state statutes and amendments that have banned the doctrine from public schools. But will those bans survive the inevitable court challenges? As predicted by Greg Lukianoff, president of the civil libertarian Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, and three co-authors, one certainty is that this is just the tip of the iceberg: There are going to be lots of lawsuits.

Key fault lines for any litigation center on basic questions about the scope of the First Amendment; whether the bans are too vague; whether racial discrimination played a role in the development of the legislation; and whether the bans abridge equal-protection rights.

Insofar as the bans relate to the teaching of CRT in colleges and universities, the answer seems straightforward to some critics. As Lukianoff and colleague Bonnie Snyder put it bluntly, they are almost always unconstitutional and are contrary to a free speech culture. Snyder, director of high school programs at FIRE, added in an interview with RealClearPolitics that colleges and universities seek and create new knowledge, and hence they are allowed a great deal of latitude (academic freedom) to test ideas and to challenge existing ones. (FIRE has sharply criticized anti-CRT bills aimed at academia.)

The principle of academic freedom guarantees some degree of autonomy for college professors to choose what they teach and how they teach it, added Frank LoMonte, professor of media law, and a First Amendment expert, at the University of Florida. This usually requires deference to the professional judgment of a professor, who is knowledgeable of their subject, he told RCP. If professors are fired for making a politically controversial statement in the classroom or writing a politically controversial academic article, they would have a good shot of getting their job back.

K-12 schools are a different story. For one thing, K-12 students are legally compelled to attend school. Parents are required to send them. They are also minors, Snyder explained. Contrary to colleges and universities, the purpose of K-12 schools is to transmit existing knowledge, which typically is done according to the community standards in which they reside.

This not only means that state governments have greater authority to set school curricula, but that classroom teachers, who are public employees, have less autonomy in what they impart to students. If you are told to teach in a certain manner, then your only response can be, Aye, aye, captain, LoMonte said. Academic freedom does not extend to the K-12 classroom.

The disjuncture between the relative freedom of higher education and the restrictions of K-12 schools has not gone unnoticed by activists on either side. Conservative writer Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, believes the current mode of challenging CRT in higher education is insufficient. My preference is for state legislation to focus on K-12 schools, where ... the bans will pass constitutional muster and will protect children from state-sanctioned racism, he told RCP. I believe the problem in universities will not be solved with this kind of legislation; lawmakers must consider deeper structural reforms in order to confront the entrenched ideological bureaucracies in many public university systems, he added.

While the contours of a First Amendment claim against the bans seem straightforward, one of the strongest arguments is how vague the bans are  and consequently how difficult they would be to enforce. Several critics have asserted that it is questionable  in the case of a Tennessee law  whether a teacher will have violated the law for declaring either Stalinism or Nazism to be evil.

Lukianoff and Snyder dismiss this concern. Due to the limited First Amendment rights of K-12 teachers, a vagueness claim does not apply much to the context of K-12 teaching, they and their fellow authors wrote. While a vague law does not make it wise, a vague law cannot be struck down for infringing rights that dont exist.

LoMonte disagrees. Even in a public school setting, one can still bring a vagueness claim as a violation of due process rather than as a violation of free speech rights, he said. Which is to say, even if teachers have zero First Amendment rights in the classroom, they always have a due process right not to be fired for mysterious reasons that they can't understand. Because governments cannot act in arbitrary and irrational ways, if a CRT ban is so open-ended and subjective that a principal or superintendent can just pluck you out a class one day and say, You're a CRT violator, out you go, then that's probably vague for due process purposes, he said.

Challenges to the bans will likely come from racial discrimination claims. As noted by American Civil Liberties Union attorney Emerson Sykes, hints of racial animus and discrimination in statements by legislators may play a role in future lawsuits.

According to LoMonte, while a racial discrimination claim would have to be fact- and evidence-specific, a controversial Arizona court case provides a possible road map. In 2010, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill outlawing a Mexican American studies curriculum in Tucson under the stated intent of stopping race-based resentment and unpatriotic learning. Later, in 2012, the state banned seven books related to the curricula from public schools. In a 2017 U.S. Circuit Court ruling, the ban was deemed unconstitutional and motivated by ethnic bias.

In order to bring a racial discrimination claim against the CRT bans, you would need there to be some overt statements by lawmakers that a court could find as an unmistakable sign of ethnic or racial motivation. If you have those facts, then that's the way to go, LoMonte said.

Finally, equal protection claims might be invoked, but experts say they are the most difficult to establish, largely due to the standards of proof required. According to LoMonte, a lawsuit would have to prove both racially motivated mistreatment and that a specific race was being denied the benefit of a CRT curriculum for which they were the intended beneficiary. But because classes that introduce CRT-related ideas are directed at curricula, and not at particular students, it will be difficult to make the case that one race was uniquely singled out for differentially discriminatory treatment, he said.

It's just going to be tougher as a matter of factual proof, he said.
As overreach in classrooms by progressive school administrators, nonprofits and the federal government has reached new heights, parents are stepping up to fight back.

Moms for Liberty, Informed Parents of California, EdFirstNC, NJ Parental Rights, No Left Turn in Education and Parents Against Critical Theory are just a few of the hundreds of new parent groups that have emerged across the country in recent months. Many parents have become education activists because of schools failure to bring children back into the classroom or their continued imposition of mask mandates.

Others are engaging because of the content being taught. Whether its age-inappropriate sex education, critical race theory, or anti-American history, parents are seeing more of what their children are learningthanks to COVIDs virtual learningand they dont like it. As a result, parents are organizing, speaking out, and pushing back, and they are having a noticeable impact.

Some of the most effective efforts have begun with individual parents who reached a boiling point and decided to speak out. Mom and investigative journalist A.P. Dillon helped expose critical race theory training in Wake County, N.C., public schools. Elana Fishbein was a lone parent in Lower Marion, Pa., who objected to content in her childrens curriculum, which, in her words, described whiteness as an entitlement to steal land, garner riches, and get special treatment on equity and race. That letter reached a national audience when Tucker Carlson invited her onto his Fox News Channel show.

Andrew Gutmann also made national news when he sent a letter to 650 families criticizing New York Citys Brearley School, which his daughter attended, for its obsession with race and for desecrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Meanwhile, the 11-minute takedown of a Putnam County, N.Y., school board by Tatiana Ibrahim has well over 1 million views on YouTube.

Individual parents speaking out have helped to kick off what is proving to be a rapidly growing parent revolt. They have helped to galvanize others who were either unaware of the bad content or too afraid to speak out. After Elana Fishbein appeared on Carlsons show, hundreds of parents across the country reached out to her on social media. And today No Left Turn in Education has 35 chapters across the country and is growing.

When Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice finished their terms as school board members in Florida, they decided to form Moms for Liberty to teach parents how to serve as watchdogs of their local schools boards. When they established the organization in January of this year, they had intended it to serve as a statewide entity in Florida. But today, just over six months later, they have 65 chapters nationwide and have more applications for new chapters.

Wherever these parent groups have emerged, they are finding creative ways to challenge the attempted progressive takeover of K-12 education. Sloan Rachmuth, founder of EdFirstNC, has held webinars and in-person events to educate parents on how the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction rewrote the social studies standards for K-12 based on critical race theory. Patti Hidalgo Menders, a mother of five boys in Loudoun County, Va., read aloud to school board members obscene passages from Tiffany D. Jacksons Mondays Not Coming and Gretchen McNeils #Murder Trending.

Educating parents is a critical part of the work. As Hannah Smith, a newly elected board member in Texas explained, There were a lot of people who had, by their own admission, just kind of fallen asleep. They just thought weve got these award-winning schools, weve got this awesome community, everythings going well. I dont need to show up at board meetings. I dont need to be worried about whats happening in the schools.

In addition to raising the alarm about whats happening in the schools, parent groups are challenging school boards through recalls  for example in Loudoun County and San Francisco  and by actively running candidates for school board, with some notable successes.

When the Carroll, Texas, Independent School District introduced a Cultural Competence Action Plan, which would require social justice training and establish a diversity and inclusion week, at the cost of $3 million over 10 years, local father Cameron Bryan decided to run for school board and won. As Bob Lubke, from Civitas, has written, Historically, conservatives have not been as vocal about down-ballot races. Thats a mistake. Education is often the largest expenditure for state and local government. Local school board members not only make budget and policy decisions that impact the day-to-day operations of how our schools are financed and administered but also how our children are educated. Few local positions are as consequential.

With the growing anger over the indoctrination of their children, parents have become much more engaged in school board elections, and it is having an impact: In 2021, the number of board member recalls has more than doubled from previous years, according to Ballotpedia.

Parents are also initiating lawsuits as an important tool in their fight against overly progressive schools. According to John Murawski at RealClearInvestigations, about a dozen lawsuits and administrative complaints have been filed since 2018. A new wave of lawsuits is being driven by the recent surge of concern among parents over critical race theory and its implementation in schools.

The first lawsuit against CRT was filed on Dec. 22, 2020, in Nevada. Gabrielle Clark and her son William brought the suit on the grounds that the school violated Williams free speech and due process rights. According to the No Left Turn in Education website: the Sociology of Change teaching in his civic classes required him to publicly reveal his race, gender, religious, and sexual identities, and then attach derogatory labels such as privileged or oppressor to those identities. Students were then asked to undo and unlearn their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that stem from oppression. William and his mother objected, and he was punished with a failing grade and his graduation was at risk.

The lawsuit was brought by a coalition of organizations, led by The Discovery Institute's Center on Wealth and Poverty, with support from the Upper Midwest Law Center, Schoolhouserights.org, and others. According to CRT expert Chris Rufo, several more lawsuits are in preparation.

On June 20, Patti Hidalgo Menders, Scott Mineo and several others, represented by the Liberty Justice Center, filed a lawsuit against the Loudoun County School Board (Menders v. Loudoun County School Board). On June 23, 2020, LCPS published its Action Plan to Combat Systemic Racism. The plan included the creation of a Student Ambassador Equity Program, which was only open to students of color and those with a passion for social justice. The lawsuit also states, The Share, Speak-up, Speak-out meetings in which Student Equity Ambassadors are entitled to take part are not an everyday opportunity for student/faculty engagement. Rather they are part of an explicit initiative to stifle speech under the guise of eliminating bias.

While 26 states have introduced or passed bills to reject the teaching of critical race theory, it will likely be the courts that ultimately decide whether it fundamentally violates American principles, and even in that process, the role of parents will be pivotal. As John Yoo, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, recently said, I think that what's going to happen is that there have to be more parents, more communities involved, challenging these kinds of efforts to use race explicitly in the schools or in their local governments, and those will generate the cases that get to the Supreme Court. And the Supreme Court can make clear, as I think it should, that race is just never to be used in the government and in state and local at all, for whatever reason, whether it's allegedly benign or it's for malign reasons.

The bottom line is that education in America will likely never be the same, thanks to the Great Parent Revolt of 2021, and thats good news. For decades, many parents have outsourced the raising of their children to the schools, trusting that administrators, school board members, and teachers would share their values. We blindly believed that schools would care about our children as much as we do. We believed that if the teaching went astray, if the books were inappropriate, or if the civics and history were a little un-American, what we did at home would serve as a gentle correction and all would be well. The past two years have taught us how wrong we were.

Thankfully parents are reengaging in their childrens education and reasserting their rightful place in decisions about curriculum and content. The question will be whether their efforts are strong enough and sufficiently sustained to win the battle against the radical tide of educators, nonprofits and federal education bureaucrats who are working to rewrite American history.

Correction: An earlier version of this article mistakenly said the Southeastern Legal Foundation participated the lawsuit against CRT filed in Nevada.
South Korean boy band Stray Kids is gearing up to release its new album.

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The K-pop group shared a track list for the album, titled Noeasy, on Wednesday.

Noeasy features the title track "Thunderous" and 13 other songs: "Cheese," "Domino," "Ssick," "The View," Sorry, I Love You, Silent Cry, Secret Secret, Star Lost, Red Lights, Surfin', Gone Away, Wolfgang" and "Oh."

Stray Kids also released new teaser photos featuring Han and Felix.

Stray Kids released track teasers for several songs from Noeasy over the past two weeks. The group shared a teaser featuring Lee Know, Changbin and Felix for the song "Surfin'" on Tuesday and one featuring Bang Chan and Hyunjin for the song "Compulsion" last week.

Stray Kids will release Noeasy on Aug. 23. Noeasy is the group's first full album since Go Live, released in June 2020. The group released a repackaged version of the album in September 2020.

Stray Kids consists of Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and I.N. The group made its debut in 2018.
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Paul Bragdon, Who Led Reed Through Crisis of the 70s, Dies at 94

With faith in Reeds intellectual underpinnings, he stabilized the colleges finances and restored its place at the forefront of higher education.

By Chris Lydgate 90 |

Paul E. Bragdon, who served as president of Reed for 17 years during some of the most tumultuous times of the colleges history, died in Portland on August 7, 2021, of causes related to Alzheimers. He was 94 years old.

Bragdon led Reed through a period of intense turmoil, arriving on campus in 1971 when the college teetered on the edge of insolvency. Under his guidance, the college stabilized its finances, rejuvenated the academic program, dramatically expanded support for students outside the classroom, and became a leader in the use of technology in the liberal arts. The admission office, which had existed in name only, was resurrected. The college built the studio arts building and the Vollum Center, and added a new wing to the Hauser Library. But Bragdons most important legacy was both less tangible and more far-reaching. In the era of Vietnam and Watergate, when college campuses became intellectual battlegrounds, when authority figures were regarded with suspicion, and when the relevance of the humanities themselves came under fire, he restored a sense of trust and purpose.

In addition to Reed, Bragdon led three other Portland institutions through critical periods: the Medical Research Foundation of Oregon, the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology, and Lewis & Clark College.

Paul became president of Reed at an especially difficult moment in the college's history, with multiple challenges that led some to question Reed's viability, says President Audrey Bilger. With Nancy by his side, Paul's caring and stalwart leadership allowed the Reed community to regain its strength and continue to offer its distinctive education in the liberal arts and sciences to the thousands of students who have chosen to enroll.

After stepping down from the presidency in 1988, Bragdon led three other Portland institutions through critical periods: the Medical Research Foundation of Oregon, the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology, and Lewis & Clark College. But it was undoubtedly at Reed where he had the greatest impact.

Paul Bragdon snatched Reed from the brink of disaster and put it on a solid footing, says Prof. Lena Lencek [Russian 1977-present]. He introduced a system of accountability that stood the college in good stead going forward, and he reestablished its credibility with the East Coast establishment and with funding sources. He really performed a Herculean task in moving Reed out of one league into another. Bragdon was a real mensch.

Quotes on Bragdon Paul became president of Reed at an especially difficult moment in the college's history, with multiple challenges that led some to question Reed's viability. With Nancy by his side, Paul's caring and stalwart leadership allowed the Reed community to regain its strength and continue to offer its distinctive education in the liberal arts and sciences to the thousands of students who have chosen to enroll. President Audrey Bilger Paul Bragdon snatched Reed from the brink of disaster and put it on a solid footing. He introduced a system of accountability that stood the college in good stead going forward, and he reestablished its credibility with the East Coast establishment and with funding sources. He really performed a Herculean task in moving Reed out of one league into another. Bragdon was a real mensch. Prof. Lena Lencek [Russian 1977-present] To say that Paul Bragdon was a major figure in the history of the college would be a gross understatement. What he accomplished in bringing Reed back to a position of institutional strength and stability was nothing short of miraculous. Importantly, he did so while keeping a clear-eyed and unwavering commitment to the defining pillars of the college: an intellectually-oriented student body and a faculty deeply dedicated to teaching such a student body. Our collective debt to Paul was, and remains, virtually incalculable. Prof. Peter Steinberger [political science 1977-present] One of Pauls greatest accomplishments was earning the support of Portland-area business leaders like John Gray, Dick Wollenberg, Don Frisbee, and Ed Cooley, who provided formidable financial and strategic support for the College. When I came to Reed as president, I was a bit concerned to discover that my longest-serving predecessor lived literally down the street. I feared he would be constantly looking over my shoulder. But Paul never once offered unsolicited criticism, only solicited advice and endless encouragement. Paul and Nancy were living, constant inspirations to me and my wife Joan. Striving to live up to their example was never easy, in fact impossible, but always worth the effort. Former President Colin Diver [2002-12]

To say that Paul Bragdon was a major figure in the history of the college would be a gross understatement, says Prof. Peter Steinberger [political science 1977-present]. What he accomplished in bringing Reed back to a position of institutional strength and stability was nothing short of miraculous. Importantly, he did so while keeping a clear-eyed and unwavering commitment to the defining pillars of the college: an intellectually-oriented student body and a faculty deeply dedicated to teaching such a student body. Our collective debt to Paul was, and remains, virtually incalculable.

Bragdon was born in 1927 in Portland, Maine; his father was a travelling salesman; his mother was a homemaker who made fudge to help the family through the Depression. He joined the Marine Corps at the age of 17 and was being drilled for the planned US invasion of Japan when President Truman dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima. After the war, the GI Bill made it possible for him to attend college, becoming the first in his family to do so. He earned a degree in political science from Amherst College and a law degree from Yale.

While practicing law in New York City, he became a leader in a grassroots reform movement in the Manhattan Democratic Party, aligned with Eleanor Roosevelt and former Senator Herbert Lehman. In 1958, he filed a primary challenge to the Tammany Hall candidate in the 8th district of the New York State Assembly, located on the upper east side of Manhattan. Bragdon and his insurgents ran a shoe-leather campaign, canvassing door-to-door to listen to constituents, many of whom had ties to Eastern Europe; the Tammany machine responded by sending bulldozers and backhoes to tear up the sidewalk outside Bragdons campaign headquarters. Bragdon prevailed in the primary but lost the general election with 49% of the vote.

Bragdon worked as press secretary for Robert Wagner, the progressive Mayor of New York City, and later served as vice president for public affairs at New York University before coming to Reed with his wife Nancy, an expert on child development, and their three children David, Susan, and Peter, in 1971.

They found a campus beset by troubles. The faculty was deeply divided after bitter debates over Humanities 110 and the Black Studies Program. Attrition was high. The admissions office was a fiction. The college had chewed through three presidents in four years. And the financial situation was perilous. The endowment had dwindled to $4.4 million, barely the size of the annual budget. In the public announcement of Bragdons appointment, the trustees noted the extreme need to obtain more operating income for the college.

In private, the assessments were stark. There was gossip in higher education that Reed was either bankrupt or going bankrupt, Bragdon said in an interview for the oral history project in 2003. The truth was, there was no liquidity; the college was dependent on tuition and the number of students who came.

Early in his tenure, the colleges treasurer, Lloyd Peterson told him that the college would soon run out of money. In eighteen months its all over unless something happens to change this situation, he recalled Peterson saying. Then the investigation will begin about how this came about.

Presiding at the first meeting of the faculty that year, Bragdon reaffirmed his commitment to Reeds tradition of academic excellence and declared his conviction that the college could make a comebackif it renewed the curriculum, strengthened student support, and maintained its high standards.

It was a critical moment. The barons of the faculty, who had kept the flame of Reed alive through years of shoestring budgets, were suspicious of any move that smacked of administrative expansion. But Bragdons steady hand inspired confidence. That year, supporters gave Reed $750,000. Three years later, the annual total was $2.4 million. The endowment, which stood at $4.4 million, swelled to $16 million; a feat made possible because Bragdon resisted the temptation to spend major gifts immediately, and instead put them in the endowment, where they would generate income forever. In the 1980s, Bragdon launched Reeds first capital campaign, raising a remarkable $65 million.

One of Pauls greatest accomplishments was earning the support of Portland-area business leaders like John Gray, Dick Wollenberg, Don Frisbee, and Ed Cooley, who provided formidable financial and strategic support for the college, says former President Colin Diver, who served as president of Reed from 2002 to 2012.

Bragdon worked hard to communicate openly with trustees, professors, and students, even when the message was not what they wanted to hear. I thought it was very important that I speak to all constituencies in such a way that there would be a common understanding of what the situation was, what our goals were, he said.

As the financial crisis eased, Reed was able to strengthen support for students, faculty, and the campus environment. The first fully funded chairs were created and a program of visiting professorships was introduced. Reed embraced technology and became a leader in the use of computers in the humanities. The curriculum was expanded to include more offerings in Spanish, Chinese, art, and art history. The Senior Symposium, a fixture of the curriculum in earlier years, was restored as an elective.

This momentum allowed Reed to construct a new studio arts building and Vollum College Centerwith a big lecture hall, classrooms, and faculty offices. Construction began on a major addition to the Hauser Library, including the Cooley Art Gallery. The college purchased an apartment complex adjoining campus and renamed it the Reed Campus Apartments.

Bragdon also led the move to professionalize the administration of the college. When he arrived, many key functions, from admissions to student support to career counseling, were essentially run by the faculty in their spare time. Sometimes this was a happy arrangement, but in many cases the professors were given neither the training nor the necessary resourcesa recipe for burnout. Under Bragdon, many of these functions were transferred to administrators, which gave professors more time to focus on teaching and research, but which also distanced them from day-to-day decisions about how the college operated.

Bragdon also championed the expansion of student services from individual crisis response toward a coordinated effort to improve the quality of students lives outside the classroom. These stepssome of the most significant actions of Bragdons tenuregenerated immediate controversy. Critics accused him of nannying students and violating Reeds tradition of student autonomy. Nonetheless, the increased emphasis on wellbeing, counseling, career advising, tutoring, and other support paid off. The four-year graduation ratewhich was less than 25% when Bragdon arrivedimproved to 42% when he departed.

Bragdon navigated Reed through periods of intense social unrest. In 1971-72, students took over Eliot Hall to protest the Vietnam War. In 1985-86, they protested against Reeds investments in US multinationals that did business in South Africa and locked Bragdon out of his own office for several days. In each case, Bragdon shouldered the Sisyphean task of finding common ground among protestors and trustees.

Even in adversity, Bragdon never lost faith in Reed students. In the mid-80s, he was the subject of a biting satire in the Quest casting him as a power-crazed mafia don. A few weeks later, he and Nancy were driving to campus for a reception when they spotted the author of the column, Marty Smith 88, who had run out of gas on SE 28th Avenue, blocking traffic. The Bragdons pulled over, hopped out, and helped Marty push his vehiclea lumbering Dodge Dartto the curb. Then they lent Marty the keys to their car and continued to campus on foot.

No account of Bragdons time at Reed would be authentic without Nancy Bragdon. An accomplished child-development expert and author in her own right, she taught at Portland Community College and served on the staff of Portland Arts and Lectures. She also played a critical role behind the scenes, as did so many women in Reeds history, developing vital relationships on campus with students, professors, and staff; her warm, outgoing personality was the ideal counterweight to Pauls New England reserve. It was she who helped Paul grasp what some senior professors refused to acknowledgethat many students werent thriving at Reed because they werent getting enough support. This was not a theoretical issue to the Bragdons; they made their basement availablerent freeto generations of students in need of crash space.

After leaving Reed in 1988, Bragdon served as director of educational policy and planning to the Governor of Oregon, and then as president of the Medical Research Foundation of Oregon (MRF), which supported biomedical research. He engineered a merger of the MRF with Oregon Health & Science University, strengthening both institutions.

Soon thereafter, the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology (OGI) hired him as president to confront a financial crisis. Bragdon applied many of the lessons of his time at Reed, establishing stability, putting financial and budgetary controls in place, reorganizing the administration, and developing a new strategic plan that ultimately led to the merger of OGI into OHSU as the OGI School of Science and Engineering at OHSU.

In 2004, OHSU conferred on him the honorary degree of Doctor of Science. His vision has laid a basis for the Medical Research Foundation, the Oregon National Primate Research Center, and the Oregon Graduate Institute to play critical roles in Oregon Health and Sciences Universityandthe mission of each component has further strengthened the mission of the whole, creating an irresistible force of advocacy for education and science research

Bragdon also received honorary degrees from Reed, Amherst College, Whitman College, Lewis & Clark College, and Pacific University. In 1987, he was selected as one of the 100 most effective college presidents in the nation in a study by James L. Fisher, president emeritus of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and author of Power of the Presidency (1984) and coauthor with Martha Tack and Karen J. Wheeler of The Effective College President (1988).

In retirement, Bragdon invested more time in his role as founding chair of the Library Foundation, established to support the Multnomah County Library, which was then engaged in adding new branches and renovating the historic central library. He was later honored by the Library Foundation with the creation of the Paul E. Bragdon Library Leadership Award; he was named as its first recipient.

Bragdon was tapped to be interim president of Lewis & Clark College in 2004, after the unexpected resignation of its previous president; he served in that role for a year, steering that college through a critical phase in its development.

Long after he left Eliot Hall, Paul and Nancy held a special place in the Reed community.

Soon after I arrived at the college, I visited Paul and Nancy in their Portland home, says President Bilger. Paul's care for the college, his deep commitment to Reed students, and his abiding faith in the power of education were palpable. He shared stories of his long history at Reed and particularly fond memories involving the many Reed students who lived at the Bragdon family home with their three children. Pauls primary intention, however, was in how he could help and support me in my new role.

When I came to Reed as president, I was a bit concerned to discover that my longest-serving predecessor lived literally down the street, says former President Colin Diver. I feared he would be constantly looking over my shoulder. But Paul never once offered unsolicited criticism, only solicited advice and endless encouragement. Paul and Nancy were living, constant inspirations to me and my wife Joan. Striving to live up to their example was never easy, in fact impossible, but always worth the effort.

In 1998, more than 300 well-wishers descended on campus to celebrate the opening of a spacious brand new residence hall on the North side of the Reed Canyon that was named Bragdon Halla fitting tribute to his profound impact on Reed and on the lives of thousands of alumni whose education would not have been possible without him.

Never one to toot his own horn, Bragdon always credited others when he talked about Reeds accomplishments. In his final meetings with the faculty and board of trustees, he cited the foundation laid by the common effort through the years, and expressed his confidence that the best years for Reed lie still ahead.

He is survived by his wife Nancy and their children Susan, Peter, and David (MALS 10) and grandchildren Annie, Grace, Jane, Emily, and Matthew.

Tags: Editor's Picks, Giving Back to Reed, Institutional, Obituaries, Reed History
People turned out for the 5th annual Back to School backpack giveaway at the Brattleboro, Vt., Auto Mall on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. The event was co-sponsored by TPI Staffing and the Brattleboro Reformer. TPI Staffing provided a touch-a-truck experience, with different types of heavy const
Rosa Cabello and her boys, Isaac and Anthony Morrissette, enjoy burgers and dogs during the backpack giveaway at Auto Mall in 2018.

Back by popular demand, AutoMall will hold its annual Back to School backpack giveaway event Aug. 18 from 4 to 6 p.m. at its Putney Road dealership.

The event, now in its fifth year, is co-sponsored by TPI Staffing and the Brattleboro Reformer.
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DEAR ABBY: My husband and I are newlyweds and share an apartment with another couple because we ran into financial difficulties, and this was our only option. The problem is the other couple has two dogs they expect us to take care of while they're at work.

My husband and I get home two hours earlier than they do in the evening, and they have become accustomed to our generosity in occasionally taking the dogs out and walking them. They now expect us to do it every day, and get angry and nasty if we don't. Please help. -- IN THE DOGHOUSE IN GEORGIA

DEAR IN THE DOGHOUSE: You and your roommates appear to have a communication problem. Speak up. Tell them you dislike their palming off the responsibility for walking their animals and you won't be doing it anymore. Then remind them that while you were willing to do an occasional favor, you do not appreciate their attitude of entitlement. You are not their built-in dog walkers. You only have to occupy the "doghouse" if you allow yourself to be put in one.

DEAR ABBY: I have never told anyone about this. I was molested by my pastor when I was 8, and again when I was 14. I see a doctor because of depression and PTSD. My doctor doesn't know, and I don't want my family to know. I don't even know if the pastor is still alive. Should I tell my doctor or just let it go? I have heard about priests doing this, but I was going to a Pentecostal church. -- MALE READER IN KENTUCKY

DEAR MALE READER: It is very important for your mental health that you tell your doctor everything you have disclosed to me, because what happened to you is likely the cause of your depression and PTSD. Do this, not only for yourself, but also because it may help other young people who belong to that church and who also may have been molested by that predator.

DEAR ABBY: Is it appropriate to use dental floss in public? When my mom eats out, she uses dental floss while she is still at the table or while walking out of the restaurant. She thinks she's being discreet, but what she's doing is obvious.

When I ask her to stop, she says she can't stand having food in her teeth. I tell her to go into the restroom or do it outside, but she does neither and continues to floss. I'm hoping she'll listen to you and that you will back me up. -- ELLEN IN THE USA

DEAR ELLEN: I agree that flossing one's teeth in public is unsightly and something that should be done in private. If it becomes necessary, it should be done in the restroom. (Need I add that if there is mouth-rinsing, the sink should be cleaned afterward and any detritus stuck to the mirror removed?)

Reader claims many obituaries missing key information

DEAR ABBY: This may seem inconsequential, but there seems to be a growing trend of omitting a woman's maiden name in obituaries. As someone in my 70s, I read the obits more often, but I know I have missed opportunities to send condolences and offer childhood stories to family members of former playmates because I didn't know their married names. Often, parents are just mentioned as "deceased." It's as though the woman's life did not begin until she got married.

I have sent cards to many of the families of male classmates, but only to a handful of the females'. I realize that column space in newspapers is expensive but, surely, a name and perhaps even the mention of a high school wouldn't be a problem. -- MISSED CONDOLENCES

DEAR MISSED: If this is a "trend," it hasn't hit my local newspaper. The contents of obituaries are provided by the deceased's family unless the person is a celebrity -- in which case the article is written in advance by a reporter. If the maiden names of the women who died are missing, it is probably because they weren't mentioned by the grieving relatives.

DEAR ABBY: I'm a private duty nurse in my 50s and have two grown children. It's hard work. I have one big problem, which is very embarrassing. I used to work in a hospital and, because of the hectic work schedule, I had to eat fast. Our lunch break was only 30 minutes, and I had to stand in line to get my food. I never broke the habit.

I was eating at a restaurant recently and some people sitting across from me commented about it. The man said, "She eats like she's starving!" Now I feel insecure about going out to eat. Can you make a suggestion? I don't like takeout. -- FAST EATER IN TEXAS

DEAR FAST EATER: I do have one. When you take a bite of food, make a conscious effort to chew it 10 times. It will slow you down and it's better for your digestion. However, if you are unable to do that, then I suggest you stop listening to rude comments aimed in your direction by strangers.

P.S. Having a small snack an hour before mealtime may help you to eat more slowly because you won't be quite as hungry.

DEAR ABBY: Recently, family members have started texting to inform me about personal, private matters. When they do, I text back, which sometimes leads to lengthy paragraphs. I wish they'd just call me! I'm beginning to wonder if that's what they are avoiding. I should add that I am not feuding with my family. Am I wrong? -- PERPLEXED IN CONNECTICUT

DEAR PERPLEXED: No, you are not wrong. People have become so enamored of their electronic devices they seem to have forgotten that sometimes it's more efficient to just TALK to the other party. I know from personal experience that emailing and texting can take far more time than a spoken conversation.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Christopher J. Tuccio has seen students graduate from his horticulture program and pursue careers at medical marijuana dispensaries in Connecticut or recreational dispensaries in Massachusetts.

Now, students at Naugatuck Valley Community College may take a course that will teach them how to grow marijuana plants.

The college joins a number of higher education institutions in the state, including UConn, offering cannabis-related courses.

We were kind of offering plant-growing skills and they have to adapt on the job, said Tuccio, program coordinator of horticulture and a professor of horticulture in the community colleges STEM division. Now, its really useful. We can specially train them for the jobs that are out there, which is quite a lot right now.

Called Horticulture of Cannabis, the course is the same as the one offered at Quinebaug Valley Community College in Danielson, which began offering a cannabis studies program last year.

Really the course teaches everything from soil nutrition, plant nutrition, pest identification, and then all the way up through cultivation of the cannabis plant itself and then harvesting, Tuccio said. It's kind of an A to Z approach.

A few licensed growing operations approached the horticulture program about a partnership in 2013, after the state approved medical marijuana, Tucci said. But the college held off because the stigma against pot was greater, he said.

Since then, UConn and Quinebaug offered courses related to marijuana and the state legalized recreational use. Retail sales are expected to begin late next year.

Other cannabis courses

UConn launched the countrys first university class on the fundamentals of cannabis horticulture in 2019, and this summer began offering online courses for the public in basic and advanced cannabis growing. UConn said it wanted the larger public to have access to the industrys financial opportunities.

Gerald Gerry Berkowitz, professor of plant science in UConns College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, helped develop the universitys courses and partnerships in the industry.

Our students see career potential and want to gain experience, he told UConn in the spring when the courses were announced. Businesses need highly trained scientists to support the growth of this industry, and they are seeking talented graduates to enter their workforce. By offering more and more targeted courses, we can help both groups. Its a win-win.

Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic will begin offering a hemp cultivation minor in the fall and could expand the program as an interdisciplinary major in the future. Students will focus on hemp plants, not marijuana, which has higher levels of THC, the compound that makes users high.

Since Naugatuck Valley Community College announced its course, medical dispensaries and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven have contacted Tuccio about tours or guest speakers. Law offices are interested in the legal components, he said.

Right now were at the ground floor of the industry in the state, Tuccio said. Over the past couple years we've seen our neighbors, like, for example, Massachusetts, be interested in it, and its really helpful for our students to have a designation of skill on their resumes of specifically cannabis cultivation and growing operations, so they can market themselves to these growers.

An average of 60 to 70 students are in the horticulture program at Naugatuck Valley Community College, which has a main campus in Waterbury and another campus in Danbury. About 20 percent transfer to UConns program.

A lot of them just go right into the field, Tuccio said.

Focus on the science

The course is one of the electives students in the horticulture program may take. Its intended for horticulture students only. Although there are no prerequisites, its recommended that students take a greenhouse course before or while taking this class, Tuccio said.

We have to be careful within the community college system and our campuses because we do have a vulnerable population of young students that we want to ensure we're maintaining an integrity of the academic process and the scientific engagement of the curriculum, he said. Its very important to us to always see it through that lens. This is a horticulture science course, and its meant to be run that way.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 19 students have signed up, he said. Theres room for 24 students. The course is offered as a pilot and is all online.

Tuccio said he sees a lot of potential in the industry. If the course is successful, the college may consider creating a cannabis certificate similar to Quinebaugs or offering specialized certificates in other horticulture sectors.

I don't want to provide the image that this is some sort of magical plant that's going to cure sort of everything with tax revenue and peoples jobs etc, he said. But its going to offer a lot of people a lot of good job opportunities.
H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media

NEW MILFORD  The town is opening its cooling centers again as August heats up.

The centers will open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday and stay open through Friday, according to a notice posted on the towns website. Seniors are encouraged to go to the Senior Center, while all other residents are asked to go to the E. Paul Martin Room at Town Hall.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  COVID-19 cases have filled so many Florida hospital beds that ambulance services and fire departments are straining to respond to emergencies.

In St. Petersburg, some patients wait inside ambulances for up to an hour before hospitals can admit them  a process that usually takes about 15 minutes, Pinellas County Administrator Barry Burton said.

While ambulances sit outside emergency rooms, they are essentially off the grid.

Theyre not available to take another call, which forces the fire department on scene at an accident or something to take that transport. Thats caused quite a backlog for the system.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the state has surpassed 20,000 for its 7-day average of new cases, a day after the federal agency misreported numbers given by the Florida Department of Health by combining data from the last three days into two.

Hospitalizations rose by more than 1,100 on Tuesday to 14,787 patients with COVID-19, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. More than 47% of ICU beds were taken by about 3,000 coronavirus patients. That number has nearly tripled in the last three weeks.

At no other time during the pandemic have intensive care units seen a percentage of COVID patients as high as in the last two days. Last year around mid-July, the percentage edged to 45% with about 1,400 patients. Officials ramped up beds at hospitals and at their peak reported about 2,500 ICU patients at a time. At the height of last years summer surge, Florida had about 10,170 COVID-19 hospitalizations overall.

Burton stressed that the most serious non-COVID cases, such as heart attacks and strokes, still get prompt attention in emergency rooms. And he says the county is working with fire rescue officials to find more ambulances and have extra staff on hand. But that really taxes on already overstressed fire and rescue staff, he warned.

Nearly 70% of Florida hospitals are expecting critical staffing shortage in the next seven days, according to the Florida Hospital Association. The COVID-19 influx is also hitting as Florida hospitals are seeing unusually high numbers of very ill non-COVID patients, said the association's president Mary Mayhew.

Our front line health care heroes are finding themselves stretched thin and physical and mental exhaustion is taking its toll, she said, noting that many of those hospitalized are in their 20s and 30s.

Although numbers are spiking, its unlikely hospitals in the state will run out of brick and mortar spaces for patients beds, said Justin Senior, head of Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, which represents some of the largest hospital systems in the state. He said thats because many of Floridas hospitals can convert everything from conference rooms to ambulatory centers into COVID units.

Kevin Cho Tipton, a critical care nurse practitioner for two South Florida hospitals, said teams in the emergency rooms and ICUs are exhausted. He is seeing cases where family members who were unvaccinated get sick together and end up being admitted to the hospital.

Tipton said he recently treated a young father who was put on life support. The man's wife also was fighting an infection in the hospital, and the woman's father was later admitted and put on ventilator. The young father died.

Every person we lose is painful, but having to walk down the hallways to tell his wife who was also admitted and worrying about their children at home was even more difficult," Tipton said. Her father, who was taking care of her kids at home, ended up being admitted as well.

Officials have said the surge brought on by the delta variant of COVID-19 is mostly among the unvaccinated. And it comes as children across Florida are heading back to school. Classroom instruction begins this week in the heavily populated regions around Tampa, Jacksonville and Orlando.

Most students in South Florida head back to school next week.

In Leon County, Superintendent Rocky Hanna, working with district leaders and parents, moved to require masks for pre-K through 12 and remove the medical exemption, opting for parental exemption for the first day of school, WTXL-TV reports. The new rule passed unanimously.

Children will be given a parental opt-out form on the first day of school and have until next week to turn it in. The form will also be emailed to parents immediately.

The Broward County school board held a meeting on Tuesday and approved a mask mandate for children in schools, going against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration, which has attempted to block schools from imposing such mandates.

The state Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran sent a letter on Monday to two school districts  in Leon and Alachua counties  saying their adopted policy appeared not to comply with the new rules. He demanded a response and said he may recommend the state's Board of Education withhold the salaries of the superintendent and school board members.

DeSantis' spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said Broward County's mask policy appears to be similar to the two other counties, adding it's safe to assume Broward has opened itself up to a similar response.
The Senate's $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan includes a $65 billion investment in broadband that the White House says will deliver reliable, affordable, high-speed internet to every household."

It may not actually achieve that, but it's a major step in that direction. The broadband funding is a great down payment on the Biden administrations far-reaching goals of connecting all Americans and making internet more affordable, said Matt Wood, a broadband policy expert at the consumer advocacy group Free Press. Critically important is $14 billion aimed at helping low-income Americans pay for service.

The digital divide  the persistent U.S. gap between the broadband haves and have-nots  became glaringly obvious during the pandemic as school, work and health care shifted online. Tens of millions either don't have internet access or, if they do have access to a local phone or cable company, can't afford to pay for it.

More radical industry changes laid out in the Biden administration's original $100 billion plan, like promoting alternatives to the dominant phone and cable industries and hinting at price regulation, didn't survive bipartisan negotiations over a bill that had to attract Republican support. Among the bill's big winners, in fact, are those same internet service providers.

The Senate passed the $1 trillion infrastructure bill Tuesday, 69-30, with support from both Democrats and Republicans. The House is expected to consider it in September.

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

The Federal Communications Commission says about 14 million Americans dont have access to broadband at the speeds necessary to work and study online  25 megabits per second downloads and 3 mbps uploads  but acknowledges that its maps are faulty. Outside groups have made higher estimates.

Phone and cable companies don't have incentives to build internet infrastructure in rural areas, where customers are sparser and they may not make their money back. That's traditionally where government subsidies to the industry have come into play: About $47 billion to rural internet from 2009 through 2017, and an additional $20 billion for rural broadband over the next decade and another $9 billion for high-speed wireless internet called 5G in sparsely populated regions.

But there are also tens of millions of people today who have access to the internet and just don't sign up, most often because they can't afford it, in both cities and remote areas. The National Urban League estimates that number at 30 million households.

FOCUSING ON AFFORDABILITY

The Senate bill would provide about $14 billion toward a $30 monthly benefit that helps low-income people pay for internet, extending a pandemic-era emergency program.

What makes this historic is the focus on affordability, said Jenna Leventoff of Public Knowledge, which advocates for more funding for broadband. The bill, should it become law, is going to help a lot of people that were otherwise unable to connect.

An existing program, known as Lifeline, aimed to help solve this affordability issue before. But it only provides $9.25 a month, which doesn't go far for internet plans. It has also been a target of Republicans, who say it has fraud and abuse problems.

Industry groups have also advocated for a permanent broadband benefit. Broadband companies, if they choose to participate, will gain additional customers. The program is a plus for all ISPs, said Evercore ISI analyst Vijay Jayant.

The legislation directs the FCC to create rules intended to protect consumers from companies that could push them to sign up for more expensive services in connection with the benefit and against other unjust and unreasonable practices.

MONEY FOR NETWORKS

The bill provides about $42 billion in grants to states, who in turn will funnel it to ISPs to expand networks where people don't have good internet service. Companies that take this money will have to offer a low-cost service option. Government regulators will approve the price of that service.

The bill requires that internet projects come with minimum speeds of 100 mbps down/20 up, a big step up from current requirements. But some advocates are concerned that it's still too slow, and argue that the federal government may have to spend big again down the line to rebuild networks that aren't up to par for future needs.

Cable companies are also happy that the funding is primarily dedicated to areas that don't currently have broadband service. Some advocates had hoped the government would step in and fund competition to cable so that people had more choices. Others saw that as wasteful.

The Biden administration's initial plan promised to promote local government networks, cooperatives and nonprofits as alternatives to for-profit phone and cable companies. Under the Senate's plan now, such groups aren't prioritized, but they can still get money from states for networks. The telecom industry has lobbied against municipal networks; about 20 states restrict them.

Senate negotiators also left loopholes in language around an attempt to end whats known as digital redlining  when telecom companies provide upgraded internet service in wealthier parts of town but leave others without good service. The bill says the FCC must create rules to stop this practice, insofar as technically and economically feasible." But the whole reason telecoms leave some areas with subpar service is because those neighborhoods are not as profitable, said Leventoff.

How strong these requirements are will depend on what the FCC does. The agency, however, is hamstrung. The White House has not nominated a permanent chair and the FCC is missing a third Democratic commissioner that would allow it to take on controversial items.

Still, industry groups and proponents of expanding internet access both say the legislation should help get more people online.

This bill will not increase choice and lower prices for everyone. But thats not the right measure, Wood said. It will make real, high-speed internet far more affordable for millions of people who today cannot afford it, and it will make faster networks available to millions more. Thats a big deal.
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP)  As the delta variant of the coronavirus sweeps across the United States, a growing number of colleges and universities are requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for students to attend in-person classes. But the new mandate has opened the door for those opposed to getting the vaccine to cheat the system, according to interviews with students, education and law enforcement officials.

Across the internet, a cottage industry has sprung up to accommodate people who say they wont get vaccinated for either personal or religious reasons.

An Instagram account with the username vaccinationcards sells laminated COVID-19 vaccination cards for $25 each. A user on the encrypted messaging app, Telegram, offers COVID-19 Vaccine Cards Certificates, for as much as $200 apiece.

An increasing number of inquiries to these sites and similar ones appear to be from those who are trying to get fake vaccination cards for college.

A Reddit user commented on a thread about falsifying COVID-19 vaccination cards, saying, in part, I need one, too, for college. I refuse to be a guinea pig.

According to a tally by The Chronicle of Higher Education, at least 675 colleges and universities now require proof of COVID-19 inoculations. The process to confirm vaccination at many schools can be as simple as uploading a picture of the vaccine card to the students portal.

In Nashville, Vanderbilt University places a hold on a students course registration until their vaccine record has been verified unless they have an approved medical accommodation or religious exemption.

The University of Michigan says it has checks in place to confirm employee and student vaccinations. A spokesman told The Associated Press the school has not encountered any problems so far with students forging their COVID-19 vaccination record cards.

But Benjamin Mason Meier, a global health policy professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, questions how institutions can verify those records.

The United States, unlike most countries which have electronic systems in place, is basing its vaccination on a flimsy paper card, he said. There need to be policies in place for accountability to make sure that every student is operating in the collective interest of the entire campus.''

In a statement to AP, UNC said the institution conducts periodic verification of documents and that lying about vaccination status or falsifying documents is a violation of the universitys standards and may result in disciplinary action. The school said it had not found any instances of a student uploading a fake vaccine card.

But other university staff and faculty have expressed their concern. Rebecca Williams, a research associate at UNCs Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, said while she is concerned by these claims, she isnt surprised.

This is why I think the development of a reliable national digital vaccine passport app is very important for the sake of all the organizations and businesses that want to require proof of vaccination for employees, students, or business patrons, Williams said.

The AP spoke with students across the country who did not want to be identified but said they were aware of attempts to obtain fake cards.

Some school officials acknowledge its impossible to have a foolproof system.

As with anything that potentially requires a certification, there is the possibility for an individual to falsify documentation, said Michael Uhlenkamp, a spokesman for the chancellors office at California State University. The school system, the largest in the nation, oversees about 486,000 students on 23 campuses.

In March, the concern over fake COVID-19 vaccination cards prompted the FBI to issue a joint statement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urging people not to buy, create or sell fabricated vaccine cards. Unauthorized use of the seal of a government agency such as HHS or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a federal crime.

In April, a bipartisan coalition of 47 state attorneys general sent a letter to the CEOs of Twitter, Shopify and eBay to take down ads or links selling the bogus cards.

Many of the sites have blacklisted keywords related to fake cards, but places to buy the documents are still popping up on messaging apps, chat forums and the dark web.

Sellers on websites such as Counterfeit Center, Jimmy Black Market, and Buy Express Documents list COVID-19 vaccine cards, certificates and passports for sale, some costing 400 Euros or about $473.49. An advertisement on the website Buy Real Fake Passport promises fake vaccination cards by the thousands.

It is hiding under our noses. If you want it, you can find it out, said Saoud Khalifah, founder and CEO of scam-detecting software Fakespot. If we are seeing signs where things like Lollapalooza and other festivals are getting fake cards to gain entrance, the trend is just going to continue into these universities.

In July, the U.S. Department of Justice announced its first federal criminal fraud prosecution involving a fake COVID-19 immunization and vaccination card scheme. Juli A. Mazi, 41, a naturopathic physician in Napa, California, was arrested and charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of false statements related to health care matters.

Court documents allege she sold fake vaccination cards to customers that appeared to show that they had received Moderna vaccines. In some cases, the documents show Mazi herself filled out the cards, writing her own name, and purported Moderna lot numbers for a vaccine she had not in fact administered. For other customers, she provided blank CDC COVID-19 vaccination record cards and told each customer to write that she had administered a Moderna vaccine with a specified lot number.

Requiring vaccinations to attend class at colleges and universities has become a contentious political issue in some states. Public colleges in at least 13 states including Ohio, Utah, Tennessee and Florida cannot legally require COVID-19 vaccinations due to state legislation, but private institutions in those same states can.

Some college students have taken to social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok to voice their outrage over other students possessing fraudulent vaccine cards.

Maliha Reza, an electrical engineering student at Pennsylvania State University, said it is mind-boggling that students would pay for fake vaccination cards when they could get the COVID-19 vaccine at no cost.

Im angry about that, like there is more anger than I could describe right now, Reza said. Its dumb considering the vaccine is free and it is accessible across the country.
3 1 of 3 Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3





BRANFORD  A White Plains, N.Y., investment group has purchased six duplexes in Branford for $1.7 million, according to officials with the real estate company that arranged mortgage financing for the property.

North Harbor Partners LLC purchased the duplexes at 11-19 and 37 N. Harbor St. as well as at 58 Bradley St. from North Harbor NCM LLC, which is based in Bridgeport. The limited liability company is affiliated with DeLaurentis Management Corp. in White Plains.
Two time Academy Award-nominee Margot Robbie is reportedly going to appear in a Wes Anderson's film! Be excited fans, for your favourite Harley Quinn is all set to appear in the modern-day auteur Wes Anderson's next untitled project. Here's all we know about the upcoming project -

Margot Robbie joins Wes Anderson's next film

According to a report by THR, Margot Robbie, who plays Harley Quinn in the currently airing The Suicide Squad, has joined Wes Anderson's next untitled project, which will begin filming in August and will take place in Spain. The report also states that plot details for the upcoming film are yet to be revealed, though we'll probably get the title first.

The outlet further claims that, while details about Robbie's role are still unknown, it will be supporting in nature. The project, in classic Wes Anderson fashion, will naturally be written and directed by him. Anderson will also star his usual set of collaborators which are Adrien Brody, Bill Murray and Tilda Swinton. The cast was also joined by Oscar-winning veteran actor Tom Hanks, at the end of July.

More about Wes Anderson and Margot Robbie

Margot Robbie, whose The Suicide Squad is fresh off the opening weekend, has quite a few other projects lined up. The actress who is currently filming for Damien Chazelle's movie, Babylon, set in 1920s Hollywood. The film also stars Robbie's Once Upon A Time in Hollywood co-star, Brad Pitt. Robbie also recently wrapped up production for David O. Russell's untitled project.

Anderson has worked with Adrien Brody on three other projects in the past namely, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Grand Budapest Hotel which also stars Swinton, who is also appearing in her fifth collaboration with Anderson, also having appeared in Moonrise Kingdom and Isle of Dogs.

Bill Murray on the other hand will appear in his tenth collaboration with the celebrated director, having appeared in several of his films, including Rushmore and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

On the other hand, Wes Anderson's upcoming The French Dispatch will release on October 22. The film which also stars the aforementioned trio of veterans will also feature actors Frances McDormand, Timothee Chalamet, Elisabeth Moss, Willem Dafoe and Jeffrey Wright, among others.

IMAGE - MARGOT ROBBIE INSTA/ AP
A big day for Delhites, the newly formed Delhi Board of School Education on Wednesday shook hands with the International Baccalaureate, a nonprofit academic foundation, as a knowledge partner working in collaboration to enhancing the level of education for all.

Delhi Government signs an MoU with International Baccalaureate (IB) Board. IB will be associated with the upcoming Delhi Board of School Education. Now Delhis Education Revolution will reach newer heights with DBSE and IB collaboration. pic.twitter.com/Equ85hCLHf  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 11, 2021

Founded in 1968, the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) is a non-profit educational organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland. The IBO is an international organisation, working in 169 countries and is not associated with any particular country, which means it is free of any national, political or educational agendas.

Now DBSE students to receive IB education

The Delhi government on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the IB. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was present in the meeting. The Deputy Chief Minister stated that the International board will be acting as a knowledge associate of the DBSE.

Delhi Board of School Education signs an MOU today with International Baccalaureate (IB). A big day for Delhiites | LIVE https://t.co/LIcTaTtsz8  Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 11, 2021

Minister Sisodia had on July 29 said that the newly formed Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE) will be affiliating 30 government schools from the 2021-22 academic session. Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, had also stated that the government will be launching 20 Schools of Specialised Excellence (SoSE) by August 15. The decisions were taken at the second General Body meeting of DBSE and SoSE, chaired by Sisodia.

This is 1st time in India. IB Board shall be knowledge partner of DSEB(Delhi School Edu. Board) to provide support in curriculum, assessment & teachers training.



This is a big step to ensure world class education for every child including the kids coming from poorest families. https://t.co/GT3bqUAuY0  Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 11, 2021

School of Specialised Excellence (SoSE) to teach IB curriculum

On the other hand, following the pact with IB on, Wednesday, Minister Sisodia made it clear that all Schools of Specialised Excellence will be teaching the IB curriculum. Currently, around 190 schools in India are affiliated with the IB board, all of which are private schools.

The Deputy CM had added that in the following academic session, a total of around 100 Schools of 'Specialised Excellence' will be formed in Delhi with a focus that children of all parts of Delhi can access specialised schools in their neighbourhoods. All of these schools will be affiliated with DBSE. There are nearly 1,000 government and 1,700 private schools in Delhi presently and nearly all of them are affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

The Delhi government in July last year had constituted two committees to prepare the scheme and framework for the formation of the state education board and curriculum reforms. The Delhi government had approved the initiation of the DBSE on March 6, following which the society for the Board was registered on March 19.

Delhi CM boast IB for international standards

Following signing the pact with the IB, Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal said, "IB is an international board and it functions in 169 countries. Every parent wants their children to receive their education from the board. We have decided to collaborate with the Delhi Board of School Education with the international board. Students taking up the Delhi board will be experiencing international level education."

The CM added, "After this collaboration today, poor kids in Delhi will be getting international level education as experts from abroad will be visiting here to teach and train the students. Private schools too can get affiliated with the board. All the assessments will be done under the supervision of IB. A team representing the board will be visiting schools to inspect and verify the teachers to be trained."

"Now our kids will compete internationally. It is education that can eradicate poverty away from Delhi," CM Kejriwal stated.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has been invited to attend a World Peace Conference which is expected to be attended by Pope Francis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the Grand Imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar. The conference is slated to be held on October 6 and 7 this year in Italys Rome.

The Chief Minister received an invitation for the meet, titled World Meeting for Peace 'People as Brothers, Future earth' on Wednesday. The invitation was sent by Macro Impagliazzo, the president of Community of Sant'Egidio, a Catholic association based in Rome'.

The invitation letter congratulated the Trinamool Congress chief for her victory in the recent 'significant election' and 'for the important work for social justice, for the development of your own country, and therefore, for peace, which you have been doing for over ten years now.

"I feel your commitment and your generous battles in favour of the weakest and most disadvantaged very close to my sensitivity and the work of the Communist of Sant'Egidio in Rome and in all world," the letter read.

Mamata's growing popularity

The invitation comes at a time when Mamata Banerjee is trying to emerge as a leading face of the opposition parties in the country, and trying to unite all anti-BJP forces ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. She has been making fast moves in the corridors of Delhi to project herself as the prime contender against PM Modi in 2024.

The TMC returned to power in West Bengal for the third time in a row after a thumping victory in the March  April assembly polls. Her party swept the elections by winning 213 out of the 292 assembly seats.

(Image Credit: PTI)
In a big development, Punjab Congress President Navjot Sindhu on Thursday, August 11, appointed four advisors. These advisors include Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Amar Singh, former Director-General of Police (DGP) Mohammad Mustafa, S Malwinder Singh Mali and Dr Pyare Lal Garg.

In a letter, the PPCC chief said, "I personally hold each of them in high regard, for their vision and work to envisage a better future for every Punjabi."

'Causing damage to party image'

This development comes at a time when reports suggest that Congress High Command's peace formula has failed in Punjab. According to sources, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who is currently in the national capital, raised concerns over Sidhu's statements with party president Sonia Gandhi.

On Wednesday, Amarinder Singh met Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, reportedly to discuss cabinet expansion in the state. During the meet, he complained about the newly-inducted PPCC chief's continued defiance with his administration.

Amarinder Singh told the Congress chief that Sindhu's remarks are causing damage to the party ahead of the crucial Punjab Assembly polls in 2022. Reportedly, Gandhi directed the Punjab Congress in-charge, Harish Rawat to look into the matter.

Sindhu Camp raises complaint with Sonia

As a sign of rising tensions in the Punjab Congress camp. MLAs and MPs, who support PPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, on Tuesday, sought time to meet Sonia Gandhi to discuss the 18-point agenda given by senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge to Amarinder Singh. The letter, written by seven MLAs and five ministers, has alleged that the Chief Minister is deliberately delaying action on the issues mentioned in the agenda.

The 18-point agenda has flared up a tussle between the two sides. Navjot Sidhu Singh has been attacking the Captain over several issues such as the 2018 drug trafficking case. In recent, he hit out at Amarinder Singh for lack of action against Akali Dar leader Bikram Majithi in the case.

"Punishing culprits behind Drug trade is Congresss priority under 18-Point Agenda. What is the action taken on Majithia? If further delayed will bring resolution in Punjab Vidhan Sabha for making the Reports Public," Sidhu had tweeted.

(Image Credit: PTI/Republic World)
Social media giant Facebook, on Wednesday, turned heavily on the accounts that were running anti-vaccine campaigns against BioNTech-Pfizer and AstraZeneca. According to the statement released by Facebook, it has conducted an investigation in which it has found an organisation named Fazze-- a subsidiary of a UK-registered marketing firm whose operations were primarily conducted from Russia. The firm that is now banned by the social media giant used to motivate influencers with pre-existing audiences on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok to post content related to the vaccine. These influencers were asked to use particular hashtags such as #AstraZenecakills and #AstraZenecalies in order to influence the larger audience.

The campaign coincided with the period when many countries discussing emergency authorizations

According to the investigation report, this campaign came in two distinct waves, separated by five months of inactivity. First, in November and December 2020, the network posted memes and comments claiming that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine would turn people into chimpanzees. Five months later, in May 2021, it questioned the safety of the Pfizer vaccine by posting an allegedly hacked and leaked AstraZeneca document. It is noteworthy that both phases coincided with periods when a number of governments, including in Latin America, India and the United States, were reportedly discussing the emergency authorizations for these respective vaccines.

Accounts originated in Bangladesh and Pakistan

"This campaign functioned as a disinformation laundromat. It created misleading articles and petitions on multiple forums including Reddit, Medium, Change[.]org, and Medapply[.]co[.]uk. It then used fake accounts on social media, including Facebook and Instagram, to seed and amplify this off-platform content, using crude spammy tactics," read the statement released by the Facebook investigating team. The Fazze operation began with the creation of two batches of fake Facebook accounts in late 2020, which likely originated from account farms in Bangladesh and Pakistan. They posed as being based in India.

Anti-vaccine campaigners start with meme

According to the report, the accounts initially posted a small volume of non-covid content  typically about Indian food or Hollywood actors. In late November, however, the operation began using some of them to post on blogging platforms and petition websites, including Medium and Change[.]org. These blogs and petitions, in English and Hindi, claimed that AstraZeneca manipulated its COVID-19 vaccine trial data and used an untried technology to create the vaccine.

(With inputs from Facebook statement)

(Image Credit: AP)
The United Nations has regained access to the Mai Aini and Adi Horush camps that house Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia's Tigray province, a UN spokesman said on Tuesday.

Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York violent clashes in the area had prevented the staff of the UN refugee agency UNHCR from reaching the camps since July 13.

Dujarric added that " access remains limited due to security situation and refugees continue to face dire conditions."

Basic services such as health care remain unavailable and clean drinking water is running out."

Some 24,000 Eritrean refugees are trapped in two camps in Ethiopia's Tigray region, cut off from humanitarian aid, and their food rations may have run out, according to the United Nations.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Local residents and volunteers from the Greek village of Kamatriades say they have been using their own means to battle a wildfire for seven days, as they attempt to protect a forest which many rely on for their livelihoods. Greece has just experienced its worst heat wave since 1987, which has left its forests tinder-dry and seen massive fires break out across the country.

Some of the worst of those blazes have been experienced on the Greek island of Evia, where Kamatriades is located. In a forest on the mountain top on the outskirts of the village fires were still burning on Tuesday. Locals on the back of pick-up trucks drove up the mountain to battle the flames, many without proper firefighting tools.

Instead they used tree branches and water to put out the flames whilst others cut trees on the fire's path in order to stop the fire from spreading. One local Dimitris Stefanidakis said residents had received no help from firefighters for the past seven days. "We need some help here," he pleaded. "We are fighting alone."

Stefanidakis said most of the volunteers and locals relied on the forest for their jobs and livelihoods and the fires were causing "big damage" to their incomes. "There is no help from anyone, as you can see, neither firefighting vehicles nor aircraft, nothing," another resident Kostas Koulouriotis said.

Greece's massive wildfires were being largely tamed on Tuesday. The blazes destroyed tens of thousands of hectares (acres) of forest and hundreds of homes, killed a volunteer firefighter and forced more than 60,000 people to flee. Two other firefighters were in intensive care with severe burns.

The country's civil protection chief Nikos Hardalias defended the firefighting efforts, saying every resource was thrown into the battle against what he described as the fire service's biggest-ever challenge. Nearly 900 firefighters, 50 ground teams and more than 200 vehicles were fighting a blaze in the northern section of Evia that broke out August 3, the fire service said.

They included crews from Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Poland - part of a huge international response to Greece's plea for assistance. Fourteen helicopters provided air support Tuesday on Evia, including three from Serbia, two from Switzerland and two from Egypt.

The wildfire on Evia was burning in an area in which villages and forests are entwined. Hardalias said all the fire fronts on Evia were waning, but firefighters were guarding the perimeter of the blaze, particularly around a cluster of villages that were among the dozens evacuated on the island in recent days.

However, heavy smoke from the fires has often reduced visibility to zero, making it difficult and dangerous for water-dropping aircraft to assist ground forces. According to EU wildfire data and satellite imagery, more than 49,000 hectares (121,000 acres) have burned up on Evia - by far the worst damage from any of the recent fires in Greece. Several other wildfires were burning in the country, with the most significant in the southern Peloponnese region, where new evacuations were ordered Tuesday afternoon. A judicial investigation is under way into the causes of the fires, including any links to criminal activity. Several arson suspects have been arrested.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Internet users are drawn to beautiful and fascinating things, and a recent picture of a railing on a castle window in Italy has gone viral. And it happened for a good enough reason to justify its occurrence. Castel Sant'Elmo (St. Elmo Castle) is a popular tourist attraction in Naples, Italy. Hundreds of people climb to the top of the castle to enjoy the view, but the castle also has another attraction. One of the castle walls, attached to one of its large windows, has a 92-foot-long piece of stainless steel that depicts a poetic description of the view in Braille.

This railing on gazebo in Naples has braille describing the view for blind people. More of this please. pic.twitter.com/MQiKwBeT7u  Rob N Roll (@thegallowboob) August 8, 2021

Artist Paolo Puddu installed 'Follow the Shape' in 2015, and it has been a permanent fixture at the castle since 2017, according to Ozy.com. 'A Work For the Castle', the contest's fifth edition, had been won by this piece of art.

For those who are able to read Braille, they can 'follow the shape' on the railing to read the verses from Italian author Giuseppe de Lorenzo's 'The Land and the Man'. Both Italian and English are carved into the stone, and tourists are asked to imagine the breathtaking view that lies before them. The Tyrrhenian Sea and Italys Mount Vesuvius are in view.

Netizens' Reaction

and what language is it in? but seriously, this is cool!  dragonfly in flight (@dragonfly_in_ca) August 9, 2021

The image has prompted several reactions from netizens all over the internet.. One user wrote, "and what language is it in? but seriously, this is cool!" Another remarked, "This is absolutely phenomenal. Is there anywhere you can find out more about it?"

This is absolutely phenomenal. Is there anywhere you can find out more about it?  P.J. Kehres (@PhillenniumLine) August 9, 2021

I was today years old when I was struck how wonderful this is!!! Truly wonderful!!  John Sullivan (@JohnsThunks) August 8, 2021

"I was today years old when I was struck how wonderful this is!!! Truly wonderful!!", expressed the third user. Besides Giuseppe de Lorenzo, a number of well-known Italian authors' works have also been used to enhance the writing on the rails. This helps visually impaired people to comprehend the nature of the installation.
A day after China recalled its ambassador to Lithuania and expelled the Baltic nations top representative to Beijing, Lithuania said it is determined to pursue mutually beneficial ties with Taiwan. This comes after Lithuania announced to allow self-governing Taiwan to open an office in Vilnius under its own name. Subsequently, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry issued a statement: "While regretting this move of China, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry takes this opportunity to reiterate that in line with the One-China principle Lithuania is determined to pursue mutually beneficial ties with Taiwan as many other countries in the European Union and the rest of the world does."

Tensions between China and Lithuania have escalated in recent months

It is worth noting that Lithuania does not yet have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but it maintains increasingly friendly relations with Taipei. Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades. Tensions between China and Lithuania have escalated in recent months. According to Taiwan News, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that the establishment of a representative office in Taiwan and other Asian countries is not intended to counter China but to reach out to the Indo-Pacific region out of national interest.

US comes in support of Lithuania:

We stand with our Ally Lithuania and condemn the People's Republic of China's recent retaliatory actions recalling their ambassador in Vilnius and demanding Lithuania recall its ambassador in Beijing. The U.S. supports our European partners as they develop ties with Taiwan.  Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) August 10, 2021

Taiwan lauded Lithuania's stand

We applaud #Lithuania's courageous & principled stance on #Taiwan. Friendship, cooperation & respect are the bedrock of positive international engagement. As forces for good, we'll continue working together to safeguard freedom & democracy for the benefit of our citizens. https://t.co/gUpT4RD85T   Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan)  (@MOFA_Taiwan) August 11, 2021

Recently, Vilnius pulled out of China's 17+1 cooperation forum with central and eastern European states. The Foreign Minister even urged other EU member countries to follow suit amid worsening ties between the 27-member bloc and China. Meanwhile, Taiwan lauded Lithuania and called the recent move a "courageous and principled stance. Taking to Twitter, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said Lithuania and Taiwan will continue working together to safeguard freedom and democracy for the benefit of "our citizens". "We applaud Lithuania's courageous and principled stance on Taiwan. Friendship, cooperation and respect are the bedrock of positive international engagement. As forces for good, we'll continue working together to safeguard freedom and democracy for the benefit of our citizens," the ministry wrote on its Twitter handle.

(With inputs from ANI and Twitter)

(Image Credit: ANI/AP/@GitanasNauseda)
Russia's Health Minister Mikhail Murashko on Wednesday stated that the Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 is around 83% effective against the Delta variant of coronavirus, lower than previously thought 90%.

BREAKING: Today is 1 year since worlds 1st #COVID vaccine was registered in Russia. It is now authorized in 69 countries with population of over 3.7 bn people. Check out the latest data from #SputnikV real-world use showing its highest safety & efficacy pic.twitter.com/KZpxHy3Wsa  Sputnik V (@sputnikvaccine) August 11, 2021

Surge in Delta strain, reluctance of population blamed

The Russian authorities blamed it on the surge in coronavirus cases in June and July on the more contagious Delta variant and the population's reluctance to get vaccinated despite shots being widely available. The vaccine's developers had in the month of June stated that Sputnik V was around 90% effective against the Delta variant.

"Today, the Sputnik V vaccine demonstrates the most effective results on prevention and fighting the Delta strain. The latest results indicate that the efficacy of the vaccine is about 83 per cent, this is already the Russian data, provided to us courtesy of our clinical colleagues," Mikhail Murashko was quoted as saying by Russian news agency TASS.

'Vaccine also effective against newly emerged strains'

Alexander Gintsburg, Director of the Gamaleya Institute that developed the vaccine, said on Wednesday in an interview that Sputnik V was safe and effective against all strains of the coronavirus.

"As evidence from the circulation among the public shows, the vaccine is completely safe and highly effective. It is effective not only immediately against those strains it was developed for but also against the numerous strains that have emerged recently and are constantly attacking us," Gintsburg was quoted as stating by TAAS.

Russia, which has a population of around 144 million, has recommended four domestically produced vaccines. It has registered almost 6.5 million infections since the inception of the pandemic. August 11 also marks the first anniversary of the registration of the Sputnik V vaccine in Russia. The export of the vaccine to other countries began at the end of 2020 with deliveries to Belarus. As of August 2021, Sputnik V has been approved in 69 countries and territories with the total population surpassing 3.7 billion people. The vaccine is today being used in more than 50 countries. Sputnik V is among the four Covid-19 vaccines that have received emergency use permission from India's drug controller.



(With Inputs from ANI)

(Image Credit: AP)
Israel Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, as scheduled, flew to Morocco on August 11, Wednesday as a part of a "historic visit." Reportedly, the visit is expected to "cement ties" between Israel and Morocco after they signed a US-brokered deal to "normalise relations" between them. The deal signed between Israel and four other Arab nations ensured soothing relations between the nations over the annexation of West Saharan territory by Morocco.

     ! pic.twitter.com/mwTCiWpIPx    - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) August 11, 2021

Salient points of the visit

During this two-day visit, Lapid along with his group of delegates will meet the lawmakers for the inaugural of the Israeli Liaison Office in Rabat, the capital of Morocco. He will initiate diplomatic talks with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita regarding the maintenance of the peace accord. Lastly, the Foreign Minister also might visit the Beth-El Synagogue in Casablanca before his return, the Israeli Foreign Ministry informed.

This visit is said to be the first since 2003 after the US-brokered "Abraham Accords" were signed between Israel and four Arab nations of Morocco, UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan. Israeli foreign minister Lapid, before his trip, said in a statement said that the trip is aimed to boost economic, tourism, and cultural cooperation that "expresses the deep historical relationship" between both the countries. Lapid's trip to Rabat follows a June trip to Abu Dhabi during which he inaugurated the Israeli embassy in the Emirati capital city.

Israel and Morocco vow to cement tattered ties

Israel and Morocco have had low-level diplomatic ties since the 1990s. However, Morocco suspended ties with the nation after uprisings in the 2000s in Palestine. Meanwhile, both the countries maintained casual ties, while, several Moroccans visited Israel every year. Pledging to revamp the tattered ties between the nations through this visit, Lapid said, "This historic visit is a continuation of the long-standing friendship and deep roots and traditions that the Jewish community in Morocco and the large community of Israel is with origins and Morocco, have." Furthermore, Lapid look forward to establishing "political and economic activity" that will ensure "innovation and opportunities" to both the countries.

Israel is home to some seven lakh Jews of Moroccan origin. It is the only Arab country to hold the largest Jewish community hailing from Morocco.

(With inputs from AP) (Image: AP/representative)
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a nonprofit organisation promoting press freedom across the globe has called on the Imran Khan-led government in Pakistan to immediately drop the investigations into two Pakistani journalists Amir Mir and Imran Shafqat. CPJ also urged the Pakistani authorities to stop harassing members of the press in retaliation for their coverage of public institutions. CPJ statement on August 11 came after Pakistans federal probe agency took two journalists in custody.

Pakistan authorities arrests of journalists Amir Mir and Imran Shafqat are emblematic of the governments ongoing campaign to chill critical reporting, said Carlos Martinez de La Serna, CPJs program director.

The Federal Investigation Agency must immediately drop its investigations into the journalists, return their confiscated devices, and cease harassing members of the press in retaliation for their coverage, he added.

As per news agency ANI, the Pakistani legal experts have termed the detention of Mir and Safqat as an alarming pattern to curb free speech in the country. Mir is the CEO of the privately-owned news agency Googly News TV, and Shafqat hosts the YouTube news commentary channel Tellings with Imran Shafqat. Both, as per the official statement on Wednesday, spoke with CPJ in phone interviews. Googly News TV publishes news on a website as well as the YouTube channel with 360,000 subscribers. Meanwhile, Tellings with Imran Shafqat is a YouTube channel with 120,000 subscribers.

#Pakistan authorities should immediately drop their investigations into journalists Amir Mir and Imran Shafqat, and cease harassing members of the press in retaliation for their coverage of public institutions.@simranshafqat https://t.co/bi2nDSBKdj  Committee to Protect Journalists (@pressfreedom) August 10, 2021

CPJ noted that both outlets feature investigative reporting and political commentary on Pakistans domestic and foreign policy. Pakistani authorities arrested Mir around 10:30 AM from his office in Lahore and detained him for at least 10 hours before releasing him on bail. Shafqat was arrested around 12:30 PM at his home in Lahore and was held for five hours.

Furthermore, Mirs two phones and a laptop were confiscated and even demanded his passwords which he reportedly refused.

Shafqats phone was also confiscated, and he said that officers returned his SIM card only upon release. Mir reportedly told that his phones and laptop were still in official custody. CPJ noted that Pakistani authorities are investigating the journalists for alleged electronic forgery; making, obtaining, or supplying a device for an offense; and the transmission of malicious code, all crimes under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, according to a press release issued by the cybercrime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency.

Image Credit: AP


Pakistan Federal Religious Affairs Minister Noor ul Haq Qadri has claimed that the country is still one of the nine countries devotees from where have been barred from entering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for the Umrah pilgrimage. The minister on the ARY News show "Bakhabar Savera" said that nine Pakistani pilgrims from nine states were denied entrance. He claimed that the country is still one of the nine nations not permitted unconditionally to enter the Kingdom.

Earlier on August 9, Saudi Arabia began accepting applications from pilgrims to enter the region of Umrah, with one requirement that they have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus illness (COVID-19). Umrah is a holy place just like Mecca, where people devotees can go and perform their rituals at any time of year.

Umrah application guidelines

Saudi Arabia has provisionally permitted visitors who have received two doses of Chinese vaccinations such as Sinovac and Sinopharm and receive a booster shot from one of four authorised vaccines, such as Oxford/Astra Zeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson and Johnson.

As per ANI, "All visitors arriving in the country with a valid tourism visa must provide evidence of a full course of one the four vaccines currently recognized: two doses of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or a single dose of the vaccine produced by Johnson and Johnson," the guideline stated, ARY News reported.

According to Geo News, who cited the country's media, individuals who have obtained coronavirus vaccinations will only be permitted to visit the holy mosques starting on the 1st of Ramadan.

Even the Kingdom's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said that only those devotees who have been properly vaccinated with the coronavirus vaccine would be permitted to enter the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (The Prophet's Mosque) and Masjid al-Haram (The Great Mosque). The Saudi Arabian e-visa portal released the recommendations for travellers after resuming the entrance of vaccinated overseas tourists on August 1.

Saudi Arabia decided to raise the number of Umrah pilgrims progressively. They want to make the number from 60,000 per month, which is now, to 2 million per month. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Saudi hosted pilgrims for the annual Hajj pilgrimage in July with a limited number of pilgrims.

Meanwhile, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Tuesday that Pakistan added 3,884 new coronavirus cases to its total count of infections on Monday. While today, the number of new cases has gone to 4856.

According to the NCOC, which is in charge of Pakistan's pandemic response, the country's total cases have risen to 1,075,504, with 967,073 recoveries. The number of active cases has been increased to 84,427, with 4,530 people in serious condition.

Image Credit: AP
The Afghan security forces have killed 439 Taliban militants and wounded 77 more in the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Defence, Aghanistan, took to Twitter to make the announcement on Wednesday, August 11. The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) operations were held in Nangarhar, Laghman, Logar, Paktia, Uruzgan, Zabul, Ghor, Farah, Balkh, Helmand Kapisa, and Baghlan provinces of the country.

"439 #Taliban terrorists were killed and 77 others were wounded as a result of #ANDSF operations in Nangarhar, Laghman, Logar, Paktia, Uruzgan, Zabul, Ghor, Farah, Balkh, Helmand Kapisa, and Baghlan provinces during the last 24 hours," Afghan Defense Ministry wrote in the tweet.

439 #Taliban terrorists were killed and 77 others were wounded as a result of #ANDSF operations in Nangarhar, Laghman, Logar, Paktia, Uruzgan, Zabul, Ghor, Farah, Balkh, Helmand Kapisa and Baghlan provinces during the last 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/tHRAnLpjIj  Ministry of Defense, Afghanistan (@MoDAfghanistan) August 11, 2021

Also, airstrikes on the outskirts of Kandahar's provincial capital killed 25 terrorists. "25 #Taliban terrorists were killed, and 13 others were wounded in #airstrikes conducted by #AAF at the outskirts of #Kandahar provincial center, yesterday," the Defense Ministry stated.

On Twitter this evening, the Ministry confirmed that ANA commando special forces cleared Tapae Ahmad Beg of the Nejrab district in Kapisa province, early this afternoon. Additionally, they mentioned that Taliban terrorists have suffered heavy losses during the ANDSF clearance operation. "#ANA Commando Special Forces cleared of the Tapae Ahmad Beg area of #Nejrab district of #Kapisa province, afternoon today. #Taliban terrorists were suffered heavy casualties during the #ANDSF clearing operation," the Ministry tweeted.

#ANA Commando Special Forces cleared of the Tapae Ahmad Beg area of #Nejrab district of #Kapisa province, afternoon today. #Taliban terrorists were suffered heavy casualties during the #ANDSF clearing operation. pic.twitter.com/TevZQpZmjy  Ministry of Defense, Afghanistan (@MoDAfghanistan) August 11, 2021

Violence escalates in Afghanistan

President Ashraf Ghani arrived in Mazar-e-Sharif in Balkh province on Wednesday amid escalating violence. This visit coincides with the Taliban's seizure of several Afghan provincial capitals. In and around Kunduz, Lashkar Gah, Kandahar, and other Afghan cities, hundreds of thousands of civilians are at risk due to the ongoing conflict between Afghan government forces and the Taliban.

U.S. officials are concerned that the Taliban could seize the Afghan capital of Kabul within one to three months, which is much sooner than what the previous assessments had proposed. In June, US intelligence officials predicted that Kabul could fall in six to twelve months following the withdrawal of American troops. According to the Washington Post, the situation in Afghanistan now appears to be worse than it was then.

Image Credit: AP
In a recent update to the Afghanistan-Taliban clashes, fierce fighting is being witnessed in regions of Kandahar on Wednesday, August 10. After the Taliban seized their first provincial capital Zaranj in Nimroz and Sheberghan in Jawzjan, heavy fighting is now underway in Herat and Lashkar Gah too.

The militant troops are moving towards Kandahar to capture the region like they seized Zaranj. Further, the Taliban have taken responsibility for attaching a sticky bomb to an Afghan Air Force pilot's vehicle who was killed in Kabul.

Taliban acquires parts of Afghanistan

For the past two months, the Taliban have progressed rapidly in capturing regions of rural Afghanistan after President Joe Biden announced withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

On August 7, the Taliban shut down a key border in Spin Boldak crossing along the Afghanistan-Pakistan area, leaving several hundred travellers stranded. In early July, Spin Boldak was taken over by the militant group. In addition, several militants were freed after capturing the Zaranj area.

Tension surfaces in other countries

Britain had urged its citizens to leave the country citing the "worsening security situation". The UK's foreign office had said, "Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Afghanistan. Specific methods of attack are evolving and increasing in sophistication."

Observing the intensified fighting, Central Asian leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan met in Avaza on the Caspian Sea and promised to "provide all possible assistance" towards achieving peace in Afghanistan.

Violence in Afghanistan continues

Due to the Taliban's intensified offensive against civilians of Afghanistan, the country is witnessing a surge in violence and thousands of families have been displaced amid the US troop drawdown.

According to US intelligence assessments, Afghanistan's civilian government may fall to the terror group within months after the American military withdrawal as the Taliban have already taken control of several districts across Afghanistan. Also, Afghan officials have accused Pakistan of extending support to Taliban terrorists and providing safe haven to them.

In July, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had said that the Taliban have deep ties with Al-Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, adding that the terror group wants Afghanistan "to become a haven for insurgents".

He had asserted, "The government will never allow this to happen." (ANI)
A report by Human Rights Watch has revealed that Cambodia's indigenous and ethnic minority communities were ignored during a dam project completed by a Chinese electricity firm and bankrolled by the Chinese and Cambodian governments. The authorities of both countries completely ignored 'community concerns' in the construction of the Lower Sesan II dam in Treng Province of northeastern Cambodia, said the report titled 'Underwater: Human Rights Impacts of a China Belt and Road Project in Cambodia.'

Lower Sesan II dam completed at $782 million

According to a media report, Lower Sesan II was completed in 2018 by the operator, China Huaneng, at the cost of $782 million, with Chinese government banks providing most of the financing. In contrast, Cambodia's Royal Group and Vietnam's state-owned electricity company EVN hold minor stakes.

Speaking on the matter, John Sifton, Human Rights Watch Asia advocacy director, said, "The Lower Sesan II dam washed away the livelihoods of Indigenous and ethnic minority communities who previously lived communally and mostly self-sufficiently from fishing, forest-gathering and agriculture." He said that these indigenous and ethnic minority communities include Bunong, Brao, Kuoy, Lao, Jarai, Kreung, Kavet, Tampuan, and Kachok ethnic groups. "These people were forced to accept inadequate compensation for their lost property and income and were provided with poor housing and services at resettlement sites," Sifton added, who also authored the report.

About 5,000 people were displaced

The report also said that the construction of this dam had caused economic, social and cultural rights violations, which has displaced nearly 5,000 people in the region, and tens of thousands of villagers living upstream and downstream have suffered steep losses to their incomes. Fisheries experts had also warned that damming the confluence of the Sesan and Srepok rivers  two major tributaries of the resource-rich Mekong river  would hamper fish stocks crucial to millions living along the Mekong's flood plains. It is pertinent to mention here that the report is based on academic studies, business records and research by NGOs and other sources; besides, it also includes interviews with more than 60 community members, civil society leaders, academics, scientists and others who researched the project.

(With inputs from agency)

Image Credits: ANI
Ending its weeks-long strict lockdown imposed against the COVID-19 pandemic, Bangladesh is all set to unlock on Wednesday, stated a government order. With this, the restrictions on public and vehicular movement will be lifted and all shops and offices will also reopen. Bangladesh's Cabinet Division had issued a circular in this regard on Sunday stating that shops, malls, banks and other financial institutions will also be allowed to open maintaining the health guidelines.

Bangladesh begins unlocking

Meanwhile, the government has issued certain protocols to be followed during the process of unlocking. While the malls have been allowed to open from 10 am to 8 pm, the buses and trains can carry passengers at full capacity but can't operate more than 50% of their total vehicles every day. Besides, hotels and restaurants are allowed to open at half their capacity while there has been no announcement about the reopening of educational institutions. The government was forced to impose the lockdown in the country following the resurgence in COVID-19 cases since the month of June. The lockdown in the country began on July 1 and continued till July 14. After relaxing restrictions for a week on the occasion of the Eid al-Adha festival which was celebrated on July 21, it re-imposed the lockdown from July 23 to August 10 to further contain the spread of the coronavirus disease.

Nearly 18 million doses of vaccine given to people

On the final day of the lockdown on Tuesday, the country's Directorate General of Health Services reported 11,000 new cases of COVID-19 and 264 new deaths, bringing the number of total cases to around 14,00,000 and the total death toll to over 23,000. It is to be noted here that about 60% of its 23,000 virus-related deaths and more than half of its total infections have been recorded since the beginning of April, whereas, at least 180 doctors have lost their lives since April 2020, and more than 3,000 doctors and 6,000 health care workers have tested positive for the virus as of Monday, the Bangladesh Medical Association has said, adding that since the country began mass vaccination in February, nearly 18 million doses have been given to people, including both first and second doses.

Image Credits: PTI/Representative Image
Cuban scientists signed an open letter to U.S. President Joe Biden Tuesday, complaining about his recent comments dismissing the island's ability in dealing with the new coronavirus.

"We cannot understand that a world statesman such as (U.S. President Joe Biden), a United States ruler, is echoing statements that respond to media manipulation, the facts speak for themselves," Mayda Mauri Perez, vice president of the state corporation BioCubafarma, told the Associated Press on Tuesday.

"Cuba is one of the countries with the lowest COVID-19 lethality in the world despite the persistence of the embargo," she added.

Biden's remarks came during a meeting with the media on July 15th, following an unusual anti-government protest in several parts of the island.

Mauri said the initiative came from a dozen scientists and that the 22,000 workers of the state-run biotechnology organization BioCubafarma will be invited to sign it.

The letter will be published online next week.

According to Mauri, 13 million doses of COVID vaccines have been produced on the island to date.

As immunization of children and pregnant women has already started, 100% of the population is expected to be immunized by September.

Cuba is the only Latin American nation that produces its own antigens, Abdala and Soberana 02, of which it has administered 10 million doses.

Some 2.6 million people have already received the three injections foreseen in the scheme.

The Caribbean nation is reporting its worst peak of the pandemic.

Its health system is at its limit, especially in the central provinces of Ciego de Avila and Cienfuegos, although it is improving in Matanzas.

To date, more than 475,000 people have been infected and 3,600 have died.

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The Chief of Staff for the Indonesian Army has announced that women will no longer be required to undergo virginity tests. Human rights groups have long criticized the practice, calling it humiliating and traumatic, and they continue to do so today. Doctors would insert two fingers into the woman's vagina during the examination to check if the hymen was still intact. Those who weren't virgins weren't allowed to join the army. New York-based human rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) found that "two-finger tests" were routinely abusive and cruel. In 2014, HRW investigated the practice and renewed its call for it to be banned.

Presence of hymen has "no scientific value"

According to the military, moral evaluations of recruits are based on the results of the exams. According to the World Health Organization, a hymen's presence is not a reliable sign during sexual activity because it has "no scientific value." Army chief of staff Andika Perkasa confirmed to reporters on Tuesday that such tests no longer hold any place in Indonesia's military.

"Whether the hymen was ruptured or partially ruptured was part of the examination ... now there`s no more of that," he stated, in a statement that a military spokesman verified.

Recruiting males and females in the military must follow the same selection process, according to Andika. Female Rights Activists applauded the move and called it a gross violation of women's rights. In addition to the Indonesian navy and air force, it's not clear if the restrictions have been lifted for them as well. According to the National Police for the year 2015, the national police force has dismantled the policy.

In addition to female applicants, the test is also required for the fiancees of the company's employees. It's a way for them to "ensure the health of these women's bodies and spirits." "The personality and mentality of a person" are measured by the test and non-virgin women are associated with bad habits, as opposed to military personnel who are supposed to "protect the nation."

Many attempts have been made in Indonesia to make virginity testing mandatory for school applicants. In 2010, the Jambi Regional Representative Council recommended that junior high and high school students be subjected to virginity tests. 2015 saw the same recommendation from the Jember Regional Representative Council. Virginity testing for high school students was included in the regional budget plan when Prabumulih Education Agency recommended it in 2013.

Image Credit: AP
Japan's foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Wednesday that Tokyo will continue providing aid and support for Thailand to overcome the coronavirus pandemic.

Motegi said Japan and Thailand needed to overcome the coronavirus pandemic together and develop a close economic relationship.

He was addressing an online meeting of the Thailand and Japan High Level Joint Commission.

Japan has donated one million doses of locally-produced vaccines and spent 600 million yen (about $5.4 million US dollars) on building a transportation system to deliver the vaccines to hospitals in Thailand.

The meeting was attended by various Thai government ministers including deputy prime minister Don Pramudwinai.

Ministers expressed their support for for the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) strategic initiative.

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Taiwan acknowledged Lithuania on Tuesday for the countrys "principled stance" and courage in declaring that it aims to establish beneficial ties with the island despite the Chinese pressure. "We applaud Lithuania's courageous and principled stance on Taiwan. Friendship, cooperation and respect are the bedrock of positive international engagement. As forces for good, we'll continue working together to safeguard freedom and democracy for the benefit of our citizens, Taiwans Foreign Ministry tweeted. On Tuesday, Lithuania stated that it would foster mutual ties and work in coordination with Taiwan, which the island nation said safeguards freedom and democracy for the benefit of its citizens, according to ANI.

Lithuanian Foreign Ministry issued a statement following Chinas unilateral move of recalling its envoys to Lithuania and demanding that the baltic country does the same. Amid worsening ties between the two nations and heightened tensions over the Taiwan row, Lithuania stood firm on the anti-China sentiment. The countrys ruling coalition, the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats challenged PRC by cozying relations with Taiwan as China on Tuesday stressed that Lithuania must withdraw its ambassador in Beijing. China and Lithuania had been at loggerheads over Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu's announcement that Taiwan was opening a representative office in Vilnius.

Taiwan's diplomatic ties on persistent pressure by China

Taiwan's diplomatic relations with foreign countries, including Lithuania, have been subjected to persistent pressure from China for decades. According to the island's foreign ministry, the proposed offices such as one being opened by Lithuania will work to improve economic and trade links, as well as cooperation in various other areas. The office will be referred to as "Taiwan," rather than "Chinese Taipei," as it is known in other nations, in order to avoid offending Beijing, which claims the island as its own but lacks diplomatic recognition.

While Chinese pressure has reduced the island's recognized diplomatic relations to just 15, de facto embassies maintain informal links with all major countries. Lithuania will open an office in Taiwan in the autumn. According to Joseph Wu. "I, therefore, believe that Taiwan and Lithuania's economic and trade exchanges, cooperation in various fields, as well as the friendships between people will all be enhanced, despite their geographical distance." The last time Taiwan established a representative office in Europe was in 2003 at Bratislava, Slovakia.

Image: AP
Hundreds of Swiss citizens flooded the street in front of an Appeals Court on Tuesday to protest against the reduced prison sentence of a rapist by the prosecutors after they shockingly argued that the victim had not been severely injured and that the sexual assault had lasted only 11 minutes, local Swiss press reported. Basel courthouse witnessed mass protests as women expressed angst flashing banners and shouting 11 minutes are 11 minutes too much! as they decried the Swiss apex court's ruling that cut the 33-year-old defendant's prison time from 4 years to three months, to just three years.

The judges had also briefly committed victim shaming as they had alleged that the woman sent out certain signals to her assaulter, although a spokeswoman for the court refused to elaborate on that narrative, sources told Swiss press reporters.

The incident occurred at a private nightclub in February 2020 where the 33-year-old assaulter met the 17-year-old woman, reportedly his companion, whom he later raped after non-consensual sexual advancements. The former was tried in a Swiss juvenile court after the victim reported him. According to Swissinfo, the court ruled that the victim would not have been severely injured if she hadnt played with fire, a remark that sparked a backlash nationwide. A female judge reportedly said the female rape victim had called upon her the rape by sending out signals and that it must be noted that [the victim] was playing with fire.

Cantonal public prosecutor asks 'to wait' for written verdict

Women marched as they slammed the courts ruling wherein the accused mans partly conditional prison sentence was not only lowered but also, he was subjected to leniency. Neither partys identities have been revealed. The victims attorney expressed shock at the appeal courts ruling stating that the judges appeared to blame the victim. The controversial verdict was declared in the Swiss courtroom last month, although a written ruling is due to be published in a few weeks.

A cantonal public prosecutor stated that they would wait for the written document before taking the case to the Swiss Federal Court. In June, Swiss women had organized a historic womens strike as they demanded that the government must bring in modern sexual criminal law for the protection of women. Females appealed for a revision of the Swiss Penal Code as sexual violence against women became much more widespread in Switzerland in recent years.
The driver of a pickup truck who Utah police say caused a vehicle crash last weekend that killed a newlywed bride who was still in her purple wedding dress has been arrested, a TV station reported.

The bride, Angelica Jimenez Dhondup, 26, was on her way to a party hours after her wedding in car driven by a cousin when the pickup truck crashed into it head-on early Saturday morning, KSL-TV reported, citing the Utah Department of Public Safety.

She cant even go to her honeymoon. She cant even come home to her kids, Tayler Craft, Dhondups best friend, told KSL-TV. To think about what he did to somebody on their wedding night, when she just got married five hours ago.

The pickup driver, Manaure Gonzalez-Rea, 36, stole another vehicle at the crash scene but was stopped by a trooper a few miles away, according to Utah Highway Patrol.

He was arrested and is accused of automobile homicide, failure to remain at an accident involving death and driving under the influence.

The arresting officer said Gonzalez-Rea's breath smelled like alcohol and that he admitted to drinking three beers before the crash, according to arrest documents.

Gonzalez-Rea was being held in Salt Lake County Jail without bail. It was unclear if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Family members said Dhondups 20-year-old cousin who was driving the car she was in was released from a hospital Saturday afternoon.

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TORONTO (AP)  Canadian Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino met with the U.S. Homeland Secretary in Washington on Tuesday a day after Canada opened its border to fully vaccinated Americans. But Mendicino didnt say when the U.S. land border will open for Canadians.

Canada lifted its prohibition on Americans crossing the border to shop, vacation or visit this week while the U.S. is maintaining similar restrictions for Canadians.

The United States is going to make that decision when it is best for them. They respected our decision and we will respect their decision and their timelines, Mendicino said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

U.S. citizens and legal residents must be both fully vaccinated and test negative for COVID-19 within three days to get across one of the worlds longest and busiest land borders. Canadians can't cross U.S. the land border for non-essential reasons even if they are vaccinated and test negative.

The U.S.-Canada border has been closed to nonessential travel since March 2020 to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The U.S. has said it will extend its closure to all Canadians making nonessential trips until at least Aug. 21, which also applies to the Mexican border. But the Biden administration is beginning to make plans for a phased reopening. The main requirement would be that nearly all foreign visitors to the U.S. will have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Canada has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, much higher than the U.S.

Mendicino visited U.S. homeland security Alejandro Mayorkas in his first international trip since the start of the pandemic in an effort to strengthen ties between the two governments.

It was great to be able to reestablish that face to face contact with a very special trusted partner and friend in the United States, he said. Theres still a lot of work to be done but good to know we have a trusted partner to do it with.

Canadians have been able to travel to the United States for any purpose since March 2020 provided that they fly. But businesses in U.S. border communities are eager for Canadians to be able to travel via the land border and some Canadians are eager to return for non-essential purposes without flying.

Dr. Andrew Morris, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto and the medical director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Sinai-University Health Network, is leery about Canada's border reopening.

The way you control the disease is you keep your numbers low and you prevent cases from coming in, Morris said. There is just a lot of COVID going on in the U.S. It increases the likelihood that well be importing cases."

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Thirty days after Democrats left Texas to stop new voting restrictions, cracks in the standoff widened Tuesday as more begin returning home from Washington, D.C., and a court blocked efforts to shield holdouts from arrest.

It has put the long-running protest over a GOP elections overhaul on unsteady ground a month after more than 50 Democrats bolted to Washington, D.C., in a dramatic show of unity to make Texas the front lines of a new national battle over voting rights.

Divisions among some Democrats over how  and when  to retreat have spilled in the open as the GOP presses forward with a third attempt to pass an elections overhaul. With new court losses and attention turning toward Texas' surging COVID-19 caseloads, pressure is again mounting on Democrats who lack the numbers to permanently stop a bill from passing.

As of Tuesday, Republicans needed just five more lawmakers present in state House of Representatives to end the stalemate.

We had many heated debates in Washington as we debated our own next steps, said state Rep. James Talarico, one of a handful of Democrats who returned to the Texas Capitol this week. Im going to keep those arguments in private. But I know emotions are rightfully running high everywhere, and its been a difficult month.

Texas is among several states where Republicans have rushed to enact new voting restrictions in response to former President Donald Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. The current bill is similar to the ones Democrats blocked last month by going to Washington. The raft of tweaks and changes to the state's election code would make it harder  and even, sometimes, legally riskier  to cast a ballot in Texas, which already has some of the most restrictive election laws in the nation.

It was unclear Tuesday how many Democrats remained in Washington. The ranks of the group had dwindled to less than half, and some of who stayed behind have publicly fumed at a handful of colleagues who have returned to the Legislature. Progressive allies are also pressuring wavering Democrats to hold the line and stay away from the Capitol, even if they come back to Texas.

"You threw us under the bus today! Why? Dallas Democratic state Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos said in a tweet that included a picture of Talarico and other Democrats on the floor of the Texas House.

Democrats' setbacks include a Texas Supreme Court decision Tuesday that could allow lawmakers to be arrested or detained for refusing to show up. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened Democrats with arrest, but House Republicans have yet to do so for the current special session.

The Supreme Court of Texas swiftly rejected this dangerous attempt by Texas Democrats to undermine our Constitution and avoid doing the job they were elected to do," Abbott spokeswoman Renae Eze said.

State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, who returned to Texas this week, said she and fellow Democrats have consistently agreed in daily check-ins that they are committed to quorum break at this time. She said those who returned did so for personal, professional and political reasons, including helping their districts through COVID-19 surges.

Democratic state Rep. Celia Israel was also back in Austin and said there is no way she will return to the Texas House. On Tuesday, she delivered doughnuts to teachers and met with constituents.

Every day that we can not be on the floor doing business according to Gov. Abbotts agenda is a good day, Israel said.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
A northern Virginia mosque is asking the Biden administration to release a set of religious tiles that were confiscated at Dulles International Airport after they were deemed to violate sanctions on Iran.

At a news conference Tuesday at the Manassas Mosque, Imam Abolfazl Nahidian said the custom-made tiles were shipped in June from the Iranian city of Qom, to be used in construction of a new mosque a few miles away.

He said the tiles were a gift and he paid no money for them, but a Customs and Border Protection officer at the airport blocked the mosque from claiming the tiles, citing the sanctions.

Nahidian said he has received other tile shipments throughout the years without incident, including one shipment that arrived eight months ago.

A letter from Customs and Border Protection informed the mosque that the tile must be shipped back to Iran or destroyed.

Destroying the tiles, which are adorned with Quranic verses, would be especially disturbing, Nahidian said.

Destroying the tiles is the same as destroying verses of the Quran, or the whole Quran itself, he said.

Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said that whatever one's views are of the Iranian sanctions, it makes no sense to enforce the rules on a benign piece of religious art.

They are not weapons of mass destruction, Awad said. We believe the government should have common sense.

A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection confirmed that the tiles were placed on hold June 21 and that on June 30, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control determined that, under the sanctions imposed on Iran, the tiles could not be imported. The spokesperson said no final determination has been made on the tiles' disposition.

The Treasury Department declined comment Tuesday.

Speakers at Tuesday's news conference suggested that anti-Islam sentiment may be responsible for the confiscation.

If this were a statue of the Virgin Mary, would we be here discussing this? asked Rafi Uddin Ahmed, president of the Muslim Association of Virginia.

Nahidian has led the mosque for nearly three decades, and has occasionally drawn scrutiny from critics who say he is anti-Israel and was a supporter of the ayatollahs in the Iranian Revolution. He has blamed the Sept. 11 attack on Israel; in 1979, he and others chained themselves to the railings of the Statue of Liberty after climbing to the top and unfurling banners criticizing the shah of Iran, who was overthrown.

Nahidian said his history is irrelevant to whether the tiles should be imported.

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US President Joe Biden earlier stated that he does not regret the decision of troops drawdown from Afghanistan, asking Afghan military forces to put up a fight to safeguard their nation. As Taliban militia makes rapid advancement towards the provincial capitals gaining a stronghold in areas once controlled by the US-led military, US commander-in-chiefs internal officials have now expressed concerns that Afghanistan's capital Kabul might imminently fall into the hands of the Taliban within three months. Speaking to Washington Post, a source familiar with US military analysis who chose not to be named, said that Kabul may be seized by the armed Taliban in maybe less than one month if not three, depending on how the Afghan forces put up a fight.

Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Farah, the capital of Farah province, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan.

Kabul most likely to fall to Taliban within 90 days

US Armys speculations were made just hours after the Taliban captured Faizabad, capital of the northeastern province of Badakhshan, a key province as fears loomed that the terror faction might soon reach the outskirts of Kabul. A Tajikistan's State Committee for National Security report had revealed that more than 300 Afghan military personnel crossed from Afghanistan's Badakhshan province as Taliban fighters advanced toward the border abandoning territory, laying down their weapons.

The retreating Afghan National Defense and Security Forces were taken into Tajikistan by the Tajik authorities on humanitarian grounds. In the footage that circulated, the Afghan forces were seen surrendering as the Taliban made significant gains in the northern half of the country. As most of the foreign troops have pulled out, and the Afghan military was left to defend the country of its own power, US President Joe Biden stressed, They've got to fight for themselves.

Taliban fighters and Afghans gather around the body of a member of the security forces who was killed, inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province, southwest Afghanistan.

Even then, the unnarmed official estimates that the Afghanistan capital Kabul will most likely fall to the Taliban within 90 days, according to the US military assessments of the conflict within the war-torn region. In merely 24 hours, Taliban terrorists seized three key provincial capitals and unfurled a victory flag in the main square in front of the governor's office in Pul-e-Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province.

They also captured the western city of Farah, and earlier the key northern city of Kunduz after tumultuous combat with the Afghan military. Even as Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani flew to Mazar-i-Sharif in defiance of the Talibans bloody fight, the latter seized control of the key northern city. Cities of Aybak and Sar-e-Pol, Zaranj, the capital of western Nimruz province, the city of Sheberghan, the capital of northern Zawzjan province, and Taleqan, the capital of another northern province, have all been re-captured by Taliban as US forces exited the Afghanistan soil, and NATO troops followed behind.

(Image Credit: Mohammad Asif Khan/AP Photo)
The Cost of Carrying Water for Xi Jinping

The Chinese-funded Lower Sesan 2 Dam in northeastern Cambodia has displaced thousands of indigenous and ethnic minority people and destroyed the livelihoods of many others, according to an Aug. 10 report by Human Rights Watch. HRW faulted Beijing and Cambodia for failing to provide adequate compensation to villagers for widespread harm done in building the dam, a project under Chinese President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of investment in infrastructure. The environmental damage and the troubles of the displaced villagers also showed that BRI funding comes with "no oversight," the New York-based rights group said. Cambodia accused HRW of trying to "subvert Cambodia's development to nurture conflict to serve a real political agenda.
The latest directive from Beijing seeks to wipe out Mongolian language and culture, activists and commentators say.

Plans by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to extend compulsory Mandarin teaching to preschoolers across the country are part of an ongoing process of "cultural genocide" in the northern region of Inner Mongolia and in other regions of China with specific cultures, commentators told RFA on Wednesday

Starting from the fall semester of 2021, kindergartens in ethnic minority and rural areas that aren't already using Mandarin for childcare activities must begin to do so, according to a recent directive from the ministry of education.

The government is also launching a nationwide "batch training" scheme for kindergarten teachers to ensure a sufficient supply of qualified staff to meet the new demand.

The move is aimed at "enabling pre-school children in ethnic minority and rural areas and rural areas to gradually acquire the ability to communicate at a basic level in Mandarin, and to lay the foundations for the compulsory education phase," the directive said.

Yang Haiying, a professor at Japan's Shizuoka University, said the move is part of CCP general secretary Xi Jinping's plan to extend the CCP's political agenda from cradle to grave.

"I think that this is part of Xi Jinping's cradle-to-grave agenda, one that he is now eager to complete by September," Yang told RFA.

"He has already claimed to have lifted China out of poverty, and now he is trying to unify the Chinese nation culturally, too," he said. "That means linguistic unity, according to his beliefs."

"This approach was successful in Inner Mongolia last year, through the use of comprehensive suppression [of opposing voices]," Yang said.

Plans to end the use of the Mongolian language in schools in China's northern region of Inner Mongolia sparked weeks of class boycotts, street protests, and a region-wide crackdown by riot squads and state security police in the fall of 2020, in a process described by ethnic Mongolians as "cultural genocide."

Koreans, Uyghurs, Tibetans also affected

The government has also introduced similar changes to the national curriculum that will phase out Korean-language teaching from schools in northeast China, which is home to a population of roughly 2.3 million Koreans, the largest population outside of the Korean Peninsula, of whom just under two million are Chinese nationals of Korean ethnicity.

In the northwestern region of Xinjiang, at least one county in northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) no longer offers Uyghur language instruction to students, officials told RFA in January 2021, despite being home to a mostly Uyghur population.

Meanwhile, Tibetan parents of affected children have told RFA that keeping young Tibetans away from their culture and language would have severe negative consequences for the future.

Language rights have become a particular focus for Tibetan efforts to assert national identity in recent years, with informally organized language courses in the monasteries and towns typically deemed illegal associations and teachers subject to detention and arrest.

The "education for national unity" policy has been traced back to a September 2019 speech by ruling Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping, who told a conference on national unity: "The Chinese nation is one big family, and we will build the Chinese dream together."

'Natural switch to Mandarin'

Ethnic Mongolian scholar Khubis said previously Mongolian-medium kindergartens in the capital of China's norther region of Inner Mongolia have already begun to allow Han Chinese children to enroll.

"There were still a few Mongolian-medium schools and kindergartens left in Hohhot, because [previous] leaders supported Mongolian kindergartens when they were in power," Khubis said.

"But when kindergartens open in September, local Han children will all be allowed to enroll in Mongolian-medium kindergartens," he said. "With Han Chinese children coming in, the language used will naturally switch to Mandarin."

An employee who answered the phone at a Mongolian-medium kindergarten in Hohhot on Wednesday confirmed that no Mongolian would be used there from Sept. 1.

"Ah, yes, no, we won't use Mongolian; there'll be no Mongolian," the employee said.

Xi Haiming, chairman of the Southern Mongolian parliament in exile, who currently lives in Germany, said the move is in clear violation of Chinas Constitution and a law on ethnic autonomous regions.

"According to the Chinese Constitution, all ethnic groups have the right and freedom to preserve and develop their own languages," Xi told RFA. "The Ethnic Autonomous Region Law also guarantees those rights."

"Mongolians learning Mongolian won't automatically give rise to separatism, but is rather part of their feeling for their own culture and traditions," he said.

'Cultural genocide'

Enghebatu Togochog of the New York-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC), said that the CCP is implementing "wholesale cultural genocide" in Inner Mongolia.

"The goal of this round of genocide is clear: wipe out Mongolian language, culture and identity from [Inner] Mongolia entirely to create a homogeneous Chinese society that is free from any ethnic problem," he said in comments reported on the SMHRIC website.

"[It] started in Southern Mongolia last September ... and replaced Mongolian with Chinese as the medium of instruction across the region," he said.

He said more than 300,000 Mongolian students took to the streets, while millions of parents, teachers, and students carried out a region-wide school boycott.

An estimated 8,000-10,000 protesters have since been arrested for their role in the protests, he said.

Enghebatu Togochog called for an international boycott of the 2022 Olympics in China.

"Allowing China to host the Olympics is just like allowing Nazi Germany to host another Olympics," he said. "China is committing multiple genocides in front the eyes of the international community [and] cracking down on any dissent, any peaceful protest."

"China is trying to dominate the world culturally, economically, militarily, and politically through infiltration, extortion, and other criminal activities," he said. "It is threat to humanity, it is existential threat to the core value of democracy, human rights, and human dignity."



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The report cited a 'Swiss biologist' but the Swiss embassy says there is no such citizen of Switzerland.

Some Chinese state media outlets have removed a report on the origins of the coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic that cited a "Swiss biologist" after the Swiss embassy said there was no such person.

ChinaNews.com had originally posted an article on July 30 titled "U.S. Pressure on the World Health Organization (WHO) Over the Origins of the Coronavirus May be a Political Move: Swiss Biologist."

The article cited a "Swiss biologist" named as "Wilson Edwards," who quoted a WHO source as saying that the U.S. is fighting back to regain political influence at the agency, and using unproven claims that the coronavirus originated in Wuhan, possibly a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, to achieve this aim.

The piece was picked up my many other outlets and social media accounts across China.

The Swiss Embassy in Beijing responded on Aug. 10 with a statement calling for the removal of all articles citing "Edwards."

In the last several days, a large number of press articles and social media posts citing an alleged Swiss biologist have been published in China," the embassy said in a statement on its website.

"While we appreciate the attention on our country, the Embassy of Switzerland must unfortunately inform the Chinese public that this news is false," the statement said.

In a tweet linking to the statement, the embassy added: "Looking for Wilson Edwards, alleged biologist, cited in press and social media in China over the last several days. If you exist, we would like to meet you!"

"But it is more likely that this is a fake news, and we call on the Chinese press and netizens to take down the posts," the tweet said.

The original article was still visible on ChinaNews.com on Aug. 11, a day after the statement was made public.

However, copies of the article appeared to have been deleted from the Twitter-like platform Sina Weibo and from the website of state broadcaster CCTV.

A July 24 Facebook post to an account named as "Wilson Edwards" also claimed to have inside information from the WHO showing that the agency's plans to investigate the "lab leak" theory of the coronavirus' origins were "largely politically motivated."

The post was still visible without attribution on at least one Facebook account on Aug. 11.

Overseas political commentator Hu Ping said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is trying to fight back over WHO plans to start a second phase of investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The WHO is talking about a second phase of investigation ... while the Biden administration will [make] public the results of its investigation into the origins of the pandemic at the end of this month, so the Chinese government is under a lot of pressure," Hu told RFA.

"They are firing random shots and using every trick up their sleeve, no matter how ridiculous or contradictory," he said.

"The point of creating such confusion is to cover up whatever they want to hide," Hu said.

Meanwhile, three Chinese "think tanks" that published a report criticizing the U.S. response to the pandemic are closely connected to the CCP, sources said.

Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper and Hu Ping both said there was a strong link between the Chongyang Institute of Financial Studies at Renmin University and the CCP.

Stephen Morrison, senior vice president and director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, said the WHO's last investigative trip to China to look at the origins of the pandemic had left too many questions unanswered.

But he said it was "too early to say" whether the virus had been leaked from a laboratory.

President Joe Biden asked the CIA, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Defense Intelligence Agency to submit a their report on the origins of the pandemic by Aug. 26.

In a report on Aug. 5, CNN cited several people familiar with the matter as saying that the U.S. intelligence agencies have obtained, and are studying and deciphering, data and genetic material from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Decrypting these data can provide clues about how the virus has mutated over time and whether there are traces of human manipulation, the report said.

A World Health Organization (WHO) team sent to Wuhan to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic in February 2021 sent out mixed signals regarding the transparency of the probe.

Investigators said China refused to hand over raw data on early COVID-19 cases, making it harder to figure out how the outbreak began.

White House officials said at the time that they had deep concerns" about the investigation.

The WHO experts agreed that the virus likely jumped from bats to an unknown animal species, before being transmitted to humans.

They also said that it was "extremely unlikely" that the virus came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has been at the center of international speculation around the origins of the pandemic.

For its part, China has sought to direct the narrative away from Wuhan as the originating point of the virus, calling for a probe into imported frozen food and a possible U.S. origin for the pandemic.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
No more than three people can gather for weddings and funerals.

A North Korean couple pose as they have their wedding photo taken at an indoor swimming pool in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, March 13, 2019.

North Korea will impose hard-labor sentences on citizens who gather and dine in groups of more than three in violation of coronavirus quarantine rules, sources in the country told RFA.

The measure is the latest aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 in North Korea, which claims to be virus-free but has steadily ratcheted up preventative measures since the pandemic began 18 months ago.

Pyongyang has locked down entire cities and counties, closed its economically vital border with China, and hastily cremated bodies of people who died of coronavirus symptoms. In 2020, authorities told the public in educational lectures that the virus was spreading in geographically distant areas of the country.

The government is now telling citizens they will be punished for gatherings of more than three people, unless they live in the same household.

If four or more people except immediate family gather to eat or drink these days, even if they are relatives, the disease control authorities will send them to a disciplinary labor center for violating the coronavirus quarantine, a resident of South Pyongan province, near the capital Pyongyang, told RFAs Korean Service Aug. 7.

There was an order from the central disease control authorities to take preventative measures against coronavirus variants, said the source, who requested anonymity for security reasons.

The measure has put a damper on weddings, 60th birthday celebrations, and other key family events, so it is particularly harsh, according to the source.

If guests sit around to eat or drink together even in a small gathering for an event like a parents 60th birthday or a babys first birthday, not only the guests, but the owner of the house who serves the meal will be sent to the disciplinary labor center or given a large fine, the source said.

When a resident of Songchon county had his sons wedding at home in mid-July, he served meals and alcohol to the guests He was fined a large sum of money instead of going to the disciplinary labor center, said the source.

The moratorium on gatherings has caused people to give up on getting married during the pandemic, according to the source.

There are no weddings these days, and children who prepare for their parents 60th birthday even in a small way cant invite relatives or coworkers to celebrate even if they want to. So instead they spend the 60th birthday quietly with their immediate family, the source said.

Even if the people meeting are relatives, they cannot eat or drink with four or more people unless they live in the same house, the source said.

Another source, a resident of the northwestern province of North Pyongan, told RFA that weddings, funerals and other huge events have been on hold there since the beginning of the pandemic early last year.

Residents opposition to the ban on events is growing, so the authorities have eased quarantine regulations, including exempting weddings from the ban, the second source said.

But as the number of suspected coronavirus patients with high fever continues to increase here since June, the disease control authorities have begun to crack down on gatherings of more than three guests as a quarantine violation, said the second source.

RFA previously reported that North Korea isolates people who are sick with coronavirus symptoms, labelling them as suspected coronavirus patients, but the government maintains that it has not confirmed a single case.

Even though they previously exempted weddings, the authorities are justifying the renewed crackdown by saying that the weddings are still allowed, if people observe the quarantine rules, according to the second source.

Residents say that the measures the authorities have come up with to stop the coronavirus is nothing more than grounding and controlling us, without even providing a single mask, the second source said.

If we keep with the authorities disease control rules, not only will we miss celebrationswe will find it even more difficult to make a living.

South Korea has also banned large gatherings as a pandemic prevention measure.

Reuters news agency reported on Aug. 6 that South Korea extended recently enacted rules that limit gatherings in Seoul and the surrounding areas to two people after 6 p.m. and four people elsewhere in the country.

But unlike in North Korea, South Korean violators pay fines instead of serving a sentence in a labor camp.

According to the Korea Herald newspaper, the fine for violating similar rules that limited gatherings to five people at the end of 2020 was three million won (U.S $2,600) for restaurants and 100,000 won for customers.

Reported by Hyemin Son for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Jinha Shin. Edited by Joongsok Oh.
Observers call the move a part of Beijing's drive to secure China's long border with India following clashes in 2020.

Copies are shown of a Chinese government notice offering Tibetan students reimbursement of school fees in exchange for military training.

Tibetan students ages 18-21 are being offered reimbursement of their school fees in exchange for enrolling in a two-year course of military training, as tensions continue to rise along the regions border with India, Tibetan sources say.

Students in high schools and colleges enrolled in the program may continue their studies after their training has ended, according to a recent Chinese government notice sent to students phones by text. Students already receiving state aid for their schooling are required to enroll, however.

The deadline for enrollment in the program is August 15, the official notice states.

Military training has been a part of our schools curriculum in the past, but this is the first time that an official government notice has been sent out to all the schools promoting enrollment in programs of military training, a high school student in Tibet told RFA in a written message.

Tsewang Dorjeea researcher at the Dharamsala, India-based Tibet Policy Institutesaid Chinas losses last year in clashes with India and concern for security along its long shared border are driving the new push in military training for Tibetans.

Chinas government received many criticisms from journalists and other experts inside China over its handling of the border clashes last year in Indias northwestern region of Ladakh, Dorjee told RFA.

To counter these criticisms, the government is now laying out policies where Tibetans, who adapt more easily than the Chinese to high-altitude environments, are being forced to join military schools to further secure and patrol the border, he said.

China is now establishing new villages along Tibets border with India for Tibetans sent from Nagchu and other areas, Dorjee added, calling the move a new strategy in which the Chinese Communist Party is deploying both military units and lay Tibetans who are being relocated to enhance security at the border.

No benefit to Tibetans

China and India share a 4,000 kilometer-long border, and China cannot station troops along its entire length, noted Indian defense analyst and retired general PG Kamath, adding, China should resolve its border issues with India, but they are not prepared to do this.

And since they are not prepared to do this, they are forcing Tibetans into villages that are closer to the area of Ladakh and the McMahon Line, Kamath said, referring to an early demarcation of the boundary between Tibet and British-ruled India agreed by Britain and Tibet in 1914.

So these developments were never meant [to benefit] the Tibetans, Kamath said.

As far as I am concerned, Chinas policy is that the Tibetans will be used as an instrument in their greater design to see that Tibet and its people, culture, and religion are all Sinicized.

Formerly an independent nation, Tibet was invaded and incorporated into China by force 70 years ago.

Chinese authorities maintain a tight grip on the region, restricting Tibetans political activities and peaceful expression of cultural and religious identity, and subjecting Tibetans to persecution, torture, imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings.

Reported by Lobsang Gelek for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Written in English by Richard Finney.
A professor who has researched and written about classical Uyghur literature for more than 40 years is serving a prison sentence of 10 years in northwestern Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, university officials and other sources inside the restive region confirmed to RFA.

Gheyratjan Osman, a prolific academic at Xinjiang Universitys School of Philology, was taken away in 2018 amid a purge of Uyghur intellectuals and cultural leaders  one of a set of Chinese government policies that have been determined by the United States and others as constituting genocide.

The abuses also include forced labor at factories and farms, forced birth control, and the detention of up to 1.8 million Uyghurs in a network of internment camps.

Gheyratjan, 63, who has written more than 30 books and 100 scholarly papers and has attended dozens of international academic conferences, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on vague separatism charges in May 2020, sources said. Among evidence presented against him were his having given a lecture at a university in Japan and having attended a conference on Turkology in Turkey, the sources said.

His sentencing came to light when his family recently received a notice that he had been handed a 10-year sentence, delivered by an official from Xinjiang University, where Gheyratjan had spent most of his career, said a source familiar with the situation who declined to be identified in order to speak freely.

During the past year, Xinjiang University has held a number of secret meetings for administrators in which school officials report on the alleged crimes and fates of detained instructors, the source said. The meetings appear to be meant in part to serve as a warning to administrators and are kept secret from instructors and students, he said.

Officials at one meeting gave information about Gheyratjan, saying that he had rejected national culture  a reference to majority Han Chinese culture  and inculcated separatist ideology in generations of Uyghur students through excessive praise of Uyghur culture in his research, he said.

When Gheyratjan previously was a visiting researcher at a XUAR government research institute for science and culture, problems had been discovered in some of the lectures he gave there, the source said.

The professor had lectured at a university in Japan, where some of the examples he used in class may have been considered a rejection of Chinese culture, he said. Gheyratjan also participated in a conference in Bursa, Turkey, in 2008, where he discussed Uyghur culture, which authorities interpreted as separatist propaganda.

The matter is a state secret

An employee of Xinjiang Universitys cadre department declined to speak about the professor during a call from an RFA reporter, though the staffer did not deny reports that Gheyratjan had been sentenced.

A second university official mentioned Gheyratjan by name when RFA asked about which instructors prison sentences had been discussed recently during a meeting at the school, but the person declined to provide additional information, including the reason for his conviction and jailing.

A third Xinjiang University staff member confirmed that the professor was in prison, although he said he did not know the reason.

Asked about the accuracy of the various accounts of the scholars case, university officials said the matter constituted a state secret, which meant they could not answer the question.

Gheyratjan was born in the town of Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) in 1958 and admitted to the Xinjiang University Department of Uyghur Language and Literature in 1978, according to an online biography.

The professor spent the next 40 years of his life teaching and researching at Xinjiang University up to the time he was detained by authorities in 2018.

His published works included Uyghurs in the East and the West and The History of Classical Uyghur Literature. Additionally, he contributed to the development of literature curriculum and textbooks for students studying Uyghur language and literature at Xinjiang University, and advised generations of young Uyghur graduate students.

Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by the Uyghur Service. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Some say the next Iranian foreign minister's views are as hawkish as the fiercest hard-line elements within Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and that improving relations with Western countries will be difficult.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian's selection as Tehran's top diplomat appears to present myriad challenges to already deeply frayed relations in the Middle East and beyond, amplifying a hard-line consolidation with the new presidency of Ebrahim Raisi.

But analysts of Iran's foreign policy establishment suggest Amir-Abdollahian's conservative credentials could also boost clarity on a handful of key international questions, from talks to revive a hobbled nuclear deal to confronting Iran's persistent efforts to project strength in the region.

Amir-Abdollahian is a senior diplomat and foreign policy adviser to the speaker of Iran's parliament who enjoys the support of the powerful IRGC. Most observers expect a parliament dominated by fellow hard-liners to confirm his nomination, which was submitted along with the rest of Raisi's cabinet on August 11.

No Interest In Warmer Ties?

The appointment comes at a sensitive time.

Talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by U.S. President Donald Trump have stalled amid the transition of power in Tehran, while tensions have increased between Iran, Israel, and Western powers in the Persian Gulf, where Tehran has been accused of organizing a deadly drone attack on a commercial tanker and of hijacking another vessel.

The 57-year-old Amir-Abdollahian is suspicious of the West and a vocal supporter of the so-called "axis of resistance" against Israel. As deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs from 2011 to 2016, he helped implement regional policies enforced by the IRGC's Quds Force, whose commander was assassinated in a U.S. drone strike in January 2020. He was also involved in historic but largely failed talks in Baghdad in 2007 with U.S. officials on efforts to stabilize Iraq.

Amir-Abdollahian's nomination hints at plans by Raisi to focus on Iran's Middle Eastern neighborhood and a potential lack of interest in serious engagement with the West, analysts say.

During Raisi's August 5 inauguration ceremony, representatives of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Lebanese Hizballah -- groups blacklisted by the United States and the European Union -- were seated in the front row, while senior EU diplomat and nuclear mediator Enrique Mora was conspicuously seated behind them.

"Amir-Abdollahian's nomination also reflects Raisi's narrow focus on the region and disinterest in improving political or economic ties with the West," Henry Rome, a senior Iran analyst at the Eurasia Group in Washington, told RFE/RL.

Greater Clarity, At Least

But Raisi, who observers say owes his rise to power to his loyalty to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also vowed at his inauguration to support diplomacy aimed at removing the U.S. sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy.

"Sanctions against the nation of Iran must be lifted. We will support any diplomatic plans that will realize this goal," Raisi said.

Outgoing President Hassan Rohani -- a relative moderate whose team successfully completed the original 2015 nuclear agreement trading curbs on certain nuclear activities for sanctions relief -- reportedly complained recently in Vienna that his government lacked the authority to reach a deal.

Six rounds into the negotiations with world powers and indirect talks with the United States aimed at resuscitating the accord, the fate of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) seemingly hangs in the balance.

In reaction to Washington's exit from the deal in 2018, Iran has gradually decreased its JCPOA commitments while ratcheting up sensitive nuclear work. But some believe Raisi and his team could be in a better position to renegotiate the deal due to their full alignment with Khamenei, who has the last say in all state affairs in the country.

Ali Vaez, director of the Iran project at the International Crisis Group think tank, told RFE/RL that while dealing with Amir-Abdollahian is likely to prove difficult for Western countries, the hard-line diplomat could be in a better position to follow through on progress.

"Amir-Abdollahian's views on the West are as hawkish as the hard-line elements within the Revolutionary Guards," Vaez said. "That renders him a more difficult interlocutor for the West but a more capable one, as he will face much less internal resistance to his initiatives as his predecessor did."

'Revolutionary Diplomat'

Amir-Abdollahian, who will replace the U.S.-educated Mohammad Javad Zarif, has a doctorate in international affairs from Tehran University and is said to be fluent in Arabic, while his English appears to be limited.

Praised by hard-liners as a "revolutionary diplomat," he has boasted in media interviews of his close ties to assassinated Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. "Whenever I was involved in sensitive and important negotiations about the region, the last person I consulted with was General Soleimani," he said in a recent interview with the semiofficial Fars news agency.

Such consultations with Soleimani would allow him to enter talks "with full hands," he said.

"Amir-Abdollahian will bring an IRGC attitude to the top of the Foreign Ministry," analyst Rome said. "He is steeped in Arab politics and has spent much of his diplomatic career implementing or defending Iran's aggressive regional policy -- and he will continue doing so as foreign minister."

He has risen politically against a backdrop of friction not just over the nuclear deal but also with Iran helping to defend Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during that country's brutal civil war, which drew other foreign powers into the fighting.

"Most regional states remember Amir-Abdollahian's tone and attitude during the Syrian crisis and associate him with Iran's power projection in the region," Vaez said. "If he is to rectify that image he needs to strike a much more conciliatory tone and match it with confidence-building measures."

A 'New Balance'

Raisi has said that he aims to improve ties with neighbors in what appears to be a signal to Iran's regional rival, Saudi Arabia. Those two countries have been engaged in recent months in talks aimed at curbing tensions in the region.

Yet both Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian have been vague about Iran's foreign policy approach or any expected shift.

In a June interview with the Italian daily La Repubblica, Amir-Abdollahian said the Americans still had not proven they are serious in the negotiations and that "the mistakes" of the past will not be repeated. It appeared to be a thinly veiled reference to Trump's withdrawal from the JCPOA and his reimposition of economic sanctions that have ravaged Iran's currency and economy.

"Returning to the JCPOA agreement is in the Iranian national interest as long as the counterparties respect their commitments," Amir-Abdollahian said.

He also suggested that Raisi would work to find a balance in ties with the East and the West.

Amir-Abdollahian said Rohani's government had prioritized ties with the United States and the West, while Khamenei had urged him to pay greater attention to different regions around the world.

"I believe that Dr. Raisi will find a new balance," Amir-Abdollahian said. "This does not mean that we do not want to pay attention to Europe and the West."
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, have spoken by telephone about ongoing "strategic stability" talks launched last month after a recent presidential summit.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on August 11 Austin and Shoigu discussed "transparency and risk-reduction efforts following the July 28 resumption of the U.S.-Russia Strategic Stability Dialogue."

The Russian Defense Ministry said the two talked about "the results of bilateral consultations on strategic stability, as well as issues of global and regional security."

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed at a summit at Lake Geneva in June to launch a bilateral dialogue on strategic stability to "lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures" and officials from both sides met on July 28 in Geneva.

The rivals have been looking at specific issues such as how to move beyond the New START treaty that Biden and Putin have agreed to extend until 2026.

The United States and Russia possess around 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons.

Moscow has said it wants Britain and France to become part of wider nuclear arms-control talks with the United States, while Washington continues to seek China's inclusion in the negotiations.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman led the U.S. delegation and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov led the Russian side for the one-day kickoff of the strategic security talks in Geneva on July 28.

The precise agenda of the talks has not been made public.

Both sides have said a further plenary round of high-level talks will take place in late September.

Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS
Amnesty International says Irans security forces have resorted to unlawful use of force to ruthlessly crackdown on mainly peaceful protesters who have taken to the streets across the country over the past weeks.

Protesters, bystanders, and activists -- including children -- have been subjected to birdshot, mass arrests, enforced disappearance, torture, and other ill-treatment, the London-based human rights watchdog said in a statement on August 11.

Iranian authorities have yet again given their security forces free rein to inflict severe bodily injury on protesters to maintain their iron grip on power and crush dissent, said Diana Eltahawy, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

Eltahawy urged the international community to support the establishment of an investigative and accountability mechanism at the UN Human Rights Council to collect evidence of crimes under international law and facilitate independent criminal proceedings.

On August 7, photographs and footage circulated on social media, as well as eyewitness accounts, show that security forces fired tear gas and birdshot at peaceful protesters in the city of Naqadeh in the predominantly Kurdish province of Western Azerbaijan, according to Amnesty International.

It said the violence, which also included security forces using batons against the protesters, left dozens of people injured. A 27-year-old man was also shot dead by a person in civilian clothes.

Witnesses were quoted as saying most of those injured have refrained from seeking hospital treatment due to fear of arbitrary arrest, which Eltahawy said speaks volumes about the authorities cruel methods of torture and other ill-treatment.

Amnesty International said that the crackdown in Naqadeh came weeks after Iranian security forces fired live ammunition to crush mostly peaceful protests over water shortages in the southern province of Khuzestan.

The protests, which spread to other parts of Iran, left at least 11 protesters and bystanders, including a teenage boy, dead, and scores of others injured, the group said.

There has also been an ongoing wave of arrests on the outskirts of the city of Kermanshah in Kermanshah Province in response to July 26 protests in solidarity with Khuzestan.
New Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has named an anti-Western diplomat as foreign minister as he presented a cabinet dominated by hard-liners, state TV reported.

Raisi replaced Hassan Rohani, a relative moderate, as president after an election in June when prominent rivals -- including moderates and reformists -- were barred from standing.

The new president nominated hard-line career diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to the crucial post of foreign minister as Tehran and Washington seek to resuscitate a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Amir-Abdollahian, 56, was deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs under former populist hard-line President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, notorious for his Holocaust denial and disputed reelection in 2009.

Amir-Abdollahian is believed to have close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Lebanon's powerful Hizballah movement, and other Iranian proxies around the Middle East.

Raisi also named Javad Owji to the crucial position of oil minister. Owji is a former deputy oil minister and managing director of the state-run gas company.

No woman has been nominated in Raisi's proposed cabinet, which must still be confirmed by parliament.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also has the final word on picking officials for the most sensitive positions, such as foreign minister.

Raisi, himself a hard-liner who is subjected to Western sanctions over allegations of human rights abuses when he was a judge, was sworn into office on August 5 as Iran faces an economic crisis deepened by U.S. sanctions, a growing health crisis, fast-rising regional tensions, and difficult negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement.

The semiofficial Iranian media suggested that the Supreme National Security Council, which reports directly to Khamenei, would take over the nuclear talks in Vienna from the Foreign Ministry, which had been led by relative moderates during Rohani's administration.

Iran and world powers have been negotiating since April to revive the pact left in 2018 by U.S. President Donald Trump, who also reimposed sanctions that have hit hard Tehran's economy by squeezing its oil exports.

A sixth round of the talks held in June 20 ended with Iranian and Western officials saying major gaps remained to be resolved in returning Tehran and Washington to full compliance with the pact.

They have yet to set a date for the next round of negotiations.

The powers of the elected president are limited in Iran by those of the supreme leader, who is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, appoints the head of the judiciary, and makes final decisions in major policies of Iran.

With reporting by AP and Reuters
QYZYLORDA, Kazakhstan -- Five inmates at a prison in southern Kazakhstan have maimed themselves to protests conditions there.

Relatives of the prisoners told RFE/RL on August 11 that the men hurt themselves "to protest the pressure and humiliation" they face at Correctional Colony ZS-169/5 in the city of Qyzylorda.

Officials at the prison, however, rejected those claims, saying the men were opposed to the routine searches carried out at the prison for banned items.

According to the relatives, the five men are Abai Uzynzhasov, Berik Berdeshov, Mengilik Beibitov, Murat Usenov, and Baqytzhan Esenbaev.

A picture has circulated on social media over the past 24 hours showing a man identified as Uzynzhasov with what appears to be his abdomen punctured with a metal stick.

Uzynzhasov's wife, Ayagoz Nauasheva, told RFE/RL that her husband's picture was taken on August 10, adding that it was the second time he had hurt himself in recent days.

"My husband managed to send me a message, saying that he has no other way than to maim himself in order to be transferred to another prison as the administration of the penal colony he is now at has been humiliating him for a long time," Nauasheva said.

When he punctured himself with a long nail the first time, the prison administration refused to take him to a regular hospital outside the prison. They just took the nail out of his body and gave him some pills."

Relatives of Berdeshov and Beibitov told RFE/RL that they learned about the two men's ordeal from other inmates, but the penal colony's administration had refused to provide them with any information about them.

Last month, noted Kazakh activist Erzhan Elshibaev, who was recognized by domestic human rights groups as a political prisoner and is serving a five-year term in that prison, cut open his abdomen to protest prison conditions and what he called "provocative" attempts by the prison's officials to prevent his release on parole.
NUR-SUTAN -- Authorities in Kazakhstan have labelled all regions of the Central Asian nation as "red zones as they are facing a new wave of coronavirus infections.

Health Minister Aleksei Tsoi said on August 11 that 7,657 new COVID-19 cases were registered in Kazakhstan in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total official number of infections to more than 656,000, with over 7,100 deaths.

Tsoi also said that 99.9 percent of the people who tested positive had not been vaccinated against the virus.

For its vaccination campaign, Kazakhstan uses mainly shots of the Russian-developed Sputnik V vaccine produced either in Russia or the Kazakh city of Qaraghandy.

The Financial Control Agency said on August 11 that investigations were launched against several medical personnel in the cities of Almaty, Aqtobe, Pavlodar, Shymkent, and Taraz, on suspicion of forging and selling vaccination certificates to 37 individuals.
Kyrgyzstan is in an international ownership dispute over a very lucrative gold mine and the government has shown it's ready to do whatever necessary to stake its claim, including bringing back a fugitive former president.

Askar Akaev, Kyrgyzstan's first president, returned to his homeland on August 2 for the first time since he was chased from power more than 16 years ago.

Akaev was needed by the government to testify about alleged corruption and other violations surrounding the Kumtor gold mine. There are still charges against him connected to Kumtor, and although he was questioned about those charges, it was a carefully managed visit that lasted only six days.

During his return, Akaev publicly repented for agreeing early during his 1990-2005 presidency to disadvantageous terms with a Canadian mining company that have cost his country hundreds of millions of dollars.

Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security (UKMK) arranged Akaev's brief homecoming so he could be questioned about agreements made with the Canadian-based Cameco Company about Kumtor, which is located in the mountains of northeastern Kyrgyzstan.

Akaev made that clear on the day he arrived, saying, "I came to cooperate, to help, and I will tell everything I know about Kumtor."

And although Akaev still faces corruption charges over the Kumtor agreements, it was also clear from the day he arrived that he would not be facing any charges -- but was rather a guest of President Sadyr Japarov who was staying at the presidential residence outside the capital, Bishkek.

"I am grateful to President Sadyr Japarov for giving me the possibility to come to Kyrgyzstan," Akaev said.

Making Bishkek's Case

Akaev's comments to the press indicate that there were indeed bad decisions and corrupt motives for the deals made with the Canadian company.

The UKMK has already detained or arrested several current and former members of parliament, prime ministers, deputy prime ministers, and other officials from previous administrations in an attempt to show that a series of agreements signed with Canadian companies over the years were flawed and should be considered illegitimate.

But Akaev was there from the start of the deal, so his testimony is vital to showing that the original agreements as well as subsequent deals signed over the course of the 15 years he was in power were, at best, not in Kyrgyzstan's interests and, at worst, simply illegal.

Akaev said that from the start, in 1992, Kyrgyzstan had made "numerous concessions, including violations in the interests of the Canadian side to the detriment of national interests."

Akaev mentioned the "illegal" decision in 1992 to free Cameco from paying taxes, "including for the use of natural resources," and the transfer of management of the project to the company as being among the foolish concessions his government made.

But he claimed his greatest mistake "was to give consent to the [Kyrgyz] government to restructure the deal in 2003." He said that at that time "the government convinced me that it was necessary."

The restructuring agreements of 2003-04 lowered Kyrgyzstan's stake in Kumtor by 25.7 percent. Kyrgyzstan currently owns a mere 26 percent of the mining project.

Japarov To Blame?

Japarov's government imposed external management on Kumtor in May amid the latest dispute with Canadian company Centerra, which bought Cameco's share in the project in 2009. That move temporarily put the mine under Kyrgyz control, but Centerra quickly filed a case in an international arbitration court, where it is likely there will be ruling in its favor.

Kyrgyz authorities seem determined to show the deals with Cameco and later Centerra were illegal from the start and the result of corrupt domestic politicians conniving with the Canadian side.

As for Akaev, he also got something from the visit.

He was allowed to visit his native Kemin region for the first time in 16 years -- and he received a very warm welcome there as he met with friends and relatives. Also on tap was a trip to the northwestern Talas region to celebrate the 103rd birthday of his mother-in-law.

Akaev also had the chance to attempt to partially vindicate his past. In a video he made just before he flew back to his home in Moscow on August 8, the ex-president said, "There were great hopes for Kumtor [but] unfortunately it did not turn out as we wanted."

In an August 4 interview, Akaev blamed current Economy and Finance Minister Akylbek Japarov (no relation to the president) for the restructuring agreements. "Akylbek Japarov played the key role then in [the restructuring agreements]," he said. "[He] was the chairman of the parliament committee on taxes and budget."

Akaev said Akylbek Japarov was in the commission that flew to Toronto for talks on the new deal. He said that upon returning he claimed that "[Cameco] was the best company in the world" and that the new agreement took into account the interests of the company and of Kyrgyzstan.

Revising History

Akaev also had a good opportunity during his return to tell the Kyrgyz media his side of the story about the events in 2005 that led to his ouster and subsequent flight from Kyrgyzstan.

"As the first president who was in power for the first 15 years of independence, I have one regret," Akaev said. "That if a [presidential] election had been conducted in 2005, I would have handed over power."

He blamed "political adventurists" that he said "knew they could not win in free elections" for "staging a coup six months before the end of my term and seizing power by force."

Akaev's version omits the rigged parliamentary elections of February and March 2005 that saw two of his children elected and several popular politicians barred from competing by questionable court decisions. Along with the fact that constitutional amendments were implemented that allowed him to run for a third term in office in 2000 and what many suspected would be a fourth term in elections later in 2005.

Japarov's government, meanwhile, seems confident Akaev's visit and his statements about the early Kumtor agreements strengthen Kyrgyzstan's legal case to take control of the gold mine. Just a few days after Akaev left, on August 11, the Kyrgyz government officially annulled the final agreement with Centerra.

An arbitration court is unlikely to approve of the Japarov government's unilateral move to take over Kumtor. In fact, that could work strongly in court against Kyrgyzstan's overall case.

But Akaev's testimony will likely demonstrate that there were serious problems with the Kumtor agreements and that Kyrgyzstan has not received its fair share of the wealth extracted at the gold mine.
BISHKEK -- The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is calling on Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov to reject a false information bill recently approved by lawmakers, saying that the proposed legislation "imperils press freedom in the Central Asian nation.

Kyrgyz authorities should refrain from adding expansive but poorly defined new powers to unspecified state bodies that could easily be weaponized against journalists, CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna said in the statement on August 10.

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The country already has civil defamation codes on its books to address issues raised by the legislation, he said.

Parliament in late July approved the bill that civil rights organizations and media groups in the former Soviet republic say contradicts Kyrgyzstans constitution and the country's international commitments, and violates human rights and freedom of speech.

The bills author, member of parliament Gulshat Asylbaeva, has argued that it is needed to combat the widespread use of fake accounts and troll farms aimed at discrediting political actors in Kyrgyzstan.

The bill envisages the creation of a government watchdog that would "react to complaints" regarding the content of online posts within two days. The sites where the content was posted would be 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 e-mail addresses open and accessible to everyone, while anonymous Internet users would be located and cut off.

The proposed legislation is a revised version of an earlier draft law that was returned to parliament a year ago by then-President Sooronbai Jeenbekov following mass protests.

Disputed parliamentary elections sparked more mass rallies in October 2020, 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."
German authorities say they have arrested a British citizen suspected of spying for Russia while working at Britain's embassy in Berlin.

The man, identified as David S., was arrested on August 10 in the city of Potsdam, near Berlin, Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

It said the suspect was hired as a local staff member at the embassy.

British police confirmed the arrest of a 57-year-old British national in Germany on suspicion of committing offenses relating to being engaged in "intelligence agent activity."

The Russian Embassy in Berlin declined to comment, saying the diplomatic mission "currently does not have any official information from the German side on this issue."

Berlin was taking the case "very seriously," a German Foreign Ministry spokesman said, adding that "spying on a close ally on German soil is not something we can accept."

According to the German statement, the suspect has allegedly cooperated with Russian intelligence since November 2020 and on at least one occasion passed documents linked to his job to Russian agents in exchange of financial compensation.

The arrest was the result of a joint investigation by German and British authorities.

A judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe is to decide later on August 11 on whether the Briton should be remanded in custody.

Moscow is at loggerheads with a number of Western capitals after several high-profile incidents in recent years, including a series of espionage scandals, that have resulted in diplomatic expulsions.

Earlier in June, German authorities arrested a Russian citizen accused of passing sensitive information from a German university to Moscow in return for cash.

And German prosecutors in February filed espionage charges against a German man suspected of passing the floor plan for the parliament building in Berlin to Russian intelligence services.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and Interfax
VLADIKAVKAZ, Russia -- Authorities in Russia's North Caucasus region of North Ossetia have detained the chief physician of a hospital where a breakdown of the oxygen supply system left nine COVID-19 patients dead.

Vladimir Pliyev is accused of failing to enforce security regulations, the Investigative Committee said in a statement on August 10, adding that a court will decide on possible pretrial restriction measures.

On August 9, nine patients died in Pliyev's hospital in North Ossetias capital, Vladikavkaz, after an oxygen pipe burst underground, cutting supply to an intensive care ward.

"Work to repair the main [oxygen] supply line has been completed. The work of the entire system is now being tested," the regions acting Health Minister Soslan Tebiyev told reporters on August 11.

Russia has seen a number of accidents in its coronavirus hospitals lead to the deaths of patients during the pandemic.

In June, three people died in a fire at a hospital in the Russian city of Ryazan, southeast of Moscow, with a faulty lung ventilator believed to be the cause of the blaze.

Several people also died in May 2020 in fires at hospitals in Moscow and St. Petersburg, with faulty ventilators likewise believed to have sparked the blazes.

As of August 11, Russian authorities have registered more than 6,512,000 coronavirus cases.

With over 167,000 deaths from the virus, Russia has the highest official COVID-19 toll in Europe -- even as authorities have been accused of downplaying the severity of the country's outbreak.

With reporting by TASS
MOSCOW -- Russian authorities have charged Aleksei Navalny with an additional crime, a move that could prolong the jailed opposition politician's stay behind bars if he is convicted.

The Investigative Committee said on August 11 it had charged Navalny with creating an organization that infringes on the rights and personal safety of citizens.

The outspoken Kremlin critic, who is currently serving a 2 1/2-year sentence for parole violations on a conviction he calls trumped up, faces up to an additional three years in prison if found guilty of the new charges.

A jail term of that length could keep Navalny in custody past the next presidential election in 2024, when Vladimir Putin's current six-year term in the Kremlin is due to end.

The Investigative Committee said the charges were linked to the activities of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), which it said had been established to "persuade citizens to carry out unlawful activities."

Russian authorities labeled FBK as "extremist" and banned it in June.

Navalny's close associates Leonid Volkov and Ivan Zhdanov, who are currently residing abroad, are also suspects in the case, it said.

Zhdanov is the former director of FBK and Volkov headed Navalny's regional network before its dissolution.

Zhdanov and Volkov are accused of other crimes they say are part of a campaign to crush their activism.

Supporters who post on social media under the name Team Navalny described the accusation as "the latest meaningless charge."

"No one infringes on the personality and rights of citizens like Putin himself and all his henchmen, including the Investigative Committee," they said on Telegram messenger.

Navalny was arrested in January upon his return to Russia from Germany, where he received life-saving treatment for a poisoning attack in Siberia in August 2020.

He blames the poisoning with a Soviet-style chemical nerve agent on President Vladimir Putin and Russia's security services. The Kremlin has denied any role in the poisoning.

Navalny was sent to a prison in the Vladimir region after a Moscow court in February ruled that while in Germany, he had violated the terms of parole from an old embezzlement case that is widely considered to be politically motivated.

Navalny's incarceration sparked numerous protests across Russia that were violently dispersed by police.

The United States and EU have demanded Russian authorities release Navalny, calling his case politically motivated.

Amnesty International has recognized him a prisoner of conscience.
A journalistic investigation has brought new insights into the key role of a Russian military contractor in the civil war in Libya, including links to war crimes and Russias military.

The contents of a Samsung tablet left behind by an unidentified member of the Vagner Group after the contractor's fighters retreated from areas south of Tripoli in spring 2020 include frontline maps in Russian, the BBC said on August 11.

The British broadcaster said it also had acquired a shopping list of weapons and military equipment that was included in a document from January 2020. It mentions four tanks, hundreds of Kalashnikov rifles, a radar system, and other equipment that experts say could only have come from Russian military supplies.

An expert on the Vagner Group is quoted as saying the list pointed to the involvement of Dmitry Utkin, an ex-Russian military intelligence operative believed to have founded the group.

Vagner Group is believed to have indirect ties to Russia's political elite and to be controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Both Prigozhin and Russian authorities have denied any involvement with Vagner.

Vagner Group first came to public attention in 2014 when it was backing pro-Russia separatists in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

The group has since been involved in countries including Syria, Mozambique, Sudan, and the Central African Republic.

In April 2019, Vagner mercenaries joined the forces of a rebel Libyan general, Khalifa Haftar, after he launched an attack on the UN-backed government in the capital, Tripoli. The conflict ended in a cease-fire in October.

The BBC investigation managed to gain access to two former fighters with the notoriously secretive group who revealed details about the organization's lack of any code of conduct.

The investigation says one of the ex-members admitted to the killing of prisoners by members of the group.

"No one wants an extra mouth to feed," he is quoted as saying.

Contacted by the BBC, Prigozhin said through a spokesperson that he has no links to Vagner and had not heard of any violation of human rights in Libya by Russians. "I am sure that this is an absolute lie," he said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry told the broadcaster that the reports on Vagner's role in Libya are based on "rigged data" and were aimed at "discrediting Russia's policy" in Libya.
Grant is a St. Petersburg-based jewelry company founded in 1999 as a small private workshop for the manufacture of diamond gold jewelry. According to the State Inspectorate of Assay supervision, since 2007, the companys production has been one of the top ten among the diamond jewelry manufacturers production figures in the Northwest.

Grant maintains partnerships with individual entrepreneurs and trading houses in Russia and Belarus and has its sales office in Kazakhstan.

The company takes part in the major industry exhibitions in Russia where its jewelry pieces are often awarded diplomas.

Stanislav Mazurchik, Grants Director-General, answered the Rough&Polisheds questions.

What jewelry does Grant produce that distinguishes your goods from those made by other companies?

We are from St. Petersburg, a city of style, and Grant also means a style. We manufacture jewelry that allows our customers to create or emphasize their image, to self-actualize.

Our jewelry items are made in limited quantities, so we manufacture them very thoroughly. We want the original Grants style to be in each design, as well as the spirit of St. Petersburg and Europe because St. Petersburg is a window to Europe. We focus on the quality of our jewelry at every stage of its manufacture and combine the most up-to-date, adaptive technologies and the many years of our teams experience. Special attention is paid to polished diamonds. All the stones are selected by our most experienced gemologists. At our factory, we do not adhere to a conveyor principle, so, each ring, each pair of earrings, after being processed by the machines, are polished by an experienced goldsmith, which allows us to achieve the quality of metal that is worthy to be studded with the best-polished diamonds. Our goods retain their original look for a long time - without fading over time or scratches - thanks to the combination of manual processing and high technology.

A routine question asked in these latter days: what anti-crisis measures are taken and what marketing strategies are followed by your company?

For us, the crisis began in 2018. Some mistakes were made by our personnel, the attempts were taken to ruin us, but by the end of 2019, we managed to overcome all the difficulties. The pandemic year was a year of great growth for us. Now, we are actively developing our brand, improving the service, helping our partners to increase the turnover and margins in the face of the declining demand. We do not rest on our laurels and are constantly looking for new solutions and opportunities. If you are interested, you can contact us and we will share our experience.

What is your opinion about online sales, what is the volume of Grants online sales?

First of all, we are the manufacturers. Sales are not among our strengths, we entrust this part of our common business to our partners who represent us in the regions, and we do our best to help them develop their own brands.

How did you come into the jewelry business?

As often happens in life, I came into the jewelry industry by chance. I am a romantic sailor by nature, my background is a marine electrical engineer. In the early 1990s, when the Soviet Union collapsed, I was a young engineer and was looking for an occupation that was close to my interests, so, I found myself in the jewelry industry. It helped me combine the romance of youth and engineering.

What is required to make a business successful?

Continuous improvement is the key to success, and our partners feel this, so we work with the best, strongest companies in the regions of Russia - as they say, like seeks like.

Our team is in constant search of some ways that can combine the advanced technologies and the experience of jewelers of the past, and we have assembled a team of the best. And thanks to this, we create inexpensive but high-quality goods.





Image credit: Grant

How inexpensive are they?

You can buy a ring or a pair of earrings from us, which can be affordable for many buyers. We mainly produce what an ordinary boy gives to an ordinary girl, only we try to do the jewelry piece a little bit better than the others do.

But this does not mean that the company produces low-end jewelry only. The cost of jewelry pieces can vary within a very wide range and we produce truly high-end, exquisite, and unique customized jewelry items as well.

Is it your personal preference that the company specializes in diamond jewelry? What is your attitude to the diamonds?

Yes, its my personal preference. At all times, a diamond emphasized its owners status. Whats better than to combine a style and a diamond?

Has the use of diamonds in your jewelry pieces decreased?

God forbid. So far, the use of diamonds is only increasing in most of the jewelry goods we manufacture. At the same time, the price for the jewelry pieces does not grow due to the use of new technologies and the revival of the old techniques used in the times of Faberge and other greatest jewelers of Russia and St. Petersburg.

Our approach to the selection of stones is very careful and we purchase only the diamonds that meet the required characteristics. Our gemologist is very strict to ensure that the facets lie at the correct angle. The play of the diamond is of importance, and if the cut and geometry are correct, the stone is alive. We pay great attention to high-quality polishing. All jewelry manufacturers are now trying to minimize manual labor, but without manual labor, a diamond cannot be made that meets all the GOSTs requirements. Thanks to up-to-date technologies, we have found the golden mean in combining the old and new techniques, and our jewelry emphasizes the natural beauty of gems.

Please tell us about the latest collections - what materials and technologies are mainly used?

Our latest collections reflect the spirit of our company. We used the experience and skills we have gained over the past years. Our factory makes sophisticated, complex jewelry pieces, durable but not heavy, unique but not intricate, bright but not vulgar, it is very difficult to imitate our jewelry. All jewelry designs are branded. According to the sales analysis, branded jewelry pieces are selling 60-70% better.

As for our jewelry design, no one would say that the ideas have been stolen from other designers. We follow the global trends, but we try to be different, to be a little bit better. We do not have a classic Soviet assortment, we have original ideas that are popular all over the world. We even used our logo in the jewelry in the form of a bezel setting - there are no analogs in the world.

Our collections are updated every six months, at each exhibition we display new jewelry collections.

It takes a year to create each collection. At the same time, for example, when we fulfilled the order for Yakutia, we used their national ornaments, including shaman ones, with symbols like to keep the husband from leaving a wife, to keep the children from getting sick ... For Muslim regions, we also studied their ornaments and symbols. We always pay great attention to details and try to use an individual approach to each new collection or order.

You can really say about your jewelry that you have your own style. How is it that a thing seems much more expensive than its actual price is?

When you see beautiful large shapes, it seems that the weight of gold is large. In fact, our jewelry items are not heavy, they are lightweight: they have an inner mesh side made with an openwork branded pattern that distinguishes the Grant jewelry. We have several options for such a grid: the first one was created by our designers inspired by the Gothic cathedrals of Italy, the second one is a creative reworking of our logo - Grant. This is our know-how, the highlight of our latest collections. At the same time, we try not to affect the durability, therefore, the knowledge about the strength materials helps us.





Image credit: Grant

Are you considering using man-made diamonds and other gemstones?

The matter is that not everything is as it seems. What would you choose: a Chinese watch - fake brands - or a Swiss-made watch; a fibrous marbled beef steak or any plastic food?

You have many Junwex diplomas. Is there anything that allows your company to manufacture high-quality jewelry and stay afloat?

The answer is in your question. The production of high-quality jewelry and participation in Junwex exhibitions keep us afloat.

What is still the main problem in the industry?

In my opinion, unscrupulous entrepreneurs are the industrys main problem. But now, thanks to the actions of the government and the Guild of Jewellers, the SIIS PMPS (State integrated information system in the field of control over the circulation of precious metals and precious stones) program is being implemented, which will make it possible to get rid of shady schemes.

What are the companys plans for the nearest future?

Our plans for the nearest future include brand development, following the new trends in the jewelry industry, and entering the world market. We know exactly what awaits us there as there are a lot of positive reviews about us from Europe and China. And we want to promote not only our own brand but the brand of St. Petersburg as well. If Milan is the capital of fashion, Paris is the capital of painters and fine arts, we want to revive St. Petersburg as the capital of jewelry art and jewelry fashion and return this title to it.

Galina Semyonova for Rough&Polished


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After a long hiatus away from campus, many colleges are resuming in-person classes this fall. That means that a lot of parents are headed to drop their young adult children off at their dorm rooms. While the basic shopping is obvious, parents sometimes overlook the important extras. So here are 6 cool dorm essentials for guys that you might want to add to your back to school shopping list:

1. Mini Fridge

This is definitely one of the dorm essentials for guys. If your dorm doesnt already offer a mini fridge, and they do allow you to have one, make this a priority on your back-to-school shopping list. After all, its nice to be able to keep some snacks in the fridge for late-night studying. Plus its great to be able to offer a cold soda or snack to friends who drop by. Most dorms do allow them. However, check the rules at your dorm before you make this purchase.





2. Coffee Maker

College Magazine ranks the coffee maker as the number one of all dorm essentials for guys and girls alike. Sure, theres plenty of coffee on campus. However, do you really want to have to get dressed and head out before you get your first cup in the morning? No. And if youre up all night studying, its best to be able to make your coffee when you want it. Whether you use a traditional coffee maker, a pour-over, a Keurig or something else, make sure that you get this essential item.





3. Mattress Topper

College Magazine also wisely suggests adding a mattress topper to your list. Lets face it; most college dorm beds arent very comfortable. You need to get a good nights sleep before an early class. Youll do that a lot more easily if your bed is comfortable. So make the bed that they provide for you more comfy. A good thick mattress topper is a must. Add some extra nice sheets and comforters and youve really helped yourself out for the year.





4. All Your Electronics

Positivity is Pretty agrees with what weve said so far. They have the mattress topper at the top of their list along with great bedding. They add good pillows, too. And yes, the mini fridge and coffee maker are both high on their list, too. But with 40 suggestions of dorm essentials for guys, theyve also got lots of great ideas we didnt think of at first.

For example, theyve devoted an entire section of their list to all of the electronics you dont want to forget. Make sure that you pack:

Long power strip with surge protector

10 foot phone charger

Laptop with its own charger

Portable speaker

AirPods / Ear phones

And we would add your tablet with its charger and any smart technology you love such as your Echo.





5. Under Bed Storage

Positivity is Pretty also recommends bringing a lot of smart storage solutions. After all dorm rooms are small. Therefore easy-to-use storage options are dorm essentials for guys. There are tons of options out there. Personally, we like the under the bed storage options. Of course, make sure that youre not on the top of a bunk bed if youre going to use this option. Extra drawers, etc. are alternative options.





6. Cleaning Supplies

Thats right. We know this one is boring. Its sure a lot more fun to shop for mini fridges and new laptops. However, cleaning supplies are definite dorm room essentials for guys. You dont want to live in stink and stench. Its easier if you stock up and bring that stuff with you. Then have an early meeting with your roommates about how you want to handle the chores. Its not the fun part but its the responsible thing to do.





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A team of researchers led by Seoul National University developed a soft robot with skin inspired by a chameleon. It can change colors instantly to match its background and camouflage.

According to Daily Mail, an artificial chameleon skin covers the back of the little walking robot that measures 15 inches (38 cm) long, six inches (15 cm) wide, and weighs two pounds (0.9 kilograms).

As it walks with different colors of stripes, segments of the walking robot gradually change into the hue of the background to match it, from orange-red to green, and then to blue.

Chameleon-Inspired Invisibility Cloak

The robot detailed in the study titled "Biomimetic Chameleon Soft Robot With Artificial Crypsis and Disruptive Coloration Skin," published in Nature Communications, is one of the first devices to change colors and patterns based on its environment.

According to Daily Mail, color sensors and feedback systems are built into the walking robot to detect the color of its background. It transitions its skin to a specific color to match it.

On the other hand, Smithsonian Magazine reported that researchers did not make the robots exactly copy the nearby background. Like a real chameleon, they do not shift their shades to reflect the surroundings but to blend in. The team gave the artificial chameleon skin several patterns to choose from with a combination of pre-patterned dots, stripes, and curlicues for the robot to execute its disappearing act.

ALSO READ: The Ultimate Camouflage: Invisibility Screen Completely Hides Soldiers and Vehicles



How Does the Robot Change Colors Like a Chameleon?

The color-shifting skin is made of a thin glaze of liquid crystal that reacts to temperature and changes color based on its environment. These particles combine, forming bigger helical structures that, depending on their size, can reflect a certain color of light. For instance, a larger repeating arrangement gives a reddish color, while a tighter arrangement of liquid crystals gives a bluish hue.

The robot can match the color of its background in half a second as it walks on the floor. Researchers added that the walking robot could effectively hide against a backdrop of leaves and flowers by activating several heater patterns.

The use of temperature-sensitivity has been employed before, but materials engineer Chengyi Xu believes that this latest experiment is impressive. Although he is not part of the study, he said that the team of researchers from SNU did a good job in integrating several technologies to attain the most lifelike chameleon robot so far.

Application of the Robot Chameleon

The application of the technology used in robot chameleon will serve as an invisibility cloak for new military camouflage to help soldiers blend into the background, says study author Seung Hwan Ko. Additionally, this will make a great covert intelligent scout robot that is harder for enemies to spot.

Active camouflage will allow color blending in the background and hide their appearance to better blend in with the environment, according to Daily Mail. However, Professor Ko emphasized that this technology also has other purposes.

The artificial chameleon skin technology can be used as a cloth to patterns according to the person's preference and environment. It can also be used to actively adapt for cosmetic and aesthetic purposes on cars, clothes, or buildings. Lastly, he added that this technology could also be used for future flexible and wearable displays.



RELATED ARTICLE: Research Team Creates Artificial Chameleon Skin



Check out more news and information on Camouflage and Robotics in Science Times.
Good morning, Bay Area. Its Wednesday, Aug. 11, and one fancy job posting was a stunt  and a real opportunity. Heres what you need to know to start your day.

It was supposed to be over by now. When Congress passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan in March, it set a Labor Day sunset for a range of federal benefits to help jobless people weather the pandemic, assuming the economy would be recovered by September.

After that day, unemployment benefits will be slashed for millions of Californians, even as the state has a ways to go to recoup lost jobs.

It will be very, very hard, said Mary Robinson, an Oakland resident who was laid off in March 2020 from work as a procurement analyst at an insurance company and whose benefit payments over the past year were erratic.

I will not be able to pay some bills, or I dont pay rent  and then what? Im stuck living in my car on the street? she said. I know Im not the only one. I know Im among many other people who are in dire straits.

Carolyn Said reports on the likely consequences of the benefit cuts while Lauren Hepler looks at the eviction battles happening now.

 A strange time to be looking for a job: Californias uneven employment market.

Change in San Francisco schools policy

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

San Francisco school officials will require teachers and other staff to be vaccinated or face weekly testing for the coronavirus, district officials said in a surprise announcement Tuesday.

The decision came less than a week before the first day of school Monday and reversed a wait-and-see approach by the district. Read more about the new mandate from reporter Jill Tucker. Late Tuesday night, the Oakland Unified School District announced a similar requirement.

 Devastating impact of COVID on pregnancy highlighted by large UCSF study.

 COVID protocols, problems take center stage as Bay Area theaters resume productions.

 Lost your COVID vaccine card? Here's what you can do.

 Has the delta variant raised outdoor transmission risk? Heres what the experts say.

Fire updates

Fanned by gusting winds and low humidity, the Dixie Fire  now the second-largest wildfire in Californias history  grew by nearly 6,000 acres overnight Monday, and was only 25% contained. Read the latest here and track fires burning around California here.

 PG&E software issue allowed massive 2019 S.F. gas fire to burn longer, feds say.

 California just recorded its hottest July ever.

Around the Bay

Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press

 It leaves a vacuum: Democrats worry fight against Newsom recall is too focused on TV, not enough in person. More: Newsom has outraised GOP recall challengers combined by nearly a 3-1 margin.

 Career opportunity or influencer marketing? A Healdsburg winery's glitzy job contest promised $10,000 a month. It was a stunt  and it worked.

 New Census data: The most detailed data about the U.S. population in a decade is about to drop. But there is one big difference this time.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

 Deported to a country hes never been to: California paroled a Vietnamese refugee who fought fires in prison. The U.S. government then ordered him deported.

 Parents proposal for dealing with mentally ill: Pleasanton to pay $5.9 million over death of mentally unstable man restrained by police.

 Rent board data: A $475,000 tenant buyout set a San Francisco record. Here are the other biggest buyouts in city history.

Chronicle Travel

Courtesy adidas Terrex

The most frightening moment on Timothy Olsons 51-day blitz along the Pacific Crest Trail came one night in the woods outside Bend, Ore., about 1,900 miles into his hike.

Hed just been resupplied by his support crew and set out in the dark. Suddenly, ambient light from his lamp illuminated a pair of burning orange orbs  a mountain lion crouched near the trail, the biggest Olson had ever seen. And he had encountered a lot of them on the trail.

I didnt make a noise. I didnt back away slowly. I just kept hiking, Olson said. I looked at it, and it looked back at me and Im like, Are you going to eat me? I just kept thinking, Theres nothing I can do.

Gregory Thomas talks with Olson about this moment and the broader experience of setting a new speed record on the trail.

Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown, Anna Buchmann and Kellie Hwang and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact the writers at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com, anna.buchmann@sfchronicle.com and kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com.
With hefty co-pays for her diabetic supplies, Mary Robinson can barely make ends meet on her unemployment benefits. In three weeks those benefits will be slashed by $300, going from $750 a week to $450, when a special federal pandemic supplement ends.

It will be very, very hard, said the Oakland resident who was laid off in March 2020 from work as a procurement analyst at an insurance company. To make matters worse, shes among the many Californians whose benefit payments were erratic, so she had to consume her savings and borrow from family.

As the child of Depression-era parents, Robinson said she already knows how to save every nickel and throw nothing away. She applied for Alameda Countys rent relief program two months ago and just received notice the program will start this month. She hasnt bought clothes, shoes or other personal items since losing her job, but expects things will soon get even worse  and shes struggling to find a new job.

I will not be able to pay some bills, or I dont pay rent  and then what? Im stuck living in my car on the street? she said. I know Im not the only one. I know Im among many other people who are in dire straits.

When Congress passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan in March, it set a Labor Day sunset for a range of federal benefits to help jobless people weather the pandemic. Lawmakers assumed the economy would have recovered by September  but now the rise of the delta variant could inhibit job growth. Hiring has been robust in recent months, but still has a ways to go to recoup lost jobs. As of June, California had regained 54.2% of the 2.7 million jobs lost in March and April 2020, according to state data, leaving it still far short of pre-pandemic levels.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Besides ending the supplement that adds $300 a week onto everyones benefits, Congress is terminating two other big jobless programs by Sept. 4. The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program for self-employed people, gig workers and freelancers will end entirely, as will the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation extension, which added up to 53 weeks of benefits for people whose joblessness stretched beyond the normal 26 weeks of coverage.

In California, millions of people still depend on unemployment benefits to stay afloat. U.S. Department of Labor data shows that the state has 577,056 people on regular unemployment, who soon will see their benefits top out at the states $450-a-week maximum when the $300 weekly supplement ends.

California also has 1.34 million self-employed people collecting PUA benefits, and another 1.36 million people receiving help via PEUC, plus tens of thousands who have applied for those programs. All those people soon will no longer receive any money.

The consequences could be devastating, particularly as unemployment has exacerbated the chasm between the haves and have-nots.

These benefits are an essential support and ought to continue for the duration of the crisis, said Sarah Treuhaft, vice president of research at PolicyLink, a nonprofit research institute focused on economic and social equity. The people who were hardest hit by the pandemic job losses  low-wage workers, Black workers, Latinx workers  are still behind and still need support to be able to re-enter the job market and keep their families stable.

Also looming is the end of Californias eviction moratorium in early October. Out of 807,000 California renter households who are behind on rent, 57% are not employed, according to PolicyLink research, Treuhaft said.

Were extremely worried about what will happen to them when they lose those benefits at about the same time the eviction moratorium expires in California, Treuhaft said. They will be at imminent risk of eviction.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Unemployment benefits helped keep 1.4 million Californians from poverty this year, said Laura Wheaton, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute who co-authored a report on social safety net programs during the pandemic.

But the expanded benefits have become a political flash point. Republican governors in more than two dozen states (plus the Democratic governor of Louisiana) have already axed some or all of the extra help on the premise that more-generous benefits deter people from working. The cuts were made too recently to show up in government data, so its unclear whether that assumption was true or not.

Michael Farren, an economist at George Mason Universitys Mercatus Center, which espouses a free-market approach, explained the argument against more-generous unemployment benefits.

The federal expansion to unemployment tipped the scales to inhibit some people from returning to the labor market, he said. While other factors such as fear of infection and lack of child care were also in play, he thinks those are less prominent now with vaccines and a return to in-person schools  although other experts note that after-school care programs have dwindled.

Once the expanded federal benefits end, I think youll see a flood back to active work from people who are no longer protected by them, Farren said, pointing to Uber and Lyft drivers  currently in short supply nationwide  as an example of a population that may resume working.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Daniela Urban, executive director of Sacramentos Center for Workers Rights, said that people who returned to work for periods of time during the pandemic, or whose industries have been opening and closing, could potentially be eligible to apply to start up new claims, but of course will still be limited to the $450-a-week maximum.

More than half of the claimants her agency sees are still not working, either because their industries remain moribund or they face barriers such as child care, she said.

This is a huge cliff for these folks, she said. Congress is saying it believes business has rebounded and that our economy is as it was before the pandemic. But the claimants we speak to who have been actively trying to get back to pre-pandemic work are still struggling to do so.

Robinson, the unemployed Oakland resident, exemplifies that.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

I have not been able to get a job, and I have applied like my hair was on fire, she said. I have an MBA, a B.A. and 10 years experience in my field, and I cant even get a temporary position. I apply to five or six positions every day  contracts manager, contracts analyst, procurement manager, procurement analyst. I would take an administrative assistant job, but no ones going back to the office.

Jesse Rothstein, director of UC Berkeleys Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, said it was a mistake to enshrine a calendar date into the bill, rather than making the end of the policy contingent on the economic and public health situation.

A month ago I would have said we were on track to fully reopening (over) several months, (so) a tapering of enhanced benefits this fall made sense, he said. But now with the delta variant surge, it seems clear that reopening of the tourism, recreation, entertainment and hospitality industries is going to be slowed substantially. That means lots of people wont be able to find jobs, and ending their benefits at this time is just going to force them into poverty and onto other forms of public assistance.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Californias 600,000 teachers and other school staff must be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing, a first-in-the nation requirement Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday morning in Oakland.

The order will fully take effect Oct. 15, two months into the school year for some school districts. But the governor said he believes many school districts will set a deadline prior to that, which San Francisco and Oakland have already done.

The statewide public health order also will apply to educators and staff at the states 3,000 private schools.

We think this is the right thing to do, and we think this is a sustainable way to keep our schools open and to address the No. 1 anxiety our parents have ... which is knowing that schools are doing everything in their power to keep our kids safe, to keep our kids healthy, Newsom said.

The order, which also would apply to school volunteers and contractors, is a reversal for Newsom, who said in recent days that he would not add educators to the list of those required to be vaccinated, which includes health workers and state employees. Newsom said the order was the first of its kind in the country for teachers and school staff.

Newsom declined to directly answer a question about whether the state had considered more restrictive measures  like mandating vaccinations rather than making it a choice for school workers  saying only that we think this will do exactly what its intended to do, and thats get (people) vaccinated.

Some parents and teachers have said a choice between testing and vaccination does not go far enough and advocated for a vaccination mandate with limited exemptions.

That is not what a requirement means, said San Francisco middle school teacher John Lisovsky of the choice given to educators. Requirement means get vaccinated, period.

Newsom said that given the unpredictability of the pandemic, theres always a willingness to consider additional steps in the future.

The governors opponents in the recall election were quick to jump on the health order, saying it was an intrusion into peoples lives.

Gavin Newsom is a power-hungry politician who wants to control every aspect of peoples lives, said John Cox, gubernatorial candidate and San Diego millionaire. We must draw the line and protect peoples freedoms.

While the order might have been a small political gamble and mean a loss of votes in the recall, a return to distance learning could be an even greater threat, angering parents and families across the voter spectrum.

Newsoms school vaccine announcement, however, follows recent decisions by local districts including San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose to require employees be vaccinated or get frequent testing given increases in delta variant cases and hospitalizations. The requirement goes into effect in both districts on Sept. 7. Los Angeles will require frequent testing of students and staff.

The requirement still means teachers or other district employees working in schools or other settings can refuse to get vaccinated for any reason, but if they do, they must get tested once a week. Those vaccinated do not have to submit to testing.

There is no denying we are reaching another inflection point in the pandemic with the emergence of the delta variant, said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, at the governors announcement at Carl B. Munck Elementary School. It has also become clear over the last year there is no substitute for in-person learning.

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In recent days, local, state and national teachers unions have started to embrace the compromise, which ensures educators would not face disciplinary action if they are not vaccinated.

We know from our surveys that nearly 90% of educators have already been vaccinated, said E. Toby Boyd, president of the California Teachers Association, in a statement. Yet in the past few weeks, we have seen a rising spread of the Delta variant, especially among children, just as the new school year is starting. Educators want to be in classrooms with their students, and the best way to make sure that happens is for everyone who is medically eligible to be vaccinated, with robust testing and multi-tiered safety measures.

In San Francisco, officials have required vaccines of city employees, with limited exceptions, leading to pushback from hundreds of workers including firefighters and sheriffs deputies, citing debunked conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines and threatening to resign rather than get the shots.

Broad vaccination is the surest way to see us out of this pandemic and ensure that schools stay open for in-person instruction, Shane Dishman, president of the California School Employees Association, said in a statement. The association claims to represent 250,000 school support staff across California.

Dishman added, Our youngest students and those who are not eligible for the vaccine are dependent on those of us who can get it. We must all do our part to either get vaccinated or take the necessary measures to ensure we do not pose a health risk to others.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
All Oakland Unified School District teachers and staff members are required to get the coronavirus vaccine or face weekly coronavirus tests as part of a mandate announced by school district and teachers union officials late Tuesday night.

Staff members  including remote workers, contractors and volunteers  must get vaccinated or face weekly coronavirus tests effective September 7, the day after Labor Day, school district officials said in a statement to the school district community.

The announcement came ahead of Gov. Gavin Newsoms scheduled visit to the Bay Area on Wednesday, when, according to Politico reports, the governor is expected to announce requirements for all teachers and school employees in the state to get vaccinated or to do regular coronavirus tests.

Starting Monday, Oakland Unified School District officials said, everyone must wear face coverings outdoors on its campuses, a directive that is an expansion of the existing mandate requiring masks indoors. Masks were previously recommended outdoors, but will now be required.

School district officials said the new COVID-19 protocols are being implemented In light of the current high transmission rates in Alameda County.

Of the more than 3,700 Oakland school district staff members who reported their vaccination status, 92% have reported being fully vaccinated, school district officials said.

Vaccinations are the most effective way to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our community from COVID-19, Oakland school district officials said. We are proud to join a growing group of school districts, private employers, and public institutions across the country that are requiring their employees to get vaccinated in the name of public health and safety.

Once an employees vaccination status has been verified, school district officials said, they will not need to submit to weekly testing. Staff members who are have not yet been vaccinated or who have not yet reported their vaccination status have until August 27 to provide proof of their vaccination to the school district.

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Representatives with Oakland Education Association said in a statement on Twitter that they agree that vaccinations, along with multiple layers of mitigation, are the best way to protect our students, ourselves, and our community from COVID-19, and we will continue to do whatever it takes to keep our schools safe.

The school district said in addition to the latest mandate, officials have also improved ventilation on all campuses, implemented a robust contact tracing and case monitoring system, ensuring that symptomatic students and staff stay home, and of course, requiring universal masking for all staff and students, regardless of vaccination status.

They said they launched a revised COVID case dashboard and are increasing the hours of operation for the testing locations. School district officials said they provide multiple testing options for staff members, including at-home test kits and staffing 10 testing locations.

Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter:

@ByLHernandez
Marcelo Moraes surveyed all the packing left to do at the Daly City apartment a judge had ordered him to leave 48 hours earlier.

The Rio de Janeiro native sat near a stack of black plastic bins hed bought to move his life into a storage unit advertising one month free. Leftovers from a last-minute garage sale lined the dining room table.

Moraes lawyers had been negotiating with his landlord over roughly $50,000 he owed in back rent, most of which a state COVID-19 rent relief program had agreed to pay. But there still wasnt a deal by that Saturday, and Moraes didnt want to wait for the sheriff to show up.

I cant live like this anymore, he said, then kept packing.

Similar scenes played out across the country as a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moratorium on evictions for nonpayment of rent expired July 31, then was replaced Aug. 3 with a more limited measure that will remain in effect through Oct. 3. California still has its own eviction moratorium until Sept. 30, but Moraes is among an unknown number of renters who doesnt qualify, in his case because he fell behind on rent just before pandemic shutdowns began.

When the national eviction protections lapsed last week, renters and their advocates got a chaotic preview of what they fear might be coming on a much larger scale. Some 92,000 households are still at risk of eviction in San Francisco, Alameda, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, data company UrbanFootprint found in a July report.

The name moratorium is really a misnomer, because its not stopping all evictions, said Nassim Moallem, a housing attorney at the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley. Recently weve been seeing more of these cases, absolutely.

To Jairo Pereira, who helped his fellow Brazilian Moraes pack, it all adds up to a region increasingly out of reach for workers and immigrants like them.

He, like Moraes, worked as a driver for companies including Lyft and Instacart before the pandemic. With the help of unemployment benefits, hes renting a shared room near Daly City for $480 this month  an upgrade, he said, from the bedroom that he used to pay $400 a month to share with three other people in Oakland.

We cannot afford a place like this, to live decently, he said, gesturing around Moraes soon-to-be-former living room.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

No mercy

Things got rocky for Moraes around New Years Eve 2020, when he got sick from what he now thinks may have been COVID-19 and had to stop working. Just before the pandemic hit, he fell about $3,800 behind on the $3,000-a-month, two-bedroom apartment hes shared for two and a half years with his adult son.

Debt mounted as Moraes took occasional driving jobs while the virus raged. The first two times he received eviction orders, judges granted delays based on the national eviction moratorium. Things seemed to improve this summer, when Moraes raised $4,000 from a GoFundMe campaign, and state officials told his lawyers that his remaining debt could be repaid by Californias $5.2 billion rent relief program.

But there was still no repayment deal with his landlord by a July 30 court hearing, and a judge ruled that the San Mateo County Sheriffs Office could enforce the eviction starting Aug. 1.

No mercy, Moraes told activists waiting outside the Redwood City courthouse.

Before the pandemic, the number of eviction lawsuits filed in California had been declining. There were 129,207 unlawful detainer civil filings during the 2019 fiscal year, according to the Judicial Council of California, down from 167,390 cases in 2013 just after the Great Recession.

In the nine-county Bay Area, 13,035 eviction lawsuits were filed from July 2019 to June 2020, a dip from recent years. But now, evictions appear to be rising based on sheriffs enforcement data. CalMatters reported 3,675 evictions in the first three months of 2021, compared with just over 4,000 in the entire second half of 2020.

So far, Californias program has helped around 21,000 households clear their debt, officials said last week  more than other states, but a fraction of the roughly 800,000 households behind on rent, according to an estimate by the National Equity Atlas. On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared in San Franciscos Mission District to tout $56 billion in federal rent aid that Congress approved earlier this year to prevent more evictions.

That is an enormous amount of money, the likes of which we have never seen for this purpose, Pelosi said. Still, she warned, An initiative isnt successful unless people take advantage of it.

The concern for tenant attorneys is how many people are currently teetering on the edge  or have already fallen off. The vast majority of eviction lawsuits are settled before costly trials, and advocates say many tenants leave before formal court paperwork is filed to avoid a blow to their rental history that can limit future housing options.

Moallem said some landlords are trying their luck with eviction cases for nonpayment of rent, which the moratoriums are designed to prevent, but others are citing causes like excessive noise or tenants not maintaining backyards. If renters receive an eviction notice, she suggests documenting communication with landlords and following the three S rule: stay in your home, submit a declaration of COVID-19 hardship and seek rental assistance.

State lawmakers have stressed that anyone with a pending rent relief application cant be evicted. But Moraes attorney Michelle Trejo-Saldivar said that only appears to apply starting in October, after the states moratorium expires.

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In this case in particular, it shows you where some of the gaps are, said Trejo-Saldivar, a housing law fellow with the nonprofit Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto.

As tenants struggle with how long to keep fighting, activists are also mulling new tactics to keep them housed.

Planning for protests

Just north of Moraes in San Francisco, Jasper Wilde is juggling her own rent relief case with bigger questions about how to stave off evictions for fellow renters. The out-of-work political organizer started attending tenant meetings after accruing about $37,000 in rent debt at her Inner Sunset one-bedroom since April 2020.

Wilde said shes stressed about coming up with the initial 25% of the money she owes by Sept. 30, when Californias moratorium lifts, but shes encouraged by other tenants mounting rent strikes or planning eviction protests. Eva Reyes, a community organizer with Faith in Action Bay Area, said groups like hers are also preparing for different levels of intervention in eviction cases, from vigils, courthouse protests and tenant forums to physical blockades like those employed by anti-deportation activists.

Were trying to figure out, What can we do? Wilde said. Maybe it looks like physically blocking at court, or showing up at the tenants door on a Wednesday morning when the sheriff is going to come.

The uneasy moment drives home a growing economic divide between Bay Area tenants. As renters hit hard by the pandemic take out loans and try to navigate a maze of rent relief programs, better-positioned tenants are wading into home bidding wars, taking advantage of pandemic rent drops or accepting cash buyouts from landlords to move out.

Moraes home, Westlake Village Apartments, is currently offering two months of free rent for new tenants even as its lawyers pursue his eviction case. William Choutka, general manager of the 3,000-unit, 47-acre complex, said the company welcomes state rent relief funds and has been willing to negotiate a formal pay and stay agreement with Moraes.

On Aug. 5, a week after the judge told him he had to leave, Moraes slept on a mattress in his empty apartment and hoped that the sheriff wouldnt show up. In his case, the gamble paid off. He went back to court the next day and won an eviction delay until Oct. 1.

Whatever happens, he said, hell make it through. But he worries what will happen if his neighbors are next.

I can sleep in my car, he said, but there are families here with three or four kids.

Lauren Hepler is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hepler@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LAHepler
WASHINGTON (AP)  When President Joe Biden first announced the framework he'd reached with a bipartisan group of senators for a big infrastructure bill, he said it meant more than building roads and bridges.

Agreement, he said two months ago, would send a signal to ourselves and to the world that American democracy can deliver.

The senators who led the legislation to passage Tuesday agreed.

We all knew that, quite honestly, that the world was watching, said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.

Approved on an overwhelming 69-30 vote, the nearly $1 trillion package would boost federal spending for major improvements of roads, bridges, internet access and other public works in communities from coast to coast. The bill goes next to the House.

What should have been a routine task  Biden recalled infrastructure as probably the least difficult thing to do when he was a senator  became an exercise in showing how damaged the legislative process has become in partisan Washington and how a president and core group of senators were determined to try to fix it.

Powering past skeptics, the five Democratic and five Republican senators who negotiated the deal were interested in Bidens call to build back better after so many failed attempts at an infrastructure overhaul. But they also wanted to build back the confidence of Americans and the world that the U.S. government could tackle big problems.

We really realized that this was going to be important for the country and I think its important for the institution, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said recently after a long day at the Capitol. Im really worried that everybody believes that were as dysfunctional as we appear to be, and so prove otherwise, its kind of important.

Since Biden took office, small groups of senators had been talking and meeting quietly on their own and sometimes with the White House, searching for ways to reach across the aisle on a range of issue  among them the minimum wage, immigration and infrastructure.

Many were alumni of the bipartisan coalition that stitched together a year-end COVID-19 relief package and saw an opportunity for compromise in the evenly split 50-50 Senate, where typically 60 votes are needed to advance any legislation over an opposing filibuster.

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Murkowski held private lunches with senators in a committee room. Others hosted dinners at their homes.

These were the early days of the Biden administration, not long after rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 in the deadly insurrection that shattered civic norms and left a deepening unease among lawmakers.

Biden had delivered an inaugural address with a call for unity after the turbulent 2020 election, and some of the Republican senators had joined in voting to convict Donald Trump of inciting the insurrection to upend Bidens presidency. The former president was ultimately acquitted in his impeachment trial.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said those issues, along with the history of failed efforts to invest in infrastructure, were on her mind as she joined the effort.

It was a major motivation for me, Collins said, "to demonstrate to the American people that we could overcome the hyper-partisanship in Washington on a very important issue that administrations of both parties have been calling for, for the past 20 years.

Biden had been in talks with another coalition led by West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican, but once that effort collapsed, he reached out to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the Democratic senator from Arizona.

A newer lawmaker, better known for her purple pandemic wig and chatting on the GOP side of the Senate aisle, Sinema made no secret of her reluctance to embrace Bidens big infrastructure plan, which initially topped $4 trillion.

She had already been working behind the scenes with Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and others in what another member of the group, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, described as a "backburner" coalition. They became the group of 10.

The White House sprang into action, eventually engaging in hundreds of meetings and phones calls with lawmakers of both parties in the House and Senate. The administration coordinated visits by members of the presidents Jobs Cabinet," and counselor Steve Ricchetti became a fixture on Capitol Hill.

If there was a special sauce it was relationships, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in an interview.

The president was highly engaged, briefed multiple times a day about the talks and often directing the strategy. He worked the phones.

Biden "was able to establish a tone, Buttigieg said.

Trump, like previous presidents, had sought to assemble an infrastructure package during his time at the White House, but often sent mixed signals to negotiators and frustrated lawmakers by threatening to withdraw support from items to which he had previously committed. But senators said it was clear when Biden sent his top aides to talk with the senators, they had the presidents proxy, Collins said. That made a difference.

As final weeks of negotiations moved to Portman's basement office at the Capitol, the group popped bottles of wine and ordered pizza for the difficult late-night sessions. Tempers flared, frustration mounted and exhaustion set in.

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We didnt fully throw pizza, said Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia. But there were lots of time when people do get mad with each other.

The whole deal almost collapsed the June day it was first announced when Biden suggested at a news conference he would not sign it into law without also having his broader $3.5 trillion package alongside it, infuriating the Republicans who staunchly oppose that bill.

Collins was waiting at the airport for a flight back home to Maine when she read the headline and immediately called Bidens top staff for an explanation.

Tester, sitting on his tractor at home in Montana, was dumbfounded.

Biden sent a lengthy statement two days later assuring the group that he would fight for both bills and putting negotiations back on track.

After Tuesdays overwhelming vote in the Senate, the president called Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and each of the 10 senators personally, reaching Sinema in the Senate cloakroom.

They sent me a note. It said, Biden on three for you. I literally said, I dont know what that means, Sinema told The Associated Press.

He said congratulations and we spent some time talking about how important this victory is, not just for the work were doing on infrastructure but also to demonstrate that bipartisanship is still alive and our Congress can function, she said.

"And then we talked about continuing to work together to get this bill across the finish line and onto his desk."

___

Associated Press writer J.J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report.
California fire officials pleaded with residents to remain vigilant over the next few months of the states fire season, pointing to another bout of weather conditions that could bring dry lightning to the Dixie Fire zone, which has already burned more than half a million acres.

The forecast is a concern in the near term, Cal Fire Director Thom Porter said Wednesday afternoon, but added fire officials are aware that there is a long peak season still left in the year. Porter warned residents that officials will be at this for months to come, and urged residents to make sure they dont create sparks that could ignite another blaze.

If there is even a blade of grass near you, that is enough to start a fire these days. It is so dry, Porter said during a community update on the Dixie Fire with state law enforcement and emergency management authorities at the Plumas County Fairgrounds. The way weve seen this burn through live timber in the tens of thousands of acres an hour is unlike anything weve seen other than a few times. And those few times, most of them have been within the last year or two years.

Porter said monsoonal moisture coming from Southern California could turn into dry lightning in the fire zone and could make its way to the north coast of California, and into Oregon and Washington. Cal Fire officials said moisture levels may increase late in the week along with isolated thunderstorms.

The Dixie Fire is the second-largest wildfire in the states history and among its most destructive. By Wednesday evening, the blaze had burned 505,413 acres and was 30% contained.

Now Playing: The massive Dixie Fire tore through Greenville in Plumas County Wednesday, torching historic buildings and reducing much of the town's main street to rubble. Video: San Francisco Chronicle

More than 500 homes were destroyed by the fire as of Wednesday, according to Cal Fire. An estimated 582 single-family homes were reported destroyed alongside eight multi-family buildings. More than 130 commercial structures and other outbuildings were also destroyed.

Officials with local government agencies and officials with the California Governors Office of Emergency Services toured the fire zone Wednesday and discussed the process of recovery for impacted areas. Officials have started the process of damage assessment to take in the totality of all of the losses in the multiple counties that have been impacted in Northern California, said Mark Ghilarducci, the director of Cal OES, during the community meeting.

Ghilarducci said that Cal OES officials are working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to see about getting some additional aid to local and state programs that are supporting communities impacted by the Dixie Fire and other blazes.

Its unfortunate that we are now at another really catastrophic event as a result of a wildfire and the conditions that are creating these fires, Ghilarducci said.

On Wednesday, Cal Fire officials said firefighters continued to mop up hot spots in the fire perimeter to prevent embers from crossing the fire line, and reinforced control lines from previous fires. Crews completed control lines around the southern perimeter of the fire, such as lines from Butte Meadows to Taylorsville, which can be expected to stop the fires spread in the fires east zone, Cal Fire officials said.

Cal Fire officials said Lone Rock has been a high-fire activity area of the blaze. Embers from the blaze have started spot fires outside of the perimeter of the main fire, but Cal Fire officials said firefighters have worked to control those blazes.

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Ghilarducci urged residents impacted by the fires to contact their insurance providers, and said that state officials will work with county officials in the coming days to set up local assistance centers.

The Dixie Fires calamitous tally to date made it the 15th most destructive wildfire in California history. Cal Fire officials said another 14,416 additional structures remain threatened by the blaze, burning across four California counties.

Chronicle Staff Writer Dominic Fracassa contributed to this report.

Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: Lauren.Hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez
Arson investigators read tire tracks, planted a vehicle tracking device and traced electronic benefit card transactions and cell phone signals to gather evidence and arrest a 47-year-old college instructor from San Jose on suspicion of setting multiple wildfires near Mount Shasta and the Dixie Fire.

Gary Stephen Maynard, who taught criminal justice at a number of California colleges including Sonoma State University and Santa Clara University, according to court documents, was arrested on Saturday in Lassen County, near the Conard Fire, which he is suspected of setting.

He is accused of willfully setting fire to land owned by or under the jurisdiction of the United States, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Sacramento.

Maynard has denied setting the fires.

Maynard first drew the attention of investigators last month when he was spotted beneath a car stuck in a ditch, near the ignition point of the Cascade Fire on the west slopes of Mount Shasta.

A U.S. Forest Service fire investigator questioned Maynard, whom he believed was living out of his car, but left after Maynard became uncooperative and agitated.

That started a two-week probe in which investigators found evidence they believe linked Maynard to at least seven wildfires in Northern California national forests.

It appeared Maynard was in the midst of an arson-setting spree, Forest Service special agent Tyler Bolen wrote in a court document.

While the fires were allegedly set in areas near where the Dixie Fire, the second largest and among the most destructive in state history, is burning, PG&E officials have said the utilitys equipment may have sparked that blaze. The Dixie Fire started near the Feather River in Plumas County.

Investigators returned to the scene where Maynard was questioned the next day, and interviewed another man living in his car in the area who told them Maynard visited the area along a dirt road several hours before the fire started, acted angrily and threw things on the ground. After Maynard walked away for 10 minutes, the witness said, he saw smoke from what would be named the Cascade Fire.

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

Nearby, investigators found at least two piles of burned sticks and newspaper shreds. They also found tire tracks from Maynards vehicle, which they photographed and measured. They matched photographs taken during the encounter with Maynard.

The same day, the Everitt Fire broke out in the same area on Mount Shasta and investigators found tire tracks that were similar to those from Maynards vehicle. Similar tracks were found at other fires, and investigators tracked use of an electronic benefits card and Maynards cell phone to determine his whereabouts and obtain a warrant allowing them to place a tracking device on his car.

After the device showed his car in the areas of two more wildfires in Lassen County, they arrested Maynard.

He was jailed in Lassen County jail in Susanville.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
A Contra Costa County sheriffs deputy being tried for the death of an unarmed motorist now faces a less serious charge after prosecutors failed to demonstrate that he used a semiautomatic pistol in the 2018 shooting  even though there is no dispute that he did.

Deputy Andrew Hall originally faced felony counts of voluntary manslaughter and assault with a semiautomatic firearm. But lead prosecutor and acting assistant district attorney Christopher Walpole was unable to prove the second count during a preliminary hearing in July.

Hall had described his service weapon to investigators as a Sig Sauer P226 .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol, but Walpole did not present that evidence during the hearing, and Judge Terri Mockler said the prosecution had failed to meet its burden of proof. She dropped the charge but allowed the prosecution to file a different firearm charge that exposes Hall to less prison time.

The original charge carries a possible sentence of three, six or nine years in state prison.

The new charge carries two, three or four years in state prison, or six months to a year in county jail, and possibly a $10,000 fine.

The mother of the man Hall is accused of killing expressed frustration in an interview on Wednesday.

I myself know it is semiautomatic, said Jeannie Atienza, whose son Laudemer Arboleda was shot nine times in 2018. Its common sense.

Walpole made a miscalculation, said Michael Cardoza, a defense attorney and former prosecutor in San Francisco and Alameda counties.

Cardoza said that while the semiautomatic firearm charge should have been easy to prove, he can also understand how the prosecution fell short of the courts legal standard.

When Mockler dismissed the semiautomatic firearms count, Walpole pointed to the bodyworn camera footage he had presented in court, saying it should have been obvious, from the volley of shots, that Hall was firing a semiautomatic pistol. But Mockler said it is not the courts duty to infer elements of a crime.

To Cardoza, this seemed like an avoidable mistake, albeit a minor one. Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton could revive the semiautomatic firearm charge if she is willing to redo the preliminary hearing, he said. That seems unlikely at this point. Hall pleaded not guilty to the two felony counts and a special allegation during his second arraignment on Monday.

Two and a half years had passed since the deadly incident on Nov. 3, 2018, when Hall intercepted a police chase at Front Street and Diablo Road in the San Ramon Valley suburb of Danville. Officers had responded to calls about a suspicious person  later identified as Arboleda  knocking on doors in a quiet cul-de-sac. They began pursuing Arboleda when he didnt stop or obey commands.

Hall stepped in the path of Arboledas Honda as it lurched forward, squeezing through the gap between Halls cruiser and a sergeants SUV. As Hall backed away he fired 10 rounds through the cars windshield and passenger window, hitting Arboleda nine times. He told investigators he feared for his life.

As Bectons investigation of the Arboleda shooting inched along, outrage grew over other police killings across the nation, heightening with the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. In March of this year, Hall shot and killed another man, 33-year-old Tyrell Wilson in Danville. Public pressure was mounting when Becton said in April that she would pursue charges for the Arboleda shooting, the day after a Minneapolis jury convicted former police Officer Derek Chauvin for Floyds murder.

Halls defense attorney, Harry Stern, argued that the withdrawn firearms charge was another sign that the case had been thrown together to meet the political moment. Stern began telegraphing that argument shortly after Becton announced the charges.

While the firearms charge is not going to be the most significant issue in this trial, Stern told The Chronicle on Wednesday, the prosecutions failure to prove it is an indication to me of the hastiness with which they threw this case together.

Walpole declined comment through a spokesperson.

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Other legal experts agreed with Cardoza that the firearms count is less significant than the voluntary manslaughter count, given that the whole case rests on whether this shooting was a reasonable use of force.

The real question is whether the officer acted improperly in using his firearm, said Laurie Levenson, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University.

She and another professor, Jonathan Simon of UC Berkeley School of Law, foresee challenges for Becton, who is among a handful of top prosecutors in the Bay Area charging a police officer with allegations of excessive force.

This is an unusual and novel case that, if there was a conviction on it, would almost certainly go to the appellate courts on the question of whether a police officer can be penalized or have this enhancement come into play for using a weapon that was issued to him or her by their agency, Simon said.

Since there is not really a framework for trying police officers, Becton is applying a strategy she might use to prosecute any other shooting, the law professors say.

In most circumstances, prosecutors use firearm statutes to try people who the police round up as involved in gun violence, Simon said. So then the question will be, did they intend to include police officers using their authorized weapon?

Oakland attorney John Burris, who represents Arboledas family in a separate civil rights case against Danville, was somewhat critical of the district attorney for not substantiating the semiautomatic firearms charge. But he said he doesnt believe it would have guaranteed a severe prison sentence.

Im not too impressed by how much time an officer is going to get in a shooting case, Burris said. Its going to be lenient, no matter what.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
One publicly traded Bay Area company wants to attract shareholders not just on the merits of its stock performance  but also with a wine club.

Santa Rosas Vintage Wine Estates, one of the few wineries to go public, has introduced what its calling a shareholder passport. Anyone who buys enough shares can sign up to receive discounts on wine from any of the companys 14 wineries, free tastings, access to winery concerts and a concierge service. One tier of membership kicks in at 500 shares, the other at 1,000 shares. Right now VWE is trading a little over $9 a share.

Its an unusual sort of deal, modeled on both the rewards programs of companies like Hilton Hotels and United Airlines and the wine clubs that are ubiquitous throughout Wine Country. Vintages hope is that the perks will convince more people to buy its stock.

You can own shares in Google and use Google, said Vintage Wine Estates Chief Marketing Officer Jessica Kogan. But do you think about owning shares in a wine company and drinking that wine? Our thesis is yes  that people who choose to invest in us will be interested in buying our wines.

Since quietly rolling it out a few months ago, about 500 people have enrolled in the passport, Kogan said. Of those, 72% joined at the platinum level, with at least 1,000 shares.

Its rare for wine companies in the U.S. to go public in the first place; until this year, there hadnt been a major California winery IPO since the late 1990s. It's also rare for a publicly traded company to offer a rewards program like this for individual shareholders, though not unheard of: Carnival Cruise Lines gives shareholders on-board credits, for example, and Churchill Downs investors get free tickets to horse races.

At least two publicly traded wine companies have offered wine-related benefits to shareholders before, Oregon's Willamette Valley Vineyards and Monterey County's Chalone Wine Group, which has since sold to new owners and is no longer public.

The annual shareholder events of Chalone Wine Group, which went public in 1984, were famous, to the point where many shareholders didnt even mind if they were losing money on the stock  the exclusive parties made up for it.

Most Chalone shareholders joined for that reason alone, said Tom Selfridge, Chalones former CEO, in an interview earlier this year. The company never paid a dividend, he said. The dividend was that the shareholders got these invitations to the Chalone annual meeting. It was a big wine club, basically.

It was fun while it lasted. Ultimately, Chalone fell on hard times financially, and in 2004 it was purchased by spirits conglomerate Diageo, which has since gotten out of the wine business altogether. (Chalone is now owned by Foley Family Wines, a privately held company.)

When asked whether there was a danger of anything similar happening with Vintage  whether it could be risky to incentivize people to buy shares based on wine perks rather than investment potential  Kogan said no, because the threshold for ownership starts relatively low at 500 shares.

The way we structured this, with the different share levels, is to ensure there is minimal risk, Kogan said.

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Vintage Wine Estates went public by using a special-purpose acquisition company  essentially merging with an already-public company, which allowed it to avoid the traditional IPO process. The initial valuation was put at $690 million.

Of the few California wine companies that have gone public, most of the famous examples havent gone well: In the cases of Robert Mondavi and Ravenswood wineries, for example, the IPOs eventually led to the founding families losing control of their businesses.

Kogan, though, believes this new program will be particularly well-suited for Vintage because the company owns so many brands. Passport members get access to tastings at all of Vintage Wine Estates 14 brands, which include B.R. Cohn, Qupe, Swanson, Girard and Laetitia, plus invitations to B.R. Cohns Sonoma Harvest Music Festival, which is put on by BottleRock. On top of that theyll get to attend a big annual wine-tasting event; this years will take place at Clos Pegase Winery in September, with a virtual attendance option.

At the end of the day, the street is going to decide what the stock price is going to be, but we believe in our fundamentals, Kogan said.

Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polands parliament voted Wednesday in favor of a bill that would force Discovery Inc., the U.S. owner of Polands largest private television network, to sell its Polish holdings and is widely viewed as an attack on media independence in Poland.

The draft legislation would prevent non-European owners from having controlling stakes in Polish media companies. In practice, it only affects TVN, which includes TVN24, an all-news station that is critical of the nationalist right-wing government and has exposed wrongdoing by Polish authorities.

Lawmakers voted 228-216 to pass the legislation, with 10 abstentions.

The bill must still go to the Senate, where the opposition has a slim majority. The upper house can suggest changes and delay the bill's passage, but the lower house can ultimately pass it as it wishes. It would then go to President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the right-wing government.

Discovery said it was extremely concerned and appealed to the Senate and Duda to oppose the project. Polands future as a democratic country in the international arena and its credibility in the eyes of investors depend on this, it said.

The vote in parliament followed two days of political upheaval that saw the prime minister on Tuesday fire a deputy prime minister who opposed the media bill.

The ruling party appeared earlier Wednesday not to have the votes, but found them after all.

There was also tension on the street after the vote, with protesters gathering in front of parliament. Some clashed with police and were detained.

The media bill is viewed as a crucial test for the survival of independent news outlets in the former communist nation, coming six years into the rule of a populist government that has chipped away at media and judicial independence.

The ruling party has long sought to nationalize media in foreign hands, arguing it is necessary for national security. Ejecting TVNs American owner from Poland's media market would be a huge victory for the government, coming after the state oil company last year bought a large private media group.

Its political opponents, however, believe that TVNs independence is tantamount to saving media freedom and see the survival of Polands democracy as being on the line.

TVNs all-news station TVN24 is a key source of news for many Poles but it is also a thorn in the governments side. It is often critical and exposes wrongdoing by officials. The governments supporters consider it biased and unfairly critical.

Government critics have long feared that Poland was following a path set by Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban has gained near-total control over the media as private outlets have either folded or come under the control of the leader's allies.

TVN represents the largest ever U.S. investment in Poland. The company was bought for $2 billion by another U.S. company, Scripps Networks Interactive, which was later acquired by Discovery.

The draft bill was adding to strain between Poland and the United States.

On Wednesday, the parliament also passed another bill opposed by the U.S. and Israel  a law that would prevent former Polish property owners, among them Holocaust survivors and their heirs, from regaining property expropriated by the countrys communist regime.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Wednesday that the United States was deeply troubled by the legislation targeting TVM.

Poland has worked for decades to foster a vibrant and free media, Blinken said. This draft legislation would significantly weaken the media environment the Polish people have worked so long to build.

___

AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
One of two dueling efforts to oust San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin has failed, falling short of collecting the required 51,325 signatures to qualify for a special recall election, city elections officials said Wednesday.

But a second, more well-heeled recall campaign still looms large over the progressive prosecutor, and claims to have gathered nearly the required signatures months before theyre due in October.

Despite some big donors and interest early on, city officials said the campaign turned over about 49,000 signatures, but its also unclear how many of those would have been validated by the elections department.

Richie Greenberg, a former Republican mayoral candidate in San Francisco who launched the first recall initiative in March, said Tuesday that his groups efforts in recent weeks were stymied by batches of fake signatures and confusion over the two separate campaigns.

Its really very upsetting, Greenberg said Wednesday, blaming the second recall group, not Boudin supporters, for blocking his campaigns efforts. Greenberg added that despite animosity between the two groups, he wouldnt rule out collaborating if he received the invitation.

Theyre the ones that screwed us over  there are bad, bad, bad feelings, for sure, Greenberg said. But well see. They didnt reach out to us.

When reached by The Chronicle on Wednesday afternoon, Boudin said neither of what he deemed Republican-backed recalls will distract me from doing my job.

Recall supporters from Greenbergs campaign and another, led by former chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party Mary Jung, reject the notion that their movements are fueled by GOP supporters. Both say voters of all political stripes have supported their movement.

Greenberg all but predicted the loss in a Tuesday interview with The Chronicle while out gathering 11th-hour signatures in Japantown.

Our confidence level has dropped a bit, Greenberg said, noting that they had flagged about 2,500 fake signatures from people using made-up names or addresses.

The ability for us to get the cushion above 51,000 has dwindled, Greenberg said. Thats the problem.

Greenberg said several other would-be supporters declined to add their signature because they had already signed onto the opposing recalls campaign and didnt understand they could sign both.

Greenbergs group ultimately collected about $277,000 in donations, while Jungs faction has raised over $715,000, according to recent campaign finance reports. More than half of the latter funding, $450,000, was donated by the political action committee Neighbors for a Better San Francisco.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Jungs committee immediately sought to distance themselves from Greenberg, branding themselves as a moderate Democrat-run operation. Both efforts are pushing essentially the same message: That Boudins progressive policies have enabled criminals and put San Franciscans at risk.

Police data shows that San Francisco is not in the midst of a major, violent crime wave, and Boudins supporters say the district attorneys measures are helping stem overcrowded prison populations.

Andrea Shorter, spokesperson for the second recall campaign, said Tuesday that the group had collected just over 50,000 signatures and is aiming for 70,000 by the deadline.

Once the petitions are turned over, city officials have 30 days to count the signatures and determine whether theyre valid. If they hit the threshold, an election will be planned no more than 120 days later, where voters would be asked a simple yes or no on whether to keep Boudin in office. If hes ousted, Mayor London Breed would choose a replacement.

Julie Edwards, a spokesperson for one of Boudins anti-recall campaigns, said the D.A.s criminal justice reform work will continue regardless of whats next for Richie Greenberg and those who want to re-fight the 2019 election for the next two years, she said.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
The National Park Service issued a temporary permit that will allow a San Francisco nonprofit to install a pop-up museum inside the famed Cliff House to commemorate the buildings history.

Nicole Meldahl, executive director of Western Neighborhoods Project signed a special-use permit with the National Park Service and will be displaying the items by October.

The nonprofit raised $180,000 to buy Cliff House memorabilia after an array of items were put up for auction. Now, the artifacts are returning home.

Meldahl said having the opportunity to display the items is critical to the legacy of Cliff House.

There really is no replacement for experiencing this history in the place that birthed it, she said.

The permit lasts until April 2022.

The houses previous operators, the Hountalas family, ran the Cliff House as a restaurant since the 1970s. They announced last December that they would be leaving after lease negotiations with the park service reached an impasse and losses from the pandemic piled up.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Since then, community members have expressed concern over what would happen to the historic San Francisco site.

Since last year, Meldahl heard from dozens of community members about their emotional connection to the Cliff House everything from weddings to family traditions of eating out with family.

The full spectrum of human emotions are being offered up and that  as a community historian  that is what we live for, Meldahl said. Thats how you know the Cliff House is special because it taps into something beyond academic history work.

Omar Shaikh Rashad is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: omar.rashad@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @omarsrashad
San Francisco says its progressive and likes to think of itself as more akin to European cities than many American ones. It says cars must take a back seat in a transit-first city. It says its committed to eliminating traffic fatalities within three years. It says it cares deeply about preserving the environment and creating parks.

Its too bad all those wonderful promises are too often just lip service. After all, Mayor London Breed and three supervisors privately decided the Great Highway  now a 17-acre park and one of the few silver linings to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic  will revert to a traffic artery five days a week starting Monday.

It wont happen without a fight, though. Advocates for keeping the people-centered promenade are organizing protests on the highway. Also, three city residents on Tuesday planned to file a California Environmental Quality Act appeal in an attempt to block the return of the roadway to vehicles.

The citys step backward, mirrored in its partial reopening of Twin Peaks Boulevard to cars and the decades-long fight, with no resolution, over JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, belies the need to give pedestrians and bicyclists more access to safe streets.

In a city that has 1,200 miles of roads for cars, devoting a small fraction to pedestrians and bicyclists isnt too much to ask. If giving 2 miles of the Great Highway to people two days a week is a compromise, as the mayor says, thats a strange definition.

Its also problematic, considering beachgoers on bike or foot will again have to cross a highway. Despite the citys Vision Zero commitment to eliminate traffic deaths by 2024, 30 people died in traffic in the city last year compared with 31 when the city made the pledge in 2014. In other words, the progressive city has made almost no progress on curbing those deaths.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Other cities are smartly making some roads car-free, in an attempt to combat climate change, improve air quality, promote health and exercise, and make streets safer. Barcelona, Spain, for example, plans to convert 20 miles into pedestrian green spaces. Paris is also expanding its pedestrian zones.

At the start of the pandemic, that kind of lovely future looked promising here, too. On April 3, 2020, San Francisco converted the Great Highway alongside Ocean Beach to a car-free promenade, arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic meant people needed more space for exercising while social distancing.

(Also, the highway was covered with sand, as it often is, and cars couldnt get through anyway. Public Works spent $346,000 moving Ocean Beach sand around in 2019-20, a problem that isnt going away just because drivers want the road back.)

A city study found it was incredibly popular  drawing 126,000 visitors each month, including 3,240 each weekday. Protests, public art and music sprang up. A city survey found 53% of respondents wanted it to remain closed to cars permanently. The city also rightly responded to neighbors concerns about increased traffic on their streets, installing stop signs, speed humps and traffic diverters.

Maybe the Great Highway, supporters hoped, would go the way of the Embarcadero Freeway and Central Freeway  both took years of political fighting to dismantle and were transformed into beloved public spaces.

Marta Lindsey, spokesperson for the pedestrian advocacy group Walk SF, said reverting the Great Highway to cars five days a week is shortsighted.

Its the wrong move at the wrong time for so many reasons, she said. Its really disappointing that San Francisco isnt thinking bigger.

Those filing the CEQA appeal in an attempt to keep the pedestrian promenade full time argue that returning roadway to cars so traffic can move more quickly through the citys west side merits an environmental review.

They also point out that the delta variant means coronavirus case rates in San Francisco are higher now than they were on April 3, 2020, meaning the need for space and social distancing hasnt gone away. Back then, there were 33 new cases per day. Now there are 272.

Ive had a lot of critiques of CEQA before, but I think this is exactly what its meant to be used for, said Brian Coyne, one of the three who planned to file the appeal. Hes a lecturer in political science at Stanford, a resident of Bernal Heights and, full disclosure, the husband of The Chronicles theater critic, Lily Janiak.

Coyne said it was strange that the city had embarked on a process to decide the post-pandemic fate of the Great Highway, including surveys, reports and public meetings, but then bypassed it for a backroom deal by Breed and Supervisors Gordon Mar, Myrna Melgar and Connie Chan.

This is the mayor and Mar deciding to totally cut off that process with 11 days notice, he said.

The timing of the CEQA appeal is tricky because the Board of Supervisors, which votes on those appeals, is in recess until September, long after the change will have been made. Coyne acknowledged its a long-shot effort.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Breed and the supervisors met in the mayors office at City Hall in late July along with their staffs and Jeffrey Tumlin, director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. Breed proposed the weekday return of cars, and the others agreed, according to Mar. It did not go to the full board for a vote since the mayor was adjusting her previous emergency order closing the highway to cars.

Jeff Cretan, a spokesperson for Breed, said the mayor has visited the Great Highway multiple times since its closure to cars and worked to create a compromise. Breed said the change was important for families to get to school.

Cretan added that the long-term process to determine the fate of the Great Highway is ongoing, and pointed out that several parts of the citys pandemic response will remain forever, including parklets and, so far, four Slow Streets aimed at curbing through traffic.

Mar said that hed like to see the Great Highway permanently closed to cars in 2023  timed with the planned closure of the southern part of the road because of erosion  but that the city needs to make infrastructure improvements to ease traffic on the west side of the city before then.

I visited the Great Highway on Thursday and again on Monday to enjoy some of the last car-free weekdays. Both afternoons, scores of people rode their bikes, walked, jogged, skateboarded and scooted as seagulls swooped overhead. I saw people of all ages and races. And, yes, theres a sidewalk nearby, but its too narrow and bumpy to accommodate the legions of people using the Great Highway and its long, flat expanse, a rarity in the city.

Joe Merer, 63, and his daughter, Jenny, walked their dog, Roman, an activity theyve enjoyed several times a week since the roads closure. Merer participated in Zoom meetings about the highways fate and was very upset to learn of the mayors order. He lives at 45th Avenue and Lawton Street and said traffic on the neighborhood streets was bad last year, but people have adapted and now its mostly back to normal.

Its so nice here  like paradise! he said of the Great Highway. Its world-class.

If only city officials saw it that way, too.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf
Authorities in California charged a 47-year-old college lecturer with arson for allegedly setting a fire in Lassen County on Saturday near the Dixie Fire, the still-raging blaze in the northern Sierra Nevada 250 miles northeast of San Francisco, according to the Sacramento Bee, which broke the news.

This is what you need in your wildfire preparedness kit,...

Gary Stephen Maynard, whom both Sonoma State and Santa Clara University list online as a lecturer, is suspected of starting a series of fires in the area, the Bee reported.

A judge ordered Tuesday that Maynard be held in Sacramento County Main Jail, and according to jail records, he was arrested by Cal Fire and booked Monday, and is being held with no bail.

Cal Fire said it isn't releasing information on the incident at this time.

Sonoma State confirmed that Maynard was a part-time lecturer in the department of criminology and criminal justice in fall 2020. He currently doesn't have an appointment with the university, the school said. The Sonoma State website says his areas of expertise are criminal justice, social science research methods, cults and deviant behavior.

Maynard was an adjunct faculty member in the sociology department at Santa Clara University from September 2019 to December 2020, the university said.

Authorities launched an investigation of Maynard on July 20, and when he was stopped by police in Susanville on Aug. 3, a U.S. Forest Service agent placed a tracking device under his car, the Bee said.

"Over the course of the last several weeks, Maynard has set a series of fires in the vicinity of Lassen National Forest and Trinity National Forest," Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Anderson wrote in a detention memo, the Bee said. "... The area in which Maynard chose to set his fires is near the ongoing Dixie Fire, a fire which is still not contained despite deployment and efforts of over 5,000 personnel."

The Dixie Fire, ignited near Cresta Dam in the Feather River Canyon on July 13, is the second-largest wildfire on Cal Fire's list of biggest blazes in California history. Pacific Gas & Electric, the Northern California utility responsible for the some of the state's most devastating wildfires in recent years, said its equipment may have caused the fire. The fire straddling four counties (Butte, Plumas, Tehama and Lassen) was 487,764 acres and 25% contained as of Tuesday morning, Cal Fire said.
The Palo Alto Police Department confirmed it's investigating a reported hate incident where a man allegedly spewed racial slurs at the owner of a popular sushi restaurant Aug. 1.

Lt. Brian Philip, a spokesperson for the department, said officers were dispatched for a disturbance at Fuki Sushi on El Camino Real on Aug. 1.

Philip said the investigation is ongoing but it appears the customer went on a "racial rant" using "derogatory language."

The incident occurred when the customer went to pay with cash and was alerted that the restaurant only accepts electronic payment, Fuki Sushi owner and Palo Alto native Lumi Gardner wrote in a statement shared on Facebook.

When the customer didn't accept the server's explanation, Gardner intervened.

"He immediately began screaming at his server, 'THIS IS UN-AMERICAN, ITS ILLEGAL FOR YOU TO NOT ACCEPT CASH,' repeatedly," Gardner wrote in her account of the incident. "His server was startled by his outburst and politely redirected him to me, in the reception area."

Gardner said that she went on to say she would happily accept cash to avoid a dangerous situation. He reportedly went on to scream that he could not understand her through her mask, and asking, "WHERE WERE YOU EVEN BORN? WHERE DID YOU EVEN GO TO SCHOOL? DID YOU EVEN GO TO SCHOOL HERE? YOU ARE NOT AMERICAN! GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY! YOU DONT BELONG HERE! WE DON'T WANT YOU HERE!" she wrote in the statement.

The customer attempted to leave without paying, Gardner wrote.

Philip said the situation is classified as a hate incident and the investigation will determine whether it will be elevated to a chargeable hate crime.

"Im really trying to raise awareness," Gardner told SFGATE via email. "Our communities sadly experience this daily and we are better than that. The diversity of the Bay Area is truly something to be embraced and protected."

Gardner said she started a fundraiser after the incident. She intends on donating contributions to the San Francisco Foundation.

Palo Alto Online was among the first media outlets to report on the incident and said the restaurant has been in Gardner's family for three generations.
A Northern California man has been missing since Aug. 2, and his disappearance has stumped family and friends.

"It's a total mystery," said Michele Stivers, the wife of John Stivers, who disappeared Aug. 2. "None of it makes sense."

The campground owner, who lives in Copperopolis, California, vanished while out running errands, his wife said.

The 52-year-old father and husband was last seen at his home in Copperopolis. John Stivers owns Lake Tulloch RV Campground and Marina in Jamestown.

Michele Stivers said her husband planned to stop by the bank in Sonora before going to work at the campground.

She said her husband made a bank deposit but never showed up for work. After 9:30 p.m., after Michele Stivers had texted and called her husband's phone multiple times, she reported him missing to the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office.

"He had a plan," Stivers said. "He was going to the campground and told his workers he was on his way, then he was going to get the RV and bring it home."

Stivers said she and her husband, along with their 14-year-old daughter, planned to travel to Tahoe for a camping trip the next morning.

Deputies located Stiver's vehicle parked on Campo Seco Road in Jamestown on Aug. 2, but Stivers was nowhere in sight, the agency said via Facebook. They ask anyone with information to contact the investigations division at 209-694-2900.

"There are really no leads," Stivers said through tears. "I don't have any real information."

In the meantime, the family is holding out hope. They're offering a $10,000 reward for anyone with detailed information leading to her husband's whereabouts, Michele Stivers said.

"It's just unfathomable," Stivers said. "I can't imagine it and yet I'm living it."
San Francisco authorities are calling on the public to help identify a woman who has allegedly fed wild coyotes in the city, an act that can lead the animals to lose their fear of humans.

San Francisco Animal Care & Control said in a statement Wednesday that it has received reports of feeding in multiple areas and shared an image of an individual whom the agency has identified as "a particularly egregious coyote feeder."

The image was captured on a camera on Bernal Hill and shows a woman with a platter of meat sitting on the ground as she feeds a coyote.

"The same person allegedly feeds coyotes in other locations around the city," the agency said. "If anyone can identify this person, please call Animal Care & Control at 415-554-9400."

SF Animal Care & ControlSF Animal Care & Control

Coyote sightings are common in San Francisco, where the animals dot the urban landscape, building dens and raising young in pockets of vegetation tucked among neighborhoods. Nextdoor neighborhood groups are filled with stories of coyotes killing cats, and Instagram is flooded with images of coyotes sauntering S.F. streets. While the animals are nocturnal, photos often show them out and about in broad daylight.

Wild coyotes are naturally shy and avoid humans, but they can become comfortable around people if they are fed intentionally.

An aggressive coyote alarmed several parkgoers in Golden Gate Park in the past year, and authorities said there were five reports of an animal charging toddlers. After an ongoing investigation, federal authorities captured and killed the animal.

Despite signs telling people to not feed coyotes, Animal Care & Control said people consistently and illegally gave the coyote food, so it lost its natural fear of humans. The agency explained feeding coyotes "creates dangerous situations when animals learn to approach people as they seek an easy handout."

Feeding wild animals is illegal, and anyone caught in the act could face fines of up to $1,000 and/or jail time, the agency said.

People need to stop feeding wild animals said Virginia Donohue, executive director of the agency, in a statement. Continuing to defy the law  and common sense  will lead to a person getting hurt and an animal being destroyed.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  Alabama hands out millions of dollars in industrial incentives for the purpose of luring jobs to the state, but taxpayers are too often left in the dark about the deals and what the state ultimately gets in return, a new report from an advocacy group said.

Jobs to Move America, a worker advocacy and research nonprofit, released a report Tuesday saying Alabama does a poor job compared to other states in disclosing information about incentives.

Alabama taxpayers are left in the dark about even the most basic details of these deals, the report stated. The state does not provide any transparency around which companies are receiving economic development incentives, how much theyre getting, how many jobs are created (or not) and at what wage level.

The report was compiled by Patricia Todd, a former Democratic legislator in the Alabama House of Representatives, who described her difficulty as an elected representative in trying to obtain more information about the projects.

"We're not against incentives," Todd said. There's needs to be more accountability and transparency on how these deals are doled out.

Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield in a response to the report, defended the state's use and disclosure of incentives.

"We can point to numerous examples where incentives have played a role in industrial growth and job creation across Alabama. This includes Mercedes and other automakers, along with Airbus and other companies that have put down roots in Alabama.

The department said it routinely releases information regarding incentives on major projects as they are announced, and Commerce Department said Canfield provides a report on incentives authorized under the Alabama Jobs Act to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee. But Todd said the reports lack details about individual projects, including the name of the company.

ThyssenKrupp in 2007 agreed to locate its new steel-processing plant to Mobile after receiving a package of state and local incentives. Todd said she and her colleagues in 2006 approved raising the debt limit for the states incentive fund based on assurances from the governor that it was necessary to win the project. Six years later ThyssenKrupp sold the plant, amid fallout from the recession, to another company.

The group recommended a number of changes including annual public hearings on corporate subsidies, an economic development budget that would provide a comprehensive accounting of all economic development programs. It also recommends hiring an independent party to evaluate each incentive and provide a report on a public website that includes the amount of incentive, pay scale of workers, return on investment and job outcomes.
A California bible camp for children established in the 1950s was burned down by the Dixie Fire, now the second-largest wildfire in state history.

This is what you need in your wildfire preparedness kit,...

Sierra Bible Camp was located in Canyondam on the south shore of Lake Almanor, and summer activities were in full swing when the Dixie Fire broke out in July. Campers and staff were notified by the U.S. Forest Service that the fire was approaching and the camp was safely evacuated.

By Thursday, Sierra Bible Camp was gone. The tiny community of Canyondam, along with the nearby town of Greenville, were also leveled as the blaze raged through.

"Its very sad news," camp board of directors president Clint Evans told KRCR. "That camp has been a service to the community of Greenville, Westwood, and Chester very intimately for the last 70 years. A lot of the camps buy their supplies through the Evergreen Market and those great people down there."

The Sierra Bible Camp was built in 1954 and has served generations of locals. The camp is sponsored by two local Churches of Christ and facilitates summer activities for churches around the region. According to its website, the cost for individual campers ranges from $180 and $220 per week.

"What makes Sierra Bible Camp unique is that all attendees can enjoy a week free from the hustle and bustle of city life as well as the pressures of social media," the site reads. "Youth campers are given the chance to fill their days with delightful activities, such as swimming and hiking, where everyone can simply admire nature and all of Gods marvelous works."

Evans told KRCR they hope to rebuild the camp in the same spot.

The Dixie Fire, still burning 250 miles northeast of San Francisco, is the second-largest wildfire on Cal Fire's list of biggest blazes in California history. Only the August Complex that tore through an astonishing 1,032,648 acres last August, making it first, is bigger.

The cause of the Dixie Fire is under investigation, although PG&E has already said it may have been started by a tree falling onto a power line. A federal judge is giving PG&E until August 16 to issue a full report.

SFGATE news editor Amy Graff contributed to this report.
This article, YouTube suspends Rand Paul for misleading claims about masks, originally appeared on CNET.com.

YouTube on Wednesday suspended Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky for breaking the company's rules against spreading misinformation about COVID-19. As part of the suspension, Paul won't be able to publish videos to his channel for one week.

In the offending video, the Republican senator denounces the effectiveness of wearing masks to ward off the coronavirus. The claims contradict guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and medical experts around the world, who've recommended masks to curb transmission of the virus.

YouTube, owned by Google, confirmed the suspension. "We removed content from Senator Paul's channel for including claims that masks are ineffective in preventing the contraction or transmission of COVID-19," a spokeswoman said. "We apply our policies consistently across the platform, regardless of speaker or political views, and we make exceptions for videos that have additional context such as countervailing views from local health authorities."

The suspension comes as COVID-19 cases have surged because of the highly contagious delta variant. Some counties, including many in Google's home state of California, have reinstated indoor mask mandates.

Medical experts have said that cloth masks are effective. In his three-minute clip, Paul falsely claims that masks "don't prevent infection" and alleges that "actual science" demonstrates that. But John Volckens, a public health engineer at Colorado State University who organized a workshop for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on ways to prevent the airborne spread of COVID, told The New York Times that "masks are a critical part of that approach. That is definitely the consensus among scientists."

The infraction gave Paul his first strike under YouTube's three-strikes policy. According to the company's guidelines, a first strike typically comes with a one-week suspension that prohibits the posting of new content. A second strike within a 90-day window comes with a two-week suspension. A third strike results in a permanent ban.

In a tweet, Paul called the suspension a "badge of honor," calling the people at YouTube "leftwing cretins." Paul's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new COVID-19 vaccination-or-test requirement for the state's teachers and school staff on Wednesday afternoon.

What mask is best for the delta variant of COVID-19?

Politico first reported Newsom's plans Tuesday evening. The policy follows the state's mandate for California employees where employees must either show proof of vaccination or submit to regular COVID testing.

Because of the testing option, the policy is not the true "hard mandate" teachers unions in California have opposed. Politico reported that the state's two largest teachers unions  the California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers  are supportive of the expected announcement. The California Teachers Association has donated millions to Democrats in the Legislature and also gave $1.8 million to Newsom's anti-recall campaign.

The new rules  which take effect immediately  are less stringent than the the state's mandate for health care workers, where there is no testing alternative and exemptions are limited to religious and medical reasons.

A handful of school districts in the state (San Jose, San Francisco, Long Beach, Oakland and Sacramento) already announced vaccine-or-test policies prior to Wednesday. In response to the rise of these policies, State Sen. Scott Wiener tweeted, "A vaccine 'mandate' that allows people to test instead of being vaccinated isnt a vaccine mandate. Testing is *not* an adequate alternative to getting the damn shot."

During a public appearance in Oakland announcing the new rules, Newsom said the requirements may change once coronavirus vaccines are granted full approval from the FDA or if they are authorized for children under the age of 12.

He also made another plea for Californians to get vaccinated.

"This disease is now a choice," he said. "The one thing that could end this pandemic once and for all is available and abundant."
In response to a surge in COVID-19 infections driven by the delta variant, Los Angeles County became the first California county to reissue an indoor mask mandate for all individuals regardless of vaccination status.

What mask is best for the delta variant of COVID-19?

The mandate was announced July 15 and took effect July 18. Now, more than three weeks removed from the order, Los Angeles County's case rate is almost four times as high, though new cases may finally be starting to level off.

The seven-day average of daily cases per 100,000 residents has continued to increase since July 18, when the county's case rate per 100,000 was 10.7. On Aug. 7  the last day the county and state report complete case data  the county reported a case rate per 100,000 of 39.4. Figures come from the California Department of Health, which has some gaps in reporting.

Data from beyond Aug. 7 shows Los Angeles case rates falling, but estimates from the most recent days are almost always preliminary and typically increase in subsequent days. The state's "reported date" dashboard shows a seven-day average case rate of 30.8 for Aug. 9, but the state's "episode date" dashboard notes that figure is "pending."

On Thursday of last week, county Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said it was possible cases are leveling off, but the county will await further test results.

"Although todays rate will likely change somewhat over the coming days as additional test results are reported, this does suggest to us that our rising cases may be leveling out, she said.

If new cases in Los Angeles County do start leveling off soon, it may be difficult to discern whether it was thanks to the indoor mask mandate, the quick nature of the delta variant or perhaps a combination of both. In the United Kingdom, Netherlands and India, the delta variant caused cases to rise quickly over a short period of time, but once the surge peaked, case numbers started falling precipitously.

Los Angeles County's health department said in a statement to Newsweek on Thursday of last week it believes the mask mandate had an impact.

"Two and a half weeks ago, at the time of the Los Angeles County Health Officer Order requiring universal masking indoors, cases were doubling every 10 days; the much smaller increase the County is seeing now is what we hoped would happen after implementing an effective public health measure," the statement reads.

Indoor mask mandates went into effect in other California counties  including counties in the San Francisco Bay Area  but all of those counties implemented their mandates sometime within the past two weeks, making it too early to evaluate whether the policy has had any impact on transmission rates.

Solano County Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas presides over the only Bay Area county that is not mandating masks indoors, and said he believes mask mandates to be ineffective at this stage of the pandemic.

As these mandates are being promulgated, they dont address the problem that is occurring," he said. "Our cases are very clearly not occurring in public places. Theyre occurring in peoples homes, at parties, barbecues, picnics, camping events, and so issuing a mask mandate in the indoor public space environment isnt going to change that."

The seven Bay Area counties that reissued indoor mask mandates will be three weeks removed from that event on Aug. 24.

There have yet to be any large-scale studies testing the efficacy of mask mandates in a post-vaccination world.
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is significantly less effective against the delta variant than the Moderna vaccine, according to a new preprint study from the Mayo Clinic that has yet to be peer-reviewed.

Both vaccines are still highly effective against severe disease from the delta variant COVID-19, the study authors stressed. However, Moderna was found to be, on average, 76% effective against infection from the delta variant compared to Pfizer, which was 42% effective against infection from the variant.

"The elephant in the room is the amount of mRNA in the vaccines," said Venky Soundarajan, the cofounder and chief scientist at Nference, the data analytics arm of the Mayo Clinic based in Cambrdige, Massachusetts.

The Moderna vaccine has a greater amount of mRNA than the Pfizer vaccine, Soundarajan said, which may account for the differences in protection against the delta variant.

Soundarajan also noted that the nanoparticulation and nucleotide sequences used in the vaccines are different, but the prevailing hypothesis is that Moderna is more effective against the variant due to the greater amount of mRNA in the vaccine.

The Moderna vaccine, especially the second shot, is associated with a greater increase in mild side effects compared to Pfizer, Soundarajan added.

"Thinking back, we think that might be because of the dose," he said. "There is more mRNA, which means it boosts a stronger immune response."

The study, which is undergoing peer review (a process that typically takes two to three months), looked at over 75,000 people in the Mayo Clinic system. The Mayo Clinic is based in Minnesota.

There are some "caveats" to the study, Soundarajan said. For one, genome sequencing is limited, so the study authors estimated the number of suspected delta variant cases using inferred data. In other words, those studied were not necessarily infected with the delta variant, but were suspected as being so as it is the prevailing variant in the U.S. right now.

The study authors are also unsure whether the lower effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine is due to its status as the first vaccine to receive FDA emergency-use authorization. Because Pfizer's vaccine was the first approved, it was rolled out to communities with higher risks of contracting serious side effects from the coronavirus, Soundarajan said. Health care workers and elderly people living in care facilities received the vaccine first, for example, and the data may be inflected by this fact.

Soundarajan said the Mayo Clinic is advocating for booster shots, especially using the Moderna vaccine and for early vaccine recipients, to boost levels of immunity in the community.

"We need to balance that with getting other countries, like Africa and India, vaccinated," he said. "Them not being vaccinated is going to come back and hurt us next year."

As for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, a recent preprint study found that the one-shot vaccine is also likely less effective against the delta variant. Johnson & Johnson previously said its vaccine is effective against the variant, even eight months after vaccination.

The message that we wanted to give was not that people shouldnt get the J.&J. vaccine, but we hope that in the future, it will be boosted with either another dose of J.&J. or a boost with Pfizer or Moderna, Nathaniel Landau, a virologist at N.Y.U.s Grossman School of Medicine, who led the study, told the New York Times.
In a joint operation between the FBI and local police, 10 people were arrested near South Lake Tahoe on Aug. 10 for allegedly trafficking drugs and weapons.

According to the Tahoe Daily Tribune, South Lake Tahoe residents Frank Ray Bacon, 53, Patricia Louise Ekizian, 69, Joshua Daniel Wilson, 34, and Lindsey Marie Ketchen, 25, were alleged to have trafficked illegal guns and narcotics in the Tahoe area and were arrested on federal charges. They are being held in Sacramento County Jail without bail.

Similarly, South Lake Tahoe residents Thomas Adams, 51, Kayla Cheyene Carver, 26, Timothy Austin Pannel, 28, Angelina Monique Perez, 29, Jordan Eli Poyner, 26, Derek Ryan Silva, 24, were arrested on state weapons or narcotics charges and are being held in El Dorado County jail.

Carver was arrested for transporting a controlled substance and being a felon in possession of a firearm and is being held on $160,000 bail; Austin was arrested for five felonies including selling narcotics and two weapons charges and is being held on bail north of $200,000, Perez was arrested on multiple felonies and has a bail of $135,000; Poyner and Silva are each being held on $160,000 bail; Adams bail was set at only $1,500 for a felony fugitive warrant and a misdemeanor driving on a suspended license charge, the Tribune reported.

Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan of the FBI Sacramento Field Office said in a statement, This investigation is truly a team effort and we must extend special thanks to the local law enforcement agencies who committed significant time and resources to this joint investigation. The arrests today are clear evidence that the investment made by these agencies will ensure the community and visitors in the Lake Tahoe area can more safely enjoy the beauty of this region.

The operation was conducted by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, a division of the FBI which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level criminal organizations in the United States using a multi-agency approach.

South Lake Tahoe police Chief David Stevenson expressed his gratitude and said, We appreciate the collaboration with the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, and the great work being done to keep drugs and illegal firearms out of our community.
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Dr. Scott Gottlieb once spent Sunday mornings surfing through TVs spate of venerable public affairs programs. In recent months, that has become impossible.

Gottlieb, a former FDA commissioner and a well-connected adviser in the worlds of medicine and health business, cant sit back and look at the Sunday shows because he has, over the past year, become a central element of one of them. He has been interviewed on CBS Face the Nation so many times that he has become one of the most frequent non-journalist guests in the history of the show, which launched in 1954. Only former Senator John McCain has appeared more often on the show  112 times  throughout its nearly six decades on the air. Gottlieb this past Sunday made his 73rd appearance on the program, surpassing Senator Lindsey Graham, who has been on the program 69 times, and Senator Bob Dole, who has been on 64 times. He has even been a more frequent guest than now-President Joe Biden, who has appeared on Nation on 56 different occasions.

I have to make sure Im holding Sundays and managing my weekends, says Gottlieb in an interview. There is sort of an expectation that Ill be on the show, at least from my perspective.

The Sunday anchor is usually the regular presence, but in Nations case, Gottlieb has continued to show up no matter who is in the chair. Margaret Brennan, the regular moderator, has been on maternity leave, and John Dickerson has filled in most weeks. Gottlieb, says Brennan, now serves as our go-to every week for what do Americans need to know about the coronavirus. His time on the program appears to be luring viewers: Face the Nation was the most-watched of TVs Sunday programs during the 2020-2021 TV season.

For decades, TVs Sunday public-affairs programs have largely focused on the political, and probably always will. Now, an unprecedented news cycle has forced producers to put a hard lens on the existential. Threats to the quality of human life on the planet are taking up more of societys overall bandwidth. The idea of having a proficient pandemic expert on Nation should come as little surprise in these unique times. Yet Gottliebs sustained tenure is nothing less than seismic in the world of Sunday news TV, where many of the programs have followed their basic format for years. All the shows have their regulars, but few bring the same newsmakers back week after week after week.

As Gottliebs visits continued, Nation dropped one of the staples of the Sunday shows: a panel of experts chopping up the latest turns in national politics. Producers would rather just find ways to deliver new facts to the public, says Mary Hager, the Face the Nation executive producer who has supervised the program since 2011. We have changed with the times, and I think Scott Gottlieb has been a very big part of that, says Hager. He has really helped in terms of answering questions and getting information out in a good, clear, solid, accurate fashion.

On many Sundays, Gottlieb offers a direct take on what a pandemic-crimped future may hold. I cant think of a business right now that would put 30 unvaccinated people in a confined space without masks and keep them there for the whole day. No business would do that responsibly, he said on Sunday. And yet thats what were going to be doing in some schools. So I think we need to enter the school year with a degree of humility and prudence. In other moments, he makes no-nonsense pronouncements. I wouldnt be declaring mission accomplished, he said on the July 4 broadcast of Face the Nation. I think this is gonna be a long fight.

Producers have had him on even when they book a major government expert like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those officials offer the government perspective, says Hager, but we still need to have Gottlieb on to offer counterpoint or additional perspective. There is still a person who is reading the tea leaves and looking at the trends.

Gottlieb sees the Sunday program as a venue to help viewers gain perspective and see around the next corner, not to react to the latest headlines. I really try to call it as I see it and I really try to look ahead, and try to figure out what people are going to need to know to continue to stay safe.

He wasnt in a cab with Hager and Brennan after CBS News telecast of the presidential debate in South Carolina last year, but he may as well have. As the coronavirus threat grew worse, the CBS News staffers wanted to find someone whose expertise spanned wider than most. Gottlieb had worked in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during President Donald Trumps tenure, is on the board of Pfizer (which is disclosed to viewers regularly) and was offering advice to different state governors. His tweets on the White House response to the early part of the pandemic were what originally caught Brennans attention. We were in the midst of a fairly fast vaccine development and roll out, Brennan recalls. He has insight into the pharmaceutical world. He knows what it takes to get a vaccine expedited and what the process looks like. Carol Ross Joynt, the shows booking producer, set about reaching out to him.

Even Gottlieb must live with a few uncertainties. While he expects to be called to show up on Nation most Sundays, his presence is not guaranteed. When the show scored an exclusive interview with Israels Benjamin Netanyahu in May, it meant taking up time that might typically have been accorded to Gottlieb. And when a bomb exploded in Nashville on Christmas morning last year, breaking news coverage took up time during the Nation broadcast.

Nor does he know what exact questions will be raised. Early in the relationship, Margaret would ask questions and I would say, Do you plan to ask me about that? And Margaret has a standard response. She would slow down and, in a very dignified way, say, I havent written my questions yet, Gottlieb recalls. Pretty soon, I got the message that that was Margarets polite way of saying, Theres no way Im going to tell you what Im asking, so dont ask me that.

In a different era, Gottlieb might not be able to make such frequent cameos. He already has a contributor agreement with CNBC, and cannot appear in most venues that are competitive with NBCUniversal-owned news outlets. But when he struck his contract with the business-news cable network, he secured a carve out for Sunday public-affairs programs, as he thought he might release a book about his time in the Trump administration. That meant he was free to appear on Nation, Gottlieb says, and CNBC recently agreed to keep that condition in his contract when he renewed his agreement there.

Given the nations recent coronavirus trajectory, Gottlieb will likely be making more appearances, not fewer. Brennan expects she will be asking him questions again sooner, rather than later, as she takes advantage of the leave she feels fortunate that CBS News has granted. You do need some time to mentally, emotionally, just figure out how to juggle it all particularly in this moment, she says. Her time away, she adds will probably be less than the full allotted leave, but enough time that I think is needed.

Gottlieb is proud of the contributions he has made on the show, but even he hopes he eventually wont be needed to discuss the weeks events. I look forward to a day when I can talk about anything other than the pandemic.

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NEW YORK (AP)  Patricia Hitchcock OConnell, the only child of Alfred Hitchcock and an actor herself who made a memorable appearance in her fathers Strangers on a Train and championed his work in the decades following his death, has died at age 93.

Hitchcock died Monday in her sleep at home in Thousand Oaks, California, her daughter Tere Carrubba said Wednesday. She died of natural causes, said Carrubba.

She was always really good at protecting the legacy of my grandparents and making sure they were always remembered, said Carrubba, one of Patricia Hitchcock's three daughters. It's sort of an end of an era now that they're all gone.

Known to many as Pat Hitchcock, she was born in London to Alfred Hitchcock and Alma Reville Hitchcock in 1928 and spent much of her life in and around the family business. During her childhood, Alfred Hitchcock directed such classics as The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes and Shadow of a Doubt, moved to California after signing a multipicture deal with producer David O. Selznick and rose to global fame as the Master of Suspense. Alma was his indispensable adviser, a former film editor through whom he vetted story ideas and screenplay treatments.

My mother had much more to do with the films than she has ever been given credit for  he depended on her for everything, absolutely everything, Pat Hitchcock told The Guardian in 1999.

Pat would visit her fathers movie sets and by her teens was acting in school plays and appearing on stage, including the Broadway productions Solitaire and Violet. She was admitted to Londons Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1947 and was about to graduate when her father contacted her and said he had a role for her in his new film, Strangers on a Train, adapted from the Patricia Highsmith novel. The 1951 production starred Robert Walker and Farley Granger as strangers who meet on a train and agree  at least Walker thinks they agree  to a double murder: Walker will kill Grangers wife, and Granger will kill Walkers father. Pat Hitchcock plays the sister of a woman (Ruth Roman), with whom Granger is in love.

Walker duly carries out his side, strangling Grangers wife on the grounds of an amusement park, and pressures Granger to honor the bargain. He turns up at a party attended by Granger and chats up an elderly woman about the best way to kill someone  strangulation. He has placed his hands on her neck, when he looks up and sees Pat Hitchcock staring back in horror. Unnerved by her resemblance to his murder victim  they wear similar glasses  he nearly chokes the guest to death. Hitchcocks character later sobs that she felt as if she was the one he might have killed, leading to suspicions about the murder of Grangers wife.

I think he was using her as the audience, Pat Hitchcock, interviewed for a 1997 BBC special on her father, said of her character. I think he was having her go through what the audience went through.

Hitchcock was a lively, witty actor with a heart-shaped face and her other acting credits included the TV sitcoms My Little Margie and The Life of Riley and several roles in the TV series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. She also had parts in her fathers Stage Fright and in his horror masterpiece Psycho, in which she plays an office colleague of Janet Leigh, who later in the film is famously stabbed to death in a motel shower.

More recently, she worked for Alfred Hitchcocks Mystery Magazine, appeared at numerous film festivals and in numerous Hitchcock documentaries and contributed photographs and a foreword to Footsteps in the Fog: Alfred Hitchcocks San Francisco, by Jeff Kraft and Aaron Leventhal. She also co-authored a book on her mother, who died in 1982, Alma Hitchcock: The Woman Behind the Man. (Alfred Hitchcock died in 1980).

Pat Hitchcock was married for more than 40 years to Joseph OConnell, who died in 1994. They had three children.

She would insist that her childhood was happy and that her parents were normal, but she wasnt spared her fathers distant, controlling nature and his skewed and sometimes cruel sense of humor. As a girl, she often ate alone, was sent to boarding school and deprived of a college education when her father decided she should instead return to England. She would express regret that he didnt cast her in more of his films.

I certainly wish hed believed in nepotism, she liked to say.

At home, the director once painted a clown face on her while she was sleeping, anticipating her shock when she awoke the next morning and first looked in a mirror. During the filming of Strangers on a Train, knowing her fear of heights, he bet her $100 that she wouldnt ride a Ferris wheel on the set. She disputed a story from Donald Spotos 1983 biography The Dark Side of Genius that he left her stranded, and terrified, for an hour.

What happened is they turned off the lights and pretended they were going away  for all of what Id say were 35 seconds  and put the lights on and we came down, she told the Chicago Tribune in 1993. The only sadistic part is that I never got the hundred dollars.
NEW YORK (AP)  The latest album from The Killers started, unusually, with silence  lyrics first.

As the pandemic gripped the nation in 2020, words began spilling out of frontman Brandon Flowers, creating little poems based on growing up during the 1990s in the tiny, remote Utah town of Nephi. Poems, it turns out, that were perfect for lyrics.

Id never had so many lyrics and stories come out of me the way that they did for this record, said Flowers. It was a breath of fresh air, and it was a blessing for me. I dont know that its something that Im going to be able to rely on for every record, but, man, I took it.

The rest of the band took on the challenge of turning those poems into songs and the result is the 11-track Pressure Machine, marking a new smaller sonic direction for the band known for arena-ready rock songs like Mr. Brightside and The Man.

It was our first time not being ashamed to say the words concept album, said drummer Ronnie Vannucci. This time we had a focus. We had an objective. We knew what it was supposed to be. And it was our job to sort of build around that and create a home for it.

The songs are told from the perspective of various townspeople, examining everything from hillbilly heroin to homophobia, strained marriages, failure and depression.

Most of these are actual characters that I grew up with or experiences that happened during my time in Nephi, said Flowers, who was influenced by Sherwood Andersons Winesburg, Ohio and Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck.

When Flowers was in eighth grade, some high school seniors were killed by a train. All these years later, he was stunned that the incident carried such strong emotions when he began writing.

The song that emerged  Quiet Town  is like something from Bruce Springsteens "Nebraska" in its sympathetic yet clear-eyed look at a small town and their sorrows. The first line of Quiet Town begins with A couple of kids got hit by a Union Pacific train and later has an image of parents weeping at eulogies: With their daughters and sons/Laying there lifeless in their suits and gowns/Somebodys been keepin secrets.

While Flowers' portraits of hopeless dreamers, morally dubious police officers, kids' feet dangling in the stream, dissatisfied husbands and devoted church-goers is very specific, it can speak to many.

I dont think you have to be or even know about this town to get it, said Vannucci. The beautiful thing about this record is that it is universal, it does speak to a lot of people.

Adding to an almost journalistic feel is that threaded throughout the album are recorded snippets of interviews with townsfolk made for the band during a recent one-day stop in Nephi. One man talks about spirits in the hills, and a woman recounts a horrific accident to a horse.

It became just as important as the instrumentation to have these interstitials and these people speaking and sort of inviting you into this place, said Flowers. It was such a last-minute decision, and Im really grateful that we did it.

Pressure Machine" comes a year after The Killers' last album, Imploding the Mirage, and means the band has put out two albums that they haven't been able to play live for fans.

But Pressure Machine puts some pressure on the band to find a way to incorporate its slower, more introspective songs into a set list that usually features sonic bombast and sly humor.

These are much more laid back and theres a lot of restraint on these new songs, said Flowers. So were not sure exactly how thats going to work.

The band is kicking around ideas, from separate concerts  you could do one gig at the enormo-dome and then next door at like Petes bar for the smaller songs, said Vannucci  to building a smaller stage for Pressure Machine songs.

This is an unsure time for the concert industry, with COVID-19 vaccination rates slumping as the highly contagious delta virus variant sweeps the nation. The outlook once bright at the beginning of summer is less optimistic.

The Killers are scheduled to be part of the mega-concert on Aug. 21 to celebrate New York City, performing alongside Paul Simon, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, LL Cool J, Elvis Costello and Earth, Wind & Fire. They're also due to play the Firefly Music Festival in Delaware and the Sandjam Music Festival in Florida.

Fingers crossed that we can keep making advancements and people will get vaccinated, and we can turn a corner, said Flowers. We were pretty optimistic a couple of months ago. And now its starting to darken a little bit. But we cant wait to get back on stage.

___

Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
I never thought Id see the body cold. I just lived through Donald Trump surviving four years of open, hyperactive evildoing that culminated in historys strangest failed coup attempt. So youll excuse me if I assumed that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo would get away with every last awful thing hes ever done. Why wouldnt I? You know how many sty governors are out there still standing? Ron DeSantis is not only still in charge of Florida, hes gonna run for PRESIDENT three years from now. Theres no getting rid of any of these bags of st.

Except in California. But Ill get to that in just a moment. For now, Id like to keep taking a dump on Cuomo.

The official reason Cuomo is resigning is an extensive investigation released by his own attorney general that laid out, in ironclad detail, how Cuomo ran New York like he was cruising for action at a nightclub in 1986. When that report first came out, Cuomo responded using his established playbook: deny everything, blame the victim, go EY IM ITALIAN WHADDAYAGONNADO EY, and then double down to the fking grave. At one point he even had his spokesman use the absurdity of his behavior as an alibi.



It would be a pure act of insanity for the Governor  who is 63 years old and lives his life under a microscope  to grab an employees breast in the middle of the workday at his Mansion Office.



I thought that, thanks to a combination of everlasting cultural warfare and general burnout among Americans, every politician was now scandal-proof. I had the Trump administration and its exoneration as proof. And, up until a day ago, Cuomos entire disgraceful reign seemed made of equal amounts Teflon: how he allegedly covered up nursing home deaths during the pandemic, how he profited handsomely from those lies by writing a book about his triumph over COVID-19 when he never conquered it, how he routinely smothered the New York City transit system in its sleep, and how he always managed to get away with it. The same way DeSantis and Greg Abbott in Texas have not only survived their disgraces, but made them their official platform.



Gubernatorial recalls arent legal in New York, which meant the only way Cuomo was leaving office was either by impeachment (that ball was already rolling, but we just saw where that got us with Trump) or by his own hand. Nothing in Andrew Cuomos personal or professional history suggested he would ever fall on his own sword and, in fact, he still refused to do so yesterday even while announcing his resignation:



"This situation and moment are not about the facts. Its not about the truth. Its not about thoughtful analysis. ... There is an intelligent discussion to be had on gender-based actions on generational and cultural behavioral differences on setting higher standards and finding reasonable resolutions. But the political environment is too hot and it is too reactionary for that now, and it is unfortunate."



All of my friends living in New York watching Cuomo give this speech live heard this build-up and thought, with good reason, that Cuomo was announcing he was staying. After all, according to him, thats what New York would have WANTED:



"Now, you know me. Im a New Yorker, born and bred. I am a fighter, and my instinct is to fight through this controversy because I truly believe it is politically motivated."



Alas, Cuomos brave fight against controversy will end 13 days from now when he finally leaves office and presumably fks off to his own CNN primetime show. His days of being an imaginary white knight DNC emergency presidential candidate are over. Cuomos political career is over. The body is cold.



Which brings us to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose body is still warm but registering only a faint pulse.



---



Im not here to sing Newsoms praises. Just like New Yorkers, Californians have very specific taste in sty Democrats. Youre not a true California Democrat unless you prove yourself to be comically out of touch: Nancy Pelosi thinking that rude clapping counts as actual policy, Dianne Feinstein yelling STOP HOGGING ALL MY WEETABIX OR ILL CALL THE COPS at a preschool class, etc. Newsom has already proven that he can become that kind of Democrat. He made his name as mayor of San Francisco and helped codify the gay marriage movement while in office, but since then hes regressed into something much more ordinary and annoying. He never had a consistent policy on COVID. His vaccine rollout was crap. And of course, he had his own Lucille Bluth moment where he violated his own protocols and attended a birthday party for a lobbyist at the goddamn French Laundry. Newsoms upside as an oblivious asshat was, and is, unlimited.



But hes not even close to Cuomos level of belligerent corruption. Americans should ask more of their leaders, but before they do, they have to clean out the bottom of the barrel first: Cuomo, Abbott, Kristi Noem of South Dakota, etc. Gavin Newsom, by contrast, is merely clueless as opposed to actively malevolent. Just like President Joe Biden. Unfortunately for Newsom, he lords over a state where any yahoo can petition to have him recalled, which is exactly what one former cop did. And if you look at that petition, its as flimsy as the Cuomo harassment report was not.



"Governor Newsom has implemented laws which are detrimental to the citizens of this state and our way of life. Laws he endorsed favor foreign nationals, in our country illegally, over that of our own citizens. People in this state suffer the highest taxes in the nation, the highest homelessness rates, and the lowest quality of life as a result."



JD Vance could have written that copy, and he probably did. But this petition got enough signatures  likely in crayon  to trigger a recall election a month from now. Newsom is in grave danger of losing that election because, according to California law, a majority of voters only need to vote "yes" to his recall to fire him. After that, whoever gets the most votes, regardless of percentage, to replace Newsom gets his job.



Now, heres where the California Democratic machine comes in, because party officials here didnt bother to run a credible alternative to Newsom should he be ousted. Instead, the field of alternate governors is a tangle of yahoos and stbags that would make New York proud. Its a field that includes such luminaries as YouTuber Kevin Paffrath, who made his allegedly real name giving other YouTubers scammy real estate advice, conservative talk show host (oh god) Larry Elder, anti-trans transgender woman Caitlyn Jenner and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who himself pandered to the Karen demo by citing homelessness in support of Newsoms recall. I feel like a boomer telling you that you could do worse than Gavin Newsom, but the proof is sitting right there.



Worst of all, none of these alternative candidates is currently polling at more than 27%, and Republican voters in California are more eager to vote in the recall election than their Democratic counterparts. Essentially, California could end up being governed by someone that barely an eighth of voters in September  which is already bound to be a limited sample size of the states adult population  actually support. Essentially a fraction of a fraction of a fraction. I just watched Trump beat the rap thanks to the same perverse legislative engineering. I dont care to witness that repeated in what is, to my mind, the best state in America.



Because I know what a truly sty governor looks like. Back in 2003, California voters recalled their governor for the first time in history. The governor in question was Gray Davis, who was ousted for reasons similarly nebulous and similarly rooted in bad faith to the Newsom recall petition. Davis was replaced by Arnold Schwarzenegger  who didnt get a majority of votes to replace his predecessor  a manly man who would eventually leave office in disgrace thanks to his mistreatment of women. Sound familiar to you?
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Police have confirmed that two members a hip-hop group with ties to the multiplatinum rap group Wu-Tang Clan were fatally shot Tuesday in Portland, Oregon.

Relatives on social media identified the rap music artists killed as 12 OClock and Murdock of the Brooklyn Zu, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Portland police in a news release identified the two men as David Turner, 45, and Odion Turner, 42, who are cousins.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  An Alabama corrections officer was jailed on felony charges after evidence found in an inmate's cellphone indicated the guard was doing business illegally with the prisoner, records showed Wednesday.

Tericus Dinkins, a correctional officer at Kilby prison, was charged Tuesday with promoting prison contraband and using his position for personal gain, according to court documents.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  An Alaska prison that was closed for about five years will reopen Monday after a nearly $17 million renovation project, corrections officials said.

The reopening of the Palmer Correctional Facility in Sutton will add about 300 beds to the states current prison capacity of about 5,200, Alaska Public Media reported Wednesday. The prison closed in 2016 because of a declining inmate population and in an effort to restructure costs.

Criminal justice reform advocates expressed concern about the timing of the reopening and what it says about the overall direction of Alaskas justice system, with prison populations continuing to increase.

More beds does not make us safer, said Megan Edge, spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska.

The number of people incarcerated in Alaska increased over the last two years until it fell during the pandemic. Its currently operating at about 95% capacity.

Edge said it will only be a matter of time before the reopened Palmer facility is at capacity. She said a more humane and cost-effective option would be to move people to parole and other reentry programs.

The solution is to lower the prison population, she said. It is not to just keep building more warehouses  the solution is to decarcerate, get people rehabilitated and out of jail.

The renovated prison will be divided into medium- and minimum-security wings. It will house people serving sentences and those awaiting sentencing.

Palmer Correctional Co-Superintendent Deirdre Banachowicz said overall, the facility is more desirable for incarcerated people than others where she has worked.

Each one of the rooms has windows in it, which is kind of unlike other facilities. You have beautiful mountain views. Its just a different environment in general, she said. And I think its very conducive to rehabilitation.

She said the rooms are dormitory-styled housing, with a large outdoor recreation areas on the minimum-security side and a gym on the other side.

Its hard to call them cells, she said.

The state estimates it will cost about $15 million a year to operate the prison.

Edge said that money would be better spent on services to help people leaving prison to find good jobs and provide better mental health care. The state found in 2019 that it costs about $60,000 a year to house each inmate.

The reality of that is, taxpayers really carry that burden, Edge said. And it shouldnt just be about money. The reality is when you incarcerate one person in a family, the likelihood that other people in that family also go to jail also goes up.

A union leader also expressed concern about what the prisons reopening may mean for understaffed corrections officers who he said already work mandatory overtime and are called to work on their days off.

Its insanity, really, to take staff away from institutions that are already compromising the safety of their staff and the inmates that theyre caring for to ramp up and open a new facility, Randy McLellan, president of Alaska Correctional Officers Association, told Alaska Public Media.

The prison system has experienced an exodus of workers since the beginning of the year, but McLellan said corrections officers were hit hard since they were already overworked before the pandemic. The Department of Corrections said 1 in 10 corrections officer positions are unfilled, and McLellan said that could force prisons to operate to fewer officers.

Jails dont ever shut down  youve got people under your care that need it 24/7. So what you do is you operate with less security staff. That creates an incredibly unsafe situation in the facility, he said.

Banachowicz and the prisons other co-superintendent, Jason Hamilton, called that concern unfounded.

They said through staff transfers and new recruits, they do not anticipate difficulty in hiring the 106 officers needed to operate the reopened prison at full capacity by October. The state is offering a $5,000 signing bonus to entice applicants.
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Alert: An armed group that Ethiopia calls a terrorist organization says it's now in alliance with Tigray forces as war spreads
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated acting Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar to be his administration's top Supreme Court lawyer on a permanent basis.

Prelogar has served in the position on an acting basis since January, arguing two cases before the Supreme Court in that role last term.

Prelogar is a seasoned appellate lawyer who served from 2014 to 2019 as assistant to the solicitor general. If confirmed, she would be only the second woman to lead the solicitor general office on a permanent basis. The other  Elena Kagan, solicitor general from 2009 to 2010  is now a Supreme Court justice.

During her prior tenure at the Justice Department, Prelogar was tapped to serve on special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election as an assistant special counsel to Mueller.

She has also spent time as a partner at Cooley LLP and an associate at Hogan Lovells, and has taught a course at Harvard Law School on Supreme Court and appellate advocacy.

After graduating from law school, Prelogar clerked for Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She then served back-to-back Supreme Court clerkships for Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Kagan. After that, she joined Hogan Lovells in its Supreme Court and appellate practice.

Prelogar completed a masters degree in creative writing at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland before attending law school. She studied English and Russian as an undergraduate at Emory University.

She lived for a year in St. Petersburg, Russia, studying press censorship on a Fulbright Fellowship. As Miss Idaho 2004, Prelogar also spent a year traveling to classrooms around Idaho to raise awareness about showing sensitivity to individuals with disabilities.
Sunday, Aug. 15

On this date in 1888, three men were lynched at Holbrook during the aftermath of the Pleasant Valley War.

On this date in 1898, a locomotive boiler exploded in Prescott destroying the roundhouse and killing two men.

On this date in 1907, the entire Yuma contingent and a part of the Phoenix Guardsmen asked to be mustered out of the Territorial Militia because of the bad food at the annual encampment and because the officers were too harsh.

On this date in 1913, eight buildings were destroyed by fire at Ray and residents of the town pulled down several more buildings to prevent the entire town from burning.

On this date in 1917, the federal government ruled that men holding mining claims did not need to do their assessment work while in the military service.

On this day in 1995, Department of Public Safety officer Bob Martin was shot during a traffic stop about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) south of Saguaro Lake. A 19-year-old Globe man was arrested the next day after a standoff in California and charged with killing a convenience store clerk. The Beeline highway has since been renamed after Martin and another law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty.

Monday, Aug. 16

On this date in 1879, the stages between Maricopa and Phoenix were held up so frequently that acting Gov. John W. Gasper offered a bounty of $500 for every highwayman caught in the act.

On this date in 1881, Ethel Macia, Tombstone pioneer, was born.

On this date in 1901, lightning struck a tree in Coconino County, killing nearly 200 head of sheep under the tree.

On this date in 1936, the city of Tucson discovered that its new underpass on Stone Avenue became a lake after every heavy rain. The City Council named it Lake Elmira after Elmira Doakes, a Safford school student who was the first to swim in it.

On this date in 1936, it was announced that a new patrol boat in the San Francisco harbor was being christened Jeff D. Milton in honor of Arizonas veteran law enforcement officer.

Tuesday, Aug. 17

On this date in 1898, the Apache National Forest was established as Black Mesa National Forest. Its name was changed to Apache on July 1, 1908.

On this date in 1918, the University of Arizona campus was declared to be a military establishment and prostitution and gambling were outlawed within a 10-mile zone.

Wednesday, Aug. 18

On this date in 1868, Columbus and Marcy Adeline Gray, the first white settlers in what is now Phoenix, arrived in the Salt River Valley and pitched their tent on a little hill near the river.

On this date in 1921, a plague of rabid dogs in Tucson forced police officers to cruise the city and kill every dog running loose on the streets.

Thursday, Aug. 19

On this date in 1857, the first scheduled mail to go through Arizona arrived in Tucson. It was carried on horseback and left San Antonio, Texas, on July 9, 1857, in the hands of James E. Mason. It s arrival in Tucson was delayed by an Indian attack east of El Paso.

On this date in 1875, without firing a shot, Navajos seized the agency at Fort Defiance in protest over the inaction of the commissioner to remove his agent. They also threatened to kill the agent should he return to Fort Defiance from Washington D.C. where he had been when the Navajos took over. The agent, W.F.M. Arny, resigned Aug. 25, 1875.

On this date in 1904, 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain fell in one hour in Globe. Six people drowned, 20 business places were destroyed and railroad bridges were washed away.

On this date in 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominates Sandra Day OConnor to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Friday, Aug. 20

On this date in 1928, The Kinney House in Globe, one of the oldest of the early Arizona hostelries and the residence of Governor George W.P. Hunt, suffered $1,500 damage by fire of an unknown origin. The historical landmark was constructed in the early 1880s and housed many notable people.

On this date in 1929, heavy rains washed cattle troughs, barnyard dirt and red soil into Winslows reservoir. The water turned blue-green then red, and the taste was so foul the citizens refused to drink it.

Saturday, Aug. 21

On this date in 1865, Fort Mason was established and named after Gen. John S. Mason, military commander of Arizona Territory.

On this date in 1903, a cloudburst in the San Francisco Mountains sent an 8-foot 8 (2.4-meter) wall of water over Flagstaff-area farms.

On this date in 1914, law officers of Phoenix, Ray, Florence and Superior led posses through Pinal County mountains in search of a band of outlaws who had killed a deputy sheriff. Seventeen people were killed in a series of four gun battles.

On this date in 1928, Cintotle, the chief Medicine Man of the San Carlos Apache Reservation christened a plane entered by Graham County in the transcontinental air race. The plane was named Apache Chief.
SAN FRANCISCO  Despite a significant surge in both coronavirus cases and hospitalizations this summer, California so far has managed to avoid the sky-high infection rates and increasingly overcrowded hospitals some other states are now experiencing.

Californias coronavirus case rate remains below the national average and significantly less than that of Florida and Texas: two common points of comparison given their population size and distinctly different pandemic responses.

Experts say Californias better-than-average vaccination rates and newly implemented mandatory mask policies in parts of the state have helped prevent a more grim situation.

While governors in Florida, Texas and other states have opposed allowing local governments to mandate the wearing of masks, California has allowed counties to enact such orders in indoor public spaces for everyone age 2 and older, regardless of vaccination status.

I am hopeful for California and Los Angeles, because of the fact that we have higher levels of vaccination, and we have increased numbers of people stepping up to the plate and getting vaccinated, said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, medical epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. However, we still have a ways to go to achieve a higher level of community immunity, or herd immunity, because of the increased transmissibility of the delta variant.

California is reporting 141.1 new coronavirus cases for every 100,000 residents over the last seven days  a rate half that of Texas, 297.8; and less than one-fourth that of Floridas rate of 653.8, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Californias rate is also less than the national average of 232.1.

The flood of COVID-19 patients newly admitted to Florida hospitals is now far worse than at any point during its winter surge. In early January, Florida was reporting more than 1,150 new COVID-19 patients admitted a day. But over the last week, the state saw an average of 2,071 new COVID-19 hospital admissions daily.

By contrast, California is reporting 772 new COVID-19 hospital admissions daily, just 32% of its winter peak of 2,380. On a per capita basis, Floridas rate of new daily hospitalizations is five times worse than Californias.

Texas is now reporting 1,403 new COVID-19 hospitalizations daily, 75% of its winter peak of 1,873.

There are also some signs that Californias delta surge is slowing after public officials in many counties instituted universal masking in indoor public settings. Some businesses have also started demanding proof of vaccination as a condition of employment or entry.

During the week that ended Sunday, L.A. County reported a total of 20,979 new coronavirus cases  a modest 6.5% increase from the previous week, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Tuesday. By comparison, the county saw a 22% increase the week before.

Over the same timeframe, the rest of California reported 55,422 total cases, a 20% increase from the week before. The week before that, the increase was 57%.

L.A. County this summer was one of the first local governments in the nation to recommend, and then require, the wearing of masks in indoor public settings  a move that was soon followed by others including Sacramento and Santa Barbara counties and much of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Data from around the world and from our county have repeatedly shown that masking is a valuable layer of protection against transmission of respiratory viruses, Ferrer said.

Officials stressed the delta variant continues to be a public health threat, and they expect cases to rise further in the coming weeks. Yet they hope the steps already taken will flatten, and eventually reverse, the pandemics trajectory without resorting to more stringent measures.

The biggest reason for that optimism is Californias relatively robust level of vaccine coverage. According to the latest CDC figures, 77.5% of eligible Californians  those who are at least 12 years old  have already gotten at least one dose, and about 63% are considered fully vaccinated.

In Florida, roughly 69% of similarly aged residents are at least partially vaccinated, and 57% have completed their inoculation series. The comparable rates in Texas are 64.3% and 53.7%, respectively, federal figures show.

Officials and experts say the overwhelming majority of people currently being hospitalized for COVID-19 in California and across the country have yet to be vaccinated.

Out of 117 people admitted to Los Angeles Countys public hospitals primarily for COVID-19 between June 15 and Aug. 5, 112 were not fully vaccinated and only five were fully vaccinated, according to Dr. Christina Ghaly, the countys director of health services.

The vaccine saves lives, she said Tuesday. It reduces the risk of infection, it reduces the risk of spreading the virus to others and, critically, in doing so it reduces the risk of those individuals serving as a petri dish, really, in which the virus can continue to mutate into progressively more dangerous forms that put everyone at risk.

Aside from vaccines, health officials and experts have long noted that pandemic conditions vary based on a number of factors. Some areas may have stricter coronavirus-related rules in place, or are home to residents who  for whatever reason  are more likely to take individual precautions in their daily lives.

Other areas may largely scoff at any such limitations.

Perhaps nowhere is the gap between California versus Florida and Texas more apparent than when it comes to masks.

California has urged all residents, even those who are fully vaccinated, to wear masks indoors while in public, and is requiring them in K-12 schools.

The governors of Texas and Florida, on the other hand, have largely banned schools and municipal governments from instituting such mandates, though some local leaders have defied those orders.

In light of the surge, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the state health department to use staffing agencies to find additional medical staff and also sent a letter to the Texas Hospital Assn. requesting that hospitals postpone elective medical procedures.

Austin, Texas, emergency room doctor Natasha Kathuria  a native of Orlando, Fla.  said she hears from Florida doctors that the situation there is even worse, and worries thats where Texas is headed. Shes already had to send patients home because she didnt have the capacity to treat them.

This is disaster medicine, she said. Weve never felt this disheartened during the pandemic.

Though California officials have voiced some concern with rapidly rising hospitalizations, theyve generally said they believe the states healthcare system wont come under the same sort of stress as during the states devastating fall-and-winter wave.

Though the surge of new infections has started to wash over Californias hospitals, the death toll from COVID-19 has remained relatively low at an average of about 32 fatalities per day over the last week. Thats a far cry from the regular triple-digit counts seen during previous surges.

Though its possible death counts may not surge as they have earlier in the pandemic  especially since many of the most vulnerable Californians, namely the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, have gotten vaccinated  Ferrer cautioned that its still too soon to say for sure.

In L.A. County, she said, someone who dies from COVID-19 was diagnosed an average of 37 days beforehand.

With our case increase having begun relatively recently, its therefore too early to fully assess the impact of this latest wave of infection, she said.

____

(Times staff writer Molly Hennessy-Fiske in Houston contributed to this report.)
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP)  Prosecutors have filed a murder charge against a Southern California man accused of fatally shooting a home inspector and wounding two others including his sister in a dispute over real estate.

Roger Nemeth was arrested Saturday following the shooting at the Huntington Beach home of his deceased father, the Orange County Register reported.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP)  A senior executive for Chinese communications giant Huawei Technologies committed fraud because of what she said during a meeting with a bank official, and what she did not say, a Canadian government lawyer told an extradition hearing Wednesday.

Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huaweis founder and the companys chief financial officer, at Vancouvers airport in late 2018. The U.S. wants her extradited to face fraud charges. Her arrest infuriated Beijing, which sees her case as a political move designed to prevent Chinas rise.

The U.S. accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company called Skycom to sell equipment to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. It says Meng, 49, committed fraud by misleading the HSBC bank about the companys business dealings in Iran.

The lengthy extradition proceeding is entering a phase which involves arguments over the U.S. governments request to extradite Meng.

Justice department lawyer Robert Frater said the case against Meng is about dishonest commercial dealings.

Meng met with an HSBC executive after a series of news stories connected Huawei with Skycom.

Ms. Mengs statements (during the meeting) were dishonest because of what she did say and because of what she did not say, Frater said.

Meng told the bank official that Huawei was not engaged in any activity that may cause HSBC to run afoul of US sanction law, Frater said.

She also said Huawei was rigorous in its sanction compliance and demanded the same of any partners working in Iran.

The truth is, Huawei was in full control of Skycom, Frater said. Skycom is Huawei.

The dishonesty was partly through painting a picture of distance through what Ms. Meng did say and neglecting to disclose the true nature of the relationship by omission. What we have here are sins of both commission and omission.

Associate Chief justice Heather asked Frater why a large bank like HSBC would rely on the word of one person.

Frater said Meng was important because she was Huaweis CFO.

Holmes wondered if it was Mengs responsibility to explain risk to HSBC.

She is the one that gives them the information which they can assess the risk, Frater said. The message she is convening to them is you are at not risk at all because we are complying with all sanctions."

Under further questioning from Holmes, Frater said some business could legally be done with Iran and it was part of Mengs job to know what the restrictions were.

The judge also asked if Meng assured the bank there was no risk of sanction violations, wouldnt they assume Huawei had control of Skycom.

Frater said the message Meng sent was that Huawei didnt work with bad people.

Meng, who attended court wearing a facemask and an electronic monitoring device on her ankle, followed the proceedings through a translator.

Holmes isnt expected to rule on Mengs extradition until later in the year. Whatever her decision, it will likely be appealed.

Mengs lawyers have denied any dishonesty on her part. They also argue HSBC was not placed at any risk and the charges against her are politically motivated.

Chinas government has criticized the arrest as part of U.S. efforts to hamper its technology development. Huawei, a maker of network equipment and smartphones, is Chinas first global tech brand and is at the center of U.S.-Chinese tension over technology and the security of information systems.

On Tuesday a Chinese court sentenced Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison for spying. Spavor and fellow Canadian Michael Kovrig were arrested in December of 2018 in apparent retaliation for Mengs arrest.

Spavor was sentenced by a court in Dandong, about 210 miles (340 kilometers) east of Beijing on the North Korean border. The government has released few details other than to accuse Spavor of passing along sensitive information to Kovrig, beginning in 2017. Both have been held in isolation and have little contact with Canadian diplomats.

Earlier in the week, the Higher Peoples Court of Liaoning province in the northeast rejected an appeal by Canadian Robert Schellenberg, whose 15-year prison term on drug smuggling charges was increased to death in January 2019 following Mengs arrest.

Meng remains free on bail in Vancouver and is living in a mansion.

Canada and other countries, including Australia and the Philippines, face trade boycotts and other Chinese pressure in disputes with Beijing over human rights, the coronavirus and control of the South China Sea.

China has tried to pressure Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government by imposing restrictions on imports of canola seed oil and other products from Canada.

Meanwhile, Beijing is blocking imports of Australian wheat, wine and other products after its government called for an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged all pregnant women Wednesday to get the COVID-19 vaccine as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus.

Expectant women run a higher risk of severe illness and pregnancy complications from the coronavirus, including perhaps miscarriages and stillbirths. But their vaccination rates are low, with only about 23% having received at least one dose, according to CDC data.

"The vaccines are safe and effective, and it has never been more urgent to increase vaccinations as we face the highly transmissible delta variant and see severe outcomes from COVID-19 among unvaccinated pregnant people, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.

The updated guidance comes after a CDC analysis of new safety data on 2,500 women showed no increased risks of miscarriage for those who received at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine before 20 weeks of pregnancy. The analysis found a miscarriage rate of around 13%, within the normal range.

The CDCs advice echoes recent recommendations from top obstetrician groups. The agency had previously encouraged pregnant women to consider vaccination but had stopped short of a full recommendation. The new advice also applies to nursing mothers and women planning to get pregnant.

Although pregnant women were not included in studies that led to authorization of COVID-19 vaccines, experts say real-world experience in tens of thousands of women shows that the shots are safe for them and that when given during pregnancy may offer some protection to newborns.

The new guidance comes amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S., driven by the highly contagious delta variant.

Some health authorities believe the variant may cause more severe disease  in pregnant women and others as well  than earlier versions of the virus, though that is still under investigation.

National figures show the latest surge in cases among pregnant women is lower than it was during the outbreak's winter peak. But at some hospitals in states with low vaccination rates, the numbers of sick mothers-to-be outpace those during earlier surges, before vaccines were available.

This is by far the worst weve seen in the pandemic, said Dr. Jane Martin, an obstetrician with Ochsner Baptist Medical Center in New Orleans. She added: Its disheartening and its exhausting. It feels like it doesnt have to be like this.

At the beginning of the pandemic and with each surge, Ochsner had a few pregnant patients very sick with the virus, though the numbers had dwindled in recent months.

A week or two ago that pace changed drastically, Martin said. We have had multiple critically ill pregnant patients admitted every day, most requiring intensive care.

Martin said she has taken care of at least 30 pregnant patients hospitalized with COVID-19 over the last two weeks. Most were unvaccinated.

Experts say the lifting of mask rules and other social distancing precautions and the rise of the delta variant have contributed to the worrisome trend. But also, vaccinations werent made available to women of childbearing age and others under 65 until spring.

Early in her pregnancy, Tennessee kindergarten teacher Sara Brown decided she would wait until the baby was born to get the shots. There wasnt much safety data yet about getting vaccinated during pregnancy, and at 36, she was young, healthy and figured if I did get it, it would probably just be a bad cold.

But what seemed like a sinus infection in June turned into severe COVID-19, landing her in a Nashville intensive care unit for five days, on oxygen and struggling to breathe.

Her daughter Suzie was born healthy on Aug. 2. But it was a harrowing experience.

Not being able to catch your breath is such a panicky feeling, knowing I had life inside me that could be suffering too, she said.

At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where Brown was treated, there were no infected pregnant patients early in July. Now the hospital is admitting four to five a week, all unvaccinated, said obstetrician Dr. Jennifer Thompson. About 20% of those patients are being treated in the intensive care unit, compared with 11% during previous surges, she said.

For some pregnant patients critically ill with COVID-19, organs begin to fail and doctors induce labor early or deliver babies by cesarean section as a last resort, said Dr. Jeannie Kelly, an obstetrician at Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis.

About 20% of all patients admitted for labor and delivery last week at the St. Louis hospital are infected, more than double the rate during the COVID-19 surge in Missouri last year, she said. About one-third of these women are critically ill.

Around 105,000 pregnant U.S. women have been infected with COVID-19, and almost 18,000 have been hospitalized, according to the CDC. About one-fourth of those received intensive care and 124 died.

Pregnancy-related changes in body functions may explain why the virus can be dangerous for mothers-to-be. These include reduced lung capacity and adjustments in the disease-fighting immune system that protect and help the fetus grow.

The risks are disproportionately high for Black and Hispanic women, who are more likely to face health care and economic inequalities that increase their chances of getting sick.

Some studies suggest the virus can also increase the risks of preterm birth and stillbirth, and in rare cases, it appears to have passed from mother to fetus.

Martin, the New Orleans obstetrician, noted that local hospitals are also treating increasing numbers of children and babies sick with COVID-19, some of whom may have been infected after birth by unvaccinated mothers.

Martin was pregnant when she got her own shots last winter. She delivered a healthy baby girl a week after the last shot.

Vaccinating people is the only way out, she said.

___

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.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  A college professor suspected in a series of arson fires has been charged with setting a small blaze in a forest near Northern California's massive Dixie Fire.

Gary Stephen Maynard was arrested last weekend following an investigation that began July 20 and included a U.S. Forest Service agent placing a tracking device under his car after he had been stopped briefly by police on Aug. 3, the Sacramento Bee reported Tuesday.

Maynard, 47, is charged with intentionally setting the Ranch Fire in Lassen County on Saturday, according to the criminal complaint. Maynard has denied setting the fire, court papers say. It wasnt immediately known if he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

The Bee said Maynard taught briefly at Santa Clara University and Sonoma State University, where a Gary Maynard was listed as a lecturer in criminal justice studies specializing in criminal justice, cults and deviant behavior. He's no longer with either school.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kendall J. Newman said the nature of the case suggested there may be mental health issues at play and ordered Maynard to remain in custody pending a hearing Wednesday.

According to court filings, Maynard first came to the attention of authorities July 20 after the Cascade Fire was reported on the western slopes of Mount Shasta.

U.S. Forest Service investigator Brian Murphy responded to the scene and found a man later identified as Maynard underneath a black Kia Soul that had its front wheels stuck in a ditch and its undercarriage centered on a boulder, court papers said.

Maynard denied knowing anything about the fire and was at points uncooperative and agitated," according to the filings.

A second fire erupted the next day on Mount Shasta, and investigators later found tire tracks similar to those made by the Kia, court papers said.

Investigators tracked Maynards address to San Jose, where police said a resident called them in October 2020 with concerns about their colleague, Maynard, who worked as a professor at Santa Clara University, court papers say.

This concerned citizen told officers that Maynard had told her he was suffering from anxiety, depression, split personality, and that he wanted to kill himself, according to an affidavit. This concerned citizen said that Maynard had moved out and was possibly living somewhere out of his vehicle.

Authorities then began tracking Maynards movements and eventually obtained a warrant to place a tracking device on his car. Investigators tracked his movements for hundreds of miles, including to the area where the Ranch Fire and Conard Fire erupted Saturday in the Lassen National Forest.

It appeared that Maynard was in the midst of an arson-setting spree, court papers said. He's only charged with setting the Ranch Fire.

Maynard was arrested Saturday inside the emergency closure area forced by the month-old Dixie Fire, the Bee reported.

He entered the evacuation zone and began setting fires behind the first responders fighting the Dixie Fire, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Anderson wrote in a detention memo. In addition to the danger of enlarging the Dixie Fire and threatening more lives and property, this increased the danger to the first responders.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP)  The South Carolina Supreme Court upheld Wednesday the misconduct conviction of the former Greenville County sheriff who used his power and office to pressure a personal assistant to have sex with him.

An attorney for former Greenville County Sheriff Will Lewis had argued the misconduct charge that a jury found Lewis guilty of in 2019 was too vague, The Greenville News reported.

Prosecutors said that the sheriff hired the then 22-year-old assistant at $62,000 a year, giving her a county vehicle and other perks to groom her into a sexual relationship. The prosecution argued that Lewis misused county money to hire a woefully unqualified person for an unnecessary position and then used county resources such as his cellphone to continue the relationship.

The high court on Wednesday sided with prosecutors, as the irrefutable facts presented at trial left "no doubt whatsoever Lewis is guilty of the crime misconduct in office, wrote Justice John Cannon Few.

An attorney for Lewis did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the newspaper.

The allegations against Lewis first came to light in a blog post penned by the assistant, Savanah Nabors, who detailed what she called an unwanted sexual encounter with Lewis in 2017 in a Charlotte, North Carolina, hotel.

Lewis was later sentenced to a year in prison by a judge but was released on bond during the appeal.

He is among at least 13 sheriffs in the state's 46 counties who have been convicted of crimes since 2010. Those crimes have ranged from using inmates for personal labor to running a drug operation to protecting people in the county illegally from being deported to creating false police reports of stolen credit cards.
HOUSTON (AP)  Defiance of Gov. Greg Abbotts ban on mask mandates continued Wednesday as more Texas school districts and communities announced plans to require students to wear face coverings and another county scored a legal victory in its efforts to issue such mandates amid a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations throughout the state.

In the Houston suburb of Spring, the school districts 33,000 students, along with faculty, staff and visitors will be required to wear masks starting Monday.

The Spring school district joins ones in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Fort Worth in requiring students and staff to wear masks on campuses and other district buildings. The mandates go against an executive order Abbott repeated last month banning mask mandates by any state, county or local government entity.

I dont want to focus so much on defying the governor. We are ensuring that our kids our safe. Were ensuring that our teachers are safe and were ensuring that the learning needs for each student are met, Spring school district Superintendent Rodney Watson told reporters Wednesday.

Late Wednesday, officials in Fort Bend County, located just southwest of Houston, announced they had filed a lawsuit seeking to override Abbotts ban on mask mandates and had also reinstated an order requiring that masks be worn inside all public school buildings and county facilities. A judge later Wednesday granted the county a temporary restraining order against Abbott's ban on mask mandates.

Renae Eze, a spokeswoman for Abbott, said in a statement that violating the governors executive orders and violating parental rightsis not the way to do it.

The dispute over mask mandates in Texas comes as COVID-19 hospitalizations continued to rise, increasing to 10,463 on Wednesday, the most since Feb. 3. In the last two weeks, hospitalizations have increased by 85%. State health officials reported 112 deaths on Wednesday, the first time the total surpassed 100 since March 10. Hospitals around the state are overrun with COVID-19 patients and many dont have enough nurses and other personnel to adequately staff intensive care unit or ICU beds.

If this continues and I have no reason to believe that it will not, there is no way my hospital is going to be able to handle this. There is no way the region is going to be able to handle this. I dont want to be an alarmist ... But I am frightened by what is coming, Esmaeil Porsa, president and CEO of Harris Health System, which runs the Houston area's public hospitals, told lawmakers Tuesday during a meeting of the Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

Abbott on Wednesday announced the state has arranged for the deployment of more than 2,500 medical personnel to help hospitals care for the increasing number of COVID-19 patients across Texas.

Outside the Houston school districts headquarters on Wednesday, a group of teachers unions along with parents and students asked area districts to defy Abbotts order and issue their own mask mandates.

A mask mandate is not a risk to anyone. Not requiring masks puts children and their families at risk, said Aly Fitzpatrick, whose twin sons are set to start second grade at Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, located northwest of Houston.

The superintendent of Houstons school district, the states largest, planned to ask his school board to approve a mask mandate during a Thursday meeting.

On Wednesday, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins signed an executive order requiring that masks be worn inside schools, county buildings and businesses. This was issued after a state district judge on Tuesday granted a temporary restraining order against Abbotts executive order, allowing Jenkins to issue the mask mandate

The legal ruling from Dallas County follows one from earlier Tuesday when another judge issued a different temporary restraining order, allowing officials in San Antonio and Bexar County to mandate masks in public schools.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the state had filed a petition with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to strike down Dallas County's mask mandate.

The path forward relies on personal responsibility - not government mandates. The state of Texas will continue to vigorously fight the temporary restraining order to protect the rights and freedoms of all Texans," Abbott said.

Paxtons office on Wednesday issued an opinion suggesting the federal government might have lacked the authority to issue its order requiring people to wear masks on all forms of public transportation.

Earlier Wednesday, Texas Childrens Hospital in Houston became the latest hospital system in the country to require its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In April, Houston Methodist became the first major U.S. health care system to require vaccinations for its employees. A group of employees sued Houston Methodist over the vaccine mandate, but a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit.

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Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
HELENA, Mont. (AP)  Democratic lawmakers in Montana said they are opposed to a plan to end 12-month continuous eligibility for people who qualify for Medicaid expansion or another program that provides health coverage for those with a disabling mental illness.

The Department of Public Health and Human Services is seeking federal permission to eliminate the continuous eligibility provision for Medicaid expansion at the direction of the Legislature, the agency said in a draft application to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

It is seeking the same change for the mental health program because it would reduce the administrative burden to have consistent eligibility requirements, said Darci Wiebe, the administrator of the health department's Health Resources Division.

About 100,000 Montanans are covered under the Medicaid expansion program that provides health insurance for people who are not eligible for traditional Medicaid coverage, but do not qualify for federal subsidies on policies sold under the Affordable Care Act.

Republican lawmakers reduced the state's Medicaid expansion appropriation and included a statement in the budget bill saying: The Legislature intends that the Department of Public Health and Human Services eliminate the policy of 12-month continuous eligibility for the Medicaid expansion population.

However, other efforts to pass a standalone bill to end the 12-month eligibility policy failed during the 2021 Legislature, Democrats noted.

The legislative intent in my view is ambiguous at best and again, DPHHS can do this if they wish, but I don't think they can put it on the backs of the Legislature, Democratic Rep. Ed Stafman of Bozeman said Tuesday. That is what they claim several times in the petition.

The Children, Families, Health and Human Services Committee discussed the proposals, which must be approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Medicaid expansion proposal has been the subject of two public hearings. Public comment is being taken through the end of August. Committee members said they plan to include their individual comments on the proposal.

Under Montana's current Medicaid expansion program, people remain eligible for coverage for a full year, even if their income increases and they no longer meet the financial requirements. Republicans want to be able to move people off the program when they are no longer financially eligible, rather than wait for the end of that 12-month term, arguing it would save the state money.

Opponents counter it will cycle people on and off the program and disrupt continuous care for those with chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, and will lead to higher medical costs through the use of emergency rooms rather than primary care providers.

The departments proposal represents a threat to the health care of thousands of Montanans, Stafman, chair of the committee, said in a statement. It makes zero sense to take an effective program and make it less efficient, less fair, and more bureaucratic. If the department moves forward with this misguided proposal, they will damage Montanans health and hurt the bottom lines of businesses that rely on Medicaid to cover their employees.

Opponents to ending continuous Medicaid eligibility for people suffering with severe disabling mental illness argued the Legislature did not request changes for that program, which covers about 1,000 people.

There are already fraud and abuse measures within the Medicaid system, said Kristin Page-Nei, whose brother is covered under the program. We do not need another layer of red tape putting up another barrier.

Separately, the waiver application notes Montana expects a pending August 2019 Medicaid expansion application that sought to add work requirements and increase premiums for some will be rejected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Biden Administration has overturned work requirements in several states whose programs were approved under the Trump Administration.

This is not the time to experiment or test policies that risk a substantial loss of health coverage or benefits, especially for individuals and communities significantly impacted by COVID-19 and other health inequities," CMS said in a February statement.

No one can lose Medicaid expansion coverage during the public health emergency caused by the coronavirus, which is expected to last at least through the end of the year.
NEW YORK (AP)  Donald Kagan, a prominent classical scholar, contentious defender of traditional education and architect of neo-conservative foreign policy, has died at age 89.

Kagan, a professor emeritus at Yale University and father of historians Robert and Frederick Kagan, died Aug. 6 at a retirement home in Washington, D.C. His death was announced by Yale and confirmed Wednesday by his sons.

Donald Kagan was a Lithuanian native, raised in New York City, who studied ancient Greece in college and was inspired by the remarkable assumption that the human being is not trivial. Regarding himself as Greek to his very soul, he wrote several books either entirely or partly about the rise and fall of Athens golden age, notably an acclaimed and popular four-volume series on the devastating Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies.

A study of the Peloponnesian War is a source of wisdom about the behavior of human beings under the enormous pressures imposed by warm plague, and civil strife, he wrote in 2003, and the limits within which it must inevitably operate.

Kagan expanded upon his belief that the Peloponnesian conflict held vital contemporary lessons in On the Origins of War and the Preservation of Peace, which came out in 1995. With a narrative reaching from ancient Greece and Rome to the two world wars of the 20th century and the Cold War that followed, he determined that some of the most awful carnage could have been avoided had political leaders confronted aggressors early on. He noted the allies hesitation to take on Germany before World War I and World War II. He blamed the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis in part on Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchevs perception that President John F. Kennedy was afraid to use military force.

The Cuban Missile Crisis demonstrated that it is not enough for the state that wishes to maintain peace and the status quo to have superior power, Kagan wrote. The crisis (happened) ... because the more powerful state also had a leader who failed to convince his opponent of his will to use its power for that purpose.

Through his books, speeches and media commentary, Kagan became a leading conservative voice in the otherwise liberal field of history, supporting military action abroad and adherence to the Western canon at home. He backed the wars in Vietnam and Iraq and questioned the patriotism of protesters. He disdained multicultural programs and pushed in vain to establish a special Western Civilization course at Yale. He enraged colleagues when, as dean of Yale College, he told incoming freshmen in 1990 that failure to focus on the West came at the peril of our students, our country, and of the hopes for a democratic, liberal society emerging throughout the world today.

Don should remain a Tory back-bencher, Peter Brooks, chairman of Yales comparative literature department, later told The Washington Post. Hes best as a gadfly, not a dean.

In 1997, Kagan joined Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and other future George W. Bush administration officials in endorsing the neo-conservative Project for a New American Century and its mission statement calling for a Reaganite policy of military strength and moral clarity. Donald and son Frederick Kagan collaborated in 2000 on While America Sleeps: Self-Delusion, Military Weakness, and the Threat to Peace Today, which received heightened attention after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

President Bush awarded Donald Kagan a National Humanities Medal in 2002 for his distinguished scholarship on the glories of ancient Greece and for teaching generations the vital legacy of classical civilization.

Born in Kurenai, Lithuania, Kagan was just 2 when he and his newly widowed mother emigrated to the U.S. and settled in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, where as a boy his wary view of humanity was shaped by the anti-Semitic gangs who menaced him. He was an undergraduate at Brooklyn College, received a masters in classical studies at Brown University and a PhD in history from Ohio State University.

Like such fellow neo-conservatives as Irving Kristol and Norman Podhoretz, he was a Democrat in his youth who turned right in response to the cultural and political upheavals in the 1960s. While teaching at Cornell University, he was enraged by the schools agreement in 1969 to start a Black studies program after armed protesters occupied a campus building. He compared the decision to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlains appeasement of the Nazis in the 1930s and soon left for Yale.

Thucydides was his model historian and Kagan shared the ancient Greek scholars dark views of human nature, how among nations power triumphed over morality. Kagan liked to invoke Thucydides conclusion that wars were fought out of a combination of fear, self-interest and honor.

I used to believe that peace was the normal situation for humanity, but the more I looked, the more I saw that peace was very rare, Kagan told the Yale Alumni Magazine in 2002. Wars are happening all the time, so I had to ask, Why is there ever peace?
BOSTON (AP)  Federal prosecutors filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the operator of several sober homes in Massachusetts alleging he subjected female tenants to sexual harassment by, among other things, seeking sexual favors in exchange for rent forgiveness or extra privileges.

Through his actions, Peter McCarthy, 49, owner of Steps to Solutions, Inc., violated the Fair Housing Act, the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in a statement.

It is disappointing that a landlord who is supposed to be helping vulnerable women beat drug addiction was allegedly sexually harassing them and offering to reduce their rent in exchange for sex, acting U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Mendell said in a statement.

McCarthy's attorney when reached by phone said his client, who is in recovery himself, denies the allegations.

He is proud of the work he has done, he has helped a lot of people, and will respond to the complaint in court," Brian Kelley said.

McCarthy, from 2012 through 2019, sexually harassed female residents by offering to reduce or forgive rent, granting extra house privileges, or waiving security deposits in exchange for engaging in sexual acts, prosecutors said.

He also requested sexually explicit photographs, offering to reduce or waive rent in exchange, made unwanted sexual comments, and retaliated against tenants who reported his conduct, prosecutors alleged.

The suit seeks a court order to prevent future discriminatory conduct, financial compensation for the alleged victims and penalties.

At a time when our country is experiencing record numbers of deaths related to drug overdoses, it is particularly disturbing to see sexually harassing conduct targeted at individuals who are in recovery," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division said.

Steps to Solutions operates seven sober houses in Boston and Lynn, that according to the company website, offer in-house counseling, Narcan training, and onsite nurse practitioners.
Khin Maung Win/AP

BANGKOK (AP)  The former longtime military ruler of Myanmar, Than Shwe, has been hospitalized with an unspecified illness, an official said Wednesday.

An employee of the Thaik Chaung military hospital in the capital of Naypyitaw, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of possible reprisals, confirmed that Than Shwe, 88, was being treated under tight security at a VIP section of the facility.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday that he may reconsider his decision not to mandate masks in the state's public schools, if cases of the coronavirus continue to surge higher.

Justice's remarks marked an about-face from his most recent stance  that he would allow counties to make their own decisions for the upcoming school year. He has steadfastly urged people to get vaccinated for COVID-19.

I'm trying to give a lot of leeway to our local officials," Justice said. "But if this thing continues, we will have to adjust and we probably will end up having to move in this direction.

Health officials reported on Wednesday that 334 people had tested positive for the virus  the highest daily number in three months.

The number of currently active coronavirus cases in the state is 4,625, nearly double that at the beginning of the month. In Kanawha County, the states largest, the number of active cases jumped by 37 on Wednesday, to 243. Thats a nearly fourfold increase since the start of the month.

Hospitalizations have jumped to 275, up from 52 on July 4. The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units has hit a six-month high, according to state health data.

Outbreaks have slipped back into long-term care facilities and churches, too, with 30 current positive cases among residents at a residential facility in Fayette County and 12 at another in Putnam County. And there are 13 outbreaks involving churches in 12 counties, Justice said.

It's been a long time since weve seen stuff like this," the governor said. Buckle up, just a little bit, and we'll get through this.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools nationwide, regardless of vaccination status. The CDC cited new information about the ability of the virus's highly contagious delta variant to spread among vaccinated people.

West Virginia is starting the school year this month with in-person learning in all 55 counties. Some counties have left the mask-wearing decisions up to students, while others are requiring them at certain grade levels.

The governor in nearby Kentucky issued a mask mandate in schools on Tuesday. In other states, school districts are increasingly defying Republican leaders who banned school mask mandates.

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Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  The couple hundred people who filled the Indiana House chamber applauded loudly several times Wednesday as members of the public told state lawmakers that they wanted the once-a-decade process of drawing new congressional and legislative election districts slowed down.

Those testifying during the last of nine scheduled redistricting hearings around the state argued the public should have at least a couple weeks to review the proposed maps after they are unveiled sometime next month by Republicans who dominate the state Legislature. Republicans, however, said they planned to quickly advance the new maps to final votes once they are drawn following months of waiting for delayed U.S. Census data on population shifts.

Several voting-rights activists called on Republicans to allow more public input on the new districts, with several arguing that previous partisan gerrymandering has helped the GOP gain more seats in the Legislature and Indianas congressional delegation than merited by its vote totals across the state.

Marilyn Moran-Townsend of Fort Wayne, a Republican member of the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission organized by Common Cause and other groups, told legislators that making the redistricting process more open to the public would help lessen distrust in government.

We understand from our voters that they believe that unfair maps by either party leads to less representative government, it leads to more abuses in government, it leads to more extreme government, and it leads to less responsive government, said Moran-Townsend, a past chairwoman of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

Members of the House and Senate election committees heard from more than 40 people during Wednesdays 2-1/2 hour meeting, which followed similar testimony during eight hearings held across the state Friday and Saturday.

After Wednesdays meeting, Republican House Election Committee Chairman Tim Wesco of Osceola said no hearings on the proposed maps were planned outside the Statehouse in Indianapolis.

Republican leaders plan to have House and Senate members return to Indianapolis in late September, with the first committee hearing on the new maps possibly within a few days of their release to the public.

The redistricting work would normally have been finished in April without census delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Wesco said further delays in approving new districts could cause problems for county officials preparing for next years elections.

We have to be very careful about delaying this any longer than it has already been delayed, Wesco said.

Democrats are bracing for how far Republicans might push to pad their political advantage in the state, where they now hold seven of Indianas nine congressional seats and commanding majorities of 71-29 in the state House and 39-11 in the state Senate.

Democrats maintain plenty of time remains for additional public hearings once proposed maps are released as the filing period for the 2022 legislative and congressional elections doesnt start until January.

Democratic Rep. Cherrish Pryor of Indianapolis called the past weeks hearings window dressing unless Republicans prove theyve taken the public comments seriously.

One meeting for the House Elections Committee, one meeting for the Senate Elections Committee is not enough, Pryor said. This is a redistricting that is going to impact us for the next decade, if not for the next 20 or 30 years. And people want to make sure that they have an opportunity to fully review and analyze the maps.
CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (AP)  The number of children in Rhode Island who tested positive for lead poisoning for the first time rose last year, which is the first time it's increased, according to state Health Department data.

The 22% increase in children testing positive for lead poisoning for the first time comes even as fewer children were tested last year, the Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

Four cities accounted for 69% of the recorded elevated lead levels  Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence, and Woonsocket. Those cities are also where 74% of children of color in the state live.

Central Falls had the highest portion of children with blood lead levels above 5 micrograms per deciliter, which is the reference level set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The city has an older housing stock, which matters because many homes predate the 1978 ban on lead in house paint. No level of lead in the blood is safe and lead poisoning in children can contribute to lifelong cognitive problems that can manifest in lowered attention levels and academic achievement.

The rise in incidents coincides with the pandemic when the vast majority of children stayed home, Michelle Almeida, the CDC lead program manager and evaluator for the state Health Department, told the newspaper.

One mother in Central Falls has three children who have been poisoned by lead, and has twice had inspectors come to identify the source of the lead at their home and remediate it.

A pediatrician in Central Falls, Dr. Beata F. Nelken, told the newspaper the statistics underestimate the incidents of lead poisoning in children in the community. She urged the city and state to take urgent action to remove lead hazards from homes.

Why are we using these kids as the canaries in the coal mine? Nelken said. Its the wrong approach. We know we have lead in the paint, the pipes, the food, the toys, and our dust.

Central Falls has hired a bilingual housing inspector and plans to distribute information about how to make homes lead-safe in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The city also has brought the owners of 200 properties that do not have a lead-safe certificate to court to connect them with the the state's lead-safe program.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel's new government is set to grant its first major approval of West Bank settlement construction, but will also include a rare authorization of construction for Palestinian areas as well in the upcoming announcement, according to an Israeli security official.

The mixed messages appear to be aimed at bolstering the Palestinian Authority while also trying to blunt international opposition to Israeli settlement construction on occupied lands.

The official said that Israel next week is expected to formally authorize the construction of some 1,000 homes for Palestinians.

The bulk of those homes will be near Jenin, a city in the northern West Bank, he said. He spoke on condition of anonymity pending formal approval.

The construction is to take place in Area C, the parts of the occupied West Bank placed under full Israeli control under past peace accords. Palestinians in those areas have long said it is virtually impossible to get construction permits from Israeli authorities.

At the same time, Israel plans to authorize construction of 2,000 new settlement homes next week, the official said.

Israel captured the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the three areas.

The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlements illegal and obstacles to peace. Israel has also come under heavy international criticism for stifling Palestinian development in Area C.

Israel's new coalition government includes a number of hardline parties that support the settlements, and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett himself is a former leader of the settlement movement.

But Israel has come under American pressure to improve conditions for the Palestinians and to shore up the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, which administers semi-autonomous areas in the West Bank.

The announcement came as CIA Director William Burns was in Israel for talks with top officials. There was no immediate U.S. or Palestinian reaction.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A 25-year-old Kansas City man has been indicted on hate crime and gun violations after he allegedly tried to kill a teenager because of his sexual orientation, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday.

A federal grand jury in Kansas City indicted Malachi Robinson with hate crime and firearm violations. He is accused of shooting the victim on May 29, 2019. It was not immediately clear where the shooting occurred.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  Kentucky's Democratic governor first tried a softer approach, recommending masks in schools as the delta variant sent coronavirus cases climbing. When the advice went unheeded in some school districts, he ordered that masks be worn as the surge worsened.

Gov. Andy Beshear issued the mask mandate Tuesday, as many Kentucky schools start the academic year. He said it's needed to try to prevent virus outbreaks that would close schools. Without masks, children too young to receive the vaccine would be defenseless, he said.

The mandate applies in K-12 schools, childcare centers and preschools. It unleashed another torrent of Republican complaints and drew a quick challenge from the attorney general. The reaction among educators was mixed.

While some red-state governors attempt to block school districts or other local governments from requiring mask wearing to lower the COVID-19 risk, Kentuckys situation offers a contrasting political dynamic.

Im going to have the courage to do what I know is right to protect our children, Beshear said.

The reaction was swift in the mostly conservative Bluegrass State.

Republican House Speaker David Osborne accused Beshear of flouting community decision-making. Attorney General Daniel Cameron, another Republican, called the mask order an unlawful exercise of power and challenged the governor's action in the state's Supreme Court.

One school superintendent openly berated Beshear. In a voicemail call to parents, Science Hill Independent School District Superintendent Jimmy Dyehouse referred to the governor as a liberal lunatic. Beshear's action, he said, means "the professional opinion of your superintendent doesnt matter. The opinion of your school board doesnt matter. He said the district would comply with Beshear's order, but hopes it's overturned in court.

The Kentucky Education Association, a Beshear ally representing tens of thousands of educators, jumped to his defense. KEA President Eddie Campbell called masks a simple, low-impact, essential precaution to protect students, educators and families.

A student group said the governor's mask order reflects guidance from public health officials.

Despite what some have said about the negative effects of wearing a mask in school, public health experts tell us that masks are the least invasive way to protect students and ensure a return to the type of education experience we know and miss, the Kentucky Student Voice Team said.

The wrangling over masks comes as the delta variant sparks waves of new cases. The state reported 2,961 new coronavirus infections and 14 more virus-related deaths Wednesday. Virus-related hospitalizations are escalating at an alarming rate, the governor said.

It's time to push the silliness aside; the facts are the facts, the truth is the truth, Beshear said Wednesday about the attacks. We are in a battle of life and death."

For more than a year, Beshear waged an aggressive fight against the pandemic with restrictions on businesses and gatherings. He faced lawsuits, occasional protests and unsuccessful impeachment petitions. He even was hanged in effigy by armed protesters.

Beshear stood up to the backlash, saying his actions saved lives. He won one round in the state Supreme Court over whether he wielded constitutional authority to impose virus-related mandates. The high court is reviewing new GOP-backed laws meant to rein in those executive powers.

His new mandate expanded the issues before the court. Kentucky's attorney general said Wednesday the mask order violated a lower court injunction and disregarded those laws meant to reset a governor's executive powers.

The court should remind the governor that the executive branch is but one of the three partners in Kentucky state government, Cameron's office said in seeking to block the mandate.

In a release, Cameron said if Beshear believes that the science requires a statewide mask mandate for schools and childcare centers, then he needs to do what the law requires and work with the General Assembly to put the necessary health precautions in place. Those laws were temporarily blocked by another lower-court judge pending the high court review.

Republican state Senate President Robert Stivers said the governor can call lawmakers into a special session if he feels so strongly that action needs to be taken. The House speaker said Beshear usurped the authority of schools boards to decide masking policy.

When lifting most remaining virus restrictions in June, Beshear was eager to shift attention to the state's economic rebound. The virus's resurgence pulled him back into pandemic management.

For weeks, he hedged about new mandates. Last month, he recommended everyone mask up in schools, but some districts ignored his advice and left it up to parents to decide. In recent days, though, many districts had been revising their mask-optional policies. But as virus cases and hospitalizations escalated, Beshear acted.

He said his mask order runs for at least 30 days.

And in a blunt message for unvaccinated Kentuckians, he said: You wont get your shot; youre the reason that our kids are having to wear masks in school.

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Associated Press Writer Piper Hudspeth Blackburn in Louisville, Kentucky, contributed to this report.
LONDON, Ky. (AP)  A Kentucky call center to assist those with substance use disorders has expanded its hours, officials said.

The KY Help Statewide Call Center will now be staffed on weekday evenings and on weekends, according to a statement from Operation UNITE, which runs the center. New hours are are 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekends. Callers seeking help for a substance use disorder are provided with personalized assistance and resources, officials said.
MOSCOW (AP)  Russian authorities have levied new criminal charges against imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, part of a government crackdown on the corruption fighter and his beleaguered team ahead of Russia's upcoming parliamentary election.

Russia's Investigative Committee said Wednesday it has charged Navalny with creating a non-profit organization that infringes on peoples rights, a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison.

Officials alleged that Navalny's Foundation for Fighting Corruption, which was launched 10 years ago and has since published dozens of widely watched videos exposing the alleged corruption of senior government officials, incited Russians to perform unlawful actions" by urging them to join unauthorized protests in January.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, asked about the new charge, reiterated Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' concern that hes repeated on a number of times across the world where we are seeing a shrinking of space for civil society."

The 45-year-old Navalny is Russian President Vladimir Putins most ardent political foe. He was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin  an accusation rejected by Russian officials.

In February, Navalny was ordered to serve 2 years in prison for violating the terms of a suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that he dismissed as politically motivated.

His arrest and jailing sparked a wave of mass protests that appeared to pose a major challenge to the Kremlin. Authorities responded with mass arrests of demonstrators and criminal prosecutions of Navalnys closest associates.

In June, a court outlawed the Foundation for Fighting Corruption and a network of Navalny's regional offices as extremist organizations. The designation barred people associated with the groups from seeking public office and exposed them to lengthy prison terms.

Russian authorities also blocked some 50 websites run by his team or supporters for allegedly disseminating extremist group propaganda and opened a criminal probe against Navalny's top allies, Ivan Zhdanov and Leonid Volkov, over a crowdfunding campaign.

Navalnys allies have linked the crackdown to Russias parliamentary election. The Sept. 19 vote is widely seen as an important part of Putins efforts to cement his rule before the countrys 2024 presidential election.

The 68-year-old Russian leader, who has been in power for more than two decades, pushed through constitutional changes last year that would potentially allow him to hold onto power until 2036.

Some of Navalny's top associates had planned to run in the parliamentary election. The politician's team has also promised to deploy its Smart Voting strategy at the election  a project designed to promote candidates who are most likely to defeat those from the Kremlins dominant United Russia party.
SEATTLE (AP)  The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington is trying to keep a proposed Seattle charter amendment that would change how the city handles homelessness off the November ballot.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in King County Superior Court, the ACLU, Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness and the Transit Riders Union said the Compassion Seattle measure, officially known as Charter Amendment 29, is beyond the scope of local initiative power and violates state law on how local governments can address homelessness.

The measure, which recently qualified for the ballot, directs the city to provide 2,000 units of emergency or permanent housing within a year and requires the city to ensure that parks, playgrounds, sidewalks and other public spaces remain clear of encampments.

The pro-amendment campaign called the lawsuit another blatant tactic to preserve and protect the status quo

This group has dictated City of Seattle policy on homelessness for the last decade, with no accountability, all while the crisis has only gotten worse, Compassion Seattle said in a written statement.

According to the lawsuit, state law gives local legislative bodies  city and county councils  the exclusive authority to develop plans targeting homelessness. Further, it says, the amendment would undermine the city's binding agreement with King County creating a regional homelessness authority and would unlawfully waive land-use regulations to speed the development of emergency and permanent housing.

State law provides multiple avenues for constituents to influence homelessness policies and practices, but the initiative process at the city level is not one of them," ACLU attorney Breanne Schuster said in a news release.

Proposed Charter Amendment 29 has received mixed feedback. Seattle's mayoral candidates were almost evenly split on it in this month's primary; of the top-two vote-getters who advanced to the general election, former City Council member Bruce Harrel supports it, saying the city must act with more urgency on the issue, while City Council President Lorena Gonzalez opposes it, calling it an unfunded mandate that could lead to cuts in vital services.

Some homeless nonprofit leaders and advocates have spoken in favor of it, but others have started a campaign called House Our Neighbors to encourage voters to oppose it.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  A commission in Maine that is tasked with addressing the barriers to affordable housing in the state is set to begin its work this week.

The commission, which will study zoning and land use restrictions as a way to increase housing opportunities, holds its first meeting on Thursday. Democratic House Speaker Ryan Fecteau proposed the creation of the commission with a bill that passed this year.
DALLAS (AP)  A Texas man accused of kidnapping a 4-year-old boy who was found dead on a Dallas street has been indicted on a capital murder charge.

Darriynn Ronnell Brown, 18, was indicted Monday by a Dallas County grand jury in the slaying of Cash Gernon, The Dallas Morning News reported. Brown also was indicted on charges of burglary and kidnapping, court records show.

A woman found Cash's body the morning of May 15 on the street, about eight blocks from the home in the Mountain Creek area where the boy had been staying.

Cash and his brother were staying with their father and his girlfriend, Monica Sherrod. She reported Cash missing about five hours after he had been taken.

Surveillance video from Cash's bedroom showed a man standing over him and his twin brother while they slept, picking up Cash and walking out of the room.

Sherrod identified the man in the footage as Brown, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Authorities said Brown knew Sherrod and her teenage son but have not released information about a possible motive in the 4-year-olds death.

Brown's attorney, Heath Harris, said he expects Brown to be found incompetent to stand trial after a mental evaluation.

Harris has previously said the case is not open-and-shut and Browns mental health will be the cornerstone of our defense.

If convicted of capital murder, Brown would face lethal injection or life in prison without possibility for parole. Dallas County prosecutors have not said whether they will seek the death penalty.
BOSTON (AP)  The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is getting nearly $860 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to help maintain services and jobs as the pandemic drags on, federal transportation officials said Wednesday.

The funding for the Boston area public transit system is part of more than $30 billion for public transportation included in the American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in March 11.

Public transportation has been a lifeline for communities and the American people throughout this pandemic, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. This funding from President Bidens American Rescue Plan will help protect transit employees from layoffs, keep transit service running, and ensure people can get where they need to go.

The T will use the ARP funds, along with previous relief funds, to balance its operating budgets into the beginning of the 2024 fiscal year, a T spokesperson said.

The funds are necessary to plug the massive revenue shortfalls due to significantly lower ridership (and lower fare collections)," the T said in a statement.

Ridership on public transit systems across the nation have plummeted during the pandemic as people either lost their jobs or were asked to work from home.

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MEDICAL SCHOOL VACCINES

All faculty and staff at the University of Massachusetts Medical School will be required to get a COVID-19 vaccination, and those who don't comply could lose their jobs, school officials announced Wednesday.

Workers must present proof of vaccination by Sept. 7, and if they fail to do so, their employee badges will be deactivated, the Worcester-based school said in a statement.

Employees who have not received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 7 may be subject to employer actions up to and including termination, the statement said.

The school had previously issued a vaccine requirement for students.

Expanding it to faculty and staff was driven by several factors, including the growing prevalence of the highly contagious delta variant.

Medical or religious exemptions will be considered for workers who can provide supporting documentation.

Even when vaccinated, staff and students still must follow COVID-19 protocols, including wearing masks indoors and participating in surveillance testing if they are on campus at least once a week.

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VIRUS BY THE NUMBERS

The number of new daily cases of COVID-19 increased by more than 1,300 Wednesday while the number of newly confirmed coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts rose by eight.

The new numbers pushed the states confirmed COVID-19 death toll to 17,751 since the start of the pandemic, while its confirmed caseload rose to more than 683,600.

There were more than 340 people reported hospitalized Wednesday because of confirmed cases of COVID-19, with more than 85 in intensive care units.

The average age of those who have died from COVID-19 was 73.

The true number of cases is likely higher because studies suggest some people can be infected and not feel sick.

More than 4.4 million people in Massachusetts have been fully immunized against COVID-19.

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Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
BUTTE, Mont. (AP)  U.S. Minerals, which operated a plant to turn mining waste into roofing materials in Anaconda, has reached a plea agreement in a federal case charging the company with exposing its employees to unsafe levels of arsenic, which can cause cancer.

The company, based in Tinley Park, Illinois, reached an agreement on Aug. 2 to plead guilty to negligent endangerment, a misdemeanor violation of the federal Clean Air Act, The Montana Standard reported Wednesday. The hearing is set for Aug. 23.

The guilty plea acknowledges the company negligently placed another person in the imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury.

The agreement calls for a $392,000 fine and for U.S. Minerals' other locations to be under increased oversight by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration during a five-year probationary period. The company would also have to monitor the health of former employees of the Anaconda plant during that time.

Employees who take advantage of the medical monitoring program would not give up the right to pursue civil litigation against U.S. Minerals, under the agreement.

From 2013 to when it closed in June 2021, because of what the company called significant logistical challenges, the Anaconda plant converted black slag produced from a century of copper smelting into roofing materials called Black Diamond Abrasive Products.

According to a 2016 report by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, five of six employees tested at the Anaconda plant in July 2015 had elevated levels of arsenic. At the time, respiratory protection was provided but not required, and there was no running water or handwashing stations at the plant

Montana's health department ordered the plant to cease operations in February 2019 after at least two workers had elevated arsenic levels in their urine in 2018. In order to reopen, the plant had to provide employees with showering and handwashing facilities, provide laundering of dirty work clothes, establish a medical surveillance program for arsenic and lead exposure and require respirators in some parts of the plant. The closure order was lifted later that spring.

Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic can lead to skin cancer and cancer in the bladder and lungs, according to the World Health Organization.

The company was earlier fined nearly $107,000 by OSHA for violations at the Anaconda plant in 2016.

U.S. Minerals Attorney Peter Lacny said he expects the case will be closed by the end of the year. He said he was not aware of any civil lawsuits pending against the company related to the Anaconda plant.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Mississippi will open a 50-bed field hospital and the federal government will send medical professionals to help treat patients as COVID-19 cases continue surging in a state with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S., officials said Wednesday.

Many Mississippi hospitals face a crunch for space and staffing.

The state health officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, expressed frustration Wednesday about people ignoring recommendations to get vaccinated and wear masks to slow the spread of the virus. Masks are required in some schools and optional in others, but some parents say mask mandates infringe on childrens freedom.

I kind of personally feel like I'm an air traffic controller, and every day I'm watching two airliners collide, Dobbs said during a news conference.

The state's temporary field hospital  on reserve for disasters  will be in a parking garage at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and it could be open by Friday.

Dr. LouAnn Woodward, the head of UMMC, said the facility should help with an influx of patients, including some transferred from smaller hospitals. She described the field hospital as a Band-Aid.

The big solution is, let's get this surge under control, and let's get the spread of this virus under control," Woodward said during a separate news conference. "And the way that we do that is by getting people vaccinated.

COVID-19 cases in Mississippi have risen sharply in recent weeks because of the highly contagious delta variant of the virus.

The state Health Department said 35% of Mississippi residents are fully vaccinated, compared to about 50% nationally. It also said that between July 13 and Tuesday in Mississippi, unvaccinated people made up 97% of those newly diagnosed with COVID-19, 90% of those hospitalized with it and 84% of those who died from it.

Mississippi has been approaching its record number of hospitalizations from the virus. Its highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations for a single day was 1,444 on Jan. 4, before vaccines against the virus were widely available. The Health Department reported Wednesday that 1,378 patients with COVID-19 were in Mississippi hospitals Tuesday, down from 1,410 the day before.

Jim Craig, senior deputy at the state Health Department, said that 10 intensive care beds were available Wednesday in the state. He said the state has asked the federal government if Navy ships might be available to provide medical help.

Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday that the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has requested help from other states to deal with the surge of virus cases. He also said the agency is starting to set contracts with private entities to get additional medical workers.

My number one goal from day one of this pandemic has always been to protect the integrity of our health care system, Republican Reeves wrote on Facebook. The current phase of the pandemic seems more and more like a pandemic of the unvaccinated'  as the Delta variant has had very few breakthrough cases amongst those who have gotten the shot  but the goal remains the same: ensure everyone that can get better with quality care receives that quality care!

More than 1,000 teachers and students in Mississippi schools tested positive for COVID-19 last week, the Health Department said Wednesday. But the case numbers could be much larger because schools from only 43 of the states 82 counties provided information, and private schools have not been reporting virus cases. About 442,600 students were enrolled in Mississippi public schools last year.

Some schools started classes in late July, but most have been starting this month. Reeves has said he does not intend to set another statewide mask mandate for schools, leaving decisions to local school boards.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba on Wednesday ordered all city employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they have a religious objection or a doctor's excuse; they must receive the first dose by Aug. 31.

The state Health Department on Wednesday reported 3,163 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Mississippi. Mississippi has about 3 million residents. The department has reported 371,712 cases of COVID-19 and 7,710 coronavirus-related deaths in the state since the pandemic started.

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Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea on Wednesday repeated a threat to respond to U.S.-South Korean military exercises it claims are an invasion rehearsal, while the United States insisted the drills were purely defensive in nature to maintain the Souths security.

In a statement released by state media on Wednesday, senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol condemned South Korea for continuing the allied drills and warned of unspecified counteractions that would make Seoul realize by the minute that it had walked into a security crisis.

A day earlier, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Koreas leader, said the drills were the most vivid expression of the U.S. hostile policy toward North Korea and said the North will work faster to strengthen its preemptive strike capabilities.

The allies have not confirmed when the drills will take place or other details, but local media have reported preliminary training was underway this week to set up larger computer-simulated drills on Aug. 16-26.

Talking to reporters in Washington, State Department spokesperson Ned Price stressed that the drills were purely defensive in nature.

As we have long maintained, the United States harbors no hostile intent toward the DPRK, Price said, using the initials of the countrys formal name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

We support inter-Korean dialogue, we support inter-Korean engagement and will continue to work with our (South Korean) partners toward that end.

The South Korean government in a statement called for North Korea to respond to its offers for dialogue and said raising military tensions on the Korean Peninsula wouldn't help anyone.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric reiterated that diplomacy is the only pathway to a sustainable peace" and called for a lowering of the rhetorical tensions that we are seeing."

North Korea has a history of dialing up pressure on the South when it doesnt get what it wants from the United States.

Analysts say the North has been trying to exploit South Koreas desperation for inter-Korean engagement, pressuring Seoul to drop the allied military drills and extract concessions from Washington on its behalf while the larger nuclear diplomacy remains stalemated.

North Korea ended a yearlong pause in ballistic tests in March by firing two short-range missiles into the sea, continuing a tradition of testing new U.S. administrations with weapons demonstrations.

But there havent been any known test launches since then as leader Kim Jong Un focused national efforts on fending off the coronavirus and salvaging a broken economy damaged further by pandemic border closures.

North Koreas threat that it may respond to the U.S.-South Korean drills with counteractions and advances of its preemptive strike capability may signal a resumption of its weapons testing activities.

The North also could carry out a previous threat to abandon a 2018 agreement with Seoul on reducing military tensions, retire a ruling party unit devoted to inter-Korean affairs or abolish an office that had handled South Korean tourism at a North Korean resort, said Kim Dong-yub, a professor from Seouls University of North Korean Studies.

The Diamond Mountain tours were a major symbol of engagement between the rivals and an important source of income for the cash-strapped North before Seoul suspended them in 2008 after a North Korean guard fatally shot a South Korean tourist.

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Seouls Ewha Womans University, said the North with its amped-up rhetoric may be trying to pressure South Korean presidential candidates to express differences with U.S. policy on sanctions and denuclearization ahead of the election in March next year.

Since Kim Yo Jongs statement was released on Tuesday, North Korea has not answered South Koreas calls over inter-Korean communication channels. The hotlines had been disconnected for a year before the North agreed to reopen them in late July in what the Koreas then described as a conciliatory gesture.

In Wednesdays comments, Kim Yong Chol, a senior ruling party official who handles affairs with the South, said South Korea blew its opportunity for better ties by opting for alliance with outsiders, not harmony with compatriots, escalation of tension, not detente, and confrontation, not improved relations.

We will make them realize by the minute what a dangerous choice they made and what a serious security crisis they will face because of their wrong choice, he said.

North Korea has long bristled at joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, which the allies insist are routine and defensive in nature. The North often responds to them with its own weapons tests.

The allies in the past few years have canceled or downsized some of their joint training to provide space for diplomacy or because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The United States keeps about 28,000 troops in South Korea to help deter potential aggression from North Korea, in a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korea has suspended its nuclear and long-range missile tests since 2018, when leader Kim Jong Un initiated diplomacy with South Korea and then-President Donald Trump while attempting to leverage his nuclear weapons for badly needed sanctions relief.

After the talks fell through in 2019 over disagreements in exchanging the release of sanctions and North Koreas denuclearization steps, the North ramped up tests of new short-range, solid-fuel weapons to improve its ability to deliver nuclear strikes and overwhelm missile defense systems in South Korea and Japan.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  New Mexico is on the cusp of finalizing prison takeovers that will reduce private prison operations to 25% of inmate beds, amid a plunge in prison population numbers statewide.

Corrections Secretary Alisha Tafoya Lucero briefed a panel of state lawmakers Wednesday on negotiations by her agency to take over day-to-day prison operations from CoreCivic at the 744-bed Northwest New Mexico Correctional Center in Grants, and from GEO Group at the 590-bed Guadalupe County Correctional Facility at Santa Rosa in southern New Mexico.

In November 2019, New Mexico took over a prison operations in Clayton at a facility previously run by GEO Group.

Once we complete the takeover of these next two institutions, we will have reduced New Mexico's private prison dependency to less than 25%, Tafoya Lucero said. Private operators oversaw nearly 50% of available prison beds in early 2019.

She said the state takeovers at Grants and Santa Rosa are scheduled for completion in November, and they will result in increased entry-level salaries for corrections officers of just over $20 an hour, up from as low as $15.50 at private facilities. Lease agreements will likely leave private operators in control of facility ownership and maintenance.

The administration of Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has rebuffed calls by state legislators for an immediate exit from the for-profit prison industry, aiming instead to negotiate a gradual withdrawal and avoid potentially costly disruptions.

Democratic state Sen. Linda Lopez of Albuquerque applauded the shift away from for-profit prison operations.

It's so encouraging to hear about the state, what I call, reclaiming our facilities," she said. This gives hope.

In January, President Joe Biden ordered the Department of Justice to wind down its reliance on privately run prisons, directing the attorney general not to renew contracts.

At the same time, New Mexico's prison population has undergone a precipitous decline in numbers since the outset of the coronavirus pandemic that leaves more than one-fourth of available beds empty, amid precautions against the spread of the virus at lockups and in the court system, state corrections officials said at the a wide ranging hearing on prison initiatives.

More than 550 prisoners have been released since April 2020 under an executive order from the governor to commute sentences for prisoners who are eligible for early release, with the exception of several serious crimes.

Tafoya Lucero said the state prison population has declined overall to 5,619, from 6,567 at the outset of the pandemic in March 2020. The population exceeded 7,300 as recently as 2017.

At Santa Rosa, half the prison building is closed for lack of inmates and staff.

The state has said it can do without at least one prison at Springer, as economic development officials explore alternative plans at the site to support local employment.

But Tafoya Lucero cautioned against further prison closures because the state could see a surge in new inmates as courts resume criminal proceedings that were delayed by the pandemic.

She highlighted the state's obligation to provide adequate prison cell space for each inmate under a legal settlement in early 2020.

What will happen when we do start to see additional prosecutions take place  does that mean that we have more people? Tafoya Lucero said. Ultimately it is very important that we made sure there is enough space for everybody who is incarcerated.
ALBANY  Counties around New York are struggling to determine the impact of coronavirus cases among vaccinated people, and say the state is not sharing data that would help them assess the effect of such so-called breakthrough cases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says data from Aug. 2 suggests hospitalization and death among the vaccinated happens less than 0.1 percent of the time - or about 7,500 people out of more than 166 million who have received the shot. But county leaders in New York say a lack of clear data on how many vaccinated people are being hospitalized and killed here limits how local counties are planning their response to surges in cases caused by the virus' highly contagious delta variant.

County leaders say the absence of data makes it more difficult to explain to the public the need to change the local approach for dealing with the virus and to make the case that reluctant people should get vaccinated.

"We need to back that up with the data that proves the point," said Marc Molinaro, the Dutchess County executive and president of the New York County Executives Association.

Last week, the association urged the state health department to add the number of fully vaccinated patients in hospitals to the data it collects and shares with local health departments. So far, no change has been made.

"This data is important to our understanding of the efficacy of the vaccine and will help to guide local decision-making related to COVID-19 prevention strategies," the letter said. "Moreover, should the data show very few breakthrough cases in hospitals, this information can be used by local leaders and health departments to encourage residents to get vaccinated."

The state health department did not immediately respond to the Times Union's questions about why such data isn't available.

Hospitals report hospitalization rates for vaccinated and unvaccinated patients to the state health department. It is up to the state to report that data to the CDC, according to the federal agency's website.

Most states are providing data on hospitalization rates and deaths among the vaccinated and unvaccinated. Molinaro said his county has tried to tabulate its own numbers and looked at trends from Massachusetts to try to understand the potential local impact.

Without data from the state, Albany County scrambled to compile its own information on the rate of infection among those who were vaccinated. Of the 260 new cases identified among residents between Aug. 2 and Aug. 6, 107, or 41 percent, occurred in people who had received their shots, according to data from County Executive Dan McCoy.

But the county does not have the data to tabulate the rates of hospitalizations and deaths among residents who have been vaccinated. Such a stat could be key in helping the public understand the value of vaccinations in minimizing the impact of coronavirus symptoms.

Molinaro said in his county it appears that 75 percent of new cases are still among the unvaccinated.

Schenectady County Manager Rory Fluman said it would be helpful to get the data from the state but he added it is easier for his county to track the data because only one facility, Ellis Hospital, handles hospitalizations for COVID-19. On Wednesday, four people were hospitalized with the virus: Two were vaccinated and two were unvaccinated.

The unvaccinated patients were both in the intensive care unit while the vaccinated patients were not. It's a trend Fluman says he's seen for some time.

The vaccinated, he said, "are less likely to go to the ICU" if they get the delta variant.

Warren County, which has been publishing detailed data since the start of the pandemic last year, has been keeping track itself of the severity of disease in the vaccinated. On Wednesday, Warren County said only six people out of 41,282 vaccinated residents have been hospitalized. Three of those vaccinated residents, who were elderly, died.

For much of the pandemic, the state health department set the guidelines for how local governments build their response to the pandemic. At the time, county officials from around New York complained the health department was heavy-handed. But in June, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the end of the state of emergency to deal with the pandemic. With it, came the end of the governor's emergency powers that gave the health department control of pandemic response.

County officials said the state has offered little guidance since. In another example, the state health department said recently it would not be offering pandemic guidance to schools. On Tuesday, state Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said her agency is in the process of developing a summary guidance document to school administrators based on CDC's guidelines and science from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"We've gone from New York making every decision to radio silence," Molinaro said.

Last month, the CDC urged vaccinated and unvaccinated people to return to wearing masks indoors, noting the surge in cases believed to be caused by the delta variant. It reversed CDC policy from May that said vaccinated people no longer had to wear masks indoors.

The New York Times on Tuesday released an analysis of hospitalizations rates and deaths in 40 states and Washington D.C. New York was missing from the list. The data shows a fraction of coronavirus deaths involved vaccinated people  a range of 0.2 percent in Georgia to 5.6 percent in Maine. All but two states  Michigan with 223 victims and Illinois with 151  recorded fewer than 100 deaths among the vaccinated.

Molinaro said he has spoken with incoming Gov. Kathy Hochul. She left him with the impression there would be greater cooperation between the health department and county governments, he said.
Missouri's death toll from the delta variant of COVID-19 is rising, especially in the hard-hit southwestern corner of the state.

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department announced Wednesday that 82 people have died from COVID-19 since July 1. The health department cited 67 deaths in July and 15 in the first nine days of August. CoxHealth CEO Steve Edwards said his hospitals are seeing four to six deaths each day and virtually all of them would have been prevented by vaccinations.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services COVID-19 dashboard shows the state is nearing a sad milestone  10,000 coronavirus deaths. As of Wednesday, 9,982 Missourians have died from the virus since the pandemic began.

State data also shows 3,282 newly confirmed cases on Wednesday, the biggest one-day count since January, and the seven-day average was 2,221. Meanwhile, 2,200 Missourians are hospitalized with the coronavirus. Statewide intensive care unit capacity is at 18%, but just 14% in the St. Louis region.

Gov. Mike Parson said at a news conference that the delta variant continues to pose a serious risk to unvaccinated Missourians.

He encouraged people to get their shots.

Now is the time to step up and take personal responsibility to protect yourself, your loved ones by getting vaccinated, Parson said.

Parson announced $30 million in new spending to fight the virus. He said $15 million will be used to set up five to eight sites to provide antibody infusions for up to 2,000 patients daily. He said one such site in Springfield is seeing tremendous success" in reducing serious illness.

Another $15 million is planned to contract additional staff to address shortages at hospitals.

There was some good news in Springfield. Health Director Katie Towns said vaccinations in the county rose 40% in July compared to June, and the seven-day average for cases on Wednesday was 125, down nearly one-third from a week ago.

Across the state, school boards and local governments continue to debate mask mandates.

The St. Louis County Council was the site of another raucous meeting Tuesday night. The council, by a voice vote, rejected implementing a mandate after hearing from a crowd that was overwhelmingly opposed to requiring masks. It was the second time the council voted down a mask requirement.

Democratic St. Louis County Executive Sam Page initiated a mask mandate last month, and believed it should stand despite the council's opposition. Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt sued to block the order. A judge on Aug. 3 issued a temporary order blocking the mask mandate, pending another hearing next Tuesday.

Schmitt also has sued to block a mask mandate in Kansas City. St. Louis city's mandate issued last month still stands.

Page, speaking at a news conference Wednesday, said that with the mandate up in the air, the county health department is urging students and school personnel to wear masks as classes resume in the coming weeks. He said masks are especially important since young children are not eligible to get vaccinated.

Please follow the advice of the CDC, wear a mask, protect yourself, and protect those who can't get vaccinated, Page said.

In the Kansas City area, the Raytown School District announced that students, teachers and staff will be required to wear face coverings or masks when the school year begins Aug. 23. The district said it is following the public health order issued by Jackson County.
PANAMA CITY (AP)  The governments of Panama and Colombia agreed Wednesday to impose a daily limit on the number of migrants passing through the thickly jungled and roadless Darien Gap on the two countries border.

The plan aims to limit crossings to 650 migrants per day in August and 500 in September. Migrants, mainly Cubans and Haitians, use jungle paths to travel from South America to Panama, in a bid to reach Mexico and then the U.S. border. Some people from Venezuela, Africa and Southern Asia also use the route.

So far this year, Panama estimates more than 50,000 migrants have come through the dangerous Darien route, about double the number in 2018. Officials say about 16% of them are children or youths.

The director of Panama's immigration service, Samira Gozaine, said the agreement will bring improvements.

This is very positive for us, because Panama has seen days in which we get as many as 1,500 or 2,000 migrants entering in one day," Gozaine. One week, we got as many as 10,000.

An estimated 15,000 migrants are currently en route through Colombia heading for Panama.

The agreement was reached during a teleconference between officials from Panama and Colombia, in which representatives of Mexico, the United States, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica and Peru also participated.

The two countries said they will also cooperate to prosecute criminal gangs that rob migrants and traffic drugs through the largely roadless area.

It remains to be seen how effective the agreement will be. The two countries efforts may lead some migrants to hike through even more difficult terrain.

At present, the most common migrant route runs from the Ecuadorian border through Colombia to the town of Necocli, where ferries carry people across the Gulf of Uraba to the even smaller border town of Capurgana, Colombia. From there, they head into the Darien Gap.

There has been a sharp rebound in the number of migrants from last year, when pandemic restrictions reduced mobility for locals and migrants alike.

Panama and Colombia have depicted the limits as an attempt to ensure the migrants' safety.

The goal is to set a number of migrants that can be received in a safe manner on the Panamanian side, Panama's foreign minister, Erika Mouynes, said last week during a visit to the area.

Her Colombian counterpart, Marta Lucia Ramirez de Rincon, who also made the visit, echoed that concern, and added that ideally they do not "want them to pass through Darien, where we know there are so many risks.

Recent rains have made the crossing even more dangerous.

It is a really worrisome situation, because if crossing the jungle during the dry season was dangerous, it is even more dangerous now, said Santiago Paz, who works in the area for the U.N. International Organization for Migration.
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  The Philadelphia District Attorney's office is asking that the city's police department be held in contempt of court for failing to turn over information related to officers' misconduct and disciplinary histories.

Attorneys in the office filed motions in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and in Municipal Court Wednesday, as part of six ongoing criminal cases. District Attorney Larry Krasner and Patricia Cummings, the supervisor of the office's Conviction Integrity Unit, said in a news conference Wednesday that the files are necessary to ensure the office upholds its Constitutional responsibility to disclose misconduct to defense attorneys and also to prevent wrongful convictions and make sure strong cases aren't compromised.

We are not receiving the information we should be receiving under the law, Krasner said. What we really want is for them to comply... in such a way that we are able to live up to our Constitutional obligations.

Prosecutors identified 16 cases involving a Philadelphia police officer who had sustained charges of falsifying documents. But that disciplinary information had not been disclosed to the District Attorney's office, so prosecutors could not disclose it to the defense attorneys or court.

A spokesman said department officials hadnt reviewed the motions and could not comment Wednesday afternoon. Krasner said he spoke to Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw on Tuesday to inform her of the planned legal motions, and he was hopeful that they could reach a resolution.

The police misconduct database kept by the Conviction Integrity Unit includes information on officers who have histories of allegations involving lying, racial bias or excessive use of force. The list includes some officers who the office seeks to prevent from taking the witness stand and other officers' whose histories of discipline or documented behaviors must be disclosed to defense attorneys.

Krasner said the lack of full disclosure from the department has been ongoing during his more than three-year tenure. His office had opened discussions with the department to try to find a better way of obtaining the information, but he said those discussions fell apart prior to Outlaw taking over in early 2020.

Cummings explained the office and its attorneys would request information on officers from the police department and receive either notices that responsive files didn't exist, or receive only small portions of files like a conclusion of an investigation that had also been heavily redacted.

Sometimes we would know there was a responsive document because they had told us there was in response to previous requests, Cummings said.

The (police department) has been unilaterally making decisions about what we were entitled to have... and in what form we could have it, she added, noting the department is not legally qualified to determine what must be turned over to defense attorneys or what might pose an issue in a case.

The office started issuing subpoenas to get the information. Cummings said at one point they had filed thousands of subpoenas and after not receiving a response for two weeks, the department then turned over the same limited and redacted materials it had been providing prior to the court orders.

The police department also adopted disciplinary policies that erase most disciplinary findings after five years, or two years depending on the specific violation or allegation. Cummings said the office has wrestled with making the department understand that regardless of their internal policies, the district attorney has a Constitutional responsibility to turn over any issues an officer has had for the duration of their career.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  The owner of a shuttered pharmaceutical plant that recently idled hundreds of workers said Wednesday it has entered into talks to potentially transfer the complex to West Virginia University for possible other business uses.

Viatris Inc. said that the drugmaker and WVU are in negotiations for the facility in Morgantown.

Viatris announced in December that it would lay off the workers at the end of July. Labor and advocacy groups made a last-ditch attempt to keep it open.

The plant was formerly operated by the generic drug company Mylan, which merged with Upjohn last year to form the new company. Viatris, which announced it would slash 20% of its workforce worldwide, is now one of the worlds leading makers of generic drugs.

The plant closing left workers scrambling to find new jobs in a state that is often trying to lure new companies to uplift a stagnant economy once dominated by the coal industry.

Viatris said in a statement that it had not received a viable proposal from within the pharmaceutical industry to keep the plant open. Viatris maintains research and development operations in Morgantown.

Executive Chairman Robert J. Coury said that given the site's location, possible uses and job potential, we determined that pursuing formal discussions at this time with WVU and its affiliates is the absolute right next step to consider.

Gov. Jim Justice said that if the negotiations pan out, WVU would work with the state Department of Economic Development to find potential companies to use the facility.

"WVU's goal is to grow jobs in northcentral West Virginia. This is a great announcement, Justice said at a news conference.

The Republican governor said he wants to see the plant's 1,500 former workers find employment, too.

These people were so good at their jobs," he said. "To let them die on the vine is just the wrong thing to do."
MASON CITY, Iowa (AP)  Two Iowa men accused of using bad checks to buy more than $800 in lottery tickets saw a total profit of $134 after winning on some of the tickets, Cerro Gordo County authorities said.

Now, the pair face a dozen felony charges between them and must come up with thousands of dollars in bail money to be released from jail.
WATERBORO, Maine (AP)  Police in Maine arrested a Waterboro man on Wednesday on charges stemming from a July crash that killed two people.

The Waterboro crash killed Mark Schepis, 45, of Waterboro, and Luke Stephenson, 12, of Waterboro. Police charged Charles Stoddard, 64, with two counts of manslaughter stemming from the crash.
LODI, N.J. (AP)  Two New Jersey congressmen fired the latest volley Wednesday in the brewing battle over New York City's plan to charge a fee to enter the city's center, announcing legislation that seeks to cut off some federal grants to the city if New Jersey motorists wind up on the hook.

The legislation announced by Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer addresses New York's plan to become the first city in the U.S. to implement what is known as congestion pricing, an additional toll aimed at reducing gridlock in midtown Manhattan and funding improvements to the city's bus and subway systems.

Gottheimer and others have characterized the plan as a brazen attempt to squeeze more fees out of New Jersey motorists who already pay up to $16 to enter the city through the Holland and Lincoln tunnels and the George Washington Bridge.

That money goes to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, whose properties include Newark Liberty International Airport, the New Jersey ports and the PATH train system serving northern New Jersey. The authority's board is made up of members from both states, and both states' governors have ultimate say in approving projects.

Revenues from congestion pricing, which would apply to vehicles entering the heart of Manhattan, would benefit the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates buses and subways, regional lines and bridges and tunnels. The plan is currently under environmental review that could last into next year, and full implementation likely won't happen until 2023.

Every nickel will go to New York to their mass transit, to help fix their subways, Gottheimer said Wednesday. "Not a cent will go back to PATH or New Jersey Transit to actually help our state in any way. I would encourage New York to work cooperatively as we have, forever, with the Port Authority and do things in a cooperative manner.

Like other U.S. public transit agencies, the MTA suffered steep losses in ridership and revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has received billions in aid from the federal government in the last year.

Congestion pricing was approved by the state legislature before the pandemic and is seen as necessary for the MTA's future capital projects but not required for operating expenses.

The legislation proposed by Gottheimer and southern New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Republican, would prohibit the federal Department of Transportation from giving certain transit-related grants to MTA projects in New York until New Jersey drivers receive exemptions from the congestion fee. It also would create a federal tax credit for New Jersey motorists to defray their costs if the plan is put into place.

Ken Lovett, senior adviser to the MTA chairman and CEO, said Wednesday that in addition to performing extensive preliminary design work and testing different equipment and technology, the MTA is planning a series of public outreach meetings in the nearly 30 counties in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey that would be affected by the plan.

Threat of legislation that is not likely to go anywhere does nothing to move the process along, Lovett said in response to Gottheimer's announcement. "Rather than playing political games, we ask that everyone allow that transparent process to play out.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin pushed for a tax break in 2017 resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in deductions to megadonors who funded his campaigns, a report Wednesday from the nonprofit investigative journalism organization ProPublica found.

Johnson switched from an opponent of the massive Trump tax cut bill to a supporter after getting the more generous tax cuts that resulted in more than $79 million in tax savings for two of his largest donors in 2018 alone.

Democratic Senate candidates running to take on Johnson next year seized on the report, calling him beholden to special interests and corrupt. Johnson, in a statement Wednesday, defended his moves as having nothing to do with any donor or discussions with them.

As someone who spent 31 years building a successful manufacturing company in Wisconsin, I have long said that our tax system needs to be simplified and rationalized," Johnson said in the statement.

Johnson pressured then-President Donald Trump to sweeten the tax break for companies known as pass-throughs. In those companies, owners pay individual, not corporate, taxes on their profits. Johnson pushed for the bill to increase deductions from 17.4% to 23%; the final figure was 20%, ProPublica reported.

The ProPublica report cited emails and official calendars showing that Johnson also pressured top Treasury Department officials on the issue.

Even though the Trump administration championed the pass-through provision as tax relief for small businesses, confidential tax records obtained by ProPublica showed that it greatly benefited two families, both worth billions, who are among Johnson's biggest donors.

Dick and Liz Uihlein of packaging giant Uline, along with Diane Hendricks, founder of roofing company ABC Supply, together benefitted from $215 million in tax deductions in 2018 thanks to the changes Johnson pushed for, the ProPublica report said. Those deductions resulted in more than $79 million in tax savings for the two families in 2018 alone, the report said.

The Uihleins and Hendricks contributed more than $20 million to groups supporting Johnson's 2016 reelection campaign. Johnson has not said yet whether he will seek a third term in 2022.

Messages left with Uline and ABC Supply seeking comment from the Uihleins and Hendricks were not immediately returned Wednesday. Neither commented to ProPublica for its story.

Johnson said his support for pass-through companies, which he said represents more than 90% of businesses, was motivated by his desire to make them competitive with other C-corporations.

Democrats looking to unseat Johnson seized on the report.

We always knew that Ron Johnson had sold his vote on the Trump tax scam, now we know that he did it specifically for his two biggest campaign funders," said Alex Lasry, who is on leave from his job as an executive for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, another Democratic Senate candidate, called Johnson's move disgraceful. Sarah Goldewski, the state treasurer and a Senate candidate, called it the definition of corruption. Tom Nelson, the Outagamie County executive and Senate candidate, called Johnson a corrupt errand boy for the most dangerous people in our country.
MADRID (AP)  Spain has recalled its ambassador to Nicaragua, Maria del Mar Fernandez-Palacio, following incendiary remarks made Tuesday by the Nicaraguan foreign ministry accusing the former colonial power of unacceptable interference and historic crimes.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares made the decision after serious and unfounded accusations were made against Spain and its institutions, his ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, as well as gross falsehoods about judicial and electoral processes.

This refers to a statement Daniel Ortega's government sent to the Spanish on Tuesday denouncing cynical and continual meddling, interference and intervention in our internal affairs, inappropriate of democratic governments. It added that Spanish governments and institutions had overseen cover-ups, lies, crimes, hate crimes and crimes against humanity, and continually failed to comply with the rights of the peoples to autonomy or autonomous processes for independence," in an apparent reference to the country's handling of the Catalan independence movement.

The Spanish government said it rejected the Nicaraguan government's characterization of its politics and hit back to say Nicaragua is facing a profound political, economic and social crisis, that was worsening as a consequence of the increased repression by the government of President Daniel Ortega."

Nicaragua is scheduled to hold national elections on Nov. 7 in which Ortega is seeking a fourth consecutive term. He placed an opposition candidate for vice president under house arrest last week, then released her pending the outcome of the investigation. Spain has said the elections will not be free and fair.

Last week, the EU slapped sanctions on Vice President and first lady Rosario Murillo and seven other senior officials accused of serious human rights violations or undermining democracy. The sanctions include asset freezes and bans on travel in Europe.

Also last week, the United States slapped visa restrictions on 50 immediate family members of Nicaraguan officials who it said have been involved in or benefited from Ortegas growing repression. The U.S. State Department said Friday the officials include lawmakers, prosecutors and judges.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  Sri Lanka has filed 23,270 charges against 25 people in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks on churches and hotels that killed 269 people, the presidents office said Wednesday.

The charges filed Tuesday under the countrys anti-terror law include conspiring to murder, aiding and abetting, collecting arms and ammunition, and attempted murder, it said.

The attorney general also asked the chief justice to appoint a special three-member high court bench to hear the cases speedily, it said in a statement.

Two local Muslim groups that had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group were blamed for the six near-simultaneous suicide bomb attacks on April 21, 2019. The blasts targeted three churches and three hotels.

Another suicide bomber who had entered a fourth hotel left without setting off his bomb, but later committed suicide by detonating his explosives at a different location.

Friction and a communication breakdown between then-President Maithripala Sirisena and then-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe were blamed for the government's failure to act on near-specific foreign intelligence warnings ahead of the attacks. That led to the election of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa later in 2019 on a platform of national security.

Rajapaksa was a former army officer and a defense official who had played a decisive role in defeating Tamil Tiger rebels and ending a 26-year civil war.

The head of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, has repeatedly charged that the investigation into the blasts was not being conducted properly. He said he believes the real conspirators are still at large and has accused authorities of trying to shield the masterminds.

Ranjith wrote a strong letter to Rajapaksa last month stating there are allegations that some members of the state intelligence services knew and met with the attacker who initially did not explode his bomb and asked the authorities to investigate. Citing speeches in Parliament by lawmakers, Ranjith said intelligence personnel also allegedly had a suspect released from police custody.

The president's office said presidential legal affairs director Harigupta Rohanadeera had sent a detailed reply to Ranjith, but did not release the letter.
HOUSTON (AP)  The third wave of COVID-19 in Texas continues to tax the states health care systems as 10,000 COVID-19 sufferers have been hospitalized for the first time since early February, state health officials reported.

Meantime, local governments and courts continue to chip away at Gov. Greg Abbott's ban on mask and social distancing mandates as a state district judge in San Antonio granted a temporary restraining order to allow San Antonio and Bexar County to require public school students to mask up and quarantine unvaccinated students exposed to COVID-19.

There were 10,041 Texas hospital patients with COVID-19 as of Monday, the most recent state tally available from the Texas Department of State Health Services, the most since 10,259 COVID-19 hospitalizations were reported on Feb. 4.

Fueled by the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19, the coronavirus cases have filled all the intensive-care beds in hospitals in the Big Thicket, Laredo and Coastal Bend regions. All but one or two of the intensive-care unit beds in hospitals in Austin and Victoria areas, and the West Texas Rolling Plains. Severe COVID-19 cases took all but three ICU beds in the Wichita Falls-Vernon and Waco areas.

Almost 35% of the Houston area's Memorial Hermann Health System's ICU capacity was occupied by severely ill COVID patients, while COVID patients occupied 25% of all beds across its system, said Memorial Hermann CEO David Callender.

While the hospital system saw COVID patient surges last summer and this past winter in mid-January, whats a little bit scary about this one is that the rate of acceleration of new cases, the rate of acceleration of hospitalizations is as high as weve ever seen it ... Were not sure exactly how this current surge will peak, when it will peak, what the duration will be, Callender said.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that the Texas Department of State Health Services would be utilizing staffing agencies to import medical personnel from out-of-state to supplement the COVID-19 operations of Texas health care facilities. However, Callender said he was unsure how much that will help as so many other areas of the country also are seeing their health care personnel overtaxed and temporary staffing agencies squeezed by the COVID-19 surge.

All the hospitals are considering what they need and putting in requests, and were keeping our fingers crossed, Callender said.

A rolling seven-day average of new Texas COVID-19 cases averaged 14,143 daily, also the most since early February, according to Johns Hopkins University research data. The 84 new fatalities reported Tuesday were the most since 93 were reported on March 11, state health officials said.

In San Antonio, state District Judge Antonia Arteaga ordered that the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District be allowed to impose the mask and quarantine measures. Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said Abbott, a Republican, exceeded his authority when issuing the mandate ban.

We believe that he has unconstitutionally stepped beyond his power as governor, Wolff, a Democrat, told county commissioners Tuesday. That power, he asserted, rests with the Legislature.

Nevertheless, the Northside Independent School District, the largest in Bexar County's patchwork of school districts, continued to abide by the Abbott ban, said district spokesman Barry Perez.

The Dallas Independent School District, the state's second-largest, implemented a mask mandate Tuesday. The Houston Independent School District, the state's largest, has asked its board to approve one Thursday.



Wallace reported from Dallas.
BANGKOK (AP)  Police in Thailand clashed with anti-government protesters for a second straight day on Wednesday, firing tear gas and rubber bullets and chasing down fleeing demonstrators in Bangkok, the capital.

Protesters initially confined themselves mostly to throwing paint at the police but after organizers called off the rally, a group gathered in the nearby Din Daeng area, firing slingshots and hurling firecrackers and small explosive devices called ping-pong bombs. They also set fire to a vehicle that burned fiercely beneath a nearby elevated roadway.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Tropical Storm Linda rapidly gained force in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Wednesday and forecasters said it was likely to soon grow to hurricane strength.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph) and it was centered about 375 miles (600 kilometers) west-southwest of the Mexican port of Manzanillo. It was headed to the west, away from the coast, at 12 mph (19 kph).
CAIRO (AP)  The U.S. ambassador to Libya met Wednesday with a Libyan military commander amid international efforts to salvage a U.N.-brokered roadmap to elections in the North African country later this year.

Richard Norland met with Khalifa Hifter, commander of the self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces, in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. The meeting was part of U.S. efforts to support Libyan parliamentary and presidential elections in December, the U.S. Embassy said.

Norland continues to focus on the urgency of supporting the difficult compromises necessary to establish the constitutional basis and legal framework needed now in order for the elections to take place on Dec. 24, the embassy wrote on Twitter.

The United States supports the right of the Libyan people to select their leaders through an open democratic process and calls on key figures to use their influence at this critical stage to do what is best for all Libyans, it said.

The meeting came amid growing tensions between Hifter and the transitional government. Hifter announced earlier this week the promotions of military officers without consulting or getting approval from the ruling Presidential Council. The council's head serves as the supreme commander of Libya's fragmented military.

Your military will not be subjected to any authority except one elected by the people, Hifter told his troops Monday in a ceremony celebrating the foundation of the Libyan military.

Libya has been wracked by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. In the years that followed the uprising, the oil-rich country split between a U.N.-supported government in the capital, Tripoli, and rival authorities based in the countrys east, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments.

Hifter, an Egypt ally, was aligned with the former east-based government.

In April 2019, Hifter and his forces, backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia launched an offensive to try and capture Tripoli from armed groups loosely allied with a U.N.-supported but weak government there.

His 14-month-long campaign, however, collapsed after Turkey stepped up its military support of the Tripoli-based government with hundreds of troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries. That led to the October cease-fire and roadmap to elections adopted in Tunis a month later, which included a transitional government.

Last month, the U.N. special envoy for Libya, Jan Kubis, accused spoilers of trying to obstruct the holding of crucial elections in December to unify the divided nation. He told the U.N. Security Council that many key players in Libya reiterated their commitment to the elections, but I am afraid many of them are not ready to walk the talk.

The Security Council has warned that any individual or group undermining the electoral process could face U.N. sanctions.

The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, a 75-member body from all walks of life, has so far failed to agree on a legal framework to hold elections. The forum met online Wednesday to consider four proposals for the constitutional basis for elections, according to the U.N. support mission in Libya.

The forum's "lack of ability to reach an agreement (on the constitutional basis) risks resulting in depriving once again the Libyan people of their right to democratically elect their representatives and restore the long-lost legitimacy of Libyan institutions, Kubis told the forum.

Another major hurdle is the presence of thousands of foreign forces and mercenaries, and the failure to pull them out as required under last Octobers cease-fire agreement that ended the fighting in the oil-rich country.

The U.N. mission, meanwhile voiced concern late Tuesday about the abduction and disappearance of a government official in Tripoli earlier this month.

Rida Faraj Fraitis, chief of staff for the first deputy of the prime minister, and a colleague were abducted by armed men after Fraitis visit to government offices in the capital Aug. 2, the mission said. Their fate was unknown.

The U.N. mission said it was concerned about the further targeting of people supporting the democratic transition. Such targeting has serious implications for the peace and reconciliation process and for the full unification of national institutions," the mission said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Afghan government forces are collapsing even faster than U.S. military leaders thought possible just a few months ago when President Joe Biden ordered a full withdrawal. But there's little appetite at the White House, the Pentagon or among the American public for trying to stop the rout and it probably is too late to do so.

Biden has made clear he has no intention of reversing the decision he made last spring, even as the outcome seems to point toward a Taliban takeover. With most U.S. troops now gone and the Taliban accelerating their battlefield gains, American military leaders are not pressing him to change his mind. They know that the only significant option would be for the president to restart the war he already decided to end.

The Taliban, who ruled the country from 1996 until U.S. forces invaded after the 9/11 attacks, captured three more provincial capitals Wednesday and another two on Thursday, the 10th and 11th the insurgents have taken in a weeklong sweep that has given them effective control of about two-thirds of the country. The insurgents have no air force and are outnumbered by U.S.-trained Afghan defense forces, but they have captured territory, including the country's third-largest city, Herat, with stunning speed.

In a new warning to Americans in Afghanistan, the second it has issued since Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Thursday again urged U.S. citizens to leave immediately. The advisory was released amid increasing discussions in Washington about further reducing already limited staff at the embassy.

John Kirby, the chief Pentagon spokesman, said the Afghans still have time to save themselves from final defeat.

No potential outcome has to be inevitable, including the fall of Kabul, Kirby told reporters. It doesn't have to be that way. It really depends on what kind of political and military leadership the Afghans can muster to turn this around.

Biden made a similar point a day earlier, telling reporters that U.S. troops had done all they could over the past 20 years to assist the Afghans.

Theyve got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation, he said.

The United States continues to support the Afghan military with limited airstrikes, but those have not made a strategic difference thus far and are scheduled to end when the U.S. formally ends its role in the war on Aug. 31. Biden could continue airstrikes beyond that date, but given his firm stance on ending the war, that seems unlikely.

My suspicion, my strong suspicion, is that the 31st of August timelines going to hold, said Carter Malkasian, who advised U.S. military leaders in Afghanistan and Washington.

Senior U.S. military officials had cautioned Biden that a full U.S. withdrawal could lead to a Taliban takeover, but the president decided in April that continuing the war was a waste. He said Tuesday that his decision holds, even amid talk that the Taliban could soon be within reach of Kabul, threatening the security of U.S. and other foreign diplomats.

The most recent American military assessment, taking into account the Taliban's latest gains, says Kabul could be under insurgent pressure by September and that the country could fall entirely to Taliban control within a couple of months, according to a defense official who discussed the internal analysis Wednesday on condition of anonymity.

Officials said there has been no decision or order for an evacuation of American diplomatic personnel from Afghanistan. But one official said it is now time for serious conversations about whether the U.S. military should begin to move assets into the region to be ready in case the State Department calls for a sudden evacuation.

Kirby declined to discuss any evacuation planning, but one congressional official said a recent National Security Council meeting had discussed preliminary planning for a potential evacuation of the U.S. Embassy but came to no conclusions.

Any such plan would involve identifying U.S. troops, aircraft and other assets that may have to operate from within Afghanistan or nearby areas. The U.S. already has warships in the region, including the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and the USS Iwo Jima amphibious ready group with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard.

Military officials watching the deteriorating situation said that so far the Taliban haven't taken steps to threaten Kabul. But it isnt clear if the Taliban will wait until they have gained control of the bulk of the country before attempting to seize the capital.

Military commanders have long warned that it would be a significant challenge for the Afghan military to hold off the Taliban through the end of the year. In early May, shortly after Biden announced his withdrawal decision, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he foresaw some really dramatic, bad possible outcomes in a worst-case scenario. He held out hope that the government would unify and hold off the Taliban, and said the outcome could clarify by the end of the summer.

The security of the U.S. diplomatic corps has been talked about for months, even before the Taliban's battlefield blitz. The military has long had various planning options for evacuating personnel from Afghanistan. Those options would largely be determined by the White House and the State Department.

A key component of the options would be whether the U.S. military would have unfettered access to the Kabul international airport, allowing personnel to be flown systematically out of the capital. In a grimmer environment, American forces might have to fight their way in and out if the Taliban have infiltrated the city.

The U.S. also would have to determine who would be evacuated: just American embassy personnel and the U.S. military, or also other embassies, American citizens, and Afghans who worked with the U.S. In that last category are former interpreters and those who face retaliation from the Taliban. The U.S. has already started pulling out hundreds of those Afghans who assisted troops during the war.

Senior defense leaders have been talking and meeting daily, laying out their grim assessments of the security situation in Afghanistan. Officials pointed to the fall of Baghlan Province as a worrisome bellwether, because it provides the Taliban with a base and route to Kabul from the north.



Associated Press writer Ellen Knickmeyer and AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
CHESTERFIELD, Va. (AP)  A central Virginia house fire this week that left two children dead and two others in critical condition is still under investigation, emergency officials said Wednesday.

Cody Slayton, 8, and Liam Slayton, 4, died in early Mondays fire in Chesterfield County, a Chesterfield Fire and EMS spokesmans news release said.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP)  A local Waterloo barber is providing free haircuts to students who will be returning to school this fall.

Barber Kenny Weekley will spend Thursday afternoon at The Salvation Army on Franklin Street cutting kids hair for free, the Courier reported. The free haircuts are by appointment only.
By Jana Kadah

Bay City News Foundation

It's been two months since Santa Clara County's water district declared a water shortage emergency, and so far, preliminary data reveals that residents are heeding the warnings, Santa Clara Valley Water District experts said.

Valley Water declared a drought emergency on June 9 and has only made data from January 2021 until the end June available. But the three weeks of data since the drought declaration show a downward trend, Senior Water Resource Specialist Neeta Bijoor said.

The June 9 announcement mandated that local water retailers cut water use by 15 percent compared to 2019 water usage.

In May 2021 Valley Water customers used 9 percent more water than they did in 2019.

However, by the end of June of this year, residents used the same amount of water they did in June 2019.

"We know it takes time to reduce water use," Bijoor said. "However, we are pleased to report that much progress has already been made and we are seeing total water use trend down."

Bijoor predicted by next month, Valley Water will have a better understanding of whether the mandatory 15 percent reduction will be met because the county and 10 out of the 15 cities passed similar water shortage emergency decelerations mandating similar cuts.

To meet the 15 percent reduction, the 10 cities and the county regulate irrigation, limiting it to two days a week during specific hours.

And unlike the water district, cities and counties can have enforcement power to ensure residents comply with irrigation schedules and water reductions.

"Here it's not uncommon to be watering your lawn five, six, seven times a week," Valley Water Spokesperson Matt Keller said. "And so, if you cut that, even if you cut it in half, that's the greatest place you can save."

He said even if residents cut irrigation by 50 percent, without cutting showers or using other water saving devices, the county could easily reach its goal to cut total water usage by 15 percent.

That is because outdoor water use in Santa Clara County is about half of the county's total water, Keller said.

The only cities that have not declared a water shortage emergency and mandated subsequent water use cuts are San Jose, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Monte Serrano and Los Altos Hills.

However, Keller said apart from Palo Alto and Mountain View, those cities are preparing similar water shortage decelerations that will be implemented soon.

"Palo Alto and Mountain View are two of the ones that have not because they don't get their water from us and (San Francisco Water) is not asking for conservation like Valley Water," Keller said.

Other data that indicates residents are listening to calls to conserve include high interest in Valley Water's myriad of water conservation programs and incentives.

The landscape rebate program received 600 applications in July which tripled since June and is 12 times more since January, Bijoor said.

The online shopping cart that provides free water saving devices had 800 orders in July.

Even water waste complaints from residents increased in July to 200 reports, which is eight times higher than it was in July 2020.

However, water district board members and staff warned that if water usage does not continue to decrease, the agency will have to take more drastic measures to make sure it meets its goal of 15 percent cuts.

"We've got to keep our eyes completely on what it's going to look like next year," said Aaron Baker, Chief Operating Officer for Water Utility. "The amount of water that it's going to take for us to get out of the drought, the amount of water that they're going to need to refill Shasta the amount that's going to be needed for Oroville...is a lot."

Baker continued that if goals aren't met, and rain fall in winter is not as high as they hope, "we must take additional actions."

At the Tuesday board meeting, Baker supported the board's call to direct staff to look at ways Valley Water can start enforcing the mandated 15 percent cuts.

That could look like fines or additional penalties to retailers like San Jose Water Company or City of Santa Clara, who dole out water to their customers, if they do not meet the goal.

However, so far, both San Jose Water Co and the City of Santa Clara, in addition to Sunnyvale and Stanford water retailers, have cut water usage down compared to 2019 water usage.

The water retailers furthest away from meeting the 15 percent reduction goal based on January to June 2021 data are Gilroy, which provides water to the city of Gilroy and Purissima Hills Water District, which serves two-thirds of Los Altos Hills and an unincorporated area to the south.

Keller conceded that it will take a couple of months to see the impacts of the landscape rebate programs or even the free water conservation devices but emphasized that the actions taken now will help prevent more serious environmental consequences.

Environmental consequences could mean empty reservoirs or subsidence which is when the ground sinks because of a lack of ground water. Worst case of subsidence could case underground infrastructure damage as well as damage to roads, buildings and bridges.

"We know it's going to take a little bit of time (for data to reflect trends in water use) but there's just not a whole lot of patience right now, I think, because this (drought) is so severe," Keller said. "Here we are two years into a drought and we're taking actions we didn't take in the middle of the most severe drought last time."

The next drought data update will be in a month and will include water usage from July.

It is unclear when staff will come back with the enforcement report, but Keller said it should be relatively soon since staff reports tend to come back in a few weeks.

Copyright  2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

Copyright  2021 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
Over 100 firefighters and 45 engines quickly contained a 50-acre vegetation fire without structural damage near Llano Road and Todd Road on Tuesday evening.

Fire officials responded to a fire burning between Sonoma County and Santa Rosa at around 5:30 p.m. and fully contained the fire at 6:39 p.m. Hose lines, built containment lines and engines surrounded the fire for several hours to extinguish hot spots.

Engines came from multiple departments and included water tenders, wildland engines and structure engines, according to the City of Santa Rosa Fire Department's Facebook page. The response was conducted by almost a dozen head officials and officers.

Two months after Santa Clara County's water district declared a water shortage emergency, preliminary data reveals that residents are heeding the warnings, Santa Clara Valley Water District experts said.

Valley Water declared a drought emergency on June 9 and has only made data from January 2021 until the end June available. But the three weeks of data since the drought declaration show a downward trend, Senior Water Resource Specialist Neeta Bijoor said.

The June 9 announcement mandated that local water retailers cut water use by 15 percent compared to 2019 water usage.

Fremont police have asked the public for help finding a 32-year-old woman who went missing six months ago.

Jeanine Alexis Williams was reported missing on Feb. 10 after she stopped contacting her social worker. Based on the circumstances at the time, she was listed as a voluntary missing person, police said in a news release issued Tuesday.

After exhausting all leads, police said they obtained permission from Williams's family to share her information with the public to help find her.

Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong on Tuesday in an interview stopped short of rating himself as chief six months into the job, but he gave his officers a 10 on a scale of one to 10.

Amid anti-police sentiment and a lack of staffing, he said, his officers come in and are committed to doing a good job even in a pandemic.

Armstrong said he thinks the department has made a lot of progress and that it has a lot more work to do.

"I believe that we've made some changes that I think are really good for the city, good for the department and reflects positively on this progressive city and department."

As a high-pressure system continues to expand across the western United States, monsoon moisture is expected to hit the Bay Area in a second pulse from Wednesday afternoon to early Thursday, with low chances of thunderstorms, said the National Weather Service.

The weather service previously predicted a monsoon surge to bring chances of thunderstorms from mid-Tuesday to Wednesday morning, though models show the changes in wind speeds are too disorganized to impact conditions.

This weekend will have dry and warm conditions from the high-pressure system, the weather service confidently predicts. This may mean above-average temperatures and potential Heat Advisories in higher terrain areas, along with increased fire risks.

A dead body was found in a ditch Tuesday morning in unincorporated farmland near Dixon, according to the Solano County Sheriff's Office.

A resident flagged down a Solano County deputy at 11:15 a.m. after they saw a man in a ditch on Dixon Avenue West near Nunes Road. Upon investigation, the deputy identified the person as deceased.

Police closed off Dixon Avenue West between Schroder Road and Nunes Road for about seven hours to investigate the scene, according to the county sheriff's office Facebook page.

A 24-year-old Stockton man has been arrested and charged for allegedly breaking into a home in San Jose last week and sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl, police and prosecutors said Tuesday.

Dupree Kenneth Hornsby is charged with rape of a child and other felonies for the attack reported at 7:36 a.m. Friday in the 100 block of Damsen Drive.

According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, the girl was playing in her home when Hornsby allegedly entered, locked her in a room and sexually assaulted her. When he eventually let her go, she ran to a family member and Hornsby fled.

The National Weather Service forecast for the San Francisco Bay Area is for mostly sunny skies Wednesday with strong afternoon winds. High temperatures are expected in the 60s along the coast, in the 70s and 80s around the bay, and reaching the mid to upper 90s in the inland valleys and mountains. Overnight lows will be in the 50s.

An increase in elevated moisture will result in high clouds from late Wednesday into Thursday, yet confidence is low for any thunderstorms to develop. A warming trend is then anticipated for the upcoming weekend.

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The new Hulu documentary Homeroom starts with a group of Oakland teenagers recording a video for social media, but theyre not just looking for likes.

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We got a message. I know it aint no hot girl, hot boy summer anymore, but were looking out for scholar boys and scholar girls who are hella educated, who are ready to represent us from every high school and are ready to show us what theyre about, said Denilson Garibo, co-director of Oaklands All City Council Student Union Governing Board.

Because after what happened last year, with the strikes and school closures, we need yall out there, adds Mica Smith-Dahl, the second director of the group, which represents 36,000 students.

Liao was referencing the seven-day Oakland teachers strike in late 2019 over salary negotiations and decisions to shutter two dozen schools. It made national headlines, but would pale in comparison to the challenges of 2020.

Courtesy of Hulu

Homeroom follows a group of Oakland High students through an unprecedented year as they navigate remote learning, the social uprising surrounding the murder of George Floyd and controversy regarding police presence in schools. The film is the third in a trilogy by director Peter Nicks, whose previous documentaries include The Waiting Room and The Force, which examine nearby Highland Hospital and the Oakland Police Department. Nicks, an Oakland resident since 1997, wanted to shine a light not only on local issues, but also show their broader national resonance.

Whether it's access to health care or criminal justice reform or education reform, these are all major national issues that we're grappling with and trying to find answers. They really speak to defining the values of our country and our democracy, said Nicks in a phone interview with SFGATE.

Edited down from 250 hours of footage, the 90-minute film actually focuses less on the pandemic and remote learning than one might expect, but rather points its lens on the efforts of the student body to eliminate the $6 million budget for the Oakland School Police Department. The movement was a culmination of a summer of protest, with students taking more active roles in their communities.

The people who made revolutionary change in societies tend to be young people, but college-aged or in their thirties. Whats happened is this really profound shift in the relationship between [teenagers] and adults, says Nicks, who thinks that most older people dont realize the level of agency that the internet and social media gives teenagers in terms of self-education and organization. These technological tools have also fundamentally changed how documentary filmmakers interact with their subjects, making them more comfortable on camera and unlocking a wealth of supplementary self-shot footage, which Nicks weaves into Homeroom.

Gen Z has grown up filming themselves, its part of the grammar of their coming and going, says Nicks. They represent their own realities through TikTok videos or Instagram feeds. Theyre literally called stories, theyre telling their stories on their own terms.

Courtesy of Hulu

Teenage enthusiasm reverberates throughout the film, with much of that energy channeled into politics. The film culminates in a dramatic vote by the school board held over Zoom regarding the George Floyd Resolution to defund the school police. Denilson Garibo, the student union director, dials in to the meeting from an outdoor gathering of other teen activists. When its his turn to vote, he holds up his laptop to show the crowd of students.

I just want to emphasize that the student directors vote always reflects the voting of the community. And this is what the community wants, says Garibo. This is history in the making. We need to start listening to the community. It shouldnt have taken this long to eliminate school police, when the community was literally begging yall.

Courtesy of Hulu

It was a crucial moment of validation for the student activists, a reward for weathering the most challenging year of most of their lives. Although the consequences of expelling police from their schools is an incredible achievement, Nicks main takeaway from filming the documentary was that beyond the policing issue at hand, the movement was about the community being heard and high schoolers harnessing their political power.

Young people want to be seen, they want to be heard, but most importantly they want to be validated. The structures and frameworks that are set up to allow them to have a voice are somewhat limited, says Nicks. There havent been that many opportunities historically for people of high school age to weigh in or make a difference. So I think what they seemed to be saying is that you are underestimating us.
By Sharon Mah

The Brockman and Brumme labs and Centre for Infectious Disease Genomics and One Health are the latest Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) beneficiaries of grants provided by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) John R. Edwards Leadership Fund (JELF). These funds  provided alongside monies and/or supports from SFU and other funding partners  allow researchers to acquire new infrastructure to enhance their investigations, keeping them at the forefront in their fields of study.

For FHS professors Mark Brockman and Zabrina Brumme, the JELF fund supports an opportunity to renovate and equip a new HIV research lab in Blusson Hall. The larger lab space will allow these health researchers to accommodate more students and trainees. The funds also permitted the group to acquire a new flow cytometer and a single-cell microfluidics analyzer. These two devices allow Brockman and Brumme to investigate mechanisms of the immune response to infection at the level of individual cells by examining protein or RNA expression. These technologies are very complementary and allow us to view cellular behaviours in a more comprehensive and detailed way, says Brockman. Additionally, the safety and security of the groups research is enhanced by having both devices housed within the same contained location, reducing the need to transport specimens outside of the lab for analysis.

Although Brockman and Brumme initially applied for JELF funds to support their HIV research, the new infrastructure is already proving useful to study other viruses, including SARS-CoV2, the virus responsible for the current COVID-19 global pandemic. In two ongoing projects, they are using the equipment to examine the ability of COVID-19 vaccines to stimulate an immune response to SARS-CoV2 in older adults and in persons living with HIV. Through their use of an investigative approach that combines molecular and cell biology, epidemiology, genetics and computational approaches, Brockman and Brumme are well on their way to achieving their long-term objective: to advance leading-edge approaches to immunological and infectious disease research and establish SFU at the forefront of research in this area.

For FHS professor William Hsiao, the JELF grant will allow this bioinformatics specialist to purchase laboratory automation and computing equipment that will enable his lab to support local and global collaborators  including non-academic researchers from across a multitude of sectors  to perform microbial genomic sample processing and data analysis. As shown in the current COVID pandemic, genomics data is invaluable for monitoring the variants and understanding the pathogen evolution. Hsiao is establishing a Centre for Infectious Disease Genomics and One Health which will develop better methodologies for pathogen sample processing and data analysis to help public health, animal health, and environmental health agencies to build genomic capacity. This transdisciplinary approach will enable scientists to analyze microbial infectious diseases with an eye towards rapid detection and prevention of outbreaks and/or future pandemics.

Beyond increasing capacity for a scaling up of genomic sampling and analysis, Hsiao also hopes to help educate partners and collaborators about the benefits of data sharing. Through the recent COVID-19 pandemic, weve seen the benefits of having data, such as whole genome sequences for the SARS-CoV2 virus, available to everyone, he observes. Hsiao believes that the global collaboration model that developed during the COVID-19 pandemic could be the key to preventing the next pandemic(s), keeping our populations safe and healthy into the future.
Page Content

President Joe Biden announced on July 29 that federal employees will be required to confirm that they are vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit to frequent testing for COVID-19. Additionally, some large employerssuch as Facebook and Googlewill require workers to get vaccinated before returning to the office due to the surge in coronavirus cases.



"We are now faced with a much more transmissible strain of this virusthe Delta variant," the White House said. "The good news is that we are prepared for this. We know how to stop it: Get more people vaccinated."



Biden announced that employers covered by the American Rescue Plan will be reimbursed for providing employees paid time off to take their family members to get vaccinated. He also urged state and local governments to give $100 incentive payments to anyone who gets vaccinated.

We've rounded up articles and resources from SHRM Online and other trusted media outlets on the news.

New Policy for Federal Employees

Biden held a press conference to outline "the next steps in our effort to get more Americans vaccinated and combat the spread of the Delta variant." Federal employees and onsite contractors will be required to attest that they are vaccinated or complete other steps, such as getting tested once or twice a week for COVID-19, wearing a mask while working (regardless of geographic location), and keeping physically distant from other employees and visitors. The federal government employs more than 4 million workershalf of whom work in the federal civilian workforce.



White House officials said the policy will closely align with recent state, local and private employer policies aimed at creating safer workplaces and combating the surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the Delta variant.

The Biden administration said it "will encourage employers across the private sector to follow this strong model."

(The White House)

Google and Facebook Revamp Policies

Google announced that the company will move its return-to-office date from September to October in light of the uptick in COVID-19 cases. The tech giant will also soon require workers at its U.S. worksites to get vaccinated before working onsite and plans to later extend that requirement to locations in other countries. Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai hopes the policy will give workers "greater peace of mind as offices open."

Facebook also said it will require vaccination for in-person work at U.S. campuses, and the company will incorporate local requirements into its plans for each location. Facebook's head of HR, Lori Goler, said the company has a process for working with employees who need a medical accommodation.

(The Wall Street Journal)

Netflix to Require Vaccination for Actors and Some Crew

Netflix is the first major Hollywood studio to roll out a vaccination mandate for all U.S. productions. The policy will apply to all actors and any crew that has contact with them. The company will make limited exceptions for workers who refuse a vaccine based on age, religion or medical conditions.

(CNBC)

Restaurants to Ask Workers and Customers for Proof

A number of New York City restaurants plan to require staff and indoor diners to show proof of vaccination status. Union Square Hospitality Group CEO Danny Meyer told CNBC that the company's full-service restaurants will implement the requirement on Sept. 7. "We know right now that the vaccine works, and it's time to make sure that this economy continues to move forward," he said. "There's just no going back."

(Eater)

More Local Mandates and Pleas from Industry Groups

Several state and local governments, including California, New York State and New York City, announced mandates earlier this week for some health care and public employees to either show proof of vaccination or submit to weekly COVID-19 testing. "As the state's 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," California Gov. Gavin Newsom said.

Additionally, health care and restaurant associations are urging their members to mandate vaccination. "Vaccination is the primary way to put the pandemic behind us and avoid the return of stringent public health measures," according to a joint letter signed by more than 50 health care associations, including the American Medical Association.

(SHRM Online)

Return to Mask-Wearing as the COVID-19 Delta Variant Spreads?

Workplace safety guidelines from federal, state and local authorities are rapidly changing, and employers may want to update their policies accordingly. Earlier this week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged vaccinated people in counties with high rates of COVID-19 transmission to resume wearing masks indoors. "We still largely are in a pandemic of the unvaccinated," said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky during a press conference on July 27. But she cautioned that, in rare cases, fully vaccinated people may experience breakthrough infections and could be contagious.

In mid-June, the CDC reported an average of about 12,000 new COVID-19 cases each day, but the rate recently surpassed 40,000 a day on average. "An increase in the number of cases will put more strain on health care resources, lead to more hospitalizations and potentially more deaths," according to the CDC. The agency said that vaccines are the best protection against variants.

(SHRM Online)

[Want to learn more about COVID-19 and workplace safety? Join us at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2021, taking place Sept. 9-12 in Las Vegas and virtually.]

How to Develop a COVID-19 Employee Vaccination Policy

Employers grappling with whether to require their workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as well as other infectious diseases may benefit from the process that Houston Methodist, an academic medical center comprising eight hospitals in Houston, used to make that decision. On March 31, the organization mandated that their 26,000 employees, with some exceptions, be vaccinated, making it the first U.S. hospital system to do so. On June 12, a judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by 117 workers who challenged the mandate. "With our policy having stood this legal test, we believe that other employers can use our process for developing a vaccination policy of their own," according to Houston Methodist leaders. They said this 7-step process can help employers decide whether to mandate vaccinations.

(SHRM Online)

Visit SHRM's resource hub page on COVID-19 Vaccination Resources.


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A changing of the guard at Sony Music Australia has seen two long-term senior executives leave the company before an internal investigation into workplace culture has concluded.

In June, Sony Music Australias longstanding CEO and President Denis Handlin was fired after the global head of human resources launched an investigation following a complaint from a staff member.

Now his son Pat, who was Sony Music Australias vice-president of artists and repertoire (A&R), has left the company along with Mark Stebnicki, the senior vice-president of strategy, corporate affairs and human resources.

Pat Handlin, who has left Sony Music Australia. Credit:

A spokeswoman for Sony Music in the US confirmed both men were no longer employed by the company but would not be drawn on the reason for their departure.
ABC journalist Louise Milligan has agreed to pay Andrew Laming $79,000 in damages plus legal costs after the federal Liberal MP filed defamation proceedings against her over a series of tweets suggesting he had admitted to the criminal offence of taking an upskirting photo of a womans underwear.

While the national broadcaster did not publish the tweets and was not sued by Dr Laming, it has indicated that it will cover Milligans costs, citing particular and exceptional circumstances.

Louise Milligan has agreed to pay Andrew Laming $79,000 in damages plus legal costs, but the ABC has indicated it will pick up the bill. Credit:The Age

The Federal Court in Sydney heard on Wednesday that the case had been settled. Justice Anna Katzmann entered judgment in favour of Dr Laming and made orders relating to damages and costs. The latter will be calculated at a later date.

The federal Liberal MP launched Federal Court proceedings against Milligan in June over a series of four since-deleted tweets published on March 28 this year, including a tweet suggesting he had admitted to an offence under the criminal code ... ie taking a photo of a womans underwear under her skirt.
A bad joke: parachuting in a back to school solution The Department of Educations plan for getting students and teachers back to school beggars belief, in fact Im wondering if its all a spoof, perhaps stolen from an episode of Yes Minister, a little jest by the Department to lift our spirits during these sombre times (Ex-Military man to help with school return plan, August 11).

Will the Department consult teachers, parents or students in developing their plans? Certainly not. They have a British ex-parachutist who now works for KPMG whos going to develop a masterplan, once hes deciphered the bureaucratese in his guideline memo. Why is there such an obsession with ex-military officers? No disrespect but does he really know more about Sydney schools than teachers, parents and students? Merona Martin, Meroo Meadow The first task of the KPMG consultant should be to convert the brief from the NSW Education Department from gobbledegook into simple English. After reading the statement from the Department I am not surprised that within their thousands of staff there is no person capable of developing the school plan without external help. Lin Sinton, Killarney Heights Perhaps the ex-military parachute officer could help the Premier with a personal extraction plan. For sure the report will contain lots of military buzz words such as overarching, underpinning, planning factors and courses of action, all accompanied by the military planners weapon of choice, meaningless TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms). Experience in childrens education  negative, ghostrider. James Foote, Abbotsford What an inspired move to find an ex-paratrooper from KPMG, who lists no experience of running schools or school systems on his LinkedIn profile to help with a COVID-safe back-to-school program by the Department. Can we perhaps expect some lateral thinking about avoiding crowded public transport and parents congregating at the gate at drop-off and pick-up times by parachuting individual students into the school grounds, instead of the boring old stuff youd get by consulting teachers, principals, parents and students? What a tragicomedy. Al Svirskis, Mount Druitt

Tell me Im dreaming: after seven weeks of lockdown most recently including announcing and reversing return to school plans, now private consultants have been retained to take the initial lead on scoping this piece of work. And the Department says, Once we have an overview of how this may be scoped, we will then engage our streamleads. If anything can guarantee NSW remaining stuck in limbo, this is it. Please get the kids back to school. Ian Wylie, Paddington Leaders that dodge and deny Scott Morrison and Barnaby Joyce are not doing their jobs. They are the two highest ranked leaders in this country but they are not leading the country (Joyce not interested in target unless action costed, August 11). They are not leading toward a climate-safe future for our children and they are not leading our country out of COVID-19 devastation. Shouldnt a leader see the big picture, inspire the people and then take them with him/her? No, all we get is deny, dodge and deflect. Carla Gillis, Hallidays Point Morrison will not sign a blank cheque to address our emissions and reduce the impact of climate change, but he is happy to commit future governments to signing a bigger blank cheque for the cost of not taking adequate action now. When will he take off the blinkers so he can see what is glaringly obvious to most of us? Sharyn Hubert, North Epping PM, regional areas are already bearing the cost. Farm profits have declined steadily for some time. Climate change is such an opportunity for Australia, particularly regional Australia. We have extensive deposits of the vital elements in batteries, we have a massive solar resource and a massive wind resource. Why are we not pursuing these opportunities instead of the current appalling do-nothing approach? Michael McMullan, Five Dock

Barnaby Joyces excuse for not taking stronger measures against climate change is the divestiture of vegetation rights in regional Australia. I have news for him. At the rate the climate is worsening, there will be little or no vegetation to divest. Thiam Ang, Beecroft Joyce questioning the price of cutting greenhouse gas emissions is like quibbling about the cost of lifeboats on the Titanic before it sailed. Simon Pitts, Riverview I had a chuckle at the editorials headline (PM must heed climate warning or pay on poll day, August 11). Didnt we all say this before the last federal election? I suspect that, again this time, the average Australian, who has near-zero interest in politics, will at the last minute rise from their coma just in time to be targeted by the Coalitions next artfully executed scare campaign, resulting in a mandate to destroy the planet for another term. Its not as if Labor is providing any alternative vision. Graham Meale, Boambee East Short-term farm sales The imposed land and property sales target of $3 billion on NSW government departments including education sheds light on why the NSW government is so intent in closing three of the four public schools in Murwillumbah and has let the local TAFE college run down so much that it is now a shadow of its former self (NSW departments hit by $3b sell off target, August 11). Christiaan Goudkamp, Murwillumbah

This most recent episode of selling the farm is typical of the short-term thinking of Dominic Perrottet et al. The clue is in the government spokesmans first sentence: we continue to best match our assets to the current needs of the people. What about some long-term planning and matching the needs of the people into the future? Didnt we recently have trouble finding a site for new schools? What about the demountables in schools? Surely that indicates a lack of long-term planning. Jim Croke, Stanmore Put heart into it The current lack of leadership over the COVID-19 vaccination is infuriating (Letters, August 11). My cardiology practice has thousands of patients with heart conditions taking blood thinners on its books. When ATAGI sowed doubt about the risk-benefit of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the office was inundated with phone calls from patients instructed by their GPs to ring in, even though at the time, there were no heart conditions that indicated preference for one particular vaccine. My indemnity advised that unlike GPs, specialists giving out advice, by phone, may not be medico-legally covered. It was not feasible or safe to arrange face-to-face consultations for that many people.

Now ATAGI, with the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, has issued a statement that Pfizer is a recommended vaccine for those with heart conditions. Does that mean AZ is not?

We are not getting out of the pandemic any time too soon. The inadequate jab targets are just not going to cut it. The government needs to form a war cabinet with all sides of politics to make hard, bipartisan decisions. Mandate vaccination  no jab, no work or play. Clearly identify who must have Pfizer and who must have AZ and disseminate that information widely in the media. If it doesnt, I might have to close up. Dr David Ramsay, Bexley Lets hear it, PM I, like many others, eagerly look forward to the PMs no doubt robust and illuminating commentary on the fate of the NBNs chief, just as he did with the chief of Australia Post and her decision to pay bonuses (NBN chief defends $78 million bonuses paid to executives, August 11). Bob Cameron, Coffs Harbour

Gay sackings abhorrent Any school receiving money from the government, which means from the Australian taxpayer, should have to abide by the laws other employers must follow (Letters, August 11). They should not be exempt from discrimination laws and allowed to fire teachers because of their sexual preference or other unjust reasons. State-run institutions must not discriminate on these grounds, nor on the grounds of a persons religious beliefs, despite the fact that most Australians do not identify as being religious and the overwhelming majority voted for same-sex marriage. Sally Morris, Leichhardt I believe that any private enterprise has the right to employ whomever they please that meets with the cultural and social environment that the entity has created. If its discriminatory, perhaps a prospective employee who doesnt fit that culture is better off working somewhere else.

Private Christian-based schools, however, that dismiss people due to their sexual orientation but at the same time have their hand out for taxpayer funding is abhorrent and unacceptable. Tony Bennett, Brokew There is something wrong in this country when a religious employer can legally fire a good, honest employee for being gay, but in the midst of a global pandemic, any employer cannot insist that an employee is vaccinated to protect those around them. Its OK to be unvaccinated, but not to be gay? God help us. Kathryn Newburg, Burraneer

Words of wisdom In this time of anxiety, midst a sense of flying blind, I nominate the wartime song Coming In On a Wing and a Prayer (Letters, August 11).Kate Perkins, Bundanoon In these times of endless troublesand lockdown bubbles, just join in the famous Monty Python song: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. John Watson, Castlecrag Dont Get Around Much Anymore. William Bielefeldt, Kembla Grange Limbo Rock by Chubby Checker (NSW stuck in limbo, August 11). Geoffrey Williamson, Woollahra

Joy Divisions Shes Lost Control. Gerard Baz, Kensington Back to school After more than 30 years as a teacher I cant get over how the 11am Sometimes Gladness (apologies to Bruce Dawe) press conference is like a school assembly. The benign principal gladly tells us what a great school we are and what a wonderful job the staff are doing. The gruff deputy principal then berates the students for the hazards they are creating by not doing the right thing (including who should be on detention this week). Finally, the overworked head teacher-welfare chants out a mantra from the executive which even she doesnt seem to believe. Cant wait for the bell on this one.

Barry Ffrench, Cronulla The digital view Online comment from one of the stories that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on smh.com.au

As a firefighter, Im used to hearing an alarm and responding. The Morrison government has to do the same

From Talks Too Much: Our federal government is a case study in inaction. The utter absence of anything resembling vision or leadership is especially telling when we are confronted by threats requiring both. Would be laughable were it not so dangerous.
Three more local government areas in Sydney have been labelled as of concern, as the lockdown in NSWs Hunter and Upper Hunter regions, including Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, is extended for another week.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday said Strathfield, Burwood and Bayside have been added to the list of local government areas of concern, under tighter restrictions.

She said the front of Sydneys outbreak had moved into the Cumberland LGA, in the citys west, and asked people in Merrylands, Auburn and Granville to be particularly alert to symptoms.

Additional cases were identified overnight in the Bayside suburbs of Bexley, Banksia and Rockdale, she said, and urged those living in the Inner West and Camden council areas to be on extra watch and alert as health authorities are monitoring cases there very closely.

Ms Berejiklian said the Fairfield and Canterbury-Bankstown LGAs were still recording lots of cases but they have observed some stabilisation.
A subcontractor working with shipping containers at Port Botany allegedly used his position to feed critical information to a drug syndicate attempting to import 230 kilograms of methylamphetamine in May.

Pantelis Spyrou, 34, from Gladesville, was arrested at the port on Tuesday, after intelligence from the global law enforcement sting using the An0m communications app identified him as a person of interest.

Two men, including a trusted insider at Port Botany, were arrested over an alleged drug importation plot. Credit:AFP

Mr Spyrou is alleged to be a trusted insider working with Andrew Creswick, 40, from Glebe, who was arrested in June for his alleged role in the importation.

The Australian Federal Police allege Mr Spyrou used his role transporting containers in the freight import system to access information about two shipments to assist the syndicate in importing the drugs.
Tens of thousands of Sydney construction workers returned to building sites after the NSW government eased restrictions on tradies from COVID-19 hotspots despite expectations the citys coronavirus cases will continue to surge.

Construction workers at a Mirvac site at Green Square in Sydneys inner south on Wednesday. Credit:Kate Geraghty

The construction union estimates more than 20,000 workers returned to building sites across Sydney on Wednesday, following the relaxation of restrictions on workers from council areas hit the hardest by COVID-19 cases in the citys south-west and west.

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Unions NSW secretary Darren Greenfield said that number was expected to rise on Monday as workers wait for vaccinations to allow building sites to reach their allowable limit of 50 per cent capacity.

It was always going to be a bit hectic this morning  but it has gone pretty well, he said.
Daily COVID-19 case numbers in south-west Sydney have started to plateau as Premier Gladys Berejiklian warns areas neighbouring the local government areas of concern could join them under increased restrictions amid increasing case numbers.

The Premier said health authorities were concerned by rising case numbers in Sydneys Bayside, Burwood and Inner West council areas.

The graphs below show the seven-day case averages of the 24 local government areas in Sydney and surrounds where at least five cases have been recorded since the lockdown began.

Bayside, in Sydneys inner south and not one of the local government areas of concern, has a rolling seven-day average of eight cases, although numbers have increased in recent days. There were 17 cases reported in the area on Monday and another 12 on Tuesday, more than a third of which were unlinked.
This is a profound issue and it requires a sophisticated approach as to how we are going to manage these issues moving forward, he said. He said the difficulty was that while many front-line healthcare workers were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and would be protected from becoming seriously ill, there were lingering concerns they could still catch the virus and transmit it at hospitals. Dr McRae said any plan must determine whether a trained workforce is kept in reserve or a different approach is taken to quarantining vaccinated healthcare workers. Clear guidelines must also be determined to define high-risk exposures so healthcare workers were not unnecessarily furloughed.

The anaesthetist said rapid screening for the coronavirus, such as antigen testing, could also be used to quickly check healthcare workers who were not deemed high-risk. This could allow them to return to work sooner and be followed up with further testing, rather than quarantining at home for the full 14 days. But he warned it was not a gold standard and there would always be a risk of false-positive or false-negative results. There is a trade-off for getting a quick result, he said. Last year the state government announced a database of more than 15,000 doctors and other healthcare workers signed up to relieve overstretched hospitals. However, doctors warn that surge workforce has been pilfered as healthcare workers are called upon to assist with the emergency COVID-19 response, working at vaccination centres, inside hotel quarantine and overwhelmed testing clinics and respiratory centres.

Dr Khorshid said Australias focus on eliminating the highly contagious Delta variant until vaccine uptake increased meant hospitals had little choice but to shutter emergency departments when hundreds of staff were exposed. There are no reserves, he said. Ive heard for months now that hospitals are struggling to staff [intensive care] night shifts and [emergency department] shifts and theatre operations simply because they dont have the nursing workforce, and thats with barely any COVID cases. Earlier this month, several senior Australian doctors were forced into isolation after their children attended schools in Brisbane associated with COVID-19 clusters, wiping out roughly 50 per cent of the surgeons in the area. Victorias Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill said paramedics were told at 6pm on Tuesday to take patients to Sunshine or Footscray hospitals  which were operating with a skeleton crew  only if it was a life-threatening emergency.

They were instructed to take patients to the next-nearest hospital, meaning some including Werribee Mercy Hospital in the citys outer west were bombarded. Loading Werribee was really pushed to the brink last night, Mr Hill said on Wednesday. It becomes almost like Russian roulette where an entire hospital can be taken out if staff are exposed to the virus. Australasian College for Emergency Medicine president John Bonning, who backed the need for an emergency plan, said large-scale staff furloughs were forcing healthcare staff across Australia into isolation without warning, putting pressure on a system that is already on its knees. This is forcing the closure of [emergency departments], pushing other EDs over their limits and putting patients, and staff, in danger, he said.

We are concerned that these occurrences could deter people from seeking the care they need, and we urge people to continue to present to emergency departments when they need urgent care. The shutdown of the two emergency departments is the latest crisis to hit Victorias public health system amid warnings that hospitals across the country are too full to handle cases of coronavirus even at levels similar to the seasonal flu. Loading Health professionals say ramping  when ambulances wait outside emergency departments because no beds are available  has risen to an alarming level. The ramping crisis came to a head in April when Melbourne woman Christina Lackmann, 32, died while waiting more than six hours for an ambulance after calling triple zero when she felt dizzy while cooking dinner at home. Her death is being investigated by the states health watchdog.

Earlier this year, the state government announced it would spend $759 million to boost ambulance and hospital services to cope with a surge of demand heading into winter. It committed to investing hundreds of millions of dollars to help divert people away from emergency rooms and to improve the flow of patients through clogged emergency departments that are experiencing record demand. Premier Daniel Andrews said when there was potential for the virus to leak into the healthcare system through infected staff, those workers must be immediately furloughed. Its not uncommon, in fact, its exactly what you want to do if youre in an ambulance. You are far better to be taken to a hospital that has greater capacity to treat you quickly rather than going to one that we know is very, very busy, he said. A Victorian department of health spokesman said the government was supporting health services affected by the outbreak by providing surge staffing, transferring urgent cases to other public health services and diverting ambulances to less affected hospitals.
Melbourne is deep into its sixth lockdown and with organised activities banned, children have been making their own fun in our parks.

Yes, there are the usual playgrounds, but guerilla play spaces are springing up on seldom-trod side tracks and in hidden corners.

On Tuesday Moreland Council removed this parent-built treehouse in a Coburg North park.

Without council permission, parents and children are building everything from bicycle jumps to cubbies made from fallen branches.

But while residents and play advocates rave about them, councils and a child safety body say they can be dangerous.
When she first became a parent, Claire Harvey tried to live with as much environmental integrity as she could. This meant switching to renewable green power, installing solar panels, riding a bike, finding a job close to home, using cloth nappies  the list was long, and Ms Harvey never felt she did enough.

It wasnt until the 2013 election, when Tony Abbott came to power with a promise (later made good) to repeal the price on carbon, that Ms Harvey, who lives in Frankston in Melbournes south-east, had a catalytic moment.

Claire Harvey, with and her two children Micha, 9, and Sarah, 12, says taking some action, any action, on climate change helps reduce her feelings of powerlessness in the face of a global crisis. Credit:Paul Jeffers

I cried myself to sleep that night, she said. I knew they would wind back so much good work. And I realised we cant let this happen.

It is a sentiment shared by many this week after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest, thorough report on the progress of the climate crisis.
If Sydney is to stay strong and united in the difficult period of lockdown ahead, it is vital that politicians base their decisions on public health advice and communicate their decisions clearly.

Unfortunately, over the last few days, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has been failing on both of those counts.

Even as COVID-19 cases have soared to more than 300 a day, Ms Berejiklian has mused in public about the idea that she might relax restrictions after August 28, providing vaccine rates were high enough.

She even couched this as a political crusade to fight for our citizens to have those freedoms.

The words undercut the message pushed every day in press conferences that the government was determined to control case numbers. It placed doubt in peoples minds about whether the government was serious about the lockdown.
We dont want to have to include you in those local government areas of concern, but we might have to if case numbers dont at least stabilise or start going down, she said. Health may very well say to government today, tomorrow or the next day, as a precaution we want you to lock down. Ms Berejiklian on Wednesday foreshadowed the crackdown on dwindling compliance, which was threatening the states strategy to emerge from lockdown. We know that a strong police presence and the Australian Defence Force supports on the ground is making a difference. We want to make sure we capture the handful of people ... doing the wrong thing.

Loading Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said police were continuing to step up compliance activities, conducting a daily huddle with health authorities about areas of concern. Dr Chant on Wednesday said she was disappointed by people who appeared to misuse or take advantage of exemptions in health orders, saying police acted against those who did. She said she was appalled by reports of a man travelling from Sydney to Albury for a vaccine, which was technically permitted under an exemption designed to assist regional border communities. Its taking vaccines off people in Albury, which I also dont agree with. There is plenty of access to vaccine in Sydney and I dont see that, thats a reasonable reason to travel, she said, adding she would be happy to arrange for police to follow up. Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Tuesday said he had asked government lawyers to consider how some health orders could be tightened as far as possible after a COVID-positive Sydney man travelled to Byron Bay to look at real estate, potentially using an exemption contained in a public health order.

The rule is now that you shouldnt just travel from one house to another just for the sake of moving to the other house. You should choose the property youre living in and stay there, he said. Dr Chant said the challenge for health authorities was staying ahead of the spread. To make sure weve got that preventative action in the communities where the spread is going into, and youve seen that preemptively we put parts of Penrith [in stricter lockdown] where we started to see those case numbers go up, and we were predicting that. The Premier said she expected numbers to grow, with at least 101 of Wednesdays reported cases in the community for some of their infectious period. The city of Dubbo in the states central west was plunged into a week-long lockdown after two cases were recorded, while the Hunter region is unlikely to come out of lockdown as planned later this week, after recording 14 new cases.

Loading Walgett in the states north was also issued a lockdown order to commence at 7pm on Wednesday after a positive case was detected with more than a dozen close contacts. Armidale, Tamworth and the Northern Rivers region could all exit lockdown after this week, having avoided any new cases since initial alerts were made. Ms Berejiklian said there had been a declining number of cases in the Fairfield area, while Canterbury-Bankstown remained the epicentre. While the number of cases, especially in Canterbury-Bankstown, are still high, we are starting to see a decline, she said.
First published in The Sydney Morning Herald on February 10, 1983. IBM Personal Computer, September 11, 1981. Credit:SMH Photo Library Print Collection IBM launched its Personal Computer in Sydney yesterday using Charlie Chaplins Little Tramp to spearhead a $1 million advertising campaign. According to IBMs managing director, Mr Brian Finn, the advertising outlay for the Personal Computer is greater than the entire IBM advertising budget for last year. The basic processor sells for $3,224, and this includes a keyboard, a 64K memory bank- and a 160KB diskette drive. However, this system cannot be connected yet to television screens in Australia, so a monitor must also be purchased. The starter system, which includes a display screen, sells for $4,273, the graphics system for $4,843, and the business system for $6,443. IBM will sell its microcomputer through the IBM Shop in the city and a network of 18 dealers which have 41 outlets throughout Australia. According to IBM, between 70 and 85 per cent of Personal Computer sales will be made through ihe authorised dealer network.

IBM is reticent to discuss projected sales and market shares, or even to disclose information about the market performance of its Personal Computer in the United States, where it was launched 16 months ago. However, industry sources believe it will eventually corner the lions share of the microcomputer market in Australia. Even its competitors acknowledge that IBMs microcomputer will be a big seller. At a press conference earlier this week, the managing director of Olivetti Australia, Mr Ike Honigstock, named IBM as Olivettis main rival in the microcomputer market. Probably we will see a reduction to four or five major suppliers who will dominate 80 per cent of the microcomputer business, he predicted, hinting that Olivetti and IBM would be two of the chosen few. However, when it comes to extolling the virtues of its microcomputer, IBM is not so word wary. Guests attending yesterdays launch were bombarded with superlatives and hyperbole. This is the computer for just about everyone who has ever wanted a personal system in the office, on the university campus or at home, Mr Finn said. We believe its performance reliability and ease of use make it the most advanced affordable personal computer in the market place. About 70 guests, including dealers and journalists, were greeted by an actor dressed as Charlie Chaplin, who pinned a red rose on each person as they arrived. Dealers and IBM personnel chatted enthusiastically about the machine. One dealer left his red Porsche, parked conspicuously outside the venue, showing off his licence plate  IBM PC. Loading
Washington: When Joe Biden was running for president last year, many Democrats privately rolled their eyes at his vow to work with Republicans to bring bipartisanship back to Washington.

Sure, such nostalgia was effective campaign rhetoric. But there was no way it would actually happen.

During Barack Obamas presidency, Republicans worked relentlessly to block his agenda - even at the height of the global financial crisis. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell revelled in his status as a grim reaper who killed off left-wing legislation.

Biden has handed a defeat to Trump after gaining bipartisan support for his infrastructure bill. Credit:The Age

And as savvy pundits have pointed out, it makes no political sense for Republicans to hand Biden a bipartisan victory during his early days in office. Much smarter to obstruct his agenda, demoralise Democrats and win back control of Congress at the midterm elections next year.
PHILIPSBURG: --- Interim Minister of TEATT Ludmilla de Weever will be taking up her post in parliament as of next week. De Weever made the announcement at the Council of Minister's press briefing on Wednesday that this week is her last in the Executive branch of the Government of St. Maarten.

In the meantime, the new Minister of TEATT SMN News learned is no other than Roger Lawrence a St. Maarten professional that has been working at Port St. Maarten Group of Companies in various capacities over the past 10 years as senior management of Port St. Maarten.

Lawrence initially started his career as head of terminal and cargo operations, he was also appointed back in 2019 as the interim Chief Executive Officer of the Port St. Maarten Group of Companies.

SMN News has been reliably informed that Lawrence already went through the screening process and is now waiting on the official swearing-in to take place.
~ Was given leftover food and never saw a doctor on the island. ~

Georgetown/ PHILIPSBURG: --- Vanessa also known as Indira Singh a Guyanese national who was brought to St. Maarten by another Guyanese identified as Jameela Singh (MAI) on or about 20 years ago to work as a domestic worker find herself in an enslaved situation where she was made to work and not being paid for her services.

The woman who recently returned to Guyana after her relatives managed to locate Mai and demanded that she send back Indira to her native country since she was living as a slave and mistreated.

The family including the mother of Indira told SMN News that Mai went to her home some 20 years ago and told her that she was bringing her daughter to St. Maarten to work as a domestic worker and that she will adopt her as a daughter. The elderly mother said back then Mai convinced her and her daughter that she will be paid much more than she was earning in Guyana.

The elderly woman said back then her daughter who is illiterate was working for a relative of Mai in Guyana and that is how Mai met her daughter, she said ever since her daughter came to St. Maarten she had no contact with Mai or her daughter as Mai did not give her any phone numbers. However, she was of the opinion that her daughter was in good care because Mai promised her to take care of her daughter even though she was a grown woman. The mother explained that her daughter was in an abusive relationship and leaving Guyana came at a time when she was desperate to get away from her abusive common-law husband.

Mai took me to a Justice of Peace to make a paper to say she adopted my daughter; I signed that paper but was not given a copy. Because she told me she hadnt any daughters and that she would care of my daughter I believed her.

The elderly woman said one of Mais granddaughters created a Facebook profile for Indira and showed her how to call her other relatives. This was a blessing in disguise because Indira would call my daughter-in-law but Mai was always there and so she did not tell us what she was going through due to fear of being beaten or starved.

It was not until Indira called one of her relatives in Canada one evening and Mai was unaware who she was speaking to and she began abusing Indira verbally and demanding to know who she was speaking to and where the person was. The elderly mother said that it was that person who called her and told her that Indira's living condition on St. Maarten was not good and that Indira is being abused by Mai. I immediately started to enquire from my daughter whenever she called, but she would not speak up fearing she would be victimized. Despite that, I demanded that Mai purchase a ticket and send my daughter back to her country, but Mai used the pandemic and the lockdown to her advantage and did not comply immediately.

The mother said that Indira went to another home to work for two days, and it was from there she asked the woman to make contact with her family and relate her nightmare. That woman and her son gave Indira a few day's work and that was how she managed to save $480.00 which she traveled home with. $480.00 is what my daughter earned over a period of 20 years the woman explained.

Indiras nightmare.

In speaking to Indira, she told SMN News that when she first came to St. Maarten 20 years ago, Mai took her to sell tee-shirts and other tourist-related items on the French side View Point where Mai was operating a booth. She said she would work there during the day and in the evening, she had to clean the house and do all the domestic chores, and not once was she paid. She said Mai would tell her she is saving her money for her so she could go back to Guyana.

One day while I was working at the booth selling tee shirts I was arrested and deported because I had no legal documents. Mai did not even give the PAF my passport and she did not give me the money she said she saved for me. Indira recounted.

Indira said after arriving in Guyana Mai instructed her mother to get a new passport for her and that Mai would purchase a ticket for her which she did. Indira explained that she came back to St. Maarten because Mai had her money, she was saving for her for seven years. She also explained that back then Mais husband treated her well and Mai could not abuse her physically or verbally. She said when she came back, she resumed working at the booth and at Mais house until the booths closed.

Later she explained that she began working for "Discover Kids Playschool" in Dutch Quarter and she was paid $200.00 a month to work from 7 am to 5 pm. Indira said whenever she gets her $200.00 salary Mai would take $100.00 for groceries. She said she worked at the playschool until the pandemic started and after that, she continued to work at Mais house as a domestic worker. Things became worse when Mai would give me leftover food while she cooked fresh food for herself and family, whenever she cooked roti she would tell me that she did not cook that for me and that I should buy bread.

The mother of Indira and her sister Pinky and her sister-in-law all spoke to SMN News as they recounted their relatives ordeal, the three women said that they had to threaten Mai by telling her that they would get people to call the police to intervene so that Indira could go back to her family. They said that Mai even cursed their elderly mother when she told her that she was ill and needed to see her daughter. I want to state that I never give away my daughter, my daughter was already a grown woman, she was manipulated by Mai who met her in Guyana. I had no idea that Mai who seemed as a good person would use my daughter to this extent and not even buy her proper clothing or took her to a doctor. We are talking about a human being treated this way while she was working day and night in a foreign country.

They said Mai told them how much money she spent on the airline ticket and Antigenic test for Indira to travel but at no time did she tell them about the money she owed Indira for the years she worked for her on St. Maarten. The family explained that when Indira returned to Guyana last Friday evening, they all burst into tears when they saw how rugged she was dressed and the oversized rubber slipper she had on her feet. Her mother Betty said that her daughter did not have proper undergarments and the clothing her daughter took back to Guyana after 20 years are all rags. The only money she had in her possession is $480.00 which she worked for and kept to go home.

Indiras mental and physical health.

The family said Indira is in very bad health since she was never taken to see a doctor. The family said Indira is swollen, her stomach, two legs, and face are all swollen, and that they are now busy taking her to doctors in Guyana to do the necessary tests to diagnose her condition. Her mother said she wished authorities could pick up her daughters case because slavery ended and its unfair to see how Mai treated her daughter and did not pay her. Can you imagine the living conditions she had my daughter in, even the room she was sleeping in Mai took away and had her sleeping in the hallway for a few years? This is not humane, my family is poor but we feed our dogs the same food we eat every day and not stale food.

Several relatives of Mai contacted the family when they heard she was heading back to Guyana after years of abuse and commended the family for doing all they could to get Indira out of the situation she was in. Indiras family said they wished the people that are calling them now to check on Indira did that when she was in St. Maarten, she wished they had taken the time to even reach out to her or other children prior to last week.
Bir Lehlu (Sahrawi Republic), August 10, 2021 (SPS) - The Security Council distributed yesterday Monday the letter sent by the President of the Republic, Brahim Gali, to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, on the latest serious human rights events in the occupied areas of Western Sahara

In his letter, President Brahim Gali warned members of the UN Security Council that the Frente POLISRIO will not stand idly by as the occupying Moroccan state intensifies its brutal acts and its aggressive and retaliatory war against the Sahrawi people , holding the Moroccan occupation authorities fully responsible for the consequences of their criminal and terrorist actions in the occupied areas of Western Sahara .

The Frente POLISARIO reaffirms that no peace process can be carried out while the Moroccan occupying State continues, with total impunity, its terrorist and retaliatory war against civilians and Sahrawi human rights activists, in addition to its attempts to impose a fait accompli by force in the territory of Western Sahara , highlights the letter from President Gali. SPS

125/090/TRA
The Westport Book Shop is having an outdoor Back to School Story Time event at 11 a.m. Saturday, on the Jesup Green in the town, right outside of the book shop, 23 Jesup Road. Local childrens author Sivan Hong will be reading her books, including her newest, and latest book, Emily D. and the Fearful First Day.

The events fun will also include a back to school craft activity. Snacks will be provided by Sweet P Bakery and The Porch.

Hong is also the author, and the illustrator of the childrens book series The Super Fun Day. The books focus on neurodiverse children who overcome their challenges with perseverance and bravery. The series includes the books Benny J. and the Horrible Halloween, George J. and the Miserable Monday and Emily D. and the Fearful First Day.

Those interested in attending the event are asked to bring a blanket or beach chair to sit on. Children must be accompanied by an adult. RSVPs are suggested. Stop by the Book Shop to register before the event, or email the store at bookshop@westportbooksaleventures.org.

Westport Domestic Violence Task Force collecting back to school supplies

The Westport Domestic Violence Task Force is collecting back to school supplies for residents of the two Domestic Violence Crisis Center, safe houses that service the area. The effort goes through Sunday.

The items being collected include new and unused backpacks, notebooks, pens, pencils, highlighters, crayons, new, and unused lunch boxes, graphing calculators, and and diapers in various sizes.

The donations can be left in the collection bin in the lobby of the Westport Police Department at 50 Jesup Road.

The human services department in the towns donation portal is called We Care Westport. Donations are accepted online at www.westportct.gov/donate.

Those interested in donating to the cause, can click on Family to Family Programs  Seasonal Program - Back to School. Contributions are also accepted by mail with checks payable to the Town of Westport/DHS Family Programs, at 110 Myrtle Ave Westport, CT 06880. Call 203-341-1050, or email the department at humansrv@westportct.gov to speak confidentially with a social worker in the department.

Volunteers needed for beach cleanup

Volunteers are needed for a beach clean up from 10 a.m. until noon on Monday at the Sherwood Island State Park in Westport. Bags, and gloves will be provided. The event starts the annual #DontTrashLISound campaign of the Connecticut Sea Grant, and the New York Sea Grant programs. The campaign continues through International Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, Sept. 18. Sign up for the cleanup at www.savethesound.org/2021cleanup. Contact the Communications Coordinator at the Connecticut Grant program Judy Benson at judy.benson@uconn.edu for more details about the campaign. The program is located at the University of Connecticuts Avery Point campus in Groton.

Police benevolent association hosting third annual car cruise

The Westport Police Benevolent Association is hosting its third annual Car Cruise from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday in Lot #1 of the Saugatuck Train Station in Westport. Cars of all years, makes and models are welcome with a $20 fee per car to enter, and display a car in the family event. The first one hundred cars to arrive will receive a gift bag. The event will feature music, JRs Food Truck and Micallizis Italian Ice. The rain date is Saturday, Aug. 21 at the same time and location.

Resident graduate on Spring 2021 Deans List

Anna Greenspan, who is majoring in art, and visual culture and economics at the Bates College made the Spring 2021 semester Deans List at the school for achieving a grade point average of 3.88 or higher. She is the daughter of John A. Greenspan, and Amie S. Greenspan, and a 2018 graduate of Staples High School in the town. Bates is located in Lewiston, Maine.

Resident graduates on Spring 2021 Deans List

Megan Brown, who is a member of the Union College Class of 2021, and who is majoring in political science, and English, and Natalie Lieberson, who is a member of the Union College Class of 2021, and who is majoring in psychology, both made the schools Spring 2021 semester Deans List for having a least a 3.5 grade point average.

The school is located in Schenectady, N.Y.
Employees of a chain of boutique butcher shops walked out en masse in protest of what they said was an atmosphere of disrespect capped by the removal of a Pride flag and Black Lives Matter signs last month.

The company confirmed that it restored the items 24 hours later and apologized. All four of Fleishers Craft Butchery shops in Greenwich, Westport, Park Slope and Manhattan remain closed until September, and only about a third of staff has agreed to come back, officials and former staff said.

There was a lot of unhappiness within the company. Everybody was kind of leaving. And this last incident felt like a slap in the face after all this hard work, said Ajani Thompson, who was the manager at the Park Slope store in Brooklyn, N.Y., until he resigned after the walkout.

It was just very tone deaf in this context of where we are in the world right now, he said.

Fleishers employed nearly 50 staff members at the four stores until July 22, when CEO John Adams arrived in the Westport store and removed the flag and posters, according to staff and the companys public relations spokesman. Staff also said investor Rob Rosania had contacted Adams and insisted the items be removed.

Employees said they were initially told that a customer at the Westport site complained that the signs made them feel uncomfortable.

The posters had been up more than a year in the Westport and Brooklyn locations, hung by store managers there shortly after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, Thompson said.

The flag was put up about the same time to show solidarity with the LGBTQ community and those members of it who worked in the companys stores, employees said.

Three former staff members who spoke to Hearst Media Connecticut said frustration with the company had been mounting for months and the removal of the flag and posters was the last straw.

Thats when the Westport crew decided to walk out, and a flurry of texts and calls to other staff snowballed into a four-store movement, they said.

Greenwich workers followed suit; Park Slope and then Manhattan employees left soon after, Thompson said.

Everyone in this company, even the people who stayed  have been some of the best people Ive ever met, some of the most hard-working people Ive ever met, said Andrew Greco, who was the head butcher of Fleishers in Greenwich for nearly four years before he quit after the walkout.

Were a very close group, and this wasnt an easy decision for us.  But we took the time to really think about this and really talk about this as a group, he said. We really came together. Ive never seen this kind of thing before.

Thompson, then the Park Slope manager, said he received a call from the Fleishers CEO early on the morning of July 23 but did not return it. Soon after, he received a text message from the head butcher at his shop. Then the head manager at the Westport location contacted him.

I was like, OK, this actually sounds like something bad happened, Thompson said this past week.

The butcher community is small, Thompson said, and word about the walkout spread quickly. Other nearby butcher shops have already offered jobs to former Fleishers employees, Thompson said.

Greco and Thompson said they initially feared retaliation for speaking publicly. But both said they decided to share their perspectives because they said the public and the stores customers deserve to stay informed.

Some people are into the free market, Thompson said. So, if youre into that, you should have information that you might want about where youre spending your dollars. If they open back up, just know that thats who you might be spending your money with.

Staff said Adams went back to the Westport and Brooklyn stores and restored the flag and posters 24 hours after taking them down.

In an internal letter sent to employees Aug. 2, more than a week after the walkout, Rosania said he was appreciative and proud of the work done by all employees.

I realize removing the signs that express support for the basic human rights of our black and LGBTQ employees and customers was not in that spirit of supporting your feelings, the letter states.

For this, please accept my heartfelt apologies, Rosania wrote. Its important you know this: You have my promise we will use this experience as an opportunity to rededicate Fleishers to being a place where everyone feels welcome and supported. I have already begun working with John (Adams), and have engaged with experts in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion space to design and implement a plan tailored for us.

Your input into that plan is vital, which is why well be holding a number of discussions that will include you and our entire staff during this period while we are closed to fully understand how we can co-create a mindful space for our staff, and the communities we serve, the letter states. I am certain that well emerge from this with a renewed commitment to fostering a culture where you each feel heard, valued, and respected for who you are and what you contribute to our shop as one.

Although all four Fleishers stores have remained closed since the walkouts, the organization is still operating, the PR spokesman said.

Deep cleaning, repairs and other maintenance-related issues are now occurring. Restaffing efforts are also underway, and the organization is expected to reopen in early September, the spokesman said.

tatiana.flowers@thehour.com @TATIANADFLOWERS
ATLANTA (AP)  Georgia's top elections official wants to amend the state Constitution to say only U.S. citizens can vote in the state's elections, a protection that already exists in state law.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican who's facing a primary challenge next year, said during a news conference Wednesday that he's calling on the state General Assembly to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot next year for voters to consider.

Fortunately, Georgia code already makes clear that only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote in Georgia, but we are seeing disturbing trends across the country that makes this issue too important to be left up to future legislatures, Raffensperger said.

To drive home his point, Raffensperger said lawmakers in Vermont recently overrode a veto by that state's governor to allow noncitizens to vote. The Vermont Senate voted in June to override the governor's veto of bills that would allow noncitizens to vote on local issues in the cities of Montpelier and Winooski.

Raffensperger also mentioned other jurisdictions that allow noncitizens to vote in local elections and several states where similar legislation has been proposed. He rejected arguments by proponents of such legislation who say noncitizens would only be allowed to vote in local elections.

Allowing noncitizens to vote in some elections but not others will increase voter confusion and put additional burdens on election officials, he said.

There is already a pending Republican-backed resolution in the Georgia House that proposes a state constitutional amendment to say only people who are citizens of the U.S. and residents of Georgia can vote in the state. It didn't advance during this year's legislative session but could be considered in next year's session.

The Secretary is urging the General Assembly to pass this constitutional amendment once and for all, Raffensperger spokesperson Walter Jones said.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Republican venture capitalist Guy Nohra announced Tuesday that he is running for Nevada governor next year.

Nohra, 61, joins a GOP primary race that includes Las Vegas-area sheriff Joe Lombardo, North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee and Reno attorney Joey Gilbert.

They are vying to take on incumbent Democrat Steve Sisolak, who will be making his first reelection bid in 2022.

Nohra said in a campaign video released online Tuesday that he wants to turn around Nevada's economy and teach children how great America is while keeping critical race theory out.

Critical race theory i s a framework legal scholars developed that centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nations institutions, maintaining the dominance of whites in society. It is not typically taught in K-12 schools, but it has become a target of the right.

Nohra also said he wants to make state government more efficient, maintain Nevada's lack of a personal income tax and expose the election fraud we all know is there.

Nevada election officials, including Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, have repeatedly said the 2020 election results are reliable and accurate. Some GOP officials, including former President Donald Trump, have made repeated, baseless assertions that voter fraud deprived him of re-election.

Nohra's video introducing himself to voters features a tongue-in-cheek voiceover that evokes a movie trailer, telling a brief story of his upbringing and explaining that the pronunciation of his first name sounds like ghee."

Nohra, who was born in Lebanon, moved to the U.S. when he was a teenager. He graduated from Stanford University and earned a master's degree from the University of Chicago. He cofounded Alta Partners, a venture capital firm.

He is a father of two daughters and lives in Reno, having moved to Nevada from California six years ago, according to his campaign.

Other Republicans in the race include: Lee, who recently left the Democratic Party to become a Republican; Gilbert, a northern Nevada attorney who has questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election: and Lombardo, the Clark County Sheriff.

Former U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, a Republican who lost his reelection in 2018, is considering a campaign and has appeared at several local GOP events alongside the announced candidates.

U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, who represents northern Nevada, has said he is considering a run as well and will make a decision about a campaign in October.

Sisolak was elected in 2018, becoming the swing state's first Democratic governor in two decades.

___

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Nohra's last name.
Firefighters evacuated 38 people from the block of flats affected by flames in Bucharest's Calea Rahovei, seven of them receiving first aid from rescuers.

According to the Bucharest-Ilfov Emergency Situations Inspectorate (ISUBIF), an 84-year-old woman was transported to the University Hospital with smoke exposure, a firefighter with smoke exposure was in the SMURD (emergency extrication ambulance) ambulance, conscious, and a local policeman with an arm's cut received care on the spot.

The building no longer burns with flame, and firefighters operate both from the inside and from the outside.

There are 10 water and foam extinguishing trucks and three trucks at the scene, and the traffic police have imposed traffic restrictions.

Thermal rehabilitation works were carried out on this block of flats of the Bucharest District 5.
Eight deaths have been recorded in the past 24 hours in patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, informs, on Wednesday, the Strategic Communication Group (GCS).

According to the GCS, the dead are six men and two women admitted to hospitals in Bacau, Caras-Severin, Galati, Prahova, Suceava, Sibiu, Teleorman counties and the City of Bucharest.

One case was recorded in the 20-29 year old age category, one in the 30-39, one in 40-49, one in 60-69 and four in the 70-79 year old category.

Seven of the deaths are of patients with comorbidities, and one deceased patient did not have any comorbidities.

There are no deaths prior to the reporting period to report.

Since the start of the pandemic, in total, 34,331 persons diagnosed as infected with SARS-CoV-2 have died in Romania.
The actions of putting out the fires on the Greek island Evia continue, in the fourth day, with 6 fire engines, two water tanks and a drone, in the Spathari area, according to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU).

According to a press release, 6 firefighters will have the mission of ensuring the special vehicles are supplied with water, as well as to creating lanes for limiting the fire spread, with the help of chainsaws.

Alongside will be the firefighters from the Republic of Moldova, who are intervening with two fire engines.

During Tuesday, the forces of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Moldova have arrived in Greece, under the Romanian military firefighter's base of operations. 25 firefighters, who qualify for four special intervention vehicles have joined the Romanian firefighters, in order to support them in the fight against the wildfire and forest fire which put their hold on several areas of the Greek territory, the quoted source specifies.
On Wednesday, the Romanian government approved the ratification of the Agreement between the Government of Romania and the International Telecommunication Union on the hosting, organisation and funding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 (PP-22), according to Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Transformation Ciprian Teleman, agerpres reports.

"ITU, the world's largest telecommunications organisation, has chosen for the first time in 30 years a country in Europe, Romania, as the host country for its next year's meeting. At that meeting, the body will elect its president and leading board of ITU (International Telecommunication Union), a UN agency specialising in ICT (Information and Communication Technology). At the initiative of MCID and ANCOM, the government approved today the ratification of the Agreement between the Government of Romania and the International Telecommunication Union on the hosting, organisation and funding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 (PP-22)," Teleman wrote on Facebook.

He said that this conference is held every four years and it is the event where officials of the 193 member states analyse and set standards for information and communication technology, "with sustained efforts on the subject of digital transformation and digital inclusion for emerging communities."In the minister's opinion, hosting the event "represents an opportunity for Romania to consolidate" its role of "important" member of the global community in the field of ICT.
Romania's Justice Ministry said on Wednesday that it was not involved in enforcing a European arrest warrant issued Romania on Dragos Savulescu and was not asked to facilitate communication between courts.

According to a press statement released by the ministry, on Monday in Greece Emil Dragos Savulescu was provisionally arrested in enforcing the European arrest warrant issued Romania based on a final imprisonment sentence issued by the court, and the arrest was ordered because of the existence of this European arrest warrant, with enforcement being a procedure that takes place directly between the courts, namely the Romanian and the foreign court.

"Consequently, the court of the Hellenic Republic is competent, under Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA, to decide on the enforcement of this European arrest warrant and the surrender of the requested person. The procedure for the enforcement of the European arrest warrant is conducted as provided for by the Hellenic legislation."The ministry explains that it has strictly administrative powers (deriving from the principle of separation of powers), meaning to receive and submit European arrest warrants issued by Romanian and foreign judicial authorities, to provide support to the authorities involved in this procedure, especially in order to facilitate communication, respectively to keep statistical records."The Ministry of Justice, as the central authority, is not involved in the procedure and has not been requested, so far, to facilitate communication by the courts," the statement says.Savulescu was being wanted under a European arrest warrant, after Romania's Supreme Court definitively overruled on March 12 an appeal against serving brought by the former financier of the Dinamo club, who was requesting the annulment of his sentence of 5 years and a half in prison for illegal land restitutions in Constanta and Mamaia.Savulescu fled Romania before being convicted, settling in Italy, where the Naples Court of Appeal commuted his sentence to a suspended one.However, the decision of the court in Naples applies only in Italy. The businessman was still listed on the Romanian Police website under the heading "wanted persons," as the Bucharest Court of Appeal had issued a European arrest warrant on his name.Savulescu's case prompted several high-profile convicts to flee to Italy to obtain the annulment or suspended execution of sentences received in Romania, including former chief prosecutor of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organised Crime and Terror (DIICOT) Alina Bica, former Romanian Intelligence Service officer Daniel Dragomir and former MEP Marian Zlotea.On February 8, Savulescu, a former financier of the Dinamo club, was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison in a case regarding illegal restitution of land and beaches, in which former mayor Radu Mazare was handed 9 years in prison.Another former financier of the Dinamo club, Cristian Borcea, received 5 years, but he was released on parole only after 9 months of detention.Savulescu fled Romania before the court finally convicted him and settled in Italy, where the Naples Court of Appeal rejected Romania's request for extradition. Moreover, Italian judges turned his five and a half years in prison in a suspended two years and five months sentence.The Naples Court of Appeal argued that Savulescu was doing business in Italy, was speaking Italian and did not have to serve his sentence in Romania.
The most newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the last report were in Bucharest - 58 and in the counties of Cluj - 15, Ilfov - 14, Bistrita-Nasaud and Suceava - 13 each, the Strategic Communication Group (GCS) informed on Wednesday.

In four counties there were no new reports of COVID-19 cases.

All counties and the Bucharest municipality remain in the green scenario from the perspective of infections with the novel coronavirus, the highest incidence per thousand inhabitants being in the county of Ilfov - 0.31.
The Romanian government has approved doubling the number of non-EU workers to be allowed employment in Romania in 2021 from 25,000 to 50,000, to meet the demand for more than 160,000 workers, Prime Minister Florin Citu said on Wednesday.

"Another piece of legislation that has been and is very important for the labour market: doubling the number of foreign workers allowed to work in Romania in 2021. What we have doubled is that quota of people who can work in Romania from the non-EU space. Justification - we need, for the implementation of investment projects, a figure, we need 160,000 people, so far as I understand. From the beginning of the year we have witnessed an increase of 2.77%, including 29,995 openings repeatedly advertised by employers. (...) Once again, the demand is for over 160,000 people, workers," Citu told a news briefing on Wednesday at the Government House.
At a meeting on Wednesday, the Romanian government approved bringing up to 50,000 the contingent of non-EU workers who can apply for employment this year in Romania, according to Minister of Labour and Social Protection Raluca Turcan.

"The government approved today an increase to 50,000 of the contingent of non-EU of workers for 2021, an additional 25,000 to the number of workers approved at the beginning of 2021," said Turcan.

She added the measure was needed because the number of applications for employment by foreign workers increased by 27.8% this year.

"Rounding up the quota of foreign workers for this year comes as H1 witnessed a significant increase in the number of applications - 27.8% as against the same period of 2020. Last year, the quota was set at 30,000 newly admitted foreign workers, and 27,258 employment permits were issued by the end of 2020, 90.8% of the total. January-late July this year, 17,196 employment permits were issued (68.7% of the total) and for the same period of time another 3,620 applications for employment permits are being considered," said Turcan.

She also pointed out that the number of job openings in Romania has increased this year, and almost 30,000 available jobs submitted by employers to the National Employment Agency (ANOFM) are repeatedly advertised by them.

"On the other hand, ANOFM data show that in January-May 2021, the total number of openings was 160,405, as against 156,085 in the same period last year, up 2.77%, 29,995 of which are frequently advertised. Thus, the supplementation of the contingent of non-EU workers meets the need to ensure the workforce required in some sectors that cannot be covered by Romanian workers, while preventing undocumented foreign workers in Romania," concluded Turcan.
Education Minister Sorin Cimpeanu said on Wednesday that in early September an order will be signed by the ministers of education and health that will regulate "all the necessary aspects" for a safe reopening of adjusted for the "existing realities" in Romania.

"In early September, there will be a joint order of the minister of education - minister of health that will regulate all aspects necessary to start school safely adjusted for the realities in Romania, realities that show many problems with the education system, including in terms of infrastructure," Cimpeanu told Digi 24 private broadcaster.

He said that there are many schools where there are currently construction sites and that he has received assurances from school inspectorates that construction will be completed before the start of the new school year.

"The Ministry of Education is getting involved under its rehabilitation programme for schools it closely monitors, the Ministry of Education has endorsed the implementation of the Educated Romania project that approves amending to improve the efficiency of the legislative framework to ensure safety and quality standards in Romanian schools. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which is currently being negotiated over with the European Commission includes a sizeable amount to improve school infrastructure, and there is also an inter-ministerial committee headed by a deputy prime minister for safe and sound schools," said the education minister.
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Over the last two years all the attention focused on a virus research center in Wuhan, China while not noticing the recent completion of a new Cyber War facility, the huge National Cybersecurity Talent and Innovation Base. This 38 square kilometer (15 square miles) complex had been under construction since 2017 and consolidates dozens of military and civilian Cyber War organizations into one place, which is called the NCC (National Cybersecuity Center) for short and includes ten separate Cyber War and Cyber Security operations in one place. This is part of an effort to create a center for innovation as well as university level education programs for officers and civilians. China has been establishing this higher education for Cyber War professionals over the last decade to train computer security professionals for the military. While much publicity is given to the Chinese success in hacking Western military, government and commercial networks, there is less publicity given to the vulnerabilities of Chinas growing dependence on similar networks and problems in developing adequate defenses. Many of the Chinese hacking efforts against Western security agencies sought to find out the status of covert cyber intelligence operations against China. This made China aware of how dependent they were on Western-developed software and Internet security techniques. China has made no secret of its goal to achieve military superiority in development of offensive and defensive Cyber War capabilities as a way to neutralize the many superiorities Western military organizations still possess.

The NCC is also an effort to solve a worldwide problem of training enough network security professionals to protect national network security as well as supply the military with similar professionals dedicated to unique military needs. China is suffering a growing labor shortage in the military and the civilian economy because of three decades of energetic population control measures which slowed population growth and produced something new in China; an educated middle class. This phenomenon began in the United States after World War II when the GI Bill educational benefits created, in a short time, a huge number of college-educated Americans to fuel a huge technological and economic boom. One of the side-effects of this was that it established English as the international language of technology that produced the primacy of computers and software in the economy and popular culture. China was way behind in providing advanced education to most Chinese, while catching up required prosperity and more Chinese who could at least read and write English, which had become the language most software was written in. China began closing the education gap in the 1990s and the government made it possible for the best students to study at American and other Western universities. That did not work out as well as expected because many of these English-speaking Chinese computer experts stayed in the United States, where individuals with the right technical skills and entrepreneurial spirit could start new companies and become fabulously wealthy. For the Chinese non-entrepreneurs there were more opportunities to get a better paying and more interesting job in the United States and the rest of the West than back home. For over a decade China has been striving to reverse that process, with limited success. Those new Chinese university grads studying in the United States eventually got older and discovered that the China they left had not really changed its ancient ways despite all the new prosperity and a wealthy Chinese middle class. Worse, the new China was depending on aggressive nationalism to maintain popular support for the Chinese police state. This was a China that was becoming more like the imperial system that was overthrown in 1910 only to reemerge less than a century later as a wealthy fascist dictatorship led by the unelected chairman of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party). Overseas Chinese note that the CCP insists that soldiers swear an oath to protect the CCP, not the Chinese people.

The new Chinese empire has problems with finding enough capable officers and technical specialists to maintain the most powerful military China has ever possessed. The primary tool of control is information, which travels faster than ever before and is difficult for the Chinese rulers to control. The Westerners developed a new communication technology (the Internet) that was designed to resist all manner of attacks and efforts to establish central control. China has become obsessed with taming this Western beast that has brought China so much prosperity while also threatening the new imperial rule in ways past Chinese rulers never had to deal with. The new NCC is all about taming the beast so that it becomes a decisive weapon for China rather than a growing threat to Chinese imperial ambitions.

In some categories the NCC makes sense because it produces more Internet security professionals. Hackers dont have to be encouraged, that comes naturally because hacking has more natural appeal to young and ambitious people with the right tech skills and not enough opportunities to profit them economically. Thats why Russia became a leader in Cyber Crime after the collapse of communism in Russia and Eastern Europe between 1989 and 1991. Suddenly thousands of very bright and formerly well taken-care of scientists and engineers in formerly communist countries were out of work and many realized that there were tremendous economic opportunities for the ruthless in the dark side of their technology. Criminal gangs in former communist nations noted the same thing and these former communist nations became the birthplace of professional, organized and very profitable Internet hacking. China has to build this capability, which made it easier to control even the outlaw hackers by providing a sanctuary in China in return for carrying out less profitable, but more valuable to the government, efforts against Western governments. The Chinese have a long tradition of organizing and building on new concepts, like a trained government bureaucracy in the form of the Mandarin system, where entry was via competitive tests that enabled only the most able Chinese to attain lucrative jobs in the government. Unfortunately, the Mandarin system was not an agent of change but of maintaining what already existed. China still suffered revolutions and attacks from more entrepreneurial foreigners, like the Mongols and then the technologically adept West. The NCC means to capture lightning in a bottle and make a tool of the state rather than a threat. This might work, or became another example of be careful what you wish for.
by Austin Bay August 11, 2021

On Aug. 9, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised to punish Iran for attacking an oil tanker near the entrance to the Persian Gulf. He specifically mentioned an attack that occurred in late July. An explosive blast killed two crewmen. The Defense Department believes Iran used drones to deliver the munitions.

The safety of commercial tankers, freighters and barges matters a great deal. Ships transport natural resources, food and manufactured goods; all told, they move roughly 90% of the world's annual trade in volume and value.

Physical attacks on ships like the one Blinken condemned leave physical evidence. Pirate attacks have their own category: theft at sea. Attacks by aerial drones, robot ships, commandos and saboteurs may give a nation-state plausible deniability, but the physical evidence offers leads.

However, sea cyberhacking and hijacking is emerging as a real threat to the global economy and environment.

A sea cyberhijacking can turn an oil tanker into a very large navigation hazard. In March 2021, a huge container ship blocked the Suez Canal. That accident disrupted the global supply chain. Intentionally blocking a canal with a cyberhijacked supertanker can hold an economy hostage and prevent the transit of an adversary's warships without firing a shot.

Conceivably, hackers can steer the ship themselves and use it to ram other vessels or smash seaport infrastructure. A supertanker driven onto a reef could dump a million barrels of oil and produce an environmental disaster.

Admittedly, there have been relatively few reports of cyberattackers successfully hacking a ship at sea. However, on Aug. 3, The Associated Press quoted MarineTraffic.com as reporting six oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman had announced near-simultaneously that their Automatic Identification System (AIS) trackers were "not under (their own) command." That usually means the ship cannot steer and may have lost power.

Over the last 20 years, large commercial ships have increasingly relied on digital automated control and remote monitoring systems. These systems allow ships to sail with smaller crews. Digital sensors also improve overall mechanical performance and lower operating costs.

Digital reliance, however, opened routes for cyberattacks at sea -- real cyberpiracy.

In April 2014, Reuters published a short but sobering analysis that mentioned three key shipboard cyber vulnerabilities: GPS, marine AIS "and a system for viewing digital nautical charts called Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS)."

The maritime industry knows its seaports and ships are vulnerable. To be fair, industry officials recognized potential vulnerabilities two decades ago.

Now attacks are accelerating. In an article published in July 2020, The Maritime Executive magazine reported: "In 2017 there were 50 significant OT (Operational Technology) hacks reported, increasing to 120 in 2018 and more than 310 last year. 2020 is expected to end with more than 500 major cybersecurity breaches, with substantially more going unreported."

Most of the reported hacks targeted seaports. For example, hackers have disabled cranes. Seaport cranes are land-based technology but are vital to the shipping industry and the global supply chain.

The industry, however, is deeply worried about ships at sea. Spoofing GPS on commercial vessels has occurred and caused them to go off course. Maritime Executive quoted cybersecurity expert Robert Rizika as expecting "cyber-induced environmental pollution" attacks using ships in a seaport. According to Rizika, hackers could "easily over-ride (ship) systems and valves to initiate leaks and dump hazardous materials, ballast water, (and) fuel oil ... " That's another version of the "intentional environmental disaster" scenario.

The "remote hacker in control of the vessel" scenario isn't totally theoretical. The 2014 Reuters article mentioned an April 2014 cyberattack on a floating oil rig somewhere off the African coast. The attacker "managed to tilt a floating oil rig to one side ... forcing it to shut down." According to Reuters' source, "it took a week to identify the cause and fix (it)."

At-sea cyberpiracy is a security threat in need of immediate answers.
Coast Guard Station Scituate, Scituate, Mass., closes for the season, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. Coast Guard Station Scituate was established in 1936. (Andrew Barresi/U.S. Coast Guard)

MARSHFIELD, Mass. (Tribune News Service)  Longer response times in emergencies. Strained local resources. A public at risk. That's what local officials fear could happen if a planned closure of the Scituate Coast Guard Station goes into effect.

"I think it's a very dangerous and volatile situation to close the station," said Marshfield Town Manager Mike Maresco. "We've had a number of rescues this year off our coast and we've relied heavily on the Coast Guard. This will make things more challenging."

On June 9, the U.S. Coast Guard announced a plan to close four stations across the country including the Scituate station. Officials from coastal communities along the South Shore are coordinating to prevent that from happening.

According to the post, many stations were established when boats lacked engines and were powered by oars and paddles. With modern boat operating speeds and improved direction-finding technology, many calls for Coast Guard assistance can be responded to by multiple units faster than when the boat stations were established.

Improved response times and boating safety improvements have led to some boat stations becoming redundant, the post states.

According to Brandon Newman, USCG public affairs officer for District One, should the Scituate station close, it would not impact the Coast Guard's ability to respond to calls.

"It's really just to ensure resources are allocated," he said. "There would still be a Coast Guard presence in that area."

The "parent unit" and point of command for the Scituate station is the Point Allerton station in Hull  the closest station beyond Scituate, and one that serves the area down to and including Plymouth, Newman said.

Despite popular belief that the Coast Guard is waiting at the station for emergency calls, Newman said "in reality we're doing routine patrols throughout the whole area of responsibility, especially on busy days or if we know traffic is going to be high. We'll be in the best spot to respond to issues."

Town officials from Cohasset to Plymouth are worried about the loss of the Scituate station.

"We are deeply concerned about what we see as increased response times from the Coast Guard," said Scituate Town Administrator Jim Boudreau. "We have more boaters, and more accidents on the water because of more boaters, storms of greater intensity that seem to be more frequent, and the response is to increase response time? Seconds count on the water. Anything that increases response time puts the public at risk."

Even in ideal weather conditions, it would take the Coast Guard roughly 25 minutes to reach the mouth of the North River from Hull, Boudreau said. But many calls to the Coast Guard occur during storms or in choppy weather, which extends the time the Coast Guard could reach a vessel in distress.

This is something that concerns all town officials but notably Plymouth Harbormaster Chad Hunter and Kingston Town Administrator Keith Hickey.

"In Plymouth, we're furthest south in that sector," Hunter said. "When the Scituate station is open, we see the Coast Guard come down to Plymouth pretty frequently on their patrols. We work really closely with the Coast Guard during the busy season with rescues and searches. We really rely on them to assist and be there."

Going south, the Coast Guard station in Sandwich is the next station to Plymouth, Hunter said, but in a different sector.

"The majority of our boat traffic is within the three-bay area of Plymouth, Kingston and Duxbury; 90% of our boating activity is at the northern side of Plymouth ... the closest station is Scituate."

While Kingston might not have the coastal presence of Scituate, Marshfield or Plymouth, Hickey points out it is still a coastal community with a lot of boating activity and they rely heavily on the Coast Guard to respond to people in a timely manner.

"You've got more and more boats out there and yet the Coast Guard is looking to eliminate a 'redundant' station," he said. "Closing the Scituate station could double the response time to many locations around us. I can't figure it out."

Hickey, Boudreau and other officials believe if the Coast Guard station is closed in Scituate, more pressure would be put on towns' harbormasters and police and fire departments.

Harbormaster and police/fire boats were not purchased with the intent to replace a Coast Guard cutter, Hickey said.

"They are not in place to perform some of the rescues that we rely on from the Coast Guard and the equipment on the Coast Guard vessels provide the support we need. The capabilities of the Coast Guard vessels and harbormaster boats are like night and day."

Kearney also agrees that closing the Scituate station would have a detrimental impact on the South Shore.

"It is essential that we keep the Scituate Coast Guard station open," he said. "It's vital to protecting our commercial and recreational boating community that drives our local economy."

Marshfield's Maresco said closing the Scituate station will have a "dire effect on us."

"In Marshfield we have a great harbormaster and assistant harbormasters but they're responsible for three rivers and all of the beaches and if there is an emergency and we need bigger boats, we'll need the Coast Guard," he said.

While Cohasset Town Manager Christopher Senior acknowledged Cohasset would be perhaps the least impacted by closing the Scituate station, being the closest community to Hull, he said it still takes less time from Scituate to reach Cohasset than it does from Hull to Cohasset.

"It would affect everyone down the coast," he said. "Boaters don't just hang out in their own harbors. The Coast Guard could rescue a Cohasset boater in Plymouth, or a Plymouth boater in Cohasset. This would affect all boaters on the South Shore."

According to Boudreau, none of the South Shore towns received any official notification from the Coast Guard about the possible closure until a little over a week before the end of the comment period.

The Coast Guard has extended the comment period to next month to allow the public to weigh in. The South Shore communities are working on a joint response.

If the closure were to take place, it would go into effect for fiscal year 2022.

"It just doesn't make sense to do this," Boudreau said.

(c)2021 Wicked Local South/Mariner, Marshfield, Mass.

Visit Wicked Local South/Mariner, Marshfield, Mass. at marshfield.wickedlocal.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A medical worker fills a syringe with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine early this year at Camp Foster, Okinawa. (Zachary Larsen/U.S. Marine Corps)

TOKYO  Another 4,200 people tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday in Japans capital city, where the number of seriously ill, already at a record level, continued to climb, according to public broadcaster NHK.

The city returned to daily new-case totals above 4,000 after two days below 3,000. The fifth wave of coronavirus infections has created thousands more infections in the metro area than the previous record surge in December and January.

The highest one-day total, 5,042 infected individuals, was reported in the city on Aug. 5.

Seriously ill patients with COVID-19, the coronavirus respiratory disease, increased by 21 to 197 on Wednesday, NHK reported, citing the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Tuesdays 176 severely ill patients was the highest one-day total of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Marine Corps reported 25 individuals tested positive for COVID-19 at its camps on Okinawa, according to a Facebook post Wednesday by Marine Corps Installations Pacific.

Okinawa prefecture reported 638 new cases, its highest one-day total since 565 on Friday, according to the prefectural public health department.

The number of hospital beds set aside for severely ill COVID-19 patients is at nearly 61% capacity, or 17 of 28 beds, according to the prefecture. Another 643 beds, about 80% of the 803 available, are filled with less severely ill patients.

Stars and Stripes reporter Mari Higa contributed to this report.
Buy Photo Vice Adm. Steve Koehler, commander of the Navys 3rd Fleet, speaks with reporters at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Monday, Aug. 9, 2021. (Wyatt Olson/Stars and Stripes)

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii  For the remainder of August, the San Diego-based 3rd Fleet will be headquartered in a scrum of tents in Hawaii while its command takes part in unprecedented, worldwide Navy drills.

Large Scale Exercise 2021 kicked off last week, with synchronized training taking place among five numbered fleets within U.S. Fleet Forces Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Europe.

The training is based on a progression of fleet battle problems and scenarios that will assess and refine modern warfare concepts, including distributed maritime operations, expeditionary advanced base operations, and littoral operations in a contested environment, the Navy said in a news release last week.

The worldwide exercise is a subset of the even more extensive Large Scale Global Exercise 21, according to a separate news release last week by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, whose job it is to make the joint force, multinational exercise a reality.

Buy Photo A sailor monitors a computer on the watch floor of 3rd Fleets expeditionary maritime operations center at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Monday, Aug. 9, 2021. (Wyatt Olson/Stars and Stripes)

Large Scale Global Exercise 21 incorporates the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps for training with military forces from the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan through Aug. 27.

Roughly a dozen dark-green tents were pitched a week ago at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to serve as 3rd Fleets temporary home.

I've brought the entire headquarters function here, inside this expeditionary mock capability, fleet commander Vice Adm. Steve Koehler told reporters while standing near the tents.

So, I'm command-and-controlling all of 3rd Fleet  both within the exercise and real world  from here, he said. The fleet includes 100 ships, 400 aircraft and roughly 68,000 personnel, he said.

The scale of the maritime training is unprecedented in the modern era, Koehler said.

When you're looking across the large-scale naval exercise here that we're doing, certainly in my 35 years this is the first of a kind where we are bringing in all of the naval forces together, synchronized across the whole Navy, in the meetings that we're having all day long across these 17 time zones, he said.

Right now, we're exercising combat scenarios across the entire maritime of the globe, he said.

The global exercise force  which also includes elements of the Navy's 2nd, 4th, 6th and 7th Fleets  includes about 36 vessels at sea, from carriers to submarines, as well as an unlimited array of constructive, or computer-generated units, 3rd Fleet said in a news release Monday.

The exercise fleet Koehler oversees includes the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and some of its strike group, which arrived in the Hawaiian Islands on Sunday.

The guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain and guided-missile destroyers USS Chafee and USS Stockdale from Destroyer Squadron 1 are also taking part in the exercise.

Sailors fire an M2HB .50-caliber machine gun on the fantail of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson while in transit to Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. (Hayden Smith/U.S. Navy)

The core of Large-Scale Exercise 2021 involves leveraging integrated fighting power of multiple naval forces to share sensors, weapons and platforms across all domains, Rear Adm. Dan Martin, commander of the destroyer squadron, said Sunday in a Navy news release.

Contemporary naval doctrine demands a shift of focus from the individual carrier strike group to a fleet-centric approach, he said.

A preliminary, four-day drill wrapped up Sunday on the Coral Sea off Australia, during which the USS America Expeditionary Strike Group, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, trained beside the Royal Australian Navys amphibious assault ship HMAS Canberra and frigate HMAS Ballarat, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Makinami.

The Navy has been circumspect in revealing details about what scenarios and locations are in store for the rest of Large-Scale Exercise 2021.

Ive got to be careful, specifically, of the actual assets and where they are, Koehler said Monday. But I would tell you that this exercise takes not only the live forces that are currently underway and currently deployed. There are synthetic forces that are simulated in all of the scenarios that are combined  both with the live and the constructive forces  giving us a very robust scenario. All domains: above below and on the sea, space, cyber and information.

The Navy expects to hold similar worldwide exercises every three years, the 3rd Fleet news release said.
Vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and syringes at a vaccination site inside the Incheon Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon, South Korea, on June 8, 2021. (SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg)

For months, a refrigerator at a government facility in the Dutch university town of Leiden has housed 90 or so small white boxes that contain thousands of dollars worth of AstraZeneca vaccine doses. But most of them are emblazoned with six small numbers that will soon render them worthless: 08.2021.

For Dennis Mook-Kanamori, a doctor at Leiden University Medical Center who until recently was administering vaccines there, the upcoming expiration of thousands of doses is tragic. What really incenses him, however, is that the Dutch government is set to let the doses expire rather than send them abroad.

"It's an elitist, decadent attitude," Mook-Kanamori said.

The situation is mirrored in countless freezers, refrigerators and backrooms around the world as millions of coronavirus vaccine doses, developed at record-breaking speeds, march quietly toward expiration before they can be used. And as demand slows in wealthy nations like the Netherlands, more dust is gathering  and more doses are expiring.

Last month, Mook-Kanamori and his colleagues threw away 600 doses. By the end of August, the number is set climb by another 8,000. Unless something changes, by October, all 10,000 or so doses in the refrigerators in Leiden will have been thrown out. Doctors estimate there may be 200,000 AstraZeneca doses in the Netherlands facing a similar fate.

Much of the world has yet to see enough doses to vaccinate even the most vulnerable. Across Africa, as of late last month, only 2.2 percent of people had received at least one dose, while the Netherlands had vaccinated well over half of its population. The Dutch government, which owns the doses, has said that for legal and logistical reasons they cannot be exported, despite criticism from Dutch doctors.

While vaccination programs always have some waste, even standard levels mean mind-boggling numbers of unused doses at the scale of global coronavirus vaccination. But just how many doses have already expired, or are about to, is unclear.

"There is no one who tracks expired doses systematically," said Prashant Yadav, an expert on health-care supply chains at the Center for Global Development, a think tank. Instead, information has trickled out in news reports and little-publicized official statements.

In Israel, 80,000 expiring Pfizer-BioNTech doses were set to be tossed at the end of July; 73,000 doses from various manufacturers have been disposed of in Poland; and 160,000 Sputnik V doses nearing expiration were returned from Slovakia to Russia, their final status unknown. In the United States, North Carolina alone is estimated to have 800,000 doses soon to expire.

According to data compiled by the World Health Organization, approximately 469,868 doses from various manufacturers had expired in Africa as of Aug. 9. "Most of the vaccines arriving have a very short expiration date," said Richard Mihigo, coordinator of immunization and vaccine development for the WHO's Africa arm.

The lack of global data masks the price tag. In the United States alone, estimates of total expired or close-to-expired doses run in the millions. With some vaccines costing as much as $20 a shot, the cost could run into many tens of millions of dollars, if not more.

The toll for human health may be even graver. "The doses we have aren't enough," said Lawrence Gostin, global health law professor at Georgetown University. "They're expiring, they're spoiling with electrical shortages, they're not being delivered to the population. It's a whole catastrophe."

Vaccines often degrade at a higher rate than many other drugs that can be stockpiled, such as Tamiflu, which can be stored for years, according to Jesse Goodman, a professor at the Georgetown School of Medicine and former chief scientist of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

As doses age, they "might not engender the same immune response," Goodman said, turning a strong, potentially lifesaving inoculation into a weakened dud. And mRNA vaccines, such as those developed by Pfizer and Moderna, are particularly fragile.

Expiration dates are set by the manufacturer and approved by local regulatory authorities. Many coronavirus vaccines were given initial emergency use authorization when only six months of data was available, resulting in cautiously short expiration dates.

In a statement to The Washington Post, the WHO said that unlike opened-vial wastage, where multi-dose vaccine vials were opened but could not be used before expiration, unopened vial wastage, such as expiry, was "avoidable." In general, the global health body said, it is recommended to keep all vaccine wastage to below 1 percent.

That may be no easy task. Data compiled by the global vaccine alliance Gavi on non-coronavirus vaccines shows wastage can often hit 10 percent, and sometimes far higher.

Marco Blanker, a doctor in the Dutch town of Zwolle, said he had to throw away 58 doses in one day in the spring due to no-shows amid negative publicity about the AstraZeneca vaccine.

"It was devastating for the team," he said. "We did all our best in the previous weeks to not have any spillage  we didn't lose a drop."

Blanker posted a photograph of the discarded doses on Twitter, sparking a public debate in the Netherlands. Soon other Dutch doctors teamed up to create an app to help redistribute the doses.

Demand in the Netherlands eventually dried up. The country is now 55 percent fully vaccinated and AstraZeneca is only recommended for certain age groups. So Blanker and other doctors such as Mook-Kanamori began looking for other nations that might accept the doses.

Namibia, a West African nation struggling for doses, looked like a good destination. There was even a Dutch doctor who said he was willing to fly them there himself, Mook-Kanamori said. But the Dutch government has stuck to the same position: The doses must be disposed of after they expire.

The Dutch Ministry of Health did not respond to a request for comment. The Netherlands has pledged to donate other vaccine doses, including 75,000 AstraZeneca doses to Namibia.

Even when doses do go to those in need, expiration dates can pose problems. Across Africa, most countries have tailored their rollouts around a three-to-four-month delivery window, Mihigo said. But shipping delays have forced some to contend with shorter periods.

Liberia had 15 days to distribute tens of thousands of AstraZeneca shots from the African Union. About 27,000 expired. "We just didn't have enough time," said the country's health minister, Wilhemina Jallah.

Benin discarded 51,000 doses in July after struggling for three months to deliver them, said Landry Kaucley, the country's director of vaccine logistics. Fears of the shots lingered after European nations paused rollouts to investigate blood clot risks.

Other countries have gone a step further. In Malawi, the government burned almost 20,000 expired AstraZeneca doses in May, in what local officials said was a move to show the public that they would not receive expired doses. Some health authorities, such as the Palestinian Authority, have refused to accept doses they said were too close to expiration.

Expiration dates can change. The FDA last month extended the expiry for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the United States to six months from 4 months. A representative of the Russian Direct Investment Fund said that they expected the expiration of Sputnik V to be increased from six months to one year. Such moves can help claw back doses.

Some experts hope to see Covax, the U.N.-backed vaccine-sharing mechanism, or bilateral deals help move vaccine doses to where they need to be before they expire. But finding a way to share doses is not really the problem, according to doctors like Mook-Kanamori.

"I can get 8,000 shots into an arm in Namibia next week, if there's a will," he explained. "The problem is that there is no will."
Buy Photo People wait in line for a free coronavirus antigen test in Kaiserslautern, Germany, in May 2021. Although Germany will end free coronavirus testing for residents in October, the U.S. military in the country will continue offering coronavirus tests at no cost to eligible beneficiaries. (Karin Zeitvogel/Stars and Stripes)

The U.S. military in Germany will continue offering no-cost coronavirus tests on bases to eligible people even as Germany ends free testing for residents, officials said Wednesday.

The German government will stop subsidizing rapid antigen tests starting Oct. 11, in part to encourage vaccinations and avoid another lockdown as the highly contagious delta variant spreads, Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

The not-so-good news is that the speed of vaccination has declined significantly, Merkel said after a Tuesday meeting with the countrys 16 state governors, The Associated Press reported.

Beginning Aug. 23, a negative test, proof of recent recovery from coronavirus, or proof of vaccination will be required for access to indoor restaurants, hairdressers, hotels, hospitals, gyms and other facilities in Germany when average weekly new infections exceed 35 per 100,000 residents, according to regulations agreed to this week by the federal government. That requirement had previously been lifted in areas where weekly new cases averaged less than 50 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Buy Photo A patient is tested for the coronavirus at the COVID-19 clinic at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, in 2020. Although Germany will end free coronavirus testing for residents in October, the U.S. military in the country will continue offering coronavirus tests to eligible beneficiaries. (Brian Ferguson/Stars and Stripes)

Rapid antigen tests will continue to be free in Germany for people under 18, pregnant women and others who currently cant be vaccinated for medical reasons, AP reported.

Limited free testing will still be available on bases, military officials said.

Army and Air Force clinics and hospitals, including Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, test military community members experiencing coronavirus symptoms, those who have been exposed to the virus and those traveling on official orders.

The tests are free for military members, civilians and their families, and that isnt expected to change, Air Force and Army officials in Germany said Wednesday.

Local national employees may be tested for free under certain circumstances, such as for employment or on-the-job exposure, said Gino Mattorano, a spokesman for Regional Health Command Europe.

Ramstein has provided more than 6,000 self-test kits free to local nationals since early May, in accordance with German law, base officials said.

Since March 2020, military medical facilities in Europe have conducted more than 230,000 diagnostic coronavirus tests, Mattorano said.

Military officials said they do not have the capacity to test people prior to unofficial travel, and they have directed Americans who needed a prior coronavirus test for that purpose, or for restaurant dining or shopping, to use antigen testing centers off base.

Free antigen testing centers are prevalent across much of Germany.

Antigen testing usually returns results in 15 minutes to an hour and is less expensive than molecular testing, which requires lab analysis. The German government has subsidized the cost of at least one antigen test per person, per week since March.

On Wednesday, Germany had a seven-day average incidence rate of 25.1 new infections per 100,000 residents, according to the Robert Koch Institute, the countrys disease control agency. Data showed the number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 4,996 cases and 14 deaths since Tuesday. Germanys rate is considerably lower than the United Kingdom, France and much of Western Europe.

About 55.6% of the population has been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, and 62.7% of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
Thousands of Ethiopians rally against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on Aug. 8, 2021. The leader of the Oromo Liberation Army armed group that Ethiopia's government has designated a terrorist organization said on Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021, that his group has struck a military alliance with Tigray forces. (AP)

NAIROBI, Kenya  A militant leader in Ethiopia says his group has struck a military alliance with the Tigray forces now pressing toward the country's capital, as the conflict that erupted in the Tigray region last year spreads into other parts of Africa's second-most populous country.

"The only solution now is overthrowing this government militarily, speaking the language they want to be spoken to," Oromo Liberation Army leader Kumsa Diriba, also known as Jaal Marroo, told The Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday.

The alliance is a further sign of the broadening of the Tigray conflict that began in November after a political fallout between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Tigray leaders who had dominated Ethiopia's government for nearly three decades. Thousands have been killed in the nine-month war that has been marked by widespread allegations by ethnic Tigrayans of gang-rapes, man-made famine and mass expulsions by Ethiopian and allied forces.

The OLA leader said the agreement was reached a few weeks ago after the Tigray forces proposed it. "We have agreed on a level of understanding to cooperate against the same enemy, especially in military cooperation," Diriba said. "It is underway." They share battlefield information and fight in parallel, he said, and while they're not fighting side by side, "there is a possibility it might happen."

Talks are underway on a political alliance as well, he said, and asserted that other groups in Ethiopia are involved in similar discussions: "There's going to be a grand coalition against (Abiy's) regime."

The alliance brings together the Tigray People's Liberation Front, who had been front and center in Ethiopia's repressive government but were sidelined when Abiy took office in 2018, and the OLA, which last year broke away from the opposition party Oromo Liberation Front and seeks self-determination for the Oromo people. The Oromo are Ethiopia's largest ethnic group.

Ethiopia's government earlier this year declared both the TPLF and OLA terrorist organizations.

Tigray forces spokesman Getachew Reda told the AP last week that "yes, we're working with some people" in pursuit of a political arrangement but didn't give details. "We want to work with anyone not implicated in the genocidal campaign Abiy Ahmed has waged," he said.

There was no comment from the spokeswoman for Abiy's office.

The OLA leader spoke a day after the prime minister called on all capable Ethiopians to join the military and stop the Tigray forces "once and for all" after they retook much of the Tigray region in recent weeks and crossed into the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions. The Tigray forces spokesman has told the AP they are fighting to secure their long-blockaded region but if Abiy's government topples, "that's icing on the cake."

With access to parts of Ethiopia increasingly restricted and journalists often harassed, it is difficult to tell how citizens will respond to the prime minister's call, or whether they will join the fight against him. The government has supported large military recruiting rallies in recent weeks.

The Tigray leaders embittered many Ethiopians during their nearly three decades in power by putting in place a system of ethnic federalism that led to ethnic tensions that continue to simmer in the country of 110 million people.

Diriba acknowledged that agreeing to the Tigray forces' proposal for an alliance took some thought. "There were so many atrocities committed" against the Oromo people during the TPLF's time in power, he said, and the problems it created have never been resolved.

But the OLA decided it was possible to work together, he said, though some doubts remain. "I hope the TPLF has learned a lesson," he said. "I don't think the TPLF will commit the same mistakes unless they're out of their mind." If they do, there will be chaos in Ethiopia and it could collapse as a state, he said.

It was not clear how many fighters the OLA would bring to the alliance. "This, madam, is a military secret," its leader said.

He said he hoped the TPLF's talks with other groups would become public in the near future. He also warned the international community, which led by the United Nations and the United States has urged a halt to the Tigray conflict and negotiations, that the crisis has to be handled carefully "if Ethiopia is to continue together."
Libyan Gen. Khalifa Hifter attends a meeting in Athens, Greece, on Jan. 17, 2020. (Thanassis Stavrakis/AP)

CAIRO  The U.S. ambassador to Libya met Wednesday with a Libyan military commander amid international efforts to salvage a U.N.-brokered roadmap to elections in the North African country later this year.

Richard Norland met with Khalifa Hifter, commander of the self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces, in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. The meeting was part of U.S. efforts to support Libyan parliamentary and presidential elections in December, the U.S. Embassy said.

Norland "continues to focus on the urgency of supporting the difficult compromises necessary to establish the constitutional basis and legal framework needed now in order for the elections to take place on Dec. 24," the embassy wrote on Twitter.

"The United States supports the right of the Libyan people to select their leaders through an open democratic process and calls on key figures to use their influence at this critical stage to do what is best for all Libyans," it said.

The meeting came amid growing tensions between Hifter and the transitional government. Hifter announced earlier this week the promotions of military officers without consulting or getting approval from the ruling Presidential Council. The council's head serves as the supreme commander of Libya's fragmented military.

"Your military will not be subjected to any authority except one elected by the people," Hifter told his troops Monday in a ceremony celebrating the foundation of the Libyan military.

Libya has been wracked by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. In the years that followed the uprising, the oil-rich country split between a U.N.-supported government in the capital, Tripoli, and rival authorities based in the country's east, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments.

Hifter, an Egypt ally, was aligned with the former east-based government.

In April 2019, Hifter and his forces, backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia launched an offensive to try and capture Tripoli from armed groups loosely allied with a U.N.-supported but weak government there.

His 14-month-long campaign, however, collapsed after Turkey stepped up its military support of the Tripoli-based government with hundreds of troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries. That led to the October cease-fire and roadmap to elections adopted in Tunis a month later, which included a transitional government.

Last month, the U.N. special envoy for Libya, Jan Kubis, accused "spoilers" of trying to obstruct the holding of crucial elections in December to unify the divided nation. He told the U.N. Security Council that many key players in Libya reiterated their commitment to the elections, but "I am afraid many of them are not ready to walk the talk."

The Security Council has warned that any individual or group undermining the electoral process could face U.N. sanctions.

The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, a 75-member body from all walks of life, has so far failed to agree on a legal framework to hold elections. The forum met online Wednesday to consider four proposals for the constitutional basis for elections, according to the U.N. support mission in Libya.

The forum's "lack of ability to reach an agreement (on the constitutional basis) risks resulting in depriving once again the Libyan people of their right to democratically elect their representatives and restore the long-lost legitimacy of Libyan institutions," Kubis told the forum.

Another major hurdle is the presence of thousands of foreign forces and mercenaries, and the failure to pull them out as required under last October's cease-fire agreement that ended the fighting in the oil-rich country.

The U.N. mission, meanwhile voiced concern late Tuesday about the abduction and disappearance of a government official in Tripoli earlier this month.

Rida Faraj Fraitis, chief of staff for the first deputy of the prime minister, and a colleague were abducted by armed men after Fraitis' visit to government offices in the capital Aug. 2, the mission said. Their fate was unknown.

The U.N. mission said it was concerned about the further targeting of people supporting the democratic transition. Such targeting "has serious implications for the peace and reconciliation process and for the full unification of national institutions," the mission said.
A video screen displays images of Canadians Michael Kovrig, left, and Michael Spavor at an event held in connection with the announcement of the sentence for Spavor at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. A Chinese court has sentenced Spavor to 11 years on spying charges in case linked to Huawei. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

DANDONG, China  A Canadian entrepreneur was sentenced to 11 years in prison Wednesday in a spying case linked to Beijing's effort to push his country to release an executive of tech giant Huawei, prompting an unusual joint show of support for Canada by the United States and 24 other governments.

China is stepping up pressure as a Canadian judge hears final arguments about whether to send the Huawei executive to the United States to face charges related to possible violations of trade sanctions on Iran. On Tuesday, a court rejected another Canadian's appeal of his sentence in a drug case that was abruptly increased to death after the executive's arrest.

Entrepreneur Michael Spavor and a former Canadian diplomat were detained in what critics labeled "hostage politics" after Huawei's Meng Wanzhou was arrested Dec. 1, 2018, at the Vancouver airport.

Spavor was sentenced by a court in Dandong, about 210 miles (340 kilometers) east of Beijing on the North Korean border. The government has released few details other than to accuse Spavor of passing along sensitive information to the former diplomat, Michael Kovrig, beginning in 2017. Both have been held in isolation and have little contact with Canadian diplomats.

The Canadian government condemned Spavor's sentence. It said he and Kovrig are "detained arbitrarily" and called for their immediate release.

The legal process in Spavor's case "lacked both fairness and transparency," said Ambassador Dominic Barton outside a detention center where the sentence was announced.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau later said the trial "did not satisfy even the minimum standards required by international law."

Spavor has two weeks to decide whether to appeal, according to Barton.

"While we disagree with the charges, we realize that this is the next step in the process to bring Michael home, and we will continue to support him through this challenging time," Spavor's family said in a statement.

"Michael's life passion has been to bring different cultures together through tourism and events shared between the Korean peninsula and other countries including China and Canada," his family said. "This situation has not dampened, but strengthened his passion."

Diplomats from the United States, Japan, Britain, Australia, Germany and other European countries plus the European Union gathered at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing in a show of support. They also have issued separate appeals for Spavor and Kovrig to receive fair trials or to be released.

"The practice of arbitrarily detaining individuals to exercise leverage over foreign governments is completely unacceptable," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. "People should never be used as bargaining chips."

Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said his country was "moved by the demonstration by solidarity from our international partners."

Meng, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Ltd. and daughter of the company's founder, was arrested on U.S. charges of lying to the Hong Kong arm of the British bank HSBC about possible dealings with Iran in violation of trade sanctions.

Meng's lawyers argue the case is politically motivated and what she is accused of isn't a crime in Canada.

China's government has criticized the arrest as part of U.S. efforts to hamper its technology development. Huawei, a maker of network equipment and smartphones, is China's first global tech brand and is at the center of U.S.-Chinese tension over technology and the security of information systems.

Beijing denies there is a connection between Meng's case and the arrests of Spavor and Kovrig, but Chinese officials and state media frequently mention the two men in relation to whether or not Meng is allowed to return to China.

Earlier, Barton said he didn't think it was a coincidence the cases in China were happening while Meng's case was advancing in Vancouver.

Asked whether Canada was negotiating over possibly sending Meng home in exchange for the release of detained Canadians, Barton said, "there are intensive efforts and discussions. I don't want to talk in any detail about that. But that will continue."

Diplomats from the United States and Germany went to the detention center in Dandong but weren't allowed in, according to Barton.

"Our collective presence and voice send a strong message to China and the Chinese government that the eyes of the world are watching," the ambassador said.

Barton said Chinese authorities cited photos taken by Spavor at airports that included military aircraft.

"A lot of it was around the photo evidence," the ambassador said. "He obviously had a different view on that."

Spavor worked in China but had extensive links with North Korea in tourism and other commercial ventures that brought him into contact with the isolated communist state's leadership. The Canadian Embassy noted Spavor had been held for 975 days as of Wednesday.

Barton met with Spavor after the sentencing and said he sent three messages: "Thank you for all your support, it means a lot to me. Two, I am in good spirits. And three, I want to get home."

"He's strong, resilient, focused on what's happening," Barton said. "We had a very good conversation."

Kovrig, who also was detained in December 2018, stood trial in March. There has been no word on when a verdict might be announced.

On Tuesday, a Chinese court rejected the appeal of Robert Schellenberg, whose 15-year prison term for drug smuggling was abruptly increased to death in January 2019 following Meng's arrest. The case was sent to China's supreme court for a mandatory review before it can be carried out.

Canada and other countries, including Australia and the Philippines, face trade boycotts and other Chinese pressure in disputes with Beijing over human rights, the coronavirus and control of the South China Sea. The United States has warned American travelers face a "heightened risk of arbitrary detention" in China for reasons other than to enforce laws.

China has tried to pressure Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government by imposing restrictions on imports of canola seed oil and other products from Canada.

Meanwhile, Beijing is blocking imports of Australian wheat, wine and other products after its government called for an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus pandemic.

___

McDonald reported from Beijing. Associated Press video producer Olivia Zhang in Dandong, China contributed. Rob Gillies contributed from Toronto.
Myanmar's then-junta chief Senior Gen. Than Shwe attends an event in Yangon, Myanmar, on Dec. 24, 2010. (Khin Maung Win/AP)

BANGKOK  The former longtime military ruler of Myanmar, Than Shwe, has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and is expected to remain hospitalized for two weeks, an official said Thursday.

Than Shwe, 88, was admitted along with his wife to the Thaik Chaung military hospital in the capital, Naypyitaw, about three or four days ago after they both tested positive for the coronavirus, a hospital employee said.

The two are being treated in a VIP section of the hospital under tight security, the employee said on condition of anonymity for fear of possible reprisals.

The hospital source did not have information on the severity of their illnesses.

Myanmar has been struggling with one of the worst COVID-19 surges in Southeast Asia, and the military leadership that seized control of the country in February from Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government has been accused of making it worse by diverting critical medical supplies to itself and its supporters.

Than Shwe ruled from 1992 until 2011, when he handed power to a nominally civilian, pro-military government.

During his rule, he led a feared junta that brutally crushed dissent and routinely jailed political opponents, including Suu Kyi, the charismatic face of Myanmar's pro-democracy movement.

He controlled a 400,000-strong military that turned its guns on myriad ethnic rebellions as well as on university students and Buddhist monks who launched an uprising in 2007.

By the time Than Shwe stepped down, Suu Kyi had spent 15 of the previous 21 years in prison or under house arrest.
In this photo from the Korean Central New Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiles after the test-firing of an unspecified missile at an undisclosed location, Aug. 24, 2019. (KCNA)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  The State Department said upcoming, computer-simulated military drills with South Korea are purely defensive in nature, shortly after the North Korean regime lambasted the event again on Wednesday.

The U.S. and South Korea are holding a four-day preliminary crisis management session before kicking off the command-post training Aug. 16 to 26. The exercise is expected to focus on computer simulations, rather than a field exercise by combat troops.

The United States harbors no hostile intent towards [North Korea], State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Tuesday in Washington, D.C. We remain committed to the security of [South Korea] and our combined defense posture in accordance with our ironclad U.S.-[South Korea] alliance.

Price said the U.S. supported inter-Korean dialogue and that Washington would continue to work with our [South Korean] partners towards that end.

Pyongyang regularly rails against joint military exercises, claiming they are preparation for an invasion of the North. The two Koreas remain technically at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice instead of a peace treaty.

The exercise is an unfavorable prelude further beclouding the future of the inter-Korean relations, a senior North Korean official, Kim Yong Chol, said Wednesday.

Now that they made their clear option known to the whole world, defying the opportunity, we will have to make clearer North Korea's view of the issue, he said in a statement through the state-run Korean Central News Agency

Some South Korean lawmakers questioned the timing of the drills, which come two weeks after the North restored communication lines with Seoul. The lines are one of the few ways the countries can relay daily diplomatic messages.

The lines, which were suspended for a year, were reopened to promote mutual trust and reconciliation, the Korean Central News Agency, North Koreas state-run news organization, said in a statement at the time.

However, North Korea stopped answering Seouls calls through the communication channel Tuesday after South Korea announced the exercise will go ahead as planned.

The same day, Kim Yo Jong  North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns sister and a senior official of the countrys ruling Workers Party  accused the U.S. and South Korea of "further accelerating the [unstable] situation on the Korean Peninsula, according to KCNA.

China, one of North Koreas few allies, affirmed Pyongyangs stance. During the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting on Friday, Chinese Foreign minister Wang Yi said the drills were not constructive under the present circumstances, and advised the United Nations to roll back its sanctions against North Korea.

If the United States really wants to resume dialogue with [the North], it should not take any action that may lead to an escalation of tensions, Yi said.
Taliban fighters and Afghans gather around the body of a member of the security forces who was killed, inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province, southwest Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. (Mohammad Asif Khan/AP)

BERLIN  Germany and the Netherlands have suspended any deportations of migrants to Afghanistan due to the tense security situation as Taliban insurgents make sweeping gains in the Central Asian country.

Almost 30,000 Afghans in Germany, many of them failed asylum-seekers, are currently required to leave the country.

Germany's interior minister said the decision was taken due to concerns for the safety of those involved in the deportation. A deportation of six Afghan citizens to Kabul planned for Aug. 3 was canceled at short notice due to a bomb attack in the Afghan capital.

"The security situation on the ground is changing so quickly at the moment that we can't fulfill (our responsibility for the safety) of the deportees, the staff accompanying them or the flight crews," Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said.

But he defended the deportations in general as "an important part of migration policy," adding that the expulsion of convicted criminals and people considered a security threat would resume as soon as the situation allows.

The decision was welcomed by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who noted that the government of Afghanistan had previously asked Germany to suspend flights until the end of October.

"We're doing so now now," he told reporters in Berlin. "I think that's right, too."

In the Netherlands, Justice State Secretary Ankie Broekers-Knol wrote to parliament that changes in Afghanistan were so unpredictable "that a decision was taken to impose a departure moratorium."

She said the decision was justified by "the worsening situation and the possibility to wait for a decision until there is a more stable assessment of the situation."

Germany's Foreign Ministry is updating its new asylum evaluation report, which usually provides the main criteria for deciding whether rejected asylum-seekers can be deported. Since 2016, more than 1,000 Afghan migrants who unsuccessfully applied for asylum in Germany have been sent back to their home country, according to dpa.

Last week, six other European Union member countries argued that the forced deportation of migrants back to Afghanistan must continue despite the government in Kabul suspending such "non-voluntary returns" for three months.

In a letter dated Aug. 5, the interior ministers of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands urged the EU's executive branch to "intensify talks" with the Afghan government to ensure that the deportations of refugees would continue.

"Stopping returns sends the wrong signal and is likely to motivate even more Afghan citizens to leave their home for the EU," the ministers wrote to the European Commission.

The commission confirmed Tuesday that it had received the letter and would reply when ready. Asked whether Afghanistan was a safe place to forcibly send people, spokesman Adalbert Jahnz said: "It is up to each (EU) member state to make an individual assessment of whether a return is possible."

Emboldened by the Biden administration's decision to pull American troops out of Afghanistan and end NATO's troop training mission in Afghanistan, Taliban insurgents have captured five out of the country's 34 provincial capitals in less than a week.

Afghan security forces, which have been backed, trained and financed with billions of dollars in a 20-year-long Western military effort that included many EU countries, appear unable to cope with the Taliban offensive.

More than 1 million migrants came to Germany in 2015 looking for asylum, most of them from countries ravaged by civil wars such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Raf Casert contributed from Brussels.
Soldiers dragging a sleeping bag with their belongings run toward a waiting UH-60 Blackhawk under fire from the Taliban in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Marcus Yam, Los Angeles Times/TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  It's been a punishing few days for Afghanistan's U.S.-created and -supported army.

Since Friday, the Taliban has overrun bastions of government control, snatching more than a quarter of Afghanistan's 34 provincial capitals on its way to controlling an estimated 65% of the country. On Wednesday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani raced to the country's north to rally a defense of besieged Mazar-i-Sharif, the country's fourth-largest city.

With U.S. forces set to complete their pullout in less than three weeks, the Taliban's breakneck advance has many observers asking: After two decades and billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and its partners to create effective Afghan fighting forces, what happened? And can they stop the Taliban from taking over the entire country?

Here's a look at the situation.

'Ghost' fighters

On paper, the Taliban should be no match for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, known as the ANDSF. According to the latest report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, a U.S. government watchdog, the ANDSF comprises 300,699 security personnel, including army, police and air force members. Around one-fifth of them are highly trained special forces operatives; then there are undisclosed figures for CIA-trained paramilitary groups as well as militias associated with the country's warlords.

The Taliban, the SIGAR report estimated, has around 75,000 fighters.

But those figures should be treated with skepticism. Corruption, which infects the Afghan security forces just as much as it does the government, means there are "ghost" soldiers and police  personnel who either never show up or never existed but are on the books so that officials can pocket their salaries.

It's difficult to estimate the scale of the problem, but in 2019, a new payroll system purged more than 10% from the rolls. A year later, another SIGAR report found a gap of some 58,478 personnel between recorded and actual strength levels.

The problem is worse among the Afghan police, especially in the country's south. SIGAR reported in 2020 that, in the southern provinces  areas of pro-Taliban sentiment  anywhere from 50% to 70% of police positions were for personnel who didn't exist. (That report also found that half of them use drugs.)

"For a long time, people in the U.S. and the NATO advisory mission have known that the Afghan police are notoriously corrupt ," said Andrew Watkins, senior analyst for Afghanistan at the International Crisis Group. He added that although the new payroll system had gone some way toward improving the situation, commanders were now skimming off their subordinates' salaries.

"Whatever solution there has been for corruption, corruption has found a way," he said.

Uneven abilities

When asked last month if he trusted the Taliban, President Biden brushed off the question, saying instead that he trusted "the capacity of the Afghan military, who is better-trained, better-equipped, and  more competent in terms of conducting war."

But only a portion of the military would meet that criteria, chief among them the special forces, which are estimated to include some 56,000 operatives. The performance of other sections of the military has been less encouraging, with many observers complaining of a lack of motivation to fight or of personnel acting as little more than placeholders.

"They're meant to sit in checkpoints and act as a static representation of government presence," Watkins said. "It's understood that they don't fight effectively  they're certainly not advancing  and that they're not an offensive force."

That has led to an all-too-frequent routine on the battlefield: Special forces dislodge the Taliban from an area, only for it to be lost again a short time later when other security personnel  whether army, police or local militias  come in to secure those gains and flee before a Taliban counterattack.

Overreliance on air power

When these less-trained troops do fight, they've often looked to air support for cover. But much of that air power has come from the U.S. and its NATO allies, meaning that, as the U.S. draws down, local troops are having to rely more on the Afghan air force for close support, reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering.

The July SIGAR report said all aircraft types in the Afghan air force are flying "at least 25% over their recommended scheduled maintenance." Crews, it said, "remain overtaxed" by an increasingly untenable operations tempo.

Just like U.S. and NATO troops, Western contractors who are meant to service the aircraft and repair battle damage are also "going to zero," meaning they are set to depart the country by Aug. 31, with still no concrete plans as to how the air force will be maintained. That's especially detrimental to the UH-60 Black Hawks, helicopters that are used for everything from repulsing Taliban onslaughts to casualty evacuation to resupply.

Logistical hurdles

Perhaps the biggest problem facing the ANDSF isn't training or equipment but logistics. The Taliban's control of rural areas has also come with more than 80% of the country's highways in its hands. That figure has only increased in recent days as the group has taken additional territory, such that any attempt to resupply the thousands of army and police bases and checkpoints must be done almost exclusively by air.

In other words, every bullet, every mortar shell, every gallon of fuel and often every carton of eggs has to be brought in by already overstretched air force crews. And the greater the distance from Kabul or primary bases in Kandahar and elsewhere, the more likely the outpost will fall.

That's why, for several Afghan officials, including one former high-ranking security head who spoke on condition of anonymity, the recent losses have come as no surprise.

"The ANDSF is very scattered, and it can't choose its own battlefield," he said. "The Taliban chooses the battlefield. That meant the ANDSF had to shrink its presence."

Can the government turn things around?

It depends. Earlier this month, Ghani, the president, presented a security plan that he vowed would bring the country back under government control within six months. The general outline of the plan has the army defending strategic targets while the Afghan police provide security inside major urban areas.

But another, less-discussed aspect of the plan includes empowering former strongmen, including figures with a dark record in Afghan's conflict-filled history. Ghani's visit to Mazar-i-Sharif on Wednesday was an effort to organize a defense of the city with strongman Atta Mohammad Noor and notorious militia leader Abdul Rashid Dostum. There have been reports that Ghani has promised the two leaders air support as well as assistance from the special forces corps to claw back northern territories.

Could the U.S. get involved again?

Biden has poured cold water on that idea, despite the staggering pace of losses hitting the Afghan army.

"We trained and equipped with modern equipment over 300,000 Afghan forces.  I'll insist we continue to keep the commitments we made, providing close air support, making sure that their air force functions and is operable, resupplying their forces with food and equipment and paying all their salaries," Biden said in a White House briefing Tuesday. "They've got to want to fight."

As for withdrawing U.S. troops within the space of just a few months, "I do not regret my decision," he said.

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Buy Photo Afghan local police pass by depictions of noted anti-Taliban leaders Ahmad Shah Massoud and Burhanuddin Rabbani, July 15, 2019, as they drive through the streets of Faizabad, the provincial capital of remote Badakhshan province. The province, once a stronghold against the Taliban, fell to the militant group, Afghan officials said Aug. 11, 2021. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)

KABUL, Afghanistan  Taliban routs of provincial capitals in northern Afghanistan, some of which were once among the strongest opponents of the militant groups rule, have U.S. officials and experts increasingly worried about the Kabul governments hold on power.

Observers say that although the capture of each small city isnt broadly significant on its own, the quick succession of victories creates opportunities for the militants.

The more minor population centers the Taliban take, the more that drives the government out of entire areas of the country, entire provinces in many places, said Andrew Watkins, a senior Afghanistan analyst at International Crisis Group. And that frees the Taliban up to mass even more of their fighters against the largest population centers.

On Tuesday, they seized Faizabad in Badakhshan province overnight, local officials said. It was the seventh capital in the north and ninth overall to fall in less than a week.

Faizabad, home to about 30,000 people, is dwarfed by nearby Kunduz, the only major population center the Taliban have taken. But the capture of smaller capitals stretches the Afghan army and lowers morale, analysts say.

The victories also bring the insurgents to the doorsteps of larger cities and their ultimate prize: Kabul. On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that according to a U.S. intelligence assessment and unnamed U.S. officials, the capital could fall to the Taliban within 30-90 days.

A previous assessment predicted that it would take the Taliban between six and 12 months to overrun the city.

Buy Photo Residents drive across a newly constructed bridge July 15, 2019, along one of the main roads of Faizabad, the provincial capital of remote Badakhshan province. The city was once a stronghold against the Taliban but has fallen to the militant group, officials said Aug. 11, 2021. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo A swollen river roars through a mountain valley in remote Badakhshan province July 14, 2019. The provincial capital of Faizabad, once a stronghold against the Taliban, fell to the militant group, local officials said Aug. 11, 2021. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo An Afghan police checkpoint near the neck of a narrow and winding valley overlooks a paved road to Faizabad, the provincial capital of remote Badakhshan province on July 14, 2019. Faizabad was once a stronghold against the Taliban but has fallen to the militant group, local leaders said Aug. 11, 2021. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo An Afghan policeman guards the entrance of a government building in Faizabad, the provincial capital of remote Badakhshan province, on July 15, 2019. The city was once a stronghold against the Taliban but has fallen to the militant group, local leaders said Aug. 11, 2021. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)

The Talibans rapid sweep through the north has taken many by surprise, especially since the groups heartland is in the south. It was the former Northern Alliance, a loose group of allies once based in Badakhshan, that teamed up with the U.S. during its 2001 invasion to topple the Taliban.

The unexpected onslaught is forcing the government to prioritize between trying to retake territory in the north and preventing other lands from falling elsewhere, said Adam N. Weinstein, a research fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

Thats very divisive because no one wants to see their regions sacrificed, Weinstein said.

However, military officials acknowledge that sacrifices are inevitable because Afghan forces are too strained to control the whole country.

Last month, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that Afghan government forces were changing their strategy to consolidate around cities.

The fall of nine provincial capitals in less than a week suggests that the shift may have been made too late. Nevertheless, Weinstein said it was the right move.

They needed to coalesce around certain population centers, but they didnt want to leave the rural remote outposts because they didnt want to look like they were giving up territory, Weinstein said. The cost of that is that these places are falling, the outposts are falling, and now the cities are falling and its quite rapid.

Zaranj, in western Nimruz province, was the first provincial capital to fall on Friday, followed by Sheberghan in northern Jawzjan province the next day. On Sunday, the Taliban overtook the capitals of Kunduz, Sar-e-Pul and Takhar provinces.

The Talibans success in the north continued the following day, when they captured Aibak in Samangan province.

The government has played down the news that some of the capitals have entirely fallen, saying its forces continue to fight in areas.

The Talibans assault on cities comes after the group seized swaths of rural territory as part of their offensive, which began in May after President Joe Biden announced that all U.S. troops would be pulled out of the country by Aug. 31.

Part of the Talibans aim is to trigger a mass psychological collapse in the Afghan military and in society at large, and the government must find a way of maintaining morale, Nishank Motwani, former deputy director of the Kabul-based Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, said in an email.

The Talibans capture of relatively less protected provinces has a disproportionate psychological impact that projects an image of the militants as an unstoppable force, and this perception of power is power itself, Motwani said.

U.S. airstrikes against the Taliban continue as the last American troops leave the country. But the limited strikes are expected to end unless the Biden administration announces a policy change.

Theyve got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation, Biden said Tuesday.

Despite two decades of U.S. assistance and training, its uncertain how effective Afghan government forces will be in the weeks ahead. Their special operations units and air force give them advantages, but neither are large enough to control large areas.

Afghan security forces, despite the help theyve received from NATO personnel, are in no position to tame the insurgency, said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia program at the Wilson Center in Washington.

All the preparations that the Taliban has made in recent years and months have set up the insurgents perfectly well for a run on Kabul, Kugelman said.
The threats and abuse are "too much," said City Clerk Susan Nash, pictured in a secure storage room for election equipment at city hall in Livonia, Mich. The room is kept locked and under video surveillance. (Sarah Rice/For The Washington Post)

In preparation for a vote on local tax assessments last week in Houghton County, Mich., county clerk Jennifer Kelly took extraordinary precautions, asking election staff in this remote northern Michigan community to record the serial numbers of voting machines, document the unbroken seals on tabulators and document in writing that no one had tampered with the equipment.

In the southeastern part of the state, Michael Siegrist, clerk of Canton Township, followed similar steps, even organizing public seminars to explain how ballots are counted.

Despite their efforts, they said they could not fend off an ongoing torrent of false claims and suspicions about voting procedures that have ballooned since former president Donald Trump began his relentless attacks on the integrity of the 2020 election last year.

"People still complained about our Dominion voting machines, about the need for more audits and most of all they complained about the use of Sharpies," Siegrist said, referring to the widely used pen, which has become the focus of a conspiracy theory gripping Trump supporters in Arizona and other states.

"It used to be fun to be an election clerk, but it isn't any more," he added.

Nine months after the 2020 election, local officials across the country are coping with an ongoing barrage of criticism and personal attacks that many fear could lead to an exodus of veteran election administrators before the next presidential race.

"The complaints, the threats, the abuse, the magnitude of the pressure  it's too much,'' said Susan Nash, a city clerk in Livonia, Mich., who has contended with ongoing questions about the integrity of the process in her community.

As Trump continues to promote the false notion that the 2020 White House race was tainted by fraud, there is mounting evidence that his attacks are curdling the faith that many Americans once had in their elections  and taking a deep toll on the public servants who work to protect the vote.

A Monmouth poll taken in June found that one-third of Americans believed that President Joe Biden won the White House due to fraud, including 63% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.

Officials from counties large and small say they are inundated with false claims, such as unsubstantiated allegations that Chinese hackers siphoned votes or that ballots marked by Sharpie pens were disqualified.

The anger is palpable and personal, leading many to fear for their own safety.

On Friday, an orange prison jump suit was delivered to offices of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, addressed to the five-member board, which has strongly denounced a recount of 2020 ballots commissioned by the GOP-led state Senate as a sham.

Threats against the Republican-majority board have picked up in recent weeks, particularly after it refused to comply with the Senate's most recent demand for access to local computer routers and internal logs, said Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates. The board's stance led some members of the state Senate to call for the supervisors to be jailed and even held in solitary confinement.

Last week, Gates said, the board received a voice mail in which a caller threatened to kill each member and their families.

"This stuff isn't organic," Gates said, saying the attacks amount to "a whole dehumanizing of people."

"It's that concept that we're somehow not worthy of respect or safety," he said. "That we're traitors."

  

Similar examples of intimidation are being reported by local officials across the country, said Liz Howard, the former deputy commissioner of elections in Virginia who now serves as senior counsel to the nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice. "I know of election officials in multiple states who have been forced to leave their homes because of threats against them and their families," she said.

A study by the Brennan Center released in June found that one in three election officials feels unsafe because of their jobs, and nearly one in five listed threats to their lives as a job-related concern.

The study, conducted with the Bipartisan Policy Center and Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, concluded that the toxic environment "represents a mortal danger to American democracy, which cannot survive without public servants who can freely and fairly run our elections."

On Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin warning state and local law enforcement officials of potential violence that "may occur during August 2021" fueled by "increasing but modest level of individuals calling for violence in response to the unsubstantiated claims of fraud related to the 2020 election fraud and the alleged 'reinstatement' of former President Trump," according to a copy obtained by The Washington Post.

A man on the steps of the Michigan Capitol watches as protesters in Lansing demand an audit of the 2020 vote. (Sarah Rice/For The Washington Post)

"We are currently in a heightened terrorism-related threat environment, and DHS is aware of previous instances of violence associated with the dissemination of disinformation, false narratives, and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election," said a U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the bulletin.

The growing hostility has caught the attention of lawmakers in Washington. A bill introduced in the Senate last week and sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., would extend existing prohibitions on intimidating or threatening voters to include election officials engaged in the counting of ballots, canvassing and certifying election results.

  

At a virtual conference of the National Association of State Election Directors this week, election officials shared impassioned stories about the stresses of the job over the past 18 months: the challenge of running elections during a global pandemic; the unfounded accusations of fraud that followed Biden's victory last November; and for some, the physical threats that followed.

"I think the fear is that after 2020, no matter how hard we work, there are a lot of people out there who don't understand how elections are run and they're filling in those gaps with false information," said Chris Piper, Virginia's top elections official, who was among those who spoke at the conference.

"The people doing the hard work of putting on an election are your friends and neighbors," he added. "They are not political appointees. They're people you see in the grocery store and down the street walking their dogs. These are dedicated, passionate people. To have those accusations that are just unfounded, it's disheartening. And it's just been hard to watch."

In Des Moines this week, members of the National Association of Secretaries of State are gathering for an in-person conference  and organizers have taken extra precautions to protect the safety of those attending, said Maria Benson, a spokeswoman for the group.

Benson said the organization worked with the Iowa secretary of state's office along with local, state and federal law enforcement to beef up security.

Four hours to the east, Trump supporters have assembled in Sioux Falls, S.D., this week at a symposium hosted by MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, one of the most prominent promoters of the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

On social media, extremists have flooded platforms such as Telegram with messages promoting Lindell's gathering and the unsubstantiated notion that Trump will be reinstated in the White House this month, according to the Coalition for a Safer Web, which monitors online threats.

  

Most worrisome, election experts said in interviews, is the long-term impact on local clerks, who function as independent referees of voting in their communities  a job that is more essential than ever before.

"There is a scary backlash against these officials," said Lawrence Jacobs, a University of Minnesota political scientist who has been studying the effects of the doubts sown by Trump and his allies. "The umpires are leaving the stadium because they are frightened by what has happened after the 2020 election. They don't want to be threatened anymore."

A survey of election officials by Reed College and the Democracy Fund in the summer of 2020 found that 60% of election officials in the country's largest jurisdictions were considering retirement by 2024.

"It has become really toxic right now, and it's very hard for someone to continue to do their jobs in this environment," said Paul Gronke, a professor of political science at Reed who led the survey.

The safety concerns are so serious that Colorado's director of elections, Judd Choate, said he had to adjust a certification course he teaches for elections personnel  adding a new emphasis on personal security.

"We are in harm's way as never before," Choate said.

The threats have grown particularly intense in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, which has been roiled by mushrooming demands by residents for recounts of the 2020 vote in local counties.

One former GOP clerk, Tina Barton of Rochester Hills, Mich., received death threats last year after there was an initial reporting error about the 2020 results in her city that was quickly fixed. "You will pay for your [expletive] lying. ... We will [expletive] take you out, [expletive] your life and [expletive] your family," a caller told her in a voice message she provided to The Washington Post. "Watch [expletive] your back."

Ann Manary, a Republican clerk in Midland, Mich., has worked in the clerk's office for 31 years and said she has "never seen anything like" the threats, pressure and complaints that have rolled into her office since the 2020 election.

In an attempt to bolster faith in local officials, the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks passed a resolution last week lauding election workers "for conducting the 2020 elections in a fair, secure, and accurate manner."

The resolution cited a state Senate report issued in June that forcefully rejected the claims of widespread fraud in the state, saying citizens should be confident in the results and skeptical of "those who have pushed demonstrably false theories for their own personal gain."

But in a sign of the growing toxicity, the chairman of the Oversight Committee that produced the report, Sen. Ed McBroom, has found himself reviled by Trump and his supporters, who have asked the state Republican Party to approve a resolution calling for his resignation.

"He doesn't deserve this," said Nash, the Livonia clerk who like McBroom, considers herself a conservative Republican. "They wonder why people don't want to be public servants any more. You do your job faithfully, and then get criticized for it."

Kelly, the Houghton County clerk, said she was relieved that last week's election went smoothly. But she is now fielding renewed demands for information about the 2020 race and questions about the use of Sharpies and the security of voting machines.

"We have done so many audits and reviews, but I now have new Freedom of Information Act requests for ballots and data and demands again for forensic audits," Kelly said. "It seems the 2020 election will never end."

The Washington Post's Emily Guskin contributed to this report.
Clockwise from left: Spc. Ayriss Torres, 21, a civil affairs specialist in the Army Reserve, will compete in the Miss America pageant as Miss Idaho. Ensign Lydia Sohn, 25, will compete as Miss Maryland. She is in a Reserve status as she prepares to enter Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2022. Navy Ensign Andolyn Medina, 25, will compete as Miss District of Columbia. She is currently in a Reserve status to attend George Washington University as a full-time doctoral candidate in clinical psychology. Spc. Maura Spence-Carroll, 21, an intelligence analyst in the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo., will compete as Miss Colorado. (Photos provided by: Spc. Ayriss Torres; Ensign Lydia Sohn; Ensign Andolyn Medina; U.S. Army and Spc. Maura Spence-Carroll .)

An active-duty soldier, an Army reservist and two Navy ensigns in the Reserve will trade their name tapes and uniforms for sashes and sequined gowns to compete for the crown of Miss America.

After the dust settled from final state competitions in July, at least four military women earned spots in this years Miss America competition, seemingly more service members than have graced the stage at one time in the pageants 100-year history.

There just seems to be this idea that women who embrace their femininity can't do traditionally masculine things. The reality is that we can, said Spc. Maura Spence-Carroll, an intelligence analyst in the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo.

The 21-year-old, and now Miss Colorado, said so many service members competing for Miss America just shows that women are multifaceted.

I just have different things that I'm interested in. Because they seem like such polar opposites, being in the military and then competing in Miss America, it doesn't mean that I am splitting myself. I'm wholly myself because I am able to enrich my life through different perspectives, she said.

The other service women crowned in the past two months to compete for Miss America are Spc. Ayriss Torres, 21, a civil affairs specialist in the Army Reserve who will compete as Miss Idaho, Navy Ensign Andolyn Medina, 25, as Miss District of Columbia, who serves in a Reserve status to attend George Washington University as a full-time doctoral candidate in clinical psychology, and Ensign Lydia Sohn, 25, as Miss Maryland, who also is in a Reserve status as she prepares to enter Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2022.

Both Navy women are part of the militarys Health Professions Scholarship Program, which pays for a persons education in exchange for active-duty service in several health care fields after graduation.

A shared history of service

In Spence-Carrolls own review of Miss Americas history, she found military women have participated in the national pageant stretching back at least 30 years. Army officer Leah Hulan competed as Miss Tennessee in 1992. Air Force Reserve officer Andrea Plummer competed as Miss New York in 2001.

In 2007, Utah National Guard medic Jill Stevens competed as Miss Utah. Stevens served in Afghanistan, making her the first combat veteran to vie for Miss America. In 2013, Army reservist Theresa Vail made headlines as Miss Kansas for having visible tattoos during the swimsuit portion of the competition.

Patricia Northrup Murray competed in 1992 as Miss California and used the scholarship money that she earned to begin a career in commercial aviation. She then joined the California Air National Guard and retired as a lieutenant colonel with 21 years of service and six tours in the Middle East, according to her website.

The Miss America Organization said they cant be certain there werent other service members or veterans who have participated because they dont track the information.

Margot Mifflin, an author and journalism professor at the City University of New York, said she didnt find a definitive list of military women who competed in the pageant while writing her book, Looking for Miss America: A Pageants 100Year Quest to Define Womanhood.

However, Mifflin did uncover the military and Miss America have always shared a connection, whether through rallying support for the troops, boosting morale, or sharing similar values. Miss America also inspired the name of a Korean War-era film to encourage women to take jobs in support the war effort.

Released in 1952, The Real Miss America, was narrated by actor Henry Fonda and showed perfectly average-looking women at work as air traffic controllers, photographers, mapmakers, and biochemists laboring alongside men, Mifflin wrote.

Each of the service women in this years competition made it clear that their Miss America-related affairs are separate from their military duties. However, it was inevitable that the worlds would collide.

Torres, a member of the 405th Civil Affairs Battalion out of Salt Lake City, will miss her Miss America orientation because it coincides with a rotation at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. Spence-Carroll, whose talent is singing, said she often has to practice her vocals in her barracks room, where a soldier living nearby once texted to tell her that she sounded like a Disney princess.

The soldier said shes gotten countless messages from veterans, service members and military family members who have shown their support for her goals.

It's almost overwhelming to see how many people resonate with what I'm saying and with what I want to do. It's also kind of terrifying, because now it's really set in that I'm a representative of two organizations. I represent Miss America to the Army, and I represent the Army to the rest of the world, Spence-Carroll said.

The skillset and rewards associated with joining either organization are surprisingly similar, said Shantel Krebs, chairwoman of the board of the Miss America Organization and its interim president and CEO. Just getting to the state level to compete for Miss America requires leadership and hours of training and community service.

Miss America has been supportive of the United States armed forces  going back to 1942 when our Miss America raised over $2.5 million in war bonds -- the most [raised] of any individual, Krebs said. Miss America is also serving her country, but in a different way.

In July, the current Miss America, Camille Schrier of Virginia, joined the USO for its first in-person morale tour since the coronavirus pandemic shut down such events.

A path to education

Like many troops enlisting out of high school in hopes of paying for college, Miss America winners also gain access to scholarships.

In Mifflins book, she quoted Chante Griffin, Miss Teen of California in 1996, who noted this similarity of the organizations to promise education to middle- and working-class young women.

[W]hether wearing a bikini or a beret, they all offer up their bodies to country in pursuit of their piece of the American Dream, Griffin said.

The Miss America Organization doles out more than $5 million a year in scholarship money, Krebs said. Medina alone has received more than $137,000, including a full scholarship to Hollins University in Roanoke, Va., when she was crowned Miss Virginia Outstanding Teen.

I think that one of the most incredible things this organization has been able to give me is the ability to continue my education and to feel empowered through my education, said Medina, who is the daughter of two Navy officers. And it's another avenue of what I'm hoping to be able to speak to as Miss D.C., is to get the next generation involved with this organization so that they can take advantage of the scholarship opportunities. I really think education is power.

Sohn used $2,000 won along with the title of Miss Western Maryland to pay for medical school applications and then took home another $12,400 with the title of Miss Maryland that she plans to put toward student loans. She holds a Bachelor of Science in molecular and cellular biology from Johns Hopkins University, where she also minored in music, and a Master of Science in physiology and biophysics from Georgetown University.

Growing up, Sohn said she watched Miss America competitions amazed that while the women wore sparkling tiaras, they also were doctors, lawyers and working professionals who were dedicated to community service.

She saw the same dedication to service in her brother and cousin, who are Navy doctors, which inspired her to look toward military service as she pursued her goal to become a doctor.

What I really liked was that the Navy goes on these humanitarian missions to underserved communities, and I thought that was just incredible, Sohn said. Something that was instilled in me from a really young age is that we cultivate these talents and these skills, not just for our own benefit and our own enjoyment, but also for those around us and the ways that we can be of service to those around us.

Miss America 2.0

Following a rebranding effort in 2018 that included retiring the swimsuit portion of the competition, the Miss America Organization has turned away from the phrase beauty pageant to better encompass the full potential of the women who compete, Krebs said. Its no longer about physical appearance, but about contestants proving they have the skills to take on the full-time, paid job of representing the organization and wearing the crown.

I think it shows how evolved we are and how our culture continues to evolve to not only see women for being beautiful or for looking good in a swimsuit, but for also being educated and for being leaders, said Torres, who works as a loan officer in her civilian career. That's what I love about the new Miss America rebranding, is that it's about business, it's about leadership, it's about connecting with your community, more than it is about your body style.

The 2021 Miss America competition will be broadcast live from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. The date in December has not been announced.

In the interim, each woman said they will be juggling their duties as a state titleholder with preparing for the big competition and school, work and whatever military duties are scheduled.

It can be a lot to manage, Spence-Carroll said.

I wouldn't have kept doing this and trying year after year after year, if I didn't absolutely love the program, she said. Honestly, it's a lot of work, but there's a sense of satisfaction knowing that every day, you're not taking these great leaps, you're taking these small steps that help build you up to your ultimate goal.
Watermen dredge for oysters on the Chesapeake Bay in southern Maryland near Ridge, Md., on Nov. 19, 2019. An environmental group released a new analysis Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021, of Defense Department records that has found the groundwater of at least nine military installations near the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and Virginia is contaminated with high levels of toxic forever chemicals. (Brian Witte/AP)

ANNAPOLIS, Md.  The groundwater of at least nine military installations near the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and Virginia is contaminated with high levels of toxic fluorinated "forever chemicals," according to a report Wednesday by an environmental group that cites Defense Department records.

The Environmental Working Group's report focuses on installations along the bay and concerns about contamination mostly from chemicals in firefighting foam containing PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They are known as "forever chemicals" because they do not break down in the environment.

The group says it's the first time an analysis of the concerns has been conducted publicly at military sites across the nation's largest estuary, whose large watershed includes the six states of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York. The bay also is troubled by pollution from nitrogen fertilizer runoff and other pollutants.

The EWG report notes that records show PFAS may be present in groundwater at several other installations near the bay, where the Defense Department has not tested to confirm the presence of chemicals.

For years, the military used a film-forming foam in training to fight aircraft fires on flight lines. The Defense Department no longer uses foam with the chemicals for firefighting training, unless it can be contained.

"I think the real take home here is the DOD has been very slow to identify those places where PFAS is present and threatening crabs and oysters and has been very slow to clean up these legacy plumes of PFAS pollution that continue to threaten our crabs and oysters," said Scott Faber, senior vice president for government affairs for EWG.

The Maryland installations cited in the report include the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Martin State Air National Guard Base, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Chesapeake Bay Detachment, Blossom Point and the Patuxent River Naval Air Station.

The Virginia installations include Langley Air Force Base, Fort Eustis and Naval Weapons Station Yorktown.

The EWG report cited dangerous levels of PFAS, with amounts up to 2.2 million parts per trillion  the highest amount reported at the Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia.

The potential threat to bay shellfish and seafood from PFAS contamination at Defense Department sites is a local example of a U.S.-wide problem, the group said. Nationally, PFAS have been detected at more than 300 military installations, and they may be present at hundreds of other installations.

Last month, the department held an online forum for the first time between the department and stakeholders affected by PFAS.

Richard Kidd, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for environment and energy resilience, said that while it may take years for the department to fully define the cleanup requirements for PFAS  and possibly decades to actually do the cleanup  the department would remain committed to the effort and to communicate with those affected.

"We are intent on making sustained progress on all PFAS challenges," Kidd said, according to a Defense Department news release about the event. "We will continue to invest in science and technology, and we will demonstrate a commitment to clear and constructive dialogue with all stakeholders, such as ... the participants today."

An internal audit made public last month by the Pentagon's inspector general concluded that the department dragged its feet on protecting service personnel from "forever chemicals" at military installations and isn't doing enough to track health effects from exposure to the toxic compounds.

Officials have taken steps to find and clean groundwater contaminated with firefighting foam containing PFAS, the department's inspector general found. But its report said the Pentagon has fallen short on dealing with other sources of the chemicals as its rules require.

Also last month, the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee included an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to take steps to address PFAS contamination at military sites.
A New Mexico-based security company will pay a reservist and retired chief petty officer $25,000 for pension credits and benefits he lost while serving in the military, the Justice Department announced.

Akal Securitys failure to credit Robert M. Diazs pension for the three years he served on active duty violated a law that protects service members from being discriminated against because of their military obligations, the agency said Tuesday in a statement.

While employed since 2005 as a full-time court security officer at the Moakley federal courthouse in Boston, Diaz also served in the Coast Guard Reserve.

Akal Security was managing Diazs contract when he left for military service in 2012, an active-duty assignment that lasted three years.

When Diaz returned to his civilian job, his pension wasnt credited with the time he would have been working if not for his military duty, according to the Justice Department.

In court papers, Akal denied that it had discriminated against Diaz. But the company agreed to send Diaz a check via overnight mail for $25,000, minus any required withholdings or deductions.

Members of the Reserves are often called away from their civilian jobs in order to provide the security upon which our nation depends, Fred Federici, acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico, said in a statement. They should not have to fear losing their jobs or, as here, their pension benefits, when they answer the call.

The Labor Departments Veterans Employment and Training Service investigated the case, which was then referred to the Justice Department.

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Acts protects the rights of service members to retain their civilian employment following absences resulting from military service.

The law also requires pre-deployment employers to provide pension benefits when employees are called to active duty.

(Wikicommons)

Jennifer H. Svan
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally from 2014. (Facebook)

STURGIS, S.D. (Tribune News Service)  Tuesdays at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally are always special days for active duty military service members and veterans, and the 81st annual rally was no different.

The rally celebrated and honored those who have served their country Tuesday with a special Military Appreciation Day motorcycle ride and a ceremony at Harley-Davidson Rally Point Plaza. Two B-1B bombers from Ellsworth Air Force Base flew over downtown Sturgis.

The Military Appreciation Day, sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, honored thousands of men and women who served in the military. The VFWs Commander-in-Chief Matthew M. Fritz Mihelcic made a special trip to the rally to present a handcrafted metal sign to rally staff.

During the Tuesday afternoon ceremony, attendees also heard from the Folds of Honor group and the Gold Star Families organization. Mayor Mark Carstensen honored two veterans who are icons in the city of Sturgis.

John Coyle served in the U.S. Navy and found his way to the Black Hills.

It can be said that John is an ambassador for Sturgis, Carstensen said. You will see John out and about each day talking to everyone and welcoming visitors that frequent our downtown at his post at the corner of Junction and Douglas waving at all the locals.

Coyle was named Sturgis Community Volunteer of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce in 2020 and was a member of the Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department for 40 years among multiple other events around town.

Johns love of the rally led him to collect a patch from every year starting in 1974, Carstensen said.

The mayor presented a special award to Coyle at the ceremony to thank him for representing the community and for loyal dedication to volunteer wherever and whenever needed.

Carstensen also honored Edgemont native Walter Staubers, 90, who joined the South Dakota National Guard while still in high school and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Staubers served in the Navy for 27 years.

After officers candidate school, he worked his way up the ranks, ultimately becoming a captain, Carstensen said. Walt served as an instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy for two years and had command of three ships.

During his command, Staubers was invited to lunch with Prince Charles of England and was presented at court to the Queen of Denmark.

Staubers retired from the Navy in 1979 and moved back to Sturgis, where he collects and sells antiques and also flips houses for sale. Staubers served on several committees in the city and helped supervise a parking lot for the Knights of Columbus during the rally. He also delivered Meals on Wheels for more than 25 years.

To thank Staubers for his service in the Navy and to the city of Sturgis, Carstensen proclaimed Tuesday as Walter Staubers Day in addition to Military Appreciation Day.

(c)2021 Rapid City Journal, S.D.

Visit Rapid City Journal, S.D. at http://www.rapidcityjournal.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Freelance journalist Austin Tice went missing in Syria in 2012. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS)

WASHINGTON  Syrian President Bashar Assad has the power to free Austin Tice, an American journalist and U.S. Marine Corps veteran who went missing while covering the war there nine years ago, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

Marking the anniversary of Tices captivity, and his 40th birthday, Blinken said he was personally committed to securing his freedom.

He turns 40 years old today, having spent almost a quarter of his life in captivity, Blinken said in a statement. I am personally committed to bringing home all Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad.

We believe that it is within Bashar al-Assads power to free Austin, he said. We will continue to pursue all avenues to bring Austin home. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and the broader team are working diligently and around the clock to bring Austin back to his family.

Austin Tice must be allowed to return home to his loved ones who miss him dearly and to the country that awaits him eagerly, Blinken said.

Biden administration officials have told McClatchy that they are operating with the sincere belief that Tice is alive.

The Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, a team of experts from different government agencies that gathers diplomatic leads and intelligence information together in one place, is pursuing the Tice case.

Tice was detained at age 31 at a checkpoint in a suburb of Damascus. Five weeks later, a video was released showing him held by unidentified armed men.

No one has claimed responsibility for his disappearance.

Carstens was appointed by former President Donald Trump in March 2020, and has been kept on by President Joe Biden. Carstens participated in direct talks with Syrian government officials last year that broke down quickly after the Syrians refused to provide any information of Tices whereabouts, officials said.

The Biden administration is still reviewing its policy toward Syria and officials would not comment on whether direct talks over Tice have continued.

Tice was born in Texas and served as an officer of the United States Marine Corps.

He was a student at Georgetown Law School in 2012 when he traveled to Syria as a freelance journalist for McClatchy and other news organizations.

2021 McClatchy Washington Bureau.

Visit at mcclatchydc.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Wildcat Division Memorial located on the grounds of the North Carolina State Capitol, Raleigh, N.C. (Wikimedia Commons)

HIGH POINT, N.C. (Tribune News Service)  An unexpected find in a local woman's attic has unearthed a mystery surrounding the death of a World War I soldier from High Point.

Koni Hedgecock of High Point was helping a friend move out of her house when she came across a manila envelope in the attic that contained personal letters and other papers  including the official telegrammed death notice from the War Department  of Sgt. William L. "Willie" Underwood.

Hedgecock's friend knew nothing about the papers. She had no clue who Willie Underwood was, nor did she know how his death notice and personal letters ended up in her attic.

Hedgecock, though, wasn't about to discard her find, which she knew was more than a hundred years old and would have great sentimental value for Underwood's family ... if she could find them.

"I just felt like I needed to get those papers to his family," Hedgecock said. "They couldn't just get thrown out with the trash. The family needed them  it's part of their history."

A simple Google search did the trick, pulling up a "High Point Confidential" column  written about Underwood  that was published in The High Point Enterprise last Nov. 11. In that column, Hedgecock found the name of Underwood's great-nephew, Wayne Underwood of Trinity, and was able to track him down and give him the papers she'd found.

"It's like finding gold," Underwood said. "When she gave them to me, we were both pretty emotional over the whole thing, because to see that (the death notice) and to have all these papers returned to the family, it's really a blessing."

It also resulted in a mystery, though, because the soldier's death notice states he was killed on Nov. 9, 1918.

"That's the puzzler," said Underwood, who owns a framed memorial card from 1918 that pays tribute to his great-uncle. "What's on his memorial card and his gravestone says Nov. 10, but the telegram says Nov. 9. We have a letter from the Red Cross about his death, and it also says Nov. 10. So it's a mystery."

Newspaper clippings from The Enterprise also say Nov. 10  which is still the date Underwood believes his great-uncle was killed  but the telegram has given him pause, he said.

Underwood, a young widower from High Point, was drafted into the Army in 1917, serving with the 322nd Infantry, 81st Division, aka the Wildcat Division. In the fall of 1918, the division was deployed to the battlefields of France, where the unit fought in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, a particularly bloody battle near the end of the war.

On the afternoon of Nov. 10  or possibly Nov. 9  Underwood died "when a shell struck within about a foot of him, killing him instantly," according to the letter from the Red Cross. He was buried the next day, with military honors.

Regardless of which day Underwood died, it was less than 48 hours before the armistice was signed ending the war, a tragic irony in his story. The Enterprise wrote that he was "the last High Pointer to sacrifice his life in the world war."

On Sept. 17, 1921, Underwood finally came home, his remains having been shipped from France at the family's request. He was buried again, with full military honors, at Oakwood Cemetery, and more than a thousand High Pointers paid their respects as he was laid to rest.

This past weekend, nearly a century after Underwood's burial, a small crowd of relatives again gathered at his gravesite to honor him. They were joined by Koni Hedgecock, whose only connection to the fallen soldier was a sheaf of old, fragile papers she'd found in a friend's attic.

"It was just kind of neat being there with the family as they remembered this young man," she said. "And I'm honored to be part of returning those papers to the family, where they belong."

(c)2021 The High Point Enterprise (High Point, N.C.)

Visit The High Point Enterprise (High Point, N.C.) at www.hpenews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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In brief: For Xiaomi, it's a case of first Europe, now the world. Having recently been crowned the top smartphone vendor on the continent, the Chinese giant has just knocked Samsung off the number one spot in the global sales rankings.

According to Counterpoint Research, Xiaomi has become the number one brand in global monthly smartphone sales (sell-through) volumes. It took a 17.1% share of the market in June, outselling both Samsung (15.7%) and Apple (14.3%).

2021 has been Xiaomi's year. The company recently became the largest smartphone vendor in Europe and, in the second quarter, replaced Apple as the world's number two. Now, it sits at the top of the pile above Samsung.

As noted by Ars Technica, Xiaomi's rise has been aided by a huge presence in its home market of China, the world's largest smartphone market, and Indiathe second biggest. It also has 58 phones listed on its website, ranging from budget models to flagships.

"Ever since the decline of Huawei commenced, Xiaomi has been making consistent and aggressive efforts to fill the gap created by this decline," said Counterpoint Research Director Tarun Pathak. "The OEM has been expanding in Huawei's and HONOR's legacy markets like China, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. In June, Xiaomi was further helped by China, Europe, and India's recovery and Samsung's decline due to supply constraints."

Counterpoint believes Xiaomi's position at the top may be short-lived. A wave of Covid infections in Vietnam in June disrupted Samsung's production, resulting in shortages. The Korean firm could move back into the number one position once it recovers.

According to Korean publication The Elec, Samsung is "extending its management review" of the mobile business, something it does "when the top leadership considers there is a problem with a particular business unit." It says the move has been prompted by missing target sales for the Galaxy S21 and lacklustre performance in 5G smartphones.

Yesterday saw Xiaomi reveal another of its non-mobile products: a rather sinister-looking quadrupedal robot called CyberDog.
In a nutshell: Apple's copyright battle with mobile virtualization startup Corellium finally ended with the Cupertino tech giant dropping the case in an undisclosed settlement. The settlement comes on the heels of a judgment in favor of Corellium last year.

Corellium makes a product that allows users to virtualize mobile operating systems in a desktop browser. The software is used for various purposes, including app development, security testing, and security research.

In the lawsuit filed in 2019, Apple claimed that Corellium violated its iOS copyrights and compromised iOS security by selling its product indiscriminately. Corellium maintained that its product fell under the fair use doctrine.

Apple v. Corellium by GMG Editorial

In 2020, US District Court Judge Rodney Smith sided with Corellium, stating that its product fell under the fair use doctrine and was a "transformative work" that was of significant benefit to the consumer because of its use in security research. Judge Smith dismissed the case, essentially shutting down Apple's copyright case entirely. However, Cupertino lawyers still had unheard cases involving unauthorized use and distribution of hacking tools that it could pursue.

On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that Apple had dropped those cases and had settled with Corellium out of court. The agreement details were undisclosed, and both Apple and Corellium have declined to comment on the settlement.
A hot potato: It appears that Netflix is expanding its efforts to curb users from bypassing region locks with VPNs and proxies by banning hundreds of thousands of residential IP addresses. Now some legitimate subscribers that do not use a VPN are finding themselves unable to access some content.

Netflix began banning VPN providers in 2014 after receiving several complaints from rights holders. Users and VPN services continued to find workarounds, and in 2016, PayPal allied with Netflix by severing payment processing services associated with some VPN providers. This back-and-forth has gone on for years.

One bypass that some VPNs adopted is to use residential addresses to route traffic through. Netflix's systems see these addresses as legitimate users, so those outside the US can bypass region locks. This method was not a big secret and worked for quite a while.

Hi Raymond, help is here! If you do not have proxies, VPNs, or other routing software but still see this message, contact your internet service provider. They'll be able to determine why your IP address is associated with proxy or VPN use. https://t.co/JMty6kcu3j ^KG  Netflix CS (@Netflixhelps) August 11, 2021

However, TorrentFreak notes that Netflix now appears to be blocking residential IP addresses associated with certain VPN providers. WeVPN was the first to notice the streaming service blocking its residential addresses. The problem with this is that hundreds of thousands of subscribers who do not use a VPN are finding themselves limited to Netflix originals. Others are outright restricted from access and are presented with a notification to turn off their VPN.

While Netflix clearly has a right to stop VPN use in its service, banning entire blocks of residential IPs might not have been the best solution. The streaming giant is aware of the problem but has not officially acknowledged it or proposed a suitable solution. The best fix Netflix Customer Service Twitter feed can produce is to contact your ISP to see if they can tell you why your IP address is associated with a proxy or VPN.
Elon Musk is offering SpaceX's services to make spacesuits for NASA and its upcoming Artemis Moon mission, to help save on costs. Currently, NASA is already at $420 million in the research and development of the Moon spacesuits and has not yet made a viable one.

SpaceX's team says that the Falcon and Dragon are cheaper to manufacture, combined.

NASA's Artemis Moon Mission would use the Space Launch System or SLS rocket from Boeing to bring back man and bring the first woman to the lunar surface.

Elon Musk Offers to Make SpaceX Spacesuits

In a discussion on Twitter, the founder and CEO said that SpaceX would be willing to make spacesuits for NASA if they are needed or tasked to do so. Musk has replied to a tweet by Michael Sheetz, where screenshots of NASA's report regarding their Artemis mission's progress as of this month, in preparation for the 2024 flight.

Here, Musk and SpaceX are willing to intervene and take over to make a spacesuit that would protect its astronauts on their way and while on the surface. Going out of Earth's atmosphere would mean exposure to different radiations and substances like the Sun's ultraviolet rays.

SpaceX could do it if need be  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 10, 2021

That being said, an adequate spacesuit is needed by NASA for its Moon Mission, and it is something that is up to date and usable for the current situations, different from the earlier missions.

Read Also: Boeing Starliner Still Has Launch Problems with Propulsion; Now Behind SpaceX Under NASA's Flight to ISS

NASA Artemis Moon Mission

NASA has reported the development of their Artemis Moon mission in general, and they have already used up $420 million of their budget in creating versions of viable spacesuits to use. The total of their budget is at $1.025 billion, so the space agency still has $625 million spares for this project. For now, the report says that the earliest of the spacesuits would come by April 2025, as delays of the pandemic have caused them to a slower pace. The intended year of the Artemis mission is 2024.

SpaceX Dragon, Falcon Cheaper than NASA Spacesuits

According to Tom Mueller's tweet reply to the NASA report, the SpaceX Falcon and cargo Dragon were developed for less than $1 billion, with its costs combined. Now, the NASA spacesuits are nearing its halfway point of using up the budget, and their delivery date would be at less than four years from now, exceeding the mission date.

Yeah  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 10, 2021

Musk agrees with what Mueller said, and that NASA's developer of the spacesuits is using up so much money with regards to its creation of the different needs of the Artemis.

It seems that Musk is willing to take up the mantle for the Moon, and would treat it like how it did with the Commercial Crew that is a commercial success for SpaceX.

Related Article: SpaceX, Canada's GEC to Launch 'Space Ads' That People Can Watch Live, and Buy Using Dogecoin

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Xiaomi's Mi Mix 4 is an upcoming flagship phone that borders on the affordable price but still brings a massive spec sheet to the company's line-up. The Chinese smartphone brand has brought another powerful and affordable phone to the market, and it is proving to be appealing to those looking for a new smartphone, but wants a fraction of a flagship's price.

In recent news, Xiaomi has surpassed smartphone giants like Samsung and Apple in the global sales of their devices, as the Chinese giant offers it at a significantly lower price. Moreover, there are more people that trust Xiaomi's smartphones in recent developments.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 Flagship Specs

Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 has released its specs online, and it has given people an idea of what to expect of the flagship device from the Chinese tech giant. Xiaomi's official Twitter account has blasted the release of the smartphone, as it was initially said that the company would have it by August 10.

Here, it has released a series of tweets that show what the device is capable of, and one of what stays in the smartphone is the popular bezel-less device which it has popularized in the past releases.

Micro-Diamond Pixel Screens, AMOLED 3D Curved Display, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision

108MP Main Rear Camera, Periscope Zoom Camera, Ultra-Wide Camera; 20MP front camera

Ceramic Unibody Design

Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+, 3 GHz

120W Wireless Charging, 37C Max Temp While Fast Charging

5G Capable

Different from the common full screen displays in the smartphone market. #XiaomiMIX4 features a gorgeous CUP full-screen display with the front camera hidden in the screen, providing a real full-screen experience. pic.twitter.com/UXejXofP3v  Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) August 10, 2021

Read Also: 200W HyperCharge by Xiaomi Allows Wireless Charging From 0% to 100% in 15 Mins Coming June 2022

Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 Release Date

The smartphone is already released on August 10, and it follows the initially planned date it has that was speculated and rumored by the company. A lot of people are expecting the smartphone, especially with its packed specs and intriguing device design which has hooked a lot of people to the new tech from Xiaomi.

This device has been rumored for several times now, especially as it brings a flagship of the Mix series from the company, something which has been awaited by users that had earlier Mi Mix devices.

This follows the recent news where the US has removed the company from the list of supposed boycotted Chinese companies.

Will Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 be Available in the US?

Unfortunately, the device is now intended for its China release, and there are no news or releases regarding its global or US release. For now, users would have to wait for further announcements of a global version or its availability in the country.

However, the device's release from Twitter was in English, and this only suggests that the Mix 4 would be available for a global release. Previously, China-exclusive releases have their information posted in Mandarin content, and it shows no intentions of giving people an idea of what it has to offer.

The recent release shows that it would be possible for a global release, but is not quite there for the market. Nonetheless, the Mi Mix 4 is an exceptional device that already shows a great lineup of add-ons to the overall make of the device.

Related Article: Xiaomi Beats Samsung in Europe with 700K More Shipments and a Massive 67.1% YoY Growth

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Screenshot From Pexels Official Website) Google Receives Backlash for Asking Free Hangouts Accounts to be Part of the Newer Google 'Chat' Transition

Google is now receiving more backlash for asking users with free Hangouts accounts to be part of the newer Google Chat transition! Over the past couple of days, Google has been migrating its Hangouts free users and asking them to be switched over to Google Chat.

Google Chat 1-Star Ratings

This move is reportedly a part of the search giant's much broader efforts to start to shutter Hangouts for good. However, the transition appears to be not that well received by most of the current Hangouts users.

According to a report by 9to5Google, just a few days after the whole "forced" migration, Google Chat has then been bombarded with massive amounts of negative reviews on Google Play Store. Aside from negative reviews, Google Chat was also met with multiple 1-star ratings.

Google Chat Rating at 2.7

Droid-Life spotted other multiple sorts of complaints that were posted under the app's official listing. A number of them were regarding the lack of features which Hangouts already has. These include features like voice and video calling, multiple image attachment, and other features as well.

According to the story by AndroidCentral, as of the moment, the app's rating has dropped all the way down to 2.7 and most of its reviews turned out negative. A certain user even remarked that the app is actually a "downgrade" of the current Hangouts and is quite surprisingly unrefined for something that the company is actively encouraging its users to use instead.

Lack of Features for Google Chat

Other complaints circle around the app's lack of customization, support for stickers, and even the lack of a dedicated gallery browser with the app still relying on the users' phone's file manager. Other complaints are regarding no Google Voice integration as well as notifications not even working properly.

The transition for free users started just recently when people started to see a banner on their Android noting that Google Hangouts is now being replaced with the company's Google Chat. Located at the bottom of the banner message is a note that says "Learn More." Google Workspace is trying to provide a more optimized experience for users with Google Chat, Gmail, and more features.

Read Also: Firefox 91 New Feature | Browser Gets Enhanced Cookie Clearing, Blocking Third-Party Codes, Tracking, and More

Google Hangouts to Google Chat

The "Learn More" button would then reroute users to a support document along with a "Switch to Chat in Gmail" option which would sign users out of Hangouts and open the official Gmail app. The exact same message also shows up on iOS as well as the web when users visit the Google Hangouts website. Vulnerabilities have been spotted on Google Chat as well as Facebook and Signal which hackers could use to spy on users.

The service will reportedly be retired for enterprise customers some time later this year and Google has yet to confirm an end date for Hangouts when it comes to free personal accounts. With this being said, the latest move would also mark the start of depreciating one of the best messaging apps on Android that is free for users. As of the moment, it looks like Google is still falling short of being able to achieve parity when it comes to features of the two services.

Related Article: Google Employees That Opt to Work-From-Home Could Experience 5% Up to 25% Pay Cut

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian B.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Image from Commons.Wikipedia.com) Space Station Pizza Delivery Launches with Enough Grub for Seven Astronauts

A new Space Station Pizza delivery has finally launched with enough grub to feed seven hungry astronauts. The Northrop Grumman's latest space station delivery includes one of the treats earth has to offer, enough pizza for seven astronauts!

Space Station Pizza Kit

According to the story by The Detroit News, the company's very own Cygnus cargo ship has just rocketed away from the official Virginia's eastern shore. The cargo ship is expected to bring the International Space Station a pleasing earthly surprise.

The 8,200 lbs shipment would include fresh apples, kiwi, tomatoes, and of course, a pizza kit as well as cheese smorgasbord for the seven hungry astronauts aboard the International Space Station. This is reportedly the Northrop Grumman's 16th supply run faithfully for NASA and its very own biggest load yet.

Astronauts and Pizza

The company's very own Antares rocket was able to hoist the capsule from NASA's official Wallops Flight Facility. Northrop Grumman gave a statement through the Launch Control just minutes before liftoff saying Aloha to the S.S. Ellison Onizuka. Pizza, however, isn't that uncommon for the space station. In fact, astronauts were able to make a pizza in zero gravity back in 2017.

The capsule was actually named for Hawaii's own Onizuka, the very first Asian American in space that died in the previous 1986 Challenger launch disaster. NASA's other shipper, Elon Musk's SpaceX, will be expected to do another cargo run in a few weeks time. Astronaut Mike Massimino was so excited to eat a pizza back in 2018 that he ordered one while onboard to make sure it was hot and ready when he landed!

Who is on the ISS?

As of the moment, the International Space Station is the home of three Americans, two Russians, one Japanese, and one French. Going back to the pizza, this is actually not the very first time that a pizza has been sent into space. In fact, the first space pizza dates all the way back to 2001.

In 2001, Pizza Hut became the first ever restaurant chain to be able to deliver to space, according to BBC. The pizza was reportedly sent to the ISS on a resupply rocket. Although the delivery was pretty much an obvious publicity stunt by Pizza Hut, this actually cost the company over a million dollars and required a whole lot of special planning in order for it to be pulled off.

Read Also: Elon Musk Offers Services to Make SpaceX Spacesuits for NASA Artemis, More Expensive than Falcon, Dragon

Pizza in Space

An example of this, according to ABC, is that the pizza was also seasoned with extra spices, especially salt, since it's actually known that a person's taste buds can become a little dull in space. Although pepperoni remains the company's most popular topping, the company decided to settle for salami since pepperoni did not really preserve well during the whole 60-day test period and grew mold.

According to the story by BusinessInsider, after the pizza finally arrived at the ISS, Usachov was caught on video happily munching a slice of the pizza. Despite the Russians getting paid for the pizzas delivered to them, the US crew were not allowed to eat any of it due to NASA's policy regarding advertising efforts on their spacecraft, according to ABC.

Related Article: Boeing Starliner Still Has Launch Problems with Propulsion; Now Behind SpaceX Under NASA's Flight to ISS

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian B.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
PlayStation Plus is getting an upgrade based on rumors and speculations, particularly because Sony has already completed its acquisition of Crunchyroll. The said major update for PS Plus would go against the likes of Xbox Game Pass, which has a special offer with regards to its subscription service that is popular among gamers.

Sony's massive buyout for Crunchyroll has paid a sum of $1.175 billion to AT&T, its previous owner. It gives way to Sony's plans for the anime streaming giant in the US, possibly for more content to come, in partnership with games.

PlayStation Plus to Get a Major Update?

Sony's PlayStation Plus is the forefront service of the company it has for gamers, and it is an online multiplayer service first, before a game distributing source. It helps connect players worldwide, and at the same time, treats them to free games every month.

According to ComicBook, the Japanese multinational technology company is aiming to bring a major update for both platforms of the PlayStation Plus, with the PS4 and the PS5. This comes after the acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T, which sparked the rumors of the said new direction of the service.

As added by the leaker of this news, Nick Baker (@Shpeshal_Nick) tweeted something about Sony's PlayStation Plus resembling the likes of "Apple One." This means that Sony's PlayStation Plus (premium version) would be paired with Crunchyroll and Funimation in one, and not solely as a gaming service.

Read Also: Sony PlayStation VR for PS5 Has Already Been Revealed to Developers 'In Secret'

PlayStation Plus vs. Xbox Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass is known for its cloud service that is available for all and brings a lot of Microsoft's content to the mix. That would be what PlayStation would be up against, especially as people are torn between which among the two is the better service, which also plays a role in console usage.

PlayStation Plus adding a multi-media streaming service in one subscription, to as much as $60 per year is a massive thing for users, as it could help in off-setting costs to a more reasonable one. Furthermore, it would empower PS Plus as more than a multiplayer service, but more into the multimedia.

What is Crunchyroll's Role?

Crunchyroll would be unaffected, as it would continue to provide anime streams and content to the public. However, it would play a massive role, should Sony continue their venture of being an "Apple One-like" service once it releases.

The anime streaming platform could empower Sony and the PlayStation Plus as the more preferred one, especially as people would be more adept in going for the one that offers more.

Certainly, the addition of a premium streaming service to PlayStation Plus is more than what people ask for and would entice more to avail of it.

Related Article: PlayStation Plus August 2021 Free Games; New PS Plus Collection Features Relive Best Games for PS5

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Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The ransomware universal decryption tool that the clients of Kaseya used to obtain files held hostage by the REvil gang was leaked in a hacking forum.

Universal Decryption Tool Leaked Bleeping Computer reported that the universal decryption tool from the Kaseya cyberattack is now available online after it was posted in a hacking forum. Originally, the same news outlet assumed that the key works for all REvil encrypted files. However, the website noted that it does not work on other attacks by the notorious gang. Instead, the tool exclusively works on the files of the victims of the Kaseya incident.

REVil Cyberattack on Kaseya

The REvil ransomware gang was behind the cyberattack on the VSA remote management application of Kaseya by infiltrating its zero-day vulnerability, which encrypted files from about 1,500 businesses. The large-scale attack has crippled the operation of the Kaseya clients.

The notorious ransomware gang went on to ask for a whopping $70 million as a ransom to give back the encrypted files via a universal decryptor tool. The key is supposed to reverse the actions of the threat actors to the victims by making the files accessible again.

After that demand, REvil, one of the most prolific ransomware gangs, disappeared into thin air.

To be precise, as of July 13, there was no trace of the group on the internet. As per CyberScoop, the gang is allegedly behind 42% of the recent ransomware attacks.

It is worth noting that the sudden vanishing act of the notorious gang came a day before the United States, through the senior officials from the White House, and Russia talked about the increasing cases of ransomware.

Read Also: Ransomware Roundup: Cl0p Releases New Stolen Data; EU, US to Team Up Against Attacks

Ransomware Universal Decryption Tool

However, on July 22, Kaseya finally obtained the description tool to reverse the encryption of their clients' files, albeit the absence of REvil from the internet.

As per The Verge, there are three possibilities as to how Kaseya got hold of the decryptor tool: the U.S., the Russian government, or from REvil itself. However, the IT firm did not confirm nor deny these speculations.

Instead, the Florida-based IT firm noted that they got the key from an unnamed "trusted third party."

Kaseya went on to provide the universal decryption tool to their customers, but there is a catch--the company requires their clients to sign a non-disclosure agreement or NDA. Although NDAs are commonly used in cyberattack events, including them in the process further makes the incident a total mystery.

But yet again, Kaseya kept mum about the report that they are requiring their clients to sign the NDA before obtaining the necessary tool for recovery from the cyberattack.

Related Article: Hacking Epidemic: Over Seven Ransomware Attacks Per Hour - America's Biggest Security Threat

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Written by Teejay Boris

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
In a report by The Daily Mail, a team of researchers allegedly concluded that your risk of developing dementia symptoms is twice that of people who can hear conversations in a noisy room. A team of experts from the University of Oxford conducted the study, which analyzed health data from around 82,000 people in an attempt to identify dementia risk factors.

The study's participants were asked to identify numbers that they hear over a background of white noise. They were then grouped into normal, insufficient, and poor capabilities to hear speech in noise. After over a decade of data follow-up, a total of 1,285 individuals were identified as developing dementia symptoms based on their health records.

This corresponds to a massive 91 percent increase in dementia risk was found after considering the health data of the study's participants, all of whom are above the age of 60. The study's findings mean that if you develop some kind of hearing impairment (especially at an advanced age), you should go see your general physician immediately.

However, the study's rather bleak findings also have a silver lining in them. One of the key aspects of managing dementia is early detection. Bringing any family member having this specific type of hearing loss would alert the right people to dementia's onset before mental deterioration starts, writes ScienceAlert.

Hearing loss has long been identified as an Alzheimer's risk factor, which is a type of dementia. This, coupled with a noticeable decrease in speaking ability, is a big red flag that must be addressed immediately.

Read also: Dementia Calculator Predicts and Reduces Risk from Illness, Researcher Says

Dementia Risk Identification Could Be Helped by Modern Tech

For years, medical researchers have been racking their brains trying to find the absolute, undeniable signs of mental deterioration. But in the future, perhaps they might not have to do it themselves.

To properly diagnose dementia, a series of scans and tests must be performed. This could take a really long time to confirm the illness, which is more than enough for the deterioration to set in. However, a team of scientists may have already found a way around it by developing AI-powered brain scanning technology, which they say can detect dementia in a single scan with amazing accuracy.

With the tech, a patient only needs to undergo one brain scan to confirm a diagnosis. Furthermore, the scientists also say it can predict the severity of the condition. This would help inform doctors and immediate family members about whether the illness requires immediate attention or if it will remain stable for a considerable period of time.

The detection system, which was first revealed back in August, is still in its trial phase to determine just how accurate it is. And once it does get released, it's going to help so many people.

Related: Elderly People Can Protect Their Aging Brain From Dementia With Housework, Exercise

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by RJ Pierce




At the end of 2017, online gambling was worth $100 billion. The gaming industry has gained popularity due to the quest for the internet and using technology for its sound.

Online gambling in Canada has grown from dice rolling and playing cards to online gaming websites. Online casinos have competitive deposit bonuses that lure many across the globe. Technology advancements in the gaming world have made gambling a hobby and a pastime activity.

Technology has changed how gamblers play. Today gamers can enjoy a safe and secure casino game at their convenience. Below, our expert Conrad Brennan (check profile) discusses five technologies underlying online casinos in the Canadian state.

Cloud gaming

Modern technologies are responsible for every change the world makes. Cloud gaming gets its function from cloud computing. A wagering experience is evident since gamers no longer download heavy gaming software.

The gaming experience is accessible through cloud servers that improve game resolution. Today, people want things done quicker; cloud gaming quests such needs by increasing high-speed gaming and reducing fallbacks during game periods.

Cloud gaming technology reduces the pressure of casino databases and storage systems. Gamblers can place their bets on multiple events as it acts as a mobile of in-play betting and enjoy deposit bonuses. In addition, the cloud can hold thousands of gamers simultaneously.

Mobile Gaming technology

Mobile gambling offers a fast-hand gaming experience where players can enjoy various games with a click of a button at their convenience. It is now possible to access the best slot sites in Canada through multiple browsers anywhere, anytime.

Examples of innovation invested in online games include; an extensive library of fun games with quality graphics and a secure play mode. Newbies have a chance of playing free games that help them acquire new skills before they stake their money.

Mobile gaming offers a risk-free platform where players can play without real money and get entertained in the process. Such players can also access reviews of the fastest withdrawal Bitcoin casinos from their mobile devices.

Blockchain Technology

Over the years, many players have experienced unfair gambling sites that were unsafe and conducted fraudulent transactions. Blockchain technology guarantees a secure and safe transaction. Players can keep track of their financial transactions through blockchain technology.

Today several cryptocurrency casinos ease secure, safe, and transparent transactions. The fastest withdrawal casinos have embraced ETH, LTC, and BTC cryptocurrency technology to help customers withdraw their money quickly. Blockchain technology is a superb payment option that has helped casino dealers to offer a personal experience to gamblers when operating different transactions. Crypto is also one of the options available in most withdrawal casinos.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence technology aims at replacing humans with computers to tackle tasks at home and workplaces. Online casinos use artificial intelligence in predictive models and machine learning to recommend games for gamblers on gaming websites that they visit frequently.

AI helps players find their favorite games easily with a click of a button. Modern tech can identify customers habits through mass collection and processing of data. Chatbots in customer service solve customers problems by responding quickly to them.

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Over the years, virtual reality has acted as the most significant innovation that has fueled transformation in the Canadian online gaming industry. It is a platform that has created an interactive and immense experience similar to the traditional casinos.

Online casinos provide live casino gaming experiences through optical character recognition technology. The VR headsets are past simple pseudo-3D interfaces, thus creating a real life-like casino experience where players engage with others in real-time.

According to Juniper Research, the average number of wagers from virtual reality will rise by 800% in 2021. VR has a significant impact on the casino industry, with land-based casinos investing in VR games to play on their floors.

The use of technology has spearheaded significant developments in the online gambling industry. Technology has created a world-class gaming experience by playing without downloading bulky software, playing on mobile devices at your convenience, and making secure deposits through blockchain.

Players experience an authentic casino experience through Virtual reality technology. We have to agree that technology is here to stay, and developers are working hard to ensure it solves millions of problems across the world.
Bart Wilson didnt see the urgency in getting vaccinated. Hes only 50. No diabetes. No heart conditions. No nothing.

A week ago, he changed his mind.

After nine days of hell battling COVID at home, Wilson rushed to the ER, unable to take a breath lasting longer than half-a-second.

I felt like I was drowning, Wilson recounted Wednesday while laying face-down in an ICU bed at Baton Rouge General Regional Medical Center. I was dying  literally.

Trash hauling slowed by COVID-sick workers in Baton Rouge: 'They're working through it' Garbage collection  already overwhelmed by a pandemic-related rise in trash  is hitting new snags in Baton Rouge as the fast-spreading delta

Through labored breaths, the father of three echoed regrets now common among the record number of unvaccinated Louisianans hospitalized in this latest and worst wave of the pandemic.

Look around at your family and think long and hard about what you want to risk, Wilson said. Not being vaccinated is a risk. I wish I wouldve taken the vaccine.

Hospitals across Louisiana are buckling under an unprecedented tsunami of COVID patients. On Friday, hospitalizations rose to 2,421  the fourth straight day of record-breaking numbers. Some 90% of those patients are not fully vaccinated, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

On Saturday, Baton Rouge General broke its own record, with 175 COVID-19 patients between its two locations, surpassing a watermark set during the pandemics first wave.

But unlike previous surges, patients this go-around are getting sicker, and faster. During the initial peak, just 16% of patients at Baton Rouge General were in the ICU. Now, 47% of patients  82 people  are in critical condition.

The rapid onslaught of critically ill patients has presented extraordinary logistical challenges for hospitals like Baton Rouge General, which is designed to manage just 24 ICU patients at a time. Like most hospitals, it had to suspend routine surgeries to free up staff and space for makeshift intensive care units.

Dr. Stephen Brierre, head of critical care at Baton Rouge General, has been working out of a unit typically reserved for outpatient surgeries thats now packed with a dozen-and-a-half critically ill COVID-19 patients, including Bart Wilson.

Im already thinking about where Im going to build my next ICU, Brierre said Wednesday.

But with no indication that infections will peak anytime soon, hes increasingly worried there wont be enough space or staff to take care of every sick patient who shows up. More than a decade ago, he helped craft a grim set of guidelines that outlines how hospitals overwhelmed by disaster should decide who gets admitted and who gets turned away. He now thinks Louisiana is closer than ever before to implementing those standards.

Its the worst possible step, said Brierre, a professor at LSU Health New Orleans. When I was working on the guidelines, my primary thought was to never, ever, ever, ever allow this to happen.

Brierre paused to look at a text message, then called over a nurse: the hospital was burning through a drug given to patients on ventilators and needed to switch to an alternative to preserve supplies.

Thats the type of s*** thats fixing to happen, Brierre said. Were going to run out of a medicine that we never even think of during usual times.

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With the influx of patients, shortage of nurses and respiratory therapists remain one of the biggest resource concerns. So far, 50 hospitals have reached out to the state for help filling in staffing gaps, warning they can no longer provide adequate care for patients. Collectively, theyve requested nearly 1,000 nursing reinforcements.

At Baton Rouge General, some ICU nurses who typically keep an eye on two beds each are having to add another patient to their workload. One seasoned nurse has been tasked with four patients when shes on shift  an incredibly difficult undertaking when dealing with critically ill patients whose health can nosedive at a moments notice, Brierre said.

There is some relief on the way. Louisiana plans to spend around $7 million to fly in health care workers from other states to work at Baton Rouge General's Mid City Campus. Those reinforcements will help stand up 110 additional hospital beds, beginning on Sunday.

But the adjustments hospitals like Baton Rouge General are making to care for the latest surge in COVID-19 patients will have ripple effects on the health of the entire community for months to come. Brierre pointed to a hospital bed, saying that in normal circumstances, it might be occupied by three different patients in an eight-hour period who had to get their gall bladder removed. Now, its used by an unvaccinated COVID-19 patient.

Each time that I make an ICU bed that is new to the hospital that I added to take care of a COVID patient, I took a bed away from another service, Brierre said. Critically ill COVID patients not only impact the health of themselves, theyre impacting the health of people who do not have COVID during a surge.

That is the multiplier of him being in that bed right now and him not being vaccinated, Brierre said.

Among the 175 COVID-19 patients hospitalized at Baton Rouge General, 160 are unvaccinated. The average age of those patients is 54. The average age of the remaining 15 patients who are vaccinated and hospitalized is 73.

To stop the 'terrifying' COVID surge, Louisiana's top public health official urges mask-wearing As Louisianas hospitals buckle under a crushing wave of new COVID-19 infections, the states top public health official said Friday the only 

Bart Wilson said he didnt get vaccinated because of mixed messages about its safety and efficacy from the news he consumed on TV and the internet.

One thing says masks work, one thing says masks dont work, he said. One things says take the vaccine, one thing says dont take the vaccine.

James Courtney, 65, another ICU patient, said he, too, was scared of the vaccine at first. But he was days away from getting his shot when he contracted COVID-19 in early July. At its worst, he said the illness makes you feel like youre suffocating.

Put your head in a plastic sack, he said. Thats what it's like.

Hes made it his mission to get his entire family vaccinated, but has hit a roadblock with his daughters, who have been consumed by misinformation incorrectly linking the vaccines with infertility.

I tell everyone now and I aint going to quit saying it: go get your shot, Courtney said. We need to stop this beast.

Brierre said that among the many reasons he hears from patients on why they didnt get vaccinated is that theres a less than 1% chance of getting severely ill. Brierre said thats true, but frames the risk differently.

Say Ive got 99 M&Ms and Ive got one M&M thats not actually an M&M, he said. Its Strychnine and its going to kill you really miserably and slow if you eat it. Im going to pour those 100 things that look like M&Ms on the table. Are you willing to pick one?

It doesnt make sense, Brierre said. Take the vaccine.

The Times-Picayune | The Advocate was given limited access on Wednesday to a unit at Baton Rouge General where all patient information was concealed, except for those who agreed to be interviewed or photographed.
A Baton Rouge judge overruled a request for additional time and told lawyers for the Louisiana State Police that he will decide for himself what information the agency can withhold from the public on the personnel file of a state trooper involved in the beating death of Ronald Greene, a Black motorist from Monroe.

Judge Chip Moore, of the 19th Judicial District, on Wednesday directed State Police to turn over the unredacted documents to his office within 10 days so that he may review them.

Last month, the newspaper sued State Police over the redactions, which were provided in response to a public records request and which relate to the personnel file of Master Trooper Kory York. York was one of a handful of troopers who responded to the remote roadside in Union Parish where Greene died in 2019 after being chased and beaten by police.

The incident, along with several other beatings of Black motorists in the area patrolled by State Police's Monroe-based Troop F, has sparked a sprawling federal civil rights investigation being led by the FBI.

In Ronald Greene death, feds investigate State Police leaders for possible obstruction of justice MONROE, La. (AP)  Federal prosecutors are investigating whether Louisiana State Police brass obstructed justice to protect the troopers seen 

Among the many pages of York's personnel file that were blacked out: Nearly the entirety of a disciplinary letter explaining why York was suspended without pay for 50 hours for his role in the Greene incident. York turned off his body camera before getting to the scene, but footage from other troopers cameras showed him dragging Greene, who was prone, by the shackles and yelling expletives at him.

Yorks personnel file was among 15 the newspaper sought to review in a request filed in March. Lawyers for State Police complained the request was overly burdensome, amounting to some 9,000 pages, and offered to provide Yorks records first as a test case for the remainder.

The newspaper, which has stipulated that it has no interest in health or tax information relating to any trooper, filed suit in July, shortly after receiving the York material, saying the redactions were far too broad.

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+3 Times-Picayune, Advocate sue Louisiana State Police, ask judge to review record redactions The Times-Picayune and The Advocate filed suit Monday against the Louisiana State Police, asking a judge to review redactions the agencys law

At Wednesdays hearing, the first in the case, Adrienne Aucoin, a lawyer for State Police, asked Moore to continue the matter. She said that lawyers with Attorney General Jeff Landrys office had recently become involved in the case, and that they have concerns that releasing too much material about specific troopers could increase the states liability in various civil lawsuits filed against the agency.

Scott Sternberg, a lawyer for the newspaper, said The Times-Picayune and The Advocate were ready to try the case and would prefer not to delay things further.

Moore agreed and directed Aucoin to turn over an unredacted copy of the York materials to him within 10 days. He said that amount of time would also give State Police and Landrys office time to file briefs offering any specific objections they might have to releasing any of the documents.

I can review them, apply the law and be done with it, Moore said. Postponement means a long time because my dockets are full. I would prefer to go forward with it in that context.

Moore said he will set another hearing in the case to present his findings.

Editor's note: This story was changed Aug. 12 to correct the name of the parish where Greene died.
Anyone in NSW who has been in the Australian Capital Territory since Thursday 5 August must stay at home and only leave their residence with a reasonable excuse, NSW Health said on Thursday night.

Reasonable excuses include shopping, medical care, caregiving, outdoor exercise with a member of your household or one other person, and work or education, if you cannot do it from home, it said.

It said people subject to the stay-at-home measures in the ACT should not travel to NSW unless they are permitted to do so.

It reminded everyone in NSW, including those in NSW areas along the ACT border, that they must continue to comply with all relevant public health orders that are in place in NSW.

People entering NSW who have been in the ACT in the last 14 days must also complete a declaration form. This is available on the Service NSW website, and can be completed in the 24-hour period before entering NSW or on arrival.

For people who travel frequently between the ACT and NSW, a declaration form is only required to completed every 72 hours.
A horse breeder who committed a string of sexual and indecent assaults against five young women who volunteered on his NSW farm has been jailed for a maximum of nine years.

Gregory Richard Douglas, 68, was found guilty in May of 13 charges relating to incidents between 2014 and 2019, all of which involved massages the farmer convinced or coerced the women to accept within days of arriving at the farm.

Gregory Richard Douglas will serve a minimum of six years jail time for the assaults. Credit:Facebook

His victims included a 27-year-old Japanese backpacker, an 18-year-old Australian, and three Germans, two aged 18 and one 21.

In sentencing Douglas to nine years with a six-year non parole period, Judge Ian Bourke SC said the offending cannot be regarded as a temporary lapse in otherwise appropriate conduct.
Independent school principals say they want the freedom to make decisions about their schools within health guidelines, rather than having to follow a one-size-fits-all approach decided by the NSW government.

The chief executive of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW (AISNSW) Geoff Newcombe said private schools varied in size, style and location, and their experienced and highly capable principals should be allowed to make the best decision for their community.

A total of 6500 students from eight hotspots were vaccinated in two days at Homebush. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The government has begun work on a back-to-school strategy, although no date has been set and the decision to return will likely be influenced by COVID-19 case numbers and vaccination rates.

In the past week, at least nine schools have been forced to close due to COVID-19 cases.
Its rare an exhibition of Australian colonial portraits comes with a warning that some material may be unsuitable for children.

But there was nothing ordinary about the colonial artist Thomas Griffiths Wainewright. Known as the Prince of Poisoners and the Genteel Murderer, he inspired Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Grey and characters in Charles Dickens novels.

Thomas Griffiths Wainewright (1794-1847)s the reunion of Eros and Psyche after her return from Proserpine, 1840-44. Credit:Paradise Lost exhibition, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

Known as a dandy, aesthete, artist and writer, he was also suspected of killing three people. Wainewright was deported to Australia after being found guilty of forgery. He arrived in Van Diemens Land along with 292 other convicts in 1837.

Two centuries later, and only a five-minute walk from where he disembarked, his life as an artist is being celebrated at the Tasmania Museum and Art Gallery through the Paradise Lost exhibition.
Safe Work currently advises that requiring workers to be vaccinated is generally not a reasonable requirement but a spokeswoman said it was working with other agencies to ensure its advice was consistent and would update it as necessary. Australian Industry Group state director Tim Piper agreed numerous businesses were discussing the idea behind the scenes, but said they were not willing to come out publicly for fear of a backlash. Rapid testing is what theyd like to have, but theyd also like to mandate vaccinations  quite a few are looking down that route, he said. In NSW, Labor leader Chris Minns joined former federal Liberal workplace relations minister Craig Laundy to rebuke anti-vaccine fringe elements on both sides and all but endorse vaccine passports once everyone who wanted a vaccine had one. I cant be in a situation... where in a workplace, one person refuses to be vaccinated and as a result, either the disease is spread in that workplace, the company folds, and that persons in isolation, as are all of their colleagues for the next two weeks, Mr Minns said.

Mr Laundy argued the government should change discrimination law to ensure workplaces werent sued for requiring vaccine passports, saying otherwise he could face a court case if someone caught coronavirus at one of his family business 50 pub venues across Sydney. And Australian Meat Industry Council chief executive Patrick Hutchinson said that some of his members would be willing to do no jab, no job  but vaccine supply in regional areas was a major issue. One regional meat processing company had tried to set up an onsite hub to vaccinate their workers, he said, but the vaccines were diverted when the government issued a directive to prioritise year 12 students. If we were in charge of vaccinating our own workers, it would have been done 12 months ago, Mr Hutchinson said. Ms Smith-Gander said the position would be much clearer if governments issued public health orders, a point underscored by the intensifying clash between Shepparton-based food giant SPC and the manufacturing union representing its workers.

SPC chair Hussein Rifai rejected union criticism of his companys approach, saying it was similar to what hed expect to hear from an anti-vaxxer. Mr Rifai said he and his family had received a wave of often racist abuse from those fringe groups, including one message suggesting needles be placed in SPC products that he referred to police. Loading They managed to send me threatening emails, they managed to send me racist emails, everything from go back to where you came from, to you filthy Arab, to you tyrant, Mr Rifai said, adding that the threats would not deter him. Australian Manufacturing Workers Union national secretary Steve Murphy said the union supported vaccinations but argued SPCs lack of consultation or answers to 32 questions the union put to it was not helping build confidence. This is a public health matter, not an industrial one  it should not be left to bosses, Mr Murphy said in a statement.

Employment Minister Stuart Robert said the states were responsible for health and safety laws as well as public health orders. Thats not a cop-out, Mr Robert said on Sky. But others, such as Adelaide University employment law expert Andrew Stewart, lashed out at Prime Minister Scott Morrison for significantly missing the point: that businesses want guidance about what they can and cant do. As with so many aspects of the response to COVID, its a lack of planning and a lack of leadership, he said. This isnt something weve only just seen coming  its been on the horizon for well over 12 months and businesses have been calling for guidance on this for well over 12 months. Grattan Institute health director Stephen Duckett, who has been a vocal critic of the governments rollout, said discussions about mandatory vaccinations were simply political deflection. It ought to be about protecting vulnerable people, such as older Australians in residential aged care, he said.
An elderly woman who has admitted murdering her son also organised his funeral in the weeks before she struck and suffocated him in the home they shared, court documents reveal.

Erica Heddergott, 82, appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to murdering her son William in November last year at their home in Greensborough. A summary prepared by investigators says she hit her 50-year-old son with an axe and put a plastic bag over his head.

Police investigate after William Heddergotts body was found inside his home on November 16, 2020. Credit:Nine News

A Meals on Wheels worker found a key in the door at the house on November 16 and discovered Mr Heddergotts body and his mother on the floor, conscious and initially unable to speak. She had tried ending her life.

When the worker said an ambulance was on its way, the elderly woman replied: I dont want them.
Defamation cases tripled in Victorian courts in 2020, with backyard disputes and social media warfare likely fuelling the numbers, even with the state in COVID-19 lockdowns for most of the year.

Data from the courts obtained by The Age shows 23 cases were initiated in the Victorian registry of the Federal Court last year, rocketing up from just seven the year before, while 47 matters were filed in the County Court, almost three times the 2019 figures.

Mildura-based federal MP Dr Anne Webster went to court over defamatory comments made about her on Facebook. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The Supreme Court remained relatively stable, with 20 cases filed in the 2019-20 financial year, similar to the previous year but down from 37 five years ago.

The increase seemed to be a uniquely Victorian issue, at least in the Federal Court, with the matters filed in NSW dropping slightly to 35 in 2020.
State and federal anti-discrimination laws, along with changing community expectations, have transformed our workplaces. While the equal rights battle for women is their most notable success, similar efforts to stamp out discrimination based on age, sexual orientation, disability and race have created more diverse workplaces than at any time in our history.

But these gains should not be taken for granted, nor characterised as job done. This week, The Age reported on teachers being sacked by religious schools after coming out as gay.

Teacher Steph Lentz, who was sacked by her Christian school after she told it she was gay. Credit:Kate Geraghty

In the case of Steph Lentz, the English teacher was shown the door by the Covenant Christian School after realising she could no longer remain closeted. The school terminated her employment for failing to follow the schools statement of belief, which includes the belief in the immorality of homosexuality.

Her sacking was perfectly legal under most state and federal laws, including those in Victoria, which give religious organisations and their schools exemptions from anti-discrimination legislation, despite the generous public funding they receive. The Andrews government has long pledged to enact new laws to shut down the loophole  Tasmania and the ACT have already done so  but has so far failed to act.
Perrottets lamenting the lack of leadership weeks before also probably niggled at Morrison. Anyway, during the conference call, Morrison became increasingly belligerent with Perrottets questioning of elements of the package and focusing on the flaws. Morrison let loose, hurling the F-bomb at Perrottet. Perhaps Morrison forgot the Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, and his federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg were also on the call, so it was far from a private exchange, like the torrid one over GST monies with the then Tasmanian treasurer now premier, Peter Gutwein, a few years ago. Perrottet bit back, taking issue with the Prime Ministers poor form and ill-disciplined outburst during a serious discussion on an important subject. Morrison backed off and apologised. Still, it left a sour taste. If it sounds trivial, it isnt. It is indicative. It supports the claims of others about the way the Prime Minister interacts with colleagues. He has an aggressive streak  colleagues and staff have called it bullying  which kind of inhibits his ability to forge consensus.

Its a serious problem for him practically as well as politically. Senior government MPs report their constituents are not only angry with Morrison over the botched vaccination rollout, they are cross because he seems incapable of persuading, controlling or corralling the premiers. Its not going anywhere, but do not underestimate the deep wells of frustration inside the government, from top to bottom, from small-l liberals to capital-c conservatives, about Morrisons approach. NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet. Credit:Nick Moir One cabinet minister boiled it down to this: If you see a problem, throw money at it. If you see a problem, walk away from it. If you see a problem, duck-shove to somebody else. Morrisons rant against Perrottet also again exposes the fractious relationship between him and the NSW government, those supposed to be his allies and friends, whom he needs to succeed if he is going to win the election.

Morrison used to go out of his way to tout Dan Andrews as a friend. If it was ever true (and senior Labor figures scoff at the very notion, given their professional and personal differences) it ended during last years deadly lockdown when Morrison and his ministers unloaded on Andrews, blaming him for the misery Victorians endured. Loading Nevertheless, on his return to work, Andrews paid Morrison the courtesy of giving him advance warning of the fifth lockdown. Morrison then texted Frydenberg to tell him, Frydenberg blurted it out in the hearing of journalists who then broadcast it before Andrews had a chance to announce it himself. Andrews was mightily unimpressed. So when Victoria went into lockdown again last week for the sixth time, Andrews deliberately did not officially tell Morrison in advance. Angry with Berejiklians stated intention to begin easing restrictions with a 50 per cent vaccination rate, Andrews and the West Australian Premier, Mark McGowan, with Morrisons backing, led the charge at last Fridays national cabinet to force the group  i.e. Berejiklian  to formally adopt the plan to begin abandoning lockdowns when 70 then 80 per cent of Australians are vaccinated, which until then was only agreed in-principle.

Morrison subsequently defended Berejiklians plan on the one hand while vigorously arguing on the other that lockdowns are the only way to deal with Delta. Given the way the lockdowns are going, vax to the max is clearly key to recovery so there needs to be an Australia-wide approach rather than relying on individual businesses, or the states, to decide how to handle the unvaccinated. It will be devilishly difficult, particularly with the divisions between and within governments. But it is precisely what a national leader should take on, rather than reach for the hand sanitiser as Morrison has done, because if it ends in chaos, as seems likely, he will get blamed anyway. It doesnt mean mandating, it does mean recognising that while people are free not to get vaccinated, the rest of us who have been vaccinated have a right to be protected from them.
Mr McGowan said on Wednesday that the NSW government would be risking the lives of their citizens and everyone else by not attempting to drive cases down to zero. The NSW government cant just go out on its own and do something different to what is agreed nationally, he said. NSW just needs to crush and kill the virus, thats what every other state has done. Mr Andrews has repeatedly put public pressure on his NSW counterparts in recent weeks, reminding Ms Berejiklian of national cabinets agreed strategy, calling for a ring of steel around Sydney and stating that localised lockdowns of hotspots do not work. Former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth said he was surprised state premiers would pressure NSW into alignment with the national approach given many of them had made unilateral decisions during the pandemic.

He said the states vaccine-focussed strategy to exit its lockdown might be the only option because of the difficulty of reducing cases of the highly infectious Delta variant close to zero. The problem with the other states is theyve never had to cope with a significant outbreak of Delta, he said. NSW is in uncharted territory, lets help them chart the way forward instead of this criticism. More recently, national cabinet meetings have been held remotely. Credit:@DanielAndrewsMP/Twitter Ms Berejiklian maintained she was committed to the national road map this week. But please know that once we hit 50 to 60 per cent, lockdown plus easing some restrictions is very different to what the Doherty report says must happen at 70 per cent, she said. She spent July repeating the aim of driving the number COVID-19 cases that were infectious in the community toward zero. In recent days, as case numbers have climbed, Ms Berejiklian has described this target as an aspiration.

Loading While the national road map for reopening is not legally binding and each state can make autonomous decisions, the premiers request for NSW to consult on any future shift could present a political deterrent to a faster reopening. The states lockdown is scheduled to end on August 28. The federal, Victorian, NSW and WA governments all declined to comment on the confidential national cabinet discussions. Two Victorian ministers, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Age there is frustration within the government about the way NSW is managing its outbreak. They said the focus had shifted to mitigating the ongoing risk of leaks from the state which threaten to plunge Victoria into repeated lockdowns in the coming months.

I suppose now its at the point where were shrugging our shoulders and shaking our heads because the outbreaks been allowed to spiral, one minister said. Premier Daniel Andrews announcing the extension of Victorias lockdown on Wednesday. Credit:Jason South Burnet director Professor Brendan Crabb said questions about the length of Victorias lockdown were of less concern than the way it would deal with the ongoing threat of COVID-19 crossing the border. Its about what we can do to mitigate that. If NSW wont do a ring of steel to protect country NSW and the rest of Australia, what will happen? I dont have a good answer to that, but Im very worried, he said. We have six months of this realistically, in my view. There are differences in the type of lockdowns imposed in NSW and Victoria.

Sydneys lockdown rules vary across the city. NSW allows real estate inspections and Victoria does not. People in NSW are allowed to gather in groups of two outside whereas Victorians can only meet with others if they are exercising. People in Victoria must wear a mask in indoor settings and outdoors at all time, whereas people north of the border can be maskless outdoors in low-risk settings. A five-kilometre limit on movement is in place in Victoria compared with a 10-kilometre limit in NSW. Victorias essential worker list is explicit whereas NSW doesnt have a defined list and allows workers to use their judgment to determine whether they are essential. Essential workers have been one of the main contributors to the spread of the virus in NSW. President of the Victorian branch of the Australian Medical Association Roderick McCrae said the approach of NSW was fraying the cohesion needed for Team Australia.
Beijing: A Chinese court has sentenced a Canadian tour organiser to 11 years in prison for spying, a ruling that appeared to be timed to show Beijings anger over extradition proceedings in Vancouver against Huaweis chief financial officer.

Michael Spavor, who organised tours to North Korea, was sentenced after being found guilty of stealing and illegally providing state secrets to other countries, the Dandong Intermediate Peoples Court said in a statement Wednesday. Spavor had waited for the verdict for five months since a two-hour trial held behind closed doors in March.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the decision on the Spavor case as absolutely unacceptable and unjust.

The sentence could form a guide to what may be faced by Australian writer Yang Hengjun, who was tried for espionage behind closed doors in May.
Berlin: Officials in Germany have revealed the country has arrested a British citizen suspected of spying for Russia while working at the British embassy in Berlin.

Federal prosecutors said in a statement that the man was detained on Tuesday in the city of Potsdam, south-west of the capital Berlin, based on cooperative investigations by German and British authorities. In keeping with German privacy laws, he was only identified as 57-year-old David S.

A police car outside the British embassy in Berlin. Credit:Getty

Prosecutors said he was suspected of having spied for the Russian intelligence service at least since November. Before his arrest, he worked as a local hire at the British embassy in Berlin and allegedly passed on documents he received at work to the Russians, the prosecutors statement said.

Its unlikely the suspect had diplomatic immunity because in such a case he would have normally been expelled from the country instead of being detained.
Kabul: Taliban fighters could isolate Afghanistans capital in 30 days and possibly take it over in 90, a US defence official cited US intelligence as saying, as the resurgent militants made more advances across the country.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity on Wednesday, said the new assessment of how long Kabul could stand was a result of the Talibans rapid gains as US-led foreign forces leave.

Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Farah, south-west of Kabul, on Wednesday. Credit:AP

But this is not a foregone conclusion, the official added, saying that the Afghan security forces could reverse the momentum by putting up more resistance.

The Islamists now control 65 per cent of Afghanistan and have taken or threaten to take 11 provincial capitals, a senior EU official said on Tuesday. Faizabad, in the north-eastern province of Badakhshan, on Wednesday became the eighth provincial capital to be seized by the Taliban.
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IndoTibetan Border Police personnel remove a damaged truck during a rescue operation at the site of a landslide in Kinnaur district in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, India, on Aug. 11, 2021. (Indo-Tibetan Border Police/Handout via Reuters)

10 Dead, Dozens Trapped After Landslide in Indias Himalayas: Officials

NEW DELHIA landslide in the mountainous Indian state of Himachal Pradesh has killed at least 10, injured 14, and left dozens trapped after boulders tumbled on to a major highway on Wednesday, smashing and burying several vehicles, Indian officials said.

Around 30 people are still trapped, including passengers inside a bus lying under the debris, Vivek Kumar Pandey, a spokesman for the paramilitary IndoTibetan Border Police, told Reuters.

There has been a massive landslide on the Reckong Peo-Shimla highway, Pandey said, later adding that operations are under way, we are trying to reach the bus.

Abid Hussain Sadiq, a top government official in the Kinnaur district where the incident happened, said that rescue operations could continue through the night in an attempt to find the survivors.

More than 200 personnel, including from the army, paramilitary forces, and local police, are working along a stretch of National Highway 5 that runs along the Sutlej river and connects northern India to the border with China, officials said.

Local police chief Saju Ram Rana said the landside, which happened around noon on Wednesday, loosened large boulders and sent them cascading down the steep mountainside, blocking about 150 meters of the highway.

The debris fell from quite high up, Rana told Reuters, adding that heavy machinery was being brought in to clear the area.

In pictures shared by authorities on social media, helmeted rescue workers can be seen scrambling around the mangled remains of vehicles stranded among rocks and loose earth.

In late July, at least nine people were killed by a landslide in a different part of Kinnaur district, and dozens have been left stranded by landslides and flooding in recent weeks in another area of Himachal Pradesh, a scenic Himalayan state popular with tourists.

By Devjyot Ghoshal and Alasdair Pal
American Airlines jets made by Embraer and other manufacturers sit at gates at Washington's Reagan National Airport amid the coronavirus pandemic, in Washington on April 29, 2020. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

American, Delta, Southwest Airlines: No Immediate Plans for COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

Three major U.S. airlinesAmerican, Delta, and Southwestcurrently arent requiring COVID-19 vaccine mandates for staff, though they havent definitively ruled it out as a matter of future policy, according to reports and statements from spokespersons.

Southwest CEO Gary Kelly wrote in an internal memo cited by CNN that he would continue to strongly encourage employees to get vaccinated, but that it wouldnt be a requirement at this stage.

Obviously, I am very concerned about the latest Delta variant, and the effect on the health and safety of our employees and our operation, but nothing has changed, Kelly wrote.

A Southwest spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that we still are strongly encouraging our Employees to vaccinate themselves and to share with us their vaccination status, but beyond that, we dont have anything else to share on the topic.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker told the New York Times Sway podcast last week that he wasnt imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates for customers or staff.

We certainly encourage it everywhere we can, encourage it for our customers and our employees, but were not putting mandates in place, Parker said.

An American Airlines spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that, while the company hasnt made any updates to its COVID-19 vaccine policy, we are strongly encouraging our team members to get vaccinated, and we are offering an incentive for those who do. American Airlines team members who get vaccinated are provided an additional day off in 2022 and $50 through our employee recognition platform.

The spokesperson clarified that American hasnt stated definitively that it wont mandate vaccines for employees in the future, just that the company hasnt updated its policies in this regard at this point.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian told Fox 5s Good Day New York that he wasnt planning to impose a vaccine mandate for employees.

Were almost 75 percent vaccinated already, Bastian said, and if you think about that, you have probably some portionmaybe call it five to 10 percent of our employee basethats going to have some medical or religious reason why theyre not getting vaccinated, youre really down to a relatively modest number, maybe 10 to 20 percent of the unvaccinated that you can drive with a mandate.

Bastian added that Delta will continue to encourage employees to get the shot, noting also that the staff vaccination rate keeps climbing.

Delta didnt immediately respond to a request for clarification on whether it was weighing imposing a mandate at some point in the future.

By contrast, the three airlines biggest competitor, United Airlines, announced last week that it would require its U.S.-based employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

United Airlines leaders called it a matter of safety and cited incredibly compelling evidence of the effectiveness of the vaccines against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19.

We know some of you will disagree with this decision to require the vaccine for all United employees, United CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart wrote in an Aug. 6 note to employees, obtained by The Epoch Times. But, we have no greater responsibility to you and your colleagues than to ensure your safety when youre at work, and the facts are crystal clear: everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated.

A United Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for takeoff from Denver International Airport on July 2, 2021. (David Zalubowski, file/AP Photo)

As an incentive, vaccinated employees of the air carrier who upload their vaccination records to a United database by Sept. 20 will be offered an extra days pay, according to the note.

United employees will need to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 25 or five weeks after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grants full approval to any one of the vaccines that are currently authorized for emergency use, whichever date comes first, according to the note.

While United will allow exemptions on religious or health grounds, other employees who dont provide proof of vaccination by the designated deadline will be terminated.

With the move, United joined a bevy of companies that have mandated vaccines for employees, including Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Walmart.

It comes as the United States struggles with a surge in infections driven by the Delta variant of the CCP virus, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers more transmissible and potentially more resistant to vaccines.

Vaccine mandates have become a hot-button issue, with advocates welcoming them as a measure to help stem the spread of the CCP virus and protect vulnerable populations, while opponents object on a range of grounds, including that the vaccines are currently under emergency use authorization and that mandates infringe on personal liberties.
An Overview of the $1.2 Trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

News Analysis

The Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Tuesday morning after fierce debates over the bill in the House and Senate. The bill, at a $1.2 trillion price tag, is a far cry from the Democrats own $3.5 trillion plan. Still, some have criticized the bill for its content that goes beyond basic infrastructure improvement.

Some of the usual legislative items include around $250 billion allocated over 5 years for improvement of highways, plus an additional $3 billion toward the Tribal Transportation Program on Indian reservations. Another provision calls to invest around $30 billion into U.S. bridges, around $2.5 billion for metropolitan infrastructural improvement, the creation of safe routes to school for public school students, improving transportation access in rural areas, the development and renewal of recreational trails, and the improvement of evacuation routes in case of natural disasters or other emergencies.

Amtrak, the state-owned passenger train service, will receive $19.22 billion in grants for different rail lines across the country. An additional $1.32 billion was granted to the Federal Railroad Administration. Finally, the bill called for a $225 million investment into railroad research and development by the Federal Railroad Administration. The legislation also allocated $1.5 billion per year for five years, a total of $7.5 billion, toward the development of intercity railroads. In sum, the infrastructure bill allocates $28.05 billion over five years to railroad maintenance and development.

Under the idea that the internet is or should be a public utility, several sections of the bill focus on providing internet to poor and rural areas at huge expense. One of the largest allocations in the bill went toward this purpose, granting the FCC $14.2 billion toward the Affordable Connectivity Program, a program designed specifically to provide internet to U.S. students. On top of this, Congress set aside as much as $2 billion for Rural Utility Services like distance learning, telemedicine, and broadband internet. Even more was directed toward expanding internet accessas much as $42.5 billion dollars is to be directed toward the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program; along with an additional $2 billion specifically for the Broadband Connectivity Fund, and finally $2.8 billion for Digital Equity.

Several programs and allocations in the bill go toward efforts at combating climate change rather than specifically improving infrastructure. For example, it allots $50 million toward reducing truck emissions at port facilities. The bill also includes a $100 million grant toward reducing the surface temperature of inner-city streets, $13 billion toward improvement of air quality, investments in improving access to alternative fuels across the United States, and a carbon emissions reduction program.

Other provisions in the bill are less obviously related to infrastructure. For example, the bill calls for a quantitative analysis of vulnerable road user fatalities and serious injuries [which] considers the demographics of the locations of fatalities and serious injuries, including race, ethnicity, age, income, and age. The Denali Commision, a federal agency that focuses on the development of the state of Alaska, is granted $20 million per year for five years. The Central Utah Project, a water resource development program in Utah, receives $50 million toward the completion of the project. An additional $500 million is set to fund research and development of low- or zero-emission school buses.

Another $125 million will not go toward infrastructure at all, but will instead be directed over 5 years toward training and education.

The bill also creates new regulations for the automotive industry. One such provision calls for a mandate on auto manufacturers to include wildlife-collision prevention measures on all vehicles manufactured three years after the passage of the bill. It also requires that all vehicles manufactured after the same date be equipped with advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology. Whether this means that cars will have to come equipped with a breathalyzer or some other kind of technology is unclear. An especially odd section of the bill calls for federal research to be conducted on limousines.

One part of the bill calls for a per-mile user feea federal tax based on mileage driven by consumers. To collect this information, the bill calls for the use of third-party on-board diagnostic devices, smartphone apps, telemetric data collected by vehicle manufacturers, and data obtained by car insurance companies, among several other tools.

Another section focused on disadvantaged business enterprises, saying that discrimination and related barriers continue to pose significant obstacles for minority- and women-owned businesses seeking to do business in Federally assisted surface transportation markets across the US. It went on to make the bold claim that Race- and gender-neutral efforts alone are insufficient to address the problem. Thus, the bill requires that at least 10 percent of the allocations for small businesses be granted on the basis of race or sex.

One provision of the bill targets the cryptocurrency market, a move that attracted bipartisan criticism in the House and spurred the introduction of an amendment to change the rule that was shot down Monday afternoon.

This final version of the bill, which has been in negotiation for months, left many in Congress unhappy as progressives have pushed for a larger bill and libertarian elements have pushed for a smaller one. It is unclear whether the bill will pass the House in this setting.
Riding couple. Ivory with carved decoration, Paris, first third of the 14th century. (Siren|Com via Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)

Antique Dealers Challenge New Yorks Ivory Overreach

Antique dealers are challenging a law that makes it nearly impossible to market some of their wares in New York state that are otherwise legal to sell in the United States.

The case is Art and Antique Dealers League of America Inc. v. Seggos, pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. Basil Seggos is the commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Also listed as defendantsappellees in the case are the Humane Society of the United States, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The plaintiffsappellants are the Art and Antique Dealers League of America Inc. and the National Antique and Art Dealers Association of America Inc.

With the passage in 2014 of the New York State Ivory Law and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservations creation of license conditions limiting whether and how antiques containing ivory may be displayed, most such antiques are now banned from being sold and displayed for sale in New York state.

If an antique, defined as an object of at least 100 years of age, contains more than 20 percent ivory, state law bans its sale to New Yorkers and prohibits its display in New York state dealers stores. Dealers may only show photos or catalog listings of that merchandise to in-store visitors and only if a not for sale in New York disclaimer is attached.

Violations of the state statute, which also applies to ivory from mammoths, an ancestor of modern elephants that became extinct 4,000 years ago, can lead to imprisonment for up to seven years for a felony, a sentence that may be accompanied by fines of up to $3,000 or two times the value of the item involved.

The federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) restricts trade in products made from endangered animals and from some threatened animals. After it was enacted in 1973, Congress set an exemption from the ESAs prohibitions for trade in antiques, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) created regulations governing trade in African elephant products, including antiques containing ivory.

Federal law recognizes that theres no evidence of a connection between antiques and modern elephant poaching and allows for the sale of older antiques containing ivory, as well as newer items containing a small amount of ivory. The rules allow interstate and international commerce in antique articles that are at least 100 years old, as well as non-antique artwork containing de minimis amounts of ivory that are at least 45 years old and have been present in the United States for at least 30 years.

FWS specifically determined that this exempted commerce doesnt contribute to the poaching of elephants in Africa, the appellants opening brief filed with the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals reads.

Ivory has been an important medium for art, furniture, and jewelry for millennia, and ivory carvings date back to prehistoric times. Ancient Egyptians and Phoenicians used ivory in art and furniture. Western artisans used ivory from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance and Baroque periods to create objects depicting Biblical scenes and figures, according to the brief.

Skillful ivory carving was also practiced in China as early as the Shang Dynasty in the 16th century BCE. Middle Eastern artisans used ivory for furniture, caskets, and pulpits during the time of Muhammad. Indian Hindus and Buddhists, indigenous Inuit, and native Africans have likewise used ivory in artistic carvings for centuries, the brief reads.

Ivory has played a significant role in recording the history of art, religion, and human civilization, even though attitudes toward conservation and animal harvesting have changed and elephant ivory is no longer commonly available for use in making new goods.

Attorney Caleb Trotter of the Sacramento, California-based Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), a national public interest law firm that is representing the antique dealers, said it makes no sense for the government to allow an item to be sold, but to prohibit the seller from talking about it in a display.

Such restrictions are forbidden by the First Amendment, he told The Epoch Times.

You have dealers forced to only display these items online or via photograph or via catalog. Only the problem is that these are not inexpensive items and the authenticity of these items, of course, is extremely important, Trotter said.

No one is going to be willing to buy an item like this unless they can physically inspect it, to make sure its authentic.

The way the New York state law is being enforced amounts to completely prohibiting the sale of antiques containing ivory, Trotter said.

This is a problem for antique dealers because a lot of them have acquired a number of expensive pieces and have had them in inventory, and so it can be a rather large sunk cost to a lot of them, he said.

More and more extinct mammoth ivory is being found and made available after being uncovered in places like Siberia and extreme northern Canada, according to Trotter.

The dealers challenged the state ivory law and the display restrictions in federal court, and U.S. District Court Judge Lorna G. Schofield, an Obama appointee, ruled against them in an 11-page opinion March 5, giving rise to this appeal.

We at the Pacific Legal Foundation got involved earlier this year to take over the case on appeal and we filed our opening brief, Trotter said, noting that the state attorney generals response to the brief is due in mid-September.

We like our chances. I dont think we would have gotten involved in taking over the appeal if we didnt.

The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat who is defending the state statute in court, didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.
Arizona state Sen. Tony Navarette is seen in an undated file photograph. (Arizona Legislature)

Arizona State Senator Charged With Child Molestation Steps Down

An Arizona state senator charged with molesting a child resigned on Aug. 10.

State Sen. Otoniel Tony Navarrete, a Democrat, tendered his resignation, effective immediately, Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, a Republican, and Democratic Leader Rebecca Rios said.

This was the right thing to do considering the serious allegations, Fann and Rios said in a joint statement.

The senators said they were notifying Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, and would look to find a replacement for Navarrete. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will select three candidates from the Democratic Party who live in the same district as Navarrete, and Senate leaders will choose from among them, according to local media.

Because of the resignation, Arizona Senate Ethics Chair Sine Kerr said that an ethics complaint against Navarette was dismissed as moot.

Navarrete, 35, was arrested last week and booked on four counts, including molestation of a child and sexual conduct with a minor, jail records show. The sponsor of a bill calling for sex education classes for young children, he said in a statement to news outlets that he denied the allegations.

I adamantly deny all allegations that have been made and will pursue all avenues in an effort to prove my innocence. In doing so, I will be focusing the vast majority of my time and energy on my defense, he said.

In a secretly recorded phone call, one of the victims asked Navarette if he regretted touching him, according to court documents.

Navarrete responded saying of course I regret any bad actions that I did. Absolutely wishing everything could be different, a probable cause affidavit said.

Navarette then told the victim he wasnt well.

Otoniel told the victim that nothing he did was his fault. Otoniel said he was regretful, the affidavit reads.

Democrats and Republicans alike had called for Navarrete to resign after the charges were made public.

Navarrete was released over the weekend on $50,000 bond.

Allan Stein contributed to this report.
As Chicago Public Schools Reopen In-Person, Nearly 100,000 Students Might Not Show Up

CHICAGOAs Chicago Public Schools (CPS) plan to reopen all 638 schools for in-person classes in the fall, 80,620 students are deemed to have medium risks of not coming back, according to CPSs analysis of attendance rates.

These students were chronically absent during the last school year, when CPS pushed for citywide online learning amid the pandemic. Another 17,661 students who attended few or no classes are deemed at high risk, according to CPS director of family and community engagement Kareem Pender at a community engagement forum on Aug. 10.

The three grades with the biggest numbers of high-risk students are 9th grade, 10th grade, and 11th grade; at 2,258, 2,060, and 1,719 respectively.

CPS interim CEO Jose Torres has made it his first priority to reengage the 100,000 students that have risks of leaving the school system in fall. He asks schools and community organizations to canvass neighborhoods, make phone calls to students homes, and visit student homes in person. CPS has about 340,000 students system-wide.

We cannot afford to lose one student, Michele Clark High School principal Charles Anderson told The Epoch Times, We are going to find them. Anderson asked his security guard, behavioral health team members, and counselor to find high-risk students at their homes. He declined to share details about those visits.

According to the most recent data published by CPS, Michele Clark has one of the highest truancy rates among CPS schools: One out of three Michele Clark students skipped virtual classes between March 8 and 12.

The school sits in the Austin neighborhood, which this year has the second-highest number of homicides among all Chicago neighborhoods, at 42. Another 212 people were wounded in Austin, mostly through gunshots.

For a lot of young people, the school is a safe haven, Andriene Johnson, vice president of violence intervention and prevention services at UCAN, told The Epoch Times. UCAN, sitting right across the street from Michele Clark, helps most at-risk youths to get back on the right track.

I know the schools really did a great job of getting equipment and WiFi to families, but sometimes virtual is just not the best for young people, Johnson said. The pandemic gave young people a lot of idle time. You know, my grandmother used to say, Your mind should never be idle.

Johnson thinks the idleness of young people contributed to the uptick in juvenile crimes such as carjackings. In 2020, Chicago saw more carjackings than in the previous two years combined, and teenagers are driving the surge, according to University of Chicago research based on arrest data, suspect estimates data, and crime clearance rates. The neighborhoods with high rates of carjackings in Chicago are also those with low public school attendances rates, mostly on the South and West Sides of Chicago.

During the first half of 2021, the number of juveniles arrested for carjackings nearly doubled compared to the same time last year, based on police arrest records obtained by The Epoch Times.

Many juveniles take part in carjackings just for fun, according to Chicago Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan.

Its just a game for these kids. Theyre taking the cars, and they arent selling them or going to chop shops. Theyre maybe going to McDonalds and then theyre going to carjack another car. We have kids who do 14 carjackings a week, Deenihan said in a statement sent to the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).

Some of UCANs 65 Safe Passage workers will work with CPS to re-engage at-risk students before the new school year. Safe Passage workers watch over the safety of students on routes nearby schools on school days.
Baba Marals Azerbaijani Stuffed Eggplants, Peppers, and Tomatoes (Three Sisters)

Im from a family where every member of my family knows how to cook the entire animal from head to tail. Its so important not to waste when it comes to food. Were from the mountains in Azerbaijan. Its so beautiful there that you can hear the voice of the river as you sleep. Mostly we grew our own vegetables and had cows, sheep, chickens. Its so different now, thoughits become a ski resort and a place for tourists.

I collect all my tea from Azerbaijan when I go home for four months in the summer. When I was a little girl, my mum would take us into the forest and mountains and she would show us which herbs to pick so we could forage ourselves for all of our teas. I now bring so much back with me from Azerbaijan. I dont even know the name of some of the herbs I bring back with me. Its so important to have the ingredients I know and love from my home.

When I was in Azerbaijan I worked as a midwife, and then a nurse in Siberia, then I became a dermatologist. I married and had two children, but my husband left me for a young Russian student. Thats when I took my two young daughters and moved to America to start from zero at the age of 41. I did any job availablecleaning peoples apartments. Anything. Then I finished college here.

[]

If youre not scared and have a goal inside you, you can do anything anywhere. You just need to go straight on and never look back. I didnt speak a single word of English when I came here. I never had any idea that I would be living in Brooklyn in New York City and that I would need to speak English. I learned within five months, though. I had a technique, which was to speak to everyone.

Baba Maral, born in Azerbaijan, 1958, lives in Brooklyn, New York

Baba Maral. (Iska Lupton)

Feeds 4 to 6

Heaped 1/2 cup white rice

1 pound ground lamb

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 white onion, finely diced

1 red onion, finely diced

1 large handful fresh dill, chopped

1 large handful fresh coriander, chopped

1 tablespoon dried mint

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried mountain mint (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

2 red and 2 yellow peppers

4 large tomatoes

5 mini eggplants

1 apple or 1/2 quince, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Cook the rice until al dente, about 5 minutes. You dont want it cooked all the way through, as it will have baking time inside the vegetables as well.

Meanwhile, start browning the lamb in a non-stick pan with the olive oil, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go. When the meat is browned all over and the rice is al dente, set both aside to cool a little.

Once cool enough to touch, use your hands to combine the meat and rice with the onions, herbs, salt, black pepper, and paprika.

Partially slice the tops off the peppers but dont slice all the way through, to create a lid that hinges open, through which you can take out all the insides. Do the same for the tomatoes, trying to keep the lid attached and taking out the middle (reserve this for later).

Slice the tops off the eggplants and make a slice lengthways with a little gap at each end to create a pocket ready for filling.

Stuff all your veg carefully with the lamb mixturethe lids should still close with a little space for the mixture to expand further. Place the veg in a large casserole pan with a lid so theyre upright and holding each other up. Top with the quince or apple, garlic, and tomato middles.

Turn the stove to medium-low and cook the pan of stuffed veg for 20 minutes with the lid on (and no added water!). Be careful not to overdo them, you want them to keep their shape! Serve with olives, rice, and flatbreads.

Excerpted with recipes and images from Grand Dishes: Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers of the World, by Anastasia Miari and Iska Lupton, available now from Unbound. Excerpted with permission of the publisher.

Anastasia Miari
BC Wildfires Threaten Lives, Livelihoods

Okanagan residents share stories of devastation and evacuation

Amid the nearly 1,500 wildfires that British Columbia has seen so far this summer, one of the regions most affected has been the Kamloops Fire Centre region in B.C.s southern Interior, which encompasses the Okanagan. Local residents shared their experiences of devastation and evacuation as around 270 of the fires remain actively burning.

Cathy Wilde lives in a trailer park in a housing development on the reserve land of the Okanagan Indian Band northwest of Vernon, B.C.

The winds were shifting  so they didnt know what was going to happen. So I had my car mostly packed for over a week, and kind of sitting on the edge, Wilde said in an interview.

I packed up as many clothes as I could. And I packed air mattress bedding, a pillow, hiking boots, good and personal items that I wanted to keep in case the place burned down.

She checked websites for evacuation orders for days. As she drove by Swan Lake the night she was evacuated, nature gave her the message.

The sky was red from the smoke and from the flames reflecting off the smoke. And then the lake looked like blood.  Ive been through fires before in the 30 years Ive lived in the valley here, but it was never ever like this. Never, Wilde said.

That Friday night, Aug. 6, her landlord arrived around 11:30 p.m. to announce it was time to go.

It was so brutally crazy  breathing in the debris, she said, noting that the ash from the fire was like snow. When a snowstorm hits, well, thats what it felt like, but it stuck.

The smoke, the ash, and the debris flying around was absolutely worse than being able to see flames. It was so bad you couldnt stand being outside.

Wilde stayed with friends in Vernon for a few days, then the rain she prayed for arrived and allowed her to return home.

When the rain came it settled things down a lot, but the fires are still burning as we havent had enough rain to put them out. [Ash] blew into the house through the window seams.

Relocating From Smokanagan

B.C. has had 1,462 fires this year since April 1, with 268 still burning as of the evening of Aug. 10. These include 21 in the Coastal region, 6 in the Northwest, 57 in the Prince George area, 86 in the Kamloops region, 64 in the Southeast, and 34 in the Cariboo region. Among them, 816 were suspected to have been caused by lightning, 468 by people, with the remainder of unknown cause.

Total area burned so far this fiscal yearfrom April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022stands at more than 650,000 hectares as of Aug. 9. Eleven active fires are each bigger than the total of 14,536 hectares consumed by fire from the previous fiscal year. The largest of these is the 77,102-hectare fire at Sparks Lake northwest of Kamloops, which began on June 28.

In many regions, air quality has been poor for weeks. For hairstylist Amber Roberge, it became too much almost a month ago.

I bought an air purifier. It wasnt good enough because I have compromised lungs and I had to leave, Roberge said in an interview.

They used to call it summer, but now they call it the fire-burning season, she added.

Roberge left with her mother for Vancouver on July 12, hoping things might clear up after a few days. Instead, its now been four weeks there spent first with friends, then in hotels, then in short-term rentals. While they wait for better news from home, things have only gotten worse.

Everyone is talking about relocating from the Okanagan, she says, which has jokingly been renamed the Smokanagan.

My friends are farming in Kelowna.  And the bees arent able to pollinate their farms as well because of all the smoke. Theres no bees, and their crops are being cut down into next to nothing. My brothers working outside doing construction and theyre working in these hazardous conditions, Roberge said.

Ive lived in Kelowna my whole life, and weve never had fires like this except that one horrible year, 2003.  And then the last three years weve started to have fires every year. But the whole rest of my [previous] 20 years was perfect summers in Kelowna.

Seeking Better Surveillance, Response

Over the last decade, from fiscal year 2011 to 2020, B.C. faced 1,352 wildfires in an average year, with 562 (42 percent) caused by people, and the remainder by lightning. On average, such fires consumed 348,917 hectares annually, causing $265.3 million in damages. The fires of 2017 and 2018 were particularly bad, consuming more than 1.2 million hectares and causing over $600 million of damage in each of those years.

Ian Madsen, senior policy analyst with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy and a resident of Surrey, B.C., said the economic devastation will include the sectors of transportation, mining, and agriculture, as well as summer tourism.

A lot of people go to the interior of B.C.from coastal B.C. and from Albertato lakes, some mountains, wineries.  And now with smoke nearly everywhere that people usually go, thats hard to bear, Madsen said.

Therell be many millions of dollars a month just from damages. And then loss of future trees to the forestry industry. And theres also all the other economic activity too and that isnt happening.

Although fires are considered a natural process that occurs as part of many forest ecosystems, typically caused by lightning during warm and dry seasons, Madsen believes this summers experience calls for better surveillance and a more robust response.

I just dont understand how you cannot see something that is several hundred square metres and is emitting smoke in an area that you should be watching anyway because its been dry. And then suddenly, you dont do anything until its  several thousand square kilometres, which is monstrous, he said.

They need to change their whole approach. And also they need to change their understanding of the nature of what it is that theyre dealing with.
A general view of the Great Hall of the People refracted by the window of an ambulance in Beijing, on March 5, 2011. (Feng Li/Getty Images)

Beijing Reports Anthrax Case, Patient Quarantined

Health officials in Beijing reported a case of inhalation anthrax on Aug. 8. The patient, a resident of Chengde city in northern Hebei Province, had contact with infected animals, authorities said.

The patient is quarantined and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Beijing, according to the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The patient was transported from Hebei to Beijing, four days after showing symptoms.

Health officials said the patient had come into close contact with cattle, sheep, goats, and products derived from such animals. No further details were disclosed, including the patients personal information, during Mondays press conference.

Anthrax is a life-threatening infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, usually transmitted from animals, especially ruminants such as cattle, goats, deer, and sheep. Although rare, humans can get anthrax if they come into contact with infected animals skin, fur, or meat. People in certain occupations that work closely with animals such as veterinarians and farmers may have an increased risk of exposure.

Anthrax is not contagious like the cold or flu. Anthrax gets into the body through the skin, lungs, or gastrointestinal system.

People with inhalation anthrax experience flu-like symptoms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the infection starts primarily in the lymph nodes in the chest before spreading throughout the rest of the body, ultimately causing severe breathing problems and shock. About 55 percent of patients survive with aggressive treatment.

People infected with cutaneous anthrax (infection through the skin caused by a cut or scrape), are easily treated with antibiotics, according to the CDC. This type of infection may cause symptoms like small itching blisters or bumps, which may develop into a painless skin sore with a black center.

Chinas state-run China News Service reported on April 2018 that three Chinese farmers in Haiyuan county, in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of central China, were infected with anthrax and authorities claimed that the situation was under control at the time. However, a month later, Russian authorities issued a travel alert to its citizens and warned them about traveling to central China due to the anthrax outbreak.

Anthrax remains a global health concern, as its mortality rate can be up to 90 percent if a person breathes in the spores, according to the CDC.

In September 2001, letters containing anthrax spores in the form of fine powder began appearing in the U.S. postal system. The letters were delivered to Florida, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Washington; and the recipients included two Senators and several media outlets. Five people died and 22 others were infected from inhalation anthrax. The FBI conducted a seven-year investigation into the attack, referred to as Amerithrax, and described it as one of the largest and most complex in the history of law enforcement.

According to the CDC, anthrax cases rarely occur in the United States, but it had been used as a bioweapon since World War I.
Beijings Bullying Against Australia Has Failed: Former PM

Beijings trade war against Australia has been a failure that could serve as a lesson to the Chinese leadership, according to former Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who noted that his key approach to dealing with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was to stand firm on Australian values.

Turnbull, along with former Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, appeared on La Trobe Universitys The Ideas and Society Program to address China and its relationship with Australia and the United States.

This pressure campaign against Australia has been quite useful in the sense that it has demonstrated to China that they can pull all these levers, and it does not actually work. It has not actually worked, Turnbull said.

It has not sent Australia spiralling into a recession because of Chinese displeasure. So hopefully, that is going to be an instructive experience for them, he said. This bullying exercise has failed, and  it is getting written up in international journals around the world as the limits of Chinese failure.

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaking to the press core (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

You can imagine, there might be discussion in Beijing where (Chinese leader) Xi says to (Foreign Minister) Wang Yi or another international policy person, Whose brilliant idea with this? Didnt you say the Australians were going to roll over to ask and suck up to us?

Beijing launched an economic coercion campaign against Australia in April 2020 following calls by Foreign Minister Marise Payne for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

The move drew a sharp rebuke from Chinese Ambassador to Canberra Cheng Jingye, who warned of potential action against Australias trading relationship with China.

In the following months, Beijing implemented a series of bans, suspensions, or regulatory hurdles on Australian coal, wine, beef, barley, lobster, timber, lamb, and cotton exports to China. Beijing also severed all high-level diplomatic contact with the Australian federal government.

Currently, Australia has lodged two actions against the barley and wine tariffs at the World Trade Organisation, while exporters have worked hard to diversify their markets away from China.

Turnbull said that his key to dealing with Beijing was to stand firm on Australian values and not compromise.

In early 2018, the Chinese government was very concerned that foreign interference legislation would pass. They were very critical of it, and there was quite a lot of pressure on it, he said. Ultimately, once it was passed, and I knew it would happen, once it was passed, it (Beijings rhetoric) stopped.

The foreign interference laws were passed following revelations that Labor Senator Sam Dastyari had been influenced by Chinese billionaireand political donorHuang Xiangmo to advocate for Beijing on the South China Sea, even when it contradicted the official Labor Partys stance.

Turnbull was also prime minister when Australia became the first jurisdiction in the world to ban Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from its 5G network in 2018.

It is an important insight. All the indignation and fury from the people in Beijing, it is instrumental. This is not a heartfelt, uncontrollable emotion, it has a purpose. And if the purpose cannot be fulfilled, they will move onto the next plan, he said.

The former prime minister also reminded audience members to differentiate between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese people.

The Communist Party in China is very ready to say any criticism of the regime, or its policies, is anti-Chinese, right? We must not fall into that. Chinese people are part of our family, our Australian family. They are also part of Kevins and my family.
British Embassy Worker in Berlin Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for Russia

An employee at the British embassy in Berlin has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia, German prosecutors have said.

The man, a 57-year-old British national named only as David S., was detained on Tuesday following a joint investigation by the British and German authorities.

In a statement, the German Federal Prosecutors Office said he is suspected of selling documents obtained during his work at the embassy to a representative of a Russian intelligence service.

He is due to appear before an investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice later on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: The man was arrested in the Berlin area on suspicion of committing offences relating to being engaged in intelligence agent activity (under German law).

Primacy for the investigation remains with German authorities. Officers from the Counter Terrorism Command continue to liaise with German counterparts as the investigation continues.

The Mets Counter Terrorism Command is responsible for investigating alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act.

According to the prosecutors statement, the suspectwho worked as a local employee at the embassywas arrested in the German town of Potsdam.

Police subsequently carried out searches at his home and at his workplace.

He is said to be suspected of having worked for a foreign secret service since at least November last year.

On at least one occasion he forwarded documents obtained in the course of his professional activities to a representative of a Russian intelligence service, the statement said.

In return for providing information, the accused received cash in a previously unknown amount.

In a statement, a UK government spokesman said: An individual who was contracted to work for the government was arrested yesterday by the German authorities.

It would not be appropriate to comment further as there is an ongoing police investigation.

By Gavin Cordon
California Gov. Gavin Newsom attends press conference for the official reopening of the state of California at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, Calif., on June 15, 2021. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

California Requires School Employees to Be Vaccinated or Tested Every Week

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Aug. 11 announced that all school employees will have to either get vaccinated or submit to regular testing for the CCP virus, making his state the first in the nation to do so.

To give parents confidence that their children are safe as schools return to full, in-person learning, we are urging all school staff to get vaccinated, Newsom said in a statement. Vaccinations are how we will end this pandemic.

Under the new order issued by the California Department of Public Health, public and private schools serving students in transitional K12 must verify and trace all their workers vaccination status. Workers who are not fully vaccinated will be considered unvaccinated.

Asymptomatic unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated workers, according to the order, must be tested at least once weekly with either PCR/molecular testing or antigen testing. Those who have recovered from COVID-19 more than 90 days earlier, or those with a previous positive antibody test, will not be exempted from the testing requirement.

The state health department of California is currently experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases, with 22.7 new cases per 100,000 people per day, with case rates increasing tenfold since early June.

The new order will take effect Aug. 12, and all schools must be in full compliance by Oct. 15, Californias health department said, citing the increase in COVID-19 cases as well as the Delta variant, which is currently the most common variant causing new infections in the Golden State.

Unvaccinated persons are more likely to get infected and spread the virus, the department said. Almost all K-6th graders are unvaccinated and will not be eligible for vaccines at the outset of the 2021-22 school year.

Prior to the statewide order, several large public school districts, including San Jose Unified, San Francisco Unified, and San Diego Unified, had already rolled out their own vaccine mandates for employees. Los Angeles Unified, the second-largest public school system in the nation, has gone even further to require weekly testing of all students and employees, regardless of their vaccination status.

The vaccine mandates for school employees have been applauded by teachers union leaders and Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden. In a Aug. 10 interview with MSNBC, Fauci said that state and local governments should require teachers to be vaccinated against the CCP virus.

Im going to upset some people on this, but I think we should, Fauci replied, when asked if teachers should be mandated to get vaccines. This is very serious business. You would wish that people would see why its so important to get vaccinated.
A truck drives by hills covered in dry grass along Highway 5 in Los Banos, Calif., on May 25, 2021. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

California Truckers Take Fight Against Anti-Gig Law to Supreme Court

Independent truckers in California are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate an unusually restrictive and possibly unconstitutional state law that virtually outlaws independent contracting.

Independent truckers say the California law known as AB5, which took effect Jan. 1, 2020, will kill their industry by preventing companies from hiring them.

The law was temporarily enjoined as to motor carriers by U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez of the Southern District of California the day before it took effect, as The Epoch Times previously reported. That injunction has been left in place temporarily by a federal appeals court.

The statute, which was pushed by organized labor to crack down on the hard-to-unionize so-called gig economy represented by companies such as Uber and Lyft, was enacted ostensibly to help workers by preventing their misclassification.

It adopts the so-called ABC test to determine employee status, according to the labor union-funded Economic Policy Institute (EPI). The test stipulates that workers may only be considered independent contractors when a business proves the workers a. Are free from control and direction by the hiring company; b. Perform work outside the usual course of business of the hiring entity; and c. Are independently established in that trade, occupation, or business.

AB5 will make it more difficult for companies to avoid paying their fair share of Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance taxes and avoid providing state workers compensation insurance, EPI said in November 2019, weeks before the law took effect.

The case is California Trucking Association Inc. v. Bonta, court file 21-194. The appeal, which challenges a ruling from earlier this year by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, was docketed by the Supreme Court on Aug. 11. Rob Bonta, a Democrat, is the attorney general of California.

There are hundreds of thousands of owner-operators in the United States, and they play an outsized role in the trucking industry, according to the petition filed with the Supreme Court.

Many motor carrier companies provide trucking services by contracting with owner-operators, who are individual drivers who own and operate their own trucks. Many motor carriers, including most motor carriers in the Golden State, depend entirely on owner-operators to transport goods. Other motor carriers own trucks and employ drivers but also contract with owner-operators to secure additional capacity or specialized services, the petition states.

The owner-operator business model is central to the operation of the trucking industry because it allows motor carriers to efficiently satisfy fluctuating demand for trucking services. The model has allowed motor carriers to expand without major capital investment, making it possible for them [to] bid on jobs that require multiple trucks and to provide those services through subcontractors or by themselves acquiring additional trucks and hiring employee drivers.

As part of a deregulatory trend that began in 1980, in 1994 Congress approved the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (FAAAA) to ensure that the States would not undo federal deregulation with regulation of their own, and avoid a patchwork of state service-determining laws, rules, and regulations, the petition stated, citing the Supreme Courts 2008 ruling in Rowe v. New Hampshire Motor Transportation Association. The FAAAA preempts state laws related to a price, route, or service, of any motor carrier.

Congress borrowed the FAAAAs preemption language from the previously enacted Airline Deregulation Act of 1978.

In a 1994 report, Congress recognized that the sheer diversity of state regulatory schemes presented a huge problem for national and regional carriers attempting to conduct a standard way of doing business, and found later that state regulation of the trucking industry imposed an unreasonable burden on interstate commerce that impeded the free flow of trade, traffic, and transportation of interstate commerce.

The California Trucking Association argues that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was wrong to reject its challenge to AB5, which it says makes it essentially impossible for motor carriers to continue giving work to independent owner-operators.

The 9th Circuits holding should not stand, the association states in the petition.

It creates a conflict in the circuits. It rests on a construction of the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 that departs both from the statutory language and from this courts approach. It will cause dis-uniformity in national commerce while disrupting the operations both of motor carriers and of owner-operators. And it interferes with the routes, services and prices of motor carriers  just what Congress meant the FAAAA to prevent.

Bontas press office said, Were reviewing the petition. At the California Department of Justice, well continue to defend laws that are designed to protect workers and ensure fair labor and business practices.
Californias Temporary Vote-From-Home System Not Widely Understood

A statewide program designed to allow disabled, military, and overseas Californians to print out their ballot choices remotely or at home using a computer and printer has been available to the general public for months, yet its not widely understood.

In January 2020, California implemented the Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail (RAVBM) program, which provides voters with a potentially faster and easier alternative to filling out a regular mail-in ballot with a pen.

The RAVBM program was temporarily made available to all voters last year, regardless of disability or military status, ahead of the November 2020 election, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Californias secretary of state office told The Epoch Times via email.

This availability is set to expire on Jan. 1, 2022, unless a new bill moving through the legislature becomes law.

Assembly Bill 37 would make RAVBM permanently available to all California voters, requiring county elections officials to permit any voter to cast a ballot using a certified remote accessible vote by mail system for any election.

To vote using RAVBM, voters must make a request with their county elections office online, by phone, mail, or email, according to the secretary of states website. Each voter is given access to an online portal through a state-certified RAVBM system and a unique access code. The state says the system is secure and has one of the most strenuous testing and certification programs in the country, according to the websites FAQs (pdf).

When a voter logs into the system, they are temporarily disconnected from the internet as no votes can be submitted online, said the secretary of states office.

The program allows the voter to print a paper cast vote record with a QR code. However, this vote record is not technically a ballot, since the printed vote record does not meet official ballot paper requirements.

The voter must place their printed vote record in either a vote-by-mail ballot or their own envelope and sign the envelope. The envelope must then be mailed or dropped off at a voting location. The information cannot be sent back electronically.

Only after verification is the paper cast vote record transferred to a real ballot for processing and tabulation, stated the secretary of states office.

This means RAVBM vote records must undergo a manual duplication process, according to Ruth Weiss of Election Integrity Project, California. Election workers must fill out a new, official ballot that is aligned with the voters original intent.

However, any increase in the number of ballots undergoing duplication can increase the risk of ballot alterations, said Weiss.

This exposes ballots in greater numbers to potentially poorly supervised, unverified remaking before counting, with no real secure way to be sure the ballots did not undergo change in the process, Weiss told The Epoch Times.

The RAVBM voting system will be available to California voters for the upcoming gubernatorial recall election on Sept. 14.

Sarah Le reporter Sarah Le is a reporter for New Tang Dynasty (NTD) Television and its media partner, The Epoch Times. She covers important general interest news events and topics in Southern California. She lives with her husband and two children in Los Angeles.
Dominic Barton, Canada Ambassador to China, wearing a face mask gestures after meeting with Canadian Michael Spavor at a detention center in Dandong, China, Aug. 11, 2021. A Chinese court has sentenced Spavor to 11 years on spying charges in case linked to Huawei. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Canada Condemns China After Court Sentences Michael Spavor to 11 Years in Prison

OTTAWACanada will continue to fight for the release of Michael Spavor and other Canadians arbitrarily detained in China, Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau promised on Wednesday after a Chinese court sentenced the entrepreneur to 11 years in prison.

Garneau in a news conference said the government condemns in the strongest possible terms the prison sentence, which followed a closed-door trial in March in which Spavor was found guilty of spying on China.

We know that the practice of arbitrary detention with a mock, sham trial with absolutely no transparency whatsoever, and a verdict that is completely unjustified are not acceptable in terms of international rules-based law, Garneau said.

He added that Canada is working with its allies, including the United States, to secure the release of both Spavor and fellow Canadian Michael Kovrig, though he refused to provide details.

That includes whether there are discussions around Canada releasing Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in exchange for the Canadians who have become known around the world as simply the two Michaels.

The men have been detained for nearly three years after they were arrested on spying allegations shortly after Meng was detained at the Vancouver airport in December 2018.

A British Columbia court is preparing to hear final arguments on whether Wanzhou should be extradited to the U.S. where she is wanted on allegations of having violated trade laws.

Beijing denies there is a connection between Mengs case and the arrests of Spavor and Kovrig, but Chinese officials and state media frequently mention the two men in relation to whether or not Meng is allowed to return to China.

Spavors sentencing also follows a Chinese courts decision on Tuesday to uphold the death penalty for another Canadian, Robert Schellenberg, in a case that many observers have similarly linked to Mengs detention.

Asked whether Canada was negotiating over possibly sending Meng home in exchange for the release of the two Michaels, Canadian Ambassador to China Dominic Barton said, There are intensive efforts and discussions. I dont want to talk in any detail about that. But that will continue.

Garneau similarly would not say whether such discussions are underway, saying only that Canadian diplomats in China and the U.S. have put in considerable and intense work on the file.

This work will continue to go on with the aim of arriving at the result of freeing the two Michaels, Garneau said, adding U.S. President Joe Biden has indicated his administration is treating them as if they were American citizens detained by China.

U.S. officials are working with us to try to find a solution for the release of the two Michaels and I cant go into any further details, but those intense discussions continue, Garneau said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement following the verdict, calling it absolutely unacceptable and unjust.

Todays verdict for Mr. Spavor comes after more than two and a half years of arbitrary detention, a lack of transparency in the legal process, and a trial that did not satisfy even the minimum standards required by international law, the statement read.

For Mr. Spavor, as well as for Michael Kovrig who has also been arbitrarily detained, our top priority remains securing their immediate release. We will continue working around the clock to bring them home as soon as possible.

Spavors sentencing also prompted an unusual joint show of support for Canada by the United States and 24 other governments.

Diplomats from the United States, Japan, Britain, Australia, Germany, and other European countries plus the European Union gathered at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing in a show of support. They also have issued separate appeals for Spavor and Kovrig to receive fair trials or to be released.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the immediate and unconditional release of Spavor and Kovrig.

The practice of arbitrarily detaining individuals to exercise leverage over foreign governments is completely unacceptable, Blinken said in a statement.

People should never be used as bargaining chips.

European Council president Charles Michel wrote on Twitter that arbitrary detentions have no place in international relations. The EU stands in full solidarity with Canada in condemning the sentencing of Mr. Spavor. We are joint in the call for his release.

Spavor was sentenced by a court in Dandong, about 340 kilometers east of Beijing on the North Korean border. The Chinese government has released few details other than to accuse Spavor of passing along sensitive information to Kovrig, a former diplomat, beginning in 2017. Both have been held in isolation and have little contact with Canadian diplomats.

While we disagree with the charges, we realize that this is the next step in the process to bring Michael home, and we will continue to support him through this challenging time, Spavors family said in a statement.

Michaels life passion has been to bring different cultures together through tourism and events shared between the Korean peninsula and other countries including China and Canada, his family said. This situation has not dampened, but strengthened his passion.

Meng, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Ltd. and daughter of the companys founder, was arrested on U.S. charges of lying to the Hong Kong arm of the British bank HSBC about possible dealings with Iran in violation of trade sanctions.

Mengs lawyers argue the case is politically motivated and what she is accused of isnt a crime in Canada.

Chinas government has criticized the arrest as part of U.S. efforts to hamper its technology development. Huawei, a maker of network equipment and smartphones, is Chinas first global tech brand and is at the centre of U.S.-Chinese tension over technology and the security of information systems.

Earlier, Barton said he didnt think it was a coincidence the cases in China were happening while Mengs case was advancing in Vancouver.

Barton said Chinese authorities cited photos taken by Spavor at airports that included military aircraft.

A lot of it was around the photo evidence, the ambassador said. He obviously had a different view on that.

Spavor worked in China but had extensive links with North Korea in tourism and other commercial ventures that brought him into contact with the isolated communist states leadership.

The Canadian Embassy noted Spavor had been held for 975 days as of Wednesday.

Barton met with Spavor after the sentencing and said he sent three messages: Thank you for all your support, it means a lot to me. Two, I am in good spirits. And three, I want to get home.

Hes strong, resilient, focused on whats happening, Barton said. We had a very good conversation.

Kovrig, who also was detained in December 2018, stood trial in March. There has been no word on when a verdict might be announced.

On Tuesday, a Chinese court rejected the appeal of Schellenberg, whose 15-year prison term for drug smuggling was abruptly increased to death in January 2019 following Mengs arrest. The case was sent to Chinas supreme court for a mandatory review before it can be carried out.
The destruction wrought by mob-driven cancel culture comes with even greater costs than individual lives turned upside down and dreams destroyed. (Zenza Flarini/Shutterstock)

Cancel Culture and Wokeness Will Destroy Our Country

Commentary

The enabling tool of what we call cancel culture or wokeness is language.

People are put in categories to which names are assigned, and this supposedly captures who they are and what should be done with them politically.

Unfortunately, the whole business of racial identification and categorization is not about advancing the quality of the human condition and human dignity, but about progressive politics.

The left puts people in racial categories as instruments toward their political agenda.

In 1977, the Federal Interagency Committee on Education produced a five-race classification for the American population: American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, black, white, and Hispanic.

These categories, over time, continued to undergo changes and refinements.

The Hispanic category emerged in the 1970s, and the legislation described this group as Americans who identify themselves as being of Spanish-speaking background and trace their origin or descent from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South America, and other Spanish-speaking countries. So, an American with roots in Spain and an American with roots in Peru wind up in the same category, because their country of origin was Spanish-speaking.

Hispanic is neither race nor ethnicity. It is a category of political design, including individuals from 20-plus countries, with no commonality other than the language their grandparents spoke.

In the 2020 census, there are 19 different possibilities for self-categorization.

In both the white and black categories, filers are now asked to respond to additional questions regarding their country of origin.

The strangest part of the emergence of this movement as a political force is that it constitutes everything that supposedly is undesirable that we want to eliminate. Racism.

Is it any less racism if I conclude who a person is and what they are about based on whether they are white or black?

Yet here we are, with a good part of our nation mobilized, adopting the disease that we all thought we were trying to eliminate as its cure.

One weekend, I came across a beautiful short video of the great Nobel laureate in physics, Richard Feynman, talking about knowledge.

Feynman began his legendary career working on the Manhattan Project, which developed the first atomic bomb, and finished as a member of the commission that investigated the cause of the fatal explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986.

The video starts with the headline: Names Dont Constitute Knowledge.

Feynman recalls walking through a park with his father and his father telling him the names of different birds in different languages. In the end, notes Feynman, you know what different people around the world call the same bird, but you know absolutely nothing about the bird.

Consider what Feynman tells us in his observation that names dont constitute knowledge.

If we look in the Bible in the Book of Genesis, it says, God had formed out of the ground every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call each one; and whatever the man called each living creature, that remained its name. And the man assigned names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky.

Man does not create reality. He just names it.

Politics is the opposite. Rather than naming a reality that precedes him, of which he is a part, the progressive political man pretends to create reality with his language and names.

America was founded to be a free nation under God. Our government was not designed to replace God, but to be subservient to God.

The so-called enlightened theory of wokeness will reduce America to a weak, balkanized country where everyone is at his neighbors throat, rather than unique individuals cooperating in unity to produce greatness.

Speech must be freenot politically canceledand used in the pursuit of truth.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A health care worker uses a nasal swab to test Marcelino Soto for COVID-19 at a pop up testing site at the Koinonia Worship Center and Village in Pembroke Park, Fla., on July 22, 2020. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

CDC Updates Florida COVID-19 Numbers After State Health Departments Dispute

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed it will adjust Floridas COVID-19 case numbers after the states department of health said the agency rolled several days worth of cases into one day.

A spokesperson for the CDC told Fox News that itll correct the information and work with the Florida Department of Health.

Representatives for the CDC didnt respond to a request from The Epoch Times for comment by press time.

Dr. Shamarial Roberson, Floridas deputy secretary for health, told National Review that the CDC confirmed to the state that it had committed an error and will correct the issue.

Accurate data was provided to the CDC, but the incorrect number for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday was displayed on the website, Roberson said, noting that the CDC was made aware of their mistake by Florida officials on Aug. 9.

After several media outlets picked up the CDCs data on Aug. 9, the Florida Department of Health publicly asked the federal health agency to correct its information. The CDC initially said that 28,317 cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, were reported on Aug. 8, but the department of health said there were 15,319 cases reported that day.

Wrong again. The number of cases @CDCgov released for Florida today is incorrect, the department wrote in response to a report from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Twitter. They combined MULTIPLE days into one. We anticipate CDC will correct the record.

Responding to another report from a local media outlet, the state agency wrote on Twitter: This is not accurate. Florida follows CDC guidelines reporting cases Monday through Friday, other than holidays. Consequently, each Monday or Tuesday, there will be two or three days of data reported at a time. When data is published, it is attributed evenly to the previous days.

The CDC appears to have revised the total cases for Florida, with the agency stating that there were 21,487 cases reported on Aug. 7 and 19,584 reported on Aug. 8.

We are trying to figure out if that has been corrected and if not, whether it would just make more sense [for Florida] to maybe at least put out something. So, stay tuned on that. Well see what happens, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, told reporters on Aug. 10.

It isnt clear why the agency rolled several days of cases into one day.

Some Florida Democrat officials said that due to the confusion, Florida should reactive its daily dashboard for COVID-19 cases. The state currently reports on COVID-19 cases on a weekly basis.

You have to know what youre dealing with, Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) said of the need for the state to provide daily reports, according to the Palm Beach Post. The public has to understand how serious this is.

The incident comes as DeSantis has been repeatedly criticized by Democrats and corporate media outlets for how hes handling an increase in COVID-19 cases. Recently, President Joe Biden and his administration have repeatedly singled out DeSantis and Florida, perhaps in a lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, prompting a sharp response from the Republican governor.

And what has [Biden] done? Hes imported more virus from around the world by having a wide-open southern border. You have hundreds of thousands of people pouring across every month, DeSantis said at a recent event.

He rejects science, because he denies the fact that people that recover from COVID have long-lasting immunity.
Chainsaw Artist Breathes New Life Into Wood Creating Incredible Pieces of Art

A man who grew up helping his father use a chainsaw to cut firewood to heat the house found himself intrigued by chainsaw carving after he saw some carvers at the local fairgrounds. He has since taken up the technique, carving incredible pieces for the last 23 years.

It is actually a therapeutic activity. You just get lost in the crazy creative process that you are deep in the middle of. Its poetic pandemonium, Bob King from Edgewood, Washington, told The Epoch Times via email.

The 57-year-old artist, who grew up in Reedsport, Oregan, was first gifted a cedar log to try working on his newfound interest. However, anticipating failure, Bob kept the log at the back of his door for one year.

According to his website, after his friend persuaded him to give it a try and even promised him another piece of wood if he failed, Bob took up the challenge and carved a black bear holding a honey pot. The wood carving turned out to be successful and he even got a few offers to sell it.

In 2000, when Boeing had a large layoff, Bob decided to take his hobby to a whole new level. After enrolling in sculpture classes in a community college and undergoing a formal education in the arts, he began to sculpt human faces and figures.

Explaining the creative process that goes behind each wood sculpture, Bob told The Epoch Times: I begin with an idea for a composition. From there you simply have to fit it into a log. Its best to find one that just encompasses the outer limits of what you want.

A heavy blockout with a larger saw removes the larger chunks and establishes a basic form, Bob added. The finished work is done with smaller saws to bring out the details.

For finer details such as eyes and noses, Bob uses smaller power tools. However, he admits that with this chainsaw carving, there is really never a specific endpoint and one can go and add more details, it just depends on the carver to pick a stopping point.

The time that is required for each chainsaw carving, according to Bob, depends on the size and wood species. On average, he said, it takes about a day or two to complete a piece.

He hopes each peice would tell a story of some sort, or at least convey some energy or feeling.

Over the years, Bob has taken part in various chainsaw sculpture competitions and states that these events help enrich and refine the artists existing talents.

We are put in front of a nice block of wood, given a theme (nautical, animals, etc.,), given an allotted amount of time, Bob explained.

Among 1620 competitors, each individual puts in their best to create their most splendid piece. The works are then judged professionally and the finest among them is awarded.

In one competition that Bob took part in in Holland, he created a stag with horns and an owl behind it. The chainsaw sculpture, according to Bob, took about four days to complete, but had a lot of presence when it was completed.

In some cases, the shape of the log helps in deciding what the final product is, and in this case, Bob said [the stag] was in there and it seemed so easy to bring it out.

Over the years, Bob has carved various award-winning sculptures around the world. Among his majestic and beautiful creations are bears, seals, combat soldiers, donkeys, and more. However, he said the Eagles have remained his favorite.

I never get tired of them, Bob said. Its fun to try and emulate them in wood.

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
Michael Spavor, director of Paektu Cultural Exchange, talks during a Skype interview in Yanji, China, on March 2, 2017. (AP Photo/File)

China Court Sentences Canadian Michael Spavor to 11 Years

A Chinese court convicted Canadian businessman Michael Spavor of espionage on Aug. 11, sentencing him to 11 years in prison, in a case widely seen as part of the Chinese regimes pressure campaign against Canada over the arrest of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou.

The sentence came within a day of lawyers for Canadas attorney general arguing in a Canadian court against a request to delay the extradition of Meng to the United States to face criminal charges.

A statement from the Dandongs Intermediate Peoples Court in northeastern Chinas Liaoning Province says Spavor was found guilty of spying and illegally providing state secrets.

In addition to 11 years in prison, his personal assets, amounting to 50,000 yuan ($7,700), will be confiscated, and he will be deported, but the Chinese court didnt specify when this would take place. In China, deportation usually occurs after a person has served their sentence.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the conviction of Spavor absolutely unacceptable and unjust.

Todays verdict for Mr. Spavor comes after more than two and a half years of arbitrary detention, a lack of transparency in the legal process, and a trial that did not satisfy even the minimum standards required by international law, Trudeau said in an Aug. 11 statement.

He said that Spavor and another Canadian, former diplomat Michael Kovrig, were arbitrarily detained by the Chinese regime and that the Canadian government continues to prioritize securing their immediate release.

We will continue working around the clock to bring them home as soon as possible, Trudeau said. We will not rest until they are safely brought home.

Spavors family thanked the Canadian government in a statement for its tireless advocacy for his release.

While we disagree with the charges, we realize that this is the next step in the process to bring Michael home, and we will continue to support him through this challenging time, the Spavor family said.

Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marc Garneau said in a statement that the country condemns Chinas conviction and sentencing of Michael Spavor in the strongest possible terms.

This decision is rendered after a legal process that lacked both fairness and transparency, including a trial that did not satisfy the minimum standards required by international law, he said.

Canadian Ambassador to China Dominic Barton attended Spavors hearing in Dandong on Aug. 11, while a news conference at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing was attended by representatives from 25 countries in a show of support. The countries included the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, France, the EU, Italy, and Sweden.

Jim Nickel, front row center, the deputy chief of mission for the Canadian Embassy in China, and diplomatic representatives from more than two dozen other countries pose for a group photo at an event held in connection with the announcement of the sentence for Canadian citizen Michael Spavor at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, on Aug. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Absurd, disgusting #China sentences Canadian #MichaelSpavor to 11 years in prison in a thuggish act of reprisal meant to terrorize other countries into cowering before China, Michael Caster, the Asia digital program manager at ARTICLE 19, a London-based organization supporting freedom of expression, wrote on Twitter.

Pierre Dalphond, a Canadian Senator from Quebec, responded to the sentencing on Twitter as well.

Within 24 hrs, #China legal system has shown that it is anything but independent. After a death penalty against #Schellenberg now #MichaelSpavor sentenced to 11 years in prison for phony spying charges, Dalphond wrote.

Human rights NGO Safeguard Defenders, in a short Twitter post on Aug. 11, said it was a disgusting example of [hostage diplomacy].

One Day Trial

Spavor was previously charged with espionage in June 2019. The Dandong court concluded a one-day trial in March and waited until Aug. 11 to announce its verdict.

Spavors family previously said in March that the charges against him are vague and havent been made public and that he has had very limited access and interaction with his retained Chinese defense counsel.

His sentencing comes as a Canadian court is set to hear final arguments and decide whether to extradite Huawei CFO Meng to face U.S. criminal charges.

Shes accused of misleading HSBC about Huaweis business dealings in Iran, a move that put HSBC at risk of violating U.S. trade sanctions against Iran. Both Meng and Huawei have denied the charges. Lawyers in Canada representing Meng have sought to convince the court to not extradite her.



Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou arrives at the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, Canada, on Aug. 9, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

Meng was arrested at Vancouver International Airport at the request of the United States on Dec. 1, 2018.

Spavor and Kovrig were later arrested by Chinese authorities on Dec. 10, 2018. The two Michaels detention were widely seen as retaliation by the Chinese regime for Mengs arrest.

The Chinese regime has denied a direct connection between Mengs case and the two Michaels cases, but Chinese officials and media have repeatedly called for Mengs immediate release while mentioning the fates of the two men.

Kovrigs trial concluded in March. His verdict is set to be announced at an unspecified date.

China has a conviction rate of more than 99 percent, and public and media access to trials in sensitive cases are typically limited.

Meng remains out on bail under house arrest in Vancouver. Her extradition hearing is expected to wrap up by Aug. 20. A ruling from the judge is expected in the next few months, after which Canadas justice minister will decide whether to extradite her.

Another Chinese court rejected the appeal of Canadian Robert Schellenberg on Aug. 10. His 15-year sentence dealt in late 2018 related to a drug case was abruptly increased to a death sentence in a one-day retrial shortly after Mengs arrest.

Garneau said on Aug. 10 that Canada strongly condemns the Chinese regimes decision to uphold Schellenbergs death penalty.

The Australian government said on Aug. 11 that it stands with Canada in response to Spavors arbitrary detention and to the upholding of Schellenbergs death penalty.

We call for due process and transparency and oppose the death penalty in all circumstances, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Mimi Nguyen Ly Reporter Mimi Nguyen Ly is a reporter based in Australia. She covers world news with a focus on U.S. news. Contact her at mimi.nl@epochtimes.com.
People walk past the Canadian Embassy as a Chinese court upheld the death sentence passed on Canadian citizen Robert Lloyd Schellenberg for drug smuggling in Beijing on Aug. 10, 2021. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinas Death Sentence Against Canadas Schellenberg Is Terrorism

Commentary

On Aug. 10, Canadian Robert Schellenberg lost an appeal against a death sentence handed down in a northeastern Chinese court.

In China, justice is normally swift in these matters. However, the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) guillotine will likely be stayed, at least for the moment, by the high-profile politics of this case, which are by design. Beijing is attempting to use Schellenbergs life as collateral to stop the extradition of Huaweis CFO Meng Wanzhou. Actually killing Schellenberg would have the opposite effect.

News of the latest death sentence against Schellenberg shocked Canadian public opinion. Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau rightly said that Canada condemns the decision. Then came the Aug. 11 pronouncement of an 11-year prison sentence against another Meng-related hostage, Canadian businessman Michael Spavor.

We have repeatedly expressed to China our firm opposition to this cruel and inhumane punishment and will continue to engage with Chinese officials at the highest levels to grant clemency to Mr. Schellenberg, Garneau said.

We oppose the death penalty in all cases and condemn the arbitrary nature of Mr. Schellenbergs sentence.

Canadas Conservative leader, Erin OToole, went further.

The denial of Robert Schellenbergs appeals must be seen for what it isa foreign government planning to take the life of a Canadian for political reasons, he told reporters on Aug. 10. The use of the death penalty is bad enough, but to impose it for political reasons is inexcusable.

Political violence is the central definitional element of terrorism.

OToole made the astute point that the reprehensible treatment of the three Canadians shows that Canadians arent safe in China.

Canadians just enjoyed celebrating the amazing achievements of our athletes in Tokyo, he said. I know how hard our athletes are training for Beijing, but we are approaching a point where it wont be safe for Canadiansincluding Olympic athletesto travel to China.

Canadian athletes arent the only ones at risk in China. All athletes and citizens from democracies, and elsewhere for that matter, are at risk. Beijings so-called Genocide Games, which should be called as such because of the CCPs dual genocides against Uyghurs and Falun Gong, should be moved, for the safety of athletes and spectators, as well as to pressure Beijing to stop its genocidal policies.

Calvin Chrustie, a senior associate at a Canadian security firm, wrote in an electronic communication to The Epoch Times that travel to China comes with serious risk.

The arrest and detention of Canadians should reinforce what many Western democracies and their security institution[s] have been advising their citizens and businesses, he wrote. China is like Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, Venezuela, etc., for travelers. Whether it be for businesses or the Olympics, the risk will remain high and the ability to resolve and mitigate the threat, low.

Schellenbergs original sentence for alleged drug trafficking was 15 years imprisonment. Just weeks after Canadas December 2018 arrest of Meng Wanzhou for alleged bank fraud over dealings with Iran, China reopened Schellenbergs case under the more serious accusation of international drug trafficking, for which death is the maximum sentence.

China reconvicted Schellenberg and handed down the death sentence. Beijing had apparently planned that action since the Meng arrest, making it a political death threat meant to cause terror among Canadians rather than a normal judicial procedure.

A woman holds a sign with photographs of Michael Kovrig (L) and Michael Spavor (R), who have been detained in China since December 2018, during a rally in support of Hong Kong democracy in Vancouver, Canada, on Aug. 16, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

Spavor was detained on Dec. 10, 2018, also shortly after Mengs arrest. If Meng is extradited to the United States, Spavor and other Canadians can be reconvicted and resentenced, just like Schellenberg. Theres no rule of law in China, just rule of the self-defeating interests of the CCP.

Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, was detained on the same day as Spavor, for the same alleged offense, spying. Kovrig still faces life in prison. No evidence against the Michaels has been made public; Canadian diplomats havent been allowed to attend their court appearances, as is their right; and the two are being imprisoned in isolated and inhumane conditions.

In March, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, Their arbitrary detention is completely unacceptable, as is the lack of transparency around these court proceedings.

Canadian Ambassador to China Dominic Barton called the latest Schellenberg death sentence not a coincidence.

China announced the sentence just before a decision in Mengs extradition case, in order to demonstrate the threat of death to a Canadian by putting Schellenberg one step closer to the CCPs execution platform. This is China holding a gun to Canadas head, and saying, Make my day.

Robert Oliphant, the parliamentary secretary to Canadas Minister of Foreign Affairs, called the detentions of Kovrig and Spavor targeted abductions. Canada criticizes Chinas detention and threats against Schellenberg, Spavor, and Kovrig as hostage diplomacy.

The three are certainly hostages, but diplomacy is too dignified a term for the CCP.

Consider arbitrary abductions of upstanding citizens and a death threat that shocks a terrified Canadian public. Consider a so-called corporate CFO, in a CCP-supported company, allegedly perpetrating bank fraud and an illicit deal with Iran.

A Schellenberg execution wouldnt be the first or last Canadian to die due to decisions made in Beijing, given the continued threat against the two Michaels, not to mention fentanyl and other illegal Chinese drugs flooding Canada through its West Coast ports.

Fake Oxycontin pills containing fentanyl are displayed during a news conference at RCMP headquarters in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, on Sept. 3, 2015. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

In April, an illegal fentanyl lab thats capable of producing enough of the synthetic opioid in three weeks to kill every Canadian alive was discovered in British Columbia.

A Canadian security consultant who asked to remain anonymous wrote to The Epoch Times of connections between the importation of Chinese precursors and the production of fentanyl in the lower mainland.

The networks importing these precursors have direct connections to Asian [Organized] Crime, the consultant wrote.

The way in which Beijing, which has all of China under surveillance, has looked the other way as Chinese fentanyl and its precursors flood Canada and the United States, where the opioid is killing tens of thousands annually, isnt only linked to organized crime, but, given state-level acquiescence, should be considered a crime against humanity.

Fentanyl is, in effect, being used by the Chinese regime as a way to terrify democracies into compliance with Beijings many demands.

This, along with other forms of CCP aggression, should be recognized as a form of terrorism. University of Chicago academic Teng Biao and international human rights lawyer Terri Marsh have argued as much.

China works hard to construct and polish the trappings of legitimate governance. But the truth, as should be evident from the Schellenberg and two Michaels cases, not to mention Chinas pushing of fentanyl into North America, is that the CCP is closer to a terrorist organization. And that terrorist organization is looking to pronounce a death sentence upon democracy.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Prince, a member of the hacking group Red Hacker Alliance who refused to give his real name, uses his computer at their office in Dongguan, China, on Aug. 4, 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese Hackers Carried Out Coordinated Cyberattacks in Israel, Report Says

A group of Chinese hackers carried out coordinated cyberattacks on Israel that affected dozens of Israeli government and private organizations, according to a report released by U.S. security company FireEye on Aug. 10.

Israeli government institutions, IT providers, and telecommunications firms were targeted by the group in a widespread espionage campaign that began in January 2019, the California-based cybersecurity firm stated in the report, noting that the hackers carried out data harvesting and reconnaissance.

FireEye, which worked alongside Israeli defense agencies in probing the cyberattacks, noted that it didnt have sufficient evidence to link the Chinese espionage group known as UNC215 to the Chinese communist regime. However, it noted that the group targets data and organizations that are of great interest to Beijings financial, diplomatic, and strategic objectives.

UNC215 is a Chinese espionage operation that has been suspected of targeting organizations around the world since at least 2014, the report states.

In early 2019, the group exploited a Microsoft SharePoint vulnerability and used custom malware tools known as FOCUSFJORD and HYPERBRO. The hackers then stole users credentials and conducted internal network reconnaissance.

The group took steps to deliberately mislead researchers and attempted to hide their nationality. They tried using methods such as planting Farsi in the parts of code that could be recovered by incident response teams and using malware tools linked to Iranian groups that had previously been leaked online, FireEye said.

The use of Farsi strings, file paths containing /Iran/, and web shells publicly associated with Iranian APT [Advanced Persistent Threat] groups may have been intended to mislead analysts and suggest an attribution to Iran, the report reads.

Jens Monrad, who leads the work of FireEyes threat intelligence division Mandiant in EMEA, told Sky News that the groups attempt to mask their nationality was a little bit unusual.

We have seen, historically, a few false flag attempts. We saw one during the Olympics in South Korea, he explained. There might be several reasons why a threat actor wants to do a false flagobviously, it makes the analysis a bit more complex.

The report noted that the targeted attacks came against the backdrop of Chinas multibillion-dollar investments related to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its interest in Israels robust technology sector.

BRI is the Chinese regimes multitrillion-dollar infrastructure program launched in 2013 to expand its trade and political influence throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe. Critics have argued that BRI has put developing countries into debt traps.

China has conducted numerous intrusion campaigns along the BRI route to monitor potential obstructions, [including] political, economic, and security, FireEye stated.

The company stated that it expects Beijing will continue targeting governments and organizations involved in these critical infrastructure projects.

Sanaz Yashar, who headed FireEyes research into Israeli targets, told Haaretz that many Israeli companies are involved in the fields that are at the core of Chinese interests, as reflected in their five-year plans.

Their goal isnt necessarily always to steal intellectual property. Its possible that theyre actually looking for business information, Yashar said. In the Chinese view, its legitimate to attack a company while negotiating with it, so they will know how to price the deal properly.

The report comes just weeks after President Joe Biden signed a memorandum that seeks to bolster the United States critical infrastructure against cyberattacks. Biden warned on July 27 that if the United States ended up in a real shooting war with a major power, it could come in response to a significant cyber attack.

Cybersecurity has become a key priority for the Biden administration following a string of high-profile attacks in recent months, including network management company SolarWinds, the Colonial Pipeline company, meat processing firm JBS, and software company Kaseya.
Chinese Military Build-Up Aimed at Ousting US Forces From West Pacific: Think Tank

The Peoples Liberation Armys (PLA) expansion in the western Pacific is aimed at ousting the United States armed forces from the region in the long term so that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) can easily assert control and influence over neighboring regions, according to an Australian think tank.

The Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based think tank, has released a paper examining the build-up of PLA maritime and aerospace capabilities. It also found that Australia could no longer rely on sheer distance from Asia as a defense, and Australian authorities needed to prepare contingencies in case of conflict.

China appears to be building a force specifically intended to be able to eject the U.S. military from the western Pacific by force, to stare it down in a crisis, or to encourage the United States to step away from its current commitments due to overstretching, defeatism, or frustration with allies, wrote author Thomas Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security.

A Taiwanese Air Force F-16 in foreground flies on the flank of a Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) H-6 bomber as it passes near Taiwan on Feb. 10, 2020. (Republic of China (ROC) Ministry of National Defense via AP)

While the degree of any such development could vary widely, even a partial withdrawal of U.S. power from the western Pacific would accelerate the ongoing deterioration in the regional military balance, with profound consequences on the freedom of action of regional nations like Australia.

Shugart noted that in a worst-case scenario if the United States were to vacate the region, it could encourage nations such as Japan and South Korea to adopt a neutral role. This would allow Beijing to focus its efforts further afield.

The report outlined that Beijings build-up included mass production of naval warships, ballistic missiles, and advancements in bomber aircraft in recent times. New airbases in the South China Sea also extended the reach of current PLA bombers.

The PLA has also been expanding its fleet of DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile launchers. The U.S. government estimated in 2018 that the PLA had 16 to 30 launchers. By 2020, that number had increased to more than 200.

Beijings bomber aircraft, the H-6, has also seen rapid upgrades and new models. From 2009, the PLA Air Force produced the H-6K, H-6J, and the H-6N, the latter of which has the range to strike anywhere in Australia, even if dispatched from mainland China.

Beijings overall shipbuilding efforts have outstripped the United States in recent years, with Beijing building 38 million tonnes of shipping (about 42 million U.S. tons), compared to 70,000 tonnes from the U.S in 2020.

In terms of new naval hardware, the United States and the PLA remain on par.

Were China building a military truly focused on largely defensive objectives, one would expect to see an emphasis on smaller escort ships, coastal defense missiles, fighter aircraft, and the like, Shugart wrote.

A type 094 Jin-class nuclear submarine Long March 15 of the Chinese Navy participates in a naval parade in the sea near Qingdao, in eastern Chinas Shandong Province on April 23, 2019. (Mark Schiefelbein/AFP via Getty Images)

Instead, China has engaged in the largest and most rapid expansion of maritime and aerospace power in generations. Based on its scope, scale, and specific capabilities, this build-up appears designed foremost to threaten the United States with ejection from the western Pacific, and thereafter to achieve domination in the Indo-Pacific.

To be sure, the PLAs missile forces are not invincible or unstoppable.

Shugart noted that U.S. armed forces were likely developing countermeasures to disrupt Beijings communication and reconnaissance satellites and, in turn, interrupting any potential offensive.

One can also imagine robust efforts to disrupt, whether via kinetic means or otherwise, the links and nodes in Chinas command and control networks that would be necessary to transmit targeting information from its sensor networks to its missile units, he said.

In July, 120 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) siloes were discovered in the northwestern city of Yumen, China, indicating an expansion in the CCPs nuclear arsenal.

Meanwhile, U.S. and democratic forces havent backed down and have continued carrying out military exercises in the region.

Joseph Siracusa, adjunct professor of international diplomacy at Curtin University, said the key for Australia was maintaining the Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS).

Whatever government is in power, for more than 70 years, the primary goal of Australian foreign policy has been to keep the United States engaged in the region, as the ultimate guarantor of Australian security, he told The Epoch Times.

For Washington, during this same period of time, Australia remains the southern anchor of Americas Asia-Pacific security arrangements (with Japan the northern anchor), astride both the Indian and Pacific oceans, intermediate between California and Southeast Asia.
Personnel working inside the bio-level 4 lab research at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick on Sept. 26, 2002. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese State Media Again Push Conspiracy Theories Blaming US for Pandemic

With the U.S. intelligence community due to produce a report on COVID-19 origins in weeks, the Chinese regime has unleashed a new wave of propaganda and disinformation aimed to paint the United States as the pandemic source.

Over the past few weeks, the regime has redoubled its efforts to promote a conspiracy theory that the virus originated from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at the Fort Detrick army base in Maryland, a claim first proposed by a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson last year, without evidence.

The concerted propaganda push comes as the regime faces mounting international scrutiny over whether the COVID-19 virus originated from a Chinese lab in Wuhan, where the virus first started to spread. Meanwhile, in China, a fast-spreading Delta variant of the virus is challenging Beijings costly lockdown strategy.

The state-owned Science and Technology Daily, which the regime has described as a major publicity channel for the Chinese central authorities, on July 29 ran an article citing World News Network, a U.S.-based English news aggregator, alleging that the U.S. military spread the COVID-19 virus to Europe through a blood donation drive. The source of this conspiracy theory appears to be an Italian media outlet.

Another Aug. 4 article in English, penned by World News Network staff reporters and citing unnamed experts, alleged without evidence that some patients who contracted EVALI, a disease associated with vaping, in July 2019 might have been COVID-19 patients.

Military Personnel stand guard outside the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick on Sept. 26, 2002. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Global Times, a state-run tabloid known for its hawkish tones, went further by organizing a petition that calls for a World Health Organization (WHO) inquiry into the Fort Detrick lab. The petition was widely promoted on other Chinese media. The outlet claims to have brought a total of 25 million signatures in three weeks.

Other state-controlled outlets have trumpeted similar views. Broadcaster CCTV on July 29 aired a 20-minute segment accusing the United States of engaging in origin-tracing terrorism.

Anti-U.S. memes and illustrationssuch as one describing the United States as a super-spreader, and another listing eight alleged U.S. failureshave also been promoted by state-run outlets on Chinese and international social media.

CCTVs overseas arm, CGTN, produced a cartoon suggesting that the lab leak theory was concocted by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which it dubbed the Conspiracies Invented Agency.

Aggressive Push

In January, a WHO-led panel made a trip to Wuhan to investigate the virus origins and in a subsequent joint report with Chinese scientists said it was extremely unlikely that the outbreak could have been a result of a virus escape from a lab in Wuhan.

Since then, scientists and world leaders have voiced concerns about the integrity of the WHO report, given that the regime didnt provide investigators with crucial raw data nor allow access to records of the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

We are asking China to be transparent, open, and co-operate especially on the information, raw data that we asked for in the early days of the pandemic, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press conference on July 15.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a press conference organized by the Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU) amid the COVID-19 outbreak at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, on July 3, 2020. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)

But the WHO reports conclusion has come in handy for Chinese officials and state newspapers in their effort to push back against growing international scrutiny.

Seizing upon the report as a means to refute outside criticism, a number of state media asserted that the United States kidnapped WHO experts to smear China.

Cooking up conspiracies, suppressing scientists, politicizing origin tracing, the United States is undoubtedly that political kidnapper trying to invert black and white, reads a state-run China News article from Aug. 1. It was posted on the Health Commission of Hebei Provinces official website the next day.

The Chinese regime last month rejected a WHO proposal for a second phase virus origins probe that included an audit of labs in Wuhan. Beijing later submitted a Chinese proposal, in which it insists that the new investigation shift its focus to other parts of the world, and that what has already been conducted during the first phase shouldnt be repeated.

Su Tzu-yun, director of the Taiwan-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told The Epoch Times, They want to use this second probe to conduct more coverup.

On Western platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, which remain blocked in China, Chinese diplomats have doubled down on their aggressive rhetoric targeting the United States.

If the US keeps doing nothing and blindly shouting CHINA!, then its the political virus, wrote Zhao Lijian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, in an Aug. 5 tweet that included a cartoon of a virus pathogen laughing at Uncle Sam blindfolded by a mask. The tweet has been shared 1,400 times.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian packs up his notes after speaking at the daily media briefing in Beijing on April 8, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Zhao gained notoriety last year for pushing a conspiracy theory that the virus was introduced to Wuhan by the U.S. Army.

In a recent press conference, Zhao also demanded an investigation into the Baric Lab at the University of North Carolina headed by virologist Ralph Baric, who is known for his expertise in engineering viruses in a lab. He made no mention that Baric, who in May signed on to a letter supporting a deeper look at the lab leak origin theory, had worked with the WIV and published a 2015 scientific paper about a SARS-like virus in Chinese horseshoe bats, with the Wuhan labs virologist Shi Zhengli as a co-author.

Chen, a writer from Guangdong Province in southern China who only gave his last name, told The Epoch Times: These are not foreign diplomats, theyre rather more similar to the heads of terrorist syndicates, arrogant and peremptory.

You block the international investigation because youre feeling anxious.

Some Western countries are pushing back against the regimes disinformation attempts. On Aug. 10, the Swiss Embassy in China said on Twitter that a Swiss biologist recently quoted by numerous Chinese media probably doesnt exist and called for the removal of the false news. Chinese outlets had cited a person named Wilson Edwards, an alleged Swiss biologist who discussed the virus origins and criticized the WHOs independence.

The citations were quickly erased. A July 30 Global Times article on Edwardss claims has quietly vanished from view. On state-run China Daily, two paragraphs on an Aug. 10 article citing the so-called biologist were also deleted.

The Party Has Turned Worse

In about two weeks, the U.S. intelligence community is set to report to President Joe Biden on the findings of a three-month virus origin investigation.

A House Republican report on Aug. 2 found a preponderance of evidencefrom attempts to hide and cover up research done at the WIV to lax lab safety protocolsindicating that an accidental lab leak was the most likely source of the pandemic.

In May 2019, months before the outbreak, the director of WIVs P-4 laboratory, Yuan Zhiming, had raised concerns about safety deficiencies in Chinas high-level bio labs, saying biosafety awareness, professional knowledge, and operational skill training needed to be improved among laboratory personnel.

Workers are seen next to a cage with mice (R) inside the P4 laboratory in Wuhan, capital of Chinas Hubei Province, on Feb. 23, 2017. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)

Despite the Chinese regimes actions to deflect blame, its credibility has been hampered by a history of concealing unfavorable information, according to China analyst Su, who noted the authorities suppression of the true death toll and damage from the recent flooding in central China as an example.

We need to note that the Chinese Communist Partys essence has not changed but has only turned worse, he said. Beijings recent move to suspend the issuance of Chinese passports due to the pandemic is likely a sign of some greater internal crisis, he said.

Chen, the Chinese writer, also subscribes to the lab leak theory. He said that Chinese authorities were making false counter charges toward Western critics while shutting down dissent inside China.

As soon as someone in China mentions the pandemic origins in a WeChat or QQ conversation, the accounts and groups get suspended, he said referring to the two Tencent-owned Chinese social media apps.

This issue is too serious, and they are afraid. Therefore they will delay, conceal, lie, and shirk the responsibility so long as they are able.

Luo Ya contributed to this report.
The dome of the U.S. Capitol is seen in Washington, DC, on Aug. 8, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Coalition for a Democratic Workplace Blasts Proposal to Make Union Dues Tax Deductible

A coalition of more than 600 business groups across the country is condemning a Democratic proposal in Congress to make compulsory union dues tax deductible.

Requiring taxpayers to subsidize union dues as part of the Democratic Senate budget plan favors unions and their political allies over workers and small businesses, Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW) Chairman Kristen Swearingen said in a statement.

Congress should focus on policies that support all working Americans, including those that increase individual deductions related to job training, rather than pushing tax breaks for unions that support and fund Democratic politicians and causes.

Rewriting our nations tax code solely to benefit Big Labor bosses will not help businesses and workers across the country get back on their feet after the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

Swearingen was referring to media reports earlier this week that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had agreed to include tax credits for union dues in the massive $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation measure now before Congress.

The deductible union dues provision is intended by Democrats as one of several pro-worker incentives in the bill that faces an uncertain future in both the Senate and the House.

Union membership has steadily declined for several decades. The latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show only 6.3 percent of all private-sector workers are union members. In the public sector, 34 percent are members of unions.

A major factor in the decline of union membership in recent decades has been the continuing growth in popularity of right-to-work laws that guarantee workers the right to keep a job without having to join a union.

There are currently 27 right-to-work states.

The tax-deductible union dues proposal is one of a multitude that Democrats have advanced since retaking the House majority in the 2018 congressional elections and the White House in the 2020 presidential election.

Most of the pro-union proposals are included in the Protecting the Right to Organize Act 2021, or PRO Act, that passed the House earlier this year and remains pending in the Senate.

As previously reported by The Epoch Times, the PRO Act vastly expands the power of the National Labor Relations Board to use its regulatory authority to reinforce organized labors efforts to expand its membership after decades of decline.

It would also nullify the 27 state right-to-work laws presently on the books, and enable unions to collect mandatory dues from employees who dont wish to join a trade organization.

If enacted into law, the PRO Act will likely result in increases to the private union member rate. This will increase the number of dues-paying members who fund labor organizations, increasing labor organization receipts and enabling unions to increase their disbursements, noted a study by the Institute for the American Worker (IAW).

Democrats control the 50-50 Senate by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) being able to break ties. At least two Democratic senators would have to vote against the bill in order for Senate Republicans to defeat it.

The only other hope opponents of the proposal have is if the Senate Parliamentarian rules the union dues deductions arent germane to the budget reconciliation process.

That prospect seems unlikely because the Parliamentarian earlier this year allowed Senate Democrats to proceed in an unprecedented manner in the budget process, allowing a second bill this session to move forward under reconciliation. In the House, Democrats enjoy a razor-thin margin over Republicans of only eight votes, 220212.

Stiff opposition among Republicans is certain, as seen in recent statements cited by the CDW statement.

Democrats are trying to use their sham budget deal to enact PRO Act policies. The federal government should not subsidize union membership, Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.) wrote in a recent tweet.

After seeing UAW leaders get recently sentenced for corruption, now Senate Ds reward labor w/ tax breaks for union dues? Cmon. This is the equivalent of tax dollars being funneled to Big Labor to fund their political activities, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) wrote on Twitter.
Dr. Martin Kulldorff, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a biostatistician and epidemiologist at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Connecticut on Aug. 7, 2021. (York Du/The Epoch Times)

Coercing People to Get COVID-19 Vaccines Is Damaging Trust in Public Health: Harvard Professor

The rapidly escalating pressure on many Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine is undermining trust in public health, according to Martin Kulldorf, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

New York City became the first major metropolitan area in the United States this month to require proof of vaccination to enter numerous businesses, including gyms and restaurants. Other cities and states are imposing vaccine requirements on workers, including police officers and nurses.

At best, its sort of a very coercive way to get people to vaccinate, and I think thats very bad for public health, Kulldorf, also a professor of medicine at Brigham and Womens Hospital, told The Epoch Times American Thought Leaders.

One reason is that, why do you coerce people who are immune, or people who are young, who have very small risk, when the vaccines are much more needed for older people in other places? So thats an ethical aspect to it. I think its very unethical to do so, he added.

The other aspect is that if you force something on people, if you coerce somebody to do something, that can backfire. So public health has to be based on trust. And if [a] public health official wants the public to trust them, public health officials also have to trust the public.

Kulldorf has long worked on vaccines, including messaging surrounding the shots. A key aspect is maintaining confidence in vaccines so many people get them, achieving herd immunity.

Theres a small group of people who are against vaccines but they havent really been influential. Theyre very vocal, but they havent been influential because most people trust the vaccines and have confidence in them. What the vaccine, I would call them vaccine fanatics who are demanding vaccine passports and vaccine mandates, pushing for thatthey have done more damage to the confidence in vaccines than these so-called anti-vaxxers have ever been able to do, Kulldorf said.

Proponents of the vaccine verification requirements, colloquially known as vaccine passports, say the mandates increase uptake of the vaccines, helping protect the wider society, including populations who cannot at present get a jab. They also argue that people who dont want to get a vaccine dont have to. If theyre fired, the line of thinking goes, then they can just get a new job.

But the push to vaccinate is backfiring among some Americans, who question why there is such a strong crackdown on those who dont get a vaccine. The mandates also by and large dont address a key issue: natural immunity, or the protection people who recover from COVID-19 enjoy against the virus that causes it.

Why do you have to force somebody to take the vaccine if its so beneficial to you? Thats sort of one rationale, Kulldorf said.

Even if people are coerced into getting a jab, it will turn them off from public health, it will make them distrust public health and turn off from other vaccines that are not mandatory, he added. So it has sort of ripple effects on other aspects of public health that are very unfortunate.

The Sweden native noted that confidence in vaccines remains high in his homeland, where no mandates are in place.

Its completely voluntary, and I think if you want to have high confidence in vaccines, it has to be voluntary. There shouldnt be any mandates, he said.

Zachary Stieber Reporter Zachary Stieber covers U.S. news, including politics and court cases. He started at The Epoch Times as a New York City metro reporter. zackstieber
Colorado Secretary of State Investigates County After Election Systems Passwords Posted Online

Authorities in Colorado this week said they are investigating after election systems passwords and other data were recently posted online.

Passwords that were posted online were for individual hardware stations belonging to Mesa County, according to Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswolds office. The secretary ordered Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters to provide surveillance video footage and other documentation.

The breach, according to Griswold, has not created an imminent direct security risk to Colorados elections and it didnt occur during an election, including the 2020 contest.

Several items were published online that constituted a breach in the security protocols for Mesa County voting system components, her office said in a statement. The posted images depict the BIOS passwords specific to the individual hardware stations of Mesa Countys voting system. The public disclosure of the BIOS passwords for one or more components of Mesa Countys voting system alone constitutes a serious breach of voting system security protocols, as well as a violation of other rules, she continued.

The sensitive data was published on social media platforms, the news release said, although it did not say what website. It occurred after the software was installed in Mesa County on May 25, 2021, it added.

We have these security protocols in place for a reason, Griswold told a local media outlet on Monday. This is a very serious breach in chain-of-custody and security protocols.

In the interview, Griswold said that if Peters cant provide proof of the chain of custody, the voting equipment in Mesa County will be decertified.

The secretary noted that potential criminal charges could be filed as a result of the breach, but didnt say whether Peters or another election official would be held liable, according to the Daily Sentinel.

Elaborating further, Griswold said that only very trusted election officials are given access to passwords.

Confidence in the election process is paramount, she told the newspaper. The citizens of Mesa County have been critical of election integrity. They have brought me their concerns and I have told them I will do everything in my power to protect their vote.

The Epoch Times has contacted Mesa County for comment.

An official with Mesa County told the Daily Sentinel that county District Attorney Dan Rubinstein advised her not to comment further until the secretary of states investigation is finished.

The DA (District Attorney Dan Rubinstein) briefed me on this issue, Commissioner Janet Rowland, chairwoman of the board, told the paper. Confidence in the election process is paramount to us. Because this is an active investigation, the DA has asked that I not comment further until the investigation is complete.
Undated file photo of Professor Andrew J Pollard, professor of paediatric infection and immunity at the University of Oxford. (John Cairns/University of Oxford/Handout via PA)

COVID-19 Testing Should Be Clinically Driven, UK Lawmakers Told

The UK should stop the community testing for COVID-19, and only test those who become ill, a group of lawmakers heard.

Speaking virtually on Tuesday at an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus evidence hearing, Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said the absence of children at schools is largely driven by the testing policies.

If you test a lot of children and show that theres [sic] some cases, and you end up sending home their contacts or classes or even year groups, that has a huge impact, MPs and Peers heard.

Pollard said that theres no need to disrupt education en-mass because children, in general, dont get severe COVID-19 symptoms from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, and those who are most susceptible to severe diseases will be offered vaccination.

We probably should be moving to a situation where were clinically driven, Pollard said.

So someone is unwell, they should be tested. But for those contacts in the classroom, if theyre not unwell, and it makes sense for them to be in school and being educated.

Pollard said he believes the testing of the adult population should also shift to clinical-driven testing.

If we continue to chase community testing and worry about those results, were going to end up in a situation where were constantly boosting to try and deal with something which is not manageable.

When the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended the government to offer one dose of a CCP virus vaccine to all 16 to 17 year olds on Aug. 4, one of the factors the JCVI considered was the mental health and education impacts of COVID-19 on children and young people.

But Experts question the necessity of vaccinating children.

Pollard said that one of the strongest arguments that have been for vaccinating children is to protect adults, but in fact, the vaccination programme doesnt achieve that goal because evidence shows that the CCP vaccines, while effective in preventing severe diseases, are not blocking the transmission of the virus.

Pollard also argued that its more useful to vaccinate adults elsewhere in the world than to give them to children.

Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert from the University of East Anglia, told the lawmakers that natural immunity should also be taken into consideration.

According to official data, 50.3 percent of 16 year olds and 58.6 percent of 17 year olds were estimated to have antibodies from natural infection by July 18.

Taking 17 year olds as an example, Hunter said the data suggests that about 80 to 90 percent of 17 year olds have either already had the disease and have recovered from it, or are incubating the disease and have yet to develop antibodies before the vaccination programme was expanded to include the age group.

Hunter said he has two concerns about vaccinating the age group that has largely been infected and recovered.

One is, is it necessary to vaccinate that age group? And two is, do we know enough about potential side effects in teenagers who have already had the infection before they are vaccinated? he questioned.

Hunter also acknowledged that theres the possibility that one dose of a vaccine will boost the immune response in previously infected teenagers as the JCVI suggested.
Vials with a sticker reading, "COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only" and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Novavax logo in this illustration taken Oct. 31, 2020. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters)

Denmark to Buy Novavax Vaccines as Part of EU Deal

COPENHAGEN, DenmarkDenmark said on Wednesday it would buy 280,000 doses of Novavaxs potential COVID-19 vaccine for a total price of 37 million Danish crowns ($5.84 million) or roughly $20.9 per dose as part of a European Union agreement with the U.S. company.

The European Commission said earlier this month it had approved a supply contract with Novavax to buy up to 200 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, which is yet to be approved by the EUs drugs regulator.

Denmarks health ministry initially gave the price of the vaccines in a statement, but later retracted it and issued a new statement without the price, saying such figures were confidential and declined to comment further.

The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.

It is not clear whether the price given by Denmarks health ministry is the total cost or if it excludes an EU advance payment.

The move to buy Novavax doses is part of the EUs strategy to diversify its vaccine portfolio after the bloc bet heavily on messenger RNA (mRNA) shots produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

By Stine Jacobsen
A crowd clashes with law enforcement officers at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Brent Stirton/Getty Images)

Department of Homeland Security Failed to Adequately Prepare for Jan. 6: GAO

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should have taken into account changing circumstances and designated as special the events on Jan. 6, a new report says.

The DHS can designate planned events as special, triggering security planning and other processes. But it didnt do so for Jan. 6 because officials believed the events didnt meet the criteria for such a designation.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the lack of designation failed to take into account a shifting environment.

While election certification by the Congress was a routine event in the past, the threat environment in 2021 was different from past elections. For example, an FBI report warned of calls for violence and for individuals traveling to Washington, D.C. to be ready for war at the Capitol on January 6, the office said in its report published this week.

The lack of consideration of other factors, such as the large rally at the Ellipse that mobilized to the Capitol, and the climate surrounding the 2020 election demonstrate a gap in the adaptability of how these events are considered.

Auditors also found that its unclear who has the authority to initiate one type of special designation, known as a National Special Security Event (NSSE), for events taking place in Washington.

Governors typically initiate the designation in their states.

Clarifying and communicating the DHS policy for requesting an NSSE designation for events on federal property in Washington, D.C. will help ensure that responsible entities are aware of their ability to make such a request, they said.

The watchdog recommended clarifying the process for Washington and reviewing the factors for designations to make sure they are adaptable to the current environment of emerging threats.

DHS didnt agree with the recommendations.

DHS officials said they didnt want to review the designation factors, claiming the recommendation appears to be based on a flawed premise.

They told the GAO that factors such as context and emerging threats are already taken into account in the designation process, that there wasnt enough time to address the FBI warning from Jan. 5, and that the U.S. Capitol Police department was the lead law enforcement agency.

Jan. 6 saw protesters breach the Capitol during a joint session of Congress, interrupting the counting of electoral votes from the 2020 election. Over 140 officers were injured, over $1.5 million in damage was done, and four people died, including a supporter of former President Donald Trump who was shot by a Capitol Police officer.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated how many people died during the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Dr. Lisa Pickles draws up the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Halifax, England, on July 31, 2021. (Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)

European Union Reviewing New Possible Side Effects of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines

Experts in Europe are probing three newly reported conditions that appeared in people who received a COVID-19 vaccine built on messenger RNA, the European Unions drug regulator said on Wednesday.

The safety panel of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is reviewing post-vaccination cases of erythema multiforme, a skin condition that leaves people with round lesions; a type of kidney inflammation called glomerulonephritis; and nephrotic syndrome, a kidney disorder.

The cases were reported among people who received a Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. They were reported in EudraVigilance, a system the agency uses to detect possible side effects, and medical literature.

EMA officials described in documents posted to the agencys website on Wednesday that the number of cases is small. The agencys safety panel, formally known as the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee, is assessing the reports and has requested information from the companies behind the jabs to support the assessment.

Pfizer and Moderna did not respond to requests for comment.

Approximately 43.5 million doses of Modernas shot, known as Spikevax in Europe, were administered as of July 29, the agency said. As of the same date, nearly 49,000 cases of suspected side effects were reported to EudraVigilance. Pfizers shot was much more widely distributed. As of July 29, about 330 million doses had been given, with nearly 255,000 cases of suspected side effects reported to EudraVigilance.

The safety panel also said it is continuing to review evidence regarding post-vaccination cases of menstrual disorders. Those cases have arisen in people who got a wider selection of the jabs, including ones from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

No link between any vaccine and the disorders has been established so far, the panel said.

The European Medicines Agency has previously identified a range of side effects possibly linked to COVID-19 vaccines. People have experienced blood clots in combination with low blood clot levels after receiving a Johnson & Johnson or AstraZeneca jab, for instance. Officials have recommended adding a warning about the potential side effects to labels for the vaccines, and companies later added the warnings.

The EMAs safety committee also last month found a possible link between the Pfizer and Moderna jabs and heart inflammation.

However, the EMA has said that the benefits of the vaccines continue to outweigh the risks.
Fate of Banning Ranch Hangs in the Balance

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.After decades of work by environmental organizations, community members, and private donors, the 401-acre Banning Ranch, a stretch of land that parallels the Pacific Coast Highway from the mouth of the Santa Ana River and back into the city of Newport Beach, could soon become a permanent public open space.

However, $39 million in funds is needed by April 2022 in order to purchase and remediate the land, create a public park, and establish a nature preserve.

The former oil fieldstill sprinkled with tarry derricks and surrounded by a chain-link fenceis nestled between Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and Huntington Beach. Its the largest private open space along the Southern California coast.

Thanks to a recent $8 million grant from the California State Fish and Wildlife Department, as well as a $50 million private donation, the Banning Ranch Conservancy (BRC) and Trust for Public Land are closer to meeting an agreement made with the landowners to raise the remaining funds needed to transition the ranch into a public park and nature preserve.

Banning Ranch is one of three acquisition projects by the Fish and Wildlife Department at least partially financed through funds from the Proposition 1 Watershed Restoration Grant program. The program finances projects that restore habitats and their local wildlife, and create more reliable and sustainably managed water supplies and systems.

The Banning Ranch property area, seen from Newport Beach, Calif., on Aug. 9, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The Road to Acquisition

Back in 1999, resident and life-long conservationist Terry Welsh was part of a Sierra Club task force devoted to preserving the privately owned Banning Ranch as an undeveloped open space.

By 2008, the group branched out to form the BRC, a nonprofit with a mission to preserve, acquire, conserve, and manage the entire Banning Ranch as permanent public open space, park, and coastal nature preserve.

Welsh said that he started out simply holding monthly meetings to spread the word about Banning Ranch. Twenty-two years later, the conservancy, with the assistance of the Trust for Public Land, has raised more than half of the $97 million assessed fair market price necessary to acquire the property.

There were times when there was just one other person at the meeting, but then slowly, we started attracting really smart, passionate, talented people and things began to happen  some of them we didnt see coming, Welsh told The Epoch Times.

In 2019, Newport Beach philanthropists Frank and Joann Randall, longtime supporters of conservation throughout California, donated $50 million toward the purchase price of Banning Ranch. Their pledge sparked excitement and momentum for the conservancys fundraising efforts. To date, the Randalls gift is the largest donation ever received by the Trust for Public Land.

The trust has led numerous high-profile conservation and park projects throughout Southern California and has a long history of working with organizations such as the BRC, securing agreements with private donors and landowners.

Thanks to the work by the Trust for Public Land, we are knocking on the door now. Its very exciting, Welsh said. There will never be another 400 acres for sale on the Southern California coast again. We could truly make history if all goes as planned from this point forward.

A Lizard emerges from a hole in the Banning Ranch property area in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Aug. 9, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

A Native Heritage

Archaeologists have studied the indigenous Tongva and Acjachemen tribes that once lived on Banning Ranch in a village known as Genga, documenting cultural sites that date back at least 3,000 yearsincluding three such sites that the California State Native American Heritage Commission has listed as sacred.

Spanish colonizers and Americans ranched and farmed along the Santa Ana River throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the 1920s, oil was discovered and mineral companies began digging their first oil wells on Banning Ranch during the early 1940s.

Over decades, more than 450 wells sprang up on the property, as the surrounding communities of Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, and Newport Beach began to grow into vibrant, beachside communities, all stopping short at the edge of the Banning Ranch property.

By the late 1990s, as the oil output of the area waned, proposals began to emerge from developers hoping to build both residential and commercial properties.

Environmentalists and concerned residents envisioned keeping the property as an open space, a place where people could connect through outdoor activities and recreation while preserving the habitat for endangered plants and wildlife.

By the late 1990s, the BRC had been formed to push for the creation of a public park.

A ballot initiative meant to preserve Banning Ranch, consolidate oil operations, and restore the wetlands was approved by voters in 2006 and amended the City of Newport Beachs general plan.

Environmentalists found that the ranch was home to peregrine falcons, San Diego fairy shrimp, burrowing owls, and California gnatcatchers, all considered sensitive species.

Welsh told The Epoch Times that the owners of Banning Ranch at one time tried to develop the property, but came up against resistance.

The Newport Beach City Council approved the project in 2012, Welsh said. But in 2016, the permit was denied by the California Coastal Commission.

After that, Welsh said the conservancy wondered what the owners were going to do with the property, thinking that perhaps they would try a smaller development proposal after being denied a larger one.

No one knew what the fate of Banning Ranch would be, but then a few things happened in our favor, the most important when the Randalls stepped up to change the course of things, to the tune of $50 million, Welsh said.

Conflicting State Priorities

Besides funding, another issue plaguing the fate of Banning Ranch is the confusing and conflicting priorities related to affordable housing requirements currently mandated by the state of California.

In a July 12 letter to Gustavo Velasquez, interim director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development, Newport Beach Mayor Brad Avery expressed concerns about the future of Banning Ranch.

I want to express the Citys frustration with conflicting State priorities regarding affordable housing and the future of the Newport Banning Ranch, Averys letter reads.

As you are well aware, the Governor, the State Legislature, and State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) require the City to plan for a significant amount of affordable housing moving forward. The City is committed to doing its part, but at the same time, various departments of the California Resources Agency, including the State Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Coastal Commission are supporting an acquisition and conservation effort that would preclude housing altogether.

Newport Beach is required by the state to allocate 4,845 units to meet Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) demands. Avery listed numerous land-use constraints in his letter, but also noted that the city was open to preserving a large portion of the ranch.

The City is supportive of preserving most of the [Banning Ranch] property as a regional open space and recreational amenity, but we must also balance that goal considering the ongoing housing crisis, the letter reads.

However, the City is shocked to learn that the State Department of Fish and Wildlife recently announced on June 15, 2021, that it has granted $8 million to a local conservancy group to assist in the acquisition of Banning Ranch and preserving it, in its entirety, as a park with no potential for housing development. We are even more concerned with State legislators allocating an additional $8 million, through the States budget, put toward the purchase of the property.

The city is now requesting that the state reduce or eliminate competing state priorities and support housing development where appropriate. Its also requesting that the HCD reduce the Citys RHNA allocation equivalent to the 1,475 units that were planned for the site.

In response, a July 28 letter from the BRC by Welsh to the City of Newport Beach pointed out recent private property negotiations that specifically preclude housing as part of the agreement.

As stated in our June 15, 2021, Zoom meeting with Community Development Director Seimone Jurjis, his deputy Jim Campbell, and Ben Zbeda, The Trust for Public Land outlined that it is in a binding contract with the landowners, that if successful, would preserve nearly the entire site as open space, Welsh wrote. During this Zoom meeting, BRC offered to assist the City in its efforts to relocate the RHNA housing units to other sites in the City.

BRC maintains its position to effectuate the permanent protection of the Banning Ranch property for future generations to enjoy and cherish. We extend our thanks and hope that the City respects its own planning documents and the private party transaction to preserve the land, which when successfully conserved, permanently excludes any possibility for housing on this site.
The Indiana Statehouse is shown in Indianapolis, on Jan. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Federal Judge Strikes Down Several Indiana Abortion Laws

A federal judge in Indianapolis struck down several of the states abortion laws on Tuesday, ruling that they are unconstitutional, including the ban on telemedicine consultations between doctors and women seeking abortion services.

District Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker, an appointee of former President Ronald Reagan, in her ruling (pdf) also upheld some of the states abortion laws that were challenged in a lawsuit by Whole Womans Health Alliance and two other abortion providers in 2018.

The lawsuit argued that more than 20 of the states abortions laws were unconstitutional. The judge issued a permanent injunction prohibiting state employees from implementing, enforcing, administering or invoking eight abortion provisions.

Barker ruled against Indianas telemedicine ban, as well as state laws requiring in-person examinations by a doctor before medication abortions. She also ruled against the ban on second-trimester abortions outside hospitals or surgery centers and state laws requiring that women seeking abortions be told human life begins when the egg is fertilized and that a fetus might feel pain at or before 20 weeks.

The lawsuit reflects an attempt by Plaintiffs to reduce Indianas prolix and often burdensome legal scheme governing abortion services, the number and complexity of which limitations have increased during the decades following Roe v. Wade, Barker said in her ruling.

Barker said that these restrictions have resulted in women facing substantial obstacles to securing abortion services in Indiana, agreeing with the lawsuits argument that the state should return to a system of reasonable and medically appropriate abortion regulations by striking down Indianas unduly burdensome abortion laws.

The judge wrote that Indiana lacked the constitutional authority to restrict the use of telemedicine consultations.

The States attempt to explain its basis for excluding the far-reaching benefits of telemedicine from this category of patients is feeble at best, especially given the widespread use of telemedicine throughout Indiana as well as the overall safety of medication abortions, Barker wrote.

State abortion laws upheld by Barker however include requiring an ultrasound be performed on the woman 18 hours before an abortion procedure, allowing abortion counseling by only physicians and advance practice clinicians, and criminal penalties for violating state abortion restrictions.

The Epoch Times reached out to Whole Womans Health Alliance for comment.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, a Republican, said in a statement that the judges ruling contradicts higher court decisions.

We will continue to fight to defend Indianas commonsense abortion laws and to build a culture of life in Indiana, Rokita said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Biden Administration Must Act Swiftly to Change Course in Afghanistan, Former US Diplomats Say

Afghanistan is in a state of chaos, with the Taliban seizing nine provincial capitals, including two on the night of Aug. 10. As the terrorist group ignores peace negotiations and continues to kill civilians, prisoners, and government leaders, an outcry for a change in U.S. policy is growing.

Given the Talibans behavior lately, U.S. President Joe Bidens decision to rapidly withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan appears increasingly questionable, five former U.S. diplomats to AfghanistanJames Cunningham, Hugo Llorens, Ronald Neumann, Richard Olson, and Earl Anthony Waynewrote in an analysis published by the Atlantic Council on Aug. 6.

Whether the Afghan resistance to the Taliban wins, the outcome will be of catastrophic proportions, and the United States should continue limited engagement and prevent total state collapse and chaos, the former diplomats said.

Abandoning courageous people as they attempt to fight back could leave millions of Afghans vulnerable to Taliban repression. Thats why we recommend a course correction involving redoubled efforts to support the Afghan security forcesparticularly through airpower, which is immediately criticalas well as the vigorous implementation of U.S. promises of continued security, economic, humanitarian, and diplomatic support, they wrote, urging that the U.S. government act swiftly and resolutely in Afghanistan and in mustering global support.

Rajiv Dogra, a former Indian diplomat and the author of the best-selling book Durands Curse about the division of Afghanistan by the British empire, said that while no situation in the world is so bad that it cant be turned around, the principal thing is having the political will.

America, for the past two years, has announced from rooftops that its withdrawing and it is leaving the Afghans to their destiny. This is a wrong approach, a wrong policy, and a wrong strategy, Dogra told The Epoch Times, asserting that this is a defeatist attitude that can still be changed. But the change must start from the top.

The former U.S. diplomats pointed to the Talibans history of broken promises, including its return of freed Taliban prisoners to the battlefield and its flouting of commitments made during the Doha Peace Process.

Failing to engage the Afghan government in good-faith negotiations, the Taliban has signaled that it is going for all-out victory. The terms the group seekscontrol over the countrys police, military, and intelligence service, as well as the power to effectively remove and appoint the head of state and other top officialsamount to a demand for surrender, they wrote, adding that the Taliban wants to restore a regime resembling the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, even as regular polling in the past two decades suggests that the public doesnt want to live under the Taliban.

A woman with a child stands in a queue along with others to submit their passport applications at an office in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 25, 2021. (Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images)

Dogra said U.S. President Joe Biden cannot be seen as a quitter and must not be judged by history a failure. There is still time for a course correction, he said.

President Biden has to acknowledge that his messaging is extremely negative, not for his own sake but for the sake of the country thats in need. America today is being considered a declining state strategically, a state which is being defeated by a bunch of fundamentalist tribals, said Dogra, who served as Indias ambassador to multiple countries.

The most important message that Biden at this stage should give is that the United States is withdrawing but its not leaving the Afghans to be slaughtered by the Taliban, he said.

He said a change in policy would also mean recalling the representative the United States chose for the Afghan peace process, since Zalmay Khalilzad is widely disliked in Afghanistan and should be held accountable for the failure of the process.

He is perceived as soft on Talibans interests and by his actions non-resistant to [the will of] Pakistans [Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistans leading intelligence agency], rather than as the protector and promoter of American interests or the protector and promotor of Afghan people, Dogra said.

Recalling Khalilzad would send a strong message that America isnt there to be defeated, Dogra said. The hashtag #RecallKhalilzad has been trending, with 6,417 tweets and retweets between Aug. 7 and Aug. 11. The most viral tweets with the hashtag come from Afghan state broadcasters RTA World and RTA Pashto.

We call on @POTUS & @ABlinken to #RecallKhalilzad. Bcs of his deal with d #Taliban, people r killed, cities r burned & Taliban re-established ties with #AlQaeeda. He is the reason behind every Afghan killed. He failed YOU & US. #Khalilzad should spend his days at Senate hearings. pic.twitter.com/D29SVDJmB8  Diva Patang (@DivaPatang) August 7, 2021

Jonathan Schroden, director of the Washington-based Center for Naval Analysis Countering Threats and Challenges Program, told The Epoch Times in a text message that the best thing the United States can do immediately is to ask the Taliban to stop.

Pressure can be generated by getting the regional (and other critical) countries to speak with one voice to the Taliban and demand at least a reduction in violence on humanitarian grounds, if not a cease-fire. Whether or not the Taliban responds to pressure, its worth trying, said Schroden.

Air Support Should Continue

The former diplomats said the United States should continue to provide air support to Afghan forces and should reconsider ending this support by Aug. 31. Biden administration should also help establish an Afghan air force of the size and the structure that the Afghans need.

After all, the slow development of the Afghan air forcethough it is now performing wellis partly a US responsibility: While corruption and mismanagement plagued the Afghan side, the United States also wasted $549 million on shoddy cargo planes and lost a great deal of time by switching from rebuilt Russian helicopters to more complicated American Black Hawks, they said.

The Biden administration should also sort out the contract maintenance issues that plague the Afghan air force, according to Schroden.

Undated photo showing a Black Hawk helicopter over Kabul, Afghanistan. (Dan Kitwood/AP)

The five American diplomats said the United States created a system for the Afghan air force that was heavily dependent on support from foreign contractors. When the Biden administration decided to withdraw troops, it also decided to suddenly pull those contractors out of Afghanistan.

Contract issues for the AAF are tricky because it requires the Afghan government to tender the contracts, companies finding it lucrative enough to bid on them, and individuals finding it lucrative enough to service them. All of that takes time. Meanwhile, the AAF can only get half or less of its aircraft in the air, Schroden said.

The diplomats said the United States must help the Afghan air force urgently with training and maintenance and should appoint a senior Department of Defense official to oversee this assistance.

The urgent work ahead must include adequate training and maintenance to keep the Afghan air force flying. Plans and timelines should be realistic and developed with NATO and other allied cooperation and funding. NATO should also renew its commitment to providing its own air support until the Afghan air force is fully built (or peace negotiations are successful). This will spread out the burden and risk, they said.

Providing air support to the Afghan forces is however short-term tactical support to avoid defeat and its not a policy, said the five former diplomats.

Nor is withdrawing U.S. and NATO forces without sufficient planning for what comes next. Supporting negotiations is helpful, but only talking about negotiating while the other side is winning militarily and pushing for surrender is futile, they said, adding that the Biden administration should prevent the defeat and the fall of the Afghan state until a stalemate can ensure sincere negotiations that so far have been missing.

A deal that protects the broad spectrum of ethnic and tribal interests, including guarantees protecting the hard-fought gains of Afghan women, will only be possible through these kinds of talks. This is why negotiations should be constantly supported but not allowed to cripple military action, as was the case during the past year when the United States was largely on the defensive.
Diplomatic representatives from Canada and more than two dozen other countries pose for a group photo at an event held in connection with the announcement of the sentence for Canadian citizen Michael Spavor, at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing on Aug. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Harsh Sentencing of Canadians a Result of Years of Ottawas Wrong Direction on China, Dissident Says

This weeks upholding of Robert Schellenbergs death sentence followed by the 11-year jail term given to Michael Spavor is the price Canada and the world are paying for years of misdirection in their relationship with communist China, failing to stand up to the regime and its control tactics, says activist and author Sheng Xue.

This is not a result of China taking revenge on Canada. Its a result of years of missteps by Canada, going in the wrong direction in its relationship with China and showing weakness, Sheng, a Chinese-Canadian dissident, told The Epoch Times.

This is the price that Canada as well as the world are paying.

On Aug. 11, Spavor was found guilty on charges of espionage and sentenced to 11 years in prison by a Chinese court. He was also ordered to be deported, though its not clear whether that is to be done before or after he serves the prison sentence.

Canadian citizen Michael Spavor in a file photo. (AP Photo/File)

The businessman, along with former diplomat Michael Kovrig, was detained in China shortly after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver on a U.S. extradition request in December 2018. The detention of the two men was soon followed by the escalation of a 15-year prison sentence to a death sentence on drug charges for Schellenberg, which was upheld in a Chinese court on Aug. 10, a day before Spavors sentencing.

It Shows the Desperation

Peter Dahlin, a Swedish human rights activist who himself was detained for a period of time in China in 2016, says the 11-year sentence for Spavor is unusually harsh for comparable cases.

It shows the desperation from Chinas side as the Meng hearings will soon be over, Dahlin told The Epoch Times.

He adds that with Schellenbergs death penalty upheld, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may have played almost all of its cards.

Mengs extradition case is in its last stage, with court hearings scheduled to conclude later this month. The court will then make a decision as to whether the high-profile Huawei executive should be extradited to the United States to face fraud charges in relation to allegations that she lied to HSBC about her companys connections with Iran, putting the bank at risk of violating U.S. sanctions on Iran.

Under Canadian law, the federal minister of justice has the power to intervene in the extradition process and block extradition even if a court has ruled that extradition should proceed.

The arrest and harsh sentencing of Canadians, as well as a slew of Chinas import blockages against Canada, are widely seen as Beijings pressure tactics on Ottawa to release Meng before she is extradited to the United States.

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou arrives at the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on March 22, 2021. (Don Mackinnon/AFP via Getty Images)

As for whether this weeks sentencings are linked to Mengs court proceedings, Canadas Ambassador to China Dominic Barton said he doesnt think its a coincidence these are happening right now while events are going on in Vancouver.

Dahlin says the fact that Spavors court ruling highlighted deportation as part of the sentence could be a signal that Beijing is willing to let Spavor, as well as by extension Kovrig, leave China if Mengs hearing has a favourable outcome for the Chinese regime.

He adds that Kovrigs sentence, which hasnt yet been announced, could be harsher than Spavors, as the national security charges levelled against him are more serious. Kovrig is accused of stealing sensitive information in China, and Spavor is accused of being an intelligence source for him, according to the Chinese state-owned Global Times.

Kovrigs sentence might be withheld a bit longer, until the CCP has a better idea on how the Meng hearing will end, Dahlin said.

Need to Address the Continuing Weakness

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement following Spavors sentencing that his governments top priority remains securing the immediate release of Spavor and Kovrig, saying that the formers sentence is absolutely unacceptable and unjust.

The verdict for Mr. Spavor comes after more than two-and-a-half years of arbitrary detention, a lack of transparency in the legal process, and a trial that did not satisfy even the minimum standards required by international law, Trudeau said.

The call for the release of the two Canadians was reiterated by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said in a statement that people should never be used as bargaining chips.

Conservative MP Garnett Genuis, his partys shadow minister for human rights, says the plight of the Canadians in China shows how far the CCP is prepared to go in terms of abusing the human rights of not only the Chinese people, but of people elsewhere.

He added that Canada needs to be strong, principled, and clear in our commitment to the rule of law.

I think we need to address the continuing weakness in terms of some aspects of our governments response to China, because when we are weak, were perceived as more vulnerable, and we will be pushed harder and further, Genuis said in an interview.

Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg attends his retrial at the Dalian Intermediate Peoples Court in Dalian, northeastern Chinas Liaoning Province, on Jan. 14, 2019. (CCTV via AP)

But if were strong, if were clear, if were principled, our chances of securing the release of Canadians are much higher.

Sheng agrees.

Canada has gone in the wrong direction for many years and has been controlled by China. But its not too late for Canada and the world to stand against communist China together and win this case, she said.

The CCP is not a normal governmentit only believes in power. If the democratic world unites and fights against the CCP tyranny together, then the CCP will bow to that power. But if democracies show weakness to the CCP, the CCP will appear even stronger.
Heroism Knows No Age: WWII Veteran Receives Medal 75 Years After It Was Awarded

A World War II U.S. Army veteran has been presented with a Bronze Star medal, 75 years after the medal was first awarded; however, the veteran had no idea of his accolade at the time.

The Bronze Star medal was presented to Private First Class Ubaldo Joseph Ciniero in a ceremony at his home in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, on July 27.

Brigadier General Michael J. Leeney, the deputy commanding general of operations for the 40th Infantry Division, attended in person to deliver the veterans long-awaited award.

WWII veteran U.S. Army Private First Class Ubaldo Joseph Ciniero receiving his award on July 27. (Screenshot/Staff Sgt. Kimberly Hill/DVIDSHUB)

In retrospect, when we look back and understand what he did when he was a young man, its like, wow, said Cinieros son, Joel Ciniero, in footage shot by the California National Guard. Ive got to tell you, it sets you down for a minute, makes you think. For sure, my dad is my hero.

According to Joel, his father never spoke about the war itself, choosing instead to share stories of the camaraderie between himself and his fellow soldiers. He was always very guarded because combat was difficult for him, Joel said.

Intrigued to know more, the veterans son scoured the internet and found his fathers name on the website of the U.S. Armys 8th Armored Division, with whom Ciniero was deployed in Europe during World War II. He noticed there was a record of his father earning the Bronze Star, yet when he asked Ciniero to confirm, the veteran knew nothing about it.

We never got the opportunity to have a ceremony, so thats why were here today, Joel explained.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Ciniero earned his Bronze Star for meritorious achievement in active ground combat.

The California National Guard, wishing to celebrate the veteran on the occasion of his award ceremony, posted on Twitter, writing: Heroism knows no age.

Watch the video:

(Staff Sgt. Kimberly Hill/DVIDSHUB)

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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison addresses the media during a press conference at Kirribilli House in Sydney, Australia on July 8, 2021. (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

I Want Everybody Around That Table at Christmas Time: PM on Fight With CCP Virus

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants to see families together again by Christmas but has explained that getting to zero community cases with the Delta variant of the CCP virus would be incredibly difficult.

New South Wales reported 344 new daily cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, while Victoria recorded 20 new cases forcing an extension to the states sixth lockdown.

We are in a tough, tough fight, Morrison told reporters on Aug 10. I want Australia to get to Christmas, but I want everybody around that table at Christmas time.

Morrison said they would do anything to achieve that goal and pleaded with people in Sydney to stay home and follow health orders.

He said suppressing the virus was incredibly important to reduce cases while they waited for vaccination rates to increase.

Its important we continue to suppress the virus in the first phase because we want to make sure every member of your family is around that Christmas table at the end of this year, Morrison told parliament on Aug. 11.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian looks on as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks during a press conference at Kirribilli House in Sydney, Australia, on July 13, 2021. (Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

Infectious disease expert Peter Collignon believes it is a realistic goal considering the sufficient supply of vaccines and the incoming change of seasons.

Were getting more and more vaccines out  also [by] then, winter and early spring are over, so viruses also transmit less, Collignon told Sunrise. So two reasons to be very optimistic around October, November, and that means Christmas should be much, much freer for all of us.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian expects to have 80 percent of the population fully vaccinated by the end of November.

According to the Doherty report, that is when life gets back to normal, that is when we have a different approach to COVID when freedoms that we had will be in place, and we can look forward to having a normal existence, Berejiklian said.

State and federal governments agreed to reach 70 to 80 percent vaccination targets before easing restrictions.

However, dissatisfaction with harsh, extended lockdown rules is rising.

A snap protest occurred in response to Melbournes sixth lockdown on the evening of Aug. 5.

In July, thousands of Australians also rallied for their freedoms on the streets in Sydney and Melbourne.

Meanwhile, federal MPs like George Christensen have expressed their frustrations in parliament toward COVID-19 suppression policies, calling it madness.

COVID-19 is going to be with us forever, just like the flu  Open society back up, restore our freedoms, end this madness, Christensen told parliament on Aug. 10.
Its About the Kids: Mask Rebellion Breaks Out in Tennessee

Commentary

All politics is local, then-House Speaker Tip ONeill told us back in 1982 but contemporary events remind us how true that was.

Part of the reasongiven the plethora of useless Republicans in the U.S. Senate made yet more obvious by the infrastructure voteis Washington, D.C., veers to the hopeless, but it is also because all politics really should be local.

Its where We the People can most affect mattersor try. And citizens across the country are beginning to realize this.

That was very much in play Tuesday night in Franklin, Tennessee.

Readers may recall I wrote of a rebellion stirring in Franklinseat of Williamson County and basically part of metro Nashvillevia the Moms for Liberty over the issue of Critical Race Theory pervading the curriculum of their supposedly perfect schools.

Tuesday night that rebellion was redoubled at the school board meeting where the question of whether those same children should be forced to wear masks to class this year.

What happened? All politics is indeed local and, we might add, its about the kids.

I wasnt therealthough my text messages were, to borrow an old phrase, ringing off the hookso Ill let local news in the form of Channel 5 Nashville describe:

The Williamson County School Board voted to require students, staff and visitors at elementary schools to wear face masks while indoors and on buses beginning Aug. 12 and to end Tues. Sept. 21 at 11:59 p.m.

The decision was made Tuesday night after a lengthy and heated special-called board meeting that dozens of parents attended.

Lengthy and heated was a bit of an understatement by the channel. The place was steaming with lawsuits threatened by angry parents as they engaged in shouting duels with recalcitrant school board members. And well more than dozens were really in attendance because hundreds more parents were apparently outside, unable to get into the venue.

Able to get in and also a parent with three children in the systemhe had promised on radio to get there earlywas Clay Travis of Outkick and The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, who made an impassioned speech:

We teach our kids that facts matter. That is why they go to school. The facts are these. Masks dont work. There isnt a single scientific data that has ever proven that masks work. Also, lets talk about risk analysis. I feel bad for all of these people walking around in masks and engaging in cosmetic theater thinking that they are making a difference against COVID. They arent.

Cosmetic theater. Great phrase and almost too accurate. Theres a lot of that going around, including, alas, some vaccine theater.

What are we to do now? Take more vaccine, a booster with yet another booster undoubtedly to come until who knows?

Follow the science has become the clarion call of the know-nothing. Which science is never quite clear. And when it is, its ever-changing.

The parents see this too and have a right to be furious, especially because it is now being brought down to their children, both in the form of masks and vaccinations with unknown consequences.

Nobody knows what messages these mRNA (m as in messenger) vaccines will be giving to these children when they grow up and are ready to bear children, not mention what the wearing of these masks is already doing to their mental health.

And yet many state administrations, including red state administrations, are ratifying this approach or passing on the decisions to complaisant county officials.

Tennessee governor Bill Lee has been under fire of late for his recent late-night extension of a State of Emergency for his state, giving similar exceptional powers to the government due to COVID.

This is another manifestation of the growing split within the Republican Party, not just in Tennessee but across the nation.

So it wasnt entirely surprising when I received in my inbox this morning a press release entitled CONSERVATIVE COUNTY MAYOR ANDY OGLES CHALLENGES ABUSE OF POWER BY TENNESSEE GOVERNOR. The release asks Governor Bill Lee to address three things:

1. Limit the powers of Governor of Tennessee and his abuse of Emergency Powers using unconstitutional executive orders, which infringe on the liberties of the citizens of this state.

2. Protect the children of Tennessee from forced mask wearing and respect the individual choices of parents to manage the health and wellbeing of their own children.

3, Protect ALL people of Tennessee from forced vaccination for COVID-19 whether by government or businesses both as consumers and employees.

If this kind of struggle is going on in supposedly ultra-red Tennessee (Trump received two-thirds of the vote in the 2020 election) it could go on anywhere.

Ogles calls Tennessee a State of Half Measures, clearly preparing to run against Lee in the gubernatorial primary. You can read more of his views here.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
People walk past the entrance of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union in Hong Kong, on Aug. 10, 2021. (Vincent Yu/AP Photo)

Largest Hong Kong Teachers Union to Disband Due to Drastic Political Situation

HONG KONGHong Kongs largest teachers union said on Tuesday it would disband, days after it was criticized by Chinese state media and the citys Education Bureau severed ties, accusing the group of helping to infiltrate schools with politics.

The move is expected to deepen concerns over the suppression of opposition groups in the Asian financial hub after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the city last year that has stoked fears about the shrinking space for dissent.

Fung Wai-wah, president of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers Union, told a press conference the political and social situation in Hong Kong had become drastic and the union was unable to find a solution.

Its a difficult decision, a helpless decision, and a heart-wrenching decision, Fung said.

The union grabbed headlines at the end of July when the Chinese regimes state-run media outlets Xinhua news agency and the Peoples Daily condemned it as a poisonous tumor that must be eliminated.

Hours later, Hong Kongs Education Bureau said it would no longer recognize the opposition-leaning union, which was set up nearly 50 years ago and has around 95,000 members. It employs 200 full-time staff.

The bureau said the unions remarks in recent years were not in line with the education profession, rendering it no different than a political group, and accused it of encouraging students and teachers to take part in unlawful activities.

Students were on the frontlines of the city-wide pro-democracy protests in 2019, with teachers among some of the thousands arrested.

Hong Kongs security legislation requires the Chinese-ruled city to promote national security education in schools and universities and through social organizations, the media, the internet.

The union, which also provides medical and welfare services to members, said it had always promoted the development of the education sector, protected teachers rights, and had not incited students to join demonstrations.

Over the past year, many of the citys leading pro-democracy figures have been detained, jailed, or forced into exile.

Critics have slammed the crackdown on dissent, saying the former British colony is losing the freedoms it was promised when it was handed over to Chinese control in 1997.

The United States has slapped sanctions on dozens of Chinese and Hong Kong officials over their role in suppressing Hong Kongs autonomy.

The Associated Press and Epoch Times staff contributed to this report
Detained migrants, who have crossed the Belarus-Latvia border, walk next to the border area near Vorzova, Latvia, Aug. 11, 2021. (Ints Kalnins/Reuters)

Latvia Starts Pushing Back Migrants at Tense Belarus Border

ROBEZNIEKI, LatviaLatvian border guards turned back dozens of illegal migrants into Belarus overnight under a new state of emergency designed to stem a flow of arrivals the European Union says is orchestrated by Minsk.

At daybreak on Wednesday some 30 migrantsincluding women and toddlersstarted a camp fire to warm up after a night of walking through fields in northern Belarus to the frontier.

The pushback, witnessed by Reuters, occurred just hours after Latvia declared an emergency to prevent illegal migrants, mostly from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, from crossing into the EU state from Belarus.

A young migrant in a black hoodie who gave his name as Rawa said the group were Kurds who had flown from Iraq to Istanbul in Turkey and then on to the Belarusian capital Minsk.

We wanted to stay in here and live in Latvia. Please just help us because (it is) so cold and the children are sick, he said in a text sent from across the border adjacent to Robeznieki in Latvia.

Migrants cross a field next to the Belarus-Latvia border near Vorzova, Latvia, Aug. 11, 2021. (Ints Kalnins/Reuters)

The local Latvian guards commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ilmars Aispurs, confirmed the Iraqis had been turned away and told to go to the nearest official border crossing point30 km (20 miles) awayif they wanted to claim asylum.

The pushback is a response to a quickening flow of migrants arriving at the borders of Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland. They accuse Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of weaponizing migrants to put pressure on the EU to reverse sanctions.

International pressure on Belarus has intensified since a presidential election last year that opponents say was rigged and a crackdown on street protests which followed the vote.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Please Help! Baby Is So Cold!

Latvian guards stopped the migrants at Robeznieki at around 3 a.m. as the group made its way through a field carrying only small bags and backpacks.

A stand-off ensued for hours as the migrants refused to retreat, during which one of them shouted in English: Please help! Baby is so cold!

A 31-year-old woman, who wrote her name in Arabic as Lilouz and said she was from Dohuk in Iraq, told Reuters she had walked for six hours through the night with her five children. She sat on damp grass with the other migrants, visibly tired and scared.

Rawa asked in his text message for help and a phone number for the UN childrens agency UNICEF. He said Latvian guards had shouted at the migrants to turn back to Belarus and had scared them with a patrol dog.

Reuters saw no evidence of violence against the migrants.

Migrants cross a field next to the Belarus-Latvia border near Vorzova, Latvia, Aug. 11, 2021. (Ints Kalnins/Reuters)

About 10 hours after their arrival, Rawa messaged to say they had pulled back to a Belarusian village to rest and eat.

A spokesperson for the UN refugee agency in the Nordics and Baltics told Reuters: We are deeply concerned about the reports on pushbacks.

The UNHCR was sending a mission to Latvia to discuss the situation and ensure that its response was in line with its international obligations and European law, the spokesperson said.

Minsk Hotel

Latvias Interior Ministry said 59 migrants had been turned back since the emergency was agreed but a larger number had been allowed in and taken to migrant centers.

Latvian guards told Reuters that recent migrant arrivals had told them they had spent a few nights in a hotel in Minsk before being driven towards the Latvian frontier, and then told to walk in a certain direction.

Some were told they would end up in Germany, and had paid several thousand U.S. dollars for the voyage, the guards said.

On the previous four nights, guards patrolling a 36.5-km (22.7-mile) stretch of Latvias 170 km (105.6 mile) border with Belarus said they stopped around 200 people. They were moved to the Mucenieki migration center near the capital Riga.

To date this year 4,026 people have illegally crossed from Belarus into Lithuania, a country of 2.8 million, compared with 74 in all of 2020, the Interior Ministry said last week.

A spokesman for the European Commission said redirecting people to official crossing points was understandable if migrants were attempting to cross the border at unauthorized places.

Such measures are acceptable, as long as  the fundamental right of the persons concerned to be protected against refoulement (pushback) and access to the asylum procedure are respected at all times, a spokesman for the EU executive said.

Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said on Wednesday EU countries must demonstrate to Belarus that sending immigrants to cross into the bloc is pointless.

With this hybrid warfare against the EU, the Belarusian side is only escalating the tensions. We will be sticking together, keeping our composure, but we will be acting very resolutely, Karins told local TV, according to the Baltic News Service (BNS).

By Gabriela Baczynska
Protesters with flags, banners, and signs stand along the sidewalk on Eureka Road in Roseville, Calif., on Aug. 9, 2021. (Courtesy of Rui Ren)

Locals in California City Protest State Vaccine Mandates

Over 1,000 people gathered outside Kaiser Permanente in Roseville, California, to protest the states COVID-19 vaccine mandates and to call for freedom, not force.

Organizers said the protest had an unprecedented turnout, with healthcare workers, law enforcement officials, and families standing all along Rocky Ridge Drive and Douglas Boulevard. Attendees could be seen holding American flags as well as banners and signs calling for freedom of choice regarding vaccines.

According to the California Department of Public Healths Aug. 5 mandate, all California healthcare workers are required to have their first dose of a one-dose regimen or their second dose of a two-dose regimen by September 30, 2021.

Sella, protest organizer and co-founder of Healthcare Workers for Freedom, said during the protest: Coercion is not consent; force is not freedom. Every human deserves the freedom to choose. Every human deserves the right to informed consent.

Protesters with flags, banners, and signs stand along the sidewalk in Roseville, Calif., on Aug. 9, 2021. (Courtesy of Denise Aguilar)

Healthcare workers attending the protest argued that a mandate requiring people to choose between vaccination and termination violates their rights.

We demand employment to be free from coercion and discrimination to decline the COVID vaccine and testing for healthcare workers, patients, and patient visitors. Nursing has always been about family-centered care, said Sella.

Sara, co-founder of Heathcare Workers for Freedom, told NTD News: We just wanted to show that not everybody is for this force that they are trying to push; that we all want freedom of choice. Doesnt matter what it is. Choice is needed, especially in the healthcare field. Bodily autonomy, thats what it comes down to. Whether you choose to do something or not, it should be our choice.

During the interview, Sara explained that while the protest was held outside a Kaiser Permanente hospital, the purpose and message of the protest is about opposing the state mandates, not about Kaiser Permanente or the vaccines.

A protester wears a sign protesting vaccine mandates in Roseville, Calif., on Aug. 9, 2021. (Courtesy of Rui Ren)

When asked what the next steps are, Sara explained that the fight against the mandates will continue. If there are no changes, I foresee a lot of people leaving the industry, she said.

As of now, the three available vaccines are still under emergency use authorization.

According to an article published by Harvard Law School, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act21 U.S. Code, a required condition of authorizing medical products for emergency use is that individuals receiving the product must be informed of the option to accept or refuse administration of the product, of the consequences, if any, of refusing administration of the product, and of the alternatives to the product that are available and of their benefits and risks.

Kaiser Permanente did not respond to NTDs request for comment.
People pass signs indicating the entrance to the London Bridge Vaccination Centre in London on Aug. 9, 2021. (Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images)

UK Lockdowns, Mass Testing No Longer Justifiable: SAGE Adviser

With an exceptionally high vaccine takeup rate in the UKs adult population, blanket CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus policies can no longer be justified, a government adviser said on Wednesday.

Professor Andrew Hayward, a member of the governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), made the remarks when asked if the UK should follow Germany and stop providing free tests for asymptomatic people.

I think as we generally move into an endemic rather than pandemic situation the potential harm that a virus can cause at a population level is much less, Hayward told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

So you cant really justify such broad population-wide control measures and we tend to target the control measures more to those who are most vulnerable, he said.

And so I think, not only in testing but in all sorts of forms of control, as we move into a situation where were coming to live with this virus forever, then we target the measures to the most vulnerable rather than having the more disruptive measures.

The strategy Hayward suggested was proposed last year by three medical professors.

The Great Barrington Declaration, published on Oct. 4, 2020, called for a focused protection approachprotect the vulnerable and let others build up natural immunityinstead of an arbitrary blanket lockdown that can cause other harms.

But the UK as well as most other countries dismissed the proposal and chose to hold out for a vaccine. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would not let the CCP virus spread through the population unhindered.

After an unprecedented large-scale vaccination programme, most legal restrictions have been lifted across the UK.

People walk past a sign directing to a walk-in mobile COVID-19 testing centre in Spinney Hill Park in Leicester, England, on June 28, 2020. (Darren Staples/Getty Images)

Herd Immunity Mythical

It is still unclear just how harmful the lockdowns were, and on whether or not lockdowns were effective in reducing the mortality rate of COVID-19, but scientists are now saying the concept of reaching herd immunity against COVID-19 is a myth.

Speaking virtually on Tuesday at an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus evidence hearing, Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert from the University of East Anglia, said that herd immunity, when defined as indirect protection of people who havent been immunized, is unachievable because we know that the infection can spread in vaccinated populations.

Recent data from England suggest that the estimated vaccine effectiveness against infection among 1864-year-olds is between 49 and 58 percent. Regarding whether the vaccines can reduce the chance of passing the virus to others, various results have been observed, with some suggesting theres no difference in infectiousness between vaccinated and unvaccinated people, and some saying that vaccinated people who caught COVID-19 are less likely to pass the virus on.

Speaking at the same hearing, Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, concurred with Hunters assessment.

About this sort of mythical herd immunity  I absolutely agree with the points made, Pollard said.

This virus is not measles. If you have 95 percent of people vaccinated against measles, the virus cannot transmit in the population. We know very clearly with the coronavirus that this current variant, Delta variant, will still infect people who have been vaccinated.

Pollard said that this means herd immunity is not a possibility.

He said that another more important reason not to make a vaccination programme around herd immunity is that he suspects what the virus will throw out next is a variant which is perhaps even better at transmitting in vaccinated populations.

Hunter believes that like other types of coronaviruses, the emergence of vaccine-evading CCP virus variants is absolutely inevitable.

He said that repeated infections of coronaviruses would normally keep peoples immune systems up to date.

Therefore, the issue is how do we get from where we are now to where are we with the other coronaviruses without substantial morbidity and mortality, Hunter said.

But hes optimistic because most CCP virus mutations observed so far are on the spike protein, meaning the variants are more transmissible but are not causing more severe disease.

Hunter suggested that as the correlation between the number of cases, serious disease, and death are diminishing, the data collection method should change as well.

We need to be moving towards reporting hospital admissions that are admitted because of COVID, not because they just happen to be positive and theyre being admitted for something else, Hunter said.

Sometimes that distinction is not easy to make, even for the admitting clinician, he added. But I think weve got to start moving to that as the pandemic becomes endemic, he said.
Buildings continue to burn in the aftermath of a night of protests and violence following the death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 29, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Man Sentenced to Nearly 9 Years in Prison for Torching Store During 2020 Riots

A 29-year-old Illinois man was sentenced Tuesday to nearly nine years in federal prison for setting fire to a cell phone store in Minneapolis during the riots in 2020.

Matthew Lee Rupert was sentenced to 105 months in prison approximately four months after pleading guilty to arson.

Rupert will also serve three years of supervised release following his release from prison.

According to court documents, Rupert posted a video on his Facebook page showing him passing out explosives to others while encouraging people to hurl them at law enforcement officers during a riot in Minneapolis, Minnesota in late May 2020.

The footage also showed Rupert actively damaging property, lighting a building on fire, and looting businesses, authorities said.

After lighting a Sprint store on fire, Rupert said, I lit it on fire. And before entering a nearby Office Depot, he stated, Im going in to get [expletives].

The next day, Rupert traveled to Chicago and filmed himself looting there. Rupert was arrested in Chicago in the early morning of May 31.

Ruperts girlfriend later told law enforcement that he traveled to Minneapolis to riot. He himself described his intention to go to Chicago to riot this [expletive].

Matthew Rupert chose to drive more than 400 miles from his home in Illinois to Minnesota to engage in violence and destruction, all while broadcasting it for the world to see. Peaceful protest was not on his agenda, said Anders Folk, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota, said in a statement. Arson, looting, property damage, and the glorification of it, will not be tolerated. Today, justice has caught up with Mr. Rupert as he must now account for his crimes.

Michael Paul, special agent in charge of the FBIs Minneapolis field office, added: Mr. Rupert made his way to Minneapolis for the express purpose of instigating lawless behavior on our local streets. He demonstrated no purpose other than endangering peaceful protests by actively encouraging violence against law enforcement and personally destroying community businesses.

A lawyer representing Rupert did not respond to a request for comment.

Prosecutors said in a pre-sentencing document that Rupert carried a large duffel bag of artillery-shell fireworks with him to Minneapolis and noted that he has a lengthy criminal history.

Prosecutors recommended 115 months in prison and three months of supervised release.

In response, Rupert, through a lawyer, said that he brought fireworks with him and was not planning beforehand to commit a serious crime.

Mr. Rupert takes responsibility for setting a fire, but such destruction was not part of any prior plan. Mr. Rupert like many others got caught up in the mob. It is not an excuse, but it is still a fact which accurately explains that he did not come to Minneapolis for the purpose of causing serious physical destruction, the filing stated.

The sentencing is the latest stemming from riots that unfolded in Minneapolis after the killing of George Floyd in police custody there on Memorial Day in 2020.

They include four men who received prison sentences for helping set fire to a police precinct in the city, another man who was sentenced to six years in jail for torching an Enterprise Rent-A-Car building in St. Paul, and another man who was sentenced to 37 months in prison for setting on fire a Wells Fargo Bank branch in Minneapolis.
Minnesota Supreme Court Denies Minneapolis Appeal on Ruling Requiring It to Hire More Police Officers

By Liz Navratil

From Star Tribune

MINNEAPOLISThe Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday denied Minneapolis request to hear an emergency appeal on a court ruling that required the city to hire more police officers.

In a one-page order, Chief Justice Lorie Gildea said the court was denying the citys request for accelerated review, a move that would have allowed the case to take the unusual step of bypassing the Minnesota Court of Appeals. The order did not elaborate on the courts rationale.

Minneapolis officials had argued that a Hennepin County judge overstepped her bounds in ordering the city to hire at least 730 officers, and residents deserved clarity on the court case before they head to the polls in November to decide the future of the citys Police Department.

Lawyers for the group of North Side residents and activists who brought the case opposed the request. They argued that the judges order was appropriate and it would have no impact on the clear-cut proposal that will appear before voters this fall.

The courts denial doesnt necessarily signal an end to the court battle. The city could still challenge the order in Minnesotas Court of Appeals, if officials decide to take that route.

Minneapolis minimum police staffing requirements have become a key issue in debates about how to transform public safety and in the November elections, when the future of the Police Department, the mayors office and all 13 City Council seats will be on the ballot for the first time since George Floyds murder by an officer.

The citys charter, which serves as its constitution, requires Minneapolis to fund a police force with a minimum size based on population. One question placed before voters this November will ask residents whether they want to keep that requirement or eliminate it, a move that could allow city officials to dramatically reduce the size of the force.

As the court case has unfolded, two key questions have emerged: whether Minneapolis has to budget for a minimum number of officers or employ a minimum number of officers; and whether the city must update its population numbers when new estimates come out, or only after the new census results are released, usually every 10 years.

The Minneapolis city attorneys office had asked the states high court to hear their case, saying a ruling is necessary to clarify the meaning of the provision in time for the November election when this critically important issue will be presented to the citizens of Minnesotas largest city for a vote. They argued that a judge overstepped her bounds and interfered with elected officials discretion by ordering the hiring of a certain number of police officers by a certain date.

Attorneys for the North Side residents and activists who brought the lawsuit opposed the request, saying the ballot language was clear-cut and wasnt impacted by the judges ruling. Lawyer James Dickey, in a legal filing, argued that elected leaders still had the discretion to determine how they would hire enough officers to comply with the citys charter. He noted, for example, that they could grant more funding to the Police Department, direct the department to hire more trainers or offer additional incentives to attract new employees, among other options.

The idea that enforcing the citys constitution, as it were, is somehow an interference with the citys government is fundamentally flawed as well, Dickey wrote. It is a claim that the City is ruled by men and women following the temporary passions of some of its citizens, and not by laws. The Citys ability to create its own home-rule charter is not a license to make a law and then jettison it when inconvenient for the current cadre of elected officials

When city leaders approved the 2021 budget, they included enough money to cover the costs of 770 officers. City leaders have acknowledged that the number of officers actually working will be lower, in part because of an unprecedented number of resignations and claims of post-traumatic stress disorder.

In court filings, the city anticipated it would have 690 officers on payroll in June of this year, with 46 on long-term leave; 649 on payroll in January 2022, with none of them on long-term leave; and 721 on payroll in January 2023, with none on long-term leave.

Attorneys for the city argued that elected leaders fulfilled their obligations when they included funding for 770 officers in the budget and that the minimum number required is about 650, based on the 2010 census results.

Lawyers for the group who brought the suit argued the city needs to employ a working police force that meets the minimum size requirements. Citing 2020 population estimates, while the expected census results are delayed, they placed the minimum number at roughly 743 officers.

In early July, Hennepin County Judge Jamie Anderson issued an order largely siding with the residents. Saying the city has a responsibility to keep up with new population figures, Anderson gave the city until June 30, 2022, to fund a police force with at least 730 officers  or a higher number if new census numbers are released and warrant it.

She arrived at that number using 2019 population estimates, a number she used because attorneys for both the city and residents had previously agreed they were accurate.

2021 StarTribune. Visit startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The melted metal from a pickup truck's rims ran down the driveway of this Chicago Park home after the River Fire burned through here, on Aug. 7, 2021. (Elias Funez/The Union via AP)

Nearly 900 Buildings Destroyed by Massive California Fire

GREENVILLE, Calif.Californias largest single wildfire in recorded history kept pushing through forestlands on Tuesday as fire crews tried to protect rural communities from flames that have destroyed hundreds of homes.

Clear skies over parts of the month-old Dixie Fire have allowed aircraft to rejoin nearly 6,000 firefighters in the attack this week.

Whether or not we can fly depends very much on where the smoke is. Theres still some areas where its just too smoky, fire spokesman Edwin Zuniga said.

Heavy smoke reduced visibility on the fires west end while the east end saw renewed action as afternoon winds took hold, fire officials said.

Burning through bone-dry trees, brush, and grass, the fire by Tuesday had destroyed more than 1,000 buildings, including nearly 550 homes. Much of the small community of Greenville was incinerated during an explosive run of flames last week.

A classic Chevrolet El Camino that was lost along with the home of Pete Reyna Wednesday evening in Chicago Park, on Aug. 7, 2021. (Elias Funez/The Union via AP)

But the reports are definitely subject to change because assessment teams still cant get into many areas to count what burned, Zuniga said.

The Dixie Fire, named for the road where it started, also threatened 14,000 buildings in more than a dozen small mountain and rural communities in the northern Sierra Nevada.

Crews have cut thousands of acres of new fire lines aimed at preventing the fire from spreading. Officials believe the fire lines created on the blazes southern side will hold the fire at bay there, but the fires future is unknown, authorities said.

We dont know where this fire is going to end and where its going to land. It continues to challenge us, said Chris Carlton, supervisor for Plumas National Forest.

Temperatures are expected to rise and the humidity is expected to fall over the next few days, with triple-digit high temperatures possible later in the week along with a return of strong afternoon winds, fire meteorologist Rich Thompson warned Monday evening.

Flames from the Dixie Fire consume a home on Highway 89 south of Greenville in Plumas County, Calif., on Aug. 5, 2021. (Noah Berger/AP Photo)

The fire that broke out July 14 grew slightly on Tuesday to an area of 766 square miles (1,984 square kilometers) but containment increased to 27 percent, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Dixie Fire is about half the size of the August Complex, a series of lightning-caused 2020 fires across seven counties that were fought together and that state officials consider Californias largest wildfire overall.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for northern Shasta, Trinity and Tehama counties. The declaration frees up state resources to help fight fires in those counties and give assistance to residents affected by the blazes.

Californias raging wildfires are among some 100 large blazes burning across 15 states, mostly in the West, where historic drought conditions have left lands parched and ripe for ignition.

The Dixie Fire is the largest single fire in California history and the largest currently burning in the U.S. Nearly a quarter of all firefighters assigned to Western fires are fighting California blazes, said Rocky Oplinger, an incident commander.

The fires across the West come as parts of Europe are also fighting large blazes spurred by tinder-dry conditions.

In southeastern Montana, the small towns of Ashland and Lame Deer were ordered evacuated Tuesday as a wildfire threatened hundreds of homes outside the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Rosebud County Sheriff Allen Fulton said flames were being driven by strong, erratic winds.

Deer wander among homes and vehicles destroyed by the Dixie Fire in the Greenville community of Plumas County, Calif., on Aug. 6, 2021. (Noah Berger/AP Photo)

Were actually pretty worried about it, Fulton said. Its jumping highways, its jumping streams. A paved road is about a good a fire line as we could ask for, and its going over that in spots.

Northwest of the Dixie Fire in the ShastaTrinity National Forest, hundreds of homes remained threatened by two fires. However, nearly 50 percent of the McFarland Fire was contained. New evacuation orders were issued Monday for residents near the Monument Fire, which was only about 3 percent contained.

South of the Dixie Fire, firefighters prevented further growth of the River Fire, which broke out last Wednesday near the community of Colfax and destroyed 68 homes. It was nearly 80 percent contained.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts in his office in the state's capitol in Lincoln, Neb., on June 24, 2021. (Petr Svab/The Epoch Times)

Nebraska Governor, 22 State Senators Back Anti-CRT Resolution in Public University System

Over two dozen of Nebraskas top leaders, led by Gov. Pete Ricketts, are calling on the University of Nebraska (UN) to prevent Critical Race Theory (CRT) from being imposed on its campuses.

The call comes in a letter (pdf) sent Tuesday to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, which will be voting on a resolution that aims to ban the imposition of Critical Race Theory later this week. The resolution has been met with opposition from the UN leadership, including UN President Ted Carter and Chancellor Ronnie Green, who have called the resolution a violation of academic freedom.

In the letter, Ricketts and his fellow signatories expressed support for the resolution, arguing that CRT is a unique and imminent threat to Nebraska and the UN system. The Republican governor previously called the ideology Marxism reinvented that seeks to reimagine public policy all based on a Marxist worldview.

Proponents of CRT seek to fix Americas racism and achieve equity by a process of racial discrimination in which people in our country would be pitted against one another, the letter reads. Rather than identifying specific instances of racism and rooting them out, CRT seeks to define communities based on racial lines and to build public policy and redistribute resources based on skin color.

The Nebraska leaders, including 22 state senators, warned that taxpayer dollars are being used to push CRT on UN campuses through initiatives such as Journey for Anti-Racism and Racial Equity, which was created by Ronnie Green last spring at UN-Lincoln in the wake of George Floyds death and the ensuing national debate over race.

Chancellor Green said he would make anti-racism and equity a top priority for the university and would require a reexamination of university policies and curriculum, the letter states. Similar initiatives at other schools have required students to take courses tainted by CRT and subjected them to racially discriminatory trainings in the name of equity.'

The letter also responded to a UN-Lincoln statement from earlier this month, which stated that the current anti-CRT movement is emboldening white supremacist groups like the KKK.

This is what proponents of CRT do, the letter reads. The universitys Journey Co-Leaders disgustingly claimed supporters of the resolution were unwittingly helping the KKK. This is the mode of operation of CRT proponentsmake outrageous claims in an attempt to silence opposition.

A vote by the UN Board of Regents on the resolution is expected on Aug. 13. Ricketts and the signatories promised that if passed, the resolution would not prevent CRT from being discussed on campus.

This resolution simply seeks to prevent the imposition of CRT on students, so the university can protect student voices and academic freedom, they said. It does not prevent discussion of CRT just as other diverse philosophies, religions and perspectives are discussed every day on campus.
No Action Is Needed: FEMA Tests National Emergency Alert System

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) tested the U.S. national emergency alert system on Wednesday.

The test of both the Emergency Alert System and the Wireless Emergency Alert System, the second of which required people to opt-in on their cellular phones, was carried out at around 2:20 p.m. ET. Not everyone received them on their phones due to their settings.

THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed, the alert read, which was sent via text message to peoples phones.

The Emergency Alert System alert was also sent to radios and TVs at around the same time.

A FEMA spokesperson told The Epoch Times on Wednesday afternoon that we successfully tested the system, adding that Many emergency officials and people who opted into todays [Wireless Emergency Alert System] test successfully received the test alert

Individuals who did not opt-in correctly may not have received a test message. The [Emergency Alert System] test was also successful, the spokesperson continued.

Reminder: At 2:20 PM ET today, we will conduct a national test of the Emergency Alert System in coordination with @FCC. The test will appear on televisions & radios, while specially configured cell phones will receive an emergency alert test code message. #IPAWS pic.twitter.com/VPDMsvVEQ8  FEMA (@fema) August 11, 2021

Added FEMA on Twitter: The test will go to televisions & radios, while specially configured cell phones will receive an emergency alert test code message.

The test was the sixth nationwide for the Emergency Alert System and the second for the Wireless Emergency Alert System.

A number of users on social media said they did not receive the alerts. But a FEMA regional account confirmed later that the test did happen, adding that users have to turn on certain settings on their phones.

Recently, FEMA rolled out presidential alerts, which can be sent to every U.S. phone in the event of a national emergency. The alerts, unlike others, can be sent by the sitting president and Americans cannot opt-out of them.

In 2019, an erroneous alert sent out to residents in Hawaii warned of a ballistic missile threat, saying that this is not a drill. Minutes later, the warning was canceled, although it came in the midst of heightened tensions between the United States and North Korea.
People come to be tested for COVID-19 at a test site in a file photo. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

No Mingling: Hawaii Revives COVID-19 Restrictions Over Fear of Delta Variant

The state of Hawaii announced it would reintroduce restrictions on social gatherings due to the COVID-19 Delta variant.

With COVID-19 cases going up, the State of Hawaii is taking precautions now to avert a strain on our healthcare systems. To that endIll be signing an Executive Order that will limit social gatherings, effective immediately, Gov. Dan Ige, a Democrat, announced Wednesday on Twitter.

The order would limit capacity at restaurants, bars, gyms, and social establishments to 50 percent of capacity. It also caps indoor and outdoor gatherings to 10 and 25 people, respectively.

Patrons in restaurants bars and social establishments must remain seated with parties maintaining at least 6 ft distancing between groups (with maximum groups size of 10 indoors and 25 outdoors); there will be no mingling, and masks must be worn at all times except when actively eating or drinking, according to a news release from his office.

The order also stipulates that county governments will review proposals for all professionally sponsored events for more than 50 people, to ensure that appropriate safe practices will be implemented.

Organizers of these professional events must notify and consult with the following county agencies prior to the event. County approval is required for professional events for more than 50 people, Iges office added.

The policies will remain in effect until Oct. 18, according to Iges office, unless another order is implemented.

The government of Hawaii in June raised social gathering limitations to 25 indoors and 75 outdoors amid a decline in cases.

Hawaii, with more than 60 percent of its population fully vaccinated, has witnessed a rise in cases by 168 percent between July 26 and August 8, said the states department of health.

Across the United States, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of COVID-19 cases has surged in recent weeks.

The CDCs data, however, also shows that the U.S. death count is nowhere near as high as it was in early January 2021, when more than 4,100 people died across the country in a single day. As of Aug. 9, the seven-day average for COVID-19 deaths is 434 per day.

Iges move comes as the federal government has increasingly pushed for vaccinations. This week, the Department of Defense announced it would mandate all military members to get the COVID-19 shot, while the CDC on Wednesday recommended that pregnant women get the vaccine.

Last week, New York City officials announced they would, starting in August, roll out a vaccine passport-type system for bars, restaurants, gyms, and theaters.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Shalanda Baker, senior advisor Secretary of Energy, and nominee to head the Department of Energy's Office of Minority Economic Impact (Department of Energy)

Energy Nominee Seeks to Bring Anti-Racism to US Policy

A nominee to the Department of Energy wants U.S. policy to incorporate anti-racism and to move beyond notions of private property.

Shalanda Baker, a law professor currently on a professional leave of absence from Northeastern University to serve in the Biden administration, is already secretarial adviser on equity and deputy director for energy justice in the Department of Energy. The deputy director role is newly created by the Biden administration.

Baker has been nominated to lead the DOEs Office of Minority Economic Impact (OMEI). After initially considering her nomination at a hearing on June 8, the committee on July 22 confirmed her nomination, advancing her nomination to the full Senate.

Bakers writings on energy include Revolutionary Power, described as an activists guide to the energy transition.

In it, Baker advocates what she calls a justice first approach to climate change, rather than one of climate first, justice later.

In a 2020 article for a Boston public radio station, How To Create Anti-Racist Energy Policies, Baker stated, The time for reckoning with the racialized violence embedded within the current energy system is long overdue.

She argues that energy costs per household should be permanently capped at 6 percent of overall household income.

If that household is within an environmental justice community with lower air quality, the cap would be lower, and not exceed 2 percent of overall household income, Baker wrote. She doesnt indicate how energy would be paid for, when its costs exceed these caps.

Bakers academic scholarship includes an article for the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, Anti-Resilience: A Roadmap for Transformational Justice within the Energy System, in which she argues against resilience in the grid, claiming that the modern energy system should be transformed, rather than made more resilient.

She argues that anti-resilience would need to be rooted in both anti-racism and anti-oppression. Anti-oppression would involve mandating that the majority of participants in community energy programs be people of color and low-income people.

The concept of anti-racism has been recently popularized by critical race theorist Ibram X. Kendi. According to Kendi, The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination.

Various forms of pollution and other risks related to the energy system do, in fact, disproportionately affect black Americans and Hispanic Americans, as well as poor Americans of all colors. In Bakers writings and congressional testimony, she has consistently argued that a focus on equity can help address those disparities.

People dont understand the difference between equity and equality, said Peter Boghossian, an assistant professor of philosophy at Portland State University who has written extensively about the influence of social justice and equity rhetoric on academia. (Boghossian declined to comment on the specifics of Bakers scholarship or nomination). Equity is the opposite of equality.

According to Boghossian, an institution that embraces social justice ideology will deviate from its mission and become an institution of critical social justice.

I think people are in for a surprise, he said.

Boghossian, James Lindsay, and Bruce Gilley of New Discourses recently released Combatting Social Justice Rhetoric: A Cheat Sheet for Policy-Makers.

Equity, they say, translates not to equality between individuals but to equality of outcomes plus reparations. They also claim that the language of environmental justice equates to the belief that environmental issues are race issues, which they describe as an ineffective and inefficient way to protect the environment.

For the last several months, Ive served as the Secretarys Advisor on Equity, and Ive had the pleasure of leading the execution of Executive Order 13985, which you may know as the Presidents Order on Equity, Baker said at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committees June 8 meeting.

At that meeting, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) noted the OMEIs duties include promoting small, disadvantaged businessesi.e., minority-owned businesses and highlighted the Biden administrations proposal to allocate $100 billion in federal contracting opportunities to small, minority-owned businesses.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) asked Baker about the Justice40 Initiative, established through another Biden administration executive order. The order sets the goal of delivering 40 percent of the overall benefits of relevant federal investments to disadvantaged communities.

What is your understanding of the meaning of the term disadvantaged community as used in the Justice initiative, and does it extend to the coal mining communities in my state of West Virginia, and many other states? asked Manchin.

The Justice40 Initiative is absolutely the cornerstone of this administrations climate transition policy, Baker replied. As you mentioned, the president has made this commitment to ensure that 40 percent of the overall benefits of the investments go to disadvantaged communities. In the same executive order announcing the Justice40 Initiative, the president makes a deep commitment to energy communities, which are communities that are experiencing the transition away from fossil fuels.

A spokesperson for the White House Council on Environmental Quality didnt respond to requests for a definition of disadvantaged communities.

In a section of Anti-Resilience advocating System Transformation, Baker argues for new conceptions of energy, claiming that, since we are creators of our understanding of energy, it is not fixed, and arguing that energy should be thought of as a commons.

Within a frame of transformation, the edges of the energy system begin to soften and meld into other notions of property, beyond private resource ownership and toward conceptions of shared management and control, wrote Baker.

Neither Baker nor Republicans on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources immediately responded to requests for comment.

As of press time, Bakers nomination is awaiting a vote by the full Senate.
A boat dock sits on dry ground far from the water at Lake Mendocino in Ukiah, Calif., on April 22, 2021. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Northern California County Runs Out of Water During Peak Tourism Season

One of Northern Californias tourism hot spots faces a water shortage that threatens to shatter businesses as visitors from across the state flock to the county.

Wells are drying out in Mendocino County amid the raging state drought. As water prices are expected to increase, small business owners will suffer as restaurants and inns may not be able to able to cover the costs of running water.

Meredith Smith, owner of Mendocino Cafe told The Epoch Times the county has placed porta potties around restaurants as they begin to conserve water by closing their restrooms.

You cant have a tourist destination where you are trying to promote giant barbeques, wine tastings, and everything youre doing to get people to come here, and then not have any place where they can use the bathroom, she said.

At this point, the Mendocino City Community Services District has initiated water rationing, 25 percent less allocated from our individual wells.

Restaurants have also been ordered to not serve water to customers unless they request it.

Many businesses are running out, Smith said. Some [bed and breakfasts] are leaving rooms empty for both lack of staff and lack of water.

A child walks across cracked earth that used to be the bottom of Lake Mendocino on April 22, 2021, in Ukiah, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

As residents and business owners worry about the fate of the countys lack of water infrastructure, county officials attempt to navigate through uncharted territory.

Ted Williams, Mendocino County Supervisor told The Epoch Times the county has been supporting businesses by placing porta potties for visitors to use as water hauling prices surge.

Our measures are small band-aids, relative to the problem at hand, and its progressing quickly, Williams said. Its getting bad now, but four to six weeks from now, we may have businesses shutting down due to not having any wateryou cant operate a restaurant or an inn if you dont have water in, and at $1,225 a tank load, its unlikely they can make it work economically.

Currently, Williams said the county is hauling in water trucks at a rate of about $400 per tank load. As the water supply decreases, the next residence that runs out of water will have to pay over $1,000 to receive water from a source in Ukiah, which is roughly 50 miles away.

The last estimate I had from one hauler was $1,225 for a tank load of water that would last an average family of three who are trying to conserve water for about three weeks, he said. The fear is hauling water, besides the fact that we dont have adequate infrastructure, has a huge transportation cost.

To keep up with the demand of tourists, the hospitality industries will need to be innovative on how they can save and access water.

While the current state drought is anticipated to leave many without water, this is not the first time Mendocino has experienced a dry spell and a declining water supply.

Williams said compared to the drought in 1977, the current drought is much worse.

In a normal year, the county receives water from Fort Bragg until about late fall. This year, the water supply was cut off months earlier in mid-July as the demand failed to meet the supply, Supervisor John Haschak told The Epoch Times.

Weve got a serious crisis, he said. Especially looking at the long-term climate situation where drought is going to be a more common factor in California.

Despite county knowledge of the fragile water infrastructure, for decades, officials have not implemented long-term solutions. During droughts, county urgency rises, but once a drought is over, the conversation would end, Williams said.

Its hard to get people behind self-funding, multimillion-dollar infrastructure, Williams said.

Consequently, Mendocino hopes to receive more aid from the state. Currently, the state is supplying the county with water bottles, but Williams hopes there will be more federal assistance that subsidizes water hauling or provides a portable desalinization plant.

My time in office has gone from the fires to the pandemic to a drought, he said. I think the drought for some people is the worst because imagine you got a kid trying to brush his teeth and there is no water, tries to flush the toilettheres no waterand the family cant afford to have a truck deliver it even if its available.

Williams confirmed that these situations are already occurring throughout the county, with the most vulnerable being hit the hardest with another shutdown.

Its not even clear that we can get through it this winter unless we have an atmospheric rain, Williams said. Maybe the next year is even more pronounced. Droughts often come in multi-year reductions in rainfall.
Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine at the OSU Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, U.S. March 2, 2021. (Reuters/Gaelen Morse/File Photo)

Ohio Judge Orders Man to Get COVID-19 Vaccine or Face Jail Time

An Ohio judge ordered a man to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of his probation or face jail time, but was rebuffed by the defendant, who said hes not going to get the vaccine.

Christopher Wagner, a Hamilton County judge, last week ordered Brandon Rutherford to get vaccinated within 60 days as a condition of his probation for possession of fentanyl, or he would face up to 18 months in prison for violating probation, WCPO reported.

Im just a judge, not a doctor, but I think the vaccines a lot safer than fentanyl, which is what you had in your pocket, said Wagner during the hearing, according to the media outlet. Youre going to maintain employment. Youre not going to be around a firearm. Im going to order you, within the next two months, to get a vaccine and show that to the probation office. Okay?

Otherwise, Rutherford would be sent to state prison, Wagner said.

Wagner came to know Rutherfords vaccination status when the defendant explained why he wore a mask in the courtroom.

Hamilton County Courthouse in Cincinnati, Ohio, in November 2020. (Google Street View)

Rutherford didnt dispute the order at the hearing but later told the outlet that forcing him to get the vaccine was unfair.

Because I dont take a shot, they can send me to jail? I dont agree with that, Rutherford said. Im just trying to do what I can to get off this as quickly as possible, like finding a job and everything else. But that little thing (COVID vaccine) can set me back.

Im not taking the vaccine, Rutherford told CNN on Sunday.

Wagner defended his ruling in a statement sent to WCPO.

The courts responsibility when issuing a community control sanction is to rehabilitate the defendant and protect the community, Wagner wrote. Judges make decisions regularly regarding a defendants physical and mental health, such as ordering drug, alcohol, and mental health treatment.

We might have to hold a hearing if the defendant has good reason not to take the vaccine. The defendants attorney, as of now, is not asking for a hearing, Wagner continued.

The Epoch Times has contacted Wagners office for additional comment.

The Hamilton County court has required facial covering (pdf) for anyone entering court facilities from Wednesday, regardless of vaccination status.
One Democrat Joins All GOP Senators to Pass Anti-Critical Race Theory Amendment

The Senate on Tuesday passed an amendment that bans federal tax dollars from being used to promote or teach critical race theory (CRT), a quasi-Marxist ideology, in schools.

The amendment, introduced by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), was included in the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation budget package. Last month, the Arkansas senator introduced the Stop CRT Act to prevent federal funds from being funneled to teach the theory in public schools.

CRT ideologues, Cotton said on the Senate floor, want to teach our children that America is not a good nation but a racist nation, adding: Those teachings are wrong and our tax dollars should not support them.

My amendment will ensure that federal funds arent used to indoctrinate children as young as pre-K to hate America, Cotton further stated. Our future depends on the next generation of kids loving America and loving each other as fellow citizens, no matter their race.

All Republicans and one Democrat voted in favor of Cottons amendment, passing 5149 in the upper chamber. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), whose home state of West Virginia voted heavily in favor of former President Donald Trump, was the lone Democrat senator to join the GOP.

There has been fierce debate over whether CRT or similar initiativesincluding the New York Times 1619 Project or diversity, equity, and inclusion trainingshould be taught to schoolchildren. Parents across the United States have held protests against school boards that have increasingly started to promote CRT or CRT-aligned viewpoints in class.

Meanwhile, some media outlets and pundits have claimed that CRT is only taught in higher education settings, such as in colleges and universities, and isnt being widely adopted by teachers. However, critics of CRT have said there are plenty of examples of young children in school being taught to believe that white people are inherently racista key CRT tenetand that systemic racism permeates every U.S. institution.

Cotton, during his Senate speech, pointed to several examples of CRT being used in schools, saying that at least 30 schools in 15 states have assigned the CRT-aligned book, Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness, which depicts whiteness as the devil, or Satan.

And Legal Insurrections Criticalrace.org, which notes that CRT is an offshoot of earlier Marxist European critical theory, says that Critical Race Training in primary and secondary education is a growing issue and one thats significantly more difficult to track.

The overall $3.5 trillion budget packages framework was passed along party lines early on Wednesday, with all Democrats voting in favor of advancing it and with no Republican support. However, some moderate Democrats like Manchin have criticized the overall price tag of the bill.
Oregon Governor Signs Bill Letting Students Graduate Without Proving They Can Read, Write, or Do Math

Oregons governor recently signed legislation that allows high school students to graduate without proving they can read, write, or do math.

Oregon Senate Bill 744 (pdf) states that students may not be required to show proficiency in Essential Learning Skills as a condition of receiving a high school diploma in the next three school years.

This 2021 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2021 Act takes effect on its passage, it states.

The Oregon House approved the bill 3818 in June, followed by the state Senate in a 1613 vote.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, quietly signed the bill into law last month; her office didnt announce the signing. That move wasnt entered into the legislative database for about two weeks, until July 29, and people who signed up for alerts on action on the bill never received one, The Oregonian reported.

Browns office didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Charles Boyle, an aide to the governor, told the paper that suspending the proficiency requirements will benefit Oregons black, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, tribal, and students of color.

Leaders from those communities have advocated time and again for equitable graduation standards, along with expanded learning opportunities and supports, he said.

The bill suspends the requirements while a review is conducted. The Oregon Department of Education is guided to evaluate, in part, high school diploma requirements in other states. Officials also must identify the causes of disparities that have resulted from the requirements for high school diplomas in this state and whether the requirements for high school diplomas in this state have been applied inequitably to different student populations.

The department is being told to use a process that is equitable in developing recommendations for changes to the requirements for a high school diploma.

The Oregon Education Association supported the bill. It says on its website that it has worked for years to eliminate the essential skills test, claiming the test can act as a one-size-fits-all standardized test barrier to graduation for students who may otherwise have more than enough proficiency and skill to graduate and go on to great success.

At a public hearing in March, members of the state House Education Committee heard from detractors and backers of the legislation. Among the detractors was Duncan Wyse, president of Oregons Business Council, who was a member of the Oregon Board of Education when the essential skills requirement was adopted in 2008.

While the Essential Skills requirements warrant review, as do all aspects of the diploma, they should not be jettisoned at the outset. These requirements, which have been in place for a decade, were established through a long, consultative process by the State Board. They addressed a critical challenge communicated by employers and post-secondary institutions alike that many students did not have the reading, writing, and math mastery needed to succeed. It was considered critical for ensuring an equitable education, Wyse said.

I urge you to remove this provision from SB 744 A and include the Essential Skills in the comprehensive diploma review.

Sally Travi of Portland backs eliminating the requirements.

Many studies have shown that graduation testing requirements do not improve future achievement, improve employment opportunities, or ensure college success. The testing requirements increase the dropout rate, especially among low-income students, English language learners, students of color, and neuro-diverse students who are already struggling, she wrote to the panel.

The testing also leads teachers to teach how to take a test, rather than teaching them how to think, how to analyze information, or how to problem-solve. Our children deserve better. If they have passed the classes required for graduation, additional testing is just a way of keeping people from achieving their potential, not helping them in any way.
Parents Protest Ahead of Transgender Policy Adoption in Loudoun County, Virginia

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va.The first school board meeting of the new school year opened in Loudoun county amidst sustained tension. On Aug. 10, scores of parents and citizens rallied to voice their disapproval of the board outside the school administration building. Over 170 people signed up to speak virtually and in person, compared to 259 at the previous meeting on June 22. The county in northern Virginia is west of Washington and one of the most affluent counties in the nation.

A new public comment policy was in placeno audience was allowed during public comment, and speakers were admitted into the building in groups of ten. The reason for the change was increased security in light of what happened at the June 22 meeting, according to Wayde Byard, the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) public information officer. The board ended public comment after the 50th speaker spoke on June 22 and two arrests ensued.

Instead of being allowed to wait in the building, registered speakers remained outdoors and were told to take shelter in their cars when a severe thunderstorm began at about 6 p.m.

No public viewing was allowed during public comment at the Loudoun County Public School Board meeting on Aug. 10, 2021. Speakers are permitted to enter the board room one at a time. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

The main agenda item was Policy 8040, which would require LCPS staff to address students with their preferred pronouns and allow transgender students access to bathrooms and locker rooms according to their self-identified gender.

The LCPS board is likely to approve and adopt Policy 8040, Rights of Transgender and Gender-Expansive Students, based on a July 30 memo by James Lane, Virginias Superintendent of Public Instruction. In the document, Lane stated, Local school boards that elect not to adopt policies assume all legal responsibility for noncompliance, referring to Model Policies Concerning the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginias Public Schools, finalized on March 6, 2021. The memo also cited the dismissal of a complaint against the Virginia Department of Education as one of the key backgrounds for all division superintendents to adopt the policies.

Josh Hetzler, legal counsel with Founding Freedoms Law Center, represented the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. According to him, the judges July 27 opinion stated that non-compliant school districts are in no danger of losing funding because the Model Policies are merely guidance. He added the lawsuit was dismissed on the grounds of standing, not merit. Founding Freedoms Law Center is the legal arm of the Family Foundation, a non-profit, faith-based organization in Virginia.

Speakers waited in a group of ten outside the board room while other speakers waited outdoors or in their cars during the Loudoun County Public School Board meeting on Aug. 10, 2021. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

About 80 percent of the in-person speakers spoke against the policy or the school board. Some parents strongly condemned the school board with word choices such as disgusting, and some pleaded for their children.

We are parents fighting for our kids and their education. Our children are struggling with learning. Our children are struggling emotionally. Our children are struggling when you sit back and watch, said Jessica Mendez, an LCPS parent, choking back tears. Not all of us can afford private school or are able to homeschool our children. We depend on you to work together with us and hear us.

I moved here eight years ago when this school system was a world-class educational system. The parents, the teachers, and administrators all worked together for the betterment of our children. But now, because of the decisions that all of you have made, I dont believe that any child can get a quality education, said Elicia Brand, who said she was struggling re-enrolling her kids to LCPS.

In the online policy review feedback released by the LCPS, (57 percent) of the 87 comments submitted in May through July were against Policy 8040. Twenty-five (29 percent) were for the policy and the remaining responses were questions. Safety and privacy were common concerns in the comments, This is like giving an access for abuser and rapist a suitable environment.

At the rally outside the school administration meeting, Hetzler of the Founding Freedoms Law Center announced a lawsuit against the LCPS board and Superintendent for violating Virginias Open Meetings Laws on June 22. They appear to be doing again today by prohibiting members of the public from being physically present in the meeting room as they conduct their meeting, he added.

Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation, told The Epoch Times, This countys government has stepped well outside of the law in how they organize and how they vote, when they kicked out citizens of a public meeting, and then continue to do business. She said that the goal of the upcoming lawsuit was to stop them from ever doing that and send a message to every other school board here across Virginia that are also considering these controversial tough topics, to say you must take into account the voice of the parents.

The board meeting went into recess at 8:30 p.m. and will resume on Aug. 11 to vote on Policy 8040. Cobb said she would expect more lawsuits representing parents or concerned citizens once Policy 8040 would take effect. According to public information officer Byard, once approved and adopted by the board, Policy 8040 would be effective in LCPS on Aug. 26 at the beginning of the new school year.
Persecution of Falun Gong Is in Effect Genocide: Former US Official

In an exclusive interview, former U.S. State Department official Miles Yu said that theres more evidence of a genocide perpetrated against Falun Gong adherents in China than the plentiful evidence of a genocide against the Uyghurs.

Both the Trump and the Biden administrations have designated the repression of Uyghurs in China as a genocide. Yu previously advised then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on strategies related to China. Now Yu is supporting the view that there is not only a Uyghur genocide taking place in China, but also one against Falun Gong.

Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, chair of the China Tribunal, delivers the tribunals judgment in London on June 17, 2019. (Justin Palmer)

Falun Gong is a peaceful spiritual practice based on Buddhist and Daoist principles that was popularized in China during the early 1990s. The practices following of 70 million to 100 million adherents by 1999 was seen as a threat by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which then instituted a policy of persecution to the point of genocide, to eradicate the practice.

Yu told The Epoch Times in an Aug. 9 email: I am surprised that [a] genocide charge against the CCP re FLG [Falun Gong] has not become a focal point of international human rights campaigns targeting the CCP.

When deciding [a] genocide designation, the most difficult legal barrier is to prove intent of the perpetrator.

According to international human rights lawyer Beth Van Schaack in her analysis of the Uyghur genocide: The biggest challenge to establishing the commission of genocide is the mens rea (or mental state) requirement that the perpetrator(s) not only intend to commit the underlying act(s), but that the acts are committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. The intent element is the hallmark of genocide and what distinguishes it from other international crimes, such as war crimes or crimes against humanity.

Falun Gong adherents attend a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Consulate in Toronto, marking 22 years of persecution by the Chinese communist regime and calling on the regime to end its persecution of the spiritual practice in China, on July 15, 2021. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

Yu believes it would be much easier to prove this [intent] in the FLG case than the Uyghur case, because the CCP has tried harder to disguise its genocidal repression against the Uyghurs while its repression against the FLG has been more blatant.

There is more documentary evidence of a genocide against Falun Gong than there is against the Uyghurs, Yu said. The documentation of the CCPs criminality re FLG is also more apparent and systemic.

International lawyer Terri Marsh, executive director of the Human Rights Law Foundation, agrees. She told The Epoch Times in an Aug. 9 email, The evidence does support a claim of genocide: There is a plethora of evidence documenting Chinas well-coordinated plans and policies to subject Falun Gong believers to a widespread suppression campaign that features torture, rape, extrajudicial killing, and other forms of degrading and injurious treatment in regions across China.

The Human Rights Law Foundation wrote a 2015 paper that described the CCPs struggle or douzheng () campaign, including planning that amounts to intent constitutive of genocide to eradicate Falun Gong through extralegal methods such as imprisonment, torture, and forced organ harvesting.

Unfortunately, additional scholarly attention to the Falun Gong genocide is relatively lacking. According to a 2018 study published in the international journal Genocide Studies and Prevention, The genocide against Falun Gong stands out as anomalous because it is virtually ignored.

To overcome this elision in reporting and prosecution of the Falun Gong genocide, Yu advises using the International Criminal Tribunals (ICT) past genocide designations as templates. It would not be a bad idea to use the ICTs genocide designations for Rwanda and Srebrenica as a template for the FLG genocide designation, Yu wrote.

Falun Gong practitioner Chi Lihua and her daughter Xu Xinyang are holding up before and after torture pictures of Xu Dawei, husband of Chi Lihua and father of Xu Xinyang. Xu was sentenced to eight years for practicing Falun Gong in China when his wife was pregnant. After he was released, his 8-year-old daughter saw him for the first time, but only for a few daysXu died 13 days later due to the severe torture he suffered in prison. Xu Xinyang is now 16 years old. (Jennifer Zeng/The Epoch Times)

Yu said that time is running out to make the designation, as some of the perpetrators are aging.

One major question, it seems to me, is that usually there is one individual designeein this case, [former head of the CCP] Jiang Zemin, who is about to expire due to advanced age, he wrote.

When [Jiang] is gone, ICT would have to find another designee, which could well be quite possibly the entire CCP government, in which case, I think other victims of the CCPs atrocities (e.g. the Tibetans, the religious devotees of different orders, the Uyghurs, the Mongolians, etc.) could all join to push for a designation of the entire CCP regime as genocidal.

Genocide is illegal under both international law, as found in the U.N. Genocide Convention in 1948, and U.S. law (18 U.S.C. Section 1091). The definition of genocide in both laws includes attempts at the eradication of not only ethnic, but religious groups such as Falun Gong. While this eradication could be in the form of mass killing, it can also be through forced conversion. Falun Gong adherents in China have suffered both, including systematic detention of millions, torture, and the deaths of likely well over 1 million practitioners, including from forced organ harvesting. Extensive evidence for the latter crime was found by the China Tribunal, which met in London in 2020.
This booking photo shows Arnoldo Lozano-Sanchez following his arrest, in Las Vegas, on Aug. 10, 2021. (Clark County Detention Center via AP)

Police: 2 Dead, 1 Wounded in Vegas Owner-Tenant Rent Dispute

LAS VEGASA landlord argued with his live-in tenants over unpaid rent before opening fire with a handgun in a small house near downtown Las Vegas early Tuesday, killing two women and wounding a man who survived nine gunshots, police said.

The shooting suspect, Arnoldo Lozano-Sanchez, 78, surrendered after a one-hour standoff with police who arrived about 12:30 a.m local time. to find one woman dead outside the pink one-story home and the wounded man coming out the door, said police Lt. Ray Spencer.

Police SWAT officers found the second woman dead inside the house, Spencer said.

The names of the dead women and the wounded man, all in their 50s, were not immediately made public. The man was hospitalized in critical condition.

Lozano-Sanchez was questioned by police and booked into the Clark County jail pending an initial court appearance Wednesday on murder and attempted murder charges. Records did not reflect if he had a lawyer.

Authorities had no immediate information about whether the rent dispute had any connection with a nationwide coronavirus pandemic eviction moratorium that expired last week and was then partially reinstated, Spencer said.

The modified moratorium, enacted under the authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is facing legal challenges and is scheduled to expire on Oct. 3. It applies in areas of high transmission of the COVID-19 delta variant, including Nevada, where state health officials on Tuesday reported 1,125 new COVID-19 cases since Monday.

Police confiscated a 9mm handgun, Spencer said. The number of shots fired was not immediately known pending autopsies of the slain women.

Las Vegas police investigate a shooting on Chicago Avenue in Las Vegas, on Aug. 10, 2021. (Glenn Puit/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)

One of the women left the three-bedroom house and returned before the fatal confrontation, Spencer said.

We dont know the specifics, but information from witnesses is that its all over money not paid for their portion of the rent, Spencer said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Spencer said he didnt know details about the rent dispute or the amount of money involved.

Property records show the home was built in 1945 and Lozano-Sanchez bought it in 1986. It is now surrounded by two-story apartment buildings fortified by high-locked gates.

Neighborhood activists Paul Marino Jr. of Sober Homiez Outreach Ministry and James Mitchell, lead pastor at the House of Judah, stopped to pray together in front of the pink house but said they didnt know the owner well.

The two men said they provide support to transient, homeless, and low-rent residents in the several-block area shadowed by the Strat hotel tower and known locally as Naked City. A property manager said single-bedroom units on the block rent for about $750.

Rose Hernandez, a neighbor whose second-floor apartment overlooks the back of the pink house, said she looked out after midnight and saw Lozano-Sanchez sitting in a chair outside his back door when police arrived. She said she didnt see a gun.

Hes just sitting there, calm, like nothing happened, Hernandez said.

Hernandez said she didnt know Lozano-Sanchez personally but knew that he lived in the back of the house and often sat on the small patio between the house and its matching pink shed.

Christine Miller, an official with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada that represents tenants in rent disputes, called the shooting a tragic event. She declined further comment until more facts are known.
Racism Is No Longer a Major Problem in America | Larry Elder

In this episode, Larry had the opportunity to speak at GodSpeak Calvary Chapel Church located in Thousand Oaks, California. Larry talks about a study that found race matters in police shootings, but the results may surprise you. Larry also talks about America being the least racist white majority country in the world. A must-watch episode!

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Police officers on horseback patrol in front of the Pennsylvania Capitol Building in Harrisburg, Penn., on Jan. 17, 2021. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

Ranked Choice Voting Could Change the Way Pennsylvanians Cast Ballots

A Pennsylvania House Democrat has introduced a plan to change the state election code to require ranked choice voting in some Pennsylvania elections.

State Rep. Christopher Rabbs legislation would include all local and county elections, such as mayor, township supervisor, county commissioner, magisterial district judge, and judge of the Court of Common Pleas, among other positions.

Federal and statewide elections such as president and vice president of the United States, U.S. Senator, and governor would still be decided through the current voting system.

Our democracy is broken, Rabb said in a memo introducing the bill. Low voter turnout, increasing polarization, and legislative gridlock undermine our government and stem from an outdated electoral system that promotes unfair representation, limited voter choice, and skewed primary elections. Ranked choice voting, also known as instant run-offs, offers us a solution.

Most of the United States, including Pennsylvania, uses the plurality voting method in which voters choose one candidate and the winner is the person with the most votes, even if the majority of voters did not cast a ballot for the winner.

For example, in the case of three candidates, winning Candidate A earned 100 votes while losing Candidate B received 90 votes and Candidate C received 80 votes. Together the losing candidates received 170 votes.

With the current plurality voting system, the most votes win, yet the majority of voters did not vote for the winner in this example.

Under ranked choice voting, voters rank candidates in order of choice. The candidate with the fewest votes after the first count is removed from consideration. In this example, Candidate C was the lowest vote-getter and is no longer in the race. The second choice of voters who picked that losing candidate is then counted.

Lets say 70 folks who voted for Candidate C listed Candidate B (who first received 90 votes) as their second choice, and the remaining 10 listed Candidate A (who originally had 100) as the second choice.

In this scenario, Candidate B wins with 160 votes compared to Candidate As 110 votes. Rabbs legislation allows for write-in candidates to be part of the ranking system.

Rank choice voting promotes majority support, discourages negative campaigning, provides more choices to voters, and encourages more reflective representation, Rabb said in the memo, adding that Maine became the first state to use ranked choice voting in 2018.

The measure, H.B. 1775 was recently introduced in the House and referred to the Republican-led State Government Committee.

This addresses low confidence from the electorate. It doesnt benefit one party over another. It requires a simple majority, Rabb told the Epoch Times. In Philadelphia right now you can get elected without a simple majority. With rank choice voting, you have to campaign beyond your base.

A candidate might say to a voter: if your candidate doesnt win, can I get you on the second choice?

Ranked choice voting has the potential to elevate candidates who are able to connect well with voters from both major parties.

It makes candidates have to hustle beyond the normal. You cant ignore entire swaths of people, Rabb said. It lessens the impact of machine politics, Rabb said. Because it is not well known, there is a certain level of suspicion, but there is no partisan angle here.
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 30, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Sen. Toomey Launches Effort to End Eviction Moratorium, Asks GAO for Rush Opinion

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the congressional investigative arm, on Aug. 11 for a rush review of the Center for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) extended renters eviction moratorium.

Toomey wants the GAO to determine whether the moratorium recently ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court but extended at the direction of President Joe Biden by the CDC on Aug. 3 is a regulatory rule subject to the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

If the moratorium is subject to CRA, then it could be repealed by a majority vote in the Senate. Toomey has previously used the tactic to force repeal of Obama-era financial regulations on auto and leverage business loans.

Toomey asked Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, who manages the GAO, to provide a decision on the moratorium no later than Aug. 16.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky extended the moratorium that was originally issued by her agency in 2020, but expired on July 31. In doing so on Aug. 3, she claimed the protection of public health justified the extension as an emergency action.

This moratorium is the right thing to do to keep people in their homes and out of congregate settings where COVID-19 spreads, Walensky said in a statement.

It is imperative that public health authorities act quickly to mitigate such an increase of evictions, which could increase the likelihood of new spikes in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Such mass evictions and the attendant public health consequences would be very difficult to reverse.

If the moratorium is upheld as a public health necessity, it could escape CRA review. But if the GAO says the moratorium fits the CRAs definition of a rule, it could be knocked out by the Senate.

The original moratorium and Walenskys extension were issued without the normal rulemaking process that includes public comment opportunities.

At the same time as Toomey made public his letter to GAO, he joined with Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) in authoring a Senate Joint Resolution to enable the CRA review of the CDC moratorium extension.

The Biden Administrations executive action banning landlords from collecting rent that is rightfully owed to them goes beyond the CDCs legal authority, Marshall said in the statement with Toomey.

This extended halt in evictions sets a dangerous precedent for government agencies operating outside of their statutory limitations in the future and must be stopped.

Thoughtless power grabs such as these have rippling consequences and the continued prolonging of the eviction moratorium does more to harm American economic recovery than to help it, Marshall said.

The Supreme Court has made it clearand President Biden himself has confirmedthat CDC does not have the legal authority to unilaterally extend the eviction moratorium, Burr added in the statement.

Burr was referring to Bidens admission on the same day Walensky issued the extension that the bulk of the constitutional scholarship says that its not likely to pass constitutional muster.

Biden said Walensky went ahead with the extension because by the time opponents would be able to get a court ruling against it, the administration would have distributed an estimated $45 billion in assistance to renters who are behind in their payments.

The original eviction moratorium was allowed to stand by the Supreme Court in a June 29 decision because, at the time, its expiration was only a few days away. But Justice Brett Kavanaugh in a concurring opinion said the moratorium exceeded the CDCs authority. Congress needed to expand the agency authority to continue the moratorium, he said.

Heritage Foundation judicial analyst Joel Griffith told the House Judiciary Committee during a June 14 hearing that the moratorium was unconstitutional on multiple grounds.

Moratoria also invoke serious constitutional and legal concerns. They may violate the takings clause of the Fifth and the 14th Amendments, along with the Contract Clause, Griffith testified.

The Commerce Clauseupon which the CDC powers are baseddoes not provide a basis for Congress to prohibit citizens from seeking legal recourse in state courts for enforcement of rental contract provisions.
Senate Advances Sweeping Election Reform Bill in Partisan Vote

The U.S. Senate voted early Wednesday morning along party lines to advance a sweeping election reform bill that would give the federal government power over states and nationalize voting laws. Democrats voted 50 to 49 to discharge the voting rights legislation, S.1, For the People Act of 2021, from the Rules Committee for future floor debate.

The Senate will adjourn on Thursday but will gather on Monday, September 13, and begin further consideration of S.1.

After passing their $3.5 trillion dollar reconciliation package late Tuesday night also along party lines, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced a motion to advance S.1, The For The People Act of 2021, from the rules committee to the Senate floor.

Schumer said it was his intention that the first amendment to the bill would be the text of a compromise bill that a group of senators is working on. Then, referring to states effort to make voting more secure in their respective states he added, We are witnessing the most sweeping and coordinated attacks on voting rights since the era of Jim Crow.

Moderate Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said he will not vote on the original S.1 bill but has been working to make changes to the legislation so it can be more widely accepted by both sides, and he wants to debate his version of the bill, to amend it, and pass voting reform.

Tonight, Im again voting to move that process forward because I believe that we need to come together to restore peoples faith in the integrity of our elections. But I do make it very clear that I will not support The For The People Act, Manchin said, adding, for example, I firmly believe that we need common-sense voter ID requirements, just like we have in West Virginia, that strengthened the security of our elections, without making it harder for Americans to vote. I also firmly believe that we shouldnt politicize the Federal Elections Commission, prohibit any guardrails on a vote by mail or prevent local election officials from doing basic maintenance of voter rolls.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, speaks during a hearing in Washington on June 15, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images).

Manchin urged senators to allow debate on his version of S.1, to come up with a bipartisan solution to voting integrity.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) criticized the Democrats action in a speech from the floor saying, Here in the dead of night, they also want to start tearing up the ground rules of our democracy and writing new ones of course on a purely partisan basis. He also criticized efforts by Democrats to pass the 3.5 trillion in spending via budget reconciliation, requiring only 50 votes to pass.

McConnell said that voting in favor of the hefty $3.5 trillion bill was a bad decision and is now making many Democrats nervous since elections are around the corner and that is why they want to change election laws in their favor, allowing automatic voter registration of illegal aliens, calling it absurd and clumsy.

Its always a temptation within the majority to want to write the rules that may make it more likely you can get the outcome you want. This isnt going to work. It isnt going to work tonight and it isnt going to work when we get back, said McConnell.

The Senate then voted 50 to 49 and the motion to discharge was agreed to at which point Schumer asked for unanimous consent to proceed to the immediate consideration of the version of the voting bill that Senate Republicans blocked in June, Manchins version.

Republicans see the For the People Act of 2021, in its current form, as an attempt by Democrats to grab power away from states by federalizing elections, making them less secure from fraud and cheating.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) blocked the debate on the bill. He said, This bill would constitute a federal government takeover of elections.  It would strike down virtually every reasonable voter integrity law in the country including voter ID laws supported by the overwhelming majority of this country, including prohibitions on ballot harvesting again widely supported by people in this country. It would mandate that felons be allowed to vote, and it would automatically register millions of illegal aliens to vote. It would profoundly undermine democracy in this country.

Schumer said the GOPs opposition will not deter them from considering and voting on the bill and bring their compromised voting reform bill up for a vote in first thing when the Senate convenes in September.

Schumer added that he has been in talks with Democrat Senators including, Klobuchar and Merkley, Manchin and Warnock and Padilla, Kane, King, and Tester, to discuss a compromise voting rights bill. Weve made a great deal of progress on that legislation. Adding, Voting rights will be the first matter of legislative business when the Senate returns to session in September.
Police officers stand in the street in the Alpine resort of Verbier, Switzerland on Dec. 22, 2020. (Abrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)

Switzerland Police Threaten to Stop Enforcing COVID-19 Restrictions

A group of police officers across multiple departments in Switzerland have threatened authorities that they will no longer enforce COVID-19 rules on citizens if they oppose the general opinion of the population.

In a four-page letter obtained by local Swiss outlet 20 Minutes, an association representing police officers in the Alpine country warned the Swiss Federation of Police Officers (FSFP) of potential insubordination within police forces.

If the measures were to oppose the general opinion of the population, restricting their fundamental rights disproportionately, many police officers will no longer be willing to apply them, the group said in the letter to the FSFP.

The news agency reported that the letter was praised among lockdown critics, who applauded the association on the Telegram social network by writing: respect and we support you.

The FSFP stated that the group amounts to a minority within the police federations 26,500 members and dismissed any threat of subordination among the officers.

Adrian Gaugler of the Conference of Cantonal Police Commanders threatened officers with sanctions if they are found to be non-compliant with enforcing CCP virus restrictions.

An agent who refuses to apply a law in force is punishable, Gaugler said.

The letter comes amid a surge in anti-lockdown protests across Europe, including France, where an estimated 200,000 citizens marched across the country in opposition to government-enforced vaccination passports, which are required since Aug. 9 to enter restaurants, trains, cinemas, theme parks, among many other places.

Also in Switzerland, more than 4,000 people recently gathered in Lucerne to demonstrate against COVID-19 vaccine restrictions, according to local media reports.

Switzerland notably kept schools open during the pandemic last year except from March 16 to May 10, when the country went into lockdown during the first wave. Swiss authorities didnt consider children to be the primary drivers of the virus and only put in place preventative measures such as hand hygiene, physical distancing, and mask-wearing for kids aged 12 and older.

Symptoms of long COVID arent common in children, according to a Swiss study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on July 15.

Meiling Lee contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Taliban terrorists record a message after seizing Pul-e- Khumri, capital of Baghlan province, Afghanistan, in this still image taken from a social media video, uploaded on Aug. 10, 2021. (Taliban Handout via Reuters)

Taliban Seizes 9 Provincial Capitals Across Afghanistan in 6 Days

The Taliban has managed to capture nine provincial capitals in Afghanistan in just six days as U.S.-led foreign forces complete their withdrawal from the beleaguered South Asian country.

Unfortunately, after hours of heavy fighting, the ANDSF [Afghan National Security Forces] retreated, said Jawad Mujadidi, a provincial council member from Badakhshan. With the fall of Faizabad the whole of the northeast has come under Taliban control, he added.

Mujadidi said Taliban fighters laid siege to Faizabad before launching an offensive. The group now controls some two-thirds of the nation, with an offensive that started on Aug. 6 in Zaranj, the capital of Nimruz Province, which became the first provincial capital the group seized.

Wednesdays loss of Faizabad, the capital of the northeastern province of Badakhshan, was the latest setback for the Afghan government, which has been struggling to stem the momentum of Taliban assaults. Badakhshan borders Tajikistan, Pakistan, and China.

The Taliban capture came as President Ashraf Ghani flew to Mazar-i-Sharif to rally old warlords to the defense of the biggest city in the north as Taliban forces close in.

Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani arrives in Mazar-i-Sharif to check the security situation of the northern provinces, in Afghanistan, on Aug. 11, 2021. (Afghan presidential palace/Handout via Reuters)

On Tuesday, the group took control over most of Farah city, the capital of Farah Province, and the provincial capital of Baghlan, putting additional pressure on the countrys central government to stem the tide of the Taliban advance.

The seizure in Farah included the governors compound and police headquarters, according to TOLO News.

The Taliban is attempting to defeat the U.S-backed government and reimpose extremist Islamic laws. The speed of their advance has shocked the government and its allies.

A U.S. peace envoy urged Taliban forces on Tuesday to stop the violence and negotiate a political settlement, warning insurgents they wont be recognized internationally after coming to power through force.

U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (C) and Qatars envoy on counter-terrorism Mutlaq al-Qahtani (R) walk down a hotel lobby in Qatars capital Doha during an international meeting on the escalating conflict in Afghanistan on Aug. 10, 2021. (Karim Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. State Department announced that Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy, traveled to Qatar on Aug. 8 and will be in the countrys capital to help formulate a joint international response to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, noting that negotiation is the only path to stability and development in the country.

Khalilzads pressure on the group also follows condemnations from the international community and a similar warning from the United Nations that a Taliban government that takes power by force would not be recognized. The terrorists have so far refused to return to the negotiating table.

The Taliban has gone on the offensive in recent weeks after President Joe Biden announced the United States would withdraw from the country after remaining there for nearly 20 years. The drawdown of U.S. troops is slated to end by the start of next month, he said.

Over the past weekend, the U.S. Department of State urged any Americans who remain in Afghanistan to immediately leave the country, warning that government-sponsored flights may not be available in the near future.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Members of Afghan Special Forces climb down from a humvee as they arrive at their base after heavy clashes with Taliban during the rescue mission of a police officer besieged at a check post, in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2021. (Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

Taliban Seizes Afghanistans Borders With Tajikistan, Uzbekistan: Russian Official

The Taliban seized Afghanistans borders with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on Aug. 11, as the terrorist group continues its blistering offensive in the wake of the United States pulling out of the country, according to Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu.

Shoigu told Russias Kommersant daily newspaper that the group has control of Afghanistans northern border.

Shoigu said the Taliban has told Russian officials that they wont cross the border into Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, but he said Russia would continue to hold joint military drills with allies in the area. Russian, Uzbek, and Tajik troops held exercises in Tajikistan on Aug. 10 near its border with Afghanistan, possibly in a show of force against the terrorist group.

The Russian military confirmed that the military maneuvers took place against the background of the destabilization of the situation in neighboring Afghanistan, in order to work out the issues of repelling possible threats and practical interaction to ensure security and maintain stability in the Central Asian region, The Associated Press reported.

Russia operates a military base in Tajikistan, and the former Soviet republic is a member of a Moscow-led military bloc, meaning that Moscow would be obliged to protect it in the event of invasion. Uzbekistan, also a post-Soviet bloc country, similarly has close ties with Russia.

Smoke rises during joint military drills involving Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, at the Harb-Maidon training ground, located near the Tajik-Afghan border in the Khatlon Region of Tajikistan on Aug. 10, 2021. (Didor Sadulloev/Reuters)

A view shows military hardware and troops during joint military drills involving Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, at the Harb-Maidon training ground, located near the Tajik-Afghan border in the Khatlon Region of Tajikistan on Aug. 10, 2021. (Didor Sadulloev/Reuters)

The exercise was conducted against the background of the aggravation of the situation and the threat of penetration of radical terrorist groups into the border countries of the Central Asian region, Russias Central Military District commander, Gen. Alexander Lapin, told local media, according to Radio Free Europe.

Also on Aug. 11, the Taliban captured its ninth provincial capital in less than a week, taking Faizabad, which is the capital of Badakhshan province, according to local officials. Badakhshan borders Chinas Xinjiang Province, Tajikistan, and Pakistan.

In Farah, another province captured by the group, Taliban militants were seen shouting slogans as they dragged a slain Afghan government soldier through the streets, the Associated Press reported. They were also seen with American-donated M16 rifles, Ford trucks, and Humvees.

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and occupied the central Asian nation until 1989, but left after thousands of its troops were killed. In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, the CIAvia Operation Cycloneprovided arms and funds to the Afghan mujahideen.

The Taliban was toppled when the United States launched a military operation nearly 20 years ago following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that left nearly 3,000 people dead.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan gavels in the 87th Legislature's special session in the House chamber at the State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on July 8, 2021. (Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images)

Texas House Speaker Signs Arrest Warrants for 52 Absent Democrats

House Speaker Dade Phelan on Tuesday signed arrest warrants for the 52 state House Democrats who absented themselves from legislative business in order to block Republican-led election reforms, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Earlier in the day, the Texas House of Representatives voted 80-12 to bring back the wayward Democrats. Hours prior to the vote, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the Republicans were within their rights to force their colleagues to return.

Phelan did not immediately return a request for comment by The Epoch Times.

The lone Republican who voted against approving the warrants, Rep. Lyle Larson, criticized the move on Twitter.

Arresting members to come to the house floor. Have we got to the point where we believe our own [expletive] so much that we arrest our own colleagues. Civil discourse took a nasty turn today, Larson wrote.

In a statement on Tuesday, after the Supreme Court ruling, the office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) claimed victory, saying the Supreme Court of Texas swiftly rejected this dangerous attempt by Texas Democrats to undermine our Constitution and avoid doing the job they were elected to do.

Democrats, in response, said they would attempt to fight for a temporary injunction at the district court level.

It is no surprise that Republican Governor Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan want to arrest their political opponents. Thankfully, this is still the United States of America. We will defend the freedom to vote, and we look forward to our temporary injunction hearing on August 20th, Reps. Trey Martinez Fischer, Gina Hinojosa, and Jasmine Crockett said in a statement.

At least two dozen Democrats fled to Washington in an attempt to block the Republican-led election reform bill by running out the clock on a special session called by Abbott.

Last week, Abbott announced that he ordered another special legislative session for the month of August thats intended to pass the voting overhaul bill, among other measures.

Unlike other states, which have rules that require a majority for a quorum to start a legislative session, Texas legislature requires a two-thirds super-majority.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
School children wearing masks walk outside Condit Elementary School in Bellaire, outside Houston, Texas, on Dec. 16, 2020. (Francois Picard/AFP via Getty Images)

Texas Judges Temporarily Block Governors Ban on Mask Mandates

Two judges in Texas on Tuesday said counties can enact mask mandates, ruling against Gov. Greg Abbotts mask mandate ban.

State District Judge Tonya Parker, a Democrat, said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, another Democrat, is likely to prevail in his lawsuit against Abbotts ban, and said Jenkins has the power to mandate face coverings and other strategies aimed at mitigating the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Parker said in her ruling that the citizens of Dallas County would suffer immediate and irreparable injury, loss, or damage if Jenkins did not have the ability to enact such measures.

State District Judge Antonia Arteaga, another Democrat, also ruled in favor of local authorities in issuing a temporary restraining order against the statewide ban.

San Antonio and Bexar County Medical Director Dr. Junda Woo quickly issued a mask mandate in schools for anyone age 2 or older, while San Antonio Manager Erik Walsh announced that all city facilities will require masks.

Having the authority, at least for the short term, hopefully for the long term, to require masks in schools will help protect the children, help protect the teachers and administrators, and help protect the parents when the child comes home not bringing the COVID to them, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, a Democrat, told a press conference.

Jenkins said he was going to solicit feedback from health, education, and business leaders in the county. He expected to issue an emergency order on Wednesday morning.

Abbott, a Republican, in May barred local governments and schools from requiring masks indoors. That came several days after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised fully vaccinated people to stop wearing masks, prompting the rollback of mask mandates across the country.

But federal officials reversed course late last month, alleging fully vaccinated people can transmit the virus to others in rare cases.

The two rulings on Tuesday are temporary. The judges could ultimately rule against the counties, or for them. A full hearing on the San Antonio and Bexar County lawsuit is set for Monday. A hearing in the other case is scheduled for Aug. 24.

In a statement sent to news outlets, Abbotts press secretary said the governor will ultimately prevail.

Governor Abbotts resolve to protect the rights and freedoms of all Texans has not wavered, she said. There have been dozens of legal challenges to the Governors executive orders all of which have been upheld in the end. We expect a similar outcome when the San Antonio trial courts decision is reviewed by the appellate courts.
A technician displays a sample of an anti-viral nose spray on April 7, 2021. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images)

Thailand to Start Human Trials on COVID-19 Nasal Spray This Year

Thailands National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology is expecting two COVID-19 anti-viral nasal sprays to enter human trials by the end of this year.

Deputy government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek said on Wednesday the nasal sprays are based on adenovirus and influenza and testing on mice has provided promising results.

The first phase of human trials is due to start later this year after pending approval is accepted by the countrys food and drug regulator.

Thanadirek noted that the trials will also include the sprays effectiveness against the Delta variant, with the second phase due in March 2022 and a target of production for wider use in mid-2022, if the results are good.

Research has been carried out in countries around the world to develop nasal sprays to help prevent and treat the CCP virus, particularly given that the lining of the nose has been identified as a key entry point for the virus.

In a study on a similar pre-clinical product, developers claimed that their anti-viral nasal sprays may significantly reduce the infectivity of respiratory and cold viruses, including COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Data published on July 27 by the Australian-based company Starpharma claims that its research at the Scripps Research Institute in the United States into astodrimer sodium (SPL7013) revealed the substance was able to inactivate over 99 percent of the CCP virus, including the Delta and Kappa variants.

The company also says its Viraleze nasal spray works against other viruses such as RSV, SARS, and MERS.

As of Aug. 11, about 6.8 percent of Thailands population of more than 66 million people have received two doses of a vaccine.

Reuters and Rebecca Zhu contributed to this report.

From NTD News
A truck is loaded with coal at a mine near Cumberland, Ky., on Aug. 26, 2019. Eastern Kentucky, once littered with coal mines, is seeing that lifeblood rapidly slip away. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The Anti-White Infrastructure Bill

Commentary

The infrastructure bill the Senate passed on Aug. 10 discriminates against whites at every turn.

Americans are enthusiastic about spending money on infrastructurebridges, roads, broadband, and green technologies. But this racist bill locates and hands out jobs and contracts projects based on race, not merit. Minority businesses and neighborhoods hold the inside track. If youre white, youre low priority.

The bill includes grants to install solar or wind technologies and generate jobs in areas decimated by closing coal mines or coal-fired electric plans. Heres the catch: When contractors bid, the bill says minority-owned businesses will get chosen first. Thats bad news for white contractors and displaced coal miners, who are overwhelmingly white and need jobs. (Section 40209)

The same is true for the bills proposals to improve traffic patterns in cities. Contractors and subcontractors get priority only if theyre owned by minorities or women. White male business owners can take a hike. (Section 11509)

Americans should be outraged, but not surprised. After all, President Joe Bidens American Rescue Plan Act, which passed in March, also put into place an ugly system of discrimination against whites. It offered debt relief to black farmers, but not white farmers. Another provision offered billions in aid to minority-owned and women-owned restaurants, but it told struggling restaurants owners who happened to be white men that they had to go to the back of the line.

The injustice was obvious. White male farmers and restaurant owners are suing, claiming the anti-white provisions are unconstitutional. So far, theyre winning. In every case, federal judges have halted the race-based programs in the American Rescue Plan Act until the challengers have their day in court. Politico reported last week that Bidens Justice Department may fold without a fight on the black farmer debt relief cases because the law is not on their side.

Youd think Democrats and the Biden White House would get the message. Instead, theyre doubling down on rigging legislation and divvying up taxpayer dollars to benefit minorities and shortchange whites.

Chances are high that the infrastructure bills hodgepodge of anti-white discrimination will be struck down by federal courts. In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled that the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution bars the government from trying to even the score by discriminating against whites and in favor of minorities. The justices warned against creating a patchwork of racial preferences based on statistical generalizations to correct past injustices. Thats precisely what this infrastructure bill does.

The bills backers would have you believe that obsolete airports, dilapidated public works, and deteriorating roads and public spaces are evidence of racial injustice. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) rails that our infrastructure is racist and calls on Congress to pass a bill that puts the needs of underserved and disadvantaged communities at the fore.

Thats code for minority communities. But the truth is there are plenty of poor white people in this country, too, and poor, predominantly white communities could benefit from a bold, federal infrastructure initiative. Race and ethnicity should have nothing to do with it. Locate the projects and put the funds where the economic need is greatest, regardless of race.

West Virginia has the lowest average income in the nation and ranks 46th in internet connectivity. Maine ranks 36th out of 50 states for income and 34th in broadband connectivity. People in these states could really benefit from federal broadband assistance. Heres the hitch: The infrastructure bill tilts the scale in favor of states with high minority and non-English speaking populations instead of considering economic need and existing broadband capacity (Sections 60304 and 60305). Because Maine and West Virginia are 94 percent white, theyll get less.

Polls show that Americans favor fixing roads, bridges, tunnels, and airports. They know that good infrastructure promotes economic growth. What theyve been kept in the dark about is the fine print in Sen. Chuck Schumers bill. Under the guise of upgrading the nation, the bill unfairly favors black and brown Americans and treats whites like second-class citizens.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Ameen Habibi (R), Afghan deputy finance minister for policy, and Khalid Payenda, senior adviser to the Afghan minister of finance, are seen in Washington on April 15, 2016. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Top Afghan Minister Resigns, Leaves Country Amid Taliban Advances

Afghanistans finance minister on Wednesday resigned from his post and left the beleaguered country as the Taliban terrorist group is making significant advances across the country in recent days.

Khalid Payenda has resigned and left the country because Afghanistan is grappling with declining revenues after the takeover of the custom posts, Finance Ministry spokesman Mohammad Rafi Tabe told Bloomberg News.

The minister also left Afghanistan to visit his ailing wife and wasnt able to effectively handle his job at a time when the country is going through its worst economic and security situation, said Tabe. Its not clear where he went after leaving Afghanistan.

Payenda on Tuesday announced on Twitter that he would resign, saying that Alem Shah Ibrahimi, the deputy minister of revenue and customs, would serve as acting finance minister.

Today I stepped down as the Acting Minister of Finance. Leading MoF was the greatest honor of my life but it was time to step down to attend to personal priorities, he wrote.

In May, Payenda told the countrys Parliament that he suspected that government officials were embezzling as much as $8 million per day, citing the countrys customs as a particular issue. As much as 80 percent of customs revenues go to the mafia and the Taliban, he said at the time.

Taliban fighters record a message after seizing Pul-e-Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province, Afghanistan, in this still image taken from a social media video, uploaded on Aug. 10, 2021. (Taliban Handout via Reuters)

Separately, the White House on Wednesday responded to reports of significant gains made by the Taliban terrorist group in Afghanistan, saying the United States will continue to withdraw troops by the end of this month.

In the past week, the Taliban has taken over swaths of the country and has captured approximately nine provincial capitals, and is now controlling much of Afghanistans northern border, according to various officials.

The Afghans need to determine  if they have the political will to fight back and if they have the ability to unite as leaders to fight back, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.

Reports on Wednesday said the Islamist fundamentalist group took over eastern Badakhshan Province, a long strip of land that borders Chinas Xinjiang region, Pakistan, and Tajikistan.

Amid the gains, Afghanistans interior minister, Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal, said that government forces are attempting to secure main highways, large cities, and border crossing areas.

We are working in three phases. The first is to stop the defeats [of the government forces], the second is to re-gather our forces to create security rings around the cities, Mirzakwal told Qatar-backed Al Jazeera on Wednesday. All those soldiers that abandoned their posts, were bringing them back to their posts. The third is to begin offensive operations. At the moment, were moving into the second phase, he added.

Some local leaders in recent days, he claimed, have announced their full support to the president and government, and will fight the Taliban along with the government forces.
Trader Joes Employees Say They Were Fired for Signing Affidavits Over Mask, Vaccine Policies

Trader Joes grocery store has been accused of firing four of six employees who signed separate affidavits alleging the company broke more than a dozen laws in its treatment of unvaccinated workers.

Theyre being fired for using me as a spokesperson, Health Freedom for Humanity (HFFH) President Jeff Witzeman, who was granted limited power of attorney to represent the six employees, told The Epoch Times.

Were going to create a wrongful termination lawsuit for everyone that they fire. Theyve already fired four. If they fire all six, then all six of those are going to be together suing Trader Joes for wrongful termination.

The affidavits make a demand for correction and investigation by the State of California, Witzeman said, and they cite alleged violations of constitutional laws, including the Fourth Amendments right to privacy, and other civil and penal codes including the Americans with Disabilities Act and Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The documents state: By denying employment to an employee who is not wearing a mask, has not received the Emergency Use Authorized COVID shot, or refused Emergency Use Authorized PCR testing for either medical or religious reasons, you are in violation of at least eight federal and seven state laws.

They also state: No claim of an emergency or executive orders or health orders or city ordinances excuses you from violating the laws set forth in this notice.

The affidavits were sent to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Trader Joes registered agent Paracorp Inc. by certified mail on Aug. 2. Copies were also sent to Trader Joes executives, including CEO Dan Bane, President of Stores Jon Basalone, and Customer Relations/Communications Director Nicole High, Witzeman said.

Trader Joes hasnt responded to a number of inquiries from The Epoch Times since mid-July. The privately held neighborhood grocery store chain owns more than 500 storesmore than 135 in California aloneand employs more than 50,000 people nationwide.

The company has two weeks to respond to the affidavits and basically change their ways or face punishment, Witzeman said.

Employee Allegations

The Trader Joes employees say they contacted HFFH claiming their constitutional rights were violated and they were being coerced by managers to either wear a mask and get vaccinated or be terminated, with no medical or religious exemptions granted.

Witzeman said he contacted Trader Joes several times and offered HFFHs assistance to help them satisfy the health department, as well as employees rights without breaking any laws.

Im not opposed to the vaccine, Witzeman said. Im opposed to mandating the vaccine and denying people the freedom to choose whats right for them.

On June 17, the California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) issued new guidelines stating, Employers may allow fully vaccinated employees not to wear face coverings indoors, but must document their vaccination status.

Witzeman claimed the state department is violating the law if its guidelines are taken as mandates.

We are calling their bluff, Witzeman said. We are back to the bluff that has been played over the last year and a quarter that the health department, the governor, or OSHA can make law. They cannot. They can only give guidance. And thats fine, but we still have the option to refuse anything they say regarding emergency use devices.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use authorization (EUA) but hasnt yet fully approved them. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports on its website the vaccines met the FDAs rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed for EUA only.

The FDA is authorized under federal law to allow EUAs when there are no adequate and approved available options. Currently, the FDA cannot wait for all the evidence needed for full FDA approval, according to a recent FDA informational video.

Despite a company-wide gag order that prevents employees from speaking to the media about policies, five Trader Joes workers told The Epoch Times in separate interviews that company policies dont allow religious and medical exemptions for masks and vaccines and infringe on their constitutional rights and individual liberties.

Contrary to official company policy, the culture at many Trader Joes stores leans left politically and conservative-minded employees are often intimidated and shamed for their beliefs, the employees said.

Worker 1: Nathan Glazebrook

Nathan Glazebrook, the sole provider for his wife and two children, is one of the Trader Joes employees who was fired.

Glazebrook worked at a store on Californias Central Coast and told The Epoch Times he made several unsuccessful attempts to initiate dialogue about masks with the human resources department.

Im pretty educated on this topic, and I want to have a conversation, but they wont have it, he said. Ive been shut down every time and so I kind of accepted my fate that I would not have a choice when it came to a facial covering being mandated to maintain my employment.

When the statewide mask mandate was lifted in June for the public, Glazebrook assumed the rule would apply to everyone, including vaccinated and unvaccinated employees. But he was wrong.

Trader Joes managers told unvaccinated employees to wear masks unless they could provide vaccination cards as proof they had gotten the shots, he said.

Really the crux of the issue for me is the invasion of privacy when it comes to divulging my private medical information, Glazebrook said. I feel like medical privacy is being violated. Whether or not someone is vaccinated, that is their choice. My body, my choicebodily autonomy. Personal liberty is the issue here.

I respect everyones choice when it comes to whether or not they get the shot. But conversely, I feel like my rights should be respected as well. It shouldnt be made a condition of employment, so thats sort of where I wanted to draw the line.

Within a week of the new OSHA guidelines, Glazebrook said he tried once more to broach the subject with human resources, but again was shut down.

There was no opportunity to discuss it, he said. I was told by my regional manager and my store manager, If you want to feed your family, just be quiet and put on the mask.

Months before the statewide mandate ended, Glazebrook complied with the usual COVID-19 daily health screening procedures. But, when an assistant manager asked him if he had been vaccinated, Glazebrook replied with a question: Were employees now going to be asked about their vaccination status as part of the screening?

The manager balked at his reply and changed his tune, Glazebrook said. It seemed like they didnt have a firm policy on it, and that caused a huge ruckus in the store.

They called HR and pulled me aside the next day and tried to sort of intimidate me, telling me, Hey, its completely legal for us to ask you, Glazebrook said. I had researched it throughout that day. And I said, No, its not. Its not legal for you to ask me to provide medical information, such as my vaccination status.

He said store managers then stopped asking employees whether they had gotten the shotsuntil Cal/OSHA issued guidelines on vaccinations, and the questions resumed.

Even if the FDA fully approves the vaccines, Glazebrook said he objects to getting the shots for moral and religious grounds, because fetal cell lines were used in research and development.

Ive made myself a target at work  to try to advocate for my co-workers, because a lot of them are really intimidated and scared. They feel the way I do, he said. I want to see peoples rights protected.

Glazebrook said he has watched as workers with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and those who are elderly or pregnant were made to wear a mask at work with no consideration for their needs.

Im just tired of it, he said. Im tired of seeing people treated like factory units instead of individuals  and despite the negative effects of the mask, Im doing OK, but a lot of my coworkers arent.

Worker 2: Heidi Petrilla

Heidi Petrilla, a Trader Joes employee in Orange County, California, said she was fired last week for signing the affidavit.

I love the company. I love their products. I love the customers. I love the people I work with, and I wish I could work, but I cant because you have to either vax or wear a mask and I wont do either, she said.

The work environment is also politically one-sided, and if you dont agree with narrative, its best to keep quiet, she said.

Its just not right, she said.

Several store managers were told by regional managers recently to get vaccinated by July 16 or face demotion, she said. Though the employee hasnt seen a written directive, she claims several captains have confirmed it.

At Trader Joes, store managers are called captains, assistant managers are called mates, and the lower-ranking staff are called crew members. The regional managers were trying to keep it quiet, but as word got out, crew members began to worry they would be next, she said.

Petrilla said she isnt anti-vax and is fully immunized except for the COVID-19 vaccine. I had COVID, she added. I didnt get any symptoms and survived.

Trader Joes is wrong to push a trial vaccine on its workers, she said. This is not an FDA-approved vaccine yet. Its just a trial run, so being forced to take a trial vaccine doesnt sit well with me.

Worker 3: Melissa Whitney

Melissa Whitney, a long-term employee who worked at a store on Californias Central Coast, told The Epoch Times she was fired for signing the affidavit.

Two days after the state mask mandate was lifted, Whitney went to work without a mask. Shortly after, a manager told her she must wear the mask unless she had been vaccinated, she said.

Whitney handed her boss a medical exemption for the mask and a religious exemption for the vaccine and mask that she had written herself, she said.

The manager explained she didnt know how to deal with the exemption and asked upper management what to do. A couple days later, Whitney was told there was nothing the company could do to accommodate her request for exemption, and she realized her only option was to take a personal leave of absence without pay, she said.

Whitney enjoyed her job at Trader Joes until the COVID-19 outbreak.

Ive always loved it, but this last year has been kind of a living nightmare for me, she said.

The one-sided culture at her store is pretty oppressive, Whitney said.

She said she didnt think Traders Joes was overtly coercing employees to get vaccinated, but the idea of not having to wear a mask to work was enough to convince some people who didnt want to get the shots to do so anyway, she said.

Because of her position on masks and vaccines, I have dealt with microaggressions constantly the whole year long. Sometimes its not microaggression; sometimes its out-and-out aggression, Whitney said.

Worker 4: Anonymous

A part-time Trader Joes employee in Los Angeles County who asked not to be named told The Epoch Times that she reluctantly got vaccinated due to mounting pressure not only from her employer but because of travel restrictions and vaccine passports in New York City, where her daughter attends college.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced that proof of vaccination will be required for many activities in the city under the Key to NYC Pass program that started on Aug. 16. Employees and patrons have to provide a vaccination card, display the digital New York State Excelsior Pass, or use the NYC COVID Safe app to enter restaurants, theaters, and gyms, as well as large indoor events such as concerts.

The employee said she is totally opposed to wearing her mask at Trader Joes and asked for reduced work hours to avoid wearing it as much. Three weeks ago, she likened Trader Joes policies forcing unvaccinated workers to wear masks to the Scarlet Letter.

But, since then, Los Angeles County has issued a mandate requiring that everyone regardless of vaccination status must wear a mask in all businesses.

For me, the mask is medical tyranny, the employee said. I think if you want to wear a mask, absolutely wear one. If you dont, dont.

Requiring some but not all employees and customers to wear masks is illogical, she said.

Trader Joes policy is more about punishing employees and pressuring those who dont want to get vaccinated to satisfy a company policy than it is about science or preventing the spread of disease, she claimed.

At her store, there is a leftwing vibe among most of the staff, with a few younger crew members who are total socialists who want our government taken down and turned into a communist or socialist state, she said.

They dont want to work and dont understand the blessing of putting in a days work. They dont get it, she said.

If you are not part of that mainstream narrative, you really do have to keep a low profile.

She disagrees with people who think that wearing a mask for eight hours every day at work is no big deal.

It is a big deal because when youre physically working in the store, and youre sweating  and its hot  youre kind of suffocating, she said. You should be able to breathe. The universe didnt design us to have a sheath over our face.

The employee said she has an auto-immune disorder and was reluctant to get the vaccine for fear it could aggravate her condition or have other impacts on her health years down the road.

It is an experimental drug, she said. Ive thrown myself into the lions den hoping that I win. I cried during the entire shot because this is absolutely outrageous.

She believes the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 is inaccurate and inflated.

Theyre lying, she said of the authorities. I also feel like the emergency use authorization was so that they couldnt use an already pre-existing therapeutic drug that was cheap, like ivermectin, or hydroxychloroquine.

The employee estimates about eight of about 85 employees contracted COVID-19 at her store during the pandemic but have all recovered.

Worker 5: Anonymous

An employee in a New England state who signed an affidavit but asked not to be named told The Epoch Times she was fired on Aug. 7 when she showed up for work.

Management accused her of refusing to work with leadership to solve her concerns and claimed she had therefore voluntarily resigned.

This, of course, is not true as every single one of us has tried to work with leadership and we were stonewalled. We believe we were fired wrongfully, she said.

Throughout the pandemic, customers who claimed they had a medical exemption and couldnt wear a mask were often refused service and were treated poorly, she said.

Management and most of the staff were extremely rude to them she said. It wasnt a fun-loving, great place to work anymore. People were just full of a lot of hate and anger. And it just became a really negative environment.

The employee said the stores on the West Coast have been aggressively promoting vaccinations for staff, while stores on the eastern seaboard havent been quite as pushy.

At her store, liberals openly share their political views at work, while conservatives arent particularly welcome to share theirs, the employee said. The liberal narrative is all great and dandy, but if you dont agree youre immediately shut down or ridiculed, she said.

You just kind of keep your mouth shut and your head down, whereas theyre very vocal about things, and thats apparently fine, she said. Im used to it and kind of expect it even though that shouldnt be the norm.

The fact that customers, vaccinated or not, can now shop without masks, while unvaccinated staff are forced to wear masks makes no sense, she said. It all seems so comical. Theres no rhyme or reason.  Theyre just going through the motions.

She said everyone should do their own research on the vaccine and make their own choice as sovereign individuals whether to get the shots or not. And, if we dont, then thats it. Its our choice. Its nobody elses business.
Jim Nickel, Charge d'affaires of the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, speaks at the embassy in Beijing as a court in Dandong rules on the case of Michael Spavor, charged with espionage in June 2019, in China, on Aug. 11, 2021. (Florence Lo/Reuters)

Trudeau Condemns Chinese Courts 11-year Sentence in Canadians Espionage Case

BEIJINGCanadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a Chinese courts sentencing of Canadian businessman Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison for espionage on Wednesday was absolutely unacceptable and called for his immediate release.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also condemned the sentencing in a statement, saying that proceedings against Spavor and another Canadian charged with espionage were an attempt to use people as bargaining chips.

The espionage cases are embroiled in a wider diplomatic spat involving Washington and Beijing, and Spavors sentencing comes as lawyers in Canada representing the chief financial officer of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei make a final push to convince a court not to extradite her to the United States.

Huawei Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou (C) arrives at the British Columbia Supreme Court with her security detail in Vancouver, British Colombia on March 22, 2021. (Don Mackinnon/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinas conviction and sentencing of Michael Spavor is absolutely unacceptable and unjust, said Trudeau in a statement.

The verdict for Mr. Spavor comes after more than two and a half years of arbitrary detention, a lack of transparency in the legal process, and a trial that did not satisfy even the minimum standards required by international law, he said.

Trudeau called for the release of Spavor, and former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, who is awaiting a verdict in his espionage case.

(L) Michael Spavor, director of Paektu Cultural Exchange, talks during a Skype interview in Yanji, China, on March 2, 2017. (R) Michael Kovrig, an adviser with the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based non-governmental organization, speaks during an interview in Hong Kong on March 28, 2018. (AP Photo)

China detained both Spavor and Kovrig in late 2018, just days after Canada arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver International Airport on a warrant from the United States.

Canadas ambassador to China, Dominic Barton, who visited Spavor at a detention center in northeastern China following the verdict, said Spavor had three messages that he asked to be shared with the outside world: Thank you for all your support, I am in good spirits, and I want to get home.

While we disagree with the charges, we realise that this is the next step in the process to bring Michael home and we will continue to support him through this challenging time, the Spavor family said in a statement.

Noting the presence of diplomats from 25 countries gathered at the Canadian embassy, Barton said that our collective presence and voice sends a strong signal to China and the Chinese government in particular, that all the eyes of the world are watching.

Diplomatic representatives from Canada and more than two dozen other countries pose for a group photo at an event held in connection with the announcement of the sentence for Canadian citizen Michael Spavor at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing on Aug. 11, 2021. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)

Blinken called on China to immediately and unconditionally release Spavor and Kovrig.

The practice of arbitrarily detaining individuals to exercise leverage over foreign governments is completely unacceptable. People should never be used as bargaining chips, he said.

The Dandong Intermediate Court also said 50,000 yuan of Spavors personal assets will be confiscated. He will be deported on completion of his sentence, Barton said.

The potential sentence ranged from 5 to 20 years.

China detained Spavor in December 2018 and he was charged with espionage in June 2019. The Dandong court concluded a one-day trial in March 2021 and waited till Wednesday to announce the verdict.

Spavors family said in March the charges against him are vague and have not been made public, and that he has had very limited access and interaction with his retained Chinese defense counsel.

Kovrigs espionage trial concluded in March with the verdict to be announced at an unspecified date.

Some observers have said convictions of the two Canadians could ultimately facilitate an agreement in which they are released and sent back to Canada.

China has a conviction rate of well over 99 percent, and public and media access to trials in sensitive cases is typically limited.

Since Mengs arrest, China has sentenced four Canadians to death over drug charges. They are Robert Schellenberg, Fan Wei, Ye Jianhui, and Xu Weihong.

The Chinese regime has rejected the suggestion that the cases of the Canadians in China are linked to Mengs case in Canada though Beijing has warned of unspecified consequences unless Meng was released.

Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on her way to a court appearance in Vancouver on Jan. 17, 2020. (Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)

Meng was charged with misleading HSBC Holdings PLC about Huaweis business dealings in Iran, potentially causing the bank to violate American economic sanctions against Tehran.

Meng, who has said she is innocent, has been fighting her extradition from under house arrest in Vancouver.

Her extradition hearings in Canada are currently in their last few weeks ahead of a ruling from the judge, expected sometime in the next few months, before Canadas justice minister makes a final decision on whether to extradite her.

By Yew Lun Tian
Trump Must Hand Over Two Years of Tax Records to House Panel: Judge

Former President Donald Trumps accountants have to give two years of tax records to Democrats in Congress, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta, in a partial win for the House Oversight Committee, said records from 2017 and 2018 must be handed over to the panel.

But the Obama nominee also rejected efforts to obtain more tax records dating back to 2011, arguing the panels subpoena was broad and invasive to the extent that it poses an appreciable risk to the separation of powers.

In the current polarized political climate, it is not difficult to imagine the incentives a Congress would have to threaten or influence a sitting President with a similarly robust subpoena, issued after he leaves office, in order to aggrandize itself at the Presidents expense. In the courts view, this not-insignificant risk to the institution of the presidency outweighs the Committees incremental legislative need for the material subpoenaed from Mazars, Mehta said in the 53-page ruling.

Mazars is Trumps accounting firm.

The subpoena fails to meet the standard of needing to aim to produce material related to, and in furtherance of its valid legislative purpose, the judge added later.

But he agreed to approve a narrowed subpoena that deals with records across two years from Trump, the Trump Organization, and the Trump Old Post Office LLC.

Those records are part of the panels effort to see whether Trump violated the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution in acquiring in 2013 a lease from the government to build a hotel at the Old Post Office building in Washington.

Trumps failure to divest himself upon taking office opened the former president up to potential scrutiny from the House Oversight Committee, Mehta said.

Because most former presidents do not maintain a business relationship with the federal government, the likelihood that future presidents will be subject to a similar congressional inquiry appears remote, the judge added.

Absent such a business tie, Congresss leverage over a sitting President who might fear a retributive subpoena upon leaving office for personal financial records disappears. Thus, there is little institutional advantage to be had from a subpoena that springs from a voluntary business relationship that a President maintains with the federal government, he said.

Maloney and Trump did not respond to requests for comment.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the former chairman of the panel Maloney now heads, in April 2019 issued a subpoena against Mazars for a slew of Trump tax records from 2011 to 2019, including years before Trump assumed office in 2017. Cummings said the information was required to probe whether Trump engaged in illegal conduct.

Trump sued over the subpoena, alleging Cummings ignored the constitutional limits on Congress power to investigate and that the subpoena lacked a legitimate legislative purpose.

The same court is considering whether to force Trump to hand over six years of tax records to another House chair, Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.).

Neal asserts he needs the records to ascertain whether tax officials adequately audit presidents, while Trump says the Neal effort also lacks a legitimate legislative purpose.

In yet another case, Trumps records were delivered to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. in February after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal from the former president. Vance has not made the records public.
Surgical masks mainly protect patients from droplets from the surgeon and the surgeon from blood splatter from the patient. They were not designed to protect against viruses. (sirtravelalot/Shutterstock)

Unmasking Masks

We upended our world with ineffective policies that have unintended consequences

I admit, I was nervous. I had about 30 minutes before I was needed in the operating room. My patient had active COVID-19, but needed emergency surgery. This was back in August 2020, pre-vaccine and mid-hysteria. I pushed the button for the basement. I hate basements.

As I walked in, the nurse was ready for me. I had to be form-fitted for my N95 mask. Form-fitting is critical for preventing any viral particles from sneaking in from the sides of the mask. I put the first one on. She then had me put a plastic hood over my head and upper body. She hooked up a tube and asked me to let her know if I sensed any bad smell or had any sour taste in my mouth. Within five seconds, I was sick from the sour taste in the back of my throat. She quickly stopped and we repeated the same test with another N95. This time, it took 30 seconds. Luckily the third N95 fit, with no sour taste or smell even after three full minutes.

I was ready.

I donned a form-fitted N95 mask, a bubble suit, double gloves, and goggles. It felt like I was in a bad movie, but this was really happening.

Its now a year later and what have we learned about masks? Everything and yet nothing.

I was a co-author of a paper on N95 masks that was published in 2007 in the American Journal of Public Health. It was written by my brothers and niece, as well as myself. Yes, were all physicians. Dr. Martin Weiss was the lead author. It was titled Disrupting the Transmission of Influenza A: Face Masks and Ultraviolet Light as Control Measures.

One takeaway message from that article, which was written during the H1N1 scare, was that N95 masks can block 95 percent of particulate aerosols from penetrating into the mask, and we need to manufacture them now. They can block particles as small as 300 nanometers in size, which could block the COVID-19 virus.

Even though COVID is small enough to slide through the N95, the mask still has dense nanofibers that can catch droplets. In the operating room, its the best we have unless we have a full N 100 respirator. Still, the N95 can capture the virus when expelled from an infected person, according to an article published in Nature Medicine in April, 2020.

The sad part is that our call for mass production of these masks back in 2007 went unheeded. We also stated that the goal is vaccines and therapeutics. While we have vaccines, therapeutics are lagging far behind. Even discussing therapeutics is frowned upon now.

Today, were constantly bombarded by recommendations and even orders to wear masks when outdoors. Los Angeles County, New York, and St. Louis all are implementing indoor mask mandatesagain.

There was a time when we were told to wear them outside, even if alone. Ive even seen people driving alone in a car wearing a mask.

The problem with the best of intentions is that they can often lead to poor judgment. What constitutes a mask in the setting of COVID-19 restrictions? Its worth unmasking masks.

Lets start with N95, as I described above. To be effective, it has to be form-fitted. Not all N95s fit properly, and they can leak viral particles. Theyre actually called respirators, not masks. A mask mainly keeps the wearer from ejecting droplets or spray that affect others. A respirator provides two-way protection and can keep the wearer from catching aerosol particles from others.

There is even a N100, which does what it implies. N 100 can block out the COVID, but good luck wearing it for any length of time. N95 respirators arent comfortable, and I have trouble wearing them for long periods of time. You really dont want your surgeon uncomfortable. A number of colleagues and I have had to stop surgery to wipe our faces and readjust our masks.

Surgical masks are made of three plied layers of synthetic microfibers and extra-fine synthetic fibers, which block out much larger particles, but do a poor job of blocking the much smaller particles associated with COVID-19 viral transmission. The COVID-19 virus is extremely small, 60-140 nanometers, which is 1/1000th of a micron. A paper, Filtration Performance of FDA-Cleared Surgical Masks, stated that The results suggest that not all FDA-cleared surgical masks will provide similar levels of protection to wearers against infectious aerosols in the size range of many viruses. It was published in the Journal of International Society of Respiratory Protection in 2009.

Surgeons wear surgical masks for two reasons. First, we dont want any blood or bodily fluid to hit us in the mouth, and second, we dont want our saliva or drool to spill into the wound. We dont wear them for viral protection. To be fair, there are a few articles that claim some surgical masks reduce viral transmission, from the person wearing the mask, but thats assuming that droplets are the main cause of transmission when they may not be. Some believe aerosol spray is the major factor.

Those studies also assume that theres no leakage from ill-fitting masks, since those were controlled environment studies. Aerosol spray is the extremely small viral particles that an infected person would give off when breathing. Droplets would be slightly larger, but still minuscule, and found in the kind of spray you see in a sneeze or when someone is speaking or coughing. (A side note: Masks with ties are more effective than masks with loops since they give a better seal.)

We hear a lot about droplets. Droplets arent some raindrop-size spit coming out of a person. Scientists usually mean something less than five microns (1/5,000 of an inch). The vast majority of COVID-19 is spread in much much smaller aerosol spray of 1/1,000 of a micron.

Dr. Kevin Fennely published a paper in The Lancet in 2020, stating that most viral pathogens are found in small particles. This conflicts with the view that larger droplets are responsible for most viral transmission. There have been other studies showing that very small particles (under 5 microns in size) may contain as much as nine times as much virus as larger particles (droplets). Its also postulated that these smaller particles may be more dangerous, since they can penetrate deeper into the lungs. As a side note, when a droplet falls to the ground, it becomes aerosolized and is still a problem.

Those who believe that droplets are the main source for COVID-19 infections should also then support social distancing, but not the six feet were told. To be accurate, it should be anywhere from 18 to 27 feet. No one really knows where this six-foot social distancing rule came from. It most likely arose from the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends social distancing at one meter (39 inches). This was based on work by a researcher from 1930 who studied the spread of tuberculosis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently changed the social distance requirements in schools from 6 feet to 3 feet (slightly less than 1 meter).

So, in effect, weve upended our entire world to enact policies with limited impact, meaning that the cost associated with implementing them isnt offset by the proposed gains.

COVID-19 is bad. Its absolutely horrible, especially if youre older and have underlying medical conditions that make you more vulnerable. The good news is that, for most of us, it will only be a mild infection, such as the flu. The chance for a young person under 40 to die from COVID-19 can be as low as 0.01 percent and even lower if vaccinated.

The unintended consequences of the draconian measures from this pandemic are tragic. A recent report by The Well Being Trust says there could be 75,000 more deaths by what is called death by despair (suicide, drugs) because of COVID-19. Those 75,000 will be young people, not the elderly. In other words, people who arent really at risk from COVID-19.

Were beset by misinformation and confusing recommendations from our government. Vaccines are amazing, Im a believer, yet some politicians, such as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, publicly stated that they wouldnt trust any vaccine coming out under former President Donald Trump, until they were in charge. Dont wear masks, now wear masks. Wear two masks, since two is better than one. Vaccines will set you free, until they dont. Therapeutics that can treat COVID-19 are frowned upon, and you must be evil if you even suggest the possibility. This isnt a reliable information environment.

How we tell a medical story is critical for success. Its the way we tell a cancer patient or a surgical patient how well treat them that sets up a plan for success.

And that plan should be based on a rational balance of cost, reward, and freedom. We dont force a cancer patient to get a treatment that will make them suffer and a similar argument could be made for the vaccine.

Even though Im a believer in the vaccine, I understand those who arent and respect the right of a healthy 18-year-old woman to decline receiving it. For the 36 million people who have had COVID, theres no need for them to get the vaccine, since they have natural immunity. For how long, we dont know, but research suggests durable immunity. Its simple to test and find out if you still have antibodies against COVID-19.

Back in 2007, we suggested that the nation stockpile N95 masks. No one listened. Were now incapable of manufacturing those masks. Theyre all made in China. So now, we can wear a cheesecloth mask, and were told that were saving our nation.

I personally have no problem with wearing a mask if and when its truly needed. It just has to be the right mask, an N95 or greater. And yet, these masks are distinctly uncomfortable and add an additional strain on your system. They make it harder to breathe, or in research terms, impede gaseous exchange. I often have to stop surgery to adjust my mask and catch my breath, Ive been wearing masks for all of my professional life, so its easier for me. Im not everyone, though.

The issue we have is defining when is mask-wearing warranted? Forcing vaccinated people, or those who have recovered from COVID-19 to wear a mask, makes little sense, other than making some people feel more secure. Forcing a 2-year-old to wear a mask is asinine, to say the least.

On top of that, mandates dont work. The implied new goal of reducing the COVID-19 death rate to zero is unrealistic and will never happen. This is now endemic. If we mandate mask-wearing to save lives, then we might as well mandate prohibition, since there are an estimated 95,000 deaths per year from alcohol-related incidents. Many of those are from drunk drivers killing innocent bystanders or passengers. The same argument can be made here. Solutions need to be realistic, not ridiculous.

Our nation should be able to mass-produce something as simple as N95 respirators and distribute them to the nation when and if needed for some future catastrophe. There will surely be more pandemics coming. My point is, if we need a mask, make it something that works.

Cloth masks, or even surgical masks, are like tying a rope around your waist while driving and claiming its a seat belt.

It also isnt too much of an exaggeration to say wearing a Gucci style face-covering, such as Nancy Pelosi has, is like asking an X-ray technician to wear their grandmothers kitchen apron when taking X-rays.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price pauses while speaking during a briefing at the State Department in Washington on Aug. 2, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

US Officials Condemn China Over Diplomatic Retaliation Against Lithuania

The U.S. State Department and some members of Congress on Aug. 10 voiced support for Lithuania after the Chinese regime threw a diplomatic tantrum over the Baltic nations decision to allow Taiwan to open an office in Vilnius under its own name.

On Aug. 10, Chinas foreign ministry recalled its ambassador to Lithuania and demanded it recall its ambassador to China. The ministry said the Baltic nation brazenly violates the ties between China and Lithuania, and warned that there would be potential consequences if the Taiwan office were indeed opened.

We do stand in solidarity with our NATO ally Lithuania and we condemn the PRCs [Peoples Republic of Chinas] recent retaliatory actions, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told a briefing on Aug. 10.

We support our European partners and our allies as they develop mutually beneficial relations with Taiwan and resist the PRCs coercive behavior.

Price said there are benefits for countries to engage with Taiwan, since the self-ruled island is a global leader in public health, advanced manufacturing, and democratic governance.

Each country should be able to determine the contours of its own one-China policy without outside coercion, Price said.

Many countries, including the United States, have long held a one-China policy, which asserts that there is only one sovereign state with the name China. The Chinese regime demands nations accept its one-China principle under which Beijing asserts sovereignty over Taiwan.

Taiwan, a de facto independent nation with its own military and constitution, establishes trade offices that act as de facto embassies in countries without formal relations. For example, Taiwans de facto embassy in the United States is called the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States.

This general view shows the Lithuanian Embassy in Beijing on Aug. 10, 2021. (Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images)

Neither Washington nor Vilnius has formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The self-ruled island currently has 15 diplomatic allies, with the Vatican being the only one in Europe.

The Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia (TMIL) handles affairs between Taiwan and the three Baltic nationsEstonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Lithuanias Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, expressed regret over Chinas decisions. However, the ministry added that the country is determined to pursue mutually beneficial ties with Taiwan like many other countries in the European Union and the rest of the world do.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told Reuters on Aug 10, We are considering our next moves.

Chinas hawkish state-run media Global Times, in an Aug. 10 op-ed, stated that Beijings diplomatic actions against Lithuania are a warning to the rest of the world.

If the Chinese government does not take action, it may leave the rest of the world a false impression that countries that offend China over Taiwan will not get punished, it stated.

The outlets editor-in-chief, Hu Xijin, denounced Lithuania as a crazy, tiny country and a U.S. running dog in an article. He said the Baltic country will eventually pay the price.

Several U.S. lawmakers took to Twitter to voice support for Lithuania.

The PRCs punitive diplomacy will not silence democratic nations in their support for #Taiwan, a shining example of democracy in the Indo-Pacific, wrote Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Free nations, like #Lithuania, have the right to engage with a fellow democracy. We must all stand up to the #CCPs aggression.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) applauded Lithuania for remaining firm in their relations with Taiwan, despite pressure from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Taiwan is a crucial ally for our struggle against the evils of Beijings communism, he added.

Taiwanese sailors salute the islands flag on the deck of the Panshih supply ship after taking part in annual drills at the Tsoying naval base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Jan. 31, 2018. (Mandy Cheng/AFP via Getty Images)

In July, Lithuania announced that it will open a trade office in Taiwans capital Taipei in autumn.

In recent months, Lithuania hasnt been shy about voicing its criticism of the Chinese regime. In May, it decided to withdraw from Chinas 17+1 cooperation platform, which it had joined in 2012. In the same month, the countrys Parliament passed a resolution calling out the communist regimes treatment of Uyghurs in Chinas far-western Xinjiang region as genocide.

On Aug. 10, Lithuanias foreign ministry stated it stood with Canada in condemning #Chinas decision to uphold the death penalty of Robert Schellenberg.

Schellenberg, a Canadian citizen who has been detained in China since 2014, had his appeal struck down in a Chinese court on Aug. 10. He was sentenced to death in 2018 over a drug case.

On Aug. 11, Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs took to its Twitter account to applaud Lithuania for its courageous [and] principled stance on Taiwan.

As forces for good, well continue working together to safeguard freedom & democracy for the benefit of our citizens, the Taiwanese ministry wrote.
Used vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine lay empty at a vaccination center at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, on Jan. 22, 2021. (John Locher, File/AP Photo)

US to Deliver Nearly 837,000 Pfizer Vaccines to Caribbean

SAN JUAN, Puerto RicoThe U.S. government said Wednesday that it will deliver nearly 837,000 Pfizer vaccines to Caribbean nations as the region with limited resources struggles with a spike in COVID-19 cases amid violent anti-vaccine protests.

The Bahamas will receive 397,000 doses followed by Trinidad and Tobago with more than 305,000 doses. Barbados will receive 70,200 doses, while 35,100 are slated for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 17,550 for Antigua, and 11,700 for St. Kitts and Nevis.

The Biden-Harris administrations highest priority in the Americas today is managing and ending the COVID pandemic and contributing to equitable recovery, said Juan Gonzalez, the National Security Councils senior director for the Western Hemisphere.

Thousands of specialized syringes required for the Pfizer vaccine were also donated, with officials noting that the donations involved significant legal and logistic complexity.

In addition, USAID, which has provided more than $28 million to help 14 Caribbean nations fight COVID-19, expects to announce additional funding soon, according to a White House official.

The Caribbean region has reported more than 1.29 million cases and more than 16,000 deaths, with some 10.7 million people vaccinated so far, according to the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency.

Among the hardest-hit Caribbean nations is Haiti, which on July 14 received its first vaccine shipment since the pandemic began500,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine donated by the U.S. via the United Nations COVAX program for low-income countries.

The country of more than 11 million people has reported 20,400 confirmed cases and 575 deaths, although experts believe those numbers are severely underreported given a widespread lack of testing.

A National Security Council spokeswoman told The Associated Press that the U.S. will send a signification amount of additional doses to Haiti soon, but further details were not immediately available.

On Wednesday, Haitian Health Minister Laure Adrien said some 16,000 people in Haiti have been vaccinated and that all of the countrys 10 departments have received a supply of vaccines.

The announcement by the U.S. government comes amid recent anti-vaccine protests in Guyana, Antigua, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, whose prime minister was hit in the head with a rock last week and was briefly hospitalized.

Meanwhile, two firefighters in Guadeloupe were injured during recent protests against a COVID-19 curfew, according to a government statement. A similar protest also was reported in nearby Martinique, a French island of more than 370,000 people that reported 1,176 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, a spike that officials blame on the delta variant and low vaccination rates.

Tourists are invited to end their stay in Martinique, the prefecture said on Monday.

That same day, officials in Martinique issued new regulations including shutting down beaches and nonessential businesses and ordering people to not venture farther than roughly half a mile from home. Meanwhile, officials in the U.S. Virgin Islands announced upcoming measures including closing beaches by late afternoon on weekends.

Among the islands most struggling with a spike in COVID-19 cases are the Bahamas, Curacao, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Trinidad and Tobago.

France recently announced it was deploying military medics and ICU units to the French Caribbean to fight the virus surge, and military planes were bringing some critically ill patients to the French mainland for treatment.

By Danica Coto
Victoria Police on patrol on the Victoria/NSW border in Australia, June 25, 2021. (AAP Image/Supplied by Victoria Police)

Victoria Lockdown Prompts Cross Border Permits

People who live on the border of Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) in Australia will now need a travel permit to cross over as Victorias lockdown is extended for another week.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the rule would come into place from 6 p.m. on Friday. It is not good enough to limit movement. We need to know who is moving, he said.

Andrews wants the measures in place after the virus spread from Sydney to Byron Bay in the states north, near the border with Queensland. Now hes concerned it could also travel to the states southern border.

If this virus can get from Sydney to Byron Bay, to Armidale, then only a fool would think it couldnt get to Albury, he said. It absolutely can. We need to go beyond a bubble. We need to have permits.

The permit measures will be in place for the next 14 days in a bid to aid contact tracers in their efforts to track movements into Victoria as well as to ensure compliance. It will replace the licence checks currently in place at border controls.

Travel will only be permitted for six reasons: medical care, compassionate purposes, work, education, playing sport, or getting vaccinated.

Andrews noted that if the virus moved into the southern NSW regions there was every chance it would spread into Victoria.

The move comes after the NSW government recorded 344 new locally acquired COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Several other regional areas in NSW have also joined Greater Sydney in lockdown, including the Hunter region, the Northern Riverswhich takes in Byron BayTamworth, Armidale, and Dubbowhich is almost 400 kilometres west of Sydney.

NSW Health has reported a total of 6,149 locally acquired cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the current outbreak which began in June.

At present, there are 374 COVID-19 cases in NSW hospitals, 62 of whom are in intensive care, with 29 requiring ventilation, NSW Health said. Authorities have attributed two more deaths to the CCP virus Delta variant outbreak, bringing the total to 34.

Victoria Remains In Lockdown

Meanwhile, the Victorian government has announced that it will extend its current lockdown for another week after it recorded another 20 new cases on Wednesday, all located in Melbourne.

According to Victorias Department of Health and Human Services, 15 of the cases are linked to known outbreaks while the origins of five are a mystery.

The premier said that the lockdown was necessary given that six of the cases were not isolating throughout their infectious period and five remained a mystery.

There are too many cases, and too many cases the origins of which are not clear to us, too many unanswered questions, too many mysteries for us to safely come out of lockdown now, he said.

We would see cases akin to whats happening, tragically, in Sydney right now.

AAP contributed to this report.
Speakers waited in a group of ten outside the board room while other speakers waited outdoors or in their cars during the Loudoun County Public School Board meeting, Va., on Aug. 10, 2021. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

Virginia Teacher Resigns at School Board Meeting, Denounces Highly Politicized Agendas

A Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) teacher in Virginia resigned in front of the school board Tuesday, saying that she refused to be a cog in a machine that forces her to transmit their highly politicized agendas to children.

Within the last year, I was told, in one of my so-called equity trainings, that white, Christian, able-bodied females currently have the power in our schools and that this has to change,' said the elementary school teacher Laura Morris during the public comment portion of the board meeting.

Loudoun County, Virginia, has become a national focal point for the debate about teaching the divisive critical race theory in schools.

Clearly, youve made your point. You no longer value me or many other teachers youve employed in this county. So, since my contract outlines the power that you have over my employment in Loudoun County Public Schools, I thought it necessary to resign in front of you, said the 5th-grade teacher.

School board, I quit, she said. I quit your policies, I quit your training, and I quit being a cog in a machine that tells me to push highly politicized agendas on our most vulnerable constituentsthe children, Morris added.

In June, Loudoun County schools superintendent told Fox News, Critical race theory is not something that is relatable on the K12 level. Its not taught in our school.

Monica Gill, an LCPS AP Government and U.S. History teacher of 25 years, said the district may say they dont use critical race theory, but Ibram Kendis books are required reading for some of the countys teachers. Gill said the board needs to embrace Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s message of unity and love, not Kendis message of division and discrimination.

Kendi is an author, professor, and anti-racism activist whose work informs critical race theory and who has called for dismantling racist systems in America.

I have never been afraid to deal with issues of racism or injustice in our history, not once. It gives me the opportunity to point to Americas moral compass, which we have used time and time again to right those wrongs, said Gill. So, it is not that teachers like myselfand there are more of us than you thinkor the parents who stand behind me dont want to teach about racism. Its that we dont want our kids taught through this distorted lens of race.

LCPS Superintendent Scott A. Ziegler on March 19 issued a statement to defend his district against claims that they were using the debated critical race theory curriculum and to clarify many of the misperceptions being reported by certain media outlets and social media.

In explaining LCPS equity priorities, it might be helpful to state what they are not. They are not an effort to indoctrinate students and staff into a particular philosophy or theory. What they are is an effort to provide a welcoming, inclusive, affirming environment for all students, he wrote.

Morris also alleged that the county told her not to express opposing views.

Concepts such as white supremacy and systemic racism are discussed during professional development. LCPS has not adopted Critical Race Theory as a framework for staff to adhere to. Social media rumors that staff members have been disciplined or fired for not adhering to the tenets of Critical Race Theory or for refusing to teach this theory are not true, Ziegler wrote.
The U.S. Department of Justice is seen in Washington, on June 11, 2021. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Virginian Duo Plead Guilty to Capitol Charges, FBI Finds No Evidence of Violence

A federal judge granted a guilty plea to two Virginia residents on Tuesday over their involvement in the U.S. Capitol breach earlier this year, authorities said.

U.S. Judge Carl Nichols for the District of Columbia has a sentencing hearing set virtually in November for Douglas Sweet, 59, and Cindy Fitchett, 60, who posted a video of herself unlawfully entering the government building in Washington.

The duo faces a maximum sentence of six months in prison after pleading guilty to misdemeanor counts of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) indictment (pdf).

Fitchett traveled to the event together with Sweet on Jan. 6 and they were both depicted on a surveillance camera entering the visitor center of the Capitol building, which is part of the government building, shortly after 2:30 p.m., officials said.

They later moved, along with a group of protesters, towards the corridor area of the building where Capitol Police formed a defensive line.

According to a statement of offense (pdf), the group, including Fitchett and Sweet, refused to follow commands and as police started to make arrests, they unlawfully entered the building.

The FBI noted that investigators havent found any evidence that the duo engaged in any violent or disruptive conduct.

Protesters walk around in the Rotunda after breaching the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Fitchett was also seen in a video she recorded herself prior to entering the building along with a large crowd around them yelling and making banging noises, according to the statement. She later turned the camera towards herself and stated with a raised voice: we are storming the Capitol! We have broken in!

Sweet has told the authorities that he didnt hear officers commands to leave the building. The duo was among a group of six people who were arrested by police officers inside the Capitol building on the day of the incident.

The six people who were arrested together inside the Capitol also were charged in the same federal court case. Two of those people, Thomas Gallagher and Michael Curzio, pleaded guilty in July to the same charge as Fitchett and Sweet.

Another co-defendant, Bradley Rukstales, has signed a plea agreement but is waiting for a hearing to be scheduled for him to formally enter the guilty plea, according to the Justice Departments prosecutor Seth Mainero. A plea offer is pending for the sixth co-defendant, Terry Brown, the prosecutor said.

Since the Jan. 6 incident, more than 550 people are facing, or have been charged with federal crimes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan talks to reporters during the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on June 7, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

White House Calls on OPEC+ to Boost Production as Gasoline Prices Soar

WASHINGTONWorried about rising gas prices, the Biden administration has called on oil-producing countries including Saudi Arabia and Russia to raise their oil production. Strong recovery in global demand and slow growth in supplies have been pushing crude oil prices higher in recent months.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan issued a statement on Aug. 11 asking the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia (OPEC+) to address rising gasoline costs.

Higher gasoline costs, if left unchecked, risk harming the ongoing global recovery, Sullivan warned.

In July, OPEC+ ministers agreed to boost oil production by 0.4 million barrels per day (bpd) on a monthly basis from August until year-end. The decision came amid a strong rebound in global demand.

But this increase isnt enough, according to the White House, to ensure reliable and stable global energy markets.

While OPEC+ recently agreed to production increases, these increases will not fully offset previous production cuts that OPEC+ imposed during the pandemic until well into 2022, Sullivan said in the statement.

At a critical moment in the global recovery, this is simply not enough.

OPEC+ last year cut production by a record 10 million bpd due to the slump in demand caused by the pandemic. The cut had been eased to about 5.8 million bpd in July.

Gas prices in the United States have risen by more than 40 percent from a year ago. The national average gas price stood at $3.185 per gallon on Aug. 11.

President Biden has made clear that he wants Americans to have access to affordable and reliable energy, including at the pump, Sullivan said. We are engaging with relevant OPEC+ members on the importance of competitive markets in setting prices.

The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was at $68.48 on Aug. 10, up more than 40 percent this year and Brent Crude was trading at $70.77, up 36 percent year-to-date.

Its unclear whether OPEC will respond to calls by the Biden administration to boost output.

Unless COVID shuts down the global economy, were still going to be very undersupplied into the end of this year, Phil Flynn, senior energy analyst at Price Future Group, said in a report.

Oil industry experts have been criticizing the Biden administrations climate policies, claiming that these policies are making the country more dependent on foreign oil producers.

This year, Russian oil imports to the United States have set a record, amid a strained relationship between Washington and Moscow.

Imports of crude oil and petroleum products from Russia reached 26.71 million barrels in May, the highest level yet, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Kathleen Sgamma, president of Western Energy Alliance, which represents 200 oil and gas companies in many Western states, criticized the administrations policies toward domestic producers.

The Biden Administration has embarked on an anti-American oil agenda on many fronts, including canceling KeystoneXL and banning federal leasing even as it encourages producers in Russia and OPEC, Sgamma told The Epoch Times in an email.

Instead of begging OPEC to increase production, why doesnt the White House just go to American producers and promise to back off plans to regulate us out of business.

Sgamma also urged the Biden administration to ensure that the Securities and Exchange Commission doesnt distort energy markets with regulations aimed at denying the oil and natural gas industry access to capital.

U.S. crude oil stocks continue to fall, raising concerns about the price of WTI. U.S. oil production is down compared to last year, and a large part of the void is being filled by Russia, according to analysts.

U.S. production averaged 11.2 million bpd in July, down from nearly 13 million before the pandemic, the EIA data showed.

The White House also called on U.S. regulators to monitor prices at the pump.

In a letter sent to Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, the White House asked regulators to address any illegal conduct that might be contributing to price increases.

During this summer driving season, there have been divergences between oil prices and the cost of gasoline at the pump, National Economic Council Director Brian Deese said in the letter.

While many factors can affect gas prices, the president wants to ensure that consumers are not paying more for gas because of anti-competitive or other illegal practices.
San Diego border officers seized 2.8 tons of meth and fentanyl at Otay Mesa Commercial Facility, in California, on Aug. 5, 2021. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Whopping 2.8 Tons of Meth, Fentanyl Seized in California

'Largest meth drug smuggling seizure' along southwest border to date: CBP

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Tuesday announced the seizure of some 2.8 tons worth of methamphetamine and fentanyl powder in California.

Border Patrol officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility found the massive load on Aug. 5 in what the agency described as the largest methamphetamine drug smuggling seizure along the southwest border, to date.

Altogether, the massive haul comprises 5,528 pounds of methamphetamine and 127 pounds of fentanyl powder, and is worth an estimated $12,990,749.

San Diego border officers seized 2.8 tons of meth and fentanyl at Otay Mesa

Commercial Facility in California, on Aug. 5, 2021. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

This amount of fentanyl and methamphetamine is enough to ruin countless lives and fund transnational criminal organizations, CBP Director of Field Operations in San Diego Pete Flores said in a statement. Im proud of our officers efforts at all Ports of Entry within the San Diego Field Office to intercept this and all smuggling attempts.

Border officers found the drugs hidden within a shipment of plastic household articles in an intensive inspection of a tractor and trailer, by using the port of entrys imaging system that is similar to an X-ray scan. Anomalies were detected in the trailer.

Further examination was required at the inspectional dock, a CBP canine team screened and received indication there were narcotics inside of the trailer, according to a CBP statement. CBP officers searched the cargo and discovered a combination of 414 packages consisting of methamphetamine and fentanyl concealed within boxes.

The seizure exceeds the entire amount of meth the U.S. Border Patrol has seized since the beginning of fiscal year 2021, which began in October 2020.

Border officers seized the tractor, trailer, and narcotics.

The driver, a 53-year-old Mexican male, was arrested and now faces federal charges over the alleged smuggling of the narcotics. He was sent to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego.

Earlier this year, the same port of entry found and seized more than 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside a shipment of watermelons, worth an estimated $2.5 million.

Methamphetamine remains readily available throughout the United States, most of which is clandestinely produced in Mexico and smuggled across the southwest border, according to a 2020 report (pdf) by the Drug Enforcement Agency.
Aerial view of a restricted residential area due to the Covid-19 coronavirus in Yangzhou, in China's eastern Jiangsu Province, on Aug. 3, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Without Warning, Visiting Chinese Become Trapped in City Under Lockdown

More than 30 college students have been trapped under lockdown in Yangzhou city during their summer internship, due to a surge in CCP virus infections. An unknown number of other visitors were also affected when the city unexpectedly announced the lockdown.

On July 28, local officials announced outbreaks in hotspots and initiated the lockdown in the main urban area of Yangzhou city in eastern China. Since then, many visitors to the city have been forced to face difficult situations without governmental help.

A Chinese Epoch Times reporter learned that travelers were trapped in the city and tormented by ever-growing charges for room and board, on top of the risk of losing their jobs.

The Unexpected Lockdown

Yangzhou officials reported a total of 346 confirmed local cases between July 28 and Aug. 8, and also confirmed that a worker had infected 23 people. Chinese state-run media revealed that Yangzhou initiated its fifth round of nucleic acid testing on Aug. 9.

The city suspended public transportation such as intercity buses and airline services on July 21. Those wishing to use transportation via railway must present a negative nucleic acid test to get on board. Stricter lockdown measures were implemented on Aug. 3.

More than 30 third-year students from a university in Xian started their internships in Yangzhou city on July 10, with the original plan to end on Aug. 6, but they are now forced to stay.

A student surnamed Wu told an Epoch Times reporter on Aug. 9 that the authorities initially required that a valid nucleic acid test be taken within 48 hours before leaving the city. After students took the test receiving negative results at their own expense ($12.33 per person), they were told that all traffic was banned.

Wu said, Maybe the city is in an urgent state. The situation seems serious, all activity is halted.

Amid the countrys most widespread coronavirus outbreak in months, a resident receives a nucleic acid test for the Covid-19 coronavirus in Yangzhou in Chinas eastern Jiangsu Province, on Aug. 1, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images/China OUT )

Running Out of Food

Mr. Sun and his wife are visitors from Shandong. They first encountered a typhoon and then became stranded in the epidemic.

He complained, No one notified us of the closure of the city, and the government didnt pay attention to the stranded tourists  this is, life or death, its my own business.

Sun said that if a nearby supermarket keeps closing, many people in the neighborhood will starve to death.

He and his wife have been relying on instant noodles to get by.

My wife and I will eat instant noodles when we are hungry. Thats it, just wait and eat nothing. Its sickening just to look at the instant noodles, Sun said.

Running out of cash, the couple are also worrying about losing their jobs. They both work in an oil refinery company. Their trip has lasted longer than expected. His boss only told him that theyll talk about it when he returns.

Sun said there are many visitors in Yangzhou. Although he doesnt know exactly how many visitors are in the city, Sun said the hotel he stays in is full.

The Soaring Hotel Cost

Mr. Liu was on a business trip but got trapped in Yangzhou during the transit flight home.

He said that the airport shut down on the evening of July 30 when he was waiting for a connecting flight home. He managed to find a business hotel at a cost of $20 per night.

Within two days, the cost of the hotel room rose to $30.83 a night.

He relocated to another hotel more than two miles away. But that hotel also raised the cost to $30.83 on Aug. 6.

He called the mayors hotline to complain about the soaring cost. When he finally received an answer, he was only told that the government had no right to interfere with the market price.

He complained to the Civil Affairs Bureau, which recorded his complaint, but all he could get was a list of nearby hotels.

Although he will get reimbursed for the trip, theres a limit on hotel costs of $23.12 or less.

Aerial view of a restricted residential area due to the COVID-19 coronavirus in Yangzhou, in Chinas eastern Jiangsu Province, on Aug. 3, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images/China OUT)

Liu explained that hes lucky to find a homestay and the owner didnt seem to have the intention to raise the cost. He said that hes now staying at a cost of $20 a night while other online offers have gone up to $38.54.

He said that many communities and roads in Yangzhou city are now blocked, and only the avenues can be accessed. There is no means of transportation or shared bicycles. He can only walk on foot.

According to official news on Aug. 10, residential communities in some areas of Yangzhou have further upgraded their management controls. There is only one entrance and exit in or out of the community, and residents are strictly controlled 24 hours a day. As of Aug. 11, some residents of Yangzhou city have been quarantined at home for two weeks.

Gu Xiaohua
Woke Ideology Harms Children, Say Parents, Therapists

Components of the woke ideology thats been spreading throughout the American education system are harmful to childrens psychological development, according to experts and parents whove seen the effects first-hand.

The experts noted that many of the concerns raised by proponents of the ideology are real. The way the ideology frames the issues, however, is inappropriate for children. The ideology applies a quasi-Marxist analysis which frames issues of race, gender, sexuality, and others as conflicts between oppressor and oppressed groups. A child is likely to internalize the message as either guilt or victim mentality, both harmful for healthy psychological development.

Even for adults, these aspects of the ideology are likely counterproductive, if not toxic, some experts said.

The term woke is sometimes used interchangeably with critical race theory (CRT), which is the most prominent method that operates within this framework.

Negative effects of the ideology have been increasingly rearing their head across the nation, based on interviews with several psychologists and therapists as well as about a dozen parents from different parts of the country.

The polarizing effects of the ideology may prompt rapid changes, one expert noted, but those are unlikely to be wise ones if based on knee-jerk reactions and shaming rather than rational dialogue, another expert pointed out.

Proponents of CRT say it lays the blame on systems and institutions rather than individuals. A school, a justice system, or a country would be labeled as systemically racist, for example, if at least one non-white group within it comes out with a worse average outcome than the white group.

Yet the distinction between individuals and systems seems to disappear the moment somebody disagrees with the ideology. Such a person is commonly cast as a supporter of said systems and institutions and thus morally culpable.

Parents Speak Out

Tim Chamberlain, father of two in Guilford, Connecticut, saw the effects first-hand on his eighth-grade son, who recently lost his front teeth in a bullying incident.

Chamberlain described the boy as a bold conservative who repeatedly challenged his teachers this year on issues including racial oppression and affirmative action.

My child was labeled a racist for siding with the conservative voice in the political realm, Chamberlain told The Epoch Times via email.

Its no surprise that many look at conservatives sideways in Guilford, a well-off town that voted for Democrat President Joe Biden by about a 30-point margin. This seemed the first time, however, that political divisions escalated to such a degree.

During recess, after the boy hit the ground catching a ball, a classmate approached him and kicked him in the face, knocking out three of his teeth. This was not the first time this classmate bullied the boy and the reason was specifically the boys conservative views, as another parent with a child in the school confirmed.

Chamberlain blamed the school leadership and teachers for explicitly presenting progressive positions on race and other issues as correct and the conservative ones as morally reprehensible, following along with CRT logic.

My son had been willing to openly discuss the topics presented, he said. Unfortunately, the way in which presentations were handled and the tone that the school has encouraged is not resulting in greater understanding but actual violence.

The other parent, whose name has been omitted to avoid retaliation to his son, said his boy wanted to speak out in class too, but he was scared to do so because he would be called names.

If CRT was supposed to unite the students, it did the opposite, said a parent with a son in a local high school.

High school is all about cliques and everything else as it is and this is just further dividing things another way, he said. My son knows who he could talk to about what. Knows who he cant talk to about other things.

Uttering the wrong perspective in front of the wrong person could have consequences.

Dont worry dad. He thinks the way we think, his son once told him about a classmate.

Experts Speak Out

This kind of outcome is not unexpected, according to several experts.

First off, introducing the dynamics of CRT to children in a classroom setting has virtually no track record.

There are very few research studies in K-12 settings on this subject, according to Timothy Smith, professor at Brigham Young University and expert on multicultural psychology.

Its irresponsible to advocate for practice without data, he told The Epoch Times.

In his view, some parts of CRT are commendable, such as its emphasis on listening to the experiences of people from whom the society hasnt heard much before.

If the goal is to share voices, stories, experiences, then thats a positive motive that will unite the school, he said.

But if the deconstructive side is emphasized, and as currently is the case, he noted. The taking sides, the us versus them mentality that is baked in into CRT  thats going to be a problem.

CRT would be particularly problematic for younger children who are incapable of treating it as just one of many possible perspectives.

Literally, they do not have the cognitive capacity to meta-cognize, that is to reflect and to use other ideas to interpret new information, Smith said.

Many of the CRT-based approaches are likely well-intended, trying to make children be aware of our history and the issues and challenges that a diverse student body faces, said another expert, a family therapist and counseling professor at an American university.

Not everybodys going to have the same experience and we should be aware of that.

Still, whats happening in education is off the mark, to put it mildly, said the professor, who requested anonymity out of a concern for reprisal.

Its very hard to talk about group dynamics and challenges without individual children feeling like that is their fault or that somehow they cant make it because they come from this long line of oppressed people and an oppressive country, the professor said.

As currently practiced, the CRT-based instruction is sending the message that if youre of this particular identity thats historically marginalized you should essentially see yourself as oppressed and a victim and those of you who are part of a group thats historically been in power or in a majority you should see yourself as part of the problem, part of oppression, and your whiteness is kind of your sin, the professor said.

I think that really leads to self-consciousness and shame and I think it doesnt promote social cohesion.

Guilt and Shame

The professor has seen negative effects linked to CRT concepts in clinical practice.

For white clients in particular, they want so badly to be progressive and to not be bigoted in any kind of way, the professor said, noting almost an obsessiveness in this regard.

Theres a lot of focus on wanting to be a good white ally, a good white person, and some shame around being white.

The professor sees it as a good thing to the extent that it means caring about other people, including people who are different from oneself and may have different life experiences. It appears to her, however, that this focus has been intensified to a point where theres kind of neuroticism around it.

Several other therapists shared similar experiences.

Theres a huge shift especially among young white males that they automatically feel guilt for who they are, said Jason Odegaard, therapist in Oklahoma and adjunct assistant professor at Hope International University.

Especially for whites, the woke ideology is putting a big guilt trip on everybody and theyre having a big struggle in being able to find identity just in who they are as individual people, he said.

Instead were all lumped into a particular group or subset and thats affecting mental health across the board I would say.

Kristina Scarpa, a therapist in California and Odegaards wife, has seen negative effects on her non-white clients too.

They want to be treated just the same as everyone else, not like theyre at a disadvantage, she said.

After the clients put in all the effort to earn their way through life, the message they get is that, based on their skin color, they need a leg up or else they wouldnt be able to succeed, according to her.

Some clients of Odegaards feel like they cant express themselves because political correctness turned conversations into a minefield, he said. Other clients put great emphasis on staying on top of the everchanging woke jargon and concepts because thats their way of fitting in with people who they perceive as being oppressed.

The constant urge to avoid potentially offending people from groups labeled as oppressed can even lead to codependency, Scarpa said.

We walk around on eggshells.  Theres a lot of just keeping stuff to themselves and therefore sacrificing their opinions and their individual thoughts and ideas and that isnt healthy and that is codependent, she said.

Smith recently talked to a high schooler who was reprimanded in class for listing white as one of the things he was proud of.

This is not some stereotypical white supremacist student, Smith said.

The motive was simply that, I feel good about my ethnic heritage. That was the original motive. But what the student came away with was a deep shame for being white.

Despite Smiths efforts, the student wouldnt let go of the belief that being white is a bad thing.

Im trying to give all sorts of different reasons for why its ok to be who you are. But that strong belief would not leave the student. He said, No, its good that I feel ashamed. Its good that I feel ashamed because whites have done so many bad things to other people.

Inevitable Inequities

In Smiths view, all perspectives should be uttered and all voices heard.

If education undermines the voice of any group, thats a problem, he said.

Its not clear, however, how much time should be allotted to listening to diverse group perspectives on every issue.

One Guilford parent was astounded to learn that his daughters class on World War II consisted of discussions of Tuskegee Airmen, Native American code breakers, and womens role in the war effort. Apparently, no time was left for historical events like the attack on Pearl Harbor and the invasion of Normandy.

Also, not all perspectives are equally rooted in facts.

One Indiana parent, wife of a law enforcement officer, learned from her eighth-grade son that there was a special session at his school about Black Lives Matter and police brutality. A part of it was a video where non-white children talked about feeling like being hunted by police.

The session very much colored police in a very negative, scary light as if non-white people were being indiscriminately killed walking down the street by officers, the mother said.

In fact, theres little evidence police are indiscriminately killing people of any skin tone. Police killings are usually the result of tense situations, typically a clash with an armed suspect.

Yet the boy now faces classmates conditioned to abhor his father, according to the mother.

If your entire peer group believes that your father is a brutalizer, a white supremacist, thats going to have an effect on you, she said.

Proponents of CRT seem to assume unity and cohesion would come later, after dismantling existing institutions theyve labeled as systemically racist or white supremacist. That, presumably, would result in new institutions that wouldnt be oppressive.

But that not only doesnt work in real life, but is also against human nature, according to Smith.

Those are two very different processes cognitively and socially. Deconstruction does not necessarily lead to construction, he said.

Its true that culture and institutions created by white people would in great part reflect their own heritage and would thus be easier for them to navigate and control, since they are more likely to be raised to do so since birth.

But if this is white privilege, as the term is used by CRT, its hardly limited to whites, Smith noted, as power privilege exists everywhere in some context.

Theyre inevitable inequities, he said.

The professor who wished to remain anonymous affirmed a similar point.

When youve got a majority culture or a majority group, youre bound to have that experience if youre not part of that majority, where you feel out of place, youre maybe going to feel more isolation, youre going to feel uncomfortable, like its harder to get yourself heard in that particular environment, the professor said.

Some of this is just normal human nature and it should not be pathologized as this big, evil, white supremacy in the way that I think people mean when they use that term today.

That doesnt mean its not worth addressing, the professor said, but its unlikely the current CRT-based approaches will make it better.

If we want to be in a community and want our kids to be in a community, a multi-racial, multi-ethnic society that functions well together for the most part, we cant constantly lean into these tribal identities that were marked by past oppression, the professor said.

It perpetually pours salt in the wound in ways that dont actually move us forward.

Portraying the issues in extreme, binary ways of either racist or anti-racist, indeed forces people to react and make changes. But that kind of change is more secure and solid  if people dont feel coerced or silenced into it, the professor said.

How people change and making lasting, positive changes, its done through a longer process of people reflecting and trying on something new, learning to listen to other people in a different way, not through coercion and shaming, ultimatums or canceling or fundamentally believing that theyre part of this bad group that they need to atone for in perpetuity.
JOHANNESBURG (AP)  South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday said he tried to combat corruption he saw as the country's deputy president during former President Jacob Zumas controversial time in power.

Ramaphosa, testifying at a judicial investigation into corruption during Zuma's term as president from 2009 to 2018, said he considered resigning but decided to fight from within the wrongdoing he witnessed.

While I would have earned praise from many quarters (by resigning), this action would have significantly impaired my ability to contribute, to bring about an end to state capture (the term in South Africa for corruption of the state)," said Ramaphosa.

He said that his protest resignation would have caught the big headlines, but that would have been the end of it.

Ramaphosa said that instead he chose to remain in my position as deputy president  not to resign, not acquiesce and not to be confrontational  but to work with others in the executive to resist abuses and bring about change where we could and to sustain the work of social and economic transformation.

By staying on as deputy president, Ramaphosa said he was able to press Zuma to reverse his appointment of a finance minister widely viewed as unqualified. When Zuma named Des van Rooyen as finance minister in December 2015 the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the value of the rand promptly plummeted. Ramaphosa said he and others immediate pressured Zuma who appointed a new, more respected finance minister within a few days.

The revelations of corruption in Zuma's administration brought the ruling African National Congress to remove him as the party's chief in 2017 and then he was forced to step down as South Africa's president in 2018.

Ramaphosa, who was appointed Zuma's deputy president in 2014, said he had learned the extent of corruption in Zuma's administration through media reports and a report by the public watchdog.

Zuma is currently serving a 15-month jail sentence for defying a court order to appear before the same commission that Ramaphosa spoke to Wednesday. Ramaphosas testimony continues on Thursday.

Zumas imprisonment last month sparked widespread riots and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces which led to the death of over 300 people and damages estimated at over R20 billion (more than $1.36 billion).

Zumas separate corruption trial was postponed to September after the former president was admitted to hospital last week.

In a separate legal process, the ANC's suspended secretary-general Ace Magashule appeared in the Bloemfontein High Court on corruption charges related to a state contract when he was premier of the Free State province. The case has been postponed to 19 October.
Old Phuket prison opens as Covid Care Center

PHUKET: The old Phuket Prison on Damrong Rd in Phuket Town opened today (Aug 11) as the Covid Care Center (CCC) for Muang District, one of four locations on the island where people who test positive for COVID-19 by only an antigen test are now required to stay for an as-yet undefined period of time despite not suffering any symptoms of infection.

COVID-19Coronavirushealth

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 11 August 2021, 03:23PM

The news was announced during a live broadcast this morning presided by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew.

Joining the the governor were Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Kusak Kukiattikoon, Phuket Vice Governors Pichet Pananpong and Piyapong Choowong, along with Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket office Director Nanthasiri Ronnasiri and other high-level provincial officers.

Right now, the Phuket Governor and relevant officials together have set up Covid Care Centers [abbreviated to CCC*] which will open today [Aug 11] for those who have tested positive via antigen test kits but are still healthy, Dr Kusak said.

They do not need to see a doctor or be taken into local quarantine or even a field hospital, but we will send teams of medical staff to check them frequently, he added.

However, Dr Kusak gave no explanation of how long people living healthily with no symptoms of infection will be kept at the CCCs, and no explanation of how often they will be tested, or on which conditions they will be allowed to go home.

Previously, Phuket health officials allowed asymptomatic COVID patients to self-quarantine at home.

Governor Narong said, The main CCC will be at our old Phuket prison, where there are no prisoners anymore. The building was developed [into a CCC] over a couple of days by staff under control of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation [PPAO, OrBorJor] President Rewat Areerob and Phuket City Mayor Saroj Angkanapilas, he added.

The other two venues to be used as CCCs are Wat Thepwanaram [Wat Manik, in Baan Manik, Thalang] and Wat Phrathong in Thalang, Governor Narong added.

Vice Governor Pichet yesterday announced there will be three CCCs across the island  one in each of Phukets three districts: Muang, Kathu and Thalang.

Following the locations given by Governor Narong this morning, Vice Governor Piyapong later confirmed to The Phuket News today that there will be a fourth CCC, one for Kathu, at the Ramada by Wyndham Phuket Patong.

And yesterday, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn gave us 10,000 antigen test kits [which local officials call ATKs], which we will be used in the proactive screening [to identify COVID-positive people], Governor Narong continued.

Governor Narong later today visited the prison to inspect conditions there, where 500 thin mattresses have been set up on the floor in the dormitory areas, shower curtains have been installed for privacy, pot plants have been placed to brighten the place up and curtains have been put up on many of the windows with bars.

The interior of the prison has been repainted and cleaned thoroughly, and many of the signs that were intended for prisoners have now been removed.

Dr Kusak this morning noted that Phuket officials yesterday confirmed 54 new cases of infection.

Of those, only 37 were local infections among people living or staying on the island, Dr Kusak continued.

Among the 37, 24 were high-risk contacts that were found to be infected while staying at a local quarantine venue, and 13 are new cases who need to be questioned [about how they became infected], Dr Kusak said.

The other 16 marked as infected cases from a foreign country are all Thai fishermen who just came back from Myanmar. There are 18 people on their boat, and 16 people were confirmed infected. About seven of them have some symptoms and have already been taken to hospital, while the remaining are quarantining on the boat, he said.

We also had another person from the Bring Phuket People Home project, bringing the total number of people under the project [infected people brought back to Phuket for treatment] to 35, he added.

Dr Chayanon Pucharoen, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the PSU Phuket Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism, today noted that concerns of becoming infected with COVID-19 were rising across the island.

During the past week, people in Phuket searched for Initial symptoms of COVID-19 infection and where to take a COVID-19 test very often through Google.com. This demonstrates that our brothers and sisters are worried about their health. Please directly contact our PPHO for information, he said.

* NOTE: Phuket officials have yet to consistently use one name for the centres, varying between Community Care Center, Covid-19 Care Center and Phuket Covid-19 Care Center, among others.
Phuket Town fresh market area under lockdown

PHUKET: The area around the Phuket Town Fresh Market 1 on Ranong Rd in Phuket Town has been placed under lockdown for one week following a spate of infections at the market

COVID-19Coronavirushealth

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 11 August 2021, 10:49AM

The area around the Phuket Town Fresh Market 1 and the Downtown Plaza market on Ranong Rd in Phuket Town has been placed under lockdown for one week. Photo: PR Phuket

The area around the Phuket Town Fresh Market 1 and the Downtown Plaza market on Ranong Rd in Phuket Town has been placed under lockdown for one week. Photo: Phuket City Municipality

The area around the Phuket Town Fresh Market 1 and the Downtown Plaza market on Ranong Rd in Phuket Town has been placed under lockdown for one week. Photo: Phuket City Municipality

The area around the Phuket Town Fresh Market 1 and the Downtown Plaza market on Ranong Rd in Phuket Town has been placed under lockdown for one week. Photo: Phuket City Municipality

The area around the Phuket Town Fresh Market 1 and the Downtown Plaza market on Ranong Rd in Phuket Town has been placed under lockdown for one week. Photo: Phuket City Municipality

The area around the Phuket Town Fresh Market 1 and the Downtown Plaza market on Ranong Rd in Phuket Town has been placed under lockdown for one week. Photo: Phuket City Municipality

No people are allowed to enter or leave the areas, except for the delivery of food, cooking gas, medical equipment, as well as emergency ambulance and medical staff, said a provincial order issued by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew last night (Aug 10).

The order is in effect from today (Aug 11) through next Tuesday (Aug 17).

The order explained that the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee agreed on Monday (Aug 9) to lock down the area around the Phuket Town Fresh Market 1 and the Downtown Plaza market in order to control the COVID-19 infections throughout the area.

The locked down area is along Ranong Rd, Soi Phuthorn and Bangkok Rd, and there are to be 12 checkpoints around the area, the order said.

Officers from Phuket City Municipality, Phuket City Police, Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command and other relevant officers are assigned to standby at each checkpoint, the order noted.

During the lockdown, officers from the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) and Phuket City Municipality will test people in the area [for COVId-19] using RT-PCR tests or antigen test kits, the order added.

Phuket City Municipality will deliver food and other essential goods for people in the area, and arrange for staff to clean and sanitise the markets, the order said.

Only yesterday, Phuket City Municipality ordered the Phuket City Fresh Market 1 on Ranong Rd to remain closed until Aug 18 and the Downtown Plaza market located across the road to close until Aug 22.

Those closures came after Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon last Wednesday (Aug 4) confirmed that 27 people at the market had been confirmed as infected with COVID-19.

Those 27 cases contributed to Phuket on Tuesday marking what was then a record 65 cases confirmed on one day.
Too early to tell: Phuket Governor makes no promises on easing COVID restrictions

PHUKET: Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew has declined to confirm or deny whether or not the current COVID restrictions across the island and for entering Phuket will be eased come next Monday (Aug 16), when the current order enforcing the restrictions is set to expire.

COVID-19Coronavirushealth

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 11 August 2021, 04:12PM

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew. Photo: PR Phuket

We have been asked whether the measure to refuse all domestic arrivals [except those with essential reason] will remain in effect after Aug 16. I would like to explain that we are considering the infection situation on the island, and throughout the country, every day, Governor Narong said during a live broadcast this morning (Aug 10).

We need to have a meeting first. A couple of days before the day, we will be able to tell the press about our conclusion, he said.

We have also been asked about whether schools will be allowed to open after Aug 16 because students are having problems with online studying. We will consider the measures in effect by the Ministry of Education together with the situation on the island [before making a decision], he added.

That is all I can answer for now, he said.

On the day that the tighter measures to enter Phuket were introduced on Aug 3, 190 drivers were refused entry to the island for failing to satisfy the requirements (see below).

Even by Aug 5, 25% of those arriving at the checkpoint were being turned away, Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Col Aganit Danpitaksat later confirmed.

However, Col Aganit also explained that the volume of traffic arriving at the checkpoint at Tha Chatchai had fallen by some 75% since the new measures were introduced.

Before the new measures came into effect, Governor Narong on July 31 explained that closing the checkpoint to all people except those conducting essential business was vital for Phuket in preventing more COVID infections arriving from the mainland.

Regardless, the number of local infections has continued to spiral upwards, reaching 81 infections last Sunday (Aug 8) alone, a record for the number of local infections in Phuket on any one day.

The number of local infections over seven-day periods has climbed into the hundreds.

Requirements for entering Phuket

The current requirements for entering Phuket were introduced via a provincial order issued by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew on July 29.

Under the order, the only persons and vehicles to be allowed onto the island from Aug 3 onwards are as follows:

1) Medical ambulance emergency patient, lifeguard, rescue

2) Transport drugs, materials, medical supplies, medical chemicals

3) Transport consumer goods, agricultural products, livestock, animal feed

4) Transporting cooking gas fuel

5) Transport for banks, money, financial institution

6) Transport of parcels and publications

7) People who need to travel through international channels Phuket International Airport (must have a ticket of the travel date only)

8) Persons who have been ordered or have a written assignment from the agency to perform duties in the prevention and control of diseases in Phuket

9) People who have been ordered by government agencies to go or perform urgent missions in Phuket

10) Those who have an appointment according to the court proceedings prosecutor or the investigating officer which must have clear documentary evidence that if postponing the said appointment will seriously damage the consideration process or an appointment to register rights and juristic acts only in case of urgent need that cannot be avoided otherwise it will cause damage to the parties or greatly affect the economy.

11) Transport construction materials, machinery and spare parts used for maintenance. Only used in the implementation of projects to solve the flood problem. or projects of the state, state enterprises, other government agencies in solving problems of peoples troubles or in case of urgent need

12) Any other cases that have practical problems that need to be diagnosed and ordered The incident commander at the Phuket checkpoint shall have the authority to consider on a case by case basis.

Even then, the checkpoint onto Phuket will remain closed to all traffic except for emergencies from 11pm to 4am each night.

In order to be allowed into Phuket, all of the above exceptions still must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by having received two doses of the Sinovac or Sinopharm vaccine, or one injection of the Sinovac vaccine and one injection of the AstraZeneca vaccine, or at least one injection of the AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least 14 days before arriving.

Alternatively, arrivals must have been discharged from medical care for recovering from CVOID-19 no more than 90 days before arriving.

In order to be allowed into Phuket, all arrivals must also present results of an RT-PCR test or antigen test performed by a medical facility within 72 hours of arriving proving that they are not infected.
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Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 63F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 70%.

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"It's easy to improve or promote something that's already working well she says. Sherbrooke seems to be a hot potato that nobody wants to touch. And it's worse when politicians feed into it."
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

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EDWARDSVILLE  An Alton man was charged with domestic battery Monday, making it his 10th charge or conviction for domestic violence-related incidents.

Claude T. Rogers, 37, of Alton, was charged Aug. 9 with domestic battery (10th subsequent offense), a Class 2 felony. The case was presented by the Alton Police Department.

Generally, a basic domestic battery charge is a misdemeanor for the first offense, but second and subsequent offenses are classified as felonies, with increasing penalties for the number of previous convictions and/or seriousness of the incidents.

According to court documents, on Aug. 6 Rogers allegedly struck a family or household member in the face.

Rogers has previous convictions for domestic battery out of Madison County: one in 2003, five in 2008, two in 2013 and one in 2017.

Bail was set at $50,000.

Other felony charges filed Aug. 9 include:

 Steven W. Chambers, 57, of Cottage Hills, was charged with aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony, and unlawful restraint, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. On Aug. 7 Chambers allegedly strangled a household or family member, and detained the victim without legal authority. Bail was set at $60,000.

 Jacob C. Esparza, 25, of Cahokia, was charged with aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony. The case was presented by the Roxana Police Department. On Aug. 7 Esparza allegedly strangled a family or household member. Bail was set at $50,000.

 Tracy L. Autrey, 61, of Bethalto, was charged with domestic battery (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Bethalto Police Department. On Aug. 7 Autrey allegedly struck a family or household member in the head with his fist. It was noted he has a prior conviction for domestic battery out of Madison County in 2017. Bail was set at $25,000.

 Morgan C. Lattimore, 26, of Alton, was charged with aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the Alton Police Department. On Aug. 8 Lattimore allegedly scratched and bit an Alton police officers arm. Bail was set at $40,000.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  A California surfing school owner was arrested on suspicion of stabbing to death his two young children in Mexico, authorities said Tuesday.

Matthew Taylor Coleman, 40, of Santa Barbara, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents while crossing into the United States from Mexico at the San Ysidro checkpoint and remained in federal custody, Mexican authorities said.

The arrest came after the bodies of two children, a 3-year-old girl and 1-year-old boy, were found Monday morning by a farmworker at a ranch near Rosarito in Baja California, said Hiram Sanchez, Baja Californias attorney general.

The girl had been stabbed 12 times, and the boy was stabbed 17 times, he said.

A blood-stained wooden stake also was found, authorities said.

Coleman and the children had checked into a Rosarito hotel on Saturday, but video footage showed them leaving before dawn on Monday, authorities said.

The man later returned alone later that morning and then left the hotel for good, authorities said.

Coleman founded a surfing school in Santa Barbara, northwest of Los Angeles, authorities said.

Police in Santa Barbara said Coleman's wife had reported them missing and said she was concerned for their well-being.

Coleman could face Mexican charges of aggravated murder.

It wasn't immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
What do you get when you have correspondence from a future president and Spanish dignitary?

A great find for scholars and historians.

The Missouri Historical Society in St. Louis recently obtained 12 letters, via donations, that give insight as to what life was like in the St. Louis area in the era of the Louisiana Purchase. The organization revealed the information in a press release.

A majority of the letters were written to Charles Dehault Delassus from the Baron De Carondelet, the Spanish Intendant during the later years of Spanish rule in the area. Carondelet is also the namesake of the once small community (now a St. Louis neighborhood) located south of the city.

The baron's writings give understanding military intrigues, colonial affairs and daily life.

Of the 12 letters, one that stands out is one from General William Henry Harrison to Delassus, who was the last colonial lieutenant governor of Upper Louisiana. The letter confirms to Delassus that the land west of the Mississippi River had been purchased by the United States.

Harrison became president of the United States in 1841, but ended up being the shortest-serving president as he died within 30 days of his inauguration.

The letters have been cataloged and digitized and are available to the public in the MHS online collection search.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel said Wednesday it arrested more than 40 criminal suspects in a wave of police raids across the country marking the launch of a new plan to combat crime in Arab communities.

Israel's Arab minority has called for improved law enforcement as it has grappled with a wave of violent crime in recent years. Arab activists accuse Israeli authorities of ignoring violence that doesn't target Jews, while the police blame a lack of cooperation from community leaders.

Improving law enforcement was a key demand of the United Arab List, which became the first Arab party to sit in a ruling coalition when the new government was sworn in in June.

In an operation launched early Wednesday, some 1,000 police raided more than 280 targets across the country, apprehending 41 suspects and seizing hundreds of thousands of dollars related to weapons trafficking, police said.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the raids are part of a new plan to combat crime in Arab communities approved in July, which includes a new branch devoted to the task.

My government is determined to take action and wage an unceasing, constant and persistent fight, with full force, against crime and violence in the Arab sector, Bennett said in a statement.

The plan calls for speeding up the prosecution of alleged criminals, breaking up organized crime and improving cooperation with community leaders. The Israeli police will add some 1,100 personnel to its ranks.

In the past decade, previous governments of Israel presented lofty plans more than once, but we have come to act, said Public Security Minister Omar Barlev.

Israel's Arab minority makes up around 20% of the population. They have citizenship, including the right to vote, but face widespread discrimination and say their communities have long been neglected by authorities. They have close familial ties to the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, and largely identify with their cause, leading many Israeli Jews to view Arab citizens with suspicion.

Jewish-Arab tensions boiled over during the Gaza war in May, when many mixed cities saw an eruption of violence in which large groups of Arabs and Jews fought each other in the streets, torched property and assaulted passersby.
Editors Note: This story is part of a series on the honorees for the YWCA of Alton 30th Women of Distinction Celebration planned Aug. 26 in East Alton. For reservations visit www.altonywca.com or call 618-465-7774.

GODFREY  Lacy Spraggins McDonald of Godfrey has volunteering in her blood.

According to McDonald, her parents  Leslee and John Spraggins  have always worked for nonprofit organizations and volunteerism was part of her childhood. Her in-laws, Anita Cooper and Mike McDonald, have lived in the Riverbend area for almost 40 years and donated their time and talents to many local organizations.

Even before I moved here 10 years ago, I felt deep ties to this community, McDonald said.

Originally from Arkansas, she graduated from Dubuque (Iowa) Senior High School. She earned a bachelors degree in psychology from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota as well as a masters degree in Library and Information Science and Graduate Certificate in Rare Book and Special Collections Librarianship from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Most of her volunteer work revolves around higher education. Since 2013 she has been an Alumni Admissions Representative for Carelton College.

I contact students who have expressed interest in Carleton, conduct admissions interviews and answer accepted students questions, McDonald said. This year, since the college couldnt offer on campus visits due to COVID-19, I contacted over 300 accepted students to offer to answer questions about Carleton. Many wrote back, and I ended up setting up Zoom chats with young women from Jamaica and Boston (both of whom will be attending Carleton in the fall).

Since 2016, she has also been a mentor in the University of Illinois Professional Mentor Program. This has included interviews and job shadowing with students interested in library science.

Locally, McDonald has served on several committees and boards, including the Vintage Voices Committee (Secretary, April 2019 to present), the Madison County Historical Society Board (March 2018 to present) and the Benjamin Godfrey Legacy Trail Committee (January 2016 to completion in October 2019.

She manages the Genealogy & Local History Library branch of The Hayner Public Library District in Alton and has been with Hayner since February 2012. She said she absolutely loves that her job lets her be involved with so many local organizations, including the YWCA of Alton.

Throughout my time working at The Hayner Public Library District, Ive seen the impact of the YWCA of Alton and long admired the mission, she said. I try to embody the YWCA mission  empowering women, eliminating racism and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all  in my work at the Genealogy & Local History Library, and so this recognition as a YWCA Woman of Distinction really means a lot.

The project McDonald is most proud of completing in the Riverbend is a historical display at the Alton Regional Multimodal Transportation Center. At the request of Alton officials, she researched and wrote content for the permanent history display and worked hard to make it a truly inclusive history, highlighting topics such as the Scott Bibb case, first police matron Sophia Demuth, the Monticello Female Seminary, the contributions of Pullman Porters, the Ballinger family and Illinois Terminal Railroads Katherine Wilson. She said previous research was done by Women of Distinction Charlotte Johnson, Charlotte Stetson, Judy Hoffman, Shirley Portwood and others.

This year, she has been cataloging and making the YWCA collection of photographs available remotely for researchers on the Illinois Digital Archives. The YWCA has hundreds of photographs from the 1930s through the 1970s. Hayner has also worked to promote the present-day work of the YWCA, including the Educational Equity and the School to Prison Pipeline with Dr. Mary Ferguson several years ago.

McDonald lives in Godfrey with her husband, Jeff, who is a lawyer with the Land of Lincoln Legal Aid and their two children.

A dedication to volunteering is one of the things that my husband and I bonded over when we first started dating, and were very deliberate about sharing that with our children too, she said.

She said her current goal is just to try to adequately juggle being a good spouse, parent, friend, and library employee.

Her advice to the young women of Alton is to live in a lot of different places, start on big projects and make sure youre going to bat for the things you care about and do it even, if its intimidating.
EDWARDSVILLE  A Pocahontas woman was charged Aug. 9 with home invasion.

Mary E. Murphy, 36, of Pocahontas, was charged with home invasion, a Class X felony, and residential burglary, a Class 1 felony.

The charges were presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department.

According to court documents, on Aug. 7 Murphy allegedly entered a home in the 400 block of 3rd Street in Livingston, knowing someone was present, and struck a victim in the head and body with a piece of wood, causing injuries. Murphy allegedly entered the home with the intent to commit theft.

Bail was set at $100,000.

Other felony cases filed Aug. 9 by the Madison County States Attorneys Office include:

 Nicholas D. Terrell, 35, of Alton, was charged with residential burglary, a Class 1 felony. The case was presented by the Alton Police Department. On Aug. 9 Terrell allegedly entered a home in the 1000 block of Marie Street, Alton, to commit theft. Bail was set at $100,000.

 Nathan M. Barron, 19, of Granite City, was charged with offenses relating to motor vehicles, a Class 2 felony, and two counts of burglary, both Class 3 felonies. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. On Aug. 7 Barron allegedly was found to be in possession of a stolen 2008 Saturn and allegedly entered a 2018 Chrysler 300 and a Ford F-150, both in the 1000 block of Cote Brilliante, Granite City, to commit theft. Bail was set at $73,000.

 Steven C. Jason III, 29, of Godfrey, was charged with burglary, a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. On May 17 Jason allegedly entered a Hyundai Tucson in the 1700 block of Paris Drive, Godfrey. Bail was set at $50,000.

 Samuel O. Megbolugbe, 21, of Pontoon Beach, was charged with criminal damage to government supported property, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Police Department. On Aug. 6 Megbolugbe allegedly caused less than $500 damage to a window in the universitys Student Fitness Center, 35 Circle Drive, Edwardsville. Bail was set at $40,000.

 James R. Huntebrinker, 43, of Bridgeton, Missouri, was charged with criminal damage to government supported property, a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the Wood River Police Department. On Aug. 7 Huntebrinker allegedly caused in excess of $500 damage to a Wood River squad car. Bail was set at $50,000.
MOSCOW (AP)  Russian prosecutors on Wednesday opened a criminal probe into an oil spill off the country's Black Sea coast that appeared to be far bigger than initially expected and left traces of pollution along the scenic coastline.

The spill occurred over the weekend at the oil terminal in Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka near the port of Novorossiysk that belongs to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which pumps crude from Kazakhstan. The oil spilled while being pumped into the Minerva Symphony tanker, which sails under the Greek flag.
EDWARDSVILLE  Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has been nationally-recognized as a 2021-22 Military Friendly School and among the Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges.

The designations underscore the universitys commitment to successfully connect the military and civilian world through its Office of Military and Veteran Services.

Recognition from these premier national rankings is a testament to the outstanding work being accomplished in the Office of Military and Veteran Services, said director Kevin Wathen. I want to thank and recognize the amazing staff in Enrollment Management and the Bursars Office, as well as the faculty who work diligently to support our military-connected students.

In 2021, Military and Veteran Services opened the Military and Veteran Resource Center (MAVRC) in the Morris University Center on the Edwardsville campus. The MAVRC is a space where military-connected students can congregate, receive information on benefits and resources, and study.

Additionally, in 2020, Military and Veteran Services developed its Green Zoom program, a military culture awareness training module for faculty and staff. It launched in spring 2021 with nearly 40 faculty and staff participants.

In support of the universitys value of inclusion, Military and Veteran Services created From Uniform to University, a panel discussion series highlighting diverse identities and issues within military service. This fall, it also will launch a mentoring program, book club and special population affinity groups.

Institutions earning the 2021-22 Military Friendly School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,200 schools participated in the 2021-22 survey with 747 earning the designation. Methodology, criteria and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. The complete can be found at militaryfriendly.com.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Generally cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High near 80F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Banks could face fines or be blocked from closing branches under plans to protect cash use.

City watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is reportedly considering new rules to stop banks from shutting high street branches to ensure consumers and businesses can still access cash.

It comes as more than 4,200 branches have now shut since 2015  with 801 closing since lockdown restrictions were enforced in March last year.

Campaigners have long called for urgent action to preserve coins and notes for the millions who rely on them.

Banks could face fines or be blocked from closing branches under plans to protect cash use (stock image)

Chancellor Rishi Sunak pledged to introduce laws to protect cash access last year, and last month the Treasury finally launched a consultation into how the legislation could work.

Proposals include handing the FCA powers to fine banks that shut branches where they are most needed, and the regulator may even be allowed to enforce injunctions and stop some closures from going ahead at all.

The plans could also see nine out of ten neighbourhoods given the legal right to be within 0.6 miles of somewhere they can take out cash free of charge.

The consultation will run until September 23 but any new laws could take at least two years to enforce.

Industry experts have told Money Mail that the Treasury is unlikely to view cash machines as an equal replacement to the face-to-face service branches offer.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak (pictured) pledged to introduce laws to protect cash access last year, and last month the Treasury finally launched a consultation into how the legislation could work

The consultation also aims to ensure reasonable access to places where people can deposit cash - a service which most ATMs outside bank branches do not provide.

Gareth Shaw, head of money at consumer group Which?, says: The governments proposal to put the FCA in charge of the cash system, including holding industry accountable for providing access, is a vital step. As cash machine and bank branch numbers continue to decline sharply, the governments legislation plans cannot be introduced soon enough.

A Treasury spokesman said: We know that cash remains vital for millions of people and we are committed to protecting access to cash across the UK.

A UK Finance spokesman said growing numbers of customers were turning to new technology to manage their money, including online and mobile banking.

But he added: Technology is not for everyone and bank branches continue to play an important role in the life of local communities, meaning decisions to close them are never taken lightly.
Tough lockdown restrictions helped orders at food delivery giant Deliveroo double in the first half of the year.

Hungry customers who were unable to visit restaurants and pubs for much of the period ordered 148.8 million meals through the firm's app compared to 74.5 million during the same time last year.

Gross transaction value (GTV) also doubled from 1.7billion to 3.38billion as demand continued to remain strong even when curbs on eating out were loosened.

However, the London-based firm still made a massive pre-tax loss of 104.8million and has yet to make a profit since being set up by former investment banker Will Shu in 2013.

Lockdown boost: Hungry customers who were unable to visit restaurants and pubs for much of the period ordered 148.8 million meals through Deliveroo's app

Both the group's British Isles and international markets performed exceptionally well, with GTV in the former region up by over 200 per cent on their 2019 levels and 110 per cent higher than last year.

The newly-listed company also said it now has the largest number of active food merchants among food delivery businesses in the UK after adding around 10,000 new sites in the second quarter alone.

It recently expanded its partnership with the supermarket Waitrose and announced a tie-up with Sainsbury's, taking the number of grocery sites from which it delivers to around 4,600.

The American-born founder said: 'We have reported strong performance in the first half of the year and continued to make good progress in executing our strategy. As a result, I believe that we are well-positioned to take advantage of the huge opportunity ahead.

'We are seeing strong growth and engagement across our marketplace as lockdowns continue to ease. Demand has been high amongst consumers.'

Expansion: During the first half of the year, Deliveroo launched a tie-up with the supermarket Sainsbury's and expanded its partnership with Waitrose

But though the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated its orders, Deliveroo said the lockdown bounce is likely to ease off in the second half of the year.

The group's shares closed trading 6.1 per cent lower at 3.41 on Wednesday after rising significantly yesterday following the announcement that its German rival Delivery Hero had purchased a small stake in the online firm.

They flopped disastrously when they were listed on the London Stock Exchange earlier this year due to investor concerns about staff working conditions and the company's high losses.

It had hoped to sell shares for 390p each when it listed, but within just a couple of weeks, the share price hit a low of 225p. Since then, it has recovered much of that ground but still lags behind the initial optimism.

Troubles: Deliveroo made a pre-tax loss of 104.8million in the first half of 2021 and has yet to make a profit since being set up by former investment banker Will Shu eight years ago

Adam Vettese, an analyst at online investment firm eToro, warned that investors would 'eventually' want to see critics' concerns about the treatment of employees and profitability addressed.

'If Deliveroo can't do that, then it may find it a struggle to attract investors' cash, regardless of whether its numbers impress or not,' he remarked.

Susannah Streeter, a senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, believes Deliveroo's reliance on a 'gig economy model' makes it additionally vulnerable.

She said: 'So far, it's shaken off attempts to change the self-employed status of its riders in the UK but has pulled out of Spain due to legal changes requiring food delivery platforms to hire staff and not pay them as independent contractors.

'It could face further difficulties expanding globally if legislators elsewhere look again at workers' rights in the sector.'

Streeter added that Deliveroo's 'longer-term outlook depends on how demand holds up in a post-pandemic world, and if that road to profitability looks any clearer.'

The company's results come a day after it announced that Amazon's Vice President of Global Supply Chain, Devesh Mishra, has been appointed its next chief product and technology officer.

Deliveroo is already hiring another 400 people for new high-skilled technology jobs such as software engineers and data scientists to help strengthen its platform.
At the corner of Stone Church and Norton Roads in a remote corner of Red Hook, the roar, buzzing and sometimes sputtering of 100-year-old airplanes preparing to take flight is a familiar sound on a Saturday afternoon at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.

A small wooden entryway serves as a portal from the 21st century back to the early days of aviation, when people were captivated by pilots like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart.

Save for an air-conditioned gift shop and a couple of concession stands peddling hot dogs, popcorn and soft drinks to spectators, the airfield is lined with period-style hangers. Some house static displays of historic aircraft and vintage automobiles, while others serve as shops where mechanics fix and restore vintage aircraft on weekdays.

Spectators line the airfield on the natural grandstand of a small hillside, some of whom come from out of state to see the air shows.

This is the only place you can see this type of aircraft, some 105 years old with their original airframe and original motors, said Bob Yarbrough, who traveled recently with his wife Heidi Hammel from Media, Pennsylvania, to see the historic aircraft.

An aircraft buff turns passion into air show

The Aerodrome was the vision of the late Colen Palen who grew up on a chicken farm in Dutchess County in Red Hook Mills near Wappingers Falls in the 1920s and 1930s.

He was drafted into the army and served in the infantry in WWII including in the Battle of the Bulge, said Stewart Sommerville, a retired English teacher who now works as the Aerodromes Airshow and Events Manager. A lifelong aviation buff, Palen took flight and mechanic training classes at the Roosevelt School of Aviation at Roosevelt Field on Long Island and earned his pilots license.

Sommerville said that when Palen heard the flight school would be closing  its now an upscale shopping mall  he used his life savings ($1,500) to bid on its pioneer-era aircraft on auction. He won, but the planes didnt run, so he towed them up to his parents chicken farm in Red Hook with his car. There, said Sommerville, he was able to repair them to take flight again.

Palen later acquired the present-day site of the Aerodrome in Rhinebeck in foreclosure.

No one wanted it  [it] was the site of an unsolved murder, Sommerville said. He hacked away everything and made a runway.

Soon, the public grew curious as they saw the planes fly overhead and wanted to know where they came from, Sommerville said. Palen started inviting people to watch the planes in 1960, not even charging admission at first.

The popularity of the Aerodrome ultimately took off when Charles Schulzs Peanuts cartoons began featuring Snoopy and the Red Baron in the mid-1960s, which spurred interest in WWI-era aircraft, Sommerville said. Eventually National Geographic published a story in 2016 on the Aerodome that attracted national and international attention that continues to this day, he said.

Aside from a hiatus in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Aerodome has been running its weekend airshows for roughly 60 years. Below are scenes from a typical Saturday at the airfield.

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The Old Rhinebeck Aerodome is at 9 Norton Rd. in Red Hook. Shows, which run weekends from 2-4 p.m. through Oct. 17, are $25, adults; $20, seniors or active or retired military; $12, youth 6-17 and free for children five and under. The museum is open daily through Halloween. Tickets for the tours start at $100 per passenger with a two-passenger minimum. Weekend rides are on a first-come, first-serve basis, weekday tours can be reserved by calling (845) 752-3200.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest airport for international travel, handled some 40% less passenger traffic in the first half of 2021, compared to the same period last year, its chief executive said Wednesday.

The decline came as more contagious coronavirus variants cut off the hub's biggest source markets and continued to clobber the global aviation industry.

However, CEO Paul Griffiths remains optimistic for the crucial east-west transit point as authorities gradually re-open Dubai's key routes to the Indian subcontinent and Britain.

The 10.6 million passengers that passed through the airport over the past six months is still very positive," Griffiths told The Associated Press. I think coupled with the restrictions easing that were now seeing, (it) will bode very well for a satisfactory end to the year.

The airport, which saw 86.4 million people squeeze through before the pandemic hit in 2019, has held the title of the worlds busiest since it beat out London's Heathrow seven years ago. It even kept the crown as the virus turned the worlds biggest airports into massive voids. But the once-teeming terminals still have a long way to go before seeing pre-pandemic passenger levels.

The hopes stoked by the United Arab Emirates' speedy vaccination campaign took a hit as the delta variant emerged, prompting familiar border closures and capacity cuts, and hurting the mammoth airport, hub of long-haul carrier Emirates. Dubai World Central, the Gulf citys second airport that went out of use for commercial flights during the pandemic, appears to be a parking lot for Emirates iconic fleet of double-decker Airbus A380s.

Although the UAE recently lifted an entry ban on India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, which are home to most of the vast foreign workforce in the federation, stringent vaccination requirements still bar many from boarding flights to the country.

All of those South Asian markets are incredibly important to Dubai, theyre a very important transit opportunity, of course, as people go to all parts of northern Europe," said Griffiths. Its very important we get those traffic flows back.

There are reasons to expect a rebound, Griffiths added. One of the airport's two main terminals, mothballed amid the pandemic, returned to use last month to prepare for an influx of holiday-makers escaping wintry weather and attending the World Expo in October.

And after months of frustration and confusion, the U.K. last week removed the UAE from its red list that ordered all travelers to quarantine for 10 days in costly, government-approved hotels. The upgrade to amber elicited a strong sigh of relief throughout the federation of seven sheikhdoms, home to some 120,000 British expats. London was ranked as the top destination city for Dubais airport in 2020, with 1.15 million customers.

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Griffiths declined to put a number on the financial hit, but said the loss of traffic (to the U.K.) has had a very, very significant impact on the economy of both countries.

So thrilled was Emirates about the flight resumption that the airline plopped a woman on the pinnacle of the tallest tower on the planet, Burj Khalifa, and filmed her raising placards that implored Brits to fly Emirates.

The stakes are indeed high for Dubai, where the economy thrives not on oil, like in other Gulf Arab sheikhdoms, but on travel and tourism. Emirates remains the linchpin of the wider empire known as Dubai Inc., an interlocking series of businesses owned by the city-state.

There are signs of looming uncertainty, with the airport yet to to hire back any of the 5,000 employees it furloughed during the devastation of the pandemic last year. But when asked whether Dubai Airport would hold onto its title  one of many prized superlatives in the extravagant emirate home to the world's tallest building and biggest mall  Griffiths didnt miss a beat.

I have no doubt in my mind, he said. Were gearing up to expect a huge surge in volume."
SCHENECTADY  Five months after the federal government announced the city will receive millions in federal coronavirus relief funds, a road map for their expenditure remains unclear.

Now the City Council president is pushing City Hall to form a task force to help guide how the citys $53 million allocation will be spent.

Im continuing to ask that the administration does not continue to sit on the money, City Council President John Mootooveren said Tuesday. The public is concerned and Ive received several calls as to why theres no discussion on the stimulus money weve received.

Lawmakers have engaged in just one public discussion since the funds were announced in March.

City Finance Commissioner Anthony Ferrari briefed lawmakers last month, outlining federal guidance for how the aid can be utilized.

Spending on infrastructure, including water, sewer and broadband, is clearly authorized, Mayor Gary McCarthy said.

Yet he said other aspects remained murky, and said the city was awaiting further guidance from Washington, in part, to discern the interplay between the relief funds and the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that passed the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, and is now headed back to the U.S. House.

McCarthy put the kibosh on a task force.

My inclination is we will have a working group as an advisory group, McCarthy said on Tuesday. Were not going to have a task force. I feel like we can put together a package that will serve our city and our community overall very well.

Half of the funds, about $26.5 million, have already been deposited in city coffers, with the second installment scheduled to be disbursed next June.

Since Ferrari addressed lawmakers, theres been no public discussion aside from Majority Leader John Polimeni reciting the federal guidance at Mondays City Council meeting.

Other cities, however, have already drafted clear plans of action and waded into public engagement, including the city of Albany, which immediately created a task force to help guide the allocation of its $80 million last March.

The citys COVID Recovery Task Force held its last scheduled meeting in late July and is in the process of finalizing its report, which is due to be released later this month, said David Galin, Mayor Kathy Sheehans chief of staff.

Albanys proposed spending plan breaks down potential expenditures across numerous program categories within Sheehans proposed 2022 budget, including public health, aid for small businesses, workforce development and arts programming, among others.

Those items will then be deliberated by the Common Council as part of their budget review process.

I think its important to note no funding decisions have been made at this time, Galin said.

Mootooveren said the lack of transparency in Schenectady has led to misinformation circulating in the community, and he doesnt want to take a piecemeal approach to dole out the funds in dribs and drabs.

So far, the city has allocated $50,000 for security to enforce coronavirus screening protocols at City Hall, and $150,000 for the Boys & Girls Club to provide staffing for pools and other recreational activities.

Too many people are asking, Mootooveren said. Theres no reason for us to sit on the money. We need to spend it and stop the speculation out there.

The onset of the pandemic blew a hole in municipal budgets, and for months, local officials across the state painted the lack of relief as an existential crisis, including Schenectady, where U.S. Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, touched down to prod Washington into taking action.

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Schenectady ended last year with a $8 million deficit, instituted a hiring freeze and asked department heads to present bare-bones spending plans.

Yet despite the influx of funding, three city departments continue to have numerous vacancies, including the city police and fire departments and codes enforcement bureau, which faced a major setback last week when a City Court judge threw out a majority of violations against a downtown building owner for code violations because the city cited the corporate entity under the wrong section of the maintenance code.

Chief Building Inspector Chris Lunn stopped short of citing a lack of training as a factor, but told the Times Union last week that his department is short-staffed with only eight full-time code officers with no supervisor. At full strength, he would have a supervisor and 12 full-time code officers.

Lawmakers are scheduled to take up the discussion on Monday in committee.

McCarthy said the city is working with the county and Schenectady United Neighborhoods to set up a series of meetings, tentatively after Labor Day, to map out categories for how city residents want to see the funds allocated.

Hopefully well have some discussions across jurisdictions, so what county is doing, what the city is doing and what the school districts is doing become somewhat coordinated, McCarthy said.

Dates may be announced as early as Friday, he said.

Several lawmakers on the five-member City Council endorsed the concept of community meetings - not a task force.

Id like to see us have some community meetings strategically through the city and get feedback from the community, said Councilwoman Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas, which is a viewpoint shared by Councilwoman Carmel Patrick.

Im looking forward to getting community input into the process, and [City] Council input into the process, Patrick said. Getting a group together to solicit input is an important factor in this.

City Councilwoman Marion Porterfield said she, too, has heard concerns from the public.

We have not shown due diligence on this topic, Porterfield said. Itd be ideal to see what residents have to say to improve the quality of the city.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  With the highly contagious delta variant fueling a surge in coronavirus cases just as students return to classrooms, major school districts in Arizona, Florida, Texas and beyond are increasingly defying Republican leaders who banned school mask mandates in several states.

The showdowns have drawn in the White House and landed in courtrooms where judges have so far allowed school mask requirements in two states.

Schools across the U.S. have a patchwork of different rules as they try to keep classrooms open during the coronavirus pandemic, but in several states GOP leaders banned districts from requiring all kids to wear masks.

But with infections and hospitalizations on the rise and vaccinations out of reach for young children, districts in blue-leaning urban areas especially are rebelling against the laws and requiring masks in schools  even if it means facing consequences from governors and courts. Districts in Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Broward County, Florida, are among those defying the mask laws.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to withhold the salaries of school leaders who enact mask requirements.

At no point shall I allow my decision to be influenced by a threat to my paycheck; a small price to pay considering the gravity of this issue and the potential impact to the health and well-being of our students and dedicated employees, said Alberto Carvalho, the superintendent of the states largest school district who is still deciding on a mandate ahead of the start of school later this month.

Masks are a key coronavirus-prevention tool that doesn't pose health risks for kids older than toddler age and are most effective when worn by a larger number of people, public health experts say. The Centers for Disease Control has again recommended them for schools.

But mask rules have nevertheless drawn fierce protest, including takeovers of school board meetings, from activists who worry about side effects, question the need and say parents should decide.

The DeSantis threat to withhold salaries drew in the White House on Tuesday as press secretary Jen Psaki weighed paying out of federal funds to school officials who do the right thing to protect students and keep schools safe and open.

Though children are less likely to suffer serious health effects as compared with the elderly, the latest COVID wave hammering Florida is also fueling an enormous increase in cases among children, many of whom are sicker than doctors have seen previously, the chief medical officer at one of the states top childrens hospitals said Wednesday. Leaders of other medical systems in virus hotspots like Louisiana say a similar situation is occurring in their pediatric hospitals.

DeSantis, for his part, said the numbers of hospitalized kids are on the rise because total coronavirus cases are up. Theres been no change in the proportion of pediatric patients who are COVID positive, he said.

At least three Florida school districts appear to be defying DeSantiss executive order forbidding masks, including the second-most-populous county in the state and another around the state capital.

In Texas, where COVID-19 hospitalizations have spiked to their highest level in six months, a judge sided with San Antonio and temporarily allowed the city, county and public schools to require masks. Another hearing is set for next week. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott banned mandates in July and is showing no sign of backing down, even as other school districts in major cities like Dallas, Houston and Austin issue mandates in defiance of his ban.

A state ban on mask mandates isnt faring well in the courts in Arkansas either. It was temporarily blocked last week by a state judge who said the prohibition violated the states constitution. One plaintiff was an Arkansas school district where more than 1,000 staff and students had to quarantine because of a coronavirus outbreak.

Since the decision, at least three dozen school districts and charter schools have implemented mask requirements for teachers and students.

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Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas now says he regrets signing the ban, but lawmakers decided against reversing course during a special session last week.

In Utah, meanwhile, the health director over the states biggest county is trying to buck a state law with a new mandate for kids under 12. Angela Dunn, who previously became a target for anti-mask ire as the state epidemiologist, has said shes deeply concerned about infections sickening kids and disrupting schools.

Theres far less drama in a school where all kids are wearing masks than a spread of COVID within that school and kids being sent home to address illness, or to be put into quarantine or isolation, said Democratic mayor Jenny Wilson, whos backing the move that may yet be tanked by the Republican-controlled county council.

In South Carolina, a showdown is heating up between the Republican governor and the capital city over a school mask mandate that local leaders approved last week. The attorney general threatened to take Columbia to court if leaders try to enforce the rule aimed at protecting elementary and middle school kids too young to get vaccinated. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster said Monday it should be up to parents whether to mask kids.

Dozens of doctors in Arizona have begged GOP Gov. Doug Ducey to mandate face coverings in public schools, but hes held fast to a prohibition in the state budget. Still, about 10 districts in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff, representing more than 130,000 students and 200 schools, have defied that prohibition and a high school biology teacher has filed a lawsuit challenging it. A hearing is set for Friday.

There is no mask prohibition in Arizona, gubernatorial spokeswoman C.J. Karamargin said last week. The legislation passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor is clear: Arizona is anti-mask-mandate.

__

Associated Press writers around the country contributed to this report.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Madhav Joshi, University of Notre Dame and David Cortright, University of Notre Dame

(THE CONVERSATION) The Taliban continue to gain territory in their bloody insurgency to seize control of Afghanistan. Recently, Taliban leaders said Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis removal is a condition for ending the conflict.

If a mutually acceptable candidate were named to replace Ghani, a Taliban spokesman told The Associated Press in late July 2021, the insurgents would be willing to lay down their weapons.

It was the Islamic militant groups second call for Ghanis resignation since peace negotiations began with the government in September 2020. In January 2021 a leading Taliban negotiator said Ghani was the only hurdle to a successful accord because the Taliban believe his 2019 election win was fraudulent.

Ghani has historically had strong support from the international community, including the United States. But in a leaked March 2021 letter, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Ghani to agree to a peace process with the Taliban that would dissolve the Afghan government and even lead to his removal from power, citing concerns that the security situation [would]\ worsen after the U.S. withdrew its troops.

The U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan is now nearly complete.

Ghanis resignation could be Afghanistans best chance at a lasting peace, according to our academic research in conflict zones  though not necessarily under the conditions the Taliban demands.

How peace is built

In research that compares different peace processes, political power-sharing  which entails warring parties jointly sharing responsibilities in a countrys government during a transitional period  is associated with a sustainable postwar peace.

In 31 countries in which the armed groups reached comprehensive peace agreements since 1989, 16 cases  including in Cambodia, South Africa and Sudan  included a power-sharing arrangement.

In conflicts like Afghanistans, in which armed fighters sought to overthrow the government, three-quarters of those that ended successfully featured power-sharing arrangements. As part of Colombias 2016 accord with the FARC guerrillas, for example, the FARC were allocated five seats in the 108-member Senate and five in the 178-member House of Representatives.

There are few historical precedents, however, for the Talibans demand to remove a sitting president as a precondition of peace. The only examples we found were in Liberia, Nepal and Burundi.

Comparative examples

At the end of Liberias four-year-long second civil war, in 2003, President Charles Taylor resigned under pressure from Liberian protesters and demands from the U.S. and West African countries.

However, angry protesters are not armed insurgents, and Afghanistans Ghani is not comparable to Taylor.

Taylor is a convicted war criminal who tortured, killed and mutilated thousands of Liberian civilians. In Afghanistans war, the Taliban  not the president  have caused the bulk of the suffering. Since 2001 they have targeted and killed civilians, destroyed schools and hospitals and curtailed womens rights in territories they control.

Nepals 2006 peace negotiations between the democratic government of Nepal and Maoist rebels resulted in an agreement to create an elected assembly that would write a new constitution and decide the future of the 230-year-old monarchy, which the Maoists called repressive and anti-democratic.

The assembly decided to dethrone the king and become a republic. The king accepted its decision and left the palace in 2008.

In Burundi, the Arusha Accords of 2000 constituted a power-sharing deal reached between rebel groups and political parties representing the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups. They led to the sitting presidents resigning office in April 2003 and an end to the Tutsis minority rule while safeguarding their access to power under the new, Hutu-led government.

Recipe for peace

The above examples of a leader in a war-torn nation resigning to secure peace share a few common features.

First, the leaders removal came toward the end of the negotiations. It came after cease-fire had been signed, rebels had surrendered their weapons and new constitutional arrangements had been made for the countrys governance.

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The Taliban want the opposite order: They are predicating a cease-fire and the creation of a transitional power-sharing government on Ghanis removal.

Second, in other cases in which a sitting leader resigned as part of a peace process, the leader had lost the support of the people. Ghani is weak, but there is no demand for his removal from Afghan civilians or political parties.

Nor do Afghan political parties, civil society groups and international mediators perceive the Taliban as trustworthy negotiators or leaders. Since peace talks began in 2020 in Qatar, Taliban fighters have increased their military offenses in Afghanistan, captured territories and targeted and displaced civilians.

Building relationships across political divides is foundational in any successful peace negotiation, and particularly so in a power-sharing government. The Taliban have not provided evidence that they can compromise without resorting to violence, including against the very people they seek to govern.

No clarity, little trust

Taliban negotiators are also silent on the concessions they would be willing to make for peace.

The Afghan government and international mediators involved in the peace process want to understand the Talibans position on constitutional rule, human rights and womens rights, among other critical issues. The Taliban previously ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and imposed a harsh, extreme version of Islamic rule on the country.

Taliban negotiators have stated only that women have rights in a genuine Islamic system. They promise to release their own peace plans, which may clarify their positions on gender and other issues.

If Ghanis removal is so critical for the Taliban, his departure could be used as leverage to gain necessary commitments from the Taliban. Ghani could agree to step down as president  but only if the Taliban conveyed their seriousness about reaching a power-sharing settlement with reasonable guarantees of human rights and constitutional rule.

If Afghanistans negotiations with the Taliban advance in the coming weeks and months, Ghanis resignation, offered at the right moment, could be decisive to reaching a political settlement.

[The Conversations Politics + Society editors pick need-to-know stories. Sign up for Politics Weekly.]

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/to-end-war-in-afghanistan-taliban-demand-afghan-presidents-removal-165585.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  All 73 Tennessee House Republicans signaled their support on Wednesday for a special session to limit the authority of local officials to make rules aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, as lawmakers fumed over mask requirements in a handful of school districts.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton sent the letter signed by his whole caucus to Republican Gov. Bill Lee. The governor's spokesperson, Casey Black, said his team is reviewing it. Lee was noncommittal when asked by a reporter about a possible special session earlier in the day, saying broadly that parents know best what their children need.

The request came the day after a nearly four-hour acrimonious school board meeting in affluent Williamson County, south of Nashville, over mask mandates. Many attendees opposed to mandates frequently disrupted the proceedings before officials voted to implement a temporary mask mandate for elementary school students, staff and visitors. One person was escorted out by deputies, and dozens of other parents walked out in support.

Sexton's letter described in vague terms what could be on the table for a special session, which still is not certain to happen.

We believe there is a need to curtail the overreach by independent health boards and officials, confirm a parent's right to make decisions that impact the mental and physical health of their children, provide support and direction to schools to ensure educators are properly compensated for COVID-19 leave, and protect all Tennesseans from misdirected mandated designed to limit their ability to make their own decisions, Sexton wrote.

He wrote that lawmakers also need to evaluate the practice of some businesses requiring proof of vaccination to enter their buildings, and other issues related to COVID-19.

There are two ways a special session could come about: The governor could call it himself, or two-thirds of both the House and Senate could make it happen on their own.

After Sexton threatened last week to request the special session if districts required masks, the Senate's leader, Republican Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, said he trusts locally elected school boards to decide on COVID-19 health rules for schools. It's unclear how many in the Senate GOP disagree and want the special session.

Sexton's push against school mask requirements has drawn criticisms from advocates who say he's putting children at risk of getting sick and spreading the virus. Democratic Rep. John Ray Clemmons tweeted Wednesday that he applauds the counties that acted on recommendations of medical experts rather than the threats of politicians.

Tennessee students are retuning to school amid a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, particularly among the unvaccinated. Currently, children under the age of 12 do not qualify for the vaccine.

Masks are a key coronavirus-prevention tool that doesnt pose health risks for children older than toddler age and are most effective when worn by a larger number of people, public health experts say. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has again recommended them for schools.

Only a small handful of schools have elected to adopt a mask mandate as Tennessees vaccination rates remain among the lowest in the country. Those district include Shelby County, which encompasses Memphis, and Nashville. Some smaller school districts are also on the list, including Hancock and Henry counties.

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Williamson Countys school mask mandate expires Sept. 21. At that time, board members will reassess and decide whether or not to extend the requirement.

WTVF-TV reported that 30 people were allowed to testify before the Williamson County school board cast their votes Tuesday evening. They ranged from medical experts who pleaded that a mask mandate would help protect children while others threatened that the boards decision would have consequences.

If you own a business, we will boycott your business ... in the past, you dealt with sheep now prepare yourself to deal with lions, said one person, Daniel Jordan.

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who is from Williamson County, tweeted support for the mask opponents at the meeting, thanking conservative personality Clay Travis and the dozens of Tennessee parents for standing up for common sense."

"No masks for kids! Blackburn tweeted.

The governor has resisted implementing a statewide mask mandate for schools, instead choosing to leave the decision to local officials.
Philip Kamrass

Recent coverage of bail reform ("Data muddles bail rule debate," July 26) quotes Albany County District Attorney David Soares blaming an uptick in gun crimes on New Yorks bail reform that was signed into law two years ago. Soares highlighted a hypothetical scenario in which a person who shoots someone on Friday, and under bail reform, may be released and out on the street on Saturday.

The problem is that this scenario is impossible. New Yorks bail reforms did not make it more or less likely for a judge to grant money bail for individuals. Instead, the reforms made most misdemeanors (and some nonviolent felonies) ineligible for money bail. Any shooting case would be handled the same today as it was before the reforms were implemented, with the judge having the discretion to set bail for the person accused of such a crime.
ALBANY  The State Police investigator who said Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo sexually harassed her had moved up in the ranks of his protective detail quickly, securing a position as the governor's driver in a much shorter timeframe than is normal, according to former senior members of the detail who are familiar with its machinations.

Prominent women's rights attorney Gloria Allred issued a statement on behalf of the investigator, who is not being identified by the Times Union, saying she believes Cuomo "did the right thing" when he announced his resignation.

"It definitely was the right thing for him to do politically. This is the legal reckoning and it's also a political reckoning," Allred said. "The governor is an attorney as I am. The governor knows what the laws are regarding sexual harassment. It appears that he did not obey the law in many situations and in many cases. So now, he has to face the consequences of his actions."

It's unclear whether Allred, who has represented other women who accused Cuomo of misconduct, was retained by the investigator in order to initiate a civil sexual harassment complaint against the governor.

A report issued by the state attorney general's office on Aug. 3 revealed that Cuomo had asked for the investigator  then a uniformed trooper  to be offered a spot on his protective detail in 2017, after he met her at an event at the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in New York City.

The trooper, who is from Long Island, did not meet the minimum qualifications to get a spot on the detail because she had been with the State Police for less than three years.

The attorney general's report noted that an unnamed high-ranking member of Cuomo's Executive Chamber had informed a State Police senior investigator, who was a member of the protective detail and tasked with offering the trooper a job, that the rules were going to be changed so she could qualify for the assignment.

The senior investigator, who is not identified in the report, told the attorney general's investigators that after Cuomo had inquired what happened to the trooper he met at the bridge, the investigator told the governor that she did not meet the minimum requirements for the position.

The senior investigator "subsequently received a call from a high-level staff member within the Executive Chamber who instructed him to 'hire the female trooper from the bridge' and stated, with respect to the policy, 'we are making adjustments for her.'"

The governor's office and State Police this week declined to identify the "high-level staff member" or to say who they contacted at State Police to have the rules changed so the trooper could be appointed to the detail.

According to the former senior members of the detail, who spoke on condition of anonymity, other protocols were also not followed because they said the female trooper, after just 15 months on the protective detail staffing a fixed security post at Cuomo's former Westchester County residence, was moved to Cuomo's travel team and also began working as his driver.

"Unless you had prior experience, such as military background, or are a seasoned (Bureau of Criminal Investigation) transfer, driving the governor just doesn't happen," a former senior member of the detail said.

Serving as a member of Cuomo's travel team, including driving him, put her in close proximity to the governor. It was also when the governor allegedly touched her and made sexually suggestive comments to her, according to the attorney general's report.

In his interview with the attorney general's investigators last month, when asked about his involvement in the female trooper's transfer, "the governor recited several times that he 'was on constant alert to recruit more women, Blacks and Asians to the State Police detail.'" He said that he had met two female troopers who were at the bridge ceremony and "encouraged the State Police to talk to both women about joining the (Protective Services Unit) to increase diversity."

But the senior investigator who was tasked with handling the governor's request contradicted Cuomo's account and told investigators the governor had not pressed for the second female trooper to be offered a job. That trooper had also later made a statement to the senior investigator about the fact she was not offered a position on the detail as the other woman had been.

In December, the State Police and top aides to the governor had told the Times Union  in response to questions about the trooper's appointment to the detail  that Cuomo had no role in the matter. They also said that rules had not been changed to get the trooper on the detail.

Sources familiar with the matter told the Times Union last year that Cuomo pushed for the then-27-year-old trooper to be offered the job on his detail "because he liked the way she looked." Cuomo's office vehemently denied the governor's involvement and accused the Times Union of being "sexist" for asking if the governor had sought her appointment to his detail because of her physical appearance.

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On Friday, Cuomo's attorney Rita Glavin acknowledged the governor had intervened in the hiring decisions of the State Police  something he has previously said should never occur  and that "he liked how she made eye contact ... how she was assertive in the conversation."

Many, though not all, of the allegations of inappropriate touching and comments made by the governor to the trooper involved incidents after the trooper became one of Cuomo's drivers in April 2019. The attorney general's office said she described Cuomo as "creepy" and "flirtatious."

The report said that "although the governors conduct made her uncomfortable, she did not feel she could safely report or rebuff the conduct because, based on her experience and discussions with others in the PSU, she feared retaliation and believed her career success hinged on whether the governor liked her. She explained: 'Within the PSU, its kind of known that the governor gives the seal of approval who gets promoted and who doesnt within PSU.'"

In August 2019, four months after the trooper became one of the governor's drivers, he had asked probing questions about her plain-clothes attire, including why she never wore a dress or always chose dark-colored clothing. The detail's commander was in the vehicle and interrupted the conversation, but sent a BlackBerry "PIN"  or text message  to the female trooper immediately after the incident that said, "stays in the truck."

The female trooper told investigators she interpreted the message from the commander to mean that she should never tell anyone about that conversation.

On another occasion, the report said the governor asked the trooper why she would get married, noting "it always ends in divorce, and you lose money, and your sex drive goes down."

Another time, she said, Cuomo invited her "upstairs" at the Executive Mansion when she was working on a lower-level command center at the mansion.The report said the trooper was "unclear whether the governor was inviting her 'upstairs' to the first floor of the mansion or 'upstairs' to the second floor, where the governors bedroom is."

Before Cuomo's resignation on Tuesday, the union representing State Police investigators issued a statement demanding that supervision of the governor's protective detail be returned to the agency's headquarters.

"We request that management of the governors detail be immediately transferred to the Division of State Police," the statement read. "This situation clearly demonstrates that the governors control of all aspects of who serves on his protective detail leads to opportunities for impropriety."

As attorney general, Cuomo had once asserted  following an investigation by his administration into alleged misconduct by Gov. Eliot Spitzer and the State Police  that governors should have no role in the hiring or promotional decisions of the law enforcement agency.
The widow of a man struck and killed on a South Dakota highway by the states attorney general is attempting to block the release of her husbands mental health records
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Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, a top Democrat in the Connecticut General Assembly, is calling for all state and municipal employees, including teachers, professors and police officers, to be required to get vaccinated for COVID-19
Papa John's Overhauls Call Center with AI-Infused PapaCall Solution

Pizza chain Papa John's has overhauled its call center with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). The new PapaCall initiative is designed to help customers order food and beverages more easily and facilitate faster turnaround times during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Papa John's joins competitor Domino's in integrating virtual assistant and AI software to improve the ordering process. According to Justin Faciola, chief insights and technology officer at Papa John's, the company hopes to improve the overall customer experience with the PapaCall AI initiative.

"Like most companies, we were reacting in real-time [to the coronavirus ramifications]," Falciola told CIO.com. "We had to keep employees safe and do the same for customers, while continuing to provide the best customer experience."

PapaCall includes an AI engine designed to feed call center agents information when customers place an order by phone. This reduces the time needed to process orders, freeing Papa John's employees to focus on making and delivering pizzas. The company worked with Cognizant (News - Alert) , a long-time technology partner, on implementing AI and machine learning in an effort to assist Papa John's human workers.

Cognizant helped build the PapaCall solution from the ground up, including new IVR software and built-in business logic designed to streamline and enhance the Papa John's ordering experience. Features include mastery of the restaurant's entire menu as well as all possible order permutations.

PapaCall also offers a more personalized customer experience for those calling in their orders. The cloud-based telephony system recognizes repeat customers' phone numbers and greets callers by name. The system also stores customer preferences to create a more contextual interaction.

Papa John's is using the enhanced call center solution at more than 1,500 locations in North America, with additional locations slated to be added. The company hopes to expand the use of AI moving forward to improve personalization. Human workers would be able to easily gain insights to help with processing orders, better assist customers and make personalized product suggestions.

Edited by Luke Bellos
August 11, 2021





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Over the last few years, cryptocurrency has become increasingly normalized and accepted widely, and this trend is likely to continue. Organizations such as Blockchain.com under the financial leadership of Macrina Kgil are at the forefront of the movement.

Ascent to Blockchain Leadership

Beginning her career in South Korea, Kgil graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in petroleum engineering and chemical technology. After spending several years working under notable Korean companies such as Samil PwC, Kgil would transition to New York City to continue her work in capital market transactions, IPOs, and other prudent financial matters.

More than a decade later, Kgil took on the role of being the Chief Financial Officer at Blockchain.com. Kgil joined the company to help lead the company's finances and future growth plans and has implemented various strategies to help the company become profitable. In her own words, Kgil said, "I think my first board meeting with the investors was great because I presented them with a new perspective on our budget for the first time, focusing on the details behind it."

As the CFO of Blockchain.com, Kgil has made it a top priority to build out and optimize the companys monetization practices. Kgil came from a private equity startup and joined Blockchain.com at a time when the company was rapidly building its customer base. Kgil has said, "I think one of my superhuman skills is building out an organization and building out processes."

Series C Funding Acquisition

The explosive and continued growth of cryptocurrency has allowed platforms like Blockchain.com to continue to thrive with its most recent round of funding that it closed. Macrina Kgil was pivotal in helping Blockchain.com through its most recent closing of more than $300 million in Series C funding from investors such as DST, VY Capital, and Baillie Gifford. Earlier in 2021, Blockchain.com secured $120 million from macro investors.

Blockchain.com currently offers crypto wallets to its users and the ability to trade, exchange, and sell crypto, and Kgil intends to help expand the companys core offerings and services. Kgil expects the company to grow and scale within the cryptocurrency industry with global growth as a top priority. Kgil has said, "My view is, I think, everyone should have a little percentage of their wealth in cryptocurrency because I do think it will be a currency or equity of the future."

Challenges for Macrina Kgil and Blockchain.com

Currently experiencing what Kgil describes as a bull market for cryptocurrency, the industry hasn't always been easy to navigate. There are a few factors that Blockchain.com must overcome. One such factor, Kgil points out, comes from conventional banking. Kgil has said, "Traditionally consumer banks have hesitated to work with the crypto community."

Despite explosive growth within the industry and increased normalization as society accepts and adopts cryptocurrency, there are still very real challenges ahead. Kgil said, "Many new and nascent crypto companies have a difficult time securing a bank account, required before they even begin to get funding."

Pointing to the success of Blockchain.com, Kgil understands that the company is in a better position than many of its competitors. Kgil stated in an interview, "We do have all the infrastructure and we have the trust, and we're a company that's not offshore."

Thanks to its early adoption efforts, Blockchain.com has established itself as a reputable face within a largely anonymous and new world. Kgil has said, "Now it's really a matter of, who do we work with? Something we can be proud of, compared to many other crypto companies."

Life Before the Blockchain

Prior to her work with Blockchain.com, Macrina Kgil began her career in South Korea. After navigating through several Korean companies throughout her career, Kgil would relocate to the United States to work within PwCs Global Capital Markets Group, to specialize in helping companies go through initial public offerings.

Notable roles Kgil has held in the financial sector include

VP at Fortress Investment Group

CFO at Springleaf Holdings (currently known as OneMain Holdings)

CFO at GPB Capital Holdings

CFO at Blockchain.com

Kgil presently leads Blockchain.com as its Chief Financial Officer in its financial operations, servicing more than 200 countries and managing billions of dollars in transactions spread across more than 75 million users.
[August 11, 2021] AEON Biopharma Announces the Appointment of Alex Wilson as General Counsel

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AEON Biopharma, Inc., a private clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of its proprietary botulinum toxin complex ABP-450 (prabotulinumtoxinA) injection for therapeutic indications, today announced the appointment of Alex Wilson to the role of General Counsel.

We are pleased to welcome Alex to our team. His experience across a wide range of complex legal and corporate matters, will help guide the company as we look to advance our therapeutic-only focused development of ABP-450 injection for the treatment of debilitating medical conditions, including migraine and gastroparesis, said Marc Forth, Chief Executive Officer of AEON Biopharma. We are excited with the progress made in the development of ABP-450 and our path to executing our clinical and regulatory strategy has crystalized in recent months. I am proud to join AEON at this exciting time in the companys history. I look forward to assisting this outstanding team and contributing to the progress already made to provide an important treatment option to patients suffering from migraine and gastroparesis, stated Mr. Wilson. Prior to joining AEON, Alex served as Associate General Counsel, Business Development & Sustainability at Glaukos Corporation. At Glaukos, he was responsible for a broad range of legal matters, including business development activities, capital markets, corporate governance, and SEC reporting. In addition, he advised on certain marketing, clinical, market access, regulatory, and compliance matters. Previously, Alex worked as a corporate attorney in the Newport Beach office of OMelveny & Myers. He earned his B.S. from Brigham Young University and his J.D. from the UCLA School of Law, where he was a Deans Scholar. About ABP-450 (prabotulinumtoxinA) Injection ABP-450 contains a 900 kDa botulinum toxin type-A complex produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The active part of the botulinum toxin is the 150 kDa component, and the remaining 750 kDa of the complex is made up of accessory proteins that the company believes help with the function of the active portion of the botulinum toxin. When injected at therapeutic levels, ABP-450 blocks peripheral acetylcholine release at presynaptic cholinergic nerve terminals by cleaving SNAP-25, a protein integral to the successful docking and release of acetylcholine from vesicles situated within the nerve endings leading to denervation and relaxation of the muscle. ABP-450 is the same botulinum toxin cmplex that has been approved by regulatory authorities in the United States, the European Union and Canada for an aesthetic indication. To support this aesthetic indication, Daewoongs aesthetic partner completed rigorous clinical development programs using Botox as an active comparator and consistently showed that ABP-450 was non-inferior to Botox at doses ranging from 20 units to 360 units.



AEON Biopharma licenses ABP-450 from Daewoong and possesses exclusive development and distribution rights for ABP-450 for therapeutic indications in the United States, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and certain other international territories. Daewoong has constructed a facility in South Korea for the purposes of producing ABP-450, which was purpose-built to comply with FDA and EMA regulations. About AEON Biopharma

AEON Biopharma is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing ABP-450 (prabotulinumtoxinA) injection for the treatment of debilitating medical conditions with an initial focus on the neurology and gastroenterology markets. The company is dedicated to innovation in the rapidly expanding therapeutic botulinum toxin market and believes its therapeutic-only focus will allow AEON Biopharma to advance safe and effective treatment options to patients, while delivering differentiated economics to payors and physicians. The company continues to evaluate additional therapeutic indications for development based on a comprehensive product assessment process designed to identify those indications where it believes ABP-450 can attain clinical, regulatory, and commercial success. More information about AEON can be found at www.aeonbiopharma.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based on managements believe and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company or its industry to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as may, will, could, would, should, expect, plan, anticipate, intend, believe, estimate, predict, potential or other comparable terminology. All statements other than statements of historical fact could be deemed forward-looking, including any statements about current or planned clinical trials or related milestones; any projections of financial information; any statements about historical results that may suggest trends for the companys business; any statements of the plans, strategies, and objectives of management for future operations; any statements of expectation or belief regarding future events, potential markets or market size, or technology developments; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the items mentioned. The company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While the company believes these expectations, assumptions, estimates, and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the companys control. These and other important factors may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, the company assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements or to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in the companys expectations. AEON Biopharma, Inc. Contacts: Company Contact:

Chris Carr, AEON Biopharma

Chief Financial Officer

+1 949 354 6439

cc@aeonbiopharma.com Investor Contact:

Corey Davis, Ph.D.

LifeSci Advisors

+1 212 915 2577

cdavis@lifesciadvisors.com



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[August 11, 2021]

Affordable high-speed Internet for low-income seniors and families

OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 11, 2021 /CNW/ - Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Now more than ever, Canadians need access to reliable Internet, yet many struggle to pay for it. Through the Connecting Families initiative, the Government of Canada is supporting affordable Internet service for those who need it most.

Today, the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and the Honourable Deb Schulte, Minister of Seniors, announced the second phase of Connecting Families, which will help connect hundreds of thousands of low-income seniors and families to affordable high-speed home Internet in 2022.

Connecting Families 2.0 is introducing significantly faster speeds and increasing the data usage amount. At 50/10 megabits per second (Mbps), the download and upload speeds will be five and ten times faster respectively than Connecting Families 1.0, with 200 GB of data usage for $20 a month. This new phase will also broaden eligibility from families receiving the maximum Canada Child Benefit (CCB) to include low-income seniors. The previous Internet plan offering under Connecting Families 1.0 will also remain available. Access Communications, Bell Canada, Cogeco, CSUR, Hay Communications, Mornington, Novus, Rogers, SaskTel, Tbaytel, TELUS, Videotron and Westman Communications are all participating in offering improved Internet quality, coverage and price to eligible Canadians.







The Government of Canada announced Connecting Families 1.0 in Budget 2017an investment of $13.2 million over five years to help close gaps in Internet affordability and accessibility. This funding enabled the government to partner with Computers for Success Canada to provide computers to low-income Canadians at no cost through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's long-standing Computers for Schools Plus (CFS+) program, and to develop a secure online portal through which eligible Canadian families could access low-cost Internet service packages from Internet service providers that voluntarily participated without government subsidy. Over 75,000 families have benefited to date.

The Connecting Families initiative aligns with Canada's Digital Charter, a 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

"Being connected is important to maintain professional, social, economic and cultural networks within the digital economy. However, many low-income Canadians are still facing barriers that prevent their full participation in the economy. By working with Internet service providers across the country, we are increasing accessibility and providing all Canadians with affordable and reliable Internet."

 The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

"Seniors depend on the Internet to stay in touch and access vital services. Providing low-income seniors with affordable access to high-speed Internet service will make a tremendous difference in their everyday lives. We're grateful to leading Internet service providers for their partnership in making the Internet more accessible to all Canadians."

 The Honourable Deb Schulte, Minister of Seniors



Quick facts

The government is pleased to be partnering on Connecting Families with Access Communications, Bell Canada , Cogeco, CSUR, Hay Communications, Mornington, Novus, Rogers, SaskTel, Tbaytel, TELUS, Videotron and Westman Communications.

, Cogeco, CSUR, Hay Communications, Mornington, Novus, Rogers, SaskTel, Tbaytel, TELUS, Videotron and Westman Communications. With Connecting Families 2.0, eligible participants will have an added Internet offering: 50 Mbps download speeds (or if less than 50 Mbps, the fastest speed available to households in that region) and 200 GB of data usage each month at the discounted rate. No equipment or installation fees will be applied.

Eligible households will receive a letter from the Government of Canada. This letter will contain an access code that is needed to sign up for Connecting Families through a secure online portal. The access code will be valid for the entire duration of the initiative, provided the household continues to be eligible. However, access to the discounted Internet offering or a computer will depend on availability.

Today's announcement builds on several other steps the government has taken to improve telecom services for Canadians, including the historic ENCQOR 5G partnership for next-generation technology, the Connect to Innovate program, the $2.75-billion Universal Broadband Fund and the CRTC's $750-million Broadband Fund.

Associated links

Stay connected

Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA

SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
[August 11, 2021] After a Year Like no Other, Alabama Destinations Career Academy is Gearing Up to Start the New School Year

Alabama Destinations Career Academy (ALDCA), a full-time online public school is gearing up to start new school year and give students throughout the state an education designed with their success in mind. ALDCA students and teachers are preparing to start the 2021-2022 school year tomorrow, August 12. Many families realized during the pandemic that attending school online is a safe alternative that allows them to focus on their child's future. According to a recent survey by Stride, Inc., 91 percent of parents agree that it's important for their children to have multiple school options, including full-time online or a hybrid model that blends online and in-person learning. And almost two-thirds of parents would consider full-time online public school after their virtual education experience in 2020 during the pandemic. ALDCA offers a personalized approach to learning, staffed by state-licensed teachers who deliver rich, engaging curriculum designed to assist students who seek effective education pathways. Despite wide-spread evidence of a "COVID slide" of learning loss for students in the U.S. during the pandemic, Strde K12-powered schools like ALDCA reported lower learning loss rates than those reported in national studies.



Students who attend ALDCA also have the opportunity to look to the future. High school students can participate in the Career Prep Program and enroll in classes that will help them discover and explore potential careers in Health Sciences, Information Technology, and Advanced Manufacturing. Students can also earn college credits while still in high school, giving them a head start in their education and potentially saving them thousands of dollars in college tuition costs. "Students choose online learning for a variety of reasons, including advanced learning, a bullying-free environment, and the flexibility to support extracurricular pursuits or medical needs while maintaining a focus on academics," said ALDCA Head of School Kayleen Marble. "ALDCA's online platform gives students the opportunity to pursue their academic goals in a supportive environment and at an appropriate pace for their learning style."

Visit aldca.k12.com to learn more about ALDCA and how to enroll, or download the Stride K12 mobile app for iOS and Android (News - Alert) devices - where families can enroll, get ready for the first day of school, and keep track of students' progress throughout the school year. About Alabama Destinations Career Academy Alabama Destinations Career Academy (ALDCA) is an online public-school within the Chickasaw City School District, serving students across the state of Alabama. ALDCA is tuition-free, giving parents and families the choice to access the engaging curriculum and tools provided by Stride, Inc. (NYSE: LRN), the nation's leading provider of proprietary K-12 curriculum and online education programs. For more information about ALDCA, visit aldca.k12.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005005/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Algonomy to Redo Bed Bath & Beyond Mexico with Personalized Commerce Search

AI-driven Personalized commerce search, Algonomy FIND, is expected to dramatically improve the search experience, conversions, and product discovery. SAN FRANCISCO and BENGALURU, India, Aug. 11, 2021 /CNW/ -- Algonomy , the leader in Algorithmic Customer Engagement solutions, today announced that Bed Bath & Beyond Mexico, one of the largest omnichannel home furnishings and decor retailers in Mexico, will use Algonomy FIND to offer their customers algorithmically personalized commerce search experiences on their digital store. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc is an omnichannel retailer operating over 1460 stores in the United States, Canada, and Mexico regions. The company sells a wide assortment of merchandise in the Home, Baby, Beauty and Wellness markets. In Bed Bath & Beyond Mexico, Algonomy'sFIND will integrate with Adobe's Magento eCommerce platform and leverage real-time shopper behaviour to personalize search results. FIND uses Algonomy real-time streaming catalogue which will ensure that catalogue changes are indexed in real-time so that critical product attributes are always up to date. Bed Bath & Beyond Mexico will now be able to leverage real-time behavioural data and shopper profiles to uniquely personalize search results for every shopper.



"With an 86% increase in digital growth last year and twice as many customers buying online, we needed a stronger digital strategy for serving a 'digital-first' omnichannel experience," said Adrian Valenzuela, Chief Digital Officer at Bed Bath & Beyond Mexico. "Search is no more just another tool, it's a key business lever, and a relevant and engaging experience can help our shoppers find what they need and complement in-store assistants online." "As shopping habits continue to evolve in a digital first environment, the need for highly personalized shopping experiences, especially product discovery with relevance, are at an all-time high. We are thrilled to be partnering with Bed Bath & Beyond Mexico and bringing our industry-leading commerce search - Algonomy FIND - to their customers," said Robb Miller, SVP Sales - Americas at Algonomy.

Learn more how retailers have benefited from Algonomy FIND here . About Algonomy Algonomy (previously Manthan-RichRelevance) empowers leading brands to become digital-first with the industry's only real-time Algorithmic Customer Engagement (ACE) platform with built-in customer activation and analytics for the retail industry. With industry-leading retail AI expertise connecting demand to supply with a real-time customer data platform as the foundation, Algonomy enables 1:1 omnichannel personalization, customer journey orchestration & analytics, merchandising analytics and supplier collaboration. Algonomy is a trusted partner to more than 400 leading retailers, consumer brands, QSR chains, convenience stores and more, and has a global presence spanning over 20 countries. Visit algonomy.com . View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/algonomy-to-redo-bed-bath--beyond-mexico-with-personalized-commerce-search-301351036.html SOURCE Algonomy

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[August 11, 2021] ALYI Getting Ahead Of The EV Charging Bottleneck

DALLAS, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alternet Systems, Inc. (USOTC: ALYI) ("ALYI") today confirmed an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging solution is planned for the company's EV pilot currently underway in Africa. As President Biden's EV agenda makes headlines, a charging network is being discussed as a possible bottleneck to the proposed agenda. ALYI's business plan is to introduce a comprehensive EV Ecosystem, not just an EV. Instead of introducing a single EV product, ALYI's business focus is on the introduction of an EV ecosystem that addresses the entire EV adoption environment from the perpetual design of best in class vehicles to the perpetual design of the myriad of mechanical and digital systems that go into a best in class vehicle; from the charging and maintenance infrastructure that goes into supporting consumer and commercial vehicles, to the EV value proposition itself that drives consumers and businesses to transition from combustion engines to electric powered vehicles. ALYI does not intend to go it alone. ALYI is building a core element into its ecosystem that attracts, if not compels the participation of all would be brand name EV industry leaders in an annual EV symposium and conference. The EV symposium and conference will be anchored by an EV race event in Kenya that comes with a substantial brand name. The EV race market was valued in 2019 at over $80 billion dollars and is anticipated to grow to over $200 billion by 2025. ALYI's EV ecosystem is founded on building participation in an EV race event as a central component in advancing EV technology and EV branding. ALYI has been developing a partnersip with a major EV racing brand for more than two years now. Over a year ago, ALYI entered into a formal partnership agreement that includes that EV racing brand. The first milestone objectives contemplated under the agreement have been achieved and the next steps are imminent. ALYI expects the next steps to include naming the EV racing brand at which time, ALYI management anticipates ALYI's overall visibility within the global EV market to be substantially elevated.



The objective of the EV symposium and conference anchored by an EV race is to advance EV technology by building EV solutions for the African market  a power constrained, rugged environment with one of the lowest per capita transportation deployments in the world. EV solutions for the African market will be applicable the world around. EV solutions designed and built in Africa also contribute to building an autonomous African economy. ALYI has seeded its EV ecosystem solution with the development of its own EV motorcycle business. ALYI has recently initiated an Electric Motorcycle pilot program in Kenya which is already generating results expected to set ALYI's EV business apart from the competition.

The pilot is being conducted in conjunction with the 2,000 electric motorcycle order, the fulfillment of which is being finalized with results from the pilot. Today, ALYI management confirmed plans for the current EV pilot underway to include a charging solution component. Management further added that the charging solution component will include more than one technology approach covering both on and off grid solutions. ALYI has designed its EV ecosystem solution to include democratized participation. ALYI has partnered with ReovltTOKEN to finance ALYI's growth by offering participation in the EV ecosystem through the sale of Revolt Tokens. To learn more about RevoltTOKEN and how to participate in ALYI's electric vehicle ecosystem through the purchase of Revolt Tokens, visit https://rvlttoken.com/. ALYI plans to make a major announcement later this month regarding the EV race that management expects will garner substantial attention to ALYI's overall EV Ecosystem strategy. For more information and to stay up to date on ALYI's overall latest developments, please visit www.alternetsystemsinc.com . Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur. For more information, please visit: http://www.alternetsystemsinc.com Alternet Systems, Inc. Contact:

Randell Torno

info@lithiumip.com

+1-800-713-0297 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alyi-getting-ahead-of-the-ev-charging-bottleneck-301353462.html SOURCE Alternet Systems, Inc.

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[August 11, 2021] AM Best Withdraws Credit Ratings of Union Security Life Insurance Company of New York

AM Best has removed from under review with developing implications and downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B+ (Good) from B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to "bbb-" (Good) from "bbb" (Good) of Union Security Life Insurance Company of New York (New York, NY). The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings (ratings) is negative. Concurrently, AM Best has withdrawn these ratings as the company has requested to no longer participate in AM Best's interactive rating process. The ratings reflect Union Security Life Insurance Company of New York's balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as adequate, as well as its marginal operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The rating downgrades reflect the diminished strategic importance of Union Security Life Insurance Company of New York to its parent, Assurant Inc., after the sale of its preneed business to CUNA Mutual Group. This business, which was previously primarily the New York marketing arm of Assurant Employee Benefits that was sold to Sun Life Financial Inc. in 2016, is now only actively marketing a small amount of financial services business for Assurant's Global Lifestyle Segment. Additionally, there is extremely high reinsurance leverage due to the sale of several large blocks of business via reinsurance backed by reinsurance trusts. The absolute level of capital has declined considerably from historical levels since the end of 2015, as capital formerly backing the Employee Benefits usiness was released.



The negative outlooks reflect Union Security Life Insurance Company of New York's contracting business profile, which AM Best assesses as limited. 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/20210811005748/en/

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[August 11, 2021] BABYXRP PROVIDING FINANCIAL FREEDOM WITHOUT BOUNDARIES

FLORIDA, Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When three recognized developers were victimized as investors by a BSC project named BXRP, who knew that this would ultimately lead them to an opportunity to collectively change the cryptocurrency industry as we know it! They each made a pact at that moment when they saw members of this community lose millions of dollars - that they would create a coin that rendered a safe haven for investors and that ultimately strived to be different from any other coin ever launched on the BSC platform. A cryptocurrency company ran like a full corporate enterprise from top to bottom is what this team of superstar developers had envisioned for their future investors, which would, in turn, furnish them a sustainability factor for long-term growth leading to generational wealth for its holders. Thus, this fully doxxed developer team created a reward token that would lead to an entire trend of how every other reward token was made subsequently. As a result, BabyXRP (BBYXRP) started trading on July 4, 2021, a day in the United States that is ironically celebrated for its freedom; now also a day that investors on the BSC remember as their first taste of financial freedom.

BabyXRP is a deflationary token that provides Legacy XRP rewards (in the form of wrapped Bep20 XRP) automatically airdropped to its holders every 3 days! The BabyXRP contract consists of an aggregation of a locked liquidity pool, no minting function, and no team tokens- all extraordinary signs of confidence for any potential investor. In addition, to immortalize their one-month anniversary since actuation and their first charity drive in Manila they released a brand new reward tokenomics for the remaining airdrops in the month of August: REWARDS: 10%

MARKETING: 5%

BURN: 1%

LIQUIDITY: 1% So far BabyXRP has rewarded over $1,000,000 worth of XRP to their holders as of August 10. The 10% tax for the rewards pool is on all buys and sells and symbolizes a 100% increase equivalent to their previous tokenomics system. Consequently, when investors witness red on the chart, they can rest assured their rewards are increasing. Nevertheless, the top 4 wallets do not get any XRP rewards and that too accelerates the reward amount by anoter 100%. According to BSCscan, most of their top holders are long-term "diamond hand" holders, many of whom have not sold a single coin. With that much trust in their team and the reward system from their big holders, one can safely assume that you are in good hands with BabyXRP. Every penny of the marketing wallet is used to promote the growth of their brand and full transparency with the community on where exactly marketing funds were spent are always available. Over 12,400 holders of BabyXRP are now on record for this project, representing marvelous maturation and a gleaming future.



The brand-new relationship with the Btok social network will provide assistance in expanding awareness to worldwide investors, including regionally in mainland China and Asia. The team fully understands the potential of the South East Asian crypto market and thus, they are targeting language groups and new platforms just like this one to spread the word and to educate. The team's vision has always been to create a one-stop shop for crypto information and investing on their media platforms. The BabyXRP team has even gone as far as adding a crypto psychologist to the team to help create plans for targeting different demographics. Moreover, the BabyXRP team has decided to create an analytics team to begin using a streamlined process to trial what is functional and what can use improvements with their marketing endeavors. The whole principle usage of BabyXRP is to reward holders in the shape of XRP tokens. In terms of basics, the XRP token has been trending upwards since the most recent comments from Ripple CTO David Schwartz who has been hinting at the fact that the company is attempting to take advantage of the stylish NFT markets. As part of its business enlargement design, Ripple is discovering whether the prospect of migrating NFT to XRP Ledger could be advantageous to their organization. Moreover, moving its liquidity on-demand business to global markets seems to be on the horizon. The XRP Ledger offers low transaction costs and fast processing speeds, hence, making it a captivating platform to support NFTs. Federated side chains have also been mentioned in the latest media releases coming out in the next few months and this would support larger measurability, and possibly could offer much greater speeds and transaction volumes. With the XRP token back above their support line, many traders are anticipating an astronomic run upcoming and this only means better value for BabyXRP holders.

When all said and done, the BabyXRP brand corresponds to so much more than just another coin, it represents true financial freedom with no boundaries. So whether you are in the Philippines and can't afford to open a bank account due to the $100 minimum deposit or whether you are a non-documented immigrant living in the USA and have no access to the required paperwork needed to open a new bank account - BabyXRP opens the door for you by allowing you to do business on the blockchain while collecting a daily profit every 3 days! No bank account in the world can provide this much value on your funds yet provide you with a passive income that you can rely upon like clockwork. So has this team completed their vision of what they sought out to be once they first started? The head developer Neko puts it best when he responded by saying, "Absolutely....not! The BabyXRP brand is just beginning in terms of connecting people of all demographics on the blockchain. Our vision is to be a company that will operate generations down the line, not just for the next 12 months. We have a vision of changing the world one wallet at a time. Our baby is just waiting to grow into his next stage of growth and with us fine-tuning our marketing/tokenomics to adapt to this ever-changing marketplace - BabyXRP is a coin...well a company that is here to make our mark in a big way. One of my lessons in this cryptocurrency industry is that both Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle. Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but we fail to realize that sometimes the growth occurs while we're climbing it." COMPANY LINKS:



HTTP://WWW.BABYXRP.ORG

https://t.me/OFFICIALBABYXRP

https://twitter.com/OfficialBabyXRP MEDIA CONTACT:



TENDIEMAN FRANKLIN

DEV@BABYXRP.ORG PR CONTACT:



DAVE RUIZ

DAVE@CRYTOKIDFINANCE.COM



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[August 11, 2021] Crescita Reports Second Quarter 2021 Results and Provides Corporate Update

Crescita Therapeutics Inc. (TSX: CTX and OTC US: CRRTF) ("Crescita" or the "Company"), a growth-oriented, innovation-driven Canadian commercial dermatology company, today reported its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021 ("Q2-F2021") and provided a corporate update. All amounts presented are in thousands of Canadian dollars ("CAD") unless otherwise noted. Financial Highlights Q2-F2021 vs. Q2-F2020 Revenue was $2,949 compared to $1,733, an increase of $1,216;

Gross profit was $1,722 compared to $1,092, an increase of $630;

Operating expenses were $2,399 compared to $2,318, an increase of $81;

Adjusted EBITDA 1 was $(269) compared to $(781), an improvement of $512;

was $(269) compared to $(781), an improvement of $512; Ending cash position was $13,083 compared to $9,265, an increase of $3,818. 1Please refer to the Non-IFRS Financial Measures section of this press release. Q2-F2021 and Subsequent Corporate Developments Expansion of Production Volumes within the Manufacturing and Services Segment We received firm purchase orders of approximately $7 million within our Manufacturing and Services segment, representing a significant increase in production and sales volume over the next 12 months. The increase in volume is a result of our customers ordering product to support anticipated launches into new key markets and therefore may not be representative of future orders. Launch of Pliaglis in Austria Our licensing partner, Pelpharma Handels GmbH ("Pelpharma"), launched Pliaglis in Austria. Licensing Agreement for Pliaglis with Croma Pharma GmbH We entered into an exclusive commercialization and development license agreement with Croma Pharma GmbH ("Croma"), a globally acclaimed pharmaceutical company with specializations in medical aesthetics, ophthalmology, and orthopaedics, for the rights to Pliaglis in nine countries comprising: Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Brazil, Romania, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Crescita is eligible to receive a combination of upfront, cumulative sales and other milestone payments of up to 1.25 million over the term of the agreement with a potential for further cumulative sales milestones based on tranches of incremental sales. Expansion of our Senior Leadership Team Mr. Francois Lafortune joined Crescita's senior leadership team as Executive Vice-President and General Manager. This new senior management position is intended to drive growth within our Commercial Skincare and Manufacturing and Services segments. Corporate Update Serge Verreault, President and CEO of Crescita commented: "During the quarter, we achieved a number of key milestones as we executed our strategic growth initiatives. We continued to expand our Pliaglis footprint with a 9-country licensing deal with Croma which is well positioned to execute successful multi-country launches. Our partner, Pelpharma, launched Pliaglis in Austria, and Cantabria reported positive Pliaglis sales momentum in Italy with record-high sales for the quarter. In the United States, we didn't recognize any Pliagllis royalties in Q2, as Taro continues to face commercial challenges. On the medical aesthetics side, we launched NCTF in April. As post-pandemic conditions normalize across Canada, we believe that our revenues should continue to improve. On another high note, we received purchase orders of approximately $7 million, which brings significant production volumes to our plant, a long-time objective for Crescita. These developments contribute to increasing recurring revenue streams and move us closer to our goal of sustained profitability for our shareholders." Mr. Verreault added: "I am also pleased with our Q2 results which showed an overall recovery in Commercial Skincare sales versus last year. We continue to grow our commercial sales by furthering brand awareness through various direct-to-consumer digital marketing initiatives. We believe that our approach to direct-to-consumer marketing will bring us closer to end consumers, leading to more opportunities for direct engagement and increased brand awareness. We are creating a solid platform for upcoming growth initiatives in 2022 and beyond with the addition of key members to our sales and marketing teams to support the launch of the ART-FILLER range, our hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers, anticipated in the first half of 2022. We also welcomed Mr. Francois Lafortune to the newly created position of Executive Vice President and General Manager. Francois has a solid track record of domestic and international strategic management experience in the cosmetics industry and will be pivotal to our initiatives to grow our skincare and manufacturing businesses." Mr. Verreault concluded: "We will have intense focus on execution and financial discipline in implementing our growth strategies, including elevating our brands and manufacturing business, and further expanding our international footprint through strategic partnerships for Pliaglis. We maintain a strong liquidity position with $13.1 million in cash and $2.2 million available under our credit facility at June 30, 2021, which allows us to continue to pursue strategic M&A, an integral part of our growth strategy." Q2-F2021 Financial Results Note: The Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A"), the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements and accompanying notes for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 are available at www.crescitatherapeutics.com/investors and have been filed with SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Summary Financial Results







In thousands of CAD, except per share data and number of shares Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 $ $ $ $ Commercial Skincare 1,869 1,304 3,636 2,843 Licensing and Royalties 475 413 1,281 1,866 Manufacturing and Services 605 16 1,297 839 Revenues 2,949 1,733 6,214 5,548 Cost of goods sold 1,227 641 2,376 1,992 Gross profit 1,722 1,092 3,838 3,556 Gross margin (%) 58.4% 63.0% 61.8% 64.1% Research and development 118 336 337 564 Selling, general and administrative 1,930 1,568 3,793 3,751 Depreciation and amortization 351 414 682 828 Total operating expenses 2,399 2,318 4,812 5,143 Operating loss (677) (1,226) (974) (1,587) Total other expenses 35 1,859 174 1,812 Loss before income taxes (712) (3,085) (1,148) (3,399) Deferred income tax expense - - - 180 Net loss (712) (3,085) (1,148) (3,579) Adjusted EBITDA1 (269) (781) (182) (669) Earnings per share Basic and Diluted $ (0.03) $ (0.15) $ (0.06) $ (0.17) Weighted average number of common shares outstanding Basic and Diluted 20,612,840 20,648,448 20,619,686 20,674,433 Selected Balance Sheet Information Cash and cash equivalents, end of period 13,083 9,265 13,083 9,265 Selected Cash Flow Information Cash (used in) provided by operating activities (743) 84 (939) 350 Cash used in investing activities (39) (37) (43) (61) Cash used in financing activities (82) (89) (202) (292)

Revenue We have three reportable segments: 1) Commercial Skincare ("Commercial"), which manufactures branded non-prescription skincare products for sale in both the Canadian and international markets and commercializes Pliaglis and New Cellular Treatment Factor ("NCTF") in Canada; 2) Licensing and Royalties ("Licensing"), which includes revenues generated from licensing our intellectual property related to Pliaglis or to our transdermal delivery technologies; and 3) Manufacturing and Services ("Manufacturing"), which includes revenue from contract manufacturing and product development services. For the three months ended June 30, 2021, total revenue was $2,949 compared to $1,733 for the three months ended June 30, 2020. The increase of $1,216 came primarily from our Commercial and Manufacturing segments in the amounts of $565 and $589, respectively, largely representing the recovery in consumer demand following the COVID-19-related prolonged shutdowns of personal services businesses in Q2-F2020 and periods of 2021. Gross Profit For the three months ended June 30, 2021, gross profit was $1,722, representing a gross margin of 58.4%, compared to $1,092 and 63.0%, respectively, for the three months ended June 30, 2020. The increase of $630 in gross profit was mainly due to the recovery in the Commercial and Manufacturing segment sales year-over-year, as described above, while we continued to benefit from wage and rent subsidies under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy ("CEWS") and Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy ("CERS") programs during the quarter. The decrease in gross margin of 4.6% was mainly driven by: 1) the decrease in full-margin licensing revenue, compounded by the incremental cost of goods sold from supplying Pliaglis under the Austria licensing agreement; and 2) the unfavourable revenue mix of having higher revenue in our Manufacturing segment year-over-year, partly offset by the benefit of government subsidies versus Q2-F2020. Operating Expenses For the three months ended June 30, 2021, total operating expenses were $2,399 compared to $2,318 for the three months ended June 30, 2020. The year-over-year slight increase of $81 was primarily driven by higher selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses of $362, mainly reflecting a return to pre-COVID level headcount-related costs compared to Q2-F2020 which included temporary layoffs and salary reductions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These expenses were partly offset by lower research and development ("R&D") spend of $218, largely reflecting the Company's proportionate funding of clinical development activities related to CTX-101 in Q2-F2020 which did not repeat, and by lower depreciation and amortization expense of $63. Other Expenses We updated our impairment assessment at June 30, 2020, mainly to reflect the projected impact on our long-term forecasts of the pandemic-driven decrease in demand for our non-prescription skincare products and contract manufacturing and development services. As a result, we recognized an intangible assets impairment charge of $1,918 in that quarter. Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents were $13,083 at June 30, 2021 compared to $9,265 at June 30, 2020, representing a year-over-year increase of $3,818, mainly due to cash of $5,151 received after the amendment to the Company's licensing agreement with Taro Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Q3-F2020, partly offset by the cash used in operations. Non-IFRS Financial Measures We report our financial results in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). However, we use certain non-IFRS financial measures to assess our Company's performance. We believe these to be useful to management, investors, and other financial stakeholders in assessing Crescita's performance. The non-IFRS measures used in this press release do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and are therefore not comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. These measures should be considered as supplemental in nature and not as a substitute for the related financial information prepared in accordance with IFRS. The following are the Company's non-IFRS measures along with their respective definitions: EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation, and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, other expenses (income), share-based compensation costs, goodwill and intangible asset impairment, and foreign exchange (gains) losses, as applicable. Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA is an important measure of operating performance and cash flow and provides useful information to investors as it highlights trends in the underlying business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on IFRS measures. Below is a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to their closest IFRS measures. In thousands of CAD dollars Three months ended

June 30, Six months ended

June 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 $ $ $ $ Net loss (712) (3,085) (1,148) (3,579) Adjust for: Depreciation and amortization 351 414 682 828 Interest expense (income), net 25 (8) 13 (5) Deferred income tax expense - - - 180 EBITDA (336) (2,679) (453) (2,576) Adjust for: Share-based compensation 57 31 110 90 Foreign exchange loss (gain) 10 (51) 161 (101) Impairment of intangible assets - 1,918 - 1,918 Adjusted EBITDA (269) (781) (182) (669) Caution Concerning Limitations of Summary Financial Results Press Release This summary earnings press release contains limited information meant to assist the reader in assessing Crescita's performance, but it is not a suitable source of information for readers who are unfamiliar with Crescita and is not in any way a substitute for the Company's Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements and notes thereto, MD&A and our latest Annual Information Form ("AIF"). About Crescita Therapeutics Inc. Crescita (TSX: CTX and OTC US: CRRTF) is a growth-oriented, innovation-driven Canadian commercial dermatology company with in-house R&D and manufacturing capabilities. The Company offers a portfolio of high-quality, science-based non-prescription skincare products and early to commercial stage prescription products. We also own multiple proprietary transdermal delivery platforms that support the development of patented formulations to facilitate the delivery of active ingredients into or through the skin. Our non-prescription portfolio comprises a wide variety of premium quality dermocosmetic products which include facial creams, cleansers, exfoliants, masks, serums and suncare, that each serve a different and personalized consumer need. The portfolio is designed to address preventive care to combating the first signs of aging, as well as all primary aesthetic skin concerns. Our products serve two sub-sets of the skincare market: aesthetics and medical aesthetics. Our national sales force calls on aesthetic practitioners, medical aesthetic clinics and medispas across Canada. In addition, our skincare brands are sold in certain Asian markets, such as Malaysia, South Korea and China through international distributors, as well as through various e-commerce platforms. Crescita's portfolio also includes Pliaglis, our lead prescription product, that utilizes our proprietary phase-changing topical cream Peel technology. Pliaglis is a topical local anesthetic cream that provides safe and effective local dermal analgesia on intact skin prior to superficial dermatological procedures. The product, currently approved in over 25 different countries, is sold by commercial partners in the United States, Italy, Spain and Brazil, and was most recently launched in Austria. We market Pliaglis in the Canadian physician-dispensed skincare market through our own sales force. Our expertise in topical product formulation and development can be leveraged in combination with our patented transdermal delivery technologies to develop and manufacture creams, liquids, gels, ointments and serums under our contract development and manufacturing organization ("CDMO") infrastructure. We run our operations from our head office located in the heart of the Biotech City in Laval, Quebec, where we also manufacture the majority of our non-prescription skincare products in our 50,000 square-foot facility. Forward-looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. 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 include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's objectives, plans, goals, strategies, growth, performance, operating results, financial condition, our belief that we have sufficient liquidity to fund our business operations during the upcoming fiscal year, strategy for customer retention, growth, product development, market position, financial results and reserves, strategy for risk management, business prospects, opportunities and industry trends, the expected impact of, and responses taken by the Company with respect to, the COVID-19 pandemic, and similar statements concerning anticipated future events, results, circumstances, performance or expectations. 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 the Company's control. Crescita's actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not unduly rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause Crescita's actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others: economic and market conditions, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the response thereto of governments and consumers, the Company's ability to execute its growth strategies, reliance on third parties for clinical trials, marketing, distribution and commercialization, the impact of changing conditions in the regulatory environment and product development processes, manufacturing and supply risks, increasing competition in the industries in which the Company operates, the Company's ability to meet its debt commitments, the impact of unexpected product liability matters, the impact of litigation involving the Company and/or its products, the impact of changes in relationships with customers and suppliers, the degree of intellectual property protection of the Company's products, the degree of market acceptance of the Company's products, developments and changes in applicable laws and regulations, as well as other risk factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" sections of our most recent annual MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2020 and our AIF dated March 24, 2021. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this press release is based only on information currently available to management and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, Crescita undertakes 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005455/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Istation gains pre-K, K-8 academic intervention approval in Mississippi

Istation, a leader in educational technology, gained pre-K and K-8 academic intervention and K-5 universal screener approval for Istation Reading in Mississippi. The state uses diagnostic assessments to identify where students struggle and evidence-based academic intervention that utilizes guided learning instruction to help students improve those skills. The Mississippi State Board of Education seeks to provide students with access to world-class educational materials to promote the development of knowledge and skills for college and the workforce. Powered by the science of reading, Istation's reading assessments and instructional resources for pre-K through eighth grade cover the National Reading Panel's "Big Five" foundational essentials: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension and vocabulary. Schools get the support they need to improve foundational reading and growth with assessments that provide actionable and insightful data that measure these skills and many others. Students take a computer-adaptive assessment, known as Istation's Indicators of Progress (ISIP), which measures overall proficiency and abilities. Istation uses student progress and assessment data to create personalized data profiles with relevant information on students' progress. These instantaneous and customizable reports include both graphical and contextual analyses for each student. Teachers can use this data to plan and differentiate instruction, provide necessary interventions and discover students who may be at risk for learning disabilities.



"We take pride in the extensive science and research that is used to drive Istation's educational materials," said Istation CEO Richard Collins. "Istation is honored to be approved by the Mississippi State Board of Education to provide academic support for students and educators across Mississippi." Learn how Istation Reading serves as an effective academic intervention tool to address the personalized needs of each student by providing teachers with invaluable insights to help students prosper.

About Istation Founded in 1998 and based in Dallas, Texas, Istation (Imagination Station) has become one of the nation's leading providers of richly animated, game-like educational technology. Winner of several national educational technology awards, the Istation program puts more instructional time in the classroom through small-group and collaborative instruction. Istation's innovative reading, math and Spanish programs immerse students in an engaging and interactive environment and inspire them to learn. Additionally, administrators and educators can use Istation to easily track the progress of their students, schools and classrooms. Istation now serves over 4 million students throughout the United States and in several other countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005150/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Rep. Ted Deutch and Rep. Michael McCaul Announced as 2021 Honorees for GRAMMYs on the Hill 20th Anniversary

On Sept. 22, music will return to the nation's capital as the Recording Academy marks a successful year of virtual advocacy and celebrates the 20th anniversary of the GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards in person. The event is Washington's premier annual celebration of music and advocacy, bringing together congressional leaders and music makers to recognize those who have led the fight for creators' rights. Sponsored by City National Bank, this year's awards will honor five-time GRAMMY-winning songwriters and producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the duo behind iconic songs from artists like Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, and Boyz II Men. Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) will be honored for their contributions to support legislation that protects and ensures fair treatment for music creators. Special guests and attendees will be announced in the coming weeks. "The pandemic has shown us just how crucial it is for the Academy and Congress to work together to find equitable solutions that protect the music community," said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. "We're thrilled to celebrate the legislators and artists who have improved the environment for creators with the return of GRAMMYs on the Hill - a celebration of the music community and Congress coming together to achieve policy advancements in the name of music. To have Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Representatives Deutch and McCaul join us at the 20th anniversary of the event is truly an honor, and we're looking forward to recognizing their invaluable contributions made toward the fight for creators' rights." With 40 years of legendary songwriting and producing under their belts, Jam and Lewis - also known for their impeccable style - just released their debut album as artists, Jam and Lewis, Volume One to critical acclaim. After meeting in middle school, the two later played with the seminal Morris Day & The Time recording and opening on tour for Prince before launching their storied career with dozens of artists earning them five GRAMMY Awards, more than 100 gold, platinum, multiplatinum, and diamond albums, more Billboard No. 1 hits than any production duo in history, and an induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1982 on a handshake, the pair opened Flyte Tyme Productions, INC., which included their own studio, publishing and eventually their record label Perspective, which turns 30 this year. Undoubtedly, they have profoundly shaped music - be it R&B, pop, dance, and gospel genres, or projects lik the Olympic theme song - Jam and Lewis are extraordinary innovators in the industry.



Their No. 1 hits include "That's The Way Love Goes" by Janet Jackson, "Monkey" by George Michael, "U Remind Me" by Usher, and "Be Blessed" by Yolanda Adams. Deutch and McCaul are the congressional honorees being recognized for their stalwart support of creators, especially in the past year when many in the industry lost income and needed help. Deutch is lead Democratic sponsor for the American Music Fairness Act, which, when passed, will pay royalties to artists and producers when their music is played on the radio. McCaul has co-sponsored key legislation like the Help Independent Tracks Succeed Act (HITS Act), which updates the federal tax code to bring in line music production with other industries and create parity.

The awards dinner and presentation will take place at the Hamilton Live in Washington, D.C., with live performances from the musical honorees and additional special guests. Over the past 20 years, GRAMMYs on the Hill has hosted award-winning artists and applauded congressional leaders alike, including four-time GRAMMY winner Yolanda Adams, then Vice President Joe Biden, two-time GRAMMY winner Garth Brooks, former United States Secretary of State and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), former Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), 28-time GRAMMY winner Quincy Jones, seven-time GRAMMY winner John Mayer, former Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), four-time GRAMMY winner Missy Elliott, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and more. The annual advocacy event has also led to several major legislative wins for the music industry, most notably the Music Modernization Act. At GRAMMYs on the Hill, the safety of the honorees, guests, performers, and staff is our first priority. The event will follow all necessary COVID-19 precautions, safety guidelines and requirements set forth by health officials. ABOUT THE RECORDING ACADEMY The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music's history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards - music's only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. As the world's leading society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a more inspiring world for creators. For more information about the Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @RecordingAcad on Twitter, "like" Recording Academy on Facebook, and join the Recording Academy's social communities on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005212/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Mary Kay Inc. Earns Several Awards for Work in Business, COVID-19 Response and Sustainability Efforts

In 2021, Mary Kay Inc. continued its decades-long commitment to enriching the lives of women around the globe, manufacturing irresistible products and building healthier, more sustainable communities even in response to COVID-19. In recognition of Mary Kay's achievements in the last six months, the brand has taken home several coveted awards in the business, corporate citizenship, and leadership categories from various prestigious organizations. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005163/en/ Mary Kay was named a Silver Globee Winner in 3 categories at the 13th Annual 2021 Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards. (Graphic: Mary Kay Inc.) The awards, which range from recognition of the brand's COVID-19 response to accolades for a Mary Kay-produced documentary on the Gulf of Mexico's preservation efforts, highlight the company's unwavering business values and its dedication to the principles defined by the brand's legendary founder, Mary Kay Ash. Latest awards include: COVID-19 Response Awards Silver Globee Winner - 13 th Annual 2021 Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards Team of the Year During COVID-19 (Hand Sanitizer Distribution Team) Company Response of the Year (Mary Kay Inc.) Best Product To Combat and Reduce the Impact of COVID-19 (Mary Kay Hand Sanitizer)

Gold Globee Winner - 13 th Annual 2021 Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards Best Non-Profit Response Helping Local Communities and the World During COVID-19 (The Mary Kay Foundation SM )

Silver Globee Winner - 6 th Annual 2021 American Best in Business Awards Team of the Year During COVID-19 (Hand Sanitizer Distribution Team) Company Response of the Year (Mary Kay Inc.) Best Product to Combat and Reduce the Impact of COVID-19 (Mary Kay Hand Sanitizer)

Gold Globee Winner - 6 th Annual 2021 American Best in Business Awards Best Non-Profit Response Helping Local Communities and the World During COVID-19 (The Mary Kay Foundation SM )





Company Awards America's Best Mid-Sized Employers 2021 - Forbes

"Power of Woman" Award, Mary Kay Ukraine, joint project with Marie Claire - X-RAY Marketing Awards

The Best Employer 2021, Mary Kay Poland - The Financial Magazine

"Direct Sales Cosmetic Company Number One Award," Mary Kay Belarus - "Number One" Annual National Awards Sustainability Awards

Guardians of the Gulf, an eye-opening documentary that explores the tumultuous relationship between the Gulf of Mexico and the conservationists determined to protect it, has received various awards. Mary Kay Inc., serving as executive producer, with Media One in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, visited the coasts of Texas, Alabama and Mexico to shed light on the often-untold stories of Gulf preservation. Silver: Non-Broadcast General-Nature/Wildlife - Telly Awards

Bronze: Non-Broadcast General-Documentary - Telly Awards

Best Special Focus Documentary Finalist - LA Femme International Film Festival

World Remi Award - Worldfest Houston International Film Festival Leadership Recognition "67 Powerful Black Women CEOs And Executives In Corporate America," Julia Simon, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary / Sheryl Adkins-Green, Chief Marketing Officer - Business Insider

"TOP Women CEOs in Ukraine" in Women's Leadership in the Corporate Sector and Business rating - Viktoriia Zoria-Iatsenko, General Manager, Mary Kay Ukraine - WoMo (The Portal for Working Women)

"50 Most Valuable Women in Poland," Ewa Kudlinska-Pyrz, General Manager, Mary Kay Poland - The Financial Magazine

"The Top 100 Women Leaders In Consumer Products Of 2021," Allyson Sellers, Vice President of Sales, Mary Kay U.S. - Women We Admire About Mary Kay One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her beauty company nearly 60 years ago with three goals: develop rewarding opportunities for women, offer irresistible products, and make the world a better place. That dream has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar company with millions of independent sales force members in nearly 40 countries. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skin care, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements and fragrances. Mary Kay is committed to empowering women and their families by partnering with organizations from around the world, focusing on supporting cancer research, protecting survivors from domestic abuse, beautifying our communities, and encouraging children to follow their dreams. Mary Kay Ash's original vision continues to shine-one lipstick at a time. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005163/en/

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[August 11, 2021] MetroNet to Make La Crosse, Wisconsin a Gigabit City

MetroNet today announced that the company will build its fiber optic network in La Crosse, Wisconsin, bringing Gigabit speed internet to residents and businesses for the first time. Evansville, IN.- based, MetroNet is the nation's largest independently owned, 100 percent fiber optic provider. The City of La Crosse marks MetroNet's first city build in Wisconsin. MetroNet will fully fund the construction through a $12 -$15 million investment. "The City of La Crosse is excited to welcome MetroNet to the community as they will provide residents and businesses with more choice for high-speed connectivity," said Mitch Reynolds, Mayor of La Crosse. "MetroNet's future-proofed network will greatly enhance our community's economic development potential and our ability to connect our residents and businesses to success for generations to come." MetroNet is bridging the digital divide as one of the fastest-growing providers of 100 percent fiber optic high-speed broadband services in the nation and is known for its superior customer service provided through strong local presence in its markets. MetroNet delivers affordable, symmetrical speeds of up to 10 Gigabits with no long-term contracts to homes and businesses in underserved communities across 12 states. The company expects its network to be available to more than 1 million residential households and business locations in the near term, bringing competition for these services to hundreds of communities. "Our 100 percent fiber, future-proofed network has proven valuable to our partner cities in such states as Minnesota, Iowa, and Kentucky, and we are proud to bring that opportunity now to Wisconsin through our first market in La Crosse," said John Cinelli, MetroNet CEO. "Mayors and other city leaders are faced with a wide range of choices for their cities when trying to bridge the digital divide. As the nation's largest and fastest growing, independently owned fiber optic company, our strategy of building without the use of public funds has proven to be a very effective approach to keeping our serices accessible and affordable."



MetroNet expects construction to begin in the spring, with the first customers coming online in the summer of 2022. La Crosse residents will begin seeing MetroNet trucks throughout the area as pre-construction processes begin across the market. In new MetroNet markets, residents will receive communication by mail about construction activity in their neighborhood 30 days prior to starting and the company provides additional messaging, such as yard signs, to let residents know when the temporary construction process is beginning in their neighborhood. MetroNet crews are marked by ID tags and branded vehicles.

Residents and businesses that are interested in MetroNet services may visit MetroNetInc.com to indicate their interest and to receive updates on construction. MetroNet will establish a retail storefront located in La Crosse, Wisconsin for customers to have direct access to customer service and sales. Additionally, MetroNet plans to hire local market management positions, sales and customer service professionals, and service technicians to support the La Crosse area. For those interested in joining the MetroNet team, visit metronetinc.com/careers to search available positions and submit applications. About MetroNet: MetroNet is the nation's largest independently owned, 100 percent Fiber Optic Company headquartered in Evansville, Indiana. The customer-focused company provides cutting-edge fiber optic communication services, including high-speed Fiber Internet, full-featured Fiber Phone, and Fiber IPTV (News - Alert) with a wide variety of programming. MetroNet started in 2005 with one fiber optic network in Greencastle, Indiana, and has since grown to serving and constructing networks in more than 100 communities across Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and Texas. MetroNet is committed to bringing state-of-the-art telecommunication services to communities - services that are comparable or superior to those offered in large metropolitan areas. MetroNet has been named in the top 50 small and medium companies on Glassdoor and has been honored with a Glassdoor Employees' Choice Award recognizing MetroNet among the Best Places to Work in 2020. MetroNet has been recognized by PC Mag as one of the Top 10 Fastest ISPs in North Central United States in 2020 and Top 10 ISPs with Best Gaming Quality Index in 2021. Broadband Now has recognized MetroNet as the Top 3 Fastest Internet Providers and Fastest Fiber Providers in the Nation in 2020, and #1 Fastest Mid-Sized Internet Provider in two states in 2020. In 2020, MetroNet was awarded the Vectren Energy Safe Digging Partner Award from Vectren. For more information, visit www.MetroNetinc.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005487/en/

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[August 11, 2021] New Heritage Capital Invests in Icelandirect

New Heritage Capital ("Heritage"), a Boston-based private equity firm, is pleased to announce a new platform investment in Icelandirect ("Icelandirect" or the "Company"), a leading importer, manufacturer and packager of marine oils and other nutraceutical products. Icelandirect has proven to be an invaluable partner for its customers, with extensive in-house formulation & packaging capabilities, a reputation for sourcing high-quality, hard-to-find ingredients from its global supplier base, and ability to meet fast turnaround times. Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL) acted as financial advisor to the Company in the sale transaction. Heritage completed the investment through its unique Private IPO solution, which leaves operating control in the hands of the Icelandirect's reinvesting co-founders, while providing them with the desired liquidity and financial flexibility to accelerate future growth. Since its inception in 2010, the Company has expanded its offering of hard-to-find marine oils and other nutraceutical products while growing its customer base by delivering world-class service. "When we began the search for a partner, we were hoping to find someone who could help take our business to the next level, but not at the expense of our culture and commitment to customer success," said Mark Stenberg, co-founder and retiring CEO of Icelandirect. "I am excited to support this next phase of Icelandirect's growth as a ember of the Company's Board of Directors."



"We are thrilled to be partnering with Heritage, who is supportive of our vision for the future," added Brandon Miller, co-founder and newly appointed CEO of the Company. "We look forward to working with the Heritage team to execute on our exciting growth objectives." Melissa Barry, Partner at Heritage added, "We could not be more excited to partner with Brandon and the entire team at Icelandirect to help drive continued growth in the business. We're impressed with Icelandirect's position as an invaluable partner to its customers, and look forward to supporting the Company as it continues to diversify its ingredient offering and expand its in-house capabilities."

About Icelandirect

Founded in 2010, Icelandirect has quickly grown from an importer of Icelandic fish oils to a diversified importer, manufacturer, and packager of marine oils and other nutraceutical products. The Company's customers have come to rely on Icelandirect for its ability to source hard-to-find ingredients, full offering of custom formulation & packaging services, and unparalleled customer service. For more information about Icelandirect, visit icelandirect.com. About New Heritage Capital

New Heritage Capital is a Boston-based private equity firm with a twenty-year history of partnering with growing, middle market, founder-owned businesses. With its innovative investment structures like the Private IPO, Heritage provides founders with a combination of liquidity and growth capital while allowing founders to maintain control of their business. With decades of experience at managing growth, Heritage gives its partners the strategic, operational and financial guidance to help its companies reach their growth objectives. To learn more, visit newheritagecapital.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005056/en/

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[August 11, 2021] RTI to Exhibit and Present at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2021

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Real-Time Innovations (RTI) , the largest software framework company for autonomous systems, today announced it will exhibit and present at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2021 , held August 16-19, 2021 in Atlanta, GA. RTIs booth will showcase the companys latest product release and how RTI Connext DDS is the proven software framework for enabling comprehensive connectivity across autonomous systems. The next critical iteration of the autonomous future is here, as industries move past the hype and build practical, productive and safe autonomy. Systems that were once powered by humans, connected by hardware and operated locally are making way for AI-enabled, software-defined autonomous systems. But the path to autonomy is rife with technical challenges as companies navigate from development to production. To gain a competitive edge, these challenges  connectivity, mobility, security, safety certification as well as the ability to evolve and scale as the industry evolves  must be addressed from the beginning. As the largest software framework provider for autonomous systems, RTI leads the way with real-world autonomous systems in medical, energy, autonomous vehicles, military, simulation, industrial automation systems and more. Connet DDS serves as the connectivity framework for todays unmanned systems, and is field proven in over 1,700 design wins, including 250+ autonomous systems. RTI enables rapid prototyping, accelerated development and deployment cycles, and reduced program risk with its rich ecosystem of autonomous system partners.



In addition to exhibiting, RTI Regional Field Application Engineering Manager, John Breitenbach will present on,  Using Microservices to Build Future-Forward Autonomous Systems.  In this session, attendees will learn how to: Leverage microservices to meet your connectivity, mobility, security and safety certification needs

Organize deployments around your business capabilities

Enable your business model and ecosystem

The session will take place on Thursday, August 19, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. EDT at the AUVSI Solutions Theater.





Event Details

What: RTI at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2021

When: August 16-19, 2021

Where: Booth #3608, Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC), 285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA 30313



For more information about RTI at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2021, including how to schedule a meeting time with executives, please visit: https://bit.ly/3rSWQk5 About RTI

Real-Time Innovations (RTI) is the largest software framework company for autonomous systems. RTI Connext is the world's leading architecture for developing intelligent distributed systems. Uniquely, Connext shares data directly, connecting AI algorithms to real-time networks of devices to build autonomous systems. RTI is the best in the world at ensuring our customers success in deploying production systems. With over 1,700 designs, RTI software runs over 250 autonomous vehicle programs, controls the largest power plants in North America, coordinates combat management on U.S. Navy ships, drives a new generation of medical robotics, enables flying cars, and provides 24/7 intelligence for hospital and emergency medicine. RTI runs a smarter world. RTI is the leading vendor of products compliant with the Object Management Group (OMG) Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard. RTI is privately held and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with regional offices in Colorado, Spain and Singapore.

Media Contact:

Madeline Kalicka

Karbo Communications for RTI

240-427-8961

RTI@karbocom.com Cameron Emery

Director of Corporate Communications, RTI

cameron@rti.com



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[August 11, 2021] RTI and InterGlobix Announce Strategic Relationship Focused on the Convergence of Data Centers and Subsea Cables

SINGAPORE and HERNDON, Va., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RTI Connectivity Pte. Ltd. (RTI) , a leading independent undersea cable owner and InterGlobix LLC , a global solutions company focused on the convergence of data centers, terrestrial fiber and subsea fiber today announce they have entered into a Strategic Business Partnership Agreement. As part of this agreement, InterGlobix will provide strategic business development and advisory support for the growth and expansion of RTI's global network and development of interconnection ecosystems. In addition, InterGlobix will focus on high-growth areas for RTI, including a robust strategy around carrier-neutral data centers which can serve dual-purposes of Colocation and being a Cable Landing Station (CLS). "At RTI, we value partnerships and are constantly looking for the right partners to grow our business globally. InterGlobix is on the forefront of Internet infrastructure, leading the convergence of data centers, subseaand terrestrial fiber. We look forward to our partnership with InterGlobix and working together in various high-growth strategic areas globally," said Russ Matulich, RTI's Founder and CEO.



"With a subsea network spanning 38,110 kilometers and connecting three continents together, RTI owns and operates one of the most robust and well-connected subsea networks in the world with a strong position in the AsiaPac region. We are honored to partner with RTI and look forward to contributing toward their next phase of growth both geographically and in product offerings," said Vinay Nagpal, President of InterGlobix and Executive Director of the Internet Ecosystem Innovation Committee (IEIC). About RTI

RTI Connectivity Pte. Ltd. is a leading independent undersea cable owner providing large-scale network solutions across a wide variety of industries including cloud companies, network operators, regional carriers, global enterprises, content providers and institutions for higher learning. RTI is headquartered in the city-state of Singapore. For more information, visit www.rticable.com .

ABOUT INTERGLOBIX LLC

InterGlobix LLC is a global consulting and advisory company focused on the convergence of datacenters, terrestrial and subsea fiber. InterGlobix offers strategic business consulting and marketing solutions for datacenter and the connectivity industry worldwide. InterGlobix also owns InterGlobix Magazine, the industry's first and only global magazine of its kind focused on Datacenters, Connectivity, Luxury and Lifestyle. Visit InterGlobix at: www.interglobix.com and www.interglobixmagazine.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rti-and-interglobix-announce-strategic-relationship-focused-on-the-convergence-of-data-centers-and-subsea-cables-301353254.html SOURCE InterGlobix LLC

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[August 11, 2021] ScoutCam Announces 1-for-9 Reverse Stock Split

OMER, Israel, Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ScoutCam (OTCQB: SCTC, SCTCD), a leading developer and manufacturer of customized micro visual solutions and supplementary technologies, today announced a 1-for-9 reverse split of its common stock, effective as of August 9, 2021. Beginning on August 11, 2021, the Companys common stock will trade on the OTCQB on a split adjusted basis.

Upon effectiveness, the reverse stock split will cause a reduction in the number of shares of common stock outstanding and the number of shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of its outstanding stock options and warrants in proportion to the ratio of the reverse stock split and will cause a proportionate increase in the conversion and exercise prices of such stock options and warrants. The number of shares of common stock currently outstanding and the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise or vesting of outstanding stock options and warrants will be rounded up to the nearest whole share. Beginning on August 11, 2021, and for a period of 20 business days, the Companys common stock will trade on the OTCQB under the symbol SCTCD, and will thereafter return to trading under the symbol SCTC. The new CUSIP number for the common stock following the reverse stock split is 81063V 204. The number of authorized shares of the Companys common stock will remain at 300,000,000, while the number of outstanding shares will be reduced proportionately in accordance with the reverse stock split ratio of 1-to-9. The Company will issue one whole share to any stockholder who otherwise would have received a fractional share such that no fractional shares will be issued. p align="justify">Registered stockholders holding their shares of common stock in book-entry or through a bank, broker or other nominee form do not need to take any action in connection with the reverse stock split. For those stockholders holding physical stock certificates, the Companys transfer agent, Action Stock Transfer Corp, will send instructions for exchanging those certificates for new certificates representing the post-split number of shares. Action Stock Transfer Corp can be reached at (801) 274-1088.



About ScoutCam ScoutCam is a leading provider of customized visual solutions for organizations across a variety of industries in the form of highly resistant micro cameras and supplementary technologies. ScoutCam devices are used across the medical, aerospace, industrial, research and defense industries. For more information please visit: https://www.scoutcam.com

Media Contact info@scoutcam.com

+972 73 370-4691 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the Companys expectations, beliefs, assumptions and intentions regarding, among other things, its product-development efforts, business, financial condition, results of operations, strategies or prospects, as of the date of this news release. They are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as believe, expect, intend, plan, may, should or anticipate or their negatives or other variations of these words or other comparable words or by the fact that these statements do not relate strictly to historical or current matters. 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 Companys control. Such factors include, among other things, risks and uncertainties relating to our reliance on third-party suppliers; market acceptance of our products by prospect markets and industries; our ability to raise sufficient funding in order to meet our business and financial goals; and certain other factors summarized in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 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.



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[August 11, 2021] ServiceNow to Acquire Indoor Mapping Disruptor Mapwize to Make Hybrid Work for Everyone

ServiceNow (News - Alert) (NYSE: NOW), the leading digital workflow company that makes work, work better for people, today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Mapwize, an indoor-mapping and wayfinding company based in Lille, France.? With Mapwize, ServiceNow will provide indoor mapping capabilities for employees as they reserve seats, conference rooms, workspaces and workplace resources, as well as navigate offices, from their desktop or mobile devices. Mapwize capabilities will also help workplace teams manage and update floor maps based on usage trends and evolving real-estate needs. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005183/en/ ServiceNow to acquire indoor mapping disruptor Mapwize. (Graphic: Business Wire) "In the new world of hybrid work, the role of workplace services has never been more critical in creating great employee experiences," said Blake McConnell, SVP of Employee Workflows at ServiceNow. "With Mapwize, ServiceNow will power the future of employee experiences by making it easier for people to navigate their work environment and access the workspace information and workplace services they need to remain productive." To support flexible and agile workplaces, ServiceNow intends to build Mapwize's capabilities natively into the Now Platform and the Workplace Service Delivery Suite. Mapwize's mapping solutions, product features and technical talent will complement and enhance ServiceNow's existing Workplace Service Delivery capabilities, including Workplace Space Mapping, Workplace Reservation Management, Workplace Space Management, Workplace Visito Management, Case and Knowledge Management and the Safe Workplace Suite.



"ServiceNow is the global leader in driving beautiful employee experiences," said Mederic Morel, CEO and co-founder of Mapwize. "We are thrilled to join them in their mission to make the world of work, work better for everyone. With ServiceNow, we have the unique opportunity to scale our technology to help global organizations navigate hybrid work environments. Our technology, paired with the Now Platform and Workplace Service Delivery Suite, will remove the stress and time of navigating the workplace, allowing employees to stay agile and efficient in any environment, on any device." Mapwize was founded in 2014 by CEO Mederic Morel and CTO Mathieu Gerard and is based in Lille, France. ServiceNow expects to complete the acquisition of Mapwize in Q3 2021. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

To learn more about how ServiceNow is powering the new world of hybrid work, visit the ServiceNow blog. Use of Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" about the expectations, beliefs, plans, intentions and strategies relating to ServiceNow's acquisition of Mapwize. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding future product capabilities and offerings and expected benefits to ServiceNow. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected or implied by the forward-looking statements. If any such risks or uncertainties materialize or if any of the assumptions prove incorrect, our results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements we make. We undertake no obligation, and do not intend, to update the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements include, without limitation, assimilating or integrating Mapwize's technology into our platform; the inability to retain key employees of Mapwize; unanticipated expenses related to Mapwize's acquired technology; potential adverse tax consequences; disruption to our business and diversion of management attention and other resources; and potential unknown liabilities associated with Mapwize's business. Further information on factors that could affect our financial and other results is included in the filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. About ServiceNow ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) is making the world of work, work better for people. Our cloud-based platform and solutions deliver digital workflows that create great experiences and unlock productivity for employees and the enterprise. For more information, visit: www.servicenow.com.  2021 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved. ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005183/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Spire and Gravity Supply Chain Announce Strategic Maritime Data Partnership

Today Spire Global, Inc. ("Spire" or the "Company"), a leading global provider of space-based data, analytics, and space services, and Gravity Supply Chain, a cloud-based supply chain management platform, jointly announced an extended strategic maritime data partnership, building upon the relationship initially established in 2017. "We're proud to partner with Gravity Supply Chain to help businesses around the world maintain a secure, robust, and efficient supply chain in face of significant complexities," said Mark Dembitz, APAC Sales Director of Maritime Solutions. "This past year has reinforced that major disruptions to trade can cause ripple effects across the supply chain, which makes integrated and smart logistics solutions such as real-time end-to-end shipment visibility critical to business success." Informed by Spire's advanced maritime data insights, Gravity Supply Chain has built a proprietary predictive and prescriptive platform which unlocks data across not just an organization's immediate supply chain, but throughout the multiple tiers that support it, including potential disruptors like weather, labor strikes, the impact of natural disasters. Using satellite-based data from Spire's maritime solution, users are able to monitor their fleet and shipment location around the globe. "Modern businesses rely on having current, precise, and reliable data to make informed decisions. Our continued partnership with Spire lets us confidently deliver the insights customers need to manage their supply chains efficiently and cost-effectively," said Graham Parker, Gravity Supply Chain CEO. "We look forward to continuing to work with Spire to provide innovative smart logistics solutions to users across the world." 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. ("NavSight") (NYSE:NSH) is a newly organized blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. Special Meeting of NavSight Stockholders to Approve Business Combination

On July 26, 2021, Spire announced that the registration statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-256112) of NavSight relating to the previously announced merger of NavSight and Spire (the "Business Combination") was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as of July 22, 2021. 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. 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, he 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. 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, those regarding the effect of Spire and Gravity Supply Chain's solution on supply chains and other customer outcomes, the provision of logistics solutions to users across the world, the impact of the partnership to Spire's maritime segment and the applicability of its maritime solutions to Spire's market, the strengthening of Spire's competitive advantage, the importance of Spire's maritime products and capabilities to Gravity Supply Chain, 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/20210811005272/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Toyota Debuts Mobile Collision Assistance Service

PLANO, Texas, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota and Lexus drivers now have a new assistance service available to them in the moments following a collision. Collision Assistance, a just-in-time support service, is now available to drivers within the Toyota and Lexus mobile app. The feature within the Toyota and Lexus Owners Apps offers guided instructions to help drivers navigate a post-collision repair process. Toyota worked with CCC Intelligent Solutions Inc. (CCC), a leading SaaS platform for the multi-trillion-dollar P&C insurance economy, to develop Collision Assistance. The CCC mobile technology combines guided accident documentation and access to claims and management services to assist drivers following a collision. Toyota transmits accident and vehicle telematics data to CCC to initiate the program. Collision Assistance is designed to let the customer choose how they'd like to handle the claim and repair processes, providing convenience and safety while also ensuring owners are informed about the process through completion. "Safety for our customers is paramount. The minutes following an accident can be critical  drivers are often confused and uncertain about what to do. By incorporating Collision Assistance into our owner app, we can offer help when it is needed," said Steve Basra, Toyota Motor North America, Connected Technologies group vice president. "We aim to deliver innovative features to our drivers. With Collision Assistance, we're offering additional safety and peace of mind." Collision Assistance is an extension of the Safety Connect suite of features available to Toyota and Lexus owners who have an active subscription or are within the trial period of select 2018 model year or newer Toyota and Lexus vehicles. After the driver has confirmed they are safe and without injury, the Collision Assistance app can be used to guide drivers to collect important accident documentation, connect them to a network of auto insurers for optional claim submission an provide search capabilities to help locate a collision repair facility. The feature will prompt drivers through the entire process, from data gathering and insurance claim management all the way through collision repair.



"Toyota is taking a comprehensive approach to post-collision management, and we're proud to support its mission to deliver world-class safety experiences to drivers," said Andreas Hecht, CCC's OEM Services Group SVP. "By using CCC's technology to establish a personal, near-real time connection with drivers, automakers can positively impact the often-stressful post-collision experience." The Collision Assistance Feature is made available to Toyota and Lexus owners through the Owners App. Toyota and Lexus Owners App downloads are available for iPhone or Android smartphones. Click here to learn more about Collision Assistance.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 60 years and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships. Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 36,000 in the U.S. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering and assembly of more than 30 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants, 10 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021. To help inspire the next generation for a career in STEM-based fields, including mobility, Toyota launched its virtual education hub at www.TourToyota.com with an immersive experience and chance to visit many of our U.S. manufacturing facilities. The hub also includes a series of free STEM-based lessons and curriculum through Toyota USA Foundation partners, virtual field trips and more. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com. About CCC Intelligent Solutions Inc.

CCC Intelligent Solutions Inc. (CCC) (NYSE: CCCS) is a leading SaaS platform for the multi-trillion-dollar P&C insurance economy powering operations for insurers, repairers, automakers, part suppliers, lenders and more. CCC cloud technology connects more than 30,000 businesses digitizing mission-critical workflows, commerce and customer experiences. A trusted leader in AI, IoT, customer experience, network and workflow management, CCC delivers innovations that keep people's lives moving forward when it matters most. Learn more about CCC at www.cccis.com. Media Contacts: Corey Proffitt

646-971-4522

corey.proffitt@toyota.com Michelle Hellyar

773-791-3675

mhellyar@cccis.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/toyota-debuts-mobile-collision-assistance-service-301352966.html SOURCE Toyota Motor North America

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[August 11, 2021] VisualMed Clinical Solutions, Corp. regains compliance with OTC disclosure requirements

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VisualMed Clinical Solutions, Corp. (A Nevada Corporation) (OTC: VMCS), today announced that it has regained compliance with OTC Markets disclosure requirements.

VisualMed is pleased to confirm it has received confirmation from OTC Markets that it has provided adequate information to facilitate the removal of certain warning notices related to its shares. The Company can also confirm it has retained auditors to complete audited financial statements for the financial year ending June 30th and intends to complete the relevant filings to become compliant with SEC reporting requirements. We are pleased to report progress from our efforts to become more compliant and transparent for investors said Sharon Hollis, CEO of VisualMed, and look forward to completing a name change and launching our website to better disclose and advertise what we believe are exciting software solutions for the healthcare sector. About VisualMed Clinical Soutions, Corp



VisualMed creates innovative technology solutions that allow medical providers and facilities to effectively enhance their business and processes while protecting their assets and patient data. Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ from expectations and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors are contained in the Company's most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in their expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. Contact: Gerard Dab

438-501-6500

press@innovaqor.com



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[August 11, 2021] Wolters Kluwer Regulatory Strategist to Speak at CBA LIVE 2021 National Conference

Timothy R. Burniston, Senior Advisor, Regulatory Strategy with Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions, will moderate a panel discussion at the CBA LIVE 2021 conference on efforts underway by federal regulators and the banking industry to modernize the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) regulations. Burniston will be joined by Warren Traiger, Senior Counsel, Buckley LLP, and Jim Matthews, SVP, CRA Compliance Officer, Capital One (News - Alert) , in a virtual session, "On the Horizon for CRA Modernization," to discuss key issues associated with updating the CRA, from 2-2:50 p.m. Monday, August 16. This panel discussion follows June's announcement by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) of its plans to rescind the CRA rule it had finalized in May 2020 and to work with the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) on a joint rulemaking process to modernize the CRA. Enacted in 1977, the CRA requires the OCC, the Federal Reserve Board, and the FDIC to encourage financial institutions to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they do business, including low- and moderate-income (LMI) neighborhoods. "The OCC's recent announcement was welcomed by many as a means to reset modernization discussions over the past few years on bringing the CRA regulatins up to date with current banking practices-and to set the path for finding a comprehensive, interagency solution for its modernization," said Burniston. "The OCC's announcement, however, reintroduces a host of questions about what a modernized CRA will look like. This CBA event promises to be a timely and lively discussion of those issues with Warren and Jim, both of whom are well-regarded experts on the CRA."



The panel will explore key considerations for the rulemaking and implementation processes under an interagency approach and delve deeper into issues facing the banking industry, as the regulatory bodies work to arrive at an interagency solution. "The CRA has been a cornerstone of our banking system for more than 40 years and clearly merits a thoughtful, thorough revision to keep pace with the evolution we are witnessing in banking," said Steven Meirink, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions. "That evolution includes the acceleration of online and mobile banking technologies, along with changing customer behaviors that have redefined the way borrowers get access to credit. Many elements of the CRA are under review, from defining the role that assessment areas will play to identifying what kinds of activities qualify for CRA credit under a revised rule."

Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions is a market leader and trusted provider of risk management and regulatory compliance solutions and services to U.S. insurance companies, banks, credit unions, and securities firms. The business, which sits within Wolters Kluwer's Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) division, helps these financial institutions efficiently manage risk and regulatory compliance obligations, and gain the insights needed to focus on better serving their customers and growing their business. Wolters Kluwer's GRC division provides an array of expert solutions to help financial institutions manage regulatory and risk obligations. Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions' eOriginal suite of purpose-built, digital lending solutions, for example, helps lenders digitize their transactions and features electronic signatures, collateral authentication and an electronic vault. Wolters Kluwer Lien Solutions' iLien Motor Vehicle provides for the processing and management of motor vehicle titles and liens, helping solve the most unique and complicated challenges in title perfection. Wolters Kluwer Finance, Risk & Regulatory Reporting (FRR), meanwhile, is a global market leader in the provision of integrated regulatory compliance and reporting solutions. About Wolters Kluwer Governance, Risk & Compliance

Governance, Risk & Compliance is a division of Wolters Kluwer, which provides legal and banking professionals with solutions to help ensure compliance with ever-changing regulatory and legal obligations, manage risk, increase efficiency, and produce better business outcomes. GRC offers a portfolio of technology-enabled expert services and solutions focused on legal entity compliance, legal operations management, banking product compliance, and banking regulatory compliance. Wolters Kluwer (AEX: WKL) is a global leader in information services and solutions for professionals in the health, tax and accounting, risk and compliance, finance and legal sectors. Wolters Kluwer reported 2020 annual revenues of 4.6 billion. The company, headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands, serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries and employs approximately 19,200 people worldwide. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005072/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Huawei to invest US$100 million in Asia Pacific startup ecosystem over 3 years

SINGAPORE, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei announced its plan to invest US$100 million in startup support at the inaugural HUAWEI CLOUD Spark Founders Summit, which took place simultaneously in Singapore and Hong Kong. Huawei said the investment would go towards its Spark Program in the Asia Pacific region, which aims to build a sustainable startup ecosystem for the region over the next three years. Huawei has been helping Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Thailand build their startup hubs. At the summit, Huawei also announced that this program would focus its efforts on developing four additional startup hubs  in Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam  with the overarching aim of recruiting a total of 1,000 startups into the Spark accelerator program and shaping 100 of them into scaleups. Also at this summit, Huawei launched its Cloud-plus-Cloud Collaboration and Joint Innovation Program, to further ramp up its support for startups around the world. Huawei will devote ongoing efforts and leverage its complete business portfolio in the cloud-plus-cloud collaboration space to foster technological innovation, global and local services, and business ecosystems, accelerating the growth of startups. This summit was attended by representatives from many prominent Asian startups, academia, various industries and governments, and the media, as well as more than 50 regional top venture capitalists and over 300 startup founders. Speeches and panels at the event focused on the social value of this startup ecosystem and how startups can promote technological and ecosystem innovation, to contribute to local communities and drive socioeconomic development. Three additional initiatives under the Asia Pacific Spark Program were launched by Huawei at the event: The Spark Developer Program, which aims to nurture a developer ecosystem powered by HUAWEI CLOUD in the Asia Pacific region; the Spark Pitstop Program, designed to onboard and support startups on HUAWEI CLOUD to accelerate product development; and the Spark Innovation Program (SIP), focused on facilitating enterprise innovation through the Spark startup ecosystem. Huawei Senior Vice Preident and Board Member, Catherine Chen, opened the summit by emphasizing how important startups are to social advancement and what Huawei is doing to support startups, "Startups and SMEs are the innovators, disruptors, and pioneers of our times. 34 years ago, Huawei was a startup with just 5,000 dollars of registered capital. Recently, we have been thinking: How can we leverage our experience and resources to help more startups address their challenges? Doing so would allow them to seize the opportunities posed by digital transformation, achieve business success, and develop more innovative products and solutions for the world."



Zhang Ping'an, CEO of Huawei's Cloud Business Unit, noted, "Since its launch in 2017, HUAWEI CLOUD has been the world's fastest-growing cloud, and has driven the growth of countless startups. Last year, we launched the Spark Program in Asia Pacific. Through this program, we are working with local governments, leading incubators, well-known VC firms, and top universities to build support platforms for startups in many regions. Now 40 startups are participating in our program." Zhang continued, "Starting today, we are stepping up our support for startups through four new initiatives, aimed at cloud-plus-cloud collaboration, continuous tech innovation, global and local services, and high-quality business ecosystems. Today, we launched our Cloud-plus-Cloud Collaboration and Joint Innovation Program, through which we will support startups with US$40 million worth of resources. Half of that investment is coming from HUAWEI CLOUD, half from Huawei Mobile Services (HMS). In 2021, our plan is to support 200 startups in the HMS ecosystem, and share our network of channel resources with developers worldwide who together serve 1 billion Huawei device users. In addition, we will open an HMS Developer Innovation Center to support 100,000 HMS cloud-native developers."

Also present was Dr. Lim Jui, CEO of SGInnovate, who said, "The true impact of the Deep Tech Economy is realized when we're able to come together to catalyze new opportunities. Working alongside partners like Huawei enables us to accomplish our mission of supporting promising talent and emerging tech startups in Singapore." Mr. Alfred Sit Wing-hang JP, Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said in his opening remarks, "By connecting founders, VCs, corporates, and governments in Asia, this summit provides a valuable platform for the innovation and technology (I&T) community in the region to interact, and exchange views and experience with each other. It also aligns with the Hong Kong SAR Government's plan to promote Hong Kong as an international I&T hub, where global I&T talent and enterprises would have vast opportunities for substantial growth and collaboration." More and more startups are pursuing end-to-end digitalization as they move towards a fully connected, intelligent world. HUAWEI CLOUD infrastructure works in conjunction with Huawei Mobile Services to support startups from all industries. Huawei's cloud offerings help developers and partners to unify accounts, development platforms, and app distribution and operation. HMS is now the world's third largest mobile app ecosystem, and is helping many startups expand their global influence. Currently, 4.5 million developers from over 170 countries and regions rely on HMS. Huawei recognizes startups as key partners. At the HUAWEI CLOUD Spark Founders Summit, Huawei unveiled the latest data on its innovation research programs with startups. The data shows solid relationships between Huawei and more than 2,000 partners from across the Asia Pacific region, with ongoing initiatives to build support platforms in close partnerships with governments, top VC firms, and leading universities in Hong Kong and Singapore. Huawei rounded off the series of announcements with a plan to build an HMS Developer Innovation Center. Through this center, Huawei aims to cultivate future talent in cooperation with 210 leading universities across the Asia Pacific region. Jeffery Liu, President for Asia Pacific Region of Huawei, added that, "For the past two decades, we have remained committed to being 'In Asia Pacific, For Asia Pacific'. Leveraging Huawei's global customer base and full-stack technologies, the Spark Program will invest more than US$100 million over the next three years, and provide comprehensive support to the establishment of a sustainable startup ecosystem that creates new value for this dynamic region." For more info, please visit: https://www.huaweicloud.com/intl/en-us/partners/spark.html?utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=newsrelease&utm_campaign=APAC_HuaweiSpark2021 SOURCE Huawei

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[August 11, 2021] Avast plc Half Year Results For The Six-Months Ended 30 June 2021

First half performance in line with the Board's expectations; full year revenue guidance maintained LONDON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Avast plc (LSE: AVST), together with its subsidiaries ('Avast', 'the Group' or 'the Company'), a leading global cybersecurity provider, announces its results for the six-months ended 30 June 2021. Ondrej Vlcek, Chief Executive of Avast, said: "In line with the Board's expectations, we are pleased to report a resilient set of group results for the first half of 2021, against the backdrop of a strong prior year performance. The Group delivered double-digit organic revenue growth1 and sustained high levels of profitability with Adjusted EBITDA margin at 57.3%2. "We are optimistic about Avast's prospects for the second half of the year, and as comparator period trends start to normalise, we anticipate a reacceleration of billings growth. The launch of our new flagship Avast One product remains on track for later this year. Our focus remains on driving customer engagement, acquisition and retention, which will require higher levels of margin investment in R&D, innovation and marketing over the medium term." FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Good overall performance in line with the Board's expectations

Billings at $482.7m up 2.9% at actual rates, with organic growth of 0.9%

up 2.9% at actual rates, with organic growth of 0.9% Revenue at $471.3m up 8.8% at actual rates, with organic growth of 10.4%

up 8.8% at actual rates, with organic growth of 10.4% Consumer Direct Revenue at $401.6m , up 15.0% at actual rates, with organic growth of 13.9%

, up 15.0% at actual rates, with organic growth of 13.9% Adjusted EBITDA up 11.9% to $270.2m ; Adjusted EBITDA margin at 57.3%, up 159bps

; Adjusted EBITDA margin at 57.3%, up 159bps Adjusted fully diluted earnings per share ('EPS') up 20.5% to $0.20 (versus $0.16 at HY 2020)

(versus at HY 2020) Final dividend in respect of 2020 paid in June 2021 of 11.2 cents per share; total dividend for the year of 16.0 cents per share, up 8.8%. Declared interim dividend payable in October 2021 of 4.8 cents per share

of per share; total dividend for the year of per share, up 8.8%. Declared interim dividend payable in of per share Continued strong cash generation with Unlevered Free Cash Flow up 9.0% to $263.1m and Levered Free Cash Flow up 12.6% to $248.8m

and Levered Free Cash Flow up 12.6% to Resilient balance sheet with $397.6m of cash and available liquidity 3 . Net debt / LTM ('last twelve months') Adjusted EBITDA at 1.0x at half year

of cash and available liquidity . Net debt / LTM ('last twelve months') Adjusted EBITDA at 1.0x at half year On a statutory basis, Operating profit up $92.2m from $134.5m to $226.7m , fully diluted EPS at $0.20 (versus $0.08 at HY 2020) OPERATIONAL AND STRATEGIC HIGHLIGHTS Consumer Direct operating KPI's tracked positively. In the six months to June, customers 4 were up 1.5% to 16.72m , Average Products Per Customer 5 increased 0.8% to 1.42 and Average Revenue Per Customer 6 was up 4.4% to $47.61 .

were up 1.5% to , Average Products Per Customer increased 0.8% to 1.42 and Average Revenue Per Customer was up 4.4% to . As the competitive market becomes more dynamic, renewed investment focus has been placed on marketing and other top-of-the-funnel initiatives to drive customer engagement, acquisition and retention activities, which will require higher levels of margin investment over the medium term.

Desktop customer retention rates at 69 percent, up 4 ppts since IPO, driven by Avast's customer retention strategies. Renewals in H1 have remained resilient, with only minor degradation in the 'Covid cohort' and evidence of opportunity for further improvement.

Avast's privacy service offering was further enhanced. AntiTrack benefited from a user experience redesign. BreachGuard was upgraded with 'Identity Assist', offering ID theft resolution and scam assist.

There was continued successful execution on the global growth strategy, with increases in desktop customer numbers in both established markets and target underpenetrated countries, including Ukraine up 17%, Russia up 7%, and Mexico up 5%.

up 17%, up 7%, and up 5%. The market release of the company's innovative integrated solution Avast One remains on track for the second half of the current year.

Avast continued to enrich its SMB offering through product innovation, notably through the launch of the new Avast Business Hub, a state-of-the-art integrated security platform.

To advance its business strategy in identity, Avast made two senior executive appointments: a new Senior Vice President and GM of Identity, Charles Walton and a Global Head of Development, Paul Carter .

and a Global Head of Development, . Post period end the Board established a new Security and Privacy Committee to provide oversight in relation to the group's information security strategy, data security, data governance and privacy governance.







($'m) H1 2021 H1 2020 Change % Change %

(excluding FX) 7 Billings 482.7 469.1 2.9 (1.1) Acquisitions 0.0 - n/a n/a Disposal Family Safety mobile business 8 - 8.2 n/a n/a Discontinued Business9 1.3 2.4 (47.5) (48.5) Billings excl. Acquisitions, Disposals and Discontinued

business 481.4 458.5 5.0 0.9

($'m) H1 2021 H1 2020 Change % Change %

(excluding FX) Revenue 471.3 433.1 8.8 7.7 Acquisitions 0.0 - n/a n/a Disposal Family Safety mobile business - 8.2 n/a n/a Discontinued Business 1.3 3.3 (61.7) (62.4) Revenue excl. Acquisitions, Disposals and Discontinued

business 470.0 421.6 11.5 10.4 ($'m) H1 2021 H1 2020 Change % Adjusted EBITDA 270.2 241.4 11.9 Adjusted EBITDA Margin % 57.3 55.7 1.6 ppts Adjusted Net Income 205.8 169.8 21.2 Net Debt 527.0 817.0 (35.5)









Statutory Results: ($'m) H1 2021 H1 2020 Change % Revenue 471.3 433.1 8.8 Operating profit 226.7 134.5 68.5 Net Income 205.8 86.5 Fav10 Net Cash Flows from operating activities 256.8 225.8 13.7 RECOMMENDED MERGER OF AVAST PLC WITH NORTONLIFELOCK INC. On 10 August 2021, the Boards of NortonLifeLock, Inc. ("Norton") and the Company reached agreement on the terms of a recommended merger of Company with Norton, in the form of a recommended offer by Nitro Bidco Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Norton, for the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of the Company (the "Merger"). It is intended that the Merger will be affected by means of a Court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement under Part 26 of the Companies Act. Further details relating to the offer by Norton, including the offer price and conditionality, is set out in the announcement made by Norton on 10 August 2021 pursuant to Rule 2.7 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers ("Code"). RESULTS PRESENTATION RECORDING AND LIVE Q&A A recording of the results webcast presentation will shortly be available on the Company website at https://investors.avast.com. Avast management will also hold a live Q&A session for analysts and investors at 9:00 AM BST today (11 August 2021), addressing both results and the recommended merger. Please register at the Company website to participate. ENQUIRIES Investors and analysts:

Peter Russell, Director of IR

IR@avast.com Media:

Stephanie Kane, VP PR and Corporate Communications

pr@avast.com Notes: Throughout the Half Year Report a number of alternative performance measures are used to provide users with a clearer picture of the performance of the business. This is in line with how management monitor and manage the business day-to-day. Definitions and details are provided below. Further definitions (see 'PRESENTATION OF RESULTS AND DEFINITIONS') and reconciliations (see 'FINANCIAL REVIEW') of non-GAAP measures are included in the notes to the financial statements. All dollar figures throughout the report are at actual currency rates unless otherwise indicated. 1 Organic growth rate excludes the impact of FX, acquisitions, business disposals and discontinued business. It excludes current period billings and revenue of acquisitions until the first anniversary of their consolidation. 2 Adjusted EBITDA margin percentage is defined as Adjusted EBITDA divided by Revenue. 3 Total available liquidity includes cash and cash equivalents balance as at 30 June 2021 of $357.6m and revolving credit facility of $40m (not drawn at 30 June 2021). 4 Users who have at least one valid paid Consumer Direct subscription (or licence) at the end of the period. 5 APPC defined as the Consumer Direct simple average valid licences or subscriptions for the period of the last twelve months divided by the simple average number of Customers during the same period. 6 ARPC defined as the Consumer Direct revenue for the period of the last twelve months divided by the simple average number of Customers during the same period. 7 Growth rate excluding currency impact calculated by restating 2021 actual to 2020 FX rates (see "Principal exchange rates applied"). Deferred revenue is translated to USD at the date of invoice and is therefore excluded when calculating the impact of FX on revenue. 8 On April 16, 2021 the Group sold a portfolio of mobile parental controls services including location features, content filtering and screen time management to Smith Micro Software Inc ('Family Safety mobile business'). Billings and revenue until close of the transaction have been included in the calculation of organic growth together with comparable periods in the baseline. 9 In January 2020 Avast decided to terminate the provision of anonymized data to its data analytics business, Jumpshot, having concluded that the business was not consistent long term with the Group's privacy priorities as a global cybersecurity company. As the company is also exiting its toolbar-related search distribution business (which had previously been an important contributor to AVG's revenues) and the browser clean-up business, the growth figures exclude all of these (referred to above and throughout the report as "Discontinued Business"), which are negligible. The Discontinued Business does not represent a discontinued operation as defined by IFRS 5 since it either has not been disposed of but rather it is being continuously scaled down or it is considered to be neither a separate major line of business, nor geographical area of operations. 10 'Fav' in change % represents a favorable growth rate figure over 100 per cent, 'Unf' represents an unfavorable decline greater than negative 100 percent. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/827113/Avast_Logo.jpg

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[August 11, 2021] Chrono24 Raises 100M  Series C Led by General Atlantic, With Participation From Aglae Ventures

Chrono24, a leading global digital marketplace for new and pre-owned luxury watches, announced today that it has secured more than 100M  ($118M+ USD) in Series C investment. The round was led by General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm, with participation from Aglae Ventures, the technology arm of the Arnault family's investment company. Existing investors Insight Partners and Sprints Capital also participated in the round. This newest minority growth funding brings Chrono24's cumulative funds raised to over 200M  to date (approximately $236M USD). Chrono24 plans to leverage the new investment to accelerate its growth trajectory, including continuing to scale internationally, deepening its presence in existing markets and augmenting its global team with additional top talent. Already a market leader in more than 100 countries, Chrono24 also plans to enhance its user experience to further capitalize on the thriving pre-owned luxury watch market and capture the potential to service a new generation of collectors. Founded in 2003, Chrono24 pioneered and digitized the historically offline luxury watch industry and was one of the first companies of scale to connect watch dealers and collectors around the globe through its digital marketplace. The company now counts an average of 500,000 unique visitors per day. With more than 3,000 retail dealers and 30,000 private sellers across more than 100 countries worldwide, Chrono24 lists approximately half a million luxury watches for sale at any given time. Jorn Nikolay, Managing Director with responsibility for General Atlantic's operations in Germany, said: "Since its establishment in 2003, Karlsruhe-based Chrono24 has become a global pioneer in the creation of a cross-border online marketplace for luxury watches, with an innovative model underpinned by transparency and sustainability. We are pleased to support Chrono24 with our capital and expertise in its ongoing global expansion." "Once again, Chrono24 has been able to win premier growth-experienced partners like General Atlantic and Aglae Venture. As originators of the digital marketplace concept within the luxury watch world, we've built a platform that not only supports and encourages evolving consumer behavior, but also provides invaluable proof of concept to an industry that has traditionally shied away from disruption," commented Chrono24 Co-CEO, Tim Stracke. "We are very pleased that General Atlantic and Aglae Ventures recognize the vast market potential lying in the digital evolution of luxury retail and our company's role in this industry."



Chrono24 continues to be led by its founder and Co-CEO Tim Stracke; Co-CEO (and former TeamViewer CEO) Holger Felgner; and CFO Stephan Kniewasser. A majority of existing shareholders, including Felgner and Kniewasser, co-invested alongside the new group of investors. This latest fundraise follows Chrono24's 2019 Series B financing of 43M  from Sprints Capital, former Richemont director Gianni Serazzi, and YOOX- NET (News - Alert) -A-PORTER founder Alberto Grignolo, among others, as well as the company's 37M  Series A from Insight Partners in 2015. About Chrono24 GmbH

"Chrono24 - The World's Watch Market" is a leading global online marketplace for luxury watches since 2003. With approximately 500,000 watches from more than 3,000 retailers from over 100 countries and more than 30,000 private sellers, the portal reaches over 9 million unique visitors per month. In 2020 Chrono24 generated a transaction volume growth of +30%, with monthly purchase requests falling in the six-digit range. With a large global offering of new, used and vintage watches combined, Chrono24 offers an extensive service portfolio, allowing buyers and sellers to complete their transactions in a trusted environment. The worldwide support team provides assistance by mail or telephone in 15 different languages. Chrono24 was founded in 2003 and employs almost 400 people in offices in Karlsruhe, Berlin, New York and Hong Kong. www.chrono24.com About General Atlantic General Atlantic is a leading global growth equity firm with more than four decades of experience providing capital and strategic support for over 400 growth companies throughout its history. Established in 1980 to partner with visionary entrepreneurs and deliver lasting impact, the firm combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to scale innovative businesses around the world. General Atlantic currently has over $65 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2021 and more than 175 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Munich, Palo Alto (News - Alert) , Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore and Stamford. For more information on General Atlantic, please visit the website: www.generalatlantic.com. About Aglae Ventures Aglae Ventures is a global investment firm based in Paris, New York and Los Angeles backed by Agache, the holding company of the Arnault family and the controlling shareholder of LVMH, the world leader in luxury. For nearly 30 years, Agache has backed fast-growing innovative companies at all stages of their development including in the past months Automattic, BackMarket, Mano Mano and Noom. https://aglaeventures.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005246/en/

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[August 11, 2021] VMware Accelerates Healthcare Providers' Adoption of Cloud Services

In the wake of the global pandemic, healthcare providers are expanding their telehealth offerings and increasingly opting to host these and other remote patient monitoring and analytics workloads in the cloud. To help ease the transition to the cloud, VMware (NYSE: VMW) today announced GE Healthcare will leverage VMware SD-WAN, now part of VMware SASE, to seamlessly deliver cloud-based services to GE Healthcare customers. "Patient monitoring and diagnostic data analysis are moving from the datacenter to the edge. With this shift, healthcare providers and their technology partners require a software-defined, high-performing, secure network," said Sanjay Uppal, senior vice president and general manager, Service Provider and Edge, VMware. "VMware SD-WAN provides this network overlay to prioritize and move high-fidelity, latency-sensitive data to the cloud and between edge locations. Leveraging VMware SD-WAN enables GE Healthcare to offer rapid, more securely deployed, and easily accessed virtual care solutions." GE Healthcare recently launched OnWatch Network Edge to assist customers that consume GE Healthcare's cloud-hosted services. To rapidly deliver these services to customers without compromising quality of service or security of patient data, GE Healthcare leverages VMware SD-WAN with OnWatch Network Edge. VMware is the first SD-WAN partner to integrate its technology with OnWatch Network Edge in this manner. "GE Healthcare offers a suite of precision healthcare applications that are both on-premises and cloud-based. OnWatch Network Edge provides an easy way to deploy these large-scale integrations quickly and more securely. VMware's SD-WAN technology enables reliable deployment of latency-sensitiv and data-intensive applications," said Paul Jones, Global Product Manager for GE Healthcare.



This is not the first time VMware and GE Healthcare have teamed up. GE Healthcare previously integrated VMware's AIOps solution, Edge Network Intelligence, with its OnWatch Network Performance solution that helps healthcare providers proactively analyze and monitor their enterprise and clinical networks. To learn more about VMware SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) that delivers VMware SD-WAN, among other networking and security services, as well as how VMware is working with healthcare customers:

Visit https://sase.vmware.com/.

Explore VMware Healthcare IT Solutions

Watch a HIMSS21 session featuring VMware President Sumit Dhawan and Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel covering how the last 18 months of digital healthcare transformation will shape the next five years of digital healthcare delivery. *Disclaimer: Requires real time HL7 data feed from clinical devices. About VMware VMware software powers the world's complex digital infrastructure. The company's cloud, app modernization, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in Palo Alto (News - Alert) , California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global impact. For more information, please visit https://www.vmware.com/company.html. VMware and VMware SD-WAN are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005300/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Cloudreach and AWS Sign Strategic Collaboration Agreement to Accelerate Global Cloud Adoption

Cloudreach, a leading independent cloud services provider, and Amazon Web Services (News - Alert) (AWS), today unveiled a new Strategic Collaboration Agreement. The wide-ranging agreement will mean an acceleration of the companies' joint go-to-market proposition, along with investments in Cloudreach software innovation, geographical expansion and the launch of a Talent Academy. This agreement builds on the well-established 12-year relationship between Cloudreach and AWS. Cloudreach will expand within North America and Europe including into new territories Canada, Poland, Spain and the Nordics. In addition, Cloudreach will make significant investments in software, further developing its SMART Migration and SMART Modernization services. These services are designed to accelerate enterprise cloud adoption through intelligent automation and will help more customers to realize the benefits of AWS services with far greater efficiency. Cloudreach CEO, Brooks Borcherding, said: "After 12 years of collaboration with AWS, we're excited to be entering this new phase of growth. Together, we're focused on delivering the promise of the cloud through new software-driven capabilities coupled with industry-best practices and expertise. For our customers this will mean adopting AWS cloud more efficiently and with greater confidence, achieving a faster time to value." Launch of Cloudreach Talent Academy A key initiative within the agreement is the launch of a Talent Academy. The Academy is designed to train hundreds of diverse and promising candidates to become the next generation of cloud professionals. For entry into the program, Cloudreach will look for candidates with a passion for building their careerin cloud, even if they do not have a technical background, and fast-track their technical development.



The program will bring more talent into the AWS community, offering candidates a path to acquire and upskill their AWS capabilities. The Talent Academy is unique in its emphasis on recruiting from a diverse pool of candidates who traditionally have not selected technical career paths. Cloudreach expects hundreds of candidates to become AWS-certified and get the hands-on experience to become cloud consultants, engineers, architects, and developers. "Cloudreach is committed to addressing underrepresentation and the lack of diversity within the technology workforce and cloud industry. This purpose-driven investment is one of the most exciting aspects of this collaboration with AWS. We're dedicated to be helping future professionals develop their careers where they will solve complex business challenges for our joint customers," added Borcherding.

Doug Yeum, Head of Worldwide Channels and Alliances at AWS, said: "We are delighted to build upon the 12-year relationship with AWS Premier Partner, Cloudreach. This collaboration means AWS can bring the highest level of cloud native expertise to an even wider audience with Cloudreach, significantly accelerating the pace of global cloud adoption. We are also particularly appreciative of Cloudreach's focus on expanding the diverse talent pool of AWS-skilled professionals, which aligns with our leadership principles as a company." This engagement will provide AWS and Cloudreach customers with compelling new SMART Migration and SMART Modernization service offerings to dramatically accelerate cloud adoption and reduce time-to-value by 40%. These new offerings leverage both Cloudamize, a leading planning, assessment, and migration automation software, and Sunstone, a cloud modernization machine learning engine to make continuous modernization recommendations for legacy and cloud deployed services. Marie Measures, Chief Technology Officer at Sanne Group, the alternative asset fund administrator, said: "The possibilities are endless when you engage with an AWS Partner that's flexible, easy to work with, and shares your organization's values. We want to move quickly along our cloud journey and, thanks to Cloudreach and AWS, we have a well-structured transformational roadmap." For more details about the collaboration between AWS and Cloudreach, please visit: www.cloudreach.com/en/partners/aws-premier-consulting-partner/ - ENDS - About Cloudreach Cloudreach is the world's leading independent cloud services company. Our mission is to deliver the promise of cloud and drive extraordinary value for our customers. Cloudreach helps enterprises win competitive advantage through successful cloud transformation. With more than 10 years of cloud native experience, we've built an unmatched depth and breadth of expertise in cloud technologies and their application to business. For more information about our work, visit www.cloudreach.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005334/en/

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[August 11, 2021]

Isabel Y. Yang, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Engineering and Chief Technology Officer

LONGMONT, Colo., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KoKo, LLC is pleased to announce Isabel Y. Yang, Ph.D. is joining the Company's executive management team in the capacity of Executive Vice President of Engineering and Chief Technology Officer effective September 1, 2021.

Dr. Yang brings an extensive technology innovation track record with over 25 years of industry experience. Most recently, she served as Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Advanced Energy, responsible for leading the execution of the company's global technology vision and strategy specifically in Industrial IoT solutions. Before joining Advanced Energy, Dr. Yang served as the Vice President of Corporate Strategy, and Vice President of Strategy and Operations for IBM Research, where she focused on driving leading-edge innovations in such areas s artificial intelligence as applied to healthcare solutions, and high-performance computing.







Dr. Yang holds multiple patents, has written extensively for more than 40 technical publications and was the recent recipient of the BizWest 2020 Women of Distinction (Manufacturing) Award, Most Influential Women in Manufacturing 2019 from IWIM, as well as Denver Business Journal C-Suite Award 2019 in the CIO/CTO category.

Dr. Yang completed her higher education at MIT, receiving a bachelor's degree in material science, and a master's degree and Ph.D. in electrical engineering, specializing in solid-state physics and semiconductors.

"We are truly honored to have an individual of Dr. Yang's distinguished stature and experience join KoKo's executive team. Dr. Yang will lead our engineering, intellectual property estate, and artificial intelligence innovation for respiratory disease management," said John Peterson, President and CEO.

Headquartered in Longmont, CO, KoKo, LLC provides the highest quality pulmonary function testing (PFT) products with fast reliable results designed to stand the test of time. KoKo is a global respiratory information systems software developer and medical device manufacturer; the exclusive provider of KoKo Connect and KoKo Decision respiratory information systems and KoKo PFT and spirometry devices. The KoKo brand extends upon a legacy of medical technology companies that have advanced respiratory science dating back to the Iron Lung in the 1930s.

Contact: John R. Peterson, CEO & President

720-640-4222

Support@kokopft.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1523406/KoKo_Logo.jpg
[August 11, 2021] Open Memory Interface (OMI) - The Future of Low-Latency Memory

PISCATAWAY, N.J., Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the industry looking more closely at Open Memory Interface (OMI) for its unique characteristics focused specifically on near memory, OpenCAPI Consortium announced it is officially launching a new OMI website that is entirely dedicated to this technology. You can gain access via the OpenCAPI website or go directly to the Open Memory Interface website.

The OMI protocol is a subset of the OpenCAPI architecture and is defined by its superior memory interface characteristics. There has been much industry buzz since the publishing of a white paper on this topic called The Future of Low-Latency Memory by the memory and storage specialists, Objective Analysis and Coughlin Associates.



OMI is a highly tuned bus that was developed for near memory and is easily migratable to emerging memory solutions (e.g., Storage Class Memory). This serial bus, a subset of OpenCAPI, was architected specifically for the interface between a processor and near memory having absolute minimum latency with significant bandwidth and capacity. OMI is the solution to our evolving industrys demand for near memory as data centers evolve from compute centric to becoming data centric. "The OpenCAPI Consortium is excited to announce the Open Memory Interface (OMI) website," said Bob Szabo, President of OpenCAPI Consortium. "We hope this emphasis by the OpenCAPI consortium on low latency near memory access will interest new members to join the consortium and help develop the growing ecosystem."

To learn more about current OMI products, completed and future OMI projects along with Reference Designs, go to openmemoryinterface.org. About OpenCAPI Consortium The OpenCAPI Consortium is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2016 and is an open forum to manage the OpenCAPI specifications. OpenCAPI is an open coherent high-performance bus interface. To learn more about the OpenCAPI Consortium, go to https://opencapi.org Media Contact:

Joni Sterlacci

j.sterlacci@ieee.org



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[August 11, 2021] BJ's Charitable Foundation Donates $1 Million to Feeding America to Help Fight Hunger in Local Communities

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE: BJ), a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States, today announced a $1 million donation from the BJ's Charitable Foundation to Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization. BJ's donation is part of the retailer's efforts to help fight hunger by awarding grants to 50 Feeding America member food banks in the Eastern United States to support child and family food assistance programs. "BJ's is committed to nourishing our communities by providing families with access to basic essentials including fresh, nutritious food. We're grateful for our longtime partnership with Feeding America as we work together to help provide meals to families in need," said Bill Werner, executive director, BJ's Charitable Foundation. "We're proud to donate $1 million to Feeding America member food banks to help fight hunger in the local communities we serve." Feeding America estimates that 42 million people may experience food insecurity, including 13 million children, due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandeic in 2021. Moreover, households with children are more likely to experience food insecurity.



"Feeding America is grateful for BJ's continued investment, which helps food banks expand access to more nutritious food for families who need it most," said Casey Marsh, Chief Development Officer at Feeding America. "The need for food assistance increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and every community in the country is home to neighbors who face hunger. Our partnership with BJ's will continue to provide member food banks with essential resources to help families thrive and build a path to a more food-secure future." BJ's Charitable Foundation grant marks the fourth $1 million donation to Feeding America member food banks located in BJ's footprint. Since 2011, BJ's has provided ongoing support to food banks through the BJ's Charitable Foundation and BJ's Feeding Communities program, helping local food banks expand their programs for children and families within their communities.

BJ's Feeding Communities program is a food rescue partnership, where the company donates all unsold perishable food to Feeding America member food banks in its footprint, helping to get wholesome food onto the plates of families. To date, BJ's has donated more than 120 million pounds of food including meat, produce, dairy and bakery items to Feeding America member food banks. To learn more about the BJ's Wholesale Club, visit BJs.com. About BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, BJ's Wholesale Club is a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States. The company currently operates 222 clubs and 151 BJ's Gas locations in 17 states. The Company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BJ). About Feeding America Feeding America is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 40 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005268/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Hodlnaut Announces its iOS Application Launch

SINGAPORE, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hodlnaut, a crypto interest-earning platform based out of Singapore, announced its brand new iOS App launch today. The long-awaited launch was announced after the completion of its beta testing, performed in the month of June 2021. The app launch is in alignment with Hodlnaut's relentless commitment to providing a hassle-free user experience. The Hodlnaut iOS App allows users to deposit and withdraw cryptocurrencies and manage their crypto holdings from the convenience of their iPhones. The current release supports sign-up, identity verification, deposits, and withdrawal, among other features. Moreover, users can check their interest statements, export said statements, and manage account settings. For non-iPhone users, Hodlnaut also plans on launching an Android app in the near future. With easy access to information like total crypto balance, pending interest payout, and FAQs within the application, users have everything they need at their fingertips. The Hodlnaut iOS App allows users to share their affiliate link seamlessly with their friends via social media/messaging apps on their phones. As for security, the Hodlnaut iOS App is protected with a pin as well as face identification.



Hodlnaut's iOS App is built by developers dedicated to providing the best application experience to its valued users. It makes hodling simpler by delivering information at the palm of their hands. The Hodlnaut iOS app is available for download on the Apple App Store and enables seamless cryptocurrency transactions.

About Hodlnaut Hodlnaut is a platform that provides innovative financial services for individual investors who can earn interest on their cryptocurrencies by lending them to vetted institutions. Founded by bitcoin maximalists Juntao Zhu and Simon Lee in April 2019, Hodlnaut has grown tremendously over the years. The platform offers up to 12.7% APY through its Hodlnaut Interest Account, supporting six crypto assets: BTC, ETH, DAI, USDC, USDT, and WBTC. Hodlnaut is a certified Fintech by the Singapore Fintech Association, an accreditation recognized by the MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore). The company aims to become the first regulated entity in Singapore within the crypto lending and borrowing space and is undergoing license application under the Payment Services Act 2019 (by the MAS). Media contact: Sten Ivan

Head of Growth at Hodlnaut

sten@hodlnaut.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hodlnaut-announces-its-ios-application-launch-301353173.html SOURCE Hodlnaut

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[August 11, 2021] Join Nextech AR for a Metaverse Discussion - Featuring CEO Evan Gappelberg During a Proactive Livestream on August 11, 2021

Nextech AR Solutions Corp. ("Nextech'' or the "Company") (OTCQB: NEXCF) (NEO: NTAR) (CSE: NTAR) (FSE: N29), an emerging leader in augmented reality (AR) for eCommerce, AR learning applications, AR-enhanced video conferencing and virtual events, is pleased to announce that Nextech AR CEO, Evan Gappelberg and ARway CEO-Founder, Baran Korkmaz, will be attending a special Proactive Investors Livestream for a discussion about the Metaverse and Nextech AR's acquisition of spatial based computing company ARWAY Ltd. This acquisition provides Nextech with a spatial mapping platform critical to building the Metaverse. Livestream Details Date: Wednesday, Aug 11, 2021

Time: 12:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Topic: Evan Gappelberg and Baran Korkmaz discuss Nextech AR's acquisition of ARway

Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cR37tJ0aTDC_te7R51wjqw After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the livestream. About ARway: A spatial mapping platform critical to building the Metaverse. A Unity based platform that uses AI to scan and recognize surroundings for hyper-accurate location-based 3D mapping. ARWAY provides users ith an Augmented Reality Software Kit (SDK) to frame the digital world in a few minutes.



About Nextech AR Nextech develops and operates augmented reality ("AR") platforms that transports three-dimensional ("3D") product visualizations, human holograms and 360 portals to its audiences altering e-commerce, digital advertising, hybrid virtual events (events held in a digital format blended with in-person attendance) and learning and training experiences.

Nextech focuses on developing AR solutions however most of the Company's revenues are derived from three e-Commerce platforms: vacuumcleanermarket.com ("VCM"), infinitepetlife.com ("IPL") and Trulyfesupplements.com ("TruLyfe"). VCM and product sales of residential vacuums, supplies and parts, and small home appliances sold on Amazon. To learn more, please follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook, or visit our website: https://www.Nextechar.com. On behalf of the Board of Nextech AR Solutions Corp.

"Evan Gappelberg"

CEO and Director Forward-Looking Statements The NEO has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as, "will be," "looking forward" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events, or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements regarding the Company increasing investors awareness are based on the Company's estimates and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements of Nextech to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including capital expenditures and other costs. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Nextech will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005197/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Jen Easterly, Director of the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), to Headline Cloud Security Alliance's SECtemberSM

The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world's leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, announced today that Jen Easterly, Director of the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), will provide a keynote address on Sept. 15 as part of CSA's SECtemberSM, the first global event dedicated to the intersection of cloud and cybersecurity. In her talk, she will share her unique perspective on the implementation of the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative and touch upon other issues important to Cloud Security Alliance community. "?Jen Easterly is absolutely the right choice to lead CISA. Her credentials are impeccable, and in her first few weeks she has already moved the ball forward in several areas. A key source of strength for Jen is her recent tenure in the private sector. We deeply appreciate Jen's participation at SECtember and look forward to benefiting from her years of experience and deep understanding of the cybersecurity space," said Jim Reavis, co-founder and CEO, Cloud Security Alliance. As Director, Ms. Easterly leads CISA's efforts to protect and defend civilian government networks, manage systemic risk to national critical functions, and collaborate with state, local, tribal, and territorial partners, as well as with the private sector to ensure the security and resilience of the nation's cyber and physical infrastructure. Before serving in her current role, she was the head of Firm Resilience and the Fusion Resilience Center at Morgan Stanley, responsible for ensuring preparedness and response to business-disrupting operational incidents and risks. She has a long tradition of public service, to include two tours at the White House, most recently as Special Assistant to President Obama and Senior Director for Counterterrorism, and earlier as Executive Assistant to National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice in the George W. Bush Administration. A former member of the Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Servic, she also served as the Deputy for Counterterrorism at the National Security Agency (News - Alert) . A two-time recipient of the Bronze Star, Easterly retired from the U.S. Army after more than 20 years of service in intelligence and cyber operations, including tours of duty in Haiti, the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan.



A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a French-American Foundation Young Leader, she is the past recipient of numerous fellowships. She is a distinguished graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds a master's degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Oxford, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar. She is the recipient of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation American Hostage Freedom Award and the Bradley W. Snyder Changing the Narrative Award. The five-day, in-person event kicks off on Tuesday Sept. 14 with the CxO Trust Summit, a complimentary event being offered exclusively to members of the C-suite. Other highlights include a fireside chat with Chris Krebs, a founding partner of Krebs Stamos Group and the first CISA director, and the following panel discussions and talks:

Key Priorities & Challenges in a Digitally Transforming Business World . A panel of industry leaders will provide practical insight into prioritizing cybersecurity strategies to further a company's digital transformation.

. A panel of industry leaders will provide practical insight into prioritizing cybersecurity strategies to further a company's digital transformation. Steps Towards Building a Zero Trust Architecture . This session introduces Zero Trust architectural components, the use of a Software Defined Perimeter in an enterprise, and how Zero Trust reduces the impact of the latest cyber attacks and threats to cloud.

. This session introduces Zero Trust architectural components, the use of a Software Defined Perimeter in an enterprise, and how Zero Trust reduces the impact of the latest cyber attacks and threats to cloud. Decoding Cyber-Supply Chain Risk Management Through NIST?. Audience (News - Alert) members will learn how to respond to the confusion surrounding supply chain risks by approaching it in two-fold processes (internal and external to an organization) and by looking at it at an enterprise level. Attendees looking to further their cloud security knowledge can take advantage of three training sessions and earn up to one CPE credit per hour of training. Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) Foundation ($1,195)

Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge - Plus ($2,195)

Certificate of Cloud Auditing Knowledge ($2,195) Rate for the full conference is $599; registration rate for students and government employees is $250. Register for the full event now. About Cloud Security Alliance The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) is the world's leading organization dedicated to defining and raising awareness of best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment. CSA harnesses the subject matter expertise of industry practitioners, associations, governments, and its corporate and individual members to offer cloud security-specific research, education, training, certification, events, and products. CSA's activities, knowledge, and extensive network benefit the entire community impacted by cloud - from providers and customers to governments, entrepreneurs, and the assurance industry - and provide a forum through which different parties can work together to create and maintain a trusted cloud ecosystem. For further information, visit us at www.cloudsecurityalliance.org, and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @cloudsa. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005086/en/

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[August 11, 2021] City Capital Ventures Announces the Acquisition of GreenTech Environmental

City Capital Ventures, LLC ("CCV"), a private investment partnership headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, is pleased to announce it has acquired a majority stake in GreenTech Environmental, LLC ("GreenTech" or the "Company") of Johnson City, Tennessee. The transaction enables GreenTech to accelerate its sales, marketing, and product development efforts to capture increasing share of the rapidly growing air purification industry, which is expected to reach $13 billion in annual sales by 2027. The Company will continue to operate independently in Johnson City under the existing management team. RF Investment Partners ("RF") a Small Business Investment Company ("SBIC") fund with offices in Chicago, New York, and Dallas, provided debt and equity to facilitate the transaction. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2009 in Johnson City, Tennessee, GreenTech is a leading designer, manufacturer, and provider of indoor air purification systems used across a variety of end markets, including wearable devices, residential homes, education facilities, commercial buildings, and indoor agriculture, among others. "When I started this company 12 years ago, it was to create solutions and applications to improve indoor air quality and create the healthiest possible indoor living environments," says Allen Johnston, Founder of GreenTech Environmental and former aerospace engineer. "My own mother left this Earth too soon as a result of poor air quality in her workplace. For me, this is personal. CCV understands the importance of what we do; their long-term vision and private family capital makes them the ideal partner to help us grow and expand our company." "We are thrilled to partner with GreenTech and RF to build a leading active air purification platform," said Allen Tibshrany, Co-Founder & Managing Director of CCV. "Fueled by their passion and science-based approach, the GreenTech team has developed multi-technology solutions that help improve indoor air quality in the spces in which we live, work, and play. We look forward to helping GreenTech reach new heights through its next phase of growth."



This latest platform investment is the second by City Capital Ventures in the past twelve months and eighth platform investment since the firm's founding in 2015. "GreenTech is a great example of a high-growth, differentiated business that we were able to partner with at a momentous inflection point. Its potential is huge, and we're thrilled to bring both financial and human capital to support Allen and the entire team at GreenTech," remarked Dan Kipp, Co-founder & Managing Partner of City Capital Ventures. About GreenTech Environmental

Founded in 2009 in Johnson City, Tennessee, GreenTech Environmental is a leader in air purification systems. GreenTech's technologies are available for consumers with portable and personal systems and commercial HVAC systems for use in office buildings, hotels, in-door stadiums and more. GreenTech Environmental is best known for a unique multi-technology approach to air purification. These technologies actively clean the air and surfaces in thousands of homes and commercial buildings across the globe. www.greentechenv.com About City Capital Ventures City Capital Ventures is an investment partnership whose purpose is to pair capital with business opportunities in a better, more-tailored way. Investing on behalf of an exclusive network of family offices, CCV seeks out firms with innovative business designs and look to invest at inflection points-not pre-determined stages. Because of the firm's flexible mandate, investments are unbound by size or industry, though CCV typically invest in consumer, commercial, and service businesses requiring up to $100 million of capital. CCV aims to create lasting value for investors, the companies in which they invest, and the broader stakeholders impacted by their companies. www.citycapitalventures.com About RF Investment Partners RF Investment Partners provides capital ranging in size from $5 million to $25 million to support leading domestic, lower-middle-market companies. RF partners with family-owned and private businesses in a variety of situations, including acquisition financing, growth capital investments, recapitalizations, refinancings, and management buyouts. RF's investment professionals have significant experience investing across the capital structure and have the flexibility to structure deals to meet the distinct needs of each company and situation. RF invests in unitranche, second lien, and subordinated debt, alongside preferred and common equity. https://www.rf-partners.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005509/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Amid Uncertainty, Texas Online Preparatory School is Ready to Give Students Consistency and Motivation this School Year

Texas Online Preparatory School (TOPS), a full-time, tuition-free online public school program of Huntsville Independent School District, is prepared to start the new school year and give students in grades 3-12 a personalized education option designed to help them succeed. TOPS students and teachers hop online to start the 2021-2022 school year tomorrow, August 12. Students choose online learning for a variety of reasons, including advanced learning, a bullying-free environment, and the flexibility to support extracurricular pursuits or medical needs while maintaining a focus on academics. TOPS' online platform gives students the opportunity to pursue their academic goals in a supportive environment and at an appropriate pace for their learning style. Staffed by Texas licensed teachers, TOPS offers an engaging approach to learning, delivering rich, rigorous curriculum that challenges students to achieve their full potential. Despite wide-spread evidence of a "COVID slide" of learning loss for students in the U.S. during the pandemic, Stride K12-powered schools like TOPS reported lower learning loss rates than those reported in national studies. And in some cases, students enrolled in Stride K12-powered schools experienced learning gains. Stuents who attend TOPS also have the opportunity to prepare for their futures. High school students can participate in the Career Prep Program and enroll in classes that will help them discover and explore a number of fields. Students can also earn certifications and college credits while still in high school, giving them a head start in their state and potentially saving them thousands of dollars in college tuition costs.



"Last year was rough on Texas families, but at TOPS, we pride ourselves on having a consistent educational model and compassionate teachers who are committed to student achievement and success," said Julie Overholt, Stride's Vice President over the Central Region. "We are all excited for another year of growth with our students." Many are approaching this school year with cautious optimism. During the pandemic, parents realized that attending online school is a safe, alternative option that encourages academic excellence and growth in all students. According to a recent survey by Stride, Inc., 91 percent of parents agree that it's important for their children to have multiple school options, including full-time online or a hybrid model that blends online and in-person learning. And almost two-thirds of parents would consider full-time online public school after their 2020 pandemic-driven virtual education experience.

TOPS is still accepting enrollments for the 2021-2022 school year. To learn more about TOPS and how to enroll, visit tops.k12.com or download the Stride K12 mobile app for iOS and Android (News - Alert) devices - where families can enroll, prepare for the first day of school, and monitor students' academic progress throughout the school year. About Texas Online Preparatory School Texas Online Preparatory School (TOPS) is a public school that serves students statewide in grades 3-12. TOPS is tuition-free for Texas residents and is made possible through a partnership between Huntsville Independent School District and K12, a Stride company (NYSE: LRN). Stride offers learners of all ages a more effective way to learn and build their skills for the future. For more information about TOPS, visit tops.k12.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005003/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Infostretch Acquires Data Analytics Firm, Gathi Analytics

Infostretch, a leader in digital engineering services, today announced that it has acquired Gathi Analytics, LLC, a leading data analytics solution and services company. This acquisition strengthens Infostretch's data engineering and analytics capabilities, particularly for financial services, insurance and healthcare organizations with more stringent data compliance and reliability standards. This is in line with the Company's strategy to grow into full scale digital engineering company. Gathi Analytics is Infostretch's second acquisition since the company's private equity investment from Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking and Everstone Group in August 2020. Gathi Analytics, based in Dublin, Ohio, was founded to help businesses leverage the full value of their rapidly evolving enterprise data assets. Gathi's unified data framework, tools and expert consulting services enable business teams to access, integrate, organize, and analyze enterprise data quickly and efficiently to inform their business decision making. The company's analytics prowess is well recognized. In 2019 and 2020, Gathi received the " Box (News - Alert) Award" for Excellence in Advanced Analytics celebrating advancements and achievements in the data analytics space. In 2021, the company was also named one of the top workplaces in the Columbus, Ohio region, and #1 in the small business category. "Gathi's analytics capabilities help enterprises gain key valuable insights from disparate data sources faster and more efficiently than previously possible." said Rutesh Shah, CEO and Founder of Infostretch. "In combination with our cloud and digital engineering capabilities, we now have the ability to help companies execute on their digital vision with exceptional precision and speed." "Gathi has shown impressive growth with blue chip customers and has demonstrated its commitment to quality and partnership with its clients. We see the very same commitment within Infostretch and are excited to welcome Gathi to the Infostretch family," said Harsh Nanda, Managing Direcor in Goldman Sachs Asset Management which has an equity investment in Infostretch.



According to Gartner (News - Alert) , Inc.'s sixth annual Chief Data Officer (CDO) survey, "Seventy-two percent of data and analytics (D&A) leaders with digital initiatives are either leading or heavily involved in their organization's digital transformation initiatives". Debra Logan, distinguished research vice president at Gartner commented that "The results indicate that more organizations now understand the synergy between building a data-driven business and leading digital transformation. D&A strategy is a business strategy infused with D&A thinking; it has a primary role in digital business strategy, affecting everything the organization does." [1] "Enterprises have drained an enormous amount of resources building vast, complex data stores in support of their MIS reporting and decision support engines," said Vamsi Kora, Gathi Founder and CEO. "We give business users the power to access and interact with this data to inform their decision-making in real-time. With Infostretch, we can apply our expertise to a much broader set of customers while amplifying our impact. The complementary services and great cultural fit between the two companies - both with a strong engineering and technical DNA make this a perfect alliance. I see significant opportunities ahead."

Gathi will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Infostretch with all employees joining the company. CEO Vamsi Kora will join the Infostretch leadership team and lead the Data Analytics business unit. About Gathi Analytics, LLC Gathi Analytics delivers the true value of enterprise data. Its modern data management and analytics solutions coupled with artificial intelligence (AI) help organizations stay relevant in the dynamic business landscape. The company combines Industry specific Data Architecture with Cloud native services in delivering Data Modernization Programs. The Gathi leadership team brings 20+ years of experience delivering very large, multi-tenant, heterogenous Enterprise data assets including ML/AI platforms. For more information, visit https://gathi.com. About Infostretch Infostretch is a pure-play digital engineering services firm focused on helping companies accelerate their digital initiatives from strategy and planning through execution. We leverage deep technical expertise, Agile (News - Alert) methodologies and data-driven intelligence to modernize systems of engagement and simplify human/tech interaction. We deliver custom solutions that meet customers' technology needs wherever they are in their digital lifecycle. Backed by the Private Equity business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Everstone Group, Infostretch works with both large enterprises and emerging innovators - putting digital to work to enable new products and business models, engage with customers in new ways, and create sustainable competitive differentiation. For more information, visit https://www.infostretch.com/. [1] Gartner Press Release, "Gartner Survey Finds 72% of Data & Analytics Leaders Are Leading or Heavily Involved in Digital Transformation Initiatives", May 5, 2021, [https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2021-05-05-gartner-finds-72-percent-of-data-and-analytics-leaders-are-leading-or-heavily-involved-in-digital-transformation-initiatives] GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005551/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Berger Montague partners with Ricoh to increase efficiency and data security, and expedite workflows

EXTON, Pa., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ricoh USA, Inc. , today announced its partnership with Berger Montague to accelerate and support the complex litigation law firm's ongoing information management and digital transformation efforts. With Ricoh's eDiscovery Managed Services, Ricoh Relativity and Ricoh Acumen, Berger Montague is streamlining its legal discovery processes, effectively mitigating risk, protecting sensitive data and proactively managing cost to best serve its clients' expansive and extensive litigation needs. This cutting-edge agreement also enables Berger Montague's co-counsel partners to benefit from Ricoh's technology and expertise, competitive pricing, and top-quality service. Berger Montague, a national plaintiffs' class action and complex litigation law firm headquartered in Philadelphia, with offices in Minneapolis, San Diego and Washington, D.C., has achieved tangible outcomes early in the partnership with Ricoh. Rsults include reduced overhead costs, enhanced review productivity with proven technology-assisted review workflows, scalability and significant success leveraging the co-counsel agreement. Moving forward, the firm plans to implement a custom eDiscovery portal to further support client needs.



"Ricoh's eDiscovery expertise, fixed-rate pricing model, cutting-edge technology and industry-leading security practices were all major considerations, particularly because our clients and co-counsel entrust us to handle and manage their most sensitive data, confidentially and securely," said Eric L. Cramer, Chairman, Berger Montague. "Ricoh is a tenured and proven business partner that provides ongoing expertise, advanced training and knowledge sharing. Its commitment extends to our co-counsel partners who are also able to leverage the Ricoh offering through this unique agreement." With Ricoh's eDiscovery Managed Services, Berger Montague uses the efficient, cost-effective and secure Ricoh Relativity solution, custom designed to its unique specifications. The firm also benefits from Ricoh Acumen, a proprietary solution that delivers advanced project ownership and business intelligence, while streamlining the eDiscovery process. Ricoh Acumen also provides unprecedented data insight to help uncover project trends, real-time review performance tracking and access to administration features, as well as direct upload and Electronically Stored Information (ESI) processing functionality with enhanced security from Ricoh's industry-leading cloud environments.

Ricoh's eDiscovery solution includes Digital Forensics Services to effectively collect ESI, enable thorough investigation, and provide expert testimony for a truly defensible and auditable process. "We're proud to leverage our experience and expertise in partnership with Berger Montague to help them meet their clients' needs in innovative ways that drive their business forward," said David Greetham, Vice President, eDiscovery, Ricoh USA, Inc. "This exciting partnership agreement, which was structured and implemented entirely remotely due to pandemic distancing regulations, includes dedicated Ricoh project management resources to provide targeted technical support to Berger Montague's attorneys and clients, and to manage all aspects of the eDiscovery lifecycle." Ricoh's eDiscovery partnership model was an attractive benefit to Berger Montague for its scalable eDiscovery infrastructure without the capital investment or personnel required to support an in-house eDiscovery platform. By leveraging Ricoh's eDiscovery technology portfolio and partnering with the Ricoh project management team, Berger Montague can create consistent, repeatable workflows and realize greater efficiencies in their eDiscovery projects. For more information about Ricoh's eDiscovery and Information Governance solutions, click here, or follow the company's social media channels on Twitter and LinkedIn. | About Ricoh | Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services that enable individuals to work smarter from anywhere. With cultivated knowledge and organizational capabilities nurtured over its 85-years history, Ricoh is a leading provider of digital services and information management, and print and imaging solutions designed to support digital transformation and optimize business performance. Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group has major operations throughout the world and its products and services now reach customers in approximately 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ended March 2021, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 1,682 billion yen (approx. 15.1 billion USD). For further information, please visit www.ricoh.com  2021 Ricoh USA, Inc. All rights reserved. All referenced product names are the trademarks of their respective companies. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/berger-montague-partners-with-ricoh-to-increase-efficiency-and-data-security-and-expedite-workflows-301353287.html SOURCE Ricoh USA, Inc.

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[August 11, 2021] SkyPoint FCU Deepens Its Commitment to Families and Communities Across the DMV

SkyPoint Federal Credit Union (SkyPoint), a premier, member-owned financial institution, continues to deepen its commitment to supporting local families with several upcoming back to school events. This news comes as another way SkyPoint is delivering on its mission to provide financial services and education programs to set members up for long-term success. SkyPoint recently hired Audra Pettus as Director of Community Relations to head these events and build its relationships with community partners, special interest groups, and non-profit organizations. "Our passion lies in helping communities grow by connecting individuals, families, and businesses," Audra Pettus said. "These initial two outreach programs will help students and families prepare for a new school year as we continue to heal from the pandemic." Downtown Frederick's National Back-To-School Prep Day, August 14, 2021 - Hosted by the Historical Society of Frederick County, attendees will make back to school survival kits. Back-To-School Bonanza!, August 22, 2021 - SkyPoint, MedStar Family Choice, and the Montgomery County Police Department (MCP) partnered for this event that will be hosted at YMCA-Bethesda. Pre-filled backpacks and box lunches will be distributed and financial/wellness sessions will be held. MCP will provide career information and public safety/first aid tips.



Juntos Avanzamos designation and their Community Development Financial Institution certification highlight their deep commitment to generate economic growth in mid to lower-income communities. "We look forward to reaching members of our community in new ways and helping them lead their lives with financial independence," said Jim Norris, CEO of SkyPoint.

Pettus brings 10 years of experience in the financial services industry. Pettus earned her Master of Arts in Strategic Communications from American University and her undergraduate degree from Howard University. About SkyPoint Federal Credit Union (SkyPoint) SkyPoint is one of the premier financial institutions serving Montgomery County, MD; Frederick County, MD; Arlington County, VA; Alexandria and Falls Church, VA; and the District of Columbia. They offer a wide array of financial services through their member-owned structure, supported by the best technology. To learn more, visit www.skypointfcu.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005554/en/

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[August 11, 2021] U.S. Department of Defense and Robotican Complete Autonomous C-sUAS Interceptor Demonstration with Low Collateral Effects

OMER, Israel, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Robotican has successfully conducted an autonomous drone interception demonstration for the U.S. Department of Defense Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD). Robotican unveiled its 3rd generation of the Goshawk interceptor drone, developed to provide fully autonomous interception capabilities needed by C-UAS systems. The Goshawk's unique design provides a remarkable interception envelope to capture hostile drones during any stage of their mission. A designated net enables the Goshawk to capture and carry the hostile drone; delivering it to a predefined area for safe disposal - with no collateral damag.



In the demonstration, the hostile drones were launched from a remote location to penetrate a no-fly zone protected by the Goshawk. After initial target detection, the Goshawk was automatically launched on its interception mission - autonomous from launch to landing. Various scenarios and profiles were enacted during the demonstration, such a complex target chase and a challenging head-on engagement, with the Goshawk and target drone flying head-on towards each other. All targets were successfully intercepted with the catch, carry and disposal performed to demonstrate the benefit of retrieving hostile drones. The target drones used were of varying sizes and models representing the operational need. Hagai Balshai , CEO Robotican, "We are very proud of our achievement. Our challenge was to develop an autonomous drone interceptor that causes no collateral damage, which we believe is key for an efficient 24/7 C-UAS system. This successful demonstration gives us confidence in our solution, and in the journey, we have begun with this amazing technology."

Robotican specializes in autonomous robotics and drones for challenging operational needs. Since 2013, the company has supplied unique and creative robots and drones. Our products are the result of our in-house, multidisciplinary and professional team, abundant with autonomous drone experience. PR Contact:

Roni Reis

Business Development

roni.reis@robotican.co Johnny Carni

VP Marketing

Johnny.Carni@robotican.co View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-department-of-defense-and-robotican-complete-autonomous-c-suas-interceptor-demonstration-with-low-collateral-effects-301353315.html SOURCE Robotican

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[August 11, 2021] IDT Carrier Services Expands Messaging Business through Telefonica Deal

NEWARK, NJ, Aug. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IDT Corporations (NYSE: IDT) Carrier Services division today announced a SMS carrier agreement with Telefonica Global Solutions, the unit that manages the international Wholesale, Global Roaming and Multinational businesses of the Telefonica Group, including Telefonicas US business. The agreement enables IDT to transmit SMS messages sent by its BOSS Revolution businesses in the U.S. and by its wholesale and enterprise partners globally directly to Telefonica mobile subscribers worldwide. The new agreement builds on the longstanding partnership between the two companies to pursue evolving opportunities in the global wholesale carrier market. Telefonica Global Solutions and IDT currently exchange over one billion minutes of international voice traffic annually. This agreement with Telefonica Global Solutions represents an important milestone as we continue to expand our SMS messaging capabilities, said Nick Ford, President of IDTs Carrier Services division. The agreement will enable both our consumer and enterprise customers to enjoy direct, high-quality application-to-person SMS delivery when messaging Telefonica mobile customers worldwide. Our SMS messaging business is just one of several promising initiatives to help us expand and diversify our Carrier Services business by leveraging our global platforms and relationships with the worlds leading telecommunications providers, Ford added. About IDT Corporation: IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT) is a global provider of fintech, cloud communications and traditional communications services. We make it easier for families to connect, support and share across international borders. We also enable businesses to transact and communicate with their customers with enhanced intelligence and insight. Our BOSS Revolution branded money transfer , mobile top-up and international calling services make sending money and speaking with friends and family around the world convenient and reliable. National Retail Solutions  (NRS) point-of-sale retail network enables independent retailers to operate and process transactions more effectively while providing advertisers and consumer marketers with unprecedented reach into underserved consumer markets. net2phone s unified communications as a service solution provides businesses with intelligently integrated cloud communications and collaboration solutions across channels and devices. Our IDT Carrier Services and IDT Express wholesale offerings enable communications companies to provision and manage international voice and SMS services.



About Telefonica

Telefonica is one of the world's leading telecommunications service providers. The company offers fixed and mobile connectivity services, as well as a wide range of digital services for individuals and businesses. It is present in Europe and Latin America, through its brands Movistar, VIVO and O2, among others, where it has more than 347 million customers. Telefonica is a fully private company whose shares are listed on the Continuous Market of the Spanish stock exchanges and on the New York and Lima stock exchanges.

About Telefonica Global Solutions Telefonica Global Solutions manages the international Wholesale, Global Roaming, Multinationals and USA businesses within the Telefonica Group. It delivers world-class global services and platforms to multinational companies, wholesale, fixed and mobile carriers, OTTs, service providers and aggregators. Offering a global footprint. TGS provides its customers with high quality connectivity, digital platforms and a wide range of innovative solutions with an integrated service portfolio which includes Voice & UCC, Networking, Mobile, Satellite, Cloud, Security and IoT & Big Data. Contact:

Bill Ulrey

IDT Investor Relations

Phone: (973) 438-3838

E-mail: invest@idt.net # # #



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[August 11, 2021] BancorpSouth Disburses Nearly $55K in Homeowner Aid

BancorpSouth Bank (NYSE: BXS) has distributed nearly $55,000 in Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP) funding from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) to assist eligible homeowners in the communities it serves. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005625/en/ Homeowner George Lemelle of Opelousas received $4,830 SNAP subsidy from BancorpSouth and FHLB Dallas to replace a portion of his roof. (Photo: Business Wire) More than one third of the funding went to homeowners in New Iberia and Opelousas, Louisiana. Funding was also distributed in other BancorpSouth markets, including Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas. The FHLB Dallas SNAP offering is disbursed through its member institutions, such as BancorpSouth, to provide funds for the repair and rehabilitation of owner-occupied housing of eligible elderly and special-needs individuals. George Lemelle, 78, of Opelousas received $4,830 to replace a portion of his roof, which had deteriorated. "It was just very nice to have this program available," he said. "I really appreciate it." The maximum SNAP award per household is $6,000 unless the member or another lender contributes $350 toward the rehabilitation costs and/or inspection fees. Then the maximum award per househod is $7,000.



"We have been invested in SNAP since its founding in 2009 and have seen how it has helped disabled and special-needs residents, including elderly residents on fixed-incomes, with home repairs critical to their health and safety," said Ken Judice, BancorpSouth Bank president - Lafayette, Louisiana market. "This program has funded roof replacements, wheelchair ramps and upgrades to plumbing, heating and air-conditioning to name a few examples." FHLB Dallas set aside $2.5 million of its 2021 Affordable Housing Program funds for SNAP, and all SNAP funds were allocated in January for the highly sought-after program. Last year, FHLB Dallas awarded $2.5 million in SNAP subsidies that assisted 421 families. Since the program's 2009 inception, nearly $20.5 million in funding has been awarded across FHLB Dallas' five-state District.

"BancorpSouth Bank's commitment to homeowners in need is commendable," said Greg Hettrick, first vice president and director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas. "They've been a great partner on SNAP over the years." To learn more about SNAP, visit fhlb.com/snap. About BancorpSouth Bank BancorpSouth Bank (NYSE: BXS) is headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi, with approximately $28 billion in assets. BancorpSouth operates approximately 315 full-service branch locations as well as additional mortgage, insurance, and loan production offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas, including an insurance location in Illinois. BancorpSouth is committed to a culture of respect, diversity, and inclusion in both its workplace and communities. To learn more, visit our Community Commitment page at https://www.bancorpsouth.com; "Like" us on Facebook; follow us on Twitter @MyBXS; or connect with us through LinkedIn (News - Alert) . About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $58.6 billion as of June 30, 2021, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 800 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit our website at fhlb.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005625/en/

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[August 11, 2021] ProcessMAP Accelerates Analytics-Driven EHS and ESG Innovations with the Latest Platform Release

ProcessMAP Corporation, a leader in data-intelligence driven software solutions for Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS), Social and Governance (ESG), and Operational Risk Management (ORM), announced today that during the first half of the calendar year 2021, the company released more than 150 innovations to meet the rapidly evolving needs of customers in the areas of digital transformation, data analytics, regulatory compliance, and risk management. Key Innovations and Enhancements Released in First Half of 2021 Empowering customers on their sustainability journey



Introduced advanced data visualization widgets, which can be leveraged to create Key Performance Indicator (KPI) level visualizations right on the homepage. Additionally, the ESG data audit functionality has been further strengthened by adding KPI level verification along with program-level verifications. Managing Asset Risk Management ( ARM (News - Alert) )



The recently released ARM solution provides a strategic approach to managing assets and the risks associated with them. As a result, asset-centric compliance and risk management processes such as audits, inspections, calibrations, testing, safe work permits, Corrective and Preventative Actions (CAPAs) will now allow customers to have a more holistic view of the health of their assets. Bringing 360 Degree View to Enable Informed Decision Making



Workbenches (system landing pages) provide a 360-degree view of data and links to various program areas such Incident Reporting & Investigation, Risk Management, and Action Plan Management; and enable users to create and share their views by using the ProcessMAP widget library. The widget library offers more than 60 widgets (data visualizations) and offers limitless possibilities with built-in options for customizations. Improving Incident Lifecycle Management



ProcessMAP's new interactive workflow visualization makes it highly intuitive for customers to better manage the lifecycle of any incident - from initial reporting through investigation and execution of countermeasures. Enabling Employee Competency Management



Employee learning and competency form the foundation of building a sustainable safety cultur. ProcessMAP's latest release offers expanded web and mobile functionalities to better manage and optimize the training process, improving the end-user experience, and enhancing visibility and compliance. Accelerating Digital Transformation with No-Code App Development and Deployment Platform







ProcessMAP's no-code Connected Workers mobile apps help in increasing cross-functional collaboration, adopting integrated approaches to continuous improvement, and driving predictive and prescriptive risk management strategies. With the new platform releases, the AppStudio provides enhanced configurable alerts and reminder notifications, conditional printing of custom reports from mobile, access to many more system data sources, the ability to import data into an app, and take advantage of outbound APIs. Empowering Connected Workers with Online and Offline Mobile Solutions



With a 300% increase in ProcessMAP's enterprise-scale mobile platform adoption within the last 2 years, the 2021 releases have further expanded the mobile capabilities to allow workers and EHS stakeholders to access, view, and utilize key policies, procedures, work instructions, and other approved documents anywhere, anytime, on-demand. Enabling Analytics-Driven Decisions





ProcessMAP's enhanced data packages and advanced analytics platform empower customers with information that can help in better understanding of their current state and accelerate better decision making. Removing Data Silos via Integrations with Enterprise Data Warehouse



Rapid integration of EHS and sustainability has necessitated EHS data integration across all business functions such as manufacturing, operations, human resources, and facility management. With the recent release of an expanded ProcessMAP's API library, customers can push their data from the ProcessMAP platform to their internal and/or cloud-based data warehouses and data analytics hubs to manage organizational compliance, business risks, and opportunities for improvements. Inspiring Collaboration to Minimize Risk



ProcessMAP's new innovations play a key role in supporting collaboration within and between employees and contractors, especially for planning, managing, and safely executing high-risk activities with upgraded solutions in Permit-To-Work (PTW), Pre-Startup Safety Reviews (PSSR), and Management of Change (MOC), among others. Comments on the News "At ProcessMAP, our customers are key partners in our product innovation pipeline, and this partnership has enabled us to deliver innovations that drive digital transformation in EHS, ESG, and ORM functions," said Jagan Garimella, CTO of ProcessMAP Corporation. "Customers trust ProcessMAP's software and analytics to protect their workers and the environment. The new release delivers functionalities to meet these objectives and the rapidly evolving business priorities," said Tina Duffy, VP of Product Management at ProcessMAP Corporation. About ProcessMAP Corporation ProcessMAP Corporation is a leader in data-intelligence-driven smart ESG and EHS software solutions, empowering global customers to make informed decisions today for a better tomorrow. Our platform gives customers the ability to automate, aggregate, track and analyze their business operations to drive the digital transformation of their ESG and EHS commitments. The ProcessMAP Platform includes solutions for Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS), Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), and Operational Risk Management (ORM), Industrial IoT, and analytics to connect people, systems, assets, and the planet to drive a Sustainable Enterprise. We are headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, with locations across the globe, serving customers in over 140 countries. Visit https://www.processmap.com/ to learn more. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005287/en/

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[August 11, 2021] The Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange Ltd. Reports the Results of the Financial Statements for the Second Quarter of 2021

TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ittai Ben Zeev, CEO of TASE, said today: "In the second quarter of the year, TASE recorded growth in all key indicators - revenue, profit and EBITDA. We are pleased to present an increase in revenue from various services that have been developed and expanded by TASE in recent years, despite the decrease in trading volumes and related revenue compared to the second quarter of 2020, which was characterized by extremely high trading volumes in response to the coronavirus outbreak. "Concurrently, we are witnessing an ongoing growth in the number of companies and in the value of the assets traded on TASE in the second quarter of the year. During the quarter, 30 new companies joined TASE and in the first half of the year, 63 companies carried out IPOs, including 42 high-tech companies. We are proud that TASE, as home of the Israeli economy, continues to attract new companies and new investors and are dedicated to making TASE accessible and allowing growing sections of the public to take part in the success of the local economy by partnering with the Israeli companies." The Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange Ltd. (TASE: TASE) today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021: Highlights of the Results : Revenue in the second quarter of 2021 totaled NIS 84.6 million, compared to revenue of NIS 73.5 million in the corresponding quarter last year, an increase of 15%. The increase in revenue is due mainly to the increase in revenue other than from trading and clearing (10% of total revenue) and from a non-recurring income from the Ministry of Finance in respect of the listing for trade, until December 31, 2020, of government bonds in an amount of NIS 3.8 million in the lending pool. Revenue from trading and clearing commissions decreased by 2% to NIS 31.65 million due to a reduction in the trading volumes of corporate bonds, derivatives and T-bills compared to the trading volumes in the corresponding quarter last year, this stemming from the effect of the coronavirus crisis outbreak in the first quarter last year on the trading volumes in the second quarter of 2020. This decrease was partly offset by the greater number of trading days in the quarter compared to the corresponding period last year. In the second quarter of 2021, there were 61 trading days, compared to 57 days in the corresponding quarter last year (a 7% increase). An increase of 24%, to an amount of NIS 18.3 million, was recorded in revenue from listing fees and levies, stemming primarily from an agreement signed between TASE and TASE-CH and the Ministry of Finance in May 2021, effective from the beginning of the year, as well as from an increase in the number of prospectuses submitted for examination in the quarter, the higher number of companies and funds paying an annual levy and more. A 20% increase in revenue from Clearing House services, which reached close to NIS 17 million, derived mainly from the rise in revenue from custodian fees, in view of the increase in the value of the assets held in TASE-CH, which has contributed 11% to the total increase in revenue from Clearing House services. Additionally, an 8% increase was recorded in revenue from data distribution and connectivity services, mainly due to data distribution to customers outside Israel and from the distrbution of derivative data, and in revenue from connectivity services (BSO and Colocation).



The costs in the second quarter of 2021 totaled approximately NIS 70.4 million, compared to costs of NIS 63.9 million in the corresponding quarter last year, an increase of 10%. The increase in the costs is due mainly to employee benefits expenses (5% of total costs) resulting from salary updates, a higher headcount and an increase in overtime, marketing expenses (3% of total costs) and to an increase in property taxes and building maintenance expenses and depreciation expenses (1% of total costs, each). Financing income, net in the second quarter of 2021 totaled NIS 1.3 million, compared to financing income of NIS 3.5 million in the corresponding quarter last year. The decrease in financing expenses is due to a difference in the yield on the Company's investments in Israeli Government bonds managed in marketable securities' portfolios, which amounted to 0.7% this quarter compared to 1.9% in the corresponding quarter last year.

Profit in the second quarter of 2021 totaled NIS 12.1 million, compared to NIS 10 million in the corresponding quarter last year, an increase of 20%. The increase in profit was due to the increase in revenue from services other than trading and clearing, which was partly offset by the increase in expenses and the reduction in financing income, as described above. Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter of 2021 totaled NIS 26.2 million, compared to NIS 21 million in the corresponding quarter last year, an increase of 25%. The increase is due to the higher revenue from services other than trading and clearing, which was partly offset, mainly by the increase in employee benefits costs and marketing expenses. The adjusted profit in the second quarter of 2021 totaled NIS 12.3 million, compared to NIS 10.4 million in the corresponding quarter last year, an increase of 18%. The increase is due mainly to the higher revenue from services other than trading and clearing, which was partly offset, mainly by the increase in employee benefits costs and marketing expenses and the reduction in financing income. TASE notes that the first half of 2021 was characterized by the gradual lifting of all of the restrictions that were imposed on the business sector following the coronavirus outbreak, this in light of the expansion of the vaccination campaign and the resulting reduction in the number of cases in Israel, which in turn contributed to the economy resuming activity and to a reduction in the unemployment rate. A rise in morbidity rates began in the second quarter and grew stronger in July-August, resulting in the reinstatement of certain restrictions. Based on the nature of trading in the first half of 2021, to the extent that the rise in morbidity is short in term and does not entail the imposition of additional restrictions on the economy, no material adverse effect on the activity of the Company is expected. The wave of IPOs continued into the second quarter, in which new and seasoned companies raised NIS 8 billion and, by the end of the first half of 2021, upwards of NIS 17 billion was raised, more than three times the amount raised in the corresponding period in 2020 and even higher than the amount raised in the full year 2020. In the second quarter, 30 new companies, including 3 R&D partnerships, carried out IPOs, raising total of NIS 4.7 billion. In the first half of 2021, 63 companies, including 3 R&D partnerships, raised NIS 7.8 billion in IPOs, compared to 6 new companies and R&D partnerships that raised NIS 1 billion in the corresponding period in 2020. 18 new high-tech companies listed on TASE in the second quarter of 2021, this in addition to the 24 new companies that listed in the first quarter of 2021, bringing the total to 42 new high-tech companies, as compared to 18 new high-tech companies listed in the full year 2020. Among the companies that listed for trade in the second quarter of 2021 are three companies with an IPO value of NIS 2.5 to 3.7 billion, each. In addition to the 63 new issuers in the first half of 2021, 2 companies performed dual listing (for the first time, dual listing by a company that is traded on the Singapore Exchange), and 8 companies carried out an infusion of operations. The average trading volumes in the first half of 2021 remined similar to the average trading volumes in the full year 2020, as compared to heightened trading volumes and increased fluctuation in the value of assets in the first half last year, which resulted from the uncertainty that prevailed in the markets following the coronavirus outbreak at the time. The rise in morbidity that began towards the end of the second quarter of 2021 has so far had no material effect on the trends described above concerning the value of the assets that are traded on TASE and the trading volumes. Click here for the link to the complete financial statements for the second quarter of 2021> Click here for the link to the financial presentation of the second quarter of 2021> This announcement is not a substitute for perusing the Company's periodic reports for the second quarter of 2021, in which full and precise information is presented. Contact: Yehuda van der Walde

EVP, CFO

Tel: +972-76-8160442

cfo@tase.co.il Orna Goren

Head of Communication and Public Relations Unit

Tel: +972-76-8160405

tase.ir@tase.co.il View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-tel-aviv-stock-exchange-ltd-reports-the-results-of-the-financial-statements-for-the-second-quarter-of-2021-301353416.html SOURCE The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Ltd.

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[August 11, 2021] Mouser Electronics Explores Sensors in Fourth Installment of 2021 Empowering Innovation Together Series

Mouser Electronics, Inc. today releases the fourth installment of the 2021 series of its award-winning Empowering Innovation Together program. The new installment examines the wide range of sensor types and applications through a new episode of The Tech Between Us podcast, as well as blog and infographic content. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005596/en/ Mouser Electronics announces the fouth installment of the 2021 series of its award-winning Empowering Innovation Together program. The new installment examines the wide range of sensor types and applications through a new episode of The Tech Between Us podcast, as well as blog and infographic content. (Graphic: Business Wire)



In the latest podcast episode, Dr. Jay Esfandyari, Director of Global Marketing Strategy for STMicroelectronics (News - Alert) , joins Mouser's Raymond Yin for a lively discussion about the crucial role sensors play in the industrial and IoT sectors, and how they'll shape the future of these markets.

"We are currently in an age of sensor technology that is creating new, more efficient experiences for everyone," shares Glenn Smith, President and CEO of Mouser Electronics. "This latest EIT installment offers a collection of intriguing thoughts on the state of sensor technology, which continues to play a bigger role in so many everyday applications." The 2021 EIT series includes blogs, infographics, videos and more, interspersed with discussions between Mouser thought leaders and industry experts. Future tech topics will explore automotive technologies and industrial automation and review the latest in RF and wireless products. The program showcases various new product developments and reveals the technical developments needed to stay up to date with emerging trends in the marketplace. The fourth edition of the series is sponsored by Mouser's valued manufacturer partners STMicroelectronics, TDK and TE Connectivity (News - Alert) . Established in 2015, Mouser's Empowering Innovation Together program is one of the industry's most recognized electronic component programs. To learn more, visit https://www.mouser.com/empowering-innovation and follow Mouser on Facebook and Twitter. For more Mouser news, visit https://www.mouser.com/newsroom/. Engineers can stay abreast of today's exciting product, technology and application news through Mouser's complimentary e-newsletter. Mouser's email news and reference subscriptions are customizable to the unique and changing project needs of customers and subscribers. No other distributor gives engineers this much customization and control over the information they receive. Learn about emerging technologies, product trends and more by signing up today at https://sub.info.mouser.com/subscriber. About Mouser Electronics Mouser Electronics, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is an authorized semiconductor and electronic component distributor focused on New Product Introductions from its leading manufacturer partners. Serving the global electronic design engineer and buyer community, the global distributor's website, mouser.com, is available in multiple languages and currencies and features more than 5 million products from over 1,100 manufacturer brands. Mouser offers 27 support locations worldwide to provide best-in-class customer service in local language, currency and time zone. The distributor ships to over 630,000 customers in 223 countries/territories from its 1 million-square-foot, state-of-the-art distribution facilities in the Dallas, Texas, metro area. For more information, visit https://www.mouser.com/. Trademarks Mouser and Mouser Electronics are registered trademarks of Mouser Electronics, Inc. All other products, logos, and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005596/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Berkley Program Specialists Announce New Partnership with Condominium Insurance Specialists of America (CISA)

Berkley Program Specialists, a Berkley Company and a leader in program business, and Condominium Insurance Specialists of America (CISA) today announced they are partnering to provide innovative insurance protection to Condominiums and Associations. Condominium Insurance Specialists of America, founded in the early 1970's, was the first to pilot an insurance program uniquely tailored to the growing market of community association living. CISA continues to offer uncompromising value for their clients through commitment, advocacy, stability and excellence. Through the partnership, CISA will continue to exceed the expectations of their clients in terms of superior quality, reasonable price and high standards. "We are thrilled to be partnering with Condominium Insurance Specialists of America, the premier condominium writer in the state of Illinois. By offering exceptional service and record processing times in the industry, we look forward to providing added value to CISA customers," said Greg Douglas, President of Berkley Program Specialists. "The partnership holds special promise and given the strength of both companies, is poised for success." Of the partnership, Mark McLallen, President of Condominium Insurance Specialists of America, said, "CISA is honored to be joining the Berkley Program Specialists group of partners. Beyond the strength that Berkley paper provides, BPS possessesthe underwriting expertise, flexibility, claims efficiency, stewardship and commitment to excellence that distinguishes it in today's program business marketplace. We are very excited to be working with the entire BPS team and believe it will be a keystone to the success of our program."



About Berkley Program Specialists Berkley Program Specialists, a Berkley Company, is a leading insurance operation dedicated exclusively to program business. Berkley Program Specialists provides program administrators with underwriting authority backed by admitted and non-admitted A.M. Best A+ rated insurance paper, as well as program management expertise and, when required, reinsurance support. For more information, please visit www.berkley-ps.com.

Certain products and services are provided by one or more insurance company subsidiaries of W. R. Berkley Corporation. Not all products and services are available in every jurisdiction. The precise coverage afforded by any insurer is subject to the actual terms and conditions of the policies as issued. Certain coverages may be provided through surplus lines insurance company subsidiaries of W. R. Berkley Corporation through licensed surplus lines brokers. Surplus lines insurers do not generally participate in state guaranty funds and insureds are therefore not protected by such funds. About Condominium Insurance Specialists of America Condominium Insurance Specialists of America, (CISA), has been a leader in the Community Association insurance marketplace since its founding in 1972. CISA is dedicated to the continual development of industry leading coverages, as well as its commitment to excellent customer service, education, and advocacy for our clients and carrier partners. For further information, please visit us at www.cisainsurance.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005021/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Challenger Saurus.com is partnering with Ambassadeurs Group!

LONDON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rewire Holding Ltd, through its brand Saurus.com, is partnering with Ambassadeurs Group Ltd, a premier Mayfair business that is determined to promote social and financial inclusion through this joint product development program. Jose Merino, CEO at Saurus.com said, "We live in a world where we still have way too many unbanked people, this joint approach will provide under-represented people and businesses with the tools enabling their inclusion with the wider community. We are aligning our ethics with the United Nations #1 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 1) to contribute to the eradication of poverty through our social and financial inclusion programs." Jose's philanthropic endeavours pre-pandemic also include involvement with Dunkin a social inclusion internet sharing project in Spain. Saurus is his latest brainchild. The Saurus app and associated technology allows underbanked individuals access to low fee merchant accounts and free internet sharing from merchant to personal accounts. Reliance on Wifi or mobile data is removed as individuals wil be able to transact through POS.



Kevin McGowen, Ambassadeurs Group, CEO said, "We are delighted to be collaborating with Saurus.com in promoting social and financial inclusion through the integration of their patent protected technology. The tech is really elegant, and the concept is on message with our diverse range of new online products. We are transforming our business to embrace the digital age in a socially responsible way and in support of our charitable activities." We encourage you to learn more about Rewire Holding Limited, by visiting: https://RewireHolding.com/

Notes to editors: The Saurus app is aimed for release in Q4-21 to the Ambassadeurs Group clients in support of its charitable activities. In Q2-2021, Saurus.com raised $2.3 million in its pre-Series A funding round. For its next Series A round Saurus.com engaged 3 London brokers, of which one is an FCA regulated broker. Jose Merino is the former Executive Vice-President of Operations at a Global Fortune 500-listed electronics company in Silicon Valley. He has a long history of successes in the tech arena. In the '90s, he invented a cell phone which he sold to a listed tech company in Asia. His success continued on the signing of a licencing agreement with a Fortune 500 tech giant. Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12880947 Press release distributed by PRLog View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/challenger-sauruscom-is-partnering-with-ambassadeurs-group-301353432.html SOURCE Rewire Holding LTD

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[August 11, 2021] Reliant Donates Thousands of Back-to-School Kits to Texas Children

The 2021-2022 school year is right around the corner and Reliant is teaming up with local nonprofits and school districts to help families get a head start and prepare for the classroom. The electricity provider is donating more than 10,000 back-to-school kits, including school supplies such as pencils, notebooks, folders, and more, to students in pre-K through 12th grade. "At Reliant, we believe investing in the future of young people pays dividends - in the lives of students, their families and our community," said Elizabeth Killinger, president, Reliant and NRG Retail. "We are honored to work with nonprofits that make a great difference in our state. By helping with necessary school supplies, we hope to relieve many families of a financial stressor while at the same time we are part of the excitement of going back to school." Reliant volunteers will be onsite at locations across the state to distribute the 10,000 back to school kits at several organizations, including: Houston-area Rainbow Youth Center , which provides educational resources and services for students of all ages.

, which provides educational resources and services for students of all ages. Fort Bend Family Services , a health organization addressing physical, social and psychological needs.

, a health organization addressing physical, social and psychological needs. Houston ISD , Texas' largest school district and the seventh largest in the U.S.

, Texas' largest school district and the seventh largest in the U.S. Kids' Meals , which delivers healthy meals to hungry children at no cost, serving as a first responder to children under five who are facing extreme hunger.

, which delivers healthy meals to hungry children at no cost, serving as a first responder to children under five who are facing extreme hunger. East Harris County Empowerment Council , an organization dedicated to empowering all groups of people through innovative programs and initiatives.

, an organization dedicated to empowering all groups of people through innovative programs and initiatives. Lamar CISD , a southwest-Houston-area school district providing high-quality education to encourage K-12 students to achieve their full potential.

, a southwest-Houston-area school district providing high-quality education to encourage K-12 students to achieve their full potential. Stafford MSD , a small-scale school district operating in Houston's Harris and Fort Bend counties, empowering students to grow and excel in all academic areas.

, a small-scale school district operating in Houston's Harris and Fort Bend counties, empowering students to grow and excel in all academic areas. Fort Bend ISD, a K-12 public education system in Fort Bend County, one of the fastest growing counties in the nation.



Dallas-Fort Worth-area New Nation Center , a youth center in Plano equipping children and young adults with the skills to help them lead a productive life through a variety of social and educational programs.

, a youth center in Plano equipping children and young adults with the skills to help them lead a productive life through a variety of social and educational programs. NW Harllee Early Childhood Center , a Dallas ISD program supplying educational resources to children to help them be impactful members of their community.

, a Dallas ISD program supplying educational resources to children to help them be impactful members of their community. Boys and Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County , the local chapter of a global nonprofit with a mission of equipping the local youth with the resources they need to succeed in life.

, the local chapter of a global nonprofit with a mission of equipping the local youth with the resources they need to succeed in life. West Dallas Multipurpose Center , a pillar of the community where children and families can get the support they need to improve quality of life through innovative programs and services.

, a pillar of the community where children and families can get the support they need to improve quality of life through innovative programs and services. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, a City of Dallas social services program granting financial aid to more than 29,000 families in the Dallas area through food, utilities, and rental assistance. Corpus Christi and Rio Grande Valley-area

Operation Safe Return , an annual back-to-school health and safety fair hosted by the Corpus Christi Police Department.

, an annual back-to-school health and safety fair hosted by the Corpus Christi Police Department. LEAD First , a program aimed at supporting youth leadership in the Corpus Christi community.

, a program aimed at supporting youth leadership in the Corpus Christi community. Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, as the official jersey partner for the Toros' 2021 and 2022 campaigns, Reliant is hosting a back-to-school expo with this organization. Reliant continues to support local education efforts and has been empowering many of these organizations for several years to continue making a difference in the lives of Texas students. With these donations, Reliant's partners will be able to further impact Texas and the local communities in a positive, meaningful way. About Reliant, an NRG company Reliant powers, protects and simplifies life by bringing electricity, security and related services to homes and businesses across Texas. Serving customers and the community is at the core of what we do, and the company is recognized nationally for outstanding customer experience. Reliant is part of NRG, a Fortune 500 company that creates value by generating electricity and providing energy solutions to nearly 6 million residential, small business and commercial customers across the U.S. and Canada. NRG's competitive residential electricity business, which includes Reliant, is one of the largest in the country. For more information about Reliant, visit reliant.com and connect with Reliant on Facebook at facebook.com/reliantenergy and Twitter (News - Alert) or Instagram @reliantenergy. PUCT Certificate #10007. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005704/en/

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[August 11, 2021] ?IP Infusion Partners with Wipro Limited to Deliver Validated Disaggregated Networking Solutions

IP Infusion, a leading provider of network disaggregation solutions for telecom and data communications operators, today announced a strategic partnership with Wipro (News - Alert) Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, to collaborate on delivering end-to-end disaggregated networking solutions. Wipro and IP Infusion (News - Alert) are collaborating to provide the best combination of hardware, software, and delivery model, while maintaining ecosystem flexibility and system stability. The strategic relationship will result in hardware/software solutions, based on IP Infusion's proven industry-leading network operating system protocol stacks of the OcNOS network operating system, along with Wipro's merchant silicon-based hardware design and verification, in addition to market leading ODM hardware for a wide range of fronthaul and backhaul solutions. The joint solution offerings include Distributed Cell Site Gateways (DCSG), Fronthaul Gateway (News - Alert) (FHGW), Provider Edge Routers (PE), Open Optical and packet transport, OpenSoftHaul and Data Center network solutions. "Disaggregated networking requires a robust ecosystem, including system integrators to expand the scope and implementation of disaggregated network solutions. Wipro, a significant system integrator for the networking industry, has a long history of mobile operator engagement and implementation expertise," said Atsushi Ogata, President and CEO of IP Infusion. "Wipro's experience in Network Testing and Lab Management uiquely enables them to provide end-to-end testing of network services and the system integration required for the deployment of disaggregated solutions. Combined with IP Infusion's validated disaggregation solutions, telecom and data communications operators will have a turn-key model and allow them to accelerate their pace of innovation and reduce overall CapEx and OpEx."



"Some of the key technology enablers of next generation 5G infrastructure are software-defined networking (SDN) / network functions virtualization (NFV), cloud native virtual network functions (VNFs), disaggregation and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) driven network automation. We are excited to partner with IP Infusion and integrate these technologies and offer end-to-end solutions to our clients including complete technology lifecycle management," said T V Sriram, Vice President and Global Head - Comms & Tech, iDEAS, Wipro Limited. "Wipro has also made strategic investments in hardware design capabilities, test labs and merchant silicon-based software solutions in this space." About Wipro Limited

Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 200,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future. About IP Infusion IP Infusion enables disaggregated networking solutions for carriers, service providers and data center operators. We provide network OS solutions for today's networks to allow network operators to reduce network costs, increase flexibility, and to deploy new features and services quickly. IP Infusion is a solution provider of the OcNOS and ZebOS network operating systems to our more than 350 customers and is an integrator and customer service provider for DANOS- Vyatta (News - Alert) edition and Commercial SONiC Distribution. IP Infusion is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., and is a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of ACCESS CO., LTD. Additional information can be found at http://www.ipinfusion.com IP Infusion, ZebOS, and OcNOS are trademarks or registered trademarks of IP Infusion. ACCESS is registered trademarks or trademarks of ACCESS CO., LTD. in the United States, Japan and/or other countries. Northforge Innovations is a registered trademark of Northforge Innovations, Inc. All other trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, or registered service marks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005057/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Too Good To Go selects Daily Bread Food Bank as its 'charity of choice' for its Canadian launch

The organizations are calling on Canadians to join the fight against food insecurity TORONTO, Aug. 11, 2021 /CNW/ - Too Good To Go is pleased to announce Daily Bread Food Bank as its first charity partner. Daily Bread provides emergency food relief across the city, while advocating for long-term solutions to end poverty. At current usage rates it is predicted that there will be over 1.4 million food bank visits in Toronto this year. Too Good To Go selects Daily Bread Food Bank as its charity of choice. With over 86 million meals saved globally, Too Good To Go made its Canadian debut in Toronto last month. Integrated as an active in-app partner, customers can donate directly to the charity. The simplicity of use and ease of functionality will allow customers a barrier free way to help support Daily Bread while also saving food that would otherwise go to waste. The food waste problem in Canada, and globally, is so overwhelming that no single organization can solve it alone. One-third of all food across the world is wasted, while 870 million people go hungry every year. Canada ranks among the worst contributors to food waste, wasting nearly 3 million tons of food each year. According to City of Toronto data, each single family household throws out approximately 200kg of food yearly. "Food is a human right. No one should face barriers to accessing the food they need," said Nell Hetherington, CEO, Daily Bread Food Bank. "Innovation and collaboration are key to the fight against hunger, and we are excited to be selected as Too Good To Go's charity of choice for their Canadian launch." Too Good To Go's mission is to inspire and empower everyone to fight food waste together. The company is partnership oriented seeking to build bridges and work to complement efforts by those who have had a proven, measurable impac in the fight against food waste.



Said Sam Kashani, Too Good To Go Country Manager, "we're honoured to support this trusted Toronto organization. This is the start of a wonderful partnership that will merge values and the goal we share of tackling food waste and food insecurity among Torontonians. We're thrilled to support their initiatives and spread the good work they're doing to our customers across the city." As a result of COVID-19 Daily Bread Food Bank saw an increase in food bank visits by 51% over the previous year . Many of those who accessed food banks throughout the pandemic will continue to need affordable food options as 62% of food bank visitors are employed in precarious or part-time work that does not guarantee them steady, reliable income.

Too Good To Go is available for iOS download in the Apple App Store and Google Play for Android . Users can find information on how to donate to Daily Bread within the app {insert About Too Good To Go

Too Good To Go, a certified B Corp, is a social impact company leading the food waste revolution to create a greener planet. Their app connects consumers to surplus food from local restaurants and grocery stores, such as pastries, fresh produce, sushi and more, which would otherwise be thrown away to make room for the next batch of goods. Each meal rescued equates to the CO2e emission of charging one smartphone fully 422 times. Founded in 2016, Too Good To Go has saved nearly 86 million meals across 16 countries, which adds up to 200 million pounds of food. Beyond the app, Too Good To Go has launched initiatives to change date labeling on food, produced free educational resources for schools and inspired households to change food waste behaviours. Visit https://toogoodtogo.ca/ for more information for how to sign up and get your business live on the app, and follow us at @TooGoodToGo.can. About Daily Bread Food Bank

Daily Bread Food Bank works towards long-term solutions to hunger and runs innovative programs to support people on low incomes. Daily Bread distributes shelf-stable food, as well as fresh-cooked meals and provides support to over 120 member agencies and 170 food programs across Toronto, including food banks and meal programs for shelters and drop-ins. Daily Bread also publishes the influential Who's Hungry Report, an annual survey that provides qualitative and quantitative data and analysis about food and income insecurity in Toronto to all levels of government and sector stakeholders. To learn more, please visit www.dailybread.ca. SOURCE Too Good To Go

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[August 11, 2021] A College of Semiconductor Research is Established at NTHU

National Tsing Hua University's (NTHU) plan to establish a College of Semiconductor Research (CoSR) has been approved by the Ministry of Education and student recruitment will soon follow. President Hocheng Hong said that the institute will be headed by Academician of Academia Sinica Burn J. Lin, whose research in immersion lithography has a major impact on the semiconductor industry worldwide. He added that with Lin's leadership, combined with NTHU's strength in technology and interdisciplinary studies, the CoSR will certainly become a major force in semiconductor research. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005030/en/ Dr. Burn J. Lin will be the first dean of the College of Semiconductor Research. (Photo: National Tsing Hua University) In addition to international companies such as Micron Technology (News - Alert) and Tokyo Electron, the CoSR is being upported by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, GlobalWafers, Unimicron, United Microelectronics, Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation, Novatek Microelectronics, and Nanya Technology, with an annual endowment totaling over NT$130 million.



This college will consist four disciplines: Semiconductor Device, Semiconductor Design, Semiconductor Process, and Semiconductor Material. Each year it will enroll about 80 master's students and 20 doctoral students. The first batch of students will be admitted as early as the spring of 2022. President Hocheng further indicates that NTHU is the only university in greater China that has three Nobel (News - Alert) laureates amongst its alumni. Moreover, NTHU has been rated among the top 100 schools worldwide in electrical engineering and computer science, materials science, physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, machinery, and statistics-placing it in an excellent position to turn out graduates with a broad-based creative vision, the basis of cutting-edge research.

Dr. Lin said that domestic universities already turn out plenty graduates for the semiconductor industry in Taiwan, so that the CoSR's main focus should be on raising the nation's international competiveness. To realize this vision, Lin wants to cultivate each student into a specialist, generalist, innovator and problem solver. A student first acquires the ability to dig deep in a given field of the semiconductor technology, thus becomes a sought-after specialist. However, the semiconductor technology encompasses too many fields for any individual to comprehend all. He has to work with people of other disciplines as a team. He needs to be proficient in related fields in order to communicate with other specialists, thus, has to be a generalist. Besides being broad, the technology also progresses at an awesome pace. The specialist/generalist got to be able to solve new problems and be innovative for revolutionary approaches. Only when someone fully proficient in all three aspects will he be able to become a formidable leader in semiconductor research. During his 22 years at IBM (News - Alert) Research in the United States, Lin was credited with many ground-breaking innovations. He joined TSMC in 2000, and in 2002 he began to develop immersion lithography, which has had a tremendous impact on the semiconductor industry. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005030/en/

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[August 11, 2021] NIMBUS Wins Silver as Ad Age's Southeast Small Agency of the Year

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The summer of accolades continues for NIMBUS, a strategic multicultural marketing firm headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Last week, they were named the Southeast's Silver winner of the 2021 Small Agency of The Year Awards presented by Ad Agean industry-leading global media brand and focused on curated creativity, people and culture. In June, NIMBUS was named Ad Age's 2021 Multicultural Agency of The Year. Ad Age's Small Agency Awards recognize excellence, marketing effectiveness, strategic thinking and overall performance for agencies with 150 or fewer employees. In announcing the honor, Ad Age noted NIMBUS' ability to translate the relationship between culture and brands as a leading success factor. Specifically, they referenced NIMBUS' role as multicultural agency for Papa John's being a significant part of the pizza chain's comeback. Also in the spotlight was the agency's work with Brown-Forman including a dynamic campaign for Jack Daniel's Apple during Hispanic Heritage Month in 2020 as well as a 'beautifully filmed series' featuring multicultural bartenders called "Culture Shakers." Stacey Wade, NIMBUS CEO & Executive Creative Director, launched his agency in 2002 as a sole-proprietor. Over the past 20 years, he's guided NIMBUS to be the impressive full-service creative, experiential and strategic marketing communications powerhouse they are today. At the same time, Wade leveraged his unique positio as one of the few minority-owned agencies in the region to fine-tune NIMBUS' capacity for connecting brands with diverse audiences through strategic multicultural marketing initiatives.



That agency's impressive portfolio of local, national and global clients testifies to the talent of Wade's team, individuals reflecting a diversity of experience, insights into market trends and cultural perspectives. NIMBUS client relationships include: Brown-Forman, Humana, KFC, Louisville Metro United Way, Papa John's International, Swisher International, U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) and Toyota North America. Award wins are gratifying and an affirmation that NIMBUS is doing work that's matters. But the bigger story for Wade is his agency's reputation for fearlessly breaking barriers and elevating the stories of those too often unheard.

"We look to local legend---and my personal hero---Muhammad Ali for inspiration at NIMBUS. He built his fame from scratch, literally taking every hit along the way to make him stronger," notes Wade. "Ali once said, 'Impossible is Nothing' and that's exactly the mindset we embrace every day. We've made it to where we are today thanks to the dedication of our team members and an unwavering support system of family, friends and advocates." "Here's our reality: we live and work in an increasingly multifaceted culture and NIMBUS adeptly helps our clients navigate through those complexities," says Dr. Dawn Wade, NIMBUS Chief Strategy Officer & Managing Partner. "We lean into data and research to make informed strategic decisions, but also respect the humanity necessary to create the magic of authentic emotional connections between people and a brand." So, what's next for this multiple-award-winning force of nature? Really big things. NIMBUS will soon open their new downtown Louisville office while also pursuing additional client relationships, expanding their team and continuing agency expansion into the Atlanta market. For more information about NIMBUS and a peak at why their award shelves are filling up quickly, visit them online at www.hellonimbus.com. Friendly hint: sound up when you do! About NIMBUS | hellonimbus.com

NIMBUS is an independent strategic marketing and communications agency with a focus on identifying cultural relevance and developing inclusive marketing engagement. By integrating data intelligence with innovation, the NIMBUS team crafts strategies which generate and nurture authentic connections between their client's brands and targeted audiences in today's complex and multicultural marketplace. Clients benefitting from NIMBUS' expertise include: Brown-Forman, Humana, KFC, Louisville Metro United Way, Papa John's International, Swisher International, U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) and Toyota North America among others. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nimbus-wins-silver-as-ad-ages-southeast-small-agency-of-the-year-301353393.html SOURCE NIMBUS, Inc.

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[August 11, 2021] Overproof Launches BarInsights, a Service for Bars & Restaurants to Monetize their Sales Data and for Suppliers to Measure ROI

MIAMI, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Overproof - the first and only business intelligence company that offers brand management and intelligent field execution tools for the beverage alcohol and hospitality industries - is proud to announce the launch of BarInsights, a platform that empowers bars and restaurants to monetize their existing POS sales data, and gives suppliers unprecedented insight into their on-premise performance and return on investment (ROI). BarInsights helps bars/restaurants monetize existing POS data and gives suppliers on-premise brand performance insights. "BarInsights facilitates strategic partnerships between on-premise accounts and beverage alcohol suppliers," said Marc De Kuyper, CEO of Overproof. "For beverage alcohol brands, the lack of on-premise performance data is a fundamental issue to determine ROI or 'return on effort'. The platform opens a new revenue stream that offers consistent, monthly profit to merchants, while giving suppliers the insights they need to make data-backed decisions that drive brand strategy, product development, and marketing and sales efforts." How It Works

BarInsights makes it easy for bars and restaurants to capitalize on the data their POS system already collects. Once enrolled, Overproof integrates directly with the merchant's POS system. Merchants upload their beverage menu and set pricing for the performance insights related to items on the menu, includin base spirits and modifiers. Popular items generate larger datasets and more valuable insights, so BarInsights gives merchants full flexibility on pricing.



Merchants connect with their current supplier partners on the BarInsights platform, or use the BarInsights marketplace to establish new supplier relationships, and offer them the ability to purchase the brand trend insights related to their brand. Once a supplier accepts, Overproof's Data Science team begins to pull the data, and cleans, enhances and enriches it to deliver the monthly reports. Overproof handles payment collection from all supplier partners and delivers an all-in-one monthly payment to the merchant. Bars and restaurants interested in monetizing their sales data with BarInsights can schedule a demo by visiting https://overproof.com/campaigns/barinsights-pr/. Beverage alcohol suppliers interested in accessing monthly brand performance reports, visit https://overproof.com/campaigns/barinsights-prs/.

About Overproof

Overproof is the first and only business intelligence company that creates commercial planning, execution and tracking tools for the beverage alcohol and hospitality industries. Overproof's products provide customers access to real-time insights, proven methodologies, industry networks and automated tracking tools that build business success. The innovative suite includes the Overproof platform, a commercial planning and execution management portal and app fueled by Overproof Insights; Tastings, a tool that helps brands execute off-premise programs; Sixdots, the all-in-one mobile ordering platform for bars and restaurants; BarInsights, a platform that integrates directly with bar and restaurant POS systems to offers on-premise insights to suppliers; and Overproof TEAM, a division of Overproof that plans and executes custom supplier programs powered by the Overproof suite of technology solutions. At the core of Overproof's products is the belief that actionable insights inform better decisions that fuel business growth. Overproof combines business and social goals and actively gives back to the communities it serves. Since 2020, Overproof's not-for-profit virtual happy hour program CompanyToast has contributed more than $700k to the hospitality industry by employing out-of-work bartenders and supporting local businesses. To learn more, visit www.overproof.com and https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/lymion-group-inc. Media Contact:

Diana Arellano

Vice President of Marketing

Overproof

diana.arellano@overproof.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/overproof-launches-barinsights-a-service-for-bars--restaurants-to-monetize-their-sales-data-and-for-suppliers-to-measure-roi-301353517.html SOURCE Overproof

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[August 11, 2021] Revival Sash Appoints Alex Carey to Launch Southhampton, New York Operation

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y., Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Revival Sash, a leading custom window & door manufacturer has appointed Alex Carey to lead its newly launched Southampton, New York operation. Alex brings 25 years of direct industry experience in the Empire State with Revival Sash, Taconic, and Stern Projects to this newly created General Management position. A logistics facility and showroom location will be announced shortly in the East end where Alex is a long-time resident. "Having worked with Alex the last two years, I can say with confidence that he will bring vision and great leadership to this strategically critical location. We look forward to introducing Revival Sash to additional local architects and contractors and to a long and collaborative presence on Eastern Long Island." said Mike Canizales, CEO of Revival Sash. Alex added "Being given the opportunity to represent Revival Sash and a team of craftsmen with centuries of woodworking experience, is extraordinary. The hurricane rated wood products that have been developed and HVHZ tested by Revival are world class. The Revival steel line and large format aluminum products that we debuted at 2 West Water Street in Sag Harbor will no doubt also become coveted among the most discerning clients. Alex will be supported by Paul Beinlich, Director of Installation and Service. Paul is also well known in the market and will employ a full team of locally based installation, and service professionals. Brian Trager, a Revival project manager and founding Revival Sash partner, and Long Island native rounds out the senior leadership team.



Revival Holdings owns three premier window and door companies: Revival Sash, Bright Window Specialists and Sequel. Revival Sash Custom Windows & Doors is a manufacturer servicing the most discerning architects and general contractors in the nation. Many members of the multi-generational Revival family have worked together for decades and produced over $250M worth of handcrafted American made products. The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and showroom is in Springfield, New Jersey, 30 minutes from the national sales office in New York City which is headed by Founding Partner, Peter Manning. The West Palm Beach office is at 1601 Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach, Florida. The company offers wood, steel, aluminum and clad products across several brand and price points which meet the most rigorous AAMA, Florida Building Code & HVHZ standards.

Sequel is a full-service window sales and installation company with 33 years of experience installing windows and doors in coastal Florida and across the nation for luxury residences. The company has worked on countless projects in the Florida Area with focus on Jupiter and Palm Bach Islands. Bright Window Specialists is a window and door sales and installation company based in New Jersey, offering high-end services to the greater New York region. Whether looking for a contemporary design or something more traditional, the Bright team ensures a finished product that surpasses expectations. Bright Window Specialists has been a trusted Leader since 1991. Sachs Capital is a patient, sophisticated financial partner that offers flexible, non-control, long term capital to successful entrepreneurs. With over 40 years of experience working with entrepreneurs, its core philosophy is to align Sachs' interests with ownership through a non-control capital position. Sachs Capital is not limited by the typical requirements of institutional investors and is able to invest for the long term, with no forced exit or maturity event. Sachs Capital has invested over $160 million into 19 companies for over a decade and is currently investing out of Sachs Capital Fund II, LLC, a $65 million committed capital fund. Sachs has a keen interest in the building products space with investments in Ducky Johnson and Revival Holdings; and Link Electric, among others. Sachs Capital first invested in Revival Holdings in May of 2019. Contact: Mike Canizales,+1 212 731 9337, mike@revivalsash.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/revival-sash-appoints-alex-carey-to-launch-southhampton-new-york-operation-301353566.html SOURCE Revival Sash

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[August 11, 2021] EY Announces Melvin Petty of ERP International as an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2021 Mid-Atlantic Award Winner

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced that Melvin Petty, CEO and Managing Partner of ERP International was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2021 Mid-Atlantic 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. Mr. Petty was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was announced during the program's virtual awards gala on August 3, 2021. Melvin Petty states, "It is an incredible honor to be named a winner for Entrepreneur Of The Year and become an alumnus of such an extraordinary group of entrepreneurs. It is certainly a tribute to the entire ERP team as I could not have achieved this accomplishment without their brilliance. I especially want to salute the other nominees and finalist who are winners every day." Melvin was recently profiled in the Washington Business Journal "My Story" column sharing both his personal and professional life story. To view the article visit, https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2021/08/06/melvin-petty-erp-international.html. 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. Mr. Petty 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 Mid-Atlantic award winner, Melvin Petty is now 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 (News - Alert) and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn

Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani

Kendra Scott of Kendra Scott LLC

Andreas Bechtolsheim and Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks

James Park of Fitbit

Daymond John f 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 Mid-Atlantic, sponsors also include PNC (News - Alert) , DLA Piper LLP, Cooley LLP, the Washington Business Journal, the Baltimore Business Journal, JLL and Kelly Benefit Strategies. ERP International, LLC is a trusted provider of Digital Solutions, Business Process Management, and Health Solutions that support clients in both government and commercial sectors. We provide comprehensive technology and business process transformation solutions to Health, Defense, National Security and Homeland Security agencies. ERP is appraised at CMMI DEV Maturity Level 5 and CMMI SVC Maturity Level 3, and is certified as compliant in the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Standard, ISO/ IEC (News - Alert) 20000-1:2011 Service Management System, and ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management Standard. Founded in 2006, ERP is headquartered in Laurel, MD and maintains satellite offices in Montgomery, AL, Reston VA, Huntsville, AL and San Antonio, TX - plus project locations nationwide. We are a recognized leader in leveraging our mature capabilities to build scalable, resilient, high performance business solutions and empowering organizations to deliver on the promises of excellence. We bring together brainpower, insightful research, quantitative benchmarking, innovation, maturely structured problem-solving methodologies, and hands-on experience to improve our clients' business environments. Our thought leadership, based on practical and real-world experience, makes us a trustworthy partner. We improve our customers' mission performance through our use of quantitatively managed processes to deliver maximized ROI outcomes and customer satisfaction. We are a cost conscious and competitively priced partner, delivering comprehensive solutions through people-focused practices. Our exceptional customer service rating ranks ERP in the top five percent of all companies receiving the independent Dunn and Bradstreet rating. Washington Technology and Inc. Magazine both previously ranked ERP among the fastest growing firms in the nation. ERP has also been named one of The Washington Post's 2020 Top Workplaces in the Washington, D.C. area. Visit ERP International, LLC on the web at www.erpinternational.com 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005767/en/

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[August 11, 2021] Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. Announces Effectiveness Of Registration Statement And Extraordinary Meeting Date In Connection With Proposed Business Combination With Redwire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. and HOUSTON, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: GNPK) ("Genesis Park"), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, announced today that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has declared effective its registration statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-257710), which includes Genesis Park's definitive proxy statement/prospectus in connection with Genesis Park's Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders relating to the previously announced business combination (the "Business Combination") with Redwire. The Extraordinary General Meeting of Genesis Park's shareholders will be held at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on September 1, 2021 in connection with the Business Combination. The proxy statement/prospectus is being mailed to the Company's shareholders of record as of the close of business on August 2, 2021 (the "Record Date"). Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will be named Redwire Corporation and will be listed on the NYSE under the new ticker symbol "RDW." As a first-mover industry consolidator with next generation breakout capabilities, Redwire provides complete solutions for space commercialization to its diversified base of customers in the national security, civil and commercial markets. Paul Hobby, CEO of Genesis Park, said, "We are pleased to reach this milestone on Redwire's path to becoming a public company. Redwire is a proven, profitable leader in the space community with a robust portfolio of technology and IP, including for on-orbit 3D printing, servicing, assembly, and manufacturing. As the dramatic improvements in the economics of spaceflight create new markets, there is significant opportunity to accelerate growth across the fragmented space landscape for Redwire's next generation infrastructure." Peter Cannito, Chairman and CEO of Redwire, said, "We are at the beginning of a second golden age of space, with substantial growth being driven by new business models that are economically and commercially feasible in the near-term because of innovative technology and infrastructure like ours. We are well-positioned to be a leader in infrastructure for this economic expansion due to our highly differentiated heritage plus innovation strategy  we have the proven flight heritage of a traditional space company and the innovative technology, such as on-orbit 3D printing, of a new space disruptor. Our purpose-built approach to growth drives strong customer retention and a robust backlog, and we have high visibility into our growth opportunities as we enable the future of space commerce. We are excited to reach this milestone on our way to becoming a public company." Kirk Konert, Partner at AE Industrial Partners, said, "Redwire continues to execute on its strategy to enable the expansion and commercialization of the space economy. We are excited about this next step in the Company's journey, as there will be even greater opportunities to deliver value as a public company through its mission-critical, next generation infrastructure technology solutions." Recent operational and financial highlights include: Significant technological developments and demonstrations of Redwire's mission-critical, next generation technology and infrastructure:

Announced launch of new manufacturing hardware to the International Space Station ("ISS") that will demonstrate additive manufacturing processes using lunar regolith simulant, maximizing in-situ resources and enabling robust construction on the lunar surface.



Successfully demonstrated the potential of the company's Hybrid Architecture Laboratory Operational Environment ("HALOE") to enhance U.S. national defense by facilitating rapid and configurable digitally engineered space mission design.



Connected the second of two new solar arrays enabled by Redwire's technology to ISS to complete the installation of the first pair of ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSA).



Deployed the company's Additive Manufacturing Facility capabilities to 3D print a part to keep the ISS Brine Processor Assembly (BPA) working smoothly.

Strong current performance and financial outlook bolstered by robust backlog and contract momentum:

Approximately $280M [1] of total backlog and $220M of bids submitted and awaiting decision.

of total backlog and of bids submitted and awaiting decision.

Q1 2021E revenue of $36M , continued confidence in full year 2021E revenue outlook of $163M .

, continued confidence in full year 2021E revenue outlook of .

Cash flow positive today with substantial margin improvement via vertical integration and the realization of the benefits of scale. As previously announced, the transaction values Redwire at a $615 million pro forma enterprise value, representing 9.6x estimated 2023 Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $64 million and 2.5x estimated 2025 Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $250 million. Assuming no redemptions by Genesis Park stockholders, the Business Combination is expected to deliver approximately $170 million cash to the Redwire balance sheet. The Business Combination is further supported by a $100 million fully committed and oversubscribed PIPE of common stock, priced at 10.00 per share, with participation by Senvest Management, LLC and Crescent Park Management, L.P.



Virtual Meeting Information

The Genesis Park extraordinary general meeting can be accessed by visiting https://www.cstproxy.com/genesispark/sm2021, where Genesis Park shareholders will be able to listen to the meeting, submit questions and vote online. Genesis Park encourages its shareholders to read the entire final proxy statement/prospectus, including the Annexes and other documents referred to therein, carefully and in their entirety. Holders of Genesis Park stock who need assistance voting or have questions regarding the Extraordinary General Meeting may contact Genesis Park's proxy solicitor, Morrow Sodali, at (203) 658-9400 or email at GNPK@investor.morrowsodali.com. Advisors

Jefferies is serving as financial advisor and Kirkland and Ellis LLP is serving as legal counsel to Redwire. Greenhill and KPMG are serving as financial advisors, Jefferies is serving as sole placement agent for the PIPE and capital markets advisor, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is serving as legal counsel to Genesis Park.

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. About Genesis Park Acquisition Corp.

Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. ("GNPK") is a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company sponsored by an affiliate of Genesis Park, trading on the NYSE under the ticker symbol NYSE: GNPK.U. GNPK is one of the first aerospace and aviation services special purpose acquisition companies, and may pursue an initial business combination in any industry or geographic region, but specifically seeks to capitalize on the operational and investment experience of the GNPK management team and Board of Directors by focusing on companies that have significant growth prospects in the aerospace and aviation services sectors. About AE Industrial Partners

AE Industrial Partners is a private equity firm specializing in Aerospace, Defense, Space & Government Services, Power Generation, and Specialty Industrial markets. AE Industrial Partners invests in market-leading companies that can benefit from its deep industry knowledge, operating experience, and relationships throughout its target markets. AE Industrial Partners is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing. Learn more at www.aeroequity.com. Redwire Contacts

Media: Austin Jordan

321-536-8632

Austin.jordan@redwirespace.com OR Investors:

investorrelations@redwirespace.com Reevemark

Paul Caminiti/Delia Cannan/Pam Greene

212-433-4600

redwire@reevemark.com 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 definitive proxy statement / prospectus on August 11, 2021 and will mail the 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 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 will be mailed to Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. shareholders as of August 2, 2021, the record date established for voting on the proposed business combination. Shareholders are also able to obtain a copy of the definitive proxy statement / prospectus, 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 definitive proxy statement / prospectus for the transaction. Additional information regarding the interests of participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed transaction is included in the definitive proxy statement / prospectus Genesis Park Acquisition Corp. filed with the SEC. [1] As of July 2021. Total Backlog is defined as work under contract, awards in negotiation, and additional scope to complete existing contracts. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/genesis-park-acquisition-corp-announces-effectiveness-of-registration-statement-and-extraordinary-meeting-date-in-connection-with-proposed-business-combination-with-redwire-301353707.html SOURCE Redwire; Genesis Park Acquisition Corp.

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[August 11, 2021] Michael Flomenhaft Featured at Los Angeles Brain Mapping Conference

Michael Flomenhaft, Esq., principal of New York's The Flomenhaft Law Firm, PLLC delivered two separate presentations at the Annual World Congress of the Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics (SBMT) in Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert) . The organization has 200,000 scientists, engineers, surgeons, and physicians worldwide and is the flagship event for the SBMT. The invitation for Mr. Flomenhaft to present at this conference was based on his recognized expertise in the field of neuroscience and its applications to civil cases such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)/Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD). "Those of us who handle legal matters involving CRPS/RSD or other traumatically caused nervous system changes that can produce agonizing, unrelenting pain and adverse brain consequences have a heightened responsibility to share our knowledge and remain current with the science," said Mr. Flomenhaft. "Medicine progresses gradually, but neuroscience is galloping. As neuroscience can furnish distinct and deep insights into many of the issues decided in a broad range of cases, informing the courts on neuroscience offers the possibility of a higher quality justice. To be invited and recognized by such a prestigious group offers me a special opportunity to advance that goal." Mr. Flomenhaft, whose law practice is centered around advocating for victims of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and severe chronic pain, took his live and virtual audience through several topics residing at the crossroads of neuroscience and law His legal experience encompasses a wide array of medical understandings that include neuroimaging, neuropsychology, neurobiology, the neuroanatomy of brain trauma, and chronic pain, as well as the trial skills related to these subjects. His areas of expertise expand to the legal challenges posed in presenting long term consequences of concussion, chronic severe pain, spinal injuries, and the psychological consequences of trauma including Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.



Mr. Flomenhaft's initial address delved into the realms of brain trauma and chronic pain and the gulfs in understanding between physicians and neuroscientists that impact legal perception of these injuries. Entitled "Brain Injury from a Legal Point of View," the lecture and question and answer session explored how neuroscience informs a full understanding of concussion and chronic pain while examining its role currently and potentially in related legal proceedings. His second presentation entitled "Legal Aspects of Neurotrauma" spoke to the frequent insufficiencies of medical assessments of TBI and the resulting narratives that can dictate how that injury is framed in legal proceedings. About The Flomenhaft Law Firm, PLLC

Based in lower Manhattan, The Flomenhaft Law Firm, PLLC is renowned for its elite representation of victims of traumatic brain injury (TBI) including concussions and severe chronic pain. Their attorneys are highly advanced in proving unrecognized brain injuries and are successful at achieving multi-million dollar awards for these conditions, even on cases where the injuries are not obvious. More information is available at www.brainjusticeny.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005907/en/

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[August 11, 2021] MDxHealth to Present First Half 2021 Financial Results and Corporate Update on August 26

Company to Host Conference Call and Live Q&A Session, August 26, 2021, at 10:00am PT/ 1:00pm ET/ 19:00 CET IRVINE, CA, and HERSTAL, BELGIUM  August 12, 2021, 1:00 AM (CET) MDxHealth SA (Euronext: MDXH.BR), a commercial-stage innovative precision diagnostics company, today announced it will release its financial results for the half year ended June 30, 2021, after market close of the Brussels Stock Exchange on Thursday August 26, 2021. Title:



MDxHealth Presents First Half 2021 Financial Results and

Recent Corporate Update Conference Call and Webcast Speakers: Michael K. McGarrity, Chief Executive Officer

Ron Kalfus, Chief Financial Officer Date: Thursday, August 26, 2021 Time: 10:00am PT/ 1:00pm ET/ 19:00 CET Conference Call Dial-in Details:



International: 323-794-2093

Belgium: 0800 58228

The Netherlands: 0800 023 1436

United Kingdom: 0800 358 6377

US: 800-458-4121

Conference ID: 5051964







Webcast: http://public.viavid.com/index.php?id=146152





https://mdxhealth.com/events-news/ The webcast should be accessed 15 minutes prior to the conference call start time. A replay of the webcast will be available following the conclusion of the live call and will be accessible on the Companys website. About MDxHealth

MDxHealth is a commercial-stage, innovative precision diagnostics company that provides actionable molecular diagnostic information to personalize the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Company's tests are based on proprietary genetic, epigenetic (methylation) and other molecular technologies and assist physicians with the diagnosis of urologic cancers and prognosis of recurrence risk. The Companys European headquarters are in Herstal, Belgium, with laboratory operations in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and US headquarters and laboratory operations based in Irvine, California.





For more information, visit mdxhealth.com and follow us on social media at: twitter.com/mdxhealth, facebook.com/mdxhealth and linkedin.com/company/mdxhealth. For more information: MDxHealth

info@mdxhealth.com



LifeSci Advisors (IR & PR)

US: +1 949 271 9223

ir@mdxhealth.com This press release contains forward-looking statements and estimates with respect to the anticipated future performance of MDxHealth and the market in which it operates. Such statements and estimates are based on assumptions and assessments of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which were deemed reasonable but may not prove to be correct. Actual events are difficult to predict, may depend upon factors that are beyond the companys control, and may turn out to be materially different. MDxHealth expressly disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in this release to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based unless required by law or regulation. This press release does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of securities or assets of MDxHealth in any jurisdiction. No securities of MDxHealth may be offered or sold within the United States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or in compliance with an exemption therefrom, and in accordance with any applicable U.S. securities laws. NOTE: The MDxHealth logo, MDxHealth, ConfirmMDx, SelectMDx, AS-MDx and MonitorMDx are trademarks or registered trademarks of MDxHealth SA. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Attachment MDxHealth



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[August 11, 2021] Exro Technologies Announces Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Entered into a strategic agreement with Linamar Corporation ( "Linamar" ) to develop an advanced electric axle ( "e-Axle" ) utilizing Coil Driver TM technology to improve cost and performance of Linamar's e-Axle product line.

) to develop an advanced electric axle ( ) utilizing Coil Driver technology to improve cost and performance of Linamar's e-Axle product line. Successfully completed the pilot of the Battery Control System ( "BCS" ) in operating a second life energy storage environment.

) in operating a second life energy storage environment. Unveiled a new application for the Coil Driver TM , including the potential to dramatically reduce the cost and complexity associated with deploying electric vehicle infrastructure at scale.

, including the potential to dramatically reduce the cost and complexity associated with deploying electric vehicle infrastructure at scale. The Company's common shares began trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange on July 8, 2021 .

. Announced the opening of a US headquarters in Mesa, Arizona , joining a robust e-mobility, and research and development ecosystem in the greater Phoenix area. CALGARY, AB, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Exro Technologies Inc. (TSX: EXRO) (OTCQB: EXROF) (the "Company" or "Exro"), a leading clean technology company which has developed a new class of power electronics for electric motors and batteries, is pleased to announce its financial results for the quarter-ended June 30, 2021. In June Exro announced a Strategic Development Agreement with Linamar for an Electric Drive Solution to Advance Electric Vehicle Adoption. "We are very excited for this development with Linamar, who has been a staple in auto industry manufacturing for decades," said Sue Ozdemir, Chief Executive Officer of Exro. "This strategic development agreement marks one of our biggest milestones to date and represents a huge opportunity for us to become an integral part of the electric vehicle ("EV") supply chain for major automotive companies." The past few months have included strong investment in the progress of research and development ("R&D") and manufacturing facilities. The Company has placed orders for additional test equipment in Calgary and Arizona to accelerate the ongoing projects. The total additional investment of $2.4 million covers key dynamometer equipment, and $0.2 million has been spent in ordering the equipment as of June 30, 2021. Exro is also gearing up its world class automotive facility in Calgary. This will include the building of an automotive standard surface-mount technology ("SMT") production and printed-circuit board ("PCB") assembly lines in the 37,000 square foot facility, with anticipation of future orders and production of the Coil Driver products as previously announced. $17 million has been allocated to invest in this state of art facility. As at the end of June 2021, the Company has spent approximately $2 million against the $17 million planned investment. In July, Exro unveiled a new application for the Coil Driver?? technology to reduce the cost and complexity of deploying EV infrastructure at scale. Currently, EVs require three different types of power electronics components to power the vehicles in motion and charge the batteries from the grid or renewable energy sources: a motor drive, on-board charger, and external DC fast charger. Exro engineers found that the Coil Driver?? technology has the ability to replace all three components. "Unlocking the ability for the Coil Driver?? to simplify and streamline fast charger deployments for charge point operators and automakers has the potential to be a game changer," said Exro CEO Sue Ozdemir. Q2 2021 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS For the six months ended June 30, 2021 Comprehensive loss of $10,419,364 (Q2 2020  $3,771,451 ).

(Q2 2020  ). Selling, general and administration expense increased by $747,853 to $1,928,897

to Payroll and consulting fees increased by $1,131,199 to $2,721,804

to Research and development increased by $2,547,165 to $3,023,177

to Share based payments expense increased by $4,706,198 to $5,027,511 For the three months ended June 30, 2021 Comprehensive loss of $3,742,844 (Q2 2020  $2,246,269 ).

(Q2 2020  ). Selling, general and administration expense increased by $273,281 to $1,008,925

to Payroll and consulting fees increased by $623,946 to $1,495,974

to Research and development increased by $1,021,895 to $1,322,025

to Share based payments expense increased by $2,499,476 to $2,676,106 The main drivers for the overall cost increases are additional expenditures incurred as the Company is transitioning from a proof-of-concept stage to a commercialization phase and preparing for future Coil Driver?? production. Research and development expenses increased by 535% for the six months ended June 30, 2021, due to the increase of several validation projects for commercialization and continued research and development on next generation Coil Driver?? and BCS technology. Exro remains focused on intelligently utilizing capital to attract top talent across all business functions and increasing brand awareness. SECOND QUARTER OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS On April 6, 2021, the Company issued 1,100,000 stock options to certain directors, employees, and consultants with an exercise price of $4.77 per common share. The options are exercisable for a period of five years from the grant date. 1,050,000 of the options granted will vest 33% six months after grant, 33% twelve months after grant and the remaining 18 months after grant. The remaining 50,000 stock options granted will vest 25,000 on April 30, 2021 and 25,000 on December 31, 2021. On April 27, 2021, the Company announced that it has signed a supply agreement with Vicinity to deploy Exro enhanced electric buses. Vicinity (formerly Grande West Transportation Group) is a leading supplier of advanced shuttle transportation vehicles for public and commercial use. Exro will supply the Coil Drive System technology and Vicinity will conduct operational validation through deployment of an optimized electric powertrain for Vicinity's suite of electric buses. The Coil Drive System solution is expected to enable the next generation of electric buses with improved performance that accelerates the transition to a sustainable public transit system. Vicinity will test and validate the Coil Driver powertrain integration with the intent of implementing it in future serial production batches of the electric bus product line. On June 17, 2021, Exro announced a strategic development agreement with Linamar, a global powerhouse in automobile parts manufacturing, to develop an advanced electric drive solution for electric vehicles. Linamar and Exro have agreed to develop an advanced e-Axle utilizing Coil Driver technology to improve cost and performance of Linamar's e-Axle product line. An e-Axle is an integrated electric drive solution for battery electric vehicles ("BEV") or fuel cell electric vehicles ("FCEV"). The integrated solution aims to provide better manufacturing costs and a more efficient volume usage, without sacrificing key performance capabilities. LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES As of June 30, 2021, the Company had cash of $33,503,667 and amounts receivable of $124,219, which primarily consist of GST refund. The Company had accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $1,244,958. RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA







for the 3 months ended Revenue Net and comprehensive

loss Basic and diluted

loss per common

share Weighted average

number of common

shares









June 30, 2021 - (3,742,844) (0.03) 120,263,248









June 30, 2020 - (2,246,269) (0.03) 83,002,396











OUTSTANDING SHARE DATA As of August 10, 2021, there were 120,577,606 Common Shares issued and outstanding, and other securities convertible into Common Shares as summarized in the following table:

Number Outstanding as of

August 10, 2021 Number Outstanding as of

June 30, 2021





Common Shares issued and outstanding 120,577,606 120,418,656





Options 10,766,635 10,987,085





Warrants 1,855,061 1,860,561





ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The audited consolidated financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2020, dated April 6, 2021, can be viewed at www.exro.com/investors or on SEDAR under Exro Technologies Inc. at www.sedar.com. Unless otherwise noted, all figures are in Canadian currency, Cdn. About Exro Technologies Inc. Exro is a clean technology company pioneering intelligent control solutions in power electronics to help solve the most challenging problems in electrification. Exro has developed a new class of control technology that expands the capabilities of electric motors, generators, and batteries. Exro enables the application to achieve more with less energy consumed. Exro's advanced motor control technology, the Coil DriverTM, expands the capabilities of electric powertrains by enabling intelligent optimization for efficient energy consumption. Exro is working with many partners from all over the world to bring their technology to the electric mobility industries and beyond. For more information visit our website at www.exro.com. Visit us on social media @exrotech. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/exro-technologies-inc Twitter https://twitter.com/exrotech Facebook https://www.facebook.com/exrotech/ ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sue Ozdemir, Chief Executive Officer CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing these forward-looking statements are reasonable based upon the information currently available to management as of the date hereof, actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. Readers are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed times frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This information is qualified in its entirety by cautionary statements and risk factor disclosure contained in filings made by the Company with the Canadian securities regulators, including the Company's annual information form for the financial year ended December 31, 2020, and financial statements and related MD&A for the financial year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available 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. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law. Some of the risks which could affect future results and could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information and statements contained herein include the risk factors set out in Exro's annual information form and also include, but not limited to: The opening of Exro's Calgary manufacturing facility may experience delays in construction and/or equipment installation, which may also result in delays for obtaining necessary ISO and automotive certifications;

manufacturing facility may experience delays in construction and/or equipment installation, which may also result in delays for obtaining necessary ISO and automotive certifications; Anticipated market demand and sales orders may differ based on changes in customers' pipelines and/or product requirements;

A new feature set for the patented Coil Driver technology related to vehicle charging has yet to be deployed and may be subject to development delays and risks related to the scaling of EV charging infrastructure;

A joint promotion of the technology by Linamar and Exro to the market with the intention of commercializing the Coil Driver e-Axle into series production may not realize unless the validation testing is complete and successful; and

Potential delays in completion of testing and validation of future Coil Driver prototypes. Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/exro-technologies-announces-second-quarter-2021-financial-results-301353783.html SOURCE Exro Technologies Inc.

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Unveils civics seal design

NASHVILLE, Tenn.  Today, Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee Department of Education announced the districts and schools earning the 2020-21 Tennessee Excellence in Civics Education and unveiled the Governors Civics Seal at McConnell Elementary in Hamilton County. The 53 schools and three districts receiving this designation will be recipients of the Governors Civics Seal, which recognizes schools and districts that prioritize teaching the nations history and civics values.

Recognizing the importance of civics values and education, Governor Bill Lee announced the Governors Civics Seal during his first State of the State address on March 4, 2019. Additionally, the Tennessee General Assembly passed Public Chapter 330 of 2019, which is now codified in T.C.A. 49-6-1028 and officially established the Governor's Civic Seal.

Tennessee is invested in providing all of our students with a high-quality civics education, said Gov. Bill Lee. We are raising a generation of young people who are knowledgeable in American history and confident in navigating their civic responsibilities. In Tennessee, our students will be taught unapologetic American exceptionalism.

The Governors civics initiative was designed to promote lifelong civic engagement by providing access to high-quality, standards-based civics resources; establish civics programs in rural and urban schools and districts; support highly effective educators through civics-based professional development; and prepare schools and districts to earn the Governors Civics Seal.

"Through the Governor's Civics Seal initiative, Tennessee schools and districts are intentionally working to help students build their preparedness for strong, lifelong civic engagement, said Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn. I'm proud to see the steady increase of schools and districts participating in this initiative, because strong academic instruction around civics will help Tennessee students understand how to be productive citizens in their jobs and communities after graduation."

To earn the Governors Civics Seal, schools must meet the following criteria:

Incorporate civic learning across a broad range of grades and academic subjects that builds upon Tennessee academic standards

Provide instruction regarding our nations democratic principles and practices, the significant events and individuals responsible for the creation of our foundational documents, and the formation of the governments of the United States and the state of Tennessee using the federal and state foundational documents in accordance with S 49-6-1028

Provide professional development opportunities or student resources that support civics education

Provide opportunities for students to engage in real-world learning activities

Fully implement a high-quality, project-based assessment in accordance with S 49-6-1028(e)

Receive recognition as a civics all-star school in accordance with S 49-6-408, when applicable

Districts and schools are highlighted as Governors Civics Seal recipients by:

Each school earning the Seal is recognized on the State Report Card as a Tennessee Excellence in Civics Education School

Each district with at least 80% of their schools having earned the seal is a Tennessee Excellence in Civics Education District

"We see a direct correlation between high-quality civics education and voter participation, said Assistant Majority Leader Ron Gant. Governor Lee and our legislature are committed to ensuring McConnell Elementary School's success in civic engagement can be replicated across the state, and the next generation of Tennesseans will be the beneficiaries of these programs."

In McNairy County Schools, we are dedicated to providing a high-quality education to all students and ensuring they are prepared for life outside the classroom. We are extremely proud to be named a Tennessee Excellence in Civics Education District, said Greg Martin, Director of Schools, McNairy County Schools. I applaud our educators for recognizing the need to help our students see the importance of community involvement along with the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. We would like to thank the Department of Education and Governor Lee for their dedication and support as we educate the future leaders of our communities.

"Our school community works hard to provide exceptional civics and history instruction that equips our students to be future ready, said Ruth Pohlman, Principal, McConnell Elementary School. Thank you, Governor Lee and Commissioner Schwinn, for hosting this exciting announcement at our school and investing in civics education that prepares our students for success after school.

Tennessee has invested in civics education in recent years through grants and award opportunities for districts and schools. Key highlights include:

October 2019: With the launch of the program, Governor Lee announced mini-grants would be awarded to support public schools and districts in implementing high-quality civics education programs that result in readiness for college, career, and civic life.

January 2020: Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee Department of Education awarded 21 Governors Civics Seal mini-grants totaling $220,000 to be used in the 2020-21 school year.

March 2021: 59 schools and districts were awarded Governors Civics Seal grant funding. The 59 grant applicants, which included 42 schools and 17 districts, were awarded funding totaling $500,000 through the Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER).

For the 2020-21 school year, three districts and 53 schools representing 12 districts and will earn the Tennessee Excellence in Civics Education School designation and the Governors Civics Seal. View the full list here and the Seal design here. Learn more about the Governors Civics Seal initiative here.

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NASHVILLE  The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) is announcing the establishment of the 21-member advisory board for Tennessees Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. This panel, known as the Families First Community Advisory Board, will hold its first meeting on August 16 at 9:00 AM in the Nashville Room of the Tennessee Tower, 312 Rosa L Parks Blvd. in Nashville. The meeting is also viewable online.

The recently passed TANF Opportunity Act established the Families First Community Advisory Board to review and approve the selection of recipients of $182 million through the Tennessee Opportunity Pilot Program, including planning and implementation grants. This program will eventually fund seven pilot programs (two in each grand division and one offered by TDHS) to demonstrate and showcase the new vision for the Tennessee safety net of growing capacity to reduce dependency.

Families First Community Advisory Board Members will also approve the Departments retention of a program evaluation partner to conduct a rigorous evaluation of all the pilots to determine best practices for assisting vulnerable Tennesseans in growing beyond the need for public supports.

Our vision is to make the Tennessee safety net a mile marker in a lifes journey, not a destination unto itself for as many Tennesseans as possible, said TDHS Commissioner Clarence H. Carter. The Advisory Board will play a significant role in establishing this vision and calling all Tennesseans to this important work.

The 21 members of the board include:

 TDHS Commissioner Clarence H. Carter (Chair).

 Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Jeff McCord.

 Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe.

 Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn.

 Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey.

 Brittany Cleveland, current TDHS employee in Knox County (TDHS Appointee).

 LaTerre Pleasant, Nashville Resident (TDHS Appointee).

 Wayne County Executive Jim Mangubut (TDHS Appointee).

 Tennessee Higher Education Commission Executive Director Emily House (TDHS Appointee).

 Bishop Edward Stephens, Golden Gate Cathedral and Golden Gate Development Corporation CEO (TDHS Appointee).

 Rep. David Hawk (Speaker of the House Appointee).

 Rep. Bryan Terry (Speaker of the House Appointee).

 Sen. Bo Watson (Lt. Governor Appointee).

 Sen. Raumesh Akbari (Lt. Governor Appointee).

 Jack Bailey, Oak Ridge Businessman (Lt. Governor Appointee).

 Jerry Askew, President of Alliance for Better Nonprofits- Knoxville (Lt. Governor Appointee).

Additional members will be appointed by TDHS, the Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House.

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is a federal family support program emphasizing work, family strengthening and personal responsibility. It is temporary and has a primary focus on gaining self-sufficiency through employment. Existing TANF customers receiving Families First benefits will be eligible to apply for this emergency cash assistance.

Learn more about the Tennessee Department of Human Services at www.tn.gov/humanservices.

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As the homeless crisis worsens, here's an important note from the top ranking elected official in the metro . . . Here's the word with a highlight of the request . . .



Congressman Cleaver Urges the City of Kansas City to Quickly Disburse Emergency Rental Assistance Funds

(Kansas City, MO)  Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) joined the Kansas City Councils Finance, Governance, and Public Safety Committee and testified in support of a proposed plan to bolster access to, and disbursement of, necessary emergency rental assistance (ERA) funds to Kansas Citians seeking assistance.



While I am pleased that President Biden extended the eviction moratorium  preventing countless individuals and families from losing their homes  we must continue to work hard to ensure the remaining $17 million in emergency rental assistance is accessible to those who seek it, said Congressman Cleaver. Keeping people in their homes remains a shared responsibility of all levels of government, which is why I am proud to join Councilwoman Kathryn Shields and Councilwoman Melissa Robinson in urging the City to increase public access to emergency rental assistance funds and mitigate the bureaucratic barriers preventing this substantial federal funding from expeditiously reaching the hands of those in need.



The proposed plan supported by Congressman Cleaver would:



* Create a call center to follow up with approximately 7,000 applicants that applied for the first round of ERA I - $14 million in total, disbursing the remaining $6 million from the first round of funding.



* Create a physical processing or intake center focused on disbursing the second round of ERA II funding - $11 million in total, focusing on completing the processing of any remaining applicants from the first round of funding and then re-opening the portal to allow new applicants to apply, creating a one-stop-shop for applicants to receive assistance.

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Developing . . .
Like it or not, the COVID plague is real and at this point locals are working diligently to keep up with the steadily rising metro numbers as medical resources are tested once again.

Here are a couple of resources that explain the situation . . .

Ambulance strike team assists stressed Kansas City hospitals KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Reports of declining hospitalizations in Southwest Missouri have given some Kansas City-area public health experts a sense of optimism - but they stressed the situation in the metro is dire. Patients who arrive in ambulances to the University of Kansas Health System receive treatment, but in the past couple of weeks, they've had to turn away sick patients from other hospitals.

Kansas City area hospitals filling up, ambulances transferring patients as COVID-19 spike rises KANSAS CITY, Mo. - With COVID-19 cases on the rise, hospitals are feeling the strain. Beds are hard to come by, and ambulances are on the move. Many hospitals in the metro say they are near the levels they saw at the height of 2020.

Developing . . .
Good for: Romantic, Local cuisine, Special Occasion Dining, Bar Scene

Dining options: After-hours, Dinner, Reservations

Description: A piece of authentic Maine history, The Thistle Inn still stands as a place to gather and celebrate what makes life all the more worth living: great food, great company, and a home away from home. Originally built in 1861 for a prominent sea captain, our restaurant and Inn embody the unique period character of Maines past, with updated fixtures for modern comfort. From our seaside favorites to our world-class wine list, our menu is an exploration of classic coastal cuisine prepared with natures freshest ingredients. Guests looking to extend their visit will find six different lodging options at their fingertips, and the best of Boothbay Harbor just a short walk from their quarters. Whether its a meal that brings you to us, or an escape to our quaint Inn, we invite you to relax, stay awhile, and soak up some true downeast hospitality.
The resort was big and there was a lot of stuff to do but the public bathrooms were not always clean, trash in bushes, seaweed all over the beach. The food was good but service was extremely low and staff was rude. We met 2 staff bar tenders that were kind and happy to serve but others made you feel like you were a burden. They were out of a lot of things. You expect when you make a dinner reservation that the items on the menu will be available but this was more than likely not the case. We ordered room service and it would not come. We had to change rooms because there was a leak from the ceiling causing a pool of water in the bathroom. We asked multiple times for someone to come fix and it took over 24 hours. It wasnt until 7 pm the next day that they entertained our complaint and had someone go look at it. This was after I had slipped on the puddle and fell not realizing that no one had come to fix it yet. They couldnt change rooms that night for us so they said they would the following day. We went on excursion the next morning for five hours. When we returned new room still was not ready. It was an upgraded room which was great but not when you cant use it. We finally got in the room right before dinner time but our luggage was not there. So we couldnt get ready for dinner and ended up having to call three times eventually talking to manager again to get it delivered. When they would come and clean the room they would not replenish the coffee cups or glasses so you would have to call to get them if you wanted them and even if you did that there was no guarantee they would come. The spa was good - we had 2 visits there for great deep tissue massages but the pools in the spa were not open ( but resort pools were- this didnt make much sense).

We were considering becoming rewards members and booking our next trip prior to this experience. We did not have any issues when we vacationed with secrets all inclusive resorts previously. Overall, upsetting because we had looked forward to this vacation for a few years and we were less than impressed with the service.
The Ministry of Works and Transport, the Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Planning are rejecting claims by some local government representatives that they have fallen down on the job resulting in flooding.
As of August 11, 5,552 land purchase and sale agreements were concluded in Ukraine.

"The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine reports that 5,552 agreements have been concluded within the land market so far [as of August 11]. A total of 4,608 notaries have applied for access to the State Land Cadastre. A total of 5,167 applications have been filed, of which 4,510 were approved, 61 are pending consideration, 596  were rejected," the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food informs.

Most land plots were sold in Kyiv region (760 agreements), Poltava region (579 agreements) and Sumy region (499 agreements).

As reported, on July 1, 2021, the land market was officially launched in Ukraine. Until 2024, only natural persons and citizens of Ukraine will be able to buy agricultural land with a limit of 100 hectares. The land market law prohibits foreigners from buying land. The issue of selling land to stateless persons and foreigners will be decided on a national referendum.

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on Tuesday summoned Charge d'Affaires of the Belarus Embassy in Ukraine, Kirill Kamyshev, in the wake of the latest statements by Alexander Lukashenko voiced at his annual press conference August 9.

Thats according to the MFA press service, Ukrinform reports.

The ministry has summoned the CDA to express strong protest against a number of unacceptable statements Lukashenko had made during the annual press conference.

The diplomat was warned that Lukashenko's readiness to recognize Russia's sovereignty over the temporarily occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea was tantamount to complicity in the Kremlin's crime against Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, which entails all related international legal implications.

By voicing such statements, he is violating international obligations undertaken by Belarus to comply with norms and principles of international law, MFA Ukraine said.

The Belarusian side was also invited to explain Lukashenkos words suggesting that the Belarusian side did allow self-styled prosecutors from the temporarily occupied Luhansk to interrogate opposition activist Roman Protasevich detained in Belarus after a Ryanair plane carrying him on board had been force-landed in Minsk.

If confirmed, the act would contradict the official response from the foreign ministry of Belarus, previously received by the Ukrainian side, which categorically denied the fact.

MFA Ukraine considers Lukashenko's rhetoric on arms smuggling and training of militants for operations on the territory of Belarus irresponsible propaganda that is far from reality.

Obviously, this is the product of Ukraines image artificially created by Kremlin propaganda pundits from Lukashenkos entourage as" hostile" to Belarus and the Belarusian people, which is completely untrue. By spinning fake news on external threats to the Belarus statehood coming from Ukraine and other Western powers, Alexander Lukashenko is trying to justify his repressive methods and restrictions on rights and freedoms of Belarusian citizens, the ministry emphasizes.

Ukraine also drew attention to Lukashenkos threats to bring Ukraine to its knees, using Russian leader Vladimir Putin as backup. The Belarusian diplomat was told that the remark was a sign of his countrys weakness rather than a show of strength. Given that Putin failed in bringing Ukraine to its knees, Lukashenko's choice to count on him is a losing bet, the diplomacy said.

As reported earlier, on August 9, Alexander Lukashenko during a press conference answered questions about the recognition of the occupied Crimea as Russian territory, spoke of allowing representatives of the unrecognized LPR statelet to question held blogger Roman Protasevich, and accused the Ukrainian president of training militants for their further deployment to Belarus.

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Warsaw hopes that the Crimea Platform will become an "active and permanent" form of pressure on Russia in order to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Ukrinform learnt this from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

As noted, Poland welcomes Ukraine's diplomatic initiative to create the Crimea Platform.

We consider it vitally important to keep on the agenda the issue of the illegal occupation of Crimea by Russia as a critical point of international debate. This initiative gives Poland and the international community an opportunity to express support for Kyiv. Thus, we can together express our protest against the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation. We expect the Platform to become an active and constant form of pressure on Russia to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine," the ministry stressed.

As reported, President of Poland Andrzej Duda will take part in the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform and events on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Ukraines independence.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday, August 10, that the total number of participants in the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform had risen to 37.

The Crimea Platform is a new consultative and coordination format initiated by Ukraine to step up the efficiency of international response to the occupation of Crimea, respond to growing security challenges, increase international pressure on Russia, prevent further human rights violations, protect victims of the occupation regime, and achieve the main goal: to de-occupy Crimea and restore Ukraines sovereignty over the peninsula.

The activity of the Crimea Platform will be officially launched at the inaugural summit in Kyiv on August 23, 2021.

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The Prosecutor General's Office will soon file yet another communication on the events in Crimea to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova made a corresponding statement at the first meeting of the International Council of Experts on Crimes Committed in Armed Conflict, the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office informs.

The Councils members are: Ivan Lishchyna, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine, Government Agent before the European Court of Human Rights; Yevheniy Yenin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Anton Korynevych, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea; Oksana Senatorova, Associate Professor of International Law at the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University and Director of the Center for International Humanitarian Law and Transitional Justice; Tymur Korotky, Vice President of the Ukrainian Association of International Law; Mykola Hnatovsky, First Vice President of the Ukrainian Association of International Law; Roman Martynovsky, founder of the Regional Center for Human Rights; Yuri Butusov, editor-in-chief of Censor.net; Olha Reshetylova, journalist and coordinator of the Media Initiative for Human Rights.

The main purpose of the International Council of Experts is to involve foreign and international experts, national experts on international humanitarian and international criminal law, and representatives of non-governmental human rights organizations to study the experience of investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity and developing national standards in this area.

"This international expert platform will allow us drafting a roadmap for the investigation of crimes committed during the armed conflict in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, as well as prosecuting those involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity in all jurisdictions. We work in many vectors at the same time: we continue to investigate and submit cases to national courts, we also actively cooperate with the International Criminal Court, we cooperate with colleagues from other countries who prosecute their citizens for illegal participation in hostilities in Donbas. Therefore, this new platform will ensure inter-institutional coordination and single information field for all stakeholders," Venediktova said.

Read also: Ukraine files communication on Ilovaisk tragedy and defense of Donetsk Airport to ICC

She noted that the Prosecutor General's Office would soon file yet another communication on the events in Crimea to the International Criminal Court.

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In the context of intensifying Ukraine's relations with African countries, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba had a phone conversation with Minister for Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad of the Republic of Senegal Aissata Tall Sall.

According to the ministry's press service, this was the first phone conversation between the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Senegal in the history of bilateral relations.

"Ukraine views Senegal as one of its important partners in West Africa. We are interested in opening a new chapter in bilateral relations in order to bring them to a dynamic level. First of all, we are talking about such promising areas as trade and education, Kuleba said.

The Senegalese FM supported the Ukrainian minister's proposal to create a Ukrainian-Senegalese Business Council to revitalize business contacts. The ministers agreed to work out concrete proposals with business representatives to launch the council in the near future.

Kuleba also stressed Ukraine's interest in increasing the number of Senegalese students. He suggested establishing direct contacts between specialized higher educational institutions, in particular in such areas of training as oil and gas production and agriculture.

In addition, Dmytro Kuleba invited Aissata Tall Sall to visit Ukraine as soon as the epidemic situation improves.

For reference: in 2020, bilateral trade in goods between Ukraine and Senegal amounted to USD 85.65 million. In the first quarter of 2021, the volume of trade in goods and services amounted to USD 37.18 million.

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Ukrainian and Lithuanian border guards have agreed on cooperation between operational units in the fight against cross-border crime, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry's press service has reported.

"During the visit of the delegation of the State Border Guard Service at the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania to the Administration of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, the parties discussed current risks and threats at the Ukrainian and Lithuanian state borders," the report said.

The participants in the meeting also discussed how to address existing and projected security challenges and agreed on cooperation between operational units and the exchange of information to better combat cross-border crime.

"We are discussing issues of interaction, exchange of work experience. The issues that concern both Ukraine and Lithuania are the same. These are problems related to illegal migration, smuggling, human trafficking, drug smuggling and so on," said Major General Yurii Ziuzko, Director of the Department of Operational and Investigative Activities of the SBGS Administration.

Donatas Skarnulis, Head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service, in turn, emphasized stressed the urgency of this meeting for the border services of the two countries.

"Currently, Lithuania is facing a hybrid threat on the border with the Republic of Belarus. And here we have the opportunity to share experience in combating this threat," he said.

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Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky has introduced Police Colonel Ivan Vyhivsky as the new head of the main directorate of the National Police in Kyiv, the Interior Ministry's press service has reported.

Prior to that, Vyhivsky headed Poltava regional police, the report said.

In particular, Monastyrsky said he expected the new Kyiv police chief to pay more attention to ensuring public safety, especially ahead of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence.

"This is the first challenge that awaits you and all of us. And now you personally, Ivan Mykhailovych, will be responsible for the organization of this holiday," Monastyrsky said.

In addition, he said that the issue of combating the crimes that citizens complain about the most should be a priority for the new leadership.

"It's a matter of robbery, theft of vehicles. We in the parliament, together with the leadership of the National Police of Ukraine, managed to adopt a number of legislative acts to combat vehicle theft. Now we would like these laws to be clearly implemented in practice," Monastyrsky said.

The minister also thanked former Kyiv police chief Andriy Kryshchenko for more than five years of work and expressed hope that the best traditions and principles of the Kyiv police would be passed to the new leadership.

For his part, Vyhivsky expressed gratitude for the opportunity to head such a large police unit.

"Kyiv is, in fact, the heart of our state. All regions must be at the same level with the capital. There will be a lot of work. The fight against organized crime and security on the streets of the capital remain a priority. Together with the staff, we will coordinate our actions to continue to create a safe environment for Kyiv residents and guests of the city," he said.

Vyhivsky said that the tasks set by the state leadership would be fulfilled as much as possible.

Kryshchenko thanked the leadership of the Interior Ministry, the National Police and his colleagues for their work done over the past five years.

Kryshchenko said on August 11 that he had submitted a resignation letter and that it was accepted on August 10. He had been in office since December 15, 2015.

Photo credit: Nikolay Anatskyi
President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to discuss fulfillment of Germany's commitments in case Russia tries to abuse its monopoly position after the launch of Nord Stream 2 with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit to Ukraine on August 22.

"Angela Merkel and Volodymyr Zelensky will discuss how specifically Germany will guarantee the fulfillment of the commitments it undertook in case Russia tries to abuse its monopoly position after the launch of Nord Stream 2," Press Secretary of the President of Ukraine Serhiy Nykyforov said at a briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to him, the parties will also touch upon the issues related to security in eastern Ukraine. They will also talk about how to revive peace talks, develop bilateral relations, and raise other topical issues.

"Angela Merkel's visit proves the principle nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, and that most important security issues in Europe cannot be resolved without direct talks with the President of Ukraine," the Presidents spokesman said.

At the same time, he noted that the schedule of the Federal Chancellor of Germany had not yet been finalized.

Of course, we invite Merkel to attend the Crimea Platform, to stay for August 23. It will be known in the near future whether she will stay. If she doesn't stay, I'm 99% sure that you will be able to ask her [about the reason] on August 22, Nykyforov said.

As reported, German Chancellor Angela Merkel intends to pay a visit to Ukraine on August 22.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has approved the communication strategy for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration until 2025, the President's Office has reported.

According to the report, in order to implement Ukraine's strategic course for gaining full membership in NATO and ensuring its support by Ukrainian citizens, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed Decree No. 348/2021 "On the Communication Strategy for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic Integration until 2025."

The document is aimed at establishing a systematic information interaction between government agencies and Ukrainian citizens in order to convey to every Ukrainian the content and practical value of Ukraine's membership in the North Atlantic Alliance, the need for implementing appropriate reforms and their connection with the country's Euro-Atlantic integration.

Among other things, the strategy proposes to fully inform Ukrainian society about the state policy towards Euro-Atlantic integration by including this issue in curricula, involving independent experts, including representatives of research centres, NGOs and international partners, in planning, monitoring and evaluating the implementation of annual national programmes in terms of achieving NATO membership criteria.

It is expected that the steps envisaged by the strategy will contribute to the growth of support in Ukrainian society for Ukraine's strategic course towards full membership in NATO and support at the international level for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations and the necessary reforms.

The head of state also gave the government three months to draw up and approve an action plan for the implementation of the approved strategy.

The strategy is to be implemented in four stages. Among other things, it is planned to create a thematic website for posting information on the implementation of reforms and measures on Euro-Atlantic integration, the release of a number of informational and educational materials, etc.

The decree comes into force from the date of its publication.

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Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva thanked Albania for maintaining travel opportunities for Ukrainian citizens in the face of severe pandemic restrictions.

He said this during a phone conversation with Endri Fuga, political adviser, Director of Communications at the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Presidents Office.

Zhovkva conveyed words of sincere support to the Albanian people due to the ongoing forest fires in the country, and expressed hope for the successful overcoming of their devastating consequences.

He also congratulated Endri Fuga on the election of Albania as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period of 2022-2023. Zhovkva thanked the interlocutor for Albania's clear support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders,as well as briefed on the current security situation in Donbas and the humanitarian and security situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

During the conversation, special attention was paid to the topic of Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration.

Zhovkva thanked Albania for supporting the position of our country in preparing the communique of the NATO Summit, which took place in Brussels on June 14, 2021.

The interlocutors also expressed mutual interest in maintaining active interpersonal contacts between the countries, especially given the role of Albania as an important tourism destination for Ukrainians. In this regard, Zhovkva thanked the Albanian side for preserving travel opportunities for Ukrainian citizens in the face of severe pandemic restrictions.

In addition, they coordinated positions on high-level events planned for the near future.

As Ukrinform reported, on July 26, Zhovkva discussed with Goce Karajanov, Special Adviser to the President of North Macedonia for Foreign Policy, the security situation in eastern Ukraine and in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

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Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal expressed support for the Greek people in connection with massive forest fires.

He said this during a phone conversation with Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday, August 11, according to the Government portal.

The Greek PM thanked Ukraines government and president for sending 100 firefighters to help fight fire in the country. He stressed that given the considerable experience of Ukrainian firefighters he would initiate cooperation at the level of rescue services of the two countries.

Shmyhal, for his part, wished Greece to ward off the natural disaster as soon as possible, and also thanked the Greek government for the decision to provide Ukraine with 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine.

During the conversation, the parties also discussed the expansion of bilateral cooperation in trade, economic, and investment spheres.

"I consider that our countries have significant potential for the development of trade and economic cooperation, in particular in the fields of agriculture, IT, tourism, space, and shipbuilding. I am sure that by joining efforts we will be able to strengthen the dynamics of our trade. The holding of a regular meeting of the Intergovernmental Joint Ukrainian-Greek Working Group on Economic, Industrial, Technical, and Scientific Cooperation, in particular, will contribute to that," Shmyhal noted.

Moreover, he emphasized that Ukraine highly appreciates Greece's support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The PM also commended the advocacy of Ukraine both at the national level and within international organizations.

"I am convinced that your visit to Ukraine at the invitation of the president of Ukraine to the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform and to celebrate the Independence Day of Ukraine will contribute to the further development of mutually beneficial collaboration between our states," Shmyhal summed up.

As reported, Greece's second-largest island, Evia, has been at the center of the storm of fires that have ravaged the country. Over half of the island has burned. More than 2,000 people have been evacuated, according to local officials.

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The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has decided to extend the emergency situation regime and adaptive quarantine restrictions until October 1.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said this at a regular government meeting on Wednesday, August 11, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The current epidemic situation is fully controlled, but, unfortunately, experts begin to record the first negative trends in the growth of the number of hospitalizations of critically ill patients. Therefore, given the current situation, the government today is adopting a decree extending the emergency regime and adaptive quarantine until October 1, 2021," Shmyhal said.

He added that over the past week, almost 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered in Ukraine. Vaccines are supplied on a regular basis both at the expense of the state and at the expense of international partners.

As Ukrinform reported, on June 16, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to extend the quarantine until August 31.

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A Central American family at a shelter in Tapachula, southern Mexico.  UNHCR/Gabo Morales

This statement is attributable to Matthew Reynolds, UNHCR representative to the United States and the Caribbean.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is concerned about the new U.S. practice of transferring asylum-seekers and migrants, expelled under a U.S. public health order, by aircraft from the United States to southern Mexico. Individuals or families aboard those flights who may have urgent protection needs risk being sent back to the very dangers they have fled in their countries of origin in Central America without any opportunity to have those needs assessed and addressed.

These expulsion flights of non-Mexicans to the deep interior of Mexico constitute a troubling new dimension in enforcement of the COVID-related public health order known as Title 42. Under Title 42, individuals and families are denied access to protection screening and U.S. asylum procedures. Removal from the U.S. to southern Mexico, outside any official transfer agreement with appropriate legal safeguards, increases the risk of chain refoulement  pushbacks by successive countries  of vulnerable people in danger, in contravention of international law and the humanitarian principles of the 1951 Refugee Convention. All governments have the obligation to uphold these laws and principles at all times. UNHCR recently issued a global warning against initiatives which shift asylum responsibilities elsewhere or result in denial of the right to seek asylum altogether.

At a time of significantly increased movement of asylum-seekers and migrants in the region, the Title 42 expulsion flights will also further strain the overburdened humanitarian response capacity in southern Mexico, heighten the risk of COVID-19 transmission across national borders and run counter to steps being taken to share responsibility among countries of the region in addressing the root causes of forced displacement and migration.

UNHCR has maintained since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that protecting public health and ensuring access to asylum are fully compatible. Even where COVID-19 has surged at times, many countries have put in place effective protocols such as systematic health screenings, testing and quarantine measures that have simultaneously and successfully protected both public health and the human right to seek asylum.

UNHCR reiterates the May 2021 appeal by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi for the United States government to swiftly lift the Title 42 public health-related asylum restrictions that remain in effect and to restore access to asylum for people whose lives depend on it.

UNHCR stands ready to support the United States, Mexico and all countries in actions and approaches that effectively safeguard public health without sacrificing the basic right of any person fleeing war, violence or persecution to access safe territory and humane asylum procedures, promptly and without obstruction, including those recently proposed in the U.S. governments Blueprint for a Fair, Orderly and Humane Immigration System.

For more information on this topic, please contact:

 In Washington, Chris Boian, [email protected], +1 202 243 7634

 In Panama, Sibylla Brodzinsky, [email protected], +52 55 8048 5054
My NCITE story crosses many international borders.

During what has to be one of the strangest  and for many, the hardest  years in recent history, I was working for a new Department of Homeland Security research center from a handful of different countries.

I was in Greece in January of 2020 when the first troubling signs started. Just fresh into a semester abroad program, I was helping UNO professors Gina Ligon and Doug Derrick finalize a grant application to become the next DHS center of excellence. I had designed an early version of the NCITE logo and other graphics. In March 2020, I was on a day trip in Greece, five hours from where I was staying, when the U.S. government raised all travel warnings to their maximum level. I had to rush back. UNO canceled the study-abroad program and, against my wishes, I had to go home. I understood but was devastated.

I went from strolling the ancient streets of Thessaloniki to hunkering in my childhood basement bedroom in an Omaha suburb, rarely leaving the house. I was used to working remotely, but not this remotely. We lived on video calls and email just as the NCITE center was getting started. I was glad to be around family and felt lucky to be safe, but this wasnt exactly the great adventure I had dreamed of.

I began my junior year at UNO completely online, taking classes and working for the NCITE communications team. It wasnt lost time. I redesigned the logo from my bedroom basement and on Zoom. I designed many NCITE communications materials. I helped plan NCITEs first public events, online of course. Aside from one photoshoot  in masks and quickly  I never worked side-by-side with my NCITE colleagues in 2020.

Thats also because I got to resume international travel. Yes, during some of the bleakest months of the pandemic, I decided to leave. I left Omaha at the end of October, returning to Europe to be with a young woman I had met in Greece. We settled into Croatia first, as no other nation would let us both enter due to the pandemic. We spent three months in a third-floor apartment in the seaside city of Split. The silver lining of online life allowed for such an opportunity as I could keep taking classes and working remotely. Croatia is known for sunny beaches and beautiful cities, but Covid-19 kept us stuck in a place like I was in Omaha. We were hunkered indoors as the country began to tighten restrictions. All nonessential shops and restaurants started shutting down one month after my arrival until I left in late January 2021. People went out only for necessities and in masks. When my NCITE colleagues would ask what Croatia was like, it was hard to tell them: We were indoors in Croatia like they were in Omaha.

With my 90-day visa running out, we left Croatia for my girlfriends native Slovakia. I rode 9 hours to Trnava, Slovakia in a crowded bus while masked the whole time. This resulted in a miserable ride where I felt claustrophobic and car sick. Slovakia was even more shut down with an added 8 p.m. curfew. While good news was happening back home  a vaccine had been approved and people were starting to get vaccinated  Slovakia and the majority of European nations were significantly more behind in vaccine distribution. Furthermore, as a young American, I would be the last in line to receive the vaccine there.

We stayed in Slovakia from the end of January until the end of May. We finally saw restrictions begin to lift toward the last couple of weeks of our stay. I continued attending my UNO classes online and working for NCITE, but now I got to leave the apartment and explore Trnava. An old, beautiful wall hid the old city away from sight with brick roads weaving between large majestic stone constructions. This was more like the adventure I'd hoped to have.

When it was time to return to Omaha, we learned going back was not easy. One complication was bringing my girlfriend. Because she was from Slovakia, U.S. pandemic regulations meant we could not just fly to the U.S. Rather, she was required to stay 14 days in a country outside a geographic region including most EU countries called Schengen. Another complication was my own exit. I had overstayed my 90-day Schengen visa through the allowance of a Slovak emergency order related to Covid-19. After 20 stressful minutes of trying to convince the customs agent that this emergency order did exist, I was eventually let through.

But there was an upside to all of this: a stay at a country that would take us, the Dominican Republic. We tried tasty, authentic food wandered the beaches, and swam in the ocean. Even better, my family met us there toward the end of our stay. When I jumped on NCITE video calls, there were palm trees in the background.

We arrived in Omaha in early June to a much different place than it had been a year ago when we were sequestered at home. I got vaccinated and went into an actual office, NCITEs new headquarters at UNO. Mask requirements were dropped. I got to see my friends and colleagues in person. Life is slowly shifting back to normal. While I may not have been able to fully experience each country due to respecting the pandemics limitations, making the journey was the right choice and well worth it!
Samuel J. Meisels, founding executive director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska, has announced that he will retire in December 2022. Meiselss retirement will cap a 50-year career culminating in his founding leadership of NUs system-wide institute dedicated to the learning and development of young children.

Meisels came to Nebraska in 2013 to help start the Buffett Institute, launched with a gift from Omaha philanthropist Susie Buffett. The institute brings together the universitys four campuses on research, practice, policy and outreach focused on children from birth to grade 3, with an emphasis on vulnerable children and families. Two programs  Closing the Opportunity Gap and Elevating the Early Childhood Workforce  guide the institutes work.

Located in Omaha, the Buffett Early Childhood Institute has been integral to the development and growth of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences' early childhood programming.

In leading the Buffett Institute from vision to reality, Sam Meisels has brought invaluable attention to our states most vulnerable young children and their families as well as the professionals who provide their care and education, said Ted Carter, NU system president. Im so proud of all that Sam and the institute have accomplished. We are well-positioned for the next chapter.

Meisels, who holds the Richard D. Holland Presidential Chair in Early Childhood Development, said: Coming to the University of Nebraska to launch the Buffett Early Childhood Institute has been the culmination of my career of research and service to children and families. We built the Buffett Institute in concert with many University of Nebraska and state partners to fulfill our vision of making Nebraska the best place in the nation to be a baby. I will watch with pride as the new executive director and the institute team continue to make this vision accessible for all of Nebraskas children.

In its eight-year history, the Buffett Institute has facilitated hundreds of early childhood-focused gatherings and produced research that has informed public policy discussions locally and nationally. Last year, the institute received the National Association of State Boards of Educations Friend of Education Award for significant and enduring contributions to Pre-K-12 education.

Under Meiselss leadership, the institute has also created endowed faculty positions across the four campuses, and has awarded fellowships of up to $25,000 to NU doctoral students. More information about the Buffett Institutes achievements is available here.

Carter said the university will conduct a national search for Meiselss successor. Details will be announced later.
ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 11th Aug, 2021) Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Abu Dhabis Etihad Aviation Group, has reclaimed 90 percent of its pre-COVID destinations and recorded a 20 percent increase in tonnage compared to the same period in 2019, according to the company's press release on Wednesday.

The award-winning UAE carrier currently services 72 network destinations across the middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Its active fleet of 65 aircraft operate 430 weekly rotations, in addition to charter flights which service demand across non-network destinations.

"Etihad Cargo has maintained network operations throughout the pandemic and provided appropriate capacity to cater for demand on key routes, which has resulted in a significant increase in tonnage being carried across the global network," explained Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Sales & Cargo, Etihad Aviation Group.

"The commitment to expanding operations and provision of additional support to customers where there have been capacity shortages has seen Etihad Cargo carrying more on fewer routes than pre-pandemic. During the coming months, capacity growth is expected to continue, supported by the reintroduction of Etihad Airways passenger flights."

In the past month, Etihad Airways introduced flights to Malaga, Mykonos, Santorini, Phuket and Vienna, providing additional belly-hold capacity between Europe and Asia.

Charter operations and a cabin loading initiative  which saw the carrier modify five of its Boeing 777 aircraft by removing seats to provide additional capacity on key routes such as Dhaka and Ho Chi Minh City  have enabled the Abu Dhabi-based carrier to service increased Asian demand.

"Record loads have recently been achieved on a number of Asian flights, including more than 58,000 kg from Dhaka and 52,000 kg from Ho Chi Minh," added Drew. "These loads, with increased capacity enabled by cabin loading, were bound for Middle Eastern and European destinations via Etihad Cargos Abu Dhabi hub  a clear demonstration of the carriers determination to continue facilitating a global trade recovery."

Year-to-date, Etihad Cargo has operated over 200 charter flights to 30 destinations not serviced through its network, 20 percent of which were on behalf of the UAE Government. Since January 2021, Etihad Cargo has operated charter services to countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Senegal, and others across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 11th Aug, 2021) The Emirates News Agency (WAM) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the El Tiempo, a leading Colombian newspaper, to exchange news and other media content between the two organisations.

The signing ceremony was held virtually in the presence of Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi, Director-General of WAM; and Andres Mompotes Lemos, Director-General of El Tiempo, and Salem Rashid Al Owais, UAE Ambassador to Colombia, along with several senior officials.

The MoU stems from the two parties' desire to establish a relationship to exchange news and develop a fruitful cooperation between media institutions in both countries to serve their common interest. This, in turn, will open new horizons of cooperation between the Emirati and Colombian media.

Al Rayssi affirmed the Emirates News Agency's keenness to enhance cooperation with various international media institutions, especially the Colombian El Tiempo, which is one of the world's leading daily established over hundred years ago. "This will enhance the bridges of communication with the global audience and comes in line with the prominent role of the UAE on the international fora," he noted.

He stated that the signing of this MoU with El Tiempo is part of the efforts to expand the Emirates News Agency's services worldwide in different languages, thus enhancing its presence as a reliable source of media services globally.

"We express our aspirations that this memorandum will contribute to strengthening our cooperation and help the exchange of experiences between the media institutions in the two countries," Al Rayssi said.

Lemos, in turn, expressed his appreciation for this media partnership with the Emirates News Agency, which will open the way for two sides to expand their horizons, especially with the UAE hosting the Expo 2020 Dubai, which will attract the whole world and provide an ideal platform for global cooperation for humanity.

Ambassador Al Owais emphasised the depth of the UAE-Colombia ties and the continuous development they are witnessing at all levels. He pointed out the importance of this agreement, which will help highlight both countries' development in various fields through exchanging news.
(@FahadShabbir)

Delegations of lawyers, party workers and people from different walks of life met Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar at Circuit House Bahawalpur and apprised him about their problems

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Aug, 2021 ) :Delegations of lawyers, party workers and people from different walks of life met Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar at Circuit House Bahawalpur and apprised him about their problems.

The CM assured to resolve public issues, adding that the Punjab government was committed to resolve the problems of the legal fraternity, said a handout issued here.

The government was assisting the bar councils by providing necessary financial assistance to them, he maintained. "I have a close association with the legal community as I have been a lawyer myself," he mentioned.

The CM announced to strengthen the party across the province, adding that the workers' proposals were important for the government as they were the asset of the party.
Sindh Minister for Industries and Commerce and Cooperative Jam Ikramullah Dharejo on Wednesday said that infrastructure of Industrial Estate Larkana is being developed at the cost of Rs 1366.420 million

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Aug, 2021 ) :Sindh Minister for Industries and Commerce and Cooperative Jam Ikramullah Dharejo on Wednesday said that infrastructure of Industrial Estate Larkana is being developed at the cost of Rs 1366.420 million. He said that the scheme envisaged provision of infrastructure such as road network, water supply network, drainage system, filter plant, sewerage plant, street lights and other necessary buildings while construction of Effluent Treatment Plant at Site Kotri will be completed by 2022 at the cost of Rs 99.688 million.

This he said while presiding over a meeting regarding Annual Development Programs 2021-22 here in his office on Wednesday. Secretary Industries and Commerce Aamir Khursheed, MD SITE Munawar Ali Mahesar and other officers also attended the meeting.

Secretary Industries and Commerce Aamir Khursheed briefed the Minister about the on-going and new development schemes.

On this occasion, Dharejo directed the officers to expedite work on development schemes and complete them within stipulated time. He asked them to ensure drainage of rains water from industrial zones on priority basis and also ensure timely functioning of Effluent Treatment Plants in industrial zones. He added, 'I will assign the task of monitoring the standard of development work to a third party and rompt action will be taken against the officer concerned for neglegence.
(@FahadShabbir)

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa Wednesday emphasised that misperceptions and scapegoating must be avoided to counter designs of spoilers

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Aug, 2021 ) :Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa Wednesday emphasised that misperceptions and scapegoating must be avoided to counter designs of spoilers.

The COAS addressed the two-day 242nd Corps Commanders' Conference, chaired by him at General Headquarters (GHQ), said an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) media release.

The Army Chief expressed satisfaction over stringent measures being taken for ensuring effective border control as part of the comprehensive Border Management Regime and asked for high level of vigil along the western Border.

Reinforcing Pakistan's vision for peace, connectivity and shared prosperity, the COAS said: "We have made every possible effort to facilitate Afghan Peace Process leading towards a negotiated settlement with utmost sincerity and will continue to do so." "Being a collective responsibility, all stakeholders have to play their part positively for enduring peace in Afghanistan which is pivotal for stability in the region," he added.

During the Corps Commanders' Conference, the participants took comprehensive review of global, regional and domestic security environment.

The Forum was given a detailed briefing on evolving situation along Pak-Afghan International Border, its implications on Pakistan's Internal Security, particularly in the western zone, and measures being taken to tackle emerging challenges.

Taking holistic view of the multifarious security challenges faced by Pakistan in various domains in the evolving milieu, the Forum underscored the need for adopting whole of nation approach.

The COAS commended formations for maintaining high standards of operational readiness and providing sustained support to civil administration during ongoing national efforts against Covid-19, monsoon and National Polio Drive.
US President Joe Biden will convene a summit with the leaders of world's democracies from December 9-10, with the online event set to focus on human rights and the fight against corruption and authoritarianism, the White House announced

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th August, 2021) US President Joe Biden will convene a summit with the leaders of world's democracies from December 9-10, with the online event set to focus on human rights and the fight against corruption and authoritarianism, the White House announced.

"Today President Biden is pleased to announce that in December he will bring together leaders from a diverse group of the world's democracies at a virtual Summit for Democracy, to be followed in roughly a year's time by a second, in-person Summit. The virtual Summit, to take place on December 9 and 10, will galvanize commitments and initiatives across three principal themes: defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights," the White House said in a statement.

Both summits will be a platform for global leaders to share successes, discus challenges and "strengthen the foundation for democratic renewal," the White House added.
A lawyer said Wednesday a Jerusalem court ruling that dozens of home demolitions in a flashpoint Palestinian neighbourhood should be frozen for six months was "progress", but not "victory"

Jerusalem, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Aug, 2021 ) :A lawyer said Wednesday a Jerusalem court ruling that dozens of home demolitions in a flashpoint Palestinian neighbourhood should be frozen for six months was "progress", but not "victory".

Israel had ordered the demolition of around 100 homes in Silwan, a Palestinian neighbourhood on the edge of the Old City in east Jerusalem.

Monday's court order froze most of those demolition orders until February 2022, while also allowing 16 homes to be razed immediately.

"I have reached the conclusion that there is space to grant a specific extension," wrote Judge Sigal Albo of the Jerusalem Court for Local Affairs in the decision.

Lawyer Ziad Kawar, representing residents in the Al-Bustan area of Silwan, told AFP the ruling was "progress" but "not a victory". He said he would appeal to foreign diplomats to put pressure on Israel over home demolitions.

Kawar said his clients were applying for retroactive permission for their homes, which he said they built on their own private property without permission.

"It is not possible to get permits there," Kawar said. Palestinians say the city rejects nearly all of their building permit applications.
After a meeting with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Kremlin Deputy Chief of Staff Dmitry Kozak said that the resolution of the Transnistrian issue was an internal matter of the republic, but Russia is ready to help

CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th August, 2021) After a meeting with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Kremlin Deputy Chief of Staff Dmitry Kozak said that the resolution of the Transnistrian issue was an internal matter of the republic, but Russia is ready to help.

Earlier in the day, Kozak arrived in Chisinau on a working visit, he met with Sandu, Moldovan Foreign Minister Nikolae Popescu and Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Vladislav Kulminski, Deputy Prime Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Andrei Spinu, Interior Minister Ana Revenco.

"The solution of the Transnistrian issue is an internal affair of Moldova, the parties must agree within the country. Russia is ready to provide assistance so that the parties come to an agreement, we are not ready to put forward our own terms of settlement," Kozak told reporters at a briefing.

Chisinau said that Sandu had assured him that there would be no blockade of Transnistria.

"Maia Grigorievna (Sandu) assured that there would be no blockade of Transnistria, the authorities are doing everything to prevent this, since Moldovan citizens also live in Transnistria," Kozak said.

Moldova also asked Russia to help in the disposal of ammunition from Transnistria, the parties agreed to cooperate on this issue, Kozak told reporters.

Chisinau and Moscow agreed on the mutual lifting of restrictions on the export of products, he said, adding that the countries must find a mutually beneficial solution to the gas issue.

Kozak said that Moldova and Russia would be friends and cooperate in the future.

"Stability has been established in Moldova, we have agreed on cooperation, on the beginning of a dialogue at the departmental level. We will be friends for sure," he said.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

US President Joe Biden hailed the Senate passage Tuesday of a "historic" $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, celebrating a major bipartisan win on a plan he vowed would "transform America."

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Aug, 2021 ) :US President Joe Biden hailed the Senate passage Tuesday of a "historic" $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, celebrating a major bipartisan win on a plan he vowed would "transform America." By funding work on roads, bridges and ports, as well as clean water and high-speed internet, Biden said the bill -- which still needs House approval -- would create thousands of high-paying jobs for people without college degrees.

"This historic investment infrastructure is what I believe you, the American people, want," Biden said in a White House address.

"This bill shows that we can work together," he said.

Some seven weeks after the Democratic leader stood with senators from both parties hailing a preliminary agreement, the bill received rare bipartisan support in Washington's highly-polarized political atmosphere.

Needing just a simple majority, it passed by 69 votes to 30 with backing from a third of Republican Senators.

The measure now faces a make-or-break vote in the House of Representatives in coming weeks, where its future is less certain as divisions have sprung up in the Democratic majority.

Democratic Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer credited Biden for winning approval of "the first major infrastructure package in over a decade on a bipartisan basis" after just seven months in office.

"It's been a long and winding road, but we have persisted," Schumer said.

The ambitious plan provides for $550 billion in new Federal spending on transport infrastructure, but also for public transit, broadband internet, and clean water, as well as electric charging stations and other measures to fight climate change.

The total price tag -- the equivalent of Spain's 2020 gross domestic product -- relies on other public funds that have already been appropriated.

In a deeply divided Washington, the bill's final approval would mark a resounding victory for Biden, a former senator who touts his ability to reach across the aisle.

In a sign of the continued influence wielded by former president Donald Trump, three Republican senators who participated in the negotiations announced they would not support the plan after Trump threatened reprisals for helping to hand Biden a political win.

But top Republican Senator Mitch McConnell voted for it, aware of the program's huge popularity among voters tired of historic neglect of the nation's highways.

Passage looks less certain in the House of Representatives, where rifts have emerged within the narrow Democratic majority between the progressive and moderate wings.

Negotiations are likely to be drawn out, and a final vote in Congress may not come until the fall.

US business groups applauded the Senate vote saying it provides long-overdue investments and creates jobs.

US Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne Clark called it a "historic investment in our nation's crumbling infrastructure." "Turning this long-overdue promise into a reality will grow our economy and strengthen our competitiveness for decades to come," Clark said in a statement.

According to a recent Business Roundtable study, each Dollar of infrastructure investment over 20 years would yield nearly $4 in US economic growth, increase the average household's disposable income by $1,800 every year, create 1.2 million new jobs and boost wage growth.

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Zambians vote in presidential and parliamentary elections on Thursday, 12 August. Some of the countrys bishops are urging the electorate to choose leaders who promote the common good.

Paul Samasumo  Vatican City.

Some of Zambias Catholic Bishops have addressed the faithful in their dioceses and called upon them to turn out in numbers and vote for their preferred candidates.

Former President of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB), Bishop George Zumaire Cosmas Lungu, the Bishop of Chipata Diocese, writing to parishioners in his diocese called for free and credible elections.

Voting is also a Christian duty

To start with, I wish to reiterate the call for free, fair, peaceful, credible and transparent electionsIt is surely unfortunate that in the campaign period, life was sacrificed, and property was lost. Therefore, let 12 August also be a day of special remembrance in honour of all those who lost their lives and whose property was destroyed, assuring them that nothing was lost in vain, said Bishop Lungu. He was referring to pre-election violence that has engulfed the country. Authorities in Zambia have since deployed the military onto the streets.

Amidst fears that voters might shun the electoral exercise for fear of violent political vigilantes, known locally as party cadres, Bishop Lungu added, I extend my earnest appeal to all Zambians to realise that voting is one of their fundamental rights and duties. It is also a Christian duty. Let us, therefore, turn out In numbers and peacefully cast our votes and wait for the outcome, said the Chjpata prelate.

Did you see the marks of pain and suffering on peoples faces?

For his part, in the Western Province of Zambia, Bishop Evans Chinyama Chinyemba, OMI, of Mongu Diocese, also wrote to his diocese and recorded a video message that has been widely shared on WhatsApp and Facebook platforms.

Addressing himself to Zambian politicians, Bishop Chinyemba challenged their consciences.

Banabehesu (dear brothers and sisters), my dear politicians; having gone round the country and constituencies and addressed various political meetings and other forms of gatherings, you now know what shape the country is in. In such meetings and gatherings, you were privileged to address many people. Are the people you met in all those meetings happy? Are they contented? Are they encouraged by your words and promises? Have you encountered people who are desperate, hungry, illiterate, and impoverished? Did you see the marks of pain and suffering and anxiety written on their faces? As aspiring leaders, what vision and hope can you hold up to such a people? challenged Bishop Chinyemba.

You are not just members of the Church

Turning to parishioners in the diocese, Bishop Chinyemba told them, Banabahesu, you are not just members of the Church, you are also faithful citizens who are motivated by faith and gospel values which Christ died for. I call upon you to go out and vote. After all, it is your civic duty. Make your vote reflect your informed conscience. May your vote speak for the many young people and others who are unable to vote because of age and other circumstances beyond their control. Let the 12 August 2021 elections reflect a mature electorate who cast their ballot responsibly for the nations well-being and future good. May the Holy Spirit enlighten you as you go in peace to cast your ballot, said Bishop Chinyemba.

President Edgar Chagwa Lungu of the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) is seeking re-election. His main challenger is the President of Zambias major opposition political party, the United Party for National Development (UPND).
Volunteers in Myanmar are working tirelessly to treat, bury and cremate coronavirus victims. (AFP or licensors)

In a video press conference on Tuesday, UN Envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, said the situation in Myanmar is still very worrisome, amid a severe third wave of Covid-19 infections.

By Robin Gomes

Six months after seizing power in a coup, Myanmars military leaders are now trying to legitimize their grip on power, the United Nations Special Envoy on Myanmar said on Tuesday.

Christine Schraner Burgener also said the situation in Myanmar is still very worrisome, amid a severe third wave of Covid-19 infections. Addressing reporters at a video press conference organized in New York, she gave an overall view of the critical situation in the country.

The political crisis unleashed by the 1 February coup took a new turn when junta leader senior army general Min Aung Hlaing on 1 August declared himself Prime Minister, pledging to hold elections by 2023. He thus annulled the election of Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD).

Solidifying grip on power

In my view, the Commander-in-Chief appears determined to solidify his grip on power with the latest caretaker government announcement; also, with the formal annulment of the election result from last year and declaration of the Commander-in-Chief to be Prime Minister of the country, the UN envoy said, speaking from Bern, Switzerland.

Burgener also expressed fear that the National League of Democracy (NLD), which won the November 2020 election, could also soon be forcibly disbanded.

This is an attempt to promote legitimacy against lack of international action taken, she said. And I have to make (it) clear that the UN does not recognize Governments, so its up to the Member States.

UN still recognizes Suu Kyis government

The UN envoy underlined that as long as UN Member States do not make any decision, Myanmars Permanent Representative in New York, Kyaw Moe Tun, remains the countrys legitimate UN Ambassador, while Suu Kyi and President Myint are its leaders at the world body.

She expressed shock at the news of an alleged plot to kill or injure Ambassador Tun, who has denounced the coup at the UN General Assembly in New York.

Violence, IDPs, pandemic

The situation on the ground in Myanmar remains very difficult, she reported. There is no freedom of speech, and I have still grave concerns about attacks against the free press, she said, adding she has always urged the army to release political prisoners, including many media workers.

Up to Tuesday, she said, 962 people have been killed since the protest began following the coup. Another 7,082 have been arrested, including foreigners, 5,526 are still detained, including 104 children.

Meanwhile, clashes between the army and local defense forces continue. Violence has risen, and the defense groups are increasingly using professional weapons. This widening conflict, including with armed ethnic groups, has driven a large number of people from their homes.

At the same time, people are reeling under a severe third wave of Covid-19 in Myanmar. Entire families are falling sick with Covid-19, with relatives desperately struggling to access treatment, emergency oxygen and other supplies, while prices have skyrocketed.

With many doctors and healthcare workers joining the civil disobedience movement, the military-controlled Health Ministry is unable to provide even the most basic healthcare in many places. Many loathe or are suspicious of the Ministrys services.

Burgener said UN agencies and its partners are working for the resumption of health assistance, with priority given to vaccine rollout through the global solidarity initiative, COVAX, and to revitalizing immunizations generally.

UNs effort towards dialogue

Burgener said she is continuing her engagement to find a peaceful solution to the political crisis in Myanmar, although she has yet to be allowed to travel there.

The UN Special Envoy has been holding talks with the military, ethnic armed organizations, and other stakeholders, who include the National Unity Government (NUG), formed by exiled lawmakers ousted in the coup. Representatives come from the NLD, other parties and ethnic armed groups.

Burgner said she really hopes that dialogue really takes place to avoid a breakout of full-scale civil war. (Source: UN)
Protesters in Vilnius, Lithuania, at a demonstration marking the one year anniversary of disputed Belarusian presidential elections (AFP or licensors)

The United States and other western countries have imposed new sanctions on Belarus one year after a controversial presidential election that saw Alexander Lukashenko claim a sixth term as president of the former Soviet republic.

By Vatican News staff reporter

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko claimed a sixth term as president following last years disputed presidential elections, leading to massive protests throughout the country.

In response, security forces launched a nation-wide crackdown, with more than 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten and jailed.

On the anniversary of the election, US President Joe Biden announced new sanctions against Belarusian entities, including state-owned businesses, the Belarusian National Olympic committee, and private companies with ties to Lukashenkos regime.

It is the responsibility of all those who care about human rights, free and fair elections and freedom of expression to stand against this oppression, Biden said in a statement. The United States will continue to stand up for human rights and free expression, while holding the Lukashenka regime accountable, in concert with our allies and partners.

In his statement, Biden called on Belarus to release all political prisoners and to begin talks with the opposition for a free and fair election that would be observed by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Other nations, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also announced new sanctions. In response to a question from journalists specifically about the British sanctions, Lukashenko said, You in Britain can choke on these sanctions.

The anniversary was also marked by a statement by the European Union, describing the presidential elections as fraudulent. On 9 August 2020, the people of Belarus saw their hopes to elect a legitimate leader of the country brutally dashed, the statement reads. Since then, the people of Belarus have continuously and bravely stood up for the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The statement notes the regimes crackdown on dissent, which it says is consistently deepening the rift with the Belarusian people.

It continues, Together with like-minded partners, the EU has been vocal and united in calling on the Lukashenko regime to end its repressive practices. In line with its gradual approach, the EU stands ready to consider further measures in light of the regimes blatant disregard of international commitments. The only way to end the political crisis is through an inclusive national dialogue.

The European Union, it states, continues to support the Belarusian people. It will continue to support a democratic, independent, sovereign, prosperous and stable Belarus". The statement concludes, The voices and the will of the people of Belarus will not be silenced.
Days of heavy rain have forced the evacuation of thousands of North Koreans and has resulted in the destruction of over one thousand homes while relentless rain flooded swaths of farmland in a country that is currently facing a worsening food shortage.

More than 500 millimeters of rain fell in parts of North Hamgyong from Sunday, August 1 through to Thursday, August 6 while areas of South Hamgyong exceeded the average monthly rainfall, the deputy head of the State Hydro-Meteorological Administration, Ri Yong Nam, told state broadcaster KRT.

North Koreas state television reported that approximately 5,000 people nationwide were forced to evacuate as floods damaged over 1,100 homes. North Koreans were told to take shelter in the nearby mountains should an emergency siren be heard.

The floods have inundated Sinuiju, a city of approximately 360-thousand people, where electricity has been cut off since the afternoon of the 3rd, a source told Radio Free Asia (RFA).

Each neighborhood watch unit in Sinuiju held an emergency meeting and told residents to evacuate to nearby mountains or highlands should an emergency siren sound, the source said.

North Koreas state-run news agency, Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) has said that current efforts are directed at shoring up flood defenses at power plants, coal mines, farms, construction sites and fisheries.

Worsening food shortages

The rain comes after North Korea was forced to release emergency military rice reserves as its food shortage issues worsen. North Koreas food shortage is being widely attributed to a confluence of circumstances including a recent heat wave, a sustained drought, COVID-19 supply chain disruptions and international sanctions.

No reports of mass starvation or social unrest have surfaced from the rogue regime but experts expect a further deterioration of the countrys food supplies until the autumn harvest.

Its estimated that North Korea requires around 5-million tonnes of food to feed its 26-million citizens and that this year North Korea is short approximately one million tonnes.

At a closed-door parliamentary meeting of Seouls National Intelligence Service (NIS) it was revealed that an ongoing heat wave and drought have wiped out rice and corn fields as well as killing a large number of livestock in the region, according to Ha-Tae-keung, a politician who was in attendance at the meeting, Sky News reported.

Kim Byung-kee, another South Korean politician in attendance at the meeting, said that the price of rice has doubled in the country from early this year and has begun to soar again. Earlier this year reports surfaced that a single kilogram of bananas costs as much as US$45.00 in the country.

In addition to the extreme weather affecting crop yields, North Korea saw imports from neighboring China drop by approximately 90 percent between April and May this year, further exacerbating the issue.

Chinese data shows that total trade with North Korea has fallen by around 80 percent since last year following border closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its suspected that paranoia over COVID-19 most likely contributed to North Korea closing its border with China in Jan. 2020, worsening an already dire food crisis and making it difficult for North Korean farmers to procure fertilizer.

Mark Barry, the associate editor of the International Journal on World Peace told RFA My overall sense is that North Koreas agriculture will always be highly vulnerable to flooding from heavy annual August rains unless its agricultural sector is rebuilt with the help of South Korea and other international actors.

North Korea must become as resistant and resilient to these floods as South Korea. China may offer significant technical assistance, but Kim Jong Un will resist such help because of suspicion of Chinese motives, he said.

Earlier this year the North Korean leader was reported to have asked his officials and people to wage another, more difficult Arduous March

The words, Arduous March were last used to describe a period of time in the 1990s when the country suffered mass starvation after the collapse of the Soviet Union, North Koreas only reliable ally, left the country without crucial aid.
Canadian citizen, Michael Spavor, after years of detention in one of Chinas many residential surveillance at a designated location (RSDL) prisons was been sentenced on Wednesday, Aug. 11, by a court in Dandong city to 11 years in prison.

Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, blasted the verdict as absolutely unacceptable and unjust adding that, The verdict for Mr Spavor comes after more than two-and-a-half years of arbitrary detention, a lack of transparency in the legal process, and a trial that did not satisfy even the minimum standards required by international law.

The verdict came down just as Beijing was applying further pressure on Canadian authorities ahead of a Canadian court ruling on whether or not to hand over Meng Wanzhou, Huaweis Chief Financial Officer, to the United States to face criminal charges for allegedly violating sanctions placed on Iran by the U.S..

Meng has been fighting her extradition to the United States while under house arrest in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Spavors arrest by Chinese authorities in 2018 came just days after Mengs arrest in Canada leading many to conclude that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was engaging in hostage diplomacy tactics.

Spavor, and fellow Canadian Michael Kovrig have spent over 975 days in detention in one of Chinas RSDL prisons, according to Safeguard Defenders, a human rights NGO that was founded in late 2016 and thats offices are located in Madrid.

In March, Chinas state-funded media tabloid, the Global Times, said that Spavor, who resided near the North Korean border and conducted cultural exchanges with the North Koreans, was accused of supplying intelligence to fellow Canadian Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat who worked for the International Crisis Group, that according to their website is an independent organization working to prevent wars and shape policies that will build a more peaceful world.

Spavors organization was based in Dandong, which is located across the border in Northeast China. A fluent speaker of Korean, he is personally acquainted with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

Canadian authorities have said that the charges against both Spavor and Kovrig are baseless.

The ruling

On Wednesday, August 11, a court in Dandong handed down a guilty verdict to Spavor for illegally providing state secrets to other countries. In addition to a lengthy 11 year sentence he had all of his personal property confiscated and was fined 50,000 yuan (US$7,715), according to a statement by the Liaoning Dandong intermediate peoples court.

The court also ordered that Spavor be deported, however it was not clear when this would occur. There is a possibility that Spavor could be deported back to Canada prior to his sentence being completely served.

Mo Shaoping, a Beijing based lawyer, told Reuters that deportation generally occurs after a person has finished their sentence but early deportation has been known to happen in special cases.

A similar case occurred in 2014 when Canadian couple Kevin and Julia Garratt were detained, charged and sentenced in China following Canadas extradition of Su Bin, a suspected spy, to the United States. The couple were released and deported in 2017 shortly after Su cut a deal in the United States.

Dominic Barton, a Canadian ambassador said he was disappointed with the long sentence stating, We condemn in the strongest possible terms this [decision] which was rendered without due process or transparency. adding that hopefully there is a way for him to get home a little earlier, The Guardian reported.

Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a senior fellow at the University of Ottawas graduate school told The Guardian, [Spavors case] may be a signal that the Chinese are willing to deport him at whatever time the Canadian government creates the right conditions for him to leave  in other words Meng being released to return to China.

Spavor has two weeks to appeal the decision but Chinas justice system rarely grants appeals and is known to post conviction rates of 99.9 percent.
Many people associate the Skeleton Coast with golden orange desert dunes tumbling into the sea. While this is true of some parts of Namibia-Skeleton Coast National Park, in other areas the landscape is harsh, barren, and frightening, and yet, its starkness can be fascinating.

40 km wide by 500 km long, Skeleton Coast is part of Namibias northern Atlantic coast, south of Angola. The contrasts are dramatic in this unique landscape where the wild open seas and Atlantic breakers resound and collide with the time-worn sand dunes of the worlds oldest desert, the Namib.

Countless stranded whales have perished along the coast, leaving their bones visible in many places. The Ovahimba people who lived in the far northeastern area of Namibia used to construct their dwellings from whale bones. This, along with the sun-bleached remains of many shipwrecks, gave rise to the name, originally coined by writer John Henry Marsh in his book Skeleton Coast, about the shipwrecked Dunedin Star.

Skeleton Coast National Park

The almost 500 km of barren wasteland is also a National Park, which hosts a plethora of fauna and flora. Tenebrionid beetles, chameleons, and about 75 different kinds of seabirds regard this harsh environment as home, along with Cape Fur Seals, dwelling in huge colonies along the eastern coast of Cape Cross. The Park is also inhabited with black-backed jackals, hyenas, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, elephants, and even lions.

Several plants, such as welwitschias mirabilis, a huge succulent gymnosperm that looks like a large lump of washed-up seaweed, have adapted to be exceptionally suited to the arid climate of the Skeleton Coast.

The Skeleton Coast has the worlds only roaring dunes, created by a unique mix of wind, air, and sand, the sound which has been compared to that of a low flying aircraft. (Image: Johan Jonsson via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0)

Relying entirely on the fog from the Atlantic Ocean for survival, Acanthosicyos horridus, or Nara melons, a sweet yet spiny fruit that grows on a thorny woody shrub of the cucumber family; various lithops, a genus of stemless succulent in the Aizoaceae family known as living stones; lichen, a plant-like composite organism actually belonging to the Fungal kingdom; and Euphorbia Tirucalli, or pencil plant, a succulent named for its tube-like branching structure; are among the vegetation that relies on the sea mist for hydration.

The worlds largest ship cemetery

Many ships and their crew, and even some aircraft were stranded along this unforgiving coastline with its treacherous currents, reefs, waves, and year-round coastal fog. Ship and crew stood little chance of surviving, and even seafarers who made it to shore inevitably died of thirst. The desert landscape continually shifts and changes, sometimes moving up to 50 feet in a year, thus concealing or revealing a variety of skeletons, animal, ship, and sometimes human.

A group of twelve human skeletons was discovered lined up in a row in the 1940s. A slate was found on which someone had desperately scrawled: I am proceeding to a river 60 miles north, and should anyone find this and follow me, God will help him. The remains were from a wrecked ship that met its fate in 1869, 80 years before the discovery.

The long abandoned mining town of Kolmanskop  now a tourist destination outside Luderitz in Namibia, is reminiscent of the ghost towns of the Wild West. (Image: Johan Jonsson via Wikimedia commons CC BY-SA 4.0).

Kolmanskop

Kolmanskop is reminiscent of a Wild West ghost town. The ruins of a 19th-century German diamond mining community, it lies just south of Skeleton Coast Park. While the colony grew rapidly after the discovery of its first diamond, it declined after WWI, and intensive mining depleted the area by the 1930s.

In 1928, the towns fate was sealed when the richest diamond fields ever known were found on the coast to the south. The villagers all left, abandoning their desert homes. By 1956, Kolmanskop was completely deserted. Now, the forsaken houses have faded to the color of the invading dunes, which creep inside the empty domiciles and cover the streets deep in sand.

Surfs Up

The southern Benguela current provides world-class surf and long powerful barrels along this coast. Although incredibly cold, difficult to get to, and full of sharks, this does not deter the devoted surfers who brave the frigid waters to catch a good wave.

Most of the best surf locations are located south of Swakopmund, around Luderitz and Walvis Bay. Surfers who are looking for a more daring experience may go north to Skeleton Coast sites such as Cape Cross and Ovahimba Point. Other point breaks are known mainly by word of mouth.

Skeleton Coast Namibia is indeed a land of the brave and the fearless. Despite the severe climate and hostile conditions, it is also a place of life and preservation. While the Portuguese mariners called the coast The Gates of Hell, and the indigenous Khoisan bushmen describe it as The Land God Made in Anger, the area is known to locals as a Fishermans paradise.
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Iraqi refugees at the al-Hol camp in northeast Syria are voicing concerns about growing violence inside the camp following the weekend slaying of yet another Iraqi by suspected Islamic State militants.
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User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale

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Mati, Davao Oriental, Davao (72.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s : Very big shaking accur here at Mati City Philippines. | 11 users found this interesting.

tagum city, davao del norte / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / several minutes : earth quake, took 3-5 mins before it stopped | 10 users found this interesting.

Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, Caraga (202.8 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating : Our house is shaking. light tremble of soil and road. | 9 users found this interesting.

Mlang north cotabato / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : I was scared at first i thought it was just my imagination but i keep feeling it like 3 - 6 seconds and i go out and it was still shaking its really scary my heart was beating fast i could hear it. | 8 users found this interesting. Flee to highest mountain / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

DAVAO CITY / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 15-20 s : i felt disappointed because there's no warning received for us to be prepared, but despite that instead of critiquing i prayed. | 8 users found this interesting. sorry na press ko ang remote "quibs" / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 15-20 s

Panabo City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 30-60 s : Very intense and was awoken from sleep. All around shaking and felt a great sense of dizzy and discomfort after. | 8 users found this interesting.

Mati City (75.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 1-2 minutes It was very strong. It woke me up from my sleep | 8 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 1-2 minutes

Isulan,Sultan Kudarat / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 30-60 s : I felt a light shaking..but In The Almighty Name of JESUS CHRIST The Son Of GOD,let's not panic..because there's GOD that always protects us no matter what happens | 6 users found this interesting.

Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : Scary | 6 users found this interesting. linog is real / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Davao de Oro / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : My mother and I felt so scared because that's the first time we experience that strong shaking of an earthquake in our entire life. We jump out of our house with our important things to make sure for what happens. | 5 users found this interesting.

catalunan grande davao city / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s : long earthquake | 5 users found this interesting.

Barra, Misamis Oriental, Northern Mindanao (321.3 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s : Dizzy | 4 users found this interesting. 8/12/2021 1:48 AM Awaken From Sleep Dizziness The 20 Seconds Of Tremors Shaking Our 2 Story Cement Building in Camamsn-An. Cagayan de Oro City #EarthquakePH / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s

Davao City (137.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : As our office is located at the 4th and 5th floors, is felt very strong a we can feel the building is moving sideways. | 2 users found this interesting.

Davao City (139.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 minutes : It was strong enough and for a sustained enough time for us to feel the need to leave the house for safety. | 2 users found this interesting.

Limao, Davao, Davao (136 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : Creaking sounds of cabinets or wherever. Started light shaking, gradually increased. The bed was literally shaking that woke me up. Saw the hanging plants outside swaying. | 2 users found this interesting.

Davao City (141.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 1-2 minutes : I felt it around 1:47am, fully stopped at 1:48-49 I guess.. The motion is up & down but towards the end, it kinds of change to sideways movement | 2 users found this interesting.

General Santos City, Philippines (181.2 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 1-2 minutes : I felt dizzy | 3 users found this interesting.

Butuan, Agusan del Norte, Caraga (300 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Dizzying motion while on computer; chandelier at the ceiling swung in rotary motion,structures squeaked | One user found this interesting.

Mati City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s : Woke me up and heard the glass windows loud frictions. The strongest and the longest so far. Thank God, were all safe. | 3 users found this interesting.

Blue lotus hotel davao city (137.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Terrifying! My bed is moving/shaking. | 3 users found this interesting.

Toril, Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : Most of us woke up from our slumber and heard the glass windows trembling. We felt afraid after it took a long time to stop. We were about to wake the children up when the shaking slowed down. Thank God, everyone was safe in our family and extended families, and everything was fine. | 3 users found this interesting.

Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Due to its long duration, it was scarier than usual. | 3 users found this interesting.

CITY OF TAGUM (144.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : It was so far the strongest i have felt in my life. Woke up everyone in the house. | 3 users found this interesting.

Nazareth, Cagayan de oro / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : Felt dizzy. So thankful by the cell alert that should not ignore. Almost did not feel it because everybody in my room mates are slept. I shouted so that everyday be safe. Quite scarry bec it last 2 mins estimated time | 3 users found this interesting.

Home, Davao City (79.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : I woke up because of it. | 3 users found this interesting.

Tagum city (76 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Dont go nearby beaches | 3 users found this interesting.

Maniki kapalong davao del norte / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / very short : That was scary | 3 users found this interesting.

Davao City (138.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 20-30 s : Scared | 2 users found this interesting.

Davao City (144.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / several minutes : Scared. | 2 users found this interesting.

Butuan City (305 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s : Dizzy | 2 users found this interesting.

Malita, Davao Occidental, Davao (121.3 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : malakas cya matagal nawala | 2 users found this interesting.

Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur (211.9 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s : Afraid | 2 users found this interesting.

Mahayag, Davao del Sur, Davao (139.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s The earthquake Alarm went off, then 5 to 10 seconds the house started to shake. | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Shaking the ground, gates ranking, hanging plants swaying | 2 users found this interesting.

Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s : I felt it when I am sleeping. After that, I was shocked and woke up when I felt the tremor happening in my house. | 2 users found this interesting.

Davao Coty / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Our rocking chair is swinging. | 2 users found this interesting.

Mati Citym / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Me and my Girlfriend were on video call and the quake shook her awake from her sleep. | 2 users found this interesting.

Butuan City (279.4 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : It was odd. It was the first time I felt an earthquake like that. It was like you are surfing on something liquid | 2 users found this interesting.

Polomolok South Cotabato (76 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s : I felt dizzy | 2 users found this interesting.

Magpet, North Cotabato / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s : Light shake, enough to wake you up, if you have fast reflexes. | 2 users found this interesting.

Panabo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s : Light but aftershocks for est 10 seconds | 2 users found this interesting.

Matina Aplaya Davao city / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / several minutes : It seems your feeling push back n fort.. hanging objects swinging... water jar shaking . | 2 users found this interesting.

ruby garcia living in bangkal, davao city philippi / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s : not shaking up and down but not feeling dizzy like other earthquake. that it was starting slow then intensified. | 2 users found this interesting.

Davao City (141.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / several minutes Nervous because ut took so long. | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / several minutes

Davao city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : Feel shaking | 2 users found this interesting.

Mati City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Shaking and vibration | 2 users found this interesting.

Cagayan de oro city / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 30-60 s : I can see the electric wires swwinging | 2 users found this interesting.

Bunawan, Agusan del Sur (205.8 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s : MMI IV. Groundshaking might be prolonged and amplified in my location due to ground condition (i.e. along swampy Agusan Marsh basin margins). | 2 users found this interesting.

Davao city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : It was quite a bit stronger but not really compared to the 2019 earthquake... | 2 users found this interesting.

Davao city / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : Was shake quite well building earthquake alarm Went of | 2 users found this interesting.

Carmen Surigao Del Sur Caraga Region Philippines (313.1 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 15-20 s First of all ut shake very weak when suddenly it bacame strong... The shaking is very heavy and I can see my mirror shaking very bad,,, I thought it was a normal one that can be measured up to 4 and that could hit nearby town but it was different,, it is very stronf | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 15-20 s

General Santos City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex motion difficult to describe / 10-15 s : Cant describe | 2 users found this interesting.

Tacloban City (554.9 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Weak shaking but i felt dizzy. | 2 users found this interesting.

Mati City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 20-30 s : Very alarming and still can't go back to sleep. | 2 users found this interesting.

DAVAO CITY / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Just your usual earthquake. | 2 users found this interesting.

panabo city / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) / 1-2 minutes : Immediately stormed out of the house when we felt the quake. It's very intense that we were awakened. | 2 users found this interesting.

General santos city / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s : Ths s by far the strongest and the longest ive felt so far since the last earth quake | 2 users found this interesting.

Palo, Leyte (551.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : One bit strong shake, then seconds of gentle swinging sideways | 2 users found this interesting.

Kidapawan (187.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 20-30 s : Windows were noticeably shaking, chandeliers visibly swaying, frames were rattled, pencils and pen feel from the desk. | 2 users found this interesting.

San Isidro, Lupon, Davao Oriental / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 1-2 minutes : Dizzy | 2 users found this interesting.

General santos city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : I felt sick because i went for drinking. But everything else is okay its just disturb my sleep. | 2 users found this interesting.

catalunan grande davao city / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s : hammer and lateral movement | 2 users found this interesting.

Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / several minutes : Moderately strong even being so far from the epicenter. | 2 users found this interesting.

Tagum City, Philippines (138.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Felt like the bed was shaking side to side. Door and windows were creaking and the sliding chain lock was clanking. | 2 users found this interesting.

Sitio Lipadas, Daliao-Toril, Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 30-60 s : Just another day aboard ship.... | 2 users found this interesting.

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : Really strong earthquake. Im guessing 6-7 magnitude | 2 users found this interesting.

Mati city / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 minutes : Bad | 2 users found this interesting.

siargao island / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Felt like being slowly rock in a seesaw. | 2 users found this interesting.

Cagayan de orro (318.6 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 minutes : I felt dizzy | 2 users found this interesting.

Butuan, Agusan del Norte, Caraga (298.6 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : Was the longest shake in Butuan | One user found this interesting.

Malita, Davao Occidental, Davao (121.3 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 30-60 s : matagal cya nawala para aq nasa duyan | One user found this interesting.

Butuan, Agusan del Norte, Caraga (298.6 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : Was the longest shake in Butuan | One user found this interesting.

Davao City (136.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s its past 1am here in davao city, the quake waked me. | One user found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Davao City (145.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : Very long earthquake duration.. | One user found this interesting.

near Ranau, Sabah (1122 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt not felt | One user found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / not felt

Dumaguete (480.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : I woke up & usually stay asleep at 1:45am | One user found this interesting.

Davao City (136.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : A little frightened and dizzy | One user found this interesting.

Tagum City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / several minutes : quake woke us up and we felt very dizzy. | One user found this interesting.

Cagayan De Oro / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s : A slightly noticeable shaking occured | One user found this interesting.

butuan city / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s : feel dizzy | One user found this interesting.

Blue lotus hotel davao city (137.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Terrifying! My bed is moving/shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Nabunturan (144.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : i don't felt it | One user found this interesting.

Trento, Agusan del Sur Philippines / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 1-2 minutes : Me and my 3 kids were at the secomd floor sleeping and we were awakened by the shaking so we hurriedly went downstairs. Chandeliers were swaying, rocking chair was moving, dogs felt it too coz they kept barking and running around. | One user found this interesting.

Brgy Vicente Hizon, Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : I was on bed, i have experienced several earthquakes but i dont usually run out..This earthquake was longer almost made me jump out of bed but i forced myself to stay on bed since i cannot leave my disabled husband.. | One user found this interesting.

Davao City / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) : It was shockingly strong,We woke up and couldn't go back to sleep right away. | One user found this interesting.

Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 30-60 s : Light to moderate shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Davao / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Vibrating and strong horizontal shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Tagum city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / several minutes : we felt afraid of that moment and a little bit panic because it may bring danger buy thank God we are safe | One user found this interesting.

Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : Scared | One user found this interesting.

Digos city / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging : I felt nervous | One user found this interesting.

ANGEL CHUA MATINA CROSSING DAVAO CITY PHILIPPINES (158.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : The hung basket swayed bk & forth 1 1/2 feet fast | One user found this interesting.

Rey Elizalde, Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : The shaking was relatively light but its jolt was enough to wake me up from my sleep. Being a light sleeper, I think I felt its initial shaking along with the simultaneous barking and howling of dogs. It must have lasted more than a minute definitely. | One user found this interesting.

Cebu City / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : I was sitting still, on the 19th floor, felt the building sway back and forth 3 or 4 times, stomach felt slight nausea/dizzy during the swaying. Wife next to me didn't feel anything. Jumped on google at 1:50 AM Local time. | One user found this interesting.

Daliao FishPort Davao Del Sur (144.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : All the people woke. Dogs barking everywhere. Extended swaying and shaking. Woke from a dream state. Objects in house swinging, trees, phone lines swinging. | One user found this interesting.

General Santos City (175.8 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Severe shaking (MMI VIII) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 1-2 minutes : Horrible, long-lasting shaking, strong and violent rattle and swaying | One user found this interesting.

glan sarangani province / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : headache after shaking | One user found this interesting.

Davao city / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutes : Jolted and awAkened from deep sleep and seemed too long! | One user found this interesting.

Davao city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Swinging back and forth like you are trying to put a baby to sleep. | One user found this interesting.

Blue Lotus Hotel / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex motion difficult to describe / 1-2 minutes : Scary | One user found this interesting.

Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 1-2 minutes : I panic . | One user found this interesting.

Plaridel Misamis Occidental Looc Proper / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging : Scared | One user found this interesting.

General santos City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s : i was Shocked And i stand Quickly because Its swinging. | One user found this interesting.

Inside my house / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s : It was a strong earthquake | One user found this interesting.

Guadalupe, Cebu City (526.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s Could feel it swinging sideways in my bed at 10th floor! | One user found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Tagum city / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : I feel panicked | One user found this interesting.

Butuan (298.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : Slow side ways of shaking | One user found this interesting.

Davao (137.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s Nalipong | One user found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Gsc / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 10-15 s : Scary | One user found this interesting.

Davao City (143.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s Quake woke me up. The water of Our water was swaying strongly. | One user found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Dawis, Digos City (150.7 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe : Im at a 2nd story house and I felt an earthquake? Hahaha | One user found this interesting.

Bislig city, surigao del sur / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 1-2 s : Scared | One user found this interesting.

General santos city / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 30-60 s : 3 | One user found this interesting.

Agusan del Norte / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Long shaking, scary and dizzy | One user found this interesting.

Tagum City (148.6 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : Made me woke up and felt dizzy. | One user found this interesting.

Tagum City / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 10-15 s : Its so scared it feels like so strong and gosh nakakatakot | One user found this interesting.

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : The | One user found this interesting.

Tagum City (144.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : I was about to sleep till it shook. So based from the data the time estimated the tremor occurred at the epicenter was around 1:46 AM. In Tagum it occurred during 1:47 in the morning perhaps due to wave feed delay from the source. | One user found this interesting.

Bislig / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Kusugay | One user found this interesting.

Davao city Cabantian / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Im in sleeping,I heard the door open and close | One user found this interesting.

Cagayan de Oro city / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Feel some vibrating the floor and a little shaking the wall. | One user found this interesting.

Tagum City / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Lakas ng lindol parang matutumba ako sa lakas ng pag galaw | One user found this interesting.

Pob.Governor Generoso Davao Oriental (72.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : Light shaking | One user found this interesting.

San Luis, Agusan del Sur (242.6 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : strong earthquake | One user found this interesting.

Davao city / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : i feel dizzy | One user found this interesting.

Pinnacle hotel davao / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Scared | One user found this interesting.

Guadalupe, Cebu City / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : Could feel the entire building move smoothly sideways back and forth(10th Floor) | One user found this interesting.

Lupon (88.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : That earthquake is very strong. | One user found this interesting.

Davao City Philippines / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / several minutes : That was strong because it woke me up. | One user found this interesting.

toril, davao city, philippines (144.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Shaking chandeliers, animals disturbed and creaking sound of wooden house posts. Lasted for about 3min shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Davao city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 30-60 s : Woke me up, shower enclosure is moving . Post wires are shaking, | One user found this interesting.

Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : It shaked for more than a minute. | One user found this interesting.

Glan Sarangani (270.5 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / single vertical bump / 20-30 s I woke up then I heard A loud noise | One user found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / single vertical bump / 20-30 s

Davao city / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Strong | One user found this interesting.

Davao City, Philippines / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s : Very nervous | One user found this interesting.

Tubajon, Dinagat Islands / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / several minutes : Shaking | One user found this interesting.

Inside house of matanao davao del sur / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Sideways shaking.. | One user found this interesting.

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutes : it wakes us all up.. | One user found this interesting.

Jasaan, Misamis Oriental / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : I was on a top bunk when I awoke. | One user found this interesting.

Malita (122.3 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex motion difficult to describe / several minutes : Hadlok kaau gyud | One user found this interesting.

Esperanza, Agusan del Sur (268.9 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Intense, nervous | One user found this interesting.

General Santos City / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 15-20 s : felt dizzy | One user found this interesting.

Mati City Davao Oriental / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 30-60 s : Moderate shaking | One user found this interesting.

Pantukan (111 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) : I feel dizziness | One user found this interesting.

Kabuntalan, Maguinadanao / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : nahilo ako grabe | One user found this interesting.

butuan city, northeast mindanao, philippines (300.7 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : Dizzym fekt sine griund movement | One user found this interesting.

Butuan City (301.4 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Nervous | One user found this interesting.

Manila, Capital District, National Capital Region (1097.6 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

San Fernando, Pampanga, Central Luzon (1154.6 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Butuan, Agusan del Norte, Caraga (298.6 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : Was the longest shake in Butuan

Davao City (139.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 minutes (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 minutes

near General Santos City, South Cotabato, Soccsksargen (182 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 30-60 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 30-60 s

Teresa, Rizal, Calabarzon (1082.3 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

General Santos City, South Cotabato, Soccsksargen (173.3 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) : Felt nausea

Magugpo Poblacion, Davao, Davao (147 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 15-20 s

Mati, Davao Oriental, Davao (70.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, Central Luzon (1112 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

near Bulatukan, Cotabato, Soccsksargen (165.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutes

Katangawan, Province of South Cotabato, Soccsksargen (169.6 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / vertical swinging (up and down)

Imus, Cavite, Calabarzon (1084.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 20-30 s

Malinaw, Misamis Oriental, Northern Mindanao (302.8 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Catarman, Northern Mindanao (362.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Koronadal City, South Cotabato, Soccsksargen (206.5 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 30-60 s (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 30-60 s

Mati, Davao Oriental, Davao (74.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

General Santos City, South Cotabato, Soccsksargen (176.4 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 30-60 s

Inawayan, Province of Davao del Sur, Davao (147.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Digos, Davao del Sur, Davao (150.6 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Mati, Davao Oriental, Davao (72.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Sinawilan, Davao del Sur, Davao (167.1 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s

Davao City (137.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 30-60 s (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 30-60 s

Davao city (148.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Philippine Sea (18.6 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake : Scary

tacloban city (532.9 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Midsayap, Province of Cotabato, Soccsksargen (252.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s

Inawayan, Province of Davao del Sur, Davao (145.1 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 10-15 s (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 10-15 s

Davao City (137.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 30-60 s

Magugpo Poblacion, Davao, Davao (144.8 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 minutes

Caraga, Davao Oriental, Davao (93.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions)

Baracatan, Province of Davao del Sur, Davao (152.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 30-60 s

near Ranau, Sabah (1122 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt not felt (reported through (reported through our app / not felt

Limao, Davao, Davao (136.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 10-15 s

Magugpo Poblacion, Davao, Davao (143.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Mahayag, Davao del Sur, Davao (142.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Tacloban City, Leyte, Eastern Visayas (559 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Limao, Davao, Davao (135.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 20-30 s

Southern Leyte (452.6 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s

Davao City (139.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Mahayag, Davao del Sur, Davao (141.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 15-20 s

Mati, Davao Oriental, Davao (70.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s

Loreto, Agusan del Sur, Caraga (206.5 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

General Santos City, South Cotabato, Soccsksargen (180.8 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Davao philippines (144.6 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

DAVAO CITY (DAVAO DEL SUR) (136.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s

General Santos City (177.8 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 20-30 s

Mati City (72 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 1-2 minutes

General Santos City,Bula (173.5 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s

Davao City (141.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Polomolok (77.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 20-30 s

San miguel surigao del sur (274.6 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Davao city (138.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Bagontapay, Province of Cotabato, Soccsksargen (204.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating

Mangagoy, Bislig (191.4 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 30-60 s

Koronadal City, South Cotabato, Soccsksargen (205.8 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Davao City (147.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

General Santos City, South Cotabato, Soccsksargen (173.6 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 15-20 s

Mati, Davao Oriental, Davao (67.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Inawayan, Province of Davao del Sur, Davao (146.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Baracatan, Province of Davao del Sur, Davao (150.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Davao City (139.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s

General santos (176.1 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

Tagum (141.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Patin-ay, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur (242.2 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Gingoog (312.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

tacloban city (562.4 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

panabo city (143.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Gingoog City Mis. ORIENTAL (320.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Gensan (167.5 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 20-30 s

Bed was shaking (313.2 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Mahayag, Davao del Sur, Davao (140.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Mati, Davao Oriental, Davao (74 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

San Antonio, Davao, Davao (125.1 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Tacloban City (557.1 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Tagum City (144.8 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 1-2 minutes

Mati (74.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s

Palo, Leyte, Eastern Visayas (553.4 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s

tagum city (147 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Mati, Davao Oriental, Davao (76 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s

Davao City (139 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Polomolok (184.6 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

General Santos City, South Cotabato, Soccsksargen (183.7 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 30-60 s

Tagakpan, Davao del Sur, Davao (150.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / several minutes

Toril, Davao City (145.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / several minutes (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / several minutes

Davao City (139 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Gabuyan (170.8 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental, Northern Mindanao (317.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short

Sto. Tomas Davao del Norte (633.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Davao City (137 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / single lateral shake / 20-30 s

Limao, Davao, Davao (136.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s

Tagum (145.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Magugpo Poblacion, Davao, Davao (145.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 10-15 s

Banga, South Cotabato (215.7 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Cagwait, Surigao del Sur (257.8 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 15-20 s

arezzo place davao (135.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 10-15 s (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 10-15 s

davao city (138.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Bayugan City (267.8 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : I was in deep sleep and I woke because of the earthquake.. Babies are crying from neighbours.

Surigao City, Caraga (389.9 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Davao city (137.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 minutes

Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur (148 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s Light shaking (reported through (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Davao City (145.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

San Isidro Davao Oriental (75.6 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 20-30 s

Davao City (140.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / single lateral shake / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / single lateral shake / 20-30 s

near Davao City (145.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Santo Tomas (163.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

General Santos City, South Cotabato, Soccsksargen (174.4 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Panabo (145.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Davao City (139.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 minutes

DAVAO CITY (140.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 20-30 s

Davao (143.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vibration and rolling / 1-2 minutes Shaking (reported through (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vibration and rolling / 1-2 minutes

Inawayan, Province of Davao del Sur, Davao (145.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

Magugpo Poblacion, Davao, Davao (147 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 15-20 s

Ecoland, Davao City (138.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Bislig City, Surigao del Sur, Caraga (195.2 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

general santos city (179.3 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 minutes

Batobato San Isidro Davao Oriental (78.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Davao City (139.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

Davao City, Philippines (155.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 30-60 s

Digos City (152.5 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Koronadal City, South Cotabato, Soccsksargen (204.6 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Tagum City (148.8 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Cagayan de oro city (316.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s

General Santos City (177.1 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 minutes

Nabunturan, Davao De Oro Philippines (147 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

General Santos City (179.1 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 15-20 s

Medical Mission Group Hospital and Health Services (144.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 minutes

Digos City (153.2 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Davao City (138.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 20-30 s

Davao City (136.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Butuan, Agusan del Norte, Caraga (302.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 20-30 s

Davao City (139.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Magugpo Poblacion, Davao, Davao (147.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

Davao city (137.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

davao city (137.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s

Maramag, Bukidnon, Northern Mindanao (235.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

General Santos City, South Cotabato, Soccsksargen (176.3 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Davao City (137.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Valencia, Bukidnon, Northern Mindanao (237.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Cortes, Burgos (311.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

White banana (372.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s

Mahinog, Camiguin, Northern Mindanao (363.6 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Cotabato City, PH.14.B8, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (284.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 20-30 s

Davao City (145.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Butuan, Agusan del Norte, Caraga (301.7 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 20-30 s

Iligan city (333.2 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s

Surallah (210.7 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Mati, Davao Oriental, Davao (75.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Metro manila,Quezon City (1101.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Violent shaking (MMI IX) Si, me hizo un mareado | One user found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Violent shaking (MMI IX)

Pinac Pinacan san rafael (1132.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Antipolo (1140.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Carmen (146.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Bed was shaking, windows were rattling.

Las pjnas / not felt : I did not feel anything

Davao City / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Laguna / not felt : I Didn't feel

PASIG CITY / not felt

Davao city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Taguig / not felt

Tarlac / not felt

Bataan / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s

Hermosa Bataan (1151.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

San Juan City, Metro Manils / not felt

quezon city, NCR LUZON / not felt : none.

San jose del monte bulacan / not felt

Malolos City / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 10-15 s

Paracale (961.5 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Manila / not felt

Malolos bulacan / not felt : No

Pateros metro manila / not felt

Cupang, muntinlupa city / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

quezon city (1085.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : n/a

MANILA, PHILIPPINES / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I felt it.

CABUYAO banay banay lakeside nest subdivision / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s : Kala ko nagihilo lng ako yun pala na lindol nha buti nag alert dn ang cp q

City of San Fernando / not felt

CALOOCAN CITY / not felt

Binan laguna / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short

Pasig City (1087.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Afraid cause after you send me warning that they had earthquake, that s the time that i felt that shaking.

CITY OF LAS PINAS / not felt

Plaridel / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s

Dasmaronas City, Cavite / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Taguig / not felt : I dont feel the quake

Valenzuela, metro manila / not felt

Luzon. Metro manila / not felt

Malabon City / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 minutes

pasig city (1088 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Marikina / not felt

Cavite / not felt

muntinlupa city / not felt : NOthing for now

San Pedro, Laguna / not felt

Bulacan (1166.4 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Davao city / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Bunawan (143.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : I slept in 1:00am didn't felt it because i didn't wake up , my mom said our dog dachshund was barking almost like she's telling us to GET DOWNSTAIRS this macaroni sucks

Gingoog (312.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

San francisco agusan del sur / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

Malagos, Baguio District, Davso City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Trento, Agusan del Sur, Philippines (181.2 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : It woke me up in the middle of the night. Perhaps 1 or 2 am. My wife became agitated and was calling my name. We sleep in separate beds but in the same room. The shaking started slow then gradually increased intensity but not to the extend to cause panic. Then fade away.

Matina Crossing, Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 30-60 s : I woke up from my sleep because i felt like being moved so i wwnt out of my bedroom. At about that time, my daughter also got out of her bedroom. I can still feel the earth shake. At the kitchen the cups were hanging and swaying to and fro by the cupboard. Some members of the household didn't feel the earthquake; one woke but couldn't figure what made her wake up while the other one just slept like a log all throughout the tremor experience. .

General Santos City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 minutes

Mati (62.9 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 15-20 s

Mati City / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s : Moderate

Kidapawan (186.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Davao / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 20-30 s

Davao City (137.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Samal City (120.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : I was laying on the sofa and all of a sudden I felt movement. I then looked up and saw the ceiling fan moving from side to side horizontally.

Davao City (157.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 minutes : The shaking initially started as a vertical shaking with strong jolts, which lasted for about 5 seconds, then became a horizontal shaking. The horizontal shaking was about 2 minutes long, if not longer. It seemed as if the ground was shaking left and right, but also kind of circular. It gradually slowed down until it disappeared.

Mati / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 10-15 s

Davao City Bago Gallera / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 10-15 s

Davao city / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 1-2 minutes

Libertad, butuan city / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 20-30 s

Tagum city (145.6 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Malinawon Homes Briz Tagum City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Olongapo City (1163.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

panabo city dvo del norte / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

General Santos City / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / several minutes

Davao city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Tagum / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Tagum City / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) / 1-2 minutes

General Santos City (177.1 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 minutes

Davao City (137.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 minutes

Lubogan, Davao City / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 30-60 s

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : The

ILIGAN CITY / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 20-30 s

Cagwait, Surigao del Sur / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Bangkok (2970.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Butuan City (288.1 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Tacunan, Davao city / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 30-60 s

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

indangan davao city (142.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / several minutes : ppsad

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 20-30 s

Cagayan De Oro City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Davao / not felt

Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro City (315.2 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 30-60 s

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Malaybalay City (227.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 15-20 s

Home, Bangkal Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Dizzy afterwards

General Santos City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Kalibo / not felt : Not felt in aklan

Digos City / Light shaking (MMI IV) : It's shaking lightly and we were sleeping that time yet the sudden shaking happen which results to awakening of our souls.

Dumaguete (489.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 30-60 s

Davao City (145.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Toril, Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 20-30 s

Davao del sur / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 30-60 s

Davao City (135.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Home (2823.7 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

General Santos City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : I felt dizzy

Alabel, Sarangani Province / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Digos city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : Quake felt like a light shake first then followed by a soft sway of a water wave for about one minute. Intensity maybe 3-4.

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / several minutes

Surigao del Sur / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Hinundayan, Southern Leyte (437.2 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Started with two spaced movements, followed by a period of horizontal movements like being in a boat on the sea.

Bislig City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Davao City (136 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Panabo City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

San Isidro Brgy., General Santos City (174.8 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 20-30 s

Panabo City (144.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 20-30 s

DAVAO CITY / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutes : I felt dizzy while its happening.

Ilang, Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Gensan / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

matiao, pantukan / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Davao city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 5-10 s : It felt quite strong, it woke me up

In the house / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Afraid my leg is shaking also

San isidro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 20-30 s : Quite rigorous for 10-15 seconds. I lay enjoying to ride?

davao city / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Prk.2 Brgy. Napnapan, Pantukan, Davao De Oro (0.5 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Afraid

Isulan / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Very light shaking but i felt it

Davao cityj / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 30-60 s

Tagum City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s

ISLAND GRADEN CITY OF SAMAL / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Nabunturan, Davao De Oro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Sewon Yogyakarta (2413.9 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

General Santos City, South Cotabato (185.1 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

General Santos City (179.6 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 minutes

Manila (999.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Davao city / not felt

M'LANG, Cotabato (207.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s

Kidapawan city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Davao del Norte (142.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Mlang north cotabato / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Butuan Citu / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Binangonan (1078.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 15-20 s

Panabo / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / several minutes

Tandag city surigao del sur / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

CITY OF DIGOS (Capital) / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 15-20 s

Monkayo / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

general Santos City / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Panabo (143.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Davao city / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 minutes

Digos City, Davao del Sur (152.2 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 minutes

Southern Leyte (452.6 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Davao City / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Cagayan de oro / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Bukidnon / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 10-15 s

Pantukan Philippines / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (DADIANGAS) (174.8 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 30-60 s

General Santos City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 30-60 s

Davao City Panacan / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Santo tomas, davao del norte (153.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

london / not felt

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Poblacion Trento, Agusan del Sur / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / several minutes

Toril davao city / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Davao City / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 1-2 minutes

Davao City, Davao Del Sur / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

At home (372 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

MAA DAVAO CITY, DAVAO DEL SUR / not felt

Davao cuty (144.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Davao City (137.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 15-20 s

Cabadbaran City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Tagum City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Davao city (138.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / several minutes

Cambanogoy, Asuncion / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 10-15 s

Cebu City / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s

Pantukan / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

Davao city / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Lanang / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 1-2 minutes

Panabo city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 minutes

Poblacion Las Nieves Agusan del Norte / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / several minutes : afraid

General santos city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 15-20 s

Tacurong City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / several minutes

sta josefa agusam del sur

Davao city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Surigao (373.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / several minutes : Huhh

Lake Sebu (239.9 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

DAVAO CITY / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Davao city. / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s

Davao city (137.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

San Francisco Agusan del Sur / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s

panabo city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Tagum / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Tagum City, Davao del Norte, Philippines (146 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

general santos city / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 30-60 s

Monkayo Davao De Oro (164 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 30-60 s : it's a light earthquake

General Santos City (175.8 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 20-30 s

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 30-60 s

Davao City / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : Dizzy

davao city (155.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

surigao city / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : swinging

Maragusan Davao de Oro / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Il felt dizzy..

Araibo, Pantukan Davao De Oro / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : It's feels so strange, It was the first time I feel so nervous and it makes me woke up because of the shaking.

Palo, leyte / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 30-60 s

General Santos City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / several minutes

Davao City / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging
User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale

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Kota damansara (308.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 30-60 s : Felt the table and chair was shaking and felt abit dizzy | 9 users found this interesting.

KUALA LUMPUR (315 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s Like a sway in boat. A subtle one but noticeable. | 5 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Holiday inn express kuala lumpu (320.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Not that intense but it was definitely rocking | 4 users found this interesting.

Kuala Lumpur / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : I felt the building shake from side to side. I dont know if its the construction sites nearby causing this but i never experienced it before. | 2 users found this interesting.

Kuala Lumpur (324.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : I did not personally feel it, might be because I was half asleep and I was also at a lower floor. While my brother, who was on a floor above me ran straight to me to report that he felt shaking and could see stuffs on his table shaking a bit. | One user found this interesting.

Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, Malaysia (312.8 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : I was sitting on the floor and felt a swinging movement. Looked over to a bowl of water and it was also moving. | One user found this interesting.

Taman Desa Petaling, Kuala Lumpur (316 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : No tremor felt. Misreported location. | 2 users found this interesting.

Kuala Lumpur (318 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short : Just light movement | One user found this interesting.

Kuala lumpur (317.7 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : Trembling felt in the high rise | One user found this interesting.

Pantai Hillpark KL / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : My dinning table shakes n a clear water jar of a plant rippled...tts how I noticed something is happening. I am on 4 th floor of a 5 storey block. I called up my don to ask if he felt any tremur at 1.21pm today. He said no, at TTDI area.

Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. / not felt : I was at Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur at 1 pm (local time). I thought it was drizzling heavily for at least 20 minutes but when I went outside it wasnt but the sky was overcast.

Klang. / not felt : Peninsula Malaysia belongs to an older stable era of rock formation outside the Ring of fire. Unless my geography teacher was bluffing.

Kuala Lumpur / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : I was on a light sofa. It felt like someone was shifting on the sofa - like it feels when someone is getting out of bed, but I was the only one there and the floor and footstool were shaking too. My kids didn't notice it.

Selangor / not felt : I didn't feel anything. | One user found this interesting.

Seri Kembangan / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : My bed moved | One user found this interesting.

Prtaling jaya / Weak shaking (MMI III) : I thought it was a thunder | One user found this interesting.

Batu Caves, Selangor / not felt : Not a bit feeling of terror. Must be pretty miniscule. | One user found this interesting.

Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur / not felt : Nothing | One user found this interesting.

Puchong / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : Felt dizzy. | One user found this interesting.

Kuala Lumpur / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : A small sway | One user found this interesting. very weak shaking but can feel differences / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Kampung Baru Subang, Selangor (310.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Ampang, Hulu Langat, Selangor (321.9 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Klang (294.3 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Balakong, Hulu Langat (312.9 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 10-15 s

Malacca Strait (397.8 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Balakong, Hulu Langat (317.9 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short

Kampung Baharu Nilai, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan (305.3 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Petaling Jaya, Selangor (312.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Shaking

near Padangsidempuan, North Sumatra (7.7 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : felt like i was in wonderland

Balakong, Hulu Langat (319.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Petaling Jaya, Selangor (303.7 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : Nothing. Did not feel anything.

Kampung Bukit Baharu, Melaka (332.9 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Kuala Lumpur (324.7 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Kampung Baharu Nilai, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan (304.8 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

326.5 km NE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 20-30 s

Ampang, Hulu Langat, Selangor (326.9 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

near Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan (306.6 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : Whereabouts in kuala Lumpur

Padangsidempuan, North Sumatra (10.4 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Kuala Lumpur (322.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Putrajaya (309.9 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Petaling Jaya, Selangor (312 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

near Banting (282.8 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Petaling Jaya, Selangor (311.3 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Menara Timur, Level 10. Pulsar Perubatan UM (313.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Happen twice within 2-3min

Kuala Lumpur (317.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

AMPANG (289.9 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Cheras (320.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Kuala Lumpur (313.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

megan avenue 1 kuala lumpur (322.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short

Seremban (314 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Perlis (579 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

KL (312.3 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : Nope, my body fats might absorbed the quake!

Kuala Lumpur (314.3 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : Nothing

Kuala lumpur (312.8 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Kuala Lumpur (315.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Kuala lumpur (323.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : Bed was swinging. News confirmed it was tremors from Indonesia

Bandar Tasik Selatan (315.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Kuala Lumpur (321.3 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Cheras (317.7 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Taman Desa (316.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Kuala Lumpur (316.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Putrajaya (309.7 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia (308.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

KUALA LUMPUR (316 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Kampong Baharu Balakong (312.6 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

26 km of Padangsidempuan, North Sumatra (39.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Paradesa tropika, persiaran meranti, bdr sri daman (313.7 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Kuala Lumpur (316 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s

Bukit Jelutong (302.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Taman Desa Petaling (316.6 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Glenmarie (303.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) 2 times earthquake (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Kuala Lumpur (320.6 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Kampung Baru Subang, Selangor (310.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Kuala Lumpur (321.9 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 20-30 s

Kampong Baharu Balakong (319.8 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Desa Green Serviced Apartment (316.3 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : Didn't feel any shaking but feeling dizzy

Puchong Jaya (304.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake

Batu Caves (325.6 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt Tak terasa apa pun (reported through (reported through our app / not felt

Kampung Baru Subang, Selangor (305.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Kuala Lumpur (313.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s : very light shaking...

gombak (325.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Kampong Baharu Balakong (311.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

kuala lumpur (316.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Kuala Lumpur (315.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Suprised.

Kuala Lumpur (315.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Suprised.

phileo damansara (313.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Petaling Jaya (310.3 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 5-10 s

Kampung Baru Subang, Selangor (310 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Kuala Lumpur (319.9 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

SERI KEMBANGAN / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating

Kempas , JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia / not felt : Never fill anything....

284.2 km NE of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt

V-residensi @ selayang height (324.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Petaling Jaya / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

KUALA KUBU BHARU / not felt

Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya / not felt : Quake? In Malaysia?

Kuala lumpur / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Felt d shake 2 times

Kuala lumpur / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Bandar sunway / not felt

Petaling Jaya / not felt

Sri Hartamas / not felt

Rawang / not felt

SEMENYIH / not felt

Sungai Buloh (313.6 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

SENTUL / not felt

Taman Desa, KL / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / complex motion difficult to describe / 2-5 s : Slight movement

Selayang 18 (484.8 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Serdang / not felt

Petaling Jaya / not felt

326.9 km NE of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt

Sentul point suite apartment / not felt

Subang Jaya / not felt : I had not felt

BATU CAVES / not felt

Kuala lumpur (316.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : Was sleeping and the bed shook sideways for about a minute and then stopped.

Ampang / not felt

Rawang / not felt

RAWANG (318 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

SHAH ALAM / not felt : I'm so worried.

Kepong baru (319.7 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

KUALA LUMPUR (312.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Kuala Lumpur / not felt

Kiala Lumpur, Malaysia / not felt

Petaling Jaya / not felt

Kuala Lumpur / not felt : I didn't feel it

subang jaya selangor (302 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Setiawangsa / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short

Seremban / not felt : I didn't feel the shake

Kuala Lumpur / not felt

Subang Jaya / not felt : I was sitting at my dinning table. I didn't feel any vibration. I live in USJ 9.

Shah Alam / not felt : I was a sleep

Perumahan Awam Sri Sarawak Blok C Jalan Kenangan K / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Titiwangsa kuala lumpur (320.8 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

mont kiara / not felt

KUALA LUMPUR / not felt : Nothing.

Setapak / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Kuala Lumpur (322.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Kuala Lumpur (316.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Subang Jaya, Selangor (299.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : Nothing

Petaling Jaya (309.9 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Shah Alam / not felt

Petaling Jaya (310.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating

Taman Suntex / not felt : Hope everybody is safe

At home in Jalan Ampang. / not felt : Didn't feel anything. Only know about it just now.

Shah Alam (305.3 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : N

Kuala Lumpur / not felt : No tremor felt. Perhaps this was a weak quake

Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam, Malaysia (286.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Bangsar (316.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Ampang / not felt

Aoran Darrel / not felt : Did not feel anything yet

Bangi / not felt

Putra Intan Condominium,Dengkil, Selangor / not felt : I did not feel anything at all.

Petaling Jaya / not felt

Ukay Height ,Ampang (325.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : Explosion sound/echo came from Mrr2/Sukehighway / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short

Ukay Height ,Ampang (325.7 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : Explosion sound plus echo came from Mrr2 Highway/Sukehigwhay

Ampang / not felt : Normal day and didn't realize any earthquake occurring at the moment.

Puchong / not felt

Subang jaya / not felt : No comments Subang

Micasa hotel kl / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 s : I was sitting on the sofa and I suddenly like I'm moving and the my table is shaking but only seconds

Seremban (320.2 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Lot 10 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Kuala lumpur (340.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : Definitely quake not near kl

Cheras / not felt

Kuala Lumpur / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s

Kota Kemuning, Shah Alam / not felt

Rawang / not felt

Puchong Prima / not felt : No

Setapak, WP Kuala Lumpur / not felt

Kuala Lumpur City Centre / not felt

Puchong / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short : Like sitting in the boat.

KLANG / not felt

Subang Jaya , Selangor / not felt

Kuala Lumpur / not felt

Subang Jaya / not felt : I was upstairs and my kids were downstairs. We didn't feel anything at all.

Hulu klang / not felt

Cyberjaya / not felt : I didn't

Petaling Jaya / not felt

Damansara perdana / not felt

Seremban / not felt : No

KL / not felt : Nothing, working from home, nothing moved. Send stronger

Shah Alam / not felt

Damansara Damai / not felt

Batu caves / not felt

Bandar Sri damansara / not felt

Selangor / not felt

Putrajaya / not felt

Bandar Baru Bangi / not felt

kuala lumpur / not felt : never expect kuala lumpur got earthquake.

Subang Jaya / not felt

Kuala Lumpur / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Kelana jaya, petaling jaya, Selangor, malaysia / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 15-20 s : I was at my balcony on 29th floor when I felt the light shaking on the chair I was seated.

Petaling Jaya / not felt

Petaling Jaya / not felt : No

Kedah Sungai petani / not felt : No.I didn't feel anything.!!

Selayang Heights / not felt

Kuala Lumpur / not felt

Mont Kiara / not felt

Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur / not felt

Rawang / not felt : Our door felt down completely but I didn't fell physically

Petaling Jaya / not felt : Nothing..

Subang Jaya / not felt

Taman desa / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s : I felt like spinning

Kuala Lumpur / not felt

Bandar Sri damansara / not felt

Kuala Lumpur / not felt : Did not feel any tremors or what so ever.

SABAK BERNAM / not felt

setapak / not felt : only those stay apartment, condominium or high ground can fell it

Kajang / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

KualaLumpur / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Taman desa / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s : I felt like spinning

Kuala Lumpur / not felt

Petaling Jaya / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : My chair wobbled

Klang / not felt

Setia Alam / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Thought I was dizzy

Jalan Ampang, KL / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Felt my chair was moving sideways

BMW JALAN TUN RAZAK / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Empire damansara / not felt

Shah alam / not felt

Bangsar south / not felt : Didnt know it happened

Pasir puteh / not felt

Puchong / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

atria / not felt

Kuala Lumpur / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 5-10 s : It was very slight but definitely felt some whoozy

Shah alam / not felt : No

Puchong / not felt

petaling jaya / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Sentul / not felt

Kuala lumpur / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : Na

Shah Alam / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Very mild

seri kembangan bukit serdang / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Taman Desa KL / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Sabah / not felt

Kuala Lumpur, Taman Desa / not felt

Kuala Lumpur / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Sungai Buloh, Selangor / not felt

Shah Alam / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short : vibration on chair for 1-2 seconds, 2 times in interval of 1-2 min

Kuala Lumpur / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Jalan Jelatek / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Kuala Lumpur / not felt

PETALING JAYA / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : I was sitting on the sofa, suddenly feel like my head "dizzy". Its disappear after 3-5 second

subang jaya ss15 / not felt

Petaling Jaya / not felt

Kuala Lumpur / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

bandar Sri Permaisuri / not felt

Bangsar kuala lumpur / not felt : I feel very dizzy and feels like vomiting

Bandar Sri Permaisuri / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : Head was spinning.

petaling jaya, tropicana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : side to side movement

Gombak / not felt : Not feel it

gembira park / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Desa Melawati / not felt : Very mild building movement

riana green / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Shah Alam / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Very mild

icon city / not felt

shah alam / Weak shaking (MMI III) : shake

BANDAR RIMBAYU / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Westports / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Kuala Lumpur, malaysia / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Setiawangsa / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 15-20 s : I felt unsteady like the things around was shaking. And the water inside my bottle was swaying.

Kuala Lumpur / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Yes, it shook me up and I saw ceiling fan moved too along with sofa that I was sitting at

kajang / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short

petaling jaya / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

gurney height / Light shaking (MMI IV)

sentul / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

CHERAS / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

kajang / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short

PJS5, Sunway / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / complex motion difficult to describe / 1-2 s : some shake for few seconds felt at 7th floor of building

seri kembangan / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Kota damansara, Petaling Jaya / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Kuala Lumpur / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s

Desa Petaling kl / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short

Selangor / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Cheras Kuala lumpur / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

petaling jaya / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 minutes
Light mag. 4.5 earthquake - North Pacific Ocean, 88 km southwest of Managua, Nicaragua, on Wednesday, 11 Aug 2021 11:11 am (GMT -6) -

Light magnitude 4.5 earthquake at 53 km depth

11 Aug 17:17 UTC: First to report: VolcanoDiscovery after 6 minutes.

11 Aug 17:27: Now using data updates from EMSC

11 Aug 19:06: Magnitude recalculated from 4.9 to 4.5. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 35.0 to 53.0 km (from 22 to 33 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 3.5 km (2.1 mi) towards ENE.

Update Wed, 11 Aug 2021, 17:33

4.9 quake 11 Aug 11:11 am (GMT -6)



The event was filed by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the first seismological agency to report it.

Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.

Weak shaking might have been felt in Masachapa (pop. 5,000) located 40 km from the epicenter, San Rafael del Sur (pop. 29,800) 51 km away, Diriamba (pop. 35,000) 68 km away, San Marcos (pop. 23,300) 75 km away, Ciudad Sandino (pop. 50,000) 84 km away, Nagarote (pop. 26,300) 85 km away, Managua (pop. 973,100) 88 km away, Masaya (pop. 130,100) 89 km away, Granada (pop. 89,400) 99 km away, and Leon (pop. 144,500) 102 km away.

VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either Just 21 minutes ago, a 4.9-magnitude earthquake struck near Managua, Departamento de Managua, Nicaragua. The tremor was recorded in the morning on Wednesday 11 August 2021 at 11:11 am local time, at a moderately shallow depth of 35 km below the surface.The event was filed by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the first seismological agency to report it.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.Weak shaking might have been felt in Masachapa (pop. 5,000) located 40 km from the epicenter, San Rafael del Sur (pop. 29,800) 51 km away, Diriamba (pop. 35,000) 68 km away, San Marcos (pop. 23,300) 75 km away, Ciudad Sandino (pop. 50,000) 84 km away, Nagarote (pop. 26,300) 85 km away, Managua (pop. 973,100) 88 km away, Masaya (pop. 130,100) 89 km away, Granada (pop. 89,400) 99 km away, and Leon (pop. 144,500) 102 km away.VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app . This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.

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please share your experience and submit a short "I felt it" report! Other users would love to hear about it!

Also if you did NOT feel the quake although you were in the area, please report it ! Your contribution is valuable also to earthquake science and earthquake hazard analysis and mitigation efforts. You can use your device location or the map to indicate where you were during the earthquake. Thank you! If you felt this quake (or if you were near the epicenter),Other users would love to hear about it!Alsoalthough you were in the area, please! Your contribution is valuable also to earthquake science and earthquake hazard analysis and mitigation efforts. You can use your device location or the map to indicate where you were during the earthquake. Thank you!

Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies

Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.

Mag. Depth Location Source 4.5 53 km NEAR COAST OF NICARAGUA EMSC unknown n/a NEAR COAST OF NICARAGUA VolcanoDiscovery 4.9 35 km 38 Km Al Suroeste De Pochomil, Nicaragua INETER 4.5 53 km 37 Km SW of Masachapa, Nicaragua USGS

User reports for this quake (15) User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale Contribute:

Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it.

Flag as inappropriate.

Mark as helpful or interesting.

Send your own user report! Managua (85 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : Not very weak, kind of, anyways its scaring! | One user found this interesting. Managua (83.3 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake Granada Nicaragua / not felt Managua (73.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s UNICA (82 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s Managua / not felt Managua / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s Managua, KM 2.5 Carretera Norte / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Trabajo en una oficina y comenzo a moverse el escritorio y mi Pc. managya / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s Managua / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s Lomas Del Valle, Managua / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s Managua nicaragua / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Was laying down and felt it Cofradia Nicaragua / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex motion difficult to describe / 1-2 s Managua, Villa flor (85.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s Managua / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Moved me in my chair

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Photo: IFC Films

In the new documentary The Meaning of Hitler, opening this week, Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein explore the legacy of Nazism and the ways in which it continues to manifest in the present day. Through interviews with historians, authors, and activists, their picture looks at the cult around Hitler, as well as what that period has to say about the darker side of human nature. Its an interesting journey for the husband-and-wife filmmaking team, who initially burst onto the scene in 2005 with their documentary Gunner Palace, a striking ground-level portrait of a group of American soldiers in Iraq. Over the years, they have followed a variety of stories growing out of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but their fascinating 2017 film, Karl Marx City, took a more personal focus: It was about Epperlein looking into the history of East Germany and her own familys experience, including the possibility that her father might have worked for the Stasi, the East German secret police. As they explain, The Meaning of Hitler actually grew partly out of experiences they had while making that film. Indeed, it has unsettling connections with much of their work.

Tell me about the origins of The Meaning of Hitler.

Petra Epperlein: Many years ago, I read this book, The Meaning of Hitler, by Sebastian Haffner, a German historian who lived during Hitlers time. He immigrated to Great Britain because he was opposed to Hitler, and his book stands apart from all the other many Hitler biographies and whatever, because he doesnt look at Hitler as a character  only at what Hitler did. When Trump was elected, we saw many parallels  lets put it that way  and decided to tackle the subject matter based on that book.

Michael Tucker: Around the time when we were filming our last film, Karl Marx City, we were in Dresden, which is in East Germany, and that was the heart of this anti-immigration movement called Pegida. Every Monday night they would have what they called a walk through central Dresden, which is of course this ornate, pretty magnificent city with all this history. They would have these walks, and these walks grew to be like 30,000 people. At first, it was sort of like boomers out there, unhappy about immigration policy, and then pretty soon the more extreme right came in there, and then they sort of mixed together. Part of that is in The Meaning of Hitler. Were filming, and at one point, the crowd turns to us and theyre chanting lying press. And this wasnt just like, Hahaha, lying press. It was like, Lying press, were going to kill you. Youre lying pigs. And soon after that, journalists were being beaten.

P.E.: This language was directly borrowed from Nazi language from the 30s, so that was the parallel. Yeah, this was very unsettling. Because also you know when 89 happened, the Berlin Wall came down, the End of History was declared, and here we are 30 years later and its everything but the end of history. All these fascist Nazi movements all over the world are raising up again.

M.T.: The interest actually came from that, which was pre-Trump, but then of course you had that, Brexit, all of these extreme anti-immigration sentiments in Western Europe. Then, going further east, these extreme nationalist movements growing. I would say that Trumps success is largely from borrowing from the playbooks of what made these movements successful. Its very global, and the film ended up being a response to that. Its not just one thing. Its not: Trump is Hitler. Its: This thing exists within us, this dangerous energy.

When you approached people and told them youre making a movie about Hitler, what was their response?

M.T.: I think historians are cautious, because there are these rules about invoking Hitler in comparison to anything. But they also understand history as a work in progress. Many of these historians are very, very old. By the benefit of their experience, seeing these waves of how we understand this history, this isnt the first time theyve gone through this. Now is maybe the pinnacle of perceived danger. So, you meet these people that you could say are obsessed with the subject matter, but its sort of an endless subject, because thats really at the heart of who we are  understanding what this energy is that makes that possible. And of course, Yehuda Bauer, the Israeli historian, he nails it so well in talking about that part of human nature, where were in denial of it. Its not really about Hitler. Its about humans.

P.E.: The younger people that we talked to, there was a different urgency to their response to the uprising of these movements, because obviously they didnt live through it for 90 years, and didnt experience it a few times. But people always wanted to talk to us about it. Nobody said, Oh, weve talked about Hitler so many times. Lets move on.

We often say that education is so important in this case. In Germany, how has teaching about the Nazi regime changed over the years?

P.E.: I grew up in the East, where all of that was taught differently than in the West. Thats a fact of life, because our country was basically occupied by the Soviet Union, and they had a particular way of communicating about history. So I would say everyone knows about what happened. Its being taught in schools from a really early age. And that is the official doctrine, of how we have to deal with the Holocaust and our responsibility as Germans, as a German state. But then at the same time, you have many people who think that its time to move on. They really believe, Okay, weve done that. Its a long time ago. Lets just move on. Lets not talk about it anymore. And of course, thats very, very dangerous when this happens. Also, a pretty large percentage of society are just anti-Semites. I mean, there is no explanation for that. They hate pretty much everything thats different than themselves. Im glad that the official doctrine is to teach the Holocaust forever, basically, and that you have to come to terms with the past. But how much of this is actually happening within the population, its difficult to really see. Thats why we have these movements. We cant be so surprised that all of this hatred and anti-Semitism comes up again even though we did all these things. We taught it everywhere.

It was shocking and saddening to see a British Holocaust denier, David Irving, whom you feature in the film. Over the course of making the movie, did you come across anybody who said, Dont talk about this stuff. Dont give this stuff any more oxygen. All youll end up doing is making the David Irvings of the world even more famous than they are?

P.E.: No. We discussed this ourselves extensively, if we should do that or not. How far and how much of that should be actually included into the film.

M.T.: Thats one reason why, for instance, we didnt embed with any neo-Nazi groups or any of these identity movements in Europe. Weve met these people. Weve talked to them. All these opportunities were open. It was like, why feed that more? But Irving was a particular interesting case. Hes constantly talking about history and real history, and we just want to know the truth and all these things  but then we saw what we brought back from Treblinka. [The film features live-mic footage of David Irving making anti-Semitic jokes and epithets during a tour of the Treblinka death camp, thinking the filmmakers cant see or hear him.] What you see is that its actually about cruelty. Anti-Semitism. Its the cruelty in the words. Its about re-inflicting this pain over, and over, and over again. And thats that ugly face that you see. It gets beyond what you see on the book jacket and into who really is this person and who are these people who follow him. I think people need to understand that, and it was more shocking to us to see, talking about education, kids today  anti-Semitism is masked with all this irony. Its like, Ahaha. Its funny. Its the funny Nazi, or whatever. And they eventually sort of become victimized when theyre policed, and they become radicalized, and thats what youre seeing: Perfectly normal gamer kids going into this weird space. Previously, this was all foreign to them, and then it becomes this gospel. And thats terrifying.

P.E.: And going back to education. Its still important because at least they have heard, going into these spaces or being exposed to the ironic Hitler or the ironic anti-Semitism. If they have never heard about that before, thats their first contact with that world. If you dont know anything about it, its so much easier to be drawn into the deep hole of fascism and Nazism. But if you have some sort of context that you know at least what it is, then maybe you can resist it, hopefully.

As you mentioned, theres a scene in your film where one of these protesters comes up to your camera and asks, angrily, Which member of the lying press are you? Were there times during the making of this film that you feared for your lives?

P.E.: We didnt fear for our lives, but it was very, very hostile. I never experienced that before. Thirty thousand people at these marches. They were at night, and they were carrying torches, so that in itself already has an eerie presence, and then when they march by and youre just standing there innocently holding your microphone and your camera, and then they turn at you and they yell at you. And they really did beat up people, just yesterday.

M.T.: Yesterday! Yesterday, the head of the German journalist union was pulled off his bicycle by COVID deniers, who are also mixed in with Nazi thugs. There were running battles throughout Berlin. We werent scared then, but when you look back on [what happened] yesterday  What did it feel like to be in the 30s? Maybe some people still think that sounds hysterical, but these things are happening. Theyre happening everywhere.

P.E.: So when you think about the 30s in Berlin  There were the Nazis, and the communists, and they had these battles. This was enormously violent, day after day, night after night. You think about it. These hordes of people have a violent energy about them.

M.T.: I would say that Poland also felt a little bit scary. Some Polish nationals are sort of outraged by those scenes in the film. They say, Oh, these are patriotic demonstrations celebrating our independence. I mean, we were there. There were fascist flags. Fascists from around Europe came there and marched under these banners.

Its interesting to think about the overall journey you guys have had as filmmakers. Petra is German. You made this film partly because of some of the footage you shot for Karl Marx City. And Karl Marx City was partly inspired by debates at the time around NSA spying in the U.S. And you had started your feature documentary career with Gunner Palace, about American soldiers in Iraq. Your subsequent films all grew out of those experiences  you pursued variations on the subject of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through five very different movies, which then led you to making movies about Europe, and back to Germany  to the Stasi, and now to Hitler. Its a disturbing homecoming, of sorts.

M.T.: Its highly ironic that when we started doing all our stuff in Iraq and Afghanistan, we were here in Berlin. We have a daughter together, and we were living here, and I was driving into Baghdad, also flying back and forth to Germany. But here, all these years later, this weird circle  Now were sort of in a self-imposed exile here in Berlin, regrouped as a family. This 20 years has been absolutely insane. Theres a thread from 9/11 to Iraq, to our current moment, this whole militarization of society. Theres all of these things sort of bubbling under the surface in America that all go back to that. Where does that start? Its absolutely fascinating.

Weve been looking at footage of Gunner Palace because were going to be going back into that material soon for something new that we just shot, and its incredible. I was going in with these breach teams into houses, and the women and the children are screaming and we were stacking people up in the back of Humvees like cord wood. Its pretty chilling to then see what happened last spring during George Floyd and to see this absolute militarization and this same brutality.

You end The Meaning of Hitler with COVID, which I thought was an interesting choice.

M.T.: COVID at that moment, especially being in the New York area and really being touched by that  I remember when we filmed those final scenes. We were coming from the West Side Highway, turned onto a street. We drove down, turned the corner into Times Square, and  this actually makes me emotional  it was empty. I think I audibly gasped on camera like, Oh, my God. In the Haffner book, theres really this idea of a catastrophe thats willfully brought upon the country, and it was that same sort of feeling, but also sort of a sense of betrayal thats similar. This absolute abandonment of the people, and this carelessness. Its so reckless. I think Yehuda Bauer, the Israeli historian, says it so well. Youre really left with these two forces, and were seeing it still, to this day, which I find incredible. This dark and light. Its so fundamental how you choose. Are you going to live as a collective and look out for each other, or are you going to serve the politics of the individual  the cult of the individual?
Prosecutors on Tuesday outlined the cases against two brothers charged in connection with the slaying of a Chicago police officer and the shooting of her partner after a traffic stop Saturday night.

Brothers Emonte and Eric Morgan were each denied bail in separate hearings for their alleged roles in the death of Officer Ella French, 29, and the wounding of another officer, who has not been identified. Neither was asked to enter a plea.

A woman who was also in the vehicle was not charged, authorities said.

Prosecutors described a traffic stop that went wrong, saying one brother initially cooperated but ran from the scene and that the other shot the officers.

According to the state's attorneys prosecuting the cases, Eric Morgan fled the scene but returned, taking the gun and attempting to get rid of it. He was held by civilians until police could arrest him, a prosecutor said.

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said at a news conference Sunday that one of the offenders was shot and hospitalized.

Emonte Morgan appeared via video from hospital

At Emonte Morgan's hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors said that when French and the other officer were shot, they fell with their cameras facing up and continuing to record. At one point, Emonte Morgan can be seen stepping over one of the victims, according to Assistant State Attorneys Nicholas Hosler and James Murphy.

Emonte Morgan, 21, did not appear in court because he is in the hospital being treated for a gunshot wound, according to Chicago Police Officer Timothy McKeon. Morgan is represented by assistant public defender Jennifer Hodel, who was present for the hearing.

Emonte Morgan is charged with one count of first-degree murder of a peace officer, two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon with a prior conviction and one count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's office.

Older brother allegedly took gun used in shooting

Eric Morgan, 22, has been charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon with a prior conviction and obstruction of justice, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's office.

At a separate bail hearing Tuesday for Eric Morgan, Murphy said Eric Morgan was driving when officers pulled him over. He was initially cooperative and admitted to being in possession of cannabis, Murphy said.

After Eric Morgan took the gun from his brother he was detained by civilians and is accused of striking one of the civilians in the arm with the gun, Murphy said.

The civilians held his body to the ground until police arrived, the prosecutor added.

Genevieve O'Toole, an assistant Cook County public defender representing Eric Morgan, said her client has no prior gun crimes and should not be held for the actions of another individual whom he could not control, whom he had no power over, and whose actions took place when he wasn't even present.

She said Morgan was not in possession of a weapon when the traffic stop occurred and noted he was initially cooperative, following French's directions to get out of the vehicle, admitting to having cannabis, and handing her his car keys.

When the situation started going downhill, he ran away, O'Toole said. She also said Emonte Morgan ran toward Eric Morgan to give him the gun.

She told the judge that Eric Morgan was able to post $500 bond.

Cook County Circuit Court Associate Judge Charles Beach ordered Eric Morgan be held without bail, noting that while he was initially compliant, he still fled from police.

"Instead of leaving the scene, instead of not engaging ... it appears he re-engaged with what was clearly a terrible situation," Beach said. "Mr. Morgan made himself a part of that ongoing event ... by taking possession of the very weapon used to kill this officer."

The judge said Eric Morgan is a threat to the community because he reengaged with a violent act that was ongoing and fought with the individuals who attempted to detain him. He also said the gun was found close to Eric Morgan.

"I don't think electronic monitoring will make the community safe in this particular case, he's shown a propensity to flee, he's shown a propensity to commit crimes in other states," Beach said.

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx said in a statement that her office "will prosecute these cases to the fullest extent of the law," she said.

Federal charges for alleged gun buyer

A third man is the subject of federal charges.

The Department of Justice has charged Jamel Danzy, 29, of Indiana, with conducting a straw purchase to obtain the semiautomatic handgun used in Saturday's shooting, according to a news release from the department.

Danzy bought the gun in Hammond, Indiana, from a federal firearms dealer in March and is accused of "knowingly making a false written statement to acquire a firearm," according to the criminal complaint filed in the US District Court in Chicago.

The Illinois resident to whom Danzy gave the gun was one of the vehicle's occupants and was arrested by responding officers, according to the complaint. At the time of his arrest, the Illinois resident was in possession of the handgun purchased by Danzy, according to the complaint.

The federal complaint also alleges that Danzy knew the person he purchased the gun for wasn't legally allowed to buy a firearm due to a felony criminal conviction.

He faces charges of conspiracy to violate federal firearm laws, including knowingly transferring and giving a firearm to an out-of-state resident, knowingly making a false written statement to acquire a firearm, and knowingly disposing of a firearm to a convicted felon, according to the criminal complaint.

If convicted, Danzy faces up to five years in federal prison for the conspiracy charge, the news release said.

Danzy made an initial court appearance Monday in Chicago. He is in federal custody and is scheduled for a detention hearing Wednesday afternoon, the DOJ notes. It is unclear whether Danzy has legal representation.

Chicago, like other American cities, is grappling with rising violence. An August 3 report from Chicago police showed shooting incidents are up in the city, with 2,012 reported incidents this year -- an 11% increase compared to the same point in 2020, and a 63% increase compared to this point in 2019. Murder is on par with this time last year, the data shows, but it's up 54% compared to the same point in 2019.

Brown said Sunday that 11 Chicago police officers have been shot in 2021.

The-CNN-Wire

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More school districts in North Alabama changing their minds about mask policies right before students are headed back to the classroom.

Boaz City Schools announced it will now require students and staff to wear masks inside school buildings until the beginning of September.

"Kinda shocked and sad really because it makes my children not want to go to school," said Sabrina Zmolek.

Parents of Boaz City Schools students had mixed reactions to the news.

On its Facebook page, the school district announced masks will be mandatory for students and staff inside school buildings.

"I'm grateful the district is implementing the mandated masks because it lets me know that they are doing everything they can to ensure our children and teachers are healthy and safe this school year," said Alicia Thurmond.

"I'm not going to stop somebody that wants to wear a mask from doing that. That's completely their decision. But I don't like that it's forced on me and my family to do so when we don't want to," said Nicki Bearer.

Bearer said the mask-wearing mandate help her decide to homeschool her kids.

"With them specifically, we are going to pull them out and homeschool," she said.

Some parents now trying to decide what to do with the first day of school on Wednesday.

"I know that it's an option for the home schooling, and that may end up being the way that we go because they keep moving the goalpost. Like, oh we'll check it in September, well in September they may say well they're even higher," said Zmolek.

Others said they are glad the district is starting the school year with a mask mandate.

"Hopefully with everyone wearing masks, we will not have to do another shut down," said Thurmond.
Clarification comes after days of confusion in Italy's hospitality sector.

Italys bars and restaurants can ask customers for identification documents when they present the Green Pass but only in cases when there is "evident inconsistency" with the personal data contained in the certificate.

The Green Pass, which shows that people have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from covid-19 , is required to dine indoors in restaurants and bars as of 6 August.

The clarification was issued by the interior ministry last night after days of confusion for the hospitality sector ever since the expanded Green Pass rules came into effect on Friday.

The uncertainty was compounded after the interior minister Luciana Lamorgese said on Monday that bars and restaurants could not ask for ID and that "restaurateurs must not be police officers."

However under the latest clarification, bars and restaurant owners are to ask for an identity document "in cases of abuse or circumvention of the rules", with the customer obliged to show ID when asked.

In essence this means that bars and restaurants are entitled to ask for ID but are not obliged to do so unless there are clear irregularities with the Green Pass being presented, for example when the gender or date of birth on the cert obviously do not match the customer.

The ministry also said that police would carry out random checks, particularly in areas known for nightlife and tourists, underlining that if somebody is found in possession of an irregular Green Pass, the fine (from 400 to 1,000) would apply only to the customer in cases where the premises is clearly not at fault.

With regard to sporting events and shows, stewards and venue managers will also be able to check for ID in the case of suspected Green Pass irregularity.

For full Green Pass details (in Italian) see the Certificazione Verde website . There is also a helpline tel. 800912491 (open daily 08.00-20.00) and email address cittadini@dgc.gov.it

Photo La Repubblica
Unvaccinated workers not permitted to eat in company canteen.

Strike action has been called at a factory in the Turin province of northern Italy after employees without the Green Pass were told they could not eat in the company canteen.

The Green Pass shows that people have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from covid-19, and since 6 August it has been required to dine indoors in restaurants and bars as well as for access to a wide range of cultural, sporting and leisure activities.

The two-hour protest, organised by the Fim-Cisl trade union, will take place on Friday 13 August at Hanon Systems, a factory in Campiglione Fenile that makes automotive parts and employs 600 workers.

This week management announced that unvaccinated workers would be required to eat their meals outside, in a gazebo set up by the company, reports Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The union describes the move as a "serious, erroneous interpretation" of Green Pass rules which relate to "establishments that provide food and drinks" and not company canteens, where covid protocols are already followed.

However management at Hanon has justified the move by saying the government decree of 23 July states that "catering services provided by any business for indoor consumption" requires those who avail of it to possess a Green Pass.

For full Green Pass details (in Italian) see the Certificazione Verde website. There is also a helpline tel. 800912491 (open daily 08.00-20.00) and email address cittadini@dgc.gov.it.
Italy faces its 'hottest week of the summer'.

Italy recorded temperatures of 48.8 degrees Celsius in Sicily on Wednesday afternoon in what Italian media say is the hottest ever registered in Europe.

The sweltering temperature was registered in Floridia in the province of Siracusa, in the south-east of the island, beating Italy's previous all-time record of 48.5 degrees in Catenanuova, also in Sicily, in 1999.

The news comes mid-way through what forecasters warned would be the 'hottest week of the summer' as Italy faces the extreme heat brought by the 'Lucifer' anticyclone, a wave of hot air sweeping the country.

The health ministry has issued its highest 'Level 3' heat warning for eight cities on 11 August: Bari, Campobasso, Frosinone, Latina, Palermo, Perugia, Rieti and Rome.

Earlier this week Italy's civil protection agency to warn of increased risks of wildfires across the country, with several regions already battling devastating blazes in recent weeks, notably Abruzzo, Sardinia and Sicily.
Italy steps up covid vaccination campaign of teenagers ahead of return to school.

Young people in Italy aged between 12 and 18 years will be able to get vaccinated against covid-19 without booking in advance, starting from 16 August, reports news agency ANSA.

Italy's coronavirus emergency commissioner General Francesco Figliuolo has written to all Italian regions requesting that citizens in this age group are fast-tracked through the vaccination system, "even without prior reservation".

Figliuolo says the acceleration of the vaccine campaign for young people comes ahead of the reopening of schools in September and the resumption of the sporting season.

Currently the only covid vaccines authorised for under 18s are Pfizer and Moderna.

The Italian government recently made the covid Green Pass compulsory for all teachers and school staff, as well as staff and students of universities, with effect from 1 September.

The Green Pass, or Certificazione Verde, shows that people have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from covid-19, and does not apply to children under 12.
By todays standards, a submarine from 1918 is rather basic, but even for a submarine of the time, using sails as a means of propulsion was firmly in the past. Except for the crew of USS R-14, who used bed sheets and blankets as a makeshift sail when their submarine lost power in the ocean over 100 miles from Hawaii.

R-14 was an R-class submarine, a type used by the US Navy from 1918 until the end of WWII. Work on this new type of submarine began soon after the US entered WWI in early 1917. 27 were built in total, but most were completed after WWI had ended, and none of them saw combat.

They replaced the previous O-class of submarines and were the first US type to feature 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, which is still a standard size around the world today. On their decks, a 76 mm gun was used for anti-aircraft defense and as a general-purpose weapon.

The 640 ton, 186 ft long vessels used a diesel-electric propulsion system, as was common for submarines at the time. Two 600 hp diesel engines powered two 470 hp electric motors, which would run on a large bank of batteries while submerged because the diesel engines source of air was cut off. While surfaced, an R-class submarine could reach speeds of 13.5 kn (15.5 mph), and when submerged could reach 10.5 kn (12.1 mph).

USS R-14

Construction of the USS R-14 started in 1918. She was commissioned before the end of 1919. The submarine missed WWI but would be no less busy in peacetime with the Pacific Fleet, as it was used to develop and perfect submarine and anti-submarine warfare tactics. She also helped in search and rescue operations.

The USS R-14 served into WWII, where the submarine spent much of her time as a training vessel and received an overhaul in 1941. The sub was eventually struck from the Naval Vessel Register in May of 1945 and dismantled for scrap in 1946.

The return to wind power

In 1921, the USS R-14 was participating in a search and rescue mission for the USS Conestoga, a US Navy ocean-going tug. Conestoga had disappeared while on her way to the South Pacific Ocean, which prompted a major search for the vessel.

In May of 1921, while surfaced and searching for the Conestoga, R-14 ran out of fuel and lost radio communications. The crew was about 100 nautical miles away from Pearl Harbor when the vessel ran out of fuel, a distance too far for her to reach on battery power alone. On top of this, the USS R-14 only carried enough food to last the crew 5 days.

The submarine was dead in the water, without any power and no way of calling for help.

Fortunately, the submarines engineering officer Roy Trent Gallemore came up with an unusual but smart plan. Gallemore suggested going back to the basics, and sailing R-14 to Pearl Harbor under wind power.

To do this, the crew tied together several bunk bed frames and attached them to the torpedo-loading crane in front of the conning tower. They then tied a foresail made out of eight hammocks to the bed frame assembly.

With just this one sail, R-14 began to move at a speed of 1.2 mph and gained rudder control. Gallemores plan was clearly working, so the crew added another sail made from six blankets to the radio mast, which increased the submarines speed by a further 0.58 mph. A third sail comprised of eight blankets added another 0.58 mph to the R-14s speed.

The submarine was eventually able to start charging its batteries. R-14 and all of its crew arrived at Hawaii 64 hours later, after a long and slow journey.

R-14s captain, Lieutenant Alexander Dean Douglas received a commendation for his crews clever problem solving from Chester W. Nimitz, his Submarine Division Commander.

The USS Conestoga would never be found in the search, or for another 95 years. The tug boat was discovered in 2009 just off the coast of California, and its identity was confirmed in 2015.
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Dr Naomi Smith, a Federation University sociologist who researches wellness and conspiracies, says this is a typical anti-vaxxer brigading tactic to make themselves more visible and create the impression there is a debate to be had. Theyre trolling, but with that comes eyeballs and it creates this murky information atmosphere, Smith says. Hardcore anti-vaxxers, who are a minority, arent the big problem, Smith says, rather its that they can plant seeds of doubt and lead some to not seek out the COVID-19 vaccine. Illustration: Dionne Gain Credit: It just gunks up the wheels of the public health response, Smith says. The pregnancy and early childhood years are a very vulnerable time, and theyre ripe for this form of disruption when theres so much emphasis on doing everything you can to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby ... It actually makes me angry to think anti-vaxxers are targeting women at this time in their lives.

After the College of Midwives posts, health authorities updated their advice in line with new evidence to recommend that the Pfizer vaccine is safe for women who are pregnant, after breastfeeding women already had the green light. The risk of severe COVID-19 is higher for pregnant women who are unvaccinated. And antibodies in the umbilical cord and breast milk following a mothers vaccination may offer protection to infants. But while the latest results of the University of Melbournes Taking the Pulse of the Nation survey show that vaccine hesitancy in Australia has fallen since the latest Victorian outbreak, it remains high, with just over two-thirds of people willing to be vaccinated. We also know that women are more likely than men not to want a COVID-19 vaccine. More specifically, women in their 30s  child-bearing age  are most likely to hold safety concerns. The pregnancy and early childhood years are a very vulnerable time and theyre ripe for this form of disruption. Dr Naomi Smith Anti-vaxxer narratives exploit this, Smith says, by spreading misinformation about vaccines causing not only death and injury (sometimes with outlandish comparisons to Nazi crimes), but also miscarriage, infertility, menstrual issues and genetic abnormalities, all of which health experts say is untrue. Claims that simply being near a vaccinated person is harmful because of shedding are also false. Theyre standard pregnancy fears  and theyre being weaponised, Smith says. Theres a lot of really scary discourse.

The Australian Breastfeeding Association has been stormed on Facebook twice this year by anti-vaxxers for sharing information to breastfeeding women about COVID-19 vaccination. Senior manager of breastfeeding research Naomi Hull says the association spent up to three days dealing with each incident, concerned that new mothers following the page risked absorbing unsafe information. It was quite labour-intensive. We removed dangerous comments and violent and aggressive comments, she says. Hull believes the pandemic has highlighted the importance of pregnant and breastfeeding women being included in research trials, because having enough hard evidence early on could counter the anti-vaccination camp.

Obstetricians social media pages have been ambushed, too. One Melbourne obstetrics and fertility specialist, who asked not to be named out of fear of being targeted again, says her Instagram page  followed mainly by patients  became inundated last week by truly horrendous comments, including ones calling her a murderer and likening her to Nazi criminal Josef Mengele. It came after she posted the new COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for pregnant women. Never in my life have I experienced this, she says. I tried some respectful debate initially, then I realised it was pointless. It was terrifying. Someone can just trash your reputation out of nasty malevolence. Against my better judgment, I took down my post. I might be in the right, but if youre going to be tortured, theres no point. Dr Katie Attwell, chief investigator of the University of Western Australias Coronavax project  which monitors vaccine sentiment online  suspects that the trolling is not simply about trying to convert others. They are seeking to speak their truth and address their feelings of betrayal, she says.

By that, Attwell means that those refusing vaccines tend to feel under siege, and that maternal health spaces should be theirs. So a midwifery organisation supporting vaccination feels like a particular affront to a mother who genuinely fears it, Attwell says, because the essence of a midwife is that the most important thing is the mother and child theyre caring for. Joanne Gray stresses that while midwives always promote whats best for women and babies, and tend to be pro-vaginal birth, they are also pro-science and vaccination. We give women choice, give the evidence, and respect that some women will make a different choice, she says. Never in my life have I experienced this ... I tried some respectful debate initially, then I realised it was pointless. Melbourne obstetrician, anonymous Anti-vaccination activists commonly sit in sectors of the wellness realm where a natural lifestyle reigns and essential oils and organic food are sold as curative. Attwell says its unsurprising that some women entering motherhood are more vulnerable to vaccine misinformation  youre on the whole my body is a temple trip, thinking about vitamins and foods and exercise and lifestyle and stopping drinking  but its concerning.

That pregnancy zone is not just a nine-month thing. Youre getting ready to try, youre trying, youre going through IVF, youre pregnant, youre breastfeeding. It can be a three to four-year period, she says. Sociologist Smith says that the intensity and competitiveness of motherhood in modern society feeds the anti-vaccination problem. Anti-vaxxers come in and say you dont have to take this risk, and there is a whole community of people here to support you, she says. So in a society that critiques women constantly for not being the best possible mother, you can see why women are pushed towards these spaces ... even if its a choice thats socially marginalised. To combat the problem, Smith believes medical professionals, who rightly deal in facts, need to be better at meeting people in their emotional moments. Theyre not good at saying I understand your fears, and theyre rational and relatable, but here are things to reassure you, she says.
True, the federal government, along with students themselves, provides most funding, but university financial reports are tabled in State Parliament. The state government must ensure that public resources and student fees, and its own significant research and infrastructure investments, are prudently and effectively used, and accounted for transparently. As for academic standards, it is a myth that the federal regulator (the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency) ensures high quality. Rather, the TEQSA standards merely set the minimum acceptable requirements for the provision of higher education. This is a low bar that all public universities should always exceed. It was state parliamentarians who envisioned more noble and principled purposes and mandated these through the WA University Acts: for example, Murdoch Universitys purpose is the advancement of learning and knowledge and it should serve the community by promoting critical and free enquiry and informed intellectual discussion. The McGowan government needs to ensure that universities live up to these noble expectations set out for them in law in the state university acts.

The catch is that universities are autonomous. Loading Independence from government and politics is a defining feature; history and international policies such as the Magna Charta Universitatum (to which UWA is a signatory) and the UNESCO Recommendations teach us that it is best to leave it that way. How then can the state government fix the universities without interfering unduly with their operations? The key is to focus on university governance rather than on management.

WAs universities have legislated governing boards, senates or councils, with broad powers. For example, ECUs council has power to do all things necessary or convenient to be done for or in connection with the operation, affairs, concerns and property of the university. With power comes responsibility and accountability. Responsibility that the university managements act in the interests of the public. Accountability to the government and the public that legislated expectations are met. The governments first lever is to ensure senates are competently set up, the second is to ensure senates know they will be held to account. A mining company or a hospital would never have a board without solid industry-specific expertise. Universities shouldnt either  but many do.

Each of the WA university senates have 17 members, of which only a small minority have any professional experience in higher education, let alone as an academic. Murdoch University professor Gerd Schroder-Turk. Critically, the state government made this situation worse through a legislation change in 2016 when it reduced the elected academic staff members on the senates to a single member. It also legislated the creation of a nominations committee which gives senate members without university experience greater say in selecting new members  a potentially dangerous self-selection mechanism. The government should urgently review this damaging legislative change that the current Minister for Education and Training, Sue Ellery, criticised at the time, to her credit.

A further issue is the failure to ensure involvement of academics in decision-making. Legislation mandates that universities set up academic boards charged with advising on any issues of broad importance to the academic life of the university. Yet university executives make plans to axe strategically important degree programs  Asian languages, STEM and social sciences  without providing any indication that the academic boards were even informed about the plans. What a blatant disregard for the legislated role of academic boards, and the informed wisdom of the academic community! The McGowan government must monitor the senates oversight of academic governance. Mandating that senates and academic boards publish detailed minutes would be a first step. Above all, there needs to be a signal from the McGowan government that it takes its responsibility for university governance seriously. For example, it was good to see parliamentary scrutiny of Curtin Universitys request to change rules around council appointments (because the university is in effect avoiding the scrutiny of the Parliament). Public university means public interest. It is time to change the mindset. Our public universities, their educational and research programs are precious public assets. Vice chancellors are the custodians who look after these assets on behalf of the public. As academic principals, they must be the stewards of transparent committee-based decisions guided by the academic collegium.
Loading A UWA spokesperson brushed off concerns, saying Professor Chakma had been appointed due to his proven experience as a leader of major universities and his successful track record of building a strong culture to sustain the implementation of university goals. Professor Chakma posted to Twitter about the $40 million in UWA job cuts that: We cannot afford to live beyond our means, ie spending money we dont have... continuing to ignore the fiscal reality makes things worse not better. Operating cost confusion Professor Chakma explained the changes were necessary because UWA had recorded an underlying deficit of $2.4 million for the past year, despite posting a $55 million operating profit.

But the loss was queried by James Guthrie  distinguished professor from Macquarie Universitys Business School  whose independent analysis of UWAs financials pointed to it having a cash increase of more than $43 million for the year. In teaching accounting 101 for several decades, I have always argued that cash is king and for Australian public sector universities, we should look to performance and operations, Professor Guthrie said. He had never heard of an underlying result as it was not a statuary accounting statement but a figure calculated by the university (as shown by the table). In also comparing cash or cash equivalents in restricted assets, Professor Guthrie discovered a $483 million increase over the past decade.

I am surprised that the university executive wishes to create a 15 per cent cash margin by 2025, he said. In the business world, we could call this rate of return. They already have roughly $1 billion in cash or cash equivalent investments  being bonds and shares. Why build up such an investment pool at the expense of ongoing academic and professional staff, employees who are the human capital which drives the teaching, research, and student experiences? Professor Guthrie calculated from the Universities Charities Commission report data that UWA lost 556 employees, including casuals, in 2020.

The National Tertiary Education Union expects up to 400 full-time equivalent positions to go under the restructure, with no way of measuring casuals. Fact check Under the universitys School for Social Sciences proposal for change consultation paper, the restructure would axe 16 jobs, mostly in anthropology and sociology, and scale back Asian, media and communications studies to teaching-only positions that will receive no research funding. One of the key drivers supporting the discontinuation of the anthropology and sociology major was an original claim that enrolments had declined by 77 per cent between 2015 and 2020, which Professor Chakma later changed to a drop in completions at 40 per cent. Academics say completions are a vastly different measure to enrolments and none of the schools financials and operational costs have been provided to justify the cuts or be independently reviewed.

The academic board has called an extraordinary emergency meeting on August 17 to call for more disclosure from those proposing the restructure. The restructure paper relied on the unevenness in the research activity and impact across the School of Social Sciences to justify the targeted cuts to anthropology, sociology, and Asian, cultural, political, media and communication studies. School for Social Sciences proposal for change consultation paper  fact check Grounds: Geography and archaeology attracts 80 per cent of the schools external research income from 2015-2020. Debunked: Research in archaeology and geography is simply more expensive than research in other social sciences, which only involves talking to people, reading texts and sometimes travel funding. To say archaeology and geography bring in more than anthropology, sociology, Asian studies, is meaningless because you would expect them to because theyre very different kinds of disciplines, says Dr Debra McDougall. Grounds: Social sciences were lagging sector competitors in the Quacquarelli Symonds, Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and Academic Ranking of World Universities rankings. Debunked: The disciplines slated for elimination were among those that performed best on the 2018 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA)s measures of quality of research. Anthropology and sociology at UWA were evaluated as performing at or above international quality  equal to archaeology, and higher than several other disciplines in the school. UWAs anthropology and sociology discipline was one of three nationally to be rated so highly  beating Dr McDougalls anthropology department at the University of Melbourne. Human geography and archaeology, which attracted higher funding, remained largely untouched. Dr Debra McDougall, president of the Australian Anthropological Society, said comparing the two was like comparing apples with elephants since geography and archaeology straddled physical sciences that required costly laboratories and equipment.

Social science research attracted less funding because it cost less to carry out and provided great value for money; axing it didnt necessarily improve the universitys bottom line, she said. Losing world-leading researchers Last week, UWAs Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research announced two social sciences projects out of 16 research projects considered were worthy of being in UWAs Grand Challenges, which will turn research into real-world benefits for industry. But the professors leading the projects  one from geography and the other from anthropology and sociology  will be made redundant by the restructure. The restructure paper also used the Quality Indicators for Teaching and Learning survey data to justify the proposition that UWA humanities, culture and social sciences students were less satisfied than other WA universities.

Loading Yet undergraduate and postgraduate students have been among the most vocal against the restructure since jobs in public health and policy, international business, native title, resources sector, artificial intelligence, anti-terrorism, design and technology require knowledge in anthropology and sociology. It is simply not a solution to direct undergraduates to change to other majors within the social sciences and assume that other disciplines can replace anthropology and sociology, they said. To suggest this is misleading and reductive. Dr McDougall, agreed, saying the job-ready graduates legislation was profoundly misleading in suggesting that social sciences and humanities did not prepare students for the world of work.
It has long been known that there are plans to colonize Mars by both the public and private sectors, such as Elon Musk's SpaceX . In a further step towards the conquest of Mars , the United States Space Agency (NASA) launched a call to recruit volunteers to participate in a simulation of what life would be like on the red planet . Among the requirements to apply is to be in good health , have a master's degree in science and / or technology , and accept the possibility of dying in the process.

The mission series, known as Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA), includes three simulations of the surface of Mars , each lasting one year. The first of these missions will start in the fall of 2022 and will be made up of four people who will remain isolated for 365 days.

It may interest you: Bezos criticizes SpaceX with an infographic and Musk responds with a not very subtle tweet

NASA will recruit "highly motivated individuals" who will live for a year in conditions that resemble the surface of Mars . The volunteers will inhabit a 1,700-square-foot (about 158-square-meter) module printed in 3D, called the Mars Dune Alpha , which is located at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas.

"The habitat will simulate the challenges of a mission on Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failures, communication delays and other environmental stressors," NASA detailed in a statement posted on its website.

The crew members will have their own bedrooms located at one end of the habitat. On the other side of the module there will be workstations, medical stations and food growing stations. In the center of the habitat a shared living space will be built that will include fixed and mobile furniture, customizable lighting, temperature control and sound.

What will the volunteers chosen by NASA do?

The first role of the participants will be to support research to develop methods and technologies to prevent and solve potential problems in future manned spaceflight missions to the Moon and Mars, NASA explained.

This is a rare and unique opportunity. The selected will have a historic role in preparing humanity for the next great leap in space , "he said in a statement Grace Douglas, principal scientific research of Food Technology Advanced NASA's Space Center Johnson of NASA.

Calling all Martians! @NASA is recruiting four crew members for a year-long mission that will simulate life on a distant world, living in Mars Dune Alpha, a 3D-printed habitat. Want to take part in research for the first human Mars mission?



Learn more! https://t.co/v3dL7qzRk9 pic.twitter.com/k5sviRXvtV - NASA Mars (@NASAMars) August 6, 2021

Spending a year locked up with other people in hostile conditions may sound tedious, but participants won't have time to get bored. Their tasks may include taking simulated spacewalks , conducting scientific research, and testing virtual reality , robotic controls , and communications .

The agency will also use the research to inform risk and resource exchanges, in order to take care of the health and performance of the crew in future missions to Mars, since in a real scenario the astronauts would live and work on the red planet. for long periods of time.

This is the highest fidelity simulated habitat ever built by humans. Mars Dune Alpha has a very specific purpose: to prepare humans to live on another planet. We wanted to develop the most faithful analog possible to aid humanity's dream of expanding into the stars. Habitat 3D printing has further illustrated to us that construction-scale 3D printing is an essential part of humanity's toolkit on Earth and to go to the Moon and Mars to stay , said Jason Ballard, Co-Founder and CEO of ICON the habitat builder.

These are the requirements to apply for the first NASA CHAPEA mission

The selection of the crew will follow the standard NASA criteria for aspiring astronauts and these are the requirements listed in the call:

Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States.

Be healthy and motivated.

Not being a smoker.

Be between 30 and 55 years of age.

Master the English language.

Have a master's degree in a STEM field (engineering, math, life sciences, physics, or computer science) from an accredited institution.

Minimum professional experience of two years in STEM areas or a minimum of one thousand hours piloting an aircraft.

The space agency will also consider candidates with a medical degree , with military training , who have completed a test pilot program, or who have two years of work for a STEM doctoral program .

However, NASA warned of the risks that participants could be exposed to, including loss of privacy , physical injury, or a fairly small but very real chance of death.

So far it has not been disclosed if the volunteers will receive any type of payment or how much the amount would be.

Applications have been open since last Friday, August 6 and will be valid until September 12, 2021. Do you sign up?

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GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP)  Californias largest single wildfire in recorded history continued to grow Wednesday after destroying more than 1,000 buildings, nearly half of them homes, while authorities in Montana ordered evacuations as a wind-driven blaze roared toward several remote communities.

This Aug. 7, 2021 photo shows a classic Chevrolet El Camino that was lost along with the home of "Pete" Reyna Wednesday evening in Chicago Park. About a two-hour drive south from the Dixie Fire, crews had surrounded nearly half of the River Fire that broke out Wednesday near the town of Colfax and destroyed 68 homes and other buildings. Evacuation orders for thousands of people in Nevada and Placer counties were lifted Friday. (Elias Funez/The Union via AP)

GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP)  Californias largest single wildfire in recorded history continued to grow Wednesday after destroying more than 1,000 buildings, nearly half of them homes, while authorities in Montana ordered evacuations as a wind-driven blaze roared toward several remote communities.

The dangerous fires were among some 100 large blazes burning across 15 states, mostly in the West, where historic drought conditions have left lands parched and ripe for ignition.

Burning through bone-dry trees, brush and grass, the Dixie Fire has destroyed at least 1,045 buildings, including 550 homes, in the northern Sierra Nevada. Newly released satellite imagery showed the scale of the destruction in the small community of Greenville that was incinerated last week during an explosive run of flames.

The Dixie Fire, named after the road where it started on July 14, by Wednesday morning covered 783 square miles (2,027 square kilometers) and was 30% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. At least 14,000 remote homes were still threatened.

The Dixie Fire is the largest single fire in California history and the largest currently burning in the U.S. It is about half the size of the August Complex, a series of lightning-caused 2020 fires across seven counties that were fought together and that state officials consider Californias largest wildfire overall.

This Aug. 7, 2021 photo shows a classic Chevrolet El Camino that was lost along with the home of "Pete" Reyna Wednesday evening in Chicago Park. About a two-hour drive south from the Dixie Fire, crews had surrounded nearly half of the River Fire that broke out Wednesday near the town of Colfax and destroyed 68 homes and other buildings. Evacuation orders for thousands of people in Nevada and Placer counties were lifted Friday. (Elias Funez/The Union via AP)

The fires cause was under investigation. Pacific Gas & Electric has said it may have been sparked when a tree fell on one of its power lines.

California authorities arrested a man last weekend who is suspected in an arson fire in remote forested areas near the Dixie Fire.

The 47-year-old suspect was charged with setting a small blaze in Lassen County, which is among the counties where the larger blaze is burning, around July 20.

In southeastern Montana, the uncontrolled Richard Spring Fire continued to advance Wednesday toward inhabited areas in and around the sparsely-populated Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, after several thousand people were ordered to evacuate the previous night.

Two homes caught fire Tuesday but were saved, authorities said.

The fire began Sunday and powerful gusts caused it to explode across more than 230 square miles (600 square kilometers).

A few miles from the evacuated town of Lame Deer, Krystal Two Bulls and some friends stuck around to clear brush from her yard in hopes of protecting it from the flames. Thick plumes of smoke rose from behind a tree-covered ridgeline just above the house.

Were packed and were loaded so if we have to go, we will, Two Bull said. Im not fearful; Im prepared. Here you dont just run from fire or abandon your house.

Some of the people who fled the fire Tuesday initially sought shelter in Lame Deer, only to be displaced again when the fire got within several miles.

The town of about 2,000 people is home to the tribal headquarters and several subdivisions and is surrounded by rugged, forested terrain. By late Wednesday a second fire was closing in on Lame Deer from the west, while the Richard Spring fire raged to the east.

Also ordered to leave were about 600 people in and around Ashland, a small town just outside the reservation with a knot of businesses along its main street and surrounded by grasslands and patchy forest.

The flames were within several miles of town and came right up to a subdivision outside it.

Local, state and federal firefighters were joined by ranchers using their own heavy equipment to carve out fire lines around houses.

Heat waves and historic drought tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West.

Scientists have said climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. The fires across the West come as parts of Europe are also enduring large blazes spurred by tinder-dry conditions.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  The Taliban seized three more Afghan provincial capitals and a local army headquarters Wednesday, completing a blitz across the country's northeast and giving them control of two-thirds of the nation as the U.S. and NATO finalize their withdrawal after decades of war.

Taliban fighters are seen inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Mohammad Asif Khan)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  The Taliban seized three more Afghan provincial capitals and a local army headquarters Wednesday, completing a blitz across the country's northeast and giving them control of two-thirds of the nation as the U.S. and NATO finalize their withdrawal after decades of war.

The fall of the capitals of Badakhshan, Baghlan and Farah provinces put increasing pressure on the countrys central government to stem the tide of the advance, even as it lost a major base in Kunduz. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani rushed to Balkh province, already surrounded by Taliban-held territory, to seek help from warlords, many linked to allegations of atrocities and corruption, in pushing back the insurgents. He also replaced his army chief of staff.

While the capital of Kabul itself has not been directly threatened in the advance, the stunning speed of the offensive raises questions of how long the Afghan government can maintain the control of the slivers of the country it has left. The government may eventually be forced to pull back to defend the capital and just a few other cities.

I think what I would say to President Ghani is if you remain spread out everywhere, the Taliban will be able to continue to apply their current approach with success, warned Ben Barry, the senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Youve got to do a bit more than stopping the Taliban. Youve got to show you can push them back.

The success of the Taliban offensive also calls into question whether they would ever rejoin long-stalled peace talks in Qatar aimed at moving Afghanistan toward an inclusive interim administration as the West hoped. Instead, the Taliban could come to power by force  or the country could splinter into factional fighting like it did after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989.

An Afghan army soldier stands guard on the outskirts of Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Mirwais Bezhan)

The multiple battle fronts have stretched the government's special operations forces  while regular troops have often fled the battlefield  and the violence has pushed thousands of civilians to seek safety in the capital.

The U.S. military, which plans to complete its withdrawal by the end of the month, has conducted some airstrikes but largely has avoided involving itself in the ground campaign.

The latest U.S. military intelligence assessment is that Kabul could come under insurgent pressure within 30 days and that if current trends hold, the Taliban could gain full control of the country within a couple of months, according to a U.S. defense official, who discussed the internal assessment on condition of anonymity.

Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Mohammad Asif Khan)

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan  whose country is contemplating running and protecting Kabul airport following the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops  told CNN-Turk television that he may meet with the Taliban leadership.

If we dont bring them under control at the highest level ... it will not be possible for us to ensure peace in Afghanistan, Erdogan said.

Humayoon Shahidzada, a lawmaker from the western province of Farah, confirmed Wednesday to The Associated Press his provinces capital of the same name fell.

Taliban fighter is seen inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Mohammad Asif Khan)

Taliban fighters dragged the shoeless, bloody corpse of one Afghan security force member through the street, shouting: God is great! Taliban fighters carrying M-16 rifles and driving Humvees and Ford pickup trucks donated by the Americans rolled through the streets of the capital.

The situation is under control in the city, our mujahedeen are patrolling in the city," one Taliban fighter who did not give his name said, referring to his fellow insurgents as holy warriors.

The crackle of automatic weapon fire continued throughout the day in Farah.

Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Mohammad Asif Khan)

Hujatullah Kheradmand, a lawmaker from Badakhshan, said the Taliban had seized his province's capital, Faizabad. An Afghan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak about an unacknowledged loss, said Baghlans capital, Poli-Khumri, also fell.

The Afghan government and military did not respond to repeated requests for comment about the losses.

The insurgents earlier captured six other provincial capitals in the country in less than a week.

Stranded people gather to seek information from security forces about opening the border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan which was closed by authorities a few days ago, in Chaman, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. Normally thousands of Afghans and Pakistanis cross daily and a steady stream of trucks passes through, taking goods to land-locked Afghanistan from the Arabian Sea port city of Karachi in Pakistan. (AP Photo/Jafar Khan)

On Wednesday, the headquarters of the Afghan National Army's 217th Corps at Kunduz airport fell to the Taliban, according to Ghulam Rabani Rabani, a provincial council member in Kunduz, and lawmaker Shah Khan Sherzad. The insurgents posted video online they said showed surrendering troops.

The province's capital, also called Kunduz, was already among those seized, and the capture of the base now puts the country's northeast firmly in Taliban hands.

It wasn't immediately clear what equipment was left behind for the insurgents, though a Taliban video showed them parading in Humvees and pickup trucks. Another video showed fighters on the airport's tarmac next to an attack helicopter without rotor blades.

Afghans stand near a burnt car inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province, southwest Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. Afghan officials say three more provincial capitals have fallen to the Taliban, putting nine out of the countrys 34 in the insurgents hands amid the U.S. withdrawal. The officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the capitals of Badakhshan, Baghlan and Farah provinces all fell. (AP Photo/Mohammad Asif Khan)

In southern Helmand province, where the Taliban control nearly all of the capital of Lashkar Gar, a suicide car bomber targeted the government-held police headquarters, provincial council head Attaullah Afghan said. The building has been under siege for two weeks.

The rapid fall of wide swaths of the country to the Taliban raises fears that the brutal tactics they used to rule Afghanistan before will also return. Some civilians who fled Taliban advances said the insurgents have imposed repressive restrictions on women and burned down schools, and there have been reports of revenge killings.

In the face of the rapid deterioration in Afghanistan, Germany and the Netherlands both announced Wednesday they'd suspend deportations to the country.

Smoke rises after a car bomb attack at the police headquarters of Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, southwestern Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Abdul Khaliq)

Speaking to journalists Tuesday, a senior EU official said the insurgents held some 230 districts of the over 400 in Afghanistan. The official described another 65 in government control while the rest were contested. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal figures.

In addition to the northeast, much of northern Afghanistan has also fallen to the Taliban, except for Balkh province. There, warlords Abdul Rashid Dostum, Atta Mohammad Noor and Mohammad Mohaqiq planned to mobilize forces in support of the Afghan government to push back the Taliban.

Dostum in particular has a troubled past, facing investigations after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion for killing hundreds of Taliban fighters that year by letting them suffocate in sealed shipping containers.

Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Farah, capital of Farah province southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Mohammad Asif Khan)

On Wednesday, Dostum said the Taliban wont be able to leave the north and will face the same fate as the suffocated troops.

Ghani, meanwhile, ordered Gen. Hibatullah Alizai to replace Gen. Wali Ahmadzai as the Afghan army chief of staff, according to an Afghan Defense Ministry official who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the decision had yet to be made public.

Alizai was the commander of the Afghan army's Special Operations Corps  the elite troops that, along with the air force, have been forced to do most of the fighting as regular forces have collapsed.

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Robert Burns contributed from Washington.
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Aug. 9

The Wall Street Journal on looking beyond alarming headlines from climate report:

The world awoke Monday after a logy August weekend to some alarming news: The climate Apocalypse is nigh, humanity is to blame, and unless the world remakes the global economy, havoc and death are inevitable. Repent of your sins all ye who enter here.

Thats only a mild overstatement of the medias fire-and-brimstone accounts of the latest report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a collection of scientists and politicians who purport to offer the best evidence on climate change. Prepare for days of reading what a terrible person you are for using a natural gas stove.

The gargantuan report will take time to plow through, but a read of the 41-page summary for policymakers and perusal of the rest suggests that there is no good reason to sacrifice your life, or even your standard of living, to the climate gods. Hot rhetoric aside, the report doesnt tell us much thats new since its last report in 2013, and some of that is less dire.

It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land, says the report in its lead conclusion. But no one denies that the climate has been warming, and no one serious argues that humans play no role. How could eight billion people not? Adding the adjective unequivocal adds emphasis but not context.

The report says the Earth has warmed by 1.1 degree Celsius since the last half of the 19th century, which is 0.1 degree warmer than its last estimate. This is not apocalyptic. The five-alarm headlines arise from the predictions of future temperature increases if greenhouse gas emissions, especially CO2, continue to increase.

Yet the reports estimate of climate sensitivity  its response to a doubling of CO2  has moderated at the top end. The likely sensitivity range, says the report, is 2.5 to 4 degrees Celsius higher than in the late 1800s. The likely range was 1.5 to 4.5 in the 2013 report.

The new report offers five climate scenarios based on estimates of CO2 emissions. The intermediate scenarios best estimate is a 1.5 degree increase by 2040 and a range of 2.1 to 3.5 by 2100. This is a highly speculative estimate on which to bet the U.S. economy.

The biggest difference is the new reports direct linkage of warming to catastrophic weather events such as hurricanes, severe heat waves or rain events, drought and so on. The summary says this is based on new methodology and evidence, which means computer models. We await what independent climate experts say as they dig into these models.

But we know climate models are far from perfect, which explains the varying confidence levels attached to the reports predictions. Steven Koonin, the scientist and former Obama official, devotes an illuminating chapter to many muddled models in his recent book about climate science, Unsettled.

The report also downplays some of the disaster scenarios you read about. It has low confidence that the Antarctic sea ice will melt. It says it is likely that tropical cyclones have increased around the world, but there is low confidence in long-term (multi-decadal to centennial) trends in the frequency of all-category tropical cyclones. Keep that in mind when the next hurricane becomes proof in the press of climate catastrophe.

Even the reports prediction that warming oceans will melt Arctic sea ice doesnt sound like a scene from Waterworld. The Arctic is likely to be practically sea ice free in September at least once before 2050 under the five scenarios. Only once in 29 years, and not the rest of the fall and winter? Further thawing of the permafrost is said to be likely but how much or to what effect is uncertain.

Keep in mind that the IPCC report is a political document. It is intended to scare the public and motivate politicians to reduce CO2 emissions no matter the cost, which by the way the report summary never mentions. No less than Al Gore admitted this on PBS in October 2018 when the IPCC issued an interim report: The language the IPCC used in presenting it was torqued up a little bit, appropriately. How do they get the attention of policymakers around the world?

Torqued up is right. The U.N. Secretary-General called the new report a code red for humanity. And someone at Reuters actually wrote this sentence: Further warming could mean that in some places, people could die just from going outside.

If they really believe this, the policy response has failed miserably. Politicians have spent trillions of dollars subsidizing renewable energy with no effect on climate. Nuclear power, which would sharply reduce CO2, is taboo among the greens. Innovation in developing low-cost natural gas, which substitutes for coal, may have done more than any government policy to reduce U.S. emissions. Yet President Biden wants to crush the gas industry with regulation.

The IPCC report doesnt justify putting the U.S. economy into the hands of government. A sensible climate policy will continue to monitor trends, while allowing a free economy to find solutions and build the wealth that will allow for adaptation and amelioration if the worst happens. This lacks the drama of the Apocalypse, but it will better serve the world.

ONLINE: https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-climate-of-catastrophe-united-nations-intergovernmental-panel-on-climate-change-report-11628546180

Aug. 9

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch on facing facts in climate report:

How many times must the worlds scientific community warn that climate catastrophe is coming before the worlds governments and citizens listen? A new United Nations report paints the most dire picture yet, predicting that the recent years unprecedented increases in global average temperature  and resulting intensification of hurricanes, droughts, wildfires and rising sea levels  are edging toward the point where the climate damage will become irreversible. In America and around the globe, its time to stop debating with those who ignore ominous facts and take action to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The report by the U.N.s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, released Monday, isnt some scare tactic by a small klatch of agenda-driven activists. Its the work of more than 230 experts from around the world, drawing on information from some 14,000 studies. They conclude that humanity is barreling down a road that will ultimately lead to an unlivable planet if drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions arent made immediately.

Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, which is produced by burning fossil fuels, trap the suns heat so it cant radiate back out into space, raising temperatures in Earths seas, air and land. Today, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and average global temperatures are both at their highest levels in recorded history. Already, global average temperatures have risen by more than 1 degree Celsius (about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) since the dawn of industrialization in the 1800s  a massive swing in a tiny span of time, by historical climate standards.

Global surface temperature has increased faster since 1970 than in any other 50-year period over at least the last 2,000 years, states the report. The past decade has seen several of the warmest years on record.

Warmer air makes droughts and wildfires more frequent and more powerful. Warmer oceans intensify the strength of hurricanes. Melting sea ice is already raising sea levels globally, threatening infrastructure in coastal regions. These arent theoretical dangers. Theyre happening now.

The report predicts average global temperatures by the 2030s will have risen by 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial times, no matter what mitigation happens today. A rise much beyond that, it warns, could trigger a feedback loop in which greenhouse-gas levels rise on their own, produced by more frequent wildfires, melting permafrost and other self-perpetuating phenomena. That could put ever-rising temperatures beyond the capability of humans to stop it.

The U.S. is the worlds second-highest producer of greenhouse gases, after China. America cant fix the problem alone, but the world cant fix it without a fundamental shift in American culture  a shift away from coal, oil, gasoline and other polluting energy sources, and toward renewable ones like wind and solar. America and the world face an existential threat of our own making. There is no longer a valid argument to be made for inaction.

ONLINE: https://www.stltoday.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-climate-warnings-are-no-longer-debatable-fossil-fuel-culture-must-change-now/article_e4864d4c-656a-5883-beb2-e3b4db0c3e74.html

Aug. 9

The Philadelphia Inquirer on governors' responses to the pandemic:

Governors are again making coronavirus headlines, and this time not because they are filling a leadership void  but because they are putting their constituents at risk. Most egregious is Ron DeSantis, Floridas Republican governor, who is ignoring a spike in cases and hospitalizations in his state. Instead, he is spreading disinformation about the coronavirus entering the U.S. from immigrants crossing the Southern border.

Its not hard for Democratic governors to look good by comparison. But in a pandemic, being better than those who deny reality is not enough.

Pennsylvanias Gov. Tom Wolf was agile and determined in his response in the early days of the pandemic. He signed a statewide emergency declaration the same day Pennsylvania confirmed its first case. Wolf also ordered school and business shutdowns before his counterparts in New York and New Jersey.

These measures are likely part of the reason that Pennsylvania has significantly lower overall and recent coronavirus death rates compared with New York and New Jersey  as well as fewer total cases per 100,000 than all its neighboring states except for Maryland.

These moves also came with a political cost. Pennsylvania Republicans, more interested in creating culture wars than curbing the spread of the coronavirus, have used Wolfs actions to paint him as a tyrant. In the May election, Republicans successfully stripped Wolf (and future governors) of the ability to extend emergency declarations without the legislatures approval.

So its understandable why Wolf would be timid to impose any new mandate or restrictions.

But he needs to find a way to move forward, especially as the delta variant spreads. New York, New Jersey, and Maryland have higher vaccination rates than Pennsylvania. The more unvaccinated Pennsylvanians, the more likely the commonwealth will see a resurgence of death and cases.

There is more Wolf can do to curb the spread of the coronavirus, protect children, and increase the number of vaccinated Pennsylvanians. Republican backlash may follow, but the actions arent especially bold.

Unlike the federal government, the states of California, New York, and Virginia, a growing list of private companies, and, according to reports, soon the U.S. military, Pennsylvania does not require state employees to be vaccinated as a condition of employment. Wolf said last week that his administration is still deciding whether to make such a requirement. The state is the second-largest employer in Pennsylvania. Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey also hasnt imposed a vaccine mandate, except for some health-care workers.

Mayor Jim Kenney also does not require employees of Philadelphia to be vaccinated. He should.

Unlike his counterpart in New Jersey, Wolf said that he will not require masks in schools and will leave the decision to school districts. Wolf knows that many districts will not require masking, and the spike of children sick with COVID-19 in Louisiana and Texas should serve as a dire warning.

Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, should lead by example as responsible employers in a pandemic. Similarly, Wolf shouldnt allow the health of kids to be threatened because of a culture war waged by Republicans. Wolf has the power to keep more people healthy, let children return to in-person school, and keep the economy running. Doing better than Florida is just not good enough.

ONLINE: https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/pennsylvania-wolf-desantis-delta-variant-mask-vaccine-mandate-20210809.html

Aug. 10

The Los Angeles Times on Apple's decision to ditch privacy for porn policing:

In this world of snooping and snitching, truly private conversations are increasingly endangered. Apple devices once provided a refuge from all kinds of corporate and governmental prying, and the iconic Silicon Valley company had been studying how to block even itself from its users private communications by expanding end-to-end encryption  from the device to the cloud and back again  that ensures only the users can have access to their own information.

But Apple is now taking a deeply disappointing step in the opposite direction with its plan to scan photos collected on U.S. iPhones and iPads in a puzzling search for child pornography.

The company that has long vowed not to create back doors to encrypted user data is now building just such a door and is making a key. And when that key is in hand, who else will demand to use it, or figure out how to snatch it away?

Apple announced its plan on Thursday to scan devices for photos that are uploaded to its iCloud photos service. (Many companies scan photos uploaded to the cloud; Apple will scan devices for photos that have been uploaded to the cloud.)

Software will compare the scanned data to a collection of known sexually exploitative images of children. Matches will be reviewed by human beings, and if confirmed they will be flagged for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a private nonprofit child protection organization. From there the information could conceivably be referred for criminal prosecution.

Apple distinguishes its program from others by noting that competing companies scan all user photos in the cloud  the global network of servers that collectively store uploaded data. Apple claims its program of scanning individual devices is more secure.

More secure, perhaps, but also more intrusive and creepy. And the larger point is that Apple has abandoned its laudable quest for user-only access. Why?

It could be because of pressure from the Justice Department and Congress, who believe we are safer and more secure when government can compel private companies to disclose user data. That was the gist of the showdown between Apple and the FBI following the 2015 terror attack in San Bernardino, in which authorities wanted Apple to help it break into the iPhone left behind by Syed Rizwan Farook.

Apple refused, angering many Americans who believed it was possibly standing in the way of their safety by protecting the privacy of a deceased killer. But the company was also standing in the way of government forcing itself into all of our devices and communications, and in the process it was standing up for privacy. The company is well aware that there is no hardware, software or policy that safeguards only the privacy of the good guys and permits surveillance only of criminals and terrorists.

Preventing access to anyone means locking out not just criminal prosecutors, but also foreign governments on the lookout for dissidents and others it wants to control, criminals who want to get their hands on personal information, commercial interests who want to find out what the competition is doing, spies and miscreants of all sources.

Child sex trafficking and exploitation of the innocent is a serious problem. Still, if Apple is going to open a door into otherwise private customer photos, why has it zeroed in on this issue as opposed to, say, terrorist threats, murder-for-hire plots or other serious crimes?

Perhaps because the crime is so photo-oriented, and because it has long been a target of Congress. But now that there is a door, wont it be even easier for the government to open it even wider and to demand access to images that hint at other activities, criminal or otherwise?

Apple will refuse any such demands, the company said in a statement. And the showdown over the San Bernardino iPhone suggests that it may well mean it.

But this move, which may be meant to fend off government pressure, could just as easily encourage government to exert further pressure  for direct access to illegal photos in devices, and then to other communications that it argues provide evidence of crime.

Private communication that cannot be accessed by the prying eyes and ears of governments, companies or crooks is an essential element of freedom and Apple has in the past been right to promote it. The change in direction is a very serious setback.

ONLINE: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-08-10/apple-ditches-privacy-for-porn-policing

Aug. 5

The Guardian on COVID-19 vaccine inequities between rich, poor countries:

What are the best ways to make sure the indifferent protect themselves from Covid: vaccine passes for public places, pop-up clinics or Deliveroo discounts? How do you tackle outright scepticism? Should 13-year-olds be offered doses? When will older or vulnerable people start receiving booster shots?

These kinds of questions are now at the fore in many countries. Across high-income nations, around half the population has been vaccinated, allowing life to return to something approaching normality. In the UK, where almost three-quarters of adults have received both doses, hospitalisation figures are currently better than anticipated, despite high infection rates. But the situation is precarious. The publics caution may not last; schools will return in September; we are relaxing travel restrictions; and there is a marked slowdown in vaccination. The new chief executive of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard, warns that more than one-fifth of people admitted to hospital with Covid-19 are aged between 18 and 34, urging the young not to delay getting vaccinated. Around a third of that age group have yet to receive a dose. Vaccines will now be offered to all 16- and 17-year-olds, and some would like them to be extended to younger children.

These are important issues. The bigger one, however, is ensuring that the rest of the world is adequately protected  especially as travel restrictions are loosened. Vaccines reduce but do not eliminate transmission; unless they are very widespread, we not only abandon many countries to the worst but also risk our own gains in the process. Internationally, four million cases were reported to the World Health Organization last week and around 9,000 people are dying each day. The more widely that the virus can circulate, the greater the risk of new, more dangerous and vaccine-resistant variants emerging.

Covax, the vaccine-pooling scheme, had planned to make at least 640m doses available worldwide by now; it has so far delivered 163m. Its target was to ensure each nation could protect at least 20% of its population  health workers and high-risk groups  by the end of this year. But in low-income countries, only around 1.3% of people have been vaccinated, according to the United Nations Development Programme. For many places, the main obstacle to vaccination remains supply, not demand. While richer nations agonise over how to cajole or induce those at low risk from Covid to protect themselves and others by having vaccines, they are denying doses to high-risk people elsewhere  even at the risk of wasting doses entirely.

The WHO this week urged wealthier nations to delay using booster shots, saying a moratorium could allow it to meet the very modest goal of vaccinating at least 10% of every countrys population by the end of September. The Biden administration called this a false choice, declaring that the US can do both. Yet, while its purchase of 500m Pfizer doses for Covax is welcome, it is diverting funding from vaccination drives in poorer countries to buy them. Wealthier nations need to stump up more for both purchase and delivery of doses. They also need to share the vaccines that they have hoarded and waive intellectual property rights to boost the supply.

Vaccines present us with difficult practical and moral choices. Domestic political imperatives will always guide governments. But if we look only to narrow national interests, we will not just betray the most vulnerable; we may all pay the price.

ONLINE: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/05/the-guardian-view-on-covid-and-the-world-some-reject-vaccines-others-are-denied-them

Aug. 8

The Austin (Texas) American-Statesman on border security being a job for feds, not states:

Surely Texas has gotten the memo.

Nearly a decade ago, the U.S. Supreme Court plainly told a border state that it could not run its own immigration enforcement policies at odds with the federal government. The high court in 2012 told Arizona it couldnt send local police to arrest people with the goal of getting them deported, or make it a crime for noncitizens to fail to carry proof of their legal status.

The national government has significant power to regulate immigration, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote then. Arizona may have understandable frustrations with the problems caused by illegal immigration while that process continues, but the state may not pursue policies that undermine federal law.

Those words should hold just as true today for Texas. Instead, Gov. Greg Abbott has wholly disregarded them, escalating a cruel immigration crackdown in recent months to bolster his political ambitions.

Abbotts latest moves go far beyond the measures struck down in Arizona. Abbott has sent about a quarter of the state police force to counties near the border; directed troopers to arrest undocumented immigrants for the state crime of trespassing, with the goal of steering them toward deportation; and cleared out the Briscoe state prison in Dilley to house those migrants, even as the states prison system faces a serious shortage of guards. The Texas Tribune has reported that the clip of arrests could reach 200 people a day this month, potentially overwhelming the lone judge and clerk assigned to these cases, and costing the state millions of dollars a year in indigent defense costs alone.

To be clear, Texas is not lending the feds a hand at the border. Texas is pointedly throwing sand in the gears. The federal government has about 4,000 migrant children in 50 residential facilities in Texas, waiting to be connected with relatives in America; Abbott has directed state agencies to yank the licenses for those facilities so they cant house anyone. Federally-contracted workers drive about 1,100 migrants a day from one facility to the next, often as part of these migrants lawful efforts to seek asylum; Abbott has ordered troopers to pull over any cars that appear to be transporting migrants and send them back to Border Patrol, cynically citing the need to contain COVID-19 even as the governor has blocked every other effort to contain the virus. A federal judge has temporarily put the brakes on Abbotts migrant transportation.

Still, the governor has gloated on Twitter about his efforts: We have a new program contrary to the Biden plan to catch & release. The Texas plan is to catch & to jail.

We have long recognized the need for America to secure its borders and provide an orderly system for immigration. And we remain concerned about the spike in border crossings in recent months that has strained South Texas communities. Sheriffs and ranchers describe human smuggling on a previously unseen-scale: Daily high-speed chases of coyotes, the destruction of fences and pastures, the discoveries of bodies of people who perished in the grueling trek. It is clear President Joe Bidens administration has not done enough to manage the problem.

But that is precisely the point: It is the job of the federal government, not any state government, to manage the border and the flow of migrants. Abbotts obstructionism only makes the job harder.

It does, however, make for good politics for the governor, who is up for reelection next year and may have presidential aspirations. A University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll from June found 46% of Texans agreed with Abbotts handling of the border and immigration, compared to only 27% approving of Bidens approach.

But Abbotts efforts to disrupt federal operations  whether its working to close childrens shelters or arrest migrants who are trying to seek asylum under federal law  only siphons resources away from the places they are needed. That includes other state priorities, as Abbott has diverted $250 million from the state prison budget toward wasteful border wall-building efforts, pulled state troopers from other public safety needs and burdened our state prison system with immigration detention responsibilities it was never designed to handle.

One might expect Abbott to have his hands full with a fourth COVID-19 wave sweeping the state, with an economy and education system trying to rebuild from the pandemic, with a power grid that is far from secured after the deadly outages in February. Texans need a governor who can lead on those state problems and leave federal problems to the feds.

ONLINE: https://www.statesman.com/story/opinion/editorials/2021/08/08/austin-american-statesman-editorial-gov-greg-abbott-border-security-federal-job/5512427001/
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  A top executive with global energy giant Iberdrola is promising more perks if local governments and others in New Mexico clear the way for a proposed multibillion-dollar utility merger that could affect the way power is produced and distributed in the state for years to come,

FILE - This Dec. 29, 2012 file photo shows the exterior of Spanish energy company Iberdrola in Madrid, Spain. New Mexico customers voiced concerns to state regulators over a proposed multi-billion-dollar merger of New Mexico's largest electric utility provider, Public Service Co., with a U.S. subsidiary of Spanish energy Iberdrola during a virtual hearing held Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, citing a sordid track record of reliability and customer service. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, File)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  A top executive with global energy giant Iberdrola is promising more perks if local governments and others in New Mexico clear the way for a proposed multibillion-dollar utility merger that could affect the way power is produced and distributed in the state for years to come,

Iberdrolas chief development officer, Pedro Azagra Blazquez, was cross-examined Wednesday during the first day of an evidentiary hearing on the proposed acquisition of Public Service Co. of New Mexico by Iberdrola subsidiary Avangrid. Utility executives and other experts will be testifying over the next several days.

It will likely be fall before the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission makes a final decision on the merger.

Supporters say the deal could boost renewable energy development in New Mexico. Critics are concerned about the potential for rate increases and Connecticut-based Avangrids track record of poor customer service and power outages among the utilities it operates on the East Coast.

Azagra Blazquez acknowledged during questioning by attorneys for the states largest county and one of its largest water utilities that Iberdrola and Avangrid would be willing to offer more rate credits and economic development funds if the groups would not oppose the deal.

He also confirmed that the company would be willing to include $1 million for a science and technology scholarship program for students in New Mexicos largest metropolitan area. Another $1 million would go toward apprenticeship programs for high school and college students there.

Of the 150 jobs Iberdrola and Avangrid are promising, most would be in the Albuquerque area, he said.

Public Service Co. of New Mexico serves more than a half-million customers around the state. Consumer advocacy groups and environmentalists have been pushing for funds for communities in more rural areas, particularly those in northwestern New Mexico that will be affected by the expected closures of a pair of coal-fired power plants in which PNM is vested.

Azagra Blazquez also was questioned about the board that would control the New Mexico utility if the merger is approved. He said Spain-based Iberdrola would subject itself to the authority of the state Public Regulation Commission, dismissing concerns that have been raised about regulatory control given the corporate structure of Iberdrola and Avangrid.

Mariel Nanasi, executive director of the environmental group New Energy Economy, objected to testimony about the perks. As a consistent critic of the deal, she suggested company executives were making side deals contrary to rules that all parties must be a part of settlement talks.

She called the promises Christmas tree bonuses, saying more details were needed.

The proposed merger has spurred questions about the companies' transparency, as well as conflict-of-interest allegations that stretch to the state attorney generals office.

During questioning, Azagra Blazquez could not say how customers' monthly bills would be affected by the additional proposed rate credits, economic development funds or any investments in generation and transmission infrastructure that could be used to export power to markets beyond New Mexico.

Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham supports the merger, but her office said this week that any proposal that fails to make New Mexico residents a first priority would be problematic.
A former Vermont ski resort president has reached a plea deal over a failed plan to build a biotechnology plant in Newport using tens of millions of dollars in foreign investors' money.

FILE - In this May 22, 2019, file photo, Ariel Quiros, left, former owner of Jay Peak Resort, stands outside the federal courthouse in Burlington, Vt., after his arraignment on fraud charges over a failed plan to build a biotechnology plant using foreign investors' money. The Miami businessman, accused of being the mastermind behind a massive fraud case involving foreign investors' money in Vermont developments, is expected to plead guilty in next week in a plea deal in which prosecutors are seeking a sentence of more than eight years in prison. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke, File)

A former Vermont ski resort president has reached a plea deal over a failed plan to build a biotechnology plant in Newport using tens of millions of dollars in foreign investors' money.

William Stenger, the former president of Jay Peak Resort, has agreed to plead guilty to providing false statements and faces up to five years in prison, according to the deal filed in court on Wednesday. Nine other charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement. Stenger is due in court on Friday. VTDigger first reported on the development.

Stenger was expected to go on trial in October and is the third man in the case to reach a plea deal.

The Jay Peak developers, including Mr. Stenger, routinely provided the State of Vermont false, misleading, and fraudulent information throughout the course of our dealings. I am pleased Mr. Stenger has taken responsibility for similar deceptive statements to the U.S. government," said Michael Pieciak, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation in a written statement.

Stengers attorney said Wednesday that he could not not comment on the plea deal.

Miami businessman Ariel Quiros, the former owner of Jay Peak and Burke Mountain ski resorts in northern Vermont, changed his plea to guilty last August on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and the concealment of material information. Nine other charges were dropped.

Quiros, Stenger, and William Kelly, an advisor to Quiros, were indicted over a failed plan to build a biotechnology plant in Newport, Vermont, using millions raised through the EB-5 visa program, which encourages foreigners to invest in U.S. projects that create jobs in exchange for a chance to earn permanent U.S. residency.

The AnC-Bio project was designed to raise $110 million from 220 immigrant investors to construct and operate the biotechnology facility, according to proceedings and documents. The investors could qualify for permanent resident status by investing $500,000 in an approved commercial enterprise.

About 169 investors invested about $85 million in the project, in addition to paying $8 million in administrative fees, according to the U.S. attorneys office.

The federal Securities and Exchange Commission and the state of Vermont first accused Quiros and Stenger in 2016 of a  massive eight-year fraudulent scheme " that involved misusing more than $200 million of about $400 million raised from foreign investors for various ski area developments in Ponzi-like fashion."

There were about 800 investors in all the projects, which brought the promise of jobs to a remote area of northern Vermont that has some of the highest unemployment rates in the state.

Quiros and Stenger settled civil charges with the SEC, with Quiros surrendering more than $80 million in assets, including the two ski resorts. A court appointed receiver has been overseeing Jay Peak and Burke.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Iranians are suffering through yet another surge in the coronavirus pandemic  their country's worst yet  and anger is growing at images of vaccinated Westerners without face masks on the internet or on TV while they remain unable to get the shots.

People wearing protective face masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus drive on a street in central Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021. Iranians are suffering through yet another surge in the coronavirus pandemic  their country's worst yet  and anger is growing at images of vaccinated Westerners without face masks on the internet or on TV while they remain unable to get the shots. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Iranians are suffering through yet another surge in the coronavirus pandemic  their country's worst yet  and anger is growing at images of vaccinated Westerners without face masks on the internet or on TV while they remain unable to get the shots.

Iran, like much of the world, remains far behind countries like the United States in vaccinating its public, with only 3 million of its more than 80 million people having received both vaccine doses. But while some countries face poverty or other challenges in obtaining vaccines, Iran has brought some of the problems on itself.

After Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei refused to accept vaccine donations from Western countries, the Islamic Republic has sought to make the shots domestically, though that process lags far behind other nations.

The supply of non-Western shots remains low, creating a black market offering Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech shots for as much as $1,350 in a country where the currency, the Iranian rial, is on the verge of collapse. Meanwhile, U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran mean the cash-strapped government has limited funds to purchase vaccines abroad.

And even as the delta variant wreaks havoc, filling the country's already overwhelmed hospitals, many Iranians have given up on wearing masks and staying at home.

The need to earn a living trumps the luxury of social distancing.

What is next? A sixth wave? A seventh wave? When is it going to end? asked Reza Ghasemi, a 27-year-old delivery man without a face mask, smoking a cigarette next to his motorbike on a recent day in Tehran. It is not clear when this situation will change to a better one.

Since the start of the pandemic, Iran has recorded nearly 4 million COVID-19 cases and more than 91,000 deaths  the highest numbers across the Middle East.

A man wearing protective face mask and shield to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus crosses a street in central Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021. Iranians are suffering through yet another surge in the coronavirus pandemic  their country's worst yet  and anger is growing at images of vaccinated Westerners without face masks on the internet or on TV while they remain unable to get the shots. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

In a video message broadcast Wednesday on state TV, Irans supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the skyrocketing death toll as very painful," urging officials to roll out free virus tests and the fatigued public to follow health measures.

The true count is believed to be much higher. In April 2020, Iran's parliament warned its case number was eight to 10 times higher than the reported figures, due to undercounting. While coronavirus testing capacity has surged since then, officials repeatedly have suggested the case count remains far off. The death toll is likely three times higher, officials say, as Iran only counts those who die in a hospital while being treated for coronavirus.

Khamenei in January slammed shut any possibility of American or British vaccines entering the country, calling them forbidden.

I really do not trust, them, Khamenei said of those nations. Sometimes they want to test their vaccines on other countries.

The decision, after Khamenei earlier floated conspiracy theories about the virus' origin in March 2020, saw Iran turn inward and try to develop its own vaccines. Those efforts, relying on traditional dead virus vaccines rather than the Pfizer and Moderna method of targeting the coronavirus spike protein using RNA, have yet to reach mass production. And while the government claims local shots are 85% effective, they've released no data from their trials.

For now, the majority of Iranians receiving vaccines rely on foreign-made shots. A health ministry spokesman clarified on Tuesday that Iran could import Western vaccines as long as they're not produced in the U.S. or Britain.

Japan has donated 2.9 million doses of its locally produced AstraZeneca shots. China has sent 10 million doses of its shots. Iran also made a deal with Russia to buy 60 million doses of Sputnik V, but so far, Moscow has delivered just over 1 million shots.

Doctors received the first set of vaccines, while the government now offers shots to those 50 and older, as well as to taxi drivers, journalists and those with diabetes. But it hasn't been nearly enough to keep up with demand. Only 4% of the Iranian public are fully vaccinated, according to government statistics.

Those with residency permits have sought shots in the United Arab Emirates. Others have gone to Armenia where authorities offer free shots to visiting foreigners. In Tehran, word-of-mouth claims that Pfizer and Moderna shots smuggled in over the border from Irbil, Iraq, including the ultra-cold freezers needed for them, are now for sale in the Iranian capital.

A two-dose Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccine goes for $390, while two Pfizer shots cost $1,350. Those paying go on faith that the products have not expired  or are even legitimate vaccines.

Mahsa, a 31-year-old woman in Tehran, said she got the Moderna vaccine through her boyfriend's friend, a doctor working at a pharmacy.

I am sure the vaccine is genuine because I trust the doctor," she said.

Amirali, a 39-year-old father of a baby girl, said he bought shots of the Japanese-made AstraZeneca vaccine from an Iranian doctor secretly vaccinating people for profit. Amirali said he took the chance as his wife, a permanent U.S. resident, received the Pfizer vaccine while visiting America.

I was not sure when the government will provide vaccines for my age group, so I decided to vaccinate myself," he said.

Both Amirali and Mahsa spoke on condition that only their first names be used for fear of retribution from the authorities.

But for those who can't pay, there are no shots yet.

Iran's civilian government, now undergoing a transition of power to hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, has been overwhelmed by the crisis. And with the Islamic Republic also facing protests over economic issues, water shortages and blackouts, the government likely wants to avoid triggering wider unrest.

They want us to accept any situation simply because they failed to do their duty with vaccinations," said Abbas Zarei, who sells mobile phone accessories in northern Tehran. From time to time, they announce that businesses should close because of corona restrictions though it damages our lives.

It is not fair," said Zarei, who like many in Iran, struggles to make a living. I do not care about the restrictions anymore.

Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
MADRID (AP)  Instagram has apologized for removing the official poster for Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's new film from the social network because it showed a female nipple, after the poster's designer complained of censorship.

FILE - Actress Penelope Cruz, left, and director Pedro Almodovar pose for photographers at the photo call for the film "Pain and Glory" at the 72nd international film festival, Cannes, southern France, on May 18, 2019. The Venice Film Festival is kicking off its 78th edition on Sept. 1, 2021, on the Lido with the premiere of Almodovars Madres Paralelas, starring Cruz. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, File)

MADRID (AP)  Instagram has apologized for removing the official poster for Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's new film from the social network because it showed a female nipple, after the poster's designer complained of censorship.

Instagram's parent company Facebook told The Associated Press on Wednesday that several images of the poster for Madres Paralelas, which shows a lactating nipple, were removed for breaking our rules against nudity after they were uploaded on Monday.

We do, however, make exceptions to allow nudity in certain circumstances, which includes when theres clear artistic context. Weve therefore restored posts sharing the Almodovar movie poster to Instagram, and were really sorry for any confusion caused, the company said in an emailed statement.

Facebook and Instagram's longstanding rules  and previous bans  have spurred the use of the #FreetheNipple movement and hashtag on Instagram, which is used by many artists and celebrities to portray nipples despite the rules. The ban does not extend to male nipples.

The poster's Spanish designer Javier Jaen told AP that he had questioned whether the poster would have trouble on social networks but stayed true to his vision after receiving the personal backing of Almodovar. He told me that he had made films with posters his whole life, long before Instagram, and he would keep doing so after Instagram, too, Jaen said.

This is probably the first image I saw when I was born. A company like Instagram tells me my work is dangerous, that people shouldn't see it, that it's pornographic. How many people are they telling that their body is bad, that their body is dangerous? Jaen added, noting he had received overwhelming support and thousands of people had reposted his poster on Instagram.

They say their technology can't differentiate the context. I don't care. Change your technology then, the designer said.

Jaen had written in a post that the poster had been removed from his Instagram page on Tuesday: As expected, @instagram took down the poster that we made for the latest Almodovar film #madresparalelas. After reposting the image, he said, it was allowed to stay.

A request for comment from Almodovars production company went unanswered.

Madres Paralelas," starring Penelope Cruz, will open the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 1.
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Labrador's Innu Nation says it has launched a lawsuit against Ottawa and the Newfoundland and Labrador government over a recent $5.2-billion deal involving the troubled Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project.

Innu Nation Grand Chief Etienne Rich, Deputy Grand Chief Mary Ann Nui and Chief Eugene Hart of the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation stand outside the provincial Supreme Court building in St. John's on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. The group filed a lawsuit against the provincial and federal governments in relation to the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Greg Locke, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Labrador's Innu Nation says it has launched a lawsuit against Ottawa and the Newfoundland and Labrador government over a recent $5.2-billion deal involving the troubled Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project.

The Innu Nation said today in a news release the federal and provincial governments took "direct, deliberate and decisive action" to eliminate financial benefits promised to the Innu people, as the Muskrat Falls project is being built on their land.

They say they were left out of negotiations pertaining to the agreement in principle announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month that would offset the costs of the project, which have essentially doubled since it was sanctioned in 2012.

The news release says the nation asked Trudeau and Premier Andrew Furey to give them a seat at the negotiating table, to provide the project's financial modelling and to commit to revising the agreement.

Grand Chief Etienne Rich says neither leader provided a satisfactory response, leaving the Innu Nation with no other option but to go to court.

The Innu Nation says it filed paperwork with the provincial Supreme Court on Tuesday, and both Trudeau and Furey were told about the suit on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2021.
MONTREAL - National Bank of Canada chief executive Louis Vachon will retire at the end of October after nearly 15 years in the job, the bank said Wednesday.

National Bank president and CEO Louis Vachon waits for the beginning of the bank's annual meeting on April 15, 2016 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

MONTREAL - National Bank of Canada chief executive Louis Vachon will retire at the end of October after nearly 15 years in the job, the bank said Wednesday.

Chief operating officer Laurent Ferreira will replace him in the top post starting Nov. 1, the Montreal-based bank said.

"The Board would like to recognize Louis Vachon's exceptional contribution during his years at the helm of the Bank and thank him for the strong legacy he leaves behind," said Jean Houde, chair of the bank's Board of Directors, in a statement.

Vachon has been CEO since June 2007 and also served as chief operating officer before heading the bank.

Over his term, the bank delivered compound annual total shareholder return of 13 per cent, noted Houde. The bank also saw its share price triple over his term.

Ferreira joined National Bank in 1998 and became chief operating officer in February. Before that Ferreira was executive vice-president and co-head, financial markets.

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Vachon said in a statement that he'd work on making a smooth transition to Ferreira at the helm.

"He has been central to the bank's transformation and cultural shift, and he has played a key role in the success of our financial markets franchise. I'm confident that the bank will continue to succeed under Laurent's leadership."

The news would not affect the bank's credit rating, said DBRS Ltd. in a statement, noting the transition is likely to be a smooth one.

"In DBRS Morningstars view, this management change is expected to be seamless because Ferreira has been a career employee at the Bank and has progressed through a series of key leadership roles. Additionally, this change is consistent with Nationals succession plan and DBRS Morningstar does not expect it to alter the Banks strategic objectives."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2021.

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LAGOS, Nigeria (AP)  Nigeria plans to soon lift its ban on Twitter, the country's information minister said Wednesday, two months after authorities blocked the social network when a tweet by the president was deleted.

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP)  Nigeria plans to soon lift its ban on Twitter, the country's information minister said Wednesday, two months after authorities blocked the social network when a tweet by the president was deleted.

Information Minister Lai Mohammed told journalists that an amicable resolution is very much in sight, but did not specify how soon the ban could be lifted in Africa's most populous nation.

Sarah Hart, a Twitter spokesperson, said the company had recently met with the Nigerian government to discuss the ban.

Our aim is to chart a path forward to the restoration of Twitter for everyone in Nigeria, Hart said in an emailed statement. We look forward to ongoing discussions with the Nigerian government and seeing the service restored very soon.

Nigeria suspended Twitters operation on June 4 after the social media network deleted a post by President Muhammadu Buhari in which he threatened to treat separatists in the language they will understand.

Nigerians officials, though, have denied that the ban was in retaliation for deleting the president's tweet.

The decision drew widespread criticism from Nigerians, many of whom pointed out how the government announced the ban on its Twitter page.

The U.S. said the ban has no place in a democracy while Amnesty International said it is inconsistent and incompatible with Nigerias international obligations.

Many Nigerians defied the ban and continued to access the social network with the aid of virtual private network. A West African court in June restrained the federal government from prosecuting those still using Twitter.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  Postal workers thrilled at the prospect of making deliveries in modern, comfortable and environmentally friendly vehicles are soldiering on in their aging, spartan trucks.

FILE - In this July 10, 2012 file photo, U.S. Postal Service Employee Brad Yonan surveys his 1993 Gramen postal vehicle after it caught fire as he tried to restart it while delivering mail north of Tucson, Ariz. The Postal Services aging fleet of trucks is soldiering on even as a contract for greener replacement vehicles is being challenged. The primary fleet of vehicles that were delivered starting in 1987 is due to be replaced under a new contract, but the winning bid is being challenged. Hundreds of the aging trucks have been reported to catch fire in recent years. (David Sanders/The Arizona Republic via AP)

PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  Postal workers thrilled at the prospect of making deliveries in modern, comfortable and environmentally friendly vehicles are soldiering on in their aging, spartan trucks.

The primary fleet of vehicles  dating to 1987  was due to be replaced under a new contract but the winning bid for the new trucks is being challenged. That means the delivery of new trucks set for 2023 could be delayed.

The longer this drags on, the more lives are at risk, said John Graham, a postal carrier who operates one of the old vehicles in Portland, Maine.

Most workers dont care which model they get. They just want something thats safe.

More than 150 of the current vehicles have caught fire. They lack adequate heating and cooling, they deliver poor fuel economy and theyre becoming difficult to maintain.

The Grumman Long Life Vehicle delivered on its name. They went into service from 1987 to 1994 with a promise of a 24-year service life. The oldest of them have survived about 34 years of grueling use on the daily mail routes from snowy Maine to sunny California.

Most postal carriers will tell you they weren't so great even in their prime.

They're built on a General Motors chassis with a body provided by Grumman and they're powered by a four-cylinder engine that was supposed to deliver fuel economy  but in reality provides about 9 miles per gallon (4 kilometers per liter) on stop-and-go routes. Missing are modern safety features like airbags and anti-lock brakes.

A glaring fault in Maine's cold winters is inadequate heating.

Even worse is the lack of air conditioning that allows temperatures to soar to dangerous levels inside the vehicles on hot summer days. A postal worker died from a heat stroke earlier this summer during a heat wave in California.

Fires have become a frequent hazard. The Postal Times keeps a running tally along with photos on its website. There were 19 of them so far this year, including five in July.

In Florida, Kathleen Shunstrom witnessed one of them going up in flames. She opened her blinds to see her local carriers postal truck ablaze in her neighbors driveway in Niceville, on the Florida Panhandle.

The carrier noticed her vehicle was smoking after delivering a package. By the time someone dialed 911, it had burst into flames. No one was hurt.

It was scary to see, said Shunstrom, who captured video of the flames on July 24 on her cellphone. It went up so fast.

The U.S. Postal Service has more than 230,000 vehicles. That includes 190,000 local delivery vehicles, and more than 141,000 of those are Grumman LLVs, said USPS spokesperson Kim Frum.

The current delivery fleet has reached a critical point where it is no longer cost-effective to maintain the fleet in order to provide reliable and efficient delivery service for citizens while meeting the needs of carriers, Frum said.

A competitive bid process was supposed to mark a turning point.

Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense won the bid in February for the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle with the first deliveries set for late 2023.

It's a greener vehicle with modern amenities like climate control and safety features like air bags, backup cameras and collision avoidance. The trucks are also taller to make it easier for postal carriers to grab packages and parcels that have been making up a far greater portion of their deliveries, even before the pandemic.

But a losing bidder, an Ohio company called Workhorse Group, challenged the fairness of the decision in June.

There's no deadline for protest decisions, but research suggests that contract challenges generally take about four to five months from filing to decision, according to David Ralston and Frank Murray, Washington-based attorneys from Foley & Lardner LLP.

The initial contract for Oshkosh Defense was for $482 million for completing and testing the final design, and retooling and building out its factory to produce gas and electric versions. But the value could stretch into billions of dollars if Oshkosh delivers 165,000 vehicles over the next decade. Workhorse Group put the total contract value at up to $3.1 billion in its contract challenge.

With so much money at stake, it's possible that any decision could go to the Court of Appeals, which would extend the timetable even further out. For now, Oshkosh is continuing to get started even as the challenge plays out.

Oshkosh Defense, which proposed a mix of gas and electric trucks, and Workhorse, which proposed an all-electric fleet, declined comment.

In Portland, Graham knows his vehicle fairly well. The rear-wheel drive vehicles spin around in icy conditions, so he knows to be careful. They reek of exhaust fumes. The transmission sometimes slips out of gear.

But the big complaint now, in the summer, is the heat. There's a fan on the dashboard but that doesn't cool things down much.

Graham said that during the summer he throws his lunch on the dashboard at mid-morning. It'll be steaming hot by lunchtime, he said.

This story has been updated to correct the brand of chassis used in the Grumman LLV. It is a General Motors chassis, not a Ford chassis.

-

Follow David Sharp on Twitter at https://twitter.com/David_Sharp_AP
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polands parliament voted Wednesday in favor of a bill that would force Discovery Inc., the U.S. owner of Polands largest private television network, to sell its Polish holdings and is widely viewed as an attack on media independence in Poland.

People demonstrate in defense of media freedom in Warsaw, Poland, on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. Poles demonstrated nationwide Tuesday against a bill widely viewed as a effort by the country's nationalist ruling party to silence an independent, U.S.-owned television broadcaster that is critical of the government.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polands parliament voted Wednesday in favor of a bill that would force Discovery Inc., the U.S. owner of Polands largest private television network, to sell its Polish holdings and is widely viewed as an attack on media independence in Poland.

The draft legislation would prevent non-European owners from having controlling stakes in Polish media companies. In practice, it only affects TVN, which includes TVN24, an all-news station that is critical of the nationalist right-wing government and has exposed wrongdoing by Polish authorities.

Lawmakers voted 228-216 to pass the legislation, with 10 abstentions.

The bill must still go to the Senate, where the opposition has a slim majority. The upper house can suggest changes and delay the bill's passage, but the lower house can ultimately pass it as it wishes. It would then go to President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the right-wing government.

Discovery said it was "extremely concerned" and appealed to the Senate and Duda to oppose the project. "Polands future as a democratic country in the international arena and its credibility in the eyes of investors depend on this," it said.

People demonstrate in defense of media freedom in Warsaw, Poland, on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. Poles demonstrated nationwide Tuesday against a bill widely viewed as a effort by the country's nationalist ruling party to silence an independent, U.S.-owned television broadcaster that is critical of the government.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The vote in parliament followed two days of political upheaval that saw the prime minister on Tuesday fire a deputy prime minister who opposed the media bill.

The ruling party appeared earlier Wednesday not to have the votes, but found them after all.

There was also tension on the street after the vote, with protesters gathering in front of parliament. Some clashed with police and were detained.

People demonstrate in defense of media freedom in Warsaw, Poland, on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. Polands ruling right-wing party has lost its parliamentary majority after a coalition partner announced it was leaving the government, Wednesday Aug. 11, 2021, amid a rift over a bill which the junior partner party views as an attack on media freedom.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The media bill is viewed as a crucial test for the survival of independent news outlets in the former communist nation, coming six years into the rule of a populist government that has chipped away at media and judicial independence.

The ruling party has long sought to nationalize media in foreign hands, arguing it is necessary for national security. Ejecting TVNs American owner from Poland's media market would be a huge victory for the government, coming after the state oil company last year bought a large private media group.

Its political opponents, however, believe that TVNs independence is tantamount to saving media freedom and see the survival of Polands democracy as being on the line.

People demonstrate in defense of media freedom in Warsaw, Poland, on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. Polands ruling right-wing party has lost its parliamentary majority after a coalition partner announced it was leaving the government, Wednesday Aug. 11, 2021, amid a rift over a bill which the junior partner party views as an attack on media freedom.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

TVNs all-news station TVN24 is a key source of news for many Poles but it is also a thorn in the governments side. It is often critical and exposes wrongdoing by officials. The governments supporters consider it biased and unfairly critical.

Government critics have long feared that Poland was following a path set by Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban has gained near-total control over the media as private outlets have either folded or come under the control of the leader's allies.

TVN represents the largest ever U.S. investment in Poland. The company was bought for $2 billion by another U.S. company, Scripps Networks Interactive, which was later acquired by Discovery.

People gather outside Poland's parliament to protest the government plans to vote on a media bill seen as restricting media independence, in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday Aug. 11, 2021. Poland's right-wing ruling party, Law and Justice, was confident of pushing through a media bill that is widely viewed as an attack on media freedom, despite street protests and upheaval in the government over the controversial legislation. The media bill would prevent non-European owners from having controlling stakes in Polish media companies.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The draft bill was adding to strain between Poland and the United States.

On Wednesday, the parliament also passed another bill opposed by the U.S. and Israel  a law that would prevent former Polish property owners, among them Holocaust survivors and their heirs, from regaining property expropriated by the countrys communist regime.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Wednesday that the United States was "deeply troubled" by the legislation targeting TVM.

"Poland has worked for decades to foster a vibrant and free media," Blinken said. "This draft legislation would significantly weaken the media environment the Polish people have worked so long to build."

AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  With the highly contagious delta variant fueling a surge in coronavirus cases just as students return to classrooms, major school districts in Arizona, Florida, Texas and beyond are increasingly defying Republican leaders who banned school mask mandates in several states.

Yvonne Moniz, right, a special needs teacher at Challenger Elementary, along with Oakland Park Elementary third grade teacher Donna Sacco, second from right, and Oriole Elementary fourth grade teacher Yolanda Smith, center, tries to persuade anti-mask protester Heather Tanner that all students need to wear masks to protect the most vulnerable. during a protest outside of a Broward County School Board meeting, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021, in in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to discuss a possible mask mandate when school starts next week. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  With the highly contagious delta variant fueling a surge in coronavirus cases just as students return to classrooms, major school districts in Arizona, Florida, Texas and beyond are increasingly defying Republican leaders who banned school mask mandates in several states.

The showdowns have drawn in the White House and landed in courtrooms where judges have so far allowed school mask requirements in two states.

Schools across the U.S. have a patchwork of different rules as they try to keep classrooms open during the coronavirus pandemic, but in several states GOP leaders banned districts from requiring all kids to wear masks.

But with infections and hospitalizations on the rise and vaccinations out of reach for young children, districts in blue-leaning urban areas especially are rebelling against the laws and requiring masks in schools  even if it means facing consequences from governors and courts. Districts in Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Broward County, Florida, are among those defying the mask laws.

Christy Pavlish, left, and Lauren Birkins display signs as they cross the street during a protest outside a Broward County School Board meeting, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021, in in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to discuss a possible mask mandate when school starts next week. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to withhold the salaries of school leaders who enact mask requirements.

"At no point shall I allow my decision to be influenced by a threat to my paycheck; a small price to pay considering the gravity of this issue and the potential impact to the health and well-being of our students and dedicated employees," said Alberto Carvalho, the superintendent of the states largest school district who is still deciding on a mandate ahead of the start of school later this month.

Masks are a key coronavirus-prevention tool that doesn't pose health risks for kids older than toddler age and are most effective when worn by a larger number of people, public health experts say. The Centers for Disease Control has again recommended them for schools.

But mask rules have nevertheless drawn fierce protest, including takeovers of school board meetings, from activists who worry about side effects, question the need and say parents should decide.

The DeSantis threat to withhold salaries drew in the White House on Tuesday as press secretary Jen Psaki weighed paying out of federal funds to school officials who "do the right thing to protect students and keep schools safe and open."

Parents and students hold rally at Utah State School Board Office calling for mask mandate Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, in Salt Lake City. The school year is days away for many kids in Utah and public health experts are worried about whether kids too young to get vaccinated will stay safe in school amid a wave of coronavirus cases. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Though children are less likely to suffer serious health effects as compared with the elderly, the latest COVID wave hammering Florida is also fueling an "enormous increase" in cases among children, many of whom are sicker than doctors have seen previously, the chief medical officer at one of the states top childrens hospitals said Wednesday. Leaders of other medical systems in virus hotspots like Louisiana say a similar situation is occurring in their pediatric hospitals.

DeSantis, for his part, said the numbers of hospitalized kids are on the rise because total coronavirus cases are up. "Theres been no change in the proportion of pediatric patients who are COVID positive," he said.

At least three Florida school districts appear to be defying DeSantiss executive order forbidding masks, including the second-most-populous county in the state and another around the state capital.

In Texas, where COVID-19 hospitalizations have spiked to their highest level in six months, a judge sided with San Antonio and temporarily allowed the city, county and public schools to require masks. Another hearing is set for next week. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott banned mandates in July and is showing no sign of backing down, even as other school districts in major cities like Dallas, Houston and Austin issue mandates in defiance of his ban.

A state ban on mask mandates isnt faring well in the courts in Arkansas either. It was temporarily blocked last week by a state judge who said the prohibition violated the states constitution. One plaintiff was an Arkansas school district where more than 1,000 staff and students had to quarantine because of a coronavirus outbreak.

Since the decision, at least three dozen school districts and charter schools have implemented mask requirements for teachers and students.

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas now says he regrets signing the ban, but lawmakers decided against reversing course during a special session last week.

In Utah, meanwhile, the health director over the states biggest county is trying to buck a state law with a new mandate for kids under 12. Angela Dunn, who previously became a target for anti-mask ire as the state epidemiologist, has said shes deeply concerned about infections sickening kids and disrupting schools.

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"Theres far less drama in a school where all kids are wearing masks than a spread of COVID within that school and kids being sent home to address illness, or to be put into quarantine or isolation," said Democratic mayor Jenny Wilson, whos backing the move that may yet be tanked by the Republican-controlled county council.

In South Carolina, a showdown is heating up between the Republican governor and the capital city over a school mask mandate that local leaders approved last week. The attorney general threatened to take Columbia to court if leaders try to enforce the rule aimed at protecting elementary and middle school kids too young to get vaccinated. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster said Monday it should be up to parents whether to mask kids.

Dozens of doctors in Arizona have begged GOP Gov. Doug Ducey to mandate face coverings in public schools, but hes held fast to a prohibition in the state budget. Still, about 10 districts in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff, representing more than 130,000 students and 200 schools, have defied that prohibition and a high school biology teacher has filed a lawsuit challenging it. A hearing is set for Friday.

"There is no mask prohibition in Arizona," gubernatorial spokeswoman C.J. Karamargin said last week. "The legislation passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor is clear: Arizona is anti-mask-mandate."

__

Associated Press writers around the country contributed to this report.
OTTAWA - Federal leaders were united Wednesday in calling for the release of two Canadians detained by China after one was sentenced to 11 years in prison in a case that has put them  and Canada  at the centre of a bitter battle between China and the United States.

In this file image made from a March 2, 2017, video, Michael Spavor, director of Paektu Cultural Exchange, talks during a Skype interview in Yanji, China. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP Photo

OTTAWA - Federal leaders were united Wednesday in calling for the release of two Canadians detained by China after one was sentenced to 11 years in prison in a case that has put them  and Canada  at the centre of a bitter battle between China and the United States.

Despite the rare show of political unity and government promises to keep fighting for their release, it remained unclear exactly which cards Canada still has to play when it comes to freeing the prisoners who have become known as the two Michaels: Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.

A Chinese court sentenced Spavor to 11 years in prison on Wednesday in a spying case that Canada says is linked to Beijings effort to secure the release of an executive of tech giant Huawei, sparking condemnation from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others.

"Today's verdict for Mr. Spavor comes after more than two and a half years of arbitrary detention, a lack of transparency in the legal process, and a trial that did not satisfy even the minimum standards required by international law," Trudeau said in a statement.

"For Mr. Spavor, as well as for Michael Kovrig who has also been arbitrarily detained, our top priority remains securing their immediate release. We will continue working around the clock to bring them home as soon as possible."

Spavor, an entrepreneur, and Kovrig, a former diplomat, have been detained by China since December 2018. That came days after Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver.

A British Columbia court is preparing to hear final arguments on whether Meng should be extradited to the U.S., where she is wanted on allegations of having violated trade laws. Chinas government has criticized the arrest as part of U.S. efforts to hamper its technology development.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said the Canadian government condemns "in the strongest possible terms" Spavor's prison sentence, which followed a closed-door trial in March in which he was found guilty of spying on China.

"We know that the practice of arbitrary detention with a mock, sham trial with absolutely no transparency whatsoever, and a verdict that is completely unjustified are not acceptable in terms of international rules-based law," Garneau said.

But China's ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, insisted Spavor's trial was fair and open and he accused Trudeau and Garneau of making "unwarranted" and "groundless accusations" about China's justice system.

Their reaction to the sentence "grossly interfered in China's judicial sovereignty and seriously breached international law and the basic norms governing international relations," Cong said in an interview.

"I would like to say that the minimum standard is for other countries to respect our judicial sovereignty. So here I would like to stress that actually it's the Canadian side which did not meet the minimum standard of the international norm."

Asked whether Meng's release would result in freedom for the two Michaels, Cong insisted that the cases are unrelated.

"Those cases are totally different in nature," he said, accusing Canada of arbitrarily detaining Meng as part of a "political incident concocted by the United States."

Still, he added: "Our main obstacle in our bilateral relationship is the Madame Meng incident and we do urge the Canadian side to reflect on the issue and to take action sooner rather than later to correct mistakes and release Madame Meng and to ensure her safe return to China so as to remove the main obstacle between our two countries."

Spavor's sentencing followed a Chinese court's decision on Tuesday to uphold the death penalty for another Canadian, Robert Schellenberg, for alleged drug smuggling. Schellenberg had originally been sentenced to 15 years in prison but that was upgraded to execution shortly after Meng's arrest.

Cong dismissed calls for "so-called clemency" for Schellenberg, saying drug smuggling is an internationally recognized "serious felony."

The ambassador noted that Schellenberg's sentence must still be submitted to the Supreme People's Court for a final review before it can be carried out.

Kovrig stood trial in March but there has been no word on when a verdict might be announced.

Asked whether Canada was negotiating over possibly sending Meng home in exchange for the release of Spavor and Kovrig, Canadian Ambassador to China Dominic Barton said, There are intensive efforts and discussions. I don't want to talk in any detail about that. But that will continue.

Garneau also would not comment on whether there are discussions about an exchange, only saying that Canadian diplomats in China and the U.S. have put in "considerable and intense work" on the file.

"This work will continue to go on with the aim of arriving at the result of freeing the two Michaels," Garneau said, adding U.S. President Joe Biden has indicated his administration is treating them as if they were American citizens detained by China.

Opposition politicians urged Canada and its allies to fight for the release of the two men, with Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole describing Spavor's sentencing as "completely unacceptable" and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh calling the latest developments "heartbreaking."

Spavor's sentencing also prompted an unusual joint show of support for Canada by the United States and 24 other governments.

Diplomats from the United States, Japan, Britain, Australia, Germany and other European countries plus the European Union gathered at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing in a show of support. They also have issued separate appeals for Spavor and Kovrig to receive fair trials or to be released.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for their immediate and unconditional release.

"The practice of arbitrarily detaining individuals to exercise leverage over foreign governments is completely unacceptable," Blinken said in a statement.

European Council president Charles Michel wrote on Twitter that "arbitrary detentions have no place in international relations."

The Chinese government has released few details other than to accuse Spavor of passing along sensitive information to Kovrig.

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Spavor worked in China but had extensive links with North Korea in tourism and other commercial ventures that brought him into contact with the isolated communist states leadership.

Barton said Chinese authorities cited photos taken by Spavor at airports that included military aircraft.

He obviously had a different view on that, the ambassador said.

Barton met with Spavor after the sentencing and said he sent three messages: Thank you for all your support, it means a lot to me. Two, I am in good spirits. And three, I want to get home.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2021.

 With files from The Associated Press.
OTTAWA - Admiral Art McDonald is planning to return to his position as commander of the Canadian Armed Forces after military police opted not to charge him following an investigation into his conduct, though the Liberal government does not appear ready to welcome him back so soon.

Vice-Admiral Art McDonald, the new head of the Navy, addresses the audience at the Royal Canadian Navy Change of Command ceremony in Halifax, Wednesday, June 12, 2019. McDonald says he has decided to return to his position as commander of the Canadian Armed Forces after military investigators opted not to charge him following an investigation into his conduct. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

OTTAWA - Admiral Art McDonald is planning to return to his position as commander of the Canadian Armed Forces after military police opted not to charge him following an investigation into his conduct, though the Liberal government does not appear ready to welcome him back so soon.

McDonald stepped down in February as chief of the defence staff as a result of a Canadian Forces National Investigation Service investigation into an allegation of misconduct.

But in a statement released Wednesday, McDonalds legal team said the naval officer would be returning to the position after the nearly six-month investigation exonerated him.

Given that it was his decision to step aside, it is now his decision  indeed obligation  to return to his duties, reads the statement issued by lawyers Michael Edelson and Rory Fowler.

Admiral McDonald, who has long been recognized as a proven leader of culture change in the Canadian Armed Forces, will now return to his duties as chief of defence staff.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office did not immediately respond to news of McDonalds plan to take back command of the military from acting defence chief Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre.

But Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said he expects McDonald to wait, which could set up a battle between the Liberal government and its hand-picked military commander ahead of a possible federal election.

"My expectation is that Admiral McDonald will remain on leave while we while we review this situation," he said at a news conference in Vancouver Wednesday, adding he only learned about McDonalds plan a short time earlier.

"The position of chief of defence staff must always uphold the highest standard within the Canadian Armed Forces because of the responsibility of that position and the weight that it holds.

He went on to add that Canadians and the Canadian Armed Forces are being very well served by Eyre at a time when the military is helping battle wildfires in British Columbia, rescue interpreters from Afghanistan and other security challenges.

The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service announced the end of the probe into McDonald's conduct late Friday, saying they had decided there was not enough evidence to charge McDonald under either the Criminal Code or the military's disciplinary code.

McDonalds lawyers said in their statement that the fact military police couldnt find enough evidence to charge him even under the disciplinary code was evidence the allegation against their client was unfounded.

The investigators, and the prosecutors who advise them, would have been conscious of the criticism that would arise if no charges were laid, Edelson and Fowler said.

They had a compelling motivation to pursue charges, even on weak evidence, in order to avoid the very criticism that has now been levelled against them. The absence of any charges  even under the Code of Service Discipline  is indicative of the absence of blameworthy conduct. As the investigation revealed, the complaint was groundless."

The nature of the allegation against McDonald has not been publicly confirmed, but CBC has reported that it related to an allegation of sexual misconduct dating back to his time commanding a Canadian warship in 2010.

Global News has reported that navy Lt. Heather Macdonald, a navy combat systems engineer, came forward with the allegation against McDonald. Macdonald was quoted by Global on Friday as saying she was upset by the military police decision.

The Liberal government has faced calls not to reinstate McDonald, with some experts and victims' advocates questioning the decision to have military police, rather than civilian authorities, lead the investigation.

These experts and advocates have suggested this casts doubt on the veracity of the investigation, and that McDonald does not now have the moral authority to lead the military in changing its culture.

They also note chiefs of the defence staff are appointed by  and serve at  the pleasure of the government in power, suggesting the Liberals can easily replace McDonald.

Provost Marshal Brig.-Gen. Simon Trudeau defended the independence and professionalism of his military police officers in a statement announcing the end of the investigation into McDonalds conduct.

McDonalds legal team said the former Royal Canadian Navy commander, who took over as defence chief only five weeks before stepping down and has not previously commented publicly on the case, maintains his complete innocence.

They added that he co-operated fully during the investigation, and cited the need to respect due process in Canada.

As has been cited during this investigation, If we dont have due process, then all we have are witch hunts  That doesnt change the culture. It just makes it unfriendly for everyone, the statement reads.

If there is a failure to respect due process, it imperils the very basis of the rule of law in either military or civilian domain.

McDonald took over as chief of the defence staff from now-retired general Jonathan Vance in January, weeks before Global reported allegations of sexual misconduct by Vance, who has since been charged with obstruction of justice.

On Feb. 24, McDonald voluntarily stepped aside until military police could investigate the allegation about his conduct.

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The two investigations as well as the emergence of allegations of inappropriate misconduct prompted a fresh reckoning for the military when it comes to sexual misconduct in the ranks.

The Liberal government eventually tapped retired Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour to come up with recommendations for addressing the issue, though some criticized the choice to launch another review after several similar studies in the past.

The government also came under sustained fire for its handling of the allegations against Vance, one of which was originally raised by the military ombudsman to Sajjan in March 2018.

Meanwhile, Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin is currently fighting the government in court for reinstatement as head of Canadas vaccine distribution campaign after he was abruptly replaced in May due to an allegation of sexual misconduct.

Fortin, who has maintained his innocence, has alleged the decision to replace him was politically motivated and denied him due process.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2021.
A man accused of raping a 14-year-old girl a decade ago won't face trial because of years of delays by police and the Crown, a Manitoba judge has ruled.

A man accused of raping a 14-year-old girl a decade ago won't face trial because of years of delays by police and the Crown, a Manitoba judge has ruled.

Thompson RCMP charged Frank Graham with sexual assault in 2011. He was released on bail and appeared in court twice, but then skipped his next hearing and moved to Edmonton.

Police and Crown attorneys knew where he was from 2012 to 2014, but they didn't arrest him until 2019, a recent Manitoba court decision says.

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.
A Manitoba Conservative MP who recently refused to reveal his COVID-19 vaccination status said in April he's "not completely sold" on the jab.

A Manitoba Conservative MP who recently refused to reveal his COVID-19 vaccination status said in April he's "not completely sold" on the jab.

Provencher MP Ted Falk made the comments on an episode of Conservative Roundup, a right-wing podcast, in which he spoke about media "fear mongering" over the novel coronavirus and discussed his views on its vaccines.

In April, Conservative MP Ted Falk of the Provencher (Manitoba) riding said he's "not completely sold" on the jab. (Fred Chartrand / Canadian Press files)

This week, the Free Press reported Falk is the only Manitoba MP who will not reveal his immunization status. Falk's April comments were first reported Wednesday by left-wing media outlet PressProgress.

"The personal medical information of Canadians is private. As such, MP Falk will not be commenting on any matters related to his personal health," his office wrote Aug. 6.

In the April 28 podcast episode, Falk was asked about the Conservative Party of Canada's election priorities will be, including the economy and vaccine rollout, as examples.

"There's a lot of people that have put a lot of hope in vaccines and the confidence of people, at the moment anyway from a COVID perspective, seems to be if they can just get the vaccine, they feel then they'll be protected and they'll be safe," Falk said, adding the vaccines are "all labeled as experimental."

In September 2020, the federal health minister authorized the importation of COVID-19 vaccines under an interim order. All vaccines approved for use in Canada have gone through three phases of clinical trials, which is standard procedure for any vaccination approval.

"I'm not an anti-vaxxer, but I'm not completely sold on this vaccination," Falk said in April.

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As of Aug. 4, 81.7 per cent of eligible Manitobans have had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, but the uptake has been much lower in some of the public health districts in Falks riding.

In Hanover, which borders Steinbach, just 44.8 per cent of people age 12 and up have had one shot. The vaccination rate stands at around 60 per cent in Steinbach and further east in the La Broquerie and Ste. Anne area.

Falk also accused media of fear mongering.

"They have this gory image of a virus with these tentacles and they make it seem really scary, and 24-7 they keep pounding that message out to Canadians: be scared of that little red ball with all the spikes, it's going to kill you  when in fact if you look at the data, the chances of surviving even if you get the virus, if you're under the age of 70 is 99.7 per cent," Falk said.

The latest data show the official, overall COVID-19 death in Canada was 26,683 in more than 1.5 million infections, which equates to about a 98.3 per cent rate of survival  a percentage regularly reported by media.

Falk's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Whoever takes over for Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister will have hugely unpopular shoes to fill.

A Probe Research/Winnipeg Free Press poll in March found 62 per cent of Manitobans disapproved of Pallisters performance as leader. In vote-rich Winnipeg, that disapproval rating jumped to 68 per cent.

In June, support for the governing party was plummeting, with the Tories trailing the NDP by nearly 20 percentage points. The gap was even wider in Winnipeg, where the NDP had 55 per cent support, compared to the Tories 22 per cent.

Here are a few possible leadership contenders:

Rochelle Squires  The Winnipeg MLA first elected in Riel in 2016 has held the municipal relations and families portfolios, getting to know rural leaders and the Tory base while making a name for herself most recently by signing a historic, $1.2-billion national child-care agreement with Ottawa. The NDP in Manitoba typically win elections if it has the support of the majority of women voters. Squires, who has shared her personal experiences as a young, single mom who benefited from the social safety net, is likely the biggest threat to the NDP in the 2023 election.

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Eileen Clarke  The former minister of Indigenous and northern relations made national headlines when she resigned from cabinet in response to the premiers remarks concerning Indigenous people and his refusal to listen to cabinet ministers. The MLA from Gladstone who was first elected in Agassiz in 2016 is the only member of the Tory caucus who has openly criticized the premier and followed up by taking action.

Kelvin Goertzen  First elected in 2003 in Steinbach, hes now the minister of legislative and public affairs, government house leader and deputy premier. He has the most experience and would likely have the easiest time stepping into the role of premier, but hasnt expressed any interest in the job.

Cameron Friesen  Since being elected in Morden-Winkler in 2011, he has served as finance, health and justice minister. Hes popular in rural Manitoba and proven he can manage his files. No matter how competent he is, its his name that will forever be associated with the COVID-19 pandemics devastating second wave and his comments as health minister about personal care home deaths being "inevitable."

Brian Bowman  The Winnipeg mayor will soon be out of a job, having already indicated he will not run for re-election in 2022. Although Bowman was a constant combatant with Pallister since the Tories got back into power, he does have both PC party credentials and instant name recognition for city voters. The question to be answered is whether Bowman, who traded punches with the last Tory leader, could somehow win over the party to be its next leader.

 with files from Dan Lett

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
MEMBERS of the University of Winnipeg Faculty Association voted overwhelmingly Monday to call on their employer to institute a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for students and staff engaged in on-campus activities.

MEMBERS of the University of Winnipeg Faculty Association voted overwhelmingly Monday to call on their employer to institute a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for students and staff engaged in on-campus activities.

During a two-hour meeting, the union recorded 86 members in favour, three opposed and one abstention on a vote regarding immunization status.

The motion recognizes people with medical conditions should be exempt from a vaccine mandate and international students newly arriving to Winnipeg should be given a science-based grace period.

"Our message to the university administration is: not only is this a way to have a safe campus, have a campus that hopefully will have no interruptions to the academic year because of COVID, and contribute to making the downtown community safe  but it is also an opportunity to be a leader," said Peter Miller, president of the faculty association.

No post-secondary institute in Western Canada has yet to announce it will require its community members to be fully immunized to enter buildings or participate in campus activities.

In Ontario, however, both Seneca College in Toronto and the University of Ottawa have announced vaccine mandates on their campuses.

On Tuesday, uOttawa announced it would require its students, staff and faculty, and campus visitors, to be fully immunized, citing the continued risk posed by COVID-19 and highly infectious variants. Everyone involved is required to have at least one dose by Sept. 7.

Miller said academics in Winnipeg expressed support Monday to mandate vaccines in their workplace both to protect the population that cannot be immunized  in particular, children under 12  and out of concern thousands of people will be on campus this fall.

An estimated 6,000 students, in addition to school employees, will come back to U of W in the coming weeks, he added, noting the largest class sizes will include as many as 120 students.

Also Monday, faculty members approved motions to recommend U of W extend its mask mandate for the entirety of the fall term and allow educators who wish to switch to remote learning during the upcoming session be permitted to do so.

In an email Tuesday, a spokesperson for the U of W indicated the school is following provincial guidance and outlined its "robust safety plan," which is made up of a mask mandate, enhanced ventilation and ramped up cleaning.

"We understand that the faculty association is discussing these topics and their views will be taken into consideration as we ramp up for a successful resumption of in-person learning this fall," said Kevin Rosen, executive director of marketing and communications.

The president of U of Ws students association did not respond to a request for comment before deadline Tuesday.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
Premier Brian Pallister announced late Tuesday afternoon that he will be stepping down before the next provincial election. Hours earlier, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced he will soon resign amid many allegations of sexual harassment. Cuomo will be replaced by the states elected lieutenant-governor , but the race to replace Pallister as Progressive Conservative leader and premier has just begun. The Free Press has compiled a list of a few possible contenders . Check out Dan Letts column and our editorial on Pallisters decision.

Whats happening today

Meng Wanzhou during a break from court proceedings on Tuesday. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press) Hearing set to start: The formal extradition hearing for Meng Wanzhou, the Huawei executive arrested in 2018, is expected to begin in Vancouver. She is accused of fraud in the United States. Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor was sentenced to 11 years in prison last night (today in China) in a spy case seen as retaliation for Mengs arrest. Earlier this week, a Chinese court rejected Canadian Robert Schellenbergs appeal of a death sentence in a drug case that was imposed after Meng was detained. Another Canadian, Michael Kovrig, is awaiting a verdict after being tried in China on espionage charges. The Associated Press reports. Read More More firefighting help: More than 100 firefighters from South Africa will arrive in Manitoba to help battle wildfires. Read More Active shooter arrest: The RCMP will release more information after they alerted the public about an active shooter northwest of St. John's on Tuesday night. A 30-year-old man was arrested. Read More Taliban takes capitals: The Taliban has seized three more provincial capitals in Afghanistan, governments officials said today, and the militant group now controls about two-thirds of the country. The U.S. plans to complete withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan by the end of August. The Associated Press reports. Read More Weather

Your forecast: Sunny, becoming a mix of sun and cloud this afternoon, with a high of 24 C, and wind from the west at 15 km/h increasing to 30 km/h and gusting to 50 this morning. There is a 60 per cent chance of showers this evening and early Thursday. In case you missed it

Gary Firth and his wife, Valerie Firth. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press) Worst Ive seen: Gary Firth waited nearly 24 hours in St. Boniface Hospitals emergency room over three separate visits. Hes just one of the patients who have suffered during long waits at the overrun ER recently. Katie May reports. Read More Redesigning iconic intersection: The City of Winnipeg is seeking bids to design a major vision for the intersection of Portage and Main in a new request for proposal. The document suggests new pedestrian safety barriers should be removable to allow for crossings during special events. Joyanne Pursaga reports. Read More On this date

On Aug. 11, 1933: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that a forest fire raging in Newfoundland threatened the small town of Burlington. On Lake Winnipeg, skipper Jon Sigurder of the steamer Grand Rapids declared that the cyclone in which four Winnipeg naval reservists met disaster was "one of the worst windstorms in my experience." The search for the missing men continued. Official reports issued at Washington and Ottawa indicated the worst crop disaster in many years; in the U.S., the wheat crop was the smallest in 40 years. Today's front page

Get the full story: Read today's e-edition of the Winnipeg Free Press Read More
I will never kneel before such a destructive force (as the Taliban), declared Ashraf Ghani, the soon-to-be-ex-president of Afghanistan. We will either sit knee-to-knee for real negotiations at the table, or break their knees on the battlefield. Good luck with that, Ashraf.

Opinion

"I will never kneel before such a destructive force (as the Taliban)," declared Ashraf Ghani, the soon-to-be-ex-president of Afghanistan. "We will either sit knee-to-knee for real negotiations at the table, or break their knees on the battlefield." Good luck with that, Ashraf.

General Sami Sadat, still commander of Helmand province as I write this (although perhaps not by the time you read it), was equally confident, but warned that the safety of the world is at stake: "This will increase the hope for small extremist groups to mobilize in the cities of Europe and America, and will have a devastating effect on global security."

And how did it all come to this? Ashraf Ghani pointed out that it is obviously Americas fault. "The reason for our current situation is that the (U.S. decision to withdraw) was taken abruptly," he told parliament last Monday.

Well, fair enough. U.S. forces have been in Afghanistan for a bare 20 years and the treacherous cowards are already quitting. Donald Trump signed a treaty with the Taliban 18 months ago promising that all U.S. troops would leave Afghanistan by May 1 of this year. Short notice, indeed.

In April, Joe Biden unilaterally postponed the departure date to Sept. 11, 2021, whereupon the Taliban started shooting at the foreign troops again. Then Biden changed the date again, to Aug. 31, a whole 11 days earlier. How abrupt is that? No wonder Ashraf Ghani feels betrayed.

Im tempted to go back into the archives and find similar brave declarations of imminent victory by South Vietnamese generals (followed by similar predictions of global disaster if they are abandoned) in the final weeks before the helicopters started plucking Americans from the U.S. embassy roof in Saigon in 1975. But its a nice day, and I cant be bothered.

President Ghani, General Sadat and all their friends are reading from the same old script, just 46 years later, and once that final scene has played out in Kabul, theyll go and live in the United States. (Dont worry. Theyve saved up enough money.) The only real surprise here is how thoroughly western armed forces managed to forget their own history.

Im not talking about the old history, when three invasions of Afghanistan at the height of British imperial power (183942; 187880; 1919) all failed to achieve their objectives.

Im not even talking about the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1979-89, when the United States helped the Taliban and similar Islamist groups to do to the Russians exactly what the Taliban have now done to the Americans themselves.

The problem there was that Americans did not see Russians as western, although viewed from a low orbit they are virtually identical. U.S. generals therefore believed that some essential difference between the two armies protected American troops from the fate of the Russians.

Never mind all that. The really unpardonable mistake was forgetting all the lessons western armies had learned from a dozen lost guerilla wars in former colonies between 1954 and 1975.

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France in Algeria and Indochina, Britain in Kenya, Cyprus and Aden, Portugal in Angola and Mozambique, the proxy wars in Rhodesia and southwest Africa (as they were then known), and the United States again in Indochina. All the wars were lost, and yet the defeated imperial powers didnt really lose anything except face.

Western armies really did learn the lessons of those defeats. As a young man in the 1970s, I taught military history and strategy in the Canadian Forces Staff College and then at Britains Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. The doctrine I taught was a) western armies always lose guerilla wars in the "third world," and b) it never really matters.

The western armies lose no matter how big and well-equipped they are, because the insurgents are fighting on home ground. They cant quit and go home because they already are home. Your side can always quit and go home, and sooner or later your own public will demand that they do. So you are bound to lose eventually, even if you win all the battles.

But losing doesnt really matter, because the insurgents are always first and foremost nationalists. They may have picked up bits of some grand ideology to make them feel that "history" is on their side  Marxism or Islamism or whatever  but all they really want is for you to go home so they can run their own show. They wont actually follow you home.

By 1975, this hard-earned wisdom was official doctrine in almost every army in the western world, but military generations are short. A typical military career is only 25 years, so by 2001 nobody remembered it. Their successors had to start learning it again the hard way. Maybe by now they have.

Gwynne Dyers new book is The Shortest History of War.
VICTORIA - British Columbia health officials reported 395 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday with infections showing no signs of slowing down.

A COVID-19 rapid testing area is seen on the international arrivals level at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., Friday, July 30, 2021. British Columbia health officials reported 395 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday with infections showing no signs of slowing down. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VICTORIA - British Columbia health officials reported 395 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday with infections showing no signs of slowing down.

In a news release, they say there are no additional deaths and 23 of those infected are in intensive care.

They say seven long-term facilities have outbreaks including four in the Interior Health region.

Health officials announced circuit-breaker restrictions in the central Okanagan region last week amid a surge of COVID-19 cases driven by the highly infectious Delta variant.

Officials say 83 per cent of those eligible have now received their first COVID-19 vaccination shot while more than 72 per cent have had their second dose.

The recent outbreaks in the province have prompted health officials to shorten their recommended delay between vaccinations from 49 to 28 days to increase community-level protection.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2021.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged all pregnant women Wednesday to get the COVID-19 vaccine as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus.

FILE - In this May 7, 2020 file photo, a pregnant woman wearing a face mask and gloves holds her belly as she waits in line for groceries at St. Mary's Church in Waltham, Mass. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged all pregnant women Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021 to get the COVID-19 vaccine as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. see disturbingly high numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, file)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged all pregnant women Wednesday to get the COVID-19 vaccine as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus.

Expectant women run a higher risk of severe illness and pregnancy complications from the coronavirus, including perhaps miscarriages and stillbirths. But their vaccination rates are low, with only about 23% having received at least one dose, according to CDC data.

"The vaccines are safe and effective, and it has never been more urgent to increase vaccinations as we face the highly transmissible delta variant and see severe outcomes from COVID-19 among unvaccinated pregnant people, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.

The updated guidance comes after a CDC analysis of new safety data on 2,500 women showed no increased risks of miscarriage for those who received at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine before 20 weeks of pregnancy. The analysis found a miscarriage rate of around 13%, within the normal range.

The CDCs advice echoes recent recommendations from top obstetrician groups. The agency had previously encouraged pregnant women to consider vaccination but had stopped short of a full recommendation. The new advice also applies to nursing mothers and women planning to get pregnant.

Although pregnant women were not included in studies that led to authorization of COVID-19 vaccines, experts say real-world experience in tens of thousands of women shows that the shots are safe for them and that when given during pregnancy may offer some protection to newborns.

The new guidance comes amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S., driven by the highly contagious delta variant.

Some health authorities believe the variant may cause more severe disease  in pregnant women and others as well  than earlier versions of the virus, though that is still under investigation.

FILE - In this March 29, 2021 file photo, a worker readies syringes with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in Metairie, La. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging all pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Wednesday, Aug. 11. The advice comes as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

National figures show the latest surge in cases among pregnant women is lower than it was during the outbreak's winter peak. But at some hospitals in states with low vaccination rates, the numbers of sick mothers-to-be outpace those during earlier surges, before vaccines were available.

"This is by far the worst weve seen in the pandemic, said Dr. Jane Martin, an obstetrician with Ochsner Baptist Medical Center in New Orleans. She added: "Its disheartening and its exhausting. It feels like it doesnt have to be like this."

At the beginning of the pandemic and with each surge, Ochsner had a few pregnant patients very sick with the virus, though the numbers had dwindled in recent months.

"A week or two ago that pace changed drastically, Martin said. "We have had multiple critically ill pregnant patients admitted every day, most requiring intensive care.

Martin said she has taken care of at least 30 pregnant patients hospitalized with COVID-19 over the last two weeks. Most were unvaccinated.

Experts say the lifting of mask rules and other social distancing precautions and the rise of the delta variant have contributed to the worrisome trend. But also, vaccinations werent made available to women of childbearing age and others under 65 until spring.

Early in her pregnancy, Tennessee kindergarten teacher Sara Brown decided she would wait until the baby was born to get the shots. There wasnt much safety data yet about getting vaccinated during pregnancy, and at 36, she was young, healthy and "figured if I did get it, it would probably just be a bad cold.

But what seemed like a sinus infection in June turned into severe COVID-19, landing her in a Nashville intensive care unit for five days, on oxygen and struggling to breathe.

Her daughter Suzie was born healthy on Aug. 2. But it was a harrowing experience.

"Not being able to catch your breath is such a panicky feeling, knowing I had life inside me that could be suffering too, she said.

At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where Brown was treated, there were no infected pregnant patients early in July. Now the hospital is admitting four to five a week, all unvaccinated, said obstetrician Dr. Jennifer Thompson. About 20% of those patients are being treated in the intensive care unit, compared with 11% during previous surges, she said.

For some pregnant patients critically ill with COVID-19, organs begin to fail and doctors induce labor early or deliver babies by cesarean section as a last resort, said Dr. Jeannie Kelly, an obstetrician at Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis.

About 20% of all patients admitted for labor and delivery last week at the St. Louis hospital are infected, more than double the rate during the COVID-19 surge in Missouri last year, she said. About one-third of these women are critically ill.

Around 105,000 pregnant U.S. women have been infected with COVID-19, and almost 18,000 have been hospitalized, according to the CDC. About one-fourth of those received intensive care and 124 died.

Pregnancy-related changes in body functions may explain why the virus can be dangerous for mothers-to-be. These include reduced lung capacity and adjustments in the disease-fighting immune system that protect and help the fetus grow.

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The risks are disproportionately high for Black and Hispanic women, who are more likely to face health care and economic inequalities that increase their chances of getting sick.

Some studies suggest the virus can also increase the risks of preterm birth and stillbirth, and in rare cases, it appears to have passed from mother to fetus.

Martin, the New Orleans obstetrician, noted that local hospitals are also treating increasing numbers of children and babies sick with COVID-19, some of whom may have been infected after birth by unvaccinated mothers.

Martin was pregnant when she got her own shots last winter. She delivered a healthy baby girl a week after the last shot.

"Vaccinating people is the only way out, she said.

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.
Wits celebrates its stars in 2021 M&G Top 200

The Wits Senior Executive Team hail Witsies in the 2021 Mail & Guardian Top 200 for making a positive impact in society.

Wits University held a virtual meet and greet on 15 July for its staff, students and alumni listed in the 2021 Mail & Guardian Top 200 List of young outstanding South Africans. The 2021 trailblazers were recognised under the theme, Resilience for Innovation and Excellence. This year, Wits dominated the list with over 40 eminent Witsies recognised for excellence in their various fields. The list highlights exceptional young South Africans under the age of 35 years old who are making waves.

The virtual event, attended by members of the Wits Senior Executive Team and staff across various departments, sought to celebrate the trailblazers who are flying the Wits flag high.

Dean of Student Affairs, Jerome September said they personify the new University slogan, Wits. For Good through their impact and this needs to be celebrated.

You have been identified as an incredible innovator and as a trailblazer in South Africa. The goal is to celebrate excellence, inspire others and show the young people of this country have responded to the new and unique challenges in the past year. As a Witsie, you will know that all those aims are what the university is all about - we are about the pursuit of excellence in all that we do, being trailblazers and we are a university that seeks to make a difference in our society, said September.

In his celebratory remarks, Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Zeblon Vilakazi expressed his pride over the outstanding Witsies and their note-worthy recognition, which is testament to the talent that Wits attracts. He congratulated the group for their zeal for success amidst the pandemic and for epitomising excellence.

It [recognition] is an acknowledgement of your hard work, perseverance and determination. The best is yet to come out of you, so this occasion amplifies the fact that society looks up to you. You are the future. As the University heads towards its centenary next year, it is heartening and very encouraging to see that Wits continues and does not seize to attract, nurture and produce graduates with great qualities- people whose impact at such a very young age is being felt far and wide.

Vilakazi said being associated with excellence is one of the many joys he loves about being Vice-Chancellor. The Witsies featured in the 2021 M&G Top 200 join a long list of sterling staff, students and alumni who have made a remarkable impact are who are celebrated the world over said Vilakazi.

The Vice-Chancellor implored on the Witsies to be in continuous pursuit of excellence and be agents of change of change in society.

As change makers, always remember to embody the principles upon which you have built this august institution. Remain curious and advance beyond your comfort zone, ask questions of everyone and everything, hold those in power accountable, think critically and independently, value intellectual excellence, be active social citizens, be resilient and adaptable, appreciate collaboration and collegiality.
A Chinese court has sentenced Canadian businessman Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison for espionage, more than two years after he was first detained.

Spavor, a Beijing-based businessman who regularly traveled to North Korea, was sentenced after being found guilty of spying and illegally providing state secrets to foreign countries, the Dandong Intermediate People's Court said in a statement Wednesday.

The court said Spavor would also be deported, without specifying whether it was before or after he served his prison sentence.

Spavor was detained in December 2018 alongside Canadian Michael Kovrig on espionage charges. The two men were detained following the arrest in Vancouver of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei, over allegations the company violated United States sanctions on Iran. Meng, whose extradition hearing is now in its final stages, has been held under house arrest in Vancouver since 2018.

Chinese officials have not disclosed any evidence against Spavor or Kovrig, or information relating to their trials, which were held behind closed doors in March.

Speaking from Dandong on Wednesday, Canadian Ambassador to China Dominic Barton said his government condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the sentence handed down to Spavor.

Barton said he had spoken to Spavor after the verdict was delivered, and the Canadian had asked him to deliver three messages.

"One, thank you for all your support, it means a lot to me. Two, I am in good spirits, and three, I want to get home," Barton said, relaying Spavor's remarks. The ambassador said the legal process had "lacked both fairness and transparency," and linked the sentencing of Spavor to the ongoing trial of Meng in Canada.

Speaking to Spavor's sentence, Barton said they had interpreted it as an 11-year jail term followed by deportation from China, but added the deportation could be "very important."

"Is there a chance to get (him) home earlier? We've been considering that in terms of the appeal but that deportation phrase was noted," he said.

Family members and contacts of the two Canadian men have described them being held in poor conditions, and denied outside contact. Almost all in-person consular visits to foreign prisoners in China have been paused since last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, with diplomats only able to speak to those detained via the phone.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced Spavor's sentencing Wednesday as "absolutely unacceptable and unjust," saying in a statement Canada's top priority is securing the release of the two men.

"The verdict for Mr. Spavor comes after more than two and a half years of arbitrary detention, a lack of transparency in the legal process, and a trial that did not satisfy even the minimum standards required by international law," Trudeau said. "We will not rest until they are safely brought home."

Authorities in China have yet to announce a date for the verdict or sentencing of the other detained Canadian, Michael Kovrig. A former Canadian diplomat who worked for the International Crisis Group (ICG), Kovrig is accused of "stealing sensitive information and intelligence through contacts in China since 2017."

Chinese courts have a conviction rate of more than 99% and observers say the release of Spavor and Kovrig could now rest on a diplomatic solution, potentially after a face-saving conviction and sentence of time served.

Trudeau has repeatedly refused to consider any trade of Spavor and Kovrig for Meng, whose detention has seen relations plunge between Ottawa and Beijing. Earlier this year, Canada's parliament approved a non-binding motion accusing China of committing genocide against its Muslim minorities in the western region of Xinjiang, further straining ties between the two countries.

University of Toronto Associate Professor Lynette Ong said that adding the deportation phrase to Spavor's sentencing gave the Chinese government "bargaining power."

"From Canadian perspective, it allows Canada to to expect a more favorable outcome than 11 years," she said.

Both the administrations of former US President Donald Trump, and now US President Joe Biden have pledged to do all they can to assist the two Canadians, with Vice President Kamala Harris telling Trudeau in a phone call in February that Washington was in "strong solidarity with Canada regarding the issue of two Canadian citizens unjustly detained by China."

In a statement Wednesday, the United States Embassy in China strongly condemned the verdict, describing it as a "blatant attempt" to use people as "bargaining leverage."

Spavor's sentencing comes just one day after Canadian citizen Robert Lloyd Schellenberg had his 2019 death sentence for trafficking drugs upheld on appeal at a court in the northeastern province of Liaoning. Schellenberg's initial 15-year jail term was changed to a death sentence at a retrial in December 2018 after the prosecution said it had uncovered new evidence.

Marc Garneau, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement on Tuesday that Canada "strongly" condemned the court's decision and that Schellenberg's sentence was "arbitrary."

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For his two-dose Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, Ted Rall crossed state lines back in February and March. Appointments in New York City were impossible to come by, but his friend told him about a federal facility in New Jersey with no residency requirements and so he drove there twice.

The Covid-19 shot Rall had at the end of July -- his third -- was a lot easier to get his hands on and far more convenient, he says, even though the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention don't currently recommend Covid-19 vaccine boosters for anyone.

Rall, 57, simply walked into a CVS pharmacy in Manhattan, no appointment needed, and told the pharmacist he wanted to get a Covid-19 vaccine. He pretended it was his first dose.

Rall, a political cartoonist and writer, says he has asthma and a history of serious respiratory disease including swine flu and pneumonia. He suspects he had Covid-19 early in the pandemic, though his antibody tests were negative. He isn't interested in taking any chances now that the more transmissible Delta variant is ravaging the country and more than 98% of the US population lives in counties considered to have "high" or "substantial" Covid-19 transmission, according to the CDC.

"I want to stay protected, you know, and I think it's also pretty obvious that this is going to be the norm, and it might just be like in a month or two," Rall told CNN. "Everyone's going to be doing it, so why wait until it's hard to get appointments again?"

Rall could be right about the timeline. A Biden administration official told CNN last week that internal discussions at the FDA are looking at early September to lay out a strategy on Covid-19 booster shots. A decision for those who are immunocompromised and face greater risk from the virus is expected sooner, the official said.

Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet Friday to discuss boosters and additional doses for immunocompromised people.

And the FDA is already considering full approval of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, a decision that some say could occur in a matter of weeks. All of the Covid-19 vaccines are currently available in the US under emergency use authorization. Full approval could mean that the fully vaccinated could get an additional vaccine -- well before any recommendation for boosters -- if a doctor thinks it's warranted.

The available vaccines provide strong protection for most people, but studies have shown that people who are immocompromised don't build up sufficient protection from the standard doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Recent research also suggests that some protection from mRNA vaccines wanes for everyone over time.

Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research, told CNN he predicts that an FDA approval, plus a direct message that boosting is necessary -- even if it's strictly for immunocompromised people and the elderly -- will create a sort of "booster mania" in the US.

He said an FDA approval "opens up everything for people who are concerned to get a doctor's prescription. So that just adds to the chaos."

'We're not there yet' on boosters

Rall's own decision to seek out a booster was driven by all of the research he's read about, including data from the Israeli Health Ministry released last month that suggests that overall efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine against all Covid-19 infections has dropped to just 39% in those who were vaccinated earlier in the year, although their data show the vaccine is still 91.4% effective in preventing severe disease.

Other data released by both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna suggest that both vaccines see waning levels of antibodies over time.

But that doesn't mean protection ends, and boosters aren't yet recommended for anyone.

On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN's Fareed Zakaria that there's still limited data on how long vaccine durability lasts.

"The bottom line of it all is that we are following very carefully the durability of protection," Fauci said. "And when you follow it, you look and see what is the percentage of protection that you get as you go month for month."

When data shows protection goes below a certain threshold, he said, health officials will recommend boosters for the general population.

Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania, said Tuesday during a conversation hosted by Brown University that he thinks "we will cross the line, where we know we need a booster dose, when people who are vaccinated, fully vaccinated, nonetheless, are hospitalized or in the ICU or dying.

"We're not there yet."

So far, the vaccines are working: A CNN analysis of CDC data suggests more than 99.9% of fully vaccinated people have not had a severe breakthrough infection.

It's also not clear what risks could come with an additional shot. Topol says it's best to sit it out a few more weeks and he cautions that people who just want to go out for a booster should consider the potential side effects.

"We don't know the boosters are going to protect. These boosters are directed against the original strain, the same problem we have with a vaccine," Topol says. "They're going to raise neutralizing antibodies in people over weeks and they will help to some extent, but we don't know how much, because they're not directed to Delta."

Rall, who recently wrote for the Wall Street Journal about his experience getting a booster shot, says he wasn't worried about the potential risks at all.

"If you told me this vaccine would kill me in 10 years, I would go and take it right now because it's that or this horrible Delta variant going around, and I don't think I would survive that," he said.

And it wasn't hard for him to get a booster -- Rall says the pharmacy didn't ask him a single question, nor did it look up his immunization records.

When asked how CVS determines whether someone who comes to one of the pharmacies or MinuteClinics to get a Covid-19 vaccine hasn't been vaccinated already, a spokesperson for the company said that "patients who have been fully vaccinated at a CVS Pharmacy, or who inform us that they were fully vaccinated by another provider, will not receive another vaccine under the current CDC guidelines. In certain cases, pharmacists may also be able to check a patient's vaccination status with a state's vaccine registry."

CVS wouldn't have been able to figure out Rall had already been fully vaccinated in New Jersey because immunization registries are managed by the state and he got his third shot in New York.

Rebecca Coyle, executive director of the American Immunization Registry Association, said states are currently backlogged with larger-than-normal amounts of immunization information -- and it's up to states to make agreements to share immunization data with each other.

"Not to point out a loophole, but we do not have good data exchange across state lines at this point," she said.

Booster plans in progress

While some individuals are seeking out boosters, some places are making plans to boost vaccines for certain people.

The city of San Francisco is accommodating people who received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine and would like to receive a supplemental dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Officials in the city's Department of Public Health said last week that the department is making an "accommodation" for those who have consulted with a physician, and it is not recommending extra doses or a policy change.

In an email to CNN, Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, said he believes the US will move to third mRNA and possibly second J&J shots relatively soon for people having immunosuppressive therapy, especially solid organ transplant recipients, and the next question will be what other immunocompromised conditions will also be included. After, the next question will be if the US wants to add boosters for people over age 60 -- as Israel has just announced it plans to do.

Germany, the United Kingdom and France also announced booster programs for their most vulnerable populations, even though the World Health Organization last week called for a moratorium on booster shots through at least September until vaccines can be distributed more equitably worldwide.

That's a great irony to Rall, who says that he wouldn't have considered seeking out a third shot if it weren't clear that a lot are going unused by vaccine hesitant populations, particularly in the South.

"But even locally here in New York when I talked to local physicians and pharmacists, they all have lots of unused vaccines, and I thought, well this is ridiculous."

Rall says since sharing his experience with others he's heard from physicians that say they have quietly used vaccine doses as boosters that were set to expire on themselves and for their family members, and that they've been doing so for months. "There's an underground there, there's a lot of doctors who have access to these doses, and they're using them rather than throwing them away."

Those close to Rall weren't all that surprised by his decision to get a booster shot. "Friends kind of know that I'm an independent thinker, I kind of don't really care about or have much respect for sort of one's 'official conclusions' coming from policymakers because. I know that the policymakers are trying to save as many people as possible, as low cost as possible. That's their job."

"I, first and foremost, care about me, so I have a different calculus."

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Here's a look at same-sex marriage in the United States and worldwide.

Facts:

According to Pew Research Center, support for same-sex marriage in the United States has steadily increased over the last several years.

More than two dozen countries outside of the United States have laws allowing same-sex marriage. Most of these are in Europe and South America. Taiwan was the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

US Timeline

September 21, 1996 - President Bill Clinton signs the Defense of Marriage Act banning federal recognition of same-sex marriage and defining marriage as "a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife."

December 3, 1996 - A state court ruling makes Hawaii the first state to recognize that gay and lesbian couples are entitled to the same privileges as heterosexual married couples. The ruling is stayed and appealed the following day.

December 20, 1999 - The Vermont Supreme Court rules that gay and lesbian couples should be given the same rights as heterosexual couples.

November 18, 2003 - The Massachusetts Supreme Court rules that a ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

February 12-March 11, 2004 - Nearly 4,000 same-sex couples get marriage licenses in San Francisco, but the California Supreme Court eventually orders San Francisco to stop issuing marriage licenses. The nearly 4,000 sanctioned marriages are later nullified by the California Supreme Court.

February 20, 2004 - Sandoval County, New Mexico issues 26 same-sex marriage licenses, but they are nullified by the state attorney general the same day.

February 24, 2004 - President George W. Bush announces support for a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

February 27, 2004 - New Paltz, New York Mayor Jason West performs same-sex marriages for about a dozen couples. In June, the Ulster County Supreme Court issues West a permanent injunction against marrying same-sex couples.

March 3, 2004 - In Portland, Oregon, the Multnomah County Clerk's office issues marriage licenses for same-sex couples. Neighboring Benton County follows on March 24.

May 17, 2004 - Massachusetts legalizes same-sex marriage, the first state in the United States to do so.

July 14, 2004 - The US Senate blocks a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage from moving forward in Congress.

August 4, 2004 - A Washington judge rules the state's law defining marriage is unconstitutional.

September 30, 2004 - The US House of Representatives votes against amending the Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage.

October 5, 2004 - A Louisiana judge throws out an amendment to the state constitution banning same-sex marriage because the ban also includes civil unions. In 2005, the Louisiana State Supreme Court reinstates the constitutional amendment.

November 2, 2004 - Eleven states pass constitutional amendments defining marriage as being between a man and a woman only: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah.

March 14, 2005 - A Superior Court judge rules that California's law that limits marriage to a union between a man and a woman is unconstitutional.

April 14, 2005 - Oregon's Supreme Court nullifies the same-sex marriage licenses issued there in 2004.

May 12, 2005 - A federal judge strikes down Nebraska's ban on protection and recognition of same-sex couples.

September 6, 2005 - The California Legislature passes a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. The legislature is the first in the United States to act without a court order to sanction same-sex marriages. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger later vetoes the bill.

September 14, 2005 - The Massachusetts Legislature rejects a proposed amendment to its state constitution to ban same-sex marriages.

November 8, 2005 - Texas becomes the 19th state to adopt a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

January 20, 2006 - A Maryland judge rules the state's law defining marriage is unconstitutional.

March 30, 2006 - The highest court in Massachusetts rules that same-sex couples who live in other states cannot get married in Massachusetts unless same-sex marriage is legal in their home states.

June 6, 2006 - Alabama voters pass a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

July 6, 2006 - The New York Court of Appeals rules that a state law banning same-sex marriage is legal, and the Georgia Supreme Court upholds the state's constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

November 7, 2006 - Constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage are on the ballot in eight states. Seven states: Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin, pass theirs, while Arizona voters reject the ban.

May 15, 2008 - The California Supreme Court rules that the state's ban on same-sex marriages is unconstitutional. The decision goes into effect on June 16 at 5:01 p.m.

October 10, 2008 - The Connecticut Supreme Court in Hartford rules that the state must allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Connecticut on November 12, 2008.

November 4, 2008 - Voters in California approve Proposition 8, which will amend the state's constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Voters in Arizona and Florida also approve similar amendments to their state constitutions.

April 3, 2009 - The Iowa Supreme Court strikes down a state law banning same-sex marriage. Marriages become legal in Iowa on April 27, 2009.

April 7, 2009 - Vermont legalizes same-sex marriages after both the state Senate and House of Representatives overturn a veto by Governor Jim Douglas. The Senate vote is 23-5, while the House vote is 100-49. Marriages become legal on September 1, 2009.

May 6, 2009 - Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Maine, as Gov. John Baldacci signs a bill less than an hour after the state legislature approves it. Voters in Maine repeal the state's law allowing same-sex marriage in November 2009.

May 6, 2009 - New Hampshire lawmakers pass a same-sex marriage bill. Marriages will become legal on January 1, 2010.

May 26, 2009 - The California Supreme Court upholds the passage of Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage. However, 18,000 such marriages performed before Proposition 8 will remain valid.

June 17, 2009 - President Barack Obama signs a memorandum granting some benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.

December 15, 2009 - The city council of Washington, DC votes to legalize same-sex marriage, 11-2. Marriages become legal on March 9, 2010.

July 9, 2010 - Judge Joseph Tauro of Massachusetts rules that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional because it interferes with a state's right to define marriage.

August 4, 2010 - Chief US District Judge Vaughn Walker from the United States District Court/Northern District of California decides that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.

February 23, 2011 - The Obama Administration instructs the Justice Department to stop defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act in court.

June 24, 2011 - The New York Senate votes to legalize same-sex marriage. Governor Andrew Cuomo signs the bill just before midnight.

September 30, 2011 - The US Department of Defense issues new guidelines allowing military chaplains to perform same-sex ceremonies.

February 1, 2012 - The Washington Senate passes a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, by a vote of 28-21. On February 8, 2012, the House approves the measure by a vote of 55-43. The bill is signed into law in Washington by Governor Christine Gregoire on February 13, 2012.

February 7, 2012 - A three-judge panel with the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco rules that Proposition 8, the voter-approved same-sex marriage ban, violates the constitution.

February 17, 2012 - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoes a bill legalizing same-sex marriage.

February 23, 2012 - The Maryland Senate passes a bill to legalize same-sex marriage and Governor Martin O'Malley promises to sign it into law. The law goes into effect on January 1, 2013.

May 8, 2012 - North Carolina voters pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, putting a ban that already existed in state law into the state's charter.

May 9, 2012 - Excerpts from an interview with ABC air in which Obama endorses same-sex marriage, the first such statement by a sitting president. He feels that the legal decision should be up to the states to determine.

May 31, 2012 - The 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston rules that the Defense of Marriage Act, (DOMA), discriminates against gay couples.

June 5, 2012 - The 9th Circuit US Court of Appeals in San Francisco denies a request to review an earlier court decision stating that California's Proposition 8 violates the Constitution. A stay on same-sex marriages in California remains in place until the issue is exhausted in the courts.

October 18, 2012 - The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals rules that the Defense of Marriage Act, (DOMA), violates the Constitution's equal protection clause, deciding in favor of widow Edith Windsor, an 83-year-old lesbian who sued the federal government for charging her more than $363,000 in estate taxes after being denied the benefit of spousal deductions.

November 6, 2012 - Voters in Maryland, Washington and Maine pass referendums legalizing same-sex marriage. This is the first time same-sex marriage has been approved by a popular vote in the United States. Voters in Minnesota reject a ban on the issue.

December 5, 2012 - Washington Governor Christine Gregoire signs Referendum 74, the Marriage Equality Act, into law. Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Washington the following day.

December 7, 2012 - The US Supreme Court announces it will hear two constitutional challenges to state and federal laws dealing with the recognition of gay and lesbian couples to legally wed. Oral arguments in the appeal are held in March 2013, with a ruling expected by late June.

January 25, 2013 - The Rhode Island House of Representatives passes a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. On May 2, 2013, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee signs the bill legalizing the marriages after the state legislature approves the measure, and the law goes into effect in August 2013.

May 7, 2013 - Delaware legalizes same-sex marriage. It goes into effect July 1, 2013.

May 14, 2013 - Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signs a bill giving same-sex couples the right to marry. The law goes into effect in August 1, 2013.

June 26, 2013 - The Supreme Court rejects parts of DOMA in a 5-4 decision, dismissing an appeal over same-sex marriage on jurisdictional grounds and ruling same-sex spouses legally married in a state may receive federal benefits. It also rules that private parties do not have "standing" to defend California's voter-approved ballot measure barring gay and lesbian couples from state-sanctioned wedlock. The ruling clears the way for same-sex marriages in California to resume.

August 1, 2013 - Laws in Rhode Island and Minnesota to legalize same-sex marriage go into effect at midnight.

August 29, 2013 - The US Treasury Department rules that legally married same-sex couples will be treated as married for tax purposes, even if they live in a state that does not recognize same-sex marriage.

September 27, 2013 - A New Jersey state judge rules that same-sex couples must be permitted to marry in New Jersey starting October 21. The ruling says that the parallel label "civil unions," which the state already allows, is illegally preventing same-sex couples from getting federal benefits.

October 10, 2013 - New Jersey Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson denies the state's appeal to halt same-sex marriages. On October 21, same-sex couples are legally allowed to marry.

November 13, 2013 - Governor Neil Abercrombie signs legislation making Hawaii the 15th state to legalize same-sex marriage. The law takes effect on December 2, 2013.

November 20, 2013 - Illinois becomes the 16th state to legalize same-sex marriage when Governor Pat Quinn signs the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act into law. The law will go into effect on June 1, 2014.

November 27, 2013 - Pat Ewert and Venita Gray become the first same-sex couple to marry in Illinois. Gray's battle with cancer prompted the couple to seek relief from a federal court to immediately receive a license before the law goes into effect in June. Gray dies March 18, 2014. On February 21, 2014, an Illinois federal judge rules that other same-sex couples in Cook County can marry immediately.

December 19, 2013 - The New Mexico Supreme Court unanimously rules to allow same-sex marriage statewide and orders county clerks to begin issuing marriage licenses to qualified same-sex couples.

December 20, 2013 - A federal judge in Utah declares the state ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.

December 24, 2013 - The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals denies a request from Utah officials to temporarily stay a lower court's ruling that allows same-sex marriage there. The ruling allows same-sex marriages to continue while the appeal goes forward.

January 6, 2014 - The Supreme Court temporarily blocks same-sex marriage in Utah, sending the matter back to an appeals court. Days later, State officials in Utah announce that the more than 1,000 same-sex marriages performed in the three weeks prior will not be recognized.

January 14, 2014 - An Oklahoma federal court rules the state ban on same-sex marriage is "an arbitrary, irrational exclusion of just one class of Oklahoma citizens from a governmental benefit." Anticipating an appeal, US Senior District Judge Terence Kern puts in place a stay pending the outcome of the Utah appeal, so same-sex couples in Oklahoma cannot immediately marry.

February 10, 2014 - Attorney General Eric Holder issues a memo stating, "the (Justice) department will consider a marriage valid for purposes of the marital privilege if an individual is or was validly married in a jurisdiction authorized to sanction marriages, regardless of whether the marriage is or would have been recognized in the state where the married individuals reside or formerly resided, or where the civil or criminal action has been brought."

February 12, 2014 - US District Judge John G. Heyburn II rules that Kentucky's denial of recognition for valid same-sex marriages violates the United States Constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law.

February 13, 2014 - US District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen strikes down Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage.

February 26, 2014 - US District Judge Orlando Garcia strikes down Texas' ban on same-sex marriage, ruling it has no "rational relation to a legitimate government purpose."

March 14, 2014 - A federal preliminary injunction is ordered against Tennessee's ban on recognizing same-sex marriages from other states.

March 21, 2014 - US District Judge Bernard Friedman rules that the Michigan Marriage Amendment which bans same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette files an emergency request for Judge Friedman's order to be stayed and appealed.

April 14, 2014 - District Judge Timothy Black orders Ohio to recognize same-sex marriages from other states.

May 9, 2014 - An Arkansas state judge declares the state's voter-approved same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional.

May 13, 2014 - Magistrate Judge Candy Wagahoff Dale rules that the Idaho ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. An appeal is filed. The following day, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals responds to the appeal and issues a temporary stay against same-sex marriage in Idaho. In October 2014, the Supreme Court lifts the stay.

May 16, 2014 - The Arkansas Supreme Court issues an emergency stay as its judges consider an appeal to the state judge's ruling on same-sex marriage.

May 19, 2014 - A federal judge strikes down Oregon's ban on same-sex marriage.

May 20, 2014 - District Judge John E. Jones strikes down Pennsylvania's ban on same-sex marriage.

June 6, 2014 - A Wisconsin federal judge strikes down the state's same-sex marriage ban. Within days, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen files a petition with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to halt same-sex marriages in the state.

June 13, 2014 - District Judge Barbara Crabb temporarily blocks same-sex marriages in Wisconsin, pending appeals.

June 25, 2014 - An appeals court strikes down Utah's ban on same-sex marriage.

June 25, 2014 - District Judge Richard Young strikes down Indiana's same-sex marriage ban.

July 9, 2014 - A state judge in Colorado strikes down Colorado's ban on same-sex marriage. However, the judge prevents couples from immediately marrying by staying his decision.

July 11, 2014 - A federal appeals court rules that about 1,300 same-sex marriages performed earlier this year must be recognized by Utah.

July 18, 2014 - The Supreme Court grants Utah's request for a delay in recognizing same-sex marriages performed in late 2013 and early 2014.

July 18, 2014 - The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a judge's ruling from January 2014 that the same-sex marriage ban in Oklahoma is unconstitutional. The panel stays the ruling, pending appeal from the state.

July 23, 2014 - A federal judge rules that Colorado's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. The judge stays implementation of the ruling pending appeals.

July 28, 2014 - A federal appeals court strikes down Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage. The 4th Circuit opinion also will affect marriage laws in other states within its jurisdiction, including West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Separate orders will have to be issued for affected states in the region outside Virginia.

August 20, 2014 - The Supreme Court grants a request to delay enforcement of an appeals court ruling that overturned Virginia's same-sex marriage ban.

August 21, 2014 - District Judge Robert Hinkle rules Florida's same-sex marriage ban to be unconstitutional, but same-sex marriages cannot immediately be performed.

September 3, 2014 - Judge Martin L. C. Feldman upholds Louisiana's ban on same-sex marriages, breaking a streak of 21 consecutive federal court decisions overturning the bans since June 2013.

October 6, 2014 - The US Supreme Court refuses to hear appeals from five states -- Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin -- seeking to keep their same-sex marriage bans in place. Therefore, same-sex marriage becomes legal in those states.

October 7, 2014 - Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Colorado and Indiana.

October 7, 2014 - The 9th Circuit US Court of Appeals in California concludes bans on same-sex marriage in Nevada and Idaho violate the equal protection rights of same-sex couples to legally marry.

October 9, 2014 - Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Nevada and West Virginia.

October 10, 2014 - Same-sex marriage becomes legal in North Carolina.

October 17, 2014 - Judge John Sedwick rules that Arizona's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and refuses to stay his ruling. The same day, Attorney General Eric Holder announces that federal legal recognition of same-sex marriages extends to Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. Also, the US Supreme Court rejects Alaska's request to delay enforcement of the court's ruling on same-sex marriage. Less than an hour later, a federal judge in Wyoming did the same in that Western state.

November 4, 2014 - A federal judge rules that Kansas' ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. He puts the ruling on hold until November 11, to give the state time to file an appeal.

November 6, 2014 - The US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit upholds bans on same-sex marriages in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

November 12, 2014 - A South Carolina federal judge strikes down the state's ban on same-sex marriage, delaying the effective date until November 20, allowing time for an appeal by the state's attorney general.

November 19, 2014 - A federal judge overturns Montana's same-sex marriage ban. The order is effective immediately.

January 5, 2015 - The US Supreme Court denies Florida's petition to extend the stay on allowing same-sex marriages. Couples are free to marry as the case continues through the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

January 12, 2015 - A federal judge rules South Dakota's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional but stays the ruling.

January 23, 2015 - A federal court judge rules in favor of the freedom to marry in Alabama for same-sex couples but stays the ruling.

January 27, 2015 - Federal Judge Callie Granade rules to strike down the same-sex marriage ban in a second case involving an unmarried same-sex couple in Alabama but stays her ruling for 14 days.

February 8, 2015 - Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore instructs probate judges not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

February 9, 2015 - Some Alabama probate judges, including in Montgomery County, begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Others follow the instructions of Moore.

February 12, 2015 - Judge Granade instructs Probate Judge Don Davis, of Mobile County, Alabama, to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

March 2, 2015 - US District Court Judge Joseph Bataillon strikes down Nebraska's same-sex marriage ban, effective March 9. The state immediately appeals the ruling, but Bataillon denies a stay.

March 3, 2015 - The Alabama Supreme Court orders probate judges to discontinue issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The judges have five business days to respond to the order.

March 5, 2015 - The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals issues a stay on Judge Batallion's ruling. The ban on same-sex marriage will remain in effect through the state's appeals process.

April 28, 2015 - The US Supreme Court hears arguments in the case, Obergefell v. Hodges. The Courts ruling will decide whether states can constitutionally ban same-sex marriage.

June 26, 2015 - The Supreme Court rules that same-sex couples can marry nationwide. In the 5-4 ruling, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority with the four liberal justices. Each of the four conservative justices wrote their own dissent.

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LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  A former Fairfield Township employee employee continues to express her concerns about Trustee Taletha Coles.

As News 18 previously reported, the former employee, Trisha Fogleman, and the township board are questioning Coles on what they call questionable financial management.

They're also keeping any eye on the trustee's use of township property and land.

"Every property is filled to the rim," Fogleman says.

Fogleman shared a video with News 18 of the inside of the township office on Wabash Avenue. The video shows some rooms tidy but others filled with clutter.

As News 18 previously reported, Fogleman walked off the job last month. The last straw, she says, was a $5,000 check for exercise equipment paid by Coles out of the rainy day fund, an account reserved for emergencies.

"That was pretty much the beginning of the end for me and we started finding other irregularities after that," she says.

Greenbush Cemetery

She says the equipment sits under a tarp on township property near the Greenbush Cemetery, a historic landmark owned and maintained by the township.

Workers recently cleared wood from the property but they piled the brush along the entire length of the township's adjacent lot. What appears to be trash and other debris also fills the lot.

"The cemetery, the guys say they can't fit anything else into the barn, it's just spilling over," Fogleman says. "If you go to the cemetery, there's just wood piling up and termites and carpenter ants and she refuses to give the wood to the people in the neighborhood, for example. She's just hoarding it."

A News 18 reporter saw feral cats playing in the clippings Wednesday afternoon.

July board minutes show Coles proposed using the brush to host bonfires at the cemetery. The board pushed back, however, about "a potential fire hazard."

Shelter House

Meanwhile, the township's shelter house sits empty. During a Tuesday meeting, board members asked why the shelter isn't housing residents in need.

A News 18 reporter knocked on the shelter door Wednesday afternoon but no one answered.

The township's Ford Crown Victoria sits out back, unplated and unused.

A spokesperson for the city engineer's office says all vehicles on private property must be operable and properly plated. He wasn't aware of the Crown Victoria parked on township property.

Fogleman says it's another sign of an absent elected official.

"I could no longer be complicit in those sorts of things and everyday it just got worse," she says. "She wasn't coming into the office."

Board members declined to comment on camera.

Coles has missed every board meeting since at least April.

The township office, meanwhile, remains locked and closed to the public.

News 18 called and texted Coles today seeking comment but didn't hear back.
COVID-19 Important links and resources

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LAFAYETTE, Ins. (WLFI)-The conversations surrounding masks in school have been contentious, some parents we talked to understand both sides.

"I think it's very important that everyone is able to have a voice so if that's how they feel I think that's totally fine for them to protest," said Sarah Porch-Dixon whose daughter is a senior a Jefferson High School. "It would be nice though if people on both sides could be a little more understanding."

Other parents are happy the mask mandate is in place.

"I think it's a good idea being inside around that many people you don't know what's out there so I think that it's a good thing that they did that," said Carrie Harris whose child is a senior at Jefferson High School.

As for students most of them say they are fine with wearing a mask.

"I think that we should just keep on wearing them that's just my personal opinion," said Elin Noerenberg a Junior at Jefferson High School. "If other people can't protect themselves then we should just protect them."

"I would have probably worn my mask anyway because it's more of a better safe the sorry thing for me," said Harry Ahlersmeyer a junior at Jefferson High School.

While some people feel there are certain situations that the masks aren't practical in.

"I understand that it's important but like in my job with the special needs kids they are continually grabbing it off my face it's just kind of impractical, " said Cheri Borden who works at LSC.

Some parents say it's important to be flexible during this unpredictable time.

"You know we may in hindsight be like that wasn't necessary or we may be like that was totally necessary so at this point we just kind of roll with the punches," said Porch-Dixon.

Some parents off-camera told WLFI they weren't in favor of the mask mandate but wouldn't agree to an interview.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  The Tippecanoe County Health Department Health Officer, Jermey Adler, expressed Wednesday that he is deeply concerned with local school corporations' decision to not adopt a universal mask mandate.

According to a released statement, Adler stated the TCHD has worked to implement a mask mandate. Due to recent changes in the Indiana state law (Senate Enrolled Act 5), a mandate requires approval of the Court of County Commissioners. Adler stated that at this time, County Commissioners have not indicated their support for a mask mandate.

WLFI has reached out to County Commissioners for a response.

The CDC, Indiana Department of Health, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the local health department have recommended a universal mask policy to combat the growing cases of COVID-19, specifically the highly contagious Delta variant. The CDC COVID tracker flags Tippecanoe County as an area with high transmission.

321 new cases have been reported in the last 7 days. Numbers released Wednesday, Tippecanoe County saw an increase of 48 according to the Indiana COVID page.
The Middle East is one of the most volatile regions on Earth, not to mention one of the most strategic. Thus, conflict in the region can affect the entire world. Today, one of the most dangerous conflicts in the Middle East involves several parties. On one side is the Islamic Republic of Iran, which seeks to spread its Islamist ideology and dominate the Middle East. On the other side are the United States and its allies, which include Israel and the predominantly Sunni Arab states of the region. Irans leaders have repeatedly threatened to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth. The United States seeks to protect both Israel and the regions oil supply. For their part, the leaders of the Sunni Arab states, who are allied with the United States, seek to curb Iranian influence in the region, as they believe it poses a danger to their regimes.

Strategic Implications Of The Middle East Conflict

Oil docks in the Persian Gulf.

The Middle East is one of the most strategic regions in the world because of its vast supply of oil. The region contains more than half of the worlds oil reserves. It also contains shipping routes that are vital for the transportation of its oil to the rest of the world. Perhaps the most important of these shipping routes is the Strait of Hormuz, which is situated between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. The strait acts as a link between the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. Much of the worlds oil, about 40 to 46% of it, must past through the strait in order to get to market. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), up to two thirds of the worlds oil may need to pass through the Strait of Hormuz by 2030.

Map of the Strait of Hormuz.

Any potential armed conflict between the United States, its allies, and Iran would likely result in a closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has repeatedly threatened to block the strait in the event that the United States or its allies attack it. Other threats made by Irans leaders have been directed towards Israel, which is the United States greatest ally in the Middle East. Actually, Iran has already attacked Israel many times, though it usually does so using various proxies. These proxies include armed Islamic fundamentalist groups throughout the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Iran finances these groups and supplies them with weapons that they use to attack the Jewish state. Iran has also recently installed its own forces in Israels neighbor, Syria. Israel has responded by attacking Iranian forces and those of its proxies in Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip.

Iran also has proxies in other countries that routinely attack the interests of the United States and its Arab allies. For instance, the so-called Houthis, who now control much of Yemen, are known to be financed and equipped by Iran. This group often attacks Saudi Arabia, especially its oil facilities, using drones and missiles. Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq repeatedly launch strikes against US forces therein.

A Conflict Of Religion And Ideology

The conflict in the Middle East between the United States, its allies, and Iran is not simply a fight over resources. Another aspect of this conflict is religious and ideological. Iran is governed by a Shiite Islamic fundamentalist regime, which took power there following the 1979 Islamic Revolution that deposed the countrys US-backed secularist government. Ever since then, Iran has sought to expand its religious ideology abroad in the hopes of dominating the Middle East.

Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Israel. Editorial credit: Photographer RM / Shutterstock.com

Irans ideology conflicts with those of both Israel and the Sunni Arab states of the region. The leaders of the Islamic Republic have repeatedly made reference to Israels control of Muslim holy sites, such as the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, as well as the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the reasons why they seek to destroy the Jewish state. Irans conflict with the Sunni Arab states also has a religious/ideological connotation as the Sunni and Shiite streams of Islam have been in conflict with each other for centuries.

The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend

The growth of Iranian power in the Middle East has led to the emergence of an unlikely alliance between Israel and the Sunni Arab states. Since the creation of Israel in 1948, the Arab states have sought to destroy the Jewish state for the same reasons that Iran wants to destroy it today. But the mutual threat posed to Israel and the Sunni Arab states by Iran has pushed these countries closer together.

President Donald J. Trump, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Foreign Affairs for the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyanisigns sign the Abraham Accords Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, on the South Lawn of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

Perhaps the best representation of this growing Arab-Israeli alliance is the Abraham Accords, which facilitated the normalization of relations between Israel and several Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. Up until this point, the only Arab states to recognize Israel were Egypt and Jordan. Thus, it would seem that Israel and a growing number of Arab states have agreed to put aside their differences in the interest of collective security against Iran.

The Threat Of Nuclearization

Arguably, the most dangerous aspect of the conflict between the United States, its allies, and Iran is the possibility that nuclear weapons may become involved. For years, the United States and its allies have worried about Irans growing nuclear activities. The Iranians have repeatedly claimed that their pursuit of nuclear energy is only for peaceful purposes, but evidence gathered over the years, some of which was obtained through clandestine intelligence, suggests otherwise.

American and Iranian foreign affairs ministers shaking hands at the end of successful negotiations about future of Iran nuclear program, Vienna. U.S. Department of State, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In response to Irans nuclear activities, the United States and its allies imposed a myriad of sanctions on the Islamic Republic, which have severely damaged the Iranian economy, creating unrest in the country that the Islamist regime has struggled to contain. In 2015, however, a diplomatic breakthrough was seemingly achieved when the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, and China concluded an agreement with Iran under which the Islamic Republic would curtail its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. This agreement was short-lived, though, as US President Donald Trump, who agreed with Israeli and Sunni Arab criticism of the accord, pulled out of it shortly after taking power in 2017. In response, Iran accelerated its nuclear activity.

Today, Joe Biden, who defeated Donald Trump for the US Presidency in 2020, seeks to resurrect the 2015 agreement, despite criticism from Israel and the Arab states. In the meantime, Israel has estimated that Iran may be able to produce a nuclear weapon in as little as ten weeks.
Waterfalls can be found all over the world. They come in all sorts of sizes and shapes, from the fast moving to the tricklingly slow. Some have vast amounts of water, while some are known for their height, so categorizing the best or greatest depends on your criteria.

So what is the largest waterfall? Surprisingly, it is not on land at all, but located underwater, below the oceans surface. Though they are rarely seen, and indeed many people may not even realize they exist, underwater waterfalls are not only present, but are some of the largest waterfalls on the planet. This, the largest, is known as the Denmark Strait waterfall, and it can be found in the deep waters below the Strait of Denmark. Underwater waterfalls tend to be grand and powerful in nature. Instead of tumbling over cliffs or gorges, these waterways fall over cataracts below the oceans surface.

Location

Map showing the location of the Denmark Strait.

The Denmark Strait separates the island country of Iceland from the island of Greenland (a part of the Kingdom of Denmark). Also known as the Greenland Strait, it links the Greenland Sea, a part of the Arctic Ocean, to the Irminger Sea, which is in the Atlantic. This oceanic strait connects Greenland to the northwest and Iceland to the south east, and runs for 480 km. The strait contains various cataracts. These cataracts, or ridges, start roughly 610 m below the oceans surface and drop down to 3050 m.

Underwater Waterfalls

Infographic showing the formation of the Denmark Strait Waterfall, an underwater waterfall.

The thought of an underwater waterfall may seem impossible. How can water fall within a larger body of water? While of course the waterfall is not exactly falling over a cliff edge or into the open air, underwater phenomena like this do exist. The trick is in the temperature, and therefore density of the water. The Strait of Denmark is home to such a vast waterfall due to drastic changes in temperature in the area. Extremely cold currents from the Nordic sea travel through the strait in a southward motion, where they encounter the warm water of the Irminger sea. Colder water is denser than warm water, and so these cold currents sink, or fall, under the warmer water. In areas where the sea floor drops away, such as the cataracts, the cold streams fall quickly over the edge of this underwater cliff. This motion creates a waterfall-like downward flow of water, despite being surrounded by other sea water.

Size

Nearly 3,500,000 m3 of cold current falls over the cataract edge per second. Niagara Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world and also one of the most impressive waterfalls on earth in terms of sheer volume, experiences 2,000 times less water flow than the Denmark Strait Waterfall. The height of the cataract, or drop on the seafloor, is 3,505 m tall. Comparatively, the tallest waterfall on land is known as Angel Falls in Venezuela, and measures only 979 m tall. This means the Denmark Strait waterfall is more than three times the height of any falls on land. This, combined with the sheer force and amount of water that rushes over the fall edge each second makes the Denmark Strait both a remarkable natural phenomenon, but also the largest waterfall on Earth.

The Unknown World Of The Deep Sea

There is so much yet to be discovered below the surface of that ocean, and natural phenomena like the Denmark Strait are indicators of that. Much as the deepest sea trench is exponentially larger than the tallest peak on land, these cascades and waterfalls are much larger and more powerful than their counterparts on land. The Denmark Strait waterfall, like many ocean landmarks, are signs of the wondrous and vast world beneath the sea, which scientists and researchers hope to further explore. What other amazing discoveries might be out there?

Read MoreHow Much Of The Ocean Have We Explored?
WAVELAND, Ind. (WTHI) - Shades State Park is set to host a Perseid Meteor Party on Saturday.

The event takes place from 10 pm until midnight. It is weather-dependent.

There will be telescopes and crafts.

If you live in Indiana, it will cost you $7 per vehicle. Out-of-state vehicles will cost $9.

Shades State Park is near Waveland.
VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - Parents in Vigo County are making their voices heard.

As we've told you before, Monday night the Vigo County School Corporation voted for masks to be mandated for all Vigo County schools. That decision has sparked outrage from parents and students in our community.

Signs at the protest say "VCSC stop smothering my kids" and "Masks can't stop a virus."

This protest took place outside of what will soon be the Vigo County School Corporation Headquarters.

"We just kinda wanted to show the school board that they didn't listen to us this week when we all went to the meeting to speak. All of us aren't going to bow down this year with the mask mandate. I know there are several people who are going to send their children to school without the masks," says protest organizer Jenica Yocom.

Organizer and parent Jenica Yocom says she recently chose to take her children out of Vigo County schools and put them in private schools. She says it's all about giving people the freedom to chose.

Do you think there should be a mask mandate for kids in local schools? #COVID19 #MaskMandates  WTHI News10 (@WTHITV) August 11, 2021

"I'm not against masks or for masks. I feel like for people if you want to wear a mask, wear a mask, if you don't want to, you should have that choice. Kids are probably the least susceptible at having extreme symptoms or death of this disease."

Thirteen-year-old student Jolene Smith says it's impacting her school years.

"They're like taking away our learning experience with the hands-on stuff and it's not the same anymore."

Dr. Rob Haworth, the Superintendent of the Vigo County School Corporation released a statement in regards to the mask mandate that reads in part:

"First of all, we respect the right to peaceful protest. Our common ground with all parents is that we want our students in school five days per week this year. Just today, Scott County School District in Austin, Indiana--a district that had a masks optional policy--moved to full remote learning because of quarantine numbers. It took that district 6 days to feel the impact of a mask optional policy. In the last few days, other large school corporations like Fort Wayne Community Schools and Wayne Township have changed from masks recommended to masks required in school because it gives schools the best chance to limit quarantines and keep students in school five days per week. After 8 days of school under a masks optional policy, Wayne Township had 461 students out because of a positive test or quarantine.

Locally, cases are increasing and Vigo County is orange on the states color coded map. Vigo County has not been at this severe level since last winter. This summer, when we approved a masks optional plan, Vigo County was seeing fewer than 20 cases per week. It is now normal for Vigo County to have 50 cases per day.

It is our hope that the Delta variant moves out of our community quickly, our local numbers decline, and we can return to our original reopening plan that recommended masks. Our board will review data at each board meeting."
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) - Addressing the current COVID-19 crisis in Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves says the state is "calmly making decisions based on the best available data to manage the situation and mitigate its impact on our people."

"In spite of the angry rhetoric coming from so many, our emergency management team is doing what it does - we are calmly dealing with an ever-changing environment to meet the needs of Mississippi," he stated.

The virus' resurgence has put tremendous stress on the state's hospitals.

Read More - NMHS: Don't show up at the ER unless you are critically ill

The CEO of Neshoba General addressed Reeves directly asking, "Where are you?"

@tatereeves hospitals and healthcare workers need you to help us. Where are you? We are overwhelmed with the surge of Covid and understaffed to safely care for our patients. Our incredible staff are holding it together but we are all at our breaking point.  Lee McCall (@lmccall717) August 10, 2021

In his lengthy statement, Reeves said the state is re-opening the 50-bed MED-1 facility in the parking garage of the University Medical Center in Jackson.

Mississippi does not have a statewide mask mandate in place, and Reeves has said there are no plans to issue one.

Reeves has said the state should focus on vaccinations, which he has recommended all Mississippians take.

"Over 60,000 vaccinations were administered last week alone, and access to the vaccine remains available to every eligible person in the state," he stated Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the state health department reported 3,163 more cases and 25 more deaths.

Open this link to schedule a vaccine appointment online in Mississippi.

Read Reeves' statement below or open this link.
HOUSTON, Miss. (WTVA) - An arrest has been made in connection to a weekend stabbing in Houston.

The stabbing happened early Saturday morning, Police Chief Adam Harmon said.

Marcus Hayes is accused of stabbing his estranged girlfriend.

He was arrested Tuesday night in Hattiesburg.
Marquis David

Facebook

A Florida family is channeling their grief into a push for increasing vaccination rates.

Marquis Davis, a 28-year-old man from Rockledge, Florida, died on July 26 after contracting the coronavirus. Though he wasn't vaccinated at the time, his wife Charnese Davis told local reporters that he planned on getting the vaccine, but never got the chance.

"He was in the hospital. He said, 'Bae, I'm going to get the vaccine when I get out of here.' So he was going to get it. I was like 'Good, I'm so happy you said that but it's too late,'" Charnese told ABC affiliate WFTV, adding that her husband was initially hesitant about getting vaccinated due to misinformation.

Now, Marquis' family is honoring his memory by turning his funeral into a COVID-19 vaccination site.

RELATED: Florida Church Urging Vaccinations After 6 Members  All Unvaccinated  Die of COVID in 10 Days

Charnese's church, Faith Temple Christian Center, asked her if she would be willing to incorporate vaccines into the wake and memorial service.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

"He was so adamant about not getting it, everything we hear about the vaccine wasn't always perfect...It's a lot of younger adults my age who don't want to get it or they think it won't affect them," Davis explained to ABC News. "But, it does affect you. This could have been prevented, so let's get vaccinated so it doesn't happen to you."

"At least have a fighting chance. Protect yourself. Protect your family," she added.

RELATED: X-rays Show Difference in COVID-19 Cases Between Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Patients

Davis told the church pastor, Shaun Ferguson, that she was completely on board with the idea and the community then partnered with the state to provide doses of the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the funeral. Onsite COVID testing would also be available to attendees.

Story continues

"The family immediately saw this as an opportunity. His death, for many, is an eye-opening opportunity for people to get vaccinated. This tells you that this could happen to anyone, it could happen to me," Ferguson, who previously worked for the CDC, told Florida Today.

The vaccine and testing event was held on Friday from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.
Netflix made its name on original scripted content. Of course, it was only a matter of time before the company explored reality television as well. Unscripted shows have clearly made an impact for the streaming service in recent years. As excited as everyone might be about a new season of Stranger Things, just as many people are looking forward to more episodes of The Circle and Too Hot to Handle. And with Netflixs latest casting call, they might actually be in the shows, too.

Netflixs biggest casting call ever has arrived

Netflix recently launched a site dedicated to its reality shows. The thing about reality shows is that they need contestants, and Netflixs new website is also a casting call. If you head to the site, you will see a big animated button in the top-right corner. Click that button to start the process of submitting a one-minute video to appear on twelve popular Netflix reality shows. Choose as many shows as you want to apply for, provide some basic details, and then upload a video that shows off the real you. You also need to be a resident of the US, Canada, UK, or Ireland.

Reality TV is a powerful genre. It has the ability to make you invested in who is going to win the big competition or find true love (or at least a good showmance), said Brandon Riegg, VP of Unscripted and Documentary Series, Netflix. It also has the ability to bring people together from all walks of life. We love to hear from viewers who feel inspired and accepted after seeing themselves reflected in our shows. After all, what is reality TV if it doesnt represent real people?

Netflixs new and returning reality shows

In addition to launching a casting call, Netflix also announced a number of new and returning shows. The biggest news is that The Circle has been picked up for two additional seasons. Season 3 will air this fall. Indian Matchmaking and The American Barbeque Showdown were both renewed for second seasons as well. Netflix also ordered a brand new series called Roaring Twenties:

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Roaring Twenties is the coming-of-age story of eight twenty-somethings who set out to find success in life and love in Austin, Texas while learning to navigate the new normal of 2020s America. Living together and leaning on each other, they experience the highs and lows that come with being an adult. After all, your twenties are a crazy, weird, and special time in your life, and you only get to live them once.

Suffice to say, reality programming on Netflix isnt going anywhere. The good news is that Netflix will continue to release hundreds of scripted shows and movies every year as well. So even if you arent the worlds biggest reality TV fan, there will still be plenty to watch.

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Republicans are blocking a Muslim Biden nominee because an advocacy group he's associated with criticized Israel

Dilawar Syed speaks during a rally on March 14, 2017 in Palo Alto, CA. Eric Risberg/AP

Biden nominated Dilawar Syed to serve in the No. 2 post at the Small Business Administration.

The nomination has been held up due to his association with a Muslim advocacy group that criticized Israeli policies.

Several religious advocacy groups, including Jewish groups, have denounced what they see as Islamophobia.

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A group of Republican senators have been stalling a Muslim-American's nomination over his ties to a Muslim advocacy group that has criticized the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, POLITICO reported Wednesday.

Dilawar Syed - the CEO of a healthcare AI company and President Joe Biden's nominee to serve as deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration - would be the highest ranking Muslim in the Biden administration if confirmed.

The senators have seized on Syed's membership on the board of Emgage Action, a Muslim-American advocacy group. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri spearheaded a letter with other Republicans that specifically called out a line from one of the group's press releases that read, "this state of affairs is not a case of "both sides". Not when Palestinians are occupied and the State of Israel is the occupier."

"Emgage's history of supporting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement combined with its overtly anti-Israel positions and rhetoric necessitates an additional hearing to ensure Mr. Syed's confirmation to be the second-most-powerful individual at the SBA would not jeopardize small businesses with close ties to Israeli companies or small businesses owned by Jewish Americans," said the letter.

According to POLITICO, another factor stalling Syed's nomination is an email from an aid to Republican Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho that noted the nominee's Pakistani roots.

"Until we can get some answers on that at least, then I'm not gonna vote for - I'm not gonna provide a quorum," Sen. Hawley told POLITICO. "I'm shocked that they haven't withdrawn his nomination. I really am."

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In response, religious advocacy groups - including several Jewish groups - have defended Syed from the attacks.

"We are deeply concerned by the apparent anti-Muslim animus driving this unprecedented action against Dilawar Syed," wrote a coalition of organizations in an August 9th letter to the committee chairs. "Our constitution prohibits an ethnic or religious test for holding public office. To do so violates our nation's valued principle of religious freedom."

Signatories included the Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue at Jewish Theological Seminary, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and Union for Reform Judaism.

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"It's clear that what's being used against Mr. Syed is insinuation that is trying to exploit anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim animus. And we shouldn't allow that to stand," Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, the deputy director of Bend the Arc Jewish Action, told POLITICO.

"Accusations around Dilawar Syed's nomination based on his national origin or involvement in a Muslim advocacy organization are so base and unamerican [sic] that AJC is compelled to speak out," said the American Jewish Committee in a July 7 statement.

The group also noted that Syed "specifically disavowed support for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement."

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Pepper with foster puppies at Ruff Start Rescue

After losing her own puppies, a rescue dog in Minnesota found a new family in an orphaned litter.

NBC affiliate KARE 11 reports that rescue dog Poppy  a new mom who had just given birth to 10 puppies  died unexpectedly at Ruff Start Rescue in Princeton, Minnesota, on July 8. The night of Poppy's death, volunteers working at the rescue took shifts caring for the newborn puppies while they figured out the next steps for the orphaned litter.

"We frantically started figuring out our next move with the babies," Lexi Johnson, a Ruff Start Rescue foster parent and volunteer, told the outlet. "Another volunteer was over until 11:30 that night helping bottle feed. And throughout the evening, my husband and I were up every 3 hours getting food in their bellies ... and it was taking over 1.5 hours each time."

Around the same time Poppy died, another rescue dog, Pepper, experienced a tragedy of her own, losing her entire litter of newborn puppies. Pepper was "devastated and grew very depressed" after the death of her puppies, according to FOX 9.

RELATED: New Study Says Dogs Can Tell When People Are Lying to Them

Between these two sad stories, Johnson saw an opportunity for the puppies and Pepper to find the love they were looking for. Ruff Start Rescue volunteers paired up the orphaned newborns with the grieving dog, and the new family immediately clicked.

Video: How to introduce your new puppy to an older dog

"When she got to our house, we brought her in the puppy room, and she immediately sat next to the litter," Johnson said. "I started placing puppies around her, and she laid down, and the puppies instinctively hobbled towards her and started nursing."

Five minutes after meeting Pepper, all of the puppies were nursing from their new mom.

Johnson told FOX 9 that Pepper has been "nothing short of a miracle" and that her experience with the litter has been "incredible."

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RELATED: Ethan the Rescue Dog Is 'Doing Very Well' After Overcoming Health Issues from Prior Abuse

Right now, Pepper and the litter are still in the nursing stage and currently not ready for adoption, but they're expected to become available later this month. Prospective applicants can head to the Ruff Start Rescue website around Aug. 25 to check which puppies are available.

"The babies were all thriving with their humans, but the best place for them is with a mama who can not only give them some good milk but teach them dog things, behaviors we as humans can't," Johnson wrote on Facebook last month.

"I cried again last night, but these tears were happy tears. Tears knowing that mama Poppy would be so appreciative of Pepper taking over the mama role," she added.
YNT Juan

YNT Juan/Instagram YNT Juan

Local teenage rapper YNT Juan was fatally shot on Sunday evening in Hartford, Connecticut.

The rapper, whose real name is Juan Bautista Garcia, was just 17 years old at the time of his death.

Hartford Police Department officers were dispatched to 258 Martin St. just after 5:30 pm when they located Garcia, who was shot dead in a parked car, officials told multiple outlets, including NBC Connecticut and Fox 61.

RELATED: Prolific Hip Hop Producer Chucky Thompson Dies at 53: 'The World Has Lost a Titan'

"He was only 17-years-old. He never went live on his Instagram to talk about drama, he only went on there to support his friends or promote his music. [He] didn't even get to graduate school yet," Garcia's childhood friend Janine told the Hartford Courant.

Hours before the rapper's death, he promoted his new song to his nearly 30,000 followers on Instagram. The single was a remix to Kanye West's "Power" which was uploaded to his 4,000 YouTube subscribers on Aug. 3.

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Hartford Police Major Crime and Crime Scene divisions are investigating Garcia's death, officials told local outlets on Monday.

The Hartford Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request to comment.

Officers ask anyone with any information regarding the case to call the HPD Tip Line at 860-722-TIPS (8477).
Aug. 11Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Tuesday that state law enforcement agencies had failed to collect the DNA of more than 21,000 people arrested for a variety of crimes, contrary to Alaska law.

The Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica reported in December that some law enforcement agencies were not aware of the law or were not following it. As a result, officials neglected to collect DNA swabs that might have solved cold cases and put serial offenders behind bars.

The governor vowed that police, Alaska State Troopers and corrections officials would follow the law going forward and would try and track down the missing DNA.

The Department of Public Safety estimates that Alaska authorities have failed to collect DNA from about 1 in 4 qualifying arrests and convictions since 1995. The lapse violated a state law passed with fanfare in 2007 that was going to put Alaska at the leading edge of solving rape cases.

Since May, the Dunleavy administration rejected a series of Daily News and ProPublica public records requests for information on the backlog, and first made the numbers available in a news conference Tuesday.

Of the 21,577 people whose DNA should have been collected, 1,555 are now dead, according to an accompanying report by the Department of Public Safety. A statement by the governor's office said Dunleavy has now directed the department to collect DNA from the remaining 20,022 people.

Alaska is now one of at least 31 states that require DNA samples to be collected upon arrest or when criminal charges are filed against a person. The swabs are meant to be sent to the state crime lab, where the DNA would be extracted and could be matched against evidence from cold cases and kept on file to aid in future cases.

The evidence could be used not only to solve sexual assault cases, but also homicides, burglaries and other crimes, and even exonerate the wrongly convicted.

But as recently as December, the Daily News and ProPublica found, some Alaska police departments were unaware of the law or had only recently started collecting the required DNA samples.

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The failure was perhaps most striking in the case of accused serial rapist Alphonso Mosley, whose DNA was not submitted to the state crime lab following a qualifying arrest in 2012. In the years that followed, prosecutors say, Mosley committed three more rapes across the city, impregnating one of his victims. Even when he was arrested a second time for domestic violence in 2015, no DNA was collected, contrary to state law.

Until now, it had been unclear just how many people who'd been arrested Alaska police, troopers and corrections officials failed to swab for evidence. The news organizations filed a public records request on May 20 asking for any preliminary estimate on the number of missing or owed DNA samples and for the names of those who "owe" a DNA sample to the state.

The state Department of Public Safety denied that request and a subsequent attempt to appeal, and also denied a request for copies of meeting notes from a state working group that discussed the issue.

On Tuesday, Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore said the state didn't release the numbers earlier because the data was spread across various law enforcement software systems. "We had to do searches in each system and try and reconcile the reports that came out of each system to make sure we had a clear understanding of what those numbers were."

A Dunleavy spokesperson said the effort to determine the number of missing samples began in December 2019 and involved the departments of public safety, law and corrections.

Skidmore said the Department of Law would continue to withhold the identities of people whom law enforcement failed to swab for DNA.

Asked if the state anticipates legal action by victims of offenders who might have been in jail had their DNA been collected as required by state law, Skidmore said "No."

The problem of states passing DNA collection laws that are ignored or partially implemented is being discovered on a national scale and is sometimes known as "owed DNA." It involves people arrested, convicted or sentenced for crimes who now "owe" a DNA sample because authorities neglected to collect or process it.

Researchers in Ohio were among the first to quantify the problem, reporting in 2019 that about 15,300 DNA samples had been missed in Cuyahoga County. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation estimates that there are more than 76,000 missing DNA profiles from felony offenders in that state, based on preliminary research.

The attorney general's office in Washington state, Alaska's nearest neighbor, calculates that "tens of thousands" of people legally owe the state DNA samples for entry into the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

As for collecting the missing Alaska samples, Skidmore said state law allows for someone convicted of certain crimes to be charged with a new felony if they refuse to provide DNA, which may provide a tool for tracking down the "owed" samples. (Under state law, someone who is swabbed for DNA at the time of their arrest but is ultimately not found guilty of the crime can ask to have their sample removed from the system, he said.)

The Department of Corrections will be "the primary point of contact" for DNA collection, Dunleavy spokesman Corey Young wrote in an email Tuesday. In addition to obtaining samples from people who are currently incarcerated, probation and patrol officers will assist in the collection of samples from people who are on supervised release, while booking procedures will ensure a sample is taken whenever someone is taken into custody for a qualifying crime, he wrote. In addition, people who are on the Alaska sex offender registry and still owe a DNA sample will be swabbed when they first register or renew registration.

The thousands of missing DNA samples might help explain why the effort to test a backlog of unexamined rape kits for DNA has yielded only one new prosecution.

Alaska Public Safety Commissioner James Cockrell called the collection effort a top priority for his department. People who owe a DNA swab to the state will be contacted through the Department of Corrections if possible, he said, or local and state law enforcement may work together to locate them and collect a sample.

"Our No. 1 priority will be for violent offenders and sex offenders," he said.
Rioters fight with U.S. Capitol Police officers on Jan. 6, 2021.

When U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell testified before Congress last month, he described being more afraid for his life fighting rioters on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6 than at any time during his service in the Army in Iraq.

Gonell recounted that as blows from insurrectionists rained down on him and he was sprayed with chemicals, "I could feel myself losing oxygen and recall thinking to myself, 'This is how I'm going to die.' "

There are periods of police work that have often been likened to combat and never so much as when thousands of insurrectionists attacked the Capitol and a phalanx of outnumbered officers fought for hours to defend it.

Physical and psychological pain

Nor does the comparison end with violence endured. Physical and psychological pain persists for police as much as for any soldier in combat, with a tragic parallel lurking at the dark end of that spectrum: deaths by suicide.

In 2003, when America's all-volunteer military was pressed into fighting two extended wars at once in Iraq and Afghanistan, a resulting strain on service members led to a sudden and sharp increase in suicides.

After the hand-to-hand fighting on Capitol Hill Jan. 6, four police officers who fought off rioters have taken their lives.

There, however, comparisons between military and police end.

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Where suicides among service members are presumed to be deaths in the line of duty unless proven otherwise  a practice that has afforded stricken families in 95% of those deaths full military benefits  police agencies deny similar payouts.

This needs to change.

Nine days after Jan. 6

There is no stronger evidence for this failure in police policy than the death of Washington Metropolitan Police Department Officer Jeffrey Smith nine days after he defended the Capitol.

"Things changed for Jeffrey on Jan. 6," his widow, Erin Smith, wrote in a column for USA TODAY.

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The 12-year veteran of the Washington, D.C., police force had been beaten and struck in the head with a metal pole during the fighting and suffered a painful neck injury. "He didn't know if he was going to get out alive," his wife later told a forensic psychiatrist. "He said it was the worst day of his life."

There was evidence of emotional trauma. Officer Smith became more isolated, quiet and short-tempered. He couldn't sleep or eat, and his wife would wake at night to find him pacing a hallway or, in a few cases, crying as he lay in bed. He stopped walking his beloved dog, or calling his parents.

After a brief visit to a police clinic on Jan. 14, Jeffrey Smith was ordered back to work. The next day, as he headed into the department, the officer shot himself.

Life insurance and family benefits

D.C. police have never deemed a suicide as a line-of-duty death. But in court papers filed last month, Erin Smith argues that her husband's death was the direct result of the trauma he suffered defending the Capitol. The widow of Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood, who also battled that day at the Capitol and then died by suicide, has raised the same issue.

Soldiers, Marines, sailors and other troops whose trauma-related suicides are classified as line-of-duty deaths are entitled to $500,000 in life insurance and death gratuity payments. A similar federal benefit of $370,000 for families of police officers who die in the line of duty are denied in cases where the death occurs by the officer's actions.

When acting D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee testified before Congress about the service and sacrifices of those who died after the siege, he specifically included Smith and Liebengood.

Police officers driven to despair by the trauma of their work are no different than soldiers who suffer mental illness because of the rigors of combat. Whether their uniforms are Army green or police blue, the government owes these brave warriors the same gratitude of benefits.

USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff and the USA TODAY Network. Most editorials are coupled with an Opposing View, a unique USA TODAY feature.

To read more editorials, go to the Opinion front page or sign up for the daily Opinion email newsletter. To respond to this editorial, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US Capitol Police Jan. 6 officers died by suicide in the line of duty
Photo credit: BMW

BMW has given the iX3 a mid-cycle refresh for 2022, after only about a year of sales.

The RWD model offers a range of 286 miles in the WLTP cycle, and starts just under $80,000 in Europe.

The iX3 will be produced in Shenyang, China, in a joint venture with Brilliance Automotive for export to Europe and for the Chinese market.

BMW has revealed an updated version of the iX3 battery-electric sport utility, after less than a year on the market. The reason for such a quick update is that the iX3 debuted well into the product cycle of the underlying X3 model, which was due for a mid-cycle refresh anyway, so the iX3 will get a fresher look in the process. The updated version will receive an official debut at the Munich IAA in a matter of weeks.

What's new for the iX3?

The most noticeable changes are on the outside, with a larger kidney grille and revised lights front and back. BMW has also updated the sculpting of the front apron with this update, which has also added the M Sport styling details as a standard item offering 19-inch wheels, a sport steering wheel and unique front and rear fascias. The automaker did not neglect the interior, adding the latest 12.3-inch instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, along with a redesigned center console housing the BMW Controller and the gear selector lever.

As the iX3 debuted only a short time ago, the drivetrain will carry on without changes, offering 281 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque courtesy of a single motor positioned at the rear axle, drawing juice from an 80-kWh cycle. That's right: this isn't an all-wheel drive model at all, but the lukewarm performance combined with a 0 to 62 mph launch time of 6.8 seconds is enough for a 286-mile range in the WLTP standard.

And these stats perhaps answer why this model isn't offered stateside at all: the EPA range could seem on the mild side given the price, and the lack of all-wheel drive capability could limit its sales potential as well. The price, however, would still be analogous to a very well-equipped BMW sport utility, as this electric model starts at a sobering 67,300 euros with the ever-popular VAT, which translates to about $78,950 before any incentives.

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Photo credit: BMW

Just how much longer such a model will remain competitive in Europe and China is an open question, so perhaps it's best to think of it as a transitional, bench-warmer model before a fresh crop of battery-electric models arrive in all SUV segments.

BMW will begin production of this updated iX3 in Shenyang, China, starting next month, having set up a joint venture with automaker Brilliance Automotive. The updated iX3 will be produced there for the Chinese domestic market and for exports to Europe, BMW notes.

If the iX3 still seems familiar to you even though this model is not bound for North America, you're probably thinking of the very different yet similarly named iX. That particular battery-electric SUV is indeed on its way here next year, alongside the i4 Gran Coupe, with a lot more range and power yet very similar pricing to the iX3, landing just north of $80,000. The iX was designed solely as a battery-electric model, and will feature very distinct exterior styling, along with a more generous footprint. The SUV will arrive stateside in early 2022.
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So far some 52,000 Hungarians have received a Covid-19 booster shot, koronavirus.gov.hu said.

Some 64,000 people have registered for a third jab so far, the website said, noting that Hungary was the first country in Europe to offer booster shots.



Hungary registered 35 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, the website reported, noting there were no deaths.



So far 5,654,096 people have received a first jab, while 5,494,110 have been fully vaccinated.



So far some 189,000 12-17-year-olds have registered for inoculation, 152,000 of whom have already been vaccinated, the website said.



The number of active infections has declined to 20,976, while hospitals are treating 87 Covid patients, 15 of whom need respiratory assistance.



There are 1,137 people in official quarantine, while 6,399,106 tests have been officially carried out.



Since the first outbreak, 810,046 infections have been registered, while fatalities have risen to 30,037.



Fully 759,033 people have made a recovery.



So far, most infections have been registered in Budapest and Pest County, followed by the counties of Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Gyor-Moson-Sopron and Hajdu-Bihar.





MTI Photo
New Delhi: Union Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday pitched for formulating a policy for using the Reserve Bank of India's rising foreign exchange reserves for funding road projects, saying the country needs low cost finance for such infrastructure projects.

Addressing a virtual event organised by industry body CII, Gadkari further said that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) should also have a financial arm like the Power Ministry's Power Finance Corporation (PFC).

"We have a surplus of dollar reserves in the country. I have decided to talk with the RBI Governor, about how we can formulate a policy by which we can use this foreign exchange reserves for development of infrastructure in the country," he said.

The country's foreign exchange reserves surged by USD 9.427 billion to a record high of USD 620.576 billion in the week ended July 30, according to the latest RBI data.

Recently, a Parliamentary panel has also suggested that India's foreign exchange reserves have risen substantially in the recent past, and the RBI, with due consideration to the sufficiency of the foreign reserves, may consider the possibility of utilisation of surplus funds to finance long-term road infrastructure projects.

"RBI may also look into the feasibility of utilization of the surplus reserves for the creation of a sovereign wealth fund to finance long-term infrastructural assets," it had said.

Gadkari pointed out that he is talking to the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the New Development Bank NDB) for infrastructure funding in India, but he is not satisfied by their response.

"So, we need some financial institutions, those who can reduce interest cost for infrastructure," he said, adding that the Indian Railways has got Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC), the Power Ministry has got Power Finance Corporation but NHAI does not have any financial arm.

"We need one institution, where NHAI stakes are there and financial institution stakes are there. With a joint venture we can formulate the policy," Gadkari suggested.

The minister also suggested that in place of a 2 per cent bank performance guarantee, the entire project can be insured and the road ministry's proposal is pending with the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and the finance ministry.

"So, somewhere there is a problem with financial institutions... Getting cooperation from banks for road projects is not so easily available, because of previous track record, banks are not in a position to support contractors," he noted.

Gadkari said the road ministry is planning to raise Rs 1 lakh crore through monetisation of highways projects.

"If there are some foreign investors, who are ready to invest in road construction, and ready to give me loans in dollars but hedging will be their responsibility, I am ready to make some new system... To use foreign investment for that (road infrastructure projects)," he said.

Live TV

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New Delhi: A Delhi court granted bail to former BJP spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyay on Wednesday (August 11) in connection with a case where anti-Muslim slogans were raised during a protest at Jantar Mantar. Metropolitan Magistrate Udbhav Kumar Jain granted bail to Upadhyay, an advocate, on a bond of Rs 50,000, as per PTI report.

The Delhi police on Tuesday had arrested six people, including Upadhyay in the case. Other accused arrested were Preet Singh, a gau sevak, Deepak Singh, Deepak Kumar, Vinod Sharma and Vinit Bajpai, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Deepak Yadav said.

A video showing communal slogans being invoked during a protest at Jantar Mantar went viral on social media. After a huge uproar, the Delhi Police registered a case on Monday. The protest organised by Bharat Jodo Aandolan at Jantar Mantar on Sunday had witnessed the participation of hundreds of people where inflammatory slogans against Muslims were raised, the news agency reported.

Shipra Srivastava, media in-charge of Bharat Jodo Aandolan, had said the protest was held under the leadership of Upadhyay. The protest was held against colonial laws and demanding to abolish 222 British laws. We have seen the video, but have no idea who they are. The police should take strict action against the persons who raised the slogans, she was quoted as saying by PTI.

Upadhyay too has refuted any involvement in the anti-Muslim slogans raised at the protest. I have submitted a complaint to the Delhi Police to examine the video which went viral. If the video is authentic, then strict action should be taken against the persons who were involved in it, he had said.

The BJP leader added, I have no idea who they are. I have never seen them, never met them and neither called them there. Till the time I was there, they were not seen there. If the video is fake, then a propaganda is being circulated to defame Bharart Jodo Andolan."

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday (August 11) met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and apprised him of the political situation in the state, sources said. Dhankhar is scheduled to meet Home Minister Amit Shah as well. Prime Minister Modi was in the Parliament to attend the last day of the monsoon session of the Lok Sabha.

"It was a courtesy call on the PM," said Dhankhar after meeting the PM.

Earlier, he met Union Culture and Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy and urged him to enhance the "efficacy" of the Victoria Memorial. "West Bengal is unparalleled repository of culture and heritage.To put @victoriamemkol @ezcckolkata @IndianMuseumKol @asiatic_society on incremental trajectory and secure more footfalls Shri @kishanreddybjp @MinOfCultureGoI assured all steps," tweeted Dhankhar.

During his previous trip to the national capital, Governor Dhankar had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and apprised him of the situation after the general assembly elections in Bengal.

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New Delhi: Senior AAP leader and MLA Somnath Bharti has said that the BJP-ruled DDA plans to carve roads from densely populated areas in Master Plan 2041 to make lakhs of people homeless. He said that CM Arvind Kejriwal orders that not a single persons house should be destroyed in Delhi and if BJP accepts this directly then fine, otherwise AAP will not shy away from agitating.

BJP-ruled DDAs Master Plan 2041 is far from ground reality and roads being carved from populated areas should be removed from the Master Plan & alternative routes should be seen. He further said that the Lieutenant Governor has been asked to amend the Master Plan and change the plan of carving roads from populated areas of Delhi.

Bharti informed that a large population lives in unauthorized colonies within Delhi and CM Arvind Kejriwal has provided basic amenities to the people by spending thousands of crores of rupees in these unauthorized colonies. MLA Kartar Singh said that BJP-ruled DDA plans to carve 2-3 roads from Aya Nagar colony, it will demolish houses of lakhs of people. MLA Prakash said that in Delhi, roads have been planned to be carved from the houses of poor people in all illegal colonies from Chhatarpur to Deoli, Sangam Vihar.

Senior AAP leader and MLA Somnath Bharti said, How would Delhis development take shape? What is allowed or not allowed in Delhi? All this information is specified in one document called the Master Plan. Currently, the master plan 2021 is working in Delhi. The preparations for Master Plan 2024 have been going on in the DDA for the past two months. The DDA also asked for suggestions from Delhiites. The last date for sending these suggestions was July 30, 2021, which has now been extended to August 30, 2021.

He said, Today, Ive come to talk about a very serious matter pertaining to Delhi. Delhi has a very big population residing in unauthorized colonies. There is a stark difference between their conditions before and after the Kejriwal government came in. Kejriwal Ji has spent thousands of crores of rupees on their betterment because he believes that everyone- irrespective of where they live- has a right to expect good work from the government. So, following a different path than the previous government, Kejriwal Ji spent crores of rupees to ensure that basic amenities reach the people living in unauthorized colonies.

Somnath Bharti said, A lower-middle-class person works his entire life to earn a living. To have a modest 2 bedroom flat and feed his family. Something is going on in the master plan 2041 which is far away from this reality. The ground reality is that thousands of lakhs of people are living in such unauthorized colonies and the BJP-ruled DDA is set on a mission to displace these people under the pretext of this master plan. They have decided to displace people from these densely populated areas."

"They have construct roads from these densely populated areas, that too only on paper. In reality, there are thousands of homes in these areas where people reside. The Chief Minister of Delhi has spent thousands of crores of rupees to install sewers, drainage systems, roads, CCTV cameras, Wifis, lights, and what not in these areas. However, far away from the ground reality, the BJP-ruled DDA has sketched out on paper that a 100 ft road will be constructed from one such colony and an 80 ft road will be constructed from another. This has created havoc everywhere, he added.

According to him, Whenever the people of Delhi face any problem, they seek the help of CM Kejriwal for relief. Kartar Singh MLA from Chattarpur and Prakash Ji, MLA from Deoli have living proof that in the past few days people in Aya Nagar have felt so harassed that they havent had food for the past few days. The public residing in Sangam Vihar M block became so tensed that there was a hue and cry everywhere. Both of these MLAs brought this situation to the CMs notice and I, Somnath Bharti was given the duty to look into this matter since I am also an authority member of the DDA.

Bharti said, So I went on the ground to talk to people and as soon as they were informed that their problem has reached Kejriwal Ji, they were relieved. It is also possible that there are more such colonies in Delhi wherein the BJP is destroying people's homes under Master Plan 2041. More such people from more such colonies may come forward in the coming days who have similar concerns. I saw the tears of these people. The Kejriwal government has worked hard to make these colonies as well equipped as any regular colony.

Senior AAP leader Somnath Bharti said, Today, I want to address all those people who are being affected by Master Plan 2041. I would like to say to the BJP to stop such kind of behavior. Master Plan 2041 should be made keeping in mind the needs of the people. Wherever roads have been carved on paper which has created havoc amongst poor people, all such roads must be removed from densely populated areas. All the schemes meant for densely populated areas must be removed from those areas. An alternative route must be found out. Whatever they may do, we will not allow the destruction of even a single persons house. Kejriwal Jis order is very clear that we will not let anyones house be destroyed be it a poor person, a laborer, or a Muslim. If BJP agrees to this directly, then it's good. However, even if we have to protest, we will do so. If the public is there only then we are there. Kejriwal Ji has spent his entire life giving people their due which has been kept away from them. 

Somnath Bharti said, The DDA met today. On behalf of the Aam Aadmi Party government and the Chief Minister, I categorically told the Lieutenant Governor that the BJP is playing into the hands of the capitalist through the Master Plan. We will not allow this to take place in Delhi. We have warned that the Master Plan should be amended, otherwise the Aam Aadmi Party will come down to protesting.

Chhatarpur MLA Kartar Singh said, It is a big reality that the BJP-ruled DDA has planned to destroy the houses of people who are barely able to build a big house in their lives. When we came to know that a plan has been made to carve 2-3 roads from the colony of Aya Nagar. Not 10-20, but thousands of houses will be broken down because of this and millions will be affected. We then spoke to CM Kejriwal that a big injustice in this way is being done through the Master Plan 2041. The Chief Minister immediately called Somnath Bharti and asked him to look into the matter and raise it in the DDA because he is a member of the DDA. Somnath Bharti visited the spot the very next day and inspected it. On the same day, we made it clear to all the people that we will not allow the DDA to do this injustice. Today, I am very happy that in the DDA meeting, Somnath Bharti has made a strong point that the Master Plan should be changed. Not a single house in Aya Nagar and the entire Delhi will be demolished due to Master Plan 2041.

Deoli MLA Prakash Jarwal said, The DDA, under the pressure from the BJP, decided to build a road on the houses of the poor, which we strongly oppose. DDA had prepared the Master Plan 2021, which too did not have this road. Then why have they planned to crave this road from the houses of poor people from Chhatarpur to Deoli, Sangam Vihar, and all such unauthorized colonies in Delhi? We went to Sangam Vihar M block yesterday and conducted a survey and saw that people have been living there for 40 years. This land is not the land of any forest department. The people there have collected money with hard work to buy their houses.

Opposing DDAs Master Plan 2041, he said, If DDA has to build a road, ask the local RWA and regional MLA that DDA wants to formulate a Master Plan. You can not put the Master Plan 2041 on the website and say that a road will be carved out of here and the registry of peoples houses will now be closed. DDA is not doing what it should do. The BJP is doing illegal work through DDA. The Gram Sabha land in Chhatarpur has been handed over to the DDA from the Revenue Department. The land mafia is misusing this land. The registry of this land too has been done by the authorities. All these things which the DDA should not do are being done by the BJP through the DDA.

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to comply with the dates announced by it for the counselling of NEET-MDS 2021 so that process of admissions is completed within the timeline.

A Bench of Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice MR Shah recorded the statement of the Centre that it has decided to conduct NEET-MDS 2021 counselling from August 20 and will conclude it on October 10, 2021.

The Bench, while noting that students` grievance has been addressed, disposed of the plea filed by BDS students. It directed the Centre and the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) to comply with the counselling dates announced by it.

Earlier, the apex court had observed that the delay in holding the counselling was affecting the future of the students and it would lead to serious consequences to the students, who have been waiting after the test results were announced on December 31, 2020.

The plea filed by NEET-MDS aspirants and those holding a BDS degree, sought directions to conduct separate counselling for the NEET-MDS 2021 and not wait for NEET-PG counselling for commencement of MDS counselling.

They challenged the "unjust and infinite delay" caused by the MCC in announcing the counselling schedule for NEET-MDS 2021.

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New Delhi: Amid scare of the third possible COVID-19 wave, the Himachal Pradesh government has decided to shut schools, except for residential ones, till August 22. The government had reopened schools for Classes 10, 11 and 12 earlier.

The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (August 10) chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, ANI reported. The educational department will form SOPs for the residential schools to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Teaching and non-teaching staff will be required to attend the school.

An order issued after the cabinet meeting stated, "The situation of COVID-19 in the state has been reviewed. It is observed that the number of COVID-19 active cases and positivity rate are increasing in the state and the situation is still precarious."

The state government had allowed reopening of schools for Classes 10, 11 and 12 from August 2. While students of standard 5th and 8th were also permitted to visit schools for doubt clearances from August 2.

Meanwhile, to stem the spread of COVID-19, the state government has made it mandatory for tourists to carry negative RT-PCR reports not more than 72 hours old, Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) report of 24 hours or COVID-19 vaccination certificate with both doses to enter the state from August 13. The advisory released on late Tuesday read, "All persons intending to visit State shall carry their COVID-19 Vaccine Certificate (double doses) or a negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours or RAT negative report not older than 24 hours w.E.F. 13th August, 2021."

Himachal Pradesh reported 419 new coronavirus cases and two fatalities in the last 24 hours, as per official data on Tuesday. The total number of infections and fatalities have reached 2,08,616 and 3,521 respectively.

(With agency inputs)
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to journalist Priya Ramani in an appeal filed by former Union Minister M J Akbar challenging her acquittal by a trial court in connection with a criminal defamation case filed by him.

For the unversed, journalist Priya Ramani had accused Akbar of sexual harassment. Akbar had termed the allegations "false, fabricated and deeply distressing".

Justice Mukta Gupta, after hearing submissions made by Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayar and Senior Advocate Geeta Luthra who represented Akbar, listed the case for hearing on January 13.

During the #MeToo movement in India, Ramani had made allegations of sexual misconduct against Akbar in 2018. In response to it, Akbar filed a defamation suit against Ramani on October 15 that year. Ramani had pleaded not guilty.

Under growing pressure and facing intense criticism, Akbar stepped down as union minister. Refuting the allegations, Akbar released a statement claiming that they were in a consensual relationship" which spanned over several months. He says that the relationship gave rise to talk and would later cause strife in my home life as well.

Akbar's wife Mallika too came out in his defence.

On February 17, a trial court acquitted Ramani, saying, "The case of the complainant is not proved." The court also said that a woman has the right to "put her grievance even after decades".

On March 25, Akbar moved the Delhi High Court and challenged Ramani's acquittal by the trial court.

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New Delhi: At least ten people were killed in a landslide that trapped a bus and other vehicles at Nigulsari in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district today. This is not an unusual affair anymore, as the state has witnessed several disasters in recent times. Not just Himachal or India, the entire world is witnessing an unprecedented increase in the number of such calamities. At the heart of the matter is climate change.

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Wednesday (August 11) discussed the issue of climate change which, if not dealt with appropriately now, could potentially result in a catastrophic disaster.

The incidents of landslides in Himachal Pradesh have increased by 116 percent as compared to last year and there has been an increase of 121 percent in cloudburst incidents. In February this year, in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, a flash flood occurred due to which a hydro-project and dam broke down and many people died.

28 percent of the incidents of landslides in India are due to construction works on the mountains. The second biggest reason for the landslides is the heavy and unseasonal rains, for which climate change is believed to be responsible.

Some scientists believe that the occurrence of earthquakes and landslides can increase rapidly due to global warming. According to scientists, as the snow of the mountains or the glaciers melt rapidly, the weight distribution of the mountains changes and the possibility of collision of the tectonic plates present under the earth increases due to which earthquakes and landslides occur.

But landslides and earthquakes are not the only threat, incidents of forest fires and other calamities are also increasing rapidly.

According to the latest report of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the United Nations, the temperature of the Earth will increase by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius by the year 2040.

This is the most recent and most reliable report on climate change of the moment. It has been prepared by 234 scientists from 66 countries after assessing 14 thousand research papers, to which 195 countries have given their consent.

According to this report, even if all countries stop carbon emission, it will be difficult to stop the increase in the temperature of the earth because humans have already caused tremendous damage to nature.

According to this report, there will be more instances of drought in the world than before, there will be more storms, unseasonal rains. Heatwave will prevail in Asia more than before because the Indian Ocean is warming faster than the rest of the world. Due to this, countries like India witness heatwaves like never before and there will be more floods and the monsoon pattern will also get disrupted.

All this will happen even when carbon emissions will be eliminated or controlled all over the world. But if nothing is done in this direction, then the temperature can rise up to 5.7 degrees Celsius.

According to scientists, the last decade was the warmest decade in the last one and a half million years and this is the first time that the sea level has increased a lot. All this is happening only because of human activities.

According to this report, due to global warming, by the end of this century, 12 seaside cities of India will be submerged in three feet of water. This includes cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Kochi and Visakhapatnam. Apart from this, the state of Goa will also be submerged in water. There are many cities that will be submerged in water by 2050.

The people who do not live in these places will be wrong to assume that they would not be affected because there wont be sufficient oxygen to breathe even in the plains. At this time carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the highest compared to the last two million years.

Climate change is an issue about which awareness among people and governments is very low. The media of our country also does not take the issue of climate change seriously.

But the time has come to give priority to climate change because the day is not far when cities like Delhi and Mumbai will start witnessing snowfalls, cities like Nainital and Shimla will face scorching heat and the deserts of Rajasthan and Kutch will receive heavy rains.

It is hard to imagine such a grim scenario sitting in our houses today, but it is likely to become a reality soon. That is why we must not waste any more time and get serious about climate change.

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Balasore: The country on Wednesday successfully tested the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)-developed Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile off the coast of Odishas Balasore district.

News agency ANI quoted sources as saying that the missile flew for around 150 km with an indigenous cruise engine.

"More tests would be conducted in near future," the DRDO sources said. The missile has been designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Balasore, Odisha: India today successfully tested the DRDO-developed Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile off the coast of Odisha. The missile flew for around 150 km with an indigenous cruise engine. More tests would be conducted in near future: Sources  ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2021

Earlier, on July 23, the country had successfully test-fired indigenously developed New Generation Akash Missile (Akash-NG), a Surface to Air Missile defence system in Balasore.

It was the second test firing of the 30 km strike-range air defence missile systems in two days. In June, India had successfully test-fired its new generation nuclear-capable Agni Prime missile from a defence base off the Odisha coast.

The surface-to-surface ballistic missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher off the Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha at 10.55 am. It has a range of 1000 to 2000 km.

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Chandigarh: The Chandigarh Administration on Wednesday re-opened the colleges across the Union Territory, nearly a year after they were closed due to the COVID-19 surge.

The Higher Education Department of Chandigarh had earlier announced that it will reopen colleges for the ongoing batches from August 11 in view of declining COVID-19 cases.

The reopening of colleges brought back smiles on the face of several students, who welcomed the move wholeheartedly. "It is a great feeling to be back again in college. Offline lectures are better than online classes," Iqbalpreet Singh, a student of Guru Gobind Singh College, said.

Colleges reopen in Chandigarh from today after more than a year due to COVID "It is a great feeling to be back again in college. Offline lectures are better than online classes," says Iqbalpreet Singh, student of Guru Gobind Singh College pic.twitter.com/P8mrt4VwJt  ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2021

An order issued by the Directorate of Higher Education, Chandigarh Administration said, the hybrid mode (online and offline) of teaching can be adopted by the head of the institute, wherever required.



It has been decided to open the institutions of higher education for the ongoing classes on or after August 11, as per their academic calendar, the order stated. It added that only those students who have received at least one dose of vaccine, at least two weeks ago, will be allowed to attend physical classes.

The decision regarding the exemption from vaccination (due to medical conditions only) has to be taken by the college head.

All higher education institutes were directed to follow COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour and use a hybrid model of teaching (offline+online), taking into consideration the academic requirements, circumstances, infrastructure of the Institution, said the notice.

Meanwhile, the Himachal Pradesh government has decided to shut schools, except for residential ones, till August 22 amid the looming threat of a possible third COVID-19 wave. The government had reopened schools for Classes 10, 11 and 12 earlier.

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New Delhi: At least ten people were killed and 14 others rescued on Wednesday (August 11) in a landslide that trapped a bus and other vehicles at Nigulsari in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district, ANI cited officials as saying. Several vehicles, including a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus carrying over 40 passengers, are feared to have been buried under the debris.

A total of 10 bodies have been recovered from the landslide site in Nugulsari area of Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur. 14 people have been rescued so far: ITBP pic.twitter.com/EatSLwVVr2  ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2021

Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur, Abid Hussain Sadiq told PTI that rescue operation is underway to locate those still trapped. As per a Bhawanagar police official, 25 to 30 were feared to be trapped under the rubble.

Himachal Pradesh Disaster Management Director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta informed the landslide and shooting of stones occurred at Chaura village on national highway number five in Nigulsari of Nichar tehsil in Kinnaur district at around noon on Wednesday.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Himachal Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and assured all possible support. "PM @narendramodi spoke to Himachal Pradesh CM @jairamthakurbjp regarding the situation in the wake of the landslide in Kinnaur. PM assured all possible support in the ongoing rescue operations.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had also dialled up CM Thakur and took stock of the situation. He also asked the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) to provide all assistance to the Himachal government in rescue and relief operations.

This is the second major incident to hit Kinnaur after atleast nine people died in multiple landslides in the district in late July. A bridge had also collapsed as a result of boulders rolling down a hill due to the landslide.

(With agency inputs)
Thiruvananthapuram: The situation in Kerala continues to worry health expert. On Wednesday (August 11), the state reported 23,500 fresh COVID cases, pushing the total infection caseload to 36,10,193. With 116 deaths reported in a day, the number of people succumbing to the virus rose to 18,120.

As many as 19,411 people have been cured of the infection since Tuesday, taking the total recoveries to 34,15,595 and the number of active cases in the state to 1,75,957, a state government release said. In the last 24 hours, 1,62,130 samples were tested and the TPR was found to be 14.49 per cent. So far, 2,89,07,675 samples have been tested, it said. Some of the worst affected districts in the state are Thrissur (3124), Malappuram (3109), Ernakulam (2856), Kozhikode (2789), Palakkad (2414), Kollam (1633), Alappuzha (1440), Thiruvananthapuram (1255), Kottayam (1227) and Kannur (1194), reported PTI.

Of the new cases, 109 are health workers, 84 had come from outside the state and 22,049 were infected through contact with the source of contact being not clear in 1258 cases, the release said. There are currently 4,85,480 people under surveillance in various districts of the state. Of these, 4,56,991 are in home or institutional quarantine and 28,489 in hospitals.

Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry said that the news about new variants suspected in Kerala is without any basis and absolutely false.

The news about new variants suspected in Kerala is without any basis and absolutely false: Union Health Ministry  ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2021

Earlier in the day, the Centre said that the reproduction number or R number more than 1 in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh remains a cause of concern.

In comparison to Kerala, other southern states reported far fewer cases. Karnataka logged 1,826 new cases and 33 deaths. Andhra Pradesh, meanwhile, reported 1,869 new COVID-19 cases, 18 deaths. Meanwhile on August 10, fearing a third wave, the Kerala givernment announced that there will be no public observation of festivals and mass gatherings will not be permitted in the state during Onam, Muharram, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chathurthi and Durga Pooja as they have the potential to become super-spreaders of the COVID-19 infection.

(With Agency input)

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Panaji: A 31-year-old man was arrested from Dodamarg in the neighbouring Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra for allegedly abducting and raping a minor girl from a village in Goa, police said on Wednesday.

The accused had allegedly abducted the 13-year-old girl from Parye village in Sattari tehsil of North Goa and took her to his residence in Dodamarg, where he sexually assaulted her, a Valpoi police station official said quoting the FIR lodged by the victim's father.

A case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Goa Children's Act and the accused was arrested on Tuesday evening, he said.

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New Delhi: Two persons were killed and more than 40 people are feared buried under the debris caused due to a major landslide on National Highway 5 in Himachal Pradesh's remote Kinnaur district on Wednesday (August 11). Several vehicles, including a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus carrying over 40 passengers, are buried under the debris.

A police official told PTI that a state roadway bus and several vehicles were buried in the landslide that occurred over on a larger stretch on the highway near Nigulsari, 61 km from Reckong Peo, the district headquarters of Kinnaur.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Himachal CM Jairam Thakur over the incident. "PM @narendramodi spoke to Himachal Pradesh CM @jairamthakurbjp regarding the situation in the wake of the landslide in Kinnaur. PM assured all possible support in the ongoing rescue operations," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also dialled Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur and took stock of the situation arising due to a landslide. Shah spoke to the CM Thakur to inquire about the landslide in the state, an official from the ministry said. He assured him of all possible help from the central government to deal with the situation. The Home Minister also directed the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) to provide all assistance to the Himachal Pradesh government in rescue and relief operations.

CM Thakur told the assembly that a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus and several other vehicles were buried under the debris. He said the driver and the conductor were rescued with injuries and were not in a position to tell the exact number of the passengers who were on the bus.

Kinnar deputy commissioner Abid Hussain Sadiq said heavy machinery was being mobilised but would take time to reach the spot. Kinnaur MLA Jagat Singh Negi said rescue teams comprising ITBP personnel, police and home guards have reached the spot.

The accident took place 210 kilometres from the state capital Shimla and 60 kilometres from the district headquarters Reckong Peo on National Highway 5. Earlier, nine people were killed after a tourist vehicle was hit by a landslide at Batseri in Kinnaur on July 25.

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NOIDA: Over two dozen construction workers were arrested for vandalism at a builder's site and attacking police in Greater Noida on Wednesday (August 11). The workers were angry over the death of their 19-year-old colleague due to an electric shock on Monday at an ATS Group construction site in Ecotech 3 police station area, the officials said.

The workers had alleged negligence on part of the builder at the work site, which led to the death of their colleague Tarun Basu, a native of Malda district in West Bengal, forcing them to resort to violence on Tuesday evening. "A post-mortem was conducted on Tuesday which confirmed Basu's death due to electric shock. Later his parents took the body to Malda in Bengal for last rites," a police spokesperson said.

"Efforts were made to pacify the construction workers who had vandalised property. They also pelted the police officials with stones and tried to prevent them from discharging their duty," the spokesperson said.

In the wake of violence, an FIR was lodged at the Ecotech 3 police station against 60 to 70 workers, of whom 12 were named and the rest were unidentified, the official said.

"On Wednesday, the 12 named accused and 15 others, who were identified on the basis of CCTV footage, were arrested. Altogether, 27 accused have been arrested and being presented in a local court," the police spokesperson added.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be taking part in the 'Atmanirbhar Narishakti se Samvad' on Thursday (August 12 2021). The Prime Minister's Office in a statement said that the video conference event will begin at 12:30 PM. PM Modi will interact with women Self Help Group (SHG) members/community resource persons promoted under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

During the event, a compendium of success stories of women SHG members from all across the country, along with a handbook on universalization of farm livelihoods will also be released by PM Modi, the Prime Minister's Office informed.

Prime Minister Modi is also scheduled to release capitalization support funds worth Rs 1,625 crore to over four lakh SHGs. He will also release Rs 25 crore as seed money for 7,500 SHG members under the PMFME (PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises) Scheme of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Rs 4.13 crore as funds to 75 FPOs (Farmer Producer Organizations) being promoted under the Mission.

ALSO READ | Govt defends PM Modi's photo on COVID-19 vaccine certificate, says it's for awareness

Union Ministers Giriraj Singh, Pashupati Kumar Paras, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Kapil Moreshwar Patil and Prahlad Singh Patel will also be present during the virtual event.

This is to be noted that the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission aims at mobilizing rural poor households into SHGs in a phased manner and provide them long-term support to diversify their livelihoods, improve their incomes and quality of life. According to PMO, most of Mission's interventions are being implemented and scaled up by the SHG women themselves who are trained as community resource persons (CRPs)  Krishi Sakhis, Pashu Sakhis, Bank Sakhis, Bima Sakhis, Banking Correspondent Sakhis etc.

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Chandigarh: A day after the Centre said that only one state reported deaths due to oxygen shortage during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh admitted that the state did face the issue at the initial stages which led to the death of six people.

Singh added that the situation is under control now as the state has increased the oxygen production capacity.

Six deaths had occurred at a private hospital in Amritsar right in the beginning when there was an oxygen shortage. That's all, Singh was quoted as saying by ANI.

We produced 70 tonnes of oxygen and required 300 tonnes. Now we produce 400 tonnes of oxygen. There's no problem now, he added.

In a health ministry presser yesterday, Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal had said, States were asked about deaths related to oxygen shortage. As per reports so far, one state informed us about a suspected case. All states that sent us reports so far, have not told us that they've specifically reported a death due to oxygen.

Notably, in Parliament, the Centre had said that no deaths were reported due to shortage of oxygen.

Minister of State for Health Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar had said that health is a state subject and accordingly all states/UTs report cases and deaths to the Union Health Ministry on a regular basis.

Health is a State subject. Detailed guidelines for reporting of deaths have been issued by Union Health Ministry to all states/UTs. Accordingly, all states/UTs report cases and deaths to Union Health Ministry on a regular basis. However, no deaths due to lack of oxygen have been specifically reported by states/UTs, Pawar had said.

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New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday (August 10, 2021) hit out at Congress and said that everyone is still suffering for the mistakes committed at the time of carving out the northeastern states. The BJP leader said that when Congress had carved out states, they were either 'casual' about it or had 'planned a conspiracy'.

Sarma's statement comes weeks after Assam's violent clashes with Mizoram.

Honble Zoramthanga ji could you please investigate why are civilians from Mizoram holding sticks and trying to incite violence ? We urge civilians to not take up law and order on their own hands and permit peaceful dialogue to take place between governments @AmitShah @PMOIndia https://t.co/BRkhWYuEUX  Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 26, 2021

After killing 5 Assam police personnel and injuring many , this is how Mizoram police and goons are celebrating.- sad and horrific pic.twitter.com/fBwvGIOQWr  Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 26, 2021

"When Congress had carved out states, they were either casual or they planned a conspiracy that united northeast should not be formed to keep them fighting," the Assam Chief Minister told ANI.

He also said that the boundaries of northeastern states should have been mentioned in the Constitution.

"When Mizoram, Meghalaya and other states were newly formed, they should have been included by writing it down in the Act. That did not happen and this is why after every 3-5 years people fight and casualties are caused," he said when asked about the reason for a border dispute with neighbouring states.

ALSO READ | Assam-Mizoram border conflict: How it escalated and what the Centre is doing to resolve it

"We are still suffering for the mistakes committed at that time," Sarma expressed.

Sarma further said that when Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Telangana and Chhattisgarh were formed, boundaries were discretely mentioned, hence there is no border dispute with their parent state.

This is to be noted that Sarma on Monday had also met PM Narendra Modi and other top leaders in Delhi.

Today I called on Adarniya PM Sri @narendramodi to apprise him on how our Government has been working to steer & scale up Assam's development journey as envisioned by him. Also briefed him about Bodo peace process, our war against drugs & implementation of various central schemes pic.twitter.com/dmqh4sm2PG  Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 9, 2021

The meeting came days after the dispute between the two northeastern states resulted in a violent clash killing six Assam police personnel and one civilian.

(With inputs from ANI)

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Lucknow: Committed to the welfare of the farmers, the Uttar Pradesh government is working tirelessly to connect sugarcane farmers with technology along with ensuring their timely payment. As a result of the sustained efforts of the Yogi Adityanath-led government in uplifting the farmers, not only their income has increased but also the productivity of sugarcane has doubled.

In the training session 2020-21, as many as 66,963 farmers have been trained to apply modern techniques and advanced technology in sugarcane production by the Sugarcane Farmers Institute. Through the training, record sugarcane production of 81.5 tonnes has been achieved in UP.

In the last four years, the state government has worked to transform the sugarcane farming in the state which has resulted in the prosperity of the farmers. Over 44.40 lakh farmers of the state have downloaded the e-Ganna App where they are getting the benefit of being directly connected to the Uttar Pradesh Sugarcane Department. This has freed the farmers from the presence of middlemen. Apart from this, the farmers are getting aware of all the required information through their mobiles.

Over 81 crore hits on e-Ganna App

The growing use of technology by sugarcane farmers in UP can be gauged from the fact that so far over 81.57 crore hits have been made on the mobile app of the sugarcane department. At the same time, as many as 5.1 crore hits have been made on the website of Smart Sugarcane Farmer (Smart Ganna Kisan). These figures are testimony to the fact that the efforts of the state government have made the farmers of UP tech-savvy.

The Sugarcane department is playing an important role in making arrangements for training sessions for farmers, spreading information about mobile apps through supervisors, and in establishing direct communication between agricultural experts and farmers. Along with this, the department has eliminated the role of middlemen by connecting the farmers with technology, which has increased transparency between the department and the farmers.

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Chennai: A day after the carcasses of a sloth bear and a sub-adult female elephant were discovered at Tamil Nadus Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, another baby elephant was found dead on Tuesday (August 10).

A patrolling team of the forest department identified the carcass of a female baby elephant with multiple injuries.

On Monday, the department had initiated an investigation into the deaths of two animals whose carcasses were found at different spots. The probe revealed that electrocution in a wire fence caused the death of the male sloth bear while Anthrax is suspected to have caused the death of the sub-adult female elephant.

Based on the postmortem of the sloth bear, Deputy Director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Buffer Zone, L C S Srikanth said that the bear got stuck between an energised wire fence, and died of electrocution. In terms of the action taken, he said that an enquiry was conducted with Ramasamy (86), who has been taking care of the land, where the death occurred. The energiser, steel writs and other accessories were seized under Mahazar. A case was registered, but the individual was not arrested, given his old age and also considering that arrest is not mandatory.

Regarding the death of the female elephant, physical evidence suggested the cause of death to be Anthrax. Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax can be found naturally in soil and commonly affects domestic and wild animals around the world.

The carcass of the elephant would be disposed of in line with the protocols. It is notable that pictures of the elephants body showed bloodstains on the ground near the trunk and the mouth of the elephant.

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, located in the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu, is at the tri-junction of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. It is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Animals such as tiger, leopard, elephant, Indian Gaur (bison), sloth bear are often sighted at the Reserve.

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Hospet: Sulking over the portfolio allocation, Karnataka Minister Anand Singh on Wednesday dropped a hint that he would resign his position a week after assuming charge.

Singh assumed charge as Minister for Tourism, Ecology and Environment, a week ago.

Sources close to the Minister said he was keen on getting the forest department which he held in the previous B S Yediyurappa government, along with the energy portfolio.

"Against his wish, he was given tourism, ecology and environment portfolio", they added.

As he expressed his displeasure, he also shut down his MLA office here.

"My political life started from this Venu Gopalakrishna Temple. I would like to tell you that I don't know whether my political life may also end here. If I have the blessings of Gopalakrishna, there may be a new beginning as well," Singh said.

He was talking to reporters after offering special prayers at the temple, which was built by his grandfather Shankar Singh 60 years ago.

"However, if God says that your political life ends here then I will seek the blessings of Krishna and will start a new inning in my life," Singh said.

"I never behaved in a way to embarrass the party and our leaders. If I have behaved like that then pardon me. I am saying this because I am not a big politician of the state," the Minister said.

"I realised only yesterday that I lived under the wrong impression that there are many politicians in the state to protect me. I had full confidence that there were political bigwigs and friends ready to protect me but it proved to be my overconfidence. It was under some illusion. I have faith in my leaders but I am skeptical whether they have faith in me," he said.

Singh refused to reply to any specific questions regarding his future course of action.

"I don't want to react to anything. I have told the Chief Minister politically whatever I had to when I met him on August 8. I stand by it even now and in the future also. My stand is my stand. I won't make it public. Whether they have given assurance to me or not, it is left to them," he said in response to a query.

Expressing his gratitude and respect towards the former chief minister B S Yediyurappa, who resigned on July 26, which also marked the completion of his two years in the office, Singh said the former gave all that he had asked for such as a separate district to Hospet Taluk, carving out Vijayanagara from Ballari district, irrigation projects and the portfolio of his choice.

Earlier, speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said he was aware of Singh's sentiments.

"Me and Anand Singh are friends for three decades. We are continuously in touch. Yesterday I spoke to him. Today also I will speak to him. I am aware of his views and I too have conveyed my views. Everything will be set right after he comes and speaks to me," Bommai told reporters.

Dismissing some reports that Singh has tendered his resignation, Bommai was confident that he would "convince him".

He also said that the minister spoke his mind in an "emotional moment", and asked him to do so in a "calm state of mind".

The CM said he will have to speak to his "higher-ups" to resolve the demands put forth by the sulking minister.

The minister was among the 17 Congress and JD (S) MLAs, who were disqualified. Later, 16 of them joined the BJP and became legislators again after winning byelections. A majority of them became Ministers.

Also Read: Murmurs of dissent in Karnataka, CM Basavaraj Bommai seeks BJP high command's help

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New Delhi: Actor Sidharth Malhotra, who is all set for the release of his much-awaited film Shershaah to be released on August 12 spilled the beans on how he prepped up for the role and how was his experience of essaying the larger-than-life character on the silver screen.

Sharing his experience with DNA over his larger-than-life character, Sidharth shared, It's not very comfortable to play such a character who has lived a very heroic life. A lot of pressure comes with it. He (Captain Batra) is someone who is very revered in the Army, loved and remembered by his loved ones whether it is his family or by Dimple."

Talking about the quality of Captain Vikram Batra which he would like to imbibe in himself, would be the confidence with which he faced all the crucial situations and the way he used to overcome his fear.

Sharing on how he feels connected with the role, Sidharth shared, The thing that I could connect to possibly would be his cultural upbringing and background. I come from a middle-class Punjabi household myself and so did he. When I meet his family they could very well be my relatives or family members, and that I feel adds in a sense of emotion from my end to portray him with utmost sincerity and to the best of my abilities. I hope and pray that firstly, the family should feel like we have done justice to their son's life. That's pretty much the review that I'm waiting for."

He also shared that he is eagerly waiting for the familys reaction to the film, and said, It's not about who has made this before, it's about a gentleman who gave his life for the country and I think we need to show respect for him and not commercialise it to the extent where you are comparing apples to apples. These are all media questions that don't really bother me. I am waiting for the family to see the film first and looking forward to what they think."

Shershaah will chronicle the life and times of Captain Vikram Batra, played by Sidharth Malhotra, in the film. Kiara Advani will be seen in the character of Dimple, Vikram Batra's fiance in the film.

The film is based on the life of Kargil war hero Vikram Batra and is slated to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on August 12, 2021.
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing Raj Kundra pornography case, actor-model Sherlyn Chopra has now shared an old picture on her social media account, in whicih she can be sitting beside Raj while it was her first day at shoot for the app.

Sharing the picture, she wrote, 29 , 2019       '  '                                 

Follow @sherlynchopraofficial

----------------------------------------

Turn On Post Notifications

#sherlyn #sherlynchoprahot #mumbai #bollywoodsexy #model #sherlynchopraofficial #sherlynchopra #newmodel #delhi #Sherni #insta #instagram #reels #viral #hotactress #hotmodel #hotonbeauty #hot_look #sexy #bollywood #bollywoodsex #ullu

#sherlynchopraofficial #SherlynChopra #SherlynChopra #SherlynChopraBikini #instadaily #liker #likers..

For the unversed, the Bombay High Court on Saturday (August 7, 2021) dismissed the bail plea of businessman Raj Kundra and associate Ryan Thorpe in the pornography case. Kundra had filed a writ petition in the court calling his arrest 'illegal'. The court reserved its verdict upon hearing both the concerned parties.

Responding to the writ petition filed by Kundra, the public prosecutor stated that he is a British citizen and destroying the evidence in the case against him and there is a possibility of him doing the same in future.

The investigating agencies have recovered 51 adult movies from the Storage Area Network (SAN) and 68 adult films from his laptops. Therefore, Raj Kundra's arrest is not only valid but also very important in this case, argued the prosecutor.

A single bench presided over by Justice A S Gadkari rejected their applications, saying that the duo's remand by a magistrate to police custody and the subsequent judicial custody was within the conformity of law and did not require interference.

In their petitions, Kundra, husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, and Thorpe had termed their arrest as illegal as the mandatory provision of issuing notice under section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) was not followed.

The duo, in their plea, sought the high court to order for their immediate release and quash two orders passed by a magistrate after their arrest remanding them in police custody.

Raj Kundra, the husband of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, was arrested by the crime branch on July 19 in a case related to the alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through apps.

Meanwhile, the Police on Friday recorded the statement of actor-model Sherlyn Chopra for nearly eight hours in connection with the porn films case in which businessman Raj Kundra has been arrested, an official told PTI.

Chopra appeared before the property cell of the Mumbai crime branch at around 12 pm to record her statement and left at around 8 pm, the official said.

Earlier this week, the police had quizzed the director of Armsprime, a company linked to the alleged porn racket. Last week, a court had rejected the pre-arrest bail application filed by Chopra.

In her plea, Chopra has said she apprehended arrest in the case registered under IPC sections 292, 293 (sale of obscene material), as well as relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.

The crime branch is investigating the case that was registered at the Malwani police station in suburban Mumbai in February 2021.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Actress Deepika Padukone recently announced a program launched by her mental health foundation, LiveLoveLaugh and The Deepika Padukone Closet which is called Frontline Assist. It aims at providing mental health support for frontline workers affected by the pandemic.

Deepika took to her social media account and shared, "#TheDeepikaPadukoneCloset The second edition of "Frontline Assist" is here! We are proud to direct proceeds from "The Deepika Padukone Closet" towards mental health support of our country's real heroes through our partnership with Sangath. Link in bio: www.deepikapadukone.com/closet

#TheDeepikaPadukoneCloset #FrontlineAssit @tlllfoundation @sangathindia"

With Raksha Bandhan around the corner, the latest collection holds some apt ethnic wear for rakhi festivities, and pieces that would make for great gifts! From heirloom-worthy handbags and casual staples to trendy co-ord sets, there's a range of styles to choose from.

On the work front, Deepika is busy with Pathan co-starring Shah Rukh Khan and John Abraham.
New Delhi: Aadhar card has become one of the most crucial identity documents for availing services offered by the government. A single mistake in the Aadhaar can devoid someone from receiving the benefits of certain state-backed schemes. Therefore, its important to keep your Aadhaar card updated.

In a bid to make it easier for anyone to make changes in their Aadhaar card, the UIDAI has partnered with the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB). As part of the partnership, resident Aadhar card holders can easily get their mobile numbers and others changes in the document at the ease and comfort of their homes.

In an official notification on microblogging site Twitter, the Ministry of Communications had informed citizens that Aadhar card holders can update mobile numbers in the document by requesting a visit of a postman at their homes. The ministry added that India Post Payments Bank has launched the service for updating the mobile number in Aadhar.

By updating mobile number in Aadhaar, beneficiary identification can be facilitated for various services such as registering for government PDS/DBT schemes, getting ration under One Nation One Ration Card Scheme, KYC for new mobile SIM connections, updating demographic details online, accessing RTO services for driving licence, verifying income tax returns, and information on EPFO services, the ministry said.

Customers will be able to avail the service from the 650 branches of India Post Payments Bank across the country. IPPB has deployed over 2 lakh Postman and Gramin Dak Sevak to provide services at home. Also Read: Hackers return $260 million of stolen $600 million to Poly Network on its request

At present, the service hasnt been started by IPPB yet. However, a banks representative said that the state-owned lender is planning to roll out the service soon. Also Read: Samsung launches Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, check specs, price, and top features

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#mute
New Delhi: SBI Mutual Fund on Wednesday (August 11) launched its Balanced Advantage Fund (BAF) along with Systemic Withdrawal Plan (Automated) or SWP (A).

Feature. The SWP (A) feature basically allows investors to withdraw a portion of their invested funds at regular intervals.

How to invest in SBI Balanced Advantage Fund?

You can invest in the SBI Balanced Advantage Fund from 12 August to 25 August if you want to invest in the New Fund Offer period. Investors will also be allowed to invest in the fund after the offer ends. You can go to the official website of the bank to invest in the newly launched mutual fund.

Who will manage SBI Mutual Funds Balanced Advantage Fund?

SBI Mutual Funds Balanced Advantage Fund will be managed by Dinesh Balachandran and Gaurav Mehta when it comes to the funds investment in equities. On the other hand, Dinesh Ahuja will manage the debt investments on the Balanced Advantage Fund.

Where will SBI Mutual Funds Balanced Advantage Fund invest?

SBI Mutual Funds Balanced Advantage Fund will initially invest 40% of the corpus in equities, 35% into debt and will keep 25% as arbitrage. The fund could also invest up to 20% in international stocks.

In terms of segments, mid and small caps were cheap relative to large-cap companies a year ago. However, we feel large caps offer better value at this point. The case for growth and value stocks is also evenly balanced compared to the strong case for value, a year ago," Balachandran was quoted as saying by Mint. Also Read: Big blow for Work From Home employees, 25% pay cut on the table

What is a Systemic Withdrawal Plan (Automated)?

Systemic Withdrawal Plan (Automated) is very different from the usual mutual funds which allow customers to invest via systemic investment plan (SIP). In SWP (A), investors start receiving their invested funds at regular intervals until the fund depletes. These intervals could vary from months, quarters or years. Also Read: NEFT beneficiary identification: 5 things you need to take care of before transferring money

How will SBI Mutual Funds Systemic Withdrawal Plan (Automated) work?

In the newly launched mutual fund, investors will receive a 0.5% of their investment every month or 3% every half year or 6% every year. The state-owned lender will give investors to change the time period according to their needs.
New Delhi: Actor Prakash Raj, who was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday after sustaining an injury, said on Wednesday that his health is better and he will be back in action soon.

The actor took to Twitter to post a health update for his fans.

Posting a picture from his hospital bed, the actor said: "The devil is back... successful surgery... thank you dear friend Dr #guruvareddy and thank you all for your love n prayers.. back in action soon."

The devil is back successful surgery.. thank you dear friend Dr #guruvareddy and thank you all for your love n prayers.. back in action soon pic.twitter.com/j2eBfemQPn  Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) August 11, 2021

On Tuesday, the actor had sustained a small fracture after he suffered a fall following which he was admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad.

The senior actor is known to dabble between multiple language industries and is popular with his body of work.

The actor was recently seen in the Tamil anthology "Navarasa".
New Delhi: Nigeria will soon lift its ban on Twitter, roughly two months after suspending the microblogging platform indefinitely in Africa's most populous nation, the nations information minister Lai Mohammed said.

The Nigerian government had suspended the social media platform in the country on June 4 after it deleted a controversial tweet President Muhammadu Buhari made about a secessionist movement.

At the time of the ban, Mohammed had said that government officials took the step because the platform was being used for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria's corporate existence. He had also criticized Twitter for deleting President Buharis post.

Twitter had cited that Buhari's deleted post was abusive, as the president threatened suspected separatist militants in the southeast. Also Read: Samsung launches Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, check specs, price, and top features

The Nigerian government had used Twitter as the platform to announce the blanket ban on the micro-blogging platform. At that time, several Twitter users in Nigeria had mocked the government for using the platform to announce the action. You're using Twitter to suspend Twitter? Are you not mad? one user tweeted in response. Also Read: Facebook Dating app gets spicier with audio chats, 2 other new features

- With inputs from Reuters
Lucknow: In a big relief to the people of Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday directed officials to consider more relaxation in the weekend closure of shops and business establishments as the pandemic situation has improved considerably in the state.

According to a government spokesman, the Chief Minister has directed the home department to present detailed guidelines in this regard. At present, markets, shops and business establishments are allowed to open from 6 AM to 10 PM from Monday to Friday, while Saturday and Sunday are the weekly closure days.

However, the Chief Minister now wants partial relaxation in the two-day weekly closure of shops and markets.

"Movement of people allowed from 6 am-10 pm from Mondays to Saturdays, with effect from 14th August. People will mandatorily need to wear masks, observe social distancing & use sanitizer. Sunday lockdown/Corona Curfew will continue,'' according to an order issued by Awanish K Awasthi, Additional Chief Secretary, Home.

Movement of people allowed from 6 am-10 pm from Mondays to Saturdays, with effect from 14th Aug. People will mandatorily need to wear masks, observe social distancing & use sanitsier. Sunday lockdown/Corona Curfew to continue: Awanish K Awasthi, Addl Chief Secy, Home, Govt of UP pic.twitter.com/gvYRCvGl23  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 11, 2021

CM Yogi has also directed officials to ensure COVID protocols are followed everywhere and there should not be any unnecessary congregation of people anywhere.

There has been a marked improvement in the pandemic situation as 12 districts have no active COVID cases as of now. Districts with no active cases include Aligarh, Amethi, Chitrakoot, Etah, Firozabad, Gonda, Hathras, Kasganj, Pilibhit, Pratapgarh, Shamli and Sonbhadra while the recovery rate stands at 98.6 per cent.

On Tuesday, 59 of 75 districts did not report even a single fresh COVID case whereas, in the remaining 16 districts, the number of new cases was less than 10. The state government has also allowed secondary, higher, technical and vocational educational institutions to reopen after Independence Day with 50 per cent attendance.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked the officials to organise vaccination camps on the premises of universities, schools and colleges for students above 18 years of age.

CM Yogi also said that the process of new admissions should be started from classes 6 to 8. Assessing the situation, teaching-learning can be started in these schools from September 1.

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New Delhi: A 10-feet-long python was rescued from a riverside near Vadodara city in Gujarat as it reportedly fell sick after swallowing a monkey. The reptile was spotted on August 7 by some locals on the bank of a small river passing through Vasna-Kotariya village near Vadodara.

Wildlife rescuer Shailesh Raval was the first to rush to the spot after the sighting by the villagers, he alerted the Karelibaug range forest office. After some efforts, our team managed to catch the python and we brought it to our rescue centre in Karelibaug. The python later regurgitated the small monkey that it had swallowed, Raval told PTI.

Gujarat Forest Department officials rescued a 10-foot long python from a small river in Vadodara. "It had swallowed a monkey and later unswallowed it. Python is in a good situation. We will release it in jungle once permission is obtained," said Shailesh Rawal, rescuer (09.08) pic.twitter.com/6DUUP00Ux9  ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2021

After the news was widely shared on social media, some netizens expressed concerns about the monkey while others wondered why the snake neded to be rescued as the whole thing is a natural procecss.

The python reportedly regurgitated the small monkey later and so it is safe to assume that the poor mammal died. Though, the python seems to be in a good condition and will be relased once it recovers fully.

It had swallowed a monkey and later unswallowed it. Python is in a good situation. We will release it in jungle once permission is obtained, said Raval, rescuer.

The snake is under observation and will be released once it is declared fit by veterinary doctors, officials said.
Kabul: As many as 439 more Taliban terrorists were killed and 77 others were wounded by Afghan security forces in the last 24 hours. "439 #Taliban terrorists were killed and 77 others were wounded as a result of #ANDSF operations in Nangarhar, Laghman, Logar, Paktia, Uruzgan, Zabul, Ghor, Farah, Balkh, Helmand Kapisa and Baghlan provinces during the last 24 hours," Afghan Defense Ministry tweeted.

439 #Taliban terrorists were killed and 77 others were wounded as a result of #ANDSF operations in Nangarhar, Laghman, Logar, Paktia, Uruzgan, Zabul, Ghor, Farah, Balkh, Helmand Kapisa and Baghlan provinces during the last 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/tHRAnLpjIj  Ministry of Defense, Afghanistan (@MoDAfghanistan) August 11, 2021

Separately, 25 terrorists were killed in airstrikes at the outskirts of Kandahar provincial center. "25 #Taliban terrorists were killed and 13 others were wounded in #airstrikes conducted by #AAF at the outskirts of #Kandahar provincial center, yesterday," the Defense Ministry said.

25 #Taliban terrorists were killed and 13 others were wounded in #airstrikes conducted by #AAF at the outskirts of #Kandahar provincial center, yesterday. Also, 29 weapons & some amount of their ammunition & equipment were destroyed. pic.twitter.com/2PW0KL6c7j  Ministry of Defense, Afghanistan (@MoDAfghanistan) August 11, 2021

Amid escalating violence in the northern part of the country, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday (August 11) arrived in Mazar-e-Sharif city in the Balkh province. This visit comes as the Taliban has captured several provincial capitals in Afghanistan.

Amid the ongoing fight between Afghan government forces and Taliban, hundreds of thousands of civilians are at risk as fighting intensifies in and around Kunduz, Lashkar Gah, Kandahar, and other Afghan cities.

Meanwhile, the United States is concerned that the Taliban could capture Kabul in one to three months, far sooner than previous intelligence assessments suggested.

According to the Washington Post, the situation in the country is now worse than it was in June when the US intelligence predicted that Kabul could collapse in 6-12 months after the American troop pullout from Afghanistan.

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New Delhi: The state of Hindu religious minorities in Prime Minister Imran Khan's 'Naya Pakistan' was exposed after a recent attack on Sri Ganesha temple in Bhong Sharif town of Rahim Yar Khan (RYK) district of Pakistan's Punjab even as a delegation of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) of the country is visiting the town to control the damage caused due to religious intolerance.

Though the Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party came to power with an assurance of protecting social, civil, and religious rights of minorities, their properties and places of worship as enshrined in Pakistans constitution but the vandalization of Sri Ganesh Temple, smashing of idols of Hindu deities has only exposed the prevailing radicalization of Pakistan society and growing intolerance toward Hindus and leaving a little space for the people with moderate views.

ALSO READ | India slams Pakistan at UNHRC, highlights terrorism, forced conversions of religious minorities and extra-judicial killings

According to reports, an eight years old Hindu boy allegedly urinated on the carpet of a Muslim seminary and was arrested for his blasphemous act. As the law took its course, the boy was granted bail but it aggravated the hurt religious feelings of local Muslims who chose to attack Hindu minority communitys Sri Ganesha temple to teach them a lesson.

On August 4, a rabble led by local Muslim fundamentalists had attacked the Hindu temple, pelted stones at the idols, broke windows, smashed fittings and fixtures, or whatever they could lay their hands on besides attacking the houses of local Hindus.

Seeing the situation slipping out of hands, local police called in Pakistan Rangers to control the situation.





Meanwhile, the Pakistan government invited severe criticism from across the world for having failed to safeguard the minority Hindus and their religious places even as a few lickspittle Hindu political leaders both from the ruling PTI as well as opposition came forward to pay lip service.

Reports emerging from Pakistan suggests that police had arrested around 55 persons out of around 150 nominated for vandalising the temple.

However, to mitigate the sufferings of the local Hindu community and to restore confidence among them the delegation of NCM, Pakistan, is visiting the Bhong Sharif on August 12. But before that, they would hold a symbolic ceremony of cake cutting to celebrate Pakistans Minority Day on August 11.

The idea of a visit to Bhong Sharif is not just to restore the confidence among Hindu community, but also question the local police and civil administration as why they couldnt apprehend the situation beforehand, said member NCM Dr Jaipal Chhabria while talking to Zee News from Karachi.

He informed that NCM chairman Chelaram Kewlani would himself lead the delegation to Bhong Sharif.

Sources also informed that the Pakistan government has issued directions to carry out the repair work of the Hindu temple and also directed police to ensure that communal harmony was maintained at any cost.
New Delhi: As the world combats the deadly Delta COVID-19 variant, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) on Wednesday (August 11) said Russia's Sputnik V vaccine is around 83 per cent effective against the Delta variant, ANI reported.

Citing data gathered by the Russian health ministry, the RDIF said in a statement, "The data confirms that Sputnik V remains protective against newly detected variants and retains one of the best safety and efficacy parameters. The Russian Ministry of Health has also published data on Sputnik V`s efficacy against the Delta variant. The vaccine is 83.1 per cent effective and shows 6x reduction of infection risk. Sputnik V is also 94.4 per cent effective against hospitalizations with 18x reduction in hospitalisation risk.

The statement added that Sputnik V, a two-shot vaccine, showed 97.6% efficacy based on the analysis of data from 3.8 million vaccinated people in Russia. The results obtained over the course of mass vaccination were even better than those seen during clinical trials (91.6% efficacy), it added.

In July, RDIF had said that the Serum Institute of India (SII) will start production of Sputnik vaccine at the company's facilities in September. It added that they intend to produce over 300 million doses of the vaccine in India per year.

Sputnik V was registered in India under the emergency use authorisation procedure on April 12. The vaccination with the Russian vaccine commenced on May 14 in the country. After Covaxin and Covishield, Sputnik V became the third vaccine to be cleared for immunisation drive in India. India had also approved the production of Russia's single-dose vaccine 'Sputnik light' in May this year.

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine has been registered in 67 countries so far. RDIF has concluded production partnerships with over 20 companies in 14 countries, including India, China, South Korea, Argentina, Mexico and omong others, the statement said.

(With agency inputs)
Colombo: Sri Lanka has filed 23,270 charges against 25 people in connection with the deadly 2019 Easter Sunday attacks that killed over 270 people, including 11 Indians, the president's office said on Wednesday.

The charges filed on Tuesday under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) include conspiring to murder, aiding and abetting, collecting arms and ammunition, and attempted murder.

Nine suicide bombers, belonging to local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) linked to ISIS, carried out a series of blasts that tore through three churches and as many luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, killing 258 people, including 11 Indians, and injuring over 500 on the Easter Sunday on April 21, 2019.

Sri Lankan police have arrested hundreds of suspects in connection with the suicide bombings.

The Attorney General's Department said that the Chief Justice has been asked to appoint a special high court bench to hear the cases speedily.

The Buddhist-majority nation was about to mark a decade since ending a 37-year-long Tamil separatist war in May 2009 when the suicide bombings in 2019 rocked the country.

The attacks caused a political storm as the then government headed by President Maithirpala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was blamed for its inability to prevent the deadly attacks despite the prior intelligence made available on the impending terror strikes.

During his tenure, Sirisena formed a presidential panel to probe the attacks.

In its report, the panel said that former president Sirisena and a host of other top defence officials, including former defence secretaries, former IGPs and intelligence chiefs, were guilty of ignoring prior intelligence. The panel report recommended criminal action against them.

Both the then-police chief and the top defense bureaucrat were sacked and arrested for their inaction to prevent the attacks. Last month, head of the Catholic church Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith urged the government to take action against Wickremesinghe for his failure as the then prime minister to prevent the attacks.

The Cardinal said that a presidential inquiry on the attacks initiated by then-president Sirisena had found him guilty for his failure to prevent the attacks.

Similarly, the inquiry faulted Wickremesinghe for his soft attitude towards the rising Islamic extremism in the island, the Cardinal said.

The church, demanding accountability for the intelligence failure, has expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of seriousness in the investigations to bring culprits to book.

The government denies any lethargy in investigations and says nearly 700 people have been arrested and the due legal procedures are in place.

The blasts targeted St Anthony's Church in Colombo, St Sebastian's Church in the western coastal town of Negombo and a church in the eastern town of Batticaloa when the Easter Sunday mass was in progress on April 21, 2019.

Three explosions were reported from three five-star hotels - the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon Grand and the Kingsbury in Colombo.
Kabul (Afghanistan): Taliban fighters could isolate Afghanistan's capital in 30 days and possibly take it over in 90, a U.S. defence official told Reuters on Wednesday (August 11), citing U.S. intelligence, as militants took control of an eighth provincial Afghan capital. The Taliban now control 65% of Afghanistan and have taken or threaten to take 11 provincial capitals, a senior EU official said on Tuesday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the new assessment of how long Kabul could stand was a result of the rapid gains the Taliban had been making around the country as U.S.-led foreign forces leave. "But this is not a foregone conclusion," the official added, saying that the Afghan security forces could reverse the momentum by putting up more resistance.

Wednesday's loss of Faizabad, capital of the northeastern province of Badakhshan, was the latest setback for the Afghan government, which has been struggling to stem the momentum of Taliban assaults. It came as President Ashraf Ghani flew in to Mazar-i-Sharif to rally old warlords to the defence of the biggest city in the north as Taliban forces close in. Jawad Mujadidi, a provincial council member from Badakhshan, said the Taliban had laid siege to Faizabad before launching an offensive on Tuesday. "Unfortunately, after hours of heavy fighting the ANDSF retreated," Mujadidi told Reuters, referring to national security forces. "With the fall of Faizabad the whole of the northeast has come under Taliban control." Badakhshan borders Tajikistan, Pakistan and China.

WATCH: Afghanistan Turmoil: Taliban captures major provincial cities in Afghanistan

The Taliban are battling to defeat the U.S-backed government and reimpose strict Islamic law. The speed of their advance has shocked the government and its allies. U.S. President Joe Biden urged Afghan leaders to fight for their homeland, saying on Tuesday (August 10) he did not regret his decision to withdraw, noting that the United States had spent more than $1 trillion over 20 years and lost thousands of troops. The United States was providing significant air support, food, equipment and salaries to Afghan forces, he said. The United States will complete the withdrawal of its forces this month in exchange for Taliban promises to prevent Afghanistan being used for international terrorism.

The Taliban promised not to attack foreign forces as they withdraw but did not agree to a ceasefire with the government. A commitment by the Taliban to talk peace with the government side has come to nothing as they eye military victory. Some Afghans feel abandoned as the United States and other Western powers withdraw, leaving the Taliban to make their move.

"The U.S. did not provide support ... now we see the result," Dawlat Waziri, a retired general and military analyst, told Reuters.

The Taliban advances have raised fears of the return to power of the hardline militants who emerged in the early 1990s from the chaos of civil war and controlled most of the country from 1996 to 2001, when they were ousted by a U.S.-led campaign for harbouring al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. A new generation of Afghans, who have come of age since 2001, fears that the progress made in areas such as women`s rights and media freedom will be squandered. U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday reports of violations that could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity were emerging, including "deeply disturbing reports" of the summary execution of surrendering government troops. Afghan officials have appealed for pressure on Pakistan to stop Taliban reinforcements and supplies flowing over the border. Pakistan denies backing the Taliban.

The Taliban have captured districts bordering Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Pakistan and China, heightening regional security concerns.

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Taliban fighters took control of another city in northern Afghanistan on Wednesday, an official said, the eighth provincial capital to fall to the insurgents in six days as U.S.-led foreign forces complete their withdrawal.

The Taliban capture of Faizabad, capital of the northeastern province of Badakhshan, came as President Ashraf Ghani landed in Mazar-i-Sharif to rally its defenders as Taliban forces closed in on the biggest city in the north.

Jawad Mujadidi, a provincial council member from Badakhshan, said the Taliban had laid siege to Faizabad before launching an offensive on Tuesday.

"Unfortunately, after hours of heavy fighting the ANDSF retreated," Mujadidi told Reuters, referring to national security forces.

"With the fall of Faizabad the whole of the northeast has come under Taliban control."

Badakhshan borders Tajikistan, Pakistan and China.

The loss of the city is the latest setback for the beleaguered government, which has been struggling to stem the momentum of Taliban assaults. The Taliban are battling to defeat the U.S-backed government and reimpose strict Islamic law. The speed of their advance has shocked the government and its allies. Taliban forces now control 65% of Afghanistan, have taken or threaten to take 11 provincial capitals and seek to deprive Kabul of its traditional support from national forces in the north, a senior European Union official said on Tuesday.

U.S. President Joe Biden urged Afghan leaders to fight for their homeland, saying on Tuesday he did not regret his decision to withdraw, noting that the United States had spent more than $1 trillion over 20 years and lost thousands of troops. The United States was providing significant air support, food, equipment and salaries to Afghan forces, he said.

The north was for years Afghanistan's most peaceful region, with only a minimal Taliban presence. During their 1996 to 2001 rule, the Taliban were never completely in control of the north but this time, they seem intent on securing it before closing in on the capital. The Taliban had also taken control of borders with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Russia`s Kommersant daily reported, citing Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, heightening security concerns for Moscow. Shoigu said the Taliban had promised not to cross the border but Russia would continue holding drills with its allies in the region.

REGIONAL APPEAL

Afghan officials have appealed for pressure on Pakistan to stop Taliban reinforcements and supplies flowing over the border. Pakistan denies backing the Taliban.

The government has withdrawn its forces from some hard-to-defend rural districts to focus on holding population centres. In some places, government forces have given up without a fight.

Ghani is now appealing for help from the old regional powerbrokers he spent years sidelining as he attempted to project the authority of his central government over traditionally wayward provinces. He was due to meet regional leaders in Mazar-i-Sharif to work out coordination between the security forces and militias and operations to take back areas the Taliban captured, Tolo News reported. In the south, government forces government forces are battling Taliban fighters trying to reach Kandahar province`s main prison to release detained comrades, officials there said.

Thousands of civilians from outlying areas had taken refuge in Kandahar city, a resident said.

Fighting was also taking place in city of Farah in the west, near the Iranian border, while the Ministry of Defence said in a statement security forces had also battled Taliban in Laghman, Logar, Paktia, Uruzgan, Zabul, Ghor, Balkh, Helmand, Kapisa and Baghlan provinces and 431 Taliban had been killed. It gave no figure for casualties on the government side and a Taliban spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

In Geneva on Tuesday, U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said reports of violations that could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity were emerging, including "deeply disturbing reports" of the summary execution of surrendering government troops. Six EU member states warned the bloc`s executive against halting deportations of rejected Afghan asylum seekers arriving in Europe, fearing a possible replay of a 2015-16 crisis over the arrival of more than a million migrants, mainly from the Middle East.

The United States will complete the withdrawal of its forces this month in exchange for Taliban promises to prevent Afghanistan being used for international terrorism. The Taliban promised not to attack foreign forces as they withdraw but did not agree to a ceasefire with the government.

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New Delhi: Khalid Noor, the youngest member of the Afghanistan Peace Negotiating Team and son of Atta Muhammad Noor has said that the leader in the Mazar-E-Sharif will not "abandon the people". Atta Muhammad Noor, a prominent Afghan leader who holds sway in northern Afghanistan especially Balkh province has now himself taken the charge even as the Taliban makes territorial gains.



Speaking to WION's diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Khalid Noor speaking from Mazar-E-Sharif said, "I will be taking part in defending the city. I will be taking part in defending my people and their right. We will not abandon our people." He has graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England and then from George Mason University in the US, majoring in conflict analysis and resolution. Khalid is seen as Afghanistan's next generation of leaders and in a way carrying his father's legacy.



Asked about Afghan President Ghani's Mazar-e-Sharif visit on Wednesday, he said, "We discussed the current situation and recent developments of the security challenges". Here is the detailed exclusive interview.



WION: How is the situation in Afghanistan?

Khalid Noor: The situation in Afghanistan is not good. There is a humanitarian crisis going on, the war and the slaughtering of our people by the Taliban have increased all over Afghanistan. Thousands of people are internally displaced, they are being wounded every week who need intensive care and in certain provinces, our hospitals can't help them. When it comes to Mazar E Sharif we are doing okay right now. We have been under attack by the Taliban for the last two months. In the last three days attacks have increased a lot and we have been able to keep them away. We hope to defend and have everything and will send forces around the frontline of Balkh, gates of the city and we will do everything because our people are prepared and committed to defending their rights, they are committed to resisting against terror regime, against extremism.



WION: Do you think Mazar will fall into the hands of the Taliban?

Khalid Noor: One thing I have to clarify is that in war we cannot predict the future what is going to happen. But we will do everything to defend the city. Even if it means war will be on the streets of the city, from house to house, from street to street, even if it means the city will be destroyed, we will not abandon our people. We will not let the Taliban come and rule our people by force. We will stand, we will defend but time will tell, what will be the fate of the city.



WION: Do you think the Taliban has changed? You are the youngest member of the Afghan peace negotiating team, how did you find the approach by them?

Khalid Noor: I wish it was true, I have told this before and tell you right now that the Taliban haven't changed a bit. They are still the same extremist group with a very small mind. They still have very close ties to international terrorist groups, they still do not believe in human rights, they do not believe in women's rights. So from what I have experienced and seen, witnessed on the battlefield, they haven't changed at all. About the negotiation, if they were serious, we were negotiating with them since September last year. Unfortunately, they are only wasting time and trying to buy time for themselves. They haven't engaged in any serious negotiation. Even last month when our leaders went to Doha, we emphasized let's talk about a political settlement, let us not waste our time. Let's go directly to that, let us talk about a ceasefire and then everything will follow up. They hadn't shown any interest and all they wanted is their prisoners released. I can only say they are the same extremist group, and if they take power again, I can assure you Afghanistan will become a safe haven for international terrorist groups once more.



WION: Pakistan's role when it comes Afghan peace process

Khalid Noor: Pakistan has a huge role in the peace process, in convincing the Taliban. We hope that they realize it is time for a good neighbor to do their job, to help its neighbor to come to a peace agreement with the Taliban. But so far I cannot say it is going to happen or not. From what we have heard, our intelligence says is that the Taliban has not only kept ties with Al Qaeda, JeM, ETIM, they become close, ties are even closer than before and if the international community do not address the issues, these terrorists will reach their streets.



WION: You wearing a military uniform for any specific reason, are you part of the resistance?

Khalid Noor: Out of respect for you, I came to the house for the interview. I was at the frontline checking with our guys as to what is happening. Yes, I will be taking part in defending the city. I will be taking part in defending my people and their right. We will not abandon our people. No matter the consequences, no matter the outcome, we will resist and resist as long as it takes.



WION: Your father Atta Noor met President Ghani earlier today in Mazar, any outcomes? And also how your father is fighting the current situation?

Khalid Noor: North is the base of the Jamiat-e-Islami party so we do have a huge role in Mazar and we have the majority of forces in Balkh province, surrounding areas. In today's meeting with President Ghani, we discussed the current situation and recent developments of the security challenges and we have talked about the weaknesses and the strength of our frontlines, to strengthen even more. How to defend the city as well as how to retake other districts. There is a sort of coalition forming up with other political parties to stand against the Taliban. We hope it will work. We have to see the future.



WION: Any name of the coalition?

Khalid Noor: We haven't thought of any name but a resistance of the people, I can assure you.



WION: How do you see India's role? Also, India has moved out its diplomats from its consulate in Mazar-E-Sharif.

Khalid Noor: Indian consulate was open until two days ago. Because the situation is getting worse, more so minute by minute they had to leave Mazar for their security, you know there is a lot of really with India. They have to be very careful. India does play a huge role, in the peace process as well as resistance against the Taliban. We expect India to stand by the Afghan people. By its old allies, just the way it did with Ahmed Shah Massod, the national hero of Afghanistan.